Nova Prime is a former Prime who lost his way and became a very bad guy that resides in the Dead Universe. Instead of the 'Autobot Matrix of Leadership', he wields 'The Darkness'- an evil counterpart of the famed magic relic. Wielding The Darkness transformed him into another variation of Nemesis Prime and into a really powerful being. It goes without saying he'd be pretty awesome looking. This cool new figure of Nova Prime was another Christmas gift from the Mrs and dang it is impressive. The toy is based on his appearance from the Transformers: Devastation video game. I really like that as not only was I a fan of that game, but I'm more of a cartoon guy than a comic guy and Devastation is more cartoon flavored.
Nova Prime is a retool and repaint of the SiegeGalaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime toy. That toy was a retool and repaint of the Siege Ultra Magnus. All were toys I really liked and using it as a base for this figure really works. It's a mixture of that traditional Transformers 'big important guy' design and Super Robot looks. Nova Prime feels more like a prestigious award than an action figure and definitely a more premium item than your standard fare. I'm legitimately proud to own this.
Nova Prime transforms from armored truck to robot mode via parts forming. The trailer separates allowing the cab to form his standard mode robot mode. This is similar to the original Powered Convoy toy and the idea has been replicated in most Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime with super mode toys ever since. I absolutely love it's use here as I'm a fan of this style of Transformer and appreciate a bad guy Convoy using it. The trailer pieces can be re-arranged into armor for Nova Prime's super mode which makes him much larger, more imposing, and extra badass. Super mode has big guns, big wings, and a much grander look over all. He looks awesome. I'm mostly gushing about this toy because that's my honest take away. It's IMPRESSIVE and COOL. I also like the white color pattern for such an evil character, especially an evil Prime. It's a nice contrast and not as predictable as an all black deco. Sometimes if you want darkness, you've got to portray it brightly. Nova Prime has a cool 'Evil Knight' appearance and this figure just represents that well. I can't say enough good things about it... it's awesome.
It was then that Goldbug found himself all alone. The only Autobot in the old house. The only living one, that is.
It's been awhile since I've talked about a Bumblebee toy here and a damn fine time to talk about another one. Or Goldbug, who is another identify Bumblebee has went by over the years. Quite honestly, one that needs more attention. I always like Goldbug. Something about that blue helmet. Goldbug is a repaint of the Earthrise/Netflix Siege Bumblebee mold with a new head. I've got a few different versions of the mold and I've covered at least one of them here before. It's a good toy with plenty of articulation and a great representation of Goldbug.
Goldbug transforms fairly easily into the classic VW Beetle we all know. It's a fairly easy transformation that's just specific enough in some places. You don't have to get everything just right, but they've still got to be right. The trunk of the car can either become a shield in robot mode, or attach to his back for a more classic look. Like all other (I think) instances of this mold, Goldbug comes with 2 blasters that can combine to form a larger rifle. This of course is mostly for the Cliffjumper version of the toy, but I don't see why Goldbug wouldn't have use for a bigger gun on occasion. Considering his adventure in the Creatures Collide 4 pack, a bigger gun would come in handy. This 4 pack was exclusive to Target stores as part of the Buzzworthy Bumblebee line in 2022. A big priority for me to get and an instant pick up. It's really hard for me to say anything bad about this figure and Goldbug so far might just be my favorite version of the toy mold.
ToyLanta has come and gone until next year. With it a new set of memories and experiences. This year I did something different, this is StarViper. StarViper is the first of what I hope to be a ongoing series of custom Zone Base exclusive toys. There's only two. Shawn has one and I the other. If you follow me on various social media, I've mentioned buying Siege Caliburts for a project. Hand painting them into an original character was fun. Sure, it's pretty basic and others could have done better. I'm still proud of him.
I came up with the name with wanting it to sound like a ridiculous old video game character. I liked it so much that I've been using it as a display name in places. Personality wise, StarViper is a Decepticon Occultist that lives on Planet Zone. StarViper is a member of a secret organization formed by some of the Cyberdroids that first came to Planet Micro. His alt mode is a blaster that can be used by larger Transformers. While used this way, StarViper has some mind control of the larger robot. The blaster can also act as a short range flight mode.
The third part of the Netflix War for Cybertron trilogy: Kingdom debuted over the last weekend. As much of a Beast Wars fan as I am, I was pretty hesitant as the show so far has been pretty hit or miss. I enjoyed Siege for the most part, even though it wasn't great. Earthrise... was pretty disappointing. I went in expecting a repeat of Siege and still don't know what I watched. Even online synopsis's doesn't fill me in anymore than what I gathered from watching it.
So going into Kingdom, I was tempered. I love my Beast Wars but knew this wasn't going to be the same. Pleasantly, it's been the best out of the three mini series. I'm nowhere near saying it's perfect, but I've enjoyed it for the most part. Seeing the classic cast teamed up with the BW gang is exhilarating, even if each is different from their original show counterparts.
I haven't been fond of some of the voice work in the overall trilogy as is, but some of the new voices I outright don't like. I liked Dinobot's arc a lot, that was a pretty good new way to tell an old story. It felt fitting. The show wraps up the trilogy. I wish I could sat neatly, but it's far from perfect. Still, it's the better of the three installments and a fun watch.
Another of the Christmas gifts from my wife was the ultra cool Hotlink with Heartburn and Heatstroke set. If you find yourself wondering who Hotlink is, he's that random purple Seeker that sometimes shows up in Transformers cartoons.
He's the one with a flame thrower who was next to Sunstorm on the very first episode of the original cartoon. At BotCon 2013 they finally gave him an name. Prior to all this, I'd had always thought Hotlink would make a good name for a Transformer. It just works.
This version of Hotlink uses the Siege Seeker mold, which is super appropriate because it's based on that original cartoon tertrajet. This is a super accurate toy of the guy as he appeared originally. He also appears in the Netflix War for Cybertron series and has popped up from time to time in other TF media.
I had only gotten the Starscream version of the Siege Seeker mold prior to this. While I thought it looked cool, hunting down various other Seekers in the past has worn off the novelty of completing the team each and everything. Usually I'm happy to get one or two of them. Not to mention, my Siege Starscream had the chest issue early versions had.
For whatever reason, the chest piece would come off very easy. Which could be super frustrating during transformation or just occasional clumsiness. I was aware they had fixed the problem, but I didn't forget the annoyance.
So getting a 'fixed' version of the mold after the fact was pretty great. In fact with the fix, the Battlemasters, and the paint job. Hotlink almost feels like a completely new toy.
It's not a new toy, it's 3 prior used molds that feel like 3 new toys. It's a wonder what a new paint job can do. Hotlink is joined by Battlemasters Heartburn and Heatstroke. The two are seemingly identical aside from their visors. Their included action effects thingies look a lot like flames.
Hotlink's flamethrower in the original cartoon was light blue like these two. It's easy to see they're supposed to be living incarnations of that. It's a cool little touch that makes me think of older fandom days. I strongly remember a friend on an old message board who had this thing for Headmaster Seekers. They didn't exist, but he would bring up the idea often. A Battlemaster is an updated Targetmaster, so this isn't too far from his idea. I wonder if he likes this toy?
Another of the Christmas gifts from my wife is the Netflix Optimus Prime set exclusive to Walmart. Like some of the others in this line, Optimus comes with some Battlemasters. It makes for a really cool set and still makes we wish the Netflix War for Cybertron series included them as well.
Optimus is the Earthrise version sans trailer. It's a really good toy. I've talked about it here before and that didn't keep me from wanting it again. His slightly different colors make me think of that one G2 version. Which I've always liked. This is just a really good Optimus Prime, I kinda want them all.
Optimus comes with Battlemasters Sheeldron and Enerax. Sheeldron is a repaint of Soundbarrier whom I've also talked about here before in a really cool yellow scheme. Enerax is a repaint of Pteraxadon from Siege, whom I have but not talked about here before. I'm gonna rectify that now. I also wish there was a Battlemaster named Rectify.
Enerax turns into an energy axe or laser gun. What makes this neat is that his robot mode is a pterodactyl instead of your standard humanoid robot. It's always been pretty cool when Transformers have non-traditional robot modes like this. Enerax is also in that great yellow scheme like Sheeldron. Yes, those are some awkward names. I wish Enerax was Sundor. Another clear yellow bird Transformer.
The addition of the two makes for a more savage Optimus Prime wielding an energy axe and shield in battle. Mentally skipping past the Netflix series, I could easily see this team up on some cosmic adventure. It's visual says Marvel to me more than that War for Cybertron. I love this Optimus toy and partner figures with it just makes a lot of sense. There's literally nothing bad I can say about this set and a million good things I can. Go buy it.
Another of the Christmas gifts from my wife was the super cool Megatron with Pinpointer and Lionizer set exclusive to Walmart. This is both winners with chicken dinner for me as I love toys with partner figures and the Siege Megatron mold as is. The more premium looking chrome paint on said mold is irresistible. This toy is part of the Netflix series and is intended to represent Megatron as he appears on the show. Considering how toy accurate the shows CGI models are, I'd say it does that pretty well.
It's a really good updated version of classic Megatron. It looks pretty much just like you want him to look. No he doesn't turn into a fucking gun. He turns into a tank like usual. You that saying "I remember when Mtv played music?" It's been longer since they haven't than they did. Things change, and sometimes it was a long ass time ago.
I really wish the Battlemasters were in the Netflix show. They're not, but they are in some of the sets. I love a good partner figure and here we've got a neat situation. Instead of just throwing some in their for Megatron to have, these are his captives. Just a little bit of toy only fiction, but it's appreciated. These two are being forced to serve Megatron. Considering their alt modes are weapons, that's some pretty dark stuff.
Lionizer is a catbot that turns into a sword and Pinpointer has a more traditional bot form that turns into a double barreled gun with some sort of cluster bomb attachment. That's the fun thing about Battlemasters. Instead of just generic guns, you get a variety of weapons. Like other Battlemasters, they come with action effect thingies. A swoosh and two pew pews. A Battle is getting mastered with flair.
If you haven't had any experience with this mold, he's quite the treat. Plentiful articulation and a transformation with just enough steps to please almost everybody. It's a pretty good toy all around and a great Megatron. So much a perfect Megatron that the only other character they could make with it is Archforce. That's not a bad thing though. Often they get so creative with Megatron designs, he could be anybody. So much so that you wonder why didn't they just make a new character. Having a Megatron that without any kind of doubt is Megatron is the perfect thing to do here.
In case it wasn't clear, I like the toy. It's a good looking version classic Megatron that 100% fits the part. From his fusion cannon to sword, he looks like a happy marriage of the old box art and cartoon made into a pretty great toy. The shiny chrome is offset by the 'battle damage' that I personally dig. Megatron has been through hell and it looks like it. He's fighting a War for Cybertron after all. I also love the inclusion of the Battlemasters. Partner figures is a toy gimmick I never get tired of and with the additional fiction of these being his captives just feels like something Megatron would do. The black and orange colors looks good on the little guys too. This feels more like something I would have gotten as some sort of convention exclusive rather than a store exclusive set. That's hard not to appreciate.
Another of my Christmas gifts from the Mrs. was the new Netflix War for Cybertron Soundwave. Like all other Netflix Transformers toys, he's exclusive to Walmart and quite the hot commodity right now. While most of the Netflix lines is repaints of prior Siege and Earthrise toys, Soundwave is a remold of his Siege toy. In Siege he had a pretty G1 faithful robot mode and turned into some kind of space ship. Now with a few remolded parts, he can turn into a very faithful version of his G1 tape player mode.
This gives fans the best homage of the original Soundwave as a Generations toy. Prior to that was the Masterpiece toy which can command a pretty high price these days and may not be as easy to find. Now you can easily go to your local Walmart and pick one up for $40. Not a bad deal at all. Now the only issue is if he's in stock, which results may vary.
Like I said, he's a very faithful recreation of the Soundwave from G1 and looks very much like his cartoon appearance. He even comes with a Laserbeak and Ravage. Those are direct reissues of the Siege versions as far as I can tell. I'm a big fan of the Laserbeak, though Ravage is a much blockier cat than you expect going in. I don't mind it, but there's no ignoring it either.
Soundwave can store a single cassette in his tape door and the eject button opens the door as you'd expect going in. The transformation from robot to tape deck is pretty simple and not very much different from the original G1/Microman toy. You do have to get a few things exactly right or he won't tab together correctly. It's not too hard thankfully.
Soundwave overall is pretty great. I already really liked the Siege version. I can't really complain about an improved version of it. He's classic G1 Soundwave with modern toy upgrades such as plentiful articulation. When you buy this, you know 100% what you're buying it for and you're getting exactly that.
I'm not sure if he can still change into the spaceship mode the original Siege toy has. I didn't even bother trying, I already have that toy (and Soundblaster) and wanted this for the obvious reasons. I don't really have anything to complain about either. Though have seen some complaints about some of the random gaps in robot mode from part storage in alt mode.
That's kinda a 'is what it is' thing with Transformers though, just going to happen sometimes. I've seen others complain that it's another G1 update, which is another 'is what it is' thing. Hasbro is a big successful company, their going to do what makes them money. That's just how the world works. It is what it is.
For me, Soundwave is another one of those classic characters I just can't get enough of. I don't mind when they get experimental with him or when they do something like this. He's one of the more iconic parts of Transformers and as the line approaches 40 years it's legacy is going to be more and more important. They'll make a brand new looking Batman and release a traditional one right after. They'll be a new bad guy in Star Wars and a updated Darth Vader figure on the hooks as well. That's just how legacy brands work and I don't have a problem with that. I'm happy to have another updated classic Soundwave.
One of my Christmas gifts from my wife was the new Netflix deluxe Bumblebee. Part of the War for Cybertron series exclusive to Walmart, I was really excited when I opened him up. I really wanted this one. Y'all know I love me some Bumblebee. Unlike prior Classics or Generations style Bumblebee figures, this one turns into his classic VW Bug alt mode. I've never complained about the sporty hatchback they've used in it's place, but man I do love that classic look.
Bumblbee is a re-shelling of the skeleton used for Earthrise Cliffjumper (I also have him). Which means literally the same thing it meant for the G1/Microman versions of the toy. Same skeleton, different car parts and head. So if you liked one, then you'll like the other. Probably.
There's also a Bugbite and Hubcap version of the mold and I must get the Bugbite. Ever since that old E-Hobby set, I've had a thing for Bugbite. I'm going to say Bugbite one more time.
Bugbite.
Bumblebee has the same big ass gun that Cliffjumper had. It can be split into 2-3 smaller guns, which fit Bumblebee better. The back stock of the big gun can be unfolded and used with the guns, but all I could ever come up with was a panini press which is just silly. He's fighting a War for Cybertron, there's no time for lunch.
The back windshield/roof of the car can also be used as a shield. Which anyone who's had a pine comb fall on their car while driving or a rock hit their windshield can tell you is a horrible idea. But once again, alien robots from outer space who disguise themselves among humans as dinosaurs. Reality isn't their strong suit.
I hope Bumblebee doesn't try to run holding that big gun. He's gonna trip and bust his bumble ass.
Bumblebee is exactly what you'd be expecting when buying a War for Cybertron toy. That's a very faithful updated toy of a classic character. There's no mistaking classic G1 Bee when you see him and that's him 100%. As a toy he's pretty well articulated with a variety of joints. If scales your thing, you should be pleased that he's fairly to scale with other Generations figures appropriately to character. I think that made sense.
Transformation isn't too difficult, though I did have problems getting everything to fit in at first. I admittedly use baby hands when transforming these things as to not accidentally break my toy. I have big grown man hands things can happen. That being said, I couldn't get that back portion to sit in flush with the rest of the car. I probably did something wrong.
Overall, I really like this figure. Not in that "Rob likes everything" way (I'm that weirdo that enjoys his hobbies), but as in I was very pleased with him outside of expectations. I've been a fan of the War for Cybertron toys (as you know) and this is another really good one. It feels like Bumblebee walked off my TV screen and awkwardly posed on a TV tray in my living room.
I recently received a press release with early looks at Kingdom Wave 2 toys. Since you've been bombarded with 50 million links to the same news already, I thought I'd just talk about the toys. It's what I've been doing with these things the last few times anyway. You cool with that?
Starting off, let's talk about Core Class Megatron. It's another G1 Megatron, and he turns into a tank again. That being said, he looks pretty sweet. I think the smaller size works pretty well with the design and he looks like a good toy. I don't get advance review copies, but if I did, this would be one I'd really like a look at. Like the seekers, when it's the same idea repeated often, it's neat to see what's different this time.
Speaking of Seekers, here's the Core Class Starscream. People can't get enough seekers and it's safe to assume this one will get a few repaints. At a small size and lower price, I'm sure building that seeker team again won't be so hard.
I'm really looking forward to getting a hold of the new Core class toys. Some folks got some already and they look like fun little figures. Distribution is pretty wonky this year and frankly I don't see a reason to pre order general retail figures. So I'll just have to be patient until I see them at my local stores to find out for myself. Also I'd like to point out spellcheck always suggests pee order in place of pre order.
Ractonite is also setting off spellcheck as well as Fossilizer which is the type of Transformer he is. I really like the look of Fossilizers. What's not to like about a robot dinosaur skeleton? Not to mention, the human race has only seen dinosaur skeletons as opposed to actual dinosaurs. So there.
Replacing the Weaponizers... man spellcheck is having a rough day... Fossilizers break apart into weapons and armor for regular Transformers to use. Do I have to explain just how awesome that is? I mean... a robot wearing bones as armor. That's probably the most metal thing ever. Then you add in a robot skeleton that transforms into a dinosaur skeleton and my mind just exploded.
Another nice thing about Fossilizers is that they're something new. A new type of bot and new characters. The past 20 years of Transformers has been pretty slim on new characters with each series having less than the one before. It's not just new to me, it's new to you as well. They remind me of Bone Age also and that ain't bad y'all. That ain't bad.
I've always liked Inferno and he's making an appearance in Kingdom as a Voyager. Just as he and Grapple have usually shared a mold, Inferno is based on the Earthrise Grapple mold. I really liked that toy, so I'm sure I'll like this one.
I wish I could tell you I like Inferno based on his character or some odd trivia like how Simon Furman kept killing him over and over. Really though, I just think he looks cool. I don't think I've ever gotten over that childhood appreciation for a big red firetruck.
Huffer is getting a new deluxe toy in Kingdom and might I say it's really nice that he is. His last few toys were repaints of other toys, so it's nice to see a new mold. I've always liked Huffer anyway. I think we all know a whiny grumbler and would like to strangle that person. When Huffer does it for some reason it's charming.
I've always enjoyed his little orange truck mode as well. I remember as a kid my older brother had Optimus and it never occurred to me that I could own one too (kid logic). When he pulled Optimus's trailer in Heavy Metal War it blew my mind. For awhile there I figured he could be 'my' Optimus Prime since my older brother already had one.
If you couldn't get a hold of Arcee in Earthrise, don't worry, her Deluxe figure from that is getting released again in Kingdom. I haven't gotten one yet myself, so this might be how I do as well. There was a time when a figure of Arcee was just wishful thinking and those days are over. She's had a few figures by this point and this one seems the most faithful to her classic appearance.
The figures will be available April 1st 2021 (no fooling) and will be available for pre order Thursday 12/3 (tomorrow). The Core class figures have a MSRP of $9.99, Deluxes $19.99, and Voyagers at $29.99. A big thanks goes out to Hasbro and Rogers & Cowan for providing Zone Base readers with this cool news and giving me something to talk about. If you like what I do, thanks! Please share with your friends. That's all I ask. You could share with people who aren't your friends... but that'd be weird.
Among the newer Micromasters I found recently was the Earthrise release of the Battle Squad. I wasn't able to get these guys when they were released in Siege, so of course I jumped on them. Then I got the pack I didn't jump on. Whoops.
Now I just hope I can find the Rumble/Ratbat pack at Ross or something. Then I'll successfully gotten all the new Micromasters from Generations. Go me.
Direct-Hit (right) and Power Punch (left) are both members of the G1 Battle Squad faithfully updated in Siege. The Earthrise version is a straight repack of that. So there.
The two combine to form a cannon transport vehicle. I've always liked this type of Micromaster combiner and was pretty happy to see them make a return here. The two are pretty faithful to the G1 versions aside from the black chest on Direct-Hit and that's great. I always really liked the more interesting colors of late G1 and often they're either muted or exaggerated in newer versions of the characters. They got it just right with some extra detailing color. The guys look pretty great.
Newer Micromasters have slightly improved articulation from the originals. You can't really expect a ton from a tiny toy that comes in a two pack for $10. It's just not going to happen. The newer Micromasters are on pare with most Mini-Cons and that's a pretty good amount of movement for a toy this size. The cannon from vehicle mode or Power Punch's back can be held or mounted on compatible Transformers. Really, these newer Micromasters are almost Mini-Cons by another name, which the reverse of that is how many of us saw Mini-Cons during their introduction. I liked those too.
I picked Smashdown up in June shortly after moving, but just got around to opening him up. Life found a way. I was happy to get him as the Siege version never shown up in my area, so when he was re-released in Earthrise. I uh, got him. I really like Battle Masters. A nice evolution of the Targetmaster idea, where not everyone has to be a gun.
Speaking of variety, I really like it when there's variety in robot modes. Keeps things fresh. Smashdown has a bulls head instead of a standard robot one. No real reason either and I'm not complaining. He looks like a Battle Beast and I freaking love Battle Beasts.
Smashdown turns into a hammer. Which seems pretty pointless in a gun fight, but so does a sword and we're all ok with those. The idea here is that he's an ideal weapon for one of The Wreckers. On the Japanese side of things, Smashdown is a type of Selector, another faction of Transformers.
Selectors are a race of Transformers created by humans using Angolmois Energy as a working class for construction needs. Smashdown is a type of Selector that turns into a hammer. Get it?
Whichever fiction you prefer, Smashdown is a great little toy. The handle from hammer mode can be used as a gun for bot mode. In hammer mode that handle can be held by most Transformers toys in case they see some watermelons nearby.
Like most (all?) Battle Masters, Smashdown comes with a little energy
special effect piece. This is to emphasize the force from a good whack
from that hammer. Considering his body is that hammer, I wonder if that
hurts? It's a neat little extra that I'd like to think is appreciated
more by those who like to display their toys in action poses or in
dioramas. Smashdown is a neat little Minotaur robot that turns into a
hammer. I don't think I can find enough words to explain how great that
is, it's pretty a pretty universal idea. Go buy one.
More Kingdom toys leaked out today and holy crap they look amazing. We get a look at Cheetor, Blackarachnia, and Warpath. Obviously Warpath stands out next to the Beast Warriors, but seeing as Kingdom is a mix of G1 and BW, it's good to see him there. Honestly, back in the beast era, I wanted a mix of old and new. In Kingdom I'm seemingly getting that. This whole Generations War For Cybertron trilogy has been a really good series for me as a fan.
I've gotten a nice assortment of different Transformers flavors and have generally liked all of it. Kingdom is still a ways off. While I'm hotly anticipating it, I'm still loving Earthrise as well. It's is weird how the Netflix series and tie in toys are a year behind the main toyline. It's making this trilogy work out in the timeline of a tetralogy. I'm not complaining either, I love it. By all means give it some extra time.
My wife picked up Earthrise Snapdragon for me the other day and I was super thankful. I've been really looking forward to this guy for some time now. Like most recent Generations toys, he's a pretty slavish homage to the original toy. If you've heard the term 'G1 with knees' then you have a pretty good idea of what to expect here. If that's something you don't like... then why do you keep pre-ordering them?
Snapdragon is a Headmaster like his original toy. They don't make too big of a fuss over this on the packaging and don't refer to him as a Titanmaster either. Like Apeface in Siege before, it's an evolution of Titans Return toys in use here. Basically a modern Headmaster toy. It took a few sentences to explain that, which I wish could have been expressed in an emoji. I save so much time with that poop one.
As you'd expect from his name, Snapdragon transforms into a dragon. Admittedly he's more the type of dragon you'd see at a monster truck show than fighting a knight. An alien robot from outer space can only be so realistic when transforming into an imaginary animal. There's a lot of charm to this dragon mode however, it might just be me being a fan of these old designs admittedly. He's weird and blocky and that's one of the more lovable aspects of post movie G1.
Remember the part about Snapdragon being a Headmaster? Krunk, his Headmaster partner pulls double duty. He forms both the dragon and robots head in addition to piloting the vehicle mode. Honestly that's one of the things I love about Headmasters/Titanmasters, the piloting vehicle modes. It draws back to the Transformers Diaclone roots and honestly is a fun play feature.
Speaking of Snapdragron's vehicle mode, his is a spaceship based on the SR-71. I've always called this kind of vehicle a spacejet, because obviously. I absolutely love this mode. It's got that classic 80's styling that always looks great and I just want to fly him around while making flying noises. With triple changers one of the alt modes is generally superior to the other and this is that one. While I do like the dragon a lot, I love this more.
That's partially due to the transformation. I didn't enjoy the change to dragon mode, while the conversion to spacejet was pretty painless. That's pretty much the one complaint I have and it's likely just me being clumsy. Nothing is perfect, and the idea of a perfect toy line is completely subjective to opinion. So far though, Earthrise has been as perfect as a Transformers line can be for me.
Rob’s back for this August of 2020 edition talking about Siege on
Netflix, and toys he wants at Walmart. Transformers, GIJOE, He-Man, and
kaiju are all discussed as well as the incoming Halloween season. Also
sneezing cats!
Earlier today was the newest Fans First Friday from Hasbro. I say today as I'm writing it on Friday, though it's going to post after midnight which will technically be Saturday. It's a big un, so bear with me. As usual, Rogers & Cowan sent the press releases out. I'm pretty stocked to see the amount of new Netflix figures that'll be exclusive to Walmart. I've seen a lot of complaints over this and I guess I'm fortunate for this not to be an issue for me. I've got two pretty well maintained Walmarts within 20 minutes of me. Not to mention, like I've said, I like going to Walmart. I really want the Bumblebee. Everything's after the break... or for mobile users... under this.
The big unconfirmed rumor for a while now in Transformers is that the third part of the War for Cybertron trilogy would be Beast Wars themed. Which of course would make me ever so happy, but no matter how much the beast era was beloved by myself and it's other fans... it was a few years in a very long run of cars and jets. So I've never really expected anything more than a homage figure here and there. Then this image popped up today on the internet. Which makes some recent developments make a little sense.
The upcoming cues that Studio Series would shift to the 1986 movie were a welcome one for me. I've made it very clear that I have no problems with the live action movies. I even like them, but a specific toy line aimed directly at one of my favorite bits of G1? I'm sold. With Earthrise and the Generations lines before it... even with my enthusiasm I wondered what would the point be.
Unless there was specifically contracts needed to fill with the Studio Series line before a potential retiring of it. It's not unprecedented for Hasbro to put Generations figures in movie line packaging already, so I thought maybe it was part of a winding down for Studio Series. Makes sense, right?
Of course those beast era rumors never left my brain and I thought "I need to buy some Pepsi". After that it occurred to me that a beast era heavy line would be super risky in today's Transformers environment. So what if they shifted traditional Transformers to the side a little while doing the beast stuff? It'd add some variety to the shelves while also staying true to what people usually come to expect.
Let's look at that picture again, I made it a little bigger so we can make some things out. The TV cast of Beast Wars is represented with some G1 series regulars. In Robot Masters and other settings, they've had more traditional characters interact with the beast guys by various ways other than the 'Next Generation' setting. They could very well do that again here.
Maybe they're sticking some core characters into the line and on the posters for the sake of familiarity. Why's Optimus a monkey? Well, he's a there, that's another guy with a similar name. Makes sense. Maybe the story would be similar to the early Beast Wars story line as a new evolution of the Transformers. I've always kinda wanted to see how that would have played out.
Nothing is concrete about this yet. Maybe in a few days it'll be confirmed in some official way or come to light that it was just a concept that never got followed up on. Or just an elaborate hoax. Either way, having a new beast era is something I'd really be up for. I really want to see this kingdom come.
EDIT: I scheduled this post for midnight not knowing Netflix posted an answer while I was writing this post. I'm a happy fan!
Did you crack the code? We're excited to reveal the title for the third chapter: KINGDOM. 🦍 Get ready to go ape and get your claws out for KINGDOM! 🦖 Till then, the war continues. pic.twitter.com/dcQLik11qp
Netflix and Hasbro, Inc., in partnership with Rooster Teeth, today released the
final main trailer for Chapter One of the highly anticipated
TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY, premiering on Netflix July 30,
2020. The Series raises the stakes of the Autobot and Decepticon war
with Chapter One having six, twenty-two minute episodes,
complete with a new animation look and style that presents the
TRANSFORMERS bots like you’ve never seen them before. The TRANSFORMERS:
WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY plunges us deep into events that live at the
heart of this legendary franchise, with SIEGE shining
a spotlight on a critical time frame in TRANSFORMERS history on
Cybertron.
TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY: SIEGE begins in the final hours
of the devastating civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons. The
war that has torn apart their home planet of Cybertron is at a tipping
point. Two leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron,
both want to save their world and unify their people, but only on their
own terms. In an attempt to end the conflict, Megatron is forced to
consider using the Allspark, the source of all life and power on
Cybertron, to “reformat” the Autobots, thus “unifying”
Cybertron. Outnumbered, outgunned, and under SIEGE, the battle-weary
Autobots orchestrate a desperate series of counter strikes on a mission
that, if everything somehow goes right, will end with an unthinkable
choice: kill their planet in order to save it.
Rooster Teeth (RWBY, gen:LOCK) is producing the original series for Netflix, and Polygon Pictures
(Godzilla, Knights of Sidonia) is serving as the animation studio. TRANSFORMERS veteran F.J. DeSanto (Transformers: Titans Return,
Transformers: Power of the Primes) is serving as showrunner on the series with several contributing writers, including George Krstic (Megas XLR), Gavin Hignight
(Transformers: Cyberverse), and Brandon Easton (Agent Carter, Transformers: Rescue Bots).
The Series voice talent cast includes Jake
Foushee (Optimus Prime), Jason Marnocha (Megatron), Linsay Rousseau
(Elita-1), Joe Zieja (Bumblebee), Frank Todaro (Starscream), Rafael
Goldstein (Ratchet),
Keith Silverstein (Jetfire), Todd Haberkorn (Shockwave, Red Alert),
Edward Bosco (Ultra Magnus, Soundwave), Bill Rogers (Wheeljack), Sophia
Isabella (Arcee), Brook Chalmers (Impactor), Shawn Hawkins (Mirage),
Kaiser Johnson (Ironhide), Miles Luna (Teletraan
I, Cliffjumper) and Mark Whitten (Sideswipe, Skywarp).
More details regarding Chapter Two, TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY: EARTHRISE and Chapter Three coming soon.
About Hasbro
Hasbro (NASDAQ:
HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to Creating
the World's Best Play and Entertainment Experiences. From toys, games
and consumer products to television, movies, digital gaming, live
action, music, and virtual reality experiences, Hasbro connects
to global audiences by bringing to life great innovations, stories and
brands across established and inventive platforms. Hasbro’s iconic
brands include NERF, MAGIC THE GATHERING, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS,
PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE, POWER RANGERS, PEPPA
PIG and PJ MASKS as well as premier partner brands. Through its global
entertainment studio eOne, as well as its entertainment labels, Allspark
Pictures and Allspark Animation, Hasbro is building its brands globally
through great storytelling and content on
all screens. Hasbro is committed to making the world a better place for
children and their families through corporate social responsibility and
philanthropy. Hasbro ranked No. 13 on the 2019 100 Best Corporate
Citizens list by CR Magazine, and has been named
one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere Institute for
the past eight years. Learn more at www.hasbro.com,
and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro)
and Instagram (@Hasbro).
About Netflix
Netflix is the world's
leading streaming entertainment service with over 167 million paid
memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and
feature films across a wide variety of genres and
languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere,
on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume
watching, all without commercials or commitments.
About Rooster Teeth
Rooster Teeth is a
pioneering media and entertainment company responsible for some of the
biggest online series in history, such as the award-winning and
longest-running web series, Red vs. Blue. They also produce
the globally acclaimed animated series RWBY, the first western anime
series to be distributed in Japan; the award-winning Rooster Teeth
Podcast; and Immersion, a reality format that brings video game theory
to the real world. Rooster Teeth has a massive global
footprint of more than 45 million subscribers to its YouTube Network, 5
million unique monthly visitors to its RoosterTeeth.com hub and 3
million registered community members. The company was founded in 2003,
and is a subsidiary of Otter Media, a WarnerMedia
company. Discover more at RoosterTeeth.com.
Thanks To Rogers And Cowan for providing Zone Base readers with this news!
— Netflix Japan Anime (@NetflixJP_Anime) July 1, 2020
The new Siege cartoon is set to debut on Netflix on July 30th and personally I'm excited. Not only because I love Transformers cartoons (and toys, and a everything else), but because it honestly looks pretty good. I'm really digging how the characters look more like box art (y'all may have picked up on how much I like box art) and hope the 'mature and gritty' tone doesn't ruin the show by trying to hard. Dark themes are great, but when you're doing the whole 14 year old in a Slipknot shirt thing it's another (looking at you DCU). These little promotional images have been making their way around the internet from official sources and click bait heavy news sites. They look great, as does the show. Hope it is.
(Ages 8 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: August1, 2020)
The TRANSFORMERS VINTAGE G1 AUTOBOT BLASTER figure, inspired by the original 1985 G1 release, stands at 4.5 inches and converts from boombox (non-working) to robot mode in 4 steps to receive and transmit radio frequencies. AUTOBOT BLASTER loves to be at the forefront of any situation, cranking the volume on good, hard rock ‘n roll music! The figure also comes with an Electro-Scrambler blaster accessory and a sheet of foil decals so fans can add extra details to the toy. Clip out and save the on-box tech specs to share, then see how this figure stacks up against other heroic AUTOBOTS and evil DECEPTICONS (each sold separately, subject to availability).
Experience the figures that started it all! TRANSFORMERS VINTAGE G1 AUTOBOT BLASTER is available exclusively at Walmart. Pre-orders begin June 26, 2020 at 1PM EST.
The Transformers G1 Soundwave
(Ages 8
and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/ Available:September1, 2020)
The TRANSFORMERS
R.E.D. [Robot Enhanced Design] G1 SOUNDWAVE figure stands at 6 inches and is
non-converting, giving fans an enhanced robot mode with a sleek,
"kibble-free" form. The sly DECEPTICON communications officer,
SOUNDWAVE, from The TRANSFORMERS animated series features 80 deco ops and comes
with 6 accessories including a shoulder-mounted cannon, 2 alternate hands, a
backpack, a Concussion Blaster, and a removable cassette tape revealed when the
chest of SOUNDWAVE is opened. Fans can enhance their TRANSFORMERS collection with
TRANSFORMERS R.E.D. [Robot Enhanced Design] figures. All figures in the
collection are 6-inches in scale and inspired by iconic characters from the
TRANSFORMERS universe, including G1, TRANSFORMERS: PRIME, BEAST WARS:
TRANSFORMERS, and beyond.
R.E.D. figures do not convert,but are highly pose-able
and were designed to bring collectors themost screen-accurate versions of their
favorite characters to display on their shelves. Look for other R.E.D. figures
to enhance your collection (each sold separately, subject to
availability).
TRANSFORMERS R.E.D. G1 SOUNDWAVE is available exclusively at
Walmart. Pre-orders begin June 26, 2020 at 1PM EST.
