Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

Megatron Wolf wrote:As i was about to hit submit i thought of another one, generations voyager grimlock. I dont see how anyone could think thats a good figure, fragile plastic, both modes are hollow, wonky joints that could snap at anytime, ugly looking plastic, i could go on but i wont.

Oh please go on when you have a chance, I do these lists to bring up subjects that we dont always talk about so I would love to hear what you (and everyone else) thinks is overrated (or not crapped on enough). I like how there are no wrong answers when something is so subjective.

Dr Lockdown wrote:Hm...am I the only one who thought the inclusion of MP Optimus in the thumbnail was partial clickbait?

Aside from that, I am really getting annoyed with the MP Seeker mould at this point.

Hasbro: Stop it. Get some help.

You can look at past lists, I always put the honourable mention as the thumbnail so as not to spoil who's on the list. And since I didnt want it to be percieved as clickbait, I made sure to have it be a pic of the main area flawd with this toy. And yeah, sorry about that BB21, I do realize we are speaking of crotches again. But its because its such an easy subject to laugh at that I am totally perplexed as to why some toys go out of their way to give it attention. Like that damn MP 10 with that hole and it being the most blatant robot kibble/detail in truck mode. Or like how you had to plug a key up 10th anniversary Megatron's rear to activate a gimick.

And about the seeker mold, its Takara redoing it and still using that 10 year old mold and milking it like no tomorrow. I know we like to mess with Hasbro but this time it's all on Takara.

thedistinctroom wrote:Lol!!

I couldn't disagree more with this list. However, it IS very well written, and gotta' respect yr opinions, m8.

Just funny, is all.

Thanks man, that means a lot

Zeedust wrote:I have to question Thunderblast's place at #1. Not because it's a good toy, but because I don't recall ever seeing anyone say they liked it.

I gave some examples above in the comments so that people could see where I am coming from with Thunderblast. But basically, here is my point. I am assuming you dont like it either, but do you think its one of the worst toys out there? Because I think it is a permanent shitstain on one of the best lines we ever had. And whenever I say that (with the points I give above) someone always goes, "come on, its not that bad". And I am always in disbelief, since i believe it is that bad. I think its airachnid bad and an insult to the idea of a transformers toy. If anyone thinks its any better than that, then that means this figure is overrated, to me.

steals_your_goats wrote:

Zeedust wrote:IIRC (I admittedly put mine on eBay a while back), he actually does have wrist swivels. And personally, I like what they did with the weapons.

He does in fact have wrist swivels. I actually really like the leader grimlock. I think he looks better than the lumpy voyager in both modes and has better weapon integration. Sure there's a bunch of ways he's not perfect but I still think it's a pretty cool figure.

Yeah, you guys are right, he does have wrist swivels. In my rage I must have lumped all that I didnt like about both the voyager and leader into one. Thanks, I will go make the correction so as not to confuse any future reader. I still really find this toy as lackluster as before though

Emerje wrote: And to be fair, no matter how bad of a figure she might be, she is cartoon accurate in the end.

Emerje

But does that give the toy any credit if the show model is based on this piss poor toy?
Like I get how we could say that about Leader Movie Starscream. Its not a great design but at least its super accurate to the model made by animators before this toy.
Also, just curious, but wasnt her backpack slimmer in the show, with it higher above the ground? Thats how I remember it, but I could be wrong.

Sabrblade wrote:Out of curiosity, Will, do you have any thoughts on the RobotMasters Seeker mold? It was the very first time that the original 3 Seekers got new-mold modern toys based on their classic G1 (both cartoon and toy) designs, making them like a precursor to or a dry run for the Classics Seeker mold.

Also, it's funny that you mention G2 Smokescreen in the FOC Seeker section since, like both the Energon Starscream mold and the 2010 Terradive mold, the FOC Seeker mold shares the same core transformation scheme as the G2 Smokescreen mold.

Sadly I do not have an opinion on that mold since that whole line is not easy to come by being takara exclusive and at a time when it was less obvious to get exclusive toys than now. I hear it isnt great though.
And I was thinking of that with G2 Smokescreen. I LOVE that toy (as you can see from my sig) and I always try to mention how advanced it was for its time. I also love those balljoints. I know people say that modern articulation/engineering started with Beast Wars but I feel it starts with him. And hey, while you are here Sabr, why dont you give us your thoughts on the classics/generations line. I know you have expressed some very different views to most on it, do you think that would count as finding the whole idea overrated?

william-james88 wrote:. And yeah, sorry about that BB21, I do realize we are speaking of crotches again. But its because its such an easy subject to laugh at that I am totally perplexed as to why some toys go out of their way to give it attention. Like that damn MP 10 with that hole and it being the most blatant robot kibble/detail in truck mode. Or like how you had to plug a key up 10th anniversary Megatron's rear to activate a gimick.

its okay i laugh at it too.
i talk about twinfernos crotch face all the time.
is it bad i want to see a list of the top 5 best crotches and top 5 worst ones now

william-james88 wrote:And hey, while you are here Sabr, why dont you give us your thoughts on the classics/generations line. I know you have expressed some very different views to most on it, do you think that would count as finding the whole idea overrated?

Hoo boy, that sure is an unholy can of worms a touchy subject to be explored, having gone on record of sometimes wishing that the Classics/Generations lines never even existed.

Let's just say I'm not a fan of updating a character's look for the sheer sake of updating said look if A) the original look was acceptable enough, and B) the updated look has no precedent ties with any fiction, either preexisting or knowingly forthcoming. Thus, when the Classics line debuted in 2006 with all its new looks for old characters, I was not a fan and deliberately skipped out on most of the line (BotCon 2007 was a way's off at the time, so no one yet knew about Fun Pub's plans to create Classics fiction, and it wouldn't be until the 2010s when I'd finally get to read it and all other Fun Pub fiction).

Ya'll know what was my very first in-hand exposure to the Classics Voyager Optimus Prime mold? BotCon 2014 Knight Ginrai, which (as of this typing) remains the only version of that mold that I own and have ever owned.

Over the years, I have picked up a number of CHUG figures, but predominately ones that have some connection with some Transformers fiction. I own very few CHUG figures whose bodies don't resemble any of the bodies that the characters had in any of their fictional appearances.

People complain about the whole "G1 with knees" look of some of the toys being made by the the current Hasbro team, yet had the original Classics line from 2006 followed this design philosophy for those original figures (minus Megatron who, for obvious legal reasons, wouldn't had had his original G1 altmode no matter what), essentially providing us with a line of G1 character model-accurate toys with 21st Century articulation and engineering (basically being like the Masterpiece line, but on a smaller size scale and a more-economical-for-a-mass-retail-line scale), I probably would have been more into it from the start, instead of feeling mostly apathetic towards it back then.

I'm willing to bet that all those very same naysayers towards the "G1 with knees" design philosophy would have still just as much eaten up a "G1 with knees" version of the Classics line as they had with the "updated looks" version of the Classics line that we got. After all, the toys would have been both as complex/fun as 21st Century Transformers toys are, and would have faithfully resembled the iconic original looks of the characters that people were already familiar with. The characters would have all looked "right" or "correct" or "how they're supposed to look". I recall Hasbro of the time responding to several questions about why they updated the looks of the G1 characters the way they did in the Classics line instead of sticking to their original looks and altmodes, so the interest in the characters' original looks was present at the time.

It's even still present in this day and age as evidenced by one of the staff members of the Combiner Wars cartoon openly admitting that, to him, Megatron's original G1 look is so iconic that, despite Megatron turning into a tank in that cartoon, the staff member couldn't bear to change the classic look of Megatron's robot mode to better reflect Megatron's new altmode, meaning that he deliberately kept all the Walther P-38 gun parts on Megatron's body where he ought to have had tank parts instead. And when he told this to the audience he and his fellow staff members were speaking to, the crowd applauded his choosing to keep Megatron's classic look unchanged.

Y'all forgot

MP Soundwave
MP Grimlock
MP Megatron
MP Lambo
MP Lancia
MP Vanette

fenrir72 wrote:Y'all forgot

MP Soundwave
MP Grimlock
MP Megatron
MP Lambo
MP Lancia
MP Vanette

only agree with the bolded ones
the others are amazing figures with awesome enginerring

MP Seeker mold is overrated. The first version was bad and the second version is a floppy mess.

The FoC Seeker mold is ugly with those egg beater weapons.

When they came out with the FoC seekers, I avoided them and I put my money on the United Seeker repaint sets. They are the best you can get for the Classics mold as far as paints and tightness of joints , especially for Thundercracker and Skywarp. What the Classics mold suffers from is the small-ish size, and the over sized arm cannons which hinder the toy ever being the absolute best. However, the Classics mold got a lot of major points for it's transformation and minimal kibble. Unites Starscream looks like he walked right off the screen.

Combiner Wars Megatron...no seriously that is load of hogwash for people thinking that was a great toy so much so I never even bothered with it. I have Hegemon V2 for that.

I don't do movie toys so I'm out the loop on that one

I have Thunderblast...its a shell former of the worst kind. However it has a certain appeal being a female and a Decepticon.

Now what you say about MP-10...no its still not perfect but it's a big improvement over MP-1 in design and transformation. I think MP-10 is just the best because it hits the sweet spot for me as the definitive Optimus from the G1 era. There are other molds I think that would deserve an honorable mention but 'Im not agreeing with MP-10 being on that list

Bumblebee21 wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:Y'all forgot

MP Soundwave
MP Grimlock
MP Megatron
MP Lambo
MP Lancia
MP Vanette

only agree with the bolded ones
the others are amazing figures with awesome enginerring

I don't think masterpiece Megatron is remotely overrated. To be overrated people would actually have to like it and unless I'm missing something that mold is pretty much universally disliked.

Not big fan of master piece FIGURES but I do like new version of master piece figures and cybertron classic deluxe seekers figures , classic deluxe seeker figures will always remain favorite of seeker figures for me

SillySpringer wrote:Personally I would've added Gen voyager Springer. He's a really good toy, but not nearly as amazing as people made him out to be. Especially with some things in the alt modes not tabbing together completely, and the tabs on the gun for copter mode being designed to break unless sanded down.

Gotta disagree heavily. Springer is on my list of best and most fun figures in my collection, not to mention the best Wrecker.

With this in mind, I'm gonna add some more cents to the list.

MP Prime as an honorable mention makes me cringe. I got that mold and it is wonderful. I love the frikkin balls off that thing. It lived up to the hype I've heard for years before getting it, so I heartily disagree.

Never owned the seeker mold, FOC seekers, or thunderblast so no comments there.

Megatron I can disagree with. I am one of those that love the figure. Yes, it has a few flaws, but it is still one of my favorites. It has given us the best alt mode for a Megatron in I believe ever, and the robot mode really isn't that bad. Better shoulders and maybe some slight leg work and he is perfect, and as is I feel like I got the $40 worth out of the toy that I put into it, and then some.

Grimlock I also disagree. The voyager sucked and I have never had interest in it, but I do really like this one as well. Yes, the body of the alt mode is long and the tail is just his weapons, but it is a good looking dino mode to me. It was the best of the movie Grimlocks.

Just to add to that, FoC Grimlock is another of my favorites and the best figure from that line that I own. Again, somewhat funky look, but it moves well, it looks good, it has lights, it looks mean, and it transforms well for me. It is my favorite dinosaur transformer other than maybe AoE Scorn.

Now then, cancelling those ones off, a few of my own that deserve to be on the list.

Titans Return Sixshot. Despite being so hyped up, and many are still saying it is a great figure, I find myself disappointed. The figure let me down. went from being my most anticipated figure of the wave 3 guys to being my least favorite of them. Titans Return Megatron also joins that pile as, despite the praise everyone seems to be giving him, I don't like him that much. He just doesn't work for me at all.

Can't really think of any others off the top of my head now

D-Maximus_Prime wrote: a few of my own that deserve to be on the list.

Titans Return Sixshot.

Why am I not surprised.

steals_your_goats wrote:

Bumblebee21 wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:Y'all forgot

MP Soundwave
MP Grimlock
MP Megatron
MP Lambo
MP Lancia
MP Vanette

only agree with the bolded ones
the others are amazing figures with awesome enginerring

I don't think masterpiece Megatron is remotely overrated. To be overrated people would actually have to like it and unless I'm missing something that mold is pretty much universally disliked.

The title did NOT specifically mention positive "overrated" or negative "overrated". It just mentioned "overrated" So it goes both ways ey?

SillySpringer wrote:Personally I would've added Gen voyager Springer. He's a really good toy, but not nearly as amazing as people made him out to be. Especially with some things in the alt modes not tabbing together completely, and the tabs on the gun for copter mode being designed to break unless sanded down.

I would agree! He has a great great robot mode, and collectors love a good robot mode with no kibble. But his head pops off every time i transform him, and his car mode is kind of frustrating with the plates not lining up.

Still a great toy, but not the "best TF ever" that we see him show up as a lot.

My vote goes for RTS Jazz. Another great robot mode, and a royal pain to transform. Very fiddly, and very easy to crack the plastic, which is that flimsy white stuff anyway. But everyone seems to love him.

fenrir72 wrote:The title did NOT specifically mention positive "overrated" or negative "overrated". It just mentioned "overrated" So it goes both ways ey?

The way I went about it was that overrated was when you felt a figure got more praise than you think it deserves. So it can be if a figure is loved a lot and you think its just fine. Or when a figure is not really hated but you hate it a lot. So you can see it in those 2 ways. So maybe mentioning MP Megatron means that the person thinks it is the worst toy ever but not everyone thinks so (that figure does have some fans).

But if you mean that there is a figure that everyone hates (or that no one cares about) but that you love, then that becomes underrated, and that list will be coming next

DarkEnergon wrote:My vote goes for RTS Jazz. Another great robot mode, and a royal pain to transform. Very fiddly, and very easy to crack the plastic, which is that flimsy white stuff anyway. But everyone seems to love him.

Great addition to the table! I had no clue of those flaws in the plastic and I was actually contemplating putting him on the "most flawless" list I have going on since I had not noticed that flaw so far.

bvzxa wrote:I have Thunderblast...its a shell former of the worst kind. However it has a certain appeal being a female and a Decepticon.

So is Prime Airachnid and yet people see no appeal in that toy right?

william-james88 wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote: a few of my own that deserve to be on the list.

Titans Return Sixshot.

Why am I not surprised.

It's one of the few in my collection that really let me down, and it's recent, so there's those things!

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote: a few of my own that deserve to be on the list.

Titans Return Sixshot.

Why am I not surprised.

It's one of the few in my collection that really let me down, and it's recent, so there's those things!

I feel recency is also what affected Springer and why people think he is seen as perfect. He's not recent anymore of course, but sicne he was part of the big 30th anniversary series, he was issued the same year that many people were doing retrospectives. And so was on many many lists, sometimes as number 1. And the fact that he was recent on people's minds definitely had an impact. But I feel these days, the hype for Springer died down unlike, say, MP 10 as you are my witness

Just to show you how much hype can die, I started writing this list so long ago that Windblade was originally on there. She was such a hot toy and I was puzzled over what people saw in her. But that was hype and it dies, so not necessarily the toy being overrated. So I just moved that entry over the "most dissapointed" list with Fort Max and ROTF Devastator We will see if you still feel this way about Sixshot by the time that list comes around.

Wow Will, I actually agree with you for the most part with this list. I was pleasantly surprised by your picks for this category.

5. MP-03/MP-11: I agree with your valid point about the fiddly transformation, but disagree with your gripes about the chest being upside down. It just doesn't bither me much. However, as tempted as I am to sell my MP Thundercracker 1.5 (see what I did there?), I am just so damned charmed by him to do so.

4. AOE Leader Grimlock: I always hated the way it looked, so I never got it. The voyager one is decent, but not great. But that leader still looks just...lame.

3. FOC Starscream: Again, I never got this one coz I hate the way it looks. However, I do feel as though your detest is unwarranted, as although you like the Galaxy Force toy for doing things this one doesn't its also an entirely different robot mode and design all around. Not defending the toy itself, just the designers who had to work with Starscreams kinda lousy look from the game.

2. CW Leader Megs: Man, this toy. Now, I own the Armada one, but he still sucks just as hard. I want to love this toy so much, but I just can't help but hate him. He's basically a large version of CW Brakedown. God I hate that toy. But this guy...al he can do is stand there looking like some Col. Mustard. He's chubby and has skinny legs, and his perpetual scowl just says, in a slurred and gruff voice, "I remember a time, and I'm talking waaay back when Lawrence of Arabia was still Lawrence of Great Britain, ahmhrmhrm, God save the queen. Dash it all, what was I talking about, again?"

I never owned Blastcharge or whatever, and I have no actual opinion on her. Howver, I do on your honorable mention: MP-01 is a superior toy to MP-10. I never,liked the proportions on MP-10, and man does he have some stupid looking feet. Also, his face has this perpetually surprised expression on it, whereas MP-01 is serious business.

Time to chuck some thoughts in where possible! (Which, as it turns out, is everywhere.)

I never did own any of the MP Seekers, but that whole cockpit-chest-dealio was the exact reason I didn't spring for MP-11. At the time my only MP was 10 (we'll get to that in a minute) and I really wanted an MP Decepticon to go up against him - but I just couldn't quite bring myself to pull the trigger on Starscream. And I'm glad I didn't, 'cause now I have Soundwave and his minions instead, whom I think we can all agree is/are significantly better.
(Not too overly fond of the Classics mold either though, I just find that it's not aged too well, but I totally agree it's more deserving of a good reputation than MP-3/11 is.)

Again, I never went for Leader Grimlock but those exact reasons are the very same that kept me from wanting him. But hey, with just a little customization, you too can add Longcat to your Movie Autobot ranks!

FoC Starscream is in a really weird place for me. I don't like his jet mode, I think his plastic is awful (half of his knee hinge shattered the year before last, but luckily a dab of superglue tightened the hinge on the other side of the knee enough that it still holds a pose), and I think he's notably too small - and yet, I like him anyway for some reason. I have every reason to hate this toy but I don't, and to this day I still have no idea why. I won't disagree with any of your points though, to be certain.

Y'know it's funny, even when I disagree with you on these picks I still don't oppose the idea that they're overrated toys (save for one, but again we'll get to that). I'm fond of CW Leader Megs, I think he does a good enough job filling in for MP Megs until I cave in and buy/preorder V2.0, I adore his headsculpt and I think his tank mode is quite good. (Plus spring-loaded missile, how long since we've seen that! ) But his articulation isn't up to much, I have to pose him at an angle so I can't see those godawful shoulder struts, and his thighs are much too thin compared to his lower arms. (As a side note though, one of Universe Octane's double-guns on the side of each thigh does create a considerable illusion of bulk! Tip of the day. ) So yeah, I like him for what he is, but he's definitely not as great as he was being touted as - back when he came out at least. Nowadays I think people are a lot more ambivalent on him, and I probably fall into that camp at this point too.

Thunderblast I really can't say much on at all since I never had, or even considered getting, her. I will say though, that she just strikes me as incredibly awkward in photos - if there's one thing I like less than a shellformer, it's a shellformer that doesn't even wear their shell well at all.

And now the main event, somehow, despite being an honorable mention: MP-10. Maybe it's because I have the Takara version. Maybe it's because I got that version for approximately $115USD. Maybe it's because he was my first Masterpiece. But I just can't see much wrong with him at all, honestly. Yes, the crotch not hiding in truck mode is annoying, I'll grant that - but especially with the trailer on, I'd never notice. The crotch-hole (heh) never bothered me at all, though that might just be me. And the head in the cab? You can't see it when the windows are closed, and I can almost guarantee that actual trucks don't open up like that - they're a Matrix-door/way to put Spike in, not a display option. Saying that the head being visible when those are open makes it bad, is like saying that TR Bumblebee is bad because you can see his head when you open up that whole roof-cockpit-thing. (Whether TR Bee is bad or not is debatable, but I wouldn't cite that as a valid reason against him.)
Honestly, when it comes down to it, I'd argue that MP-10 is objectively the best G1 Optimus Prime, so I don't see it as overrated. People who tout it as actually, absolutely "perfect" - they would be overrating it, yes. But saying it's the "most perfect" Optimus Prime toy available, which I think is probably how most would present it, is less overrating and more appreciating it as the absolute best we have.

Of course the whole list is all opinion-based, and so naturally my thoughts are too! Maybe I'm proving your point with regards to MP Prime. Who knows? The weird thing about overrated stuff is that those who overrate it probably don't realize they're doing so. Anyways, I've probably taken up more than enough of the screen so I'll just say: I'm looking forward to that Underrated TFs list! I'm really curious to see what ends up on that one.

william-james88 wrote:

Dr Lockdown wrote:Hm...am I the only one who thought the inclusion of MP Optimus in the thumbnail was partial clickbait?

Aside from that, I am really getting annoyed with the MP Seeker mould at this point.

Hasbro: Stop it. Get some help.

You can look at past lists, I always put the honourable mention as the thumbnail so as not to spoil who's on the list. And since I didnt want it to be percieved as clickbait, I made sure to have it be a pic of the main area flawd with this toy. And yeah, sorry about that BB21, I do realize we are speaking of crotches again. But its because its such an easy subject to laugh at that I am totally perplexed as to why some toys go out of their way to give it attention. Like that damn MP 10 with that hole and it being the most blatant robot kibble/detail in truck mode. Or like how you had to plug a key up 10th anniversary Megatron's rear to activate a gimick.

And about the seeker mold, its Takara redoing it and still using that 10 year old mold and milking it like no tomorrow. I know we like to mess with Hasbro but this time it's all on Takara.

I only said 'partial'. I don't think this anyone on the site is capable of that. Personally I don't mind the flaw on the MP10. It's not too big of a deal to me.

Also I probably should've stated Takara, because you're absolutely right. But seriously, the things have been used so much that they're falling apart.

Interesting tidbit about MP-1 vs. MP-10: Whereas MP-10 was "trying" to be even more accurate to the G1 cartoon model than MP-1 was, MP-1 was originally not actually based primarily on the G1 cartoon model at all, but instead was based more directly off of the CG cartoon model of Optimus Prime seen lying dormant within the Ark in the Beast Wars cartoon.

Now, bear in mind that I do not own any version of this mold (for reasons I will explain) but you know the one mold I think is seriously overrated?

The Classics Seeker mold.

Now hear me out. Sure, the jet mode is sublime. Sure it's the most G1 accurate version of the Seekers we've gotten in this scale outside of the Robot Masters mold (which IIRC isn't really that good either). But there's so much off about it that I just can't understand why it's so beloved.

First, the robot mode has some seriously weird proportions. The arms are kinda stumpy, the torso is far too big and it's a bit of a pinhead. That, combined with the enormous null rays (which I'll come back to) make for a rather oddly shaped robot. Now granted, TFs don't have to have perfect human proportions to look cool; some of my favourite designs are decidedly inhuman. But here it just looks awkward.

Second, the articulation is kinda weak. The lack of wrists and ankles can be excused as it's a Deluxe and it's from 2006. But the lack of thigh swivels and bicep swivels is less easily forgiven. The thighs aren't so awful in their absence, but the lack of bicep swivels, combined with the strangely stumpy arms, makes for a rather static 'bot. Plus, the neck can barely move thanks to the nosecone hanging off of it. Surely there was a better way of doing it than that?

Thirdly, those null rays. They look cool, but they're far too big, and as a result they interfere with the arm articulation. Attempting to move the arms forward causes them to jam against the wings, seriously limiting the poseability. Thus, poor Starscream will never be able to point his weapons forwards.

Fourthly, this toy is so, so overrated. Almost any version of it costs a lot on the aftermarket, and it is regularly praised as one of the best toys of the franchise. It's so dated and immobile and fundamentally flawed, and yet it fetches upwards of £30 on eBay and gets lauded as the pinnacle of CHUG toys. It was OK for its time, sure, and again the jet mode looks amazing for its size, but it's just not that good anymore. I'd say the Optimus Prime from the same line has aged far better (though again I don't actually own any version of that mold) even with its arm kibble.

Finally, I dislike what the toy represents with regards to the Seekers in a CHUG collection. To date it's the only G1 styled "modern" Seeker toy for CHUG we've gotten thus far from HasTak. The others have been either styled after different versions of the character (the FoC version, the Armada version etc) or have been completely the wrong size (the Legends/Legion versions, which are fine for a Legends display but no good for CHUG, and the Leader mold, which is far too big for CHUG, not all that good and really if you want a Leader sized Seeker you're better off with the MP). There hasn't been another good G1 styled Deluxe or Voyager mold Seeker since then (aside from the solitary UW Ghost Starscream, which to be fair with new wings and redecoed in "normal" Seeker colours would make a fine Seeker mold). It feels like HasTak thinks that the Classics Seekers are good enough, and they just aren't. It's high time for a new Deluxe or Voyager Seeker, HasTak.

Suppose if I have to throw my hat into the ring (and pick up some riot shields in exchange), I'd nominate Takara Legends Arcee - and yes, specifically the Takara one. I like the mold itself - it's pretty great and honestly an awesome testament to how far HasTak's design and engineering has come - but even though it's cartoon accurate the deco is just atrocious in my eyes, especially the creepy-as-all-hell face deco. Put her away and haven't played with or displayed her in ages.
The Autobot Heroes one looks like a much better attempt to capture the cartoon look without feeling like she's staring into my soul.

Kurona wrote:Suppose if I have to throw my hat into the ring (and pick up some riot shields in exchange), I'd nominate Takara Legends Arcee - and yes, specifically the Takara one. I like the mold itself - it's pretty great and honestly an awesome testament to how far HasTak's design and engineering has come - but even though it's cartoon accurate the deco is just atrocious in my eyes, especially the creepy-as-all-hell face deco. Put her away and haven't played with or displayed her in ages.
The Autobot Heroes one looks like a much better attempt to capture the cartoon look without feeling like she's staring into my soul.

As a proud owner of Legends Arcee...I'm not sure I agree. The colours are overall much better than the Hasbro version, especially with the lack of the completely pointless black accents, and the face is basically the same but with painted lips. Maybe it's the light piping that's causing the "soulless" look? I personally prefer painted eyes to light piping.

The Autobot Heroes version looks nice, but the lack of her guns is laaaaaaaaame.

It's the lips... it's really the lips. Again, I get what they were going for, but it just looks creepy to me.
Also I actually kind of envy the Hasbro version's black sections since they help give some much-needed break-up in the colour scheme.

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:MP Prime as an honorable mention makes me cringe. I got that mold and it is wonderful. I love the frikkin balls off that thing.

Does this mean the crotch hole is your fault?

About the FoC seekers: I agree that they're overrated. I own Thundercracker and Skywarp and I know that they are not that good, but I still can't quite bring myself to not like them. I think a big part of that is that they originate from that FoC line where things like Jazz and Bruticus are setting a very low bar, so to get a toy that is almost passable seems like a genuine accomplishment. I also think they fall into that classic trap of "it's Cybertronian design, it doesn't have to be good" which is just the lamest excuse. It also benefits from the fact that many people are very burned out on the Classics seeker mold and were desperate for anything to latch onto as a potential replacement.

But here's my question: why doesn't Gen Armada Starscream get the same kind of attention? That's a toy that shares every single flaw of the FoC mold: the visible head (now in translucent orange for extra visibility!), the legs are a poorly defined lump at the back, the plastic on the weapons is terrifyingly fragile, and it introduces new problems to boot. Namely, the arms just hang off the jet, the cockpit droops down at a sad angle, and the arm articulation is pretty wonky, which will always enrage me on a toy with swords. And yet, the few times I've seen him discussed, it seems like people generally like him. I'm guessing everyone else stays quiet because they don't like the toy and don't care about it, but this is the one that deserves more attention and ranting IMO. It takes the FoC mold's flaws and makes them a precedent to be followed.

One last thing, the talk about this seeker mold and Gen Springer makes me wonder if there's a Top 5 list of figures whose reputations are most affected by when they came out. Springer and that seeker mold both get an extra bump up just for being good or almost good toys released around things that were more disappointing. The current RiD line is interesting because the first good deluxe (Fracture) was hailed as some kind of toy messiah for breathing life into a line that badly needed it. And then all of a sudden a whole pile of good toys came out of that deluxe class and people don't seem to latch onto any one toy as fiercely as that one. There must be other interesting toys to look at through that lens, but I have no idea what you would name the list.

*cries at the mention of CW Leader G1 deco Megatron on list*

Though I did find myself agreeing with the points expressed actually. Nice job on this list.