In quite an unexpected sucesion of events, we have an official reveal and details about the new Transformers Collaborative: J.Balvin x Transformers J. Balvintron.
Billboard website updated an article with an small interview with singer J. Balvin who was totally involved with this special collaboration, being able to chose the colors and the names of the figures.
“I’ve loved Transformers since I was a kid so this was a dream come true,” Balvin told Billboard.
“The J Balvintron Transformers that are coming out are a reflection of my dream toy. Ever since the proposal came to me I had this vision in mind.”
The first images of this special G1 Soundwave redeco surfaced a few hours ago, but they were taken down. The updated information indicates that this figure will be available exclusively via the NTWRK platform as a limited edition starting from July 13 at 12 pm ET/9 am PT. It will retail for $69.99.
Read the full interview here or a text version after the break as well as all the previous images and an official stop-motion video of this new crossover figure. Then let us know your impressions on the 2005 Board.
Official stop motion
YouTube Mirror
The figure is Hasbro’s first collaboration with a celeb and will retail exclusively on NTWRK
Last year, J Balvin launchd his own MacDonald’s Happy Meal and his own Balvin Air Jordan 1. Now, he’s getting his own Transformers figure, Billboard has learned.
On July 13, Hasbro will make available for pre-order the “J Balvintron,” a 7-inch tall figure with two mini cassette accessories inspired by Balvin’s Energía and Vibras albums that transform into a condor and a tiger to create a mash-up J Balvintron 3-pack. The figure also wields a blaster, and incorporates Balvin’s signature rainbow colors and smiley face icon.
While Hasbro has previously partnered with brands like Marvel and Universal to create figures from their respective universes, the J Balvintron is the first figure created with a musical artist or actual living celebrity since Hasbro launched its collaborative program in 2019.
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The figure, which will be available exclusively on the NTWRK platform as a limited edition, will retail for $69.99.
“I’ve loved Transformers since I was a kid so this was a dream come true,” Balvin told Billboard.
“The J Balvintron Transformers that are coming out are a reflection of my dream toy. Ever since the proposal came to me I had this vision in mind.”
The Transformer proposal came to Balvin via livestream shopping platform NTWRK, which is known for its exclusive, celebrity-partnership product drops, and which had a strong relationship with both Balvin and Hasbro.
“NTWRK approached J Balvin and Hasbro with the idea to collaborate with Transformers because Balvin is a huge fan of Transformers and we thought it would be an amazing fan experience and cultural moment — For Balvin and Transformers fans,” says president Moksha Fitzgibbons, who was previously Group Chief revenue officer for Billboard’s former parent company, Valence.
“I asked them to include elements from my past albums in the design. This is why they have two cassette options, one for Vibras and then one for Energia,” he says. “The colors, the names, I suggested all of these to them for inspiration. When we were in the process of making the design, Colores had just come out so we wanted to make many different color options.”
Evan Brooks, the designer in charge of the Balvintron, knew the singer was a big G1 Transformer fan, so his starting point was Soundwave, a popular Gen 1 transformer whose best-known disguise is as a cassette player. Brooks designed two small cassette players that transform into Balvin albums. Because the cassettes are usually animal-themed, “We looked at his tatoos and saw he had four or five tigers. We ran it past him and had one of them turn into a tiger that turns into Vibras, and the other one is a condor that turns into Energia.”
The first step in designing based on an actual person, says Brooks, is taking the visual elements that define the person and extrapolating them onto a robot. The biggest challenge, he says, was trying to balance Balvin’s many color associations.
“If you look at Balvin’s figure, I found his rainbow hair style very iconic. We went through ten iterations. The robot head has the five color break. We made sure the smiley face was present.”
The whole process, he says, was “very easy and very smooth,” with a bonus. Brooks, who hadn’t heard Balvin before, became a fan, and “Rojo” is now his favorite track.
The J Balvintron will only be available on the NTWRK App, which will premiere the figure along with an animated video and an interview with the Balvintron designers. Balvin will also promote the figure on social media
pandastrong
No, those are sold listings.
Pcsolyar
Those are all sold listings, with the final bid shown
MehWave
Aren't those just starting bids?
Pcsolyar
Wouldn't say it has increased in value yet, it was $69.99+shipping on NTWRK when it came out. It's selling for less on eBay right now.
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wideload
It sold out and has already increased in value.
MehWave
I agree. I get the iconic, nostalgic value of the original G1 Soundwave, but it's really dated and it shows. These collabs would do better (albeit still reaching a limited, niche audience) if they used a more modern mold and in addition to painting it, retooled to make an original, exclusive figure. Limited run, maybe numbered.
ArkinDotWav
Yeah, I would have bit the bullet and ordered it day 1 if it could fit with my generations collection like the rest of the Collabs.
I've considered repainting my seige Soundwave into this colorscheme, and getting this only for the gun so he could keep that. But nah. Not really worth it.
DecepticusPrime
Their mistake was letting him pixk a deco for the g1 mold and not forcing the siege mold
fedgez
I enjoyed the different color cassettes is all, yellow soundwave with guns that make him tippy as hell(yeah not so much). This toy may not increase in value until I am long dead–even then. There are much worse purchases I have made that I totally regret in the transformers series.
TFXProtector
Oh, no. I'm glad you shared it, gives us conversation fodder here.
Agreed on the collaboration part. Did they learn nothing on the Linkin Park one? Heck, a lot of these ideas and exclusives are kind of bunk in the long run.
Device Label? Great at the time and seemed like a really fun idea, but, it made for wonky figures stuck with outdated technology baked in and the figures/designs have been updated and replaced in grand ways. More e-waste and plastic waste.
Linkin Park? Yuck.
This? Yuck.
Disney Label? Adorable, but, fragile and stupidly expensive.
I don't mind certain crossovers, such as the BTTF Gigawatt and GB Ectotron, those are long-standing fanwank that has finally come to life. No one asked for this collab. No one. (People did ask for functional tech Transformers and DL gave us that, but not the greatest in the end.)
I think exclusives, mainline, and Selects (with a few crossovers thrown in) are the best way to go. This J. Balvin garbage is not.
W-P38
Agree for the most part, certainly with this figure. I thought I’d share what I saw, but personally I wouldn’t go near this release. That being said, I’m more inclined to critique the collaboration than how the toy stores are managing the overstock.
TFXProtector
It's not selling at $41.25 through NTWRK, it'll never sell at $70.00 through BBTS. I get that they have to make their money back, but this is betting on a busted horse, right here.
Don't get me wrong, I get that BBTS has to make money and get stock in, but some of their choices and decisions are part of the reason they're stuck with overstock and people going elsewhere to get their plastic crack fixes. (In terms of Transformers, at least.)
W-P38
Transformers x J. Balvin Voyager J. Balvitron Exclusive Figure
Now up for preorder at BBTS ($69.99)
power3921
Strongly considered it for $50ish shipped for a bit, but I remembered I'm pretty sure I have a reissue Soundblaster (minus cassettes) somewhere, so I probably don't need this mold again, even if do love the tacky deco
G1 Cassette Hunter
41.25 + 13.95 shipping to me + taxes…so not cheap enough on clearance to justify another. 1 & done for me. No point of trying for resale market.
wideload
Showing me $49.23 with shipping within the USA.
TFXProtector
Wow. That sold like hotcakes, eh? Oh…
Fuze9
Well I'm jealous. Is there a discount code around? A way to get free shipping?
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wideload
Down to $50..tax and shipping included. Bought it just for the recolours of ravage/buzzsaw.
Superquad7
$60 too much for me. EASY pass. Bleaugh.