The unreleased G2 Stunticons set sells for nearly $27,000, and the crew tracks more Kenner prototype auctions live, including a Laser Cycle Soundwave that closes at $3,550. Harmony Gold turns to Kickstarter for a new Robotech series, to the crew’s amusement after its Jetfire lawsuit. Generations Lockdown surfaces, Transformers Universe opens its beta to everyone, and third-party Nova Lord is canceled. Rob Springer explains why the 3DS version of Rise of the Dark Spark is the one to get.
News
G2 Stunticons Set Sells for Nearly $27,000
The unreleased G2 Stunticons set sold for about $26,800, even without Menasor’s mask. The bidding jumped from $14,000 to $27,000 in the final seconds. Brian believes it is the most ever paid for a Transformer, topping a Unicron prototype that sold for about $12,500. Brian says his wife would have killed him. [Source: not found]
More Kenner Prototypes on eBay
The same seller’s Laser Cycle Soundwave closed at $3,550 during the show. An ATB Megatron sits at $800 with six days left, and a Cyberjet Air Raid production sample is at $67. A Dinobot prototype, a pale Waspinator and Auto Jetter and Auto Launcher figures are also listed. A G2 GoBot High Beam mock-up on a miscut Aliens vs. Predator card is Brian’s favorite oddity. [Source: not found]
Harmony Gold Turns to Kickstarter for Robotech
After suing Hasbro over last year’s San Diego Comic-Con Jetfire, Harmony Gold launched a Kickstarter for a new Robotech animated series. It has raised $87,000 with 29 days left. One host expects it to reach its goal but will not back it. One host says Harmony Gold has held the franchise hostage for 30 years. [Source: not found]
Age of Extinction Generations Lockdown Revealed
Generations Lockdown has appeared online. The crew is disappointed to see a Decepticon symbol and paneled hands that look like missing fingers. The Lamborghini car mode looks nice. [Source: not found]
Transformers Universe Opens Its Beta
Transformers Universe is now in open beta. Brian finally got in after a broken verification link, but he cares less now that anyone can play. It ran choppy on his laptop at high settings. [Source: not found]
Age of Extinction Box Office Slips
Age of Extinction held the top spot over the July 4 weekend with about $36 million, a 64 percent drop. Adjusted for screens, Captain America: The Winter Soldier still has the best opening of the year. Internationally, the film is doing great business. [Source: not found]
Transformers 5 and a Possible Crossover Movie
Transformers 5 may be rushed for 2016, and a producer floated a possible Transformers vs. G.I. Joe movie. Brian would love it, and the crew thinks a shared universe could help both franchises. [Source: not found]
Tomica Transformers Die-Cast Cars
Takara Tomy plans G1 and Age of Extinction Transformers cars in its Tomica die-cast line. Bumblebee and Rodimus are slated for the fourth quarter. Prowl, Lambor, Crosshairs, Lockdown and Optimus Prime follow in November. [Source: not found]
Nova Lord Canceled
BTS Toys canceled its Nova Lord, a third-party Overlord priced around $250, without saying why. The crew guesses costs ran higher than preorders could cover. Utopia, by comparison, costs $400. [Source: not found]
Actoys Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime
Actoys revealed a Hot Rod built from Masterpiece Sideswipe tooling, plus an upgrade kit to make Rodimus Prime. Brian thinks it looks surprisingly good but is too small next to MP-10 Optimus Prime. [Source: not found]
Mania King Swaps Its Laser for an LED
Unique Toys’ Mania King was set to fire a real laser pointer from its cannon, and Unique Toys is now replacing it with a red LED. Brian prefers the LED. He warns that uncalibrated laser diodes can be dangerous. [Source: not found]
Salmoore Ships, and New Fans Project Dinobots
Out-of-box images show Salmoore, the third-party Psykill, now in stock at some retailers for about $100. Fans Project showed test shots of its not-Slag and not-Swoop. A Hardhead and Highbrow were also mentioned. Brian wonders when any of them will ship. [Source: not found]
This Week in History
In 1987, the second Headmasters episode, The Mystery of Planet Master, debuted in Japan. Brian loves its English dub, where Blaster says ‘find the power pack’ before exploding. In 2001, BotCon opened in Durham, North Carolina. Its exclusives included Arcee on the Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia mold and Tigatron on the X9 Ravage mold. Don shares how organizers John and Carl teased him with the Arcee figure he had wanted for years.
Q and A with Rob Springer
Jimmy Schlitz follows up by asking which version of Rise of the Dark Spark is best. Rob says the console versions are essentially a map pack and are getting panned, so he will wait for a sale on the Wii U version. He calls the 3DS version the good game. It is a casual strategy game with turn-based, timed combat that moves between the movie and Cybertron eras. He rates it about an 8.
RFC Announcements
Brian and Rob Springer launched the Transformersdom blog at transformersdom.com, also reachable at tfradio.net/blog. Brian will also run a Transformers trivia contest at his cousin’s local convention.
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.