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Seibertron's 2023 Year End Review: Best Transformers Toys and Media

Date: Friday, January 5th 2024 3:06pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials
Posted by: william-james88

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Seibertron's Year End Review

It's time to look back at 2023 in all things Transformers. Below you will find the picks from staff members Scotty P, D-Maximus Primal, Bounti76 and myself, william-james88, for the toys we found best in various categories along with our favourite bits of Transformers media and what we look forward to most for next. Please let us know your pics too. And now, on with the list!

Best Overall Transformers Toy

Deathsaurus is beyond a shadow of a doubt the toy of the year. While it was indeed much pricier than any toy his size in a Generations line, this toy showed what the designers at Hasbro could do if they had all the budget they needed to make our beloved toys as great as possible. And they didn't disapoint in any way. I love this toy and wish every Transformers fan could experience him. -william-james88

BURNING CHAINCLAW LET'S F****** GO jk it's Haslab Deathsaurus, soaring to the top of my 2023 pile at the very last minute. Part of my brain is screaming at me that this choice is pure recency bias. It may prove to be, but right now I'm more confident than not that it's the correct choice. Deathsaurus reminds me in many ways of the toys we saw from around 2005 - 2010. He's big, is (mostly) made from materials that feel solid, has tons of satisfying, clicky ratchet joints, and generally looks how I personally want Transformers to look. Best of all, and this is what nudged him past Suiken at the last minute, Deathsaurus looks great on a shelf while also including massive amounts of optional, well integrated play value. There's a plethora of stuff to do if you want to, and if you don't, you can slap that stuff on the back of his chair or in most cases, on his back.
Take your Victory lap, Deathsaurus, Eaglebreast and Tigerbreast. You've earned it.
-ScottyP

ROTB Optimus Prime. I managed to get one from Pulse, and he's fantastic. Tabs and fits together well in both modes, and it's fun to transform. -Bounti76

Legacy Armada Optimus Prime - This toy hit my hands, and I knew from there that this was the best things would get this year. He is so good, just so good! The alt mode screams power and bulk, and I love it. Main robot mode is very solid, very good looking, very well painted and molded, it is just lovely. And then the super mode is just so awesome. They could not have nailed this any better. and the fact that he is compatible with the old Overload is just the cherry on top. Well done team, this one was perfection incarnate. -D-Maximal_Primal



Best Legacy Toy

Sicko-Mode Powerlinx Hot Shot with Jolt. Take a fun Hot Shot, make it three times faster, give it extra guns and finally include a Mini-Con with an Armada toy homage and you get a super fun afternoon. This is the one Armada themed release from this year that tops its forebear in every possible way. -ScottyP

Tarn. I've wanted a toy of Tarn ever since I saw the design. I always appreciated that Alex Milne designed the character in a way that you could see exactly how it would work as a toy and I admit, I thought of getting a third party version many timed (but the total cost was always prohibitive for me). I'm glad I waited, because Hasbro aced it with this version. Looks like the comic character come to life. -william-james88

Tie between Nemesis and Antagony. Nemesis' altmode is straight out of the G1 cartoon, and they managed to make her robot mode look surprisingly good considering the starship was the priority for the toy. And I'm a sucker for obscure fembots, so Antagony definitely fits that bill, while wearing the mold better than Inferno, IMO. -Bounti76

Prime Dreadwing - After the first year of Legacy, the Prime figures were definitely the weakest link, with pretty poor efforts overall. This year, they shined. Skyquake was really good, and a lot of fun, but then they repainted him like Dreadwing, who is one of my all time favorite Decepticons, and I screamed. He is good, he is beautiful, and I am thankful my boy got another toy. -D-Maximal_Primal



Best Studio Series Toy

SS86: Snarl, Movie SS: Noah Diaz. Snarl is just great, and yes I wish the gold matched the other dinobots, but outside of that I couldn't ask for more from a Generations incarnation of Snarl. Well, maybe a gun, but aside from that, yes, entirely satisfied. It was a tough choice between this and Magnus, but my love of dinobots won out. I wasn't sure how granular answers in this category should be, but Movie SS and SS86 feel like two entirely different toylines, so I'm picking a separate Movie entry and that is Core Class Noah Diaz. Yes, really. This is a fun toy that takes some liberties with the film's exo-suit, but do you care? Not when it's this fun. It even avoids the weird no-face of recent things like the SS86 exo-suit by just painting over the visor. Maybe not an ideal solution, but better than a bad one! The rest of Movie Studio Series was disqualified for not being very fun. - ScottyP

SS Rhinox. This line felt off this year due to having toys based on non final designs for ROTB and making missteps with every single release of the Gamer Edition subline. But voyager Rhinox turned out awesome. Hasbro was able to make a last minute change to the colours right before it hit the stage of mass production, making this the most accurate ROTB toy this year, and thus the epitome of what the line is meant to be, accurate figures from the live action films. -william-james88

SS 86 Brawn. Another "stepped-out-of-the-cartoon" design, with a cool altmode and the perfect size to fit in with the other Deluxe "mini"bots. -Bounti76

This is probably my hardest category this year. SS was super polarizing this year for me, between Mirage AKA my favorite movie character, Gamer Megatron, and SS86 Snarl being my 2 biggest disappointments of the year, yet RotB Bee being the best SS Bee figure, Gamer Prime rocking out, core Noah being far superior to any other core, it was hard. But for me, Leader Scourge will be my pick. I loved Scourge in the movie, and his toy is pretty solid. It has a slenderman feel to it, with that awesome claw and grill chest. He is fun to pose, and he can look menacing in many different ways. He is just good, I liked him a lot. -D-Maximal_Primal

Best Earthspark Toy

Deluxe Nightshade, pick your deco (Hasbro or Takara). Not since Transformers: Prime, at least generally speaking, have the design teams for Transformers toys needed to make sleek, stylistic, potentially impossible character designs into toys. Sometimes these aren't successful but in the case of Nightshade, they knocked them out of the park. It's also been entirely too many years since an owl was used for an alt mode. The combination of novelty from that non-traditional alt mode plus a surprising level of quality and fun makes for the best output of the Earthspark lineup so far. - ScottyP

Warrior Thrash surprised me as it fit the bill of deluxes of old. I really like motorcycle Transformers since they usually give you a sleek robot with an imaginative transformation and that it exactly what we got. -william-james88

Nightshade. Transformation is a bit more intricate than I expected for an Earthspark toy, but they have a decent robot mode, and their owl mode is unusual and unique. -Bounti76

Warrior Jawbreaker - I adore Jawbreaker in the series, and his toy is no exception. It is fun but simple, elegant yet well painted. I adore him, he is cute and fun. They managed to make a great warrior here that wasn't compromised. -D-Maximal_Primal



Best ROTB Toy

Takara Optimus Primal. The "mainline" for Rise of the Beasts was surprisingly fun, and while not totally devoid of segments overly hampered by one-note gimmicks, it was a big improvement over the Bumblebee movie's tiny, mostly soulless effort. The main standout from the line has to be Takara's $60-ish Optimus Primal, a big rendition of the Maximal leader that fits right in with the "Leader Class" of years gone by and even the Legendary Optimus Prime they put out for the Bumblebee movie. A great sculpt, fun transformation, and even excellent compatibility with the Beast Battle Masters all adds up to what Transformers could be more often, if only they weren't so darn expensive. - ScottyP

Optimus Primal seems to have gotten the preferential treatment in the ROTB line, with most of his figures being the best of their specific class. The voyager, for instance, was the best of the three, and I really like that deluxe sized weaponizer figure. That was an excellent option for younger kids, providing an easy transformation but still providing good old ball joint articulation from the later Beast era. -william-james88

Voyager Optimus Prime - I am an oddball here, but i didn't like the SS (Buzzworthy Bumblebee) voyager that much. but the main movie voyager? That one was super strong. I like him a lot! It has some really nice little cues here and there that make him proportionally a little better looking than the movie model (which needs smaller thighs, more abs, and less square shoulders) and just makes him a superior toy. I love him, he definitely stood out this year. -D-Maximal_Primal



Best MP Toy

MPG-04 Suiken is the best of the very slim roster of MP toys released in 2023. All of the Trainbots have had a high degree of elegance in their designs, but the execution hasn't always been on par - just search the internet and social media for pictures of Yukikaze's knees. Suiken and the extremely similar Seizan offer both, in my opinion, with Suiken winning out for a unique color scheme and a headsculpt that completely nails the era the character comes from. The backpack kibble may be an issue for some, but for me it's super easy to just take it off and set it to the side if a slimmer profile is desired.
Honorable mention to MP-57 Skyfire, which would have won this if Takara Tomy hadn't designed him with exploding feet in service of a gerwalk mode that we don't need in Transformers because this isn't Macross and this figure doesn't even use the G1 toy design and ohmygodwhatweretheythinking
-ScottyP

MPM Bonecrusher and MP-56 Trailbreaker. I really tried to pick one of them, I did, but I just could not do it, they are so utterly different and accomplish things so completely different. They are just really good. Trailbreaker makes a great cartoon Trailbreaker, with some cool effects and a nice alt mode. Bonecrusher is huge, posable, but perfectly balanced with wonderful flame effects for movie scene recreations as well as a the highly posable claw and weathering. They are both top notch, and they both deserve a mention. -D-Maximal_Primal

Best TF Media

Earthspark, which probably edged out Rise of the Beasts for me just due to length as there's more here to savor. An entire team of totally new Transformers in a show with a decent budget? When do we get more? The villains of this entry scrape the barrel, but the rest is the most fun you can have with Transformers this year. - ScottyP

I really enjoyed the first comic from the new series. You can read my review here: /transformers ... und/47912/ -william-james88

Rise of the Beasts. While not as good as Bumblebee, still a solid follow-up with some actual good character development for the Autobots, and great voice acting work for the Autobots, Terrorcons, and Maximals. -Bounti76

Skybound comics - This one was also a surprise, I really enjoyed Rise of the Beasts, but the new skybound comics are just so strong. I was very wary of them, but then I heard about issue 1, decided to read it, and now I am hooked. This comic is so good you guys, they know what they are doing. It is a blast, and I cannot recommend it enough.
-D-Maximal_Primal



What you are looking forward to next year?

Titan Tidal Wave, and hopefully, Hasbro CEO Chris C. (whose entire name I can't type because of the profanity filter, which is honestly kind of hilarious) being fired.
-ScottyP

Magmatron, easy. I never had the original figure but always wanted it since I love Dinosaurs. And now I will own the ultimate version of that figure with modern articulation (a big weakness of the original). -william-james88

Honestly, not a lot of what has been revealed so far interests me, so I hope Hasbro has some amazing things coming up for the 40th Anniversary of the brand. -Bounti76

I am gonna say 2 different Masterpiece releases next year, specifically MPG Kaen and MPM Brawl. Kaen will finally complete Raiden, a project I have long been waiting to complete, ever since it was announced really. And Brawl will, with the exception of the Frenzy we really need, complete the MP 07 movie cast, which I am so excited for! Especially since the cons have been really solid, with Bonecrusher proving to be such a solid entry this year. -D-Maximal_Primal

Transformers Mini Racers with G1 Characters Found at Kroger

Date: Sunday, February 19th 2023 10:01pm CST
Categories: Toy News, Site Articles
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 53,079

We have news that the Transformers Mini Racers first shown over a year ago have been found in the US. While these are very similar to the Rescue Bots Mini Racers we previously had, these are all G1 characters. It's a trend we've seen a lot now where the Rescue Bot products are being revamped within a more G1 themed line. These particular products are one of the lowest priced Transformers items that transform in the Fisher Price aisle of retail stores. These ones have 2 robot heads, one that peeks out in alt mode, like the bot is driving itself and another for the robot mode. This series has Trailbreaker, Arcee, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Hoist. These were found at a Kroger in Indianapolis, IN.

If you have found them, share your sightings with our community in the sightings section and on our boards in your region related thread.

This sighting was originally posted here by Dilbertron.

2022 Year End Review : Y'all got anymore of them Cosmos?

Date: Thursday, January 5th 2023 12:33am CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 93,590

We won't beat around the bush, 2022 was one of the worst years for Transformers collecting due to atrocious distribution that was worse than what we saw during the pandemic. Even now, several 2022 toys have never been found at US brick and mortar retail like the AOE Crosshairs wave from Studio Series, and the Earthspark line which is still a no show anywhere in the US even though it was meant to be released at the same time as the show, for the holiday season (you know, that time of the year when most toys are purchased). We basically ended up with shelves looking very similar for the majority of the year with stores having so much Legacy wave 1. Plus there was the headache many had with exclusives around the world (still no indication of an Asian release for Galaxy Shuttle). Some fared better of course and those who buy principally online did get most of the 2022 toys (but still, no Earthspark and very little Cosmos), so we still have quite a bit to look back on (although next year will be PACKED with 2 more lines on the shelves). Below are the picks for the year from the various staff members here on Seibertron.com. Please tell us your pics for toy of the year, best exclusive, best Legacy toy, best SS toy and what you look forward to most in 2023 Transformers wise.



It's a tie between Victory Saber and MPM Blackout for me, but since I'll talk about Blackout later, I'll stick for Victory Saber here. While mine does have one of the more common issues with the filled in peg hole (giggidy) that didn’t stop me from enjoying my toy in all its facets, that’s how good this toy is. I love going from the giant spaceship to his different robot modes. You have the the tiny brain master becoming a larger robot who then combines with a giant suit which then also combines with a mechanical lion to either be a giant robot or starship. It is a glorious super robot, I can see so much love went into designing this toy and I feel I got my money's worth (the whole package was cheaper than what Legacy Metroplex retails for). Now if Hasbro could send me a replacement copy for my single defect, that would be great. - William-James88

Legacy Jhiaxus. Legacy has been a line embracing the chaos of what Transformers fans really want: a little bit of nonsense. It's only right that not-quite 30 years later, this line brings us a toy of G2 Jhiaxus for the first time. The first time. No really, grab your Foreigner belt because it really feels like the first time this time! Those orange things are just for show. It also helps that Legacy's Jhiaxus is one of the best figures in the entire line, with a transformation that hits just the right balance between fun and involvement, great articulation and an imposing presence suitable to the character. The alt mode weapon storage is really up to your imagination, but weapons inappropriately sticking out of nice-looking vehicles is extremely on-brand for G2 so this isn't a problem.

Legacy Voyager Class Jihaxus. Just a fun toy to mess with. He's a solid figure and it's nice to get the G2 version after all these years. A haslab Liege Maximo when Hasbro? - ZeroWolf

Legacy Metroplex. I was very excited for this figure this year, and it did not let me down in any capacity. Metroplex is big like he should be, scales with the Unicron trilogy like he should be, and he looks like he should. The colors and paint work on him are magnificent. All the joints they added to make him super duper posable are amazing. What they did with his head is amazing. How they worked Sparkdrinker to split, adding so many new fun things to do with him, was beyond great. He ruled, there is no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He ruled the year. - D-Maximal_Primal

HasLab Victory Saber. It's the best and most accessible version of the character(s) that I'll own, and was worth the wait. - Bounti76




Blaster. The final wave of Kingdom was a crapshoot at retail for me, so it's a good thing Blaster was rereleased in Legacy. While wave 1 seemed to be overordered, the repacked Blaster didn't stick around too long whenever it was restocked and I can see why, this toy is a beauty. Blaster has always been an independent toy from Soundwave, so I am so glad he finally gets his own dedicated mold. Plus, we now have a proper voyager sized blaster in the generations line with a proper alt mode and he's even compatible with cassettes released from the past 4 years. Plus, he comes with a cassette while at the same price point. Basically, he's a perfect. - William-James88

Y'all know I have to get in my annual double-dip, so while Jhiaxus is what I'd consider the overall tops for the year and most definitive representative of 2022 Transformers, my personal favorite for the Legacy lineup is the Titan Class entry: Cybertron Metroplex. It's really tough to re-do some Cybertron/Galaxy Force characters as toys with any real improvements, but some of them do exist. I wasn't sure upon its initial reveal if Metroplex was one of them, but that feeling was wrong. Not only does the size of this toy scale wonderfully with other Cybertron toys, but he looks even more accurate to the cartoon than his original, very heavily "inspired by the show's CGI" Leader Class entry from 2006. While the lack of Drill Bit and a Cyber Key are still major oversights, the toy's so fun overall that I can look past them - assuming that obvious spot for Drill Bit gets utilized at some point through Core Class. - ScottyP

Transmetal II Megatron. I had a really tough time with this, as Jhiaxus, Megatron, and Metroplex were by far the 3 best Legacy figures this year. But I saw everyone else giving Jhiaxus love, so I felt comfortable going this way. Megatron is a true Leader Class figure, with size, complexity, and presence to him. He is so very good. Initial images were questionable, but in hand, he absolutely rules. This right here is a royally grand toy. - D-Maximal_Primal

Commander Class Motormaster. He's just so well done. Fun to transform back and forth (the trick with the feet is cool), appropriately hefty, and looks great in both modes. - Bounti76




Bumblebee Ratchet/Ironhide. I really liked the beginning scene from the Bumblebee movie so it was cool to see Hasbro go all in on those designs for the Studio Series toyline. I like that they got to make up their own alt modes, giving the designers more agency than with any other movie design since all they had to adhere to was a robot mode. And that's the part that amazes me because it could have all gone the Soundwave route where the alt mode feels really secondary but with the Ratchet/Ionhide mode, we got wonderful Cybertronian alt modes that are a great reimagining of their typical van alt mode, with one of my favourite transformations. I'm a sucker for inside out transformations where the robot folds within the alt mode, it just feels so satisfying and provides distinct details for each mode without giving extraneous kibble. - William-James88

Core Class Laserbeak. I mean it even (sort of) includes a Tea Party backdrop! Haters of this toy (hi, r/transformers) have bad taste and need to go back to fun school. Sure, it's barely a step up in molding from the old Legends Class movie Bumblebees of yesteryear, but dude, daddy's home. - ScottyP

For this, I'm choosing the Fallen. Despite its many, many flaws, I do have a soft spot for the Revenge of the Fallen movie. This toy is everything I wanted in a representation of the character. - ZeroWolf

TLK Hot Rod - This was a good year for SS, and I think the king of that is Hot Rod. The Fallen getting a magnificent leader toy is certainly up there, as is the fun of Brawn, but Hot Rod was definitely a case of "oh finally!" come to life. As someone who owns several official and 3P Hot Rods, this toy gives us the proper TLK Hot Rod design that TLK did not give us, coupled with the design choices of a 3P but made to a deluxe price point, and made for almost a mini-MP figure. This is a dang good figure, and worth your time to check out. Kibble management, smart transformation, the look in both modes down, they gave us the full package here. Well done. - D-Maximal_Primal

Leader Class Sludge. This is the Sludge I've waited for since I never got the G1 toy at Christmas in 1985. Big, hefty, fairly poseable, nice transformation, and that gorgeous dino mode. A few minor things (hollow dino mode belly, less than tight joints) don't detract at all from my enjoyment of this figure. - Bounti76




MPM Blackout. This guy came right at the end of the year for me since my best option was importing the Takara release and he basically eclipsed almost all other toys I had the pleasure of handling in 2023. Of course, he was one of the most expensive ones but when something is pricey you do expect it to match your expectations, something the MPM line has not done consistently (still disappointed with that Prime we got). Well, MPM Blackout is worth every penny. The Transformation is fully original and finally concludes that imaginary contract I made with Bay/Paramount when I first saw the designs back in 2007 and expected it as a transforming toy. - William-james88

From a jam-packed field of :checks notes: five entire Masterpiece figures released in 2022 it was hard to pick one stand-out, because they're all equally close to one another in presence and quality. I'm going with the first Trainbot, Shouki, but that pick is probably based more on the novelty of a train alt mode than anything else. Getsuei, Nightbird, Crosscut and even MPM Blackout were all pretty darn great too in their own ways. I like quality and quantity, but if I have to pick only one, then quality is fine. - ScottyP

Senator Crosscut. It's incredibly well done so and I ended up taking a step back from Raiden for cost concerns. - ZeroWolf

MPM Blackout. I was excited for this toy coming into the year, and it lived up to the hype. It is a big figure that has a truly impressive copter mode that looks great from every angle (including bottom!) and that has a super robot mode that is an imposing size and also very posable. There are so many smart little cues in the transformation and robot mode, like the way the check and cockpit windows work, that makes him truly stand above the MPGs this year. - D-Maximal_Primal

Masterpiece Clutch. That we got a Senator Crosscut with him (who's the best looking of that mold) is just icing on the cake. - Bounti76




Cosmos. It’s really a pity not everyone who wants one can get one because this little bot is a joy to transform and discover. I also really liked how the Velocitron Blurr turned out, a very welcome surprise. - William-James88

Override. The exclusive channel was a great place to be this year. Not only were there great and sometimes wacky repaints, but just about all of them complemented either Kingdom or Legacy (or both) in what felt like very natural ways. There were even some new molds among Walmart's Velocitron sub-line, and this is where my favorite exclusive for the year was contained: Override, or if you prefer, Nitro Convoy. Basically all of my notes from Metroplex apply here as well, though Override's at least got Cyber Planet Key compatibility of a sorts which is a big positive. Speedia's leading lady is another example of a smaller sized Voyager Class toy with an expanded budget hitting a really sweet spot quality-wise in the "main" line, and though this isn't the most popular opinion I hope we see many more toys like her in the future. - ScottyP

I'm going with plucky little Cosmos here. I was down on him at first but after having him in hand, he's won me over (okay, being the only one I ended up with from the line may factor in here). - ZeroWolf

Wreck N' Rule Springer. This one really surprised me, and is why I want to include him here. I didn't get Siege Springer, as the old T30 is still far superior to that figure. But this one, I wanted to get the Wrecker Hammer, and he had a big ole Wreckers symbol, so why not. And he is real nice in hand. The colors and paint work help him stand so far apart from both T30 and Siege, and he owns this mold. He is real nice, glad I got this one in particular. - D-Maximal_Primal

Tie between Cosmos and Minerva. I was lucky enough to get a Cosmos right out of the case as he was being unpacked, and I've never seen another one since (why 1 to a case, Walmart??). Despite his hella rarity, he's a fun toy in all regards and is the perfect scale with the other small-deluxe Minibots so far (Netfix Bumblebee, Kingdom Warpath, Selects Hubcap, etc.) - Bounti76

And despite only NOW showing up at physical Walgreens (I saw 6 yesterday alone), it's nice to FINALLY own a retail release of the first female Autobot toy ever released, since (barring a reissue of Minerva's G1 toy), her original 1988 figure is prohibitively expensive. She's got a fun mold, a satisfying transformation, and her body actually becomes a decent portion of her altmode, aka she isn't a huge shellformer. - Bounti76




Earthspark was perfectly fine for the kid show it was. It gave us an excellent take on Megatron, easily my favourite character in the show (too bad his toy isn’t that great)- William-James88

The percentage of good stuff proportionate to the amount of Transformers fiction released this year would point to it being a really great year for the stories that give depth to our Cybertronian friends. That probably can't be said in general though, as the overall amount of output delivered was collectively tiny, especially as compared to some other recent years. While the Beast Wars comic and TV's Earthspark provided some super fun material, the best of the heap this year was Nick Roche and EJ Su's Last Bot Standing. Simultaneously a send-off to everything that came before and a challenge to everything that is to come, this book imagines what the real end-game for the Cybertronian race could look like. Whatever your expectations were of it, you were likely not prepared for the tough questions this story attempts to answer. I doubt we'll ever see a Transformers story like this one again, but thank goodness this happened.

But dang Hasbro, we all love Moon but why'd you force Waddlepop out of it? That's the kind of uncomfortable stuff I want to read! - ScottyP

IDW Last Bot Standing - Anyone who knows me knows I almost never buy individual issues of comics, i buy trades. So, the fact that this series got me to buy all 4 individual issues should say something. This comic was pure joy to read, a great de-construction of Rodimus and the story of countless endgames finally reaching a logical conclusion. The story helped solidify Rodimus as one of my all time favorites, while also giving such a nice breath of air with the Pack of Antagonists. It was a great time, and a true sendoff to the IDW era of Transformers. - D-Maximal_Primal

EarthSpark. It's a fun show, with some nice callbacks to other TF fiction that manages to still do its own thing. - Bounti76




Watching Earthspark with my kids while my son was playing with the new Earthspark toys (we got them up in Canada). If there's a heaven, I can't imagine it being better than that. - William-James88

I should begin elaborating with a point of clarity: I'm not happy about IDW's license to make Tranformers comics not being renewed. They made most of my favorite Transformers stories over the years, and losing the ongoing Beast Wars series from Burnham and Burcham (among many others) is a great loss.

What I am celebrating, in a way, is the end of the least interesting Transformers ongoing comic in a very long time. With the wider universe of the TF 2019 continuity wrapping up so early compared to other books and side projects, it feels like this was inevitable even if IDW's contract had been met with a renewal. Interesting side stories like most of Galaxies and the brief, probably-intended-as-a-toy-pack-in Wreckers series never felt like they fit alongside Optimus Prime and Megatron's boring, planet-wide war about, uh, stuff they probably could have talked out. Then there's Exarchon, an attempt at the "villain that could unify all Cybertronians" trope that was handled so awkwardly it led to me dropping my subscription for the book. I eventually did grab and read the rest after its cancellation was announced - my message had been sent - but the damage was done at that point. The book had committed a far greater sin than being actively bad, it was inactively just a thing that existed with no soul to be found in the story. The primary emotional response I had to it wasn't anger or frustration, it was ennui. Was the sometimes bizarre lack of direction and cohesion due to Hasbro interference, editorial shuffling, a lack of long-term planning, or even some combination of those things? One day we might know, but whatever the cause, this run ultimately failed. I mean no disrespect to the creators, sometimes the best efforts we put forth just don't work. The 2019 Transformers comic continuity ending was a mercy and hopefully leads to better things in the future for both TF comics and the creators that worked hard on this latest iteration. - ScottyP

HasLab Deathsaurus reveal. On one hand, it felt inevitable given the HasLab Star Saber, but seeing Hasbro going full throttle with the character (that someone on the design team clearly loves) was pitch perfect. - ZeroWolf

If I had to choose a 2nd one, it would have been the drop of the teaser trailer for Rise of the Beasts, letting us see a glimpse of how the beast wars gang look on the big screen. - ZeroWolf

Deathsaurus announcement - Deathsaurus has been a very specific character i have longed to see done right, and his announcement in Haslab was a huge highlight. Couple that with how well he turned out in the colored renders, painted prototypes, and all the accessories he will come with at his very impressive size, and I am super excited for him. His announcement was a truly great moment of the year. - D-Maximal_Primal

Seeing "bad bot" characters outnumber good bots and sell very well. Deathsaurus become HasLab's most popular figure ever, and the main Legacy lineup was at least 50-75% Decepticons and Predacons (Deluxe figures 8-4, Core 6-2, Voyager 4-2, and Leader 3-1 ratios). - Bounti76

The reveal of HasLab Deathsaurus, specifically Thew's reaction. I'm a latecomer to his content and his appearance on the Pulse livestream was tremendously entertaining! And this single stream led me to finally watching the various anime for the first time.- Rotostormnz




I have been fascinated by Hasbro’s ability to push the release of the ready made Rise of the Beasts toyline and the effect it will cause. Instead of seeing two different sets of toys for the same characters released a year apart, we will see similar characters in similar price points on the shelves at the same time and I’m looking forward to seeing the difference between those toys and the different approaches taken. - William-James88

Whenever I try to be optimistic about Transformers in 2023, I remember there's a movie coming out and it all comes crashing down. I know that more of the MPG Trainbots are on the way, so let's go with those. - ScottyP

There's a lot coming out that I really want to see but most of all? Commander Class Armada Optimus Prime. The original is a brick, no getting around it, but it also has a lot of charm. It'll be interesting to see how Hasbro handle it with the technological improvements of the past couple of decades (*sniff* has it really been that long already?*sniff*). - ZeroWolf

Rise of the Beasts - I always love a movie year, and with what we have seen so far, I am very excited for Rise of the Beasts. I won't let you movie haters knock me down! Particularly, the Terrorcons, Maximals, and Mirage have me very excited for the new movie. I cannot wait. - D-Maximal_Primal

Hopefully getting the first female Titan toy, if the rumors about the Nemesis are realized. Since Lodestar is the first female Titan in fiction, maybe she could be a remold of Nemesis? - Bounti76

The releases of Legacy Evolution Voyager Tarn and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. I'm very curious to see what other G1 Retro reissues we get (fingers firmly crossed for Mirage!) as well as a handful of leaked listings that would make me very, very happy if they came true. - Rotorstormnz

Top 10 Best Transformers Mini-Con Molds + Ranking for all 100 Mini-Con Molds

Date: Sunday, December 25th 2022 6:10pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: rikkomba

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 125,176

Hello everybody! Welcome back for the third and final part of this series focused on mini-cons.
You can find part 1, focused on Mini-con teams, here, and part 2, focused on mini-con partners, here.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of what has been one of the most influential Transformers toylines ever created, whose wild success eventually opened the door to investing in the Bayverse.

Armada introduced us to Mini-cons as the “third faction”. Spawn of Unicron and pokemon of the week, these tiny robots were hunted down by both Autobots and Decepticons as “power ups” for larger Transformers.

Mini-con toys came in two flavours: teams, sold, in 3-packs, and partner Mini-cons sold together with their bigger partner. After journeying through teams and partners, we are finally at the final showdown: which are the top 10 Mini-cons, when taken as standalone toys?

In this list we won’t focus on “team’s theme” or “partner integration”, but on the toy in itself, in the context of still being a powerup for larger ‘bots.
1-20 scores were given for:
Alt mode: how cool is the alt mode, how well designed?
Robot mode: how cool is the robot mode, in the context of a tiny toy?
Powerlinx credibility: just by itself, how credible is this Mini-con as a powerup?
Engineering: how well was this Mini-con built?
Transformation: how original and well executed is the transformation?

Then those scores were added together to give a score on 100 which is what you will see on all the entries throughout the ranking.

The list includes:

- all 63 individual molds from Mini-con teams: 33 from Armada, 3 from Energon, 6 from Cybertron, 18 from Classic and 3 from Thrilling 30;
- all 35 partner Mini-con molds: 21 from Armada, 4 from Cybertron, 1 from Universe 2.0 and 9 from Power Core Combiners;
two molds with toys which were at some point called Mini-cons: Cybertron Laserbeak, and Generations Cyclonus’ Nightstick.

This gives a grand total of exactly 100 Mini-con molds.

Because of the number and variety of Mini-cons listed, in case of tied scores the placement in the list is down to personal preference.
Which are the top 10? Which is the single worst Mini-con out of 100?
Let’s get started!

#10. Transformers Armada Thunderclash (85/100)
20/20/5/20/20
Iconic alt mode, original transformation, not very credible as a power up, also because of how its port is positioned.
Team: partner, with Armada Skywarp
Versions: 5






#9. Transformers Armada Gunbarrel (Glide) (86/100)
18/14/20/20/14
Six-barrelled cannon and bomber, some challenges with articulation in robot mode but overall solid targetmaster.
Team: Air Military Team
Versions: 9








#8. Transformers Armada Leader-1 (Barrel) (87/100)
14/15/20/20/18
Iconic triple-changing mini-con, simple but effective engineering and transformation.
Team: partner, with Armada Megatron
Versions: 3






#7. Transformers Classics Dreadwing (88/100)
20/14/14/20/20
Excellent beast mode, it could pass as a shield with its wings closed, why not.
Team: Classics Predator Attack Team
Versions: 4








#6. Transformers Armada Terradive (Recon) (89/100)
20/20/20/13/16
Excellent targetmaster to give Starscream some Wolverine claws, hampered by bad engineering and overall fragility.
Team: Air Military Team
Versions: 9








#5. Transformers Cybertron Safeguard (Roots) (91/100)
Safeguard is possibly the best Mini-con to come out of Galaxy Force. While it does not activate any real feature, being more of a targetmaster partner, Safeguard’s inherent coolness makes it stand tall among so many power-ups.
Alt mode (20/20): literally a flying laser cannon, cool enough to get a pass.
Robot mode (20/20): articulated, cool looking and well proportioned.
Powerlinx credibility (20/20): possibly the most credible arm-mounted powerup.
Engineering (16/20): durable, stands easily despite the massive backpack.
Transformation (13/20): effective, but simple.
Team: partner, with Cybertron Vector Prime
Versions: 5








#4. Transformers Armada Makeshift (Twist) (92/100)
Makeshift is a great mini-con triple changer, with two excellent alt modes and a passable robot mode.
Alt mode (16/20): iconic and unique, Makeshift’s alt mode looks so peaceful… until it’s transformed into its third mode, a double tri-barrelled rotating machine gun!
Robot mode (16/20): its gun-hands are a bit distracting, could be worse.
Powerlinx credibility (20/20): how cool is this?
Engineering (20/20): robust and durable, with thick transparent plastic.
Transformation (20/20): simple and effective across three modes.
Team: Emergency Team
Versions: 10








#3. Transformers Armada Stormcloud
(93/100)Stormcloud not only makes for an excellent power-up, but is also a great, fun TF toy on its own.
Alt mode (17/20): great looking speedboat with a giant, giant missile on top
Robot mode (20/20): articulated - even more than the “highly articulated” Street Speed Team members - stable and cool looking, despite the giant, giant missile.
Powerlinx credibility (20/20): one of the best.
Engineering (18/20): very well designed, more effort than in many other cases.
Transformation (18/20): simple, and very effective.
Team: Sea Team
Versions: 6








#2. Transformers Armada Waterlog (95/100)
Waterlog is at least as cool as Stormcloud, with a slightly more interesting transformation.
Alt mode (20/20): a great hovercraft mode, with a giant, giant missile
Robot mode (16/20): well proportioned and decently articulated, with a great arm-mounted weapon - the giant boots are still needed to give it stability
Powerlinx credibility (20/20): excellent power-up.
Engineering (20/20): stable and robust.
Transformation (19/20): original transformation for a mini-con, well executed.
Team: Sea Team
Versions: 6








#1. Transformers Armada Bonecrusher (Bomb) (99/100)
Bonecrusher is the pinnacle of mini-con molds, with an original alt mode, a unique transformation, a cool looking robot mode and great credibility as a power-up. Bonecrusher wins under all dimensions, and any TFan should own a copy of this mold.
Alt mode (19/20): unique and well designed - it’s a shame the first is so visible.
Robot mode (20/20): this mini-con means business.
Powerlinx credibility (20/20): an excellent power-up with a giant, giant missile
Engineering (20/20): the best engineering of any Mini-con toy out there. Solid and durable.
Transformation (20/20): the most original transformation of any Mini-con toy out there.
Team: Land Military Team
Versions: 6







Bonecrusher confirms the strength of the Land Military Mini-con team (see part 2). And now, as we go through all remaining 95 molds, we’ll finally find out: which is the worst mini-con ever forged?

#11, Overcast (Cybertron), (84/100)
13/15/20/18/18
Great power-up as dual missile launcher, but the giant missiles don’t work in alt or robot mode.
Team: Giant Planet Team
Versions: 3

#12, Steel Wind (Classics), (83/100)
20/13/10/20/20
Original transformation, and I guess it’s somewhat credible as “arm-mounted bomb launcher”. Proportions in robot mode are iffy.
Team: Classics Clear Skies Team
Versions: 6

#13, Firebot, (82/100)
20/8/20/16/18
Great, kawaii triple changer, with an excellent targetmaster mode as missile pod.
Team: Emergency Team
Versions: 10

#14, Jolt (Cybertron), (81/100)
20/20/1/20/20
Excellent TF toy, terrible power-up.
Team: Cybertron Recon Team
Versions: 8

#15, Longarm (Cybertron), (80/100)
20/20/0/20/20
Excellent TF toy, no credibility whatsoever as power-up.
Team: Giant Planet Team
Versions: 4

#16, Nightscream (Classics), (78/100)
20/18/0/20/20
Great Dragon TF, notable for having its Dragoyell repaint as one of the most elusive Mini-cons ever; terrible, terrible as power-up.
Team: Classics Clear Skies Team
Versions: 5

#17, Thunderwing, (78/100)
20/12/6/20/20
Fun triple changer toy, but… is it a rotating shield? A shuriken? Not very convincing.
Team: Air Military Team
Versions: 9

#18, Liftor, (78/100)
10/20/8/20/20
The Tiny God of mini-con toys, with possibly the best robot mode of any and all Mini-cons, not very convincing for the rest.
Team: partner, with Armada Smokescreen
Versions: 2

#19, Inferno, (78/100)
14/14/14/20/16
Solid in all three modes.
Team: partner, with Armada Thrust
Versions: 4

#20, Comettor, (78/100)
20/16/12/14/16
Unique modes and transformation, not very threatening as a power-up.
Team: partner, with Armada Jetfire
Versions: 4

#21, Firebot (Classics), (78/100)
16/20/14/14/14
Very cool looking robot mode, OK for the rest.
Team: Classics Night Rescue Team
Versions: 4

#22, Stripmine, (76/100)
13/17/12/18/16
While partner interaction with Quickmix was great, on its own Stripmine is much weaker in all modes.
Team: partner, with Cybertron Quickmix
Versions: 2

#23, Sky Blast, (76/100)
20/16/0/20/20
Fun, original rocket mode, not great as a powerup…
Team: Space Team
Versions: 6

#24, Heavytread (T30), (76/100)
20/12/20/12/12
Simple, chunky tank TF, nothing to write home about.
Team: Thrilling 30 Assault Team
Versions: 1

#25, Buzzsaw, (76/100)
20/10/20/12/14
Fun, original alt mode, mediocre robot mode.
Team: Destruction Team
Versions: 9

#26, Jolt, (76/100)
20/20/0/20/16
Spinning blade? Not really - but it’s a nice little TF toy on its own.
Team: partner, with Armada Hot Shot
Versions: 2

#27, Grindor (Classics), (74/100)
20/14/0/20/30
Unique car mode, original transformation, not much of a power-up, still quite nice.
Team: Classics Dirt Digger Team
Versions: 3

#28, Blackout, (74/100)
20/18/14/12/10
Iconic Mini-con, two modes and a half, simple but very well thought out.
Team: partner, with Armada Demolishor
Versions: 5

#29, Oval, (72/100)
20/20/0/16/16
Street Speed team members have the same thing in common: nice car modes, mediocre robot modes. Oval is the best one of the three.
Team: Street Speed Team
Versions: 8

#30, Wind Sheer, (72/100)
18/14/0/20/20
Iconic alt mode and fun transformation, not much of a power-up.
Team: partner, with Armada Wheeljack
Versions: 3

#31, Oil Slick (Classics), (70/100)
20/20/0/10/20
Fun little TF toy, not much of a power-up - most common case for Classics mini-cons.
Team: Classics Dirt Digger Team
Versions: 4

#32, Dead End, (70/100)
20/12/14/12/12
Here comes the pain. Unicron’s favorite antibody is as mean as its role requires - coming packaged with a massive gun only helps in its job. Considering the challenge of turning into a sphere, Dead End is one of the most ambitious designs - a qualified success.
Team: partner, with Armada Unicron
Versions: 7

#33, Heavy Load, (69/100)
17/17/7/14/14
Original alt mode, well articulated robot mode, it just sucks as a power-up.
Team: partner, with Cybertron Menasor
Versions: 1

#34, Strongarm (Classics), (68/100)
20/14/0/16/18
One of the most peculiar transformations ever, it’s less successful than e.g. Bonecrusher, but still manages to stand on its own.
Team: Classics Night Rescue Team
Versions: 7

#35 Wreckage, (68/100)
14/12/20/12/10
Excellent power-up, fun alt mode, OK-ish robot mode. In this vein, Cybertron Overcast is better.
Team: Land Military Team
Versions: 6

#36, Windshear (T30), (68/100)
20/20/8/0/20
Extremely fragile, Windshear has possibly the worst engineering of any mini-con class toy. It’s a shame, because its modes look pretty great.
Team: Thrilling 30 Assault Team
Versions: 1

#37, Rollbar, (66/100)
20/16/0/14/16
Original, satisfying transformation, a fun little toy on its own.
Team: partner, with Armada Scavenger
Versions: 2

#38, Knock Out, (66/100)
12/12/20/12/10
The weakest of the three members of the Land Military Team, still a great power-up.
Team: Land Military Team
Versions: 6

#39, Throttler (PCC), (64/100)
0/14/20/16/14
PCC Mini-cons don’t really have any alt mode, and rely on their strength as power-ups. Throttler, with its unique alt mode as a drill, is the most interesting PCC mini-con.
Team: partner, with Power Core Combiners Sledge
Versions: 3

#40, Rollout, (64/100)
12/12/4/18/18
A core class toy by today’s standards: Armada Overload sold at the Max-con price point of $20, and a core class Rollout would easily cost $15 by itself, today. Would it be worth the money? By itself, probably not.
Team: partner, with Armada Overload
Versions: 7

#41, Reverb (Cybertron), (63/100)
18/20/0/14/11
A micromaster car: competent, with a fun transformation, but nothing special.
Team: Cybertron Recon Team
Versions: 8

#42, Beacon (PCC), (62/100)
0/20/16/14/12
PCC mini-cons are often great for fan-modes. Of all 100 Mini-con molds, PCC Beacon is the most fanmode-friendly, a great source of fun - with some imagination.
Team: partner, with Power Core Combiners Steelshot
Versions: 4

#43, Runway (T30), (62/100)
10/16/14/12/10
Iffy proportions, iffy alt mode, overall it’s OK but nothing to get too excited about. At least thrusters can be used as an arm cannon.
Team: Thrilling 30 Assault Team
Versions: 1

#44, Sonar, (62/100)
10/20/0/16/16
The Star Saber is made of three little airplanes - and Sonar is the most interesting of the three.
Team: Air Defense Team
Versions: 12

#45, Crumplezone, (61/100)
15/10/8/18/10
A great partner and complement for Armada Cyclonus, but does not stand up well on its own.
Team: partner, with Armada Cyclonus
Versions: 4

#46, Nightstick (Targetmaster), (60/100)
0/20/0/20/20
One of the two “Mini-con because they say so” entries, Nightstick is not necessarily worse than many Classics or PCC Mini-cons. The lack of a Mini-con port just makes it less versatile.
Alt mode (0/20):
Robot mode (20/20):
Powerlinx credibility (0/20):
Engineering (20/20):
Transformation (20/20):
Team: partner, with Generations Cyclonus
Versions: 8

#47, Waterlog (PCC), (60/100)
10/20/20/8/2
A cheater - its wings suggest some alt mode, but no. Still, a fun power-up.
Team: partner, with Power Core Combiners Undertow
Versions: 3

#48, Dune Runner, (60/100)
20/16/0/14/10
A fun toy, with a fun gimmick for its machine gun.
Team: Adventure Team
Versions: 6

#49, Iceberg, (54/100)
20/12/14/6/2
Sometimes less is more - and Iceberg really plays it safe. The original alt mode rescues it somehow. Its boosters can act as a double cannon, why not.
Team: Adventure Team
Versions: 6

#50, Ransack, (54/100)
20/10/14/8/2
Rope and hook gimmicks came at great cost in Armada, just see Armada Smokescreen. Ransack also suffers from balancing its budget, with the simplest transformation of the entire Unicron Trilogy.
Team: Adventure Team
Versions: 6

#51, Swoop (Classics), (59/100)
13/13/0/13/20
A competent dinobot micromaster. As we move into the second half of the list, most Mini-cons we encounter are still OK toys on their own - just bad Mini-cons.
Team: Classics Dinobot Team
Versions: 5

#52, Incinerator, (59/100)
20/13/12/8/6
Nice car, with engineering taking shortcuts, putting most of the alt mode on one arm. Maybe it can be a melee weapon - maybe.
Team: partner, with Armada Blurr
Versions: 3

#53, Dualor, (58/100)
16/14/20/4/4
Redundant alt mode, simple transformation, but competent overall.
Team: Destruction Team
Versions: 9

#54, Astroscope, (58/100)
20/12/0/12/14
A satellite mode is already cause for celebration, but this mold’s fragility holds it back. Not something you could ever give to a child.
Team: Space Team
Versions: 6

#55, Laserbeak (not a cassette), (56/100)
8/18/0/20/20
Nightstick’s partner as an “intruder”, Cybertron Laserbeak is more of an accessory than a toy - less interesting than a G1 cassette, and not even much of a power-up.
Team: partner, with Cybertron Soundwave
Versions: 3

#56, Bomb-burst (PCC), (56/100)
0/20/20/8/8
One of the best PCC Mini-cons, and one of the most credible Mini-cons in general as a power-up: despite its simplicity. Bomb-burst is straight out of the PS2 Armada videogame.
Team: partner, with Power Core Combiners Salvage
Versions: 4

#57, Razorbeam (PCC), (56/100)
0/16/20/10/10
One of several “targetmaster PCC Mini-cons”, Razorbeam is only mildly interesting.
Team: partner, with Power Core Combiners Darkstream
Versions: 3

#58, Deepdive (Cybertron), (56/100)
20/8/20/4/4
The submarine mode is cool, but when it comes to engineering and transformation, they didn’t even try.
Team: Giant Planet Team
Versions: 4

#59, Sparkplug, (55/100)
20/10/1/10/14
Sparkplug is yellow, awkwardly shaped and useless: it reminds me of G1 Bumblebee, and for this reason I was very tempted to give it a perfect score: 0
Team: partner, with Armada Superbase Optimus Prime
Versions: 5

#60, Jetstorm, (54/100)
14/14/0/10/16
Another little airplane, and possibly one of the most fragile Mini-cons out there.
Team: Air Defense Team
Versions: 12

#61, Longarm, (54/100)
20/12/0/12/10
A homage to Micromasters from inception, it succeeds in this regard - nice micromaster, bad Mini-con.
Team: partner, with Armada Red Alert
Versions: 6

#62 Drill Bit, (54/100)
8/14/18/6/8
Drill Bit took Leader-1 and removed any and all ambition from that concept. I am not surprised that Legacy Metroplex omitted Drill Bit entirely.
Team: partner, with Cybertron Metroplex
Versions: 2

#63 Rook and Crosswise, (54/100)
20/8/0/14/12
Dead End’s lost cousins, they only really work together - the novelty of their combination has its merit, but they only work as complements for Armada Sideways.
Team: partner, with Armada Sideways
Versions: 4

#64, Backtrack, (54/100)
20/14/0/12/8
At this point, almost two thirds into the list, we can start finding Mini-cons which have fewer and fewer redeeming qualities. Backtrack is one of these - Oval is a far superior alternative.
Team: Street Speed Team
Versions: 8

#65, Spiral, (53/100)
20/14/0/12/8
Boring, boring, boring.
Team: Street Speed Team
Versions: 8

#66, Dirt Rocket (Classics), (52/100)
20/16/4/2/10
Another spectacularly fragile mold, with hair-thin biceps which often break up during the first transformation attempt. While its two modes are OK, it’s a lazy, unrefined design.
Team: Classics Dirt Digger Team
Versions: 4

#67 Overbite (Classics), (52/100)
20/12/0/12/8
Wolves make for terrible, terrible pets, and even worse power-ups.
Team: Classics Predator Attack Team
Versions: 5

#68, Terrorsaur (Classics), (52/100)
16/16/0/10/10
Great homage to Beast Wars Megatron, not a great powerup.
Team: Classics Dinobot Team
Versions: 6

#69, Pinpoint (PCC), (52/100)
1/20/19/8/4
Effectively a homage to G1 Powermasters, with a piss-poor color scheme.
Team: partner, with Power Core Combiners Leadfoot
Versions: 4

#70, Grindor, (50/100)
8/14/0/14/14
It’s a skateboard - and it could have been much, much worse.
Team: Street Action Team
Versions: 6

#71, High Wire, (50/100)
20/14/0/14/2
It’s a BMX bike, and… no, really, no, this doesn’t work.
Team: Street Action Team
Versions: 6

#72, Airlift (PCC), (50/100)
0/18/2/6/6
Yawn.
Team: partner, with Power Core Combiners Sky Hammer
Versions: 4

#73, Prowl, (48/100)
20/8/8/8/4
Personally I love Armada Prowl’s car mode, but its other two modes are really bad.
Team: Emergency Team
Versions: 10

#74, Divebomb (Classics), (48/100)
20/2/14/4/8
Fun concept, and terrible, terrible engineering - this is something one would create with LEGO. Also, they really need to stop integrating rocket launchers and other weaponry into the robot head, it’s just bad.
Team: Classics Night Rescue Team
Versions: 6

#75, Refute, (47/100)
8/2/15/14/8
Great homage to G1 insecticon, inexplicable for the rest - comedy value at best.
Team: parter, Armada Hoist
Versions: 4

#76, Highwire (Energon), (46/100)
10/14/0/10/12
Better than its Armada version in some aspects, but it doesn’t even have cuteness to save it, this time.
Team: Energon Street Action Team
Versions: 6

#77, Sledge (Classics), (44/100)
14/10/0/10/10
Original, fragile, awkward, not the brightest design out there.
Team: Classics Demolition Team
Versions: 6

#78, Runway, (44/100)
16/10/0/10/8
Runway sucks as a robot - its arms are truly terrible.
Team: Air Defense Team
Versions: 12

#79, Oceanglide, (44/100)
0/6/20/10/8
The weakest member of the Sea Team, and one of the weakest alt modes of all Mini-cons.
Team: Sea Team
Versions: 6

#80, Drill Bit, (44/100)
6/4/20/4/10
Fun alt mode, completely botched robot mode.
Team: Destruction Team
Versions: 9

#81, Nightbeat, (43/100)
20/1/10/6/6
This might come as a surprise: Armada Nightbeat is not the weakest mini-con mold, despite its horrifying robot mode - even Universe downgraded its repaint as “Seek and Destroy Drone”, they didn’t dare call it a Mini-con. Not only its alt mode is well executed, but as a power-up it somehow works as a jetpack.
Team: partner, with Armada Side Swipe, or A.S.S.
Versions: 2
imagine it as flamethrower in reverse

#82, Dirt Boss, (42/100)
14/8/0/10/10
A boring car mode, an ugly robot mode, Dirt Boss doesn’t really shine.
Team: Race Team
Versions: 8

#83, Groundspike (PCC), (38/100)
0/8/18/8/4
Groundspike has one of the best Mini-con integrations of all PCC Mini-cons, but it only really works together with its partner.
Team: partner, with Power Core Combiners Heavy Tread
Versions: 4

#84, Caliburst (PCC), (38/100)
0/8/18/8/4
Visually more interesting than other “PCC turrets”, with a terrible, ugly robot mode.
Team: partner, with Power Core Combiners Huffer
Versions: 3

#85, Sureshock (Energon), (36/100)
20/6/0/4/6
A four-wheeled bike, perfect for faceplanting - just like its robot mode’s design.
Team: Energon Street Action Team
Versions: 6

#86, Thunderwing (Classics), (36/100)
14/4/0/4/14
Tom Cruise would probably get offended - fun transformation, but overall a terrible design
Team: Classics Clear Skies Team
Versions: 6

#87, Broadside (Classics), (36/100)
20/2/14/0/0
One of the ugliest robot modes of any TF toy, Broadside’s hips are just under its chin. Moreover, Broadside cannot stand on its own. Who approved this thing?
Team: Classics Demolition Team
Versions: 5

#88, Ramjet, (36/100)
14/2/0/10/10
Armada Ramjet was entirely designed for a specific gimmick, much like Armada Nightbeat. No Tidal Wave, no party.
Team: partner, with Armada Tidal Wave
Versions: 2

#89, Sure Shock, (34/100)
20/4/0/6/4
It’s a Vespa! And it sucks.
Team: Street Action Team
Versions: 6

#90, Over-run, (33/100)
13/6/0/8/6
Over-run is effectively a rifle with wings. More of an accessory than anything else.
Team: partner, with Armada Optimus “Bendy” Prime
Versions: 5

#91, Swindle, (30/100)
20/2/0/6/2
Swindle somewhat worked as Starscream’s partner, but as a standalone toy it’s a bit of a stinker.
Team: partner, with Armada Starscream
Versions: 7

#92, Six-Speed (Cybertron), (28/100)
20/4/0/3/1
Possibly the most boring car mode in the entire Unicron Trilogy.
Team: Cybertron Recon Team
Versions: 8

#93, Wideload (Classics), (26/100)
9/0/10/0/7
Ugly in robot mode, forgettable in alt mode.
Team: Classics Demolition Team
Versions: 6

#94, Downshift, (25/100)
20/2/0/2/1
Downshift is similar to Six-speed, with a far more horrifying robot mode and worse engineering.
Team: Race Team
Versions: 8

#95, Mirage, (23/100)
10/4/0/5/4
Mirage is similar to Swindle - only worse.
Team: Race Team
Versions: 8

Here we are: 95 entries later, we start the countdown for the worst 5 Mini-con molds ever! Are you scared? You should.

#96, Knockdown (Classics), (22/100)
Alt mode (10/20): knockdown is less of a dinobot, and more of a frankenstein monster.
Robot mode (4/20): most of this robot mode is a cow split in two.
Powerlinx credibility (0/20): of course.
Engineering (4/20): it must have taken a good 4 minutes to design Classics Knockdown, points for the effort.
Transformation (4/20): I just want to forget this exists.
Team: Classics Dinobot Team
Versions: 5



#97, Payload, (18/100)
Alt mode (6/20): one of the least ambitious alt modes ever designed, it’s just there.
Robot mode (4/20): I assume this is some micromaster homage? Not brilliant.
Powerlinx credibility (0/20): of course.
Engineering (6/20): no engineering, just regrets.
Transformation (2/20): it does transform, yes, it’s something that happens.
Team: Space Team
Versions: 6



#98, Snarl (Classics), (16/100)
Alt mode (12/20): it’s a kitty… puma… panther? I think it meows.
Robot mode (0/20): Classics Snarl’s robot mode is so ugly its designed should be banned from ever approaching a cat again.
Powerlinx credibility (0/20): of course.
Engineering (0/20): no engineering, just pain, suffering and lots of sadness.
Transformation (4/20): Classics Snarl can be classified as an ass-former.
Team: Classics Predator Attack Team
Versions: 5



#99, Universe 2.0 Jolt, (15/100)
Alt mode (4/20): Universe 2.0 Jolt transforms into a helicopter, a helicopter made with spit and glue.
Robot mode (4/20): Universe 2.0 Jolt has a robot mode. Now that you know, no need to verify for yourself.
Powerlinx credibility (1/20): Universe 2.0 Jolt can be used as a shield, possibly while still alive.
Engineering (01/20): cheap, cheap, cheap, Universe 2.0 Jolt is nothing more than an insult to the Unicron Trilogy.
Transformation (02/20): yes, Universe 2.0 Jolt transforms. It also sucks.
Team: partner, Universe 2008 Hotshot
Versions: 3



#100, Grindor (Energon), (10/100)
Alt mode (8/20): I am pretty sure that Energon Grindor transforms into a Cybertronian Turd.
Robot mode (0/20): Energon Grindor’s robot mode should be fixed by activating SafeSearch.
Powerlinx credibility (1/20): it deserves a 20, in that enemies will probably run away laughing.
Engineering (1/20): Energon Grindor had elbows and ankle articulation - and nothing else.
Transformation (0/20): this is something you don’t want to test.
Team: Energon Street Action Team
Versions: 6



And here we are: all 100 mini-con molds, ranked. Between Armada Bonecrusher and Energon Grindor, mini-cons have brought incredible variety in their alt modes, transformations and gimmicks - a testament to the incredible creativity Aaron Archer and the Armada design team brought into our hobby.
As we celebrate Armada’s 20th anniversary, it’s an excellent time to revisit many of these molds - today is best time to get started with Mini-cons

Thanks for making us company in this celebration, looking forward to read your comments.
19 years later, still yours,

Rikkomba

Why it Makes No Difference if the Upcoming Transformers Film is a "Reboot" or Not

Date: Wednesday, November 30th 2022 8:27am CST
Categories: Movie Related News, Site Articles, Editorials
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 76,628

There's been a very tiring argument within the Transformers community for years as to whether or not the new Live Action films we are getting are part of the same universe as previous live action Transformers films directed my Michael Bay. But in reality, the argument is pointless since Bay is still involved no matter what, the designs still feature aesthetics from the Bay era and this would not be the first soft reboot anyway.

We'll just look at the facts. Firstly, neither Hasbro nor Paramount want to totally disassociate themselves from the legacy of the Bay era films, nor dissociate themselves from Bay himself. Those films inspired a new generation of Transformers fans and brought in billions. So you'd never hear the word "reboot" from them so as not to alienate fans of the franchise. Plus both Travis Knight, director of Bumblebee, and Steven Caple Jr, director of Rise of the Beasts, along with Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, said that these "not made by Bay" films are within the live action universe we already know of. That was even one of the reasons why we couldn't have Megatron in the Cybertron scene in the Bumblebee movie. And fans thinking that either the Bumblebee movie or the upcoming Rise of the Beasts film have nothing to do with Michael Bay are wrong. Michael Bay was on set of Rise of the Beasts with Steven Caple Jr, the director, as the film was being shot. He is a hands on producer here, and you can see him in this Instagram video below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUvg7ifJHwK/?hl=en


Now in terms of designs, everything we have seen so far is indeed a departure form the 2007 film which had very alien designs. But that ignores 5 films since then where designs did evolve under Bay as well. So even if this is a "reboot", that doesn't mean that those who didn't like the live action designs will suddenly fall in love with them now. We just saw the toy for the upcoming film and here it is next to a toy of a character from a Bay directed film. Which is which? Can you tell from just the design cues? It looks like they both crawled out of the same factory. Simply said, we will still have complex designs with multi layered armor, a staple of live action movie designs.



Just to answer the previous questions in case you truly did not know, the figure on right is Hot Rod from a film directed by Michael Bay and the figure on the left is Battletrap from the new film, which Michael Bay is producing but not directing. And that brings another trope diehard fans hate about live action films: name slaps. Like with Bayverse Crosshairs and Crankcase, this Battletrap is just a reused name of a G1 toy with no reference to that character, which in this case had a very unique gimmick. This is a trend we saw in the Bay films and it is alive and well here. Plus, Bumblebee retains the same face he had from the Bay directed films, along with the car radio voice and the Camaro alt mode, offering a loose continuity with the previous films. I'd hope an actual reboot would forgo the design cues from the biggest staple of the Bay era, Bumblebee. But instead, we are getting all these design throughlines.



Also, if this is a "soft reboot", that doesn't mean it's not within the Bayverse. It would be (at least) the second soft reboot of its kind in the Bayverse, after all. After the initial trilogy, Michael Bay changed things up in Age of Extinction and the Last Knight. Optimus got a major redesign, looking more like a superhero than a robot made of car parts, and the faces looked more human, especially the faces of the villains (like Lockdown). That change in design carried over to the Bumblebee movie villains like Shatter and will probably carry over to the Rise of the Beasts villains as well. Any evidence of incongruence to continuity story is far from being a smoking gun when a film like The Last Knight exists. In that film, everything we saw before was retconned and continuity flew out the window.

That's why in the end, it really doesn't matter if this film is labelled as a reboot or not. You can call it a reboot if you like but remember:
- No one at Hasbro or Paramount is calling it that
- It is labelled as TF 7 in all toy listings as well as on set
- Michael Bay is still involved and on set
- There are still reused G1 names with no connection
- Design elements are carried over from previous films; Bumblebee still has the Bayverse face, radio voice and Camaro alt mode

Plus, you'll still get scenes focused on humans, including a scene where the main male character goes for a job interview (again). Trying to piece it with the other films will make as much sense as piecing The Last Knight with the rest (let's not, let's just choose sanity). Regardless, we saw with Bumblebee that we can still get a good story with a greater emphasis on the bots within a film that was meant to be a prequel to the Bay films. So nothing is stopping this film from being good too, regardless if it is in the Bayverse. And also, most importantly, nothing spares it from being terrible if it's not in the Bayverse either.

A Tale of 2 ROTB Airazors

Date: Tuesday, November 22nd 2022 11:35pm CST
Categories: Toy News, Site Articles, Editorials
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 62,608

We are here to explain what is happening. Fans have been very confused at the sight of 2 completely different Rise of the Beasts deluxe class Airazor toys which look as complex (for a standard deluxe). So here is a breakdown with info coming from insiders and people with access to distributor info.

This whole confusion is a result of the movie being delayed. The big difference isn't the complexity, it's the sculpt and detail. The initial Airazor we saw is part of the Rise of the Beasts mainline that was supposed to be out months ago. That line mirrors the Earthspark and Cyberverse lines where the entire line is aimed at kids but there are deluxes which may interest fans as well due to their more standard complexity. Since these were worked on early, all toys in that line are based on early movie designs so that they could be sold in stores in summer of 2022 for kids and parents to buy, along with the 2022 holiday season. Also, it would be a unified class so all bots would be relatively the same size, and there would just be deluxes, no voyagers or leaders. That is the line the initial Airazor is from. Below is an image along with the listing for that Airazor and the other characters in the deluxe class of that ROTB movie line (Core Boy means the toys are aimed at 8 year old boys).

Tra Mv7 Core Boy Deluxe Class Ast with the EAN: 5010993983308
Deluxe Bumblebee (Codename: George)
Deluxe Mirage (Codename: Pluto)
Deluxe Wheeljack (Codename: Barcelona)
Deluxe Airazor (Codename: Titan)
Deluxe Nightbird (Codename: Outlaw)



The Studio Series one first shown just a few hours ago is from the 2023 Studio Series line that was always going to come out in 2023, so one year after the film. And with that extra time, the idea is that Hasbro would have had more updated designs to work with, hence the differences in design.

But since the film was delayed, the toys that should have already been out will now come out at the same time as the toys that were always meant to come later. Hence why we get 2 deluxe Airazors at once, both seemingly as complex, transformation wise, but different in design.

Below are some of the Studio Series Rise of the Beasts figures we know are coming in 2023 along with Airazor.

TRA Gen Studio Series DLX TF7 Bumblebee (Codename: George)
TRA Gen Studio Series DLX TF7 Airazor (Codename: Titan)
Tra Gen Studio series Dlx TF7 Mirage (Codename: Pluto)
Tra Gen Studio Series DLX TF7 Wheeljack (Codename: Barcelona)
Tra Gen Studio series Dlx TF7 Nightbird (Codename Outlaw)
TRA Gen Studio Series VOY TF7 Cheetor (Codename: Butch)
TRA Gen Studio Series VOY TF7 Battletrap (Codename: Appolo)
Tra Gen Studio series Voy TF7 Rhinox (Codename: Warrior)

So that means what we are seeing with Airazor will also happen with Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Nightbird and Mirage. 2 deluxe toys, both similar in complexity, but with different designs. We don't know if Hasbro will try avoiding to have them on the shelves at the same time or not.

Hopefully that cleared things up for some people.

Would the Trend of Retro Style Figures Work for New Transformers Characters in the G1 Toy Style?

Date: Thursday, September 29th 2022 12:22am CDT
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 76,856

"Vintage", "Retro" and "Nostalgia" has been a big trend in the toy world for the past few years and we simply seem to be getting more. For instance, we currently have on shelves:
- Super 7 recreating the toy aesthetic of the late 70s with new characters that were never made in that style in their ReAction line.
- Mattel recreating the toy aesthetic of 80s MOTU figures for designs of MOTU characters that never appeared in the original line (like the 200X series in that classic style) in their MOTU Origins line.
- Hasbro making late 70s style figures of new Stars Wars characters from the Mandalorian and Obi-Wan series in their Star Wars Retro line.
- McFarlane reviving the 80s Super Powers line by adding DC characters that were never part of the original line as well as modern takes on DC characters with the same scale and articulation.
- Marvel Legends having a subline filled with carded 3.75 inch characters with limited articulation reminiscent of toys sold in the late 70s, early 80s.



These are all well known characters/brands replicating a style or aesthetic from the 80s and yet that list is missing a major player of that era: Transformers. The Transformers brand inspires so much nostalgia and strength among older fans that some will even debate whether or not the Transformers toylines sold in kids' toy aisles, like Legacy, is more for them than it is for kids. If we look at the toy brands mentioned at the top of the article which have a retro toyline, like Star Wars, DC, Marvel and He-man, each of those brands also have more kid friendly lines and at least one toyline dedicated to highly detailed and highly articulated figures at the same price points as deluxe/voyager Transformers toys (which technically makes Transformers a better deal than any other similarly priced action figure since they have double the parts count).

We'll take Marvel for the simplest comparison. The multiple Marvel Legends waves each year are in the same vein as the multiple Studio Series and Legacy waves we get. For kids, Marvel has a bunch of toylines, like the Monsters line, the Mech Line, the Bending line, movie specific lines (recently Thor and Spider-man) and those are in the same vein as the Cyberverse and Earthspark toylines for Transformers. And then there is also the Marvel Legends Retro line, which they are going full hog on, even to the point of introducing different scales like with the new Sentinel figure. There is no counterpart to that in the Transformers line.

Sure the Transformers line has figures labelled as retro, but these are rereleases of pre-existing figures, nothing new like McFarlane's new Super Powers line, or the Marvel Legends Retro line, or the Star Wars Retro line. And I make sure to bring up those last 2 a lot because they are from Hasbro, which means Hasbro sees the value in this retro type of play or collecting and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on brand new molds. The Transformers line becomes one of the only major lines in the toy aisle which does not have a comparable retro line alongside its other lines.

So the question then becomes, is that untapped potential, or a dodged bullet? And how would that even look like. An equivalent could be a redeco of G1 blades in Alpha Bravo colours giving fans the option of having that extra combiner limb on their vintage Superions. Or you could have the G1 characters/toys in their Bayverse decos. Like a silver G1 Jazz or a G1 Optimus with a flame design on his cab. How about an Ironhide and ratchet similar in deco to their E-Hobby releases but with extra parts to plug in a head with references to their Bayverse looks. Or a new mold of a 70s Camaro to give us a Bayverse Bumblebee but with G1 style transformation and articulation.

It could also be G1 toys we never had, like redecos of the G1 seeker mold and have it be Acid Storm. Or a retool of the wings to give us a G1 Windblade. Going the G1 route, they could release that G1 headmaster Arcee, from a redeco/retool of Chromedome. Or simply make a fully new G1 style toy based on the initial design.

Another example could be a grey G2 Megatron sold in G1 packaging to retroactively give G1 Megatron a tank mode so that we can have a cohesive aesthetic of the character of his various tank modes throughout the different eras. These ideas have been around for a while, as evident by the digibash you can find below from site owner Seibertron himself, but with more retro type product out there than ever before in the retail toy aisle, it's the perfect time to bring them back. The question is, would you fans be up for it? I ask because while this may look fun, there have been recent lines that mirrored the G1 toyline in terms of being out of scale and simpler than Generations toys, like the Cyberverse line, and those were mocked by many fans who even questioned their existence. Which makes one wonder, if the G1 line was released today, with all its partsforming, hollowness, non show accuracy, lack of articulation and simplicity, would it be mocked just like fans are mocking other lines suffering from the same issues?

Is this a thing that we want? Is this a thing that we need? Let us know what you think, both in terms of how a line like this would look like and if it is something that would interest you.

Top 5 Best Wheeljack Transformers Toys

Date: Tuesday, July 19th 2022 12:06pm CDT
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 110,157

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 Wheeljack Transformers Toys


Wheeljack is the seminal Autobot. He was the very first Transformers character we see in the G1 cartoon and he has been around for several incarnations of the brand, and no matter how redefined his character may be, there is always a throughline in terms of design cues for the toys, similar to Optimus Prime. To keep things simple for this list, we will simply look at toys labelled as Wheeljack with the Wheeljack design cues. Now let's get to it!

5. Transformers G1 1984 Wheeljack

One of the better original toys from the 84 line. Unlike other Diaclone toys, G1 Wheeljack works very well as a toy meant to convey a sentient robot, and he has no partsforming. He has that very recognizable headsculpt and since this is a Diaclone toy, the alt mode is perfect.






4. Transformers War for Cybertron: Earthrise Wheeljack

It was a toss up between this and the "Classics/Generations" version but in the end, the Earthrise toy makes the previous Generations Wheeljack obsolete due to the better proportions. While I love how the chest transforms to get a different shape in robot mode from what we see in the alt mode, that does cause him to be extra fiddly, which was also an issue with the "Classics" toy, and that's why he is not higher on the list. Looks great though!






3. Studio Series Bumblebee Movie Wheeljack

Man, what a breath of fresh air these Bumblebee designs were. Firstly in terms of looks, showing us that there can be a middle ground between G1 and the designs in the early Bay films, when it comes to live action. And secondly in terms of toys where the Hasbro team gave us completely new alt modes that they designed themselves to fit with the already conceived robot mode. So you end up with an interesting bot mode, giving a more realistic take on the G1 design and a really cool alt mode, that gives us a new take on a Cyertronian version of the Wheeljack's alt mode. And the transformation to get from one mode to the next is perfect, showing that after decades of car formers, Hasbro can still give us new transformations. Hats off to everyone who had a hand in making this toy.






2. Transformers Prime: Robots In Disguise Wheeljack

With all the accolades I gave to the number 3 pick, the next two should be damn near perfect right? Well they are. Starting with Prime Wheeljack. Stellar transformation that is still as intricate as ever and a very screen accurate toy in both modes. Plus it's a new take on Wheeljack, personality wise, with a new set of accessories/weapons not typically associated to Wheeljack. The toy gives us two options for weapon storage, including an offensive car mode.














1. Transformers Masterpiece Wheeljack

Perfect. I mean I could go on, but do I need to? This is the ultimate MP toy for me. A nice meaty transformation, not fiddly, turning a real world alt mode (like the G1 toy) into a screen accurate bot mode. This was truly the toy to satisfy any fan.











Honourable mentions: Cybertron Downshift is a great toy but I had to be clear with this list so he didn't really fit. Still I wanted to mention him so here's the best spot. Really cool alt mode, solid toy, and non intrusive gimmick. A great example of why he Cybertron line was aces.


Transformers Cybertron Downshift Gallery


Transformers Cybertron Downshift Gallery

Top 5 Best Transformers Cyberverse Toys

Date: Monday, April 18th 2022 6:34pm CDT
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 124,095

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me. 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. Some images for this article come from Toybox Soapbox.


Top 5 Best Transformers Cyberverse Toys

With the Cyberverse show over and the toyline now being the place where the Rise of the Beasts 2022 toys will be released, I felt it was time to look back at the toys made for the Cyberverse show. While the show did end up winning over a lot of fans in the later seasons (if you didn't watch the first half of season 3, you are missing out), the toyline was never made to win over older fans. It was a toyline for kids through and through. There were some pretty fun toys in there and I am looking at the ones I think are the best of the lot.


5. Deluxe Soundwave

Soundwave is one of the best characters from the Cyberverse show. While some characters get hat is the equivalent of a cameo, Soundwave got a full arc from Cybertronian citizen just having a good time, to ruthless Decepticon soldier, to Cybertronian resistance warrior to Cybertron's ultimate hero. And he had a great design too, which is why the toy looked disappointing from the start for not fully invoking the design and having some issues with kibble. But the toy won me over. It's very solid, has a fun transformation and comes with a cute transforming Laserbeak. In the end, it gives us another good Soundwave toy and e finally have a good toy for this wonderful version of the classic character.








4. Warrior Hammerbyte

This is a really fun toy of a new original character. While he is indeed a warrior as opposed to a deluxe figure, he feels more like a toy from the Cybertron line with nice hard plastic and a simple yet also meaty transformation. And it has a great design in both modes plus a fun non intrusive gimmick. And all for the low price of yesteryear's deluxes. So yeah, very reminiscent of the Cybertron line, which is something you will hear a lot of in the next entry.








3. Ultimate Grimlock

No other Cyberverse toy aimed only at kids even comes close to being as awesome as him. He is very imposing and really commands the space he takes. While he is light, the plastic feels strong and durable. The transformation is not too difficult but interesting and there are even surprises in it for people who know the typical Grimlock conversion inside and out. He has decent poseability and fine gimmicks that don't get in the way. Plus, he is the size of a leader class toy, almost 9 inches tall and only cost $30 USD. Design, transformation and articulation wise, this is almost like a Grimlock we would have gotten in the fabled 2004-2006 Cybertron toyline.










2. Deluxe Slug

While I love animated Slag, I think this guy takes the cake as the best deluxe Slag/Slug we've ever gotten. Now that I think of it, is he the best deluxe toy to represent one of the Dinobots? Could be. He has great articulation, including his horns which actually have their own transformation step, even the SS86 leader Slag doesn't have that. Lots of accessories, a nice colour palette with many differently coloured plastics working well together and a simple yet very well done hand to "paw" transformation. The face is very expressive too.








1. Deluxe Bumblebee

This is one of the greatest deluxe Bumblebee toys we have ever gotten and that is saying a lot since there have been some really good deluxes lately. This one works really well though since it finally gives us a version of that Evergreen design which combines multitude of now classic Bumblebee elements. While probably unintentional, I really like how the black and yellow plastic around the feet are perfectly aligned with the stripes on the car roof making it look like the car's design runs deep within the robot's innards. Nice car mode, great robot mode, good articulation, smart transformation, nice weapon storage for the gun in car mode, relevant accessories with unique blast effects make this an all around winner.





Honourable Mentions:

Deluxe Arcee: the car mode is super cute and a fun new take on Arcee. there is very minimal alt mode integration with the robot mode but at least the backpack you get is show accurate.

Deluxe Megatron: too loose for my liking in important areas but that transformation is really amazing. I love toys that feel like origami where you are shaping a vehicle into a robot and that's what this was, especially for the upper torso/back.

Warrior Cybertronian Starscream: now this is how you make a simpler toy! Articulation is not jeopardized, neither are proportions or the look of either mode. It simply requires few steps to get from one mode to the next. Of course, that is not always achievable, but when it works it can be a thing of beauty and the perfect toy for a kid wanting to mimic the speed of conversion seen on the show.

Seibertron's Year End Review Where we Look at the Best Toys of 2021

Date: Thursday, January 6th 2022 3:07pm CST
Categories: Toy News, Site Articles, Editorials
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 151,216

Seibertron's 2021 Year End Review

So here we are, another year is over and done with and while looking back on 2021 might not be of high importance on everyone's list of things to do, we did get some pretty cool figures. So the staff team at Seibertron got together to share what they liked best of the year in different categories and we invite you to join in on the fun and give us your pick for each category. Now, here we go!





william-james88: Kingdom Rodimus Prime. As part of the standard Kingdom line, spending $80 on a voyager sized figure is rough. BUT if the same toy was released as a special "Gen MP" release, which was a line of toys with MP level engineering made to fit in with the current classics scale line, and he came with a trailer, turret platform, accessories (matrix, sword of Primus, effect parts) fans would be all "take my money" and the fact that it's below $100 would sound almost incredulous. Well that's what this Rodimus Prime toy is, truly. More complex than MP-10 with similar number of accessories. And since he's chug scale, he's 80$ instead of 150$ (hell, this released these days in MP scale and MP quality, we'd be looking at $250). I for one thank our Hasbro overlords for trusting me to understand what I am getting in this 80$ package. Obviously, if you find it on sale, then that's even more awesome but that's the same for any great toy.

Scotty P: MP-52 Starscream and/or MP-52+ Thundercracker. I suppose Skywarp makes the cut here too, though end of December releases get tricky, especially with the slower pace of international shipping these days. Anyhow, this third version of a Masterpiece seeker mold delivers the pinnacle, thus far, of the "Sunbow" style design aesthetic for the MP line. Delivering a complex transformation that is, for once, pretty easy to learn while still achieving a superb sculpt with all the articulation you need made this a slam dunk. I didn't need any more Masterpiece seekers but given what the final product is in this case, I can say in retrospect this is something I really wanted.

Bounti76: Unicron. The sheer scale of the figure and the PRESENCE he has is worth the cost.

ZeroWolf: I was conflicted here. Part of me wanted to give this to Unicron but then I couldn't think of a good reason why compared to others. So instead I'm going to say...Transformers Kingdom Core Class Rattrap. Sure, his shoulders are awkward but any toy I can return to and fiddle with constantly are a win for me.

Kanrabat: Definitely Masterpiece Reboost. Not only it's an original character for once (at least in the TF universe) but it's an AFFORDABLE MP with a simple transformation that is FUN to do. I was blown away by this truly Masterpiece of a Masterpiece.






william-james88: Even though this was the best year ever for my favourite series, Beast Wars, none of the beasts impressed me as much as Cyclonus. That transformation was amazing, truly going from one completely different form to another.

Scotty P: Rodimus Prime. Kingdom was an excellent line overall and this nearly went to Dinobot with even Huffer getting some consideration in my mind. Rodimus Prime is something like a dream which is why it gets the nod here for me. Some fans are understandably apprehensive about the switch from size classes to price classes even now, years after it happened, and Rodimus Prime certainly can be looked at as the poster child of this when comparing the robot mode to previous releases such as Jetfire. This is a case where size just doesn't matter when the toy uses that additional budget to be so darn good. Rodimus borrows cues from several previous iterations of the character and even MP-44 for the under-trailer accessory storage, has every feature he needs and even possesses the best headsculpt we've seen for this character ever. It's not perfect, as the trailer tab tolerances are a little frustratingly off and the packaging itself caused paint woes, but this is one of those topics asking for a "favorite" and not "best", so Commander Class Rodimus Prime was an easy pick.

Bounti76: Tie between Slammer and Cyclonus. Slammer is great fun to transform and feels solid, and Cyclonus not only looks the part, but is an engineering slam dunk.

ZeroWolf: this was going to be Airazor but Tigatron nipped her to the post.

Kanrabat: Very hard to decide. I guess Leader Beast Megatron is my favorite of the bunch. A fantastic mold with amazing poseability and great show accuracy. Why pay 400$+ for the MP when you can have this one?






william-james88: Slug, it was really great to finally get another big dinobot that wasn't Grimlock for a change. I love how beefy he is and I feel these leaders (both he and Grimlock) give us what we all want in a leader class release.

Scotty P: Studio Series 86 Grimlock. If Studio Series' branding being co-opted by The Transformers: The Movie wasn't enough, the toys released for this section of the line have been far superior, delivering pleasant and high-quality figures with 90% less of that frustrating 'panel massage action' when compared to their movie universe peers. Ignoring Wheelie, who should have been replaced with a sword, this is very nearly the definitive Classics-style Grimlock I've always wanted. An excellent companion piece in Slag makes me very excited for the inevitable releases of Sludge, Snarl and Swoop.

Bounti76: Tie between Dino and Jolt. We FINALLY got screen accurate versions of these two... only 10 years after the movie they were in came out. Technically, Dino's car mode isn't a Ferrari, but licensing issues aside, still looks great.

ZeroWolf: Grimlock, has to be...Who can resist a robot dinosaur?

Kanrabat: SS86 Grimlock. Simple, yet so perfect. Another mini MP.







william-james88: I really didn't like deluxe Soundwave when he was first shown. The character has a great model on the show but it seemed ruined with some offputting kibble. But in hand, most of the issues went away. Not physically, everything I disliked was still there, but I just loved transforming and posing him that they didn't matter as much.

Scotty P: Deluxe Slug. Sometimes you have so many toys of a given character (or character archetype) that you feel like there are no surprises left to be had. Cyberverse Slug takes away some of the jaded feelings this old-timer gets on occasion by delivering two expressive modes that have a process to transform between the two that lives up to the brand's "More Than Meets the Eye" tagline.

Bounti76: Deluxe Class Arcee. Screen accurate robot (minus the back kibble) that actually feels decently made, and not be a "kiddie" toy, designed more to be cheap.

ZeroWolf: Deluxe Class Dinobot Slug...see previous answer.

Kanrabat: I didn't bought much Cyberverses so I'll cheat a bit because he was re-released in 2021. Ultra Skullcrunsher. This one blow both the OG G1 and the TR update away. Sure, he's no headmaster but the whole package just works. He's fun to transform, have a logical gimmick and he do MORE than the previous versions. Truly impressive.






Scotty P: MP-53 Reboost. As is tradition, I've managed to pick two MP toys in this list once again. It's true though, while I don't think this is on the same objective level of nicety as the new Starscream, Reboost is an amalgamation of so many cool ingredients at once that he quickly became my unexpected favorite Transformer for the last little while. Start with the equally great MP-52 Skids, give him a cool red repaint, extra accessories, the soul of Diaclone and a headsculpt with the energy of Alternity and you get an amazing piece that feels like a celebration of everything that went into making it a reality. The fact that Reboost is a "literally nobody" type of character could be a knock against it, but in this era of Total Brand Awareness where everyone in the brand's A and B tiers gets done ad nauseum, these are the types of Transformers that spark the imagination and keep me invested.

Bounti76: Skids. Out of nowhere, and he and Reboost bring me back to the things I loved about Masterpiece in the early 2010s- fun transformation and durability of the figures without being overly complex.

ZeroWolf: Skids, thanks to not having to rely on cartoon accuracy, they instead made a fantastic toy that shines in both modes.

Kanrabat: I'll say MP Reboost again.






william-james88: We had great exclusives this year. I FINALLY got my coneheads but I can't use that for the best exclusives of this year since they were supposed to arrive in 2020. With beasts being absent from this Beast Wars fan's year end list, it's about time I changed that as I claim Covert Agent Ravage as my favourite exclusive. This was not cheap but it is the best toy of the character we ever got and none of those were ever cheap. I appreciate how he transforms different from Cheetor at parts and looks very different in robot mode. It's also a really cool package with a fun spin on how incredulous his transformation was on the show.

Scotty P: Buzzworthy Bumblebee's "Worlds Collide" set. This feels like a throwback to the exclusives of 20 years ago and I love it. One set manages to provide a killer black and teal repaint of a "good guy faction" leader that hasn't been done 19,000 times already, Blackarachnia in her weekend clubbin' outfit, a re-use of the awesome Earthrise Cliffjumper tooling as Bumblebee to fill in your kinda-sorta-Mini-Bot-homage ranks and a toy that should've been released years ago in Fangry. In a time where store exclusives are becoming as large a part of the overall Transformers toy line as the main series releases, this stood out as a uniquely fun and creative set that provided great value.

Bounti76: Tie between Tyrannocon Rex and Puffer and Road Ranger. The first female Leader Class figure. An official toy of a European version of a character that used another character's mold, and an official toy of an eHobby exclusive that brought GoBots into the Transformers family. I'm all about firsts and obscurity.

ZeroWolf: Origin Bee. Despite not being a G1 purist, I know a fun toy when I see one.

Kanrabat: Agent Ravage. A great package for a relatively reasonable price, with a superb figure. The engineering on the Agen Ravage is quite something.






william-james88: My kids and I had a blast with the two Cyberverse films. I really wish we had a Volcanicus that transforms as he does on the show.

Scotty P: Cyberverse special 2 "The Perfect Decepticon". Honestly, it was such a bad year for Transformers fiction that nothing even came close except for the other Cyberverse special, but I picked this second one because the first one focused on one of the worst concepts in Transformers: combining Dinobots :shudders: Additionally, this special accomplished something that was very questionably possible by managing to make Tarn a character that worked in an all-ages piece of media while still keeping true to the character and his truly menacing personality. Add in fantastic roles for characters such as Soundwave and Hot Rod while providing moments to almost every character that mattered previously in the series at some point and you get "The Perfect Decepticon", which was the perfect finale for the best Transformers cartoon series since Armada.

Bounti76: Light/Star, the Transformers Annual for 2021. It strongly featured the first ever female Titan to have appeared in fiction, but also saw the "birth" of Computron (my favorite childhood combiner) in IDW.

ZeroWolf: The Transformers Cyberverse conclusion (thanks to Pop! On Sky TV for airing the specials in the UK!)




william-james88: Seeing what will happen toy wise with the change in release schedule for Transformers Rise of the Beasts. This delay was way too late in the toy development cycle so I am curious if Hasbro will release what was done already and rerelease it later. And I am also curious as to how different the toys will be from the final models now that there is even more time spent in post production between toy designs and final movie designs.

Scotty P: The chaos that ensues from RotB's delay. Necessity is the father of innovation. Mother of invention. Cousin of filler toy lines? Something like that. Bring me all the weird repaints and previously canceled molds. They're probably better than all the movie toys were going to be anyhow.

Bounti76: Finally/hopefully getting a G1 Elita One, and saving money- Legacy looks to be an easy pass for me so far, based on what I've seen.

ZeroWolf: A toss up from looking at what the line after Legacy looks like, and more MP Raiden reveals

Kanrabat: The toys being better distributed with fewer QC issues. But I think I'm asking for the moon.