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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 Most Underrated Transformers Toys

Two weeks ago we had a list of toys that I feel people like more than they should or don't hate enough (I realize just now how terrible that sounds, like who am I the King of England?). Well now it is your turn to have a go at what I like and what I feel should get much more love. These are toys I find quite underrated. Either due to being compared to other toys coming out at the same time and thus seeing them as less than they are or simply forgotten and no longer cared for. Well, I care for them and I will gladly tell you why. Hopefully you can see where I am coming from. Of course, please let me know which toys you feel alone in the world for loving. Now let's get to it, my top 5 most underrated Transformers toys!

5. Transformers Generations Combiner Wars Motormaster Gallery/Menasor

There is a trend in the fandom where everything is criticized when it comes out to eventually be accepted and even sometimes loved within a collection. Take Voyager Animated Megatron, a toy which was ripped to shreds by fans when it first came out but which slowly gathered a fan following to the point where it became sacriligious to call it one of the worst toys of all time (something I still firmly beleive). I personally feel that Hasro's Combiner Wars Menasor will one day be fondly remembered and even sought after. It may even be that at the time of you reading this far into the future, him being on this list would sound crazy. But for now, this is seen as the weakest combiner of the bunch and while I am not sure if I agree or not, I don't think he is a bad toy. Quite the contrary, I think Combiner Wars Menasor is as good as any other Combiner from the line. I think he looks very imposing, especially with the legs straightened out, and he has the best weapon of the bunch by far. I especially love the Motormaster component, which is the most underrated aspect to this combiner. I am so impressed with how great he looks as a truck, torso and robot. Each form has very distinctive detail, unique from the other modes and yet he is a nice compact truck that hides the robot mode kibble especially well. I even like how effective the back of the cab is at making it be the robot legs in plain site ala Optimus, and yet it looking like a nice solid truck cab. The articulation is great, and the reveal of both the standard robot head and combiner head is both smart and effective. I think Combiner Wars Motormaster is a proud homage to the original, in a very neo G1 way which is now becoming more and more rare. And that follows onto Menasor, which makes for a big mean combiner, worthy of being an adaptation to the character we saw onscreen as children. These molds existing also means we finally got an actual G2 Menasor toy and if you need any more selling on that Motormaster mold, just check out that insane G2 redeco. Hasbro went all out. I am still not fond of that breakdown mold though.












4. Transformers Generations Jetfire

Oh man, this guy is the perfect example of Style over Substance. That can be both seen as a positive and a negative, hence the debate and him ending up here. I mean, think about it for a second, there is a whole thread about the debate of whether or not he feels like a KO, people out there hate this toy's guts. And people out there also hate Tim Burton's films which usually have incredible style while being uneven products at the same time. You might find the comparison weird, but what I mean to say is that while the final product of Generations Leader Jetfire might not be the best Transformer toy, due to him having a simple transformation, a fake cockpit chest, wearing a jet on his back, and having hollow limbs, he looks amazing! There are few transformers outside the animated line to have this much style. He looks amazing in both modes and has this sleek yet immensely powerful look to him with a beautiful sci fi edge which definitely sets him apart from most other Transformers designs (the sterile white look adds to that big time). For years, Takara was giving premium chrome deco on its versions of toys, hearkening back to the metal look of the G1 days. And now it was our turn to get the chrome on the more affordable figures and people rallied against it. Why?! People were paying double to get the little bit of chrome on the Takara seekers (I did) and now they wanted to pay a bunch to get the version that didn't have the chrome? On the pieces that could be detached when displayed in a classics shelf? But back to the mask, it’s another small wonder people don't give enough credit to. Unlike the previous voyager version, the mask here is small, compact and not invasive to the figure, making his head proportional to his body with it on or off so that it can be both used for a classics collection, with his mask off, or a stand alone awesome looking transformers figure with his mask on.

And come on guys, a Macross Valkyrie of this size would cost you anywhere between 200-300$. You get this guy for about 50$!! So yes, definitely underrated.










3. Prime Robots in Disguise Voyager Optimus Prime mold

I love Beast Hunters Ultra Magnus. It is easily the best voyager to come out of the Beast Hunters line and one of the best Voyagers of the entire Prime era. But while Ultra Magnus is liked well enough for being show accurate and having some fun extra playability options, I also happen to love this toy for its mold, which is the same one shared by RID Optimus, and that is not a shared sentiment. The Prime First Edition Optimus Prime is always placed well above the RID Optimus Prime mold (as seen in this poll) making the later more of a consolation prize to those who didn’t get him either because of its bizarre distribution or the higher price tag. But this isn’t a Bulkhead or Cliffjumper scenario, the RID mold of Prime Optimus Prime is actually far better mold than people give it credit too. I, like many others, love when a robot mode integrates a bunch of the alt mode and this mold does it really well, and even better than the First Edition version. Most of the truck parts come into play in robot mode but in a different fashion. The truck nose becomes the forearms, the truck roof becomes the shoulders, the lower legs transform beautifully using the back of the truck cab and this was the first Prime mold larger than the cyberverse toy to actually have the truck's windshield become Optimus' chest piece. I wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?


Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Ultra Magnus Gallery




Transformers Prime: Robots In Disguise Dark Energon Optimus Prime Gallery


Transformers Adventures Ultra Magnus Gallery


2. G1 Tantrum

This guy simply gets made fun of too much when he is actually one of the best toys Predaking is made of. Sure, at first look, he seems a bit dorky and funny looking but as an actual G1 transformers toy, he is hard to beat. Let's start with the robot mode which gets all the complaints. Unlike the others, he has articulated arms and forearms that have a huge range for a G1 toy. It let him do some pretty terrific poses with his weapons. He might look funny with his head stuck under his alt mode head but that actually gives him an amazing advantage of having a larger more proportioned head when comparing to the others. It also gives him a great Viking look. Also, by being carved under his alt mode head, it is the least obvious and visible head of the entire gang when they are in their alt mode. And speaking of the alt mode, wow. This is one of the best beast modes I have ever seen in any Transformers line. Its powerful looking, and fierce, especially when you mount the cannons in his back. He isn't the leader, but I sure wouldn't know that from the toys. He, along with some of his predacon brethren, execute a very impressive yet simple transformation that has none of his robot limbs double for alt mode limbs. And yet, on him, there is no robot kibble present when in beast mode and this is done without the use of a shell, which Beast Wars toys constantly relied upon, and even they usually used the same limbs for both modes. Everything seems to be where it should be on this mecha bull which has very good proportions giving it an imposing and massive appearance that no third party company was ever able to convey properly.








1. Transformers Alternators Decepticharge

Do you think this is a lame pick for number 1? Did you think other toys are more deserving of this spot? Do you think it's a poor choice for number 1? If you answered "yes" to any of those, then that shows how underrated this figure is and how it deserves the number 1 spot. It's not outright hated like any of the ones above but at least that keeps those in the conversation with people like me defending them. But Decepticharge? Nobody cares. There are a bunch of reasons for this, one of the main reasons being that the Alternators toyline he came from is not fondly remembered. I still think it is awesome that we had scaled licensed model cars that had detailed interiors that could fool others into thinking that they didn't transform. That was the idea behind the Diaclone line at the very beginning and it’s fun to see that idea brought back with improved engineering. Many of the toys were very difficult and had a similar transformation and final look with a bunch of car kibble hanging around the robot. However, Decepticharge, and his moldmate Windcharger, were an exception to this. They did not have random and unused kibble all over the place hanging off them. The doors for instance rest flush against the legs and the hood becomes detailing across the robot’s back. While every part of the car is used to make the robot, giving a beautiful look that the robot is truly made of parts of the car, there is also some robot mode detail that is not seen in car mode and it is achieved by turning over some segments of the car inside out. This method helps give brand new detail while minimizing kibble (this technique was used extensively for Titanium Fire Convoy and AOE Voyager Optimus and Hound with great effect across the board), and it hides away car details which would be odd or distracting, like the car seats. So we get this lean robot, with great proportions and excellent articulation that is simultaneously made up entirely of car parts (steering wheel and all) while also having hidden disguised robot detail inside. The perfect car mode is both a disguise and the robot’s components (unlike most movie toys for instance where the alt mode disguise becomes just a shell). This is the gold standard for a Transformer. This is how it started in the Diaclone line, before Generation One even existed, and it has been perfected with this toy.
With all this good stuff, the reason no one cares for him is probably because he has no official fiction linked to him (unlike his mold mate Windcharger or that toy's binaltech version, Overide). Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any other Transformers toy that does not have a single line of official description about him. While that means that he isn't a reference to any existing character or even a new character (since he hasn't appeared anywhere since), I find it amazing to have a Transformers toy who begins and ends with the fact that he is a transformers toy and nothing else. Even his name is probably just a placeholder (Decepticon redeco of Windcharger) due to not finding any other suitable or available names within the allotted production cycle. And I find that in itself awesome. A new character in a line about the definitive version of G1 toys (this was before the MP line released like clockwork). But back to him having no fiction by Hasbro, it might lose anyone's interest, but I find that also to be a plus to this toy and a reason to not forget him. The principle of fiction developed by Hasbro in the Transformers brand was always made with the end goal of selling toys and thus was always ancillary to the toys. However, for G1, G2 and Beast Wars, once the fiction brought you to the toys, you could discover a bunch of other toys that existed just to be toys and that had no fiction to rely on. Decepticharge brings us back to those days in a line that was all about referencing older characters. He was just a toy (a great one at that) for us fans of transforming toys and not a reference to anything else. There was no other purpose than to appreciate him as a toy, the initial form of this hobby, and I look upon this fondly. His origin is any you want to give him (he already has unofficial origin stories too).
Him being so underrated is great news to all of you reading this. It means you have a great chance at acquiring a great transformers toy at a cheap price. I hope you can give him a shot!












Honourable mentions: I find that Deluxe Universe Galvatron gets way too much hate. I agree that he is small and frustrating, but he packs so much into that package that I can't help but be very impressed by the toy. Also, a lot of the Beast Machine toys are given flack for not being show accurate but some of those are amazing toys none the less. Especially Mega Tankor with his many non intrusive gimmicks and fun transformation between two good looking modes (which both have their own scanning light piping).
 

I absolutely love Generations Jetfire and CW Motormaster, so I hear ya Will!

MM robot wise excellent update. Torso wise, the very high center of gravity=fail.

Jetfire was underrated? If so, it's their loss (the under raters that is). A great/awesome/uber update. Sure, Hb/Takara didn't turn him boxy but the rest of him, especially his face/battle mask ( hollow forearms not withstanding) is just a out of

G1 Predacons? Way advanced for it's time! Minimum hollow parts. Now if they were just given elbows and knees....

Completely agree that Motormaster and Jetfire are solid figures.

I also agree that Universe Galvatron gets too much hate. Does it deserve some of it? Absolutely. It's small and fiddly, and, if mine is like anyone else's, bits are constantly falling off.

But each of his modes looked good, and it had potential to be a good figure. Its real failing was that it was a Voyager-class figure stuck in a Deluxe's body. Had that figure been made as a Voyager (and possibly without that walking tank stuff), I think opinion would be different.

Oh ho ho, Decepticharge is certainly an intriguing choice for the number one spot. Indeed, I did not see that one coming at all.

Although, it's funny you mention how much of a blank slate he is, or rather was, fiction-wise when he first came out. It took about ten years but he finally got his due attention by the Facebook version of Ask Vector Prime, in an entry posted on August 8, 2015, with an answer most likely written by (or at least with input from) Hirofumi Ichikawa, author of the Story of Binaltech:

Q: Dear Vector Prime,

What can you tell me about Decepticharge?
.
.
A: Dear Magnetic Mister,

I can tell you that he is incredibly dangerous. His body was one of two intended for Windcharger, sent into space in an EDC shuttle along with a blue BT-15 GHS originally constructed for Prowl. The GT remote-linking system was to be further tested, in the wake of the Prowl situation. As the shuttle left the Sol system, it disappeared.

Two days later, the silver and yellow BT-16 units reappeared amidst strife between Shockwave and Starscream. Decepticharge, the yellow body infused with a new laser core, quickly put an end to the hostilities with his magnetic abilities and informed the Decepticons that Unicron was most displeased with their infighting and commanded them to destroy Optimus Prime and the Matrix of Leadership ensconced within him.


Q: Which raises the question -- what happened to the silver body? Blackarachnia?

Ask Vector Prime Indeed! Though I am curious as to how you could know that. Unicron is not bound by conventional perception of time and space, and was able to pluck her essence from the Autobot shuttle as she made her way from prehistoric Earth to Maximal-era Cybertron.

In addition to her Transmetal 2 telekenesis, her new body represented a significant upgrade in her offensive and defensive capabilities. It included a Venom Sniper Gun capable of firing system-disrupting energy packets, a riot shield that projected an electromagnetic field, and a web-launch system integrated with her grill, exhaust pipe, and hands.

She aided Decepticharge in quelling Starscream's rebellion amongst Shockwave's Earthbound forces, but her true self never stopped struggling to overcome Unicron's control. Her temporal perspective was such that she could sense the BT World timeline was corrupted and knew the importance of righting it.

This answer basically served as a means to officially canonize the Binaltech story info that Ichikawa originally wrote for both Decepticharge and a Binaltech release of the figure as Blackwidow (Blackarachnia), but which were ultimately never officially published under Takara's (or Hasbro's) license. But with this, Ichikawa finally got a second chance to make them both official (and even tied Blackarachnia's backstory in with Ichikawa's magnificent backstory of Optimus Primal as the Protector).

Really?

The list should have gone like this.

5 - Stalker
4 - Stalker
3 - Stalker
2 - Stalker
1 - STALKER

Once again, News Crew bias clearly shows through, and you have no idea what "under-rated" really means.

Damn. I've been thinking A LOT about this very topic. I was actually gonna ask somebody if I might be able to tackle it. Oh well. I snoozed, so I loozed. My list certainly has more controversy, that's for sure.

DecepticonFinishline wrote:My list certainly has more controversy, that's for sure.

Post it! Cobotron hasn't had anything to do, it's time he doused a good flame war.

Hehehehehe. That is the start of things.

Ok, So I fully agree on Jetfire. that figure is one of those ones that I pick up frequently and find absolutely amazing. I love him to death.

motormaster is exactly the opposite. I like the Battle Core Prime version with the fixed hips, but even that version is incredibly weak for me in terms of torso. And for poor Motormaster, he has shite hips, so that figure really doesn't score points for me at all, except for maybe the truck mode. but when your torso mode, the mode I needed you for the most is shite, well, that's no bloody good is it?

the only Prime from Prime I own is the voyager beast hunter, but Ultra Magnus is amazing, so I believe Optimus would work good too. I'll go with that one.

the last 2 I've never owned, so no dice there.

Now, for some of my own.

The crash combiners. I have Primestrong, and it is an amazing figure. (though it does raise the question: if a male and female combine, what is the gender of the combined form? I really don't know which acronym to use). the robots in disguise line, and simplified guys as a whole have gotten a lot of flak, and honestly few are worthy of it (stares at warrior Sideswipe). And the crash combiners are the latest flak takers, though I venture that they are incredibly good and fun.

So many of y'all hate on Fall of Cybertron Grimlock, but he is one of my favorites as well. His dino mode is big and beefy and it doesn't give a frag about real T-rex accuracy, so why should we? His transformation is fun and the robot mode is slamming. Light piped chest symbol!!!

I think you gotta throw the Cybertron Defense Scattorshot mold and its offspring in there too. that is an amazing mold and one that is so much fun to transform. It is just big and simple enough that it strikes a great balance, and he can do a lot too with some posing and all the weapons!

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:I think you gotta throw the Cybertron Defense Scattorshot mold and its offspring in there too. that is an amazing mold and one that is so much fun to transform. It is just big and simple enough that it strikes a great balance, and he can do a lot too with some posing and all the weapons!

Wait, what? That mold is underrated? It's such an elegant mold in its duality of a simple transformation mixed with a superb articulation, with the bonus of a non-intrusive, optimally functional gimmick.

Sabrblade wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:I think you gotta throw the Cybertron Defense Scattorshot mold and its offspring in there too. that is an amazing mold and one that is so much fun to transform. It is just big and simple enough that it strikes a great balance, and he can do a lot too with some posing and all the weapons!

Wait, what? That mold is underrated? It's such an elegant mold in its duality of a simple transformation mixed with a superb articulation, with the bonus of a non-intrusive, optimally functional gimmick.

It's one that I only ever heard of from watching Thews review of Dropshot, and even then I haven't seen a terrible amount of love for Cybertron toys, so...

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:I think you gotta throw the Cybertron Defense Scattorshot mold and its offspring in there too. that is an amazing mold and one that is so much fun to transform. It is just big and simple enough that it strikes a great balance, and he can do a lot too with some posing and all the weapons!

Wait, what? That mold is underrated? It's such an elegant mold in its duality of a simple transformation mixed with a superb articulation, with the bonus of a non-intrusive, optimally functional gimmick.

It's one that I only ever heard of from watching Thews review of Dropshot, and even then I haven't seen a terrible amount of love for Cybertron toys, so...

I've seen several people praise the Cybertron on this board, in recent years.

i thought there was a lot of hate for g1 wheelie
is he not cool enough to be underrated

I dunno, I feel like the thing that holds galvatron back from being unjustified hate is those crappy peg connectors that hold parts of him together and make his lower legs pop off of him like they're optimal optimus' blast shields. He's full of bad engineering decisions that hold him back. Things I would add to the list: FoC bruticus

Look, I'm not saying that Universe Deluxe Galvatron was hard to transform. I'm just saying that I got him into tank mode and Pinhead appeared.

Dark Ops wrote:Look, I'm not saying that Universe Deluxe Galvatron was hard to transform. I'm just saying that I got him into tank mode and Pinhead appeared.

Did it tear your soul apart?

Can't say I'm fond of any one of these toys, sorry.
Jetfire's probably the best one here but I was never fond of his cartoon design and I really dislike the huge triangular shape caused by the wings in robot mode. Also I actually like chrome on TF figures but only where it makes sense (truck grills, certain weapons and such) and the red just doesn't look good here. I saw several Jetfires turn up half price in B&M but passed on them.

I really only took issue with your finally point on Jetfire. See, a Macross Valkyrie is worth every penny of its two to three dollar price tag.

Jetfire isn't worth a dime over twenty. I only like mine because I got him for twenty. If I had paid fulL price, I'd have been super pissed.

Well, Will, the friend whom I made all those CW customs can totally agree with you for #5. (See sig)

Anyway, allow me to leave a list of my own. In no particular order:

2007 Movie voyager Starscream
That mold get a lot of hate for his huge arms, annoying firing missilles, thick jet mode, and not-accurate-looking everything. But for me, this is the BEST movie Starscream toy. Appart the leader, obviously. Because he does look amazing and powerful. Also, the automorph is pure genius where the jet completely compress into a powerful chest. Movie Starscream is a lot of fun and deserves more love. It's also a great and cheap custom fodder. (clicky my siggy). I even bought and OPENNED the most expensive version of the mold:



Titanium Rodimus Prime
I would call the whole line underrated. Some are complete garbage, yes, but most figures are pretty good. But one figure that get a lot of unjustified hate is the Rodimus mold. The vehicle is pretty much perfect, with HIDDEN weapon storage. The bot may look ackward as hell from the side, but overall, it's well proportionned and it work really well. The transformaation is creative and fun. And finally, the build is high quality without any parts falling off when you play with it. Also, premium paint and the diecast feel GOOD. Give that guy a chance!



Beast Wars Fuzor Injector
What do you get when you cross a wasp with a piranha? "GARBAGE" most of you will say. And I say that's pretty sad because Beast Wars Fuzor Injector is AWESOME. It's ridiculous. He's ugly all over. And I just want to dry up his tears and hug him tenderly by wispering in his ears that "It's all right for you to be." This mutant fish is a lot of fun. The transformation is simple but fun. The bot have no extra shell parts hanging all over, something the Best Era was infamous for. And that head sculpt is adorably creepy in both modes. Because of the hate, he's pretty cheap. So I have him TWICE. One open and one sealed. So, try this guy out and give him some well deserved love! Oh and Seibertron. Even you hate him? Come on, put him in your gallery, please.



Transformers Age of Extinction First Edition Optimus Prime
That mold is considered one of the most vile shelformers to ever appear in any Transformers toylines. Such a shellformer that you can remove the truck shell and build the truck right beside the bot! Even though the Beast War mammoth Big Convoy do the same, only this AoE mold get crapped uppon. Why? My guess is after the standard set so high by the incredible RotF Leader Optimus Prime, it was seen as regressive to go to such simple engeneering for the new Optimus leader. It was so hated that it even was redesigned. TWICE! The official leader in the AoE line was smaller and less shellformery and Takara made it even more movie accurate by remolding it. Anyway, going back to the 1st Ed AoE Optimus, I find the hate quite unjustified. The truck is perfect, the transformation is a lot of fun, the paint and chrome feel "premium" and the bot still look magnificent despite the shell bits and the huge backpack. I own the Silver Knight version and that one is even more hated because of the simple paint scheme of the truck. Call me blasphemous, but I love my Silver Knight optimus even more than my special Takara AoE leader Optimus. I may not be alone because it's relatively expensive to get. Oh and Seibertron? I'd humbly request a gallery of the Silver Knight version, please.



The four above, I seem the only one to truly love. That's a shame because these toys are worth being in any TF collection. So, guys, if you see any of these and you find the price reasonable enough, give these transformers a chance!

Nice list! Some very interesting picks on there. Here's my thoughts on 'em...

Motormaster: Regardless of his qualities as a combiner torso, Motormaster looks awesome as an individual figure. Great truck mode, and a cool robot mode. I'm considering getting the G2 Stunticons at some point and if I'm honest, I'm not sure I'd ever combine them- partly because IMO the combined mode is a bit weak and needs the upgrade kits to look good, but mostly because they're just so characterful on their own. I can't speak for Motormaster himself as I've never actually handled that mold, but I loved CW Dragstrip, and if Flowspade and Trickdiamond are anything to go by then Dead End, Wildrider and Breakdown should be superb.

Jetfire: Yep, this is a great looking toy. The chrome is sexy as all hell (though I wish there was some applied to the figure itself), the jet mode is gorgeous and the robot mode is incredibly stylish. My one complaint would be all the hollow bits, particularly the arms.

PRID Prime: Wait, people don't like that figure? I was actually considering that mold as my CHUG OP! (Before I settled on, erm, DotM Voyager Prime...Don't judge me). He looks superb, especially in truck mode. Granted the clear arms are kinda weird and that weapon sucks, but otherwise he looks a good, solid toy.

G1 Tantrum: I agree with you in as much as picking on G1 toys is kinda unfair. They definitely have a distinct charm, and given their age it's pretty harsh to compare them to today's toys. This guy seems a bit of an odd choice for the list, but I will say I think the G1 Predacons are cool looking toys, even if they look a bit cute and cuddly.

Alternators Decepticharge: Ah, at last, the only toy on this list I actually own!...Sort of. I had Windcharger as a kid and I loved him, at least until the bonnet broke off. That kinda sucked. However, his transformation was incredibly cool, his articulation was decent (aside from the waist swivel, which was what broke his bonnet) and he looked awesome in both modes. I never had Decepticharge but those colours are really cool. I'd be tempted to stick the Alternators line as a whole in here- they were incredibly well designed toys and paved the way for "collectors" Transformers lines of the future. If they scaled better I'd have no qualms displaying them with an MP collection. (Incidentally, does the smaller Alternity line scale better with MPs?).

As for my own list...


5: Movie 2007 Thundercracker. His jet mode is heinously bad, no two ways about it. But the robot mode is really, really great. Good articulation, a killer headsculpt, great colours, an imposing look and rotary missile launchers for hands! He's sadly no longer in my collection, but I did love him.

4: Energon Bruticus Maximus. Sure he's not exactly the best combiner out there, even with that one 3P upgrade kit, but the individual figures are remarkably fun. The missile truck makes for a pretty cool deluxe, though his lack of weapons is a shame, the helicopter mold is just a neat little Apache with a nicely poseable (if somewhat generic) robot mode, and the AA tank mold is a really cool scout figure in his own right. Sure his feet are kinda flippery, but he poses remarkably well, his transformation is really cool, his robot mode silhouette is very unique (and reminds me of a Seeker, oddly enough) and his vehicle mode is a fun little Flakpanzer with elevating guns AND a rotating turret- something CW Brawl couldn't manage despite being a bigger toy! Whilst I wouldn't have them as my Combaticons anymore I would say that these figures make for excellent crowd fillers/generics, and if I had more space and money I'd track down the other colour variations of them to have an army of Decepticon grunts.

3: ROTF Rampage. Sure, even with the elbow mod his articulation is a dog's breakfast. Yeah, sure, his jackhammer mode needs a stand. But I love this toy anyway. The bulldozer mode is very convincing, and the transformation is inspired. As for the robot modes, the "crab" mode is a nicely creepy and oddly expressive, and the "jackhammer" mode is infinitely amusing. He's not going to win any awards for "best toy ever" but I like him a lot, and I don't think he deserves a lot of the hate he gets.

2: PCCs. Full stop. I own three of the little buggers and I love every single one. Steamhammer is probably my least favourite (I had to do dremel work on his hips for them to be able to move very much) but he's still a cool, scrappy little scout with a neat vehicle mode. Sledge meanwhile is a great toy with a seldom-seen vehicle mode (a rockwheel trencher, combined with an excavator), a delightfully characterful robot mode and the best Mini-con ever, Throttler (who turns into a goddamn drill!). Finally, Smoulder is absolutely awesome. Between his partner Chopster turning into a fire axe, his unusual but interesting proportions, his great poseability and the fact he's a Decepticon who turns into an emergency vehicle (how many times have we seen that?) he belongs in anyone's collection. Sure, the combined modes kinda suck but they make such fun little scout-class toys on their own that it hardly matters.

1: DotM Voyager Optimus Prime. I will never understand the hate this guy gets. Sure, he's not exactly accurate but he's so damned cool! His vehicle mode is awesome, with its solar panels, rocket boosters and massive fuel tanks. And the robot mode? I love it! Greatly poseable, wonderfully detailed, rocking anime super-robot proportions (Optimus Prime? More like Obarimus Prime!) and wielding that big honking gun. He feels like if Beast Wars, with all its 90s EXTREEEEEMEness and crazy engineering, had featured vehicles instead of beasts. And I goddamn love it. My sole, singular complaint is the lack of paint and the overuse of that "Games Workshop Grey". Now granted I could easily repaint those bits myself (and probably will once my airbrush setup is sorted) but it still sucks a little. But yeah, I adore this toy, wrinkles and all.

Transformers prime figure was good I didn't like it repainted in ultra Magnus, good sleek figure.,
Good for those who like combiner wars combiners I don't like them except for devastator he's only one that looks normal all other small combiners have long arms and short stubby legs there hands go down to knees in gorilla type body I won't buy them I will look at them

I'm sorry, but I really can't get past the Motormaster mold's egregious torso mode problems. The bot mode and truck mode? Fantastic, and I've honestly never seen anyone say many bad things about them. It's the torso mode where people take issue for good reason. He's easily the worst torso mold of the line.


This is a pretty difficult topic to contribute to much like the overrated one because it's subject to a lot of bias and it depends entirely on personal experience - someone could have come from a part of the fandom that despises Classics Mirage and say they're underrated, but then someone could reply back that, no, the part of the fandom they came from adores Classics Mirage; what the heck do you mean underrated?

So while this is very difficult to rate objectively... I guess I can start off with Generations Roadbuster. Putting aside the very crappy stickers, he's an excellent robot with an excellent transformation into robot mode with an awesome array of weapons which gives you customisation options for days. He's just a bunch of fun to mess around with.

I guess I can also say Victorion. She's an incredible figure despite the mold re-use but I just saw everyone railing against her. And then the Takara released the mold in worse colours and everyone sang that version's praises. There's another one actually; Hasbro toys in general compared to Takara versions. Don't get me wrong, a lot of time Takara really deserves that praise - holy heck did they deserve praise for Blurr - but almost instantly people just assume the Takara versions are so much better even if the Hasbro versions don't have any significant differences... or are, even, in some cases better. Hasbro Bruticus in particular is that to me. I take one look at Takara's Onslaught and Bruticus and it's a great example of how being accurate to a bad 1980s cartoon does not result in a good colour layout. It just results in looking like a complete mess. The Hasbro version is so much cleaner thanks to its silver chest shield and has colour breakups where colour breakups ought to be. Oh, and the brown they used for their Blast Off doesn't make my eyes sick, so there's a bonus.

That Optimus mold is one of my absolute favorites and that's saying something, I find the character and most of his toys rather dull, in general. And the Dark Energon variant is simply gorgeous. I never realized that this mold was disliked. The Prime FE is great too, just in different ways.

I don't have Motormaster or Jetfire but I agree with you. As long as you ignore the torso it looks like a really solid modern voyager. And that G2 deco kicks arse. I like Jetfire for his style but maybe if I had him and felt his substance I'd have a different opinion. PRID Prime is a really good toy. I too longed for the FE but I think I'm good with this one actually. It helps that the FE isn't cheap.

The other two are little out of left field but Decepticharge does look pretty good I suppose. Now my list may be a little...controversial.

5: Generations Sergeant Kup
I haven't seen much hate on the figure itself but more on the head. I don't necessarily like it but it's not as terrible as some say. If you want this figure it's fine without the upgrade heads.

4: T30 Windblade
The heels on this girl get a lot of hate but even before I switched them around I still didn't find them too egregious. I still think this is the best of the 3 Windblade molds, especially in the Takara deco.

3: AOE Hound
This toy gets flak for not being accurate. And generally put in the "meh" category of AOE figures. But besides his lack of girth he's a good toy. I find that with all the weapons he's a more fun version of Generations Roadbuster. It also helps that I'm a sucker for a guy with a crapload of guns.

2: FOC Shockwave and the FOC Seeker mold
These two get one spot because they have the same criticisms brought towards them. Too small, too light, too hollow, too thin. The woes of a FOC toy. But these are two of the best molds that line had and I can't help but enjoy them. I'd replace Shockwave with the Beast Hunters in my collection but too many of my Cons are deluxes.

1: The CW Breakdown mold
The only version I have is UW Lightspeed and I quite like the figure. The proportions aren't nearly as bad in person and honestly I don't see the big deal with the hips. Maybe mine turned out better. And everything else on the figure are definite wins in my book.

I tried to pick ones that I knew were not widely liked instead of ones that were very subjective. I know I'm going to get so many disagreements on #1.

Black Hat wrote:
As for my own list...


5: Movie 2007 Thundercracker. His jet mode is heinously bad, no two ways about it. But the robot mode is really, really great. Good articulation, a killer headsculpt, great colours, an imposing look and rotary missile launchers for hands! He's sadly no longer in my collection, but I did love him.

Gladd to see that I'm not alone, seeing the glory of this mold.