This week: The crew kicks off with some genuinely great news: Gary Chalk (the voice of Optimus Primal!) has beaten stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is in full remission. From there it’s all Transformers chaos — the Generation Selects Monstrucker reveal has everyone hyped (Slog’s alt mode is literally just a triceratops standing up, and somehow that’s perfect), while 2026 product listings bring a BotCon-referencing Megazarak redeco, an Earthrise Autobot 3-pack with finally-opaque Datsun plastics, and a Walmart Energon capsule that the crew suspects will be drowning in clear plastic. In-hand photos of the Stranger Things crossover Frequency impress even the hosts who’ve never watched the show. All that and more on this week’s Radio Free Cybertron!

News of the Week

• Great News: Gary Chalk in Full Remission
  • Voice acting legend Gary Chalk (Optimus Primal in Beast Wars, plus a memorable stint on Stargate) has beaten stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma — it’s in full remission. The crew shared fond memories of Gary, including a candid airport shuttle conversation about the realities of voice acting. The crew also noted the bittersweet irony that Stargate is coming back, but Gary’s character (Chekov) was killed off years ago. Timing!
• Generation Selects Monstructor — It’s Real and It Looks Great
  • The long-anticipated Generation Selects Monstrucker set is official, and the crew is hyped. Highlights:
  • All six members got new robot and monster mode heads
  • The vibrant, eye-searing color palette is very faithful to the original
  • Slog’s “alt mode” is literally a triceratops standing on its hind legs — charming chaos
  • The crew debated whether Fan’s Project-style pretender shells could ever happen; probably not, but the 3D printing community might come through
  • This will almost certainly get opened before Brian’s DinoKing does
• 2026 Product Listings Breakdown
  • A handful of new listings surfaced, and the crew went through them one by one:
  • Leader Class Megazarak – A redeco of Legacy Megatron referencing the obscure BotCon 2004 exclusive. Appreciated for the callback, but expected to sit on shelves.
  • Generation Selects 3-Pack: Ironhide, Bluestreak & Mirage – Almost certainly Earthrise tooling reused, but with opaque plastics and better decos. The crew is genuinely excited for a Bluestreak that won’t fall apart, and an Ironhide with the yellow stripe out of the box — no kitbashing required.
  • Walmart Energon Capsule – Includes Dark Energon Megatron (Siege Miner retool in black and purple — a mold with a troubled history), Energon Optimus Prime (actually Siege Prime in blue, not the Grand Convoy anyone wanted), and retooled
  • Weaponizers Six-Gun and Slammer. The crew suspects clear plastic is incoming.
• Cross Zoids Cross Tia Clone Shield Liger Prime (Diaclone Branded)
  • In-hand photos landed. It looks cool — especially if you’re a child of the ’80s with Transformers and Zoids brain — but the pre-order window closed at $299, so most wallets are safe. The inclusion of just a Dianaut instead of the usual flood of Diaclone accessories was noted as both unusual and, honestly, kind of a relief.
    
• Frequency (Stranger Things Crossover) — In-Hand Photos
  • Size comparison with Code Red confirms Frequency is noticeably better proportioned. Nearly as tall as Earthrise Optimus in robot mode. The gray-and-muted color palette reads as very authentically ’80s. Neither Brian nor Chris have watched more than five minutes of Stranger Things, but they agree the toy looks solid.

What We Got This Week

• Matt – A second Brawl arrived from Amazon, bringing him one step closer to building Bruticus. Now waiting on Swindle.
• Brian – Snagged two McDonald’s Happy Meal robots from his kids (the ice cream machine guy and the ordering kiosk robot — the latter described as “the most adorable robot they’ve ever made”). Also opened the Super 7 Ultimates G2 Megatron (comic-based, big shoulder cannon, genuinely great) and the Alligatorcon Optimus Prime — complete with tiny robo-taxi, desk head, and tower spire. Finally, picked up Animated Fire Blast Grimlock off eBay sealed for $30, and — after narrowly missing out on a loose Battle Gaia — scored a vintage G1 Stepper in great shape from Artfire2000. Big shoutout to Chuck at Artfire2000 for going above and beyond.
• Everyone else – Nope. Nothing. (Transformers shipments are dry right now.)

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