Transformers Legacy Voyagers Bulkhead and Blaster turned up at US Target stores this week, and the crew looks at which Legacy waves come next. Diamond Select’s Transformers: The Movie Minimates and a $300 Galvatron statue get a lukewarm reception from a crew that feels spoiled for Galvatrons. Leaked Rise of the Beasts toys, a GameStop preorder sale and a heated debate over bringing back Pretenders round out the news. In What We Got This Week, Brian opens Studio Series 86 Coronation Starscream and Perceptor, Don lands Masterpiece Reboost, and Matt adds Studio Series 86 Cup.
News
Transformers Legacy Bulkhead and Blaster Reach US Retail
Legacy Voyager Bulkhead and Blaster were found at a Target in New York, the first US sighting of the line. Friend of the show Wheeljack64 (Josh) made the find. That set off a chain of sightings, including one in Washington state, which suggests a coordinated street date. Don likes that Legacy Bulkhead has a fresh transformation rather than a reworked Inferno and Grapple. The crew notes that Walmart-exclusive Road Hauler, due later this summer, may be held back because it looks so similar to Bulkhead. Amazon listings for Core Class Iguanus and Skywarp, dated April 1, hint at what follows the Voyagers. [Source: Tformers]
Core Class Iguanus Fits a G1 Pretender Shell
UK fans are already getting Core Class Iguanus. A fan on Twitter discovered that the new figure fits almost perfectly inside a vintage Iguanus Pretender shell. One host compares it to Legends Class Megatron fitting Masterpiece Starscream’s hand. Others call it a happy accident. Don argues Hasbro could bring Pretenders back with Core Class inner robots and new shells. The rest of the crew doubts kids or parents would buy hollow shells. They point to Fans Project’s costly dinosaur shells as a warning, though one host credits the company for delivering them. The talk turns to a vintage Dinoking set listed by Art Fire 2000 for about $2,200. [Source: not found]
GameStop Runs a Rare Transformers Preorder Sale
Diecast flags a GameStop sale of 10 percent off select preorders, or 15 percent for Pro members. He moved several Hasbro Pulse and Amazon preorders to GameStop to save. Don used the sale for the G.I. Joe crossover Megatron. The crew warns that GameStop is not always reliable on preorders. They add that Amazon now often ships before Hasbro Pulse, which weakens the case for a Pulse Premium membership. [Source: Seibertron]
Leaked Rise of the Beasts Optimus Primal and Tigatron Toys
Photos and video of possible Rise of the Beasts toys surfaced online. They show Optimus Primal with Tigatron, who turns into a gun, plus a simpler Optimus Prime without elbow joints. Don jokes that Tigatron’s weapon mode looks like a cat draped over a gun. The crew says leaked toys lack packaging and context, so first reactions skew negative. They judge Optimus Primal a decent mid-tier figure that looks like a live-action movie toy. [Source: Tformers]
Diamond Select Reveals Transformers: The Movie Minimates and a Galvatron Statue
Diamond Select announced a Transformers: The Movie Minimates set with Arcee, Jazz, Coronation Starscream and Galvatron. Brian has never warmed to the Minimates look. The crew prefers Mega Construx and finds the Coronation Starscream’s proportions off. They do call this Arcee one of the more reasonable takes in years. Diamond Select also revealed a 16-inch, $300 Galvatron statue limited to 1,000 pieces. The crew calls it a decent statue with the wrong purple and an off face. With strong Galvatron figures already out, they would rather wait for a possible Pop Culture Shock version. [Source: Graphic Policy]
What We Got This Week
Brian
Brian picked up Studio Series 86 Coronation Starscream, the Voyager with a throne. The crew calls it a line filler and says it would work better as a deluxe San Diego Comic-Con set. He also got Studio Series 86 Perceptor, which he calls a competent figure but not an exciting one. Brian wants Perceptor at Voyager size with a working microscope, like the Titans Return version’s magnifier. Diecast disagrees that the robot mode works, saying the hips and waist look out of proportion. Brian has Buzzworthy Bumblebee Cup and Shockwave still unopened.
Don
Don used an eBay shipping credit toward Masterpiece MP-54 Reboost, landing it for about $89 shipped. Big retailers still listed it only as a preorder. The crew calls the figure fantastic.
Matt
Matt got Buzzworthy Bumblebee Studio Series 86 Cup, thanks to Don. He likes the painted parts in place of clear plastic, though he prefers some colors on the original release. His earlier Cup has moved to his Targetmaster shelf. Matt is still hunting for Cliffjumper.
Diecast
Diecast picked up the final center piece of a Generation Toy third-party combiner. He calls it cheap-feeling, with panels that need forcing, and says it is another reason he is done with third party. He also got a Bumblebee-branded Wheeljack and a replacement Ratchet with only slightly yellowed leg panels. He added a Shredder figure from the Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic crossover, with a soft-goods cape.