HasLab Unicron jumps past 5,200 backers once Hasbro adds international partner orders, with three days left in the campaign as recorded. Hasbro’s late reveals of a goatee chin and a tiny Galvatron leave the crew wishing they had come weeks earlier. Siege Omega Supreme shows up in hand, and Fan Expo Canada 2019 reveals Studio Series Shockwave with Wheelie. A Fan Expo Q&A says the Walmart G1 reissue Optimus Prime has no trailer because the trailer mold is dead. This episode was recorded before Hasbro extended the Unicron campaign through October 6.
News
Hasbro Reveals New Accessories for HasLab Unicron
Diecast recaps the count: 2,289 backers on August 7, 2,515 on August 14, 2,822 on August 21 and 5,218 on August 28. Most of the jump came from roughly 1,500 orders Hasbro added from international partners. The crew suspects those include TakaraTomy Mall and EB Games, and Hasbro’s Taobao storefront also takes orders. Domestic retailers like Big Bad Toy Store and TFSource may be added at the end. Diecast restates his bet: if Unicron falls short, he gets a Unicron tattoo with the final count on his right pec, livestreamed. This week Hasbro revealed an alternate goatee chin and a tiny unarticulated Galvatron. One host wanted Hot Rod or a ship instead. John suggests a Titan Master Galvatron would have been better. Another host says these reveals should have come in the first two weeks, not the last. Blade Raider adds the hashtag #PayYourBillsBeforeUnicron. [Source: Graphic Policy]
In-Hand Images: WFC-S29 Omega Supreme
Omega Supreme is due October 4 per Amazon, after a delay. A hands-on event in Singapore showed him towering over Trypticon. The tank is not motorized, which one host finds a pity but understands. Another dislikes the weak-looking hips. The crew doubts a Titan redeco is coming soon, though an Omega Sentinel would be welcome. [Source: TFormers]
Fan Expo Canada 2019 Reveals Generations Selects and Studio Series
Generations Selects Nightbird and Powerdasher Zetar got official images, though their order and ship dates conflict. Zetar is a Brunt retool with a removable drill and a 5mm peg on its head. One host says Nightbird reuses all of Chromia’s accessories and he still prefers TakaraTomy’s Legends version. Studio Series adds Mixmaster and another Devastator member, so one host says he called it. Leader Shockwave comes with Wheelie, a brain and a NEST paratrooper, which make it for one host. A new Studio Series Megatron loosely follows the 2007 movie. [Source: TFormers]
Mystery of Convoy Solved: Why the Walmart Reissue Optimus Prime Has No Trailer
At a Fan Expo Canada Q&A, Hasbro said the G1 Optimus Prime reissue lacks its trailer because the trailer mold is dead. Rob found that the last full reissue, around 2012, already showed mold degradation, so he takes the answer at face value. The cab has likely held up better because some of its parts have been remade. [Source: TFormers]
New Images of 35th Anniversary Classic Animation Siege Optimus Prime and Megatron
One host spotted two faceplate decos on Optimus Prime, one dark with a highlight and one light with a shadow. He suspects early samples vary and wants a dark faceplate with a darker shadow to match the cartoon. Megatron shows no such variation. One host sold his original Siege Megatron but likes this cel-shaded version. [Source: TFormers]
Siege Stock Photos for Astrotrain, Spinister and Crosshairs
The numbers on one Spinister photo are sample control codes, not a new face. Astrotrain’s shuttle looks like a shuttle at last, though the train engine draws mixed reviews. One host wishes Spinister’s double cockpit did something more. Crosshairs is the best fit for his mold yet, leaving Pointblank and Sureshot still to come. [Source: TFormers]
Civil Warrior General Grant Trailer Images Reveal Jetwings for Unofficial War Within Optimus Prime
The crew calls another jetwing Optimus Prime “easy mode,” noting fans are now drowning in them. One host would rather the trailer become a cab the figure could ride in, like Action Master Optimus Prime. Talk turns to Dreamwave’s War Within and Armada comics, and the crew credits Dreamwave with the Fallen and Sunstorm’s characterization. [Source: TFormers]
What’s on TFormers This Week
Rob posted part one of his three-part Transformers Trading Card Game Siege I booster box unboxing. He pulled one of the rarest cards, a Megatron, in the very first pack. The crew discusses the game’s simplified starter rules for kids. Don thinks a Rescue Bots starter set would leave less money on the table.
What We Got This Week
Don got Cyberverse Spark Armor Prowl, whose armor reminds him of Guard Star from TakaraTomy’s Brave series. He also found Studio Series 44 Jetwing Optimus Prime on the shelf at Target after his Amazon order stalled.
Diecast finally found the G1 reissue Soundwave. BotBots hunting with his friend Rob turned up the pack with the rubber ducky, and Rob gave him some extras. He also got Ocular Max’s first combiner figure, Vortex, which he says is very articulated with no partsforming. He bought MP-10G rather than risk missing it on Hasbro Pulse.
Chris got a second Brunt for half price from Amazon Warehouse Deals. He hopes to combine three Brunts into a super robot, as he saw on Twitter.
Rob said he got nothing this week. He notes Ollie’s seems to be selling last year’s Toys R Us stock, including Robots in Disguise Deployers.
Brian got both Royal Canadian Mint Optimus Prime coins after reading about them on Seibertron. One is a carded lenticular quarter, and the other is a painted pure silver $25 coin numbered 1234 of 3,500. A listener sent him the squirting Optimus Prime from the Japanese Happy Meal, plus the Shinkalion toy and a heartfelt letter.
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.