HasLab Unicron is funded, finishing near 140% of its goal, or roughly 11,200 backers. That means Brian loses his bet and owes Diecast a custom Unicron. The crew debates how late retailer orders pushed it over and hopes Hasbro packages the one-time run well. Chris compares the Siege Datsun mold as Bluestreak, Smokescreen and Barricade, and nearly everyone picks up Powerdasher Cromar. Jason’s discounted Siege Shockwave turns out to be very floppy.
News
NYCC 2019 Siege Unboxing Gallery
Photos from Hasbro’s New York Comic Con unboxing event show the latest Siege figures, including Astrotrain, Apeface, Crosshairs and Spinster. This time attendees got to take the toys home. Some fans dislike a cream-colored translucent face shown in the photos. One host says good display lighting can minimize the translucent effect. [Source: TFormers]
HasLab Unicron passed its goal, and backers’ cards have been charged. Hasbro pulled the counter from the site, but the last figure the crew saw was about 140.75%, or roughly 11,200 backers. That beats the Star Wars Sail Barge, which barely cleared its minimum. One host thinks a big New York Comic Con push and full Hasbro ownership of Transformers made the difference. One host admits he predicted a stall at 7,300, the number it hit that night.
The crew suspects retailer preorders from shops like Big Bad Toy Store and TFSource were only counted at the end. That would explain the late jump. Rob argues Hasbro would not have bothered with an extension if it planned to inflate the numbers itself. Another host credits the extension with opening the UK and Europe. Brian lost his bet and now owes Diecast a custom Unicron, which he plans to make himself. Don hopes for special packaging for a one-time run, while others want every cent spent on the toy and its quality control. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Chris went from one Siege Datsun mold to four in four days. Bluestreak is his favorite, with smoother joints and a sharp head deco, though the shoulder guns sit a little high. Smokescreen’s head is stuck at a tilt, and the door numbers no longer match the stock photos. He bought Barricade mainly because it is based on Guido Guidi’s fan art, but it reuses some of Bluestreak’s paint and feels looser. Powerdasher Cromar feels tighter than his Six Gun toys. Generations Selects Hot Shot proves the Hound mold is still one of the best Siege has made.
Brian has played with Impactor and likes it. He finally opened his Refraktor set and loves what the extras add. Soundblaster is fine, and its chest opens with no problems. His favorite pickup is Deluxe Mirage, his favorite Siege Autobot car so far. The front wheels do stick out of the back of the legs.
Don got Bluestreak through Walmart pickup and Powerdasher Cromar. Stores near him have been bare for weeks, though another host has seen Mirage, Impactor and Barricade at Walmart.
Jason set a price alert for Siege Shockwave and got it for $20 with an Amazon gift card. His copy is so floppy that it only holds together after four coats of Future floor polish. He still loves the look and its little drone.
Rob got Powerdasher Cromar and agrees its tolerances beat Six Gun. Paul Andrews sent him the Alpha Strike Counterforce set with G2 Sideswipe and Slamdance. Rob loves G2 Sideswipe’s red windshield, and his Slamdance needs no repairs.
Matt now has all three Powerdashers and wants Hasbro to make more odd releases like them. Entertainment Earth shipped his Refraktor set, and he also got Siege Omega Supreme.
Diecast got Generations Selects Hot Shot, Powerdasher Cromar, Smokescreen, Bluestreak and Soundblaster. He also got an upscaled MFT knockoff Ultra Magnus with a chest Matrix compartment the original lacks, plus an MFT knockoff Blaster. He picked up Inferno and Grapple, and the NewAge clear Ironhide and Ratchet. A Generation Toy ambulance brings him one step closer to a full third-party Defensor.
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.