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Welcome to 2018, Seibertronians! You know what time of the year this is, and you've been patient long enough now. We tickled your appetite with our #Transformersmas challenge round-up just the other day of course, but we have even bigger treats ahead. I'll start by citing our site founder, creator, owner, and gallery supplier (more on that later!) Seibertron when he wrote, in our end of year message here, that...
...2018 will mark the 34th anniversary of the Transformers brand, the 22nd anniversary of Beast Wars, the 13th anniversary of Armada, the 11th anniversary of Bayverse, and the 18th anniversary of Seibertron.com.
Before we reach the ticking of legal voting age (in some places) for our very own community, I think it's definitely time to look back at what has just gone past in 2017, a year with a movie and a series, and a year with endings and continuations, be it movies, shows, comics or toylines, and a year of late beginnings for toys, as Power of the Primes snuck in towards the last two months.
So it's time, once more, to make it...
A Year in Review - Transformers 2017
The best accompaniment to this several course meal, of course, is a glass of Energon Champagne, as provided by the Twincast Podcast episode 191 - which you can download and read about here. For an appetizer, you may want to look back at what we were discussing this time last year, too. As for the courageous plotters joining us on this sidequest through time, loop or not loop, here they are, in all their avatar-esque glory:
The Hounds
Bronzewolf
D-Maximus_Prime
william-james88
The Pups
Sigma Magnus
Qwan
WreckerJack
Bounti76
The Pedigree Podcasters
megatronus
ScottyP
Counterpunch
The Mature Mutts
Burn
Seibertron
The Mongrel
Va'al
The categories, as you might remember, are as follows:
Favorite 2017 Transformers: Robots in Disguise/Adventure/Rescue Bots
Favorite 2017 Transformers: None of the Above Figure
Favorite 2017 Transformers Masterpiece Figure
...and now: Figure of the Year 2017
Favorite 2017 Transformers Comics-moment
Favorite 2017 Transformers Show-moment
Favorite 2017 Transformers Game-moment
Favourite 2017 fan creation: art, custom, video, comic, fiction
...and now: Moment of the Year 2017
What are you looking forward to in 2018 for Transformers?
And with all that groundwork out of the way, it's about time we got into the meatier stuff. Ready? Let's go!
Favorite 2017 Transformers: The Last Knight / TLK
Bronzewolf - The Last Knight Toyline's terrible, terrible distribution has been complained about by many people (including myself) the world over, and not without reason. I along with many STILL have wave 1 clogging up the shelves of every major retailer, so TLK purchases for me have been few and far between. I did, however, get the two Deluxes I most wanted out of the line for Christmas: Cogman and Wave 3 Bumblebee. To be completely honest, I can't pick a favorite. They are both so extremely good in their own way that it's really hard to pick a favorite. Cogman is immaculately detailed, in some cases unnecessarily so, with paint apps that make his raised price point completely worth it, and the fact he can actually be a car and hold two Titan Masters in his (completely stunning and spotless) Aston mode is just icing on the cake.
Bumblebee, on the other hand, just rocks both his robot and vehicle mode, and truly looks like you peeled him off the screen. The quintessential Deluxe Movie 'Bee in my opinion. If I had to nitpick, my two issues with Bee are that his feet can unpeg and become floppy easily, and his doors pop off their sockets often and are starting to become just a little stressed.
william-james88 - Cogman. While the new voyager molds were all really solid, it was Cogman which showed how advanced the movie toys had gotten. He does the best job at showing totally new robot mode detail while hiding as much alt mode kibble in an elegant fashion. And he even gets to have a whole cockpit area in vehicle mode where 2 Titan Master figures can ride. I also want to give major props to deluxe Hot Rod which turned that lackluster Lockdown mold into something I would highly recommend owning.
Seibertron - My favorite figure from The Last Knight is none other than Deluxe Cogman. I loved that the figure served multiple purposes. On the surface, he was a pretty decent representation of a Transformers character, who never actually transformed in the movie. It represented the strengths and the flaws of the movies. I found the character both intriguing and annoying, entertaining and boring. My opinions about Cogman were much like The Last Knight ... all ... over ... the ... board. Yet, the toy won me over because of it's multi-faceted roles as an appropriate looking representation of Cogman, then as a Titans Return crossover figure, then as an interesting side-note for the movie franchise since Cogman was supposed to have a big scene as a Headmaster where he ripped off a Decepticon's head and transformed into the head of that body (so said Michael Bay to a group of us), and then the fact that his head transformed basically gave us an in-scale version of Cogman that was more-or-less Human sized. Toss in the fact that he could ride in himself, the only thing that was missing was some electronics that enabled us to play Cogman's favorite song by Ludacris.
D-Maximus_Prime - The Last Knight was definitely a mixed bag when it came to the figures it put out. The deluxes on the whole were generally lackluster, the leaders were a very mixed bag, the new legions were actually very cool and well done, and some of the simpler guys were not bad either (I picked up almost every Megatron toy!). But to me the best class of TLK was the voayger assortment. 5 new molds, and each one was very good in its own right. And I had a tough time narrowing it down. One of them was bound to be figure of the year, but that meant that 4 others had to fight for TLK figure of the year. and after careful thought and seeing what others are saying...
Voyager Scorn. Ok look, I love dinobots, and Scorn had the best dinobot figure of Age of Extinction for me. And then, despite not even being in the movie, he got the only new dinobot mold for The Last Knight. and it is a killer. The dino mode is huge and detailed! The transformation is fun and intuitive! The robot mode is a beast! And the paint work is perfect.
Believe me, Megatron, Hound, and Nitro Zeus fought for this spot, but I feel Scorn needed the love he rightfully deserves.
Sigma Magnus - Tough choice, as I didn't pick up much from this line. All I really have are the Voyagers, and each of them after wave one knocked it out of the park! Hound has loads of personality, Megatron is charismatic and intimidating (and surprisingly better than the Leader version), and Nitro Zeus is just as good as people say he is. However, my award has to go to Scorn. He's massive for a Voyager, and both his modes are imposing and badass. Despite an annoying transformation step in the shoulders, he's fun to play with too.
Bounti76 - While I LOVED Voyager Megatron, and his intuitive transformation, along with his excellent altmode kibble integration, I HAVE to go with Voyager Scorn for this one. Just a hulking BRUTE in both modes. A fantastic robot mode- very solid looking and imposing, while being amazingly poseable. Then, you get into (finally) movie-accurate Spinosaurus mode and daaaaaaaamn. HUGE. Solid. Looks like he sailed right off the screen from AOE (though he's a TLK toy). Outclasses and is light years ahead of the other Dinobot Voyager molds we got. He's the best of what the Bayverse Dinobots (and figures in general) should be. While there are a compromise or two in the figure, the rest of what he is just makes them not matter one bit.
megatronus - If there was one thing I was looking forward to after the disaster of The Last Knight, it was a non-awful Leader Megatron, and boy, did Leader Megatron deliver non-awfulness. This, by the way, was no guarantee - movie-style Megatrons have historically been stronger as voyagers and, indeed, the two strongest voyagers in the line, Nitro and Scorn, both came very close to taking the top spot from Megs. But, between his stunning jet mode, involved transformation, and robot mode articulation (ankle tilts!!!), it's hard for me to demur. The interchangeable face plate gimmick and the excellently molded dual-purpose flame accessories put him over the top.
Burn - I dunno, this is a hard one. I felt the bulk of the line was a big disappointment, poor distribution didn't help either.
I guess the two that stood out for me was Voyager and Leader Megatron. When pictures first emerged, I was excited! They both looked fantastic, in-hand, they didn't quite live up to the hype I'd built up in my head.
WreckerJack - To be honest, I have not picked up any figures from this line yet. Though I do have my eye on leader class Megatron and voyager Hound. Megatron for the spooky cool factor, he looks like a total beast. Hound because I have a taste for all things fire and rescue. I know a Mercedes Unimog tactical vehicle isn't exactly an ambulance or firetruck but that will set Hound apart from other figures in my fire and rescue collection.
Qwan - I have no doubt that Deluxe Sqweeks and Voyager Nitro Zeus will receive their share of love in this section, but I find myself instead singing the praises of a slightly greener 'bot - Voyager Hound. With a perfectly-balanced transformation more complex than Sqweeks and more intuitive than Nitro, a fantastic-looking mode at each end (a significant improvement over his hardly-screen-accurate AoE toy), and even a few fun little extras like his removable helmet, is it really any wonder that this characterful little chunk of plastic has won me over this year?
ScottyP - My pick is Deluxe Sqweeks and to be completely frank, I'm picking this just because I know others on the staff will pick Nitro Zeus and give that toy the love it deserves. Sqweeks is one very good Transformers toy, and one that does a lot when you'd think it has no right to be much of anything. Instead of blindly following conventional business wisdom and making a smaller toy in the same package that costs the same as other bigger toys in the same package, Sqweeks includes a "trailer" accessory that not only turns into a mini-battle station/repair bay like base, it also gives ample room to store the other accessories and optional arm configuration pieces that are included. Top this off with plastic that's lovely ABS with the glossy sheen and finish that evokes memories of another time and you get one of the diamonds in the rough of what was overall a pretty lackluster product selection for The Last Knight.
Favorite 2017 Transformers: Titans Return/Takara Legends in which no one agrees and that is great stuff except for the editor
Burn - Triggerhappy. By gawd this is one hell of a figure. I simply cannot fault him.
But, the biggest surprise for me came in the form of Windblade. Character wise, I despise her. But this figure is brilliant. She's solid, unlike her previous toy incarnations. Pulls off some fantastic poses and is just fun all round.
Triggerhappy is still better though.
Sigma Magnus - The Headmaster gimmick is one of my favorites, as there's an odd satisfaction to having little pilots for the vehicles. I liked Quake more than anticipated and I can't wait to get Twin Twist to go with Topspin. Trypticon was one of the figures I was looking forward to the most, and he is an great toy, but he's on the repair table until further notice thanks to a missing ramp and a broken hip. Overall, Titans Return has had a lot of amazing figures, but Triggerhappy still stands out as one of the best Deluxes ever. A great robot mode (with optional gunhands), a fun transformation, and an awesome-looking starfighter altmode all cement it as one of my all-time favorites.
Bronzewolf - So, I'm figuring everyone is going to say Trypticon, and he is an awesome toy, far better than Fort Max, last year's Titan Class offering. So, to vary it up a little, I'll pick somebody smaller: Sky Shadow. He's an awesome package of bad-ass attitude (Bad assitude?) who can just ruthlessly beat down anybody in his way. He's so evil, I just love it. He's probably the TR toy I had the most fun playing with this year, although Windblade and Brawn are close seconds.
WreckerJack - Oh man, that is tough. This has been my favorite line for the fact that it is very consistent and I like to headswap. Naturally, I can't get enough Titan Masters. I must say that Sky Shadow stands out to me the most. He's an amazing looking figure and has many modes. I really wish he got featured more because he just looks so cool! Though I know I can always make up my own stories for fun. Perceptor and Windblade are also favorites of mine because of them being some of my favorite characters and how well detailed they are as figures.
Bounti76 - While I was sorely tempted to go for a figure of a character we hadn't gotten in any form (Kre-O doesn't count to me) for 30+ years (Misfire or Full-Tilt), or one no one ever expected to get at ALL (Arcee and Daniel as her head), I'm instead going with an out-of-nowhere choice of ...Shuffler?? Yes, Shuffler. A VERY obscure figure, but one who I keep picking up, posing, putting on different bodies, transforming from elephant to tank to missile launcher... basically, all the things you do with toys you love. He's got the best integration of all the individual Titan Masters in any mode, and his headsculpt is one that looks great on almost any body. His retool of Ramhorn works just as well.
Counterpunch - Titans Return Topspin - There is a lot of good in this little package. Topspin does just about everything right. The transformation is smooth, the feature integration is spot on, and the character representation is effectively perfect. While Topspin was not a traditional Headmaster, it matters very little here. Hell, the character may as well have been one with as good as this toy is. So good in fact, that it has displaced my third party rendition of the character in my mind and shelves.
While Topspin had some moments in the comics, he was always at best a third-string entry. In many ways, the character was defined by the original G1 toy. This toy takes that task to heart and gives us a newer, better, and more interesting take on Topspin. Bravo.
Seibertron - While I am frustrated by the line-wide gimmicks that I feel destroy the essence and look of some characters that should never have been Headmasters (such as Galvatron), I was oddly surprised by some of my favorites that came out of the line that also should never have been Headmasters. Aside from seeing the main Autobot and Decepticon Headmasters receiving a modern (and appropriate) update after all of this time (thank you Hasbro and Takara Tomy), I have to say that Perceptor is probably my favorite even though I didn't like that he was a Headmaster. The toy just looks great. Plus he transforms into a "working" microscope, and the Titan Master being able to ride in the "tank mode" is a really nice nod back to the Microchange lineage of the Transformers brand.
megatronus - There were so many highlights amongst the Titans Return line - excellent deluxes, two titans, leader phase sixers - it can be hard to see achievement in the vanilla, pretool heavy series of TR voyagers. But Octane stands out. Of the triple changers, he has the distinction of streamlining all 3 modes: total bruiser of a robot mode, convincing tanker, and a wacky jet (the weakest of the 3 options, but more than adequate). The robot mode has the additional bonus of being surprisingly coherent, with less greebling and more striking highlights than his compatriots. Add a set of robot wings and a blaster or two, and I can't put him down.
Qwan - Titans Return, as a whole, has really knocked the ball out of the park. Picking just one figure to be "the best" is nigh-impossible, with multiple exemplary figures in every size-class all vying for attention. In the end though, my vote has to go to Voyager Blitzwing, for being a shining example of everything the line had to offer. A great Headmaster, with somewhere new and sensible for the Titan Master to go in every mode; a great triple-changer, with three distinct and appealing modes and fun conversions between them; even a great (p)retool base, also yielding my favorite Classics-style Megatron toy in recent years from the same mold. Everything that Titans Return was, Blitzwing is, and to me that makes him the cream of the crop this year.
D-Maximus_Prime - Also a very hard category. The deluxes in this line were fantastic, and I loved the leaders. But if one had to stand above the rest, I would need to say God Ginrai.
This was one that had a very peculiar set of circumstances behind me getting him. When the Siege on Cybertron set was revealed, I loved the looks of the set and the figures in it, and if I was going to have a Ginrai, I wanted Godbomber. So I picked up one of the last ones from BBTS and shipped him with the boxset. And I have loved it. They are both pretty good separate, and the combined vehicle mode is lots of fun too. But the combined robot mode is so awesome. He stands tall, and he has been fun to play with. He was one of my go to bots to mess with for a solid 2 months, and he still stands proud on my shelf, waiting for me to get an apartment/house where he can have more space to stretch out.
This guy is loads of fun, a great pickup. I would never have gotten him had the Siege set not happened, and I am glad it did.
Favorite 2017 Transformers: Robots in Disguise/Adventure/Rescue Bots
Qwan - I'd hesitate to call myself an RiD "collector", but though I only picked up a few releases here and there, one particular catch from the tail-end of the year really stood out to me: Warrior Class Thermidor just oozes quality in every way but the literal. His vehicle mode, clearly resembling the most stylish of stylish cars - or, if you'd rather, very Batmobile-esque. His robot mode, wonderfully creative, characterful and inspired (with a side note that his head looks suitably lobstery without resorting to the weird googly-eyes-on-stalks thing that Bisk had going). His transformation, economical and highly effective, with a touch of the sublime in his genius claw conversion. All tied together with luscious blue plastic and (of all things) matte black paint that happens to feel wonderful, and you have a toy that screams pure quality in a way that you mightn't expect a mass-retail toy to deliver, let alone one from the "children's line".
Counterpunch - Robots in Disguise Thermidor - In the land of the blind, the man with one eye is king. RiD has been treated shamefully. The 2017 releases have been scattered, inaccessible, and largely made little to no sense. Thermidor, while merely a redeco of Bisk, is at least a show accurate character. He's blue. He's a lobster-man. You probably couldn't find him in stores. He's pretty good and Hasbro should have treated him and the line with more respect.
ScottyP - There is really not much to pick from here. Most of the tail end of Robots in Disguise had its potential squandered by the painfully not good Crash Combiner gimmick, leaving maybe a handful of Warrior Class releases out there to pick up the slack for collectors. With Adventure dead, and Rescue Bots floundering with the Flip Racers imprint, it falls to this small assortment when picking the best of this area of the brand.
This limited selection is my way of defending the choice of a repaint of a 2016 figure as my choice for favorite in this lineup: Thermidor. Featuring a new head sculpt, the Warrior Class Bisk base mold is given a brilliant blue makeover that looks really great in-hand. Additionally, this helps expand the very lacking ranks of Decepticons in the line. One more Scavenger is always a good thing, so please, please, pleeeeease bring on Clampdown and Clawtrap before RiD is sent out to pasture entirely.
That's not happening, is it?
Seibertron - There have been some fantastic figures that have come out of this Transformers product line, that sadly seems to get overlooked by a lot of fans. It was fun to see some new introductions like Twinferno, but I think I've got to go with Bludgeon, just because he's been one of my favorite characters for almost 30 years (thanks to Simon Furman making a not that great Pretender into an extremely memorable character). Yes, Bludgeon is technically a "repaint" from Blastwave and a "retool" from Megatronus, but I'm really happy with him as Bludgeon. Here's hoping we get a Generations Bludgeon at some point. Honorable mention: Thermidor needs some love since he was originally shown without a retooled head. It was nice to see him get his own noggin' separate from Bisk. Both are characters that I never thought we'd see in toy form. But Bludgeon would put both of their heads on spikes, so he wins.
william-james88 - Windchill the Yeti Bot. I cannot believe it, there is now an actual Transforming Yeti. I am a big fan of Cryptozoology and this was just awesome to now have as part of the iconic franchise/brand. Its also fun that his alt mode is a snowmobile, works well with the arctic theme. This was part of the Arctic Rescue sets and I must admit of all the Rescue Bots stuff I have seen so far, these sets are some of the best due to the level of interaction you could get. It reminded me (especially the Bumblebee one) of the Microman revival of the new millennia where you could remove parts of one animal and fuse them with another.
Seibertron - I've collected Rescue Bots since the beginning. While I have an immense amount of respect for the TV show, it's not for me, but many of the kids in mine and my wife's families have grown up with them before graduating onto something else. The Rescue Bots toyline has intrigued me since Hasbro demonstrated the concept to my wife and I at BotCon 2010. Many of you might not know this, but each of the original Rescue Bots transformation of the Rescue Bots main figures encourage different motor skills from kids, whether it's a push-and-pull, a lever, spinning, or other simple transformation schemes that utilize basic motor skills for children. The lighthearted, basic style of the Rescue Bots that are also "cutesy" and simple is just fun to have as part of my massive collection.
So that's a lot of me writing to basically say that I really don't have a favorite Rescue Bots figure this year. I feel like the uniquely American toyline from Hasbro's Playskool division might have finally jumped the shark this year, with dragons and other unnecessary versions of these characters while not having many updates to the main cast that you must have. With that said, if I had to choose, I'd say Brushfire. He's a new character, has an interesting half-track ATV alt-mode that we don't see too often, and even has a Mini-Con partner bear named Sequoia. Runner-up would be the very interesting looking Optimus Prime that has a very stylized helmet, unique alt-mode, and more-or-less a Diaclone color scheme.
william-james88 - 2016 was just such a better year for Robots in Disguise when it came to the warrior class. In comparison 2017 didn't have as much ingenuity and freshness in designs. But I did like that Soundwave. Of course the arms in alt mode are hard to ignore but he is still very gun to mess around with (fun transformation) and I always love seeing the evolution of character designs. This was a new take on Soundwave, one of my favourite characters, and the design borrowed from previous elements while also making him new and distinctive from any previous version.
Sigma Magnus - Warrior Soundwave wins by default, as he's the only RiD toy I have at the moment. He's not the best, but I still think he's pretty fun and has a good deal of personality.
WreckerJack - Warrior class Soundwave and Blurr for sure. I really like the clear plastic that was used in each of these figures. For Soundwave there is even a variant where he is either wearing a mask or has a fully clear faceplate. Blurr looks very cute and friendly so he's got kid appeal, but older fans can appreciate the smoothness of his race car design as well as the awesome clear gun.
Bounti76 - While not a huge fan of the show, I did pick up a figure or three now and then. The first one I was really intrigued by, and bought on sight, was Blurr. While not looking anything like previous Blurrs, he still had callbacks to them with the blue and white color scheme. He was something of a shellformer, but had enough unique bits in his transformation to make him fun to switch back and forth. And while I'm not a huge fan of translucent plastic being used for anything but light piping, I really enjoyed his weapon and headsculpt, which both use it, but with completely non-gimmicky (to me) results.
D-Maximus_Prime - So Robots in Disguise did not have a great year. The warriors were sort of lackluster and there was a larger focus on the Crash Combiners and Teams Combiners. I will say I did enjoy both combiner classes a lot, despite the criticism they got. They are fun things, especially the team combiners. which leads me to my pick.
Team Combiner Ultra Bee. The team combiners did something fairly unique: they were full 4/5 bot combiners that had robot modes, alt modes, and combiner modes, and were still fairly cheap to get. They were no combiner wars figures, but they were still quite good. They are a sort of new brand of G1 combiner, which is not a terrible thing. And Ultra Bee was so cool just because of how unique he is. He's a 4 bot combiner, 5 if they had counted Drift as the sword for the toy. His CG model was really cool and became my profile pic. He had a Dinobot, a Bumblebee, a pun for an arm, and a targetmaster of sorts. He had both male and female bots as components. And the toy was really cool, and is still fun to fiddle with. Grimlock's transformation into bottom half mode is quite cool and simple, and it is fun to transform Bee into torso mode too. The set had a lot going for it, and I greatly appreciate the love and effort they put into him.
Favorite 2017 Transformers: None of the Above Figure
ScottyP - 2017 was the year that "Classics" styled Transformers lines fully pivoted from re-imagining characters in creative, fun, new ways to recreating G1 toys while adding articulation. I am not a fan of this direction.
Out of protest, I'm choosing LG-EX Magna Convoy. A redeco that was in-demand for 11 years finally arrived, complete with an awesome sword, beautiful box art, appropriately placed chrome, and Convobat's butt. This felt like a treat and was a winner from start to finish. Even the full-sized pack-in comic has fun from the first page to the last. If this is a send-off for this mold, then it's the most appropriate one I can imagine. Thanks for 11 years of fun Transformers adventures, Classics Optimus Prime mold!
But I'll also mention MB-EX Laserbeak. Despite Dark of the Moon coming out at a time when Bumblebee repaints were so numerous they became a fandom joke, this on-screen representation of how the murderous Laserbeak enjoys spending his afternoon tea time was never released as a figure - until this year.
william-james88 - I LOVE the Movie the Best line from Takara. It gave me all those movie toys I wanted by either finally existing or being affordable. We finally got a voyager ROTF Megatron in colours that werent turguoise (gorgeous silver paint instead) and I finally got my hands on an authentic human alliance Soundwave which came in a fully painted alt mode. But best of all, and this is my pick for this category, MB 11 Leader Optimus Prime finally gave me the very best version of the ROTF mold. All I had before this was the original with the annoying flip out swords and lackluster deco. But at a very affordable cost, MB 11 gave me a gorgeously painted leader Prime, with separate accessories (rather than flip our swords, making the transformation much more enjoyable) with articulated hands and the retooled abdominal along with the brass knuckle accessory Prime uses to crush Soundwave, an accessory that previous to this was only available in a $270 release from Hasbro Asia. I was so worried I had waste money buying this toy when a new MPM Optimus prime was coming out but this turned out to be the better purchase, by a long shot.
D-Maximus_Prime - I'm going to pull a 2016 Counterpunch here with my pick: Chaos on Velocitron Laser Prime. I am considering this an "other" since it was a specialty boxset, and I really want this figure to be in here somewhere. I did not get the original figure, but when I got the boxset, I fell in love with it. A black and red Prime is so cool, the tanker sticker was awesome, and the figure overall screams how awesome a choice it was. It is a fun mold, the best besides Alpha Trion from Titans Return, and I love everything about it. It is a go to figure for me to play with.
Grotusque is a close 2nd place. I loved the Monsterbots we got. It was a hard choice between him and Laser Prime.
william-james88 - I also particularly liked the Chaos on Velocitron set. Especially the Laser Prime which went all out, even including a giant sticker of Optimus burning down a forest. Its just fun seeing an homage done so right and while the airplane mode isn't great, it can easily be ignored and wont interfere with the other two striking modes. He is one of the few toys I just couldn't put down. And I love that it was part of this very affordable set which could easily have been double the price or more if it were a Botcon exclusive. I really like what Hasbro did with these sets and I hope to see more in the future. Also, for some odd reason, I was able to enjoy that Sixshot mold far more as Quickswitch, which had a more premium feel to me.
Bronzewolf - I think my top POTP figure would honestly be Legend Beachcomber! It's nice to have a complete set of updated '85 Mini-bots, and he's just really fun to just drift around. A ton of the other fiugres in this first wave are really enjoyable, (See: Slash, the Prime masters, Dinobots) but Beachcomber's the best.
Bounti76 - I have to go with POTP Slash for this one. Even while being a big-time collector of fembot figures, and a lover of the Dinobots since childhood, I was intrigued by this figure for a number of reasons. She's tiny, but this works in multiple ways: her altmode is a tiny dinosaur, and as a tracker, she needs to be small and lithe to do her job effectively. She's quite poseable in robot mode, but a bit front heavy in raptor mode (her only drawback, in my opinion). But the clincher for me is the fact that her deco and figure homage the G1 Dinobots so well with the clear plastic and gold underneath, and even her transformation is G1-esque to the point that she fits right in with the other Dinobots and looks like she's always belonged there.
Counterpunch - POTP Leader Optimus - Who'd have thought an Optimus Prime toy would make my list? No one because I haven't been active enough this year for anyone to pay attention to any commentary I have. Regardless, this toy is outstanding. Now, I couldn't give a crap about Orion Pax as he is presented in the Sunbow style here. I'd honestly prefer and IDW-ish Orion or simply a nicer cab-to-Optimus figure. Still, the evolution gimmick here runs its course well and the toy itself is pretty good (alt mode gaps aside). Where we shine and I mean...really truly shine, is in the full Optimus Prime combined form.
This figure has personality to spare and I don't even understand how. It has shelf presence and heroic proportions...and a head tilt that is so full of charm you'll mistake it for me with three sheets to the wind.
megatronus - I'm a sucker for a black Prime, and the Leader Prime retooled from Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus is sexy as all heck in black. His packaging is original and slick, and that rail gun accessory - it's to die for. And that name! Primitive Prime all the way.
Seibertron - Some of you who really know me might think my pick for this category is really odd, but it seems to continue my trend of picking things that conflict with other opinions I have on this list. As some of you might know from listening to me on the Seibertron.com Twincast / Podcast, I dropped off the Transformers comic bandwagon for the first time ever after collecting them ever since 1984 ... and it was all because of what happened with the Hasbro Universe, as I strongly disliked how it was handled. However, this year's San Diego Comic-Con Revolution set that finally presented the IDW Hasbro Universe in toy form from the IDW comics, was a nice nod to fans. I still think the Hasbro Universe would have been much better off with a slow build to introduce this idea to all of us, and a toyline to go along with the comics. I've always wanted to see 3.75" human action figures alongside the mainline Transformers, and this finally accomplishes it. No Human Alliance silly scaled humans. I like my toys to be scaled, but not religiously scaled. Sometimes, just "hey this toy is bigger than another toy" is all you need. Smaller humans standing alongside larger robots is cool. It was a nice set and I give Hasbro kudos for bringing it to market. Here's hoping that the concept gets expanded further... and the Hasbro Universe stories improved.
Favorite 2017 Transformers Masterpiece Figure
D-Maximus_Prime - MP-37 Artfire. I have heard great things about this mold from the get go with Inferno, but my thing with MPs: I only want 1 per mold, and they have to mean something to me, really stick out to me. And Artfire has done all of that.
The paintwork is fantastic with this guy, he is flawless! The truck mode is a thing of beauty, and the ladder magic is all I hoped it would be. He is a fun Masterpiece to mess with, helped of course by Nightstick, who is a great little targetmaster in his own right, and a great partner to Artfire. And the paint work on Artfire makes him look far more detailed than he is, he doesn't look flat like Inferno and Grapple did. He is the best version of this mold.
Out of 3 new MPs and an old one I got this year, bringing my MP total to 5, He is the best.
Bounti76 - This one was tough. While Megatron is a strong contender, I also don't own him and haven't seen or handled him in person. He looks amazing in both modes, while having an insanely complex transformation, so while I may or may not get him in the future, that might throw me off a bit.
So while I'm waiting for Sunstreaker to show up (which might have been my favorite), I'm going to go with Artfire as my pick. He's got a great deco, probably the best of the Inferno/Grapple/Artfire/(Hauler??) mold, with multiple beautiful tampographs, and a color scheme that really makes the figure and the details of the mold pop. He looks great in either mode, and the inclusion of the best MP Targetmaster mold (to date) is icing on the cake.
ScottyP - Artfire because it's a cop-out answer so I can use something else in the next one. It's a fun mold, this redeco is very very good looking, and the new Targetmaster included is one of the best small figures that's ever been executed.
Seibertron - MP-38 Beast Wars Convoy Legendary Leader Version was a really nice redo of MP-32 Beast Convoy. I loved the classic Beast Wars Ultra Class Optimus Primal toy elements that were given to this toy to make it stand on its own merits from MP-32. The original toy version of this character in 1996 was a really great toy, and it is still one of my all-time favorite Transformers toys, despite it's simplicity. It represented many things to me and to see it in an updated toy form brings back many nostalgic feelings and memories to me.
MP-36 was a partial mess in robot mode to me. I just couldn't get over the problems with the upper shoulders and his backside, though I would have been much more forgiving of his backside. There needed to be some panels or something to cover up that mess. It's a "Masterpiece" figure. I can't forgive issues like that on a toy we've for which been waiting so long.
MP-35 Grapple and MP-37 Artfire also deserve nods because they have beautiful and well thought out transformations that I didn't find frustrating. I love the ladder magic of the Inferno mold.
However, MP-38 Beast Wars Convoy Legendary Leader Version just tugged at the right cords with me, so he wins this nomination from yours truly.
megatronus - Continuing the MP Beast Wars line with Cheetor was delightful, as is the new, smaller size movie Bumblebee. But really, they are a distant seconds to the biggest big bad of them all: Megatron. As someone who started collecting again with the goal of collecting ONLY Megatrons (boy, has time changed my tune), this is a figure I've wanted for years --- and he delivers. His articulation, accessories, and general expressiveness are an engineering achievement of the highest order, and it's clear these were intended to aid in reenactments of Transformers: The Movie scenes. The only drawback is that I will never, ever transform him - but I can cope.
william-james88 - This sucks. You see I am getting the Masterpiece Megatron rerelease at the very begginig of 2018. I had first passed on it since it was simply out of my price range and I had been burnt on previous attempts to a masterpiece (styled) Megatron. I didn't want to jump the gun (ha!) again. But what I have been hearing made me regret not getting him sooner. In any case compared to my other options (like Cheetor) I would rather go down in history as saying that Megatron is the best MP toy of 2017.
Bronzewolf - For the first time in years, I actually have two MPs to choose from! The brand new Hasbro MP-10 TRU release, and Mp-12+, and I have to go with Optimus just because of how significant he is to me. This is my first MP Optimus and first experience with the MP-10 mold after years of pining for him. I can finally fill that very large hole in my collection. (It helps that he's an incredible figure.)
Counterpunch - Frankly, I don't think it's fair to put any other figure in this place. Trypticon is the figure of the year because not only does he do everything right, but the size and scope of the project he represents has to be rewarded for what it is.
Trypticon is the G1 figure, minus the walking feature, but plus 30 years of design, development, and engineering. He's detailed, retains much of the play pattern, and somehow incorporates useful articulation into the sizable frame. He comes with stickers, that while not perfect, are a great margin better than Metroplex or Fort Max. He has a delightful integration of the Titan Master gimmick and three perfectly functional modes. Not only is this figure a treat for collectors, but I can attest to it enduring play with a 3 year old and being absolutely engaging for him.
I'd be remiss not to mention the design flaw that plagued the initial discussions of this toy, but to be honest, I had forgotten about it until now. It's a bummer that a number of people in the first days of this toy had issues. It's even worse that so many wen through with "fixes" that amounted to bad surgery on a problem that had far simpler fixes. Still, the vast majority of us had good figures or ones that could be corrected with small effort.
Trypticon continues in the pattern of outstanding city-bot figures from Hasbro and Takara. I hope this pattern is encouraged and continued with an Omega Supreme in the near future.
Qwan - Like some others, my choice for Figure of the Year doesn't align with any of my previous top picks. While Blitzwing was, for me, the height of what Titans Return achieved, Titan-Class Trypticon was a monumental toy in every regard - for what he was and what he represented. Not only the best Titan-class cityformer we've had so far in the Generations superline, he also assuaged any fears after Fort Max that we wouldn't get entirely new molds for our cityformer updates even when they were sorely needed, paving the way for new-mold Titans at least occasionally and restoring fans' dwindling confidence in the size class. He also has a bit of personal meaning for me - being an early-bird in getting him upon release more or less gave me my "in" to the Seibertron community, both with my reviews of the toy's good aspects, and my admittedly slash-and-burn approach to fixing early runs' major QC issues - so with that Tryp tips the scales to become my favourite Transformers toy of 2017.
Seibertron - Trypticon is truly an amazing figure that we probably shouldn't even have in our collections. I never thought we'd get an update of Trypticon as anything other than a Leader Class toy, and wasn't expecting a massive Titan Class version of him, even though I've wanted one since Generations Titan Class Metroplex. Sorry Perceptor, I think Trypticon has to take the top spot. While I picked Perceptor as my favorite main line Titans Return figure, I picked Trypticon overall because we'll get more Perceptors. However, at the rate we're going with Trypticon toys, this could be the only properly done Trypticon we get until 2048.
william-james88 - There were remarkable toys this year but none really stood out in the retail toys. RID didnt have much to offer this year and while Titans Return Kup and Topspin were fun, they do have some issues. Even Trypticon who doesnt do anything wrong still didn't wow me due to him being exactly what I thought he would be (and also due to having a shorter digestive track than I imagined). But there is one toy that came out early enough and that just still looks as awesome and imposing: Titans Return Sky Shadow. He just oozes cool. Even for those who don't know the character, the design and colour scheme are undeniably stylish. He just looks intense and a Decepticon truly worthy of being in the highest ranks. The transformation was simple but clever and all modes look great. The chunkiness also reminds me of the Cybertron era, but with today's articulation, it's awesome! I like him even better than Overlord, a toy we have been waiting age for, since this seems like an evolution in design (which I always like) rather than simply just doing G1 with articulation (which often ends up rather dull). And its really awesome that this Sky Shadow is a Hasbro exclusive this time around (at the time of writing this). My runner up was TLK Voyager Megatron, what an excellent Transformers toy.
megatronus - I was not expecting pre-tooled Overlord to beat Overlord, but Sky Shadow is that good. Like Octane amongst the triple changers, Sky Shadow is the most streamlined of the phase sixers. This, combined with Sky Shadow's ease of transformation and the most outstanding play pattern in the entire Titans Return line, clinches it for this dark horse. MP36 Megatron comes close, but while I value his superior ability to pose and admire, I prioritize play in this category. Further, Octane is right there with Sky Shadow, but the Leader compares more favorably when considering competing figure lines. Plus, did I mention the Club intended to redeco him as Energon Megatron? Sky Shadow for the win.
ScottyP - MP-36 Megatron because duh. I know, you're too proud to use instructions, and you're getting old like me and remembering a bajillion steps gets harder all the time, but let's ignore that - the objectively right answer for this category is MP Megatron "2.0". This toy is in-scale with other Masterpiece figures in robot mode, amazingly engineered, packed with accessories, infinitely expressive, and just plain cool. Among those accessories are weathered, damaged chest and face pieces that, along with the included handgun and some smart shoulder articulation, let you put Megatron in the exact pose he waited an eternity to be in. It's over, Prime :Hot Rod jumps in to cut off the Furmanism:
Bronzewolf - Same as above, MP-10. He's just perfect, and is the penultimate Optimus Prime figure. Everything that could be said about him has been said, and I'm just glad to finally own him.
D-Maximus_Prime - TLK Nitro Zeus. It was always going to be him for me. For one thing, he is a fully original toy and character, and he got a very solid jet toy. His undercarriage blends into his overall jet mode, so you would really need to look to pick out the robot parts if you didn't know what the robot mode looked like. And the transformation is insane! The fact that his arms are the nosecone and thrusters yet the rest of the bot is symmetrical is insane. He is fun to swoosh around, and he has a cool looking robot mode.
But what really puts him over the top for me is his customability. His head is on a titan master port, so you can take his head off and swap in Titan Masters. His cockpit was designed for that purpose! The titan master can even ride inside the cockpit in robot mode too, so you can have a full time partner, like the Siege on Cybertron Thunderwing. Apeface is also a great looking head on him. He has so much potential for so many fun things regarding movie figures, transformation, and Titans Return and even Power of the Primes compatibility. He does everything for me, and he is the best of the year.
Bounti76 - Scorn. By a mile. Possibly the best Bayverse figure there is.
WreckerJack - I would probably have to say the leader class Megatron from TLK. It defines 2017 not only because of the movie but as one of the best looking Megatron figures of all time. I like how the design makes him look like an absolute monster, especially his mask.
Burn - Triggerhappy. Just deal with it!
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For those of you still with us, here's a brief break, before delving into our Transformers media compilation!
And now, on with the show!
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Favorite 2017 Transformers Comics-moment
Bounti76 - The entirety of Till All Are One. From the first page of the first issue, until the last page of the annual ( ), Maighread Scott, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Joana Lafuente and Tom Long created a masterpiece of a series that I couldn't wait to read every month. From shining a light on more obscure characters (Greenlight, Lancer, Lightbright) and bringing Prime characters (Knock Out and his husband-in-universe Breakdown, Airachnid) in so organically, I just devoured the series. And the unexpected moments that just knocked the breath out of you: Starscream's true self being revealed, his confession in the annual and seeing his face literally and figuratively light up with Windblade's gift to him in the final panels of the series (Mairghread Scott GETS Starscream when she writes him, and makes him such a compelling figure); Sara Pitre-Durocher's depiction of the merging of the Combaticons' minds into Bruticus'... that is an AMAZING piece of art that not only tells a story, but gives the best depiction of a combiner's mind we've gotten in Transformers fiction, ever; Liege Maximo's return and Elita One and Strika's unsuccesful attempts to stop him and Vigilem......I really cannot say enough about how well and seamlessly this team worked together to tell the stories that they did. I just wish IDW could have left well enough alone and let Scott, Pitre-Durocher and team keep going. Instead, we have the travesty that Lost Light is turning into, but that's another thread for another day.
Counterpunch - Till All Are One Annual: Starscream's Redemption - This is one of those, "I hope someone doesn't come around and screw this up later" moments. Starscream as "The Chosen One" has been a bit of a confusing topic that while significant in the story, has never really played out well in reader's minds. The Windblade books and subsequently Till All Are One have done more to add to the Transformers mythos and backstory than anyone has admitted except in retrospect. Oft times overlooked in favor of the more popular and poppy MtMtE and Lost Light, these books have given heart and soul to the world outside of one singular ship and its crew and done so with pointed stories and even more pointed character moments (Brawl, I'm looking at you).
In a way, what's happened to Starscream over the past year takes hold of and answers the question that's always been just beyond the issue of blind ambition and tackles it; the question of 'why is Starscream the guy he is'.
Va'al - I finally get to contribute something of my own, too! And I definitely have to jump back onto the wagon, and proclaim my undying love for Till All Are One, and its creative team - Mairghread Scott, Sara Pitre Durocher, Joana Lafuente, with Tom Long and the rotating editors at IDW - who were able to deliver the best story I could not have imagined about one of my very favourite characters (Windblade), and deal with issues that I'd easily read about in other books I follow, from politics to personal, religion to identity, and the over-arcing manipulation and mental spaces they all inhabited. All while tying extremely comfortably with the Primes plot steaming ahead in the background for the Transformers universe at large, eventually leading to Unicron.
william-james88 - I will be honest, I wasn't too fond of Lost Light for most of this year. BUT, and that's the beauty of how awesome this brand is right now in the comics, that still meant I had tons of other great comics to read to get my Transformers fix. I had been reading More than Meets the Eye exclusively before the relaunch and reading Till All Are One gave me a nice change of (s)pace, with a focus on what is going on in Cybertron (which I totally stopped caring about after Dark Cybertron). It was fun to see the day to day of this Transformers Home world and also seeing Tigertron and Airrazor together (alive and well and not fused). I would say my favourite comic moment is definitely discovering this new comic. It's also really fun that it made me glad I got the Hasbro Combiner Wars Blastoff.
ScottyP - Hats off to the creative minds at IDW Publishing for making this a very, very hard category to pick one choice from. One comics category in a great comics year and a bajillion toy ones in one of the weaker toy years, cool. (Sorry Va'al.)
After a great bit of deliberation, I'm going with Optimus Prime #9: "The Life of Sideswipe". An old soldier realizes his time has passed, and then he dies. It's powerful stuff and I recommend it to anyone reading this article.
D-Maximus_Prime - Optimus Prime #9 and the story of Sideswipe in that issue. This to me is one of the best Transformers moments and comics written. The story is touching, and it puts to rest one of my favorite Transformers of all time in the respect he deserves. It was brilliant.
Bronzewolf - 2017 was the year I got back into Transformers comics, thanks to ScottyP and my required reading for the Twincast (more on that below...). I LOVED Lost Light 10, and it immediately got me hooked. Can't wait to keep following along.
megatronus - That moment in Lost Light 10 when you first suspect the Protectobots & Mirage are in a memory loop... and then they end up in a memory loop. It was one of those rare moments of 12 Monkeys or Sixth Sense-esque surprise (I <3 Bruce WIllis) that encapsulates what I like about well-executed twists: the clues are all there, and when you look back, it seems so obvious. But they got you. They got you good.
Wreckerjack - Lost Light number 12. It really felt like things are getting into high gear. Yeah some upsetting things happened (which I don't want to spoil for those who take a week or two to get to the comic store.) I think that it matched the intensity we got with MTMTE, plenty of action and events that make me want to read the next issue to find out what happens already! Seems to me Lost Light has dragged on with filler for a long time and this issue has blown my mind more than any other in a long time.
Sigma Magnus - I haven't been keeping up with the comics as well I should, unfortunately. But one of the moments that I have read that stood out was the Wraith-infected Ultra Magnus from Shining Armor. The design of it was horrifying and grotesque, but I couldn't stop looking at it.
Seibertron - I just bought the past 18 months of Transformers comics for about $70 courtesy of Midtown Comics out of New York City, thanks to their 75% off sale. I'll get back to you guys on this one after I catch up on the Lost Light and other Transformers comics thanks to ScottyP's guidance, who I also owe a huge thanks to for more than one reason.
Favorite 2017 Transformers Show-moment
Qwan - I only have The Last Knight to pick from, having not seen any other Transformers media from 2017, so my range isn't too good here. And so, though my favourite entirely through irony, my top moment of this year was a single line from TLK and the subsequent reaction of every character present. To paraphrase a presumably world-leading scientist: "If these two planets collide, there will be millions of casualties." Oh no, approximately half the population of New York, truly an unimaginably huge casualty toll (not even a death toll) from an interplanetary collision. And nobody questions it, everyone reacts like this event would be the end of the world - which according to common sense it should be, and yet based on the information presented in the film somehow isn't - just, just. Keep doing you, Transformers: The Last Knight. Keep doing you.
Sigma Magnus - Cogman in TLK. While others thought he was annoying, I liked his comedic moments. Can't wait to get my hands on his toy, too!
megatronus - Hm. I wish I was up to date with RID, because I understand the conclusion was a bit better than satisfactory. However, for argument's sake, I'll say my favorite screen moment was in TLK when Megatron is negotiating to free his Decepticon compatriots. I appreciated the Suicide Squad reference, because it was entertaining call back to a crappy movie that helped distract me from the crappier movie I was watching.
Bounti76 - Sqweeks and Hot Rod being introduced into the movieverse was enough to make me pause. Would they (especially Sqweeks) take over screen time from more established characters? Would they take over the movie and make it annoying, rather than a fun summer popcorn movie? Thankfully, they did none of that. Sqweeks' scenes were funny without being obnoxious, and his big moment in blowing up the gun was hilarious (getting knocked back by the kickback of his gun arm) and hell-yeah inducing. And Hot Rod? He was a welcome addition. His gun served a purpose without feeling like it came out of nowhere, thanks to being introduced early on. His altmode and general character model were slick, and thanks to being voiced by an actual French speaking actor, his accent never sounded annoying.
Seibertron - My favorite scene from Transformers The Last Knight also continues my conflicting opinions about all-things Transformers from 2017. I really liked the scene where Optimus Prime and Bumblebee duked it out and Bumblebee got his voice back. But I also really disliked that scene because it wrapped up too quickly and ... Bumblebee got his voice back, which is something that should have been resolved back at the end of the first movie or Revenge of the Fallen. It's silly that continued for as long as it did. However, in the end, it was an emotional scene and even brought a tear to my eye. The scene represented everything that was right and wrong all at the same time with the Bayverse.
ScottyP - Optimus Prime, in truck mode, drives out of a cloud of smoke at the end of The Last Knight while Steve Jablonsky's "Arrival to Earth" is arranged in a full cheese rendition that blares in the background. Why is he a truck just now? Was this a lazy way to show how he survived the battle? What was this movie even about, and why did I buy it on Blu-ray? Who cares. Despite this movie's many, many mistakes and shortcomings, this 5 seconds of overdone brilliance will live forever as one of those "Optimus Prime really is great" moments.
WreckerJack - Seeing Bulkhead on RID. I missed his humor so much since TFP.
D-Maximus_Prime - Moon Breaker and the fight between Ultra Bee and Menasor. For one thing, it is fun to watch Ultra Bee form, and then it is fun to watch him move around and fight. And this was about as close as we got to a great combiner fight between any recent shows. It was fun to watch, and it is still fun to watch, just like the Bee and Bisk rock concert fight from last year.
Favorite 2017 Transformers Game-moment
D-Maximus_Prime - The addition of more combiners in Earth Wars. The combining aspect was something that seemed like so much fun, once you got the combiner. It took me until June, but I finally got my first: Bruticus, one of the combiners added this year. And finally experiencing the rush of combiner combat in the game was great, something I still really enjoy. I did finally get Devastator too, and I am only 1 bot away from Predaking, so thank you Earth Wars for combiners.
Burn - Any time I cracked a 4* crystal in Earth Wars and it wasn't a duplicate. OTHERS WILL UNDERSTAND MY JOB!
megatronus - The introduction of Astrotrain and the triple-changer concept in Earth Wars was pretty great to experience - and having a 4* is even better! The game has far exceeded the shelf life I expected it to have, and coming up on 2 years playing, I can only wonder what is wrong with my life.
Seibertron - I'm still tinkering around with Earth Wars and am still the commander of Seibertron.com's Autobot Alliance. I'm finally losing steam with the game. My least favorite update to the game is the new one where we attach "Matrix" like things to the chests of the characters and add power-ups to the defensive weapons. It's a bad take on the Matrix or the Power of the Primes power-up scheme and everything looks ridiculous now in the game. However, I like that they keep plugging forward with Combiners, Triplechangers, Beast Wars, and introducing other fan-favorite characters. It's still a fun game with a lot of potential tie-ins with the toyline, that I still don't think has been fully utilized but it was nice seeing a the game reveal Volcanicus alongside Hasbro's reveal at Hascon 2017. While I'm not a fan of Volcanicus or Dinobots combining, I loved seeing Hasbro and Space Ape do this reveal in conjunction with each other.
Favourite 2017 Fan Creation
Sigma Magnus - Thew's Awesome Transformers Reviews. He's a joy as he always is, and I'm always looking forward to his next video. Hopefully his channel continues to grow like it has this year!
Qwan - I know everyone gave Thew a bunch of attention last year, but I wasn't on staff back then, and his content certainly hasn't declined since last time so I feel it's only fair to give him a bit more spotlight for his stylish, often informative and always hilarious videos.
ScottyP - Customizer Chrome Tyranno had these custom Getaways available at TFcon and I'm so glad for it.
Bounti76 - As ScottyP has posted, turning the entirely lackluster Titans Return Getaway into his IDW coloring really makes that mold work for him. And it was so simple to have done it in those colors in the first place, it makes me wonder why Hasbro never did.
william-james88 - I really loved this stop motion ad for Titans Return.
Pretty smart that Hasbro is inviting the community to contribute in this way. I was also happy to see one of our own, xrotorstormx, featured in a Hasbro ad for the Toys'R'Us release of Masterpiece Optimus Prime.
Va'al - I have a number of them, but above all, I'd have to go with Lindsay Ellis' The Whole Plate, her video essay series on film studies through the lens of Michael Bay's approach to Transformers. It's a really well thought, written, edited and produced critical look at how to reconcile film with film, and what might come out of the meeting between criticism and movie-maker with singular vision.
Honourable shout-outs go to Chris McFeely, who single-handedly curates an introductory series to the Transformers franchise and its characters, on YouTube under Transformers: The Basics; another goes to the official Transformers social media team, and their game-upping on meme spreading and shitposting (Starscream is a cat person for sure); and finally, Bronzewolf's Transformersmas, which is getting better every year, and that is thanks to all of you.
D-Maximus_Prime - Fires_of_Inferno did a masterful job with his skit for the Transformersmas holiday special. Seeing Prime Starscream as a Scrooge for a week of comics was brilliant, and I am eternally grateful for all the funny stuff he gave us during the challenge.
Bronzewolf - Becka Allen's Transformers Photo Comics on Twitter. They've given me so much consistent joy over the past several months every time she releases a new one. They're hilarious and adorable, and really one of my favorite parts of the entire Transformers Twitter Sphere.
WreckerJack - There are so many I just can't decide. All of the fanwork I see makes me really glad to be in the community so I feel weird about liking one over all of the others. I honestly just like to see people's contributions to our fan community as a whole and just appreciate just how much the Transformers series means to all of us. People put a lot of heart into their work and it really shows.
...and now: Moment of the Year 2017 This is always the weird and wonderful one.
D-Maximus_Prime - I really don't wanna inflate their egos anymore than they already are ( ) but I have to say the moment(s) of the year for me came from my fellow Seibertronians and the Transformers they passed on to me to experience. Willy-J helped me obtain the final RiD guys I wanted and some TLK deluxes I never saw, and he got me my Sixshot. I am eternally grateful to Va'al for passing on a Prime Breakdown to me, and now I have 2 versions of that mold thanks to the Club Megatron from their sale. Cobotron helped me wrap up my Titans Return hunt, and many others such as Autobot N, Shajaki, Carytheone, o. surpreme, Rodimusconvoy, and Itscramtastic have contributed to my plastic crack.
But the true moment from all those: my buddy Burn. His love for pretenders finally caught my attention, as did an old Thew Review, and I have obtained 5 Pretenders this year. I found and put together G1 Roadgrabber and Gunrunner, and then Burn helped me complete Gunrunner while also giving me a complete Skullgrin and a nearly complete Waverider. I didn't have a particular "older line" that I really had love for other than Animated (not THAT old), but he hooked me on Pretenders. They have become a concept I incredibly enjoy, and they have some really awesome stuff I have started to hunt down (such as finally getting that Botcon Oilmaster) and they have me all excited for the Prime Masters of 2018.
So thank you all, and thank you most of all Burn
Burn - All those people I got to ban! HA! I kid. I actually don't like doing that.
I think the one thing that stood out for me this year, was helping guys like D-Max discover older G1 figures and finding others like bodrock who share my weird fascination with Pretenders.
Bounti76 - The reveal of POTP Terrorcons and fembots (Elita One, Moonracer and Firestar). More fembots? Yes please! Original G1 fembots? YES, please. And the Terrorcons were some of my favorite toys in the 80s.
Seibertron - Hascon 2017. Again, I continue with my favorites having opposing views. The event had a lot of love behind it, is full of untapped potential, and was an awesome family event. However, it was missing a lot of love, was full of untapped potential, and was a very absurdly expensive family event. Like I said, I'm torn. But at the end of the toy, it was a really unique brand experience, the Hasbro family of employees were there with smiles and showing fans of their brands much love, just as fans were showing their love and appreciation of the brands that made us. I look forward to seeing what Hasbro does with this at Hascon 2019 as well as any other possible incarnations that might come out of it.
megatronus - HASCON! That's right, Hasbro's very first fan convention was a smashing success and an all-around great time. As a Marvel Legends & Star Wars Black Series collector, it was awesome to have an opportunity to interact with all my favorite toy brands at one show. I had equal opportunities to meet the legendary Mark Boudreaux, an old guard Kenner designer who has been with the Star Wars brand for 40 years, as well as Ben Montano and John Warden, keepers of the Transformers brand. At the end of the day, it's great to have a toy-oriented convention geared towards experiences, as well as a convention that skews equal parts fans and families. Hascon was unique in its own way, and though I'm sad it is not yet an annual affair, I very much look forward to what 2019 brings for the convention.
william-james88 - This is easy, probably the easiest of all of these. Earlier this year, Seibertron himself asked if I would be interested in covering a story in Vancouver for the Forged to Fight game. I accepted right away and for this brief moment I became a full on jet-setting reporter. I absolutely loved the experience and the people I met, which included the artist for Transformers packaging from Armada to now). It was thanks to Seibertron and I wish to thank him again for it.
WreckerJack - Going to Cybfest 2017 and meeting a lot of really awesome people. It was great to connect with other fans and an old friend of mine. (And we scored some awesome loose figures from years past, along with some art!) It was a journey to get there but it was really worth it to be a part of the fan community in person rather than online. I loved every minute of it.
Bronzewolf - 1. I gave my first Transformers/Toy industry Convention Panel at this year's Fort Collins Comic Con in Colorado. It was SO MUCH fun, and the audience was great. I really hope to come back next year, and I've already applied to present at Denver Comic Con in 2018, which is one of the biggest conventions in the country. So stay tuned!
2. Being on the Seibertron Twincast Podcast! I've always wanted to be a part of the Twincast, and I finally got the opportunity to this year! ScottyP and megatronus were great, extremely nice, and whatever nerves I had instantly went away. It was one of my favorite times of 2017, and I really hope to do it again sometime soon!
ScottyP - At TFcon USA 2017, I hatched a diabolical plan along with fellow Twincasters Counterpunch and Razorclaw0000. You didn't find Cyberutopia, did you? No. No, you did not. I don't want to hear it.
Counterpunch - That girl at TFCON who yelled, "What the F is wrong with you?!?" upon seeing our "GETAWAY WAS RIGHT" shirts. It was the principle of the thing, lady.
Va'al - For me, it's a toss up between two things: a comics theme (and surprising no one), Mairghread Scott using my portmanteau for Dead Bumblebee in Till All Are One - aka Bumbleghost - as 'canon'. She said so. I don't make the rules, this is now the truth.
Or, the various moments we've had of complete and utter wholesome idiocy in the Energon Pub. Like the pun-a-thon that led to the creation of Va'alcanicus, for which I blame Qwan. Or the one Bronzewolf and I had during Transformersmas. You get the gist.
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Whew.. we're almost at the end of this looong trip through memories of a year just passed. If you're still with us, take a look at some Bad Comedy (geddit).
And finally...
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What are you looking forward to in 2018 for Transformers?
william-james88 - Leader Class Optimus Primal, Leader Class Blackout and Masterpiece Dinobot.
D-Maximus_Prime - I would have to say some of the Masterpieces and tail end legends guys. MP-40 grabbed my attention and has started my desire to collect Targetmaster MPs, and MPM-5 Barricade and MP-41 Dinobot are on the horizon too. Legends G2 Megatron also looks like a killer, and that "Megatron Rules!" sticker has me hooked. But the Prime Masters and beast combiners also have my interest for the coming year as well. It looks like it will be another good one!
Sigma Magnus - Masterpiece Dinobot, the Bumblebee movie, IDW Unicron, and the reveal of what comes after Power of the Primes.
Bounti76 - If the rest of POTP is as good as the already revealed figures, I am IN for the entire line, with only minor exceptions.
Burn - Power of the Primes stuff locally would be nice.
Hopefully finally taking possession of MP-36 Megatron as well.
I don't expect much for 2018, but I do foresee a lot of sneak peaks and reveals for 2019.
Qwan - As an Australian, I'm mostly just looking forward to being able to buy Power of the Primes toys in a reasonable manner . That aside however, I also like the look of the Studio Series toyline, and the Cyberverse cartoon has me cautiously optimistic too! Of course, anything Transformers is a good thing for me, so all I can say is: bring on 2018! I may not be ready, but you can be sure I'm excited for it.
megatronus - Honestly? Evolution Decepticons. We've got 3 Autobot/Maximal Evolutions announced, and I'm highly anticipating a Beast Wars Megatron that evolves into Transmetals 2 Megatron, or a 'Breastforce'-type character that evolves into Deathsaurus. If they can execute those concepts properly, I will forgive the poor execution of the Dinobots, and the poorly rates Combiner Wars-style figures we've received in the Power of the Primes line up to this point.
Counterpunch - I'm looking forward to a return to focus. What I mean by that is with RiD done and TLK in hindsight, all this unloved product on shelves can hit the old dusty trail and get out of my life.
There are some really good things coming around both in the Generations line and movie world. I'm looking forward to seeing these featured and not lost among the flotsam and jetsam of our beloved franchise.
Also, Grand Max.
Bronzewolf - MOAR DINOBOTS. Seriously, I think Hasbro pretty much knocked it out of the park with Swoop, Slash and Slag, and I can't wait to complete the set. I'm also looking forward to the Femmbots, as it's been an extremely long time coming for them. POTP seems to be the line of figures that are finally getting a true update, and I'm totally on board.
WreckerJack - I am very interested for Power of the Primes. Combiner Wars and Titans Return have had consistently good. They are almost always well engineered which gives me positive expectations. I already like the looks of the ones I have seen so far.
I also want to see the characters from Power of the Primes get more time in the comics so we get to know them more. I always tend to gravitate towards figures of characters I know and appreciate. When a figure is of good quality and is well detailed, being fond of the character it represents really seals the deal for me.
ScottyP - IDW's Unicron story. Maybe it's the end, maybe it's not. Maybe 2019 brings a reboot of the Tranformers comics for the first time since 2005. While I hope that isn't the case, if it is, then this is the story to go out on. Five and a half years, give or take a few months, led to his reveal and if you think the signs weren't there I will fight you. This is great timing to move the story along to another chapter, and with so many new characters introduced lately and the body count of 1984 cast growing, I'm ready for our Beast Wars/Armada/G2 dreams to become reality.
Plus, this story proves I was wrong about Rung all along, and I probably deserve that for coming up with a crappy fan theory in the first place.
Seibertron - The Bumblebee movie. It will either be a turning point or an ending point. If it does well, new life could be breathed into a Michael Bay-less Bayverse, but if it does poorly, I suspect that it will mark the end of the Bayverse. Time will tell. Hopefully with a smaller cast of actors and robots, a real story about the Transformers will surface that is full of emotion, characterization, and a sensical story that everyone can follow this time around. I really enjoyed Hailee Steinfeld in the Edge of Seventeen movie, a flick I highly recommend others watch, which I saw not long before it was announced she was going to star alongside Bumblebee. I look forward to seeing what she can bring to the film, and if it has some edginees like Edge of Seventeen, I'll be sold on the movie. Time will tell. It'll be interesting to see what we all think of the movie around this time next year. Almost forgot this point: Bumblebee will be a Beetle! Can't wait to see the toys that come out of this. I'm still hoping for a more G1 look in robot mode than a Bumblebee Camaro look.
...as for me, Va'al? I'm not sure, to be honest with you all. This is a strange moment in my investment in Transformers, and though I am content with where I am, something is niggling at the back of my head. Maybe 2018 - and Battletrap / Roadslash, along with the Transformers episode of The Toys That Made Us - will ease it. Oh! Though I am planning to attend SDCC in person with Seibertron, rather than through his phone on videocalls. We'll see where that leads when the time comes.
And of course, the new Seibertron.com redesign awaits us all.
For those of you who reached the end of this very long piece, I hope you enjoyed the writings and musings of the staff of Seibertron.com, and the editorial interventions that totally did not occur anywhere at all. How was your 2017 in Transformers? Any categories jump to your eye, and want to share your thoughts? Any wish or prediction for the year just started?
Share your thoughts in the Energon Pub discussion, and be excellent to each other.
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.
Top 5 Best Transformers Troop Builders
Ah the infamous troop builder. I will be honest, it was a concept I was not familiar with when I got back into collecting in my adult life. As a kid I got toys on my birthday and Chritmas so you bet your ass that I was gonna ask for a different toy and not the same one again just because there was more than one of the same character model on the screen sometimes. But of course, I get it now. With more disposable income, we can now indulge in recreating scenes and armies from the shows we love. And to build those armies in your display, you are gonna need troops. The Transformers brand has had a lot of toys to build troops with over the years and we will look over the best ones right now. Enjoy!
I really like the Generations Scourge toy but what makes the Titans Return version better for troop building is that you can change his face. So now, your army of Sweeps can have some different characteristics. The Ptero head for instance looks like the type of head given to his sweeps in previous releases. Takara also released a different head (shown below) just to build a sweep army. But you don't have to stop there, you can given them any heads and make them as diverse or similar as you like. It's a decent toy all around as well. Very accurate to the cartoon and both the Takara and Hasbro versions have fun features in their different decos.
This is one of the very best Commander Class toy from the Cyberverse line, if not the best, and it also happens to be a troop builder. The size works well for a Cyberverse scale army and an affordable one at that since he was at a lower price point than deluxes. Intricate transformation, well detailed and show accurate, what more would you want? Well aside from a voyager scale one for a much pricier army.
3. Titans Return Sharkticon
Yes, Titans Return have given us several troop builders, and good ones too. Sharkticon is an iconic little guy, due to his appearance in the 86 movie and this is his best toy yet. He is a fun little guy on his own, with a smooth and smart transformation, a great look and even the ability to act as a sub for little Titan Masters. But then you add more of them and you get a menacing (while also cute) army. And them being smaller figures, which is true to the scale, makes them a more affordable troop to build.
I have raved on this toy before and it's pretty crazy that an undisputed top 5 (top 3?) toy from that whole Prime line was the troop builder Vehicon toy. If only the jet versions were as readily available and affordable, we could replicate Megatron's army as seen on the show.
I think this is the first time a G1 toy ends up being number 1 on a list not specifically about g1. But yeah, there is no better option to me. This is the original swarm and the original troop builder and still the most impressive. These guys take the cake because of their variety of design from one another while also being uniform. This is where the generations versions of these guys fail since the colours, plastics and builds don't match. they end up being seen more as individual toys than a united swarm. While the articulation may not be optimal, the quality of these toys remains unmatched to this date with a combination of clear plastic, chrome, die cast and even functional wheels to give that extra mecha component. And the swarms are in insect mode anyway, so robot mode articulation is useless. Plus, these guys have been rereleased plenty of times that they end up being the same price point as a set of the 3 generations figures anyways, so I whole heartedly recomend anyone curious about g1 toys to check these out. They are still to this date the most faithful looking versions of the most iconic troop in Transformers history.
Honourable metions: Beast Machines Sonic Attack Jet
While Beast Machines deluxe Jetstorm was a decent toy, it lacked screen accuracy in both the deco and the sculpt. In comes a redeco that has more vibrant colours, closer to the look and feel of the show. And it happens to be an army builder for the Jetstorm drone army. So while not ideal we do get a differentiation between the leader and his goons and it is luckily the masses that have the more screen accurate deco, which I personally feel looks much better.
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.
Top 5 Most Underrated Transformers Toys
Two weeks ago we had a list of toys that I feel people like more than they should or don't hate enough (I realize just now how terrible that sounds, like who am I the King of England?). Well now it is your turn to have a go at what I like and what I feel should get much more love. These are toys I find quite underrated. Either due to being compared to other toys coming out at the same time and thus seeing them as less than they are or simply forgotten and no longer cared for. Well, I care for them and I will gladly tell you why. Hopefully you can see where I am coming from. Of course, please let me know which toys you feel alone in the world for loving. Now let's get to it, my top 5 most underrated Transformers toys!
There is a trend in the fandom where everything is criticized when it comes out to eventually be accepted and even sometimes loved within a collection. Take Voyager Animated Megatron, a toy which was ripped to shreds by fans when it first came out but which slowly gathered a fan following to the point where it became sacriligious to call it one of the worst toys of all time (something I still firmly beleive). I personally feel that Hasro's Combiner Wars Menasor will one day be fondly remembered and even sought after. It may even be that at the time of you reading this far into the future, him being on this list would sound crazy. But for now, this is seen as the weakest combiner of the bunch and while I am not sure if I agree or not, I don't think he is a bad toy. Quite the contrary, I think Combiner Wars Menasor is as good as any other Combiner from the line. I think he looks very imposing, especially with the legs straightened out, and he has the best weapon of the bunch by far. I especially love the Motormaster component, which is the most underrated aspect to this combiner. I am so impressed with how great he looks as a truck, torso and robot. Each form has very distinctive detail, unique from the other modes and yet he is a nice compact truck that hides the robot mode kibble especially well. I even like how effective the back of the cab is at making it be the robot legs in plain site ala Optimus, and yet it looking like a nice solid truck cab. The articulation is great, and the reveal of both the standard robot head and combiner head is both smart and effective. I think Combiner Wars Motormaster is a proud homage to the original, in a very neo G1 way which is now becoming more and more rare. And that follows onto Menasor, which makes for a big mean combiner, worthy of being an adaptation to the character we saw onscreen as children. These molds existing also means we finally got an actual G2 Menasor toy and if you need any more selling on that Motormaster mold, just check out that insane G2 redeco. Hasbro went all out. I am still not fond of that breakdown mold though.
Oh man, this guy is the perfect example of Style over Substance. That can be both seen as a positive and a negative, hence the debate and him ending up here. I mean, think about it for a second, there is a whole thread about the debate of whether or not he feels like a KO, people out there hate this toy's guts. And people out there also hate Tim Burton's films which usually have incredible style while being uneven products at the same time. You might find the comparison weird, but what I mean to say is that while the final product of Generations Leader Jetfire might not be the best Transformer toy, due to him having a simple transformation, a fake cockpit chest, wearing a jet on his back, and having hollow limbs, he looks amazing! There are few transformers outside the animated line to have this much style. He looks amazing in both modes and has this sleek yet immensely powerful look to him with a beautiful sci fi edge which definitely sets him apart from most other Transformers designs (the sterile white look adds to that big time). For years, Takara was giving premium chrome deco on its versions of toys, hearkening back to the metal look of the G1 days. And now it was our turn to get the chrome on the more affordable figures and people rallied against it. Why?! People were paying double to get the little bit of chrome on the Takara seekers (I did) and now they wanted to pay a bunch to get the version that didn't have the chrome? On the pieces that could be detached when displayed in a classics shelf? But back to the mask, it’s another small wonder people don't give enough credit to. Unlike the previous voyager version, the mask here is small, compact and not invasive to the figure, making his head proportional to his body with it on or off so that it can be both used for a classics collection, with his mask off, or a stand alone awesome looking transformers figure with his mask on.
And come on guys, a Macross Valkyrie of this size would cost you anywhere between 200-300$. You get this guy for about 50$!! So yes, definitely underrated.
3. Prime Robots in Disguise Voyager Optimus Prime mold
I love Beast Hunters Ultra Magnus. It is easily the best voyager to come out of the Beast Hunters line and one of the best Voyagers of the entire Prime era. But while Ultra Magnus is liked well enough for being show accurate and having some fun extra playability options, I also happen to love this toy for its mold, which is the same one shared by RID Optimus, and that is not a shared sentiment. The Prime First Edition Optimus Prime is always placed well above the RID Optimus Prime mold (as seen in this poll) making the later more of a consolation prize to those who didn’t get him either because of its bizarre distribution or the higher price tag. But this isn’t a Bulkhead or Cliffjumper scenario, the RID mold of Prime Optimus Prime is actually far better mold than people give it credit too. I, like many others, love when a robot mode integrates a bunch of the alt mode and this mold does it really well, and even better than the First Edition version. Most of the truck parts come into play in robot mode but in a different fashion. The truck nose becomes the forearms, the truck roof becomes the shoulders, the lower legs transform beautifully using the back of the truck cab and this was the first Prime mold larger than the cyberverse toy to actually have the truck's windshield become Optimus' chest piece. I wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?
This guy simply gets made fun of too much when he is actually one of the best toys Predaking is made of. Sure, at first look, he seems a bit dorky and funny looking but as an actual G1 transformers toy, he is hard to beat. Let's start with the robot mode which gets all the complaints. Unlike the others, he has articulated arms and forearms that have a huge range for a G1 toy. It let him do some pretty terrific poses with his weapons. He might look funny with his head stuck under his alt mode head but that actually gives him an amazing advantage of having a larger more proportioned head when comparing to the others. It also gives him a great Viking look. Also, by being carved under his alt mode head, it is the least obvious and visible head of the entire gang when they are in their alt mode. And speaking of the alt mode, wow. This is one of the best beast modes I have ever seen in any Transformers line. Its powerful looking, and fierce, especially when you mount the cannons in his back. He isn't the leader, but I sure wouldn't know that from the toys. He, along with some of his predacon brethren, execute a very impressive yet simple transformation that has none of his robot limbs double for alt mode limbs. And yet, on him, there is no robot kibble present when in beast mode and this is done without the use of a shell, which Beast Wars toys constantly relied upon, and even they usually used the same limbs for both modes. Everything seems to be where it should be on this mecha bull which has very good proportions giving it an imposing and massive appearance that no third party company was ever able to convey properly.
Do you think this is a lame pick for number 1? Did you think other toys are more deserving of this spot? Do you think it's a poor choice for number 1? If you answered "yes" to any of those, then that shows how underrated this figure is and how it deserves the number 1 spot. It's not outright hated like any of the ones above but at least that keeps those in the conversation with people like me defending them. But Decepticharge? Nobody cares. There are a bunch of reasons for this, one of the main reasons being that the Alternators toyline he came from is not fondly remembered. I still think it is awesome that we had scaled licensed model cars that had detailed interiors that could fool others into thinking that they didn't transform. That was the idea behind the Diaclone line at the very beginning and it’s fun to see that idea brought back with improved engineering. Many of the toys were very difficult and had a similar transformation and final look with a bunch of car kibble hanging around the robot. However, Decepticharge, and his moldmate Windcharger, were an exception to this. They did not have random and unused kibble all over the place hanging off them. The doors for instance rest flush against the legs and the hood becomes detailing across the robot’s back. While every part of the car is used to make the robot, giving a beautiful look that the robot is truly made of parts of the car, there is also some robot mode detail that is not seen in car mode and it is achieved by turning over some segments of the car inside out. This method helps give brand new detail while minimizing kibble (this technique was used extensively for Titanium Fire Convoy and AOE Voyager Optimus and Hound with great effect across the board), and it hides away car details which would be odd or distracting, like the car seats. So we get this lean robot, with great proportions and excellent articulation that is simultaneously made up entirely of car parts (steering wheel and all) while also having hidden disguised robot detail inside. The perfect car mode is both a disguise and the robot’s components (unlike most movie toys for instance where the alt mode disguise becomes just a shell). This is the gold standard for a Transformer. This is how it started in the Diaclone line, before Generation One even existed, and it has been perfected with this toy.
With all this good stuff, the reason no one cares for him is probably because he has no official fiction linked to him (unlike his mold mate Windcharger or that toy's binaltech version, Overide). Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any other Transformers toy that does not have a single line of official description about him. While that means that he isn't a reference to any existing character or even a new character (since he hasn't appeared anywhere since), I find it amazing to have a Transformers toy who begins and ends with the fact that he is a transformers toy and nothing else. Even his name is probably just a placeholder (Decepticon redeco of Windcharger) due to not finding any other suitable or available names within the allotted production cycle. And I find that in itself awesome. A new character in a line about the definitive version of G1 toys (this was before the MP line released like clockwork). But back to him having no fiction by Hasbro, it might lose anyone's interest, but I find that also to be a plus to this toy and a reason to not forget him. The principle of fiction developed by Hasbro in the Transformers brand was always made with the end goal of selling toys and thus was always ancillary to the toys. However, for G1, G2 and Beast Wars, once the fiction brought you to the toys, you could discover a bunch of other toys that existed just to be toys and that had no fiction to rely on. Decepticharge brings us back to those days in a line that was all about referencing older characters. He was just a toy (a great one at that) for us fans of transforming toys and not a reference to anything else. There was no other purpose than to appreciate him as a toy, the initial form of this hobby, and I look upon this fondly. His origin is any you want to give him (he already has unofficial origin stories too).
Him being so underrated is great news to all of you reading this. It means you have a great chance at acquiring a great transformers toy at a cheap price. I hope you can give him a shot!
Honourable mentions: I find that Deluxe Universe Galvatron gets way too much hate. I agree that he is small and frustrating, but he packs so much into that package that I can't help but be very impressed by the toy. Also, a lot of the Beast Machine toys are given flack for not being show accurate but some of those are amazing toys none the less. Especially Mega Tankor with his many non intrusive gimmicks and fun transformation between two good looking modes (which both have their own scanning light piping).
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.
Top 5 Best Retools Amongst Transformers Toys
We now live in a world of heavy mold reuse where at the very planning of an entire line, designers look at how they can make the most of a design and reuse elements to the point where we now even Hasbro has switched from using the word "retool" to "pretool". It sometimes brings about a negative connotation since toys may not feel as unique, even though the output of new molds remains constant. So in light of this, I would like to look back at some amazing retools we have gotten in the past showing how amazing toys have been the product of retools.
5. Transformers Adventure TAV30 Battle Grimlock
This is a perfect example of a well realized extensive retool that I would be more than happy to drop money on (and even import, in this case). Let's get one thing straight first, that initial Fall of Cybertron Grimlock mold was not great. This retool ameliorates it by reapropriating it as the definitive Grimlock for one's Robots in Disguise collection. While the paint scheme is definitely different, the mold itself is mostly completely new, changing the initial mold while keeping all the tabbing and transformation intact. Just look at the tail in this shot below:
There are of course totally new parts like the Dinosaur head, which really make him different looking in dino mode, but that is impressive is how they retooled the original mold to have spikes all throughout to merge the completely new parts with those that were retooled, making him seem like a totally different toy. Not only a different toy, but a toy that was made for this line, and that is the biggest credit I could give to this toy. It doesn't look out of place, and is instead more than welcome in the line up even though the base toy has nothing to do with this line or aesthetic.
This one is best explained through pictures. These toys will always amaze me for the simple reason that there were two main Ultra Magnus designs in the Prime toyline at two different scales (Voyager and Commander). In each scale, one mold was an original mold (YAY!) and one was an Optimus retool (Boo!). And yet, in both cases, the Optimus retool surpassed the original mold, both in complexity, G1 homage, toon accuracy and poseability. It was this toy that made me rethink my entire philosophy on retools and where they have a place. Below you will find Ultra Magnus next to the original mold in both alt mode and robot mode as well as the retool next to the original mold just to show you how significant it was.
3. Classics Conehead Seekers
These are by far the best rendition of the coneheads in terms of show accuracy, both in looks and when it comes to replicating how they transformed on the show, and it's handled in such a smart way as a retool of the classics seeker mold. The original mold was very good but it had that extra nosecone kibble in the back of the head which looked off. The conehead retool reworks that entire nosecone area to make the nosecone actually be the top of the robot's head ala G1 but with way better proportions. This is a feat even the MP couldn't pull off, relying on the illusion of a nosecone head leaving the actual nosecone in the back. What is awesome about this retool is that by reworking that nosecone area, there is no more extraneous kibble. It ends up being a perfect robot mode and a perfect rendition of the G1 chracters with no fake parts.
The original mold was pretty cool in an odd kind of way with the very kibble heavy bot mode and third mode which consisted of a dead Triceratops. Killer punch takes it up an extra step. A triceratops head for a hand is pretty cool, but you know what's cooler? Being able to fire it into a bot's face! Yeah, Takara retooled the mold so that the triceratops head could actually be spring launched from the robot's arm. They also took the opportunity of this remold to change the Dinosaur's head to give us a Styracosaurus instead, making the mold even more original, along with giving us a better hand weapon in the form of a big curved blade hidden as his tail.
I feel this is the last great hurrah for what we knew as retools, meaning a mold based on another one with modifications, and the start of something new with toys toys based on another coming out quickly showing a certain amount of planning. I say this because after this toy, the idea of a retool, as we know it changed. Hasbro brought in pretools like the Combiner Wars line which was all designed at the same time, regardless of when toys got released, and that was followed by trend of reusing parts or egineering amongst different toys. In this case though, I feel confident calling this a retool, and a beautiful one at that, since it is clear what the basis for Springer was as opposed to Sandstorm. Springer's look comes right from Nick Roche's last stand of the Wreckers and both his alt modes are modernized versions of what they were in G1. Sandstorm though feels more in line with the Neo G1 look of the Universe line with his alt modes being more homages to the ones he had in the past, springboarding off the Springer design and making the most of it. What is fascinating is that amongst the differently shaped parts are totally new parts that change the transformation. As with TAV Battle Grimlock above, it is such a miraculous moment when you transform a toy that is said to be a retool and you discover something new. The reason this guy gets the top spot is because not only is the retooling extensive, but it brings in fixes to the mold. It tabs in together better and I am really impressed at how he can still stand with all that back kibble, which adds to his striking and dynamic look. It's just amazing to have a retool that feels like having a new toy that kicks ass all on his own.
Honourable Mentions: I am using this spot for something that we wouldnt think of right away but that really needs to be mentioned: Masterpiece Starscream. The reason he wasn't obvious to me is because usually a retool means a different version of the character or more likely a different character all together. In Starscream's case, the retool doesnt change anything about his identity or personality, it just makes the toy more G1 accurate and overall better (at least in theory). At first it might seem like the big difference is how the long pieces of jet kibble are integrated into his legs rather than be left hanging there, or that he now has heels that pop out of flaps, but there is more. In truth there are more changed parts than unchanged parts in this figure and the retool becomes one of the more extensive retools in Transformers history. But since the situation is different from the rest of the characters on this list, I preffered mentionning him here (I wouldn't have known where to place him, how about you?). Just look at the undercarriage a bit to see that almost every facet is different. And in robot mode, it is literally from head to toe.
The Legion Class are often viewed as cheapo simplified versions of more complicated and interesting toys. Well, that is exactly what they are! But in my eyes, no less fun then the larger classes.
As a kid my minis (Bummblebee, Windcharger, Gears, etc.) went everywhere with me. In my backpack to school, the grocery store with Mom, the back seat of Dad's Oldsmobile, and off to Grama and Grampa's house we go.
Legions, Legends, and all the smaller classes of past and present have become just as important a part of my collection as the bigger bots. So much so that they have earned their own shelf. Which I have dubbed Micronopolis.
This size class has had many names over the last 30 years. When asked to work on this list, WilliamJames made a wise choice in narrowing it down to Legends class, which started in 2005 until 2010 and then changed its name to Legion class. We covered the Scouts/Legends last time and this list differs from that one since it limits it to only molds which are made to represent a smaller scale of larger figures and found in the current Legion Class (which was once called Legends class). It made the job a little less daunting, but also made for a little more diversity, as I may have been tempted to just list all the G2 Gobots and their Car Robots/R.I.D. repaints.
Whether populating your pocket, or your Trypticons and Metroplexs, they may be small in stature, but these guys are BIG on fun!
Let's dig in.
10. Transformers Reveal the Shield Legends Class Optimus Prime
Dare I say, this Prime's transformation is the original toys done a little better? For such a little toy he has great detailing and his proportions are more fitting to what we've come to expect from our favorite fearless leader. It was a nice touch to include that ankle tilted stance with out any articulation, and it doesn't hinder the transformation at all. It is also always a nice thing whenever a Prime toy's truck windshield becomes his actual robot chest, and on such a small scale too. He has great arm articulation. Could he have used some knees? Sure! But, we're talking about Legends here.
9. Transformers Cybertron Legends Class Hot Shot
The thing I love about all the Cybertron Legends, is that the larger toys had such nicely simplified transformations, that they even translate well when shrunk down to pocket size. Hot Shot may not be the most articulated figure but he is a fantastic representation of his larger self. They even included his Cyber Key gimmick of flip up wings/spoiler. Of course without the key.
8. Transformers: Robots In disguise Legion Class Strongarm
Let's give the new guys a shout! Strongarm has quickly become one of my new favorite characters. Her Legion toy does a few things better than her warrior toy. Most notable, you can see her hands. This is achieved by deviating a tad from her show appearance, but she makes up for that with elbows and knees! She has a nice little color layout for such a petite thing. She sports a great sculpt and enough detail to take nothing away from this fantastic new character, and toughest little rookie on the force.
7. Transformers Cybertron Legends Class Vector Prime
Because I'll take my favorite dimension hopping Cybertronian mystic knight in any size! He's cast in a nice metallic swirl white, and his color layout is just enough to keep him interesting. Again the transformation is just a micron version of his great Voyager toy. What I like best is that, even when scaled down, he retains all the sculpted clockwork detailing that makes this character so cool to look at. Especially in his alt mode.
6. Robots In Disguise Legion Class Thunderhoof
Another new comer that has really captured my imagination lately and seems to have become a fan favorite out of the R.I.D. Decepticons is Thunderhoof. The longer this lil buck hangs out on my desk the more I come to enjoy him. He has really prodded me to rethink this list a bit. His transformation is ultra simple, but really gets the point across with a great little alt mode. But, robot mode is where he really shines. Although his elbows are fixed in a 90 degree bend, it barely hinders the pose-ability and expressiveness you can get out of him. You don't often see head swivel on a Legions toy, but when you cock his head just a little off center it really adds some 'tude to this dude. He also has a fantastic paint job with just enough in the right places, that he may even out shine his Warrior class counter part in this department.
5. Transformers Cyberverse Legion Class Evac
I'm not a huge fan of the Movie aesthetic, but I am a huge fan of a fun toy. I love it when a Movie era toy catches my fancy. Evac is a great example where a Movie design can be unique but still hit all the classical design marks. Hood chest, shoulder wheels, silver face, but in a really neat futuristic Cybertronian look. He has a great intuitive transformation and some decent articulation for his class. It also helps that his alt mode looks like my Honda Fit... if it were from outer space... and had a turbine propulsion system... and guns.
4. Transformers Generations (or GDO) Legends Class Bluestreak
I'm usually pretty loud about my affection for the Datsun Brothers, so darn tootin' one is going to end up on my list. I had originally put Prowl in this spot, but after a trip to this year's BotCon, I was finally able to land a Bluestreak, whom I had been chasing for a good while now. This Legends toy does a great job of capturing the visual cues of the OG toy in a nicely updated design. The engineering also pulls a lot of good things from the transformations of previous Datsun toys. Ending up with a nice little design that's a hoot to play with. What makes this version of the mold even more special, is that he was retooled with gripping hands, in which he can hold the awesomely G1 styled blaster that was added to the figure. It's too bad Smokescreen didn't get this mold to complete the trio. I'm looking at you Hasbro! (wink, wink)
3. Transformers Prime Cyberverse Legion Class Wheeljack
Where to start? One of the best articulated Legions toys on the planet. An absolute joy to pose. Especially wielding those Energon Scimitars! He has a nice detailed deco, and who doesn't love that alt mode? His transformation is fun, with his legs almost more G1 Jack than Prime. With those big wide feet he is one of the most stable and versatile Legion size action figures out there.
2. Transformers Reveal the Shield Legends Class Megatron
The best updated G1 gun Megatron we've ever gotten? A lofty claim, but he is an amazing toy. He has a transformation that is completely unique to him alone. Again aesthetically, a fresh update to the classic look, with a great head sculpt and a menacing little maw. He can hold some impressive poses with his great leg articulation. The gun barrel folding down is a neat solution to the arm cannon. The safety orange is a tad off putting, but laws is laws. William-James would have my head if I didn't mention the fact that this Megatron can be wielded by the MP-11 Seeker mold. A pretty great bit of fore site in design, but on my shelves you're more apt find him in the grip of Armada Unicron!
This toy was made to rule from atop a G1 Trypticon, and with an iron fist no less.
I think many Legion/Legends aficionados would agree that this mold takes the cake. A bitchin' muscle car alt mode, a mind blowing transformation, and the best articulated robot mode there is in this size class. The way the arms fold up into the hood, using the arms points of articulation is a stroke of micro-engineering genius. Then there are the feet. Not only do they have forward and back rocking motion, but the have ANKLE TILT! If this figure had hip and head swivel the world of Transformers might just implode on itself. He comes with my personal favorite Cyberverse energon weapon, and looks absolutely bad ass wielding that sword in front of those viking horns. This figure should be the measuring stick for all Legions to come.
As great as the Cliff version is, I personally prefer the Tailgate repaint a little more. The flames just give him a little extra heat. The fact that those flames end up as his tribal forearm tats is too cool.
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.
Top 5 Scout / Legends Class Transformers
The next two lists will be focusing on the little guys. We will start with the Scout/Legends class, which is one of the more awesome classes in Transformers history. What is important about this class is how it had characters you wouldn’t find in any other size. These weren’t the Legion or Cyberverse version of a character. These were full fledged characters that had a class of their own and whose detail and complexity was meant to be proportional to the larger bots they scaled with. Due to the lower price point and lesser resources allotted to them, designers were pushed to making the most of this class so that these toys could pose right next to the more expensive and bigger toys that they scaled with. The idea of beauty intertwined with simplicity is in full force in this class and I am glad the Generations line still has a place for it even though it might have changed name (they are currently called Legends as of 2013), and I really felt like celebrating these little guys. This shouldn't be confused with the even smaller class which has been called Legends/Cyberverse/Legion, which is more focused on repeating mainline characters at a smaller scale. We will cover those in two weeks!
The Cybertron/Galaxy Force line had one of the best scout class lines ever. These guys were highly detailed and had transformations almost as complex as the deluxe class (definitely more complex than Thunderblast) and getting all this at that price point was awesome. My favourite of the bunch was Scrap Metal, and this was even before I learnt of the homage to the G1 cassettes. I just love how he looks in robot mode. He also has perfect articulation, any alt mode kibble is integrated into his limbs and chest and his weapon looks immense while bearing no impact on this stance (good job guys!). He also has a very intriguing alt mode that looks like a four legged mechanical insect (spider or ant), that looks like something an evil scientist would create and shrink down to invade the blood stream. And he comes in a bunch of colors for some fun troop building.
I think these two are the best examples to show how the Legends class can be a decent successor to the Scout class that came before. This class is comparatively complex, detailed and posable as the deluxe class, and bordering on the same height as the Scout Class of old:
For Cosmos, I am so very impressed with the robot mode they were able to pull off given the Adamski UFO alt mode (if anyone was curious, that’s why he’s called “Adams” in japan). It is leagues beyond what the engineers were able to come up with before and, regardless of scale, this is a mini masterpiece Cosmos to me.
As for Blackjack, I am just so impressed with how original the transformation is. You would think that after 30 years, we would have seen it all, but this little dude just struts along with a novel way to end up with the back half of his roof as his chest (homaging both the Black Jack Micromaster as well as the far more similar looking Battlechangers simultaneously!). All this while being fully concealed in a super sleek vehicle mode, even when looking underneath it, and with perfect ball jointed articulation.
Skystalker is as good as people say he is and that is a huge endorsement. Before I got hi, I thought he’d be overhyped. But no, its a great small package. I really like his head sculpt, its perfectly decepticon-like, and he has loads of play options for a scout. He can combine with Mindwipe (though it’s not as elegant as I thought it would be) and he has two intricately shaped c clip weapons integrated which you can apply to other transformers like Deluxe Warpath and Darkmount. What I like best about him though is how he proves that the movie aesthetic can actually work since he (and Mindwipe) have very accomplished and realistic vehicle modes that work well with the robot mode.
Speaking of mini masterpieces earlier, I give you HFTD Breacher. When I first saw a picture of the figure, I could not wrap my head around the fact that it was a scout class figure. It looked (and turned out being) as intricate, detailed and complex as any other deluxe or voyager TF. The fact that he has so many panels and parts for a smaller toy does make him refreshingly challenging too. And that headsculpt is a perfect culmination of the transformers brand at that point, incorporating the highly detailed aspects of the film while still being classic rather than overly alien. Add to that the interaction with HFTD Seaspray as well as the C clip weapon and you just can’t go wrong. He would have been number one, but I couldn’t ignore the originality of the next pick.
As much as I would want to bash some toys from the Energon line, this is where the Scouts first started gathering the legendary status they now have today (which I hope won’t be forgotten, hoping this article can help). I did not collect the energon line when it came out so many of the toys on this list were acquired just months apart, and I can say without nostalgia clouding my mind, that this early example of the Scout class is still the best one we ever got. It’s all about how simple yet imaginative it is. Firstly, the bird mode is great with its headscuplt, the expanding wings and even the neat little tail section. What blows my mind is how these three sections end up becoming, respectively, the hands, the legs and the head. That’s right, even though all his robot bits are exposed in alt mode, you wouldn’t know it was them. And yet they totally fit the bill in robot mode. The legs are massive and imposing and the hands have a great grip for the energon weapons these scouts were known to have. The leg transformation is brilliant and I have never seen it replicated elsewhere. Terradive, another favourite, does have jet wings that end up at his legs but not AS his legs. Divebomb ends up being unique then, with two modes that are accomplished and unique, even though they use the same parts, thus giving him full alt mode integration and no kibble in either mode. This toy is a stroke of genius.
Honourable mentions: Oh way too many, so please let me know in the comments who you guys like best (you can access it by clicking on "View discussion"). The Energon, Cybertron and Revenge of the Fallen line had such strong Scout Class toys. As much as the movie aesthetic and toys might get a bad rap, this is something they did right. It also helps that the scouts from the first movie line were borrowed from the Cybertron line
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.
Top 5 Most Indistinguishable Alt Modes Among Transformers Toys
This list is about the transformers who's alt modes you can't make heads or tails of, and quite literally for one of them. While these are not definitely terrible toys (ok, a few of these entries are), their alt modes just don’t inspire anything cohesive whatsoever. They just seem like an afterthought, as if a robot mode was given and then torn apart and glued together in a mishmashed way to give a cybertronian “something”. While designs of Cybertronian vehicles can yield amazing results, these are the flip side.
What kind of bird is this supposed to be? It's much less a "condor" than it is Silverbolt doing a handstand. This is one of the laziest alt modes I have ever seen.
Told you guys you'd see him soon! I get that the creators didn't want to give Prime Megatron am earth based mode due to his disgust for the planet (still not a tactically sound plan). But you could at least give us something that looks like a space ship. I really dislike how his alt mode looks like what would happen if I left him in my huge jean pockets and then washed them and dried them. While he has a great robot mode that homages many of his predecessors in the Transformers Legacy, his “cybertronian jet with a face sticking out” looks more of an afterthought as to what can be made with the robot mode. And yet he still ends up with back kibble in robot mode, why ?! How?! (the cyberverse version didn't have any). But at least it means that “some” parts are for the alt mode.
Both of these are lazy half assed “cybertronian” flying vehicles from the live action movies. They are not as terrible as another cybertronian vehicle below, but that is only because I can kinda tell which direction they are supposed to be facing. They still both look like the robot mode doing some freaky yoga poses.
Easily the worst animated figure and while it is not completely because of the alt mode, the fact that you can't tell if its facing front or back and that it isn't even accurate to the show doesn't help at all. If you want more info on this terrible toy, I welcome you to visit the Top 10 Worst Transformers Toys of All Time list.
When someone first told me what he turned into, he said it was a pile of random junk. I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. What is this? WHAT IS THIS?????????????? I was eventually told it was a trailer. However, I am not blind, I can see very well that this is not anything close to a trailer. It is just the robot limbs rearranged to take less space, and that is all it is.
Honourable mentions: I wasn't sure if he would count or not but Arms Micron Gaia Unicron is definitely worth mentioning here.
People were wondering what this thing was, especially when looking at it at this angle:
And yeah, it totally fits the bill of being a mishmash of parts trying to get away with a semblance of a "cybertronian" alt mode. But there is more effort put into it than the other yoga transformers, like those movie ones mentioned earlier. As you will notice above, there is a face carved into it. In the Prime show, Unicron was shown as the foundation for Planet Earth and he would like to pop in as part of the earth's rock to say hello, like this:
So this alt mode, while very odd, does have something to do with the show since it is an interpretation of Unicron's face found in the elements of earth, hence the name Gaia Unicron.
But it not coming across as that does indeed make it a failure.
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.
Top 10 worst transformers toys of all time
This list is simple, it is made up of toys that wouldn't be recomended to anyone ever. While I wrote this list, this was actually chosen by the community in a thread I had made called "Transformers that are absolute garbage", which people responded to. I kept the ones that weren't unanimous (but which I greatly dislike) for honourable mentions. Now, let's get to this!
This is when you know the designer just wasn't trying. A robot having the front of the vehicle as his chest is the most basic Trasformers design of all time. How badly can you mess that up? Well, this badly. All this toy had to do was have the car front as the robot chest and I guess that's what we got, even if it meant having a fake chest that is just right there on the car's roof. The first movie's Legends Class toys were not great and this is a great example of just how bad things could get. The deluxe Jazz that came out was not great toy either, but at least the car mode didnt look this bad.
I just want to put some "sick" emoticons and just call it a day. It would be as much effort as this toy designer put into the toy. I think what is truly terrible about this toy is how Hasbro knew full well how terrible it was and still sold it to us. The reason we suspect they know it's bad (rather to them simply not caring if it is or not) is because this is one of the only toys from the beast era (if not the only toy) to be packaged in Robot Mode instead of Beast Mode. The robot mode is not bad actually and looks like the show model. Though you do wonder how it can possibly transform since it doesnt seem to have any kbble aside from the weapon that partforms to make wings. Well that's because the alt mode doesn't look like much, at all. It's the robot doing a hand stand, with his head right there between his arms (the beast legs). This looks nothing like the show model (which while it's subbosed to be a condor, reminds me more of a turkey without the big tail) and that's even besides the point that the colours are all wrong. This toy is just a mess really and as bad as they get for the usually phenominal beast era.
Luckily, this toy did not set the tone for what Transformers would become. I remember quite clearly when it was the first toy available of the Age of Extinction line, a toyline which promised simplified transformations to appeal to youger age groups. This toy was looming over making all our fears a reality. A big expensive toy that was made simpler and unlike the other one steps and such, it was not marketted for kids (who would need amazon accounts to purchase it in the states). Turns out this was just a fluke. Transformers remained just as traditionally complex after with some simpler toys aimed at the correct audience (which is nothing new for the line). But you still have this guy as the odd outlier, the mother of all shellformers in a time when you'd think Hasbro had grown out of that outdated engineering concept. In great shellformer fashion, you could even have it so that you could just detach the figure from the shell and have a perfectly fine truck mode that excluded the robot. This toy symbolizes a scary time and while I am glad we are all passed that, it doesnt make this abomination any less terrible.
The phrase "feels like a KO" gets thrown around a lot when fans express their distaste for a toy's quality but it's most often hyperbolic and is more of an insult towards the toy than an actual fact. I have bought dollar store KOs in the past (guilty as charged) out of curiosity and they are far far worse than all official toys out there. The plastic is usually very supbar, frail, and lacks a bunch of sculpting detail. They also lack paint apps and you usually just end up with blotchy paint in limited areas while the rest of the toy is just made up of the undistrubed monochrome cheap coloured plastic. The only toy in the history of the brand that this description would also apply to is Robots in Disguise Prime Airachnid.
This toy sacrifices a lot for the gimmick of being able to form the top or bottom half of a combined bot. The biggest sacrifice is the articulation. After Beast Wars and RID and some of Armada, it looked like G1 articulation was a thing of the past never to be seen again. But this guy brings it back. He's a brick with heavy disproportions, tiny arms which can't be positioned more than straight ahead, a head that can't even rotate, and legs that don't do much more than split. Any articulation included is wasted and can't be used. He may not be junk to some but amongst the entire Energon line (looking only at original molds here), I can't think of anyone worse. His lack of meaningful leg articulation makes him even worse than his Armada self, which is mind boggling. He simply sacrifices far too much for his gimmick.
Just look at it. Sure, it's a simple toy, but so are Topspin and Twintwist and they look like decent 80s robots. This little guy just looks like he should be holding a "kill me" sign. Every single one of this throttlebot brethren have a better alt mode and a MUCH nicer robot mode. The only thing he has going for himself is the decent pullback gimmick but it works just as well on any of the other far superior throttlebots. The lack of any articulation is already bad enough with this line but this guy even gives you these overall terrible proportions, making this probably the worst G1 toy.
Speaking of the worst proportions possible, I give you PCC Double Clutch! The Power Core Combiner (PCC) line is already not a fan favourite so you know this guy is bad when even the most devoted PCC fan says this guy is one of the worst. Aesthetically this is an ugly figure with terrible proportions, but beyond that it is really sad how the way the combiner arms connect make it so that the arms always pop off. The last thing you want in a combiner is for it to just keep falling apart. So he fails at both an aesthetic and functional level. That's like both Siskel and Ebert giving you a thumbs down.
Yes, this being in third place means Titanium Megatron is not the worst Transformers toy of all time, but that is by no means a compliment. It just means that we live in a sad world where there are 2 Transformers out there which are worse (not by much though). Although the figure looks somewhat impressive, it notably has the tendency to fall apart during transformation. Along with its loose joints, it was relatively difficult to pose in robot mode without it falling over, something that was entirely par for the course when it came to Titanium figures. It was also known for being a shelfwarmer thanks to people knowing how poor it was.
This toy is such garbage, it's unbelievable. While Energon Hotshot was pretty bad, he doesn't hold a candle to the atrocity of this toy which easily claims the title as both the worst toy of the Cybertron Trilogy and the toy which sacrifices the most for a gimmick. Look at the proportions! The forearms are enormous, the legs are an afterthough (they are just what's left of the car). G1 may not have had articulation but at least it had style. This has nothing. The whole robot mode aesthetic is sacrificed for the minicon gimmick and that would be bad enough but have you seen what the minicon looks like? Is this a face you would sacrifice so much for?
So, not only does Sideswipe have the worst robot mode I have ever seen but he is paired with Nightbeat, the worst and laziest looking minicon of all time. That's right, that makes this toy double garbage. The only good thing is that this means both atrocities can be avoided at once. For everyone out there, this might be the worst, and I would understand them, but what I hate more than hot garbage toys is paying more money for them, and hence...
Let me list the reasons for him being a piece of junk:
1.Lazy alt mode simply made up of rearranged robot mode parts which looks like a mess.
2. They couldn't even get that right, because the show model shows his fusion cannon mounted differently. So he's a pile of Junk that isnt even show accurate.
3. The gun is too heavy for him and can't stay attached if his life depended on it. You have to mod his fusion cannon to get it to sit properly on his arm.
4. His deluxe and more affordable version gets the paintjob right but this voyager doesnt?!
5. His hands have no articulation of any kind and are posed as if he's constantly shaking hands.
6. When I first bought him (he came free with a lot I bought, give me a break!), the person told me he was missing his back piece. That made sense to me since his back looks like what you'd uncover if you opened up a Transformer. Turns out, he was referring to his long skirt piece in the back, which means his back is a mess that looks like a Piet Modrian painting naturally. Even the Cyberverse commander Prime Megatron, for all its lazy alt mode glory doesn't mess that part up.
8. Both automorph gimmicks do not work well and the one on his chest ends up making his robot mode very annoying to pose properly or play with. Which brings me to my final point...
You would think a toy with an inaccurate alt mode made up of a mess of robot mode parts would at least have a structurally sound robot mode (take Prime Megatron for instance or the first movie Megatron toys) but this one doesn't. And unlike his "better" deluxe version (better coloured at least), he's at the second highest price point. The only worse thing than paying a little bit of money for a pile of junk is paying more money for it.
So, it pretty much fails on all accounts I can think of. When comparing to the rest of the phenomenal Transformers Animated toyline, he becomes a sin for simply existing. If you want more hating on him, there is a whole thread I found on this site dating from 2008, when he was first released.
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.
Top 5 Best Shockwave Transformers Toys
Full disclosure, this list actually started as "Top 5 great robot modes with subpar alt modes". However, I realized I was mostly coming up with Shockwave figures. I mean after G1, when he could not be a gun, all the attention of that toy was towards its robot mode with the alt mode being secondary. While that is too bad for a toy that started out having quite the legendary alt mode (a laser gun with lights and sound) at least the robot modes have been worth it. While I do not believe we have had a perfect Shockwave figure yet, the Masterpiece figure is coming soon. So while waiting, let us go through the best Shockwaves we have so far.
This is a solid and great feeling toy. He has a hulking robot mode with the widest chest/shoulders found on any Shockwave design. Unlike most versions, this mad scientist seems to be as strong as he is intelligent. I included both the voyager and cyberverse figure because they transform just about the same way. While that makes for a great smaller figure, that means that the transformation is a bit lackluster for a voyager class figure. The alt mode is thus not much to go on but as stated in the intro, Shockwave toys are usually more about the robot mode and this one works well. I especially like how they hide the hose as a tank thread in the voyager, as well as the working wheels found under the feet that only touch the ground in alt mode, it’s very well done. Speaking of things that were well done, the cyberverse version of the mold was surprisingly well served as Bludgeon.
A big reason why this toy is relegated to 5th place even if the robot mode is perfectly fine is due to there being a problem with the cannon arm in alt mode. For some reason, certain batches of this figure couldn’t plug the cannon so that it could be straight. You would have to disassemble his cannon arm and attach the cannon separately for it to look good from the front. That is quite a misstep in engineering. Also, this toy does pale in comparison to the other toys found in the Prime line (which is slowly starting to gain the legitimacy it deserves).
Now this is a fun figure and a nice new take on Shockwave. He has all that you would expect from a Shockwave figure such as a gun arm (the biggest he has ever had!), a perfect headsculpt, and a hexagonal chest. This is a solid figure where everything perfectly clicks and fits together just fine. What I really love is how his cybertronian cannon mode has his head and chest visible (since as with most Shockwaves, the alt modes are rearranged robot parts with no new alt mode detail) but the angle of his head is flush with his shoulder making a smooth uninterrupted surface, hiding the head in plain sight. The robot chest also blends well by being mirrored on the back, adding a nice sense of symmetry and integrating the chest as the alt mode’s body. This figure is an interesting study of contrast between symmetry in the alt mode and asymmetry in the robot mode. It’s like Shockwave himself, perfectly logical, but dark and twisted.
Speaking of no new alt mode detail, that isn’t entirely the case with this toy. He includes a third mode which is just as serviceable as his cannon mode with 8 solar panels flipping from all over the place turning him into a satellite that fares just as well (in my book) as movie Soundwave.
And for fun, he also has a 4th fan mode that works ok.
Say what you want about the Bay movies, the design for Shockwave was pretty spot on for that world. He fared far better than most in his transfer to the silver screen since his cybertronian appearance worked well for the aesthetic combination of realism and alien life forms. Pretty much, he looked like a badass sci fi robot. The portrayal is another story, but the movie design translated perfectly well into the toy, who looked a bit smoother than the usual movie figures up to that point. I especially like his hands and feet and how they fold onto themselves in the alt mode. It is simple but quite ingenious (especially with the feet). It’s too bad his signature cannon couldn’t be placed in the middle of his alt mode, making it look a bit odd, but at least it brought back the hose idea which is always a nice touch to go with Shockwave. Along with Leader Sentinel Prime and Voyager Skyhammer, this is one of the best of the Dark of the Moon line.
This toy is unlike any other Transformer ever designed by Hasbro. Spoilers for the Transformers Animated series abound. The idea behind this toy is for it to be Shockwave disguised as an Autobot who looks completely different with a different alt mode. While the alt modes are not much to run home about (shocker!) the real fun is converting him from small stocky Autobot Longarm into the Decepticon Shockwave.
Shockwave is at his most evil and conniving in this show and the toy brings that out in spades. The little hands turn into claws, the normal looking autobot face loses his mouth, nose and eyes for only the red cyclops eye to remain and the stocky limbs lengthen to reveal a tall and lean creepy silhouette. Speaking of height, this is a tall voyager figure, just look at that picture of him next to Megatron. I can’t think of that many Transformers which had as much value as this one which turns from Shockwave (who transforms into a tank) to Longarm (who transforms into a crane). Definitely one of the best Transformer toy designs of all time.
The G1 toy is still an amazing toy and the fact that all the upcoming MP does is incorporate the partsforming and add some articulation speaks wonder to how much this 80s toy still holds up. He is so different from the rest of his brethren and for a reason. You see, this was not done by the same company (Takara) who brought us Optimus, Soundwave and almost everyone else. This was a lazer gun that could then transform into a cyclopean robot (who has a lazer gun hand) and was first a Radio Shack toy in the west (the rights to this toy are somewhere in the ether, as well as in some copyright lawyer’s nightmares). So yeah, definitely in a different league of the rest. Any lack in articulation is offset by the playability factor and heft. It's an awesome space gun that turns into a cool looking robot, the argument stops right there!
Honourable Mentions: While the Combiner Wars Legends Shockwave is a perfectly fine Legends class toy, the size just doesn't cut it for a top 5 list of this imposing master of doom. I still wanted to mention him here though since he does deserve some praise. The toy I had a hard time not including though was Cloud Shockwave, who instead is a perfect size, but I stay away from exclusive redecos since they are not as easy to come by for most people reading these lists. And plus, these lists are to generate discussion and if I write about a super exclusive/expensive toy that fewer people own, there isn't really a point. This is why I have this section where I can write whatever I want and for now, I want to write about Cloud Shockwave. What impresses me so much about this figure is how it is a straight redeco (all the parts are the same) and yet he totally owns that Whirl mold he is from. Shockwave always had this cold creepy mad scientist vibe to him and the tall lanky bot mode just works so well for him. He ends up with the same perfect headsculpt which is very reminiscent of Energon Shockblast and the claw hands (reminiscent of Animated Shockwave) lend themselves perfectly to this bot who is always known for having odd appendages. Oh and him being a redeco of Whirl means that for this rare occasion, his alt mode is better than sub par. He is currently the best scale and style for a collection of updated toys from the G1 era, at least in my opinion.
Here are a few pics to see how well he fits in a collection as compared to the others, let me know what you guys think!
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.
Top 5 Best Helicopter Transformers Toys
I am going by the best molds. Simple title, simple list, let's get to it.
This was a tough call between Generations Springer (30th) and G1 Whirl but deep down, this is a helicopter list and Whirl has one of the best helicopters ever put out there. Probably second best to the number one on this list. He is a gorgeous and well thought out toy. You couldn't tell that he turns into a robot from looking at the helicopter since everything seems to serve only that mode. That turns out to mostly be true since aside from his head and claws, the entire robot is made from repurposed helicopter parts. That works so well for him though, since it gives him a very sleek form with minimal extraneous kibble. You get this tall mean lean killing machine of a robot which clashes so interestingly with the choice of having this toy repurposed as an Autobot rather than a Decepticon. Of course, him being from the 80s means that he is the toy with the least amount of articulation on this list but his perfect look in both modes gives him more than enough cred to stand alongside any of his brethren below.
What is amazing about this toy is also what is great about the animated line as a whole: they actually found a way to recreate the angular show designs into toys. Remember, the designs were made for the cartoon first and the toys second (that didn’t happen before) so it is a real feat for the designers to have reverse engineered those designs into toys that look like the show models. Megatron himself does this pretty brilliantly by also boasting a very simple transformation. It’s interesting how his legs and feet are there naked in vehicle mode but they blend in perfectly as part of the helicopter. The rotors become the swords and while the arm canon can be considered part forming, it is very effective at both concealing the robot parts in alt mode and conveying a G1 look in robot mode.
This mold surprised me. I was worried it would be too simple but it works pretty well. This is by far the most streamlined and sleek helicopter we have ever gotten. There is no undercarriage and it is very simple in design which is refreshing compared to all the attack helicopters we see. This is mainly because the arms are outside the helicopter body, not contributing to added bulk. While this could have been done terribly, the guns mask the arms perfectly to the point that they are fully disguised and don't look out of place (as arms, but the jury is still out on a rescue helicopter having guns). The robot mode is neat, and this mold also becomes an arm and a leg (and costs far from that). I like it better as a leg personally but what matters is that this sleek helicopter mold is the most versatile one around.
Like all Cybertron toys, Evac is a nice solid and fun toy. His design is very unique due to his large feet made of the lower half of the rescue helicopter as well as his asymmetrical arms. His headsculpt is great with a central crest to go with the theme of him being a Convoy (a Prime) in the Japanese cartoon. The helicopter mode itself is lots of fun with several points of interactivity:
-His rotor blades spin when pushing a button, and they become a spinning-blade weapon mounted on his robot mode's left arm.
-He has an adjustable and retractable tow-hook on a string, which ends up mounted on his right arm.
-His engine exhausts become two missile launchers which spring forward when inserting the cyber key.
So yeah, lots of fun with this massive toy.
This toy probably has the most unique way to deal with his rotors in robot mode. With his chest area being the central body of the helicopter, his chest is the top where the rotors are and they wrap around him in robot mode resulting in no extraneous kibble. This is by far the most complex helicopter transformer but every step makes sense and is a joy to watch unfold (especially the forearms). For a movie toy, Skyhammer has some gorgeous alt mode integration like his rotors wrapping around his chest, his legs being the tail and the cockpit splitting to form shoulder armour. While he has the more realistic look from the films, he does have some smooth surfaces and looks far more robotic than alien. He is number one because of all helicopter Transformers, he has the best helicopter mode (where you see none of the robot), the best robot mode (completely kibble free) and the best transformation while being a perfect marriage of the movie and classic Transformers aesthetic.
Honourable Mentions: There is actually a ton of good helicopter molds out there, I was tempted of turning it into a top 10 list. However, those five are really a cut above the rest, with the exception of Transformers Generations Springer. The best triple changer mold by far. However, it being a triple changer, a few sacrifices were made, stopping it from being the best helicopter mode in the business. The landing gears are a bit awkward around the back and it's really too bad they didn’t try to add some detailing to give the idea of some tail rotors in the back (the G1 toy did).
Along with him, here are the others that crossed my mind when thinking of this list:
Rescue bot Blades, probably the best toy of that line simply for the style and how it actually works as a simpler toy while trying to achieve the desired aesthetics.
Great things come in small packages sometimes. Legion Airachnid, Minicon Jolt and Legion Windshear deserve a mention for accomplishing great helicopters at such a small scale. Airachnid herself is amazing simply for being better than her deluxe class version and sporting some really nice paint apps for this class (in robot mode).
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), Maighread Scott, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Joana Lafuente and Tom Long created a masterpiece of a series that I couldn't wait to read every month. From shining a light on more obscure characters (Greenlight, Lancer, Lightbright) and bringing Prime characters (Knock Out and his husband-in-universe Breakdown, Airachnid) in so organically, I just devoured the series. And the unexpected moments that just knocked the breath out of you: Starscream's true self being revealed, his confession in the annual and seeing his face literally and figuratively light up with Windblade's gift to him in the final panels of the series (Mairghread Scott GETS Starscream when she writes him, and makes him such a compelling figure); Sara Pitre-Durocher's depiction of the merging of the Combaticons' minds into Bruticus'... that is an AMAZING piece of art that not only tells a story, but gives the best depiction of a combiner's mind we've gotten in Transformers fiction, ever; Liege Maximo's return and Elita One and Strika's unsuccesful attempts to stop him and Vigilem......I really cannot say enough about how well and seamlessly this team worked together to tell the stories that they did. I just wish IDW could have left well enough alone and let Scott, Pitre-Durocher and team keep going. Instead, we have the travesty that Lost Light is turning into, but that's another thread for another day.
. That aside however, I also like the look of the Studio Series toyline, and the Cyberverse cartoon has me cautiously optimistic too! Of course, anything Transformers is a good thing for me, so all I can say is: bring on 2018! I may not be ready, but you can be sure I'm excited for it. 
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