Windblade #1 arrives, and Exvee gives it the first perfect score he has ever handed a Transformers comic at TFormers. Aimee Morgan, Rob and Exvee praise Mairghread Scott’s writing and Sarah Stone’s art, and push back on the fan criticism. KFC Toys turns its Captain Shark mold into Haiku, a not-Sky-Byte, and Hallmark shows a G1 Optimus Prime ornament. Diecast, Matt and Lauren dig into Warbotron’s surprise Big Bad Toy Store exclusivity, and the whole crew shares how they found the fandom.
This Week in History
In 2004, Columbia Music Entertainment released the Zone OVA on DVD in Japan. Brian calls Zone a formative piece of his fandom, and the crew debates Headmasters, Masterforce and Victory. In 2003, Dreamwave released the first issue of War and Peace, which the crew places as its second G1 miniseries. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley of Dark of the Moon was born in 1987. The talk drifts to the worst Transformers comics, from the Dreamwave Micromasters book to IDW’s Galvatron book leading into Chaos.
News
Hallmark Shows a G1 Optimus Prime Ornament
A render of Hallmark’s 2014 Transformers ornament shows a G1 Optimus Prime based on the original toy. Brian thinks it looks great, and the crew is relieved it is not a movie design. [Source: TFormers]
KFC Toys Haiku and an Energon-Style Sharkticon
KFC Toys is turning its Captain Shark mold into Haiku, a not-Sky-Byte, plus an Energon-based Sharkticon. Brian already owns several Sky-Bytes but may need this one too. One host finds it simpler than most third-party toys, and another explains that it starts as a toy of the Brave fan favorite Captain Shark. [Source: not found]
Comic Review: Windblade #1
Exvee calls Windblade #1 the first issue he has ever given a full 10 out of 10 at TFormers, ahead of any issue of More Than Meets the Eye. He praises Sarah Stone’s art for its body language, motion and facial expressions. He says Mairghread Scott, who wrote his favorite Transformers Prime episodes, gives Windblade and Chromia real character within five pages. Aimee says Mairghread Scott and Sarah Stone did every interview they could to promote the book, which she calls smart, not pushy. The crew rejects the Mary Sue complaints, since fans voted for Windblade, and notes she did not start out like Drift. The talk turns to other artists they want to see more of, including Robert Gill, Matt Frank and Livio Ramondelli.
Q&A with Rob Springer
Mega81 asks how third-party toys then compare to now, and whether Hasbro is paying attention. Rob Springer says unofficial products are nothing new, pointing to the Lucas Brothers upgrade kits and the unofficial Action Master sold at BotCon 2004. The change is that companies now sell full retail figures for profit. He believes Hasbro watches closely but cannot acknowledge them publicly without having to act. He also worries the market is stagnating, with every company making its own version of the same combiner.
Hangout Roundtable: Warbotron and Getting into the Fandom
In a segment recorded on Google+ Hangouts, Matt says he found TFormers by accident and started watching recorded RFC episodes. Diecast came through the TFormers forums. Lauren, an automotive design student, got back into Transformers after finding Alternators Battle Ravage on clearance for $9. Lauren also has a Masterpiece-scale Menasor custom on hold.
The three then dig into Warbotron’s first figure. Only Big Bad Toy Store received it, and Warbotron said the store had a 90-day exclusive for ordering first. Other retailers such as Captured Prey, Toy Dojo and TFSource had committed to minimum orders without knowing. Diecast notes that Toy Dojo and A3U have already dropped Warbotron. The crew thinks Warbotron hurt itself badly after a strong start of showing every mode of its combiner up front.
How We Found the Fandom
Brian reads an email from Christopher Bucci, who ran The Transformers Collector website, which Brian mentioned on a 2009 episode. It was the first Transformers website Brian found in college, and it led him to the online fandom and eventually RFC. Exvee says RFC itself brought him in. Aimee found the fandom through Transformers Animated and Transformers podcasts while looking for old episodes for her kids. Hey Mickey has been a fan since Christmas 1984 and later became known on the AllSpark for his icons. Rob nearly joined an online fan group on Prodigy in the early 1990s, and first heard Exvee’s voice on RFC. Don bought his first Transformer, Sludge, on his 14th birthday in 1984 at a Greensboro flea market. He later played the original Spike in an online Transformers role-playing game.
Toy Hunting Etiquette
The crew trades stories about meeting other collectors in toy aisles. Hey Mickey treats store browsing as a zen experience and avoids talking to anyone. Aimee, Don and Exvee all enjoy helping parents and grandparents find the right toy for a child.
What We Got This Week
Brian finally got Generations Whirl, ordered from Hasbro Toy Shop on Exvee’s tip. He is afraid to move its knees after an AllSpark member found octagonal pegs inside the joints.
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.