Hasbro announces HasCon, its own multi-brand convention, for September 8 to 10, 2017 in Providence, Rhode Island. A new official Transformers fan club starts in January 2017 as Fun Publications winds down, and the crew debates what both should be. Hasbro posts its best third quarter ever, with Transformers growing in a non-movie year. Titans Return Getaway and Triggerhappy appear in hand, and Fans Toys FT-19 Apache opens for preorder.
Extra Life and Operation Combination
Brian announces an Extra Life live stream on November 5 for the Children’s Miracle Network, supporting Duke Children’s Hospital, with a $1,000 goal. Operation Combination continues: buy shelfwarming Transformers, donate them to a reputable toy drive, and tweet the photos.
TFCon Chicago This Weekend
Nobody from the crew can attend. Exclusives include a reverse-clear Ocular Max Sphinx and an Inferno-mold figure in Road Hauler colors. Fun Publications is also selling back stock, including BotCon 2016 and Subscription Service items.
This Week in History
In 1986, “Fight or Flee” premiered in the US. One host credits season 3 episodes like it with real science-fiction world building. Brian’s favorite episode, “Webworld,” also premiered that week, as Galvatron gets sent to a planet of psychiatrists. In 2008, Big Lots recalled bootleg upscaled Legends toys under pressure from Hasbro.
News
HasCon: Official Hasbro Convention September 8-10, 2017 in Providence, Rhode Island
HasCon covers Transformers, My Little Pony, Nerf, Magic: The Gathering, Monopoly, G.I. Joe and more. Brian hopes the “much more” includes a dealer room. Don expects a general-audience show rather than a traditional BotCon. Rob would rather see an affordable fan club than a pricey parallel toy line. Don asks fans to stay civil with other fandoms. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Sub-Convention at Joelanta
Brian notes Joelanta in Atlanta, March 10 to 12, will have a Transformers sub-convention. Rob Springer is building the panels, and the usual RFC panel returns.
New Transformers Fan Club Coming in 2017
The club starts in January 2017 as Fun Publications winds down. One host guesses it will run through Hasbro Toy Shop. Rob suggests cheap extras like the Asian sticker sheets or Takara-face Titan Masters. Another host agrees Fun Pub’s model has outlived its usefulness. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Q3 Earnings: Best Ever, With Transformers Growth in a Non-Movie Year
One host credits Titans Return, calling it the best line in a long time. Another suspects Robots in Disguise drives much of the growth. [Source: TFormers]
In-Hand Titans Return Deluxe Wave 3 Getaway and Triggerhappy Photos
Getaway needs more paint, and one host may wait for Takara’s version. Triggerhappy looks like the best of the wave. The crew notes the newer Deluxes feel bigger than older ones. [Source: TFormers]
Third-Party News
Fans Toys FT-19 Apache Preorders: Unofficial Springer
Diecast, a Fans Toys fan, is getting it and hopes to see Fans Toys’ Omega Supreme at the TFCon panel. Don is torn between Apache and Unique Toys’ Allen but still likes his Warbot Defender. The crew pokes fun at Fans Toys’ numbering. [Source: TFormers]
What’s on TFormers
TFormers shows the diecast Megatron gun included with Hasbro Asia’s MP-29 Shockwave reissue. The Optimus Prime #3 solicitation also arrives, and Rob warns its cover spoils the story. Kei Zama’s main cover is spoiler-free.
What We Got This Week
Brian found Robots in Disguise Warrior Bisk at Walmart for $15 and likes it despite the plain deco.
Rob got Titans Return Chromedome thanks to Don. He loves it and says it fits in Powermaster Optimus Prime’s trailer.
Don received Toyhax labels for Titans Return Laserbeak and Soundwave. He also got the third-party not-Twincast, Double Dekker, for about $70 after Donanomics, and he likes its Rosanna and Scorpy cassettes.
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.