TK Toy Expo 2024 | Hasbro, Jada & YoloPark

The last day of the Toy Kingdom Toy Expo was quite a busy spectacle for those who have been in the event for the last four days. Of course, there have been surprising reveals and other major activities happening around the event. But here’s a round-up of product tie-ins and some new ones to look forward to on local retail For Hasbro, the mainline Legacy United and Studio Series and sub-series continue to expand what the “Generation” flagship range of assortments is all about. In the past months, the roll-out availability has been slowed down due to the local distributor’s financial struggles emerging from the pandemic has been quite a challenge.

TK Toy Expo 2024 | Transformers Legacy United

It’s been almost six years, and the return of the Toy Kingdom Toy Expo after six years of hiatus was a welcome event for hobbyists and toy enthusiasts. The event has been around as far back as 2012 and it is a biennial event happening every other year until the pandemic happened four years ago cancelled this said event. Now, the return for the much-adored Toy Expo is not the same as you have experienced since 2018. But that did not stop the Toy Kingdom from presenting every product they had in their store this year’s participation, which includes the Transformers brand by Hasbro distributed in the Philippines by Playkit Inc.

Legacy United | First Look: Sandstorm

The Forty Years of Transformers started rolling for today’s ‘Transformers Tuesday” in the US reveals for upcoming figures that would be released for the summer season. Although the highlight for the release centered on two iconic characters getting a re-release in a comic book-inspired iteration. This one is for the upcoming second wave of the Legacy United toyline that some longtimne fans have been clamoring since the last one came out in the thirtiesth anniversary year.

TF Sightings | SS86 Ratchet and Frenzy (Red)

Despite not having many new products in retail, the Toys R’ Us flagship store in Robinsons Galleria still manages to get a pinch of an update to their glass display shelf whenever the local distributor has for select stores have foot traffic that has caused some controversy for some local collectors not having them nearby theirs. Not even its store rival Toy Kingdom flagship store in SM Megamall, which was a few blocks away with a similar glass display, even gets a decent update with all the silent word of mouth going around that the local distributor is tightening their belts due to the rise of interest rate and price point hike going up TRU still gets new stock.

Cobra Commander #1 | Rise of Cobra

The word “Game Changer” is getting thrown around too much it has become a common term for what’s been something new and different. Some may not agree with the way things have been brewing the past months with Skybound Entertainment acquiring the rights to produce comic books for G.I. Joe and Transformers, but the overall reception is a welcome thought for the first-timers who have started reading the series that began with Void Rivals. With Cobra Commander, this mini-series has been teased several times as a four-page backup to the titles that are part of the Energon Universe. For those wondering if this and the Duke Mini-series have any connection to the main G.I. Joe ARAH series, the answer is a big NO as that series is still within the confines of its original universe that was first published by Marvel back in 1983 when IDW rebooted with G.I. Joe issue no. 155 ½ published as an FCBD title in May 2010 is already running with the current issue continuation that began with issue no. 301 which is still written by the legendary Larry Hama. This take on Cobra Commander existing in the "Energon Universe" is unique from its original universe and it is something to look forward to.

Transformers #4 | Human Connection

The first few pages of the fourth issue continue, whereas the action-packed third issue has left readers reeling from the brutal action that Daniel Warren Johnson has brought to the Transformers comics. This is the best time to be a true Transformers fan catching up on Skybound Entertainment’s take on the franchise. The consistency of the narrative clearly shows that this series is one episodic tapestry that keeps on moving and gets ratcheted up (No Pun Intended) in every issue. Losing an arm and being chased by a deranged Decepticon is not all exciting when your beloved human companion is losing blood from a gunshot wound while evading everything that is being thrown shows the action is not over. This is not like in the original cartoon when Prime was damaged in the previous episode he comes back in this issue brand new. This series is so grounded that Starscream was either being beaten up or being run over by a semi-truck. The motion and action on how Cliffjumper in his vehicle mode screeched into the scene with Carly behind the wheel and kicking the Decepticon Air Commander like taking inspiration from the chase scenes from Japanese anime like Initial-D. There was plenty of high-stakes action to go around the few pages and the details with inks have been phenomenal with every issue getting released is impressive.

TF Sightings | TRU Robinsons Galleria

There’s not many new sightings nearby Makati area, but suddenly in some places where not most people thread to visit you find that some of the retail stores get their new wave of Legacy unnoticed. It’s not that the global market is changing after the pandemic it’s all about market strategy for most stores like Toy Kingdom. And just that, The Wave 2 Deluxe and Commander Class has a subtle appearance in a place, where rarely is an off-grid place. But for those passionate enough they won’t let any stone unturned and this new world is certainly a challenging one to find these on display are most of the time do not make it to the display since TK has already shopping for their customers on Viber.

TF RPMs | Autobot Rachet

Transformers have been universally a favourite brand, because of transforming mass-shifting robots battling out fighting for “Good versus Evil” Hasbro making it so popular that the brand needs to expand trying to capture a different market that they don’t even have a reach. Back in 2009, Transformers was already at its peak with a second film “Revenge of the Fallen” a follow-up to Michael Bay’s blockbuster phenomenon two years earlier that made Transformers explode in mass appeal, and with that, the products need to “go beyond” from just transforming toys into other markets that Hasbro doesn’t, and that’s is where the “Robot Powered Machines” came to be.