Toys R Us begins liquidating stores, paying workers through May 14 with no severance. Strategic Marks plans to revive KB Toys, and Don draws on his years working there. Flame Toys shows color samples of its licensed Tarn, and TakaraTomy’s Encore God Fire Convoy gets packaging. IDW’s Unicron #0 interview confirms the end of a decade-long story.
News
Toys R Us to Begin Liquidating Some Stores; Some US Warehouses to Close by Mid-May
Letters to employees in several states say liquidation could start as early as Thursday, with some warehouses closing by mid-May. The plan may not be the same across the chain. Staff will be paid through May 14 under the WARN Act, with no severance. The crew notes that executives still collected $16 million in bonuses. Talk of keeping the top 200 stores, possibly with the Canadian business, is unconfirmed. The crew rejects Toys R Us blaming millennials for having fewer kids, though one host notes the birth rate has fallen since the recession. [Source: TFormers]
‘We’re Going to Save the Toy Industry’: KB Toys to Be Revived
Strategic Marks, a company that buys dormant brands, plans to revive KB Toys. The first stores may be holiday pop-ups in place of Toys R Us Express, possibly stocked with product meant for Toys R Us. Diecast says he predicted a smaller successor like this. Don, a former KB Toys employee, would love the name back but questions the timing and KB’s reputation for end-of-line stock. Rob notes the company secured the trademark a year ago. The crew splits on malls versus strip malls, and one host compares the plan to Spirit Halloween. [Source: TFormers]
TakaraTomy Encore Car Robots God Fire Convoy: Packaging for the Omega Prime Reissue
The Encore set runs about $229. Don will pass, since he owns the Japanese originals, both US releases and the Toys R Us clear set. Its great sword is the Grand Maximus sword with a new handle. One host thinks the price is in line with other import reissues of that era. [Source: TFormers]
TakaraTomy Movie The Best March Releases: MB-16 Jetfire, MB-19 Hound, MB-20 Nemesis Prime
The crew likes the packaging and the backpack weapons rack added to Hound. One host is weighing Nemesis Prime and the Bumblebee, mostly for its hammer. [Source: TFormers]
IDW Brings Panels, Big Exclusives and Debuts to WonderCon
WonderCon runs March 23 to 25 in Los Angeles. IDW has a Transformers panel on Friday with John Barber and Mairghread Scott, and another on Saturday with Livio Ramondelli. No Transformers exclusives are listed, and the crew suspects the ending continuity is why. [Source: TFormers]
Cyber Battalion Shockwave and Sideswipe Found in the US
Walgreens is now stocking Cyber Battalion Shockwave for about $16 to $18. The crew still loves it, though it lacks knees that even the original toy had. [Source: TFormers]
Flame Toys Officially Licensed Tarn Figure Color Sample Photos Revealed
Flame Toys showed color samples of its licensed, non-transforming Tarn. The crew guesses it will cost around $300 and loves the menacing pose. One host already owns the MMC version and is happy with it. Another notes Hasbro tends to license non-transforming figures like this. [Source: TFormers]
Optimal Optimus In-Hand Images of the Power of the Primes Figure
New in-hand images look better than earlier ones. Hosts who own the original are torn, while one who does not will buy this one. Another hopes for a Primal Prime repaint. [Source: TFormers]
Unicron #0: Interview with John Barber and Alex Milne
Rob says John Barber confirms Unicron ends the story IDW has told for over a decade, which points to a reboot. Barber brainstormed it with James Roberts, Mairghread Scott and Nick Roche. One host hopes Unicron simply wins. [Source: TFormers]
This Week in History
In 1988, the Headmasters episode “My Friend Sixshot!” premiered in Japan. Don recalls Daniel befriending Sixshot, who becomes “Uncle Sixshot” in the dub. [Source: TFWiki]
What’s on TFormers
Steven DeKnight Unsurprisingly Says Good Things About Transformers: Bumblebee
Rob reports that Steven DeKnight, director of Pacific Rim Uprising and a member of the Transformers writers room, praises the Bumblebee movie. [Source: TFormers]
Tiny Turbo Changers Wave 3 Bumblebee Movie Assortment Revealed
An Amazon Canada listing reveals a third wave of Tiny Turbo Changers. Rob is glad to see more transforming blind-box figures. [Source: TFormers]
TakaraTomy Posts New Studio Series and Turbo Change Ads with Stop-Motion Transformations
Rob’s favorite story is TakaraTomy’s new ads, which show Studio Series figures transforming in stop motion. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Brian
Brian’s Amazon Japan haul stays boxed until Matt can transform it for him. It includes Legends Bumblebee, Windblade, Slugslinger and the Autobot clones, plus Prime Masters Alpha Trion and Alchemist Prime bought from Don. He also got a second G2 Megatron. A $40 sale brought the Platinum Edition Planet of Junk set with Wreck-Gar, Scrap Heap and Hot Rod.
Don
Don found Prime Masters Alchemist Prime and Alpha Trion at an out-of-town Kroger. He also got Power of the Primes Sludge, with Slag on the way, but he will never form Volcanicus.
Diecast
Diecast got TakaraTomy’s Infobar Optimus Prime, which has no working notification feature. He also got an oversized knockoff of the Legends Megatron tank. His favorite is Weijiang’s weathered, battle-damaged take on MPP-10 Optimus Prime, with flat maroon paint. A cel-shaded version is on the way.
Matt
Matt had nothing in Transformers this week.
Eric
Eric got Power of the Primes Rippersnapper and Hun-Gurrr. He calls Hun-Gurrr the best combiner torso Hasbro has made.
Jason
Jason got Berserker on sale for $7 and Cogman for about $33, which he says was not worth it given poor quality control. His highlight is Big Cannon, the TFCon DC exclusive Galvatron. He also finally got Maketoys’ Cross Dimension Thunder Mantis at $125 and recommends it.
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.