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Megatron actualy looks pretty good! But brawl just gives me anxiety from just looking at him

Looking forward to both! I’ve got Prime, Blackout, Stinger, and Starscream, and they’ve all been stunners. Much better than I initially thought, and I only meant to get Blackout.

We are getting more and more in hand looks at voyagers Brawl and Megatron from the second wave of the Transformers Studio Series. We now have transformation videos for each. Oddly enough, they are each part of a much larger video featuring other robot toys. Luckily, they are covered first so you can just click on either video below and see the transformation straight away.

This is our bet look yet at these toys and the first time we really see what is going on. Megatron always appeared much larger than other voyagers but it turns out that he is the same mass and is simply hollow inside (similar to First Edition Bulkhead).

Let us know your thoughts and if you are still excited for these two toys! They should be found at retail next month or so.

Oh ****, I just realized Takara also mistransforms toys in their pics, they forgot to rotate the shoulder wheels revealing the brand new movie accurate headlight details:

Even at full price, all leaders are gone from everywhere. I do hope Leader Grimlock won't do me a "Gen Leader Thundercracker" on me and have a limited release for reasons. Hope that he and Blackout will be like all 1st wave figures and be aplenty everywhere soo enough. And why not on sale to boot?

-Kanrabat- wrote:Even at full price, all leaders are gone from everywhere. I do hope Leader Grimlock won't do me a "Gen Leader Thundercracker" on me and have a limited release for reasons. Hope that he and Blackout will be like all 1st wave figures and be aplenty everywhere soo enough. And why not on sale to boot?

PM me your current address and I will mail you a raincheck

william-james88 wrote:

Gotta love that Megatron on Megatron makeout session, lmao! Seriously, that's a level of narcissism I thought only Starscream was capable of.

Megatron looks fantastic, btw. Hasbro has finally gotten smarter about their gray plastic choices. Even without silver paint, Megatron has a nice metallic sheen to him, and the rest of the paint apps only serve to enhance the look of the plastic instead of starkly contrast it. Well done!

I'm liking Brawl too, but I do wish he didn't have so much tank paneling just having off his arms in robot mode. Would also have been nice if the arm mounted accessories sat a little more flush with his actual arms.

william-james88 wrote:Oh ****, I just realized Takara also mistransforms toys in their pics, they forgot to rotate the shoulder wheels revealing the brand new movie accurate headlight details:

Yeah those bits are my fave new feature of the Studio Ratchet figure. As lame as that sounds.


I still can't figure out whether or not i like Brawl. I may just have to buy it to be sure and ebay it if I don't like it much. Megatron is a definite purchase.

william-james88 wrote:Oh ****, I just realized Takara also mistransforms toys in their pics, they forgot to rotate the shoulder wheels revealing the brand new movie accurate headlight details:

Does some one go to jail for every mistransfom toy no who cares if toy product images are not transformed properly there toys not work of art that person walk by and look at them in museum little kids don’t care if there transformed properly there toys not Mona Lisa sculpter better thighs to worry about in life than mistransfomrwd toys such as paying taxes spending time with family and going to work

I think will was on about the fact that everyone jumps on hasbro's photos as not being transformed properly, so a case where Takara's is mistransformed proves that it can happen to anyone.

dragons wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Oh ****, I just realized Takara also mistransforms toys in their pics, they forgot to rotate the shoulder wheels revealing the brand new movie accurate headlight details:

Does some one go to jail for every mistransfom toy no who cares if toy product images are not transformed properly there toys not work of art that person walk by and look at them in museum little kids don’t care if there transformed properly there toys not Mona Lisa sculpter better thighs to worry about in life than mistransfomrwd toys such as paying taxes spending time with family and going to work

Wait, isn't this also the Hasbro stock photo?

Wolfman Jake wrote:Wait, isn't this also the Hasbro stock photo?

Nope, this is the Hasbro image (with that part properly transformed)



I took the takara image from the HLJ listing https://hlj.com/product/TKT10908/Act?ut ... gKw4vD_BwE

And yes, I was indeed referring to how people always say Hasbro should take good pics like Takara. I guess this brand unification is rubbing off on Takara in other ways.

bacem wrote:i am still not fond of brawl's shoulder.

they're just mis-transformed for the sake of packaging.

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are personal opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.


Ranking All Wave 1 Figures From Transformers Studio Series

The Studio Series is a new initiative from Hasbro to give us a Generations Type line for characters from the live action Transformers films. It definitely had more coverage and attention than previous lines, especially with the angle that this would be more collector oriented (similar to Star Wars Black Series or Marvel Legends), along with being sold at a more premium MSRP. So, with wave 1 well in hand and wave 2 most probably dropping next month, I thought it would be a great time to look at what the line provided so far in comparison to what we were hoping for, by ranking every entry from wave 1 available at wide retail. A tiny detour from our usual top 5 lists but hopefully you still enjoy it.




8. Bumblebee

This toy is your mileage can vary kind, but that includes the possibility for this toy to suck more than any Transformers toy of the past 10 years (at least). I honestly can't remember a Transformers toy which fell apart this easily. Nothing breaks, things just fall apart. The roof simply wont stay on with clear plastic hinges looking warped. Mine came with the back piece floating loose in the box! I also find the feet have a clearance issue during transformation, as do the wings and front wheel wells in robot mode. But these are all just minor issues compared to the massive f** up of the back piece (which has clear signs of a being manufactured to have a pin). I totally understand why it was literally destroyed by some toy reviewers.






7. Ratchet

This toy is just meh. I was fascinated at either how much the fanbase had rejuvenated or how short the memory span was, because it seems people don't remember the Dark of the Moon toy. This is basically that same toy with all new molding, which doesn't feel new. But the general look and transformation is about the same, but worse (you can see the comparisons below). He has the worse deco of the wave 1 toys so far, very bland, just a sea of unpainted chartreuse coloured plastic. But the biggest grievance is the back. He has a major butt flap problem. It's the whole roof cage of his car just hanging off his ass ... and it looks like ass. They could have made the cage removable and turn it into a weapon, give us some more folding options, but no, they just leave it there. For a line that promotes brand new molds, and the best version yet of the onscreen character, this toy is very disappointing.






6. Crowbar

These next three are essentially as good/bad but each for different reasons. But when you look at the pros and cons, Crowbar, Optimus and Stinger end up at about the same place, so the order is almost arbitrary with Crowbar being the less original of the three. Regardless, Crowbar is the best dread we have ever gotten. However those dreads of his become his downfall in vehicle mode with them having no place to go giving him a real bad case of hemorrhoids. And the transformation isn't all that fun, since he is a major shell former, but the shell does tuck in nicely and I do give Hasbro props for fixing the issue of falling panels which they had with his partial tool partner Berserker. Plus he has a pretty awesome head sculpt!




5. Optimus Prime

This freaking toy !!!! The designers had such odd priorities. He is very complex and yet both modes don't look all that great for all the effort put in. Like there is a big effort put into a screen accurate chest and torso section but the use of fake kibble gives these off putting black lines dead center. Plus you get these odd parts on his side to hide the truck front, which feels like a big sacrifices just to have more screen accurate calves.

It still is so weird that the character which seems to be the most problematic is the one whose character model has a bunch of alt mode showing. There is also little effort is made to diminish the backpack and the feet have no effort in hiding in vehicle mode. And lastly there is both the size and colour which regardless of whatever to wiki bio or movie screenshot you show me, look really off.
He still has a fun transformation and what could be considered a premium style deco but I don't think the result for either mode is good and in a line where its all about getting definitive versions of the characters we see on screen, this might be the biggest fail.






4. Stinger

Of all the deluxes, Stinger is the only one which felt really new, and transformers by him the first time felt like breathing in that fresh country air after before no too long in the city. But as we all know, that country air usually has a hint of manure, and Stinger is far from better my flawless. I love the transformation and that alt mode is sublime, but they could have handled that car kibble better. The car roof hanging off his arm does not look like a gun and it reminds me more of an RID brother or Cybertron Crosswise. Those are of course fun and unique toys with awesomeness me alt modes, and Stinger gets the same accolade as a toy. But as a representation of the on screen model, he falls a bit short. Still, major props for that superb Pagani alt mode!




3. Blackout

I like Blackout more than I think I should. It turns out every issue I thought I would have with him did not turn out to be deal breakers, far from that. However, other issues I would nt have thought of creeped up. Judging from early images of his feet, I thought it would be a simple transformation with little do do, especially with the feet. Boy was I wrong. It turns out that to avoid this toy from being a shell former, lots of panels end up being neatly flipped or turned, hiding them under the feet. It becomes probably my favourite part of the figure. I think both modes look great and while I feared for a small looking bot mode, he still feels massive to me. Especially when transforming him. He does have a few flaws though. While not being the panel nightmare of ROTF Jetfire (or Death Star Vader), there is a definite issue with the panels. I have never been able to connect everything seamlessly. Also, the hand orientation is just odd and gives the impression that they were assembled backwards. But hey, its overall a great looking representation of the first live action Transformer we saw on the big screen.




2. Starscream

Upscaling a toy might be an easy way to put "new" products on the shelves but it can also result in great toys, like Beast Hunters Voyager Predaking. And the result for this voyager Starscream is awesome! Even being familiar with the deluxe mold from Dark of the Moon, the bigger pieces made for a very fresh transforming experience. And it being an upscale did not feel in any way like it had less parts than it should. It felt complex enough for a voyager. I really appreciate the attention to detail like covering parts that used to show hollowness adding parts to beef out the sides, add detail to the sculpt and, best of all, use that now famed Takara MP Beast Wars technology for adding a digital textured deco layer all across the alt mode. Really cool. I am a huge fan of the DOTM leader Starscream and I am not sure if this one beats it (especially when you factor in how much each cost at retail) but it is at least the second best movie Starscream we have ever gotten and easily the best one in this size class.




1. Grimlock

Grimlock ticks a lot of boxes for me and my ideal Transformer. I really like mean and lean Transformers, toys which use the same parts to convey different elements for each of their modes. this always results in a fun transformation (since there is no shell forming bit) and no back packs or extraneous kibble, hampering the look of the toy. It also means alt mode integration is a must and I just love that since to me, that is what Transformers are all about, one mode becoming another (not just a robot hiding in a shell a la Break). And this one does that, in spades. Almost every part of each mode is reused either in bot or dino mode and to great effect. I just love how his robot arm is right there front and center hiding in plain site in dino mode, but I would have never realized that until I transformed him. This is the perfect example of a perfectly efficient design.

The transformation does give some nice callbacks to one of my all time favourite toys, Beast Was Megatron, but builds off of it by giving us some more to do with the legs (both in terms of steps and them having different feet for either mode) and eliminating the shell former aspect. Also it does a cool bit by having the show accurate two full dino heads in robot mode and turning having one melt into the alt mode detail in dino mode. My wife isn't the biggest fan of my hobby or the space it takes, so her to actually be impressed with a toy (she didn't think it transformed) is high praise.

The fact that he is also a transforming Tyranosaurus Rex and has an absolutely gorgeous deco just adds everything one could love about a toy.

The only Studio Series not on the list is Thundercracker. It should have been there even though it's just a repaint. So, allow me to squeeze it onto the list, even if I keep mine sealed. Based on my experience with TLK Nitro and with that rocking deco, SS Thundercracker would have been ranked solidly between Stinger and Blackout, making him #4 out of 9.

Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Thanks for the reviews. I was always shying away from them. Now I have a reason.

Oh, and in BB's review - language!

-Kanrabat- wrote:Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Oddly enough, the only leader ss figure I’ve seen in retail was Grimlock. Still want to see Blackout

AlvinC wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Oddly enough, the only leader ss figure I’ve seen in retail was Grimlock. Still want to see Blackout

In my neck of the woods, all SS leaders were instantly gone. Yes, even at full price.

I dunno. I have issues with some of these reviews. Particularly with Bumblebee. It has that fault with the roof (and I have trouble moving the hood during transformation both ways) but nothing that couldn't be fixed (which I did) and I really love the look of the toy in both modes and it's a lot of fun. Certainly one of my fave Deluxes ever and one I pose a lot on my desk along with the larger TLK figure.

Crowbar's alright but I don't like the robot mode anywhere near as much as Berserker (and again NONE of my Berserker figure came apart, I even tried pulling at those supposed loose panels and they don't come off) who is one of my all time fave Decepticon toys (especially when you use Toyhax stickers to make the rather bland alt-mode much more interesting). Those dreads are really off-putting to someone like me who likes much more tidied and structured parts.

Ratchet I can't decide on. There's aspects of the smaller DotM figure I like more and aspects of this one I prefer too. Paintjob certainly could have been better particularly on the forearms. The deco of Takara's MTB release of the old Deluxe is great and this one should have had the same. If they could merge the two...

Am fine with Stinger. He looks great in both modes and that roof gun thing might not look as good as a proper gun but it still works for me better than most other attempts (That Deluxe Megatron stealth bomber toy where you use two bits from his wings to form his gun is much, much worse in my opinion).

I agree with the Starscream review. It's a fantastic toy and makes previous attempts at the Voyager scale of him quite embarrasing. Not much else to say on it other than looking forward to the RotF redeco. Certainly my fave Starscream toy. The Leader one might be more 'masterpiece'-like (and indeed was reused for such) but this one suits my scale choice more and was a lot easier to find and cheaper too and in a few specific areas of the mold I think the Studio figure is better.

I'm still having a lot of fun with Optimus Prime. Again mainly waiting for Toyhax to produce their sticker sheet which they've hinted is in development and I've enjoyed thinking up ways to make it more accurate with paint and extra parts but yeah overall it's got some flaws but I can't seem to hate it.

I like Grimlock but I find it only works because it's pretty much the same colour all over. Things like the arm hiding would be blatantly visible in more G1-esque character colour layouts (I never liked Beast Wars Megatron so the praise for that figure is lost on me)

Blackout I really haven't had much chance to examine myself. He looks great in photos and videos but haven't seen that one in person yet like I have the others so for all i know he may annoy me in posing or stability or something but I'll comment when I get that one or when my friend does.

Overall, despite some issues, this has been one of my all-time fave Transformers toylines and the one I've been most excited in collecting and giving Hasbro my money in recent times. Not something I thought I'd be feeling in 2018 given how much I've found Combiner Wars, Titans Return and Power of the Primes so massively underwhelming (some good toys but most are absolute junk or yet another use of a mold retooled to infinity) and in some cases just insulting. Anyways yeah Studio's keeping me a Transformers fan at least until it comes to it's own end. Which I'm not sure when will happen whether they stop after all the popular on-screen characters or do all-new movie-style toys like they used to in the first couple of movie toylines (for example the likes of RotF, Bludgeon, Dropkick, Mindwipe etc)

Anyways have a good weekend.

I got Crowbar to complete my Dreads. I got Bumblebee to have the first Camero. Luckily mine is fine. I got Starscream even though I like my leader class one. And I now have Grimlock. If I can find Blackout, I am done. I don't need the rest of this wave.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

AlvinC wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Oddly enough, the only leader ss figure I’ve seen in retail was Grimlock. Still want to see Blackout

In my neck of the woods, all SS leaders were instantly gone. Yes, even at full price.

Transformers rarely go on sale here. That and the limited quantities of figures we get you’d have to buy them before they’re gone. Better to pay full price than overprice

AlvinC wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

AlvinC wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Oddly enough, the only leader ss figure I’ve seen in retail was Grimlock. Still want to see Blackout

In my neck of the woods, all SS leaders were instantly gone. Yes, even at full price.

Transformers rarely go on sale here. That and the limited quantities of figures we get you’d have to buy them before they’re gone. Better to pay full price than overprice

There’s always one or two who say “i won’t pay full price. I’ll wait for int be marked down for over half off than maybe get it” and then they complain they nevergot one.

I have stinger, crowbar and Starscream and I really like all of them. I hope crowbar gets retooled as a Dreadbot.

Starscream I love. I think he’s my favorite character and design of the movies and if you’re gonna barrow engineering to make a new toy it’s either the deluxe or leader and ofcourse the deluxe for the sake of size and I adore him. If they make that rumored tattooed version I’ll snag it too.

Pretty much agree. The deluxes were all pretty underwhelming (still picked up Stinger and Crowbar since its the only toys of those characters though, lol), and voyager OP is a big contradiction, a good toy that utterly fails as a likeness to the character in the movies.

The two leaders and voyager Starscream are all top of the heap, easily. Blackout is kind of fiddly with all his panels, so transforming him ain't that fun, but he looks great in both modes. Starscream is the best voyager version of him, and if I didn't already have the HftD leader version I'd snap him right up. And Grimlock is amazing, a huge improvement over the original, looks great in both modes and is fun to transform.

Of the three SS figures I have (Crowbar, Stinger, and Bumblebee) Bee is actually my favorite after some minor adjustments

So I got Stinger today. Really good figure, not flawless but still great.

The Good:
>Amazing proportions, looks lithe and vicious.
>Arm gun is weird but cool, has a sort of abstractness to it I love.
>Headsculpt is wonderful.
>Poses reasonably well.
>Transformation is one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed at a Deluxe size.
>Car mode is gorgeous.

The bad:
>Articulation is limited in places, the lack of a waist swivel and ankle rockers kinda bites (but only a little).
>Could have done with more paint on the face.

The ugly:
>Throwing stars make him awkward to roll in car mode without some fiddling.

Overall, he's absolutely amazing and I'd recommend him to anyone.