Shockwave won Hasbro’s Activate Your Alt Mode fan vote and will become a sea creature, with the design due on Transformers Day, September 17. The crew wants Sharkwave and expects Hasbro to drop Shockwave’s head onto a design it already had. Tokyo Toy Show 2025 brings a Missing Link Ultra Magnus with a smidge of leg articulation, plus a copper Masterpiece Rattrap and Nemesis Prime. A rumored Hasbro price hike and Brian’s $53 import duty bill set a grim tone for collectors. In What We Got This Week, Chris accidentally receives Studio Series 86 Megatron and grudgingly calls it the definitive cartoon Megatron, while Brian lands a near-mint G1 Metroplex.
News
Activate Your Alt Mode Results: Shockwave Becomes a Sea Creature
The Activate Your Alt Mode fan vote is over, and Shockwave will become a sea creature. Hasbro will unveil the design on Transformers Day, September 17. Brian called it either the best or worst story of the week, and the show notes declared “give me Sharkwave or give me death.” One host asked whether Hasbro might reuse the Skybyte mold. One host thinks Hasbro had preliminary designs ready for every combination before the first poll. He expects Shockwave’s head and laser hand on an existing design, painted purple. The crew figures it is still 18 months out, maybe at $60 by then. [Source: TFW2005]
Hasbro Price Increase Rumor and Import Duties
A rumor from friends of the show says G.I. Joe Classified, Star Wars Black Series and Marvel Legends are going up to $27.99. Transformers went unmentioned, but the crew assumes the increases will spread. One host pointed out a new Hasbro Pulse Marvel figure already carries the $27.99 price. Nobody expects prices to drop if tariffs ease. Brian also tested the new import rules on a Mandarake order of about $220. DHL billed him $53 in duties. [Source: not found]
Tokyo Toy Show 2025: Missing Link Ultra Magnus, Nemesis Prime and Masterpiece Rattrap
Tokyo Toy Show 2025 showed Missing Link Ultra Magnus, Missing Link Nemesis Prime, Masterpiece Rattrap and MPG-17 Optimus Prime. The crew concluded Ultra Magnus has a smidge of leg articulation, likely enough for the box art pose. One host is thrilled it seems to come with Powered Buggy and hopes for Diaclone Powered Convoy colors. Another expects Hasbro and Takara Tomy to pace those releases out, perhaps into next spring. Blade Raider in the Discord wished the display had posed Ultra Magnus. One host suspects the prototype was too fragile to pose. One host praised Masterpiece Rattrap’s copper color, which matches the cartoon. Nemesis Prime looks great too, and one host already has the G2 version preordered. [Source: TFW2005]
Magic: The Gathering x Transformers Funko Pop Optimus Prime
Funko is pairing a Pop Optimus Prime with a standee based on a Transformers Magic: The Gathering card. The crew expects a pricey, hard-to-find exclusive that scalpers will chase. The crew enjoyed the card text about returning Optimus Prime to the battlefield converted. Nobody on the panel plans to get this one. [Source: TFW2005]
Flame Toys Furai Model Animated Optimus Prime and Wingblade Optimus Prime
Flame Toys revealed Furai Model kits of Transformers Animated Optimus Prime and Wingblade Optimus Prime. They look straight out of the cartoon. One host noted a model kit can fully embrace the Animated style without worrying about transformation. The promo photos show painted, professionally finished kits. Still, Rob says the color separation should be adequate straight from the box. The crew hopes the designs reach Flame Toys’ pre-assembled Furai Action line too. [Source: TFW2005]
Sureshot Shown Off on Instagram
Matt flagged an Instagram post from Mark showing off Sureshot, and the crew loves the colors. It is a 2026 wave 1 toy, so preorders should open soon, possibly around New York Comic Con. The crew then counted which Headmasters and Targetmasters are still missing at this scale. They also noted the Studio Series 86 Jazz mold begs for a redeco. Walky pointed out on Bluesky that the mold’s removable spoilers and leg sockets suit a Joyride retool. [Source: Instagram]
Dramatic Capture Cybertron Chase In-Hand Images
First in-hand photos arrived for Takara Tomy’s Dramatic Capture Cybertron Chase set, with Jazz, Wheeljack and Bumblebee in Cybertronian modes. Most of the crew had forgotten it existed. The new paint helps, especially on Wheeljack’s chest and gray wings, while Jazz changes least. The crew calls it a good way to get all three, but nobody needs a second set. Don will only pick it up on clearance. [Source: TFW2005]
Transformers: Rise E3 2020 Trailer Surfaces Online
A Transformers: Rise trailer meant for E3 2020 surfaced on YouTube. Brian found it bland. Another host called it an interesting archival piece, noting its Megatron design shares lineage with the Studio Series concept art Megatron. The crew recalled the game moving to a new studio that restarted it, then fading away. The toys came out, but the game never did. [Source: TFW2005]
What We Got This Week
Don
Don got Transformers R.E.D. Thundercracker for $10 plus $4 shipping. It was the last R.E.D. figure he needed, and it completes his Seekers as best the line allows, since there was never a Skywarp.
Diecast
Diecast had nothing in Transformers this week.
Matt
Matt had nothing in Transformers this week.
John
John had nothing in Transformers this week.
Rob
Rob picked up Alchemist Prime from Amazon and transformed it in under five minutes. He loves the head sculpt but wishes the giant glasses attached to the car or the chest face. He also bought Volume 1 of the Transformers Compendium after a price drop. By his math, that costs less than the original comics’ combined cover prices. It is the size of a phone book and includes the Circuit Breaker and Spider-Man appearances.
Chris
Chris forgot to cancel a Walmart preorder and ended up with Studio Series 86 Megatron for $60. He grudgingly admits it is a really nice toy. Chris says it nails the Sunbow head and face better than any Megatron before, and matches Studio Series 86 Optimus Prime in articulation and heft. The transformation is about 95% intuitive, with much of the tank hiding in the legs, like Transformers Prime Vehicon. His complaints: plastic pins replace metal ones, and one sheared on an ankle. The red paint on the elbows also stops halfway. He still dislikes the Fusion Cannon, which swivels on a single 5mm post. He won’t force the sword into the hand for fear of snapping the thumb. To Chris, it solves Sunbow G1 Megatron for good.
Brian
Brian got Rathalos Prime and finally caved on Walmart’s dancing Bumblebee. A Marshalls find added a small Optimus Prime controller and phone holder statue. A lifelong friend’s mother found the friend’s G1 Metroplex in a closet, and it went to Brian. It is shockingly near mint, chrome included. Brian also picked up empty boxes, including a C-324 Star Saber box, and repaired a second box with water-activated tape. A Classics Jazz arrived with an unused sticker sheet and missiles still on the sprue, though it lacks its bubble. He got two Japanese Transformers 45s, including the Headmasters theme on a former rental copy. From Mandarake came a sealed G1 Tailgate, the one with the $53 duty bill. Last, he found a sealed G1 Thunderclash for a good price.