Power of the Primes (franchise)

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Power of the Primesis a2017-2018multimedia branding used byHasbroandTakaraTomyencompassingTransformerstoys, comics, and other merchandise. Capping off thePrime Wars Trilogy,Power of the Primesfollows theCombiner WarsandTitans Returnsublines. Unlike its predecessorsPower of the Primesdoes not spotlight any one particular gimmick, instead featuring a plethora of reverse-compatible play features based off the previous two installments of the trilogy while highlightingPrimesfeatured across theTransformersmythos. This line is notable for representing the first fruits of Hasbro and TakaraTomy's labor to streamline their distribution of collector oriented product via one uniform global franchise, a practice that more or less persists to this day.

Contents 1Toys 2Cartoon 3Notes 3.1Foreign names 4References

Toys

Main article:Power of the Primes (toyline)

Following the conclusion of theGenerationstoyline'sTitans Returnsubline imprint,theGenerationsline was refreshed withPower of the Primesbranding, and featured a line-widegimmick:"Prime Masters",smallTitan Master-type figures that represent the sparks of thePrimes.Unlike Titan Masters, Prime Masters are available only in their own pricepoint, where they are packaged withPretender-styleDecoy Armor,but can interact in some way with all larger assortments. Legends Class figures retain the ability to seat a small figure in alt-mode, whilst the Deluxe and Voyager Class pricepoints see the return ofCombiner Wars-styleCombiners.The combination joints remain unchanged, whilst the hand/foot system is tweaked: all Deluxes now include a hand, and all Voyagers a pair of feet. These accessories also facilitate the Prime Master integration for those size classes: Deluxes can use their hand as chest armor, into which a Prime Master spark mode can slot, and Voyagers can use their feet as forearm bucklers, which similarly fit a Prime Master. All Voyager Class figures also include anEnigma of Combination,shaped like a Prime Master spark mode, that can fit onto their combined mode chest. Finally, Leader Class figures feature an "Evolution" gimmick, wherein each toy includes a Deluxe-sized character who can "evolve" into a Prime by combining with additional armor. Each Leader includes a uniquely-coloredMatrix of Leadership,the central crystal of which can be removed and replaced with a Prime Master.

Cartoon

Main article:Transformers: Power of the Primes (cartoon)

Picking up where the twopreviousseriesleft off, thePower of the Primescartoon premiered onMay 1,2018 and ran for ten episodes untilJuly 3,2018, bringing the trilogy to a close.

Notes

• A survey commenced on January 23, 2017, to choose the next Transformer to be made a Prime in the story.^[1]Fans initially had to choose the leader of three personality factions, with the highlighted winners going to the second round:^[2]
  • Honor:Arcee,Ultra Magnus,Hound
  • Order:Shockwave,Megatron,Star Saber
  • Chaos:Thunderwing,Optimus Primal,Unknown Evil(wild card)

• Optimus Primal won the final round,^[3]resulting in the 2018San Diego Comic-ConexclusiveThrone of the PrimesOptimus Primaltoy. A redeco of hisPower of the PrimesLeader-class Evolution figure, it also pays homage to his victory in the poll by featuring the faces of the other participants on its included cardboard throne.^[4]

• Power of the Primesdid not have a tie-in "event storyline" comic fromIDW Publishing,as tentative plans for such an event were scrapped. However, by coincidence,John Barberwrote an overarching storyline inThe Transformersvol. 2andOptimus PrimefeaturingOnyx Prime,and also guest starringAlpha Trion,Liege Maximo,andOptimus Primal.^[5]So there you go.

Foreign names

• Mandarin:Biànxíngjīngāng Tiānyuánzhīlì(China, biến hình kim cương thiên nguyên chi lực, "Transformers: Primes' Power" )
• Portuguese:Poder dos Primes(Brazil, "Power of Primes" )
• Spanish:Poder de los Primes(Latin America, "Power of the Primes" )

References

1. ↑Hasbro announcement (copied via Tumblr)
2. ↑[1]
3. ↑[2]
4. ↑Toy News: SDCC 2018 Optimus Primal CONFIRMED, bwtf.com, 2 July 2018
5. ↑"I don't really know anything about POTP. At one time the TF comics were going to do a tie-in with the then-not-yet-named third Prime Wars thing, which worked out because RID/TF/OP had been building to the Onyx Prime story since issue, what, RID 28? Something like that." —John Barber, Twitter, 2018/03/01