The Energon Pub

Sabrblade wrote:

Black Hat wrote:Yes, this is a list I can get behind! Late to the party as always but oh well.

For my money, Transmetal Waspinator is a superb insect toy. The robot mode is perhaps a bit weak but that wasp mode, oh man! Also he had a vehicle mode that actually looked kinda cool.

To me, Transmetal Waspinator is a figure that would be cooler than it is if it wasn't so fragile. Mine and many others had their figures' large wings break off at the swivel joints that attach the wings to the figure's body. If the plastic had been made of a stronger and longer-lasting durability, it'd be much better in the long run.

Yeah, thats why my memories of that toy are not the best and why I did not seek him out again once I got back into collecting (and why he was not a finalist for the list).

william-james88 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Black Hat wrote:Yes, this is a list I can get behind! Late to the party as always but oh well.

For my money, Transmetal Waspinator is a superb insect toy. The robot mode is perhaps a bit weak but that wasp mode, oh man! Also he had a vehicle mode that actually looked kinda cool.

To me, Transmetal Waspinator is a figure that would be cooler than it is if it wasn't so fragile. Mine and many others had their figures' large wings break off at the swivel joints that attach the wings to the figure's body. If the plastic had been made of a stronger and longer-lasting durability, it'd be much better in the long run.

Yeah, thats why my memories of that toy are not the best and why I did not seek him out again once I got back into collecting (and why he was not a finalist for the list).

It's a shame, too. That toy finally got a cool little story three years ago as Waspscream.

I think the Insecticomics go a long way to show just how well Kickback and Shrapnel's toys still hold up even today. Poor Bombshell and his misfortune of having the hollow side of his legs at the front... And the tendency of his mortar to flop and cover his face if the joint has worn loose.

Another awesome thing about Kickback: His gun. It appears to have a drum magazine, which makes it look like a space tommy gun. I have therefor nicknamed it the Kaon Typewriter.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I think the Insecticomics go a long way to show just how well Kickback and Shrapnel's toys still hold up even today.

Kickback holds up phenomenally well. I think its because unlike many early G1 toys, their alt modes were not based on licensed vehicles and thus did not have to sacrifice the robot mode to get an accurate looking vehicle mode. So Kickback (and Shrapnel) end up having excellent robot mode proportions. The only thing they lack is modern day articulation, but you cant notice that on a shelf

And I like your perception on that cybertronian tommy gunn (too bad I already made a top 5 weapons list).

william-james88 wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I think the Insecticomics go a long way to show just how well Kickback and Shrapnel's toys still hold up even today.

Kickback holds up phenomenally well. I think its because unlike many early G1 toys, their alt modes were not based on licensed vehicles and thus did not have to sacrifice the robot mode to get an accurate looking vehicle mode. So Kickback (and Shrapnel) end up having excellent robot mode proportions. The only thing they lack is modern day articulation, but you cant notice that on a shelf

And I like your perception on that cybertronian tommy gunn (too bad I already made a top 5 weapons list).

I still want to get the G1 Insecticon reissue at some point for exactly that reason- even Bombshell, the weakest of the trio, has very good proportions and even with the non-realistic alt mode, the insect modes are so cute. Especially Bombshell, ironically enough, with his long snout and big googly eyes. Plus, the nice colours, chrome and cool 80s designs just looked good. And yeah, the weapons on them were great, even by the already high standards of pre-movie G1 toy weapons; Kickback's techno-tommygun was the best but I'm also fond of the other two. Even though they haven't aged as phenomenally gracefully as, say, Shockwave, they're still IMO some of the best of the G1 toys on looks alone.