New Legacy Rumors—What's True, False, or Undetermined?

[Zobovor]

There's a big, long list of rumors floating around currently, but there may be misinformation mixed in with the actual, legitimate news. The sreenshot I saw had them all marked with green or red or yellow, which indicated rumors that have been corroborated, or debunked, or are uncertain at this time.

Green Rumors (Likely True):

The upcoming Nacelle toy is based off the Energon Seeker mold. Computer listings for Nacelle were only just recently leaked, and is probably going to be a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive for this year, along with two other as-yet unknown toys (they are listed as TRA GEN ECOMM SDCC 2 and TRA GEN SDCC DTC).

There is a version of Action Master Axer coming, using the Junkion motorcycle mold with a side car, to emulate the look of the original Off-Road Cycle from 1990.

Going forward, more attention will be given to Action Masters characters as well as Pretenders characters.

Venom and the rest of the Bandai Deluxe Insecticons are all likely to be part of the Buzzworthy assortment from Target.

Tidal Wave will be the Commander-class toy for 2024, and is designed to combine with Armada Megatron.

Tigerhawk will get a redeco version with a new head to represent Razorclaw from the Transformers: Universe toy line, and will be the third new Leader-class toy for 2024.

The San Diego Comic-Con listings are going to be Powerlinx redeco versions of all of the new Armada characters.

The upcoming Studio Series '86 Optimus Prime is an all-new mold, separate from SS86 Ultra Magnus (who is not going to have the G1-style inner robot). The transformation (for Magnus?) is reportedly similar to Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus, but substantially less hollow.

There will be a redeco of the upcoming Armada Optimus Prime toy, sans trailer, as Nemesis Prime, and will be a Generations Selects toy through Hasbro Pulse.

Studio Series '86 Megatron will transform into a tank, not a gun.

Red Rumors (Likely Untrue):

There is an Action Master Double Punch coming, based on a new Scorponok mold, and wil be Deluxe-class.

The rest of the Halloween Horrorcons are coming in the Toxitron assortment.

Beast Wars Mutants Soundwave (bat/alligator) is coming, using an all-new mold. Apparently he's supposed to have bright green splotches to represent a "toxic waste" deco. The same mold will later be used as part of an Optimus Primal/Megatron two-pack, in tribute to their original bat and alligator forms.

A new Blackarachnia will have the color scheme of Combiner Hunters Arcee, which has been retroactively designated as Arcee's unofficial G2 colors.

The Commander-class version of G2 Motormaster is currently in limbo along with the Velocitron redeco of Hot Rod. Walmart reportedly doesn't want to sell such a large and expensive toy as a store exclusive. Hot Rod may end up under Buzzworthy branding if Target does another multi-pack set.

There is an upcoming version of Energon Hot Shot and Energon Inferno, but will not have the combining gimmick. The designs are reportedly heavily stylized to make up for the lack of a combining gimmick.

Yellow Rumors (Unknown):

There is a new Deluxe jet mold coming, loosely based on the Flipchanger design, which will serve as the base mold for upcoming G2 Cyberjets, RiD jets (Wind Sheer and/or Skyfire), and Machine Wars jets (Megatron/Megaplex).

Hasbro is planning to do tributes to the entire Machine Wars toy range. Thunderclash will have his own mold, which will get a redeco as Machine Wars Optimus Prime.

Alternate color versions of G2 Grimlock and Slag and Snarl will be Hasbro Pulse exclusives as Generation Selects toys, with Slag being green and Snarl being red.

Throttlebots are coming, with Rollbar and Wide Load slated to be all-new, unique molds. Plans are to do redeco versions as the generic goons from the upcoming video game.

Armada Megatron is going to get redeco toys as Armada Galvatron, Megazarak, and the Micromaster Combiners Anti-Aircraft Base tank (originally driven by Spaceshot and Blackout).

The upcoming Amazon-exclusive capsule line will feature a quantity of eight (8) two-packs. The remaining mini-cassettes for Blaster and Soundwave will be released in this way.

There is a listing for a Leader-class Evolution package refresh, which is going to be the Volvo-branded Holiday Optimus Prime in a G2 Combat Hero redeco.

All of the various partner Mini-Cons for the Armada characters will be sold together in a set, similar to the four-pack cassettes. They will be a Target-exclusive.


Zob (it's always fun to revisit these posts a year or two later, and see which rumors became reality and which ones didn't)

[Codigo Postal]

>
> The upcoming Studio Series '86 Optimus Prime is an all-new mold, separate from SS86 Ultra Magnus (who is not going to have the G1-style inner robot). The transformation (for Magnus?) is reportedly similar to Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus, but substantially less hollow.

They should just downsize MP-10 and his trailer and save on their development costs...I'd bite.

>
> Studio Series '86 Megatron will transform into a tank, not a gun.

Cue shocked face. Although they should really make him a triplechanger with a "submarine" mode as well as a tank mode.

>
> Beast Wars Mutants Soundwave (bat/alligator) is coming, using an all-new mold. Apparently he's supposed to have bright green splotches to represent a "toxic waste" deco. The same mold will later be used as part of an Optimus Primal/Megatron two-pack, in tribute to their original bat and alligator forms.

If the new film does well (and I'm still going to support it, despite my saltiness over their choice of Perlman over Chalk), it hopefully opens the floodgates of deep cut BW homages, and even better - show accurate BM homages. It's time, Hasbro, it's time. Your stock price can't tank any further. Supreme-class electronic BM Cheetor looks at you and feels pity.

>
> The Commander-class version of G2 Motormaster is currently in limbo along with the Velocitron redeco of Hot Rod. Walmart reportedly doesn't want to sell such a large and expensive toy as a store exclusive. Hot Rod may end up under Buzzworthy branding if Target does another multi-pack set.

The Hot Rod redeco seems like money in the bank, unless I'm missing something. They could always drop the various accessories to save on costs; we're here for the base bot and a couple blasters.

> Hasbro is planning to do tributes to the entire Machine Wars toy range. Thunderclash will have his own mold, which will get a redeco as Machine Wars Optimus Prime.
>

I am all in for this. Machine Wars Starscream is a natural repaint of Legacy Skyquake, and I will pay twice for a Commander-class Thunderclash and a Machine Wars Optimus Prime. During the slap-a-name-on-anyone-to-keep-the-trademark days of Armada, who'd have thought that the brand could support such deep cut homages at retail?

[Zobovor]

On Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 11:45:34 AM UTC-6, Codigo Postal wrote:

> They should just downsize MP-10 and his trailer and save on their development costs...I'd bite.

I wouldn't be surprised if they borrowed some transformation tricks from the Masterpiece toy, even if it's an all-new mold. I'm curious to see what they can do for Optimus Prime at a Commander-class price point. I imagine he'll have a few more bells and whistles than the Leader-class version.

> Cue shocked face. Although they should really make him a triplechanger with a "submarine" mode as well as a tank mode.

Well, they've demonstrated a willingness to do it with Sixshot and Shockwave. Megatron is a much more higher-profile character, though, and a "secret" gun mode might be more problematic for Hasbro, even if it wasn't alluded to anywhere on the packaging or the instructions. But, I guess we'll see how daring they're willing to be.

> The Hot Rod redeco seems like money in the bank, unless I'm missing something. They could always drop the various accessories to save on costs; we're here for the base bot and a couple blasters.

I get the feeling the Velocitron assortment didn't perform well for Walmart. It went on clearance much sooner than I would have expected, and I wonder if that affected Walmart's decision not to sell Hot Rod. But, I'm sure we'll see him in some form, eventually.

> During the slap-a-name-on-anyone-to-keep-the-trademark days of Armada, who'd have thought that the brand could support such deep cut homages at retail?

We've come a long way in the last 20 years, that's for sure.


Zob (hit my 20th anniversary today at Walmart, incidentally)