New photos of Masterpiece Prowl and Masterpiece Bluestreak have the crew reaching for their wallets. An eHobby image shows Magnificus as a black repaint of Reveal the Shield Perceptor, and a supposed Transformers 4 plot summary gets laughed off as fake. Transformers Rewind looks at “Beginning,” the finale of Transformers Cybertron. Rob Springer returns with a new segment, Aimee Morgan brings the June comic solicitations, and More Than Meets the Eye #15 gets a full review.
News
Supposed Transformers 4 Plot Summary Surfaces
A plot summary claiming to be a press release has businessmen and scientists pushing technology past their control while an ancient Transformer threatens Earth. The crew spots a typo and agrees it reads like no real press release. Most of the hosts call it fake. One jokes that the human-made threat must be Autobot X. [Source: TheWrap]
eHobby Magnificus Is a Black Reveal the Shield Perceptor
A new eHobby image shows Magnificus as a black repaint of the Reveal the Shield Perceptor mold. The art hints at a new alternate head, though the crew warns art does not always match the toy. One host recalls the mold’s arm QC problems, and another says it was hard to transform. Nobody plans to pay $70 plus shipping for the mold again. The talk drifts to past eHobby exclusives, with one host still kicking himself for missing the Gobots-inspired Minibot set. [Source: TFormers]
New Photos of Masterpiece Prowl and Masterpiece Bluestreak
New shots show both cars in detail. One host has a soft spot for Prowl and says he has to have him. Another praises the mix of a G1-style transformation with modern articulation. A third would choose between Prowl and Smokescreen once Smokescreen is shown. One host wishes Masterpieces still came with accessories, like a Chip Chase figure. Others like that the line now scales with Masterpiece Optimus Prime and his trailer. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Rewind: Beginning
The Transformers Cybertron finale gathers leaders from every planet for the first intergalactic peace conference. One panelist loves that a full episode serves as an epilogue to the whole Unicron Trilogy. He says Cybertron was dubbed with care, down to a dubbed theme song in the launch scene and new end credits. Another finds the shouted, commercial-style cadence of the dub off-putting. He also cannot separate Garry Chalk and David Kaye from their Beast Wars roles. He does enjoy Leobreaker challenging Scourge and Metroplex’s giant chair. JD says he likes it far more than Robots in Disguise. Don values the closure and compares it to the finale of Code Lyoko. One panelist calls Transformers Energon the worst Transformers cartoon ever.
Rob Springer on Bot Shots
Rob Springer returns with a new segment and a Bot Shots Scourge in hand. A year ago he pictured beast-mode Bot Shots built like monster Hot Wheels cars, with a dragon in the mix. Now Hasbro has shown dragon Bot Shots that look almost exactly like what he imagined. He jokes that Hasbro reads his status updates. He finds the Twin Shot twist gimmick funky but the name awkward. Rob will also answer listener questions in future episodes.
Comic News with Aimee Morgan
Simon Furman blogged about ReGeneration One #85, and More Than Meets the Eye #15 is out. The Fall of Cybertron tie-in by John Barber comes to print as a 48-page trade. Amazon lists a Prelude trade collecting the Spotlights on Orion Pax, Thundercracker, Megatron, Bumblebee, Trailcutter and Hoist, due in August. Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters Volume 1 is also listed.
June solicitations include Robots in Disguise #18 and More Than Meets the Eye #18, with an Alex Milne cover of Skids under attack. ReGeneration One #92 brings the Mayhem Attack Squad, and Beast Hunters #2 has a Ken Christensen cover. Also due are Movie Collection Volume 1 in paperback and a Transformers 30th Anniversary collection, which Aimee believes Jim Sorenson is assembling. She calls the 30th Anniversary book a must-have for comic collectors.
Comic Review: More Than Meets the Eye #15
Overlord is loose on the Lost Light. The issue flashes back 30 minutes to show ordinary life aboard ship. That includes Brainstorm’s metabomb and Swerve breaking the fourth wall. The reviewers enjoy those moments but think the flashback runs about six pages too long. Pipes is stomped to death, and the reviewers praise the page where his spark fades panel by panel. Ultra Magnus is fatally stabbed. Ratchet faces Overlord and asks that Whirl get his hands if he dies, a line they love. Chromedome’s planted trigger phrase, “till all are one,” stuns Overlord long enough for Fortress Maximus to body-slam him. Rewind ends up trapped in the cell, and Chromedome blows it up to spare him. The reviewers feel the resolution is rushed but call the book’s mix of comedy and tragedy amazing.
Transformers Prime Retro Review: Masters and Students
With Beast Hunters premiering this week, Aimee and Nicole start their retro reviews with the first season one episode. Both love the wordless score, and Nicole bought the soundtrack. Starscream claims leadership and revives Skyquake, who stays loyal to Megatron and attacks Optimus Prime. They praise Steve Blum’s sinister Starscream, especially when he finds Megatron alive and removes the Dark Energon. They want an explanation for why only Raf understands Bumblebee. Bumblebee’s brutal takedown of Skyquake and Ratchet’s over-the-top help with the kids’ science projects are highlights.
Cassettes, Kre-O and Masterpiece Blaster
One host found the Kre-O Vortex set at Ross for about $15. The crew finds the Generations cassettes frustrating, since they rarely eject and transform as promised. They hope for Grand Slam and Raindance someday, and debate whether Takara would do a Masterpiece Blaster with cassettes. Finback in the chat wants an oversized third-party Roadbuster. The crew also announces that the upcoming third-party roundup will be the last, with third-party news folded into the regular show.
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.