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. — Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear... Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.com Join the conversation with us on Discord Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripletakeover

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. — Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear... Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.com Join the conversation with us on Discord Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripletakeover

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. — Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear... Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.com Join the conversation with us on Discord Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripletakeover

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. — Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear... Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.com Join the conversation with us on Discord Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripletakeover

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... — Enjoying the show? There’s more than meets the ear... Find show notes at https://www.tripletakeover.com Join the conversation with us on Discord Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tripletakeover