The Energon Pub

Recently, in a discussion about "Top 10 Generations Figures," I expressed difficulty in coming up with such a list in part because the person who started the thread specified that they wanted opinions only about figures from the Generations toy line. Where as I have difficulty in my mind separating Generations from earlier toy lines such as Classics or Universe, which I all see as having the same core of a design aesthetic originating in Classics and continuing through to Generations, today. Many fans refer to this as "CHUG," or, "Classics, Henkei, Universe, Generations." Myself, I just like to say "Classics style." But regardless, to me they are all as one, and to make a list excluding the earlier figures seemed somehow wrong to me.

Fellow forum member william-james88 replied to my concerns by expressing that he would actually be interested in seeing a list of my top 10 non-Generations Classics style figures. Which figures from the older lines in this style I felt best stood the test of time, and could still most proudly hold a place along side more current offerings on a collector's shelf.

Now this, I felt was a list I could make!

So, what toy lines will be included on this list?

The obvious ones would be Classics and Universe. Also included would be the Transformers (2010) toy line which, while a toy line that grew out of the live action film series, also included some toys obviously designed in the Classics style. Finally, there was a sub-line of the Transformers (2010) toy line called Reveal the Shield that was even more obviously in the Classics style.

Also, I can only judge toys I own personally, and as much as I might wish otherwise, I cannot own every toy Hasbro releases! So if your favorite toy cannot be included because I happen to not have it, apologies. And another reason your favorite toy might not be included is because obviously this list is just my opinions! And yours may differ from mine. But, of course, you are welcomed to share your opinions in a reply!

Also, figures on this list will as much as possible be based strictly on official product. That being said, because of the state of my collection, some of the included photos may contain a few alterations such as Reprolabels. Still, you won't for example see Classics Ultra Magnus on this list. Why? Because while he is an awesome figure, that awesomeness is much dependent on the trailer that Fansproject produced for him, where as the figure as released by Hasbro is just a white Optimus Prime.

Finally, if a figure is not on this list, don't take that to mean I am saying, "Anything not on this list should just get tossed out!" There are many other great older figures that still look just fine along side the newer crop of figures.

Well, that all being said, shall we get on with the list?



Unicron almost had a numbered spot on this list, but in the end I took him off of it because his mold actually originated in the pre-Classics Energon toy line. Still, rocking a new head and a new deco more strongly inspired by how he looked in the 1986 film, this mold never looked better and it is clear that this version of Unicron has a place in a "Classics" style collection!



This is a toy that I wish could go higher on the list. He looks awesome in both modes and has a fun transformation. Alas, he does have a slight fragility issue in his handlebars, where if one is not careful the soft plastic they are made from can break. I am the sort of collector who actually likes to transform his Transformers once in a while! Yet for fear of those handlebars, I have not transformed my Wreck-Gar in ages. It does not help that he is actually my second Wreck-Gar, having had my first actually suffer that aforementioned handlebar mishap. Fortunately, I do still get to enjoy both of his modes thanks to a later release of this mold as another Junkion character in the Generations line. (As an added bonus, having two of this mold has extra functionality as the mold's robot was designed to sit on and tab into the seat of the mold's motorcycle mode.)



I know what you're thinking. "What? That Nerf-looking shell-forming piece of crap? Especially when we just got that awesome new Leader Class one in the Generations line?" What can I say? I have a soft spot in my heart for this guy. Prior to 2006, who'd have ever thought we'd see a Megatron with a gun-based alt mode again? Yes, they had to make it a fanciful gun, and give him a slightly wacky color scheme... But I think it works.

Besides which, while the new Leader Class one does look cool, I just don't think he'll look right on the shelf with his Decepticon brethren who are mostly Deluxes and Voyagers. If I ever pick him up, I feel he will be more of a stand alone figure. Where as the 2006 Megatron, he feels like part of my collection!

If the color scheme does bug you, I'd recommend perhaps trying to track down one of Takara's releases of this mold, which you may find more palatable. But me? I guess I've just gotten used to having him this way, and it doesn't bug me.



Bumblebee has gotten plenty of figures over the years, but many of the more recent ones, even if intended to be updates of the G1 character, have alt modes that seem more inspired by his appearance in the Michael Bay films. While the 2006 figure may not be the VW Bug of old, it is certainly the closest that we have gotten to that outside of the Masterpiece line.



(This mold did get the almost mandatory Cliffjumper repaint, but alas 2006 was the dark ages before Hasbro had pre-planned alternate head sculpts and it was pretty much just a straight repaint. So on it's own, it would not earn a place on this list. But it will get a shout out as a figure that really works with a bit of help from some third party add on parts.)



Tracks is a great figure. Actually, he is two great figures, with a pre-planned re-use that is arguably even better, but has to be omitted from this list as it was released as a part of the Generations line. Still, Tracks by himself is a fun toy that could have been a bit higher himself if not for the somewhat atrocious paint job Hasbro did on his hood. (Fortunately, Reprolabels came to the rescue there, as seen in my photos.)



Hound is a good looking toy with a fun transformation. The way that the vehicle mode's seats actually become the robot's upper legs is pretty clever.



Ravage may seem an odd choice to include with Hound, but as a free pack-in, I'll take him! By himself, he would perhaps not make this list. His deco was a bit uninspired, being mostly unpainted black. (Fortunately, again, Reprolabels came to the rescue to give him cassette detailing.) But as a pack-in, he just helps to increase Hound's standing on the list.



The two do have some limited interactivity. Hound has two pegs on the rear of his vehicle mode that Ravage can plug onto. Fortunately, they fold away when not in use and thus do nothing to be otherwise detrimental to Hound if you are not using them.



With Tracks above, I mentioned how Hasbro cleverly designed the mold in a way where they could use it as two different characters. Well, this was not the first time Hasbro tried this trick. In the G1 days, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were two toys made from completely separate molds which, while they had vaguely similar vehicle modes, looked quite different from one another in Robot mode. So when Hasbro wanted to give this pair a modern updating, they designed a toy with an upper body that on one side, looked like one character and on the other side, looked like the other character. Sideswipe's back looks like Sunstreaker's chest, and vice versa. So with a simple slight change in transformation, and an alternate head sculpt... wham! Two awesome toys from one mold. Sometimes, those folks at Hasbro can think.



This character is getting a newer update soon, but I think it will be hard pressed to surpass this offering. He's a great looking figure, and as a bonus he even comes with his Targetmaster partner! Alas, I don't have handy any solo photos of him wielding Nightstick, so here he is with a few friends:



And finally, his vehicle mode and Nightstick's robot mode:





Yes, there are three figures in the above photo. (Starscream himself is the one in the middle.) And full disclosure, one of them is from the Generations line. But that just goes to show the longevity of this mold. It is a mold that may seem a bit dated now, with articulation that is slightly lacking. Still, one cannot argue the historic importance of this mold. And, if you are into this sort of thing, it is the only modern mold (and quite possibly the only mold since the original 1984 toy, although I am sure someone will correct me if I am mistaken) in which you can own all six of the original seekers!



So on its own, maybe not the best modern Starscream. But as part of a complete collection? It doesn't get better then that.

(Slight disclaimer: Starscream was also released in the Universe line using this same mold, but a better deco. My figure as seen is augmented by Reprolabels and I am quite happy with him. But if you don't wish to use Reprolabels, the Universe version might be the better looking option.)



Not sure what else I need to say about him, other then that he is a freakin' awesome representation of Jazz!



People who know me might not be surprised to see an Optimus Prime in the top spot. After all, my Transformers review website has an entire section dedicated to nothing but Optimus Primes!

And I know, up at the top I said I wouldn't include figures that are dependent on third party accessories, and there is a pretty obvious one in my photos here in the form of a trailer. But this Optimus is still pretty awesome without that, the trailer is merely the icing on the cake!

This is another figure that has just gotten a new version, and in that case, I actually do own the new Combiner Wars toy. And that Combiner Wars toy, while better then I was expecting from photos I saw before having him in hand, is still not about to replace this guy on my Classics style shelves anytime soon as my pre-movie Autobot leader.

He does have a bit of arm kibble, as detractors are quick to point out. But that aside, he is a great representation of Optimus, looking awesome in both modes. Also, he features nice integration of his weapons into his vehicle mode, where not only do they tab on somewhere, but they actually become a part of the vehicle rather then just hiding away underneath as is common, or just tabbing on as a big honkin' gun attached to the vehicle mode as is sadly becoming even more common.

So yeah, even without the trailer, he's an awesome toy and he'd still be my Classics collection's Optimus Prime. But you know what? The heck with it! He is even more awesome with the third party trailer!



Yes, it is cheating a bit, but I don't care. I have a Classics Optimus that is practically a perfect modern update of the original toy, and I love it!



So, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Wish to offer your own lists? Please do so! And also... while I may have done it a bit with Prime's trailer there... try to keep the cheating to a minimum!

(With the exception of the vintage catalog photo of the 1984 Optimus Prime, all toy photographs in the above post are from my personal collection.)

Note: Please, for the love of god, if you are going to quote this top post in a reply, only quote the necessary sections and not the whole bloody thing. Thank you!

Nice list! Not sure I could come up with a better one myself.

Deluxe Cyclonus

Voyager Jetfire

Ultra Dreadwing

Ultra Onslaught

Deluxe Octane Tankor

Deluxe Tracks

Voyager Infero

Voyager gun Megatron

Deluxe Beast Wars Megatron

Deluxe Hound with Ravage

Yotsuyasan wrote:

Reprolabels stickers?

Would like to see these Reprolabels stickers get made for the Combiners Wars Voyager Cyclonus toy.

That is a damned fine list, Yotsuyasan. Off the top of my head I'm not sure what I can disagree with. Massive props for including 2006 Megatron. I vastly prefer the Hasbro color scheme. The Henkai silver is just way too blah and boring, IMHO.

Delta Magnus wrote:Nice list! Not sure I could come up with a better one myself.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:That is a damned fine list, Yotsuyasan. Off the top of my head I'm not sure what I can disagree with.

Thanks!

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Tsutsukakushi, thanks for your list! No need to comment on the ones we agree on, but here's my two cents on the rest of your list:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Voyager Jetfire

As much as I still love this figure, I do have to admit that for me, the new Generations Leader Class offering does slightly edge him out, even with the hollow bits and unnecessary chrome. If we hadn't gotten the new Jetfire, though, the old one may have made the cut for my list.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Ultra Dreadwing

I assume you mean Darkwing? (Dreadwing was the combined form of Darkwing and another character, Dreadwind.) Not a toy I own myself, but looking at a picture on the TFWiki, not a bad repaint of Universe Silverbolt.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Ultra Onslaught

I did almost consider including him I will admit... But I just feel that if we do get one in Combiner Wars, unless he absolutely sucks, he will win out by virtue of being able to be a part of a gestalt, an important feature that the Universe Ultra Class version lacks. Also, for me personally, even if the robot mode isn't the most G1 accurate, the Asian Exclusive Onslaught is my collection's main Onslaught.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Deluxe Octane Tankor

I do like this figure a lot, but not quite enough to get into my top 10, I suppose.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Voyager Infero

Since I was trying to base the list based off of how Hasbro designed the figures, this one didn't make the cut for me mainly because of the big honkin' cannon it had where I would have preferred a ladder. Fortunately, there was a third party fix for that:



I will say, however, that this mold's re-use as Grapple was a figure that came close to being on my list.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Deluxe Beast Wars Megatron

Which toy is this? Looking at the TFWiki, while there was a toy of this character released inn 2006 for the 10th anniversary of Beast Wars, it doesn't seem that that toy was considered part of the Classics toy line. Nor do I see one as a part of any of the toy lines that succeeded Classics. But if I am missing something, do please point it out.

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And finally...

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Voyager gun Megatron

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:Massive props for including 2006 Megatron. I vastly prefer the Hasbro color scheme. The Henkai silver is just way too blah and boring, IMHO.

I've often felt in recent years as if he was a rather underappreciated figure. Nice to know I'm not the only one with some love for him!

If "2010" lines count HFTD Bludgeon belongs near the top of the list.

And Mirage from the original classics line was one of the best from that line, IMO. I'd definitely include him before Optimus or Bumblebee or Megatron.

Optimum Supreme wrote:If "2010" lines count HFTD Bludgeon belongs near the top of the list.

And Mirage from the original classics line was one of the best from that line, IMO. I'd definitely include him before Optimus or Bumblebee or Megatron.

Mirage was a tough one for me not to include, I will admit. He is a great figure!




As for Bludgeon, he too is a great figure... But not "Top 10" great. Especially with those soft & bendy swords that Hasbro gave him! If he had better swords (such as third parties fortunately gave him) he might have been a contended. But as it is, since I was trying to rank them based on how they came stock, he was not even considered by me.

AMAZING LIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know, I forget how many incredible toys there were before the generations line. I do really love Grappel and Universe Onslaught so I dont know where I would place them on your list if I were to make my own.

Thanks for taking the time for this!

william-james88 wrote:AMAZING LIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

william-james88 wrote:You know, I forget how many incredible toys there were before the generations line. I do really love Grappel and Universe Onslaught so I dont know where I would place them on your list if I were to make my own.

Grappel is a good one, and is one of the ones I seriously thought of including.




Onslaught I briefly thought of... I just couldn't shake a few things.

One, the more personal issue, being that while I do enjoy the toy and do have him on display, he's not my main Onslaught by virtue of having the Asian Exclusive one, along with the rest of his Combaticon brethren.




(Although that one definitely can't be on the list since on his own he isn't the absolute best Onslaught, and he is only really elevated by his team. And also, that team contains two third party figures.)

Two, even if I don't currently have plans to get him, as I shall likely remain content with the figures I just pictured above, I feel that the theorized Hot Spot remold into Onslaught might also knock the Universe one off. In that case, you'd have a whole team who could be on the list. (Well, except for being Generations figures!) And even if Universe Onslaught was a fie figure, knowing that he was a gestalt team leader that couldn't combine did always nag me a bit. (The same is true for Silverbolt.) So perhaps not fair to judge a figure against one that doesn't exist yet, but I could not help but to do so.

william-james88 wrote:Thanks for taking the time for this!

You're welcome! Thank you for inspiring me to do so!

Good list, although I would have gone with the RTS deco for Cyclonus, sure the purple on the Universe version is nicer, but the RTS version doesn't look like a half coloured test shot.

I think a honorable mention should go out to Lugnut, sure he was a Classics update to an Animated character, but he was considered G1, plus he's sweet.

As for Inferno, the hilarious thing about him is that he's a Classics update to not the G1 incarnation, but the G2 version, which is why he has the faux stream of water missile, his box even said G2 XD Tehy still could have included a ladder though, the G2 toy had one after all.

That's what I loved about the Universe 2008 line, it was made up of "Classics" interpretations of loads of different lines and labeled them as such on the box. The funny thing was, that it included toys labeled as G1, G2, Beast Wars and "Classics", when one would think that just "Classics" would do XD

I have a soft spot for Classics Hotrod who was my favourite of the first wave of Classics. I completely agree with your list though.

munkimus prime wrote:I have a soft spot for Classics Hotrod who was my favourite of the first wave of Classics. I completely agree with your list though.

Hot Rod is a good one.




And if we delve into the world of third party add-ons, you can also get him with his post-matrix upgrade!




Of course, that version wouldn't be eligible for this list. But even just the core robot... Well, let us just say that some of the other figures people have mentioned almost make me wish I'd gone with a "Top 25." But I suppose ya' gotta stop somewhere.

Oh yes Hot Rod was great, not perfect or brilliant but damn good. I loved how his weapon storage was similar to the Turbomasters.

And Yeah, FPs upgrade set is so awesome, it blows City Commander away.

Dead Metal wrote:
That's what I loved about the Universe 2008 line, it was made up of "Classics" interpretations of loads of different lines and labeled them as such on the box. The funny thing was, that it included toys labeled as G1, G2, Beast Wars and "Classics", when one would think that just "Classics" would do XD

So Armada hotshot was just stated as "classics" ?

william-james88 wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:
That's what I loved about the Universe 2008 line, it was made up of "Classics" interpretations of loads of different lines and labeled them as such on the box. The funny thing was, that it included toys labeled as G1, G2, Beast Wars and "Classics", when one would think that just "Classics" would do XD

So Armada hotshot was just stated as "classics" ?

No, the card listed him as "Armada Series", of which there were a whopping two larger figures (Hot Shot and a straight up repackage of Armada Unicron) and then the Minicon Multi-packs (and their subsequent single carded releases, where applicable).

Yotsuyasan wrote:

Optimum Supreme wrote:If "2010" lines count HFTD Bludgeon belongs near the top of the list.

And Mirage from the original classics line was one of the best from that line, IMO. I'd definitely include him before Optimus or Bumblebee or Megatron.

Mirage was a tough one for me not to include, I will admit. He is a great figure!




As for Bludgeon, he too is a great figure... But not "Top 10" great. Especially with those soft & bendy swords that Hasbro gave him! If he had better swords (such as third parties fortunately gave him) he might have been a contended. But as it is, since I was trying to rank them based on how they came stock, he was not even considered by me.

Why didn't you include him?! Joke. 99% on the mark with your list. I especially like the Sunstreaker mold. Awesome face sculpt. Dropped the ball on Sideswipe though. Those broken sideburns of his are ug-lee!

And the FP trailer with henkei Convoy more than makes up for that oversight of Hasbro........Prime without a trailer.......really

Jazz on the otherhand, if only Tomy's had fixed that cest locking in place......

great list, however, I'm going to be a little picky. The RTS line wasn't exactly pre-Generations, more concurrent, and basically the same thing apart from the rubsigns... however that's just my opinion and how I group things together (further more, basically anything "classics-style" is grouped together in my mind.)

I have to agree with Hound being on that list, apart from Jazz (United version for me) he's the best figure, although I have the Asian exclusive Generations release, so does that really count?

Not surprised to see the Seekers there, or so high up - I highly recommend the United three packs as (what I feel) the best deco of each version of the characters if you don't already have them.

Adding to that list, honourable mentions for me would be RTS Lugnut, RTS/United Windcharger and Classics Jetfire.

ScottyP wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:
That's what I loved about the Universe 2008 line, it was made up of "Classics" interpretations of loads of different lines and labeled them as such on the box. The funny thing was, that it included toys labeled as G1, G2, Beast Wars and "Classics", when one would think that just "Classics" would do XD

So Armada hotshot was just stated as "classics" ?

No, the card listed him as "Armada Series", of which there were a whopping two larger figures (Hot Shot and a straight up repackage of Armada Unicron) and then the Minicon Multi-packs (and their subsequent single carded releases, where applicable).

There was also Overload.

The Starscream was labeled as G1.

Basically, if the design was pretty accurate to the original, it was labeled as G1 or G2, if it was a re-imagining of a G1 character it was labeled as Classics. Cyclonus for instance was also labeled as G1 while Galvatron was Classics.
But that only applied to the G1 characters, the characters from other lines were always labeled as the line they originated from, even if they didn't exactly look like their old selves.

prjkt wrote:great list, however, I'm going to be a little picky. The RTS line wasn't exactly pre-Generations, more concurrent, and basically the same thing apart from the rubsigns...

You are correct. RTS was a sub-line of the Transformers (2010) toy line, which started (Surprise!) in 2010, the same year as the start of the Generations toy line. But there is something to be said for brevity of a headline, and "Top 10 'Classics' Style Figures From Toy Lines Before Generations, or From Lines That Existed Concurrently With the Start of Generations But Have Since Ended Where As Generations is Still Ongoing" starts to get a bit clunky!

prjkt wrote:further more, basically anything "classics-style" is grouped together in my mind.

Oh, in practice, I agree completely, as stated in my original post. But the distinction of "pre-Generations" has been made for the purposes of this thread as a way of exploring which older figures still stand up today against the current output, and have also not had a better figure of the same character released more recently.

prjkt wrote:I have to agree with Hound being on that list, apart from Jazz (United version for me) he's the best figure, although I have the Asian exclusive Generations release, so does that really count?

Well... Same character using the same mold... So I suppose I'd allow it to slide on a technicality, as long as it is accompanied by a footnote explaining as such.

prjkt wrote:Not surprised to see the Seekers there, or so high up - I highly recommend the United three packs as (what I feel) the best deco of each version of the characters if you don't already have them.

The United three packs do look nice... But I am happy with the domestic retail releases of them all, especially with the deco tweaks that Reprolabels provided. Anyway, while I didn't say as much in my original post, I will admit that was trying not to include foreign toys (not too difficult, as I don't own many) or con exclusives (not too difficult, as I don't own any) so as to make the list more accessible to the majority who may also not have a lot or any of such things themselves.

prjkt wrote:Adding to that list, honourable mentions for me would be RTS Lugnut, RTS/United Windcharger and Classics Jetfire.

Good honorable mentions, especially Windcharger, who has gotten a more recent toy, but the older one is still (in my opinion) better. Not so much Jetfire, though, if we are considering them against more modern toys. It was a very close one for me, but I do like the Generations one ever so slightly better. (But I suppose it being such a close call could qualify it for an honorable mention!)



(Don't mind the interloper in the middle there... Just some upstart showing both Jetfires how it could have been done! Well, as long as you were more into toy accuracy rather then show accuracy... But it was the best photo I had of both Jetfires together!)