Recorded live in the early hours after BotCon 2013, this unedited recap runs through Hasbro’s 30th anniversary Generations reveals. A huge Voyager Beast Wars Rhinox, a new Skids mold and Legends Swerve top the crew’s favorites. Hasbro’s line that Targetmaster Scoop rules out a G1 Arcee draws fire. The crew also weighs the San Diego Comic-Con Metroplex, simplified Beast Hunters toys and the club’s 2014 plans.

BotCon 2013 Recap

Brian hosts with Chris Triplett, Exvee, Paladin and Ender, recorded from the live stream on June 30, 2013. Don calls in briefly while checking out of the BotCon hotel. He says the hotel was beautiful but impossible to navigate, and the reveals were unexpected.

News

Generations Goes Eclectic for the 30th Anniversary

The 30th anniversary Generations lineup pulls from every era, including an Armada Starscream update. One host compares it to the 2008 anniversary line of Dinobot, Cheetor and Hot Shot. Exvee names Rhinox and Skids as his favorites, and is glad Skids is a new mold. One host loves Legends Swerve, while Exvee wishes he were wider. Tailgate and Whirl appeared only on panel slides. Whirl is a Voyager with a G1 look and will test a sticker sheet. The crew prefers painted detail and calls Reprolabels stickers better than Hasbro’s. [Source: not found]

Voyager Beast Wars Rhinox and Deluxe Waspinator

The crew can hardly believe Rhinox is real, and huge enough to scale with the newer Optimus Primal. Repaint jokes run from Rampage to Tankor. Waspinator is a Deluxe that closely follows the original toy’s engineering. One host wishes it had been upgraded more. [Source: not found]

Targetmaster Scoop Means No Generations Arcee

Hasbro said at the panel that Targetmaster Scoop means a G1 Arcee will not happen. One host blasts Hasbro and IDW for overlooking female fans who would gladly buy Transformers. [Source: not found]

Double Dealer Comes From the Blitzwing Mold

Double Dealer is a repaint of the Generations Blitzwing mold, with two faces instead of three. The crew notes he still cannot turn into his proper modes. Nobody predicted him, and one host loves the surprise. [Source: not found]

Goldfire Bumblebee

A gold Bumblebee repaint named Goldfire is on the way, packed with a Spotlight Bumblebee comic. Brian says Rob predicted it in Florida. The crew is split, and repaint jokes turn to Cosmos. [Source: not found]

San Diego Comic-Con Metroplex and Shockwave’s Lab

The Comic-Con Metroplex adds different guns, chrome thighs and tiny red and purple decoy figures, including two Optimus Primes. Brian needs it for the decoys. The crew likes the idea of Shockwave’s Lab but not its vacuum-formed look. Retail Metroplex sold out at BotCon, and Brian weighs moving his preorder to Amazon at $125. [Source: not found]

Construct-Bots Get a Lukewarm Reception

Most of the crew will buy one or two Construct-Bots at most. [Source: not found]

Beast Hunters Fills Out With Upscaled Figures

The new simplified Deluxe and Voyager toys are upscaled Cyberverse molds, including Twin Strike, Windrazor and Rotgut. The crew doubts the Abominus members will combine. With Prime down to its last episodes and no new show announced, they worry about a long gap before the movie. [Source: not found]

Club News: GoBots, Rampage and a Second Subscription

The club will publish GoBots prose fiction, which hints at a future GoBots set. Club exclusives include Rampage, in more show-accurate colors, and Transmutate, which the crew says does not work. The second subscription service includes Iron Fist from the Swindle mold and Treadshot from the Warpath mold. Its first figure may not arrive until late 2014. A Kre-O five-pack mirrors the convention box set, down to a KB Toys sticker one host used to apply. [Source: not found]

Platinum Edition Predaking and Ultra Magnus

The Asia-exclusive Platinum Edition Predaking uses Takara’s chrome reissue version. Several hosts would buy it at $100, though one prefers the original colors. [Source: not found]

Wrap-Up

The crew calls it a BotCon of many small reveals, with the Generations toys the highlight. Beast Hunters winding down with nothing announced to replace it is the low point. Brian promises deeper analysis on the next regular episode.

Radio Free Cybertron: The Transformers Podcast

Brian Kilby

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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