Titans Return makes its first official appearance at Toy Fair Australia, led by Astrotrain and a surprisingly strong Fortress Maximus. BotCon 2016 reveals Combiner Wars Terrorsaur as its attendee figure and adds Aaron Archer as a guest. A Taiwan promotional Combiner Wars Groove turns up in full retail packaging, hinting at a wider release. Takara Tomy’s Thunderhoof outshines Hasbro’s version, and MakeToys’ Pandinus keeps tempting the crew.
News
BotCon 2016 – Attendee Figure Revealed As Combiner Wars Terrorsaur
The BotCon 2016 attendee figure is Combiner Wars Terrorsaur. The crew likes it, and one host wishes he had bought the attendee package. They also look at the club’s Armada Starscream-mold Ramjet and Skywarp. [Source: TFormers]
Aaron Archer Announced as BotCon 2016 Guest
Aaron Archer was announced as a guest the day registration ended. One host hears Archer is doing freelance work for Hasbro again. The crew recalls his long-held dream of a Jumbo Machinder-style Optimus Prime with firing fists. [Source: not found]
BotCon 2016 – General Admission Attendee Tickets Now with Judd Nelson VIP Option
BotCon now sells general admission tickets with a Judd Nelson VIP option. The VIP walk-in costs $189, and nobody on the crew plans to buy it. There are no press passes for Friday this year. One host would like the Judd Nelson art print, though. [Source: TFormers]
Robots In Disguise Season 1 Hits Netflix!
Robots in Disguise season 1 is now on Netflix. Brian plans to finally catch up after the weekend. [Source: TFormers]
The remaining Robots in Disguise season 2 titles include Overloaded, Bumblebee’s Night Off and a two-part Decepticon Island. The UK gets the whole season by mid-April. Brian jokes that Transformers: Prime could turn out to be Grimlock’s dream. [Source: TFormers]
Combiner Wars Fan Built Victorion Out Of Package Photos
Out-of-package photos of the fan-built Combiner Wars Victorion surfaced from a buyer who paid about $300. The crew dislikes the green. They like that every deluxe gets new heads and remolded parts, except the Groove recolor. [Source: TFormers]
Limited Promotional Release of Combiner Wars Deluxe Groove In Taiwan ToysRUs Stores
A promotional Combiner Wars Deluxe Groove is a gift with about $55 of purchases at Taiwan Toys “R” Us. Chris notes it now appears in full trilingual Combiner Wars packaging. He thinks that is too much effort for a simple giveaway, so a wider release seems likely. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Astrotrain First Look Plus Ravage, Galvatron, G2 Bruticus
Ozformers shared the first look at Titans Return Astrotrain from Toy Fair Australia, plus Ravage and G2 Bruticus. Galvatron finally appears in the right colors. Don notes fans can now recreate the God Gambit with Masterpiece Ramjet. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Exhibit Images: Toyfair Australia 2016 – Titans Return Fort Max, RID and More!
Display photos from Toy Fair Australia show Titans Return Fortress Maximus. The crew thinks it looks better than Metroplex, with better proportions and more color. Price guesses start around $150. [Source: TFormers]
Hisashi Yuki shared a scale chart comparing a Titan Master with a G1 Headmaster and Masterpiece Brain of Courage. Titan Masters come out smaller than both. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Adventure Out of Package Pictures of Quillfire & Thunderhoof Warrior Figures
Out-of-package photos show Takara Tomy’s Thunderhoof with far more paint than Hasbro’s version. The crew calls it a clear upgrade, while Quillfire is more of a sidestep. [Source: TFormers]
First In Hand Look At Masterpiece Shockwave MP-29
Big Bad Toy Store will soon charge for MP-29 Masterpiece Shockwave. The chest lights up on AA batteries and the arm cannon on button cells. One host wishes the eye lit up, and Chris explains why wiring the head would limit its movement. [Source: TFormers]
Masterpiece Optimus Primal Color Magazine Scans
New magazine scans show Masterpiece Optimus Primal, and the crew still loves it. [Source: TFormers]
TakaraTomy Legends Reissues For Beast Wars 20th Anniversary – LGEX Rattrap, Rhinox & Waspinator
Takara Tomy will reissue Legends Rattrap, Rhinox and Waspinator for the Beast Wars 20th anniversary. They will be Transformers Fest exclusives in May, without the original metallic finish. Waspinator reverts to his Japanese name. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers G1 Animation Original Cel Models Sunbow Productions
Sunbow color models from G1 animation are up on eBay. They include Powermaster Optimus Prime, Classic Pretenders and Blurr. The crew suspects many came from toy commercials. [Source: TFormers]
Third-Party News
Maketoys Product Expo Shows Off Pandinus, Vulcan, AKA Hot Spot & Contact Shot AKA Pointblank
MakeToys showed off Pandinus, its not-Hot Spot Vulcan and not-Pointblank Contact Shot. Don is tempted by Pandinus but would rather wait for a Black Zarak version. One host plans to buy Contact Shot, since Pointblank is his favorite Targetmaster. [Source: TFormers]
Iron Factory IF EX-14 ‘Super-God Commander’ Unofficial Legends(ish) Scale Apex Armor Optimus
Iron Factory’s IF-EX14 Super God Commander mixes War Within Optimus Prime with a Godbomber-style trailer. The crew likes the styling at Legends scale, though nobody commits to buying it. [Source: TFormers]
UniqueToys’ Sworder Unofficial MP-scale Sandstorm Prototype
UniqueToys’ Sworder prototype, an unofficial Masterpiece-scale Sandstorm, looks good in two modes. The crew mocks the car mode as a boat car. [Source: TFormers]
Also on TFormers
TFormers Video Review – Combiner Wars G2 Motormaster
Chris has nearly finished his G2 Menasor video reviews. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Promotional Video Featuring New Looks At Upcoming Toys
A Titans Return promotional video gives new looks at upcoming toys. [Source: TFormers]
Robots in Disguise Season 1 DVD Set Bonus Content Rundown
TFormers rounded up the bonus content on the Robots in Disguise season 1 DVD set. The redesigned TFormers.com also launched this week. [Source: TFormers]
Punning Around with Headmaster Don
Don debuts a new opinion segment. This week he argues Hasbro should revive Inhumanoids, pairing simple soldier figures with spectacular monster designs.
What We Got This Week
Diecast got a carded Robots in Disguise Clampdown for about $6, ordered alongside his G2 Menasor.
Don picked up TFC Toys’ not-Killbison and not-Hellbat for their unofficial Liokaiser. It is his first TFC purchase since Hercules. He also got G2 Menasor but has not opened it.
Brian found an Angry Birds Transformers Thundercracker for $3 at Five Below and loves it. He also landed his first straight G1 knockoff, a $40 Reflector with convincing packaging and stickers.
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.