Generations Brainstorm is in hand, and the crew finds a pretty, oversized Deluxe-style toy whose Headmaster release often fails. Robots in Disguise Warrior Class figures go up on Amazon, and Takara Tomy offers a made-to-order Genesis version of Mega Drive Megatron. New Combiner Wars photos suggest the combiners will be posable and about as tall as Fall of Cybertron Bruticus. Chromia arrives without Arcee, HLJ pulls Masterpiece Exhaust, and the crew mourns Mystery of Convoy’s place in history.
News
Robots in Disguise Warrior Class Hits Amazon
Diecast caught Amazon’s brief stock of the first Warrior Class wave. One host hears Combiner Wars is already at retail in Singapore. One Step figures are turning up at Toys R Us, and Warrior Class has only been seen in Ireland so far. Warrior Class sits just under Deluxe at $14.99, while Generations Deluxes rise to $16.99 in 2015. Instructions now print on the back of the box, and the scannable Autobot symbols show through the packaging. The crew loves the strange Decepticons, especially Thunderhoof, a moose robot that turns into a car. Brian likes the non-standard Grimlock.
Chromia Arrives Without Arcee
Chromia is in stock at Big Bad Toy Store and Amazon, but Arcee is not. One host says preorders for the pair have not been filled, and another doubts the hand change caused a delay. Don will not believe Arcee exists until he holds one. He also hopes to get an Arcee head made for the Vinyl Tech figure through Shapeways.
Masterpiece Exhaust Fallout
HLJ removed its Exhaust listing but will honor existing orders, and Big Bad Toy Store left canceled preorders in its system. One host explains that Philip Morris must act because US law bars selling toys with cigarette branding. The crew expects leftover stock to surface at conventions or under clever new names. [Source: not found]
Combiner Wars Size and Posability
A visual analysis puts the Combiner Wars combiners at about the height of Fall of Cybertron Bruticus, but with more mass. New photos show the combined forms are very posable, and one host calls it possibly the first Superion that does not suck. Voyager Optimus Prime is growing on several hosts. The first Combiner Wars Legends wave is Bombshell, Thundercracker, Windcharger and Powerglide. [Source: not found]
Genesis Megatron from Takara Tomy
Takara Tomy is taking orders for a Genesis version of Mega Drive Megatron, with US-style colors and logo plate, for about $100. One host explains it is made to order alongside the existing run, so it should arrive quickly. A gold Lucky Draw version comes with a Bare Knuckle cartridge, the Japanese Streets of Rage. [Source: not found]
Invisible and a Third-Party Dinobot Combiner
New photos of Invisible, the third-party not-Mirage, leave the crew cold. Rob calls it a more boring version of Classics Mirage, though one host prefers its vehicle mode. A third-party Dinobot combiner looks surprisingly good, though one host finds the main body over-detailed. Another host calls it the closest anyone has come to his idea of a Dinobot combiner. [Source: not found]
Comics at TFormers
Exvee reviews The Transformers #36 and Angry Birds Transformers #2. The crew enjoys its spoof of the old Marvel intro page and Armada Demolisher in the Decepticon cast. [Source: TFormers]
This Week in History
Comic artist Jose Delbo was born on December 9, 1933. The crew calls his G1 art fun if not great, and RFC’s Crazy Steve interviewed him in 2010. In 1986, Mystery of Convoy came out for the Famicom, and the crew calls it the worst game ever made. The crew also wishes Gregg Berger, the voice of Grimlock, a happy birthday.
Generations Brainstorm
Several hosts now have Brainstorm. One host lucked out with one that works almost perfectly, while another host’s has every problem in one package. The Headmaster release on many copies does not work, and the painted collar is part of the problem. The crew agrees it feels like a solid Deluxe design scaled up to Voyager size, with covers where other toys are hollow. Don jokes that Hasbro is balancing the scales after shrinking Galvatron. Exvee’s review and photos are on TFormers.
Q&A with Rob Springer
A listener asks whether IDW’s comics could be animated. One host says it is plausible only if Hasbro funded it, since IDW is merely a licensee. Rob recalls an IDW press event where Mairghread Scott said the comics work too well as comics to adapt. Another host compares it to turning his dog into a robot.
RFC Announcements
RFC sends support to Scott Morg of Good Morning Cybertron after a loss in his family. Brian asks listeners to give to Toys for Tots, including toys for girls. Rob reminds everyone that the season is about being a better person. December 17 is the last live show of 2014, followed by a prerecorded year-end show.
What We Got This Week
Brian Brian ordered Robots in Disguise Grimlock and Chromia from Amazon, as the crew jokes about what else they can get him to buy. He also ordered a two-pack with a red Hot Spot during the show.
Exvee Exvee got Brainstorm and reviews it, with photos, at TFormers.
Diecast Diecast ordered the first Warrior Class wave from Amazon and picked up Voyager Slug for about $10.
Don Don got Masterpiece Bumblebee shipped from Japan for $55, thanks to the yen rate.
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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