The Energon Pub

Howdy gang, I've been thinking about this topic for awhile now, and finally decided to post it. It's a simple question:

What figure do you enjoy, despite the fact in some way it's flawed? After all, not every figure can be a masterpiece, and sometimes transformations, articulation, design, etc. can just fall short by comparison, but hey, it's all good, right?

A couple quick ones:

Transformers Classics Nightscream(Mini-con): Ok, he only has a coule flaws, but they're pretty major. Firstly, his chest just outs and his abdomen is just...flat. Moving down the the legs, they are both chunky and hollow. Overall, it's a very strange look. However, he's got a good dragon mode, and I do enjoy the giant wings in robot mode, and even though his whip arm is pointing away from him, I like that too. Not a great Mini-con, but a fun one.

Armada Superbase Prime: Ok, he's a brick. Wait, maybe even a cinder block. The original mold(which I have) can't even raise his shouler to aim his gun. His face is ugly. But I don't know, I just enjoy it. And then there's his upgrades. Jetfire is arueably better on his own than as Prime's pants, but he can combine and it's cool! Overload becomes a pair of top-heavy cannons, but again, cool!!!! Ok this one's easier to justify, but still, great set of figures.

Beast Machines Buzzsaw: He's got one spring arm, and one arm that's essentially a pair of legs. Big turn off for some, but I got him cheap off BBTS, and you know what? I like him! While I do wish the spring had some kind of articulation, he's a really unique figure overall with a good amount of articulation, transformatin, and good beast mode.

Classics Galvatron: It's Galvatron. It's the only figure I have of the character. It looks like him. That's all the logic I need.

Agree w/ you on Armada Optimus. I have the original and the Powerlinx versions. I use the PL version w/ the Overload backpack as Ultra Magnus.

Another Armada mold that would fit this topic is Red Alert, the big chunky SUV. His legs look like someone wearing tights, and he has those huge kibble flaps on them. But he has an undefineable appeal- I have three of this mold- Armada, the Energon Prowl repaint, and the Movie Inferno repaint. *shrug*

I agree that Galvatron gets A LOT of crap (that he probably deserves), but he's still a really good figure. I just think of him like the Hybrid Style figures. Those figures are pretty awesome, but they're just scaled down so much to the point where they're fiddly, a pain in the ass to transform, and prone to breaking if you aren't careful. The same could be said with Galvatron. I think he's an awesome figure that was probably shrunk down. He would have been better off in a Voyager or Ultra scale, but he's still a really good figure. He also has (IMO) the best Galvatron head sculpt yet, and he looks good with Cyclonus and Scourge.

I also really like MP Megatron. yea, he's spindly and pretty fragile. However, the engineering of that figure is REALLY awesome. He is a near perfect likeness of Megatron, only being held back by thin legs. However, for what the designers had to work with, I don't think he could have turned out any better. He also looks really good posed next to MP Prime (In my case, MP Black Convoy).

Lastly, Alternators Optimus gets way too much undeserved hate. I think the problem is that everyone compares him to MP Prime. However, MP Prime is part of an entirely different line! That's like saying Galaxy Force Prime is better than Energon Prime, so I'll just use GF Prime in his place. Alt Prime is really good in his own regard. He's big and bulky (like a leader should be) and his pose-ability is surprisingly good for such a chunky figure. The colors are also spot on, aside from his groin plate which is unpainted for some reason (the Kiss version fixed this though). He really looks good standing amongst his Autobot Alt/BT brethren. Leave MP Prime in the MP line (with Grimlock, the Seekers, Rodimus, and Megatron).

Classics galvatron. I REALLY cannot see why people hate on him. he has a complex transformation, cool looking bot and nice tank, and even a fan gerwalk-cannon mode.

Except that huge stress marks are now showing on his knee swivel.

But overall, still a great fig!

I have to agree with Armada Prime and his add-on friends. He's probably one of my favorite figures even though he can't really move. But he's got so many cool gimmicks and features it makes up for it in spades. He even gets a cool weapon holster thanks to Jetfire.


Energon Wing Saber is another one that comes to mind. Due to how he combines with prime, he as no meaningful articulation, he just stands there and looks cool. However, he does a have a cool looking flying wing mode, and he actually turns E Prime into a well articulated and awesome toy that looks great.

I'm thirding-or at this point, fourthing-Classics Galvatron. He's not nearly as bad as he's made out to be. I rather enjoy him.

Somehow I have a weak spot for the flawed (maybe because I'm "flawed" myself? ). One figure that comes to mind is Armada Side Swipe and his mini-Con Nightbeat.

totally jumping on the classics Galvy bandwagon. especially the repaint that came with the asian battle in space set! the subtle gold on the cannon and the different purple shade with the white make him so much more regal!

Pretty much every Beast Wars figure except for Rampage, Depth Charge, Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia, dragon Megatron, Tigerhawk, and Optimal Optimus.

The rest had some sort of flaw. For instance Dinobot is my favorite character but let's face it- his toy stinks. But I tell you what I played with it all the time and wouldn't have it any other way. They all have some issues but they rock to play with!

Hip-Hoptimus Rime wrote:Agree w/ you on Armada Optimus. I have the original and the Powerlinx versions. I use the PL version w/ the Overload backpack as Ultra Magnus.
Another Armada mold that would fit this topic is Red Alert, the big chunky SUV. But he has an undefineable appeal- I have three of this mold. *shrug*

Overcracker wrote:I have to agree with Armada Prime and his add-on friends. Even though he can't really move, he's got so many cool gimmicks and features it makes up for it in spades. He even gets a cool weapon holster thanks to Jetfire.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote: One figure that comes to mind is Armada Side Swipe and his mini-Con Nightbeat.

these posts are made of win, just so everyone knows.
i feel in much the same way.
Armada red alert-first figure, one of my favoruoute figures.
yes he is slightly flawed, but deal with it.
Armada OP, with jetfire an overload he becomes the king of awesome. The amont of different options you can do with it are intense, way better (imo) than energon prime, who uncombined is short and fat and combined is a power rangers megazord.
But he still deserves a place here because i love him. sort of.
ish.

dinojack86 wrote:, dragon Megatron

Yeah he's good, but I would consider him flawed. His dragon arm is just kinda there, but I'll admit I don't pull mine off the shelf much because his leg kinda broke around the knee. I've fixed it up several times to where it's not noticable and could still pose, but I usually don't mess with him too much.

However, I do like messing with Beast Machines Dragon Megatron. He's not show accurate in the least, has a stomach made of arms, a tail arm that merely moves over to reveal a hand, and a dragon arm that suffers from a gimmick(though not as much as the Beast Wars version). Plus, did he really go for $15(or more?) back in the day? He's a tiny, tiny leader, but is decently articulated, and he's got an awesome set of wings that can be spread(I guess I like wings on my figures, hmm). A good figure that may get somewhat of a bum rap because it bears the name Megatron.

Continuing with the Beast Wars vibe, how about Optimus Minor? He's got major articulation. He has a whip. His transformation may just be him doing a backflip, but it works. Again, bum rap because he bears the name Optimus?

TM2 Dinobot! I got him relatively recently. Oddly jointed arms, a nigh useless and ugly tail whip(no wonder it was never used in the show), and hoses that not only hinder articulation but threaten to break off if you move them too much, and giant shoulder pads? Check! However, it's Dinobot, it looks unique, and the raptor mode is cool. Bonus points for having a second mouth/claw toungue. Why was that never used in the show? Had I had the figure at the time I would have written it into Beast Wars Second Chances...

Armada Sideways. For an Armada figure, there's nothing expressively wrong with the figure. It has comparitively decent articulation, and a good transformation. However, it is sorely lacking in detail, and it looks a little chunky and goofy. The Mini-con head gimmicks are also a tad large. I still don't know why the bother adding wrist articulation. But you know what? There's a definite charm to the figure. I love the gimmick, and having a third neutral head was a stroke of genious, so even if you don't have or aren't using the mini-cons it's still a viable figure. And then there's those mini-cons. They don't transform into anything, but combine into a neat robot that rides the motercycle. Classic! Ah, but let's not forget they activate the faction changing gimmick. Yeah it's pretty basic, but it's fun.

Eat your spark out Cybertron Sideways. You may be sleek and articulate, but you have very little charm or playbility compared to your Armada counterpart.

Duke of Luns wrote:

dinojack86 wrote:, dragon Megatron

Yeah he's good, but I would consider him flawed. His dragon arm is just kinda there, but I'll admit I don't pull mine off the shelf much because his leg kinda broke around the knee. I've fixed it up several times to where it's not noticable and could still pose, but I usually don't mess with him too much.

TM2 Dinobot! I got him relatively recently. Oddly jointed arms, a nigh useless and ugly tail whip(no wonder it was never used in the show), and hoses that not only hinder articulation but threaten to break off if you move them too much, and giant shoulder pads? Check! However, it's Dinobot, it looks unique, and the raptor mode is cool. Bonus points for having a second mouth/claw toungue. Why was that never used in the show? Had I had the figure at the time I would have written it into Beast Wars Second Chances...

Eat your spark out Cybertron Sideways. You may be sleek and articulate, but you have very little charm or playbility compared to your Armada counterpart.

I agree with you in that TM2 Megatron is far from flawed. The only nitpick, as you said, may be the dragon arm. However, beast head arms weren't exactly out of the ordinary in the Beast Wars universe. The T-Rex Megs had a dinosaur head and he was still considered a pretty good figure (not as good as Primal, but still good).

I also love TM2 Dinobot. The toy isn't THAT bad...but I honestly just like the toy because it's Dinobot...and who doesn't like Dinobot?!

WolfDawg wrote:

Duke of Luns wrote:

dinojack86 wrote:, dragon Megatron

Yeah he's good, but I would consider him flawed. His dragon arm is just kinda there, but I'll admit I don't pull mine off the shelf much because his leg kinda broke around the knee. I've fixed it up several times to where it's not noticable and could still pose, but I usually don't mess with him too much.

TM2 Dinobot! I got him relatively recently. Oddly jointed arms, a nigh useless and ugly tail whip(no wonder it was never used in the show), and hoses that not only hinder articulation but threaten to break off if you move them too much, and giant shoulder pads? Check! However, it's Dinobot, it looks unique, and the raptor mode is cool. Bonus points for having a second mouth/claw toungue. Why was that never used in the show? Had I had the figure at the time I would have written it into Beast Wars Second Chances...

Eat your spark out Cybertron Sideways. You may be sleek and articulate, but you have very little charm or playbility compared to your Armada counterpart.

I agree with you in that TM2 Megatron is far from flawed. The only nitpick, as you said, may be the dragon arm. However, beast head arms weren't exactly out of the ordinary in the Beast Wars universe. The T-Rex Megs had a dinosaur head and he was still considered a pretty good figure (not as good as Primal, but still good).

I also love TM2 Dinobot. The toy isn't THAT bad...but I honestly just like the toy because it's Dinobot...and who doesn't like Dinobot?!

TM2 Dinobot's biggest flaw is the flaking transmetal paint, same w/ Beast Machine Jetstorm. Oh how sad it is. Real glad I didn't open Rapticon to experience him flaking. I loved those when they first came out.

Armada Megatron/Galvatron is the #1 thought in terms of flawed TF because of the lack of articulation. He's so badass and can't really pull off any good poses. he can only stand there and look like he will destroy the world, but when the time comes he's stiff as a board.

So many if the Legends class would be stellar if they had either more movement in the arms or legs, and some neck movement would be nice.

DISCHARGE wrote:

WolfDawg wrote:

Duke of Luns wrote:

dinojack86 wrote:, dragon Megatron

Yeah he's good, but I would consider him flawed. His dragon arm is just kinda there, but I'll admit I don't pull mine off the shelf much because his leg kinda broke around the knee. I've fixed it up several times to where it's not noticable and could still pose, but I usually don't mess with him too much.

TM2 Dinobot! I got him relatively recently. Oddly jointed arms, a nigh useless and ugly tail whip(no wonder it was never used in the show), and hoses that not only hinder articulation but threaten to break off if you move them too much, and giant shoulder pads? Check! However, it's Dinobot, it looks unique, and the raptor mode is cool. Bonus points for having a second mouth/claw toungue. Why was that never used in the show? Had I had the figure at the time I would have written it into Beast Wars Second Chances...

Eat your spark out Cybertron Sideways. You may be sleek and articulate, but you have very little charm or playbility compared to your Armada counterpart.

I agree with you in that TM2 Megatron is far from flawed. The only nitpick, as you said, may be the dragon arm. However, beast head arms weren't exactly out of the ordinary in the Beast Wars universe. The T-Rex Megs had a dinosaur head and he was still considered a pretty good figure (not as good as Primal, but still good).

I also love TM2 Dinobot. The toy isn't THAT bad...but I honestly just like the toy because it's Dinobot...and who doesn't like Dinobot?!

TM2 Dinobot's biggest flaw is the flaking transmetal paint, same w/ Beast Machine Jetstorm. Oh how sad it is. Real glad I didn't open Rapticon to experience him flaking. I loved those when they first came out.

Armada Megatron/Galvatron is the #1 thought in terms of flawed TF because of the lack of articulation. He's so badass and can't really pull off any good poses. he can only stand there and look like he will destroy the world, but when the time comes he's stiff as a board.

So many if the Legends class would be stellar if they had either more movement in the arms or legs, and some neck movement would be nice.

That's odd. My TM2 Dinobot's metallic paint is pristine, and I've had it for years. The previous owner was also a child so I'm sure it wasn't always handled with care.

The Transmetal paint on my Dinobot is almost gone and Jetstorm is such a shame. The ones I have with the transmetal paint that were never opened are fine though.
Transmetal Megatron's and Primals paint is OK, but Megatron lost and arm and then broke in half a few years later. He's probably my fav Megatron toy, but him costing so much to replace is crazy. Wish BBTS had gotten a restock of him with the other beast Wars stuff.
I may have to settle for Armada Predacon:
he is a little cheaper and easier to get.

For me, it's Alternity Nemesis Prime [Convoy]. At first impression, he's a beauty; awesome realistic alt mode, powerful-looking bot mode and nice color scheme.

But when I start to transform him for the first time, the problems began. The instructions sheet was crap, and in the process of figuring out the transformation myself, I accidentally scratched off half of his Autobot logo on his waist. While his "abs" clasps tightly onto his the first time, they simply wouldn't work the next time I transformed him.

Right now, his alt mode has abs that don't clasp into his waist and a half-ruined Autobot symbol. But despite all that, I still find him awesome. Good thing he's almost all black, so the clasps just blend into the parts behind him, almost unnoticeable. As for the scratched symbol, well, he's something of an anti-Convoy, so it kind of makes sense.

There are no perfect Transformers. They're all flawed. Some are so flawed I don't buy them, some have flaws I can fix, some have flaws I can overlook.

Go ahead, call me fussy.

I'm a fan of G1 Transformers, which could almost all be considered flawed due to their brickiness and lack of articulation. And of these I especially like some of the extra bricky, silly or ugly ones: Broadside comes to mind as one of my favorites, as do the Pretenders (which I've only really started to appreciate since last year) and even G2 Staxx, who I recently acquired and mostly like because of his complete suckiness!

THS-02. Awesome 'bot mode (quite small) and a cr@ppy truck mode.

Pretenders Metahawk, robot face kind of (to put it lightly)flat but great robot mode (and he's got die-cast!

G1 gestalt s. 'nuff said.

Megatron MP, never transformed him due to breakage issues, but great to play in 'bot mode.

Galaxy force Soundwave ( his parts don't fit when transformed but another awesome rendition of Soundwave.

henkei Skyfire (too small for his size..........and character)

Payload, the video game character from the first movie line.

Sure, his head just falls off, his chest just falls off, and his grill just falls off, and he has a giant plunger sticking out of his back, but I love him. He's got a cool alt mode, a unique transformation, a tough looking build, and I even like his claw gimmick (holding BB over the edge of a "cliff" with it is pure joy).

Can't believe I forgot them, but the Deluxe Autobots from Energon! The Powerlinking gimmick severly limits the appeal of several figures, but heck powerlinking is just fun. The combinations look a little weird because most have chunky hands, but it's a line wide power-up gimmick that barring Tow-line allows any figure to be either the top or bottom. Their combining weapons just add to the fun.