Fun Publications is telling Transformers Collectors Club members to cancel their credit cards after a security breach, leading this February 29, 2012 Radio Free Cybertron. Brian Kilby hosts with Rob Clay, John DeLuna, Exvee, Peter Van and Nicole Hill. The crew covers the first BotCon 2012 guest announcements, Hall of Fame nominations and the closing of Crave. Rob reviews Transformers Prime Robots in Disguise Voyager Optimus Prime, and Aimee reviews Autocracy issue 4. The monthly third-party roundup covers MMC’s Cyclops, MakeToys’ Devastator and iGear’s Presser.
News
Fun Publications Security Breach
Fun Publications is urging anyone who bought from it in recent years to cancel their credit card, after a run of increasingly urgent emails. The breach may also have exposed logins, passwords and email addresses, so the crew says to change any reused passwords elsewhere. One host says the stored data apparently wasn’t properly encrypted. The club forums have been taken down to be replaced with something more modern. The crew hopes the club modernizes, noting cheap, secure forum and payment options exist. [Source: Fun Publications]
BotCon 2012 Guests Announced
With BotCon about 55 days away, Fun Publications has announced David Kaye and Garry Chalk as guests. One host recalls RFC co-founder Mad Max aiming a toy Megatron gun at a drunk Garry Chalk in 2001. The crew expects a Transformers Prime cast member and says Stan Bush is a guaranteed attendee. One host notes Greg Berger and Neil Kaplan are going to SabCon. [Source: Fun Publications]
2012 Transformers Hall of Fame Nominations Open
Fans can nominate characters for the 2012 Transformers Hall of Fame. Peter has seen many Omega Supreme suggestions. Other fan picks include Bob the Insecticon, Optimus Minor, Swindle and Minerva. The crew notes Hasbro wasn’t pleased with last year’s Rector campaign but handled it creatively. Some hosts suggest Searchlight, Sparkle from Headmasters and even GoBots. [Source: TFormers.com]
Crave Shuts Its Doors
Crave, the collectibles marketplace behind RFC’s former Crave Corner segment, has shut down. The crew thinks the model needed more volume and faults eBay’s dominance, including PayPal’s new 45-day payment holds. The crew sends its best to Aaron and Cole at Crave. [Source: not found]
TFBBQ: Robots in Disguise Voyager Optimus Prime
Rob reviews the Transformers Prime Robots in Disguise Voyager Optimus Prime. He thinks it is as good as the First Edition, though it could use more detailing. For the first time, he feels the grass is greener in Japan. Hasbro’s version comes with a Mech Tech gun that looks like a movie camera, while Takara’s comes with a Mini-Con. Rob, a big Mini-Con fan, says one would make this toy perfect.
Comic News: Autocracy Issue 4
Aimee notes original art from Guido Guidi and Marvel-era artist Jeff Anderson is on eBay. She also highlights new covers by Nick Roche, Livio Ramondelli and Casey Coller. She reviews Autocracy issue 4, by Chris Metzen and Flint Dille with art by Livio Ramondelli. Megatron tries to recruit Orion Pax in Kaon, and the scene ends in a bar brawl. Back in Iacon, Zeta Prime berates Orion and sends him on a new mission. Aimee gives it four out of five, one of the series’ best.
Chat and 80s Toys
During the break, the crew argued about Popples and the A-Team, and the chat turned to 80s toys. Picks included Visionaries, Inhumanoids, Biker Mice from Mars, Dino Riders and Zoids. One host notes Hasbro may still hold the U.S. Zoids license.
Third-Party Roundup
Mastermind Creations’ Cyclops, a Hearts of Steel-style Shockwave that becomes an ironclad battleship, is leader-scale at about $150. Dr. Wu and TFC are both making head and weapon upgrades for TFC’s Hercules, which the crew finds unnecessary. MakeToys’ Giant Bulldozer and Excavator, deluxe-sized parts of its G2-colored Devastator homage, are $119 a pair at Big Bad Toy Store. iGear’s larger Mini Warriors include a not-Cosmos UFO and Hinch, a not-Brawn. iGear’s Presser, an Impactor homage, wins over the crew and the chat. Other items: a Goldbug upgrade kit for Classics Bumblebee and an iGear Bumblebee homage the chat dubs Fugly Bee.
Third Party Then and Now
One host says third-party toys have improved a lot since RFC returned in 2009, from Fans Project’s City Commander and Superion add-ons to its Crossfire Bruticus set. The crew still waits on Mastermind’s Hexatron, a Sixshot homage. One host jokes about a fat, ugly third-party Quickswitch.
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.