BotCon 2011 is over, and the Radio Free Cybertron crew recaps a show that was fun socially but light on news. This June 8, 2011 episode covers Michael Bay’s awkward Hall of Fame induction, the strong exclusive set and early Transformers Prime toy concepts. News includes Kre-O at Toys R Us, Dark of the Moon Walmart exclusives and Reveal the Shield figures turning up at Ross and Marshalls. John DeLuna also talks with Crave at BotCon.
News
Dark of the Moon Walmart Exclusive Deluxes Out
The Dark of the Moon Walmart exclusive deluxes are out, including Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and a rally-deco Sideswipe. One host says the Sideswipe looks excellent. [Source: not found]
Kre-O Hits Toys R Us
Kre-O building sets have been spotted at Toys R Us in New York. The crew says they’re better than Built to Rule. The minifigures, called Kreons, are the highlight, and the crew hopes they get sold in blind packs. [Source: not found]
Delta Star Does the Getaway Repro Labels
Delta Star is making a repro label set for Getaway, to JD’s delight. [Source: not found]
Reveal the Shield Figures at Ross and Marshalls
Reveal the Shield figures otherwise unavailable in stores are turning up at Ross and Marshalls, including Lugnut, Grapple, Windcharger and the Legends. One host says he predicted it, since Hasbro didn’t make all those cases to not sell them. Walgreens has Transformers buy one, get one half off, and another host found Universe 2.0 figures at Rite Aid. [Source: not found]
Too Many Bumblebees
One host overheard a boy at Walmart complain that there are too many Bumblebees. The crew begs Hasbro to listen.
Comics
Aimee says Transformers ongoing #20 is a road trip issue with Rodimus, Wheelie, Ironhide and Sunstreaker heading to Earth. The Dark of the Moon movie adaptation is being released weekly as single issues, each with a prose story by John Barber not in the trade. Andy Schmidt has left IDW, and his replacement should be named soon. She calls Peter David’s Revenge of the Fallen novelization well written.
JD’s Haul
JD picked up Dark of the Moon Tanker Megatron, Thundercracker, Topspin and Laserbeak during a Toys R Us buy one, get one half off sale. He says the figures take 30 minutes to transform the first time and five after that. Bweebum shows off a Kreon minifigure with extra articulation.
This Week in History
JD notes Revenge of the Fallen had its world premiere in Tokyo on June 8, 2009.
Crave Corner
John DeLuna interviews Cole and Erin from Crave at BotCon 2011. Crave gave away a thousand T-shirts and raffled a BotCon box set, Masterpiece Convoy and Battle Ops Bumblebee. They describe crave.com/transformers as a fan-friendly alternative to eBay, with a catalog of over 4,000 Transformers and over 65,000 users.
BotCon 2011 Recap
Aimee had a blast but wishes the Hall of Fame showed the whole Dark of the Moon footage instead of 16 minutes, for $45. John, who has been to ten BotCons, calls it the most uneventful FunPub show since their first. He says the lines were the worst he can remember, after the best lines ever last year. The exclusives were a hit, and Brian only cared about Action Master Thundercracker.
John calls Michael Bay’s Hall of Fame speech insulting to fans, from saying the movie pitch sounded dumb to mocking the plastic award. Aimee plays devil’s advocate, saying Bay may not realize how he comes across. Hasbro explained the lack of female Transformers by saying only one of the 13 original Transformers was female.
The crew calls the $60 Unicron from Amazon impressive in person, and says the San Diego Comic-Con Optimus Prime looks huge but fun. On the exclusives, they like Iron Fist and say the Stunticons look better in person, with Toxitron the standout. They call the set strong with no real stinker, though Shattered Glass Galvatron feels thrown in.
The script readings were good, and the Transformers Prime cast records together, which the crew says shows. Hasbro showed early 2012 Prime toy concepts, including Zombie Cliffjumper, and Hasbro will bring non-movie exclusives to New York Comic Con for the first time. Bweebum says TFormers.com interviewed Jeff Kline and other Prime producers, plus Jagex about the Transformers Universe game. The cosplay was the best the crew has seen.
Twitter Theater
Rob picks the Boogie Nights scene where Mark Wahlberg sings “You’ve Got the Touch.” He says Hasbro and Stan Bush sued over the song’s use.
Closing
The Captured Prey $75 gift card contest runs through June 15, and the winner will be picked next week. Rob recommends the G1 Awakening iPhone game for 99 cents.
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.