Hasbro’s Activate Your Alt Mode fan vote will let fans give Grimlock, Mirage, Starscream or Shockwave a brand-new alternate mode, with the winner revealed on Transformers Day. Takara Tomy’s Adamas Machina AM-T02 Predaking lands at roughly $405, and the crew dubs its horse-like Rampage “a vast predatory horse.” Missing Link Nemesis Prime goes up for preorder, and Hasbro’s SDCC interview confirms ankle ratchets for Age of the Primes Brawl. In What We Got This Week, Chris reviews the Dr. Wu Brutality and Slaughter cassettes, Rob loves Rathalos Prime, and Brian rebuilds a Japanese G1 Guardian.

News

Hasbro Launches the Activate Your Alt Mode Fan Vote

Hasbro is running a fan vote to give one of four classic characters a new alt mode: Grimlock, Mirage, Starscream or Shockwave. One host credits Transformers marketing manager Nate with reviving the idea, which recalls the fan vote that created Windblade. A bracket runs August 12 through 15 to pick the character, followed by votes on alt mode direction and specific alt modes. The final winner and new alt mode will be revealed on Transformers Day, September 17. Don would rather see Optimus Prime as a whale in the G.I. Joe crossover line. Others want the change to stick, and several plan to pick the wild card option just to see what it is. [Source: Instagram]

Adamas Machina AM-T02 Predaking Gets a Price and Release Date

Takara Tomy finally priced its Adamas Machina AM-T02 Predaking, about six months after the first reveal. It works out to roughly $405 from Japanese retailers, while TFSource lists it at $450. Visual styling comes from Studio Trigger artist Akira Amemiya. The crew agrees the combined mode looks phenomenal but the individual Predacons look wonky, a reverse of the Raiden problem. Rampage now looks like a horse, and John’s Discord line, “a vast predatory horse,” became the episode title. Don likes it but has other purchases lined up first. [Source: TFW2005]

Missing Link C-01 Nemesis Prime Goes Up for Preorder

Takara Tomy is releasing a Nemesis Prime version of Missing Link C-01 Optimus Prime. One host already preordered it and calls it gorgeous. Another went through Amazon Japan and is surprised it is a retail release rather than an event exclusive. One host wished for a different black recolor, such as a Powermaster-style convoy, and hopes for a Missing Link Powermaster Optimus Prime someday. [Source: TFW2005]

Age of the Primes Bruticus Revealed Through Official Artwork

Official artwork offers a look at Age of the Primes Bruticus. Only Swindle has yet to be shown, and the art confirms the legs face the correct direction. The crew insists Swindle matters most because he is the Combaticon with a personality. [Source: TFW2005]

Hasbro’s SDCC Interview Confirms Ankle Ratchets for Brawl

TFW2005 posted its full SDCC interview with Evan and Nate from the Transformers team. Evan confirmed that Voyager Class Brawl has ratchets built in for ankle articulation, much like Devastator’s legs. The crew reads that as Brawl and Swindle being truly structural legs, with the skeleton extending down to the thighs. They recommend at least skimming the rest of the interview. [Source: TFW2005]

Titan Class Age of Extinction Grimlock Dwarfs a Studio Series Leader

A comparison photo shows Titan Class Age of Extinction Grimlock towering over the current Studio Series Leader Class Optimus Prime. Nobody on the panel is especially excited about it. One host is glad Hasbro plans fewer Titans, and the crew briefly argued over which Michael Bay film is the worst. [Source: Instagram]

Selects G2 Snarl and Slag Appear In Hand

In-hand photos show the Generations Selects G2 Snarl and Slag. Don thinks they look gorgeous and can’t wait to see all five G2 Dinobots together. Diecast plans to cancel his order because the colors don’t match the G2 toys. Snarl’s undersaturated, two-tone red is the main complaint, while Slag’s color is closer. One host asked whether lighting was to blame, but renders, stock photos and livestreams have all shown the same problem. With only early prototype art to match for Sludge and Swoop, one host expects those two will be harder to get wrong. [Source: TFW2005]

What We Got This Week

Chris

Chris picked up the newest Dr. Wu cassette set, Brutality and Slaughter, which are takes on Slugfest and Overkill. Overkill is his favorite, with a poseable three-segment tail, but it is a little front-heavy and stiff to transform the first time. Slugfest changes shape the least, and its stegosaurus back plates are hard to raise. At about $30 shipped from Show-Z Store, he still calls them a good value. The crew would love Dr. Wu to tackle Ravage, Eject and Rewind next.

Rob

Rob received Rathalos Prime from Suruga-ya, the Transformers and Monster Hunter crossover Optimus Prime. It reuses Airazor’s engineering but adds plenty of paint, huge wings and a sword and shield that combine into an axe. The wings turn into skirt armor that matches the Rathalos armor set, and a hidden slot stores the Matrix. It cost about $50, which Rob feels the paint and wingspan justify.

John

John is the first on the crew to get Studio Series 86 Megatron. He looks small in the oversized box but feels solid in hand, with a spectacular head sculpt. John thinks the fusion cannon is fine, and the much-debated leg color is far less blue in person. He suspects this could be his last G1 Megatron.

Matt

Matt’s Amazon package won’t arrive until tomorrow.

Diecast

Diecast got Ocular Max ES-17E, the desert-camo bonus version of the tank Combaticon, and blames Don. He also got Magic Square MS-06 Tornado, its Masterpiece-scale take on Vortex. A confusing Show-Z Store preorder page led him to order a second one by mistake. He also grabbed the Transformers and G.I. Joe collaboration Sgt. Slaughter Triple T on sale from Big Bad Toy Store.

Don

Don found the Authentics Mirage for about $18 shipped. He likes its metallic blue and its surprisingly interesting transformation.

Brian

Brian covered two weeks of purchases. He assembled the Yolopark AMK Pro Optimus Prime with a standard AMK Bumblebee, which sits at a better scale. He also got the Wild King blue stegosaurus, the Wild King Megatron and Optimus Prime repaints, a Studio Series two-pack, and the clear Beast Wars skeleton version of Optimus Primal. Vintage finds include a complete boxed Sixbuilder, a gold box Classics Sludge, a boxed G1 Soundwave and a carded Classics Brawl. A G2 watch from Mandarake arrived opened despite an unopened listing, but a knockoff set of the ten Headmasters cost only about $60. He also landed American Constructicons and Superion box sets. His favorite is a loose Japanese Operation Combination Guardian, which he restored with a spare gun, a repainted Blades rotor and parts from a donor First Aid.

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