Radio Free Cybertron rings in 2014 with a giant 2013 year in review. Brian, Diecast, Don, Matt and JD revisit Metroplex, the Fortress Maximus reissue and a record year for Masterpiece. They also sort through a flood of third-party combiners and Headmasters. In the news, TFCon expands to Chicago in October 2014 and Masterpiece Wheeljack appears in silhouette. Ron Friedman also says he never wanted to kill Optimus Prime.
This Week in History
Clancy Brown was born in 1959. Transformers Prime fans know him as the voice of Silas, though Brian first slips and credits him with Agent Fowler. The crew remembers him best as the Kurgan in Highlander.
News
Ron Friedman Says He Never Wanted to Kill Optimus Prime
In an interview previewing his memoir, I Killed Optimus Prime, Ron Friedman says he told Hasbro that removing Optimus would not work. Hasbro had new, more expensive toys planned. He also says he created Unicron and Arcee, and the crew tells Don he can thank Friedman in person if he comes to BotCon. [Source: Todd Matthy]
TFCon Expands to Chicago in October 2014
TFCon, Canada’s largest fan-run Transformers convention, will add a U.S. show in Chicago in October 2014 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. Brian and Rob Springer plan to go, and Brian wants to attend more fan-run conventions. [Source: TFCon]
Previous Masterpiece Designer to Return for the 2014 Line
The designer of earlier Masterpiece figures such as MP Megatron will lead Masterpiece design in 2014. The crew worries, since the recent figures have been so good, though one host says to wait and see. [Source: TFormers]
A silhouette of Masterpiece Wheeljack looks like Wheeljack. It is only a silhouette, but the crew is glad to finally see something. [Source: TFormers]
Mastermind Creations R-04 Leo Dux
New images show Leo Dux, the squadron commander of Mastermind Creations’ not-Predaking. Brian calls it the best of the rival Predakings, about the size of Hercules. [Source: TFormers]
iGear Releases Its Not-Sharkticons
First reported around 2011, iGear’s not-Sharkticons are out. Brian likes the beast modes best but would only want one. One host already has Impossible Toys’ Sharkies and will wait for reviews. [Source: TFormers]
Unique Toys’ Not-Galvatron Gets a Near-Final Prototype
A near-final prototype of Unique Toys’ Galvatron homage looks better than before. It costs $89.90 and stands about 18 centimeters, a Voyager-size fit with Classics figures. The crew dislikes the head hanging under the cannon and still calls Quakewave the best of the Masterpiece-style homages. [Source: not found]
2013 Year in Review: Highlights
Toy Fair 2013 tops the list, with Thrilling 30 and Titan Class Metroplex arriving out of the blue. Shartacon in Charlotte, North Carolina, impressed everyone as a first-year show, and the next one is in 2015. Brian and Rob Springer attended the red carpet opening of the Transformers ride at Universal Orlando, where Brian got powder burns from the fireworks. BMOG’s Kickstarter funded, with figures due in March or April. Metroplex was arguably the biggest Transformer ever, and the Sandstorm and Springer mold was the year’s biggest surprise. The Fortress Maximus reissue let collectors like Diecast finally own one, at about $250 with the Master Sword.
2013 Year in Review: Exclusives and Hasbro Toys
The crew compares Transformers Subscription Service 1.0, led by Ultra Mammoth, with 2.0, led by Thrustinator, a Rumble and Frenzy mold, Barricade and Chromedome. The Collectors’ Club member figure Depth Charge was a standout. Don calls the BotCon 2013 Machine Wars set good but limited by the molds available. Beast Hunters brought several Predakings, Twinstrike and Terrorcons that combine into Abominus, plus Sharkticon Megatron. Thrilling 30 delivered Rhinox, Skids, Waspinator, Dreadwing in G2 colors, Blitzwing and Double Dealer, the Wreckers combining into Ruination, Hoist and Trailcutter. Platinum Edition releases included Energon Omega Supreme and Predaking, and Brian picked up Takara’s TG-2 Ratbat on the Scourge mold.
2013 Year in Review: Masterpiece
Brian calls 2013 the biggest Masterpiece year yet. It brought the U.S. Soundwave, Sideswipe, Red Alert, Prowl, Bluestreak, Smokescreen, a convention Tigertrack and the Acid Storm repaint. G2 Sideswipe and Soundblaster with Ratbat were revealed for 2014, and Soundblaster sits in Brian’s preorder list. Diecast now owns the Year of the Horse Optimus Prime and calls it awesome. A Masterpiece Ultra Magnus on the MP-10 mold is also on the way.
2013 Year in Review: Controversies and Age of Extinction
The San Diego Comic-Con Jetfire and Hound G.I. Joe crossover set was delayed by a dispute involving Harmony Gold. Brian got it mostly for the Bludgeon figure. Age of Extinction cast Mark Wahlberg and was billed as a new trilogy, not a reboot, amid strange incidents on set. Hasbro also announced simplified transformations, starting with scaled-up Legion figures.
2013 Year in Review: Third Party
Brian names two big trends: Headmasters with real Headmasters, and a glut of dueling combiners, including three Predakings. Highlights include Smart Robin and Brainwave as rival Brainstorms, Toy World’s Hardbone and Throttlebots, and iGear’s Mini Warriors. Fans Project’s Warbot Revolver, Mastermind Creations’ Hexatron and BTS’s Nova Lord also stand out, along with Fans Toys’ Slag and Quakewave. Don has Nova Lord on order and notes it is still cheaper than a G1 Overlord.
2013 Year in Review: Odds and Ends
Other moments include the anime-colored Encore Devastator and Dave Schultz’s interview with Jason Janson, who played Tommy Kennedy. The cancelled Brawn and Super Fire Convoy reissues and the Hall of Fame fan-built bot poll’s female Autobot jet also made the list. So did the $550 Titan Class Scorponok and the Covenant of Primus, which Diecast hung on his wall. Don makes sure the crew remembers that Transformers Prime ended in 2013 with Predacons Rising. Next week, the crew makes its 2014 predictions.
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.