Transformers Reactivate is officially dead, and the crew blames years in development hell across hardware generations. A leaked catalog shows Masterpiece Rattrap, though its roughly ¥15,000 price gives the crew pause. Chris hosts while Brian is away, as the crew sizes up the first Cyberworld toy, Yolopark’s AMK Mini color prototypes and a gorgeous blue Age of the Primes G2 Grimlock. In What We Got This Week, Matt unwraps the sold-out Hot Wheels Optimus Prime, John DeLuna praises his DNA Design kit and Don adds yet another Galvatron.
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Blade Raider Turns Party Wallop Into Metalhead
Chris opened by highlighting Blade Raider from the Discord, who customized Party Wallop into Metalhead. He used the Nonnef Productions Metalhead head and parts, plus a striking paint job. Chris says it looks like a professional product and the Metalhead toy fans should have gotten.
Transformers Reactivate Officially Cancelled
Transformers Reactivate is officially no longer in development. The studio’s statement gave no reason and mentioned possible layoffs, which one host found off-putting. Rob noted the game spanned several hardware generations and was reportedly a live-service title, a format that has struggled lately. Chris pointed to its earlier move from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5, which meant restarting much of the work. Nobody was surprised. The crew noted fans at least got four toys out of it. One host suspects Hasbro may find licensing mobile games more profitable anyway. [Source: TFW2005]
First Leaked Look at Masterpiece Rattrap
A leaked catalog shows what looks like a very show-accurate Masterpiece Rattrap. Chris is glad it can stand up and emote in beast mode. Its listed price of ¥15,000, about $96, means he won’t buy it. The crew noted Masterpiece Beast Wars figures cost far more than their G1 car counterparts, with few redeco options to pay off the tooling. Masterpiece Optimus Primal launched in October 2016, and Airazor is still needed to finish the season one Maximals. Rusted Cross in chat joked Rattrap could come with Waspinator parts. [Source: TFW2005]
First Look at Cyberworld Megabull
The first Cyberworld toy appears to be Megabull, a Megatron-themed bison. Cyberworld is the planned successor to EarthSpark. It stands about waist-high to a recent Voyager, with simple engineering. Listings from last August include a Cyber Changers assortment with Mirage, Sky-Byte, Snarl and Optimus Prime, plus an Armored Galvatron. Chris hopes these are warrior-class analogs and not deluxes. [Source: TFW2005]
Yolopark AMK Mini G1 and Movie Color Prototypes
Yolopark showed color prototypes for more AMK Minis, including Jazz, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Hot Rod, Hound and Prowl. Ironhide, Ratchet, an IDW Orion Pax and movie Optimus Prime and Megatron also appear. One host found Cliffjumper’s tall proportions awkward, and the crew agreed Arcee looks wrong at this small scale. Don thinks Jazz looks good. Several samples look hand-painted, so colors may still change. [Source: TFW2005]
Mark Maher Shows Age of the Primes Silverbolt In Hand
Mark Maher posted in-hand photos of Age of the Primes Silverbolt on Instagram. One host is fine with it using the Menasor combiner frame, since Silverbolt matches Motormaster’s size. Silverbolt’s nose cone droops like a real Concorde, and a Titan Master fits in the cockpit. The crew thinks the Aerialbots look great together, if hard to tell apart. [Source: Instagram]
Naruto x Transformers Kurama and Gamakichi In-Hand Photos
In-hand photos of the Naruto collaborative Kurama and Gamakichi surfaced, apparently from an eBay listing. The crew found Kurama’s feet huge. One host thinks the frog looks fine but will wait for a markdown. [Source: TFW2005]
Age of the Primes Leader G2 Grimlock In Hand
New photos show the Age of the Primes Leader G2 Grimlock in a lovely blue, close to the FansToys version. It comes with Wheelie in a unique color and a G2 faction logo on the leg. One host has it on preorder and wants both figures in its case with Megatronus the Fallen. [Source: TFW2005]
DNA Design DK-51R Galactic Slayer Kit for Siege Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime
DNA Design solicited the DK-51R Galactic Slayer, a Shattered Glass-inspired redeco of its Nova Prime kit for Siege Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime. It includes an extra Shattered Glass Ultra Magnus head. One host noted this may be the rare kit where the base toy costs far more than the upgrade. [Source: TFW2005]
What We Got This Week
Matt
Matt got two late Christmas gifts: Hallmark’s Optimus Prime ornament and the Mattel Creations Hot Wheels Optimus Prime that sold out in seconds. Its collector-friendly packaging swaps between truck and robot display trays.
John DeLuna
John DeLuna opened the DNA Design kit for Animated Optimus Prime, which adds wings, a hammer, leg extensions and a trailer. It locks into existing ports for a rock-solid super mode. Only the faceplate and visor feel a little wobbly. At about $50 it’s pricey, but he loves it. He’ll skip the Motormaster recolor.
Rob
With help from Wheeljack64, Rob got the Amazon Bludgeon and Ruckus set. Bludgeon is flexible and holds his katana two-handed, though Rob got two square cannons. Ruckus has a simple minicar-style transformation, but the instructions skip a step. Rob compared it to shuffling a deck of cards made of a dune buggy. Once he figured it out, he liked it a lot.
Don
Don got the prototype-colors R.E.A.C.T. Arcee for $10 at Target and Studio Series Hatchet. In-hand photos convinced him to buy Studio Series 86 Galvatron, his sixth of that mold. He got the clear Yolopark Optimus Prime and the Yolopark Last Knight Optimus Prime. He also bought a knockoff of the Unique Toys Dino for about $40 instead of $130, plus the TransArt Beast Wars Silverbolt, his favorite Beast Wars character.
Diecast
Diecast built the clear Yolopark Optimus Prime and enjoys seeing its inner workings. His one complaint is the light magnet, placed mid-barrel in the gun. He also prefers painted eyes to light-up eyes.