Radio Free Cybertron celebrates its 18th anniversary as TakaraTomy opens preorders for Legends Grand Maximus and Greatshot, with a bonus Pretender shell if enough fans order. NYCC 2017 brings the Terrorcons, a new Windcharger, Rodimus Unicronus and Volcanicus. Grotusque sells out fast and may be headed to Toys R Us. The crew also gives away a Titans Return Arcee signed by Don.
News
LG-EX Grand Maximus Presale Starts Now
TakaraTomy’s Legends Grand Maximus, a Fortress Maximus repaint, needs about 2,000 preorders to be made. At 3,000 it adds a bonus Pretender shell. Don says preorder goals let companies avoid risk on a pricey Titan-class repaint. The base price is 25,000 yen plus Japan’s 8% tax, and middleman services add more. One host estimates at least $350 delivered. Brian and John plan to try. Diecast passes, calling it too much money for too little toy. Chris suggests watching Japanese secondhand shops after release. [Source: TFormers]
The Uncertain Future of LG-EX Grand Maximus, and What We’ve Learned From Its Pretender Shell
The bonus shell is sized for a Titan Master and is based on Waverider, a retool not seen even in the leaks. That suggests tooling now exists for all of the 1988 Autobot Pretenders. One host expects TakaraTomy to use it in a Masterforce line. [Source: TFormers]
LG-EX Greatshot Preorder and Stock Photos for Exclusive Sixshot Retool
Greatshot, the Victory character, is a retool of Titans Return Sixshot. Matt wants both exclusives. One host says the beast mode looks like Transmetal Rhinox and the robot looks like Sixshot cosplaying Char Aznable. He hopes the weak knees get fixed. Another host wants a Dai Atlas next. [Source: TFormers]
NYCC 2017: Titans Return Press Preview Images of Terrorcons and Power of the Primes
The Terrorcons keep their original names: Hun-Gurrr, Cutthroat, Sinnertwin, Blot and Rippersnapper. The crew likes them all at the $20 Deluxe price. One host wishes Rippersnapper were less angular, like the smooth original. Hun-Gurrr shares engineering with Silverbolt, so Abominus’ torso may look similar. Windcharger is a new mold, the third in about eight years. Rodimus Unicronus looks great, but one host drops it for using the wrong dark Rodimus colors. [Source: TFormers]
NYCC 2017: Hasbro Transformers Presentation Images, Dinobot Combiner, Divebomb’s Wings and More
Volcanicus gets new photos, and one host still prefers the name Grimstone. Hasbro has said Slash does not interact with the other Dinobots. Divebomb’s wings were shown without saying what they do. The crew thinks the Hasbro team was winging the presentation. Grotusque surprised everyone, and one host bets the next Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive will be a Decepticon launched at Toy Fair. [Source: TFormers]
So You Didn’t Get Titans Return Grotusque and Scorponok: What Next?
Rob found a listing that points to Toys R Us, as with Arcee, and the item numbers appear to match. Diecast’s Grotusque auction on eBay is past $100. The crew warns that eBay’s global shipping program adds steep fees for buyers in Canada. [Source: TFormers]
Car Robots Encore God Fire Convoy: Official Images of the Robots in Disguise Omega Prime Reissue
The reissue drops the chrome, gives Fire Convoy a clear chest and makes the upper two-thirds of the Master Sword clear. One host misses the chrome eyes. A chatter notes AmiAmi has the set at 22,800 yen, about $200. Don sees no need for it. [Source: TFormers]
TakaraTomy March 2018 Photos: Seaspray, Lione, Twintwist, Topspin and Darth Vader
TakaraTomy’s Legends Seaspray with Lione and Targetmasters Twintwist and Topspin are on the way. Darth Vader looks better than the old Star Wars Transformers, but not at about $60. One host calls its test-shot colors as ugly as 1986 Unicron. Rob and another host still disagree on whether it is a new mold. [Source: TFormers]
Clones in Canada: Walgreens Titans Return Legends Two-Pack Hits EB Games
The Walgreens-exclusive Cloudraker and Wingspan two-pack turned up at EB Games in Canada, still wearing Walgreens stickers. One host has a friend at Walgreens who will hold one for him. [Source: TFormers]
Greg Mooradian to Head Allspark Pictures
Allspark Pictures will take on other Hasbro properties beyond Transformers and G.I. Joe. Brian saw Allspark’s My Little Pony movie with friends’ kids and says it did not click for him. The crew riffs on which Hasbro games could be movies. [Source: TFormers]
MP-36 Golden Lagoon Megatron: Lucky Draw Style Gallery
A gold chrome MP-36 Megatron has surfaced, with its accessories molded in gold plastic too. Nobody knows yet whether it is a lucky draw prize or a lunchtime special. The crew calls it ugly. [Source: TFormers]
More G1 Design Sketches: Octane, Unproduced Launch Bays and Figural Erasers
One host loves the strange early Octane, which still hints at the final chest design. The eraser sketches may be for a Japanese product, or one never made. [Source: TFormers]
18th Anniversary Contest
Radio Free Cybertron turns 18 four days after this recording. To celebrate, the crew gives away a mint, boxed Titans Return Arcee signed by the Headmaster himself, Don. Don’s inscription quotes Cyclonus from the Headmasters cartoon. The winner, drawn at random from followers who retweeted the contest, is Jason (@JasonCCain on Twitter).
This Week in History
Actor Jason Jansen was born in 1975. He played Tommy Kennedy in the fifth season of the G1 cartoon, which repackaged older episodes with a Powermaster Optimus Prime puppet. His identity was a long-standing fandom mystery until David Schultz found and interviewed him, which led to a BotCon appearance. [Source: TFWiki]
What’s on TFormers
Rob covers Cutthroat’s alternate NYCC head, which matches Pretender Wildfly and hints at a possible Monstructor in 2019. [Source: TFormers] He also updated his Power of the Primes guide by size class. [Source: TFormers] Exvee has galleries of LG45 Targetmaster Hot Rod and of Grotusque with Scorponok. Exvee reviewed Optimus Prime #11, and Rob reviewed First Strike #5.
Listener Question
Dinobot Maximus asks about the S&D Primo X Mortis kit, which turns Combiner Wars Optimus Prime into Nova Prime. The crew knows it exists but has no release information. One host has the S&D kit that turns the figure into an IDW-style Optimus Prime instead.
What We Got This Week
Chris got Legends Kup, Legends Targetmaster Hot Rod, Slugslinger and Grotusque. Hot Rod nails the movie’s burgundy, and none of its Targetmaster parts are shared between Recoil and Firebolt. Kup’s color is driving him crazy to photograph. He likes Slugslinger more than Misfire. Grotusque is his favorite of the week, sharing only the legs, wings and cockpit hatch with Twinferno.
Brian also got Grotusque, thanks to Diecast’s email alert, plus Legends Kup and Hot Rod from Amazon Japan. He finally got Artfire, much cheaper from Japan, and preordered Masterpiece Sunstreaker and Anime Sideswipe. He also got Overlord at last. He loves the die-cast Scorponok Titan Master but has no good body to put it on.
Matt got Titans Return Arcee, thanks to Diecast, and Grotusque the next day. His Grotusque’s tail stays together, and he loves how the monster head splits to form the chest.
Don got Grotusque after half an hour fighting the Hasbro Toy Shop mobile site. He got another Legends Kup and Last Knight Hot Rod from Amazon Japan. Twin Twist is nice but not as solid as Topspin. Movie Hot Rod pops apart easily, like Wheelie. X-Transbots Klaatu will be his Masterpiece Cosmos. He also bought a second G2 Primus on a Toys R Us sale, netting about $65, so he can open one.
Diecast got and reviewed Grotusque. From Taobao he got Last Knight Crosshairs, a big improvement over the Age of Extinction mold, plus Cogman, Strafe and an accidental second Slug. He now needs only movie Hot Rod. He also got Hot Soldiers’ Legends-size Ironhide, a purple Tarn from Taobao for about $80, and Weijiang’s upsized Brainstorm, which he says beats the Hasbro toy.
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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