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Rodimus Prime wrote:Having never owned him, I never realized what a beautiful figure Nightstick is. I might have to buy him for CW Cyclonus.

And Kurona, is "recency bias" really a thing? If it is, I disagree with it being a valid reason to exclude recently released figures. If a figure is a great piece, it doesn't matter if it was released 10 years ago or 10 days ago. And yes, I do realize sometimes the luster of a newer figure wears off after a while.

As for my list I am not familiar with characters that turn into weapons past Armada, so I will just nominate the entire Mini-con line from that continuity, with the Star Saber, the Requiem Blaster and the Skyboom Shield taking up the top 3 spots. That is, if combined characters-turning-into-weapons are allowed.

Recency bias is certainly a thing -- even if something comes out that truly is awesome, we will just naturally be inflating how AMAZING AWESOME it is because we've gotten caught up in the hype of actually having it. I'm no psychologist but it is something that's proven to happen with anything -- toys, comics, cartoons, yadda yadda. MP Nightstick might indeed be worthy of even the Number 1 spot, but we just don't want to risk inflating how great it is because it just came out and we're revelling in its release. We should probably include a disclaimer though.
That said, it is admittedly a tiny little bit of a problem when a list comes out that happens to coincide with recent releases -- like this list, or a Top 5 Triple Changers list. But like Will said, he's happy to make an update at some later point so this isn't set in stone

Kurona wrote:

Ultra Markus wrote:what about combiner wars powerglide or shockwave

Owning both of those molds, I'll say they're great Legends-class figures - especially Shockwave, my god is he good - but terrible Targetmasters. They're far too weighty for their intended Combiners - or any Combiner - to hold them up, meaning they fail at the purpose of being weapons. And this is before we get to Powerglide/Viper's gun mode being, ah... well, it doesn't look very good. It looks less like a gun and more like a robot lying down very awkwardly with missile pods painted on its arms.

My Titans Megatron has no issue using Shockwave as a Targetmaster gun... on the same arm he was already using Galvatron's cannon. Cos Megs is badass and strong.



My problem with a lot of post-G1 Targetmasters is the ones I've owned have often been far too fiddly to get into gun mode cos of the extra articulation but without the posts and slots to keep the bits securely in place. Despite that I still like my custom Firebolt (made from Power Core Combiners Pinpoint)


Pinpoint figure I customed Firebolt from so you can see the difference

Scorponok and Blackout are the ones that immediately jump to my mind:

Granted, I'm more impressed with the toy overall rather than the specific Targetmaster part...


Chainclaw is a pretty fun one that manages to be the right kind of generic, and I wish the mold was easier to get. I have him paired up with PCC Bombshock, which works so well I sometimes forget he originally came with Icepick!

Payload's another I wished I had more of. He goes nicely with Sky Lynx, who's got plenty more 5mm ports.


I'm amazed Hasbro never found a way to carry over Bulkhead Knuckle. Or the Arms Microns in general, really, but the "Bulk Hands" were the runaway favorite and surely they could've slipped them in with some appropriate Deluxe or Voyager.

Kurona wrote: We should probably include a disclaimer though.
That said, it is admittedly a tiny little bit of a problem when a list comes out that happens to coincide with recent releases -- like this list, or a Top 5 Triple Changers list. But like Will said, he's happy to make an update at some later point so this isn't set in stone

The only disclaimer needed is the time of finalized writing, which was at the begining of 2017, before Nightstick came out. Unlike the triple changers, I had a ton of good material to write this list. The triple changers are still in the ether because I dont feel anything has ever been definitive for them.

And while recency bias is a thing, I would totally put a recent toy if I thought it was good (as I did with tricerashot or calling 2016 one of the best years in TF history for toys). Only reason I didnt put nightstick is because I still dont own him so I wouldnt know.

For anyone who owns him, is he that good? Is he as good as any of the others on this list? Is he better?

Rodimus Prime wrote:As for my list I am not familiar with characters that turn into weapons past Armada, so I will just nominate the entire Mini-con line from that continuity, with the Star Saber, the Requiem Blaster and the Skyboom Shield taking up the top 3 spots. That is, if combined characters-turning-into-weapons are allowed.

Everything can be allowed on your own list I just made sure that on mine I would include toys that were more straightforward so that the discussion wouldnt get bogged down on how it is technically wrong to include something.

As for those combined characters turning into a weapon, I dont feel those were that great, personally. My problem is with their heft. It becomes such a big heavy weapon that its hard to weild. And with the starsabre, parts always come off when trying to pose him. And I know i am not the only one with these problems since I keep finding Armada Star Sabers that are glued together (sometimes too late to return it ).

If I were to include a combining weapon, it would be this one, which is lighter and sitcks together better, and looks more like a sword.







I just found the bulkfist to be more fun and I didnt want to have all these japan exclusive microns in the same list.

william-james88 wrote:

Damn that looks vastly superior to Star Saber. I got several of those Mini-Con weapon teams in that lot I got a lil while ago before I sold them off and goddamn they were annoying... and the Starsaber didn't look like much more than 3 mangled jets human-centipeding. That sword looks great.


Which Nightstick are people referring to exactly?

Carnivius_Prime wrote:Which Nightstick are people referring to exactly?

The one that got released with Masterpiece Artfire a little over a month ago.

william-james88 wrote:

Carnivius_Prime wrote:Which Nightstick are people referring to exactly?

The one that got released with Masterpiece Artfire a little over a month ago.

Oh I was thinking Cyclonus not Artfire. Yeah not keen on the gun mode of that one. Too much of the legs sticking out the rear and the arms are far too obvious.

On Shockwave...

That extra, square peg is REALLY annoying, though. Only bots with the right shaped hands can wield him, so no DotM Shockers can't plug him onto his arm.

Although:



Does this count?

william-james88 wrote:The only disclaimer needed is the time of finalized writing, which was at the begining of 2017, before Nightstick came out. Unlike the triple changers, I had a ton of good material to write this list. The triple changers are still in the ether because I dont feel anything has ever been definitive for them.

... Um, hi? Thrilling 30 Springer? Pulls off Triple Changing far more perfectly than any other toy while still retaining solidity, loads of articulation, accurately replicating a comic design and is beloved across the fandom?

Kurona wrote:

william-james88 wrote:The only disclaimer needed is the time of finalized writing, which was at the begining of 2017, before Nightstick came out. Unlike the triple changers, I had a ton of good material to write this list. The triple changers are still in the ether because I dont feel anything has ever been definitive for them.

... Um, hi? Thrilling 30 Springer? Pulls off Triple Changing far more perfectly than any other toy while still retaining solidity, loads of articulation, accurately replicating a comic design and is beloved across the fandom?

Yeah, an easy number 1, but a definitive top 5 list, forget it, we dont have that, not by a long shot. Not when Energon Shockblast still has as good a chance as any to be on it.

Kurona wrote:... Um, hi? Thrilling 30 Springer? Pulls off Triple Changing far more perfectly than any other toy while still retaining solidity, loads of articulation, accurately replicating a comic design and is beloved across the fandom?

I dunno. I love the toy, but I've never been absolutely too sure about the alt-modes. They're good but... I dunno. Particularly the helicopter looks a bit too segmented and forced together. And I've always hated those damn big wheels in robot mode especially on the legs. It just makes his legs look rather fragile to me, like if he got shot in the tyres and they deflated he'd have really fragile looking lower legs. Would have liked a way to cover them up somehow.

Unpopular opinion but as a triple-changing toy I actually prefer Titans Megatron (or Blitzwing if you prefer that one) as I like all three modes and the tank and plane look far more different to each other than Springer's chopper and car forms (even with the jet wings seen there folded over on the back of the tank) and the turret and wings fold up fairly tidily on the rather fine robot mode's backpack and I've happily had that figure as my G1 Megs since I got him last December.

Also Springer's car mode still reminds me of Count Duckula's head...which is fine in that I love Duckula but it's not what I should be thinking of when seeing a badass Autobot warrior.

Carnivius_Prime wrote:I dunno. I love the toy, but I've never been absolutely too sure about the alt-modes. They're good but... I dunno.

Your not the only one. His was the name that came up the most in the comments in the top 5 most Overrated toys list.

william-james88 wrote:Your not the only one. His wa the name that came up the most in the comments in the Yop 5 most Overrated toys list.

:O I wouldn't have gone that far. He's still a great toy and one of my all time faves but I still think there's plenty of room for improvement for a truly amazing Springer figure.

Some of the Arm Microns are really cool. I have, Geki I thinks name, the clear blue elephant/grenade launcher and the green tri-barreled guy. Then the TFCC 2.0 Stylor and Frenzy. Really love that Frenzy with his gray colour and saw blade. That Bomb-burst looks great too. Oh and T30 IDW Springer is one of the best figures ever, hehe.

Throwing this in from a prompt from an email, but MP Nightstick is amazing. I love him. the gun mode is really awesome, and he is so secure. Forms a great gun, and the robot mode is better than many retail figures from titans return and the such. In my opinion, he would easily be #1, followed by Shockwave and powerglide

Kurona wrote: And this is before we get to Powerglide/Viper's gun mode being, ah... well, it doesn't look very good. It looks less like a gun and more like a robot lying down very awkwardly with missile pods painted on its arms.

Am I the only one who doesn't hate it? I'll admit that it's not quite as strong as the other two modes, but I still feel like it's a perfectly decent gun mode, particularly for the size/price point. It may not be elegant, but it definitely looks powerful. A pair of missile pods, two large barrels from the engines plus one medium and two tiny ones from the molded details at the back of the plane, and the targeting grid thing, it looks like it could rain a firestorm of pain down on whoever's unlucky enough to be its target.

Zeedust wrote:

Kurona wrote: And this is before we get to Powerglide/Viper's gun mode being, ah... well, it doesn't look very good. It looks less like a gun and more like a robot lying down very awkwardly with missile pods painted on its arms.

Am I the only one who doesn't hate it? I'll admit that it's not quite as strong as the other two modes, but I still feel like it's a perfectly decent gun mode, particularly for the size/price point. It may not be elegant, but it definitely looks powerful. A pair of missile pods, two large barrels from the engines plus one medium and two tiny ones from the molded details at the back of the plane, and the targeting grid thing, it looks like it could rain a firestorm of pain down on whoever's unlucky enough to be its target.

I like it! Powerglide is awesome with Superion, it is a great triple changing target master

Zeedust wrote:

Kurona wrote: And this is before we get to Powerglide/Viper's gun mode being, ah... well, it doesn't look very good. It looks less like a gun and more like a robot lying down very awkwardly with missile pods painted on its arms.

Am I the only one who doesn't hate it? I'll admit that it's not quite as strong as the other two modes, but I still feel like it's a perfectly decent gun mode, particularly for the size/price point. It may not be elegant, but it definitely looks powerful. A pair of missile pods, two large barrels from the engines plus one medium and two tiny ones from the molded details at the back of the plane, and the targeting grid thing, it looks like it could rain a firestorm of pain down on whoever's unlucky enough to be its target.

I'm with Kurona on this one. Doesn't look like a gun to ma at all. Just poor mangled Powerglide.

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:I like it! Powerglide is awesome with Superion, it is a great triple changing target master

Thank you. It's nice to know I'm not completely alone.

Good list overall, William. I... honestly can't think of anything I'd add or change.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:Good list overall, William. I... honestly can't think of anything I'd add or change.

That is most kind of you good sir!

Noideaforaname wrote:

Let me try...

Zeedust wrote:

Noideaforaname wrote:

Let me try...

... that's unfortunate.

Kurona wrote:... that's unfortunate.

That's one word for it. "Infuriating" is another. Friggin' Photobucket.

All right, here's the image Photobucket didn't want you to see. (Well, I suppose that could describe a lot of images, but still.)