Hasbro has revealed a stunning lineup of new Transformers figures and other toys at San Diego Comic-Con, including the Autobot that ultimately becomes Optimus Prime. SDCC 2022 has been a monumental event, offering pop culture fans exclusive first looks at many new and upcoming projects. Paramount Pictures’ Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was one of the highlights during the convention’s first day, and Hasbro revealed an associated Gelatinous Cube toy that will kickstart a new product line intended to promote the film.
Among Hasbro’s other integral properties is Transformers, which has historically been one of their most profitable brands and boasts a passionate community of toy collectors. The company’s recent collaboration with Netflix produced the War for Cybertron Trilogy series, which proved fruitful as new and old Transformers fans tuned into the show to witness the Autobot and Decepticon war in its early stages. Kingdom capped off the Trilogy project, offering viewers a renewed look at the Transformers’ animalistic descendants, the Maximals and Predacons. The two groups will appear as live-action Beast Wars characters in the next Transformers movie, Rise of the Beast, the sequel to 2018’s Bumblebee.
Hasbro is capitalizing on the sustained presence of Transformers by releasing a new slate of toys in their Transformers Generations: Legacy line, which they revealed at their SDCC 2022 booth. Screen Rant was on-site to document the newly-announced products and witnessed the impressive floor displays featuring other new Transformers figures, a life-sized Bumblebee-inspired Chevrolet Camaro, and even a few Thor: Love and Thunder toys. Check out the official product images and SDCC exhibits below:
During the Transformers Product Panel, Hasbro announced the following new toys: Deluxe Class Skullgrin, Autobot Pointblank, Crankcase, Dead End, Voyager Class Armada Universe Starscream, Predacon Inferno, and Leader Class Transmetal II Megatron. They also revealed the 2-Pack titled A Hero is Born, which features Orion Pax and Alpha Trion. Orion Pax is the original form of Optimus Prime, primarily featured in the Transformers: Prime animated series and a small collection of Transformers comics. In Generation 1 (G1) continuity, Orion Pax is a dock worker destroyed by Megatron and eventually rebuilt by the elder Alpha Trion into Optimus Prime. This bundle is currently available for pre-order at Hasbro Pulse for $66.99. You can see images of the new toys (via IGN), below:
While the impending Hasbro toys look incredible, there does not appear to be any relevance to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the War for Cybertron Trilogy on Netflix, or any other digital media. While the Generations toy line has historically featured slick new versions of G1 characters, Legacy intends to showcase the Transformers across different continuities. Highlighting Orion Pax and Alpha Trion before Rise of the Beasts, however, could be a way to signify that the new film will dive into Optimus Prime’s origins in a way that the Michael Bay-directed Transformers films never did.
Key Release Dates
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Release Date:2023-06-09
