Fresh from BotCon 2015, the crew recaps the Hasbro panel and Tokyo Toy Show. Sky Lynx stunned the room as a Voyager center bot for the Sky Reign combiner. Takara Tomy showed Masterpiece Ironhide, a Masterpiece Optimus Primal render and a Diaclone reboot. It is also the crew’s second annual JD Church memorial episode.
Remembering JD Church
Brian marks six years since RFC came back full time, a return JD Church pushed him into. JD passed away in February 2014, and the crew wishes he had been at BotCon with them. Brian will post an unreleased Transformers Rewind episode, Grimlock’s New Brain, recorded by JD and Paladin, to the RFC Facebook page. One host recalls JD and Chris McFeely spinning a fake CW Wonder Woman show called Themyscira High. Others remember JD staying professional through a long stream, then venting once it ended. Another recalls JD leaving his mic open as a tornado passed near his home.
News
Tokyo Toy Show: Diaclone Returns
Takara Tomy is reviving Diaclone, starting with Diabattles, a combiner of sci-fi vehicles with updated drivers. Rob explains the original line leaned sci-fi, like a smaller-scale Microman. The crew also raves about BotCon’s Diaclone and Birth of the Transformers panel. [Source: TFW2005]
Painted Legends Nightbird, Slipstream and Blackarachnia
Clear photos show painted Legends Nightbird, Slipstream and Blackarachnia, plus new looks at Masterpiece Tracks and Road Rage. Painted, Blackarachnia wins over a skeptical host. Nightbird still has the old Arcee hands. At roughly $30 each, Takara deluxes sting less with today’s exchange rate. [Source: TFW2005]
Takara Tomy Reveals Masterpiece Ironhide
Takara Tomy showed Masterpiece Ironhide, which several hosts call a work in progress. The oversized crotch piece and door panels on the hips draw the most criticism. One host says too much of the van sits on the chest. Another wishes it used the white-outlined Autobot logo. The final mold will also become Ratchet, which raises the stakes for fixes. [Source: TFW2005]
Masterpiece Optimus Primal Render Appears
A render of Masterpiece Optimus Primal, or Beast Convoy, appeared. Reports say 2016 will be a year of Beast Wars Masterpieces for the line’s 20th anniversary. The crew guesses Megatron, Lio Convoy and Dinobot would follow. [Source: TFormers]
Unite Warriors Devastator Gets Guns and Elbows
Takara’s Unite Warriors Devastator gives every robot G1-style guns and working elbows. Long Haul and Scrapper get new arms, and Bonecrusher and Scavenger get lower knees. Don is weighing it, and one host suggests buying Takara’s for the robots and Hasbro’s for the combined mode. Takara’s Groove also looks better painted, though not everyone wants it at about $150. [Source: TFormers]
Titan Class Devastator Reaches Australia
Hasbro’s Titan Class Devastator reached Australian retail. Big Bad Toy Store staff told Don a July 1 street date kept it out of BotCon. [Source: TFW2005]
Just before BotCon, USA Today showed comic art of Victorion. She is built from the Hot Spot, Blades and likely Breakdown molds. One host wanted more variety, since he will now own five of the Alpha Bravo mold. [Source: TFW2005]
BotCon Hasbro Panel: Bruticus, Sky Lynx and Legends
Hasbro showed Combiner Wars Wave 4 and the first two 2016 waves. Bruticus’s only new mold is Brawl, and Swindle is a heavy remold. Vortex and Blast Off are repaints, and Blast Off is now a jet, which bothers Rob. Onslaught gets a running change between toy and cartoon chest colors. Legends Buzzsaw and a Legends Shockwave that becomes Bruticus’s gun also appeared. The big reveal was Sky Lynx, a Voyager center bot that forms Sky Reign, and the room stood and cheered. [Source: Seibertron]
Titan Wars Line Art Spotted at BotCon
A BotCon banner showed Titan Wars line art, including Blaster, Fortress Maximus and an Astrotrain-like figure. Hasbro staff stayed coy when asked. The crew expects a reveal at SDCC, while John suspects trade-show art simply got used early. [Source: TFormers]
One host suspects a retailer listing for Scattershot was really Sky Lynx under the wrong name. Collectors’ Club Subscription Service 4.0 centers on Bludgeon and the Mayhem Attack Squad, at about $300. Several hosts admit fatigue with reused molds but stress they still love Combiner Wars. [Source: TFormers]
BotCon 2015 Wrap-Up
Diecast and Matt attended their first BotCon. They liked the roomy dealer room and the Birth of the Transformers panel. Don presented Susan Blu with a Headmaster Arcee, the figure he has long campaigned for. The crew enjoyed the Galloping Ghost arcade, Portillo’s and Giordano’s near Pheasant Run. Some panels lacked official content, and the Hartmans’ tables held mostly Unicron Trilogy stock. One host says this may be his last BotCon unless one is nearby. One host predicts BotCon could consider Charlotte now that TFCon heads to Chicago in 2016.
On TFormers This Week
Rob reviewed More Than Meets the Eye #42 and Windblade #4. Exvee wrote about what Titan Wars might be and interviewed members of Hasbro’s Transformers team. TFormers also covered the BotCon and Tokyo Toy Show news.
What We Got This Week
Brian got the BotCon Kre-O set with Robot Master, Nightbird and Autobot X. With Chris’s help he found the e-Hobby Laser Ultra Magnus at a Japanese dealer table. He also picked up Fans Project’s Kubar and a $20 G1 Sixshot, in better shape than the one he sold.
Diecast got the Kre-O set, the BotCon Waspinator four-pack and War Dog, which he has already reviewed on camera. He found a Senator Ratbat for $30 and Robots in Disguise Jazz and Sideswipe. A $20 Zarak missing his Targetmaster came from the club store’s deal table.
Matt got three Vipers as troop builders and Battletrap for $60 off the room-to-room board. He also got the G2 and Diaclone two-packs, three G2 Cyberjets and a Masterpiece Sideswipe for $58 in the Sunday sell-off.
John got the Custom Class Galva Convoy, now fully painted, which completes the trio on the Lio Convoy box art. He also got the BotCon exclusives and caved on Fans Project’s Kubar and Columpio.
Don got a Go Shooter and a loose Target-exclusive Robots in Disguise Build Team in Devastator colors for $20. He added Takara’s Black Nemesis Prime, the last three robots for his Throttlekaiser team and a boxed Nightwatch Optimus Prime for $40. His grail find was the Family Mart crystal clear Revenge of the Fallen Optimus Prime, for $100 plus a trade.
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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