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Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here. Thanks to fellow staff member Kurona for helping me with this one, along with fellow Seibertronian TK415 for helping me shape this list.
Top 5 Most Show Accurate Transformers Toylines
This list has been mulling in my head for quite sometime. I always find it hard when a list is a tad bit lest subjective since it means there are measures that have to be clear rather than it simply being "I think this toy is awesome while this one blows". However, this idea of comparing the toys we get with what we see on screen is a longstanding theme in this brand and it's a request I get quite a bit. Now, to make it more diverse and add some variety, I have chosen to deal with this subject of screen accuracy while looking at toylines rather than the individual toys themselves. Feel free to discuss which toys within the mentioned (or unmentioned) toylines you find superior to others in terms of accuracy though, it should make for a fun discussion. Now off with the list!
Transformers Prime was supposed to take this spot at first, especially since the RID line still had the defacto inaccuracies that come with using G1 toys to represent your show characters. But you know what, I realized the Prime line had less to offer for show accuracy. Sure, there were some heavy hitters, but then you realize that Hasbro never gave us anything close to a screen accurate Voyager Megatron, none of the black Beast Hunter Bees had the right paint scheme, neither Arcee really looked like the character model (which I admit is hard to pull off) and the crappier Cliffjumper toy was the one with the screen accurate legs.
And then there is RID, a show that went out of its way to show us all the wonderful modes Megatron had, including the hand mode and griffin mode. All the new molds made for RID, such as Optimus, Railracer and the brothers had toys which seemed to jump off the screen. And while Ruination's proportions were off as expected, the colours were well represented. And we finally got to see some of those Beast Wars molds in action on screen in North America and they looked great. And let's not forget Scourge whose toy looked a lot like the show model. I especially love the sticker detail being very similar to the details we see on the screen. Its these peculiar and recognizable details, like the chest stickers, found both onscreen and on the toy that drive home how good a representation you have of the badass you see on screen.
I remember very well being a kid and being turned off by those odd masks the first year Beast Wars toys had. They weren't on the show. And while the inner Rhinox head looked more like the show, it looked too small on the body so young WJ88 settled on that brutish face when making him exchange blows with his Bane action figure. But then in that second year line, Beast Wars Transmetal, it was as if you were holding the characters you saw onscreen in your very hands. And that is the first time that ever happened for the brand. Tarantulus and Cheetor looked perfect, so did Rampage and both faction leaders. Plus you had the gimmicks at work too, like the surfing gorilla and thruster t-rex. I would even throw in Quickstrike and Silverbolt who were released at the very same tie within the Fuzors subline. And it culminated with Optimal Optimus and Depthcharge which really looked the part. That dedication between toy and screen was not as impressive with what followed in Transmetal 2 where toys like Tigerhawk looked different and gimmicks not being carried through to the screen (like the rollerblading dragon, though I do understand). Plus there were many many toys that had no onscreen counterparts. And that worsened with Beast Machines. But man, Transmetal, those toys still hold up and I honestly don't see how much better those toys would be if they were released today.
Yeah, if we are going to talk about the Masterpiece line and screen accuracy, you have to let go of all that came at the beginning. It didn't help that MP 01 Optimus Prime wasn't based on the G1 show model, and neither was Starscream, and that MP 05 Megatron was more of an homage to the G1 toy than the cartoon. But MP 10 came along and BAM, we got ourselves a gorgeous line with a unified scale that to this day keeps getting closer and closer to being as screen accurate as possible. It's not perfect, unlike the name would suggest, what with Red Alert still not getting the molding changes he deserves and Optimus not having a white crotch, plus the deal with Hot Rod's non show accurate backpack and extraneous bits. But then you have Bumblebee, Soundave, Shockwave, Ultra Magnus and Inferno who are just so striking in terms of show accuracy. Right down to the smooth surfaces devoid of sculpted detail and even stickers for Sunbow inspired Decepticon symbols in one case. It even got to the point where fans would rather the toys strive less for cartoon accuracy and go for a happy medium of detail and smooth surfaces. What that tells me is that this line is of course right at home on this list.
And here is a fun video I found. Sure, not everything it uses it official but it gives a good idea of how far we have come.
I will always be amazed at what the Animated line was able to pull off. For the fist time, we had character models created before the toys in a Transformers show and these designs had exaggerated features. They were not proportioned, with some having ultra sleek waists, bigger feet, huge chins and so on. This was a more heroic style found across the 2000's and it persists now, which can make for very dynamic animation. We know that worked for a show, but now you had to engineer toys out of them which was extra tricky since these exaggerated proportions were more present in the robot modes than the vehicle modes. But Hasbro found a way. They were able to make transforming toys which really did have those dynamic looks. That deluxe Prowl toy still fascinates me for being so sleek in both modes and yet having that elongated head and huge feet. He's an easy example to show but that goes for all toys which found a way to have animated features in robot mode that did not have vehicle kibble (like forearms and legs) while not turning them all into shellformers. Even if you don't like the designs, you have to admit that turning this into one of the most show accurate lines is quite a feat.
While Armada was naturally very toy-accurate and if you got an Armada toy just to get something that looked like what you saw on the show... well, unless you got Sideswipe, you wouldn't be terribly disappointed.
But Energon and Cybertron take it to whole new levels. The CGI models might as friggin' well just be the toys -- it gets to the extent that the models have the toy's buttons on them. The button you press on Cybertron Evac's toy to make his rotors turn? That's on his CGI model. Why is it there? What possible actual function would it serve to Evac as a character or soldier or disguise? Who the heck knows, but he has it.
Cybertron's toys are by far the most screen-accurate toys there have ever been because of how stupidly accurate to the toys Cybertron's animators were. Pretty much the only difference is in articulation for character expression (individual fingers moving, extra waist movement, that sort of thing). The Transformations were replicated too, which makes it even better!
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. And Va'al swoops in from the left, takes the list, and shapes it in his image. First day.
Taking over from william-james88 for this session, I thought about turning our attention to one of the weirdest and least explainable (until Simon Furman in IDW) features of the Transformers lore: mass shifting. Tinkering with some of the figures below, I pitched the idea to the resident listicler - what are the best toys that change size drastically between modes, faithfully and painstakingly representing the mass-shifting quirk in plastic? It took us some thinking, as we kept running short at 3-4, but we may have cracked it, and we're spanning a lot of lines, too!
Is this a good figure? No. Does it conjure up good memories? No. But it is part of the best toy line from the live-action movie series (so far) and it does a fantastic job at starting from an admittedly hefty remote controlled car, to become almost Voyager scary nightmare of a spiky robot. The actual class? Deluxe. But don't remind him.
That said, the robot mode is also nightmarishly lanky and spindly, and carries a lot of the issues of the live-action designs in its feet, limbs, and general... everything, so I wouldn't exactly recommend tracking it down at this stage.
As big as the smaller cars in the Masterpiece line - though not the smallest - the second iteration of the Captain Rodimus/Hot Rod compacts a towering robot into the speedy, flashy, flamey douche we all love to hate. Despite still being a little too big to make it into the Ultra Magnus trailer in play-mode, it's small enough to look positively tiny compared to its previous figure, and not that much bigger than the original!
But switch to robot mode, and you have something really much larger, in comparison. It does fit nicely with the likes of Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime, but may annoy some fans in its comparison to, say, the Datsun clones or the Lambor army. You do get fishing equipment included though, so your Rod can hold a rod - rodception.
We've all heard the tale: Tiny Tractor Turns into Toweringly Tall roboT. That's what you get with Robots in Disguise Thunderhoof, at least when compared to other Deluxes Warrior class figures in the same line. Not only is it a great little farming vehicle (one of the very few, if not the only one), adorably blue, and plodding along in the fields.
But as soon as you unfold every single part of the vehicle into its limb configurations -- hoo boy, do you have a tall, dark, and handsome, mean lookin robit. He towers over several of his class in the RID line, and is probably the first or second best of the entire run (Bisk/Thermidor is somewhere in there too), and he's just *so* different in size between the two modes, you might almost not even notice how hollow he has to be to pull that off.
Voyager class, bulky but relatively compact green SUV, complete with wrecking ball port on the back, limited release in the First Edition wave, and extortionate secondary market prices. Bulkhead is a mean, green, looming, booming machine.
From that Wreckin' ball, you get a baller Wrecker - something later canonised in the IDW comics too, as the last generation of the team before it's disbanded entirely - which may not make up for the size in height, but it is *hefty* all round, and sacrifices nothing for its look. Who says round can't be intimidating?
I placed both on here, as the Revenge of the Fallen figure is a stellar piece of work, and based on its cartoon counterpart - but Animated is the real star of the show, as the first entry onto the toy scene. The class? Deluxe. And the vehicle mode does a good job of keeping it at that, nice and tidy in its spiky green and black murder muscle car.
The robot mode, however, is HUGE. Like, super tall, almost Voyager scale, and without any hollow or thin or particularly lanky parts, as the aesthetic of the show and toyline allowed for proportions to work their way with stronger lower limbs and looming hunches. In Lockdown's case, it was also super fitting.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 times G1 Transformer Toys Were Better in the Diaclone / Microchange line
As many of you know, the original Transformers toys were imported toys from Japan that came from different transforming robot lines, mainly Diaclone and Microchange. Both were derivatives of GI Joe and if you want the full story you, The Toys That Made Us has an excellent episode to get you up to speed on the exciting history of these toys. In short, none of the initial Transformers toys were conceived as giant sentient robots fighting eachother in an eons long war. Due to that, and also due to different safety standards in the US, there are several aspects of the toys that were dropped when they came to America. In some cases, the original version of the toy had more to offer and made more sense, and that is what we are looking at today.
5. Swoop when issued as Dinosaur Robo no.5 (Diaclone)
Unlike many Transformers releases of Diaclone figures, Swoop actually had firing missiles, and no obvious seat for a small figure to pilot, making this look less like a toy intended for another line. However, there is still one big reason why his Diaclone release has an advantage over the Hasbro release, and it's a reason no others on this list share. While the release of the mold under the Transformers brand had a red chest, the original release had a blue chest, which is far more accurate to the deco the character was sporting in the cartoon. You can see the difference below with the "worlds smallest transformers" release of the two different decos.
I would like to thank Black Bumblebee for pointing me to something truly awesome: Blaster's original toy had a working AM radio. It's a very sophisticated product. You would plug a microcassette which was the radio into the chest and then use the buttons found around the toy to turn it on or off, and to change the stations and volume. A pair of batteries in the right leg (you can see an image of the battery compartment below) would amplify the signal. The on/off switch became molded detail for the Hasbro release and the back of the toy was remolded to not have the hatches and openings. And if you ever wondered why the gun has this big hole in the middle, it was to store the earphone. There was both a blue and red version of this toy, which is where the colour cues for both Blaster and Twincast come from.
The main reason why his Diaclone release is better is simply due to him having an extra transforming robot that comes with him. It makes sense, if the Magnus toy was derived from an upgraded version of Convoy, then why wouldn't it too get a smaller vehicle like roller? Well it did, and unlike roller, this little buddy transformed. There is no reason not to include or release that in a Transformers line.
The main reason why he is so high on this list is that the way he was repurposed in Hasbro's toy does not take advantage of his playability. This toy has three really good modes but you wouldnt know from the way he was released by Hasbro. The instructions show you can convert him from a Robot to a Microscope to a mobile laboratory, which looks like a cannon platform with the cannon pointing upward.
It has later been called a tank mode, however, this is not the tank mode this toy was designed to have. The proper way to transform him as a tank as intended in the Microchange line is to have the cannon all the way down so that the hands and feet are parallel. That actually makes a third wheel in the back touch the ground and you now have a tank that can roll really well. Hasbro probably removed this awesome third mode from it's instructions (and replaced it with the mobile laboreatory) because the tank wasn't meant to be manned in the Transformers line, unlike the Microchange version which can fit Micromen (the slide holder becoming a place for the figure's back to rest against), driving the tank. While the toy we got ends up being very similar, and can still turn into an awesome rolling tank for your Micromen (each sold seperately), the entire purpose of the toy has changed and I feel it worked far better as a Microman toy. But at least, this is still an awesome toy which can work repurposed as a sentient robot, unlike the next toy on this list.
These toys make me sad, everytime. They arent great in the Transformers line and have been dissapointing people since 1984 since they don't look like their cartoon counterpart due to their lack of heads. Instead, you get a weird black face sticker behind the windshield stuck to a seat. This release is unfortunate because the toys they were initially are awesome! In Diaclone, this wasnt a headless sentient robot with a sled. Instead, it was a mech and a battle station, both manned by smaller figures which combined together to conceal themselves as a van. The functionality is still present in the Transformers release of this toy, but the meaning behind it and what it represents changes entirely. Instead of a headless robot, you get a manned mech with little figures which sit can sit behind the windshield which now lets them control heavier weaponry on the battle platform and actually fire some missiles (which the original Hasbro release did not do as well).
Before being sold in the west as Soundwave, this toy was sold as Casette Man and actually came with life size headphone and microphone set (non functional, of course). He also came with a cassette case for the little cassette he came with, which Hasbro did not include in Soundwave's release (it was however included in this character's release in Japan). Also, while he comes with rockets and a rocket launcher, the missiles do not fire in the Hasbro version while they did when the toy was part of the Microchange line (and this speaks to most G1 toys of which I have chosen Soundwave as ambassador).
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Transformers Toys where Hasbro version better than Takara's
With the new trend for Takara and Hasbro to release the very same toys, I am looking back on the times in the past when the toys were quite different from one another. The reason the unified designs have alarmed several fans is because Takara has been known to have better paint applications and offer a better looking toy. Well, to show that it is not always the case and that Hasbro can definitely deliver on some good looking toys, I have written this list showing five instances where the Hasbro version was the one to get. Come back in two weeks for a list looking at the flip side!
This is everyone's go to whipping boy and he certainly deserves to be here. For some reason, Takara decided from the mid 2000s to 2010 that their decos would be shinier than Hasbro's. While that worked wonders on some (I LOVE the use of chrome on the seekers for instance), it kind of played against them when fans wanted show accurate colours (like the Animated line). Their version of Generations Wheeljack is that backfire. Sure, more paint apps and a nice shine is great but it should compliment the mold and not take anything away. By going all sparkly the show accurate green became a more of the shiny pine green you would expect to see on toothpaste or breath mint packages. The toy is still fine but it just doesn't look like the Wheeljack we know anymore. You would expect Takara to be the more screen accurate deco and for such a beloved original character, it just doesn't resemble him as we'd expect, definitely not compared to Hasbro's version.
This one is easy to explain. Yes, from a glance Takara might seem better due to more paint apps, especially on Shrapnel's antennas and Bombshell's legs. But then you look at the torso and notice a giant white sticker on there. It's for a mobile app in Japan. Hasbro did this as well on some toys, but only the ones related to the Robots in Disguise show/app, not toys that are supposed to be updates of toys of old like the insecticons. Sure, you could take that sticker off, but then you see the horror: to have the sticker applied, Takara had to remold the chest to give a circular indentation to hold the sticker. So yes, either you keep that sticker there or you are reminded that it is supposed to be there, every time you look at them.
You know, if Takara had not given us the beauty that is Masterpiece Wheeljack, I would have thought they had it in for this guy. How else would you explain how they keep messing up this character's releases. First it was a sparkly minty fresh deco that didn't reference anything and strayed from show accuracy, and now its no paint at all. That's right, the company who we pair with the hope of better paint apps had a whole line where their toys had way less paint apps than Hasbro. Waaaaay less. It's not to say there was no colour. Instead of paint, the toys came with stickers, like old times (yay?). That means that the toys looked as good as your dexterity permitted. The stickers themselves didn't work as well as the paint apps anyway because it was very obvious what was paint and what was a sticker and the stickers had a metallic finish that clashed with the remaining paint apps and the coloured plastic. They looked far more like little kid toys that way. But that was the whole line, so why does Wheeljack get the blunt of it again? Well, the Takara's counterpart came with a little model kit that you would detach from sprues and connect to make a little transformer targetmaster companion. That too needed stickers (and they were very very small). And for vehicle mode interaction, they remolded Wheeljack's vehicle mode to have a bunch of protruding 5 mm holes across what would have been sexy smoother areas. So it looked like your wheeljack had been shot up a bunch.
Who are you and what did you do to Takara?
And let's say you don't want to put the stickers, well...
Here is the Hasbro version with no stickers needed
While more paint apps are usually appreciated, it has to make some sense. Takara's voyager Bulkhead (who they call Ironhide) is covered in paint but looks NOTHING like he does in the show. Takara's fuller and shiny paint jobs were hit and miss on this line (Armorhide looks great, for instance) but none had it as bad as Bulkhead/Ironhide. He looks like an egyptian scarab.
This is such an easy number 1 pick and I doubt anyone would argue. Let me paint a picture of the situation all those years ago. Fans had finally gotten a Masterpiece Optimus Prime, who was incredible for the time. He was the most show accurate transformable Optimus back then and really looked like he just jumped off the screen. Then you had Ultra Magnus who was just a white prime repaint. He didn't hurt anybody since it was just a redeco of an incredible mold and it did reference a big part of the toy lore, where the Ultra Magnus toy is at the core a white Prime inside an armoured body. And then you had the second original Masterpiece mold and it was to be used for Starscream, one of the most iconic characters of the brand ever. And it looked like this:
Really, that is what Starscream looks like? What show did you watch?! I can give merit to wanting to make the most accurate jet made mode ever, where at least you could call the alt mode a masterpeice, but the colour scheme references nothing. It sure doesn't even resemble the actual colour of the jet it's based on (which ironically, is more in line with the grey traditionally seen on Starscream). So what is this?! Anyways, I will make it short. The mold was released by Hasbro, who gave it deco far closer to his look in the cartoon and the figure sold like hotcakes at Walmart (who had him exclusively). He sold so well that Walmart stocked up big time on the following seeker redeco (only to eventually sell it at a deep discount since they didn't realize that Starscream is a far more popular character).
Honourable mentons: MP Soundwave and MP 10 Optimus Prime
These are very subjective and not as obvious as the other above, and would never make this list, but still important to mention for you to see that Hasbro does have some solid offerings sometimes, even for the Masterpiece line. For Soundwave, what was really great about the Hasbro version wasn't the deco (he didn't have the show accurate eyes) but instead the fact that he came with all his cassettes (issued at the time) and they weren't sold separately, which was the case with Takara. It was a phenomenal deal when it came out. As for Optimus, while I prefer how Takara paints the inside of the trailer, I much prefer his sky blue eyes and the red on the chest of the Hasbro version. It was Hasbro who was more cartoon accurate, but then again, the Hasbro Roller was blue and not grey so it's a mishmash really and a toss up as to which version is preferred by people.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. This week, I am joined by Cobotron. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Best Ultra Magnus Transformers Toys
From day one, Ultra Magnus toys were always closely related to Optimus Prime toys, with his first toy being a redeco with a different trailer which turned into a powersuit giving him a totally different look from Prime. Toy designs and ideas evolved from this giving a wide variety to Ultra Magnus toys where some are Prime redecos, others more extensive retools and others being fully original. We will explore the rich history of this autobot's toys by looking at the best ones to have come out so far.
This is the grand pappy of all Ultra Magnus toys and probably the most important Ultra Magnus toy out there. Unlike even the Masterpiece toy, this toy includes an extra level of playability by having the trailer become the armour for the transforming cab. This gave everyone the option to form their own stories and ideas about this character. Is he a white optimus with armour? Or is the that simply the transformation process for his one and only form being that big armoured fellow? It was and still is ultimately up to you to choose. This legitimizes every future attempt at having Ultra Magnus be simultaneously a redeco/retool of Optimus Prime as well as his own mold. - william-james88
Speaking of being an offshoot of Optimus, this is by far the best version of that (well, maybe tied with the commander class version which is a gorgeous G1 homage and a perfect retool). So much love went into this retool, making him look just two smokestacks away from his show model, and making him own this mold even more so than Optimus. It almost feels like this is who the mold was made for all along especially when comparing to the show models.The added shoulder cannons work great and let you position them as you wish, giving you extra fire power in a sweet G1 homage (while the earlier PRID Magnus only gave you one shoulder cannon, why?!). You even get a nice hammer and a pair of wings, just for added playability. While simply having Ultra Magnus be a redeco/retool of Prime always felt a bit lazy, this is one instance shows us how that can sometimes work, and work wonders. - william-james88
This is THE titular leader class Ultra Magnus toy. This is the best Ultra Magnus toy from the golden age of Transformers toys where it seemed no expenses were spared. This toy is beefy, the plastic is solid, the transformation is complex yet intuitive, he has a bunch of pop out weapon gimmicks, none of which are intrusive, along with electronics. This toy happens to also be a perfect rendition of the cartoon model which was a fresh new take on the character where he, and not Optimus, was the leader of the Autobots. You can feel that magnitude in your hands as you play with this toy or when you see him on your shelf. All of the top three toys on this list are amazing and the only reason why this toy is not higher is simply because his alt mode is a little underwhelming, especially in the back area, and his hip ratchets are quite restrictive. - william-james88
Like all Masterpiece figures, 22 is a work of art. On heft alone this figure is awe inspiring. While I was always a fan of the idea that Ultra Magnus was a smaller bot in a suit of armor, I can't deny that the feat of engineering it took to get the character to be all-in-one is amazing. For me, the fact that I made it through his intense transformation without instructions was a huge relief. I can't say that for every Masterpiece.That meant I could enjoy this highly detailed representation of one of my favorite characters without the burden or fear of being bogged down by the process. It's involved, but it's intuitive. Which equals fun.
While I would have prefered a little more painted/tampoed detail and color, he is till an amazing design. In robot mode he retains all the design elements I loved about the original, but is presented (obviously) in a much more contemporary package. 22 has great articulation for the hoops he has to jump through to transform. He has that "mighty leader" posture no matter how you pose him. And he is a huge and intimidating presence on your shelf.
The carrier mode is perfection. Everything you would want it to be. It's hard to believe it's NOT a white MP-10 pulling that trailer, and of course it can fit any of the Autobot cars. The Fun-O-Meter shoots straight through the roof when you have the ability to roll out an entire team on some perilous adventure all contained in the mighty Magnus in MP scope and scale! - Cobotron
An overly involved puzzle of a transformation is one kind of fun, but it can get in the way of another kind of fun. When I'm imagining my way through an intense adventure situation on my coffee table, I can't be bothered with overly difficult transformations. I lose steam. The adventure losses momentum. And that's why Combiner Wars Leader Ultra Magnus beats his Masterpiece counterpart out of 1st place. Playability!
While his transformation is really kind of a truncated version of the MP's, it's simplified enough to be fast and efficient. With enough twists and turns to be fun and you get really close to the MP version, but for a fraction of the cost of the MP.
Another merit is his aesthetic design. He sports a fresh modern updated design in both modes that pulls from some great sources, but maintains his iconic stature. I was absolutely thrilled with the inclusion of the hammer. For me, with this figure,it declares that that is Magnus's weapon now and it's here to stay. And with Minimus Ambus we still get the smaller bot in a suit of armor mythos we expect from the character.
In a world of wonky scale his size class puts his robot mode right in the sweet spot among Voyagers and Deluxes. He's got good articulation where he needs it, and is a joy to pose.
Would I have prefered that his carrier mode could tote Deluxe class cars? Sure, but I'll take what I can get. He can hold a fare amount of Legends class figures and he looks good doing it.
When I walk into my collection and get that Magnus hankering, he is now the one I reach for first. He is fun to transform, fun to play with, and looks great. In the race for best Ultra Magnus figure, he is a hard bot to beat. - Cobotron
Now I know William James likes to keep the lists to main line releases, and I agree. It's the broadest stroke and allows the lists and the conversation to reach the largest audience. But I would be remiss if, on a list of possibly my 2nd favorite heroic Autobot character of all time, we didn't include one of my most favorite versions. I talked it over with Will, and he said he'd let it slide. This one time.
I'm honestly not a huge fan of a lot of the TFCC toys, but I think Ultra Mammoth is one of the smartest repaints they ever did. Before I ever saw the Beast Wars cartoon, I assumed that Beast Wars was just a new iteration on a classic theme, and that the Transformers had rescanned their alt modes to fit some new scenario. I like where the cartoon took us, but I still revert to my original interpretation for fun and play sometimes. When I saw Ultra Mammoth I think I fell over. I had to add him to my Beast Wars collection. The mold fits the character really well. Those tuskes as a new take on Magnus's iconic shoulder pylons is just brilliant. And instead of just painting this Prime white, they went the extra mile and designed his color scheme to emulate Magnus's complete form. He's the appropriate size, and an appropriately powerful beast to use as this large and in charge character for the Beast Wars world. -Cobotron
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Right off the bat we start with probably the most stylysed toy of the entire line. It is nuts how they replicated the ultra slim cartoony proportions. What I love is how there is still some G1 in there, even in the transformation, where the front part is removed to form a shield. And it is simply awesome how the legs resurect the Transtech cheetor design.
This guy is just solid and absolutely perfect. The transformation is a perfect homage to the g1 transformation revamped to fit the new style. I also love how the axe and gun fit perfectly in the back and fill out the cab.
It's great to see that while the entire line is ultra stylized, the designs, and thus toys, kept very traditional themes like having the front of the car be the chest, just like Jazz' g1 faux datsun self. He becomes this world's version of the prototypical autobot body and it's a great take on the classic transformation. Oh and before I forget, nunchuck exhaust pipes anyone?
Not since Beast wars did we get a Optimus character who wasn't leader of his faction. And now with Animated, it was the classic Optimus Prime character not being the leader of the Autobots (and voiced by Beast Wars Megatron ). The leader was Ultra magnus and it gave us a look at what Magnus as the main prime in G1 would have looked like (if the freaken Matrix was nice enough to activate for him) and it doesn't dissapoint. Firepower coming out of all sides, the beefiest posture possible and a hammer as his main signature weapon, which would become a staple to the character going forward. I really love all the hidden cannons and how the hammer's automorph gimmick. Plus, lest we forget, this was during the golden age of quality and value in Transformers toys and he came with electronics and just feels so hefty. The only problem I have with him and the other Animated Leader toy is how the limited ratchets on his hips don't give him the best standard standing pose.
Same nitpick as above with the legs but aside from that BLOODY AWESOME! I will always be impressed with how effective that simple transformation is. The helicopter looks like the animation model and he looks well disguised. But just do a few simple steps, and BAM! You get the master of Destruction in his glorious robot mode. With great homages to both G1 AND Super Megatron. For some reason, toy designers always have a problem with the cannon's proportions either being too big or too small, but they knock it out of the park here, he looks perfect. And the helicopter rotor becoming twin swords is genius too. I don't know if I will ever make a list of the best Leader Class toys, but he would surely be on it.
This awesome and distinctive design was loved so much, hasbro just had to give the fans what they wanted and include him on the show for a bit. And you can see why, you can't just create a design like this and not use it. It is eerie how humanoid this one looks, especially the head, but it works well with the evil scientist vibe. And that alt mode is something else. It is a combination of the Dodge Tomahawk concept motorcyle and a Big Dog motorcycle, so it's really the designers pulling all the stops to give us the most innovative and distinctivie design possible. And the best part is that it's a good toy too. The transformation is fun and he looks amazing and distinctive in both modes. I couldn't want more.
I just love how neat a package this toy is. It does something I just adore where the pieces found in robot mode are right there in plain sight and yet the vehicle mode looks like it cannot transform. I once made a list of Robot modes which look like they can't transform and this is the opposite. Its just a cute army vehicle that any kid would love to just roll around. And yet it also turns into a robot. The transformation is really fun with springs and mechanisms for head revealing action, making it a distinctive robot that now utilizes those same vehicle mode parts for his hands and chest which look like that is what they were always meant to be.
Now we are getting into the cream of the crop. If you want the best transforming toys the Transformers brand has to offer, you can't go wrong with collecting the Animated line (if you can handle the aesthetic) and now that we get into the top 3, we are getting into some of the best Transformers toys ever released. These are all better quality toys and more ingenious engineering designs than most of what has been available on the market since. We start with Lockdown, a true legend among Transformers toys. Excellent mean looking alt mode which turns into a monstrous voyager sized asymmetric beast. The transformation isn't the most elegant though, with bits that are easily detached, but it's still an incredible feat what this toy can pull off with such varied designs and mass shifting made reality.
He's the best motorcycle Transformer ever, and I doubt anyone would say otherwise. Almost no kibble in either mode, yet two distinctive modes, excellent articulation, full alt mode integration and yet the sleekest designs you could find. Oh and you can unhook transforming ninja stars from his wheels.
This toy should be really examined whenever Hasbro or Takara think of making a new Hot Rod because it still reigns supreme as the best toy out there to give the theme justice with the right proportions and all. The bot mode and alt mod are just as sleek with minimal kibble, even though a lot of the vehicle mode is not seen in robot mode. That always results in crazy huge backpacks but not with this guy. Everything is smooth. Plus, I love how he hides the front wheels, which effectively hides more alt mode kibble and gives a sleeker robot mode. I also love how they design the separate exhaust port pieces to align in vehicle mode, giving the illusion that they are a continuous design. And he is the only sleek Hot Rod toy to not have the silhouette with the spoiler obstructed by anything. The pics below will show what I mean. In the end, Hot Rod will always be a hard design to pull off simply because the robot and vehicle share so little parts. But this guy pulls it off better than any toy before or since and is a true joy to play with and transform. it,s the best Hot Rod figure, the best figure of cybertronian vehicle and the best figure from the Animated line, making the year he came out, 2010, my favourite year for toys.
Honourable Mentions
The whole line is really good. When it comes to the quality and inventiveness of the toys, I would even say this is the very best line to complete and fully explore. There are certainly more amazing toys than there are duds and I can't really think of one terrible toy, at least in the more collector oriented classes. All that to say that I like most toys in the line and the ones I didn't mention could still be very much enjoyed. The one toy I would like to bring to your attention most is Shockwave. I do stand by the notion that every toy in this list is better than him, but that's only because none of them (or no other toy ever) was as ambitious as Animated Shockwave. Animated Shockwave has 2 distinct robot modes which each have their own alt mode. For a toy to accomplish so much, something had to give, and in this case it's the two alt modes which are not much to write home about. It's basically the robot lying down on his belly and face with a tank cannon that automorphs into a crane. But the transformation of one robot into the other, especially the face changing, is something to behold and I do still recommend anyone to experience this toy.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Most Underrated Transformers Toys
Two weeks ago we had a list of toys that I feel people like more than they should or don't hate enough (I realize just now how terrible that sounds, like who am I the King of England?). Well now it is your turn to have a go at what I like and what I feel should get much more love. These are toys I find quite underrated. Either due to being compared to other toys coming out at the same time and thus seeing them as less than they are or simply forgotten and no longer cared for. Well, I care for them and I will gladly tell you why. Hopefully you can see where I am coming from. Of course, please let me know which toys you feel alone in the world for loving. Now let's get to it, my top 5 most underrated Transformers toys!
There is a trend in the fandom where everything is criticized when it comes out to eventually be accepted and even sometimes loved within a collection. Take Voyager Animated Megatron, a toy which was ripped to shreds by fans when it first came out but which slowly gathered a fan following to the point where it became sacriligious to call it one of the worst toys of all time (something I still firmly beleive). I personally feel that Hasro's Combiner Wars Menasor will one day be fondly remembered and even sought after. It may even be that at the time of you reading this far into the future, him being on this list would sound crazy. But for now, this is seen as the weakest combiner of the bunch and while I am not sure if I agree or not, I don't think he is a bad toy. Quite the contrary, I think Combiner Wars Menasor is as good as any other Combiner from the line. I think he looks very imposing, especially with the legs straightened out, and he has the best weapon of the bunch by far. I especially love the Motormaster component, which is the most underrated aspect to this combiner. I am so impressed with how great he looks as a truck, torso and robot. Each form has very distinctive detail, unique from the other modes and yet he is a nice compact truck that hides the robot mode kibble especially well. I even like how effective the back of the cab is at making it be the robot legs in plain site ala Optimus, and yet it looking like a nice solid truck cab. The articulation is great, and the reveal of both the standard robot head and combiner head is both smart and effective. I think Combiner Wars Motormaster is a proud homage to the original, in a very neo G1 way which is now becoming more and more rare. And that follows onto Menasor, which makes for a big mean combiner, worthy of being an adaptation to the character we saw onscreen as children. These molds existing also means we finally got an actual G2 Menasor toy and if you need any more selling on that Motormaster mold, just check out that insane G2 redeco. Hasbro went all out. I am still not fond of that breakdown mold though.
Oh man, this guy is the perfect example of Style over Substance. That can be both seen as a positive and a negative, hence the debate and him ending up here. I mean, think about it for a second, there is a whole thread about the debate of whether or not he feels like a KO, people out there hate this toy's guts. And people out there also hate Tim Burton's films which usually have incredible style while being uneven products at the same time. You might find the comparison weird, but what I mean to say is that while the final product of Generations Leader Jetfire might not be the best Transformer toy, due to him having a simple transformation, a fake cockpit chest, wearing a jet on his back, and having hollow limbs, he looks amazing! There are few transformers outside the animated line to have this much style. He looks amazing in both modes and has this sleek yet immensely powerful look to him with a beautiful sci fi edge which definitely sets him apart from most other Transformers designs (the sterile white look adds to that big time). For years, Takara was giving premium chrome deco on its versions of toys, hearkening back to the metal look of the G1 days. And now it was our turn to get the chrome on the more affordable figures and people rallied against it. Why?! People were paying double to get the little bit of chrome on the Takara seekers (I did) and now they wanted to pay a bunch to get the version that didn't have the chrome? On the pieces that could be detached when displayed in a classics shelf? But back to the mask, it’s another small wonder people don't give enough credit to. Unlike the previous voyager version, the mask here is small, compact and not invasive to the figure, making his head proportional to his body with it on or off so that it can be both used for a classics collection, with his mask off, or a stand alone awesome looking transformers figure with his mask on.
And come on guys, a Macross Valkyrie of this size would cost you anywhere between 200-300$. You get this guy for about 50$!! So yes, definitely underrated.
3. Prime Robots in Disguise Voyager Optimus Prime mold
I love Beast Hunters Ultra Magnus. It is easily the best voyager to come out of the Beast Hunters line and one of the best Voyagers of the entire Prime era. But while Ultra Magnus is liked well enough for being show accurate and having some fun extra playability options, I also happen to love this toy for its mold, which is the same one shared by RID Optimus, and that is not a shared sentiment. The Prime First Edition Optimus Prime is always placed well above the RID Optimus Prime mold (as seen in this poll) making the later more of a consolation prize to those who didn’t get him either because of its bizarre distribution or the higher price tag. But this isn’t a Bulkhead or Cliffjumper scenario, the RID mold of Prime Optimus Prime is actually far better mold than people give it credit too. I, like many others, love when a robot mode integrates a bunch of the alt mode and this mold does it really well, and even better than the First Edition version. Most of the truck parts come into play in robot mode but in a different fashion. The truck nose becomes the forearms, the truck roof becomes the shoulders, the lower legs transform beautifully using the back of the truck cab and this was the first Prime mold larger than the cyberverse toy to actually have the truck's windshield become Optimus' chest piece. I wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?
This guy simply gets made fun of too much when he is actually one of the best toys Predaking is made of. Sure, at first look, he seems a bit dorky and funny looking but as an actual G1 transformers toy, he is hard to beat. Let's start with the robot mode which gets all the complaints. Unlike the others, he has articulated arms and forearms that have a huge range for a G1 toy. It let him do some pretty terrific poses with his weapons. He might look funny with his head stuck under his alt mode head but that actually gives him an amazing advantage of having a larger more proportioned head when comparing to the others. It also gives him a great Viking look. Also, by being carved under his alt mode head, it is the least obvious and visible head of the entire gang when they are in their alt mode. And speaking of the alt mode, wow. This is one of the best beast modes I have ever seen in any Transformers line. Its powerful looking, and fierce, especially when you mount the cannons in his back. He isn't the leader, but I sure wouldn't know that from the toys. He, along with some of his predacon brethren, execute a very impressive yet simple transformation that has none of his robot limbs double for alt mode limbs. And yet, on him, there is no robot kibble present when in beast mode and this is done without the use of a shell, which Beast Wars toys constantly relied upon, and even they usually used the same limbs for both modes. Everything seems to be where it should be on this mecha bull which has very good proportions giving it an imposing and massive appearance that no third party company was ever able to convey properly.
Do you think this is a lame pick for number 1? Did you think other toys are more deserving of this spot? Do you think it's a poor choice for number 1? If you answered "yes" to any of those, then that shows how underrated this figure is and how it deserves the number 1 spot. It's not outright hated like any of the ones above but at least that keeps those in the conversation with people like me defending them. But Decepticharge? Nobody cares. There are a bunch of reasons for this, one of the main reasons being that the Alternators toyline he came from is not fondly remembered. I still think it is awesome that we had scaled licensed model cars that had detailed interiors that could fool others into thinking that they didn't transform. That was the idea behind the Diaclone line at the very beginning and it’s fun to see that idea brought back with improved engineering. Many of the toys were very difficult and had a similar transformation and final look with a bunch of car kibble hanging around the robot. However, Decepticharge, and his moldmate Windcharger, were an exception to this. They did not have random and unused kibble all over the place hanging off them. The doors for instance rest flush against the legs and the hood becomes detailing across the robot’s back. While every part of the car is used to make the robot, giving a beautiful look that the robot is truly made of parts of the car, there is also some robot mode detail that is not seen in car mode and it is achieved by turning over some segments of the car inside out. This method helps give brand new detail while minimizing kibble (this technique was used extensively for Titanium Fire Convoy and AOE Voyager Optimus and Hound with great effect across the board), and it hides away car details which would be odd or distracting, like the car seats. So we get this lean robot, with great proportions and excellent articulation that is simultaneously made up entirely of car parts (steering wheel and all) while also having hidden disguised robot detail inside. The perfect car mode is both a disguise and the robot’s components (unlike most movie toys for instance where the alt mode disguise becomes just a shell). This is the gold standard for a Transformer. This is how it started in the Diaclone line, before Generation One even existed, and it has been perfected with this toy.
With all this good stuff, the reason no one cares for him is probably because he has no official fiction linked to him (unlike his mold mate Windcharger or that toy's binaltech version, Overide). Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any other Transformers toy that does not have a single line of official description about him. While that means that he isn't a reference to any existing character or even a new character (since he hasn't appeared anywhere since), I find it amazing to have a Transformers toy who begins and ends with the fact that he is a transformers toy and nothing else. Even his name is probably just a placeholder (Decepticon redeco of Windcharger) due to not finding any other suitable or available names within the allotted production cycle. And I find that in itself awesome. A new character in a line about the definitive version of G1 toys (this was before the MP line released like clockwork). But back to him having no fiction by Hasbro, it might lose anyone's interest, but I find that also to be a plus to this toy and a reason to not forget him. The principle of fiction developed by Hasbro in the Transformers brand was always made with the end goal of selling toys and thus was always ancillary to the toys. However, for G1, G2 and Beast Wars, once the fiction brought you to the toys, you could discover a bunch of other toys that existed just to be toys and that had no fiction to rely on. Decepticharge brings us back to those days in a line that was all about referencing older characters. He was just a toy (a great one at that) for us fans of transforming toys and not a reference to anything else. There was no other purpose than to appreciate him as a toy, the initial form of this hobby, and I look upon this fondly. His origin is any you want to give him (he already has unofficial origin stories too).
Him being so underrated is great news to all of you reading this. It means you have a great chance at acquiring a great transformers toy at a cheap price. I hope you can give him a shot!
Honourable mentions: I find that Deluxe Universe Galvatron gets way too much hate. I agree that he is small and frustrating, but he packs so much into that package that I can't help but be very impressed by the toy. Also, a lot of the Beast Machine toys are given flack for not being show accurate but some of those are amazing toys none the less. Especially Mega Tankor with his many non intrusive gimmicks and fun transformation between two good looking modes (which both have their own scanning light piping).
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Most Indistinguishable Alt Modes Among Transformers Toys
This list is about the transformers who's alt modes you can't make heads or tails of, and quite literally for one of them. While these are not definitely terrible toys (ok, a few of these entries are), their alt modes just don’t inspire anything cohesive whatsoever. They just seem like an afterthought, as if a robot mode was given and then torn apart and glued together in a mishmashed way to give a cybertronian “something”. While designs of Cybertronian vehicles can yield amazing results, these are the flip side.
What kind of bird is this supposed to be? It's much less a "condor" than it is Silverbolt doing a handstand. This is one of the laziest alt modes I have ever seen.
Told you guys you'd see him soon! I get that the creators didn't want to give Prime Megatron am earth based mode due to his disgust for the planet (still not a tactically sound plan). But you could at least give us something that looks like a space ship. I really dislike how his alt mode looks like what would happen if I left him in my huge jean pockets and then washed them and dried them. While he has a great robot mode that homages many of his predecessors in the Transformers Legacy, his “cybertronian jet with a face sticking out” looks more of an afterthought as to what can be made with the robot mode. And yet he still ends up with back kibble in robot mode, why ?! How?! (the cyberverse version didn't have any). But at least it means that “some” parts are for the alt mode.
Both of these are lazy half assed “cybertronian” flying vehicles from the live action movies. They are not as terrible as another cybertronian vehicle below, but that is only because I can kinda tell which direction they are supposed to be facing. They still both look like the robot mode doing some freaky yoga poses.
Easily the worst animated figure and while it is not completely because of the alt mode, the fact that you can't tell if its facing front or back and that it isn't even accurate to the show doesn't help at all. If you want more info on this terrible toy, I welcome you to visit the Top 10 Worst Transformers Toys of All Time list.
When someone first told me what he turned into, he said it was a pile of random junk. I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. What is this? WHAT IS THIS?????????????? I was eventually told it was a trailer. However, I am not blind, I can see very well that this is not anything close to a trailer. It is just the robot limbs rearranged to take less space, and that is all it is.
Honourable mentions: I wasn't sure if he would count or not but Arms Micron Gaia Unicron is definitely worth mentioning here.
People were wondering what this thing was, especially when looking at it at this angle:
And yeah, it totally fits the bill of being a mishmash of parts trying to get away with a semblance of a "cybertronian" alt mode. But there is more effort put into it than the other yoga transformers, like those movie ones mentioned earlier. As you will notice above, there is a face carved into it. In the Prime show, Unicron was shown as the foundation for Planet Earth and he would like to pop in as part of the earth's rock to say hello, like this:
So this alt mode, while very odd, does have something to do with the show since it is an interpretation of Unicron's face found in the elements of earth, hence the name Gaia Unicron.
But it not coming across as that does indeed make it a failure.
Will you look at that? 2015 went. Gone. Poof. No Transformers live-action movie either. The festivities have officially come to a close in most festivity-celebrating areas too. So what did happen this past year? How many changes to the fandom, to the franchise, to the robots? How did the year look compared to our hopes and dreams from the end of 2014?
Join us for our annual roundtable discussion in...
Transformers 2015 - A Year in Review
Who will brave the past and bring thoughts to the present? Take a look right here:
Burn - SHIZZLESNIT
william-james88 - Top 5er
megatronus - The New Yorker
ScottyP - Definitely Sober
Counterpunch - Definitely Serious
Cobotron - More like CoBROtron
xRotorstormx - ..wait, what comics?
mooncake623 - Sorry guys, I'm on vacation
LOST Cybertronian - Aaaaallways watching
carytheone - Rookie 1
Hellscream9999 - Rookie 2
and
Va'al - whodat?
How are we doing it this year? Well, not too different from usual, though we have rejigged the categories a little, and expanded: we look at everything Transformers from the past 365 days. Each and every one who contributed to this piece has something different to bring to the table, so buckle up, tuck yourselves in, and get ready to hit overdrive - it's gonna be a long one.
Categories
Transformers Figure of the Year 2015
Favorite 2015 Transformers: Combiner Wars/Unite Warriors
Favorite 2015 Transformers: Robots in Disguise/Adventure
Favorite 2015 Transformers: None of the Above Figure
Favorite 2015 Transformers Masterpiece Figure (Hasbro or Takara)
Favorite 2015 Transformers Exclusive Figure
Favorite 2015 Transformers Comics-moment
Favorite 2015 Transformers TV/Film-moment
Favorite 2015 Transformers Game
Favorite 2015 Transformers Moment Overall
What you're looking forward to in 2016 for Transformers
Ready? Set... Go!
Transformers Figure of the Year 2015 Other than Alpha Bravo, of course
WJ88 - This was an AMAZING year for Transformers toys. Both Takara and Hasbro felt like they complimented eachother well and fans were ultimately rewarded for their loyalty to the brand with the two companies working together to give the best toys possible with today's restrictions and engineering. Out of the many that I adored, Legends Arcee and Combiner Wars Blackjack were really close to the top but they get the bronze and silver medal respectively with the gold going to: Takara's Unite Warriors Devastator.
What a behemoth of a toy. I just love how Hasbro let Takara design this particular toy for a change, and Takara gave those duties to Shogo Hasui, the designer of all those Masterpiece figures we love so dearly. He did not disappoint. What fascinates me is how this toy can both look perfect and also be really fun to simply play with. For a giant detailed combiner such as this one, you wouldn't expect it to be so easy to take him apart and build him back up and yet every mode looks good. Of course, I can only speak for the Takara version which I opted for since this was the end result the designer was going for. With a toy so fun to assemble and disassemble, having the individual robot modes be their best adds to the enjoyment. The individual toys feel really good, with a nice balance between light and durable, and while the transformation is sometimes simple (not for all of them), it takes nothing away from either mode and just makes it take less time to alternate between the modes. There is also exceptional articulation all around and the combiner technology implemented here to give us a solid Devastator is on a level that has never been reached before. Definitely, this year's best toy!
megatronus - Only one figure got me to play at the Thanksgiving table with parents and in-laws awkwardly looking on like Jane Goodall with a chimp: Titan Devastator.
Devastator's massive, stable, intuitive, and FUN. This Titan specifically (and Combiner Wars figures generally) strikes the perfect balance between toy and collectible. Are there comprises? Yes. Areas that can be improved upon? Sure. But as someone who had Devastator as a kid, this toy perfectly blends nostalgia, modernity, and playability - that's an amazing thing.
xRotorstormx - Oh goodness, this is really a tough one to answer. I think in previous years it would have been a lot easier for me to choose a favorite figure but 2015 seemed to be on fire. I really enjoyed everything that was coming out and it was the first time in a while that I had really started to open the figures I was buying instead of just throwing them into a storage bin when I got home from the store. It seemed like Hasbro had finally gotten on the right path to bring the fun back to Transformers.
For 2015, I would have to say my favorite has been Devastator. It’s super impressive, especially in a display case and the nostalgic factor is wonderful. Hasbro did a great job paying homage to the the G1 Constructicons and its things like that, that really rekindle my love for this franchise.
carytheone - 2015 is the year I jumped into the Transformer collecting game feet first and I still haven't touched the bottom. This year has been a whirlwind of figure acquisition. Combiner Wars has taken a hold of me and doesn't show any sigh of letting go. While I have enjoyed all the combining and non combining figures that have been released; there is one toy that has filled me with wonder and joy like no other. One toy that literally stands above the rest. Combiner Wars Devastator.
No matter which flavor of Devastator you own (Hasbro or Takara), forming the big green guy is pure construction bliss. With the scramble combiners I always start with the torso and work my way around. With Devastator I start from the ground and slowly build my way up until I have a tower of devastation. The individual bots are a little sketchy here and there and the debate over elbows will rage on for some time, the real show however is Devastator himself.
Burn - 2015 was a fantastic year for Transformers, previous years have been rather "meh" for me as evidenced by previous year reviews. But this year? This year was GOOD! There was a lot to look forward to.
One figure most of all though. Move over! Fanboy coming through! Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus (Hasbro version).
This is how a modern take on a classic character should be done. While we don't have an individual cab transforming into its own robot before combining with the car carrier like the original G1 figure, instead, we have IDW's twist on the old "smaller robot in bigger armour".
Minimus Ambus, the plucky little robot that could. Little whit robot in a bigger robot shell. Put them together and that is one damn fine impressive looking robot mode. My one gripe is the hammer "gimmick". Seriously, who puts rockets as the head of a hammer? ugh.
mooncake623 - Figure of the year for me, goes to Takara legends Ultra Magnus. The Hasbro version is really nice too and I do like the Minimus Ambus it comes with over the Alpha Trion, but the extra Paint apps on the Takara version takes it for me. This Ultra Magnus is everything I ever wanted in a classics Ultra Magnus and I've wanted a great classics Ultra Magnus for a very long time. Every since 2010 when I first started collecting I've had place holder and when this guy was announced they all went up for sale and I couldn't be happier with that decision.
What I also liked about this release is that it is IDW Magnus! which means I needed two one for my classics shelf one for my IDW shelf and I'm very happy to buy all the Magnussssss!
Counterpunch - Masterpiece Ultra Magnus [allowed because it came out after the 2014 review - Va'al] - Magnus walked so hard off the G1 cartoon screen that he proved people wrong and embarrassed them in their lack of attention to detail. Was his bumper really red? You're damn right it was. Thought his gun was white? No sir.
In addition to giving fans what they only thought they wanted in cartoon accuracy, Magnus is the height of Masterpiece engineering and design. Complex and fun, his transformation is especially notable amidst the sea of unofficial MP figures. While there isn't a little white Prime hiding inside a suit of armor, Magnus is faithful to the source material and shows just how well engineering can be done even when confronted with challenges such as Magnus' various appearances, toys, and expectations.
Cobotron - It's been an intense year of collecting for me. Like no other I can recall. I have gotten a ton of amazing toys, old and new. It's hard to pick just one, so I'll pick two. The loophole being, they are the same character.
The year started with a gigantic bang in the form of MP-22 Ultra Magnus. Masterpiece? Like a Da Vinci in plastic perfection. He sports a phenomenal and fully functional vehicle mode, and an even more impressive robot mode. The way he feels in hand is like no other. But the thing that brings it all together is his amazing transformation. I am usually in a hurry to get anybot into robot mode, so the battle can begin. It's rare for me to stop and enjoy the "puzzle", but with this Magnus, I truly love the process.
My other favorite, Takara Legends Ultra Magnus. For years there has been a gaping glaring hole in my Classics collection. It has finally been filled. Much simpler than his MP brother, but no less elegant. Vehicle mode is outstanding, especially crammed with all the Legends scale cars I can muster, and his robot mode is an awesome action figure. Big and imposing. I like the IDW character design route they chose, making him a refreshing modern update. Some have remarked that the hammer gimmick was poorly executed, but I'm so glad his Energon Gavel of Justice has become a mainstay.
ScottyP - MP-24 Masterpiece Star Saber. Victory's iconic Supreme Commander in a nearly perfect form.
Slightly more wordy explanation follows.
It took me a bit to warm up to this figure. My out of the box reaction was that of disappointment. Thankfully, opinions and feelings can evolve over time - I know this may shock some of you, it's cool. Saber's Transtector is really perfection, and maybe the Brainmaster himself could be or do a little more but I'm ok with what's included. Great poseability, scuplting, and colors. The interaction with the yet bigger Transtector, the V-Star, is also dead on point. The use of extra parts such as the shield to create a flight stand is pretty genius.
The combined Star Saber robot has a presence about it that screams "I am important". Sure, it's a bit tricky to get Saber locked in there, and the sword grip isn't the best thing, but not a lot of poses are truly hindered and it's a blast to transform this guy back and forth once you get used to all the tolerances. I hate picky tolerances, but I don't find these so much picky anymore as I do "I had to take two attempts to learn it rather than one". On the whole, this may not be my personal favorite figure of the year, but if I had to say what The Figure of the Year is, I can think of nothing better to represent the global year in the Transformers brand. Let's 整合!
LOST Cybertronian - Hands down this category belongs to MP-24 Star Saber. The original Star Saber was my introduction to the Japanese G1 family and also my first experience with the Brainmaster gimmick. Let's be honest, the original toy was so spot on that really the only thing they could possibly do to make the Masterpiece better was add articulation. They even went so far as to tweak the Brainmaster gimmick to allow for head rotation.
Outliers:
Hellscream9999 - Considering how much of the CW line that I've collected thus far, no moment has yet to top my initial assembly of Superion.
I have always loved combiners, and the scramble-city figures seemed to really epitomize the idea of what combiners could actually be. I was never able to complete RID Ruination as a child, nor did I get many of the Energon combiners. So, when pictures first arose of a new line featuring an extensive use of scramble-city style figures, I was cautiously overjoyed (as Hasbro's last attempt was still fresh on my mind) - this was what I had always wanted, and I swore I would not miss out on this opportunity; and happily enough, Superion delivers on all fronts.
Utilizing an intuitive robot-torso mode transformation, and sleek, well proportioned limbs, we got the best scramble-city combiner ever made. Not only did it manage to capture the look of the G1 Superion, but it also managed to be a sturdy, well built, and enjoyable toy that really captured the essence of what the line was aiming to achieve. No other combiner has surpassed it, regardless of the version - Superion is perfect.
Va'al - Guess. Go on. Guess. It can't be hard to figure out what me, Va'al, will nominate in this category. Uh-huh. Yep. Our Lord and Saviour, His Helicopter Orangeness: Alpha Bravo. Putting aside the ridiculous campaign I've been single-handedly conducting on the boards (I was never really serious, still am not, but it was so much fun!), I love this little 'copterbot. It's a new character, with pretty much no backstory in the comics, but a fun toy, good modes, a wonderful personality for a piece of plastic, willing to travel over the world with me, and being a thorn in the side of purist fans everywhere - I could not ask for more .
Favorite 2015 Transformers: Combiner Wars/Unite Warriors Will we ever agree? Apparently not
Va'al - Yeah, this kind of builds on the above, really, but Superion as a combiner was a truly excellent piece of work. The single robots were good, there was coordination in paint schemes and enough difference between each mold. It was an entirely new way of looking at combiners since PCC (who still hold a dear place in my heart), a good update to a character, and a massive presence in the comics (heh). Shame it decided to jump off its shelf at the beginning of December, and broke. I am now Superion-less.
WJ88 - I wanted to pick a combiner for this category and my pick goes to Unite Warriors Superion. This Combiner is far superior (ha!) to the others that came out with how well proportioned it is. It stands tall with a lot of shoulder clearance to pose in any way you want and unlike other attempts at combiners, this one stays well together thanks to the phenomenal port system developed. Mix and matching these quadruple changer limbs is some of the most fun I ever had in this hobby. As for my choice with Takara, well aside from getting all the correct Aerialbots in one go, the slight deco changes in the Takara version mean a great deal to me. This is by far the combiner with the best transformation from voyager figure to torso and the deco takes advantage of that smart transformation by having the chest be different colours. It matches really well with the G1 show (unlike Hasbro which puts red everywhere making it look more like the G1 toy which didn't benefit from such a smart torso transformation). There are also other subtle details Takara weaves in, like extending the paint on the wings beyond the wing hinge to make the wings of the smaller jets longer. This is easily the best combiner of the best scramble city port system ever done in the brand.
mooncake623 - I believe the best Combiner from these lines is Superion. It is all basically the same jet but they all work as a team beautifully. As the first combiner wars team we got I also felt the magic of this line before all the repaints took that away. So I believe it is technically the best one we got and the timing of its release (being the first one) helped it.
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Cobotron - Again, it's so hard to pick just one, so I won't. This whole iteration has been one of the more exciting things to happen to the Generations line in a long while. Combiner - As much flack as old Uncle Hasby got for this decision, there was one fanman out here waiting the better part of his life for this... Ultra Prime and the '84 Ark bots. I have been dreaming of a combiner made from the classic characters since I was boy. Proof that dreams CAN come true. Voyager - I already loved Silverbolt's robot mode, but once I had Cyclonus in hand there was no doubt. Great vehicle mode, fabulous bot mode with that great head sculpt and facial expression, and all that PURPLE. And the out-of-left-field Galvatronus torso mode is an absolute feast for my hungry head canon. Deluxe - Originally I had thought Rook. He kind of stole the show with those boxing gloves. I also really dig Off Road. But straight out of the gate it was Drag Strip who stabbed me in the heart. The alt mode is slick. I love his proportions in robot mode, and that head sculpt exudes "evil jerk". He makes a great appendage, top or bottom. Probably my favorite arm. And the Mirage version kicked me right in the nostalgenitals. Hurt so good! Legends - It's hard not to say Powerglide, but the title goes to Huffer. For me he is the best use of this mold. He may not have been rocking his signature "hoodie" but in those colors, and with that neat little head sculpt, I find him packed with personality.
Hellscream9999 - Despite my all of my gushing, Cyclonus/Galvatronus was easily the figure I was most anxious to get this year. When images first came out, I immediately took notice of Cyclonus and his mysterious Galvaron-esque designs on what would eventually become the combiners torso. I thought "This was it, this was the torso that would unite my wayward Stunticons after the slight fiasco that was Menasor". I searched hungrily for pictures of the combined mode - that would one day become my first news credit - until he was mine.
Though completing his combined mode lacked the magic that Superion's had, I have enjoyed Galvatronus far more than I have Superion. He takes everything that was amazing on Silverbolt/Superion and ramps them up a notch by being evil - an important point in my books...
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Leaders
Burn - Can I say Ultra Magnus again? HA! Okay just for a bit of variety, and to do something different I'm NOT going to nominate a combiner or any of the teams, instead I'm going to go with Thundercracker. When I first saw the figure I was impressed. Jetfire? Not so much. But the retooling done to produce Thundercracker (and then Starscream and soon to be Skywarp) made a very fine figure.
Like Ultra Magnus, I consider CW Thundercracker to be a great take on a modern figure.
But Burn, what about the Constructicons?
What about them? They're great figures (I don't care about the articulation) and Devastator is damn impressive, but to me they're only good for posing. They're not something I can sit in the lounge chair and tinker with like I've done with many of the figures this year.
xRotorstormx - It has to be the Armada Megatron /Megatron figures… I mean, come on! Who could say no to working tank treads? Talk about the only figure to come out in recent years that turns me into a little kid again driving him all over the house (ha-ha).
LOST Cybertronian - It's kind of funny that in a line where the main gimmick is combining that my pick in this category would go to one who doesn't combine. I am looking at you CW Ultra Magnus. IDW came up with a unique take on Ultra Magnus with Minimus Ambus and this toy pulls it off. I get why G1 purists hate the idea of Minimus Ambus and the Magnus armor but not everything has to be G1 (there is the MP for that). He pulls off both modes nicely. The only real draw back is that Minimus has nowhere to go in alt mode.
Combiners
carytheone - I could just be lazy and slot Devy in here, but I won't. I feel that Combiner Wars is a really solid line and has cemented my interest in the franchise. While there is a lot of samey sameness and repaints I've enjoyed the line as a whole. Each team has their own strengths and weaknesses, but to my surprise the team that has become my favorite is the one with the most repaints, a limb with a busted waist and is the new kid on the block: Bruticus.
I just love this set. The colors just work for me, the mold choices for each bot make sense, and the subtle changes from Hot Spot to Onslaught define a new figure. Bruticus is just a tightly knit combiner: Shoulders lock-in rock solid, the wide thighs fit the wide leg bots, the arms are sleek and that Bruticus head sculpt is spot on. And don't forget his purple lil pew pew buddy that likes to ride piggy back!
ScottyP - Titan Class Devastator. Big, fun, and more intuitively engineered than expected. Holds together satisfyingly. Head sculpts are completely on point. Pick your favorite variation here, they're all fun. This was a pleasant surprise and well worth the money.
megatronus - Individual: Motormaster. I love this voyager mold as the Stunticon leader. The hulking visage fits the character perfectly, with to-die-for detailing. Torso mode falls short, but Motormaster competes for best robot and vehicle modes in all of CW. Really, he just does it for me.
Team: Protectobots. Defensor is less elegant than Superion, but - and this is the key - Defensor collects the 4 best CW deluxe molds in a single combiner. Where the Aerialbots are variations on the same theme, the Protectobots are visually dynamic and differentiated. Then there's Hot Spot, whose wrap-around ladder gimmick might be the best thing ever.
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Outliers:
Counterpunch - Alpha Bravo - Aside from rescuing G1, Alpha Bravo is one of the most important characters in Transformers History. A founding member of the Aerialbots, his contributions to the development of Superion and...
Seriously. The uproar over Alpha Bravo and the way that fans owned the strange way in which he was inserted into the mythos makes him the defining toy of the line for me. Is Alpha Bravo a great toy? Not especially. Has he been well treated in the corresponding fiction? No. But he's ours and now and forever, when fan rage threatens to tear us apart, when history is being re-written, when we just can't understand far-fetched corporate mandates backed by half-assed marketing, we have an option.
We can always get to the 'choppa and Alpha Bravo will take us away.
(Va'al approves of this choice.)
Favorite 2015 Transformers: Robots in Disguise/Adventure THE DINOPILE
Credit: Cobotron
WJ88 - The TAV line was very good to us this year with Takara using it as a catch all line helpîng fans get rereleased figures (animated Dinobots and United Frenzy/Rumble) as well as giving us new toys fans wanted (voyager Grimlock and leader Prime). However, none of this awesomeness compares to their Drift. This mold rocks. The alt mode is super sleek giving way to a gorgeous robot mode which takes pride in its Samurai callbacks, including some great facial hair (which Takara had the kindness to paint). I love that two sided chest panels which is a very efficient way to have new robot mode detail while using the alt mode kibble. This transformer reassures me that a simpler transformation doesn't mean lazier engineering and in fact ups the stakes. Along with the Combiner Wars figures, Hasbro and Takara have proven that there is just as much wit and originality in streamlining transformation and making these toys fun for both older fans and new young fans. Also, that Takara deco on TAV Drift is super sweet!
Cobotron - Back to basics for this little line. So much simple = so much fun.
I've had fun with all the Warrior Class toys. Crushed on Strongarm enough to even customize her paint, but Drift is the real winner. A lot of things in that figure take me back to my fondness for the Cybertron line, but with better articulation. That Tron-esque alt mode is a joy to look at, and he's just a fun figure to play with.
Then you have Takara over here, doin' their "thang". Optimus Prime taco Supreme Mode is pure win. The interactivity with the other size classes is a hook I will bite on anytime. He brings a unity to the entire line, and with that sword, and that sweet sweet deco, he does it with style.
With Battle Grimlock, Takara is the first to prove to the world that, yes, indeed a turd CAN be polished!
LOST Cybertronian - Takara pulled out the surprise of the year with the heavily retooled Battle Grimlock. Despite the hollowness of the base figure, this is one sexy RID Grimlock. Thank you Takara for going the extra mile to bring us a voyager sized RID Grimlock that takes more than 3 steps to transform.
Va'al - Despite the size, despite the scary marks created by the odd elbow joints, despite the loitering arms in robot mode: Warrior Grimlock. It's a fun little fidgety figure, with a good paint scheme, great character in the series and comics, and enough to make me want to sneak it in to any photos I take of the flat (or beyond). DINOPILE AHOY!
ScottyP - TAV-33 Optimus Prime Supreme Mode. There's so much playability in this mold - "just complex enough" transformation, a library of sounds and phrases so extensive you'll think you're learning Japanese, tons of accessories, can haul other toys in the trailer, other toys can have a tailgate party in the trailer, Mini-con compatibility, and this version gets the nod for the slick deco.
xRotorstormx - While none of the Robots in Disguise figures really stood out for me, I thought that the Minicons were the best. It was a nice idea for Hasbro to bring back the concept of removing parts from spurs!
carytheone - Well this is a line that completely caught me off guard. At first glance I thought they looked a little too Playskool to me. Compared to the Combiner Wars line the Robots in Disguise figures all looked like they had weird chunky smooth plastic. I picked up Bee on a random sale to test the waters and with each figure I got more and more hooked. After spending so much time drenched in Combiner Wars, it was refreshing to have a unique transformation for each figure. Crazy as it may sound the stand out from this line is Mini-con madness.
Mini-cons; who knew those little simple figures with no articulation would grab so much of my attention. Gotta catch em all fever maybe? I find their simple auto-morph transformation fun to fiddle with and they compliment the warrior figures perfectly.
mooncake623 - I'm going to go with legion class fixit. It's a cute little toy, and fun to mess around with. It's also the only RID figure I brought but it's a fun one.
Burn - To be honest, I've only collected the Autobots. The Decepticon characters in the cartoon have been an embarrassing joke (not that the Autobots have been much better) and I've just never liked them. So instead, I stuck with the Autobots and only the Deluxe class. With one exception.
Fixit
He's a fun little figure. There's no need for him to be overly complex, and he is far from that. A one-step Legion class figure suits him perfectly! Plus he's probably the best character on the show.
Hellscream9999 - I honestly don't know if this is breaking the rules of the list, but as I got Fracture at the beginning of December, I think that qualifies him to be on this list
Having enjoyed all of the new s that RID brought to us, I was disheartened when only one of them made it to normal retail release... So, needless to say, when the opportunity arose to nab this new Lockdown, I pounced - and received what could only be described as an exceptional figure.
Beyond being yet another successful motorcycle Transformer (an excellent trend of late), he has incredible poseability, an awesome multi-purpose weapon, and absolutely oozes character - as if he had just jumped out of the show to collect a bounty on my head. He's an amazing Transformers character, and an even better toy, what more do you want?
Outliers:
megatronus - Transformers Adventure is definitely an island of misfit toys as well as a line of hidden gems and second chances. That said, one really stands out: TAV29 Grand Vehicon General.
I'm not an Arms Microns fan, and passed on that Vehicon General, so I jumped on TAVs. PRID Vehicon is a modern classic, and TAV reprises this all-star with a winning deco that (bonus!) hides the ugly, terrible, no-good faction sticker in robot mode. I've been waiting for this figure a long time, and it's satisfying to have him, especially since it brings back the best of TF:Prime.
Counterpunch - TAV Ultra Magnus - An unexpected and incredibly welcome update to the TF Prime Beast Hunters Ultra Magnus, this is my favorite figure from the line. Beast Hunters Magnus was a well intentioned reuse of the TF Prime RiD Optimus. Yet in a line where the show and toys so closely follow one another, you really had to squint to accept the old G1 toy colors on this figure as he sat amidst your other TF Prime figures.
This simple redeco offers show accurate coloring and a more accurate and detailed Forge of Solus Prime accessory. Sometimes plastic color and a few dabs of paint application make all the difference. This is one of those times. I fully expect this figure to be lost amidst the shuffle of Combiner Wars excitement and in a few years to be going for 2-3 times its currently (very) affordable price.
Favorite 2015 Transformers: None of the Above Figure or, Go Platinum
LOST Cybertronian - How do you get me to buy a new release of G1 toys I already own? By releasing them in a new deco. That's right I am talking about the delicious Platinum Edition Blitzwing and Astrotrain set. I feel for those that wanted a straight reissue of the original figures but those wouldn't get a second look from me. Hasbro took a chance on these guys and they look deliciously gaudy.
Cobotron - The absurdly outrageous Platinum Triple Changers Astrotrain and Blitzwing, or Bomb Pop and Cherry Danish as I like to call them. But why Cobs? Because they are pure ridiculous whimsy.
mooncake623 - Platinum edition Trypticon! I've always wanted a G1 Trypticon and the fact that I can get a brand new minty one from Amazon for around $100 bucks was amazing! I also can't believe they kept those loud electronics in there. Having him set up next to my G1 Metroplex in City mode was something I've always wanted to do.
ScottyP - Platinum Edition Seeker Squadron. A woefully under-appreciated set. First reissues of Ramjet and Thrust in the US ever, really nice touches on the decos that are subtle enough to not mess with the aesthetics of the toys, and sharp looking metallic sticker sets that actually stick unlike the Commemorative Series decals.
WJ88 - I feel so lucky that the Transformers brand keeps rereleasing older products (like Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers does). As I extend my knowledge on the brand (I grew up on Beast Wars thinking there was nothing before that), I get the need to get acquainted with what came before. With the Platinum line, I get to have band new minty fresh G1 toys without having to break the bank (and without feeling guilty to take them out of their packaging). I got most of the G1 reissues this year and my favourite is the Platinum Perceptor and Blaster set, especially Perceptor. It is an amazing toy to own to get a taste of the brand's history, seeing how this was supposed to be a vehicle/mech for Microman toys which would pose as a normal sized microscope not to arouse suspicion on earth. I love how that disguise extends to it being a working microscope (which Hasbro took full advantage of in this release) and how you can still use all its Microman features which were not included in the instructions (either now or back in 1985), like turning him into a tank, that rolls beautifully, for toys to sit on.
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Counterpunch - Takara Legends Windblade - I feel the need to point out this figure. With the growing ties between media and figures, especially figures who are prominent in the fiction and our collective discussions, it strikes me how frequently careless Hasbro is. I don't know or understand the reasons why the Hasbro version of Windblade could not get her basic color scheme or deco correct, but once again I am looking to Takara to correct it.
Legends Windblade gets the overall color palette for Windblade correct and dramatically improves her face deco. The Windblade mold is full of engineering issues, but she's an important character and she deserved better. When every bit of fiction she's in has her very clearly appearing one way, it would be nice for the majorative audience of that fiction to not have to import at twice the price in order to get an accurate figure.
I know. I know that's how it's always been, but it needs to improve.
Va'al - You know, I had almost forgotten that Windblade is part of 2015. I had pre-ordered it so long ago, and it was all before I moved flats, it just always existed on my shelf/box/desk. As many on the boards know, she's part of my trinity along with Grimlock and Alpha Bravo - so it's only fitting really that she'd show up here too. The Takara version is soooo nice, and a lot more accurate to the IDW design, face in particular.
Hellscream9999 - This was a top contender for figure of the year, but Nightbird Shadow wins this category hands down. No matter how I tried, I could never reconcile Generations Arcee running around with all of those weapons while wearing that smile on her face; Nightbird Shadow takes that irreconcilable image and runs with it - and then slits your throat when you're not looking.
Nightbird is a stunningly realized re-tooling of Gen. Arcee, based on a bit character in one episode of the G1 cartoon, and I couldn't love her more than I already do. Sporting the no-nonsense femme-fatale ethos of Arcee, but in a much more appropriate ninja guise, Nightbird is just an incredible figure that I knew I had to have. She sports a pair of newly-tooled sai and head that just capture a magic for me that I never got with Arcee, plus, her sai remind me of one of my favorite Dynasty Warrior's 8 characters: Wang Yi, so there's that too.
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megatronus - AoE Black Knight Optimus Prime. This overseas TRU exclusive Scourge-style redeco of the AD31 Armor Knight Optimus Prime is a double whammy. The best transformable version of Age of Extinction Optimus, with a sexy black, teal, and red premium paint job? Yes, please.
Burn - Like every year, because this is about the only chance I really have to pimp them to the masses, is Kabaya. This years "big" release were the Seacons. Fun little figures that combine into a much larger King Poseidon, sure the articulation is lacking, but they're different and a fresh change from all those fancy articulated RID and CW figures you kids have these days.
xRotorstormx - Prices aside, I really like the new waves of Loyal Subjects figures. They seem to be a bit more durable, way more posable and the colors are bright and look amazing on the shelf compared to older waves.
carytheone - This one was hard, I had to peer around my collection looking for something that was released in 2015 that wasn't CW or RID related. After a couple disappointed google searches showing the release dates were 2014 I spotted TAV15 Lockdown. An old mold I know, but it was a new experience to me and possible the gateway into collecting Animated figures. So by default Lockdown gets it, but that's not to say he isn't a good figure. I had a lot of fun transforming, posing, photographing and just letting him get into trouble on my shelves. The deco is superb and I just love the matte paint. Lockdown is a tall, slender and menacing bounty hunter.
Favorite 2015 Transformers Masterpiece Figure
(Hasbro or Takara) Smoke, mirrors, drama - Hasbro vs Takara!
ScottyP - MP-18B Bluestreak, because it's about time this deco happened again.
Cobotron - The MP release I was most excited for, post Magnus was MP-18B. Bluestreak is my guy. Has been for 31 years. It was the toy accuracy of 18S that pulled me into the Masterpiece line hard. With my adoration for the Takara SF Land diaspora, and it being my absolute favorite character, blue Bluestreak and his nod to pre-Transformers history made him a must have. I hold a funny resentment towards Prowl for always stealing the spotlight from Streak, so the even more toy accurate details his mold carries were a surprise treat for me.
I'm gonna catch heat from Billy Jim for this, but Exhaust smoked Wheeljack. I can't nail it down, but there is powerfully evil and habit forming magic inside that collectible. Plus the fact that I bagged him in the wild, in the U.S. of A., made for my most thrilling hunt of the year!
WJ88 - I greatly disliked the first attempt at Masterpiece Starscream (MP 03) and thus was never enamored by the idea that the new Masterpiece Starscream was a retool of that same mold. So I stayed away with no regrets. This year however, Hasbro gave me an offer I couldn't refuse with the Masterpiece toy being just about the same price as the Leader Seekers that were on the shelves at the same time (which were just simple Jetfire retools/redecos). I gave it a shot and loved it. There are problems it can never fix unless they make a new mold from the ground up but that doesn't stop it from being the best ever effort by Hasbro to have an MP in North America. Let me run by some quick points of why this one was awesome:
- Trilingual box, making it available all over North America (FINALLY!)
- A price which made it worth waiting for the Hasbro version
- Improvements over the Takara version like more paint (silver on the sigils), nicer colours (personal opinion) and mostl importantly, a tighter connection between the pelvis and torso.
mooncake623 - Tracks was great, StarSaber cool but surprisingly simplistic, but the winner has to be It has to be Toys R Us Starscream for the simple reason that you can get a $200 Takara figure in the States for $60 bucks. That is just amazing value.
carytheone - This is another category where the figure wins by default. I only grabbed one MP this year and I feel it was a pretty good one. None other than the master plotter and wannabe usurper himself, Starscream. Another old mold that I don't really need to elaborate on. I will share my experience with him though. He shipped in alt mode and that was a nerve-racking transformation into a bot. MP Starscream is dead sexy as a plane and poses great in bot mode. Bonus, he comes with a exhaust stained booger pilot!
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megatronus - I was tempted to pick MP11-SW Skywarp because completing an MP11 Seeker trio was such an exultant moment. Still, MP of the year has to be MP23 Exhaust.
The hype and drama surrounding Exhaust's glorious release was unparalleled; I'm thankful we got this figure at all, even if in a somewhat abridged form. It's amazing how a white, red, and green redeco of white, red, and green Wheeljack could be so different than, well, Wheeljack. Plus, in my head-canon, Exhaust is basically an MP Vehicon who can help fill the Decepticon ranks with multiples. Good thing they've gotten so cheap.
LOST Cybertronian - Takara made a ballsy move by announcing the legal shitstorm that is MP Marlboor Wheeljack Exhaust complete with Marlboro trademarked markings. No other Transformers toy in my memory has caused this much trouble. That alone makes Exhaust Masterpiece Transformer of the year. Even though in the end Takara relented on the deco but this is still one sweet figure with a beautiful head sculpt and new accessories that make it stand out from Wheeljack.
xRotorstormx - Wheeljack of course! Not only has wheeljack been my favorite character since the G2 cartoon sucked me in to Transformers, the paint scheme and mold was exactly what I had envisioned a masterpiece version to look like.
Honorable mention: MP23 Exhaust – for the love of drama!
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Burn - You'd think after the fanboy rant above the answer would be obvious wouldn't it? Well no. As good as MP Ultra Magnus was, I was left a little disappointed. Overall, I found this year to NOT be a year for Masterpiece figures.
Favorite 2015 Transformers Exclusive Figure In (and outta) da Club
megatronus - Club Subscription Krok and Gatoraider. It's pleasing to finally see a character that does this mold justice - Megatron and Dreadwing deserve larger figures, but it's like this mold was made for Krok. The head sculpt is perfect, the colors pop, and the way Gatoraider combines with Krok's stock weapon to form a full-fledged rail gun is magnificent. 10s across the board.
As a side note, I'm a fan of the way the Club has been handling Action Masters generally - just look at Sherbert, I mean Circuit, for an example of another job well done.
ScottyP - Transformers Collectors' Club Figure Subscription Service 3.0 Krok with Gatoraider. Cool mold, absolutely fantastic new head sculpt, stunning paint job, and an Arms Micron partner that's appropriate and helps it correctly homage the source material. A+ execution.
xRotorstormx - Honestly, I was pretty impressed with this year’s TFCC Subscription Service. The choices they made were unique and that is what keeps things interesting for me. Out of all of them, I loved Serpent-OR. I was never a G.I Joe collector but loved the cartoon and Serpentor was always a favorite of mine. I have an original Serpentor figure siting on my desk and it was amazing, when that figure arrived, how cool they looked standing next to each other.
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Counterpunch - eHobby Grand Scourge - This figure is everything that an exclusive should be. It is tempting to those who are unaware of the backstory by virtue of its appearance and it is a welcome and happy call back to a figure that always should have been but never was.
Grand Scourge was a planned or at least optioned redeco of Energon Optimus Prime. Unfortunately, it was only ever available in a small model kit format that most collectors have no real knowledge of. More than ten years later, we have a viable Grand Scourge who can reside with our modern collections or who can go back and haunt your Energon shelves with equal parts glory.
The real challenge thrown down by this bad boy, is putting together a team of bots to make up his combined form...
mooncake623 - All the Black Optimusssss. Transformers Legends LG-EX G2 Black Convoy (Nemesis Prime) Tokyo Toy Show 2015 Exclusive, Transformers: The Lost Age Black Knight Exclusive - Optimus Prime, Transformer Unite Warriors Decepticon Grand Scourge. Just love adding new ones to the collection.
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LOST Cybertronian - BotCon 2015 Oilmaster: Whether you love them or hate them, FunPub has done some extraordinary retools in the last couple of BotCons (see also 2014 Scorponok). This year they went above and beyond the call of duty by taking an unreleased G1 Double Pretender concept and giving it a modern update. The fact that they had a newly sculpted Pretender Shell created is beyond awesome and cements Oilmaster for Transformers Exclusive of the year.
WJ88 - I don't get many exclusives since I am more about the engineering of the toy and exclusives are usually just redecos but I did get Cloud Shockwave and he is pretty awesome. It is so strange how a difference in deco alone can turn an ok toy great. The Whirl mold looks amazing in purple and it totally works for a classics Shockwave with the creepy claws and single eye.
Let's take a break, shall we? Have a video that has made many a fan send submissions to the news staff, but never actually made it to the front page.
Favorite 2015 Transformers Comics-moment More than Meets the Knowing
ScottyP - More Than Meets The Eye #44: The Not Knowing. See my review/gushing fest for why. Honorable mention to Sins of the Wreckers #1 which was also really damn good.
Counterpunch - MtMtE #44 - Megatron seeing a symbolic representation of the death and chaos he has wrought. The potential for Megatron to grow as a character and to play a new role in upcoming conflict is ripe. I hope it bears fruit.
WJ88 - The final shot of MTMTE 44 when Megatron gets a clear picture of how many deaths he has caused. It had no lines, just the excellent art and that was all that was needed for this perfect character moment.
carytheone - Well I started late on this one, I've been binge reading in-between long breaks and now I'm about 5 or 6 issues behind. It's hard for me to pin down just one of the crazy antics that happen in More Than Meets the Eye. It's all the little interpersonal relationships that really stand out to me. If Rodders and crew are heading out, sign me up. I love a good quest.
Burn - At the start of the year, More than Meets The Eye ... not so much now. It's good, but the humour has been replaced with "everyone has to be in a relationship", and I could watch Days of Our Lives for that.
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megatronus - This is undeniably the age of the antihero, and so I clearly choose the most Mad Max-esque Transformers comic to date: Redemption #1.
War is ugly. War is sin. And absolution isn't at the bottom of an Engex bottle. This issue finds the Dinobots taking on an odd job: transporting something deep into the Sea of Rust for the Camien Torchbearers. In the process, Slug reflects, does the antihero thing, and otherwise kicks ass. We meet some surprising adversaries, with a twist.
So, yes - standard. But the gritty, atmospheric art by Livio Ramondelli and the equally gritty Dinobots set this series apart from the cleaner lines and themes of the other ongoings/mini-events. I'm excited to see where this one goes.
Va'al - The dark horse that is Minimus Ambus. Proof below.
Favorite 2015 Transformers TV/Film-moment Rescuers in Disguise
WJ88 - Robots in Disguise is a fun show. While it is a bit young for me, I do love the design for the Decepticons. It is fun to see the show creators be this original in the Transfomers brand again.
xRotorstormx - I never enjoyed sitting at my computer watching shows so unfortunately I was only able to see 2-3 episodes of RID (come on ... 6:30am on a Saturday??) . Even though I was not the target audience of the show, it was entertaining.
carytheone - Getting up before daylight to catch Robots in Disguise. RID came aired Saturday morning at 5:30 AM in my neck of the woods. I set an alarm and would drag my groggy butt out of bed, fix a bowl of cereal and plop down in front of the TV in my jammies. I did that for a couple weeks until I found out I could binge watch all the episodes on the internet. While it lasted I chased that dragon and enjoyed the ride.
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Burn - I wanted to enjoy Robots in Disguise, and it was good. But honestly, for another year, Rescue Bots was easily the most enjoyable series on TV.
megatronus - Rescue Bots! Season 3 hit Netflix a few months ago, and I binge watched like none other. It's been a long time since we've gotten a show that's human-centric, with the Transformers an interesting part of the scenery in an immersive, convincing world. Season 3 was a slight change, as we saw a huge number of Transformers-centric stories in this human-centric show - and it made for great viewing.
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ScottyP - Q-Transformers. I have no idea what's going on. I love it.
Favorite 2015 Transformers Game Go Big or Go Bust
LOST Cybertronian - Transformers: Devastation is button pounding excitement. The game looks gorgeous with its cell shaded G1 aesthetic and is very fun to play.
xRotorstormx - Devastation, hands down! Seeing that Japan has gotten a few G1 inspired games over the years, it was nice to finally have one released stateside. I didn’t get it right when it came out, only got it only a few weeks ago, but the game play is really fun and keeps me entertained (which is REALLY hard to do now a days!). I thought the character selection was really neat and refreshing instead of seeing just the same old popular characters. Looking forward to more games like this!
Counterpunch - Transformers Devastation - How is this even a question? It could have only been better if it was longer or included Bayonetta.
ScottyP - Transformers: Devastation. Partly by default, but there were mobile titles to choose from. Oozes the G1 cartoon in the best way, and fun too! Please, someone, officially release the soundtrack.
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Worth mentioning: ScottyP's round-up before the Devastation release here!
carytheone - I didn't play the mobile, browser or the one console/PC release this year. As a gamer I hang my head in shame. I did however pick up a bunch of older Transformer games this year. Even though I've already played/finished War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron, I found them on clearance and decided to pick up a copy. I played these games years ago before I was back in the TF fold.
It was a fun experience to play the story again with a different perspective.I picked up a couple TF games for my 3DS as well. TF: Prime and TF: Rise of the Dark Spark. TF: Prime is just WfC and FoC lite, but Rise of the Dark Spark is a completely different beast on 3DS. It's a turn based strategy game with 2D sprite graphics and a little 3D battling bots thrown in for flavor. TF: RotDS on 3DS is my TF game of the year. It's a fun and surprisingly hard game, definitely worth the $5 spent.
megatronus - I don't have a game console at the moment ( ), so I can't speak to this one too much. I hear great things about Devastation... do the Fan Votes count? Honestly, that's as much of a game as anything I've seen, and not just because many fans suspect Hasbro is 'gaming' the process (see what I did there?).
Favorite 2015 Transformers Moment Overall Bunch a' soppy bots
WJ88 - There are two elements of the year that really made it amazing:
I just loved seeing Takara in action all year. I like Hasbro but Takara just has this secret formula with the fans since we are its dedicated market. Everything we could ask for they gave. I wanted an updated Beast Wars Blackarachnia and got it. I wanted elbows on my Devastator and got it. I wanted more size classes in the Robots in Disguise line (like for Grimlock and Optimus) and better paint apps (since some were appaling) and got that too. Also, quite randomly, I wanted the Rumble and Frenzy tanks along with Animated Swoop and they rereleased them as well. The week-end of Botcon 2015, while Hasbro was showing some good stuff, in a totally different show at the other end of the world Takara brings out their improved Devastator along with MP Optimus Primal, MP Ironhide, their new trio of female robots and their Leader Optimus for robots in Disguise/TAV. In that Botcon week-end, my thoughts were just about Takara, I would have never expected that.
The other cool stuff of the year was discovering all these affordable reissues. As a newer collector (longtime fan though) who was born in 88, G1 doesnt come easy. Especially in nice condition with all accessories. But this year with the platinum line, I got a bunch of beautiful fresh and minty G1 toys for a price that gives me no guilt in opening the box and playing with them. Speaking of reissues, it is this year that I discovered the Sonokong releases of many Takara products. Korean company Sonokong distributed a bunch of Japan exclusive toys in their local market and those releases (which comes in amazing boxes) are really cheap. So I was able to get a bunch of figures I would have never thought of owning for the price of retail or less (like Big Convoy, Sky Garry and a bunch of others). This was really a year of finding affordable ways of getting brand new vintage toys and I couldn't be happier.
Hellscream9999 - Putting 3/5 of Superion together after hunting for his components all of January. Though I only had enough limb-bots to give him a pair of arms, all I could do was sit at my desk and swap his limbs around all day - after longing for a nice update to the scramble-city combiners for so long, sitting there, holding the realization of my dreams was absolutely magical.
megatronus - I got to join the Podcast in early 2015 after a lengthy trial at the end of 2014, and it's been a blast. The job is harder than it sounds, but hopefully I'm getting better! That's just a lead up to my actual favorite moment: TFcon Charlotte. I got to go to my first Transformers convention, with mooncake623, and met most of the folks I record with. I'm thankful for the opportunity & experience, and look forward to more shows & conventions!
mooncake623 - TFcon Charlotte was pretty awesome, it was great meeting everyone and spending time talking and drinking and buying toys.
xRotorstormx - Botcon, is always a highlight of my year. In the beginning it was all about the special guests and toys but over the years it has become a family gathering. I love being able to travel around to different locations each year but walk in the door and see all my friends. No matter what happens leading up to the convention, we always make the best of it and have a blast. It is always nice to be around people that share similar interests and you can have conversations about what you are really passionate about.
Counterpunch - I have 100% enjoyed the bizarre and fun nature of the Takara Legends comics. In terms of parody, these have made me smile and kicked my imagination into high gear more than anything else. The remainder of my response will now be pictures I find to be amusing:
ScottyP - I'm going to edit my earlier longer answer here and just pick one. So I'm in the parking lot of Toys R Us and this dude in a shirt, tie, and black slacks wearing a back-pack while carrying a book in one hand and MMC Feral Rex in the other walks up and asks if I'd seen the light and heard about our lord and savior, Third Party. I punched him in his face and he burst into a pile of coins. I used them to walk in and buy a Masterpiece Starscream. It was a fun time. I think a car ran over the Feral Rex, then it disappeared and got sent back to a spawn point.
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Burn - I'm going to throw this in here much to Va'als chagrin as it's not really a "Transformers moment", but hear me out. The Seibertron.com forums.
Yes there's been a few problem members, but in all honesty, there's been a batch of new members come through who have gone absolutely ballistic and really defined what a "discussion board" is suppose to be about! So much so I've found myself at times barely able to join in the conversations because by the time I wake up or get home from work, any where from 2+ pages have been added, and that's a lot to catch up on!
So that's my moment for the year. The great discussions that have taken place on the forums. Don't think I'm going soft though, check your signature sizes and bloody stay on topic!
carytheone - My favorite TF moment of the year is all the time spent on Seiberton making new friends and becoming a news staff member. It's been a blast getting to know everyone and goofing off on the various boards. Even though I've learned a lot about my new favorite hobby, I still feel like a complete noob when the heavy hitters come around. It's been an amazing experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Cobotron - This whole damn year has been one giant Transformers moment for me. I joined Seibertron in September of 2014. In 20 years of collecting I've never really had anyone to share/talk about the hobby with. I do now! The past year has been a real thrill cutting it up with the peeps in here. I've been inspired to build an Ark diorama, try a custom paint job, create some TF-centric art, and learned to digibash. I've completely overhauled my displays and for the first time ever have all my Transformers, and other Takara goodies on display in the Collect-O-Tron (where I push my secret Microman agenda ). I've made some really great friends via the forums over the past year and am elated to be a part of this awesome community. I must have been drunk on Transformers fun when I said yes to Burn's recruitment to be a Forum Moderator.
So like the Chief said, play nice, check your sig size, and for Primus's sake, stay on topic!
Va'al - This, after not too much thought, would have to be the secret mission that myself and Seibertron went on, as we met for the first time in London in November! There was much nerd talk, a lot of robots, several moments of fond memories, a meeting with Simon Furman, the SUPER SECRET STUFFS we can't talk about, and a little more nerding out. It was a good couple of days, with some good people, in a very surreal but pleasing situation. 10/10, would do again!
(Note to the photo: I then proceeded to eat Simon Furman, as Burn suggested, of course.)
What you're looking forward to in 2016 for Transformers DON'T LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS
Va'al - Nah-hah, this one is a ponderous question. My interest in the toys has been waning for a loooooong time now, and I keep chipping away at the collection in one way or another. I am, however, intrigued by what the anniversary of Beast Wars might bring to the table, other than what we have already seen.
I am even a lot more interested in Victorion, after the wonderful work done with her by John Barber, Mairghread Scott, and Sara Pitre-Durocher in the comics - plus I have a combiner-less shelf now! That, and the continuation of the IDW multiverse with Till All Are One.
Burn - Titan Masters and Titans Return have me wary. I want Powermaster Optimus Prime, and of course, I want Fortress Maximus. But others...not so sure about.
What I am looking forward to a lot though is what Takara will be doing in regards to their version of the Combaticons. Will we be getting a new Blast Off? Here's hoping ...
xRotorstormx - Titans Return! If Hasbro can continue down this path of bringing us fan favorites, I think this will definitely keep the spark alive in fans young and old.
LOST Cybertronian - I am excited for Masterpiece Shockwave and Powermaster Optimus Prime. Both look like great contenders to be on this list next year.
WJ88 - This year wasn't so hot on MPs and I didn't buy a single one from Takara since none appealed to me particularly. Next year however, looks to be amazing with MP Primal and Shockwave. Also, Hasbro has commented that they will be doing more G1 reissues and I can't wait to see what they pick. I have so few G1 toys that this is very exciting to me. It's like having another line full of new toys to buy and experience.
megatronus - MP Shockwave. Shockwave!!!!! I've been waiting for this robotic cyclops for aeons, so needless to say, I plan on acquiring him immediately. Beyond my irrational desire and compulsion, he's important for 3 reasons:
(1) Shockwave himself: he'll fill out Decepticon ranks (my 'Exhaust = MP Vehicon' head-canon can only go so far), and will look amazing doing so. I'm sure the wait will be worth it.
(2) Like Titan Devastator, Shockwave represents something in terms of Hasbro and Takara's battle with 3rd Parties. Or not. But the comparisons are inevitable.
(3) By the time of Shockwave's release, all 3 of Megatron's main lieutenants will have assumed modern MP form. That's either a lead up to the Decepticon Leader himself, or a mega-letdown.
Counterpunch - Masterpiece Shockwave. I should have a more complex answer, but I don't. Titans Return will carry on as any mainline does. The movies will do their thing. A new show will probably get started, but MP Shockwave...
I'm eager to get a hold of it and get some official leadership on my Decepticon shelves. I also hope that it inspires a viable Voyager Class Generations Shockwave. Someone needs to keep their glowing yellow eye on that ball...
Cobotron - All of it? I'm really excited for the coming Masterpiece releases like Shockwave and Ironhide/Rachet. All of Titan Returns and its play-packed gimmicks. I'm a sucker for little dudes riding/piloting bigger dudes, populating even bigger dudes. I am really looking forward to Takara's Grand Galvatron. He is just such an interesting and entertaining concept.
Speaking of little dudes driving big dudes, I am super excited for Takara's Diaclone reboot, Dia Battles. This plays into my love for all things pre-Transformers Takara history. I'm also very interested to see how Hasbro's Micronauts/Transformers crossover plays out.
Hellscream9999 - Well, if anyone knows me at the most basic level, it should be a little obvious (like Va'al + Alpha Bravo) it's...
. SKY REIGN
Yes! The big, bad dino-bird-shuttle-thing is back in all his glory, except instead of being some sort of duo-con/combiner, he's packing a torso mode for a combiner that has the visage of an angry Egyptian god for a head, how can you not love that?
mooncake623 - Toy fair I always look forward to Toy fair.
carytheone - With all the fun I've had with Combiner Wars, I'm very excited to see how Titan Returns plays out. HeadTitan Masters really don't do much for me, but base mode sounds interesting. The most exciting part of Titan Returns is that the figures don't combine, so here's to bots with unique transformations.
But what has me the most intrigued is the Transformers Machinima series. Very little is know at the moment, so it's easy to hang positive exceptions on the series. I put toys above the media it's based on, so hopefully the art style will be there and spawn some cool figures.
Last but not least; what I'm looking forward to most in 2016 is hanging out here with all my new robrobuddies!
ScottyP - The same thing I look forward to every year - having fun. That's what it's all about.
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Very much so, ScottyP, very much so. There are other thoughts to be thunk on 2015, and you can find the Twincast Podcast episodes doing so here and here - for your auricular pleasure. But that's pretty much it from us, we want to know what made your 2015 the Transformersest there is! Was it a toy, a line, a comic, a book, an episode, a grail achieved, any at all robot-related? Pull up a chair in the Energon Pub, ignore the two Tankors at the back, and let us know what you thought. Feel free to use the categories, or just spill out your inner cogs - we're all robuddies here.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor (and this week a whole bunch of special guests!). These are our opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here. Now let's get to it!
Top 10 Best Optimus Prime / Convoy toys
This is the 20th biweekly Top TF list Seibertron has published and to celebrate, the whole staff got together to discuss the top 10 Optimus Prime toys (we will go back to regular top 5 lists in two weeks). Optimus being arguably the most popular character in the Transformers franchise has a truckload of toys to his name (as does his Japanese counterpart Convoy). This list will dive into all sorts of eras and aesthetics to give a global view of the great toys this iconic character has to offer. While we can get bogged down by specifics till the cows come home, this list tries to be as straightforward as possible where any toy called Convoy/Optimus Prime counts (Optimus Primal (Beast Convoy) will be for another list since he has his own legacy of toys).
Burn- "A big shift for Prime as he took on a fire engine. In a way he set the precedent for his successor, Cybertron Prime. He had one advantage though, he could combine with Ultra Magnus to form an even more impressive figure."
William-James88- "This is a beast of a bot and I adore that super mode headsculpt. I really feel this is the point in time where Japan decided to let loose and see how far they could go in terms of complex transformations at that point in time."
While the Reveal the Shield Deluxe Optimus Prime toy was also discussed to be included on this list, it was soon agreed that there was no need with the original toy it is homaging already on the list.
Counterpuch- "Original Lazer Prime is so much better than the RTS version, in my opinion."
Burn- "This is the guy that for years could be regarded as one, if not the best, Optimus Prime. Gone are the days of little articulation. Instead we got a big hulking Prime who embraced the 80's era shoulder pads (he was a bit late to the party though) and also became one of the first toys to come with melee weapons. And he also had a nice trailer that could transform and shoot little round discs that little Johnny would no doubt injure his eyes on!"
William-James88- "This toy is ambitious for trying to merge a totally different take on the character's design with G1. It obviously isn't as accurate or the most faithful "movie prime" but that is what I like about it. Instead, it is a fusion of two distinct styles coming together in a perfect marriage. This design to me is not movie Prime but instead G1 Prime in movie form with a full on G1 alt mode and smooth panels where there would have instead been multilayered armour, were this to indulge more in the movie aesthetic. I also adore the total lack of any kibble in either mode, the engineering is top notch here and this was my favourite toy of the entire AOE line."
Instead of a quote, one of our staff members, Shajaki, showed how fond he was of this mold by attempting to buy them all and take pictures of the varied decos. Sometimes a picture (or a few more) is truly worth a thousand words.
William-James88- "While Optimus Primal is great in his own right, this toy is more what the (G1) Optimus Prime / Convoy character would be as a beast. He has an amazing classic Optimus headsculpt which is coupled with reflective eyes and viking horns honing in on the more barbaric theme this toy is going for. It is also a great example of how fun a shellformer could be, using the shell to fully disguise the robot. While the abundance of new robot detail does mean the shell can be found all over the robot, it looks like G1 Optimus awoke from his slumber during those millions of years on earth and ventured out in the ice age, battling mammoths and skinning them to wear their pelts (it's one of my favourite TF images, it will probably come up again). This is by far one of the most badass molds Convoy ever had and it contains the very first Matrix accessory. If this toy wasn't awesome enough, he has an even more badass deco provided by Hasbro when it was issued as Nemesis Prime"
William-James88- "I have never seen this level of complexity at the Deluxe class. Instead of making this just a shellformer and calling it a day, the smooth alt mode is a mosaic of smaller panels which merge together from various parts of the robot, such as the legs, shoulder pads, arms, chest and cod piece. It is also my favourite take on what Optimus looked like before coming to earth and it works very well for the character."
Va'al- "Animated Voyager Optimus Prime is a wonder of engineering"
William-James88- "What works so well with this figure is how it is practically a straight up G1 update with the head, arms and legs basically being at the exact same spot they are in the G1 toy. And yet, it feels completely fresh and refined. It is amazing how the toy replicates the hyperstylized look of the show."
Burn- "Say what you want about the movie, but it gave us one of the most complex and highly detailed Optimus Primes."
William-James88 "I cannot believe they were able to pull off this toy. The great disparity between the first movie Optimus and the CG model made us think that it would not be possible to showcase the many moving parts of the CG model in toy form, and even less have him transform into a truck. This toy proved that the impossible was not out of reach and that Hasbro was ready to evolve with the brand by making toys for a far more mature audience than before. Along with the engineering wizards at Takara, they did their best to imitate an already conceived character design made for a different medium. And once again, this hyper detailed and hulking Optimus toy transforms into a tight truck which shows barely any sign at any angle that it can transform "
Seibertron- "The original Optimus Prime toy is one of the best toys ever. It's a classic toy that will be remembered for decades to come. It is such an iconic toy that it has been reissued or recolored at least a dozen times"
Burn- "It's iconic, he's in a league of his own."
Autobot 032- "G1 wins, hands down. I'm not even a big fan of G1, either, so that should tell you something."
Burn- "Top Prime is Cybertron Prime! To me this was a great figure in both robot and vehicle mode. You could transform the cab into its own robot and use the trailer as a base platform, or you could combine him with his trailer to make one big dangerous looking Prime."
William-James88- "This to me is a true update of G1 Prime for a brave new world. He is just as simple and transforms practically the same way. However, he has a bold new look, excellent proportions, is very sturdy as well as jammed pack with new playability features making this both a favourite of young kids and older collectors. The supermode is easy to convert to and can be configured as you wish. I love how unobtrusive all the gimmicks are and how everything fits together perfectly such as the literal back pack (with straps!) and his battle mask."
William-James88- "These are undoubtedly the best Optimus Prime toys available for Transformers fans. I adore that arm and chest transformation, it's like the G1 animation come to life. These are both complex toys made very intuitive. While MP 10 may be the better of the two, I really feel both deserve this top spot since all MP 10 did was slightly improve over MP 1 (still didn't fix the cod piece being visible in alt mode though). It was the first Masterpiece Optimus which really revolutionized Transformers toys as we know them, giving them a whole new depth and showing us the possibility of reverse engineering a design from a cartoon model and turning that into a toy. This figure paved the way for the masterpiece line and MP 10 breathed new life into the line, turning it into what it is today. Also, you just gotta love that die cast on MP 1, he feels so solid. This was a toy people had been wanting for 20 years and it is still amazing today! "
Mindmaster- "If we're talking top Optimus toys, I'm throwing my hat in the ring for MP10"
Burn- "It's Masterpiece. The title by default says best."
Honorable mentions: Here are some others the staff brought up but that were cut in favor of the others present on this list.
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). The leader was Ultra magnus and it gave us a look at what Magnus as the main prime in G1 would have looked like (if the freaken Matrix was nice enough to activate for him) and it doesn't dissapoint. Firepower coming out of all sides, the beefiest posture possible and a hammer as his main signature weapon, which would become a staple to the character going forward. I really love all the hidden cannons and how the hammer's automorph gimmick. Plus, lest we forget, this was during the golden age of quality and value in Transformers toys and he came with electronics and just feels so hefty. The only problem I have with him and the other Animated Leader toy is how the limited ratchets on his hips don't give him the best standard standing pose.
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s that RID brought to us, I was disheartened when only one of them made it to normal retail release... So, needless to say, when the opportunity arose to nab this new Lockdown, I pounced - and received what could only be described as an exceptional figure.
), so I can't speak to this one too much. I hear great things about Devastation... do the Fan Votes count? Honestly, that's as much of a game as anything I've seen, and not just because many fans suspect Hasbro is 'gaming' the process (see what I did there?).
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