Top 5 Best Transformers Energon Toys

I generally prefer the purple Galvatron version of that Megatron figure, since its colors (black on the head notwithstanding) are more of an homage to the G1 cartoon-style Galvatron. The light blue and green trim on Megatron just doesn't feel very Megatron-y or Galvatron-y. If it had been more on point with the G1 toy (purple, red, and orange), then I might've kept my Megatron, but I ended up giving him away, while I still have my Galvatron (who is currently on a shelf facing off against PotP Rodimus Prime).

Of the other ones on the list, I only had Shockblast myself, which was pretty decent. My nephew did have Omega Sentinel (couldn't find a Supreme at the time, apparently).

Energon was perhaps the most contentious part of the UT but some of the figures were decent. Personally, as a fan of Shark-Bots, I did not like Sharkticon. It is a submarine, not a Shark. However, aside from that one a solid list all round. This Megatron being one of my favourites and as I have mentioned before, it was interesting to see some many differing homages in one figure (Megs, Galvatron, Thunderwing and even Overlord to a degree). My favourite from this line, however and one I will always use any excuse to spotlight will always be Ultra Magnus:

Sharkticon wouldn't be on my list partly due to the protruding arm joint lumps and that I really liked sprung and his ed209 drone thing (which would probably be a £50 leader class these days... Silly siege shockwave pfft).
Out of the energon figures I never had, the beachcomber repaint looks great where as I never bothered with landmine, he would have been a buy if I'd ever seen the figure at retail.

yeah the megatron of that line was pretty cool and even cooler was the purple Galvatron of the same toy

Ooof, not liking Energon Optimus. I've heard some bad opinions but that one takes the cake.

This is a whole lot of yes from me. Energon wasn't a perfect line by any stretch but what it got right it got really right, and this list shows off the best of it. And I'm so glad my boy Divebomb made it to #1, he's such a great figure.

My one point of contention is Shockblast. He looks awesome but he's a bit of a dog's breakfast as a toy thanks to his colossal arm cannon and the utterly useless waist hinge (which broke on mine). But as you say, he is a wonderful looking Shockwave homage, and his redeco (Sixshot) is a colourscheme I really want to see make a return on a Shockwave toy.

Some other honourable mentions I'd like to suggest:
>Landmine and Bulkhead. Both rare examples of "super mode"/"power armour" gimmicks on characters that aren't faction leaders, and both pretty damn cool. Landmine probably inches it out by virtue of that amazing vehicle mode and really cool brute mode though.
>Mirage/Dreadwing. I know, I know, he's really fiddly and not much fun to actually play with/pose, but dear lord he's so cool to look at. He has IMO one of the coolest silhouettes in TF history, and the headsculpt is super nice too.
>Basically every Scout, but special mentions for Ravage and Cruellock. Ravage I've already gushed about, but Cruellock is a real unsung star of the line IMO. Great colours on all three versions of the mold, really nice sculpting, good articulation, a simple but interesting transformation (where the actual torso proportions change), a beast mode that's a mix of Tristar Godzilla and a velociraptor, and a really cool weapon in the form of a gigantic sword.
>Starscream (the original version). Sure he basically copies G2 Smokescreen's transformation, but it's forgivable when you consider how cool the final figure looks. The weapons are cool (and again combine into a massive sword) and he's a unique example of a "ghost Starscream" that actually has sculpting to back up his spectral status rather than just being made of clear plastic. The scarred face and cracked detailing are really nice touches.

I absolutely love this list and for once, the only one in here I haven't held is Sharkticon! Simply fantastic.

I completely agree with your #1 as I love the Dive bomb mold and its long been a dream of mine to get all the variants, same with the other terrorcons.

As for megs, I'm torn which colour scheme I like best, as the white looks good on him.

All in all, great list!

Yeah like many time before the majority of Energon figures that I did get I ended up parting ways with. They all looked good at first but as time passed they lost the excitement they had for me...what can I say.

I am surprised to see that Omega made the list. The exception to my rule as it is a great figure. I did get my hands on Omega Sentinel and though I did part ways with YOTS Omega for Siege, the Energon mold is a solid figure indeed...'nuff said!

To this day, I'm still surprised that the Sharkticon mold never got redecoed in full-on Nemesis colors since its altmode is directly based on the Nemesis from G1 and Beast Wars.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Personally, as a fan of Shark-Bots, I did not like Sharkticon. It is a submarine, not a Shark.

Though originally intended as a spaceship, specifically The Nemesis. Isn't he still the closest thing we've gotten to an actual Nemesis toy, and that one Takara repaint the biggest Axalon we've ever gotten? The only other UT molds I can think of with that kind of longevity are Unicron and...

...yes, Arcee should probably get an honorable mention for most repaints, even if that's just because there were hardly any other fembot molds for the next half-decade or so. Overuse of the mold not only gave several female G1 characters their first toys, but produced Flareup and Flamewar, new characters who went on to bigger and better toys! (albeit, still retools of newer Arcee bikes) We have many better Arcee molds now (several times over if one counts all of her 3P love), but it's not fair to forget what a huge deal little Energon Arcee was at the time.

As for Megatron, I prefer the smaller mold; that's one I got in both color schemes. Oddly, I don't even think of the leader-size one as Megs, because he was immediately repurposed into my first Thunderwing! Maybe I just think of T-wing and Galvy as looking similar because of how Geoff Senior drew them, but the off-white/teal/black color scheme, the way you can position the shoulder cannons, the whole look of his spaceship mode, and especially the fact that he comes with a smaller version of himself that you attach to said ship to power him up, all scream Thundie to me. Will I get around to customizing the face before we get a proper CHUGGURLPWWFC upgrade for Thunderwing? Probably not.

And speaking of repurposing, no love for what will always be one of the best Ironhide toys of all time? No, not Kicker's Playskool-headed pal; the only list he should ever make/top is most annoying characters in TF fiction. Of course, I mean Energon INFERNO, accurate enough to War Within Ironhide that I seriously consider him superior to Siege Ironhide in the pre-Earth aesthetic department.

And while Energon's Autobots weren't the most awe inspiring, no appreciation for how much fun the Multiforce-esque mix-and-match dual-combining was? You could even put Deluxes and Voyagers together, for Steroid-master and Crazy-Pants configurations!

The main thing I disliked about the Energon toyline was the translucent plastic; or specifically, the inconsistency about what it meant. Now, the scout toys handled it perfectly, literally. Omnicons and Terrorcons processed Energon into weapons they could pass up to larger figures via energon stars/chips, and that's what clear plastic signified. The variety of sculpts and colors implied different types of energon having different properties and functions, and while this idea wasn't really explored, it had a little history to it, in both Beast Wars and Japanese G1. Would've made just enough sense, if it had stopped there. Starscream being a smoky ghost was fine of course, but his case-mate Hot Shot had a translucent gun...that fired an opaque missile. Sooooo...the gun was also made of energon, but could fire solid projectiles? A little thing, but a bad aesthetic choice for all the questions it posed. Little things like that kept creeping in and adding up.

And then came those three gestalt teams, bringing up the rear. While their HFGG (Hand/Foot/Gun/Garbage) appendages will always be best remembered for jumpstarting the 3rd party accessory market by screaming out so loudly to be replaced that they were as deafening as garishly blinding, if you left them on, they shouted even more puzzling questions: Did the Maximi need a certain amount of energon to stay combined? Would the dynamic of their fights hinge on finishing off their opponents before it ran out and they fell apart, or would their hands and feet just disappear but they'd still be able hobble about? Since the cartoon never even made it clear if the 12 limb guys were sentient, this issue was totally ignored. Every time I see the Energon gestalts with the official kibble, my heart burns with renewed anger...at Pat Lee. Because among the many awesome books we'd have gotten if Dreamwave's demise had been forestalled even a few more months were the Energon Sourcebooks, which would've surely given us bios for all the Constructicons, Combaticons, and Aerialbots, and insight into all the myriad functions of energon in the UT.

But to close on a positive note, the most fun to be had with Wing Saber and Omega Supreme isn't from combing them with Op, but having them run afoul of any decent sized GoLion/Voltron toy that has the full Blazing Sword. Hours...well, minutes of bisecting joy!

Wireless_Phantom wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Energon was perhaps the most contentious part of the UT but some of the figures were decent. Personally, as a fan of Shark-Bots, I did not like Sharkticon. It is a submarine, not a Shark. However, aside from that one a solid list all round. This Megatron being one of my favourites and as I have mentioned before, it was interesting to see some many differing homages in one figure (Megs, Galvatron, Thunderwing and even Overlord to a degree). My favourite from this line, however and one I will always use any excuse to spotlight will always be Ultra Magnus:

Ahh yes, number one on my list of "toys which I would love to own but will never be able to justify the price I would have to pay for one"

God, I remember seeingvthat toy in a Walmart as a Kid, and I had to choose between him and Treadbolt, the Scavenger remaint... I was so stupid back then...

(Also, like 11 and unaware of how rare it was)

I don't know...
A top 5 energon without Landmine ?

It looks like you were so focused on decepticons that you forgot there's been a fantastic autobot in the middle of the powerlinx stuff.



Could easily take the place of Shockblast or Sharkticon..

I'd remove Shockblast. As mentioned the arm cannon makes him lopsided, and that waist hinge!

ExciKaiser wrote:I don't know...
A top 5 energon without Landmine ?

It looks like you were so focused on decepticons that you forgot there's been a fantastic autobot in the middle of the powerlinx stuff.



Could easily take the place of Shockblast or Sharkticon..

Oh, yeah! Definitely replace Shockblast. Good call.

Although i've never owned any of them here's a top 5 list based on which i would be interested in owning

5- Jetfire
4- Inferno
3- Starscream (G1 repaint colors)
2- Cruellock (Dinosaur)
1- Galvatron

I'll echo the Inferno/Roadblock mold. It's easily the best of the Deluxe Autobots, having all four of its modes (truck, robot, torso, pants) pretty good all around.

Treetop Maximus wrote:Ooof, not liking Energon Optimus. I've heard some bad opinions but that one takes the cake.

It's not a great toy, hence why it didn't make the list.

ExciKaiser wrote:I don't know...
A top 5 energon without Landmine ?

It looks like you were so focused on decepticons that you forgot there's been a fantastic autobot in the middle of the powerlinx stuff.



Could easily take the place of Shockblast or Sharkticon..

yeah and also bulkhead
seriously those two should have been on the list

Ultra Markus wrote:

ExciKaiser wrote:I don't know...
A top 5 energon without Landmine ?

It looks like you were so focused on decepticons that you forgot there's been a fantastic autobot in the middle of the powerlinx stuff.



Could easily take the place of Shockblast or Sharkticon..

yeah and also bulkhead
seriously those two should have been on the list

Energontoy-Bulkhead.jpg

They can both be on your list, why not share with everyone how your list would look like.

I'm gonna risk abject mockery and say that whilst not great combiners, the individual members of the Energon combiners were actually pretty cool toys. The A-10 mold is one of my favourite transforming A-10s we've gotten thus far (the use of the head as a little belly turret is extra cool, even if the real aircraft doesn't have one), and the Gepard mold is a cute, fun little tank. Also kinda gives me Seeker vibes, which is neat.

Also, I still want to nab the Sharkticon mold at some point. There's something about that submarine mold I just adore.

The toys for Energon were a lot of fun and so was the cartoon.

Black Hat wrote:I'm gonna risk abject mockery and say that whilst not great combiners, the individual members of the Energon combiners were actually pretty cool toys. The A-10 mold is one of my favourite transforming A-10s we've gotten thus far (the use of the head as a little belly turret is extra cool, even if the real aircraft doesn't have one), and the Gepard mold is a cute, fun little tank. Also kinda gives me Seeker vibes, which is neat.

Also, I still want to nab the Sharkticon mold at some point. There's something about that submarine mold I just adore.

I think the limb bots for Superion Maximus are some of the best damned toys we got in Energon. A shame the torso bot is an unfinished piece of junk.

Superlink Galvatron G was my main Galvatron for a long, long time. I think he did a lot of things right. A good balance of a new look, but with enough familiar callbacks to be recognised as Galvatron. I even like the alt. mode better than G1's. Scourge and Cyclonus are both flyers, so Galvatron also being a flyer makes perfect sense. I think his biggest weakness are the way his wings are handled. He takes up a lot of space and makes him hard to fit in a collection. And his articulation nowadays is terribly stiff. Still like him a lot, though.

Even though we've gotten a newer, better OS, YotS Omega Supreme will remain my main one (although I only have Omega Sentinel displayed right now). He scales well with Combiners, not being overwhelmingly tall, but is still very large. I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did when I got that mould - since it was old and kinda simple, but I was definitely wrong on that count.

I also have to say that Energon Unicron has a deco that's for better than the original's, despite not being G1.

Energon Unicron had a fantastic colour scheme I thought. I didn't mind the superion torso, wasn't great but I still had fun with him.

ZeroWolf wrote:Energon Unicron had a fantastic colour scheme I thought. I didn't mind the superion torso, wasn't great but I still had fun with him.

Energon Unicron's colours are IMO the coolest Unicron colours there have been thus far.

Oh man, having recently jumped into Energon, I have some thoughts.

Inferno is a great mold. the only weakness to the entire mold is the lack of knees in pants mode, but it is fantastic. He is a ton of fun.

Sharkticon deserved all the praise he got, that is a fun mold.

It is a travesty that the absolute joy of Tow-Line has not been mentioned much, he is great!

Barricade is really cool, i just wish he had wider combined mode hips. The helicoptor and tank molds were great too.

Prowl is fairly good too. Not as strong, but he is a great combiner piece, really the robot mode is the weak point, he's a bit stumpy.

william-james88 wrote:

Ultra Markus wrote:

ExciKaiser wrote:I don't know...
A top 5 energon without Landmine ?

It looks like you were so focused on decepticons that you forgot there's been a fantastic autobot in the middle of the powerlinx stuff.



Could easily take the place of Shockblast or Sharkticon..

yeah and also bulkhead
seriously those two should have been on the list

Energontoy-Bulkhead.jpg

They can both be on your list, why not share with everyone how your list would look like.

if i could i would have lists that are what most fans feel should be
but its like you seem forget the most obvious of choices here
perhaps you need to rename it to "MY top 5 toys"

Energon Unicron took its deco from a beach ball. That alone makes it awesome.

Great list as always Will! Your choices are really good, and your reasoning behind them are well thought out.

Yeah, sure, I would have a different list, but pretty much everyone else would too! This list is not representative of the fandom's opinion, nor is it meant to be. It's your list, Will.

It's actually pretty funny when someone finds a figure they like isn't included on one of these and is like "Well this list isn't relevant because it doesnt represent the fandom's opinion"

As for my own list, hmmm...

Energon, as a show and a toyline, doesn't vibe with me that well. Something about the majority of the line looks really...mediocre at best, though I love a select few of them. Note, I own none of these, so bear that in mind.

1) Energon Unicron. This has to be one of the coolest decoes I've ever seen on a Transformer, let alone anything else. It also homages an inflatable balloon poster for the 86 movie, that existed halfway around the world. Just...phenomenal

2) Energon Omega Supreme. Come on, why wouldn't he be on my list? Just straight up awesome in every mode.

3) Energon Megatron/Galvatron. It's one thing to have a cool robot mode that homages G1 Galvatron and has awesome colors as well, but that spaceship? Bloody fantastic.

4) Energon Scorponok. He looks cool and is a fun figure. I'll admit, the deco I prefer is the Black Zarak homaging one in Cybertron though.

5) Energon Shockblast. Just something about him feels so nice, from the robot mode, to the tank mode, and to the satellite mode.

Yeah, I guess that's what my list would be. I'll have to play with these to actually get a feel of the line, but overall, it's pretty decent. Cybertron is way better in my opinion, however.

If you ever get the opportunity to nab Omega Supreme Nath, do it. You won't regret it, I had him and engeron Prime, so I was able to make Optimus Supreme which was fun to display.

ZeroWolf wrote:If you ever get the opportunity to nab Omega Supreme Nath, do it. You won't regret it, I had him and engeron Prime, so I was able to make Optimus Supreme which was fun to display.

I wont lie, as a kid, Energon Optimus was a figure I wish I had. As an adult, and looking back, that figure has not aged well for me, so I dont intend on getting that Optimus anytime soon. Omega on the other hand, is a figure I need to get. I'm craving the day I find him at a flea market or something like that, cuz I know for sure he wont be cheap else where.

I paid £45 for mine five years ago, but I think it's double that on ebay...

With the exception of a handful of Beast Wars toys (and their Universe repaints), I did not *collect* Transformers until the Energon line. While I can admit that it hasn't aged too gracefully by today's standards, its many G-1 homages felt like I was finally getting a shot at fully-articulated versions of the toys and characters from my childhood. My current Energon collection isn't huge, but I bought most of the figures from the Deluxe- and Scout-class-equivalent assortments during their initial release. I actually have a hard time picking just five that I hold above the others, and I have no doubt that my selections are subject for debate.

In no particular order...

-Arcee: The elbow articulation and tiny hands may be a bit of an oddity, but everything else about her is actually very well designed, especially for a smaller figure. Even though the vehicle mode is completely new, many of her classic design cues are still present in her robot mode (her detailed collar, the raised bands around her ankles, and most certainly her headgear), and the inverted colour palette looks as appropriate on her as the original one would. Her bow is also a unique and great-looking weapon, if a little oversized for the figure. If there's one thing that's dulled my enthusiasm for Energon Arcee over the years, it's the overuse of the mold between 2004 and 2008.

-Downshift: Wonky leg articulation aside, this felt like a really solid Wheeljack update in both modes. The head, the chest, the feet...all of that feels dead-on. Even the little guns atop his shoulders hint at his classic weaponry. And even though I never loved the combining gimmick of the Energon Autobots, he's pretty spiffy as a either the torso or the legs.

-Starscream: Since I didn't collect any of the non-[American]Beast Wars stuff from the '90s, I didn't recognize this figure's engineering from an earlier toy. It felt like a fresh and totally appropriate update for the classic villain, and I love the sculpted battle damage and translucent parts that emphasize his 'ghost' appearance. He also has what may be my favourite weapons in the entire Energon toy line.

-Megatron: I have the Ultra class (downsized) version from the TRU 2-pack. Colour differences aside, he is still the best Galvatron in my collection. All the signature bot-mode details are there, but the spacecraft looks far better than the G-1 alt-mode ever did. If I had only one complaint, it's that he can't use his sword without the tank, which I feel is just a hair too bulky for a bladed weapon.

-Tow-Line: This figure takes all the trademarks of the crappy G-1 Ironhide/Ratchet toys and makes them legit. Between the battle platform and his ability to combine with it in both modes, Tow-Line is easily the most fun figure in the Combat-class scale. Hasbro's only mistake was identifying the mass-release use of this mold as a new character instead of an IronRat update. Then again, Tow-Line has better paint apps and a superior head-sculpt compared to the BotCon exclusives, so maybe that's actually a good thing.

Honourable Mentions: Shockblast (utterly AWESOME to look at, not nearly as fun to play with), Skyblast (for reasons I can't put into words), Omega Sentinel (all the greatness of Omega Supreme in a more elegant colour scheme)

I love to see your lists guys, those are all fun choices Shadowblaze and Nathaniel!

Ultra Markus wrote:if i could i would have lists that are what most fans feel should be

You can, right here right now, please write to us a top 5 list that you think represents most fans. Show us a list that covers what you think is the most obvious best stuff.

I feel like my list wouldn't be much different then yours Will... Just with more Scouts!

I feel like the deluxe and voyager bots might have benefited from having either a dedicated top mode or bottom mode, might have given some cohesive designs.

Perhaps the best use of wings ever! Fun list!

Sadly, I don't own any of these toys, or any UT toys. However, based on general opinion and looks, here is my list! (On a side note, feel free to tell me how wrong I am in the comments!)
#5- Tie between Shockblast and Omega Supreme. I dunno why, but I don't really like Omega.
#4- Sharkticon
#3- Landmine. It's a freaking orange snowplough. What more can you want?
#2- Divebomb.
#1- Megatron, for the X-Wing vibes

'Til all are one!