Brian Kilby reviews Transformers: The Movie on this March 5, 2001 Radio Free Cybertron. He calls it a poorly written stinker, but “our stinker,” and weighs Rhino’s thin DVD release. Matrix Prime’s reviews of Takara’s reissue Hot Rod and G1 Soundwave are read by the computer. The show also debuts Funny Dubbed Line of the Week and a Bad Poets Corner take on Marvel’s Transformers #75.
News
RFC Server Problems and Web Addresses
The show is late again because of server problems, which are hopefully fixed. Brian asks listeners to always use tfradio.net or rfcybertron.cjb.net. Sites carrying RFC can find affiliate details through a link at the top right of most RFC pages.
News from Cybertron
News from Cybertron returns. In the comedy segment, Beast Machines Thrust performs “Every Waking Moment” at the Grammys. He earns a standing ovation and a really stupid origin.
Trivia
This week’s clip is played twice. Listeners can email answers to Brian.
Funny Dubbed Line of the Week
The new segment plays a Singapore dub of Masterforce. Waverider asks the human Ginrai his name, and he answers “Optimus Prime.” Brian notes the dubs call nearly every Ginrai form Optimus Prime. He calls the dubs an endless supply of hilarious material.
Bad Poets Corner: Transformers #75
A short poem reviews Marvel’s Transformers #75 by Simon Furman. It calls the story predictable and flaky, the art mediocre and the dialogue cheesy, as Unicron returns and the Matrix proves key.
Takara Reissue Hot Rod Review
Matrix Prime had never owned G1 Hot Rod. He was surprised by the small box and the included rub sign. He likes the car mode’s chrome exhaust and engine, flame stickers and tinted windows. The robot mode is simple and bland, despite plenty of stickers. He still calls it a worthy purchase at $41.99 shipped and likes the original G1 box art.
G1 Soundwave Review
Matrix Prime’s G1 Soundwave came with Buzzsaw, guns, missiles and colored photo instructions. Soundwave is much smaller than Blaster in tape player mode, and his guns store like AA batteries. The robot mode looks close to the cartoon. Buzzsaw becomes a gold and copper condor. Matrix Prime paid $20 for a loose, complete C8 copy and calls it an awesome example of a good G1 toy.
Transformers: The Movie Review
The segment opens with the theatrical trailer from the Japanese LaserDisc. Brian admits he likes the film, but thinks many fans are blinded by nostalgia. He calls it a 90-minute commercial for the 1986 toy line. He says it slaughtered beloved characters to clear the shelves. He finds the hair-rock soundtrack weak but likes Vince DiCola’s score. He calls the plot lifted from Star Wars and the animation full of errors. Still, he says, “it’s a stinker, but it’s our stinker.” Rhino’s DVD is a good deal for fans but feature-thin, with a Vince DiCola interview and storyboards. It lacks the LaserDisc trailer and promo footage, which tfarchive.com hosts.
Super Wildride Arrives
Brian closes by showing off Super Wildride, which arrived in the mail today. He thinks it is much nicer than the standard version. John DeLuna plans a midweek ATT Buzz update.
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.