This year’s Black Friday ads have almost no Transformers deals, and the crew reads that as a bad sign for the brand. On this November 14, 2012 Radio Free Cybertron, Brian Kilby, Rob, Exvee and John DeLuna also cover individual pre-orders for the Dark Energon exclusives. They look at the first Beast Hunters Optimus Prime and a Weaponizer Ultra Magnus. Brian announces Operation Beehive, a toy drive that clears shelves for needy kids, and Transformers Rewind looks back at The Core.
News
Big Bad Toy Store Takes Individual Pre-Orders for Dark Energon Exclusives
Big Bad Toy Store now sells the Dark Energon exclusives individually instead of by the case. One host finds Megatron more tempting without a boring Optimus Prime redeco attached, but nobody is buying. Others say their toy buying has become very selective, with their fun money tied up in pre-orders. The crew notes that First Edition figures are finally starting to sit on shelves after restocks. [Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
G.I. Joe Collectors’ Club Runs a Second Batch of Its Convention Set
Fun Publications is doing a second run of its 2012 G.I. Joe convention-exclusive box set. The crew says that undercuts Fun Pub’s old argument that convention sets protect their value by staying exclusive. They think the club doesn’t understand that few fans care about that. [Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
Transformers Movie Ornaments Revealed
Licensed Transformers movie Christmas ornaments are coming. The crew calls Megatron hideous and Bumblebee just boring. [Source: TFormers]
First Look at Beast Hunters Cyberverse Commander Optimus Prime
A tiny image shows the first Beast Hunters Cyberverse Commander Optimus Prime. One host expects the existing mold with extra parts added and thinks it may start showing up around the new year. [Source: not found]
Weaponizer Ultra Magnus Solicited
A UK solicitation lists the next Weaponizers wave with Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and a new Ultra Magnus with Battle Hammer at £35. Exvee expects it to sell for the usual Weaponizer price of about $30 in the U.S. [Source: not found]
Transformers Rewind: The Core
The Decepticons drill for Earth’s core energy, and the Autobots use Dominator discs from Wheeljack and Chip to take control of Devastator. Megatron counters with his own controller, frying Devastator’s mind, until both sides team up to free him and stop the drill. The crew says the episode proves the Autobots are dicks for brainwashing six Decepticons. They’re baffled that Chip is sad Devastator won’t stay as a friend. They also note that Starscream is the only character with any sense.
Operation Beehive
Rob Springer’s Operation Beehive asks listeners to buy unsold Optimus Prime and Bumblebee figures and donate them to needy kids, clearing shelves for new toys. Send a photo of the receipt or donation to contact at tfradio.net or the Facebook page by about mid-December. Rob will show the donations on his YouTube channel, and RFC will set a goal with a reward, like a long live show.
Black Friday Deals and the State of the Brand
Brian scoured the ads and found little. Walmart has the Kre-O Optimus Prime vs. Megatron set and Weaponizers at around regular prices. Target has Rescue Bots Optimus Prime for $7.99. Toys R Us lists four-for-$20 deals, mostly Activators and leftovers. One host recalls past Black Friday exclusives like the Walmart Landfill set and two-pack sleeves, and none this year. The crew blames Hasbro for hitching its wagon to the movies and launching Transformers Prime on a network few people watch. Dark of the Moon and even Revenge of the Fallen toys still sit on some shelves. They expect 2013 to lean on Generations, with about 40 figures promised, and worry that too much of it will be Fall of Cybertron. They call Toy Fair 2013 make-or-break.
Transformers Rewind Ahead
Next week’s Rewind is Hoist Goes Hollywood, followed by the Headmasters episode Wives Can Be Sacrificed for Peace on Earth. Next week’s show posts without a live broadcast because of Thanksgiving, and the live show returns on the 28th with the third-party roundup.
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.