NY Toyfair 2018 Hasbro panel

[griffin]

The annual American Toyfair presentation panel occurred a few hours ago, and surprisingly, no photos were allowed this year.

We do have written reports though, posted on TFW (http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/02/17/new-york-toy-fair-2018-hasbro-transformers-panel-coverage-358830) & Seibertron (https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/toy-fair-2018-hasbro-entertainment-brand-preview-including-transformers-studio-series-generations-war-for-cybertron-fan-poll-hasbrotoyfair-nytf/40693/) (and maybe others added later).


Ben Montano and the brand team here.
Cyberverse



Showing test animation.
Bumblebee driving and transforming.
Looks like RID.
Smooth animation.
Toys are fresh takes on G1.
Scales: Scout Class through Ultimate Class.
Action Attackers gimmick: Last step of transformation triggers an action. Pop out gun etc.
Toyline: Decepticons: Megatron, Starscream, Shockwave. Autobots: Optimus, Windblade, Bumblebee, Grimlock.
Shadow Striker – A new Decepticon female character.

Generations



Music from The Transformers on vinyl – March 9th release date.
Prime Masters wave 3.
Legends wave 2: Battleslash + Roadtrap combination.
Bombburst, Bludgeon and Octopunch for Prime Masters
Terrorcons. Showing all 5. Combined mode shown as Abominus.
Uses Silverbolt tech but all new molds.
Female combiner: Elita Infinite.
Officially written as Elita Infin1te. Yes, there’s number 1 in the middle.
Elita-1, Moonracer, Novastar
PRIMAL!!!
Showing all 3 modes, Removable Matrix.
PREDAKING!!!
Way bigger than standard combiner.
Predaking is 5 Voyager Class figures unlike others.
Onyx Prime – Prime Master figure.
Prime Master Quintus Prime with Bludgeon Decoy Suit
Megatronus with Bomb Burst Decoy Suit
Solus Prime with Octopunch Decoy Suit
Next trilogy: War for Cybertron Trilogy
Not related to games, by the way.
Launches 2019. Part of the 35th Anniversary of G1
New stories, Cybertron based.
Fan vote next.
Needlenose vs Tracks
Spinister vs Wheeljack
Impactor vs Mirage.
Vote by hashtag on FB and Instagram.
Voting is on 02/20/2018

Studio Series



New tools, CAD file sources, Licensed vehicle modes
Stinger is incoming.
Wave 2 – Jazz, Transformers 4 Lockdown
Voyager Starscream
ROTF Optimus Prime and ROTF Megatron
Wave 2: Voyager Brawl
TRU Exclusive Thundercracker – TF5 Nitro Zeus Retool/Repaint.
Leader Class Grimlock and Blackout: All new molds.
Wave 1 Deluxes are now available right away via the official Transformers website.
Studio Series will hit shelves on April 2018.





Ben Montano and the brand team presenting, wearing I LOVE 84 t-shirts, with Takara team also present, thanking the fan community for their support, several rounds of applause.

Sean Carmine Infantino presents the Transformers: Cyberverse animated series with some test animation, to illustrate how the series will eventually look, showing the lore, backstory, history and characters - effectively the story of Autobots and Decepticons, their origins, teammates thrugh the perspective of Bumblebee. Animation style looks to be a mix between Rescue Bots and Robots in Disguise.

For the toyline: On the Decepticon side Megatron, Starscream, Shockwave on the Autobot side Optimus, Windblade, Bumblebee, Grimlock. Shadow Striker - new Decepticon female character - will arrive later.
Brought a fresh take to G1 designs for the toys, with Cybertronian influence, to new Scout, Warrior, Ultra, Ultimate classes of figures. Infusing new play pattern: "action attack" uses conversions to power a "signature move" which is accurate to the show.

John Warden introduces the Generations line, which as of March 9th will include ALL of the music for Transformers to be available on colored Vinyl. Lead into Machinima's Power of the Primes animated series, with poster featuring Optimus Primal.

Prime Master Quintus Prime with Bludgeon Decoy Suit
Megatronus with Bomb Burst Decoy Suit
Solus Prime with Octopunch Decoy Suit

Wave 2

Legends: Tailgate, Battletrap

Deluxe Terrorcons forming Abominus, revealed in a black box, with G1 accurate paint and deco, and new tooling.

Voyager Elita-1, with combined form called Elita Infin1te. The 1 is intentional.
New product: Nova Star, looks to be a Moonracer retool to join the Elita-1 team.

Leader Optimal Optimus, as seen previously.

Predaking shown on stage. One of most popular combiners, comes with Matrix of Leadership that houses only Onyx Prime Prime Master of entire toyline. Divides into five voyager Predacons, Cybertronian animals - Tantrum is renamed Torox.

Next direction for the line is War for Cybertron Trilogy, different from the old videogames (but same name, totally not confusing), going to correspond to 35th anniversary of G1, starting in 2019. Sounds like this is Cybertronian war pre-Earth, Tetra Jets will likely be there.

Fan vote poll for a deluxe class:
#Needlenose vs Tracks (brother vs brother),
#Spinister vs Wheeljack (Saboteur vs Scientist),
#Impactor vs Mirage (Greater Good vs Greater $$$)


Vote by hashtag Tuesday 2/20 - Friday 2/23 on Facebook and Instagram (hashtags above). Winners will be sold separately, but share story.



Studio Series:

Deluxe / Voyager / Leader classes
Most accurate newly rolled figures fans have experienced, licensed vehicle modes, in scale with each other, numbered packaging.

New Deluxe Jazz and Lockdown
Also shown are Ratchet Crowbar Stinger and Bumblee, as covered here.
Voyager Starscream
Voyager Optimus and Megatron from ROTF
Voyager Brawl
Thundercracker from Nitro Zeus
Leader Grimlock
Leader Blackout, with licensed helicopter.

Release due for April 2018.

[philby]

I did see the Predaking render on Instagram this morning, it didn't quite blow me away as when the initial CW figures were revealed and the CE Devastator. Might need to see a bigger image or in hand.

[Galvatran]

Predaking shown on stage. One of most popular combiners, comes with Matrix of Leadership that houses only Onyx Prime Prime Master of entire toyline. Divides into five voyager Predacons, Cybertronian animals - Tantrum is renamed Torox.
Anyone know why the name Tantrum has been replaced?

[DELTAprime]

Anyone know why the name Tantrum has been replaced?

It's always a trademark issue. Hasbro hasn't always been good with maintaining it's trademarks over the last 35 years and has lost many names. Also sometimes the USPTO says, sorry your trademark is too generic and denies it.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Anyone know why the name Tantrum has been replaced?

Could well be that Tantrum is a hard word to copyright as well. although I'm surprised they didn't go for the old Predacon/Decepticon Tantrum instead

[griffin]

Tantrum must be taken already as a Trademark, otherwise for some reason, Rampage was okay to trademark, but a similar aggressive emotive act (Tantrum) was not possible.

[DELTAprime]

Tantrum must be taken already as a Trademark, otherwise for some reason, Rampage was okay to trademark, but a similar aggressive emotive act (Tantrum) was not possible.

Also Hasbro has had several Rampage's over the years helping maintaining the trademark (BW and Bayverse). Excluding Takara G1 reissues they have never released another toy named Tantrum.

This apparently isn't the first time they have used the name Torox either, Headstrong was called Torox in Kre-o and Tantrum was named Torox in the Platinum reissue.

[griffin]

Also Hasbro has had several Rampage's over the years helping maintaining the trademark (BW and Bayverse). Excluding G1 reissues they have never released another toy named Tantrum.

This apparently isn't the first time they have used the name Torox either, Headstrong was called Torox in Kre-o.

I remembered the Kreon Torox, but after they did a good job getting all of the Constructicons names for the CW Devastator I thought they might find a way to use Tantrum.... like Outback with "Autobot" as a prefix.