MakeToys cancels its Galaxy Meteor, a Cybertron Starscream homage, and the crew spends the show’s longest stretch debating why. Don argues fans who demand non-G1 third party toys have to back it with their wallets. HasCon admission drops as much as 50 percent on Groupon, and Mark Wahlberg joins the guest list. The Bumblebee movie starts filming, and Rob reviews the SDCC Optimus Prime exclusives.
News
HasCon Event Admission Now Discounted as Much as 50%
A three-day adult pass that cost $160 is now about $85 on Groupon. Brian worries about attendance at Hasbro’s first fan convention. A separate code offers half-price VIP evening events, but it cannot be applied to packages already bought. Brian, Diecast and John plan to attend. [Source: TFormers]
Mark Wahlberg to Appear at HasCon
The crew finds it funny that Wahlberg, who said he was glad to be done with Transformers, is heading to a Hasbro convention. [Source: TFormers]
MakeToys Galaxy Meteor Cancelled
MakeToys canceled its $140 Cybertron Starscream after a limited convention run, then said it would see what it could do after a Twitter outcry. Brian doubts most people tweeting the hashtag would buy it. One host suspects a retailer backed out and MakeToys is taking the fall. Diecast found that retailers still had preorders up. Don argues that fans asking for non-G1 third party toys must buy them, or companies will retreat to G1. Rob calls it one of Cybertron’s nicest designs, from a series few people care about. Another host was skeptical but is now sold and would buy one. The crew expects knockoffs, and notes price was the main barrier. [Source: TFormers]
Bumblebee Begins Filming Near San Rafael
Filming is underway, and the crew jokes about which role John Cena might play. Set photos show two yellow Volkswagen prop cars. A casting call seeks extras through September. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe Gets Kidrobot Mini-Figures
Brian’s favorite item of the week is Kidrobot’s mini-figure line based on Tom Scioli’s comic. Entertainment Earth lists 24 figures for $240, due in November. The Transformers include Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, Starscream, Bumblebee, Megatron, Grimlock, Shockwave and Soundwave. The crew wants a Transformers vs. G.I. Joe movie in Scioli’s style. [Source: TFormers]
Perfect Effect Presents Gorira Prime
Perfect Effect redecos its Optimal Optimus as Primal Prime. Brian doubts it needs a redo. The crew debates whether third party figures are stand-ins for pricey originals. Don notes Perfect Effect stays busy because official toys keep needing fixes and upgrade parts. [Source: TFormers]
This Week in History
In 2002, the Transformers: The Headmasters DVD box set was released in Japan by Pioneer LDC. Matt’s dub DVD set arrived this week. Brian reminds listeners that his new podcast, What’s Happened to the Headmasters, launches September 4.
RFC Daily Transformers News Update
Brian launches the RFC Daily Transformers News Update, a short daily show built for Amazon Echo flash briefings. It is also on iTunes and Google Play Music. A listener email from TF Boy was covered on the third episode.
What’s on TFormers
Rob highlights a custom Combiner Warriors and Unite Warriors Liokaiser restored to six members, with Deathcobra as an option limb. He reviewed First Strike #2 and ROM vs. Transformers: Shining Armor #2. New galleries cover Exvee’s Revolution box set, Rob’s Primitive Skateboarding Optimus Prime and the Premier Voyager Optimus Prime.
What We Got This Week
Diecast got a knockoff three-pack of Legends Sharkticons with one clear figure, wrist swivels and added antennae. He also vents about Masterpiece quality control. Recent boxes leave figures rubbing their paint, his MP-10 reissue arrived missing a mirror and then with a broken smokestack, and his Masterpiece Bumblebee was missing a screw.
Rob got the Primitive Skateboarding Optimus Prime as a TFormers review sample and calls it a great value. The SDCC Premier Voyager Optimus Prime looks better than the retail release. He cannot recommend it at $50, since the tire chunk is while supplies last and the package tears when opened. Exvee sent him Magnus Prime, which looks better than Powermaster Prime but is less stable. He also got a God Bomber for about $55 and calls it the most Takara toy he has ever handled.
Don got his Primitive Skateboarding Optimus Prime. He also found the Dark of the Moon Voyager Optimus Prime with the decoder sword and shield. His big pickup is Ocular Max’s TFCon Terraegis Rally in Diaclone colors. He also found an Octane and a Blitzwing at Toys R Us and offers them at cost to fans who need them.
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.