Hasbro reveals HasLab Liokaiser at MegaCon: a $300 Breastforce combiner with Death Cobra as the first stretch goal. Chris claims backer number one, while Diecast questions whether it needed to be a HasLab. MegaCon also brings the Hearts of Steel two-packs and Age of the Primes Heatwave and Sky-Byte. Earlier in the week, the crew covers new EarthSpark deluxes, Silver Rathalos Prime, the Supreme Optimus Prime and LEGO BrickHeadz. In What We Got This Week, Brian lands a Dark of the Moon awards screener, Diecast gets Missing Link Bumblebee and Don finds a complete Desert Brawl.
News
New EarthSpark Toys Include Soundwave, Hashtag and a Battle Trailer Optimus Prime
ComicBook.com revealed new EarthSpark toys: Deluxe Terran Hashtag, Deluxe Soundwave and an Optimus Prime battle trailer. The $40 battle trailer packs a missile-firing cannon with lights and sounds. One host finds the trailer a boring accessory but welcomes lights and sounds coming back. The One-Step Smash Changers assortment is already in stores. Soundwave grabbed the crew most. One host compared its transformation to Energon Dive Bomb and wants a black Soundblaster redeco. Another found its blank mouth plate odd, though it matches the show. [Source: ComicBook.com]
Monster Hunter x Transformers Silver Rathalos Prime Revealed
The second Monster Hunter x Transformers figure is Silver Rathalos Prime, based on the faster, nastier silver subspecies. Rob had predicted the green and gold Rathian, which would need remolding. He calls the collaboration one of the best crossovers, with beast, armor and weapon all drawn from the game. Preorders open in Japan on February 13, alongside Nucleon Quest Super Convoy. Rob noted the standard Rathalos is the series mascot and appears in Super Smash Bros. as a boss. [Source: TFW2005]
First Look at the Supreme x Transformers Optimus Prime
Clothing brand Supreme’s Optimus Prime is almost entirely red, with a Supreme-branded trailer, yellow missiles and a red Roller. It appears to use the reissue cab with the newer trailer mold and separate fists. One host calls it ugly but will probably buy it. Another host thinks it works because real fleet trucks share one brand across cab and trailer. The crew compared it to the scarce Bathing Ape Optimus Prime figures. [Source: TFW2005]
LEGO BrickHeadz Optimus Prime and Bumblebee
LEGO BrickHeadz Optimus Prime and Bumblebee run $20 each, double the usual price, because each builds both robot and vehicle. The crew couldn’t tell whether the details are stickers or printed. One host would happily put them on his desk at work. [Source: TFW2005]
Yolopark Shows AMK Pro Bumblebee, AMK Minis and BMK Kits at Nuremberg
Yolopark’s AMK Pro Bumblebee has what one host calls the best cartoon-inspired Bumblebee head ever made. The AMK Mini line continues with Jazz, Prowl, Hound, Hot Rod, Cliffjumper and Arcee. A third wave adds Ratchet, Ironhide, movie Megatron and Optimus Prime, IDW Orion Pax and Bumblebee. Yolopark also showed BMK, a beginner model kit with fewer parts and articulation. Rob is curious how it can get simpler than AMK, and the crew sees it as an entry price point. [Source: TFW2005]
Mark Maher Shows Off Age of the Primes Animated Waspinator
Mark Maher posted Age of the Primes Animated Waspinator on Instagram. Two hosts want it but will wait for a price drop on such a small toy. [Source: Instagram]
Lazerwave Posts In-Hand Photos of Bonecrusher
TFW2005 user Lazerwave posted extensive photos of the new Constructicon Bonecrusher. The crew found it very Bonecrusher and very green. It shows some simplification to reach small Voyager height. Without a frame system, the Constructicons need extra engineering to support Devastator’s weight. The wave has been spotted in Indonesia. [Source: TFW2005]
HasLab Liokaiser Revealed at MegaCon
In a segment recorded after MegaCon, the crew reacted to the HasLab reveal: Liokaiser, at $300. The Breastforce members keep their names except Hellbat, now Hell Bat. Jaruga hangs off Liokaiser’s back, and a separate waist piece joins the top and bottom. Death Cobra is the first stretch goal. Liokaiser stands slightly shorter than Studio Series Devastator, with chunky Voyager-sized components. The crew agreed it was designed combiner-first, which explains some awkward vehicle modes. Chris checked out when the page showed zero backers, so he claims backer number one. The count stood at 3,514 during recording. Diecast found it underwhelming as a HasLab, while another host argued Liokaiser is too obscure for a retail run. Rob will probably pass for lack of display space. Don, who owns an original Liokaiser, is bugged by the mismatched shoulder wings. The crew also floated Sky Garry or Grandus as HasLab alternatives. [Source: TFW2005]
Hearts of Steel Two-Packs Revealed
Hasbro showed two Hearts of Steel two-packs: Optimus Prime with Starscream, and Megatron with Bumblebee. One host likes Megatron and Bumblebee but hates the Optimus Prime, which he says looks like a toy of a toy. Don said Optimus needs a coal tender to be a full-length locomotive. Don owns the Mastermind Creations Hearts of Steel figures. He thinks this Starscream captures their spirit and will be more fun to handle. Rob looks forward to photos of the stubby Optimus among Rescue Bots. [Source: TFW2005]
Age of the Primes Heatwave and Sky-Byte Revealed
MegaCon also revealed Age of the Primes Heatwave, a heavy retool of the Bulkhead mold. The crew loves it, though one host thinks the truck looks more like a tow truck. One host compared it to Siege Nova Prime, a mold that finally found its character. Another host wants a further retool into Rescue Roy. Sky-Byte also impressed. Its shark mode can swim flat, leap or curve. One host says it could replace a BotCon Sky-Byte as the best version out there. [Source: TFW2005]
What We Got This Week
Brian
Brian got the 2011 For Your Consideration screener DVD for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which pitches it for Best Picture. He also got a Kid Stuff read-along of Satellite of Doom and When Continents Collide on VHS. A $20 custom VHS of Transformers One came in a legit-looking Family Home Entertainment-style box, with the movie actually on the tape. Patron Sean Hamilton sent a box of There Goes My Money tote bags, which Brian will share with the crew.
Diecast
Diecast got Missing Link C-03 Bumblebee from Chosen Prime, which sent two Bumblebees instead of Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. He also got the Fans Hobby Armada Star Saber team and an add-on kit that gives Animated Voyager Optimus Prime its trailer and wings. His DX9 Sideswipe has no instructions, only a QR code to a transformation video.
Don
Don got the Dr. Wu Impact wave from the Show-Z Store, choosing the brighter colors. At Nerd Bombers in Greensboro, he found that a 2007 Leader Class Desert Brawl had been complete for months, with its guns bagged elsewhere. He also bought a knockoff Masterpiece Dinobot from a reputable eBay seller for about a third of the original’s price. It completes his Beast Wars season one cast until Airazor.
Matt
Matt got Missing Link Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. He loves the shoulder, knee and ankle articulation, and they look even better next to Missing Link Convoy.
John DeLuna
John DeLuna had nothing in Transformers this week.
Chris
Chris had nothing in Transformers this week.
Rob
Rob had nothing in Transformers this week.