The Energon Pub

[magnusalpha]

Within the confines of your personal collection, what is your favorite mold, and why?

Is it because of; the transformation, the bot mode, alt. mode, proportions, etc?

My current favorite is actually a tie... I simply love everything about the Henkei Ligier mold, and I think Universe Cyclonus' robot mode is great.

Ligier's alt. mode transforms wonderfully into bot mode, without any kibble aside from the two front wheels above his shoulders, and his articulation is top-notch. I really dig his head, which is a great homage to the G1 head, but has its own personality.

[Convotron]

My favourite will always be Classics/Henkei Hound.

It captures the G1 character design and puts a contemporary twist on things without making the character unrecognizable.

The transformation is simple and straight forward but has enough in the process to make it satisfying. You're not just unfolding this or that. There are twists and turns and I love how the seats in alt mode are incorporated into the thighs in bot mode.

The blocky/chunky aesthetics really tap into the G1 aspect of my fandom. The articulation is great and the character poses well. The kibble in alt mode is very limited, though nothing beats Classics/Henkei Mirage/Ligier for a robot kibble-free alt mode. The vehicle kibble in bot mode is not obtrusive and adds to the chunky/blocky "physique".

The only drawback is that the hologram gun fits best in the bot mode hand and headrest slot in alt mode. It, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be designed to fit well, if at all, on the shoulder in bot mode.

There are several other figures in my current collection that are candidates for a very close 2nd place.

MP Starscream and 20th Anniversary DVD Optimus Prime. They're great representations of the G1 incarnations of the characters and their toy designs are superb. The transformations aren't unnecessarily complicated but are satisfying and have a few neat twists in the process that really warm my heart with nostalgia.

RotF Leader Optimus Prime. It's such a wonderful translation of the character model in a toy. The likeness in both alt and bot modes is quite astounding. The transformation design is overwhelmingly good, it's complex and involved without being unnecessarily complicated. The articulation is great and well thought out for its scale and mass(ratchet joints for most points of articulation, rotational swivel for the arms and legs, ball joints for the ankles). It's not without flaws(energy blade gimmicks get in the way of arm articulation, unnecessary tabbing of chest panels) but the positive aspects of the design far outweigh the negative. I'm really eager to see what the toy designers at Hasbro and Takara come up with if they decide to retool or recreate the mold for the next Transformers live action movie.

Human Alliance Bumblebee. Like RotF Leader OP, this figure has a great degree of likeness to the character model in both modes. The Sam Witwicky figure is really decent for what it is and the ability to have it interact with BB in alt and bot modes is great. The transformation is very satisfying, akin to Binaltech/Alternators and Alternity in its transformation design but without the steep requirements for precise maneuvering of the former. There are some portions of transformation that do require some attention but I think this is a great figure for most people to transform, whether you're the average Transformers fan or a dedicated collector. There are some minor flaws but as with RotF Leader OP, the positive points are overwhelmingly in the majority.

[Mach]

Mine is Car Robots Fire Convoy.... I got 3 versions of it. Maybe one day i hope to own Lucky draw black fire convoy.....

[Nujevad]

There's a lot of molds that I really like, it's had to narrow it down to 1. If I had to, and I mean really have to, I'd have to say Omega Prime (I know it's cheating so shoot me )

[Stockade]

For me, I keep coming back to the Wreckage/Bludgeon mold, i dont know why, maybe it because his articulation is awesome and get some really neat posability out of him. Also i love the idea for the chest cannon and the two energon bladed can be used separate or formed as one.

And the other would have to be the Cyclonus mold as well. Great G1 homeage there and plenty of articulation too! and nightstick makes a great addition to Cyclonus. If only Galvatron turned out like Cyclonus, he would be one of favs as well..

[Windsweeper]

Difficult to narrow it down to one. Contenders include:

G1 Prowl (my alltime favourite TF)

G1 Scorponok

G1 Megatron

G1 Soundwave

Henkei Megatron

Classics Optimus

Energon Kickback

Energon Strongarm (who could hate that axe?)

Battle Ravage

Robotmasters Seekers

Robotmasters Mirage

Robotmasters Victory Leo

Acid Storm

G1 Ultra Magnus

G1 Quake

G2 Sizzle

G1 Seeker

G1 Ironhide (since I got that custom head from Ebay, I can't put him down.

[Dread_Wing]

For me it would have to be the Masterpiece Seeker mould. I only have Skywarp, as I lack the space and funds to get the other two. I love the realism of the Alt mode, the fun transformation and the detail and poseability of the robot mode. I sometimes wish Skywarp could stand up properly, but the stand allows some really neat poses so this I forgive it. It is my favourite transformer by far, and I am constantly tempted to get the Hasbro Starscream.

Edit: Curse this thread. It made me go and Transform my MP Skywarp a few times. <sigh> and now MP Starscream US edition is on the way and I am a bit poorer. Damnit.

[Mykltron]

HABB due to interesting transformation and superior poseability.