Chris lands Siege Voyager Megatron early and calls it a solid, if unadventurous, take on the character. Siege is reaching US stores, with Battle Masters sighted on the West Coast and deluxes and Voyagers waiting in a Virginia Target back room. A G-Shock watch-carrying Master Optimus Prime, Power of the Primes Selects Red Swoop and Ricochet, and BotBots on Amazon round out the news. The crew also launches Operation Purge of the Primes, its holiday toy drive.
What We Got This Week
Chris got Siege Voyager Megatron at retail price through a one-time opportunity. He calls it very solid at being average. The ankle tilts have no tension, and the hinged head panel has no lock. The battle damage bothers him less in person than in photos. It is slightly shorter than Classics and Titans Return Megatron but feels dense, with panels that hide the hollow spots. His full gallery is up at Play With Photography.
Rob found the last Power of the Primes Wreck-Gar at his Walgreens. He likes the Groove mold and the copper plastic. The axe is the same one from the Reveal the Shield toy, and the figure cannot really hold it, so he clips it to the kickstand. He passes along scattered reports of Wreck-Gar ringing up for $2, which starts a debate about whether to tell the cashier.
Brian also got Wreck-Gar but likes the Reveal the Shield version better. He bought the Walmart reissue Starscream to keep sealed, even though it is packed backwards. He finally transformed Masterpiece Shadow Panther and Masterpiece Dinobot, following a stop-motion transformation video to do Dinobot in three minutes.
Diecast got a Unicron TFCon shirt and an officially licensed Hasbro box with an odd cigarette case inside. He paid full price for Wreck-Gar and got FansToys’ Arcee. He also gave Zeta Toys another try with their Fireflight, after its combined mode impressed him at TFCon. He bought a small rotary tool to sand a stubborn cockpit.
Matt got a Diaclone-inspired Masterpiece figure with a 35th anniversary stamp on the box. Brian forgot to preorder it and now wants one.
Jason got his second Furai Model kit from Anthony, plus a bonus poster.
John got Wreck-Gar and has started browsing eBay again. He picked up the Toys R Us-exclusive deluxe Megatron from The Last Knight, a redeco of the Generations stealth bomber Megatron with a new head.
This Week in History
In 2006, Sony BMG released the Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD in the US. The crew remembers oversaturated colors but decent extras. That leads to a long debate about Masterpiece Optimus Prime’s 2004 and 2006 releases. Brian checks his own and confirms it is the 2004 version with light scorch marks.
News
Transformers Siege Battle Masters Wave 1 Sighted With In-Hand Photos
Battle Masters turned up in California and Washington, and Voyagers and deluxes were pulled from a Virginia Target back room. BrickSeek shows nothing yet, which one host suspects means stock is on hand but not entered ahead of a December 1 date. Several hosts still see Power of the Primes wave 3 clogging their pegs. [Source: TFormers]
Operation Purge of the Primes
This year’s RFC toy drive gets its name. Buy the Power of the Primes figures sitting on your local shelves and drop them in a Toys for Tots box. It helps kids and clears space for Siege. Tweet your donations at RFC.
Power of the Primes Select Series Coming Early Next Year With More Redecos
The Selects include Red Swoop and Ricochet. Brian is glad the red Swoop from the old promo renders will finally happen, after the HasCon display showed a blue one. Ricochet is the Jazz-mold repaint Chris has wanted. The crew does not expect the alternate-color Onslaught anytime soon. [Source: TFormers]
G-Shock x Transformers Master Optimus Prime Resonant Mode Crossover Merchandise
This big Optimus Prime opens up to display a G-Shock watch. It also includes a Matrix-style core to fill the chest if you wear the watch. Brian wants it badly. Chris guesses about 15,000 yen, but Brian bets on about $300 for a limited exclusive. [Source: TFormers]
Want Power of the Primes Titan Class Predaking’s Sword? Hope You Live In China
The sword comes only with a Predaking at Hasbro’s flagship store in China and its Taobao storefront. Diecast puts that Predaking at about 839 yuan, plus shipping. The crew always wanted Predaking to have a sword. Still, its colors do not match the rest of the figure, and one host will wait for a third-party kit. [Source: TFormers]
Transformers BotBots Blind Box Wave 1 Photos
BotBots are due in mid-November, and the Toilet Troop and Techie Team five-packs are already on Amazon at $9.99 each. Brian orders both on air. The crew expects them at Walmart, Target, grocery stores and maybe Five Below. [Source: TFormers]
Toys R Us Returns As Geoffrey’s Toy Box, Which Is Literally a Box
Rob notes the pop-up turns out to be a cardboard display inside an established regional retailer. One host points out that matches what the press release promised, even if the crew expected an actual store. [Source: TFormers]
Pop Culture Shock G1 Starscream Statue Official Images and Details
Brian dislikes the self-shaded deco, and one host finds the face sculpt off. Another thinks the Thundercracker version works better. [Source: TFormers]
Generations JD Red Knight: New Images of China Online Retailer Exclusive Remold
Brian loves it, especially after Phil or Anthony called it a reincarnation of the late JD as a figure. Diecast offers to get him one. The crew notes the Age of Extinction Galvatron mold underneath has a fun shell-former transformation. [Source: TFormers]
What’s on TFormers
TFormers has the Siege wave 1 DPCI codes and UPC numbers for every assortment. One host explains how he converted UPCs to Amazon item codes a hundred at a time to find listings. [Source: TFormers]
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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Radio Free Cybertron – 11/04/00
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