Peter Cullen returns as Optimus Prime for a Transformers sleep story on the Calm app, and the crew jokes he was born for the job. The HasLab Victory Saber backer update shows Guido Guidi’s packaging art roughs.

Old San Diego Comic-Con exclusives like Throne of the Primes and Metroplex turn up at Citi Trends. Brian announces that History on the Fives is going public, and several hosts land Beast Wars reissue Terrorsaur.

News

Fan First Friday Incoming

Hasbro scheduled a Fan First Friday stream for Friday, February 4 at 11 a.m. Nobody knows what it will cover. One host thinks Legacy wave 2 feels early, but with Toy Fair off, Hasbro may have pulled together some CAD images. The crew expects store exclusives, possibly more Buzzworthy Bumblebee. Another notes the Target subline sells well even as its Bumblebee link fades, and it is bringing Cliffjumper and a Diaclone Bluestreak. [Source: not found]

HasLab Victory Saber Backer Update: Packaging Art Sneak Peek

Hasbro’s latest HasLab Victory Saber update shows packaging art roughs from Guido Guidi. Hasbro puts the word rough in quotation marks, and the crew agrees the art looks finished. One host calls it a weak update because he does not care about packaging, though he admires the art. One host expects thin updates like this during long stretches of development, explaining that Hasbro needs the art now to lay out the packaging later. The crew also recalls Guido’s how-to-draw book with Simon Furman, still pricey on eBay. [Source: Hasbro Pulse]

Old Convention Exclusives Turn Up at Citi Trends

Citi Trends stores have been stocking old San Diego Comic-Con exclusives. Diecast found Throne of the Primes, others report the Beast Hunters Shockwave’s Lab set, and one fan landed SDCC Metroplex. One host’s two local stores had nothing. Brian suspects Hasbro cleared out stock it once used for customer service replacements. He has received replacement items shipped under the Milton Bradley name from Massachusetts. Another host recalls finding SDCC leftovers at Ollie’s years ago.

Transformers Sleep Story Added to Calm App

The Calm app added an original Transformers sleep story, History of the Transformers, with Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime. The press release promises themes of bravery, leadership and friendship. One host jokes that if any Transformers voice could put him to sleep, it is Peter Cullen today. Another, who still has trouble falling asleep, plans to try it. The story is exclusive to Calm, which offers a free trial. [Source: BWTF]

History on the Fives Goes Public

Brian announces that History on the Fives, Rob’s weekly podcast, will get a public feed. Patrons will hear each episode about a week early. Touch tier patrons can still appear on the show, and the trading cards perk ends once the cards ship. Brian and Rob are tightening audio standards first, and guests need a decent headset. The back catalog will stay patron-only. The annual Not Toy Fair livestream is set for February 19.

What We Got This Week

Don got Beast Wars reissue Terrorsaur, shipped from Amazon with only a label on the box, and Tigatron arrived the day before. He also found Battle Call Megatron for about $7 at Burke’s.

Diecast got Fans Toys Tesla 2.0, which arrived missing the front half of a tread. The seller offered a swap, but Diecast will wait for the part. He finds it solid and well built, with a metallic finish that photographs darker than it looks. He also got Beast Wars reissue Terrorsaur.

Rob got Beast Wars reissue Terrorsaur, whose wingtips pop off their pegs too easily. Once he remembered the transformation, he came around on it and loves the Airazor mold family.

Chris, back after missing last week, got Mutant Tigatron, an orange Tigatron that nods to the original packaging art, and wishes it included the regular head. He also got Lift Ticket from Toy Dojo, a red Hoist with no quality control problems.

Brian got a Transformers deck-building game booster pack, mailed with seven stamps. He found reissue Rattrap on clearance at Walmart and a large Jada die-cast Optimus Prime at Target. His Shattered Glass Starscream finally arrived, and it will stay boxed. He also bought a 1986 Panini Transformers sticker album from Venezuela, with a box of 200 sticker packs, for about $60.

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