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Seibertron's 2020 Year End Review

On this glorious 1st of January 2021, we said goodbye to 2020 and while there are no wishes of faring well to that year, it did give us quite a bit of Transformers product. Gone are the years of just one line on the shelves to support whatever show is on, we had several lines celebrating current and past Transformers eras. This year gave us an Arcee for every line as well as the best deluxe Bumblebee figures (plural), among a myriad of other toys, and now we look back on all of that. Please share us your thoughts with what your picks would be for each category.




Deluxe Thunderhowl. Unique transformation and weapon storage in wolf mode. - Bounti76

Ultra Rack'n'Ruin. I haven't had much experience with the Cyberverse figures, but I did get to play with a fellow collector's Rack'n'Ruin figure earlier this year. It's got some fun play gimmicks, but the obvious draw is that this is the first toy version of the character, though the Cybertron redesign does differ quite a bit from the original G1 character model. Here's hoping we get a repaint of Earthrise Doublecrosser as Rack'n'Ruin at some point!-Wolfman Jake

Deluxe Arcee. Arcee was a super fun character on the show, especially thanks to VA, Jaime Lamchick, and the toy conveys her lax and gunslinging personality well. With the other crappy Arcee toys this year, having one with a manageable (and actually accurate!) backpack, along with other pros, this one easily takes the cake. Greatly posable, real dynamic, and hey, she comes with an actually useful Maccadam part (hammer)! -notsoalex

Tiny Turbo Changers Sharkticon/the Sharkticons from that one set with black one-step Rodimus. They are just too adorable for words. It's too bad Tiny Turbo Changers badically don't exist in America anymore, as this means troopbuilding opportunities are limited. -ScottyP

I really like deluxe Arcee. The alt mode is a really cute take and the robot mode is very show accurate, right down to how the backpack looks. - William-james88

Hard to call between Ultra Class Thunderhowl and...Actually, scratch that, I'm just calling it for Thunderhowl! -ZeroWolf






Tie between Devastator as a whole, and the Chromia, Elita-1, and Arcee 3 pack. Hasbro showed us that at the complete opposite ends of the scale, they can do well engineered toys. Plus we FINALLY get movie Elita-1 in her proper altmode. - Bounti76

Leadfoot. This guy has been a long time coming. The original Deluxe Leadfoot figure's release was cancelled in most markets, so there was no way to complete the Wrecker trio at that scale unless you imported the scarce Takara Tomy version. More importantly, the figure is well designed, fun to transform, armed to the teeth, and oozing with "Nascar" charm. Although pre-order quantities were limited for this Target exclusive in the U.S., Studio Series Leadfoot was a rare success story in brick-and-mortar availability, unlike many other Transformers retailer exclusives this year. -Wolfman Jake

Devastator. This one might be cheating, but Hasbro released it as one boxset so it's one toy in my book! Absolute behemoth comprised of multiple great toys on their own. He feels like an event or a spectacle. It's amazing we finally have an awesome toy of this big action set-piece from a crap movie. No mark against the toy, this set is amazing, with a giant combined robot mode! -notsoalex

Overload. Even if the combiner is ugly as sin, the Devastator journey is finally over and the individual robots we got out of it all rock. -ScottyP

Got to be Devastator, a true beast of a combiner. -ZeroWolf

Movie 1 Megatron for me. I remember loathing the original toy from 2007, and disliking the design in general, which I have adressed in my top 5 worst lists. Hasbro really went out of their way here to give us an involved transformation with distinctive looks for both modes and they didn't cheap out on the paint. -william-james88







Deluxe Cliffjumper. Even though the figure is small, he's got some amazing engineering and fantastic paint- almost all the Red seen on him is paint. Mini-Masterpiece indeed. - Bounti76

Scorponok. It's boring to pick the Titan, but Scorponok is outstanding and is maybe the most well-rounded, fully realized entry to the Titan Class ever. -ScottyP

Voyager Starscream. This figure has been an even longer time coming! We waited nearly 14 years for a new G1-styled "Seeker" figure. The original, and prolific, Classics 2006 mold was great, but too small. Many fans dreamed of an "upscale" of that figure. Now it's finally here, and I couldn't be happier. Starscream is easily one of the "Mini Masterpieces" that many, including myself, have been raving about since the beginning of the War for Cybertron Trilogy. -Wolfman Jake

Earthrise gave us a lot that I am thankful for but I think my favourite is Snap Dragon. Triple changers always have a weak mode out of the three but I find this one is solid all around. I was waiting quite a while for this toy (ever since Hasbro made all their voyagers triple changes in titans Return) so I am glad my patience paid off. -william-james88

Commander Class Sky Lynx. Such a fun toy, nothing complicated, satisfying joints and transformation, looks great in all its modes (along with a base mode that isn't terrible), and it's friggin' Sky Lynx! He is the best. -notsoalex

Has to be his magnificence, Sky Lynx. A fantastic update. -ZeroWolf






Night Club Dance-frenzy Rung. It even included a bonus Ultra Magnus accessory! -ScottyP

Netflix Soundwave. He is amazingly well done, and finally turns into his G1 altmode. And though I'm a sucker for toy accuracy, I love that he has his red visor. - Bounti76

Walmart Netflix War for Cybertron Trilogy Bumblebee. This little guy is a big deal. Many fans anticipated an eventual Bumblebee redeco of Earthrise Cliffjumper, himself a very satisfying figure, but no one could guess that Hasbro would get the license to use the classic G1 Volkswagen Beetle! This is the BEST iteration of G1 Bumblebee we've gotten in a mass-market modern Transformers line, and to think, this time Bumblebee is the redeco and retool! Again, this is a "Mini Masterpiece" of a figure, right down to the real world vehicle mode details. -Wolfman Jake

Hasbro finally released Prime Breakdown. FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and he comes with jet vehicon, another toy they never released? Well, I won't say no. -william-james88

Pulse exclusive War for Cybertron Trilogy Deluxe Centurion Drone. The Brunt mold is easily the best Siege Weaponizers in my opinion and having the toy in nicer colors is, well, nice. It is good to see the robot mode in the ACTUAL colors it was made for, y'know? Not only is the toy great, but the accessory pack is also great fun. Some of it is a bit... useless to me, but others really help enhance their respective toy. -notsoalex

The Pulse Exclusive 10th Anniversary Prime Jet Vehicon and Breakdown Boxset, a very nice surprise for once! -Zerowolf






With Piranacon, we finally got the last of the Scramble City style combiners. The level of deco and paint on these figures is insane, Skalor/Gulf in particular. The figures are great on their own, but then combined into Piranacon, it's somehow cranked up a notch. Out of any of the CW style combiners, he just has PRESENCE that the others don't. And then they gave us Selects God Neptune out of that. The paint on that figure is stunning, and painstakingly accurate to the original Beast Wars II toys. Plus we got remakes of toys from a Japanese only cartoon. How's that for obscure toy lovers? Also, the fact that Scylla got some major retooling is pretty impressive. - Bounti76

Netflix Optimus Prime. While Earthrise Prime looked good, I was not interested in another trailer, and I didn,t like the grey on the legs reminding us all that the lower half was using recycled bits from the Siege mold with vestigial parts. But along came the Netflix release which gave me pretty much what I wanted in the first place. I now got to experience this excellent mold. -william-james88

Earthrise Optimus Prime. Yes, this challenges what it means to be a "retool." Earthrise Optimus Prime shares much of the truck bed assembly with Siege Optimus Prime, while creating a brand new mold for the truck cab, resulting in a new transformation that is even more interesting than that of the Siege version, and even more accurate to the original cartoon's stylings. Like Starscream, we've been waiting since the Classics line back in 2006 to have a proper modern update of G1 Optimus Prime. As good as some of the "re-interpretations" have been in the Generations lines, no collection is truly complete without a "definitive" Optimus Prime, and this is it. Dare I say it once more, but Earthrise Optimus Prime is truly a "Mini Masterpiece." - Wolfman Jake

Netflix/War for Cybertron Trilogy Deluxe Class Bumblebee. I didn't really think the Earthrise Cliffjumper mold was worth the asking price, but I still got his other 3 reuses at full price, no respect for myself and all that. Do I regret it, not a chance, all of them are great toys and improve upon the original, especially Bumblebee. He gets the distinction of turning into the first licensed vehicle in years (or maybe the first in general?), at least for mainline-ish G1-update toys. Excellent 70's Volkswagen Beetle mode and an extremely fun robot mode. Sweet boy. -notsoalex

Super Megatron elevates the TR Galvatron mold to an amazing level and accomplishes some crazy feats along the way. Never thought we'd see this toy but I'm so glad we did -ScottyP

Netflix Transformers War for Cybertron Spoiler Pack 2# Nemesis Prime. The choice to use the Siege Prime mold with the trailer was inspired, meaning that Nemesis owns the mold for himself. -Zerowolf






Mp-50 Tigatron is the standout. I really love how massive that toy is and how we get a similar looking robot mode to Cheetor's (as it should be) but a totally different transformation. I am really happy Takara did not go the easy way out on this one. william-james88

MPM Ratchet. It only took 13 years to get a decent, screen accurate version of Ratchet, and kibble in altmode aside, it was worth the wait. - Bounti76

MP-50 Tigatron, almost by default! It was a slow year for Masterpiece with most of the releases being repaints. MPM's entries were both ok and Lio Convoy was fun, but Tigatron delivered in every way for me. A complex but not impossibly so transformation, excellent sculpting and a heavy dose of presence make this the real Tiger King. -ScottyP





Transformers: Galaxies comic. I wish this was an ongoing series, because I find it much more engaging and interesting than the main series. - Bounti76

War for Cybertron Trilogy - SIEGE. I liked it. Ditto with EARTHRISE. - Wolfman Jake

Cyberverse Chapter 3/Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures. Woof, what an exciting journey from beginning to end. I forgot what it felt like to have good on-screen Transformers media! IDW2 narrowly made it, but I had to lend it to Cyberverse, especially season 3. This "Chapter" blew me away with a fun team dynamic, actual stakes with threatening villains, great dialogue and storytelling, and an all-around fun time. Looking forward to the Cyberverse TV movies! -notsoalex

Cyberverse Season 3 and nothing else even came to mind. This is possibly the only highlight in an extremely bad year for storytelling in the Transformers universe. Honorable mention to the Transformers manga volumes from Viz as the other bright spot in our darkest hour. -ScottyP

Has to be Transformers Cyberverse Season 3, it upped the ante significantly, and proved that Cyberverse was far from what first impressions made of it. -ZeroWolf

Cyberverse season 3 was a blast. That first half was excellent with a really great take on Hot Rod becoming the hero in the most organic way we have ever seen in Transformers media. I know a lot of fans have been asking for a reboot of G1 and this is it. Plus, since it's a kids show (just as G1 was), it's a great way to introduce your passion to your kids. -william-james88






Cyberverse Clobber. Her transformation is both interesting enough for adults, and easy enough for kids. Plus, I always enjoy fembots who don't look typically feminine. - Bounti76

Cyberverse 1-Step Whirl. This was a hard one as I don't own many easy-to-transform toys, so I chose the only one I own, but it is a really good one. Whirl then, it's a shame his last toy was just fine, not really scratching that MTMTE itch, and surprisingly, this 1-Step does! Cyberverse Whirl himself is a fun guy, thanks to the voice-work of Jeremy Levy, and the toy brings that light hearted-ness! Fun and addictive transformation, certainly a good pick-up. -notsoalex

Cyberverse Battle Call Optimus Prime. I would have loved this to pieces when I was 6. -ScottyP

Rescue Bots Dragster Chase, i will let this picture speak for itself. -william-james88




Worst Transformers Toy of the Year

Any Micromaster. They have extremely limited articulation, limited usability, and they took up peg space that could have been better utilized. The only exception is Blast Master and Fuzer, and only because of their very cool combined mode. - Bounti76

Earthrise Arcee. It's bad, folks. It's better as Netflix Elita One, despite the new shoulder clearance issues introduced with that remold, since it's at least painted adequately. Arcee doesn't even have her face painted to contrast with her white helmet. Even Lifeline, the Paradron Medic, got that much.
- Wolfman Jake

Earthrise Arcee/Netflix Elita 1- these two can share the award, and I just can't square the circle that these were from the same designers as all the other Earthrise toys. Better Arcee toys exist in the Deluxe Class, and no doubt will in the future. -ZeroWolf

Earthrise Quintesson Judge. I don't own the exact toy, I own the superior colored and also pre-assembled WFC Pit of Judgement Judge, though flavoring in what others have said, the Earthrise Judge is not a good toy! I understand the toy isn't supposed to do much, it's a Quintesson Judge, some goofy design that isn't Really Anything after-all, but what they chose to do with it is... boggling. Too much partforming and balancing pieces onto other pieces, and it doesn't even look good! Just keep it in the Judge mode, yeah, at least, IF you can. The horror stories about those faces, yeesh. Feel bad for the folks that spent a ton of time into a toy that comes out as just ok-to-bad. Also, was it asking too much to have all of the faces have moving mouths? I guess so! -notsoalex

Earthrise Arcee for being an action figure strapped to the flimsy shell of a space car. Arcee is a wonderful character but this toy was terrible. -ScottyP

Netflix Elita 1. I know people say it has the better deco but it adds an extra annoyance of limited posing due to remolded shoulders, making a really bad toy become even worse. -william-james88

Chromia, Elita-1, and Arcee 3 pack... best Studio Series toy?!?!?! 100% disagree! They were awful!

Also surprised Studio Series Soundwave (62) didn't show up in the worst list... it is terrible! I'd take Earthrise Arcee over it ANY day!

Happy new year everyone!
Let's hope the future brings us joy,prosperity and Armada Masterpieces!

Day 368 of waiting for Transformers Armada Masterpiece news.

My worst and best votes for 2020 are about nostalgia, in all its roundabout, backhanded, and sometimes totally illogical permutations.

I remember how many decades I wished for an Arcee toy, wondering if there had actually been one in Japan or elsewhere in the days before internet access, then learning how many attempts had almost come to be. Even fan-made attempts so early we weren't saying "3rd Party" yet would get to about the prototype stage and stall indefinitely. Then, as soon as 3P was a thing, TRNS Valkyrie and Delicate Warrior, despite their shortcomings, just meant so much, even their packaging hit an oddly nostalgic note of what might have been and why she was never done, the same way the oddities of the '85 Hasbro mural left me wondering just what other paths the story and characters might have taken to get from foreign parts unknown into my hands...I guess it's an intangible feeling I can't properly explain to anyone else.

And then we DID start getting official TFing Arcees! First Animated as a TRU exclusive (and kudos to CHMS for redecoing her into the Paradron Medic and Chromia; so what if none of them could use their swords without losing a thumb? There are other weapons). Then T30, which I imported the Takara version of before finding that case at Ollie's so I could do Marvel and orange-prototype customs! Then that TR exclusive, satisfying fans who wanted a Headmaster and Blur-redeco version of her! Then that Cyberverse toy that looks weird at first glance, but gets more awesome the more you handle it!

And then Earthrise...a largely G1 accurate Arcee just widely available enough that I could buy all I want at a reasonable price...and it's so horrible in hand that I couldn't care less. A toy so bad that it defies my Arcee nostalgia cycle and just sits there.

So my best toy of the year is my main Christmas present, Super/Ultra Megatron, for somehow conjuring up nostalgia that shouldn't even exist! Sure, I'd never heard of Battlestars until over a decade after the fact, but if they had done Super or Ultra Megs originally, it would've been in '91, which was big for my TF fandom because that's when I collected most of the US Marvel book, and that Christmas my dog just had puppies and I met some distant relatives for the only time and had old friends over for New Years, so in a desolate year when I needed a connection to past holidays, this astounding remold fit the bill perfectly. Add to that his being created from the remains of a fallen Galvatron just like in the story, and what more could you ask for?

Scoty P, your comments regarding Super Megatron made me purchase it just now. Luckily the toy hasn't skyrocketed on the aftermarket yet.

Um... Personal best 2020 figure is Earthrise Snapdragon. Granted, I only acquired 2 2020 releases in total (him and Airwave), but still good.

I'm gonna add best haul and worst miss to the mix.

Best haul of 2020 was probably snagging Cybertron Galvatron off eBay for a total of $41 and change; he hasn't arrived yet but the sale was in 2020.

Worst miss of 2020: not getting Scorponok for Christmas because scalpers.

Scorponok will be mine eventually! I'll wait until February before resorting to evilbay. I'm holding out a slender hope that the TRU near me was just waiting until after New Years to stock him.

My favorite toy is Gigawatt. What a dream come true! There are few other crossovers that could really hit that mark with me and I doubt I'll see another again. He's not perfect, but I don't care.

I'm also glad I decided to grab Super Megatron. He does away with all the problems the TR Galvy mold had. He finally replaced Hegemon as my main Megatron in my display.

While 2020 was pretty rubbish in other regards, I was very fortunate in my collecting this year. I went from 287 this time last year to 310 after Christmas, which is significantly more than gains of previous years. My brother was in the same situation, so I've handled many new figures this year!
Only missed a handful from my yearly wishlist, so those will be my first targets for 2021.

Personal Favourites:
I only got 3 Studio Series releases, Chopper Drift, Jet Shatter, and the Arcee sisters. All are great additions to my collection, although the best standout might be the Arcees just for being the first time Elita 1 was released in proper colours and model. Also scored points for being ROTF nostalgia.

Best Earthrise is definitely the magnificent Sky Lynx, so majestic and commanding in his stature and grace that his nomination needs little explanation. Sky Lynx is one of my sleeper favourites, a bright spot in the otherwise sketchy Season 3 of G1. I'm so glad to finally have a figure of him that represents him so well (and he marked the 300th milestone!).

Best Cyberverse figure is Arcee, by default since I haven't got Thunderhowl yet, and my only other Cyberverse figure is a heavily Customized Gnaw. After owning the Earthrise Arcee mold as Lifeline, I'm glad to have this Arcee to distinguish the characters and to have a representative from the Cyberverse cast.

Other standouts from this year are Spinister, Earthrise Ratchet, the Horrorcons, and Fasttrack.

My favourite pieces of media are the WFC series, especially Earthrise.

Looking forward to another prosperous year in TF collecting, and for society to start getting its footing back! Hope everyone stays safe and has fun in 2021! Bring on the Beasts!

Another year where being a collector outside the US gets harder and harder.

Probably the first year since the line began that I did not get a Masterpiece figure, simply because of the price increase which I simply couldn't justify.

A year where we got a third season of Cyberverse which was a dramatic step up from from the first season it wasn't funny. Kudos to Rooster Teeth and Hasbro for balancing out the year with not one, but two seasons for a disappointing War for Cybertron cartoon.

IDW continues to ... hell I don't know what IDW are doing. The main book just seems to drag on and on but their sidekick/tie-in books augment and actually elevate the story.

Toy wise, well, I first got Sleepy Mode Optimus Prime and was blown away by the figure, having missed the Siege Optimus Prime (until I got the mold in the form of Nemesis Prime) I was incredibly impressed with it. Easily one of the best figures for the year. (I also ended up getting the regular release of Siege Optimus Prime)

Another stand out figure for the year was Scorponok. FINALLY it felt like Hasbro got things right with the Titan class and a modern update of a G1 figure/character. Don't get me wrong, they did okay with Omega Supreme and Trypticon, failed miserably with Metroplex and Fortress Maximus, but Scorponok is spot on in every way. He's big, imposing, and looks fantastic in both modes.

Rounding out the stand out figures is Super Megatron. I absolutely LOVE the robot mode. It evokes what Megatron should be, imposing and powerful. The alt mode leaves a lot to be desired, but that robot mode encompasses the character perfectly.

For the personal collection, I completed a G1 Ultra Magnus for my UM collection. I already had a complete UM which can now reside with the G1 bots. Completing a G1 figure bit by bit is never fun, but I got incredibly lucky with this project.

But the standout acquisition for me this year was the Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime stamps that I snagged off e-Bay.

They're obscure (it's not easy finding info on them), ridiculous, but cool!

So as far as 2021 goes, I think the biggest purchase a lot of us will be making this year will be Unicron. I look forward to a photo to be posted in my local Pokemon Go chat group of Unicron waiting to be collected from my local EB Games, one of the workers there is also in the chat and she knows I'm okay with her contacting me that way when things arrive. Looking at the box I may have to borrow my father's car as it won't fit in mine and I don't particularly want to strap it into the back of the work ute.

Otherwise I don't think I'll be picking up much of the modern stuff, partly due to lack of interest, partly due to things becoming more and more exclusive, and I only have one store locally that is taking forever to restock, I could travel further afield but my health doesn't particulary permit that ... nor does my wallet.

So onward we go!

2020 served as a wakeup call for me as a collector. I won't get into details here, I'll share the changes in the Collection Habits thread in a little while.

As for the categories presented, I can only speak to sone of them.

I haven't seen Cyberverse nor handled any of the figures.

I only got to handle some SS figures, and of the ones I did, I must say Voyager Sentinel Prime was the best. Initially I was skeptical, but in-hand this figure is 5-star.

Best Earthrise toy for me is Scorponok. Sky Lynx was fun to mess with, but Scorpy outshines him by sheer size, accuracy, and just fun playability. I do hope that down the line we get either a leader or commander version, to represent his G1 comics self. I must give a shout-out to both Optimus and Starscream as well. The best representations of 2 very highly-scrutinized characters. And considering how many toys these 2 have gotten over the years, that's saying something.

The best retailer exclusive for me is Netflix Soundwave. An improvement over an already solid figure, he truly fits the term "mini-MP." The cassettes are a plus, even if I don't care for them either way. I will also give Netflix Bee honorary mention, just because I was very happy when I found him. I believe that outside the MPs, this is the 1st Bee we have gotten that's an official VW Bug. He looks great.

Best retool is also Netflix Soundwave, see above for reasons.

Best MP for me is none of the new ones, as I don't collect the line. I do have a few, and the 2 I got this past year were MP-17 and MP-18B. I love the Datsun mold in MP form, it's too bad an actual blue Bluestreak doesn't come in the WFC line.

For me the best media piece in 2020 was TF'84: Secrets & Lies. I actually liked Earthrise very much, but I grew up on the G1 comics and seeing those stories and that gorgeous art come back to life was a thrill, even if Furman has lost a few steps creatively. I hope we get more and soon. Plenty of stories to tell.

I can't comment on best figure for children, I didn't pay attention.

Worst figure of the year? Huh. That's kind of a toughie, I never really disliked any figures I bought. Overall, including figures I didn't purchase, I'll say the most disappointing was the 1st spoiler pack. Of course, we didn't understand it was supposed to be Dead Magnus when it first showed up, and to me even after it seemed a waste of a slot. A lot of other meaningful figures could have had it.

I would like to add a few categories of my own:

Most Anticipated Figure of 2021.

Obviously, 95% will say Unicron, but I'm in the remaining 5%. Not that I have a big problem with it, but it's just not as good as it's being hyped up, not from pictures and short videos I've seen so far. For me, most anticipated is quickly becoming the Titan Class Ark. I doubt I'll transform it much, but it'll be great to finally have an Ark, even if it's the ugly cartoon yellow version instead of the silver metallic G1 comic version. I'm also psyched about the Galvatron coming up, both cartoon and toy versions.

Most Anticipated Piece of Media of 2021.

Obviously it's going to be the Kingdom part of WFC. Will it be it's own story? Will it be *gasp* a prequel for Beast Wars? But as I said, if IDW surprises us with another trip down G1 Marvel memory lane, I'd be ecstatic. And again I'd be in the 5% minority.

Rodimus Prime wrote:
The best retailer exclusive for me is Netflix Soundwave. An improvement over an already solid figure, he truly fits the term "mini-MP." The cassettes are a plus, even if I don't care for them either way. I will also give Netflix Bee honorary mention, just because I was very happy when I found him. I believe that outside the MPs, this is the 1st Bee we have gotten that's an official VW Bug. He looks great.

There were a dozen official VW bug Bumblebee toys released 2 years ago to go with the film.

william-james88 wrote:Scoty P, your comments regarding Super Megatron made me purchase it just now. Luckily the toy hasn't skyrocketed on the aftermarket yet.

Nice! It's so well done, you're gonna dig it. I also think it shows potential for further retooling/repainting into Tarn.

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:
The best retailer exclusive for me is Netflix Soundwave. An improvement over an already solid figure, he truly fits the term "mini-MP." The cassettes are a plus, even if I don't care for them either way. I will also give Netflix Bee honorary mention, just because I was very happy when I found him. I believe that outside the MPs, this is the 1st Bee we have gotten that's an official VW Bug. He looks great.

There were a dozen official VW bug Bumblebee toys released 2 years ago to go with the film.

Do they count as Generations representing G1?

Rodimus Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:
The best retailer exclusive for me is Netflix Soundwave. An improvement over an already solid figure, he truly fits the term "mini-MP." The cassettes are a plus, even if I don't care for them either way. I will also give Netflix Bee honorary mention, just because I was very happy when I found him. I believe that outside the MPs, this is the 1st Bee we have gotten that's an official VW Bug. He looks great.

There were a dozen official VW bug Bumblebee toys released 2 years ago to go with the film.

Do they count as Generations representing G1?

Why would that matter? You never mentioned that bit.

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:
The best retailer exclusive for me is Netflix Soundwave. An improvement over an already solid figure, he truly fits the term "mini-MP." The cassettes are a plus, even if I don't care for them either way. I will also give Netflix Bee honorary mention, just because I was very happy when I found him. I believe that outside the MPs, this is the 1st Bee we have gotten that's an official VW Bug. He looks great.

There were a dozen official VW bug Bumblebee toys released 2 years ago to go with the film.

Do they count as Generations representing G1?

Why would that matter? You never mentioned that bit.

Yeah I should have. The WFC line belongs in Generations, right? We haven't had an official VW in Generations before Netflix Bee. The MP was the only one.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:
The best retailer exclusive for me is Netflix Soundwave. An improvement over an already solid figure, he truly fits the term "mini-MP." The cassettes are a plus, even if I don't care for them either way. I will also give Netflix Bee honorary mention, just because I was very happy when I found him. I believe that outside the MPs, this is the 1st Bee we have gotten that's an official VW Bug. He looks great.

There were a dozen official VW bug Bumblebee toys released 2 years ago to go with the film.

Do they count as Generations representing G1?

Why would that matter? You never mentioned that bit.

Yeah I should have. The WFC line belongs in Generations, right? We haven't had an official VW in Generations before Netflix Bee. The MP was the only one.

Sure. But studio series is also generations fyi. And the G1 reissue of Bee from Walmart was also officially licensed. So lots of VW licences going around.

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:
The best retailer exclusive for me is Netflix Soundwave. An improvement over an already solid figure, he truly fits the term "mini-MP." The cassettes are a plus, even if I don't care for them either way. I will also give Netflix Bee honorary mention, just because I was very happy when I found him. I believe that outside the MPs, this is the 1st Bee we have gotten that's an official VW Bug. He looks great.

There were a dozen official VW bug Bumblebee toys released 2 years ago to go with the film.

Do they count as Generations representing G1?

Why would that matter? You never mentioned that bit.

Yeah I should have. The WFC line belongs in Generations, right? We haven't had an official VW in Generations before Netflix Bee. The MP was the only one.

Sure. But studio series is also generations fyi. And the G1 reissue of Bee from Walmart was also officially licensed. So lots of VW licences going around.

I forgot about the Wal-Mart Bee. Probably because he's too small. And actually no I never thought about how SS is classified. I just thought of it as on its own. What I should have said at the beginning was "Besides the MP we haven't had an official licensed VW Bug representing G1 Bee until Netflix." Yeah, it would have been wrong if you count the G1 reissue, but I was really thinking deluxe sized figures. Anyway to me the Netflix figure still blows all the SS Bees out of the water, be it Jeep, WW2, VW or Camaro. I'm not saying they're bad figures (some of them are), I'm just saying Netflix Bee is better.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:
The best retailer exclusive for me is Netflix Soundwave. An improvement over an already solid figure, he truly fits the term "mini-MP." The cassettes are a plus, even if I don't care for them either way. I will also give Netflix Bee honorary mention, just because I was very happy when I found him. I believe that outside the MPs, this is the 1st Bee we have gotten that's an official VW Bug. He looks great.

There were a dozen official VW bug Bumblebee toys released 2 years ago to go with the film.

Do they count as Generations representing G1?

Why would that matter? You never mentioned that bit.

Yeah I should have. The WFC line belongs in Generations, right? We haven't had an official VW in Generations before Netflix Bee. The MP was the only one.

Sure. But studio series is also generations fyi. And the G1 reissue of Bee from Walmart was also officially licensed. So lots of VW licences going around.

I forgot about the Wal-Mart Bee. Probably because he's too small. And actually no I never thought about how SS is classified. I just thought of it as on its own. What I should have said at the beginning was "Besides the MP we haven't had an official licensed VW Bug representing G1 Bee until Netflix." Yeah, it would have been wrong if you count the G1 reissue, but I was really thinking deluxe sized figures. Anyway to me the Netflix figure still blows all the SS Bees out of the water, be it Jeep, WW2, VW or Camaro. I'm not saying they're bad figures (some of them are), I'm just saying Netflix Bee is better.

And I'd say you'd be right. It's crazy how Bee has the most ymtoys in studio series and none are standouts. I'd say the best would be the jeep.
Anyways, you made me think of a good idea for 2 lists. Too 5 licenced VW bees and top 5 licenced Chevrolet bees. Then again, I have a top 5 movie bees list that predates the bee movie so that Chevrolet list is basically already done.

It's hard to believe that I've been a member here for almost a year now. I didn't buy many TFs in 2020, so my experiences are more limited than many on the boards, but I did get a few of my biggest TF wishes granted this last year.

Best Studio Series toy: Roadbuster. The best representation of the character we've gotten and an all-around good toy. I especially like the headsculpt, it's extremely detailed and quite expressive. I've wanted a new deluxe Roadbuster for a long time (the DotM deluxe is terrible imo), so this was a big wish fulfilled.

Best Earthrise toy: Wheeljack. I've only gotten two figures from ER, but Wheeljack still manages to stand out. He's just a lot of fun, and the detail on his alt mode is fantastic. I'll also give a shoutout to Runamuck and Runabout. Actually obtainable battlechargers have been at the top of my wish list for years, and Earthrise finally delivered. Well, kind of, since I've only been able to find Runabout and soon Runamuck will be just as unobtainable as the collector's club versions. sigh

Best Retailer Exclusive: Studio Series Leadfoot. I actually think he's a bit better than Roadbuster, but I wanted to give them both a chance in the spotlight. He's a great figure with a lot of personality. They really nailed the robot proportions this time around. The Steeljaw figure was a great touch. Plus, being a Target exclusive meant he was able to have his Target logos. Being able to finally complete the Wreckers was pretty awesome.

Best Redeco/Retool: Netflix Hotlink. Sure, it's not the greatest Hotlink deco, but it looks pretty cool, especially the alt mode with all its scorch marks. And best of all, it makes for a good budget Skywarp.

Best Piece of Transformers Media: War for Cybertron Trilogy - Siege. Pretty mediocre, but I haven't watched/read any other Transformers media this last year, so it's Siege by default. I'm sure Cyberverse season 3 would be here if I had gotten around to watching it.

Worst Transformers Toy of the Year: I haven't bought any figures this year the I would consider bad (I've thoroughly avoided ER Arcee), so I'm giving this award to product distribution in general. It's been terrible all year, and it pretty much destroyed waves 2 and 3 of ER. Hopefully the pandemic (and its effect on distribution) will improve in 2021.

I haven't handled any Cyberverse or Masterpiece toys this last year, so I can't really offer an opinion on those.

I'll also give a special shoutout to Siege Soundwave, who I randomly found in stores a year after release and have been loving ever since.

Here's hoping for a better 2021!

The year turned out pretty good TF wise. Could have been better, but it was still a decent year.

Best Cyberverse - Gonna call it for Maccadam, that is one fun figure that is such a joy to have and is great fun to play with.

Best SS figure - Devastator was always going to win this one, my dream has been fulfilled, and he is great. I really love it!!!

Best ER - I think Doubledealer will edge out Sky Lynx for that one. He is so fun, a favorite of mine, and archangel mode is the best. Long Live Doubledealer!

Best Retailer figure - Gotta be Leadfoot and Runabout, Target exclusives. Both are incredibly fun figures that finish sets but are great standalones. Both are excellent

Best redeco - Selects Spinout and Cordon win that category, the base mold is good, but the colors they use cranks it up. They are fantastic and everyone should get them and skip Sunstreaker.

Best MP - MPM Ratchet will win this year, that's a fun toy and a great package overall. Could use some improvements but he was a great package deal

Best Media - Cyberverse Season 3 easily defeats almost every other work of TF fiction that has come out since the end of IDW Phase 1. That is how you reinvent transformers using familiar but in new ways material along with brand new stuff. Yay Dead End, clobber, and Whirl!

Best Kid toy - 1-step Whirl, what a joy to behold. Get him you guys

Worst toy - Of the ones I got, gotta give it to any of the Micromasters or the Quintesson. All of them are far overpriced for the limited joy the provided

Edit: I didn’t mean to disrupt the format this thread had going so far, but the only figures I got this year were Studio Series so I figured I’d do something like this.

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10. Studio Series Arcee, Chromia, and Elita-1

Accurate versions of the Arcee triplets from Revenge of the Fallen are something that I've wanted in my collection for a long time. Even though these figures share a lot of parts, I think it's really cool that they all have different vehicle modes and slightly different transformations. They're admittedly pretty fiddly, but they're incredibly well detailed, screen accurate, and I'm really happy to add them to my collection this year.

9. Studio Series Mixmaster

I've been wanting a figure of Mixmaster ever since the boss fight where you fight Mixmaster as Ironhide in the console game for Dark of the Moon. While there are some compromises to allow for combined mode, I think it's really impressive how accurate they were able to get both robot and vehicle mode. The wide range of movement in the arms and shoulders is also really appreciated!

8. Studio Series Roadbuster

Finally debuting his armored-up vehicle mode in the deluxe size class, Roadbuster was a very welcome addition to my movie Autobots. It does have some issues, like a pretty big backpack, but this figure really does look like the character we see on screen in DOTM. Repainting this figure was very challenging, but introduced me to a lot of new techniques and it’s one of my favorite projects that I’ve done.

7. Studio Series Soundwave (Dark of the Moon)

Even though my copy had some QC issues out of the box, I do really like this figure. Lazerbeak is a nice addition, and I really like how bulky they got the figure to be, even at the deluxe scale. Soundwave is up there with Helicopter Dropkick as my favorite deluxe Decepticons of the line.

6. Studio Series Scrapper

Even if you're not completing Studio Series Devastator, I think Scrapper is the Constructicon I'd have to recommend the most. While vehicle mode is a little rough, robot mode is almost perfectly screen accurate, posable, and really fun. Scrapper is among the more conventional looking of the Constructicons, but still has that movie complexity and uniqueness that I really enjoy.

5. Studio Series Scavenger
(No robot mode pics of this one yet)
Scavenger and Demolishor's design in Revenge of the Fallen has always been one of my favorites: It's incredibly unique, super cool, and a little crazy. This figure captures that design very well while still turning into an upper torso for Devastator. I do wish the wheels could freely rotate around the center like what we see in the movie, but I can understand that being pretty much impossible to integrate while still combining.

4. Studio Series Leadfoot

I'm so, so glad this figure is as good as it is. With the original deluxe figure not getting a release outside of Japan (much like Soundwave), Studio Series finally delivered a new version this year. Leadfoot includes all of his weapons seen on screen in the movie (unlike Roadbuster), and even includes Steeljaw, a nice reference to DOTM concept art and the previous Human Alliance Leadfoot figure.

3. Studio Series Sentinel Prime

I may not have forgiven this character for what he did to Ironhide, but I have to admit this figure is one of Studio Series' best. The transformation has some very clever sections, like how the sides of the fire truck wrap around to form the chest, and how the interior of the legs rotate. While I do wish it had more weapons, the use of some of the side panels to make the swords is pretty cool.

2. Studio Series Jetfire

Behold, the eternal glory of Jetfire! A little bit of personal history here - I was actually in the Air and Space museum where ROTF was filmed not long before the movie was released in theaters. I got a picture with the SR-71 Blackbird there - not realizing the identity of that Blackbird in the film until later! I also got to meet Mark Ryan (Jetfire's voice actor) in 2019, so after meeting Jetfire in person I really wanted to track down this figure. I was very surprised (but happy!) to find this figure last year after a long absence from store shelves, and it really is a well done figure. SR-71 mode is spectacular, and even the Skunkworks logos and markings on the fins are accurate! Robot mode is likewise great. This figure does combine, but you can tell that they prioritized Jetfire being its own figure over the combination, which I think was a good call.

1. Studio Series Bumblebee (2007 Camaro)

As a long time connoisseur of movie Bumblebee figures, this one has really blown me away. There's a lot of influences on this figure from prior Bees - most directly with the updated TLK and SS 76 Camaro Bees, but there's even some parts that are very similar to DOTM Nitro Bumblebee! The biggest upgrade to this figure in particular is the chest area. Most Bumblebees since 2007 have used the entire width of the vehicle mode grill as the chest in robot mode, but this figure does an excellent job of compressing the chest by separating the headlight/foglight section from the middle section of the grill. This gives SS-49 an even more accurate chest section than the MPM - it's honestly perfect. There's a lot of other things too, such as the bulked-up forearms and new plasma cannon that doesn't require you to remove Bee's arms, but I really could talk about this figure all day. I love it, and I plan on buying the recent ROTF remold as soon as I can.

EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:Edit: I didn’t mean to disrupt the format this thread had going so far, but the only figures I got this year were Studio Series so I figured I’d do something like this.
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Not at all, I'll add to it, though through a bit of brainstorming. An easy way of filtering out the year is by thinking of the figures that come to mind when I try to remember what I bought this year so there's...

MP Tigatron

Earthrise Seekers

MPM Starscream

Earthrise Scorponok

Earthrise Snap Dragon

Netflix Soundwave

Netflix Bumblebee

Netflix Optimus Prime

Cyberverse Arcee

Studio Series Scrapper

Studio Series Movie 1 Megatron

Studio Series Sentinel Prime

Studio Series Jet Shatter

Studio Series Jeep Bumblebee

Studio Series Roadbuster

Now to thin out the list...

I don't collect all the lines, so I'm game for a top 10.

All my bots are in alt mode right now for some basement organizing so I have a group shot of the standouts of 2020.



10 Takara Selects Scylla (and God Neptune/King Poseidon)
Okay so I'm cheating on this one. I really cant's pick either combiner as my favorite as I love everything Takara did with the mold re-use. I love the unified colors of God Neptune just as much as the 90's neon chaos of the Seacons, plus the extra member. I was amazed at how Takara went about re-tooling things from the previous molds. Scylla gets the official slot here simply for the lever of re-work needed to get from Moonracer to Tentakill and then bringing back some femininity for Scylla.

9 ER Skywarp
Another cheat, but not as bad. Skywarp was my first transformers Deception back in 84 and has always been my favorite seeker, so he gets this spot, but it could easily be any of the others. Just an outstanding mold and update from the classics deluxe.

8 Scrapper
Alright, enough cheating. SS Devy is fun but didn't blow me away, plus I didn't receive all of his components in 2020. Scrapper on the other hand did blow me away. I would easily buy him even if I would never have a chance to complete Devy. I think he has the best transformation of all the constructicons. I've always loved from end loaders and while his scoop isn't the greatest with his claw hand hiding out behind his spatula hand, I love that it actually raises and lowers as well as dumps.

7 ER Sky Lynx
Magnificence, nothing else really to say. Outstanding modes, lots of fun no matter which mode it is in.

6 Netflix Nemesis Prime
This is a great redeco of Siege Prime who I love, and sweetened with a trailer, which I love for city building purposes (yeah I know it isn't a great trailer). Even better for me is that I really like the Siege Prime mold, but like the ER mold just a little better. Netflix Nemesis Prime lets me kick Siege OP to the curb (sell on eBay) while still keeping the mold.

5 Gigawatt
I'm not that big on the crossovers, pre-ordered Ectorton twice but cancelled both times, pre-ordered Maverick and cancelled, didn't even bother with X-Men. I actually pre-ordered Gigawatt can cancelled him as well. But when I had most of my buying completed for the year and still didn't use the Target 25% off 1 item coupon I said why not. Whew, thank god I did because he is my favorite use of the mold so far. He also barely qualified for this list being delivered on New Year's Eve.

4 Prime Breakdown
This is the toy I didn't know I wanted. I never collected the Prime or previous animated lines so I went into this figure blind, other than what I've read on this site. I just loved the beefy look to him and the alt mode as well. I'm very glad I did as he is a really fun figure. I love the transformation, which is my biggest draw in a TF.

3 Runabout
I think this is my favorite deluxe mold of the year. Just a really fun transformation and solid in both modes. The color scheme for Runabout put him above his mold mate for me.

2 SS6 Starscream
This figure is outstanding and ended up being my gateway drug into the SS line. Before I had Screamer, I was very selective on movie bots only going after the SS Constructicons, the Cogman and Nitro Zeus molds for bodies for extra Titan Masters, and a handful of cool alt modes like WWII Bee and Car Dropkick. The only reason I purchased Starscream in the first place was because the Meijer near me typically has terribly old stock and had a BOGO 50% sale. I forget what, but I was already getting something non-TF that qualified for the sale and was $30, so I said, why not? That opened the floodgates and puts Screamer number 2 on the list.

1 ER Optimus Prime
I believe Hasbro might have achieved as perfect a G1 Prime as I am willing to pay for (i.e. non MP). While the trailer isn't great, I'm glad they included it as I also like it for city building purposes. The figure and transformation are just outstanding and lots of fun even with some of the weird design choices of re-using the Siege molds legs.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:4 Prime Breakdown
This is the toy I didn't know I wanted. I never collected the Prime or previous animated lines so I went into this figure blind, other than what I've read on this site. I just loved the beefy look to him and the alt mode as well. I'm very glad I did as he is a really fun figure. I love the transformation, which is my biggest draw in a TF.

Oh man if transformation is your biggest draw to a TF (it's mine too, by the way), then the Prime line is for you. As you can now attest, it has transformation schemes that are still incredible to this day. Not much has wowed me as much since, aside from the RID 2015 decepticons, because a lot of the bots coming out today use similar transformations that we are used to with just some new tricks here and there. But with Prime, it was all new. Even with Optimus who usually has a samey transformation. His feet are actually part of the cab. Then you had Arcee where the front of the bike splits to become her chest, and Bulkhead who just reconfigures all his car panels into a ball, morphing completely. It's really one heck of a line.