Radio Free Cybertron opens episode 1003 with a heartfelt tribute to Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, following his passing this week, including word of Hasbro and Fathom’s newly revealed final performance in “Optimus Prime: Awakening.” News rolls on with a new Walmart Transformers/G.I. Joe endcap, the Megatron Rising subline, Icons Megatron preorders, and a leak confirming Studio Series is finally getting Fall of Cybertron figures. In What We Got This Week, Diecast leads the haul with a Bruticus-bound Swindle and a reframed take on Herald of Unicron as “teenage Unicron,” while Don wrestles — unsuccessfully — with the Age of Extinction Bumblebee’s transformation, and Brian closes with a Studio Series Cliffjumper he calls his favorite pickup of the week, plus a cautionary tale about knockoff vintage Seekers.

News

Peter Cullen, Legendary Voice of Optimus Prime, Dies at 85
The cast opened the show remembering Peter Cullen, who died this week at 85. Brian, Don, and Rob shared personal memories, including a convention encounter and stories about Cullen’s warmth off-mic. Brian offered honest commentary on the Michael Bay film era of Optimus Prime, which Rob contextualized by noting Bay reportedly misled Cullen about how certain lines would be used. [Source: TFW2005]

Hasbro and Fathom Reveal Cullen’s Final Optimus Prime Performance in “Optimus Prime: Awakening”
Brian noted the 12-minute short will screen alongside the Fathom Events theatrical showing of the original Transformers: The Movie later this month, and features what’s believed to be one of Cullen’s last recorded turns as Optimus Prime. [Source: TFW2005]

New Walmart Transformers/G.I. Joe Endcap Spotted
Brian and Don compared notes on a new Walmart collector endcap featuring G.I. Joe and Transformers displays, including Dark Energon figures mixed in for reasons nobody could explain. Don noted the fixture isn’t rolling out to every store; some locations are placing the same product on repurposed seasonal shelving instead.

Age of Evolution’s Megatron Rising Subline Gets New Details
Brian, Don, and Matt broke down the newly detailed Walmart-exclusive subline, including Rook (a Windcharger repaint with a toy-accurate head) and a Voyager Scoop built from the Scrapper retool with retained combiner functionality. [Source: TFW2005]

Transformers Icons Megatron Preorders Go Live
Don passed on this one for now, citing the $50 price point and a gun accessory that doesn’t read as distinctly “Megatron” to him; Diecast agreed the gun’s fit looks questionable against the box art. [Source: TFW2005]

Transformers Devastation and Battlegrounds Added to Xbox’s Disc-to-Digital Program
Brian and Diecast discussed the program, which lets owners of the physical disc convert to a digital copy via a compatible Xbox. [Source: TFW2005]

New Images and Full Special Features Revealed for the Movie 40th Anniversary Steelbook
Brian confirmed the UHD Steelbook release of Transformers: The Movie is up for preorder as a two-disc set, with disc one carrying a Dolby Atmos mix. Diecast confirmed he’s had it on preorder for some time. [Source: TFW2005]

Missing Link Grimlock Anime-Colors In-Hand Images
ExVee and Don discussed the uncanny look of the anime-colors version compared to earlier stock photos, with Don noting he’d happily rebuy the whole Studio Series Dinobot line in this color scheme if Hasbro offered it. [Source: TFW2005]

Dramatic Capture Series Optimus Prime and Jetfire In-Hand Images
Brian and ExVee covered the new in-hand photos, with ExVee reading possible hints at an eventual Commander-class Jetfire release baked into the set’s design choices. [Source: TFW2005]

Dynamite 40th Anniversary Metal Trading Cards
Brian noted he’s already ordered the pricier Upper Deck cards from last week and broke down how these Dynamite metal cards will likely work with parallel variants, while Rob and ExVee discussed how trading card production and pricing typically work. [Source: TFW2005]

Leaked Valentine’s Day Optimus Prime & Elita-1 Two-Pack Listing
Briefly covered by Brian as part of the news rundown. [Source: TFW2005]

Energon Cube Squishy Toy Stock Images
Brian shared that his kids already own a similar pink Energon Cube squishy, while Hot Topic is preparing a blue version; ExVee suggested this effectively canonizes blue and pink as the Autobot and Decepticon Energon cube colors, respectively. [Source: TFW2005]

DNA Design Bruticus Combiner Upgrade Kit Teaser
ExVee traced the concept back to earlier third-party upgrade kits made for the Energon-era Superion and Bruticus movie-line molds. [Source: tformers.com]

Leak Confirms Studio Series Is Finally Getting Fall of Cybertron Figures
Brian ran through the wave, including Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime and what Rob believes is the first-ever Fall of Cybertron Megatron figure, alongside a Studio Series Autobot cassette multipack (Rewind, Ramhorn, Bolts, QB, Stinger, and Stripes) and Deluxe IDW Bumblebee. ExVee noted the original Fall of Cybertron toy line didn’t always include the specific game-accurate weapons for each character. [Source: TFW2005]

What We Got This Week

Chris (ExVee) received a gift from Diecast: a NECA Batman: The Animated Series grapnel launcher, which he flagged as genuinely dangerous at full spring tension and recommends keeping loaded via its retracting motor rather than manually. On topic, he picked up a Ross-sourced Studio Series Elita-1 for $13 and a second Transformers: Devastation Seeker/Ground Soldier two-pack for $30, on top of one he’d already grabbed.

Don picked up the new Warrior Class Mirage, praising its transformation but wishing for sturdier plastic, and struggled at length with the Age of Extinction Bumblebee’s transformation, eventually giving up after roughly 45 minutes.

Diecast brought the week’s biggest haul: the newest Blokees Wheels wave (Iron Ratchet and Astro Train), a hard-to-find Voyager Starscream picked up thanks to Matt, a Swindle he found underwhelming for the price, a carded red Twinmill from Target, the newest Blokees Galaxy wave, and Herald of Unicron — which he’s come around on, describing it as “teenage Unicron before he grew up.”

Matt covered Blanker from Age of the Primes in detail (new head, brighter colors, added Autobot badges), Age of the Primes Tailgate (frustrated that Studio Series Windcharger’s hideaway wheels didn’t carry over), Joyride, and a second Swindle for his Combaticons display, which Chris had briefly held for him. Matt’s connection dropped mid-segment due to a storm and picked back up at the very end of the show.

Rob Clay had nothing in Transformers this week.

Brian closed out the segment with Swindle (mixed feelings on the price-to-size ratio), a Studio Series Cliffjumper he called his favorite pickup of the week despite the unpainted nylon thigh plastic, a Stern pinball Matrix shooter knob, and a long-delayed boxed King Atlas. He also shared a cautionary story about a dealer friend’s “pristine” vintage Seekers, which he assessed as likely knockoffs based on the lack of sprue-cut oxidation — a reminder not to pay vintage prices for KOs.

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