Former Hasbro executive Aaron Archer talks with Brian about life inside the Transformers brand, from his first toy, Transmetal 2 Megatron, to why the G1-style Generations line kept going. TakaraTomy teases Generations Selects Super Megatron, an Earthrise two-pack turns up on Amazon in Europe, and Walmart pushes the Netflix Siege figures to June. Hasbro Pulse delivers the first Generations Selects Seacons, and the crew shares their first Transformers. Diecast hosts while Brian is away.
News
TakaraTomy Announces Their Announcement of Generations Selects Super Megatron
TakaraTomy tweeted new silhouettes of Generations Selects Super Megatron, first teased a year ago, with a full reveal set for that night. The crew explains that Super Megatron comes from Battlestars as Galvatron’s revived, upgraded form and rival to Star Convoy. The silhouette points to a retool of Titans Return Galvatron, hopefully a heavy one like Turtler. As a Voyager it should run around 6,500 yen, likely on a timeline like Star Convoy’s April reveal and September release. [Source: TFRadio]
Earthrise Earth Mode Two-Pack Listing Found on Amazon
An Earthrise two-pack appeared on Amazon Italy and Germany, priced like two Voyagers, though US preorders are not open. One News Desk host suspects Seekers. Another has a more cynical theory, Skywarp and Bluestreak, since the Datsuns have long been the Autobot counterpart to the Seekers. [Source: TFRadio]
Walmart Delays Netflix Siege Figures Until June
Walmart emailed preorder customers that the Netflix Siege figures, due April 1, now ship around June 16 or 17. One host notes the toys are made, Voyagers are already at Canadian retail and the line is reaching Southeast Asia, so this is a Walmart distribution delay. Robot Kingdom leaked the Ultra Magnus spoiler pack: more battle damage, a clear pink piece and Play-Doh with Energon cubes. One host also spotted Studio Series Shockwave and Scavenger at a local Walmart. [Source: not found]
Your First Transformer
Chris started with G2 Bumblebee and Seaspray from KB Toys around 1993, and Transformers Animated brought him back after skipping 2007. Don’s first was Sludge on his 14th birthday, and he has collected ever since. Rob started with Windcharger and came back with Armada Optimus Prime, which is how he met Chris on a Gundam message board. Matt’s first was Gears, and Classics pulled him back in. Diecast first remembers G1 Ultra Magnus and returned with the Toys R Us reissues and Alternators. John’s earliest memory is opening Soundwave. The mid-90s internet and Rugby’s Starbase listings for complete combiners like Computron got him collecting again.
Interview: Aaron Archer
Brian talks with Aaron Archer, Hasbro’s former Vice President of Design and Intellectual Property Development, who oversaw Transformers and G.I. Joe. He compares working on a brand to riding inside a merry-go-round, where everything outside is a blur. He recalls that Cybertron was nearly called Supercross until a bad meeting forced a retool over lunch. He sees himself as one link in a continuum and does not judge today’s team. His first active toy was Transmetal 2 Megatron after joining the Beast Wars team in Cincinnati. He is proud of reissuing G1, launching Masterpiece and Alternators, and working on movies and animation.
Archer says the long run of G1-style figures since Classics was never planned as 15 years of G1-like product. He adds that reusing names in kid lines often protects trademarks. He laughs off the idea that Hasbro withheld a Headmaster Arcee to spite Don. Today he shares his art at archermonster.com and is preparing 3D-printed toys with Trent Troop. He has no idea why the Playskool Weebles Transformers shown at Toy Fair 2010 never came out.
What We Got This Week
Chris
Chris got the Hasbro Pulse Turtler and Gulf in all-English slipcovers, including two more Gulfs.
Matt
Matt got Turtler and Gulf and loves them, with standout head sculpts and fresh transformation touches. He finds Turtler a far better toy than Hun-Gurrr. He also got X-Transbots’ G1-style Flipout, leaving him one short of both its G1 and G2 Stunticon teams. He prefers the X-Transbots set because it scales with Masterpiece Autobot cars.
Diecast
Diecast got FansProject’s Function X-1 Virus Code in black and red for about $30, and the crew praises its still-clever engineering. He also found Cyberverse Hammerbyte for $11.92 at Walmart. He got two Seacons sets of his own, plus a Furai Model Autobot Megatron kit for about $30 in a convention-canceled sale.
John
John got Turtler and Gulf. He has opened Gulf and calls it nice, with a ton of accessories.
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.