Takara plans a brand-new Transformers series for 2000, with Machine heroes, animal villains and a fire truck Convoy as leader. This January 14, 2000 Radio Free Cybertron hands out the first RFC Year in Review Awards for 1999. Blackarachnia, Nemesis Part 2, Larry DiTillio and Scarem take top honors. John DeLuna then names the worst of 1999, from Optimus Minor to The Weak Component. Goldimus Prime reviews Beast Machines Jetstorm, and Turin counts down rejected song parodies.
News
Takara Plans a New Transformers Series for 2000
Takara of Japan will launch a brand-new series later this year and drop the Beast Wars name. In the new line, the heroic Cybertrons are machines and the evil Destrons are animals. Many figures look like Transmetal 2 repaints, with new toys for the leaders. The Cybertron leader is a fire truck Convoy. John DeLuna would rather see a tractor trailer Convoy, pointing to Laser Optimus Prime as proof the idea still works. Brian thinks the line may be called Beast Wars 2000. He says Fire Convoy looks cool, with a Super Ginrai-style mode where the small robot merges with the trailer. He adds that some deluxes look like Diaclone toys. Links to a Japanese picture page and digital-toys.com are on the RFC site. [Source: alt.toys.transformers]
ATT Buzz
John says alt.toys.transformers drowned in Beast Machines sightings and reviews all week, including hour-by-hour reports of empty Target shelves. He tells fans still waiting to be patient. ATT is also grumbling that Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia may never reach some areas. John never found her in his town and had to buy one on eBay. He also points listeners to a free Transformers auction site run by fellow fan Greg Galb.
Turin’s Top 8
Turin counts down the Top 8 Rejected Song Parodies RFC would never air. Entries include Optimus Primal’s “Big Optimuses Don’t Cry,” Rampage’s “Don’t Break My Spark” and Warpath’s Hanson parody. Terrorsaur takes the top spot with “Can’t Help Falling in Lava.”
Toy Review: Beast Machines Jetstorm
Goldimus Prime calls Jetstorm the greatest Beast Machines toy he has seen yet. The jet mode is massive for a deluxe and covered in molded detail. The transformation is mostly intuitive, and the robot mode even has a hover mode like the show. The gooseneck cockpit gimmick and the hair-trigger missile launchers disappoint him a little. He scores the jet mode 10, the robot mode 9 and the gimmicks 7, for an overall 9 out of 10. Brian says on the intro that he likes Jetstorm, though he prefers Tankor.
Trivia
There is no trivia this week. Brian wants a new format and invites a listener to take over the segment.
RFC Year in Review Awards: The Best of 1999
The RFC staff picks the best of 1999. Blackarachnia wins Best Television Character over Rampage, praised as a strong, non-stereotypical female role. Nemesis Part 2 wins Best Episode over Master Blaster and Proving Grounds, thanks to its action and a stronger Optimus Primal. Larry DiTillio wins Best Writer over Bob Forward and D.C. Fontana.
Scarem wins Best Toy over Optimus Minor, Tigerhawk and Tankor, and wins Best Non-Show Toy too. Brian keeps insisting Optimus Minor deserved it and promises him a special broadcast. Beast Machines Cheetor wins Best Show Likeness. The return of vehicle Transformers wins Best News over Hasbro’s collector offer of Galvatron Lio Convoy.
Special fan awards go to Dave Van Domelen’s Beast Wars page for Best Web Page and to Trent Troop’s “The Statue Got Me High” Transformers music video for Multimedia. Transquake, a Quake 2 conversion Brian plays daily, also earns a special award.
The Worst of 1999
John DeLuna hands out the worst of the year. Optimus Minor wins Worst Toy, beating Transmetal 2 Scourge and Beast Machines Cheetor. Beast Machines Optimus Primal wins Worst Television Character, and Nightscream’s coif wins Worst Haircut. The Weak Component wins Worst Episode, and Rattrap in that episode wins Worst Character.
The Beast Wars cancellation wins Worst News, beating the Megatron shower curtain publicity photo. Worst Rumor or Lie goes to nobody. The nominees included Bob Skir saying Rhinox and Silverbolt were gone for good.
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.