Chris gets Generations Selects Seacons Turtler and Gulf weeks ahead of Hasbro Pulse and gives them a full review. A licensed Flame Toys Furai Model Windblade kit sparks controversy, while its Rodimus and Optimus Primal kits fare better. Hasbro reveals a Tiger Electronics-style Transformers Generation 2 handheld and the voice-activated Cyberverse Battle Call line. Pulse delays Masterpiece Burning Convoy and the last Seacons, and the crew gears up for the Toy Fair 2020 live stream.
Toy Fair Live Stream and Discord
The Toy Fair live stream runs Saturday from about noon to 5 PM Eastern, with Diecast on site posting photos. Hasbro will stream its own presentation at 1:30 PM on Facebook, and the crew will watch along with listeners. The Patreon’s first goal unlocked the new Radio Free Cybertron Discord at tfradio.net/discord, so viewers on every platform can chat together. Brian promises a big, positive announcement about the podcast during the stream. He is also giving away Earthrise Starscream and Grapple on Twitter, and It’s a Don Deal returns as a monthly show streamed live to patrons.
News
Toy Fair 2020: Flame Toys Windblade, Optimus Primal and Rodimus Furai Model Kit Reveals
Flame Toys’ officially licensed Furai Model Windblade drew heavy criticism for its sexualized design. One host says it does not fit the character or the brand, and he was disappointed by outsiders who piled on fans voicing that opinion. Others agree it no longer looks like Windblade and question why it needed to be an official product. One host notes the chat’s point that Kiss Players was no better. The Rodimus kit, closer to the Nick Roche IDW look, wins the crew over. The Optimus Primal kit looks to Diecast like a child of Predaking. [Source: TFormers]
First Look: Transformers: The Manga Volume 1 from VIZ Media
Volume 1 is a hardcover that keeps the original right-to-left format, which Rob says is now the norm for translated manga. It lists at $25 and is $16.99 on Amazon for now. Brian and Rob both plan to own all three volumes. [Source: TFormers]
Toy Fair 2020: Tiger Transformers G2 Retro LCD Handheld Game Revealed
Hasbro is bringing back Tiger Electronics-style handhelds, including Transformers Generation 2, alongside Sonic 3, The Little Mermaid and X-Men. One host is absolutely buying it and jokes that Hasbro should finish the unreleased G2 Super NES game. Another notes the old theory that it became Vortex has since been debunked. [Source: TFormers]
Toy Fair 2020: Cyberverse Battle Call Line of Voice-Activated Transformers Revealed
Battle Call Officer Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are $50. Trooper Meteorfire, Bumblebee, Wildwheel, Megatron and Starscream are $25. The crew is sad Wildwheel loses his poncho. They grade the line on a Cyberverse curve, though one host likes Starscream’s new jet mode, which looks like a G1-styled Gundam Epyon. [Source: TFormers]
Hasbro Pulse Delays Masterpiece Burning Convoy, Generations Selects Overbite and Tentakil
The final Seacons wave and Burning Convoy now ship in late April. Chris notes Turtler and Gulf slipped to late March and the second wave to April 6, so all six Seacons may land within a month. The crew calls it an expensive month at tax time. [Source: TFormers]
BotBots Series 5 Gold Rush Games 5-Packs Found in Northern California
BotBots series 5 has turned up at Target. Series 3 is everywhere, but series 4 in the blue bubbles has been scarce for the crew. [Source: TFormers]
MP-48 Lio Convoy In-Hand Images
The in-hand robot mode looks much better than expected. The lion mode still looks as it did at first, but the original toy was not great in either mode, so this is a step up. Brian is excited for it. [Source: TFormers]
Earthrise Deluxe Arcee and Quintesson Allicon Product Information
Amazon UK listings describe Earthrise Arcee with a removable trunk or backpack, which worries fans about parts-forming. Chris’s TFormers article places her in wave 2, likely with Double Dealer and Snapdragon. He reads the removable part as optional for a more cartoon-accurate robot. The Allicon listing only mentions a lance. The crew jokingly forbids Don from discussing Earthrise Arcee on any other podcast first. [Source: TFormers]
Members who joined before mid-February get six free months added. One host doubts he would pay for Premium, since free shipping over $50 is easy anyway. He hopes Hasbro uses the time to add real value. Premium members get early access to Toy Fair preorders from 1:30 to 4 PM. [Source: not found]
What We Got This Week
Brian
Brian got Earthrise Grapple, Hoist, Wheeljack and Voyager Starscream, which he loves for its intuitive transformation. Cliffjumper surprised him most, and he calls its designer an insane genius. He thinks Earthrise Optimus Prime is so good at the Leader price that Hasbro could stop making G1 Optimus Prime for a while. He would rather kids get Optimus Primes of their own era. Matt suggests a Commander Class Powermaster Optimus Prime as the only way to top it.
Chris
Chris got a Titans Return Arcee for $20 shipped from a friend, as a fallback after seeing Masterpiece Arcee. His big pickup is Generations Selects Turtler and Gulf from a Singapore shop, weeks before Hasbro Pulse. Both are better heavy retools than the Power of the Primes set. Gulf is just okay, with fragile fish-head tabs and nowhere to store weapons, but the new combiner hands with a switchable thumb impress him. Turtler, a retool of Hun-Gurrr, gets ankle tilts, new combiner feet and a huge rifle covered in ports. Chris praises the arsenal of accessories, though the wide new chest crowds the arms. He will sell his extra set when the Pulse order arrives.
Diecast
Diecast got Voyager Starscream from a friend and loves it, plus Leader Optimus Prime. He also got Unique Toys’ movie Megatron, which Don prices at about $149 to $169, with an odd display stand. A set of Magic Square Seekers arrived upside down in the package. He found the Transformers Animated DS game for $2.99. His big pickup is the high-end Transformers Monopoly set first seen at HasCon, bought on eBay for about $200.
Don
After checking Target daily for weeks, Don found Earthrise Starscream and Grapple. He also got Fans Hobby’s Lightning Eagle, a chunky Thunderclash in a Powerbaser style. Its instructions also cover a Machine Wars version.
Matt
Matt had nothing this week.
Rob
Rob finally found Titans Return Twin Twist, thanks to the same friend who sold Chris his Arcee. He also got Siege Ultra Magnus and enjoys having both a G1-style and an IDW-style Ultra Magnus.
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.