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Top 5 Beast Wars Transformers Toys of Show Characters

Date: Saturday, March 28th 2020 9:22am CDT
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Transformers News: Top 5 Beast Wars Toys of Show Characters

4. Transformers Beast Wars Transmetals Rampage

I was always impressed with how a robot mode that looks to be so back heavy can actually stand. Rampage pulls it off here and it gives him this very intimidating look. Which is odd when the he doesn't have an alt mode that you'd think would strike much fear. But the designers make you fear that crab by giving him the biggest pincers you could imagine. Also, of all the Transmetal toys, I feel he pulls off that third mode best, especially since it has a nice set of treads dedicated to it. And these treads actually work.

3. Transformers Beast Wars Transmetals Depth Charge

I know, not very original to have this guy right after his sworn enemy but its not my fault Hasbro gave these two rivals excellent toys. Once again, the manta ray is not an obvious alt mode a kid would think of in a show about robots turning into animals but the designers really sell it. The colours are excellent and the chrome is a beautiful touch. They also do something here that I find fun with the chest conversion. In terms of the fiction, the manta ray head morphs to be smaller for his chest and they recreate that by having a smaller manta ray head under the bigger one in the alt mode, which I find to be a nice compromise for a sleeker look. His arsenal is awesome with his chest firing disks, a drone shark which becomes a cannon and his tail becoming a sword.

2. Transformers Beast Wars Fusors Silverbolt

What I truly love here is how they pulled off such a particular design. The flying wolf mode looks really good and feels like its own creature rather than simply adding wings on a wolf. And then from that you get a great looking robot. I especially like all the new robot details, like the chest and skirt, that are nowhere to be found in the flying wolf mode. And those feather missiles have a great dual as both batons and a cool firing feature, along with being well incorporated into the alt mode. You know, I do miss the days when we had absolutely perfect toys that were original and simply wowed us.

1. Transformers Beast Wars Megatron

Yes this is one of my all time favourite toys but that doesn't cloud my judgement in the least because him being the best toy from the original line was also why he was my favourite. I mean, think about it, it's the mid 90s and you get a big beautiful T-Rex toy that also transforms into a badass robot. And one of his hands is the T-Rex head, which can spray water when you open the T-Rex mouth. Which kid would not put this at the top of their Christmas list? I always found the transformation rather inspired with many shifts in axis. Even the MP, while offering more detail, folds and articulation, follows the same transformation steps. I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Honourable Mention: There is one toy that I don't know where to put so I will leave him here. Tripredicus is awesome and I give this combiner his due whenever I can. It was the better of two beast combiners with a very nice mix of components each contributing equal part to the combiner. The reason I leave him here is because these are characters on the show but they looked nothing like this toy.

Transformers Beast Wars Tripredacus (Tripledacus) Gallery

Top 5 Best Ratchet Transformers Toys

Date: Sunday, March 15th 2020 12:00am CDT
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 68,101

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 Best Ratchet Transformers Toys

It seems like Hasbro and Takara waited until after I wrote my first Best of Ironhide list to finally do him some justice, at least in terms of toys with his G1 design. Since both characters often share the same design and toys, the fact that I waited until now for a Top 5 Ratchet means that we can get a much better representation of that character. So let's get to it.

5. Studio Series Ratchet

While it is a slight improvement over the Dark of the Moon Ratchet figure, that still means it is building off of the best movie Ratchet we ever had. It has an involved but pleasant transformation for a deluxe which becomes very dynamic due to all the 180 turns you keep having to perform. That makes makes this one of my go to toys when I just want to experience a nice transformation. With the scale revised in the Studio Series line, this Studio Series Ratchet ends up looking better in scale with the rest of the toys in its toyline than the original Dark of the Moon mold did. Plus there are some really nice additions, like the headlights on his shoulders, which were resent in the film and easy to see since they were turned on when this character was first introduced to Sam at night time. Of course, that means the Dark of the Moon repaint is just as good, if not better depending on your preferences in the deco and weapon. - William-James88

4. Transformers Animated Cybertron Mode Ratchet

The first thing I notice when I hold any figure from this line is the quality of the plastic. The figure feels very sturdy in hand in either mode. I really wish more Transformers figures were this durable because I don't feel like I need to worry about the toy breaking. Transformers are meant to be enjoyed and played with. It's a lot easier to enjoy the experience of transforming and posing when you don't have to worry about something breaking.

Getting back to what I specifically enjoy about this figure, I would have to say that the altmode is really fun because it's a creative fantasy vehicle. It's looks like a frog mixed with a tank that is also somehow an ambulance. A tank-frog-bulance? Is that even a word? It is now. He is also unique in the way that his play feature is to use his defibrillator pads to revive his allies.

I also have to say that I like that we got a happy looking Ratchet. He's usually serious or grumpy but this figure does a great job or representing the younger Ratchet we see in Transformers Animated before he aged and grew to be more hardened by his experiences. - Wreckerjack

3. Transformers Prime: Robots In Disguise Ratchet

Fans of the Transformers Prime TV show can appreciate the level of care that went into sculpting Ratchet's features. His head and torso are well molded and the details are very accurate to the show. I am glad they chose to keep his transformation simple by molding these things and painting them. They didn't miss a beat with the doors on his chest or his grill. One of my favorite things about this figure is how the light piping is used to give our grumpy ol' docbot glowing optics to enhance his expression.

One of the coolest things is the arms are designed to hide his hands when he holds his scalpel blades if you choose to fold them in. It also works nicely with his transformation and feels satisfying when the forearm panels click into place. This makes posing him an absolute blast. Of course you can have him hold his weapons any way you'd like and still get great poses.- Wreckerjack

2. Transformers Masterpiece Ratchet

Oh man, I remember getting this toy as Ironhide and being blown away. We finally had a good update to that G1 design and it was far better than decent, it was grrrrrreat! And then we got Ratchet, which we all saw coming, and I think he looks even better. Mainly due to the pelvic area which looks less bloated, and I really like the EKG display feature you can have for his chest. This toy is the winner we all knew it would be. - William-James88

1. Siege Ratchet

Was that so hard?! All we wanted, for over a decade, was to have an updated version of the G1 toy that was not as awful and not hard to get. And yet, Ratchet always got the shaft. We got the very poor Universe toy, and then there was the slight retool in Combiner Wars that was only available if you went to the Custom Class at Botcon or ought an entire Takara Unit Warriors Lynxmaster. But that is all behind us now because Hasbro has now given us perfectly fine Siege Ratchet that, while still exclusive, was more accessible than the previous attempt at a Classics Ratchet. I really love that they went the extra mile, more than even the MP which had to stay cartoon accurate, at making him unique from Inrohide. Every surface detailing is different, even his hands. I was so impressed I wrote an entire article on just that. He even got special accessories and the asymmetric detailing on his forearms to give him sculpted surgical tools was a really nice touch. That played into the med bay mode they also gave him. Ratchet was never given as much special attention in a toy and he feels truly unique, which I think is a great way to represent a bot who I believe is an icon within the franchise. - William-James88

Honourable Mentions:

I always liked the first movie's voyager class toy. It was very well engineered and it was a nice mix of the blocky transformations of old with some more complexity thrown in for detail and good measure (like the legs morphing). It kept being reissued for every film almost, that's how good the mold was. I would also like to give a shout out to the Cyberverse Spark Armor Ratchet since I love the design and transformation. There is a lot going on for a scout class toy there.

Top 5 Best Jetfire / Skyfire Transformers Toys

Date: Saturday, February 29th 2020 11:38pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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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 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 Jetfire Transformers Toys

Jetfire has had a rather consistent presence on the shelves throughout generations, even more so than Bumblebee since he was one of the main G1 bots still present in the Unicron Trilogy. And as for the now decade spanning CHUG lines, he kept getting toys released which always gave us a new interpretation of the duality of this character. You see, while the G1 Jetfire toy and the G1 Skyfire character are both supposed to represent the same thing, the fact that the original toy comes from Bandai's Macross/Robotech line means there are some rather distinctive visual qualities that are not shared by the character model in both robot mode and alt mode. The alt modes themselves are not even the same type of vehicle where one is a sleek jet while the other is a chunky space craft. All to say, whenever Hasbro gives us updates to the original toy they try to homage the widely different sources of the character's design, so what we get is always interesting. Now let's get to this list.

5. Transformers Generations Thrilling 30 Jetfire

I always found this toy to be rather underrated. What Hasbro gave us here is a budget Macross toy, which is pretty awesome when you think about it. Both modes look super sleek, I just LOVE the macross type mask we can put over the G1 cartoon headsculpt. It just looks incredible. Plus Hasbro took a note from the Takara United playbook and gave us some chromed weapons, and lots of them. This was the first leader class toy in the Generations line (and all CHUG lines) and this was the perfect character to bring out for such an occasion. While the previous effort in the Classics line was very nice and is also a good toy, it was lacking in size, which this one definitely makes up for. Little did we know there would be even more room to grow from here.

4. Transformers Studio Series SS35 Jetfire

As mentioned in the intro, Jetfire is covered in almost every generation of the Transformers line and that most definitely includes the films. While most characters are just reused G1 names that are ever so slightly linked to their G1 namesakes, Jetfire was one of the few movie characters which truly was a reinterpretation of the G1 character and storyline. He too had the backstory of being a dormant Decepticon turned good. So that always made him stand out a bit more. Plus that SR-71 Blackbird alt mode was amazing. The original toy while impressive in size (for the alt mode especially) was not that fun to transform. The new Studio Series fixes that problem and gives us the definitive movie Jetfire. It really impresses me how the design team found a totally new way to give us the same alt mode and robot mode, and also giving us the option to take him apart to equip the Studio Series Optimus Prime to recreate what happens in the film.

3. Transformers Cybertron Jetfire (Dreadrock)

Cybertron will always be one of the best Transformers toylines of all time. All great new designs and transformations but still invoking that G1 feel, especially the idea of the robot being made up of the alt mode parts, just reconfigured. And Jetfire, who was also present at every step of the Unicron trilogy, is one of the best toys from this line, making him a must own for anyone wanting to collect awesome Transformers figures. And that headsculpt is just so good!

2. Siege Jetfire

So yeah, we had our leader Jetfire, the biggest size class in the Generations line at the time and he looked fine on the shelf, but Hasbro was not done yet. They decided to go all out and give us a toy to scale with the other bots in the G1 cartoon. Being leader sized just didn't cut it, so we got a totally new class made just for him, the Commander class. This is the first Jetfire toy that also went all out to look as close as possible to the cartoon Skyfire model. So not only in proportions and scale but also with the alt mode which is closer to the space craft than the sleek macross jet. But, there was still something for the fans of the original toy with Hasbro giving us some armour parts that include a visor mask.

1. Transformers G1 1985 Jetfire (Skyfire)

I wanted to put Siege Jetfire at number 1, I really did, but the truth is it would not reflect what I truly feel. While it's a cool toy, I just still prefer the G1 version. I really like the craft of that toy. I think it was awesome of Hasbro to incorporate several different 80s Asian toy brands together into one new Transformers brand and this introduced kids in the west to different styles of Transforming robots. The armour components are fun, both modes are nice and sleek and he has this great weight to him. Usually a G1 toy will lose out to the updates since they are more complex, and sleeker, have no partsforming, or closer to the show model, but in this case the original toy was its own design that simply couldn't be portrayed on screen for legal reasons, and it's as complex and sleek as any update, as you can see below.

Honourable Mention: There are many good and fun Jetfire toys out there. Many do not share that name, but we all know are Jetfires and really nice ones at that. The one I wanted to most mention here was Armada Jetfire. While not as good as the toys on this list, he has a really nice design with the space shuttle and makes a great pair of pants for Armada Prime.

Transformers Armada Jetfire Gallery

Top 5 Best Transformers Line Wide Gimmicks

Date: Saturday, February 1st 2020 8:11am CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Transformers Cybertron Dark Crumplezone (Arm Bullet) Gallery

Transformers Cybertron Cybertron Defense Scattorshot (Backgild) Gallery

Transformers Cybertron Downshift Gallery

Transformers Cybertron Scourge (Flame Convoy) Gallery

Transformers Cybertron Starscream Gallery

Transformers Cybertron Sideways (Noise Maze) Gallery

4. COMBAT System in Siege

While turning 5 mm ports into a weapon gimmick were a thing since the Energon days, Siege took it to a whole new level while having the customizable weapons be parts of characters released at retail. And thanks to the detail in these toys, the 5mm ports seemed much less out of place than when takara attempted this in their arms micron line. Plus what you can do with these weaponizers is really on another level than what Energon let you do with their weapons. You can make a trailer for Optimus out of Cogs!

Transformers War for Cybertron: SIEGE Cog Gallery

Transformers War for Cybertron: SIEGE Cog Gallery

3. Minicons in Armada

So, while some of the most poorly designed toys of all time come from this line, I am not going to let some rotten apples spoil the juicy barrel that was minicons. This was the true beginning of line wide gimmicks and ecosystems. G1 had loads of gimmicks at every corner after the first few years but it was always just a few toys and nothing uniform. Armada made Minicons a thing for everyone. Even Megatron's sneak knife attack relies on a Minicon at this side. There was a nice symbiosis between larger transformers and smaller ones. Also, regarding Minicons themselves, while they were small they were very diverse. Both in style, transformations and what they could do. Some had their own gimmicks, like rotating saws, some could combine and some could become targetmasters or headmasters. All while also serving as the same key to unlock special features on larger toys.

Transformers Armada Megatron Gallery

2. Combiners in Combiner Wars

An obvious pick, but no less great. Combiner Wars brought combiners back in a big way. Having all deluxes and voyagers be combiner compatible meant you could do all sorts of mix and matches, more than was even possible in their G1 hay day. Plus, the engineering definitely evolved in 30 years, adding nice articulation to combiners. The fact that their heads were no longer combining ports meant you could have greater diversity in the look of the bots. My personal favourites were the more outlandish and random outputs like Grand Galvatron from Takara. Combining was already one of the most fun concepts from the brand (asdie from transforming of course) so it was great to see the designers have fun with it too.

Transformers Generations Combiner Wars Ultra Prime Gallery

Transformers Generations Combiner Wars Computron Gallery

Transformers Generations Combiner Wars Superion Gallery

Transformers Generations Combiner Wars Galvatronus Gallery

1. Titan Masters in Titans Return

I personally have 0 issues with making everyone a headmaster if that doesn't hurt the overall toy and aesthetic. And for the most part, that was the case. Making everyone a headmaster meant you had extra playability since now every bot gave you an extra small bot to use for your base, or in the vehicle's cockpit. Plus, it gave you the option of switching heads, which could be fun and a blessing to customisers. It also helped give us some cool engineering since new possibilities were opened up by not needing to cover or hide the robot head. And we did get some marvelous molds, like Trigerhappy, Blurr and Kup just to name a few.

Transformers Titans Return Apeface (Spasma) Gallery

Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 1 Toys

Date: Saturday, January 18th 2020 7:32am CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: TF-fan kev777

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Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by your fellow editor or a guest writer, which is the case today with TF-fankev777. 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 Botbots Series 1 Toys

This toyline grabbed me right from the start, not only for my own kooky tastes, but especially as a line they me and my youngest daughter could enjoy together. And boy has it been a hit with her as well. Our current collection stands at the complete Series 1-3 and SDCC exclusive set, with Series 4 and the elusive for the US series 1.5 in progress. This list will cover just the first series. Even just using Series 1, picking a top 5 out of 61 candidates was no easy task. So when making this list, I considered things like the transformation, articulation, kibble, alt modes, compatibility with other TF’s and yes, even cuteness. So let’s get onto the list.

5. Transformers Botbots Nobeeoh

Nobeeoh is my daughter’s pick, so I had to include her favorite as her love of this figure in particular is what lead me to go all in on this line. And I actually don’t disagree with her choice either. Every time we play, she makes me put on some “deodorant” and cackles like a madwoman, and really it makes for an amusing gag photo opportunity with any of your TF’s with hands big enough to use it like Primus/Unicron or the CW and PotP combiners. There are visible legs in alt mode, but everything else is covered up pretty well. For bot mode, Nobeeoh has good arm articulation, and only a little bit of alt mode kibble hanging off the back. He is pretty balanced and easy to stand up, which isn’t the case with all the Botbots. The eyes in bot mode have a slightly menacing look which I like as well. But I won’t lie, my daughter’s love of this figure is the biggest reason we included him on the list.

4. Transformers Botbots Sudsbeard

It’s a soap pumper, its a pirate, its Sudsbeard!!! This one I feel is the best of all the first series. They really put together an excellent pirate bot mode complete with hook hand and wooden leg, and use a great red and black color scheme. I like how the transformation uses the curve of the pirate hat to become the side of the soap pumper. The arms have good articulation including being able to move the pumper handle/hook. He is pretty easy to stand up and pose. There are visible robot parts in the alt mode, but the bot mode is what really puts this figure on the list. I also think this original deco is the best of any of the future re-uses of this mold.

3. Transformers Botbots Clogstopper

The alt mode of a plunger? I’m in! If deodorant makes for a fun enough gag with your transformer figures, then pairing up Clogstopper and King Toots (toilet paper) certainly takes things up a notch. (Or would that be down?) Anyway, I put Clogstopper here because I find him grossly adorable and fun to play around with. Gross because it’s a plunger, but that bot mode is adorable and gives me sort of a Dark Helmet from Spaceballs vibe with the huge helmet for a tiny little guy. He is pretty easy to stand in robot mode and has good arm articulation. The split waist/legs lets you lean him slightly forward or backward if needed when posing his arms. The transformation is a bit unique in that his waist and legs split in half front to back to form the bottom of the plunger and help hide the rest of the bot in plunger mode. The rest of the robot conceals pretty well in plunger mode. I feel the biggest missed opportunity in this entire line is that they did not make the handle 5 mm so it would be compatible with most other transformers (it is a little too big). As it is, he can easily be handled by most and other transformers with opening hands.

2. Transformers Botbots Hawt Diggity

I thought the inclusion of food items was one of the best ideas for this line as it makes for some great accessories for your regular transformers, and I think Hawt Diggity is the best of the group for the greaser gang. He can be held one handed by most bigger bots with opening hands like the planet bots or combiners, but is a little too small to scale with the titans. Smaller bots can even hold him 2-handed if you can balance things right. In hot dog mode he hides the robot completely. In bot mode, the kibble is minimal with a couple panels that hang off behind his head, and a couple that are attached to his arms. The arms have good articulation and he even has ankle tilts! Okay, well sort of, the way his feet transform basically gives you ankle tilts, and although the legs don’t move, you can use the ankle tilts to let him lead slightly left or right by over rotating one ankle and under rotating the other.

1. Transformers Botbots Unilla Ice Queen Cone

Here we are, at the top of the list, and this was no easy task. I choose Unilla Ice Queen Cone, the best of the sweets. Her only real negative is that her alt mode doesn’t really work that well with your other transformers, as the Sunday is just a little too big for most bots to be able to hold one handed. However, she makes up for it by having the ability to take micromasters for a ride in flying unicorn mode. Yep, your heard that right, Flying Unicorn Mode!!! She will slay you with the power of her cuteness, or gore you with her horn, depends on how she’s feeling that day. The unicorn mode is outstanding with zero kibble since the sundae dish becomes her wings and the sundae with cone becomes her head. She has 4 articulated legs, and articulated wings offering you a bunch of options for posing, which includes being able to rear up on her hind legs if you balance the wings right. Plus, she is simply adorable, how can anyone tell that cute little face that she is not number 1?

Honourable Mentions: I’ll be doing these a little differently, more of a bullet point list pointing out a few other botbots that I wanted to give a shout out for a specific reason.
Lolly Licks gets a spot here for being the only food bot that can fit down Trypticon’s throat and into his stomach.
Burgertron gets a spot here for hitting all the right nostalgia buttons from the old McDonald’s toys from my youth.
Laceface gets a spot here because I like football and he allows your other transformers put a game together.
Chilla Gorilla gets a spot here for being able to fit on Cybertron Primus’ and a few combiners’ heads.
The Toilet Troop tribe in general gets a mention here as brilliantly silly and a great set of items in general.

Top 10 Best Transformers Action Figure Hauls of 2019

Date: Sunday, January 5th 2020 12:06pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: D-Maximal_Primal | Credit(s): D-Maximal_Primal

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Another year, another round of toys! 2019 offered up not only some excellent new figures, but it also provided collectors of all ages plenty of opportunity to collect older figures as well.

And that is what we will be focusing on today. Today, I will be sharing with you the Top 10 Transformers that I collected last year, and then you can comment on the hauls as well as share your own Top 10 of 2019! And remember: any figure you bought from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019 is fair game for your lists! And the figures don't have to be ranked based on being technically good, they should also be ranked on how much joy they gave you.

So here we go!

10) Transformers 2007 Movie Premium Optimus Prime

This was the figure that I was hunting when I went to TFcon D.C. this year, which was also my first ever TFcon. And it was a great experience! If you haven't gotten to go to a convention like this, I highly recommend you do.

But back to Prime: I have the leader Allspark Power Nightwatch version of this mold from the 1st movie, and it is my all time favorite Transformer, the one I could not give up ever. And I wanted to find the version with the sword, very badly. But throughout the Con, I could not find a hint of it, anywhere. And then, when me and my buddies were getting ready to leave, I ran to grab one final autograph. And after getting that, I saw a Prime on top of a pile at a table; it was the Leader with a gun; underneath that, a 2nd of the same Prime; and then, somehow, at the bottom of the pile, was a 3rd Leader Prime, and it was the one with the sword.

I got him! It was a great find, and one I will cherish not only since it is a good figure, but also because of the circumstances of the score.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

9) Studio Series Dark of the Moon Optimus Prime

This one ends up on the list not for being the best Studio Series figure, but for being the one that I had been hoping to happen for 8 years.

When I saw Dark of the Moon, all I wanted was a Prime with a trailer that turned into a combat arsenal and flight tech, and it finally happened. And while it does leave some to be desired in terms of trailer detailing/paint, it is still a joy to finally get this set as I had always wanted and envisioned it.

8 ) Ghostbusters / Transformers Ectotron

At the beginning of this year, we knew a Ghostbusters MP-10 was coming out, but we had no idea this wonderful thing was coming. And it was the most fantastic surprise ever. Not only is it a wonderful crossover of 2 franchises I love, but it is also a very very good figure in and of itself. Ectotron is a wonderful figure that is so full of fun stuff, least of all being the first ever Transformer with a Proton Pack.

Ectotron was probably the greatest surprise of 2019, and is one of the best of the year, retro-hauls and all.

7) Siege Omega Supreme

This was a late entry to my collection this year, but ever since I have gotten him, I can't stop messing with and talking about him. Omega is the Titan that we have always deserved, he is of great quality and posability, with intricate detailing and some great paint work. Not to mention his transformation is really fun and his alt mode has so much playability. Omega is a fantastic figure, and one that everyone should get if they want a Titan figure.

6) Studio Series Rampage

My Studio Series figure of the year. Rampage this year was a lot like Jazz from 2018 - He is immensely fun. He is the best figure, technically? No. He doesn't even have elbows. But is he ridiculously fun, and also forms a leg to a massive combiner? Absolutely. Rampage is a wonderful Decepticon figure, and is one of the best Studio Series figures of the year, and one of the best figures of the year.

5) Siege Smashdown

I cannot stop singing the praises of this figure. For a $6 figure, this thing delivers so much. For one thing, a Minotaur that turns into a Hammer. That is brilliant. And then, a hammer, the one sole hammer that we have got in the battlemaster class, one of the few melee weapons, and one of the few hammers we got in the decade. Hammers are rare in Transformers, and I love every single one of them.

This is a figure where you can get 5 of them (like me) or more, and not feel like you've wasted money. Get as many of them as you can. And with a re-release coming in Earthrise, it's evident Hasbro recognized how good Smashdown is.

4) MPM-8 Megatron

While I ranked Smashdown as the figure of the year, Megatron is the most important figure of the year to me. This was a masterpiece of my first ever Transformer, and it was a perfect update. This is a huge figure that impresses in so many ways, not least of which is the fact that he is combiner sized and heavy as heck. He is wonderfully painted, and the sculpting is perfect. This was the update I really wanted my first Transformer to have, and it was delivered upon perfectly.

3) Armada Powerlinx Jetfire

The final 3 on my list are older figures, and those 3 start with Jetfire. I have recently been getting into the Unicron Trilogy, and bought a lot from those lines this year. Armada Jetfire was one of the very first figures I got this year, and it should say a lot that one of the first is in the top 3 of my year-long list.

This Jetfire is really good and really fun. For one thing, he is a massive shuttle, and he forms a great giant robot from that shuttle. The Powerlinx colors are great on him, and I love the faceplated head. And then he forms the pants to a giant Prime. This is an insanely fun figure by himself, and he's a team player too. I could not be happier to have him.

2) G1 Dreadwind and Darkwing / Dreadwing

This was a pair where the story is as important as the actual find. This was a 1:00 AM Friday night hotel find at TFcon D.C., where both of these, as well as a G1 Slapdash and Flywheels, were up for a barter for a half hour, with some help from a friend of mine from the Podcast. Finally, after a half hour, I got the price I wanted, and suddenly I had 3 of the Powermasters in one go, and these 2 are the greatest of that. I now have 5 of the Powermasters, including all 3 Decepticons, and plan to finish that entire team this year.

But back to these 2: not only was getting them a highlight, but these 2 are pretty dang good by themselves. The robots and jets are really good, and then the combined jet mode is really fun and bonkers. It's a sign to me that G1 still has some pretty nice tricks up its sleeve, and I love the entire Powermaster team/concept.

1) Cybertron Defense Red Alert

I will be fully honest, this one was a huge surprise to me. Whenever the Siege Selects Cybertron Defense Hot Shot was revealed, I ended up getting the original from a Twitter friend, and once getting him, I decided to get the other 2 members of the team if I could. And late Saturday night at TFcon, I found a boxed Red Alert and scored him for a great price with the last of my cash (and some help from previously mentioned friend/podcaster).

And wow, this figure is so good. So so good. This is a large toy that has some great weapons, poses pretty dang well, and is just fun. And that chest and head sculpt are fantastic. This is the figure of the year for me, special both for how I got it, and for just how dang good the toy itself is. It is pure joy.

Honorable Mentions:

- Classics Optimus Prime

This was another TFcon haul, and while it was not a Top 10 of the year, it is still a great toy that is fun to mess around with and is a good toy all on its own. It feels good to experience a mold so many have had such high praise for.

- G1 Pretender Jazz

Also TFcon haul, this one was complete and a surprise to find for his price. After some Toyhax stickers, he is nearly perfect, and is a wonderful Pretender addition.

- Cyberverse Ultimate Grimlock

I got 4 Cyberverse figures, and this Grimlock is a great toy. He is one of the best Grimlocks we have ever gotten, and he's a great Cyberverse toy. He also has a fun gimmick. This is a toy that Cyberverse needed, and it's one I am glad to own.

- G1 Powermaster Prime with Apex Armor

I got this figure in the fall, and it was wonderful. This G1 toy is incredibly fun, with tons of great features and gimmicks. Every mode has something fun about it, and it is a large great toy.

Top 5 Best Transformers Robots in Disguise 2001 Toys

Date: Sunday, December 15th 2019 3:06pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 58,368

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by your fellow editor or a guest writer. 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 RID 2001 Toys

I feel the most underrated lines in Transformers history share the same name: Robots in Disguise. We already spoke about toys from the most recent use of that name so now we will talk about the original RID line. This line is very odd when you look at it since it was the return of G1 characters in a Transformers show with robots changing into cars. But there was also a holdover from Beast Wars with beast based characters among the bad guy ranks. One of the more famous characters from that line, Sky Byte, was a reuse of the previously released Beast Wars toy Cybershark but with a new colour scheme and identity. The line went even further back than Beast Wars for its toys, like the G1 and G2 line. Speaking of which the first entry on this list is...

5. Transformers Robots In Disguise Scourge (Black Convoy)

Robots in Disguise was a mishmash of the old and the new and Scourge is the best example of that. He is a redeco of G2 Laser Optimus Prime from a decade prior brought as a new character. Funny enough, due to the character's fan base, this deco is even more popular than the original Optimus Prime release and from here on out that black, red and teal became the defacto redeco of EVERY OPTIMUS PRIME TOY (I exaggerate, but just a bit). Also, people forget, but this was a Toysrus exclusive, making him one of the best within that category too.

4. Transformers Air Attack Optimus Primal (Beast Convoy)

Yes, the best Beast Machines Optimus Primal didn't come out in Beast Machines. This toy came once all was said and done and that toy designers could finally work off the final designs from that show and was released in the Robots in Disguise line. They even wrote that he was a time traveler in his bio just so that this random entry in the line would make some sense in the fiction of it all (at least they tried). And I am glad they went for it, because as I wrote, this is the best Optimus Primal with the Beast Machines design. He looks like in the show and was even voiced by Gary Chalk (first Transformers voice actor clip in a toy ever). That transformation was also really since even though the arms are the same parts for the robot and beast mode, they find a way to alter their look and make them show accurate. That's pretty nuts given the fact that they how he got from one mode to the next in the show was through morphing rather than traditional transforming (reorienting parts).

3. Transformers Robots In Disguise Optimus Prime (Fire Convoy)

It was Robots in Disguise that brought back Optimus Prime as the main hero of the Transformers franchise and he had quite the toy to represent his return. This was a Japanese design so it gave westerners something rather new with the idea of building upon a base figure over and over to create bigger and bigger super modes. It brought upon a whole new level of complexity too. I think my preferred mode though is the standard super mode (Super Fire Convoy) before he becomes a literal god. I find it's the best proportioned and still really imposing. The playability with this guy was through the roof with the extending functional firetruck ladder that was fully loaded with missiles and pop out guns.

2. Transformers Robots In Disguise Rail Racer (JRX)

This is one of the best combiners of all time and one of the most original. It's really impressive how he goes from three bullet trains that look like model trains (no visible robot kibble) which can turn into three individual robots and then also combine into one big robot. And that big robot looks rather uniform for a combiner and it had a great headsculpt. He's just a toy you have to experience to see the genius that went into him.

Transformers Robots In Disguise Midnight Express (J-4) Gallery

1. Transformers Robots In Disguise Megatron (Gigatron)

To be honest, all the robots on this list are rather close in ranking. Any of them could have been number one (well, maybe except Scourge if I am prioritizing original molds for the line). But I picked this one just due to the sheer ambition of it. He has 10 modes. 10 MODES!!!! And while some are forgettable (elephant?) I really like how several modes look rather unique and bring out different aspects of the toy. There's the two headed dragon, the main robot mode, a griffon, the jet, the bat and, my personal favourite, the giant hand. There are these seemingly decorative disks on his wings that become wheels for a car mode. Granted, it's not show accurate but it doesn't take away from the other good modes this guy has. And he looks so majestic and regal in this jeweled version of the decepticon colour scheme.

Honourable Mentions: The new autobot brothers Side Burn, Prowl, and X Brawn

RID is known for bringing back the the robot cars in a big way (it is called Car Robots in Japan after all) so I wanted to mention the new take on the concept of car bots this line brought. The cars were realistic, like in G1 but the transformations were very different. The car kibble was asymmetric in robot mode with a lot of new robot mode detail, like in the chest area which used to be a prominent piece of the car instead. I always like new concepts so these definitely gold a nice place in the legacy of cars transforming into robots.

Transformers Robots In Disguise X-Brawn (Wildride) Gallery

Transformers Robots In Disguise Prowl (Mach Alert) Gallery

Top 5 Best Transformers Energon Toys

Date: Saturday, November 30th 2019 11:24pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 67,835

). So you can see why this line was not a hit in my eyes. But as I learnt more about it, and saw some Decepticons, I saw that there was a lot to enjoy. Especially with the Scout class, and this is the line where we first saw these toys. And Energon Scouts remain to this day the best examples of this class. Now We'll see what other beauties this line had to offer. Also, this list is for a local fan of these lists who reached out to say that they were big Energon fans and were hoping for a list to be made. Well, I hope you (and everyone else reading) have fun with it.

5. Transformers Energon Shockblast (Laser Wave)

With Energon being a 20th anniversary line, it contained a lot of homages and callback to G1. Including the very first Shockwave toy since G1 (and the first one ever designed by Takara). While it wasn't a gun, there was a lot to love, the scale especially making this the defacto Classics Shockwave for years. It's also quite the competent triple changer and has one kick ass robot mode.

4. Transformers Energon Sharkticon

One of the best water based Transformers of all time. An homage to the Sharkticons while being very much something new all of his own. I remember finding the transformation a bit simple but that by no means negates anything about him. And with me realizing that sometimes complexity is not all it's cooked up to be, I see nothing wrong with this well articulated toy that has some great and non obtrusive action features and a unique look.

3. Transformers Energon Megatron (Galvatron)

I know what you are thinking, another Decepticon? Well yeah, that's basically all this line did right. And boy did it do those right. This toy is awe inspiring in design with a ton of call backs. He comes with a tank accessory which is basically Megatron's Armada form and you can either latch it onto the great looking spaceship (which definitely has some X-Wing callbacks) or arm the robot. You can also use it as a sword handle (just don't put eateries in it, that sound will crush your dreams). While the robot looks imposing in his own right, I love how the designers interwove some Galvatron designs, such as the barrel chest, leg designs, abdominal piece and crown.

2. Transformers Energon Omega Supreme

HELL YEAH! I just find this toy so smart. Just as in G1 you do get Omega Surpeme as a giant robot who can breakdown into playsets for your smaller bots. But unlike G1, there are less parts involved and it feels more like a Transformer but with tons of play features. Including a headmaster unit! And speaking of that headmaster, it is an homage to Action Master Omega Spreem. So you get two omega homages for the price of one!

1. Transformers Energon Divebomb (Shadowhawk)

As I said in the intro, while this line has lots to love (surprisingly), the biggest take away is it's invention of the Scout Class. Now this class is extremely important to me since the idea was to create a lower price point where the only thing that changed was the size. Not the amount of parts (like in G1), not the complexity (like in Beast Wars), just the size. So you would still have bots as detailed, complex and articulated as deluxes but for less. And with this being the 20th anniversary, these scouts had lots of homages, including several decepticons reborn (like Ravage). Divebomb encompasses everything I just wrote and is the best scout class transformer of all time while homaging the great Decepticon birds like G1 Laserbeak and Divebomb while being his own bot.

Honourable Mention: Energon Optimus Prime and Wingsabre are both far from being even considered for this list. Optimus' proportions are terrible with a very weak transformation and Wing Sabre is more of a brick than anything from the G1 era. But combined they make for a really cool toy. So good that it was number 1 in my list of best Optimus Super Modes. So I wanted to mention that again here in this section.

Top 5 Beast Machines Transformers Toys

Date: Friday, November 15th 2019 10:51pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 65,967

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. 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 Beast Machines Toys

If you heard that the best part of the Beast machines toyline were everything aside for the onscreen beasts, well there is some truth to it. It was a return to vehicles and the designers seemed to give their all for anything that flew or had wheels, as if they could finally pour out all the ideas they had been keeping on the side for years during the beast wars. The line is a celebration in a way, of the mixture between styles, the organic and the mechanic, which is the theme of the show. This list will be that too with a mix of the vehicons and beasts, though more the ones that were not seen in the show. You'll see what I mean, now let's get to it!

5. Sonic Attack Jet (Jetstorm)

This is one of the better toys that is based on a show character and also happens to look like the show character, to an extent better than most. It even has a hover mode. Now, I picked this redeco over the original because I feel the vibrant blues are far more accurate to Jetstorm on the show (easily my favourite villain of the three generals). It's a beautiful and sleek cybertronian jet, with no obvious robot kibble (even though it's technically right there in front of you) with a nice transformation and a solid robot mode. Not much more I could ask for in a toy.

Transformers Beast Machines Tank Drone Gallery

Transformers Beast Machines Jetstorm Gallery

4. Battle Unicorn

Most of the basic figures in Beast Machines were really solid and it's the class with easily the most consistently good figures. Battle Unicorn is the first of the two on this list. I really like that Hasbro once again gave us a mythological animal in the Beast era. While it may be similar to a horse, they really go out of their way to give it that extra mythical appearance by extending the theme of a central horn onto the robot mode's crest (which also gives it the appearance of a spartan helmet, and we know the Greeks are linked to both horses and myths). Plus we have a fire theme with beautiful clear red plastic. It looks like a jewel.

3. Transformers Beast Machines Blackarachnia

Even when the MP will come out, this will remain one of the better Blackarachnia figures. I really like the transformation, which gives us a great spider mode even though the details don't match up perfectly with the show. And it gives us the multiple eyes gimmick in robot mode too. It is also one of the better toys done for a female character, emphasizing the different body type a female Cybertronian could have. It's just a well done toy all around, conveying the essence of the character and the biotech theme of the show, regardless of its accuracy.

2. Transformers Beast Machines Night Viper Gallery

This is one of the best designs of the beast era. The idea of a limbless creature turning into a robot with 4 limbs could drive some toy designers mad but Hasbro and Takara achieved it and with great success. I really love how the tail becomes not one but two legs. It's also a very unique robot look and for once you don't have itty biddy thighs leading up to big feet. There is a really cool fantasy element to this toy's proportions and the design, at least in robot mode, reminds me a lot of a ancient headpieces. The snake mode looks great too, and even has a biting gimmick. What impresses the most though is all the dedication given to a small toy at a very low price point. This toy is as complex, detailed and articulated as any toy commanding higher prices in its toyline, which is something you don't see these days.

1. Transformers Beast Machines Tankor

Tankor is one of the most overlooked Transformers toys out there. He isn’t show accurate in the slightest, and that’s why no one cares about him now, but he is an incredible transforming toy! He is a beast of a machine in both modes and has an involved yet very intuitive transformation. I love his gimmicks too like his saw blades that can be revealed in tank mode as well as the most complex light piping gimmick ever done. Unlike the show model, this toy actually has two separate heads, one for robot mode and one for tank mode (which I like better, it feels less lazy as a transforming toy) and both heads share an interconnected light piping gimmick which makes it appear as though he is scanning the environment just as he would on the show. Also, his huge size also makes him work as a much worthy opponent to the other non accurate Beast Machines figures out there. In a fit of irony, his size makes him seem more suited to lead an army made up of the more show accurate Tankor that was released in a much smaller scale (also pictured below).

Top 5 Best Beast Wars Toys of Non Show Characters

Date: Saturday, November 2nd 2019 11:10am CDT
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 76,098

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. 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 Beast Wars Toys of Non Show Characters

We don't see it as much these days, but in the 80s and 90s, the characters you saw on a Transformers show were just a subset of all the toys available. Business-wise, the shows served to advertise the toyline that you would then discover and the toys would have their own appeal based on how they looked. Growing up with Beast Wars, I remember pouring over the back of the cards and boxes of the few I got to see all the other wonderful toys of characters I did not know. And that's what we are looking back on today, the toys from the Beast era of characters that never appeared on the North American CG Beast Wars (Beasties) show.

5. B'Boom (Apache)

Apes are a perfect alt mode if you want a sleek robot mode with little kibble since both the primates and robots are humanoid. But the trick is that you still need to have enough variation between modes for it being worthwhile to play with it and Transform (something the designer of Optimus Minor did not know). B'Boom masters that concept. The Mandrill alt mode is very recognizable and he turns into one cool looking bad ass bot. He stands tall in robot mode, and reminds me of old G1 Joes especially with the heavy artillery theme he has going on and the buzz cut they give him. And that works so well with his puntastic name.

4. Transformers Beast Wars Bonecrusher (Bighorn)

Now this is a robot in disguise. The idea of the first year toys was to have toys that were disguised as real animals and this list highlights some of the best ones, like Bonecrusher. I just love how perfect he looks in alt mode, he looks just like that well known iconic american image of a buffalo that was even on the nickel at some point. He was very unique in his transformation and design where his missile firing weapon was his head, which could pop out of the buffalo body when you pulled it's tail.

3. Power Pinch

What is amazing with insects is that their anatomy doesn't give the toy designer such an easy way out, compared to mammals who have four limbs. The limbs must come from somewhere else. Limbs not serving double duty means there is no robot design or kibble found anywhere in Power Pinch's earwig mode. The great weapon (a giant pair of shears) integrates perfectly into the tail. The transformation is as complex as we will ever get for a basic class transformer thanks to a nice amount of parts count. The robot mode offers lots of new robot detail. Basically, the bottom half of his body and the head are pieces not seen in insect mode and yet there is minimal alt mode kibble to hide due to how the toy is engineered. It's a little marvel really and due to it being a toy from this era you have all the ball jointed articulation you would need along with a generous amount of painted details we could only dream of getting today.

2. Transformers Beast Wars Metals Scavenger (Transmetal Inferno)

As stated above, it's always impressive when a beast former doesn't reuse animal limbs for his robot limbs. Also, Scavenger wasn't a shell former, he had many new details for the robot mode and yet remained sleek. Not only is he sleek, he is downright unsettling in his ultimate maniac design. This guy reeks of villainy and not the fun kind, the scary kind. The kind you can have nightmares about. So not only is it a great Transformers toy objectively, when you take a look at the design it just takes it over the top. There are very little toys out there with as much personality as this one. I also love those drill hands that turn when you activate them through his shoulder.

1. Transformers Beast Wars Cybershark

An extremely efficient transformer whose body length shell serves as a great disguise to a very poseable robot. The shark mode has beautiful deco which looks as good as any plastic shark toy found in toy stores in the 90s. What is amazing is that, despite it being a shellformer, it has great alt mode integration that is very reminiscent of traditional transformers with having the head of the alt mode as the chest. A main aspect of the original toys that make up what we call G1 was the disguise component and how they could infiltrate other toylines which didn’t transform. With its phenomenal alt mode, this shark-former is a perfect example of this legacy. The deco on this toy is as masterful as that headsculpt and he comes armed to the teeth with extra shark themed projectiles (that can be stored within his back) and his pincertail. Of course, that is aside from his hammerhead shark head which he can shoot from his body!

Honourable Mentions: ALL the Transmetal II deluxe toys are great. They have super cool designs that scream the extreme of the 90s but done right. While they all look different, it is still hard to set them apart when considering which is better. Jawbreaker is cool but is he better than Iguanus? Is Prowl better than Ramulus? They are all as good (and as likely to chip) so I am mentioning them here since they stand out most as a group of awesome toys.