COUNTDOWN: 16 Generations & Studio Series toy updates that need to be seen! (part 2)

It’s been another week of hot toy reveals, especially with the Hasbro Pulse Fanstream providing tons of new information just the other day! There’s a lot to look forward to on the horizon, and with pre-orders already live for most of it, here’s a rundown of the latest Generations and Studio Series updates!

Be sure to check out part 1 first in case you missed it!

#8: Legacy Inferno

Beast Wars Inferno is a character many have been looking forward to since Kingdom, and now finally, he’s here! We were treated to some extra snippets of detail on the Fanstream, including a look at the sublime textured detail in the ant mode and the highly articulated jaw in robot form. Additionally, we were shown how the booster on his back can spin round, just as in the ’90s animation. It was explained that the rocket section itself doubles as the handled blaster weapon because the team couldn’t figure out otherwise how to include everything due to cost. The final surprise was that despite the promotional images showing the ant eyes to be black, they will apparently be more of a blue during production, so that’s something to, ahem, keep an eye on.

#7: Studio Series Crosshairs

Crosshairs popped up in two of the live-action Transformers films and, perhaps to little surprise, presents a fair degree of challenge for any designers looking to replicate his appearance in toy form. A transforming robot that appears to be wearing a trenchcoat will do that, evidently. Designer Sam Smith was proud to show off on the Fanstream how they did it, and to their credit, it appears as though the robot form is mostly quite elegant apart from some of the more obvious car parts kibble going on. Perhaps even more impressive is that licensed Corvette alternate mode, as the C7 Stingray has arguably never looked more enticing in toy form before, especially with such a striking paint job.

#6: Legacy Skullgrin

Legacy Skullgrin has already been shown off, but the latest promotional pictures and the Fanstream demonstrated that the toy has been through a few changes since then. Most noticeably, the paint on the robot mode chest is distinctly more purple than before, which brings a welcome pop of extra colour to the proceedings. We also got to see how manoeuvrable the gun turret is in tank mode, so it looks good fun. Additionally, designer Mark Maher revealed that it was initially his idea to translate the Pretenders to Legacy as a hybrid of their shell designs and their classic inner vehicle forms. This was mostly because they were always intended as Deluxe class figures, and anything more complicated would have meant going to either Voyager or Leader class. The team acknowledged that there will always be ‘diehard’ or ‘purist’ fans who want to see the traditional Pretender shell gimmick brought back, although for now, it seems as if this is how those characters are going to be handled.

#5: Legacy Bomb Burst

Bomb Burst is quite cute. pic.twitter.com/RbmYcMwFBp

— Sixo (@SixoTF) August 16, 2022

Alongside Skullgrin, the Fanstream provided a first look at the next Decepticon Pretender to be given the Legacy treatment, and it’s Bomb Burst! Retaining the vampire bat appearance of his classic 1988 shell design, this toy also transforms into the Cybertronian jet alternate mode seen on the original toy’s inner robot mode. This evidently isn’t the finished model just yet, but it’s certainly shaping up to be a fun one!

#4: Legacy Pointblank

We have seen Pointblank (formerly known as ‘Blanker’ but now given his proper G1 name) before. Still, the Fanstream made the most of showing off the alternate form and his Targetmaster companion, Peacemaker. The inspiration for the head design is clearly taken from the third-part Sunbow series finale, The Rebirth, as designer Mark Maher stated that he had been excited to deliver another character in this traditional roster since working on Crosshairs back in Siege. Peacemaker himself is a simple little thing (not too dissimilar from the 1987 equivalent in terms of overall presentation) and can sit atop the back of Pointblank’s vehicle mode. The cockpit section of the car will open up, but sadly, Peacemaker or a Titan Master can’t actually sit inside there. Still, considering the budget had to be pushed to allow his inclusion at all, you have to give credit where it’s due, and overall this looks to be an exciting release that is sure to delight many fans!

#3: Studio Series The Fallen

One of the big reveals on the Fanstream was a first look at a new Studio Series design of The Fallen from the (aptly-titled) Revenge of The Fallen film. This is always going to be one of the more bizarre movieverse designs to translate to toy form, and no doubt the designers have captured the character’s look from the screen very well! Designer Evan Brooks was keen to point out that some fans might be surprised by how much blue is on the toy, but he stressed that the team used the movie’s CAD files to bring the figure to life, and they found that the CGI model was surprisingly colourful in places. As for the alternate mode… well, yes, it’s rather inexplicable, but it’s evidently an attempt at a Cybertronian spacecraft of sorts. Evan explained that they based the idea on some of the original toys of the character but then tweaked it a bit to make it look even more like something that would exist in the world of Bayformers designs. It won’t be for everyone, but either way, there’s no sniffing at that robot mode, in my opinion.

#2: Legacy Transmetal 2 Megatron

Without a doubt, one of the most exciting Generations figures on the way right now is the big dragon himself, Transmetal 2 Megatron! Bringing his third season Beast Wars form to life once again, this Leader class toy packs in a huge amount of detail and looks rather stunning as a result. The neck and tail feature many points of articulation, which should be great fun for posing, and the wings can be fully splayed out in both modes. There are also neat touches, such as the dragon’s claws ending up on the robot mode chest, alongside a heavily-textured moulding that apparently led to the digital design file being very size-heavy! Ultimately, it’s a stunning figure overall and one that many people will be excited to see in hand before too long.

#1: Studio Series The Last Knight Hot Rod

He may not be the first Studio Series Hot Rod out there, but there’s little doubt this guy is looking très chic all the same! Equally, The Last Knight wasn’t everyone’s idea of a cinematic masterpiece, but some of the robot designs to come from it were very swish, and designer Sam Smith was happy to credit this resulting figure as a ‘mini masterpiece’ at least! Featuring a licensed Lamborghini alternate mode, the team was keen to play up what a fantastic partner the automotive giant had been, pushing for more real-world detailing in the car form and ultimately upping the final product. Much was made of Hot Rod’s clever transformation, including how the ‘wings’ can still be articulated in his robot form and the lack of kibble in both modes. Hot stuff, indeed.

So that’s our list! Which of the new toys are you most excited about?

TTFN