A rare red, black and yellow Lucky Draw Lio Convoy surfaces at TakaraTomy’s Super Robot Sonic Festival 2019. The 35th anniversary event is built around Beast Wars II. A distributor listing suggests the Siege Refraktor box set was meant as a HasCon 2019 exclusive. HasLab Unicron reaches 2,822 backers with 10 days left and reveals a damaged faceplate. Hasbro plans to remove plastic from its packaging starting in 2020.
News
Unicron Watch: 2,822 Backers With 10 Days Left
The crew tracks HasLab Unicron from 2,289 backers on August 7 to 2,822, with 10 days left to reach 8,000. One host doubts the US market alone can do it, and the crew looks to overseas orders. Rob’s TFormers article notes nobody has confirmed those orders count, and he suspects Unicron was meant to headline HasCon 2019. One host hears retailers will only report their orders at the end, so the count may jump late. Hasbro Pulse payment holds may also scare off backers. Don asks fans to promote Unicron politely and not shame anyone who cannot afford it. Hasbro revealed a damaged faceplate, but one host dislikes its silver eyes. A new, smoother conversion video shows the prototype transforming on its stand. Don wants Hasbro to get the instructions right. [Source: TFormers]
35th Anniversary Transformers Fight! Super Robot Sonic Festival 2019 Event Photos
TakaraTomy’s 35th anniversary event centered on Beast Wars II, with a concert of Transformers music and themes. The standout is a red, black and yellow Lucky Draw Lio Convoy from a TV Magazine giveaway that few have ever seen. Chris says a TakaraTomy representative told attendees they would probably never see one in person again. The display also had black, Galvatron and Flash Lio Convoys and early concept art. One host would buy the new Masterpiece Lio Convoy in that deco. Don recalls seeing a Galva Lio Convoy priced at $7,000 at BotCon. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Siege Refraktor Reconnaissance Team Was a HasCon Exclusive?
BBCW Distributors lists the Refraktor three-pack as “Transformer Generation HasCon Exclusive 2.” HasCon 2019 was canceled months ago, but exclusives were planned long before that. Chris theorizes the Rainmakers were the other HasCon exclusive, since a three-pack of simple redecoes fits a convention. Others suggest Galactic Man Shockwave, Lancer, Red Wing or Combat Megatron as candidates. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro to Remove Plastic From Toy Packaging Starting in 2020
One host welcomes the end of plastic twist ties. Matt worries about not seeing paint flaws before he buys. Chris points out many collectors already buy online without inspecting. The crew notes Siege Jetfire’s interior packaging is already all cardboard. The crew suggests molded paper trays and hopes for a renaissance in package art. [Source: TFormers]
One host thinks Megatron looks fine, while Optimus Prime’s face looks a little overdone. One host hopes mass-produced cel-shaded decos become a trend. Soundblaster carries the same battle damage as Siege Soundwave, but one host likes him more than he wishes. He would swap the two heads’ light piping, but the heads are glued. [Source: TFormers]
Fans Hobby MB-15 First Looks at Unofficial Super Mode Armada Optimus Prime
One host loves the Armada Optimus Prime design but is not sure he needs a third-party version. He hopes the TakaraTomy Armada project shown months ago resurfaces. One host has already preordered the Fans Hobby Thunderclash. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Chris could not get a replacement for his misassembled Lancer from Hasbro, so he bought a second one. Hasbro sent Studio Series Cogman instead, the last choice on his list. He found the Micromaster Rescue Patrol for $4, though their ball joints are loose. He got the G2 Sideswipe set and likes the Hasbro Targetmaster Trenchfoot’s solid gun mode. His Slamdance came from a batch with a fragile ankle, and he shaved down the joint to fix it. He also got the Skywarp set, a great use of the Seeker mold except for its charcoal gray instead of black.
Diecast got the Micromaster Off Road Patrol from Amazon and Magic Square’s Cosmos, Sideswipe, Inferno and Grapple. He also got the Walmart reissue cassette two-packs and plans to keep them carded.
Matt got the Skywarp set, his seventh use of the Seeker mold in about a month, and also dislikes the charcoal gray. He thanks Don for his Rainmakers and Red Wing. He skipped the G2 Sideswipe set since he already has two G2 Sideswipes.
Don got Cyberverse Spark Armor Cheetor and Bumblebee, and found Cyberverse Alpha Trion for $7 on clearance at Target. He added the G1 reissue Soundwave and cassettes, Studio Series Helicopter Drift and Muscle Car Dropkick. He also got Perfect Effect’s jet pack for Optimus Prime. The giant MAS-01 Optimus Prime cost him $150 on a Big Bad Toy Store one-day sale. He paid about $244 for MP-10G on eBay.
Brian got the Skywarp and G2 Sideswipe sets and a Cyberverse Scraplet. He spent more than ever on BotBots, including the Season’s Greeters packs. His new favorite Transformer is the BotBots orange that turns into a triceratops.
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.