Top 5 Best Toys from Transformers Robots in Disguise 2015-2017 Toyline
Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 9:51 amEvery two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Best Toys from Robots in Disguise 2015-2017 Line
5. Warrior Thermidore
Warrior Class Thermidor just oozes quality in every way but the literal. His vehicle mode, clearly resembling the most stylish of stylish cars - or, if you'd rather, very Batmobile-esque. His robot mode, wonderfully creative, characterful and inspired (with a side note that his head looks suitably lobstery without resorting to the weird googly-eyes-on-stalks thing that Bisk had going). His transformation, economical and highly effective, with a touch of the sublime in his genius claw conversion. All tied together with luscious blue plastic and (of all things) matte black paint that happens to feel wonderful, and you have a toy that screams pure quality in a way that you mightn't expect a mass-retail toy to deliver, let alone one from the "children's line". - Qwan
4. Battlepack Grimlock
The Robots in Disguise Warrior Grimlock came out with little fanfare. It was the same size as a deluxe, so out of scale with Bumblebee and the gang, his elbows had a breakage issue and he didn't even come with any weapon. But then Hasbro fixed all that, at a smaller scale. The Battle Pack Grimlock is similar in size to a scout figure of old. He has all the complexity of the warrior but in a smaller bot which makes him have a nice high parts count for his height. Plus they fix some of the transformation from the warrior and he no longer has the breakage problem. Also, unlike the warrior, he ends up in a nice scale with the smaller Legion bots and looks good next to the battle pack prime (who is a beast on the show). And lastly, the clear plastic weapons are perfectly fine. They give him an awesome homage to the AOE Grimlock when worn as armour and they connect to become a dino head which can plug into his arm for him to have some BW Megs action going. So all the pluses of the warrior, no downside and great accessories that give him two different homages. I call that a winner. - William-James88
3. Transformers: Robots In Disguise Warrior Drift
This mold rocks. The alt mode is super sleek giving way to a gorgeous robot mode which takes pride in its Samurai callbacks, including some great facial hair (which Takara had the kindness to paint). I love that two sided chest panels which is a very efficient way to have new robot mode detail while using the alt mode kibble. This transformer reassures me that a simpler transformation doesn't mean lazier engineering and in fact ups the stakes. Along with the Combiner Wars figures, Hasbro and Takara have proven that there is just as much wit and originality in streamlining transformation and making these toys fun for both older fans and new young fans. Also, that Takara deco on TAV Drift is super sweet! Plus, if you like sweet decos, he also comes in his IDW deco - William-James88
2. Transformers: Robots In Disguise Thunderhoof
Thunderhoof is all the best parts of the stellar design and engineering work that accompanied most of this year's Warrior Class Decepticon releases from Robots in Disguise. Distilled within this blue and black antlered mobster is wonderful articulation and even the occasionally hard to find alt-mode weapon storage. Of course, then there's the transformation itself, which has multiple wild steps that truly involve him folding up and over himself in a way that must be experienced to be understood. The Adventure deco is a thing of beauty, so if you can track that down for a reasonable amount it's the recommended version here. - Scotty P
1. Transformers: Robots In Disguise Warrior Fracture
I remember very well getting this toy. The entire year leading up to it (2015) was Combiner Wars and by the time this toy came out, the deluxe class toys in the generations line were literally interchangeable. You could guess how a toy would transform in the Combiner Wars line by just looking at it and getting it in hand didn't yield too much in terms of surprises. The Robots in Disguise toys were fine but also on the rather standard side (especially since it was mainly Autobots/cars being released). But then you get this phenominal toy that reminded me of those beautiful days of engineering ingenuity of that golden era right between 2008 and 2010. He didnt have any gimmicks other than the fact that he could transform. He was super sleek in both modes minimal kibble showing in either form. The robot mode was dot discernible in vehicle mode and yet they both use the same parts (inorder to be this sleek, it's a must). This really felt perfect, in the sense that you have two very different and unique looking modes with an ingenius way to get from one to the next. He even had that weapon integration I like best (being a Beast Wars kid) where the gun converts into an exhaust port for the motorcycle, disguising it too. And plus, this is a wholly new character. I love Thunderhoof but part of his appeal is the novelty aspect (which a lot of the line has and the reason for which some fans avoided it) but Fracture just feels like a new character to be used again within the brand and introduced to us in a toy engineered as perfectly as possible for the price point. Also, unlike Thunderhoof, there is no need for importing the Takara version to enjoy the toy at maximum capacity.
Honourable mention: Warrior Bumblebee
I do not know where this toy would place if I had made a top 10 or if he would even be on it. But I did want to talk about it here. I personally feel this was a clever and efficient design and a great toy for the line's main character with a simple yet fun transformation. it is extreamly streamlined but in the best way possible. I really liked reading an interview from the Takara engineer who came up with the transformation. You'll notice below that ever surface of the robot mode from the front has very few details from the car mode (the shins, torso, pelvis, head ect), similarly to Cybertron HotShot. However, the designer wanted to make the transformation a little more dynamic, while still keeping the parts count as Hasbro wanted. So he added the fact that you had to rotate his waste at a 180 when converting from car to robot and having the robot torso actually under the car roof instead of it being seen easily under the car. I just found that fascinating that the idea was not just to get from a car to a robot but to do it in as fun a way as possible, and how certain transformation movement do indeed feel more dynamic (like turning the waste by 180 degrees). This added a deeper appreciation of these toys and it is all thanks to this Bumblebee.
Top 5 Best Toys from Robots in Disguise 2015-2017 Line
5. Warrior Thermidore
Warrior Class Thermidor just oozes quality in every way but the literal. His vehicle mode, clearly resembling the most stylish of stylish cars - or, if you'd rather, very Batmobile-esque. His robot mode, wonderfully creative, characterful and inspired (with a side note that his head looks suitably lobstery without resorting to the weird googly-eyes-on-stalks thing that Bisk had going). His transformation, economical and highly effective, with a touch of the sublime in his genius claw conversion. All tied together with luscious blue plastic and (of all things) matte black paint that happens to feel wonderful, and you have a toy that screams pure quality in a way that you mightn't expect a mass-retail toy to deliver, let alone one from the "children's line". - Qwan
4. Battlepack Grimlock
The Robots in Disguise Warrior Grimlock came out with little fanfare. It was the same size as a deluxe, so out of scale with Bumblebee and the gang, his elbows had a breakage issue and he didn't even come with any weapon. But then Hasbro fixed all that, at a smaller scale. The Battle Pack Grimlock is similar in size to a scout figure of old. He has all the complexity of the warrior but in a smaller bot which makes him have a nice high parts count for his height. Plus they fix some of the transformation from the warrior and he no longer has the breakage problem. Also, unlike the warrior, he ends up in a nice scale with the smaller Legion bots and looks good next to the battle pack prime (who is a beast on the show). And lastly, the clear plastic weapons are perfectly fine. They give him an awesome homage to the AOE Grimlock when worn as armour and they connect to become a dino head which can plug into his arm for him to have some BW Megs action going. So all the pluses of the warrior, no downside and great accessories that give him two different homages. I call that a winner. - William-James88
3. Transformers: Robots In Disguise Warrior Drift
This mold rocks. The alt mode is super sleek giving way to a gorgeous robot mode which takes pride in its Samurai callbacks, including some great facial hair (which Takara had the kindness to paint). I love that two sided chest panels which is a very efficient way to have new robot mode detail while using the alt mode kibble. This transformer reassures me that a simpler transformation doesn't mean lazier engineering and in fact ups the stakes. Along with the Combiner Wars figures, Hasbro and Takara have proven that there is just as much wit and originality in streamlining transformation and making these toys fun for both older fans and new young fans. Also, that Takara deco on TAV Drift is super sweet! Plus, if you like sweet decos, he also comes in his IDW deco - William-James88
2. Transformers: Robots In Disguise Thunderhoof
Thunderhoof is all the best parts of the stellar design and engineering work that accompanied most of this year's Warrior Class Decepticon releases from Robots in Disguise. Distilled within this blue and black antlered mobster is wonderful articulation and even the occasionally hard to find alt-mode weapon storage. Of course, then there's the transformation itself, which has multiple wild steps that truly involve him folding up and over himself in a way that must be experienced to be understood. The Adventure deco is a thing of beauty, so if you can track that down for a reasonable amount it's the recommended version here. - Scotty P
1. Transformers: Robots In Disguise Warrior Fracture
I remember very well getting this toy. The entire year leading up to it (2015) was Combiner Wars and by the time this toy came out, the deluxe class toys in the generations line were literally interchangeable. You could guess how a toy would transform in the Combiner Wars line by just looking at it and getting it in hand didn't yield too much in terms of surprises. The Robots in Disguise toys were fine but also on the rather standard side (especially since it was mainly Autobots/cars being released). But then you get this phenominal toy that reminded me of those beautiful days of engineering ingenuity of that golden era right between 2008 and 2010. He didnt have any gimmicks other than the fact that he could transform. He was super sleek in both modes minimal kibble showing in either form. The robot mode was dot discernible in vehicle mode and yet they both use the same parts (inorder to be this sleek, it's a must). This really felt perfect, in the sense that you have two very different and unique looking modes with an ingenius way to get from one to the next. He even had that weapon integration I like best (being a Beast Wars kid) where the gun converts into an exhaust port for the motorcycle, disguising it too. And plus, this is a wholly new character. I love Thunderhoof but part of his appeal is the novelty aspect (which a lot of the line has and the reason for which some fans avoided it) but Fracture just feels like a new character to be used again within the brand and introduced to us in a toy engineered as perfectly as possible for the price point. Also, unlike Thunderhoof, there is no need for importing the Takara version to enjoy the toy at maximum capacity.
Honourable mention: Warrior Bumblebee
I do not know where this toy would place if I had made a top 10 or if he would even be on it. But I did want to talk about it here. I personally feel this was a clever and efficient design and a great toy for the line's main character with a simple yet fun transformation. it is extreamly streamlined but in the best way possible. I really liked reading an interview from the Takara engineer who came up with the transformation. You'll notice below that ever surface of the robot mode from the front has very few details from the car mode (the shins, torso, pelvis, head ect), similarly to Cybertron HotShot. However, the designer wanted to make the transformation a little more dynamic, while still keeping the parts count as Hasbro wanted. So he added the fact that you had to rotate his waste at a 180 when converting from car to robot and having the robot torso actually under the car roof instead of it being seen easily under the car. I just found that fascinating that the idea was not just to get from a car to a robot but to do it in as fun a way as possible, and how certain transformation movement do indeed feel more dynamic (like turning the waste by 180 degrees). This added a deeper appreciation of these toys and it is all thanks to this Bumblebee.
Oh, and I repurposed Real Gear Nightbeat into Aerobolt to lead my Weaponizers.
The only items I'd really dispute are Drift (but I never got him, so I can't really speak to the quality of that toy), and Fracture's placing. I like Warrior Fracture but I wouldn't personally call him the best of the line, not when there are so many other deserving candidates. Though I really only bought a few Decepticons and not much else from RID15, I think my list would go something like this:
