Don has watched ten episodes of Transformers: EarthSpark and Brian has watched half, and both call it among the best-made Transformers shows in years. HasLab Deathsaurus nears 9,000 backers with foreign preorders rolling in, while the HeroScape HasLab fails to fund. Victory Saber backers finally get their address-confirmation emails. A leaked Transformers Rise MMO cutscene, Legacy Needlenose in hand and a $4,000 Megatron Segway round out the news.

Brian renews the Elf on a Shelf Warmer push. Toys for Tots boxes are out, and he asks listeners to donate by December 1 or use the wish list at tfradio.net/elf. An anonymous donor sent another G.I. Joe roleplay toy and a Rescue Bots toy.

News

HasLab Deathsaurus Nears 9,000 Backers

Deathsaurus sat at 8,995 backers with 26 days left, and foreign preorders are now being added. The crew is confident it funds and wonders which stretch goals it hits. Don wants Hasbro and Takara to post subtitled Victory episodes so newer fans can see the character in action. Jay in chat points out Deathsaurus appeared in IDW comics and the manga was released in English. Brian calls Victory his least favorite of the three Japanese G1 series. [Source: not found]

Spoiler-Free Thoughts on Transformers: EarthSpark

The crew calls it exceedingly well made and plainly a kids’ show, centered on kids in a world with Transformers, though it never insults your intelligence. Don praises the balance between the human family and the Transformers. He finds the adults believable compared with Robots in Disguise 2015 and singles out the fight choreography, including Megatron against the Seekers. His one nitpick is that the humans move as if they lack weight. One host loves the flat, cel-shaded explosions, and another names the dad as a favorite character. The crew says the show respects the G1 source material. Blade notes in chat that the humans get more focus early and the Transformers more later. One host calls it possibly the best-made Transformers show yet and urges skeptics not to judge it by a clip.

Victory Saber Shipping Soon

The HasLab Victory Saber address-update emails arrived the day after last week’s show, with a deadline of the 28th. The crew hopes shipping goes more smoothly than Unicron’s.

HeroScape HasLab Fails to Fund

Rob says HeroScape was always held back by the amount of plastic a good setup takes. [Source: Wargamer]

Rumored Transformers Rise MMO Cutscenes Leak

YouTuber RoboGamer1HD posted alleged footage of an unreleased MMO called Transformers Rise. It later spread to the Transformers Online subreddit before copyright strikes pulled it. Game Rant reports the claim that Certain Affinity has finished the game, with Hasbro as the likely publisher. Brian says the clip was a cutscene, not gameplay, and he is not an MMO player. [Source: Game Rant]

Legacy Needlenose In Hand

Photos from a YouTube review show a well-done figure for the price, with good articulation and both Targetmasters. One host calls the face excellent and the simple jet transformation true to the original double Targetmasters. [Source: Autobase Aichi]

McDonald’s Malaysia Potato Head Transformers

Malaysia’s Happy Meal pairs Potato Head with Transformers and My Little Pony. The Transformers side includes Megatron, Optimus Prime and Grimlock, staggered weekly since November 1. Brian wants them and may look for them on eBay. [Source: Autobase Aichi]

Transformers x Segway Megatron Scooter

Segway’s Megatron scooter costs about $4,000 and can reach 43 miles per hour with a 55-mile range. Diecast jokes about fitting one in his new Corvette’s trunk. [Source: Segway]

What We Got This Week

Diecast

Diecast got Fans Toys Phantasm, a fully painted, cartoon-style Mirage, and is almost afraid to transform it. Studio Series Rumble is smaller than he expected. He also picked up Legacy Dead End, Studio Series 86 Hot Rod, Legacy Pointblank and Legacy Skullgrin, whose horns come rubber-banded in the box. He added Legacy Armada Starscream, which he wishes he had skipped, and Shattered Glass Soundwave. Studio Series The Fallen was on sale at Target for $39.99.

Don

Don got a Shadow Panther from GameStop’s clearance for about three dollars in rewards. He also mentions a Shattered Glass figure and a carded figure he ordered from Walmart.com.

Rob

Rob’s Legacy Skullgrin, forgotten from an Amazon preorder, was the winner of his week. The tank mode is a box with gaps the swords have to cover, but the robot is solid and well articulated. Legacy Elita-1 was on Amazon sale. He wishes the hips were stronger and suspects a foot swivel was cut for cost. Studio Series 86 Arcee is probably the best Arcee on that body, though his lower torso will not latch firmly.

Brian

Brian likes Studio Series Laserbeak, a tight, well-tabbed figure. A canine figure arrived from Pulse to go with his Wolfang. He found a loose Convobat to open, since his Amazon Showdown set is staying sealed. Hasbro Pulse also sent replacement parts for his HasLab Unicron about two years later. He plans to finally transform Unicron by the end of the year.

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