A War Dawn 2-pack of Dion and Ariel, spelled Erial on the box, surfaces early at GameStop in Canada with an April 7 street date. Walmart’s G2-inspired Toxitron Collection gets new photos of Toxitron, Cloudcover and G2 Jazz. Late-breaking listings reveal three San Diego Comic-Con exclusives and an Amazon and Pulse exclusive Nacelle. Japan gets the core Rise of the Beasts deluxes individually, and Transformers: Reactivate toys look set for October. Chris hosts with Brian away, and the crew pays tribute to writer Michael Reaves.
News
War Dawn 2-Pack Found at GameStop Canada
The follow-up to the A Hero Is Born 2-pack features Dion and Ariel, Orion Pax’s friends from the War Dawn episode. The toys retool Studio Series Kup and Legacy Prime Arcee, with enough new parts to set them apart. The box spells her name Erial, which Chris sees as a defensible trademark rather than a reaction to The Little Mermaid. Box photos came from leobreaker1977 on TFW2005, who was told it cannot be sold before April 7. That date likely marks Hasbro Pulse Fan Fest. Don is just happy to be surprised for once, and Chris notes the episode never intended Dion to become anyone. [Source: id_armed on Twitter]
Writer Michael Reaves Passes Away
Don shares that writer Michael Reaves died on the 20th. His credits include Transformers, Beast Machines, Gargoyles, Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, plus GoBots, Centurions, Bionic Six and Captain Power. Don sends his condolences to Reaves’s family and friends. [Source: not found]
Japanese Release for the Core Rise of the Beasts Toy Line
In Japan, the core Rise of the Beasts deluxes will sell individually, while the US gets them as Target exclusive 3-packs. Chris thinks Hasbro bundled them so the delayed movie line would not compete with itself. Japanese pricing means a single figure costs nearly as much as a US 3-pack. A new Fast Changer Nightbird comes in colors closer to G1. The Japanese release is due in late May. [Source: figsoku.net]
Amazon Lists 4K Steelbook Set of Every Live-Action Transformers Movie
The six-movie 4K Steelbook set costs $154, while the Blu-ray version runs about $40. Diecast already has it on his wish list, though he says not to buy it at that price. The crew tallies how often Diecast has rebought the series and declares that he is the problem. A seven-movie set will likely follow Rise of the Beasts. [Source: Amazon]
Toxitron, Cloudcover and G2 Jazz Photos From Mark Maher
Mark Maher shared more photos from Walmart’s Toxitron Collection. Only three of its toys went up for preorder on Hasbro Pulse, and Walmart’s own preorders were limited again. Several hosts doubled their preorders, and Don says unreliable online fulfillment is wearing collectors out. The crew still thanks Walmart’s toy buyer for taking a chance on unreleased G2 prototype colors. [Source: Instagram]
Newly Discovered Concept Art for Action Master Elite Optimus Prime
Transformers at the Moon published three pieces of concept art from Heritage Auctions listings, showing ways to make Optimus Prime an Action Master Elite. One looks like an Action Master Powermaster Optimus Prime, and another surrounds him with a weapons platform. Chris loves that late G1 still has surprises. [Source: Transformers at the Moon]
Transformers: Reactivate Toys Listed for October
A new listing adds a Voyager Starscream and Deluxe Bumblebee 2-pack to the Optimus Prime and Soundwave set, with an October 1 date. JTPrime says the toys may have been ready for two years while the game sat in development. Starscream is loosely F-22 inspired, and Bumblebee is an off-road car. The developer says the game runs on Unreal Engine 5, with a public beta planned this year. [Source: TFW2005 boards]
Listings for Four New 2023 Collaborative Figures
The code names are Project JoJo, Project Waffles, Project Island and Project Francis. Case packs suggest JoJo and Island are Leader-size, and Waffles and Francis are Voyager-size. One host guesses JoJo is a Wolfman, after JoJo the Dog-Faced Boy, and Francis is Frankenstein’s monster, maybe on Legacy Bulkhead. Waffles ships first, on July 1. [Source: TFW2005 boards]
Product Numbers for 2023 Convention Exclusives and Amazon Exclusive Nacelle
Late-breaking listings show two e-commerce San Diego Comic-Con exclusives and a third, direct-to-consumer one. They also confirm the War Dawn 2-pack. An Amazon and Pulse capsule Voyager is Nacelle, an unreleased G1 concept that repaints Thrust on a Thundercracker body. Matt is excited and will need a bigger seeker shelf. [Source: TFW2005 boards]
What We Got This Week
Don bought Legacy Crasher from Hasbro Pulse, one to open and one to keep boxed. GameStop had Core Class Legacy Thundercracker for about $8. His second Walmart order for Retro Hot Rod arrived, while his November order is still delayed. Toy Dojo delivered Masterpiece Skyfire, a companion for his FansToys Phoenix. Last is Origins Jazz from Target, which looks better than he expected, though the clear plastic hood needs a little flexing.
Diecast used the Hasbro Pulse sale for Targetmaster Cyclonus with Nightstick and the Voyager Armada Universe Starscream. He also got Legacy Evolution Crashbar, Twincast, Dragon Megatron in its new packaging and Lucky Cat’s box set B for its Devastator. Studio Series 100 Bumblebee uses a separate clear piece for its windows. His big pickup is the Titan Class Guardian Robot with Lunar-Tread.
Rob got a clearance Beast Wars reissue Wolfang for $19 from his brother. The chest missile storage is loose, as on the original, but he loves the shade of blue.
Matt got Legacy Evolution Metalhawk, and loves it. All the joints are solid and the colors are great.