Beast Machines has ended, and the finale sparked another flame war on alt.toys.transformers, John DeLuna reports in this May 12, 2000 Radio Free Cybertron. Goldimus Prime reviews Car Robots Gigatron and gives the six-mode Destronger leader an 8 out of 10. John also shares his tips for selling Transformers, and Mop Boy answers listener mail in Ask RFC. Rob’s Trannies awards are out, with Zobovor named Transfan of the Year.
News
Rob’s Trannies Awards Released
Rob released the Trannies, the big annual Transformers fan awards, this week. RFC will post a link to his homepage. Brian believes Zobovor was voted Transfan of the Year, and Turin also received votes. Brian jokes that nobody voted for his Beast Machines fanfic.
More Car Robots Toys on the Way
Brian doesn’t own Gigatron or Super Fire Convoy yet, but plans to. He wants the upcoming construction set God Magnus and the train set God Bomber. He’s less interested in the Machine Wars repaints of Mirage and Prowl and of Hubcap and Hoist.
The Computer Takes Over
The show opens with “The Safety Dance,” a request from Alex. Brian’s computer then threatens to wipe out mankind and sing “Free Bird,” until Brian shuts it down with Control-Alt-Delete.
ATT Buzz
John DeLuna says the Beast Machines finale dragged alt.toys.transformers into its second flame war, a 50-plus post thread. He blames the same few people arguing for the sake of arguing, and predicts BotCon will be fine. A “What Do You Look Like” thread drew plenty of photos. The Trannies also stirred G1 nostalgia and series comparisons. John thinks Beast Machines erred by using the same characters for a radical new approach, and hopes Hasbro starts fresh next time.
Ask RFC with Mop Boy
Joshua Watson asks when the second half of RFC’s Transformers: The Movie parody will be posted. Mop Boy says it is still in the works. Transmetal 2 Jetfire asks about Seaspray’s beer gut, and Mop Boy plays a mock interview where Seaspray explains how he let himself go. A listener also points out a remix song, which Brian plays at the end of the show.
Tips for Selling Your Transformers
John DeLuna calls summer one of the two hot seasons for the Transformers market. His first tip is to sell items separately, since whole collections sold to dealers bring far less. His second is to avoid selling on Usenet, which draws bargain hunters. His third is to auction on eBay or Yahoo, choose categories carefully and save reserves for high-end items. Buying tips come next week.
Toy Review: Car Robots Gigatron
Goldimus Prime reviews Gigatron, the Destronger leader from the Car Robots line. The robot mode is regal, detailed and purple, black and gold. He loves the two-headed Gigadragon despite its bottom-heavy bulk, and likes the Gigajet. The Gigacar earns moderate marks and the Gigahand is fun. He calls the squat Gigabat the absolute loser. Gigatron gets an 8 out of 10, and Goldimus recommends wizzywig.com despite a dinged box.
Trivia
Last week’s answer was A Prime Problem, and Firestorm, Maverick and Rodimus123 got it right. Rattrap 007’s impossible trivia answer is that the truck stop near the Ark is called Stan’s.
New on the RFC Website
The site’s new poll asks Canadian viewers of Beast Machines Season 2 for a thumbs up, middle or down on the ending. A link to the Trannies is also up.
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.