Hey everyone (?)!
My last post was in September, detailing the unveiling of the Kingdom line. I had actually drafted two posts since then, one about the unveiling of Studio Series '86 and then my once-usual "Transformers of the Year" post. However, I never finished either in a timely manner, so I thought I'd make up for it with a post covering the Hasbro Pulse Fan Fest, which occurred just the other day. This event served to replace what Hasbro would normally show at ToyFair, which is a February event in normal times. I'm really not sure why they waited about 2 months to show off these items, and it led to some problems like leakers showing ample Kingdom Galvatron footage about three weeks ago, but all in all it was a great showing with some killer transformers:
First we have Core Class Soundwave! This is exciting as Soundwave never got a small-sized release back during the Generations/Thrilling 30 line/Combiner Wars like Optimus, Megatron, Starscream (and other Seekers) and Shockwave did. Kingdom reinstated this size class, having been absent since the end of Power of the Primes. Soundwave looks particularly impressive. Like the Core Class versions of Optimus, Megatron and Starscream, his appearance is based on his "Earthrise" toy (though this previous Voyager Class Soundwave was actually released in the Walmart Exclusive Netflix line, not Earthrise proper). Wonderfully, he includes both weapons and can store/eject a Laserbeak cassette!
Next is Dracodon. I don't care too much for this one; this is one of the few straight repaints we've gotten in Kingdom (probably the only one so far), being a repaint of Vertebreak. The green color (normally a slam dunk for me) is meant to represent radioactivity, and this new character is a Maximal rather than a Predacon, but overall this is just going to be $10 saved.
Here's Tracks! Tracks hasn't seen an update since his incorrectly-named repaint of Crosshairs in The Last Knight (called Hot Shot) and prior to that, he got a pretty nice release in the Reveal the Shield line (shared with Wheeljack). This never version does an overall better job with the car modes - both normal and flying. The bot mode looks great too, but partly due to cheating with a fake roof chest. I do wish the flame hood deco was better; it needs yellow in addition to the red. My final complaint is that the primary weapon - the black beam gun - doesn't cover the hand. This is something they made work with other releases, like Trailbreaker and Hoist, so I'm not sure why it wasn't done here. Still, I'm really pleased with this. I've always had a soft spot for the character and his design, so it's great to see Tracks in the spotlight again!
Another Scorponok! Hot on the heels of the Titan Class Scorponok from Earthrise, the later (and smaller!) Predacon who took the name of the giant headmaster finally gets another release. Scorponok was homaged during the RiD '15 line with the release of Paralon, but this direct update is really nice to have - Scorponok hasn't had another release since the original during Beast Wars! The scorpion mode is terrific, and I'm very happy they included both the missiles and the cyber-bee. The bot mode could be more svelte, but I'm happy with him otherwise!
Wingfinger! This is the newest (and probably final) Fossilizer mold, and the first deluxe Fossilizer Maximal. While I've not shown it here due to the lack of good official photos, there is a designed combined mode for Wingfinger, Ractonite and Paleotrex! Kind of rare to have a cross-factional combiner, but a giant skeletal abomination is pretty cool. Wingfinger also looks cool on his own, being the most dynamic-looking Fossilizer. I am curious if he will get repainted into a more visually insterested deco like both Paleotrex and Ractonite have.
Rhinox! He looks great. A lot of folks think this version compares unfavorably with the Generations/Thrilling 30 version, but I passed on that one many times (for a few reasons), so I'm pretty happy to have another shot at an updated toy for this important character. Looking forward to him!
Ah, yes...Galvatron. I've been waiting for this one for a while! It's not that we've lacked in Galvatron updates; he was first given a decent update in the form of Energon Megatron/Galvatron, and in the neo-G1 lines, we've gotten the deluxe Universe (2.0) Galvatron, Combiner Wars Galvatronus, and Titans Return Galvatron. However, each of those releases was compromised in some way from being a truly updated toy of the character's appearance as seen in the original movie and cartoon show. I noted above that this toy was leaked several weeks before this official unveiling, and some unfortunate shots really soured some people on the look of the toy, but I couldn't be more excited for him to be released. I appreciate the accessories - yet another release of the Matrix (this time with Galvatron's chain) is never a bad thing, and the Revenge-styled guns are a neat new addition. Ever since the release of Combiner Wars Armada Megatron and Galvatronus, I've really been on a Decepticon leader kick and this really helps cement a cornerstone in that collection.
Speaking of controversial figures, here's another! Commander Class Rodimus Prime. Yes, that's right - Commander Class, as in $80. This is the first non-Masterpiece Rodimus toy to truly update the design of the original toy, with its combat deck trailer. Aside from the price, the main problem folks have is that the cab/car cannot slot far enough back into the trailer to have the wheels of both line up and also make a more compact appearance to the front of the combined vehicle. I too dislike this aspect of the toy, but it's not awful - just inaccurate - and it's not something that would prevent a purchase from me. I do really love the trailer's base mode, especially now that the cannon emplacement can be detached. Rodimus's robot mode is fantastic as well, and the fact that he can transform into an actual, complete car mode (as compared to the G1 toy) is great. I have a preorder placed, and while I'm not 100% certain I'll keep it, I'd hate to pass up this version of the character, especially as part of the modern take on the '86 Movie characters we have been getting since Springer was released during Siege.
And here it is! Previewed in the Kingdom concept art that I posted last September, this is the Titan Class Autobot Ark. No, they unfortunately did not give him a robot mode name, but he is clearly at least based on the Last Autobot of the Marvel comics. The Ark mode itself looks great, though the gaps on the side are less than ideal. The robot mode is pretty awesome, and some have pointed out that he has a decent resemblance to Tidal Wave; I would not be opposed to such as release (and the recent unveiling of Generations Selects Black Zarak means such a thing is at least possible!). As you can see, the included Teletraan-1 console transforms into a yellow version of Actionmaster Mainframe, which is cool. He includes the Sky Spy that scans alt modes, but also both Golden Disks and can also transform into the Ark's bridge for use with the tiny Optimus figurine!
And here we have Tricranius! Not only is Tricranius a neat clear-plastic Fossilizer repaint in the vein of Skelivore, but he is also sort of this year's version of the Centurion drone - meaning a destructible deluxe with lots of bonus accessories. This time around, instead of character-specific weapons, Tricranius comes with tons of fireblast effects, which is pretty cool. I've really only used a few of the items from the Centurion Drone set - namely the Megatron pistol/silencer and morning star - but I use the WfC series fireblast effects quite a bit in my play/display. This does make me expect that Wingfinger will also get a clear plastic repaint so that you can make the Fossilizer combiner in both natural and "extreme" colors.
YES.
I've been waiting for this for a while! We finally have an official Shattered Glass line. Rodimus Unicronus from Power of the Primes came close - completely based on Shattered Glass Rodimus Prime, only to lose his purple Autobot sigil between design and release. More recently, we got the Generations Selects 2-pack of Optimus and Ratchet based on the Earthrise molds, which is a great set but was released with little fanfare. Now, while limited to being Pulse-exclusive, Shattered Glass gets a "capsule" line (as the Pulse streamers described it) of 5 releases. Blurr is probably not the msot exciting to start with, but he looks great. The deco is killer - more visually interesting than the SS86 version - and the toy shows that Hasbro is willing to sink funds into retooling parts for the sake of accuracy. I've always thought an SG line could do well at retail (and Hasbro has been working with multiple factions at retail since Earthrise began), and while this isn't quite fully there, it's the next best thing. The only thing I'm really not looking forward to is the rumored Jetfire, since he'd be yet another $80 Commander purchase. Also, the toys include each issue of IDW's new SG comic series!
