Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found
here. (This article was edited December 3rd, 2015)
Top 5 Tank Transformers Toys2015’s Generations Leader Megatron, is one of the most anticipated figures of the year (but not THE most anticipated, that title goes to Devastator). While he does sport his G1 deco, Hasbro has opted to have him turn into a tank because he couldn’t be distributed stateside if he were to turn into anything remotely resembling a realistic gun. This law regarding toy guns has made tanks an accessible alt mode for Hasbro to use when conveying raw power and devastation. As people are getting their hands on the latest tank Transformer, I thought it would be fun to look back on the best examples of tank Transformers over the years, starting with...
5. Transformers Generations Combiner Wars MegatronYup, we are actually starting the list with the reason I first thought of the topic. While I do not find this toy worth it's leader price due to how he lacks heft, complexity and electronics, he does make a pretty awesome tank. It has everything you want really including a rotating turret, a telescoping canon (which ingeniously can be fired if telescoped or not) and working treads. This is the first time we have had working treads in this Millenium. While the aren't a continuous track, the designers make a really strong effort to line up all the components perfectly for it to appear as such and it works beautifully. The Transformation is surprisingly easy but still perfectly fine. The Tank looks like a tank and Megatron looks as much himself as possible with the given alt mode. It reminds me of the Cybertron Leaders which were also simple enough yet full of nice detail and fun to transform. I have yet to choose which deco is better though between the G1 and Armada version. The alt mode makes even more sense with the later, as do the minicon ports. In the end, my only nitpick with this guy is the price. You used to get a lot more toy for that much money (look to the honourable mentions to see how much a deluxe could give you back in the day).
4. Transformers (2007) Leader BrawlWhen it comes to giant realistic looking tanks, there is no better than Leader Brawl. This guy could easily be surrounded by a bunch of toy army men and fit right in. He even comes with lights and sound, which up the play factor. He is an amazing tank on his own, and the fact that he is also a transformer is just downright amazing, and only hinted at by the hole where his buried head can be seen. However, it’s also where he starts losing a few points. Him being a movie toy means that there are lots of alt mode parts which are not integrated into the bot mode and these panels end up folding onto one another resulting in legs which are just way too horizontally long (didn’t know that could happen). Those leg panels are also spring loaded, which make his transformation from bot back to tank more annoying than it should be. But what a tank mode it is, and it well deserves a place on this list. Plus, add to that the fact that unlike the previously mentioned leader, this guy has the mass, the complexity and electronics which make this a perfect example of the golden age for Transformer Leader figures.
3. Beast Machines Tankor 1999Tankor is one of the most overlooked TFs out there. He isn’t show accurate in the slightest, and that’s why no one cares about him now, but he is an incredible transforming toy! He is a beast of a machine in both modes and has an involved yet very intuitive transformation. I love his gimmicks too like his saw blades that can be revealed in tank mode as well as the most complex light piping gimmick ever done. Unlike the show model, this toy actually has two separate heads, one for robot mode and one for tank mode (which I like better, it feels less lazy as a transforming toy) and both heads share an interconnected light piping gimmick which makes it appear as though he is scanning the environment just as he would on the show. Also, his huge size also makes him work as a much worthy opponent to the other non accurate Beast Machines figures out there. In a fit of irony, his size makes him seem more suited to lead an army made up of the more show accurate Tankor that was released in a much smaller scale (also pictured below).
2. Transformers Generations WarpathThis top 5 list so far had great tank modes, but the toys were also flawed either in their overly difficult transformation or the lack of show accuracy. But now, with Deluxe Generations Warpath, we step into the realm of perfection. Firstly, this guy just oozes Deluxe Class perfection. The robot mode is superb with great articulation, 0 kibble, a striking show accuracy for a non masterpiece toy and an all around phenomenal update over the lacking G1 toy (he will probably be in more top 5 lists). I also love the slight automorph effect in Warpath when you push back the cannon to reveal his head. Simple but genius. The transformation into a tank is fun and intuitive AND though he does turn into an H tank, since this is about tanks after all, he does not look like a robot crawling on all fours. This is a mistake that happens quite a bit, with the like of Armada Megatron and Animated Shockwave, but it isn’t repeated here. This is an awesome looking H tank that shows no robot kibble even when lifting it upside down and fits tightly together. It even has c-clip ports to add a bunch more weapons to it.
1. Transformers Revenge of the Fallen BludgeonWhat can beat perfection? The answer is perfection ... with style. Warpath has a show model and predictability to the toy. Phenomenal, sure, but you wouldn’t need to see the toy to have a pretty good idea of what he’d look like if I described him as a “show accurate deluxe figure with an H Mode tank”. But Bludgeon here, is something else. Someone actually did describe him to me once and I could not imagine clearly what I was being told, especially the bit about “using tank pieces and threads as samurai armour”. That just sounded too cool to be true, and yet it was. And it just boggles my mind that this is a movie toy. It’s more of a classics update to a pretender toy ala Thunderwing, but actually made in the proper voyager class and incorporating both the pretender shell (the samurai alt mode) and the inner robot’s alt mode (a tank). At the same time, however, I totally get how it does work as a movie toy since the movie toys are all about having two very distinct modes whose parts don’t make up the other. It usually results in a bunch of kibble and huge backpacks but it works really well here because all the tank kibble is indeed used as the samurai armour. And his backpack is used as weapon storage for his swords through sweet automorphed scabbard section. Oh and his bigger sword was stored away in the tank’s cannon! All this mix of homages and designs gives this toy a load of style points that just adds to the this toy which has two great looking modes which are a joy to switch between thanks to the fun, impressive and satisfying transformation.
Honourable mentions: DOTM Voyager Shockwave, Generations Straxus, Crossover Hulk, and most importantly, the Armada Megatron mold. And they say Armada didn't have any good toys.
But my BIG honourable mention would go to a toy that does so much so darn well but just falls short:
Transformers Universe - Classics 2.0 GalvatronPeople hate this guy and I understand why; he is small for an update on the fearsome Galvatron (I wrote about that last time), and very complex and difficult for such a small toy, and the transformation will often have pieces coming off. While I see all that, I also see a phenomenal deluxe figure which scales perfectly with the other Universe and Generations Deluxe figures (like Universe Cyclonus and Generations Scourge), and has an awesome amount of value for the price point. It’s amazing how they were able to cram so much into this small toy and quite refreshing to see such complexity brought to the deluxe class. He even has a third mode which was abandoned. But the best part is how they turned Galvatron into a tank and yet still gave him an amazing robot mode with an incredible sculpt. That headsculpt is perfect, the torso is just right and I love how the tank’s barrel is a perfect proxy for his turret cannon. This guy really looks the part of G1 Galvatron, that has to count for something. And he also happens to turn into a really good looking tank that fits tightly together. I really find this toy to be its own little miracle of engineering with two gorgeous looking modes but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish we get a bigger one someday.
