Prototype images of Masterpiece Wheeljack arrive, and the figure will come with a bonus anti-hypnosis device. Brian flies solo with first looks at Generations Nightbeat, Jhiaxus and Windblade, plus the Age of Extinction Leader Class Optimus Prime. Aimee Morgan rounds up every Transformers comic trade on the market and the first news on Windblade’s own series. Rob Springer explains why Mini-Cons stay small, and a classic 2011 segment debates the Aligned Continuity.
This Week in History
Brian notes the birthday of a Robots in Disguise (2001) voice actor he believes voiced Prowl. The actor was once a raunchy radio shock jock and reportedly a hit at BotCon 2002. Brian says the actor later stopped answering his emails about coming on the show.
News
Age of Extinction Leader Class Optimus Prime Revealed
A new image shows the Age of Extinction Leader Class Optimus Prime, heavily chromed and shown next to a pack of cigarettes for scale. Brian finds the figure so simple that it is hard to read the character design. He is not looking forward to simplified figures and hopes Generations stays more complex than the movie line. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Wheeljack Prototype Images and Anti-Hypnosis Device Bonus
Uncolored prototype images of Masterpiece Wheeljack appear. A retailer bonus adds his anti-hypnosis device. Brian will pick it up, though Wheeljack is not his favorite. He says a Masterpiece Mirage would make his life complete. [Source: not found]
Low-Res Images of Generations Nightbeat, Jhiaxus and Windblade
Low-resolution images show Generations Nightbeat, Jhiaxus and a drawing of Windblade. Nightbeat appears to reuse the Jazz mold again, which Brian thinks is worn out but knows Exvee loves. Jhiaxus reuses the new Armada Starscream mold, and Brian is looking forward to both. [Source: not found]
New Photos of Transformers GO Optimus Prime
New photos show the triple-changing Transformers GO Optimus Prime. Brian sees a panel-former and compares it to odd Japanese releases from the late 1990s. He admits he ended up loving Beast Wars Neo Longrack, but he feels no urge to buy this one. [Source: not found]
Collectors Club Shows Transmutate in Vehicle Mode
The Transformers Collectors Club shows new images of its Transmutate figure, built on the Transformers Prime Arcee mold. Transmutate is now a motorcycle. Brian did not hate the idea and wants to see the robot mode. [Source: not found]
Comic News with Aimee Morgan
Aimee Morgan returns from a long break with a full rundown of Transformers trades. More Than Meets the Eye #25, also Dark Cybertron chapter 6, is out. So are the Monstrosity motion comic #8 and the third ReGeneration One trade. More Than Meets the Eye volume 5 and Robots in Disguise volume 5 are out. Beast Hunters volume 2 arrives in March, and the complete Monstrosity trade is available.
The Transformers: Retribution novel arrives January 28. The Covenant of Primus and The Art of Prime are both out. Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster’s Transformers Legacy, a 300-page celebration of package art, is up for preorder. Dark Cybertron volume 1 is due in April and ReGeneration One volume 4 in May. More Than Meets the Eye volume 1 and Robots in Disguise volume 1 get new printings with Livio Ramondelli covers.
IDW is teasing what comes after Dark Cybertron with images of Orion Pax and Windblade. IDW’s 2014 preview announces a four-issue Windblade miniseries by Mairghread Scott and Sarah Stone, starting in April. Aimee passes along the writer’s plea for preorders. Age of Extinction comics are due in June 2014. The Transformers vs. G.I. Joe crossover gets its own continuity and debuts on Free Comic Book Day. Phil Jimenez shares his subscription cover for Dark Cybertron #12, with Megatron fighting Shockwave.
Q&A with Rob Springer
Sean Starlipper asks if Mini-Cons grow to full size in vehicle mode. Rob says no, they stay small in every depiction so far. Armada’s skateboard, bicycle and scooter Mini-Cons became small real-world vehicles anyway. Rob adds that Transformers disguises always need a big grain of salt, down to the Marvel comic’s mannequin drivers.
Classic RFC: The Aligned Continuity (February 2011)
Brian replays a February 2011 segment with Rob, Exvee and John on Hasbro’s new Aligned Continuity of War for Cybertron, Exodus and Transformers Prime. Exvee says the three already contradict each other. Others argue that one universe helps Hasbro manage the brand and see which characters and stories work.
The talk turns to whether Transformers works in prose. One host says the franchise is visual and transformation does not come across in text. Another argues prose adds backstory and character work that the shows cannot. The crew agrees licensed books cost Hasbro little and promote the toys.
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.