Amazon Australia is listing a possible new batch of Transformers: Cyberverse and Generations toys with new characters and figures hinting at Micromasters.
For Cyberverse we have:
As for the Generations line, the listing matches with the previously heard news on War For Cybertron Micromasters. These names refer to the entire 1989 Micromaster line; which further clarifies the listing you heard at TFW2005.
- Transformers Rescue Action Figure
- Transformers Battle Action Figure
- Transformers Airstrike Action Figure
- Transformers Spy Action Figure
- Transformers Sports Car Action Figure
- Transformers Race Car Action Figure
- Transformers Off Road Patrol Action Figure
We also have another mysterious listing of a ‘Power Ram‘ figure.
RodimusSupreme
…Nowhere…because it's an alien vehicle. And the Earth vehicle wouldn't matter, because we are talking about toys. We've had remolds where some transformation steps were added or taken away before. They could do it.
AnnoyedRobot
But where would the engine go if this was going to get turned into an SUV? Those are always in the front of the vehicle. Where does that particular chunk of vehicle end up in robot mode? Tucked around and pegged into the back, possibly making the figure more back-heavy? Partsformed-off and made into a makeshift weapon?
Not to mention the wheels. Those Cybertronian neon-lit mint-shaped lumps are decidedly not-Earthican. All that extra plastic, that engineering, that tooling, those parts, the extra assembly. That's a ton of little costs that add up on tens of thousands of units produced. These things have to be considered at some point by the engineers, probably having to stick to budgets and time constraints. This isn't third-party stuff where they can spare no expense on limited runs and take their time to perfect every little detail since most figures are bound to scratch some well-to-do toy collector's itch.
And this is all from just me thinking about what would be a particularly good baseline figure to make into something you'd normally see on Earth. Jazz and Bumblebee molds would be even more of a mental gymnastics nightmare, and FoC Optimus as a base for an Earth-mode? Probably impossible. At that point, new mold's probably the only way to go. Maybe build a Cybertronian mode from an Earth-mode vehicle at some point? Maybe that might work? But there's still one other detail I haven't even touched yet:
The WFC/FoC aesthetic is an outdated one. It's a style made up for a game that came out in 2010 and fell out of relevance for long enough to not even have brand-new molds for Generations' Thrilling 30 subline just 4 years later. (Metroplex was probably the only figure one could easily use from T30 to approximate a Cybertronian WFC/FoC version of the character.) Not to mention Hasbro had a ton of futuristic space vehicles in Titans Return that already fills many gaps in the category of "vehicles that look like they're not from around these parts." Hardhead, Brainstorm, Blurr, to a less extent Chromedome and Highbrow just off the top of my head. I know it's not the same, but it's probably still catering to more people who were fans of the season 3-4/Headmasters crowd, and that group has waited far longer for many of those characters to get revamps than people who like Transformers video games and want more toys of them in that style.
I think that's all the opinion of mine I have on the matter. I know I'm no expert on the matters of engineering or manufacturing, but I did give this a bit of thought and this is probably just scratching the surface of how toys actually get made/advertised/sold. I could be wrong at some point in this thread. Fair enough I suppose.
Nothing else to really say other than "Sorry this toyline wasn't what you were expecting." And to be fair, it wasn't what I was expecting, either. If this was WFC-styled Cybertronian vehicles, my wallet would have had a break and I'd just look around Ollie's for Interesting transforming robot finds. (Found a butt-load of $8 Sluglingers in my local one, long after I gave up trying to find one at a reasonable price. XD)
RodimusSupreme
It does have a front end, it's just stylized. There's a grill and bumper and very stylized windows on pretty much all of them.
AnnoyedRobot
Try getting a normal looking SUV out of Fall of Cybertron Soundwave. How do you add a front end like on a regular truck or SUV to that if it never had one in the first place? What is that added piece supposed to do in robot mode? Where were you even go?
RodimusSupreme
Wouldn't it just be new vehicle shell pieces? It's not that hard.
AnnoyedRobot
That worked alright for Beast Hunters remolds, but those vehicles were pretty much the same baseline figure and vehicle mode. How to you take something that looks like FoC Soundwave and turn that into (example) an earth mode SUV? At some point, one has to wonder "Does the remold take so much work that it might as well be a new figure?"
RodimusSupreme
I had had this thought (which I just thought was funny and considered it a joke) that Hasbro could design the toys in a way that they would easily be able to remold them into Earth Modes, then the whole second part of The WFC Trilogy would literally be the same exact toys, but just remolded into Earth Modes (which sounds ludicrous and stupid, but honestly that sounds like something Hasbro would do, which is why I found it funny). But now after seeing the very Earthen vehicle forms that they used for "Cybertronian Modes"…I now almost wonder if I've guessed correctly…
AnnoyedRobot
Personally, I do not in any way like the WFC/FOC aesthetic (if one can even call a balled-up lump with wheels a "vehicle mode" in the first place,) but that's beside the point. Without even a game to advertise with these toys, what is there to gain with having more heavily (WFC/FOC-style) Cybertronian vehicle modes that decidedly can't be used for anything else?
RodimusSupreme
Oh, don't get me wrong. I also think these just look like overly-stylized-and-detailed Earth Modes. Which is stupid as "Cybertronian Modes". But since Hasbro have yet to state "Yeah, we changed our minds and are just doing Earth vehicles instead", then I'd say these are meant to be "Cybertronian modes", which, like I said, is just stupid.
yes. Shortround has been waiting for years.
ZapRowsdower
Assuming you can trust Amazon prices at all?
They invent MSRPs and charge what they want for TF toys.
ZapRowsdower
YEah, the new Hasbro pricing has me concerned. It's one thing for Netflix to raise prices from 9.99/mo to 10.99/mo; Hasbro is raising deluxes $3, and Voyagers $5!!!
Which might not be a bad idea, were the quality improving in a noticeable way… but this is Hasbro making things cheaper AND charging you more. It's the Eisner business model, and I'm categorically AGAINST fleecing loyal customers.
Doesn't matter, though: the distribution will be so colossally bad, you won't be able to buy these physically, even if you did have the extra change!
Flaming retail hoop: pay Hasbro a premium for a cheap-quality toy that is also impossible to find in local stores. So much fun!
I love Micromasters, but I'm continually frustrated and disappointed with the management decisions behind the TF line. Nostalgia will only carry this brand so far… and I don't see the BB movie miraculously turning around the sinking cinema ship.
geekatron prime
Thank you for the explanation.
Too bad I'm already a natually confused person. LOL 
chuckcjc
Oh Hells yeah !! Micromasters !!!
Windsweeper II
We need a plunger Transformer.
Windsweeper II
Those looked a lot more interesting than this Optimus to me. I still love my FOC Shoks. He is just the wrong size to be my definitive chug Shockwave.
Fort Max
Off road patrol would be a slightly odd name for an individual figure and the rest would be very vague lol.
JomasterII
I assume Cyberverse as it's within that price point and Soundwave's already got a one-step changer out…
SilverOptimus
That's how they are usually listed. 1 pack = 1 unit. Otherwise people might get confused on how much they have to pay.
GrimLocke
Now, I wonder if that’s a Cyberverse or Siege Soundwave?
So, far Hasbro hasn’t done much with the blue buddy for Cyberverse, but maybe Siege will offer something better.
cynw32618
They remind me of how I think Sideswipe & Optimus would have looked if they’d been introduced in 1986-1987 of G1 when the vehicles were set ‘a bit in the future’ rather than 1984-1985 ‘80s present day’, which is a concept I love.
If you imagine this series as being like if the G1 cartoon had carried on after ‘The Rebirth’ with more Season 4, & the Season 1 cartoon characters had been reintroduced in new forms (like Bumblebee/Goldbug) I think it works great.