In what would have been SDCC week, the Quintesson Pit of Judgement set moves to Hasbro Pulse, and Matt is thrilled. Fan First Friday brings Netflix War for Cybertron wave two, with Earth mode Soundwave and another blind spoiler pack, plus Amazon’s Earthrise Ironhide and Prowl and Coneheads two-packs. John Warden moves from Transformers to Power Rangers, and the Transformers TCG comes to an end. John leads a long talk on bots draining online exclusives at Walmart.com and Target.com. Studio Series Leadfoot sells out as a Target exclusive in seconds.
News
Exclusive Quintesson Pit of Judgement Box Set Revealed
The canceled SDCC exclusive is moving to Hasbro Pulse. It includes a Quintesson judge, an Allicon bailiff, a Quintesson prosecutor, Kranix and a Legends Class Sharkticon. Matt can’t believe someone made it for him and wants at least three. The bailiff has a retooled head and possibly more. One host notes its colors come from a fan-colored model sheet, so a show-accurate bailiff may come later. One host points out that Studio Series 86 listings include a deluxe Sharkticon. [Source: tfradio.net]
The Second Fan First Friday Recap
Amazon gets an Earthrise Autobot Alliance two-pack of Ironhide and Prowl, plus a Seeker Elite two-pack of Ramjet and Dirge. Netflix War for Cybertron wave two brings a second blind spoiler pack, this time a Decepticon. The crew guesses Galaxy Force Optimus Prime in Nemesis colors. Voyagers include Earthrise Optimus Prime without the trailer and an Earth mode Soundwave that sold out instantly. Deluxes are Impactor, Red Alert, Wheeljack, a licensed Volkswagen Bumblebee and an Arcee-based Elita-1. Generations Selects Exhaust and Greasepit became official, and Rotorstorm’s head was fixed after an engineering mistake. [Source: tfradio.net]
John Warden Moves From Transformers to Power Rangers
One host thanks Warden for Titans Return, Combiner Wars, Earthrise and more. Another notes the 2021 line still carries his work and that the move appears lateral. The crew is encouraged that Warden named In Space as his favorite Power Rangers season. No Transformers replacement has been named yet. [Source: John Warden, Twitter]
The Transformers TCG Comes to an End
The crew is sad for the players who loved the card game. They think it simply never grew beyond Transformers fans. [Source: tfradio.net]
Studio Series Leadfoot Coming Exclusively to Target
Deluxe Leadfoot went up on Target.com and sold out in about 30 seconds. It should reach stores around September 11. [Source: tfradio.net]
Earthrise Runabout Listing Found in Target’s System
A Target employee reports that Runabout and Thrust are Target exclusives. That person also claimed a lot of Kingdom product is already in Target’s system. [Source: tfradio.net]
More Cyberverse Box Sets Heading to Target
A Repugnus set in G2-style colors includes mini Repugnus-type monster bots. A four-pack of Seekers includes Thrust, Thundercracker, Skywarp and a clear Ghost Starscream. Chris likes the variety pack even though he won’t buy it. [Source: tfradio.net]
Three More Transformers R.E.D. Collection Figures Discovered
New listings include a redecoed Optimus Prime, Starscream and Transformers Prime Knock Out. One host notes the line favors designs that never really transformed on screen. Don would love a Beast Machines Botanica. [Source: tfradio.net]
Online Exclusives and the Bot Problem
John walks through a month of online exclusives that sold out in seconds at Walmart.com and Target.com. These include Gigawatt, NECA’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles exclusives and Hasbro’s Target G.I. Joe Cobra Island figures. He contrasts NECA’s detailed response, promising anti-bot measures and restocks, with Hasbro’s brief apology. He explains how retail buyers, licensors and just-in-time inventory squeeze vendors. His advice is for Hasbro to set honest expectations instead of hyping each launch. Chris argues Walmart and Target hold the power, so little will change. Don says the companies should have learned from Matty Collector and set one-per-customer limits. The crew suggests weekend launch times.
What We Got This Week
Chris
Chris got Cyberverse Arcee from Target.com and finds it solid, if extremely average. He prefers its car mode to the Earthrise version but worries the stiff clear plastic hinge will break. He bought six Slitherfangs to meet Target.com’s minimum order. His replacement Exhaust still has a weak right knee.
Don
Don got the Nonnef Optimus Prime trailer kit and a G2 Sideswipe weapon set. Exhaust and Greasepit arrived early from Hasbro, and Double Dealer came from Amazon. He also got Alternate Universe Optimus Prime. He found Snapdragon at Walmart and left the second one for the next collector. He bought three Decepticon Clone sets and is passing an extra on at cost.
Matt
Matt got Cyberverse Whirl, “the most adorable little sociopath.” His Exhaust has the same bad right knee, and he dislikes the new faction symbol. He also got the Nonnef trailer kit, a clearance Astrotrain and Double Dealer, whose joints are loose. Alternate Universe Optimus Prime is “childhood trauma in toy form,” and he loves it.
Diecast
Diecast got ReAction Bumblebee from Matt, plus Exhaust, Greasepit and Alternate Universe Optimus Prime. He challenges Hasbro and third parties to make a zombie Optimus Prime. He also got the Nonnef trailer kit, an Earthrise Wheeljack wing upgrade and a replacement part for his Unicron. A reissue of Fans Toys’ Kup and DX9 Montana, their Breakdown, round out his haul.
Rob
Rob got Exhaust, with the same knee problem, and Greasepit. He calls Exhaust merely good after the Seekers and Optimus Prime. Greasepit is still excellent.
Brian
Brian loves Arcee’s car mode and its gun storage. He got the Decepticon Clones and Optimus Prime and Megatron pencil toppers. Thanks to Jack, he got an Argentinian Antex Twin Twist repaint and Robocar Windchargers in yellow and blue. He credits Ant’s TFU.info podcast on South American Transformers.
John
John got Exhaust and gap-filler kits for Earthrise Wheeljack and Grapple.
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.