Wizkids and Hasbro to Team Up to Bring Us Transformers and More in Miniature Form

If they're HeroClix, I'm all over it.

A bit of an odd announcement. Producing miniatures with no defined purpose...?

"Fans can expect to see their favorite characters..."

= the same dozen or so done-to-death, "evergreen" characters that always receive an interpretation in any form of media: Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream etc etc. Sigh.

should be good i just hope we aren't stuck with buying robot Op Prime and then have to buy Truck Op Prime. Will they all have giant, colossal and shape change?

I'd like to see 'attack wing' autobot and decepticon ship miniatures.


@Toizarus I understand this grumble but those characters sell, sell and sell and have proven themselves over and over.
Apecface, Moonracer etc just don't have the same draw or recognition.

Hopefully they will either be of the same or better quality than the Mechwarrior game figures they were making before.

If it's Heroclix, it's hard to know what to expect. It could be a really small set of larger than average pieces like Pacific Rim or Star Track Tactics, but there's certainly a large enough character base to fill out a full brick with just Transformers.

I'd definitely expect the cassettes to be standard size characters (or pogs) with the other characters ranging up from there (e.g., Optimus as a giant, Omega Supreme as colossal). WK has become pretty focused on making sets compatible across licenses, and I'd also think that - if there's even the possibility of a GIJoe set down the line - they'd want the Joes to scale with the Transformers, since they've had so many crossovers over the years.

I feel like it's possible that they'll do alternate modes a la Shifting Focus, but I think it's more likely that the characters will just have traits or special powers to represent their transformations. Most G1 TFs don't actually have enormous play potential in their alternate modes, or at least, I don't think their abilities change enough in their alternate modes to warrant separate pieces.

Optimus Prime's transformation could pretty much be covered by giving him a "Roll Out" special power allows him to move along a straight line with +2 speed and damage any enemies he passes through (like the 'Top Gun' Iron Man from back in the day). Starscream and the other Seekers just need a few clicks of hypersonic speed or running shot. Some characters might have powers that require you to declare what 'mode' they are in at the beginning of the turn (like the Hawkeye that lets you choose between CCR and ESD). And some characters might just change modes as they take damage (e.g., Dinobots might start out with super strength, energy explosion, etc., and finish with blades/claws/fangs and battle fury).

As far as having a LOT of Optimus's, yeah, I think that's possible. WK has made a habit of putting an Iron Man, a Cap, and a Spider-Man in just about every Marvel set, and a Superman, a Batman, and a Wonder Woman in just about every DC set. Lately, they've been doing multiple versions of those characters in a set, though it was sort of justified it in Elseworlds, What If?, and Battleworld.

Notably, the TMNT sets were all themed, but each set covered variations of the characters across the full span of their history, all the way from the black and white versions up to the Nickelodeon CG versions. That makes me think that a TF Heroclix set might not be exclusively G1.

If we end up getting a full brick of 60+ characters just devoted to Transformers, I would definitely expect 4 Optimus Primes (a common, uncommon, rare, and super rare), which is a lot easier to justify if they don't limit themselves to the 80s cartoon. In that scenario I'd expect a green-ringed "b" variant (ironically called a "Prime") of one of those Optimuses as Nemesis Prime or Scourge. I could also imagine Prime's trailer showing up solo as a super rare or chase piece on a peanut base with support, energy explosion, defend, and the ability to spawn a Roller pog.

Of course, I'd really love it if they did Beast Wars Heroclix, as those characters would admittedly scale better with the other Heroclix sets, would fill out a gravity feed nicely, and make fun additions to Animal theme teams (Rattrap and Splinter FtW!).

Caelus wrote:If it's Heroclix, it's hard to know what to expect. It could be a really small set of larger than average pieces like Pacific Rim or Star Track Tactics, but there's certainly a large enough character base to fill out a full brick with just Transformers.

I'd definitely expect the cassettes to be standard size characters (or pogs) with the other characters ranging up from there (e.g., Optimus as a giant, Omega Supreme as colossal). WK has become pretty focused on making sets compatible across licenses, and I'd also think that - if there's even the possibility of a GIJoe set down the line - they'd want the Joes to scale with the Transformers, since they've had so many crossovers over the years.

I feel like it's possible that they'll do alternate modes a la Shifting Focus, but I think it's more likely that the characters will just have traits or special powers to represent their transformations. Most G1 TFs don't actually have enormous play potential in their alternate modes, or at least, I don't think their abilities change enough in their alternate modes to warrant separate pieces.

Optimus Prime's transformation could pretty much be covered by giving him a "Roll Out" special power allows him to move along a straight line with +2 speed and damage any enemies he passes through (like the 'Top Gun' Iron Man from back in the day). Starscream and the other Seekers just need a few clicks of hypersonic speed or running shot. Some characters might have powers that require you to declare what 'mode' they are in at the beginning of the turn (like the Hawkeye that lets you choose between CCR and ESD). And some characters might just change modes as they take damage (e.g., Dinobots might start out with super strength, energy explosion, etc., and finish with blades/claws/fangs and battle fury).

As far as having a LOT of Optimus's, yeah, I think that's possible. WK has made a habit of putting an Iron Man, a Cap, and a Spider-Man in just about every Marvel set, and a Superman, a Batman, and a Wonder Woman in just about every DC set. Lately, they've been doing multiple versions of those characters in a set, though it was sort of justified it in Elseworlds, What If?, and Battleworld.

Notably, the TMNT sets were all themed, but each set covered variations of the characters across the full span of their history, all the way from the black and white versions up to the Nickelodeon CG versions. That makes me think that a TF Heroclix set might not be exclusively G1.

If we end up getting a full brick of 60+ characters just devoted to Transformers, I would definitely expect 4 Optimus Primes (a common, uncommon, rare, and super rare), which is a lot easier to justify if they don't limit themselves to the 80s cartoon. In that scenario I'd expect a green-ringed "b" variant (ironically called a "Prime") of one of those Optimuses as Nemesis Prime or Scourge. I could also imagine Prime's trailer showing up solo as a super rare or chase piece on a peanut base with support, energy explosion, defend, and the ability to spawn a Roller pog.

Of course, I'd really love it if they did Beast Wars Heroclix, as those characters would admittedly scale better with the other Heroclix sets, would fill out a gravity feed nicely, and make fun additions to Animal theme teams (Rattrap and Splinter FtW!).

Pretty good summation. You on the realms?

sol magnus wrote:Pretty good summation. You on the realms?

I read the Upcoming Sets and Rumors board and use the units section a lot, but have only posted a handful of times. I really ought to get more involved, as I have lots of custom scenario type stuff I could share.

I used to make a lot of custom character cards too, but I've sort of given up that hobby.

Caelus wrote:

sol magnus wrote:Pretty good summation. You on the realms?

I read the Upcoming Sets and Rumors board and use the units section a lot, but have only posted a handful of times. I really ought to get more involved, as I have lots of custom scenario type stuff I could share.

I used to make a lot of custom character cards too, but I've sort of given up that hobby.

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Nicely done.

Oooh, I love painting miniatures, I can definitely get behind this.

Cannot confirm, but it sounds like it's sad news for Heroclix fans:

Member of Athens TN Heroclix group wrote:Update on WWE clix from my local store manager attending GAMA. Figs will be sold individually in non-blind boosters with a 7.99 price tag. 18 figs in the first wave. They plan on doing a total of 50. If it does well, then they will release future waves of 10-12 figures.

Also confirmed that GI Joe, Transformers, and Pony will NOT be clix. Only unpainted minis.

On the brightside, unpainted minis make me more confident that Hasbro's going to use their D&D license to push a Transformers (and presumably G.I.Joe) d20 game out there.