Recorded on Christmas Day 2013, this Radio Free Cybertron confirms BotCon 2014 for Pasadena, California, June 19 to 22. TakaraTomy’s Year of the Horse Optimus Prime is coming to Toys R Us, the day after Diecast’s import arrived in the mail. Brian, Diecast and Don also look at Generations Cosmos with Payload and Legends Swerve, and they pan the Transformers Go train-dragon Optimus Prime. Transformers Rewind covers Auto-Berserk, and Brian digs up three rare gems from the show’s 2010 and 2011 archives.
This Week in History
Twenty-nine years ago this week, in 1984, Fire on the Mountain premiered in the U.S. In 1985, War Dawn debuted. Ten years ago, in 2003, Transformers: Superlink, known elsewhere as Energon, debuted in Japan.
News
BotCon 2014 Confirmed for Pasadena, June 19 to 22
BotCon 2014 returns to Pasadena, California, June 19 to 22. One host says he knew at BotCon 2013 but promised to stay quiet. He wants the convention to come back toward the East Coast in 2015. Another host liked Rhode Island as a location. One host heard unofficially that about 3,000 people attended last year, with San Diego Comic-Con two weeks later possibly holding numbers down. [Source: not found]
New Images of Generations Cosmos and Payload
More images show Generations Cosmos with his Minicon partner, Payload. Brian wants it badly, even if it looks close to the earlier Legends Cosmos. The crew likes the fists molded into the arm vents, a nod to the original toy. Payload makes a better blaster than a robot, but it has a nicely painted head. [Source: not found]
Legends Swerve and Flanker
Images of Legends Swerve and Flanker show a Swerve that looks far better, and far cheaper, than iGear’s Veer. The crew also recalls the mistransformed photo of the Reflector and Scrapnel pack. [Source: not found]
Transformers Go Black Hunter Optimus Prime
The Transformers Go Black Hunter Optimus Prime is a Nemesis Prime-style repaint. Don has cooled on the Go line, since the samurai team’s combined mode left him cold. One host would rather have the Leo Prime made from the Thundertron mold. [Source: not found]
Transformers Go G26 Optimus Prime in Train and Dragon Modes
New images show the G26 Optimus Prime triple changer in train and dragon modes. The crew calls it cheap looking, with heavy arm kibble and a dragon that looks like a giant crab. One host wants to wait for video reviews, and another doubts it will ever come to the U.S. [Source: not found]
Year of the Horse Optimus Prime Coming to Toys R Us
The Year of the Horse Optimus Prime is coming to Toys R Us in the U.S. Diecast’s import arrived the day before the news, for $175. He says it looks as good as the photos, with darker colors that make Prime look mean. Don admits it looks better in person than he expected. [Source: not found]
Kre-O Micro-Changers Wave 4 Package Codes
Package codes are out for Kre-O Micro-Changers wave 4, with Alpha Trion, Kup, Rhinox, Rodimus, Sandstorm and Slipstream. One host found some of the first wave at Walgreens and is still missing most of wave 2. [Source: not found]
Third-Party Roundup: Unique Toys, TFC and KFC
Test shot photos show Unique Toys’ Galvatron homage in robot and cannon modes. The crew likes it more than before but still finds the cannon clunky and hopes for a Masterpiece Galvatron. TFC Toys names its next combiner project Prometheus. KFC Toys announces a Shattered Glass Ratbat homage and a cassette beast cage. One host adds that KFC is also making combining homages of Japan’s dinosaur cassettes, which sell for $500 or more loose. [Source: not found]
Transformers Rewind: Auto-Berserk
The Rewind crew calls Auto-Berserk one of the better season 2 episodes, with tight writing and few animation errors. A damaged Red Alert turns paranoid and teams up with Starscream to seize the Negavator. One host compares him to Dr. McCoy in Star Trek’s City on the Edge of Forever. The crew questions why the peaceful Autobots would hand humans a weapon that erases things. They point out that the episode shaped fans’ view of Red Alert for good, and they praise a competent Starscream.
Rare Gems from the Archive
Brian replays three segments from past episodes. In December 2010, Rob Springer and Brian swap awkward fan encounters. Their stories include a man with a bad Autobot tattoo. Another is a police officer who pulled a fan over to ask where he bought his Autobot sticker. In November 2011, with JD hosting, the crew shares the toys that got away, from unreleased Robot Heroes to Fortress Maximus at clearance. John recalls missing Fans Project’s white Superion armor. In November 2010, the crew debates whether character or design sells them on a toy.
What We Got This Week
Diecast got the Year of the Horse Optimus Prime in the mail for $175. He has not opened it yet.
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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