The Transformers Club website revealed the cover to the January issue of the Collector’s Club newsletter featuring the upcoming Universe (Classics 2.0) Onslaught. They also go on to say that five figures will be revealed inside the publication most likely including Onslaught. The publication should make it into club members’ hands soon revealing these promised figures.

Also announced, Nightbeat will be joining the Seacons as the next member exclusive figures available for purchase only to club members.

From the site:

December 2007 – We are pleased to announce that our next Club Exclusive, along with the previously announced SEACONS, is none other than NIGHTBEAT, the galaxy’s most reliable detective! Both the Seacons and Nightbeat are scheduled for a Spring 2008 release. For a quick sneak peak at our all-new exclusives, available for purchase to all club members, be sure to check out the latest issue of the Transformers Collectors’ Club Magazine!

In an email sent to all members of the Transformers Collectors’ Club, it was announced that Botcon 2008 will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 28th.

Here is the full text of the email:

Here is the start of the information you have all been waiting for:

BotCon 2008 will be held in Cincinnati, OH at the Duke Energy Center.

Convention dates are: April 24-28, 2008

The hotel is across the street and is the Hyatt Regency.
You can make your reservations online by using the link at BotCon.com or call:

888.421.1442

Note: There will be tours and classes offered on Wednesday April 23 and
Thursday April 24. Currently Shawn will be teaching his class on Wednesday and again on Thursday so we will have 50 slots. We are also working on potential classes in sculpting and or molding as well. We can’t answer any specific questions currently but we wanted to give you a heads up for your hotel reservations needs.

Convention registration and details to follow….

Don’t delay as last year’s rooms went in less than a day….

Thanks for your support!

Brian

PS. The con set is really going to shatter your world….

Here is the direct link to the hotel. Be sure to reserve your room quickly! They go very fast. I already booked mine!

More information will be forthcoming. Keep an on Botcon.com until then.

Transformation instrumental mixed by Tony Bacala

The transformation sequence has been sped up in the main video. You can see the full transformation in normal speed in a separate video attached after the jump. Keep in mind that its long and that is why it was sped up in the main video.

Correction: I refer to 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime as 25th Anniversary Optimus Prime. My bad.

If you are looking to purchase Ultimate Bumblebee, you can do so by going hereat Amazon.com.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

While certainly not the fanfare that trailers for the Transformers movie had, a new clip of the animated series is welcome. We hear a little bit of David Kaye as Optimus Prime and Corey Burton as Megatron. Kaye is unlike any Prime we’ve had before and Megatron… we’ll he’s actually pretty darn close to the movie Megatron, right down to demanding The Allspark.

TFW2005 points us to this auction. Up for auction is a pre-production mock up of Transformers Animated Prowl in packaging. A disclaimer on the package reads:

This is a pre-production sample package. This sample package is for illustration only. Size and design may vary slightly.

While keeping that in mind, the packaging looks remarkably similar to the same size and, for the most part, coloring of the packaging from Transformers Cybertron. The shape of the packaging more closely resembles the Transformers Classics packaging with the more box-like bubble containing the figure itself.

 

Here are samples from Cybertron (white) and Classics (red):

 

BigBadToyStore.com has confirmed that TakaraTomy will be releasing Sky Lynx as the next TF Collection reissue. It has been rumored for several months that this G1 figure would be next on the reissue list and more solidly confirmed at a Chara Hobby event where it was seen on display with no release date set. A release date of February 2008 has been set for the figure and should be a hot release.

This was definitely one figure I always wanted when I was younger. Hopefully Sky Lynx will make his way state-side eventually.

Source: TFW2005

While we still don’t have an exact date yet, the latest issue of the Transformers Collector’s Club newsletter apparently notes that the 2008 convention will be in the April/May timeframe. Here is a quote from the 2005 boards:

“We are working on BotCon ’08. I can’t tell you much so far, but I can tell you that it will be in the Spring this year, sometime around the end of April, first of May. Details will be released on BotCon.com as soon as they are available.

-Brian”

TFW2005 reported a couple days ago on a few pictures that popped up on a Japanese toy board. The pictures appear to be of two packaging samples with the figures inside. One package is a two-pack featuring Classics Jetfire and Classics Grimlock. The other package is another two-pack featuring Classics Optimus Prime and Classics Ultra Magnus. Both feature Classics packaging with a pop-up display of each character in robot mode. I have attached the pictures because I’m sure my description is severely lacking, but they speak for themselves.

This will be a great chance for people who missed out on figures, particularly the Target exclusive Ultra Magnus, that was available only with Classics Skywarp.