Breaking news from Cybertron Con 2024 brings Age of the Primes Star Optimus Prime and the Aerialbots, and the crew sees a smaller Titan price point opening the door to deep-cut characters. Missing Link Sunstreaker and Cordon will include Diaclone-style drivers, and 2025 leaks point to a Horri-Bull and a Selects G2 Dinobots two-pack. The crew also remembers Morgan Lofting, the voice of Moonracer and Firestar. In What We Got This Week, John’s Missing Link Bumblebee and Cliffjumper review has him ready to rename the show Radio Free Missing Link.
Diecast Defends the 13 Primes
Diecast pushed back on last week’s lukewarm take on Age of the Primes. As a collector, he loves the chance to own all 13 Primes and will display them in robot mode. Don countered that the Primes are so loosely defined that skipping a few hardly leaves a set incomplete.
Elf on the Shelf Warmer
Brian made his pitch for the final stretch of the Elf on the Shelf Warmer campaign. He asked listeners to pick up a toy, drop it in a Toys for Tots box and share a photo with the hashtag.
News
Morgan Lofting, Voice of Moonracer and Firestar, Passes at 84
Morgan Lofting, who voiced Moonracer and Firestar in The Transformers and the Baroness in G.I. Joe, passed away at 84. One host said her Baroness voice will live in his head forever. The crew noted The Search for Alpha Trion was the first episode to feature female Autobots. Don attended one of her convention panels but never got to meet her. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
2025 Leaks Point to Horri-Bull and Selects G2 Dinobots
A leak posted to the TFW2005 boards says Hasbro has a multi-year NFL deal for more sports crossovers. Selects will reportedly offer a leader-class two-pack of G2 Slag and Snarl. Target’s next multi-pack may pair Animated Nemesis Prime with Horri-Bull, built from Titans Return Skullcruncher. Age of the Primes Micronus Prime will draw on Robots in Disguise 2015, while Legacy United Vector Prime doubles as the line’s Vector Prime. The next Transformers HasLab is reportedly due in the spring. [Source: TFW2005 Boards]
Missing Link Sunstreaker and Cordon Come With Diaclone Drivers
Missing Link Sunstreaker and Cordon will each include a Diaclone-style driver that attaches magnetically. One host pre-ordered Sunstreaker right away but can’t justify both at $80 to $90 each. Another pre-ordered both and hopes a Diaclone-colored Spinout follows. Both are due in early summer. [Source: TFW2005] [Source: TFW2005]
Age of the Primes Armada Red Alert Color Test Shot Leaks
A color test shot of Age of the Primes Armada Red Alert surfaced, still without its head. Some felt owners of the original don’t need it. Matt argued anyone with the Commander Class Armada Optimus Prime and the deluxe Hot Shot will want Red Alert alongside them, and that sold at least one host. [Source: TFW2005]
Bump of Chicken Earthrise Optimus Prime Revealed
Japanese band Bump of Chicken has its own multicolored Earthrise Optimus Prime. The crew loved how wacky it looks and suspects each color stands for a band member. It sells for 7,000 yen, about $47, through the band’s website, which makes shipping outside Japan tough. The earlier Bump of Chicken Bumblebee now turns up cheaply on Mandarake. [Source: TFW2005]
HasLab Omega Prime Packaging and Stock Images Revealed
Packaging and stock photos are out for HasLab Robots in Disguise Omega Prime. Don loves the in-your-face box art, and Rob pointed to its forced perspective. Fans of the original Fire Convoy argued the new version adds weight and stability the original combiner lacked. One host was only ever tempted by the Blue Bolts weaponizer and won’t pay HasLab prices for Optimus Prime or Megatron. [Source: TFW2005]
Dramatic Capture Autobot 3-Pack Shown In Hand
In-hand photos show Takara’s Dramatic Capture Autobot three-pack. Mainframe’s blue feet look great, but the set repeats a clear-plastic Jazz and the familiar Optimus Prime. One host pre-ordered it just for Mainframe and the Optimus Prime, which he will pair with a kitted-out Nonnef trailer. [Source: TFW2005]
Killerbody Shows Off a Wearable G1 Optimus Prime Helmet
Killerbody showed samples of a wearable G1 Optimus Prime helmet with a removable faceplate. The crew expects it to be very expensive, like the company’s earlier Mirage helmet. Several disliked the over-detailed face under the faceplate, which isn’t the Marvel G1 look. The cheaper Icon Heroes helmet that Diecast owns seemed more people’s cup of tea. [Source: TFW2005]
New Zealand Mint Releases a G1 Bumblebee Silver Coin
New Zealand Mint released a painted 40th anniversary G1 Bumblebee coin in one troy ounce of .999 silver. Brian noted it is about $30 of silver selling for $120. One host likes the look but won’t pay that himself. [Source: TFW2005]
Cybertron Con 2024 Reveals Star Optimus Prime and the Aerialbots
Breaking news recorded after the show: Cybertron Con 2024 revealed Age of the Primes Star Optimus Prime and Superion. Star Optimus Prime is expected to be around the size of HasLab Deathsaurus and comes with a Micromaster Hot Rod and micro trailer. It marks a smaller, cheaper Titan experiment, which Diecast hopes doesn’t replace the larger Titan price point. Superion uses the same frame setup as Menasor, with Silverbolt plugging into it and cartoon-style heads. The crew dreamed of Overlord, Liokaiser, Dai Atlas and JRX at this new size. [Source: TFW2005]
Age of the Primes Wave 1 Box Art Revealed
The Age of the Primes Wave 1 box art also appeared. Even hosts cool on the Primes agreed this year’s box art looks great. One host likes Solus Prime but wants to see the actual toy first. [Source: TFW2005]
2025 Retailer Capsule Leaks Include Ironfist and Excellion
Leaked 2025 retailer exclusives include an Amazon Mayhem versus Wreckers capsule. It pairs Ironfist, a partial retool of Hound, with Carnivac, plus a likely reissue two-pack of Spinister and Twin Twist. One host hopes Ironfist starts from Siege Hound. Walmart is planning a Galaxy Force 20th anniversary capsule with Excellion, a redeco of Legacy Cybertron Hot Shot, a Cybertron Sideways and an unidentified leader. [Source: tfuinfo on Bluesky]
Transformers x Sonic the Hedgehog Collaborative Shown
Cybertron Con week also brought the expected Sonic the Hedgehog Collaborative. Tails becomes his biplane, and Sonic becomes a car from Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed. One host said it reminded him of the Marvel crossovers, while another felt Sonic had a chunky Rescue Bots vibe but didn’t mind them. [Source: Snakas Blog]
Listener Question: Comics
Listener Matthew Swenson asked why the crew never talks about the comics in What We Got This Week. Brian explained the show has become mostly a toy podcast, and he would rather cover Skybound review copies somewhere else. One host reads the Skybound comic and says everyone loves its Starscream, while another compared its violence-as-spectacle style to a 1990s Image comic.
What We Got This Week
John DeLuna
John DeLuna got Missing Link Bumblebee and Cliffjumper from Amazon Japan and was shocked by how tiny the boxes are. He loves them: shoulder hinges, knees, ankle rockers and neck articulation, yet they still feel sturdy. Transformation takes a few more steps than Missing Link Convoy, mostly at the shoulders. He wants as many Minibots as they will make and joked the show should become Radio Free Missing Link.
Diecast
Diecast picked up a second Cloud Cover, since he never took his first one out of the box. He also got a Dr. Wu mini Megatron and FansToys Ultra Magnus, which he calls the best-proportioned Ultra Magnus he has seen. A Walmart gift card brought the G1 toy-style Optimus Prime down to about $20. He buys full Blokees boxes from AliExpress for about $40 so he gets every character.
Matt
Matt had nothing in Transformers this week.
Don
Don had nothing in Transformers this week.
Rob
Rob grabbed the $15 light-up Transformers One Matrix replica after a Discord member spotted it back in stock on Amazon.
Chris
Chris had nothing in Transformers this week.