Pre-Toy Fair leaks bring the first blurry looks at Titans Return Mindwipe, Scourge, Alpha Trion and a Chromedome Titan Master head. Rob and Chris preview what Toy Fair 2016 might hold, and Nuremberg reveals Robots in Disguise Gigawatt Optimus Prime. Masterpiece Optimus Primal’s prototype looks great, and Chris thinks Unite Warriors Blast Off may have two robot modes. Plus a Platinum Edition Classics Megatron in Nerf-style colors and X-Transbots’ Swarm Team three-pack.
News
Toy Fair 2016: What Will We See? Predictions, Expectations, Speculation
Rob and Chris wrote the TFormers preview. They expect a lot of second waves, plus the remaining Combiner Wars box sets. Computron and Liokaiser will likely carry the line through the end of the year. The Titan Master assortments are the biggest unknown. A Gigatron trademark could point to Overlord, since Hasbro has used that name for him before. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Pre-Toy Fair Leaks Begin: Mindwipe, Scourge, Chromedome’s Titan Master and Alpha Trion
Autobase Aichi posted blurry images of Deluxe Mindwipe and Scourge, Voyager Alpha Trion and Chromedome’s Titan Master head, Stylor. Some fans dislike Scourge, but most of the crew thinks he looks right, though his upper body needs more color contrast. One host expects more season three and four characters. He guesses a Voyager Rodimus Prime or a Deluxe Hot Rod for the movie’s 30th anniversary. Alpha Trion looks like a heavy Galvatron retool, with lion-head shoulders and a possible jet mode. The crew worries Stylor may be a standalone Titan Master, which would anger fans who want a full Chromedome. They also wonder whether Hasbro will sell alternate heads as part of a mix-and-match gimmick. [Source: TFormers]
Robots in Disguise Gigawatt Optimus Prime and Mini-Cons From Nuremberg Toy Fair
Hasbro Germany’s Facebook page shows Gigawatt Optimus Prime with the chest-plate Mini-Con seen last week. Don notes the legs are shorter and less hollow than the large Takara Tomy Optimus Prime. The crew agrees it is a new mold, and the best-proportioned Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime yet. [Source: TFormers]
Generations Platinum Edition Set “One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall” Featuring Classics Megatron
The set pairs Classics Optimus Prime with Classics Megatron in new colors. Megatron becomes a red gun and a silver robot, much like a Nerf Zombie Strike blaster. The crew thinks a gun-mode Megatron may never be sold in the US again, so the set may be an import. Some prefer the old Nerf-colored Megatron, and others dislike Optimus Prime’s clear blue side panels in truck mode. [Source: TFormers]
Masterpiece Optimus Primal Prototype Revealed In Magazine
The prototype’s robot mode has balanced, show-right proportions, and the ape mode can stand tall or lean forward. His eyes light up. The crew wonders which accessories he will include beyond the swords, from the skull mace to a riot shield. [Source: TFormers]
First Clear Look At Unite Warriors Blast Off
Matt loves how closely it matches the animation model, though it will stand out from the other Combaticons. Chris points to a second robot chest on the back in the Figure King scans. He thinks the shuttle’s front section can face forward for a cartoon look or back for a toy-accurate look. Several hosts have preordered, and Diecast’s Toy Fair mission is to lobby Hasbro for a shuttle on G2 Bruticus. [Source: TFormers]
New Official Preview Videos For Robots In Disguise Season 2 and Rescue Bots Season 4
One host enjoyed the Rescue Bots preview. Few of the crew watch Robots in Disguise, though one host saw season one and says the big bad needed more setup. Don wants season two to connect back to Transformers: Prime. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Live: New Live-Action Event Set To Open In China In 2017
The event sounds like a theme park attraction with a theatrical show. The crew compares it to the live Kamen Rider and Super Sentai stage shows in Japan. [Source: TFormers]
Robots In Disguise Mini-Con Deployer Crazybolt Promo Photography
One host likes the vehicle but thinks the lizard mode looks like a chicken. The crew would like the idea of a vehicle turning into an animal robot at a more complex size. [Source: TFormers]
Masterpiece Bumblebee and Spike Found In Toys R Us Computers
Masterpiece Bumblebee with Spike appears in Toys R Us systems at about $65, a bit less than Prowl and Bluestreak. One host is surprised Spike is included. [Source: TFormers]
ToyWorld TW-07 Ramjet Render Image
One host has seen a comparison showing ToyWorld’s Ramjet standing a whole cone taller than Masterpiece Acid Storm. The crew finds a Masterpiece-scale seeker that does not match the others annoying. [Source: TFormers]
X-Transbots Shows Off Swarm Team MP-Style Sweep Three-Pack
Don is glad to see X-Transbots turn its Andrias mold into a three-pack of Sweeps for $299.99. The set drops the Targetmaster. Instead it adds the Cog of the City, the Eye of the City and parts for a Sweep possessed by Starscream. Andrias alone runs $150 to $160, so the crew calls it a bargain for troop builders. [Source: TFormers]
This Week in History
In 2010, IDW released Last Stand of the Wreckers #1. Its sequel, Sins of the Wreckers, is now on hiatus until April. The host who added the item has not read it but knows many fans call it a high-water mark. Brian says it is good but no longer a revelation, and the crew recommends the complete edition with the extra text stories.
Listener Feedback
Mark Baker-Wright points the crew to his Louisville edition of the BotCon Survival Guide. Jason Tate, aka TaterX, recommends BoomBozz Craft Pizza and Taphouse and Joella’s Hot Chicken. Brian has already booked lunch for the crew at BoomBozz.
What We Got This Week
Diecast
Diecast has been filling in his Transformers Animated collection. He also got a large knockoff of Evasion Mode Optimus Prime from the makers of the upscaled MP-10 knockoff. It is bigger than Masterpiece scale, with no clear plastic joints and a nicely engineered red truck mode. One host argues that knockoffs better than the real product feel like theft, though nobody accuses Diecast.
Don
Don finally got G2 Superion. He wishes the box mentioned G2 at all, and still wants a third party to make G2-style packaging covers.
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.