During the Hasbro brand breakfast at San Diego Comic-Con, the company had a lot to show off, but the majority of the room was taken up by Transformers. From items based on the Bumblebee movie to the first part of the War for Cybertron trilogy, there was a lot going on.
The products from Bumblebee are definitely focusing on the titular character and there seems to be something for every age group. It’s always nice to see so much emphasis being put on the VW Bug alt mode. The trailer seems to indicate that he will have two forms, but clearly the classic Gen 1 mode is the one getting the most love.
The Gen 1 exclusives coming to Walmart were on display, and they are just as awesome as you would expect them to be. Speaking with journalists, a Hasbro rep was coy on if any more were planned simply saying, “Lets see how the first wave sells.”
Make of that what you will.
Wrapping things up were the War for Cybertron: Siege figures, and there is a lot to unpack here.
First off, the line is envisioned as the final days on Cybertron as the Autobots prepare to board the Ark. Due to this we’re seeing all of these well-known characters in their Cybertronian forms, including some we have never seen before. The red van is Ironhide, which took me by total surprise until I saw his robot form. Sideswipe was also designed from the ground up as his Cybertronian form was never seen before.
As for the small Transformers you see here, they are known as Battlemasters and they will come with the clear parts known as “Fireblasts.” There will also be usable with the larger figures to represent exhaust, weapons fire and more.
The line is also focusing heavily on articulation for the robot forms and we will see weathering added to the Voyager and Leader class figures for the first time.
It sounds as though War for Cybertron: Siege is going to be an important addition to the overall Transformers line with a lot of concepts being tried out for the first time.
Any way you slice it, it’s going to be a tough time for Transformers collectors. Wallets will be screaming everywhere.
