A blue Transmetal 2 Megatron auction sparks a hoax debate on this May 14, 2001 Radio Free Cybertron. Brian Kilby thinks the figure is real but understands the doubt, since a fan showed the photo could be faked in ten minutes. The show replays Turin’s interview with Beast Wars story editor Larry DiTillio, who discusses Hasbro’s interference, Tarantulas and Rattrap. Also on the show: part one of the Satellite of Doom read-along and Jay Foster’s Concert on Cybertron.
News
Blue Transmetal 2 Megatron: Real or Hoax?
A collector reported winning an auction for a blue Transmetal 2 Megatron, posted to the AllSpark, setting off heated debate. Brian Kilby believes the figure is real, but he doesn’t blame anyone for doubting it. The auction ran through Singapore, ended right after the winning bid, and the seller had zero feedback. A poster named Xenus showed a convincing color-swap Photoshop of the picture in ten minutes. A friend of Brian’s says the blue Megatron is probably real and that a green Ramulus that also surfaced is real. Brian will post links on the message board. [Source: not found]
Opening
Brian thanks Goldimus Prime for filling in last week. Family problems may keep Brian away at times, so he asks listeners to email their favorite RFC segments for a best-of show. He also invites them to sign up for the new message board at tfradio.net. There is no ATT Buzz this week.
Dubbed Line of the Week
From the Headmasters dub of the Planet Beast episode, an alien asks the Autobots for help and declares, “Darn those Decepticons.”
Satellite of Doom, Part One
Courtesy of coldhardslag.com, RFC plays the first half of the Transformers read-along Satellite of Doom. Megatron uses human slaves to pack a Kalahari Desert cavern with coal, then blasts it into a giant diamond. He plans to use the diamond as a satellite lens to melt the Rocky Mountains into oil. Bumblebee spies on the launch in Brazil, and Skyfire’s attack comes too late to stop it.
Interview: Larry DiTillio
Turin’s interview with Beast Wars story editor Larry DiTillio, first aired about 15 months earlier, gets a replay. DiTillio says he writes family shows that kids and parents can enjoy on different levels. He and Bob Forward wanted Beast Wars in space, but Hasbro kept it on Earth. He calls Tarantulas and Rattrap his favorite characters to write, and he points to Dinobot as a character who became the most noble. He calls the season two opener, with the switch to Transmetals and Optimus Primal’s quick return, his low point. Hasbro wanted toy commercials, he says, and its interference grew once the show became a hit. He calls the first season the high point and Other Voices one of his best scripts. He has not followed Beast Machines but calls Bob Skir and Marty Isenberg good writers facing more pressure.
Concert on Cybertron
Jay Foster mixes Backstreet Boys songs with Transformers cartoon clips. Brian challenges listeners to name the episodes behind the 18 clips.
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