COUNTDOWN: 12 predictions for the next Haslab Transformers reveal

Big news! The next Transformers Haslab project is on the way!

Roll Out #TransformersTuesday like never before! We're kicking off the #Transformers 40th at 10am ET on Jan 30 with an epic #Fanstream! Join BMac and Evan on #HasbroPulse's YouTube channel as they unveil an all-new Transformers #HasLab! You don't want to miss out! pic.twitter.com/pGJ2TW8Tw8

— Hasbro Pulse (@HasbroPulse) January 24, 2024

Yes, in just five days from now, we will be witnessing the big reveal of whatever the Hasbro team have cooking behind the scenes, and it’s fair to say that the online speculation is already at fever pitch! There are also some critical clues to assess, so with those in mind, let’s look at the likely candidates for the next crowdfund treatment (aka, speculate wildly about what it might be!).

#12: Primus

Primus design from Transformers: The Ultimate Guide, artwork credit: Don Figueroa

Everyone and their mum has been murmuring about the idea of a Haslab Primus ever since Unicron was unveiled in 2019 (yes, it’s been that long!). After all, who wouldn’t want two planet-sized behemoths going toe-to-toe in their collection display? Practicalities be damned! Joking aside, it’s not hard to understand why people consider this a logical bet for a future Haslab project, mainly because it has the bonus of turning into the Transformers’ home world, which will surely catch at least a bit of intrigue. That said, as cool as the idea is, the character isn’t nearly as iconic as Unicron, so it may not be a big enough draw to justify a similar price point. Although it ‘makes sense’ from the perspective of two toys naturally going together, this could be way more of a wildcard than some might think.

#11: Liokaiser

Here’s another name that’s come up for suggestion online, and again, it’s not a wholly illogical consideration! After all, with Victory Saber and now Deathsaurus already funded and released, why wouldn’t Haslab keep their momentum going and stick to a Japanese G1 theme? Liokaiser is also an idea which seems hard to justify for a retail price point, given the character isn’t all that well known to a broader Western audience, so the crowdfunding route could be just the ticket for this Victory combiner to receive a much-hyped update. Again, though, whilst it’s an understandable conclusion, it also seems unlikely Hasbro would want to oversaturate on too much of the same thing, so don’t be surprised if they go for something entirely different on this occasion. See also Road Caesar, Landcross or anything else of similar persuasion.

#10: Devastator

Another combiner suggestion here, although one which is undoubtedly way more recognisable than our previous entry! It’s been nine years (yes!) since Combiner Wars Devastator, so there’s undoubtedly some excitement about yet another attempt at the Constructicons in even more modern form, perhaps in the style of the current Studio Series ’86 line-up. Devastator certainly could have the big broad franchise pull one would expect for a high-profile Haslab effort, and there’s surely a lot that the designers could achieve with the character to make it justify the potential price tag. But are our wallets prepared for extermination?

#9: Stratosphere

With Rise of the Beasts hitting cinemas last year, many collectors have been scrambling to assemble a complete cast of characters in toy form ever since. Yet there’s still one big name currently left on the table regarding the film’s robot roster: Stratosphere! As one of the largest Autobots to grace the big screen, it’s perhaps not surprising to think this would be a challenging effort to replicate in accurate scale, but that hasn’t stopped some fans clamouring for his realisation in plastic all the same. Something tells us this simply isn’t a big enough name for a Haslab, but we can’t rule it out all the same!

#8: Ginrai

At one point, we all believed the edict for Haslab projects was they would never involve an Optimus Prime figure of any kind, largely thanks to a comment from Hasbro designer Evan Brooks on a livestream which suggested the Autobot was inherently such a big draw, they knew they could make him sell at retail. Whilst yes, we’re aware Ginrai is a different character to Optimus (we all have access to TFWiki, you know!), this design would no doubt have flown too close to that same archetype to be considered worthwhile in terms of speculation. However, it seems Evan has more recently clarified he was just making an assumption, and it’s not a “solid rule” of any kind, so could it be that an updated God Ginrai, complete with Godbomber armour, might be a viable candidate after all? Given a Titans Return effort only dropped around seven years ago, it seems like a stretch, but who knows? Hasbro may go Apex.

#7: Metroplex / Autobot City

Generations Metroplex was the original Titan of its kind, taking centre stage during Hasbro’s Thrilling 30 line-up to celebrate the brand’s then three-decade anniversary. Now, over ten years on, could it be time for the city-sized Autobot to make an ultimate comeback as an almighty Haslab to help recognise the 40th? There’s a swell of anticipation for the idea online, especially as the original toy typically goes for big bucks on the aftermarket nowadays (although one suspects a reissue could also quell much of that). Another way to make this suggestion enticing would be to have it work as a representation of Autobot City, whether as a transformable affair with a Metroplex robot mode or as a massive orange interactive playset of some kind. It’s fair to say such a sight would soon mean our defences are broken!

#6: The Grand Mal

Sticking with the theme of playsets representing colossal structures from fan-favourite (*cough*) Transformers media, why not briefly turn our attention to Beast Machines (I rarely mention it, after all)? Sure, this is a true curveball proposal, but given we’ve never seen a proper take on Megatron’s giant flying head mode from the cartoon’s second season in a suitably imposing size, how awesome would it be for the show’s most ardent supporters (there are dozens of us – DOZENS!) to see such a thing realised in large-scale form? Will it happen? No. Would it be awesome? Yessss.

#5: Cybertron

Keeping it going from the previous two entries, here’s another submission that might seem a little leftfield to begin with, especially given we’ve already ticked off Primus earlier on the list. Yet Cybertron doesn’t have to be a transforming toy, and an uber-detailed high-end recreation of the iconic Transformers homeworld could be intriguing in another format entirely, whether as a display model or an interactive playset. Again, it feels doubtful, but some would be into the idea, surely!

#4: Animated Omega Supreme

One thing fans have seized upon when searching for potential hints regarding the next Haslab is the mention of it being an “omega level” figure on a previous livestream. There are various ways to interpret such a term, of course (assuming it even means anything), but a very literal take might be that it was a direct nod to a character name of some kind, and who is more “omega level” than Omega Supreme? Given we’ve already seen the classic iteration of the character represented in Titan form as recently as 2019, this could pave the way for the stylised but popular Transformers Animated version to be brought to life finally! It certainly would be a bit of wish fulfilment!

#3: ‘Prototype’ Unicron

OK, OK, I know how it sounds. Some of you probably think this is nothing more than a total pipe dream, but hear me out! The classic 1986 prototype of Unicron remains the stuff of Transformers legend, both for people who grew up at the time and indeed anyone since. Sure, we may have a souped-up modern stab at the Chaos Bringer now, but still, this vintage design has a weird innate charm that is hard to move on from. Sure, Super7 gave the nod in this direction with their pint-sized non-transformable take, but given what a treasured piece of history the classic prototype design remains, there are plenty of us who would be genuinely elated to have it finally see the light of day, and the Haslab route could be one potential solution for that. Weirdly, the team even set tongues wagging just recently when they recorded a behind-the-scenes video featuring their copy of this thing in the background. Was that some vague hint at what’s to come or simply just a collection flex of the highest order? It seems so incredibly unlikely… and yet.

#2: Supreme Cheetor

Now that we’ve got all the random ideas out of the way, how about something sensible for a change? After all, who wouldn’t want to see that absolute housecat-sized classic, 2000’s Beast Machines Supreme Cheetor, brought back for another outing? It could be either a re-release of the vintage figure or – why not? – a revision of the previous design to make it even more outlandish and packed with nonsense features. Then again, can you really improve on perfection?

#1: Omega Prime

Alright, serious business time now, as we put our thinking caps on and assess all the various hints and nods to aim for our best guess of what might be on the docket. First up, we know it’s something “omega level”. OMEGA level, eh? Almost like OMEGA Prime from 2001 Robots in Disguise? Secondly, the teaser image has a very distinct yellow lightning in the background (and Hasbro’s Bmac posted it accompanied by the Metallica song Ride the Lightning, so that can’t be an accident!), which looks a lot like the effect seen in the cartoon when Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus combine to this larger form. Thirdly, we now know Optimus-themed Haslabs not being a thing isn’t a “solid rule”, so a Fire Convoy re-do can’t be dismissed, surely? Oh, and finally, Hasbro Pulse mentioned their team getting ready to “fire up the engines” with the reveal, which, hello? Fire engine? Either this is an exceptionally well-placed and considered set of breadcrumbs, or we’re seriously reading too much into the situation! Could Omega Prime be revealed in five days? It’ll be fun to find out!

So that’s our list! What are your guesses for the next Haslab?

TTFN