Holy Crap! New Headmasters and G1-Styled Galvatron!

[Zobovor]

New York Comic Con took place recently and there were some exciting new toys revealed. It's all over the Interwebs, but here's a good link with pictures:

http://www.actionfigurefury.com/hasbro-transformers-nycc-2015-reveals-deluxe-leader-legends-voyager-and-more/

There is a new Voyager-class Galvatron coming that finally transforms into a treaded cannon. He's purple and very cartoon-inspired, but with enough stylized flair that he doesn't feel like a retread of what we've gotten before. He's also apparently a Headmaster in terms of functionality, and his head turns into a tiny mini-figure robot named "Nucleon" who looks a lot like G1 Megatron.

There are new Deluxe-class versions of Hardhead and Skullcruncher (renamed Skullsmasher) and they are also fully functioning Headmasters. Very closely styled to the original characters but with modern sculpting and articulation.

Blaster is a Leader-class toy, also a Headmaster, that can transform into a boom box or a battle station type playset for the Headmaster mini-figures. Blaster is also compatible with Legends-class toys like Rewind, Stripes, etc. who can dock like iPods when Blaster is in playset mode. The Legends toys are all Triple Changers; Rewind also turns into a tank and a robot looking very much like his G1 self.

There are also Headmaster heads being sold by themselves, ostensibly so kids can still enjoy the play patterns even if they lose Galvatron's or Blaster's original head. One is named Terri-Bull and is a clear tribute to Kreb, the original Headmaster head to Horri-Bull. Nightbeat's head can link with a tiny mini-vehicle that turns into either a jet or a drill, and also looks like Muzzle in robot mode. Loudmouth has a tiny vehicle that switches from a tank to a car, and the mini-figure that rides it changes from Quig into G1 Siren's head. Crashbash is clearly patterned after Squeezeplay's head. So exciting. It makes me long for full-sized versions of Horri-Bull, Nightbeat, etc. but I like that they're basing the mini-figures on extant characters rather than just inventing some no-name nobodies.

In related news, the line art images from BotCon of an apparent Headmaster Astrotrain with an Optimus Prime head was, in fact, a Triple Changer named Sentinel Prime. He turns into a train and a spaceship, which pretty much guarantees that we'll be getting an Astrotrain redeco in the future.

Also on display at the event were the G2 versions of Combiner Wars Menasor and Superion, and good golly, are they ever hideously gorgeous. Hasbro said that Combiner Wars is winding down to prepare for Titan Wars, but that there is still some Combiner Wars stuff yet to be released. So, that's exciting, too.


Zob (excited)

[Zobovor]

On Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 12:54:39 AM UTC-6, Zobovor wrote:

> New York Comic Con took place recently

Really? Nobody else cares about this? Okay, that's cool. More toys for me.


Zob (unless they get cancelled due to lack of interest)

[Travoltron]

Looks interesting I guess. I'm perplexed as to why Galvatron and Blaster
are Headmasters though. Someone has said that Galvatron is going to be
tiny again which disappoints me if true.

Everyone is presuming that Creamsicle Prime is going to be recolored
down the road as Astrotrain, which should be cool.

If the third party people make bodies for those bodiless heads, I might
get suckered into buying. :/

[No One In Particular]

Yup, actually, I am. Just been on vacation. First Combiner Wars, and
now this. As long as the quality is up to scratch, Hasbro looks to have
hit it out of the park again.

Brian. Currently writing from Dover, Delaware.

[Zobovor]

On Monday, October 12, 2015 at 8:49:22 PM UTC-6, Travoltron wrote:

> Looks interesting I guess. I'm perplexed as to why Galvatron and Blaster
> are Headmasters though. Someone has said that Galvatron is going to be
> tiny again which disappoints me if true.

He's a Voyager-class toy. So, probably not as small as the Deluxe spider-tank thing.

The Headmasters functionality is just the new driving gimmick. It's something to tie all the toys together and make them compatible with each other. No, it doesn't make sense for Blaster to be a Headmaster, but it doesn't make sense for Sunstreaker to transform into a gigantic arm or leg, either. It's clear that most of the characters who are going to be released for Titan Wars are going to have an historical precedent as Headmasters (Hardhead, Skullcruncher, Fortress Maximus, etc.) but they're also releasing characters who have needed updates for a while.

(I guess fans who don't like that Galvatron and Blaster are Headmasters could always super-glue the heads in place...)

> Everyone is presuming that Creamsicle Prime is going to be recolored
> down the road as Astrotrain, which should be cool.

It's less of a presumption and more of an intention. From what I've read, the Hasbro folks at Comic Con all but promised that Astrotrain was in the works. Evidently they were extremely un-subtle about it.


Zob (that's clearly a train, not a "battle tank")

[Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats]

I was out of town for a few days. (That woman my father married now feels comfortable enough around me to mention her unorthodox and offensive views on race... woo-hoo!)

They look really good, but I worry about the execution. I haven't been overwhelmed by the Combiner Wars toys, because of the cost-cutting at every corner, and I don't really see Headmasters working well with the new engineering and materials.

CW Ultra Magnus feels cheap and hollow. Hot Spot feels cheap and hollow. Thundercracker... cheap and hollow. On the deluxes, things aren't pegging together as well as they should, and a lot have very obvious feet in vehicle mode.

I wish they were building these basic designs with the budgets of two years ago. They would be much, much better toys.

[Steve L.K. Macrocranios]

Zobovor wrote:
> There are also Headmaster heads being sold by themselves, ostensibly so
> kids can still enjoy the play patterns even if they lose Galvatron's or
> Blaster's original head.

If Hasbro really cares about kids who lose their Titan Masters, they should also release single packs of the Headmaster pilots that come with the larger figures. Galvatron just won't look like Galvatron with a blue and yellow face. I can appreciate the extra drivers but even M.A.S.K. sold the vehicle pilots separately back in the day.

> Nightbeat's head can link with a tiny mini-vehicle that turns into either
> a jet or a drill, and also looks like Muzzle in robot mode. Loudmouth has
> a tiny vehicle that switches from a tank to a car, and the mini-figure
> that rides it changes from Quig into G1 Siren's head.

I was expecting a little bit of backlash from you on these considering how upset you were about that other line of toys that packed a non transforming robot with a non-transforming vehicle and still called it transformers. These Titan Master sets are little more than M.A.S.K. style pilot/vehicle combos that don't really have traditional robot transforming built into them. Yes they transform, but from vehicle to vehicle and robot to stumpy face thing. I imagine they're going to have to make a large number of different heads to fill out case assortments.

[Zobovor]

On Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 12:24:37 PM UTC-6, Steve L.K. Macrocranios wrote:

> If Hasbro really cares about kids who lose their Titan Masters, they
> should also release single packs of the Headmaster pilots that come with the
> larger figures. Galvatron just won't look like Galvatron with a blue and
> yellow face. I can appreciate the extra drivers but even M.A.S.K. sold the
> vehicle pilots separately back in the day.

Yeah, a multi-pack would be a cool idea. Maybe add something into the pack as a consumer incentive, though. Like, say, a pack with heads for Galvatron, Blaster, Cerebros, Skullcruncher, and Hardhead, plus an exclusive G1 Scorponok head not available anywhere else.

> I was expecting a little bit of backlash from you on these considering how
> upset you were about that other line of toys that packed a non transforming
> robot with a non-transforming vehicle and still called it transformers. These
> Titan Master sets are little more than M.A.S.K. style pilot/vehicle combos
> that don't really have traditional robot transforming built into them.

Was I upset about non-transformable toys? I don't recall. You're not talking about the Action Masters, are you? I loved the Action Masters. And all the vehicles and accessories were still capable of transforming. So, no, it can't be that. I'm seriously at a loss.

I think maybe I'm mostly excited because these are recognizable characters. Well, recognizable character heads, anyway. They're G1 tributes and that always makes me happy. If they were random no-name nobodies, I likely wouldn't care about the toys in the slightest.

It would be cool if they did some heads for Beast Wars characters. Why? I dunno. Just 'coz.


Zob (needs no reasons)

[Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.]

I like the look of Galvatron and Blaster. The battle-station mode makes use of the hollow feeling of g1 Blaster. I always wondered what the working radio system of g1 blaster would be like if released, but I like the battle station idea even more. Rewind also looks really good. Sort of a hybrid of G1 Rewind and G1 Grandslam. The little vehicles I can pass on, even though they include heads from characters. Maybe if the little battle vehicles combine to form a robot I'd consider it. Vehicle Voltron style maybe?

[banzait...@gmail.com]

I saw these on Seibertron.com the other day and couldn't believe my eyes. Skullcruncher (sic) (he will ALWAYS be Skullcruncher to me) is one of my all time favorite transformers. I am super psyched about these toys.
As far as the G2 combiners... as amazing as these combiner war toys have been, I have absolute tired head around many of these molds. It will take a lot of self-discipline, but I plan on passing. ("plan" is the key word here.)
I am also a HUGE galvatron fan, but was less than enthused with the mold of him. Maybe I need to give him a second look, but his proportions just didn't seem to be correct.
Blaster looks to be a complete win, and definitely extra points go to the base mode. Gotta give it to Hasbro, they are really on a roll.

-Banzaitron

[Steve L.K. Macrocranios]

Zobovor wrote:
> Was I upset about non-transformable toys? I don't recall.

It was the Playschool Transformer set that came with a non-transforming robot and a nn-transforming vehicle that was a repaint from some other line. The gist of your argument was that it was a bit of a stretch to call that particular set a Transformers product. I feel the same way with these vehicle/headmaster combos. The transforming vehicles' modes are kind of weak, the transforms are boring, and they're really tiny. They look half transformed in both modes. I do like the dino/dragon monster that comes with the one named Crashbash. But the vehicles are pretty blah. I don't know why Hasbro insists on trying to get tanks out of jets. Maybe it's for the memories?

I love Irrelius' idea that the mini vehicles be combiner components but I guess there's novelty enough in how they're well scaled to the base modes of the Titans.

[Zobovor]

On Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 8:52:41 PM UTC-6, banzait...@gmail.com wrote:

> As far as the G2 combiners... as amazing as these combiner war toys have
> been, I have absolute tired head around many of these molds.

Yeah, I know what you mean. It's bad enough that Hasbro's wanting us to keep buying the same toys to represent different characters, but it's difficult to buy the exact same characters over again in different colors.

I do love G2 so much, though, and I love that they're paying tribute to the color schemes. I always wanted the G2 version of Menasor (I even did fan art of it back in the day) and I recognize that the Combiner Wars version is the closest I'll ever get to owning one. I feel this weird sense of loyalty, like I "should" be supporting Hasbro's efforts to produce toys like these. Hell, I would probably buy Combiner Wars G2 versions of the Combaticons and Protectobots, too.


Zob (brand loyalist at heart)

[Zobovor]

On Friday, October 16, 2015 at 3:03:01 PM UTC-6, Steve L.K. Macrocranios wrote:

> It was the Playschool Transformer set that came with a non-transforming

> robot and a non-transforming vehicle that was a repaint from some other line.

Oh, okay. With you now.

It wasn't so much that I was upset that the toys themselves couldn't transform into anything. I just thought it was funny that they gave the characters vehicles to climb into. Because, you know, typically Transformers don't need to get into a car if they need to go somewhere.

> The transforming vehicles' modes are kind of weak, the transforms are boring,
> and they're really tiny.

I can only assume the reasoning was that Hasbro didn't feel that selling a head, in and of itself, was viable. They probably came up with the mini-vehicles so you could make a purchase and it would feel reasonably complete, unto itself, without requiring an additional purchase to actually enjoy it.

The mini-vehicles look like they were designed to be simple and kid-friendly, but at the same time, they have a certain charm. They remind me a little of the vehicles that came with the boxed Action Masters, which in turn had a kind of M.A.S.K.-like quality to them.

It kind of elevates the Nebulons to a higher degree of importance, too. Back in 1987, the only vehicles they could ride were their Headmaster partners, so of course in, say, an Arcana/Brainstorm pairing, you're just naturally going to pay more attention to Brainstorm. If it's just Arcana, by himself, driving a non-living tank or a car or whatever, then suddenly the focus is on him, and him alone, without having to compete with an Autobot.


Zob (with Headmaster partner Clownus, but he's not important)