The eighth anniversary of 9/11 brings Robots in Disguise back into focus on this September 9, 2009 Radio Free Cybertron. JD Church recalls how the attacks preempted the show and led to edits, reordered episodes and a lost Canada-only episode. Brian Kilby, John DeLuna, Exvee and Rob Springer also rate the Energon combiners and two RFC Twitter Theater picks, Dark Voyage and the fan-dubbed Zone. Rob reviews Revenge of the Fallen Stratosphere, and Brian and John urge everyone to buy the AllSpark Almanac.
This Day in Transformers History: Robots in Disguise and 9/11
JD notes that Bullet Train to the Rescue was set to air on September 11, 2001, but news coverage preempted it. Afterward, Robots in Disguise episodes aired out of order and were edited to avoid shocking viewers. One host says Skybite Saves the Day never aired in the U.S. and only ran in Canada. Another adds that the first two episodes, with a skyscraper crash and a terrorist bombing, didn’t rerun for a long time. Brian asks whether Robots in Disguise got an unfair shake. One host thinks the series’ problems would have been there either way.
Energon Combiners
Exvee now owns all three Energon combiner sets thanks to the movie-colors releases. He says you can see the design progression from first to third, and Superion is the weakest. The crew notes Hasbro planned five unique molds before budget cuts. The combiners built hands and feet into weapons, which made for poor hands and feet. One host points out that every combiner core has hips too narrow for its legs. The crew agrees that few combiners have ever been great, though Brian credits Defensor and the crew likes Abominus.
RFC Bacon Parties
Rob proposes RFC bacon parties on the forum: invite friends over during the live show, cook a pile of bacon and send in pictures.
RFC Twitter Theater: Dark Voyage
Exvee likes the concept of the Beast Wars episode Dark Voyage but says it only works if everyone acts foolish. The Maximals switch to robot mode during an Energon explosion while Scorponok and Waspinator stand nearby unharmed. Another host says it is a narrative episode, so you have to overlook the plot to enjoy how the characters react. The crew suspects a writer without a feel for the show and notes it echoes the previous episode, Call of the Wild.
RFC Twitter Theater: Zone and the TF Cog Fan Dubs
Rob posted Zone, the one-shot Japanese episode, in a fan dub from The TF Cog. Brian found it after discussing fan dubs on the T-Formers.com podcast. The cast includes Frank Todaro and Daniel Ross, known as Mouth04 on the AllSpark. The crew can follow it and enjoys the Decepticon generals, though a few voices are hard to understand. Brian praises the acting and applauds the effort since these episodes will likely never be released in English. One host calls it charmingly Voltron-like, and the crew agrees Frank Todaro makes a convincing little girl. Exvee wants the Robotmasters dub for a future Twitter Theater.
Toy Review: Revenge of the Fallen Stratosphere
Rob reviews Stratosphere, the carrier jet that drops Optimus Prime into battle in Revenge of the Fallen. It comes with a tiny Micromaster-sized Optimus Prime that deploys from the jet’s cargo hatch. Rob says the jet itself is the reason to buy it, comparing its proportions to Transmetal 2 Prowl. It has giant movie-style feet and a barely visible Mech Alive gimmick. A planned space shuttle gun was cut. Rob recommends it as a well-done Voyager with nicely distributed colors. The crew also notes Leader Jetfire is starting to show up.
AllSpark Almanac
Brian is two-thirds of the way through the AllSpark Almanac and very satisfied. John says it sets a new standard for reference books, with in-character writing, reference art and a flip book in the page corners. He says it captures what Transformers Animated was about. Brian says co-author Jim Sorenson, who wrote it with Bill Forster, should join next week. Strong sales could mean a second book or more Animated stories. Brian asks every RFC listener to buy it.
Green Ramulus Turns Up on eBay
A green Ramulus, the Transmetal 2 variant once sold at the Hasbro employee store, has turned up on eBay mint on card. The crew recalls fans arguing over whether it was real, a fight that only Cryotek topped on alt.toys.transformers. [Source: eBay]
Fandom History and Cold Hard Slag
Brian and the crew look back at their early online fandom days, from alt.toys.transformers flame wars to Brian’s joke fan fiction. JD recalls Cold Hard Slag, which offered a price guide, interviews, blogs and reader feedback years ahead of its time. Brian notes that Anthony once helped with RFC as Botamus and that TFW’s Vangelis and TF Wire founder Matrix Prime were RFC fans. Brian calls RFC one of the first shows to post episodes for download.
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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