Hasbro’s brand team hosts a roundtable with Transformers press, and Brian brings back the highlights. Legacy may not be a one-year line or a planned trilogy. The team also says a weak earlier toy is one reason to redo a character like Menasor.
The call closes with a reveal of Kingdom Wave 5 Voyager Blaster with Eject. Chris reviews the Hasbro Pulse Con Covert Agent Ravage, and Don lands a Legends-scale third-party Astrotrain.
Elf on a Shellformer
Brian opens with why Elf on a Shellformer matters to him. He grew up poor, worked at a children’s home his uncle founded, and his adopted children went without before foster care. The drive asks listeners to buy shelfwarmers or clearance toys and drop them in a donation box. Sealed older toys, like Power of the Force or Unicron Trilogy figures, work too. Posts tagged Elf on a Shellformer get reshared, and tfradio.net/elf links to an Amazon wish list Brian delivers locally. He already picked up an Earthrise Grapple for $12 and a BotBots Series 4 five-pack at Ollie’s for the pile.
News
Hasbro Brand Team Roundtable
After Hasbro Pulse Con and the October 27 livestream, Hasbro’s brand team held a conference call with Transformers news sites, YouTubers and podcasts. Brian asked first, which let him fold in the most interesting topics. Asked why Hasbro is redoing Menasor, Evan said one factor is whether the last toy was good. Legacy Menasor can connect with older Combiner Wars limbs, though not by design. The team gave non-answers on a trilogy, which led the call to believe Legacy could persist. They described Legacy as a universe where several versions of a character can coexist, with shelf appearance a key goal. One host notes the team admitted aftermarket prices factor into character choices. The Buzzworthy Origins Bumblebee question got an honest answer: that was not this team. Fossilizers and Weaponizers will continue, and collaborations will too. Mark pitched a Chester Cheetor, Evan a Chocobo, and one designer wants a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover. Brian requested Guardian City, Battle Gaia, Thunderclash and Zone, and held up his Armada Optimus Prime when Armada came up. The crew praises this young, knowledgeable design team.
Kingdom Voyager Class Blaster with Eject Revealed
Hasbro ended the call with a surprise reveal: Kingdom Wave 5 Voyager Blaster with Eject, alongside two deluxes, with preorders expected by January 1. Mark showed Blaster out of the package, and Brian loves everything about it, from the head sculpt down. Blaster was meant for Legacy but moved back when Kingdom gained a fifth wave, much like Astrotrain moved from Siege to Earthrise. The crew reads the hints as a Soundwave on the way, and Brian hopes for a Selects Twincast. Eject draws groans for his mostly clear plastic limbs. [Source: BWTF]
What We Got This Week
Chris got the Hasbro Pulse Con Covert Agent Ravage. About 20 percent of it reuses Kingdom Cheetor, and the rest is new and beefier. The single head looks tiny and odd in beast mode, and the front legs come packed on the wrong sides. Its robot mode is far more show accurate than the old Transmetal Ravage. The reissue G1 Ravage gets new painted details on both sides. At $50-something it is a stretch, but he calls it decent for a convention exclusive. Don suggests a Shattered Glass Glit redeco, and Chris likes the unpainted-metal look of the silver.
Brian found Kre-O sets from 2015 and 2016 at Ollie’s, and one is going under the Elf on a Shellformer tree. A G1 Inferno is on the way to help restore his G3 Inferno knockoff, with wings and fists from Blade Raider. Listener Sean sent an Energon Landmine and a yellow Landfill box set.
Don got a second Covert Agent Ravage, one to open, thanks to Matt and Ness. He also picked up Mechanic Toys’ Legends-scale Astrotrain in the limited white and black version, for about $40 shipped from their website.