Rob Springer joins Radio Free Cybertron live for the first time, alongside Rob Clay and first-time panelist Matt. The crew looks at official images of Masterpiece MP-19 Smokescreen and a Platinum Edition Year of the Horse Optimus Prime. They also react to a possible Age of Extinction Grimlock and in-hand photos of subscription service Treadshot. Third-party news brings a knockoff MP-10 that promises fixes, Fans Project’s not-Roadbuster and more not-Predakings. Transformers Rewind closes out Beast Wars with Nemesis Parts 1 and 2.
This Week in History
Eleven years ago this week, in 2002, Dreamwave released Armada #4. The crew calls Dreamwave’s G1 comic terrible but remembers the first issues of the Armada comic fondly. One host still defends a short Dreamwave G1 story with the Insecticons, Jazz, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.
News
New Images of Transformers Go Optimus Prime
New images show the Transformers Go Optimus Prime, a triple changer that becomes a train and a dragon. The crew calls it the weirdest Optimus Prime ever and finds it odd that a show about hunting dragons gives Prime a dragon mode. Rob Springer plans to wait for clearance. [Source: not found]
A Possible Sketch of Masterpiece Star Saber
After last week’s Fan’s Choice news, a rough line drawing of Star Saber surfaces. The crew says it looks like a sketch, with no sign of how it would transform. They are still surprised Star Saber won, and one host argues the vote fits collectors with disposable income. [Source: not found]
Official Images of Masterpiece MP-19 Smokescreen
TakaraTomy’s official page for Masterpiece Smokescreen is up. Several hosts are buying it, while another is gambling on a Hasbro release. The crew notes it is a remold of Prowl and Bluestreak with a new head, spoiler and weapons. [Source: not found]
Possible Age of Extinction Grimlock Appears on a Hoodie
A hoodie print may show Grimlock from Age of Extinction. The crew is not convinced it is Grimlock and jokes that it could be anyone. Later, on-set photos show Michael Bay holding a giant claw prop. [Source: not found]
First In-Hand Look at Subscription Service Treadshot
Treadshot from the Transformers Subscription Service 2.0 is in hand, along with his Minicon partner. One host says the Minicon was icing on the cake. Rob subscribed to the first series for Ultra Mammoth, and the crew compares loose joints on their copies. One host says Thrustinator will be his favorite of the next series. [Source: not found]
Platinum Edition Year of the Horse Optimus Prime
TakaraTomy’s Year of the Horse edition of MP-10 Optimus Prime adds gold accents. Don thinks the gold looks wrong on the character. Others find it restrained and like the clear weapons and the trailer. One host would buy a silver Return of Optimus Prime version, and another would love Combat Hero Optimus Prime as a Masterpiece. [Source: not found]
BMOG Kickstarter Passes the Halfway Mark
With 15 days left, the BMOG Kickstarter is at $11,500 of its $19,000 goal. Trent Troop and company have shown more designs, including a falcon and the non-dino team. The crew talks color votes, and one host pitches orange for the bear. [Source: not found]
Collection Kingdom Announces an Improved MP-10 Knockoff
Collection Kingdom plans a knockoff of MP-10 Optimus Prime with fixes to the eyes, chest screws, fuel tanks, uneven chest and loose index finger. The crew is very skeptical, since knockoffs usually lose detail rather than add it. [Source: not found]
TFC Ares, Unique Toys Sharp Claw and the Cost of Combiners
New photos show TFC Toys’ Ares and Unique Toys’ Sharp Claw, two parts of rival not-Predakings. The crew shares a John DeLuna tweet noting that a third-party combiner now costs as much as a month’s rent. They debate Hercules versus Giant, and one host is so frustrated with TFC’s Uranos that his figures sit unopened. Big Bad Toy Store’s Black Friday sale includes Perseus, the Shattered Glass Hercules. [Source: not found]
Third-Party Not-Brainstorm Is Shipping
Smart Robin, a third-party Brainstorm, is shipping, and TFormers has a gallery that walks through its transformation. Several hosts are buying it despite the missing faceplate. One host prefers Toy World’s version for its alien face. [Source: not found]
Fans Project Warbot Revolver
Photos show Revolver, Fans Project’s next Warbot and a homage to Roadbuster. The crew calls it the best of the series so far and a cheaper way to own a Roadbuster than a complete G1 figure. [Source: not found]
Comic Review: Dark Cybertron Chapters 2 and 3, and ReGeneration One #96
Rob Clay and a fellow reviewer recommend the Dark Cybertron #1 Deluxe Edition for its extra script and Phil Jimenez layout pages. More Than Meets the Eye #23 still felt scattered, but Robots in Disguise #23 is much more like it. They praise the Lost Light scenes and Ultra Magnus’s talk about idioms. They note that pack-in Skywarp appears only twice, in crowd scenes, while Scoop gets a heroic moment. ReGeneration One #96 is a decent issue that resolves the Galvatron and Bludgeon threads and returns to Earth and Nebulos. They suspect a dark force entering Fortress Maximus could lead to Liege Maximo.
Transformers Rewind: Nemesis Parts 1 and 2
The Rewind crew closes out Beast Wars with Nemesis Parts 1 and 2. They wonder why Simon Furman wrote only the finale. They love Depth Charge’s final fight with Rampage and Waspinator quitting the Predacons. They recall the fan arguments over the Nemesis’s location at the time. Dinobot II’s death still gets to Brian. The crew calls it one of the more satisfying Transformers finales, though it crams in a lot.
Q&A with Rob Springer
Ernie Doyle asks whether Rumble or Frenzy is blue. Rob says it depends on context: in the cartoon Rumble is blue, while the toys and comics reverse it. He adds that the Japanese dub renamed them to avoid confusion.
Segment Talk
Brian wants to bring back This Week in History with more structure, along with Twitter Theater. Rob Clay and John DeLuna have long wanted a short segment on Transformers video games, in the style of Transformers Rewind.
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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Radio Free Cybertron – 05/18/2011