Brian Kilby returns after nearly two months away with his verdict on the first half of the Robots in Disguise cartoon. This October 10, 2001 Radio Free Cybertron finds him won over, at least partly, by the show’s charming stupidity. He also shares first thoughts on Takara’s God Ginrai reissue and reviews early Robots in Disguise toys. GR Crosscut debuts with a review of a Transformers T-shirt.
Brian Returns
Brian is back after almost two months away for family reasons and thanks Mop-Boy for filling in last week. He thanks TFArchive.com for hosting RFC’s files. New reviews on the site include Chris Richards on Starscream and a review of Act 3 of the PVC sets. The show is dedicated to Joel Eubanks.
Clothing Review: Transformers T-Shirt
GR Crosscut, in his first RFC review, covers a Transformers shirt from Bootlegger that turns neon orange in sunlight. It shows an Optimus Prime silhouette, Autobot and Decepticon symbols and a mystery Decepticon silhouette he calls a “Franken-Decepticon.” It survives the wash well, and he gives it 6.5 out of 10.
God Ginrai Reissue
Brian shares first thoughts on Takara’s reissue of God Ginrai, the Masterforce leader. He likes the die-cast metal, real windshield and retractable fists, all improvements over Powermaster Optimus Prime. But he calls God Bomber a flaming pile of crap, a mess of accessories that doesn’t deserve its own tech spec. A full review comes next week.
Brian’s Rant: Robots in Disguise
Brian calls Robots in Disguise a rushed filler line between Beast Machines and whatever comes in 2002. He finds the Saban dub very Digimon and lighthearted, a sharp contrast to Beast Machines. He thought the series was stupid until “The Fish Test,” which is so bad it won him over. Skybyte is his hero. He now enjoys the show more each week but says the jury is still out.
Toy Review: Early Robots in Disguise Toys
Brian found Megatron only at a comic shop and ordered him from Amazon.com. He praises the ornate paint and hidden kibble but finds the alternate modes weak and the feet unstable. He calls Megatron worth about $20.
The wave two Spy Changers use previously unreleased molds and store their guns in vehicle mode. He likes Sideswipe’s goggles and Sideburn’s Viper mode but finds Prowl boring. The Flip Changer versus packs, improved Machine Wars molds with light-piping, earn his recommendation, with Wind Sheer the best of the lot. Bruticus is the one toy he hates, and he advises skipping it unless you’re a completist.
Worst Dubbed Line
Listeners pick the worst line from the Singapore dubs: “Tell me, what’s your name?” “Optimus Prime. I’m Japanese.”
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.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:48 — 16.9MB) | Embed
Radio Free Cybertron – 06/22/2011
Radio Free Cybertron – 9/30/2001
Radio Free Cybertron – 445
Transformers Robots in Disguise One Step Changer Fixit Figure Review