BotCon 2010’s Rapido gets a brand-new head, and the Radio Free Cybertron crew calls it pure love. This June 2, 2010 episode also covers photos of what look like new Seacons and Takara’s 2010 Unicron reissue in its Transformers: The Movie look. With BotCon weeks away, the crew shares tips on budgets, food, rooms, panels and convention manners. Brian Kilby considers the Primus package for the first time because the G2 set is so good.
RFC Notes
Brian, JD Church, John DeLuna and Rob Springer open the show, and Ender and Exvee call in later. Brian just bought a new car, turned 31 this week and is scrambling to afford the Primus package at BotCon. He says he has never wanted to go Primus before, but the G2 set is too good.
News
New Seacons Spotted
Photos surfaced of what look like new Seacons, though nothing is confirmed for sale. The crew loves the colors but notes the 24-year-old molds look their age. One host hears the club version was loose, and hopes any wide release tightens up the molds. [Source: not found]
BotCon 2010 Rapido Gets a New Head
The biggest news is BotCon’s Rapido, built on the Classics Prowl mold with a newly sculpted head. One host expected a silver repaint of Prowl’s head, like a recent Hooper X custom. Ender says Rapido is “almost a game changer” for him on the set. [Source: not found]
Takara’s 2010 Unicron Reissue
Takara’s 2010 Unicron has a new head and a new paint job in his Transformers: The Movie look. The crew loves the glowing red eyes, but balks at a price around $120 to $200 for what was a $60 toy. One host wishes it came with a remolded Unicron head like the one packed with Primus. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Grimlock and Alternity Skywarp
The crew notes Masterpiece Grimlock in its box looks sweet. Alternity Skywarp draws a shrug, with one host calling the line “Alternators only smaller and crappier” at $60 a deluxe. [Source: not found]
The Dead Zone at Retail
With no new Transformers on shelves, the crew is picking up older figures on sale, like a $14 Voyager Megatron. One host calls this a great time to catch up on toys you passed on.
Big Bad Toy Store
Brian notes Big Bad Toy Store has the vibrant red Alternity Convoy reissue up for pre-order at $49.99, plus the blue Thundercracker.
BotCon Survival Guide
Rob calls BotCon “the one thing a year” he does, and saves up for it all year. Brian always goes cheap and packs his own food. The crew trades tips on sharing rooms, sleeping on floors and finding cheap hotels near pricey resort venues. They recall past venues from the 1997 elevator with a box fan to the hard-to-reach Durham show.
On money, the crew suggests about $200 for the dealer room, kept separate from exclusive toys. A first-timer shouldn’t need more than $500 cash for food and toys. The dealer room is best for odd finds, like the unidentified Star Saber one host found in a bin. Bring a debit card, and use an ATM outside the hotel because the hotel’s runs dry.
The panels are “a hundred percent of the reason to go,” along with seeing friends. Plan an itinerary so you don’t miss panels. Bring a bag, a camera and spare batteries. Wear shirts and shorts that fit, and bring deodorant.
On panel manners, don’t throw a tantrum over G1 questions, and ask the right people the right questions. Don’t ask voice actors how to get into voice acting or why Walmart didn’t get a toy. One host tells the story of his “dead man’s Starscream,” bought cheap on a Sunday from a widow selling her late husband’s collection.
IDW’s Drift
One host admits he still doesn’t see the reason for IDW’s Drift but will enjoy the Spotlight if it’s a good Transformers story.
War for Cybertron Soundwave
New photos of the War for Cybertron Soundwave toy are up at TFormers.com. The crew calls it “Classics-tastic.”
Closing
Radio Free Cybertron streams live Wednesdays around 8 p.m. Eastern at tfradio.net/live. One host recommends IDW’s Ironhide series.
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.