San Diego Comic-Con 2012 exclusives sell out fast on Hasbro Toy Shop on this July 19, 2012 Radio Free Cybertron, and JD’s Bruticus vanishes from his cart. The crew and Chris McFeely ask why Hasbro won’t make a Transformers Prime Breakdown. Aimee shares her hands-on time with Fall of Cybertron at High Moon Studios. Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster update Transformers Legacy and the G.I. Joe Field Manual. Transformers Rewind revisits the Robots in Disguise premiere, Battle Protocol.
News
SDCC Exclusives Sell Out on Hasbro Toy Shop
Hasbro Toy Shop put up its remaining San Diego Comic-Con exclusives, and the $130 Jem set sold out first. JD had Bruticus and Cliffjumper in his cart, but the checkout button kept refreshing the page and Bruticus sold out. After an hour he got Cliffjumper, which also sold out later that day. One host calls it a typical MattyCollector Monday. The crew notes everything from this year sold out, unlike last year’s Transformers Prime exclusives, and one host passed on Bruticus because he only wanted it for rarity. [Source: not found]
Takara Breakdown and the Missing Hasbro Toy
One host received Takara’s Japanese Breakdown and sees why Hasbro passed on this mold. Thin parts could break or shard, the elbows can snap the truck’s foot railing and the stickers took 45 minutes. He likes the Micron ram that turns into a hammer, but says it isn’t worth the import markup.
From the SDCC coverage, Chris McFeely asks why Hasbro never made a Breakdown at all, when he was one of about seven Decepticons in season one. Aaron Archer’s panel answer about cost standards doesn’t explain it, he says. The crew wonders whether a design issue kept the toy from US release, and Chris hopes Breakdown will still haunt Silas on the show. [Source: not found]
Comic News with Aimee
Aimee notes Regeneration One #80.5 is now free on Comixology, and Amazon UK has revealed a Drift hardcover. SDCC brought news of Monstrosity, a sequel to Autocracy from the same team, a new Cybertron digital comic by John Barber and a Transformers Prime comic, Rage of the Dinobots. IDW’s October solicits include More Than Meets the Eye #10, Robots in Disguise #10 and Regeneration One #84. She praises Robots in Disguise #7, a Wheeljack story drawn by Brendan Cahill with a smart grid layout and a new side of Metalhawk. Regeneration One #81 sets up conflict on every side, with Simon Furman’s original Wreckers, though Springer’s design shifts from panel to panel.
Transformers Rewind: Battle Protocol
Transformers Rewind revisits Battle Protocol, the September 8, 2001 premiere of Robots in Disguise. Megatron kidnaps Dr. Onishi, Optimus Prime takes his son Koji to New York and Megatron still gets away. The crew mocks the Global Space Bridge and Prowl’s barrier shield. Aimee, seeing it for the first time, found it a mishmash, and the crew explains how much of the toy line was repainted older molds. They note RID was the first truly alternate Transformers universe on TV, and that to enjoy it you probably had to be there.
Interview: Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster
Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster say they have about 700 pieces of art for Transformers Legacy, mostly from originals, negatives or transparencies. They want a big page count and ask fans to show support on the IDW forums. Their wish list includes a high-resolution US Trypticon box scan, Quickmix, a better Galvatron and anything from the UK. About 30 pieces are unused or prototype art. The G.I. Joe Field Manual volume one, covering the miniseries and season one, arrives in late August or early September, with volume two planned. Bill also recalls being recognized for his Victory Leo tattoo from TV.
Regeneration One #81 and SDCC Bruticus
Chris McFeely calls Regeneration One #81 the fourth continuation of the Marvel series, and is annoyed it skips G2 and the UK stories while borrowing IDW ideas. The final pages won him over. The crew loves the G2 colors on the SDCC Bruticus, and a photo with Blast Off’s arms folded tight makes the combined mode look far better.
Rescue Center: The Lost Bell
Aimee and Nick review the Rescue Bots episode The Lost Bell, which they call Cast Away meets The Goonies. Cody and the bots wash up on an island and find a pirate ship with the bell. Highlights include Blades and Chase scared by a puffin and a love interest for Dani. Aimee calls it one of her favorite episodes.
Fall of Cybertron Hands-On
Aimee toured High Moon Studios during Comic-Con and played Fall of Cybertron. The campaign opens with a Bumblebee chapter that works as a story-driven tutorial, then jumps back six days, across about 13 chapters. Levels offer several paths, and Grimlock builds a rage meter he can switch on and off. Movement feels between War for Cybertron and Dark of the Moon. Multiplayer offers Deathmatch, Conquest and Escalation with four classes and heavy customization, including Dinobot and Insecticon looks. Shields now let you shoot through your own, fallen enemies no longer drop weapons and shards buy upgrades at Teletraan 1.
Wrap-Up
Exvee shows his new SDCC Cliffjumper. JD picked up Playmates’ new Donatello, and the crew discusses the $119.99 sewer playset and whether the new Turtles line can save Playmates. Official images of Thundertron are out, though nobody understands the interest.
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.