Radio Free Cybertron turns 25, and the crew looks back at the very first episodes from October 1999. The Walmart-exclusive Retro G1 Gears is the find of the week, with a toy-accurate visor face on classic carded packaging. Earthrise Scorponok returns, new photos show Missing Link Sunstreaker’s hand options, and Super7’s ReAction Ark playset sends Don into a rant. The crew also previews New York Comic Con and the 10/27 stream. In What We Got This Week, Don warns everyone off Quake, while Matt and Rob both give Dinoking high marks.
News
New York Comic Con and the 10/27 Stream Preview
Diecast is headed to the Hasbro event at New York Comic Con, and Hasbro’s 10/27 stream follows the next weekend for Pulse Premium members. One host recalled Evan saying Studio Series 86 Devastator would debut at one of the two. The crew doesn’t expect a Transformers HasLab, since the Ghostbusters campaign is running. One host hopes for a glimpse of the next Titan, as New York Comic Con has often delivered.
Walmart Retro G1 Gears and Bumblebee First Look
Walmart’s carded Retro G1 Gears and Bumblebee were the crew’s favorite item of the week. Gears gets a toy-accurate visor face, and the crew agrees it suits the cheese-wedge head. One host thinks this Bumblebee beats the recent Studio Series 86 version, and another still prefers the Netflix mold, now in better yellows. Don ordered Gears to keep carded next to his opened Legacy Gears, but skipped Bumblebee since only the packaging is new. A Discord member reported that exclusives will ship to stores in solid cases, so they should be easy to find. One host would love a swappable toy-style head for Bumblebee, and another hopes the line reaches Windcharger. [Source: TFW2005]
Transformers x Star Wars Reveal Teased
Hasbro is set to reveal a new Transformers and Star Wars collaboration. The crew is unmoved, noting this is at least the third try after Hasbro’s original line and Takara Tomy’s Darth Vader TIE fighter and Millennium Falcon. [Source: TFormers]
Earthrise Titan Scorponok Reissue
Earthrise Titan Class Scorponok is back for about $200 and sold out on Hasbro Pulse. One host argues Scorponok may be the best Titan, because it knows how a figure that size needs to work. He ranks it slightly ahead of Omega Supreme, which takes more fiddling with separate parts. The Black Zarak repaint of the mold is also worth finding. [Source: TFW2005]
Missing Link Sunstreaker Prototype Additional Images
New photos of the Missing Link Sunstreaker prototype show built-in hands that flip back. That reveals a peg for the toy-accurate fists or the missiles, so fans can choose clean transformation or G1 accuracy. Some hosts think the head looks small. Others expect painted windows to slim the torso, and note the G1 toy’s head was small too. One host guesses about $70 and is interested, having never owned a G1 Sunstreaker. [Source: TFW2005]
Super7 ReAction The Ark Playset Official Renders
Super7’s ReAction Ark playset is a molded rock base with a cardboard backdrop. Don called it the dumbest thing Super7 has done. He points out that the included Optimus Prime and Megatron are worth about $40 on their own, so he can’t see where the rest of the money goes. The others argued that this is exactly what ReAction playsets always are. One host hoped for an Ark interior with bronze plating and a Teletraan I backdrop. One host suggested a hinged base with a pop-up backdrop, like a pop-up book. [Source: TFW2005]
Flame Toys Furai Model Beast Megatron Official Images
Flame Toys revealed a Furai Model Beast Wars Megatron. One host wondered why it strips out the organic look when a Transmetal Megatron kit would make more sense. Others compared it to the 10th anniversary Megatron and a Transformers Prime-era Megatron. One host finds Flame Toys either slavishly faithful to G1 or off the mark, with nothing in between. [Source: TFW2005]
Agoro Transformers One and 40th Anniversary Silver Coins
New Zealand Mint’s Agoro brand has new Transformers silver coins, including Optimus Prime and Megatron heads and a Transformers One design. The painted one-ounce coins run $119, and the unpainted three-ounce versions top $300. Brian likes the Optimus Prime coin but not at that price, noting it’s about 10 times the silver’s value. One host wishes they had done Autobot and Decepticon symbols. [Source: TFW2005]
25 Years of Radio Free Cybertron
Brian posted the first episode of Radio Free Cybertron on October 17, 1999. He had pitched it on a Transformers Usenet newsgroup as a downloadable MP3 of two to five megabytes, years before podcasting existed. The idea came from his radio job, where a weatherman emailed a 30-second MP3 forecast. Episode one covered Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia shipping and Rhino’s re-release of Transformers: The Movie. Later 1999 episodes covered Beast Wars X9 Ravage, the Beast Wars Metals game for PlayStation and early Beast Machines toys on eBay. John made his first appearance on November 19 with the first ATT Buzz segment. Turin filled in as host that December. The year closed with an interview with Vice Grip X, John’s review of Beast Machines Tankor and Exvee’s review of Tigerhawk, back when he went by Goldimus Prime. Brian remembers the early experiments, from a Microsoft Sam takeover episode to RFC Throwback episodes with Chris. J.D. Church of coldheartslag.com talked Brian into bringing RFC back as a weekly show in 2009. The crew reflected on why they keep doing it, and everyone agreed the weekly recording is the best part of their week. Don joined in 2012 after a BotCon sit-down, and Rob came aboard after Chris invited him for an interview. Brian has no plans to hang up the microphone.
What We Got This Week
Don
Don spotted Slipstream and Legacy United Galvatron in stock on Walmart’s website. His big letdown was Quake: the robot mode looks good, but the leg transformation took 20 minutes and a YouTube video. He says wait for a sale. He also got Legacy United Hot Shot on a Target sale and the G1-style Deluxe Optimus Prime, still unopened. He picked up Metalhawk again for its gorgeous new colors, and the Transformers One Megatron to pair with his Optimus Prime. Studio Series Gamer Edition Ratchet and Dinoking round out his haul, the latter to join his Core Class Dinobots and Volcanicus.
Diecast
Diecast found Gamer Edition Ratchet at GameStop. He also bought a second Commander Class Optimus Prime to fix the feet. A Facebook tip led him to an $8 gear-pushing tool on Amazon that fixed the first one, so he’ll keep the second sealed.
John
John finally opened the Takara Tomy Super Mode Starscream, the Armada Voyager mold in Thundercracker colors with blast effects. He likes the mold more than it may deserve. One host noted Evan told a fan Hasbro has no current plans to sell it, so John is glad he paid a little more to an importer.
Matt
Matt opened and combined Dinoking. New feet and hands add posability, he gets a solid A-stance, and the ankles adjust. The Stegosaurus and Pteranodon are decent Transformers on their own, and the torso connection has five points of contact. He’d love a larger version someday, but he’s thrilled.
Rob
Rob agrees with Matt about Dinoking’s chunky, well-locking torso. His combined sword stays together, though some fans report problems. The feet pop off a little easily, and the 5mm arm joints are already loosening. He wishes it cost less than $80, but still calls it good overall.
Brian
Brian bought Dinoking but won’t open it because it looks so good in the box. He also got the Comic Edition Straxus and Grimlock, and says the cel shading on Grimlock looks great. His big pickup was a near-sealed G1 Repugnus, the first step in collecting the Monsterbots. The crew also noted Takara Tomy will release Dinoking and Legacy Menasor in Japan, which could help fans who missed them.