Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found
here.
Top 5 Best Insect Transformers ToysInsects have been part of the transformers brand since the very very beginning. They are actually the very first animal based Transformers we have ever gotten, thanks to the insecticons. Scorpions and spiders aren't insects, so I didn't include them here. But don't let that stop you when you share your own top 5 list in the comments.
5. Transformers Generations WaspinatorThis was a pleasant surprise. With the previous releases of new Beast Wars toys straying very far from the show models (like Universe Cheetor or the Cybertron Optimus Primal and Megatron toys) it was a breath of fresh air to just have a new Waspinator toy looking like his good old clumsy self. The articulation was as good as I could hope for and that headsculpt rocked! The character models were done after the toys and thus took some liberties, making the toys look unlike what we saw on TV, especially for the first year. So seeing Waspinator have such a perfect headsculpt was invigorating. He's a great looking insect too with a neat non intrusive wing flapping gimmick.
4. Transformers G1 1985 Kickback and ShrapnelI should be frustrated that both the beast mode and the robot mode use the same head, which is almost like an unsaid faux pas, but he makes it work. It looks like a locust head in alt mode and a robot head in robot mode, complimenting the rest of either mode, so I quickly got over it. He even ends up looking more like a bug than his other two insecticon acolytes due to the long grasshopper legs which really go all out to sell the insect like proportions. The deco is also gorgeous in an 80s future way with the fullest deep purple I have ever seen. G1 toys have not aged well for the most part, but when looking at the insecticons, especially kickback, you can see how these striking designs can never die.
3. Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Cyberverse HardshellSure the size isn't great but for a
Cyberverse collection, he is imposing. he probably has the best transformation for a Cyberverse commander class figure (well, maybe tied with prime Ironhide) and the size doesn't sacrifice intricacy or detail. He looks awesome in both modes and makes for a mean looking beetle.
2. Transformers Beast Wars Metals Scavenger (Transmetal Inferno)Man, how I wrestled with the idea of putting this guy as number 1. He really is incredible. As a 10 year old, I truly believed that he was perfection for a Transformers toy and my opinion hasn't changed much. These were formative years and I remember looking at this guy and seeing that unlike most other toys, he didn't reuse animal limbs for his robot limbs, he wasn't a shell former, had many new details for the robot mode and yet remained sleek. Not only is he sleek, he is downright unsettling in his ultimate maniac design. This guy reeks of villainy and not the fun kind, the scary kind. The kind you can have nightmares about. So not only is it a great Transformers toy objectively, when you take a look at the design it just takes it over the top. There are very little toys out there with as much personality as this one. And I haven't even talked about his drill hands that turn when you activate them through his shoulder (well I guess now I have).
1. Beast Wars PowerpinchI remember being ten and seriously thinking that Power Pinch was the best Transformer toy of all time (the Transformers brand was 18 years at that point). This wasn't hyperbole or a spur of the moment thought we get when we first open a toy, this was after looking at all the toys in my modest collection. While Beast Wars is a great line, the conversions often repeat or are predictable, especially with mammals when either half their limbs or all their limbs serve double duty as both the limbs of the animal and the robot (Beast Wars TM2 Cheetor felt so lazy to me as a kid). But what is amazing with insects is that their anatomy doesn't give the toy designer such an easy way out. The limbs must come from somewhere else. Scavenger above is a gorgeous example, on a technical level, of such an achievement in design. However, I always found Power Pinch to be even better simply because it was based on a realistic bug. Limbs not serving double duty means there is no robot design or kibble found anywhere in earwig mode. The great weapon (a giant pair of shears) integrates perfectly into the tail. The transformation is as complex as we will ever get for a basic class transformer thanks to a nice amount of parts count (seemingly more than modern day legends class figures). The robot mode offers lots of new robot detail. Basically, the bottom half of his body and the head are pieces not seen in insect mode and yet there is minimal alt mode kibble to hide due to how the toy is engineered. It's a little marvel really and due to it being a toy from this era you have all the ball jointed articulation you would need along with a generous amount of painted details we could only dream of getting today. This is one of my favourite Beast Wars figures of all time and easily the number 1 pick for best insect Transformers.
Honourable mentions: There are a bunch of good insect Transformers out there that couldn't make the list. To mention a few off the top of my head, that were up for consideration, we had Beast Wars Mantis and Inferno, Transmetal Waspinator, Transmetal II Scourge and Scarem and Generations Bombshell.
Transformers Beast Wars Inferno Gallery
Transformers Beast Wars Scourge Gallery
good job! I did come across Power Pinch once when I was working in a vintage toy shop, but sadly he was missing...almost every thing. I did find Scavenger though, and I love him, one of my favourite poses for him was to angle his insect mode legs so that it looked like he was accessing multiple computer screens (I head cannoned him into a more tech savy con, who used his drills to get where his hacking couldn't take him).
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