John DeLuna returns to Radio Free Cybertron after nearly a decade away on this August 18, 2009 show. He joins Brian and JD Church for a debate on third-party fan projects. The hosts agree that upgrade kits like Fans Project’s City Commander help Hasbro, while full figures like Impossible Toys’ Arcee and iGear’s Masterpiece-style knockoffs cross the line. Revenge of the Fallen gets a tentative October 29 home video date. Brian warns listeners off the RPM cars and Transformers gummy vitamins, and Rob Springer reviews Ejector, the Decepticon toaster.
This Day in Transformers History
JD notes that August 23, 1986, is Grimlock’s birthday according to the Marvel UK comic. John DeLuna correctly guesses that Simon Furman made it up, as the day Grimlock started answering reader mail.
News
Revenge of the Fallen Gets a Home Video Date
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has a tentative home video release date of October 29, 2009. John calls the film “everything good and bad about Michael Bay” cranked up to 11. He prefers the first movie’s story, pacing and sense of discovery. Brian says the pacing was terrible in every possible way. [Source: not found]
Skip It
Brian’s wife picked up the Revenge of the Fallen RPM cars, non-transforming vehicles that flip up to show a character relief, at $8 for two. He calls them incredibly lame and suggests running them over. The Transformers gummy multivitamins, topped with an Optimus Prime head, are also a skip. Brian does recommend Animated Activators Grimlock, which his friend Chris calls the best Grimlock outside Masterpiece. The hosts pass on the $100 Revenge of the Fallen Devastator and Ultimate Bumblebee. John is waiting on Masterpiece Grimlock.
Fan Projects: Where’s the Line?
JD traces fan projects back to Reprolabels, whose replacement stickers Hasbro tolerated, by most accounts warmly. Today’s companies produce full upgrade kits like Fans Project’s City Commander for Classics Ultra Magnus and iGear weapons sets. All three hosts see a difference between kits that require a Hasbro toy and stand-alone figures like Impossible Toys’ Arcee or iGear’s Sharkticon. John says many projects now look driven by profit rather than fandom.
Brian calls iGear’s Masterpiece-style mini figure a “glorified knockoff” that could draw Hasbro’s wrath. He worries a crackdown could hurt legitimate sellers like Reprolabels. JD notes copyright enforcement is a civil matter, so Hasbro can be selective. Their consensus: upgrades are fine, knockoffs are “kind of scummy.”
Toy Review: Revenge of the Fallen Ejector
Rob Springer reviews Ejector, a Scout class Decepticon that turns into a toaster, representing the kitchen appliance robots from the film. Its power cord becomes a goblin-like tail in robot mode. The comical face and four arms appeal to Rob, though the arms pop off at a touch and the shoulder pegs show stress marks. There are no weapons or play features. Rob still says to buy one, if only to confuse visitors with a Transformer toaster.
Wrap-Up
Brian has picked his shots since Animated, though he wants Wheelie and the Skids and Mudflap two-pack. John is a completist only on certain lines, such as Human Alliance. Brian also points listeners to a silent-movie-style Transformers flash animation on Newgrounds.
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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