Brian reviews Masterpiece MP-48 Lio Convoy and finds a pretty robot mode let down by a gappy lion mode. Official photos show MP-50 Tigatron nailing both modes, and Earthrise wave 3 brings first looks at Trailbreaker and Sunstreaker. The Zeta Toys Unicron resurfaces under a new name with late test-shot photos. The crew remembers Transformers writer David Wise. Rob and Chris explain their move from TFormers to the new RFC News Desk, backed by the Full Time Toy Detectives Patreon promotion.
Radio Free Cybertron News
As of March 1, Rob and Chris no longer write for TFormers, after about eight years. They thank Jack for his patience and Peter Van for first introducing them. Brian notes Radio Free Cybertron has long been TFormers’ official podcast but is fully independent. Rob and Chris join as paid partners and take over the RFC Daily News Update, rebranded as the RFC News Desk, mostly as a podcast with some blog posts. To cover costs, the Full Time Toy Detectives Patreon promotion aims for $500 a month. It adds a monthly Toy Detectives podcast for patrons at every tier, going twice monthly if the goal is met. The RFC Insider newsletter contest runs through March 14 with a $150 prize pack. It’s a Don Deal episode 6 is out.
News
New Official MP-50 Tigatron Images from TakaraTomy
Brian says MP-50 Tigatron looks amazing, and even the beast mode looks good. He argues Tigatron had real constraints and nailed them, which is harder than a halfway decent lion. One host notes it seems to fix Cheetor’s swayback. It is much bigger than Cheetor, about head and shoulders above Optimus Primal, so it can use the real tiger head on the chest. Another host loves that it looks like a real tiger in beast mode, and the crew likes the accessory recreating the Megatron head puzzle from “Before the Storm.” It runs around 22,000 to 24,000 yen. [Source: TFormers]
Earthrise Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker Revealed
Photos of Earthrise wave 3 show Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker. One host says Sunstreaker clearly uses Wheeljack’s engineering with tweaks, while Runamuck is unrelated despite a similar robot mode. Another prefers Trailbreaker, with its big chest and Autobot symbol. The crew sorts out why some listings said Trailcutter, though the Previews listing says Trailbreaker. The crew expects Trax and Needlenose within the next year or so. [Source: TFRadio]
Zeta Toys Unicron Resurfaces as Studio Cell
The Zeta Toys Unicron, which went dark after HasLab Unicron was announced, has reemerged from a company calling itself Studio Cell. The new color photos show it without a head, wings or rings. Diecast says his Taobao sources always said it would still happen. The crew calls the photos a very late test shot, close to a production proof. [Source: not found]
Transformers G1 Writer David Wise Passes Away at 65
David Wise died of lung cancer on March 3. He wrote for Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Brian notes he is the only writer to win an Emmy for writing Star Trek, for the animated series. One host met him at two BotCons and talked about “The Rebirth,” “The Key to Vector Sigma” and “War Dawn.” He says Wise’s contributions to Transformers lore cannot be overstated. [Source: TFormers]
Brian Reviews MP-48 Lio Convoy
Brian finds MP-48 Lio Convoy pretty in robot mode, with striking red paint on white plastic. But it is smaller than he expected and does not exude power. The beast mode is a lion with huge gaps everywhere, which he jokes is an undocumented fan mode. He says a few more panels could have made it passable, since it is based on animation, not a real vehicle. The shoulder assembly with the second lion head terrified him during transformation. Another host says it fits a recent Masterpiece trend of one mode being prioritized over the other. It cost about $140 through Amazon Japan.
What We Got This Week
Chris
Chris’s only pickup this week was not Transformers.
Rob
Rob’s pickups this week were not Transformers.
Don
Don went on a toy crawl across four Targets. He got Earthrise Astrotrain, using refunds from the Target sale on Grapple and Starscream, plus Earthrise Micromasters, Ironworks and Wheeljack. Optimus Prime rang up at $35.99 after a register mix-up: Cyberverse Shockwave would not scan until June 1, so a manager knocked $10 off. With money from an eBay sale he also bought Civil Warrior’s General Grant, a take on War for Cybertron Optimus Prime with a flight pack.
Diecast
Diecast got the DNA Design DK-14 upgrade kit for Siege Ultra Magnus. It makes him taller and adds an axe and hammer, and he pairs it with a Dr. Wu gap-filler kit. One host guesses it cost about $25. He also got Magic Square’s Silver Bullet and Reflector, plus a third-party Devastator called Devil Saviour, said to be an engineering nightmare.
Brian
Brian found a Rescue Bots tow bot for $5 and the Walmart Astrotrain reissue. He also got a Transformers Easter basket from Walmart and an Air Attack Optimus Primal in Primal Prime colors for about $20. He found Earthrise Sound Barrier and is sending a second copy to Vice Grip X, whose collection was stolen. He also picked up Studio Series 51 Voyager Megatron. His big find was a G1 Stunticons set for $71 in a comic shop’s Leap Day sale, filling a hole left when he purged years ago.
Listener Question
Listener Jayden, who has listened on Spotify since 2018, asks for advice on displaying Transformers. Brian says an upcoming RFC Extra with Matt will cover focusing a collection and displaying it.
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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