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I find the Blackout mold to be the best helicopter in all of Transformers. I'd choose him than Alpha Bravo. Bet Va'al is about to get angry at me for saying this.

Optimum Supreme wrote:
He certainly deserves a place before that turd Alpha Bravo. Even discounting my dislike of the little usurper, it's probably my least favorite of the CW limb molds, and just not a great helicopter, IMO.

Yeah he really did steal the place of that one generic jetguy that's hardly more important/defined then the other 3 limb guys in his team.


How dare they add an alternate member for diversity and cannot totally not switch places with Slingshot any time.



Joking aside even if you don't like Alpha Bravo what about Blades and Vortex and the Helicopter mode?

My experience with the blackout mold is through the whirl redeco they put out, his helicopter alt mode us fantastic but I was hugely disappointed with robot mode, he ends up being squat because of that back piece which has the rotors attached.

As for the AB mold, I think the compromises are great for what is a limb on a combiner. I also like him as he's a new character (who in my head is a sniper...and also pretends to be blades and vortex)

His robot mode is fantastically playable and his transformation quick and problem free.

Besides this list is just what Will thinks, you may not agree but don't go out your way to criticise it, just make your own

I like 30th Springer as far as stylised choppers go and 2007 Blackout for realistic.

I have a lil fondness for the original G1 Vortex toy cos I had it as a kid and got fond memories of 'flying' him about with one hand while the other hand flicks the rotor blades to spin.

Whirl is just ugly rectangular junk whether in the original G1 line or his Generations update.

I need to get me a Skyhammer or the chopper Drift retool.

Am I the only one who like 1 step Helicopter Drift?

-Kanrabat- wrote:Am I the only one who like 1 step Helicopter Drift?

While I did buy him after your recommendation, I do have some problems with him. Lets go over your previous statement:

-Kanrabat- wrote:
Not only is he pretty fun, there is absolutely NO robo parts visible in copter mode, no matter the angle. Pretty awesome.

Well aside from his robot hips which are right there in a totally different colour, oh and the extremities of his mask right in the middle, as well as his chest which imitates the grill of a car right above the cockpit. He is neat though overall but the part that makes me dislike him greatly is how flat his face is. I can't get over that. It is cool and worth noting that this is the only original mold for Drift's helicopter mode. We make fun at hos cheap Hasbro is some times but in this case, they actually made a whole new mold that was never reused in any way.

Also

-Kanrabat- wrote:As for Skyhammer, you forgot to mention how genius the rotor blades were integrated into the bot mode. NO helicopter Tfs ever do that.

william-james88 wrote:This toy probably has the most unique way to deal with his rotors in robot mode. With his chest area being the central body of the helicopter, his chest is the top where the rotors are and they wrap around him in robot mode resulting in no extraneous kibble.
For a movie toy, Skyhammer has some gorgeous alt mode integration like his rotors wrapping around his chest, his legs being the tail and the cockpit splitting to form shoulder armour. 

Also, pretty happy this list has brought all the Gen Whirl and Movie Blackout fans out, because I swear I had no clue these molds were liked this much.

UltraPrimal wrote:Armada Cyclonus: Also, a good helicopter. Only bad part of him was that he was a product of his time, i.e., Armada, i.e., no articulation in order to be more GEEWUN.

Speaking of G1 and no articulation, Generations Whirl is obviously better than G1 Whirl because he's basically just the original, but with articulation.

Armada Cyclonus is a good figure, but Armada wasn't trying to be GEEWUN at all. If it was, Cyclonus wouldn't have been a helicopter.

As for G1/Generations Whirl, I'd say that the strength of the G1 alt mode, given the time it was produced, and the articulation of the Generations version could actually be a wash, in terms of which one was better. And, I think the list was determined based on alt mode first and foremost, so that might be why G1 made the list.
But that doesn't really explain the crummy CW helicopter then...

Dagon wrote:

UltraPrimal wrote:Armada Cyclonus: Also, a good helicopter. Only bad part of him was that he was a product of his time, i.e., Armada, i.e., no articulation in order to be more GEEWUN.

Armada Cyclonus is a good figure, but Armada wasn't trying to be GEEWUN at all. If it was, Cyclonus wouldn't have been a helicopter.

Agreed. The limited articulation, was more to do with the gimmicks, and general design aesthetic of the line, than ever trying to be G1 at all.


And wbile I love Cyclonus to bits. Even have the KB Exclusive Urban Camo version, he's not that great of a helicopter.

Energon Bulkhead / Superlink Sprung , is much better. Also have him. His drone is neither here nor there, but his Helicopter mold is really well done.


The Energon combiner limb (Blackout, Vortex), also has a fantastic Helicopter Mode.



I'm also stunned, there's no love for Beast Machines / Universe Obsidian?

I pretty much 100% agree with this list. Especially Skyhammer. I was actually going to convert that mold into Megatron, but the high cost on eBay combined with that difficulty I would have had disassembling him put me off. That said he looks like a fantastic figure in his own right and I want him.

Delta Magnus wrote:I pretty much 100% agree with this list. Especially Skyhammer. I was actually going to convert that mold into Megatron, but the high cost on eBay combined with that difficulty I would have had disassembling him put me off. That said he looks like a fantastic figure in his own right and I want him.

You could always get the AoE voyager Drift version.

Also, "high cost"? What high cost? Unless you want it for free, this listing is pretty dirt cheap, even with the shipping:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-ACTION-Movie ... SwwbdWGSs2

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:I pretty much 100% agree with this list. Especially Skyhammer. I was actually going to convert that mold into Megatron, but the high cost on eBay combined with that difficulty I would have had disassembling him put me off. That said he looks like a fantastic figure in his own right and I want him.

You could always get the AoE voyager Drift version.

Also, "high cost"? What high cost? Unless you want it for free, this listing is pretty dirt cheap, even with the shipping:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-ACTION-Movie ... SwwbdWGSs2

Whoa, that's pretty good. I might bite on that.

Delta Magnus wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:I pretty much 100% agree with this list. Especially Skyhammer. I was actually going to convert that mold into Megatron, but the high cost on eBay combined with that difficulty I would have had disassembling him put me off. That said he looks like a fantastic figure in his own right and I want him.

You could always get the AoE voyager Drift version.

Also, "high cost"? What high cost? Unless you want it for free, this listing is pretty dirt cheap, even with the shipping:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-ACTION-Movie ... SwwbdWGSs2

Whoa, that's pretty good. I might bite on that.

At that price, if you don't already have the mold, you should get 2. One to customise, and one to display. BTW, the toys are brand new but don't come in their original packagings. Maybe because they are factory overproduction that get clearanced.

Fun list Will! Great discusion fueler, as this a neat little niche topic that everyone can get involved in.

So I'll be a guy who is glad Blackout didn't make the cut. I have the Whirl repaint. Maybe it's repaint/reproduction/exclusive syndrome (I think he was a TRU exclusive, right?). They might as well made that toy out of paper. I have transformed that toy probably 3 times, and he is laden with stress marks and near broken. Quality aside, I think his robot mode is atrocious. He is just a giant pile of kibble. His kibble has kibble. I can barely discern a humanoid form from that mass of heli-parts.
Now maybe my memory is a little sketchy, as he has been packed up for about 6 or 7 years, but I also seem to remember being appalled by the interference of his articulation by all that junk hanging off him.
I will say the helicopter mode IS clean and kib free, which may be his only saving grace. I do also remember liking his head sculpt (Whirl's that is) for a movie toy. The only thing worse was the Cyberverse Commander version.

Now, I really need to try out Skyhammer. He does that nice thing of skirting the line of non-movie character making a good toy. And so many folks give him high praise, one of these days I'll have to check him out. Just not all that interested in the Drift release. Although he uses a nice color pallet.

Really glad Cybertron Evac made the list. He's probably my favorite Heli-Dude of all. Nice clean rescue chopper alt mode. Awesome sculpted detail in bot. Interesting asymmetrical transformation. I have the Springer repaint from the Target two-pack, and he filled in the ranks with the movie crew on my Classics shelf for years, until you-know-who came along. The weapon gimmicks integrate into robot mode nicely and don't interfere to badly with articulation . I think the grappling hook makes for a neat weapon, and I always love the chopper blade-as-weapon idea.
What I love most about his robot mode, and I won't go into too much detail as not to bore anyone, but who ever designed his robot mode most certainly had some old Microman figures on their desk. The head sculpt and the tail fin/rotor wings are neat little design nods to some specific Microman esthetics. Which Takara designers are known to do. They love tradition!

My list:
5. G1 blades
4. G1 Vortex
3. CW Alpha Bravo (in Vortex colors)
2. Energon combiner limb copter (pick any name and color)
1. Cybertron Evac (as Springer)

Good talk!

william-james88 wrote:Also, pretty happy this list has brought all the Gen Whirl and Movie Blackout fans out, because I swear I had no clue these molds were liked this much.

I wish I could like Generations Whirl but ... you know ... I can't transform him.

Burn wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Also, pretty happy this list has brought all the Gen Whirl and Movie Blackout fans out, because I swear I had no clue these molds were liked this much.

I wish I could like Generations Whirl but ... you know ... I can't transform him.

Without a hazmat suit that is

Reading through all the Blackout appreciation, I can't but speak against it. Never really a fan at all.

Now, if we were talking about this other version of that character...

Too bad Animated Blackout sell for a gazillion dollars...

william-james88 wrote:

Burn wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Also, pretty happy this list has brought all the Gen Whirl and Movie Blackout fans out, because I swear I had no clue these molds were liked this much.

I wish I could like Generations Whirl but ... you know ... I can't transform him.

Without a hazmat suit that is

Even then I'd be reluctant!

Va'al wrote:Now, if we were talking about this other version of that character...

WHOA! I don't remember that guy. He is dope with a capital DOPE!

Only Animated would take a bulky Bayformer and make a toy out of it that never saw US release.

It's a very expensive thing indeed, and would probably benefit from a Leader scale - but just.. look at it.

Va'al wrote:Only Animated would take a bulky Bayformer and make a toy out of it that never saw US release.

It's a very expensive thing indeed, and would probably benefit from a Leader scale - but just.. look at it.

Eh. The head/chest ruins it for me.

Burn wrote:I see the anti-Stalker conspiracy has extended to include even his nemesis, poor Rotorstorm, excluded in favour of that over-rated pile of poo known as the Alpha Bravo mold.

At least we can agree on Skyhammer

Burn, while I share your G1.5 enthusiasm, I cannot support your disdain for our lord and savior Alpha Bravo.

Microraptor wrote:

Burn wrote:I see the anti-Stalker conspiracy has extended to include even his nemesis, poor Rotorstorm, excluded in favour of that over-rated pile of poo known as the Alpha Bravo mold.

At least we can agree on Skyhammer

Burn, while I share your G1.5 enthusiasm, I cannot support your disdain for our lord and savior Alpha Bravo.

I wouldn't have such disdain for him if SOMEONE (who I won't name but his name starts with V, ends in L and has a'a in the middle) made him out to be something relevant!

Va'al wrote:Only Animated would take a bulky Bayformer and make a toy out of it that never saw US release.

It's a very expensive thing indeed, and would probably benefit from a Leader scale - but just.. look at it.

Ew, just no. No no no.
(me definitely not a fan of Animated's simplistic cartoony style)

You could always get the AoE voyager Drift version.

Also, "high cost"? What high cost? Unless you want it for free, this listing is pretty dirt cheap, even with the shipping:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-ACTION-Movie ... SwwbdWGSs2

Woah, that is cheap. Probably a funnily named knock off like the DotM Ironhide figure I bought for a similar price a while back but that was great quality (and even included his Leader class knife scaled down to Voyager) Works out at just over a £10 including shipping for a quality Voyager class figure when far inferior and smaller CW Legends figures cost £9.99 in stores here. I'd prefer the Drift version (as I passed on his Deluxe car form for being too small even for a Deluxe and want him in my TF Autobot team) but I might get this one too! Thanks for the heads up!