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With the holiday season now in full swing, I wanted to write a quick guide for parents, or grandparents or relatives of kids who like Transformers. If you are at the store and not sure what to get, here are some toys that I'd recommend based on value, quality, age appropriateness and presentation (something that looks good as a present), which is more important this time of year. And if you are a life partner of a Transformers fan, and knows what they have and don't have, well just skip to the end. We will break it down by tight age categories (though there is some overlap) since when it comes to younger kids, the products vary wildly for what is too complex or too babyish. And remember, these are simply recommendations for those who are not sure what to get.

For 2-3 year old, I would recommend either Rescue Bots Dinobot Adventures Optimus Prime or the Rescue Bots Dinobots 3 pack. Both are terrific toy for young kids. Optimus Turns in one step into a t-ex and he has an Ankylosaurus friend which swiftly becomes a shield for him in robot mode.



This product may not be in your area so I am also recommending this 3 pack that can currently be purchased on Amazon.com. It has a nice variety including a robot that turns into a 2 headed dragon, a t-rex that turns into a motorcycle and a robot that turns into a Stegosaurus. All three transform in just 1 step and can easily be done by someone as young as 2. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Transformers-F29 ... TOY_FIGURE



For 4-6 years old, I would recommend the roll and combine Slugatron toy from Cyberverse. You get 2 characters, it's not too complex, the combiner mode looks good and the gimmick is fun. Also not too pricey. Overall, it's a good package and looks great as a Christmas gift. We have a video review for you to check out below and here is the link to the item on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Bum ... TOY_FIGURE







For 6-9 years old I would recommend Cyberverse deluxe Soundwave (remember, deluxe Soundwave, not warrior Soundwave, which is not a good toy) since he's a main character of the current show, has a good transformation which is challenging enough for this age group and is basically 2 bots in one due to Laserbeak, a bird that transforms into a cassette that stores in his chest. There is a review below. There are no longer any copies available online for the retail price, but he could still be found in stores.



Another option would be Cyberverse deluxe Slug, who also looks great and has a fun transformation, and is especially fun for a kid who likes dinosaurs since he turns into a robotic Triceratops. He is also readily available on Amazon right now https://www.amazon.com/Transformers-TRA ... TOY_FIGURE



Now, for older fans, there is one hot toy this year that most fans want (especially anyone over 30) but not all are willing to spend their money on. And that is Rodimus Prime from the Kingdom line. The toy is fantastic, and the best official representation we have ever gotten of the leader of the Autobots once Optimus died. The reason why many fans hesitate over this toy though is the price. It is $80 USD, so not cheap, and he isn't big either (he is made to scale with all the other figures). But that's why gift giving is so fun. I know that while I may not want to spend all that money myself, I would never say no to finding it under the Christmas tree. And if ever you aren't sure if they have it or not, just keep the receipt. Here is the link to this toy on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Toy ... B08D6T2R6W
And here is the link for this toy at Walmart.com https://www.walmart.com/ip/Transformers ... /410445526

Core/Legend class,from Kingdom or the previous lines.
Most of the cast in the same size,with simple,but still interesting transformations.The small cost allows you to buy multiple toys,which is very cool for a gift.
And if you want to be extra cool,you buy these small guys alongside a titan class toy,which makes the scale even more impressive.

Admittedly, I would have a hard time dropping $80+ for Kingdom Rodimus, but a couple of weeks ago, I discovered the Masters of the Universe Origins Castle Grayskull on target.com, which I had been looking for, and after adding to cart, I saw that they were running a Buy 1 get 1 50% off sale, so searching through applicable toys on the site, I came across Kingdom Rodimus online which was about the same price as Grayskull so it qualified for the promo, so I immediately added it to the cart and purchased it (using my Red Card which added an additional 5% discount to the order). Having it in hand now, it is a great figure but still not sure if it's worth $80+, but definitely worth the $40 I paid for it.

So - people 'aren't willing to spend $80 for Rodimus', eh? Is THAT why it's constantly sold out on Hasbro Pulse and everywhere else? Except for Amazon and Ebay where you can enjoy the markups?

Saying something is sold out on Hasbro Pulse is like saying the sky is blue. Their stock count is ridiculously low for being the brand site. As for being sold out everywhere else unless it's a markup, you just aren't looking hard enough:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Transformers ... /410445526
https://www.target.com/p/transformers-g ... nk=sametab
https://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Toy ... 266&sr=8-2
https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/product/ ... TRA-157262
https://www.entertainmentearth.com/product/HSF1153

DeathReviews wrote:So - people 'aren't willing to spend $80 for Rodimus', eh? Is THAT why it's constantly sold out on Hasbro Pulse and everywhere else? Except for Amazon and Ebay where you can enjoy the markups?

Come on Death, I thought with your fabled powers, you could at least look a bit harder. He's literally available in a load of other places for just shy of $80. You could have at least clicked the links in the article.

Availability seems to be subjective by region, because he's nowhere to be found in some places that's for darn sure. But, I'll concede the point that there ARE places where you CAN buy Kingdom Rodimus at retail price, or really close to it.

(Kingdom Rodimus) is a figure most fans want (especially anyone over 30) but aren't willing to spend their money on...

My overall point was that it's not really accurate to say that customers 'aren't willing to spend' $80 for Rodimus, because they very clearly ARE....

I think you've got to let this one go as there are fans who are also NOT willing to pay $80 for the figure. Whether it is "most" or not, there is no way of knowing but considering it is readily available to be shipped online regardless of region at regular price, it does not look like the demand is so high that you couldn't get one right now if you wanted one. That's assuming you are in the U.S. Maybe you aren't, then you can have that.

DeathReviews wrote:Availability seems to be subjective by region, because he's nowhere to be found in some places that's for darn sure. But, I'll concede the point that there ARE places where you CAN buy Kingdom Rodimus at retail price, or really close to it.

(Kingdom Rodimus) is a figure most fans want (especially anyone over 30) but aren't willing to spend their money on...

My overall point was that it's not really accurate to say that customers 'aren't willing to spend' $80 for Rodimus, because they very clearly ARE....

Now it's my turn to concede, Death, English being my second language I realize the sentence may not convey exactly what I had in mind. I was trying to shorten two thoughts. One being that most fans above 30 would want this toy (or at least not say no to one as a gift) and that not all were willing to pay 80$ for it.

Then we're ALL wrong! . Or, we're all right, depending on your attitude....

william-james88 wrote:(remember, deluxe Soundwave, not warrior Soundwave, which is not a good toy)

I mean, he's not that bad? at all?

The only thing he really lacks is a bicep and head swivel, and he makes up for it with a neat, character-specific gimmick.

The bot mode also doesn't have this massive chunk of kibble hanging off his ass. Overall, it's a perfectly fine toy to reccommend, certainly one of the highlights of the Warrior sizeclass.

Thank you for posting this. I remember a post like this from last year which gave me some ideas for the kids

I don't get the Commander Class designation for Rodimus Prime. As far as I can tell it shouldn't cost more than a Leader Class like Optimus Prime, which also came with a trailer and is roughly the same size in robot mode. For $80 this is a pass for me. For $40 or $50 I'd definitely consider it as I don't have a Rodimus Prime in my collection.

That said, I was definitely willing to shell out $80 for Jetfire and Sky Lynx. Those are big, beefy, and fun figures!

Thank you for posting this. I remember a post like this from last year which gave me some ideas for the kids

I don't get the Commander Class designation for Rodimus Prime. As far as I can tell it shouldn't cost more than a Leader Class like Optimus Prime, which also came with a trailer and is roughly the same size in robot mode. For $80 this is a pass for me. For $40 or $50 I'd definitely consider it as I don't have a Rodimus Prime in my collection.

That said, I was definitely willing to shell out $80 for Jetfire and Sky Lynx. Those are big, beefy, and fun figures!

You bring up a good point. Jetfire and Sky Lynx FEEL like commander class. When you hold them in hand, there is definitely a sense of where the money is going. Whereas, Rodimus feels small in comparison. I understand the intricacy of the transformation adds costs and things like having the separate index finger joint also adds costs but it still doesn't feel like $80. The trailer is large but there's not much too it. Like you said, Optimus at leader price came with a trailer and I am not impressed with Rodimus's trailer any more than what Optimus came with. I see this one possibly getting markdowns in the future after the holiday.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:Thank you for posting this. I remember a post like this from last year which gave me some ideas for the kids

I don't get the Commander Class designation for Rodimus Prime. As far as I can tell it shouldn't cost more than a Leader Class like Optimus Prime, which also came with a trailer and is roughly the same size in robot mode. For $80 this is a pass for me. For $40 or $50 I'd definitely consider it as I don't have a Rodimus Prime in my collection.

That said, I was definitely willing to shell out $80 for Jetfire and Sky Lynx. Those are big, beefy, and fun figures!

The difference is in the complexity of the toys, not the size. I personally don't like it, but I do understand it. For starters, the Leader OP trailer as as bare bones as you can get. Also keep in mind that to barely make it for Leader price, then had to re-use parts from Siege OP.

RP is a complete new mold, with twice as much material going into the trailer than leader OP did. On top of this, the figure itself is a bit more complex than OP. I'm honestly not sure RP alone without the trailer would fit Hasbro's budget for leader class.

Edit: Also, you may not realize it, but you have already somewhat accepted this practice of smaller but more complex figures equaling the next size class already with your accepting of OP as a leader class. ER OP is a voyager size bot, that is more complex than the voyager class allows, so they gave him enough trailer to fill our the leader class price point. RP is just Hasbro pushing this 1 step farther.

blakeberrins wrote:Saying something is sold out on Hasbro Pulse is like saying the sky is blue. Their stock count is ridiculously low for being the brand site.

Hasbro's direct-to-consumer brand site is relatively young, and it doesn't do nearly the volume that the big box retailers do. With the notable exception of Lego, most other toy retailer D2C sites aren't even managed by the brand. To my knowledge, Hasbro, Mattel, Super7, and NECA all use Shopify fulfillment. I love Pulse and even pay the subscription fee, but comparing it to other retailers is apples-to-oranges.

Hasbro's direct-to-consumer brand site is relatively young, and it doesn't do nearly the volume that the big box retailers do. With the notable exception of Lego, most other toy retailer D2C sites aren't even managed by the brand. To my knowledge, Hasbro, Mattel, Super7, and NECA all use Shopify fulfillment. I love Pulse and even pay the subscription fee, but comparing it to other retailers is apples-to-oranges.

Case in point, DeathReviews using Hasbro Pulse being sold out as a gauge that the product is in great demand is not accurate. Like you said, apples-to-oranges.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:Thank you for posting this. I remember a post like this from last year which gave me some ideas for the kids

I don't get the Commander Class designation for Rodimus Prime. As far as I can tell it shouldn't cost more than a Leader Class like Optimus Prime, which also came with a trailer and is roughly the same size in robot mode. For $80 this is a pass for me. For $40 or $50 I'd definitely consider it as I don't have a Rodimus Prime in my collection.

That said, I was definitely willing to shell out $80 for Jetfire and Sky Lynx. Those are big, beefy, and fun figures!

The logic is simple: Hasbro simply can't give us this much at Leader price nowadays.

My POV on RP is that it's nearly MP-10 era Masterpiece level of engineering at today's Commander Class price point. Is it perfect? Not really. Its lazily designed gun/rifle can't store inside the trailer, and Hasbro could have included a fishing rod for Hot Rod as an accessory to replace any of the various flame effects. However I'd argue it's the most fun to transform & pose of the 3 Commanders. That make the price much easier to swallow as we can't just compare size/plastic weight at a similar Class anymore.

cloudballoon wrote:

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:Thank you for posting this. I remember a post like this from last year which gave me some ideas for the kids

I don't get the Commander Class designation for Rodimus Prime. As far as I can tell it shouldn't cost more than a Leader Class like Optimus Prime, which also came with a trailer and is roughly the same size in robot mode. For $80 this is a pass for me. For $40 or $50 I'd definitely consider it as I don't have a Rodimus Prime in my collection.

That said, I was definitely willing to shell out $80 for Jetfire and Sky Lynx. Those are big, beefy, and fun figures!

The logic is simple: Hasbro simply can't give us this much at Leader price nowadays.

My POV on RP is that it's nearly MP-10 era Masterpiece level of engineering at today's Commander Class price point. Is it perfect? Not really. Its lazily designed gun/rifle can't store inside the trailer, and Hasbro could have included a fishing rod for Hot Rod as an accessory to replace any of the various flame effects. However I'd argue it's the most fun to transform & pose of the 3 Commanders. That make the price much easier to swallow as we can't just compare size/plastic weight at a similar Class anymore.

That MP 10 is a great example. Kingdom Rodimus Prime is even more complex than MP 10 and the trailer is just a little shy of being comparative in terms of complexity/parts count. So it evens out. And no one had a problem spending 100-150 on MP-10. It's really just a branding issue. If instead of being called Kingdom Commander Rodimus prime, the exact same toy costing the exact same price came out as Gen MP Rodimus Prime (a new line offering MP level engineering for the Gen scale), it would have sold no problem at 80$. At least, that's what I think. There could even be praise for the price being less than 100$ for this MP level package.

I wanted to do a 2022 gift guide but sadly, a lot of my recomendations come from the Earthspark line whch is great for kids but they are not out in the US yet. That the US has is basically the same thing I'd recomend above (those rescue bot toys and Cyberverse deluxes)