COUNTDOWN: Legacy reveals – 34 things to know! (part 2)

What a week for new toy reveals, eh? It feels like we say that a lot, but honestly, it is well deserved this time, as the Hasbro Pulse Fan First Tuesday stream from yesterday did not disappoint! 

Along with exciting new looks at big toys such as Legacy Menasor and Shattered Glass Ultra Magnus, we were treated to numerous glimpses of other fantastic new products. So let’s round up everything else we’ve seen and check out some all-important info! 

Be sure to check out part 1 before continuing below!

 

#15: Tarantulas is a Deluxe class toy

Reposted from TFW2005

Next, we have Deluxe class Tarantulas, another key member of the Beast Wars crew and no doubt a desired addition for collectors who have been eagerly assembling the recent Kingdom toys.

 

#14: He is mostly very accurate to his season 1 Beast Wars appearance

It’s worth saying just how *stunning* that robot mode is, no? It looks like Tarantulas stepped out of the 1990s Mainframe cartoon, perfectly recreating his head design and overall appearance. That metallic green is gorgeous too, and all in this makes me incredibly hopeful that we may see a Masterpiece representation of the character at some point soon, too!

 

#13: He has the ‘Kingdom aesthetic’ for his beast mode

Despite his cartoon-accurate robot mode, the beast form follows the Kingdom playbook by incorporating some animalistic touches, including a more textured look. The furry moulding is seen over much of the spider body, although it was noted on the stream that they left the legs smooth for contrast. Arachnophobes beware!

 

#12: He is much bigger than Kingdom Blackarachnia in both modes

Mark Maher treated us to a comparison with Kingdom Blackarachnia and showcased how large the new Tarantulas appears versus his original mould-mate! That’s true in both robot and beast modes, which is another way these toys so accurately portray the ’90s cartoon. 

 

#11: He features the harpoon weapon from his original toy

Tarantulas is sporting two weapon accessories, the first of which is a clear nod to his familiar harpoon blaster, seen on his original toy and in the cartoon.

 

#10: He also features a nod to his Transmetal appearance

The second weapon is a surprise, as it’s a clear nod to his 1998 Transmetal figure, which featured a ‘pizza cutter’ buzzsaw blade. The Transmetal toy was even namechecked on the stream, briefly. 

 

#9: There is some nifty weapons storage on the spider mode

Mark Maher was also keen to show off Tarantulas’ rather sleek weapons storage gimmick underneath the spider mode, something that also harkens back to the Beast Wars toys of old, in a way!

 

#8: Jhiaxus is a Voyager class toy

Reposted from TFW2005

Finally, we come to Jhiaxus, a new Voyager release representing a popular character from the 1990s Transformers: Generation 2 comic, created by Simon Furman. Fans have been clamouring for something like this for years, so I’m sure it won’t disappoint!

 

#7: He hails from the “G2 Universe”

As noted on the box, Jhiaxus is one of the most well-known original creations from G2 fiction. It’s especially fun to see the redesigned Decepticon emblem from that period being given some use on the new packaging, too!

 

#6: The design is very accurate to the G2 comic

Jhiaxus’ design looks straight out of the comics, for the most part, faithfully recreating his bizarre but powerful form as seen on the page. There are some small departures in the colour scheme (most notably on the chest), but by and large, this is about as accurate to the source as mainline toys typically get and may well be the most slavish toy of the character we see for years to come.

 

#5: The face sculpt is pure Derek Yaniger

Artwork credit: Yaniger

Jhiaxus’ appearance was created by Derek Yaniger (along with Furman) and first seen in Generation 2 #1. He is a commander in a new Decepticon army, all of whom are offshoots of the original Cybertronian race. His distinct appearance makes him immediately memorable, so it’s perhaps surprising to see just how well the Legacy toy designers have recreated the comic’s aesthetic in the sculpt. That face sculpt is perfect!

 

#4: This is the first new mould for this character

There have been previous toys of Jhiaxus, including a Robots in Disguise 2001 repaint of Beast Machines Jetstorm with that name and a 2014 retool of Generations Armada Starscream (both of which were very orange!). However, neither of them really brought the character to life in such faithful form, so it’s thrilling to see this original mould finally doing him justice.

 

#3: He turns into a Cybertronian space jet

Just as in the comic, Jhiaxus turns into a Cybertronian jet. Yet, it looks a bit bizarre but hey, it’s still awesome to see! 

 

#2: His rifle can plug into the front of the jet mode

Jhiaxus comes with two guns, the larger of which you can peg underneath the front of his jet nosecone for a spot of alternate mode firepower, as shown on the stream.

 

#1: The name ‘Jhiaxus’ is a pun

The final thing to note here is about the character himself, who is still one of the more memorable parts of the G2 comic. The name Jhiaxus continues to cause a lot of confusion, but it was actually created by Furman as a pun on “gee, axe us“. This was simply the writer’s way of laughing at the likelihood of Marvel cancelling the comic’s run before too long (something that unfortunately came to pass after just twelve issues).

Oh, and as if all of that hasn’t got you excited enough about Jhiaxus…

As a lot of people are getting excited about Legacy Jhiaxus, maybe this is a good time to remember when he punched Optimus Prime so hard that he shattered his face. pic.twitter.com/lIynN7Wz4D

— Sixo (@SixoTF) April 13, 2022

 
 
So, that’s our list! Are you excited about the reveals?

TTFN