The Cold Hard Slag crew guest hosts this June 4, 2001 Radio Free Cybertron while Brian Kilby is away. Heath offers a full guide to buying toys in the BotCon dealer room, from scouting laps to his 30-30 pricing rule. Part one of the When Continents Collide audio story pits Megatron against Optimus Prime over a stolen oil transporter on the Alaska pipeline. JD closes with a review of Beast Machines Battle Unicorn.
Tips for Buying Toys at BotCon
Heath from Cold Hard Slag calls the BotCon dealer room a war zone. He rates BotCon 98’s dealer room the best he has seen. His first tip is to make two or three laps before buying anything, noting where reputable dealers like Rugby Starbase set up. Dealers only put out 50 to 60% of their stock at first, so wanted toys often appear later. Grab a dealer’s business card and note the price, since the same toy often drops about 30% online a month later.
Heath says dealers will usually negotiate on bundles, and on single toys if the request is reasonable. Big buyers spending $150 to $200 can often get a freebie or a discount. His 30-30 rule says to pay up to $30 or 30% over book, whichever is less, for the value of holding the toy in hand. Prices drop sharply in BotCon’s last hour, since dealers would rather cut prices than ship stock home. He recommends traveler’s checks, with the check numbers kept somewhere separate. Above all, have fun.
When Continents Collide, Part One
Part one of the When Continents Collide audio story plays. Megatron and Soundwave dock a stolen hovercraft oil transporter at a relay station on the Alaska pipeline. They bribe an Earthling with a new jeep, unaware that Hound has slipped aboard in jeep mode. When Megatron speeds up the oil flow, the pipeline’s terminus in Valdez runs dry, and Prowl alerts Optimus Prime. Skyfire tracks the transporter north of the Arctic Circle and cripples it with missiles. The Decepticons flee on their autoburners, for the moment.
Flame War Central
An A-Team parody ad introduces Flame War Central, a group of Transfans sent to the ATT killfile who now survive on an ezboard. The link is on the RFC homepage.
Toy Review: Beast Machines Battle Unicorn
JD, also known as UnicronSpawn, likes the beast mode’s translucent blue plastic and the vacuum-metallized orange and red mane. He calls the headbutt gimmick really lame. The transformation isn’t hard, but the axe and shoulder pads tend to fall off. The robot mode is really nice, with a knight-like look and a large, menacing pole axe. JD calls it one of the worst-named toys in a long time, but a good basic. He gives it four God Magnus thumbs up.
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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