SDCC has come and gone, the F5 Apocalypse has finished over on Hasbro Toy Shop, and today we are finally taking a look at the 2 toy based Transformers exclusives – Power of the Primes Optimal Optimus Throne of Primes edition, and Studio Series Bumblebee’s Retro Rock garage. Both are repaints of relatively new toys with special attention to detail, packaging and paint. The Primal comes with stellar packaging that is worthy of keeping long term even outside the box, a throwback deco, 4 Prime Masters and two new accessories. Bumblebee gets a shiny new paint job and two epic G1 cassette bots that no one expected to be reissued. We’ve run both through sessions and have almost 200 images of them showing what they can do. Hit the links below, and make sure to discuss on the 2005 Boards!
These will also be available at Fan Expo Canada on August 30th – September 2nd, so if you are up north and haven’t scored yet, you’ll get another chance at the show!
TFan2013
Am just happy to have a Dile (Dairu) in my possession. He\'s my favorite obscure transformer.
bradforj
I am very happy to have these reissues. I can't help but wonder though, how did they screw up the feet? Maybe these are made from new molds that were made by scanning in an original set of dinocassettes, and something went wrong? They would not intentionally modify the original mold when it was already correct in foot placement. It is a very annoying defect that detracts from an otherwise awesome reissue. Like I said, I'm glad to have them. I just don't understand how they screwed this up.
[Wing_Saber-X]
Lovin it
BB Shockwave
And the KO has troubles when you try to insert the upper torso, for the longest time I used it with the torso hanging in the front like he had a barrel chest. At least that way he kinda compliments Decibel, who has the torso far in the back due to the way they combine.
Any G1 collector worth his salt will drop to his feet and kiss the ground Hasbro walks on for doing the unthinkable – and something not even Takara did so far – and re-releasing two of the most rare and hard to find molds in G1 ever. I have been collecting G1 most of my life and I never dared to think I could own the Dinocasettes, even owning the KOs was a great moment.
I suspect the next exclusives (what's next, Toyfair? Hascon?) will be Graphy and Noise (=Decibel) in Volumes 3 and 4. And I will gladly pay the 60$ for each set, after selling the not needed toys from it, it still is far, far less than what I would have to pay for a genuine dinocasette – which is around 400-500$, IF you can find one, 'cause they appear on Ebay maybe once every 2-3 years. Even in Japan they are considered rare.
Tony_Bacala
Chill out guys. All good here. I see Annino's point, but I don't think Skyclaw meant any harm. Now, if every time I post a gallery he drops links to other people, I might be like hey now.
RE: Dope photographers – IG has a ton. I run Toyark's IG account, and post my shots for non-tf (and TFW's TF shots I do) there too.
The Toyark (@toyark) • Instagram photos and videos
These guys are also stellar: Johnny (@sgtbananas) • Instagram photos and videos Jax (@plasticaction) • Instagram photos and videos Noserain (@noserain) • Instagram photos and videos Jason Yang (@workmoreorless) • Instagram photos and videos Isaiah Takahashi (@blksrs) • Instagram photos and videos Spencer Witt (@swittpics) • Instagram photos and videos Joe Milone (@jcmilone) • Instagram photos and videos
take a spin through one of the @toypops3 • Instagram photos and videos tags any day and you'll see fire galore: #tcb_merdeka hashtag on Instagram • Photos and Videos
Mishap
Nice. I was wondering if any actually got sent out. My order is still sitting in the HTS shopping cart. After lag hell and then telling me they can't ship to Canada (after charging me the premium to ship to Canada!), they wouldn't let me check out, even with a US address. Maybe HTS has gotten better since I first signed up, I told myself… but no.
NGW
Awww how cute, you're using one of the weakest, most bs defenses ever.
Are you a five star chef? Professional athlete? Award winning director?
No?
Then you better not have ever said a meal tasted bad, booed a sports team or said a movie sucked you God damn hypocrite. Don't use poor logic as a defense.
King Glurch
Seeing the Throne of The Primes with the little drawings of the other character's heads kinda made me think about something. What would the other character's SDCC release have looked like? For example, if Ultra Magnus had won then his would have either looked like him without the armor or Delta Magnus. I don't know what some others like Deszaras would have looked like. Red Geist, maybe?
Skyclaw
First of all I dont feel I was knocking our photo guy. Hell, both guys probably know each, who knows.
Second, Don't be a dick on the forum. Showing your all tough will not make you popular amongst the Transformer fans here.
Annino
There is no need to be a fucking morondick towards our photo guy. He does a fucking great job and I doubt you would ever take a picture anything close to this
Skyclaw
Matthew Cohen (@shootingthegalaxy) • Instagram photos and videos
And done!
Phenotype
Link?
Verno
That background artwork!
Skyclaw
After watching Baltmatrix review of the big ape, Optimus Primal does not impress me. I see left over issues from the LC Rodimus prime and such that Hasbro brought over from one toy to another. Hasbro cheap tricking it again.
Skyclaw
These are good, but nothing like the guy who does Star Wars photos on Instagram! He is top notch and looks like right out the film!
shiftshock
Power Pimp'n Primal be like "kiss ma ring!" Ah yeah!
Phenotype
Jesus…these photos are REALLY nice. Some of the best toy photography I've ever seen on here. Very impressive.
NGW
The exclusives were so bad this year, actually don't really mind that I didn't win the lotto to get the opportunity to wait five hours in line for them. Op isn't a very good mold IMO, the paint job only really works here because of the uniformity, I don't actually care for him having his season 1 colors. Including the last prime masters with it is also the exact wrong way to do exclusives, don't withhold from the public at large things like that, use exclusives for weird or wacky things or something really cool that isn't necessarily a must have. The fact that throne is cardboard is also inexcusable for an exclusive, put some effort into it Hasbro. The other exclusive, that gold looks bad on Bee, I've heard not so great things about the mold as well. I genuinely don't care about the cassettes either and making them translucent doesn't really seem like the best way of reissuing them either, but those are at least something that makes more sense as a con exclusive than the last power masters.
The MtG exclusives had pretty decent art, but were based on pretty bad cards so….meh.
DecepticusPrime
Other than the backpack, I think Orion looks good and is articulated.
Lio Kaiser
Came home to find my SDCC figures delivered to my doorstep! Had no idea they even shipped (no email notification), but according to the invoice, they shipped on the 14th. Hopefully everyone else who got their orders in will receive theirs by the weekend!
Nice pics, btw! The Waspinator one is pretty fantastic lol
-Marc.