Hasbro has discontinued the Transformers Prime First Edition toys and canceled retail orders, leaving online retailers unable to fill preorders. The Transformers Collectors Club’s Overrun and Shattered Glass Drift preorders crash the club’s payment servers before selling fast. Pictures surface of Transformers Prime Optimus Maximus, built to hold Cyberverse figures. Aimee reviews Autocracy #2, and the crew debates which classic Transformers gimmicks should return.
News
Hasbro Cancels the Transformers Prime First Edition Toys
Hasbro has discontinued the Prime First Edition figures and canceled retail orders. Big Bad Toy Store and TFSource never received their initial stock and couldn’t fill preorders. UK fans are especially upset, since First Edition never released there. Comparison photos show the First Edition Cliffjumper is clearly better than the Robots in Disguise release. The crew expects leftovers to turn up at Ross or TJ Maxx. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Prime Optimus Maximus Revealed
Pictures show the Transformers Prime Optimus Maximus, which the crew compares to Armada Optimus Prime and Primal Prime. Cyberverse figures fit inside it, a battle-suit concept XV likens to the GoBots power suits. Brian wants one. [Source: not found]
TFCC Overrun and Shattered Glass Drift Preorders Crash the Club’s Servers
Overrun, a Runabout homage, and Shattered Glass Drift went up for preorder and crashed the payment servers, which handled only eight transactions a minute. After switching processors, the club blew past Ramjet’s total within an hour. The crew loves Overrun’s box, a homage to the Marvel graffiti Statue of Liberty cover, with a slot for the club’s Runamuck. Brian orders one during the break. [Source: Transformers Collectors Club]
Transformers Prime Season Two Preview
TFormers.com has preview footage of the Transformers Prime season two premiere, “Orion Pax Part 1.” Brian skips playing it to avoid spoilers. [Source: TFormers]
Comic News
Aimee buys Autocracy #2 live on her iPad. Chris Metzen and Flint Dille reveal more of Zeta Prime, who is off his rocker and plans to use a weapon called the Vamp Arc Ribbon on sectors that shelter Decepticons. Orion Pax is still unsure where he stands. Aimee calls it a solid setup issue that loses a little momentum. Infestation 2 issue 1, by Chuck Dixon and Guido Guidi, brings Hearts of Steel steampunk designs and H.P. Lovecraft’s creatures.
Toy Fair 2012 Coverage
RFC will cover Toy Fair 2012 in two weeks with all-day coverage, and Peter will report from the show floor.
Topic: Transformers Gimmicks
The crew debates which old gimmicks should return. Targetmasters still work, as Takara’s new Microns and Armada’s Sparkplug show. Headmasters, Powermasters and Pretenders get votes, along with G2 color changers and Captain Power-style interactive TV. The crew wants Minicons back and a better Powerlinx or Power Core Combiners. They would retire Duocons, cyber keys and Mech Tech weapons that won’t stay open, though Flywheels has survived 25 years of drops.
Wrap-Up
The crew shares their Twitter handles and points listeners to Fanboy Versus and New Soundwave.
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.