Hasbro buys Saban Brands, including Power Rangers and Popples, and the crew asks whether that could finally free the Robots in Disguise dub for home video. Machinima’s Power of the Primes premieres with The Swamp, and the crew finds it slow despite Mark Hamill in the cast. John Barber becomes IDW’s editor-in-chief, and Power of the Primes Nemesis Prime turns out to be a worldwide Amazon exclusive. Plus Movie Masterpiece Barricade on Amazon and Magic Square’s Legends-scale Fire Extinguisher.
News
Hasbro Acquires Saban Brands: Power Rangers, Popples and More
Hasbro is buying Power Rangers and other Saban properties outright, which one host says was signaled when Hasbro became the toy licensee. The crew wonders whether this could bring the 2001 Robots in Disguise dub to DVD. One host cautions that the dub likely went to Disney with the old Saban library, and it is unclear whether it came back. He would not count on a US release. Don wants Hasbro to make Power Rangers shows that do not suck. The crew debates whether Bandai-contracted factories would switch to making Hasbro’s Power Rangers toys. [Source: TFormers]
Machinima Power of the Primes Episode 1: The Swamp
The first episode of Machinima’s Power of the Primes is better written than its predecessors but still slow. One host compares its awkward pauses to a badly timed Dexter’s Laboratory episode. The crew says Mark Hamill is wasted by weak voice directing, though Windblade’s actress does a good job. One host notes the episode mostly exists to introduce the Dinobots and show them combine. The crew jokes that Don should voice Ironhide in Machinima’s next series. [Source: TFormers]
IDW Names John Barber Editor-in-Chief
John Barber is IDW’s new editor-in-chief. One host calls him a fantastic Transformers editor and says the promotion is a net positive for the whole company. It is unclear whether he will keep writing Transformers after the Unicron reboot. [Source: TFormers]
Movie Masterpiece Barricade Hits Amazon, Sort Of
Movie Masterpiece Barricade is listed on Amazon at $79.99, out of stock but taking orders. The crew suspects it may be coming through Toys R Us clearance channels. One host places an order, figuring Amazon returns are easy if it falls through. [Source: TFormers]
Nemesis Prime Will Be a Worldwide Amazon Exclusive
Power of the Primes Nemesis Prime will be a worldwide Amazon exclusive, which should make it easy to get. Its small partner is named Nemesis Pax, which the crew finds boring. One host preferred his own suggestion, Pax Unicronis. [Source: TFormers]
MS-Toys Fire Extinguisher: Unofficial Legends-Scale Inferno
Magic Square’s unofficial Legends-scale Inferno, called Fire Extinguisher, looks phenomenal and very poseable to the crew. One host jokes about replacing his whole collection with Legends-size figures. [Source: TFormers]
Magic Square Toys Legends-Scale Unofficial Ultra Magnus
Images of Magic Square’s Ultra Magnus, shown with its Grapple, look unfinished and a little small next to Inferno. The white Optimus Prime under the armor reminds the crew of the old Voice Changer Ultra Magnus. [Source: TFormers]
It’s a Don Deal
RFC Extra episode 42 is the pilot of It’s a Don Deal, Don’s new call-in show. Don wants to help listeners track down rare and specific items, like a sealed Complete Stars set. A listener even offered to bring 1984 Transformers Happy Meal toys to a convention for Brian to see. Episode one records next week.
Around the Fandom
The Transmissions podcast hosts a Unicron #0 special this weekend, and Moonbase 2 just celebrated its 10th anniversary. The crew expects SDCC reveals to start leaking within a few weeks.
What We Got This Week
Jason
Jason got The Last Knight Voyager Megatron for $17, which pleases Diecast. He calls it the second-nicest Voyager after Nitro Zeus, though it took half his fingernail during transformation.
Don
Don’s local Toys R Us is getting no more trucks, so no more Studio Series Thundercracker there. He has a third-party Colossus on the way.
Matt
Matt got nothing, or at least nothing he is allowed to talk about.
Rob
Rob had nothing this week.
Chris
Chris had nothing this week.
Diecast
Diecast recently got Grand Max, which he did not review since it is Fortress Maximus in new colors. Another very big figure arrives for review tomorrow.
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.