Recording live from BotCon 2016 in Louisville, the Radio Free Cybertron crew breaks down the last BotCon’s Hasbro panel. The closing tease points to a Titans Return Overlord, and Liokaiser turns up as an Easter egg on a Platinum Edition box. Hasbro finally shows Combiner Wars Computron and confirms Groove for May. The club’s final subscription service brings a double Pretender Megatron, and the BotCon Megatron sells out amid rumors of a bulk buyer.
News
#BotCon 2016 – Hasbro Panel Report & Images
Most of the panel showed toys fans had already seen. The closing tease, with Gigatron and Megatron silhouettes, points to Overlord. New Titans Return reveals include Weirdwolf, a triple-changing Alpha Trion and a new-mold Highbrow. In the crew’s interview, Hasbro said Titans Return will lean less on reshells than Combiner Wars. [Source: TFormers]
BotCon 2016: Liokaiser Spotted on the Back of a Platinum Edition Box
Liokaiser was not announced, but the crew spotted him as an Easter egg on the back of a Platinum Edition package in the display case. Hasbro would not comment on whether he exists. [Source: TFormers]
BotCon 2016: Computron, Groove and the Hasbro Display Case
Hasbro finally showed Combiner Wars Computron. The crew loves the new dedicated hands and rocker feet, and Brian may 3D print copies for his other combiners. Scrounge gets his first toy, a yellow Legends Cosmos mold. Hasbro also confirmed Deluxe Groove for an online release in May, with no plans to bring over the Takara Tomy Blast Off mold. Hasbro is still working on the Onslaught alternate chest promised last year. [Source: TFormers]
Platinum Edition Autobot Heroes and the SDCC Tease
A Platinum Edition set honoring the 1986 movie gathers Springer, Arcee, Ultra Magnus, Kup and Blurr in glossy new decos. The crew loves the box and wants a Titan Master Kup. The San Diego Comic-Con tease pairs a translucent orange Sentinel Prime with an IDW-colored Brainstorm. Brainstorm comes with Autobot and Decepticon stickers. Hasbro says there are no current plans to release that Brainstorm any other way. [Source: not found]
BotCon 2016 – Collector’s Club Panel Report
The final Subscription Service 5.0 brings an Oil Master-mold Optimus Prime and a double Pretender Megatron. That Megatron uses a Legends figure inside a reproduced Grand Maximus Pretender shell. Counterpunch, Toxitron, Fractyl with a Scamper-mold Scorponok, and a Paradron Medic named Lifeline round it out. A crossover set pairs Cobra Commander with a Marvel comic-colored Masterpiece Ratbat and a translucent green Megatron hologram. Chris Batista returns for a new cover. [Source: TFormers]
Botcon 2016 – Souvenir Item Price Sheet Images Give List of At-Show Exclusives
Unit 3, a Streetwise repaint limited to 1,200, may be the best-looking toy in the set. With Tigatron and a sticker sheet, fans can build a Magnaboss. Megatron sold out at 850 pieces amid an unconfirmed rumor that one buyer took 40. Big Bad Toy Store denies being that buyer, and the crew wishes sales had been one per transaction. The Reflector three-pack uses the Combiner Wars Legends Shockwave mold, and Airazor is fiddly on her heels. In the box set, Tigatron and Ravage have half-heads, and Tarantulas has loose hand sockets. [Source: TFormers]
TFSource Booth Briefly Closed
The TFSource booth was closed for part of Saturday while a third-party room ran at another hotel. Chris stresses the crew does not know why it closed. [Source: not found]
Around the Convention
The dealer room is full of Japanese rarities, including boxed Battle Gaia and Guard City and several Grand Maximus. Artfire 2000 is raffling a Grand Maximus for $10 a button, with Victory Saber as second prize. Someone even opened an unreleased G2 Hero Megatron. The crew had lunch with longtime listener Jason Tate and met Alex Milne, Robbie Musso and many listeners. Rob and Chris photographed souvenir figures for TFormers galleries with homemade hotel-room lighting.
Friday’s free concert opened with Vince DiCola, followed by about 45 minutes of Stan Bush live. Brian left before Stan took the stage. Don asked his Headmaster Arcee question at the Hasbro panel and earned applause. Later he got a standing ovation for a heartfelt goodbye at the club panel. Chris also pitched blind-bag Titan Masters to Hasbro.
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.