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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 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 Cyberverse Commander Class Figures
Cyberverse didn't always refer to a Transformers cartoon. It once was a fun idea of a subline, which started in Dark of the Moon and continued into all of Transformers Prime. It had it's own sense of scale and even redefined those smaller toys. It was a contained smaller scale made up of Legion class and Commander class figures. While the Legion class was well known by fans (it was previously known as the Legends Class, let the confusion BEGIN!), the Commander Class was a new idea. It was made of figures that were a tad bit smaller than Scout Class figures and yet more complex than Legion figures. It could have been seen as the "new" Scout Class, especially since it replaced the ROTF Scout class initially, but then it developed into this nice sweet spot where you could use it for smaller versions of characters who were usually bigger than deluxes to then interact with the legion figures (like faction leaders and lieutenants). In short, this was a fun class which gave us some excellent toys and I want to share some jewels from this short lived Commander class.
I really liked this little guy due to the originality of the concept. It reminded me of Skylynx where you go from a vehicle to a more animalistic robot mode. And it was the only way to get what I found to be the one of the most original Decepticon designs from the film Dark of the Moon. They did an excellent job with this toy at the smaller Commander class scale where you feel the complexity was not sacrificed. Great looking tiny jet too!
You want o know something nuts? I like this guy more than the voyager version. It is the perfect proof that you can still accomplish so much at a small scale. The voyager may be imposing, but his transformation is more complicated than it should be, especially for a bot who's legs aren't disguised in jet mode. Here instead, you get a very pleasant transformation with a great looking two modes, helped by the undercarriage being more compact in jet mode than with the voyager. I especially love how they made him scale with Megatron and the vehicon underlings.
This toy reminds me a lot of ROTF Bludgeon. Not just because they are both tanks, but because this is still to date the best toy of guzzle out there and a very loving homage while still being new and distinctive. Even though it is a movie toy, it has that same amazing energy of the classics line where you see a love for G1 and the want to bring those design cues back for a new era. It's a very inventive design, given the homage and an excellent mold.
I always felt this is one of the very best Commander class toy from the Cyberverse line, if not the best. It is too bad we never got a voyager Hardshell for our Prime collection but at least we can recreate his might and scale in the cyberverse line. The transformation is quite complex for a Commander class figure, to the point where an upscale into voyager could use the same transformations scheme and not feel in any way simpler than regular voyagers (but I would hope for some more articulation if it ever happened).
I know what it says for the state of Ironhide toys, but this is one of the top 3 best Ironhide toys we have ever gotten, and I include the Masterpiece in that. This is leagues better than the deluxe mold that also came out (which Hasbro only released as Kup). You see as a deluxe, Ironhide looks puny, but here as a Commander class, he looks perfect, towering over the smaller bots like Bumblebee and Prowl, ready to either lend them a hand or share some wisdom. He has a great look that really works with the Prime idea of merging the movie aesthetic with G1, where you have the movie alt mode and weapons but with a G1 helmet and chest piece. And unlike the deluxe, that chest piece is actual alt mode kibble from his truck mode and not a fake piece. Easily the best engineered Commander class figure I have ever seen and a toy I enjoy transforming so much I went and tracked down the other retools and redecos stemming from this mold. I cannot recommend this tough soldier (or any of his retools) enough for your tiny army.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Nicest Licensed Car Modes Among Transformers Toys
Whenever this topic gets suggested on the boards, it always seems like the result will be from the same line, either Alternators or Masterpiece. While of course those lines have amazing licensed vehicles, in doing this list I found that gorgeous licensed cars have been found in multiple lines throughout the brand's history, even lines paired with cartoons. So I found diversity was indeed possible while also being true and listing what I felt was the best. Also, while we are mainly looking at the alt mode here, I am picking toys that are good all around. These are Transformers toys after all and them transforming into cool looking robots can't be totally ignored, even though that may not be the main factor being looked at here.
Alternators Mirage is easily one of my favorite car modes. No real love for the car model, but I feel like this one really went above and beyond in hiding any indication that it turns into a robot. They did an incredible job of making use of all the existing panels and only adding a few very well hidden ones. Just a fantastic looking car in that nice deep blue.
- Emerje
4. The last Knight Hot Rod as a Lamborghini Centenario
The alt mode is gorgeous. It is to me the most appropriate real life alt mode this character would have if futuristic cars are not an option. Easily one of the best deluxes from the Transformers: The Last Knight toyline and a great recreation of the real life car (and a more interesting model than the Lockdown toy that came before it). It even has the same framing lines highlighted in a bright colour like the lower part of the doors and a nice contour of the windows. Lamborghinis have always been present in the Transformers brand so it is nice to see the latest models still represented and as sexy as ever. I am also very impressed at the quality of the Lamborghini logo in the front which is as detailed (if not more so) as what we find on masterpiece toys. - William-James88
RID Side Burn is the best looking of the RID brothers. Seriously, he did an MP Tracks before MP was a thing. That metallic blue, man... Not to mention the car mode is SO good that Hasbro had to add the viper logo for their release to avoid a lawsuit from Dodge. Sure he has the kind of comical looking engine block (with beautiful but short-lived chrome) but he not only has chromed rims, but rubber tires too! - Black Hat
R.I.D Sideburn is a fully licensed and realized Dodge Viper. No modifications or hiding that fact at all. Chrysler made Hasbro license it when bringing the Car Robots figures from Japan. By contrast, Prowl and X-Brawn went unlicensed however. This repaint and all subsequent uses of the mold have the required emblem. He has a very very nice vehicle mode. I own the Super Side Burn repaint version, and chrome is still very much intact. -Overcracker
2. MB Soundwave as a Mercedes Benz SLS AMG
The Mercedes Benz SLS AMG is one of the coolest real car modes. It's very sleek and has those vertically opening doors. The silver paint job given to MB Soundwave's alt mode really makes it gorgeous. While it has some panel lines, I forgive it for how good it looks overall. As with the Alternators, we get an alt mode closer in both looks and scale to a collectible car model, especially with details in the interior and opening doors. However, unlike the Alternators, this Soundwave has a much cleaner robot mode, making it an engineering marvel. - William-James88
Lamborghinis are my favourite alt modes when it comes to Transforming cars (maybe my favourite alt mode in general). And while all different models and eras bring something great to the table, the Countash just works so well. It is the most iconic car from the era Transformers were born and its angular yet sleek nature just works perfectly with the idea of a transforming robot and both G1 and MP Sideswipe are a great proof of this. I really love how the flat front gives a great opportunity to use it for the robot's chest. It gives as much alt mode integration as one would wish while giving it the heroic silhouette of a robot hero (much like Optimus Prime).
But of course, we are here to talk about alt modes and G1 Sideswipe's Diaclone roots is truly all about that. These toys were meant to look the same as non transforming toy cars, and what made these extra special was that they could convert as well (that was the main fiction behind the line, that these were disguised as toy cars and thus had to look just like them including their scale). Hasbro carried that idea over (but dropping the idea of scale) with the tagline of Robots in Disguise and it's thanks to toys like Sideswipe that we can see this concept brought to life. Adding to all this fun is the Masterpiece version which came out almost 30 years later and retains the gorgeous car mode, but made bigger for us to admire even more. - William-James88
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by your fellow editor or a guest writer. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Best Transformers Armada Toys
This is the line that saw the advancements in articulation and complexity of the Beast Era and went "na, were good, lets go back to late G1 articulation with poor proportions and obtrusive gimmicks". And then the same thing happened again 15 years later for the Cyberverse line. You see, Transformers are cyclical that way. But it's not to say there isn't a lot to love in Armada and this list will go through some toys that I feel anyone should have in their collection as a keepsake of this era. Plus with all the hubub over the new Unicron, it was fun to revisit the line that gave us our first Unicron toy.
I like this toy all around. The mobile missile launcher alt mode looks good and works well. I especially like how the robot fingers double as rocket launchers. The minicon integration is also nice as it fills in the alt mode. And we get a very original looking robot mode out of it with a cool headsculpt.
Ths toy is all about the playability aspect. It incorporated the duality gimmick of previous Transformers, like Punch/Counterpunch and the headmaster gimmick by combining both into one. Like that Sideways gets a different head depending on his allegiance. He also happens to have a nice looking bot mode and a great looking motorcycle which the headmaster unit can ride.
Speaking of playability, the Megatron in this line was like his own playset with lots of action features and ports for minicons, including ramps, trap doors and hidden areas. Plus he has a hidden blade/shiv if ever he has to get extra nasty. Of course he isn't without firepower with a fun himage to the G1 ty by having a massive cannon under his arm pit. I love the facesculpt too with the giant horns that act as shears in tank mode, just to add to its ferocity.
Armada was all about the gimmicks and while some did not turn out great, they really knocked it out of the park with this one. This toy is one for the ages with three seperate vehicles, all with their own individual gimmicks (like a fold out seating area, or an elevator) that combine into a massive ship which then transforms into a giant robot. I really love all about this toy and I feel any fan is missing out by not experiencing this mold. There is nothing else wuite like it out there.
I think everyone saw it coming. With Tidal Wave at number 2, the only bot that could beat it would be none other than Unicron. Unicron at the time was a dream come true. Not only was it a great representation for the main villain of the Armada series but it was finally a transforming toy of the villain from the 86 film, which may fans longed for. I love how it serves this dual purpose. I think what I find smartest of all in its design is the rings the turn into the wings. I am really impressed at how they did manage to give us a planet-like alt mode and a well proportioned bot even if there is some shellforming involved. Due to its popularity, this mold keeps being released over and over so anyone wanting it can get it with ease.
Honouable Mentions:
Destruction Mini-Con Team
A big part of Armada were the minicons and the special ports can still be found on certain toys released a decade later. The mincons I liked best were the ones that had an extra action gimmick. They were already simpler toys with odd proportions so adding an action feature didn't hinder anything that wasn't there already. And of those, I liked the Destruction Mini-Con Team best due to the irony of these massive alt modes being rserved to tiny bots. I mean you have a Gepard anti-aircraft tank, a tunneling machine and a kreaken bucket-wheel excavator. The bucket-wheel spins and so does the drill. Plus, the bucket-wheel excavator can be attached under Armada Cyclonus and interact with its gear-wheel rotor system.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Best Non Screen/Show Accurate Transformers Toys
The idea of owning a part of what you are a fan of is integral to the idea of collecting action figures. And of course, it is important for the object representing what we love to be as faithful as possible. I do remember being disappointed as a kid with the mutant heads on Beast Wars toys so much that I would remove them on Megatron and Dinobot, so even for kids accuracy to a show or movie can be important. However, there are some toys which are still pretty awesome even though they may have major inaccuracies and we will look at the best examples now.
There was very little discrepancy between show models and toys for Beast Wars after the first season, which was great for kids. Tigerhawk was a glaring exception though. It’s not that the differences are numerous but more that they are very obvious and in your face. With this character being a combination of Tigertron and Airrazor, I understand the toy designers wanting to integrate both the alt mode heads in the alt mode, with a hawk battle mask going over the organic tiger head making Tigerhawk look a lot like one of those He Man battle cat toys. That was probably too goofy for the show, which ignored this and gave Tigerhawk a more streamlined look of a flying mechanical tiger with no Hawk head. It definitely makes the toy look way off compared to the show model, but it doesn’t stop the toy from being awesome and having excellent play value. I really like those wing missiles.
Beast Machines will always be one of the oddest eras of Transformers with a show that people are still split on, on show transformations that were closer to morphing than changing parts, and a toyline that looked very different from the show with no sense of scale. Case in point, the toy which looks the most like the Tankor we see on the show is a small unimposing tank drone. We do have a bigger Tankor toy (called Tankor) in the toyline and while it does not look like the show it is one of my favourite toys. Especially with being even more complex than the animation shows him to be by having one head/cockpit for each of his modes.
I only realized waaaay later that the three combining components of Tripredicus were supposed to be the three characters we see on the show. It’s not obvious (especially for a kid) since the three seen in shadows would not have beast modes, and the headsculpts don’t look like the three toys we did get. Plus, it’s not like the Magnaboss components were seen on the show (as part of any Maximal government). It doesn’t stop Tripredicus from being one of the best combiners we ever got of course.
In the later half of the 2000s, here was a big change in Transformers toys where the animated models were created independently of the toys (and have been ever since). Of course, toy designers could get a look at what the artists were working on but since a toy cycle is 2 years, there was a lot of changes from when a toy designer gets a model and what we see in the film. Add to that the fact that toy designers had never dealt with such complex designs as the live action ones and we ended up with an odd first batch of movie toys looking very different than what we saw onscreen. A great example was Optimus Prime, whose toy was much blockier than the onsceen model. But it was still a phenomenal toy with a very different transfomation scheme for Optimus, where the legs are in the front of the cab and not the back, and a new level of complexity we had not been privy to before. Plus, it being blocky made this toy a perfect hybrid easing us in on both the new types of transformations schemes and the new movie aesthetic.
While Hasbro had obtained the license to sell a Macross toy as part of their Transformers line, the show had to change the look of the toy, especially in alt mode. So what you see on the show is very different than the sleek sexy jet we got with the toy. I don’t think too many kids minded though, especially since the toy looked so awesome. And we all know Jetfire is easily one of the best toys of the G1 era.
I am not a huge fan of this toy but I can't deny how lovely the jet mode is. Of course, the perfection of the jet mode means the robot mode ends up with a lot of kibble and not looking as close to the G1 model as the previous Masterpiece mold, Optimus Prime, did. And of course, the colours were completely off.
The Transformers Generations mega line now has an entire toyline just for repaints. It is called Generations Selects. Added to that are other exclusives rumoured (like a Reflector 3 pack in toy colours) or confirmed (like Siege Ratchet) which are all based on repaints. Of course, some may have different heads (like Hero Megatron), and different parts (like Ratchet) but basically it comes down to getting a lot of similar looking toys in different colours.
The general public has taken notice and the complaints have been piling.
Actual comments on facebook regarding recent reveals of repaints:
So I'm still paying for the same figure just in different colours???
Hasbro always remold,repaint their product, this is why third party always better than original
OMG MAKE IT STOP.
Please God no more repaint/retools. I hoped the repaint wars were over.....not by a longshot.
I knew Siege was gonna be repaint city just like the Prime Wars trilogy. It started out strong Wave 1 but then the seekers came, Prowl and his brothers, Sideswipe and Red Alert, Ironhide/Ratchet/Crosshairs, Soundwave and now Soundblaster. We are getting a grey Shockwave too. Hasbro getting lazy again.
Now, are there truly more repaints than before? Of course not. So why does it feel like there are? Well for the simple reason that now repaints are no longer out of reach of people. Here are some repaints from 2015 where the complaint was minimal.
Every figure above was only available if you either attended certain events, or if you paid for a subscription and they were always at least twice the price of a retail figure. This made a lot of people ignore them and out of sight, out of mind.
Now, for 2019, what Hasbro has done is basically keep the same output of toys and repaints but make them more available. You no longer have to go to a convention to get them and Americans can now buy them for the same price as non exclusive figures. Them being more accessible means that they are cheaper on the secondary market or importers, which many international fans depend on as a last resort. Them being accessible means more fans can join in on the conversation and complain. So complaining about repaints is actually a luxury many didn’t have before, due to previous repaints being too expensive or inaccessible for anyone to care.
I would also argue that the repaints we are getting are far more enticing than the previous inaccessible repaints many missed out on (as shown in the previous example). Unlike those, the repaints in the Siege and Generations Selects line are for bots that share the same body type, for the most part. I mean, think about it, we are finally getting a good looking generations Ratchet (with no fake chest and in perfect scale), all the Datsuns, all the fembots, and all the seekers you could desire.
We are living in a new golden age of Transformers, people, and I for one am happy to share this time with you.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here
Top 5 Best Transformers Parts-Formers
Partsforming has been present since the beginning of Transformers in one way or another. It is the principle where part (or all) of the transformation is done by detaching/attaching/reattaching pieces rather than simply folding or rotating pieces to get from one mode to the next. We are not talking about armour pieces or accessories here. While most people understand what that entails, partsformers have never been fully defined so it gives me the luxury of playing it fast and loose with the notion. It is not often a well liked aspect of transforming since it may feel cheap and not as ingenious but since it has been around for so long, to various degrees, I wanted to look back on five fun toys that truly use partsforming inorder to get to the bot mode. Let's get to it!
While it is possible to transform the G1 seeker mold with removing and adding only a few parts, the most direct way to transform him is taking the plane parts off, transforming the body and then reattaching the parts back. The Landing gear is only used in jet mode and must be removed for robot mode while it’s the reverse for his fists. The fact that he has so many parts that come means that a wingless plain is what is most commonly found on the secondary market, yard sales, and thrift shops.
G1 Godbomber is one of the kings of partsforming (but not THE king, that goes to the bot in the number 1 spot). There is a logic to it of course, he isn’t just a partsformer for the hell of it. He is essentially an add on to Power Master Optimus Prime (Ginrai) in both modes. He becomes an extra trailer behind the main trailer in alt mode and that trailer’s parts completely detach to be placed back onto the robot to give him his ultra super mode (God Ginrai). You would think that is enough, it is for most trailers (like POTP Rodimus Prime’s and RID Optimus Prime’s) but no those pieces also form an extra independent robot mode, which is Godbomber. And this ingenuity in reattaching parts to create three different things (robot, trailer, armour) is why this is one hell of a partsformer.
G1 Cog was not the greatest of partsformers. There was not much going on for that bot with some a minimal transformation that resulted in a lackluster bot mode. But man, what an update he got. In Siege, Cog got all the articulation he could have ever dreamt of in robot mode, as much as any other deluxe class figure. But, unlike those figures, he could still detach himself to resemble the G1 vehicle modes. But Hasbro didn’t stop there, oh no. They made him fully detacheable so that his body could turn into shields, cannons and guns for both offensive and defensive configurations on other robots. He is the first of a new type of toy called a Weaponiser which is essentially the long awaited answer to fans wanting weapon packs. So now we have weapons packs, disguised as deluxe robots, which is simply awesome. I mean look at what someone was able to do with a few Cogs, they gave Optimus a trailer!
2. Transformers Power of the Primes Rodimus Prime
This toy isn’t talked about much in relation to him being a partsformer, but that’s what he is and he’s a damn good one at that. Transforming him from his space Winnebago alt mode into Rodimus prime requires that you detach the arms from the trailer and convert both the trailer and the car component and then reattach it all together. The result is an imposing one. He is very solid for a partsformer and a good example of that technique done right. Sure, he could do with better articulation for his arms but I think that’s a small sacrifice for all that he accomplishes.
When I think of partsformers, this is the toy I think of and I doubt I am the only one. Unlike every other toy on this list, this was not designed by Takara and was intended for a totally different kind of toyline, hence why the transformation is so different from everything else. What impresses me so much though is that it works. This is the toy that makes you see the value of partsforming and its possibilities for fun gameplay. You essentially get a traintrack (with a tank that goes along it) which turns into a giant walking robot. That sounds like the ultimate toy, and it was to many kids growing up in the 80s. Knowing how well partsforming can work, I welcome the idea that the update we are getting this year will be similar.
This is mainly due to the gimmick. This smaller version of Bruticus can transform from a full robot into an Cybertronian Osprey-type vehicle and the rotors spin in vehicle mode. A big part of that transformation is removing the rotors from the robot shoulders and placing them on his fists in vehicle mode. His giant sword becomes vehicle wings and also require attaching and detaching so his vehicle mode is made relevant due to the partsforming.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. This week, I am joined by Cobotron. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 10 best toys from the Cybertron / Galaxy Force line
Unlike other lists I write for the site, the order here was chosen through a poll I organized a while ago where fans selected which toys they would include in their top list. The more times a toy was chosen, the higher it appears on the list so while I will vouch that all the toys below are excellent and well worth your time, with this line being one of my all time favourites, the order does not come from me. So this will be lighter on words than usual. Let’s get to it.
10. Transformers Cybertron Cybertron Defense Hot Shot (Exigeyser)
I really like how the essence of the previous form of Hotshot is felt here, but at the same time it is a totally new toy. And I really like that knife, along with the loads and loads of weapons.
9. Transformers Cybertron Downshift
What a fantastic alt mode! It’s very old fashioned in terms of robot mode and transformation for a carbot, with the front of the car becoming the chest, but with a nice modern flair. Plus I love that Wheeljack headsculpt.
This transformation is so good, you can find it again on the more recent Leader Megatron from Combiner Wars. It was revolutionary at the time and the fact that the technology to have a rotating turret is still used today comes to show how timeless this toy is. I also like how the feet are formed with alt mode kibble. I really wish we had more of this instead of having barely hidden feet on bots (like with Siege Megatron).
This is just a cool looking toy. Both modes give you the feeling that they are larger than they really are due to some massive proportions. But he carries it very well, and this is another winner in the headsculpt department in the Cybertron line (there are lots of great headsculpts here).
6. Transformers Cybertron Megatron (Master Megatron)/ Galvatron (Master Galvatron)
The Unicron Trilogy had an odd habbit of reversing the colours of Megatron and Galvatron with Megatron having purple and Galvatron being silver/grey. Both decos rock of course but the silver just give it that extra edge. While the robot mode can be a bit clunky with the giant calves, they are a result of a super cool alt mode which looks like what Batman would be driving on Cybertron.
5. Transformers Cybertron Hot Shot/Excellion
This is one of my favourite car Transformers of all time due to how great and different both modes look while being a smart and swift transformation. This efficient and elegant transformation is the basis for many of the combiner limbs we got once Combiner Wars started. And of all the great headsculpts in the line, this is the one that I feel tops them all. Plus he is a really neat homage to Hot Rod.
4. Transformers Cybertron Vector Prime
This is my personal favourite from the line and it is the one toy from this line I would deem essential to a collection. Nothing like this has been done since with a very different space ship mode that leans more towards the fantasy side of science fiction. He is also gorgeously adorned in clockwork detail and has one of the best weapon integrations of all time.
3. Transformers Cybertron Starscream
It is really too bad that the voyager Starscream toy in his show colours was never released by Hasbro, but at least fans got to experience this excellent mold in other colours, such as a very Thrust like burgundy and in blue with Dirge.
I really like how this is a full-on planet former where the alt mode is a sphere and yet it gives us a really nice robot mode which does not feel confine to its alt mode to define its proportions (unlike that never released Unicron toy). That’s especially surprising given how basic the transformation is. And yet we end up with two very different looking modes including a drop dead gorgeous robot mode.
This is one of the best Optimus Prime toys out there. When it came out, it was a new design with some nice homages. You have the cab robot like in G1 and you can combine it with the trailer, like Power Master Prime, to make a super robot. While the articulation is lacking, it has fun play features, looks imposing and has this nice chunky feel to him.
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. Thanks to fellow staff member Kurona for helping me with this one, along with fellow Seibertronian TK415 for helping me shape this list.
Top 5 Most Show Accurate Transformers Toylines
This list has been mulling in my head for quite sometime. I always find it hard when a list is a tad bit lest subjective since it means there are measures that have to be clear rather than it simply being "I think this toy is awesome while this one blows". However, this idea of comparing the toys we get with what we see on screen is a longstanding theme in this brand and it's a request I get quite a bit. Now, to make it more diverse and add some variety, I have chosen to deal with this subject of screen accuracy while looking at toylines rather than the individual toys themselves. Feel free to discuss which toys within the mentioned (or unmentioned) toylines you find superior to others in terms of accuracy though, it should make for a fun discussion. Now off with the list!
Transformers Prime was supposed to take this spot at first, especially since the RID line still had the defacto inaccuracies that come with using G1 toys to represent your show characters. But you know what, I realized the Prime line had less to offer for show accuracy. Sure, there were some heavy hitters, but then you realize that Hasbro never gave us anything close to a screen accurate Voyager Megatron, none of the black Beast Hunter Bees had the right paint scheme, neither Arcee really looked like the character model (which I admit is hard to pull off) and the crappier Cliffjumper toy was the one with the screen accurate legs.
And then there is RID, a show that went out of its way to show us all the wonderful modes Megatron had, including the hand mode and griffin mode. All the new molds made for RID, such as Optimus, Railracer and the brothers had toys which seemed to jump off the screen. And while Ruination's proportions were off as expected, the colours were well represented. And we finally got to see some of those Beast Wars molds in action on screen in North America and they looked great. And let's not forget Scourge whose toy looked a lot like the show model. I especially love the sticker detail being very similar to the details we see on the screen. Its these peculiar and recognizable details, like the chest stickers, found both onscreen and on the toy that drive home how good a representation you have of the badass you see on screen.
I remember very well being a kid and being turned off by those odd masks the first year Beast Wars toys had. They weren't on the show. And while the inner Rhinox head looked more like the show, it looked too small on the body so young WJ88 settled on that brutish face when making him exchange blows with his Bane action figure. But then in that second year line, Beast Wars Transmetal, it was as if you were holding the characters you saw onscreen in your very hands. And that is the first time that ever happened for the brand. Tarantulus and Cheetor looked perfect, so did Rampage and both faction leaders. Plus you had the gimmicks at work too, like the surfing gorilla and thruster t-rex. I would even throw in Quickstrike and Silverbolt who were released at the very same tie within the Fuzors subline. And it culminated with Optimal Optimus and Depthcharge which really looked the part. That dedication between toy and screen was not as impressive with what followed in Transmetal 2 where toys like Tigerhawk looked different and gimmicks not being carried through to the screen (like the rollerblading dragon, though I do understand). Plus there were many many toys that had no onscreen counterparts. And that worsened with Beast Machines. But man, Transmetal, those toys still hold up and I honestly don't see how much better those toys would be if they were released today.
Yeah, if we are going to talk about the Masterpiece line and screen accuracy, you have to let go of all that came at the beginning. It didn't help that MP 01 Optimus Prime wasn't based on the G1 show model, and neither was Starscream, and that MP 05 Megatron was more of an homage to the G1 toy than the cartoon. But MP 10 came along and BAM, we got ourselves a gorgeous line with a unified scale that to this day keeps getting closer and closer to being as screen accurate as possible. It's not perfect, unlike the name would suggest, what with Red Alert still not getting the molding changes he deserves and Optimus not having a white crotch, plus the deal with Hot Rod's non show accurate backpack and extraneous bits. But then you have Bumblebee, Soundave, Shockwave, Ultra Magnus and Inferno who are just so striking in terms of show accuracy. Right down to the smooth surfaces devoid of sculpted detail and even stickers for Sunbow inspired Decepticon symbols in one case. It even got to the point where fans would rather the toys strive less for cartoon accuracy and go for a happy medium of detail and smooth surfaces. What that tells me is that this line is of course right at home on this list.
And here is a fun video I found. Sure, not everything it uses it official but it gives a good idea of how far we have come.
I will always be amazed at what the Animated line was able to pull off. For the fist time, we had character models created before the toys in a Transformers show and these designs had exaggerated features. They were not proportioned, with some having ultra sleek waists, bigger feet, huge chins and so on. This was a more heroic style found across the 2000's and it persists now, which can make for very dynamic animation. We know that worked for a show, but now you had to engineer toys out of them which was extra tricky since these exaggerated proportions were more present in the robot modes than the vehicle modes. But Hasbro found a way. They were able to make transforming toys which really did have those dynamic looks. That deluxe Prowl toy still fascinates me for being so sleek in both modes and yet having that elongated head and huge feet. He's an easy example to show but that goes for all toys which found a way to have animated features in robot mode that did not have vehicle kibble (like forearms and legs) while not turning them all into shellformers. Even if you don't like the designs, you have to admit that turning this into one of the most show accurate lines is quite a feat.
While Armada was naturally very toy-accurate and if you got an Armada toy just to get something that looked like what you saw on the show... well, unless you got Sideswipe, you wouldn't be terribly disappointed.
But Energon and Cybertron take it to whole new levels. The CGI models might as friggin' well just be the toys -- it gets to the extent that the models have the toy's buttons on them. The button you press on Cybertron Evac's toy to make his rotors turn? That's on his CGI model. Why is it there? What possible actual function would it serve to Evac as a character or soldier or disguise? Who the heck knows, but he has it.
Cybertron's toys are by far the most screen-accurate toys there have ever been because of how stupidly accurate to the toys Cybertron's animators were. Pretty much the only difference is in articulation for character expression (individual fingers moving, extra waist movement, that sort of thing). The Transformations were replicated too, which makes it even better!
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Hot Rod / Rodimus Transformers toys
Even though he was the autobot leader, Hot Rod/Rodimus often had the short end of the stick when it came to toys in the past. It's all due to his design that, while really cool and sleek looking, didn't have enough shared elements between both his modes. He transforms at least three different ways in the original film and, unless I am very wrong about this, it seems the entire dome of his car mode shrinks into becoming his crotch. So not an easy design to have a toy imitate. There were attempts, of course, but as time went on we definitely got some gems. His evolved form, Rodimus Prime, also had a rocky start with the G1 toy but we eventually go something better, as you will soon see.
5. Transformers The last Knight Hot Rod
Ok so this will look like the odd duck in this list, but he is still a version of Hot Rod and a pretty good toy at that. A pretty awesome toy actually. I know people will be turned off by his looks but the alt mode is gorgeous (and to me the most appropriate real life alt mode he would have if futuristic cars are not an option), the transformation is smart, especially for the arms, and he has very nice alt mode integration, reminiscent of his G1 self with the front of the sports car becoming his torso and folding vertically the same way (as opposed to it sticking out ala Datsuns). I find him really fun to mess with and I think he looks kick ass in both his modes. Easily one of the best deluxes from the Transformers: The Last Knight toyline. - William-James88
4. Power of the Prime Rodimus Prime with Hot Rod
It's first and foremost a great toy with a lot of playability options. Secondarily, it can be good display piece and offer a lot of different display options, though some are better than others.
It's nice to finally have that form of Rodimus Prime in a big, chunky toy for the first time in the "Classics" era of Transformers. It looks pretty good, all told. He really looks like a viable Autobot leader. I love the face sculpt, which conveys the increase in experience, wisdom, and confidence that Rodimus Prime cultivated during his tenure as "Prime." Much of the "super armor" to form Rodimus Prime is in a darker, more maroon leaning shade of red, contrasting the brighter "cherry red" that dominates more of his "unevolved" self in both robot and alternate modes. Again, this gives a nice sense of maturity in the evolution of the character and calls back to details from the original cartoon as well. - Wolfman Jake
He. Might be. My... FAVORITE Masterpiece yet. And I do NOT say that lightly.
Out of the box, he's in car mode. And I'm not even kidding, I just starred at it for a good 10 minutes. It's just so friggin sleek! I couldn't take my eyes off that engine block or the rear end, he looked EXACTLY like he did in the movie. I got tingles.
Transformation flows naturally and is a joy. The backpack doesn't look like anything out of the ordinary to me and neither does the chest.
What do I love? Posability is a dream. Arm cannon thingies are somehow more satisfying than MP09. Head sculpt and shades are perfect. The hood panels that become the shoulders, just fill him out and give him a real organic look.
I %^&*#$@ing LOVE this figure. And I'm almost positive I'm buying a second one just to have in car mode. - Shajaki
2. Titans Return Hot Rod
Yeah, this is a better toy than the MP, especially when you look at cost to value ratio. When I look at this toy and how compact and streamlined the transformation is, I can't help but wonder how making a sleek MP with a minimal backpack could be so hard. This toy also has a better silhouette at every angle, with his magnificent spoiler, he has his own car mode detail at the bottom of the car which doesn't look like a robot hiding, and I am much less scared of breaking him when transforming. The fact that he is a headmaster greatly helps and works in this case because of all characters, Hot Rod is the one where the alt mode's cockpit area begs for use in car mode since it totally dissapears in robot mode, like several headmasters. So its a perfect fit to have someone make use of that cockpit and add functionality to it. Plus, him being a headmaster means there is one less part to hide in vehicle mode, helping the sleek transformation and resulting robot.
I fear this is a toy that does everything so right without doing anything overly special that it may not get the spotlight it deserves and hopefully this entry cements the achievement of this toy. - William-James88
To me, this is still the Rodimus/ Hot Rod toy to beat when it comes to engineering/price point ratio and overal style. Everything is just so elegant in every mode. Everything you want from a Hot Rod toy is there and done expertly while also adding a few details that are specific to this rendition, setting him apart. The sleek alt mode even goes one step beyond the usual idea of the futuristic car by giving him back windows as well. The front wheels hide like a charm and the effect of the continuing exhaust pipes in alt mode will never grow old. Plus we have the most minimal backpack on any Hot Rod toy. He is one of the transformer toys I enjoy transforming the most and I recommend him every chance I get. - William-James88
Honourable Mention: I realize this list only has newer Hot Rod/Rodimus toys but that is because his design is so tricky (due to having minimal alt mode integration) that only more recent engineering has been able to pull it off effectively. The other way to do a good version was to totally change his alt mode, which they did in the Energon line. I have to admit, the design is pretty awesome and the alt mode is cool. I also like how the feet are front and center in vehicle mode but work perfectly as being part of the truck. He can't pose very well though and ends up having a truncated torso due to being able to form both the pants and shirt of a two part combiner. Easily the best of the Autobot Deluxes from the Energon line, but to be honest that isn't saying much.
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 Transformers Wishes Come true
Let's have some fun here and look back at toys that were once only a pipe dream to man many fans, and that somehow came true. Once you are done reading the list, let us know of other toys that you simply couldn't believe were finally happening.
This was a dream come true for many fans, but the reason it sits so low on the list is because this is a toy we didn't really know we wanted precisely (until it was out, of course). I mean sure pie in the sky a nice big Optimus with light up matrix that poses super well and transforms just like it did on the show is something any fan wanted, but you could say that about any character, Optimus just happens to be the main one. And then after that, we just got more dreams of MP releases, many of which still have yet to come 10 years later (while we are instead getting the 3rd MP Optimus). But this was the one that started it all, an awesome toy that we could have only dreamed of before.
Springer is one of the main characters of the Transformers film, a mainstay in the third season, one of the main bots in line to be a matrix bearer and the main character of one of the best Transformers stories of all time. And for 30 years, the only toy even remotely indicative of him was the G1 toy. Sure, Hasbro released other bots as "Springer" but it was always just a redeco of another bot and worse yet it was never a triple changer. He was either just a car or just a helicopter. But then the generations Thrilling 30 line came. It provided us not only a good to honest triple changer Springer, but it also gave him to us in a nice voyager scale and with design references to his appearance in The Last Stand of the Wreckers.
3. So many Shockwaves
For a long time (30 years), we just couldn't get a decent looking Shockwave figure. People thought, and it may be true, that it's because the original toy was not a Takara/Tomy product and thus there were some licensing issues at play that meant a design similar to the original may be caught up in red tape. But then we just got inundated with them. The past few years have seen Shockwave toys with robot modes much closer to the G1 character than ever before. We got G1 style Shockwaves for kids in both Cyberverse and the Cyber Battalion line, and we got 3 "gun" Shockwaves with the MP, Combiner Wars (which Bruticus can hold) and Siege. That's 6 G1 style Shockwaves in 3 years, enough to satisfy any collector or their kids at any scale.
While we waited a long time for a good Shockwave and Springer update, at least they had toys to begin with. Arcee was always a fan favourite and yet she had no toy of her G1 self for decades. But finally, in 2014, we got an Arcee figure representing her G1 self as the appeared in the film. It still feels a bit uncanny to have that toy in my collection.
Fans have wanted this ever since the surprising moment where we see that the giant killer planet Unicron, actually had a robot mode. There was a very well known attempt at such a toy in the G1 era and the prototype lingered in everyone's mind after being revealed in 1996 (10 years after the movie came out). A physical toy of what we saw could be achieved, but would be ever get it?! And then in 2003, it happened, we finally got our Unicron. Sure, it was meant for the Armada show, but the looks weren't that far off from the look of him in the movie (more accurate than that prototype anyway) and it truly was a dream come true. I still find a lot of that design to be genius all these years later, with the wings becoming the ring for instance.
As written above, the MP line provided lots of fans to start wishing for figures they could never get before. This includes a masterpiece version of toys that were mere fantasy, like Blue Bluestreak, or the reintegration of Diaclone toys into the transformers Universe, or E-Hobby exclusives or toys that were previously rarer than chicken teeth, like Artfire.
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