MP-10G Optimus Prime Ecto-35 Edition brings Ghostbusters to Masterpiece. It is an SDCC 2019 exclusive with a ghost-trap Roller and a box shaped like a proton pack. The crew wants one badly, though Prime’s gray head draws a few jokes. Rob breaks down the BotBots Arcade Renegades 16-pack, and the crew weighs Toys R Us coming back as TRU Kids. Hasbro’s More Than Meets the Eye 35th anniversary campaign, Rob’s review of IDW Transformers #4 and a 32-inch Prime 1 Studio Optimus Prime statue round out the news.
News
MP-10G Optimus Prime Ecto-35 Edition Revealed
The second Ghostbusters and Transformers collaboration, after Ectotron, is a Masterpiece Optimus Prime. MP-10G Optimus Prime Ecto-35 Edition looks to be an SDCC 2019 exclusive first, with retail to follow, at $149.99. Roller is a ghost trap, and the packaging is a proton-pack backpack. Rob spotted that the box even has backpack straps. A proton pack also appears to sit on top of Prime’s trailer. One host wants it beside his 7-Eleven Optimus Prime. The crew questioned the two-tone gray head, joking that Prime looks dead, like Zombie Prime. They also debated whether demand will crash Hasbro Pulse. Most expect the site to hold up, since Ectotron didn’t crash it. Without an SDCC trip, Pulse is the crew’s only real shot at one. [Source: TFormers]
BotBots Arcade Renegades 16-Pack Revealed
Rob explained that InDemand Toys posted images of a new BotBots 16-pack called Arcade Renegades. It is labeled Series 3 and appears to be all new molds. They include two arcade cabinets, one with a light gun, plus cotton candy, popcorn, a pinball machine and a roll of tickets. Only the first eight are shown, and the other eight are a surprise. The bubbles are orange, after red for Series 1 and green for Series 2. The card mimics a controller, with a directional pad and B-O-T-S action buttons. Price and release date are unknown, but Rob wants it. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Launches More Than Meets the Eye Campaign With Angela Bassett
Hasbro kicked off a More Than Meets the Eye campaign for the Transformers 35th anniversary, led by Angela Bassett. The crew recalled Toy Fair figures reportedly labeled for the 35th anniversary. One host sees Siege itself as Hasbro’s 35th anniversary tribute to 1984. Another said this is more exciting than past news but he’s not fully on board yet. [Source: TFormers]
Toys R Us is coming back under new ownership as TRU Kids, with new US stores for the holiday season. The new stores are about 10,000 square feet, much smaller than the old ones. The crew compared it to Gander Mountain, which reopened under new owners after closing. Brian said this looks far more substantial than the KB Toys revival, which he called vaporware. The new owners have already put money into it, including Geoffrey’s Toy Box. Another host won’t believe it until he sees it. [Source: TFormers]
What’s on TFormers
Rob reviewed IDW’s Transformers #4, which brings back artists Sara Pitre-Durocher and Andrew Griffith. Rob says the art is great but the story barely moves. About ten middle pages repeat what the next scene already covers. He thinks the slow boil is deliberate, but notes a novelist is writing a comic. He also thinks characters in a scene share one voice, a point Chris has raised before. Rob suspects a directive to keep everyone on toy model, down to screw holes on Megatron’s arm. Don compared the pacing to the Machinima series. Brian prefers the denser Bronze Age style, where one page held more story. [Source: TFormers]
Prime 1 Studio Optimus Prime Cybertron Edition Statue
Rob highlighted Prime 1 Studio’s Optimus Prime Cybertron Edition statue from the Bumblebee movie. It stands about 32 inches tall, and TFormers has 68 images of it. Rob says some photos are hard to tell apart from the official art. [Source: TFormers]
RFC Reviews
Diecast reviewed FansToys Roadking, the unofficial Masterpiece Motormaster. He found the instructions terrible but the figure beautiful, and says transforming it a second time is much easier.
What We Got This Week
Rob
Rob’s only delivery was a non-Transformers eBay order that arrived as the wrong package. He’s waiting on a refund.
Don
Don spotted his second Siege Soundwave at retail, after the first wouldn’t scan. His New Age Cosmos arrived in a crushed box but looks fine. Don admits Diecast was right about FansToys Phoenix. He traded his newer X version to James on Twitter for the original release. Don prefers the original’s metallic blue eyes and dislikes the X version’s chrome backpack. He hasn’t transformed Phoenix yet, and he’s keeping Kronos as his Skyfire stand-in.
Diecast
Diecast got the clear version of New Age’s Cosmos and likes how the head flips around. He also picked up the first two X-Transbots G2 Stunticons. His Magic Square white Ultra Magnus came in at $115. The crew debated the flat finish, especially with a metallic version on the way.
Matt
A Walmart restocked Siege wave one Deluxes, so Matt grabbed another Cog.
Brian
Brian is filling gaps in his Classics collection. He got Silverbolt and Skyfall, the red repaint based on G2 Cyber Jets Skyjack. He also got the original Classics Jetfire, a Henkei Astrotrain from Barricade64, and Red Alert. He hopes to finish the line except the BotCon Games of Deception set. His Generations Selects Red Swoop and Ricochet arrived. He bought an Encore Sky Lynx on clearance from Big Bad Toy Store for about $100, below original retail.
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.