The first Radio Free Cybertron of 2015 crowns Combiner Wars the biggest Transformers news of 2014. The crew picks the best toys of the year, from One Step Changers to Masterpiece Ultra Magnus, and makes predictions for 2015. News covers the Robots in Disguise voice cast, Combiner Wars scale shots and Hasbro confirming that Combiner Wars Megatron can join the Autobots. Third-party news brings a Perfect Effect Combiner Wars upgrade kit, Mastermind Creations’ Sphinx and Iron Factory’s tiny not-Windblade.
News
Robots in Disguise Voice Cast Revealed
New videos show the main voice cast of Robots in Disguise. The crew recalls the New York Comic Con panel with Constance Zimmer and Will Friedle. They are thrilled by Frank Stallone and by Ted McGinley, the actor they know as Jefferson Darcy. Most of all, they love getting brand-new characters. One host asks fans to watch the show before judging it. Another host adds that the early promos used unfinished animation. The official Robots in Disguise website also adds online games and a comic maker. [Source: TFormers]
Robots in Disguise Hyper Change Optimus Prime Photos
Photos show the three-step Hyper Change Optimus Prime. Rob Springer calls these simple figures “shampoo bottle” toys, a term he credits to a friend. One host notes that Hasbro reportedly says they sell well. [Source: TFormers]
Combiner Wars Hits US Retail and a Scale Comparison
Every Combiner Wars price point except Leader Class is now at Target. An AllSpark member’s Photoshop puts Menasor next to a child for scale. The crew is glad the name Motormaster is back after years of “Motorbreath.” One host recalls a Hasbro representative still saying Motorbreath at BotCon, so the name came back late. [Source: not found]
Hasbro Confirms Combiner Wars Megatron Can Be an Autobot
Hasbro’s Facebook page highlights that Combiner Wars Megatron can join the Autobots. The crew expects a sticker option. One host ties it to the Dark Cybertron comic, where John Barber hinted at a story beat the toys would reflect. [Source: not found]
Bryce Malek’s Behind-the-Scenes Video from Marvel Productions
Bryce Malek, story editor for the first two seasons of the Transformers cartoon, posted a 1984 video. It shows his workplace at Marvel Productions, where he mimes editing a season two episode. Brian calls it a rare look at where the show was written. [Source: not found]
USA Today Names Transformers vs. G.I. Joe the Most Insane Read of 2014
The crew loves the book and its weirdness. Brian recommends it, along with More Than Meets the Eye, to anyone curious about Transformers comics. [Source: not found]
Rescue Bots Season 3 Episode Summaries
Summaries for Rescue Bots season 3 arrive alongside the Robots in Disguise summaries. Few of the crew watch regularly. Those who do call it a fun show for toddlers with likable characters, and they still laugh about the “flobsters.” [Source: not found]
Iron Factory Shows a Legends-Size Not-Windblade
The crew calls it nicer than the official Windblade. At about $50 for two Legends-size figures, most of them hesitate, though they praise Iron Factory’s not-Ironhide. Two hosts say they would be happy if Legends were the only size class. Others point to the Cyberverse Commander Bulkhead and the Legends jets as proof the small figures keep improving. [Source: not found]
Perfect Effect Combiner Wars Upgrade Kit
The kit adds posable hands and feet with ankle tilts to the combined mode. The crew notes that the boxy leg ends limit the ankle tilt. The parts also become weapons for the individual figures. [Source: not found]
Dr. Wu Partner Upgrade Kit and Meteor Operation
Dr. Wu’s kit gives Spike and Daniel more detailed heads for the Masterpiece Exo-Suit. The crew jokes about the thumbnail of a disembodied Spike head but admits the parts look nice. Meteor Operation, a Dr. Wu offshoot, shows super-deformed Optimus Prime and Grimlock that look like licensed toys. [Source: not found]
Mastermind Creations Sphinx and Decepticon Justice Division
Mastermind Creations shows Sphinx, a not-Mirage with its own engineering. One host loves Mirage and wishes for a Masterpiece version. Mastermind Creations also plans the whole Decepticon Justice Division, with Tarn and Kaon coming. Brian mentions Badcube’s Warpath concept art, and the crew asks for Cosmos and Seaspray next. [Source: not found]
This Week in History
On January 4, 2005, Dreamwave Productions declared bankruptcy and its Transformers comics ended abruptly. The crew mocks the comics’ style over substance, though one host admits the covers looked great. Another host enjoyed the Armada comic more than the show.
Listener Question: Masterpieces Beyond G1
Listener Computron asks whether Masterpiece figures could come from lines like Prime or the original Robots in Disguise. Don loves the idea and recalls the Masterpiece fan vote that Car Robots nearly won. Wish lists include Fire Convoy, Super Megatron, Dai Atlas, Transmetal Megatron, Transmetal Optimus Primal and Cheetor. The crew agrees Beast Wars fans are adults now and want more than one or two figures a year.
Best of 2014
For the best news of 2014, most of the crew picks Combiner Wars. Rob Springer picks the surprise announcement of TFCon Chicago, and Matt wishes Michael Bay would leave Transformers 5. For best toy, Rob Springer picks the One Step Changers and admits he carried his Drift around for a week. Diecast picks Masterpiece Ultra Magnus, and Matt picks Cloud Rodimus. John gives credit to Generations Brainstorm for the attempt and names Crosscut the best paint job. Rob Clay picks Legends Swerve. Don picks Generations Arcee as his official toy and Cronos as his favorite, and most disappointing, third-party figure. Brian picks the BotCon Scorponok for its retooled head and Spike, plus Masterpiece G2 Sideswipe.
Predictions for 2015
Rob Springer expects the year to stay the course, with no huge surprises. One host’s wild guess is Masterpiece Unicron, since its line art appears in Bombshell’s instructions next to Megatron. Exvee expects a new Masterpiece Megatron and a Devastator as the big Combiner Wars toy. John predicts Hasbro will seek other TV channels if Robots in Disguise struggles, and hopes for a fifth Aerialbot jet. Rob Clay hopes for an SDCC Devastator with a Prowl head and expects even better comics. Matt predicts Combiner Wars Bruticus and Masterpiece Coneheads. Don predicts Masterpiece Ultra Magnus coming to the US and a G.I. Joe crossover. Brian expects more non-G1 characters in Generations.
Combiner Wars Quality Check
The crew finds very few quality problems with the first Combiner Wars wave. One host’s Optimus Prime head broke off because of excess glue, and one host notes paint wear on Skydive. Brian reminds listeners about the Toy Fair live stream on February 14 and the Joelanta convention in Atlanta, March 13 to 15.
What We Got This Week
Don finally got Generations Arcee, the open-hand version. He calls it a very good toy and is happy the long wait is over.
Diecast got a flood of packages, including Transistor, DX9 Invisible, Soar and DX9’s Turbo Ejector upgrade kit. He also got every Combiner Wars figure, Masterpiece Ultra Magnus and Fans Project’s Hexatron. He raves about Hexatron’s packaging, weight and clicky joints. He is now putting himself on a budget.
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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