Diecast hosts while Brian is away. A Chinese forum photo may show a movie Masterpiece Volkswagen Bumblebee, possibly from bootleg molds. IDW confirms Unicron will end its 12-year Transformers continuity, with new comics to follow. Titan Class Predaking in-hand photos divide the crew, and FansToys Hydra and DX9 Dutch lead the third-party news.
News
Movie Masterpiece Volkswagen Bumblebee Leaked First Look?
A photo from a Chinese forum surfaced within the hour before the show. It may show knockoffs of movie Masterpiece molds: Barricade, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Ironhide and a Volkswagen Bumblebee. The Volkswagen’s panel lines differ from the G1 Masterpiece Bumblebee, so it looks like a new mold. The crew notes bootleggers could beat the official release, possibly with a cheaper and better toy. [Source: TFormers]
Unicron Revealed: ‘Grand Finale’ to 12 Years of IDW Continuity
Unicron ends the current IDW continuity, not IDW’s Transformers comics. James Roberts and John Barber confirmed on Twitter that comics continue in a new continuity. Barber knows of no writers leaving but expects new faces. The series runs from July to September, starting with issue #0 on Free Comic Book Day. Alex Milne’s huge Unicron art convinces one host that no Titan Class Unicron is coming. [Source: TFormers]
Power of the Primes Titan Class Predaking: In-Hand Images of the Individual Predacons
In-hand photos show the Predacons on their own and combined. One host blames the problems on keeping every Predacon the same size. That leaves Divebomb as a weak torso frame and gives Predaking a thin waist. He contrasts it with the bigger Long Haul in the Devastator set. Tantrum’s and Headstrong’s beast modes also draw criticism. One host says the Predacons should have been Deluxes, with the Dinobots as the box set. Some will still preorder and wait for a Perfect Effect upgrade, while another is skipping it. [Source: TFormers]
The Toys That Made Us Returns: Second Season Announced
Netflix renewed the series beyond the Star Trek, Transformers, Lego and Hello Kitty episodes coming next month. The crew pitches episodes on Mego, Hot Wheels and Exosquad. Don notes that TFYLP talked with the show’s producer about topics with too little material for an episode. [Source: TFormers]
FansToys Hydra: Unofficial Masterpiece-Style Sixshot Color Sample Photos
The color sample of FansToys’ Sixshot is expected around July 2018. The crew likes its animation styling but finds it plain and begging for a few paint highlights. One host jokes that anyone who badmouthed Inferno cannot like this. Another will skip it because FansToys puts too much metal in its figures. [Source: TFormers]
DX9 X34 Dutch: New Unofficial Legends-Scale G1 Optimus Prime
DX9’s Legends-scale G1 Optimus Prime comes with a trailer that opens into a command center. The crew praises a head sculpt close to the animation model. They suspect the chest flips to hide fake truck parts, since the truck front and robot chest share no shapes. One host would like a fully armed Ultra Magnus from the mold. [Source: TFormers]
Hot Soldiers Legends-Scale Hearts of Steel Bumblebee Color Photos, Plus a New Optimus Teaser
Hot Soldiers shows its Hearts of Steel Bumblebee in color and teases an Optimus Prime. Chris points out the teaser also lists a Ravage, called Robot Dog, and a Goldbug. One host owns nearly every Hearts of Steel release and loves the line. Another notes the Bumblebee’s long torso, which the Cliffjumper retool fixes. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers Studio Series Megatron: New Photos of the Wave 2 Voyager
One host hates how good it looks. Studio Series Voyagers are turning up at larger Kroger and Meijer stores. [Source: TFormers]
Studio Series Leader Class Blackout In-Hand Images
A Kevin Liu video review shows many steps, but nothing fiddly. Blackout is huge, and the crew calls it the movie Leader to get. Chris says he does not want Leader Grimlock, to the chat’s dismay. [Source: TFormers]
Figure King Scans: Optimal Optimus, G1-Style Abominus and Predaking
Scans show Abominus in a stumpy G1-style combined mode, though Don will display his with elbows. The crew also sees Elita-1 combined with Jazz, Moonracer and two Dinobots. They wish for enough female Autobots to form her properly. [Source: TFormers]
This Week in History
In 2008, Aveo Swerve went up on Chevrolet’s website through branches in Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, and the offer was quickly pulled. One host explains that overseas buyers paid roughly $150 in fees and shipping, so it became a hot secondary-market item. Canadian dealers later gave it away with test drives. Chevrolet owns the mold, which is why it has never been reused. [Source: TFWiki]
What’s on TFormers
John Cena Says the Bumblebee Movie Is the Best Transformers Movie Yet
Rob highlights John Cena’s praise for Bumblebee. The crew is wary of the claim that the movie is completely different yet just like the others. [Source: TFormers]
XM Studios New Megatron Statue Teaser Image
XM Studios teased a Megatron statue designed by Andrew Griffith. Don would rather see statues based on Furmanisms, such as Vortex reaping the whirlwind. The crew pitches a Furmanism art book. [Source: TFormers]
What We Got This Week
Jason
Jason’s final Toys R Us purchase is a Rubik’s Cube Optimus Prime, since his store has been closing for two months.
John
John’s first Amazon Japan order brought the TakaraTomy Legends Jumpstarters and Seaspray. He loves the Jumpstarters’ robot modes, though they run about $40 each from domestic stores. Ages 3 and Up also billed him for his Grand Maximus and Greatshot preorders.
Diecast
Diecast got Power of the Primes Blackwing from Exvee, tagged #SeaconsBeforeUnicron. A Taobao Clampdown arrived with a broken wheel and superglued panels, which suggests factory seconds. He also got Nitro Zeus for $7 and an MMC Rumble without its box. A second Titans Return Optimus Prime will become an Action Master with a Reprolabels kit.
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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