A new Ultimate Transformers gift set brings Combat Hero Optimus Prime, a recolor based on an unreleased old toy. On this June 7, 2012 Radio Free Cybertron, a slim crew of Brian Kilby, Exvee and Peter Van also covers Fall of Cybertron’s Metroplex blitz at E3. Takara’s Lamborghini-licensed MP-12 Sideswipe gets a price. The show debuts Transformers Rewind with Beast Wars’ Bad Spark, then asks whether Hasbro’s obscure homages can turn a profit.
News
Ultimate Transformers Gift Set Includes Combat Hero Optimus Prime
The Ultimate Transformers gift set includes a deluxe Jazz loosely based on G2 Jazz and Combat Hero Optimus Prime, a recolor of an unreleased old toy. It also has Motormaster and Thundercracker from the Asia-exclusive Generations Legion wave 1, due in July, with new weapon parts. Brian calls it a must-buy and might get two. One host notes Robot Kingdom will import some Asia exclusives. [Source: TFormers.com]
MP-12 Sideswipe Officially Licensed by Lamborghini
Masterpiece MP-12 Sideswipe arrives October 27 for 5,800 yen, about $74 now. Lamborghini licensed it and is overseeing the paint. One host explains how Dodge markings became required on the Robots in Disguise Side Burn mold, and how Hasbro altered X-Brawn to look less like a Mercedes M-Class. [Source: not found]
Fall of Cybertron Shows Off Metroplex at E3
Peter reports High Moon Studios used E3 for a Metroplex blitz, with a cinematic trailer and a gameplay trailer. Metroplex assists in Optimus Prime’s levels, and Escalation returns as a four-player survival mode. The game director hints at more big Transformers beyond Bruticus and Metroplex. The single-player campaign will be longer than War for Cybertron’s, and Brian admits he never finished that one. The Insecticons appear as Kickback, Hardshell and Sharpshot, and the game is coming to PC. [Source: TFormers.com]
Dark of the Moon Wheeljack at Big Bad Toy Store
The Asia-exclusive Dark of the Moon Wheeljack is coming to Big Bad Toy Store for $40, well under the $82 eBay price. One host warns that BBTS’s unusual sourcing isn’t a guide for other Asia-exclusive pricing. [Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
RFC RTM1 Episode 4
Rob Springer posted RFC RTM1 episode 4 on YouTube, comparing other conventions to BotCon and talking Bot Shots. Brian says it feels like the classic 1990s RFC.
Japanese Power Core Combiners Names
Japan’s Power Core Combiners Autobot car five-pack is called Autobot Race Master. One host notes Robots in Disguise’s Rev originally stood for Race Evolution until later packaging changed it.
Transformers Rewind: Bad Spark
In the debut segment, Exvee, JD and Brian revisit Beast Wars’ Bad Spark. Cheetor finds a giant stasis pod holding Protoform X, the Axalon’s real secret mission. An Energon storm scatters both sides as the protoform wakes. The crew calls it horror-film Beast Wars, close to Predator, and notes its Blackarachnia and Silverbolt thread. It was shown in Japanese theaters with the second Beast Wars movie and never dubbed there. The crew praises David Kaye’s Megatron and his “spiders spin their webs” line. It’s not Rampage’s best showcase, but his torture of Silverbolt says enough. The crew calls season two the series’ high-water mark.
Are Obscure Homages Sustainable?
Brian asks whether toys like Combat Hero Optimus Prime, the Asia-exclusive Wheelie with his slingshot, Big Daddy and Sky Shadow can turn a profit. One host cites Hasbro’s old rule that retools up to about 20% stay profitable. He sees the Asian market as an experiment with lower logistics costs and huge scale. He also explains that trademarks lapse without use, as Mattel took the Skyfire name. The crew wants a middle ground between all Bumblebees and Straxus. One host wants upgrades for 1987 and 1988 characters like the small Headmasters and Quake. Brian just put Magnaboss together after 10 years and loves it. Next week’s Rewind is The Fish Test from Robots in Disguise.
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: 53:03 — 24.5MB) | Embed
Transformers Rewind: Optimal Situation
Radio Free Cybertron – 377
Radio Free Cybertron 838 – Exvee has a Sad
Radio Free Cybertron – 445