Hasbro fills Toy Fair 2000 with at least 11 Transmetal and Beast Machines repaints on this February 18, 2000 Radio Free Cybertron. One turns Optimal Optimus into a new character, Primal Prime. Brian Kilby teases a big-name interview for next week and announces a Transformers: The Movie parody serial and the first Transformers Memorial Day. Turin debuts his Quick Review with the Fox Kids repaints of Transmetal Cheetor and Tarantulas, and Goldimus Prime reviews Buzzsaw.
News
Toy Fair 2000 Brings at Least 11 Beast Machines Repaints
Hasbro put a ton of Transformers on display at Toy Fair, and the repaints stand out. There are at least 11 Transmetal and Beast Machines repaints this year, and a Jetstorm repaint is already planned. John DeLuna likes that repaints give kids a second chance and collectors something to hunt. But he balks at about $10 each for toys already released in hideous colors. Figures.com lists the repainted Optimal Optimus at $24.99. [Source: alt.toys.transformers]
Optimal Optimus Repaint Becomes Primal Prime
The Optimal Optimus repaint is a new Beast Machines character named Primal Prime. John worries the name and color scheme tie him to Optimus Prime. He would only welcome Primal Prime on the show if the story leaves Optimus Prime out, though he is curious how Mainframe would animate the mold. [Source: alt.toys.transformers]
First Transformers Memorial Day Set for March 1
The Yahoo club The Matrix TF will hold the first Transformers Memorial Day on March 1, 2000. Members are invited to post a eulogy for their favorite Transformer.
RFC in the Works
A special guest interview is coming next week and will be announced on alt.toys.transformers, The Matrix TF and other fan hubs. RFC is starting a Transformers: The Movie parody serial in the style of old radio serials, and listeners can submit scenes. A new RFC message board is up for feedback and trivia.
Turin’s Transformers Shopping Trip
After a trip to the dentist, where he decided the Cavitron must be one of Megatron’s lost weapons, Turin treated himself. At Hot Topic he found Transformers shirts with Optimus Prime and Megatron box art, the 1984 rear box art and Soundwave. He bought black Decepticon and Autobot symbol shirts. At Toys R Us he found the Fox Kids repaints of Transmetal Tarantulas and Transmetal Cheetor.
Turin’s Quick Review: Fox Kids Cheetor and Tarantulas
Turin rates toys on a scale from Awesome down through Very Nice, Nice, Decent, Eh and No, with Optimus Minor at the bottom. The Fox Kids Transmetal Cheetor’s maroon, gold and dark green beast mode is Nice. The robot mode is Very Nice, with silver replacing yellow and blue eyes that make him look ticked off, so Turin dubs him Steroid Cheetor. He recommends it even to owners of the original.
The Fox Kids Tarantulas, known on ATT as Formal Wear Tarantulas, has a black and silver robot mode with green highlights that rates Nice. The jet-black beast mode with metallic silver rates Awesome. With a spoiler warning for the end of Beast Wars, Turin suggests fans treat it as an undead Tarantulas, his spark merged with Vok influence. He invites entries on the Beast Wars Non-Show Character Site.
Turin’s Top 8
The top eight reasons behind Hasbro’s decisions on the Transformers line are, in order, money, money, money, money, money, money, money and money.
News from Cybertron
Astrotrain and Razorclaw win the Sky Lynx look-alike contest together, and second-place Sky Lynx plans to sue. Ramjet, Dirge and Thrust are caught guzzling the Energon reserves on Level 26. Turin also marks one year since his first post to alt.toys.transformers, titled Transformers Renaissance.
Toy Review: Beast Machines Buzzsaw
Goldimus Prime nearly skipped Buzzsaw after bad reports but is glad he bought him. The mostly yellow wasp looks very nice, with six joints in the wings and a poseable head, and stiff legs that support his weight. The transformation is simple but fun.
He calls the robot mode Kibblemaster: a stinger for a left arm, two bug legs for a right arm and four legs hanging off the back. The spring-loaded sting gimmick works but the visible spring hurts both modes. He scores the beast mode 8, the robot mode 5 and the gimmick 6. Buzzsaw gets 8 out of 10 overall on the strength of the beast mode.
Trivia
Nobody got last week’s answer, The Return of Optimus Prime Part 1. This week Zobovor asks which cartoon episode has a Lord Alfred Tennyson reference, with answers going to the new feedback forum.
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.