Blokees confirms there will be no official U.S. release of its Galaxy Defender Devastator combiner parts, citing the copyright holder. In-hand photos of Studio Series Mixmaster and the Hook and Long Haul two-pack show Devastator taking shape, but Mixmaster’s dangling arms and tiny mixer drum draw fire. The Timelines Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime and Starscream two-pack turns out to be very small. In What We Got This Week, Don finally weighs in on HasLab Omega Prime after a day of fixing it, and Brian lands his grail, a sealed Checkers Rhinox from 2000.
News
Blokees Galaxy Defender Devastator Extra Parts Won’t Be Available in the U.S.
Blokees has been releasing vehicle-mode Constructicons in its small Galaxy Defender assortments, and fans hoped to build Devastator. The combiner parts are going out through a mainland China mail-away program, and Show-Z Store secured a quantity to sell online. Fans who emailed Blokees were told there will be no official U.S. channel because the copyright holder won’t allow it. Rob wondered if it brushes against rules on licensees making transforming toys, though the crew noted China still gets the parts. Don found the Show-Z listing at $15, already sold out. One host hopes for a single-pack U.S. release, perhaps as an SDCC exclusive. [Source: TFW2005]
Infantry x Transformers Blind Box Watches
Infantry’s Transformers watches sell blind boxed for $50, or $60 to choose the one you want. Chris noted the blind box price was $35 when the watches were solicited last July, with a $49 premium price. One host likes the Optimus Prime design, while another prefers the subtler Megatron and Bumblebee faces that fly under the radar. The crew still thinks blind box watches are a weird idea. [Source: Infantry]
Timelines Comic Edition Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime and Starscream In-Hand Images
New photos show how tiny the Hearts of Steel train Optimus Prime is. It fits on the back of a Studio Series 86 Optimus Prime cab, and Starscream gets most of the mass. One host still thinks they capture the Hearts of Steel look, without the sharp edges of third-party versions. Another called the train a toy of a toy. Don says it needs a coal tender for more mass, and suspects the pair share runners. One host pitched a tender that becomes armor for a Hearts of Steel Ultra Magnus. Another would rather have a Thomas the Tank Engine-style face plate. [Source: TFW2005]
Studio Series Mixmaster In-Hand Images
In-hand photos from eBay listings show Studio Series Mixmaster, and the crew agrees it looks like Mixmaster. Don is glad it has the right feet this time, unlike Combiner Wars. He also sees a possible GoBots Blockhead redeco. Two problems stood out: the arms jut off the back in leg mode, and the instructions confirm that is intended. One host pointed out a single hinge, like Beast Wars Waspinator’s elbows, could have folded them flat. That host also finds the mixer drum tiny next to the cab. Don, calling himself a toy reverse engineer, suggested the arm panel might tab in above the wheel. [Source: Snakas blog]
Studio Series Commander Class Hook and Long Haul In-Hand Images
The Hook and Long Haul two-pack turned up in Australia first, as larger sets often do. The instruction sheet shows how to finish forming Devastator, including a Bonecrusher tread tab one host never knew existed. A photo of half a Devastator looks promising. One host still wants a third-party adapter to raise the chest wing, and expects upgrade kits from DNA Design or Nonnef Productions. Long Haul keeps the dense, juggernaut build of the Combiner Wars version. Scavenger remains the only Constructicon unrevealed. One host worries the Commander-class price buys three small pieces, only two of them robots. [Source: TFW2005]
What We Got This Week
Brian
Brian picked up two Kickbacks and two Perceptors from the retro reissues at Ollie’s, toward his goal of an online Transformers store. A Transformers Land listing got him a sealed Titans Return Arcee to go with his opened one. A toy dealer friend gave him first dibs on her Transformers, which netted a sealed Armada Red Alert, a mint sealed Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus and a mint sealed Armada Megatron, one of his top five toys. He also got a mint carded Diaclone figure in an acrylic case, and a loose G2 turquoise Grimlock. The grail is a sealed 2000 Checkers kids meal Rhinox, known to fans as Rally’s Rhinox. He had kept saved searches for it for years and won it in the final minutes of an eBay auction.
Diecast
Diecast got GameStop’s Transformers controller with magnetic swappable faceplates. A buy-one-get-one deal landed him the Jazz pack plus Devastator and Hot Rod faceplates.
Don
Don picked up Studio Series 116 Bumblebee after Wheeljack64 told him it is a new mold. He also got his three HasLab Omega Prime sets. He spent about an hour on the sanding fix for his Omega Prime set and still has two sets to check. He loves how the panels tab together and how Ultra Magnus’s arm stubs now fold away. Lining up the Ultra Magnus cab is the worst part, and the weaponizer and its Matrix blade feel loose in hand. He thanked Pial and Diecast for their videos. Don thinks it looks great, but says no one should have to dismantle a crowdfunded toy to fix it.
John
John opened Age of the Primes Trypticon. He calls it beautiful, even if he isn’t sure why it exists.
Rob
Rob had nothing in Transformers this week.
Chris
On a trip to Atlanta, Chris found a Cybertron Legends-class Sunstorm for $15 and a $5 bootleg Micromaster combiner at Second Chance Toys in Marietta, Georgia. The bootleg might supply replacement parts for his Universe Micromaster Aerialbots. He also grabbed the lone retro Perceptor at an Ollie’s, though its microscope function wasn’t kept. At an antique mall, he picked up Robots in Disguise Warrior Class Skywarp and Soundwave for $12 each. Soundwave’s engineering surprised him, and he plans to fill holes in that Warrior Class line.