Toyfair

Yes, it's that time again - every year close to Valentine's day, New York City hosts its annual Toy Fair, wherein Hasbro shows off its latest wares.


While their presentation isn't until later today (I think), pictures have emerged of a Hasbro-published Beast Hunters "guidebook" of sorts. And it's pretty awesome - a combination of pack-in catalog and faux-intercepted lab journal by TFP Shockwave, all about each of the Predacons and how he made them.

What grabbed me firstly about this was that it gives us our first look at the TFP Voyager Shockwave toy! You know me, I love my Shockwaves. I was happy to see that, like Beast Hunters Smokescreen, Shockwave's actual design is unaltered from his appearances in TFP Season 2, but he includes some removable (orange) armor pieces to get him ready to take on Predacons in both robot and tank mode. Yes, that's right, he appears to turn into a tank once again (it is cybertronian, as per usual). The cannon mounted on the left arm (not sure if it is removable, a la DotM and Animated Shockwaves) is the same main cannon for the tank mode, and also houses the main gimmick - the barrel splits open to reveal a missile launcher, and something in this assembly spins. It's kind of like a smaller version of Cybertron Defense Red Alert's missile, I guess. I also like how the shoulder armor attaches to the tank to look like claws; that's fun.

Anyhow, the fictional contents of the guidebook are great too. It's pretty humorous, with Shockwave honestly noting his mistakes (after making Hun-Grrr, he notes: "Nor more 2-headed dragons") and we get an idea of the individual Predacons' personalities, which is good when Hasbro decides to make an ENTIRE FACTION all have the same alt mode. And while all the Predacons are dragons, I've been impressed with how Hasbro has been able to stretch that idea and make most of them pretty unique. In fact, the only evidence we have so far even of repainting/remolding is that we know, at least in the Rage of the Dinobots comic, Ser-Ket has the same body type as Ripclaw, and the Scourge revealed in the guidebook is a retool of Lazerback with a new dragon head (not sure about the bot mode head). Anyway, here's the list of Predacons in the guidebook:

1. Predaking
2. Lazerback
3. Ripclaw
4. Grimwing
5. Skystalker
6. Scourge
7. Hun-Grrr
8. Windrazor (Cutthroat)
9. Rippersnapper
10. Blight (Blot)
11. Twinstrike (Sinnertwin)
12. Abominus (combined mode of #s 7 - 11, of course)

So that's 12, right there. Of course, we know that the neo-Terrorcons that make Abominus are legion toys, and I'd bet that they won't get larger ones, but that still leaves six Predacons that will most likely get deluxe or larger toys. The only known ones are Predaking (Ultimate, Voyager, and CV Commander), Lazerback (deluxe), and Ripclaw (deluxe). Grimwing also is the build-kit partner for Kre-O Trailbreaker, but it doesn't have a bot mode or anything; Ripclaw gets her own "transforming" build kit and Kreon, but the colors (and maybe gender) are off.

Back to the "Terrorcons" for a moment - we've known about Twinstrike/Sinnertwin for a while (since NYCC), but we just found out this week that we're getting all five, and as a combiner, to boot. In G1, not all of them are dragons; only Hun-Grrr and Sinnertwin are distincly reptilian, and for whatever reason are both 2-headed dragons. Cutthroat was most probably a pterasaur, but Rippersnapper was a shark with legs and arms, and Blot was...well, something. No one really knows. Now, they're all dragons, in keeping with the theme. Rippersnapper has been pretty effectively translated into an aquatic dragon, and Windrazor/Cutthroat is more a wyvern that pterasaur now. Blot has become the more clearly reptilian Blight (same basic body design), and obviously the two double-headed guys haven't lost their draconian features. Abominus himself, while not seen in color yet, looks pretty good for a small combiner that lack real hands and feet. He does have his own head, concealed within Hun-Grr, but the more monstrous look of the lack of hands really works for the character.

Anyhow, I'm sure Toyfair will yield more Predacon/BH info later on, so I'll try to come back and chime in.