Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series Thundercracker

Release Date: January 2026

RRP: $42.99/£34.99

The Seekers are arguably the Transformers' franchise greatest cash cow, and with the ability to repaint/retool the same mould into a dozen different characters rarely does a line go by where they aren't included. Since its debut back in 2020 the War for Cybertron: Earthrise version as been the standard for mainline Transformers, sneaking its way into multiple lines since - including the Studio Series with the Coronation Starscream set. But now a new challenger has finally entered the ring, with Hasbro unveiling an all-new seeker mould with Studio Series Thundercracker. Based on his (brief) appearance in Transformers: The Movie and the preceding seasons of the Generation One cartoon, this is the first of what will certainly be many more Seeker releases in this mould. Is he good enough to justify potentially buying them all over again?

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series Soundwave (with Buzzsaw, Laserbeak & Ravage)

Release Date: December 2025

RRP: $59.99/£55.99

Transformers: The Movie may have introduced fans to a whole new selection of Autobots and Decepticons, but that doesn't mean that the veteran cast was completely forgotten about. The opening battle on Autobot City in particular was a showcase of previously established characters, earning them a place in the Studio Series "86" line. Among the figures to kick of the 2026 assortment (even if they were technically released at the end of 2025) to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary is Studio Series Soundwave, the Decepticon Communications Officer and one of Megatron's most loyal soldiers. Of course no Soundwave figure would be complete without some of his cassette minions to go with him, and this release has been bumped up to Leader Class status partly thanks to the inclusion of Buzzsaw, Laserbeak and Ravage.

Toybox REVIEW: Trasformers Studio Series Hook & Long Haul

Release Date: June 2025

RRP: $89.99/£91.99

Even though Hasbro are slowly running out of key Transformers: The Movie characters to bring to the Studio Series line, leaving the Constructicons towards the end was a very good way of keeping fans interested. Particularly when they're not wasting any time in getting the whole team out, which means collectors won't have to wait long to form Devastator on their shelves. While most of the Constructicons are getting standard single releases, the Studio Series Hook & Long Haul set mixes things up a bit - featuring two members of the team in a single Commander Class set alongside some of the extra parts needed to make up the original Decepticon combiner.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Dinobot Sludge

Release Date: July 2022

RRP: $54.99/£55.99

So far the Transformers Studio Series 86 line has delivered hit after hit, but undoubtedly one of the most exciting aspects of it has been the opportunity to get a full set of official Dinobots that match up to their size and stature on the cartoon itself. Since Hasbro only release so many leader class figures a year it's a bit of a slow process, but at least fans were able to round off 2022 with the original trio of these fan favourite Autobots. Studio Series 86 Dinobot Sludge is the fourth leader class figure from the Transformers: The Movie 35th anniversary range, following on from Grimlock, Slug (Slag) and Coronation Starscream.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Arcee

Release Date: July 2022

RRP: $24.99/£25.99

The Studio Series 86 line is rapidly running out of characters that prominently appeared in Transformers: The Movie, particularly when you take the ones that have recently appeared in the War for Cybertron trilogy lines into account as well. However that clearly isn't going to stop Hasbro from celebrating this landmark piece of Transformers media, as Studio Series 86 Arcee has arrived while the Earthrise (also re-released as part of Kingdom) version is still in recent memory. However contrary to what you might think, this Studio Series version is not just a cartoon-accurate repaint of the Earthrise version – instead looking even further back in Arcee's toy history alongside some brand-new tooling.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Perceptor

Release Date: January 2022

RRP: $22.99/£22.99

While the majority of the principal cast of Transformers: The Movie were brand new characters, there were some previously established Autobots that were able to receive a significant role without dying in the process. The most obvious of these is of course the Dinobots, but in addition to them there was also Perceptor – who tended to Optimus Prime in his final moments before evacuating Autobot City alongside Ultra Magnus' team. Which is exactly why Studio Series 86 Perceptor is the perfect addition as the line (in tandem with releases from the War For Cybertron trilogy and Legacy ranges) draws ever closer to completing that principal cast.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Coronation Starscream

Release Date: January 2022

RRP: $52.99/£55.99

Transformers: The Movie saw numerous fan favourites killed off in favour of brand-new characters that were about to hit toy shelves in 1986, but arguably some of them were able to get their most iconic moments in right before their deaths. The finally showdown between Optimus Prime and Megatron goes without saying, but there's also the untimely demise of Starscream – finally crowned as the Decepticons' new leader before being blasted to ashes by Galvatron. Decked out in full royal regalia, Starscream's new look has been fondly remembered by the franchise since, so shouldn't be any surprise to see Studio Series 86 Coronation Starscream as part of the film's 30th anniversary toy line. Although the anniversary may have been in 2021, as one of the first SS86 releases for 2022 Starscream shows that there's plenty of life in it yet, and Hasbro know it.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Dinobot Slug & Daniel Witwicky

Release Date: July 2021

RRP: $52.99/£54.99

The 35th anniversary of Transformers: The Movie may have come and gone, but the Studio Series 86 line continues to run strong with plenty of characters still left for Hasbro to release. Among them are of course fan-favourites the Dinobots, four of which had a prominent place in the film (Snarl's whereabouts continue to be a mystery to this day). With Hasbro's current strive for G1 accuracy it also means bigger Dinobots than ever before, continuing with the Leader class Dinobot Slug & Daniel Witwicky. Due to the name's connotations in certain parts of the world, this is the new marketed name for the triceratops formerly known as Slag.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Wreck-Gar

Release Date: August 2021

RRP: $31.99/£34.99

One of the great things about Transformers: The Movie is how big it made the G1 universe feel. Suddenly we weren't just dealing with Autobots and Decepticons on Earth and Cybertron, but a whole cosmos of transforming robots on multiple sides of the conflict. After the Autobots crash land on the Planet of Junk we're soon introduced to the Junkions – a race of TV-talking robots with both the ability to transform and quickly repair themselves. After initially viewing the Autobots as hostile, Hot Rod is able to befriend their leader Wreck-Gar (voiced by Monty Python legend Eric Idle) – leading the Junkions to help defeat Unicron and become an ally of the Autobots going forwards. Despite being seldomly used outside of G1 continuity the Junkion leader has become a firm fan favourite, so it's only fitting that Hasbro mark the movie's 35th anniversary with the release of the voyager class Studio Series 86 Wreck-Gar figure.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Gnaw

 

Release Date: September 2021

RRP: $22.99/£21.99

Transformers: The Movie changed a lot of things in the Transformers Generation One landscape, but one key thing was that going forwards it wasn't just about the war between Autobots and Decepticons anymore. As well as introducing fans to the planet-sized chaos bringer Unicron, the movie also introduced the manpulative Quintessons – a race that went on to become key players in the show's third season. On their home planet, the Quintessons carry out mock trials where, innocent or guilty, the defendant will inevitably be fed to their army of Sharkticons. Though Hot Rod, Kup and the Dinobots were able to temporarily put a stop to this with a Sharkticon revolt, the Quintessons would return to fight the Transformers on multiple occasions. Though unnamed onscreen, ever since their original G1 toy the Sharkticon figure has gone by the name of 'Gnaw' – returning now for the film's 35th anniversary with the deluxe class Studio Series 86 Gnaw.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Hot Rod

Release Date: December 2020

RRP: $29.99/£29.99

The price of Transformers toys have been going up steadily for years now, but another tactic Hasbro have recently started to introduce is releasing smaller figures at higher price points and then making up for it with better engineering and/or accessories. Take War for Cybertron: Siege Shockwave for example - a voyager class-sized figure at best, but comes with armoured parts to justify a leader class price point. On the one hand it does unfortunately make some figures more expensive than they perhaps should be, but on the other it can lead to some pretty interesting releases and help maintain proper scale between figures. An excellent example of this release method is Studio Series 86 Hot Rod, a deluxe class figure that's been released at the voyager class price point. Arguably he's the perfect character to get this sort of treatment in a Transformers: The Movie-centric line - he's the star of the movie and if any Autobot deserves to get the perfect toy in a line celebrating it's 35th anniversary, it's him.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Scourge

Release Date: December 2020

RRP: $29.99/£32.99

With Cyclonus already released as part of the Kingdom line and Galvatron soon to follow later in the year, the Studio Series 86 range is going to run out of key characters from Transformers the Movie to release if Hasbro aren't careful. Especially when it comes to the Decepticon side of things, since there were far fewer new Decepticons in the film than there were Autobots. The villains are also looking seriously outnumbered in the first wave of figures from the 35th anniversary celebratory line, with Studio Series 86 Scourge being the only Decepticon amongst a sea of Autobots. A herald of Unicron, "Scourge the tracker" commands the Sweeps - an army of huntsmen built in his image.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Jazz

Release Date: December 2020
RRP: $19.99/£19.99

Arguably Transformers: The Movie’s biggest claim to fame is how it killed off the majority of the existing cast (aka toys no longer on the shelves) in order for Hasbro to bring in a whole new one (aka toys that were on the shelves), but there were a handful of the classic 1984-85 cast that did manage to survive the kind of cull that other toy-advertising cartoon franchises could only aspire to. One of lucky survivors was Optimus’ culture-loving right hand man Jazz, so it’s only fitting that this particular member of the original Autobot crew found his way out of the War for Cybertron trilogy range and into Studio Series 86 instead. Between these two toy lines Transformers fans have been spoilt for choice when it comes to classic G1 characters, and Studio Series 86 Jazz was an important release in completing that classic Autobot line up.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Blurr

Release Date: December 2020

RRP: $19.99/£19.99

It’s been a while since I’ve been so all-in on Transformers that I’m planning to collect every figure from an entire range, but that just goes to show how much I love Transformers: The Movie. The film was one my first experiences with the franchise that I can remember, and even now continues to be one of my favourite films. So to see Hasbro go in on the 35th anniversary so hard with the Studio Series 86 line is an absolute joy, and there was no way I was missing out on them. Joining the first selection of figures is Studio Series 86 Blurr, another Autobot first introduced in the movie. A fast-talking speedster true to his name, Blurr was perhaps most notable for his instantly recognisable voice - delivered by the world’s fastest talking man "Motormout" John Moschitta Jr.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Kup

Release Date: December 2020

RRP: $19.99/£19.99

There’s no better way to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Transformers: The Movie than with a whole line of figures based directly on it, featuring many of the brand new characters that would replace the original 1984-85 cast and go on to be the leads in subsequent seasons of the show. Among those characters is of course Kup, an old Autobot war veteran with plenty of war stories to keep the young un’s entertained (or not so much in Hot Rod’s case). Fun fact - he also happens to be my favourite Autobot in the whole franchise. I have a lot of love for the TakaraTomy Legends figure from 2017, but a more cartoon-accurate version directly referencing the movie? Studio Series 86 Kup was an instant preorder.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Grimlock & Autobot Wheelie

Release Date: January 2021

RRP: $49.99/£49.99

The Studio Series range has been providing Transformers fans with fantastic representations of live-action movie characters for a good few years now, but there’s always been one film from the franchise that’s been off its radar. With 2021 marking the 35th anniversary of Transformers: The Movie, there’s no better time for Hasbro to unleash Studio Series 86 on the world. As a longtime fan of Transformers first big screen outing, a toy line truly dedicated to its cast is something both I and many other Transformers fans have dreamed of for some time. Sure there have been plenty of G1 figures and reimaginings over the years, but having them all in one place in an anniversary toy line is a very exciting prospect. Among this first wave of characters is Studio Series 86 Grimlock & Autobot Wheelie, the first Leader class figure to be released. The powerful but not so bright leader of the Dinobots is a prominent character in the film, making friends with the lost Autobot Wheelie and bringing him along on their mission to destroy Unicron.