Robots in Disguise! With First Edition Prime toys and the Asian "exclusives," this seems to be the show where Hasbro tries to make good. There was a lot to complain about at BotCon, but with new announcements and the word of the Asian exclusive Generations toys coming to Toys R Us, it's hard to stay mad. I can't quit you, Hasbro. The Legends toys like Bluestreak, Thundercracker, Hoist, and Motorbreath are fantastic as are deluxes like Wheelie, Cliffjumper, Springer, and Swerve. Scouts and Voyagers are also en route, but the Legends and Deluxes seem to be the most fun.
Transformers Prime and Bot Shots will continue, but few new toys were shown for either group. A few repaints for Cyberverse were on hand as well as a few really nifty Voyager toys like Ultra Magnus, who is now up to at least 3 toys this year so far.
Generations will continue to be heavily video game influenced, almost exclusively so far. Blaster and Soundwave will see production at long last with working "tape deck"-esque features. Each robot can carry a smaller disc buddy, including Steeljaw and Laserbeak, respectively. Soundblaster will include Buzzsaw for your token repaint love, and Grimlock will round out the Voyager-sized toys so far. Mini "disc" packs will include Ratbat & Frenzy plus Rumble & Ravage, each of which is estimated at $10.
Realizing there's a lot of mileage to get out of molds, at least four versions of the Fall of Cybertron Bruticus combiner team will be made. Comic-Con had a $100 boxed set in G1 colors, Amazon will get a $60 set in G2 colors, retail stores will get the 5 individual characters at about $15 each in video game colors, and next year the team will all get new heads and Autobot symbols and be sold as Wreckers. The new robot's name will be Ruination, and it'll be made of Topspin, Twin Twist, Whirl, Impactor, and Roadbuster. Regardless of your feelings on repaints, it seems unlikely that any of us will get out of this with fewer than 2 of each mold. (I'm signing up for G2, Wreckers, and single Swindle so far.)
Freebies on the show floor were actually quite stunning: 4 (at least) random Transformers Prime Cyberverse Legion toys were handed out. You could get Vehicon, Arcee, Ratchet, or Cliffjumper. These are $4.99 or so retail toys, so as a freebie that's actually quite nice. Three cheers for good free samples.
--Adam Pawlus
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