Toys R Us is reportedly preparing to liquidate its US stores, and the UK chain will close within six weeks. The crew weighs what the loss means for collectors and the company’s 64,000 employees. Studio Series Deluxes and Voyagers turn up early in Kansas and Washington, and new stock photos show Lockdown and Jazz. Chris Ryall leaves IDW, and a German Blu-ray listing leaks Bumblebee movie details.
A Weekend at Brian’s
Chris, Don, Diecast and Matt spent the weekend at Brian’s house after a planned trip fell through. Matt fixed a pile of mistransformed figures in Brian’s collection room. Diecast took on a rock climbing wall and was outclimbed by six-year-old Noah. The crew also visited Rebel Base, a toy and comic shop in Charlotte, and recorded RFC Extra 41 about their last group trip to Toys R Us.
This Week in History
In 1993, the Headmasters episode “The Last Battle on Earth, Part 2” aired in Malaysia in the Star TV English dub. Brian has two new episodes of What Happened to the Headmasters recorded. He plans to repost the show starting with episode six and hopes to finish by the end of summer.
News
Toypocalypse Now: Toys R Us Reportedly Preparing to Liquidate US Operations
A leak says Toys R Us will announce the closing of all US stores. One report says about 200 Canadian stores may stay open. Brian notes roughly 64,000 people will lose their jobs, though he hopes a strong job market helps. Chris argues the debt loaded onto the company caused its death, and Rob compares the it-would-have-died-anyway argument to waking up in a bathtub of ice with no kidneys. One host has fonder memories of KB Toys but still calls Toys R Us more significant overall. [Source: TFormers]
United Kingdom Toys R Us Stores to Close Within Six Weeks
The UK chain will close within six weeks. The crew expects more news the next day, since a delayed court date lands on Thursday. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Studio Series Deluxe and Voyager Figures Making Early Appearances at KS and WA Stores
Studio Series figures are turning up early, ahead of an April 20 street date. One Voyager was about $36, only $6 over the suggested price. The crew wonders whether unreleased stock will surface in Toys R Us liquidation or at stores like Ollie’s and Ross, which tends to be feast or famine. [Source: TFormers]
Studio Series Lockdown and Jazz: New Stock Photos of Wave 2 Deluxes
The crew is glad to see Jazz in the line, though he looks small, and he still turns into a Pontiac Solstice. One host dislikes Lockdown’s movie face. Another says it is a huge improvement over the Age of Extinction Deluxe. Brian admits his movie toys sit on the lowest, least visible shelf. [Source: TFormers]
Chris Ryall to Leave Job as IDW Comics Chief Creative Officer
One host says it is hard to predict the effect on Transformers, since it looks like part of a wider shuffle among IDW’s top staff. He has been tracking sales, and every current Transformers book sells below the level that reportedly ended Till All Are One. With Unicron coming, the crew expects a wider reboot. [Source: TFormers]
Bumblebee Movie Blu-ray Product Info Reveals Film Summary
A German Blu-ray site posted product details for the Bumblebee movie, with a few plot points that may or may not be true. One host thinks it does not sound fake but finds it odd this far ahead. If the listing is accurate, the home release would arrive in April of next year. [Source: TFormers]
Power of the Primes Wave 2 Disappears Fast
Hun-Gurrr and Elita-1 appeared on Hasbro Toy Shop around 4:30 a.m. Central and sold out within hours. Wave 2 Deluxes also showed up briefly at retail price on Amazon. Don says he paid a little over retail with an eBay coupon because he is tired of camping out on websites. The crew wants retailers to give at least a coming-soon notice.
Masterpiece Wheeljack, Smokescreen and Bluestreak Reissues
Diecast spotted listings on Taobao suggesting TakaraTomy will reissue Masterpiece Wheeljack, Smokescreen and Bluestreak. They look like straight reissues of MP-18, MP-19 and MP-20 with no changes. Preorders should go up at retailers soon. [Source: not found]
What’s on TFormers
Rob says BaconJack reviewed the Transformers G1 soundtrack LP and was fairly positive. [Source: TFormers] Jay from TNI reviewed Power of the Primes Volcanicus. [Source: TFormers] Ken Christiansen shared original line art for the SDCC 2015 Combiner Hunters set and Titans Return Skullsmasher. [Source: TFormers] Metals Die Cast Metalfigs of The Last Knight Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are due in April. [Source: TFormers] IDW posted a required reading guide for Unicron #0, the Free Comic Book Day issue. [Source: TFormers] Chris wrote an in-depth look at the Beast Wars episode “Code of Hero” for its 20th anniversary, and most of the crew rank it among the best Transformers episodes. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Chris
Chris picked up clearance movie toys at Walmart on his way to North Carolina: Steelbane for $7, Voyager Megatron for $13 and Nitro for $13, which he may customize into Thunderwing. He also found the wave 2 Prime Masters at Kroger for $7 each, as Easter basket stuffers.
Don
Don also grabbed discounted movie figures, including Drift, Steelbane and Crowbar. His Power of the Primes wave 2 Voyagers, Elita-1 and Hun-Gurrr, arrived, along with all five wave 2 Deluxes: Slug, Snarl, Sludge, Moonracer and Rippersnapper, plus Blackwing. He earlier picked up the three Legends and the two Duocons.
Diecast
Diecast got a Barricade he suspects is an unofficial “midnight special,” since the box has a spot for a Ford sticker but no sticker. He got the last two Iron Factory figures he needed to finally form Bruticus. He also got the third-party Alien Attack Optimus Prime, which he plans to review next, plus display bases and an Exhaust sticker set. His review copy of the G1 soundtrack vinyl is up on RFC Reviews.
Brian
Brian bought his own copy of the G1 soundtrack vinyl, the ThinkGeek Bumblebee version. He plays a clip and notes the mix sounds different from the broadcast version, with voices that are normally filtered. He suspects it is an early mix or even a different take.
Matt
Matt got a Hallmark Soundwave ornament with his belated Christmas presents. A crewmate also found him Titans Return Ramhorn.
Rob
Rob’s pickup this week was not Transformers.
John DeLuna
John got the latest batch of Legends: G2 Megatron, Windblade and the Clones.
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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