LEGO Icons Soundwave gets its first official look, and at $179.99 it comes with Ravage and Laserbeak. Exvee fills in for Brian as host. Hasbro confirms replacement Optimus Primes for HasLab Omega Prime backers will ship in fall 2025, with no returns required. Hasbro is also reissuing Studio Series 86 Blaster, and the crew wishes it had come with an opaque Rewind instead. Rumors point to Movie Masterpiece Revenge of the Fallen Sideswipe and a Missing Link Nemesis Prime. In What We Got This Week, Don scores two Age of the Primes Vortex figures, and Matt adds Missing Link Sunstreaker and Cordon.

News

Former Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld Dies at 76

Exvee opens with news that a former Hasbro CEO, one of the Hassenfeld brothers, has died. He calls it the end of the original Hasbro era and sends sympathies to the family. [Source: Turn to 10]

Hasbro Confirms Replacement Optimus Primes for HasLab Omega Prime

Hasbro emailed HasLab Omega Prime backers to thank them for their patience. The replacement Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime figures are on back order and should ship in fall 2025. Backers don’t need to return the defective figures first. Exvee expects a faster turnaround than the Star Saber replacements, which he never received. Don has opened his other two sets and sees no cracking or lubricant problems. He also found no yellowing on his Ultra Magnus figures. Exvee notes the yellowing seems isolated, possibly from one plastic batch missing a UV stabilizer. [Source: TFW2005]

LEGO Icons Soundwave Revealed at $179.99

LEGO Icons Soundwave matches LEGO Optimus Prime in size and price at $179.99. It includes Ravage and Laserbeak, and both appear to transform. No release date was given, but Exvee guesses August or September. One host is happy the head doesn’t need an upgrade. Don hesitates to add another big LEGO set, but the crew points out he gets three figures for the price of one. Exvee calls it the one to get if you only buy one LEGO Transformer. The panel hopes for small Rumble and Frenzy add-on kits and guesses at Starscream or Cliffjumper next. [Source: TFW2005]

Walmart Collector Con Returns July 24

Walmart’s summer Collector Con starts July 24, with no Transformers items announced yet. Exvee hopes for news on the retro Brawn and Seaspray, which have been quiet since their listings leaked. One host still finds retro Gears clogging Walmart shelves. The crew laments the canceled remainder of Walmart’s Cybertron Galaxy Force capsule. Exvee most wants to know what the unannounced leader-class figure would have been. Sideways and Accelion have slipped to September at Hasbro Pulse and Walmart. [Source: Tformers]

Hasbro Pulse Payment Notices for Nova Prime and Elita-1

Rob got a payment processing notice for the Nova Prime reissue, which he thought was due in October. He also got one for Transformers One Elita-1, which he had forgotten about. One host says the long wait has left him over toys from the film.

Hasbro Reissues Studio Series 86 Blaster

Hasbro is reissuing Studio Series 86 Blaster with the same Eject cassette. One host was blindsided and wondered if it ties to the upcoming cassette releases. Exvee wishes Hasbro had swapped in an opaque Rewind just out of spite. He calls the Studio Series 86 deco the best on that mold, as a matter of fact. Another host runs through the mold’s many releases and compares it to Perceptor. [Source: Hasbro Pulse]

Synergex Macross 7 Basara Prime Painted Prototype Debuts

The Synergex Macross 7 Basara Prime painted prototype debuted at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. Exvee notes the display skipped the standalone jet mode, perhaps to hide the robot under the jet skin. One host calls it a retool of Silverbolt, and Don mocks the vehicle mode. Another host liked it until he saw the $200 price. Exvee calls it a novelty next to Synergex’s Predaking and Rodimus. He hopes the partnership paves the way for an official Macross-branded Jetfire. [Source: Tformers]

Rumor: Movie Masterpiece Returns With Revenge of the Fallen Sideswipe

A rumor from a Baidu message board says Movie Masterpiece is returning with Revenge of the Fallen Sideswipe. One host says the price must be right for a smaller figure, and another prefers the Dark of the Moon version. Exvee sees Sideswipe as what the movie designs should have been. He calls it clean and not a bag of knives. One host expects a Dark of the Moon revision within a year if this one ships. [Source: TFW2005]

Rumor: Missing Link Nemesis Prime Could Be the First Decepticon

The same source says the first Missing Link Decepticon may be Nemesis Prime. Exvee says that fits the pattern of C-01 Convoy reruns paired with redecos like Sentinel Prime. Missing Link Ultra Magnus is also on the rumor list, and one host plans to buy every one. Another notes a knockoff of the Missing Link Optimus Prime could beat Hasbro to a Nemesis Prime. The crew dreams up Missing Link Seekers, Bruticus and Battle Gaia. Don’s Pretenders pitch gets shot down quickly. [Source: TFW2005]

Transformers Cyberworld Preview Video

A preview video is out for Transformers Cyberworld, which runs as 36 five-minute episodes on YouTube. One host worries the YouTube release means a small budget. Exvee thinks YouTube is simply where the audience is now. He finds the models simple and very toy-accurate, but the shading is pretty and the animation smooth. Optimus Prime actually shows a personality, which Exvee says stands out. [Source: TFW2005]

Cyberworld Cyber Changers and Armored Cyber Changers In Hand

In-hand photos show Cyberworld Cyber Changers and Armored Cyber Changers. Don spotted an Armored Cyber Changers Galvatron that turns into a dragon. Exvee says it has a Rodimus Unicronus vibe. The bison Megatron and the race car Skybyte catch the crew’s eye. Exvee notes the Cyberworld Optimus Prime is a bit bigger than a Core Class figure. He might buy the bison Megatron if the price is near $10. [Source: TFW2005]

NFL x Transformers Wave 1 Packaging Revealed

Package images show the first wave of NFL x Transformers figures: KC-59, Steel Smash, Star Blitz and Tundra Prime. Each one is posed the same way in the box. One host wants wave two announced because there had better be an Eagles figure. Exvee expects the packaging was negotiated with the NFL and won’t change. The figures are $24.99 on preorder and ship in December. Discord listeners Jared and Ness explained that 59 marks the year the Chiefs joined the league. [Source: TFW2005]

Dr. Wu Shattered Glass Slugfest and Overkill

Dr. Wu has Shattered Glass color versions of its Slugfest and Overkill cassettes. One host may double dip because the colors look so good on these molds. Exvee hopes Dr. Wu never stops and tries a Ravage next. He says if anyone can make a good Ravage at this size, Dr. Wu’s engineers can. [Source: TFW2005]

What We Got This Week

Exvee

Blade Raider sent Exvee an EarthSpark Soundwave after asking on Discord if he still needed one. Exvee loves the low-profile jet mode and the wings-to-legs transformation. He calls it a better Titans Return Mindwipe and says the late EarthSpark deluxes got really good. Now he just needs a Hashtag.

Diecast

Diecast had nothing in Transformers this week.

Don

Don’s local Target clearanced Studio Series Transformers One Bumblebee, and he got it for $4. He also landed two Age of the Primes Vortex figures from Amazon, one for the individuals and one for Bruticus. His big find is a mint, sealed GoBots laser gun from 1985, still in its original tape. Selling his Siege Micromaster 10-pack covered about half the cost. Exvee agrees GoBots count as on-topic.

Matt

Matt got Commander Class Silverbolt with his battle embankment. He says it is time to upgrade from Combiner Wars Silverbolt, and he loves the bulky, sturdy figure. From Surugaya, he got Missing Link C-05 Sunstreaker and C-06 Cordon. Both come with Diaclone drivers, and Matt says Lambor and Datsun molds would be devastating for his wallet.

Rob Clay

A Discord listener sent Rob Megatronus from his Amazon wish list, at about the same moment Brian did. Rob now has two and thanks the listener for the thought.

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