BotCon 2016 is announced for Louisville, Kentucky, in April, one of the earliest BotCon announcements the crew can remember. Hasbro’s New York Comic Con panel promises a Combiner Wars animated series preview and the next chapter of Generations, with Diecast attending. A Year of the Monkey Optimus Primal repaint is hideous, and the crew wants it anyway. Masterpiece Tracks and Road Rage slip two months each. Fans Project shows its Optimus-colored Alligatorcon from “City of Steel.”
This Week in History
In 1954, Jeffrey Combs, the voice of Ratchet in Transformers: Prime, is born. In 1993, the Usenet group alt.toys.transformers is formed. Brian first joined in 1997 and says Don was already a legend there. The crew ranks Don on the Mount Rushmore of early Transformers fans and recalls “the question” he asked at every BotCon. One host’s proudest moment is Don giving Susan Blu a Generations Arcee.
News
Year of the Monkey Optimus Primal
A Year of the Monkey Optimus Primal is coming, repainting the Beast Machines Air Attack Optimus Primal in Optimus Prime colors. The crew calls it hideous and wants it anyway. One host would rather have had the better Blast Punch Optimus Primal mold. They joke about Optimus Minor as a Targetmaster partner. [Source: not found]
BotCon 2016 Heads to Louisville in April
BotCon 2016 will be held in Louisville, Kentucky, in April. Don calls it one of the earliest announcements he can recall and says Louisville is convenient for many fans. The crew runs through the last decade of BotCon dates and finds April has been rare. They note an April show means parents may have to pull kids from school. Diecast says the trip is hard from the Philadelphia area and he may skip it. One host says a yearly TFCon Charlotte might be all the convention he needs. [Source: not found]
New York Comic Con Panel to Preview the Combiner Wars Animated Series
Hasbro’s official New York Comic Con panel will preview the Combiner Wars animated series. It also teases the next chapter of the Generations story universe. Diecast will be there, and the crew expects Titan Wars news. One host hopes new ideas will freshen a Combiner Wars line he finds stale. The crew doubts Hasbro would sell a Titan as a build-a-figure. [Source: TFormers]
Masterpiece Tracks and Road Rage Delayed
Matt reports that Masterpiece Tracks and Road Rage have each slipped two months. Tracks now arrives in November and Road Rage in December. Animation-color Thundercracker, Red Bumblebee and a possible Exhaust rerelease still fill the schedule. The crew suspects the Exhaust rerelease is unsold stock meant for Asia. [Source: not found]
Transformers: Devastation Constructicon Boss Battle Footage
New footage shows the player fighting all six Constructicons before they merge into Devastator. One host is warming up to the game even though it is not what he hoped for. Several hosts already have it preordered. One host is puzzled that Motormaster follows the Combiner Wars design while Menasor’s art mixes G1 and Combiner Wars. [Source: not found]
Combiner Wars Onslaught, Brawl and Scattershot Test Shots
New test shots show Onslaught, Brawl and Scattershot. Don says Scattershot looks better than the early photos but still wears an unaltered Superion head and chest. The crew is skeptical about Technobot deluxes, though one host takes the “Betatron” name as a hint that Computron is coming. Brawl is a brand-new mold, and the crew loves his brutish face. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Ironhide Gets a Ship Date
Masterpiece Ironhide is set for January at about $90. John points out the messy lower legs and feet, and the crew cannot unsee them. Others still dislike the hip panels and face. One host suspects the licensed Nissan van mode forced compromises in the robot mode. [Source: TFW2005]
Hasbro Files Backtrack and Autobot Wheelie Trademarks
Hasbro files new trademarks for Backtrack and Autobot Wheelie, and a separate report says Brawn was refiled too. The crew notes rumors of a Wheelie in the 2016 Generations Legends assortments. One host has a soft spot for Wheelie as a season three kid. Several hosts want a Legends-class Wheelie to go with their movie figures. [Source: not found]
Fans Project Reveals an Optimus-Colored Alligatorcon
Fans Project repaints its Crocs figure as the Alligatorcon from “City of Steel,” the episode where Optimus Prime’s torso becomes an alligator robot. Several hosts want it badly, and Diecast presents the story. It debuts in Singapore this month, and Diecast hopes it turns up at TFCon Charlotte. One host says the head looks like the Powermaster Prime from Jose Delbo’s comics. Another floats a Beast Wars leaders two-pack using Fans Project molds. [Source: not found]
DX9 Carry Final Production Photos
DX9 shows the final production version of Carry, its unofficial Masterpiece-scale Rodimus, with box, instructions and fixed chest flames. Diecast reviewed the test shot and expects it in hand within a month. Don has not wanted a third-party figure this much in years. The photos also show DX9’s Galvatron, which may tempt the crew into buying both. [Source: not found]
Unique Toys Provider Color Photos
Unique Toys shows color photos of Provider, its unofficial Masterpiece-scale Octane. Diecast says it was reworked after BotCon feedback on its back. Don says no one mode looks sacrificed and wants it. [Source: not found]
Mastermind Creations’ Nero Rex recolors Feral Rex in purple and black as a $600 box set. It debuts at the Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention. John calls Feral Rex the one third-party toy he will never let go, but he is not paying for this one. The crew finds it pretty but random, and one host doubts it will ever hold its value. Don loves how the colors make it a different character. [Source: TFW2005]
What We Got This Week
Matt
Matt got Masterpiece Blue Streak and says the blue pops in person. He also got Masterpiece G2 Bumblebee and all of Optimus Maximus. He picked up Legends Skywarp and Rodimus plus Transformers Adventure Override and Runabout.
Diecast
Diecast got Masterpiece Blue Streak, still boxed, and Takara’s Legends Cosmos for about $17. That version is a darker green and comes without the Targetmaster.
Don
Don is holding his pile of loot until more arrives, including DX9 Carry.
John
John had nothing in Transformers this week.
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.