With Toy Fair 2020 two weeks out, the crew makes its predictions, from an Earthrise Galvatron and a Voyager Quintesson to a US release for Masterpiece Raiden. Leaked photos of Earthrise Commander Class Sky Lynx and Titan Class Scorponok spoil two of the year’s big reveals early. BotCon announces a fan-run return for 2021, and the crew talks through the controversy around it. Earthrise reaches the East Coast, and Brian names Transformers Go Optimus Prime the worst toy he has ever bought.
Toy Fair 2020 Predictions
The live stream for Toy Fair is set for Saturday, February 22. Chris expects a see-now, buy-now Generations Selects exclusive, perhaps a Bumblebee or a last Siege repaint. He also hopes for Cyberverse deluxe wave 2 and an Earthrise Conehead to justify the new Seeker mold. John predicts an early look at Earthrise Galvatron. Diecast hopes for the leaked Voyager Quintesson and expects Titan Class Scorponok and Sky Lynx. Matt wants an Earthrise Soundwave. Don predicts Hasbro will offer TakaraTomy’s Masterpiece Raiden in the US through Hasbro Pulse. One host wonders whether HasLab Unicron will appear. Another hopes Hasbro copies Mattel’s crossover figures, and the crew would buy figures tied to the new My Little Pony crossover comic.
News
Transformers Earthrise Voyagers Grapple and Starscream Spotted in the US
Earthrise has reached the East Coast. Deluxes, Voyagers and Leaders have all been spotted in the US. The only wave not yet on store shelves is the Battle Masters assortment with Sound Barrier and a reship of Smashdown, and it is turning up at online retailers. [Source: TFormers]
First Look at Earthrise Commander Class Sky Lynx, Titan Scorponok and New Battle Masters
Leaked photos, first posted on 4chan, show Earthrise Commander Class Sky Lynx, Titan Class Scorponok and new Battle Masters. Sky Lynx looks amazing to the crew, though they worry its launchpad mode could compromise the two animal modes. Scorponok looks just as expected, and the crew calls the base mode a write-off, as with every city-former. One host points out that one new Battle Master looks built to be a four-way intersection. He hopes the listed Slitherfang brings a new animal weapon. Much of the sheet uses placeholder art, so Sky Lynx and Scorponok are the real reveals. The crew is disappointed to see them before Toy Fair. Talk turns to future Titans, with hopes for a new Metroplex and doubts that Monstructor could fit a Titan budget. [Source: TFormers]
My Little Pony x Transformers Comic Book Crossover Is Real
IDW’s crossover miniseries starts in May, and the cover shown pairs Arcee with Rarity. One host says it is five years too late, since the pony fad among Transformers fans has passed. Don is not excited but thinks it will be worth picking up. He credits the show for reaching well beyond its target audience. [Source: TFormers]
BotCon is coming back as an unofficial, fan-run convention. Original co-founder Karl Hartman and Brett of Mega Toy Fan are among the organizers. The return has stirred controversy over the involvement of Pete, a longtime BotCon figure whose past comments many fans object to. The crew understands he is a minority stakeholder in the company, with his business supporting it. The AllSpark has also partnered with BotCon, and several longtime AllSpark moderators left in protest. The crew stresses it has no issue with the organizers and that, since the show is not official, anyone uneasy can simply skip it. Fort Wayne and Louisville come up as guesses for the venue. The crew debates whether BotCon can match TFCon, and Brian thanks the chat for keeping the discussion civil. [Source: TFormers]
Three New Earthrise TV Commercials Rolling Out
Three short Earthrise commercials are out. One host says they are fine but no match for the old Takara commercials. Another thinks some feature Jon Bailey as Optimus Prime, though that is unconfirmed. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Cyberverse Adventures Deluxe Hot Rod First Look
The next Cyberverse deluxe Hot Rod is almost entirely one shade of plastic. The crew agrees it badly needs a second color for contrast. One host says it looks like a shampoo bottle figure. [Source: TFormers]
Fans Hobby MB-15 Base Mode Prototype for Unofficial Super Mode Armada Optimus Prime
Fans Hobby shared a true prototype, not a test shot, built to work out the trailer layout for its Armada Optimus Prime. One host enjoys this kind of inside look at hand-built toy design, even from a third party. [Source: TFormers]
What’s on TFormers This Week
Is Titan Scorponok Going to Be Too Small?
Rob highlights Chris’s article estimating the size of Titan Class Scorponok. Chris admits there was little to work with, but the article gives a good sense of Zarak’s scale. [Source: TFormers]
PCS Collectibles Optimus Prime G1 Museum Scale Statue
The 28-inch statue has a cel-shaded finish the crew likes. One host notes the windows are the right size for the head, but everything else is too big. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Pulse Generations Selects Seawing and Nautilator Delayed
The two Seacons now ship around April 6, about two weeks after the first wave on March 23. The crew is relieved the delay is short, though the timing makes the set terrifyingly expensive. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Diecast
Diecast found Earthrise Ironworks, Wheeljack and two Grapples at Target, just an hour and a half before the show. A friend dropped off the Cyberverse Sharkticon set that comes with Hot Rod. He also picked up the Earthrise Military Patrol Micromasters.
Chris
Chris got the Earthrise Micromasters. He finds them better than the Siege ones, with tighter joints and legs that stay on, though Trip-Up has panel gaps. Bombshock has sculpted shoulder discs that act as fake fake wheels, and Growl topples onto its back like a sad turtle. He says this would not be a great first showing for Earthrise if better toys were not coming.
Rob
Rob’s only pickup was not Transformers.
Don
Nothing Earthrise has turned up in Don’s area yet. He found a deal on a Banana Force Optimus Prime, a stylized take on Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime, about $70 under typical US prices. He plans to pair it with his Make Toys Cross Dimension figures and hopes to find the matching Ultra Magnus.
John
John added more vintage Toy Fair catalogs, bought from someone who worked in the industry in the 80s and 90s. The 1989 Hasbro catalog makes the late Transformers line look like it is on fire, with Micromaster bases, Powermaster Optimus Prime, Countdown, the cassettes and Pretenders. He also got a Toy Fair invitation postcard from around 1988. Chris suggests John’s collection would make a great convention panel.
Brian
Brian got the Earthrise Micromasters and Masterpiece Cordon, which he finds far easier to transform than Masterpiece Sunstreaker. He paid about half what he expected for Cordon and checked carefully that it is not a knockoff. He is leaving a black Nightmare Unicron boxed. He also found the Transformers: The Headmasters Famicom Disk System game for about $25. Last came Transformers Go Optimus Prime, which he calls the worst toy he has ever bought. That sparks talk about Hasbro’s design strengths and TakaraTomy’s engineering.
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.