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Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Friday, April 10th, 2020 11:35PM CDT

Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88   Views: 75,115

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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.


Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

You'd be surprised how many Transformers turn into drill themed alt modes, mainly drill tanks. They come up throughout the generations. G1 alone had a Powerdasher, Twin Twist, Nosecone and Drill Horn. All those got redone in the Generations line (even multiple times for some). Beast Wars couldn't resist keeping the drill theme with Drill-Bit, the Unicron Trilogy gave us Menasor, and one of the best toys from the current Cyberverse line includes a drill tank that you can take apart to armor up Sky Byte. Even the comics made a big deal of the drill tank alt mode when it was believed to be Rung's fabled mysterious alt mode. Just to say that it's a theme we keep seeing. Now that we recently got another toy of this type with Generations Selects Zetar, I thought it would be a fun theme of toys to explore. And I am sure all of us would like a fun distraction at the moment.


5. Transformers G1 Victory Drillhorn

While there were many drill tanks in the long G1 era, the only one who's update was rather lackluster compared to the original is Drillhorn. What's great about the G1 version, aside from it being an original mold of a decent looking drilltank, is how Takara went all out on the animal theme. The Liokaiser combiner, as the name would suggest, had an animal theme going on where each bot not only had an animal styled helmet but also a triple changing animal partner. Drillhorn had a robot Rhino buddy that turned into a gun and a chest shield. Add that to him also being a combiner component and you just have loads of playability in one set.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes


4. Transformers Cybertron Menasor (Moledive)

While the Transformation is barely anything to talk about, it's still quite an imposing toy in both robot mode and alt mode and that drill plays a big factor in that. And I always like to plug in the Unicron trilogy since it's an often forgotten generations but here we see that they were being new and fresh in designs while still homaging some aspects of G1, like the idea of drill tanks and reusing G1 names like Menasor. I just love how nightmarish this toy is in that nimble looking alt mode with that cowcatcher and drill weapons extended out on both sides, making this seem far more offensive in design than anything linked to construction.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes



3. Transformers Power Core Combiners Sledge

The Power Core combiners get a bad rap for their combiner limbs, which is understandable. They arent articulated, don't have their own bot modes, and are spring loaded. But that bad rap should not extend to the core bots where several are very good toys all on their own. Like Sledge for instance who looks great in both alt mode and robot mode. What takes him up a notch is his partner Throttler who probably has the best (or most convincing) alt mode, which is a big drill. You can attach that drill to Sledge's alt mode or even to his chest in robot mode. It also turns into an armour for both Sledge in robot mode and the bigger combiner.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes


2. Titans Return Twin Twist

Top Spin and Twin Twist were a big surprise for me in Titans Return. They were easily the most lackluster G1 figures for me, and we didn't really have better versions of these cool characters looking as they did in the G1 comics. But then Titans Return came and the designers went all out on these. For starters, these were big deluxes. Also, as with the G1 toys, even though they transform similarly and have a similar build, there was enough difference in the two molds to make them distinct more than just in colour scheme. Which should be the case when they have different alt modes. I really like the transformation, where it requires big pivoting movements and how the arms recede is always very satisfying.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes


1. Transformers Unite Warriors Nosecone

This toy is perfect. Combiner Wars was founded on the idea that henceforth, you could maximize a single design by using it for several characters. While fans were happy it meant they would get lots of characters all at once, I was hesitant. And my fears came true when I saw the poor excuse of a drill tank that Hasbro had in mind with reusing the Combiner Wars Brawl tank mold and adding a tooth pick at the end of it and calling it a day. No way Jose, the drill tank is a sacred alt mode, it needs a good update, not an extra accessory added to the worse mold of the line. Well, Takara answered my call and gave us a really good drill tank in its Combiner Wars line with Unite Warriors Nosecone. I really love how that front drill can even be removed and can become a hand for Computron, which is just cherry on the sunday.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes


Honourable Mention

Transformers Cyberverse Spark Armor Battle Class Skybyte

Speaking of drill hands, Spark Armor Sky Byte also has that ability. His smaller drill tank drone's drill front can either be handheld or totally fit onto the hand of Sky Byte. It's a great smaller toy all around and easily the best of the first year of the Cyberverse line. And you can see more about him here.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes

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Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060166)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on April 10th, 2020 @ 11:42pm CDT
Cybertron Menasor is a cool-looking figure and I'd love to get my hands on him. We need pics of him fighting Combiner Wars Menasor

And ugh, Combiner Wars Computron is a joke all-around.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060167)
Posted by Emerje on April 10th, 2020 @ 11:58pm CDT
Menasor was the only Giant I didn't get. Not that I didn't want him, but he wasn't showing up in my area and I wasn't buying that many Hasbro figures online at the time (mostly importing stuff from HLJ). Amazon wasn't really selling toys in 2006, they were actually acting as TRU's store front at the time (then sued them and left that year).

Anyway, no arguments with the list, though my honorable mention would have gone to Drillbit.

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Emerje
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060170)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on April 11th, 2020 @ 12:06am CDT
HLJ would have been useless for Menasor. He didn't get a Takara release until October 2006, and that was only through eHobby (and in Hasbro packaging). Same for Quickmix.

As far as the USA goes, Menasor I think got the short end of the stick when it came to the assortment he shipped in. Almost tail-end syndrome, but there are figures from later waves that are more common on eBay.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060171)
Posted by Emerje on April 11th, 2020 @ 12:13am CDT
ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:HLJ would have been useless for Menasor. He didn't get a Takara release until October 2006, and that was only through eHobby (and in Hasbro packaging). Same for Quickmix.

Derp, I left a word out from my post. I meant to say I wasn't buying many Hasbro figures online at the time, the only figures I was buying online was imports from HLJ. Only time I was buying Hasbro stuff online was clearance stuff from BBTS.

Emerje
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060173)
Posted by Burn on April 11th, 2020 @ 12:33am CDT
william-james88 wrote:reusing the Combiner Wars Brawl tank mold and adding a tooth pick at the end of it and calling it a day.

I don't think this could be described any better. It was just one of a couple of reasons why I ended up getting both CW and UW Computron and swapping characters around.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060177)
Posted by Bumblevivisector on April 11th, 2020 @ 1:09am CDT
william-james88 wrote:They come up throughout the generations. G1 alone had a Powerdasher, Twin Twist, Nosecone and Drill Horn. All those got redone in the Generations line (even multiple times for some).
There were 2 other G1 Drill-alt-guys in '88: Quickswitch and Snarler. They don't exactly count in the updated toy category, as TR Quickswitch's tank mode doesn't have a drill (unless one of those extra heads upgrades him), and we have yet to get any update of the self-centered borer-boar and lone G1 pig.

100% agree with the main list though. You addressed the very essence of what a drill-themed toy should mean, Will! UW Nosecone surprised and blew me away like no other CW era toy,in both the playability and show-accuracy departments. Count me among the fans who only bought CW Computron for Scrounge.

Twin Twist's update, on the other hand, is one of those oddballs whose TR toy slipped through my fingers, yet I got Takara's. Also true for Misfire, but I miss Hasbro TT's guns more. Are their TT toys more expensive and harder to find than their Legends counterparts now?
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060179)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on April 11th, 2020 @ 1:21am CDT
Yeah. The TR Jumpstarters are harder to find and more costly than the Legends versions now. Annoying, because the Legends versions only come with Targetmaster partners who are ultimately meant for other characters. The same problem hits Doublecross and Windblade (she at least has a sword, but..).
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060190)
Posted by Acolyte on April 11th, 2020 @ 4:36am CDT
The Cyberverse Skybite is legit - truly one of the only good figures from the first year of the line, and it is actually a really good figure all around. I still have him right here in my desk drawer. I'd happily take a scaled up version of this guy if they ever decided to reattack the Beast Wars line in Generations. It's already 2x as good as the original (always hated that permanently bent fish and all the fiddly parts of the transformation).

One bot I would have subbed in for the middle of this list is Beast Wars Transmetal Scavenger. He's just got such a SICK looking bot mode, and his "drill tank" mode is so evil looking with all those metal leg pieces creating an intimidating lattice. It was always one of my favorite drill mode Transformers, and certainly one of the funnest of the Transmetals line. I have a new one coming MIB with Depth Charge (from the Takara Beast Wars Metals line "vs." packs) sometime in the next few weeks.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060192)
Posted by Bounti76 on April 11th, 2020 @ 6:00am CDT
I'd agree with UW Nosecone but for two things: his alt and bot modes look nothing like the G1 toy (which I always favor), and his cartoon colors make him look like the counter help at Taco Bell in the 80s.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060197)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on April 11th, 2020 @ 6:55am CDT
Japan LOVE their drill-tanks. Every single sky-fi series ever had at least one drill tank in it. Anime, super sentai, everything. So it's no surprise that Transformers have it's fair share.

Cybertron Menasor will always have a special place in my heart. I randomly found him at a flea market for just 10$CAN. It was in perfect condition but it was missing it's cyber key and it's minicon, of course. At that price, I still bought him anyway.

Some hours later, I was fiddling with it at a bus stop and I discovered that his chest compartiment could open... and here it was, Menasor's minicon! I was so happy, you'd thought I had won the lottery!

I eventually gave him a loose spare cyberkey that I had lying around. To this day, I will keep him forever and I'll never put him in deep storage either.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060199)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on April 11th, 2020 @ 7:04am CDT
ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:And ugh, Combiner Wars Computron is a joke all-around.


Oh hell no!
I have the CW Hasbro set and it's one of the best CW combiner there is. The only true joke is the drill tank. But appart that, it have it's own unique molds and color scheme plus it have a bonus yellow Cosmos with a unique head.

Hasbro Computron have better components than the Takara United Warrior set, and vice-versa. That's why many bought both sets to make their "ultimate" Computron. Personally, I'd love to get my hands on a single UW Nosecone, but the price of this single unit is so absurd, it's a hard pass.

So if that exist, I'd rather take a 3P accessory of a bigger drill for Hasbro's CW Nosecone. Like a 3D printed one. Anyone have a link because I can't believe no one made it since then.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060201)
Posted by KTRfan224 on April 11th, 2020 @ 7:55am CDT
Quad drill tanks anyone?

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Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060203)
Posted by Tigerhawk7109 on April 11th, 2020 @ 8:21am CDT
As soon as I saw this list, I knew UW Nosecone would top it.That toy just looks so great to me. He's the main reason I want UW Computicon over the lackluster Hasbro version.

:BH-PREDACON:
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060206)
Posted by Rodimus Knight on April 11th, 2020 @ 9:20am CDT
Tigerhawk7109 wrote:As soon as I saw this list, I knew UW Nosecone would top it.That toy just looks so great to me. He's the main reason I want UW Computicon over the lackluster Hasbro version.

:BH-PREDACON:


Hasbro did a poor job all around on Computron. I ended up getting both versions, but I prefer Takara's version so much better. Hasbro really let us down with theirs.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060207)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on April 11th, 2020 @ 9:52am CDT
-Kanrabat- wrote:I'd rather take a 3P accessory of a bigger drill for Hasbro's CW Nosecone. Like a 3D printed one. Anyone have a link because I can't believe no one made it since then.


Found it.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/PGAH4 ... arketplace

Expensive, but way cheaper than getting the whole UW box set for a single figure.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060208)
Posted by TulioDude on April 11th, 2020 @ 10:21am CDT
Shout-out for Transmetal Scavenger
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Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060213)
Posted by Evil Eye on April 11th, 2020 @ 11:01am CDT
Drill tanks are the best, no question. And this is a great list! Nice to see Throttler getting some love too; he really is a great little figure. I'm a bit annoyed because both the Sledges I bought ended up breaking at exactly the same piece, but Throttler, Throttler is eternal.

I'd be tempted to put Armada Drillbit in here as an honourable mention, largely because I do love me some Minicons, and Drillbit is a really cool one, with his drill arm and neat vehicle mode.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060219)
Posted by Decepticon Stryker on April 11th, 2020 @ 12:07pm CDT
Black Hat wrote:I'd be tempted to put Armada Drillbit in here as an honourable mention, largely because I do love me some Minicons, and Drillbit is a really cool one, with his drill arm and neat vehicle mode.


Same here, love that little guy. Don't have the original color scheme which is unfortunate, but I do have the green repaint of him.

CW Drillhorn is a pretty good figure too, in my opinion. The drill can be attached to him in different ways leading to some pretty cool configurations.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060220)
Posted by Bucky on April 11th, 2020 @ 12:16pm CDT
Acolyte wrote:One bot I would have subbed in for the middle of this list is Beast Wars Transmetal Scavenger. He's just got such a SICK looking bot mode, and his "drill tank" mode is so evil looking with all those metal leg pieces creating an intimidating lattice. It was always one of my favorite drill mode Transformers, and certainly one of the funnest of the Transmetals line. I have a new one coming MIB with Depth Charge (from the Takara Beast Wars Metals line "vs." packs) sometime in the next few weeks.


TM Scavenger immediately jumped to my mind as well, as soon as I read this was a top five drill bots list. It cannot be overstated just how astounding that toy is. He’s truly superb on every level. At least in my book.

Nice to see Sledge on the list. He’s one of the better PCC figures, and I think that’s saying something, since there isn’t any toy in that line that I don’t love.

I knew that the differences between Hasbro’s Computron and Takara’s UW set were many, but I didn’t know they were quite as significant. Those Nosecones are completely different figures. I wish I had had better sense at the time, and jumped on the UW sets. But I also skipped over CW until the last Hasbro wave hit retail, and then I had a change of heart on the whole line, and started backtracking.

Another solid list, as always.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060229)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on April 11th, 2020 @ 2:27pm CDT
It is strange that this is kind of an underutilised altmode in TF fiction, much like Submarines. It is an interesting list, but I would also echo Transmetal Scavenger's inclusion. One of the best unique Transmetals that it was a real shame he didn't make it into the show. That head sculpt is still amazing.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060233)
Posted by william-james88 on April 11th, 2020 @ 3:07pm CDT
-Kanrabat- wrote:Hasbro Computron have better components than the Takara United Warrior set, and vice-versa.

Which Hasbro component is better than Takara's?
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060237)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on April 11th, 2020 @ 3:44pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:
-Kanrabat- wrote:Hasbro Computron have better components than the Takara United Warrior set, and vice-versa.

Which Hasbro component is better than Takara's?


Depend of tastes, mostly.

For me, I prefer about all the Hasbro components for their unique moldings and toy colors. Only the drill tank suck. However, I bought the 40$CAN upgrade kit from Shapeway and it will be perfect.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060241)
Posted by blackeyedprime on April 11th, 2020 @ 4:45pm CDT
Not sure what poor twin twist did to get called a tall deluxe when he's regular sized for titans returns.

Cyb menasor looks like a neat bot mode but the vehicle is a mess, think I'd swap in transmetal scavenger but if I see a Cyb menasor I'd probably pick him up.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060246)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on April 11th, 2020 @ 5:57pm CDT
-Kanrabat- wrote:
ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:And ugh, Combiner Wars Computron is a joke all-around.


Oh hell no!
Oh hell yes.

-Kanrabat- wrote:I have the CW Hasbro set and it's one of the best CW combiner there is. The only true joke is the drill tank. But appart that, it have it's own unique molds
It has three different mold choices from the Takara version, all of which compare poorly, especially with the lower amount of retooling.

-Kanrabat- wrote:plus it have a bonus yellow Cosmos with a unique head.
I suppose, but not everybody cares about Scrounge.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Hasbro Computron have better components than the Takara United Warrior set,
Which ones? Hasbro Nosecone sucks, Hasbro Scattershot sucks (Not only is Scattershot's own chest not retooled from Silverbolt's, the combiner head and chestplate aren't retooled either! FFS!), Takara Lightspeed's resemblance is better in both modes (and as for toy colors, Hasbro Lightspeed has a crapton of white that the original Lightspeed never did), ditto for Takara Strafe (especially the robot mode - where's your arm wings, Hasbro Strafe?)... Really the only one who's less radically different is Afterburner, where it's just a tradeoff between which you like better: Toy colors, or new guns.

But Afterburner is only one member out of five. And given the shortcomings of the Hasbro versions of everybody else, especially Scattershot and Nosecone... I reiterate that Hasbro Computron is a joke. He would be a bit more tolerable if Scattershot had been retooled to actually have Computron's head and chestplate. But noooo, they couldn't be bothered. Of course, maybe if Scattershot - you know, an actual torso-bot character - had been Silverbolt's primary moldmate instead of it being @#$%ing Cyclonus... :-x

Bounti76 wrote:I'd agree with UW Nosecone but for two things: his alt and bot modes look nothing like the G1 toy (which I always favor)
Oh, I don't know about that:
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The colors are off, but the silhouettes are the same (much moreso than the Hasbro version).

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The robot mode is more divergent, but it's at least trying on the details. And it does have the drill on the back.

Also, this was less about resemblance and more about "How good a drill tank is he?". And UW Nosecone beats the pants off CW Nosecone there.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060276)
Posted by Deadput on April 11th, 2020 @ 9:44pm CDT
While it sucks in comparison the Hasbro version is still a fine set all around.

Then again I prefer having most of them to repurpose them as generic Autobots for my collection, they work great there.

And I love the drill from the Brawl mold version, tiny pointy drills are just as good as big drills.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060304)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on April 12th, 2020 @ 2:33am CDT
Zelda you gotta remember it's all a matter of opinion and perception. To him the Hasbro version is better, because he looks for different things in the figures than you do.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060312)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on April 12th, 2020 @ 3:32am CDT
Well, I think that in terms of sculpt the UW Technobots do a better overall job matching the originals... Although the thing that ultimately pushes Hasbro Computron into "complete hopeless write-off joke" territory for me is that on top of that... he still has Superion's head and chestplate. :-x Three of four limbs falling short (in my book) would be disappointing-but-bearable on its own. But he doesn't even have the decency to have the right head and chest! :BANG_HEAD:
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060320)
Posted by Bumblevivisector on April 12th, 2020 @ 4:37am CDT
So this top 5 inevitably devolved into the old CW/UW Technobot debate. The only mix-and-match commonplace we haven't brought up is how some fans claim to have made their ideal Strafe by swapping the Hasbro head onto the UW toy, because they prefer the original toy design, and that's the primary new part that Hasbro did knock out of the park in their Computron box. And I'll admit, I got a powerful nostalgia-reflex when I first saw that visored face, and the color scheme on Afterburner and Nosecone, because they evoked childhood memories of opening my Technobots on Christmas morning in '87, Candy Claus on TV in the background, and all the epic battles they waged thereafter, my favorite of the 3 Autobot Scramble gestalt teams.

But then I rewatched a few late Sunbow eps, and appreciated just how hard Takara tried to make their set show-accurate. Swapping even a single piece out would just detract from that.

While I understand wanting toy accuracy in some aspects of MP and CHUGGURLetc figures (putting original toy colors on Sunbow-accurate sculpts often leads to semi-intentional Marvel-accurate toys, always a good thing), my philosophy on this has always been that if you want accuracy to the original toys, you can always, y'know, just hunt down the original toys! The general point any update to a classic toy character is usually to improve it in terms of media accuracy, even if that means more poseability than a design overhaul. Neither set got Scattershot's leg thrusters or Afterburner's alt mode right, so I couldn't care less about one set having a visor and two paint jobs that look more like the original set when they both fail miserably to reproduce so much of what I love about it.

And while the Prime Wars Nosecone face-off always focuses on drill-size (as well it should here, given the topic), can anyone who prefers Hasbro's Nosecone offer a defense of his robot mode? His tread-arms best the UW's Rook-arms, but the head and torso completely miss the mark. I can forgive everything about that mold as Brawl given the show-accuracy of the bot mode, but for Nosecone? Place that cordless drill in his fist instead of on his vehicle mode, and it ceases to be the saddest joke in his ensemble. (Still cool enough for what it is though; works for Preadicus Ramhorn)

Only the original toy is accurate to the original toy. The UW set took several HUUUUGE steps towards media accuracy, so there was more of a point to its direction than the CW set. Even an MP Computron wouldn't be "perfect" relative to the G1 toy.

But again, that's just why I personally don't see the point of swapping parts around. CW Computron is perfectly serviceable as an alternate reality Computron who appears during a multiversal crisis requiring him to escort Scrounge from Marvel continuity to Japanese continuity so he can save it from the influence of Machinima or something.




OH, right, drill tanks! Um...

Anyone else use Drill-Dasher to represent Corkscrew, and Rescue Force Drillhorn to represent Borebit? Because neither toy really had a proper name for the longest time?
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060328)
Posted by ZeroWolf on April 12th, 2020 @ 7:44am CDT
I always took the argument between CW/UW Computron as being indictive of the wider Hasbro/Takara deco battle that had been brewing. Of course we all know who won that (hello Brand Unification!)

Onto the list:

I'll echo others, Transmetal Scavenger needs to be on this list somewhere but I can appreciate it being hard to call with the other entries. Good job either Will!
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060348)
Posted by Deadput on April 12th, 2020 @ 12:44pm CDT
I actually prefer the Hasbro Strafe to the Takara one, I feel like the former is just better besides maybe paint, same with the colors of Afterburner which I prefer the Hasbro orange with the green over the Takara red since I feel it's better for group color diversity.

But Nosecone and Lightspeed from the Hasbro set do make for some really good WFC/FOC styled generic Autobots and the paint on the former is great not to mention he's actually brown thus actually having a better color scheme then the Takara Nosecone.

While Hasbro Computron might not be the best Computron, it does make for a great Betatron.

The Hasbro Nosecone has a great "cowrubble-catcher" if you place the drill like how the thumbnail of the article does it not to mention it's a drill-tank and that's pretty damn awesome so I disagree on the notion that it's just a tooth-pick.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060350)
Posted by Evil Eye on April 12th, 2020 @ 12:51pm CDT
Hasbro Computron is a funny one. I actually prefer some of the more toy inspired deco choices, especially Afterburner and Scattershot's vehicle mode, and Strafe is kinda cool in his own right. Scrounge is a cool addition, and I don't even hate Nosecone, as his vehicle mode is a bit like a roadheader:
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The only real bummers with him are the lack of retooling on the torso mode features and weapon, and everything about Lightspeed, whose deco sucks and doesn't even have any new tooling (even Nosecone got his drill!).

I love my UW Computron, mind, but I don't think Hasbro Computron is awful. Now "Beta" Scattershot on the other hand...
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060363)
Posted by Windsweeper on April 12th, 2020 @ 2:05pm CDT
Always enjoy your lists.

Problem with 3 of these was availability. Drillhorn and United Nosecone were only available in Japan and Titans Return Twintwist had limited availability too.

I'd love Unite Warriors Strafe and Nosecone but along with Twintwist, the prices are ridiculously expensive on the secondary market. Pity because I really hate CW Nosecone's faceplate, and Computron for that matter.

I'm surprised G1 Quickswitch didn't make the list though I know most fans don't like unarticulated, G1 blockiness.

I'd have included Inner robot Snarler. They made him a physical pun being a boar.

I have the unnamed European Autobot repaint of Drill Horn. I was pleasantly surprised at how big he was. I expected it to be similar in size to a Scramble City limbs.

As I said, I enjoyed the list. Considering the drill tank subject matter, it could have been boring...
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060372)
Posted by william-james88 on April 12th, 2020 @ 3:37pm CDT
-Kanrabat- wrote:For me, I prefer about all the Hasbro components for their unique moldings and toy colors. Only the drill tank suck.


I am surprised with the unique moldings comment. Only strafe and Afterburner had new headsculpts for instance, while the rest were all straight redecos of previously released toys. I get that it's a bit unfair to say about scattershot's head who is a redeco of retail scattershot but for the boxset, they couldn't even bother giving this combiner a new headsculpt, which was my default reasoning behind getting UW Computron instead.

Deadput wrote:And I love the drill from the Brawl mold version, tiny pointy drills are just as good as big drills.


That's just something fembots say to make the bots with small drills happy.

Bumblevivisector wrote:So this top 5 inevitably devolved into the old CW/UW Technobot debate.


As long as we are just having fun and distracted by the world going to hell, I'm ok with it. And thanks for your perspective on that debate!

ZeroWolf wrote:I'll echo others, Transmetal Scavenger needs to be on this list somewhere but I can appreciate it being hard to call with the other entries. Good job either Will!


Thanks! And he is here now that many have mentioned him. I agree that he is one of the best Transformers toys ever made and he got his due on my lists a couple of times, most recently here. For this list based on alt modes, I tried to keep it obvious, and I personally always felt his drills applied more to his robot mode. That's just me though.

Black Hat wrote:Hasbro Computron is a funny one. I actually prefer some of the more toy inspired deco choices, especially Afterburner and Scattershot's vehicle mode, and Strafe is kinda cool in his own right.


I think Hasbro even botched the toy decos. Afterburner is the wrong kind of orange. At least takara went all cartoon accurate while hasbro pulled their usual jack of all trades master of none thing with these guys.

I will say that I really love that Scattershot alt mode deco though, it's just a nice mix of red and white, highlighting the molded detail.

Windsweeper wrote:Always enjoy your lists.

Problem with 3 of these was availability. Drillhorn and United Nosecone were only available in Japan and Titans Return Twintwist had limited availability too.


Thanks! As for availability, I get the issue with the g1 toy (though one would argue that for any g1 toy for collectors who weren't even alive in the 80s), but UW Computron was available to any fan who wanted him and had acces to the internet. Hasbro computron was just as hard or easy to find, when thinking of global availability, with him being a boxset. In the end, both were boxsets you could buy from most online vendors and none were readily available at brick and mortar retail compared to the other retail combiners in the line.

Windsweeper wrote:As I said, I enjoyed the list. Considering the drill tank subject matter, it could have been boring...


Image

;)

Black Hat wrote:I'd be tempted to put Armada Drillbit in here as an honourable mention, largely because I do love me some Minicons, and Drillbit is a really cool one, with his drill arm and neat vehicle mode.


Drillbit is one of my all time favourite minicons, that's why I gave him a shout out on this list: https://www.seibertron.com/transformers ... oys/43762/
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060374)
Posted by Evil Eye on April 12th, 2020 @ 3:49pm CDT
Ah, so you did! I'd forgotten all about that somehow. One of my biggest TF regrets incidentally is not picking up the Road Wrecker team when they were on shelves (granted I was a kid at the time). I'm actually not sure which version I prefer- the Destruction team's deco is awesome but I do kinda like the Road Wrecker version's unified deco.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060394)
Posted by RK_Striker_JK_5 on April 12th, 2020 @ 6:59pm CDT
Drill tanks rock. :D A good list, although I would've put Menasor higher. I love the guy.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060400)
Posted by william-james88 on April 12th, 2020 @ 8:19pm CDT
Someone on Facebook brought up Beast Wars Galvatron. I was never a huge fan of that toy but it's true he does have a drill tank mode, so that makes it yet another drill tank in the Beast Era.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060401)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on April 12th, 2020 @ 8:24pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:Someone on Facebook brought up Beast Wars Galvatron. I was never a huge fan of that toy but it's true he does have a drill tank mode, so that makes it yet another drill tank in the Beast Era.


This is one silly toy that I'd really love to have, but only for a reasonable price.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060402)
Posted by Tuned Agent on April 12th, 2020 @ 8:33pm CDT
Interesting list! It's not every day drill tanks get the spotlight. Twin Twist is one I definitely want to track down sometime, and hearing him praised like this makes his unfortunate aftermarket prices that much more painful (or more palatable, depending on how you look at it).

I'm glad to see Armada Drillbit get some love in the comments, he was the first toy I thought of when I saw this list. One of my favorite minicons, and my favorite minicon team in general.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060404)
Posted by X3ROhour on April 12th, 2020 @ 8:39pm CDT
What about...

transmetalscavenger085.jpg
transmetalscavenger029.jpg
transmetalscavenger055.jpg
813ulpkz3dL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

devastator-9.jpg


not to mention...

2577999-impactor_tf_22_before_the_war.jpg
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060410)
Posted by Deadput on April 12th, 2020 @ 10:12pm CDT
You could probably replicate that IDW drill Impactor with either Zetar or Hasbro Nosecone's drills.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060414)
Posted by william-james88 on April 12th, 2020 @ 10:51pm CDT
Tuned Agent wrote:Interesting list! It's not every day drill tanks get the spotlight. Twin Twist is one I definitely want to track down sometime, and hearing him praised like this makes his unfortunate aftermarket prices that much more painful (or more palatable, depending on how you look at it).


Well you can get the gist of how good he is by experiencing Top Spin since it's inhetently the same mold with the same neat tricks.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060660)
Posted by cruizerdave on April 14th, 2020 @ 3:38pm CDT
No BW II Galvatron! I demand my money back!

[wait, you didn't pay anything for this list]

I don't care!
BW II Galvatron's drill actually spins when you push the little button! LITTLE BUTTON MAN! None of those guys have an actual working drill. Or an awesome dragon mode! Or are named after Galvatron! So much better than Drillhorn. Or a Power Core figure who's really more of an accessory than an actual figure.

Anyway, always nice to read these lists. Better luck making us whiney BW II fanboys happy next time.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060779)
Posted by william-james88 on April 15th, 2020 @ 1:41pm CDT
Love your post Cruizerdave, though I have some stuff to add

cruizerdave wrote:BW II Galvatron's drill actually spins when you push the little button! LITTLE BUTTON MAN! None of those guys have an actual working drill.


They don't but I just thought of someone else who does:

Windchill the yeti bot!!!

Image

He transforms into an arctic drill tank with a spinning drill when you push a button.

Image

Or an awesome dragon mode!


Your right, they don,t have an awesome dragon mode, but neither does BW Galvatron

Anyway, always nice to read these lists. Better luck making us whiney BW II fanboys happy next time.


Haha, funny enough, I do have a top 5 Neo toys in the works, I hope that can be a decent enough consolation prize.
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060785)
Posted by ZeroWolf on April 15th, 2020 @ 2:21pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:
cruizerdave wrote:Or an awesome dragon mode!


Your right, they don,t have an awesome dragon mode, but neither does BW Galvatron


That is an awesome burn right there. So much so that Dave might need to ask Windchill for some ice :lol:
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2060865)
Posted by cruizerdave on April 15th, 2020 @ 9:57pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:Love your post Cruizerdave, though I have some stuff to add

cruizerdave wrote:BW II Galvatron's drill actually spins when you push the little button! LITTLE BUTTON MAN! None of those guys have an actual working drill.


They don't but I just thought of someone else who does:

Windchill the yeti bot!!!

Image

He transforms into an arctic drill tank with a spinning drill when you push a button.

Image

Or an awesome dragon mode!


Your right, they don,t have an awesome dragon mode, but neither does BW Galvatron

Anyway, always nice to read these lists. Better luck making us whiney BW II fanboys happy next time.


Haha, funny enough, I do have a top 5 Neo toys in the works, I hope that can be a decent enough consolation prize.

It was the finest dragon mode ever given to a drill tank!
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2061161)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on April 18th, 2020 @ 2:42am CDT
Shame on me to have forgotten that G1 Quickswitch existed. I own him and he's one of my favorite G1.

He's my #1 Drill Tank Transformers especially because he's a six-changer (with 3 more modes that I can pull off!)

Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2061205)
Posted by william-james88 on April 18th, 2020 @ 11:45am CDT
cruizerdave wrote:It was the finest dragon mode ever given to a drill tank!

I won't argue that :lol:
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2061495)
Posted by william-james88 on April 20th, 2020 @ 9:28am CDT
Deadput wrote:You could probably replicate that IDW drill Impactor with either Zetar or Hasbro Nosecone's drills.

You cannot since Zetar's peg is on his head, not the drill and the peg for Hasbro's Nosecone is perpendicular to the drill.

The only one that works is the powerdasher that uses the Brunt mold (but it's not a great look).
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2061503)
Posted by ZeroWolf on April 20th, 2020 @ 10:38am CDT
william-james88 wrote:
Deadput wrote:You could probably replicate that IDW drill Impactor with either Zetar or Hasbro Nosecone's drills.

You cannot since Zetar's peg is on his head, not the drill and the peg for Hasbro's Nosecone is perpendicular to the drill.

The only one that works is the powerdasher that uses the Brunt mold (but it's not a great look).

Isn't it Zetar that uses the brunt mold?
Re: Top 5 Best Transformers Toys with Drill Themed Alt Modes (2061510)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on April 20th, 2020 @ 11:15am CDT
Dunno if it count, but Gobots Screw Head is a serious contender. I have him and I LOVE this little guy.

Image

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