Robots in Disguise turns ten on this September 8, 2011 Radio Free Cybertron, and the crew looks back at the series and its cobbled-together toy line. The news covers the Transformers Collectors’ Club’s final deco for the membership premium Runamuck, Dark of the Moon’s home video plans and Transformers Prime’s return to the Hub. Chris McFeely’s TFWiki Spotlight returns with Generation 1 Laserbeak. RFC is also giving away two Transformers-themed Razer DeathAdder gaming mice.
Brian is joined by Exvee, JD Church, Aimee and Rob, aka ROC from New Soundwave. John DeLuna and Peter are out.
News
Collectors’ Club Reveals Runamuck
The Transformers Collectors’ Club revealed the final deco and new head sculpt for its membership premium Runamuck. The crew expects Runabout to share the head, and calls the pairing TFCC’s best idea, since completists will need both. Shattered Glass Drift will be the club’s only exclusive next year without remolding, carrying guns instead of swords. [Source: not found]
Dark of the Moon Home Video Plans
Dark of the Moon arrives on DVD and Blu-ray September 30 with no extras. A special edition with extras and a trilogy box set are expected in December. The crew hopes for a transforming box set but notes most of their movies are digital now. [Source: not found]
Transformers Prime Returns to the Hub
New Transformers Prime episodes resume on the Hub this weekend, and the crew urges fans to watch there to support the show. Episode 24, One Shall Rise Part 1, is scheduled for October 1, though it has not aired in Canada after a schedule change. The crew is tired of the show reusing that line from the 1986 movie. [Source: not found]
Lee Tockar Joins the Convention Guest List
Following last week’s announcement of Gregg Berger, the convention’s second guest is Lee Tockar, best known as Ravage in Beast Wars. That leads the crew to recommend the fan fiction Ravage 3 Bodies Evolution and RFC’s old audio reading of it. [Source: not found]
Takara EZ Collection Volume 2
Takara’s EZ Collection Volume 2 includes Legends class Bluestreak and Skywarp, plus G2 Megatron in hero colors and a Legends Thundercracker. [Source: not found]
Dark of the Moon Leadfoot Pictured
Pictures of the Deluxe Dark of the Moon Leadfoot are up on TFormers. The crew finds the robot a little squat but calls the gun-covered vehicle mode awesome. [Source: TFormers.com]
Third-Party News: A Transforming Mickey and a Motorcycle Arcee
A knockoff maker has shown a Mickey Mouse that transforms into a cassette. The crew calls it terrible and not worth being sued over. Blurry photos also show a deluxe-sized motorcycle Arcee, reportedly from Perfect Effect. The crew would rather have Hercules, the not-Devastator. Big Lots has a fresh batch of knockoff Constructicons for the holidays. [Source: not found]
Comic News with Aimee
Aimee reviews the Transformers ongoing #25. She says the first seven pages were the best part, and the rest returns to slow storytelling, with a car chase that retreads the Prowl spotlight. The art and coloring look great, but she prefers the Earth storyline to the Chaos side and is disappointed after issues 19 to 21. She also passes along chat reactions, including guns, swords and both in the Shattered Glass Drift poll.
TFWiki Spotlight: Laserbeak
Chris McFeely returns with the wiki’s featured article, Generation 1 Laserbeak. Few 1984 and 1985 characters have featured articles because they appeared in so much. Laserbeak’s colossal article covers the Marvel comic, the cartoon, manga, IDW, Dreamwave and the G.I. Joe crossovers. It also covers storybooks, Find Your Fate Junior and Ladybird’s Laserbeak’s Fury, plus video games and every reissue of the toy.
Crave Corner
Brian talks with Cole Sickler of Crave, which just launched a G.I. Joe marketplace. Transformers deals this week include Reveal the Shield Deep Dive and Lugnut for $30, Kup for $11 and the Battle in Space two-pack for $15. Crave has extended its $5 new buyer credit and plans perks for repeat buyers.
Razer DeathAdder Giveaway
RFC is giving away two Transformers-themed Razer DeathAdder gaming mice, in Megatron silver and Bumblebee yellow, provided by Razer. To enter, tell RFC your favorite Transformer and why by the following Wednesday. Entries go by email to contact@tfradio.net, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google+ or voicemail at 931-99-GOBOT.
This Day in Transformers History
JD marks September 8, 2001, when Robots in Disguise premiered in the US with Battle Protocol.
Topic: Robots in Disguise Turns Ten
The crew notes Robots in Disguise was the only Japanese Transformers series dubbed for English, from Takara’s Car Robots. Saban played the dub tongue in cheek, which made it better than the original. It arrived because Hasbro had nothing ready after Beast Machines, and fans had asked for Car Robots. Exvee notes the toys only appeared partway through Toy Fair 2001, as reported by Altered States Magazine. JD says the show clicked for him with the episode The Fish Test and Sky-Byte, one of the most underappreciated Transformers characters.
The toy line mixed a few new molds with reused Beast Wars, G2 and Machine Wars toys, plus G2 Go-Bots as Spy Changers. The crew retells the story of Takara flipping the G2 Autobot logo upside down rather than remold it. Highlights include Brave Maximus, whose missing extras became contest prizes and an early target for fan-made parts. Others include Ruination, Megabolt Megatron, Bruticus from a cancelled Beast Machines toy and the Walmart Laser Cycles. The crew regrets that Saban’s sale to Disney left the series without a legitimate US DVD release.
Twitter Theater
Rob picks fan video of costumed Blaster, Rumble and Optimus Primal dancing to Baby Got Back at a toy convention. Rumble walks off, Blaster dances like your mom, and Optimus Primal busts the biggest moves. Rob asks fans to name their favorite Twitter Theaters for a best-of in November.
Wrap-Up
Brian asks listeners to fill out the advertising survey at tfradio.net/survey.
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.