At SDCC we were introduced to the next chapter of Transformers Generations – Power of the Primes – with some exciting reveals including Starscream, Rodimus Prime, Jazz, Dreadwind & Blackwing (aka Dreadwing), Beachcomber and Liege Maximo with Skullgrin. We’ve also, due to a huge Weibo leak, seen pretty much the entire first year of the line (the leak has since been plugged and most of the images removed at Hasbro’s request).
New Play Pattern
From SDCC we discovered that Titan Masters are being replaced by Prime Masters described as containing the sparks of the original Primes. They’re basically Titan Masters with the face on their back replaced by an abstract symbol representing the Prime in question and a Decoy shell (a modern interpretation of a Pretender shell). The core Prime Master will still drive Legends class figures but now fits into the chest of Leader Class figures and will be mountable on Deluxe and Voyager figures, apparently using updated combiner hands/feet which snap onto the chest of Deluxe figures and the arms of Voyagers.
More Combiners
Predaking!
It appears that all Deluxe and Voyager figures are combiners including the Terrorcons! Some potential non-traditional combiners include the Dinobots (now with a sixth Legends class member which strongly implies a weapon or other combiner integration mode) and G1 female Autobots (including Voyager Elita-1 who appears to be a Starscream remold).
Continuing the Unexpected
In addition to new Pretenders, it also looks like we’re getting the Duocon Battletrap and Firecon Cindersaur!
In the leak we got a peak at Prime Master Metalhawk whose Decoy shell could go with the Metalhawk’s Professor Go Titan Master from the Siege on Cybertron box set to very nearly recreate the original Pretender.
Leaders
Since the leak showed a new Leader Optimus Prime Leader Class figure that looks like it will have the same “evolution” feature that was shown for Rodimus Prime at SDCC, I’m betting that there will be an Ultra Magnus remold that will satisfy the “white Optimus in armor” purists.
With a Voyager Grimlock featured in the leak as a the core of a Dinobot combiner it makes me wonder if we’ll get the rumored Leader Class Grimlock. I was very surprised by Titan Return’s double-dipping releases of Brawn but that was a Legend and radically different Titan Master. Even Titan Return’s two Optimus Primes were very different with a Tripple Changer and Power Master version. They could still pull it off if they used the “evolve” gimmick that was introduced with Rodimus Prime. But what would a Grimlock Prime look like? Unlike Optimus Primal’s “Optimal Optimus” mode there is no upgraded version of Grimlock from fiction and you can’t just add a trailer (he’d have to wear a “cone of shame” or he’d just chew it off). I’d still like to see a non-evolving Leader class Grimlock but don’t know that it would be different enough from the Voyager version to justify a separate release.
