Radio Free Cybertron recaps Toy Fair 2017, led by Titan Class Trypticon, Leader Overlord and two big Titans Return box sets. The Last Knight surprises with a Leader Megatron, Premier Edition Sqweeks and Voyager Dinobot Scorn. Movie Masterpiece Bumblebee is set for $79.99 as a shared exclusive, and Robots in Disguise’s Ultra Bee divides fans. Wonder Festival teases a Masterpiece Dinobot. A $500-plus Transformers Monopoly set gets a hard pass.
Toy Fair Coverage and Botlanta
Brian thanks Diecast for his Toy Fair coverage, including a clean recording of the Hasbro Q&A. The live streams, podcasts and photo galleries are all posted. Botlanta is two weeks away and is the crew’s biggest convention slate yet.
This Week in History
In 1998, the Beast Wars episode “The Low Road” premiered in Japan as “Stop the Sneezing.” In 2000, Kid Rhino released The Original Transformers volumes 4 through 6 on VHS. Brian reflects on the years when G1 seemed gone for good. In 1973, Bill Forster, co-author of the Ark compendiums and the AllSpark Almanac, was born.
Toy Fair 2017: Titans Return
Toy Fair 2017: Photos from the Hasbro Showroom: Nautica, Overlord, Octone, Quickswitch
Titan Class Trypticon comes with Full Tilt and a Titan Master, and a video shows it eating Titan Masters. Krok was officially shown, with Windblade and Twin Twist previewing wave 5. Leader Overlord, Octane, Blitzwing, Seaspray and a reissued Cosmos also appeared. Don is stunned there is still no Titan Master Arcee. [Source: TFormers]
Toy Fair 2017: More Transformers Showroom Images: Trypticon, Titans Return, Last Knight
The Chaos on Velocitron set has Leader Quickswitch, Voyager Laser Optimus Prime, Nautica and Fastlane. The Siege on Cybertron set has Pounce, Metalhawk on the Trigger Happy mold and an animation-style Tidal Wave. One host notes Chris McFeely’s question: will Takara Tomy’s Overlord include both Giga and Mega? [Source: TFormers]
Toy Fair 2017: Highlights from the Hasbro Q&A Session with Full Audio
One host relays that Hasbro heard fans enjoy the complexity of the triple changers. Hasbro wants a middle ground between too simple and too difficult. The crew notes Hasbro also said the Power of the Primes fan vote winner will get a toy. The full Q&A ran as RFC Extra 31. [Source: TFormers]
Toy Fair 2017: The Last Knight
Toy Fair 2017: Price Point Increases Confirmed for The Last Knight Premier Edition
Leader Megatron is the big surprise, with a transformation listed at about 30 steps. One host has not been this excited for a movie figure in years, though he dislikes the head tusks. Premier Edition Sqweeks comes with a repair bay and toolbox. One host who is no fan of the movies loves Voyager Dinobot Scorn. Drift is now a Mercedes, and Hound and Voyager Megatron also appear. Hot Rod is absent, likely held back for spoilers. [Source: TFormers]
Toy Fair 2017: Robots in Disguise
Robots in Disguise Twinferno: First Look at Prototype and Color Sample
Twinferno debuted just before Toy Fair, and one host loves the vehicle mode. At Toy Fair, Ultra Bee drew heavy criticism on RFC’s Facebook page. Brian defends it as an all-in-one kids’ combiner. Tiny Turbo Changers bring transforming blind-bag figures. Dragonstorm adds a black light that reveals UV paint on the One-Step Changers. [Source: TFormers]
Masterpiece and Wonder Festival
Winter Wonderfest 2017: Movie Masterpiece Bumblebee Video Demo by Hisashi Yuki
Movie Masterpiece Bumblebee is all new and listed at $79.99. It will be a shared Toys “R” Us and Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive. The line will run $80 to $100, with three listings so far. [Source: TFormers]
Winter Wonderfest 2017: Next Beast Wars Masterpiece Revealed?
Takara Tomy teased a Masterpiece Dinobot silhouette, just as it first teased Cheetor. The crew wonders how Dinobot’s cartoon transformation can work on a real toy. Hopes for a Masterpiece Transmetal Megatron follow, ideally with die-cast parts. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Monopoly from Winning Solutions Pushes Licensed Board Games to a New High
The set is expected to cost $500 to $600, and its board folds into a framed art piece. The crew loves the pieces but says no board game is worth that. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Diecast got Energon Snowcat, which he thinks has held up well. For attending the Forged to Fight event, he received Titans Return Voyager Optimus Prime. Hasbro also gave him a Robots in Disguise Deluxe Windblade. He traded a Marvel Legends figure for Blur so he can review it.
Don finally found new product and picked up Titans Return Megatron. He plans to skip the Voyager Optimus and get it in the box set. He also got a YES Model knockoff of ToyWorld’s Thrust, which adds a hinge for the wings. The crew questions buying a knockoff, and he expects a Y-Jang clear upscaled MP-10 soon.
Chris got Takara Tomy’s Legends Laserbeak for $15 shipped, completing his data device cassette figures. His last birthday present, Transformers Adventure Thunderhoof from Paladin, also arrived. He found what may be the only Titans Return Megatron in Middle Tennessee. He praises its engaging transformation, good poseability and fantastic jet mode.
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.