In the monthly third-party roundup, a supposed X-Transbots Project X3 Tyrant Galvatron turns out to be a fan’s custom from last year. Masterpiece Optimus Prime will be a Toys R Us exclusive at $99.99, and the Asian Generations exclusives are no longer exclusive. A Fall of Cybertron demo arrives July 31 on Xbox 360 and PS3. Aimee Morgan reviews More Than Meets the Eye #7 and its Decepticon Justice Division. Transformers Rewind takes on the G1 episode B.O.T.
TFormers NewsDesk
Generations Hot Spot Revealed as Asian Exclusives Head to Toys R Us
Peter Van and JD Church look at in-hand shots of the China import Voyager Hot Spot, with a new head mold and G1 deco. Per San Diego Comic-Con, the figures will reach Toys R Us in October in the same packaging, Chinese lettering included. One host likes it better than the Grapple and Inferno mold and wants Hot Spot and Wheelie. [Source: TFormers]
X-Transbots Project X3 Tyrant Galvatron Shown
X-Transbots’ Galvatron, Project X3 Tyrant, draws little enthusiasm. One host says it looks like a custom or a third-party toy from five years ago, well below the bar set by the Hercules set. [Source: TFormers]
Impossible Toys Previews Cybertronian Seekers
Impossible Toys will make the triangle-jet Cybertron-mode Seekers from the G1 cartoon pilot More Than Meets the Eye. The Tetrajet mode looks great, but one host is unsure of a robot mode that opens from a shell. [Source: TFormers]
TFC Toys Shows a Digital SLR Reflector Homage
TFC Toys’ new figure pays homage to Reflector as a modern digital SLR. A photo of a person holding it shows it is camera-sized. No price or release date is set, but the crew expects strong quality from the Hercules maker. [Source: TFormers]
Masterpiece Optimus Prime Is a $99.99 Toys R Us Exclusive
Hasbro’s Masterpiece Optimus Prime will be a Toys R Us exclusive at $99.99, with no date yet, ending rumors of a wide release or higher price. Import prices currently start around $250. One host sees a good fit, since Toys R Us can be the high-end retailer while others avoid a costly item. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro’s Second-Quarter Income Drops 25 Percent
Hasbro’s net income fell 25 percent from last year, led by the boys segment. The crew blames the comparison with a movie year. Entertainment and licensing rose 59 percent thanks to shows like My Little Pony, and the crew admits the Hub investment may be paying off. [Source: TFormers]
Prime Rumble and Cup Reach the UK in September
Transformers Prime Deluxe Rumble and Cup arrive in the UK in Wave 5 in September, around the same time as the US. Most solicitations list Ironhide instead, but Cup was on display at Comic-Con, so the crew expects Cup first and an Ironhide later. [Source: TFormers]
News
Big Bad Toy Store Prices G2 Bruticus at $60
Big Bad Toy Store’s preorder of the G2 Bruticus went up at $60, matching Amazon, the same price as the 2010 Sea-Cons set. The crew notes Amazon includes free shipping and misses Big Bad Toy Store’s old flat-rate shipping, though they still use its clearance sales. [Source: not found]
Transformers Prime Season 2 Returns Next Month
Transformers Prime Season 2 returns to the Hub in about a month. [Source: not found]
Transformers Collectors Club Store Reopens
The Transformers Collectors Club online store is back with exclusives and Bot Shots packs. Leftover BotCon sets such as Dion, Cheetor and Runamuck are still available. [Source: not found]
Fall of Cybertron Demo Arrives July 31
A Fall of Cybertron demo arrives July 31 on Xbox 360 and PS3. One host has Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime and finds it simpler and pricier than earlier Generations, though fine on its own merits. He has heard Jazz is worse. [Source: not found]
Comic News with Aimee Morgan
Robots in Disguise Volume 1 arrives in trade paperback this week, with covers, line art and issue commentary. The complete Autocracy collection is also out, without extras. Aimee got both signed at San Diego Comic-Con.
More Than Meets the Eye #7 proves James Roberts can write a Decepticon story, following a stranded group of new Decepticons. The Decepticon Justice Division is terrifying, even to other Decepticons. Events on the Lost Light add to last issue’s shock, and a long-awaited reveal closes the issue. Aimee praises the art and coloring and recommends it.
Third-Party Roundup
Brian, Rob and Exvee look at the month’s third-party news. The X-Transbots Tyrant photos look flat and sterile. Then a chatter named Holden points out they match a fan’s custom from last year, and the crew confirms they are the same photos. X-Transbots’ site shows only a piece of Galvatron face art. The crew concludes the reveal is probably a hoax. Along the way, one host calls Beast Wars Transmetal 2 Galvatron the best Galvatron toy so far.
The Impossible Toys Seekers look like a mix of Classics and Energon Starscream, but one host would only buy at about $30. The TFC Reflector could pass as a real camera, and the crew guesses $150. Fans Project’s third Warbot, Assaulter, may be a Broadside homage, and the crew praises Fans Project for building its own designs. MakeToys’ Giant returns in a green gift set. One host compares it with Hercules: Hercules is bulkier with integrated parts, while Giant is cheaper, thinner and uses removable parts.
Rescue Bots: Bumblebee to the Rescue
Aimee and Nicole review the episode where Bumblebee tracks a meteorite to Griffin Rock and its effects leave the bots needing help. Cody seems to understand Bumblebee at the end. Blades becomes Bumblebee’s biggest fan, and Peter Cullen’s Optimus Prime makes Bumblebee stay. They found it odd that the bots did not recognize a meteorite.
Transformers Rewind: G1, B.O.T.
The Protectobots destroy Bruticus, and Swindle sells his teammates’ parts until Megatron puts a bomb in his head. Meanwhile, students build a robot, B.O.T., around Brawl’s personality component. The crew notes this was the last episode before Transformers: The Movie, and the first half is a strong Swindle story that defines his character. They pick apart the kids, the moon death ray with its labeled overload button, and B.O.T.’s wave before exploding. One host recalls being furious as a kid at this season finale. Next week’s Rewind is Webworld.
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.