Having never been one to shy away from its adult fanbase or one to tread lightly around the kidult market of collectors and geek culture community, Hasbro is serving up a platter full of nostalgic fodder for followers of its generation-spanning Transformer franchise this season.
The geek culture outfit and pop culture licensing specialist, Super7 is celebrating the 35th anniversary of Transformers: The Movie with a special raft of Tranfsormers ReAction figures.
The Super7 team has become recognised for its ReAction brand, bringing nostalgia to the shelves of specialist retailers the world over as it taps into some of the best loved properties of yesteryear, and feeding a growing audience of kidult collectors.
The company’s latest look back now takes the shape of its Transformers ReAction Wave 4 collection, developed to celebrate a full 35 years since the release of the animated Transformers: The Movie. The exclusive toy line pays tribute to some of the most iconic characters and moments, including Hot Rod, King Starscream, Fallen Leader Optimus Prime, and – for the first time in 3.75-inch figure form – Galvatron.
The collection will be available from next month. The launch of the range coincides with Hasbro’s own anniversary celebrations for the cult classic, during which the toy maker will re-release the 1986 animated feature film to select US cinemas for two days only.
Presented by Fathom Events and Hasbro, The Transformers: The Movie 35th Anniversary will land in cinemas across the US on Sunday September 26th and Tuesday, September 28th, bringing its all-star cast including Judd Nelson of The Breakfast Club, and Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame back to the screen in their Autobot adventure.
Adam Biehl, SVP and GM, action brands at Hasbro, said: “We look forward to bringing families and fans back to the theatres for this milestone Transformer anniversary.
“With thanks to our Fathom partners, Autobots and Decepticons of all ages will be treated to a one of a kind movie experience celebrating this beloved animated film.”
But that’s not the only activity being stirred up around the classic Transformers property this season, as Hasbro is continuing to dish out the nostalgia fodder thanks to a new team up with the pop culture collectables outfit, Hero Collector.
Under the partnership, Hasbro is embarking on its first Kickstarter campaign to bring to life a new Transformers Chess Set, featuring 16 heroic Autobots and 16 villainous Decepticons, all modelled on the classic 1980s Generation One Transformers animated cartoon.
The sculpts each show the Transformers in their robot form and have been developed in collaboration with Hasbro, based on the original animation designs and animated series.
The Kickstarter launched on August 13th this year, and is scheduled to deliver in Q4 2022. A variety of backer gifts are planned for fans, including a Transformers pin badge, Transformers profile book, and exclusive Gen-1 chess pieces.
