The final Masterpiece Convoy’s display base hints that TakaraTomy’s next Masterpiece is yet another Convoy. Hall of Fame nominations open, and the BotCon 2011 boxed sets sell out in five days. Rescue Bots is coming to The Hub, and Dark of the Moon Leader Ironhide and Hatchet are revealed. Brian falls for the Reveal the Shield Legends on air. The topic asks which characters have been “ruined forever,” from IDW’s Jazz to Beast Machines Rhinox.
News
Reveal the Shield: Trailcutter and Megatron
Reveal the Shield packaging confirms that Trailcutter is an Autobot and the orange-capped gun Megatron is a Decepticon. The crew jokes that Megatron now turns into a toy gun rather than a real one. [Source: not found]
Hall of Fame Nominations Open
Hall of Fame nominations are open until April 6, and fans can nominate through TFormers on Facebook, in article comments or on the forums. Ideas floated include Blot and Sky-Byte. The crew wonders whether this year’s winner will reveal how much the fan vote counts. Last year’s online ballot let voters pick every candidate. [Source: not found]
Dark of the Moon: Stealth Force Edition
The Wii and DS versions of the Dark of the Moon game will be called Stealth Force Edition. They sound like Transformers meets Twisted Metal. It’s due June 14. The crew likes that it sets itself apart from the console versions and pitches a Transformers kart racer. [Source: not found]
BotCon 2011 Sets Sell Out in Five Days
BotCon’s boxed, loose and non-attendee sets sold out in just five days, much faster than last year. A few are held back for registration errors. The crew guesses the Animated theme and the movie year drove demand. Rob suspects a few sets will “miraculously” appear for sale at the show, as in past years. [Source: not found]
The Next Masterpiece Is… Another Convoy
Exvee spotted that the base of the final Masterpiece Convoy hints the next Masterpiece will be another Convoy. The crew sighs that TakaraTomy will always make another Optimus Prime. Hopes range from Big Convoy to God Ginrai, and Rob jokes about a Pepsi Prime Masterpiece. [Source: not found]
Rescue Bots Coming to The Hub
A Rescue Bots series is coming to The Hub for the 2011–2012 season. The crew is excited but notes it may come at the expense of G.I. Joe: Renegades. Rob jokes about three Transformers shows on one channel. [Source: not found]
Dark of the Moon Hatchet and Leader Ironhide
Pictures show Decepticon Hatchet, a jet with a griffin-like robot mode that the crew calls very Robots in Disguise. Leader Ironhide also looks amazing, with a great vehicle mode and a big knife. A chatter says his face resembles Beast Wars Silverbolt. Rob notes nobody has made a bad movie Ironhide toy yet. Transformers.com also posted a 3D image of Ratchet for the anaglyph glasses. [Source: not found]
Michael Bay on 3D Overload
USA Today quotes Michael Bay saying the industry is overusing 3D and wearing out its welcome. The crew agrees and debates when 3D actually helps a movie. [Source: not found]
Third-Party Kits and Japanese Oddities
A third-party kit gives Beast Machines Cheetor swords this summer. TakaraTomy’s 1:35 Dual Model Bumblebee and Optimus Prime are pricey, poseable kits with metal frames. They don’t truly transform. Photos of the fan-made Sonicron, a microcassette recorder robot, don’t impress. The rally-deco Sideswipe limited to 1,000 pieces now looks like a Japanese exclusive, possibly a magazine or purchase premium. [Source: not found]
From the Chat
Peter, filling in for John DeLuna on chat duty, reports a debate over Ravage. Several fans thought he was a dog as kids. Rob says his name in one country translates simply as “Dog.”
Comic News
Aimee covers Rising Storm #2, which the crew enjoyed. It shows where Shockwave came from and follows a brain unit that becomes sentient and defects. One host laughs at Wheelie calling Sam “Sammy.” The movie adaptation trade paperback will arrive before the film, which the crew credits to mass retail placement.
This Week in History
JD Church notes that the Beast Wars Metals remix episode “I Lost My Banana” premiered in Japan on March 29, 2000. It builds on Beast Convoy’s love of bananas. It’s also Rob’s birthday.
Topic: Characters Ruined Forever
Since the Hall of Fame treats every version of a character as one, the crew asks which versions ruin a character. Exvee says every non-Beast Wars Megatron diminishes Beast Wars Megatron. One host prefers Frank Welker’s unhinged season three Galvatron to Leonard Nimoy’s more generic movie version. Another says Jazz is dead to him after Ongoing #17, and IDW’s Spike gets a mention. The crew calls Beast Machines Rhinox beyond saving and mourns Waspinator’s lost happy ending. One host argues no character is ruined forever, and another jokes that Drift ruined Drift.
Twitter Theater
Rob closes with a fan-made music video professing romantic love for Optimus Prime, which the crew calls the most uncomfortable Twitter Theater yet.
What We Got This Week
Brian transforms his new Reveal the Shield Legends during the show. He found Starscream’s transformation surprisingly involved. He calls Optimus Prime fantastic and the line the next evolution of Spy Changers. Trailcutter and Prowl are waiting until after the show.
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.