Combiner Wars is official: San Diego Comic-Con 2014 reveals Generations Superion and Menasor, with the helicopter Alpha Bravo replacing Slingshot. The first Robots in Disguise footage has more energy than Transformers Prime, and IDW plans Combiner Wars tie-in comics. Wonder Festival brings a non-transforming Titan Class Scorponok, an Optimus Prime that turns into a PlayStation and new photos of the Convoy pen. Rob Springer explains why Hasbro renames characters, and Brian quizzes the crew with his Transformers trivia contest.
News
Combiner Wars Superion and Menasor Revealed at San Diego Comic-Con
Hasbro’s big San Diego Comic-Con reveal is the Generations combiners, starting with Superion and Menasor. Slingshot is out of the Aerialbots, replaced by a helicopter named Alpha Bravo. The crew jokes that Hasbro dared to make one Aerialbot distinctive. They suspect the helicopter could double as Blades for Defensor, since the heads may be modular. One host thinks this may be the first Superion that does not look regrettable. Another thinks Menasor looks weaker than Superion. Distribution worries remain, since the team ships across two waves. [Source: TFormers]
First Footage of Robots in Disguise
The first footage feels like Beast Machines mixed with Animated and Transformers Prime. The crew likes its energy and calls it more exciting than Prime, which one host compares to a slow 1980s Marvel comic. [Source: TFormers]
IDW Announces Combiner Wars Tie-In Comics
The comic tie-in runs across at least three issues of Robots in Disguise and the second Windblade miniseries. [Source: not found]
Titan Class Scorponok Shown at Wonder Festival
New photos show the non-transforming Titan Class Scorponok, plus a Black Zarak version. One host puts the Japanese retail price near $570, so about $700 here. The crew loves the look but thinks that price should buy a simple transformation. One host suspects licensing rules keep outside companies from making fully transforming toys. Another jokes that it is a $700 Action Master. [Source: not found]
Optimus Prime Turns Into a PlayStation
Wonder Festival also brought the first look at an Optimus Prime that transforms into an original PlayStation. It pairs with the Mega Drive Megatron, and the crew says Brian will have to buy it. One host wishes it were a Super Famicom Convoy instead. The crew then pitches game-console Decepticons, from a Game Gear Soundwave to an NES Zapper Shockwave. [Source: not found]
New Photos of the Convoy Pen
The transforming Optimus Prime pen looks even better in new photos. The crew suspects it is really a pen holder, with the pen hidden in the gun. One host likes the Optimus Prime and Nemesis Prime versions more than the plain Ultra Magnus. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Wheeljack Packaging Shown
Wonder Festival also showed Masterpiece Wheeljack’s package. His release has slipped from August to September. [Source: not found]
Kre-O Battle Changers Announced
Hasbro revealed Kre-O Battle Changers at San Diego Comic-Con, building-block figures that transform without disassembly. The crew does not see them replacing Construct-Bots, which one host says are already at Five Below. They find Optimus Prime’s truck mode a little wonky. [Source: not found]
Age of Extinction Home Release and Voyager Slug Preorders
Age of Extinction is up for digital preorder on iTunes, and one host has preordered the Best Buy Steelbook for September 30. The G1-style Age of Extinction Voyager Slug is also up for preorder on Amazon. [Source: not found]
TakaraTomy Offers Japanese Box Art Prints
TakaraTomy now sells high-quality prints of Japanese box art for around $400. Don would rather wait for the upcoming box art book. One host would be more interested in the full battle scenes from the box backs. [Source: not found]
Third-Party News
X2 Toys Firing Pin Has a Pellet Cannon
X2 Toys’ XT-006 Firing Pin, an unofficial Impactor, has a semi-automatic pellet cannon. The crew compares it to the reissue Mania King’s laser pointer and jokes about combining the two. [Source: not found]
X-Transbots Shows Final Not-GoBot Road Ranger
One host welcomes any GoBots homage. Another is tired of the mold, though the crew understands why X-Transbots keeps using it. [Source: not found]
KFC Citizen Stack Repaint in Diaclone Colors
KFC’s new Citizen Stack repaint uses Diaclone colors, much like Powered Convoy, for about $160. Brian wants it, and another host reports no quality problems with his regular Citizen Stack. [Source: not found]
Toy World Dinobot Combiner Update
New shots show the feet of Toy World’s Dinobot combiner, first announced about 18 months ago. [Source: not found]
Sky-Byte or Roadbuster?
Brian has a shipping notice for Generations Sky-Byte and Roadbuster, and a chat question asks which one he is most excited for. Brian picks Sky-Byte, though he has always wanted a good Roadbuster. One host picks Roadbuster to stand next to Whirl. Don also leans toward Sky-Byte, since he already has Fans Project’s Revolver and dislikes Roadbuster’s arm wheels. Diecast picks Sky-Byte because he remembers him from the show.
Q&A with Rob Springer
Bumblebee360 asks why Hasbro renames characters, such as Scrapnel and Solar Storm Grappel. Rob blames trademark law. Names must be used regularly to keep them, and common words can be refused. He points to Ravage, which became Tripredacus Agent in Beast Wars, and to Bumblebee’s long absence. He also explains why prefixes such as Autobot and Decepticon appeared for a while.
Transformers Trivia Challenge
Brian quizzes the crew with the contest he ran at his cousin’s library sci-fi convention, Wilkes Library Con 2014. Questions cover the Transformers Prime kids, Headmasters, Peter Cullen and the Dark of the Moon Wrecker Topspin. He reports that no contestant named Bruticus as the Combaticons’ combined form. The winning team took home RFC magnets and comics.
This Week in History
Michael Bell was born on this day in 1938, and Marty Isenberg was born on the same date in 1959. The crew notes Bell was also the voice of Parkay margarine. Brian points listeners to RFC’s interview with Isenberg from a few years ago. One host calls Isenberg one of the saving graces of Beast Machines, and the crew credits him with Animated and strong Transformers Prime episodes.
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.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:30:45 — 41.6MB) | Embed
Radio Free Cybertron – 03/17/00
The RFC Mini-cast – 049: Grand Galvatron
Radio Free Cybertron 845 – Why is this not G2?
Radio Free Cybertron 863 – Why do I even bother buying things on their first release? (UPDATED)