Pictures of Transformers Mighty Muggs - Wave 1

Pictures of the complete set of Transformers Mighty Muggs wave 1 have finally been released. We've previously seen a couple of these, but pictured above is all 4 of the initial batch of the cute little vinyl robots that are heading our way in early 2009.
Megatron looks badass, as does Soundwave (I love those oversize guns). But that goofy little smile on Bumblebee's face just rubs me the wrong way.
And no, they do not transform.

New Photos of Transformers Universe Aerialbots and Combaticons in-package

Pictured above is the new Transformers Universe Superion giftset, which will be joining the previously revealed Bruticus Maximus set on store shelves this holiday season. The images came from 2 Ebay auctions from Chinese suppliers showing us the first in-package photos we have of these combiner classics. Both Bruticus and Superion are re-issues of the Energon versions, not the G1 originals, and should be priced around $25-$30 each.

New images of upcoming Transformers Animated figures

HasbroToyShop.com now has a listing for Transformers Animated Deluxe Figure Blurr showing new images in both modes as well as the in-package shot shown above. Blurr is set for a December release.

A new auction on Ebay gives us some new photos of Shadow Blade Megatron, a repaint of the previously released Voyager Class Megatron figure. He is due for release in about a month.

And another Ebay auction gives us detailed pictures of Deluxe class Stealth Lockdown, who is a re-deco of Animated Lockdown from earlier this year. He is also due out in approximately a month or so.

All hail Bruticus!

What would we do without Chinese Ebayers? I'll tell you what: we would be forced to wait DAYS and even WEEKS for pictures and reviews of new Transformers. Instead, thanks to their shady toy factory dealings, they can sell these to my fellow American toy collectors that buy these overpriced pre-release figures in an effort to have the latest toy before everyone else. Who says China isn't embracing capitalism?

We reported on the re-issue of the Transformers Universe Combaticons earlier this month, but now we have the first clear (or clearer) picture of the 5 combiners forming the legandary Bruticus (thanks to Ebayer Menasor1979, who we've talked about before on this site; this guy has a connection in the Hasbro toy factory, and has made a nice little business out of it - check out his auction listings for all sorts of unreleased Transformers and prototypes).

I'm still guessing that the 5 Combaticons will be a store exclusive giftset (Target maybe?), but I could be wrong. We'll see in the next couple months.

Toys 'R' Us releases 2008 Toy Book

Toys 'R' Us released their annual Toy Book this week, showcasing 80 pages worth of toys and special offers effective thru November 22.

Let's take a look inside, between the Hannah Montana dolls and the video games, to see what deals there are to be had for toy collectors...

Page 24-25 LEGO sets on sale, from just about every line, with savings of $5-$10. The Limited Edition TRU Exclusive Indiana Jones "Peril in Peru" set is now $5 off, at $49.99 for what I think is easily the best set of the bunch for collectors.



Page 26 Star Wars toys! The best deal of the whole book is here: if you buy $99 or more in Star Wars merchandise you get a free Star Wars Transformers Millenium Falcon, a $40 value. Most of the Star Wars/Transformers crossovers are very oddly crafted, and some are just plain ugly, but the Falcon is the gem of the line. Two robots combine to form the Millenium Falcon, and now you can get it for free with purchase.



Page 27 LEGO Star Wars deals: The Toys 'R' Us Exclusive "The Twilight" is $10 off (now $89.99). Haven't you always wanted a Rota the Hutt mini-fig?




Page 28 Indiana Jones sale: Your last chance to get The Temple of Akator playset, now $33.99 ($6 off).



Page 30 Transformers Unicron, available only at Toys 'R' Us is still $50, but Supreme Class Optimus Prime is now $43.99, a savings of $7 off.

Page 36 TRU exclusive mail away Pixar Cars offer with purchase of 5 Cars. This offer is not available online.

Two new Tranformers multipacks heading exclusively to Target

New pictures have just been released showing the final two Transformers sets that will be available next month exclusively from Target stores. We reported last month about the first two Target Exclusive Transformers multipacks heading our way for the holiday season; those sets were Deluxe class figures, while these two shown below are made up of the smaller Legends class.

Aerial Rivals 5-pack - Transformers Universe (Legends Class)
Includes: Thrust, Ramjet, Autobot Blades, Skydive & Air Raid




Special Team Leaders 5-pack - Transformers Universe (Legends Class)
Includes: Razor Claw, Hun-Gurrr, Scattorshot, Autobot Hot Zone & Silverbolt



This really is an interesting mix of Legends class figures that haven't been released anywhere else so far. No price is listed, but based on past releases I would guess that these would be approximately $25 each.

First pics of Transformers Animated human figures

Fans of Transformers Animated will finally be getting some human figures from the TV series to display along with their robot counterparts. The 3 figures above are not from Hasbro, but are made by Impossible Toys. The first set of 3 are due for release in early 2009.

Shown above is Series 1:
- Professor Sumdac
- Sari Sumdac
- Captain Fanzone

These are pretty cool and all, but WTF is up with the price? As you can see from the picture below, they aren't very big or articulated, and they are listed at BigBadToyStore for $64.99 for the set! Over 20 dollars for each figure is pretty outrageous if you ask me. They look like they should be about $6 each, tops.

New Transformers Animated Skywarp and Shockwave now in-stock at HasbroToyShop

Two of the newest Transformers Animated Voyager-class figures are now in-stock and shipping from HasbroToyShop.com. I have yet to hear about these being sighted in any stores, but they should be on their way very soon. If you do order them from HTS, use coupon code TF2009 at checkout for 10% off your order.

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED - Voyager Class: SKYWARP
TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED - Voyager Class: SHOCKWAVE

Skywarp is of course a repaint of the previously released Starscream, but Shockwave is brand new and is probably one of the most innovative Animated figures yet. He transforms into 4 different modes: a tank, a crane, and 2 different robot forms.

Exclusive Transformers packs coming to Costco and Sam's Club

From Hasbro's own Transformers website comes news of 2 new exclusive packs heading to Costco and Sam's Club next month.

COSTCO
Just in time for the holidays, get this exclusive battle pack with large-scale TRANSFORMERS action figures—only at CostCo. This pack features Leader Class Optimus prime and Ultra Class CRUMPLEZONE, ready for a battle. Available in November for PRICE $36.99.

SAMS Club
Recreate the epic battles of the TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE with this Autobot vs. Decepticon battle pack. OPTIMUS PRIME, with exclusive blue and red deco, joins with LONGRACK and BLURR to face off against RUNAMCK and BUZZSAW. Each figure converts from robot mode to vehicle mode - and back again - and comes with a key accessory that activates features. Use your imagination to stage exciting battles – AUTOBOTS vs. DECEPTICONS – in a fight for the finish! Get this battle pack only at Sam’s Club for $40.88 SRP

New Images of Transformers Universe and Animated figures due in 2009

The new year is looking good for Transformer collectors. BigBadToyStore.com has new images posted of some of the Transformers due out in the first month of 2009. If you like Beast Wars/Beast Machines, there are some nice surprises in here. Click the images for hi-res versions.

Universe figures
Leo Prime (Voyager Class) - from Beast Wars (& G1's Razorclaw)
Overload (Voyager Class) - repaint of Universe Dropshot
Dinobot & Smokescreen (Deluxe Class) - this one actually says December 2008 for a BBTS ship date. Nice to see Smokescreen again, and Dinobot looks awesome.

Animated figures
Atomic Lugnut (Voyager Class) - repaint, but wow those colors are cool.
Wreck-Gar (Voyager Class) - new Animated figure
Waspinator & Samurai Prowl. (Deluxe Class) - new Animated figure & Prowl now has a sidecar that transforms into battle armor.

Transformers on sale at Target this week

Page 16 of this weeks Target ad includes a sale on all Deluxe Transformers effective until October 25. It includes all Animated, Movie, and Universe Deluxe figures. The ad also says "Other selected Transformers toys also on sale" but I haven't had a chance to confirm what else that includes.
Update: Ultras are on sale for $22.49, Voyagers for $17.99, and their Legends 2-packs are $1 off.

Optimus Prime 25th Anniversary edition spotted in stores

From the tfw2005.com forums comes two reports that the new Transformers Optimus Prime 25th Anniversary edition has been spotted on store shelves at Walmart in California and Utah. This spectacular package contains G1 Optimus Prime and his trailer, along with a voice effects box, a reprint of the first issue of the 1980s Transformers comic book, and a DVD. It was due for release in November, but appears to have trickled out a little early.

Transformers Masterpiece Grimlock in production from Takara

Takara has released info on their new in-production Transformers Masterpiece Grimlock. The 8th figure in their Masterpiece series, it is due in March 2009 for around $150. Yes, that is quite expensive, but this will be one large figure, containing die-cast metal as well as plastic.
Pictured above is the unpainted prototype. Expect more information and better pictures in the near future.
Click the image below for a close-up of the source of this news from a Japanese trade magazine. As you can see from the pic, some other cool things are in development over in Japan, including the entirely unexpected Mickey Mouse Transformer.

New Transformer Scouts heading to Target, plus the return of the Combaticons

TF08.net, a Chinese Transformers website, has some new pics of the forthcoming wave of Target exclusive Scout-class movie figures. This is supposedly the final wave of these Scout-class figures. Click the photos to see them up-close.





Also, a picture from what looks to be a package insert or instruction booklet shows that Hasbro will be bringing back the Combaticons again, this time as part of the Universe 25th Anniversary line. Collect all 5 of the Combaticons to form Bruticus, who was always one of my favorite combiners. I've also seen rumors that an Aerialbots re-release is in the works.

Transformers K-Mart exclusive MiniCon 12-pack on shelves

We reported on this set back in August, and it took a little while longer to get here than was originally thought, but the Transformers MiniCon 12-pack (K-Mart exclusive) has finally been spotted in the U.S.
Thanks to Agent X of allspark.com for the above picture. As you can see, the set retails for $24.99.

Transformers Universe Treadbolt found on shelves

In what is his first known U.S. sighting, Transformers Universe Treadbolt has been found at a Walmart in Utah. Expect his big brother Stormcloud to follow very soon.
Treadbolt is a Jetfire repaint that I would expect to be popular with collectors. He's definitely high on my list. As part of the Voyager class, he retails for $20.

[picture courtesy of Otispq of tfw2005.com]

Transformers Animated Deluxe wave 5 coming later this year, along with new 2-packs

When we gave you our giant run-down of the coming Transformer waves that were due out through the end of the year, we some how forgot about wave 5 of the Transformers Animated Deluxe. Well, here it is! This wave is due in stores by December. I still can't find wave 4 at retail, even though it has been available online for awhile. But a new spotting yesterday gives hope that wave 4 should arrive on shelves any day. I really want a Swoop to complete my Dinobot collection.

Deluxe wave 5 (pictured above) is:

- Bumblebee (supposedly with minor paint changes)
- Blurr
- Swindle
- Blazing Lockdown

Also, some repackaged 2-packs are heading our way (pictured below). A Tfw2005.com forum member reported on these Animated Deluxe sets of Optimus Prime & Blackarachnia and Prowl & Megatron. The versions of Prime and Megatron are those from the DVD pack "The Battle Begins".