Don’t you just hate it when you pick up your trusty Canon EOS R5, only to discover it’s actually a sneaky Transformer? Well bad news, because this nightmarish future spotted by TFormers is actually becoming a reality next year thanks to a collaboration between Takara Tomy (the Japanese company behind the Transformers toys) and Canon (the Japanese company behind… well you get the idea).
The collaboration has resulted in a pair of Transformers figurines that are able to fold away into surprisingly realistic looking Canon mirrorless cameras. I say “surprisingly realistic” because at first glance I somehow mistook these for functioning cameras. But in case it wasn’t obvious from their ¥ 19,800 (around $147) pricing, they’re non-functional replicas that are only 80-percent of the size of the real thing. (The idea that this could be a functioning camera isn’t so wild considering Takara Tomy has previously produced working MP3-player Transformer toys).
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Probably my favorite detail is the lens cap, which in both cases transform into shields for the Transformers to wield. But a close second is the miniature cameras both figurines appear to be holding in some of the promotional images, which is a delightfully silly addition. One figurine is based on Optimus Prime, while the other is Decepticon Refraktor.
Both Transformers are scheduled to release in Japan next year on February 25th, and TFW2005 reports that preorders are open from now until September 28th. It’s unclear if they’ll see a global release.