A 1995 McDonald’s document reveals early Beast Wars concepts, including Prowl as the panther that became Cheetor. Brian shares his mostly spoiler-free take on Netflix’s Transformers: War for Cybertron Earthrise, and the crew debates its six-episode run.

Chris reviews Kingdom Megatron and the new Cyberverse Deluxe Prowl and Starscream. John sends Earthrise Thrust to most of the crew, and Brian closes in on a full set of 1985 McDonald’s Happy Meal Transformers.

News

Beast Wars! 1995 McDonald’s Toy Document Gives Us a Previously Unseen Look at Early Franchise Development

A 1995 McDonald’s planning document surfaced after an auction, and AllSpark mirrored its Transformers pages. The design sheets predate the Beast Wars name and use the G2-era Transformers logo. Concepts include a crocodile Megatron, a snapping turtle Buzzsaw, a scorpion Shockwave, and bat and lion Optimus Primes. A panther Prowl shares the body later used for Cheetor, which the crew says explains that toy’s generic big-cat shape. The Autobots are called Cyber Beasts while the Decepticons are already Predacons. The crew also spots a manta ray Optimus Prime with scuba gear and a four-armed dragonfly Megatron. Talk turns to the rare green Transmetal 2 Ramulus, with one listing at $7,200. [Source: AllSpark]

RFC News Desk 126: Our Mostly Spoiler-Free Review of Netflix’s Transformers Earthrise

Brian posted his review of Earthrise after Netflix provided early access. He finds the series incredibly boring and passionless, and thinks better sound mixing might help. Chris says six 22-minute episodes force a full season of plot into bullet points. He adds the show is not made for him, and Siege worked better with a tighter story. One host enjoyed it and thinks it improves on Siege. The crew voices trepidation about Kingdom handling Beast Wars without the original voice cast. They agree the toys stay great regardless, and plan a post-mortem once Kingdom ends. [Source: TFRadio]

Virtual RFCCon

With no Toy Fair weekend in 2021, Chris suggests a virtual RFCCon on that date, and Brian claims it on air. The crew makes no promises it will happen. Brian also announces a patrons-only Patreon live stream the following week, with RFC 708 as the year-in-review show.

What We Got This Week

Chris found two Earthrise Arcees on clearance at Aldi and bought one for $13. John sent him Earthrise Thrust, likely his final Earthrise toy. Kingdom Megatron from GameStop has soft plastic he finds uncomfortable, panels that will not sit flush, and a non-removable tail weapon. Still, it feels solid and hefty, and he says Kingdom captures the spirit of Beast Wars better than the 2014 Generations attempts. Cyberverse Deluxe Prowl has a sturdy vehicle mode, while Starscream’s alt mode looks alien. Both come with blast effect parts.

Diecast thanks John for Earthrise Thrust. His Kingdom Wave 1 deluxes arrived from Entertainment Earth: Cheetor, Warpath, Blackarachnia and a second Paleotrex. He also got Kingdom Megatron and Cyclonus from GameStop, plus Target exclusive Transformers Funko Pops of Starscream and Bumblebee. His G2 Sandstorm from Entertainment Earth still has not arrived.

Rob got Earthrise Trailbreaker for Christmas and likes it, though he is still not sold on the arm piece. John sent him Earthrise Runabout, which took nearly a month by Priority Mail. Kingdom Megatron’s hips scare him at first. He warns that the tail hinge panels can crease the soft plastic during transformation.

Don got Kingdom Megatron from GameStop after ordering in store. He vents about a delivery he could not redirect between GameStop and FedEx, and warns others about the hassle.

Matt got Siege Red Alert, Earthrise Arcee and a batch of Modulators to build his Autobot X creation. Masterpiece Spinout is the one he has wanted since the Masterpiece Sunstreaker announcement. He plans to reorder it after cancelling, and may stop collecting Masterpiece there.

John got nothing Transformers this week. He did hunt down Studio Series 86 at Target, which is now hitting US stores on the West Coast.

Brian finally found Earthrise Red Alert, his last missing Earthrise deluxe. John got him Thrust, and he wants every canonical Conehead and Seeker. He displays his 1985 McDonald’s Happy Meal Transformers in Ultra Pro card boxes and has 19 of about 24. He suspects mentioning them on air pushes eBay prices up, and plans to seek private sales for the last five.

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