Brian reviews the San Diego Comic-Con Soundwave exclusive on this August 11, 2009 Radio Free Cybertron. He likes the four cassettes, including Ratbat, but can’t recommend it at the price. JD Church calls the clearer photos of Animated Blackout beautiful, while Animated Thundercracker leaves both hosts cold. Brian explains why RFC calls itself the Transformers Internet Radio Show and not the first Transformers podcast. The hosts share fandom misconceptions, and Rob Springer reviews a profane fan comic found on archive.org.
Comics Corner: Jim Lee’s Birthday
For Jim Lee’s 45th birthday, JD notes the artist drew covers for Marvel’s Transformers #53 and #67. Brian says he finds Bob Budiansky underrated and Simon Furman a little overrated, while praising both. They recall the Marvel crossover issues and Circuit Breaker, created so Hasbro would not own her.
News
Clearer Photos of Animated Blackout and Thundercracker
Clearer photos of Transformers Animated Blackout followed his Comic-Con reveal. JD calls him beautiful, with a sleek helicopter mode and a robot mode as massive as on the show. Animated Thundercracker is another Starscream repaint. Brian prefers the Activators Starscream mold and urges fans to grab the hard-to-find Activators Dirge. [Source: not found]
Toy Review: SDCC 2009 Soundwave
Brian’s San Diego Comic-Con Soundwave arrived with Buzzsaw, Laserbeak, Ravage and Ratbat. Ratbat is his favorite cassette, the only one who ever led the Decepticons. The plastic feels less sturdy than the earlier Takara reissue, and the window box lacks the book-style packaging of other reissues. Brian notes every Soundwave since the late 1980s uses the modified external tape-door hinge. Unless your original is beat up, he says to skip it.
Is RFC a Podcast?
Prompted by a TFormers thread, Brian explains that RFC has always called itself the Transformers Internet Radio Show. TFWire, from his friend Maestro X Prime, brands itself the first Transformers podcast. RFC hit iTunes around 2007, offered syndication through RFC On Your Site from 2000 and has offered downloadable shows since October 1999. Brian says being first doesn’t matter, since shows are not competing for a time slot. He plugs TFWire, WTF@TFW and other shows. He also clarifies that a “1992” RFC was a 2002 concept show suggested by Exvee.
Transformers Misconceptions
Inspired by an AllSpark thread, Brian admits he thought Ravage was a dog until he was 20. JD never learned to transform Starscream as a kid and did not know Beast Wars was Transformers until later. JD is finally watching G1 Season 3, and Brian calls Webworld and Five Faces of Darkness highlights. They also defend Rebirth, laugh about the Headmasters dubs and name City of Steel the worst G1 episode.
Fan Comic Review: Andrew Luke Comic Book 5
Rob Springer reviews a crude, hand-drawn fan comic he found on archive.org. Stories include minibots bullying Bumblebee into buying them cigarettes, the Dinobots interrogating Rumble and Grimlock challenging Unicron, Jupiter and God to fights. It ends with a new Action Master named Metal Mickey. Brian warns it is not for readers under 13.
Coming Up
RFC is recording a commentary on the 2007 movie, and Rob is preparing a page-by-page video of the comic. Brian teases a project listeners have requested for seven years.
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.