UK airing details for Cybertron. Plus more.

[Brendocon]

So I snagged me a copy of the February edition of Toys 'n' Playthings ("The UK toy trade's no.1 trade magazine") at work today. It's the 2005 preview edition, and as such has advertorial from all of the major players, including Hasbro.

Here follows their blurb that's relevant to us...

In Transformers the new story line is Energon, scheduled for the second half of 2005. New programming will begin on Toonami 6th September. The new story line (and those that follow) will be running for 12 months instead of the previous 18, as Transformers now has to compete with more Japanese-style CGI animation than ever.

The high quality CGI animation remains, but research has shown that kids have found some storylines too complicated in the past, so Energon will be simplified to help kids interested as well as attract new followers to the brand. The story follows the Autobots and the Decepticons battling on an intergalactic scavenger hunt as they hunt down power cells from different types of planets - earth, speed, mechanic and beast - all of which will have their own types of Transformers.

Each toy (Transformer figures will be either basic, deluxe, mega or ultra) will come with its own power cell, which will unlock a special feature. The new story line will also be leading onto a Transformers feature film, with a planned release for spring 2006.

For the first half of 2005 we have Transformer Alternators, aimed at car enthusiasts they're realistically detailed cars which transform into robots. All the models are well known and up to date and will include the new Ford Mustang, Subaru Impreza, Honda S2000 and Jeep Wrangler.

Asides from the knowledge that whoever did the final copy has a debatable grip on grammar, we can take the following from it:

- Cybertron starts in the UK in September. I was thoroughly confused by the references to Energon (as Energon's already airing here), until the synopsis kicked in - blatantly it's the new line.

- I hadn't noticed before that Cybertron is the same damn storyline as Armada and Energon, but with chips instead of Minicons or Energy... here's hoping Unicron doesn't get involved.

- We'll be getting more Alternators other than Smokey and Streak. Yay. Wait, I've bought the BTs already, but it's good for others.

Thought somebody might care?

[KingMob]

That's interesting, cheers for the info.

Apparently Alt Windcharger is availale in the UK Like Right Now Scoob, from Argos. They're supposed to have the Prime/Megs 2-pack also. Zoiks.

That also might cast light on something else I heard recently; a chap emailed Hasbro UK to ask if we were still going to be getting new releases, esp in the Cybertron line and got a reply which said something along the lines of 'I can confirm that Transformers Energon products will be released in 2005'.
Hopefully the "Energon" in above spiffle actually means 'Cybertron'.

[Professor Smooth]

If kids had trouble following the storyline of Armada and Energon it's only because the dubbing made the show unwatchable, not because the show was so complex, imo.

[Cyclone_X]

but research has shown that kids have found some storylines too complicated in the past

huh?? its already so simplistic now, can it be even less 'complicated'?

and what age are these kids? 2? 3?

[Señior's Covenant]

Jimbo: "Mommy! Dayr tawking about tings wif big wuds!"

Bobby: "Num, wusn't he just a caw a foo minuts ago? Dat huwts mah hed!"

Jimbo and Bobby are both twenty-seven years old.