Amazon.com raises Transformers prices at almost every price point, with mega-size toys jumping from $15 to $21. Turin fills in as host on this December 10, 1999 Radio Free Cybertron while Brian Kilby’s computer is down. John DeLuna’s ATT Buzz covers a quiet newsgroup despite a big Beast Machines episode. Turin reads Brian’s Transmetal 2 Spittor review, then gives a retro review of Transformers for the Commodore 64.
News
Amazon.com Raises Transformers Prices
John DeLuna reports that alt.toys.transformers is reacting strongly to higher Transformers prices at almost every price point. He clarifies that Amazon.com, not Hasbro, is raising them. Mega-size toys are going from $15 to $21. John’s reaction: “Viva America, baby!” [Source: alt.toys.transformers]
ATT Buzz
John DeLuna is surprised at how quiet ATT has been after last week’s Beast Machines episode. That episode featured Vector Sigma from G1 and plenty of green plot-device ooze. He also jokes about the newsgroup’s recent slide into racy posts, including one titled “Ramjet shot my balls.” Turin adds that the segment does not represent the opinions of anyone else on the planet.
News from Cybertron
In the comedy news segment, the Battle Chargers and Jumpstarters hold a civil rights rally over discrimination against simple transformations. Only four participants show up. Runabout and Runamuck are fined for vandalism. Autobot conspiracy theorists accuse Optimus Prime and Megatron of covering up the Autobots’ lost ability to fly. Spokesman Perceptor replies, “Decepticons fly. Autobots don’t.” The Protectobots also sue their creator for mental anguish over their dorky team name.
RFC Poll Results
Last week’s poll asked whether Transformers fans need a binary newsgroup. Of the respondents, 46% said yes, 36% said no, and 18% asked what a binary is. Turin expected more interest. He notes that no one who wanted the group cared enough to write a charter, so the issue may be dead for now.
Trivia
Last week’s clip came from the Generation 1 episode “The God Gambit.” The only correct answer came from Richard Back, a.k.a. Silverbolt on ATT. This week’s clip features Starscream, and listeners can send answers through the Contact Us link on the RFC website.
Fan Fiction
There is no fanfic review this week, but one from Alex Bunch of Numbers is expected next week. Turin has also started a sequel to his story “The Ultimate Battle,” linked from the Get to Know Us page.
Transmetal 2 Spittor Review
Turin reads Brian Kilby’s review of Transmetal 2 Spittor. Brian praises the poseable robot mode, the color scheme and the minimal kibble. He calls the weapon only okay and the transformation fun. The beast mode is ornate, though the tongue looks stupid. Brian gives Spittor an 8. Turin dissents, calling Spittor one of the very best basics in the entire Beast Wars line. Spittor, Stinkbomb and Scarem are his three favorite basics. He also jokes that Optimus Minor does not exist.
Transformers for the Commodore 64
Turin found Transformers, the Commodore 64 video game, while downloading old games for a PC emulator. He calls it horrible. It has only five characters: Optimus Prime, Hound, Jazz, Mirage and a red Bumblebee. The Autobots emerge from Defensipods to blow up nameless Decepticon planes. Players blow up every few seconds, usually on a ramp. Turin says the only redeeming quality is the music, and the show plays a 30-second clip of it.
Radio Free Cybertron is the world's first and oldest toy and action figure podcast — broadcasting from the heart of the Transformers fan community since October 1999. What started as a scrappy fan show has grown into an institution, with nearly 1,000 episodes and over 25 years of coverage. Every week, host Brian Kilby and the RFC crew dig into the latest Transformers news, toy reveals, collecting, and everything hitting shelves from Hasbro, Takara, and beyond. No fluff, no hype — just informed, passionate collectors who have been doing this longer than anyone else on the planet. The original. The longest running. Till all are one.