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There were so many good-looking figures this year, which is why I limited my purchases -- no characters that already have an MP representation (with exception of Optimus Prime, and his nemesis Megatron, and Ultra Magnus because I was impressed that the inner robot was a different mold than Prime.)

That means no Siege Sideswipe, Ironhide/ratchet, Datsuns, Soundwave, Starscream, Shockwave, etc. At this point my CHUG collection is mostly dedicated to the "Rebirth" cast.

And of course, I didn't buy MP-45 Bumblebee because I felt it was an insult. MP-47 Hound will probably only get here tomorrow so he wasn't a candidate...

And here were are --



MP-44 Optimus Prime
A "high-end" representation of my favourite version of my favourite character. Now he literally looks like he stepped out of the screen. Dat beautiful face. Takara had gone to great lengths (perhaps too much) to make sure the robot-mode had only details from the cartoon -- including storing the sides of the cab in his legs. Just wish Takara had used a different material for the antennas and skipped the voice-box. Such an expansive "collector" figure, and they sacrificed the size of his backpack for a kiddie-gimmick. I have my DVD set and the internet, I don't need the figures to read their lines.


Siege Optimus Prime
The CHUG Prime I wanted for a long time. Could stand to be a lil bit more on-model, and they should have painted the crotch, but it's the best CHUG Prime yet. I'd also get the EarthRise one, had they not cheaped out on the deco.


Siege Skyfire (Jetfire)
Even better than the last Skyfire, this one's bigger and very on-model in both modes. He's got some cool gimmicks/mechanisms. And he fits pretty well with both CHUG and MP. Wish he had interchangeable facial-expressions (and that I'd paid the discounted price.)


Siege Flywheels (Skytread)
Such a great update, it's perfect for its size/class. Battletrap should have got the same treatment (I skipped him because the two individual-robots gimmick hurt the actual "Battletrap" mode.)


Siege Reflector (Refraktor)
I've wanted an Apeface since Titans Return, and he turned out fine. But Reflector was just more fun. Wish they had included the viewfinder piece somehow.



And here are all my figures from 2019 --



SS-38 Prime
Best Bayverse Prime yet. Deco could be a wee bit better. (And they used the wrong truck model.)

Cog & Brunt
Fun! Almost made top five.

Siege Ultra Magnus
After years of white Convoys redecos it's great to see so many proper UM figures. And like I said, I'm impressed the inner Prime was its own mold.

Siege Megatron
Best Chug Megatron yet, I guess.. but it's still a tank. Could have used wrist swivels and a little more paint.

Apeface
Finally. Bring on Snapdargon!


What are your top five?

I still don't understand why people think Siege Jetfire is a good figure. But each his/her own, I guess.

Anyway, in 2019 I made a lot of new TF purchases, and I think most of them were great quality. So this is difficult to choose. In no particular order:

SS-54 Megatron
Siege Voyager Optimus Prime
Siege Leader Ultra Magnus
Siege Leader Shockwave (really voyager, I love the base figure, the extra stuff is stupid)
Siege Titan Omega Supreme

Those are from the ones I bought and handled, so it doesn't include a lot of SS figures.

This is tough, like picking a favorite child. But i'll try

Studio Series Scrapmetel
Ok here me out, this is almost a perfect toy. Fun transformation, neat and accurate vehicle mode, distinct robot mode and all while being decently articulated

Siege Jetfire
I will put him on this list too since my experience with him in hand has been nothing but joy, also probably helps that I bought him when walmart was doing their wacky discount. The care that went into the details is my favorite part, even if the vehicle mode suffers somewhat because of it

Siege Sideswipe
Out of all the Siege figures Ive picked up the one that I keep coming back to is this guy, even though there isn't anything super fancy going on. Its just such a solid Deluxe toss in Lionizer and some blast effects and you got ya self a never ending pose party

Studio Series Optimus Prime (bumblebee version)
Hands down one of the best looking designs to come out of the 6 movies, the transformation into a truck is shockingly devoid of leftover robot bits and he poses like a champ. Tho I do wish the feet and shins where less fiddle-ly. Another note is I went in and filled in some of the unpainted details myself and this improved him even more

Siege Thundercracker
Some will say Im insane for loving this figure but dammit hes just so fun to swoosh. Despite the tetrajet being not being totally squared away at the edges it has not hampered my enjoyment what so ever. The robot mode is just the right blend of classic seeker and stylized modernism

Yup so thats it for me? The only other that jumps to mind is car mode Dropkick because in all honesty its the first nice car deluxe from studio series of handled

I rarely purchase Masterpiece figures (none from 2019), and Studio Series is generally too fragile/fiddly to rank very high with me (though SS-38 OP is a definite high point), so everything on my list comes from Siege.

I'm going to cheat a bit and pick favourite molds instead of individual figures, since I have multiple versions of each that made it to the list.

-Siege Voyager Optimus Prime: Because he's a near-perfect G1 Prime at a far more affordable price than the Masterpiece. I was happy enough with the standard release until I saw the 35th Anniversary 'cell-shaded' version in person. I know not everyone loves the effect, but the brighter colours (especially the white thighs and pelvis) make a huge difference to me.

-Siege Voyager Megatron: The standard release is a bit too dark and...well, bland...for my taste, but I really like both the G2 Combat Hero deco on the Selects release (as well as that great miner head-sculpt) and the 'cell-shaded' 35th Anniversary repaint. The 'bot mode is iconic for both eras, and the tank feels like a perfectly rational alt-mode. I love the inclusion of a weapon that references both his G1 Takara sword AND the gun barrel on his animated incarnation.

-Siege Leader Shockwave: So much G1 perfection in both his robot mode and his unofficial blaster mode. Like most folks, I would have happily ditched the extra parts in favour of a Voyager price-point, but they really do help sell his alt-mode as a space-faring warship and not just an upside-down gun. His slate-grey "Galactic Man" Selects figure looks incredibly sharp and has become my surprise favourite between the two releases.

-Siege Deluxe Sideswipe & Red Alert: Elegantly simple in design and engineering, with beautiful colour schemes and a Cybertronian alt-mode that hews impressively close to their original Earth mode. Though I have a stronger nostalgic attachment to Sideswipe, Red Alert wins the day for brighter whites and accessories that don't feel compromised.

-Siege Deluxe Datsuns: Yes, the torso of this mold isn't the most substantial, but I love the alt-mode and the use of clear plastic in different colours over silver paint. I also dig the way the transformation so closely approximates that of the vintage G1/Diaclone Datsuns. Prowl, sadly, is the least interesting, with the most basic paint and lack of shoulder cannons. Smokescreen and Bluestreak both look and feel more complete, and Barricade's transition to Cybertronian law-enforcer is a very appropriate fit for the character.

Technically, I've only bought two [Modern] figures this year and one of them definitely isn't in my top 5 of anything. So I'll fill the other slots with some picks/recommendations from my friends this year.

5) SIEGE Ratchet - "A better figure than Ironhide". The retooling made between the two is subtle yet beneficial to the Medic and his redeco colour palette is very well executed.

4) SIEGE Skywarp - Another redeco, albeit he was spoken of higher than Thundercracker. As he has some more detail to his paint apps that [i]Blue Starscream[/1] was missing.

3) SIEGE Jetfire - The number one pick in one friends' eyes. He has waited since G1 for this figure and he certainly wasn't disappointed. It isn't flawless but he couldn't be happier with it.

2) SIEGE Omega Supreme - The number one pick to my second TF friend. Now I've actually seen this impressive Guardian in the flesh, so that pipped him above Skyfire. This is how you update a figure.

1) MP-43 Megatron - Which brings us to the figure I actually own. Other than this being the definition of the mandate for the Beast War line of Masterpiece IE Screen and scale accuracy. The main draw of this figure was in taking a design I didn't like in the show - at all - and making me take notice of how good it actually is. It is reassuring that the two leaders of Beast Wars have both been such complete highlights of the entire line thus far.


Yesss.

Wow, talk about picking the favorites ... I normally have issues with picking out TEN!

So, most of my top purchases this year have not been of any of the current lines. Yay crappy distribution, and weird luck! So I'll divide this into two top fives, one of the figures released this year, and my over all with figures that were older that I've fallen in love with.

This Year's Releases:

5) Greenlight and Lancer. I've lumped them together because they're the same mold just different colors, and while I like Greenlight's colors better my Lancer seems more solid than her. They're so low on this list due to the removal of the wrist joints from the Moonracer and Novastar days.

4) I've lumped two together here again, but it is two versions of one character. Studio Series DOTM Sideswipe and Siege Sides. I might have a small Sideswipe problem, but it is mainly due to the car mode, and these guys don't disappoint. DOTM Sides is a much needed update that fixed some major issues and stands really well, which for wheeled feet is awesome. Siege Sides is a mini masterpiece, and actually adds some updates in articulation to the MP.

3) Siege Shockwave. I would not have even picked this guy up if I had not worked out a deal and got him free with a replacement Omega Supreme. Initially I thought that paying the Leader price for a Voyager with a lot of accessories was not worth it, and then I got him. I love the extra little tentacle arms that come from the massive shoulder pads. I moved the platform shoes/foot guns to the side of his shins and since they can freely rotate, I've turned him into this evil purple version of Ironman with tentacle arm guns.

2) Siege Omega Supreme. I like this guy, I really do, but I just got burned with the issues in trying to get a small QC issue fixed. Now, that I have two of the correct tracks, and have been able to mess around with him. Omega is pretty darn awesome. He's got the big chunky boy feel, looms over shelves, fits rather well sitting in a chair staring at my puppy making her regret her life choices. Only complaints I have is the fact that some of his joints are overly tight and make me feel like I'm going to snap his legs in half trying to get the joint to move.

1) Now kinda stereotypical Siege Jetfire/Skyfire. I picked him up, didn't get the weird sale pricing that was going on, but then again he never hit shelves in my area. He has all the weight and heft of Omega, but without the scarily tight joints. The accessories help him flip between G1 toy accurate and show accurate, and he can easily hold various microscope Perceptors.

My Overall, and mostly G1 :

5) Soundwave, G1 and Prime. These were both figures that I personally never thought that I was ever going to be able to own without selling some body part. Prime Soundwave was one that after seeing him shelf warm for months that when I decided to buy one he just disappeared, and was instantly $50+ online. G1 Soundwave was just a pipe dream to go with my collection of show appearing G1 cassettes, especially since my older brother gave me most of the cassettes but never had Soundwave himself. I was almost going to buy the re-issue, but when I came across a great condition complete one for the same price. I jumped on it and have a growing G1 Decepticon army.

4) G1 RamjetTHRUST. Edited, because I can't keep the coneheads straight! Another semi mythical G1 for me, as it was another G1 toy my brother had wanted as a kid but had never gotten, and I had never seen. I, in a trend for this list, was out and about and I stumbled upon a complete guy with all of the original stickers. He was mine, gotta love the VOTL Harrier Jet.

3) G1 Tracks. I got in trouble for this guy... Hubby was not pleased. It was right before X-mas, and while at my local toy show I stumbled upon him. The only part this guy is missing is the insert for his box, all of the missiles are on the spindle and he is so clean. My love of the Chevy Corvette convinced me to buy him, and I've not be disappointed.

2) G1 Jazz. Technically, Diaclone Jazz. A B-day gift to myself, and he's been quite fun. Looks great next to all my other G1 sports cars. Also, the second Diaclone I've ever seen, but the first one I've owned.

1) G1 Trailbreaker, also technically Diaclone. He was just sitting in a display case full of various similarly sized car toys in the antique store down the street. I scooped him up, and the older gal running the store had no idea she just liked that it was a truck with a camper shell. Turns out later as I was transforming him I found his stamp, and he's a Takara 1982 Trailbreaker. Went to a convention about two months after I bought him, and was able to get all of his accessories making him complete.