DX9 prices D12 Gabriel, its unofficial Masterpiece-scale Omega Supreme, at $279.99, and FansToys answers by cutting more than $100 off Terminus Giganticus. Tokyo Toy Show brings the first look at Beast Wars Masterpiece Dinobot and a God Ginrai set with Minerva. Legends Sixshot’s gun mode becomes a submarine, and new Titans Return Trypticon and Siege on Cybertron photos arrive. Hasbro’s Last Knight reveals include a $150 Toys R Us Cybertron and a Walmart Autobots Unite tour. Most of the crew now has Legends Godbomber, and Chris has thoughts.
News
DX9 D12 Gabriel Unofficial Omega Supreme
DX9’s Gabriel is a second G1-style unofficial Masterpiece Omega Supreme, priced at $279.99. Soon after, retailers cut FansToys Terminus Giganticus by more than $100, to roughly $320 to $340 for both halves. The two are about the same size, with Gabriel standing about 22 inches. The crew assumes the cut is a response, and notes Terminus would not need one if preorders had sold through. Selling Terminus in two parts gets called an absurdly dumb idea. Don is not an Omega fanboy but wants one next to Combiner Wars Devastator, and will wait for reviews of both. FansToys’ track record with its Dinobots and Phoenix may justify a small premium. Diecast is thrilled to have a choice and shares his running Encore Omega Supreme. Gabriel’s tank can hold a Diaclone Dianaut and is said to work with DX9’s War in Pocket figures. One host argues these figures are only possible because of low-cost production in China. [Source: TFormers]
Tokyo Toy Show
Beast Wars Masterpiece Dinobot Revealed
Design models and one prototype photo show Beast Wars Masterpiece Dinobot. The raptor mode was shown at the presentation, but the only photo includes a no-photography sign, which the crew loves. Don and others cannot see how the fake dinosaur head and the barrel chest will work, short of magic dust. The crew guesses the robot turns largely inside out. He stands head and shoulders above Masterpiece Optimus Primal. [Source: TFormers]
Legends Sixshot, Doublecross, Misfire and Broadside Official Images
Legends Sixshot’s Titan Master is now a miniature Sixshot, which the crew loves. Sixshot is shown with a submarine mode instead of a gun. Reports from the Tokyo Toy Show presentation chalk that up to “grown-up issues.” Doublecross comes with Blurr’s Targetmaster, and the crew likes its deco better than Hasbro’s. Misfire looks beautiful, while Broadside is fine but a mold few want again. [Source: TFormers]
Legends LG-EX God Ginrai Set With Minerva
The new God Ginrai set comes with Minerva, which the crew calls the TakaraTomy middle finger edition. One host suspects a Fire Guts version will follow as a show exclusive. [Source: TFormers]
Tokyo Toy Show 2017 Transformers Presentation Details
Silhouettes show upcoming Legends Overlord, Topspin, Perceptor, Bumblebee and Seaspray, plus Slugslinger. Perceptor and Topspin get Titan Master partner vehicles instead of Targetmasters. The crew guesses Shuffler’s tank and Sawback are among them. Sixshot is LG50 and gets commemorative packaging as the 50th Legends release. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Trypticon In Hand
In-hand photos show Trypticon next to Metroplex, and he is due by the end of June. One host has no desire for him, while another wants him more than Fortress Maximus. Fortress Maximus has started showing up at Ollie’s. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Wave 5 Deluxes In Package
Misfire, Windblade and Twin Twist appear in package. Windblade sparks a debate, and one host objects to her thin forearms and tiny face. Another host is excited for Twin Twist, though the treads stick up off his arms. In the chat, Chris McFeely notes Twin Twist did have an animation model that was never used. Takara’s Misfire went up for preorder before Hasbro’s reached stores. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Tribute Set Leak: Orion Pax and War for Cybertron Optimus Prime
A leaked set pairs Orion Pax, from the Titans Return Kup mold, with War for Cybertron Optimus Prime. Several hosts want the Orion Pax but dread the War for Cybertron Optimus Prime’s long transformation. The box says 27 steps, which the crew calls conservative. Its retailer and price are unknown. [Source: TFormers]
Titans Return Siege on Cybertron Box Set In Hand
In-hand photos of the Siege on Cybertron set look better than the renders. The all-blue waist improves Magnus Prime, and Pounce is one host’s favorite. The Thunderwing Titan Master’s white paint looks rough. Preorders are already gone. [Source: TFormers]
Primitive Skateboarding Optimus Prime Package Leak
A black Powermaster Optimus Prime looks like a Primitive Skateboarding exclusive. The package reveals the Titan Master’s name, Shredicus Maximus, and the crew suddenly wants it. [Source: TFormers]
Combiner Force Wave 3 Crash Combiners on Amazon
Amazon images show the third wave of Crash Combiners, including purple Decepticon recolors. An Optimus Prime and Strongarm set adds the first show-character recolors. [Source: TFormers]
Legends LG-EX Black Convoy In Hand
An in-hand gallery shows the Tokyo Toy Show exclusive, and preorders are largely sold out. The gallery includes a base mode from the pack-in comic, which one host says beats some Leader bases. [Source: TFormers]
Movie Block
SDCC 2017 Optimus Prime Voyager Exclusive
The SDCC Optimus Prime comes in fishbowl packaging with a piece of a real tire used in the movies. Nobody is excited, and one host says it is not worth $50 with a chunk of used tire. The crew expects bigger reveals, with Trypticon likely the top-tier exclusive. [Source: TFormers]
Last Knight Hasbro Brand Team Conference Call
One host was on the call, and the Mini-cast has full coverage. Cogman is a hit, and Voyager Nitro’s head comes off so Cogman can take over his body. The Toys R Us Mission to Cybertron line includes Cybertron, a $150 Primus repaint the crew calls G2 Primus. Its deco is inspired by the planet’s look in the G1 cartoon, with orange revealed as it transforms. Hot Rod is mostly a new mold and is a Walmart exclusive under Autobots Unite. [Source: TFormers]
MPM-3 Movie Masterpiece Bumblebee In Hand
A gallery shows MPM-3 Bumblebee scaling well with Masterpiece Sideswipe, even in car mode. One host thinks it beats Human Alliance Bumblebee, his previous favorite. [Source: TFormers]
The Last Knight Running Time Revealed
Michael Bay had said The Last Knight would be shorter than the last three movies by a lot. The running time still comes in around two and a half hours. [Source: TFormers]
Forbes: We Should Be Rooting for The Last Knight
Forbes says Paramount has struggled since 2016 and is counting on The Last Knight. The crew reads the headline as a sign of low confidence. They are more excited for the Bumblebee movie and its new creative team. [Source: TFormers]
Walmart Autobots Unite Mobile Tour
Walmart’s Autobots Unite tour visits 870 stores from June to early November. Ten-foot Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and Hot Rod performers will appear by region. [Source: TFormers]
Mission to Cybertron Optimus Prime Two-Pack
The two-pack pairs protoform Optimus Prime with Dark of the Moon Optimus Prime. The protoform has aged better than expected, but the crew says the set is not worth $40. [Source: TFormers]
Mission to Cybertron Deluxe Megatron In Package
This Megatron retools the 2013 Generations Megatron with a movie-style head. It looks good and fills its box, but sits close in price to a Voyager twice its size. [Source: TFormers]
Third-Party News
Perfect Effect PC-16 Jinrai Prime
PC-16 replaces the cab on Super Ginrai or Powermaster Optimus Prime. The Powermaster engine and extra head come in PC-15, so the full set runs about $90. The crew wishes it were less barrel-chested. [Source: TFormers]
Perfect Effect PC-17 Core Magnus
PC-17 adds a white robot inside Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus, with no second kit needed. The crew likes it as a simple, complete upgrade, though one host cannot stand the smokestacks. [Source: TFormers]
What’s on TFormers
Rob reviews Lost Light #6, which wraps up the first story arc. It is a decent issue, though a major event at the end is something he did not want to see. [Source: TFormers]
What-If Wednesday: eHobby Headmaster Bludgeon
Exvee digibashes Bludgeon on the Hardhead mold, as he appears in the Magnet Convoy comic. [Source: TFormers]
This Week in History
In 1990, the Super-God Masterforce episode “The Case of the Missing Plane” premiered in Malaysia with its original English dub. It introduced Minerva, known there as Nightbeat. In 2010, a multiplayer demo for War for Cybertron hit Xbox Live Marketplace. The crew also wishes a happy birthday to Brian and RFC historian Paul Agnew.
Bad Poets Corner: Weary Soldier
Brian’s “Weary Soldier” is told by the Seeker mold, still doing as it is told with no peace in sight.
The New tfradio.net
The new tfradio.net is live at the same address, faster and mobile-friendly. Brian apologizes for the extra shows that hit RSS feeds during the move.
What We Got This Week
Chris got Legends Godbomber, and his God Ginrai stands fine on its own. He wishes the chest locked down more, and the backpack’s tiny curved clips worry him. He thinks Godbomber looks like a smaller design scaled up, with a head bigger than the combined form’s.
Matt got Masterpiece Dirge and Artfire, which completes his Seeker molds. Dirge’s QC matches the rest. Artfire’s white and red deco is the best yet, and his Targetmaster has a surprisingly involved transformation.
Don showed off his Yes Model BB-07, a knockoff Dirge that cost $100 less than the official one. He also got their Ramjet. Yes Model is also making Sunstorm and a clear Slipstream.
Rob had nothing in Transformers this week.
Diecast got a knockoff upscale of Dark of the Moon Voyager Megatron. It is bigger than a Combiner Wars combiner but a little smaller than Devastator, and includes a smaller extra Mech-Tech weapon.
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.