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under History of Transformers, Robots in Disguise

Happy 20th Anniversary Robots In Disguise!

This year, and today in particular, marks the 20-year anniversary of Transformers Robots in Disguise airing in the United States.  This was the official English language dub of the Japanese show Transformers Car Robots, which aired in Japan the year before.   This show and it’s accompanying toy line were a big shift in the Transformers brand and affected how things moved forward in the new millennium.  It was also a big influence on me and this website in it’s early years, so both the brand and TFW2005 may not be what it is today without it.

We hope you will read on after the break to check out our celebration of Robots in Disguise on it’s 20th!

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under General Articles, Transformers Prime

Today, as fans across the US celebrate Thanksgiving, Transformers fans everywhere are giving thanks for a much beloved Transformers series. Yes, we couldn’t believe it either as it doesn’t feel like it’s been a decade, but Transformers Prime turns ten today!

On this day ten years ago Hasbro Studios debuted the pilot episodes of Transformers Prime, Darkness Rising, on The Hub network, introducing us to a series that ten years on is warmly remembered as one of the most beloved incarnations of Transformers. In this special retrospective we’ll be looking back at Transformers Prime and discussing its legacy, what makes it so well remembered, and what newer Transformers series can learn from Transformers Prime.
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under General Articles, Transformers Cyberverse

Transformers Cyberverse is the most recent, and at the time of writing, the currently airing Transformers show. It’s a show that I passed on at first after being turned off by the early episodes – and what a mistake that was. 

I came back to Transformers Cyberverse due to current events giving me plenty of time to catch up on some TV viewing. When I watched the show’s second and especially third seasons, my opinion of Transformers Cyberverse was changed completely. It has become one of my favourite Transformers shows ever made. It will never dethrone the mighty Beast Wars or Transformers Animated in my heart, but it is a solid top five show. 

Read on for an exploration of why that is, and why you really need to give Transformers Cyberverse your attention. 

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under History of Transformers, Video Games

On December 16th, 2009, a new Transformers video game was announced by Hasbro and developer High Moon Studios. With the then-recent release of the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen game, surely it could not have been another movie game. No, this one would come to impact the fandom, the franchise, and the way we see the Transformers very heavily. Transformers: War for Cybertron was set to be the first video game and indeed the first major piece of media in franchise history to focus entirely on the details of why the Transformers left Cybertron in the first place without simply being a flashback or special episode of any kind. However, it not only revolutionized the lore of the Transformers, but its gameplay was almost completely unprecedented with little influence to draw from in terms of mechanics. On June 22nd, 2010, Transformers War for Cybertron was released for Xbox 360, Play Station 3, and PC.

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under Animated, General Articles

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of legendary actor and voice actor Fred Willard, who was 86. Willard was known to many as a comic actor, appearing in countless films and television shows over the course of over six decades. Some of his more notable work includes This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and the Anchorman films, but to us Transformers fans, he will always be known as the chrasimatic, conniving con-artist, Swindle in Transformers Animated. While his Transformers career is extremely limited, he brought a wealth of personality to the character and played a major part in popularizing the Combaticon arms dealer for newer fans at the time, ultimately leading to an attention snowball for the five-man militia.

The TFW team sends its condolences to Mr. Willard’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time of mourning, and wish them strength.

under Animated, Beast Wars, General Articles, Transformers Prime

We’re sad to report that notable voice actor Keiji Fujiwara has passed away at the age of 55. According to Crunchyroll’s article, he passed due to cancer on April 12th and his agency made the announcement today. The article also states that he’s been fighting it off for some time.

For those unfamiliar with his work, he is known to many as the voice of Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist [Brotherhood], Captain Hannes from Attack on Titan, Hiroshi Nohara from Crayon Shin-Chan, and the Japanese dub voice of Robert Downey Jr./Tony Stark from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To the Transformers fandom however, he is known as Transformers Prime Megatron, Transformers Animated Grimlock, Beast Wars Dinobot, Micron Legend Devastator, and others. His career was vast with three decades of voice over work and countless lives enriched by the characters he portrayed, and he will be deeply missed.

The TFW2005 team offer Mr. Fujiwara’s family, friends, and colleagues our deepest condolences and wish them all peace and strength during this time of mourning.

under Editorial, Other News

May 8th, 1984 – Marvel’s Transformers issue 1 (of a four issue, limited series) hit newstands, and introduced the world to The Transformers. 35 years, seven theatrical release movies, hundreds of animated cartoons and thousands of toys later, Transformers shows little sign of stopping. And while it’d be easy to mark the occasion by talking about the most momentous moments, the best toys or the greatest characters, we wanted to take an altogether more personal look at things and share our memories with Transformers. So please read on to check out the TFW2005 staff’s memories with Transformers – and then afterwards, be sure to drop into the discussion thread and share your own memories.

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under Editorial

2018 may have been and gone, but it has left us with a lot of good memories. From the Power of the Primes line to the Masterpiece series to Siege to the Studio Series and several other releases alongside these lines, there has been something for everyone to enjoy. As traditional, the TFW2005 staff have come together to present to you our favorite toys from the past 12 months. These are our opinions as individuals and do not invalidate any of the other awesome toys released last year – there were plenty of great toys to choose from, after all. We’ve taken our list from when we compiled last year’s list – so latecomers arriving in the final weeks of 2017 were also eligible, since most of us didn’t get them until 2018.

Read on to read what each of the crew felt was their favorite new robot from 2018!

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under General Articles, Other News

The sinking ship that is Toys R Us has, after months of the same minor discount, increased its store-wide sale to 30-50% of everything in the store. For some this may be too late as many stores have no doubt been cleaned out of Transformers and other big-name brands at this stage of the game, but for others this may be a good time to strike before all the good stuff is gone. The liquidation sale also includes Babies R Us, so those looking for cheap baby toys and supplies may want to act soon.

While their online store has been closed for some time now, Toys R Us still has a site up and running with a store locator and updates regarding the sale. To find a store or more info on the sale and the closure, head here.

under Animated, General Articles, History of Transformers

On 26 December 2007, a new Transformers show, Transformers Animated, made its debut with a three episode pilot which launched a new and different take on the Transformers mythos. Where Optimus Prime was once the supreme commander of the Autobot forces, now he was just a lowly starship captain of a spacebridge repair crew. The Decepticons were powerful and formidable, and the setting was an Earth 50 years into the future, where high technology made robots commonplace and technologically enhanced super villains a part of life.

This was Transformers Animated. We’ve chosen to mark its ten-year anniversary today, on the anniversary of its first non-pilot episode airing, to reflect how Transformers Animated was Transformers in the year 2008, sandwiched between two movie years. We’re also going to dive into how Transformers Animated was a show cut tragically short by a combination of circumstances, and what its lasting legacy has been.

Read the full discussion after the break!

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