Pulse Con 2022 reveals

[DELTAprime]

The first wave on Transformers Legacy Evolution has been revealed. We have Core Class Dinobots with both Slug and Sludge coming in Wave 1. It is confirmed there will be 6 Core Dinobots that will form Volcanius. Plus a very nice-looking Core Soundblaster is in Wave 1.

Deluxe Breakdown looks to be the last of the year one Legacy line coming out but will be in Evolution cases. Needlenose and his Target Masters have been confirmed after earlier rumours. Scraphook is a new character based on the Junkions. Apparently, he will come apart like weaponizer to combine with future Junkions. And for AEC fans, Armada Hotshot is getting a new figure.

There is a Voyager Leo Prime that I'm not a fan of because they tried to make it look "realistic".

And for original IDW fans, Voyager Tarn looks pretty good.

https://www.seibertron.com/transform...em-more/47254/

[Handsprime]

Armada Optimus Prime in the background, looks like they have found a line to put that prototype they showed back in 2019.

OK apparently a few other things I have noticed:
*The core dinobots will turn into a combiner, making it the next combiner in the Legacy toy series, and the first time ever we have gotten a core class combiner (Battletrap doesn't count).
*There will be 6 dinobots (Swoop, Grimlock, Snarl, and a 6th one, which the leaks say will be Skar)
*If the leaks are true, then the various Junkion figures we are getting will be gettting new Weaponizers in the form of the Junkions. Also apparently they can transform without partsforming
*Crosscut, more insecticons are coming as well (according to the poster)

[JJJ]

Mmmmmm.

I like most of Needlenose (I mean, it looks like Needlenose!), but those targetmasters are just rubbish (and I'm not keen on the dangler...). They'll never see any other than gun mode for me. Also, I see some large similarities with the new Armada Starscream - is this a shared design with some heavy changes? It's the elbows that really gave it away for me.

Hot Shot looks like Hot Shot, so yay, but I really dislike the way they have made the legs unable to bend at the knee. Yes, it has perfectly working knees, but it also has huge kibble hanging off the back of the foot which entirely impedes the knee. Not a good sign if they cannot find ways these days to avoid Armada toys being bricks... What they do with the lower legs appears to be clever, I'll give them that, but not clever enough. Still, I reckon it'll make its way to my new shelf.

Scraphook is just fascinating - but maybe that's just my inner Ork surfacing for a bit

Tarn... Well, that's Tarn all right. Looks good (and is an insta-buy), but my attention then goes to the obvious DJD questions that arise

[Dimi194]

I have the FansHobby Naval Commander, but you bet I'll be buying the Armada Prime remake (if it is that one from 2019).

Hot shot and Tarn look great, and Needlenose is interesting - shame about the targetmasters, but if they weren't selling solo, that's what you got to do (and queue the complaints if they'd bumped him to Voyager to include more detailed TM)...

Although this only having 3 waves a year thing - is that the new normal going forward? Not a big fan - although it doesn't matter as much in Legacy given how mixed up it all is, for the more thematically consistent lines it feels a bit short...

[JJJ]

Not sure about the number of waves. This year was supposed to have 4, but the last one was bumped to next year for reasons as yet unknown (but probably due to COVID-related logistics problems - Vietnam, where Hasbro manufactures the majority of its Transformers toys, had a gigantic COVID spike 6 months ago, and is generally having a bad time outside that spike, and I reckon that'll have been perfectly timed to screw up this part of the year for delivery).

The there's that strange statement from last month about how Hasbro produced and delivered its waves - still don't know just what it meant, but it could see the waves changed to officially trickling out whenever.

But also we've got the capsules as well, so maybe as they ramp up the standard retail waves will be adjusted a little.

[JJJ]

Well, I have no interest in core class Dinobots.

But a core class Dinoforce... Because these do seem to be pre-tools for just that. 6 of them, so far following the Dinoking body layout. If Skar is an ankylosaur then we everyting except an explicit announcement.

And, entirely co-incidentally I'm sure , the featured article over on TFWiki is Dinoking...

Now, if this is how Hasbro plan to do Dinoking, does it give any indication of Landcross being done with cores? It kinda makes sense once I start thinking about it...

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Oooooh - in that poster for the line, I see all 7 Insecticons, both standard and Deluxe! Happy happy joy joy!

[reillyd]

I’d have preferred just nice Core class Dinobots (Sludge has barely any leg articulation, and a hollow neck, probably all sacrificed for the combination gimmick). Given that we’ve already had Slash introduced as a Dino bot my bet is for her, but I’d kill for a Core class G1 Paddles. We’ve -never- gotten an official Paddles toy, despite her popularity.

[SharkyMcShark]

That Tarn is bought on sight.

[Bidoofdude]

What a massive day for fans, we saw a taste of actually seeing the plural part of Generations come true with Legacy, but this set of reveals is a huge win for the fandom. Nothing is off the table, it truly seems we have entered a different era of sorts since Warden left. Not that he is a bad guy, he had led the way for a lot of modern CHUG, but it was a changing of the guard and surely a cultural shift for the design team that has led to this new phase of what is already a golden era for collecting. There's obviously a 1-2 year lag between the start of the production process and us actually seeing the toys, so considering that it's been a very good effort listening to what fans want and not shying away from characters/ideas for being too risky or a threat to the G1 status quo.

Some thoughts on the various figures:

Sludge and Slug
Plans: Skip

When we saw the leaks for Core Class Dinobots all in the same line, it was very exciting. Maybe I set my expectations a little high though for smaller simplified versions of the SS86 ones, but the Slug and Sludge we've seen so far are kind of ugly. The cut corners and sacrifices made for combiner mode are obvious, I just wish they'd have done more appealing colours so that the combined mode isn't the only draw. It is my understanding that the way they combine is the same format as Dinoking/Monstructor, so speculation is pointing to it being a basis for those toys to get made. We'll see how those look, maybe not being in the dull Hasbro grey will help and the combination sacrifices could be worth it. Hopefully Grimlock and Swoop look better. Disappointing but not horrible.

Soundblaster
Plans: Buy on discount

Not much to say about this guy, he's a black repaint of Soundwave (a toy I liked) with attention to cartoon details like the red visor and purple window. I always though the red toy window looked a little ugly next to the cartoon purple, so a good choice. The question is where to put this guy on a shelf, maybe as an easter egg of sorts on an Autobot Headmaster shelf, though I don't really have many characters from that era. Technically the first ever non-FOC CHUG release of (G1) Buzzsaw, hope it's a teaser. Good job Hasbro.

Breakdown
Plans: Buy on sight

Not necessarily buying this guy on sight because he's an excellent figure per se, only because he's an essential part of Menasor. Obviously big expectations with this figure after a strong start with Motormaster and to a lesser (but still existent) extent Drag Strip. Sadly it seems like they ran out of gas towards the end of the Stunticons budget-wise, as this guy is a retool of Wildrider, kibble and all. The robot mode looks great, good paint, very cartoony and honestly very close to CW Breakdown in looks. It's a real shame they stuck with the inaccurate Wildrider alt mode, it seemingly ruined or at least soured the experience of a lot of fans. I don't care nearly as much as others do though- the toy is mostly the same and I'm not a car guy. Reality is that Breakdown will spend all of his time as the back of Menasor's leg or in robot mode where you don't see car bits anyway, so a bit of a non-issue IMO and some people just want to have some perversion from Hasbro to justify complaining to no end. Good enough.

Needlenose
Plans: Skip

No attachment to this character, both modes look good and he oozes that late 80s G1 toy charm. Cool that he has both Headmasters and isn't a huge copout retool or redeco headswap. I don't plan to buy this figure but I am stoked for all the fans that have wanted him for so long with the whole vote thing, it's good to see fans coming full circle with that kind of stuff.

Armada Hot Shot
Plans: Buy at some point

Armada Hot Shot is an iconic design. I grew up with Cybertron/GF but this version of Hot Shot (and the show he's from) is the one everyone loves with a certain passion, I can see why. Armada Starscream is incoming as we speak and Armada Optimus is supposedly on the way as the Commander for Evolution, so even if that's all we get, it's a strong representation for the show, Armada Cyclonus and Megatron being the other two I presume will get made if not more. Both modes look clean, legs are a bit panel-y but get the job done. The head, torso and arm sculpts all look great, evoking that anime kind of charm. Excellent representation for the UT and a pretty figure- looks like a lot of love from the design team went into this one.

Scraphook
Plans: Buy at some point

Fans have wanted some Junkion diversity for some time, Hasbro finally let loose and is gonna test our limits. For a brand new character with no background besides being part of the Junkion faction we know, this guy has no right to be as popular as he is. Looks like a large part of the engineering budget went to this guy, as he certainly looks like a polished figure. The detailing and colours are spot on for a Junkion, alt mode is equally well-detailed and evokes that Mad Max derelict vibe. Very happy that they took the modulating gimmick of the past few lines that was IMO really only attractive for the Titan minions, and joined it with an in-universe concept we are familiar with. No partsforming required for transformation is a huge plus, as is the statement that you can mix and match in both modes. I may not end up getting every Junkion they put out, but Scraphook looks line a fun one to dip a toe. Kudos to Hasbro, definitely a lot of love and melding of being a fan + innovating likewise here.

TARN
PLANS: BUY ON SIGHT

Clearly the most exciting reveal of PulseCon, Tarn looks like a genuine masterpiece and such a huge wish fulfilment for so many fans. I haven't read the stories that Tarn is in but I am familiar with the character loosely, and this toy has me excited. Excellent paint apps and colour choices, two aesthetically pleasing modes, seemingly a lot of articulation, the guy has moving fingers. There has been some worry about the number of clear parts and how the paint is going to fare over time, so I guess this one will be one to take utmost care of and surely one of the more popular releases in Legacy/Legacy Evolution. Probably means more IDW figures along the line too, I'd like to see Whirl, Megatron and Cyclonus at least get a go as some of the more loved MTMTE designs, a deluxe Rung would be quite cool also. Not my area of expertise but hard to say if the other DJD guys will get made.

Leo Prime
Plans: Undecided

BWII is a pretty obscure pick for an English-speaking design team. I understand they also liaise with the Takara Tomy designers for a lot of these figures. Nonetheless, good to see the animated BW era get some love and with a strong showing. Like a lot of these reveals, both modes look very clean. No idea how I feel about the more realistic lion mode as opposed to the Kimba-esque anime design of the show and MP, looks fine but he could use at least a dot in each eye to give him some life. Head, torso and crotch area sculpt are all great, just the right level of mechanical detail without being greebled or too modern. I don't know what others' thoughts are on the (accurate?) lion kibble on the shoulder and forearms, but it doesn't bother me heaps. Great job by the design team, I don't know if I'll actually buy this figure but if I was given it as a gift or saw it on a healthy discount, I wouldn't have a problem adding it as an honorary member of my CHUG BW shelf.



Thoughts on the poster art:

Everyone has speculated to death on the hints in the poster. Plenty to be excited about, the Nemesis seemingly being the next Titan, likely with the big middle Tarn-like Decepticon face as his head as with The Ark. Bombshell and Shrapnel on the way as expected, should be just as good or better than Kickback. All the Deluxe Insecticons are in there as well including Ransack, so I'm curious if they just included him on the art (like Kickback) to have all of them on there, or if the Buzzworthy headswap will be ignored and promptly replaced. I sold my Buzzworthy Ransack and don't care for the Deluxe Insecticons anyway, so whatever.

A lot of focus is on the Junkions, notably that the left one seems to be a repaint of a new Animated Lockdown figure, which has me excited. Lockdown has an amazing design, he has been a frontrunner for an update for years now. Animated is supposedly coming in the second wave and beyond of Evolution, so I'd like to see them hit at least Lockdown, Lugnut, Wasp and Sentinel Prime before they're done, maybe the Constructicons are a big ask. Also probably pointed out by someone but the motorcycle Junkion with sidecar may be some sort of Animated Prowl retool, which means one of the holy listings may not be an Earthrise Prowl package refresh after all. Overall a lot to be excited for, and I'm sure the usual truckload of exclusives.

[Other]

Had not considered that car Junkion as a possible Lockdown reuse but giving it another look it would make sense, Animated Lockdown had a habit of stealing parts and the new Junkion's gimmick meshes well with that as well as the existing Weaponizers/Fossilizers/Modulators