New Dinobots figures, other toys celebrate 30 years of ‘Transformers’

Hasbro will be celebrating 30 years of one of their most lucrative brands, Transformers, by releasing a horde of new toys and at least one video game inspired by the upcoming film, “Transformers: Age of Extinction.”

 

Unveiled at the Toy Fair 2014, the action figure reveals bring plenty of surprises. For starters, we finally get to see Dinobot leader Grimlock in his robot mode.

  

Grimlock is part of the Leader Class Transformers figures series, which are extremely large, intricately-detailed toys with complex transformations. They are usually reserved for the most important characters, such as Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron.

 

Other images popping up on the net feature further versions of Grimlock. One of them is the huge, 22-inch Chomp and Stomp Grimlock, which belongs to the One-Step Changers line. Meant for younger fans, these figures transform from robot mode to alternate mode in one simple step.

 

Behold the Dinobots!

 

Grimlock won’t be the only robot dinosaur in the new movie, however. He will also be joined by  Strafe (the Super Bowl trailer’s two-headed pterodactyl that a number of fans mistook to be Swoop), as well as other Dinobots.

 

The others include a Spinosaurus called Scorn and a velociraptor called Slash. Last, but not least, is a Triceratops whose name is Slug – an interesting choice given his name in the original 80s cartoon series was Slag. The word “slag,” however, eventually evolved into a Cybertronian naughty word. This might explain why his name was modified for the new movie.

 

The Dinobot toys appear particularly good, especially in dino mode. They will be released as “Deluxe Class” figures, which are smaller figures whose robot modes range from four to six inches in height.
 

 

Hound, Drift, and Galvatron

 

Recent reports confirm that Megatron is indeed coming back as Galvatron. Fellow newcomers to the movie franchise, Hound and Drift, however, look particularly awesome.

 

Hound’s robot mode just screams badass. And is that a full beard he’s sporting?

 

A first-generation Autobot, Hound was originally a green 4x4 military jeep in the original Transformers animated series. Though his primary role was that of a tracker, he also had the ability to project realistic holograms that could fool the Decepticons on more than one occasion.

 

In the fourth Transformers film, Hound will transform into an Oshkosh Defense Medium Tactical Vehicle, an enormous brute of a machine that is clearly a departure from his 80s tiny alt mode.

 

Hound will be part of the Voyager Class line, which are figures that are somewhere between Deluxe Class and Leader Class in size and complexity. It is interesting to note that an 80s-style Optimus Prime figure will also be released as a Voyager.

 

Another fan-favorite, the Decepticon-turned-Autobot, Drift, makes his appearance as a Japanese warrior-like character, complete with Samurai armor and twin katanas. According to the Transformers mythos, Drift was once a fearsome Decepticon warrior named Deadlock. Upon closer examination of the horrors he had wrought under Megatron’s command, however, he repented and eventually decided to use his expertise with the sword to fight for justice.

 

The Construct Bots

 

Hasbro has also announced new figures for their Construct-Bots line, which is aimed at children. Construct-Bots consist of interchangeable detachable parts, so that you can mix and match arms, legs, heads, and other body parts to create your own unique robot.

 

For “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, the Construct-Bots will include Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Drift, Lockdown, Hound, and more. — KDM, GMA News