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Catalog no. 627 · Aired Jun 20, 2019

Tokyo Toy Showdown

Takara Tomy reveals MP-48 Lio Convoy at Tokyo Toy Show. MP-10G Optimus Prime Ecto-35 Edition is confirmed as a $150 SDCC exclusive. Plus Siege Springer at Walmart, Walgreens Ratchet, MP-19+ Smokescreen and clear-plastic Siege Mirage.

Listen · RFC 627

Takara Tomy’s MP-48 Lio Convoy headlines the Tokyo Toy Show fallout, and the crew argues about Masterpiece leaning into Beast Wars. MP-10G Optimus Prime Ecto-35 Edition is confirmed as a $150 SDCC exclusive. Siege Springer reaches US Walmarts, and Walgreens-exclusive Siege Ratchet appears in hand beside Bluestreak. MP-19+ Smokescreen gets animation colors, and Siege Mirage turns out to have clear plastic. Brian grabs the Golden Lagoon set in a TFSource sale.

News

First Look at MP-48 Lio Convoy Beast Wars II Masterpiece

Takara Tomy revealed MP-48 Lio Convoy at Tokyo Toy Show, slated for winter. Brian calls the original toy garbage, so a nicer version appeals to him. He expects it near Optimus Primal’s size and guesses about 25,000 yen. The lion face flips back on the mane to reveal an angular robot-mode face, though the old face stays visible. One host defends more Beast Wars Masterpieces, since those fans have been neglected while G1 got plenty. Others want Jazz, Cliffjumper and the Triple Changers instead. Another thinks Masterpiece now favors an accurate robot mode and treats the alt mode as a bonus. [Source: TFormers]

Tokyo Toy Show 2019: Takara Tomy Presentation Info

Takara Tomy also teased a G-Shock Nemesis Prime, with no pictures yet. The crew recalls that the G-Shock Optimus Prime cost about $300 with the watch. [Source: TFormers]

Generations Selects Seacons: What We Know and What We Expect

Chris wrote up what is known about King Poseidon. Takara Tomy says orders start this summer, and he expects preorders to open on Takara Tomy Mall and Hasbro Pulse together. He also expects the figures to be staggered and to start shipping early next year. More details could come at SDCC. [Source: TFormers]

Tokyo Toy Show 2019: Transformers Siege Display

The Siege display included Omega Supreme, Barricade and Impactor. One host’s favorite shot has Omega Supreme holding Thundercracker in jet mode with his claw, a good sign for the joints. [Source: TFormers]

Tokyo Toy Show 2019: MP-19+ Smokescreen Animation Version

MP-19+ Smokescreen comes in animation colors with what looks like a remolded face and a smoke effect. One host plans to double dip, since The Gambler is one of his favorite episodes. [Source: TFormers]

Tokyo Toy Show 2019: Siege Mirage Production Sample Shows See-Through Plastic

The production sample of Siege Mirage uses clear blue plastic in the legs and shoulders. One host worries about the longevity of clear plastic, citing a shattered G2 Slingshot shared on Twitter. Another notes the clear panels are thick but worries about Prowl’s clear shins at the knee rivet. [Source: TFormers]

Flame Toys Bumblebee and Megatron Furai Model Kits Rolling Out

Flame Toys’ Bumblebee and Megatron Furai Model kits are shipping, and the crew likes the IDW-style Megatron. Bluefin distributes the kits in the US. [Source: TFormers]

First Look: Transformers Siege Ratchet and Bluestreak In Hand

Photos from Reddit show Bluestreak and the Walgreens-exclusive Ratchet. Ratchet is all white plastic, wheels included, with red only as paint. One host found that the Ironhide mold is riveted, so swapping in gray parts is not practical. He also notes that colored wheels would have forced colored shoulder parts too. Bluestreak shares Prowl’s head, and neither Ratchet nor Bluestreak appears to have battle damage. [Source: TFormers]

SDCC 2019: MP-10G Optimus Prime Ecto-35 Edition Proton-Pack Box, More Details

MP-10G Optimus Prime Ecto-35 Edition is confirmed as an SDCC exclusive at $150, which the crew calls a great price. One host really wants it to go with his 7-Eleven Optimus Prime. One host compares it to last year’s Primitive Prime, close to retail with plenty of new parts. The crew notices the eyes are dark and wishes they were green. [Source: TFormers]

Transformers Siege Springer Out at US Walmarts

Siege Springer turned up at Walmart in Connecticut and Maryland, unusually on the East Coast. The wave 3 Voyager case pairs Springer with a Starscream reship. Wave 4 is expected to bring Thundercracker with a Megatron reship. [Source: TFormers]

Beast Wars Prototypes From Pete’s Robocon

Pete’s Robocon displayed Beast Wars prototypes, concepts and test shots. The crew highlights wooden prototypes of the Tripredacus set, a design stage nobody uses anymore. [Source: TFormers]

Power of the Spark Sky-Byte Official Images

Cyberverse Sky-Byte gets a 1-Step figure, and the crew loves how toyetic it is. [Source: TFormers]

First Color Images: Civil Warrior General Grant

Civil Warrior’s unofficial War Within Optimus Prime is called General Grant. The crew is puzzled by the name and jokes that Megatron should be General Lee. [Source: TFormers]

Banana Force Unofficial Fire Convoy Red Sharpshooter First Test Shots

Banana Force’s Red Sharpshooter is an anime-styled Fire Convoy about 10 inches tall, with diecast knee joints. One host is tempted at about $260 but wants to see more from a new company. An Ultra Magnus partner is planned so the two can combine. [Source: TFormers]

Third-Party Thunderclash Test Shot

One host shares a test shot of a third-party Thunderclash built from a redesigned Power Baser mold. He is tempted, especially since a vintage Thunderclash now sells for well over $100. [Source: not found]

What’s on TFormers

Fan Poll: Has the Rising Cost of Masterpiece Transformers Changed Your Collecting Habits?

Rob says the top answer is getting more selective about Masterpiece purchases. The next is being over Masterpiece entirely, at about 20 percent. One host jokes he would be the lone vote for buying more Masterpiece. The crew notes third-party options are now often cheaper than official ones. [Source: TFormers]

What We Got This Week

Diecast found a sealed 2014 Till All Are One promo CD from the Knights of Unicron campaign for $15. He also got X-Transbots Overheat, a yellow Formula 1 car, which came missing a small silver engine piece. It includes a much better replacement face for their Savant. He also got Mechanic Studio’s Legends-scale Gears and Swerve. With an eBay coupon, he bought Flame Toys’ newer, more G1-style IDW Optimus Prime Furai Model kit. His big pickup is a human-sized Matrix of Leadership from Epically Geeky on Etsy for $85, with a stand and flickering light.

Rob received two birthday gifts from Diecast. One is a Micromaster jet team that combines into a sword, which he finds more stable than Armada Star Saber’s. The other is Perfect Effect’s Generi Prime cab for Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus. He may pick up another Combiner Wars Magnus to pair with it.

Don found nothing new in Transformers, only Siege wave one restocks.

John picked up the second run of Masterpiece Dinobot.

Chris had nothing this week.

Brian is finishing his Generations collection. He got the Walmart version of Powerglide from Transformerland and likes the mass and engineering. He also got the Golden Lagoon set for about $60 in a TFSource Father’s Day sale. He calls it hot garbage: the gold, chrome and mustard plastics look odd, and Perceptor is barely recognizable. The packaging is cheap compared to the Street Fighter crossovers.

Radio Free Cybertron: The Transformers Podcast
Radio Free Cybertron: The Transformers Podcast
Brian Kilby

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.