Hasbro reveals Titans Return Leader Class Soundwave, a Blaster retool with Soundblaster as his Titan Master. Leaked art points to Combiner Wars Computron and a surprise Combiner Wars Liokaiser, and the crew sounds off on the piece-by-piece leaker. Unite Warriors Bruticus shows an arm that is not a jet, and Michael Bay says Transformers 5 will be his last. Plus the crew brainstorms G1 gimmicks third parties have not tried yet.
News
Titans Return Leader Class Soundwave And Titan Master Soundblaster Revealed
Hasbro posted official photos of Leader Class Soundwave, a retool of Blaster. His Titan Master is Soundblaster, fitting since Soundblaster is Soundwave’s head with new parts. The crew loves the yellow visor and the robot mode. The clear chest looks odd to some, and the stereo mode will take getting used to. One host hopes a future Leader Soundblaster comes with a Titan Master named Soundwave. [Source: TFormers]
Combiner Wars G2 Superion Available In The US On Amazon, Briefly
G2 Superion appeared on Amazon for about two hours at $99.99, then the listing vanished. Most of the crew missed it, though Triplett got one. One host preordered from another retailer just to be sure. The crew wishes Hasbro would share street dates, and notes the box set costs about the same as the individual figures. [Source: TFormers]
More Combiner Wars Computron Art Leaked: Today’s Puzzle Piece Is Nosecone
Strips of box art, following a Walmart inventory listing, point to Combiner Wars Computron. Afterburner appears to use the Unite Warriors Groove mold, and Strafe may be a retooled Air Raid. The crew is frustrated less by the leaks than by one person teasing art out a piece at a time for attention. Diecast compares it to marketing, and the others argue it only creates bad buzz before Toy Fair. [Source: TFormers]
Combiner Wars Not As Over As We Thought? Liokaiser Artwork Surfaces
Art for a Combiner Wars Liokaiser is the big surprise. Don is thrilled to see a Japanese combiner after years of 1984 to 1986 characters. The crew expects a box set built from less-used molds like Brawl, Sky Lynx and Air Raid. An earlier rumor suggested an Arms Micron chest piece, and the art shows his five-section staff. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Fortress Maximus Package Art Leak: Confirming Exclusive Version?
New Fortress Maximus art shows him holding a Master Sword. The crew thinks it matches the exclusive version mentioned in an earlier leaked slide, possibly for Comic-Con. [Source: TFormers]
Unite Warriors Bruticus Is Coming: Early Silhouette Features Suspiciously Shuttle-Shaped Arm
A work-in-progress Unite Warriors Bruticus from TFU.info has an arm that is not a jet, and Vortex now has four rotor blades. One host hopes G2 Bruticus is far enough out to use Takara Tomy’s new Blast Off mold. The crew jokes about Hasbro selling the right Blast Off as a pricey exclusive. [Source: TFormers]
Beast Wars 20th Anniversary: Masterpiece Optimus Primal Teased
The region-locked Takara Tomy video is a recap of early Beast Wars. It ends with a Masterpiece Optimus Primal silhouette and a “wait for next week” teaser. One host reads it as a preview of the next weekly anniversary video, not new information. [Source: TFormers]
First Look At Titans Return Deluxe Blurr
Blurr leaked at postage-stamp size, then in bigger images. One host likes it, though it needs deco help. Another host is disappointed by the approach of updating G1 toys with more joints. The crew jokes that the Titan Master should be named Diecast. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Adventure Kabaya Kits On The Way In February
Kabaya’s candy toy kits include Bumblebee, Grimlock, Fixit, Optimus Prime and Overbite. One host plans to preorder them. One host explains that Grimlock’s odd blue arms come from gang-molded parts runners shared across the kits. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers 5: Michael Bay Talks About Writers Room and Plans with Spielberg
Michael Bay confirms he is directing Transformers 5 and says it will be his last. One host points out that in the Rolling Stone interview Bay complains footage is terrible when he is not involved. The crew doubts this is really goodbye and hopes the lead is over 21 this time. [Source: TFormers]
Beelzeboss Fanatic Lord Nova Prime Upgrade Kit
A prototype kit turns Combiner Wars Battle Core Optimus Prime into Nova Prime. Nobody claims the item, and one host wishes it matched Nova Prime’s look in Devastation. [Source: not found]
Fans Project Dino Shells Limited to 500 Sets
Fans Project’s Pretender-style shells for its dinosaur combiner will be limited to 500 sets at about $90 each. Fans Project admits the project strains its resources but will see it through. Don had hoped they would make his Dinoking complete, but the price is too high. John fears the cost will scare other companies away from Pretender shells. [Source: not found]
Gimmicks Third Parties Have Not Tried
Brian asks what G1 gimmicks third parties could tackle next. Ideas include true-scale Micromasters, Beast Wars, Powermasters, Turbomasters, Monsterbots and the UK sublines. One host suggests Brave series gimmicks, and others suggest Spy Changers and Action Masters, which some companies are already doing. The crew worries about third-party plastic quality if anyone revived the sparking Monsterbots.
This Week in History
On January 4, 2005, Dreamwave Productions declared bankruptcy, ending its Transformers comics. Don is still sad, since he preferred the Armada comic to the show and was enjoying Energon. The crew jokes that Don has a type, and it is Simon Furman.
TFormers Year in Review Giveaway
Cybcouncil wins the $50 Big Bad Toy Store gift certificate, and Rhev and MTMA win $25 each. TFormers will contact the winners by private message.
What We Got This Week
Brian
Brian canceled his Masterpiece Road Rage preorder, then bought her when Amazon dropped the price to about $50.
Matt
Matt got Mastermind Creations’ Anarchist for his DJD collection, which is much larger than Seneca. He also got Masterpiece Red Bumblebee, and Tracks has made him like the mold more. He is keeping Road Rage in Corvette mode. He also missed canceling Masterpiece Clampdown, which is basically Red Alert in police colors.
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.