Transformers Company News on Seibertron.com

An Update on John Warden's Latest Mecha Endeavours at Hasbro

Date: Friday, December 31st 2021 8:41pm CST
Categories: People News, Company News, Editorials
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 150,102

2021 was a big year for Hasbro's mecha toylines. The ever growing Transformers toylines gave us a lot of product (Kingdom, Studio Series, Cyberverse, MP, MPM, Shaterred Glass, Netflix, Buzzworthy Bumblebee, Rescue Bots, Generations Selects, Crossover) and Hasbro finally released the first Power Rangers zords developed under John Warden, the man who got the Transformers brand where it is now. For those curious as to how Hasbro's other transforming/combining robot themed toyline went, we have an update.

For a quick recap of the Power Ranges toyline, when it first got to North American shores, the toys were based on the same toys previously sold in Japan and as time went on, there were more and more differences between the Japanese version of toys (done by Bandai) and the American version (done by Bandai of America). It wasn't like with Transformers where the Takara version would have a slightly different deco, it was far more extensive. For the past 10 years at least, the toys in Japan for the same mecha were bigger and had electronics. To sell at a lower price point, Bandai of America would literally make a new mold, usually smaller and with less parts. There was even one time in Power Rangers Samurai, where the Japanese version of the 5 animal combiner had 3 modes (limb mode, animal mode, and geometric shape mode) and the American version scrapped the shape mode for 4/5 animals, which made it look ridiculous (Japanese on the left, American on the right).





Now when Hasbro bought the brand, they would do the same, remake new molds for their Power Ranger toyline and hired John Warden as the head of the design team to make these new molds. The first toyline fully developed under John Warden was Dino Fury and fans finally got to experience the zords in the later half of 2021.

And it turns out that for the first time in the history of the brand, the American versions are on par with the Japanese version, or even preferred by fans. While still a toyline for kids, Hasbro went for a more collector oriented mindset in what they favoured. It did not have electronics, and the zords are slightly smaller, but they have more articulation than their Japanese counterparts and the main zord has better proportions, a more detailed sculpt and greater show accuracy. Yes, the American version of the toy is more show accurate. It is also more dynamic and works well as a mecha action figure rather than being a brick (which all Power Ranger/Super Sentai mecha were in the past). So congrats to John Warden and his team on that, it is no small feat (Hasbro on the left, Bandai on the right).



Of course, it does help that Hasbro's mecha came out well after the original series aired in Japan, so they could replicate any show detail the original Japanese toys didn't have. Also, Hasbro's combining system for the zords is not as kid friendly as the Japanese version since it requires more force to connect and disconnect. The original Japanese toys had ports similar to lego bricks with similar ease of building but that also means connections on the Hasbro versions are tighter and less likely to undo while posing the figure (something the Japanese toys never had to worry about). So far, 5 zords have been released with more on the way in 2022, and all can combine together in various ways. Below is an example of combining 4 of them together along with using an extra head that comes with the villain action figure.



What does have to do with both is Hasbro upcoming collector oriented Megazord line. This is the stuff of dreams. It's basically Hasbro creating a Masterpiece Megazord line (something similar to Soul of Chogokin) in the west. The price is along those MP level prices of course, being $165 USD for the original Dino Megazord.



This has a lot of fans excited, not just for this release but for what they will do next. Although the fan enthusiasm for the black repaint was not great, since that purchase was behind an NFT wall.

And now you are all caught up.

HasLab Transformers Victory Saber production update.

Date: Wednesday, November 24th 2021 4:51pm CST
Categories: Toy News, Press Releases, Company News
Posted by: -Kanrabat- | Credit(s): Hasbro Pulse

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Views: 81,195

Greetings Seibertronians!

If you backed the Victory Saber HASLAB project and are subscribed to the newsletter, you may already have received this email update on the production process. For those who haven't received it, I'm here to relay the info below.
You can also see the Hasbro Pulse page directly HERE.

Hasbro Pulse wrote:

Transformers Victory Saber HasLab Backer Update:

Onward to Victory!

Let’s say go, Victory Saber HasLab backers! Check out some behind-the-scenes-photos of the Victory Saber HasLab! The Transformers Hasbro and Takara Tomy designers use these mold plans to know exactly the color and type of plastic each piece will be made with.





In the photos you can see the V-Shield, V-Lock Cannon, and the Translucent Autobot display stand. Can you spot the pieces of the Brain of Courage Brainmaster figure? Here’s a hint there are 5 pieces. Try to find them in molds, 3, 4, 13, and 18. Can you find them all?





Stay tuned for more HasLab backer updates as we take you through the development process on this awesome item.

Until next time, Let’s Say Go!

Parents, are your kids exited? Leave a comment below!

Marvel G1 Bumblebee Standee at Toysrus Canada

Date: Thursday, November 18th 2021 5:17pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News, Company News
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 109,637

It was Black Friday today at Toysrus and while it looked great on paper, none of you missed anything. Yes, the Cyberverse one steps and warriors had good sales, but it was the same 5 figures/characters and while the promoted sales on deluxes from the Studio Series line, there were almost none in stock, and none of the more pricey products (like Kingdom Rodimus or any of the Crossovers) were on sale.

BUT they did spice it up with some pretty cool decor. All across the stores were large standees promoting their action figure area. While the designs for He-Man and Batman were pulled from more recent sources, the one for Transformers was a surprise. It was Bumblebee as portrayed in the G1 Marvel Comics. You can see it below.

Some Hasbro Exclusives Are Now Only Purchasable Through Crypto Currency

Date: Monday, October 25th 2021 3:00pm CDT
Categories: Toy News, Company News
Posted by: william-james88 | Credit(s): Hasbro Pulse

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Views: 64,306

Yeah, you thought getting exclusives was already hard enough at times, but you seen nothing yet! A few days ago, Hasbro announced their first NFT, as they said they would (which yes, goes against their claims to be environmentally friendly). However, what is new here is that this NFT purchase is the only way to get an exclusive. For this first outing, it is a special edition Dino Megazord. The NFT itself costs $200 but you can then redeem the token you get for the actual toy. And yes, since this is part of a blockchain, you have to have the digital wallet that goes with this blockchain. While this was not a Transformers toy, we wanted to give you a heads up at the new kind of currency Hasbro is now accepting in case it happens with a Transformers exclusive next. This will also create a change in the secondary market for collectibles since the NFT component could likely be sold again, meaning the same product would have a digital and physical secondary market. Also, this NFT is sold out.

In any case, here are the details below from Hasbro Pulse. Once again, this was just a heads up to Hasbro's new endeavour since it definitely changes things:

The first-ever Hasbro NFT, part of the WAX Blockchain
Available for purchase from 10/22/21 – 10/24/21 (Only available to US customers. Subject to availability. Limited quantities. While supplies last. Limit 1 per customer.)
Redeem your code on Wax Platform from 10/25/21 – 10/31/21
You will receive the digital token only if the NFT is in your Wax Wallet by 10/31/21 at 11:59PM EST
Redeem the digital token for the ZAP Special Edition Dino Megazord between 11/1 and 11/8 at 11:59PM EST
WAX account required, see FAQ for more information
Includes: 1 Unique NFT, 1 digital Power Coin Token redeemable for 1 Special Edition Dino Megazord with 10 accessories

Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner has died at age 58

Date: Tuesday, October 12th 2021 8:03pm CDT
Categories: People News, Company News
Posted by: Seibertron | Credit(s): Hasbro

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Views: 89,200

Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner, 58, passed away earlier today, just two days after taking a medical leave of absence. Goldner joined Hasbro in 2000, became the CEO of Hasbro in 2008 and its chairman in 2015. He was instrumental in transforming Hasbro from just a toy company to an entertainment company. While his cause of death has not been officially announced, he had been battling with cancer during the past decade. He was preceded in death by his son Brandon. He is survived by his wife Barbara and his daughter Brooke. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his co-workers.


Brian Goldner at Charity event for Transformers Movie alongside Tyrese Gibson and Rachael Taylor

On a personal note, I first met Brian Goldner at Toy Fair 2007 when he was the COO of Hasbro. It was the first time that Transformers Movie products were being revealed. It was also a big week because there was also an industry screener in New York City hosted by Dreamworks and Michael Bay that featured about 20 minutes of the Transformers movie. A couple of months later, Brian personally called to invite me to the premiere of the Transformers Movie in 2007 at a Hasbro Children's Hospital charity event in Providence, Rhode Island. I was very honored and humbled that he had reached out to me so that I could experience the special event and cover it for Seibertron.com.

When I saw him at BotCon 2007, he came up to me while I was photographing the new Transformers movie toys and products at the Hasbro booth. During our conversation, his daughter Brooke came up to him. He introduced me to her as "Ryan, the owner of the Transformers fansite Seibertron.com". His daughter smiled, and said "Seibertron.com? That's the website you are on every night before you go to bed!" We both had a laugh at his daughter innocently outing that he was checking out Transformers coverage on Seibertron.com (presumably to keep his finger on the fan pulse pertaining to the movie) and that moment has remained one of my favorite Seibertron.com memories over the years. It was an honor to know that he was checking out Seibertron.com.


Brian Goldner alongside a Transformers Movie Bumblebee toy at Toy Fair 2007

Brian Goldner was one of the first people from Hasbro to personally reach out to me. He was sincere and helped me feel special about Seibertron.com. It was an honor to have met him. Thanks for all you did for all of us, Brian.

On behalf of the entire Seibertron.com family, we extend our condolences to those closest to Brian Goldner.

Transformers Focused Fan First Friday This Week- Star Saber Strongly Hinted At

Date: Monday, August 23rd 2021 2:24pm CDT
Categories: Event News, Rumors, Company News, Digital Media News
Posted by: Bounti76 | Credit(s): Transformers Facebook

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Views: 102,361

Well, Transformers fans, it looks like we are going to have a big reveal this coming week! The Transformers official Facebook page has posted that on Friday, the Transformers team at Hasbro will be doing a Fan First Friday streaming event on their YouTube channel. This isn't anything unusual- they've been doing FFF and Transformers Tuesday events all year- but it looks like we're going to get something pretty big revealed. Given their use of the phrase "Let's say go!" in the post, it seems they're going to reveal the HasLab Transformers: Victory project that was teased several weeks back. Seeing as how that was Autobot Supreme Commander Star Saber's catchphrase in the Victory cartoon, it's highly likely that we'll be seeing a reveal of a Star Saber figure in a few days.




While their post is by no means a confirmation of a Star Saber figure, it's hard not to speculate that it will be a new version of the Fan favorite Autobot. If it turns out to be true, this would also be the first transforming version of Star Saber released in the U.S. market; his previous G1 and Masterpiece figures were only released in Japan, as was the Victory cartoon (though the MP was available from online e-tailers in the US).

So are you pumped to see what the big reveal is? Hoping to see what the remaining Kingdom figures are going to be? There's only one way to find out, and that's to tune in this Friday at 11am ET on Pulse's YouTube channel. See you all then!

(You can check out the original Facebook post by clicking the photo above).

War for Cybertron Kingdom Battle Across Time Maximal Skywarp and Earth-Mode Sideswipe Revealed

Date: Tuesday, June 1st 2021 12:46pm CDT
Categories: Toy News, Press Releases, Company News, Collectables
Posted by: Bounti76 | Credit(s): Hasbro

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Views: 131,341

Thanks to Hasbro, we've been alerted to another Transformers Tuesday reveal from Hasbro! This reveal brings us another of the "Battle Across Time" subline from Transformers: Kingdom. This two-pack, a shared exclusive between Hasbro Pulse and Amazon, contains Maximal Skywarp, a head(s) retool and redeco of Kingdom Airazor, and Sideswipe, now in his Earth Lamborghini form.


















Transformers: Generations War for Cybertron: Kingdom Battle Across Time Collection Deluxe WFC-K42 Sideswipe and Maximal Skywarp

(Ages 8 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $44.99 / Available: November 1, 2021)

The Deluxe WFC-K42 SIDESWIPE and MAXIMAL SKYWARP Battle Across Time Collection includes a G1-inspired SIDESWIPE figure standing at 5.5 inches tall that converts from robot to sports car mode in 16 steps and a Beast Wars II-inspired MAXIMAL SKYWARP standing at 5.5 inches tall converts from robot to bald eagle mode in 22 steps. The figures come with a shoulder cannon, blaster and 2 Photon blaster accessories.

 

The Battle Across Time Collection allows fans to experience the clash between G1 and Beast Wars with MAXIMAL and AUTOBOT team-ups! With SCORPONOK in pursuit, SIDESWIPE and SKYWARP must team up to keep the DECEPTICON-PREDACON threat at bay. Each Battle Across Time pack features exclusive art that creates an epic battle scene when combined (each sold separately, subject to availability).

 

Beastify the battlefield! Worlds collide when the MAXIMALS and PREDACONS join the fight, coming together with the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS in an epic battle that will alter their destiny forever. Adult fans nostalgic for the original TRANSFORMERS animation and kids discovering classic characters for the first time can share and experience exciting play patterns for all generations. Available now for pre-order on Amazon.

So, Seibertronians, are you excited for this new two pack? Didn't pick up Siege Sideswipe, but can't pass up Lambo Sideswipe? Not impressed with Airazor but won't miss out on Skywarp? Let us know what your thoughts are below!

War for Cybertron: Kingdom Amazon Exclusive Maximal Grimlock and Mirage Revealed and Up for Preorder

Date: Tuesday, May 11th 2021 1:24pm CDT
Categories: Toy News, Press Releases, Company News, Collectables
Posted by: Bounti76 | Credit(s): Hasbro

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Views: 96,312

The Amazon exclusive 2-pack (subtitled 'Battle Across Time') of Grimlock and Mirage has been revealed! What's more, it's also up for preorder at Amazon, with a limited number of sets available at Hasbro Pulse (where Pulse Premium members have first access).

Grimlock is a new head retool and complete redeco of Kingdom Dinobot, paying homage to Grimlock's Beast Wars toy being a redeco of Dinobot. As such, he's listed as 'Maximal Grimlock.

Mirage is a retool of his Siege figure into an Earth-mode racecar, featuring the same head, unlike his previous Amazon exclusive figure, which featured a more G1 toy accurate head.

Read on for the official press release from Hasbro, as well as official pictures of the duo (and see if you notice how we may be getting a certain figure).

Transformers: Generations War for Cybertron: Kingdom Battle Across Time Collection Deluxe WFC-K40 Autobot Mirage and Maximal Grimlock

(Ages 8 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $49.99/ Available: 11/1/2021)

The Deluxe WFC-K40 AUTOBOT MIRAGE and MAXIMAL GRIMLOCK Battle Across Time Collection includes a G1-inspired AUTOBOT MIRAGE figure standing at 5.5 inches tall that converts to Earth racecar mode in 20 steps and a Beast-Wars: Uprising-inspired MAXIMAL GRIMLOCK standing at 5.5 inches tall that converts to raptor mode in 28 steps. The figures come with 2 blaster accessories and MAXIMAL GRIMLOCK’s tail detaches from raptor mode to become 2 sword accessories!

 

The Battle Across Time Collection allows fans to experience the clash between G1 and Beast Wars with MAXIMAL and AUTOBOT team-ups! With DINOBOT, STARSCREAM, and WASPINATOR in pursuit, GRIMLOCK and MIRAGE must team up to keep the DECEPTICON-PREDACON threat at bay. Each Battle Across Time pack features exclusive art that creates an epic battle scene when combined (each sold separately, subject to availability).

 

Beastify the battlefield! Worlds collide when the MAXIMALS and PREDACONS join the fight, coming together with the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS in an epic battle that will alter their destiny forever. Adult fans nostalgic for the original TRANSFORMERS animation and kids discovering classic characters for the first time can share and experience exciting play patterns for all generations. Available now for pre-order on Amazon.

So what do you think of this two-pack, Seibertronians? Are you excited to have both these figures? Click on any photo above to be taken to the Amazon listing, and let us know what you think below!

Hasbro To Raise Prices As Costs Rise

Date: Wednesday, April 28th 2021 3:37pm CDT
Categories: Toy News, Company News
Posted by: ZeroWolf | Credit(s): Hasbro, Reuters

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Views: 43,824

Greetings Seibertronians! Thanks to fellow Seibertron user, Shiningstar7896, we got pointed towards this article from Reuters. The bulk of the article is from statements made at the Hasbro’s 2021 First Quarter Financial Results Conference Call, which is also where we leaned that the corporation is looking to capitalise on the growing trend of NFTs.



In a nutshell, due to rising costs with resin, shipping, packaging and metal prices, Hasbro will be looking to offset these by increasing the prices on their products from the second half of the year, going forward. This will likely cover Transformers Kingdoms fourth wave and what ever Studio Series figures that are yet to be revealed.

This is the key points from the article:

Reuters wrote:Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) said on Tuesday it would raise prices of toys and games to counter higher raw material costs as the company sees surging demand for its Nerf blasters and board games from families spending more time at home.

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The toymaker, like most U.S. manufacturers, has had to contend with rising resin, packaging and metal prices, as well as soaring transportation costs due to high demand and supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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"Freight and input cost increases have become more pronounced over the past several months, and we have plans in place to help mitigate those costs, including price increases for the second half of the year," Hasbro Chief Financial Officer Deborah Thomas said.

What do you think about this? What prices do you expect them to start asking for on top of the current pricing set up?

Shout out in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!

Hasbro Backtracking on Being Environmentally Friendly with Interest in Transformers NFTs

Date: Tuesday, April 27th 2021 3:47pm CDT
Category: Company News
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 34,646

Hasbro made a big splash when they announced that they were aiming to phase out plastic usage. This was picked up by many news sties beyond our Transformers community. We have seen some of these initiatives with the Kingdom line using less plastic than previous lines for their window.
However, this new announcement seems to be going in the opposite direction.

You can read Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner's quote below, coming from their first Quarter Financial Results Conference Call, where he states that Hasbro is currently looking into opportunities in the NFT (non-fungible token) market and pairing it with their properties, of which Transformers is called out by name.

Now, for those unaware of what an NFT is, in layman's terms, it is a digital file that is encrypted using a blockchain so that only the owner can have access to it. Now a block chain is the very same kind of system that is used in crypto currency where currency is mined by powerful computers solving an equation that grows in complexity to the point where a big part of the worth of whatever you are mining is equal to how much it is costing you to mine it (hence why it is always more expensive to mine for more Bitcoin). Of course, this ever growing need for more powerful computers means that the energy used for the creation of an NFT is immense and more than any of us would consume in electricity in a month. You can read more about those impacts here. These NFTs are traded similarly to crypto currency, the difference here is that the copyright of the image is retained by Hasbro who would get a percentage of the value these NFTs are sold for every time one person buys it from someone else. Meaning once an NFT is on the market, the copyright holder (Hasbro) can accumulate wealth in perpetuity without ever being involved again in the process.

“NFTs are a real opportunity for us. As you know we have so many brands that really operate on multiple demographic levels; whether it’s Transformers, whether it’s Magic [The Gathering] and the D&D brand, and brands like G.I. Joe. We have a team that is leading our effort out of the west coast. We have our arms around this and see multiple opportunities on the NFT side and you’ll hear more about that as we move forward. But, we are actively developing our opportunities here and we do see it as substantial.”