Below you will find some photographs, vidoes and news coming out from Hascon which is taking place from today in the US.
The Full Force Podcast
The Full Force team have taken some Facebook Live videos during the VIP early bird period around the area, which is why there are not many people around, but it gives you a good idea of what is currently on display at Hascon
Hascon Map - https://www.facebook.com/TheFullForce/photos/a.906272296117055.1073741850.473210869423202/1482642608480018/?type=3
Transformers Area - https://www.facebook.com/TheFullForce/videos/1482777961799816/
G.I.Joe Display Area Video - https://www.facebook.com/TheFullForce/videos/1482757308468548/
General Floor Video - https://www.facebook.com/TheFullForce/videos/1482775168466762/
Marvel - https://www.facebook.com/TheFullForce/videos/1482805791797033/
Star Wars - https://www.facebook.com/TheFullForce/videos/1482820081795604/
Seibertron
Seibertron has a report from the Transformers panel which revealed the Power of the Prime Dinobots and their combined form Volcanicus along with Orion Pax. The images can be viewed after the jump.
TFW2005
TFW has posted some images of the toys that are on display at Hascon along with some more details from the panel.
Twitter
Check out the latest photos on Twitter here.
Instagram
Monizmischeif has taken a photograph of the upcoming Generations Autobot Jazz figure which you can view after the jump whilst garret_sander has taken a collection of photographs of the 2-up G.I.Joe figures
Transformers Panel Notes
Thanks to TF2005
Kids Toylines
- Each panelist stated their favorite Transformers toy.
Transformers Movie Line for kids
- Discussing movies toys. Showcasing Allspark Tech.
- Behind the scenes of Movie line.
- Discussing the Transformers: The Last Knight toys now.
- Hasbro worked with Takara Tomy on the TLK toys for the Armor Up Turbo Changers line.
Transformers: Robots In Disguise
- Discussing Robots In Disguise toys now. We’ll update if there’s anything new that will pop up.
- Explaining Combiner Force. Inspiration came from designers love for combiners and the Generations revival of the feature was the key.
- Lots of thought process went into RID Combiner Force. a looooong explanation.
Generations
- Prime Wars Trilogy info now.
- Micronus goes into Cloudburst decoy armor.
- New art of Optimus Primal being shown
- Lots of artwork show. We’ll upload them all.
- Dinobot Slash, Female, Legends Scale
- Deluxe Slug – G1 Accurate.
- Voyage Grimlock
- All the Dinobots look great. [Awesome!]
- History of the Dinobots.
- Dinobot Combiner name – Volcanicus
- Will have rocker ankles, New technology incorporated
- New combiner technology with better joints.
- Leader Optimus Prime now.
- Orion Pax into G1 prime. Very much like Hot Rod to Rodimus (as seen during SDCC)
- Prime’s trailer is part of bot mode now, not just cab.
Hascon 2017 Exclusives
- Talking about Hascon 2017 Exclusives now.
- Arcee first.
- Predaking teaser shown. NYTF exclusive figure.
Panel Over!!!
Q&A Time
- There will be Dinobot variants / Repaints down the line.
CBR are reporting that Mairghread Scott and David Rodriguez will be writing the next Hasbro Universe cross-over arch called FIRST STRIKE which focuses on Cobra, led by Baron Ironblood, deciding to directly target the Transformers. The artwork shall be provided by Max Dunbar withissues solicited as coming out from September.
IDW Publishing has a new Hasbro crossover on the way, and it doesn’t sound like good news for the Transformers.
CBR has the first details on “First Strike,” announced Thursday at the Diamond Retailer Summit in Chicago. The story starts with two issues in August, from the writing team of IDW Transformers vet Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez (Narrative Director at Vicarious Visions, the game company best known for the “Skylanders” franchise) and artist Max Dunbar, recently of IDW’s “Micronauts” series.
Following 2016’s “Revolution” event — which saw IDW’s licensed Hasbro properties united in one shared universe — “First Strike” picks up with Earth about to join the Cybertronian Council of Worlds. That peaceful event is interrupted by Cobra, as Baron Ironblood — historically the British counterpart to Cobra Commander — has targeted all Cybertronians for termination, putting the Transformers in serious jeopardy. The G.I. Joes, led by Scarlett, and the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, stand in the way in the face of extinction — enlisting help along the way from, apparently, an unlikely ally in the form of Soundwave of the Decepticons.
While this certainly sounds like the comic book equivalent of a blockbuster summer movie, Scott said it’s also a “deeply personal character story.”
“One man attempts to dominate, one woman stands against him,” Scott said in a statement to CBR. “Watch as Scarlett leads her G.I. Joes on a daring mission to save all of Cybertron from their gravest threat yet. ‘First Strike’ is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, and deeply personal character story set against the backdrop of intergalactic war with all the giant robots, cyborg ninjas, and massive explosions you could ask for.”
IDW Publishing Editor-in-Chief David Hedgecock described “First Strike” as the natural progression from what the company started in “Revolution.”
“In ‘Revolution,’ we united our Hasbro comic book titles into one shared universe,” Hedgecock said. “In ‘First Strike,’ we see what it’s like to live in the shadows of a massively powerful, ancient, alien race that has been warring with itself for millions of years and, in doing so, has brought death and destruction to every planet it has touched.”
“What, if anything, can one man do to save his planet? What depths will he go to in order to save mankind? How do you destroy all the Transformers?”
True to the “Revolution” spirit, it won’t just be Transformers and G.I. Joe getting involved in “First Strike” — the M.AS.K. team will also be involved.
“‘First Strike’ is your childhood toy box exploding onto the [comic] page: the Transformers, G.I. Joe, and M.A.S.K. teams brought together, each of them positioned on different sides of this planet-spanning conflict,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “Sometimes the groups will line up along expected party lines, but other times, you’ll see them being torn apart from the inside, as they are forced to face the impossible concept of one human man declaring war against Cybertron and then being really good at it.”
“First Strike” will run for three months, with six issues planned to ship on a twice-monthly schedule. Tie-ins to the event will be revealed at a later date. Covers for each issue will be illustrated by “Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” artist Freddie E. Williams II, along with multiple variants.
Thinking of attending Roll Out Roll Call 2012, the UK's premier Action Force and Transformers combined fan event, then you will be interested in reading a post by AnnieM over at BloodForTheBaron
"The Travelodge sale is now on:
Southampton Travelodge has rooms for the weekend at reduced rates
Friday - £15.00 per room
Saturday - £25.50 per room
Sunday - £15.00 per room
Parking is available at £3 per 24 hours
The Travelodge is only half a mile's walk from the Jury's Inn
Bookings are NON-REFUNDABLE.
If
you visit the Travelodge website, don't use the "quick book" function
for these prices, but rather use the "sale" button on the left hand
side. Using the "quick book" gives substantially higher rates for the
Friday and Sunday nights
Because Travelodge make it difficult
to book more than one night at a time on their sale promo pages, you
might want to click here http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/info?hotelId=66 and any dates you enter will be listed at the correct sale prices"
If you are not sure about attending Roll Out Roll Call, which takes place over the 10th and 11th of March 2012 at The Jury's Inn
in Southampton, England, with the show promising bringing together fans and collectors of both Transformers and Action Force / G.I-Joe together under one roof. The first two "guests of honour" were announced as being two legendary writers, GI-Joe A Real American Hero writer
Larry Hama (who will be signing for the first time in the UK) and
Transformers & Action Force writer Simon Furman.
The show will also feature a cosplay contents, have exclusive figures produced just for the event as well as holding behind the scenes panels giving you a greater insight into the shows and toylines with information you may have never seen before. More guests and panels will be announced over the coming weeks including some big news for Transformers fans so stay with us as well as Blood For The Baron and The NerdSphere for all the latest on this show.
MTV.com are running a
story on the GI-Joe movie and toyline
Your grandparents remember a rah-rah line of 12-inch dolls with kung-fu
grip, providing a male alternative to Barbie. Your older siblings (or, gasp!,
parents) grew up with a highly stylized, action-packed, endearingly
goofy cartoon franchise fueled by 3 3/4-inch action figures. You might
recall anything from G.I. Joe Extreme to the Classic Collection, to
pop-culture references like "knowing is half the battle."
Now, a star-powered G.I. Joe movie
has begun filming. But the question remains: What will the movie's Joes
be like? For the answer, we went straight to the only man who commands
both Destro and General Hawk.
Brian Goldner is the chief operating officer at Hasbro, which
first introduced Joe to action-minded adolescents in 1964, and is also
the executive producer on the "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" movies. "
'G.I. Joe' has just gone into filming this past week, with a great cast
and a tremendous story all based on the comics and the animation,"
Goldner said. "I think fans, and fans to come, will really love what
we're doing."
(In the MTV Movies blog, Goldner talks about the possibility of G.I. Joe's classic vehicles showing up in the movie.)
Undoubtedly, such statements are as musical to the ears of
longtime fans as the TV show's theme song. But stars like Dennis Quaid,
Sienna Miller and Marlon Wayans have been met with varying degrees of
enthusiasm from such fans, and Quaid himself recently confirmed that many beloved characters — including Wild Bill, Shipwreck and Tomax and Xamot — won't be in the flick.
"We all really loved what G.I. Joe was about in the '80s; we
loved that story arc and the concept of Joe vs. Cobra," said Goldner,
explaining that the people who created those characters will return,
even if some of their creations won't. Comics writer Larry Hama,
Goldner confirmed, "is onboard, and he's working with us on the script.
"And you may see him in the movie," he added.
Noting that the flick, directed by "Mummy" mastermind Stephen
Sommers, will largely sidestep the TV show and be more "about the comic
books," Goldner revealed some of the major characters and plotlines the
film will explore. "We all know of the Arashikage [ninja clan], and we
all know of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, but we need to build that
story," he explained. "We all know the story of Duke, and the story of
the Baroness. ... We know the story of Destro, but do we really? We
need to go back and tell the origin story of how you get a Scottish
arms dealer, who comes forward in history — how does that happen?"
"And Cobra Commander," he added, referring to the evil
terrorist leader who fan sites have reported will be portrayed by
"Brick" star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. "In effect, this is all about the
rise of Cobra Commander. ... For fans, they're really going to love
this, because we take them on a journey. ... We have to go through the
first chapter and then build from there."
Goldner was also eager to respond to the controversy over
rumors that the patriotic nature of "G.I. Joe" was being toned down in
order to be more appealing to a worldwide, post-9/11 audience. "Duke,
in our story, really represents the pre-1983 G.I. Joe," he said,
linking Channing Tatum's character to the dolls of the '60s and '70s.
"If those fans that grew up on the 12-inch Army man are looking for
where their anchor should be, it's in Duke; he's the leader of the team
and clearly American.
"But the story, just like in the comic books, was a story that
took us all over the world," he continued. "That's all we were really
trying to get at. And everything else that fans have heard, about the
early ideas or contemplations, that's really gone. ... We're talking
about a story that's going to take us all over the world, from the
desert to under the water, to the mountains to cities. ... Clearly, the
American military is involved, as are other forces. But at the end of
the day, the force that matters is the G.I. Joe force, and the Pit, and
all the things that relate to that."
We caught up with Goldner at the New York Toy Fair,
where he was giving fans a sneak preview of the G.I. Joe toys of the
future. At the front of his thoughts, however, was the real-life stars
who'd soon be creating the action figures' action. "We think it's
amazing to have Channing Tatum as Duke, because I think he has a
different kind of fanbase," said the executive producer, who in May
will become Hasbro's CEO. "Clearly, Sienna Miller has a wonderful
fanbase. Dennis Quaid as General Hawk, he has a tremendous fanbase. So
bringing them all together, as an ensemble cast, is going to be really
dynamic and something that people haven't seen before. But it'll still
be very true to G.I. Joe."
The next question would seem to be a logical one: Will the Joes
we know and love be replaced by toy versions of Marlon Wayans and
Arnold Vosloo? "Well, what was so magical about the '80s G.I. Joe was
the 3 3/4-inch product," Goldner said, revealing that the dimensions of
the star-faced toys would be along the lines of the "Real American
Hero" line. "[That size] gives people a chance to get all the figures
but get all of the vehicles. So it's going to be in that scale. ...
Very true to where we were in the 1980s, and then we'll take it
forward.
"Steve Sommers is very different," Goldner said, contrasting
him with "Transformers" director Michael Bay. "But he's perfect,
because if you think about his movies like 'The Mummy,' it's the
perfect action/adventure movie. If you think about what we're trying to
do for G.I. Joe, really bringing back that '80s G.I. Joe from the
Marvel comics — those first 155 issues are really our focus. If you
think about that, you'll understand what we're trying to get at with
all those characters and all the intricate relationships.
"I don't think you'd see this movie as wacky," he promised,
alluding to some of the more eccentric characters from the cartoon
show. "I think you're going to see this movie as being inspirational
for younger kids and totally in the sweet spot for the guys who grew up
on G.I. Joe."
In August 2009, we'll see it with our own eyes. In the
meantime, "G.I. Joe" continues to shoot all over the world, with a
budget so huge that it makes the U.S.S. Flagg aircraft carrier play set
look like something you'd get at a 99-cent store.
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