A Masterpiece Thundercracker has shown up on a Toys R Us planogram, which suggests a U.S. release. On this May 31, 2012 Radio Free Cybertron, Brian Kilby, Exvee, Peter and Rob also look at a possible G2-style Combaticons set and the BotCon 2012 Invasion box set selling out in Japan in 30 minutes. A third-party roundup covers iGear, a Powermaster Optimus Prime kit and a Volkswagen Bumblebee. Aimee reviews Robots in Disguise #5, and she and Nicole review Rescue Bots.
News
Possible G2-Style Combaticons Surface in Asia
An Asian retailer shows what looks like a G2 Bruticus homage, a recolored Combaticons set with G2 symbols and an October 2012 shelf date. It may be an Asia-market or convention exclusive. Brian loves G2 Bruticus and wants it, but he doubts a retail release with G2 logos. [Source: TFormers]
Masterpiece Thundercracker Appears on a Toys R Us Planogram
A Masterpiece Thundercracker showed up on a Toys R Us planogram. The crew hopes it uses the improved MP-11 Starscream mold instead of the original Masterpiece Starscream mold, which is probably worn out. One host notes that Thundercracker is the one Seeker Hasbro hasn’t released here, and it took five years for Classics Thundercracker too. The crew wonders whether Walmart’s past Seeker exclusives explain why Toys R Us gets Thundercracker. [Source: not found]
BotCon 2012 Invasion Box Set Sells Out in Japan
The BotCon 2012 Transformers Invasion box set, the first eHobby and Transformers Collectors’ Club partnership, sold out within 30 minutes. Only 150 sets were offered. The crew guesses they were Fun Pub leftovers. One host hopes it means Fun Pub will make more of each set, though another expects the BotCon price to stay the same. Exvee bought only the add-on figures and picked up his favorite set figure from an AllSpark seller. [Source: not found]
G.I. Joe: Retaliation Delay Explained
A Deadline report says Paramount delayed G.I. Joe: Retaliation after poor test scores, and to add more Channing Tatum scenes. Rob had called it. [Source: Deadline]
Comic News with Aimee Morgan
The Transformers Facebook page has pencils and commentary for Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets the Eye #5. The Transformers Mosaic project by Josh van Reyk and Sean Knowler ends in June 2012 after five years and 650 pieces. In Robots in Disguise #5, Sky-Byte lands on Cybertron, and Ironhide tells him to hear out the Decepticons too, not just Metalhawk. Sky-Byte ends up in Prowl’s crosshairs, and the ending hints at a manipulation by Starscream and Metalhawk. Aimee calls it a slow burn with a good payoff and gives it 5 out of 5.
Rescue Bots: The Return of Dinobot
Aimee and Nicole review The Return of Dinobot. The museum Dinobot from the first episode becomes Doc Greene’s lovable pet, until a virus from Dr. Morocco sends him on a rampage. They love the fog effects and Dinobot’s dance. The episode ends with Doc Greene losing his job.
Third-Party Roundup
iGear’s PP05W and PP05M, its not-Ratchet and not-Ironhide, come in clean, sturdy boxes. One host calls them half Alternator, half Masterpiece, and another prefers iGear’s Rager and Spray. Big Bad Toy Store dropped its pre-order price on Masterpiece Sideswipe, which the crew reads as lower costs than expected. The Powermaster Optimus Prime kit now comes with its own retooled Classics Prime cab with a Powermaster socket. One host expects that to finally bring legal trouble, since it crosses from add-on to bootleg. Another wants it but thinks this one’s legs are a little skinny. The Volkswagen Bumblebee looks like body cladding and too much like a Super Beetle, and the crew calls it a bad effort. BotCon dealers also had the Make Toys Devastator, a Power Core Combiner upgrade kit, a Perfect Effect motorcycle Arcee and Captured Prey’s Hearts of Steel Shockwave.
Transformers Rewind Starts Next Week
A new segment, Transformers Rewind, revives the original Twitter Theater idea. Listeners should watch the Beast Wars season two episode Bad Spark before next week’s review.
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.