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Thanks to a tip from our pal Diem on Twitter, we're happy to let you know that long after their release in other parts of the world, the elusive Botbots Lawn League 8-Packs are now available to order on Amazon.com and are listed as shipping in the near future. These "Series 1.5" color-change packs were available overseas last year and have been tough to find even on eBay and other secondary market sources, commanding high prices when they were available. While the 5-Packs have been up for grabs on Amazon since this past fall, these packs don't allow collectors to complete the Lawn League team, leaving these 8-Packs as being necessary to complete the set.
Two different 8-Packs are available, with only one of them providing all of the Botbots that a collector would need. Amazon does not allow a choice of which set you get, so many collectors will opt to order two of these sets to increase their chances of completing the team - though there are no guarantees as some collectors may receive two duplicates that are both the less desired option, but hey, that's what return policies are for.
Best of luck to all Seibertronians going after these previously hard to come by Botbots!
ToyWorld's TW-FS03Y Green Hornet - Yellow Version transforms from a vintage car to robot and back. Features accessories include battle cannon, and a set of machine guns. Instock at TFSource:
Zeta Toys's ZB-06 Superitron - Full Set of 5 Figures is now available for preorder. The mega combiner stands approximately 19.69" tall in combined robot mode! Set includes: Flyfire, Skystrike, Silver Arrow, Catapult, Downthrust! Preorder here:
The Grimlock Classic Scale Statue measures 10” tall on top of a rubble-covered base and features a unique cel-shaded deco application that captures the iconic two-dimensional style of the Generation 1 Transformers cartoon as a three-dimensional collectible. Preorder at TFSource:
The Nemesis Prime Classic Scale Statue features a unique and meticulous paint application to capture the iconic two-dimensional style of the Generation 1 Transformers cartoon as a three-dimensional collectible. Get your preorder in at TFSource -
Have you signed up for Source Points yet? Earn points with every purchase towards Freebies! Accumulated points and want to redeem them? Click the following link to enroll or redeem your points today! Source Points - TF Source
Every person in the Transformers fandom has that special piece that brought them into the fandom. For some, it might have been an episode of a cartoon. For others, it might have been a comic. Others a toy. Others a movie.
But no matter what that source is, every Transformers fan holds that piece near and dear to their hearts. Even when they've been in the fandom for 5 years, 10, 20, 30, or even 35, they still can remember that one thing that brought them here. And despite whatever else they experience and come to love, they still will always remember and hold dear that entry point.
For me, my introduction to the fandom was the 2007 Live Action Movie. The movie, while not the best and by no means the least controversial piece of media, is still very important to me, as are all of the followup movies. I enjoy the movies for what they are, and I love both the action and the designs that they have brought into the Transformers lore.
And that leads me to the primary subject of this article: my first and second ever Transformers toy.
After watching the movie sometime in August of 2007, 12 year old me wanted a Transformers toy badly. And on Christmas Eve, I got me first: the original Voyager Class Megatron toy. And then on Christmas morning, I got the 2007 Camaro Concept Deluxe Bumblebee. My first Decepticon and Autobot, within 24 hours of each other. And ever since, I have loved and held dear both designs and toys.
Looking back at these toys, the Megatron was a simple and not very accurate toy, but I loved the ice effects and the speed of which I could Transform him. And Bee is a bit limited, but he still has some great design cues, such as how the wheels and wings work, that have not been replicated but I still love.
Ever since these 2 toys, both designs have held a high place in my mind. My definitive Bumblebee design remains his movie design, specifically the 2007 Concept Camaro design, and while there have been many different Megatron designs that I have loved, this was the first, and is important for that reason.
That is where we come upon the present time, and more specifically the last 2 and a half years. About that time, we got word that a Generations line exclusively for Movie toys was in production, and the first new Movie Masterpiece figure was hitting shelves.
The first new Movie Masterpiece was the 2007 Bumblebee, and I got that toy as fast as I could. And I have loved that toy ever since. It brought the 2007 design to life in near perfect detail while also still transforming. It has the mask, the Bee face that I have come to know and love, the little mirrors on the collar, the wheels integrated into the heels, and even the proper wing locations. The only thing missing was the shoulder missile cannons, but that is a minor thing.
And then, in 2019, we got the announcement and release of the 2007 Movie Megatron toy. This was the first use of that design in forever, and it was a Masterpiece! I snagged that toy up, and holy crap was it fantastic. This was a huge, heavy, larger than life, and perfect update to his 2007 design. And that jet mode is huge and wonderful.
Both of the Masterpiece toys lived up to expectations, and they have filled my heart with so much joy, having these perfect replicas of my first 2 toys.
But we weren't done there! Not long after that, we got the reveals of the first wave of 2020 for Studio Series, and in that wave, side by side, were the 2007 figures updated! Unbelievable!
And those 2 figures were pre-ordered and accepted into my home with open arms. And just like the Masterpiece toys, they lived up to their expectations. The new deluxe Bumblebee also perfectly nails that original look, and it feels wonderful to have a 2007 and 2020 deluxe of the same character side by side. And then there is Megatron, the same thing, but at voyager scale. And while he traded in a fusion cannon for a giant mace, I love the mace, and I love seeing these 4 toys side by side. Sure Megatron has the wrong chest, but the paint work is so intricate and perfect, it can be excused.
Having these 6 toys, 3 for each different character, is such a huge deal to me. I can look at these 6, and I can see my adventures through the 13 years I have been in the fandom. I can see where I started, with the limited engineering of the 2007 line that still produced some great toys. I can see where I have gone with the Generations updates, expanding my Generations shelves in all forms, but most specifically for my movie toys. And in the Masterpieces, I can see how I have matured, from simple figures that were gifts or took a month to save up for if I bought my own, to high end collectible figures of my favorite characters.
These 6 have given me an incredible journey, a nice representation of my Transformers adventure. My favorite designs, some of my favorite characters, and my favorite Transformers universe.
It is a joy to have these toys, both original and different updates. They bring me incredible joy, but also strike that nostalgia bone just right. These toys make me feel things; I can feel my journey, my adventures, my life in the fandom.
When other fans get their updates to their original toys, whether they be Generation 1, Beast Wars, Armada, etc. I know exactly how they feel. I can see why they have such an overpowering nostalgia for their firsts and their updates. This is my MP-1, my Classics Prime, my Galaxy Force Optimus Prime, my Power of the Primes Optimal Optimus. The feeling is wonderful, and I could not be happier with where my journey has taken me.
The movies have been my introduction, my driving force, my favorite universe. And here, they have come full circle. My hope is that others who have not felt what I now feel will one day get to experience this nostalgia trip, that they can feel that satisfaction of that perfect update to their first.
Thanks to regular reviewer and fellow Seibertronian PrimeVsPrime, we have another new figure review for you, the first of the Combiner Wars-style Seacons, Gulf! For those thinking "That's Skalor!" you're both right and not right. In Japan, the Seacon toys were released with different names, and appeared in Japanese G1 cartoons as drones all controlled by Turtler (Snap Trap in the U.S.). So while this toy represents the Japanese version of Skalor, he's called by his Japanese name, since the Seacons were a Takara Tomy initiated project, and simply straight up imported by Hasbro, with no changes to the names or even the Japanese language instructions. On to the review!
Gulf was originally only available to preorder for a short time via Hasbro Pulse, but is still up for preorder from our sponsor TFSource, and should be shipping in the next few weeks.
What do you think of this review? Did you get your preorder in for Gulf? Are you excited to get the last of the Scramble City combiners? Let us know what you think below!
Ring in the new year and shake off that celebratory hangover with 2020's first episode of the Seibertron.com Twincast / Podcast. Host Scotty P and regular Twincast pal Cobotron welcome guests WilliamJames88 and CaryTheOne to take a journey into the future. Daring 2020 predictions and looks at the latest Transformers toys all await your ears as we leap through to the future, dash to the past and meander back to the present.
Things conclude as they usually do - later than anticipated with a round of bragging rights.
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It's been a few coffee breaks since we last heard anything about Hasbro's War for Cybertron Unicron, and now Hasbro have released the first (in what will hopefully be on-going) production update in which they discuss "tool start".
HasLab wrote:Tool start is when we begin the process of manufacturing the tools, or molds, that will be used to create each piece of this massive figure. However, before tool start, we need a tool layout. A tool layout is the plan that organizes all the pieces that make up the figure into different tools. One tool might make five small pieces, while another tool might make one big one. The number of pieces in a tool vary based on the material, color and size.
Read more about the process and check out a short <1 minute video about the tool start process on the Hasbro Pulse website.
Whether you backed Unicron or not, this is still a fascinating look behind the scenes of what it takes to bring our beloved plastic crack to retail. Feel free to add your thoughts about this process, or just have a good old chinwag on our Energon Pub Forums!
While it will maybe be another 3 months or more before we get to finish Maccadam, half of his pieces have already come out and most actually connect together already so it gives us a pretty good idea of what to expect when we have him complete. So I wanted to write this article since many were interested by this figure, and to some this is the most interesting figure of the entire series so far since it's a character we never got. Well now that I have (some of) him in hand, I would highly recommend that no one invest in these toys solely for the Build a Figure component.
For those unaware, in the Marvel Legends line the Build a Figure component has slowly turned from a mere bonus item or something that could not be released individually to the main reason to buy a line. Hasbro released their Marvel Legends toys for Infinity War and the Build a Figure was Thanos, the movie's main character. And when it came time for them to make a line for Endgame, the Build a Figure was once again Thanos. So movie fans had to buy Marvel's Living Laser figure if they wanted to complete the big bad of the biggest movie of all time.
This is just to show where people accustomed to Build a Figure lines may be coming from. Be it good news or bad news, Hasbro has not elected that approach for Maccadam. Unlike Marvel Legends, the figure you build here is not at all on the same level of quality, articulation or even proportion as the rest of the line. It really is just a bonus and not something that could be released on it's own commanding a similar or greater price point as the rest. It's almost like a middle ground between the Marvel Legends approach and their mindset for their previous Build a Figure energon animals from the RID line, which no one felt compelled to complete.
We knew he didn't transform but in terms of articulation, Maccadam will also be lacking compared to the rest of the line. Maccadam's entire lower leg is 1 grey plastic piece with a little amount of paint on it. So the feet are not seperate pieces from the leg, limiting the articulation. These pieces are also very light, they are not on the same quality level as anything we see in the deluxes these pieces come with. You can see images below of how tall he is going to be compared to other deluxes and he does seem small.
None of this detracts from him being a fun bonus and a welcome surprise to a line of toys that were long overdue and that I'd recommend to any fan of previous cartoon based lines. However, a bonus is all he is and if you expect more, there is a strong chance you'll be disappointed. What's great is that for those who just planned on buying a few deluxe figures out of the 8 in this set, then you can rest assured that the price you are paying is going (almost) entirely to the nicely articulated transforming figure you bought rather than a good portion of it going to a piece that you will never use.
This is more to set expectations and share something with you all. We now have in hand images of the Brains and Wheelie figures that come with Transformers Studio Series leader Shockwave. And they are incredibly small. The best comparison would be the size of the mini jets that came on a sprue with Titans Return Broadside. This makes sense, when you think about how Studio Series is all about accurate movie scaling and they should technically only reach the calf of the small paratrooper figure since we all remember that Wheelie could only reach Megan Fox' calf (though many have tried to forget). The reason the minuscule size does still surprise many is because the promotional images from hasbro were misleading in their size. They seemed much bigger in comparison to Shockwave, along the lines of the Igor that came with leader class DOTM Megatron. Below we show the comparison to what was shown and how big they are in reality. You can also see a video review of the toy below.
* Price and quantities subject to change. Shipping costs, taxes and other fees not included in cost shown. Refer to listing for current price and availability.
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