Transformers Party Bag Fillers: Bouncing Ball Heads

For those that are interested here's my review of Combiner Activators Soundwave:

Ok, now I feel I should get Beeside so I can crash combine all of the team Bee members. Primelock is a cool name and a cool looking figure. Also will definitely get Dragbreak now. These Crash combiners are some of my favorite things.

Also, Saberclaw may be the best thing I have ever seen or heard of.

Really excited for the team combiners still. Galvatronus looks really cool to go with the other 2.

Will get both the warrior and legion Twinferno. That guy looks cool.

Too bad there were no new warrior reveals though

D-Maximus_Prime wrote: Also will definitely get Dragbreak now. These Crash combiners are some of my favorite things.

If you like these toys, then you will love dragbreak. great mix of colours and its the only toy to really use that flap as part of its aesthetic in vehicle mode (where it becomes the racecar spoiler).

I am also sad about no warrior reveals.

We have a strange piece of news today coming from yours truly! PEZ has apparently released a new variety of their famous candy dispenser, called Connectibles! These feature pieces of a character to turn your tiny sweet station into an action figure, of sorts! One of the characters PEZ has released is Bumblebee from Robots in Disguise, and his Connectible pack comes with a dispenser, candy, a chest piece, two arms, and a sword! He was found at Scrumptious Ice Cream Shop in Longmont, Colorado!

Wasn't planning on sleeping tonight anyway.

Seibertronian Chuckdawg has a new video review for us: Robots in Disguise Combiner Force Activator Soundwave with Laserbeak. You can check out his other 3 step Soundwave review here.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:For those that are interested here's my review of Combiner Activators Soundwave:

B&M sells RID Pez that are just the basic dispensers along with some sweets and no armour.

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/7065574
funnily enough i'm looking for him too!(Galvatronus)

Here's my look at the new Optimus Prime Combiner Activator. I think this is the best Activator released thus far.

I've fiddled with my battle pack Strongarm, despite the manual and stock photos telling me to put the arm armor shark face facing forward, I find they peg in better facing back.

Love the toy, just needs a lot of paint apps.

Just spotted this on TFW
http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/08/01/robo ... ail-346102

Thanks to a post on Ozformers, we have news that the new wave of Robots in Disguise: Combiner Force has been found at Australian retail! Bludgeon was sighted at Toyworld, though the rest of his wave was already gone by the time he was sighted. With this sighting in mind, head on out to your Australian retail stores and hunt down these new figures!

Nice only really into Twinferno and Thermidor tho but I'll take a bludgeon since RID has dashed my hopes of a toon accurate Blastwave. Also is Twinferno a new character here or is he supposed to be a Doublecross redesign?

Prime Target wrote:Also is Twinferno a new character here or is he supposed to be a Doublecross redesign?

A bit of both, given how universes work in Transformers. "Twinferno" is the new name for Doublecross in any given line, due Hasbro being unable to obtain the legal rights, or trademark, to the name. No big loss, the new name is better than the old one, a rarity.

Just saw the episode with Blastwave and was wondering, is he still available on shelves where the cartoon airs? I know the episode is a few weeks old but this was like a Wave 1 or 2 Combiner Force figure.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Just saw the episode with Blastwave and was wondering, is he still available on shelves where the cartoon airs? I know the episode is a few weeks old but this was like a Wave 1 or 2 Combiner Force figure.

Yes. He is currently still available in Canadian Walmart stores. He's available in the US no?

william-james88 wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Just saw the episode with Blastwave and was wondering, is he still available on shelves where the cartoon airs? I know the episode is a few weeks old but this was like a Wave 1 or 2 Combiner Force figure.

Yes. He is currently still available in Canadian Walmart stores. He's available in the US no?

The wave he's in is still available at my local Walmarts, but the one after it is moving in fast.

william-james88 wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Just saw the episode with Blastwave and was wondering, is he still available on shelves where the cartoon airs? I know the episode is a few weeks old but this was like a Wave 1 or 2 Combiner Force figure.

Yes. He is currently still available in Canadian Walmart stores. He's available in the US no?

On Amazon yes, anyplace else no clue.

Thanks to finding the decepticon island showdown set discounted, I now have my first warriors, Bumblebee and Steeljaw.
I definitely like Bumblebee more, better articulated and stable.
Steeljaw, I really want to love him, but I think the arms are limited and the way the feet are made sucks. I do like how he looks though.

So my Ultra Bee and Menasor arrived today. Dang, I love these figures. There are some neat tricks in Bee and Motormaster, and I love Grimlock. They may only move at the shoulders, but they are really cool. Neat little $24 figures that I do not mind at all.

I love how Bee's robot head goes inside his combiner head. that seems to be a popular things nowadays, see TLK Infernocus

I think between them, Ultra Bee is my favorite. The 4 bot combining thing is really unique and I love it. The figures themselves are cool for the simple things that they are.

Those familiar with the Robots in Disguise line are well aware that it keeps repackaging previously released toys to bring variety to shelves and keep the popular characters around. This is very similar to the days of G1 where the same toys would keep being rereleased to answer the demand of any new fan or parent who would discover the toyline and show. Wave 11 of the Warrior Class was the one with Twinferno, Bludgeon and Thermidor and now, thanks to a listing from Entertainment Earth, we know of the wave coming after that, wave 12. It is entirely made of rereleases but of only 1 character per case, which will help some fans get toys that they might have missed before. Below is a content of the all the rereleased Robots in Disguise toys making up wave 12. This is said to come out in September, so probably part of the Back to School restock we sometimes see in toy aisles.

Case of 8 individually packaged figures includes:
1x TRA RID WARRIOR BUMBLEBEE
1x TRA RID WARRIOR GRIMLOCK
1x TRA RID WARRIOR STRONGARM
1x TRA RID WARR POWER SURGE OPTIMUS PRIME
1x TRA RID WARRIOR STARSCREAM
1x TRA RID WARRIOR WINDBLADE
1x TRA RID WARRIOR SOUNDWAVE
1x TRA RID WARRIOR AUTOBOT TWINFERNO

I really hope that doesn't mean there won't be a new wave with new figures before the show ends... I am hoping for one more revealed at Hascon

All the shelf space for RID has vanished when TESCO got some in (in some places in the UK) they were gone in moments leaving empty shelves again.

Tesco is weird they have a shelf space for Transformers that is always empty around here. even when they are hugely over priced they still seem to clear quickly.

---------------

1x TRA RID WARRIOR BUMBLEBEE
1x TRA RID WARRIOR GRIMLOCK
1x TRA RID WARRIOR STRONGARM
1x TRA RID WARR POWER SURGE OPTIMUS PRIME
1x TRA RID WARRIOR STARSCREAM
1x TRA RID WARRIOR WINDBLADE
1x TRA RID WARRIOR SOUNDWAVE
1x TRA RID WARRIOR AUTOBOT TWINFERNO

I suppose Bumblebee has not been around much for a while now.

A Grimlock with Battlemask (but in green) or a Windblade with the new head but the old colours - would have been more use perhaps.

I'm sick to death of seeing Strongarm though - she's very over-supplied - where is Jazz, Scatterspike, Bisk & Ratchet ? Heck where is Steeljaw.

[yes I know there is a twin pack]

The UK need Bisk, Ratchet & Scatterspike - I suspect they don't have the push in the UK to pester the head office for a wave with them in - or they might be using the Stunticon excuse again about not being able to release them due to packaging.... as they'd need to repack them in Combiner Force packets and get them safety tested.

But they had to make new boxes for Strongarm, Grimlock, Bumblebee and others.

I think a better way to spend their time would be to pop in a few sandy deco versions - or versions with battle mask heads. Or even re-releasing drift with the Japanese head.

Grimlock, Windblade and Jazz already have an alternative head - why don't they use them.
If Bee was released again with a battle mask head i'd buy him again.
Also if they must keep re-releasing Strongarm they could at least make here in the reverse colour deco or in Black & white. even if they don't want to release her with a new head.

Also since the toys have got more expensive since they 1st came out they could probably add a bit more paint back too..

Seems like a waste of sale potential to me to at the very least not re-release Jazz & Ratchet or consider using the alternative heads - where they are available.

And this is why the new stuff is so hard to find, they ship out more of the stuff thats already clogging shelves and include one single new guy. I get trying to keep the popular characters on shelves but cut it back a bit or do variations, id rather see a repaint than a straight up repack. Glad im not an RiD fan, its hard enough trying to beat scalpers and other collectors but having to do that with only 1 new figure per case doesnt sound fun.

RAR wrote:All the shelf space for RID has vanished when TESCO got some in (in some places in the UK) they were gone in moments leaving empty shelves again.

Having to split the Transfomers area three ways (RID, TR, TLK) certainly can't help.

BTW, is anyone that wants a Grimlock not able to find one by now. I swear that guy's worse than most line's Bumblebee. Least I waited for the "gold"/g1 redeco...

Optimum Supreme wrote:
Having to split the Transfomers area three ways (RID, TR, TLK) certainly can't help.

We now have proof that has absolutely nothing to do with it. If stores wanted to stock the shelves, they could. It's just toy products like any other, all part of a hasbro order. If anyone has doubts, check these pics of consistently stocked shelves from various stores in my area including the latest toys for all 3 lines:

brag-or-cry-about-your-retail-transformers-section-t106967s350.php#p1903604

brag-or-cry-about-your-retail-transformers-section-t106967s350.php#p1904234

brag-or-cry-about-your-retail-transformers-section-t106967s350.php#p1904307

RAR wrote:All the shelf space for RID has vanished when TESCO got some in (in some places in the UK) they were gone in moments leaving empty shelves again.

Tesco is weird they have a shelf space for Transformers that is always empty around here. even when they are hugely over priced they still seem to clear quickly.

Same here in Ireland, what doesn't help in Tesco is that hardly of the shops sell the same products or waves. For example the Tesco in Tramore (a seaside town) got in the RID wave with Soundwave and Blurr, but not of the four Tesco's in Waterford (A large City) ever got them in. Similarly 1 Tesco was selling the wave 2 TR Legends but no other Tesco around the country that I have been to was selling them or any TR toys.

Coming from a recent Amazon Listing, we now have the first official images of Transformers Robots In Disguise One Step Soundwave! This is Soundwave's third entry into the RID toy sphere, following his Warrior class and Activator Class figures. The images, from a listing still showing the toy as unavailable, show off his robot mode, vehicle mode, and packaging.
Check them out mirrored below, and tell us if you'll be adding this incarnation of Soundwave to your collection.

william-james88 wrote:

Optimum Supreme wrote:
Having to split the Transfomers area three ways (RID, TR, TLK) certainly can't help.

We now have proof that has absolutely nothing to do with it. If stores wanted to stock the shelves, they could. It's just toy products like any other, all part of a hasbro order. If anyone has doubts, check these pics of consistently stocked shelves from various stores in my area including the latest toys for all 3 lines:

brag-or-cry-about-your-retail-transformers-section-t106967s350.php#p1903604

brag-or-cry-about-your-retail-transformers-section-t106967s350.php#p1904234

brag-or-cry-about-your-retail-transformers-section-t106967s350.php#p1904307

I must still protest this. There are very few instances where this has proven to be true, and most of them come from Canada or a major city where a TFW guy takes pictures for sightings. There may be proof, but for 90%+ of us, it is no where close to being true

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Optimum Supreme wrote:
Having to split the Transfomers area three ways (RID, TR, TLK) certainly can't help.

We now have proof that has absolutely nothing to do with it. If stores wanted to stock the shelves, they could. It's just toy products like any other, all part of a hasbro order. If anyone has doubts, check these pics of consistently stocked shelves from various stores in my area including the latest toys for all 3 lines:

brag-or-cry-about-your-retail-transformers-section-t106967s350.php#p1903604

brag-or-cry-about-your-retail-transformers-section-t106967s350.php#p1904234

brag-or-cry-about-your-retail-transformers-section-t106967s350.php#p1904307

I must still protest this. There are very few instances where this has proven to be true, and most of them come from Canada or a major city where a TFW guy takes pictures for sightings. There may be proof, but for 90%+ of us, it is no where close to being true

The question was never whether it would look like this for all of us, it was just whether it could work or not. So all you need is one example to see that it is probable and that the problem does not lie in the fact that its 3 lines occupying one brand's shelf space.

And we dont only have one example, we have an entire north american country with the same stores as the US showing its possible as well as other stores in the US in certain areas. If handling 3 lines was truly impossible, then you would have no examples, let alone all that has been shown. So that means that having to stock 3 lines is not the main factor. Let me ask you people this, were your walmarts and TRUs well stocked when there were only 2 lines? So before the movie line? was everything up to date all the time for those 2 lines? If not, then that means there was mismanagement (or lack of dedicated support) on their part all along and adding a third line does not factor into any distribution woes.

I dont remember anyone in the US saying in january that their stores were well stocked with all of TR wave 3, a time before we had the movie line and only had two lines to deal with. I instead remember heavy frustration and worry that toys might never come or waves might be skipped. So same as usual. Since this was before a third line factored into anything, then that means having 3 lines was not related and is not related. The stores that were well stocked and managed continue to be so and the ones that weren't continue to suck. I have never seen anything to suggest otherwise.

By the way, here are some pictures of the Team Combiners that I picked up. They are both really cool and it is hard to place one over the other; they're both really fun! Also, the yellow on Bee is far less bright in person, it looks much better

There seems to be the impression that stores in my area have trouble selling multiple subbrands at the same time.

For example they'd sell TLK legions but not the RID ones as well.

One of the best aspects of the Robots in Disguise line is it's mission to keep the fan favourite Legion class alive. The latest new Legion class figure, Twinferno, has been found at retail in Singapore at Toysrus. The back tells us he is 7 steps so only 1 step less than the warrior class version. Another good news is that his case comes with a repackage of Groundpounder who was skipped in certain areas of the world. This information comes to us from TFW2005 user darkavenger.

Ooh! I hope he'll be a bit better than the Warrior because I like the idea of a crazy twin-headed dragon samus ship.

one step less than the warrior class. that one step is probably the part where you straighten the wings in vehicle mode. most of the step will practically the exact same. but still, this legion class actually looks neat. might pick it up if it ever show up over here.

bacem wrote:one step less than the warrior class. that one step is probably the part where you straighten the wings in vehicle mode. most of the step will practically the exact same. but still, this legion class actually looks neat. might pick it up if it ever show up over here.

I thought it would be the step with his toes.

What is it with Hasbro putting only one new Character in a wave - sometimes not even repaints but all re-releases and just one single newbie.

It's weird. 2 should be the minimum.

I really hope they do something nice for the UK market like actually release Legion Bisk.

They could have also have made a Legion Thermidor pretty easily too or even a Purple & Green Blurr.

They could show some more effort at least. They claim RID isn't dead yet - but with the final batch of the show being so small I'd be very surprised if they put even as much of a push into winding it up as they did into Predacons Rising.

-------

I wish Hasbro wasn't being so cheap with their cartoons now - as what I'd actually like is a cartoon based on the unusued content for the cancelled Transformers Universe game (and perhaps the Japanese MMO) that would be a semi-sequel to Prime/RID too but with a return to the TF Prime art style.

One bad thing I have to say about Combiner Force is how they've been packaging the One-Step and Hyperchange figures. The open front is terrible to store and leaves the figure open to damage.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:One bad thing I have to say about Combiner Force is how they've been packaging the One-Step and Hyperchange figures. The open front is terrible to store and leaves the figure open to damage.

Open to theft too.

william-james88 wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:One bad thing I have to say about Combiner Force is how they've been packaging the One-Step and Hyperchange figures. The open front is terrible to store and leaves the figure open to damage.

Open to theft too.

Sadly that too.

While Combiner Force Dragbreak, made up of Dragstrip and Wildbreak, from Robots in Disguise has been found at Walmart back in early July, these toys still havent reached anywhere near saturation and many fans have yet to own them or even see them. Well, Scottimus Prime has informed us that he has now found these at Target on Long Island. The other combiner force teams of Shocknado (Shock Drive and Warnado) and Lunar Force Prime Strong have also been found at Toysrus by both Scotty P and Scottimus Prime. So hopefully that means these toys will be reaching you soon. For those unaware of these toys, we have included some reviews of them below the images of these sightings.

They had all 3 of the newest ones in an ASDA I was in recently - the purple guys are very purple. I would have bought them if they'd been under £15.00 but I'm not paying £17.99 for them when they will be all over the online toystores sales in a few weeks (october/november at the latest).

I'm glad they are making a few more though - I'd love to get another dozen of them - the more they make the more useful they get.

I still wish the UK would get it's own tailored refresh warrior wave with all the things we missed out on or got understocked.

Really what is wrong with these people never re-issuing Jazz.

I'd guess it's because they already have a ton of Autobot Cars to sell, and Jazz hasn't shown up in fiction since his original episode.

I think the Lunar Prime repaint is the case mate to these new crash combiners. Here's a thought, what if the Prime/Strongarm set is a pre-tool for a Motormaster/Heatseaker release? Even better, the Stunticon set is redone as Optimus Prime and the Autobots. How about that?

I have Strongarm fatigue.

She's now outstayed her welcome - it would be as bad if they repainted her - or released her with a different weapon or battle mask - but the same one over and over is now boring to me.

I wanted Jazz, Ratchet, Scatterspike, Bisk to break up the monotany of another refresh leading to another re-release of Strongarm & Grimlock (again).

Why not re-release Steeljaw - even Thunderhoof has only been refreshed once. But some of the toys never. Considering Grimlock has been out so many times i've lost count - I don't think it's unreasonable to way - "Hey how about sliding in a Jazz or Bisk for a change".

Besides Grimlock and Strongarm are going to sell slower than a new toy would... at least until they have a sale offer on them.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:I think the Lunar Prime repaint is the case mate to these new crash combiners. Here's a thought, what if the Prime/Strongarm set is a pre-tool for a Motormaster/Heatseaker release? Even better, the Stunticon set is redone as Optimus Prime and the Autobots. How about that?

There's no new tooling to Lunar force Prime Strong, it's just different plastic and paint colours.

However it does appear that the Optimus that comes as part of PrimeLock is either a retool or new mold, consider the different combined mode; head, shoulders & waist-plate.

ThunderThruster wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:I think the Lunar Prime repaint is the case mate to these new crash combiners. Here's a thought, what if the Prime/Strongarm set is a pre-tool for a Motormaster/Heatseaker release? Even better, the Stunticon set is redone as Optimus Prime and the Autobots. How about that?

There's no new tooling to Lunar force Prime Strong, it's just different plastic and paint colours.

However it does appear that the Optimus that comes as part of PrimeLock is either a retool or new mold, consider the different combined mode; head, shoulders & waist-plate.

I think he's talking about the molds in general, and I don't really see it. Optimus is a long-nose truck, while Motormaster is the cab-over-engine type, and Heatseeker lacks the lightbar. So far retools for Crash Combiners are limited to the robot forms with new heads and chest.

Cannot wait to see Dragbreak.

Course I really cannot wait for Primelock and Saberclaw. I love the simple combining gimmicks.

On that note, Ultra Bee is my favorite RiD figure of the year so far. The warriors have lacked some stuff this year, moving away from the con designs of the past year and a half, and Bee is just so much fun. and the very concept of him is really cool too.

So yes, if you get a combining figure, get Ultra Bee

Lookie what I just found at my local Walmart:

Via fellow Seibertronians Tresob and Bounti76 we have some news on a line of Transformers: Robots in Disguise toys that had yet to make it to US retail: 6 inch mini non-transforming titans of the main Autobot cast! A first wave of these Titan Guardians came out through Market Six two years ago, but Grimlock and Strongarm are an apparent second wave that hadn't made it stateside yet.

Along with them, both users also spotted some Optimus Prime and Bumblebee coin banks - all of which is pictured below from Walgreens stores, check it out!

The figures appear to be about five-six inches tall (give or take...it was hard to scale them). They have minimal paint-apps and arm articulation (but not leg articulation).

Not included in the picture were Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. I don't know what the distribution is, but I saw two Sideswipes and two Grimlocks.

These figures ring up at $6.99 each.

The Titans are about deluxe size, and only included the main Autobot cast. Coin banks were Optimus and Bumblebee only. I included a picture of them all together with a lingering Chromedome so you could get an idea of the size.