Trent Troop joins Brian to talk about BMOG, his Kickstarter line of robotic animals that break down into weapons for any five-millimeter peg. He also gives Radio Free Cybertron an exclusive look at a Dimetrodon battleaxe design. In the news, the crew sizes up Generations Skids, Waspinator, Rhinox, Cosmos and Swerve, plus the Beast Hunters Easy Transformation Voyagers. Third-party news brings CM’s Toys’ Exosuit and another Throttlebot homage, and Transformers Rewind revisits Sea Change.
This Week in History
Ten years ago this week, War Within: The Dark Ages #2 and Armada #17 came out in the United States. The crew is stunned that War Within still feels new to them.
News
Activision Announces Transformers Ultimate Game Bundles
Activision is releasing two holiday bundles of older games. Transformers Ultimate Battle Edition for the Wii pairs Cybertron Adventures with Dark of the Moon Stealth Force Edition for $30. Ultimate Autobots Edition for the Nintendo DS pairs the Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon games for $20. The crew calls it clearance before the new consoles arrive, but an easy buy for grandparents. [Source: not found]
A Knockoff Masterpiece Grimlock Appears
With Masterpiece Grimlock going for about $300 on the aftermarket, a knockoff is now available. One host says the photo looks decent and admits he is tempted by a knockoff Red Alert. The crew warns that the danger is buying one loose by mistake, though this knockoff’s box looks very different. [Source: not found]
More Photos of the Easy Transformation Voyager Figures
New packaged photos show the scaled-up Beast Hunters Voyagers. The crew likes Predaking’s colors but says Optimus Prime’s proportions and oversized missile launcher do not work. They cannot see why Hasbro scaled up these molds when the box still rates them 2 out of 3 for difficulty. [Source: not found]
First Look at Generations Skids and Waspinator
The crew is thrilled to get a Skids at all. They pick at his hollow legs, big feet and weapons, which seem odd for a theoretician. Don argues TakaraTomy’s paint can transform a figure, citing Ratbat as the best example. Waspinator looks good, though the crew wonders what he adds over the Beast Wars original. [Source: not found]
New Photos of Generations Swerve, Rhinox, Cosmos and Double Dealer
Swerve is a must-buy, and one host regrets buying a third-party version instead. Cosmos has a better upper body than the old Legends figure, and two hosts call Cosmos a favorite character. JD will skip Double Dealer once he hears the Blitzwing mold was not improved. Scrapnel is the least impressive figure, but the crew calls a Reflector and Scrapnel pack great for troop building. Rhinox is the standout, looking as if he stepped out of Beast Wars with the correct guns. [Source: not found]
CM’s Toys Exosuit for Spike and Daniel
Color photos show the Exosuit from The Transformers: The Movie with Spike and Daniel figures. The crew notes the box shows a buggy mode, so the transformation survived, though the figures look stiff. [Source: not found]
Orbitron Teases a Not-Menasor
Orbitron announced a new project that may be another Menasor homage, shown only as a silhouette. Brian refuses to show silhouette teasers anymore. [Source: not found]
Trace Joins the Third-Party Throttlebots
The latest third-party Throttlebot homage, Trace, looks great. One host owns two earlier figures in the set, and Brian adds the line to his Christmas list. He hopes the combined mode turns out to be a Puzzler homage. [Source: not found]
Q&A with Rob Springer
David Polk asks when new waves will reach his area in Cleveland, Tennessee. Rob says what is out now is likely it for the year, apart from a few Construct-Bots. Retailers often shelve first-quarter waves in the last week or two before Christmas. He suggests preordering from Hasbro Toy Shop or online stores, and notes Rhinox and Double Dealer are up for preorder.
Comic Review: Beast Hunters #7
Exvee and a fellow reviewer call Beast Hunters #7 the start of a hastily prepared conclusion. They point to plot conveniences, a possibly dead Blackout and rushed art with centering lines inked into the final figures. They suspect Hasbro meddling or thin editorial support, since the team reportedly learned of the cancellation on Twitter. They also note Chromia and Arcee look nearly identical. They would love to see Mairghread Scott write in the main IDW continuity with a different artist.
Interview: Trent Troop and BMOG
Trent Troop is the creator of BMOG, short for Biomechanical Organics Gestalt. He wanted an accessory line that stands on its own, so he designed robotic animals that break down into weapons. The parts fit any five-millimeter peg, including Transformers and Starriors. Inspirations include Starriors, Zoids, Micronauts, Parasites and 1980s robot toys in general. The first figure is Ursinal, a bear with a honeycomb motif, molded with a manta ray called Mantax.
At recording, the Kickstarter had raised about $4,800 with 32 days left. Engineer Alex Androsky converts Trent’s models for steel molds, and Greg Sepelak handles character designs and mini comics. Stretch goals include Featherblight, a bird of prey, with a non-dino team of an ichthyosaur pistol, a Dimetrodon battleaxe and a pterodactyl. Figures will ship as model-kit sprues with decal sheets, and each Kickstarter color gets its own character and bio. Trent stresses that BMOG is not endorsed by Hasbro. Find it at bmogtoys.com.
Transformers Rewind: Sea Change
The Rewind crew revisits Sea Change, where Seaspray falls for an alien and becomes human. They call it an episode you feel rather than watch. They laugh that Cosmos, Perceptor, Seaspray and Bumblebee are the rescue party, and that the scale makes no sense. One host argues the episode enriches the universe by showing Decepticon operations away from Earth. They praise Frank Welker’s Seaspray and call Laserbeak the only competent Decepticon.
Masterpiece Talk
Brian got Masterpiece Bluestreak and loves its plastic and finish, even if he prefers Prowl as a character. He could see himself collecting mostly Masterpiece, and he plans to buy G2 Sideswipe and hunt for Red Alert. Don missed Bluestreak at Hobbylink Japan when his order failed. The crew debates why so few Decepticons get Masterpiece figures, pointing to combiners and limited repaint options. They pitch Shockwave, Galvatron, Cyclonus and a one-off Devastator.
What We Got This Week
Brian got Masterpiece Bluestreak.
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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