It's a big day for our favorite fictional robot friends--opening day for the
Now, my older brother had a pretty rad collection of Transformers playthings, but some of the new generation of toys are pretty drool-worthy as well.
Here are my top five picks for Transformers toys. They're just as awesome as the 1986 movie version's soundtrack (Thank you, Stan Bush.):
• Transformers movie helmet: Now I don't know if you're into role playing, but if Transformers are your fantasy, you're in luck. This helmet not only shields your head from the elements while looking cool, but it also comes with a voice changer. Basically, you can sound just like Optimus Prime uttering, "Dinobots, destroy Devastator!"
(Credit:
Hasbro)
• Cyber Stompin' Optimus Prime: An obvious choice. He's the leader of the pack, and undeniably the sexiest and most powerful Transformer out there. Plus, he died in the last movie with the lines, "Do not grieve. Soon I shall be one with the matrix." No, I am still not over that.
• Cyber Stompin' Robot Bumblebee: Another Cyber Stompin' toy, Bumblebee comes with all the bells and whistles to match his flashy personality. Like the original '80s toys, there's plenty of fist-launching action, in addition to lit-up eyes and torso for the Autobot class clown. In this toy, little Bumblebee finally seems to stack up to the rest of his Autobot "big brothers."
• Transformers Vehicle Arm Blaster Starscream: Inflicting pain on others via foam is always fun. Enter the Transformers Arm Blaster. This handy transformer arm comes with four darts aimed at attacking the Decepticons of your life. Plus, it transforms into a cool jet.
• Optimash Prime: This spud is more than meets the eye. It starts off as a plain Mr. Potatohead, but can change into the leader Autobot, Optimus Prime. I will be picking one up on my way home tonight; he'll look good next to my Spidey Spud.
The Transformers are hitting the big screen this July 4, and that means a whole lot of merchandising going on. Among the hordes of Transformers toys are Hasbro's Real Gear Transformers, a series of toy electronics that turn into robots. Remember Soundwave, the Transformer that became a tape deck? This is the next generation. Click for a slide show of all six Real Gear Transformers, plus the real-life gadgets we think they most resemble.
Not effective in the event of a robot invasion.
If you've looked at a television, a movie screen, or a billboard at any time in the last year, you're probably already aware that Transformers is coming. And if you've done any of those things in the last 20 years, you probably already know the story: transforming robots from another planet fight other transforming robots while Earth hangs in the balance.
Let's see...robots, cartoons, new movie coming out...yep, this means merchandising and lots of it. The Transformers movie is going to get toys, toys, and more toys. Transformers is getting everything from action figures to board games to, obviously, video games. Hasbro, the company behind the original Transformers toys, is making the bulk of these products, while Activion is handling the upcoming video game release.
We received a big box from Hasbro today that included previews of their various transforming toys. It came with (and I'm in no way kidding about this) a transforming press kit with secret compartments. The Transformers merchandise they sent ranged from the standard (Transformers action figures) to the curious (a Transformers novel) to the downright awesome (Transformers Nerf gun).
The greatest toy in the bunch is the Transformers Optimus Prime Battle Rig Blaster. It's a big plastic truck that transformers into a Nerf gun shaped like Optimus Prime's blaster. It's huge (even my large fists can fit into it), and even though it won't make you feel like Optimus Prime, it'll at least convince your friends and co-workers that you're a giant lunatic. Granted, I'm probably the only giant lunatic who actually walks around the office with a giant Nerf gun mounted on my hand, but I like to think that simply makes me awesome.
Second greatest toy out of them is the Transformers Optimus Prime Voice Changer. It's a big plastic helmet that transforms your voice and shouts Optimus Prime quotes really, really loudly. It's big enough for even my head to fit inside, so I really have to ask who Hasbro is marketing these toys for.
Among the various Transformers action figures, a handful stand out as particularly interesting. The Transformers Real Gear figures are Transformers based on everyday electronics. Speed Dial 800 is a cell phone, Spy Shot 6 is a digital camera, Power Up VT6 is a portable game system, and so on. We haven't seen them up close yet, but they sound pretty interesting. They don't actually call people, take pictures, or play games, though.
Transformers hits July 4, but you don't have to wait until then to get your Transformers stuff. Hasbro's Transformers toys start to ship June 2, and the video game hits all major consoles June 26.
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