Triple Takeover Toycast

As the final year of the original Transformers toy line in North America, 1990 is typically thought of for precisely one thing: Action Masters. Yet aside from the notorious non-transforming examples, there was also a whole second wave of Micromasters unveiled alongside them — and they're every bit the mini-marvels as the previous year's efforts.

With new multipacks of four individual robots — including the Construction, Air, Monster Trucks, Hot Rod, Race Track, and Military Patrols — now bolstered by a heavy focus on Micromaster Combiners such as the Metro, Astro, Battle, and Constructor Squads, alongside the notoriously hard-to-find Combiner Transports, there's plenty to contemplate from this last hurrah of the line. In fact, there's an argument to say that "Generation 1" showed no sign of sputtering out at this point, considering how vibrant it all is.

We examine all these toys and more, including the larger Anti-Aircraft Base and Battlefield Headquarters sets, exploring how this final wave built on the Micromaster concept introduced the year prior. More than anything though, this is a love letter to Micromasters as a whole, contemplating how sometimes, the best things really do come in small packages.

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The Transformers fandom was recently rocked by the tragic passing of legendary voice actor Peter Cullen, who famously provided the iconic voice of Optimus Prime for over forty years. We've already expressed our appreciation for the man himself in a dedicated minisode, but now we're back to celebrate his legacy in a different way — by selecting some of our favourite Optimus Prime toys from over the years. And boy, are we spoilt for choice.

Right from the earliest years of the brand, Optimus Prime has had some of the best toy designs to his name — be they from the 1980s, '90s, '00s, or beyond. Today, we each highlight two examples that have spoken to us or stand out for various reasons, but what becomes clear is the sheer range of amazing options for representing the character in plastic. No two examples here are the same, yet they all share one thing in common: they're some of the definitive Transformers toys of all time. And that's Optimus Prime.

Inevitably, there's some lighthearted landgrabbing along the way, along with the usual confusion about just what constitutes 'the brief' for the conversation. However, once we're all aligned, there's little doubt that this is a wall-to-wall celebration of some outstanding toy designs representing one of the most iconic characters in fiction — all in the memory of the man who famously brought him to life.

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It's a busy old time for new Transformers toys currently, but don't let that stop TakaraTomy. Now they're back with New Legends, a fresh spin on their Japanese equivalent to the Generations line, promising plenty of fun redecos and retools alongside the occasional new moulds and other surprises too. Today, we're here to see what it's all about.

After the hugely popular collector-focused fare found in the original Legends line of the 2010s, New Legends promises much of the same — and then some. Built as a spin-off-of-sorts from the celebrated 40th Selection Lio Convoy release, there's already an impressive roster of figures on the way before too long, including a glow-in-the-dark repaint, the Generation 2 Motormaster of our dreams, a Nemesis Star Convoy, Gigatorm, some Earthspark designs, and a whole new mould in the shape of an upcoming Leader-scale Beast Wars II Galvatron.

There's plenty to be excited about amongst all of this, so we take our time to discuss what each reveal means and why this new direction has us so enthused. Ultimately, it feels as though New Legends promises to be something super special, and that's what we're here to celebrate — and get suitably enabled by, naturally.

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Another year of TFNation has come and gone, as the Triple Takeover team celebrates the biggest event of the UK Transformers social calendar with the usual positive vibes. We've just about recovered from the weekend, and now we're here to recap the experience — from the hauls to the guests to the many random events that took place throughout.

Despite still being extremely tired, we're delighted to relive the highs of TFN 2026, which was — as ever — a hugely positive event from start to finish. With legendary composer Vince DiCola in attendance for an unforgettable (unless you're Liam) Saturday night concert, there's plenty to celebrate with this one. We also spend time remembering our own Friday afternoon panel and recapping the various wares we picked up in the busy dealer room.

Though as ever, it's the people in attendance who make this a convention to remember. From old friends to new faces, Discord regulars met in the flesh to the wider community that makes the whole weekend so special, we'll do our best to shout out as many as we can along the way.

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Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear...

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We're back for a seventh round of Hidden Gems, our popular format where each of us nominates a figure from Transformers history that we feel has been rather overlooked by the fandom at large and now deserves a little more attention. And today, the choices are more unusual than ever before.

From movie-styled Masterpiece fare to Mini-Cons and early examples of cross-brand collaborative projects, everyone brings something hugely different to the table for discussion this time. It makes for a particularly eclectic episode, spanning wildly different eras and design philosophies, united only by the sense that each figure never quite got its due when it mattered most.

The variety proves a lot of fun as we explore why these toys didn't get the focus they perhaps should have on release. And with TFNation in our near future, it might just prove enabling enough to give us some options to look out for in the dealer hall...

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Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear...

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Way back at the turn of 1980, years before Transformers became a thing, Takara led the way forward for transforming robot toys with Diaclone — all about non-sentient mecha piloted by one-inch figures. The most well-known examples are from the Car Robots subline that would find new life as robots in disguise, but today we're exploring the fantastically old-school sci-fi fare of the earlier years.

Prior to churning out realistic vehicles and recognisable car models, Diaclone was all about big, over-the-top futuristic spacecraft and bases that became modular robots, all operated by a team of Dia-nauts versus their alien opposition, the evil Waruders. The concept was new, but as we'll discover, these toys have an unusual origin story themselves, harkening back to the 1970s in a tale that begins with another, lesser-known collaboration between Takara and Hasbro — ironically enough.

We trace the building blocks from those earliest years through to the toys that would eventually be repurposed as Transformers when Hasbro came back on the scene looking for inspiration. Along the way, we explore how Takara's Diaclone robots helped lay the foundations for the international mega-hit to come, and why these early designs remain so fascinating decades later.

This topic was chosen in a fan vote by the Patrons on our Discord, so we hope it was worth the wait.

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Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear...

Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.com

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With the World Cup in full swing, sports mania is at fever pitch across the globe right now — yet Transformers tie-ins with sport have been surprisingly few and far between over the years, despite some obvious potential. Today we're looking at the various tries made so far, and the open goals that remain untapped by the toymakers.

Sixo has finally relented (against his better judgement) and allowed Liam to have the sports episode of his dreams. From Takara's Sports Label line in the mid-2000s to modern-day collaborative attempts such as the recent NFL and soccer-themed figures, there's plenty to discuss — and yes, we even manage to cram in a bit of motorsports along the way. It's a surprisingly rich vein once you start digging, spanning official partnerships, licensed tie-ins, and the occasional oddity that defies easy categorisation.

As it turns out, there's a lot to enjoy even for collectors who aren't big sports fans, with a surprising amount of creativity thrown in throughout. Whether it's clever integration of sporting motifs or oddball aesthetic swings, these releases prove there's real potential in the crossover. Can we keep Liam focused on the chat, though, or will he be simply too distracted come the final score?

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Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear...

Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.com

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Between Hasbro and TakaraTomy, there has been a significant volume of new Transformers product of late — so much so that many collectors are forced to pick and choose through practicality if nothing else. Between mainline Generations, Studio Series, MPG, Missing Link, reissues, Collaborative releases, and much more, it's a great time to be a fan. But what has tickled our fancy more than anything else in the first six months of 2026?

Today, we're taking turns to choose one toy — all of which were very definitely released this year! — that we each feel represents the pick of the crop to date, and perhaps best showcases where our own specific collecting tastes currently sit. With three very different selections on the table, it makes for an intriguing snapshot of both the year's output and our individual priorities as collectors.

It prompts plenty of chat about expense versus affordability, particularly given the extreme price tag of one example. However, from premium high-end pieces to more accessible mainline fare, our choices reflect the sheer breadth of what's available right now, and the difficult decisions every collector faces when budgets don't stretch to everything.

One thing's for sure: the year may only be half done, but there's been plenty going on.

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Imagine a world where Transformers Armada never happened and the brand had gone a completely separate route. Back in the early 2000s, that was almost the case. After the smash success of Beast Wars and the hugely divisive follow-up that was Beast Machines, Hasbro originally planned a third era — one that would build on the existing direction and pave further towards fusing the technological and organic themes prevalent at the time. This was the series that never came to be. This was Transtech.

Although never fully realised and ultimately abandoned well before fruition, plenty of details about Transtech have since emerged over the years, including a plethora of concept art and character designs, as well as prototypes for several of the toys. It all paints a wildly distinct picture to where Transformers went instead, with Hasbro changing gears to port over Robots in Disguise 2001 before performing a seismic line-wide reboot with Armada. Yet it's fascinating to now sit and pore through what might have been, particularly given how incredibly creative so many of the Transtech ideas prove to be upon further examination.

Featuring a mix of classic and Beast era characters, intricate gimmicks, non-humanoid designs, and vehicle modes unlike anything you've seen elsewhere, this is a window onto the road not travelled at the turn of the century. Had it been taken, Transtech would have sent Transformers on a very different journey for the years that followed — and here we explore exactly what that might have looked like.

Patrons can get access to all the artwork and photos discussed in this episode via our Discord here (accessible for just £1 per month): https://discord.com/channels/974758218381287445/1511701662958616777

This episode began life as a Patreon commission by Tarngaryan — thanks for the brilliant suggestion!

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Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear...

Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.com

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With Missing Link Ironhide having just been fully unveiled, there's a lot to talk about. Perhaps more than any other release in the TakaraTomy line, this one has defied fan expectations and delivered something that no one could have predicted by entirely reimagining the classic toy from the ground up. The result feels in the spirit of a vintage design, but much more in the style of the character's fictional portrayals from over the years. But what did we make of it all?

On the one hand, it's not hard to see where the inspiration has come from. The original toy was a real hand-me-down oddity from Diaclone, featuring unusual proportions, a separating 'sled' module and, most infamously of all, a very non-traditional stickered seat face set behind its windshield. People have been imagining a suitable 'upgrade' of it ever since the childhood playgrounds of the 1980s, with plenty of custom efforts and add-on kits made available over the years. In that sense, Missing Link Ironhide feels like the culmination of decades of fan desire.

However, there's also no doubt that some collectors had a firm idea of what Missing Link was all about — rightly or wrongly — and were hoping for something a little more faithful in terms of overhauling the original, causing palpable disappointment upon reveal. Are those expectations fair, though? And do they sit in line with the core brief of what Missing Link is supposed to be about? We explore whether the line was ever really about pure vintage accuracy, or if it's always been about something more interpretive.

This episode was recorded just prior to the subsequent reveal of Missing Link Ratchet, but still, there's plenty of relevant speculation and in-depth discussion about how this latest effort has landed, whether we're excited for it, and just what it might mean for the future of the line.

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Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear...

Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.com

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Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripletakeover