Takara is releasing a black repaint of Masterpiece Rodimus, and Hasbro’s Masterpiece Rodimus debuts at San Diego Comic-Con before Toys R Us. On this July 6, 2011 Radio Free Cybertron, the crew also notes Dark of the Moon set a record as the top-grossing July 4th weekend movie. The topic of the week, with spoilers, asks whether Dark of the Moon’s Optimus Prime is a jerk. Exvee reviews the Target exclusive Space Case and finds serious quality control problems.
News
Black Masterpiece Rodimus Repaint
Takara is releasing a black repaint of Masterpiece Rodimus for almost $300. One host, whose own copy had a broken leg panel out of the box, hopes it uses the corrected run due in October. Exvee says the colors feel like late G1, around 1988, near the Headmasters and Targetmasters era. One host would like to see the scheme on the Legends Rodimus instead of its off-gold. [Source: not found]
Hasbro Masterpiece Rodimus Launches at San Diego Comic-Con
Hasbro’s Masterpiece Rodimus will launch at the Entertainment Earth booth at San Diego Comic-Con, then go to Toys R Us. One host notes the tag says $49.99 MSRP, but Toys R Us usually marks it up. The Hasbro version includes the new Targetmaster partner. [Source: not found]
Target Exclusive Space Case Arrives Early
Target’s Dark of the Moon deluxe exclusives officially street July 17, but Exvee already found Space Case. There is only one per case of eight. [Source: not found]
Tomica Dark of the Moon Optimus Prime and Bumblebee
Tomica, Takara Tomy’s die-cast vehicle brand, will release replicas of Dark of the Moon Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. [Source: not found]
Dual Model Kit Optimus Prime Detailed
A detailed look at the Dual Model Kit Optimus Prime shows a kit you build as a robot, then rebuild as a vehicle. It does not transform. It is about 9.4 inches tall, a little bigger than a Gundam Master Grade. The crew says it looks nice but isn’t worth $150 MSRP. Big Bad Toy Store has it for $130, or $180 in a set. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece MP-10 Optimus Prime Transformation Video
A video shows the Masterpiece MP-10 Optimus Prime transformation. It looks slick but involved. One host says it isn’t intuitive and doesn’t match any Optimus Prime character model. [Source: not found]
Kre-O Bios and Dark of the Moon’s Record Weekend
Walmart’s website now has bios for the Kre-O characters, and one host calls Hasbro’s Kre-O bios amazing. Dark of the Moon became the top-grossing July 4th weekend movie of all time, passing Spider-Man 2. The crew expects it to be the year’s top movie in the US, with Harry Potter as the main threat. Aimee saw it a second time and liked it better on a bigger screen in 3D. [Source: not found]
Shout! Factory Headmasters Review and Japanese Box Set Delay
TFormers’ Mike reviewed Shout! Factory’s Headmasters box set and gave it a thumbs up, despite no English dub. He notes Hasbro softened battle dialogue, cut references to hell and called Fortress “Cerebros.” Shout! Factory is also canceling pre-orders for its Japanese collection box set, postponed over an unexplained problem. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Toy Shop Free Shipping and Beast Machines Speed Stars
Hasbro Toy Shop offers free US shipping on Transformers orders of $25 or more until noon Eastern on July 18. Hasbro is also bringing back Beast Machines with Speed Stars, but these are just redecoed vehicles with bios about spliced animal DNA. [Source: not found]
Chat: Summer Movies
John DeLuna reports the chat is debating whether any movie can beat Dark of the Moon this year. Harry Potter looks likeliest, though some say Captain America. The chat also asks whether a poorly reviewed movie like Green Lantern hurts the next comic book movie.
This Week in Comics
Aimee says IDW ongoing #21 begins Chaos, with the Autobots leaving Earth and some never returning. Prowl stays behind to investigate Spike, who has supposedly done something terrible. Ongoing #22, written by James Roberts, follows next week.
TFWiki Spotlight: The Vok
Chris McFeely spotlights the Vok, the aliens from Beast Wars. The article covers their cartoon history, BotCon comic appearances and mentions in the IDW Beast Wars sourcebook and Transformers Animated. It also covers the writers’ differing intended origins and motivations, and the symbols on Vok technology. You can download a TrueType font of those symbols.
Twitter Theater
Rob’s Twitter Theater pick is a Jollibee commercial for a Cybertron kids meal promotion, where kids and household objects transform for dinner. Rob notes the Jollibee toys look like Cybertron Legends figures and are far better than the US Burger King toys.
This Week in History
Exvee marks June 29, 2009, when Transformers: The Stargate Battles collected edition was released in Japan. A fan translation is on TFPulp and AllSpark. He also notes July 6, 2009, when Optimus Prime read the Top 10 list on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Topic: Is Dark of the Moon’s Optimus Prime a Jerk?
With a spoiler warning, Brian argues that Dark of the Moon’s Optimus Prime lets Chicago be destroyed to make a point to human leaders, and says so on screen. He cites an Entertainment Weekly article that matched his feelings and says the movies are too violent for kids. Brian also points to Prime executing Sentinel Prime as he begs for his life, then killing a defeated Megatron. He calls the Transformers Prime cartoon’s Optimus truer to the character. Aimee notes that in the novel, Megatron calls a truce and Optimus gives him a chance. She wishes the movie had ended that way. One host suspects Michael Bay changed the ending. John DeLuna reports the chat is split on whether Prime’s kills were justified.
Krave Corner
Cole Sickler of Krave says the whole Krave staff saw Dark of the Moon and mostly liked it, including the 3D. Krave’s featured series this week is G1, both vintage and Commemorative. Listings include a complete Quake with Heater and Tiptop for $35, a complete Astrotrain for $27, and a Commemorative Skywarp. There is also a loose, complete Fortress Maximus for $850. Krave’s Star Wars launch is gaining momentum.
Review: Target Exclusive Space Case
Exvee’s review of the Target exclusive Space Case, a recolor of Hunt for Decepticons Terradive, starts with a word: crap. He accepted the imperfect colors and translucent plastic, and likes that it uses the mold’s alternate head. The legs hold better than Terradive’s, but the arms slide off their joints more easily. Quality control is horrible. His copy has two left feet, a weapon that won’t lock, a misassembled hinge and tabs that resist their slots. Expect only a few per Target, and look for a full review at figurereviews.com.
Rob’s Loose Bolt Moment
In a pre-recorded segment, Rob argues the opposite: the movie Optimus Prime is a more effective military leader than G1 Prime. He says war ends when the winning side stops the other. He argues the G1 Prime kept offering Megatron chances to surrender and rarely fought outside the 1986 movie.
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.