Transformers Battlegrounds is announced for current consoles on October 23, the first Transformers console game in about five years. The Alternate Universe Optimus Prime turns out to be the black and gray Sleep Mode Optimus. A voice actor confirms the Netflix War for Cybertron: Siege series is delayed past June. Diecast’s third-party Unicron head arrives without a body, and Brian keeps chasing the 1985 St. Louis Happy Meal test toys.
News
Transformers Battlegrounds Announced for October 23
Rob covered the announcement on RFC News Desk 103. The game is coming to current consoles and looks based on Cyberverse. The trailer shows an isometric battlefield that zooms into individual fights. Rob notes it is rated for ages 7 and up in the EU, and it has single-player and multiplayer modes. He has no strong feelings yet, which he thinks is a good place to be. One host pitches his dream game, where a generic robot scans city vehicles for new alt modes. The crew also reminisces about War for Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron, Devastation and the PlayStation 2 Armada game. [Source: Gematsu]
Alternate Universe Optimus Prime Is Sleep Mode Optimus
An early video review showed the stamped product number on the Sleep Mode Optimus Prime’s leg. It matched the Alternate Universe Optimus Prime box. One host thinks the box sits halfway between Generations Selects and normal retail, like an orphaned exclusive. The crew discusses a possible nod to the Armada comic’s alternate-universe dying Optimus Prime. Chris thinks it more likely means the 1980s cartoon is the alternate universe. [Source: TFormers]
Netflix War for Cybertron: Siege Delayed
Paladin shared a tweet from SwedishRobotFish quoting a cast member: the series is delayed past June. The pandemic disrupted recording and dubbing. One host guesses August. The crew notes it at least looks better than the Machinima series. [Source: not found]
San Diego Comic-Con will stream panels and content online for free. Brian prefers that to attending. The latest Hasbro Pulse Fan First Friday offered only shirts, and the Megatron shirt stops at 2XL. One host suspects store-exclusive reveal dates are tied up in retailer agreements. Another, drawing on retail experience, doubts retailers care when products are announced. [Source: Comic Watch]
What We Got This Week
Chris
Chris bought Brian’s Legends G2 Megatron, a redeco of the Titans Return triple changer, and finds the purple darker than photos. He got Studio Series Jeep Bumblebee from Amazon Warehouse for about $15. He also got Studio Series jet Shatter for about $15. It beats car Shatter because parts don’t fall off, but its joints feel restrictive. He likes the Harrier jump jet alt mode. Of the four Dropkick and Shatter toys, he rates only car Dropkick a success.
Matt
Matt got nothing this week.
Rob
Rob’s pickups this week were not Transformers.
Diecast
Diecast’s third-party Unicron head arrived with its wings and halo, but no body yet. The head lights up with green eyes, and the mouth opens to show teeth. He also got a tiny X2 Toys Wheeljack car whose purpose still puzzles him. His MMC Helix arrived unboxed with broken tips, and he is seeking replacement parts. A Zeta Toys Bumblebee came safely in its foil box. He thinks it is time to step away from Taobao.
Don
Don found his first Siege Sound Barrier on a Target clearance endcap. He notes Target’s endcap still holds older Studio Series stock.
John
John’s Takara reference sheet for Transmetal Waspinator arrived, drawn on waxy draft paper. He plans to frame it.
Brian
Brian found a knockoff Diaclone-colored Long Haul in a junk lot. He also got Serpent O.R. from the Collectors’ Club Subscription Service 3.0. He added two more 1985 St. Louis Happy Meal test toys, a yellow and blue Brawn and a yellow and green Gears. That puts him past halfway on all 24 color variants. A listener sold him a boxed Transmetal Optimus Primal to pair with his boxed Transmetal Megatron, and included a note.
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.