Top 10 most likely Transformers Studio Series figures
In February we were treated to the official reveal of a toy-line that had been heavily leaked months beforehand: Hasbro's Studio Series for the Michael Bay line of Transformers movies that started in 2007. It acts as a sort of celebration of the films, including characters from all across the movies with a main focus on characters who had out of date toys or had never gotten a figure in the first place. The first two waves were uncovered, revealing delights such as a proper leader class Blackout and Grimlock, as well as figures for Crowbar and Stinger who had never received genuine figures previously. Those were only a few of the reveals that were unveiled, and while these figures have not fully hit shelves I am still looking forward to the future of the line and what figures may possibly make up future waves sooner rather than later. This is what I believe are the top 10 most likely Studio Series figures for the near future.
10. Any easy repaints/retools
(Image 1 Source) (Image 2 Source)
The Transformers movies have on multiple occasions reused CGI models for different characters such as Blackout and Grindor seen above, or by simply giving the bots a different paint job, such as Ratchet's new colors in the third film in the franchise. Any figure that simply has different paint would be easy for Hasbro to produce under a new name. Retools would be more difficult but not as difficult as creating an entirely new mold for a figure. We have already seen retools used in the line with Bumblebee and Crowbar both being retooled from the existing figures of Premier Edition Last Knight Bumblebee and Berserker respectively. It would be surprising if we did not see some of these kinds of characters crop up in the line.
9. TF1 Megatron
The first film of the franchise appears to be the bread and butter of this line, with everyone Autobot besides Ironhide being produced in the first two waves (Ironhide himself leaked for the third wave), and three of the Decepticons being present as well. Megatron appeared for the final battle in the movie, killing off one of the heroes and providing a good evil presence as the primary antagonist. A first movie edition of Megatron will surely be coming to replace the out of date figure he received in 2007, though this one is lower on the list simply because a second movie Megatron is releasing in the second wave, and I am not sure how quickly they would pump out Megatron figures, even if they are different designs.
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8. TF1 Barricade
Arguably one of the most popular Decepticons of the franchise, Barricade has sporadically appeared in three of the five movies, each time disappearing without a trace only to turn up again without warning in another film, even being rumored to make another appearance in the upcoming Bumblebee movie. Being from the first film already gives him a leg up above other figures on this list, but added to that is his immense and surprising popularity, the only downfall to his odds is the same as 2007 Megatron's. A Last Knight Barricade released not even a year ago, and there is the probable upcoming release of a Bumblebee movie edition of Barricade if he does appear in that film, wedging the 2007 version of Barricade in a tight, Barricade-filled release window that Hasbro may not want to overstuff.
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7. Hatchet/Crankcase
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In a line that has already accomplished retools, and claims to be focusing on characters never before seen in figure form, those two phrases seem to be directly fitting for the other two "Dreads" that Crowbar was a part of. Crankcase and Hatchet, the center and right two characters in the photo above, were part of the trio that attacked the Autobots on the highway in Dark of the Moon before being swiftly killed. With Crowbar already produced it leaves me to wonder how long he'll be standing alone. Crankcase would essentially be a repainted Berserker, while Hatchet would lean more into new mold territory, but with one of the Dreads already in the first wave the second two cannot be far behind.
6. Scorn, Slug, Strafe (Image 1 Source) (Image 2 Source) (Image 3 Source)
Leader class Grimlock has not released yet; however, the internet, fans, and collectors have already fallen in love with the Dinobot's newest figure. Screen accurate, massive, and beautiful, the figure is among the best looking of the Studio Series' first two waves, and not giving Grimlock the company of his fellow Dinobots would be a tragedy; especially if the other three would look as well done as their leader.
5. Dino/Que
(Image 1 Source) (Image 2 Source)
The third film in the franchise had many characters such as Hatchet who did not receive figures. New Autobots Que and Dino were another two that had no representation in the standard figure lineup during the release of the movie, even though Que had a planned deluxe that eventually never saw wide release. They were both present throughout the whole film with active designs and broad appeal. Studio Series is the perfect place for these characters to finally make their appearance, especially as Que had one of the more emotionally touching death scenes of the franchise.
4. TF3 Soundwave
Just as Que originally had a deluxe class figure planned and then cancelled aside from a small release, Dark of the Moon Soundwave had his figure pulled from the line. Soundwave has the advantage of being a more popular character as Megatron's third in command, finally coming down to earth in the third film and delivering a stunning plot twist by turning up as Carly's car. Soundwave did not get a lot to do in the film, but he was still a central villain and sorely lacks a figure.
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3. Shockwave/Sentinel Prime/The Fallen (Image 1 Source) (Image 2 Source) (Image 3 Source)
These three are lumped together simply because I don't think any of them are more likely than the last, but being prominent characters they all have a shot at arriving to the line soon. Two were the primary antagonists of their film while Shockwave filled a more tertiary position, though originally touted as the villain of Dark of the Moon. If the Studio Series has proven anything so far by Revenge of the Fallen Megatron and Grimlock, it is that they know how to make good looking cybertronian figures, and that only bodes good for Fallen and Shockwave.
2. Bonecrusher
A favorite for many after watching the first film, and in sore need of a correctly classed figure. A deluxe class version of Bonecrusher was released in multiple variants after the release of the film, but a voyager was what he truly deserved and Hasbro has admitted that they would have made him a voyager if they could go back and do it. Their chance to do just that has come with the Studio Series, and despite his limited amount of screen time he is among the most wanted figures from the line, proving his popularity and ensuring that he will probably be popping up soon to further fill out the lineup of 2007 movie characters; especially if recent rumors are to be believed.
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1. Bumblebee Movie bots
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What else would be more obvious for a movie line of figures than to include characters from an upcoming film? We see it with Star Wars, DC, and Marvel lines and Transformers has been no different. Bee in his classic VW form will surely be in one of these next two waves before the movie, and whatever other characters are in the film will be joining him. It is unknown who these other characters will be, but they will surely be showing up in the Studio Series soon.
Those are the ten most likely choices I think are present for the Studio Series line, but these are only my personal guesses and could turn out to be entirely wrong. Only time will tell, but for me, the number two spot on this list cannot come soon enough.
10. Any easy repaints/retools
(Image 1 Source) (Image 2 Source)
The Transformers movies have on multiple occasions reused CGI models for different characters such as Blackout and Grindor seen above, or by simply giving the bots a different paint job, such as Ratchet's new colors in the third film in the franchise. Any figure that simply has different paint would be easy for Hasbro to produce under a new name. Retools would be more difficult but not as difficult as creating an entirely new mold for a figure. We have already seen retools used in the line with Bumblebee and Crowbar both being retooled from the existing figures of Premier Edition Last Knight Bumblebee and Berserker respectively. It would be surprising if we did not see some of these kinds of characters crop up in the line.
9. TF1 Megatron
The first film of the franchise appears to be the bread and butter of this line, with everyone Autobot besides Ironhide being produced in the first two waves (Ironhide himself leaked for the third wave), and three of the Decepticons being present as well. Megatron appeared for the final battle in the movie, killing off one of the heroes and providing a good evil presence as the primary antagonist. A first movie edition of Megatron will surely be coming to replace the out of date figure he received in 2007, though this one is lower on the list simply because a second movie Megatron is releasing in the second wave, and I am not sure how quickly they would pump out Megatron figures, even if they are different designs.
(Image Source)
8. TF1 Barricade
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7. Hatchet/Crankcase
(Image Source)
In a line that has already accomplished retools, and claims to be focusing on characters never before seen in figure form, those two phrases seem to be directly fitting for the other two "Dreads" that Crowbar was a part of. Crankcase and Hatchet, the center and right two characters in the photo above, were part of the trio that attacked the Autobots on the highway in Dark of the Moon before being swiftly killed. With Crowbar already produced it leaves me to wonder how long he'll be standing alone. Crankcase would essentially be a repainted Berserker, while Hatchet would lean more into new mold territory, but with one of the Dreads already in the first wave the second two cannot be far behind.
6. Scorn, Slug, Strafe (Image 1 Source) (Image 2 Source) (Image 3 Source)
Leader class Grimlock has not released yet; however, the internet, fans, and collectors have already fallen in love with the Dinobot's newest figure. Screen accurate, massive, and beautiful, the figure is among the best looking of the Studio Series' first two waves, and not giving Grimlock the company of his fellow Dinobots would be a tragedy; especially if the other three would look as well done as their leader.
5. Dino/Que
The third film in the franchise had many characters such as Hatchet who did not receive figures. New Autobots Que and Dino were another two that had no representation in the standard figure lineup during the release of the movie, even though Que had a planned deluxe that eventually never saw wide release. They were both present throughout the whole film with active designs and broad appeal. Studio Series is the perfect place for these characters to finally make their appearance, especially as Que had one of the more emotionally touching death scenes of the franchise.
4. TF3 Soundwave
(Image Source)
3. Shockwave/Sentinel Prime/The Fallen (Image 1 Source) (Image 2 Source) (Image 3 Source)
These three are lumped together simply because I don't think any of them are more likely than the last, but being prominent characters they all have a shot at arriving to the line soon. Two were the primary antagonists of their film while Shockwave filled a more tertiary position, though originally touted as the villain of Dark of the Moon. If the Studio Series has proven anything so far by Revenge of the Fallen Megatron and Grimlock, it is that they know how to make good looking cybertronian figures, and that only bodes good for Fallen and Shockwave.
2. Bonecrusher
A favorite for many after watching the first film, and in sore need of a correctly classed figure. A deluxe class version of Bonecrusher was released in multiple variants after the release of the film, but a voyager was what he truly deserved and Hasbro has admitted that they would have made him a voyager if they could go back and do it. Their chance to do just that has come with the Studio Series, and despite his limited amount of screen time he is among the most wanted figures from the line, proving his popularity and ensuring that he will probably be popping up soon to further fill out the lineup of 2007 movie characters; especially if recent rumors are to be believed.
(Image Source)
1. Bumblebee Movie bots
(Image Source)
What else would be more obvious for a movie line of figures than to include characters from an upcoming film? We see it with Star Wars, DC, and Marvel lines and Transformers has been no different. Bee in his classic VW form will surely be in one of these next two waves before the movie, and whatever other characters are in the film will be joining him. It is unknown who these other characters will be, but they will surely be showing up in the Studio Series soon.
Those are the ten most likely choices I think are present for the Studio Series line, but these are only my personal guesses and could turn out to be entirely wrong. Only time will tell, but for me, the number two spot on this list cannot come soon enough.
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