It’s the annual Radio Free Cybertron prediction show, and the crew bets on everything from the 40th anniversary HasLab to Rise of the Beasts at the box office. Picks for the HasLab range from God Ginrai and Devastator to Metroplex and a reissued Masterpiece Optimus Prime. In the news, Hasbro plans a new production run of HasLab Victory Saber to replace damaged copies. Masterpiece Trainbot Seizan looks rough, and the first Transformers Tuesday reveals Core Class Rise of the Beasts Arcee and Freezer.

2023 Predictions

Chris predicts Rise of the Beasts will flop on opening weekend against Spider-Verse 2, and that Victory Saber replacements will be worse than the first run. His bold pick is that he will give up collecting by next year, mostly for budget reasons. Brian takes price increases as the free space. He thinks Rise of the Beasts will be a moderate success that outperforms Bumblebee, and that Hasbro will consolidate into fewer product lines.

Don expects the 40th anniversary packaging to be revealed and MP-51+ Arcee with a Headmaster Daniel to be announced. He also predicts a 40th anniversary HasLab Optimus Prime as a new run of MP-01 or MP-44 in anniversary packaging, plus Marvel Legends Circuit Breaker. Rob bets the HasLab loophole for Optimus Prime will be God Ginrai. Matt predicts fully enclosed Deluxe packaging after Legacy Evolution and a Commander Class Lugnut. He also expects a HasLab Devastator costing at least $350.

Diecast predicts a HasLab Metroplex in G1 cartoon style and says Rise of the Beasts will be the lowest-grossing live-action Transformers movie. Rob agrees on the box office. He adds that PulseCon will move or be canceled because of Toy Fair, and predicts an animation-colored G1 Optimus Prime reissue at Walmart, probably without the trailer.

News

HasLab Victory Saber Replacement Run

A new production run will replace copies with quality problems, due sometime this year. Backers can sign up for a replacement and return their copy later, or return it now for a refund. The crew gives Hasbro credit for absorbing the cost on a crowdfunded item. Chris doubts the new run’s quality control will be any better. [Source: not found]

Masterpiece Trainbot Seizan Stock Photos

The crew calls Seizan the worst-looking Trainbot yet: a fine model train and little else. One host blames the realistic, licensed train modes for the compromises. Brian hates it but ordered it anyway, and it is due September 30. [Source: Amazon Japan]

Transformers Tuesday: Core Class Rise of the Beasts Arcee and Freezer

Core Class Arcee looks decent for its size, and two hosts see Energon Arcee in her design. Freezer reportedly has three weapon modes, and a Discord member found a photo of a tank-like alt mode. [Source: Instagram]

Sydney’s Taronga Zoo Has a Rise of the Beasts Promotion

The zoo pairs real animals with their Rise of the Beasts counterparts, such as the western lowland gorilla for Optimus Primal and the Asian elephant for Rhinox. [Source: Taronga Zoo]

Flame Toys Furai Model Soundwave

The model kit mostly looks fine, but the crew finds the tiny face under a puffy helmet very Dreamwave. [Source: Flame Toys]

Authentics Bravo Optimus Primal

The crew says Optimus Primal’s simple design suits even the smallest toy, though it could use more paint. [Source: Autobase Aichi]

First Look at Legacy Crosscut

Crosscut’s red wheels and extra red striping stand out. One host explains the wheels share a sprue with the biceps on this mold. Another will stick with his Masterpiece Crosscut. [Source: Instagram]

Rise of the Beasts Deluxe Cheetor

The Deluxe Cheetor shares engineering ideas with Kingdom Cheetor and looks like a cheetah wearing shorts. The crew calls this the most appealing movie line yet, but price makes most of them wait for clearance. [Source: Instagram]

What We Got This Week

Brian got EarthSpark Deluxe Megatron and dislikes its flat alt mode and thin engineering for the price. He prefers Core Class Slag, which he likes more than Leader Sludge, but finds Magnificus flat and boring. Masterpiece Trailbreaker is still in its box, and Voyager Inferno beats the original Beast Wars toy. Diecast sent him Hercules, a Legends-scale combiner in Diaclone colors, and an e-Hobby Guardian arrived sealed.

Chris got Legacy Needlenose and calls it the first new toy in a while he is simply happy with, with a good quality control copy.

Don got a loose, complete Cybertron Downshift from a listener and Warrior Class Elita-1 with Amazon credit. He also got Slag, a $5 NEST Bumblebee from GameStop clearance, Leo Prime and Buzzworthy Jetwing Optimus Prime.

Rob got Legacy Evolution Hot Shot, a decent figure with a satisfying Zooka. A fake Minicon port bugs him, and he misses the molded Autobot symbol.

Matt got a second Velocitron figure from a Walmart peg so he can build two Menasors. He also got Needlenose, which feels solid and has no clear plastic.

Diecast got the Magic Square Legend Skyfire in its pearlescent version and an Ocular Max Streetwise. He opened EarthSpark Megatron and agrees it feels cheap. He also got Leo Prime, Hot Shot, Needlenose and Soundblaster, plus Sludge, which he calls the worst Dinobot ever made.

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