Hasbro’s trademark filing for a new in-house model kit line called “Hasbro Makits” dominates episode 989, sparking a wide-ranging debate about whether the company is chasing the Blokees and Yolopark market, exploring transforming kits, or making a broader strategic pivot toward collector-focused products with lighter safety and packaging requirements. TakaraTomy officially teased a wave of upcoming products including Missing Link C-15 Ratchet, Gigastorm in the New Legends line, Overgear Optimus Prime, and an Age of the Primes Monstructor for Japan. The Legacy Evolution Commander Armada Universe Optimus Prime reissue is now up for pre-order at $100, giving fans who missed the original a second shot. What We Got is dominated by Liokaiser: Brian calls it his favorite HasLab without hesitation, Don delivers a thorough hands-on breakdown of combining tolerances, breast animal storage, and the toy’s G1-faithful simplicity, and the whole crew agrees they desperately want a Rescue Force repaint. Matt picked up Lasrimus Maximus and is largely thrilled; Don also reviewed a trio of Metal Cardbot figures from the series coming to US retail.

News

TakaraTomy Officially Teases Missing Link C-15 Ratchet, Gigastorm New Legends, Overgear Optimus Prime, and More

TakaraTomy dropped a round of upcoming product teasers, revisiting items teased earlier plus a few additions. Highlights include Missing Link C-15 Ratchet, a Beast Wars II Gigastorm in the New Legends line, an Overgear Optimus Prime, and an Age of the Primes Monstructor for Japan. The US release of Monstructor is confirmed as Transformers Age of the Primes Decepticon Monstructor, due August 1st, distributed through Selects-style packaging. Studio Series Astrotrain, Shockwave, and Skywarp also appeared in the TakaraTomy listings.

Hasbro Files Trademark for New In-House Model Kit Line: “Hasbro Makits”

Hasbro Files Trademark for New In-House Model Kit Line: “Hasbro Makits”

Hasbro has filed a trademark for “Hasbro Makits,” a new in-house model kit line — and it set off an extended debate on the show. The trademark description includes playsets for use with toy figures, which raised the possibility of Autobot City-style display kits or even transforming kits assembled at home. The crew weighed the business logic: Blokees and Yolopark both pay Hasbro licensing fees, so direct competition carries real risk. But the model kit market is booming — Gundam nearly doubled its revenue year over year in 2025 — and Hasbro may see room to capture sales without cannibalizing licensees if the total market is larger than any one player can serve. Rob noted that a “Makits” line could also sidestep toy safety regulations and drop-test requirements that apply to assembled products, potentially opening new distribution options. Don raised the possibility that kits could carry a different tariff and shipping classification than traditional toys. Brian framed it as consistent with Hasbro’s stated desire to move beyond the toy business, while cautioning that the company has dozens of analysts doing this math — Creo, Toys to Life, and other trend-chasing misses notwithstanding. The overall take: cautious optimism, with the Makits line’s success depending entirely on execution.

Legacy Evolution Commander Armada Universe Optimus Prime Reissue Now Up for Pre-Order

Legacy Evolution Commander Armada Universe Optimus Prime Reissue Now Up for Pre-Order

The Legacy Evolution Commander Armada Universe Optimus Prime is back for pre-order at $100, up from its original $89.99. The crew praised it as an excellent pickup for anyone who missed the first run — the design pairs well with the recent Legacy Jetfire, and Matt noted the combined Jet Optimus mode is a major draw. The group agreed an Overload to complete the trinity remains unlikely anytime soon, though a leader-class version wasn’t ruled out eventually.

What We Got This Week

Liokaiser (HasLab) — Brian, Don

Liokaiser dominated the segment. Brian called it his favorite HasLab by a wide margin — “not even close” — and described opening it as an unexpectedly emotional experience, comparing the feeling to his childhood G1 toys despite never growing up in Japan with Rescue Force. He praised the combining process as satisfying rather than stressful, noted every piece of plastic has a place (the breast force animals store on Liokaiser in combined mode), and admitted he couldn’t figure out Death Cobra’s shoulder placement without more study.

Don provided a thorough hands-on breakdown. He praised the instructions as unusually clear for a Hasbro product, called out the fine detail of the articulated cat ears on the Liokaiser head, and confirmed the tolerances throughout feel solid. The trickiest step was connecting Jaguar’s sub-assembly to the pants section while simultaneously pushing LeoZak into place — the thin rails and narrow alignment window make it easy to feel like you’re stressing the plastic, though Don confirmed it’s sturdier than it looks. He noted the Jaguar missiles attach to Liokaiser’s hips and are easiest to mount before pants-forming. Both Brian and Don said they wish they had bought a second one, and both expressed strong desire for a Rescue Force repaint. Don displayed his with a Magic Square Legends-class stand-in for Death Cobra in the arm slot, and confirmed the individual robots are far less compromised than he feared — much less so than Combiner Wars Devastator.

Missing Link Nemesis Prime and Ultra Magnus — Matt

Matt received a charge and shipping notice for Missing Link Nemesis Prime and Ultra Magnus — seven days apart — and expects them to arrive shortly.

Lasrimus Maximus — Matt

Matt got Lasrimus Maximus and was very pleased. The figure is slightly larger than expected given its role with the Star Saber throne, carries good heft, and is heavily painted throughout — with one notable gap: the exposed wiring detail on the shins wasn’t painted, while the rest of the wiring across the body received a bluish-silver paint that may be tricky to match for customizers. The chest section transformation involves a single tight clip that Matt flagged as a potential long-term tolerance concern. Overall, he called it pretty much exactly what he hoped for.

Metal Cardbot — Don

Don has been going deep on Metal Cardbot, the Korean transforming robot line now arriving at US retail through Agamus. Wave 2 is being revealed May 28th. Don reviewed three figures this week.

Mega Ambular is an ambulance with a simple Ironhide-style transformation, red and green color scheme reminiscent of Super Sentai holiday imagery, and clear jaws-of-life accessories.

Tigun is a tiger-themed tank with a Megatron-style chest cannon, shoulder cannons that convert to axes, and a flip-up targeting visor. C-clips throughout make weapon attachment sturdy.

Celios is an orange and white jet with underslung cannon accessories from his card weapons. The transformation is seeker-style with a nose-cone chest, and hidden missile launchers are revealed when the fists fold in for jet mode. Don described it as giving Transformers One Sentinel Prime color vibes.

Don also got Night Griffin, a griffin/Blackbird jet with a lance and shield. The metal card forms her extra wings and legs and doesn’t disguise in vehicle mode. Don called it a phenomenal-looking figure in what he described as “Bandai Gold” colors with reds, blacks, and whites. He noted the Metal Cardbot line overall features excellent ratchet joints, solid C-clips, and good build quality.

Skywarp — Brian

Brian picked up Skywarp and summarized it as Thundercracker, but purple. The Earthrise mold Seekers do not blend with the new version at all.

Action Master Megatron — Brian

Brian scored Action Master Megatron during a 10% off flash sale at Transformer Land. This is the first Megatron in tank form and a long-wanted gap-fill for his collection. He noted it’s smaller than Optimus, which surprised hi

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