Transformers: Rise of the Beasts slips from June 2022 to summer 2023, and the crew weighs what the delay means for the toys. Hasbro returns to Toy Fair 2022 in an expanded Javits Center.

The Bumblebee movie Studio Series wave brings Brawn, Ratchet, Wheeljack, Voyager Soundwave and the first core class Studio Series figures. Photos of the Walmart vintage Tigatron show a brand-new deco, and Diecast reviews the Robot Paradise Soundwave.

Elf on a Shellformer

Brian kicks off this year’s Elf on a Shellformer drive for kids who would otherwise go without at the holidays. He suggests bargain toys from Ollie’s, Ross, Marshalls or TJ Maxx, and shelfwarmers like Red collection figures or Fossilizers. Children’s homes and nonprofits welcome donations too. Posts tagged Elf on a Shellformer get reshared, and tfradio.net/elf links to a wish list Brian delivers locally. A box from listener John Triclops already arrived.

News

Cyberverse Screener

Hasbro sent a screener of the new Cyberverse special, but Brian has not watched since season one. One host explains that season one’s early flashback structure was love-it-or-hate-it world building. He calls season two the best so far and season three strong. The first of the season four movies is on the Transformers YouTube channel in the US and Canada. Brian plans to catch up in December and cover it on the Throwback podcast.

Rise of the Beasts Delayed to Summer 2023

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts moved from a June 2022 release to summer 2023. Nobody is surprised, and one host feels better giving a CG-heavy film more post-production time. Discord asked about toys planned for summer. One host notes no leaked samples have surfaced, so manufacturing likely has not started and Hasbro can shuffle factory time. He recalls the G.I. Joe: Retaliation delay, which came too late to hold the toys. Movie-branded Studio Series could shift, but he does not expect gaps on shelves. [Source: Deadline]

Hasbro to Present at Toy Fair 2022 at the Javits Center

Hasbro will exhibit at Toy Fair 2022 in New York, tentatively February 18 to 20, instead of running its own parallel event. The expanded Javits Center now has room for Hasbro’s displays. The crew expects Hasbro to reveal more at once than its recent trickle of livestream reveals. One host hopes to attend, though vaccination checks and smaller groups are likely. [Source: The Toy Association]

Transformers Tuesday: The Bee Movie Studio Series Wave

Hasbro revealed the Bumblebee movie Studio Series wave after a stolen Wheeljack leaked a week earlier. One host likes them all. Brawn is the fan favorite, with a strange nose-cone vehicle that still reads as Brawn. One host points out that Hasbro had to invent most alt modes, since the Cybertron prologue designs were robot-only. Wheeljack looks like a clean Siege toy. Voyager Soundwave’s odd alt mode hides a drop-ship bay for Ravage. Ravage and Shockwave are the first core class Studio Series figures, and their open window boxes worry the crew about theft. One host argues the designs are G1 characters pushed through a Bayverse filter, not true G1. [Source: TFRadio]

Vintage Tigatron Stock Photos

Autobase Aichi posted photos of Walmart’s vintage Beast Wars Tigatron, which first surfaced in a Taiwan eBay auction. One host walks through the past decos, from the off-white Hasbro release to the brighter Takara and Telemocha versions. He sees a new, idealized deco with very bright white and different teal parts. One host will buy it and never open it. The crew notes Cheetor and Megatron sell through fast at Walmart while Rattrap lingers. Hopes turn to Cybershark, Scorponok and maybe Tigerhawk reissues. A chat mention of Tomy’s Starriors sends one host to eBay. [Source: Autobase Aichi]

What We Got This Week

Diecast loves the blues on Shattered Glass Megatron and never expected to buy the mold again. He got a Waspinator, and Fans Toys’ Soundwave under the Robot Paradise name. Soundwave holds two cassettes, has a sassy waist swivel and arrives badly mistransformed in the box. He paid about $250. The included cassette is well articulated but has uneven, tight-or-loose joints. He also found Singe at Five Below, the last of that wave he was missing.

Don found G2 Ramjet at GameStop for about $7 less than Big Bad Toy Store, so he canceled his preorder. He also got Shattered Glass Megatron. He plans to skip Goldbug and Blurr, and is torn on the pricey Jetfire after a good review.

Chris got Shattered Glass Megatron but has not opened it, since he is not sure he wants it.

Brian found $3 Bumblebee puzzles and the Bumblebee: Win If You Dare comic at Ollie’s. He grabbed a Megatron as an Amazon warehouse deal and a second Kingdom Inferno. He plans to repaint it as G3 Inferno while restoring his old G3 Inferno, with parts from Blade Raider and a junker. His long-delayed BotBots Mad Libs arrived, and he bought three at about $5 each.

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