Transformers Prime/Beast Hunters News

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Blackjack
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Transformers Prime/Beast Hunters News

Post by Blackjack »

Never too late to start, eh?

Thanks to TFW2005, we've gotten the contents of wave five of the Beast Hunters deluxe class toys. We've seen Skystalker (blue dragon) and the Beast Hunter retool of Ratchet (which homages Dinobot), but this is our first blurry look at Prowl, a repaint of Smokescreen, and a black redeco of the Beast Hunter Bumbelbee toy.
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Post by Blackjack »

Also, Robotkingdom has updated their Facebook with in-package pictures of Platinum Series Ultra Magnus, a retool of the large, Weaponizer-Class Optimus Prime from the Prime toyline. Ultra Magnus features a new head, chest and shoulders to match his cartoon appearance, and comes with a big Solus Hammer.

Click here for the pictures.
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Post by Springer85 »

That's quite the sexy looking Ultra Magnus! :D
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Post by Blackjack »

Personally I'm going with the Voyager class version for Ultra Magnus. The big Platinum toy has a better, darker shade of blue, but the price tag and it being out of scale compared to everyone in my collection made Voyager Magnus hands-down my preferred choice. Shame they didn't bother to cast the Solus Hammer in gold for the Voyager toy...

Voyager Magnus apparently also gets a jetpack for some reason.
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Post by Knightdramon »

I think that Platinum Magnus works great in scale if you use Ultimate BH Prime and the deluxe for the cars/voyager for bulkhead.

Nevertheless, not really impressed unless they put out a blue Smokescreen.

Some messed up marketing the line had as a whole though, right? BH Smokescreen should have been out last year, and a blue repaint about now. Instead we got Smokescreen in a colourscheme he kept for 4 episodes since his release date.

And a not-accurate Magnus months before he came in the show, only to release him AGAIN as remoulds of existing toys. Hmmm...
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Post by Springer85 »

I usually stick to G1 toys only, but Smokescreen is on my 'maybe I'll get them" list. :) I really like that character and his look.
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Post by Blackjack »

Knightdramon wrote:I think that Platinum Magnus works great in scale if you use Ultimate BH Prime and the deluxe for the cars/voyager for bulkhead.
Was Magnus that tall in the cartoon, though? I thought he was only ever so slightly taller than Optimus Prime's old body (which in Voyager class is at excellent scale with short-Voyager Bulkhead), and even then it's because of the shoulder drums.

EDIT: I stand corrected, as the newest episode proves, Magnus towers over Bulkhead.
Some messed up marketing the line had as a whole though, right? BH Smokescreen should have been out last year, and a blue repaint about now. Instead we got Smokescreen in a colourscheme he kept for 4 episodes since his release date.
This thing right here.

Not to mention Transformers Prime's seriously screwed-up Voyager assortment, having created random new moulds for Ultra Magnus (who is crap and ended up being obsolete in a couple of months) and Thundertron (who nobody really gives a shit about), instead of releasing Breakdown. Or Dreadwing and Skyquake sooner so they'd be more relevant.

Or release a Voyager class Insecticon instead of Thundertron... people'd still know who the bugs are, whereas Thundertron is an ugly thing.
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Post by Blackjack »

Lots of Target exclusives under the sub-subtitle 'Predacons Rising' are announced by Facebook. I'm not going to link every single picture because it's a bit redundant, but you can check out the entire gallery here.

First up: Target's exclusive Abominus boxset, featuring redecoes of the individual Terrorcons in clear plastic. He's apparently slightly mistransformed, although I'm not very familiar with the toy to say which parts.

Apparently, the Ultimate 'Beast Fire Predaking' will get reissued in the Predacons Rising subline, but I can't tell if there are any notable changes, so it's probably just a repack.

Commander class two-pack of Optimus Prime and Predaking. Prime sports a Thunderclash-themed deco, and Predaking sports one that seems (to me) to be based on RID Megatron/Gigatron:

Commander-class two-pack of Shockwave and Bombshock. Shockwave sports a GEEWUN yellow eye. Bombshock is the name of a generic Insecticon who spoke in one of the newer episodes... although in the show he had the same appearance as everybody else instead of the neon green here. Bombshock has a Predacon insignia for some reason.

Legion class two-pack of'Stealth' Bumblebee and a red Blight (Blot). Looks like they're trying to milk the Stealth Bumblebee deco's first appearance anywhere, eh?

Legion-class two-pack of a G1-inspired deco Smokescreen (took a while for them to did this, which surprised me) and a redeco of Rippersnapper as Cindersaur. Personally, I like the Cindersaur. :)

Nova Blast Bumblebee, a redeco of the deluxe class Beast Hunters Bumblebee toy. Nothing to write home about.

Sky Lynx, a redeco of the deluxe-class Skystalker in a G1 Sky Lynx-inspired deco... looks quite a lot better then the bland Skystalker. Robot mode still looks like a godawful mess.

'Cryofire Predaking'. Like Cryo Scourge before him, the Voyager class Predaking toy gets redecoed into an ice-themed, Cryotek-homaging paint scheme:

Dark Steel, a redeco of the Voyager class Grimwing. Kinda looks like Prime's Breakdown.
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Post by Bluecatcinema »

The only alteration I can see for Beast Fire Predaking is that he has a light-up horn. Some of the redecos look pretty good, such as Dark Steel and Sky Lynx.
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Post by Blackjack »

Announced some time ago, here we have SHARKTICON MEGATRON!

With a swordfish accessory.

This thing is so random.
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Post by Skyquake87 »

It's so random that I actually like it! Megatron still turns into an elaborate coat hanger...but now it has a face!

And he comes with Tartar Sauce! or something.
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Post by Blackjack »

Pictures linking to Seibertron, itself mirrored from Hasbro's Facebook page:

Deluxe class Vertebreak, a repaint of Lazerback.

Deluxe Class Knock Out, a beast-styled redeco of Knock Out with new crocodile-themed car parts and chain weapon. Spike Witwicky sold separately.

Deluxe Class Arcee, a similar beast-styled retool. GOD THAT FACE
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Post by Blackjack »

From TFW2005 we have blurry news of redecoes of the Weaponizer Optimus and Bumblebee toys, with new weapons matching their Beast Hunters toys sporting new and garish paintjobs as well.
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Post by numbat »

Blackjack wrote:Or release a Voyager class Insecticon instead of Thundertron... people'd still know who the bugs are, whereas Thundertron is an ugly thing.
Hey! Thundertron rocks man! (And is actually an original non-G1 inspired character!)

He's a space pirate (with his own faction symbol) with a peg leg in robot mode - and I love that you remove the lion mode foot to create the peg leg! It's totally barmy stuff, but I love it!

:swirly:

I actually really like the figure, but I have never seen any Prime cartoons either - I would be pretty peeved if a totally original random weird guy like Thundertron saw release while Breakdown didn't.

In fact, I'd rather Breakdown anyway...

And I really wish Voyager Skyquake had seen a proper release - I hope to track him down one day, but won't pay the ridiculous scalper prices.

Yup, the Prime line has been a bit poorly handled for sure. But it's even worse in the UK!

It has been my fave line in ages though - probably fave ever actually. They're beginning to kill my interest with where things are going with Beast Hunters though. I like the Predacons (although one version of each is enough for me - repaints can stay on the shelf, but I may buy Cryofire Predaking as I don't have the Voyager mould, and he could be Scourge), and Ultimate Predaking is awesome looming over the rest of the figures (I dunno what the scale is meant to be, but it seems fitting for him to be the largest in my collection anyway, taking on Voyager Prime and the various Deluxes). But I really don't care for the random Beast Hunters themed remoulds of previous figures, and the upscaled Cyberverse figures on the horizon.

It seems to me that Beast Hunters was the swansong of the Prime line, and for whatever reason Hasbro have decided to carry it forward beyond its natural end with random repaints and Cyberverse upscales. I could be wrong, but it just feels that way...

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Post by Skyquake87 »

numbat wrote:It seems to me that Beast Hunters was the swansong of the Prime line, and for whatever reason Hasbro have decided to carry it forward beyond its natural end with random repaints and Cyberverse upscales. I could be wrong, but it just feels that way...
Yeah, Beast Hunters is the final throw of the dice. All these mental recolours and rettols and oversized Legends that are mooted for early 2014 just seem to be there to fill the void until the new film rolls around. Or just because there's an absence of anything better to put out.

Actually, if Hasbro are now upscaling Legends in the manner of knock off merchants Funtastic, just imagine what horrors any new Movie line will bring...

As for Voyager Skyquake, I found mine at Home Bargains whom recently cleared through a ton of Prime stuff (all in US packaging), as did B&M. I picked him up over Thundertron. I did like that Thundertron was his own guy, non-affiliated and very angry...but he just seemed out of place.

I have to agree that aside from the miserable paint applications and the kerfuffle over Voyager Breakdown (cheers Hasbro), Prime has been a great, great line. The Vehicon mould is one of my very favourite Transformers toys ever. It's a beautiful thing. I loved it so much I made it my first army builder, and have a squad of of 7 now :) I'd like a Jet Vehicon (or 3), but i don't think Hasbro will be bringing them to western shores, sadly (another decision i don't understand). Even the Legion/ Cyberverse toys have largely been a good bunch (and improved upon for Beast Hunters will solid plastic weapons, rather than the fruit gums previous assortments got).
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Post by Thunderwave »

numbat wrote: And I really wish Voyager Skyquake had seen a proper release - I hope to track him down one day, but won't pay the ridiculous scalper prices.
If there is a TRU in your area check there. All the TRUs here I've been to, all 2 of them, have had Skyquake on the shelves. It's worth a try.
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Post by numbat »

Checked out Home Bargains and B&M -they had an bizarrely overpriced Prime RID Deluxe Kup in Home Bargains and that was it. B&M had ROTF Human Alliance Sideswipe, DOTM stuff, and that Optimus Maximus monstrosity.

Alas, no Toys R Us near me - I noticed the website says they have Voyager Skyquake in stores, but that you can't order online...

New sale thread added with a range of Transformers including Masterpiece, Botcon, CHUG, RID, Movies etc.

Looking for MP-11T Thundercracker and MP-9 Rodimus v2 (Takara version with as few QC issues as possible).


Check out my new sale thread now!

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Post by Knightdramon »

numbat wrote:
Alas, no Toys R Us near me - I noticed the website says they have Voyager Skyquake in stores, but that you can't order online...
They didn't have a Skyquake [or any indications of his case mates] at the TRU in Clifton Moor.

By memory, they had Starscream, Prime, Megatron, Magnus [RID one] and Thundertron for around 15 quid each.

Various dlx, only missing Kup I think and Wheeljack [all the others were around].

BH stuff up to wave 2 for DLX and just predaking and prime for voyagers.

Lots of random DOTM figures.

Some FOC figures.

And about 8 MP Prime.
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