BotCon 2015 pre-registration finally opens three weeks before the show and goes down again and again, and the crew spends a long segment on what Fun Publications keeps getting wrong. A special edition poster reveals the SDCC Combiner Wars Devastator with chrome purple parts and a new face. Black Combiner Hunters Arcee samples point to an SDCC set, and the Platinum Edition Trypticon reissue appears in its box. Chris reports on Hot Spot and Cyclonus in hand.
News
SDCC 2015 – Combiner Wars Devastator Out of Box Special Edition Poster Image
A special edition poster shows the SDCC Devastator in a different green with extra paint and chrome purple parts. Don had warned Brian it might be just a slightly different green with more paint. The crew says the chrome on Mixmaster’s drum and one leg throws off the balance, and one host also dislikes mixing chrome purple with plain purple. The new face has separate eyes instead of a visor, which one host prefers. Devastator stands nearly twice as tall as the other combiners: some hosts like that, while others find him too big for the sake of being big. [Source: TFormers]
More Images of Combiner Hunters Arcee and First Look at Chromia Repaint
Production samples show a black Arcee and a Chromia repaint. Chris explains they match the recolors and toy-derived weapons on IDW’s Combiner Hunters comic covers, so he expects an SDCC box set, likely with Windblade. Don likes the black Arcee and will probably buy it. The crew also corrects Don that Victorion will be made of new characters, not Arcee. [Source: TFormers]
Takara Transformers Unite Warriors UW-03 Defensor With Groove Tomy Mall Japan Exclusive
Better photos show the deluxe-size Groove in TakaraTomy’s Defensor set, a TakaraTomy Mall exclusive. The crew finds it odd to make a new mold with no known overseas release, though one host expects it to become Afterburner someday. The set is up for preorder at major online retailers for about $160, which the crew calls fair for an exclusive. [Source: TFormers]
New Images of Legends Armada Megatron and Black Convoy AKA Scourge From Hisashi Yuki
TakaraTomy’s Legends Armada Megatron has more paint and a much better-looking head than the Collectors’ Club version, and Scourge looks better too. These may be Tokyo Toy Show exclusives. Robot Kingdom lists the Armada Megatron at about $70, plus roughly $30 shipping. [Source: TFormers]
Unite Warriors Superion Box Art
The crew likes the art but dislikes how the bottom two jets are turned. One host wishes it echoed the G1 box a little more. A photo also suggests Combiner Wars Ultra Prime, or something using those molds, may come out in Unite Warriors. [Source: not found]
MP-26 Road Rage Vehicle Mode Photos
Vehicle mode photos arrived after last week’s show. One host has preordered and is amazed how much small changes set Road Rage apart from Tracks. [Source: not found]
First Look at Platinum Series Reissue Trypticon in Box
A reissue was first reported at the Australian Toy Fair, and photos now confirm it. Expect $150 to $200. The walking mechanism and original electronics remain, so it still takes two C batteries and a AA. One host says it is worth it if you do not own one, and buying at $125 or less is a no-brainer. Chris notes Devastator holds the Titan slot for now, so a Titan Class Trypticon would not come soon anyway. [Source: TFormers]
New Transformers Movie Writers
The crew looked up the new writers on IMDb and finds little to judge. Don argues fresh writers might bring fresh ideas, and Rob suspects they were simply cheap. [Source: not found]
Next Kabaya Kit Series to Feature the Seacons and King Poseidon?
All six Seacons are coming as Kabaya gum kits, with most of the color from stickers. The crew thinks they look great for candy toys. One host notes a whole case is useful, since the Masterforce Seacons were drones. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Combiner Wars Soundwave Poster: Laserbeak, I Have a Mission for You
One host sees the poster as part of a summer Facebook campaign for Combiner Wars news rather than a direct tease, though a Combiner Wars Soundwave remains likely. [Source: TFormers]
Machine Boy Toys Reveal Not-Astrotrain Project Images
This not-Astrotrain is smaller and likely simpler than the earlier third-party versions, in movie-style colors. One host thinks that combination could sell. Another recommends DX9’s Chigurh, though it runs tall next to other Classics figures. [Source: TFormers]
MMC R18 Kultur: New Revised Renders of Third Party Rendition of DJD Leader Tarn
Mastermind Creations revised its not-Tarn after fan feedback, bringing it closer to the comics. One host thinks it looks too small for the character, and another just wants an official Tarn with a voice chip. [Source: TFormers]
Transform and Rollout TR-01 Transforming Figure: MP Styled Not-Jazz
A new company’s first figure is a Masterpiece-style Jazz at about $90, shown in 3D renders. The car mode is deliberately off from a real Porsche, which one host suspects is about avoiding Porsche’s lawyers. With an official Masterpiece Jazz likely soon, he would not take the risk. [Source: TFormers]
This Week in History
BotCon 2009, the year of the Wings of Honor sets and fax-in registration, began this week. In 2005, the TFWiki community was founded on Wikicities, and the crew thanks everyone who keeps it running.
What’s on TFormers
Chris reviewed Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus and Cyclonus in text, photos and video, plus More Than Meets the Eye #41. Rob has video reviews of three Protectobot deluxes, with Streetwise and Hot Spot coming. The site also has Transformers Adventure Insecticons and Lockdown and Robots in Disguise Grimlock concept art showing his battle mask. Don recommends watching both Diecast’s and Chris’s Ultra Magnus reviews.
BotCon Registration Breaks Down
BotCon 2015 in Chicago is three weeks away, and pre-registration has gone up and down all week. The site even reopened during the show. Chris’s notes recount a Tuesday of activating and deactivating, about 20 minutes of registration Wednesday morning, and a staged relaunch. Don found the new layout quick and easy, but his payment never processed, so he called Fun Publications to push it through manually.
Some fans load prepaid cards, since cards were stolen after an earlier Fun Publications breach. The processing fee rose from $3 to $7, and attendance alone costs about $195. Brian and Don argue that after ten years Fun Publications should have repeatable processes. Rob is glad not to be going and suggests skipping the Collectors’ Club. Don says BotCon still means too much to him to give up, and Brian admits he nearly skipped this year. The crew agrees fans deserve better and should demand accountability.
What We Got This Week
Chris got Combiner Wars Hot Spot and calls it the best Combiner Wars figure so far. The knees come mistransformed in the package but lock once you bend them in, and the backpack works as a tripod leg. He prefers the brighter blue of the GDO Hot Spot. His Cyclonus uses new wings to disguise reused parts in vehicle mode, though its rich purple is not Cyclonus purple.
Diecast had nothing new from third parties this week but posted his X-Transbots Apollyon review. He says it is great in robot mode as long as you do not handle it much.
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 (43.5MB) | Embed
Radio Free Cybertron 845 – Why is this not G2?
Radio Free Cybertron – 427
Radio Free Cybertron 710 – Threats of Arcee model kits
Transformers Tuesday – Selects Legacy Targetmaster Toy-Based Cyclonus And/Or His Armada