Hasbro reversed course and will allow artist tables at BotCon 2012, after word that unlicensed artists couldn’t sell Transformers art there. On this April 5, 2012 Radio Free Cybertron, Brian Kilby, JD Church, John DeLuna, Rob and Exvee also praise the deluxe Transformers Prime Vehicon. The crew reviews Prime’s Crossfire, and Amy Morgan reviews Autocracy #6. With BotCon three weeks away, the crew walks through the convention’s history from 1994 on.
News
iGear’s Rager Wins Brian Over
Brian admits he loves iGear’s Rager, a third-party Huffer, despite his longtime dislike of third-party toys. He says it scratches an itch Classics and Generations can’t, and he’s preordering the not-Brawn, Hench. RFC also now streams live on Thursdays at 8 p.m.
BotCon Fan Art Ban, Then a Reversal
Word came that artists couldn’t sell Transformers art at BotCon 2012 unless they had worked for Hasbro or a licensee. The crew calls it a double standard and notes most fan artists they know have done licensed work by now. Amy plans to sell shirts with no Hasbro IP on them. A follow-up quote from Pete Sinclair says Hasbro will allow artist tables as in the past, while still protecting its IP from unlicensed merchandise. [Source: not found]
Transformers Prime Deluxe Vehicon Pictures
Transformers Galaxy released shots of the deluxe Vehicon. The crew likes its solid, troop-builder design and its Decepticon-symbol-on-wheels vehicle mode, and wants the aerial version too. [Source: Transformers Galaxy]
BotCon 2012 Set Pictured in Package
Pictures show the BotCon 2012 boxed set in its foam tray. Brian really wants the Metalhawk, and hopes to buy a bagged set for around $120 to $150 since he’s skipping the Primus package. [Source: not found]
RFC’s New Shows for 2012
A recorded April Fool’s bit previews fake RFC network shows, from StorageCast to TweetCast, each ending in a profane rant.
Comic News with Amy Morgan: Autocracy #6
Jeff Anderson is confirmed for Auto Assembly 2012 in the UK this August. In Autocracy #6, Orion Pax sides with the rebels as Zeta Prime’s Destructors burn Nyon and drain citizens’ Energon. Pax’s officers buy time while Hot Rod evacuates, then Hot Rod blows the city with planted explosives. Zeta zaps Orion and leaves him in the rubble. Amy calls the art strong but some details rushed, gives it three out of five and will keep buying.
Transformers Prime: Crossfire
Chris Triplett called it the best episode yet. Brian found it good and not boring, but prefers Operation Bumblebee Part 1. Exvee calls it the show’s best pacing and storytelling. Megatron sends Breakdown and Dreadwing after Airachnid, who turns an Insecticon on Starscream and then Megatron. Megatron beats it with gladiator-pit skills, then finds Airachnid has awakened hundreds of buried Insecticons. The crew debates whether Breakdown is really dead now that Mech has his remains, and guesses next week’s Nemesis Prime may reuse him. The chat loved it, and the crew credits writer Marty Isenberg.
A Short History of BotCon
The first BotCon in 1994 drew about 180 fans in Fort Wayne, Indiana, run by the Hartmans. In 1995 Raksha’s show had Nightracer as its exclusive. In 1996 Men in Black Productions ran a disaster with cake and no forks at the movie party, and only water to drink. The Hartmans took it back in 1997. Later Glenn Hallit’s OTFCC ran in Chicago in 2003 and 2004, but many 2004 exclusives had to be mailed afterward. The Hartmans then ran one last unofficial BotCon in Pasadena. Fun Publications took over in 2005, with Brian Savage watching the 2004 show first. One host recalls telling Savage for 15 minutes how awesome Brian Kilby is, without saying who he was. The crew says the shows improved each year since, and 2010 had the best set and the shortest line. The crew prefers mid-sized, walkable cities like Lexington and Pasadena, and worries about Dallas’s distance from the airport. John says movie years feel samey. TFWiki has the full history.
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.