Turin guest hosts the first Radio Free Cybertron of 2000, a weekend update built around three G1 triple changer retro reviews. Springer, Octane and Sandstorm each get a close look at their helicopter, truck, plane and dune buggy modes. Turin also counts down the top eight New Year’s resolutions Transformers will never make. The show closes with The Leader, a new Transformers song set to Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler.
Top Eight New Year’s Resolutions Transformers Will Never Make
Turin runs a comedy countdown of resolutions the characters would never keep. Megatron vows to stop running, and Shockwave wants an eyepatch and a rogue’s image. Bumblebee makes a play for leadership, Galvatron plans a solid strategy, and Starscream tries loyalty. Hasbro resolves to put the fans first. Number one goes to the cast of Beast Machines, who promise to stay in character. Turin then says the jabs at Beast Machines and Optimus Minor are all in fun, and that he is mocking the gripers, not the fans.
Retro Review: Springer
Springer arrived the day before Christmas in Spanish packaging, MISB, after a six-month post office delay. Turin opened him anyway, since he keeps nearly every toy on display. He flips the arms backward in helicopter mode, which looks better than the box photo and lets the gun attach. Turin defends the car mode against critics who call Springer a lame triple changer. His complaints are the floppy rotor sword and short, stubby arms with little side-to-side motion. He still recommends Springer.
Retro Review: Octane
Octane is the one triple changer of the three that Turin has a major problem with. In truck mode, the robot arms stick out from the sides, and he says it does not look good. He likes the chrome and the stickers on the truck’s rear, though not the door stickers. The plane mode is nice and is the only mode where the rudder works well. In robot mode, the rudder becomes a floppy crossbow, but Turin likes the wings and the big gun. He recommends Octane as another good Generation 1 toy.
Retro Review: Sandstorm
Turin saves the best for last. He recalls owning Blitzwing as a kid and giving his childhood Transformers away, and he now owns Astrotrain but not Broadside. Sandstorm is his favorite triple changer, despite the orange. He praises the dune buggy mode and the silver engine block that flips around to become the head. His one real gripe is the arms, which have no upper arm joint. The helicopter mode is a favorite, with all four rotor blades folding together and hiding cleanly in the other modes.
The Leader
Turin debuts The Leader, a new song with his own lyrics set to the music of Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler. In it, a Walther P38 transforms into a Decepticon who lectures on leadership: know when to shoot, when to run away, and never blame yourself when there are troops to blame.
Listener Feedback
Turin asks listeners to email the show with feedback, especially about the songs, which take a lot of time to make. He jokes about Brian Kilby’s comments on the knowledge.org address from the last show. He notes the crew does the show for free on top of full-time jobs.
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.