Transformers Prime gets its first full reaction from the Radio Free Cybertron crew, who like it more on a second viewing. This December 1, 2010 episode also covers ratings for Prime’s Black Friday premiere and its regular run starting in February. The crew debates whether the Classics toys are outdated next to the new Generations figures. They also run down RFC’s big year-end giveaway of toys and Titan comics.
Generations Jazz
Exvee shows off Generations Jazz, which he transformed during the intro. He calls the mold everything the Universe Prowl mold is not, and wants Prowl, Bluestreak and Smokescreen on it. Kmart has been the place to find the figures, some ringing up at $7.99.
News
More Photos of Generations Laser Optimus Prime
More preview photos surfaced of the Generations Laser Optimus Prime. Brian likes it, though the shoulders look funky. He loves the Matrix molded behind the chest windows and the spot to store the sword. The crew notes Laser Prime never appeared in US fiction, only in Japanese story pages. [Source: not found]
Transformers Prime Begins Regular Run in February
Transformers Prime begins airing regularly in February. A chatter says the first season is 26 episodes. Aimee isn’t happy about a month-and-a-half wait after five episodes. Brian points out fans once waited months between the Beast Wars two-parter and the series. [Source: not found]
Optimus Prime Ice Sculpture
An Optimus Prime ice sculpture is making the rounds, prompting plenty of jokes. Brian prefers it to the BotCon statue you could bump your head on. [Source: not found]
Big Bad Toy Store Exclusive Hardhead Kit
Brian says he has relaxed on the third-party accessory market. He likes the Big Bad Toy Store exclusive Hardhead kit, now with a comic-style face and reversed weapon colors. [Source: not found]
Transformers 3 Trailer and Bootleg Building Blocks
A Transformers 3 trailer will run with Narnia and Tron. The crew also spots bootleg building-block Transformers, which one host says look better than Takara’s official block sets. [Source: not found]
Kotobukiya Model Kits
Bweebum points to new Kotobukiya model kits of God Ginrai, God Bomber and Starscream, about Legends to Scout size. Brian bought some from Captured Prey at BotCon and was very pleased. [Source: not found]
Transformers Happy Meal Toys Return
McDonald’s Transformers Happy Meal toys are back, though with no coupons this round. They don’t transform, but they are scout-sized and shoot missiles. Brian likes them more than the last batch. Rob says Optimus Prime’s flashlight doesn’t work. [Source: not found]
Transformers Prime Ratings
One host reports Hub ratings for the Black Friday premiere of Transformers Prime. Kids 2 to 11 rose 219 percent, kids 6 to 11 rose 140 percent and adults 18 to 49 jumped 507 percent over the prior four weeks. He notes the raw numbers are still small, under 100,000 in each group, on a young digital channel. [Source: not found]
Comics
Aimee says Transformers: Sector 7 focuses more on humans than Transformers, but the story is fine. The Ironhide trade paperback is out, and Rob recommends reading only the first three issues.
Old Fan Zines
Rob shows old fan zines on camera, including art by Zobovor, a Transcon 97 ad and a mail-out newsletter from the founder of Cybertron.
This Week in History
JD notes that War Within: The Age of Wrath #3 came out this week in 2004.
RFC Year-End Giveaway
Brian runs down RFC’s year-end giveaway. Prizes include Generations Blur and Darkmount, Titan comics including Showdown, All Fall Down, Last Stand, Second Generation, Target 2006 and Earthforce, and an E&I Fanboy vs. Klogg T-shirt. Enter by following RFC on Twitter, Facebook, Ustream or YouTube. The winners will be picked on the December 29 show. JD also plugs Fanboy Versus, now affiliated with Comic News International.
Transformers Prime First Impressions
Aimee likes the show, and her kids have watched it three times. Brian liked it a lot better on a second viewing, and the crew loves Zombie Cliffjumper. Exvee reads a chatter calling it a darker Beast Wars. The crew thinks fans have received it warmly despite its close ties to the movies.
JD is less sold. He misses Bumblebee’s voice and finds most characters flat, apart from Jeffrey Combs’s Ratchet. He also says Garry Chalk is a better actor than Peter Cullen, and the others agree. The crew finds the human kids annoying and Miko’s accent hard to place. The robots look good, but the human scenes look sparse. They’ll go into spoilers next week.
Topic: Are the Classics Toys Outdated?
The crew asks whether 2006’s Classics toys are outdated next to Generations figures like Blur and Drift, with four points of articulation in a leg. They call the Seeker mold a throwback and praise Mirage as the best of Classics. Bumblebee, the Voyager Optimus Prime and the Megatron gun also hold up.
Brian thinks designing molds for two characters, like Tracks and Wheeljack, pushes innovation. Universe 2.0 gets mixed marks, from a great Cyclonus and Hound to a disappointing Galvatron. Brian calls Universe Onslaught one of his favorite toys. One host credits the more detailed sculpts on Generations figures like Kup. Another notes Hasbro still plays it safe on most designs.
Twitter Theater
Rob’s pick is a Korean animated movie known only as Transformers vs. Tanks, with bootleg Transformers fighting army troops and Reflector being badass. He asks listeners who know its real name to write in.
Black Friday
Rob braved a Toys R Us at 8 a.m. on Black Friday for the War for Cybertron DS game at $10. He also got Animated Rodimus for $4.
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.