Robots in Disguise has hit US shelves in big numbers, with different plastic and paint details from the Japanese Car Robots toys. This July 10, 2001 Radio Free Cybertron, the last before BotCon 2001, also covers an ATT debate over whether 3H can be criticized like Hasbro. John DeLuna slams Takara for making Fortress Maximus a chase figure in its PVC Act 3. The Great Transformers Websites segment spotlights Rob’s Transformers Page. Brian Kilby condenses the Masterforce episode Sixknight the Wanderer into a bad-dub highlight reel.

News

RFC’s BotCon 2001 Plans

BotCon is this weekend, and Brian will attend on Saturday. Next week’s show will be BotCon coverage, likely including the G1 voice actors panel, the Beast Wars voice panel and reactions from the show floor. He asks listeners to describe themselves on the RFC message board so he can find them.

Transformations and Deceptions Tech Spec Database for Palm OS

Thaddeus Cult sent word of Transformations and Deceptions, a tech spec database for Palm OS devices. A link is on the RFC homepage.

ATT Buzz

Robots in Disguise Ships in Big Numbers

Robots in Disguise is turning up everywhere, a typical big first wave for a new line. The US toys differ from their Car Robots counterparts in paint details and plastic grade. John will not buy them, since he owns the full Car Robots line and finds the trilingual packaging bland. He credits Hasbro for a smart, cost-conscious line that should turn a profit. [Source: alt.toys.transformers]

Can 3H Be Criticized Like Hasbro?

An ATT thread claiming Spooky had BotCon exclusives on eBay turned into a debate over criticizing 3H. John avoided any exclusive spoilers. He argues 3H is not Hasbro or Takara, but its Hasbro-approved comic and exclusives make it more than fans. Anyone can criticize 3H, Hasbro or Takara, he says, as long as they give specific reasons. His own gripe is that BotCon crams too much into two days. [Source: alt.toys.transformers]

Takara Makes Fortress Maximus a PVC Chase Figure

John understood chase figures in Takara’s PVC line, which work like trading cards. Act 3 goes too far, he says, by making the colored Fortress Maximus, built from a piece in each box, a chase figure without warning. It killed his optimism for Act 3, and Act 4 is admittedly greatest-hits rehashes. [Source: not found]

Great Transformers Websites: Rob’s Transformers Page

After a station ID from Larry DiTillio, this week’s “sites that do not suck” pick is Rob’s Transformers Page at The Electric Escape. It offers award-winning fan fiction, a definitive list of every Transformers toy and variant lists from MCipher and others. It also has a comic guide, Japanese episode guides, news articles and BotCon reports from every year. The highlight is the annual Trannies awards, written and hosted by Rob since 1996. The site also hosts a Transformers: The Movie MST and the BotCon 98 script reading.

Bad Dubbed Japanese Line of the Week: Sixknight the Wanderer

Brian revamps the segment by condensing a whole dubbed episode into a few minutes. This week’s pick is the Masterforce episode Sixknight the Wanderer, dubbed as “Sixshot the Vagabond.” Sixknight challenges Powermaster Optimus Prime, who refuses to fight back while a human girl is in danger. Brian says the dubs at least make Masterforce watchable.

Radio Free Cybertron: The Transformers Podcast

Brian Kilby

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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