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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 Best Toys from Robots in Disguise 2015-2017 Line
Warrior Class Thermidor just oozes quality in every way but the literal. His vehicle mode, clearly resembling the most stylish of stylish cars - or, if you'd rather, very Batmobile-esque. His robot mode, wonderfully creative, characterful and inspired (with a side note that his head looks suitably lobstery without resorting to the weird googly-eyes-on-stalks thing that Bisk had going). His transformation, economical and highly effective, with a touch of the sublime in his genius claw conversion. All tied together with luscious blue plastic and (of all things) matte black paint that happens to feel wonderful, and you have a toy that screams pure quality in a way that you mightn't expect a mass-retail toy to deliver, let alone one from the "children's line". - Qwan
4. Battlepack Grimlock
The Robots in Disguise Warrior Grimlock came out with little fanfare. It was the same size as a deluxe, so out of scale with Bumblebee and the gang, his elbows had a breakage issue and he didn't even come with any weapon. But then Hasbro fixed all that, at a smaller scale. The Battle Pack Grimlock is similar in size to a scout figure of old. He has all the complexity of the warrior but in a smaller bot which makes him have a nice high parts count for his height. Plus they fix some of the transformation from the warrior and he no longer has the breakage problem. Also, unlike the warrior, he ends up in a nice scale with the smaller Legion bots and looks good next to the battle pack prime (who is a beast on the show). And lastly, the clear plastic weapons are perfectly fine. They give him an awesome homage to the AOE Grimlock when worn as armour and they connect to become a dino head which can plug into his arm for him to have some BW Megs action going. So all the pluses of the warrior, no downside and great accessories that give him two different homages. I call that a winner. - William-James88
This mold rocks. The alt mode is super sleek giving way to a gorgeous robot mode which takes pride in its Samurai callbacks, including some great facial hair (which Takara had the kindness to paint). I love that two sided chest panels which is a very efficient way to have new robot mode detail while using the alt mode kibble. This transformer reassures me that a simpler transformation doesn't mean lazier engineering and in fact ups the stakes. Along with the Combiner Wars figures, Hasbro and Takara have proven that there is just as much wit and originality in streamlining transformation and making these toys fun for both older fans and new young fans. Also, that Takara deco on TAV Drift is super sweet! Plus, if you like sweet decos, he also comes in his IDW deco - William-James88
Thunderhoof is all the best parts of the stellar design and engineering work that accompanied most of this year's Warrior Class Decepticon releases from Robots in Disguise. Distilled within this blue and black antlered mobster is wonderful articulation and even the occasionally hard to find alt-mode weapon storage. Of course, then there's the transformation itself, which has multiple wild steps that truly involve him folding up and over himself in a way that must be experienced to be understood. The Adventure deco is a thing of beauty, so if you can track that down for a reasonable amount it's the recommended version here. - Scotty P
I remember very well getting this toy. The entire year leading up to it (2015) was Combiner Wars and by the time this toy came out, the deluxe class toys in the generations line were literally interchangeable. You could guess how a toy would transform in the Combiner Wars line by just looking at it and getting it in hand didn't yield too much in terms of surprises. The Robots in Disguise toys were fine but also on the rather standard side (especially since it was mainly Autobots/cars being released). But then you get this phenominal toy that reminded me of those beautiful days of engineering ingenuity of that golden era right between 2008 and 2010. He didnt have any gimmicks other than the fact that he could transform. He was super sleek in both modes minimal kibble showing in either form. The robot mode was dot discernible in vehicle mode and yet they both use the same parts (inorder to be this sleek, it's a must). This really felt perfect, in the sense that you have two very different and unique looking modes with an ingenius way to get from one to the next. He even had that weapon integration I like best (being a Beast Wars kid) where the gun converts into an exhaust port for the motorcycle, disguising it too. And plus, this is a wholly new character. I love Thunderhoof but part of his appeal is the novelty aspect (which a lot of the line has and the reason for which some fans avoided it) but Fracture just feels like a new character to be used again within the brand and introduced to us in a toy engineered as perfectly as possible for the price point. Also, unlike Thunderhoof, there is no need for importing the Takara version to enjoy the toy at maximum capacity.
I do not know where this toy would place if I had made a top 10 or if he would even be on it. But I did want to talk about it here. I personally feel this was a clever and efficient design and a great toy for the line's main character with a simple yet fun transformation. it is extreamly streamlined but in the best way possible. I really liked reading an interview from the Takara engineer who came up with the transformation. You'll notice below that ever surface of the robot mode from the front has very few details from the car mode (the shins, torso, pelvis, head ect), similarly to Cybertron HotShot. However, the designer wanted to make the transformation a little more dynamic, while still keeping the parts count as Hasbro wanted. So he added the fact that you had to rotate his waste at a 180 when converting from car to robot and having the robot torso actually under the car roof instead of it being seen easily under the car. I just found that fascinating that the idea was not just to get from a car to a robot but to do it in as fun a way as possible, and how certain transformation movement do indeed feel more dynamic (like turning the waste by 180 degrees). This added a deeper appreciation of these toys and it is all thanks to this Bumblebee.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor, or a guest like this week's Optimutt. These are personal 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 Episodes of Transformers Super God Masterforce!
Following the end of the Transformers cartoon in the USA, Japan continued the line with a number of shows. The first was Headmasters, a show I did a Top 5 Episodes for, whose 38 episodes was released in 1987-1988. The second of these year-long series was Super God Masterforce, arriving in 1988-1989.
Masterforce followed the adventures of the Cybertrons, Ginrai (Powermaster Optimus Prime in the West, though they are vastly different characters) and the Headmaster Juniors (Minerva, Cab, and Shuta), as they set out to thwart Overlord his Destron army. The 42-episode run opened up a whole new world of Transformers where most of the cast were actually humans who received special bracelets that let them interact with their Transtectors (transforming vehicles that they combined with as Godmasters or Headmasters) as a kind of battle suit that maintained the human personality. The only actual Transformers in the series were 4 Cybertron (Autobot) Pretenders and 3 Destron (Decepticon) pretenders, the monstrous Black Zarak, and a lone knight named SixKnight. Brave Maximus had a pretender shell, but it was never revealed if he was just another Pretender or a human commanding his battleship Maximus. With the rich human element directly interacting and connecting with the Transformers (transtectors), it made for a very earth-oriented and human-focused story.
More information about this series can be found here.
The episodes are ranked by their originality, entertainment factor, and a measure of the human factor: heart.
Number 5.
Episode 2. Terror! The Destrons’ Manhunt - The Decepticons transform human corpses into undead "Destroids", and then attack the island nation of Karin, where the Autobots must team up with the island's prince, Cab, to save the day. Writer: Toyohiro Ando. Director: Yoshikata Nitta.
This is only the second episode into the Masterforce cartoon, and it essentially pulls out all the stops. Through the Destron’s plan to make an army of zombie soldiers, it shows that there is a whole lot of room for madcap adventures. This is a very fitting exploration considering the three initial antagonists in the show are Blood (Bomb-Burst), Dauros (Skullgrin), and Gilmer (Submarauder), all of whom have very monstrous forms. Not only do the trio launch a zombie invasion, but we learn a little about their past. It turns out that they were the first Destrons on Earth, but they were locked away in various temples by Metalhawk: of Egypt (Blood), the Nazca Lines of Peru (Dauros) and the ruin of Atlantis (Gilmer). The coolest thing about this detail is how worldly the show sets its locales.
The episode also introduces the second of the characters who would go on to become the Cybertron Headmaster Juniors: Cab. While the depiction of Cab as being the prince of the pseudo-barbaric tribe people without such worldliness as even a knowledge of soccer (football), it does create a kind of enthusiasm in the young Cab to learn all he can about the world around him. The first of the future Headmaster Juniors, Shuta, uses the latter sport to connect with the youth, and in this way, the pair are able to use their interest in the sport to jumpstart their mutual desire to stop the Destrons.
Perhaps one of the only things really preventing my enjoyment is how much the crisis that Shuta’s father faces reminds me of the Robots in Disguise cartoon that came nearly fifteen years after this. Much of the human problems that establish that short-lived but revolutionary series come beat for beat from Shuta and his father.
Number 4.
Episode 12. A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva - In an attempt to learn the secrets of the Godmasters, the Autobots capture Cancer, who develops the world's worst case of Stockholm Syndrome. Writer: Toyohiro Ando. Director: Hiroki Shibata.
In putting this together, I reread my notes and concentrated on my details regarding Stockholm Syndrome. This is legendary psychological inclination for a prisoner to see the kindness of their captor as a means of sympathizing with their plight, and often leads the prisoner to come to the conclusion that the captor might just be misunderstood, and that, indeed, there is a logical motivation for capturing them. At first, I thought the use of this was just me being smart. Turns out that it was actually the episode’s writer, Toyohiro Ando, that was smart. This tale is classic Stockholm Syndrome, right down to its core. The villainous Cancer is taken out of the battle, only to be taken prisoner by the Cybertrons. There, he has to deal with an abusive and temperamental Ginrai, Cab, and Shuta. In Minerva, however, he finds compassion and a force of support, doggedly determined to protect his basic human rights. In a Transformers cartoon whose focus is the humanity of its world, Minerva comes across as a champion of such rights.
Throughout this series, Minerva comes across as a nurse. She is a pillar of the accomplishments of heart and compassion, but she is utterly useless as a warrior. Just about every episode we see her in throughout this series, she is a physically weak, clumsy, and inadequate individual. Simply, she is totally useless on the battlefield. Luckily she is balanced out in more supporting roles as she finds herself in this episode. Another of the strong points of this episode comes in the fact that this unlikely friendship between Minerva and Cancer – the psychological connection, if you will – reverberates all throughout the series. Indeed, this will not be the last time that Cancer finds himself the center of attention on this list.
Number 3.
Episode 24. Super Ginrai Gets Blown Away in the Desert!? - Ginrai faces his greatest challenge yet when Mega and Giga reveal their true power. Writer: Toyohiro Ando. Director: Hiroki Shibata.
Ginrai was a truck driver in the USA by way of Japan. But he was also so much more: upon discovering the bracelets that allowed him to combine with his transtector truck, it opened up the doors of leadership and power. Sure, he looked exactly like Optimus Prime, but in reality, he was just a regular human whose truck had a really cool secret. It was not long before he rose through the ranks and lit their dark- ahem! Sorry. It was not long before the Cybertron forces recognized that in order to win this battle with the Destrons, they would need more power. Their solution: the Godbomber project. Before this could be completed, however, the Destrons launched a deceptive attack on the Cybertron leader.
The episode that showed this pre-emptive strike was great. Great action. Great animation. Great set-up. Great heroics. Best of all, the two main villains, the husband / wife team of Lord Giga and Lady Mega, finally reveal their battle armor. Thus decked out, they combine with a tank / jet transtector of their own that can combine into the mighty Overlord. This is the first time the audience sees this mighty Destron force, and he shines so brightly that he nearly eclipses Ginrai’s light. It is a very welcome introduction to the potential that Giga and Mega previously hinted at. Moreover, it gives a real glimpse of just how much trouble the Cybertrons were up against, a detail that fully justified their efforts to create the Godbomber upgrade for Ginrai.
Number 2.
Episode 31. Appearance!! The Final Godmaster - The final Godmaster Transtector turns up in possession of a young man named Clouder. But this particular Godmaster has a special ability which could spell the downfall of the Autobots. Writer: Yoshihisa Araki. Director: Michihiro Kanayama.
Talk about potential! When the final Godmaster appears, he turns out to be a youngish adult (early 20s, maybe) with excellent tech skills, possession of his own rocket vehicle, and good hacking skills. The skeevy, creepy individual has already discovered his bracelets and has decided to use his newfound abilities to set his own plans in action. This, ladies and gentlemen, is Clouder, the opportunist.
What follows is a story that follows his approach of the Destrons, a sudden trial by fire, manipulation of Minerva’s good heart, a de facto attack on a cruise liner, and Clouder as a major schemer. He schemes so well that when the Autobots take him back to their headquarters, the audience just knows that the Cybertrons have just put their hands in the proverbial lion’s mouth, all while thinking they have brought a noble sheep back home with them. This episode has just about everything that one would want from a late-game character. As a bonus, we are finally treated to Overlord’s base mode, which the episode shows off in all its toy-selling glory.
Number 1.
Episode 37. “God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base” - When Shūta and Clouder are captured while attempting to infiltrate the Decepticon base and used as bait to lure Ginrai into a trap, things look grim for the Autobots... until help comes from a most unexpected source! Writer: Hiroyuki Hoshiyama. Director: Michihiro Kanayama.
This episode is all about depth. Though this can be seen as the depths of the ocean, it can also be looked at from the depths of characters. Clouder finally makes peace with the mistake that he made earlier, which resulted in the destruction of the Cybertron base. While neither Shuta nor Ginrai offer much in the way of character development, the seeds of Cancer’s dissatisfaction with the Destron cause finally bear fruit. Thanks to his aid, the Shuta is able to effect his escape.
This is probably the best episode because while it does have some great action scenes, the action is not the whole focus of the episode. This is the moment where not one, but two characters make a very vivid show of individualism, and in doing so, complete an arc that has long been coming. While Overlord and his Destron forces doubtless felt betrayal from Cancer, the audience is more likely to celebrate his liberation from deception and poor life choices.
There you have it! Do you agree? Do you disagree? What are your favorite Masterforce episodes?
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are personal 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 Beast Era Characters we Want to See in the Transformers Generations Toyline
Hasbro seems to favour G1 characters for their Generations line and that's fine for now (as long as we get good toys, I am happy). But another major element to the brand is the Beast Era (from the second half of the 90s) which revamped the brand and is a big reason why Transformers has continued while other great 80s toylines are long gone. It is great to see characters like Optimus Primal getting a new toy in the Generations line but others would be fun too. So here is a list of the characters fans and I would love to be able to purchase when they are released in the Generations line. And just like with the list of G1 characters we wanted, the idea here is that the molds are made with these specific characters in mind.
And if Hasbro is reading this, the order is ARBITRARY. I want to one day see all of these, do whichever one you want first, I won't mind.
5. Tigerhawk
When you look at Beast Wars toy that could be better, and more show accurate, you usually end up looking at season 1. Toys for characters from Seasons 2 and 3 for the most part have great show accuracy. But then you get to Tigerhawk and it all falls apart. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to love about the original (and so far only) Tigerhawk toy, but it leaves a lot to be desired, especially if what you want is show accuracy. While the toy has an organic tiger head rather than a more robotic one (ala Transmetal Cheetor), the super weird part is that metallic blue hawk head you can use as a mask. It can recede but not hide away. Plus you get the odd right hand in robot mode with these molded on guns and the articulation is limited by all the mass surrounding the main body. I could also do with a better (coloured) head sculpt. There are just a lot of small changes that could be made to make make the toy even more awesome and show accurate.
- William-James88
4. Transtech Depthcharge
I was very late to the game on seeing those Transtech designs. And for the most part, I was ok with Hasbro moving on. Granted, I would have loved to follow the story and characters, but I wasn't in love with the designs. Too busy (and an odd foreshadowing of the busy designs we would see in the movies). But one I did immediately fall in love with was Depthcharge. The original Depthcharge toy is great and I don't really need another, especially since I know it probably would not retain the gimmicks which I find quite fun and crucial to show accuracy. But I would like to see this character on shelves again and reintroducing him in the War for Cybertron line as a submarine Transformer would be awesome. And come on, who doesn't want a submarine transformer?!
- William-James88
3. Thrust
When I wrote about wanting to seen Neo-G1 toys for Blackout and Sideways, I mentioned that the opportunity to make Neo-G1 toys were very present. That is the case with Beast Machines Thrust. Motorbike alt modes aren't incredibly rare, so it could be relatively easily done at any time. There is even a Digibash of BM Thrust using a mistransformed Groove mold- and it looks awesome!
Thrust got some love with the TFCC Thrusinator (which was an awesome idea). We already got an awesome Generations Waspinator. Let's get his Beast Machines self in there, too! Fans would love it! I'm ready. - Decepticon Finishline
2. BW/BM Silverbolt
One of the most beloved characters from the show, it would be great to get more toys of him on the shelves, in either of his designs. Personally, as I previously stated in a now almost obsolete list, I would very much want to get a decent toy of his Beast Machines design. Hasbro can even feel free to rework the alt mode as long as he doesn't end up as a partsformer with his head between his legs.
- William-James88
1. Terrorsaur
While I am very fond of the original toy as a toy, I never found him to be a good representation of the character. He is far too small and does not really look like Terrorsaur. So he is definitely long overdue. I am beyond curious to see what Hasbro and Takara would come up with as either a reinvention of the design paying homage or something closer to the screen (maybe in robot mode, with a major change for alt mode, who knows). Of course, my ideal version would be something that looks like the show in both modes but that's just because I lack imagination. All I know is that I have always wanted a better representation of Megatron's second in command (that's what Terrorsaur was right?) than the Beast Wars basic toy we got loooooong ago.
- William-James88
Honourable Mention: Beast Wars Megatron
I will never say no to a Beast Wars Megatron (as long as it's not just a random repaint for the hell of it ala POTP Cindersaur), but aside from the major breakage issue of the Transmetal toy, this is a character that has had plenty of great toys in the past with a jaw dropping Masterpiece on the way. So while I am sure no one would mind finding more BW Megs goodness on shelves, I don't consider him as high a priority as the others I mentioned above.
The hype, if you are to believe the various parts of the internet where the Transformers fandom gathers, is real. Twitter is abuzz, discussion boards are mostly positive - which is a welcome change from the regular Michael Bay / Paramount inspired conversations - Instagram is screenshotting the trailer like there will be no movie, and people within the franchise are also fawning over The Sweet Boy. And rightly so.
With that general context in mind, then, why not join me in speculating about the reasons why this last but first venture (if you are to believe the Paramount direction) outside of the currently beaten path for the Transformers live action movie universe, may in fact be its most successful as a media franchise - in 5 bullet points. But first, take a look at the trailer with us again.
5. The timing.
The initial news of a shift in the release date for the movie did not fill us with confidence about this Transformers spin-off endeavour from Paramount, but moving it away from a Star Wars opening was a good move after all, it would seem. That said, there will be competition with other December 2018 openings, such as both Marvel animated Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and WB / DC's Aquaman, followed by the Mary Poppins sequel the following week.
But the best part about the new timing? The marketing campaign cycle and product shelf date will be hitting - allegedly - late October / early November, meaning that the major gift holidays will be included squarely into the product releases, and all leading up to Christmas for that extra oomph in both movie and toy sales. Plus, there's a new Movie Masterpiece figure supposed to be hitting the sweet spot too.
4. The licensing
We've been seeing a lot of buzz about toys and products that will be linked or related to the movie, outside of the regular Studio Series and more simplified toylines that will undoubtedly accompany it (and which once again Paramount and Hasbro are keeping under wraps other than peculiar listings and vague names). The latest, in fact, finally featuring the new movie design for Bumblebee himself, were revealed earlier. What is new, again, and exciting, is that licensing this time round also brings back in accompaying literature.
From both the graphic novel and the comics side of things, we get some book tie-ins to the movie that hasn't been seen for a long while in the Paramount universe, to avoid spoilers and leaks getting out there during Michael Bay's tenancy, or so we were told. This also comes at a fortuitous time, as the current IDW Transformers comics will have ended their stories a whole two months prior, and having something to fill that absence - no matter its shape - might prove more of a boost than expected.
3. The director (and crew).
Travis Knight is known, sure, but not necessarily that visible a director for the action-movie genre and canons. As CEO and President of LAIKA studios, he's established his presence as an emotional, careful, and detail-oriented children's movies - with a streak towards the darker comedy for adults watching the same movie with their kids. We're talking lead animator on Coraline (a kids' horror to remember, based on Neil Gaiman's chilling tale), ParaNorman (a zombie comedy, with the first openly gay character in children's animation), and The BoxTrolls.
But it's his directorial debut behind Kubo and the Two Strings that fills me with confidence here, along with the presence of the same sound editors Aadahl and Van Der Ryn and composer Dario Marianelli, and writer Christina Hodson, completely switching gears from the Paramount movies so far. We're expecting an emotional, Iron Giant-esque, string-tugger of an experience, and I'm all here for it.
2. The cast
Mind you, you may not know who some of the people involved are - and that may work either way depending on your demographic: older Transformers aficionados may be very familiar with the likes of WWE pro wrestler John Cena and Canadian comedian and actor Martin Short, while younger fans will be totally in the know about actor and comedian Jorge Lendeborg Jr, singer and Nickelodeon actress Rachel Crow, super young Jason Drucker, and of course, sensational Hailee Steinfeld.
And the cast themselves are extremely good at self promotion and image curation - be it from wrestling careers or multi-media spanning appearances and talents - being directly involved in fan interaction and with some seriously impressive followings on social media platforms. Look at it this way: we've had very very little information from the actual marketing team for the movie until now, but Steinfeld's Instagram updates alone have cranked up the hype - and I still haven't mentioned the presence of Starscream.
1. The Nostalgia Goggles
This was clever, extremely so. If The Toys That Made Us documentary's success - and the response to the likes of Visionaries in comics, and Thundercats Roar! in animation - has shown us anything, is that the 80s are still holding a tight grip on current media-consuming general audiences. Specifically for Transformers, the 80s is held in high regard by the adult collector and fan demographic, but is also still the source of the primary material in the franchise.
What Bumblebee does in particular is straddle those two currents: we get the style, the world, the pop media and culture of the time, from clothing to music to what we think we remember from that time - and does so in the modern, media-savvy and social media aware context of part of its target audience. Expect more than just rickrolling jokes, Motorhead t-shirts, and hints and references to the Bayverse for those who still like the franchise despite everything. The adventure is just only starting - again.*
---
*There is a legitimate concern playing against these final points, that have to do with the Transformers brand specifically, which is an over-reliance, yet again, on the G1 elements (visual, style, story, icons) in favour of anything new narratively. But, with the confirmation that now 11 year old Bayverse is worthy of Easter Eggs from the crew, with the possible Starscream vs Bumblebee dynamic reminiscent of Transformers: Animated, the initial critical reaction to initial footage, the vacuum left by the end of the current, more emotion-oriented IDW comics stories, and the fact that is might be the new benchmark for the future of the media development of the brand, there's enough for now to at least be cautiously optimistic!
What do you think? Does the trailer confirm or dispel your doubts? Will you be watching the movie as it comes out in December? Are you done with the Paramount series? Let us know about this and more, in our Energon Pub discussion boards!
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor, or a guest like this week's DecepticonFinishline. These are personal 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 Multiverse Characters We Want to See in the Generations Line
This list continues our theme of toys we would like to see in the generations line, you can find the previous list here.
Multiverse Transformers Characters: It’s hard to define exactly what we’re going for here. I was inspired by figures like Reveal the Shield Lugnut, Revenge of the Fallen Lockdown and Animated Blackout. We were going to exclude G1 characters (because you can’t be “NEO”-G1 if you’re already G1); then we weren’t sure because the original G1 continuity includes Beast Wars/Beast Machines, and I kinda wanted to put Beast Machines Thrust on the list. But including BW/BM on the list mucks it up even more. SO. We decided on characters that appear in universes apart from the original G1 continuity. -Basically, anything except 1980s-G1-Cartoon, Beast Wars, and Beast Machines.
5. Robots in Disguise (2015) Thunderhoof
RiD (2015): The sequel series to my favorite Transformers cartoon (Transformers Prime). When the designs started to show up, I was a bit disappointed- but I understood. It took the Aligned Continuity and altered to appeal to a younger audience. I was going to skip on the whole line, but then I watched a video review for Thunderhoof
What a COOL FREAKING toy! There were a ton of cool Decepticons. Many of which didn’t even get the toy that they deserved (*cough cough but-actually-speaks-loudly-and-clearly* SABERHORN AND GLOWSTRIKE cough*). Thunderhoof stands above the rest, though. Not only for having a satisfying transformation, but because of his altmode. The fact that there hasn’t been a tractor Transformer to this point is absolutely daft. I’d even love to see him in the make-everyone-a-combiner craze. I’ll give you his team later in the list.
4. Armada Sideways
Armada Sideways is kinda like the Darkrai or Beelzemon of Transformers: Super overrated and edgy, but still objectively kinda cool. There have been some unique opportunities, recently, to bring Sideways into the Neo-G1 fold, too.
In Transformers Armada, he operates similar to a Headmaster. We could have gotten a Special Edition (similar to the likes of Arcee/Grotusque) that uses the Groove mold with a remolded chest capable of Titan Masters. AND he would have come with two Titan Masters. Motorbike alt modes aren’t SUPER rare, and there have been some decent opportunities to introduce this important character to the greater part of the Transformers multiverse. I love the Cybertron version of Sideways, as well; while I would settle for
3. Armada Demolisher
There are a lot of Armada characters that I’d love to see in the Neo-G1 fold. ESPECIALLY characters that have specific-full minicon teams attached to them. For example: I’d love to see Armada Jetfire as a Voyager combiner with Comettor and the Space Mini-con team as the gestalt named Requiem. Same with Starscream and the Race Mini-cons as the gestalt Skyboom.
Something similar could have happened with Demolisher. There is a mockup that exists with Demolisher’s head on the Onslaught mold. While the idea of Deluxe-limb-versions of Wreckage and Knockout excite me a little bit more than Demolisher-with-an-Onslaught-body, I would love to see Demolisher crossover into Neo-G1 toys. I would just prefer to see him in an alt-mode a little more true to his strange-and-stubby Armada-proportions.
2. Movie Blackout
This character is one the characters that inspired this list to start with. Blackout, a movie character, crossed over into Transformers Animated fiction AND managed to get a toy out of the deal. How. Freaking. Cool. Is. That?
Blackout is the (second-)most iconic Decepticon in the whole movieverse. Fans love seeing new Blackout toys because his altmode is badass. The craziest part of this is that it could have been done relatively easily already. Let me explain: The most underutilized and underrated mold of the last ten years is the Reveal the Shield Lugnut mold. Not only could you replace the arms and shoulders to make a Neo-G1 Blackout, but that Blackout remold could have been taken to make a Movie(2007-Videogame)+Animated+G1-inspired version of Shockwave. Instead, the Lugnut mold was used once.
I’d love to see all three of the aforementioned characters as remolds of each other in a Voyager-combiner form (could you tell that I like combiners?). Shockwave w/ Deluxe Insecticon limbs; Lugnut w/ Lockdown, Thunderhoof, Oil Slick and Knock Out; and, most importantly, Blackout w/ Barricade, Stinger, Stockade and fourth member. (Or maybe Barricade + the Dreads? Definitely Barricade, though.)
Or just a new, non-combiner, badass assault helicopter. Whatever. I just want a Generations Blackout.
1. Knock Out
I mentioned on this list, already, that Transformers Prime is my favorite of the cartoons. A lot of the characters DO already of G1 counterparts. And, there IS a G1 toy with the name “Knockout;” one word. But, he’s no Knock Out, so who cares.
While, if I had met someone like Knock Out in real life, I would straight-up hate that person, something about the character in Transformers Prime is still relatable. I know that he has been appearing in some of the comics recently. You’ll notice exactly zero Comic-characters on my list. I have nothing against the comics, but I just don’t know anything about them. So I don’t really understand Knock Out’s role in the comics in relation to being Neo-G1.
What I do know is that his TFPrime incarnation is not quite close enough to the G1 aesthetic for me consider it Neo-G1. It’s close. Just not quite there. That is the main reason Knock Out is here as my number 1. It would be an easy transition to Neo-G1; he has a role in the comics; he is a fan-favorite; he isn’t directly battling any existing G1 character for naming rights.
Honorable Mention: Bulkhead:
You’ll notice my whole list is Decepticons. And a lot of the characters on my list have requests built-in for even more Decepticons. That is because a lot of “Multiverse” characters re-use G1 character names. Which is a result of TOO MANY DAMN AUTOBOTS. However, Prime/Animated Bulkhead is worthy of a Neo-G1 incarnation. He was a main player in Animated AND Transformers Prime. He is also (obviously) the inspiration for the movie version of Hound. It took me a while to warm up to his character. But I have, now, and I want to see a Generations release of this character. He has earned it.
The Toys That Made Us - the Netflix original documentary series focusing on 80s toys and franchises - aired its second tranche of episodes on the streaming service on Friday 25th May, and several fans and collectors tuned in to check out the Transformers specific episode (two years in the waiting, after all) but also the Star Trek, Lego, and Hello Kitty episodes that accompanied it.
As such, we sat some of the staff down and had a chat about what we thought about the way our favourite transforming robots were treated, and how it lived up or not to our expectations! Read along below to find out more, and join the discussion with your own thoughts in the thread on the Energon Pub discussion boards!
Introducing: the participants
Va'al - I have watched entire series out of interest, and in anticipation for the Transformers episode in particular, of course, so I can also see and compare this episode in the frame of the whole documentary. People who know me are aware of my stance and position towards toys, in that I don't really collect them but am fairly invested in the fiction surrounding the characters - but have gone through the motions as a kid who grew up in the 1990s, so Beast Wars and what followed were definitely a thing until the toy buying died down!
william-james88 - This was the first episode I watched of the series so far and I thought it was an excellent look at the toy brand and the best piece yet relating its history. Transformers are my very favourite toys, always have been, ever since I was 8 and discovered Beast Wars toys. I have been buying figures here and there ever since and went deep down the rabbit hole in 2014 where I have yet to emerge. I love all transforming toys, so I collect a few more franchises as well (e.g. Power Rangers, Voltron, Japanese 70s Super Robots) but my favourites are still Transformers, simply due to the Takara workmanship, which I was very happy this episode highlighted.
Qwan - I don't have Netflix myself, so this episode (when I managed to bum a friend's account) was my first chance to watch the show. Bearing that in mind, I don't have anything to compare this episode to in the show's broad scope, but hopefully I at least have enough perspective on the Transformers franchise to judge it in that way. I've been into Transformers since Cybertron (I was only 6 when it caught my interest!), and though I care most about the toys, it's the fiction and characters that keep always me wanting to buy more. I collect a bunch of other stuff too - Gunpla, Bionicle, other Lego mechs, basically anything with big robots; and then anything else with characters that catch my interest - but in the end it's always been Transformers that stands out as the one that matters most.
Cobotron - Being born in 1975 put me right at prime demographic for every toy brand this series has covered. And boy did I play with a lot of if not all of these toys! So needless to say the entire series not only hits my nostalgia button, but also covers a subject that is still near and dear to me 42 years later. I've been playing with and collecting Transformers since even before 1984, as I had friends with Diaclone toys. My love for Japanese robots grew from playing with my older brother's Micronauts, and Shogun Warriors, but really found it's focus with Transformers. To this day I still have my childhood collections, and/or actively collect not just Transformers, but Star Wars, GI Joe, MASK, Lego, and more. Transformers makes up a majority of my collection, but first and for most I consider myself a toy collector, and specifically a collector of these very toys that made us.
D-Maximal_Primal - This is a show I have been interested in watching, but this was the first chance I have gotten to see an episode, thanks to my girlfriend's Netflix account. My journey with Transformers began with the 2007 movie, and I got my first toy on Christmas eve of that year, which was movie 1 voyager Megatron. I started collecting a bit more around Revenge of the Fallen, and my collecting really took off in 2013 after I started college. I am 23 now, and still vastly enjoy the brand all the different aspects of it. I also enjoy the Marvel Universe, particularly Iron Man, Gundam, and Voltron.
With the backgrounds set out and the cards on the table, let's dive in!
What did you enjoy the most?
C - Every episode in the series has offered something interesting about each brand they've featured. With the Transformers episode I was delighted to gain more insight into the early days and the designers at Takara. In fact, Transformers humble Japanese beginnings is probably one of my favorite aspects of the brand. While this history is not new to me, I'm so happy they focused a lot of this episodes on the prehistory of Transformers, because now there is this nice, comprehensive source, wrapped in a fun to ingest package, that sums up their origins for even the newest collector to learn about how it all began.
D - ...seeing all the old Takara stuff was so neat and also incredibly informative to see where Transformers came from, what all Takara did, what Hasbro did without them for a bit, and then how things have progressed since. It is especially interesting to see how the toys changed from being good guys to bad guys and viceversa between the original Microman/Diaclone and the Transformers versions.
WJ - I agree, my favourite part of this episode was how we spent a lot of time with Takara. I liked how humble everyone was and how these men were just glad to know that what they created brought joy to children and keeps doing so as the brand evolves and grows. I also loved learning of Takara's reaction to Hasbro's take on their product, which was something I had oddly never considered.
V - Yeah, I think that was the most enjoyable part of the episode, mostly also due to the tone of the entire series: the switching between different speakers to gauge the reactions and reception of the brand initially - the history is a well known mismatched one in the fandom, and the editing of Takara vs Hasbro, toy vs marketing, with the almost flippant narration, was entertaining (though I know this is not the widespread reaction to the series).
Q - That mismatched history stood out for me. I thought it was great seeing the process leading up to the brand's creation and introduction to the Western market. All too often the background of Transformers is given as "GI Joe then Microman and then Transformers happened" with about that much detail, so I loved how much time was dedicated to seeing exactly how this brand we all adore came about, from early cultural and media influences through to actual licensing.
What do you think was missing?
Q - Since I'm a little baby boy who missed out on the whole G1 and Beast Wars scenes, I would've really liked to see even a bit of screentime dedicated to the post-BW pre-Movie stuff; Car Robots, Unicron Trilogy, Animated, anything like that. Heck, even Beast Wars got the shaft a bit in terms of its importance. Things still happened between 1996 and 2007, guys! (I also sorely felt the lack of any G2 raps: easily the most artful creations to ever come out of the brand.)
D - Yeah, I really missed seeing more of the toyline past G1 though. As a big Animated fan, movie fan, and now a Beast Wars fan, I missed seeing more of those guys, and seeing some of the newer toy designs that came from the original 80s toys. Other than that bit of oversight, I really enjoyed the episode!
C - I do wish they had spent a little more time covering the post Beast Wars era toy lines. They had Aaron Archer as an interviewee, but really just dusted over the huge contribution he (and his team) made to the brand. The Archer led era of Transformers was an important time that produced some of the toys that are to this day among my very favorites.
V - I mean, the series is dedicated to the 80s, of course, so we knew all of the toys some of us grew up with were going to be only briefly featured from the start - but for me the Italian perspective on the brand, with the GIG licensing, naming, and branding situation, essentially the creation question about the Transformers (or Trasformers on my side) would've been fun to see explored too! (That, and some issues with framing the Japanese perspective from a production point of view.)
WJ - On that last point: Since we do spend a lot of time on the Japanese side of things, with the creators and designers, I would have really liked to have the option of their speech subtitled rather than dubbed. This brand is so deeply rooted in Japan that it would have been nice to have this episode fully embrace this idea of two worlds and give us two different languages at least. Also, while the episode looks great and seems to have a budget on par with any other documentary, that intro feels like it comes from Newgrounds circa 2001 and feels off compared to the rest of the episode which has a rather decent quality.
What is one new thing you learned?
D - I only know a little bit about Diaclone, So almost the entire first half of the episode was a history lesson I really knew nothing about, so that was really cool! I enjoyed seeing the ideas form and change over time, and it was awesome to get all that history and pre-history of the brand.
V - Similar for me! The original GI Joe connection was one I was not entirely aware of - the shared Hasbro Universe everyone has been griping about at IDW goes way back further than I thought, and I'll admit I had a little 'ha!' moment about that. Oh, and the wooden toy prototypes were pretty cool.
WJ - Yeah, I really liked seeing the early process as to how Transformers (Microchange and Diaclone toys) were first designed, in wood. We are used to seeing grey prototypes but seeing prototypes in wood just shows me how limited toy technology once was and how amazing it is that we got such complex toys back in the day. Also, as a Jim Shooter fan, it was really cool to learn that he came up with the story of the Autobots vs Decepticons.
Q - Shooter yes, but also it was really interesting to hear how Budiansky ended up writing for the original Transformers; I never really stopped to think about how he got the job, only that he did it (and did it well). I've always loved behind-the-scenes stories, so learning more about how the very original TF fiction was created was fascinating to me!
C - I'll stand out on this one: I was surprised to learn that after Transformers: the Movie, Takara stepped out of the picture completely. I thought for sure the "Masters" eras of the brand were still created in tandem with Takara. In fact I've always thought that the likes of the Head Masters were so awesomely silly and original that they had to have come from the Japanese designers. I would have liked to learn more about the design process during this time frame.
What was your personal highlight from the episode?
WJ - The highlight is everyone they got to interview, including seeing our own site owner Seibertron being rather eloquent, with a contagious enthusiasm for the brand. You did us proud buddy! Oh and probably the major highlight was seeing all those gorgeous Diaclone toys. I was watering at the mouth watching those beauties transform onscreen, what gorgeous toys.
Q - Yes, seeing Bossbot represent us so well was great! That aside since it's almost cheating to pick it, I thought the moment at the end with Yoke's Perceptor was incredibly sweet and a heartwarming note to end on. (More lightly, I got a good chuckle out of the observation that even whoever was in charge of the Transformers displayed in the episode couldn't get MPM Optimus' truck mode to cooperate either!)
C - I think the biggest highlight for me was the interviews and insight into the original Takara team. Especially Yoke-san! That moment where he started to get emotional showing off the Perceptor that Hasbro had given him kicked me right in the tear ducts too. Everything I love about all Takara toys, not just Transformers, can be linked to him. And, he seems to just be such a nice and kind person, not to mention a design genius. I'd like to thank Yoke-san for giving me and so many others the fuel we needed to drive our imaginations to the farthest reaches and back, for all these many years.
V - I really want to say something else other than seeing Ryan / Seibertron on screen, as you all did. I do. So I'll go with Bob Budiansky's entertainingly dry humour, and Hideaki Yoke calling Bumblebee 'a sweet boy'.
D - The whole naming and personality part from Budiansky himself, and how it took so long to get to him and how fast he put everything together. "High Beam" huh? Guess the person who vetoed that name wasn't around when Erector came out! But really though, seeing the toys take on their personalities that have helped endear them to all of us was really awesome, and it's amazing how fast it was all done too.
All in all, we thought this was an great look at the franchise, covering the early major beats and giving us our best and most accessible version yet at the story behind these magnificent toys - it's a fantastic primer about this huge universe and the wonderful people that made it happen, even with the sometimes goofy, forced humour (to some).
Oh, and one last thing from Cobotron, before we hand the thoughts over to the rest of the community:
I watched the episode twice. The first time I was at work, and while I was looking down at my work I heard a very familiar voice. It was a true delight to look up and see the old Bossbot himself, Seibertron. It's so great that such an important and long time contributor to the fandom got recognized in such a wonderful way. You deserve the acknowledgement Ryan. Thanks for giving us Transformers nerds a place to hang out and be ourselves!
The Toys That Made Us is now streaming on Netflix, with all 8 episodes available.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are personal 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 G1 Characters we Want to See in Upcoming Generations War for Cybertron Trilogy Toylines
Hasbro says in interviews that they read these sites, especially for clues on what fans want next. So I compiled a very short list of what me and most of the fan community want to see on shelves at some point in this new trilogy. Just in case it needs to be said again, here are what I feel should be released sooner rather than later, and could fill some prized spots in our collections.
Let me know which other toys you would like to see released in the new Generations Trilogy Hasbro is concocting. I have another list for Beast Era toys coming up so for right now let's concentrate on the G1 side of things.
5. Leader Deathsaurus
Titans Return gave many fans a chance to finally own Overlord, a fan favourite character and an homage to a G1 toy many could only have dreamt of having. Deathsaurus is basically that again. And we know Hasbro is aware of this guy's popularity with his inclusion in the Power of the Primes fan vote (but under a mysterious moniker?????). Anyways, the point remains that as Hasbro covers more G1, they are bound to get to a decent representation of this character. And the fun thing is that the beast mode is such an odd design that this is a case where most fans would not be as upset with a reinterpretation, or a modernized look, being closer to a dragon than a giant chicken. We all love dragons, no?
Also, while I am not such a fan of repaints, a more western dragon-like Deathsaurus mold done right could harbor tons of repaints/retools fans could want from Beast Wars TMII Megatron to a "Generations" version of Prime Predaking. Of course, that's as long as Deatsaurus is the character initially in mind and not just the redeco. We got that before and it sucks.
4. Voyager Snap Dragon/ Ape Face
While not the most iconic toys or characters from the G1 era, they were very unique in being triple changer headmasters, with the headmasters serving double duty. The look of the original toys do suffer from having so much to do so everyone would love to see what modern day engineering could accomplish. And what pains me incredibly about these two, and why their absence in the Generations line is more felt now than ever before, is that the Titans Return Generations subline has all voyagers (the perfect class for Snap Dragon and Ape Face) be triple changing Head Masters. The line up included included a bunch of characters that were either never head masters or triple changers (or both) in the past, but it didn't have either Snap Dragon or Ape Face. I mean...
3. Voyager Shockwave
While a new voyager Soundwave would also be welcomed, a decently sized G1 Shockwave is long overdue. It is so weird that for such an iconic character, several of his toys have been too small (Combiner Wars legends, FOC deluxe). Fans, and I included, have to reply on odd placeholders like the Prime rendition, or the Cloud version, or even the Cyber Battalion toy, which has a perfect looking robot mode but remains a toy intended for a very young audience. He is just such an obvious gaping hole, especially in this scale and a series based on Cybertronian designs would be the perfect place to finally release him.
2. Titan Omega Supreme
Speaking of Cybertronian designs, we now come to Omega Supreme. He is one of the characters I want to see most for the simple reason that I am extremely curious as to what Takara and Hasbro would do with him. Unlike most Transformers toy, this initial toy is from another line and thus has a very different play pattern (100% partsforming) so I would like to see how this could be improved upon. I personally thought the Energon design was a smart way to reinvent him an since that has been done I think we are ready (more than ready) for something more than an homage to the original but the original truly reborn within the Transformers line proper (by Transformers designers) ready for both old school and new fans alike.
1. Ratchet/Ironhide
It sounds so obvious but for some reason we just keep getting shafted. Ratchet and Ironhide are some of the main representatives of the Transformers brand. In any medium, at any time, we have gotten one or the other, whenever there was a hint at an homage to G1. But believe it or not, when it comes to these characters in their G1 styles, we basically have the Masterpiece toys and nothing else decent. And that masterpiece toy is awesome, but we still need something in a Generations collection, something anyone can own. And not a redeco of a previous toy (like in Combiner Wars), these will already be redecos of each other, make a toy for them. I mean there was such a void in a decent Ratchet/Ironhide toy design that its one of the only designs the Forged to Fight team had to build on their own, amidst all their other toy based designs.
Honourable Mention: Scorponok, because I don't want to receive death threats. I mean, these are all priorities but the longer I make a list, the lesser the impact of the characters mentioned. These are all a must to me, and Scorponok is as well but I feel we have pretty good representations of him, which includes his G1 toy. That is one toy I think holds up better than most other toys from that era.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are personal 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.
Ranking All Wave 1 Figures From Transformers Studio Series
The Studio Series is a new initiative from Hasbro to give us a Generations Type line for characters from the live action Transformers films. It definitely had more coverage and attention than previous lines, especially with the angle that this would be more collector oriented (similar to Star Wars Black Series or Marvel Legends), along with being sold at a more premium MSRP. So, with wave 1 well in hand and wave 2 most probably dropping next month, I thought it would be a great time to look at what the line provided so far in comparison to what we were hoping for, by ranking every entry from wave 1 available at wide retail. A tiny detour from our usual top 5 lists but hopefully you still enjoy it.
8. Bumblebee
This toy is your mileage can vary kind, but that includes the possibility for this toy to suck more than any Transformers toy of the past 10 years (at least). I honestly can't remember a Transformers toy which fell apart this easily. Nothing breaks, things just fall apart. The roof simply wont stay on with clear plastic hinges looking warped. Mine came with the back piece floating loose in the box! I also find the feet have a clearance issue during transformation, as do the wings and front wheel wells in robot mode. But these are all just minor issues compared to the massive f** up of the back piece (which has clear signs of a being manufactured to have a pin). I totally understand why it was literally destroyed by some toy reviewers.
7. Ratchet
This toy is just meh. I was fascinated at either how much the fanbase had rejuvenated or how short the memory span was, because it seems people don't remember the Dark of the Moon toy. This is basically that same toy with all new molding, which doesn't feel new. But the general look and transformation is about the same, but worse (you can see the comparisons below). He has the worse deco of the wave 1 toys so far, very bland, just a sea of unpainted chartreuse coloured plastic. But the biggest grievance is the back. He has a major butt flap problem. It's the whole roof cage of his car just hanging off his ass ... and it looks like ass. They could have made the cage removable and turn it into a weapon, give us some more folding options, but no, they just leave it there. For a line that promotes brand new molds, and the best version yet of the onscreen character, this toy is very disappointing.
6. Crowbar
These next three are essentially as good/bad but each for different reasons. But when you look at the pros and cons, Crowbar, Optimus and Stinger end up at about the same place, so the order is almost arbitrary with Crowbar being the less original of the three. Regardless, Crowbar is the best dread we have ever gotten. However those dreads of his become his downfall in vehicle mode with them having no place to go giving him a real bad case of hemorrhoids. And the transformation isn't all that fun, since he is a major shell former, but the shell does tuck in nicely and I do give Hasbro props for fixing the issue of falling panels which they had with his partial tool partner Berserker. Plus he has a pretty awesome head sculpt!
5. Optimus Prime
This freaking toy !!!! The designers had such odd priorities. He is very complex and yet both modes don't look all that great for all the effort put in. Like there is a big effort put into a screen accurate chest and torso section but the use of fake kibble gives these off putting black lines dead center. Plus you get these odd parts on his side to hide the truck front, which feels like a big sacrifices just to have more screen accurate calves.
It still is so weird that the character which seems to be the most problematic is the one whose character model has a bunch of alt mode showing. There is also little effort is made to diminish the backpack and the feet have no effort in hiding in vehicle mode. And lastly there is both the size and colour which regardless of whatever to wiki bio or movie screenshot you show me, look really off.
He still has a fun transformation and what could be considered a premium style deco but I don't think the result for either mode is good and in a line where its all about getting definitive versions of the characters we see on screen, this might be the biggest fail.
4. Stinger
Of all the deluxes, Stinger is the only one which felt really new, and transformers by him the first time felt like breathing in that fresh country air after before no too long in the city. But as we all know, that country air usually has a hint of manure, and Stinger is far from better my flawless. I love the transformation and that alt mode is sublime, but they could have handled that car kibble better. The car roof hanging off his arm does not look like a gun and it reminds me more of an RID brother or Cybertron Crosswise. Those are of course fun and unique toys with awesomeness me alt modes, and Stinger gets the same accolade as a toy. But as a representation of the on screen model, he falls a bit short. Still, major props for that superb Pagani alt mode!
3. Blackout
I like Blackout more than I think I should. It turns out every issue I thought I would have with him did not turn out to be deal breakers, far from that. However, other issues I would nt have thought of creeped up. Judging from early images of his feet, I thought it would be a simple transformation with little do do, especially with the feet. Boy was I wrong. It turns out that to avoid this toy from being a shell former, lots of panels end up being neatly flipped or turned, hiding them under the feet. It becomes probably my favourite part of the figure. I think both modes look great and while I feared for a small looking bot mode, he still feels massive to me. Especially when transforming him. He does have a few flaws though. While not being the panel nightmare of ROTF Jetfire (or Death Star Vader), there is a definite issue with the panels. I have never been able to connect everything seamlessly. Also, the hand orientation is just odd and gives the impression that they were assembled backwards. But hey, its overall a great looking representation of the first live action Transformer we saw on the big screen.
2. Starscream
Upscaling a toy might be an easy way to put "new" products on the shelves but it can also result in great toys, like Beast Hunters Voyager Predaking. And the result for this voyager Starscream is awesome! Even being familiar with the deluxe mold from Dark of the Moon, the bigger pieces made for a very fresh transforming experience. And it being an upscale did not feel in any way like it had less parts than it should. It felt complex enough for a voyager. I really appreciate the attention to detail like covering parts that used to show hollowness adding parts to beef out the sides, add detail to the sculpt and, best of all, use that now famed Takara MP Beast Wars technology for adding a digital textured deco layer all across the alt mode. Really cool. I am a huge fan of the DOTM leader Starscream and I am not sure if this one beats it (especially when you factor in how much each cost at retail) but it is at least the second best movie Starscream we have ever gotten and easily the best one in this size class.
1. Grimlock
Grimlock ticks a lot of boxes for me and my ideal Transformer. I really like mean and lean Transformers, toys which use the same parts to convey different elements for each of their modes. this always results in a fun transformation (since there is no shell forming bit) and no back packs or extraneous kibble, hampering the look of the toy. It also means alt mode integration is a must and I just love that since to me, that is what Transformers are all about, one mode becoming another (not just a robot hiding in a shell a la Break). And this one does that, in spades. Almost every part of each mode is reused either in bot or dino mode and to great effect. I just love how his robot arm is right there front and center hiding in plain site in dino mode, but I would have never realized that until I transformed him. This is the perfect example of a perfectly efficient design.
The transformation does give some nice callbacks to one of my all time favourite toys, Beast Was Megatron, but builds off of it by giving us some more to do with the legs (both in terms of steps and them having different feet for either mode) and eliminating the shell former aspect. Also it does a cool bit by having the show accurate two full dino heads in robot mode and turning having one melt into the alt mode detail in dino mode. My wife isn't the biggest fan of my hobby or the space it takes, so her to actually be impressed with a toy (she didn't think it transformed) is high praise.
The fact that he is also a transforming Tyranosaurus Rex and has an absolutely gorgeous deco just adds everything one could love about a toy.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are personal 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 Toys R Us Transformers Exclusives of all time
There are not many lists I have written which I won't have to edit in the coming years. It's only normal since more toys come out and new fiction is written (even for existing universes) that there are bound to be updates and new toys that come which make my list dated and in need of an update (like my Top 5 Best Grimlock toys for instance). But when I read the words "All stores CLOSING forever!" in a recent e-mail Toysrus sent out, I realized that with a list like this, it can be definite. So, in honour of this store we all once loved and which many will never be able to walk into again, I decided to look back on its amazing history if Transformers exclusive. Thanks to the multiple board members who suggested the topic, I hope you enjoy it!
If I was truly bias, I would probably put this at number 1. I just really like this toy and think it has so much to offer. Firstly, you finally get a show accurate Beast Machines Optimus Primal (I would even say you finally get a show accurate figure period). Of all the Transforming gorillas out there, I feel this is the one with the most changes from bot to beast. And that is quite a feat since of all animals, apes are the closest to having humanoid proportions (so many parts are reused in both modes). The chest, head, and every limbs undergoes some kinds of change. I find what they do with the arms brilliant, with the giant gorilla knuckles becoming the massive shoulder pads. Plus he has an awesome array of gimmicks. Just overall a fantastic toy.
I did not know this was a Toysrus exclusive until doing research for this list. I was sure such an iconic character and toy (and mainly look) would have been more widespread to have garnered such an appeal. But no, Scourge was indeed only sold at Toysrus. This is easily the most iconic toy of the line, even if it is a redeco. Actually, the fact that he is encapsulates the line quite well since a big part of it was breathing new life and characters into toys we had already experienced. It was also about merging the gap between what came before the year 2000 in the Transformers brand and setting a stage for a return to vehicles along with starting a constant look at the past in terms of homages and inspirations (and also foreshadowing the fact that every single Optimus Prime mold would need a teal/red/black deco treatment from here on out).
Calm your horses, this isn't merely based on the toy, but its status as a Toysrus exclusive. The original toy was available for a while and fans had found a way to get it with this release merely making it more available (and affordable, depending on the release and where you are located). I take major issue with the packaging too, along with the unpainted trailer. The main advantage here was not having to pay the import fee, and for a toy as cool as MP 10, he is still most deserving of this number 3 spot.
Those final Animated toys were all sublime. That refers to Arcee, Rodimus Minor, and the Cybertronian Ratchet/Ironhide mold, which I recommend all fans to experience. These all display what is great about the animated line, having these radical designs be brought to toys, with innovative transformations is hard to beat. And of those three molds, Rodimus is the one that succeeds best. I have already gushed about this toy enough and you can read more about him here and here.
I know I wasn't the nicest when it came to Masterpiece Prime's release (but give me a break, he made the top 3), but Soundwave was everything a fan could dream. Unlike Prime, the Hasbro release, exclusive to Toysrus, gave us some major value by having all his cassettes included with him (well the ones that were already out) rather than buying them individually. That was a saving of 80-100$ easily. Plus he came with the new collector oriented packaging, which helped you store everything perfectly with an awesome display window. It is better packaging than the Takara version which had been released the same year, meaning western fans wouldn't have to wait for a domestic release. Not only was the wait short, but they got more.
Honourable Mentions:
The Prime First Edition toys are an odd bunch since they are technically mainline toys that saw a release all over the world but were only picked up by Toysrus in the US, and then were eventually found in other places like 5 Below. So depending on one's definition for an exclusive, I kept them for the honourable mentions but I do want to highlight Prime and Bulkhead who I don't think saw a release in the US outside of Toysrus (could be wrong, this line's release is super confusing).
I also really like the AOE Evolution Optimus Prime set, and the three 2016 Clash of Transformers toys we got in the RID line (though the only unique mold, Starscream, did get released later unchanged, so it doesn't really qualify as an exclusive anymore).
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 Toys whose Takara version was better than Hasbro's
Last time, we checked the times when the Hasbro was better than the Takara version. Now, we will do the flip side, where we check the times Takara outdid Hasbro. Many fans often expect that to be the case, but with us now being in a new age of brand unification where the same toy gets released in both markets, it is a good time to look back at the times when it was really worth getting the Takara version over Hasbro's. I am well aware there are a lot of examples that can apply out there so I welcome people to let me know which toys they feel the Takara version is really worth seeking out. Also, they had to all be good toys rather than simply mediocre toys with a good paint job.
This is an extremely underrated toy which came and went with few caring. And that is a shame. Not only was this the representative of the Robots in Disguise 2001 / Car Robots line in the thrilling 30, he was also one hell of an update. He was still a shell former like his previous Beast Wars mold roots but unlike his original toy, the shell was very compact and made for elegant wings in robot mode which did not take any attention away from the robot mode. Also, and I can never stress this enough, Takara outdid themselves on the engineering of the chest. The original toy was a shark who transformed into a robot who had a shark-like face on his chest that was a different colour on each side (giving a hint to his states of mind). Of course, the real shark head was still somewhere on the toy (part of his massive shell) so the chest was more of a reference that he was a shark and not supposed to be the shark head. This update however had the shark head actually be the chest as well. No fake parts this time, reducing the shell considerably and making the robot far more sleek. There was even a nice panel flip on the shark's nose to give the chest new robot mode detail and to further look like the original cartoon model. As you recall, the whole theme of that chest is that it had a different colour on each side, showing how he was this unstable killer. So now that Hasbro has this opportunity of having the actual shark head be the chest how do they colour it? Just all light blue. Not even one of the shades that should be there. You might think that it is for it to work better as a shark head in shark mode, but no, that shade of blue isn't found anywhere else. Takara however jumped on the opportunity of this update to give him the split colour deco on his shark head so that when it transforms into robot mode, it gets the signature look. These same colours are also made to match the shark's body which make for a better looking shark mode. Takara has often outdone Hasbro in the deco area, just look at the entire Beast Wars Returns (Beast Machines in Japan) line. However, with Gelshark the improved deco goes a long way, longer than any other improved deco, turning a toy many dismissed into, what I consider, a must have. I am a huge fan of when the deco honours the wit of the engineering and this guy does that in spades.
4. Transformers Binaltech Override vs Alternators Windcharger
Right off the bat, I think the name is better in the Takara release. Windcharger was a minibot while Override was a sleek sports car. If the Binaltech line was about giving new classic version of G1 characters, Overdrive would suit it much better since they are all the same size and any hope of semblance of scale with Windcharger would be lost (if that even matters). More than that, just look at the head. The toy issued by both companies has a visor and that is totally Overdrive's deal more so than Windcharger (and you DO NOT want to see what a Windcharger head on this guy would look like).
I mean between this
and this
Which one would this guy be representing?
The name isn't even the biggest deal with the release, far from it. Hasbro's was made of molded plastic while Takara had a nice die cast body which was painted red. This was the case for all Binaltech (Takara) versions of the of Alternators line. You really felt you had your money's worth with these guys (when you forgot how you disliked transforming them). But that is not all, oh no, that is not all. What makes this release far ore noteworthy than the rest of the line though is the weapon. You see, licensing agreements are handled by each company separately in their home country. Honda Japan was totally cool with Overdrive having a nice long barreled gun but Honda America didnt like their brand associated to violent toys and Hasbro had to literally circumcise neuter the gun and turn it into a non violent scanner. Yay.
Another big difference between Takara/Japan and Hasbro/USA are the laws they have to deal with. Japan is not as severe when it comes to toy guns (G1 Megatron came from them afterall) but the states is a different matter. For Megatron to be a gun again, they had to give him a Super Soaker deco. Takara, on the other hand, gave him an appropriate deco for a character who finally had a semblance of his original alt mode back. He had two appropriate decos actually, one being silver (United) and the other having more orange highlights (Henkei) which I think works even better.
2. Transformers Unite Warriors Devastator vs Generations Combiner Wars Devastator
In most cases, the reason to get the Takara version over the Hasbro one (or vice versa) is if you prefer the differences in deco. With Devastator's case, the deco was a side note. Sure, there were a few differences here and there (with the Unite Warriors version being a bit more accurate to the cartoon) but the real deal here is that your Constructicons had improved articulation in their individual robot modes. They all had functional elbows for one and some had better knees, and they all had individual weapons. There are pegs and specific sculpting details found on the alt modes which are for the sole purpose of holding/storing the robot's weapon in that mode and what is saddening about the Hasbro version is that those details and holes are still there but you don't get the weapons. Along with the extra joints, this just adds to what Takara has confirmed that Hasbro's Devastator is a result of taking a Takara design and build and removing parts from it. There isn't just that, the combined robot has a new head which had an optional visor and ratchets on his shoulders. It's not so much that the Takara version is better than Hasbro but instead that it is THE toy Hasbro had signed on for initially. This is the Devastator we should all have had, while the deco would have been the main difference. Instead you get the actual Titan Devastator toy from Takara and a shadow of it from Hasbro.
Yup, while a Starscream toy was the best time Hasbro had the upper hand over Takara, this character pops up again when we flip the conversation around. This case is practically a travesty all around and while at its core it's about the deco there is more to it. Looking at the mold alone, which is an excellent toy, Takara had him in perfect show accurate deco while the release of this Voyager Starscream toy by Hasbro was in a near random red colour. It was to the point where a fellow board member was talking about him to me and referring to him as Thrust since he truly believed that it was a redeco of Starscream into Thrust. Sadly, no it's not, that red thing is Starscream. Also, if you wanted him in the states, you could only get him in a two pack with Vector Prime who you probably already had, goody! So we established why the Takara release is the better one, but the reason behind the "failed attempt" for Hasbro to give fans this toy was because Hasbro was pushing another Starscream toy: Supreme Starscream, a toy which is all kinds of suck. It's just a giant Starscream which isn't even its own mold (even the craptacular Supreme Cheetor has that over him). It's just an upscaled version of the voyager, slightly retooled for the gimmicks. So all the fine details you would see on the voyager end up looking like broad strokes on the supreme class version. And while Starscream did become that big in the series, it wasn't for very long and much after this toy was released. There is a great air of disgust over this toy and a big part of it is the sacrifice of Hasbro never releasing a cartoon accurate version of the best Starscream figure of the Unicron Triogy, Cybertron Voyager Starscream, which is exactly what Takara provided.
Honourable mentions: There is a bunch of G1 stuff that was far superior when released in Japan by Takara than by Hasbro. However, I did not find it as fair since they were technically rereleases of the earlier toys from the Microchange and Diaclone lines and not specifically reworkings of a Hasbro version. Soundwave is a great example of a toy who's Japan release is awesome since it had firing missiles (something that was taken away from may Hasbro releases) as well as Headphones and a mic. However, this was all holdovers from the original release of the toy in the Microchange line which Hasbro changed for the Transformers. So it's more of a case of the Original pre Transformers version being better and not necessarily the Takara version of the Transformers toy. A very fine line, I admit, but I felt it would work better as an other list than to muddy this one.
Speaking of G1, Powermaster Prime was far superior in Japan, but since he wasn't the same character and release, I didn't really find it fair. The recent Legends line output from Takara has several deluxes coming with an extra Target Master while the Hasbro versions don't so they do offer you more, but at the same time you are paying an extra 10$ for that Target Master even before you add the import fees (plus you don't get the Hasbro weapons). So I don't know if paying more to get more counts as a fair comparison, they aren't even the same price points. However, this all deserves mentioning, and that's why you find them here.
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