Action Masters

Image: HasbroThe phrase, “you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain” comes to mind with Hasbro’s latest addition to its Transformers toy line, as longtime Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, is now tradinghis alternate truck mode for a dart-firing Nerf blaster.Megatron, the leader of the opposing Decepticons in the Transformers world, is now best known for transforming into tanks, spaceships, and various other vehicles of war. But the original Megatron toy, which debuted in the US in 1984 as…

Beast Wars: Transformers - The End of Optimus Primal | Transformers OfficialAny Transformers fan worth their Energon cubes knows that Beast Wars takes place on Earth in between the crash-landing of the original Transformers, such as Optimus Prime and Megatron, and their eventual awakening in the modern-day. But when they first arrived on the prehistoric planet, they had no idea because there were two moons overhead. Eventually, it was revealed the second “moon” was secretly an alien superweapon, which Optimus Primal gave…

Begun, the Beast Wars have.Gif: ParamountIt’s been almost five years since one of the biggest film franchises in modern history graced the big screen—but it’s back, and this time it’s a beast. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is coming on June 9, 2023, and Paramount just released the first teaser trailer.Adapting the popular Beast Wars section of the toy/cartoon franchise, Rise of the Beasts is a 1990s period film set between the events of Bumblebee and the Michael Bay films. It’s directed by Steven Caple Jr. and stars…

Screenshot: ParamountThe new Transformers animated series, Earthspark, is doing a lot of things that might make dyed-in-the-wool fans wary at first. It’s a family show, in that its primary focus is on its robotic heroes as they sit hand-in-hand with two young kids and their parents. It’s also not about Autobot/Decepticon conflict, in so much as it is about a new generation of Earth-born Terran Transformers. But it is also this: a kind of fascinating sequel to the classic cartoon.Earthspark is set in contemporary Witwicky,…

Fueled by morning cartoons that were nothing more than thinly veiled commercials, the 1980s were arguably the golden era of toys, with iconic lines like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and the Masters of the Universe debuting that are still popular today—and maybe even moreso, based on a toy-filled auction that ends tomorrow.The problem with growing up with many of these toy lines is that when you’re a kid, you don’t give a second thought to preserving the packaging as you tear open a new toy, nor do you play with it gently,…

Image: Hot Toys, Hasbro, and SmythsWelcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's regular roundup of the most fun geeky merch around. This week, the Transformers get into the holiday spirit, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s new hero gets a new Hot Toys figure, and all hail the gooiest Star Wars toys around. Check it out!Image: HasbroHasbro Transformers Generations Holiday Optimus PrimeEven the ho-ho-holidays need defending from the Decepticons, so this year Optimus Prime is stepping up to the job with a complete festive makeover…

Image: Hot Toys, Bandai, and HasbroWelcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's regular round up of the coolest merchandise on the internet lately. This week, Gundam’s latest protagonist gets her own figure, Hasbro lifts the lid on a whole host of Star Wars toys, and Groot gets hairy. Leafy? Check it out!Image: BandaiS.H. Figuarts Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Suletta MercuryGundam’s latest protagonist, and its first female leading character, is now also the first hero in the mecha franchise to get a Figuarts toy since G…

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's regular round up of the coolest merchandise on the internet lately. This week, Mondo’s Masters of the Universe toys get a major upgrade, Transformers pulls into the train station, and it’s already time for festive nightmares. Check it out!Mondo Masters of the Universe Battle Cat Sixth-Scale FigureDid you know that one of the most memorable sidekicks of the ‘80s was a last-minute addition to the Masters of the Universe toy line? Mattel’s designers just repurposed a tiger toy for He-Man to…

Image: HasbroFans who were first introduced to the X-Men and other Marvel characters through the original comic books have seven more Legends Series Retro figures to squeeze onto a shelf, including the Dark Phoenix, Iron Man, Longshot, Avalanche, Spiral, Multiple Man, and Wolverine. They’re available April 2023 for $25 each—except for Iron Man, who arrives in December for $45 and includes 10 accessories including an over-sized cannon. Image: HasbroFans who were first introduced to the X-Men and other Marvel characters…

It’s no secret that despite the massive boon in online shopping and packages needing delivery, traditional mail service is struggling. No one writes nice letters to each other any more, but that could soon change as the Royal Mail in the UK is about to introduce some truly amazing postage stamps featuring heroes that pre-date email, texting, and Facetime.Everything ‘80s is cool and lucrative again, and while companies like Hasbro are making another mass fortune by re-releasing Transformers toys, the Royal Mail is instead…