The Energon Pub

william-james88 wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:6) prime Cliffjumper. The 1st and only Prime toy I bough. QC was bad enough to scare me off of the rest of the line.

Too bad Cliffjumper gave you a tough time and made you sour over the line. I love the line myself, but that is very biased towards the fact that this is when I got back into Transformers (I didnt like the initial movie aesthetic and that kept me away for a while).

Would you mind telling me which cliffjumper it was? There were two and one was a phenominal toy, in my opinion.


Transformers Prime: Robots In Disguise Cliffjumper Gallery

The one on the right. Felt flimsy and cheap in hand. Few parts lined up correctly and pieces constantly pop off while transforming.

Ironhidensh wrote:The one on the right. Felt flimsy and cheap in hand. Few parts lined up correctly and pieces constantly pop off while transforming.

The bigger one is the First Edition. You are obviously talking about RID Prime. That line came out at the same time as Generation Fall Of Cybertron. Both of these lines were indeed plagued by very thin and flimsy plastics.

Ironhidensh wrote:The one on the right. Felt flimsy and cheap in hand. Few parts lined up correctly and pieces constantly pop off while transforming.

Yeah, make sense. Its really too bad that was your first taste of the line, its really not a great toy, I 100% agree with you. The other one (on the left) is such a standout toy. For instance, the one you had has a fake chest while the other is fully made from the car parts finding their way there through various well placed swivels.

Deadput wrote:

Darthshadow wrote:
Wrong, it was Hasbro who insisted on the look for Optimus to resemble Optimus. Michael Bay is the reason Optimus got his lame flames.

Hasbro insisted that Optimus must be red and blue, with windows on his chest and the head look the way it did.

Bay insisted on it being a long nose truck to get the height he wanted and the blue flames.

Not wrong have you ever watched the behind the scenes?


Hasbro had a little input but Bay did ask for a more Optimus like design.

This is what Hasbro asked for





and this is what Bay asked for





If it makes you feel better Speilberg originally wanted all the Transformers to be grey and to not talk at all which Bay disagreed with.

I was at Botcon 2007, I spoke with Aaron Archer, Hasbro wanted the red and blue and the Optimus style head, you are wrong.

Anyone else have some concrete nominees for this lofty title of worst transformer ever?

william-james88 wrote:Anyone else have some concrete nominees for this lofty title of worst transformer ever?

Under-3?

The unholy idol.

Or that obscure super-rare fast food Rhinox toy?


gaze into his baleful eyes for too long and you will become a chaos spawn.

In all seriousness, if we're only counting Hastak made, transforming figures, I think the award would have to go to Airachnid. I don't own him so I can't fully comment on his awfulness, but at least Animated Voyager Megatron has an impressive looking robot mode. Airachnid has a massive backpack, useless legs and the most utterly pathetic arms ever put to plastic. She doesn't look like the character from the show, she doesn't look good and she's a total brick. The plastic is absolute garbage (painting it caused it to DISINTEGRATE) and the paint is both lacking and awful. The vehicle mode has a giant hole in the bottom and looks ridiculously plain due to the lack of paint and detailing, the sole redeeming feature being the opening cockpit. There is literally not one good thing about the toy. Like, if it was a brick but had a good LOOKING robot mode, like a lot of Armada toys, or if the vehicle mode was gorgeous, then maybe I wouldn't be so harsh on it. It's a shame that Takara was doing the whole sticker thing on their version of the Prime toys because I'd have liked an Airachnid that replicated her glossy black finish from the show. Had it been nicely painted I at least could have given it that.

So yeah. Airachnid is the worst Transformer ever made.

Delta Magnus wrote: but at least Animated Voyager Megatron has an impressive looking robot mode.

Not really. Tying to pose him to look good while having his cannon attached is impossible. Check the pictures I included in the initial post. And his chest doesnt lock, so he often just looks back. Also, his robot mode back is worse than airachnid's. I would much rather he have a backpack ala the leader version than look like a piece is missing (which is what his back looks like). His odd giant lower legs and open palms make him look super daft as well. Airachnid's vehicle mode (especially with the weapons attached) is better looking than either of Voyager Megatron's modes.

I really feel this toy is the only toy without any redeeming qualities. It really fails on every concievable level.

william-james88 wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote: but at least Animated Voyager Megatron has an impressive looking robot mode.

Not really. Tying to pose him to look good while having his cannon attached is impossible. Check the pictures I included in the initial post. And his chest doesnt lock, so he often just looks back. Also, his robot mode back is worse than airachnid's. I would much rather he have a backpack ala the leader version than look like a piece is missing (which is what his back looks like). His odd giant lower legs and open palms make him look super daft as well. Airachnid's vehicle mode (especially with the weapons attached) is better looking than either of Voyager Megatron's modes.

I really feel this toy is the only toy without any redeeming qualities. It really fails on every concievable level.

You are making Animated Megatron out to be a lot worse than he really is. Every one of the figures on that list you made are worse than he is and Airaracnid is even worse than the list.

william-james88 wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote: but at least Animated Voyager Megatron has an impressive looking robot mode.

Not really. Tying to pose him to look good while having his cannon attached is impossible. Check the pictures I included in the initial post. And his chest doesnt lock, so he often just looks back. Also, his robot mode back is worse than airachnid's. I would much rather he have a backpack ala the leader version than look like a piece is missing (which is what his back looks like). His odd giant lower legs and open palms make him look super daft as well. Airachnid's vehicle mode (especially with the weapons attached) is better looking than either of Voyager Megatron's modes.

I really feel this toy is the only toy without any redeeming qualities. It really fails on every concievable level.

Maybe they can tie for the win, you can set them both on fire, and we can all win

Darthshadow wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote: but at least Animated Voyager Megatron has an impressive looking robot mode.

Not really. Tying to pose him to look good while having his cannon attached is impossible. Check the pictures I included in the initial post. And his chest doesnt lock, so he often just looks back. Also, his robot mode back is worse than airachnid's. I would much rather he have a backpack ala the leader version than look like a piece is missing (which is what his back looks like). His odd giant lower legs and open palms make him look super daft as well. Airachnid's vehicle mode (especially with the weapons attached) is better looking than either of Voyager Megatron's modes.

I really feel this toy is the only toy without any redeeming qualities. It really fails on every concievable level.

You are making Animated Megatron out to be a lot worse than he really is. Every one of the figures on that list you made are worse than he is and Airaracnid is even worse than the list.

It's a matter of opinion highly based and subjective to personal experience. To Willy, that Megatron is the worst transformer. You can't tell him he's wrong, because you're not him. Even if you think it's the greatest, it's still the worst to him. I think Armada scavenger is the worst transformer ever made. Back in the day when he came out, I had people on these forums give themselves carpal tunnel trying to convince me how good of a transformer has. I was not swayed. It all comes down to personal opinion, everybody can be right, and nobody's really wrong.

I share my opinion with The Plastic Adict.

Darthshadow wrote:Airaracnid is even worse than the list.

But Airachnid is on the list... Listception!

Thanks Ironhideensh, thats kind of you. You'll note that while Scavanger isnt on the top 10 list, he was bad enough to be mentioned. I don't have him so I had to trust the opinion of those who did. And it could very well be that it was you who brought him up when I was first doing research for this list, which is a fun full circle thing. But others didnt hate him enough to pick him over others. Its like how Optimus Minor suddenly had a bunch of fans when I suggested him to make it on here.

What makes me super happy is that for the first time ever, most agree with the content, its just the ranking that might be a bit off. I will take that as a win. I think why Airachnid is really bad is because its a recent toy. Not just that we still have that bad taste in our mouths but you would think that Hasbro got better. The armada toys are not great, but this wasn't a Hasbro which was so well versed in bringing modern articulation learnt from BW to car formers. But by the Animated line and Prime line, they had it nailed. I think those two lines are incredible for the ability to re-enact the heavy style of those series in toy form and give them amazing engineering so that the perfect look is achieved (while also not being overly complex like movie figures). Which is why Airachnid is just so damn bad. You look at everything else that came out around her and its just crazy that she exists. I have that same feeling for animated Megatron.

Now onto this:

ZeroWolf wrote:
I agree with those end of year rundowns though I own voyager predaking, though I want to replace him with the upscaled commander cyber verse one they did as it looks far better.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Prime voyager Predaking is not bad. However, that "cyberverse upscale" Predaking blow the previous one out of the water. For me, it's one of the BEST TF of that year!

The first Voyager Predaking is not a garbage toy like the others, hence why he didnt make it onto this list even if it was a top 25 or 50 but I didnt really know what else to pick for worst of 2013. Its not like that year was particularly bad for TFs. It had the Beast Hunter line and the Generations line wasnt at the FOC toys yet. But when you look at what came out that Voyager Predaking and Blitzwing do pop out the most simply for being very dissapointing.

And Kanrabat, while I really like the Voyager Predaking, I still preffer the Beast Fire one when posing him against Prime. He's much beefier and has a more impressive wingspan. Though the cyberverse upscale one looks like a faster opponent and I do preffer that his dragon head is further out in beast mode in a resting state.

Oh and about movie figures, remember your opinions guys and girls, I already have lists made for best movie figures (one for onscreen characters and one for offscreen characters). It wont be out for a while though, I have some more fun discussion fodder lined up first. Really excited about the next list.


PS: bonus trivia, the initial cyberverse predaking was redeco'd for Predacons Rising and the deco he sports is an homage to RID 2001 Megatron

william-james88 wrote:
PS: bonus trivia, the initial cyberverse predaking was redeco'd for Predacons Rising and the deco he sports is an homage to RID 2001 Megatron

Right back at ya.

From the same set, Optimus Prime is an hommage to the European exclusive G1.5 Thunderclash. Althought a bit darker.




(I have him and he's awesome, despite the GPS risks).

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Now there's a crappy figure, knew I forgetting some

Hellscream9999 wrote:
Now there's a crappy figure, knew I forgetting some

How come? Appart it's dinky little arms and the usual lack of articulations typical of it's time, Thunderclash is pretty awesome. The bot look great, the truck is awesome, and that base mode is one of the best base mode a truck trailer can pull off.

i would put legends movie starscream in that list

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Hellscream9999 wrote:
Now there's a crappy figure, knew I forgetting some

How come? Appart it's dinky little arms and the usual lack of articulations typical of it's time, Thunderclash is pretty awesome. The bot look great, the truck is awesome, and that base mode is one of the best base mode a truck trailer can pull off.

Was half joking, still think the proportions of the whole thing are off, and it's beyond lackluster transformation is painful

Ultra Markus wrote:i would put legends movie starscream in that list

Your right, its so bad.

Actually, I am wondering, of all the first movie legends toys, are any of them not garbage?

william-james88 wrote:

Ultra Markus wrote:i would put legends movie starscream in that list

Your right, its so bad.

Actually, I am wondering, of all the first movie legends toys, are any of them not garbage?

Doubt it

Hellscream9999 wrote:
Doubt it

That optimus



He doesnt even have a fake window chest! Its like they just said "F%$K it!"

william-james88 wrote:Anyone else have some concrete nominees for this lofty title of worst transformer ever?

I'm not sure if he deserves THE WORST, but G1 Trypticon should definitely be in the top 10, and as much as I hate to say it, so should G1 Rodimus Prime. These 2 have the same problem. Crappy robot modes with passable alt modes.

william-james88 wrote:Actually, I am wondering, of all the first movie legends toys, are any of them not garbage?

Barricade, Brawl, and Bonecrusher aren't so bad.
Although I hadn't realized how many misses there were back then. I'm willing to forgive the primitiveness of the sculpts, but the hole in Starscream? Optimus' missing smokestack? Jazz's double grilles? Those are inexplicable.

william-james88 wrote:The first Voyager Predaking is not a garbage toy like the others, hence why he didnt make it onto this list even if it was a top 25 or 50 but I didnt really know what else to pick for worst of 2013. Its not like that year was particularly bad for TFs. It had the Beast Hunter line and the Generations line wasnt at the FOC toys yet. But when you look at what came out that Voyager Predaking and Blitzwing do pop out the most simply for being very dissapointing.

Did you just say that the 2013 Generations line, which contained the tail end of FOC and the beginning of Thrilling 30, had not yet reached the FOC toys?

Very interesting to read these impassioned opinions on a lot of waves I missed out on (energon, beast wars).

Also surprised at the movie hate - it's not so different from the Animated hate. Some of you decide you hate the aesthetic and don't give anything associated with it a chance.

As someone who bought and returned a lot of movie toys for their sheer crappieness, I also kept finding great deals at tj maxx or wherever and found lots of awesome movie formers - I mean fun to transform pose and or look at. Well, before aoe anyway :p

So here's my list:

Arachnid. Never owned because the pics spoke volumes.

Fast action battlers movie jolt. I encourage you to discover it. One of the hardest damn "simple and fast" transformations because it is flaming garbage.

RTS Jazz. Surprised? Both modes are great - but if you like to transform your transformers... Broke and returned.

Animated activator lockdown. The push-button transformation popped up a fat waddling wuss.

Movie dead-end. No more chicken legs bay. No!

Movie activators starscream. Take all the crappiness of movie starscream and boil it into a loosely connected brick.

Rid prime cliffjumper. Returned.

Aoe deluxe sideswipe. The embodiment of bay shardforming. Oh what a far cry from rotf sideswipe (shard forming done right)

Animated starscream. Heart breaking because looked so good, but so terribly manufactured. Bits would fall off all over with just a little activity.

G1 ratchet. My first transformer, I got on Christmas. But all My friends got transformers with heads.

Excuse me, I see some predacon rising figures I need to go and price up...

About first movie legends@ in my experience, they didn't seem to grasp transferring the movie designs down into that size. At least the revenge of the fallen legends were a lot better.