The Energon Pub

Have you passed on a figure because the alt mode was atrocious like ravage rotf or the fallen, or did you just go with the flow and picked them up anyways.

I bit the bullet with the 1st movie megs and still regret it, if they can't make a good alt mode forget it. I try not to make the same mistake twice..at least he is the 1st movie megs

That... entirely depends.

To me, TFTM Megatron and ROTF Megatron actually HAVE alt modes. ROTF Soundwave comes close to having an alt mode... and ROTF The Fallen just does yoga.

However, I like all of their alt modes (except The Fallen's) better than I like the majority of, say, Sixshot's alt modes. Most of them can only charitably be called what they are, though a few are vague enough and "sci fi" enough to POSSIBLY be Cybertronian modes (like his pistol and space cruiser modes).

The alt mode is very important to me. I'm not opposed to Cybertronian or futuristic alt modes as long as they don't look like a crumbled up robot. I'm looking at you Cybertron Metroplex, I just couldn't convice myself to buy this guy even at $15.00 on the clearance rack because of the awful alt mode.

I need a good alt mode just as much as I need a good bot mode.

There are more then a few good examples of where a alt mode is way better then the bot mode. New Brimstone figure really stands above them all so far.

I don't really look at the alt mode for what it is, but more at it's function (transport, disguise, etc.). As a result I tend to be fairly forgiving with them. With that, I only have one toy that would have been excellent without an alt mode: Movie Scorponok. Seriously, it's there just for the sake of an alt mode. Ravage is another, but since it has a "function" I let it slide.

Depends. A really nice robot mode excuses poor alt modes in most cases, and I buy them more for the character and/or to find out how something transforms. I like Movie Skorponok, Ravage, and The Fallen, despite their terrible alt. modes (The Fallen's actually kinda resembles the Decepticon insignia, which is rather cool).

Actually, the lack of definite alt modes for those three makes it easy to make up my own alt modes, which is always fun!

Depends on the price, the character, and the overall quality. If at least two of them is good, I'll buy the figure, be it an actionmaster, Revoltech, or a movie figure.

Side note: I don't know if there was ever a figure I didn't buy because only of the alt. mode.

Alt mode is very important to me. It's a Transformer, so it should transform into something, and it should be something that helps disguise the robot. Whether that be an earth vehicle, space vehicle, or animal doesn't really matter, so long as it's well done.

When you are dealing with earth vehicle or animal alt modes, they are usually pretty convincing. However, when you go with a sci-fi space style of alt mode, it can be anything from a huge hit (Classics Cyclonus) to a huge miss (Movie Megatron).

For toys like The Fallen and Movie Megs, it looks like the Alt mode was just tacked on, I can't even remember if Megs transforms in ROTF? I know The Fallen didn't. These are the worst alt modes because they are basically there to call the robot "A Transformer", but they do nothing for the "Robot in Disguise" idea.

I like to think TFs have alt modes for functionality, and only on earth do they have the duplicity of a disguise. I guess that's why I'm partial to vehicons. I like that in ROTF, even Stevie Wonder could tell Megs's alt wasn't earth-based, AND who doesn't love a maniacal flying tank?

Alt form, though great to look at sometimes, is only second to 'bot mode for me. Case in point: Walgreens KO "quick-change" robo car. Worst six bucks I laid down. Sweet red car mode. Robot mode was 10 shades of suck. Another example: Legends Warpath. Tank mode is sweet, and the tank kibble only made the robot mode even more worth it. Wouldn't mind seeing that one as a scout or deluxe.

-Kronatron

While having a sweet alt mode is nice, it has never detered me from buying a figure. Almost 99 percent of my collection is displayed in bot mode anyway.

About the only exception are any of the animal characters (except the dinobots of course.) I was never a fan of Beast Wars and their respective figures.