BotCon 2015 is one week away, and the crew plans a live stream from St. Charles. Takara Tomy confirms Legends Nightbird Shadow, Slipstream and Black Widow, its name for Blackarachnia, and Brian preorders all three. BotCon posts souvenir pricing, including a four-pack built from one mold and a $29 Kre-O six-pack. Mastermind Creations’ Spartan, an Impactor homage, looks far better than its CAD render.
News
Takara Tomy Confirms Legends Nightbird Shadow, Slipstream and Black Widow
Takara Tomy confirmed Legends LG-15 Nightbird Shadow, LG-16 Slipstream and LG-17 Black Widow, its name for Blackarachnia. Preorders are open, and Brian ordered all three right away. The crew notes this is the first official Nightbird action figure. One host thinks this Slipstream looks more like Slipstream than the Collectors’ Club version. Several hosts want a modern Beast Wars Blackarachnia, despite the awkward torso. Rob would like to see the mold repainted as Tarantulas, just for laughs. Don pitches a repaint into the Beast Machines version with a new head. [Source: not found]
Loyal Subjects Shows SDCC-Exclusive Vinyl Figures
Loyal Subjects revealed SDCC-exclusive vinyl figures, including a yellow Buzzsaw. Vinyl figurines are not most hosts’ thing. One host praises Loyal Subjects’ customer service for replacing a broken figure, though the replacement came in another blind bag. He dislikes paying around $13 for a blind bag that may be a duplicate. [Source: not found]
TFCon Shows an Officially Licensed Transformers Shirt
TFCon revealed an officially licensed Transformers shirt for 2015, which will also be sold at the Charlotte show. The crew is impressed the license reaches the U.S. as well as Canada. Don will ask Protoman on TFYLP who drew the art. The talk turns into a plea to stop treating rival conventions like sports teams, since each one fills a different need. [Source: not found]
BotCon 2015 Posts Artist Alley Details and Souvenir Pricing
BotCon posted Artist Alley details and souvenir pricing. Souvenir Set 3 is a four-pack, and one host says Pete confirmed on another podcast that all four share one mold. The crew expects a Diaclone-colored Skids and a General Optimus Prime paired with a Scoop-based Sergeant Hound. The Kre-O set is $29 for six figures, about $5 each, and one host plans to buy two. A chat member points out that Kre-O combiners use four figures, not five. [Source: not found]
Mastermind Creations Shows Reformatted R-13 Spartan
Mastermind Creations showed new photos of R-13 Spartan, its Impactor homage. It shares a base mold with the company’s IDW Turmoil figure. One host preordered it right away and says it looks far better than the CAD render. Another dislikes the Metal Slug-style tank mode but loves the robot. The figure is about $85 and stands about seven and a half inches tall. [Source: not found]
Iron Factory Previews a Legends-Scale IDW Overlord
Iron Factory showed IF EX-11, a Legends-scale Overlord based on the IDW design. It splits into two robots and offers all three of Overlord’s modes. Brian thought he wanted it but has cooled on it. Don is glad fans will have an affordable Overlord option. [Source: not found]
MakeToys Will Sell Guardia’s Streetwise Individually
MakeToys showed Streetwise for Guardia, its Defensor homage, following Groove. The individual robots are bigger than Quantron’s, yet the combined form scales with Quantron and Green Giant. MakeToys will sell these limbs one at a time, which makes the combiner easier to collect. Yellow Giant also returns with Green Giant’s fixes and extra accessories. [Source: not found]
DX9 Shows Color Test Shots of Carry
DX9 posted color test shots of D06 Carry, its Rodimus Prime homage, in unpainted plastic. Some hosts like it, while one is happy with Cloud Rodimus. The spoiler becomes part of the trailer, so only one side is yellow. Don wants it for an all-in-one Winnebago mode, which his Protector armors cannot offer. [Source: not found]
MakeToys Pairs a Hardhead Homage With Cupola
MakeToys revealed a Masterpiece-style Hardhead homage to stand beside Cupola, its Chromedome homage. One host dislikes the treads on the front of the legs and will wait for Fans Project’s Function X Hardhead. The crew suspects Fans Project has gone quiet to prepare a TFCon launch. Cupola costs about $134 and stands about 23 centimeters, slightly shorter than MP-10. One host warms to it after seeing it next to Masterpiece Ultra Magnus. The MakeToys Reflector three-pack runs about $150. [Source: not found]
This Week in History
On June 11, 2003, Hasbro announced plans for a live-action Transformers movie. It arrived four years later, on July 4, 2007. The crew agrees the first film holds up better than its sequels. Revenge of the Fallen also hit theaters this week in 2009. The hosts rank it the worst of the films, with action scenes that are impossible to follow.
On TFormers This Week
Exvee reviewed Windblade #3, which closes out Combiner Wars proper. TFormers also launched a series of convention survival guides. One covers how to handle bedbugs, and another lists places to eat near BotCon in St. Charles.
What We Got This Week
Rob finally ordered Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus, using a 15 percent coupon with free shipping.
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.