Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks named Transformers the company’s most engaged brand of 2025, ahead of Peppa Pig and Magic: The Gathering. Hasbro’s strong fourth-quarter earnings lifted its stock while Mattel’s plunged. The crew picks apart Takara Tomy’s anime-colored Missing Link Grimlock and recoils from the Yolopark AMK Pro G1 Bumblebee’s face. In What We Got This Week, Don finally lands Masterpiece Rattrap, and Brian adds a boxed Chop Shop and a sealed green G2 Slag.

News

Hasbro CEO Names Transformers the Company’s Most Engaged Brand

Ant tipped Brian off to a LinkedIn post from Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks about the company’s global reach. It claims Hasbro brands reached more than 1 billion people in 2025, or one in eight people on Earth. Transformers topped the list of most engaged brands. Peppa Pig, Monopoly, Power Rangers, Play-Doh, Jenga, My Little Pony, Nerf, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering followed. Brian expected Peppa Pig at number one and admits Transformers surprised him. The crew can’t believe Magic: The Gathering ranks so low. Brian guesses Jenga made the list because the name works like a verb. Don is surprised to see My Little Pony, since its fourth generation ended years ago. One host notes that Hasbro’s earnings reports always call Transformers a high performer. [Source: TFU.info]

Hasbro Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results

Hasbro’s fourth-quarter earnings came in strong enough to lift its stock price. Mattel had the opposite week. Brian reads a Barron’s report that Mattel’s stock plunged more than 30% after its earnings disappointed Wall Street. [Source: TFW2005]

Transformers: The Movie Teases a Mysterious Announcement

A mysterious Instagram post teased a Transformers: The Movie announcement due that Friday. Brian can’t talk about it yet, but promises the crew will discuss it the following week. [Source: TFW2005]

Takara Tomy T-Spark Livestream Announced for February 13th

Takara Tomy scheduled a T-Spark livestream for February 13th. The crew expects the anime-colored Missing Link Grimlock to show up there. [Source: TFW2005]

Takara Tomy Reveals Missing Link C-13 Grimlock Anime Type

The anime-type Missing Link Grimlock gets a new head and flat, cartoon-style paint. The crew compares it to the anime-color reissue of Takara Tomy’s Devastator. One host argues it is still the toy Grimlock in anime colors, not a true animation-accurate figure. The crew calls the timing odd, since the standard Missing Link Grimlock is still fresh and nowhere near shipping. They point out that the animation Bumblebee and Cliffjumper only came after fans had the first versions in hand. One host is sticking with the original toy version, since Missing Link is about the original toys for him. Another plans to support the line no matter what. [Source: TFW2005]

Transformers Generations US 250 Star Eagle Listing Found

A listing for a Transformers Generations “US 250 Star Eagle” has the crew guessing. At first it sounds like a third-party name, like Fans Hobby’s Lightning Eagle. One host reads it as a stars-and-stripes eagle for America’s 250th anniversary. Another suggests a red, white and blue F-15 Eagle on the Seeker mold. It could also build on the Air Razor-based Skywarp from the recent two-pack. The crew adds that Dirge would be an easy fit. Another host floats a G.I. Joe Classified crossover starring Optimus Prime. [Source: TFW2005]

Yolopark AMK Pro G1 Bumblebee Official Images and Preorders

Diecast loves Yolopark but says the AMK Pro G1 Bumblebee’s face is just wrong. He calls the expression “whelmed,” with too much mouth detail for G1, and the alternate faces look off too. Another host finds it uncanny: “I do not want this thing in my house.” The crew also feels the battle damage and panel lining clash with Yolopark’s AMK Pro Optimus Prime, Megatron and Starscream. [Source: TFW2005]

Transformers: Eternal War Mobile Game Opens Closed Beta

Transformers: Eternal War, a mobile RPG, opened a closed beta in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Philippines. Brian didn’t even know a new Transformers game was coming. One host only likes turn-based RPGs and doubts this is one. [Source: TFW2005]

Yolopark AMK Series Beast Wars Optimus Primal Design Sneak Peek

Yolopark shared a 20-second video slowly rotating its all-plastic AMK Series Optimus Primal. The crew agrees it looks much better than the Bumblebee, with a face that looks right. At least two hosts plan to pick it up. [Source: TFW2005]

HasLab Liokaiser and Toy Fair Check-In

One host asks whether Hasbro ever showed the promised sculpt updates for HasLab Liokaiser. Another host thinks the tooling is already cut and doubts new sculpting is coming. The crew misses the regular updates that made the HasLab Unicron feel special, especially with Liokaiser taking about 20 months.

Toy Fair is this week, but Brian expects no Hasbro fan event or livestream like past years. Hasbro is planning a Studio Series designer stream to coincide with the show, so the crew still hopes for something new.

What We Got This Week

Diecast

Diecast had nothing in Transformers this week.

Matt

Matt had nothing in Transformers this week.

Don

Don picked up his second Blast Off, so his Combaticons are coming along. He finally got Masterpiece Rattrap, which looks screen-accurate apart from a slight backpack. Transformation is tricky with so little mass, but the multiple faces include the “we’re all gonna die” faceplate. Rattrap completes his season one cast except Airazor. He also got X-Transbots Big Pig, a Masterpiece-style take on Targetmaster Scoop, but hasn’t opened it yet. His last pickup is a tiny super-deformed third-party Bruticus from the makers of a similar Devastator and Predaking. He praises the insane engineering, from the cute Blast Off shuttle to Vortex’s rotor folding into his head.

John

John had nothing in Transformers this week.

Brian

Brian found a boxed G1 Chop Shop for $65 from a vintage retailer he uses. The box is rough and missing its bubble, so he has a reproduction bubble on the way to restore it. He also bought a sealed green G2 Slag on card from a friendly eBay seller. That joins his sealed gray G2 Slag as he builds out his G2 Dinobots shelf.

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