The Walgreens-exclusive Titans Return Brainstorm finally turns up at retail, in a Kentucky Walmart. A Voyager Broadside sample surfaces, and store listings reveal Legends Seaspray and yet another Cosmos. Megatronia preorders land at $175, and Don’s Donanomics can’t make it work. Brian is thrilled that The Last Knight will feature King Arthur and Merlin. Rob also brings news of a dedicated Transformers space at Joelanta.
This Week in History
In 1998, the Dark Glass debacle began with a post to alt.toys.transformers. Dark Glass was an unproduced Beast Wars script by Christy Marx that explained Dinobot copying his consciousness into the Axalon’s computer. The Men in Black, the online dealers behind BotCon 1996, tried to present it at their convention without permission. Mainframe said no, and the script was never released. Don remembers the uproar, and the crew notes how big fandom fights felt when the fandom was small.
News
Walgreens Exclusive Titans Return Brainstorm Found at Retail, in a Kentucky Walmart
A whole case of the Walgreens exclusive turned up at a Walmart in Kentucky. Brainstorm shares an assortment number with the Deluxe waves, so a case likely got routed with general retail stock. The crew says it is worth watching whether other Walmarts get them too. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Voyager Broadside Sample Surfaces?
The unpainted sample shares parts with Alpha Trion. One host has wanted an updated Broadside for years but feels something is off. A rumored Armada Tidal Wave retool would need even more new parts. The crew expects it in Voyager wave 4, around next spring. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Adventure New Stock Photos: Warrior Ratchet, Bisk and More
Everyone wants Bisk, though the Hasbro and TakaraTomy versions look much alike. Ratchet’s plain white vehicle mode looks like an unmarked van. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Upcoming Products in Store Database Listings: Legends Seaspray and a New Cosmos?
Legends Seaspray thrills the crew, and they hope he looks like the cartoon character. One host hopes the new Cosmos can scoop up a Titan Master for abduction action. The listings also confirm the Voyager Megatron and Optimus Prime will become Blitzwing and Octane. A Titan Master Ramhorn and a Titan Master Optimus Prime head are listed, along with Torazer, a Japanese Master Warrior. [Source: TFormers]
Unite Warriors UW-EX Megatronia Preorders Now Available
US preorders are around $175, closer to $190 with shipping. The crew blames a weaker exchange rate than when Grand Galvatron went up. Don likes the colors but won’t pay that much for molds he already has. Two hosts preordered right away anyway. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Deluxe Wave 2 Assortment Revision Revealed
The revision is basically wave 1 with Chromedome and Highbrow added. A friend of the show is buying a hundred Scourges for a display, and TakaraTomy’s Scourge now sells for about $70. [Source: TFormers]
The Last Knight: King Arthur and Merlin Casting
Liam Garrigan is rumored as King Arthur, with Merlin also in the cast. Brian says he hasn’t been this excited for a Transformers movie since 2006. The crew debates whether it is time travel or an extended flashback. Diecast says time travel only works if the writing is tight, while others would rather it go fully ridiculous. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Space Coming to Joelanta
Rob Springer shared on Being Awesome that Joelanta will host a Transformers mini-con with dedicated space. Joelanta began as a G.I. Joe show and grew into a general toy show. The crew hopes to return, and Don is considering a table.
Third-Party News
FansToys Presents Outrider: Unofficial Masterpiece-Style Trailbreaker
This is at least the third Masterpiece-style Trailbreaker, after Mastermind Creations and BadCube. Trailbreaker is one of Don’s favorites, and the crew says he is the Trailbreaker of the group. One host will wait for an official version. Chris wishes one would lean toward the G1 toy’s look instead of the cartoon. [Source: TFormers]
New Pictures of MakeToys Despotron and Cross Dimension Despotron
The Cross Dimension Despotron does turn into a gun, which Rob says looks like a Klingon disruptor. The crew is impressed MakeToys is doing both its own take and a faithful Masterpiece-style Megatron. Don prefers the cleaner gun mode on DX9’s Mightron. Big Bad Toy Store lists the Masterpiece-style Despotron at $146.99. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Diecast got an upscaled 1:18-scale knockoff of Masterpiece Sideswipe with working lights. He broke a small part during his review, and the thumb is stuck up. He also got Iron Factory’s Legends-size Arcee and a Henkei Ghost Starscream for about $10. His official Hasbro Asia-licensed Titans Return water-slide decals came too. He also has X-Transbots Arcos, a Masterpiece-scale Beachcomber, still in the box.
Rob got Astrotrain and Alpha Trion. Astrotrain makes a fine animation-style figure, much like Sentinel Prime. Alpha Trion tries a lot and excels at none of it, and the lion causes most of the problems. His favorite is the space battleship mode.
Matt got Subscription Service Impactor and Blue Streak. Blue Streak is really nice, but Impactor’s head looks like a fruit snack someone drew on.
Chris got Titans Return Deluxe wave 2 with no quality control problems. He calls Chromedome the best of the batch and Highbrow the weakest. Mindwipe and Weirdwolf are fine, and Hydra’s legs get loose once folded.
Don took advantage of a 20% off sale to order Fans Project’s Highbrow for his Function X collection.
Brian picked up Titans Return Laserbeak and Ravage from Amazon.
John joined late and found Scourges at his local Walmart.
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.