HasLab Unicron dominates SDCC 2019, with a $575 crowdfunding goal of 8,000 backers and one-of-a-kind prototypes at the Hasbro booth. Hasbro also reveals Siege Rung, Apeface, Astrotrain and a Refraktor camera box set, then opens preorders during showtime. Runamuck wins the fan vote, and the fan vote battle pack arrives with a surprise Cog. Exvee hosts while the crew recovers from TFCon and the preorder rush.
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RFC Contest Winners
Carlito, @Gabriev28 on Twitter, wins the Ectotron giveaway. Skeeter112375 wins the surprise Springer giveaway. Brian will contact both winners about shipping.
HasLab’s Giant Unicron Prototype On Display at the Hasbro Booth
HasLab Unicron needs 8,000 backers at $575 each, about $609 with tax and shipping. It stands 27 inches, about 24 inches to the top of the head, and weighs 19 pounds. The campaign had roughly 1,200 to 1,400 backers at showtime, with about 40 days to go. TakaraTomy Mall will run its own preorder campaign starting around Summer Wonder Festival, which the crew assumes counts toward the goal. Exvee notes the two SDCC displays, one robot and one planet, are true 3D-printed prototypes rather than test shots. Hasbro announced Unicron the day after Diecast gave up on it on Twitter. Diecast wants to back two and maybe three. Don dubs it the Sovereign Class. [Source: TFormers] [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Booth Photos Reveal Siege Rung, Ratbat, Micromaster Battle Squad, Astrotrain Base and More
Early booth photos showed Siege Rung as a Battle Master, using James Raiss’s alt mode from More Than Meets the Eye #22. Ratbat and Rumble join the Siege cassettes, and two Battle Squad Micromasters appear. Astrotrain’s test shot shows a big accessory that becomes a shuttle launch platform and a weapons car. Exvee likes the darker colors but worries about the face. One host is buying the Skywarp battle pack for Spinister’s Targetmaster partner. Apeface looks great and comes with Spasma as a Titan Master. Crosshairs is clearly a retooled Ironhide, and a silver Firedrive redeco appears. Exvee also wants the Rescue Bots Academy Grimlock motorcycle. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Breakfast Preview: Soundblaster, Refraktor Camera and More
The breakfast revealed a Refraktor three-pack in toy-accurate decos, with extra parts that complete the camera mode. It includes a Kremzeek blast effect and comes in packaging styled like a DSLR kit. Exvee and at least one other host preordered it. One host who skipped the retail Refraktors says the extra parts finally give the set some personality. Soundblaster and Bluestreak join the Walmart-exclusive 35th anniversary line. Matt suggests Galactic Man Shockwave is the better black recolor to buy. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Transformers New Products Panel Report
Runamuck won the fan vote, which surprised the crew. They note a Battlecharger base could also yield Runabout, Tracks, Wheeljack and Sunstreaker. Preorders opened at 5:30 p.m. Pacific. Amazon gets the Alphastrike Counterforce set with G2 Sideswipe and the Phantomstrike Squadron set with Skywarp. The fan vote battle pack pairs an IDW-styled Impactor with a clear blue Mirage, plus a surprise Powerdasher Cog in pieces. Exvee calls it a monkey’s paw. Walgreens Ratchet adds a repair bay mode that is mostly the vehicle with its feet unfolded. Studio Series went unmentioned, and Cyberverse showed nothing new since Toy Fair. [Source: TFormers]
Studio Series Leaks: Deluxe Soundwave and a Chromia, Arcee and Elita-1 Three-Pack
Japan gets Studio Series Deluxe Soundwave with Laserbeak in January. A deluxe-priced three-pack brings Chromia, Arcee and Elita-1 from Revenge of the Fallen. A new Bumblebee uses his Revenge of the Fallen body. One host hopes the line is running out of movie Bumblebees. [Source: TFormers]
Official Images of Siege Classic Animation Optimus Prime and Megatron
The cel-shaded 35th anniversary Optimus Prime and Megatron, Bluestreak, Soundblaster and G1 reissues are up for preorder at Walmart. One host hopes the cel-shaded decos win over fans who disliked Siege battle damage. Another host already keeps a cel-shaded section and wants a cel-shaded Unicron next. [Source: TFormers]
Siege Rainmakers Box Set and Micromaster 10-Pack Head to Target
The Rainmakers three-pack is a Target exclusive at $79.99 and already on shelves. Exvee says Hasbro finally got him to buy the Seeker mold, but he has no Target nearby, so Don offers to help. Target shelf tags also list a $40 Micromaster 10-pack of redecoed existing molds, such as Road Police and Sly Hopper. Don is disappointed there are no new molds to finish the Autobot Battle Patrol. [Source: TFormers]
Generations Selects Siege Leader Class Galactic Man Shockwave Announced
Galactic Man Shockwave homages the Radio Shack licensed Shockwave and has Galactic Man printed on its chest. Exvee calls it amazing and ridiculous. Don loves that this design team keeps finding deep cuts. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Vintage G1 Mini-Cassettes Three-Pack Surprises on Hasbro Pulse
A surprise Hasbro Pulse listing pairs a carded blue Frenzy with a carded two-pack of Noizu and Gurafi. Noizu and Gurafi are two of the Japanese G1 dinosaur combiner cassettes, whose originals are rare and expensive. Don recalls a friend selling all four boxed dino cassettes for about $2,500 years ago. [Source: Hasbro Pulse]
What’s on TFormers This Week
Rob reviewed IDW Transformers #9 and says the fighting livens up the book. He also finished his Furai Model Thundercracker review. He finds the kit more complex than a High Grade Gundam but simpler than a Real Grade. One host has built three Furai kits and says the instructions are spot on.
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.