Radio Free Cybertron’s 2013 Christmas special opens with official images of Generations Rattrap, Tankor and Crosscut, and Rattrap’s arm hides a bomb accessory. Out-of-package photos of Scoop, Skywarp, Armada Starscream and the Minicon team follow. A Motley Fool piece urging Hasbro to bring back G1 sparks a long debate about what would fix Transformers. Brian reads listeners’ Christmas memories and Don’s decades of Headmaster Arcee wish lists, and both Brian and Diecast unwrap Masterpiece Smokescreen.
News
Official Images of Generations Rattrap, Tankor and Crosscut
Hasbro’s official images show the 2014 Wave 3 Deluxes. Crosscut looks great apart from his giant feet. Tankor strikes the crew as generic, and one host ranks it the third-best Tankor ever. Another host would much rather have a new Thrust. Rattrap’s hinged forearm opens to release an accessory, which Exvee identifies on Twitter as his bomb. [Source: not found]
Out-of-Package Photos of Scoop, Skywarp, Armada Starscream and the Minicons
Brian is most excited for Scoop, a double Targetmaster with more articulated partners, and hopes for Quake, Needlenose or Spinister next. Diecast still dislikes the fuchsia on Hasbro’s Skywarp. The crew expects Armada nostalgia to sell the Deluxe Armada Starscream. Don has no love for Armada and would take the Minicon team over Starscream. That earns a tweet from Exvee telling Brian to throw him off the show. [Source: not found]
Fans Project’s MegaZero Ships in Korean Packaging
Fans Project jokes that its Japanese MegaZero stock was destroyed in shipping, so it found Korean-packaged versions in a warehouse. Don explains that the joke riffs on Takara’s Korean partner, whose boxes are bigger and busier. Don likes the line, though its retro look is not what he expected. Another host says it recreates the feeling of discovering lost G1 toys online in the 1990s. [Source: not found]
Unique Toys’ Not-Blaster Prototype Is Masterpiece Prowl Size
A prototype of Unique Toys’ Blaster homage turns out to be about the size of Masterpiece Prowl. One host is disappointed, since he wanted a Blaster in scale with Masterpiece Soundwave. The crew expects an official Masterpiece Blaster eventually. They note that TakaraTomy now releases more Masterpieces each year by sharing molds. [Source: not found]
The Motley Fool Says Hasbro Should Bring Back G1
A Motley Fool writer suggests a live-action TV series and a return to G1, possibly a series set between seasons 2 and 3. Brian calls it a terrible idea and asks what G1 even means anymore. Diecast suggests premiering a new series on the Hub, then airing it on another channel a week or two later. Another host warns that Cartoon Network drops action shows without toy sales. Exvee pitches direct-to-video More Than Meets the Eye movies, starting with Last Stand of the Wreckers. Brian argues Transformers needs something fresh and consistent, closer to Animated than to Prime or Rescue Bots. [Source: not found]
Comic Review: Robots in Disguise #24 and ReGeneration One #97
The reviewers like newcomer Robert Gill’s art in Robots in Disguise #24, Dark Cybertron part 5. They single out Dreadwing’s jump-and-transform panel and Galvatron tearing Megatron in half. One reviewer is tired of the Dead Universe scenery. They note that Rattrap does not appear in the issue he is packed with. ReGeneration One #97 is one of the better issues, with stronger art from Guido Guidi as Jhiaxus takes the Liege Maximo role. They expect everything to converge in the double-size issue #100.
Q&A with Rob Springer
“Chris Kringle” asks why people always ask him for expensive Transformers at Christmas. Rob guesses that people want gifts they cannot buy themselves. He suggests offering some lower-priced options too, then spins a Christmas Vacation parody about his cousin Eddie.
Christmas Memories
Brian reads listener Christmas stories. David Schultz got Powermaster Optimus Prime and thought he was the only Prime. Sean Lloyd finally got Beast Wars Rampage in 2000. Frank V. hopes the Fortress Maximus reissue is under the tree. Don shares decades of wish lists asking Santa for a Headmaster Arcee. Brian’s own big wish in 1985 was Omega Supreme.
What We Got This Week
Brian got Masterpiece Smokescreen from his wife, Kim, and has not transformed it yet.
Diecast got Masterpiece Smokescreen and likes it.
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.