Transformers: The Movie turns 30, and the crew remembers seeing it in theaters, or missing it. The SDCC 2016 exclusives go up on Hasbro Toy Shop, and for once most of the Transformers items don’t sell out. e-Hobby’s Bat Convoy, a Titans Return homage to Beast Wars, has Don ready to buy. New looks at The Last Knight’s Hot Rod, Hound, Barricade and Megatron get a skeptical reception, while Chris stays tight-lipped about visiting the set. Combiner Wars episode 2 improves on the premiere, and listener Kent thinks the crew is too hard on the show.
This Week in History
In 1986, Transformers: The Movie opened in US theaters. Don saw it at 16 and Rob at seven, while another host didn’t see it until he was 21. Don was too stunned by the shuttle massacre to register Optimus Prime’s death at first. The soundtrack came out on vinyl the same week. Brian found a copy for $2.50 at Memory Lane Comics in Wilmington, though he calls the soundtrack even more overrated than the movie. In 1989, the movie finally reached Japan, after the Japanese series had already moved past it.
Combiner Wars Episode 2
Brian liked the look of episode 2 but wishes the voices had more robotic processing. He says the low frame rate moves like a scratched PlayStation disc on a PC screen. The episode answers whether Starscream was lying in his prelude or has truly changed, and he has changed. The council scene played out exactly as Brian expected, with more talking and less fighting. One host will wait and watch the rest in one sitting, and Diecast is avoiding spoilers.
Listener Feedback: Combiner Wars
Listener Kent wrote that the crew expected The Godfather from a web series. He went in with no expectations, wanted more, and got a non-fan coworker talking about Transformers. One host argues good writing doesn’t cost more than bad writing, pointing to IDW’s John Barber and James Roberts. Another notes Megas XLR creator George Krstic is on the writing team, which raised his hopes. Don thinks the story was written as one long special and cut into pieces, so the payoff comes later. The crew agrees an expectation of basic quality is fair, and the “Sound the alarm” line may become a meme.
News
Chris Visits The Last Knight Set
Chris visited the set of The Last Knight and is under embargo. He can say that seven grown men fit in the back of Optimus Prime. Every other question gets “no comment.”
SDCC 2016 Exclusives Hit Hasbro Toy Shop
The exclusives went live at 11 a.m. Eastern, and most Transformers items were still available a day later. One host fought a clumsy checkout that never said which item had sold out. Tablet Soundwave sold out, but the Titan Force set was still in stock. One host has the gold Chinese version of Soundwave coming instead of the silver SDCC one. [Source: not found]
Transformers: The Movie 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Trailer
A new trailer promotes the September Blu-ray in standard and steelbook editions. It uses a new 4K remaster, and Hot Rod is finally the right shade of magenta. John talked one host into the steelbook, which is on sale for $20. [Source: not found]
Fall of Cybertron Remastered for PS4 and Xbox One
Activision released the remaster this week at $50 or more. The crew thinks that is far too much for a four-year-old game and will stick with their older copies. [Source: not found]
e-Hobby Bat Convoy Is Coming
e-Hobby’s Titans Return Bat Convoy is an homage to the Beast Wars two-pack Bat Optimus Primal. Its swords come from Transformers: Prime Wheeljack. It includes the Apeface vehicle in Optimal Optimus colors and an extra alligator Megatron head. Don is definitely buying it. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Cheetor New Stock Photos
The beast mode looks solid and the colors are spot on. It mostly makes the crew want Masterpiece Transmetal figures, including Megatron on his skateboard. [Source: not found]
TakaraTomy Legends: Brainstorm, Soundwave and Super Ginrai
TakaraTomy’s Brainstorm matches its Headmasters animation model, and the crew thinks it looks terrible. Soundwave’s tape deck mode looks like Blaster, and Ravage looks even worse than Stripes. Brainstorm would cost about $40, close to the $75 SDCC set that adds Windblade and Sentinel Prime. The crew does like Super Ginrai’s face sculpt. [Source: not found]
The Last Knight: Hot Rod, Hound, Crosshairs, Barricade and Megatron
The crew says the movie’s Hot Rod has the wrong colors and face. They think Hasbro reclaimed the Hot Rod name for the movie, as it did with Bumblebee in 2006. Hound returns, and they hope John Goodman voices him again. Barricade gets a more colorful look, and Megatron’s new design leaves the crew puzzled. [Source: not found]
Third-Party News
X2 Toys to Make Poseable Unofficial Titan Master-Style Figures and Upgrades
The crew loves the idea of poseable, compatible Titan Masters and the exo suit. They also like a More Than Meets the Eye-style Rewind. The Insecticon-style Bombshell and Shrapnel seem built to match Kickback’s Titan Master compartment. [Source: not found]
Thunderstorm: Unofficial Thunderwing
Don mentioned it, and the crew agrees it looks right. The $170 price is the part they don’t like. [Source: not found]
What We Got This Week
Don got DX9’s Gewalt with some Donanomics, but it is still in the box until he gets a day off. He says the plastic quality is fine despite its flat finish. He also got G2 Bruticus from Amazon.
Brian had nothing in Transformers this week. His G2 Bruticus hasn’t arrived after he rebooked it at the Prime Day price, but his Computron arrives tomorrow.
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.