The crew makes its 2020 Transformers predictions, from a Generations-style Masterpiece Raiden to Masterpiece God Ginrai and a Masterpiece Kiss Player. Listener votes in the RFC Awards crown MP-43 Megatron, Siege Jetfire, Springer, Spinister and Rung, with HasLab Unicron as the biggest news. Retail listings point to an Earthrise Voyager Megatron, Arcee, Smokescreen and the Quintesson Allicon. Walmart’s G1 Astrotrain reissue lands at $50. Masterpiece Hound wins over Matt and Brian despite scary shoulders.

RFC Awards: The Listener Vote

Brian shares the Twitter results for the categories announced on the year-end episode. MP-43 Megatron wins Best Masterpiece with 44 percent, matching the crew’s pick. Siege Jetfire takes Best Leader Class and Up with 39.5 percent and Best Engineering with 62.9 percent. Springer wins Best Voyager with 43 percent, and Spinister takes Best Deluxe with 66 percent. Rung wins Best Legends Class or Battle Master with 62.7 percent, which surprises the crew. HasLab Unicron is the biggest news of 2019, ahead of the Seacons and the Hasbro Pulse relaunch.

2020 Predictions

Matt predicts Masterpiece Raiden combines from six Generations-style Trainbots rather than six Masterpieces, an idea Chris first floated. He also predicts a small Earthrise Warpath with add-ons and a Generations Selects Artfire off the expected Inferno.

Chris predicts a Transformers and Power Rangers comic crossover and also claims the Raiden prediction. He adds a new Masterpiece Starscream at 30,000 yen.

Don predicts MP-50 is Arcee and a Selects Siege Astrotrain in animation colors or the Japanese white and black deco.

Diecast predicts an announced next Transformers movie, an Earthrise Tracks and an announced Masterpiece Jazz.

Rob predicts a Masterpiece pricier than MP-44, a Masterpiece God Ginrai and a Generations Star Saber.

Brian predicts only three new-mold Masterpieces in 2020, with everything else a plus or a retool. He also calls HasCon for 2021, then swaps his third pick for a Masterpiece Kiss Player announcement.

Most of the crew expects Raiden to be MP-50. Don argues a first Masterpiece combiner could start its own numbering, as the movie Masterpieces did. The chat notes Don turns 50 this year, making him MP-50.

News

Exclusive Reissue G1 Astrotrain Found at Walmart

The reissue sells for $50. The crew thinks $40 is closer to its worth, and that Siege and even Titans Return Astrotrain are better toys. [Source: TFormers]

Tiny Turbo Changers Series 3: Official Transformers Cyberverse Details and Images

Series 3 includes Bumblebee, Arcee, Chromia, Jetfire, a tank Megatron and two helicopters, one probably Whirl. At this size, Brian says, fans can pretend they are almost anything. One host suggests checking grocery stores for them. [Source: TFormers]

Retail Listings Point to Earthrise Voyager Megatron, Arcee, Smokescreen and Quintesson Allicon

One host walks through recent leaks. Studio Series adds a Bumblebee movie Voyager Blitzwing, a yellow Skipjack recolor of Rampage, Voyager Sentinel Prime and Scrapper. A wholesaler, ACD Distribution, lists a new Earthrise Voyager Megatron, Snapdragon and the Quintesson. It also lists a Micromaster Battle Squad reship, the Astro Squad and a Racetrack Patrol. Walmart app lookups confirm Deluxe Airwave, Arcee, Smokescreen and the Quintesson Allicon. The crew jokes the new Megatron should be an upside-down submarine. Don looks forward to Arcee, and the crew expects to troop-build Allicons. [Source: not found]

Toy Fair Live Stream

Toy Fair is about a month out, and Diecast will cover it in person. Brian wants to take viewer calls during part of the annual live stream.

Contest Winners and Patreon

Rung goes to EBMegaman on Instagram, and Singe goes to InsaneGalvatron on Twitter. Brian thanks the inaugural Touched-tier patrons and previews RFC trading card designs based on classic Topps sets, starring Diecast. A monthly lucky draw for all patrons is coming too.

What’s on TFormers

The TFormers 2019 Year in Review: RAC Edition

Rob, Chris and Jack post their 2019 year in review pieces. One writer’s only real negative is that Siege was not quite the all-Cybertronian line he pictured. Another’s is that the Bumblebee movie did not do better financially. [Source: TFormers]

What We Got This Week

Don picked up the Pop Culture Shock animation Optimus Prime statue at GameStop for about $165. He has three of the four new Cyberverse Deluxes and likes Megatron despite tabs that do not line up. He also grabbed Selects Hot Shot on sale and Mega SFC Megatron to pair with his Mega SFC Optimus beside Unicron. He found Rung and Singe too.

Diecast got Studio Series Scrapper and a Kre-O Blizzard Strike Optimus Prime for $5.50. He also got the tiny Revenge of the Fallen motorcycle trio of Arcee, Chromia and Elita-1. A Hasbro Pulse delivery added Studio Series Deluxe Soundwave and the first-movie Voyager Megatron.

Matt found two more Cyberverse Sharkticons, bringing him to five. Siege Astrotrain from Pulse is chunkier than he expected and a pleasant surprise. He likes Masterpiece Hound, though its feet do not clean up and its arms run short. His favorite find is a $20 knockoff brick set of Liokaiser, which he dubs Lego Kaiser.

Rob only picked up non-Transformers items this week.

Brian was scared by Masterpiece Hound’s shoulder detents but likes it better than his third-party Hound. He finds the Cyberverse Deluxes rigid but likes the Deluxe scale, though Megatron is now floppy and Shockwave’s alt mode is lame. He got the Cyberverse Sharkticon pack with Black Rodimus, plus Singe and Rung. He also picked up the World War II-style Hot Rod that Diecast mentioned earlier. He added Nano Hollywood Rides cars, the official BotBots sticker book and the Bump of Chicken Bumblebee. He was outbid on a G1 Monstructor.

Radio Free Cybertron: The Transformers Podcast

Brian Kilby

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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