A listing on Hasbro China’s Taobao store points to Earthrise Commander Sky Lynx, a Voyager Quintesson and a Deluxe Quintessa. The Toy Detectives size up Earthrise Cliffjumper at Legends height for a Deluxe price. Super7 adds a wave of G1 ReAction figures, including a larger Devastator. RFC kicks off its 2019 toy drive, Operation Elf on a Shelfwarmer, and starts Twitter giveaways from a Hasbro promo box. Chris finds Siege Apeface a letdown, and Brian’s DX9 Dinobots draw blood.
News
Transformers Earthrise: How Big Is Cliffjumper Anyway?
New Earthrise stock photos show Cliffjumper looking tiny in a Deluxe box, while Hoist fills his. Chris, one of the two Toy Detectives, measured against the eight-inch front panel of a Siege Deluxe box. He estimates a robot height of three and a half to four inches, Legends size for $20. On the plus side, Cliffjumper will fit with existing Legends minicars, and he comes with skis and a big cannon. Chris thinks the big Hoist and Ironworks balance the wave’s budget. He guesses Hubcap could get the same treatment later, while Rob suggested Bumblebee. Diecast notes Cliffjumper looks more complex than a Legends figure, with no ball joints. [Source: T-Formers]
Transformers Earthrise Wave 1 Updated Stock Photos
The updated photos cover the Deluxes, Micromasters and Battle Masters Soundbarrier. Brian is happy with how big Hoist looks, and the crew likes the busy new box design. In vehicle mode, Hoist’s hood and roof are a different green from the side panels. One host suspects painted clear plastic, while Rob says studio photos exaggerate the difference between paint and plastic. [Source: T-Formers]
Brian explains that RFC covers leaks only with some substantiation, such as a retailer listing. This one appeared on Hasbro China’s Taobao store. The list includes Scorponok, Deluxe Runamuck, Commander Class Sky Lynx, a Voyager Quintesson and a Deluxe Quintessa. Brian called Sky Lynx as soon as Commander Class was announced. The crew wonders whether the Quintesson pack holds several figures, like a guard and an executioner. One host suggests a transforming courtroom modulator. Don floats Botanica as a long-shot Quintessa. [Source: T-Formers]
Super7’s new 3.75-inch ReAction figures include Prowl, Blitzwing, Blaster, Reflector, Perceptor, Dirge, Skyfire, Rumble, Shockwave, Alpha Trion, Grimlock, Mirage and Shrapnel. A larger Deluxe Devastator costs $23.99. Brian has both Devastators preordered and loves the card art even more than the figures. [Source: T-Formers]
RFC Toy Drive: Operation Elf on a Shelfwarmer
The 2019 toy drive runs through December 6. Donate shelfwarming toys to Toys for Tots or a similar charity, take a photo and tweet it to @tfradio. Listeners suggested names like Operation Over Siege, Operation Cyber Drive, Operation Clear the Chromias and War for Cyber-Gone. Mark Alley’s Operation Elf on a Shelfwarmer won. Matt donated a Fortress Maximus and admits feeling a little smug about it. The crew reminds listeners that any toy you are sick of seeing in the store is one some kid would love for Christmas.
Hasbro Promo Box Giveaway
Hasbro sent RFC a 35th anniversary promo box of store exclusives. It includes two Amazon-exclusive BotBots five-packs and Target’s Cyberverse Slipstream and Cheetor. It also has Walmart’s 35th anniversary Megatron and Optimus Prime. RFC will give away everything except Optimus Prime on Twitter over three weeks, starting November 14. Brian adds two Transformers Trading Card Game sets he found at McKay’s. Brian also says an RFC Patreon is finally in the works.
What’s on T-Formers
Rob points to ASICS Transformers shoes with Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and Megatron attachments. Rob Springer also told him that Universal Studios Beijing will have a Transformers land themed to Metrobase, a Titan he hadn’t heard of. [Source: T-Formers]
What We Got This Week
Chris got Siege Apeface from early stock at about retail and calls it a letdown. The silver battle damage tampo looks like a dot matrix print, and the elbows bend the wrong way. The shield blocks the Titan Master cockpit, and moving to robot mode is a chore. The gorilla mode isn’t very poseable. He does like the rifle, and an Apeface gallery is coming to Play With Photography.
Diecast found the cel-shaded 35th anniversary Voyager Optimus Prime and Megatron at his local Walmart. He loves the cel shading, and Megatron’s droopy head is fixed. Every Optimus Prime there had the faceplate Chris prefers. He adds that Soundblaster’s battle damage stands out badly on black plastic.
Don had nothing in Transformers this week.
Brian got four of the six Wendy’s Transformers kids’ meal toys: Optimus Prime, Soundwave, Bumblebee and Windblade. He picked up the Cybertron Battle for the Cyber Planet Keys set, a Sam’s Club release. It includes Longrack, Blurr, Buzzsaw and a redecoed Optimus Prime. DX9’s War in Pocket Dinobots look good but feel shoddy, with sharp edges that broke his skin. He may be done with third-party Legends. Victory Leo arrived mint in box, so he can now form Victory Saber with the Star Saber he got at TFcon.
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.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:14:18 — 68.2MB) | Embed
Radio Free Cybertron 889 – Telemocha Dinobot… now with Hot Sauce!
Radio Free Cybertron 741 – A bag of legs and torsos
Radio Free Cybertron 858 – How do we turn this into three dinosaurs?
Radio Free Cybertron 612 – Brian Free Cybertron