Magmatron is headed to the US as a Target exclusive, according to this June 23, 2000 Radio Free Cybertron. Beast Wars Metals is out for the PlayStation, and Car Robots JRX reaches import vendors. John DeLuna’s ATT Buzz argues Car Robots belongs in Japan and warns that G1 is fading. Brian Kilby reviews a subtitled Transformers: Zone tape from HeroesCon and G1 Metroplex.
News
Beast Wars Metals Arrives on PlayStation
Beast Wars Metals is out for the PlayStation at a retail price of about $30. Brian calls the price not too bad. [Source: not found]
Coldhardslag.com Interviews Garry Chalk
Coldhardslag.com has a new phone interview with Garry Chalk, the voice of Optimus Primal. A link is on the RFC homepage. [Source: coldhardslag.com]
Magmatron Coming to the US as a Target Exclusive
Brian has been told Magmatron will be a Target exclusive in the United States. This one is secondhand word, not an announcement. [Source: not found]
ToyFare Interviews Hasbro
The latest ToyFare has an article and interview with the team from Hasbro. A link is on the RFC homepage. [Source: ToyFare]
Car Robots JRX Released
JRX, the train-set combiner from Car Robots, is out at import vendors. Word on the street is that it isn’t a very good toy. [Source: not found]
Transformers at HeroesCon
Brian attended HeroesCon last week. He saw cheap Japanese Beast Wars toys, plenty of scalped Car Robots toys and one dealer with excellent G1 stock. A trashed Mirage was priced at $85, which Brian calls insane. Subtitled tapes of Headmasters, Beast Wars II, Zone and Beast Wars Neo were the biggest Transformers presence. News from Cybertron is off this week and should be picked up next week by AlexJ33106.
ATT Buzz
John DeLuna says it was a slow week on alt.toys.transformers, with more Gigglebots and Quick Strikes. The second episode of Car Robots made it online, and the group debated whether the line should come to the US. John loves Car Robots, apart from JRX’s sloppy paint job, but thinks the line belongs in Japan. He doesn’t want Hasbro to slack off and just import whatever Takara released the year before. The group also discussed G1 fading from fan conversation. John argues fans must keep G1 history straight, rather than rewriting it with Beast Wars and Beast Machines as the reference point. [Source: alt.toys.transformers]
Campaign 2000
Two mock campaign ads air. Galvatron for President promises “First the U.S., then the world,” paid for by several people threatened with death. Optimus Prime for the Year 2000 counters as the candidate we can trust, paid for by the Committee to Elect Supercool Alien Robots.
Polls
Last poll, Beast Machines: Your Opinion, came in at 31% thumbs up, 46% thumbs down and 21% in the middle. This week’s poll asks whether Car Robots should be brought to the United States.
Episode Review: Transformers: Zone (Subtitled)
Brian bought a subtitled Zone tape at HeroesCon, with a Masterforce episode on the same tape. Zone was a 1990 pilot for a Japanese series that never happened, a bit like Rebirth in the West. He says the picture and sound quality are far better than his earlier download. There is little story: the Destrons steal Energon-Z, the power source of planet Zone, and plenty of fighting follows. Brian’s highlight is the combiners among the nine Destron generals, with Piranacon, Menasor, Devastator and Predaking appearing in capes. The ending is a complete rip-off of the Star Wars: A New Hope ceremony. He still likes it and gives it a 7 out of 10.
Toy Review: G1 Metroplex
Brian calls Metroplex one of his favorite toys as a kid. The pros are an easy transformation for a big toy, a very displayable robot mode and restrained vacuum-metalized parts. He also likes the hidden laser cannons, the chest missile launcher, Scamper and the stickers. The cons are simple arm positioning in city and battle station modes and an awkward left arm that becomes the tower. He also finds the combiner-part attachment feature silly and pointless. He gives Metroplex an 8 out of 10.
Brian closes by explaining the short show: a new webmastering job, family problems and no sleep. The kitbashing segment and trivia return next week.
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.