Masterpiece G2 Sideswipe, with a face inspired by Derek Yaniger’s comic art, has Brian in love on Radio Free Cybertron 328. Masterpiece Soundblaster arrives with Ratbat, and the Collectors Club reveals Armor Micron partners and Rewind for Subscription Service 2.0. Third parties show a not-Soundwave, a Metroplex upgrade and a Unicron head play set. Aimee and Nicole bring back the Transformers Prime Retro Review with Operation Breakdown.
News
Masterpiece G2 Sideswipe Gets a Yaniger-Inspired Face
The new Masterpiece G2 Sideswipe has a face based on Derek Yaniger’s G2 comic art, plus the spiked wheels and gun. Brian loves it, and one host notes the price is around 5,400 yen, or about $54. The crew doubts a US release, joking that Hasbro would grind the spikes down for safety. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Soundblaster Comes with Ratbat
Photos show Masterpiece Soundblaster packed with Ratbat, which everyone called. The crew wants Ratbat far more than the black repaint. One host wishes Takara had added extra cassettes, such as Glit, to give the set more value. One host expects a wave of third-party Ratbats. [Source: not found]
A Third-Party Voyager-Size Not-Soundwave
A third-party not-Soundwave sized to match Generations Soundwave looks like a sculpted sample, not a render. The crew wonders why it exists. One host says it needs distinctive cassettes to stand out, such as the rare Japanese dinosaur cassettes. [Source: not found]
Unique Toys Metroplex Head and Weapons Upgrade
Unique Toys shows a new head for Generations Metroplex that turns into a cannon, plus a gun and satellite dish. The crew worries it may require cutting the electronics’ wires. A third-party sticker sheet that breaks up Metroplex’s white plastic also gets a look, and Diecast says its maker did a good job. [Source: not found]
Subscription Service 2.0 Adds Armor Microns and Rewind
The Collectors Club pairs Armor Micron partners with three figures: Chromedome with Stylor, Barricade with Frenzy and Treadshot with Catgut. The scout mold figure is Rewind, as Exvee predicted. One host says only two figures in the set interest him so far. [Source: not found]
Orci Says the Next Series Will Follow Prime
Roberto Orci says the next animated series builds on Transformers Prime but is more kid-friendly, with Peter Cullen and Frank Welker returning. One host wants Jack, Miko and Raf to come back. [Source: not found]
Third-Party Unicron Head Play Set
A large third-party Unicron head is marketed as a play set with removable battle-damage panels. The crew loves the sculpt and jokes about hanging it from the ceiling with Primus. [Source: not found]
Robots in Disguise and September 11
On the anniversary of September 11, the crew discusses how the attacks disrupted Robots in Disguise’s US run. One host thinks the series lost momentum as viewers turned to the news. Another notes it lost two episodes and some scenes but reused much of the footage in clip shows.
Q&A with Rob Springer
Mike Carvalho asks whether Transformers Prime ended too soon. Rob thinks it did and found the finale rushed, but notes the Aligned setting continues in comics and the next series. He says family-friendly does not have to mean bad, pointing to Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Transformers Animated.
Transformers Prime Retro Review: Operation Breakdown
Aimee and Nicole return after a summer break, with Nicole on audio only for now. Both liked the Beast Hunters finale, especially Bumblebee getting his voice back. They then review season 1, episode 11, Operation Breakdown, written by Steve Melching. MECH captures Breakdown, and Megatron refuses to rescue him. Optimus insists on a rescue to keep Cybertronian technology from MECH. Bulkhead frees his rival, Breakdown saves him in return, and the hosts love Arcee’s sarcastic last line. Both call it a dark but great episode, with Clancy Brown’s Silas a standout.
Upcoming Conventions
Diecast previews RetroCon in Oaks, Pennsylvania, and notes OmegaCon 2014 and Charticon 2015. He is also attending New York Comic Con with a press pass.
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.