The Energon Pub

[ScottyP]

One Step Turbo Changers Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Barricade, and Hound (the last two being new molds) have been found at Gamesto for $11.99. The area of the US has not been confirmed yet but these were found by TFW2005 user blackwidow1972. That makes it yet another store breaking the street date like Navy Exchange. Let us know if you find other stores breaking the street date of April 24th 2017.

Local store had these out but their computers had a hard coded street date of 4/26 that they couldn't override. Store manager pulled them all out of the Hasbro PDP display they'd been sent in on. Very likely the stores have no clue these are street dated until they try to sell them, given how those displays are typically sent to retailers.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Our resident reviewer Chuckdawg1999 has sent us a new review to check out, this time for the new legion class Barricade! Barricade is a repaint of the Prime Smokescreen mold, and will be available along with Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and Grimlock in the wave 1 legion figures. Check out the review below, and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

It'a new movie time, and with a new movie comes a plethora of new toys, so of course, the first figure I review is a repaint from the Transformers Prime series. Legion Barricade is a repaint of Legion Class Prowl from TF: Prime, who in turn was a repaint/retool of the previous legion figure Smokescreen. I feel the choice of molds is a wink/nod to the TFCC subscription service Barricade figure who was made from the Deluxe Prime Smokescreen mold. If you never experienced the mold it's definitely worth a pick up as the transformation is fun.

[Deadput]

Oh hey a Transformers Prime Barricade that isn't a club exclusive!

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Oh hey a Transformers Prime Barricade that isn't a club exclusive!

Good point there.

[RAR]

I'm going to have him pal around with Knock Out when I get him.

I'm still puzzled about their reluctance to repaint 2 of the Predacon/Terrorcon Legions as we could have had several repaints of that by now if they'd just make more of the other arm and the Torso as well as the one arm and one leg they keep on making we could have had some sort of Monster-Autobot combiner out of those moulds too as well as some weird cousin of the Firecons.

I do wonder what goes on inside Hasbro's heads sometime - as if I was planning on what to do for the 2017 line - I certainly wouldn't be using repaints in the main line - in box sets / gift sets sure - but not in the main line.

I suppose I should be grateful that they are doing a Crosshairs that is close enough to AOE to double up for that - but they really ought to be making up for all they missed in AOE by not having Legions for that line and also addressing the 10th Anniversary as well - perhaps with a new 1970's Bumblebee as well as AOE's two Bumblebee designs too & Stinger. I can understand their reluctance to go anywhere near Ferrari - but they could even make Mirage/Dino especially if they left the name as Mirage and made up a car mode or used a new one from one of the licensed manufacturers they have at the moment same for stinger.

It would have been nice to use the Legends size as a faux stand in for Cyberverse Commander class - though perhaps the 2.5mm hand size of Cyberverse commander is reason enough to just make that class again.

Just think of all the fun things they can make in that size. Perhaps they can do something like that and brand it for the Bumblebee Movie or Transformers 6. I think the relatively small cast of characters likely to be in the Bee Movie makes it ideal for some sort of big retrospective Movie line.

[Tresob]

I'm just a tad confused why they didn't just re-release the earlier Legion Barricade...

[Jelze Bunnycat]

I'm just a tad confused why they didn't just re-release the earlier Legion Barricade...

I can think of two reasons:

1) The robot mode design is obsolete, now they want something more streamlined like the current model.
2) Hasbro does not have the proper license. The earlier Legion is a licensed Saleen S281, but for this movie Barricade has traded it in for a Ford Mustang. As Ford is a competitor of main license supplier General Motors, all his toys have to take liberties with the design to the point other toys have to be used as a stand-in. It's happened before with Dino/Mirage, who took the form of RotF Sideways, and Stinger who looks like Prime Knockout for their Legion Class releases.

[william-james88]

That April 24th street date for The Last Knight toys is being broken left right and centre. The latest offender is Spielzeug-Paradies Wagner in downtown Bochum, Germany, which has Wave 1 of the One-Step Turbo Changers with Barricade, Hound and Bumblebee and Wave 1 of the Premiere Edition Deluxes with Bumblebee, Slash, Barricade and Berserker. This was found by TFW user Nevermore.

[ScottyP]

That April 24th street date for The Last Knight toys is being broken left right and centre.

If it's even in effect for Germany, which it may not be.

[william-james88]

That April 24th street date for The Last Knight toys is being broken left right and centre.

If it's even in effect for Germany, which it may not be.

The user who submitted this is attuned with the market and said that the street date was applicable:

The first Last Knight figures have arrived at German retail. Apparently someone broke the street date.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

We continue to roll on with our Last Knight sightings, this time with a report from TFW2005 member Turbojack that the wave 1 one-step changers have reached the shelves of Toys R Us in America! This sighting is from an Orlando-based Toys R Us, and features a sighting of Bumblebee (pictured below), Optimus Prime, Hound, and Barricade at the $9.99 price point. With this in mind, it is likely that other major toy-selling stores across the country have started to let the figures leak out, so head on out and check out your local stores!

[DedicatedGhostArt]

Hound transformation:



Didn't know this, but the helmet is removable. That's really cool!

[Houstonian Prime]

Just picked up TLK Voyager OP at my local Target here in Houston. They also had voyager Grimlock. I highly recommend getting out there for some hunting this wknd. Lets enjoy it while we can. Great time to be a collector. Finishing up on Titans Return leading up to Thr Last Knight!!

[D-Maximal_Primal]

More Big sighting news! Houstonian Prime has reported that the Voyager class Optimus Prime and Grimlock from the Last Knight toyline has hit retail stores in the US! This sighting comes from a Target in Houston, where Prime was purchased and Grimlock was seen on the shelves with him. Couple this with the numerous Gamestop sightings, not to mention the Toys R Us sighting and we have proof that The Last Knight is coming out in force in multiple locations in the US and around the world! Take this weekend to head on out to your local stores, and hunt down some new Last Knight figures!

[Houstonian Prime]

I was actually quite shocked to see these there. Really was hunting for new Titans Return & RID stuff. Didnt expect these until later this month, but you never know... Thats the thrill in hunting, coming across stuff unexpectedly. The figure itself looks remarkable. The paint app's alone make it worth the extra $5, believe me. And the molded detail is incredible. Seldom do i use these type words to describe, but WOW! What a great figure. They knocked it out of the ballpark on this one.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Dammit. I neeeeeed this Prime to appear at Cambridge Toys R Us nooow. Though it's a £6.40 bus ride everytime I wanna go check so I can't just pop in every day to look if it's appeared before the 24th.

I hope toyhax gets some stickers for the missing flames on the chest and such quickly!

[william-james88]

So further proof that the price truly is $30 for voyagers in the US for the entire movie line.

[Kurona]

That pricing is just atrocious. No matter how cool Scorn looks I just can't justify him at that price.

[Carnivius_Prime]

hm. $30 works out at about £25 which is the current RRP for voyagers here in UK but the early Argos listings had them at £32. I'm not buying them all anyways... well... Prime is a must. I think I'm happy with my current Grimlock but I do like that silver one. Depends how I feel when I actually see them on the shelves

[william-james88]

hm. $30 works out at about £25 which is the current RRP for voyagers here in UK but the early Argos listings had them at £32. I'm not buying them all anyways... well... Prime is a must. I think I'm happy with my current Grimlock but I do like that silver one. Depends how I feel when I actually see them on the shelves

You dont want to wait to see if they will release one with a better deco? And by better deco I mean one that has flames on the chest and doesnt look like he is an anime character crying.

[Carnivius_Prime]

hm. $30 works out at about £25 which is the current RRP for voyagers here in UK but the early Argos listings had them at £32. I'm not buying them all anyways... well... Prime is a must. I think I'm happy with my current Grimlock but I do like that silver one. Depends how I feel when I actually see them on the shelves

You dont want to wait to see if they will release one with a better deco? And by better deco I mean one that has flames on the chest and doesnt look like he is an anime character crying.

And how much would that cost? Would it be part of some expensive Platinum box set of figures? Or a Takara figure that would add much more cost for shipping? I'm not made of money. Or employed. And unlikely to be in the foreseeable future cos health stuffs. I can't afford all the super pretty toys. I often just have to make do with what I can afford and do my best to pretty them up myself. And this Prime toy has a great mold and decent colours for the most part and I can have fun pimping it up.

I still prefer my custom AoE Evasion Prime over any of the official ones I've seen and the factory version of that was way worse looking than this Last Knight Prime in paint and colouring.

[Kurona]

Honestly with this level of inflation, I'm fully expecting the price gap between buying at retail and of importing a Takara version not being very large. Should be interesting to see, at the very least...

[william-james88]

And this Prime toy has a great mold and decent colours for the most part and I can have fun pimping it up.

As I tell Black that, if you have the skills and plan on doing touch ups then you are always better off getting the less expensive version.

And, sadly, the takara version is not better than this one. they are the same toys (as is the rest of this entire line) so a better version would have to come from a boxset of some kind. it will be hard for me, but I plan on waiting to get a good idea of what will be offered. Since I dont do touch ups and dont want more than one of this mold, I really want to know what all the options are before I buy it because nothing pains me more than buying a toy only to find out that a better version is released not too long after.

[william-james88]

Honestly with this level of inflation, I'm fully expecting the price gap between buying at retail and of importing a Takara version not being very large. Should be interesting to see, at the very least...

Problem is you cant import that Prime from takara.

[Kurona]

Honestly with this level of inflation, I'm fully expecting the price gap between buying at retail and of importing a Takara version not being very large. Should be interesting to see, at the very least...

Problem is you cant import that Prime from takara.

Wait, what? How come? Is that the same for all TLK toys?