There have been a few reveals here and there from Hasbro ahead of SDCC, but if we’ve come to rely on anything, it’s that Hasbro likes to go all in with their exclusives. While we still don’t know if Titans Return Trypticon will be getting an exclusive deco for SDCC, this year’s crossover boxed set has been revealed.
Last year, Hasbro and IDW started working together to develop a unified comic universe that pulled together their top brands and mixed in some of the lesser-known or forgotten properties. The result was Revolution and it combined Transformers, G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., Action Man, ROM The Space Knight, Micronauts, and even Visionaries. Now we’re getting that historic combination of characters in their very own $99 exclusive box set! So what’s inside?
Transformers
The biggest figure in the set belongs, of course, to Transformers. Jetfire first debuted as a Leader class figure in the Generations line and is still in my personal Top 10 of modern Transformers toys. It appears that he mainly sports the same deco as his retail release, minus a few red chrome applications on the boosters and weapons. Considering how much those pieces chip, I’m OK with the switch. The figure goes for $72 and up on Amazon now that it’s discontinued, so this is a solid way to get a great figure without having to pay aftermarket prices.
G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K.
Roadblock, the warrior poet of the Joes is in fine form here, with a new headsculpt based on his appearance in the IDW comics and a suitably impressive stature when compared to the other 3.75-inch figures in the set.
Matt Trakker is the bigger draw for me out of this pair. I remember grabbing the original figure this is based on years ago when it showed up in the toy aisle, a little Easter Egg hidden in a traditional G.I. Joe toy wave (back when G.I. Joe was still on the pegs). It was a great callback to a nearly forgotten line of toys. The SDCC figure is nearly the same except for one key difference. For those who haven’t been following the Revolution or M.A.S.K. comics, you might be surprised to find that this isn’t the old blue-eyed, blond-haired Matt Trakker from the ’80s. The head gear is now worn by a brand new character, an African-American Detroit cop. Here’s hoping that this is only the first M.A.S.K. toy we see and that the new vehicles from the IDW run will be announced!
ROM The Space Knight
ROM is an all-new figure that perfectly captures the chunky vibe of the original toy. From the boxy shoulders to the goofy red eyes, he’s quintessential early ’80s sci-fi cheese. The Dire Wraith is ROM’s villain in the Revolution comics and sports a much more modernized look. The head sculpt is new and reminds me a bit of The Gentlemen from BtVS. The rest of the figure is a great reuse of existing G.I. Joe parts and accessories. The body is standard Joe fare and the arms are light resculpts of the existing Zombie-Viper that was released as part of the G.I. Joe 30th Anniversary line.
Action Man and Visionaries
Action Man is one of those properties that you might assume is just a knock off of something else. And he kind of is—he was the UK answer to G.I. Joe, but he’s also owned by Hasbro, so he’s an official knockoff? It’s confusing, but the all-new toy is perfectly sculpted to reflect his appearance in Revolution.
Leoric from Visionaries is what got me truly excited for the set. This is the first toy we’ve seen of this hard-to-find ’80s toy property in three decades. And it’s just as cheesy now as it was back then—from the giant mustache to the powder-blue armor, Leoric might make even less sense now than he did back when the cartoon was on TV and I love it. The only thing would make this figure better is the inclusion of holographic stickers for his chestplate and banner. That was the Visionaries‘ entire gimmick and not including it here seems like unnecessary cost-cutting in an otherwise great set.
Micronauts
I love that Micronauts are finally having their day. They’re the second line of toys based off the Microman toys from Takara (the first being the transforming vehicles that made up the original Transformers). But they have a storied history of their own and getting a handful of them in scale with the other figures is a great addition. They’d dominate the set if they weren’t all an inch tall.
If you can’t make it to SDCC, there will be a limited number of sets available on HasbroToyShop.com after the convention (and maybe even at HasCon?). We’ll let you know when they’re available!
