It is the big pre-release Age of Extinction episode, recorded the week before BotCon 2014. Guests Chris Triplett and Nicole Hale join Brian, Matt and Diecast to sort through everything known about the movie, from Optimus riding Grimlock to a human-built Galvatron. Hasbro names its next animated series Robots in Disguise, and the first photo of Masterpiece Star Saber surfaces. BotCon brings Primal Prime as the customizing class figure and a Shout Factory live stream. Rob Springer offers frank advice on convention body odor.
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Next Animated Series Is Robots in Disguise
Hasbro’s next animated series reuses the name Robots in Disguise. Brian is cautiously optimistic and likes the look of the drawings. The crew jokes about the recycled title. Optimus Prime apparently will not lead the team, and the crew bets he returns within three episodes. [Source: TFW2005]
First Photo of Masterpiece Star Saber
A photo of Masterpiece Star Saber in unpainted mock-up form surfaced despite a no-photos rule. Brian is stoked for a Masterpiece that is not from the original American cartoon. One host would rather see Overlord or Galvatron. No alt mode has been shown yet. [Source: TFW2005]
BotCon 2014 Customizing Class Is Primal Prime
The BotCon customizing class figure will be Primal Prime, built on the Cybertron Optimus Primal mold. Brian loves the red, white and blue original. One guest still cannot see how anyone will customize it. [Source: TFW2005]
BotCon 2014 Shokaract and Alpha Trion Photos
Photos now show Shokaract, a nod to the 2000 BotCon exclusive, built on the Collectors Club Rampage. An Alpha Trion figure also appears. One host prefers the Million Publishing Alpha Trion. The rumored Apelinq was never confirmed. [Source: not found]
Shout Factory Streams from BotCon
Shout Factory will live stream content from the BotCon floor, possibly including an edited Hasbro brand panel. It will also stream episodes such as The Return of Optimus Prime. [Source: TFW2005]
MP-08 Grimlock Reissue Compared
One host’s YouTube video compares the original Masterpiece Grimlock with the new Toys R Us exclusive reissue. The plastic is more translucent, the red is brighter and the teeth are shinier but duller. There are no new accessories, and his copy lacks the extra paint shown in promos. Owners of the last reissue can skip it.
Cloud Shockwave and Cloud Rodimus
The Tokyo Toy Show revealed Cloud Shockwave, built on Generations Whirl, alongside Cloud Rodimus on the Springer mold. At about $100 each, the crew is skipping them, though one host likes the Rodimus colors. [Source: TFW2005]
Transformers Comics Sale on Comixology
Comixology is selling the Transformers Classics bundle of Marvel reprints for about $33. Regeneration One is about $20. Transformers vs. G.I. Joe No. 1 also gets a San Diego Comic-Con cover. [Source: not found]
Rise of the Dark Spark Escalation Trailer
Diecast watched the new Escalation trailer and says it looks a lot like Fall of Cybertron. He plans to wait for a price drop. The promised review copy has not arrived, and the game is out Tuesday. [Source: not found]
A beta tester posted an overview of the current Transformers Universe build. Rob Springer just got his invite. Nicole found her Hailstorm screen name already taken. [Source: TFW2005]
Transformers 5 Dated for 2016
Paramount says Transformers 5 arrives in 2016. Seven minutes of B-roll, a Meet Cade featurette and a Hound TV spot are up at Tformers. The movie was partly shot with new IMAX 3D cameras. [Source: not found]
Uber’s Autobot Rides and the Chevrolet Trax
Uber is running an Age of Extinction promotion offering Autobot rides in Camaros in Los Angeles. Chevrolet also has a new Trax model in China. Brian notes the car shares a name with the G1 Autobot. [Source: not found]
This Week in History
In 2004, BotCon 2004 opened on June 19 in Pasadena. It was the unofficial convention that year and was billed as the last BotCon. Fun Publications took over the license the next year.
Q and A with Rob Springer
Justin Bailey for Life asks whether conventions really smell as bad as people say. Rob says body odor is real but exaggerated, with pockets of funk in crowded dealer rooms. His advice: shower, wear deodorant and clothes that fit, and freshen up during breaks.
Age of Extinction Pre-Release Blowout
The crew walks through what the trailers reveal. Transformers are in hiding and hunted. Cade Yeager, played by Mark Wahlberg, finds Optimus Prime as a beat-up truck. A human-built Galvatron and Lockdown threaten the Autobots, who recruit the Dinobots. Nicole and Diecast are excited to see Optimus ride Grimlock. Brian goes in with low expectations, hoping to be surprised.
The crew debates Ken Watanabe voicing Drift and the films’ history of stereotyped characters. They predict which Autobot dies, with Ratchet the top guess. Everyone hopes Gregg Berger voices Grimlock, since he would not deny it in an interview. Nicole wants a Cyclonus cameo, even just to get punched.
RFC Announcements
The JD Church memorial episode posts June 25, featuring his first and last RFC appearances and a message from his wife, Amanda. A regular episode follows that week, and the Age of Extinction review lands by June 27.
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.