Shockwave won the character round of Hasbro’s Activate Your Alt Mode vote, and sea leads the alt mode type vote. Blokees Galaxy Wave 8 brings a Unicron head, Sludge and Metroplex, and the Devastator combiner parts are finally coming to the U.S. for about $5. In-hand photos of the Masters of the Universe x Transformers crossovers spark a “just four guys” rant about licensing. The crew also checks in on the HasLab Liokaiser timeline, DNA Design’s Animated Menasor kit and new Paramount head David Ellison naming Transformers a priority. In What We Got This Week, Diecast gets back an AFA 9.0 graded 40th anniversary Optimus Prime, and Brian lands a boxed Dai Atlas.

News

Activate Your Alt Mode: Shockwave Wins, Alt Mode Type Vote Underway

Shockwave beat Grimlock to win the character phase of Activate Your Alt Mode. Voting is now underway for the alt mode type, and sea leads wildcard by a small margin. One host is surprised Shockwave won, since nobody wants Grimlock as anything but a Tyrannosaurus. Another worries a new-mode Shockwave would push a Hearts of Steel Shockwave further away. Others shrugged, saying Shockwave has had plenty of new modes. A couple of hosts would rather Hasbro had created a new character. [Source: TFW2005]

Blokees Galaxy Version Wave 8 First Look and U.S. Devastator Parts

Blokees Galaxy Wave 8 includes an opaque Unicron head, and the crew assumes the clear version is a chase variant. The wave also has an Ark storage box for spare parts, a Sludge, a Metroplex and an Optimus Prime being shot through the middle. Don wants the Sludge and Metroplex but already has HasLab Unicron. One host noted the Unicron head skips paint on the bottom teeth, a Hasbro Unicron habit. The crew also learned the Devastator combiner parts are coming to the U.S. after all. Blade in the Discord says the Blokees U.S. site sells them for about $5. The crew then sorted out the Blokees scales: Defender, Galaxy, Champion and Action Edition. [Source: TFW2005]

Blokees Champion Class Dark of the Moon Jetwing Optimus Prime

Blokees revealed a Champion Class Dark of the Moon Jetwing Optimus Prime with a ton of accessories. Some hosts don’t care for the movie design. Others say it makes the design palatable, and probably the cheapest and simplest way to own it. [Source: TFW2005]

Blokees Action Edition Transformers One Optimus Prime

Blokees also showed an Action Edition Transformers One Optimus Prime. The crew sighed at yet another Optimus Prime, and one host prefers the Jetwing Optimus. [Source: TFW2005]

Blokees Mokoo Mega Optimus Prime x Brown

Blokees’ Mokoo Mega line dresses Brown, the bear from the LINE messaging app stickers, as Optimus Prime. The crew thinks it is adorable, like a Build-A-Bear Optimus outfit. One host called it Mazinger Pooh Prime. Nobody is committing to buying one. [Source: TFW2005]

In-Hand Gallery: Masters of the Universe x Transformers Megatron and Bumblebee

In-hand photos arrived of the Masters of the Universe x Transformers Megatron and Bumblebee. One host who swore off them bought them anyway, and another preordered the Skeletor Megatron. That set off the “just four guys” rant. Licensing reduces Transformers to Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream, and Masters of the Universe to four characters too. So Bumblebee pairs with Man-At-Arms, though Wheeljack fits Man-At-Arms and Buzz-Off fits Bumblebee. Megatron as Skeletor works, and the crew guessed Evil-Lyn for a future Starscream. The rant became the episode title. [Source: TFW2005]

Last Shots of the Painted HasLab Liokaiser Prototype

Evan posted last photos of the painted Liokaiser prototype shown at San Diego Comic-Con before it went back to Takara Tomy. He expects the first engineering pilot in one to two months. Don wondered whether the mirrored molds speed things up. Matt noted every figure still has to be injected and mass-produced. Another host explained HasLab design work happens before the campaign launches, which is why delivery takes about a year. One host is bugged that Guyhawk’s and Hellbat’s wings aren’t mirror images. The crew also enjoyed that Breastforce is now called Chest Force. [Source: Instagram]

DNA Design DK-56A Animated Menasor Upgrade Kit

DNA Design’s new kit gives Legacy Animated Motormaster armor in Stunticon colors, nodding to Animated’s Menasor. It reuses the Jetwing armor DNA made for Legacy Animated Optimus Prime and Motormaster. One host is conflicted but tempted, and another sees the appeal without wanting it. The crew recalled the mid-2000s, when Motormaster figures were sold as “Menasor” because the Motormaster name was unavailable. Ness in the Discord says he predicted this kit in November. [Source: TFW2005]

New Paramount Head David Ellison Names Transformers a Priority

David Ellison of Skydance, the new head of Paramount after the merger, cited Transformers and Star Trek as studio priorities. One host fears a return to Michael Bay, which would leave Transformers One sequels out. Another warned against jumping to conclusions. The crew noted G.I. Joe got a mention, Battleship did not. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]

What We Got This Week

Diecast

Back in March, Diecast handed his only undamaged Walmart 40th anniversary Optimus Prime to graders at a convention. Five months and several emails later, it came back an AFA 9.0, with an extra $50 return shipping charge. It is now the only graded toy in his collection. He also built the Blokees Action Edition Megatron and was amazed the fingers bend straight off the sprue. It took two or three hours, and he has the Optimus Prime and Soundwave next.

Chris

Chris had nothing in Transformers this week.

Rob

A Suruga-ya bulk discount got Rob Legacy Animated Motormaster for about $20 new in package. He likes it a lot and found it easy to transform after the first time.

Don

Amazon had the Super7 Diaclone Devastator for $12.97 with a $3 coupon, so Don got it for about $10. Now he can open this one and keep his green version sealed.

Matt

Matt finally got Age of the Primes The Fallen, one of the few Primes he wants. He loves the beefy, Dreamwave-inspired look but wishes the flame effects were harder plastic. He also started a second Devastator and picked up another Air Raid, Slingshot and Vortex for a second Superion and Bruticus.

John

John spent about $60 on the Toyhax and Nonnef Productions collaboration to turn Trypticon into Gigastorm. The horn feels great, and the stickers will be a weekend project. He will convert his Trypticon and keep his Takara Tomy release as his Trypticon.

Brian

Brian’s favorite pickup was the Cyberworld Scorponok, a toyetic playset with lights and sounds but no leg articulation. He took a second duties charge on a Mandarake order and is squeezing in final orders before the de minimis exception ends. Those orders brought a sealed Energon Sharkticon, Beast Machines Mechatron, Universe Dinobot, Universe Galvatron and a Japanese red-eye Beast Wars Rattrap. He also got a Superlink Arcee, a sealed Masterpiece Starscream USA edition, a Micron Legend Jetfire and a G-Shock Nemesis Prime watch. Target clearance added a Mixmashers Optimus Primal, and a road trip turned up the Blokees Classic Class Arcee. His last Mandarake buy was a boxed Dai Atlas in great shape. He also got a vintage Japanese Predaking box set and a mint boxed Metroplex from Transformerland.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:06 — 44.7MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS | More