MP-22 Ultra Magnus gets its accessory list, including Spike and Daniel figures, and goes up for preorder at HobbyLink Japan. Masterpiece Prowl and Grimlock are confirmed as Toys R Us exclusives in the US. KFC Toys shows Diaclone-style and Shining Magnus repaints of Citizen Stack, and a modified knockoff turns Universe Onslaught into Strika. Exvee and Rob review Robots in Disguise #28 and More Than Meets the Eye #28, and Brian asks for favorite JD moments for the June returniversary show.
Returniversary Call for JD Moments
RFC has been back every week since mid-June 2009, thanks to JD Church, who died in February. Brian plans to make the June returniversary episode a JD tribute show. He asks listeners to send favorite JD moments and stories on Twitter or by email.
Needless Essentials Top 50 Transformers Countdown
M. Bob asks listeners to vote in Needless Essentials Online’s countdown of the 50 greatest Transformers figures for the 30th anniversary. Fans post their top 15 in the article comments. Only Hasbro, TakaraTomy and Transformers Collectors’ Club figures count, and combiners count as one toy. Results arrive May 20.
This Week in History
On May 6 and 7, 1999, the final two episodes of Beast Wars aired, “Nemesis” Parts 1 and 2. The crew lists the high body count and loves Waspinator’s happy ending, though one host feels Beast Machines undid it. That sparks a debate over the best Transformers series finale. Brian loves The Rebirth and Don likes it too, while M. Bob wanted a better Blaster versus Soundwave fight.
News
Figure Subscription Service 2.0 Gets a Shipping Estimate
Transformers Collectors’ Club subscribers received a shipping estimate for the first Figure Subscription Service 2.0 figures. Brian thinks the set looks killer, and the crew advises believing it when the box is on the doorstep. [Source: not found]
Transformers Universe Offers Paid Founder Packs
The Transformers Universe online game, still in beta, now sells packs from $44.99 to $449.99 that include special characters. The crew notes the game was supposed to be free to play. Brian reserved the character name Billy at BotCon 2012, a nod to Blaster’s name in the Headmasters English dub. [Source: TFormers]
Kre-O Dinobot Ride Set
A photo shows a 46-piece Kre-O set with Optimus Prime riding Grimlock. One host says fans have wanted Optimus Prime to saddle up Grimlock for 30 years. [Source: not found]
MP-22 Ultra Magnus Accessories Revealed
MP-22 Ultra Magnus includes an extra face, a weapon, Spike and Daniel figures and fists. The cab does not need to be removed to transform, and the figure is a new mold rather than an MP-10 Convoy in armor. One host will be disappointed if the white cab cannot become its own small robot, and the crew expects a new fandom fight over it. One host reports it is still up for preorder at HobbyLink Japan for about $141 plus shipping. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Prowl and Grimlock Are Toys R Us Exclusives
Masterpiece Prowl and a Masterpiece Grimlock reissue are confirmed as Toys R Us exclusives in the US. Grimlock should appear soon, and Prowl is due in August at $69.99. The crew advises importing Masterpiece cars instead, since Toys R Us marks prices up. One host wonders whether Alternators could pad the line, and the rest of the crew says no. [Source: TFormers]
Toy World Swamper, a Not-Skullcruncher
Toy World shows Swamper, its not-Skullcruncher. The crew likes the green and pink colors, but Don thinks the feet look like platform shoes from the side. Several hosts would rather have Fans Project’s planned alligator from “City of Steel.” They also wonder when Toy World will finish its not-Throttlebots. [Source: not found]
KFC Toys Shows Citizen Stack Repaints
KFC Toys revealed renders of two Citizen Stack repaints: one in Diaclone Powered Convoy colors and a Shining Magnus. Brian is definitely getting the Diaclone version, since he regrets missing the Diaclone Powered Convoy reissue. The crew mocks the Shining Magnus unless it comes in translucent plastic. Citizen Stack itself is already out. [Source: not found]
Modified Knockoff Turns Universe Onslaught into Strika
A knockoff of the Universe Onslaught mold has been modified into Strika. The same group plans to turn the Energon Bulkhead mold into Obsidian. Brian calls it the weirdest thing, a sort of unofficial Collectors’ Club figure, but admits he wants it. The crew remembers knockoffs sold at Big Lots and dollar stores over the years. [Source: not found]
Generations Legends Cosmos and Swerve Found in the US
Brian confirms the Legends wave with Cosmos and Swerve has turned up at retail in Washington State. One host’s Big Bad Toy Store preorder now says May. [Source: not found]
Q&A with Rob Springer
Scott of Good Morning Cybertron asks which toy release Rob Springer looks forward to most this year. Rob Springer picks all the new Dinobots, including the Beast Machines-style team and the Age of Extinction figures in wild colors. He also looks forward to more Kre-O and Construct-Bots. He bought the Flip and Change Grimlock at Walmart on Easter and demonstrates it on camera, admitting a toddler’s toy was a lot of fun.
Comic News with Aimee Morgan
Aimee reminds readers that Free Comic Book Day on May 3 offers the first issue of Tom Scioli and John Barber’s Transformers vs. G.I. Joe. She points to the many Windblade interviews and the early previews posted on Newsarama. At WonderCon 2014, IDW announced Primacy from Livio Ramondelli, Chris Metzen and Flint Dille for August 2014. An IDW live panel with John Barber, James Roberts and Mairghread Scott is archived on YouTube. Weekly promo images tease the second seasons of Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets the Eye, plus Windblade.
Comic Review: Robots in Disguise #28 and More Than Meets the Eye #28
Exvee and Rob find Robots in Disguise #28 unusually weak. The Autobots arrive on Earth by Sky Lynx after a six-month time skip, but little happens beyond flashbacks. One reviewer wishes Rodimus led the Earth team to make it the comic version of cartoon season three. They praise Andrew Griffith’s sense of scale on Metroplex and enjoy Optimus Prime leaving Prowl’s people behind.
More Than Meets the Eye #28 fills its flashbacks with character moments, like Rodimus’s facepalm and Swerve’s plans. The reviewers think Megatron’s trial deserved its own issue. Whirl’s fight with Megatron is hard to read under heavy red coloring. The issue is Josh Burcham’s last as colorist, and Joana Lafuente’s warmer colors take some getting used to.
What We Got This Week
Brian used a Comixology sale and Amazon credit to buy about 20 Transformers comic issues he had missed for $15.
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.