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Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Best Stories from IDW Transformers Comics Era (2005-2018)
The IDW timeline/universe/story that started in 2005 has ended and I personally believe it includes the best Transformers fiction involving our favourite G1 characters. Of course comics can be daunting to get into and I won't pretend every single story was a gem. But there was some stellar storytelling here, the best these characters ever got and I will go through the 5 best stories from this 13 year run that any Transformers fan should check out asap. The titles link to the comics on comixology in case you want to check them out.
Note: At the day this is published, there is a major sale on all these comics at comixology.
I love Ironhide, he is one of my favourite G1 characters and a great archetype: the bad ass old timer soldier who will get the job done. And this book makes great use of that archetype. Plus, for any new readers, the fact that art of the story is Ironhide not remembering a lot means you and him are both unaware of what came before and it serves as a nice introduction to the IDW G1 universe. The biggest selling point though will be the art. As good as the writing is, this book's greatest strength is the gorgeous art from Casey Coller, which to me always felt like the best Dream Wave but done right (so clean and heroic but without odd proportions or angles). - William-James88
Out of the three "solo-character" books (the other two being Bumblebee and Drift), this was the best one. Mystery, suspense, and four full issues of Casey Coller being awesome. - Scotty P
Casey Coller killed, there was a lot of mystery, there was a lot of Ironhide coming to terms with not remembering 4 million years, and it started his unique relationship to Alpha Trion that shaped most of his future. - D-Max
We always guessed a Starscream lead story would be fun, and this book shows us just how great that can be. While anyone who likes combiners will get their money's worth here, the part I liked most was the later half with Windblade. We get to see just how much that character can add to a story. And, lest we forget, this is the story of Starscream actually being ruler of Cybertron, something the character always wanted and we get to see it play out in full rather than him being instantly killed by Galvatron. - William-James 88
TAAO had some great moments, and I think issue 4 with Bruticus was the best look we've had at a Combiner mind in story and visuals. But 9-12 with Starscream truly changing and then the battle of the minds was truly awesome. - D-Max
If anyone is interested in Pre War Cybertron starring Orion Pax as a super cop, then this story is for you. Expertly written and just plain fun to read, with lots of twists (that final page is a bigger twist than anything M Night Shyamalan ever did). While it takes place within the More Than Meets Your Eye comic, this story is very much self contained since it deals with the crew looking back on a conspiracy themed story from Pre War Cybertron and how they interacted with Orion Pax (Optimus Prime before the war) as he searches for answers. This gives us the best look at Cybertron before the war and how society was, and is a very fun mashup of Transformers in different narrative situations, like a police procedural, a political thriller and a heist story (where Orion organizes to steal the Matrix of Leadership!). As I said, just plain fun and it's great to see all the storytelling potential with these beloved characters achieved. - William-James88
Simply put, Last Stand of the Wreckers, is the pinnacle IDW story, this is the one that had people screaming at how awesome, fresh, and cool it was. That series helped put Roberts on the map and really helped define Roche's career. It's still an all time favorite of mine. The content, the simple message of people dying in stupid, pointless, preventable ways during war is so dense and so tight. If IDW had a perfect story, that one would be it, for sure.
As for Sins of the Wreckers, it is such a visual story. In the same way I and others have criticized Roberts for way too many words and not a lot of visuals in several cases, this one was the exact opposite, you got more from the story by looking at it then reading it. That book is probably the perfect visual story book from IDW. - D-Max
Sins of the Wreckers was a deeply personal story with a raw emotion and style not really seen elsewhere in Transformers. Might be the top of the full 13 year run when it comes to the use of visual storytelling.- Scotty P
1. Chaos Theory from Transformers 22 and 23 by James Roberts and Alex Milne
If you could only read one comic (well two in this case), this is what I would recommend. While these are brief chapters written at about the half way point of this IDW universe, they serve as its true beginning tieing in what came before and becoming a basis for the future. Optimus Prime and Megatron are the main characters of the Transformers franchise and yet after all these years, this is where we finally get the best look at them. We see what makes them tick, what they stand for. This is a humanizing portrayal of both characters and yet at the same time, we see them for the leaders that they are, these giants that no other character before or after can compare to. And it's written so well. My favourite scene, if I had to pick one, is when both of them just chat about their past battles against one another and compare how much they suffered at each other's hands, both laughing it off. You also get to see how a 4 million year war happens, what it entails and how war strategies for these immortal beings are different than how we would imagine it. There is a great line about how they would plan a battle for centuries only for it to be finished over night. This is just an example of how we get a more detailed look at these characters, at the Transformers lore itself, than ever before.
While it takes place at the very end of the war, we also see both of these characters before the war and how they come to be while also setting up all the lore the IDW Universe has now contributed. Like how Transformers are made (forged or constructed cold) or where the word and symbol for Decepticons comes from and the societal environment where such a clan could rise (we even learn what the "Megatron" name implies). And as I mention this, you would think there would just be loads of text describing things like an encyclopedia, but no it just flows smoothly as a confrontation between the two commanders as they get a sense of where they are at in the war. And the fact that it sets up the lore means you won't feel lost reading it at all, it is a stepping stone for many stories to come (like Shadowplay, mentioned above). I could talk about this endlessly, I didn't even mention the immaculate art by Alex Milne (who has since become THE Transformers artist). It's only two issues, do yourself a favour and read it. - William-James88
Honourable Mention:
Transformers Escalation - A super entertaining part of Furman's arcs that often gets overlooked. This story is peak Furman with him paying off some built-up storylines, seeding others, and doing innovative things. Plus, the Optimus vs Megatron fight in issue 5 is both one of their few one on one battles in IDW and also one of the best ever crafted. - Scotty P
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Most Disappointing Transformers Toys
Don't mean to be a downer, but this week I wanted to look back on times we were quite disappointed with toys. Most lists that don't have to do with a particular line or time frame usually have a wide range of years. However, this list is mostly recent toys (past 10 years) and there is a reason for that. It's not recency bias, it's simply that as the years pass, patterns develop. We know what to expect and not getting it leads to disappointment. The better the main line, the bigger the disappointment when a figure comes out being sub par. And with the added elements of interaction between companies and fans as well as social media, we are more aware of what is to come and if something is promised and not fulfilled, you know you are in for disappointment. So let's get to it!
This is a perfect example of overhype. She isn't a bad toy, she just isn't as great as we all expected her to be. This was the first TF where Hasbro asked fans for help in its design. It was a fembot, it was a new character, everyone wanted it. Bigbadtoystore even charged more for it than the other components of the toy's wave just to cover the cost of all the cases they bought in anticipation of the demand. And... Dissappointed!
Whoever took those official pictures was super sketchy because there is no way to predict that the actual jet has a big gap in the middle of it. I wouldn't mind her visible legs and feet if at least it had a convincing jet body. I have issue with the plastic too. It still had a hint of that FOC el-cheapo plastic which really didn't help in two notable areas: the heels and the wing tabs. Firstly, her heel pieces are always swinging back so you have to constantly adjust them when attempting to make her stand. They will also detach in the process sometimes. These definitely should be tighter to help stability.
Secondly, you have those thin tab clips on the sections that are supposed to attach to the base of the nosecone section. They don't hold well at all. This is where this transformers becomes the fiddliest thing since MP 05. While they can tab into the designed area, they always pop out making it very annoying and quite cheap.
So we have these main defects on a figure that was supposed to come out of Hasbro's efforts to get closer to its fans. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather get a good quality figure than take part in a poll regarding a new figure's alt mode. But that's just me.
This one is simple, the individual components did not transform into robots. Granted they didn't in the film either, but that doesn't mean there were no robot modes. Plus, this was a big expensive toy, not having robot modes made it very simplistic and what you basically got was an ugly Power Ranger Megazord. I know Michael Bay designs varied greatly from the source material but this one to me was probably the biggest downgrade and the worst example of how someone can interpret an iconic G1 character for a new generation. But that's subjective, if we remain objective, we can simply look at the legion class version where each component had robot modes of their own, I mean come on!
Masterpiece Tracks and his retool Roadrage were the most discounted MPs (worldwide) since 2009, and probably the most discounted Masterpiece toys of all time in Japan. Word of mouth was simply not good and this was really the first big disappointment from the line since it was rejuvenated with MP 10. The toy was simply not on par with how solid and smart I expect MPs to be, with a very gappy robot mode. Plus, it was a QC nightmare with Roadrage's head not even locking in place and the back half of the figure not connecting securely (at least they eventually got it right on Hot Rodimus). And with all the pose-ability potential of a Masterpiece figure, the back becoming undone easily does not entice you to handle it and pose it much.
This was so easy not to screw up, and that is where the massive disappointment comes from. After all these years we finally had a nice voyager Galvatron, who looked great for the most part and had the giant canon alt mode from the film. You could feel the excitement in the air. It did have a Titan Master / Headmaster gimmick, but that didn't seem like it would make much of a difference. RIGHT?! Well, we got the toy and yeah, that gimmick really messed things up. His small headmaster head needed a flip up mask gimmick to actually look like Galvatron. But since the mask is flat, it didn't give him a crown around his head, just the facade of one at the front and it isn't close enough to his face so it looks like crap. Plus, he can't turn his head around enough with it. To add insult to injury, the hole in his chest seemed big enough to house a whole head so we can only imagine how better it would be if he didn't have to work in the head master gimmick (or at least go the full helmet way like the leaders, he has the space for it). We were THIS close to a great Galvatron!
A titan class figure's release and reveal is always one of the bigger events of the year, for obvious reasons. We only get 1 and it's always of a character that we haven't had in a decent form since the 80s. Metroplex and Devastator were well liked and seemed to answer the hype even though they were simpler than anticipated (as bigger toys usually are). But with Fort Max, the fandom was unsure of what to feel from his fist reveal. I don't know about you but when I think of Fort Max, I think of 2 things: Turns into a Fortress and has a crap ton of firepower. And then we get this toy, a retool of Metroplex with far less play options than the original.
I greatly respect the G1 toy era but we can all agree that objectively toys since then have offered more simply due to added articulation and complexity. However, Titans Return Fortress Maximus is the exception. The G1 toy is more complex, has a more impressive city mode (it actually looks like towers in downtown Iacon), more play features (like a legit jail door) and so many accessories. A fortress should be a place to hunker down and fight the invading enemy right? So where are all the damn weapons? And that's all aside from him being far less of an extensive retool than it appeared at first. The carrier like appendages on his arms are the same Metroplex had instead of having actual ramps, and there is not one but two vestigial features: the legs that still open and the giant arm hinge. When looking at the entire franchise history, I would say that G1 Fortress Maximus is one of the top 10 must own Transformers toys, this one doesn't hold a candle to it and if any new fan is interested in him, I truly suggest you spend that money on the Encore G1 Fortress Maximus release we got a few years back. Should still be available at a decent price and you will get much more value out of it. I spent $115 USD on the Titans Return toy and still feel underwhelmed.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 10 Best Transformers Comic Book Covers of All Time
The title says it all. In light of one of the most significant eras of Transformers comics ending last wednesday, I thought of concentrating on the comics side of the brand and looking at all the beauty that adorned them throughout the years.
For those who do not know, issues in the US were split up in the UK. For instance, issue 75, which dealt with the autobots vs Unicron was split up into 4 issues. And all those issues get their own cover. the finale, issue 322, has this wonderful shot of us inside Unicron looking at Optimus about to enter it's mouth using the Matrix to light their darkest hour. It makes for a truly awesome shot that I find much more impressive and evoking than most of the more recent Unicron themed covers we have gotten.
When looking at classic Transformers covers, you will come across a lot from José Delbo, who I truly believe is on of the best of that era. And of course, there is Jim Lee, who I don't think needs an introduction. I had a hard time choosing between both these shots since I love them for the exact same reason: both use perspective to show the Decepticon threat. With Galvatron, you feel the hopelessness that all is lost while with Bludgeon you can feel the dread of the autobots where the fight seems already pretedermined even if they are higher in number (and include Grimlock!!).
Jae Lee is an incredible artist and as someone who has seen him draw live, it is truly mind boggling that the lifelike quality he brings to drawings can be done with no reference and no digital effects. That's why even the smallest of Transformers (Ravage in this case) can look so nightmarish and immense. While he has drawn characters who may be more popular in higher profile books he is very proud of his work on this book to this day and it is hard not to see why.
While Sara Pitre Durocher is a fine monthly artist, her cover work is just on another level as you can see above. She is like the Transformers' equivalent of Alex Ross and Marko Djurdjevic. While the cover above is my favourite of the lot, the whole arc run is a very good lesson in composition and the effect of symmetry.
We have the best Transformers artist we have ever had on the books right now. However when it comes to covers, many put just too much. While that amount of detail on any Alex Milne Unicron cover is astounding, a simpler composition can be more striking and eye catching, as we saw in the fist Unicron cover mentioned on this list. Nick Roche, another all star, defied the conventional standard by giving us as much if not more detail than any modern day cover artist but in a clean and smart composition, making this one of the most eye catching and awe inspiring covers of all time. It is a great companion piece to the Stewart Johnson shot from above by focusing on a different angle, making this as epic as possible.
This was one of the favourite covers of my mentor on this site and I will leave you with his succint review:
This one will always hold a place in my spark casing. - Va'al
Not only does this cover show us of Megatron's new allegiance (WHAAAAAAT????) it did it in the most playful and fun way. That cover is an homage to Roche homaging Maguire (DC's Justice League), as Milne signed it.
Which was then subsequently re-homaged by Roche (homaging Milne homaging Roche homaging Maguire) and then by Jack Lawrence.
Its a great cover layout too, giving you a sense of all the main players in the team.
3. All Hail Megatron #1 by Trevor Hutchison as well as Casey Coller and Josh Burcham.
This storyline has its fair share of dislike from the community, deserving so, but you have to give credit where credit's due, it had incredible covers. Two of the all time most eye catching covers in the history of the brand were used for the first issue. I adore the standard propaganda-esque poster which just sums up perfectly what the series aspired to be: the story where Megatron finally wins. Peace through Tyranny never looked so good.
For those not in the know, one of the greatest comic book covers of all time (if not THE best) is Brian Bolland's cover for Batman: The Killing Joke and it perfectly recreated with Megatron and Reflector. Both Brian Bolland and Casey Coller hold a very special place in my heart in terms of their art so seeing the product of both truly is a treat. It's crazy to think that both awesome Transformers covers described here happen to be for the same issue, that means I can cover two entries in one go!
Marvel US issue #80's Andrew Wildman cover is just about as perfect as it gets. It represents all the hopelessness of knowing it's the end, but despite another hero being in the foreground about to get cut down by Bludgeon, there's that shadow of Prime in the background that always feels like it arrived just at the right moment. To this day, this cover gives me chills. Circumstances have been just plain bad for months in the comic for the Autobots and our other heroes, including you because for the last year only very few shops were sporadically getting in new issues. Despite being a little bit lost about the totality of events, among all that darkness and ruin you see that shadow back there. In some form, in some way, Optimus Prime is going to show up and save the day. It all might be about to end, but the bad guys are finally going to get what's coming to them. - Scotty P
More than three decades later and this comic cover still stands unrivaled and has only kept growing more iconic. With only one character on the cover, we can gather what happened (or what will happen). Just the smoke coming from Shockwave's cannon tells us that all hope is lost. The fact that the artist replicates many mechanical details from the toy but in a pose impossible for said toy to be in adds a great sense of realism to this image which is enhanced by the textured feel of the cover thanks to the mixture of light and shadow. This gave us the best sense of what Shockwave would look like in the real world, where we would have no chance of defeating him. I can keep talking but I fail to see the point when all you need to do to see that this is the greatest cover of all time is just to give it a glance.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by a Seibertron staff member, in this case me, Tyrannacon. 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.
This figure is a hit for me simply for the voice clip alone, which I feel bad saying because the entire figure is not that accurate to his big screen incarnation in both modes. The Vehicle mode is where that likeness isn't even captured at all in the slightest though. Unfortunately that is the only plus I can think of for this figure would be that voice clip. Frankly it massively helped it and made it a definably Megatron figure for me as he proclaims loudly that he is Megatron and basically here to destroy stuff. The mold was later repainted into numerous TakaraTomy exclusives and even Hasbro did the hard-to-find Shadow Command version. That one exchanged the audio clip from "I am Megatron!" to "There is no command, but mine!" which is also awesome as well. Sure you can buy some add-ons to help the figure have better arms, but for the purposes of this list I am not comparing those add-ons for it and I am only comparing the figures as they are released to be. This Megatron is quite the Frankenstein monster and while I said the voice clip helps immensely, you may not find it all that satisfying in the end.
I have a very love/hate relationship with this figure. Let me explain why here and that reason is the scaling here. I know, I know. Scaling is one of the things we Transformer fans have to pretend doesn't exist and not talk about, but I am more annoyed with the tiny proportions for the figure altogether. Take the tiny head here, it's the tiniest Megatron head around unless you snag a Legends/Legion scale figure. The cape is also cumbersome at times and don't even get me started on the lack of his "Fusion Shotgun" that is instead subbed by a part of his tanker that extends with a mech-tech gimmick. Frankly I feel that tanker piece works better like a jet pack. I mean Megatron retained a flight mode when it came to his tank mode in the second film from his original jet mode in the first film. Why couldn't that tanker piece work as some sort of jet pack for our Decepticon lord and master? I mean he'd have to go into robot mode to fly around, but it would still be a more appropriate use of it instead of a gun that it looks nothing like whatsoever. So that's what I use mine for in this case even though it doesn't leave him with a gun to use.
Okay I got to be honest here, in 2007 when this figure came out I was ecstatic and the nostalgia reason alone is because it was my first TF figure for the first time since Beast Machines. It was at the time I was starting my Megatron collection up and adding to it piece by piece very slowly. Now if you're going to go with this figure I have to recommend the Movie Premium figure not just because the colors are BETTER than the initial release, but the sound clip for transformation uses that lovable G1 transformation we are so familiar with in place of the metallic screeching of the initial release.
Sculpt and details are about what you would expect from a 2007 figure given how things in the post-Generations era when it comes to the Prime Wars lines look. I really would love to see a more streamlined version of this figure released eventually, but the problem is hiding the jet parts appropriately enough. To be honest it would probably be more of a partsformer in that sense if that approach was taken now. While I love how the initial jet mode looks and really, I love how the robot mode looks, It's just...well... too bulky for the figure. Megatron in the film is a bit more lithe and sleek, and while this figure holds onto those alien design elements it is weighed down by it not transferring well enough to the figure itself. I would say it paved the way for better figures though. It definitely is an under-appreciated figure.
I held off writing this list until I got my hands on this figure and honestly, the reason I rate it so highly is because of the fact it is a direct 1:1 of the likeness of the robot mode for the figure. It kicks the original RotF Voyager Megatron out of this spot. The thing I dislike most though is the hollow torso and how easily some of the pieces come off. Thankfully to me that really doesn’t diminish my liking of this figure too much. I am happy with the sculpt of the figure and I think the transformation is not only intuitive but satisfying to do once you figure it all out and how to do it. Though this figure needs a lot of work and I know there are some 3rd party add-ons for it on the way to hopefully enhance it. I think in this case the 3rd party stuff is almost a mandatory at this point to help it.
1. Transformers: The Last Knight Leader Megatron
I rated this as number one because of the fact the scale is impressive and the features are nice. I know with mine I had to loosen the screw in the back of the head to make the mask easier to close and open. If I didn’t do that it wouldn’t stay open unfortunately. I think everything about this figure screams Megatron, much like the RotF Studio Series Megatron in a lot of ways. The sculpts of the figure in ‘bot and vehicle mode is great, transformation is satisfying and intuitive. The flame effects are kind of a little nice add-on for displaying the figure in a cool pose. I don’t mind these and often it’s like a little extra thing they (Hasbro and co) tossed in to compliment the figure. It really doesn’t need them one way or another though. I think this one is one of the best of capturing his likeness.
Honorable Mentions: Age of Extinction Galvatron is an insane shell-former and not really that good in my personal opinion, it is getting mentioned because Age of Extinction is the one movie with no representation on the list. It’s not a great figure, but it’s not a completely horrible figure. The biggest issue aside from being a shellformer is the fact the paint apps pretty much are minimal. Also the TLK Voyager Megatron is appropriately a nice, smaller scale as well to mess with too. I personally find the TLK Voyager Megatron to be easier to transform than his Leader version.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Best Transformers Toys Japan Never Got at Retail: Characters/Decos
Last time, we looked at molds which never got released in Japan. This time, we are looking at specific decos/redecos that never saw a release there. I am not talking about instances where the Hasbro deco is better than the Takara deco, we already have a list on that. I'm referring to a release that never made it there, like when they redeco a toy to sell it as a different character (which is mainly the case for most of these). It will make more sense as we go through the list, enjoy!
This may not be the best mold from the Prime line but it is still an original mold for a new toy only character, with one hell of an original Pirate design. Well only in the Hasbro toyline. While the mold was released in Japan, it was not released as its intended new character but instead as not one but two Primes (Lio Prime and Go Prime). The decos are nice, but they aren’t that of the original character this mold is supposed to be and that head really does not work for Leo Prime.
This list wasn't easy for some reason. I really had to think it through. There are lots of redecos only Hasbro has but which ones actually made sense, which ones mattered? Prime Kup? No, that mold wasn’t even made with him in mind. Titans Return Krok? Eh, he seems to really love warming those shelves. But a Guardian robot redeco of Energon Omega Supreme ? Hell yes! It of course works with the idea that these drone type robots share the same body as Omega Supreme in blue, and here we have a new Omega Supreme toy so why not give it that colour scheme. And for those who have space, this is a far more affordable army builder than the one based on the G1 mold (and isn't this mold better? Come on, you know it's true).
3. Stalker
Japan got most of the G1 (or G1.5) Predators but not this one. Which is a pity because it is the most fun of them all. Most of the Predators are jets and then you get this awesome missile tank that can do more damage than all the others combined. He is a great design and while Japan got the mold through its later redecos, it never got the original which was for an original character (and not Soundwave). It is to this day the only rendition of Stalker we have.
2. Generations G2 Combiners
Japan never got the original G2 combiners back in the day. That might have been a blessing in disguise and avoided a lot of young Japanese tears. However, that did not mean there was no excitement from this part of the world when the G2 redecos of the Combiner Wars combiners were announced. Everyone was excited, Hasbro really went all out on the redecos making them as slavish as possible. It was a beautiful love letter to an era that is often ignored (and even looked down upon sometimes by some very uncool dudes). Sadly, those were never released by Takara so Japanese fans had to go to their local import shops and pay double. And they sold out very quickly even at those high prices. This really put a lot of my collecting woes into perspective.
It seems obvious now, but the idea of Jetfre did not come to me immediately. Macross is deeply associated to Japan so to think that they would not have access to Jetfire was almost unthinkable. But it's true. Because Macross is Japanese, the classic Valkyrie mold could only be released as a Macross toy in Japan. Hasbro, on the other hand, was able to import that figure and incorporate it within the Transformers line as Jetfire, one of the best toys of the entire G1 toyline. Japan never saw that Macross toy in the glorious red and white deco as Jetfire, and most likely never will.
Honourable Mentions:
For all you fangirls/boys out there, I will give him a mention here: Alpha Bravo. Though designed by Takara Tomy, it never made it onto the Japanese market directly.
And man, this list was HARD to write. Unlike Hasbro, Takara released most redecos thought to be exclusive through E-Hobby or other toy initiatives. And here is a great one that I thought Japan never got, but indeed they did.
This toy has always been a fan favourite and I ca see why. That G1 Optimus colour scheme works really well with it, and they go all out with it too. It's not just red and blue paint, you have parts that are translucent, chromed and some cool gradient effect on the chest and feet. Just take a look at the images below, they speak for themselves.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are our opinions so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Transformer Toys Japan Never Got (Molds and Retools)
Western fans whose purchases are predominantly Hasbro's standard Transformers toys sometimes feel like the grass is greener in Japan. And why wouldn't we? Just look at the exclusive molds, remolds and redecos Japan got in the Transformers Prime line and more recently in the Generations Combiner Wars and Robots in Disguise lines. Just to shove it in our face, they even re-released at retail the Tank Frenzy and Rumble molds for the cassette characters which Hasbro never released at retail (even though Hasbro designed it)(LINK). Plus there are all the Masterpiece Transformers we may never get and the list goes on.
But with all that going on, it is very easy to forget that Hasbro themselves have had dozens (hundreds?) of exclusives, many of which were just found at retail, and this list is to remind all Westerners (and Oceanians) that we sometimes get things Japan doesn't get (and might never ever get). Yes, many of those Hasbro exclusives are toys nobody wants (like Supreme Beast Machines Cheetor, Supreme Cybertron Starscream and quite a bit of the Titanium line) but we have some really good stuff too that quite a few Japanese fans had no choice but to import (now it's their turn to pay that shipping muahahaha). I will stick to just retail here (we will leave show exclusives for other lists), and in the next two weeks, I will try to mix it up with a wide array of exclusive molds, remolds and decos that both Japan or Takara (they can be mutually exclusive) didn't get. For now we start with tooling so either a new mold or a retool that Japan never got at retail.
While not show accurate in the least, this is by far the best toy to come out of this design. I loved Prime Megatron's robot mode but the vehicle left a lot to be desired. There was that visible head syndrome, robot arms just hanging out in the back adding nothing to the vehicle mode, and I couldn’t quite get what the front was all about. Was it a head? Couldn't really make heads or tails of it (not quite as bad as Megatron's Animated Cyertronian design of course) and not something I cared to Transform this excellent robot mode into.
But man, talk about an overhaul with the Beast Hunters retool of Sharkticon Megatron. Many problems I had with the original vehicle mode design were fixed. No more visible head syndrome for starters but more than that, the ship looked like something. It had this incredible bio mechanical look to it, which reminded me a lot of HR Geiger, with a very prominent head and fins in the back. Those are the obvious bits of remolding but when actually taking a good long look at this toy you realize it's mostly new parts. The arms and legs and even head have all been changed to add detail contributing to the more underwater theme. The deco is pretty stellar too, reminding me of the colour palette in the Bioshock games. And he comes with the Tartarex Warp Sword which not only is a badass shark sword gun made for pure slaughter but also a very clever reference to the abyss from Greek mythology, Tartarus.
There are several Beast Wars Transmetals toys Japan did not get at first but some eventually found their way there in one way or another. This one never did. I will be honest, that pun of a name scores him some pretty high points but the toy is great overall as well. The Transmetals 2 line is known for inventive designs, premium deco and serious gems (with the notable exception of Cheetor) and Ramulus is all of that. Add to that the very original beast mode, that of a Nubian Ibex (wild goat from the Middle East), which I think is his better looking mode. I do like that as with many Beast Wars toys, the robot head takes inspiration from his beast mode, and he has these adorable horns (which are only beaten by that adorable little goat tail).
What, 2 Transformers Prime toys on this list?! Well what can I say, Transfomers Prime was the paragon of cartoon based toylines which has yet to be beaten, so you bet your ass it had some damn good toys. Japan got some excellent exclusives for that line (Ironhide, Jet Vehicon, Breakdown ) but we got some too, like this awesome dude right here. He is beautiful, nice and lean, imposing with a terrific transformation, which I prefer to the far more expensive Ultimate Predaking. Despite being classified officially as a voyager, he's HUGE, which gives this toy incredible value. Plus he has a generous amount of paint apps and I love those translucent wings. This is the best Predaking toy from the Prime line.
2. Transformers Titans Return Sky Shadow (aka Black Shadow)
In the G1 era, Japan got Black Shadow, a toy that was never released by Hasbro (we got Thunderwing instead). But now it's payback time with Hasbro releasing the best rendition of that character through leader Sky Shadow, a toy that just oozes cool. Even for those who don't know the character, the design and colour scheme are undeniably stylish. He just looks intense and a Decepticon truly worthy of being in the highest ranks. The transformation was simple but clever and all modes look great. The chunkiness also reminds me of the Cybertron era, but with today's articulation - it's awesome! I like him even better than Overlord, a toy we have been waiting agse for, since this seems like an evolution in design (which I always like) rather than simply just doing G1 with articulation (which often ends up rather dull).
1. Practically all the best Beast Machine Toys
Japan skipped so many molds from Beast machines that the line might just as well been Hasbro exclusive (and it technically was until 2004 when a dozen molds showed up in Japan). Basically, Takara only released their version of the toys for show characters, and only 1 toy per character (the more show accurate one). So for instance, they only released the Tank Drone as their Tankor instead of the awesome Mega toy. They also missed out on all those incredible basic class toys of non show characters like Quickstrike, Longhorn, Night Viper and Scavenger, all toys that I would recommend anyone to have in their collection. And yes, many of these toys mentioned are better than the previous toys mentioned on the list, I just didn't want this list and the upcoming "Top 5 Beast Machines Toys" to be the same.
He's here for two reasons. Firstly, it's possible that Titanium The Fallen might've been imported to Japan by Tomy Direct and I am not sure if that counts or not. Secondly, it's not as good as the other toys on this list. The idea though is that the Titanium line was Hasbro exclusive and Takara didn't release their version of it. I know, I know, good for them. They were able to avoid some of the worst toys ever made for the Transformers line, and I say this with no exaggeration. They were also able to avoid an Optimus Primal toy which didn't have a Beast Mode (well done on that one Hasbro). But they still missed out like with Fire Convoy and the Fallen. People forget, but this toyline got us our first figure for The Fallen (aka Megatronus, one of the Primes). And fun fact, this toy's design is taken from the IDW comics Stormbringer Megatron design, so that's one more Stormbringer design for fans to have in toy form.
It is very hard to judge G1 toys in fairness due to their iconic status. I love Bludgeon and collect his modern toys, but I would be hard pressed to say that the original holds up to everything else on this list. Pretenders are very love em or hate em in this community while I remain indifferent on the subject. I do love both Pretender designs. Of course, it would help to talk about it more if it was available for me to purchase at a decent price. I still find it very bewildering that of all the G1 toys not to be released in Japan, it is the one deliberately styled after a part of their culture and the first Transformer to bring in the Samurai motif. That has since been found across different characters. It's an aspect I like a lot since in the more modern era I find it fascinating how designers will use pieces of the alt mode to turn it into a samurai style armour, for example. And yes, Octopunch, the tentacle monster Transformer, also never made it to Japan.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. And Va'al swoops in from the left, takes the list, and shapes it in his image. First day.
Taking over from william-james88 for this session, I thought about turning our attention to one of the weirdest and least explainable (until Simon Furman in IDW) features of the Transformers lore: mass shifting. Tinkering with some of the figures below, I pitched the idea to the resident listicler - what are the best toys that change size drastically between modes, faithfully and painstakingly representing the mass-shifting quirk in plastic? It took us some thinking, as we kept running short at 3-4, but we may have cracked it, and we're spanning a lot of lines, too!
Is this a good figure? No. Does it conjure up good memories? No. But it is part of the best toy line from the live-action movie series (so far) and it does a fantastic job at starting from an admittedly hefty remote controlled car, to become almost Voyager scary nightmare of a spiky robot. The actual class? Deluxe. But don't remind him.
That said, the robot mode is also nightmarishly lanky and spindly, and carries a lot of the issues of the live-action designs in its feet, limbs, and general... everything, so I wouldn't exactly recommend tracking it down at this stage.
As big as the smaller cars in the Masterpiece line - though not the smallest - the second iteration of the Captain Rodimus/Hot Rod compacts a towering robot into the speedy, flashy, flamey douche we all love to hate. Despite still being a little too big to make it into the Ultra Magnus trailer in play-mode, it's small enough to look positively tiny compared to its previous figure, and not that much bigger than the original!
But switch to robot mode, and you have something really much larger, in comparison. It does fit nicely with the likes of Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime, but may annoy some fans in its comparison to, say, the Datsun clones or the Lambor army. You do get fishing equipment included though, so your Rod can hold a rod - rodception.
We've all heard the tale: Tiny Tractor Turns into Toweringly Tall roboT. That's what you get with Robots in Disguise Thunderhoof, at least when compared to other Deluxes Warrior class figures in the same line. Not only is it a great little farming vehicle (one of the very few, if not the only one), adorably blue, and plodding along in the fields.
But as soon as you unfold every single part of the vehicle into its limb configurations -- hoo boy, do you have a tall, dark, and handsome, mean lookin robit. He towers over several of his class in the RID line, and is probably the first or second best of the entire run (Bisk/Thermidor is somewhere in there too), and he's just *so* different in size between the two modes, you might almost not even notice how hollow he has to be to pull that off.
Voyager class, bulky but relatively compact green SUV, complete with wrecking ball port on the back, limited release in the First Edition wave, and extortionate secondary market prices. Bulkhead is a mean, green, looming, booming machine.
From that Wreckin' ball, you get a baller Wrecker - something later canonised in the IDW comics too, as the last generation of the team before it's disbanded entirely - which may not make up for the size in height, but it is *hefty* all round, and sacrifices nothing for its look. Who says round can't be intimidating?
I placed both on here, as the Revenge of the Fallen figure is a stellar piece of work, and based on its cartoon counterpart - but Animated is the real star of the show, as the first entry onto the toy scene. The class? Deluxe. And the vehicle mode does a good job of keeping it at that, nice and tidy in its spiky green and black murder muscle car.
The robot mode, however, is HUGE. Like, super tall, almost Voyager scale, and without any hollow or thin or particularly lanky parts, as the aesthetic of the show and toyline allowed for proportions to work their way with stronger lower limbs and looming hunches. In Lockdown's case, it was also super fitting.
Don't Call It a Comeback The Top Five Reboots in Transformers History, by Scotty P
When something isn't working right in some way, a reboot can help set things back on to a better path. We do this with our gadgets all the time to set things straight, and more recently, large entertainment companies have been more willing than ever to restart classic franchises in order to cash in on new or lapsed opportunity for potential money. Soft, hard, full continuity reset, reboots until they were retconned out, non-reboots until they were retconned as such, that other Mainframe animation series - there have been many of these reboots and resets over the years.
Transformers is no stranger to this concept. Reboots, relaunches, and re-imaginings have allowed Transformers to persist over the years, and with each newly scanned concept or universe the world of Cybertron expands its IP empire further.
Usually.
Sometimes.
With IDW Publishing's long running Transformers comics continuity coming to an end this Fall, leading to a so-far nebulously defined reboot in 2019, inspiration struck to look back at the various times the heart of Vector Sigma has washed away the old and began anew. Take a short walk with me down memory lane as we look at the best reboots of all kinds throughout Transformers history - soft, hard, power cycled, and even some that are more "refresh" than reboot. Don't get too pedantic, I'm going to play pretty loose with the "reboot" concept's definition.
One more thing - This "top five" list is just for fun, just my opinion, and you should definitely comment by replying to this post to tell me why I'm wrong about all of it on our Energon Pub Forums!
#5 - Transformers Prime
Another way to put this first ranked entry could be "The Aligned Continuity and in particular, Transformers: Prime", but keeping the focus on Prime while acknowledging the wider Aligned Continuity feels appropriate, and somewhat similar to how Hasbro's various divisions handled things anyhow. Transformers: Prime was the focal point of a loosely-to-moderately-woven group of multimedia entries launched in 2010 with a goal of becoming a unified, overarching meta-continuity that would carry the brand for ten years if not longer. Along with Prime, several elements aimed to collectively achieve this goal: the War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron video games; Exodus, Exiles, and Retribution novels; Covenant of Primus and Transformers: Vault books, the Rescue Bots franchise, the follow-up Robots in Disguise animated series, and several tie-in comics. Despite these efforts, all these disparate pieces only really accomplish their goal if you're looking at their general ideas from orbit after your brain was launched into space from trying to actually patch it all together.
Despite the clear fictional problems at hand with the wider Aligned Continuity execution, Transformers: Prime itself brought a credibility to the television fiction and had a wider, more mass-market appeal than the beloved but niche Transformers: Animated and clearly kid-focused Unicron Trilogy. Using a main cast roughly the size of Beast Wars' main cast, the series was able to expand Transformers to an audience that had experienced the live action movies but was ready for something new that also remained grounded in at least some familiar, nostalgic territory. With hooks like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the voice of Cliffjumper (at least in the pilot, for a few minutes), Peter Cullen and Frank Welker reprising their respective Optimus Prime and Megatron roles for television, and the flash of a new cable network, "The Hub", Transformers: Prime felt like it had it all. This new multimedia onslaught looked to have the brand poised for another boom after the shocks of Revenge of the Fallen's awful experience, not to mention the late 00s economic near-collapse, had settled.
Presumably hoping to learn from the Transformers: Animated toyline's truncation due to the Revenge of the Fallen toyline (yes there were some late waves and exclusives, and yes there was more to it, just keeping things simple here), Prime's "First Edition" toys were plucked out of the pan-universal Generations lineup and released after Dark of the Moon's run in theaters. Kind of. Eventually, just ahead of the second season's premiere, a wider toyline hit the shelves and for a time, Prime was rolling with a quality TV show and a decent range of toys.
While not without its missteps, Transformers: Prime helped to bring in new fans after Revenge of the Fallen's deleterious impact on the franchise's credibility, and was an important first step towards making Transformers a franchise that had toys rather than a toy franchise that had fiction.
#4 - Transformers: Armada
In the 90s, there was Beast Wars, and it was good. Then there was Beast Machines, and it was good, mostly, but also a little weird and the toys were a mess. Then there was Transtech, and it was not.
With fans fatigued from running with the beasts, and Hasbro looking to set longer term plans in motion to really take Transformers back into the pop-culture A-list, time was of the essence. A new approach to get kids to like Transformers again was needed, and a new team was assembled from the ashes of the axed Kenner division (there's more to it, again, keeping things simple), ready to truly re-launch Transformers in earnest for the first time. They made some redecos of Takara's "Car Robots" Transformers line, called it "Robots in Disguise", and this filled some space on retail shelves for awhile while they got ready for a new battle.
With a new cartoon receiving a hyped-up release in Cartoon Network's popular "Toonami" block, a comic book from hip retro-cool licensed publisher Dreamwave, and a slew of new toys, Transformers: Armada had arrived to transform your summer of 2002. Mini-Cons were here - could you catch 'em all?
Disaffected young adults that had grown up with Generation 1 and Beast Wars were initially not pleased, for the most part. While some would come around (after some time coping with the fact that they were getting older), kids loved Armada and the toys were a runaway success, to the point where the line was padded out with Beast Wars repaints and multi-packs of previous releases with Mini-Cons strapped along to meet retailer and consumer demand. A Playstation 2 video game padded out the multimedia marketing, and Transformers was beginning to find some success again after another short flirtation with obscurity.
Armada's success not only spawned a sequel in Energon and a spiritual sequel to that in Cybertron, but it proved that classic ideas of the Autobots and Decepticons could be merged with new characters and myths to successfully market to both old and new fans. These lessons would be applied earnestly and soon into the future, leading to Transformers' second era of cultural phenomenon - but this is a ranked list, and sadly, this segue won't quite work unless you skip the next entry (don't!)
#3 - IDW Publishing's "Phase 2" Line art by Nick Roche, colors by Josh Burcham
The one true "soft reboot" on this list was kicked off by the one-shot comic book from IDW Publishing, "The Death of Optimus Prime", released in late December of 2011. Picking up after the pretty good ending to the pretty bad Transformers "Ongoing" run of 2010 and 2011, this proved to be one hell of a hook for a jumping on point. Its premise is simple: the Autobot vs Decepticon war is over - now what?
The "what" proved to be two ongoing series that would run from January 2012 to September 2016 in what is quickly becoming known as the "golden age" of Transformers comics. John Barber's Robots in Disguise (later just Transformers) and James Roberts' More Than Meets The Eye comprised the core of a stretch of fiction that would treat Transformers like people while treating its readers like adults. While lighter on action than other eras of comics, plenty is still to be had as our heroes face down Decepticon remnants, their own bad decisions, not-yet-dispelled evils from another dimension, ancient Cybertronian relics and their masters, corrupted Autobot leadership, galactic organizations, the hazards of romance, and especially in the case of Megatron, themselves. Contributions of other writers such as Mairghread Scott and Nick Roche helped flesh out the universe and tie up other loose ends while creating new questions, and the artistic talents of several veteran and newcomer pencilers, inkers, colorists, letterers, and editors shone through the cloud of "licensed toy property book" like the brightest Spark on Cybertron.
Line art by Andrew Griffith, colors by Priscilla Tramontano
The casts were composed of many key "Generation One" characters, of course, but many characters that never got a chance to truly be defined finally had their time to shine. Whirl, Needlenose, Chromia, Rewind, Swerve, Tailgate, and almost countless others went from G1 afterthoughts to memorable, well defined, actual characters that you can describe in more than one sentence if asked. New characters came in as well and made huge impacts, with the likes of Rung, the DJD, Windblade, and Aileron - also among a plethora of others - to take what had been an almost exclusively "G1" lineup and expand it in a significant way. Couple this with the introduction of characters from across the Transformers lore, enabled by a colony concept similar to the various planets in Transformers: Cybertron, and the universe feels like one in where any Transformers character from any point in history could show up and fit in without being awkwardly out of place.
Perhaps the biggest contribution of this era is how it expanded the representation of people expressed through the robot characters in ways that were long overdue. In addition to the intrinsic value of doing this, praise is in order for how the authors and artists approached this new strategy of inclusion in a way that never felt pandering, belittling, or disrespectful, but was instead natural, empathetic, and uplifting. The world and its people are diverse and express themselves and their experiences in infinite ways, and IDW's Phase 2 books will remind you that it's possible for Transformers to do the same. The brand can tell stories that matter to us humans on a level that isn't boiled down to robots punching, shooting, and kicking one another while sometimes turning into cars, trucks, planes, and guns. While that's not a new concept, Phase 2 uses that as a paradigm and does so effectively while still delivering plenty of action and sci-fi/mecha goodness to please its base of longtime Transformers fans.
Line art by Alex Milne, colors by Joana Lafuente
It was truly a special time in Transformers fiction, and as its follow-up "Hasbro Universe" phase winds down, I can say that it is and will be missed dearly.
#2 - Transformers (2007)
Some fans love Michael Bay's take on the Transformers, and the five movies that comprise a decade-spanning chapter of the brand's history. Others loathe them, while others can appreciate them from a distance while pointing out their positives and rightly pointing out their less savory, regrettable elements. This is not about that. This is about the summer of 2007, and how the Transformers ascended to successful heights not seen since the 80s.
We all remember our first car and our first fling. My first car was a hand-me-down [redacted because I think this is a bank security question] that I wrecked and you don't need to know about the other thing. The 2007 version of Spike "Shia LeBeouf" Witwicky had a first car that was a 1977 Camaro that was actually Bumblebee and became a 2007 Camaro after being insulted by his first fling, Megan Fox. One of these things is much more glamorous and fun than the other, and this is one of the reasons that movies are cooler than real life.
No one was really sure if Transformers could work on the big screen, and early pre-release hype was tepid at best - no thanks to your pals here at Seibertron.com and producer Don Murphy, but that's another story. Then the trailers hit and excitement built a little, but then the movie premiered at Botcon 2007, was widely released shortly thereafter, and while critically panned as expected the movie was actually really fun to watch and became a surprise mega-hit of a summer blockbuster. The toys started to fly off the shelves, and the little VW beetle from G1 was now a cool modern sports car that you couldn't find a toy of for about two months - and some say we're still paying for that now. That aside, it did make Bumblebee a true Transformers A-lister again after his lengthy absence from the franchise. Bumblebee's rediscovered appeal helped the movie, and the movie helped its related toy line find huge success, to the point where the line was padded out with Cybertron repaints and reissues of previous mold releases with new paint decos strapped along to meet retailer and consumer demand. Sound familiar? Probably so, but Armada had nothing on this, for as good as that was.
Love it or hate it, there's no denying that 2007's Transformers movie took our favorite Cybertronians and again made them a phenomenon the likes of which they hadn't been for 20+ years. It's hard to imagine this success being repeated, but then again, there was a point where it was hard to imagine Transformers even being around to get to this point. If only something had been around to maximize its potential...
#1 - Beast Wars
As the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arrived in the late 1980s to nunchuck G1 into a shallow grave filled with pizza cheese, Hasbro had to re-think how to continue with Transformers. They released the Action Masters, and it is generally agreed that this was a very bad idea. After hiding away in Europe for a couple years with their totally-radical-awesome toys like Overlord and the Motorvators, Generation 2 arrived to herald a renaissance and revival of the great Transformers brand!
Generation 2 also arrived just in time to be almost completely ignored by its target demographic because of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers smashing any momentum it could have hoped to have, like a Putty Patrol dude in season 2 when they just had to hit the big obvious "P" on their chests, or G2 Slingshot anytime after the year 2000 when you just had to move it in any way whatsoever or breathe on it funny. Don't tell me I'm wrong, I was in the third grade when G2 was released. No one cared about G2 in grades 1-5 except me. Transformers would have to again go live on a farm in the Midwest for awhile, which is probably where all the G2 Technobots were buried by your uncle as he made his way to Washington to go work for Nintendo.
Then in 1996, like a vast, predatory bird, nature did something unnatural. Nature lied...
They were robots in disguise! Gone were the Autobots and Decepticons, now there were the Maximals and Predacons. Not those Predacons, new ones with all sorts of crazy new forms and kid-appeal characters that changed into cuddly critters like pillbugs and octopuses and half-lionfish-half-bee-half-mans. It was awesome.
With extremely articulate (for the time) figures even at the most basic price point thanks to ball jointed hips, knees, elbows, shoulders, and more, and with a wide range of transformation difficulty scaling from one step up to "I'm still not done with Tripredacus mom, just another minute!", Beast Wars was the first truly successful "reboot" for the Transformers. Without it, this list probably wouldn't exist - both literally and figuratively. These remarkable toys had staying power, and were truly doing things both new and timely. Extreme reimaginings of classic ideas? Check. Scribbly packaging font? Check. A subline with vacuum metal chrome? Check. Beast Wars' toys were a microcosm of the 90s and what it took to reinvent an old property for a new era, while still holding up in many ways to "modern" standards.
Also incredibly timely was the accompanying television show. An entire kids' show, made with computer graphics, released on a weekly schedule was proof positive that the future had arrived. The small cast led to character driven stories, and while the first season can drag in places, go ask a kid catching just the loose episode here or there in 1997 if they cared. You can't so I'll answer: they didn't, I was there. The show was a hit and more than a few of my peers at the middle school held it as a guilty pleasure. While it looks worse every year thanks to advances in technology, and even in its time couldn't hold a candle to big-budget movies like Toy Story or A Bug's Life, it still blew away anything on a Playstation, Saturn, or N64 on the polygonal 3D playing field. The show may also lead some younger fans to believe Beast Wars isn't a reboot at all, with it technically falling into the Generation 1 fictional continuity! However, this wrinkle is the only facet of Beast Wars that wasn't a completely fresh start, and one has to wonder if such a wild departure would ever work today considering the constant flashpoints of toxic, social media driven, hot-take and hate-click fueled attention seeking behaviors that sometimes arise when anything dares to flip an established fictional property on its head. Regardless, quality can overcome even the most apprehensive of fanbases, and in the case of Beast Wars' show the fact that it truly was good helped immensely, leading to two additional seasons after the initial run and the Beast Machines follow-up, plus a lengthy syndication run in early mornings that lasted into the early 2000s.
The other thing that lasted into the early 2000s? The toyline, with a Walmart exclusive being released in 2001 - though 2014's Strafe themed repaint of Terrorsaur marks the last use of any of the original toolings, for now.
With Beast Wars nostalgia starting to crest, and Masterpiece toys of icons like Dinobot and Megatron just released or on the horizon, it can't be denied that Beast Wars truly saved the brand from its early 90s ultimate doom countdown to extinction (foil gatefold variant cover, 1:700 copy retailer incentive available with the order of 4,000 copies of The Death of Superman.) While there are still a few "Trukk not Munky" holdouts, even most of them have at least softened to the point of being able to recognize Beast Wars' contributions to Transformers. The rest... is silence.
Honorable Mentions
All Hail Megatron Line art by Guido Guidi, colors by Josh Burcham
You may be thinking to yourself, "wait, was it a reboot!?" No, but it sure felt like it for a small stretch of time in mid-late 2008! This was a shot in the arm that kept the franchise going in comic form, and while the immediate aftermath wasn't great, eventually this led IDW's Transfomers story out of the meandering woods of the Dead Universe and into the great heights of Phase 2.
Machine Wars: Termination Line art by Hidetsugu Yoshioka, colors by Evan Gauntt
Technically this isn't a reboot, but instead a story within the G1-derivative Wings Universe from Fun Publications. Let's be honest though, it's a Machine Wars reboot. And it's very fun! If you didn't read the comic that came with your Botcon 2013 set, what are you waiting for?
This concludes our look at "reboots" of all kinds in Transformers, and the superlatives of the bunch. Do you think I missed anything? Transformers: Animated fans probably do, but they're wrong and it's ok - and they can tell me why I'm wrong by replying to this post!
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 Insect Transformers Toys
Insects have been part of the transformers brand since the very very beginning. They are actually the very first animal based Transformers we have ever gotten, thanks to the insecticons. Scorpions and spiders aren't insects, so I didn't include them here. But don't let that stop you when you share your own top 5 list in the comments.
This was a pleasant surprise. With the previous releases of new Beast Wars toys straying very far from the show models (like Universe Cheetor or the Cybertron Optimus Primal and Megatron toys) it was a breath of fresh air to just have a new Waspinator toy looking like his good old clumsy self. The articulation was as good as I could hope for and that headsculpt rocked! The character models were done after the toys and thus took some liberties, making the toys look unlike what we saw on TV, especially for the first year. So seeing Waspinator have such a perfect headsculpt was invigorating. He's a great looking insect too with a neat non intrusive wing flapping gimmick.
I should be frustrated that both the beast mode and the robot mode use the same head, which is almost like an unsaid faux pas, but he makes it work. It looks like a locust head in alt mode and a robot head in robot mode, complimenting the rest of either mode, so I quickly got over it. He even ends up looking more like a bug than his other two insecticon acolytes due to the long grasshopper legs which really go all out to sell the insect like proportions. The deco is also gorgeous in an 80s future way with the fullest deep purple I have ever seen. G1 toys have not aged well for the most part, but when looking at the insecticons, especially kickback, you can see how these striking designs can never die.
Sure the size isn't great but for a Cyberverse collection, he is imposing. he probably has the best transformation for a Cyberverse commander class figure (well, maybe tied with prime Ironhide) and the size doesn't sacrifice intricacy or detail. He looks awesome in both modes and makes for a mean looking beetle.
Man, how I wrestled with the idea of putting this guy as number 1. He really is incredible. As a 10 year old, I truly believed that he was perfection for a Transformers toy and my opinion hasn't changed much. These were formative years and I remember looking at this guy and seeing that unlike most other toys, he didn't reuse animal limbs for his robot limbs, he wasn't a shell former, had many new details for the robot mode and yet remained sleek. Not only is he sleek, he is downright unsettling in his ultimate maniac design. This guy reeks of villainy and not the fun kind, the scary kind. The kind you can have nightmares about. So not only is it a great Transformers toy objectively, when you take a look at the design it just takes it over the top. There are very little toys out there with as much personality as this one. And I haven't even talked about his drill hands that turn when you activate them through his shoulder (well I guess now I have).
1. Beast Wars Powerpinch
I remember being ten and seriously thinking that Power Pinch was the best Transformer toy of all time (the Transformers brand was 18 years at that point). This wasn't hyperbole or a spur of the moment thought we get when we first open a toy, this was after looking at all the toys in my modest collection. While Beast Wars is a great line, the conversions often repeat or are predictable, especially with mammals when either half their limbs or all their limbs serve double duty as both the limbs of the animal and the robot (Beast Wars TM2 Cheetor felt so lazy to me as a kid). But what is amazing with insects is that their anatomy doesn't give the toy designer such an easy way out. The limbs must come from somewhere else. Scavenger above is a gorgeous example, on a technical level, of such an achievement in design. However, I always found Power Pinch to be even better simply because it was based on a realistic bug. Limbs not serving double duty means there is no robot design or kibble found anywhere in earwig mode. The great weapon (a giant pair of shears) integrates perfectly into the tail. The transformation is as complex as we will ever get for a basic class transformer thanks to a nice amount of parts count (seemingly more than modern day legends class figures). The robot mode offers lots of new robot detail. Basically, the bottom half of his body and the head are pieces not seen in insect mode and yet there is minimal alt mode kibble to hide due to how the toy is engineered. It's a little marvel really and due to it being a toy from this era you have all the ball jointed articulation you would need along with a generous amount of painted details we could only dream of getting today. This is one of my favourite Beast Wars figures of all time and easily the number 1 pick for best insect Transformers.
Honourable mentions: There are a bunch of good insect Transformers out there that couldn't make the list. To mention a few off the top of my head, that were up for consideration, we had Beast Wars Mantis and Inferno, Transmetal Waspinator, Transmetal II Scourge and Scarem and Generations Bombshell.
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 times G1 Transformer Toys Were Better in the Diaclone / Microchange line
As many of you know, the original Transformers toys were imported toys from Japan that came from different transforming robot lines, mainly Diaclone and Microchange. Both were derivatives of GI Joe and if you want the full story you, The Toys That Made Us has an excellent episode to get you up to speed on the exciting history of these toys. In short, none of the initial Transformers toys were conceived as giant sentient robots fighting eachother in an eons long war. Due to that, and also due to different safety standards in the US, there are several aspects of the toys that were dropped when they came to America. In some cases, the original version of the toy had more to offer and made more sense, and that is what we are looking at today.
5. Swoop when issued as Dinosaur Robo no.5 (Diaclone)
Unlike many Transformers releases of Diaclone figures, Swoop actually had firing missiles, and no obvious seat for a small figure to pilot, making this look less like a toy intended for another line. However, there is still one big reason why his Diaclone release has an advantage over the Hasbro release, and it's a reason no others on this list share. While the release of the mold under the Transformers brand had a red chest, the original release had a blue chest, which is far more accurate to the deco the character was sporting in the cartoon. You can see the difference below with the "worlds smallest transformers" release of the two different decos.
I would like to thank Black Bumblebee for pointing me to something truly awesome: Blaster's original toy had a working AM radio. It's a very sophisticated product. You would plug a microcassette which was the radio into the chest and then use the buttons found around the toy to turn it on or off, and to change the stations and volume. A pair of batteries in the right leg (you can see an image of the battery compartment below) would amplify the signal. The on/off switch became molded detail for the Hasbro release and the back of the toy was remolded to not have the hatches and openings. And if you ever wondered why the gun has this big hole in the middle, it was to store the earphone. There was both a blue and red version of this toy, which is where the colour cues for both Blaster and Twincast come from.
The main reason why his Diaclone release is better is simply due to him having an extra transforming robot that comes with him. It makes sense, if the Magnus toy was derived from an upgraded version of Convoy, then why wouldn't it too get a smaller vehicle like roller? Well it did, and unlike roller, this little buddy transformed. There is no reason not to include or release that in a Transformers line.
The main reason why he is so high on this list is that the way he was repurposed in Hasbro's toy does not take advantage of his playability. This toy has three really good modes but you wouldnt know from the way he was released by Hasbro. The instructions show you can convert him from a Robot to a Microscope to a mobile laboratory, which looks like a cannon platform with the cannon pointing upward.
It has later been called a tank mode, however, this is not the tank mode this toy was designed to have. The proper way to transform him as a tank as intended in the Microchange line is to have the cannon all the way down so that the hands and feet are parallel. That actually makes a third wheel in the back touch the ground and you now have a tank that can roll really well. Hasbro probably removed this awesome third mode from it's instructions (and replaced it with the mobile laboreatory) because the tank wasn't meant to be manned in the Transformers line, unlike the Microchange version which can fit Micromen (the slide holder becoming a place for the figure's back to rest against), driving the tank. While the toy we got ends up being very similar, and can still turn into an awesome rolling tank for your Micromen (each sold seperately), the entire purpose of the toy has changed and I feel it worked far better as a Microman toy. But at least, this is still an awesome toy which can work repurposed as a sentient robot, unlike the next toy on this list.
These toys make me sad, everytime. They arent great in the Transformers line and have been dissapointing people since 1984 since they don't look like their cartoon counterpart due to their lack of heads. Instead, you get a weird black face sticker behind the windshield stuck to a seat. This release is unfortunate because the toys they were initially are awesome! In Diaclone, this wasnt a headless sentient robot with a sled. Instead, it was a mech and a battle station, both manned by smaller figures which combined together to conceal themselves as a van. The functionality is still present in the Transformers release of this toy, but the meaning behind it and what it represents changes entirely. Instead of a headless robot, you get a manned mech with little figures which sit can sit behind the windshield which now lets them control heavier weaponry on the battle platform and actually fire some missiles (which the original Hasbro release did not do as well).
Before being sold in the west as Soundwave, this toy was sold as Casette Man and actually came with life size headphone and microphone set (non functional, of course). He also came with a cassette case for the little cassette he came with, which Hasbro did not include in Soundwave's release (it was however included in this character's release in Japan). Also, while he comes with rockets and a rocket launcher, the missiles do not fire in the Hasbro version while they did when the toy was part of the Microchange line (and this speaks to most G1 toys of which I have chosen Soundwave as ambassador).
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