TFCon announces a show in Baltimore, and Rob is thrilled it is only a few hours away. TakaraTomy posts official in-hand photos of Earthrise Dirge, Ramjet, Prowl and Ironhide. The Back to the Future Gigawatt gets a mass retail release in October, so nobody needs those $700 eBay preorder slots. Transformers also joins World of Warships. Rob calls Earthrise Double Dealer his most negative Transformers experience in years, and Chris gets Generations Selects Rotorstorm months early.
A new episode of Transform Squadron is up from Rob Springer. Patrons have a new RFC Throwback starting a series on Transformers video games, and Brian recorded a deep dive on his collecting strategy. A patron-exclusive This Week in History podcast is on the way.
News
TFCon Is Going to Be in Baltimore
Rob is excited, since Baltimore is only about a three-hour drive for him. Don might make the trip. Chris doubts the fall 2021 show will actually happen. The crew expects TFCon to keep returning to Chicago in alternating years. [Source: not found]
Takara Earthrise Dirge, Ramjet, Prowl and Ironhide Official In-Hand Images
Dirge and Ramjet are already in some fans’ hands by way of Hong Kong. Earthrise Ironhide’s van topper doubles as a cape, and the crew is impressed. Prowl no longer looks like a shoe in vehicle mode, though it still has clear plastic knees. One host jokes that Toyhax should make a chair insert with the face sticker for Ironhide’s chest. [Source: TFormers]
Diecast texted Brian about a GameStop Megatron Day on August 7 with deals meant to “make Optimus Prime jealous.” Nobody knows what that means yet, though the chat suggests a Megatron with a basketball. [Source: TFormers]
Back to the Future x Transformers Gigawatt Mass Market Release in October
A regular retail Gigawatt arrives in October, and Amazon will carry it too. The packaging drops some of the exclusive’s gradient and clock tower art, but the toy appears to be the same. One host still wishes it had a numbered sticker. Another stresses that the toy matches what people paid $700 or more for on eBay preorder slots. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers War for Cybertron Earthrise Autobot and Decepticon Art Prints
Two art prints sell for about $26. One shows the Decepticons on a ship’s bridge, with a Double Dealer close to the Earthrise box art. The other shows the Autobots outside the crashed Ark. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Join the Battle in World of Warships
World of Warships is adding Transformers, apparently as characters standing on warships. The crew would rather see ships transform into Tidal Wave or Broadside. One host suggests World of Tanks would have been a better fit for Megatron, Brawl and Warpath. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Diecast
Diecast’s Earthrise Scorponok from Big Bad Toy Store arrived with a limp arm. He fixed it by dipping the plastic ratchet piece in boiling water for a second or two. The same trick straightened the bent horns on his Studio Cell Unicron. Skylynx feels simple, and he says it is not Jetfire. His friend Rob found him Snapdragon, Rung and Slitherfang. He also got a Fans Toys figure he has not transformed yet.
Rob
Rob got Earthrise Double Dealer and calls it the most negative impression he’s had from a Transformers figure in a long time. The shoulder sockets fight the alt mode parts, and his seven-inch missile hangs on one short peg. The joints are weak, and the robot can’t hold its gun. A second copy from a forgotten Pulse preorder is going straight to eBay. Chris adds that his second Double Dealer was no better, though he may have ordered a third from Walmart.
Don
Don got Cyberverse Arcee, but finds its low-contrast instruction colors nearly unreadable. His Earthrise Scorponok from Big Bad Toy Store came fast, packed with Perfect Effect’s Sideswipe that turns into a bull. His Studio Series Roadbuster from Amazon arrived crushed with loose parts rattling in the box, so it is going back.
John
John got Earthrise Double Dealer but may return it unopened. He prefers his Generations Double Dealer, the Blitzwing redeco, with a third-party missile upgrade. He opened Skylynx and likes it a lot, simple but well executed. He wonders who it is for besides 40-year-old collectors.
Chris
Chris got Generations Selects Rotorstorm early from a small Maryland toy store at retail. It has the corrected new head and fits together better than his Spinister in helicopter mode. The blade-lock mechanism holds a little less firmly.
Brian
Brian got Tiny Turbo Changers series 2, highlighted by Megatron and Silverbolt. He regrets MP-49 Black Convoy, which has no paint, but he’s keeping it. Rob reminded him the reissue Star Convoy has a gold chest crest instead of yellow, so he bought a boxed Japanese original. He also got a sealed G2 Laser Optimus Prime and a sealed Cryotek from Transformerland.
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.