Hasbro’s Masterpiece Optimus Prime went up for preorder at Toys R Us and appears to have sold out its first allocation. A blurry silhouette suggests Takara’s MP-15 will be yet another Optimus Prime. Takara reveals Transformers Prime Arms Micron Orion Pax and Thundercracker, and Hasbro Asia announces an Energon Bruticus Maximus. Transformers Rewind revisits the G1 season one finale, “Heavy Metal War,” and the monthly third-party roundup covers TFC’s Uranos, Toyworld’s Throttlebots and Fans Project’s Armored Battalion.
The TFormers.com News Desk
Takara Reveals Prime Orion Pax and Thundercracker
XV and JD look at Takara’s Arms Micron Orion Pax in magenta and Thundercracker. JD wishes Orion came with something besides a gold Ratchet weapon, since Decepticons get animal Microns. Thundercracker just reuses Starscream’s Micron. Orion Pax is also headed to Toys R Us in the next First Edition wave. [Source: TFormers]
Toys R Us Takes Masterpiece Optimus Prime Preorders
Toys R Us listed the Hasbro MP-10 Optimus Prime on Sunday, shipping October 15, and the listing has since vanished. It is physically unchanged from the Takara release apart from some colors. JD couldn’t pull the trigger, and XV teases Brian for not buying the Takara version at BotCon. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Asia Announces Energon Bruticus Maximus
Hasbro Asia is releasing Energon Bruticus Maximus in colors closer to G1 Bruticus. The Asian market is also getting a reissued Energon Omega Supreme and a G1-colored Gaia Unicron. The crew doubts any of it will come to the U.S. [Source: TFormers]
Toys R Us Lists Transformers Prime Christmas Ornaments
Toys R Us has listed a five-piece set of Transformers Prime Christmas ornaments. The crew finds Arcee’s stare frightening and wants a light-up Matrix tree topper. [Source: Toys R Us]
News
Alternity Banzai-Tron and Galvatron Package Photos
Package photos show Alternity Banzai-Tron and Galvatron, set as Japanese store exclusives. Brian has never been drawn to Alternity and says this Galvatron is just a purple Megatron. [Source: not found]
MP-15 May Be Another Optimus Prime
A blurry silhouette suggests Masterpiece MP-15 will be another Optimus Prime. XV wonders if it could be an Ultra Magnus built on the smaller mold. Brian has preordered the Hasbro MP-10 and plans to wait on Takara releases after his Masterpiece Rodimus experience. [Source: not found]
Chinese Generations Scouts Arrive
Chinese-market Generations Scouts are out at about $10 each. The Voyagers haven’t hit yet. [Source: not found]
Rescue Bots Retro Review: Cody on Patrol
Aimee and Nicole revisit “Cody on Patrol” from March 2012. Cody rebuilds his dad’s go-kart, then Frankie’s experimental nanite fuel takes over the kart, a junkyard machine and Boulder. The family finally drains the nanites into a power plant. They love the Transformers Animated feel, a thoughtful Boulder and the first hint of Dr. Morocco. Cody has to replant the trees zombie Boulder flattened.
Transformers Rewind: Heavy Metal War
In the G1 season one finale, Megatron builds the Constructicons and uses their machine to steal his troops’ powers before challenging Optimus Prime to a duel. One host calls it a retcon magnet, since “The Secret of Omega Supreme” later says the Constructicons existed on Cybertron. The crew mocks Optimus for trusting Megatron to follow the rules while Spike sees through it. They also mock Wheeljack’s exploding rocket launcher and Decepticons who can fly but still fall into lava. Next week: “Dark Awakening.”
Third Party Roundup
Full-color photos show TFC’s Uranos figures, which look more like Gundam than Transformers to Brian, though he would buy them if he could afford them. Toyworld has announced Throttlebot homages Grind Rod as Rollbar and Aurora as Searchlight. The crew mocks the name Grind Rod and finds Aurora’s vehicle mode too far from Searchlight. Dr. Wu adds Arcee blasters. Fans Project’s Armored Battalion recolors its Insecticon homages in deluxe Insecticon colors for about $150, a TFSource exclusive, and Brian loves the new look.
iGear’s upcoming minibots are Veer as Swerve, Duneraker as Beachcomber and Bushwhacker as Outback. Excellent Toys offers another Hercules add-on head with a super-deformed Devastator figurine that looks bigger than the head itself. XV predicts knockoffs of third-party figures will one day turn up at Big Lots.
Wrap-Up
Brian launches an RFC Pinterest board, and Rob Springer has posted a new RFC RTM1 episode on YouTube. XV is reviewing the Fall of Cybertron Combaticons. Brian prefers their retail colors to the San Diego Comic-Con set and has the G2 set preordered.
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.