The crew remembers Jim Shooter, the Marvel editor-in-chief who wrote the original six-page Transformers treatment. Stock images of the Synergex Macross 7 Basara Prime leave everyone asking why it isn’t Rodimus. Takara also shows a complete Superion, Lost Light Rodimus and a deco fix for Dramatic Capture Thundercracker. Devastation Sideswipe turns up with Red Alert’s head, and Fanattik offers a $35 metal Buzzsaw cassette. In What We Got This Week, Diecast weighs the Devastator Commander set, and Brian finally finds a carded purple G2 Seaspray.

News

Jim Shooter, Author of the Original Transformers Treatment, Has Died

Jim Shooter has passed away. He was Marvel’s editor-in-chief in 1984 and later led Defiant Comics. The crew credits him with the original six-page treatment that created the living machines from another planet. One host says that treatment is the reason everyone is here 40-some years later. [Source: CBR]

Synergex Macross 7 Basara Prime Stock Images

Stock images show the Synergex Macross 7 Basara Prime with a guitar, a jet mode and a trailer. Several hosts say it looks like Rodimus and wonder if a licensor insisted on Optimus Prime. One host spots a nod to Mic Sounders the 13th from the Brave series. Another estimates the price at about 20,000 yen, or $150 to $160. He says Macross fans will get a better Valkyrie from Bandai, since this uses standard Transformers jet engineering. One host notes it isn’t even the first jet with a trailer this year. [Source: TFW2005]

More Takara Tomy Stock Photos: Superion, Lost Light Rodimus and Alpha Trion

Takara’s new stock photos include a complete Superion and AMT-01EX Lost Light Rodimus. Takara will also rerun the toy-colors Missing Link Convoy again. One host noticed Alpha Trion’s Covenant of Primus book has a page with cassette details molded in. That lets it double as the Beast Wars audio version of the book. The crew agrees the Lost Light Rodimus colors land really well. [Source: TFW2005]

Dramatic Capture Thundercracker Gets a Deco Change

Takara changed the tail wing deco on Dramatic Capture Series Thundercracker so it no longer copies Starscream’s. One host, whose only childhood Seeker was Thundercracker, confirms the revision matches the original toy. The early photos likely carried Starscream’s stripes by mistake. [Source: TFW2005]

Mark Shares Alpha Trion Photos on Instagram

Mark posted more photos of Alpha Trion on Instagram. The crew says his photos always show how much he loves the toys. One host loves that he slips a Titan Master into any open spot. That host also suspects Mark sees Titans Return as the best of Generations. [Source: Instagram]

MPG-14S God Ginrai In Hand

MPG-14S God Ginrai is God Bomber in special packaging with room for the Super Ginrai figure. It includes option parts for the unreleased catalog-photo God Bomber. The crew reminds Don they told him to buy this version. One host likes it despite very thin legs. Don says it makes Ginrai look better, but the inner robot still doesn’t excite him. [Source: TFW2005]

Missing Link Sunstreaker and Cordon In Hand

Missing Link C-05 Sunstreaker and C-06 Cordon came out in Japan on Saturday. One sample of Sunstreaker arrived with chips in the yellow paint, so buyers should check theirs. Chris ordered just Sunstreaker. If he gets an alternate color, he is holding out for Spin-Out. [Source: TFW2005]

Synergex Monster Hunter Rathalos Prime In Hand

Production photos of Synergex Rathalos Prime show vibrant colors and real silver paint where it belongs. One host says it avoids the problems that disappointed Diecast on the Corvette Optimus Prime. The panel’s Monster Hunter fan calls it maybe the best crossover yet, with a game-accurate robot mode and charge blade. A silver Rathalos variant exists, and green or gold Rathian versions are possible. It is out in Japan soon, and one host expects the Hasbro release around September or October. [Source: TFW2005]

Cyberworld Scorponok In Hand

In-hand photos show the big Cyberworld Scorponok. One host hates how much he loves the colors and will buy it when it reaches the States. The crew says it oozes G2, and one host jokes it looks like a knockoff Scorponok. Another host thinks the colors are loosely based on Energon. [Source: TFW2005]

Devastation Sideswipe Ships With Red Alert’s Head

Photos of two factory samples of Devastation Sideswipe show Red Alert’s head instead of Sideswipe’s. The crew suspects someone gated off the wrong part of the mold. One host calls it one of the laziest repaints he’s seen, though he likes the brighter white plastic. Another host likes the Devastation look and will buy it anyway. One host warns the head is hard to swap, since the ball socket is captive in the torso. [Source: Snakas Blog]

Fans Hobby TFcon Toronto Exclusive Hangman

Fans Hobby’s TFcon Toronto exclusive Hangman is its take on Snare, the Euro G1 figure prone to gold plastic syndrome. One host likes seeing a European Transformer get attention. Another says the jet mode looks really good. He wishes Hasbro would just make some of these characters instead. [Source: TFW2005 Boards]

Fanattik Life-Size Metal Cassette Ingot

Fanattik is selling a $35 metal cassette ingot sculpted like a Condor cassette and painted as Buzzsaw. It is limited to 5,000. One host doesn’t hate it, but he balks at $21 shipping. The crew had pictured a lunch-tray-sized piece before realizing it matches a real cassette tape. [Source: Fanattik]

What We Got This Week

Diecast

Diecast got Age of the Primes Vortex, which he calls nearly perfect apart from hollow legs. He also got the Devastator Commander set with Long Haul and Hook. He liked the tow-behind block until the combined mode, where its panels crowd Devastator. Commander Silverbolt won him over as a shuttle for the Autobots. He also got Star Convoy and fixed its gapped chest windows, but its poorly light-piped eyes look dead.

Matt

Matt had nothing in Transformers this week, though Silverbolt should arrive tomorrow.

Don

Don got a replacement Kingdom Airazor for $18 from Transformerland’s eBay store after his wing cracked at the hinge. He also picked up Silverbolt but hasn’t opened him yet.

John DeLuna

John’s Missing Link Sunstreaker and Cordon arrived from Amazon Japan, complete with Diaclone drivers. He briefly thought about selling them but decided to keep and open them. John says Age of the Primes Vortex has a great head sculpt, but its swing-away helicopter parts don’t lock in place.

Rob

Rob’s only item was a non-Transformers birthday gift from Blade Raider off his Amazon wish list.

Chris

Chris’s pickup for the week is still in the mail.

Brian

Brian bought boxes of Blokees Defender sets one through three and the Galaxy version, worried tariffs could end them. He forgot to cancel preorders for a second Synergex Godzilla Megatron and the Studio Series 86 Jazz reissue. He also got the Heart of Steel Optimus Prime and Starscream set and Silverbolt, all still sealed. Dealer friends found him a mint-in-box Wreck-Gar, and he got a sealed Transformers metal lunch tray featuring Metroplex. He added carded G2 Air Raid, Skydive and Slingshot toward a complete carded G2 set. At a local toy show, he found a carded purple G2 Seaspray hidden behind a carded G1 Seaspray. He finished with a Beastformers Red Phoenix playset and a sealed Euro G1 Stalker.

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