In pre-order form at least. I'm not the most psychotic of Transformer fans, but when pictures resembling the Transformers Movie versions of my favorite cartoon robots cross my desk, my interest is set to one thousand! Some people are telling me these are all from a new line called Transformers United (I'll give you a moment to shake off the X-Men movie flashbacks) and others say Kup and Wreck-Gar, at the very least, are from another line all together. The one undeniable fact is this...these are Takara images, so there's no telling if we'll get these looking exactly the same way..or at all! Characters we've identified in the shots include...
Optimus Prime
Optimus in Cybertron mode
Bumble Bee (looking a little more like Gold Bug)
Bumble Bee in Cybertrom mode
Megatron (who finally turns into a fucking GUN!!)
Megatron in Cybertron mode
Cliffjumper in Cybertron mode
Soundwave in Cybertron mode
Jaz (with awesome clip on speakers!)
Grapple (the crane truck)
Drift (the samurai looking guy)
Kup
Wreck-Gar
Sadly, no idea on the others or if they are even all from the same "United" line. If you can identify them, please chime in in the comments! Also on the way are a G2 Optimus Prime, Rumble and Frenzy.
Now more times then I'd like to remember, toy company execs came to me and said "We are about to talk to Hasbro about licensing. What should we tell them we want to do?" Among my half dozen ideas was 10 inch, super posable, non transforming Transformers in a style that is a cross between G1 designs and Dream Wave comic sexiness. One look at these pictures will tell you Hasbro/ Takara seems determined to meet us half way.
In other Transformers news, Hasbro/ Discovery's new channel The HUB is ready to unleash some new battling robot action on you.
Fans of the enormously popular Transformers action-adventure entertainment franchise will revel in the upcoming television event on The Hub cable network – a five-part original mini-series, Monday-Friday, November 29 – December 3, showcasing “Transformers: Prime,” a new CGI-animated television series coming to the network.
Prior to the five-day mini-series event, The Hub will spotlight “Transformers: Prime” with a Thanksgiving holiday weekend sneak preview of the mini-series and an action-packed lineup of “Transformers: Prime”-related programming that begins Friday, November 26. Kicking off the Transformers schedule is a special episode of the original series “Hubworld,” a weekly, half-hour, pop culture magazine that will be dedicated to the Transformers phenomenon, Friday, November 26 (3 p.m. ET).
“Hubworld”’s special “Transformers: Prime” episode will be followed by a half-hour behind-the-special, “Hub Exclusive: “Transformers: Prime’” (3:30 p.m. ET), which culminates with the premiere of the first two half-hour episodes (at 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET) of the “Transformers: Prime” mini-series, in which arch rivals the Autobots and Decepticons once again face-off in their epic rivalry for control of Earth. The all-new mini-series will feature iconic characters of the franchise, including Autobots Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, and the ominous Decepticon Megatron, as well as introducing new human characters to the action series.
Following the “Transformers: Prime” Friday lineup of programming, The Hub will showcase the highly anticipated new series with the five-day mini-series event, Monday-Friday, November 29-December 3 (6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. ET). The week-long run will include three additional new episodes of “Transformers Prime” on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, December 1-3.
A full schedule of the “Transformers: Prime” and related programming follows. (All times ET).
“Hubworld” – Transformers-themed episode (Friday, November 26, 3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) “Hubworld” is a weekly, live-action pop culture magazine show that infuses what's happening in the life of everyday kids with what's happening on The Hub television network. Actor-magician Justin Willman will hosts.
Hub Exclusive: “Transformers: Prime’” (premiere: Friday, November 26, 3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Encore presentations: Monday, November 29, 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Friday, December 3; 4:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.; and Saturday, December 4, 12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.)
“Transformers: Prime” - Part 1 of “Darkness Rising” (premiere: Friday, November 26, 4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Encore presentations: 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. and 12 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.; Monday, November 29, 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.; Tuesday, November 30, 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, December 4, 1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.)
“Transformers: Prime” - Part 2 of “Darkness Rising” (premiere: Friday, November 26, 4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Encore presentations: 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Tuesday, November 30, 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.; Wednesday, December 1, 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, December 4, 2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
“Transformers: Prime” - Part 3 of “Darkness Rising” (premiere: Wednesday, December 1, 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Encore presentations: Thursday, December 2, 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Saturday, December 4, 2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.)
“Transformers: Prime” - Part 4 of “Darkness Rising” (premiere: Thursday, December 2, 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Encore presentations: Friday, December 3, 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, December 4, 3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
“Transformers: Prime” - Part 5 of “Darkness Rising” (premiere: Friday, December 3, 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Encore presentation: Saturday, December 4, 3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.)
