A possible new Generations Optimus Prime with a Roller Targetmaster leads this January 16, 2013 Radio Free Cybertron. Brian Kilby, JD Church, Rob Clay and guest Paladin of Superhero Time also cover Amazon pre-orders for Platinum Edition Omega Supreme and Year of the Snake Optimus Prime. The rest of the news is out-of-box looks at Beast Hunters Predaking, Optimus Prime, Smokescreen and Hardshell. Transformers Rewind covers Beast Machines’ Revelations Part 3, and Aimee and Nicole begin their Transformers Prime retro reviews with Darkness Rising.
News
Possible New Generations Optimus Prime with Roller Targetmaster
A design surfaced for what may be a new Generations Optimus Prime, with Roller as a Targetmaster gun. Some fans call it IDW-influenced, though Rob hasn’t seen this exact design in the comics. JD thinks it is based on a toy, likely a Deluxe, and Paladin wonders if it is one of the 40 figures Hasbro promised. Rob counts only two Optimus Prime figures that come with Roller. He says this would make three if it exists. [Source: not found]
Platinum Edition Omega Supreme and Year of the Snake Optimus Pre-Orders
After showing up at Big Bad Toy Store, the Platinum Edition Omega Supreme and Year of the Snake Optimus Prime are up for pre-order on Amazon. Brian wants Omega Supreme. Rob calls it a toy he’ll never get but is glad exists. Paladin calls it flawed but thinks the unified colors will work better than the Energon version. [Source: Amazon]
Beast Hunters Hardshell Cyberverse Commander
First looks show Beast Hunters Hardshell as a Cyberverse Commander, one of the last show characters without a toy. Paladin is pleased but still hopes for a bigger version. [Source: TFormers]
Out-of-Box Looks at Beast Hunters Predaking
More out-of-box images show the Beast Hunters Voyager Predaking. Brian is lukewarm until one good angle wins him over. Paladin notes the Voyager looks smaller than the Weaponizer-scale Predaking shown earlier. He likes the wings and triple heads, which remind him of Cybertron Scourge. [Source: TFormers]
Beast Hunters Optimus Prime Voyager
Beast Hunters Optimus Prime looks better than Brian expected, with a jetpack and the Star Saber. Comparison shots show it taller and bulkier than the Robots in Disguise Prime, and Rob hopes the size shrink is over. The crew floats repaints as Sentinel Prime, Nova Prime or Ultra Magnus. [Source: TFormers]
Beast Hunters Smokescreen Deluxe
Out-of-package images of Beast Hunters Smokescreen show removable armor, so all the spiky Beast Hunters bits are optional. Paladin calls that the best feature of any Deluxe so far. He adds that the Beast Hunters Deluxe cases are evenly packed with no Bumblebees. [Source: TFormers]
New and Old Toys
Rob found War for Cybertron Deluxe Megatron at Walmart for about $9 and calls it a great robot that turns into a box with a gun. Paladin says Soundwave is the better figure, and he thinks Starscream is the best of the War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron Deluxes. Paladin points to the Arms Micron Rumble and Frenzy, which use the mold’s alternate head. Brian mentions a possible “Dinner with Don” segment.
Transformers Rewind: Beast Machines, Revelations Part 3
In Revelations Part 3, the Maximals discover Tankor is the lost Rhinox. Once freed, Rhinox chooses Megatron’s vision of technological perfection, and Optimus Primal lets him go. Meanwhile, Blackarachnia’s body is reunited with her spark. One host wants to believe Tankor’s shell program changed Rhinox. He says Beast Machines slots the Beast Wars cast into the roles its story needs, which works for Optimus Primal and Silverbolt but hurts Rattrap and Blackarachnia. Another calls Thrust the best new character. One host notes it takes until this episode for Primal to decide the goal is restoring nature to Cybertron. The crew praises Beast Machines’ distinctive visual style.
Transformers Prime Retro Review: Darkness Rising Part 1
Aimee Morgan and Nicole Hale begin their Transformers Prime retro reviews with Darkness Rising Part 1. Cliffjumper, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, is killed by Starscream within minutes, which they say sets the series’ tone. Jack meets Arcee, Raf and Miko join him, and Megatron returns through the space bridge at the end. They praise Frank Welker’s Megatron and Steve Blum’s Starscream. They also like the metal textures in HD, the empty Nevada backgrounds and Arcee’s warrior design. Their one complaint is that the humans’ hair doesn’t move naturally. Season one is out on DVD and Blu-ray from Shout Factory.
Google+ Hangout Highlights
In RFC’s first post-show Google+ Hangout, hosted by Diecast, the crew talks about TFC’s Uranus Aerialbots, which stand slightly taller combined than Hercules. One host says Fall of Cybertron Kickback has a great robot mode but a floppy insect mode. The crew also discusses how Beast Wars and Transmetal toys are starting to look vintage, and how chrome flakes off over time. Paladin explains the head-swapping gimmick of the coming Power Rangers Megaforce.
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.