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There's one thing I really dont like about too much transformers toys. So much of the altmode just end up as useless kibble that is not used for the robot mode. Mainly, the backpacks and floating panels. Doors and wings can also count to a certain extent. Usually, you start with a perfect altmode. Then the robot just look like he didnt transform, but wear the altmode as a suit.

A bad offender in the panels category. Many alternators, Best Wars, and many movie toys suffer from it. Instead of having these panels just floating around, why not having them wraping around the limbs or body to give more mass? FE Bulkhead is a very good example in succeeding at doing this. That back made out of the car roof can rarely pass if it's well integrated and make it look like part of the body. Too often, it fail. Leader DotM Sentinel Prime also succeed because the panels dissapear in the legs and become a bitchin' cape. Classic Voyager Optimus Prime is an example of a missed opportunity. The arm panels flop around uselesly while they could have easely wrap around the forearms.

Wings and door-wings. This is the lesser offender because most of the time, it's what that define the character like G1 Starscream and Movie Bumblebee. Still, that a very big mass just hanging there uselesly. A mass that could have been used to build the actual body. Best example to deal with this problem is RTS voyager Lugnut (wings become arms) and the 2007 Movie voyager seeker (wings are part of the massive torso.)

The biggest sinner is the dreadful backpack. Some robot wear up to half the toy on their back! Many times, it's due to a gimmick. Still, many times it's just lazy designing. So much material get wasted on the back. Material that could have gone to the actual body parts of the robot. Also, most often than not, it make the bot back heavy and it have difficulty to stand. Some altmodes start big and impressive only to nd up with a small robot because there's so much plastic wasted on the back. Some unfortunate examples: Armada Starscream (gimmic) Energon Dreadwing (gimmick and floating panels) Beast Machine that big mantha ray what-its-name (Gimmick and floating panels) Universe Silverbolt (Entire jet mode on the back) Cybertron Leader Megatron (gimmic) Cybertron Thunderblast (entire vehicle mode) ect... The ones that got the backpack right are the ones that MUST have a backpack for a good reason, either for function or by design. Like any instances were Optimus Prime have a wing upgrade and litterally wear a jetpack. Also Animated Wreckgar who use the backpack of his shell-forming as an actual backpack to store all that infinijunk for comedy purpose.

For me, what make a Transformers truly perfect (appar for the good look in all modes and the transformation fun) are the ones who use every single parts of their altmodes for the robot. No backpack (except when it's logical and not a waste), no useless pannelings (well integrated "back-car-roofs" dont count), and no HUGE wings or door just hanging off (tiny ones dont count).
The so some of the best Transformers are:
-- G1 Optimus Prime
-- G1 Soundwave
-- G1 cassettes (any)
-- RiD megatron (I dont know but I can forgive bad-ass demon wings)
-- Beast Wars Optimus Primal
-- any Super Go Bots
-- Armada Tidalwave
-- 2007 Voyager Movie Starscream
-- Animated Lugnut (The still superior RTF one disqualify because of the entire tail of the plane hanging on his back instead of converting into a hand-held weapon like the Animated version)
-- Animated Oilslick
-- Cybertron Starscream (voyager and supreme)
-- DotM Megatron
-- FE Bulkhead
Ect... yes, "ect" because so many do it perfectly right.

So, tl;dr,
a perfect Transformers use ALL the altmode parts for the robot mode without wasting any as huge and useless floating panels or heavy and ginormous backpack.

So, what do you think about that issue? Do you have some Transformers toys that you think waste so much of their altmode on the backpack or in floating panels or wings? What are they and how could they have improved?

I concur that HftD Leader Starscream is one of the best engeneered Transformers ever. It's because of that very toy that I started appreciating the movie look of Starscream.

Speaking of masterful designs...

One thing I like about the Animated toy line is not much toys have the backpack and floating panels problem. Animated Bulkhead have his floating panels over his shoulders, but the are kinda forgivable like wings because it's part of his official look. Animated Prowl, Blurr, and Rodimus are all cars that dont have floating panels. Not even the "roof backpack"! Now that's creative engeneering. I heard that Prime RiD Vehicon does the same with brio but I could never have one in hand so I cannot tell.

monstergrotusque wrote:

Mykltron wrote:

monstergrotusque wrote:You guys are talkin crazy talk about that SS mold. I hate it!

Is that because you hate the look? It is a marvel of engineering design.

Yeah. It's the look that i can't stand. I'm talking out of my ass a bit because i've never actually held one in my hand and transformed it but i've developed a massive amount of disdain towards it just because of the way that whole design looks in bot mode.

Overquoting to tell you that I was like you at first. I HATED that seashell-shaped robot. Then, I gave the Leader Starscream it's chance when I found it at only 40$+taxes at my local TrU. I was so blown away by this toy that I loved the look ever since.

Give it it's chance. Buy a used one if you have to. I'm pretty sure once you have the thing in hand, you will change your mind.

craggy wrote:

quickmixed wrote:2 best kibble-less figs in recent memory for me are Prime RID Soundwave and RTS Jazz. The Jazz mold, while simple, is one of the best yet.

RTS is wearing a car t-shirt though.

Still, a "car T-shirt" is good because it's part of the robot, not a discarded "parasite" that just float around on the body.