Transformers Action Figures

The Fourth of July is highly anticipated and will not be long forgotten by Transformers fans old and new. The film, and all the hype surrounding it, is sure not to disappoint as well as the Transformers action figures and toys that have fans in a frenzy!

The classic war between the Autobots and Decepticons has crossed over galaxies and more than ten million years. The Transformers continue to wage a galactic war for control with the evil Decepticons, led by Megatron, who seek to dominate and rule, and the courageous Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, who fight to protect and conserve.

The feature film is directed by Michael Bay from a screenplay written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. It's a new story line, set apart from the previous generations of the cartoons and comics. Steven Spielberg is the executive producer of this film introducing the new origin and characters.

The lead human role in the movie "Sam Witwicky" will be played by Shia LaBeouf with supporting roles played by Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and Megan Fox. Originally, Bernie Mac and Dane Cook were to play cameos in the movie. However, Dane Cook announced due to an argument that his role in the film was scrubbed. It is expected that Peter Cullen, the original voice actor who played Optimus Prime, will voice the hero character once again. Megatron is being voiced by Hugo Weaving.

This film wouldn't be complete without a complete accompanying Transformers action figures and toy line!

Kyle B is a freelance writer who writes about the latest consumer trends.
Transformers Action Figures

Transformers Action Figures - The Plaything Which Never Gets Old

The popularity of Micheal Bay's Transformers and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen films, that opened in 2007 and 2009, have spawned a completely modern line of Hasbro kid's toys and collectibles. In addition to the wide variety of Transformers action figures, children are now able to spend playtime with their favorite personalities from each of those movies and some newbies to the saga too.

The New Guys -

Naturally, traditional replicas of Optimus Prime, the commander of the Autobot Transformers, will continually be amid Hasbro's top selling Transformers toys. His enemy Megatron, nevertheless, possesses an equal popularity amongst children who want to play the "bad guy" on occasion. In addition, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen released several brand new robots into the Transformers universe, the Voyagers.

The bad Decepticons now contain figures like Grindor, an attack helicopter similar to the U.S. Army's Apache, just with a major bad mind-set. Demolisher and Scavenger smash every thing in their paths on the silver screen, and the action figure's two big wheels do the same to Autobot toys for children with a destructive, yet safe imagination.

Probably, the most identifiable villain from Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is the Fallen himself. Along side the six-piece super-robot, Devastator, both of these toys can offer several hours of play for little boys who want to reenact their preferred action scenes from the Michael Bay films.

The Old Dogs With New Tricks -

While the brand new figures could be the coolest looking transformers, you cannot whip the old dogs like Optimus Prime and Megatron. Lovers of the nineteen-eighties Transformers TV show will speculate what happened to Megatron's arm cannon. The modern edition of the super villain has a retractable sword as a substitute as does the new Optimus Prime, which comes with 2 flip-out swords rather than one.

Bumblebee was always a popular figure from the animated series, though the live-action motion picture places a brand new spin of this fun, lovable Transformer. Not only does Bumblebee protect Sam, the movie's teenage hero, the Transformer can transform into a streamlined, fast reproduction of Chevy's latest Camaro design. In Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, Bumblebee's design and overall appeal reflect the heart and soul of the Camaro, and the vivid yellow Bumblebee action figure holds the same appeal for kids who would like to play the good guy.

Transformers Action Figures are very popular with kids from around the world. Of course, they are also highly collectible because of their popularity throughout the years. To find out more information about Transformers Action Figures, you can do some searching on the site OptimusPrimeStore.com.

Transformers Movie Toys - Blackout Action Figure

The first Transformers movie took a lot of fans by surprise with its re-imagining of established Tranformers characters that many fans had grown up with for many years. The choice of Transformers characters that showed up in the movie was a bit erratic, especially on the part of the Decepticons.

While the Autobots were immediately recognizable, the Decepticons featured some lesser known characters, such as Blackout. Blackout was the first Transformer audiences got a look at during the start of the movie, and the character looked immense on screen. The Transformers Blackout toy was released along with the film, and here's a look at that toy.

Transformers toys have long since been known for the ingenuity of their design, but due to the level of complexity shown in each robot in the movie, Hasbro had to simplify the design of the toys a little.

The main difference between the onscreen Blackout and the toy version is that the toy is missing the arm mounted guns, but this is made up for with shoulder mounted missiles. The figure looks immense when you check out the Voyager Class figure. This one comes boxed in a window display package and has a great level of detail despite the limitations of the design.

The helicopter mode of this Transformers Blackout toy is pretty much what you se on the screen in the movie itself, and the makers have done what they could to ensure the robot looked as close to the CG model as it could.

The outcome is about as good as it gets with action figures. Blackout is easy to transform and features a small Scorponok figure that can be stored in Blackout when in vehicle mode. A small version of the Blackout figure was also released alongside this one, but this 3 inch version features only limited detail and a very simple transformation cycle.

On the Voyager Class Transformers Blackout figure, you are able to remove the helicopter blades and attach them to Blackout's arm as a weapon, as seen in the movie itself!

Much like the rest of the Transformers movie toys, the Blackout figure is a good quality approximation of the character it is based on, and does look fantastic even though it isn't 100 percent the likeness from the films.

Andrew is a widely read popular culture blogger and music journalist in print and online. A fan of Transformers since 1984, he's here to help you learn more about the Transformers toys and characters and their place in the overall Transformers story.

Transformers Movie Toys - Bumblebee Action Figure

In both the first Transformers movie and its sequel Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen, Bumblebee has secured his place in the hearts of movie fans everywhere as their favourite Transformer.

He has always been popular with Transformers fans, dating right back to the original cartoon in the 1980s and the 1986 animated movie, but now, with the leaps in special effects technology he has been brought to life in a manner that is frankly astonishing.

You may have issues with the Transformers live action films and their slapdash logic and multiple bloopers in continuity and plotting, but as pure spectacle they are brilliant.

The character of Bumblebee is prominent in both films, and as such the call for Bumblebee toys is huge with fans. Thankfully, there are several kinds available to choose from.

Both movies brought regular sized action figures of the character to the market, as well as larger and smaller versions that were suitable for collectors or younger children respectively.

With Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, a hugely popular Bumblebee voice changer was also added to the range of Bumblebee toys available, which proved to be a big hit with kids everywhere.

There are issues with the Bumblebee toys though, the main one being that the toys, for the most part, look very different to the character as he appears on the big screen. Hasbro have done their best with all of the figures to make the toys resemble the character, but the CG model used in the movies was so very complicated that it would be nigh on impossible to make an exact replica of it in toy form.

Mainly the difference is around the legs of each toy, which have had to be modified in order for the Transformers Bumblebee toy to transform into its vehicle mode. While they may not perfectly match the character, they do capture the essence.

In addition to figures and helmets, there have been replica Bumblebee costumes and even high quality models of his car form.

The most impressive one has been the 'Ultimate Bumblebee' toy, of which there is a version for both films. This large scale toy has all manner of interactive features, MP3 capabilities, sophisticated transformation technology and 45 different audio samples.

It's pricey, but more than worth the money. That one really is the best Transformers Bumblebee toy available, and it is easy to see why.

Bumblebee will surely remain the favourite Transformers character for many fans, and will continue to be with the third film and beyond!

Andrew is a widely read popular culture blogger and music journalist in print and online. A fan of Transformers since 1984, he's here to help you learn more about the Transformers movie toys and characters and their place in the overall Transformers story.

The Resurging Interest in Transformers Figures and Vintage Reissues

It shouldn't come as a big surprise that one of the resurging toy lines of late has been Transformers, which saw a relatively profitable Christmas season, all things considered. The feature movie was a huge hit among adults and children alike, raking in $320 million in domestic theatre sales alone, not even considering international releases and DVD releases.

Transformers characters go way back too, being introduced in toy form in the early 1980's, but their genealogy traces back even further to a Japanese toy line that was acquired by Hasbro for inclusion in the then popular G.I. Joe toy line. After being repurposed for Transformers, the original cartoon series was commissioned solely as a vehicle to propel sells of the toy line.

Children then were fascinated with the innovative designs of Transformers, which led to more character developments, and more toy releases, some of which were impressive engineering feats, especially in the 80's. Now that those kids have grown into adults, the resurgent interest in Transformers is split among the classic figures, the reissues, and the new releases.

In 2008, McDonalds got into the foray and released some Happy Meal toys for kids that turned from vehicles into robots. While these entry-level toys were a far cry from full-fledge Transformers, it widened the audience even further, prompting children to follow in their parents footsteps by collecting the toys themselves.

Now that the second feature film, Transformers 2, is in production, demand for these toys should continue to increase in the coming years. While the Transformer toy line is powerful, it's not as exclusive as some other franchises (e.g. Lucas and Star Wars), so expect to see a large variety of spin-offs and crossover toys for the newer collectors.

For the older collectors, local department stores and online retailers will still hold some appeal by stocking some of the classic reissues. But for old school Transformers fans who live for the now vintage Transformers, secondary market sales will be the only option. Secondary market sales include estate sales, yard sales, online auction sales, and party-to-party sales.

Stay tuned for more to come out of the Transformers franchise - it should be an interesting year!

For more information about Transformer action figures, characters, plot lines, and history, visit Shaun's Transformers online enthusiast blog.

Why Transformers Figures Have Stood The Test Of Time

There aren't many kids' TV franchises that have endured the test of time. During the 1980s, Transformers kept the attention of youngsters each Saturday morning. But with the modern revival of the Transformers series with a new CGI, Hollywood remodel, an entire new generation of Transformers followers has been introduced to the story's timeless lure.

The crossover between long-standing and new admirers is seen in the progress of the toy Transformers figures. The youngsters of the eighties have grown to men and women with households of their own, however the attraction of the Transformers world continues unchanged, if not more well-known than at any time!

A lot of the classic 1st generation Transformers figures get a good price these days via online merchandisers. Who would have believed that over twenty years ago a plastic-type transforming robot action figure may well sell for 3 times its list price? Special edition Transformers figures can sell for more than $100 in some cases! This is true, especially, for action figures of Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, the "good guys" of the tale.

Hasbro has introduced a variety of special Optimus Prime figures over the years. Some contain unique attachments or have special DVDs from the vintage kid's tv series. Additional releases are exclusive keepsake pieces for the more mature age group of Transformers enthusiasts. If you look hard enough, you can come across action figures created from heavy, polished metal developed to last.

Every great kid's TV show needs a villain, and the "bad guy" transformers figures have amassed as sizeable a following as the Autobots. Lead by the tyrannical, nasty Megatron, the Decepticons fight Optimus Prime and his Autobots at every turn. A Megatron toy could fetch as high a price as an Optimus Prime figure.

The resurgence of Transformers on the movie screen has resulted in a whole new line of toys for the children to play with. Perhaps the lure of classic and brand-new generation figures may be the "Lego-like" mixtures which create still larger Transformers!

The evil, ultra powerful Constructicons are capable of developing a six-piece super robot named Devastator, keeping step with the figures from the eighties. Decepticons aren't the sole Transformers figures able to combining to make super-transformers. Devotees of the eighties television program will recall the Dinobots, Autobots with the personas and shapes of dinosaurs liked by young children even to this day. A figure of the Dinobot leader, Grimlock, may sell for just as much as Optimus Prime or Megatron.

With the transforming of the franchise, Hasbro and film makers have ample material to pick from since there are a variety of Autobots and Decepticons that have yet to be released with a brand new youthful audience. As of today, the Transformers movies have not unveiled the popular Dinobots. May we see them find their way into the story in the near future?

While mothers and fathers may be familiar with the nineteen-eighties versions of Transformers, brand-new spins on the personalities are certain to be "cooler" compared to the earlier versions should you ask kids today.

If you are looking for Transformers figures to give as a gift to the child in your life, you have to find the best prices. Some websites charge an arm and a leg for these toys, but you can also find some fantastic deals online too. For more info, visit www.OptimusPrimeStore.com.