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, blah blah… sorry didn't quite get that

Dagon wrote:

RhA wrote:My choices:

Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime

Let's not pretend it's going to be anything else.

Then I won't pretend. I know it was Soundwave.

Prime's really awesome, sure, and had Soundwave come out later than Prime this would be no contest. But as it is, it's a no contest in favor of Soundwave.

Fisticuffs it is, then.

SkyWarpt wrote:(... blah blah, Ultra Magnus, blah blah...)

Diem wrote:(...)
2) Please only place your votes for the current year. It makes it harder to count and makes you look like an immature brat who can't wait a few days if you don't.
(...)

Did you even read what Diem was asking? It's the best Transformers per year of release! Currently we're still voting on 1984, while Ultra Magnus was released in 1986!

While far from my favourite character, the best toy IMO of 84 was Soundwave. I wanted to say Prime but playability with the cassettes gets SW my vote.

Number two is Prime.

And three is Prowl.

These three figs are still to this day some of my favourite G1 toys. Great designs, great detail and a good portion of diecast too.

1) Optimus Prime
2) Starscream
3) Jazz

Prime was a full playset with the trailer and roller, had hours of fun just with Prime on his own (only transformer i had for a while ) never liked Soundwave because he just looked like a tape player with legs and arms and pointless transforming him as he was too big,Soundwave transforms to hide yet in tape player mode he's twice the size of Prime in truck mode, very discreet ...."quick, the autobots are coming!! ..transform" "hey, who's blocked the highway with this GIANT tape player?" same with Megatron. " quick Starscream, i will transform to gun mode, shoot prime!!" .."hang on Megs, best get TFC's gaint Hercules Devastator on the phone to lift your BIG ass up!"

Aaaaaaand, voting closed. Feel free to start voting for 1985 while I tally up the results.

Okay, final scores are in:

1984

3rd Place: Megatron (8 points)

Popular character, slightly sad robot mode. But on the plus side, if you carried him around today you could shoot or get shot by a cop, so there's that. Maybe you could even rob a bank!

2nd Place: Optimus Prime (24 points)

Fun fact, Optimus Prime is named after Emperor Optimus, the emperor who infamously forced the Romans to cut Italy into the shape of a boot.

1st Place: Soundwave (33 points)

And so here is the winner, Soundwave! Proof that you don't need knees to be popular, which is good news for all those old Kenner Star Wars figures goosestepping their way across the galaxy.





So Soundwave is proof that Hasbro was tripping so much money in the eighties that even now every bank note you handle has been rubbed on a Skywarp at least once. It didn't matter if everyone else turned into cars and planes, throw in a micro-cassette player too! And make him a bad guy, because nothing's scarier than a dictaphone with a gun!

It's hard to argue that he's a great toy. He can turn his neck and move his arms at the elbow and the shoulder which is more than a lot of G1 figures or, judging by current obesity statistics, most Americans. Also you press a button on him and a thing springs open! That's pure catnip to guys. The only reason more men don't take up knitting is that the needles don't retract and extend at the flick of a switch. Also, bafflingly enough, his guns fold up and go into his battery slot which is great! But the key thing is that you can store tapes in his chests that become tiny animals or robots. What they do to occupy themselves while they're stuck in his chest isn't clear.

Perhaps the strangest part is that Soundwave's face seems to be the base for the Decepticon logo which, behind the scenes, suggests that he was originally intended to be the Decepticon leader and, in front of the scenes suggests that Megatron was just trying to annoy Starscream.

Starscream: Obviously it should be MY FACE as the logo.
Megatron: Um...no. It's gonna be...(looks around)...that guy.

It could have been worse, Megatron could've picked Shockwave:

Megatron: Here's the Decepticon logo!
Skywarp: Is that a rupee?
Megatron: What?
Thundercracker: I'm gonna buy a Triforce!

So Soundwave is so popular he's getting a Masterpiece figure soon. Maybe this one will even have knees!

1985

So 1984 was a landslide, though not really in the direction I suggested, just like a real landslide. I suck at directing landslides, this is the worst superpower. Anyway, 1985 is a little harder to predict. Hasbro basically sucked every transforming robot they could find into their gaping jaw like some kind of giant, testicled combined robot thing (what a daft idea). For example we have the Dinobots: Grimlock, Sludge, Slag, Sleepy and Snooki. Also we have the Constructicons (yes, Devy counts as one figure for this vote), the Triple Changers, a whole bunch of Double Changers. The Deluxe Insecticons, the Not-So-Deluxe Insecticons, Omega Supreme, Jetfire, Shockwave, Blaster and and (pfft) the Jumpstarters.

Let the votes for 1985...begin!

1.Jetfire. Lot's of awesome in this figure and the one 80's mecha that really was ahead of it's time. Jetfire has 13 points of articulation which no other robot at the time can commpete with and he had battle armor.

2. Devastator. The first combiner for TFs. Also opened up a whole new aspect to the franchise with multiple figures uniting into a single entity.

3. Grimlock cause Grimlock is just awesome.

1) Grimlock

2) Devastator

3) Omega Supreme

1) Grimlock
2) Devastator
3) Jetfire

For 1985:

1. Grimlock
It's Grimlock! It's a badass robot that turns into a T-Rex. That alone is awesome!

2. Warpath
Yeah, I'm probably alone with this vote, but Warpath was my first Transformer and I still love him.

3. Astrotrain
Triplechangers!!

So far things seem to be going in quite the T-Rex direction (or, if you prefer, T-rection). Anyone got any other Year 2 favourites?

Gotta say Grimlock. The T Rex mode is great, especially the poseable claws.

Honourable mentions:

Shockwave. Got him last year and apart from having no waist, is surprisingly articulate. For a guy without a face, he oozes character.

Snarl. Coolest beast mode ever. I love the gold spine plates. Even my Mum likes the beast mode.

Blaster. I have the smaller deluxe size Kabaya version and I quite like him. I prefer this small size as he looks good with Springer, Jazz and co. Obviously, the proper sized one had the tape gimmick as well.

1) Jetfire
I never had him but with all those joints he'd have been my favourite.
2) Astrotrain
Two really convincing alt modes and a robot who can point his arm in every direction
3) Blitzwing
Two great alt modes.

1) Jetfire
2) Blitzwing
3) Grimlock

1) Grimlock
2) Grimlock
3) Grimlock

Let's not pretend it's going to be anything else.

RhA wrote:1) Grimlock
2) Grimlock
3) Grimlock

Let's not pretend it's going to be anything else.

I want to see you do this once each year.

Diem wrote:

RhA wrote:1) Grimlock
2) Grimlock
3) Grimlock

Let's not pretend it's going to be anything else.

I want to see you do this once each year.

Well, get strapped for 1994 then. There's a hoot.

Actually, I'm clueless.

1.Blitzwing and his 'long bombs'!

2.Sludge

3.Tubby old Cosmos

Hm, I'm farily poorly equipped to make a pick for this one, as the only 1985 mold I have is Warpath (and I love him to death).

But, let's go with:

1) Grimlock - Let's be honest here, it's Grimlock and he's amazing.

2) Jetfire - For the time was an engineering masterpiece, and he's pretty great in general. Plus, he let Jazz pull off that "super sonic boom" stunt in one episode.

3) Warpath - Despite being slightly awkwardly proportioned, he's just great! Fun to transform and has a cannon barrel for a chest, what's not to love?

1) Grimlock
2) Jetfire
3) Shockwave

1985: One of the toughest years, I'd say, because so many entries were *ahem* transformative in terms of the line's development. The brand worked hard this year to establish itself as more than just a line of cars that could turn into robots. This was the year that made it clear: Gobots were for your little brother.

3rd Place: Omega Supreme

No kid could walk by this behemoth in the toy aisle and not immediately place it at the top of his Christmas list. He was the holy grail toy of that season, the largest Transformer to date, and the first to incorporate a battery-operated gimmick. Despite being a large parts-former, he looked menacing as a robot and more than believable as a base, thereby paving the way for Metroplex, Fortress Maximus, and more.

2nd Place: Jetfire

Not so much a watershed moment for the line as evidence of a path not taken. For years after, Jetfire would set the bar for articulation, accessories, and play value. He's still one of the most sought-after items from that era and rightly so, as his overall aesthetic in both modes looks fantastic to this day.

1st Place: Devastator

In a year which saw the brand attempt several gimmicks to raise the creative bar, the most resounding step forward was the introduction of the combiner/gestalt concept. Devastator was the epitome of extended play-value, as each member of the Constructicons fed the need to complete the set. (After all, who would be happy with just a waist or foot?) Although he would eventually be eclipsed in both scale and engineering, for the time Devastator was the pinnacle of transforming robot awesomeness.


Honorable Mention: Grimlock

The Dinobots represented an imaginative step forward for the Transformers brand beyond the limitation of more-or-less realistic looking vehicles. What Eighties kid wasn't excited about dinosaurs and robots? The merger of the two was a masterstroke and Grimlock was undoubtedly their king (as his animated counterpart is found of reminding us).

Honorable Mention: Shockwave

Tied with Omega Supreme for first electronic gimmick, Shockwave continued (and more-or-less ended, sadly) the robot-into-gun trend. Pure sex in either mode, he continues to be one of the most iconic Transformers to this day.

Honorable Mention: Astrotrain/Blitzwing

The triple-changers were the last attempt in 1985 to step beyond the simple robot-into-vehicle concept of the previous year and provide more play value. Both these guys nearly nailed all three modes and were a pleasure to transform over and over again.

Dang! I missed the first vote.

fenrir72 wrote:Dang! I missed the first vote.

Metoo. But it doesn't surprise me that Soundwave won. Would've gotten my vote as well, so...

Here goes 1985:

1) Me Grimlock kick your butt if me not win!

2) Blitzwing. A triplechanger with a sword! I just love him.

3) Devastator. The first combiner, and a badass foe.



Honorable mentions:

4) Warpath. While he is definitely cool, I don't like him being a minicon - he should've been released as a much bigger toy. The Generations version is what he should have looked like from the beginning.

5) Astrotrain. Bigger on the inside than on the outside... neat Tardis factor, plus good colours and overall a pretty nice triplechanger.

Diem wrote:Let the votes for 1985...begin!

This one's actually tough. IMO, 1985 stands out as the best year for G1. I think I have to say Grimlock, though. Dinobots were a brilliant addition to the lineup; and even though Snarl has a more impressive robot mode, Grimlock's alt mode is pure win.

That said, here are my honorable mentions:

• Barrage - The Deluxe Insecticons never seem to get their props due to not appearing in the cartoon. Barrage just looks badass. He's got a transforation that's remarkably clever at hiding kibble (especially for 1985) and he's one of the most poseable G1 figures, period.
• Tracks - As if his Corvette Stingray alt mode weren't already sweet enough, it can sprout wings and fly. Enough said.

And then there's these two, which have already consumed a lot of space in this thread. Here's why I didn't pick them:

• Jetfire - A remarkably cool toy on his own; but his roots in a different toy line were abundantly evident as he didn't share an aesthetic or "feel" with other Transformers. That's true of some other members of the 1985 lineup, too; but for some reason it sticks out for me more with Jetfire. I probably shouldn't count it against the figure, but renaming him as "Skyfire" in the cartoon for no apparent reason was rather annoying. And his armor bits had a few very fragile tabs.
• Shockwave - I love this guy; but I never found his transformation all that impressive. And his elbows could get a bit floppy over time, which translated to his gun barrel sagging in a sad way.