Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise
Sunday, January 1st, 2017 11:05PM CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top ListsPosted by: william-james88 Views: 135,259
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Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are the opinions of just a few people, since I am joined by several other contributors today, 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 Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise
With one of the best years of all time to be a Transformers collector wrapped up, I thought it would be high time we got a list of the best years ever for the franchise. This will be predominantly toy focused and western focused when it comes to accompanying media and toy availability. The community had a say in this list, especially fellow Seibertronian Amelie who first suggested it. Many contributed to this list and you can read all our opinions below!
5. 1996
1996, because after the waning years of G2 and the Japanese series after the ending of season 3, Transformers faded from pop culture. In comes Beast Wars kicking down the door, which an actual awesome story and some pretty cool toys, and the franchise is back in business. - Rodimus Prime
Transformers Beast Wars Optimus Primal (Convoy) Gallery
Transformers Beast Wars Megatron Gallery
While G1 started it all, the reason we are all still here today able to collect toys is because of Beast Wars. This rejuvination of the brand with a totally new direction is what saved the brand and Hasbro has said so a few times themselves. It is how I personally got into the brand and it is a staple of all 90s boys and girls just as G1 was for kids growing in the 80s. There are also two very important factors that should not get overlooked. Beast Wars brought about the articulation we still use today in toys. Due to the innovations of this era, several have aged very well. The other factor is the strong sense of storytelling in the show. To this day, Beast Wars is still the best written Transformers show we ever got in the west and the idea of emphasis on characterization in the Transfomers brand that people love so much in today's comics originates from here. Remember, this is the year we got the very best character in all of Transformers fiction, Dinobot. - William-James88
4. 1984
This is where it all started. Hasbro brought over some amazing toys from Asia (predominantly Japan) over to the west and with the help of the geniuses at Marvel, they created this world of Transforming sentient robots to go along with the toys. You could follow their adventures on television or in comics and both highlighted the toys you could buy in different ways. The toys themselves were gems on their own and a dream come true for many of us. This is the only brans where you can really get two toys for the price of one. You could have a vehicle that looked just like your other toy cars, but it could also become a robot. And not only did you have the playability that came with a robot AND a vehicle, but you also had the added puzzle of getting it from one shape to the next. This was special and it is still special today, especially when you see that a deluxe toy that has all this playability next to a similarly priced Star Wars action figure that can simply be posed in a few different ways. While technology and storytelling has evolved from those days, we must always remember 1984, the year which gave us Transformers. - William-James88
Transformers G1 1984 Prowl (Reissue) Gallery
Transformers G1 1984 Soundwave (Reissue) Gallery
3. 2016
Recency bias be damned, it was a damn good year. The generations line on Hasbro's end kept giving us these amazing updates to the G1 era, bringing back the golden age of Transformers for a whole new generation with their most ambitious combiners and the return of Headmasters with more playability than ever before. We got objectively the best combiners ever with Takara especially going all out to give us unique molds and updates for Bruticus and Computron, two combiners with very diversified limbs, as well as both Hasbro and Takara having fun with the combiner system with Victorion, Sky Lynx as a torso and Grand Galvatron, the later being one of the most beautifully toys I ever had. We also finally got an update to Fortress Maximus, the aforementioned Sky Lynx and Powermaster Optimus Prime (along with Liokaiser, a character we would have never thought Hasbro to bring us). We also got the first MP Beast Wars figure with Optimus Primal, along with MP Shockwave (like Skylynx this was Takara's first crack ever at designing that transformation ever, since neither were originally Takara toys), Ironhide, Ratchet, 2 coneheads, Inferno and Hot Rod. Plus, Robots in Disguise pulled a 180 and became an amazing line to collect with the most original transformations around. We had 4 lines pulling out all the stops!
Transformers Titans Return Fortress Maximus Gallery
Transformers: Robots In Disguise Thunderhoof Gallery
Transformers Masterpiece Ratchet Gallery
Transformers Unite Warriors Grand Galvatron Gallery
2. 1986
The movie had come out and Hasbro had pretty much exhausted the Diaclone line and finally in 1986 we start seeing what I would call the first 'proper' Transformers toys - Hot Rod, Galvatron, Blurr, Kupp, Scourge, Cyclonus, Gnaw, Wreck-Gar. They were bigger than their Diaclone cousins and arguably less detailed and in many cases less 'involved' when it came to transformation. However - these toys looked much more like their show counter-parts and were generally more robust.
Transformers G1 1986 Galvatron Gallery
We also saw the introduction of the (cancelled Diaclone) figures that made up the scramble combiners alongside Metroplex, Typticon and Predaking. With Metroplex being the first titan-class figure to be released and Trypticon being the first fan-voted titan-class figure - to me it speaks volumes about how loved 1986 really was. Aside from the usual Prime, Megs, 'Scream - characters like Predaking, Hotrod, Galvatron are often among the first called out for with excitement when a new line starts.
Transformers G1 1986 Predaking (Reissue) Gallery
City-bots, Combiners and Trailer-Armour - the gimmicks had come full-force, but it wasn't until 87's ~Masters lines that we would go into full wack-out territory.
Aside from the toys - we had Transformers: The Movie and Season3 out which introduced lots of our favorite (or not so favorite) recurring themes - The Matrix, Optimus-Prime-Must-Die, Megatron transforms into Galvatron, Unicron and Optimus-Must-Live-Again (as the season finale). Fint Dille had created a monster which Simon Furman and every other Transformers writer was going to run with for the next 3 decades - with varying levels of success.
"I'll be back after a 28 episode commercial break, guys"
To summarize - 1986 is the year Hasbro and Takara finally gives us a line that isn't simply a reboxing of other toys and branches out new. Transformers itself was transformed and strong themes were developed that would be retold series across series. To me G1 starts its gradual decline from this point - making it the high point of the 80s, even if arguably being the root cause of its decline. - Amelie
1. 2010
2010 is definitely the year I would pick to show the true hayday of the brand because it is the apex of value and quality. 86 is a fun year but it is a start while I would link a heyday to a summit. People unknowing of all these toys would find a certain charm to the 86 toys but any wow factor would be coming from 2010 or the years surrounding that (from 2006 to then). What I mean is that while the toys from 86 are in this time capsule, and wanted for rarity and nostalgia, toys from 2010 are wanted for the amount of toy you are getting. The engineering, the design. Design is a big deal here. While the G1 toys had a problem recreating what you saw on the screen, 2010 has so far not been beaten, when you look at the Human Alliance Line and the Leader Starscream figure we got. There has never ever been (and sadly never will be) a better toy for your money than that literally Masterpiece level leader sized figure. Compare it to what toys are costing today and you had this advanced figure, with electronics and all, for $40 US MSRP. That will never happen again.
Transformers Hunt For The Decepticons Starscream Gallery
But it is not just movie toys, 2010 also has 2 very specific series all about design innovation: Reveal the Shield and Animated. That year gave us Reveal the Shield Jazz and Wreck Gar, two toys which had great engineering, giving you a phenomenal toy that leaps off the G1 screen but without needing to dish out the money for a Masterpiece. There was also RTS Lugnut which is the apex of the entire Transformers line in its originality. Both in its origins (bringing an animated toy to a Classics line, merging both aesthetics perfectly) and in it's engineering, by having his wings become his arms. That reduces his plane kibble significantly and unlike almost all planes, he has a super smooth undercarriage with minimal robot kibble, and everything is stored neatly.
Transformers Reveal The Shield Lugnut Gallery
Transformers Reveal The Shield Lugnut Gallery
We also got the best animated toys of the entire line that year. Firstly, Takara finally had their crack at them and gave them some awesome decos and fixed the qc errors that plagued a bunch. Paint and quality control was the only problem with that line and Takara fixed it, leaving us with nothing else to do but to enjoy the beauty of these well engineered toys. I believe, the animated line has the best designs ever done for a tf toyline, it's insane they were able to replicate a radical style into a toyline and make them fully transformable. But regardless of takara's take (which wasnt always the best), we got Cybertron Ratchet/Ironhide, Arcee and Rodimus, which are 3 of the best designs ever. These are all small masterpieces in their own right, leaping from the screen with some amazing cycbertronian designs. That Rodimus is to this day still the best Rodimus toy out there and handles his kibble better than any other version.
Transformers Animated Arcee Gallery
Transformers Animated Rodimus Minor (Rodimus) Gallery
So yeah, we get the apex of the 3 most distinctive TF styles, Movie, Classics and Animated with the best quality and engineering ever seen for toys of that price point, from the beginning to today. And that's not even looking at the wider Transformers landscape which included Last Stand of the Wreckers, War for Cybertron, and the first five episodes of Prime. - William-james88
Honourable mentions: This honourable mention comes to us from Scotty P
2006. No debate here for me, just a quick and easy answer: 2006.
G1 was celebrated:
Transformers Classics Optimus Prime (Convoy) Gallery
That amazing Botcon set:
Transformers Convention & Club Exclusives Cheetor Gallery
And Beast Wars kept on by turning 10 in style:
Transformers Beast Wars (10th Anniversary) Dinobot (Reissue) Gallery
We got our first Masterpiece seeker:
Transformers Masterpiece Starscream (MP-03) Gallery
Cybertron finished up its run in really cool fashion with some massive (in size and fun-factor) toys to go along with the second half of the show:
Transformers Cybertron Menasor (Moledive) Gallery
Plus there was Beast Machines finally on DVD, Kiss Players, IDW coming into its own with Spotlights and Stormbringer - for me, it was a great, less hectic time to be a fan.
Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise
With one of the best years of all time to be a Transformers collector wrapped up, I thought it would be high time we got a list of the best years ever for the franchise. This will be predominantly toy focused and western focused when it comes to accompanying media and toy availability. The community had a say in this list, especially fellow Seibertronian Amelie who first suggested it. Many contributed to this list and you can read all our opinions below!
5. 1996
1996, because after the waning years of G2 and the Japanese series after the ending of season 3, Transformers faded from pop culture. In comes Beast Wars kicking down the door, which an actual awesome story and some pretty cool toys, and the franchise is back in business. - Rodimus Prime
Transformers Beast Wars Optimus Primal (Convoy) Gallery
Transformers Beast Wars Megatron Gallery
While G1 started it all, the reason we are all still here today able to collect toys is because of Beast Wars. This rejuvination of the brand with a totally new direction is what saved the brand and Hasbro has said so a few times themselves. It is how I personally got into the brand and it is a staple of all 90s boys and girls just as G1 was for kids growing in the 80s. There are also two very important factors that should not get overlooked. Beast Wars brought about the articulation we still use today in toys. Due to the innovations of this era, several have aged very well. The other factor is the strong sense of storytelling in the show. To this day, Beast Wars is still the best written Transformers show we ever got in the west and the idea of emphasis on characterization in the Transfomers brand that people love so much in today's comics originates from here. Remember, this is the year we got the very best character in all of Transformers fiction, Dinobot. - William-James88
4. 1984
This is where it all started. Hasbro brought over some amazing toys from Asia (predominantly Japan) over to the west and with the help of the geniuses at Marvel, they created this world of Transforming sentient robots to go along with the toys. You could follow their adventures on television or in comics and both highlighted the toys you could buy in different ways. The toys themselves were gems on their own and a dream come true for many of us. This is the only brans where you can really get two toys for the price of one. You could have a vehicle that looked just like your other toy cars, but it could also become a robot. And not only did you have the playability that came with a robot AND a vehicle, but you also had the added puzzle of getting it from one shape to the next. This was special and it is still special today, especially when you see that a deluxe toy that has all this playability next to a similarly priced Star Wars action figure that can simply be posed in a few different ways. While technology and storytelling has evolved from those days, we must always remember 1984, the year which gave us Transformers. - William-James88
Transformers G1 1984 Prowl (Reissue) Gallery
Transformers G1 1984 Soundwave (Reissue) Gallery
3. 2016
Recency bias be damned, it was a damn good year. The generations line on Hasbro's end kept giving us these amazing updates to the G1 era, bringing back the golden age of Transformers for a whole new generation with their most ambitious combiners and the return of Headmasters with more playability than ever before. We got objectively the best combiners ever with Takara especially going all out to give us unique molds and updates for Bruticus and Computron, two combiners with very diversified limbs, as well as both Hasbro and Takara having fun with the combiner system with Victorion, Sky Lynx as a torso and Grand Galvatron, the later being one of the most beautifully toys I ever had. We also finally got an update to Fortress Maximus, the aforementioned Sky Lynx and Powermaster Optimus Prime (along with Liokaiser, a character we would have never thought Hasbro to bring us). We also got the first MP Beast Wars figure with Optimus Primal, along with MP Shockwave (like Skylynx this was Takara's first crack ever at designing that transformation ever, since neither were originally Takara toys), Ironhide, Ratchet, 2 coneheads, Inferno and Hot Rod. Plus, Robots in Disguise pulled a 180 and became an amazing line to collect with the most original transformations around. We had 4 lines pulling out all the stops!
Transformers Titans Return Fortress Maximus Gallery
Transformers: Robots In Disguise Thunderhoof Gallery
Transformers Masterpiece Ratchet Gallery
Transformers Unite Warriors Grand Galvatron Gallery
2. 1986
The movie had come out and Hasbro had pretty much exhausted the Diaclone line and finally in 1986 we start seeing what I would call the first 'proper' Transformers toys - Hot Rod, Galvatron, Blurr, Kupp, Scourge, Cyclonus, Gnaw, Wreck-Gar. They were bigger than their Diaclone cousins and arguably less detailed and in many cases less 'involved' when it came to transformation. However - these toys looked much more like their show counter-parts and were generally more robust.
Transformers G1 1986 Galvatron Gallery
We also saw the introduction of the (cancelled Diaclone) figures that made up the scramble combiners alongside Metroplex, Typticon and Predaking. With Metroplex being the first titan-class figure to be released and Trypticon being the first fan-voted titan-class figure - to me it speaks volumes about how loved 1986 really was. Aside from the usual Prime, Megs, 'Scream - characters like Predaking, Hotrod, Galvatron are often among the first called out for with excitement when a new line starts.
Transformers G1 1986 Predaking (Reissue) Gallery
City-bots, Combiners and Trailer-Armour - the gimmicks had come full-force, but it wasn't until 87's ~Masters lines that we would go into full wack-out territory.
Aside from the toys - we had Transformers: The Movie and Season3 out which introduced lots of our favorite (or not so favorite) recurring themes - The Matrix, Optimus-Prime-Must-Die, Megatron transforms into Galvatron, Unicron and Optimus-Must-Live-Again (as the season finale). Fint Dille had created a monster which Simon Furman and every other Transformers writer was going to run with for the next 3 decades - with varying levels of success.
"I'll be back after a 28 episode commercial break, guys"
To summarize - 1986 is the year Hasbro and Takara finally gives us a line that isn't simply a reboxing of other toys and branches out new. Transformers itself was transformed and strong themes were developed that would be retold series across series. To me G1 starts its gradual decline from this point - making it the high point of the 80s, even if arguably being the root cause of its decline. - Amelie
1. 2010
2010 is definitely the year I would pick to show the true hayday of the brand because it is the apex of value and quality. 86 is a fun year but it is a start while I would link a heyday to a summit. People unknowing of all these toys would find a certain charm to the 86 toys but any wow factor would be coming from 2010 or the years surrounding that (from 2006 to then). What I mean is that while the toys from 86 are in this time capsule, and wanted for rarity and nostalgia, toys from 2010 are wanted for the amount of toy you are getting. The engineering, the design. Design is a big deal here. While the G1 toys had a problem recreating what you saw on the screen, 2010 has so far not been beaten, when you look at the Human Alliance Line and the Leader Starscream figure we got. There has never ever been (and sadly never will be) a better toy for your money than that literally Masterpiece level leader sized figure. Compare it to what toys are costing today and you had this advanced figure, with electronics and all, for $40 US MSRP. That will never happen again.
Transformers Hunt For The Decepticons Starscream Gallery
But it is not just movie toys, 2010 also has 2 very specific series all about design innovation: Reveal the Shield and Animated. That year gave us Reveal the Shield Jazz and Wreck Gar, two toys which had great engineering, giving you a phenomenal toy that leaps off the G1 screen but without needing to dish out the money for a Masterpiece. There was also RTS Lugnut which is the apex of the entire Transformers line in its originality. Both in its origins (bringing an animated toy to a Classics line, merging both aesthetics perfectly) and in it's engineering, by having his wings become his arms. That reduces his plane kibble significantly and unlike almost all planes, he has a super smooth undercarriage with minimal robot kibble, and everything is stored neatly.
Transformers Reveal The Shield Lugnut Gallery
Transformers Reveal The Shield Lugnut Gallery
We also got the best animated toys of the entire line that year. Firstly, Takara finally had their crack at them and gave them some awesome decos and fixed the qc errors that plagued a bunch. Paint and quality control was the only problem with that line and Takara fixed it, leaving us with nothing else to do but to enjoy the beauty of these well engineered toys. I believe, the animated line has the best designs ever done for a tf toyline, it's insane they were able to replicate a radical style into a toyline and make them fully transformable. But regardless of takara's take (which wasnt always the best), we got Cybertron Ratchet/Ironhide, Arcee and Rodimus, which are 3 of the best designs ever. These are all small masterpieces in their own right, leaping from the screen with some amazing cycbertronian designs. That Rodimus is to this day still the best Rodimus toy out there and handles his kibble better than any other version.
Transformers Animated Arcee Gallery
Transformers Animated Rodimus Minor (Rodimus) Gallery
So yeah, we get the apex of the 3 most distinctive TF styles, Movie, Classics and Animated with the best quality and engineering ever seen for toys of that price point, from the beginning to today. And that's not even looking at the wider Transformers landscape which included Last Stand of the Wreckers, War for Cybertron, and the first five episodes of Prime. - William-james88
Honourable mentions: This honourable mention comes to us from Scotty P
2006. No debate here for me, just a quick and easy answer: 2006.
G1 was celebrated:
Transformers Classics Optimus Prime (Convoy) Gallery
That amazing Botcon set:
Transformers Convention & Club Exclusives Cheetor Gallery
And Beast Wars kept on by turning 10 in style:
Transformers Beast Wars (10th Anniversary) Dinobot (Reissue) Gallery
We got our first Masterpiece seeker:
Transformers Masterpiece Starscream (MP-03) Gallery
Cybertron finished up its run in really cool fashion with some massive (in size and fun-factor) toys to go along with the second half of the show:
Transformers Cybertron Menasor (Moledive) Gallery
Plus there was Beast Machines finally on DVD, Kiss Players, IDW coming into its own with Spotlights and Stormbringer - for me, it was a great, less hectic time to be a fan.
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Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850053)
Posted by JazZeke on January 1st, 2017 @ 11:41pm CST
Posted by JazZeke on January 1st, 2017 @ 11:41pm CST
This must have been a hard one to do, narrow down the best of 32 years... but the 30th anniversary line was also mighty impressive and pretty exciting.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850059)
Posted by kurthy on January 2nd, 2017 @ 12:43am CST
Hmmm...good reasons to drop it to number 6.
Posted by kurthy on January 2nd, 2017 @ 12:43am CST
Plus there was Beast Machines finally on DVD, Kiss Players, IDW coming into its own with Spotlights and Stormbringer - for me, it was a great, less hectic time to be a fan.
Hmmm...good reasons to drop it to number 6.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850065)
Posted by Gingko on January 2nd, 2017 @ 4:16am CST
Posted by Gingko on January 2nd, 2017 @ 4:16am CST
My favorite is the beast wars line. Mostly because I'had discovered the transformers-verse with this show. The very first toy I bought on my own was Razorbeast.
But also, the anime was great, maybe the greatest with Transformers prime. One of the first show with computer generated characters.
And speaking of it, 2010 totaly deserve the first place. With Transformers Pirme We had such amazing toy. StarScream, Vehicon, Arcee, Bulkhead...
+ the animated line
+ War of cybertron
+ movies... What else ?!
But also, the anime was great, maybe the greatest with Transformers prime. One of the first show with computer generated characters.
And speaking of it, 2010 totaly deserve the first place. With Transformers Pirme We had such amazing toy. StarScream, Vehicon, Arcee, Bulkhead...
+ the animated line
+ War of cybertron
+ movies... What else ?!
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850069)
Posted by griftimus prime on January 2nd, 2017 @ 6:52am CST
Posted by griftimus prime on January 2nd, 2017 @ 6:52am CST
beast wars did not start out with a great story. it was pretty bad actually. and not even cannon at the time to the g1 show.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850070)
Posted by Rodimus Prime on January 2nd, 2017 @ 6:54am CST
Posted by Rodimus Prime on January 2nd, 2017 @ 6:54am CST
5. 2001 - Transformers returns to cartoon form with RiD/Car Robots
4. 2007 - the 1st live action movie, reigniting both the fandom and Hasbro's design budget, leading to better toys
3. 1996 - Beast Wars. 'Nuff said
2. 1986 - Rodimus Prime, Unicron and Galvatron
1. 1984 - September: Marvel Transformers Comics #1 drops. Biggest. TF moment. Ever.
Honorable mention: 2003 - Armada becomes a favorite for me, with a good series, good comic, and great toys.
4. 2007 - the 1st live action movie, reigniting both the fandom and Hasbro's design budget, leading to better toys
3. 1996 - Beast Wars. 'Nuff said
2. 1986 - Rodimus Prime, Unicron and Galvatron
1. 1984 - September: Marvel Transformers Comics #1 drops. Biggest. TF moment. Ever.
Honorable mention: 2003 - Armada becomes a favorite for me, with a good series, good comic, and great toys.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850076)
Posted by JazZeke on January 2nd, 2017 @ 8:17am CST
Beast Wars was very definitely not anime.
Posted by JazZeke on January 2nd, 2017 @ 8:17am CST
Gingko wrote:But also, the anime was great, maybe the greatest with Transformers prime. One of the first show with computer generated characters.
Beast Wars was very definitely not anime.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850079)
Posted by Gingko on January 2nd, 2017 @ 8:46am CST
Sorry, it may be a problem of vocabulary (English is not my first language). I call "anime", anything that is not with actual actor. Because draw or computer generated, it is animated one way or another.
So what the good word ?
Posted by Gingko on January 2nd, 2017 @ 8:46am CST
JazZeke wrote:Gingko wrote:But also, the anime was great, maybe the greatest with Transformers prime. One of the first show with computer generated characters.
Beast Wars was very definitely not anime.
Sorry, it may be a problem of vocabulary (English is not my first language). I call "anime", anything that is not with actual actor. Because draw or computer generated, it is animated one way or another.
So what the good word ?
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850084)
Posted by JazZeke on January 2nd, 2017 @ 9:17am CST
"Cartoon" or "animated series." "Anime" is specifically for Japanese animation.
Posted by JazZeke on January 2nd, 2017 @ 9:17am CST
Gingko wrote:JazZeke wrote:Gingko wrote:But also, the anime was great, maybe the greatest with Transformers prime. One of the first show with computer generated characters.
Beast Wars was very definitely not anime.
Sorry, it may be a problem of vocabulary (English is not my first language). I call "anime", anything that is not with actual actor. Because draw or computer generated, it is animated one way or another.
So what the good word ?
"Cartoon" or "animated series." "Anime" is specifically for Japanese animation.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850088)
Posted by RAR on January 2nd, 2017 @ 10:04am CST
Posted by RAR on January 2nd, 2017 @ 10:04am CST
My list...
1997 - Transmetals
2005 - Binaltech
1987 - Headmasters
2003 - Armada (for the Minicons)
2012 - Transformers Prime
[I also really like the 2009/2010 Revenge of the Fallen / HFTD toylines too... "Don't hate me" ]
1997 - Transmetals
2005 - Binaltech
1987 - Headmasters
2003 - Armada (for the Minicons)
2012 - Transformers Prime
[I also really like the 2009/2010 Revenge of the Fallen / HFTD toylines too... "Don't hate me" ]
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850090)
Posted by william-james88 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 10:35am CST
It would be hard to hate you, I put 2010 as my number one.
Posted by william-james88 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 10:35am CST
RAR wrote:My list...
1997 - Transmetals
2005 - Binaltech
1987 - Headmasters
2003 - Armada (for the Minicons)
2012 - Transformers Prime
[I also really like the 2009/2010 Revenge of the Fallen / HFTD toylines too... "Don't hate me" ]
It would be hard to hate you, I put 2010 as my number one.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850095)
Posted by Gingko on January 2nd, 2017 @ 11:02am CST
OK thanks. But just for the joke :
Beast Wars II anime : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoQ8P-T2l7Y XD
We did not had this in France, well we did not even had Beast Machine ! I've seen Beast Machine on web, but not Beast Wars II, did I miss something ?
Posted by Gingko on January 2nd, 2017 @ 11:02am CST
JazZeke wrote:"Cartoon" or "animated series." "Anime" is specifically for Japanese animation.
OK thanks. But just for the joke :
Beast Wars II anime : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoQ8P-T2l7Y XD
We did not had this in France, well we did not even had Beast Machine ! I've seen Beast Machine on web, but not Beast Wars II, did I miss something ?
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850096)
Posted by fenrir72 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 11:04am CST
Posted by fenrir72 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 11:04am CST
Lugnut! Another underappreciated mold! I own the Takara version and he does not disappoint (aside from the somewhat floppy thighs) due deja vu TL Skull. Maybe the joints could not support its body weight? Which was beefy and not hollow. Takara should have had ratchets on those thighs just like Straxus.
And of all the indignities, Lugnut was relegated to a wall flower character by IDW.
And of all the indignities, Lugnut was relegated to a wall flower character by IDW.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850099)
Posted by Ironhidensh on January 2nd, 2017 @ 11:19am CST
Posted by Ironhidensh on January 2nd, 2017 @ 11:19am CST
As someone who has become a primarily masterpiece collector, I would place 2016 at maybe the #1 spot.
Not only were there some great official figures (Ironhide and Primal), but the 3rd party market has shown tremendous and amazing growth over the last year as well.
Between the 2 marjets, you can now have a damn near complete '84 - '85 autobot and deception lineup in the masterpiece scale. For me, as much as I bitch and moan with my "get off my lawn" comments toward the main line, it really is a great time to be a fan and/or collector.
Not only were there some great official figures (Ironhide and Primal), but the 3rd party market has shown tremendous and amazing growth over the last year as well.
Between the 2 marjets, you can now have a damn near complete '84 - '85 autobot and deception lineup in the masterpiece scale. For me, as much as I bitch and moan with my "get off my lawn" comments toward the main line, it really is a great time to be a fan and/or collector.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850103)
Posted by william-james88 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 11:56am CST
Only Japan had Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo (which are indeed both Anime, since they are Japanese animated shows).
North America had Beast Wars and Beast Machines as the direct sequel, you don't miss anything in their story by just watching those since they were made without the Japanese cartoons in mind.
Posted by william-james88 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 11:56am CST
Gingko wrote:JazZeke wrote:"Cartoon" or "animated series." "Anime" is specifically for Japanese animation.
OK thanks. But just for the joke :
Beast Wars II anime : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoQ8P-T2l7Y XD
We did not had this in France, well we did not even had Beast Machine ! I've seen Beast Machine on web, but not Beast Wars II, did I miss something ?
Only Japan had Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo (which are indeed both Anime, since they are Japanese animated shows).
North America had Beast Wars and Beast Machines as the direct sequel, you don't miss anything in their story by just watching those since they were made without the Japanese cartoons in mind.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850111)
Posted by ArmadaPrime on January 2nd, 2017 @ 1:24pm CST
Posted by ArmadaPrime on January 2nd, 2017 @ 1:24pm CST
This was a really interesting read! Being a (comparatively!) newer member of the fandom than some, it's very cool to see what events had a major impact at the time that I wouldn't otherwise think of- to me, it's all just part of "TF history".
I'd be interested though, Will, to know if you've got a list focused on the engineering? It's often one of my favourite aspects of the toys so I was intrigued when you said:
Personally, I didn't feel like either of these figures were anything special. Jazz was very nice, and perhaps one of the "cleanest" interpretations of the standard car-former recipe, but didn't blow me away- whilst Wreck-Gar was too plagued by weak plastic (in the hands and the handlebar clips) and a fiddly transformation to live up to its admittedly quite impressive design.
I'm sure to some extent it's a case of different strokes, different folks, but I'd be curious to see your take on it!
I'd be interested though, Will, to know if you've got a list focused on the engineering? It's often one of my favourite aspects of the toys so I was intrigued when you said:
william-james88 wrote:That year gave us Reveal the Shield Jazz and Wreck Gar, two toys which have the best deluxe engineering ever seen
Personally, I didn't feel like either of these figures were anything special. Jazz was very nice, and perhaps one of the "cleanest" interpretations of the standard car-former recipe, but didn't blow me away- whilst Wreck-Gar was too plagued by weak plastic (in the hands and the handlebar clips) and a fiddly transformation to live up to its admittedly quite impressive design.
I'm sure to some extent it's a case of different strokes, different folks, but I'd be curious to see your take on it!
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850117)
Posted by JazZeke on January 2nd, 2017 @ 1:45pm CST
The Jazz mold is one of those cases of "so good it's boring." Like when something has no problems and does its job so well that you barely notice it.
Posted by JazZeke on January 2nd, 2017 @ 1:45pm CST
ArmadaPrime wrote:Personally, I didn't feel like either of these figures were anything special. Jazz was very nice, and perhaps one of the "cleanest" interpretations of the standard car-former recipe, but didn't blow me away- whilst Wreck-Gar was too plagued by weak plastic (in the hands and the handlebar clips) and a fiddly transformation to live up to its admittedly quite impressive design.
I'm sure to some extent it's a case of different strokes, different folks, but I'd be curious to see your take on it!
The Jazz mold is one of those cases of "so good it's boring." Like when something has no problems and does its job so well that you barely notice it.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850118)
Posted by william-james88 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 1:49pm CST
Your right, those words might be too strong. I changed them just to keep consistency within my lists. You see, I has 2 years worth of lists written and my thoughts and ideas change. Not much, but enough for what I feel to be ideal to change. Like I now value ease of transformation. Not thats its a simple transformation, but rather that it isnt frustrating. Hence why I preffer movie Leader Starscream over Leader ROTF Optimus or Sentinel Prime. Anyways, just to say that I agree with you 100% and while Wreck Gar is still, to me, a toy that has great engineering, him being fiddly and easy to break does make him go down a bit. I still feel he should be experienced though and I love his robot mode.
I dont have a list yet for the best engineering but I am working on a list that would have more or less the same things. I am calling it the "top 5 most flawless toys outside he MP line" and engineering is a big part of it. There are definitely 2010 toys on that list, like Animated Hot Rod
But I wont give the rest away. Thanks for the kind words and interest and I am glad you liked the list!
Posted by william-james88 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 1:49pm CST
ArmadaPrime wrote:I'd be interested though, Will, to know if you've got a list focused on the engineering? It's often one of my favourite aspects of the toys so I was intrigued when you said:william-james88 wrote:That year gave us Reveal the Shield Jazz and Wreck Gar, two toys which have the best deluxe engineering ever seen
Personally, I didn't feel like either of these figures were anything special. Jazz was very nice, and perhaps one of the "cleanest" interpretations of the standard car-former recipe, but didn't blow me away- whilst Wreck-Gar was too plagued by weak plastic (in the hands and the handlebar clips) and a fiddly transformation to live up to its admittedly quite impressive design.
I'm sure to some extent it's a case of different strokes, different folks, but I'd be curious to see your take on it!
Your right, those words might be too strong. I changed them just to keep consistency within my lists. You see, I has 2 years worth of lists written and my thoughts and ideas change. Not much, but enough for what I feel to be ideal to change. Like I now value ease of transformation. Not thats its a simple transformation, but rather that it isnt frustrating. Hence why I preffer movie Leader Starscream over Leader ROTF Optimus or Sentinel Prime. Anyways, just to say that I agree with you 100% and while Wreck Gar is still, to me, a toy that has great engineering, him being fiddly and easy to break does make him go down a bit. I still feel he should be experienced though and I love his robot mode.
I dont have a list yet for the best engineering but I am working on a list that would have more or less the same things. I am calling it the "top 5 most flawless toys outside he MP line" and engineering is a big part of it. There are definitely 2010 toys on that list, like Animated Hot Rod
But I wont give the rest away. Thanks for the kind words and interest and I am glad you liked the list!
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850119)
Posted by william-james88 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 1:51pm CST
I always felt Prime Soundwave was the same way.
Posted by william-james88 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 1:51pm CST
JazZeke wrote:The Jazz mold is one of those cases of "so good it's boring." Like when something has no problems and does its job so well that you barely notice it.
I always felt Prime Soundwave was the same way.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850120)
Posted by ArmadaPrime on January 2nd, 2017 @ 2:04pm CST
Some good points made! I definitely agree with you on the concept of ease of transformation- your two lists last year on complex and annoying transformations were quite fun!
For me it's all about how much I enjoy a transformation, which is quite a hard thing to measure. For a couple of random examples, RTS Perceptor has a very good transformation with some interesting tricks, but I very rarely transform him as the arms in particular can be quite fiddly. TFP Ratchet has some tricks of his own, and can also get a bit awkward if things aren't lined up quite right, but is one of those transformations I want to do again and again every time I pick him up.
I'm not quite sure what it is that can make one transformation satisfying and another irritating, but it's something I find fascinating nonetheless.
Anyway, that sounds a very cool list (and probably quite a difficult one to narrow down), so I'll be looking forward to it!
Posted by ArmadaPrime on January 2nd, 2017 @ 2:04pm CST
william-james88 wrote:ArmadaPrime wrote:I'd be interested though, Will, to know if you've got a list focused on the engineering? It's often one of my favourite aspects of the toys so I was intrigued when you said:william-james88 wrote:That year gave us Reveal the Shield Jazz and Wreck Gar, two toys which have the best deluxe engineering ever seen
Personally, I didn't feel like either of these figures were anything special. Jazz was very nice, and perhaps one of the "cleanest" interpretations of the standard car-former recipe, but didn't blow me away- whilst Wreck-Gar was too plagued by weak plastic (in the hands and the handlebar clips) and a fiddly transformation to live up to its admittedly quite impressive design.
I'm sure to some extent it's a case of different strokes, different folks, but I'd be curious to see your take on it!
Your right, those words might be too strong. I changed them just to keep consistency within my lists. You see, I has 2 years worth of lists written and my thoughts and ideas change. Not much, but enough for what I feel to be ideal to change. Like I now value ease of transformation. Not thats its a simple transformation, but rather that it isnt frustrating. Hence why I preffer movie Leader Starscream over Leader ROTF Optimus or Sentinel Prime. Anyways, just to say that I agree with you 100% and while Wreck Gar is still, to me, a toy that has great engineering, him being fiddly and easy to break does make him go down a bit. I still feel he should be experienced though and I love his robot mode.
I dont have a list yet for the best engineering but I am working on a list that would have more or less the same things. I am calling it the "top 5 most flawless toys outside he MP line" and engineering is a big part of it. There are definitely 2010 toys on that list, like Animated Hot Rod
Some good points made! I definitely agree with you on the concept of ease of transformation- your two lists last year on complex and annoying transformations were quite fun!
For me it's all about how much I enjoy a transformation, which is quite a hard thing to measure. For a couple of random examples, RTS Perceptor has a very good transformation with some interesting tricks, but I very rarely transform him as the arms in particular can be quite fiddly. TFP Ratchet has some tricks of his own, and can also get a bit awkward if things aren't lined up quite right, but is one of those transformations I want to do again and again every time I pick him up.
I'm not quite sure what it is that can make one transformation satisfying and another irritating, but it's something I find fascinating nonetheless.
Anyway, that sounds a very cool list (and probably quite a difficult one to narrow down), so I'll be looking forward to it!
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850121)
Posted by Megatron Wolf on January 2nd, 2017 @ 2:19pm CST
Posted by Megatron Wolf on January 2nd, 2017 @ 2:19pm CST
I have to disagree with some of that, 2016 was not a good year distribution was a total train wreck, there was the wave 2 shortage that screwed over a lot of people and entire RiD & combiner waves were never seen, and lets not forget the fact that the prices went up yet again and quality went down yet again. Id say 2016 was not such a great year. Remember we were paying $15 for a great figure and a comic now we're paying $17-$20 for just a figure with less paint apps and hit or miss quality, if you can even find them. 2006 should replace 2016, not only did we get some amazing toys but the quality was still high and prices were still low, you could find what you were looking for and hasbro seemed to actually care about the entire franchise. Just look at what you listed happened in 2006, g1 fans were happy, beast war fans were happy, unicron trilogy fans were happy, the fandom was happy, seems like a great year from my perspective.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850127)
Posted by RAR on January 2nd, 2017 @ 2:53pm CST
Posted by RAR on January 2nd, 2017 @ 2:53pm CST
Next time Hasbro get all crazy with the budget cuts the fandom may look back at 2016 as a stella year - sure the repaints got out of control is Combiner Wars but they seems a bit more retrained in TR (bar the odd titan-master exception).
Heck there is some toys I'd like to see repainted - Wolf wire as Dark Fang Wolf would be nice for a start.
Heck there is some toys I'd like to see repainted - Wolf wire as Dark Fang Wolf would be nice for a start.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850135)
Posted by shajaki on January 2nd, 2017 @ 3:33pm CST
Posted by shajaki on January 2nd, 2017 @ 3:33pm CST
Very awesome list, and awesome idea for a list!
My thoughts:
This list really made me think about this year, and last, ect. And yeah, 2016 was phenomenal. Number 5 here is completely toy related (unlike the rest of my list) which says a lot. Hotrod, which is one of my favorite characters, got TWO new toys, and they're BOTH amazing. They were both a surprise and a dream come true. We were also given some amazing combiners from UW and Funpub. Not to mention Primal: one of the best MP's to date and the exciting start to BW characters getting the MP treatment.
Nostalgia goes a long way, and I based my top 5 on moments in TF (whether it be in fiction or with toys) that gave me "the feels". And more importantly, still give me the feels. And probably the earliest moment for me was watching "Heavy Metal War" with Devastator combining for the first time and squaring off against the Dinobots. Op and Megs 1 on 1 was also pretty great.
From a collectors standpoint, this was an incredibly important moment. Long before being put under a worldwide spotlight with a billion dollar movie franchise, our community was recognized and given a high end adult oriented line. It took a while for it to find its stride, but its roots should be celebrated.
Kinda the same feeling I get from watching "Heavy Metal War", only times 10. New characters that I loved, and stunning animation. 'Nuff said.
I thought, Beast Wars. But I had to narrow it down. The revelation at the end of Season 2 is high up there. The death of Dinobot obviously. But what really gave me goosebumps was when Transmetal 2 Dinobot jumped out of that cloning contraption. He looked amazing and terrifying, and kicked some major ass. Getting the toy was also one of the most gratifying acquisitions I ever had.
Also the only reason Beast Machines isn't up here, is because it was also in '99. Otherwise it would have been #2 and bumping 2016 into an honorable mention.
My thoughts:
This list really made me think about this year, and last, ect. And yeah, 2016 was phenomenal. Number 5 here is completely toy related (unlike the rest of my list) which says a lot. Hotrod, which is one of my favorite characters, got TWO new toys, and they're BOTH amazing. They were both a surprise and a dream come true. We were also given some amazing combiners from UW and Funpub. Not to mention Primal: one of the best MP's to date and the exciting start to BW characters getting the MP treatment.
Nostalgia goes a long way, and I based my top 5 on moments in TF (whether it be in fiction or with toys) that gave me "the feels". And more importantly, still give me the feels. And probably the earliest moment for me was watching "Heavy Metal War" with Devastator combining for the first time and squaring off against the Dinobots. Op and Megs 1 on 1 was also pretty great.
From a collectors standpoint, this was an incredibly important moment. Long before being put under a worldwide spotlight with a billion dollar movie franchise, our community was recognized and given a high end adult oriented line. It took a while for it to find its stride, but its roots should be celebrated.
Kinda the same feeling I get from watching "Heavy Metal War", only times 10. New characters that I loved, and stunning animation. 'Nuff said.
I thought, Beast Wars. But I had to narrow it down. The revelation at the end of Season 2 is high up there. The death of Dinobot obviously. But what really gave me goosebumps was when Transmetal 2 Dinobot jumped out of that cloning contraption. He looked amazing and terrifying, and kicked some major ass. Getting the toy was also one of the most gratifying acquisitions I ever had.
Also the only reason Beast Machines isn't up here, is because it was also in '99. Otherwise it would have been #2 and bumping 2016 into an honorable mention.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850137)
Posted by thesiege_2005 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 3:39pm CST
Posted by thesiege_2005 on January 2nd, 2017 @ 3:39pm CST
I am surprised nobody mentioned 1985. To me that was the year Transformers became big. There may have been one kid with a Transformer in my school in 1984 when they first came out, but 1985 is the year we all had to have one (or more!). The show went into full syndication, the toys kept coming (Omega Supreme! Jetfire! Shockwave! Perceptor! Triple Changers!) and nothing was stale yet.
1986 was just as big a year, but that's when the toyline seemed to get worse. The movie toys, as much as I love them now, was a departure from the Diaclone/Microman stuff we were used to and we could tell something was off (without fully understanding why). The movie killed off our heroes to make room for new ones, but I remember a lot of my friends were just pissed that the new Autobot leader was some punk kid character they hadn't heard of beforehand. Also some kids didn't see the movie, and all of a sudden the TV show changed settings and characters and many in the audience were lost. The TV show animation was initially worse (FFOD!) and the show didn't seem as "fun". TMNT was on the horizon in 1987 and I know a lot of kids just got bored with the Transformers concept at that point (not me though!).
Again 1986 was a big year for TF, but to me it would not have been as big of a year if 1985 did not exist. 1985 was really THE year for G1 for the mainstream world.
I don't understand 2010. I guess there was some good stuff that came out that year for collectors, but in terms of mainstream success I would think 2007 when the first Bay movie came out would have topped that. Plus it first gave us mainstream figures that were modern redesigns of classic characters (Classics/CHUG/CHUGGUR).
I'd be curious to look at the numbers for licensing. I would think 1985 and 2007 were the years the most licensed non-toy products bearing the name Transformers existed, but I admit I'm just guessing.
1986 was just as big a year, but that's when the toyline seemed to get worse. The movie toys, as much as I love them now, was a departure from the Diaclone/Microman stuff we were used to and we could tell something was off (without fully understanding why). The movie killed off our heroes to make room for new ones, but I remember a lot of my friends were just pissed that the new Autobot leader was some punk kid character they hadn't heard of beforehand. Also some kids didn't see the movie, and all of a sudden the TV show changed settings and characters and many in the audience were lost. The TV show animation was initially worse (FFOD!) and the show didn't seem as "fun". TMNT was on the horizon in 1987 and I know a lot of kids just got bored with the Transformers concept at that point (not me though!).
Again 1986 was a big year for TF, but to me it would not have been as big of a year if 1985 did not exist. 1985 was really THE year for G1 for the mainstream world.
I don't understand 2010. I guess there was some good stuff that came out that year for collectors, but in terms of mainstream success I would think 2007 when the first Bay movie came out would have topped that. Plus it first gave us mainstream figures that were modern redesigns of classic characters (Classics/CHUG/CHUGGUR).
I'd be curious to look at the numbers for licensing. I would think 1985 and 2007 were the years the most licensed non-toy products bearing the name Transformers existed, but I admit I'm just guessing.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850145)
Posted by ScottyP on January 2nd, 2017 @ 3:59pm CST
Posted by ScottyP on January 2nd, 2017 @ 3:59pm CST
2010, eh? That's a perspective I couldn't disagree with more on a personal level, but your reasons are solid and to each their own, etc. What I remember of 2010 was start-and-stop, unfocused lines of product that had shelf-warming all-stars like Battle Hooks Leader Optimus or whatever and just about all of the PCC guys which were a major letdown outside of the torsos and individual scout/mini-con sets. The Generations releases were nice but hardly a focus at the time. Maybe it's me, but I remember that year as not bad but certainly far, far removed from best year ever.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850159)
Posted by Kurona on January 2nd, 2017 @ 4:35pm CST
Posted by Kurona on January 2nd, 2017 @ 4:35pm CST
I'm extremely biased here. 2011 because that's when Death of Optimus Prime was released - the start of what is essentially a soft-reboot of IDW; into my current favourite fiction overall, within the franchise or not. Even outside of MTMTE, TAAO and RiD (... not all of RiD, but a lot of it) are absolutely wonderful and I can't help but love DOOP for starting it all off.
Transformers Prime also started airing that year which I adored for the longest time and it still has a ton of things I love, so that certainly adds to the year's score.
... and a continuation of Animated (one of the two best Transformers shows imo) in the form of a Botcon boxset and comic which included characters based on Beast Wars (the other Transformers show I think is one of the best) and is generally lauded as a great set.
And then in terms of toys? Reveal the Shield was just finishing up with some pretty great additions in Lugnut, Kup and Scourge among others. TFP: First Addition had some pretty great standouts (especially Optimus). The aforementioned Botcon set too. And MP-10 Convoy, the start of the soft-rebooted Masterpiece line and still generally loved as a great mold - Shajaki on his own proves that one.
Okay, so I was generally just gonna be extremely biased and say I love 2011 because it started my favourite Transformers series and fictional series in general, but aside from Dark of the Moon it seems all around it was a fantastic year. Huh.
Transformers Prime also started airing that year which I adored for the longest time and it still has a ton of things I love, so that certainly adds to the year's score.
... and a continuation of Animated (one of the two best Transformers shows imo) in the form of a Botcon boxset and comic which included characters based on Beast Wars (the other Transformers show I think is one of the best) and is generally lauded as a great set.
And then in terms of toys? Reveal the Shield was just finishing up with some pretty great additions in Lugnut, Kup and Scourge among others. TFP: First Addition had some pretty great standouts (especially Optimus). The aforementioned Botcon set too. And MP-10 Convoy, the start of the soft-rebooted Masterpiece line and still generally loved as a great mold - Shajaki on his own proves that one.
Okay, so I was generally just gonna be extremely biased and say I love 2011 because it started my favourite Transformers series and fictional series in general, but aside from Dark of the Moon it seems all around it was a fantastic year. Huh.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850209)
Posted by President-prime on January 3rd, 2017 @ 12:40am CST
Posted by President-prime on January 3rd, 2017 @ 12:40am CST
I cannot agree with this list. To say that 2010, 2016, above 1984 is flawed (in my opinion). Many of you weren't born or too young to comprehend the magnitude of transformers in 1984 g1 era. I'm not saying this but if you were there during that time, transformers are huge. Every stores sold transformers
Era. You can not go anywhere without seeing massive amounts of transformers. Every kid in the. neighborhood talked about transformers. Man, every flee market, swap meet, garage sales had transformers. They were huge. Living through all these times, I cannot say the same for the last 10-15 years. Yes we got some new stuff. Yes, I was excited for the beast wars, live action movies, titan returns. But man, as poor as I am back in 1984, even without money, I long to get my hands on jetfire or Optimus Prime. Man, just taking about it brings back memory. And you know what nostalgia is what brought back transformers. Look at people who design toys. They once had transformers
. 1984 is number 1 hands down
Era. You can not go anywhere without seeing massive amounts of transformers. Every kid in the. neighborhood talked about transformers. Man, every flee market, swap meet, garage sales had transformers. They were huge. Living through all these times, I cannot say the same for the last 10-15 years. Yes we got some new stuff. Yes, I was excited for the beast wars, live action movies, titan returns. But man, as poor as I am back in 1984, even without money, I long to get my hands on jetfire or Optimus Prime. Man, just taking about it brings back memory. And you know what nostalgia is what brought back transformers. Look at people who design toys. They once had transformers
. 1984 is number 1 hands down
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850225)
Posted by Carnivius_Prime on January 3rd, 2017 @ 5:28am CST
Posted by Carnivius_Prime on January 3rd, 2017 @ 5:28am CST
I can agree with the 2010. Had a bit of something for almost everyone. But damn stop reminding me that I should have bought Leader Starscream when I held it in my hands for £35.99 that time soon after it was released and put it back thinking I shouldn't be spending too much on TF toys...of course it's next to impossible to get one affordable with all the bits.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850232)
Posted by Noideaforaname on January 3rd, 2017 @ 8:43am CST
Posted by Noideaforaname on January 3rd, 2017 @ 8:43am CST
Heh, I got Leader Starscream for $25, from TJ Maxx. Kinda felt like I should've bought one or two extra to sell later...
2009/2010 was my favorite time. I got into Transformers thanks to the
Movie, and ~2010 was when the brand felt like it finally got a handle on things. The toys (now not being stupidly complex nor pathetically simple), War for Cybertron, Prime, Last Stand of the Wreckers -- everything felt very much geared towards the teens that were hooked by the movies and are looking for something with a bit more substance.
Everything's gone downhill since then. Or I guess it's split towards little kids and the 80s kids, leaving those in between with... I dunno, just the comics, I guess?
2009/2010 was my favorite time. I got into Transformers thanks to the
Movie, and ~2010 was when the brand felt like it finally got a handle on things. The toys (now not being stupidly complex nor pathetically simple), War for Cybertron, Prime, Last Stand of the Wreckers -- everything felt very much geared towards the teens that were hooked by the movies and are looking for something with a bit more substance.Everything's gone downhill since then. Or I guess it's split towards little kids and the 80s kids, leaving those in between with... I dunno, just the comics, I guess?
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850237)
Posted by Evil Eye on January 3rd, 2017 @ 8:55am CST
Posted by Evil Eye on January 3rd, 2017 @ 8:55am CST
Ironically enough I actually got out of Transformers for a bit in 2010, largely due to circumstances beyond my control (the hell that is boarding school). And now they all cost a fortune. RAAAAAAGE. A shame though because it was a legitimately awesome year.
2005/2006 are tied on the list somewhere for me. Cybertron had some absolutely fantastic toys, and it gave birth to CHUG.
1998 was a good year too- the tail-end of Beast Wars had some really cool figures, and of course one of the best conclusions of any TF cartoon ever.
2005/2006 are tied on the list somewhere for me. Cybertron had some absolutely fantastic toys, and it gave birth to CHUG.
1998 was a good year too- the tail-end of Beast Wars had some really cool figures, and of course one of the best conclusions of any TF cartoon ever.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850248)
Posted by o.supreme on January 3rd, 2017 @ 9:48am CST
Posted by o.supreme on January 3rd, 2017 @ 9:48am CST
This is easy, and doesn't need any explanation
5.2015
4.2016
3.1984
2.1985
1.1986
honorable mentions: 1987, 2014
Has anyone thought about what the 5 worst years would be?...not quite sure on the order, but for me it would be something like:
1992 (in most cases this was the year that *nothing happened* I know some TF's were released in Japan & Europe, but this was mostly the void between the original line and G2)
1990 - Action Masters and the end of the original series in most markets
1991 - More action masters
1995 Decline of G2, void between G2 and BW
1999 (this was tough because while I loved the BW Neo line in Japan, Hasbro was winding down BW with a lot of repaints, and gearing up for BM (blah). Plus Animorphs *shudders*
5.2015
4.2016
3.1984
2.1985
1.1986
honorable mentions: 1987, 2014
Has anyone thought about what the 5 worst years would be?...not quite sure on the order, but for me it would be something like:
1992 (in most cases this was the year that *nothing happened* I know some TF's were released in Japan & Europe, but this was mostly the void between the original line and G2)
1990 - Action Masters and the end of the original series in most markets
1991 - More action masters
1995 Decline of G2, void between G2 and BW
1999 (this was tough because while I loved the BW Neo line in Japan, Hasbro was winding down BW with a lot of repaints, and gearing up for BM (blah). Plus Animorphs *shudders*
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850250)
Posted by william-james88 on January 3rd, 2017 @ 9:55am CST
I am glad we are all able to agree to disagree but what I want to point out is that the list isn't personal. It doesnt take personal situation into account on how the year was. It just looks at what came out. Thats the only way to write this list for me since I wasn't even born when Transformers first came out. So if I want to look at the past 30 years fairly, all I can do is look at what toys came out. There are mainly 4 haydays for Transformers toys that I am sure we can all agree on. There is G1 and Beast Wars, which create this amazing foundation and help maintain it. And then you have this golden age where designers are learning from the past and bringing it back better than ever and that's between 2003 and 2010. I think it was Scotty who pointed it out once what that golden era was. Where you had the best of quality, articulation, value, design, style. Its a wonderful era and hands down my favourite. And its culmination is 2010 with this great all encompassing Transformers line (that is really what the line was called) looking at G1 and movie toys and even giving us G1 reissues (like the sea cons). So thats where I am coming from. The shelfwarming and the fact that many remember it to be a meh year is due to the economy. Only in a recession would a $40 Buster Optimus Prime was shelfwarm, and that was felt all around on the distribution end, which ends with consumers. But it doesnt stop that year from being the apex of the most recent golden age of transformers, when looking at what came out and what was made.
So thats three haydays. I believe we are living the fourth right now. We may be too close to it to see it, but if you take a step back you will all see that we are getting more product and more diversified product than ever before. And When you add in Takara it gets truly epic. Never have we ever seen something like the two Computrons, something so radically different, being offered. Ginrai is also a good example. And then there are all the amazing MPs. We usually get one knock out MP mold a year to remember it by and this year there were several.
It was looking at toys mainly. And what started in 2007 seemed to reach its apex in 2010, hence why I picked it.
2006 was a great year, but in the end, the other years just had more. And since this list is only based on what came out in a year, its hard to not see 2016 as great for Beast Wars fans. Instead of getting rerelased old toys we got Masterpiece Optimus Primal And not only that but we now know it is the begining of a whole bunch of masterpiece figures. As a die hard beast wars fan, who was around in 2006 and did buy some rereleased toys, I found getting an MP Primal vastly superior. As for G1 fans, 2016 had way more to offer than 2006. We got a ton of headmasters and some amazing renditions of Blurr, Wheelie, Astrotrain and so on. If you just look at how much you got this year, it beats 2006 by a mile. And for any distribution woes, there is always the internet. We are all here, writing on this board, we know how to use the internet. If any of us want these toys, we can just buy them online. The only ones which were legitimately hard to track down for decent prices last year were deluxe groove and voyager skylynx. The rest required two clicks at any time. And all the TR toys did show up at retail eventually, many at even only 10$ a pop. I would know, this was the first year where I wasnt able to brag that I got the best deals since it seemed the best prices were in the US. You guys were even able to get Victorion for $40 , Fort Max for $75 and Platinum primal for $25, thats amazing!
Thanks man, and thanks for your awesome list too!
The early 90s were a low point for sure, hence the need for Beast Wars to save the line. But for a more recent year, I feel 2012 is a low point. You look at how better things were getting between 2003-2010 and then it slowly falls then dropping big time in 2012 with probably the worst quality plastic I ever felt and the smallest deluxes around.
Posted by william-james88 on January 3rd, 2017 @ 9:55am CST
ScottyP wrote:2010, eh? That's a perspective I couldn't disagree with more on a personal level, but your reasons are solid and to each their own, etc. What I remember of 2010 was start-and-stop, unfocused lines of product that had shelf-warming all-stars like Battle Hooks Leader Optimus or whatever and just about all of the PCC guys which were a major letdown outside of the torsos and individual scout/mini-con sets. The Generations releases were nice but hardly a focus at the time. Maybe it's me, but I remember that year as not bad but certainly far, far removed from best year ever.
Megatron Wolf wrote:I have to disagree with some of that, 2016 was not a good year distribution was a total train wreck, there was the wave 2 shortage that screwed over a lot of people and entire RiD & combiner waves were never seen, and lets not forget the fact that the prices went up yet again and quality went down yet again. Id say 2016 was not such a great year.
President-prime wrote:I cannot agree with this list. To say that 2010, 2016, above 1984 is flawed (in my opinion). Many of you weren't born or too young to comprehend the magnitude of transformers in 1984 g1 era. I'm not saying this but if you were there during that time, transformers are huge. Every stores sold transformers
Era. You can not go anywhere without seeing massive amounts of transformers. Every kid in the. neighborhood talked about transformers. Man, every flee market, swap meet, garage sales had transformers. They were huge. Living through all these times, I cannot say the same for the last 10-15 years.
I am glad we are all able to agree to disagree but what I want to point out is that the list isn't personal. It doesnt take personal situation into account on how the year was. It just looks at what came out. Thats the only way to write this list for me since I wasn't even born when Transformers first came out. So if I want to look at the past 30 years fairly, all I can do is look at what toys came out. There are mainly 4 haydays for Transformers toys that I am sure we can all agree on. There is G1 and Beast Wars, which create this amazing foundation and help maintain it. And then you have this golden age where designers are learning from the past and bringing it back better than ever and that's between 2003 and 2010. I think it was Scotty who pointed it out once what that golden era was. Where you had the best of quality, articulation, value, design, style. Its a wonderful era and hands down my favourite. And its culmination is 2010 with this great all encompassing Transformers line (that is really what the line was called) looking at G1 and movie toys and even giving us G1 reissues (like the sea cons). So thats where I am coming from. The shelfwarming and the fact that many remember it to be a meh year is due to the economy. Only in a recession would a $40 Buster Optimus Prime was shelfwarm, and that was felt all around on the distribution end, which ends with consumers. But it doesnt stop that year from being the apex of the most recent golden age of transformers, when looking at what came out and what was made.
So thats three haydays. I believe we are living the fourth right now. We may be too close to it to see it, but if you take a step back you will all see that we are getting more product and more diversified product than ever before. And When you add in Takara it gets truly epic. Never have we ever seen something like the two Computrons, something so radically different, being offered. Ginrai is also a good example. And then there are all the amazing MPs. We usually get one knock out MP mold a year to remember it by and this year there were several.
thesiege_2005 wrote:I don't understand 2010. I guess there was some good stuff that came out that year for collectors, but in terms of mainstream success I would think 2007 when the first Bay movie came out would have topped that. Plus it first gave us mainstream figures that were modern redesigns of classic characters (Classics/CHUG/CHUGGUR).
It was looking at toys mainly. And what started in 2007 seemed to reach its apex in 2010, hence why I picked it.
Just look at what you listed happened in 2006, g1 fans were happy, beast war fans were happy, unicron trilogy fans were happy, the fandom was happy, seems like a great year from my perspective.
2006 was a great year, but in the end, the other years just had more. And since this list is only based on what came out in a year, its hard to not see 2016 as great for Beast Wars fans. Instead of getting rerelased old toys we got Masterpiece Optimus Primal
And not only that but we now know it is the begining of a whole bunch of masterpiece figures. As a die hard beast wars fan, who was around in 2006 and did buy some rereleased toys, I found getting an MP Primal vastly superior. As for G1 fans, 2016 had way more to offer than 2006. We got a ton of headmasters and some amazing renditions of Blurr, Wheelie, Astrotrain and so on. If you just look at how much you got this year, it beats 2006 by a mile. And for any distribution woes, there is always the internet. We are all here, writing on this board, we know how to use the internet. If any of us want these toys, we can just buy them online. The only ones which were legitimately hard to track down for decent prices last year were deluxe groove and voyager skylynx. The rest required two clicks at any time. And all the TR toys did show up at retail eventually, many at even only 10$ a pop. I would know, this was the first year where I wasnt able to brag that I got the best deals since it seemed the best prices were in the US. You guys were even able to get Victorion for $40 , Fort Max for $75 and Platinum primal for $25, thats amazing!shajaki wrote:Very awesome list, and awesome idea for a list!
Thanks man, and thanks for your awesome list too!
o.supreme wrote:Has anyone thought about what the 5 worst years would be?...not quite sure on the order, but for me it would be something like:
1992 (in most cases this was the year that *nothing happened* I know some TF's were released in Japan & Europe, but this was mostly the void between the original line and G2)
1990 - Action Masters and the end of the original series in most markets
1991 - More action masters
1995 Decline of G2, void between G2 and BW
1999 (this was tough because while I loved the BW Neo line in Japan, Hasbro was winding down BW with a lot of repaints, and gearing up for BM (blah). Plus Animorphs *shudders*
The early 90s were a low point for sure, hence the need for Beast Wars to save the line. But for a more recent year, I feel 2012 is a low point. You look at how better things were getting between 2003-2010 and then it slowly falls then dropping big time in 2012 with probably the worst quality plastic I ever felt and the smallest deluxes around.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850252)
Posted by Evil Eye on January 3rd, 2017 @ 10:02am CST
Posted by Evil Eye on January 3rd, 2017 @ 10:02am CST
What's the consensus on 2008? Animated was pretty sweet for the most part, as was the late Movie stuff- good original molds (Stockade 
) and some awesome redecos of some of the better Cybertron and Energon toys.
) and some awesome redecos of some of the better Cybertron and Energon toys.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850257)
Posted by o.supreme on January 3rd, 2017 @ 10:16am CST
I'll take your word for it, I trust your judgment. Unfortunately I am not at liberty to say as this was during the 10 year gap (2005-2015) when I was not collecting any TF toys. --Just to be clear, this is strictly about the toys yes? Because while I cannot speak to them, 2012 was when TF Prime (the series) was going strong, and since its been concluded for 3 years now, I can still say that IMHO it is probably the 2nd best TF animated series ever made. I still watch it regularly, I felt it was almost made just for me. If the toys were garbage, that is unfortunate, but the show was simply amazing.
Posted by o.supreme on January 3rd, 2017 @ 10:16am CST
william-james88 wrote:The early 90s were a low point for sure, hence the need for Beast Wars to save the line. But for a more recent year, I feel 2012 is a low point. You look at how better things were getting between 2003-2010 and then it slowly falls then dropping big time in 2012 with probably the worst quality plastic I ever felt and the smallest deluxes around.
I'll take your word for it, I trust your judgment. Unfortunately I am not at liberty to say as this was during the 10 year gap (2005-2015) when I was not collecting any TF toys. --Just to be clear, this is strictly about the toys yes? Because while I cannot speak to them, 2012 was when TF Prime (the series) was going strong, and since its been concluded for 3 years now, I can still say that IMHO it is probably the 2nd best TF animated series ever made. I still watch it regularly, I felt it was almost made just for me. If the toys were garbage, that is unfortunate, but the show was simply amazing.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850258)
Posted by william-james88 on January 3rd, 2017 @ 10:29am CST
Yeah, my jab at 2012 was strictly looking at the toys.
If we are looking at a whole history of years, then rereleases dont really count for as much. They are fun, but its hard to give a year credit for a rerelease when we could just instead credit the year they actually came out. I do own some though and they are fun, but I actually preffer the bright colours of the originals. Like that energon jet scout, I thought it was better as an homage to Jetfire. And I am not a fan of the late movie stuff, isnt that when there was all that all spark blue? Not a fan of those molds either. The toy designers didnt get a good sense of proportions for movie figures until the next film (and it looks like we never did great a great movie ironhide). But Animated is amazing, especially lockdown. So overall, 2008 was a fine year for TF toys to me, but mostly for the animated toys (though I still feel the cream of the crop for animated was 2010, which gave us another lockdown ).
Posted by william-james88 on January 3rd, 2017 @ 10:29am CST
o.supreme wrote:william-james88 wrote:The early 90s were a low point for sure, hence the need for Beast Wars to save the line. But for a more recent year, I feel 2012 is a low point. You look at how better things were getting between 2003-2010 and then it slowly falls then dropping big time in 2012 with probably the worst quality plastic I ever felt and the smallest deluxes around.
I'll take your word for it, I trust your judgment. Unfortunately I am not at liberty to say as this was during the 10 year gap (2005-2015) when I was not collecting any TF toys. --Just to be clear, this is strictly about the toys yes? Because while I cannot speak to them, 2012 was when TF Prime (the series) was going strong, and since its been concluded for 3 years now, I can still say that IMHO it is probably the 2nd best TF animated series ever made. I still watch it regularly, I felt it was almost made just for me. If the toys were garbage, that is unfortunate, but the show was simply amazing.
Yeah, my jab at 2012 was strictly looking at the toys.
Black Hat wrote:What's the consensus on 2008? Animated was pretty sweet for the most part, as was the late Movie stuff- good original molds (Stockade
If we are looking at a whole history of years, then rereleases dont really count for as much. They are fun, but its hard to give a year credit for a rerelease when we could just instead credit the year they actually came out. I do own some though and they are fun, but I actually preffer the bright colours of the originals. Like that energon jet scout, I thought it was better as an homage to Jetfire. And I am not a fan of the late movie stuff, isnt that when there was all that all spark blue? Not a fan of those molds either. The toy designers didnt get a good sense of proportions for movie figures until the next film (and it looks like we never did great a great movie ironhide). But Animated is amazing, especially lockdown. So overall, 2008 was a fine year for TF toys to me, but mostly for the animated toys (though I still feel the cream of the crop for animated was 2010, which gave us another lockdown
).
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850287)
Posted by Optimum Supreme on January 3rd, 2017 @ 3:32pm CST
Posted by Optimum Supreme on January 3rd, 2017 @ 3:32pm CST
2001 should be there. The real RiD. Optimus Prime alone would have made that year a winner but there was so much more.
1996? pfft. Anything between G2 and RiD doesn't exist for me. No offense to beastalgia folks, but for me tis how it twil always be.
1996? pfft. Anything between G2 and RiD doesn't exist for me. No offense to beastalgia folks, but for me tis how it twil always be.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850305)
Posted by Targetmaster Kup on January 3rd, 2017 @ 4:39pm CST
Posted by Targetmaster Kup on January 3rd, 2017 @ 4:39pm CST
I would agree but 2006 > 2010 by far IMO.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850379)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on January 3rd, 2017 @ 11:59pm CST
I need to agree. 2014 was a spectacular year for transformers. I personally would have put that as #2 on the list and scrapped 1986 as it was full of whole and kinda junk, in my opinion.
but that's why these lists exist! Nice job as always Will! especially on such a hard topic
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on January 3rd, 2017 @ 11:59pm CST
JazZeke wrote:This must have been a hard one to do, narrow down the best of 32 years... but the 30th anniversary line was also mighty impressive and pretty exciting.
I need to agree. 2014 was a spectacular year for transformers. I personally would have put that as #2 on the list and scrapped 1986 as it was full of whole and kinda junk, in my opinion.
but that's why these lists exist! Nice job as always Will! especially on such a hard topic
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850382)
Posted by RAR on January 4th, 2017 @ 12:15am CST
Posted by RAR on January 4th, 2017 @ 12:15am CST
I guess someone liking 2010 or 2016 or in my case 2005 is seen as a dismissal of 1984 it's more like liking Empire Strikes Back more than "A New Hope". doing so doesn't dismiss the original Star Wars.
I think you will always get different answers to these sort of questions based on location, collecting patterns and age of the person being asked.
For example I'm quite fond of Alternators/Binaltech - but a lot of people have long since dropped them like they were hot.
The only reason I can't put 2016 in the top 5 is that I've had a such a horrible job finding things in 2016 I'll be most of the way into 2017 and beyond playing catch up on 2016 releases.
Which isn't such a bad thing I suppose it will make "Prime Wars" seem more of a unified thing if I buy it all in a crazy random order.
I think you will always get different answers to these sort of questions based on location, collecting patterns and age of the person being asked.
For example I'm quite fond of Alternators/Binaltech - but a lot of people have long since dropped them like they were hot.
The only reason I can't put 2016 in the top 5 is that I've had a such a horrible job finding things in 2016 I'll be most of the way into 2017 and beyond playing catch up on 2016 releases.
Which isn't such a bad thing I suppose it will make "Prime Wars" seem more of a unified thing if I buy it all in a crazy random order.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850642)
Posted by Beardy on January 5th, 2017 @ 9:39am CST
Hmm, how old are you? I'm certainly old enough to remember G1. Have you got a percentage of users on here that weren't born in the era's they are talking about? I'm sure there is but you are just assuming at this point who you are talking to.
Also don't forget, I'm guessing you are stateside, that Transformers were not everywhere, at the same time, on an international level, so everyone's best years are obviously going to alter from user to user.
Big dollar signs in Hasbro's eyes as they realised the kids who loved Transformers in the 80's were now adults & had jobs and means to purchase toys for themselves and their families is what 'brought back' Transformers in the state it is now. It's a business. They know Nostalgia sells otherwise Vinyl wouldn't make a comeback every decade.
And the utter truth is that the brand never went away. From the release of Armada in 2004, the brand was back on the up.
My personal favourite years are: 1984, 86, 01, 06, 10
Posted by Beardy on January 5th, 2017 @ 9:39am CST
President-prime wrote:I cannot agree with this list. To say that 2010, 2016, above 1984 is flawed (in my opinion). Many of you weren't born or too young to comprehend the magnitude of transformers in 1984 g1 era. I'm not saying this but if you were there during that time, transformers are huge. Every stores sold transformers
Era. You can not go anywhere without seeing massive amounts of transformers. Every kid in the. neighborhood talked about transformers. Man, every flee market, swap meet, garage sales had transformers. They were huge. Living through all these times, I cannot say the same for the last 10-15 years. Yes we got some new stuff. Yes, I was excited for the beast wars, live action movies, titan returns. But man, as poor as I am back in 1984, even without money, I long to get my hands on jetfire or Optimus Prime. Man, just taking about it brings back memory. And you know what nostalgia is what brought back transformers. Look at people who design toys. They once had transformers
. 1984 is number 1 hands down
Hmm, how old are you? I'm certainly old enough to remember G1. Have you got a percentage of users on here that weren't born in the era's they are talking about? I'm sure there is but you are just assuming at this point who you are talking to.
Also don't forget, I'm guessing you are stateside, that Transformers were not everywhere, at the same time, on an international level, so everyone's best years are obviously going to alter from user to user.
Big dollar signs in Hasbro's eyes as they realised the kids who loved Transformers in the 80's were now adults & had jobs and means to purchase toys for themselves and their families is what 'brought back' Transformers in the state it is now. It's a business. They know Nostalgia sells otherwise Vinyl wouldn't make a comeback every decade.
And the utter truth is that the brand never went away. From the release of Armada in 2004, the brand was back on the up.
My personal favourite years are: 1984, 86, 01, 06, 10
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850654)
Posted by 1984forever on January 5th, 2017 @ 10:40am CST
Many fans weren't born yet. Others lived outside of the U.S. and were extremely late to the party. Like, almost a year later 1985 late.
1984 saw a Transformers craze that will never be repeated.
When was the last time you or your parents had a fist fight at the mall over a Transformer?
Have you ever trampled over people, foot on face, to get one?
No?
Well then sorry, whatever year you think is the best can't compare with how people felt about Transformers in 1984.
My Grandma searched stores in 3 states to find Optimus Prime for me that Christmas (She finally found him somewhere in Conneticut after searching NJ, and our home state of NY).
Shelves were picked CLEAN back in '84. Nowadays kids are like "meh".
Here's the real list
1) 1984 (For that true G1 experience.)
2) 1985 (Stores got a clue and stacked their isles with what the public demanded, more Transformers. Plus, 1985 was year one for the rest of the world.)
3) 1986 (Movie year. Movie toys. Great new characters. Dead favorites. Angry kids.)
4) 2007 (Bayformers makes Transformers popular again.)
5) 1996 (Beast Wars. I can't deny their contribution)
My personal list
1) 1984
2) 1985
3) 1986
4) 1987
5) 2010 (It's the year I got back into Transformers. I started buying classics, got my G1 comic collection back, War for Cybertron etc.)
Posted by 1984forever on January 5th, 2017 @ 10:40am CST
yup.President-prime wrote:I cannot agree with this list. To say that 2010, 2016, above 1984 is flawed (in my opinion). Many of you weren't born or too young to comprehend the magnitude of transformers in 1984 g1 era. I'm not saying this but if you were there during that time, transformers are huge. Every stores sold transformers
Era. You can not go anywhere without seeing massive amounts of transformers. Every kid in the. neighborhood talked about transformers. Man, every flee market, swap meet, garage sales had transformers. They were huge. Living through all these times, I cannot say the same for the last 10-15 years. Yes we got some new stuff. Yes, I was excited for the beast wars, live action movies, titan returns. But man, as poor as I am back in 1984, even without money, I long to get my hands on jetfire or Optimus Prime. Man, just taking about it brings back memory. And you know what nostalgia is what brought back transformers. Look at people who design toys. They once had transformers
. 1984 is number 1 hands down
Many fans weren't born yet. Others lived outside of the U.S. and were extremely late to the party. Like, almost a year later 1985 late.
1984 saw a Transformers craze that will never be repeated.
When was the last time you or your parents had a fist fight at the mall over a Transformer?
Have you ever trampled over people, foot on face, to get one?
No?
Well then sorry, whatever year you think is the best can't compare with how people felt about Transformers in 1984.
My Grandma searched stores in 3 states to find Optimus Prime for me that Christmas (She finally found him somewhere in Conneticut after searching NJ, and our home state of NY).
Shelves were picked CLEAN back in '84. Nowadays kids are like "meh".
Here's the real list
1) 1984 (For that true G1 experience.)
2) 1985 (Stores got a clue and stacked their isles with what the public demanded, more Transformers. Plus, 1985 was year one for the rest of the world.)
3) 1986 (Movie year. Movie toys. Great new characters. Dead favorites. Angry kids.)
4) 2007 (Bayformers makes Transformers popular again.)
5) 1996 (Beast Wars. I can't deny their contribution)
My personal list
1) 1984
2) 1985
3) 1986
4) 1987
5) 2010 (It's the year I got back into Transformers. I started buying classics, got my G1 comic collection back, War for Cybertron etc.)
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850660)
Posted by JazZeke on January 5th, 2017 @ 11:22am CST
Proof? Considering you have a history of being either a troll or a Geewunner or both, I'm taking this statement with a huge grain of salt.
Posted by JazZeke on January 5th, 2017 @ 11:22am CST
1984forever wrote:Many fans weren't born yet. Others lived outside of the U.S. and were extremely late to the party. Like, almost a year later 1985 late.
1984 saw a Transformers craze that will never be repeated.
When was the last time you or your parents had a fist fight at the mall over a Transformer?
Have you ever trampled over people, foot on face, to get one?
No?
Well then sorry, whatever year you think is the best can't compare with how people felt about Transformers in 1984.
Proof? Considering you have a history of being either a troll or a Geewunner or both, I'm taking this statement with a huge grain of salt.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850665)
Posted by Ironhidensh on January 5th, 2017 @ 12:11pm CST
I was alive in '84 as well. He is full of crap. Toy crazed like that simply didn't happen back then. There were plenty to go aroun .
Posted by Ironhidensh on January 5th, 2017 @ 12:11pm CST
JazZeke wrote:1984forever wrote:Many fans weren't born yet. Others lived outside of the U.S. and were extremely late to the party. Like, almost a year later 1985 late.
1984 saw a Transformers craze that will never be repeated.
When was the last time you or your parents had a fist fight at the mall over a Transformer?
Have you ever trampled over people, foot on face, to get one?
No?
Well then sorry, whatever year you think is the best can't compare with how people felt about Transformers in 1984.
Proof? Considering you have a history of being either a troll or a Geewunner or both, I'm taking this statement with a huge grain of salt.
I was alive in '84 as well. He is full of crap. Toy crazed like that simply didn't happen back then. There were plenty to go aroun .
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850666)
Posted by JazZeke on January 5th, 2017 @ 12:17pm CST
Yeah I thought "Tickle Me Elmo" was the first year sh*t like that ever happened. The 90s was a weird decade.
Posted by JazZeke on January 5th, 2017 @ 12:17pm CST
Ironhidensh wrote:JazZeke wrote:1984forever wrote:Many fans weren't born yet. Others lived outside of the U.S. and were extremely late to the party. Like, almost a year later 1985 late.
1984 saw a Transformers craze that will never be repeated.
When was the last time you or your parents had a fist fight at the mall over a Transformer?
Have you ever trampled over people, foot on face, to get one?
No?
Well then sorry, whatever year you think is the best can't compare with how people felt about Transformers in 1984.
Proof? Considering you have a history of being either a troll or a Geewunner or both, I'm taking this statement with a huge grain of salt.
I was alive in '84 as well. He is full of crap. Toy crazed like that simply didn't happen back then. There were plenty to go aroun .
Yeah I thought "Tickle Me Elmo" was the first year sh*t like that ever happened. The 90s was a weird decade.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850685)
Posted by 1984forever on January 5th, 2017 @ 1:52pm CST
People had Black Friday style riots over a lot of stuff. Cabbage Patch Kids ring a bell? No? Well how about Super Nintendo? I bet you never heard of people being shot for a PS3 either?
Bottom line is people got physical over TFs in the days leading up to Christmas '84. I don't recall anyone getting beat up over any other TF line. Or even waiting on line for stores to open for Transformers after '84. And just because you were alive in '84 and didn't hear about something doesn't mean it didn't happen. People fight everyday over lesser things on the internet and you pay zero attention to it.
There were plenty of Transformers to go around in '85. 1984? Nope. I saw a lonely Trailbreaker on the shelf 2 days after Christmas '84. That's it.
Posted by 1984forever on January 5th, 2017 @ 1:52pm CST
People had Black Friday style riots over a lot of stuff. Cabbage Patch Kids ring a bell? No? Well how about Super Nintendo? I bet you never heard of people being shot for a PS3 either? Bottom line is people got physical over TFs in the days leading up to Christmas '84. I don't recall anyone getting beat up over any other TF line. Or even waiting on line for stores to open for Transformers after '84. And just because you were alive in '84 and didn't hear about something doesn't mean it didn't happen. People fight everyday over lesser things on the internet and you pay zero attention to it.
There were plenty of Transformers to go around in '85. 1984? Nope. I saw a lonely Trailbreaker on the shelf 2 days after Christmas '84. That's it.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850686)
Posted by JazZeke on January 5th, 2017 @ 1:54pm CST
And just because you insist something happened, doesn't mean it actually did.
Posted by JazZeke on January 5th, 2017 @ 1:54pm CST
1984forever wrote:And just because you were alive in '84 and didn't hear about something doesn't mean it didn't happen. People fight everyday over lesser things on the internet and you pay zero attention to it.
And just because you insist something happened, doesn't mean it actually did.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850699)
Posted by 1984forever on January 5th, 2017 @ 2:42pm CST
Posted by 1984forever on January 5th, 2017 @ 2:42pm CST
A quick google search revealed a people magazine article about "10 toy crazes that caused MAYHEM through the years". Transformers 1984 was listed. How about "12 toy crazes" by NBC news, it says "parents fought like Autobots and Decepticons" . The only time people felt as passionate about Transformers was '86. But I guess that kid locking himself in the bathroom over Prime dying never happened either.JazZeke wrote:1984forever wrote:And just because you were alive in '84 and didn't hear about something doesn't mean it didn't happen. People fight everyday over lesser things on the internet and you pay zero attention to it.
And just because you insist something happened, doesn't mean it actually did.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850710)
Posted by Ironhidensh on January 5th, 2017 @ 3:27pm CST
Posted by Ironhidensh on January 5th, 2017 @ 3:27pm CST
From people magazine article:
Glenn Koenig/Los Angeles Times/Getty
Ten million Transformers were sold in 1984. The franchise’s cartoon and unforgettably catchy commercials propelled the shape-shifting alien robots to the top of Santa’s to-do list. The Autobots and Decepticons were in short supply around the holidays, but ultimately Hasbro took home around $80 million from the product line in ’84. Transformers are still bringing home the bacon: In 2010, Toys “R” Us declared them to be some of their best-selling toys of the past 25 years.
Sorry, nothing about fighting in the toy store. Selling a lot does not equel a craze. Try again.
Glenn Koenig/Los Angeles Times/Getty
Ten million Transformers were sold in 1984. The franchise’s cartoon and unforgettably catchy commercials propelled the shape-shifting alien robots to the top of Santa’s to-do list. The Autobots and Decepticons were in short supply around the holidays, but ultimately Hasbro took home around $80 million from the product line in ’84. Transformers are still bringing home the bacon: In 2010, Toys “R” Us declared them to be some of their best-selling toys of the past 25 years.
Sorry, nothing about fighting in the toy store. Selling a lot does not equel a craze. Try again.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850726)
Posted by 1984forever on January 5th, 2017 @ 6:08pm CST
I notice you didn't mention the NBC article.
Plus, you're the guy who said that there were "plenty of toys to go around."
Wait. You're also the guy that said "toy crazes simply didn't happen back then".
Posted by 1984forever on January 5th, 2017 @ 6:08pm CST
You must have missed the title with the word "mayhem" in it. Mayhem: Actions that hurt people and destroy things. A scene or situation that involves a lot of violence.Ironhidensh wrote:From people magazine article:
Glenn Koenig/Los Angeles Times/Getty
Ten million Transformers were sold in 1984. The franchise’s cartoon and unforgettably catchy commercials propelled the shape-shifting alien robots to the top of Santa’s to-do list. The Autobots and Decepticons were in short supply around the holidays, but ultimately Hasbro took home around $80 million from the product line in ’84. Transformers are still bringing home the bacon: In 2010, Toys “R” Us declared them to be some of their best-selling toys of the past 25 years.
Sorry, nothing about fighting in the toy store. Selling a lot does not equel a craze. Try again.
I notice you didn't mention the NBC article.
Plus, you're the guy who said that there were "plenty of toys to go around."
Wait. You're also the guy that said "toy crazes simply didn't happen back then".
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850784)
Posted by fenrir72 on January 6th, 2017 @ 7:52am CST
Posted by fenrir72 on January 6th, 2017 @ 7:52am CST
Just interjecting.
Quoting one or two news rags/references/sources is not the way to make thesis defense. At least a minimum of five references.
Also, lame stream media is not what you would the epitome of fair reporting. Most of the time, they'll create and exaggerate an issue or bury an issue if it suits their agenda.And most of the times, authors on such subject don't know the back or front of their arses when they write such articles.
Also, despite 1984forever's infamous reputation, he does have aright to say what he wants to say. The moment you start calling it "wrong" is when you are wrong as his inputs are just as subjective as the oppositor's are.
Just as the OP creators opinions are too. An enumeration of all their "subjective views". Now if they have actual figures such as sales figures for a specific year and modify the title as the best TF sales years, that would be another matter.
Quoting one or two news rags/references/sources is not the way to make thesis defense. At least a minimum of five references.
Also, lame stream media is not what you would the epitome of fair reporting. Most of the time, they'll create and exaggerate an issue or bury an issue if it suits their agenda.And most of the times, authors on such subject don't know the back or front of their arses when they write such articles.
Also, despite 1984forever's infamous reputation, he does have aright to say what he wants to say. The moment you start calling it "wrong" is when you are wrong as his inputs are just as subjective as the oppositor's are.
Just as the OP creators opinions are too. An enumeration of all their "subjective views". Now if they have actual figures such as sales figures for a specific year and modify the title as the best TF sales years, that would be another matter.
Re: Top 5 Best Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise (1850796)
Posted by 1984forever on January 6th, 2017 @ 9:21am CST
If anyone got punched in the eye over a Combiner Wars or Titans return fig please speak now.
Posted by 1984forever on January 6th, 2017 @ 9:21am CST
Oh, what now? 5 references or it didn't happen? I'm quite sure some investigative reporting could uncover more instances of parents fighting each other over Transformers specifically. I'm sure names, dates and descriptions of the injuries incurred could still be uncovered too... if someone cared. Keep in mind that these events occurred in a city where the murder rate- not including shootings and assaults- fast approached the 2000 mark yearly by the end of the 80s. Some murders were not even reported. This subject is small fish, and only of importance to a few Transformers fans. Asking for information about shopping riots that occurred in Albee square, Queens center or Roosevelt field malls during the 80s is almost the same as asking for the names of people who got killed when wild animals were set loose in Rome's gladiatorial arenas.fenrir72 wrote:Just interjecting.
Quoting one or two news rags/references/sources is not the way to make thesis defense. At least a minimum of five references.
Also, lame stream media is not what you would the epitome of fair reporting. Most of the time, they'll create and exaggerate an issue or bury an issue if it suits their agenda.
If anyone got punched in the eye over a Combiner Wars or Titans return fig please speak now.
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