The Energon Pub

Ok simple Premise:

This should be a great thread for others to go through and read all about what your favorite toyline is and why..write 3 Paragraphs, a little more if you prefer, or if you want to just a quick list of what your favorite toyline is, why it means so much to you, what your favorite figure from that series is and why...I'll start off:

Screw the newspaper!! I'd rather read cool articles on Fans and Transformers in the morning with my cup O' Joe!!

1. Transformers Masterpiece (Takara Tomy/Hasbro)

I was a staunch G-01 fan back in the day, I had seen some Transformers series come and go after the hey-day days of the 1980s G-01 cartoon.. I never took an interest in G-02, and when I saw Beast Wars, I was like, "That's not a Transformer!!" But along came Armada, and I started to feel like I wanted an Optimus Prime again..so I went seeking the actual.....errrr... original G-1 toys, who at that time were flooding the comic shops and half broken were selling at 250.oo a Pop!! Insane.. So as time went by, I was surprised when i saw an add on this very site showcasing the release of Masterpiece Optimus Prime from Takara...!!

That toyline and subsequent releases have really been a wonderful throw back to my childhood days and the original G-1 toys. Yet what is so appealing with the Masterpiece Line up is that you have the best physical representation of that TV and Toy character to date! I know some of you will be surprised to know that I don't hold the Original G-01 Toys in my top 3!! I collected alot of those reissues as they first appeared, but over time you kind of realize that they were badly outdated, and having been redone in the Masterpiece toyline, it kind of spoiled me for the originals..Nostalgia aside, I get more of a sense of Satisfaction from the Masterpiece line up then from my old G-01 toys.

There's articulation, accessories, Diecast (though diecast became minimal as the line progressed)..and the sheer sweetness of the repaints, especially Skywarp and the U.S. Starscream!! I love the Masterpiece Line up, and barring the obvious, you may be shocked by my Number one favorite:

Favorite Masterpiece Toy:
MP-05 Megatron!!
Why:
Because the Governments of the world hate him!! for real!! And it's the one figure which will never be sold here in the U.S. by Hasbro on a toy shelf unless painted Neon green with Purple..He is the one figure who has never had a reincarnated version of his P-38 Pistol form since G-01..(I don't count classics Nerftron) A lot of people like Prime as their favorite, but after seeing countless variations of a Red truck, the Robot Master versions, ect.. I still Pick Megatron.. He's just a badass!! I can almost hear him yelling "Priiime!" I love the MP Megatron, so okay his legs are a bit skinny, who cares, he's the best representation of the Classic Megatron to date, and I love him!!


2.Transformers Beast Wars:

As I said above, I was a staunch Beast Wars Hater and other series hater for a long time, until Armada Arrived on the scene..then I kind of had second thoughts about the Beast Wars series..as we moved into the Energon line up, I was slowly becoming a Big Beast Wars fan.. It wasn't until I watched the episode "Code of Hero" that I became obsessed with finding all the Beast Wars toys that I could get my hands on, let's face it..Takara's reissues and releases Blew away Hasbro's 10th anniversary releases hands down, and really made me get off my duff and order as many as I could get all at one time!!

I was kind of disappointed in Hasbro's offering, excpet the 2 Pack Reborn Optimus Primalk and Megatron, but the rest had lackluster paint applications and whoa, let's get a figure of Transmutate!! Oh like that was really a bonus!!! This series has become close to my heart, the Art work from IDW just makes you apopreciate some of the characters that much more, and the G-01 ties in the Cartoon are enough to make you have a total Geek Spasm!! I love Beast Wars, and next to G-1 Masterpiece toys, they are my 2ND favorite!!

Favorite Beast Wars Toy:
Optimus Primal Reborn 2-Pack Hasbro Toys R Us Exclusive (I missed out on the Takara 2-Pack )
Why:
Simple, he's the "Big Bot!" Reborn emphasizes the Best of the entire Beast Wars toyline, he's articulated, cartoon accurate almost to a fault, he has gimmicks galore and a Great Paint application!! For Many kids Growing up this version of an Optimus Prime was theirs.. and for me, i think if Optimus Primal and G-1 Optimus Prime hung out, i'd be pretty happy to se that!! He's my favorite all time Beast Wars toy.. and I love that face sculpt!!


Forget O.D.B.!! I got the O.B.B.!! (Original Big Bot!)

3. Transformers The Movie:

Ok, take away the hype, the Bay hating.. and all the rest of the animosity.. what are you left with??? A reimagined G-01.. I love the sculpting, the articulation..so the toys are a little Breakable!! I'm 30 years old!! do IU really want to play with toys?? I'm a display artist.. I like to pose my figures, occasionally transform them.. and position them as a cool display on my shelf.. though that's only about a fraction of my figure collection.. say 10% most everything I own is in mISB.. which is fine by me.. I like the colorful artwork and boxes.. but with the movie toys I had a rare opportunity.. I could by the Movie figures and keep them MISB while I lived Vicariously through my Broithers acquisitions!! neato!! that's the first time I ever saw my little bro get excited about the transformers!!

For me I just like having these innovative and articulate Figures. No super easter egg colors! A return to the fundamentals of the toys, Transformation (established in G-01) and articulation (established in Beast Wars)..it's the first Live action Transformers movie, whether you hate the toys or not.. for me it will always be G-01 reborn!!



Favorite Transformers Movie Toy:
Deluxe Transformers the Movie Bumblebee 08 concept Camaro
Why:
He's really the break out toy in this entire series! I mean who would have thought that a Deluxe toy could Out-shine, Out-perform, and Out-Populise any other version of it's characters.. It beats an Ultimate electronic version so much that the shelf warmer of 2007 is defiunitely gonna be Ultimate Bumblebee!! I mean this deluxe shows us exactly how well a transformer toy can be made and how welll it can do if done correctly!! I am amazed by this toy, and for a deluxe to wow me that much is just astonishing, considering what my number one toyline is above!! Bumblebee 70s only sold cause we wanted the 08 version!! kids bypass the 70s model for the 08 in a heartbeat at the local stores, i hear them say, I want Bumblbee!! That one!! Until the movie, I never thought about Bumblebee as a breakout character from transformers.. even his G-1 persona was more of a here or there bot.. I do remember he was always running late.. which I am as well..but this movie really showed me what a good little bbot can be like if done in the correct way.. He's now my favorite!!


so what's your story, got some time on your hands?? Want to tell us a little about your favorite collections and why you like them.. Post it here!! I love reading good stories in the morning with a hot cup O' Coffee.. it's a neat thing we have here..on seibertron.com...and almost having been here a year, I'm goinna celebrate online with you guys when my anniversary comes up!! Cheers!!

1. Movie - Best looking
2. Classics - What G1 should have been
3. Master Piece - Amazing

1. Movie toys - highest realism points, alt mode are from real vehicles, transformation one of the most complicated and most amazing.

Favorites: Concept Camaro Bumblebee, Ironhide, Optimus Prime, Leader Brawl, Barricade

2. Classics toys - best representation of G1 characters, closest match to the cartoon for most of the toys, great articulation.

Favorites: Bumblebee, Hot Rod, Starscream, Optimus Prime, Megatron

3. Binaltech/Alternators - serves dual purpose, as a TF fan collection, and a car enthusiast collection.

Favorites: Autobot Skids, Wheeljack, Laserwave

1- G1 is my favorite toyline of all time.

2- Original Heman & the MOTU figures.

3- Golion and Dairugger Voltron ,and their line of figures.

4- the Robotech line. Love the transformable Veritech planes.

5- Original mobile suit Gundam kits and figures along with the side stories to the original.





As Autobot032 says:
_________________
I believe in Jesus Christ as my Saviour. If you do too, copy and paste this into your signature.

NOTE: Realize that I am not a perfect Christian, nor do I profess to be. I apologize if anyone's ever offended by me, I'm not perfect. Don't hold my posts and opinions against other Christians.

for me it'd have to be :

1. Masterpiece

*blown away by Prime, really hoping I can get StarScream and Megatron.

2. Movie toys

*great looking alt modes, great articulation, really cool transformations.

3. Cybertron

*Prime is awesome, and he combines with other figures. I liked the Cybertron series alot, and the toys are pretty decent, though sometimes a bit too simple.

I just started watching Beast Wars this week so I'm not too into it yet. I'm digging the stories and characters, but so far I don't really have any interest in the toys.

Wow, i'm actually surprised to see that in the top 3 toylines alot of you are citing that the movie line is in there somewhewre... surprising considering the feedback on quality...

I for one am glad to know I'm not alone in liking the movie line.. it was a tough choice, because Transformers Cybertron was gonna be my 3rd, but that movie line up and impending Premium figures really makes me like the movie more..

Besides I already got most of the Cybertron toys I wanted..

I bought almost all the Movie toys!!! It was like G-1 all over again!! even with the little repaints from Target!! It felt like I was looking for huffer, cliffjumper, ect...

-Cybertron- so many different characters and the coolness for me anyways!
-Energon- basicly the same thing, except i love the powerlinx!!
-Armada- some of the coolest looking imo!

Movie: Best aesthetic.

Cybertron: Coolest weapons and toys.

Beast Wars: Nostalgia.

I guess I'm pretty much alone at writing in depth novels in posts..

sigh... still it's nice to se ya'lls top 3 series!! i do enjoy the listings.. but why are they your favorites? What draws you to that toyline over the others??

Movie toy designs are really good. If you consider the quality of some of them.

Only the new storyline and the Movie itself is botched up.

I may be stuck in the past but I can't understand the love people give for beast wars. The idea is crazy, like a joke. I see the whole line as a stop gap/filler till they thought up something decent.
I don't know the story behind the line and I'm not sure if I want to.

masterpieces & alternators : actually, i none of 'em, but from the pics in the galleries (thanks, seibs), the masterpieces and alternators are great, both in alt mode or in robot mode.
my favorite from masterpiece lines : new MP starscream (the white one)
from alternator lines : Jazz. cool looking figure

TF movie toyline : they make a totally different style of transformers.
my favorite toy from TF movie toyline : ironhide (i like black truck)

5kywarp wrote:I may be stuck in the past but I can't understand the love people give for beast wars. The idea is crazy, like a joke. I see the whole line as a stop gap/filler till they thought up something decent.
I don't know the story behind the line and I'm not sure if I want to.

For one thing, it is in CGI animation. A prelude to the 2007 Movie!

5kywarp wrote:I may be stuck in the past but I can't understand the love people give for beast wars. The idea is crazy, like a joke. I see the whole line as a stop gap/filler till they thought up something decent.
I don't know the story behind the line and I'm not sure if I want to.

The Beast Wars and Beast Machines cartoons were arguably the best Transformers cartoons to date.

I'm intrigued, though, why is BW more ridiculous than any other Transformers line?

1) G1 - Besides the obvious nostalgic reasons and the fact that this is where is all began. G1 had the most realistic alt modes. The line was varied, the toys had character and depth, they were well made, heavy and die cast. Almost 30 years later, toys that have been heavily played with are still solid. Compare that to the movie line which ya'll seem to love. Transform them once and you have issues. Phaw, I've had about 50 of mine for over a quarter century and NONE are broken. This is where it all began and ell ends for me. Picking one as a fave here is hard. There were so many. If pressed, I'd have to go with Megatron. I LOVE Megs as a character and his toy's alt mode was infinitley fun as a kid though his bot mode had, umm, some flaws.

2)The MP line - What can I say abut this line. Phenomenol in every way, a true collectors line. Prime is the pick here. Afterall, he is PRIME, and he is flawless.

3) Classics - As somone else said, what G1 should have been as far as bot modes go. Overall G1 had the better alt modes. The pick of this line is definately the seekers. Doesn't get any better than these 6.

I will omit describing the lines in full as I'm not fortunate enough to have owned sufficient numbers of them. So I will skip straight to my favourite figures of each line.

My top three toys of 2007 in reverse order.

#3: Movie Barricade

Despite one very large shortcoming of him being so top heavy he's likely to meet his doom by falling from your shelf after his legs collapse from the weight of his torso, Barricade is a very beautiful figure to look at in Robot or Car mode. The weak leg problem is thankfully circumvented by posing them in the opposite direction and doesn't detract too much from the overall look of this figure. The car is well designed and pleasing to the eye as long as you're lucky enough to get a good paint application. The wheels are nicely functional and as long as you don't remove Frenzy from Barricade's chest he doesn't look unpleasantly hollow. My only major gripe with Barricade is the inability to fold back the tail lights and better expose his hands.

#2: Classics Ultra Magnus VS Skywarp Twin Pack

My favourite Decepticon and one of my favourite Autobots coming packaged together is a dream come true. The story on the box also sets up a nice rivalry between the two in the Classics universe. Skywarp himself is a nice rendition of the G1 Seeker Animation design, though his largely inflexible arms are a turn off factor, as are the cumbersome cannons mounted on the upper arm. The number one gripe with the figure is the applied purple paint, as it becomes a horrid shade of pink when struck by enough light. The unique deco on Skywarp however is a major plus. Breaking away from the normal G1 stripes is a fantastic move and really improves the look of this figure all around. As is normal with Skywarp, the Black, Purple, and Silver colour scheme applied to such an iconic and attractive figure is the most aesthetically pleasing of all the seekers who share the same mould.

Ultra Magnus is another superb figure, despite being a straight repaint of Optimus Prime. I am of the mind that Ultra Magnus is actually better looking than the big red guy. Pure white with frequent blues makes for a pure, icy appearance. Just the kind of thing I would expect from a born soldier who finds his calling out on the battlefield, showing no mercy to those who would threaten the things he protects. The mould itself is a great size, and is brilliant for posing, he comes with a selection of weapons that makes using this figure for displays or even play a superb choice. There is very little wrong with this mould, even the shields on the arms do not detract from this figure. The only thing I would ask for would be a trailer to hook onto the back.

Together these two figures are amazing value, despite being repaints they are popular and sought after characters in their own right, and have the bonus of being some of the most aesthetically pleasing figures of the Classics line.

#1 Masterpiece Skywarp

When the repaint of MP-03 was announced as MP-06 Skywarp, I could barely contain my excitement. The original MP-03 suffered from an unpopular colour scheme, and complaints of fragility which turned me off buying it. This masterpiece however is in a league far above the original release of the mould. Again using the classicly iconic colours of G1 Skywarp, this figure is sex on disappointingly thin legs. But the legs are the only bad point of this figure. Highly posable and with two sets of weapons for either mode, this is the ultimate Skywarp display piece that outshines just about every other figure in my collection.

Leonardo wrote:

5kywarp wrote:I may be stuck in the past but I can't understand the love people give for beast wars. The idea is crazy, like a joke. I see the whole line as a stop gap/filler till they thought up something decent.
I don't know the story behind the line and I'm not sure if I want to.

The Beast Wars and Beast Machines cartoons were arguably the best Transformers cartoons to date.

I'm intrigued, though, why is BW more ridiculous than any other Transformers line?

Maybe he's referring to the alt mode.

Nicely done Tekka, you reinforce alot of key components of why the Masterpiece line is well recieved and a wonderful collection, you also make some really good points about Skywarp's aesthetics and why the color choice for Ultra Magnus is sooo striking in it's design and give a good meaning behind the White and Blues he so valiantly sports...

The original figure is mostly white with blue, which I feel accentuates his Icy cold soldier status.. but in the center of the original toy and figure he's red, which I feel is a testament to his warm and caring heart which is at the center of Ultra Magnus.. say what you will about repaints and such, but in G-1 they had it right...

maybe without even realizing it..

I honestly hope that one day we actually get to see a real upgraded Masterpiece Ultra Magnus complete..

Auto Bot wrote:

Leonardo wrote:

5kywarp wrote:I may be stuck in the past but I can't understand the love people give for beast wars. The idea is crazy, like a joke. I see the whole line as a stop gap/filler till they thought up something decent.
I don't know the story behind the line and I'm not sure if I want to.

The Beast Wars and Beast Machines cartoons were arguably the best Transformers cartoons to date.

I'm intrigued, though, why is BW more ridiculous than any other Transformers line?

Maybe he's referring to the alt mode.

that is something I think alot of people struggle with when they are more inclined to back the original transformers concept, why a beast, organics??

But if you think about it, and you watch the show, there are lots of reasons why this is necessary.. and as far as robots and organics combined goes.. well Terminator was a cyborg, and that movie was believeable, I just don't see why that same logic is too impossible to apply to the Transformers..

An ungraded Masterpiece Ultra Magnus will be one gigantic toy!

One beautiful gigantic toy!

Auto Bot wrote:An ungraded Masterpiece Ultra Magnus will be one gigantic toy!

One beautiful gigantic toy!

yeah and here's the beauty part of it.. the armor could fit Prime!!!

Justit toys could cast just the armor upgrades in a deifferent color from Magnus' and sell it as Prime armor... ohhhh the wonder of it all!!!

Okay, I'll bit.

#3: Cybertron.

Although, I really don't like the Cyber-key gimmick, I'm really starting to appreciate the figures. They're well detailed, articulate, and have interesting transformations. I have a feeling that I would like Energon better, but I have maybe two figures from that line, and can't seem to find any more for a good price.

Favorite fig:

Is there really any doubt?

#2: Classics

As several people already mentioned, this is every G1 fan's dream come true. Modern era updates of iconic characters, some of whom haven't been seen at general retail since G1. They're not perfect, but they're damn close.

Favorite fig:
Ramjet. While the exception of Skywarp, I think he has the best paint scheme, and since his wings are on his legs, his guns are free to move about. His alt mode is very compact, perfect for the Living Projectile. Thundercracker was my favorite Seeker from G1, but he's forever lost to me (Thanks Hasbro ) and Ramjet was always a close second.



Most anticipated fig:
Galvatron!...no, Ironhide!...no, Octane!..no....Curse you, Fall of 2008! Why are you so far away?

#1: Beast Wars

As much as I enjoyed G1, I'm always been more partial to animals. So fuzzie-wuzzies that turned into armor-clad death machines was even more appealing to me than motorized death traps that did the same. Add in superior story writing and characterization, and you have a winner.

Favorite fig:
I really don't know if I can choose, so I'll just go with my most recent acquistion.

Transmetal II Cybershark. He's a huge cyborg shark in alt mode, and looks awesome in his robot mode--check out the mohawk! His bottom jaw in beast mode tends to droop, and he's got a bit of kibble in bot mode, but he has swell articulation. Plus, he's a pirate-hunter. Now all he needs are three swords. I've been trying to get my hands on this guy for almost ten years now.

skywarp-2 wrote:

Auto Bot wrote:An ungraded Masterpiece Ultra Magnus will be one gigantic toy!

One beautiful gigantic toy!

yeah and here's the beauty part of it.. the armor could fit Prime!!!

Justit toys could cast just the armor upgrades in a deifferent color from Magnus' and sell it as Prime armor... ohhhh the wonder of it all!!!

Now i see why they didn't do the armor. It will render the white Magnus obsolete. Folks can just but Prime, and then the armor.

Auto Bot wrote:

skywarp-2 wrote:

Auto Bot wrote:An ungraded Masterpiece Ultra Magnus will be one gigantic toy!

One beautiful gigantic toy!

yeah and here's the beauty part of it.. the armor could fit Prime!!!

Justit toys could cast just the armor upgrades in a deifferent color from Magnus' and sell it as Prime armor... ohhhh the wonder of it all!!!

Now i see why they didn't do the armor. It will render the white Magnus obsolete. Folks can just but Prime, and then the armor.

yeah but they should have made the armor and sold Magnus with it from the start, but hopefully a Magnus Complete will come out, where you get the white Priem repaint once again, and then a trailer addition like the MP-04...


and...

Nice review Publicvisage!! I completely enjoyed your choices and understand your love of Beast Wars.. very cool!!

#3 Beast Wars
I had a rough time here deciding between Beast Wars and G1. I grew up with the originals, and they're near and dear to me. It's Beast Wars, though, that gave us the best toys, and if friends or visitors not into Transformers visit, it's always the Beast Wars toys that get the most love. Simply put, they're innovative, interesting, and terrific representations of characters. For me, TM2 Dragon Megatron just barely wins out as a top figure over the 10th Anniversary Optimus Primal/Megatron set. It's one of few sculpts I display in multiple repaints.



#2 Alternators
G1 reincarnated into Transformers of a quality we never saw before and may never see again. The realistic vehicles and the articulation in robot mode can't be beaten. Visitors can't always tell Alternators from model cars. These are the only Transformers you can recognize regularly on the street--not even the movie Transformers can boast that. I might consider one of my customs a favorite, but Mirage probably takes the cake as the most articulated 'bot with the sleekest alt mode from Hasbro.



#1 Masterpiece
Let's face it: they deserve the name. I've owned the '04 20th Prime (with longer smokestacks), Ultra Magnus, Takara MP Starscream, and Megatron. I sold off 'Screamer when word of the G1-colored US release rolled in, and I'd choose him as favorite... except I can't do that in good conscience with a toy I don't own yet. Takara's version barely loses to MP Prime. Yeah, yeah, everyone's praised this toy already. Well, I either post him or my girlfriend's favorite, Ultimate Bumblebee. Ooh. Let's post Prime.

From least to most favored...

#3:

Titaniums:

If they've got a weakness, it's that more than a few of them - looking at you, Soundwave - are pretty much not meant for display only. They fall over, they pop off at the joints quite a bit. But the major upside is that my GOD, do they ever look amazing. Where else do you see Cybertronian G1 forms? Some of the figures are nothing short of amazingly beautiful, G1 Ultra Magnus and The Fallen coming to mind. And they're not afraid to branch out into different continuities. Fallen, RiD Prime, Cheetor, and of all people, GI Joe/TF Megatron. How wild is that? The toys may not be very high on the play scale, but there's a lot of lookers, and some great diversity here. What I wouldn't give to see those prototypes of Cosmos, Arcee and my main man Shockwave released.

#2: Classics:

A G1 fan's dream come true. Whereas in some cases you've got great takes on characters in new forms like Astrotrain, Bumblebee, and yes, even Nerfatron (who I still need to own), in others you have what could pretty much be called "The G1 figures we always imagined as kids." Classics Starscream is what got me back into collecting TFs again - one look at him in a store was all it took to make me realize I could seriously be missing out. Screamer and Skywarp were perfection, Rodimus and Optimus were pretty dang close. And Jetfire is one of the single greatest TF toys ever created, bar none. These toys have no weaknesses (except maybe the green tank Megs). They're coming to kick your ass. They're getting closer G1 treatment in Japan. And they're coming back next year. Can you say "New Galvatron mold?" Can't wait.


#1: G1:

What started it all. Why we're here. I don't think I'm a purist or anything, but I must admit that I have a special, sentimental attachment to these guys, even if they weren't so hot every so often. Sure, every now and then you have toys like Megatron who looked only remotely like their comic and show incarnations, but don't forget that those incarnations are further developments of those toys to make them look better. Naturally, the expansion in this case will have a little edge over the original design. And I'll say this: For every Megatron, Ironhide or Cyclonus out there, there's a Soundwave, Shockwave, or Prowl to make up for that.

There are other flaws, too. I'll freely admit that a the vast majority of G1s have all the poseability of a slightly articulated stick. Some of those sticker applications were downright unfeasable, like the seekers' eyes, and no one likes it when they peel after a while.

And there was all that Pretender and Micromaster nonsense towards the end, too. But from even those incidences have come memorable characters like Bludgeon and Thunderwing who have become classic characters in their own right.

Not that I object to new innovations, or that I dislike the new series (I avidly collect the movie toys, after all) At the end of the day, I don't need to be dazzled with Automorphs. It's not necessary for my TFs to powerlink with anything to get stronger - why do that, when I can combine five or six and get an awesomely gigantic new character anyway?

And the packaging. Man, oh man. Maybe it was just part of being a kid, but opening those dark purple and red cardboard boxes with the square patterning really made me feel like I was stepping into the future. I really do believe that in this instance, less is more - I can't say I'm much of a fan of the current...I dunno, "in your face" style packaging across the various lines. Subtlety works best here, I find.

Bottom line for me: There's no other place I'd rather be, and there's no other line I'd rather collect. G1 forever, baby.

I'd just like to go on record again as saying I don't harbor any particular dislike for any of the new series. I love the BW show while considering the toys mostly passable, and while I don't think that Armada was the best series ever, and I never got into the toys, I do admire some designs, like Megs and Starscream. And I regret like hell not snapping up Unicron when I had the chance.

Masterpiece just barely misses out of being in my list. I don't yet own any form of MP Prime, Anniversary or otherwise, but I can vouch for Skywarp as a great figure. Megatron, while looking great, has too many problems to count, and so loses points for the line.

There's my list!