Transformers Prime’s voice cast is out, with Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Jeffrey Combs, Steve Blum and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Cliffjumper. JD hosts this live September 8, 2010 Radio Free Cybertron, with Brian Kilby joining late. The crew also covers Transformers 3 production rumors, the Grimstone Power Core Combiner set and a Shadow Scythe upgrade kit. The show adds a Generations Darkmount review, Chris McFeely’s first TFWiki Spotlight and a discussion of how Beast Wars changed Transformers.
News
Transformers Prime Voice Cast Announced
The main Transformers Prime cast is out. Peter Cullen returns as Optimus Prime, with Sumalee Montano as Arcee, Kevin Michael Richardson as Bulkhead and Jeffrey Combs as Ratchet. The surprise is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Cliffjumper. Frank Welker voices Megatron, Adam Baldwin plays Breakdown, Daran Norris plays Knock Out and Steve Blum plays Starscream. Bumblebee and Soundwave were not named. Josh Keaton voices Jack, Tania Gunadi is Miko, Andy Pessoa is Raf, Markie Post is June Darby and Ernie Hudson is Agent Fowler. The crew isn’t turned off by the Hollywood cast and credits Hasbro’s investment in the Hub. The series premieres in the Hub’s 3 to 6 p.m. block, but no toy plans were announced. [Source: not found]
Transformers 3 Wrapping in Six Weeks, Says Don Murphy
Don Murphy says Transformers 3 principal photography wraps in six weeks. The crew doubts he is close to the production anymore, and notes Michael Bay planned overseas shoots in Africa, China and Moscow. They also question a reported $400 million budget, given Bay’s history of making the films cost-effectively. [Source: not found]
War for Cybertron DLC Adds Zeta Prime and Dead End
A War for Cybertron map and character pack is out on Xbox Live and PlayStation 3, adding Zeta Prime and Dead End. [Source: not found]
Grimstone Power Core Combiner Pictures
Pictures surfaced of Grimstone, a new Power Core Combiner set with dinosaur drones. JD says it looks awesome, and the crew calls it the closest thing to a true Dinoking. [Source: not found]
Shadow Scythe Upgrade Kit Announced Before Its Original
A third-party Shadow Scythe kit, a black repaint of the upcoming Classics Rodimus upgrade kit with trailer and scythe, was announced before the original kit is even up for pre-order. Only 400 will be made, at about $96. JD finds it strange to release the repaint first. [Source: not found]
Cyber Missions #10
In Cyber Missions #10, Ratchet tows energon cubes in a wagon behind his truck mode while Sideswipe escorts him. Starscream and Mindwipe attack, and Sideswipe breaks Mindwipe’s hypnosis by turning on his radio and playing air guitar. One host suggests each Cyber Missions episode become a special Twitter Theater.
Contests
RFC is giving away a Transformers Animated Rodimus Minor to listeners who subscribe to the TF Radio Network YouTube channel at tfvideo.net. TFormers is also giving away a War for Cybertron Bumblebee signed by Aaron Archer and a poster signed by High Moon Studios. To enter, fans name their favorite quote, the character who said it and the series or movie, before Sunday.
This Week in Transformers History
Robots in Disguise premiered in America with Battle Protocol in 2001. The crew remembers watching the Japanese Car Robots in tiny RealVideo files and buying the Japanese toys because they never expected a U.S. release. One host says Deathy correctly predicted it would come here. Jeffrey Combs was born in 1954, and Rob calls him a fantastic actor.
TFWiki Spotlight with Chris McFeely
In the first TFWiki Spotlight, Chris McFeely highlights the newly featured G1 Hot Rod article, which covers Rodimus Prime too. It spans the third season of the cartoon, Headmasters, Kiss Players, manga, Marvel and UK comics, IDW, video games, design trivia and voices. The toys are split onto their own page, from his major figures up to the coming Masterpiece Rodimus. McFeely wrote the Kiss Players section himself.
Review: Generations Darkmount
A figurereviews.com review calls Generations Darkmount, the Straxus homage, a must-buy. The half-track vehicle mode is a solid platform for its rotating, elevating cannon, and the packaging skips a third battle station mode. In robot mode, a sideways double-hinged elbow lets the hands meet at the chest. The posable fingers also accept 5mm pegs. The ankles act more like swivels than true ball joints, and the missile launcher’s thin socket shows stress marks. Darkmount comes with three clip-on weapons and a two-piece axe, and his mouthless head is a scaled-back Straxus.
Topic: What Did Beast Wars Do for Transformers?
Exvee’s topic asks what Beast Wars did for Transformers. The crew says it proved a Transformers cartoon could be good fiction, especially in seasons two and three. It established sparks and stasis lock as core mythos. For the toys, it set clear size classes and price points, added weapons that stored in alternate mode and pushed more inventive transformations and articulation. The toys matched the show better than G1, though season one Cheetor’s hanging legs still surprised buyers. It also brought regular female characters and toys, like Blackarachnia and Airazor.
The small CGI cast helped the fiction, though one host notes figures like Sonar sat on clearance without screen time. JD calls Beast Wars’ biggest effect its impact on the fandom, bringing lapsed fans back just as the internet took off. The crew says there is a clear line between pre- and post-Beast Wars Transformers, and many of its ideas are now in every continuity.
Twitter Theater: Beast Machines Commercials
Rob picked a Beast Machines commercial for Ultra Jetstorm and Nightscream, in which two kids battle with the toys over extra-large fries. The crew laughs at the fast-motion transformations and Nightscream’s missile dropping straight down. They say the commercials show how confusing Beast Machines was for kids, since the toys didn’t match the show.
TF Radio Network News
JD and Brian are launching Get the Skinny, a weight-loss show recorded after Fanboy Versus on Sundays. Weebum asks listeners to submit questions for TFormers’ Burning Question to Hasbro by Sunday.
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.