Hasbro trademarks “The Premier Hasbro Fanmily Event” as the likely HasCon motto, and the Radio Free Cybertron crew groans. Platinum Year of the Rooster Optimus Prime lands at $100, and Combiner Force Warrior wave 2 adds Blur and Soundwave. The Last Knight brings Premier Edition Grimlock, mini Dinobots and a story synopsis that “shatters the core myths.” Mastermind Creations’ Calidus and Gravity Builder’s $600 clear not-Devastator lead the third-party news. Diecast is impressed by ToyWorld’s unofficial Thrust.
Toy Fair Live Stream and RFC Insider
Toy Fair 2017 is ten days away, and RFC’s eighth annual all-day live stream starts around noon Eastern on February 18. Diecast will represent RFC at the Hasbro event for the fourth year. Brian notes no major leaks have come from Chinese social media or Nuremberg this year. He also launches the RFC Insider mailing list for live stream alerts and exclusive content. Botlanta, the Transformers track at Joelanta, runs March 10 to 12 in Atlanta.
This Week in History
In 1988, the Headmasters episode “I Risk My Life for Earth” premiered in Japan. The crew calls its Malaysian dub the best episode of Transformers ever and quotes its lines. In 2007, the 44th Kiss Players radio drama aired in Japan, and Brian reads its bizarre time-travel summary. In 2009, KB Toys closed all its stores. The crew remembers buying Machine Wars, G2 markdowns and early Armada there.
News
Titans Return Broadside and Deluxe Wave 4 Reaching North American Retail
Broadside turned up at Walmart in Canada, and Deluxe wave 4 reached Walgreens in the US. The crew says wave 3 barely reached stores. Hasbro Toy Shop lists wave 3 items but shows no stock. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Trademarks New Tagline: The Official HasCon Motto?
Hasbro trademarked “The Premier Hasbro Fanmily Event.” The “Fanmily” spelling is deliberate, for fans and families. One host jokes he is done with HasCon, and the crew hopes Toy Fair brings real details. [Source: TFormers]
Platinum Year of the Rooster Optimus Prime Listing and Stock Photos Added to Hasbro Site
The US price is $100. One host compares it to a Toys “R” Us listing for another MP-10 run at about $160. Another host had the Galaxy Force version and was not impressed. [Source: TFormers]
The Transformers vs. G.I. Joe: The Movie: The Comic Book New Cover Image
The one-shot is expected around March 22. The crew jokes that IDW delays could push it to June, just like the original series. [Source: TFormers]
Robots in Disguise Combiner Force Warrior Class Wave 2 Assortment Revealed
Wave 2 includes Grimlock, Skywarp, Windblade, Soundwave and a new Blur mold. One host notes Stormshot and Blastwave are missing from this case. The new figures are packed at higher ratios, and Windblade now has paint. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Playskool Friends Collectible Edition Revealed via Hasbro Portugal
Mini Playskool Friends figures include Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Arcee and the Rescue Bots. The crew finds them adorable. Brian shares his odd Twitter exchange with the company that now makes Weebles. [Source: TFormers]
Toy Fair 2017: Transformers Forged to Fight Mobile Game Reveal Event Announced
Diecast will attend the Forged to Fight reveal at Toy Fair. The crew looks forward to a quick-play fighting game mixing movie and G1 characters. [Source: TFormers]
TakaraTomy Transformers Movie The Best Figures Compared to Original Releases
The tenth anniversary line updates Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Shockwave and the Revenge of the Fallen Voyager Megatron. The crew prefers the brighter new decos. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers x Gudetama: Sanrio and Transformers Movie Crossover Merchandise Revealed
Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron strike the lazy poses of Sanrio’s Gudetama egg. The crew is baffled, though one host likes the lazy Megatron. [Source: TFormers]
The Last Knight
The Last Knight: First Look at Premier Edition Voyager Grimlock and More
Grimlock comes in silver, black and gray. Some hosts call it colorless, while one host likes it and will buy it. [Source: TFormers]
The Last Knight Mini-Dinobots Revealed in New Promo Video
The mini Dinobots debuted in a pre-Super Bowl Facebook stream. One host theorizes the Dinobots die and tiny ones burst out, and another says he would cheer. [Source: TFormers]
Shatters the Core Myths: New Image and Story Synopsis for The Last Knight
Brian reads the synopsis, which pairs Cade Yeager and Bumblebee with an English lord and an Oxford professor. The crew mocks the promise of yet another hidden history of Transformers on Earth. [Source: TFormers]
Michael Bay Responds to Extended Super Bowl Trailer Leak with Early Release
After the extended spot leaked, Michael Bay posted it to his own Vimeo account. The crew says the extra 23 seconds only bridge the good parts. One of the TFormers writers made the 4K screen captures by hand. [Source: TFormers]
The Last Knight Important Characters Revealed in Possible Credits List?
The list names Frank Welker as Megatron, John Turturro as Agent Simmons and Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce. A rumored female voice is said to be Quintessa. One host answers “no comment” but finds the actress credible. The crew covered the Super Bowl spot on RFC Extra 29. [Source: TFormers]
Third-Party News
Mastermind Creations Reformatted R-27 Calidus Unofficial IDW Rodimus Up for Preorder
Calidus is about $85, close to what the BotCon 2015 Rodimus cost. Brian vows to keep his BotCon Rodimus forever, then jokes about willing it to Chris Triplett. [Source: TFormers]
Iron Factory EX-20R Wing of Tyrant Unofficial Legends-Scale Starscream New Images
One host says it looks good enough to be a bigger toy. The crew debates Legends-scale third parties, and one host says that scale could replace his whole collection. [Source: TFormers]
Gravity Builder GT-01GS Green Shadow: New Clear Not-Devastator Images
Don loves the clear combiner, but it costs $600. The crew worries about stress marks in clear plastic at that size. One host jokes he will just print the promo image. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Diecast got ToyWorld’s Assault, the unofficial Masterpiece-scale Thrust. It is solid, locks together well and balances in jet mode. It stands a head taller than Masterpiece Starscream, so he ordered the other two. He also got Brawl, 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.