Tag Archives: Hasbro

Games & Competitions, My Transformer Collection Showcase, Transformatorium

Transformers Collection – TCG Cards

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A few years ago Wizards of the Coast, in conjunction with Hasbro, released the Transformers Trading Card Game.

Though the game has come to a close now, it was very popular for quite a while, and WOTC/Hasbro were even kind enough to send me a few different sets to review when the game was at its height.  Even if you no longer play the game, the artwork on the cards makes them well worth keeping.

 

Transformers Trading Card Game Cards

 

Decepticon Character Cards

*Item #TTCG0001: Megatron (Decepticon Leader)

*Item #TTCG0002: Megatron (Arrogant Ruler)

*Item #TTCG0003: Starscream (Decepticon King)

*Item #TTCG0004: Starscream (Air Commander)

*Item #TTCG0005: Flamewar

*Item #TTCG0006: Specialist Flamewar

*Item #TTCG0007: Major Soundwave

*Item #TTCG0008: Skywarp

*Item #TTCG0009: Dirge

*Item #TTCG0010: Raider Ion Storm

*Item #TTCG0011: Raider Flamefeather

*Item #TTCG0012: Seargent Sparkstalker

*Item #TTCG0013: Decepticon Venim

*Item #TTCG0014: Ruckus

*Item #TTCG0015: Raider Runabout

*Item #TTCG0016: Raider Runamuck

*Item #TTCG0017: Seargeant Skrapnel

Exclusive Cards Reveal: Dirge and Defensive Driving. Transformers: TCG

 

*Item #TTCG0018: Bonecrusher

*Item #TTCG0019: Hook

*Item #TTCG0020: Scrapper

*Item #TTCG0021: Longhaul

*Item #TTCG0022: Mixmaster

*Item #TTCG0023: Scavenger

*Item #TTCG0024: Divebomb

*Item #TTCG0025: Predacon Headstrong

*Item #TTCG0026: Torox

Devastator Pack Review: Part 1 – Transformers TCG

 

*Item #TTCG0027: Motormaster

*Item #TTCG0028: Breakdown

*Item #TTCG0029: Decepticon Drag Strip

*Item #TTCG0030: Offroad

*Item #TTCG0031: Dead End

*Item #TTCG0032: Dead End (2nd unit)

*Item #TTCG0033: Dreadwind

*Item #TTCG0034: Blackwing

*Item #TTCG0035: Raider Laserbeak

*Item #TTCG0036: Raider Ravage

*Item #TTCG0037: Raider Storm Cloud

*Item #TTCG0038: Raider Visper

*Item #TTCG0039: Raider Detour

*Item #TTCG0040: Raider Road Hugger

 

Autobot Character Cards

*Item #TTCG0041: Metroplex

*Item #TTCG0042: Optimus Prime

*Item #TTCG0043: Bumblebee (Courageous Scout)

*Item #TTCG0044: Bumblebee (Trusted Lieutenant)

*Item #TTCG0045: Bumblebee (Brave Warrior)

*Item #TTCG0046: Dinobot Swoop

*Item #TTCG0047: Six-Gun

*Item #TTCG0048: Scamper

*Item #TTCG0049: Slammer

*Item #TTCG0050: Red Alert

*Item #TTCG0051: Private Red Alert

*Item #TTCG0052: Grapple

*Item #TTCG0053: Ironhide

*Item #TTCG0054: Major Prowl

*Item #TTCG0055: Seargent Hound

*Item #TTCG0056: Private Trailbreaker

*Item #TTCG0057: Private Arcee

*Item #TTCG0058: Seargent Chromia

*Item #TTCG0059: Autobot Novastar

*Item #TTCG0060: Sergeant Kup

*Item #TTCG0061: Blurr

Review – Metroplex Pack: Transformers TCG

 

*Item #TTCG0062: Autobot Hot Rod

*Item #TTCG0063: Optimus Prime

*Item #TTCG0064: Prowl

*Item #TTCG0065: Autobot Mirage

*Item #TTCG0066: Autobot Mirage (2nd unit)

*Item #TTCG0067: Alpha Bravo

*Item #TTCG0068: Skydive

*Item #TTCG0069: Fireflight

*Item #TTCG0070: Air Raid

*Item #TTCG0071: Dinobot Snarl

*Item #TTCG0072: Dinobot Sludge

*Item #TTCG0073: Private Top Shot

*Item #TTCG0074: Private Flak

*Item #TTCG0075: Private Mudslinger

*Item #TTCG0076: Private Tote

*Item #TTCG0077: Private Stakeout

*Item #TTCG0078: Private Red Heat

Exclusive Card Reveal: Private Stakeout – Transformers TCG

 

Decepticon Cards

*Item #TTCG0079: Fusion Cannon of Megatron

*Item #TTCG0080: Tooth and Claw

*Item #TTCG0081: Stunticon Swagger

*Item #TTCG0082: HV Electron Breacher

*Item #TTCG0083: Decepticon Crown

*Item #TTCG0084-86: Builder’s Tools (x3)

*Item #TTCG0087-88: Scoundrel’s Blaster (x2)

*Item #TTCG0089-91: Heavy Loading (x3)

*Item #TTCG0092-93: Reclaim (x2)

*Item #TTCG0094: Tower

Exclusive Card Reveal: Electro-Optical Visor. Transformers: TCG

 

Autobot Cards

*Item #TTCG0095: Combat Commands

*Item #TTCG0096-97: Noble’s Blaster (x2)

*Item #TTCG0098: Electrified Spikes

*Item #TTCG0099-101: Protected by Metroplex (x3)

*Item #TTCG0102-104: Height Advantage (x3)

*Item #TTCG0105-107: Rally the City (x3)

 

Double Orange

*Item #TTCG0108-122: Improvised Shield (x15)

*Item #TTCG0123-124: Mounted Missiles (x2)

 

Double Blue

*Item #TTCG0125-137: Handheld Blaster (x13)

*Item #TTCG0138: Energized Field

*Item #TTCG0139: EMP Wave

 

Orange & Blue

*Item #TTCG0140: Recon System

 

White & Green

*Item #TTCG0141-147: Spare Parts (x7)

*Item #TTCG0148-149: Secret Dealings (x2)

*Item #TTCG0150-152: Attack Drone (x3)

*Item #TTCG0153-158: Escape Route (x 5)

*Item #TTCG0159: Espionage

*Item #TTCG0160: Personal Targeting Drone

*Item #TTCG0161: Inverted!

 

Orange & Green

*Item #TTCG0162-165: Enforcement Batons (x4)

*Item #TTCG0166-167: Reactive Armor (x2)

*Item #TTCG0168-169: Focus Fire (x2)

*Item #TTCG0170-174: Bashing Shield (x5)

*Item #TTCG0175-176: Sparring Gear (x2)

*Item #TTCG0177-178: Scrounge (x2)

*Item #TTCG0179: Press the Advantage

 

Blue & Green

*Item #TTCG0180-182: Backup Beam (x3)

*Item #TTCG0183: Extra Padding

*Item #TTCG0184: Sturdy Armor

*Item #TTCG0185: Reflex Circuits

*Item #TTCG0186: Dismantling Claw

*Item #TTCG0187: Master Plan

*Item #TTCG0188-191: Smelt (x4)

*Item #TTCG0192: Covert Armor

 

Green

*Item #TTCG0193-200: Rest & Relaxation (x8)

*Item #TTCG0201-202: Sonic Scramble (x2)

*Item #TTCG0203-208: Tech Research (x6)

*Item #TTCG0209-211: Enemy Combat Analysis (x3)

*Item #TTCG0212: Metal Detector

*Item #TTCG0213-214: Cornered (x2)

*Item #TTCG0215: Battlefield Scan

 

Blank

*Item #TTCG0216: Hiding Spot

*Item #TTCG0217: Bad Attitude

*Item #TTCG0218-220: Ready For Action (x3)

*Item #TTCG022`: Dismantle

*Item #TTCG0222: Calculated Strike

*Item #TTCG0223: Crash Landing

*Item #TTCG0224: Smokethrower

*Item #TTCG0225: EM24 IR Laser Launcher

*Item #TTCG0226: Repurpose

*Item #TTCG0227: Steamroll

*Item #TTCG0228-234: Fling (x7)

*Item #TTCG0235: Medic!

*Item #TTCG0236-237: Plasma Burst (x2)

*Item #TTCG0238: Medic! (2nd type)

*Item #TTCG0239: Strafing Run

*Item #TTCG0240-241: Bolt of Lightning (x2)

 

White

*Item #TTCG0242-243: Piercing Blaster (x2)

*Item #TTCG0244-248: Data Pad (x5)

*Item #TTCG0249-250: Delibitating Crystal (x2)

*Item #TTCG0251: Force Field

*Item #TTCG0252-259: Force Field (2nd type) (x8)

*Item #TTCG0260-262: Superior Jetpack (x3)

*Item #TTCG0263: Intelligence Mission

*Item #TTCG0264-266: Backup Plan (x3)

*Item #TTCG0267: Diagnosis

*Item #TTCG0268: Frag Toss

*Item #TTCG0269-285: Rapid Conversion (x17)

*Item #TTCG0286-291: Surprise Attack (x6)

*Item #TTCG0292-296: Field Communication (x5)

*Item #TTCG0297-299: Work Overtime (x3)

*Item #TTCG0300-302: Leap of Faith (x3)

*Item #TTCG0303: Fog of War

*Item #TTCG0304: Combat Training

 

Blue

*Item #TTCG0305: Battlefield Report

*Item #TTCG0306: Reclaim

*Item #TTCG0307-313: Pep Talk (x7)

*Item #TTCG0314: Brainstorm

*Item #TTCG0315: Steady Shot

*Item #TTCG0316-320: Underhanded Tactics (x5)

*Item #TTCG0321-322: Universal Network Access (x2)

*Item #TTCG0323-328: Vaporize (x6)

*Item #TTCG0329: Bumpers

*Item #TTCG0330-334: Energon Slingshot (x5)

*Item #TTCG0335: Urban Camo

*Item #TTCG0336: Smoke Cloak

*Item #TTCG0337-347: Primary Laser (x11)

*Item #TTCG0348-352: Blast Shield (x5)

*Item #TTCG0353-355: Bravery (x3)

*Item #TTCG0356-357: Evasive Manoeuvres (x2)

*Item #TTCG0358-360: Leap into Battle (x3)

*Item #TTCG0361-366: Inspiring Leadership (x6)

*Item #TTCG0367: Start your Engines

*Item #TTCG0368-380: Armoured Plating (x13)

*Item #TTCG0381: Drill Arms

*Item #TTCG0382: Reinforced Plating

*Item #TTCG0383-385: Superior Plating (x3)

*Item #TTCG0386: Marksmanship

*Item #TTCG0387: Brainstorm

*Item #TTCG0388: Inferno Breath

*Item #TTCG0389: Heavy-Handed

*Item #TTCG0390: The Bigger They Are…

*Item #TTCG0391-392: Team-Up Tactics (x2)

*Item #TTCG0393: Collateral Damage

 

Orange

*Item #TTCG0394: Mining Pick

*Item #TTCG0395: Superior Cannon

*Item #TTCG0396-400: Flamethrower (x5)

*Item #TTCG0401-402: Combat Dagger (x2)

*Item #TTCG0403-407: Scrapper Gauntlets (x4)

*Item #TTCG0408-409: Power Punch (x2)

*Item #TTCG0410: Basic Combat Protocol

*Item #TTCG0411: Bolster

*Item #TTCG0412-413: Defensive Formation (x2)

*Item #TTCG0414-418: Field Repair (x5)

*Item #TTCG0419-421: Reckless Charge (x3)

*Item #TTCG0422-426: Swindled (x5)

*Item #TTCG0427-432: Testify (x6)

*Item #TTCG0433-435: Rapid Ascent (x3)

*Item #TTCG0436-439: Ramming Speed (x4)

*Item #TTCG0440-441: Repair Bay (x2)

*Item #TTCG0442-446: Supercharge (x5)

*Item #TTCG0447-453: Grenade Launcher (x7)

*Item #TTCG00454: Swarm!

*Item #TTCG0455-456: Incoming Transmission (x2)

*Item #TTCG0457-458: Vandalize (x2)

*Item #TTCG00459: Treasure Hunt

*Item #TTCG0460-464: Confidence (x5)

*Item #TTCG0465-469: Erratic Lightning (x5)

*Item #TTCG0470-471: Body Armor (x2)

*Item #TTCG0472: Ancient Wisdom

*Item #TTCG0473-474: New Designs (x2)

*Item #TTCG0475: Stealthiness

*Item #TTCG0476: Battle Ready

*Item #TTCG0477: Tackle

*Item #TTCG0478: Cooling Vents

 

Enigma Cards

*Item #TTCG0479-481: Constructicon Enigma (x3)

*Item #TTCG0482-483: Stunticon Enigma (x2)

*Item #TTCG0484-485: Predacon Enigma (x2)

*Item #TTCG0486: Sentinel Enigma

*Item #TTCG0487: Dinobot Enigma

*Item #TTCG0488-490: Aerialbot Enigma (x3)

ROTC Booster Packs. Part 2: Gameplay – Transformers TCG

 

Boxes

*Item #TTCG0491: Starter Pack (MISB)

 

*Item #TTCG0492: Rise of the Combiners Booster Box

Rise of the Combiners Booster Packs. Review Part 1 – Transformers TCG

Fan Interviews & Art, Transformatorium

Video: Trev interviewed on the Frostbite channel

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Today I was very happy, after many delays on my end, to be interviewed by Leeny for his youtube channel Frostbite’s GI Joe Repro.  However instead of discussing GI Joe’s, we discussed Transformers – evrything from how my hobby began to my most beloved figures to how I now share the hobby with my son.

So tune in and enjoy Big Angry Trev interviewed on Frostbite.

And dont forget to subscribe and check out some of the other great interviews on the Frostbite’s GI Joe Repro channel!

 

Video: Interviews at Transformers Rise of the Beasts Preview Screening

Video: Interviews at More than Meets the Eye Exhibition

 

Tales of the Trev, Transformatorium

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – Special Preview Screening Event!

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Rise of the Beasts, the highly anticipated seventh live action Transformers movie, officially hit cinemas around the world on Friday the 9th of June, 2023 (June 22 in Australia).

A June 22 release for the rest of Australia, but a few of us lucky ducks didn’t have to wait that long

However, as befits a multi-million dollar movie of a beloved toy franchise, Paramount and Hasbro held a Special Preview Screening on Thursday the 8th, and for those notables lucky enough to receive an invitation, what an event it was!

If you are going to see a movie, do it in style!

Here in Sydney Australia, the event was held at the Hoyts Entertainment Quarter, and much excitement was in the air.  One could attribute part of this excitement to the fact that due to international date lines, it was the 8th here in Australia before the majority of the world, making this one of the first ever showings of the movie!

Love getting invitied to these special events – thanks Hasbro and Paramount!

The attendee’s were made up of executives from both Hasbro and Paramount, professional movie reviewers and various celebrities such as actors, social media influencers and even cosplayers.  Naturally everyone’s favourite radio star and blogger Big Angry Trev was on hand, much to the excitement of the crowds!  Photographers snapped pictures and a film crew was on hand to interview guests.

Video: Interviews at Transformers Rise of the Beasts Preview Screening

There were even some extra special guests in the form of some of the movie cast themselves – Bumblebee and Mirage decided to come along to grace their fans with their presence and pose for pics.

Mirage
Bumblebee

Over the course of the year we have seen many Transformers events here in Sydney, such as the Beasts Base Camp at Taronga Park Zoo, and the More than Meets the Eye Exhibition at Kings Comics.  What was wonderful to see with all these events, were not only the usual cream of society invited, but also notable members of the Australian Transformers Fandom.

Big Angry Trev & Miguel Maestre at the Beasts Base Camp

In attendance for this Special Preview Screening event were Transformer Exhibitors such as Lisamaree Chiu, Ben Keenan and Michael Vella and Transformer Superfans such as Trent Munn and Dallas Roderick.  Yes, the royalty of the Aussie fandom were on hand to strut their stuff and I know all were appreciative of how Hasbro and Paramount have included the fandom in this years movie festivities.

Big Angry Trev and his trusty sidekick Orion posing for photo’s with Superfans Dallas & Trent

Free soft drinks and popcorn was on offer for all attendee’s as they entered the theatre, where individual recliner seats, soft and plush, were on offer to cradle every buttock.  And for the very crème de la crème of the attendee’s, Hasbro reserved some very special seats dead centre of the theatre for the optimum viewing experience.

What’s better than attending an exclusive event? Getting VIP seating at the exclusive event!

These Special Preview Screenings were not only held in Sydney, but also Brisbane and Melbourne, making it not only a regional but national event!

The Brisbane event, photo courtesy of M.K Griffin of Ozformers
The Melbourne event, courtesy of Jason Murray of TCCA

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts turned out to be a fantastic movie, earning a well deserved round of applause from an appreciative audience.  I heartily recommend everyone get out themselves out there to watch this fun and entertaining flick.

Movie Review – Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Sadly, this event was likely the last event for the Transformers social season this year.  Lets hope that the powers that be make the next highly anticipated instalment just as fun!

Were you one of the favoured few to get to attend one of these Special Preview Screening Events?  Lets us know in the comments section below!

 

Random Rants, Random Reviews

Movie Review – Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

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After a 5 year absence of giant shape changing alien robots in theatres, Transformers Rise of the Beasts has hit cinemas worldwide June 9th.  Thanks to the generosity of Hasbro and Paramount Pictures, some of us lucky folk even got to attend Special Preview Showings on Thursday 8th, being able to quench our thirst for Autobot antics a day early.

Even Mirage got invited to his own flick! Love Hasbro & Paramount putting on these special events!

Warning, this is a Movie Review – so SPOILERS!

One of the main complaints of the live action Transformer films is having to wait around for ages to finally see some robots.  No such complaint can be made here.  One of the main groups of protagonists – The Maximals, and the main antagonists – The Terrorcons and their gigantic master Unicron, are introduced at the outset, setting the stage for much mayhem to come.  We are also introduced to the Allspark Matrix Control Pillar Seed Staff of Merlin Transwarp Key, a… glowy thingie… which will be used as an excuse for robots to travel to Earth, trapse all over the globe and fight each other to obtain it.

I can eat whole planets – but can be defeated by the lack of a glowy thing the size of your forearm

And then of course we transfer to the obligatory human characters and their backstories.  Firstly Noah Diaz, an ex-solider who is about to embark on a life of crime in order to support his younger brother who, I dunno, has a pain in his hand or something.  And Elena Wallace, an undervalued researcher in a museum.  So yes, we have humans but good news – there is no romantic subplot!  That’s right folks, a live action Transformers movie with no romantic awkwardness between teens or overt sexualization of young women – can I get an amen!

We are never scantiy dressed or sexually attracted to each other – are we sure this is a Transformers movie?

Anyways, these humans need to meet the Transformers for the plot to advance, so Noah tries to steal Mirage, police chase ensues, they escape and we get introduced to the bulk of the Autobot cast.  Brooding Optimus & perky Bumblebee, the mainstays of the movie series are on hand with Arcee, returning for her third outing, combining her robot look from the Bumblebee movie with her motorcycle altmode from ROTF.  But its Mirage who takes the staring role both in this scene and for much of the movie (oh thank you, thank you Primus for not making yet another movie all about Bumblebee and Optimus again!).

We are fam-i-ly!

Lets take a look at Mirage shall we.  Originally in Generation One the character was a blue & white Autobot Warrior, a member of the upper class who wants the war over so as to return to his lavish lifestyle on Cybertron, who could turn into an Indy Racer as well as cloak himself with invisibility.

‘A giant robot race car that can cloak? I rock!’

Here he seems to be a pastiche of other G1 Transformer characters.  He has the youthful exuberance of Hot Rod, the altmode of Jazz and the holographic powers of Hound.  That said, at least there is some resemblance to previous incarnations there.

‘You are  really going to enjoy me’

Mirage also seems to be able to turn into anything.  Yes I know that’s the point of Transformers, that they can change their forms, but Mirage can change into most anything on a whim.  In short order he transforms into a Porsche, a Lamborghini and an Indy Racer (in an homage to his G1 counterpart).  Yup, all cars approximating his mass and size, so what’s the problem?  No problem as such yet, but a short time later he transforms into a garbage truck bigger than Prime himself, and near the end an exo-suit for Noah which is not much bigger than the human.  By making Mirage seemingly able to be anything, it waters down the specialness of the transforming ability in general.

Wait, wasn’t I like 100 times bigger only an hour ago in the movie?

It isn’t long before, in pursuit of the glowy key thingie, the Autobots meet the Terrorcons, with much fighting and general violence taking place.  Thankfully for the franchise it learned from Dropkick and Shatter from the last flick as in a few fleshed out bad guys can prove more interesting than an army of generic ones (don’t worry, that happens later too). Scourge, the Terrorcon leader and main Herald of Unicron, is powerful and commanding enough as the main villain, though can’t be said to be breaking new ground – at least he comes with a couple of deployable Freezer minions.  Battletrap is pretty cool, using chains with clamps and wrecking balls on the end in both his modes to hurt his opponents, often using the environment around him to help smash his foes.  Nightbird can fly to provide her group air support, she also produces her signature swords near the end of the movie but doesn’t do much with them.

I will use the one ring to rule you all!

The glowy thingie is found, but oh no!  It got all broke up and now we need to find the second half!  Cue off to Peru, courtesy of Stratosphere, a pretty cool old transport plane character.  They meet up with Pablo Wheeljack who has an idea where the second half may be.  There we see the Autobots actually using their ‘robots in disguise’ moniker by hiding around the city in vehicle mode while the humans do their thing.  Then off to the jungle where the Maximals are hiding out where they are most definitely not robots in disguise.  Don’t get me wrong, they look cool.  But they are all way bigger than the animals they are supposed to be disguised as (the glowing eyes don’t help much either).  Maximals and Autobots team up, get their arses kicked, the glowy thing is put back together and thus the final act is underway.  The transwarp portal is opened, allowing Unicron to come and chow down on Earth.

‘Wait, you can tell that I’m not an Earth-gorilla? How?!’

But things don’t happen that fast.  Despite the transwarp portal castle thing materializing in seconds, it takes a long time for the portal to open enough for Unicron, so even though Airazor is now dead and Bumblebee near death himself, the remaining bots go to stop the portal opening, Optimus and Noah learning the magic of friendship (or something) and trusting each other.  Here we get the big final battle, with all the good guys who survived near dying at some point but never quite managing it, while the bad guys (along with the promised hordes of weaker bad guys to go smashy smashy on) get their comeuppance.  Cue some post battle scenes and that’s a wrap folks.

Movie Review – Bumblebee

So yes, the plot is very formulaic and nothing you haven’t seen in a hundred other flicks.  So is this movie worth watching?

Yes, yes it is!  This is actually to my mind the best live action Transformers movie to date, as well as being the most fun!  The majority of robots are treated like actual characters, receiving their fair share of screen time and character development, not simply murderbots to show up to kill each other between prolonged human scenes.  Speaking of, they finally seem to have struck the right balance for robot-to-human screen time – it’s a Transformers movie with actual Transformers!

We are in the film! We are in the film lots!

The only time I got sick of the squishies was the final battle scene; a huge stunning battle taking place with the Maximals and Autobots fighting the Terrorcons and a legion of their minions while Unicron decends from above, and they halt the action for two full minutes for Noah to have a heart-to-heart with his brother over a walkie-talkie?!  Shut the hell up Noah – we want to see the robots fight!  This did detract from the exo-suit scene for me, as I was all pissed off with Noah ruining the flow, but thankfully times like this in the movie were rare – no 10 minute scenes of Sam Witwicky having a mental meltdown in class, followed by talking about how a kiss had a deisely tinge to it.  The pacing of the movie is spot on, keeping you entertained without things going so fast you don’t know what’s happening, the humour gives you a few genuine laughs without it ever sinking into the gutter, in short this movie seems to have listened to all the fan gripes about the first 5 movies and rectified them, producing a fun and entertaining flick about our favourite giant, shape-changing alien robots!

I give Transformers Rise of the Beasts 9 out of 10 stolen Autobot badges.

You like me, you actually like me

Have you seen this movie?  What did you think of it?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Movie Review – Transformers: The Last Knight

Fan Interviews & Art, Tales of the Trev, Transformatorium, Videos

Video: Interviews at Transformers Rise of the Beasts Preview Screening

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On Thursday the 8th of June, here in Australia, some of us lucky few were chosen to attend a Special Preview Screening of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Love getting invitied to these special events – thanks Hasbro and Paramount!

The lads Mikey and Clinton from the Toy Reel channel were invited along to do a pre-movie taping, discussing the potentials of the new film as well as interviewing some of the special guests attending.  This included professional film reviewer David Quinn, as well as fans Wes and Kelvin.

And naturally, if they are interviewing people they weren’t going to miss out on that master of all things Transformers, the curator of the world famous Transformatorium, Big Angry Trev himself!

I’m here, and I’m fabulous!

So enjoy this discussion from the lads from Toy Reel and their 4 interviewee’s (if you want to be naughty and watch the bit with me first, its at the 8.20 mark 😉)

 

Don’t forget to check out all the other video’s on the Toy Reel YouTube channel, and give them a like and subscribe while you are there 😊

Other Big Angry Trev Interviews:

Video: Interviews at More than Meets the Eye Exhibition

The Transformatorium Makes Front Page News!

 

Transformatorium, Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – Studio Series Airazor

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The new Transformers: Rise of the Beasts movie is less than two months away, and figures are already turning up on shelves in anticipation of the latest instalment of the franchise.

Movie Review – Bumblebee

When I attended the Beasts Base Camp experience at Taronga Zoo I was lucky enough to be given a gift bag by Hasbro that contained, amongst other things, a Studio Series Airazor.  Then when attending the MTMTE Exhibition at Kings Comics my son was lucky enough to receive the same!  So being the first foray for both of us into the new movies toyline, thought it only fitting that we give you our thoughts on the figure.

 

Robot Mode

Given that Airazor has not, as of the writing of this post, had her robot mode shown in any footage, it is hard to give a proper account of how screen accurate the figure is.  It is certainly a nice looking figure, with an avian-like head, consistent colour-scheme, good proportions and decent articulation.  The wings give a cape-like appearance and the missiles on the arms lend that combative look of an alien robot about to enter the fray.  The face is not particularly feminine, but then very few Airazor figures in the past have had one either so one could say its true to form.  The feet should be turned so that the smaller talons face the front, but I personally think she looks that bit cooler and more bestial with the larger facing forward.

 

Falcon Mode

The figure really shines here.  A beautiful wingspan that can be adapted to a number of different configurations and poses.  A sufficiently detailed head and claws really give that metallic-bird appearance, with this Airazor not having an organic outer form like previous iterations of the character.  Looking from below she doesn’t look great, but then to be honest most real life birds don’t from that angle either (I raise ducks and chickens – trust me on this) so I personally find it forgivable.  The only main detractor is that the outer wings unclip very easily.  They can be clipped back on with similar ease so it’s a mild irritation at best.

 

Worth Getting?

Studio Series rarely lets us down in terms of screen-accurate & highly detailed figures, and has not disappointed once again.  The figure boasts a lot of detail, though more detail in the Transformation would have been nice, you definitely don’t need the instructions for this gal.  The figure shares much of its engineering with Kingdom Airazor so anyone who has that figure will know largely what to expect.

If you are into Beast Wars characters, or are looking to pick up toy representations of characters from the upcoming movie, then Studio Series Airazor fits the bill nicely and I welcome her as the first Maximal to enter my Studio Series collection.

Got something to say about this figure?  Pop it in the comments section below!

Tales of the Trev, Transformatorium

Transformers Beasts Base Camp

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With the imminent approach of the new Transformers movie, Rise of the Beasts, promotion and marketing is in full swing!

Yours truly was lucky enough to get invited to help represent the Fandom on the opening night of the Transformers Beasts Base Camp Roar & Snore Experience at Taronga Park Zoo.  Along with a couple of other fans as well as celebrities and media, courtesy of Hasbro we were treated to a truly amazing night!

First off, you knew you were in the right place when there are two big fellas ready to greet you!

Big Angry Trev & Optimus Prime – I smell a spin-off coming!

We were  given a guided tour by the keepers around some of the animal enclosures.  It was interesting to see just how more active many of the animals are at dusk, it was the most animated I’ve ever seen koalas in my life!  The zoo is very cool after opening hours.

They weren’t asleep!

We were subsequently ushered into an auditorium where we were given a special glimpse at some Rise of the Beasts material.  A non-disclosure agreement prevents me discussing what we saw, but fans will be very happy indeed!

Surprises on the way!

After our secret viewing we were treated to some displays of the upcoming Rise of the Beasts action figures, due to hit shelves here in Australia on April 10th.

Sometimes it pays to be a superfan

Next a jaumty stroll to Beasts Base Camp – so cool!  Everywhere you looked there was jungle-themed Transformer touches on show.

Into the main communial area we were ushered.  Plenty of food and drink on offer as we lounged about on Transformers-themed cushions.  Time for Big Angry Trev to go to work and shmooze with the other Aussie celebrities.

Miguel Maestre
Jordan Raskopoulos

As dark approached were escorted to our tents.  Each tent was numbered and had its own Transformers theme.  My tent-mate (Griffin of Ozformers) and I were in Tent 6 – The Mirage Tent.  And talk about the views!

Inside on our beds, we found the very pleasant surprise of gift bags, containing all manner of Transformers merchandise – thanks Hasbro!

Freebies!

After another short tour we were given dinner, a delightful array of different traditional African foods.  Then a special after-dark walk around some of the habitats.

No, not a satanic camel. At night the red light bothers the animals a lot less than white light

Next morning its more tours from the incredibly friendly keepers and then breakfast, followed by some up close and personal interactions with some of the animals.  I must admit I absolutely ADORE giraffes, so getting to hand feed one was definitely a personal highlight and I was almost in tears, feeling so moved by the experience.

The event finished just as the zoo was opening up for the day, and what a fantastic fun experience it was overall!  I’d like to thank Hasbro Australia once again for the opportunity, I can’t wait to bring my son to meet Prime & Primal!  Don’t forget that the toys hit shelves on April 10th, and the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts movie will hit theatres on June 8th.

“Don’t mess with us – especially the little bloke below me, he’s angry!”

 

Big Angry Trev visits Hasbro Australia!

 

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Exclusive Card Reveal: Electro-Optical Visor. Transformers: TCG

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Thanks to Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, BigAngryTrev.com has once again been given an exclusive reveal for the Transformers: Trading Card Game to share with the world! Rather than a new character, this card is an Upgrade – Armour card from the new Titan Master packs that will be available later in the year.

Note: Neither Hasbro nor WOTC have paid for this reveal and have in no way tried to dictate the content of this review. BigAngryTrev would like to thank both companies for the continuing opportunities to share facets of this card game with the public.

 

So let’s have a look at the Action Card Electro-Optical Visor. 

 

Using the card in game

The usefulness of the card will rely heavily on what cards you and your opponent are sporting. If you are sporting a team of all Autobots, when you place this on a character and it adds 1 Defence point via an Armour Upgrade to its stats and the cards usefulness stops there.

However, if you have any Decepticons in your team, putting this card on one of them will not only add 1 Armor Upgrade point, but also:

*Makes your opponent reveal their hand

*Your opponent must scrap an Autobot card of their choosing from their hand

Of course, your opponent could quite easily have no Autobot cards in their hand, which means they don’t have to scrap any card at all. But even if this is the case, it still means that you get to have a good look at their hand, see what cards they are sporting and prepare yourself accordingly.

 

The Artwork

The artwork is lovely, showing Soundwave wearing what one assumes to be an Electro-Optical visor. Oddly I don’t recognise the origin of the artwork, so I am making the assumption it is from the IDW Transformers comics reboot, as I have not read all of them yet. If I am in error, or you know which exact comic, please pop it in the comments section below and I will be sure to credit you.

Note: According to reader ‘Flip Flip Bang Bang’ this is probably new artwork as WOTC no longer uses IDW comic art.

 

So all in all, depending on the cards you and your opponent have, this could prove to be either an average or a very useful card to pick up. I look forward to getting a physical copy in my hands and trying it out in gameplay.

The new Titan Master Packs for Transformers: TCG are slated for a release on the 17th of April, 2020.

  

Related Articles:

*Exclusive Card Reveal: Private Stakeout

*Exclusive Cards Reveal: Dirge and Defensive Driving

Transformatorium, Videos

Transformers Siege trailer: Character breakdown and analysis

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Today at the New York Toyfair the world was treated to the teaser trailer for the new Transformers cartoon trilogy coming to Netflix later this year – War For Cybertron: Siege.   Even though this has been touted as ‘Anime’ we are getting a CGI cartoon like the Power of the Prime’s trilogy rather than some stylized Japanese animation.  Based mainly on the Siege Toyline, but also reminiscent of the opening sequence to the 2018 Bumblebee Movie, this cartoon has kept many of us in keen anticipation and is set in the final stages of their war on Cybertron.  Watch below:

Video from Transformers Official Youtube Channel

 

So let’s have a quick rundown of what characters we saw in this short video, what they did and what implications it could have for the upcoming cartoons storyline.

 

AUTOBOTS

Optimus Prime: Voiced by Peter Cullen, we see Optimus doing his usual – saving other Autobots, battling Megatron, protecting the Allspark and so on.  More interestingly, you get to see some of his warriors questioning his methods rather than talking about how great he is.

Elita-1: The only  Transformer from the video that did not have a toy in the Siege line or the upcoming Earthrise (her figure coming out in POTP).  Her line said to Optimus ‘This is not the life I imaged for us’ brings up the question: is she referring to her and Optimus indicating a relationship between the two, or referring to the Transformer race in general.

Ultra Magnus: Instead being his usual ‘Yes Prime’ self, we see him questioning Prime’s methods, and even going in secret to see the Decepticon command.  This potentially could be the most interesting we have ever seen him portrayed on screen.

Bumblebee: Another bot that is usually at Prime’s beck and call, we see him telling Prime his attitude to the war will get him killed.  Thankfully it seems he is based on his G1 self which will get a toy in the Earthrise line, rather being based on the Bumblebee Movie.

Chromia: Seen fighting Barricade, one wonders with the inclusion of her and Elita, does this mean we will finally get a break from Windblade and Arcee being the two main female Autobots in any given story?

Cog: Seen dying of an injury, but his parts being used by Sideswipe in Weaponizer fashion.  Oddly later in the trailer we see a bot that has Cog’s body type but is coloured like Six-Gun running after Elita.  A trick of the lighting or the first animation error?

Wheeljack: Like Bumblebee, he has a figure coming up in the Earthrise toyline, so will he transform in the cartoon?

Sideswipe & Hound: Both seen in fight scenes

DECECEPTICONS

Megatron: Not voiced by Frank Welker, but sounds good all the same.  Sporting some battle damage and some big Overlord-style lips.  Like Optimus he is doing his usual – inspiring his army and trying to kick Prime’s butt.

Soundwave: Seen standing off to the side of the Decepticon command table.  Does this mean he wont be as big a character as usual?  Or without Welker’s voice that he may remain silent?

Shockwave: Also seen at the command table.

Refracktor/s: Two Refracktor’s are seen firing over a barricade.  The powers that be have obviously gone for the choice of having them all identical like the G1 cartoon, rather than Spectro, Viewfinder and Spyglass getting their own colour schemes and weaponry.

Barricade: I guess this solidifies Barricade’s inclusion to the G1 universe.  Seen sitting at the command table as well as putting the smack down on Chromia.

Skytread: Seen getting punched in the face by Optimus.

Jetfire: In a few scenes with Megatron and most definitely sporting the Decepticon symbol.  Looks like we will get the inevitable ‘Jetfire swaps sides’ storyline at some point.

Impactor: Like Jetfire we see his Decepticon incarnation.  Will he, like Jetfire undoubtedly will, join the side of the Autobots at some stage in the series?

SEEKERS: From some shots it looks like there is going to be a lot of them, perhaps all of them.  Here are the ones that were definitely spotted:

Starscream: In both battle scenes and at the command table.  Given all the other story implications, we might actually be spared the ‘Starscream betrays Megatron’ story that has been played to death in the past.

Skywarp: Battle scenes and at the command table.

Thundercracker: In a few battle scenes

Redwing and Acid Storm:  Seen standing guard as Ultra Magnus approaches the Decepticon base.

 

So, seems like there may be some interesting story arcs and some interesting takes on characters.  One can just hope that this cartoon is better than the last CGI transformers cartoons we received.

What do you think of this trailer?  Pop it in the comments section below!

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Exclusive Card Reveal: Private Stakeout – Transformers TCG

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A few months ago, bigangrytrev.com was privileged enough to be given an exclusive reveal for the new Transformers Trading Card Game. In that instance it was Dirge and Defensive Driving from the Rise of the Combiners cards.

Well now courtesy of Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, we have been given another exclusive reveal. And this time it is from the latest iteration of the game – War For Cybertron Seige.

For those unaware, the current Transformers Generations toyline for 2019 is indeed War for Cybertron Seige and indeed it appears many of the upcoming cards will be based on said toyline. The exclusive card reveal we get to do today is definetly based on one of those toys, a Micromaster character who hadn’t had a new figure for nearly 30 years – Private Stakeout.

Coming in at 4 Stars, Stakeout – whose roles are Infantry and Communications – doesn’t appear to be the most powerful of characters, but then as a Micromaster he isn’t expected to be.  But this little Autobot can still prove quite useful.

 

Patrol Car Mode

 

3 Attack, 5 Health, 0 Defense

The artwork from this has been taken from the Siege packaging for Stakeout, which I quite like as I’m really enjoying the more gritty artwork that has been accompanying this line. In his Patrol Car mode, Stakeout has only 5 health and absolutely zero shielding. However this sneaky little bot has got that covered. Despite appearing quite vulnerable, his skill is Stealth, which means that unless every other one of your Hero Cards has been KO’ed by your opponent, any attack on this card while it is untapped can be deflected onto another one of your characters, keeping him safe from being killed before he can even get in the fight.

 

Robot Mode

 

2 Attack, 5 Health, 1 Defence

Once again, the artwork has been taken from the great packaging art of the new toy. In robot mode Private Stakeout sacrifices one of his attack points in order to get at least a bit of defence going. But once again, it’s less his stats that are important bur rather his special ability. Stakeout has the ability to, via you sacrificing one of your white-square cards, to flip another Hero Character Card to it’s other mode. This can be invaluable depending on who you are flipping. For instance if you have another character who has a lot more health and defence in one of its modes and is near death, you can flip it to its more resilient mode in order to survive your opponents next attack on you.

 

Teams Private Stakeout may be useful on

Stakeout is most definitely a supporting character. With 4 Stars he is designed to fill out a team full of stronger/higher star ranking characters where you have already used up to 21 of your 25 star limit. Stakeout will be most useful in a team with characters where it is imperative to be able to get that extra Hero Card flip in so as to facilitate either attack or defence. This suits Stakeout in the grand scheme of the Transformers universe; Micromasters are small, not particularly powerful in of themselves and are often used to support bigger robots. For instance in the new toyline Stakeout combines with Red Heat to form the “Binerboost Salvage Blaster”, a gun used by regular sized bots.

 

So I hope you have enjoyed another Exclusive Card reveal from bigangrytrev.com. Many thanks to Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast for the chance to show this card to the world, which will be available when the Transformers TCG War For Cybertron Seige sets get released on June 28th 2019.  Also check out the reveal over on Life…With Sprogs to see another new card – Searget Skrapnel.

 

Related Articles:

Exclusive Cards Reveal: Dirge & Defensive Driving

Devastator Pack Review – Transformers TCG

Toy Review – Siege Micromasters Wave 1