A leaked Dark of the Moon Lowe’s #48 Chevy Impala toy, Bill Fagerbakke joining the film’s cast and Transformers Prime’s February 11 premiere open this January 5, 2011 Radio Free Cybertron. Toys R Us listings point to Masterpiece Rodimus and a wave of Dark of the Moon toys. Lady Wreck reviews All Hail Megatron #15 and Chris McFeely spotlights Wreck-Gar. Then the crew looks back at 2010, which Brian Kilby calls the best year ever to be a Transformers fan.
News
Dark of the Moon Lowe’s #48 Impala Leaks from China
A Dark of the Moon figure of the Lowe’s #48 Chevy Impala leaked from China. One host notes Lowe’s is his employer, and a friend named Dusty had just made him a #48 custom from Hot Shot for Christmas. The crew doubts the leaked figures are really Deluxes because the transformations look simple, though they like the car mode. They also wonder whether the toy carries NASCAR branding at all. [Source: not found]
Bill Fagerbakke Cast in Dark of the Moon
Bill Fagerbakke of Coach will voice a character in Dark of the Moon, apparently one of the Wreckers. Brian jokes that he must say “M-O-O-N spells toolbox,” his line from The Stand. [Source: not found]
Transformers Prime Regular Run Starts February 11
Transformers Prime begins its regular run on February 11 at 4:30 p.m. The crew hopes Zombie Cliffjumper returns. Brian notes fans can watch RFC on the Wii through the Opera browser and on TiVo. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Rodimus and Dark of the Moon Toys in Toys R Us Listings
Toys R Us UK listings revealed Masterpiece Rodimus, later confirmed as a worldwide Toys R Us exclusive, and one of the hosts posted the find to the AllSpark. The listings also show Dark of the Moon Activators, a battle mask, Cyberverse Commanders, Legion figures and an Ark set. Others include an Energon Shock Sword, Mech Tech Voyagers, Robo Power Bash Bots and Scanning Ironhide and Sideswipe. [Source: AllSpark]
Toy Prices Go Back Up
Toy prices are rising again. Brian still can’t find Generations Jazz or Trailcutter, and one host reports a Walmart cashier rang up his Thunderwing at the sale price. [Source: not found]
Third-Party Animated Arcee Head and iGear Kup Head
A third-party Classics head for Animated Arcee drew a split reaction, since one host says the rest of the figure still looks Animated. iGear’s Kup head with a cigar will sell for $12 with free shipping and include a second head without the cigar. One host calls that amazingly sane, though another is happy with the stock Kup. [Source: AllSpark]
Comic Corner with Lady Wreck
In a recorded segment, Lady Wreck notes the Drift trade paperback and the full-size Transformers Prime #1, part of four weekly issues reprinting the earlier digest, are out. She reviews All Hail Megatron #15, saying it retells #14’s story of Joe Gladke, the man who shot Bumblebee, with more detail but little new. She would rather have had one combined issue. It is Don Figueroa’s last issue, with Alex Milne coming in next month and Andrew Dalhouse staying on colors.
This Week in Transformers History
JD notes that Marvel UK’s Transformers comic ended January 4, 1992, with issue #332. Dreamwave Productions declared bankruptcy in early 2005. JD’s comic dealer offered him the final issue, #80 of the US series, for about $40.
TFWiki Spotlight: Wreck-Gar
Chris McFeely spotlights the TFWiki’s featured Wreck-Gar article, timed to a new Reveal the Shield toy. Despite his fame from Transformers: The Movie, Wreck-Gar appeared in surprisingly little, with one Headmasters episode and no manga. The article covers UK Marvel alternate-future stories, Dreamwave and Transformers Legends appearances, 3D comics and sticker books. It also includes notes from Ron Friedman’s draft movie script and Floro Dery’s design sketches.
Brian also plays a stretch of the Japanese Beast Wars theme and promises more classic Transformers music on future shows.
Topic: 2010, the Best Year Ever
The crew credits 2010 to Generations, which became broader and better than Classics or Universe, with Darkmount and Thunderwing. They also cite Power Core Combiners, the G2-themed BotCon set and Masterpiece Grimlock’s U.S. release. One host likes Masterpiece Grimlock better than Masterpiece Optimus Prime, and the crew calls Drift a great toy of a boring character. They call War for Cybertron a top-tier game and possibly the year’s biggest news. Brian calls the first Prime miniseries enjoyable, and the crew says it is serious in the way War for Cybertron is. They say the Dark of the Moon trailer confused theater audiences.
The crew calls 2010 the year of the third party. They note Hasbro’s noncommittal stance, accepting heads, guns and stickers but drawing the line at knockoff figures. Brian says Hasbro has told TFormers it watches all fan media. One host has a personal stake in Power Core Combiners and wants them to succeed. The crew compares the line to Armada and says it needed fiction and an Optimus Prime to sell.
Subtopic: What Do You Do with All Those Boxes?
Brian refuses to sell his tubs of Transformers, even ones he will never touch, after parting with so much in the past. JD has four large bins of unbroken boxes and asks whether they are worth anything. One host breaks down American boxes but keeps Japanese ones intact, and another kept boxes to scan for the early internet. Brian suggests JD keep the tech specs and art or sell the boxes on eBay. The crew talks about meeting up at SlagCon and BotCon 2011 in California.
Twitter Theater
Rob found a 10-minute video by a religious extremist claiming the 2007 Transformers movie is an Antichrist conspiracy, with Megatron as Jesus and the AllSpark as God. The crew is stunned anyone made it.
Show Notes
Brian and JD promote their weight-loss podcast, Get the Skinny. Brian is still contacting 2010 contest winners, and Facebook and Ustream winners should contact him directly.
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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