The first tiny image of Unite Warriors Blast Off finally shows a real shuttle, and the crew is ready to preorder Bruticus. G2 Menasor box art appears, MP-30 Ratchet gets full-color photos, and the Planet of Junk set brings back the name Autobot Hot Rod. BotCon 2016 pre-registration runs smoothly, but a Golden Ticket exclusive and a $7 processing fee draw grumbles. Plus Don scores three Combiner Wars Bruticus limbs at Kmart for $4 each.
News
New Information and First Tiny Image Of Unite Warriors Blast Off, Plus More Transformers Adventure
A retailer order sheet shows a tiny image of Blast Off as a real space shuttle. Unite Warriors Bruticus lists at about $135 at Big Bad Toy Store, around $30 less than Defensor, and is not an exclusive. One host notes the shuttle’s nose now folds down into the torso, closer to the cartoon design. Don still wishes Hasbro had used a more accurate head on its jet Blast Off, and he will buy every Bruticus version. The same listings show a Transformers Adventure Optimus Prime with a Breastforce-style Mini-Con that forms armor and wings. The crew says it looks very Brave. [Source: TFormers]
Combiner Wars G2 Menasor Box Art
G2 Menasor is already in stores in Malaysia and is expected in the US around March. Several hosts love the G2 colors but dislike Combiner Wars Menasor, mostly because of Motormaster’s torso. One host would happily take a good knockoff. Don suggests displaying the individual Stunticons in front of the box art. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Masterpiece MP-30 Ratchet Full Color Image
Near-final photos show MP-30 Ratchet. The crew thinks he looks better than Ironhide, though the hip panels still bother them. Don jokes they look like throwing stars, and the crew wishes they detached as defibrillator paddles. [Source: TFormers]
BotCon 2016 Updates: Character Art, Golden Ticket Bonus and Production Sample Ravage
Chris reports that pre-registration opened smoothly. A Golden Ticket exclusive is only for buyers of the package that costs $325 above a Primus package. It uses the Legends troop builder mold in new colors and is not Beast Wars related. Hints say the custom class figure will be a 1984 or 1985 character on a Combiner Wars mold. It will use an unused alternate head, and fans suspect Ratchet. Don is irked by the $7 online processing fee on a $400 purchase. The crew also discusses whether Primus, press or cheaper packages give the best BotCon experience. A production sample of Ravage shows nice blue-gray plastic. [Source: TFormers]
New Robots In Disguise Happy Meal Toys On The Way
McDonald’s will offer Robots in Disguise toys that do not transform. Instead, each character comes as a separate robot or vehicle toy, and each one can be scanned to unlock a game. Brian likes that a Happy Meal is a sensible portion for an adult. [Source: TFormers]
Platinum Edition Planet Of Junk Set Revealed
The set includes Rodimus, Wreck-Gar and Scrapheap, and the Rodimus is labeled Autobot Hot Rod on the package. One host thinks the set exists mainly to claim the name, which may point to a future Titans Return Hot Rod. Both Junkions share plastic colors, and Scrapheap’s head appears to be the old Subscription Service Tarantulas head. The crew calls it a cheap set at around $100. [Source: TFormers]
TakaraTomy Reveals Wireframe Model Of Masterpiece Optimus Primal
The wireframe lists him as Convoy, with Beast Wars in parentheses. One host ranks reveals from silhouette to line art, wireframe, render and 3D print. He likes that this is the first season-one Optimus Primal designed to stand upright like the show. [Source: TFormers]
Masterpiece Ironhide Test Shot Chinese Video Review
The video shows the transformation on an actual test shot, which reveals more than the earlier CG video. The toy does not look any better than the crew expected. [Source: TFormers]
BotCon 2016 Dawn Of The Predacus Box Art Revealed
The box art and character cards use the same artist and colorist as current retail packaging. The crew notes the trade dress is unusually close to retail. One host finds it a shame that a Beast Wars 20th anniversary set has nothing Beast Wars about its packaging. [Source: TFormers]
IDW Comics: Robots in Disguise Animated Collection and Sins of the Wreckers Delay
A Robots in Disguise Animated trade paperback appears in April solicitations, and Rob is glad there is an all-ages book to give kids. Don pitches an anthology book for other Transformers universes. Chris and Rob like the idea but doubt the current comics market would support it. Sins of the Wreckers #4 will not arrive until April. [Source: not found]
This Week in History
In 2006, IDW Publishing launched its Transformers line in earnest with Infiltration #1. The crew remembers E.J. Su’s art as the selling point. Don believes Simon Furman’s voice would have kept pace if he had written Transformers through the gap years. Others say the decompressed pacing of Regeneration One lost them.
What We Got This Week
Don
Don found three of the four Combiner Wars Bruticus limbs at Kmart, which scanned at $4 each. A friend found him a Brawl at retail. He has also preordered G2 Superion from another retailer.
John
John preordered G2 Superion from another retailer before Amazon restocked it.
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.