HasLab Unicron slows to about 1,860 backers and is no longer on pace to fund, though TakaraTomy and fan channel sales could still help. Walmart’s G1 reissue Soundwave and cassette two-packs reach US stores, and Zeta Toys teases an unofficial Unicron head. Matt and Diecast unload their TFCon Toronto 2019 hauls. Brian’s favorite pickup is a 1984 G1 Transformers bed sheet.
News
HasLab Unicron Slows Down
Unicron sits at about 1,860 backers, and daily pledges have dropped from about 100 to 50 or 60. Brian says it is not on track to fund on US and Canadian backers alone. TakaraTomy and fan channel retailers may add to the count, but nobody knows how. Diecast backed one and would consider a second. Brian backed one too and admits he would be relieved not to pay.
Walmart G1 Reissue Soundwave and Cassette Two-Packs Arriving in US Stores
The G1 reissue Soundwave is $50, so Soundwave and both cassette two-packs run about $90. The crew finds that fair, especially next to a $50 G1 Optimus Prime without a trailer. The G1 reissue Optimus Prime is hitting clearance, usually around $35, and one fan found it for $5. [Source: TFormers]
More Japanese G1 Cassette Reissues Hinted
Kapow Toys has made statements suggesting a second wave of the Japanese G1 dinosaur cassette reissues. It would bring Dial and Zor back alongside a red Rumble, with more cartoon-accurate colors. One host says Hasbro recreated these molds from original prototypes rather than finding old molds. [Source: not found]
Siege Ratchet In-Hand Photos Show Repair Bay Mode
With the add-on parts, the repair bay mode looks less silly than it did at SDCC, though one host hates the white wheels. Ratchet never appeared on Walgreens.com when preorders opened. It has turned up at Toys R Us in Hong Kong, but not yet on eBay. [Source: TFormers]
Zeta Toys ZV-02 Core Star Brings the Chaos With an Unofficial Unicron
Zeta Toys showed a physical head for its unofficial Unicron and targets the end of 2019. One host is more likely to buy a third-party Unicron head than a whole planet. Talk suggests it may sell in pieces, and the crew is wary after split releases like Fans Toys’ Omega Supreme. [Source: TFormers]
What’s on TFormers This Week
Rob points to a Studio Series Muscle Car Dropkick photo gallery and a gallery for Helicopter Drift.
What We Got This Week
Matt went to TFCon Toronto with Diecast. Diecast gave him the downscaled Combiner Wars Devastator knockoff, which feels first-party but has thin tabs he has already broken. He got Siege Skyfire, whose off-white battle damage looks unfinished, and Magic Square’s Delta Magnus from TFSource. At TFCon he found Revenge of the Fallen Scout Hubcap, a color-changing Seeker lamp and X-Transbots’ G2 Overheat. He also got the G1 Coneheads reissue three-pack for $65 Canadian, Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime and Alpha Quintesson. At the charity auction he won a Novastar signed by Morgan Lofting. Since then he added a clearance G1 reissue Optimus Prime and TakaraTomy’s Targetmaster Windblade, Topspin and Twin Twist for their partners. He also got MP-20 Wheeljack in cartoon colors. Hasbro Pulse delivered two Lancers and Galactic Man Shockwave, and he loves them both.
Chris got nothing this week, per Brian.
Rob got Lancer, which he says is not as blinding as the photos but still very orange.
Brian got two knockoff Devastators. One is the downscaled Combiner Wars version from Diecast. The other is an orange counterfeit of the G2 Devastator that still uses G1 stickers instead of G2 tampos. For carded display he is collecting the reissue minibots and still needs Outback and Tailgate. He also got MP-20+ Wheeljack and Magic Square’s Delta Magnus. His favorite is a 1984 G1 Transformers flat bed sheet with Megatron, bought on eBay.
Diecast got Magic Square’s Artfire and Red Alert and New Age’s clear Shockwave and Jazz. At TFCon he added the show-exclusive Paradron Medic, X-Transbots Overheat, Red Wing and Lancer. He learned the Transformers Trading Card Game at a tournament and pulled a super rare Cog. He also bought Toyhax labels for Jetfire and a Corbot V alligator Sharkticon. Toy Dojo sold him Fans Toys’ green G2 Slag. Room sales gave him a complete Revenge of the Fallen Jetfire, a G1 reissue Bumblebee on card and Animated Shockwave in Galactic Man colors. He also got a cel-shaded oversized Grimlock knockoff and a HasLab Unicron shirt. His big pickup is the Fans Toys Terminus Giganticus Guardian version, a blue Omega Supreme, for $280 on sale. His Fans Toys Maverick review is up on tfradio.net.
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.