Takara Tomy reveals MP-14C Clampdown, the fifth use of the Masterpiece Lamborghini mold, and the crew debates whether a police-car Red Alert is worth buying. G2 Superion turns up at retail in China for about $86. Mastermind Creations’ Carnifex brings the IDW take on Overlord to Masterpiece size, and Pandimus shows its painted Scorponok-ish robot mode. John is unmoved by the G1 toy faces hidden in Masterpiece Ironhide’s windshield. New photos of Legends Nightbird, Slipstream and Blackarachnia look great.
This Week in History
In 1987, Family Home Entertainment releases The Transformers: The Movie and “The Return of Optimus Prime” on VHS and Beta in the US. Don remembers getting the movie through a toy mail-in offer and watching it with his father. His father asked why the Autobots did not just rebuild Optimus Prime. One host loves “The Return of Optimus Prime” for the clash between Prime and a truly dangerous Galvatron.
News
G2 Superion Appears at Chinese Retail
G2 Superion has turned up at retail in China for the equivalent of about $86, which the crew calls a great deal for a full combiner. Rob’s TFormers story credits a Facebook report. The US retailer is still unknown, and several hosts hope Amazon carries it. The order looks to be Superion, then Menasor, then the fan-built Victorion. Some hosts may skip Victorion and wish its colors varied more from figure to figure. [Source: not found]
Masterpiece Ironhide Hides G1 Toy Faces in Its Windshield
Masterpiece Ironhide has the little faces from the G1 toy inside its van windshield. John compares it to a contractor who builds a terrible house but paints the kitchen your favorite color. The crew expects the feature sets up a black Diaclone repaint. Don remains happy with his iGear versions. The crew debates whether Voodoo Robots’ screw holes are worse than the official toy’s gaps on the back.
Nick Roche Sketches Arcee for Sins of the Wreckers
IDW artist Nick Roche posts a sketch of Arcee for Sins of the Wreckers, the follow-up to Last Stand of the Wreckers, and promises plenty of scowling. Matt explains Roche is writing and drawing it without James Roberts. One host thinks Last Stand of the Wreckers was a natural ending and fears a Dark Knight Strikes Again-style sequel. The crew will still give it a chance with Roche in charge. [Source: not found]
Armada-Style Seeker Repaint Goes Up for Preorder
An import repaint of the Generations Armada-style Starscream mold goes up for preorder at about $30 for January. Don says the mold has grown on him and he prefers it to the Fall of Cybertron-style jets, and another host agrees. One host plans to complete the Seeker trio. [Source: not found]
MP-14C Clampdown Revealed
Matt reports the fifth use of the Masterpiece Lamborghini mold: MP-14C Clampdown, based on the e-Hobby Diaclone police car. It is essentially Red Alert with a black head, and it reportedly includes Sideswipe’s Piledrivers. One host is considering dropping his preorder because it is so close to Red Alert. Another suggests Takara drop the letter suffixes before it runs out of them. The crew agrees the repaint was planned to squeeze value from an expensive mold. [Source: not found]
Legends Nightbird, Slipstream and Blackarachnia Photos
Diecast walks through new photos of Takara Tomy’s Legends Nightbird, Slipstream and Blackarachnia. Even Nightbird looks great, and the crew likes Slipstream’s smirk. Blackarachnia’s Animated mold blends in better than expected and has a Beast Wars feel. One host says these figures matter so much he could stop collecting after them. Matt notes Nightbird appears to keep Arcee’s open hands, which grip weapons poorly. [Source: not found]
Mastermind Creations Carnifex New Photos
New photos show Carnifex the Butcher, Mastermind Creations’ unofficial Overlord based on his IDW look. One host loves the dynamic, less blocky design and says third party should do characters like this. It is about the size of Masterpiece Ultra Magnus. The crew compares it to vintage Overlord prices, including a $650 incomplete one at BotCon and a sealed one listed on eBay for $2,100. [Source: not found]
Perfect Effect Xerxes
Perfect Effect’s Xerxes repaints its Leonidas, an unofficial Lio Convoy, as a Nemesis-style alternate in heavy red. Don explains the name pairs with Leonidas from the Battle of Thermopylae. He likes the figure but does not need many upgraded beast modes. [Source: not found]
80’s Dream UV-01 Model Kit
80’s Dream announces the UV-01 model kit based on Megatron from the short-lived Transformers Universe online game. Diecast and the crew struggle to care. [Source: not found]
Unique Toys Sworder
John walks through resin images of Unique Toys’ Y-03 Sworder, an unofficial Masterpiece-style Sandstorm. He finds the alternate modes nice and the robot mode just okay. The crew says the Generations Sandstorm is still good enough. They are more excited for Unique Toys’ Provider. [Source: not found]
DX9 Carry New Photos
Diecast, who has reviewed DX9’s Carry, calls the transformation fun and satisfying. He notes the trailer is one piece, unlike Masterpiece Rodimus. Don is amazed by how compact the vehicle mode is and how well the backpack works. [Source: not found]
Color photos show Pandimus, a large and stylized Scorponok-ish third-party figure. The crew finds the paint busy and says it hides the size that impressed them at BotCon. One host suspects the others are just looking for reasons not to spend $350. The crew says third party should be careful with giant figures that Hasbro may yet make. [Source: TFW2005]
What We Got This Week
Brian
Brian got Masterpiece Blue Streak, which he calls a beauty, and is tempted by the silver version. He also got the retail box of the Kabaya Seacons gum kits and loves them. He opened Masterpiece G2 Bumblebee, which is exactly the gold repaint he expected, though he still preordered the red one.
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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