Warbotron’s giant not-Computron and a $400 Utopia not-Metroplex push third-party prices to new heights. Leaked BotCon 2014 souvenir figures include Flame War and Flare Up, while two new Protectobot box sets bring back the dreaded Blazemaster mold. Takara Tomy launches a new Legends line with Rattrap and Optimus Primal, and Japan’s Toys R Us gets a rusty Age of Extinction Optimus Prime. Don previews his BotCon plans, Rob Springer explains the Convoy pen, and Rob and Exvee review Robots in Disguise No. 30.
News
Subscription Service 2.0 Fistitron Arrives
Fistitron, built on the Roadbuster mold, is reaching subscribers well before BotCon. Its tan paint gives it a distinctive, non-retail look. Reviews of Chromedome and Dreadshot are also popping up. The crew guesses a black Zarak from the Scorponok mold could anchor Subscription Service 3.0. [Source: not found]
Don Previews BotCon 2014
Don is the only one of the crew attending BotCon. He wants to see what is left of the Thrilling 30 at the Hasbro panel and hopes for proof of the long-rumored new Arcee figure. Stan Bush is set for the Universal Studios party, and Shout Factory has a presentation planned.
Leaked BotCon 2014 Souvenir Figures
A rumored list of BotCon souvenir figures includes Vehicons as Pounce and Wingspan, Arcee as Flare Up and Flame War, and Rampage as Shokaract. An Apelinq built on Cybertron Primal is also listed. Photos of Flame War are already out. The crew notes the list would make a show-available black Zarak unlikely. Don likes souvenirs that fill out past sets. [Source: TFW2005]
Two Protectobot box sets broke this morning. One brings back the Blazemaster mold for a fourth time, to the crew’s horror. The other uses Prime Ratchet and Smokescreen molds, with Cyberverse Arcee repainted as Groove. One host hopes a smaller third party will offer replacement heads. Another reminds everyone that fans in 2001 would have loved any of this. [Source: TFW2005]
Toys R Us Japan Rusty Age of Extinction Optimus Prime
A Toys R Us Japan exclusive Optimus Prime gets a rusted deco. The crew loves how the rust reads as Ultra Magnus-style trim in robot mode and how the blue eyes pop. One host wonders how the soft paint edges will survive mass production. It should run about $50 to $60 and be easier to import than the movie-ticket Dinobots. [Source: not found]
Takara Tomy Launches a New Legends Line
Takara Tomy starts a new Transformers Legends line with Rattrap and a retooled Optimus Primal from the 10th anniversary mold. The crew expects mostly reissues of existing molds. One host preordered Optimus Primal, since he lacks that version. The crew pines for new Beast Machines toys like Jetstorm and Nightscream. [Source: TFW2005]
Beast Machines DVD Re-Release
Beast Machines gets a new DVD release in September. One host ranks it the third-best Transformers series after Beast Wars and Animated. [Source: not found]
Hero Mashers Hit Stores
New Hero Mashers reveals include Soundwave, which one host loves. The first wave turned up at Toys R Us for $16.99. One host expects Megatron’s Skywarp parts to lead to a build-a-figure. [Source: not found]
Rise of the Dark Spark Strategy Game on 3DS
Rise of the Dark Spark gets a 3DS strategy version. One host has wanted a Games Workshop-style Transformers game forever. [Source: TFW2005]
Warbotron revealed its not-Computron, and its Scattershot stands about as tall as MP-10. One host likes it. Others find it clunky and too big, and Scattershot’s arms look like a mess. The crew warns that giant combiners price everybody out. [Source: TFW2005]
Utopia Not-Metroplex Priced at $400
The Utopia not-Metroplex will cost $400. One host was seriously considering it and prefers its Classics-style look over Generations Metroplex. Don would rather finish his Fans Toys Dinobots first. The crew calls it the most expensive single third-party figure yet. [Source: TFW2005]
KFC’s Tempest borrows heavily from the engineering of an earlier garage-kit Cyclonus. One host calls it vanilla with bad color choices. Another thinks an IDW-styled Cyclonus would sell better. [Source: TFW2005]
My Little Pony Meets Transformers at BotCon
BotCon offers a My Little Pony crossover print and special cover. Brian is relieved there is no actual crossover fiction. [Source: not found]
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe No. 0 Free on Comixology
Brian finally downloaded Transformers vs. G.I. Joe No. 0 for free on Comixology after missing Free Comic Book Day. The crew loves Tom Scioli’s Kirby-style art, though one host is not sold on it. [Source: not found]
Evangelion Optimus Prime Preorders
Preorders for the Evangelion crossover Masterpiece Optimus Prime are up at about $314 at one US store. Nobody plans to buy it at that price. [Source: not found]
This Week in History
In 2003, Hasbro announced plans for a live-action Transformers movie. The crew remembers the fan backlash and producer Don Murphy’s abrasive posts, including his line about ‘no beast crap.’
Q and A with Rob Springer
Johan the Great asks whether the transforming Optimus Prime pen can actually write. Rob says it is a novelty item meant for a desk, not for writing pages. He compares it to his dollar-store Freddy Krueger pen.
Robots in Disguise No. 30 Review
Rob and Exvee review Robots in Disguise No. 30 while Mickey covers his ears. Prowl’s Devastator wrecks plans to keep the war on Earth quiet, and Arcee gets a strong flashback scene. The reviewers think the opening arc ran a full issue too long. One argues John Barber is writing a war story with a slow political-thriller pace. Galvatron the Barbarian is the highlight. Windblade led the three books in April sales at about 9,800 copies.
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.