Transformers Linkfest - TF Prime Reviews

Here are the last week's worth of Transformers related (mostly toy) links that have popped up. This time we have two custom pieces, confirmation that FoC will not be on the PC, new Shout! Factory release, Happy Meal TF Prime toys, Elita One prop for sale and reviews of four TF: Prime Robots in Disguise toys.

Custom DOTM Jetwing Optimus Prime
Hit the link for Frenzy_Rumble's latest piece with Jetwing Optimus Prime as the base figure but with a bunch of goodies and details added. The final figure includes posable jet pack, LED lights, new paint job, and more. More custom pieces can be found here. (via Full Metal Hero)

No PC Version of Fall for Cybertron
Full Moon Studios has confirmed that they are not making a port of Fall for Cybertron. Matt Tieger provided a few reasons, the main one being PC gaming is "outside of our area of expertise, to be honest. ...We were spread so thin that I feel like we barely served that audience. Then there were some issues with continued support that were frankly beyond our control, but at the same time did not create a great experience for PC gamers that got it." I am curious what the sales were but I bet the PC sales vs. the consoles makes it not cost effective to spend on the resources needed to avoid repeating their previous mistakes.

Transformers At Toy Fair 2012

This weekend Toy Fair 2012 was held in New York where toy makers presented many of their plans for the rest of the year. Hasbro presented their various lines including Transformers which to no surprise will be focused on the Transformers: Prime - Robots in Disguise line. They also revealed their Transformers: Generations - Fall of Cybertron (FoC) toys, Transformers: Kre-O wave 2, and Rescue Bots. Basically if you are a bit tired of the movie toys, this is the year for you. The main dates of note are March 1st is official release date of Transformers: Prime toys in the US and September 2012 is the planned release month for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron game. Below is just a smorgasbord of links to official Hasbro images and galleries from the Fair.

Transformers Limited Edition Pinball Review

The Transformers Limited Edition Pinball machine from Stern is now out and Chris Bucci has posted part 1 of his look at the latest addition to the collection. The $5000 plus machine is based on the movie universe and came out in various limited edition. In the below video he talks about his love of Transformers, unboxing, assembling, along with the various different versions Stern created. If you are a pinball and/or Transformers fan, worth a look.

Transformers Linkfest - Happy New Year

Happy New Year!
The years 2012 is looking pretty good on nearly all fronts for Transformers. Transformers: Prime starts season 2 in February, Transformers: The Ride opens in Hollywood in May, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron video game is coming in the fall and the Prime toy line is expected to hit store shelves very soon if recent reports of clearance prices are any indication. Third party makers are coming up with better and better homages to Transformers past with not Devastator, a Dinobot combiner, and more in the pipeline for this year and the comics are getting a soft relaunch that focuses on a post-civil war Cybertron for the first time in TF history. About the only area that is likely to remain slow is the live action movie front as most of the news will be focused on if Michael Bay is directing the 4th film and if not who will. I suspect that if the year ends with just a director and writer in place, consider it good news. Now on to the last link fest of the year which includes a DOTM/Little Mermaid mash-up.

Custom DOTM Masterpiece Optimus Prime
Hit the link for the gallery of a sweet custom job by DubCustomz. The figure uses leader class Revenge of the Fallen Optimus Prime as a base but then piles on a realistic paint job, custom built weapons and electronics to create a very sweet version of Prime.

Transformers: The Ride Grand Opening Date
Screamscape is reporting that the "Grand Opening" of Transformers: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood will occur on May 25th, Memorial Day weekend (as predicted). Keep in mind there is a difference between the "grand opening" and the official open date as people have to get trained and problems ironed out so I would not be surprised if the ride becomes available to guests by the second week of May.

Transformers Linkfest - Generation One Past

Time that semi-weekly list of links and videos to various Transformers related topics. This week includes a heavy look back at Generation One with an entire case of G1 triple-changers up for auction, a series of blog posts from TFSource that is worth reading, a date set for Botcon 2012, and 3rd party toys inspired by those 25 year old toys. On the Dark of the Moon front, it appears that the Wheeljack and Soundwave toys are on the verge of release with galleries and videos. In addition, below are videos of a fan made Megatron voice changer helmet and two reviews.

TFC Toys Hercules in Color
More images of the combined "not" Devastator that is looking pretty sweet. The first two of six not Constructicons has been released with two more coming by year's end. The scale isn't bad with Hercules crushing deluxe Generations Prime's head. The final result will be about the size of Unicron.

Transformers News from New York Comic-Con

The 2011 New York Comic-Con was held this weekend providing some info and look at upcoming plans for Transformers for Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Prime, Fall of Cybertron, and Transformers: The Ride. Below are the news highlights with links to galleries and panel videos.

Hasbro Panel
• DOTM - Repaints of Bumblebee, Wheeljack (G1 style), Ratchet (G1 style), and Soundwave are coming
• DOTM - Deluxe Optimus with trailer is coming (think same as the Takara release)
• TF: Prime - Calling 2012 "All Prime All The Time"
• TF: Prime - Deluxe Wave 1 toys will be Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, and Soundwave
• TF: Prime - Legion wave 1 toys will be Vehicon, Ratchet, Arcee, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper

Transformers Linkfest - Masterpiece Prime

Time for another link fest. This one is fairly focused on official Transformers toys including a look at the new Masterpiece version of Optimus Prime, a new DOTM toy, more 3rd party stuff and three reviews.

Masterpiece Optimus Prime 2.0 Released - MP-10 | Coin | Packaging | Comparison
The new version, with new mold, of Optimus Prime has now been released from Takara. MP-10 is the most cartoon accurate version of Prime released so far that comes with a mini-Spike action figure along with his trailer modeled on the G1 version. This is a very expensive toy costing around $250 from the usual importer websites (TFSource, Bigbadtoystore, etc) but he does look pretty sweet. Hopefully video reviews will pop up soon so I can make a decision on spending that kind of money. Depending on the company's supplier (Japan or China), your figure might also come with a coin. Hit the links above to view galleries of this must have figure of any Optimus Prime fan. On a related note, it seems Takara is testing the idea of releasing a Masterpiece Ultra Magnus based on this figure. Back in the 80s, Magnus was a while repaint of Optimus Prime with a trailer that the cab fit into. This version seems to make use of the recent development from 3rd party makers (see Fansproject's City Commander) to create a trailer that breaks down into the needed component parts to form the Magnus look. It’s just a test so this may never happen (but don't be surprised if someone fills the void anyway).

Transformers Linkfest - Merged

Time for another linkfest. With the Dark of the Moon news down to just the upcoming home video releases and repaints, figured time to merge this stuff into one. Have not decided if will start seperating this stuff out yet into a bunch of seperate posts or not. What do you think? This method easier or prefer five or six individual posts? Any case, the latest is a TF pinball machine, a look at more 3rd party figures, TF Prime concept art, repaints and a review.

iGear Masterpiece Cartoon Seekers
Third party Transformers maker iGear announced the next two toys in their not Masterpiece line. They are release cartoon version of not Starscream (December 31st) and not Skywarp (April 30th, 2012) that is based on their modified mold from Takara's Masterpiece Starscream that was released three or so years ago. The newish mold started with their recently released conehead seekers where the back leg wings have been modifed to eliminate the ball joint connection at the hip resulting in a better looking figure. Based on the coneheads, the retail cost will probably be around $130 each.

iGear's not Sharticon
Speaking of iGear, they also revealed the near final look at their next not Generation One Transformeer knockoff with a look at their not Sharkicons based on the Quintessons' evil minions from Transformers: The Movie. Not sure on size, release date, or cost. Keep hoping they will be so cheap that you could practically create an army of them but not holding my breath on that.

DOTM Linkfest - Customs

Yet another Transformers: Dark of the Moon link fest and the toy and related news continues to trickle in. Below are few galleries to upcoming toys, a video review and two custom jobs that take two DOTM to the next level.

Leader Class Prowl Custom
Hit the link to view a gallery and how-to on this very sweet custom leader class Prowl created by autobotx23 that sold for $339 on eBay. The figures core is Leader class Bumblebee with parts from leader Brawl, leader Megatron, Sentinel Prime, Halo figures, and more. The result is just a ton of Transformer goodness.

Hasbro's DOTM Wave 5 Gallery
Hit the link for the deluxe class Wave 5 Transformers: DOTM toys. Not entirely sure when these are coming out but guessing in a few months. The line-up includes Armor Topspin (repaint), Darksteel (bio, repaint), and Air Raid (new mold).

Dark of the Moon Linkfest

While Transformers: Dark of the Moon is winding down its theatrical run, a little of toy related news continues to pop up now and then. Below is the latest, most of it about repaints and the like.

FDR Bay-ized
This tongue in cheek poster is an amusing take on what a Michael Bay version of President Roosevelt may be like. At the link is more images (not really Bay related) that places other Presidents in classic movie type settings like George Washington vs. Zombies and Andrew Jackson vs. aliens.

More Warren Manser Concept Art
Hit the link to look at more images of concept art from Transformers 3 posted by Warren Manser. It seems he may continue to add to the set but it’s still worth looking at all the cool artwork created for the movie.

SDCC 2011 Transformers Panels

Below are links to the various Transformers related panels held during the San Diego Comic Con. The panels include a look at upcoming toys, IDW's comic plans, Shout Factory on their various DVD sets and cast and creators of Transformers: Prime. If you are interested in viewing even more SDCC panels, links to more than two dozen panels from movies, TV, comics, toys, and video games have been collected here.

Hasbro Transformers Toy - Part 1 | Part 2
IDW Transformers Comics - Part 1 | Part 2
Shout Factory (DVDs) - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime - Part 1 | Part 2
Transformers: Prime Roundtable - Part 1 | Part 2

DOTM Linkfest

The movie has been out for weeks now and yet the Transformers: Dark of the Moon related merchandise news keeps coming.

Figure King 162 ScansHit the link for a scan of Japanese toy magazine Figure King #162 featuring Takara's release across the entire line of Transformers including DOTM, Masterpiece, and more. It also has interviews with Takara Tomy toy designers (but obviously in Japanese).

DOTM Galleries - Armored Topspin | Leadfoot | Shockwave Repaint | Shockwave and Ratchet Action Sets | Target Exclusives
A bunch of links to upcoming DOTM toys that should be hitting toy shelves soon or already have (Target exclusives). The Shockwave repaint is very odd and not confirmed if official. I am sure one is coming as Hasbro reuses every mold at least two (or more) times but I would be really surprised if that color scheme is the final version.

San Diego Comic-Con Day 2-4 (Updated)

The second day of the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con as ended with a few more Transformers related bits with gallery of Soundwave & Ironhide, the TF Animation panel, and when the exclusives will be available to buy online.

Update: Nothing new happened on the final two days of SDCC. The only things of note is a new gallery from the dealer room by AllSpark and a look at Bumblebee Kre-O costume.

Human Alliance Soundwave Gallery
Hit the link to get a good look Human Alliance Soundwave that appears to come with Laserbeak and Dylan Gould figure. I have to admit he is looking pretty sweet. Wheeljack is also getting released but no word on Mirage/Dino. The scheduled release date is December.

Cannon Force Ironhide Gallery
At this link are images of the red paint job for voyager class version of Ironhide that will be released in September.

San Diego Comic Con Day 1

Yesterday was the preview, today was the first official day of the San Diego Comic-Con 2011. Transformers held multiple panels today from Hasbro, IDW, and Transformers: Prime revealing upcoming toys (including asked about DOTM toys), comics news, and hinting at a significant story arc for Prime.

Hasbro Transformers Panel
The Hasbro panel revealed a bunch of new toys that are in the works. The Generations line is getting relaunched with Junkheap (Wreck-Gar repaint) and Sky Shadow (Thunderwing repaint). Dark of the Moon wave 6 toys will include deluxe Wheeljack (specifically not Que) and Soundwave who will come in deluxe, Human Alliance (with Dylan Gould), and legion sizes. Additional DOTM toys include Air Raid and Darksteel. Target will be getting two score exclusives in the form of Leadfoot and a Leadfoot/Twin Twist two pack. Not sure why they just don't do a Wrecker trio set. Even more Transformers: Prime toys were teased with concept art for legion & deluxe class Wheeljack, legion Bumblebee, commander class Ironhide, deluxe Soundwave with Laserbeak, deluxe Knockout, voyager Skyquake, and voyager Starscream.

San Diego Comic-Con Day 0

The San Diego Comic-Con 2011 officially begins today but that didn't prevent visitors getting a chance from looking at the various displays that where built by the many companies that are using the convention as a means to promote their products including Hasbro. Below are links to the many galleries that have been posted of the upcoming wave of Transformers including Unicron, Toys R Us exclusive Rodimus Prime, Kre-O displays, Transformers: Prime toys, pallet of Kre-O Primes and more. Except for a couple of repaints, there isn't really anything new. Thanks to Sahara for some of the links.

Preview Night Galleries - TFormers (x217) | TFW2005 (9x)
Various galleries that are a combo of Transformers products and displays. The number in () is pics at the link.

Official Hasbro SDCC Exclusive Prices

The 2011 San Diego Comic-Con is just days away. Hasbro is joining the party with a bunch of brand exclusives and panels to promote their line of products. Included with that is Transformers related items that was revealed a while back but the pricing has remained unknown until now thanks to a Hasbro issued press release (below). In years past, if fast enough, there have been chances to buy the toys at HasbroToyShop.com. Below is a summary of the Transformers related portions. Not mentioned is the rumored Masterpiece Rodimus Prime for the con.

TF Toys
- Special Edition Optimus Prime Kreon with Matrix deco (likely same as one from Botcon) - no price listed
G.I. Joe Sky STriker with Starscream deco - $49.99
Nerf N-Strike Barricade Optimus Prime RV-10 Blaster - $24.99
Special Edition Ultimate Optimus Prime - $79.99
Optimus Prime First Edition in Matrix packaging - $19.99

Panels
Transformers Brand Panel - 7/21 2:30pm to 3:30pm Room 24ABC
The Making of Transformers Prime - 7/21 3:30pm to 4:30pm Room 24ABC
Evolution of Transformers Animation - 7/22 5:30 to 6:30pm Room 8

Dark of the Moon Gives Hasbro a Boost

Hasbro's Q2 numbers (I think April 1st to June 30th) are in and the executives are feeling the love thanks to Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Their profits jumped 33% compared to same time last year ($58.1M to $43.6M). Sales are tracking the same as they did with Revenge of the Fallen, crediting the movie with much of the boost. As a result the boys division (which includes Transformers) had a 96% jump in revenue. Considering ROTF made $592M that year, it seems the next two quarters might be just as strong with the small drop in US sales being made up with international sales. It also seems that The Hub has turned a small quarter. There were concerns it was in financial trouble due to new deal that was negotiated with Discovery Communications but this quarter it turned a modest $197,000 profit. Not much but considering the network isn't a year old with all the associated startup costs that isn't a bad start.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Linkfest

Time for a little cleanup on miscellaneous stuff that has popped up related to Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Links include a look at custom figures, a chance for Nebraskans to see two DOTM vehicles, a TF limo, new apparel line and more video reviews.

Customized DOTM Ironhide, Megatron and Sentinel Prime
Hit the link for a look at the custom figures based on the Dark of the Moon toys, each with a new gorgeous paint jobs, lights and other custom details that really make the figures stand out.

Gearing Up for DOTM
An interesting article with Tactical Pro Shop CEO Matthew Kime as he talks about how his company help outfit the gear that NEST wore in Dark of the Moon. “We started this project in Feb. 2010, so we had to be very proactive regarding where things are heading, plus integrate conceivable pieces of tech that this ‘elite’ unit would have had developed for their mission.” The company also helped on ROTF, helping with supplies when the shoot ran short in China.

Dark of the Moon Linkfest

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is now less than a week away from release. Thursday will mark the world premiere in Moscow even it seems Michael Bay and company already really premiered it in Rio de Janeiro and other places, but just didn't throw a party for it like they are in Moscow. In case this is another chance to get caught up on Dark of the Moon related stuff.

Takara Heat Scramble Booster Pack Art
Heat Scramble is apparently a collectible card game that Takara makes for the Japan market. For our purposes it is mostly just a great way to look at unique artwork inspired by all three Transformers movies.

Diecast Transformers Vehicles Coming
Full Metal Hero is reporting that Tomica (part of Takara-Tomy) is planning to release a die cast vehicle line around the movie version of Transformers. Think of them as (probably) higher quality matchbox cars. This is for the Japan market only.

Dark of the Moon Linkfest

The movie news keeps coming and expect to ramp up even more with the world premiere in Moscow, the various talk show appearances and who knows what else. This is probably the best time to squeeze in various Transformers: Dark of the Moon news related to toys, promotions, toy reviews, Kre-O reviews, Oakley 3D glasses and more.

Life Sized Transformers Scrap Metal Statues
At this link is a few pictures of Transformers created over the years from scrap metal. I think I have posted about most of them at some time or another but nice to see them collected together. If want to check out more Optimus Prime, click here. Thanks to Feris for the link.

Soundwave Toys Coming
Now that we know that Soundwave's earth mode is a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, it is just a matter of time before the toys would come out. Full Metal Hero is reporting that three of them are in the works - a Human Alliance with Laserbeak, Deluxe Soundwave, and Cyberverse Legion. Expected release date is October, sadly no images yet.