The Energon Pub

There's a lot here so I'm going to be quick to get to the images. The final wave of Age of the Primes has been revealed giving us our first look at several figures as well as a few repacks.

Deluxe:
Joyride with Hotwire (AotP Sureshot retool)
Tailgate (Studio Series Windbreaker retool)
Blanker with Peacemaker (Legacy Pointblank based on his Japanese cartoon design with new head)
Fangry with Brisko (package refresh from the Target 4-pack)

Voyager:
Swindle
Vector Prime (based on his gold repaint from the original Cybertron toy line)

Leader:
Megazarak (Armada Megatron repaint)
Herald of Unicron (Megatronus retool with alt mode based on Cybertron Unicron tank and bot mode based on Unicron cultists from Marvel comic continuity)

Lots of pictures below, let us know what you think in the Seibertron Energon Pub forums!

Dear Lord, Swindle got lots of junk in the trunk!

An actual Powermaster? Nice.

Looks like I'll only be grabbing Swindle and Joyride, Tailgate going full Sunbow and the Herald of Unicron's head and chest window takes them both off my maybe list and I have zero interest in the Energon/Dark Energon guys. The Hasbro crew announced on social media that there's gonna be a TF fanstream on Tuesday the 9th, I imagine that'll be when this wave goes up for preorder.

Emerje wrote:The final wave of Age of the Primes has been revealed.

The final wave of Age of the Primes OF 2026, there's still one additional wave next year.

Tailgate (Studio Series Windbreaker retool)

Lol! I love this, especially since you can attach his blast effect to his rear in bot mode. I shall now forever rename him Windbreaker and make him my spirit-bot.

I both really like this reimagining of the Cybertron Unicron design, but I don't know about it being called a herald. Implying it's now a different character.

I just don't think Unicron needs a little groupie cosplaying as him.

I also thought they would use the Liege Maximo mold for the Herald.

Otherwise, I'll be getting Swindle and Fangry for sure, and maybe Joyride. Rest are a hard pass.

This line is either really awesome or really bizarre. I can't makeup my mind.

1. I think it's hilarious that they spent that much time on "Blanker" from Pointblank. Wow. For a 3rd tier character, that's pretty crazy. Kudos to them for doing that. I look forward to getting "Blanker" though I don't get the name change for the US release. Is that really just to save money on packaging by keeping the name the same across the ponds?

2. Joyride looks great ... until you see what Hotwire becomes. He transforms into the correct thing ... but he's the wrong size for this toy. Could they not have built a recessed area for Hotwire to plug into? I love that the artwork has it right but the toy looks crazy with the engine in place. And where's Joyride's "blaster"? Guess I'll have to buy a G1 gun for him.

3. Tailgate looks great except for the weird "outer part of the car" silhouette around his head. It has an uncanny valley bit going on like the recent Swerve which was lifted from a fan piece of traced artwork that mis-interpreted the character model instead of using the actual character model. It fills the slot, I guess. Looks good, just not totally "right". Funny how IDW Swerve and Tailgate have become the "default" versions of those characters in my brain, which says a lot for those IDW stories even though they weren't always my favorites.

4. Fangry looks great. Something looks different about him but I just compared him to my photo gallery and I can't tell anything different. Maybe I've had him in creature mode for so long (because of those iconic final issues of Marvel TF where he appeared, especially that brief battle with Action Master Grimlock) that I'm just not used to seeing him in robot mode. Glad I bought an extra Doublecross/Twinferno to give Fangry his much needed accessories. He's another one I'd like to give G1 accessories to but those are too valuable.

5. Swindle looks insanely fantastic. I could do without the "trailer", but given that I never thought we could ever get this more-or-less cartoon-accurate version of Swindle with the chest window, I'm pretty happy. 9 year old Ryan from 1986 would be really happy that they finally did this after drawing and coloring a cartoon accurate chest that I taped to my G1 Swindle toy back in the day.

6. I LOL'ed and startled my daughter when I saw Vector Prime. I honestly thought we were going to get a proper Vector Prime. I seriously thought they would do him justice. Little did I think they'd just release the "remolded-from-Jhiaxus" Vector Prime again but in the crappy Universe 2.0 color scheme. Wow. That's kind of a slap-in-the-face to anyone who's been waiting for this. I think most people would rather them have just released the same toy again or maybe even the Hasbro "white" version from Cybertron. No, I think the proper gray version again would have been better. Either way, definitely not a fan of the brown Universe 2.0 color scheme. Could they have at least given us his Mini-Con Safeguard???

7. Fascinating to see BotCon Megazarak again (and with that name!). But where's Leader-1 or Caliburn?!?!? I'm still not a fan of this mold. The original Armada Megatron toy mold was such a fun feature filled "action figure" that I just found this Legacy Armada Megatron mold to be incredibly lackluster. Not to mention those shoulder joints! It's fine but I'll take the brick version of Armada Megatron with all of its playability over stripped-down-no-frills version "but hey I'm poseable now!" version. Still waiting for a Mini-Con multi-pack at Leader Class price point. Why don't we see more things like that were smaller figures are released at more expensive price points???

8. I just don't get the Unicron Soldier. Liege Maximo seemed like the incredibly obvious mold to use as that. It just looks like Unicron. Maybe they're saving it for a mini version of Unicron? Megatronus as a Unicron Soldier looks OK. It doesn't look bad, but it doesn't have the Marvel Comics Unicron helmet. It just isn't what I was envisioning since we first heard rumors about this. It's not bad, just not what I had pictured. I still think they should be taking existing molds and just doing Marvel Comics Unicron helmets on them (basically their original head with a helmet molded over it to fit their transformation or an actual helmet that fits over the existing head mold) and then the entire toy colored to match Unicron's theme or whatever color scheme they used in the Marvel Comics. Maybe they're saving Liege to be a Cybertron Unicron figure???

Anyways, that's my 2 shanix.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:Tailgate (Studio Series Windbreaker retool)

Lol! I love this, especially since you can attach his blast effect to his rear in bot mode. I shall now forever rename him Windbreaker and make him my spirit-bot.

Ha! Well, there actually is a bot already named Windbreaker.

Nemesis Primal wrote:

Emerje wrote:The final wave of Age of the Primes has been revealed.

The final wave of Age of the Primes OF 2026, there's still one additional wave next year.

Damnit, I wrote that, too. Dumb part is when I was looking at these a little voice in my head kept saying Swindle isn't in the final wave, and I ignored it... Oh well, I was at the character limit for the title anyway.

Seibertron wrote:6. I LOL'ed and startled my daughter when I saw Vector Prime. I honestly thought we were going to get a proper Vector Prime. I seriously thought they would do him justice. Little did I think they'd just release the "remolded-from-Jhiaxus" Vector Prime again but in the crappy Universe 2.0 color scheme. Wow. That's kind of a slap-in-the-face to anyone who's been waiting for this. I think most people would rather them have just released the same toy again or maybe even the Hasbro "white" version from Cybertron. No, I think the proper gray version again would have been better. Either way, definitely not a fan of the brown Universe 2.0 color scheme. Could they have at least given us his Mini-Con Safeguard???

People were INSISTING that Vector Prime was going to be a new mold because a very vague interaction with the design team and what now seems to be a new sword without the hinge, but it turns out the sword was the only thing that changed. I thought they'd just rebox the Legacy figure. Doing a new sword and a Cybertron Galaxy Force repaint (not Universe) is more than I was expecting, but is by no means me giving them a pass.




Emerje

I usually try and succeed in transforming the Transformers without instructions. Especially the Generations ones. But lately, the toys are so TIGHT AND HARD (that's what she said) that it's difficult to tell at a glance what move and what doesn't. I'm afraid to break something if I go blind. So, once again, I had to rely on the instructions to transform a bot. This time, it's leader Liege Maximo. The annoying feature are those damn shoulderpads that keep popping off. But once I looked through the instructions, the transformation was very simple. The final result is a solid, very dense brick of a spaceship.

I no longer consider leaders toys from the first Bay trilogy and the Unicron trilogy as "leaders" anymore, but rather as Commanders. Beside, once adjusted for inflation, the prices matches. Leader Liege Maximo certainly does not feel like a "voyager plus." He's massive and very dense with basically no hollow parts.

I like it.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Dear Lord, Swindle got lots of junk in the trunk!

Just like old times.

Interesting... this entire wave outside of Swindle is just retools and repaints.

Anyway, Need that swindle to complete my Bruticus, so that's getting pre-ordered.

Kinda want that Joyride just for the colors.

Tailgate's a pass.

PointBlank-er maybe, never got the original release.

Fangry... that's a massive no from me dawg!

Vector... not a fan of theJ Jiahxus retool, but damn those colors can kind of work on him.

Megazaral is a definite Yes.

Herald of Unicron... I'm conflicted, I like the robot mode, but that tank mode is just sad. How is it, it did not get a decent turret there. Also, clearly not an Acolyte head, so why not the skull head from Cybertron Unicorn he's clearly trying to be. What are the odds this thing get's to deep discounted clearance for like low voyager pricing?

a whole wave of figures that still screams that they can not do vehicle modes. Swindle looks as un-jeepy as ever, but at least it has seats.

Maybe they will do different heralds down the line and be like the junkions. At leader class/price I'll be passing on this one but still nice it has a figure.

Wanting joyride for the colors/place holder and definitely fangry as I never saw the 4 pack.

Pretty sure they already did pointblank with his japanese head so this is the third one. Passing but if they did redecos of his pals he might be a buy.

blackeyedprime wrote:Pretty sure they already did pointblank with his japanese head so this is the third one. Passing but if they did redecos of his pals he might be a buy.

They did not. One was planned for release in Buzzworthy Bumblebee, but that line was canceled before it could release. This is the second one.

Emerje wrote:

I have to say, I had zéro interests in getting Armada Galvatron, but that Megazarak is a beauty.

Swindle is a must, obviously, I hate Tailgates face and, having just gotten Armada Universe Galvatron, that Megazarak looks swish. I dig Vector Prime in the recolour, though I still won't get it (only so much funds, y'know?).

The rest as a pass, I think. I genuinely hate the "Herald" of Unicron.

~ Grim