BotCon.com has posted registration for BotCon 2000, and a tech spec photo previews the new Beast Machines Dinobot Triceradon on this Radio Free Cybertron. John DeLuna’s ATT Buzz also covers a Tyrannosaurus head that points to an Ultra Megatron recolor, and Spooky’s early Obsidian and Longhorn. Goldimus Prime reviews Beast Machines Mirage, and Brian Kilby delivers a State of the Fandom address.
News
BotCon 2000 Registration Opens
BotCon.com has posted preregistration for BotCon 2000; fans print the form, fill it out and mail it in. John DeLuna expects ATT to start buzzing about the trip. Brian hopes he and other RFC staffers will attend and record a BotCon special, possibly live if net access allows. [Source: BotCon.com]
Beast Machines Triceradon Tech Spec and a T-Rex Recolor
A sneak peek showed the new Dinobot Triceradon with his tech spec. Beside it was a Tyrannosaurus head that John calls the head of the new Autobot leader. ATT debated whether it is a recolored Magmatron or Ultra Megatron. John says the tongue, which is Ultra Megatron’s water squirter, and the head’s position on an arm settle it as Ultra Megatron. He hopes Hasbro at least swaps the head. [Source: alt.toys.transformers]
Spooky Posts Early Obsidian and Longhorn
Spooky has again posted advance Beast Machines basics: Obsidian, the evil Vehicon helicopter, and Longhorn, the heroic Maximal. John finds the Maximals more interesting than the vehicles, which remind him of the last years of G2 and Machine Wars. [Source: alt.toys.transformers]
News from Cybertron
Turin reports that Razorclaw has been committed after a failed power-boosting experiment left him convinced he is Voltron, shouting for the Predacons to form up. In other news, Starscream’s ghost possesses Bumblebee to take revenge on a band that used footage of his tomb in a music video.
ATT Buzz
John is shocked by how few ATT posts mention the yearly Transformers fan awards. He urges everyone to vote, even in just a few categories, so that Robert Jung keeps running them.
Toy Review: Beast Machines Mirage
Goldimus Prime calls Mirage’s vehicle mode one of the best yet, a realistic Cybertronian IndyCar in gunmetal gray with yellow and translucent blue details. At about five inches long, it may be the largest basic ever. The head can face backward as a driver or forward with the gun flipped down, which looks better. His spark sits under the nose cone, earning the nickname “suicide spark.”
The transformation is intuitive until the end. The robot has a very thin torso and G2-style peg-hole fists that can only hold the gun. The push-launched missiles fly a foot or two and take the kind of force that breaks toys. The long lower legs and set-back head limit posing.
He scores the vehicle mode 8, the robot mode 6 and Mirage overall 7. He recommends him to any collector and hopes Mirage becomes a character in the next season of Beast Machines.
New on the RFC Website
The site has Goldimus Prime’s Mirage photo and a fanfic review by AlexJ33106. It also has Marvel Universe Transformed news, a Zobovor trivia question, and John DeLuna’s Devastator retro review. A feedback forum is up, and the Maximus Prime interview is delayed by snow. Brian lost his interview contacts in a hard drive crash and asks scheduled guests to reach out again.
Trivia
A new clip is played twice and will be posted on the page. Last week’s winners will be named on the homepage.
Turin’s Top 8
Turin lists the top eight Transformers with suggestive names, kept to PG-13, including Wildrider, Grapple, Huffer and Sunstreaker. The number one spot is a three-way tie between Ramhorn, Ramjet and Thrust.
State of the Fandom
Inspired by the State of the Union, Brian says the fandom is at a high point. It has Beast Machines and its toys, a steady flow of Japanese releases and Car Robots on the way. It also has a large online community of RPGs, chat rooms, radio shows, websites and customs. Complaints about the show and some toys are natural in a thriving community, though turmoil sometimes follows. With a rumored new movie and the Transformers: The Movie DVD coming, he says the trend will not last forever, so fans should enjoy it while they can.
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.
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