Opening Salvo
I have no idea how to follow up the spoilers from last week so I’ll just give you my usual happy ending. Onward and upward!
Toys: What I got, what they got, and some news too
I think first off I need to mention I’ve embraced the darkside. To my female Chuckaholics, no need to fear I haven’t gotten married so continue to dream away. No folks I’ve done something I said I would never do, I got a MySpace page. It was late at night and I caved. Up there right now is a new edit of my Transformers movie editorial that I view as my definitive word on the topic.
Nothing new this week although I have E-Hobby THS Black Convoy waiting for me at BBTS; I’ll have him ship when the E-Hobby Kissplay cassettes come in. It’s funny I’m not a big fan of the overall Kissplayer story but the toys are rather cool. A reminder in a reminder, I still haven’t gotten Alternator Optimus Prime, and Camshaft. Waiting to see Winter Fest Binal Tech Nemissis Convoy on E-bay. For those who may not know this is the SDCC Nemissis Prime mold but done Binal Tech style meaning DIE-CAST! Well on with the news.
Lorenzo Di Bonaventura mentioned in a recent interview that the third and probably final pre-release trailer will be in theaters mid April to early May. This is good to hear, as it will undoubtedly reveal more of the movie to the general public. It’s good to be living in South Korea and Australia if you’re a Transformers fan. The new live action movie will be released roughly a week early in those countries. This gives more weight to the rumor that there will be a special preview screening at the 2007 Bot-Con. You might want to get the extra large pop corn when you go to see the movie this summer since Michael Bay has mentioned in a recent interview that the movie will be a lot longer than you might expect. Since most of his recent movies have clocked in at a little over two hours I wouldn’t be surprised to see a two and a half hour near epic. File this under rumor for now but in another recent interview Shia Laboeouf mentioned that the MPAA has rated the new movie. Originally the MPAA gave it an R rating due to the violence but Steven Spielberg was able to talk to them and get it reduced to a PG-13. Either way this is not going to be a movie for young kiddies.
Fast Action Battler Megatron is going to be quite an interesting figure. Early rumors have him being blue due to the ice still on his body. His size is the biggest source of controversy since those who have the prototype claim he is as big as Blackout, a Voyager class figure. I’ve seen some test shots and must say, he looks good but different from the larger class Megatron’s released thus far.
Hasbro is projecting that they will see due to all their movie toy lines. Besides Transformers they have Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four 2, and Spiderman 3. Keep in mind that besides the toys from Transformers Hasbro is also licensing the brand out to third party manufactures so that will be an additional source of revenue.
Takara/Tomy have updated their Transformers web site, now with an English section. This is a big step forward for them with the rumor being that they are starting to recognize the non-Japanese collectors market. Speaking of collectors it appears that MP-05 Megatron should be released in Japan March 30th. When it will be in the hands of importers is anyone’s guess.
Well if you haven’t renewed your TFCC membership then it’s too late to get the next member figure. I did it again for the third year just because I’d like to see this thing through. I just hope I remember where I’m sticking all of the figures.
Well the movie tie in game has an official street date, sort of. Game Stop’s computers first had the street date listed as June 23rd then, as of a few days ago, the date was pushed up to June 19th the prices and platforms are as follows:
XBOX 360 TRANSFORMERS $59.99
XBOX 360 TRANSFORMERS COLLECTORS EDITIONS $69.99 (Extras are not known at this time)
PS3 TRANSFORMERS $59.99 (NO COLLECTORS EDITION LISTED)
PS2 TRANSFORMERS $39.99 (YEAH I’M SURPRISED TOO)
PSP TRANSFORMERS $39.99
WII TRANSFORMERS $49.99
DS TRANSFORMERS:AUTOBOTS $29.9
DS TRANSFORMERS:DECEPTICONS $29.99
Metrodome in the UK is releasing their own version of TF: TM to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie. Details are still sketchy but besides Scramble City they will also include TF: Zone. The one shot special that focused on the Dai Atlas era of Transformers. Both will feature the original Japanese audio and new commentaries.
The Pros and Cons of Being a Transformer Fan: Remember When?
Most of the forums I go to are littered with mini flame wars everywhere due to knew fans popping up every day due to movie hype. Board Mod’s are throwing up their hands frustrated due to the increase in trolling.
What happened?
Collecting TF’s is supposed to be fun. Getting that Christmas morning rush when you find that one figure you’ve spent two months hunting for, (Classics Jetfire anyone?) Feeling a sense of pride when you look over your collection knowing how hard you worked to build it up. For some instead of a song or a movie there is a TF that marks a moment in their life.
Is the love gone?
If all we are going to do is fight over the one thing we love then I say lets be done with it. Sounds silly right? Not nearly as silly as getting kicked off a board for calling someone stupid because they like something you don’t. Take a breath everybody; lets remember together why we love TF’s in the first place.
Surfing the Space Bridges
Can you guess what the question is for this week? Yeah I wanna know, what is the reason you love collecting Transformers?
Sixty-Second Review
Energon Saber team
MSRP:$9.99
OUT NOW
I’m surprised that I never got to this team sooner since I’m a fan of all things Star Saber. For those who may not be familiar the Energon Saber team is a remold of the Air Defense team from Armada. Basically the new looks are only superficial since Skyboom, Scattor, and Wreckage all transform like their Armada counter parts Jetstorm, Runway, and Sonar. While not the most articulated of the minicons their combined mode more than makes up for it, I personally prefer the Energon Saber to the original Star Saber. If you have the Cybertron repaints of this mold then I would hold off on getting these guys since they’re not worth the E-bay mark up. On Elohims Enegon cube ranking scale I give the Energon Saber team six cubes, not a real necessity.
Parting Shots
Before I go this week I have some sad news to report. Bill Koshorek, the owner of Transtopia passed away on Sunday from complications due to a heart attack, he was only 31. He leaves behind a wife and young son so Ryan of Siebertron.com has created a memorial fund; the link to which can be found here. If you can donate I know his wife and son would be grateful.
The King of the Fanboys,
Charles
