Chinese police bust a Transformers counterfeiting ring that sold about $14 million in knockoffs, and the crew draws the line between counterfeits and third-party toys. Hasbro’s second quarter results come in down 29 percent. Figure King shows design art for the new Masterpiece Starscream, and Hasbro’s Fan Expo Hong Kong video offers a look at Masterpiece Tigatron. The crew’s Transformers: War for Cybertron Chapter One: Siege review is up ahead of the Netflix debut. Rob and Brian both get Earthrise Scorponok.
Don is away without a computer this week. Brian announces Patreon changes: the Touched tier trading cards will wrap up, and a new weekly history podcast will look back on the fives, at five, 10, 15 and more years ago. RFC Throwback is now patron-exclusive, and its next episode covers the two Commodore 64 Transformers games.
News
Transformers Chapter One: Siege Debuts on Netflix
The crew’s review is posted at tfradio.net ahead of the Netflix release. They call it a mixed bag but substantially better than the Machinima series before it. Several hosts admit what they really want is more Cyberverse. [Source: tfradio.net]
Police Nab Transformers Counterfeiters
Police in China arrested a ring that sold over 100 million yuan, about $14 million, in counterfeit toys. Their designer, reportedly a Transformers fan, took 10 percent of sales. The crew calls counterfeiting theft, even when the knockoffs improve on the originals. They distinguish it from third-party toys, which design their own products. A bootleg of Masterpiece MP-44 Optimus Prime is reportedly coming, and early impressions of the official black version are lukewarm. [Source: Shanghai Daily]
Hasbro Reports Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results
Hasbro’s revenue fell about 29 percent and missed expectations, and the stock dropped. The crew blames the pandemic and supply chain problems. Board games sold well, but Hasbro could not meet demand while competitors like Mattel could. One host worries that alternate shipping costs could push prices higher. [Source: Business Wire]
Design Art for the New Masterpiece Starscream From Figure King
Figure King shows line art derived from the CAD model. One host thinks the wings are double-paneled, with other parts folding inside. The crew finds the chest deep and the canopy sticking out. They expect at least 30,000 yen, around $250 or more. Matt considers letting the Earthrise Seekers be his Masterpiece Seekers. [Source: tfradio.net]
Hasbro Fan Expo Hong Kong Exhibit Video
The video reveals nothing new, but it includes a look at Masterpiece Tigatron, which one host calls amazing. [Source: Hasbro, Facebook]
Optimus Prime and Bumblebee lead the line. One host hates Pops but admits these look good. The crew expects the usual handful of G1 characters to follow. [Source: tfradio.net]
Netflix WFC Bumblebee and Elita-1 Production Samples Seen in New Stock Photos
Bumblebee has a licensed Volkswagen alt mode with visible emblems. The crew suspects both toys were first designed as Earthrise releases. Chris theorizes Hasbro planned alternating Earthrise and Netflix waves, and Walmart took the Netflix toys exclusively in exchange for carrying them. The crew adds that exclusivity may guarantee shelf space as Walmart grows picky about price points. [Source: tfradio.net]
Takara Transformers Siege SG-EX Ratchet Images and Details
Siege Ratchet is a TakaraTomy Mall exclusive, likely tied to the Netflix series. TakaraTomy Mall also gets an Earthrise Skywarp and Thundercracker set. One host notes this is another chance at the Seekers for those who missed Target. An Earthrise Ratchet is rumored as a future Generations Selects figure. [Source: TFormers]
Flame Toys Windblade Furai Model Returns With a New Design
Flame Toys’ redesigned Furai Model Windblade now has wings, though the crew thinks it looks largely the same. [Source: TFormers]
The crew also explains how Target’s planograms and endcaps work. The Seeker and Clone endcap ran off cycle, which explains why the Clones hit clearance so fast.
What We Got This Week
Diecast
Diecast got a full set of spare parts with his DX9 Montana from Taobao. He also got the five-movie Transformers 4K Ultra HD collection and an Earthrise Smashdown on clearance for $2.98.
Chris
Chris got the Walmart G1 Astrotrain reissue on clearance for $9.
Rob
Rob got Earthrise Hot Rod Patrol from Hasbro’s eBay store to go with Greasepit. He also got Prime Masters Landmine and Octopunch, leaving only Bomb-Burst. His big pickup is Earthrise Scorponok, which he finds much nicer than Fortress Maximus. His only complaints are a tiny instruction diagram for the tail and no Titans Return connectors.
Matt
Matt had nothing this week.
John
John found a fresh toy restock at his Target and picked up Greasepit, Skylynx and Snapdragon.
Brian
Brian got Earthrise Scorponok and calls Zarak far better than Cerebros. He also got the Cyberverse Repugnus set, whose mini monster bots actually transform. Snapdragon has an excellent robot and jet mode, but its dragon mode lacks articulation. He also got Greasepit and Exhaust. Fans Hobby’s Athena feels Masterpiece-sized, too big for a Headmaster Junior. He also got a vintage knockoff red Mirage and covered its gold chrome with a chrome pen.
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.