Unicron.com Transformers News

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Unicron.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:12:24 CDT

Peter Cullen - 1941 - 2026

He was a legend in life, as he will forever be in passing.

I’ve had the great fortune to meet him several times over the years. His passing hits me hard - to borrow the phrase from Hasbro’s tagline for the Transformers The Movie 40th anniversary - “...hits like a truck.” It’s the saddest of all days for Transformers fans.

In my encounters, I thanked him for being the hero of my youth. He was practically unique in that when you meet your childhood hero, you often find yourself not so impressed. With Mr. Cullen, that was not the case. He had an aura. He was a kind and gentle soul, a gentleman who carried himself with utmost integrity and respect - worthy of the Optimus Prime character he was so famous for.

This one is too close to home and our hearts. We will miss you Peter Cullen. Thank you for the role model you played in all of our lives.

Til all are one.
- Lukis Bros.

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Unicron.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 10:12:45 CDT

Erik here with a short write up I never wanted to do.

Let me be very real here folks, this week is devastating for me. There will be a tiny bit of language as I vent. Dolly was a legend, and I admired her ever since I was little—a true hero. Tim was the best there was, a dark and crazy man who let me know that being me was not a crime. And now a man whose voice was my childhood, Peter Cullen, has passed away, and I'm just done for a while. Myself and Bill Freitag, along with our friend Brian, got to meet Peter and Frank back at the very first ever Voice Against Cancer (now 605 Pop Con). We were supposed to have 15 minutes, and it turned into 40+ minutes of pure bliss. This man was the kindest, most sincere person ever.

Let me tell you a story about that day. We spent months lining up this interview—tons of emails, praying, and hope that a few local connections and having an up-and-coming magazine would get us in the door; and it did. Now, here we are, waiting for the interview, and Mr. Cullen is the first in the door. A woman was with him; I never got her name—no idea if it was his wife, a publicist, no clue; still don't know. After a bit, Frank came in and we got ready. Phones lined up everywhere to record audio, Brian ready to go with the camera, Bill and I with our questions.

Then this guy, someone higher up with the con who was helping with the celebrities, came in... and just started chewing into our time by casually chatting up Frank and Peter. We get it, you know them, "they're your friends," we were thinking, but damn it, get the hell out of here! We have 15 minutes and we just lost 5! Peter looks at us and can see that we are not happy; we are about to lose our best opportunity ever for our magazine and this ass is dooming us.

Peter then smiled the littlest smile ever, gently grabbed the woman's elbow, and nodded at her. She got up, walked over to the man, and suggested he show her around. He raised a fuss about some items still needing signing. Frank simply replied, "Will they be there tonight? Do we need them signed now or by the morning?" The guy replied that they would be for the convention the next day. Frank continued, "Okay, so they're not going anywhere, we'll get to them." The woman walked with the young man and shut the door behind her.

We breathed a sigh of relief and then hurried to get our magazine shots, and the two of them told us to relax and just have fun with the interview. They told us stories, asked about our lives, and were saints. That's the kind Peter was and Frank is. They are two besties who have shaped our lives and just about every other person on the planet. Peter's voice is one of the best known out there—name a kid who doesn't squeal when they hear "Autobots, roll out!" Another awesome moment that day was, as we were waiting for Frank to show, Peter showed us a new video that wouldn't air for a day or two from NASA where he voiced over the announcement we were going back to the moon. I watch that video constantly; he was so proud of it. This week sucks.

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Unicron.com — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:26:36 CDT

Erik with ToyRobot Magazine and a short little addition to "The Vault"

Super excited to add these incredibly rare Japanese G1 era Hashibako (chopstick holder) to my collection.

Made by OSK, these were cheap plastic containers with a sliding lid. In my case, we have a design featuring Optimus Prime and Sludge and it was vailable in at least 2 colors (green and blue).

The kicker here is that we have the original box/shelf display, a piece that normall would be thrown away and is very cheaply made. This is easily an 8 or 9 on the rarity scale and a half full display isn't anything to scoff at.

Trying to get these was a nightmare journey, but thanks to David on the TFW2005 forums I was able to bring these home along with some incredible pocket encyclopedia for robots and kaiju from '77/'78.

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Unicron.com — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:18:20 CDT

C’mon down auto-brat!
#StudioSeries TFTM BLITZWING

Most of us already know from the Legacy mold it’s a near perfect 10/10 level figure. This SS86 release reopens the debate - whether you prefer deco that more closely resembles the original toy or do you consider cartoon accuracy the measure of greatness?! Our’s (Lukis Bros) is a house divided!

Honestly I really enjoy them both. In robot and jet mode I think he looks better with the cartoon deco. But his tank color on SS looks a little too light for me. I think I prefer the color plastic they used on the legacy version there. Beyond that, I really appreciate the attention to detail getting paint apps closer to the coloring he had on screen. So that’ll be the toy that adorns my shelf. Unless I just keep buying bigger and bigger shelves and can squeeze them both in! 😜

How about you? What are your thoughts seeing them both side-by-side?!

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Unicron.com — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:54:17 CDT

(Erik with ToyRobot Magazine trying a different styled post today, let me know if you like this shorter format or not).

Transformers vs. Inflation (2000–2026) 🤖📈

With news that standard baseline Deluxe figures are officially hitting the $29.99 mark at retail, we plotted the math to see exactly how hard our wallets are actually being hit.

Check out the chart below! If a $9.99 Deluxe figure from the year 2000 strictly followed the US Consumer Price Index (CPI), it would only cost roughly $19.03 today. Instead, toy retail prices have outpaced standard economic inflation by a massive 57%.

Here is how the split happened:

🛑 2000–2006 (The Deal): Prices stayed locked at $9.99. Because the general economy inflated while the toys didn't, Transformers actually became a better real-world value every year.

🚀 2011–2015 (The Realignment): Rising oil prices, raw plastic costs, and more complex engineering forced a jump to $16.99, crossing over the inflation line for the first time.

💥 2016–2026 (The Great Divergence): Standard pricing rocketed past the $20, $25, and now $28–$29 boundaries. To protect profit margins on lower manufacturing volumes and premium collector packaging, Hasbro completely broke away from standard economic scaling.

The chart says it all—collecting retail standard waves is becoming a premium hobby.

How does this impact your buying habits going forward? Are you cutting down on mainline figures or moving strictly to high-end items? Drop your breakdown in the comments! 👇

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Unicron.com — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 16:51:29 CDT

The #TransformersTheMovie “TFTM” Opened in Theaters 40 Years Ago TODAY!!! 🤯
#MTMTE #Transformers #morethanmeetstheeye

Thank you hasbro for commemorating with the Apology Tour. The TOYS, the concert, the mailer and seeing it on the big screen in a few short weeks (Tickets are on sale now!) all above and beyond… AMAZING!
Beyond good beyond evil beyond your wildest imagination!

https://www.fathomentertainment.com/releases/the-transformers-the-movie-40th-anniversary/

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Unicron.com — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 16:05:19 CDT

Thanks to hasbro PR for passing along info & images on new branded #Transformers apparel for kids!

“PUMA AND TRANSFORMERS ROLL OUT NEW KID’S COLLECTION

Herzogenaurach, August 4th, 2026 - PUMA teams up with Transformers for a new kids’ collection inspired by the iconic battle between the heroic Autobots and the treacherous Decepticons.

The collection fuses PUMA’s sportswear DNA with the world of Transformers through metallic co-branded labels, character-driven graphics, and design details drawn from the franchise’s most recognizable Autobots and Decepticons. Graphic t-shirts and hoodies feature sketched artwork depicting Autobots commander Optimus Prime and the courageous scout Bumblebee. Classic staples such as the cargo pants and graphic hoodie are elevated with metallic Transformers badges and custom trims evoking the robots’ mechanical world.
At the center of the collection is a special-edition reversible vest embodying the Transformers spirit of “More Than Meets The Eye”: one side features a clean design accented with subtle co-branded detailing, while the reverse reveals a bold neon graphic treatment inspired by Optimus Prime’s iconic armor.

On the footwear side, the collection introduces special versions of the RS-Surge, CA Pro, and Palermo. Each silhouette draws from the iconic Autobots featuring character-specific color palettes. On the Palermo, interchangeable tongue elements and Formstrips encourage customization. Mechanical detailing, metallic accents, and hidden Transformers references transform each pair into a wearable tribute to the legendary robots.

PUMA x Transformers is available starting August 6, 2026, from PUMA.com, PUMA flagship stores, and selected PUMA stockists.

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Unicron.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:03:27 CDT

The Transformers The Movie - 40 Year Anniversary hasbro Apology Tour - Press Promotional Mailer
#transformers #transformersthemovie #morethanmeetstheeye

Is this enough to make up for our permanently scarred childhoods? The beautiful box plays the newly rereleased version of Stan Bush’s THE TOUCH! Includes MISB toys of beloved characters, like Kranix (I still can’t believe this gorgeous toy exists!) and One Shall Stand/Fall Optimus Prime and Megatron! In addition a vintage vinyl pink Energon colored copy of the remastered soundtrack! The press mailer also includes the new hard bound book release by Image comics reproduction of TFTM comic adaptations from 1986 and 2007… aaaaaaand a cool poster to commemorate the amazing year it has been!

With all the amazing Transformers The Movie toys they’ve been releasing and still more to come, the once in a lifetime concert at SDCC, and this mailer - I’m not quite ready to say all is completely forgiven Hasbro, but it sure does go a long way!

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Unicron.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:48:15 CDT

The Transformers The Movie - 40 Year Anniversary hasbro Apology Tour
#transformers #transformersthemovie #morethanmeetstheeye

Promotional Mailer Unboxing! Is this enough to make up for our permanently scarred childhoods? The beautiful box plays the newly rereleased version of Stan Bush’s THE TOUCH! Includes beloved characters, like Kranix (I still can’t believe this gorgeous toy exists!) and One Shall Stand/Fall Optimus Prime and Megatron! In addition a vintage vinyl pink Energon colored copy of the remastered soundtrack! The press mailer also includes the new hard bound book release by Image/ Skybound comics reproduction of TFTM comic adaptations from 1986 and 2007… aaaaaaand a cool poster to commemorate the year it has been!

With all the amazing Transformers The Movie toys they’ve been releasing and still more to come, the once in a lifetime concert at SDCC, and this mailer - I’m not quite ready to say all is forgiven Hasbro, but it sure does go a long way!

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Unicron.com — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:51:44 CDT

MISSING LINK SOUNDWAVE ANNOUNCED!

Be still my heart! I can’t imagine a better application for the fan favorite Missing Link series than this! The first 2 versions include Autoscout and Cybertronian Laserbeak…. BRILLIANT! Keep these comin’ タカラトミー

I thought for sure the next missing link would be a seeker jet. Love this choice!

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Unicron.com — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 23:11:53 CDT

#StudioSeries ‘86 Cliffjumper #Transformers #TransformersTheMovie

Seems like only yesterday that I thought the anime deco of Earthrise Clifffjumper was the definitive version of the character. Not anymore!

Newest iteration: SS86 is absolutely tight! No more detachable back half of the car (superior transformation), similar high grade pose-ability, and car mode is a much better representation of the cel animation in TFTM and the animated series.

It’s not perfect, but close. I wish the spoiler sat atop his chest in bot mode and this grey part on each side of his chest and middle of the car - (should be red) is kind of an eyesore.

Minor gripes aside, there is a new, much improved, definitive Cliffjumper on my modern toys of ‘84 toy shelf.

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Unicron.com — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 13:07:01 CDT

Y’know it makes me wanna SHOUT! #BillsMafia #Transformers

Google super powered AI cracked the code of my personal preferences and figured out that I would be interested in this - notifying me if it’s availability Hasbro Pulse

1984: I bought a my first Transformers at a Hills store in Buffalo, NY, when I was 12 years old. This was a few months before my family relocated and moved to Minnesota. I’ve been diehard fan of Buffalo Bills and Transformers ever since! (It’s no secret!😜). I’ll also cheer for the Vikings as long as they’re not playing the Bills! 😜