Takara Tomy’s Masterpiece MP-25L Loudpedal turns a Finland-only black Diaclone Trax into a Tokyo Toy Show exclusive. May Mayhem fizzles out as Combiner Wars Groove sells out online within hours, with most orders pushed to late summer or fall. Comixology launches an all-you-can-read service packed with IDW Transformers comics. Toy World’s unofficial Springer and Generation Toy’s J4ZZ get a cool reception. Eric Crownover asks whether Titans Return will bring Titan Master fatigue.
This Week in History
In 2006, the eighth show in the Kiss Players radio drama series aired in Japan. Brian reads episode descriptions aloud, and the crew is glad most of it was never translated. Don notes Kiss Players still gave fans some good toys. In 2011, Del Rey Books released the Dark of the Moon novelization in the US.
News
UPDATED! May Mayhem Continues – Combiner Wars Deluxe Groove Available At Online Retail
Combiner Wars Deluxe Groove appeared at online retailers to close out May Mayhem. Small quantities sold out fast, and most retailers now list shipping between August and October. Several hosts placed orders, and one got his from a local retailer a week earlier. One host is glad he already owns Unite Warriors Defensor, since the differences are minor. [Source: TFormers]
Masterpiece MP-25L Loudpedal Tokyo Toy Show Exclusive Stock Photos
Masterpiece MP-25L Loudpedal is a black recolor of Masterpiece Tracks. Brian traced the deco, with help from Maz’s TF1 research, to a black Diaclone Trax sold only in Finland in the 1980s. It uses the toy-based head and comes with Raoul and a Twincast in Micro Change colors. The crew calls it surprisingly pretty, and two hosts plan to preorder. [Source: TFormers]
Comixology Launches New Subscription-Based Comic Viewing Service – Transformers Comics Included?
Comixology launched an unlimited reading service for $5.99 a month, with Dark Horse, Image and IDW titles. It includes Transformers: Robots in Disguise up to issue 52, Transformers vs. G.I. Joe up to issue 6 and the AllSpark Almanac. Brian calls it a great deal and points to the free 30-day trial. [Source: TFormers]
More Titans Return In Hand Pictures Now Including Stripes And What Fits In Wheelie
Titans Return figures have started showing up at Australian retail. New photos show Stripes and Wheelie, plus how small the new Legends are next to Legends Swerve. The crew is fine with a smaller Wheelie and Rewind, but worries about future characters. Don hopes Hasbro uses case fillers to get Gears back on shelves. [Source: TFormers]
DX9 Leah Legends-Scale Not-Arcee Color Photos
Color photos show DX9 Leah, a Legends-scale unofficial Arcee. Don likes it but already has two good Arcees, and small figures are not a priority for him. [Source: TFormers]
New Unofficial Springer Figure On The Way From Toyworld
Toy World is making an unofficial Springer. The crew calls out the oversized shoulders, a midsection that does not match and weak-looking hips. It also looks too big next to Masterpiece figures. One host still likes Toy World’s Astrotrain, which hides its kibble well in all three modes. [Source: TFormers]
Generation-Toy GT-4 J4ZZ – New Photos Of Unofficial Toy With Brazenly Accurate Name
Generation Toy’s GT-4 J4ZZ is a Masterpiece-scale unofficial Jazz with Classics influences. Most of the crew finds it too busy and its pearlescent gray too dark for Jazz. One host sees it as a modern Alternators-style Jazz rather than a Masterpiece. [Source: TFormers]
Also on TFormers
A Figure King scan shows Nosecone for Unite Warriors Computron, with new parts and three guns. Hasbro filed a trademark for The Last Knight covering video games. Exvee reviewed The Transformers #53 and More Than Meets the Eye #53. Jay from TNI reviewed the Machine Robo Eagle Robo figure. The Transmissions podcast has commissioned a Till All Are One #1 cover to sell at TFCon.
Listener Feedback
Last week’s listener sent an apology to Don. Eric Crownover asks whether every Titans Return figure being a Headmaster will cause gimmick fatigue. The crew says no, as long as the figures are new molds with the right heads. Brian finally gets the G1-accurate Galvatron he wanted, and Don still wishes Optimus Prime were a Powermaster. One host calls Titans Return the anti-Energon, since the gimmick does not cripple the robot.
What We Got This Week
Don got Year of the Monkey Optimus Primal for $44 and the Power Core Combiners Heavytread and Undertow two-pack in Takara colors. He also got Weijiang’s unofficial Evasion Mode Optimus Prime, which adds a full truck back, an axe, a shield and swords. Victorion and Clampdown arrived from Hasbro Toy Shop.
Matt found Legends Wreck-Gar at Walmart and bought both they had, so he has a little Junkion army. He says it is about on par with Groove.
Chris picked up Robots in Disguise Warrior Class Quillfire and calls it big, solid and easy to transform.
Brian finally got Grand Galvatron and is scared to touch Ghost Starscream. He also got the War in Pocket Doombringers set of Scourge, Cyclonus and Galvatron. Ocular Max’s Perfection Series Remix 01 Jaguar Premium Edition is a cassette-sized Ravage in die-cast.
Rob went looking for Sky Lynx and did not find it. Thanks to Exvee, he does have Groove.
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.