Brian and Rob both have Combiner Wars Computron in hand, and Brian admits he may finally have enough combiners. The crew digs into the SDCC 2016 exclusives, from Chris’s Titan Force set to Rob’s Tablet Soundwave and G.I. Joe crossover set. Combiner Wars episode 3 pits Windblade against Optimus Prime, and the crew blames the sound engineering and frame rate more than the voice cast. Masterpiece Soundwave gets an Asian reissue with a die-cast cassette player. The Platinum Rise of Rodimus set is called the worst Platinum set yet.
Combiner Wars Episode 3: The Duel
Episode 3 is almost entirely Windblade fighting Optimus Prime while they talk. One host compares Optimus to Jackie Chan, dodging instead of fighting back. Don and others say the sound engineering is poor, with a crackly opening over the star field. The crew praises Jon Bailey’s performance as Optimus but says the audio doesn’t do it justice. At about six frames a second, the fight looks stiff, and one host says Tatsunoko Productions has no excuse. Another host likes Optimus moving with an old hero’s economy of motion, as in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. A third of the way in, the crew calls it a slow starter, and Diecast still likes it.
This Week in History
In 1984, the first known newspaper ads for Transformers offered Autobot cars for $8.99, about $18 today. The ads come from the Roboplastic site. One host remembers seeing Devastator in the Sears catalog for the first time. In 2003, Columbia Music Entertainment released a Transformers theme song collection in Japan. Don loves that it includes the Car Robots ending theme. He notes the singer of the Car Robots opening died recently, and a memorial CD is planned as a festival exclusive.
News
Robots in Disguise Clash of the Transformers Toys “R” Us Exclusives Hit US Stores
Warrior Class Starscream and a Scorponok recolor are out, along with the Decepticon Island set. That set includes Steeljaw and two stasis pods. The crew wants the Warrior Class figures but not the Mini-Con Power Risers. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Soundwave Reissued in Asia With Die-Cast Cassette Player
The reissue includes every cassette from the US release except Ratbat. One host expected the bonus item to be Ratbat. The crew calls it the model of what a Masterpiece should be, and cheaper than the Toys “R” Us version on the aftermarket. [Source: not found]
Platinum Edition Rise of Rodimus Prime Stock Photos
The set pairs Titanium Rodimus with Universe Galvatron. Chris can’t think of a worse Platinum set, though one host likes the Rodimus colors. The die-cast paint barely matches the plastic. The crew then designs even worse Platinum sets, including Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus as God Bomber. [Source: not found]
IDW’s Revolution #0 Prelude Available Free Digitally
The prelude sets up the wider Hasbro world that Revolution builds on. The crew loves the art and the updated M.A.S.K. vehicle. One host says it stays within existing continuity, which eases some worries. [Source: not found]
e-Hobby Bat Convoy Page and Megaligator Robot Mode
One host has already preordered it. Don says the set isn’t worth almost $90 from US retailers. He would feel better if it included Skullcruncher’s body or a full Optimus Prime. [Source: not found]
The Last Knight Bumblebee Redesign Revealed in Mini Bio
Bumblebee looks much like his first-movie design. The crew says movie Bumblebees are as hard to tell apart as Iron Man’s armors. Chris has no comment. [Source: not found]
Third-Party News
Unique Toys Allen: Triple-Changer Springer Homage
The crew likes it more than the first gray prototype. Don will wait for Fans Toys’ Springer, and the crew hopes Fans Toys’ Hot Rod has the movie’s shoulder rotation. [Source: not found]
What We Got This Week
Brian got Combiner Wars Computron. He finds attaching Nosecone’s drill awkward and is glad Combiner Wars is nearly over. His Collector’s Club Ramjet also arrived.
Chris got the SDCC Titan Force set. He likes Brainstorm better than the Generations Voyager, and Windblade is solid. Sentinel Prime’s new colors tie together better, and he calls the set strong overall.
Rob got the SDCC Tablet Soundwave. It is easy to transform, but the winged backpack is a few pieces short of a Laserbeak. He also got the SDCC G.I. Joe and Transformers set with Soundwave’s tank, and a bag of Beast Wars toys from the TFormers archives.
Diecast got Q-Transformers Ironhide and the SDCC Titan Force set. Sentinel Prime’s clear waist doesn’t peg together well. He also got TakaraTomy’s Robots in Disguise Megatronus and Thunderhoof, which he says look better than Hasbro’s plainer versions.
Don is disappointed in his Fortress Maximus. It is a great Titan Master playset but floppy as a robot. He paid about $100 after rewards and loves the proper Cerebros. He still prefers the G1 toy.
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.