David Sobolov reveals he voices Blitzwing in the Bumblebee movie, and the crew bets on a triple changer. Studio Series 26 through 30 bring Barricade, Dark of the Moon Sideswipe and Crankcase, while Punch-Counterpunch shows up out of the box. Siege gets Japanese pricing for February, and Toyworld previews an unofficial World War I tank robot from The Last Knight. Plus a long look back at Robots in Disguise and Brian’s memories of alt.toys.transformers.
This Week in History
In 1992, the Headmasters episode The Shadow of Evil aired in Malaysia. Brian finds it odd that Six Shot stays in silhouette for the whole episode, since he debuted earlier. In 1993, the Usenet group alt.toys.transformers formed. Brian says it was his social network as a teenager in a small town, and he would check it at two in the morning. Don remembers putting names to faces at the first BotCon in 1994. Brian adds that today’s Cyberverse backlash on Facebook dwarfs the old Beast Wars flame wars in sheer numbers.
News
New Studio Series 26-30 Official Images and Details
The new wave includes Barricade, Dark of the Moon Sideswipe and Crankcase. One host plans to get Sideswipe because he loves the movie version, and hopes alternate parts could give a non-convertible version with guns. The crew counts at least five Bumblebees among the first 15 Studio Series figures. Several hosts are losing interest in the line, though one hopes the molds lead to a Warpath. [Source: TFormers]
Generations Special Edition Punch-Counterpunch: First Out-of-Box Photos
The toy ships around September 15. Whichever faction symbol is not in use flips down to reveal a 5 mm port, so the Power of the Primes hand plugs in like a jetpack. It cannot act as a combiner limb. The photos also show the knee gaps that let the legs bend either way. The crew likes what it sees. [Source: TFormers]
Siege Comes to Japan in February, First Wave Listed and Priced
Takara’s first Siege wave runs from 900 yen for the Battle Masters to 3,500 yen for Sideswipe, 5,500 yen for Optimus Prime and 8,500 yen for Ultra Magnus. That matches Power of the Primes pricing. One host notes the Japanese release lands only weeks after the expected US launch. [Source: TFormers]
David Sobolov Reveals His Bumblebee Movie Character
Sobolov voices Blitzwing, the jet many fans assumed was Starscream. Ramjet had been the second guess. The Bumblebee prequel comic shows Blitzwing with tank parts, so the crew expects a triple changer. [Source: TFormers]
Toyworld TW-FS01: Unofficial Last Knight ‘Bulldog’ World War I Tank Robot
Fans call the unnamed movie character Bulldog after its tank model. One host finds the Voyager-sized prototype terrible, and another nicknames it the Brigadier. The translated Weibo post suggests it starts a series of about six movie figures, with the sixth built from parts packed with the first five. [Source: TFormers]
LG-EX Grotusque and Repugnus Two-Pack Pricing
One host finds US retailer prices for Takara’s two-pack a bit cheaper than expected. Another notes the Hasbro release came with extras the Takara set lacks. Repugnus, Punch-Counterpunch, Blast Off and Novastar were all in stock at Amazon that afternoon. [Source: not found]
What’s on TFormers
Rob shares stock images of Studio Series Dropkick and the Revenge of the Fallen deco Starscream. [Source: TFormers] Takara has official images of Volkswagen Bumblebee, KSI Sentry and that Starscream. [Source: TFormers] Stock photos also show BB-01 Power Charge Bumblebee and BB-02 Legendary Optimus Prime, an upscaled Evasion Mode Optimus Prime. [Source: TFormers] Brian thought Dropkick was a retool and learns it is a new toy. Several hosts will buy it, and one says it looks like a small, less angry Whirl.
Robots in Disguise at 17
The aftershow marks the US premiere of Robots in Disguise’s Battle Protocol on September 8, 2001. Brian explains that Car Robots was a modest Japanese series that Saban turned into a funny, well-written dub. The crew says Hasbro had nothing else ready after Beast Machines. They walk through a toy line built from Car Robots, G2 leftovers and Machine Wars molds, plus Spy Changers and the Walmart-exclusive Sideways and Axer. One host singles out Brave Maximus and its fan-made weapons as an early example of fan-produced add-ons. The crew notes that no legitimate US DVDs exist, because Disney still holds the Saban rights.
Twitter Theater
Rob shares a convention video of costumed Blaster, Rumble and Optimus Primal dancing to Baby Got Back. Rumble wanders off, Blaster dances like a mom at a wedding, and Optimus Primal steals the show. Rob also asks viewers to name their favorite Twitter Theater segments for a best-of in November.
What We Got This Week
Diecast got Papa Toys’ Legends-scale Inferno and Grapple, decent first efforts at about half the price of Magic Square’s versions. Both left arms will not tab in fully. He also has a knockoff of an official Masterpiece truck that fixes the hood gap and smokestack issues of the original. The decal peeled some paint, but he will keep it in truck mode. A knockoff of DX9’s unofficial Masterpiece Powerglide transforms nicely, apart from slightly different forearm paint.
Don used an eBay coupon to get a Shattered Glass homage of Devastator, called Perseus, for about $150. It includes the Rage of Hercules add-on set, three faces, a staff weapon and a gun base. It also comes with a certificate of authenticity, number 1,492 of 2,012, which the crew finds funny on an unlicensed toy.
Jason put Novastar back on the shelf at Walmart because he is done with Power of the Primes. He found Cyberverse Shockwave, the one Cyberverse toy he wanted. Its head does not turn, but his son prefers the crab tank mode.
Brian received his Walmart.com G1 reissues of Outback, Swerve and Tailgate; Bumblebee was canceled. He loves minibots and calls Tailgate and Swerve great at about $7 each. He suggests skipping Outback for play. He will skip the $80 Devastator but will probably get Starscream and Hot Rod.
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.