Hasbro’s strong second-quarter 2026 results anchor this week’s news, even as Transformers itself didn’t make the list of standout brands — though a $56 million hit from canceled video games has the crew wondering how serious Hasbro really is about gaming going forward. Target’s Studio Series Starscream preorders are stuck in limbo, with widespread shelf and fulfillment issues reported across the country. Elsewhere, Hasbro teased a cryptic 40th-anniversary Transformers: The Movie campaign with Fathom Events, Monster Jam’s Gravedigger got a slick Decepticon makeover, and a $4,500-buy-in Hong Kong Fan Expo exclusive Grimlock has the crew reluctantly accepting they’ll never own one. In What We Got This Week, Matt completed his core Seeker trio with Starscream, Brian added the Stern Pinball Transformers Limited Edition machine to his collection, and a rare $3.34 Legacy Animated Motormaster deal turned into fifty Toys for Tots donations.

News

Hasbro Reports Strong Second Quarter 2026 Results, Though Transformers Isn’t Among the Highlighted Brands
Hasbro’s second-quarter 2026 earnings beat expectations, driven largely by Wizards of the Coast. Hasbro’s filings credited Star Wars, Marvel, Peppa Pig, and G.I. Joe as standout toy brands for the quarter — Transformers was notably absent. The crew debated why: Star Wars got a lift from The Mandalorian and Grogu, and G.I. Joe’s lower entry cost and stronger direct-to-consumer presence likely helped it outperform expectations despite Transformers having far more retail shelf space overall. [Source: Hasbro]

Hasbro Takes $56 Million Hit From Canceled Video Games
Hasbro also disclosed a $56 million charge tied to canceled video game projects this quarter. Rob Clay highlighted a comment from Hasbro’s Chris Cocks conceding the company shouldn’t expect an annual AAA hit from its properties, calling it one of the more sensible things he’s heard Cocks say. The crew agreed that chasing a yearly blockbuster game has hurt the broader industry. [Source: PCGamer]

Hasbro Presents a Blockbuster Lineup at San Diego Comic-Con 2026
Hasbro announced a full slate of panels, breakfasts, and reveals for San Diego Comic-Con 2026, including a press breakfast Radio Free Cybertron was invited to but couldn’t staff this year. Patreon subscribers at the Touched Tier will get first coverage of the SDCC news on this weekend’s There Goes My Money recording. [Source: Hasbro Newsroom]

Transformers Studio Series Starscream Preorders Stuck in Limbo at Target
The Target-exclusive Studio Series Starscream has had a rocky launch, with many preorders pushed to August 4th or later. Chris (Exvee) reported that a large share of Target stores don’t yet know they’re supposed to be carrying the figure, and that one store he visited had removed Transformers signage entirely during a reset. The related Prowl and Insecticon 3-pack from the same wave have fared better, though Prowl remains largely unseen on shelves. On a brighter note, Devastation Bumblebee and the Transformers One Orion Pax two-pack have shown up on clearance for $13–15 at some Target locations. [Source: TFW2005]

Monster Jam’s Gravedigger Gets a Decepticon Makeover
A new Monster Jam collaboration reimagines Gravedigger as a Decepticon, joining the Hot Wheels-adjacent Transformers crossover line alongside Bone Shaker. Chris (Exvee) called the design one of the more inventive robot modes in the crossover line so far, and noted it’s the first Decepticon-branded entry in that collaboration. [Source: TFW2005 Boards]

Hasbro and Fathom Events Tease 40th Anniversary Transformers: The Movie Screening With Cryptic “Apology Tour” Transmission
Hasbro and Fathom Events are planning a 40th-anniversary theatrical screening of Transformers: The Movie for September, and sent out a cryptic promotional cryptogram ahead of the announcement. Fans on the RFC Discord (tfradio.net/discord) cracked the message, translating it as “as one journey ends, another begins.” The crew leaned toward reading it as a nod to Optimus Prime’s death and Rodimus Prime’s rise rather than a tease for new content. [Source: TFW2005]

ACGHK 2026 Reveals Hong Kong Fan Expo Exclusive Studio Series Battle Damage Grimlock and Megatron
Hasbro revealed Hong Kong Fan Expo exclusive Battle Damage versions of Studio Series Grimlock and Megatron, limited to 40 numbered units each and requiring a 4,500 Hong Kong dollar in-booth spend. The crew admired the Grimlock deco but conceded the acquisition barrier puts it out of reach. [Source: TFW2005]

Takara Tomy Reveals New Legends NL-01 Leo Convoy Legendary Green Lion Version Packaging
Takara Tomy showed off packaging for the glow-in-the-dark New Legends NL-01 Leo Convoy Legendary Green Lion Version, part of the same line as Gigastorm, Generation 2 Menasor, and Beast Wars Galvatron. The figure went up for preorder in February; Brian admitted he’d completely forgotten about it despite reportedly having ordered one. [Source: TFW2005]

Transformers Age of the Primes Deluxe Tailgate In-Hand Images Surface
New in-hand images surfaced for the Age of the Primes Deluxe Tailgate, built on the Windcharger mold with a head-tilt feature carried over from that release. Reaction was mixed: Rob Clay and Chris (Exvee) both felt the face reads oddly for the character, while Matt pointed out Tailgate had almost no cartoon presence to be faithful to in the first place. [Source: TFW2005]

What We Got This Week

Diecast
Diecast picked up a LEGO Speed Champions display stand from Matt for his Fast and Furious shelf, the CT02 Blokees Shattered Glass Optimus Prime from Entertainment Earth, and a Studio Series 102 Optimus Prime (Rise of the Beasts deco) from Ollie’s for $25. He also bought a second Kranix after discovering a factory mis-mold on the chest piece of his first, and picked up the full-size Studio Series Matrix of Leadership — though he found its speaker and always-plugged-in power setup underwhelming compared to the smaller version he’d gotten days earlier.

Matt
Matt also received the Studio Series Matrix of Leadership for his birthday, and unlike Diecast, came in with realistic expectations from the marketing. He added Prowl from the More Than Meets the Eye collection, noting the Earthrise Prowl has started yellowing where this one hasn’t, and completed his core Seeker trio with More Than Meets the Eye Starscream, calling out the deeper gray face paint that sets it apart from Skywarp and Thundercracker. He also picked up Age of the Primes Onslaught — twice, so he can eventually build a complete Combaticons Bruticus — praising the deco and head sculpt while wishing the forearm kibble did more.

Chris (Exvee)
Chris had nothing to report on-topic this week.

Rob Clay
Rob Clay found Blokees Galaxy Starscream and Grapple on Walmart clearance for $5 each, and thanked Matt for a belated birthday gift of the first-wave Hot Wheels Transformers Bone Shaker, which he called a standout in the line.

John DeLuna
John had nothing in Transformers this week — he picked up Age of the Primes Onslaught but hadn’t had a chance to open it, promising thoughts next week.

Brian
Brian bought fifty copies of the Legacy Animated Motormaster at $3.34 apiece, planning to donate them all to Toys for Tots this holiday season. He also picked up the Studio Series Matrix of Leadership, calling it a worthwhile display piece, and opened the long-delayed Legacy Evolution Twincast Blaster in Shattered Glass blue, calling it his favorite version of the character to date. He closed out the segment with his Stern Pinball Transformers Limited Edition machine (unit 638 of 750), praising its difficulty, playfield art, and new movie-themed software mode.

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