Age of the Primes Commander Onslaught and the completed Bruticus debut in stock images, and the crew loves the look but winces at a roughly $240 combiner. Age of the Primes Armada Sideways’ first look goes far worse, with Chris calling it a small deluxe sold as a $43 Voyager. Walmart listings hint at a 2026 Energon capsule, and Hot Wheels collab wave two adds Twin Mill, El Segundo and GT Scorcher. Missing Link Delta Magnus, Studio Series A-Level Devastation Bumblebee and Orion Pax, and Auldey’s Ricochet round out the news. In What We Got This Week, Don gets three replacement Fire Convoys, and Brian buys his first AFA-graded Transformer.

Elf on a Shelf Warmer

Brian reminds listeners there is only about a week left to drop a toy in a donation box. RFC endorses Toys for Tots, though other good causes exist too. He suggests buying clearance toys to stretch your dollar, and posting a photo with the hashtag Elf on a Shelf Warmer.

News

Age of the Primes Commander Onslaught and Bruticus First Stock Images

One host loves Commander Onslaught and how he looks combined with the other Combaticons into Bruticus. Bruticus is very wide across the shoulders, rivaling Ultra Magnus, and the green frame arm parts stand out. The skeletal frame is unobtrusive on the lower legs. Matt notes Onslaught shows both his own shoulder cannons and the bigger Bruticus cannons in the photos. Brian doesn’t mind, since a battle platform trailer should carry extra firepower. With the price increases, the full combiner runs about $240 plus tax. Spencer Wilde asked in Discord why Swindle and Brawl are Voyagers when the frame holds the ankle joints. One host expects the stubby look to improve in hand, as Devastator’s did. Rob points out Bruticus carries a Magella top cannon from Gundam. [Source: TFW2005]

Age of the Primes Armada Sideways First Look Disappoints

Chris has wanted an updated Armada Sideways since 2009, and the first renders ruined his day. Judging by the 5mm ports, Sideways is a small deluxe sold as a $43 Voyager. The Mini-Cons appear to be partsformed into the motorcycle rider and the head swaps. Don sees the Legacy filter applied to Sideways, like Legacy Prime Arcee. Brian says the project should have been canceled early on. One host summed it up: this Voyager should have been an email. Rob spotted that the faction change looks like a simple rotating chest panel. Don and Chris debated whether Hasbro designed it for the old $35 price point. [Source: TFW2005]

Walmart Listings Hint at a 2026 Energon Capsule

Four Walmart listings carry Energon names: Age of the Primes Energon Optimus Prime, Dark Energon Megatron, Energon Cybertronic and Energon Cybertred. Two are deluxes, and the other two look like larger toys. Chris wonders whether they tie to Skybound’s Energon Universe comics or the Energon Optimus Prime retool. The crew mainly hopes half the capsule doesn’t get canceled like the Cybertron capsule. [Source: TFW2005]

Hot Wheels Collab Wave Two Listings: Twin Mill, El Segundo and GT Scorcher

Wave two of the Hot Wheels crossovers lists a Twin Mill repaint, El Segundo and GT Scorcher. Brian canceled his wave one preorders over price. One host canceled Bone Shaker when Big Bad Toy Store raised it to $35, though Target still has the line at $29.99. GT Scorcher has a Wheeljack-like air dam, and the crew hopes for its purple and black colorway. [Source: TFW2005]

Missing Link C-11 Delta Magnus Stock Images

Missing Link C-11 Delta Magnus is up on Amazon Japan, and the crew calls it gorgeous. Matt will wait for Hasbro Pulse rather than pay tariff charges. One host warns that HLJ’s new owners have made preorders impossible to cancel. The stock photos show many armor poses, and an original Powered Convoy ad confirms the upside-down trailer mode. [Source: TFW2005]

Studio Series A-Level Devastation Bumblebee and Orion Pax Revealed

Opinions split on Studio Series A-Level Devastation Bumblebee. One host says the design follows the Devastation game, which drew on the Classics Bumblebee. One host wonders why Hasbro didn’t reuse the Studio Series 86 Bumblebee mold. Transformers One Orion Pax looks genuinely nice, with his mining tool and a tiny holo map to the Matrix. One host wishes the jet pack were included too. [Source: TFW2005]

Prime Changers and Smash Changers Bring Back Cyberverse Molds

The new evergreen Prime Changers reuse Cyberverse deluxe Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron with slightly new decos. The larger Optimus Prime uses a mold first designed for an early Rise of the Beasts alt mode. One host calls them the best evergreen toys ever and hopes for a Prowl that isn’t half green. One host loves Optimus Primal’s big robot-mode smile. [Source: TFW2005]

Auldey Alpha Action Elite Wave 3 Chase Figures Revealed

Auldey’s Alpha Action Elite wave 3 adds Reformatting Megatron and a toy-colors Galvatron as chase figures. Its Ricochet blows Yolopark’s recent Ricochet out of the water, with door wings and a gun that becomes a nightstick. One host says Toy Dojo has listed at least one wave, and more US retailers may follow. [Source: TFW2005]

MPG-16 Nucleon Quest Super Convoy and Dramatic Capture Decepticons Part 1 In Hand

Nobody on the panel is getting MPG-16 Nucleon Quest Super Convoy, though one host says its colors hide the torso construction well. Brian preordered Dramatic Capture Series Decepticons Part 1 through Amazon Japan and can’t cancel. Another host is torn, since he also likes Studio Series Thundercracker. [Source: TFW2005]

What We Got This Week

Diecast

Diecast got the Hot Wheels Twin Mill and may leave it carded on the wall. He also bought the Gigawatt reissue in its 40th anniversary Back to the Future packaging. His last pickup is Fans Toys Sovereign 2.0, an all-new Galvatron mold.

Don

Don found the Ultimate Energon Optimus Prime marked down to about $5 at Walmart. Hasbro sent him three replacement Fire Convoys as backups. Walmart’s Black Friday sale got him a $15 retro Brawn, and he may add Nonnef clamps. Finally, he found a wave one Super7 Soundwave online for $25 shipped.

Matt

Matt used the Hasbro Pulse Black Friday sale to get G2 Grimlock, which cost about what a Voyager used to.

Rob

Rob’s delayed Walmart order of the Blokees Dark of the Moon Optimus Prime kit actually arrived. It is molded in several colors with tampo-printed flames, and its articulation reminds him of Robot Replicas. Rob says it endorses Blokees kits far better than Optimus Primal did.

Brian

After last week’s Combaticons, Brian found a pristine Japanese Swindle with unapplied stickers to pair with his Japanese Brawl. He also got a sealed Thrustor, which completes his Cyborg Beast set. His big purchase is his first AFA-graded Transformer, a sealed 1993 reissue Brainstorm from buytransformers.com. Brainstorm is his favorite Headmaster.

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