Official photos and specs for Masterpiece MP-41 Dinobot are out, and the 28,000 yen price is confirmed. With Brian out sick, Chris hosts, and the crew weighs the hunchback against the engineering it took to match the Beast Wars CGI. The first two episodes of Machinima’s Titans Return series land, and the crew finds them better than Combiner Wars. Plus the Hasbro and Mattel merger rumor fizzles, Fans Toys teases Masterpiece-scale Aerialbots, and the Toy Hall of Fame snubs Transformers again.
Power of the Primes Target Reset Date
Chris heard on Twitter that Target may reset its shelves with Power of the Primes around November 26, with an endcap feature near Thanksgiving. A few stores already have the figures out. [Source: not found]
The Last Knight Before Christmas
The crew repeats its Toys for Tots campaign, named by Rob Clay: pick up an extra Transformers toy while hunting Power of the Primes and drop it in a Toys for Tots bin.
This Week in History
In 1986, the Transformers episode “Money Is Everything” premiered in the US. Don counts it among his favorite third-season episodes, and the crew enjoys Dirk Manus as a likable rogue and the Technobots and Terrorcons getting a last hurrah.
News
Masterpiece MP-41 Dinobot Full Stock Photos Revealed With Size Comparisons
Full photos confirm the 28,000 yen price, which pains Don, who already paid that for Optimus Primal. One host argues Dinobot was a main character for almost two seasons, so he is worth it. The 360-degree photos show a hunched back in both modes. One host credits the engineering for matching the CGI and thinks Tarantulas or Blackarachnia would be the next big challenge. Accessories include a modular stand, the golden disc, three alternate faces, the tail sword and light-up eyes in red and green. The crew jokes that a potted flower for Primal is missing. [Source: TFormers]
Machinima’s Latest Transformers Series Arrives on Go90
The first two episodes of the second Prime Wars series are out. Don liked them more than anything in Combiner Wars. Another host finds it better paced, with Victor Caroli narrating the recap. One host calls the Mistress of Flame’s performance a drag, and the crew says the audio mixing makes Hot Rod hard to understand. The animation has not improved, but the writing is better. [Source: Tubefilter]
Hasbro Mattel Takeover Rumors Swirling
The rumor fizzled within a week, and other sources say the interest was all on Hasbro’s side. The crew notes Hasbro is now the larger company and has been diversifying, while Mattel sticks with Barbie and Mega Construx. [Source: TFormers]
Japanese Comedy Duo Downtown To Become Headmasters for Japan Exclusive Cerebros Recolor
Rob explains that Downtown is one of Japan’s most respected comedy duos, roughly a Martin and Lewis. Buyers of their annual special on DVD or Blu-ray get a coupon to buy a Cerebros with two Downtown Headmasters for 9,500 yen. The crew finds it baffling and fun, but nobody wants to pay import costs. [Source: TFormers]
The Last Knight TakaraTomy Cogman Finally Gets Revised Release Date
TakaraTomy’s Cogman now ships at the end of December. One host is keeping his HLJ order as a spare, since his Hasbro Cogman has a bad back hinge. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers vs GI Joe Megatron Art Figures Kidrobot Exclusive
Kidrobot offers two Megatron art figures from Transformers vs. G.I. Joe in gray and in light gray with purple. One host loved it until he saw the $50 price. Smaller blind-box figures at about $10 may be the better buy. [Source: TFormers]
MPM-5 Movie Masterpiece Barricade Officially Announced
Official specs call out 170 deco operations and the rotor-blade wheel weapon from the 2007 movie. One host cannot get excited, partly because Frenzy is not included. The crew expects a new Prime and Barricade for the second movie’s tenth anniversary. [Source: TFormers]
Bumblebee: The Movie Official Title and Logo Revealed
The official title is simply Bumblebee, revealed at the production wrap party. The crew jokes about John Cena’s Sector 7 character becoming the new Agent Simmons. [Source: TFormers]
Paramount’s Chinese Financing Arrangement Is Dissolved
Paramount’s financing deal with Huahua Media has ended after a year of flops including Ghost in the Shell, Baywatch and The Last Knight. One host notes The Last Knight did well worldwide but missed studio expectations. The crew expects any effect to hit the theoretical 2019 sequel, since Bumblebee is mostly finished. [Source: TFormers]
Three A Presents New Exclusive G1 Ultra Magnus
Diecast says the threeA figure is too skinny for him, and another host finds the torso shapeless. One host likes that the cab-robot Magnus keeps getting acknowledged, an idea he credits to Dreamwave. [Source: TFormers]
Fans Toys Unveils the FT-30 Project: MP-Scale Unofficial Aerialbots
Fans Toys promises the biggest combiner yet, in scale with Omega Supreme, for late 2018. Don wishes for a combiner that has not been done, and the crew teases him about it. Diecast is getting it, and the crew expects Silverbolt to cost about $200. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Once Again Fails To Enter Toy Hall of Fame
This year’s inductees are Clue, the Wiffle ball and the paper airplane. The crew notes that sand was also nominated, and jokes the pail is next. [Source: TFormers]
Power of the Primes Rodimus Unicronus Stock Photos
Stock photos show the small Hot Rod component closely based on the BotCon Shattered Glass Hot Rod design. The Rodimus mode gets a new head with a visor and mustache. [Source: TFormers]
Power of the Primes Partial Wave 2 Case Assortments
Prime Masters Wave 2 adds Alchemist Prime, Liege Maximo and Vector Prime, plus Alpha Trion, and drops Micronus. Voyager cases now pack two figures, and the Leader wave is Optimus Prime and Rodimus Unicronus. Southern Hobby Supply lists December 18 availability. The crew wonders whether Generations will be scaled back as Cyberverse and Authentics arrive. [Source: TFormers]
What’s on TFormers
Chris shot three galleries this week: Robots in Disguise Combiner Force Blurr and Legends Nightbird Shadow and Slipstream. Rob singles out the 1980s catalog look of the Nightbird Shadow background.
What We Got This Week
Eric
Eric got all of the Power of the Primes Wave 1 Deluxes and loves them. He says quality control is much better than in Titans Return Wave 1.
Diecast
Diecast also has the Wave 1 Deluxes and finds them solid, though Slag’s jaw stoppers are wearing down. He likes Dreadwind’s new double-hinge wings and calls Jazz’s transformation his favorite. He also got a bagged Masterpiece figure from Taobao and a knockoff Diaclone DX9 Hulky in yellow and orange with a Dianaut. An upscaled Voyager Optimus Prime knockoff got its eyes painted black. He added Generation Toys’ Optimus Prime and Mastermind Creations’ Lost Light Rodimus Prime. Toyhax repro labels made his Windblade look much nicer.
Don
Don’s Target was the only one nearby without Power of the Primes, and he had nothing in Transformers this week.
Matt
Matt had nothing in Transformers this week.
Jason
Jason used a Toys R Us buy-two-get-one-free sale to get Robots in Disguise Bisk and Ratchet and The Last Knight Voyager Optimus Prime. He finally took Nitro Zeus out of the box.
John
John had nothing in Transformers this week.
Rob
Rob got Titans Return Arcee at cost from Diecast after it sold out at Toys R Us. Each figure on the mold has been tighter than the last, and he is sure the box was meant as a Collectors’ Club mailer. He likes the metal Ultra Magnus Titan Master and wants Grotesque’s Scorponok head to match.
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.