A Takara teaser shows Generations Metroplex with his shoulder reaching Fortress Maximus’s head, and the crew can’t wait. iGear adds four more Mini-Warriors, including a not-Powerglide and a not-Wheelie, at about $40 each. Cyberverse Abominus appears combined, Beast Hunters Commander figures get official images, and Hasbro opens a Hall of Fame fan poll to design a figure. Rob and Exvee review Robots in Disguise #16, and the crew breaks down the Transformers Prime episode “Rebellion.”
News
A Takara teaser shows Metroplex with his hand raised beside Fortress Maximus. His shoulder comes up to Fort Max’s head. One host calls it potentially the biggest Transformer ever and says he will make room for both. Diecast worries Toys R Us will raise the price if it is a Toys R Us exclusive, as it did with Optimus Prime. Another host still thinks Metrotitan could come first as the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive, and Diecast notes Hasbro has been quiet about this year’s SDCC plans. [Source: Seibertron]
iGear Mini-Warriors Red Baron, Busta, Stinger and Rocky
iGear showed art for MW-10 Red Baron, a not-Powerglide, and MW-11 Busta, a not-Wheelie. It also showed MW-12 Stinger and MW-13 Rocky, second tries at Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. Brian wants all four if they match the scale of recent iGear figures, though that is $160 at about $40 each. One host likes Busta more than Red Baron. Don guesses the name nods to Wheelie’s dancing in Transformers: The Movie. Animated Plastic in the chat suggests a Cobra Rattler repaint of Red Baron. [Source: TFW2005] [Source: TFW2005]
New Photos of Generations Springer and Blitzwing
More photos of the Voyager Class triple changers look great, and Blitzwing stores his weapons on his back. Robot Kingdom reports its shipment has arrived. One host says this is how a Generation 2 toy should look. The crew doubts we will see new takes on Astrotrain or Octane, though one host thinks Astrotrain could happen. [Source: TFW2005]
Beast Hunters Commander Class Shockwave, Starscream and Predaking
Official images show the Cyberverse Commander Class figures. Shockwave and Starscream are new, while Predaking is already out in this size. One host could live with an all-Cyberverse toy line, though others prefer larger figures. Another host prefers Takara’s Starscream in show-accurate colors over the mismatched US deco. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Go! Combiner Silhouettes
Takara’s teaser shows silhouettes of the three figures that form its Japan-exclusive three-way combiner. The crew cannot tell yet whether they are new characters, but they always welcome another combiner. [Source: TFormers]
Cyberverse Abominus Shown Combined
The first real photo of the combined Cyberverse Abominus has the crew excited. A rumored Target box set may come in other colors, and John says in the chat that Hun-Gurrr is not quite G1 accurate. That could mean buying both the singles and the box set for a G1-colored team. One host says he would take it over Bruticus any day. [Source: TFormers]
Voyager Beast Wars Megatron Test Shot
A test shot shows a Voyager Beast Wars Megatron remolded from Fall of Cybertron Grimlock with a new head. One host finds the head off and wants to see it in color, hoping for a Transmetal deco. Another says it needs Megatron’s teeth-gritting grimace. Brian will likely buy it anyway. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Hall of Fame Fan Built Bot Poll
A poll on Hasbro.com lets fans pick a faction, alternate mode, signature weapon, color scheme and personality for a new figure. Fans can vote once a day, and there is no way to suggest a name. Diecast explains the poll, and Don voted. The crew expects the top answer in each category to win. One host suspects the figure is already planned and hopes Hasbro publishes the results for the 30th anniversary. [Source: Seibertron]
Comic News with Aimee Morgan
Aimee recommends following Transformers artists on Twitter for cover reveals and contests, such as Livio Ramondelli’s Monstrosity #5 cover. Amazon lists Classics Volume 6 and Robots in Disguise Volume 4, covering issues 12 to 16, for October.
July solicitations include Robots in Disguise #19 by John Barber with art by Dheeraj Verma, and More Than Meets the Eye #19, which teases Star Saber. Monstrosity #2 gets a print release, and Beast Hunters #3 by Mairghread Scott and Mike Johnson focuses on Grimlock. ReGeneration One #93 has art by Guido Guidi, and Classics Volume 5 and More Than Meets the Eye Volume 4 also arrive.
Comic Review: Robots in Disguise #16
Rob and Exvee call this a true end to the story arc. Starscream drives the factions out of Iacon and takes control. They find it a very Starscream move, though disappointing after his growth. Ironhide pulls Prowl out of Devastator with one punch, a rescue they call weak after the buildup. They like seeing Swindle and Dirge sick of the war, since the split is not simply Autobot versus Decepticon. Megatron’s force-field trap ties back to Wheeljack’s final words, which they find more convincing than ReGeneration One’s twists. They wonder what Starscream will do with Megatron before the Shockwave issue next month.
Transformers Rewind: Only Human
JD and Paladin call this G1 season three episode their favorite G.I. Joe episode, since it barely feels like Transformers. Victor Drath’s gang transfers Rodimus Prime, Springer, Ultra Magnus and Arcee into human bodies. They laugh at the 1980s cartoon science of the plan and note the Cobra-style villain is never called Cobra Commander. The episode heavily implies Rodimus gets intimate with a gang boss’s girlfriend, which they say fan fiction never forgot.
Rob Springer Answers a Listener Question
A listener from Salt Lake City asks whether Bumblebee will appear in Transformers 4 and what is known about the movie. Rob would bet on Bumblebee being in it. He notes Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci are cast and Michael Bay is using new cameras. Bay has also called the movie “a chase from hell.” Rob enjoys the movies as popcorn fun and loves the merchandise. He warns future collectors will struggle to identify all the Bumblebee toys. He recommends TFU.info for identifying toys, after a long story about tracking down a G2 Go-Bots figure.
Transformers Prime Retro Review: Convoy
Aimee and Nicole review the episode that introduces MECH and Silas as human villains. Agent Fowler, impatient and grumpy, rides with the Autobots as they escort a nuclear device called the Dingus. Both like having a third faction, since alliances can shift. They love the scenery, Prime’s G1-style trailer and Optimus stopping a runaway train with his hands. Nicole recommends the Blu-ray commentary, where Peter Cullen talks about working with Silas’s voice actor.
Transformers Prime: Rebellion
With Brian stepping away to avoid spoilers, Aimee leads a talk on the episode that closes the Beast Hunters opening arc. The crew expected Smokescreen to become a Prime and praises how he uses the Forge of Solus Prime to save Optimus instead. Ultra Magnus is a strict, by-the-book leader, and his fight with Megatron is short and one-sided. One host catches Fowler’s “Skystrikers” G.I. Joe nod. The upgraded, flying Optimus Prime with a Gatling gun is a highlight. His “Megatron, be gone” line falls flat for some. The crew notes Predaking is left frozen in the Arctic, still unable to transform or talk.
What We Got This Week
Don
Don picked up Mech Ideas’ Apex, its not-Topspin. He calls it an excellent entry into third-party toys and a great piece for a Wreckers shelf, at about $60 to $70 for the pair online.
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.