New pictures of Masterpiece MP-10 Optimus Prime, at $250 with a trailer, lead this September 28, 2011 Radio Free Cybertron, hosted by JD Church while Brian Kilby is out. Transformers Prime’s season finale teaser reveals Unicron. The crew also covers Dark of the Moon’s Blu-ray coupon, a white Electrostatic Soundwave and an augmented reality game. Lady Wreck reviews Transformers ongoing #26, and the crew picks Transformers toys that haven’t aged well.
News
More Pictures of Masterpiece MP-10 Optimus Prime
More pictures are out of MP-10, the new Masterpiece Optimus Prime, which comes with a trailer for $250. JD still wants it. Exvee lost interest and says he might consider a $60 Hasbro version without the trailer. One host notes the 2003 Masterpiece Optimus came to about $135 in today’s dollars without a trailer, and was bigger. The crew wonders why Japan supports $250 toys while U.S. Masterpieces sit on shelves. [Source: TFormers]
The Transformers Prime season one finale teaser reveals Unicron, with the three-part finale starting this weekend. The crew jokes about the long gap since Energon’s Unicron. [Source: not found]
Dark of the Moon Blu-ray Comes with a 3D Coupon
The Dark of the Moon Blu-ray and DVD combo pack includes a $10 coupon toward the upcoming 3D Blu-ray. The crew calls it dumb and advises waiting for the 3D release. They also complain about digital copy restrictions. [Source: not found]
White Electromagnetic Soundwave Activator on eBay
The Animated Electromagnetic Soundwave Activator, previously seen only in an instruction scan, has turned up on eBay in white. One host calls it a hard-to-get repaint of a repaint of a character that appeared for a few seconds in one episode. [Source: eBay]
Dark of the Moon Augmented Reality Game App
A Dark of the Moon augmented reality game app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone renders Transformers battles through the phone’s camera. The crew isn’t impressed. [Source: not found]
Third Party: Heavy Labor Delayed, PE-12 Prototype
The third-party Devastator-style combiner set’s second figure, Heavy Labor, is delayed for quality control and factory issues. That follows a design defect in the first figure, Excavator, that needed replacement parts. One host has bet against the ambitious set ever finishing. Another would wait until most of it is out before buying at about $100 a figure. Perfect Effect’s PE-12 prototype, a possible Arcee, looks more like Prime’s Arcee than G1. The crew notes its large gun and thin joints and expects a price near $120. [Source: not found]
Comic Corner with Lady Wreck
Lady Wreck warns that John Barber’s Comic Book Resources interview spoils the Chaos storyline. She and JD review Transformers ongoing #26. JD says the art works panel by panel but doesn’t tell the story well, and the colors make it hard to read. Lady Wreck likes the gritty color style, though she admits it isn’t for everyone. Both say the story jumps around with no sense of time and uses dialogue to explain plot. Two issues in, it is still mostly setup. Ongoing #27, out October 5, returns to the alternating Last Story on Earth storyline.
Chat: What Should the Next Masterpiece Be?
The chat suggests the next Masterpiece could be Galvatron, Soundwave, Kup or Perceptor as a full-size microscope. The crew wants more Decepticons and floats Blitzwing and Shockwave, though they worry a triple changer would come out small. One host suggests Japanese leaders like Star Saber or Star Convoy. Another wants a Masterpiece Fortress Maximus at Marvel comic scale. Someone suggests Ironhide for the van mode. The crew notes Bumblebee lacks a Masterpiece because the VW license is hard to get.
TFWiki Spotlight: Beast Wars Neo Manga
Chris McFeely spotlights the Beast Wars Neo manga, which TFWiki contributor Interrobang bought in full on eBay, along with the Beast Wars II manga. By Shoji Yamaki, the manga’s bizarre hook is that Big Convoy, Longrack, Stampy, Break and Corrata are real animals mutated by Angolmois energy into Transformers.
Twitter Theater: Optimus Prime Runs Out of Gas
Rob’s pick is a sketch-show parody with a laugh track, in which Optimus Prime runs out of gas while fighting Decepticons and a Prius Transformer lectures him. Rob calls it unfunny but likes the bootleg-style designs.
This Week in Transformers History
Weebum notes the Robots in Disguise episode The Fish Test premiered in the U.S. on September 27, 2001, with Sky-Byte jealous of Slapper.
Topic: Transformers Toys That Haven’t Aged Well
Inspired by MP-10, the crew picks toys that haven’t aged well. One host says G1 Sixshot was once a pinnacle and now feels antique. One host names early Beast Wars auto-transforming toys like Rattrap, and Weebum notes how sparse early Beast Wars detail and airbrushing look now. JD points to Armada’s combined Optimus Prime, a long-legged brick next to the movie Ultimate Optimus. Another host says Energon’s combining Autobots aged worst, while the big Energon Optimus and Landmine held up best. From Classics, the crew names Rodimus, the Seekers, Octane, Astrotrain and Grimlock, and calls Bumblebee and Prime solid. One host predicts the Drift mold’s love won’t last, and Rob wants Universe do-overs of the original Classics. The crew agrees the Transmetals and most Beast Wars toys hold up, while Nightscream never did.
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.