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2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?

Transformers News: 2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?
Date: Thursday, January 5th 2023 12:33am CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 89,671

2022 Year in Review

Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?


We won't beat around the bush, 2022 was one of the worst years for Transformers collecting due to atrocious distribution that was worse than what we saw during the pandemic. Even now, several 2022 toys have never been found at US brick and mortar retail like the AOE Crosshairs wave from Studio Series, and the Earthspark line which is still a no show anywhere in the US even though it was meant to be released at the same time as the show, for the holiday season (you know, that time of the year when most toys are purchased). We basically ended up with shelves looking very similar for the majority of the year with stores having so much Legacy wave 1. Plus there was the headache many had with exclusives around the world (still no indication of an Asian release for Galaxy Shuttle). Some fared better of course and those who buy principally online did get most of the 2022 toys (but still, no Earthspark and very little Cosmos), so we still have quite a bit to look back on (although next year will be PACKED with 2 more lines on the shelves). Below are the picks for the year from the various staff members here on Seibertron.com. Please tell us your pics for toy of the year, best exclusive, best Legacy toy, best SS toy and what you look forward to most in 2023 Transformers wise.

Transformers Toy of the Year

Transformers News: 2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?


It's a tie between Victory Saber and MPM Blackout for me, but since I'll talk about Blackout later, I'll stick for Victory Saber here. While mine does have one of the more common issues with the filled in peg hole (giggidy) that didn’t stop me from enjoying my toy in all its facets, that’s how good this toy is. I love going from the giant spaceship to his different robot modes. You have the the tiny brain master becoming a larger robot who then combines with a giant suit which then also combines with a mechanical lion to either be a giant robot or starship. It is a glorious super robot, I can see so much love went into designing this toy and I feel I got my money's worth (the whole package was cheaper than what Legacy Metroplex retails for). Now if Hasbro could send me a replacement copy for my single defect, that would be great. - William-James88

Legacy Jhiaxus. Legacy has been a line embracing the chaos of what Transformers fans really want: a little bit of nonsense. It's only right that not-quite 30 years later, this line brings us a toy of G2 Jhiaxus for the first time. The first time. No really, grab your Foreigner belt because it really feels like the first time this time! Those orange things are just for show. It also helps that Legacy's Jhiaxus is one of the best figures in the entire line, with a transformation that hits just the right balance between fun and involvement, great articulation and an imposing presence suitable to the character. The alt mode weapon storage is really up to your imagination, but weapons inappropriately sticking out of nice-looking vehicles is extremely on-brand for G2 so this isn't a problem.

Legacy Voyager Class Jihaxus. Just a fun toy to mess with. He's a solid figure and it's nice to get the G2 version after all these years. A haslab Liege Maximo when Hasbro? - ZeroWolf

Legacy Metroplex. I was very excited for this figure this year, and it did not let me down in any capacity. Metroplex is big like he should be, scales with the Unicron trilogy like he should be, and he looks like he should. The colors and paint work on him are magnificent. All the joints they added to make him super duper posable are amazing. What they did with his head is amazing. How they worked Sparkdrinker to split, adding so many new fun things to do with him, was beyond great. He ruled, there is no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He ruled the year. - D-Maximal_Primal

HasLab Victory Saber. It's the best and most accessible version of the character(s) that I'll own, and was worth the wait. - Bounti76


Favourite Legacy toy

Transformers News: 2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?


Blaster. The final wave of Kingdom was a crapshoot at retail for me, so it's a good thing Blaster was rereleased in Legacy. While wave 1 seemed to be overordered, the repacked Blaster didn't stick around too long whenever it was restocked and I can see why, this toy is a beauty. Blaster has always been an independent toy from Soundwave, so I am so glad he finally gets his own dedicated mold. Plus, we now have a proper voyager sized blaster in the generations line with a proper alt mode and he's even compatible with cassettes released from the past 4 years. Plus, he comes with a cassette while at the same price point. Basically, he's a perfect. - William-James88

Y'all know I have to get in my annual double-dip, so while Jhiaxus is what I'd consider the overall tops for the year and most definitive representative of 2022 Transformers, my personal favorite for the Legacy lineup is the Titan Class entry: Cybertron Metroplex. It's really tough to re-do some Cybertron/Galaxy Force characters as toys with any real improvements, but some of them do exist. I wasn't sure upon its initial reveal if Metroplex was one of them, but that feeling was wrong. Not only does the size of this toy scale wonderfully with other Cybertron toys, but he looks even more accurate to the cartoon than his original, very heavily "inspired by the show's CGI" Leader Class entry from 2006. While the lack of Drill Bit and a Cyber Key are still major oversights, the toy's so fun overall that I can look past them - assuming that obvious spot for Drill Bit gets utilized at some point through Core Class. - ScottyP

Transmetal II Megatron. I had a really tough time with this, as Jhiaxus, Megatron, and Metroplex were by far the 3 best Legacy figures this year. But I saw everyone else giving Jhiaxus love, so I felt comfortable going this way. Megatron is a true Leader Class figure, with size, complexity, and presence to him. He is so very good. Initial images were questionable, but in hand, he absolutely rules. This right here is a royally grand toy. - D-Maximal_Primal

Commander Class Motormaster. He's just so well done. Fun to transform back and forth (the trick with the feet is cool), appropriately hefty, and looks great in both modes. - Bounti76


Favourite Studio Series toy

Transformers News: 2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?


Bumblebee Ratchet/Ironhide. I really liked the beginning scene from the Bumblebee movie so it was cool to see Hasbro go all in on those designs for the Studio Series toyline. I like that they got to make up their own alt modes, giving the designers more agency than with any other movie design since all they had to adhere to was a robot mode. And that's the part that amazes me because it could have all gone the Soundwave route where the alt mode feels really secondary but with the Ratchet/Ionhide mode, we got wonderful Cybertronian alt modes that are a great reimagining of their typical van alt mode, with one of my favourite transformations. I'm a sucker for inside out transformations where the robot folds within the alt mode, it just feels so satisfying and provides distinct details for each mode without giving extraneous kibble. - William-James88

Core Class Laserbeak. I mean it even (sort of) includes a Tea Party backdrop! Haters of this toy (hi, r/transformers) have bad taste and need to go back to fun school. Sure, it's barely a step up in molding from the old Legends Class movie Bumblebees of yesteryear, but dude, daddy's home. - ScottyP

For this, I'm choosing the Fallen. Despite its many, many flaws, I do have a soft spot for the Revenge of the Fallen movie. This toy is everything I wanted in a representation of the character. - ZeroWolf

TLK Hot Rod - This was a good year for SS, and I think the king of that is Hot Rod. The Fallen getting a magnificent leader toy is certainly up there, as is the fun of Brawn, but Hot Rod was definitely a case of "oh finally!" come to life. As someone who owns several official and 3P Hot Rods, this toy gives us the proper TLK Hot Rod design that TLK did not give us, coupled with the design choices of a 3P but made to a deluxe price point, and made for almost a mini-MP figure. This is a dang good figure, and worth your time to check out. Kibble management, smart transformation, the look in both modes down, they gave us the full package here. Well done. - D-Maximal_Primal

Leader Class Sludge. This is the Sludge I've waited for since I never got the G1 toy at Christmas in 1985. Big, hefty, fairly poseable, nice transformation, and that gorgeous dino mode. A few minor things (hollow dino mode belly, less than tight joints) don't detract at all from my enjoyment of this figure. - Bounti76


Favourite Masterpiece toy

Transformers News: 2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?


MPM Blackout. This guy came right at the end of the year for me since my best option was importing the Takara release and he basically eclipsed almost all other toys I had the pleasure of handling in 2023. Of course, he was one of the most expensive ones but when something is pricey you do expect it to match your expectations, something the MPM line has not done consistently (still disappointed with that Prime we got). Well, MPM Blackout is worth every penny. The Transformation is fully original and finally concludes that imaginary contract I made with Bay/Paramount when I first saw the designs back in 2007 and expected it as a transforming toy. - William-james88

From a jam-packed field of :checks notes: five entire Masterpiece figures released in 2022 it was hard to pick one stand-out, because they're all equally close to one another in presence and quality. I'm going with the first Trainbot, Shouki, but that pick is probably based more on the novelty of a train alt mode than anything else. Getsuei, Nightbird, Crosscut and even MPM Blackout were all pretty darn great too in their own ways. I like quality and quantity, but if I have to pick only one, then quality is fine. - ScottyP

Senator Crosscut. It's incredibly well done so and I ended up taking a step back from Raiden for cost concerns. - ZeroWolf

MPM Blackout. I was excited for this toy coming into the year, and it lived up to the hype. It is a big figure that has a truly impressive copter mode that looks great from every angle (including bottom!) and that has a super robot mode that is an imposing size and also very posable. There are so many smart little cues in the transformation and robot mode, like the way the check and cockpit windows work, that makes him truly stand above the MPGs this year. - D-Maximal_Primal

Masterpiece Clutch. That we got a Senator Crosscut with him (who's the best looking of that mold) is just icing on the cake. - Bounti76


Favourite Exclusive

Transformers News: 2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?


Cosmos. It’s really a pity not everyone who wants one can get one because this little bot is a joy to transform and discover. I also really liked how the Velocitron Blurr turned out, a very welcome surprise. - William-James88

Override. The exclusive channel was a great place to be this year. Not only were there great and sometimes wacky repaints, but just about all of them complemented either Kingdom or Legacy (or both) in what felt like very natural ways. There were even some new molds among Walmart's Velocitron sub-line, and this is where my favorite exclusive for the year was contained: Override, or if you prefer, Nitro Convoy. Basically all of my notes from Metroplex apply here as well, though Override's at least got Cyber Planet Key compatibility of a sorts which is a big positive. Speedia's leading lady is another example of a smaller sized Voyager Class toy with an expanded budget hitting a really sweet spot quality-wise in the "main" line, and though this isn't the most popular opinion I hope we see many more toys like her in the future. - ScottyP

I'm going with plucky little Cosmos here. I was down on him at first but after having him in hand, he's won me over (okay, being the only one I ended up with from the line may factor in here). - ZeroWolf

Wreck N' Rule Springer. This one really surprised me, and is why I want to include him here. I didn't get Siege Springer, as the old T30 is still far superior to that figure. But this one, I wanted to get the Wrecker Hammer, and he had a big ole Wreckers symbol, so why not. And he is real nice in hand. The colors and paint work help him stand so far apart from both T30 and Siege, and he owns this mold. He is real nice, glad I got this one in particular. - D-Maximal_Primal

Tie between Cosmos and Minerva. I was lucky enough to get a Cosmos right out of the case as he was being unpacked, and I've never seen another one since (why 1 to a case, Walmart??). Despite his hella rarity, he's a fun toy in all regards and is the perfect scale with the other small-deluxe Minibots so far (Netfix Bumblebee, Kingdom Warpath, Selects Hubcap, etc.) - Bounti76

And despite only NOW showing up at physical Walgreens (I saw 6 yesterday alone), it's nice to FINALLY own a retail release of the first female Autobot toy ever released, since (barring a reissue of Minerva's G1 toy), her original 1988 figure is prohibitively expensive. She's got a fun mold, a satisfying transformation, and her body actually becomes a decent portion of her altmode, aka she isn't a huge shellformer. - Bounti76


Favourite piece of Transformers Fiction

Transformers News: 2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?


Earthspark was perfectly fine for the kid show it was. It gave us an excellent take on Megatron, easily my favourite character in the show (too bad his toy isn’t that great)- William-James88

The percentage of good stuff proportionate to the amount of Transformers fiction released this year would point to it being a really great year for the stories that give depth to our Cybertronian friends. That probably can't be said in general though, as the overall amount of output delivered was collectively tiny, especially as compared to some other recent years. While the Beast Wars comic and TV's Earthspark provided some super fun material, the best of the heap this year was Nick Roche and EJ Su's Last Bot Standing. Simultaneously a send-off to everything that came before and a challenge to everything that is to come, this book imagines what the real end-game for the Cybertronian race could look like. Whatever your expectations were of it, you were likely not prepared for the tough questions this story attempts to answer. I doubt we'll ever see a Transformers story like this one again, but thank goodness this happened.

But dang Hasbro, we all love Moon but why'd you force Waddlepop out of it? That's the kind of uncomfortable stuff I want to read! - ScottyP

IDW Last Bot Standing - Anyone who knows me knows I almost never buy individual issues of comics, i buy trades. So, the fact that this series got me to buy all 4 individual issues should say something. This comic was pure joy to read, a great de-construction of Rodimus and the story of countless endgames finally reaching a logical conclusion. The story helped solidify Rodimus as one of my all time favorites, while also giving such a nice breath of air with the Pack of Antagonists. It was a great time, and a true sendoff to the IDW era of Transformers. - D-Maximal_Primal

EarthSpark. It's a fun show, with some nice callbacks to other TF fiction that manages to still do its own thing. - Bounti76


Best TF related Moment

Transformers News: 2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?


Watching Earthspark with my kids while my son was playing with the new Earthspark toys (we got them up in Canada). If there's a heaven, I can't imagine it being better than that. - William-James88

I should begin elaborating with a point of clarity: I'm not happy about IDW's license to make Tranformers comics not being renewed. They made most of my favorite Transformers stories over the years, and losing the ongoing Beast Wars series from Burnham and Burcham (among many others) is a great loss.

What I am celebrating, in a way, is the end of the least interesting Transformers ongoing comic in a very long time. With the wider universe of the TF 2019 continuity wrapping up so early compared to other books and side projects, it feels like this was inevitable even if IDW's contract had been met with a renewal. Interesting side stories like most of Galaxies and the brief, probably-intended-as-a-toy-pack-in Wreckers series never felt like they fit alongside Optimus Prime and Megatron's boring, planet-wide war about, uh, stuff they probably could have talked out. Then there's Exarchon, an attempt at the "villain that could unify all Cybertronians" trope that was handled so awkwardly it led to me dropping my subscription for the book. I eventually did grab and read the rest after its cancellation was announced - my message had been sent - but the damage was done at that point. The book had committed a far greater sin than being actively bad, it was inactively just a thing that existed with no soul to be found in the story. The primary emotional response I had to it wasn't anger or frustration, it was ennui. Was the sometimes bizarre lack of direction and cohesion due to Hasbro interference, editorial shuffling, a lack of long-term planning, or even some combination of those things? One day we might know, but whatever the cause, this run ultimately failed. I mean no disrespect to the creators, sometimes the best efforts we put forth just don't work. The 2019 Transformers comic continuity ending was a mercy and hopefully leads to better things in the future for both TF comics and the creators that worked hard on this latest iteration. - ScottyP

HasLab Deathsaurus reveal. On one hand, it felt inevitable given the HasLab Star Saber, but seeing Hasbro going full throttle with the character (that someone on the design team clearly loves) was pitch perfect. - ZeroWolf

If I had to choose a 2nd one, it would have been the drop of the teaser trailer for Rise of the Beasts, letting us see a glimpse of how the beast wars gang look on the big screen. - ZeroWolf

Deathsaurus announcement - Deathsaurus has been a very specific character i have longed to see done right, and his announcement in Haslab was a huge highlight. Couple that with how well he turned out in the colored renders, painted prototypes, and all the accessories he will come with at his very impressive size, and I am super excited for him. His announcement was a truly great moment of the year. - D-Maximal_Primal

Seeing "bad bot" characters outnumber good bots and sell very well. Deathsaurus become HasLab's most popular figure ever, and the main Legacy lineup was at least 50-75% Decepticons and Predacons (Deluxe figures 8-4, Core 6-2, Voyager 4-2, and Leader 3-1 ratios). - Bounti76

The reveal of HasLab Deathsaurus, specifically Thew's reaction. I'm a latecomer to his content and his appearance on the Pulse livestream was tremendously entertaining! And this single stream led me to finally watching the various anime for the first time.- Rotostormnz


What are you looking forward to most next year


I have been fascinated by Hasbro’s ability to push the release of the ready made Rise of the Beasts toyline and the effect it will cause. Instead of seeing two different sets of toys for the same characters released a year apart, we will see similar characters in similar price points on the shelves at the same time and I’m looking forward to seeing the difference between those toys and the different approaches taken. - William-James88

Whenever I try to be optimistic about Transformers in 2023, I remember there's a movie coming out and it all comes crashing down. I know that more of the MPG Trainbots are on the way, so let's go with those. - ScottyP

There's a lot coming out that I really want to see but most of all? Commander Class Armada Optimus Prime. The original is a brick, no getting around it, but it also has a lot of charm. It'll be interesting to see how Hasbro handle it with the technological improvements of the past couple of decades (*sniff* has it really been that long already?*sniff*). - ZeroWolf

Rise of the Beasts - I always love a movie year, and with what we have seen so far, I am very excited for Rise of the Beasts. I won't let you movie haters knock me down! Particularly, the Terrorcons, Maximals, and Mirage have me very excited for the new movie. I cannot wait. - D-Maximal_Primal

Hopefully getting the first female Titan toy, if the rumors about the Nemesis are realized. Since Lodestar is the first female Titan in fiction, maybe she could be a remold of Nemesis? - Bounti76

The releases of Legacy Evolution Voyager Tarn and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. I'm very curious to see what other G1 Retro reissues we get (fingers firmly crossed for Mirage!) as well as a handful of leaked listings that would make me very, very happy if they came true. - Rotorstormnz

Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys
Date: Wednesday, February 3rd 2021 9:19pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 68,643

Every month now, 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 Thundercracker Transformers Toys

After our previous Top 5 Starscream list, an interesting discussion ensued on our boards. While other Starscream molds were brought up, many felt that some worked better for other seekers. And that gave me the idea to look at every seeker as an individual character and revisit their history within the brand. It was fascinating to see how each seeker has their own idiosyncratic molds and some molds that they just own. Today we will cover Thundercracker.

5. Action Master Thundercracker Solo Mission Jet Plane

Thundercracker is the only other seeker released in the Action Master line and while he does share the same mold as Starscream, the toy is rather unique in other ways. First of all, that deco is CRAZY but in the best ways. Definitely screams more G2 than anything else and that makes sense since this was a (totally rad) 90s toy. He does have his own unique molding in terms of accessories which is a jet that he can pilot (just adding to the wackiness) that then turns into a mecha body for him. Fun playability all around and an iconic deco that is now remembered as Shatterred Glass Thundercracker.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys


4. Transformers Generations Combiner Wars Leader Thundercracker

While I was not a huge fan of this toy when it was released as Starscream, I thought it looked great as Thundercracker. It's a very imposing toy and makes a fun and affordable display piece, compared to the MP.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys


3. Studio Series Thundercracker

This is one of the few molds that Thundercracker has which Starscream does not. And unlike other instances (like the Cybertron line) this mold rocks! I really love how it blends the symmetry of the jet mode with the asymmetry of the robot mode. It also has a very satisfying and meaty transformation. Hasbro gave this release some extra attention in the deco department, as we see on the thunder motif tail and extra deco on the knees. I like that the new head sculpt is fairly Starscream-like but still unique and he is Titan Master compatible for even more fun. This was also one of the very last Toysrus exclusives ever available in the US, an extra piece of bittersweet trivia.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys


2. Earthrise Thundercracker

What a solid toy. I loved the Classics mold but the size just didn't work for me. So now that issue is fixed with the Earthrise toy and we also have him in more show accurate colours and improved articulation so it's just win win.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys


1. Siege Thundercracker

While both molds are good, I tend to preffer the Earthrise mold over the Siege one for Seekers. However with Thundercracker, there is a bit more at play since this Siege version gives us his first look in the cartoon. While Starscream is the main seeker, it was Thundercracker that we saw on Cybertron in this tetrajet form and unlike Skywarp, who accompanied him, Hasbro nailed the deco.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys


Honourable Mention

Transformers Convention Club Shattered Glass Thundercracker

While the calssics mold is somewhat covered with the Earthrise mold already on the list, I wanted to mention it again here, especially since there was an exclusive release by the Transformers Club which gave us the Action Master deco through their Shatterred Glass Thundercracker.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Thundercracker Transformers Toys

Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys
Date: Saturday, May 23rd 2020 2:11pm CDT
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: TF-fan kev777

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 66,826

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by your fellow editor or a guest writer, like in today's case with TF-fan kev777. These are our opinions 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 Series 2 Botbots Toys


So with series 1 out of the way here(add link), it is time to take a look at Series 2 of the Botbots. This series for me is the one that solidifies the Botbtos line as a true Transformers line. Why, you ask? Repaints! Repaints everywhere! From the lazy, lets make the pink ruler now yellow, to the somewhat clever, hockey puck into smart speaker, this line combined a number of repaints with a number of new molds. Don’t get me wrong, some of the repaints are pretty useful, like the food items. I have a fairly large TF collection to feed at home so extra food is always welcome. Anyway, this list will stick to the new molds because I didn’t feel any of the repaints were really outstanding enough to warrant a spot on the list or even an honorable mention. Now onto the list.

5. Grampiano

Grampiano takes the last spot on the list for me. The alt mode does scale decently enough for your various masters (Titan/Prime/Battle/Micro) to play. It even works as a ridiculously undersized piano for your bigger bots. The transformation is fun, and I love that the sheet music becomes the hair for bot mode. It also pulls of a grumpy old man face well very well. Articulation is different from most bots with 2 rotating joints on each arm, instead of either a single ball joint or a single rotating joint. This allow you to use his arms a bit more than most bots, and I love the pincher type hands. There is virtually no kibble as all the piano parts are used in bot mode, and the black color helps the legs blend in for piano mode.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys


4. Ollie Bite

Ollie Bite is another great new mold turning from a hat into a legged shark monster thingy, basically a Sharkticon junior. The transformation is pretty fun and has a few more steps that most Botbots. Bot mode is great with good arm articulation, and the bill of the hat becoming the shark tail helps counterbalance the rest of the hat being fairly front-heavy, so he is actually pretty easy to stand and pose. In hat mode, everything hides away nicely with only the teeth line on the hat giving away that it isn’t just a hat. The hat is right-sized for most combiners and larger bots. You can pull of a 3rd fan mode of being just a shark by leaving the arms and legs tucked away. Ollie Bite also happens to be my daughters pick for Series 2, what can I say, she has good taste.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys


3. Bottocorrect

Okay, so I’m old enough to have actually used white-out in school, so this hits a little bit of nostalgia for me, but Bottocorrect makes the list on his own merits, no nostalgia needed. This mold gives us something we have not seen in Botbots before, a built in cannon complete with sights!!! That would be enough to secure a spot on this list alone, but the bot mode pushed him up to number 3. The bot mode is fantastic. Both arms have good articulation with shoulder ball joints, and the cannon arm also has another ball joint allowing you to aim the cannon. The transformation is fun, but the legs can be a little deceiving. They look like they should fold out to be straight with the rest of the body, but they don’t. The body is actually angled backward to offset the weight of the cannon in front. The bot mode face is perfect for a maniacal bot with a cannon arm, and the single eye gives me Plankton from Spongebob kind of vibe.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys


2. Big Cantuna

The alt mode of a rotting can of tuna with the lid peeled back and a dead fish head sticking out had me at first sight. The Spoiled Rotten clan was a great idea for redecos of unspoiled food from Series 1, but also they ended up with one of the most unique overall molds of the whole line. The transformation is fun and pretty intuitive for a disk to bot change. I love that the fish head is the bot head. There really is no kibble since the whole can gets used for the limbs and torso. This figure actually has some of the best articulation of the whole botbots line as well with double ball joints on each arm, ball joints for the hips and even a neck ball joint. Yep, you can give him an upside-down head if you want. The only real downside is the overall size and shape in alt mode makes it hard for many other TF’s to hold.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys


1. Javasaurus Rex

Here we are at the top of another list and this time the choice was easy. Javasaurus Rex might be my favorite mold of the entire Botbot franchise so far (up through Series 4 as of writing this list). Javasaurus Rex would take the top spot based on transformation alone, but is actually solid in both modes as well, making it a no-brainer here. The transformation is probably the closest one in all of Botbots to the mainline Transformers, and you could easily see this upscaled to be an appliance bot for the movie lines with a movie type deco. The transformation uses one of my favorite things, rotating the waist 180 degrees. For articulation, there are ball jointed shoulders giving full range of motion for the arms. The mouth can be open or closed. The legs are only on rotating joints, but when you combine that with the holy grail of Transformers, the waist swivel, you have possibly the best combination of proportions, weight balance and articulation in all of Botbots. For the alt mode of the coffee maker, the only real downside is the visible eyes, and that was nowhere near enough to keep him from the top.

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys

Transformers News: Top 5 Best Transformers Botbots Series 2 Toys


Honourable Mentions: I’ll once again be doing these a little differently, more of a bullet point list pointing out a few other botbots that I wanted to give a shout out for a specific reason.
Drumbeats gets a mention here because I played the drums when I was younger and really appreciate the leg detail they gave him to make each leg look like a bass drum pedal. That attention to detail really impressed me.
Hamauri gets a spot here for being the first Botbots partsformer with the ham bone becoming his knife and bringing another typical feature of the other TF lines to Botbots Alt mode weapon storage. The knife can also be held by many other bots that have the 3mm openings on their hands. For that matter, the entire ham can also be held by other Botbots with the 3mm hands.
Hawt Mess gets a spot here because everyone loves tacos and he is also a very solid mold overall, he just missed getting a spot on the list.
Overpack gets a spot here for being another solid new mold, and I particularly like how the backpack straps kind of look like dreads in bot mode. Dreads Junior for your movie line?
The Music Mob tribe in general gets a mention here as since they all scale well with the various Generation “Masters” as well as being ridiculously undersized instruments for your regular bots. Grab some masters, the Botbots instruments and a TR Soundwave or Blaster and you have yourself a concert.

Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper
Date: Saturday, March 28th 2020 10:07pm CDT
Categories: Movie Related News, Toy News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 63,200

Fellow Seibertronian Actar found Transformers Studio Series Sentinel Prime and Scrapper at the BHG Bugis outlet in Singapore. He was even kind enough to take some images and make a write a review for us, which you can find right here:

Here's my review for Sentinel in the event anyone's interested!

Ooh boy. This one's going to be a tough review! To preface it, I'm going to come clean and say that I'm absolutely in love with the DOTM Leader Class figure from way, way back. It's one of the last few great Transformers toys with a transformation scheme that rivals the now-legendary ROTF Leader Prime. The way the windshield just collapses into his chest? That's a slice of fried gold right there.

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper

That's not to say that it didn't have its fair share of issues. As biased as I am, I'm not delusional. For one, it suffered from a rather severe backpack thanks to the batteries that were required for his electronic lights and sounds, there were a ton more panels hanging off his back than just his cape, and his non-faux chest is way too large.

All these years later, we finally have a new Sentinel figure in the SS line. Can the SS figure topple the Leader and take its place as the definitive Sentinel figure? Let's find out.

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper

Since we're here, let's start off with robot mode. The SS figure does indeed address and fix a number of the problems with the Leader Class figure. Without a battery box, the backpack is drastically reduced. However, the other fixes do come with their own compromises. Firstly, the chest. Yes, it is far, far more accurate and proportional, but you lose the amazing bit of transformation engineering and all of that kibble gets relegated to his butt. Credit where credit is due, it's worthy to note that they at least placed the real windows behind the faux ones ala the Beast Wars MPs and their animal heads. Secondly, they were able to minimize the number of superfluous panels by turning a couple of them into his swords. Rather ingenious idea, but the swords end up really wonky looking from one side and they cannot be stored in robot mode.

All in all, however, bot mode is great. Proportion-wise, it's spot on. (Boxy chest from some angles aside) he looks far more accurate than any Sentinel Prime figure before him with the only real, obvious kibble being the butt windshield the ladders on the side of the legs. The amount of molded detail is also insane. While paint would have gone a long, long way in bringing out all of that detail, it's also rather unfortunate that he's mainly cast in a all black plastic. It's not as dark as what most pictures will have you believe, the black plastic does mask a ton of that detail. It's also really unfortunate that while the Studio Series line excels in terms of molded detail, it lacks in terms of transformation detail. In my opinion, there are way too few transformation steps that are purely for the sake of maintaining accuracy. One obvious example would be the two wheels on the insides of Sentinel's legs instead of just the one.

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper
Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper
Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper

In terms of articulation, there are problems. His head articulation is horrendous with minimal ability to look even left and right. The ankles don't move side to side either. The waist joint can indeed rotate somewhat, but it can come undone way too easily. At least the transformation joint at the waist can be used as a means to achieve a crazy waist twist. The only other thing that gets in the way of the posing is the fact that his chest is angled downwards due to the transformation. What this means is that if you want him to stand straight with his chest held high, he'll be constantly looking upwards at an awkward angle.

Still, the figure is articulated enough to pretty much pull of almost any pose you want him in.

The last major complaint relating to his poses is that, yes, his shield is missing. One of the most iconic aspects of his character... gone. Urgh. Perhaps they wanted to reduce the cost or perhaps they weren't able to find a way for him to store it in vehicle mode, like how the Leader could. Regardless, this severely limits his posing potential.

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper
Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper

Speaking of vehicle mode, the transformation process to it borrows heavily from the Leader but is streamlined to make it more simple but yet almost just as satisfying. The only really annoying part is the fact that the back of the vehicle mode takes a ton of effort to stay pegged together. I'm not sure if it's because the pegs lack friction or that the tolerances aren't as precise as they should have been, but it takes a ton of massaging on my copy to get those back panels to stay together.

As for the vehicle mode itself, it's a boxy firetruck. The only nitpick that I have is the fact that, compared to the Leader figure, it appears to be way too long and thin. I'm not 100% sure which figure is more accurate, but the Leader figure's vehicle mode does seem to be better proportioned.

IN CONCLUSION!

If you're a fan of Sentinel Prime and want a version of him to scale with your other SS figures and are okay with all the (admittedly relatively minor) issues I noted, there's really no reason not to pick this guy up. There're no deal-breaking QC or design flaws and they genuinely did a really decent job of representing the character in the SS line even with all the constraints that come with it. Of course, that might be due to his inherently shellformerish design, but he fairs far better than some of the Deluxes with their entire roofs hanging off their back.

Coming back to the question that I posed at the beginning of the review. Is he a replacement for the DOTM Leader figure?

...not by a long shot! (^o^)

No review (yet), but some images of Scrapper as well!

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper
Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper
Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series Sentinel Prime + Singaporean Sighting of him and Scrapper

Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok
Date: Saturday, February 22nd 2020 3:36pm CST
Categories: Toy News, Event News, Site Articles
Posted by: Stargrave

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Views: 35,940

Our Seiber-squad is on the scene at #HasbroToyFair 2020 and are bringing you all new images from Transformers War for Cybertron Earthrise's upcoming products! Here you'll see Scorponok, Smokescreen, Arcee, Snapdragon, Runamuck, and Sky Lynx! You'll also see all new angles of the reveals we've seen so far with some nice new bonuses like Snapdragon's kaiju mode, Slitherfang, Allicon's tail, and many many others fans have been clamoring about over the last 24 hours of reveals. Enjoy the bevy of images below and make sure and share your thoughts in the forum. Be sure to stay tuned to Seibertron for the ultimate in #HasbroToyFair 2020 Transformers news!

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok


Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Transformers News: Seibertron Covers Earthrise Reveals at #HasbroToyFair 2020 With Sky Lynx, Allicon, Arcee, Scorponok

Top 10 Best Transformers Action Figure Hauls of 2019

Transformers News: Top 10 Best Transformers Action Figure Hauls of 2019
Date: Sunday, January 5th 2020 12:06pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: D-Maximal_Primal | Credit(s): D-Maximal_Primal

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Views: 82,052

Another year, another round of toys! 2019 offered up not only some excellent new figures, but it also provided collectors of all ages plenty of opportunity to collect older figures as well.

And that is what we will be focusing on today. Today, I will be sharing with you the Top 10 Transformers that I collected last year, and then you can comment on the hauls as well as share your own Top 10 of 2019! And remember: any figure you bought from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019 is fair game for your lists! And the figures don't have to be ranked based on being technically good, they should also be ranked on how much joy they gave you.

So here we go!

10) Transformers 2007 Movie Premium Optimus Prime

This was the figure that I was hunting when I went to TFcon D.C. this year, which was also my first ever TFcon. And it was a great experience! If you haven't gotten to go to a convention like this, I highly recommend you do.

But back to Prime: I have the leader Allspark Power Nightwatch version of this mold from the 1st movie, and it is my all time favorite Transformer, the one I could not give up ever. And I wanted to find the version with the sword, very badly. But throughout the Con, I could not find a hint of it, anywhere. And then, when me and my buddies were getting ready to leave, I ran to grab one final autograph. And after getting that, I saw a Prime on top of a pile at a table; it was the Leader with a gun; underneath that, a 2nd of the same Prime; and then, somehow, at the bottom of the pile, was a 3rd Leader Prime, and it was the one with the sword.

I got him! It was a great find, and one I will cherish not only since it is a good figure, but also because of the circumstances of the score.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

9) Studio Series Dark of the Moon Optimus Prime

This one ends up on the list not for being the best Studio Series figure, but for being the one that I had been hoping to happen for 8 years.

When I saw Dark of the Moon, all I wanted was a Prime with a trailer that turned into a combat arsenal and flight tech, and it finally happened. And while it does leave some to be desired in terms of trailer detailing/paint, it is still a joy to finally get this set as I had always wanted and envisioned it.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

8 ) Ghostbusters / Transformers Ectotron

At the beginning of this year, we knew a Ghostbusters MP-10 was coming out, but we had no idea this wonderful thing was coming. And it was the most fantastic surprise ever. Not only is it a wonderful crossover of 2 franchises I love, but it is also a very very good figure in and of itself. Ectotron is a wonderful figure that is so full of fun stuff, least of all being the first ever Transformer with a Proton Pack.

Ectotron was probably the greatest surprise of 2019, and is one of the best of the year, retro-hauls and all.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

7) Siege Omega Supreme

This was a late entry to my collection this year, but ever since I have gotten him, I can't stop messing with and talking about him. Omega is the Titan that we have always deserved, he is of great quality and posability, with intricate detailing and some great paint work. Not to mention his transformation is really fun and his alt mode has so much playability. Omega is a fantastic figure, and one that everyone should get if they want a Titan figure.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

6) Studio Series Rampage

My Studio Series figure of the year. Rampage this year was a lot like Jazz from 2018 - He is immensely fun. He is the best figure, technically? No. He doesn't even have elbows. But is he ridiculously fun, and also forms a leg to a massive combiner? Absolutely. Rampage is a wonderful Decepticon figure, and is one of the best Studio Series figures of the year, and one of the best figures of the year.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

5) Siege Smashdown

I cannot stop singing the praises of this figure. For a $6 figure, this thing delivers so much. For one thing, a Minotaur that turns into a Hammer. That is brilliant. And then, a hammer, the one sole hammer that we have got in the battlemaster class, one of the few melee weapons, and one of the few hammers we got in the decade. Hammers are rare in Transformers, and I love every single one of them.

This is a figure where you can get 5 of them (like me) or more, and not feel like you've wasted money. Get as many of them as you can. And with a re-release coming in Earthrise, it's evident Hasbro recognized how good Smashdown is.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

4) MPM-8 Megatron

While I ranked Smashdown as the figure of the year, Megatron is the most important figure of the year to me. This was a masterpiece of my first ever Transformer, and it was a perfect update. This is a huge figure that impresses in so many ways, not least of which is the fact that he is combiner sized and heavy as heck. He is wonderfully painted, and the sculpting is perfect. This was the update I really wanted my first Transformer to have, and it was delivered upon perfectly.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

3) Armada Powerlinx Jetfire

The final 3 on my list are older figures, and those 3 start with Jetfire. I have recently been getting into the Unicron Trilogy, and bought a lot from those lines this year. Armada Jetfire was one of the very first figures I got this year, and it should say a lot that one of the first is in the top 3 of my year-long list.

This Jetfire is really good and really fun. For one thing, he is a massive shuttle, and he forms a great giant robot from that shuttle. The Powerlinx colors are great on him, and I love the faceplated head. And then he forms the pants to a giant Prime. This is an insanely fun figure by himself, and he's a team player too. I could not be happier to have him.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

2) G1 Dreadwind and Darkwing / Dreadwing

This was a pair where the story is as important as the actual find. This was a 1:00 AM Friday night hotel find at TFcon D.C., where both of these, as well as a G1 Slapdash and Flywheels, were up for a barter for a half hour, with some help from a friend of mine from the Podcast. Finally, after a half hour, I got the price I wanted, and suddenly I had 3 of the Powermasters in one go, and these 2 are the greatest of that. I now have 5 of the Powermasters, including all 3 Decepticons, and plan to finish that entire team this year.

But back to these 2: not only was getting them a highlight, but these 2 are pretty dang good by themselves. The robots and jets are really good, and then the combined jet mode is really fun and bonkers. It's a sign to me that G1 still has some pretty nice tricks up its sleeve, and I love the entire Powermaster team/concept.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

1) Cybertron Defense Red Alert

I will be fully honest, this one was a huge surprise to me. Whenever the Siege Selects Cybertron Defense Hot Shot was revealed, I ended up getting the original from a Twitter friend, and once getting him, I decided to get the other 2 members of the team if I could. And late Saturday night at TFcon, I found a boxed Red Alert and scored him for a great price with the last of my cash (and some help from previously mentioned friend/podcaster).

And wow, this figure is so good. So so good. This is a large toy that has some great weapons, poses pretty dang well, and is just fun. And that chest and head sculpt are fantastic. This is the figure of the year for me, special both for how I got it, and for just how dang good the toy itself is. It is pure joy.

Transformers News: The Top 10 of 2019 - The 10 Best Figure Hauls of the Year

Honorable Mentions:

- Classics Optimus Prime

This was another TFcon haul, and while it was not a Top 10 of the year, it is still a great toy that is fun to mess around with and is a good toy all on its own. It feels good to experience a mold so many have had such high praise for.

- G1 Pretender Jazz

Also TFcon haul, this one was complete and a surprise to find for his price. After some Toyhax stickers, he is nearly perfect, and is a wonderful Pretender addition.

- Cyberverse Ultimate Grimlock

I got 4 Cyberverse figures, and this Grimlock is a great toy. He is one of the best Grimlocks we have ever gotten, and he's a great Cyberverse toy. He also has a fun gimmick. This is a toy that Cyberverse needed, and it's one I am glad to own.

- G1 Powermaster Prime with Apex Armor

I got this figure in the fall, and it was wonderful. This G1 toy is incredibly fun, with tons of great features and gimmicks. Every mode has something fun about it, and it is a large great toy.

Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave
Date: Monday, December 16th 2019 12:38am CST
Categories: Movie Related News, Toy News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 91,428

I'll cut to the chase, this is the best representation of movie Soundwave we have ever gotten. I have comparison images to the on screen character below and looking back I am baffled that we were all so laissez fair about what came before. I know I love the Human Alliance mold (you will see it below in the comparison shots as the Movie the Best redeco) but it doesn't really convey the proportions of the character properly, definitely not as good as this new deluxe does.

The car looks fine. I really like how everything tabs in well. Everyone will be very happy that the car is covered in the appropriate silver paint (no more off white plastic, yay!). The clear windows do mean we see some of the robot junk in there, but I am fine with it. The clean interior and opening doors lead to lots of sacrifices on the Human Alliance toy so I prefer that the designers chose to favour different aspects this go around.

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

And it pays off, boy does it pay off, because the robot mode looks perfect. Soundwave was a stocky guy in the films, and while he had a large torso, it wasn't immense compared to some teeny tiny legs. He was more Wolverine than Johnny Bravo and we finally get that here. What impresses me most with this toy is how few steps there are to the conversion to get from two modes that look nothing alike. People often think that more steps may equate to a better design/engineering, but I never did. There can be beauty in simplicity. In fact, I would argue that it is much harder to get to a good looking and accurate robot mode, especially of a movie bot, with fewer steps. Toys can be overcomplicated just as much as they can be oversimplified and this one is just right.

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

The designers picked their battles well here with the alt mode integration and what parts should be real (like the chest) and which can be designed to look like alt mode detail (the front of the legs). I love how the arms are half car detail and half robot detail and each mode orients it just right so taht you think it can only belong to one particular mode. It's just a very efficient design. The car lights reorienting to give him the side panels framing his chest are the best example of that.

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

In terms of articulation, I didn't notice until comparing these to the new Cyberverse toys, but it's lacking for today's standards. Unlike deluxes in the Siege and Cyberverse line, this toy and many other Studio Series deluxes do not have wrist swivels, ankle pivots or even waist articulation. Which is kind of ironic since the movie look has them sculpted to make it look like they are made up of a million moving parts. Kudos to the designers for at least tricking me into thinking it is made of more parts than other lines (and I mean that sincerely).

He comes with a very important accessory, Laserbeak. While I never liked the skeletal chicken look, I can't fault it for looking the part. It latches well onto wither or Soundwave's forearms and can even tag along in the back of the vehicle mode. Those are two different type of latches and the mini figure will slightly convert to fit in whichever scenario.

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

It's odd how objectively, this toy may not be offering much as much as other Transformers toys at his price point (for instance, he has less steps, less height, less accessories and much less articulation than the new Cyberverse toys), but subjectively I feel more satisfied by him than many other toys. He always had a unique design for a car bot and he did not get as much representation in the movie lines in the west, and unlike Siege and Cyberverse this isn't retreading the same G1 design, so he feels more fresh. He surprised me, and I loved discovering the efficient conversion, and sometimes that's all I need for a toy to stand out. I would thus recommend him to any Transformers fan, regardless of their feel for the Bay aesthetic.

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

Transformers News: Pictorial Review of Studio Series SS 51 Soundwave

"Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron
Date: Wednesday, July 31st 2019 7:56pm CDT
Categories: Toy News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: D-Maximal_Primal | Credit(s): D-Maximal_Primal

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Views: 39,570

"Is it Fear or Courage that compels you fleshling?"

The time has come, and MPM-08 Movie Masterpiece Megatron is arriving in-hand for all the movie fans (and hopefully more fans elsewhere) to enjoy. As a huge movie fan myself, I could not wait for this figure. I was more excited for this figure than I was for any other figure this year, including MP-43 Beast Wars Megatron, Ectotron, and even MPM-09 Jazz. This specific Megatron has a very special place in my heart, and I really wanted it to be good.

So is it?

In the famous words of another Megatron: Yessssss

Let's start just by looking at this robot mode head on. The figure is faultless. The design is dead on to the original Movie Megatron design. It's also both cool and important because this is the first mainline figure to utilize that Movie 1 design since the first movie itself.

Let's take a look.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

The robot mode is tall, hefty, and imposing. He looks like he walked right off the 2007 theatre.

Now take a look at that headsculpt! That is a mean Megatron face right there, captured in gorgeous detail and with some well placed paint to help it stand out. The mouth is posable, and it looks great open or closed. They nailed it.

And take a look at how tall he is! This Masterpiece figure is as tall as a Prime Wars Combiner, which is really impressive.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Looking around the figure some more, there is a backpack on him, but honestly considering the design, I think this is as close as they could get to minimizing it. The good thing is that backpack is only really noticeable once you start moving around to view him from behind, and it blends in fairly well from a back view.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Also, while we are around back, take a look at the weapon storage. The gun tabs in down behind his waist, and the flail piece pegs into the gun and the back stabilizer wing.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

And here we have my favorite of his accessories: the Allspark. I have wanted one of these since the movie came out, and it is awesome to see it here. The cube is very intricately detailed, and is painted a beautiful silver.

The cube itself can fit into Megatron's chest, so you can recreate his famous 2007 Death Scene, or maybe just pretend he is powered up on it. either way, that translucent red plastic in his chest is fantastic looking.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Since we are now on accessories, take a look at that flail. Now, this is one of the few down points about this figure that I have. The flail is made of soft plastic, so while he can swing it around and pose it, it is subject to the laws of gravity, so you can't get all the poses you want out of it, such as a mid-air flying flail. But it is still a nice piece, and I appreciate that they recreated the movie where he literally pulls his hand out of his arm into a flail.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

His final accessory is his cannon. Now the cannon has 2 forms. The first is a blaster mode, where it replaces one of his hands and forms a pretty wicked looking gun hand. It makes a nice companion piece to his other hand has a flail.

The other form is that of his dual-handed fusion cannon, as seen in the first movie when he blasts Optimus. I really like the way they have it wielded and how it perfectly recreates his pose from the movie. I appreciate the effort they put into making it a single hand gun as well as a dual-handed cannon.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Posing Megatron is also really fun. His fingers are all articulated, the head has multiple hinges to move around wherever you need it to go, and the arms and legs are very posable. The ankle tilts are a bit of an issue. He has some good ankle tilts with a lot of movement, but they have a soft tab area where they are either right upright or they are free to move and tilt, which limit his shallower ankle tiltage.

Before we get to comparisons, one last thing: he has spectacular light piping.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

So for some comparisons, here we have him beside his original voyager toy from 2007, his recent Revenge of the Fallen Studio Series toy, and the other Movie Masterpiece figures that have been released since the 2nd Bumblebee figure of the line.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Breaking the mold of the larger Movie Masterpiece figures, Megatron's transformation is really fun! It takes less time to transform him than any of the other Movie Masterpiece figures, and he is far less finicky than any of the others too. It is fun to transform him, and it's not much of a chore.

The jet mode is a really nice looking alien jet mode too. Unlike a large portion of the fandom, I really like his 2007 jet mode, visible head and all. This is a lean and mean Megatron ready to batter you into submission. And the visible head makes his jet mode pretty darn scary when you see it flying at you.

It's also a very heavy robot, and the jet mode is not only huge in size, but you can feel the weight when you pick it up. The die cast is included in his midsection and his feet, so the weight is faily nicely distributed throughout, and the die cast in the middle of the jet mode fits in great with the plastic surrounding it, really giving Megatron a metal jet heart.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

He also does a fairly good job of blending his robot parts in with the jet parts. While the robot parts are not fully hidden away, they add to his mean jet aesthetic, with the fingers giving the nose a pointy feel, and his feet looking like massive jet boosters.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

He also has some good weapon storage in this mode. The blaster tucks away between his robot mode feet, and blends in flawlessly with the back of the jet. The flail is a little less subtle, pegging in beside the jet. But at least it has somewhere to go.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

And here we have his jet mode beside his 2007 self and some recent Studio Series Constructicons. His jet mode is absolutely massive.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

So the final verdict on Megatron: He is spectacular. He was such an anticipated figure, and he lived up to expectations. He is massive, accurate, posable, and fun to play with. Robot mode can move and is beautiful, the transformation is fun, and the jet mode is absolutely gigantic. He's heavy, and he's tight.

He has a few weak spots. The ankle tilts could use a little bit better and smoother movement, the fingers could be made of a little bit more sturdy plastic, and the flail could have been made stiffer and segmented for posing. But those are minor points considering how much is excellent about this figure.

As the 2007 Megatron voyager was my first ever Transformer, I have been waiting a long time for this update. And I could not be happier with it. They nailed this Megatron, finally giving proper justice for the first Megatron many of us got to see and love.

Well done.

Transformers News: "Oh, So Unwise..." A Pictorial Review of Movie Masterpiece MPM-08 Megatron

:CON: :CON: :CON: :CON: 1/2 out of :CON: :CON: :CON: :CON: :CON:

Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse
Date: Sunday, July 7th 2019 10:28pm CDT
Categories: Toy News, Reviews, Site Articles, Sightings
Posted by: william-james88

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 42,696

Transformers Cyberverse Ultimate class Seismis Stomp Grimlock, aka the Leader sized Grimlock figure, was found in a Canadian Walmart last friday by yours truly. This toy has yet to hit the US (if it has, let us know) so I thought I could give you a pictorial review since there is very little coverage on this toy.

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

While it is leader sized, the Cyberverse Ultimate class is very much a thing of its own at its own price point. You get a toy bigger than any Transformers Siege leader figure for the price of a Siege voyager figure, so you basically get what you are paying for. For 4-8 year old kids, that can be a rather big value. They get a nice big toy and parents don't have to spend a lot for it. And the toy itself, isn't bad, for the money. It's basically as articulated and complex as any toy from the fabled Cybertron line from over 10 years ago. Of course, the sculpt is not as detailed, the plastic is lighter and it is more hollow.

Here is the imposing robot mode. The Jetfire in the images below is voyager sized.

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

While the legs are rather chunkier than usual for Grimlock, it goes with the overall bulky look, so I don't mind that. What I do mind is that head sculpt which while nice on its own does not invoke Grimlock enough. The eyes are too insectoid to my liking and instead of giving him either a mouth or a faceplate, they went with a merger of both with a teeth detailed plate (I think?). Either way, it looks nothing like the drawing on the box, nor like any take on G1 Grimlock I can remember.

The articulation is the same as the Age of Extinction voyager, or just about. So yeah, gorilla arms. But to be fair, this bot doesn't come with any weapons that would demand extra arm articulation and story wise, he fights more in beast mode than robot mode. Here is what I got to do for posing. You will also see the seismic stomp gimmick at play below. Stomping his feet does set off two spring loaded gimmicks where clear blue plastic stomp effects pop downwards onto the floor.

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

The transformation was surprising in the fact that there was at least one new thing to the classic G1 Grimlock transformation. The legs themselves make up his belly rather than mainly the tail. It's more complex than the transformation of POTP Grimlock when going from Bot to Dinosaur. The details of his robot chest line up nicely with the lower back of the dinosaur mode to make it seem like those robot mode details are not out of place on the dinosaur mode. The dinosaur mode is rather short when keeping it in a vertical axis (as was POTP Grimlock's), which is what official renders do. However, if you raise him up a bit, with a stance similar to the original Grimlock, it works much better. Especially since his tail is raised up permanently. While I do not like that about his tail, that particular issue ends up moot when posed upright. It also gives Grimlock a nicer range of poses for his neck. I do like the details in his mouth when you open it. The T-Rex mode has as much articulation as most Grimlock dino modes of the past. The gimmick here means those same blue pieces come out of the tail now.

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

Transformers News: Sighting and Review for Leader Sized Grimlock from Cyberverse

In the end, if you want to give your kids a nice big Grimlock without breaking the bank, this does the job nicely. The transformation is not dumbed down and the articulation does the trick for this character. And for any Grimlock fans, this looks very nice and imposing on a shelf. It's just very much a kids toy, and I don't see anything wrong with that, especially at that lower price point.

2018 Seibertron.com Year in Review - We Achieved Something

Transformers News: 2018 Seibertron.com Year in Review - We Achieved Something
Date: Wednesday, January 2nd 2019 12:57am CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 119,924

Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review



We have our traditions here at Seibertron.com and with 2018 coming to pass, we now share what we thought was best this year in all things Transformers, be it toys, comics and on screen adaptations. 2018 was a year of major change for the brand. We had a clearer definition on specific audiences for different toylines, the departure of Toysrus in many markets, the most abundant amount of toys released in one year to date (4 main lines co-existing on the same shelves), full brand unification between Hasbro and Takara, the end of the 13 year IDW Transformers Comic Universe, and a major change of course for the live action film Transformers films. We wrote an article about the positives some changes brought so you can click here if you want to discuss that further. Amidst all these changes, we got some remarkable toys and quite possibly the best media representation in a good while and below we will tackle all the major categories and 2018 toylines. While some countries did get Siege before the end of the year, it being 2019's Generations toyline, we opted to wait till next year to discuss what was the best from that line. Now on with the cast of opinions:

Scotty P: Our podcast superstar and Seibertron's archivist
Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
Cobotron: Everyone's bro
Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
D-Maximus Primal: Our top dog news hound, I'll just call him D-Max for short
Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
Our latest news pups Emerje, Wolfman Jake and notirishman
Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
And the one who put this all together, your friend and mine, William-James88
Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

Now let's get started!



Best Toy from Bumblebee line (Hasbro or Takara)

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

Scotty P: Legendary Optimus Prime. The Age of Extinction was, for many, the extinction of their excitement for the Movie franchise. Despite that way too long snoozer of a movie and a mediocre toy line to go with it, the Voyager Class Evasion Mode Optimus Prime was one of the standout figures from a fun-factor perspective, and even kind of featured elbows that weren't gorilla arms - if you weren't around for AoE, this sadly was a standout feature. Legendary Optimus Prime takes that toy and improves it in every way while also making it bigger and more detailed. It even features a truly outstanding experience in how the weapon can be converted into parts of the truck's undercarriage that the robot can carry on its back. It doesn't stop there, as these parts don't have to be removed, put away, or reconfigured while turning the rest of it from robot to truck mode. Some days I feel as old as Kup actually is, so anytime a toy brings something that feels fundamentally different or new while still being a pretty, detailed Transformer that's a big deal to me.

D-Max: Leader Class Soundwave. I did not get much exclusive to the Bumblebee movie itself, grabbing a few of the little Speed Series Energon Ignitors and the Soundwave. And while all the figures from the line were good and fun looking, and the ones I did get were fun, Soundwave takes the cake. I never got the Titans Return Soundwave, but this one looked so good, and in hand it has not disappointed. The mold is really fun, nice and chunky, and beautifully colored. And I'm excited that all my data pads, the Fall of Cybertron disks, and the micromaster class members of Soundwave's crew from Siege will all be able to fit in his chest.

It also helps he turns into a mean dance studio. The mold is fun, and it really pops with the new paint job. Stellar job with this one Hasbro, stellar job.

William-James88: Legendary Optimus Prime. This was the first full year of brand unification between Takara and Hasbro where they would release the same looking toys in all lines (ie MP, MPM, POTP, Studio Series). But that didn't stop Takara from giving us a few exclusives here and there and Legendary Optimus Prime is their only exclusive mold of 2018. I love Evasion Mode Optimus Prime so getting him with added chrome and with sculpting and transformation tweaks to make him even better (and bigger) was right up my alley.

Emerje: Bumblebee Greatest Hits Frenzy. That's right, my favorite figure from the Bumblebee movie doesn't have anything to do with the movie. Who would have thought Hasbro would use this line to correct a great misdeed from Titans Return and finally reunite Frenzy and Rumble? It was a nice surprise, the only downside of which was also giving us Howlback without Garboil. Maybe for the next movie.

Wolfman Jake: This is a little tongue-in-cheek for an answer, but then again, it's reasonably sincere too. I love the Bumblebee Cassette Pack. That was a very sneaky (and well appreciated) way for Hasbro to finally give us "Titans Return" Frenzy. As a bonus, you get a recolor of Buzzsaw with gold highlights that matches better with the TR release of Laserbeak as well as a blue redeco of TR Ravage as Howlback. I wouldn't have guessed Hasbro would dig that deep for this set, but there you go! What's not to love? (The 1-Step Bumblebee, honestly.)

notirishman: Speed Series Volkswagen Bumblebee. Why? I mean, this figure is just so much fun to play around with. He's small, with a easy, yet satisfying transformation, and looks good in both modes! He also has the 5mm port in the back, allowing for some fire effects, or the energone core engine, allowing him to shoot forward. I like this lil guy. He's a sweet boy.


Best Toy from Cyberverse line

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

Scotty P: Ultra Class Shockwave, for being one of the only toys in the line that has two good modes. The bar is low, and this clears it. God I miss Robots in Disguise. Next.

William-James88: Ultimate Megatron. The Cyberverse line was truly unapologetic in catering to a young target audience and I did not mind that since we had two dedicated main lines for collectors (along with Masterpiece figures from BW, G1 and the movies) and while there are figures that I don't think even kids would like, I think Hasbro really nailed it with the Ultimate class. For the price of a voyager you get a leader sized toy that reminds me of the sturdiness of the Unicron trilogy. That Megatron's transformation even reminds me of the Cybertron line where you get this blocky feel of rearranging hefty parts around to really give two very different and striking modes. I love how simple the transformation is to get him into a tank where while you see the same parts as in the robot mode, everything feels cohesive and fitting of a tank. And the elegant foot transformation into becoming part of the tank treads is something I wish the Siege voyager Megatron could have copied instead of leaving his feet out. Oh yes, you heard that right, the tank mode on this Cyberverse ultimate class toy is better looking than the Siege toy's tank mode. The toy is not for me, but it does a really good job at giving young kids a nice hefty figure with a fun transformation.

Emerje: Warrior Windblade. Now, I know what the popular answer is going to be, but as an example of the Warrior class done right look no further than Windblade. She's well painted, nicely sculpted, has some of the best articulation (bicep AND waist swivels??), and best of all, a non obtrusive gimmick that actually works as it's supposed to. It's definitely a figure that feels like it would have been just fine in the previous Robots in Disguise line.

ZeroWolf: Warrior Class Shockwave, just really fun to play around with.

notirishman: Shock of shocks, it's Ultra Class Shockwave. Yeah, I'm sure this will be on other people's lists because well, it's pretty good! While Cyberverse is alright, and the gimmicks seem fun, this toy's gimmick is only on the arm, and the switch is on the same arm. And since he turns into, what is essentially, him in a funny exercise pose, yeah. The toy has a lot of articulation, and since the gimmick is on the arm only, it only hinders the arm. Compared to other Cyberverse figures, there's a lot of possibility, similar to that of a Siege figure. And this guy is just so fun to pose. And the toy looks good in both modes. Only bad thing, is the cannon is cartoon I accurate in both modes, but I can forgive it.


Best Toy from Studio Series line

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

Scotty P: Ironhide. Studio Series wants me to "collect the cast". It is a long way from allowing me to accomplish this, but even if it never really does, at least it's providing collectors with some great updated versions of characters from the movies. Yes, there's a Movie Masterpiece line, but it's plagued by every other release having engineering/tolerance issues and only puts out about two toys a year. Studio Series is where it's at, movie toy wise, and this was the best figure in this year's selection. Taking some of the smarter cues from Dark of the Moon's Deluxe Class figure and refining them while adding new touches in the much more scale-friendly Voyager Class results in an Ironhide toy that is super fun to transform back and forth between modes. When he's a robot, envision how he collapses down onto his own legs and becomes a truck, and you'll end up with a truck. I'm all for following the instructions, and on Masterpiece toys I absolutely recommend it, but this is absolutely a case of intuitive design making them not necessary. Some more integrated weapon storage for vehicle mode would have been nice, but that's grasping at straws for drawbacks. If the entire Studio Series lineup were this fun, we'd all be having a blast with movie toys like it's 2007 all over again.

Cobotron: The only SS figure I picked up this year was VW Bumblebee. Despite the frustration I experienced that first time I went from bot to alt, I really enjoy the toy. After I learned the ropes and got my bearings on his transformation, I was able to appreciate it, and just have fun with him. He has nice articulation making for a fun figure to pose, and has cool accessories (especially that battle mask!) that store nicely in alt mode. And, who doesn't love a classic VW Bug alt mode?

D-Max: Grimlock. Look, I will mention Jazz later down the line, and my rule is to not duplicate figures on this list, so it was narrowed down to figures besides Jazz, and there were 4 truly worthy contenders in Starscream, Blackout, Lockdown, and Grimlock. But ultimately, Grimlock just smashed the rest (pun intended and relished). Compared to the previous Leader figure and even the voyager, this figure rocks their socks off. He is so accurate from every angle it is incredible he transforms. And he transforms into a fairly good, not perfect, but good Knight Space T-Rex. And he is so fun! He was the very first bot I took to work, and he still stuns me to this day how good he is. This guy lives up to his movie look, and he is great fun for what he has accomplished. Kudos to you Grimlock, you blew me away.

William-James88: Leader Grimlock. I did not expect to like this toy so much. I really really love the look of the dino mode where technically all the robot bits are there but they blend into the rest of the detail. It's rather genius. You end up with a much better looking robot mode than ever before, with no backpack. And yet this one comes with not one but two full dino heads for the shoulder pads, as was done in the film. I still can't believe they could reconcile that into a toy and have it work out as well as it does. I love the size too, and the dry brush paint is an excellent effect. This was easily the leader class toy I felt I got the most value from this year.

Wolfman Jake: Voyager Starscream is easily my favorite so far from the Studio Series line. I've been waiting for over 10 years for a properly sized, sculpted, and colored movie Starscream figure. The Studio Series has knocked it out of the park! The new voyager mold takes a lot of the inspired transformation scheme of the Dark of the Moon Deluxe Starscream mold and expands upon it, giving us a Starscream that is fun and not too cumbersome to convert between modes, looks very much like his on-screen character model, at a size that fits in with the rest of the cast (not too big or too small), and in the original movie colors too! I've always preferred Starscreams "clean" look from the first movie over the tattoo deco he got in Revenge of the Fallen. If that's not your feeling, though, Hasbro had you covered by releasing a redeco WITH the tattoos for anyone fond of that look!

notirishman: 06 Voyager Class Starscream ('07 movie). This toy is fun! Very fun. It's also the best version of Voyager Starscream, which is a recurring theme in Studio Series. The transformation isn't too finicky, and both modes are good. The jet mode looks nice, and has a nice deco to it. The robot mode is very accurate, and is fun to play around with this guy. Since I don't own the Revenge of the Fallen version, I don't know which one is better yet.


Best Toy from Power of the Primes line

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

Scotty P: Battletrap. Never in a million years would I have guessed that the Duocon combination of Battleslash and Roadtrap would have been such a highlight of the collecting year. I would have expected something like, well, Flywheels is out now - that. Instead, the Legends Class delivered a legacy character, whose only previous update was at Botcon 2015 as a Springer repaint, as a fully realized pair of small Transformers that combine into something close to the size of your standard Deluxe Class toy. Unlike some attempts from the last decade at similar combination schemes that didn't quite hit the mark, Battletrap has as much articulation when combined as each smaller robot does on its own. Proportions can also be a problem when a combined form has so little to work with, but that doesn't phase Battletrap in the least as Roadtrap becomes a pretty normal looking pair of pants for the broad shouldered, v-chested Battleslash's torso mode.

Cobotron: Abominus! Again! Just a fantastic Combiner. If I had to pick one member of the team as my favorite though, it would have to be Blot. Possibly the most expressive figure of the line. On first look he conveys so much character. Big, dumb, and mean! In both modes. And those unquestionably Decepticony colors tell you right away he's a brute not to be trifled with.
But the oafish clod of a troll would be up a creek without his buddies, so the title still goes to the entire team of Terrorcons.

D-Max: Rodimus Unicronus. Alright, this was another tough battle, as Abominus and specifically Blot are all really good figures. Battletrap is gorgeous and I think Optimal Optimus is a great Leader. But this figure takes the top prize. He is so evil looking and bulky! He oozes dark charisma with that gorgeous headsculpt and visor, and the purple and black look incredible together. The transformation is fun, and the space Winnebago is great. Nemesis Hot Rod is fun too, but dang does the main Unicronus look look stunning. He is a great figure, truly one of the most underappreciated figures of the past few years.

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

William-James88: Predaking. It was going to be Blot at first because I thought that toy did a great job at being original even though it was another combiner limb that had to adhere to a system we have experienced for a while now. And plus Predaking came out to very ho hum reviews from the community so I was in no rush to experience him. But man, I am glad I jumped on him on Black Friday because this is easily the best combiner I have ever played with. The combined mode just feels so solid and poseable for a rather big combiner where all individual bots are about the same size. I love his sleek look and was happy to get rid of my third party versions which could not achieve the same poses if their lives depended on it. I have never seen a combiner so well balanced. Sacrifices were made, I can't deny that, but I can't think of a better way Hasbro could have delivered us this imposing toy (aside from giving the knuckles some spikes). The individual modes are fine too and actually feel like voyagers rather than upscaled deluxe figures.

Zerowolf: If I discount Abominus, because he's the toy of the year, then the next one in line is Nemesis Prime... his deco oozes evil and new accessories sweeten the deal on this evil repaint and for a price that was cheaper then what I would pay at retail for the original Optimus.

Wolfman Jake: Power of the Primes was a bit of a mixed bag and divisive among fans, but it still had a lot to love. The stand-out for me, though was getting a new, properly "evolving" Hot Rod to Rodimus Prime toy after all these years! That's something we've only really had once before, and not even in G1, where the two forms were completely separate toys. The Masterpiece version was only released by Takara, is extremely expensive now on the secondary market, and had a lot of critical flaws that made the figure fragile to the point that it wasn't a question of IF your figure would break, but when. It IS being reissued in Asian markets currently, but not for cheap. PotP Leader Rodimus Prime is a great treat for G1 fans, particularly of The Transformers: The Movie, for a reasonable price at $50 USD. This figure also probably best showcased the "gimmick" of the Leader Class for the PotP line, where all four modes work very well (though not perfectly). It's the most "balanced" execution of the idea, even if not every mode is absolutely flawless.

notirishman: Titan Class Predaking. I liked this set a lot more than I thought! Each component was big and hefty, and the combined mode was glorious. The stickers were also much easier to apply. There were definitely some problems, but overall, it was a great package.


Best Toy from Masterpiece lines

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

Scotty P: MP-41 Dinobot. although there's really not a lot to choose from here, chances are this would have ended up here anyway because this is a fantastic collector's piece. Dinobot's design in the show was so far removed from what ever seemed possible in toy form that even Universe 2.0's attempt at an updated look for the character felt like it was near the pinnacle of what you could do, at least at that time. Then Takara Tomy decides to go full-hog for this Beast Wars BBQ and delivers Dinobot, as if he just waltzed out of the TV and has invaded my home for a round of rodent extermination. Even the beast mode, which looked worrisome in some early prototype photos, has more playability than some Transformers do in robot mode, with a host of accessories helping capture the prickly yet lovable nature of our lizard bot pal. While it's a shame that extreme care must be taken in transforming the toy from one mode to another, that's what Masterpiece demands in its new paradigm of hyper-screen-accurate design. Light up eyes, the Golden Disk, and even a stand to help with ultra dynamic raptor action poses make this not only the best Masterpiece toy of 2018, but one of the best of all time. Bring on Megatron!

Cobotron: HOLY SMOKES! I think the only MP I got all year was MP-42 Cordon! I've learned patience with MPs over the last few years. I don't go for the toon accuracy they are striving for with the line these days, and that's fine. Because Takara has proven again and again that they won't forget us toy fans. My patience paid off, and Cordon delivered. A fantastic achievement in this mold. He's elegantly complicated without being annoying. And in this classic Diaclone deco and toy accurate head sculpt, he checks all the boxes of what I look for in what I consider to be a masterpiece. Also just ecstatic to add another officer to my Diaclone Police Force.

D-Max: MPM-05 Barricade. We got some great Masterpiece figures this year, including 2 great Movie Masterpiece figures, a Beast Wars Masterpiece, and a few G1 Masterpiece figures as well. And while Dinobot is an amazing Masterpiece, I have to give the MP of the year to Barricade. Barricade finally truly lived up to the Movie Masterpiece title in every way: looked the part in every way in robot mode, had a great alt mode, and the transformation was smooth and worked. The weapon on him is really good, and he is a lot of fun to pose, he looks so menacing! The die cast feels great on him, and it is so cool that we are getting die cast on all of these Movie Masterpiece figures. He is the perfect encapsulation of movie Barricade, and I don't think they really could have improved him in any way.

William-James88: Takara MP Dinobot. While my initial copy's head did break off, I did get a replacement and I can assure you that this toy is worth the money. The transformation is smart, the robot mode is killer and the deco is as premium as you can get. And we finally have a Dinobot that looks good in both modes (this feels like MP Ironhide all over again).

Emerje: MP-41 Dinobot. The Beast Wars Masterpiece figures as a whole have been amazing so it's no surprise Dinobot would be an outstanding figure. Photos can't prepare you for just how big this figure is when you first open the box and behold the massive raptor for the first time. It's an intimidating figure to hold with all of its moving parts and folding panels, but once you've transformed it a few times it's quite the engineering marvel. And then you've got all the little things like the clever dino head eye change feature, the faces, the weapons, the laser eyes, and the golden disc. I'm not even mad about the stand anymore knowing it's compatible with the upcoming Megatron. Yeah, there's things they could have done better, but I shudder to think what that would have done with the price.

Wolfman Jake: Looking back, this was a leaner year for Masterpiece figures. I was going to say MP Sunstreaker would take the cake by a stellar mile, but he was technically released in the last few days of 2017, though I wouldn't have him in my hands until January of 2018. As such, I'm going to say that Cordon is the Masterpiece of the year for me. The mold itself is a wonder, being able to covert between a licensed realistic Countach Lamborghini and the fictionalized "supertuned" model we all know and love. The robot mode looks utterly fantastic, and it was a great idea of Takara to spice it up a little bit with the original toy-inspired head sculpt and shin detailing to differentiate Cordon from Sunstreaker by more than just coloring and a police light bar. The transformation is very involved, but clever and ultimately rewarding, even if frustrating at times, and the amount of articulation in this figure is incredible too. Little touches like working pop-up headlights and the reverse opening hood in vehicle mode are icing on the cake.

notirishman: I don't own any Masterpieces that came out on 2018, buuuut, if I would have to choose something, it would be MPM-5 Barricade. The Bay movies certainly popularized this character, especially into a bad-cop persona. And as a fan of Barricade's design, this certainly portrays it extremely well. The figure looks great, looks awesome to pose, and is relatively cheap (by that, I mean it's cheaper than other Masterpiece figures, and was on sale for a while). The alt mode also looks spot on. Great!


Best exclusive from 2018

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

Scotty P: Dino Cassettes. The greatest con ever pulled on the Transformers fandom was by four Autobot cassettes that managed to work their way into the stratosphere of secondary market pricing. Two of these (for now) have returned to apologize, and they brought along cool clear counterparts and some bonus Bumblebee toys. Sure, the back of the feet on the combined Legout mode is a victim of a terrible and unfixable (I think?) assembly error, but Legout really looks kind of terrible anyway. For serious G1 collectors that don't want to or can't spend four figures on elusive imported Deployers, these were an event - the freaking Dino Cassettes! I can't wait to see what other "that will never happen" reissues leave that category in the years to come.

Cobotron: Repugnus was The COOL! And, I really enjoyed Leader Class Nemesis Prime more than I thought I would. With that dope little punk rock night ninja Nemesis Pax inside, but surprisingly the one exclusive I think I was most excited about was the Walmart G1 reissue of Starscream. I never had Starscream as a kid, and in all these almost 35 years I never hunted down a vintage or reissue of the character. He is a very premium release, with the added hand ports, Megatron blaster ,and the tampoed eyes. The construction and casting is great, and in that awesome G1 packaging, he really did open a portal to the past for me. Obviously there is nothing new about the toy. No innovation in engineering, or some fresh new take on on an old character, but I found much gratification in finally completing my classic G1 Seeker trio. Nostalgia is a strong magic! I was not expecting to be so taken by its power.

D-Max: SDCC Exclusive Throne of the Primes. I mentioned Optimal Optimus earlier in this review and how he was a pretty great figure, and now he can get some recognition as a member of this list. The Optimal figure itself is pretty good, and it has a ton of options, as the "Prime Armor" section can operate as an entirely separate unit from the little Optimus Primal figure. Armored gorilla, surfing gorilla, robot, robot and gorilla, and more. And in this release, we got the smaller and larger figures both in the original Primal colors, and it looks so sweet. And then you get the crown and the scepter that holds Prime and Titan Masters, and a throne (even if it is cardboard). The whole package is a ton of fun, and it's pretty fun to have a place for all 16 Prime Masters to gather together while still having a great mold with unique accessories. Truly some fun stuff.

William-James88: The Punch Counterpunch toy came out of nowhere. Not only is he an exclusive brand new mold, but it happens to be of a perfect new rendition of the character. And by perfect, I just mean that he retains all the original toy's gimmicks (of two distinct robot modes and one car mode) without adding any new gimmicks to fit a particular line. They went all out on this one, with a gorgeous car mode and two cool robot modes which are indeed quite different from one another. I especially love the hand switcheroo in the transformation, very clever.

ZeroWolf: Amazon Exclusive Counterpunch, a great toy, and such a surprise to see.

Wolfman Jake: Power of the Primes Punch-Counterpunch was the biggest surprise for me. I wouldn't have guessed that we'd get a Deluxe class figure for PotP that wasn't a combiner limb, but instead kept the complete original gimmick from the G1 toy intact! Punch-Counterpunch has a beautiful car mode, very curvy and sleek, with transparent windows (which is always appreciated). The transformation among all three modes is pretty easy, but still results in two spot on looking robot modes on top of the already mentioned fantastic vehicle mode. It's just a very satisfying figure to have in the collection, being a late and often forgotten G1 character, and fun to play with too. It's rare to have a "reverse" triple changer in Transformers that sports two different robot modes and one alternate mode.

notirishman: San Diego Comic Con Throne of the Primes, boss monkey. I don't own the Power of the Primes Optimal mold, and it's pretty good. It looks good, and turns into a hoverboard riding monkey, amongst other things. The deco is pretty good, and helps to blend the backpack Primal blend in. Also, the additional accessories, the Throne of Primes, the Scepter of Sparks, the crown, and the 4 Primes are all awesome (BTW, I bought this on HasbroToyShop, not the Con).


Best “Other” Transformer

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

Cobotron: Diaclone had some fun releases this year, but they were all the little Powered System Suits, which are certainly fun. It's a shame Battle Buffalo didn't make it out in time. It would have taken this cake, for sure. So, my "Best Other" goes to Takara's Star Wars Powered by Transformers Millennium Falcon. The toy is just so silly, really. Bordering on stupid. I happen to be a big fan of stupid silly. It's a real cram sandwich of two of my favorite things ever. The engineering of the toy is fantastic, and the transformation is smart! I love the sculpts and the abstract use of the Falcon shapes to make the Han and Chewie Mechs. And, that dang Wookie head sculpt is just awesome! Also the cross playability with my Diaclone collection has proven to be a ton of fun!

D-Max: Star Wars Powered by Transformers Millennium Falcon. The Star Wars Powered by Transformers line has had 2 figures with Darth Vader as the Tie Advanced and Han Solo and Chewbacca as the Millennium Falcon. I never got Vader, but having owned the original Transforming Millennium Falcon, I really wanted this new one. And dang, it is cool. It is such an improvement over the original, and so bulky and sturdy and detailed. The Falcon is pure perfection, and then it has the bonus of the robot modes. Both heads are awesome, with the Battle Wookie and the Face-plated Solo head. And they are chunky but still really posable. The figure may have been expensive, but dang was it worth it with how unique it is. A great line that really deserves some more love.

ZeroWolf: Takara Tomy Millennium Falcon, I know many aren't sold on these but I love them.

notirishman: Flame Toys Nemesis Prime. This was my first model kit, and it was fun to build! Time consuming, but fun! I also hold this in a special place, since I bought this at my first New York Comic Con, or heck, my first convention. It was also the first thing I bought too, heh. The toy itself is also a very sleek, and has a great design. And as a model kit, it has tons of articulation.


2018 Toy you liked least

D-Max: Power of the Primes Novastar. It's not that this figure is bad, it's just lackluster. Believe me, I'm enjoying the increasing number of females bots in the lineup, and Elita-1 proved you can make a killer gal who looks good and can pull off all the modes given to them. But the Moonracer mold, and specifically Novastar, are lacking. The giant backpack, the transformation, and the tiny robot mode compared to the alt mode just don't help these figures look as good as I wanted them too. It was a bit more noticeable in Novastar to me just because of the colors and the fact that I prefer Moonracer's head sculpt. They make great arms for combiners, but the other modes don't work that well. They needed a bit more design work, and they could have been pretty great figures.

Wolfman Jake: Power of the Prime Starscream is just an utter disappointment. From his first reveal to seeing him in person on the store shelves, to reluctantly buying it to have a Starscream combiner torso, this rendition of Starscream has been very uninspiring. The robot mode is overly stylized with a tiny head, Popeye forearms, and Mega Man boots. It just doesn't work. The jet mode is extremely poor. While it's very common for airplane Transformers to have a lot of kibble in the undercarriage, PotP Starscream does little if anything to hide it. Worse yet, his chest is still a faux cockpit in robot mode. I really don't like that on Starscream figures. The one redeeming quality of the figure is the torso mode, which is fun to convert into and looks good as a core combiner piece, but the massive amount of metallic stickers are still very distracting in that mode. I had been waiting for over a decade for a decent Voyager Class Starscream to use in my "Classics" displays, and this was NOT what I was waiting for at all. At least Voyager Siege Starscream is right around the corner, so I can forget about the squandered potential that is PotP Starscream.

notirishman: My least favorite toy of the year is... Cyberverse Warrior Class Optimus Prime. Now, why you ask? Well. The figure just looks terrible in robot mode, and the gimmick doesn't look fun at all. The flip out axe causes the left arm to be at a permanent 90 degree bend at the elbow, and no hand. The proportions aren't too good too. Also, the gimmick doesn't work well, and makes the back look funky. Truck mode is, alright, I'll give it that.

Everyone else who answered picked the same thing, the Cyberverse Scouts. Scotty P wrote the best response to sum up why: One of the worst concepts for Transformers toys ever conceived was released this year: Transformers Cyberverse's Scout Class. If you just look at these in robot mode, they don't seem bad. They're smaller sculpts at a low-ish price point, kind of, with a character lineup that's somewhat diverse and each features a unique action feature. If they didn't transform at all, they actually might be forgiven and these being a case of The Brand and its characters being used to make products and toys for children as one of its goals would make sense.

This is not what happened here. In an effort to have some kind of transformation be a part of the toys, which is a respectable goal, it was decided to have them transform from robot into a half-robot-half-alt-mode thing. A "gerwalk" style Starscream can maybe be forgiven, but just look at some of these other monstrosities begging for death.

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
He probably will catch you and kill you, because you'll be too busy laughing at him to run from his... wait is that a meat tenderizer? Never mind, you'll definitely survive every encounter with Guy Megatieri over here.


Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
If this is what Cade Yeager had found he'd have left it in that burnt out rubble of a movie theater.


Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
You might think this isn't that bad and that you could just tilt it over more to make it vaguely more Dinosaur-like, but if you thought this, you'd be wrong as that only turns it into a more pathetic looking hunchback mutant nightmare robot. Any effort to use the limbs to try and salvage this poor Dinobot commander result in a frustrating exercise in futility. So close, yet so far.


It's a shame the Scout Class has had its good name sullied by these abominations. I feel bad for any children that received these for over the Holiday season from parents and relatives with the best of intentions (they do look decent in their packaging), because they're bound to yield bad experiences that make no sense within any Transformers play pattern. Avoid these at all costs and question what kids and collectors did wrong to deserve such awful representations of on-screen characters.


Toy of the Year

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review
Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

Cobotron: Abominus! As a whole. Maybe one of the very best combiners of all of the Prime Wars Trilogy. Sure, Hun-Gurr is a freaky reworking of Silverbolt, and his dragon mode is lacking in some departments but, as a torso, it's as if the designers learned from every mistake they made on the Combiner Wars torso bots, fixed it, and said, "we're sorry friends. Hope this makes up for it." Everything tabs together so well. On every bot. it's the one combiner I can grab and play with knowing I won't have to waste time fiddle-farting the forearms or anything else back together.
From the amazing color palette, to the silly monster modes, to the stock feet with just enough ankle tilt, and joints that can hold a giant sword above his head. A-bom was a hit straight out of the park! -Cobotron

Scotty P: This category doesn't say best in the title, so this goes to MP-29+ Laserwave. Let me explain this choice of a straight-up palette swap of a 2016 toy, since on the surface this makes no sense. 2018 was a confused and chaotic year for Transformers, but everywhere you look, there's a single yellow eye inside of a purple hexagon. The IDW comics end, and we learn it's pretty much all Shockwave's fault. Cyberverse's end-of-season big bad? Not Megatron, but Shockwave. Several new toys for that iteration of Shockwave, plus a Generations Leader Class figure at long last, all got to newly adorn collectors' shelves this year. He even has a small role in the Bumblebee movie. This was Shockwave's year, so the definitive Masterpiece figure of him gets my nod as "Toy of the Year" for how well he represents everything about 2018 in Transformers. And that dark purple should not be underestimated, this is THE Shockwave toy for your collection.

D-Max: Studio Series Jazz. I will preface this by saying he is not the greatest Masterpiece of a toy this year. On a technical level, there are figures better than Jazz. But he is an incredibly fun figure that ticks every box of mine and is amazing in his own right. He is small, yes, but the small package is of great quality, perfectly painted, perfectly sculpted, and great fun to pose and mess around with. The transformation is involved but still fun and not overly complicated. And he is a character that was in need of a good deluxe figure, and this mold killed it.

And the thing about being a small toy that is a great posable package is that he can go everywhere and anywhere with you, and the silver paint he is coated in just pops anywhere you take him. He has become one of the best and favorite figures of my collection, he goes with me a lot, and he is the most photogenic figure that has come out in a long time. So yes, he is incredible, and proves that sometimes the best things comes in small, unexpectedly great packages.

William-James88: Lots of great toys came out this year, and while there were standouts in all categories (as you have seen), I think Movie Masterpiece Barricade is the one I would recommend most. With the rising prices of Transformers collectible figures, I was happy to see that we can still get Masterpiece engineering at a fair price. The designers were able to use a lot of the real alt mode parts in robot mode and contort them to resemble what we saw in the film. Plus this item being an Amazon exclusive meant everyone who had a computer and credit card could get it, fixing distribution problems of the past. While I was unimpressed with the other MPM toys so far (especially Optimus, where I still highly recommend the ROTF leader class toy over), Hasbro and Takara really gave us a Masterpiece here. I am not even a fan of the Bay films, but that wont stop me from admitting what a great toy this is.

Emerje: Prime Wars Trilogy Power of the Primes Punch/Counterpunch. Let me start by saying I have three of the original G1 figure, I have the Transformers Collectors Club exclusive Timelines version, I have the Subscription Service Counterpunch, I have the little Punch Kreon figure (technically Nightbeat, but just look at it), and now I have two of the latest incarnation. There's a lot of ways this could have gone wrong and it did nearly everything right! For starters it's an entirely new mold, not a recycled mold that can barely make the gimmick work. Then the transformation is smart, really doing the original figure justice. Plus there's the interesting choice of including a Prime Armor piece (since it's a PotP figure) that makes one heck of a great jet pack appropriate for a spy, whether that was by chance or by design. Yes, there was a factory issue with the shoulders, but that was easily corrected. This was everything I always wanted in a remake of one of my favorite G1 figures and it didn't disappoint.

ZeroWolf: This was a hard one, surprisingly a lot harder than I first thought. We've seen a lot of good toys this year though some I got were technically from last year... And further back. However there was one that excited me as soon as I knew he was coming... Abominus. I have found memories of trying to track down G1 Terrorcons at a car boot-sale, found Cutthroat, Blot and Sinnertwin that way. So fast forward to wave 2 of Power of the Primes and I was away.

This new update of Abominus is fantastic and while I'm never too keen on G1 these days, I make exceptions for exceptional renditions. All the team members are fun to handle and play with in both modes (I tend to be very lucky regarding QC issues), they would be toy of the year contenders just with those qualities but when they combine... Abominus is a monster for all the right reasons. He's so good he makes me want to track down the G1 toys again and the Beast Hunter Legion toys and variants just to have a display.

Wolfman Jake: It's hard to choose just one, especially from so many different lines this past year, but if I had to pick, it would still be Studio Series Starscream. You can check my answer for the best Studio Series figure for why this figure checked all the boxes for me, but suffice it to say, it was something that has been a long time coming, and now that it's here, I have a renewed appreciation and interest in collecting the live-action movie figures once more.

notirishman: Darn you Will! This was so tough. This is also my first year doing this. Buuuut, I'd have to give it to (drumroll please)... Studio Series Leader Grimlock. Man, what a figure! What a good looking figure! Seriously, just him standing there, he looks awesome. He has so many details, and has crazy amounts of movie accuracy! The dino mode is weaker, but still great! My one nitpick, one, is that his "butt flap" in robot mode doesn't stay up in dino mode if you don't bend it to grab onto the mace hand.

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review



Favourite Cyberverse Episode

William-James88: Siloed. I was never a windblade fan, but in 2018 everything changed. I finally got to finish Till All Are One, which was so good it made it in my top IDW Transformers Comics of all time list, and I watched the episode Siloed with my 3 year old daughter. This was a tight episode with some nice solid action, and it featured Windblade against a squadron of seekers. My little girl loved it and I loved watching it with her.

notirishman: Megatron Is My Hero. Certainly the most entertaining episode to me. The second flashback shows how the Deceptiocns came to be, with a public rally from Megatron. I really enjoyed this, and was not something seen from Megatron in most cartoons. The next flashback shows when Optimus first splits from Megatron, the latter of whom announces war. The final flashback is an entertaining chase scene which ends when Soundwave subdues Bee. Then Megatron tells him his plan, and rips out Bee's voice box. The voice actors and score really add weight and emotion to the scene, and I loved it.

Everyone else who answered picked the same thing, Maccadam's. D-Max wrote the best response to sum up why: This episode was so rich in Transformers lore! Maccadam was a great club tender (can't call it a bar really), and it was such a rich atmosphere with all the bots and cons pre-war, and then as things deteriorated, it stayed a place of neutrality, and it was so cool to see Maccadam scare Megatron down and make him run away. And it was so cool to see that Maccadam was secretly helping Bumblebee the whole time he knew him, planting the seeds of memories to help him in the present. The episode was pretty much perfection, and I thoroughly enjoyed this scene of no fighting and just the progression of relationships from peace to war.

Best Comic (either issue(s) or series)

D-Max: IDW Unicron #1. Unicron had so much potential, and started with a lot of potential. It sadly ran out of steam and ended short of where I had hoped it would go, but Issue #1 was a pretty great issue. After getting the destruction of Elonia in #0 complete with a Wheeljack sacrifice play, #1 acted as an even bigger all out fight, complete with some great Beast shots and some great views of the inside of Unicron. It even served to make him even scarier in that early time, as the planets and life forms he ate became part of him, still partly alive but twisted now to serve as his insides and his antibodies. Issue 1 made Unicron something to fear, and gave us some great battle shots. It was the issue that made Unicron feel like the huge deal he was meant to be.

William-James88: Lost Light #20. We had been waiting 2 years for Rodimus to finally confront Getaway and this paid off. Not only that but it was done at the hands of artist extraordinaire Casey Coller. That page of Cyclonus against Starsaber is my favourite Transformers comic book panel of all time, this is no hyperbole.

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review


Scotty P: Lost Light 16-25. I really thought that if it was going to end, it'd be a year or two from now. I was ready for that. I wasn't ready for things to end so soon. Clearly enough readers were, at least readers of the "paying customer" variety, so IDW pulled the rug out from under not only their shared Hasbro universe, but their long-running Transformers meta-series too. For Optimus Prime and its namesake character, this felt fine - the larger story arc was approaching its natural conclusion and respect is due to the creative team for not wanting to "force it" and do more.

Lost Light clearly wanted to do more. The Scavengers have been flying death flags since More Than Meets The Eye #7 when they debuted, and surely that was leading to a sad but wonderful Last Stand of the Wreckers-esque heroic departure for them. Roller returned a couple years back and looked pretty in the background, but surely one of Orion Pax's most loyal soldiers had a greater role to play. More examples exist (the haters probably can't wait to tell you about them) but the book was cut short and these adventures have been lost in time. The remaining story was compressed after the "Mutineers Trilogy" concluded, and after some final setup, we reached Lost Light #16 and "The Everlasting Voices". Compression can be bad, but in this case, compression was used as a metaphor when Rodimus' crew suddenly found themselves on Mederi. Oh, and this was also a good thing ;)

Starting there and going on through the end the final ten issues of Lost Light chew up your expectations with no remorse. Rather than returning a sloppy mess spit out at force, it subverts your expectation of even that by delivering a powerful, appropriate, and definitive-if-you-want-it-to-be ending that harvests a yield from years of seeds cultivated in a way that allowed for maximum efficiency. In other words, while some storylines never took root and a couple other minor plots died on the vine, the good stuff that you really wanted was there and left you plenty satisfied. James Roberts story handily unseats (for me) the last chapters of Simon Furman's initial Marvel run as the best Transformers comic ending there ever was. By utilizing a murderer's row of talented artists in Brendan Cahill, Casey Coller, Jack Lawrence, and EJ Su, when combined with Joana Lafuente's ability to keep a visual coherency through color, the production prowess of Tom B. Long on letters and the steady guidance of David Mariotte as editor, a full package of fun and emotion that I'll never forget made 2018 a special but bittersweet year in Transformers comics. "We've Achieved Something" never felt so appropriate.

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review


Favourite part of Bumblebee Movie

Cobotron: I saw it! And just in the nick of time. I really liked it. Wouldn't say I loved it, but I was definitely entertained and had a good time. Obviously all the Cybertron scenes where just a total cream dream. I had seen plenty of teaser and leaked shots, but when it opened with a shot right on Ratchet, they immediately had my attention. And I didn't know Brawn was in there either. I enjoyed some of the feels in the relationship between Charlie and Bee. Who knew Bee could be so cute and cuddly, then turn around and kick so much ass like a big boy? Well, actually I guess we all did.
But I think my favorite thing about the movie was all the great, well storyboarded fight scenes that I could actually see! No more 360 spinning whirlwind flying camera moves distracting my eye for the one thing I went to the cinema to see. My favorite space robots battling one another.
Oh, and I also really got a kick out of, "I like the way they pop!".

Scotty P: "Thank you for helping me find my voice" is a fantastic line and felt like a meta-contextual, fourth wall breaking moment of realization for the film franchise. This is what it could be. Unfortunately y'all were too busy with freaking Aquaman to care, from the looks of it.

D-Max: The Bumblebee vs. Dropkick battle. The Bumblebee movie has been such a great experience, and it really is a fantastic movie. The entire thing is a really fun experience and there are a ton of different things that make the movie great. But the Bumblebee vs. Dropkick fight was awesome. We got both bots slugging it out, using weapons sporadically when the chance arises, special moves are used by both bots, some of which involve the different alt modes. Transformation as a battle move! It was great. And then the imaginative end to it all, Dropkick getting chains all wrapped up in himself while transforming, and then starting to ask Bee if he really thought chains would stop him, only to blow up. And then the shot of Bee holding the chain after that, that was awesome. That was a very well thought out fight, a great scene that I really enjoyed.

The part where Bumblebee goes "Iron Giant in weapon mode" on the military was great too. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for him to put his foot/fist down, and it did not disappoint. I loved it. Fantastic movie and fantastic bots and content.

William-James88: I love everything about the first 15 minutes of this film. The Cybertron sequence is everything we ever wanted (can't believe it took 10 years and a new director to figure it out) and I especially like when Bee gets to earth. I love the quick scanning of a jeep and him re-emerging from the new alt mode with the newly acquired kibble, I liked everything about his fight against Blitzwing. It was just shot in such a perfect way, bot against bot. Not a bunch of crap flying everywhere with quick cuts all over the place. So refreshing. Also, it was super cool to have our man Jon Bailey in the film as both Shockwave and Soundwave (who both sounded the part).

And while a lot of the comedy didn't really do anything for me, I absolutely adored Bee's response to Cena's salute. It was perfect and hilarious.

notirishman: The first two scenes, when the Autobots fight and flee Cybertron and when Bumblebee comes to Earth. While yes, these are more action based than anything else, these two scenes were a blast. The action was better in my opinion, since less was going on (in the case of Bee vs Blitzwing) and each character gets their little quip (Cybertron). Also, Blitzwing's death was creative, and gnarly. Also hey, some John Cena humor. Nice!

Transformers News: Seibertron's 2018 Year In Review

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Transformers Podcast: Twincast / Podcast #345 - The Roast
Twincast / Podcast #345:
"The Roast"
MP3 · iTunes · RSS · View · Discuss · Ask
Posted: Saturday, March 9th, 2024

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