Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege Trailer

Today at the New York Toy Fair, Hasbro and Netflix the revealed the first teaser trailer for "Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege". The six episode season, 22 minutes each, will cover the final hour of the War for Cybertron. Since chapter 2 is called "Earthrise" safe to assume what it leads to. The new series will be supported with 10 Wal-Mart exclusive repaints in white packaging that will be released throughout the real and each will come with a piece of Teletraan-1. currently no release date on the series but the toys are expected in Wal-Mart in early April. Trailer and press release below. As for Toy Fair news, head over to TFormers.com to see the next six months or so release for the Earthrise waves of Transformers.

NETFLIX REVEALS TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY: SIEGE DETAILS AND TEASER TRAILER

CHAPTER ONE – ‘TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY: SIEGE’

LOS ANGELES, CA – Feb. 22, 2020 – Netflix and Hasbro, Inc., in partnership with Rooster Teeth, today released the first teaser trailer for Chapter One of the highly anticipated TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY, premiering on Netflix. 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 timeframe in TRANSFORMERS history on Cybertron.

Haslab Unicron Successfully Completes Funding Campaign

It took 2 months, orders from around the globe and who knows how many orders from various online Transformers websites hoping its turns out to be a solid future investment, but Haslab Unicron finally achieved its goal of 8000+ backers. Now the over a year long wait for the largest official Transformer ever begins as the figure estimated release date of early 2021. Hopefully by then will have some movie news to cover.

Haslab Unicron - Final Weekend to Order

This is it. After this weekend Haslab Unicron will either come into existence or enter the dust bin of Transformers history as another unreleased prototype. As of this writing the campaign sits at 93% toward its goal of 8000 buys that may or may not include sales from the EU and Japan purchase sites. If you are still on the fence about dropping a whopping $575 (ouch) for the toy, if it helps for perspective the just released Masterpiece Optimus Prime version 3 costs around $450 (ouch) so compared to that another $125 for a figure almost twice as big suddenly doesn't seem so bad.

Recently Hasbro did announce a few new additions to the figure with digital comics version of the 2006 IDW Transformers: The Movie adapation and inclusive cover for recently relaunched Transformers #1 that is based on the iconic 1984 Transformers #1. In addition they revealed a new redesigned hand for Unicron that has full articulation for all his fingers, a tiny Hot Rod non-transformable figure and a little small Autobot shuttle that Optimus Prime arrived in to save the day.

If interested in a few details about the production of the figure, head over to Aggressive Comix for an quick interview with Takashi kunihiro, Senior Product Designer at Takara Tomy who helped create this version of Unicron. The figure is also on display now at New York Comic Con, a full gallery can be found here.

Below is a reminder from Hasbro on all you will be getting with purchase when figure arrives at some point in early 2021. Its a long wait but I guarantee if you change your mind a year from now, the cost is going to be more then $600. If interesting in purchasing Unicron, here are the official purchase sites:

USA - Hasbro Pulse | Japan - TakaraTomy Mall | EU/UK - Kapow Toys

Haslab Unicron Poster Video, EU Purchase Site

The quest to get Haslab Unicron over its minimum order limit continues. As of this writing it sits at 71% towards its funding goal of 8000. In an attempt to assist with that goal, Hasbro and Kapow Toys are working together to make the figure available for the UK/EU market. The price there is 605 pounds. The price is high but when consider that the just released Masterpiece Optimus Prime v3 is $450, suddenly its $575 price tag isn't as unreasonable by comparison. I am still on fence about both cause the price is hard to get past. However with its October 6th end date fast approaching, decision time is coming. Below is also a video that shows the making of the Unicron poster. If interesting in purchasing Unicron, here are the official purchase sites:

USA - Hasbro Pulse | Japan - TakaraTomy Mall | EU/UK - Kapow Toys

Haslab Unicron Crowdfunding Extended

Turns out the chance to get Haslab's Unicron isn't over yet as Hasbro has extended the deadline to a little over a month to allow time for a New York Comic Con appearance.

We’ve been reading your comments and listening to your feedback about wanting more time, and we’re excited to share that we are officially extending the campaign date for the TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON UNICRON HasLab project through New York Comic Con, ending Sunday, October 6, 2019.

We wouldn’t be where we are in the campaign without our fans and we are so appreciative of the overwhelming support on the project thus far. We want to make this dream item a reality just as much as you and feel that this is the extension will help get us to the 8,000 backer goal!

For those that have already backed the project, your card will not be charged until the new end date, October 6, 2019. Also note that you can still cancel your order if you no longer want to be part of TRANSFORMERS history. Just log into your account on HasbroPulse.com to cancel your order.

The number earlier last week took an over 1500 boost overnight, likely as Hasbro added TakaraTomy sales to the total. As a result we can now assume that the 8000 buyer goal for the $575 figure is a worldwide total. The US extensions has lead to TakaraTomy Mall also extending their Unicron deadline for Japanese buyers. Not sure how purchasing will work for those in other countries that want to make a purchase. It also appears that some Transformers toy sites will sell the figure later (with an additional price tacked on of course) so not sure if those pre-orders are added to the total or not yet. With all that in mind, as of this posting the sales for Unicron are at 71% towards its goal. The US deadline is October 6th while the Japan deadline is October 3rd.

In addition to the extension, Hasbro also revealing accessories for Unicron. Besides the stand, Unicron will come with interchangeable chins to mimic his smooth chin and goatee-style chin from the movie. He has comes with a Galvatron slug figure (small, low on detail, not transformable) so you can replicate the swallow scene from the movie.

If you are interested in buying head over to Hasbro Pulse or TakaraTomy Mall or check your favorite Transformers store site. Keep in mind that Hasbro is likely making this to the number pre-ordered so getting hold of one after the fact will be harder (and more expensive). I get waiting as I am doing the same thing cause I want him but the price combined with where to put it is a bit of an issue. I also know I tend to fall to temptation...

Unicron Crowdfunding Enters Final Week, New Videos

HasLab Unicron is in its final days of attempting to reach its 8000 buyer goal at $575. As of writing this the goal is 38.5% of the way there so its not looking good. To help out, Hasbro has released some more information to help you make an informed decision. The first video is a step-by-step conversion from planet mode to robot mode using the gray pre-production model. The second video gives you a look at the removable Unicron head so you can create the end of Transformers: The Movie.

There was also a brief Q&A where members of the Transformers design team answered some questions. In brief, Unicron does not have lights and sounds, started working on Unicron back in early 2018, six joins in each hand, 50 points of articulation, 19 pounds (not including the stand), does have 5MM and 3MM ports for War for Cybertron toys, and can stand on its own without the stand but the using the stand during transformation is advised.

If below tips the scales, make sure to head over to Hasbro Pulse and place your order before September 1st.

New Unicron Video as Project Falters to Reach Goal

Hasbro has released a new video to show off the robot mode of War for Cybertron Unicron. The $575 project is sitting at around 30% of its stated goal of 8000 purchases before its September 1 at midnight deadline. As it stands, it isn't going to meet it goals unless there is a sudden surge of interest. The toy looks amazing but asking for $600 is a bridge to far for many. For comparison the average Sideshow Collectible statue is in the $550 range and they usually only manage to sell around 3000 copies of each of those (when total both versions they typically release). Of course their stuff doesn't transform and this one does. Any case if you are on the fence, it seems its time to step up if you want the largest (official) Transformer that has ever been produced. You can find the order page over at Hasbro Pulse.

Hasbro Pulse Store Launches with (Sold-Out) Ghostbusters Transformer

Today with start of the New York Toy Fair, Hasbro started things with the launch of Hasbro Pulse which replaces the Hasbro Toy Store. The site does seem geared towards the collector as the selection is much smaller but filled with stuff that has this collector paying attention.

For Transformers fans they seemed to start things off with a impressive bang by the "Echotron" Ecto-1 in G1 style packaging for the Ghostbusters inspired Transformer to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of both franchises. Sadly it didn't last long as the pre-order is no longer available to purchase on the site (how do you sell out a pre-order for a not limited edition toy?). On the bright side the toy is also a GameStop exclusive so can pre-order it there for $49.99. The wait will be long as not coming out until the summer along with a 5-part IDW Transformers & Ghostbusters series that will introduce the character.

Besides that, you can pre-order the next two Masterpiece Edition figures of MP-45 Bumblebee 2.0 and MP-18+ Bluestreak (unclear if they getting Hasbro style MP packaging or going with Takara boxes) along with a wave of Transformers War for Cybertron Deluxe figures. They also have Nerf guns inspired by Fortnite, Deadpool Corps set, Professor X with Hover Chair and bit more.

Price wise, everything seems to be in the MSRP range but Hasbro is offering to wave the $50 fee for Hasbro Pulse Premium to the end of the year to anyone that makes a purchase between 2/15 to 2/23/2019. The membership will offer free shipping in the US, sales, and "other perks". I question its $50 value as will only be recouped via saving on shipping costs if you purchase from the site 5 or so times before the end of the year but since site is brand new it is hard to make a judgement call. Admittedly they are actual off to good start with some of the items they are selling. I planned on getting Bumblebee 2.0 anyway through another retailer so might as well pre-order it now so can get the free membership to give the site a year long try-out. Below is the press release of its launch.

Bumblebee Toy Movie Presentation, Commercial

The left image is from a "Bumblebee Movie toys Presentation Event" held in Monterrey, Mexico. It gave fans in the area a chance to look at the upcoming toy line with 'Bee's VW Beetle alt mode. Doubt its the "hero" version used in the film. Any case if interested in all the pics from the event, head over to TFW2005. On a related note, below is a compilation video from Brasil of various Transformers toy commercials featuring Bumblebee. The first 30 seconds is the main part to focus on since it features the upcoming movie version of Bumblebee while the rest of the video covers toys from the movies, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, and the video game War for Cybertron. Thanks to Feris O. for the link.

Toys R Us Liquidation Sale Begins Today

Starting today the death of Toys R Us begins as all the stores nationwide begin their liquidation sales. It sounds like its being handled in house by the company but exactly what percentage the sales will be at and all those other details are unknown. End result if something been eyeing might want to stop by and get it as the store selves of the good stuff is probably going to get cleared quickly. Just don't expect the soon to be unemployed staff to be particularly helpful, not that I blame em. Especially the lifers, feel really bad for them. Any case good luck in the hunt. RIP Toys R Us 1969-2018.

Bain Capital and the Destruction of Toys R Us

In case the news reports wasn't enough, Toys R Us has released the official press release on their impending shutdown. As for what really caused the companies downfall - its turns out to be intentional debt caused by Bain Capital, KKR & Co. and Vornado Realty Trust. If you remember any company, remember Bain Capital. You might remember them when Mitt "companies are people too" Romney ran for President. In short the company is pure evil. They are anti-capitalism at its worse. They exist to profit off the destruction of companies by burying them in debt. If anything TRU was supposed to have died around 2010 and just lived longer then intended. The graph, via Bloomberg.com, shows the point the debt became the companies death point. That jump from 2005 to 2006 is when Bain Capital bought the company and turned it private by borrowing $5.3 billion off of TRU's assets to then make a $6.6 billion purchase of the company. That debt was immediately added to TRU's ledgers when the purchase went through. Despite its average ~$10 billion per year in sales. That level of debt means the company didn't stand a chance because all profits go to private shareholders (Bain, etc.) and paying off the debt. Nothing else, like improving stores, advertising and a host of other things heathly companies do to compete, TRU simply didn't have the money or the ownership will to do it. In short the company was bought for the express purpose of eventually forcing it into bankruptcy.

But what's fascinating -- or unsettling -- is that overall revenue at Toys "R" Us didn't fall all that much, even during and after the recession. In the 12 months leading up to the LBO, the chain generated $11.2 billion of sales, versus $11.1 billion in the 12 months through October 2017, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The high was $13.9 billion for the year ended January 2012.

The overarching problem was costs -- and importantly, interest expense on borrowings. By 2007, just before the financial crisis hit, the retailer's interest expense spiked to 97 percent of its operating profit. For the latest reported 12-month period, pretax income was negative $492 million. According to a Bloomberg News story last year, KKR and Vornado previously wrote down their investments in Toys "R" Us to zero, so the bankruptcy didn't affect their earnings.

The takeaway - if you know or work for a company that is bought by Bain Capital then kiss it goodbye. It will be destroyed, that is what Bain does.

Press Release:

WAYNE, NJ – March 15, 2017 – Toys“R”Us, Inc. today announced that it has filed a motion seeking Bankruptcy Court approval to begin the process of conducting an orderly wind-down of its U.S. business and liquidation of inventory in all 735 of the Company’s U.S. stores, including stores in Puerto Rico. Toys“R”Us will provide more details about the plans for the liquidation of its U.S. stores and going out of business sales in the near term.

Toys“R”Us also announced that it is pursuing a going concern reorganization and a sale process for its Canadian and international operations in Asia and Central Europe, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The Company’s international operations in Australia, France, Poland, Portugal and Spain are considering their options in light of this announcement, including potential sale processes in their respective markets. The Company’s stores in all these international markets are currently open and serving customers.

In connection with the sale process, the motion the Company filed with the Bankruptcy Court included bidding procedures for the Canadian operations. The Company also disclosed that it is engaged in discussions with certain interested parties for a transaction that could combine up to 200 of the top performing U.S. stores with its Canadian operations. While discussions continue on this potential transaction, Toys“R”Us is seeking court approval to implement the liquidation of inventory in all the U.S. stores, subject to a right to recall any stores included in the proposed Canadian transaction.

The previously announced administration of the UK business continues.

Dave Brandon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “I am very disappointed with the result, but we no longer have the financial support to continue the Company’s U.S. operations. We are therefore implementing an orderly process to shutter our U.S. operations and will pursue going concern sales or reorganizations of certain of our international businesses, while our other international businesses consider their options.”

Brandon continued, “There are many people and organizations who have remained in our corner every step along the way. I want to thank our extraordinary team members who helped build Toys“R”Us into a global brand. I also want to express my appreciation for my colleagues on our board who have continued to provide support to sustain the brand and our operations throughout the restructuring process. I would also like to thank our vendors who we owe a great deal of gratitude to for their decades of support. This is a profoundly sad day for us as well as the millions of kids and families who we have served for the past 70 years.”

The Company and its advisors are working to minimize the impact of the U.S. liquidation on the Canadian and other international markets. As part of these efforts, the Company is implementing a transition services arrangement for the next 60 days and is developing plans for a potential shared service function to support the international operations going forward.

Additional information regarding the Company’s restructuring process can be obtained by calling the Company’s Information Hotline, toll-free in the U.S. and Canada at (844) 794-3476, or sending an email to toysrusinfo@PrimeClerk.com. Court filings and other documents related to the court-supervised process in the U.S. are available on a separate website administered by the Company’s claims agent, Prime Clerk, at https://cases.primeclerk.com/toysrus.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as principal legal counsel to Toys“R”Us, Alvarez & Marsal is serving as restructuring advisor and Lazard is serving as financial advisor.

Toys 'R' Us Shutting Down, Closing All Stores

After filing for bankruptcy and trying to come up with solutions to save the company by selling it, Toys R Us has officially thrown in the towel. Today the company announced it was closing all 800 of its United States Toys R Us & Babies R Us locations. It had previously announced it was closing all its United Kingdom locations. The 60 year old company has "$7.9 billion in debt against $6/6 billion in assets" and owes money to more then 100,000 creditors. The closure will lead to the loss of 33,000 nationwide. End result is the company will likely cease to exist worldwide by beginning of the summer.

The cause is many and varied but the always higher prices on toys compared to competitors (like Target and Wal-Mart) and the last decade virtually ignoring online retail combined with toys being replaced by tablets, computers, phone and other virtual means made this slide all but inevitable. “We know that customers are willing to pay more for an enjoyable experience — just look at the lines at Starbucks every day — but Toys R Us has failed to give us anything special or unique,” Kelly O’Keefe, a professor of brand management at Virginia Commonwealth University, told The Washington Post this year. “You can find more zest for life in a Walgreens.” I can't really disagree with that assessment.

To compound this sad day, the incompetent corporate management that pushed the company over the cliff will likely get hefty bonuses for their failures. The amounts have not yet been disclosed and usually have to be approved by the bankruptcy court that almost always rubber stamps such requests. As for the 33,000 about the enter the job market...good luck.

No indication on when the clearance will begin but likely either this weekend or next so keep an eye out. If you have any TRU gift cards, go immediately to the website or store and try to use them now as they are probably not even a few days away from being useless. Usually when chains at this scale shut down, they actually sell of their entire inventory to other companies who bring in their own employees (or temporarily hire ex-employees of that chain) to then sell of that inventory. As a result the first few weeks of clearances is when everything gets marked up to over MSRP and then "discounted" back to normal sell prices so if go to a closing store, do your homework on what a good deal is, don't assume the % means you got one.

It is a sad day to see this piece of childhood disappear. “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid" describes me (maybe a little closely) and I don't bother to go there anymore as always fail to find what I was looking for at a reasonable price and now its online only. I still remember a time when an entire aisle was nothing but G1 Transformers boxes, another GI Joe figures, another of Lego, and so forth. Another aisle was nothing but boxes of Nintendo and Sega games. A child's paradise of potential. Somewhere along the way those in charge forgot that and it became something boring, lifeless and of no value. To know the incompetence will be rewarded just makes it a little bit worse.

Transformers 6 Dropped From Schedule For A "Reset"

Today Hasbro provided a little peak into their future plans for the Transformers movie franchise. This weekend is the start of Toy Fair 2018 in New York and the toy company hosted their Investor Preview Day that shows off their upcoming plans for their various toy properties (such as getting hold of the Power Rangers license) and of course Transformers. Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner said "We’re actively developing live action and animated films, and have dated several under this new agreement. We’re excited about this year’s Transformers: Bumblebee, as we work with the new Paramount team to reset the future direction of Transformers. We’ll be partially financing the production of these films, and Bumblebee is the first under the new agreement."

In the long term what that means was not revealed but in the short term it means that Transformers 6 is no longer in the works for what was going to be a 2019 release. In the short term Hasbro is planning a China exclusive animated series in 2019 called "Nesha and the Transformers" while western countries will get "Transformers: Cyberverse" cartoon and toy line that will likely replace the "Transformer: Generations" line that was represented by the Prime Trilogy of toys.

On to the speculating. I am going to go ahead and take "reset" to essentially mean "reboot." In short, the "Bay-verse" will end with Bumblebee: The Movie. The Transformers Writers Room of scripts have probably been trash canned too since they were mostly devised with the Bay-verse in mind. While not saying it, likely the next Transformers movie will not come until 2021 at the earliest to provide breathing room for that "reset" in consumer minds. Any new movies will likely ignore the Bay-verse. For reference, see the various Spider-Man reboots. When the deal between Hasbro and Paramount was renewed, it apparently gave the toy company greater control and say over the movies but since we have not yet seen a movie with Hasbro in greater control of the creative process, we have little to go on for what the result will look like in movie form. All we really have is the various cartoons and IDW comic books from the last decade or so to go by. Those results vary wildly depending on franchise and target audience but the Transformers cartoons over the last few years have hit the "all ages" note fairly well.

Transformers Accidentally Goes Political

Hasbro accidentally brought some US politics to their latest release from Transformers: Power of the Prime line. It has been discovered that Jazz has a tiny art under the Autobot logo that spells "MAGA" in Cybertronian. The assumption is that MAGA is the shorthand for "Make America Great Again" from the 2016 Trump Presidential campaign. i09 breaks down the details including a handy chart of the Cybertronian language but more importantly they got in touch with Hasbro who apologized for the unwanted insertion of politics.

It was brought to our attention that a graphic appears on one of our Transformers figures that, when translated from Cybertonian letters to English, spells out MAGA. We investigated the issue, and discovered that one of our vendors inserted this as part of the design without authorization. We are addressing this with the vendor.

We do not intend for our products to carry political messages, and apologize to anyone who was offended by this message.

Considering the toy line is mostly manufactured in China who are unlikely to give two craps about "MAGA", I can't help but wonder what vendor they are referring to. There could even be a none political explanation but nothing Transformers related comes to mind. My guess its whoever finalizes the designs before they reach China for manufacturing or programs the machines that paint the toy are going to have a job-less holiday season.

HasCon Exclusive Toys Includes Transforming USB Power Bank

HasCon is coming from September 8-10 in Providence, Rhode Island. Like many conventions that means exclusives. For this years convention Hasbro has announced multiple exclusives from Transformers, Star Wars and more. The main Transformers exclusive toy is the Optimus Prime Converting Power Bank for $50. The 6500mAH bank actually works to charge USB devices like phones and tablets. They also have an early release of Generations Titans Return Arcee (that I think is a repaint of Blurr) and a three card Magic: The Gathering set that includes "Grimlock, Dinobot Leader" for $30.

If curious the card gives you Grimlock attacking 4/4 unit and the description says "Dinosaurs, Vehicles, and other Transformers creatures you control get +2/+0. (for 2 mana) Convert a Transformers toy you own to its other mode: Grimlock, Dinobot Leader becomes Grimlock, Ferocious King. (quote:) Me Grimlock no like you." Based on description of this and other two cards, they could be played in Magic games but it seems Grimlock came up short on being worth using.

Transformers at SDCC 2017

Hasbro kept most of their cards close as they are prepping for Hascon in September 2017 but they did show off a little bit of new stuff while at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con this weekend. Not really a whole lot of news. IDW briefly mentioned that they are working Transformers: Unicron comic for 2018 release. That is it. No artwork, no details on story, setting (movie-verse? comic-verse?), creative team or even if mini-series or ongoing. Just the tease. Maybe more will be revealed at Hascon. Sideshow Collectibles showed off Beast Wars Megatron that looks freaking awesome but if priced like other Prime 1 statues is in the $900+ price range. As for toys, hit the links below for videos and images to learn about Power of the Primes. Since its Comic-Con, also check out the video below of a fantastic cosplay of G1 Megatron.

The followup to Titans Return will be called Power of the Primes. This one is focused on the godlike power of the Primes including different matrixes and use of armor to increase the bulk or change a character. For example Hot Rod becomes Rodimus Prime by folding him into his trailer. Its a gimmick that 3rd party makers have been using for a while. The line is best explained in the video below. When done well it can be pretty cool even if seems slightly parts-forming. There are a still a few Transformers 5 toys to come like Cogman, Nitro and another Bumblebee but the overall impression seems to be that Hasbro is already moving on from the movie line (personally I can barely find new Transformers toys in stores as it is).

Galleries: Official Images | Hasbro Booth I | Hasbro Booth II | Hasbro Panel Images

Booth Videos: Titans Return | The Last Knight | Diorama | RID & Rescue Bots | BW Megatron Statue

Toy Fair Reveals The Last Knight Toys

This past weekend the New York Toy Fair was held. Hasbro was on hand to reveal their upcoming toys from Transformers: The Last Knight along with lines for Titans Returns, Robots in Disguise and more. The revealed toys for The Last Knight includes Megatron with his Cybertronian jet alt mode, Grimlock, Hound, Scorn, Bumblebee, Crosshairs, Strafe, Slash, Slug, Sqweeks and Steelbane (dragon? alt mode). Titans Returns continues with box sets and new releases including Overlord, Topspin, Quake, Twin Twist, Seaspray, Blitzwing, Octane, and more. For Robots in Disguise Season 3 about to premiere, Hasbro showed off their combiners from the line: Glavtronus combiner (Cyclonus, Cyberwarp, Skyjack, Threadshock, Riotgear). Menasor (Dragstrip, Heatseeker, Motormaster, Slashmark, Wildbreak), and UltraBee (BUmblebee, Grimlock, Sideswipe, Strongarm). There is also yet another release of the MP-10 Masterpiece Prime mold with an animated-ish paint scheme and Movie Masterpiece Bumblebee which looks like the one from 7 or so years ago but is a new mold and much smaller.

NYCC: TF5 Voice Changer Helmet, RID Season 3, and New Titans

The New York Comic-Con kicked off on Thursday and turns out Hasbro decided to bring some news to the event. For Hasbro, the grand reveal is the Transformers Voice Changer Optimus Prime Helmet for Transformers: The Last Knight. This is the first official item from the upcoming line that Hasbro has shown off. The helmet is large enough to fit adult heads and will come with "21 button-activated sounds and phrases from Transformers lore" as voiced by Peter Cullen, who has been voicing Optimus for over 30 years now. It will also do voice modulation to change your voice to something Prime-ish in sound. The helmet seems like an easy sell for Christmas but sadly it will not be out until spring 2017.

It turns out that Transformers: Robots in Disguise cartoon was not cancelled. Renewed for season three, it will get an updated title of "Transformers: Robots in Disguise Combiner Force". The official synopsis:

Transformers On National Toy Hall of Fame Shortlist (Updated)

The Strong's National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY has revealed that Transformers (in a picture using Metroplex) is one of twelve finalists for the National Toy Hall of Fame. The 12 finalists: bubble wrap, Care Bears, Clue, coloring books, Dungeons & Dragons, Fisher-Price Little People, Nerf, pinball, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, swing, Transformers, and Uno.

Botcon 2016

This last weekend the last official Botcon occurred in Louisville, Kentucky. This doesn't necessarily mean it will be the last Botcon. Earlier this year Hasbro made the decision to withdraw its official support from Fun Productions, the owner of Botcon and the Transformers' Collectors Club (which ends it subscription service at the end of the year). No replacement plans have been announced by Hasbro nor has Fun Productions indicated what its future plans are. Considering Botcon, since its founding in 1994, went a decade without Hasbro's official stamp (but also without it siccing their lawyers on it causing it to die an early death), I do not see why losing the "official" status would prevent it from being held next year.

All it means is that Hasbro is unlikely to participate or send representatives but that is normal for most fan conventions, TF focused or otherwise. On the bright side, it means that 3rd party companies can participate once again after Hasbro had them officially banned from the convention a few years ago (and thus why no news or images below). Of course this speculation assumes Botcon is profitable enough with enough convention goers to continue it (I have never been so no clue on actual numbers). So next year's unknowns aside, below is a summation of news and galleries of Titan Wars toys that Hasbro revealed for release sometime last in 2016.