A New York Comic Con preview of Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters shows Shockwave bringing Predaking through the space bridge, leading this January 2, 2013 Radio Free Cybertron. Brian Kilby hosts with Rob Clay and special guest Don Ferguson, known to fans as Headmaster Don. The crew covers Takara’s Asia-exclusive leader-class Brawl and picks its favorite toys of 2012. Aimee reviews More Than Meets the Eye issue 12, Aimee and Nicole review the Rescue Bots episode The Haunting of Griffin Rock, and Transformers Rewind covers Optimal Situation. Don shares nearly two decades of BotCon stories.
News
Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters Preview
A Beast Hunters preview from New York Comic Con shows Shockwave leading Predaking through the space bridge to Megatron, and it reveals Predaking’s huge scale. Brian isn’t excited about Beast Hunters but will give it a chance. One host says Prime is okay but never grabbed him, and another agrees. Rob predicts the Season 2 cliffhanger will resolve like Optimal Situation, only over five episodes. One host fears Hasbro is bending the show to fit the toy line. Another calls himself Miko’s biggest fan and says weak writing has wasted her development since the episode Hurt. [Source: not found]
Asia-Exclusive Leader-Class Brawl
Takara is releasing an Asia-exclusive leader-class Brawl based on the 2007 movie figure, with a much better paint job than the original olive drab. Don owns the original and calls it a fine toy, never a showpiece. He says it was reportedly why Galvatron was scaled down to deluxe the next year. The crew doubts it will come to the U.S., though Don suggests it could be a Toys R Us or Big Bad Toy Store exclusive. Don also notes Robot Kingdom has pushed Miracle Works’ Masterpiece-style Voltron to late February. [Source: not found]
G2 Bruticus and Toys of the Year
Don names G2 Bruticus the best Transformers item of 2012. He calls opening the box like opening the Ark of the Covenant and is keeping it sealed. Rob just got his. Encore Soundblaster is a top pick, with Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime as one runner-up. One host adds TFC Hercules and Mastermind Creations’ Cyclops, bought with eBay sales. Brian says he bought the fewest toys this year, but he loves his Encore Soundblaster and his Kabaya Fortress Maximus, a true Headmaster gum kit. Other picks include Legends Cliffjumper, Cyberverse Dreadwing and iGear’s Mini Warriors.
Comic News: More Than Meets the Eye Issue 12
Aimee reviews More Than Meets the Eye issue 12, Before and After, written by James Roberts with art by Alex Milne and Brendan Cahill and colors by Josh Burcham. The Lost Light crew lands on a planet expecting to find the kidnapped Circle of Light and finds something darker. The nonlinear storytelling builds tension toward a twist. Whirl’s grudge against Cyclonus puts crewmates at risk, and the issue also reveals Rewind and Chromedome’s backstory. Aimee says she now wants Whirl to suffer and has come to love Cyclonus. She gives it five out of five.
Rescue Center: The Haunting of Griffin Rock
Aimee and Nicole review the Rescue Bots episode The Haunting of Griffin Rock, which they call a perfect Halloween special. Ghosts appear around town while businesses are robbed, and Frankie’s Ghostbusters-style traps fail. The ghosts turn out to be holograms projected through hacked cameras by two thieves who escaped jail. Cody turns their own holograms against them, and Heatwave’s hose exposes them. A lady ghost who appears in no database leaves the ending ambiguous. They love the pop culture references, Heatwave scaring Kade and Blades swearing off scary movies.
Transformers Rewind: Optimal Situation
The Beast Wars Season 3 opener Optimal Situation has Optimus Primal carry Optimus Prime’s spark into a new Transmetal body to restore the time stream. Megatron shoots Blackarachnia, and the Axalon is lost to the river, so the Maximals move into the Ark. One host calls it the high point of his fervor as a fan. Others now see it as a toy commercial with little substance. A UK participant explains that it was left off the UK VHS release and was only available on a Toys R Us-exclusive tape. The crew calls it symptomatic of Season 3’s focus on selling new toys and notes Rhinox gets little to do. Next week’s Rewind is Roll for It.
Talking With Headmaster Don
Don has collected since 1984, starting with Sludge, and has attended every BotCon except 1997 and OTFCC 2004. A letter from John in Lee’s Action Figure News & Toy Review led him to BotCon 1994, where he was first in line and among the first to see G2 Breakdown. He recalls 1996’s disorganized BotCon and John and Carl Hartman’s 1997 rescue of the show. At the 2001 Durham dinner, they revealed a secret Arcee repaint after keeping it from him for two years. He feels Fun Publications should run BotCon more smoothly by now. He wants Takara to revisit underused molds such as the UK-exclusive figures and Action Master Elites. He says Fans Project’s Headmasters, including a Minerva, are a fan’s best chance to own one.
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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.