TOY RUMO(U)RS RUMORS - 1 RUMORS BUSTED - 14 RUMOUS CONFIRMED - 8

1. Hasbro will release a Botanica toy.
Well, it would be a bad idea NOT to, since they have toys for every other main character on the show (with the exception of the Diagnostic Drone).  Bob Skir has said that they designed the character WITH Hasbro, so they must have some ideas about how to toy-ify her.  If you ask me, I don't see how it's at all possible to make her into a toy, but then we've come to learn that the way characters look on the show don't mean squat in the toy world.  >COUGH!< Optimus Primal >COUGH<.
NOTE: At the time Botanica was created, there was no toy.  This does not completely rule out the remote possibility that one could still be made, but do you really want one?  I mean, really?
RUMOR BUSTER!: There will, in fact, be no Botanica toy.  This was confirmed by two independent sources, so I'm going to say it's true and just move on.  Similarly, there will be no "Big Giant Floating Head" Megatron toy.  Sorry, kids.  Just think about it, how would EITHER of them transform?  Honestly?
UPDATE: There will, in fact, be a Big Giant Floating Head.  It's a Deluxe called Megatron Megabolt.

2. Beast Machines will be discontinued shortly after the last episode of Season 2 airs so that Hasbro can start on its new vehicle-based toy line.
God, I hope this is true.  Of course, Hasbro doesn't need to stop producing current molds to work on new ones (that would be bad business).  After all, the turnaround for design of a new toy line, plus the show that goes with it, is about a year.  If Hasbro hasn't started already, then they'd be pretty badly off if they have NO Transformers offerings from December 2000 until September 2001.  They aren't Fox, after all.  The way this rumor is worded, it'll probably turn out to be untrue.
NOTE: Okay, this rumor HAD been considered busted, but new information has returned it to unconfirmed rumor status.  It has to do with the next TF series and something about poor but not disastrous sales of some larger Beast Machines characters (>COUGH< Supreme Cheetor >COUGH<).
RUMOR BUSTER!: Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong!  This couldn't be more wrong!  Beast Machines and Mutant Beast Wars will carry well into the 2001, bridging the gap between the end of season 2 of the current show and the next one, something that didn't happen at the start of Beast Machines.  The line for 2001 will be entitled "Battle for the Spark," which is the reason for the name change in the U.S. opening credits of Beast Machines.  And there WILL be more multiple sizes for characters.  But who will they be?  Beast Machines and Beast Wars WILL BE DISCONTINUED after this, however, so don't even ask.  The days of the Beast era are numbered.

3. The next series will be called "Trans Tech Transformers" and feature Cheetor, Rattrap, and Silverbolt as a car, some unknown vehicle, and a jet respectively.  Also featured is a jet named Starscream and another car named Shockwave.
A lot of this rumor matches up with others that the BOoG@LoO! staff has heard during and since BotCon.  Though we won't reveal EVERYTHING we know, we think it's pretty durn likely that a lot of this is accurate, though subject to change.  The transformation of these characters to vehicles is LONG overdue, as originally Silverbolt was going to become Skybolt and Rattrap would become Thrust for what was then a fourth season of Beast Wars.  And Rhinox was going to become Tankor(r) and not become evil and die.  Didn't quite turn out that way.  As for the other two characters, we all know that G1 names are usually changed before final release (Obsidian used to be Blitzwing, a G1 triple-changer, and Blastcharge used to be Blastraxx, the Combaticon commander), so I wouldn't count on Shockwave being the REAL Shockwave.  You never know about Starscream, though.  Just you watch.  It's going to be a Jetstorm repaint.
RUMOR BUSTER!: According to at least two sources (one which has proven reliable i.e. Benson Yee), the idea known as Trans Tech never made it past the initial design stages.  Maybe it was because of Hasbro's recent financial woes in a year where the company failed to turn a profit on Pokémon, but all we know is that it's gone.

4. Trans Tech Starscream is going to be a Jetstorm repaint.
Didn't I just say that?  I don't know that for sure.  That's more speculation than an actual rumor.  Though the idea may have come from an example that the 3H boys gave as to why they couldn't repaint Jetstorm white, blue, and red and call it Starscream for a BotCon 2001 exclusive.  It seems that many of Hasbro's names were not trademarked and were gobbled up by other companies which don't do anything with them.  Although Hasbro has been buying back a lot of its old properties, so who knows?
RUMOR BUSTER!: No Trans Tech!

5. The Trans Tech line will be released late Spring / early Summer 2001.
What?  No TV show?  While possible, I don't think it's likely.  Though Hasbro and Mainframe are in a peculiar situation this time around.  Where there was no breather between Beast Wars and Beast Machines, Mainframe has already finished production of the current show (a status that has been true since March 2000), so both companies can devote a LOT of time to hammering out the details of the new show.  As a result, it just doesn't make sense for the toys to come out before the show, so I wouldn't expect to see these before the fall.  As it stands, the details of the show aren't fleshed out completely yet, to say nothing of beginning new molds (the turnaround time for which is usually a year).  BUT, this leads into our next rumor...
RUMOR BUSTER!: Even if this were true, it would have been closer to June.  So, on both fronts, it's false!

6. The Trans Tech line will consist mainly of repainted Car Robots molds..
It's possible, especially if there's any truth to the Spring/Summer 2001 release date.  On the other hand, Trans Tech could be another sub-line like the Dinobots which would simply be filler for the year (especially if Beast Machines is axed at the end of this year), and the vehicles are named Cheetor, Rattrap, Silverbolt, Starscream, and Shockwave for no damn reason at all.  Unlikely, but possible.  Here the difference is between what I'd LIKE to see and what's actually going to happen.
RUMOR BUSTER!: Robots in Disguise will feature Car Robots molds, and RiD is NOT Trans Tech!

7. Hasbro is returning to Vehicle-based Transformers toys and abandoning beasts..
I can almost say this with 100% certainty, but we'll see once they start shipping, no?  Besides, Hasbro has promised some very interesting offerings at BotCon, which we'll actually report to you all about this year!  Really!  Also, an article in Toy Fair magazine has all but cemented this rumor as fact.  We will see.
NOTE: The rumor was reworded a bit to be a little more explicit.  This is consistent with MANY rumors and purported toy ideas for the next series.  It's looking to be the reality of the thing, though.
NOTE: While Hasbro has no plans to release an original line this year, importing Car Robots may just be a way for Hasbro to "test" the market to see if people are interested in a mostly vehicle-based line.  Wasn't that was Beast Machines was for?  Eh.
RUMOUR BUSTER!: If this had been worded differently, it would be true.  But since the bad guys in RiD all have beast forms, it would hardly do to say that beasts are being abandoned completely.  But, to be fair, this is true in the sense that the good guys will no longer retain beast forms, at least for the time being.

8. Hasbro is releasing an Ultra Tankor(r) toy.
Okay, I was AT BotCon, and the reps said nothing about it.  So -- in short -- no, there are no plans for an Ultra Tankor(r) toy.  Though fate will probably conspire against me on this one.  We'll just wait until the next series starts to disprove this one.
NOTE: As of the latest info on new toys, no Ultra Tankor(r) (nor any other Ultra-sized toy) has been announced, nor is it likely that there will be.  Usually Hasbro only releases two Ultras per year (the Dinobots don't count because it's technically a separate line), so I really wouldn't count on this one coming through.
NOTE: A Tank Drone toy does exist, but this is at the Basic price point.
RUMOUR BUSTER!: The Battle for the Spark line is over and done with.  We have the Mega-head left to go, and that's about it.  There are no new molds, and we probably won't see Supreme Buddha Monkey... ever.

9. Hasbro is releasing Mega Silverbolt toy.
No matter how much I want this to be true, I doubt Hasbro will release it unless it's already underway.  The Mega price-point is currently unbalanced with two Vehicons to one Maximal.  Granted, this means little as Maximals outrank Vehicons at every OTHER price point, but Hasbro might release another Maximal Mega just to be consistent.  Maybe.  God, I hope this is true...
NOTE: With confirmation of the "Battle for the Spark" line, almost ANYTHING is possible.
RUMOUR BUSTER!: I wish I wish I wish I wish this could have been true.  Unfortunately, Silverbolt's honor will never be reclaimed -- at least not this year.  They could make three mediocre versions of Cheetor, but couldn't make one decent Silverbolt mold...

10. Blast Punch Optimus Primal is going to be released in Robots in Disguise packaging.
No.  No no no no no.  There is no logical reason for this.  Some very confused people saw Buddha Monkey Primal in the RiD toy lists and automatically assumed that this would be the case.  No.  They seem to forget that Beast Wars has seen releases for the entire run of Beast Machines, and that those toys are included in Beast Machines release lists, and yet are not considered by the TransFan masses as Beast Machines toys.  All this means is that Hasbro will continue to ship Primal during the months that RiD is being introduced.  Not unprecedented, and not strange at all.
NOTE: From actually being in stores and looking at what's being sold, I see absolutely zero indication of this.
RUMOUR BUSTER! (30.12.01): This always sounded fishy to me, and I never once saw BPOP in stores, RiD packaging or no.  I got mine at BotCon o $20, and I was happy about it.

11. Brave Max is going to be released around / after Christmas
It just isn't going to happen.  I know people want the toy, but it's just NOT going to happen.  I can give several reasons for this: 1) The original toy, Fortress Maximus, sold for around $100 in the late 80s.  Not even counting inflation, one can see that this is a lot of money for a child's toy.  It didn't sell very well.  Brave Max doesn't come with all of the original Fort Max accessories (which should just about make up for inflation), so it *might* be cheaper were it to be sold, but it won't be; 2) Hasbro is already going to have three Super-class toys in the shelves -- Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, and Scourge.  Would you rather buy your child one giant hunk of ancient and articulated plastic, or three far superior toys for about the same price?  Hasbro has never had more than one super released before this line, let alone three.  These toys are going to be competing against each other as it is; 3) Supreme Cheetor sold like ass, and if they couldn't move a $40 toy, why on Earth would they try to market a $100 one?  It's just not going to happen, kids.
RUMOUR BUSTER! (30.12.01): This never had a chance, and I feel sorry for those who thought it did.
NOTE (03.06.02): Not only am I wrong about this toy never being released in the U.S., but I'm also GLAD I'm wrong.  Big Bad Toy Store has a deal with Hasbro where they will get to actually pre-order the toy, so that means everyone who pays and gets charged will get one.  Still, this isn't a wide commercial release, and for this rumor the time frame is wrong, so while the details are wrong and still bunk, the end result is the same -- American consumers are getting Fort Max, albeit through online retailers.  It'll have to do.

12. Hasbro is planning a new line for Spring 2002
This makes sense, and then it doesn't make sense.  We heard much the same thing at the end of Beast Machines, and that wasn't true, either.  However, by Christmas Hasbro will have released all of the toys for the Robots in Disguise line, and the show will be done with a majority of its run (if not all by that time).  So what IS left for the spring?  Beast Machines survived through six or seven months of 2001 without a show to back it up.  RiD should be able to do the same, as it's demolishing sales records at the moment.  So, who knows?  We will... when Toy Fair 2002 is held this February.  I'll just have to play GameCube for those few scant months to tide myself over...
NOTE: The Marz toy list puts the ship date for Armada toys as somewhere in June.  This *could* be considered the tail end of spring.  Regardless, the point is that there's a possibility that the next toy line could start earlier than anticipated, sort of like RiD this year, even though even distribution wasn't widespread until about September.  Chances are most of us won't be seeing these toys until near the end of summer anyhow.
RUMOUR BUSTER! (03.04.02): Two things: 1) Hasbro never ever ever releases Transformers lines before late summer (except when they were late with Beast Machines, and the first toys didn't show up until after the first season had stopped airing), and 2) Armada is slated for a late summer release!  Gah!

13. Supreme Optimus Primal has been canned.
Most likely.  Seeing as how we haven't heard a lick about him, and he's not being advertised on new toys (admittedly never a standard for seeing whether or not a toy is actually coming out on time, if at all), it's safe to assume that we'll never see the Big Bad Buddha Monkey in his full, "look, I have elbows!" articulated glory.  I suppose Buddha Monkey, though sorely lacking in paint to accentuate his excellent detail, will have to do.
NOTE: Someone who wrote to Hasbro got a response that the toy would not be produced, which jives with what TransFan Extraordinaire Benson Yee said in response to a letter on his website.  While I completely believe this, Ben thinks that production is still open ended enough if there's sufficient demand for the figure.  We'll just have to wait and see, kids.
NOTE: Looks likely that he'll be released as a Toys 'R' Us exclusive -- check the rumor further down the page.
NOTE: ...or not.  Since he's not out by now, it probably isn't going to happen.  Sorry, kids.
RUMOUR CONFIRMED!- (30.12.01): Well, it's been obvious that this wasn't going to happen for a long time, and it's far too late for it to turn out true now.  Bummer.
RUMOUR BUSTER! (03.04.02): I guess I was wrong.  They brought it back.  Check out the confirmed rumors section.  I think it's number 8 unless something has changed.  Megabolt Megatron is also back.  Spiffy.

14. RiD Scourge is going to be late because of a voice chip screw-up
The original Laser Rod Prime toy had a voice chip, but that was removed for the Black Convoy toy in Japan's Car Robots line. Now apparently, it's back.  As the rumor goes, the voice on the chip was recorded before a final name had been decided, and shipments are on hold until the chips can be replaced. I don't know if that's true or not (in fact, it sounds more like fan speculation than anything), but I do know that Scourge is not listed on any shipping lists through the month of June 2002, when Armada toys are supposedly going to begin shipping. This can mean one of three things: he's not coming out, the rumor is true and the toy will be reinserted into shipping lists at a later date, or it's a mistake.  With over six months until the next toy line begins, Hasbro needs something, ANYTHING, to bolster the current line until then. Every other single mold from the Car Robots line has been released stateside, so Scourge would be the only one to support the line for the next six months. Hasbro has other Generation 2 molds waiting in the wings (Laser Cycles, etc.), but these aren't familiar Car Robots characters. To be honest. Hasbro would be stupid NOT to release Scourge.
Note (03.04.02): You know, I suspect that we'll never know WHY it was delayed, but it IS still coming.  I should make a new "who cares?" category just to put this in.  You know what, I think I WILL make a decision on this...
RUMOUR BUSTER! (03.04.02): I can't say this with authority, but I can guess.  It was delayed because it was pricey and having three $30 toys on the shelves would have been too much.  There was speculation as to whether it would sell at all, and I guess that's been cleared up.  Over.  End of story.  We're getting big Scourge.  Yay.  I still think the little one is cute.