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Current lines and what's next.

PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 4:36 pm
by FellintoOblivion
Took a little break from TF collecting (skipped the second and third movie lines and everything in between) but just picked up MP Rodimus.

What are the current lines being shipped by Hasbro? Obviously the Dark of the Moon line is still out there. Is the Classics line still being continued in some manner? I noticed some G1-ish looking molds on "Reveal the Shield" cards, is that the spiritual successor to the classics line?

Has Hasbro announced a new line that's coming out anytime soon?

Re: Current lines and what's next.

PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:00 pm
by WolfDawg
Right now, as far as Hasbro is concerned, DOTM is the only line being sold. I know the Rescue Bots are being sold as well, but I'm not sure if that counts as a Hasbro product or a Playskool product.

As for the future, Transformers Prime toys are set to be available in December, and we're also set to get a few more Generations toys (Sky Shadow and Junkion). I'm not sure if that means the RTS/Generation toys will continue on from that point (though it would be pretty stupid of Hasbro NOT to continue the line in some form or fashion).

Lastly, and this is just speculation here, I'm willing to bet that after the DOTM line comes to a close at the end of the year, they'll continue the line for a few more months with a subline. Kind of how Transformers the Movie eventually turned into Battle for the Allspark and ROTF turned into Hunt for the Decepticons and Autobot Alliance.

Re: Current lines and what's next.

PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:48 pm
by PrymeStriker
Basically everything WolfDawg said (thanks for saving me some energy...).
And the Universe line also continued the Classics line in 2008, or 09, still not sure, I didn't really collect a lot from that line...

As far as you're concerned, right now all we have is Transformers Prime to look forward to. But we still have the Dark of the Moon line (please make a spin-off line, hasbro. And sell Mirage)

Re: Current lines and what's next.

PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 6:13 pm
by Court Jester
Welcome back! The age of third party unofficial toys are upon us. I'd goolgle FansProject (fansprojectcore.com is their information distribution site), igear toys, TFClub toys, and MakeToy. Renderform specializes in replacement heads and accessories to recent releases, and HeadRobots have upgrade a few as well. If you want a sample of what to expect, glance below at my sig.

Re: Current lines and what's next.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 6:06 am
by Mykltron
Don't forget that the new version of Masterpiece OPtimus (MP-10) is due out Sept/Oct.

Re: Current lines and what's next.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:44 am
by Jelze Bunnycat
You skipped the second and third movie lines? Then allow me to fill the gaps on what has passed, and what's to come:

Animated
This line ran in 2008 and 2009, and it featured a unique, cartoonified style with smooth rounded lines and some exaggerated proportions and features (watch the chins!). Because of that, it's considered controversial as some wouldn't touch it with as 10-foot pole, while others claim it had one of the best shows since Beast Wars.
The line was cut short for unknown reasons, but the last two waves of deluxes ended up as Toys 'R Us exclusives, while others were only released in Japan.

Universe (known as Classics 2.0 or Universe 2.0 by fans)
The follow-up to Classics in 2008 and 2009, as explained before, but it was bigger overal with more new molds, a wider range of sizes and repaints homaging characters from every franchise, from G1 to Cybertron, to celebrate the line's 25th anniversary.

Generations
The follow-up to Universe, with the key difference in that's it's Deluxe Class only. Compared with Classics and Universe, it feature more obscure characters from the Marvel Comics (due to the basic Decepticon line-up running dry) like Straxus as Darkmount and Thunderwing.
The line is in hiatus at the moment, but will continue in Fall this year with Black Shadow, a Japanese-only character like Sunstorm was, and Junkheap, a Junkion from the 1986 movie.

Hunt for the Decepticons
More of a campaign for the 2010 line, it's a continuation of the RotF story.

Reveal the Shield
Officially, it's the mid-line refresh of Hunt for the Decepticons (sharing product codes), yet it has G1-style molds. Like Classics, the main gimmick was the rubsign. However, it received poor distribution in the US, but can now be found at stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx for cheap.
Because it features both G1 and movie style toys, some fans choose to split the line accordingly.

Prime
This is the upcoming line, based on the cartoon currently running on the Hub, Hasbro's channel. It's set for a December release.