Radio Free Cybertron turns 15 with a two-and-a-half-hour anniversary special. Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster explain how they tracked down the box art for Transformers Legacy. The episode also debuts the Transformers 101 pilot with Anthony Brucali. Diecast recaps New York Comic Con, where IDW teases Defensor for its Combiner Wars comic. The crew sizes up Ultimetal Optimus Prime, a Masterpiece-size third-party Blaster and DX9’s not-Mirage. Brian also revives classic segments from 1999 and looks back on 15 years of the show.
News
Ultimetal Optimus Prime
The crew never expected a statue-like Optimus Prime priced around $800 to $1,000. Comparison photos show it at about double the size of MP-01. Its faceplate moves and much of its outer shell comes off magnetically, which one host compares to Soul of Chogokin Mazinger Z. Brian admits he kind of wants it, and the crew expects Ender to buy one. [Source: not found]
Third-Party Not-Blaster from KFC
KFC shows what looks like the first Masterpiece-size third-party Blaster. The crew counts the official Blaster toys so far and lands on about six. A host who has seen an early test shot calls it a preview, not a review, and notes a unique transformation. Brian worries KFC toys might break, but he is halfway satisfied with his earlier KFC purchase. The talk turns to third-party scale, with several hosts expecting Voyager size to become the sweet spot. [Source: not found]
Shapeways and Hasbro’s Fan Art Program
A chat question asks how Hasbro’s new Shapeways fan-art program will affect third parties. Brian doubts it will matter much, since Shapeways suits small accessories, not full figures. The crew then debates third-party production runs. Guesses run from a few hundred units to a few thousand for proven lines like Fans Project’s Function X. BotCon exclusives likely stay under 2,000 sets. [Source: not found]
DX9’s Not-Mirage
DX9 shows a recolor of its small Masterpiece-style Mirage. The chat points out that DX9 designed Unique Toys’ Salmore, a not-Wreck-Gar the crew praises. One host who loves Mirage preorders it on the spot. One host still expects an official Masterpiece Mirage eventually. [Source: not found]
Angry Birds Transformers Launches on iOS
Rob downloads Angry Birds Transformers during the show and keeps playing. He calls the game wonderful, though it is not yet on Android. [Source: not found]
Interview: Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster on Transformers Legacy
Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster explain why they built Transformers Legacy around box art. Fans asked for it for years, but the art was hard to find, and Hasbro did not hold most of it. They wanted original paintings or first-generation copies so they would not have to repaint cut-off limbs. Jim calls it their hardest book on every measure. About 40% of the art came from Takara through Andrew Hall, and about 10% from Hasbro’s archives through Rick Alvarez. Roughly half came from fans and other unofficial sources.
The book misses only a couple of Action Masters and Jetfire, which was cut for legal reasons. Its last two chapters cover unused art and oddities, including art for a US Multiforce release and splash art for Full Barrel and Overflow. The status of a complete AllSpark Almanac is not final. They always pitch several book ideas a year, and more packaging art books could follow if Legacy sells. Exvee calls the book a home run.
Transformers 101: 1984
The pilot of Transformers 101, a new RFC Network podcast from RFC and TFU.info, is hosted by Anthony Brucali. Brian, Rob Springer and Don join him to discuss why 1984 matters. They point to the immersive cartoon, toys built after deregulation, and Transformers as appointment television after school. They also cover the FCC-required bumpers and the first-season cast, which gave every kid a favorite character. They laugh at MacGuffins like the power chip rectifiers and Chip Chase’s super strength. Favorite first-season episodes include Roll for It, the Ultimate Doom three-parter, Heavy Metal War and S.O.S. Dinobots. One host says he likes every episode of season one.
Classic RFC
Brian recreates segments from the show’s early days. He reads a fan-submitted News from Cybertron item. He follows it with a Bad Poets Poem, which he calls the show’s worst segment ever. He recalls trivia, Stump Monzo and the TF Wiki Spotlight with Chris McFeely and JD. The Computer, a sarcastic second voice, returns for a cameo. Turin wrote and Zobovor voiced the show’s Transformers: The Movie parody, which Brian says inspired Dr. Smooth. He credits Exvee, then known as Goldimus Prime, with toy reviews that set a template for today’s YouTube reviewers.
Brian names early contributors, including Rob Springer, John DeLuna, Exvee and JD. The show slowed after 2002 and went mostly silent after 2004 during a hard stretch in his life. It came back full time in 2009 when JD Church talked him into it. He thanks fans for 15 years of connection.
Q&A with Rob Springer
A listener asks whether a Marvel Studios Transformers movie would be better. The crew notes Marvel already made one in 1986 and would welcome Marvel’s team, as long as the same people made it. Another listener corrects the crew’s mangled name for the Guild of Concoctus Intent. The group makes cannon upgrades for a Masterpiece car and will be at TFCon.
Fifteen Years of Memories
The crew shares memories of joining the show. John DeLuna was the first or second person on the show after Brian, and Exvee followed. Rob Springer recalls emailing segments around 2000. The crew remembers meeting Diecast in person, and Matt’s first appearance came in John’s dining room at BotCon 2012. The crew signs off looking forward to seeing each other at TFCon the following week.
This Week in History: 15 Years of RFC
Radio Free Cybertron, the world’s first and oldest toy and action figure podcast, began on October 15, 1999. Brian marks the date with a list of what has happened since, from Y2K and the iPod to Beast Machines and four live-action movies. By his count, the years since brought about 406 Transformers comics, 321 cartoon episodes and over 3,500 toys. The crew jokes that the show is now older than some of its listeners.
New York Comic Con Recap
Diecast attended the Robots in Disguise panel, which showed new footage. A prison ship full of Decepticons crashes on Earth, and Optimus Prime sends Bumblebee after them. Bumblebee is stuck leading a team he did not want. The crew likes the premise and a lobster-like Decepticon. At the IDW panel, Diecast met John Barber. The Combiner Wars comic cover shows Menasor and Superion. A panelist hints at a combiner that “starts with a D and ends in fensor.” Brian is thrilled, and the crew debates whether a Combiner Wars Devastator could ever fit the play pattern. Diecast also waited two hours to have his face scanned onto an action figure. His IDW panel write-up is on the RFC blog.
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.