Top 5 Worst Cases of Undercarriage Among Transformers Toys

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.


Top 5 Worst cases of Undercarriage among Transformers Toys

This list is all about the most poorly disguised robots. We are talking here about the Transfomrer toys which wish to remain inconspicuous (so of course, no random cybertronian spaceship) but have just a bit to much robot showing which removes any illusion. That protruding robot kibble usually sprouts from under the robot and while I would never knock against kibble that can only be seen when a car is flipped over, I am really not fond of when I see so much undercarriage from the sides. Here are 5 examples of the worst cases of that:


5. Transformers G1 1989 Vroom

While the articulation of today wasn't present, the G1 era will always be a place for great design in my book. They are probably the best era (aside from Masterpiece and Alternators/Alternity) for the most realistic vehicles with well disguised robots. However, that specific era I am referring to encompasses the first few years of this rather expansive era we now call "Generation 1". The alt mode wasn't always prioritized and by the end it was a line made up of gimmick after gimmick. Case in point Vroom. He sure looks like a fun goofy toy but the alt mode doesn't try hiding the fact that there is a whole man under there with his hands hanging out the side and a big belly as the undercarriage. The motorcycle becomes simply a mode of transport (like Transmetal 2 vehicle modes) rather than an actual disguise. Why this guy takes the cake though is because his underside is all organic and doesn't mesh with the mechanical motorcycle which makes the undercarriage really distracting.


Transformers G1 1989 Vroom Gallery






4. Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Voyager Ironhide and Transformers Dark of the Moon Leader Ironhide

Ironhide kept the same voyager mold for a long time (as did Ratchet) and while it was always the same, different versions worked depending on how they handled the underside. Movie Ironhide having a real life recognizable GMC truck alt mode would make any extraneous kibble look really off. It just so happens that the voyager mold has his arms hanging there in the undercarriage. Certain versions hid them well by placing weapons on either side but the ROTF version just let it all hang loose for all to see and for the disguise to fail. The leader figure, while quite good in my opinion, went for a very streamlined and efficient transformation, meaning that most of the bot is already there under the vehicle. As you can tell from the pictures, it isn't hid very well either.






Transformers Dark of the Moon Ironhide Gallery


Transformers Dark of the Moon Ironhide Gallery


3. Transformers Age of Extinction: Generations Strafe

It really pains me that this toy did not take any cues from any Pteranodon transformer that preceded him when it comes to handling his robot arms. For crying out loud, the G1 toy hid them better and all that was done there was have them compact within his chest (which G1 Divebomb also did to an even better result). A transformation I fnd quite brilliant was the Animated Swoop where his robot arms were in plain sight in Dino mode but merged with the wings to become the arms of the Pteranodon. AOE Strafe did none of that. The robot arms are just right there spread far and wide, under the wings (which feature their own dinosaur claws). It's not just the arms you see, but practicaly the entire robot. The chest doesnt transform at all from dino mode and the head just nods a little for you not to see the eyes. It looks like he's got four hands and three heads.In the end, the dino mode look more like a robot playing peek-a-boo than a legitimate attempt at a dino mode (I do find the robot mode quite nice though).






2. Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Jetfire Gallery

If it wasn't for number one, who is a very special case, this guy would take the cake for most extraneous undercarriage. There is absolutely no one kidding themselves that this is just a jet and not some mechanical alien hidden under it. It's a very weak and cheap way to make a toy and what's worse is that while the design is lazy and the transformation is overly simplistic, they made it one of the most annoying transformations on the planet (unlike say, AOE Leader Optimus who is also simplistic but not annoying in any way). I don't know why they wasted so much time putting all the necessary panels needed to make the top of the jet look ultra lifelike. It just makes the panel forming more frustrating when you know the end design wont benefit from any attention to detail since all we are paying attention to is all that kibble underneath.








1. Silverbolt, (almost) all of them.

Oh man, this is the ultimate poorly disguised robot, with a heavy undercarriage loaded with all the robot kibble possible. What I find quite funny is how the fact that this was the case in the G1 era seems to give it a free pass for designers to continue imitating it. Quite frankly, I think it is a rather easy way out when supporting design. Silvebolt is one of the most iconic jet transformers (he is at least surely the representative for the concord jet in this brand) and yet perpetually suffers from his whole body being under the jet. I think he deserves better, and should at least be disguised better.


Transformers G1 1986 Silverbolt Gallery


Transformers Universe - Classics 2.0 Silverbolt Gallery


Transformers Generations Combiner Wars Silverbolt Gallery

And I know it's a different character, but it just fits so well here as the most poorly disguised robot, here s another Silverbolt with very exposed kibble in his "undercarrage":


Transformers Beast Machines Silverbolt Gallery


Honourable Mentions:

There is one toy I want to mention here that should be on the list as well but I don't feel is fair. You see all toys above have an undercarriage as a consequence of converting between two modes that dont share the same pieces but of course are connected to eachother. There is one toy out there with an egregious undercarriage isn't stuck to his undercarriage though, Gunrunner.

It's a robot that only turns into a "jet" because you plug a jet body on top of it. So you end up with a jet with a robot plugged under it. An odd toy indeed.