Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus and the Spychangers get a quick review from Brian Kilby in this August 15, 2001 Radio Free Cybertron. Brian has come around on Optimus Prime’s super mode but thoroughly dislikes Ultra Magnus. He calls the combined Omega Prime a nice statue but a terrible toy. Brian also plugs the TransQuake mod for Quake 2 and names groups.google.com this week’s site that does not suck.
News
Google Groups Brings Back the Usenet Archive
Google Groups, which recently added posting, holds Deja’s Usenet archive going back to 1995. That means about six years of alt.toys.transformers threads, plus alt.toys.transformers.classic.moderated and rec.toys.transformers.moderated. Brian finds the old posts fascinating, from G2 discussions to the first Beast Wars sightings. He still prefers Usenet’s format to web boards. [Source: Google Groups]
TransQuake Mod for Quake 2
Brian plugs TransQuake, a Transformers mod for Quake 2 hosted at telefragged.com. It offers characters including Brawl, Sideswipe, Grimlock, Soundwave and Mirage. Now that he has a home network, he’s playing it again. It requires the full version of Quake 2. [Source: not found]
TomCatX Salutes Brian Kilby
TomCatX opens the show with a mock tribute to Brian Kilby as the man who brought Transformers fandom to radio. Brian notes this is his third attempt at the episode after sound problems.
Toy Review: Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus and the Spychangers
The Spychangers come two to a pack with no instructions or tech specs. Brian finds them pretty cool next to the G1 Mini-Spies and Minibots. Crosswise and his translucent plastic are the gem, and Ironhide is second because pickup truck Transformers rule. The rest are average.
Brian thought Fire Convoy was average, but he has turned 180 degrees on Optimus Prime’s super robot mode. He calls the fire engine floppy and dislikes taking it apart. Ultra Magnus has a good vehicle mode but an ugly robot mode that requires moving the carrier to form legs. The combined Omega Prime is top-heavy and comes apart, a good display piece but a horrible toy. Overall, Brian likes Robots in Disguise so far and will cover Black Convoy, the future Scourge, next week.
Bad Dubbed Japanese Line of the Week
Brian plays his five favorite lines from the Japanese dubs and asks listeners to vote by e-mail. They include Sixshot introducing himself as the Decepticons’ ninja consultant and the Headmasters “men don’t cry” scene.
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.