BotCon 2010 brought a stacked Generations reveal, from Scourge and Thunderwing to Skullgrin, Trailcutter and Reflector, plus Legends Optimus Prime and Megatron. This June 30, 2010 Radio Free Cybertron recaps the convention, including Dinobot’s surprise Hall of Fame win and Bob Budiansky’s panel. The Collectors’ Club announced Transtech Cheetor and G2 Ramjet, and Big Bad Toy Store landed an exclusive Seacons set. Interviews include Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster on AllSpark Almanac II and Crazy Steve’s talk with Jose Delbo.
News
BotCon 2011 Set for Pasadena
The dates and location for next year’s BotCon were revealed at the show: June 2 through 5, 2011, again in Pasadena, California. Brian has his wife Kim’s permission to go and may take a train, as Rob suggested. [Source: BotCon]
Seacons Set Is a Big Bad Toy Store Exclusive
The Seacons set is a Big Bad Toy Store exclusive at about $60, with an airmailed early shipment at $75 in July and the main run in August. Brian was surprised it wasn’t a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive. One host says BBTS made a considerable investment to grow its position with retailers. Brian urges listeners to support it. [Source: TFW2005]
Power Core Combiners, Generations and War for Cybertron Toys Hit Stores
Power Core Combiners and Generations are now out, and fans at BotCon found War for Cybertron Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Drift. One host calls the War for Cybertron figures flaming crap, citing a Twitter comparison of Bumblebee to an Alternator. The crew still thinks the Drift toy looks good, and the mold returns as Blur. [Source: not found]
Collectors’ Club Reveals Transtech Cheetor, G2 Ramjet and Sideburn
The Transformers Collectors’ Club panel confirmed a Transtech Cheetor from the Animated Blur mold. G2 Ramjet will be the other club exclusive, and next year’s free membership figure will be Sideburn on the Classics Rodimus mold. Two of the hosts plan to join the club this year. [Source: Transformers Collectors’ Club]
Interview: Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster on AllSpark Almanac II
Rob talks with Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster at BotCon about AllSpark Almanac II, out June 30. They condensed the first volume’s approach into about 150 pages, then added about 70 more on how the cartoon and toy line were made. They say the first volume earned 29 five-star reviews on Amazon. A complete edition would be up to IDW. Sorenson and Forster will sign with Derrick Wyatt and Marty Isenberg at Emerald Knights Comics in Burbank on July 3 at 1 p.m.
Hasbro Design Panels
The Hasbro design panels were the big draw. Rob was struck by the G1 Legends Optimus Prime and Megatron, which looked Deluxe-sized in photos. John’s highlight was Generations Scourge, a flying-wing update that still looks like Scourge. The crew also praised Trailcutter, Inferno with a working Grapple mode and Skullgrin on the Darkmount mold. Other reveals include Perceptor with a possible Reflector repaint, Jazz, Thunderwing, Fallback, Lugnut, Highbrow, Cliffjumper and a Scout Windcharger. The crew says Generations now looks as strong as Classics did at launch. Hasbro also showed art of several of the original 13 Primes, including Alpha Trion, Prima, Vector Prime and Megatronus, who becomes the Fallen.
Transformers Prime Panel
The Transformers Prime panel was the most disappointing, with a video of Peter Cullen and Frank Welker reuniting and concept art of Optimus, Megatron and Bumblebee. Cliffjumper will be his own character, not just a Bumblebee repaint. No premiere date was given beyond fall. The crew expected at least a short clip.
BotCon Interviews and Sights
Rob talks with Pete Sinclair about the G2 exclusive set, which Sinclair credits to Rick Alvarez, Ben Yee and Carl Hartman, with help from Trent Troop and Greg Sepelak. Rob also meets Tony Coates, who drove a custom Motormaster semi built in hopes of reaching Transformers 3. He also visits the fan video panel and its volunteers.
Bob Budiansky Panel
Brian calls Bob Budiansky’s panel his favorite. Budiansky showed handwritten character notes and confirmed Ratchet was first meant to be female, with the backup names Cool Hand Lube and Grease Finger. He said he was the fifth choice for editor, took over writing with issue #5 and later suggested Simon Furman take over the book. He admitted his late stories weren’t all great, and he told the crowd they were nerds, to applause.
IDW and Collectors’ Club Panels
Ender says the IDW panel was about a quarter full and short on news. IDW announced a Sector 7 series told through the Simmons family, and Casey Coller said he is stepping back from interior art. The Collectors’ Club panel explained that the G2 set grew from the desire to make G2 Ramjet and Action Master Thundercracker. The crew backs a petition for an Action Master Thundercracker set.
Interview: Jose Delbo
Crazy Steve of Roboplastic Apocalypse interviews Jose Delbo, penciler on Marvel’s G1 Transformers comic from about 1987 to 1990, at Florida Supercon 2010. Delbo called Transformers a challenge after years of drawing humans, especially issue #50’s crowd of robots under strict licensing checks. He drew from Hasbro model sheets and toys and praised inkers Danny Bulanadi and Dave Hunt. He shows robot emotion with simple eyebrow and mouth lines plus body language. He did pencils and inks for issue #58’s red Optimus Prime face cover, which Marvel almost rejected as too scary. He still keeps in touch with Bob Budiansky twice a year and runs a Cartoon Camp for kids in Boca Raton.
Hall of Fame
Rick Alvarez directed the Hall of Fame tribute videos, set to songs like The Final Countdown for Shockwave and Welcome to the Jungle for Dinobot. Grimlock’s video added fire breath and Godzilla sound effects, and Soundwave’s edited his moves into a dance. Brian expected Soundwave to win the fan vote, but Dinobot won. Aaron Archer said the next day that Dinobot’s win might justify more Beast Wars.
Sales Floor and Exclusives
The crew saw more G1 on the floor than in years, including a complete loose Roadbuster for $180. One dealer sold the Chevy Aveo Swerve for $50, and Activision had the biggest booth for War for Cybertron. Animated Blackout sold fast once fans heard Hasbro may never release it, with one vendor moving 150. Big Bad Toy Store skipped the dealer room this year. Chris Triplett is happy with his Power Core Combiners, especially Smolder and Chopster. The crew calls the G2 exclusive set one of the best ever, praising Breakdown and Rapido despite light plastic on Streetstar.
Ender Signs Off for Now
Ender is stepping away with his third child due soon. He found a stack of new toys, including Power Core Combiners sets, Leader Starscream, Generations Thrust and Seaspray. He leaves the Hasbro panels depressed that Hasbro seems to be locking in the War for Cybertron origin and the movie-style universe for years. The crew recalls the BotCon sushi bar karaoke, with Stan Bush and Greg Lombardo singing Hotel California and the dork table singing Rainbow Connection.
Roaming BotCon
Rob’s roving recordings cover a Hot Wheels convention next door, Suspy’s shopping list and custom Motormaster, Cliffjumper and Ironhide vehicles outside the Dolphin. He also catches the two-hour line for the dealer room, which a volunteer says you can skip by arriving 15 minutes after opening.
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.