The first real Transformers: The Last Knight toy leaks show Bumblebee, Barricade and a new Decepticon named Berserker. The crew debates whether Premier Edition is an early-release label or the new collector branding, and casts votes in the Power of the Primes poll. Hasbro Asia packs bananas with MP-38 Optimus Primal, and Titans Return Sky Shadow, Brawn and Roadburn look great in hand. Third-party news brings Toyworld’s Masterpiece-scale Bruticus and Planet X’s two-part Trypticon.
Toy Fair 2017 Live Stream
The Toy Fair live stream on February 18 will be the show’s eighth in a row. Diecast will cover the Hasbro event in New York, and the stream usually runs from noon Eastern until about 6. Toy Fair photos will post live on Instagram this year.
Joelanta 2017
Joelanta runs March 10 to 12, with Botlanta as its Transformers track. Panels include Derek Yaniger, who designed the Generation 2 character models. Brian floats streaming some of the show’s panels live.
This Week in History
In 1988, Headmasters episode 24, “Ultra Magnus Dies!!”, aired in Japan. In 2012, IDW released Transformers: Robots in Disguise #1. The crew credits it with showing that fans wanted robot politics, and calls Till All Are One its successor.
News
Transformers The Last Knight: Bumblebee, Berserker, and More Barricade Toy Leak Photos
Photos posted on Facebook show the first Last Knight toys. Bumblebee is a lightly painted retool of the Age of Extinction Deluxe, and one host thinks that mold was picked because its car parts are easiest to reshell. Berserker is a new-mold black SUV that the crew says looks like the Predator, following Crankcase’s design from Dark of the Moon. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers The Last Knight Barricade Deluxe Class Toy First Photos Leaked
Barricade looks very blue. One host has seen the movie’s police car up close and says it really is that blue. The toy loses some Mustang details, so the crew wonders whether the car license was secured. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers The Last Knight Premier Edition Branding Going Farther Than We Thought
One host suspects Premier Edition is an early-release label, like a first edition. Rob thinks it brands the collector-style movie toys across the board, with boxes like Black Series and Marvel Legends. Both expect Toy Fair to settle it. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Power of the Primes Officially Begins: Details on Selection and Polling
Fans pick one character each from the Honor, Order and Chaos categories, and the winner is revealed at Toy Fair. Brian admits he stopped reading the emails, but voted for Hound, Optimus Primal and Star Saber. Other votes on air include Deathsaurus and Arcee. One host notes that Hasbro officially spells it Deathsaurus, settling an argument he has carried since 1998. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Legends Head Master Wonder Festival and Cybertron Satellite Exclusives
Figure King #228 shows a six-pack of Legends Headmasters, sold first at Wonder Festival and then at Cybertron Satellite stores and possibly the TakaraTomy Mall. Brian wants that Brawn head, and the crew loves the windowed box. They note Cerebros, Highbrow and the show Decepticons are missing, and that the sets are pricey and hard to get outside Japan. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Asia Goes Bananas With New Bonus Item for MP-38 Optimus Primal
Hasbro Asia’s MP-38 comes with a bunch of bananas, a nod to Beast Convoy always hunting for his bananas in the Japanese dub. The crew gives newer fans a primer on the Japanese Beast Wars series and the Beast Wars Second movie. [Source: TFormers]
Upcoming Robots in Disguise Crash Combiner Decepticon Set Revealed?
The $15 Crash Combiner listing names Dragstrip and Wildbreak. One host’s theory is that Wildbreak is a new trademark combining Wildrider and Breakdown. Another reports Crash Combiners selling through fast at his local store. [Source: TFormers]
Robots in Disguise Combiner Teams Incoming, Revealed in Promotional Artwork
Promo art shows an Autobot combiner of Bumblebee, Strongarm, Sideswipe and Grimlock, with Grimlock as the legs. One host expects a simpler gimmick toy rather than fully featured figures, and the crew expects a Toy Fair reveal. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Sky Shadow, Brawn and Roadburn Detailed In-Hand Photos
Sky Shadow looks better with every set of photos, and one host fears buying the mold again as Overlord and Thunderwing. The crew debates why Hasbro is releasing Sky Shadow before Overlord. Brawn is the first new Brawn since 2008, and his Titan Master can ride inside. [Source: TFormers]
Hallmark itty bittys Add Transformers G1 Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave and Bumblebee
The plush figures run about $8. One host is not buying, but plans to make the smiling Megatron his Twitter avatar. [Source: TFormers]
Third-Party News
First Look: Toyworld C11-C15 MP Combined Not-Bruticus at Figure Prototypes
Diecast is glad it exists but will not buy it, and he worries for the health of small third-party companies. The crew worries that upscaled knockoffs will undercut big third-party combiners. [Source: TFormers]
Planet X Third Party Updates: Apocalypse Unofficial Trypticon
Apocalypse is a Fall of Cybertron-style Trypticon sold in two parts. The crew does not see why, since it does not look that big, and one host calls it overpriced. They worry that a split release means the second half might never come, though the Seeker recolors look good. [Source: TFormers]
Transform Mission M-01E Powertrain Unofficial Motormaster New Photos
The crew likes how the truck cab becomes the legs, but not this Stunticons design. [Source: TFormers]
What’s on TFormers
Rob recommends TakaraTomy’s promo video for the Movie The Best line for its stop-motion transformations. Exvee reviewed Optimus Prime #3, a strong issue with Thundercracker excited about Hawaiian shirts. Rob also finished his Titans Return Wave 3 Legends reviews with Kickback.
RFC on Roku
Radio Free Cybertron now has its own Roku channel at tfradio.net/roku, and Diecast’s reviews will be there too.
What We Got This Week
Matt
Matt picked up more Titans Return Gnaws, bringing his count to 22. Six came from Amazon and two from stores, and he left one on the shelf.
Brian
Brian got Titans Return Kickback from Amazon for $14.95 but has not opened it. The crew calls Kickback the weakest of the three Insecticons, mostly because of its colors, and Rob notes the Titan Master seat leaves the hatch unable to close.
Diecast
Diecast’s Taobao box brought an upscaled knockoff Throttlebots set, but the Wideload center bot came without hands and feet. He also got Titans Return Perceptor, whose face looks like a duck face, and Kup, whose legs pop apart. Topspin is everything he hoped for, big and with tighter Titan Master ports, and his review is up on RFC Reviews.
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.