German fan Nevermore tells how a Revenge of the Fallen party led to a free Supreme Class Devastator on this November 25, 2009 Radio Free Cybertron. Brian Kilby, Exvee, JD, John DeLuna, Turin and Rob also run through Black Friday Transformers deals and the 2010 Transformers Collectors Club Dion figure. The crew previews next week’s Garry Chalk interview and shares what they are thankful for as Transformers fans. Twitter Theater covers the Transformers Animated episode Garbage In, Garbage Out.
News
New Soundwave Discontinued
Brian announces there will be no new episode of New Soundwave, the crew’s general sci-fi show, and likely none in the future. The show takes too much time, and the crew wants to focus on RFC. A big listener outcry or a petition could bring it back. The Star Trek 2009 commentary still goes ahead on Friday.
Black Friday Transformers Deals
The AllSpark’s front page lists Black Friday deals. Toys R Us has Transformers Universe Ultra Class figures for about $12 to $13. Brian would rather see that deal at Walmart, since the Ultras he wants, such as Skyfall, are Walmart exclusives. One listing offers Transformers Animated Ultra Magnus for $9.99, and one host recalls paying $12.50 at a Kmart clearance sale. Animated Arcee and Cybertron Ratchet are store exclusives. [Source: The AllSpark]
Moonbase 2 Interviews David Wise
Moonbase 2, another Transformers podcast, has an interview with David Wise by Chris McFeely. Brian enjoyed it, including Wise’s bitter take on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. [Source: Moonbase 2]
Fan-Made G1 Devastator Leg Upgrade
A fan-made upgrade kit gives G1 Devastator real legs. The crew says fans needed it in 1984 or 1985, not now. One host notes it costs $30, the price of six Easter basket Devastators, and the new head looks worse than the original. Another jokes that Takara will reissue Devastator and the kit makers will corner the market. [Source: not found]
TFCC Announces Dion as the 2010 Membership Figure
The Transformers Collectors Club named Dion as its 2010 membership figure, packed with a Micromaster helicopter. Rob is excited, since his custom Orion Pax now gets a partner. Another host calls the color scheme horrible and doesn’t want to pay for it. The crew notes a Dion toy already exists. Brian jokes he wanted the Hot Shot mold done as Nightbeat, or as Minerva from the RTM1 dub. [Source: Transformers Collectors Club]
This Day in Transformers History
JD marks the 1985 anniversary of The Key to Vector Sigma. The two-parter introduced the Scramble City combiners Menasor and Superion, just in time for Christmas shopping. JD says the Key to Vector Sigma became long-standing lore, carrying into Beast Machines and the live-action film. Exvee adds that it gave the cartoon its method of creating new Transformers.
Interview: Nevermore
Brian, Exvee and JD talk with Nevermore, a German fan known from the AllSpark and TF Archive. At an unofficial Revenge of the Fallen party with about 30 people, a Hasbro employee brought movie toys for a raffle. Nevermore won movie tickets and traded one to the Hasbro employee for a promised Leader Optimus Prime. Months later, a Supreme Class Devastator arrived instead. He says he spent about 10 euros and got 250 to 300 euros of stuff. Nevermore says the German dub didn’t fix the film’s problems, and German critics disliked its military glorification. He explains how Transformers reached Germany through Milton Bradley, with the cartoon aired out of order from 1989. He also writes much of the German Wikipedia coverage and tracks European toy releases such as Overlord.
Garry Chalk Interview Preview
The crew previews part one of its Garry Chalk interview, airing next week. Chalk tells how he surprised a boy wearing an Optimus Prime voice-changer helmet at a park. He also talks about the human values at the heart of Beast Wars. Brian says much of the material was new to him and well worth hearing.
News From Cybertron
Turin reports that Autobots across Cybertron are celebrating Thanksgiving, a holiday they learned on Earth. Minibots get relegated to the kids’ table, and Energon crystal carving has become an art contest. The Decepticons now invite humans to their own feasts, and most humans have declined.
What We’re Thankful For as Transformers Fans
One host, likely Turin, is thankful the lousy shows let him save money when he couldn’t afford toys anyway, and that the franchise offers something for everyone. JD is glad to be part of a fandom that is big again, with huge toy aisles. John DeLuna is thankful for his fellow fans, calling BotCon pleasant and friendly. Rob is thankful for the friends he has made through the hobby. Exvee is thankful for the closer relationship between Hasbro and the fandom. Brian echoes Rob on lifelong friendships and is thankful for consistently good toys since Beast Wars and for the returning listeners.
Twitter Theater: Garbage In, Garbage Out
This week’s Twitter Theater episode is the Transformers Animated story Garbage In, Garbage Out. One host calls it a fair episode, with Weird Al Yankovic voicing an erratic Junkion. The crew notes Weird Al’s song played in the Junkions’ first appearance. JD recalls a raucous crowd when Hasbro screened it at BotCon 2008, and calls it a throw to the fans.
Next Week on RFC
Next week brings part one of the Garry Chalk interview, about 30 minutes, plus fan fiction. Stump Monzo also returns, so send questions on Twitter or by email.
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.