Garry Chalk, the voice of Optimus Primal, is in full remission from stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and the crew celebrates the news. Generation Selects Monstructor is official, with new heads for every member and a faithful, vibrant color palette. New 2026 listings bring a Leader Megazarak redeco, an Ironhide, Bluestreak and Mirage three-pack, and a Walmart Energon capsule built from Siege molds. The Shield D Prime crossover and Stranger Things Freakwency also turn up in hand.

News

Garry Chalk, the Voice of Optimus Primal, Has Won His Battle Against Cancer

Garry Chalk’s stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma is in full remission. Brian calls it some of the best news the crew could have gotten. RFC interviewed Garry years ago, and Brian notes he wishes his many Transformers fans on Facebook a happy birthday. One host once shared an airport shuttle with him after a BotCon. They talked about voice acting and how much input the actors had on their characters. [Source: TFW2005]

Generation Selects Monstructor First Look

Matt is thrilled, and says this would have fixed his mood after Toy Fair. One host thinks Monstructor got the extra care because Dinoking came first as the pre-tool. Monstructor’s brighter colors give it the edge over Dinoking. Every member gets new robot and monster heads, and the combined head nods to IDW with jagged teeth. One host laughs that Slog’s alt mode is just the triceratops standing up. Another notes that limb placement for Monstructor has always varied by media. The crew doubts a third party will make pretender shells, recalling the Fans Project shells. Don owns all six of those and bought the set cheaply from The Chosen Prime. One host expects the Transformers 3D printing community to try. Matt expects to open Monstructor before his Dinoking. [Source: TFW2005]

New 2026 Listings: Megazarak, Autobot Pack and More

A planned package refresh of Legacy Armada Megatron is now Leader Class Megazarak, a redeco nodding to the BotCon 2004 exclusive. One host appreciates the BotCon callback but expects it to sit on shelves. Don owns the original Megazarak and might buy this one, depending on the deco. That leads to the story of BotCon Sentinel Maximus, which many attendees never received because of an outdated mailing list.

A Generation Selects three-pack brings Ironhide, Bluestreak and Mirage. The crew expects Earthrise tooling with opaque plastics and better decos. Ironhide may finally get his yellow stripe with no kitbashing required. One host is thrilled at a Bluestreak with non-clear plastic that should survive handling. Another hopes Mirage gets a way to mount his shoulder rocket, though the Earthrise mold makes that hard.

The Walmart Energon capsule adds Dark Energon Megatron, a black and purple reuse of the Siege Miner Megatron retool. One host has stopped buying that mold entirely. Energon Optimus Prime turns out to be Siege Optimus Prime in blue, not a new Energon Optimus Prime. Weaponizer retools of Six-Gun and Slammer round it out. One host would rather have them in blue as Metro Shot and Metro Tank. The crew suspects the capsule will lean on clear plastic. [Source: TFW2005]

Takara Tomy Synergex Transformers x Zoids x Diaclone Shield D Prime In-Hand Images

The preorder window on Hasbro Pulse closed at $299. One host still loves the look as a child of the 1980s. He would have preferred a Blade Liger, or a Lio Convoy built from the Liger Zero. The crew notes it ships with a Dianaut but few of the usual Diaclone accessories, which one host calls a blessing. [Source: TFW2005]

Transformers Collaborative Stranger Things Freakwency In-Hand Images

A size comparison shows Freakwency standing about as tall as Code Red in robot mode, with much better proportions. It is almost as tall as Earthrise Optimus Prime. One host says the gray, muted colors look like a toy from the 1980s shelf. One host has it on preorder for under $40. Two hosts have barely watched Stranger Things but like the robot mode. [Source: TFW2005]

What We Got This Week

Matt finally received the second Age of the Primes Brawl he ordered from Amazon. That gives him a leg for Bruticus, once Swindle goes up for order.

Don had nothing in Transformers this week.

Diecast had nothing this week while traveling in Jacksonville.

John had nothing this week.

Rob had nothing in Transformers this week.

Brian took two McDonald’s Changeables from his kids: the ice cream machine and the ordering kiosk robot. He calls the kiosk robot the most adorable one yet. From his unopened pile, he opened Super7 Ultimates G2 Megatron, based on the comic with his shoulder cannon, and he loves it. He also opened the Ultimates Alligaticon Optimus Prime, which comes with a robo taxi, a desk Optimus Prime head and a spire with Optimus Prime’s arm. He found Animated Activators Fire Blast Grimlock sealed on eBay for about $30 shipped. He missed a loose Battle Gaia from ArtFire2000 by seconds after Matt’s tip. As a consolation, he bought a complete vintage G1 Stepper with no reproduction parts. He thanks Chuck at ArtFire2000 for swapping in a better piece at no extra charge.

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