Skybound’s Transformers comics Kickstarter closes as the most successful comic Kickstarter ever, and Hasbro price increases are locked in for May 9. The crew checks in-hand photos of Age of the Primes Sky-Byte and Heatwave, then winces at this year’s Hallmark ornaments and the Bot Racers two-pack. Diecast and John finally deliver their in-hand verdict on HasLab Omega Prime, including Diecast’s fix for the chest-break problem. In What We Got This Week, Diecast adds a third Magic Square Bruticus figure, Don lands Earthspark Soundwave, and Brian digs into Wild King.
News
Skybound’s Transformers Kickstarter Becomes the Most Funded Comics Campaign Ever
Skybound’s Transformers comics Kickstarter funded with about $4.5 million from more than 11,000 backers. That makes it the most successful comic Kickstarter in history. Brian backed it for the UK material in a compact form. One host noted the campaign offers two reading orders, which a Discord listener confirmed. Don wants the U.S. and UK stories kept separate. He still remembers hitting Man of Iron with no context as a young reader. [Source: Bleeding Cool]
Hasbro Price Increases Arrive After May 8
Hasbro Pulse and Big Bad Toy Store will honor current prices on pre-orders placed through May 8. Reported new prices put Deluxes at $26.99 or $27.99 and Voyagers near $37. Leaders go to $59.99, Commanders to $97.99, and Titans to $163.99 or $218.99. Rob noted round increases are easier to mark back down later. John said it avoids constant repricing. One host suggested anyone on the fence about the Scorponok or Omega Supreme reissues should order before the jump. [Source: TFW2005]
Age of the Primes Sky-Byte and Heatwave In Hand
In-hand photos mirrored from a Carnage Creations video show the new Sky-Byte beside Transmetal 2 Cybershark. The new Sky-Byte is actually taller. One host feels losing the spinning claw costs little, and the toy beats the Thrilling 30 version. Another noted the Car Robots Gelshark deco could be recreated with paint markers. The crew agreed Heatwave is the best use of the Bulkhead mold yet. One host is bothered that Heatwave dwarfs Chase. The crew doubts a full Rescue Bots team will follow. [Source: Snakas Blog]
Transformers Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments for 2025
Hallmark’s 2025 Transformers ornaments are a classic Bumblebee Camaro and Megatron on a Decepticon symbol. The crew noticed Megatron has no cannon and odd proportions from his one-piece sculpt. One host misses when the ornaments recreated G1 toys. The verdict was blunt: these are the cheap ones. [Source: TFW2005]
Bot Racers Bumblebee and Starscream Two-Pack Revealed
The Classic Heroes Team Bot Racers two-pack offers F1-style Bumblebee and Starscream. Both reuse Rescue Bots molds, with Starscream built from a former Rescue Bots Whirl. One host summed it up as “Carscream is an easy pass,” which became the episode title. [Source: TFW2005]
Age of the Primes Promo Items in Hong Kong and Singapore
Hong Kong shoppers get an Age of the Primes A4 folder for spending HK$300, about US$39.40. In Singapore, a SG$120 purchase earns one of three magnets. A SG$300 purchase earns a magnetic showcase frame. Magnets for every Prime will roll out three at a time over the coming year. The crew thought it was cool but wished collecting the full set didn’t take hundreds of dollars. [Source: TFW2005]
Nemesis Now Optimus Prime Bookends and Heroes of Cybertron Tankard
Nemesis Now’s licensed bookends split Optimus Prime’s head in half. One host praised the sculpt and color work but found the split disconcerting. The crew joked about Optimus having a splitting headache. Nemesis Now also has a tankard with Optimus Prime on one side and Rodimus on the other. [Source: TFW2005]
HasLab Omega Prime In Hand
Diecast opened his Optimus Prime right away to check the chest. His wasn’t broken, and he warns against heavy sanding of the T-piece inside. Collapse the figure from the waist or both shoulders evenly, since pushing one side cracks the teeth. His three-minute fix video is on the RFC Reviews YouTube channel, though Don still hasn’t watched it. Diecast calls Prime a Commander-class figure and thinks $250 is fair for the set. He also praised the triple-boxed, corner-protected packaging.
John rates Super Fire Convoy as the best part, apart from the Blue Bolts weaponizer. He calls base Optimus Prime a lateral move and Ultra Magnus less successful. Side by side with the originals, every inch is tweaked, but the set lands in an uncanny valley near a reissue. He noticed many YouTube reviewers said this was their first Optimus Prime. The crew agreed the chest damage points to an assembly error made worse by a design flaw.
Asked about the combined form, John said Omega Prime is solid and snaps together securely. It benefits from base Prime’s oversized thighs. He flagged chest panels that sit too far apart and reports of discolored white parts on Ultra Magnus. Opening the set brought more dread than joy, since everyone checks Prime’s chest first.
What We Got This Week
Diecast
Beyond HasLab Omega Prime, Diecast found a Brawn and Ratchet two-pack at Target for $30. He also got a small transforming Primus on a globe stand from AliExpress for about $20, a figure Don had mentioned. It convinced him Hasbro could make a nice Primus at the Titan price point. He added Onslaught to his Magic Square Bruticus figures alongside Swindle and Brawl. He calls them very G1 cartoon accurate and is waiting on Blast Off and Vortex.
John
John had nothing on topic beyond HasLab Omega Prime.
Don
Don found Earthspark Soundwave. He compares Soundwave’s mass-shifting to Nightshade, and in jet mode Soundwave stands about a third taller than Prima Prime. The arm notches are shallow, so the wings take some press-and-hold to lock. He also picked up the U.S. release of Earthspark Hashtag and plans to compare it to the Japanese version.
Matt
Matt had nothing this week.
Rob
Rob had nothing on topic this week.
Brian
Brian got Age of the Primes Prima Prime but hasn’t transformed it yet. He finds it flat and boring looking next to Solus Prime. He also got all of Wild King wave 1, a peg-based mix-and-match system like Power Core Combiners. The leader-size Optimus Prime and Megatron each hold four deluxe-size Energy Beasts. He likes them individually more than combined and wishes Hasbro would release them domestically.