While just rumor for the moment, all the pieces are starting to fit together, and it’s sounding more and more likely that my favorite Transformers toyline since Beast Wars is fading into the ether with the coming of Revenge of the Fallen.
Honestly I was a bit concerned with the future of the line due to the arrival of Revenge of the Fallen this summer, anyway, since we all know Hasbro likes focusing on the movie stuff during the movie years. But then came the announcement that the third season of Transformers: Animated would be the last, which led directly into Toy Fair, where no one from Hasbro would confirm anything about the future of the show or the toyline in general. That was all accentuated by the fact that Hasbro essentially showed us nothing of an Animated nature at Toy Fair (aside from the Deluxe Arcee).
Now word from the reputable folks at TFW2005 is that the Animated line has, in fact, been canceled. Pre-orders are getting pulled, release dates are getting pushed back, and a “cut off date” has even appeared in retailer systems. The writing, it would appear, is on the wall.
While I’m not necessarily surprised at this development, that doesn’t mean I’m any less disappointed. Not since Beast Wars has a Transformers property captured me this much (no, not even the excellent Classics line), and in fact I have forgone some fantastic Universe releases like Hound, Prowl, and Sideswipe, so that I could save the cash for the Animated figures like Swindle, Blurr, and Safeguard.
Listen…I like the first Transformers film well enough. Revenge of the Fallen looks like a blast. But like a lot of folks, I have little or no love at all for the movie character designs, and I have zero desire to own them in plastic form. So it looks like, once again, Transformers will be falling off the radar, at least until they come up with something else that draws me in.
Between this development and the fact that I’m going to be relaxing a bit on the G.I. Joe movie stuff, maybe I’ll have enough cash to collect the Sideshow line after all…. :shifty: