Canon Teams Up With Transformers in New DSLR Replica Toy Line

As longtime digital camera makers like Nikon and Canon battle to adapt to a quickly altering market now dominated by mirrorless choices and even smartphones, there’s at the very least one technique to increase the gross sales of dying DSLRs: partner with Takara Tomy and make them rework into fan-favorite Transformers like Optimus Prime.

Transformers toys are arguably one of many authentic popular culture mashups, pairing the enchantment of towering robots with every part from unique sports activities vehicles, to fighter jets, to even dinosaurs. Over the years we’ve additionally seen client tech and robots-in-disguise companion as much as create every part from a purposeful Optimus Prime telephone charger, to Soundwave transforming into a tablet.

Nerds and geeks are a profitable goal, and as originally spotted by the TFormers blog, first as leaked pictures after which in an official reveal by Takara Tomy, the Transformers have teamed up with Canon for a few collectibles that could possibly be as arduous to search out over right here as they’re to withstand.

Here, an impressively detailed however sadly non-functional Canon EOS R5 DSLR that would simply move as the true factor (had been it not a barely smaller scaled down duplicate) as a substitute converts from a dying piece of tech right into a highly-articulated Optimus Prime determine who even makes use of the digital camera’s lens cap as a protect and comes together with his personal matching-scale snapper.

And for many who choose to root for the baddies (the Decepticons might all fly, so why wouldn’t you select group Megatron?) an alternate model of this collectible can even be obtainable, with the Canon EOS R5 as a substitute reworking into the Decepticon Reflector, who was, as many longtime followers could keep in mind, the primary Transformer with an precise digital camera as their alt mode.

Pre-orders can be found now in Japan till September 28, with every bot going for simply shy of $150. However, they received’t be formally obtainable till February 25, subsequent yr, which is when many people may have an opportunity to attempt to discover them extraordinarily marked up on eBay or by an internet retailer joyful to ship them abroad for a premium.