Hasbro confirms its own Masterpiece Rodimus Prime at about a third of the Takara price. With BotCon 2011 days away, the crew covers the split Hall of Fame dinner and ceremony, Shattered Glass attendee toys and the Animated Minerva customizing class. Steve Blum joins the Transformers Prime script reading, and new Prime episode titles hint at Cliffjumper’s return. Chris McFeely’s TFWiki Spotlight covers the Cybertron cartoon, and RFC launches a BotCon contest with Captured Prey.
News
Hasbro Confirms Masterpiece Rodimus Prime
Hasbro will release its own Masterpiece Rodimus Prime with an official picture. It comes without the trailer’s rear section and with a renamed Firebolt figure, which Rob suggests is because Firebolt is a Harry Potter broom. The crew notes it costs about a third of what they paid for the Takara version. They joke it is perfect for anyone whose Takara Rodimus broke but whose trailer survived. [Source: not found]
Club Exclusive T-AI and Ramjet to Ship After BotCon
The Transformers Collectors Club exclusive T-AI and Ramjet will ship after BotCon, since T-AI didn’t sell out in presales. Brian wishes he had bought it, and one host would prefer T-AI with a different head. [Source: Transformers Collectors Club]
SDCC Exclusive Matrix of Leadership Optimus Prime
The San Diego Comic-Con exclusive is a Transformers Prime Optimus Prime in silver paint and Matrix of Leadership packaging, ahead of the toy’s December launch. The crew thinks it misses the Comic-Con crowd, who know G1 best, and jokes about an “AM radio robot” Soundwave reissue. [Source: not found]
Hasbro Splits the Hall of Fame Dinner and Ceremony
Hasbro has taken over the Transformers Hall of Fame. This year the dinner is Friday night and the ceremony Saturday night, with $405 tickets sold separately. The crew figures Hasbro wants a polished, filmed event in a movie year, without sloppy fanboys in the front row. [Source: not found]
Transformers Prime Episode Titles Revealed
New Transformers Prime titles include “Metal Attraction,” “Rock Bottom” on July 16 and “Partners” on July 23. The crew guesses “Rock Bottom” brings back Cliffjumper. [Source: not found]
Transformers Vault Shows an Alternate Universe Unicron Deco
The Transformers Vault book shows an alternate deco of the 2010 Takara Unicron remold, captioned as a 25th anniversary release. Fans speculate it could be a Hasbro version. Brian wanted the toy but not at $150. [Source: not found]
Steve Blum Joins the Transformers Prime Script Reading at BotCon
Steve Blum will attend the Transformers Prime script reading at BotCon. After BotCon, a local theater screens Transformers: The Movie with Gregg Berger. The crew sees the extra events as a good draw for casual fans in the area. [Source: not found]
BotCon Customizing Class and Attendee Toys Revealed
BotCon’s Twitter feed reveals the customizing class toy, Transformers Animated Minerva. Attendee toys include Shattered Glass Galvatron and Thundercracker, likely Cybertron molds. The crew is glad they aren’t Universe 2.0 repaints. [Source: BotCon]
iGear GP-05 Ironhide and Ratchet Announced
iGear’s next figures are Ironhide and Ratchet homages, 7 inches tall at about $100 each. The crew says they look great but can’t justify $100 for an unlicensed toy that won’t fit a Classics display. [Source: not found]
KFC Offers Non-Transforming Dark of the Moon Toys
KFC will offer non-transforming Dark of the Moon toys. The crew wonders whether the deal is U.S.-only, since earlier KFC movie toys were not. [Source: not found]
Dark of the Moon Video Game Preview
TFormers.com has a hands-on preview of the Xbox 360 and PS3 Dark of the Moon game. One host says it plays as expected after War for Cybertron, while the Nintendo versions are driving-only. [Source: TFormers]
BotCon Hygiene Advisory
BotCon advises attendees to use soap and deodorant. Rob says it is better than the early 2000s, though Kristen thinks the crew is numb to it.
This Week in History
JD notes that on June 1, 2009, Chevy began taking preorders for Bumblebee edition Camaros, the same day GM filed for bankruptcy. The crew trades tips for adding Autobot symbols to your own car.
TFWiki Spotlight: Transformers Cybertron
Chris McFeely spotlights the Transformers Cybertron cartoon article, especially its episode guide. Every page chronicles the differences between Galaxy Force and Cybertron. He says readers may be surprised how few plot changes there actually are.
BotCon Coverage Plans and Contest
RFC will cover BotCon live with TFormers.com: a Friday recap around 8 p.m. Eastern, live coverage Saturday from 5 p.m. Eastern and a Sunday recap. Follow @TFRadio and tweet with the BotCon hashtag to enter to win a $75 Captured Prey gift card. The deadline is mid-June.
Twitter Theater
Rob shares the Diaclone commercial for the triple changer that became Blitzwing, which e-Hobby’s Overcharge homages. The crew is surprised it cost 1,800 yen in 1983. Rob explains the off-color joke behind Alpha Quintesson’s “Alpha Q” name. A chat member shares wishbookweb.com, an archive of old Sears and JCPenney catalogs.
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.