Transformers Retro Beast Wars Figures Are Shipping from Walmart.com + Review

Galvatron002 wrote:I found the reissues of Cheetor and Megatron at Walmart in Halifax, NS last week.

They've been found in Canada for months now, as well as other parts of the world. It's in the US that they are still MIA and that happens a lot with these retro releases.

The UK of all places has had these for a while now, though the on-site reviews are bad. Optimus Primal in particular is apparently light, brittle and any paintwork comes off like condensation from a window.

ID Toys has already reduced them, so I'm getting him anyway.

Mistaken_Table wrote:Optimus Primal in particular is apparently light, brittle and any paintwork comes off like condensation from a window.

The original one had the same problem with paint apps, particularly on the beast mode chest. Can you elaborate more about the flaws that people are experiencing with the reissue? I'm curious if it's just people not being familiar with the original toy.

Mistaken_Table wrote:
Optimus Primal in particular is apparently light, brittle and any paintwork comes off like condensation from a window.


The original one had the same problem with paint apps, particularly on the beast mode chest. Can you elaborate more about the flaws that people are experiencing with the reissue? I'm curious if it's just people not being familiar with the original toy.

Tried to check Smyth's reviews again. They've all been removed apart from a single 5-star review! From what I remember it was the red on the knees and upper arms. The cannon/buttcheek flaps snapped after a few swings and the back of the shoulder pads didn't have the flex to get over the tabs.

Yeah, the toy had its flaws, and even my childhood one has lost the cannon flaps, but the paint and plastic is still stellar. Even the arm flapping/rotating gimmick is still going strong after 25 years!

Granted it may have been a few QC hiccups with the 1st production of the re-issues, but to be broken that quickly by adult collectors?

Of course, I'm getting one (I collect Optimus Primals) and I can do my own comparisons.

Mistaken_Table wrote:From what I remember it was the red on the knees and upper arms.

I'm fairly certain that's a problem with the original as well. I've got about a dozen in my store in varying degrees of condition and can post pics of what a larger sample size of the original toy looks like in used condition.

Mistaken_Table wrote:The cannon/buttcheek flaps snapped after a few swings

Those pop off easily, if I recall correctly (and is one of the pieces often missing from loose samples in collections I purchase), and the gorilla head pops off easily on the original. If this is from reviews on a website, regular consumer comments might say "snapped off" but really means "popped off" and possibly doesn't realize that the piece can be popped back in.

Mistaken_Table wrote:and the back of the shoulder pads didn't have the flex to get over the tabs.

This could be something as simple as extra plastic on the pegs that just needs to be cleaned up a little or something simple like that.

Mistaken_Table wrote:Yeah, the toy had its flaws, and even my childhood one has lost the cannon flaps, but the paint and plastic is still stellar. Even the arm flapping/rotating gimmick is still going strong after 25 years!

Sounds like you took good enough care of yours to keep the paint in good condition. Even mine has paint scrapes on the beast mode chest which I've oddly never bothered to replace for some reason or another (or I upgraded it to one with less marks on it maybe).

Granted it may have been a few QC hiccups with the 1st production of the re-issues, but to be broken that quickly by adult collectors?

Of course, I'm getting one (I collect Optimus Primals) and I can do my own comparisons.[/quote]

I've got the reissues (all of the reissues) and the originals. This is making me really want to do some quick galleries for comparisons.

I'm loving the reissues, got all from this line so far. I actually did a video opening the Primal and Megatron
https://youtu.be/XSh9Vvg668E

Right, that's me finally folded and ordered the Optimus. Re-read my posts from last night and realised I was taking reviews as face-value. Even the best figures get bad reviews, right?

Also, didn't realise I was chewing the fat with the boss around here! Galleries for the re-issues would be great.

Lastly, how does the re-issue compare with the 10th anniversary Optimus from the 2-pack with Megatron? I remember him being way lighter but still a quality figure.

Seibertron wrote:

Mistaken_Table wrote:Optimus Primal in particular is apparently light, brittle and any paintwork comes off like condensation from a window.

The original one had the same problem with paint apps, particularly on the beast mode chest. Can you elaborate more about the flaws that people are experiencing with the reissue? I'm curious if it's just people not being familiar with the original toy.

I got this Primal reissue and I have the original, they both feel the same. I still preffer the Legends reissue simply for the headsculpt but quality wise and plastic wise, it's all very similar to me.

I found Cheetor, Rattrap, and Megatron in Victoria BC about a month ago. Still haven’t been able to find Primal, alas. Granted it’s been a few years since I’ve had the original Megatron and Cheetor in-hand (lost in a move about five years ago), but the reissues feel pretty much identical to me. Paint jobs are different, but other than Megatron’s head now being black instead of silver and purple, I think they’re an improvement. I especially like the darker purple of Meg’s beast mode. Cheetor has never looked better all around.

As with the G1 rerelases, it has taken a while for Walmart stores in the US to put these on shelves. And we know they've had them for a while since Hasbro had shipped these off to North America for a few months now. They appeared in Canada, then they were shipping from Walmart.com and now they are finally on actual shelves. The image below comes from a Walmart in California (Mountain View Walmart. specifically) where we can see all 4 releases: Rarrtap, Cheetor, Optimus Primal and Megatron.

This sighting is from TF Fan clonemanager who posted this on the TFW2005 message boards.

I know this isn't the point, but those are some sad looking shelves. Then again, its the same for every shelf in every shop in the UK. Brexit feels more like an embargo at the moment.

As for figures, loved them growing up and the reissues are a good alternative to the originals. *hums Beast Wars theme*

In the UK, Pulse is the only way to get these figures

In the UK, Pulse is the only way to get these figures

I'm not an 'um, actually...' kinda a guy, but IDToys, Kapow and Smyths all have them too. For cheaper in some cases. I paid £35 for the Optimus from IDToys. When the prices inevitably plummet, I'll get the Megs too.

Smyths! Argh how could I forget that one! Gah, though in my post I was talking physical stock in Shops as us UK'ers have generally had to rely more and more on online ordering as times went on. Still, i shouldn't have forgotten that smyths had gotten hold of the UK non-online release

Mistaken_Table wrote:I know this isn't the point, but those are some sad looking shelves. Then again, its the same for every shelf in every shop in the UK. Brexit feels more like an embargo at the moment.

I think that's perfectly in line with a discussion many are having. Those are indeed sad looking shelves, it's the first thing I thought of. BUT I am unsure if that is in the Transformers section or some other section since these are specialty type toys. I know in some of my stores, I found them in a different area.

We have been sent a list of upcoming toys for 2022 and we are breaking them down per line. Of course, since we only have listed names from ordering sheets and no actual listings, you should take these with a grain of salt.

This list below is for the Beast Wars vintage line which is remaining Walmart exclusive for the next year. What is absolutely amazing about the list of toys below is that unlike the ones form this year, some of these were never rereleased and, more importantly, they all come with accessories that have been easy to lose (like Tarantulas' leg missiles and K-9's spinal missiles). It also includes one of the greatest Transformers toys ever made, BW Cybershark. The list is below followed by gallery links for you to see the toys.

Tra Gen BW vintage Terrorsaur x6
Tra Gen BW vintage Tarantulas x6
Tra Gen BW vintage Cybershark x6
Tra Gen BW vintage K-9 x6


Transformers Beast Wars Tarantulas (Tarans) Gallery


Transformers Beast Wars Cybershark Gallery


Transformers Beast Wars Terrorsaur (Terrorsaurer) Gallery


Transformers Beast Wars K-9 (Max-B) Gallery

Coming to you Live from Left Field!

Cyber shark and K9? Welcome figures because unlike the others I don’t have multiple versions, but boy are those left field

Cool, I have K9 and would love to get the other 3 for my collection.

Emerje

Cybershark is my #1 favorite Beast Wars character but I wanted a new version with updated articulation. I obviously have the original. So I was disappointed to see it's just a reissue.

But it's totally awesome to see him on the list & mentioned again after all these years. The stupid fans would never choose a non-show character for anything. Just being honest. Most fans try to erase anything that wasn't in the toon.

Nemesis Reformatted wrote:Cybershark is my #1 favorite Beast Wars character but I wanted a new version with updated articulation. I obviously have the original. So I was disappointed to see it's just a reissue.

But it's totally awesome to see him on the list & mentioned again after all these years. The stupid fans would never choose a non-show character for anything. Just being honest. Most fans try to erase anything that wasn't in the toon.

Can't say for everyone, but for me it's mostly a cost-saving measure: since I can't spend all my money on collections, I just buy the ones that more accurately represent the characters I watched and loved.

Though if I remember correctly, Cybershark and the other toyline-exclusive characters were the stars of the original IDW Beast Wars comics, and they all apeared as background cameos at the end of the original IDW continuity, so that might be a good enough loophole...if they ever get here, that is; it's already hard to find contemporary Transformers in my town, let alone reissues.

Cybershark and Wolfang (which K-9 is a redeco of) were always my favourite non-show Beast Wars toys, so this is pretty rad. I have both figures already, but I’ll probably pick the reissues up anyway to keep in box.

Nemesis Reformatted wrote:Cybershark is my #1 favorite Beast Wars character but I wanted a new version with updated articulation. I obviously have the original. So I was disappointed to see it's just a reissue.

But it's totally awesome to see him on the list & mentioned again after all these years. The stupid fans would never choose a non-show character for anything. Just being honest. Most fans try to erase anything that wasn't in the toon.

Well I, for one, have been pining for a Generations Razorbeast for Years, and was really hoping that Polar Claw was going to happen. I would certainly be interested in updated or rereleased toy-only characters.
( Magmatron, Magmatron, Magmatron )

K-9 and Cybershark are MINE ASAP

New molds of Razorbeast and Polar Claw would be dope. Shame we didn’t get the latter in Kingdom as was originally rumoured.

Interestingly about Razorbeast, his upcoming appearance in the new Beast Wars comics is due to Hasbro vetoing the comic writer's original character choice. Erik Burnham wanted to bring in a different Beast Wars character, but Hasbro said "No, that character is off limits." So he went with Razorbeast instead. Makes you wonder who was originally and why Hasbro stepped in and forbade that character's use.

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:Cybershark and Wolfang (which K-9 is a redeco of)

K-9 is a redeco and retool of Wolfang. Beast Mode and detachable shield have different engineering.

MaximalNui wrote:Though if I remember correctly, Cybershark and the other toyline-exclusive characters were the stars of the original IDW Beast Wars comics

As far as The Gathering/Ascending, no. Furman stuck these characters as 'visual cameos with odd, generic lines of dialogue'. The Beast Wars 2 and Neo characters got all the attention instead.

Sabrblade wrote:Interestingly about Razorbeast, his upcoming appearance in the new Beast Wars comics is due to Hasbro vetoing the comic writer's original character choice. Erik Burnham wanted to bring in a different Beast Wars character, but Hasbro said "No, that character is off limits." So he went with Razorbeast instead. Makes you wonder who was originally and why Hasbro stepped in and forbade that character's use.

Curious. Who would be no-go, after all these years?

Polar Claw? Transquito?? The Mutants???

Sabrblade wrote:Interestingly about Razorbeast, his upcoming appearance in the new Beast Wars comics is due to Hasbro vetoing the comic writer's original character choice. Erik Burnham wanted to bring in a different Beast Wars character, but Hasbro said "No, that character is off limits." So he went with Razorbeast instead. Makes you wonder who was originally and why Hasbro stepped in and forbade that character's use.

of the Non-transmetal, non-fusor toys we get the following options:

Armordillo, Clawjaw, Snarl, Wolffang, K9, Grimlock, Cybershark, Bonecrusher, Polarclaw and B'boom.

of these, Armordillo, Clawjaw and Snarl are just too bland.

B'boom is always hard to make work in a story. it is a primate that transforms into a primate. So I don't think the writer would pick him as character

I cannot think of any reason why Wolffang, K9, Cybershark and Bonecrusher would be too controversial.

Polarclaw is interesting, perhaps the same logic that brough on this veto, brought on the cancelation of a polarclaw kingdom toy.

I can see them veto-ing grimlock, because they don't want the character to be overused.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Interestingly about Razorbeast, his upcoming appearance in the new Beast Wars comics is due to Hasbro vetoing the comic writer's original character choice. Erik Burnham wanted to bring in a different Beast Wars character, but Hasbro said "No, that character is off limits." So he went with Razorbeast instead. Makes you wonder who was originally and why Hasbro stepped in and forbade that character's use.

Curious. Who would be no-go, after all these years?

Polar Claw? Transquito?? The Mutants???

All I know is that Burnham said he wasn't allowed to say, not even what its beast mode was since that would have given away its identity.

The only BW character that comes to mind that I could see Hasbro putting their foot down on is BW Grimlock, but it's fun to wonder if it could have been someone without any ties to G1 like those you mentioned.

BW Grimlock would make sense as a veto. Yet he does have a new toy in Kingdom... Unlike cancelled Polar Claw. That's definitely piqued my curiosity.

The Mutants came to my mind. Since they are a bit of a grey area of the toyline. I doubt they will ever be reissued or rolled into another series.

I guess we'll have to see what kind of role Razorbeast plays. If he emerges from his pod a newly born Maximal, that'll make it harder to figure out who he replaced. But if he emerges as a preexisting person from Cybertron who was put into stasis, that might make it easier.

Sabrblade wrote:I guess we'll have to see what kind of role Razorbeast plays. If he emerges from his pod a newly born Maximal, that'll make it harder to figure out who he replaced. But if he emerges as a preexisting person from Cybertron who was put into stasis, that might make it easier.

Indeed. Back on topic, it would be nice for more of the old basics to be reissued. Like Razorbeast, Insecticon and Armordillo...



I have all the Wolfang and Cybershark mold variants. The only Terrorsaur figure I liked was the TM 1 design. As for Tarantulas. While I had and loved the figure. I also recall it's very obvious flaw in the ball jointed "hands". So I wouldn't rebuy that one.

I have been missing one of Cybershark's pectoral fins since I had him, so this will truly be amazing to finally have a complete one.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:I guess we'll have to see what kind of role Razorbeast plays. If he emerges from his pod a newly born Maximal, that'll make it harder to figure out who he replaced. But if he emerges as a preexisting person from Cybertron who was put into stasis, that might make it easier.

Indeed. Back on topic, it would be nice for more of the old basics to be reissued. Like Razorbeast, Insecticon and Armordillo...



I have all the Wolfang and Cybershark mold variants. The only Terrorsaur figure I liked was the TM 1 design. As for Tarantulas. While I had and loved the figure. I also recall it's very obvious flaw in the ball jointed "hands". So I wouldn't rebuy that one.

I would love to get all those basics again, such amazing toys. Simple but not simplified, if that makes sense. That pic is missing the snapping turtle, one of the best of the bunch.

william-james88 wrote:I have been missing one of Cybershark's pectoral fins since I had him, so this will truly be amazing to finally have a complete one.

I'm missing a Frill on Reptilion (TM 2 Iguanus redeco) and pectoral fin on TM1 Sky Byte, since I bought them. Specific spare parts seem hard to come by with Beast Wars figures

william-james88 wrote:I would love to get all those basics again, such amazing toys. Simple but not simplified, if that makes sense. That pic is missing the snapping turtle, one of the best of the bunch.

Indeed. Snapper is a great little figure! As is Razorclaw, the first BW crab. You'll note some of the figures I've mentioned (The Mutants, Armordillo) were plagued with GPS. Stable reissues for such notorious figures would be welcome. I wonder if they would bother?

Did I miss something? I didn't see BW Scorponok on the list of new wave reissue leaks, yet PvP has a review of one up as of an hour ago...

o.supreme wrote:Did I miss something? I didn't see BW Scorponok on the list of new wave reissue leaks, yet PvP has a review of one up as of an hour ago...

But no box, rrrrgh

Also, the list we posted was for 2022, if this scorponok is for 2021 we wouldn't have seen it.

True, but I just figured, as late we are into the year, the initial 4 releases, which just came out recently, would be all there was for 2021.

A SCORPONOK REISSUE?!

HELL YEAH!!

A reissue for Scorponok? Good luck with the clip holding the Cyberbee...

Do you guys think an Inferno reissue is likely, or do most shops still have the original on their shelfs?

o.supreme wrote:Did I miss something? I didn't see BW Scorponok on the list of new wave reissue leaks, yet PvP has a review of one up as of an hour ago...

Must have missed it because it wasnt posted in the Ill gotten toys review thread XD


I'd be tempted to get this over Kingdoms Scorponok especially as it is a repaint and not just a reissue and it being more the size it should be to me, but I might as well wait until/IF MP

This came as a surprise. Reviewer Prime vs prime has a review up of a redeco of the original Beast Wars Scorponok. It,s claimed as part of the Walmart reissue line but there is no box in the review and there is no listing on the Walmart computer for a Vintage Scorponok. Yet this is indeed a new toy and has a more scho accurate grey plastic body compared to the original black release (and differs from the Takara green sticker release too).

Maybe this is a toy that will be released soon, or maybe not, we don't know. But we wanted to give you the info.

Hopefully this version isn't as fragile as the original Kenner and Takara versions.

Sabrblade wrote:Hopefully this version isn't as fragile as the original Kenner and Takara versions.

I found an original at a thrift store a few years ago. While it was missing the Cyber Bee, everything else felt solid and still does. What was the issue some people had?

william-james88 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Hopefully this version isn't as fragile as the original Kenner and Takara versions.

I found an original at a thrift store a few years ago. While it was missing the Cyber Bee, everything else felt solid and still does. What was the issue some people had?

I own the Takara dark blue recolor. When I first got it MISB just a few short years ago, the joint connecting the tail to the body sheared right off and immediately disintegrated upon my first ever attempt to transform the figure right out of the box, permanently disconnecting the tail from the body.

I never owned the original Kenner version, but when I talked to BW expert Primal Sabbath (who's spent a good portion of his life researching and examining BW toy color and mold variations over the years) about it earlier this year, he said that that's a common breakage issue for the mold in general.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:Cybershark and Wolfang (which K-9 is a redeco of)

K-9 is a redeco and retool of Wolfang. Beast Mode and detachable shield have different engineering.

You're both wrong, the two figures share no parts in common, they only share transformation.

william-james88 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Hopefully this version isn't as fragile as the original Kenner and Takara versions.

I found an original at a thrift store a few years ago. While it was missing the Cyber Bee, everything else felt solid and still does. What was the issue some people had?

In my case it's the hip ball joint popping off constantly. I think everyone has issues with the bee not playing nice, either the wings pop open for no reason or it just outright launches on its own. Really hope they fixed the tolerances there.

Emerje

Totally over the moon about this news! I never got to own Scorponok, S1 Tarantulas or Cybershark as a kid. And while I’ve rebuilt my BW collection from the ground up, I never got around to pulling the trigger on those three, or Terrorsaur because of how much they go for (complete) on eBay. This is definitely awesome news to hear! Few steps closer to completing my BW collection.

Now I just have to make some more space…

Emerje wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:Cybershark and Wolfang (which K-9 is a redeco of)

K-9 is a redeco and retool of Wolfang. Beast Mode and detachable shield have different engineering.

You're both wrong, the two figures share no parts in common, they only share transformation.



Emerje

TF Wiki wrote:Part of the fourth wave of year-two Beast Wars Deluxes, K-9 is an extensive retooling of Wolfang, transforming into a German Shepherd. Almost all of his parts have been given new molding, often becoming larger, making him somewhat more massive than his predecessor. The only part of his body not changed is his robot head sculpt.

Three of us, then?

Plus, as I have the figures in front of me, I specifically noted different engineering. I didn't mention anything else. There is a Wolfang mold (Wolfang & Red Wolfang) and a K-9 mold (K-9 & Max-B).

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Emerje wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:Cybershark and Wolfang (which K-9 is a redeco of)

K-9 is a redeco and retool of Wolfang. Beast Mode and detachable shield have different engineering.

You're both wrong, the two figures share no parts in common, they only share transformation.



Emerje

TF Wiki wrote:Part of the fourth wave of year-two Beast Wars Deluxes, K-9 is an extensive retooling of Wolfang, transforming into a German Shepherd. Almost all of his parts have been given new molding, often becoming larger, making him somewhat more massive than his predecessor. The only part of his body not changed is his robot head sculpt.

Three of us, then?

Plus, as I have the figures in front of me, I specifically noted different engineering. I didn't mention anything else. There is a Wolfang mold (Wolfang & Red Wolfang) and a K-9 mold (K-9 & Max-B).

The definition of a retool is to literally take existing tooling and changing it so by definition it does not need to share parts, it just needs some parts to be based on others, which is the case here. Hence TF Wiki's accurate use of an extensive retooling since almost all the pieces of one mold were retooled into different ones.