Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by your fellow editor or a guest writer. These are our opinions 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 RID 2001 ToysI feel the most underrated lines in Transformers history share the same name: Robots in Disguise. We already spoke about
toys from the most recent use of that name so now we will talk about the original RID line. This line is very odd when you look at it since it was the return of G1 characters in a Transformers show with robots changing into cars. But there was also a holdover from Beast Wars with beast based characters among the bad guy ranks. One of the more famous characters from that line, Sky Byte, was a reuse of the previously released Beast Wars toy Cybershark but with a new colour scheme and identity. The line went even further back than Beast Wars for its toys, like the G2 line. Speaking of which the first entry on this list is...
5. Transformers Robots In Disguise Scourge (Black Convoy)Robots in Disguise was a mishmash of the old and the new and Scourge is the best example of that. He is a redeco of G2 Laser Optimus Prime from a decade prior brought as a new character. Funny enough, due to the character's fan base, this deco is even more popular than the original Optimus Prime release and from here on out that black, red and teal became the defacto redeco of EVERY OPTIMUS PRIME TOY (I exaggerate, but just a bit). Also, people forget, but this was a Toysrus exclusive,
making him one of the best within that category too.
4. Transformers Air Attack Optimus Primal (Beast Convoy)Yes, the best Beast Machines Optimus Primal didn't come out in Beast Machines. This toy came once all was said and done and that toy designers could finally work off the final designs from that show and was released in the Robots in Disguise line. They even wrote that he was a time traveler in his bio just so that this random entry in the line would make some sense in the fiction of it all (at least they tried). And I am glad they went for it, because as I wrote, this is the best Optimus Primal with the Beast Machines design. He looks like in the show and was even voiced by Gary Chalk (first Transformers voice actor clip in a toy ever). That transformation was also really since even though the arms are the same parts for the robot and beast mode, they find a way to alter their look and make them show accurate. That's pretty nuts given the fact that they how he got from one mode to the next in the show was through morphing rather than traditional transforming (reorienting parts).
3. Transformers Robots In Disguise Optimus Prime (Fire Convoy)It was Robots in Disguise that brought back Optimus Prime as the main hero of the Transformers franchise and he had quite the toy to represent his return. This was a Japanese design so it gave westerners something rather new with the idea of building upon a base figure over and over to create bigger and bigger super modes. It brought upon a whole new level of complexity too. I think my preferred mode though is the standard super mode (Super Fire Convoy) before he becomes a literal god. I find it's the best proportioned and still really imposing. The playability with this guy was through the roof with the extending functional firetruck ladder that was fully loaded with missiles and pop out guns.
2. Transformers Robots In Disguise Rail Racer (JRX)This is one of the best combiners of all time and one of the most original. It's really impressive how he goes from three bullet trains that look like model trains (no visible robot kibble) which can turn into three individual robots and then also combine into one big robot. And that big robot looks rather uniform for a combiner and it had a great headsculpt. he's just a toy you have to experience to see the genius that went into him.
Transformers Robots In Disguise Midnight Express (J-4) Gallery
1. Transformers Robots In Disguise Megatron (Gigatron)To be honest, all the robots on this list are rather close in ranking. Any of them could have been number one (well, maybe except Scourge if I am prioritizing original molds for the line). But I picked this one just due to the sheer ambition of it. He has 10 modes. 10 MODES!!!! And while some are forgettable (elephant?) I really like how several modes look rather unique and bring out different aspects of the toy. There's the two headed dragon, the main robot mode, a griffon, the jet, the bat and, my personal favourite, the giant hand. there are these seemingly decorative disks on his wings that become wheels for a car mode. Granted, it's not show accurate but it doesn't take away from the other good modes this guy has. And he looks so majestic and regal in this jeweled version of the decepticon colour scheme.
Honourable Mentions: The new autobot brothers Side Burn, Prowl, and X Brawn
RID is known for bringing back the the robot cars in a big way (it is called Car Robots in Japan after all) so I wanted to mention the new take on the concept of car bots this line brought. The cars were realistic, like in G1 but the transformations were very different. The car kibble was asymmetric in robot mode with a lot of new robot mode detail, like in the chest area which used to be a prominent piece of the car instead. I always like new concepts so these definitely gold a nice place in the legacy of cars transforming into robots.
Transformers Robots In Disguise X-Brawn (Wildride) Gallery
Transformers Robots In Disguise Prowl (Mach Alert) Gallery
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