The first Age of Extinction toys surface, and the crew calls the simple Bumblebee, Hound and Strafe figures pretty terrible. TakaraTomy’s Transformers Cloud line reveals a Hot Rodimus built on the Springer mold, splitting fans down the middle. Generations 2014 Deluxe Wave 1 reaches Target, and a $550 non-transforming Titan Class Scorponok draws sticker shock. Topher of Nebulan Pirate Radio joins Brian, Diecast and Don. Transformers Rewind takes on Grimlock’s New Brain.
This Week in History
Beast Wars for the Sony PlayStation came out in 1997. The crew remembers it as frustrating, with a Nintendo 64 version that was rental only. They agree the later Beast Wars Transmetals fighting game was better.
News
Generations 2014 Deluxe Wave 1 Arrives at Target
The first 2014 Generations Deluxe wave, with Waspinator, Goldfire Bumblebee, Dreadwing and Skids, is turning up at Target, mostly in Ohio. Nobody on the panel has seen it yet. Store stock varies by region. Topher found a Prowl figure at Walgreens for $7.50 during a sale, and the crew discusses Walmart’s Prime two-packs. [Source: not found]
First Look at Age of Extinction Bumblebee, Hound and Strafe
The first Age of Extinction figures shown are simple Bumblebee, Hound and Strafe toys, closer to Cyberverse than to standard figures. The crew agrees they look pretty terrible. One host notes that Bumblebee’s Camaro now has a single taillight. He ties the change to General Motors keeping the Camaro distinct from the new Corvette. [Source: not found]
Transformers Cloud Hot Rodimus Splits the Fandom
TakaraTomy’s Transformers Cloud line includes Rodimus, Ironhide and Starscream. A mock-up shows Hot Rodimus built on the Springer mold, with a helicopter mode. Diecast dislikes the long legs, and the crew notes the line’s designs match the Classics look. Brian compares it to the drought years, when fans took homages on whatever mold was available. Topher calls it a love-it-or-hate-it figure, and the crew notes it could be some kid’s first Rodimus. [Source: not found]
Supreme Class Starscream Returns at $130
The crew balks at a new listing of about $130 for the Cybertron-era Supreme Class Starscream mold. They call it a Legends-style toy scaled up, and note that the Year of the Horse MP-10 costs only $165. Loose originals sell for about $40 on eBay. Most of the crew would pick Primus, Omega Supreme or Unicron for that money. [Source: not found]
Titan Class Scorponok Is $550 and Does Not Transform
A giant non-transforming Scorponok action figure from Japan costs about $550. The crew likes the look, which Paladin compared to an Action Master Scorponok. One host argues a few extra hinges could have made it transform, which would tempt him at that scale. [Source: not found]
Age of Extinction Is the First 3D Movie Shot in Full IMAX
Age of Extinction will be the first 3D movie captured entirely with IMAX cameras. The crew liked Dark of the Moon’s 3D and plans to see it in a real IMAX theater. [Source: not found]
A New Third-Party Not-Metroplex
A new third-party Metroplex is in the works, and the crew calls it redundant after this year’s Titan Class Metroplex. It looks closer to the IDW comic design. One host would rather see a Trypticon. [Source: not found]
iGear PP05D Defense Specialist
iGear’s second release of its not-Ratchet adds a First Aid head. The crew finds the head fine but the body not quite right. One host would rather wait for an official Masterpiece Ratchet and Ironhide, which another predicts will not come until much later. One host wants a Masterpiece Mirage before anything else. [Source: not found]
Mastermind Creations Follows Hexatron with a Quickswitch Homage
Mastermind Creations is following its Hexatron with a Quickswitch homage. The crew debates why it is a new mold rather than a retool. One host notes a recolor could stand in for the rare Japanese Sixknight. Another thinks the colors look a lot like Brainstorm. [Source: not found]
X-Transbots Reveals a Not-Wheelie
X-Transbots is making Ollie, a Wheelie homage. Brian worries it will be too big for iGear’s Mini Warriors, though photos suggest it may fit. He would buy it at $40 or less, as long as it has a slingshot. [Source: not found]
Comic Review: More Than Meets the Eye #24
The reviewers call More Than Meets the Eye #24, chapter 4 of Dark Cybertron, a lot of fun. They love Perceptor and Brainstorm’s submarine exchange, the “Rod Pod” and Getaway’s reactions as a newcomer. Five artists work on the issue, including Nick Roche, James Raiz, Livio Ramondelli and newcomer Robert Gill, and it holds together better than expected. The Cybertron scenes still feel like killing time, though Shockwave is finally doing something. They suspect John Barber and James Roberts are still mostly writing their own characters.
Comic News
Aimee recaps three weeks of comics, including Beast Hunters #7, the final Autocracy motion comic and the Dark Cybertron #1 Deluxe Edition. Madefire has started a Monstrosity motion comic. IDW Limited’s first lithographs are the All Hail Megatron cover and Phil Jimenez’s Dark Cybertron cover, at about $25. The February 2014 solicitations include Dark Cybertron chapters 8 and 9, with Orion Pax facing Optimus Prime. They also list ReGeneration One #99 and a Transformers and X-Files crossover written by Paul Crilley.
Q&A with Rob Springer
Mike Lyons asks why G1 Ratbat is worth more than other vintage cassettes. Rob points to his easily lost ears and a more distinctive look. He adds that the Marvel comic made Ratbat a real character, even leader of the Decepticons.
Transformers Rewind: Grimlock’s New Brain
The Rewind crew calls the setup of Grimlock’s New Brain the most contrived ever, but likes the payoff. They enjoy the Sky Lynx and Cosmos opening, the Scuxxoid and the return of Lord Chumley. One host only now noticed that Computron and the Technobots were built inside Unicron. They wonder whether some scenes aired out of order. Their favorite line is Grimlock’s “No fun to be genius all the time.”
What We Got This Week
Diecast got Smart Robin, a third-party Brainstorm. He has transformed it once and says nothing beats it at its price, apart from the missing faceplate.
Topher found a Prowl figure at Walgreens for $7.50 during a sale.
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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