Thanks to the fine folks at Hasbro, we got to see Optimus Prime Awakening before it hits theaters on September 18th, 2026!

No spoilers inside, but Ant shares his thoughts and reactions on the 12-minute animated short.

On this episode of TFU News & Views, Anthony looks at a busy round of Transformers toy news and some bigger industry questions behind it.

He’ll talk about the surprise appearance of the Energon Capsule figures in Singapore, including Cybertronic and Cybertread, plus hints at translucent versions of Optimus Prime and Megatron. Then, Anthony digs into Hasbro’s new AI voice licensing venture, Sixth Wall Studios, and what it may actually mean for voice actors, licensed experiences, and the future use of iconic Transformers voices.

Later, we run through leaked Age of the Primes reveals ahead of the June 9th livestream, the growing reliance on retools and redecos, rising toy prices, and how oil, plastics, shipping, and global conflicts can ripple all the way into the toy aisle.

Class is back in session for Transformers University Episode 163 as we continue our journey through Transformers: Super-God Masterforce with episodes 26, 27, and 28.

This time, God Jinrai finally takes to the skies with Godbomber, Black Zarak arrives, and the battle heads to the surface of the moon for a massive showdown involving Overlord and Grand Maximus. We also dig into the debut of God Jinrai’s Fire Guts power, its lasting influence on later Transformers toys, and the wonderfully strange “Chōkon Tornado” episode that brings the fight back to Earth.