Transformers:
Age of Extinction (2014)
Not content to simply let
the Transformers movie-verse end with a simple trilogy, after a three-year
hiatus Transformers came roaring (literally) back to the big screen with
the fourth movie in the franchise, Transformers:
Age of Extinction. The focus of the new line-- as can be seen by the
name-- were the numerous Dinobots, although some new Autobots and some
(very) few new Decepticons helped to round out the cast as well. The AoE
(as it is often abbreviated) line demonstrated a changing market; it was
the lowest-grossing of the TF live action movies in the U.S., but it was
the highest-grossing worldwide, with China contributing to a hefty part
of that total as the focus of the toy market began to shift countries.
Having learned its lesson
with having so many Dark of the Moon toys
cancelled or with very limited distribution, this time around Hasbro limited
the line to a half-year as opposed to a full year for the first two movies
(and what was planned, at least, for the third movie). The lineup for the
line also focused more on several different versions of the same character
with varying levels of complexity, compared to the more expansive cast
of the previous movie lines (with many of the toys from previous movie
lines not actually in the movie). It was in this line that Hasbro's major
push for simpler Transformers really came to fruition; the more articulated,
complicated lines that many Transformers fans considered the "norm" were
rebranded as "Generations" toys in movie packaging to indicate they were
aimed at an older audience, and were this time restricted to deluxe ($15),
voyager ($25), and leader ($45) classes.
New to the main Transformers
toylines were many simplified or "gimmicked" toys, with less of a focus
on perfect proportions and articulation and more of a focus on simpler
transformations or "gimmicked" transformations. There were "normal" 1-step
changers for $10 each, which-- as their name implied-- only took one major
step to transform; "Flip/Smash and Change" TFs at the $20 pricepoint that
had a simple, near-universal gimmick used to transform them; and "Power
Battlers" for ~$13 that were about halfway between 1-step changers and
"Generations" toys as far as their complexity and articulation, with an
action gimmick being a main focus of the toy.
Even despite the relatively
short life of the line, the last wave or two of certain size categories
still became very hard to find as stores stopped ordering them because
of shelf over-stock of the first few waves-- common for movie toylines,
but a bit moreso in the case of this toyline. As usual, there were a fair
number of store exclusives as well, among them the only Legion-class figures
to appear in the toyline.
(NOTE: Non-transformable
figures, such as Titans and Dino Sparkers, are not reviewed on this site.
For reviews on the AoE Construct-Bots, see here.
Some exclusive releases/repaints are not listed here if they are similar
enough to another version, and instead are briefly touched upon in that
initial version's review.)
"Generations" (Mainline) Toys
Autobot
Drift (car)
Autobot
Drift (helicopter)
Autobot
Hound
Bumblebee
(Concept Camaro)
Bumblebee
(High Octane)
Bumblebee
(Leader)
Crosshairs
Dinobot
Slash
Dinobot
Slug
Galvatron
Grimlock
(Voyager)
Grimlock
(Leader)
Hot
Shot
Lockdown
Optimus
Prime (Evasion Mode)
Optimus
Prime (Leader)
Scorn
Slog
Snarl
Strafe
Power Battlers
Autobot
Drift
Autobot
Hound
Bumblebee
Bumblebee
(High Octane)
Crosshairs
Dinobot
Slug
Galvatron
Grimlock
Junkheap
Lockdown
Optimus
Prime
Scorn
Snarl
Strafe
Vehicon
1-Step Changers
Autobot
Drift (car)
Autobot
Drift (helicopter)
Autobot
Hound
Bumblebee
Bumblebee
(High Octane)
Bumblebee
(Mega 1-Step)
Crosshairs
Dinobot
Slash
Dinobot
Slug
Galvatron
Grimlock
Grimlock
(Stomp 'n Chomp)
Lockdown
Megatron
Optimus
Prime
Prowl
Rollbar
Steeljaw
Strafe
Flip/Smash & Change
Autobot
Drift
Bumblebee
Grimlock
Lockdown
Optimus
Prime
Store Exclusives
"Autobots
United" Platinum Edition 5-pack [Online Retailer Exclusive]
"Breakout
Battle" Platinum Edition 3-pack [Online Retailer Exclusive]
Bumblebee
"Evolution" 2-pack [Toys "R" Us Exclusive]
Bumblebee
(Legion; Solo-Packed) [Wal-Mart Exclusive]
Decepticon
Stinger (Legion; Solo-Packed) [Wal-Mart Exclusive]
Decepticon
Stinger (1-Step) [Wal-Mart Exclusive]
Dinobot
Slug w/ Decepticon Stinger (Legion) [Wal-Mart Exclusive]
Dinobots
"G1 redecos" 4-pack w/ Ark playset (also covers Platinum Edition) [SDCC
2014 Exclusive]
"Dinobots
Unleashed" Platinum Edition 5-pack [Online Retailer Exclusive]
Grimlock
"Evolution" 2-pack [Toys "R" Us Exclusive]
Grimlock
(Legion; browner paint job) [Wal-Mart Exclusive]
Grimlock
(Legion; blacker paint job) [Discount Store Exclusive]
Grimlock
w/ Optimus Prime (Legion) [Wal-Mart Exclusive]
Grimlock
& Optimus Prime (Leader; Platinum Edition) [Online Retailer/TRU Exclusive]
Grimlock
& Optimus Prime (Silver Knight) 2-pack [Target Exclusive]
Optimus
Prime "Evolution" 2-pack [Toys "R" Us Exclusive]
Optimus
Prime (First Edition) [Online Retailer Exclusive]
Optimus
Prime (Legion) [Wal-Mart Exclusive]
Optimus
Prime (Silver Knight First Edition) [Target Exclusive]
Optimus
Prime (Silver Knight; 1-Step) [Target Exclusive]
Optimus
Prime (Silver Knight; Smash & Change) [Target Exclusive]
Optimus
Prime w/ trailer & Sideswipe (Platinum Edition) [Online Retailer Exclusive]
Slog
(G1 Redeco-- also covers Platinum Edition) [Amazon Exclusive]
Strafe
(Legion) [Discount Store Exclusive]
Strafe
w/ Bumblebee (Legion) [Wal-Mart Exclusive]
Strafe
w/ Bumblebee & Decepticon Stinger [Wal-Mart Exclusive]
Back to Model
Commentary Index