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Our very own Jon Bailey (known as jON3.0 here on Seibertron) was able to land a role in the Bumblebee film as Shockwave and Soundwave! Jon has voiced Optimus Prime in Ask Vector Prime, Combiner Wars, as well as numerous Bumblebee movie trailers, Siren and Shockwave in Botcon 2015's script reading, AND the Crossovers Anakin toy (as well as many, MANY, non-Transformers projects, i.e. Honest Trailers). Today, we have a word from him on his experience on working on the film:
jON3.0 wrote:I am beyond thrilled to be the voices of Shockwave AND Soundwave in the Bumblebee movie. It’s been a childhood dream of mine to voice a Transformer(s) in an animated series and/or movie since I was 5 years old. You may already know that I voice Optimus Prime for various Hasbro things if Peter Cullen is busy, doesn’t want to do it, or for budget reasons. It was a great honor being Optimus for Combiner Wars. Shockwave has always been my favorite character and Soundwave is just barely second and to voice such an iconic moment in the film is insane!
My agent submitted my character demo (which features Prime from CW) to Paramount and they hired me to fill in as Optimus Prime for the Bumblebee movie which I was STOKED for! I knew up front that once everything was finalized, they would bring Cullen in. Working with Travis Knight was really cool. He told me if he could talk like Optimus the way I could, he would use that voice all the time. Before you record for a job like this, they always show the scene first. I’m watching the unfinished animation of the opening scene of the movie on this awesome mini-theater in sound stage at Paramount which is totally surreal and I’m seeing the Cybertronian seekers and Shockwave, Soundwave, Ironhide, Arcee and the other classic characters I’ve loved since 1984. Even as unfinished animation, I was totally blown away. I literally fanboyed on Travis Knight about how amazing it was and how it’s what I’ve always wanted to see in the Transformers movies (he’s a true Transformers fan by the way).
I recorded 4 sessions at Paramount, most of them to voice Prime. In the waiting room for different sessions, David Sobolov, Steve Blum, Grey Griffin and I talked shop while I’m trying to keep my cool. Here I am, sitting at the GROWNUP table. Before the fourth session, I received an audition for all the characters in Bumblebee and I had my heart set on booking it. We were asked to pick 4 or 5 but I did them all. I ended up auditioning 3 different times but never found out why. Never heard back from the auditions so I assumed I didn’t book anything, but at least I gave them my best shot.
When I booked the last session, I was only booked to fill in for Optimus again, but I was told I would record scratch (temp voiceover) for other characters, so I figured I still had one more shot. That was the same day Steve Blum was there. Someone came out to ask us which characters we’d booked before and of course Steve is like “Yes. Yes. Yes. No. Yes. Yes...” so I’m thinking I don’t have a chance since I’ve only ever actually BOOKED Optimus. I was only given 2 or 3 characters to record. When I got into the session, I was determined to at least try to do the others because some of them were my favorites. After I asked Mr. Knight if he wouldn’t mind if I tried the other characters, he was kind enough to allow me to record them. After I recorded a few, he said “Dude! You’re blowing my mind here! You sound just like them!” Greatest compliment ever. They had a montage of clips from the G1 cartoon queued up before we recorded each one to make sure they were as accurate to the cartoon as possible which is so cool to see up on a big screen with great sound. We had a fan chat about how Soundwave’s vocoder effect was originally done (he had me record two versions of the voice in two different pitches to better recreate that effect). I also told him about Corey Burton’s David Warner impression was how he came up with the original Shockwave voice. By the end of the job, I had recorded Ratchet, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Soundwave and Shockwave, with no idea whether or not anything would end up in the final movie, but I was confident that I had gave it my all.
A couple of months ago, my two youngest kids and I got to see an early version of the film and all the voices I had done, INCLUDING Optimus Prime, were in that version of the movie which blew my kids’ minds. It was definitely one of the most memorable moments of my entire life. We still didn’t know if that meant any of the voices I did were in the final film or not, but I took it as a good sign.
My agent finally gave me the great news at the end of October. I had joked with Travis Knight that if there were any other voices they needed at all, whatever they wanted, I had to get in the movie somehow and he chuckled, “Don’t worry, you will.” At the time, I took it as “one day it will happen.” It really did and I couldn’t be happier.
My goal has never been to voice Optimus Prime one day, even though it was Peter Cullen’s Optimus Prime voice that inspired me to become a voice actor. My goal was always to work with Peter Cullen on a Transformers project and I finally crossed that off my list, even though I never thought it could possibly happen. It was an incredible experience and the movie is really great. It’s got the G1 look & action I’ve always wanted to see with the charm, humor & heart of Iron Giant. My name is up there on the big screen between 2 of my favorite voice actor heroes, Steve Blum & Grey Griffin. I am eternally grateful to my agent, Paramount, the other actors & Travis Knight for their kindness and the opportunity to make a lifelong dream become reality.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor, or a guest like this week's DecepticonFinishline. These are personal opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Multiverse Characters We Want to See in the Generations Line
This list continues our theme of toys we would like to see in the generations line, you can find the previous list here.
Multiverse Transformers Characters: It’s hard to define exactly what we’re going for here. I was inspired by figures like Reveal the Shield Lugnut, Revenge of the Fallen Lockdown and Animated Blackout. We were going to exclude G1 characters (because you can’t be “NEO”-G1 if you’re already G1); then we weren’t sure because the original G1 continuity includes Beast Wars/Beast Machines, and I kinda wanted to put Beast Machines Thrust on the list. But including BW/BM on the list mucks it up even more. SO. We decided on characters that appear in universes apart from the original G1 continuity. -Basically, anything except 1980s-G1-Cartoon, Beast Wars, and Beast Machines.
5. Robots in Disguise (2015) Thunderhoof
RiD (2015): The sequel series to my favorite Transformers cartoon (Transformers Prime). When the designs started to show up, I was a bit disappointed- but I understood. It took the Aligned Continuity and altered to appeal to a younger audience. I was going to skip on the whole line, but then I watched a video review for Thunderhoof
What a COOL FREAKING toy! There were a ton of cool Decepticons. Many of which didn’t even get the toy that they deserved (*cough cough but-actually-speaks-loudly-and-clearly* SABERHORN AND GLOWSTRIKE cough*). Thunderhoof stands above the rest, though. Not only for having a satisfying transformation, but because of his altmode. The fact that there hasn’t been a tractor Transformer to this point is absolutely daft. I’d even love to see him in the make-everyone-a-combiner craze. I’ll give you his team later in the list.
4. Armada Sideways
Armada Sideways is kinda like the Darkrai or Beelzemon of Transformers: Super overrated and edgy, but still objectively kinda cool. There have been some unique opportunities, recently, to bring Sideways into the Neo-G1 fold, too.
In Transformers Armada, he operates similar to a Headmaster. We could have gotten a Special Edition (similar to the likes of Arcee/Grotusque) that uses the Groove mold with a remolded chest capable of Titan Masters. AND he would have come with two Titan Masters. Motorbike alt modes aren’t SUPER rare, and there have been some decent opportunities to introduce this important character to the greater part of the Transformers multiverse. I love the Cybertron version of Sideways, as well; while I would settle for
3. Armada Demolisher
There are a lot of Armada characters that I’d love to see in the Neo-G1 fold. ESPECIALLY characters that have specific-full minicon teams attached to them. For example: I’d love to see Armada Jetfire as a Voyager combiner with Comettor and the Space Mini-con team as the gestalt named Requiem. Same with Starscream and the Race Mini-cons as the gestalt Skyboom.
Something similar could have happened with Demolisher. There is a mockup that exists with Demolisher’s head on the Onslaught mold. While the idea of Deluxe-limb-versions of Wreckage and Knockout excite me a little bit more than Demolisher-with-an-Onslaught-body, I would love to see Demolisher crossover into Neo-G1 toys. I would just prefer to see him in an alt-mode a little more true to his strange-and-stubby Armada-proportions.
2. Movie Blackout
This character is one the characters that inspired this list to start with. Blackout, a movie character, crossed over into Transformers Animated fiction AND managed to get a toy out of the deal. How. Freaking. Cool. Is. That?
Blackout is the (second-)most iconic Decepticon in the whole movieverse. Fans love seeing new Blackout toys because his altmode is badass. The craziest part of this is that it could have been done relatively easily already. Let me explain: The most underutilized and underrated mold of the last ten years is the Reveal the Shield Lugnut mold. Not only could you replace the arms and shoulders to make a Neo-G1 Blackout, but that Blackout remold could have been taken to make a Movie(2007-Videogame)+Animated+G1-inspired version of Shockwave. Instead, the Lugnut mold was used once.
I’d love to see all three of the aforementioned characters as remolds of each other in a Voyager-combiner form (could you tell that I like combiners?). Shockwave w/ Deluxe Insecticon limbs; Lugnut w/ Lockdown, Thunderhoof, Oil Slick and Knock Out; and, most importantly, Blackout w/ Barricade, Stinger, Stockade and fourth member. (Or maybe Barricade + the Dreads? Definitely Barricade, though.)
Or just a new, non-combiner, badass assault helicopter. Whatever. I just want a Generations Blackout.
1. Knock Out
I mentioned on this list, already, that Transformers Prime is my favorite of the cartoons. A lot of the characters DO already of G1 counterparts. And, there IS a G1 toy with the name “Knockout;” one word. But, he’s no Knock Out, so who cares.
While, if I had met someone like Knock Out in real life, I would straight-up hate that person, something about the character in Transformers Prime is still relatable. I know that he has been appearing in some of the comics recently. You’ll notice exactly zero Comic-characters on my list. I have nothing against the comics, but I just don’t know anything about them. So I don’t really understand Knock Out’s role in the comics in relation to being Neo-G1.
What I do know is that his TFPrime incarnation is not quite close enough to the G1 aesthetic for me consider it Neo-G1. It’s close. Just not quite there. That is the main reason Knock Out is here as my number 1. It would be an easy transition to Neo-G1; he has a role in the comics; he is a fan-favorite; he isn’t directly battling any existing G1 character for naming rights.
Honorable Mention: Bulkhead:
You’ll notice my whole list is Decepticons. And a lot of the characters on my list have requests built-in for even more Decepticons. That is because a lot of “Multiverse” characters re-use G1 character names. Which is a result of TOO MANY DAMN AUTOBOTS. However, Prime/Animated Bulkhead is worthy of a Neo-G1 incarnation. He was a main player in Animated AND Transformers Prime. He is also (obviously) the inspiration for the movie version of Hound. It took me a while to warm up to his character. But I have, now, and I want to see a Generations release of this character. He has earned it.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are personal opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Best Toys R Us Transformers Exclusives of all time
There are not many lists I have written which I won't have to edit in the coming years. It's only normal since more toys come out and new fiction is written (even for existing universes) that there are bound to be updates and new toys that come which make my list dated and in need of an update (like my Top 5 Best Grimlock toys for instance). But when I read the words "All stores CLOSING forever!" in a recent e-mail Toysrus sent out, I realized that with a list like this, it can be definite. So, in honour of this store we all once loved and which many will never be able to walk into again, I decided to look back on its amazing history if Transformers exclusive. Thanks to the multiple board members who suggested the topic, I hope you enjoy it!
If I was truly bias, I would probably put this at number 1. I just really like this toy and think it has so much to offer. Firstly, you finally get a show accurate Beast Machines Optimus Primal (I would even say you finally get a show accurate figure period). Of all the Transforming gorillas out there, I feel this is the one with the most changes from bot to beast. And that is quite a feat since of all animals, apes are the closest to having humanoid proportions (so many parts are reused in both modes). The chest, head, and every limbs undergoes some kinds of change. I find what they do with the arms brilliant, with the giant gorilla knuckles becoming the massive shoulder pads. Plus he has an awesome array of gimmicks. Just overall a fantastic toy.
I did not know this was a Toysrus exclusive until doing research for this list. I was sure such an iconic character and toy (and mainly look) would have been more widespread to have garnered such an appeal. But no, Scourge was indeed only sold at Toysrus. This is easily the most iconic toy of the line, even if it is a redeco. Actually, the fact that he is encapsulates the line quite well since a big part of it was breathing new life and characters into toys we had already experienced. It was also about merging the gap between what came before the year 2000 in the Transformers brand and setting a stage for a return to vehicles along with starting a constant look at the past in terms of homages and inspirations (and also foreshadowing the fact that every single Optimus Prime mold would need a teal/red/black deco treatment from here on out).
Calm your horses, this isn't merely based on the toy, but its status as a Toysrus exclusive. The original toy was available for a while and fans had found a way to get it with this release merely making it more available (and affordable, depending on the release and where you are located). I take major issue with the packaging too, along with the unpainted trailer. The main advantage here was not having to pay the import fee, and for a toy as cool as MP 10, he is still most deserving of this number 3 spot.
Those final Animated toys were all sublime. That refers to Arcee, Rodimus Minor, and the Cybertronian Ratchet/Ironhide mold, which I recommend all fans to experience. These all display what is great about the animated line, having these radical designs be brought to toys, with innovative transformations is hard to beat. And of those three molds, Rodimus is the one that succeeds best. I have already gushed about this toy enough and you can read more about him here and here.
I know I wasn't the nicest when it came to Masterpiece Prime's release (but give me a break, he made the top 3), but Soundwave was everything a fan could dream. Unlike Prime, the Hasbro release, exclusive to Toysrus, gave us some major value by having all his cassettes included with him (well the ones that were already out) rather than buying them individually. That was a saving of 80-100$ easily. Plus he came with the new collector oriented packaging, which helped you store everything perfectly with an awesome display window. It is better packaging than the Takara version which had been released the same year, meaning western fans wouldn't have to wait for a domestic release. Not only was the wait short, but they got more.
Honourable Mentions:
The Prime First Edition toys are an odd bunch since they are technically mainline toys that saw a release all over the world but were only picked up by Toysrus in the US, and then were eventually found in other places like 5 Below. So depending on one's definition for an exclusive, I kept them for the honourable mentions but I do want to highlight Prime and Bulkhead who I don't think saw a release in the US outside of Toysrus (could be wrong, this line's release is super confusing).
I also really like the AOE Evolution Optimus Prime set, and the three 2016 Clash of Transformers toys we got in the RID line (though the only unique mold, Starscream, did get released later unchanged, so it doesn't really qualify as an exclusive anymore).
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Best Giant Transformers Toys
Remember that scene in the Transformers movie where Unicron transformed? The whole time you just saw a big planet that destroyed other planets ala Death star. But then it Transformed and our notions of the limit to Transformers flew out the window. This was the instance where we all gazed at the wonder of this brand and saw that it was boundless. Since then, there have been many giant Transformers in the fiction and better yet, we eventually got their toys.
And this is what this list is all about. This is about those awe inspiring towering Transformers from the fiction and their wonderful toys. A quick note, this post was started January 2015. But with Hasbro announcing a yearly Titan class toy, I figured I should wait. Turns out nothing really changed from my initial thoughts of over 3 years ago.
One of the largest G1 Decepticon toy ever, he pulls off his three modes pretty well despite how simple he is and has loads of fun play features. His robot mode is huge and menacing, his scorpion mode looks very much like a giant mechanical scorpion, with moving legs and ratcheted pincers, and his base mode looks as good as any other base mode of the era with fun ramps for your cars to climb and exit from.
It is still crazy to think that we actually got a Unicron toy in the end. Not getting G1 Arcee was nonsensical since it was all about business and not getting any female transformer toys. But we all knew that a Unicron toy was unfeasible on a whole other level. And yet we got one, a HUGE one, and he was quite accurate (though not perfect) with a bunch of action features, a nice beard, and an actual planet mode that had pincers and a mouth. My personal favourite aspect is how they were able to give the planet rings and have them transform into his wings. He is also the most complex toy of his (supreme) size class.
I just love everything about this toy. It is an excellent homage to Omega Supreme while also being a totally new take. The transformation is simple, as is the case for many of these bigger bots, and yet feel dynamic. It brings back the element of parts-forming the original had but tones it down. The alt modes which serve double duty as weapon platforms can also fuse together to get you a really long armoured train which looks kinda crazy but in a fun way. Plus you have a headmaster unit which can interact with the two combining alt modes and its modeled after the Omega Supreme G1 Action Master. So this is homaging all interpretations of the past (at the time). While headmasters have come back in a big way since, it was a real treat to see a bot like this back in the day. This mold has also been very successful in different decos with Omega Sentinel and War for Cybertron Omega Supreme (which is still the de facto G1 Omega Supreme for CHUG enthusiasts).
Can you believe it, there is actually a Primus toy out there for any Transformers fan to own! And he doesnt disappoint. He is the best planet former out there with really cool details in that mode (including the city of Iacon and Kaon) and it is pretty incredible to get such a traditional looking robot mode from a spherical alt mode, with much less kibble than Unicron. The transformation is neat and uses the key gimmick well, you really feel you are unlocking the secrets to Cybertron with the Omega Lock. And as a true defender of the Cybertronian race, he is loaded with cannons and missile launchers (definitely puts Titans Return Fortress Maximus to shame in that department). And I cannot get over just how cool the robot detail is with the designers going out of their way to show you that he is made of Cybertron's inner workings. On the shoulders, for instance you can see beams, tubes and vents along with Cybertronian writing. The headsculpt is one of the best conveying hints to both Optimus Prime (with the antenna) and Rodimus (with the V shape crest), which ties into the very first appearance of Primus having callbacks to Rodimus. This toy is one for the ages.
I didn't think a G1 toys would be number one on this list. You would think that after all these years, Hasbro and Takara could outdo themselves with a nice new city transformer but Fort Max is still the undisputed champion of that category. Unlike the other G1 city formers, he is truly massive and also looks like an actual city, or at least the small downtown section of one (he actually reminds me of a level from Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner). Just put him next to Metroplex or Trypticon and they just pale in comparison. Plus, this city transformers into a battle station, filled with an insane amount of weaponry and hidden guns, making him really a fortress. He also comes with smaller bots and fiddly bits which make him as much a playset as a figure. And not just any figure, but a headmaster. And not just any headmaster but a double headmaster. Which means the head of the big city robot transforms into a robot who's head also transforms into a smaller figure. And since an Encore version exists, a complete FortMax is now more a possibility to have than ever before. Also, to those who like to go one step beyond, feel free to substitute this number 1 pick with Grand Maximus.
Honourable mentions: Quite a few actually. Even though there are fewer giant Transformers than any other size class, the few that get approved are usually very good. As you can see, none of the Metroplexes are there and that is simply because I do not find that any of them have had a decent alt mode thus far that doesn't just look like them in some odd pose. Tidal Wave is pretty awesome but rather small compared to other bots that are supposed to be giant and while I like Trypticon fine, there was nothing truly mind blowing about him. His base mode has always been, at best, as good as Scorponok's to me. Yet that is his main alt mode, while Scorponok has a whole robot mode and beast mode as well.
Welcome to 2018, Seibertronians! You know what time of the year this is, and you've been patient long enough now. We tickled your appetite with our #Transformersmas challenge round-up just the other day of course, but we have even bigger treats ahead. I'll start by citing our site founder, creator, owner, and gallery supplier (more on that later!) Seibertron when he wrote, in our end of year message here, that...
...2018 will mark the 34th anniversary of the Transformers brand, the 22nd anniversary of Beast Wars, the 13th anniversary of Armada, the 11th anniversary of Bayverse, and the 18th anniversary of Seibertron.com.
Before we reach the ticking of legal voting age (in some places) for our very own community, I think it's definitely time to look back at what has just gone past in 2017, a year with a movie and a series, and a year with endings and continuations, be it movies, shows, comics or toylines, and a year of late beginnings for toys, as Power of the Primes snuck in towards the last two months.
So it's time, once more, to make it...
A Year in Review - Transformers 2017
The best accompaniment to this several course meal, of course, is a glass of Energon Champagne, as provided by the Twincast Podcast episode 191 - which you can download and read about here. For an appetizer, you may want to look back at what we were discussing this time last year, too. As for the courageous plotters joining us on this sidequest through time, loop or not loop, here they are, in all their avatar-esque glory:
The Hounds
Bronzewolf
D-Maximus_Prime
william-james88
The Pups
Sigma Magnus
Qwan
WreckerJack
Bounti76
The Pedigree Podcasters
megatronus
ScottyP
Counterpunch
The Mature Mutts
Burn
Seibertron
The Mongrel
Va'al
The categories, as you might remember, are as follows:
Favorite 2017 Transformers: Robots in Disguise/Adventure/Rescue Bots
Favorite 2017 Transformers: None of the Above Figure
Favorite 2017 Transformers Masterpiece Figure
...and now: Figure of the Year 2017
Favorite 2017 Transformers Comics-moment
Favorite 2017 Transformers Show-moment
Favorite 2017 Transformers Game-moment
Favourite 2017 fan creation: art, custom, video, comic, fiction
...and now: Moment of the Year 2017
What are you looking forward to in 2018 for Transformers?
And with all that groundwork out of the way, it's about time we got into the meatier stuff. Ready? Let's go!
Favorite 2017 Transformers: The Last Knight / TLK
Bronzewolf - The Last Knight Toyline's terrible, terrible distribution has been complained about by many people (including myself) the world over, and not without reason. I along with many STILL have wave 1 clogging up the shelves of every major retailer, so TLK purchases for me have been few and far between. I did, however, get the two Deluxes I most wanted out of the line for Christmas: Cogman and Wave 3 Bumblebee. To be completely honest, I can't pick a favorite. They are both so extremely good in their own way that it's really hard to pick a favorite. Cogman is immaculately detailed, in some cases unnecessarily so, with paint apps that make his raised price point completely worth it, and the fact he can actually be a car and hold two Titan Masters in his (completely stunning and spotless) Aston mode is just icing on the cake.
Bumblebee, on the other hand, just rocks both his robot and vehicle mode, and truly looks like you peeled him off the screen. The quintessential Deluxe Movie 'Bee in my opinion. If I had to nitpick, my two issues with Bee are that his feet can unpeg and become floppy easily, and his doors pop off their sockets often and are starting to become just a little stressed.
william-james88 - Cogman. While the new voyager molds were all really solid, it was Cogman which showed how advanced the movie toys had gotten. He does the best job at showing totally new robot mode detail while hiding as much alt mode kibble in an elegant fashion. And he even gets to have a whole cockpit area in vehicle mode where 2 Titan Master figures can ride. I also want to give major props to deluxe Hot Rod which turned that lackluster Lockdown mold into something I would highly recommend owning.
Seibertron - My favorite figure from The Last Knight is none other than Deluxe Cogman. I loved that the figure served multiple purposes. On the surface, he was a pretty decent representation of a Transformers character, who never actually transformed in the movie. It represented the strengths and the flaws of the movies. I found the character both intriguing and annoying, entertaining and boring. My opinions about Cogman were much like The Last Knight ... all ... over ... the ... board. Yet, the toy won me over because of it's multi-faceted roles as an appropriate looking representation of Cogman, then as a Titans Return crossover figure, then as an interesting side-note for the movie franchise since Cogman was supposed to have a big scene as a Headmaster where he ripped off a Decepticon's head and transformed into the head of that body (so said Michael Bay to a group of us), and then the fact that his head transformed basically gave us an in-scale version of Cogman that was more-or-less Human sized. Toss in the fact that he could ride in himself, the only thing that was missing was some electronics that enabled us to play Cogman's favorite song by Ludacris.
D-Maximus_Prime - The Last Knight was definitely a mixed bag when it came to the figures it put out. The deluxes on the whole were generally lackluster, the leaders were a very mixed bag, the new legions were actually very cool and well done, and some of the simpler guys were not bad either (I picked up almost every Megatron toy!). But to me the best class of TLK was the voayger assortment. 5 new molds, and each one was very good in its own right. And I had a tough time narrowing it down. One of them was bound to be figure of the year, but that meant that 4 others had to fight for TLK figure of the year. and after careful thought and seeing what others are saying...
Voyager Scorn. Ok look, I love dinobots, and Scorn had the best dinobot figure of Age of Extinction for me. And then, despite not even being in the movie, he got the only new dinobot mold for The Last Knight. and it is a killer. The dino mode is huge and detailed! The transformation is fun and intuitive! The robot mode is a beast! And the paint work is perfect.
Believe me, Megatron, Hound, and Nitro Zeus fought for this spot, but I feel Scorn needed the love he rightfully deserves.
Sigma Magnus - Tough choice, as I didn't pick up much from this line. All I really have are the Voyagers, and each of them after wave one knocked it out of the park! Hound has loads of personality, Megatron is charismatic and intimidating (and surprisingly better than the Leader version), and Nitro Zeus is just as good as people say he is. However, my award has to go to Scorn. He's massive for a Voyager, and both his modes are imposing and badass. Despite an annoying transformation step in the shoulders, he's fun to play with too.
Bounti76 - While I LOVED Voyager Megatron, and his intuitive transformation, along with his excellent altmode kibble integration, I HAVE to go with Voyager Scorn for this one. Just a hulking BRUTE in both modes. A fantastic robot mode- very solid looking and imposing, while being amazingly poseable. Then, you get into (finally) movie-accurate Spinosaurus mode and daaaaaaaamn. HUGE. Solid. Looks like he sailed right off the screen from AOE (though he's a TLK toy). Outclasses and is light years ahead of the other Dinobot Voyager molds we got. He's the best of what the Bayverse Dinobots (and figures in general) should be. While there are a compromise or two in the figure, the rest of what he is just makes them not matter one bit.
megatronus - If there was one thing I was looking forward to after the disaster of The Last Knight, it was a non-awful Leader Megatron, and boy, did Leader Megatron deliver non-awfulness. This, by the way, was no guarantee - movie-style Megatrons have historically been stronger as voyagers and, indeed, the two strongest voyagers in the line, Nitro and Scorn, both came very close to taking the top spot from Megs. But, between his stunning jet mode, involved transformation, and robot mode articulation (ankle tilts!!!), it's hard for me to demur. The interchangeable face plate gimmick and the excellently molded dual-purpose flame accessories put him over the top.
Burn - I dunno, this is a hard one. I felt the bulk of the line was a big disappointment, poor distribution didn't help either.
I guess the two that stood out for me was Voyager and Leader Megatron. When pictures first emerged, I was excited! They both looked fantastic, in-hand, they didn't quite live up to the hype I'd built up in my head.
WreckerJack - To be honest, I have not picked up any figures from this line yet. Though I do have my eye on leader class Megatron and voyager Hound. Megatron for the spooky cool factor, he looks like a total beast. Hound because I have a taste for all things fire and rescue. I know a Mercedes Unimog tactical vehicle isn't exactly an ambulance or firetruck but that will set Hound apart from other figures in my fire and rescue collection.
Qwan - I have no doubt that Deluxe Sqweeks and Voyager Nitro Zeus will receive their share of love in this section, but I find myself instead singing the praises of a slightly greener 'bot - Voyager Hound. With a perfectly-balanced transformation more complex than Sqweeks and more intuitive than Nitro, a fantastic-looking mode at each end (a significant improvement over his hardly-screen-accurate AoE toy), and even a few fun little extras like his removable helmet, is it really any wonder that this characterful little chunk of plastic has won me over this year?
ScottyP - My pick is Deluxe Sqweeks and to be completely frank, I'm picking this just because I know others on the staff will pick Nitro Zeus and give that toy the love it deserves. Sqweeks is one very good Transformers toy, and one that does a lot when you'd think it has no right to be much of anything. Instead of blindly following conventional business wisdom and making a smaller toy in the same package that costs the same as other bigger toys in the same package, Sqweeks includes a "trailer" accessory that not only turns into a mini-battle station/repair bay like base, it also gives ample room to store the other accessories and optional arm configuration pieces that are included. Top this off with plastic that's lovely ABS with the glossy sheen and finish that evokes memories of another time and you get one of the diamonds in the rough of what was overall a pretty lackluster product selection for The Last Knight.
Favorite 2017 Transformers: Titans Return/Takara Legends in which no one agrees and that is great stuff except for the editor
Burn - Triggerhappy. By gawd this is one hell of a figure. I simply cannot fault him.
But, the biggest surprise for me came in the form of Windblade. Character wise, I despise her. But this figure is brilliant. She's solid, unlike her previous toy incarnations. Pulls off some fantastic poses and is just fun all round.
Triggerhappy is still better though.
Sigma Magnus - The Headmaster gimmick is one of my favorites, as there's an odd satisfaction to having little pilots for the vehicles. I liked Quake more than anticipated and I can't wait to get Twin Twist to go with Topspin. Trypticon was one of the figures I was looking forward to the most, and he is an great toy, but he's on the repair table until further notice thanks to a missing ramp and a broken hip. Overall, Titans Return has had a lot of amazing figures, but Triggerhappy still stands out as one of the best Deluxes ever. A great robot mode (with optional gunhands), a fun transformation, and an awesome-looking starfighter altmode all cement it as one of my all-time favorites.
Bronzewolf - So, I'm figuring everyone is going to say Trypticon, and he is an awesome toy, far better than Fort Max, last year's Titan Class offering. So, to vary it up a little, I'll pick somebody smaller: Sky Shadow. He's an awesome package of bad-ass attitude (Bad assitude?) who can just ruthlessly beat down anybody in his way. He's so evil, I just love it. He's probably the TR toy I had the most fun playing with this year, although Windblade and Brawn are close seconds.
WreckerJack - Oh man, that is tough. This has been my favorite line for the fact that it is very consistent and I like to headswap. Naturally, I can't get enough Titan Masters. I must say that Sky Shadow stands out to me the most. He's an amazing looking figure and has many modes. I really wish he got featured more because he just looks so cool! Though I know I can always make up my own stories for fun. Perceptor and Windblade are also favorites of mine because of them being some of my favorite characters and how well detailed they are as figures.
Bounti76 - While I was sorely tempted to go for a figure of a character we hadn't gotten in any form (Kre-O doesn't count to me) for 30+ years (Misfire or Full-Tilt), or one no one ever expected to get at ALL (Arcee and Daniel as her head), I'm instead going with an out-of-nowhere choice of ...Shuffler?? Yes, Shuffler. A VERY obscure figure, but one who I keep picking up, posing, putting on different bodies, transforming from elephant to tank to missile launcher... basically, all the things you do with toys you love. He's got the best integration of all the individual Titan Masters in any mode, and his headsculpt is one that looks great on almost any body. His retool of Ramhorn works just as well.
Counterpunch - Titans Return Topspin - There is a lot of good in this little package. Topspin does just about everything right. The transformation is smooth, the feature integration is spot on, and the character representation is effectively perfect. While Topspin was not a traditional Headmaster, it matters very little here. Hell, the character may as well have been one with as good as this toy is. So good in fact, that it has displaced my third party rendition of the character in my mind and shelves.
While Topspin had some moments in the comics, he was always at best a third-string entry. In many ways, the character was defined by the original G1 toy. This toy takes that task to heart and gives us a newer, better, and more interesting take on Topspin. Bravo.
Seibertron - While I am frustrated by the line-wide gimmicks that I feel destroy the essence and look of some characters that should never have been Headmasters (such as Galvatron), I was oddly surprised by some of my favorites that came out of the line that also should never have been Headmasters. Aside from seeing the main Autobot and Decepticon Headmasters receiving a modern (and appropriate) update after all of this time (thank you Hasbro and Takara Tomy), I have to say that Perceptor is probably my favorite even though I didn't like that he was a Headmaster. The toy just looks great. Plus he transforms into a "working" microscope, and the Titan Master being able to ride in the "tank mode" is a really nice nod back to the Microchange lineage of the Transformers brand.
megatronus - There were so many highlights amongst the Titans Return line - excellent deluxes, two titans, leader phase sixers - it can be hard to see achievement in the vanilla, pretool heavy series of TR voyagers. But Octane stands out. Of the triple changers, he has the distinction of streamlining all 3 modes: total bruiser of a robot mode, convincing tanker, and a wacky jet (the weakest of the 3 options, but more than adequate). The robot mode has the additional bonus of being surprisingly coherent, with less greebling and more striking highlights than his compatriots. Add a set of robot wings and a blaster or two, and I can't put him down.
Qwan - Titans Return, as a whole, has really knocked the ball out of the park. Picking just one figure to be "the best" is nigh-impossible, with multiple exemplary figures in every size-class all vying for attention. In the end though, my vote has to go to Voyager Blitzwing, for being a shining example of everything the line had to offer. A great Headmaster, with somewhere new and sensible for the Titan Master to go in every mode; a great triple-changer, with three distinct and appealing modes and fun conversions between them; even a great (p)retool base, also yielding my favorite Classics-style Megatron toy in recent years from the same mold. Everything that Titans Return was, Blitzwing is, and to me that makes him the cream of the crop this year.
D-Maximus_Prime - Also a very hard category. The deluxes in this line were fantastic, and I loved the leaders. But if one had to stand above the rest, I would need to say God Ginrai.
This was one that had a very peculiar set of circumstances behind me getting him. When the Siege on Cybertron set was revealed, I loved the looks of the set and the figures in it, and if I was going to have a Ginrai, I wanted Godbomber. So I picked up one of the last ones from BBTS and shipped him with the boxset. And I have loved it. They are both pretty good separate, and the combined vehicle mode is lots of fun too. But the combined robot mode is so awesome. He stands tall, and he has been fun to play with. He was one of my go to bots to mess with for a solid 2 months, and he still stands proud on my shelf, waiting for me to get an apartment/house where he can have more space to stretch out.
This guy is loads of fun, a great pickup. I would never have gotten him had the Siege set not happened, and I am glad it did.
Favorite 2017 Transformers: Robots in Disguise/Adventure/Rescue Bots
Qwan - I'd hesitate to call myself an RiD "collector", but though I only picked up a few releases here and there, one particular catch from the tail-end of the year really stood out to me: 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".
Counterpunch - Robots in Disguise Thermidor - In the land of the blind, the man with one eye is king. RiD has been treated shamefully. The 2017 releases have been scattered, inaccessible, and largely made little to no sense. Thermidor, while merely a redeco of Bisk, is at least a show accurate character. He's blue. He's a lobster-man. You probably couldn't find him in stores. He's pretty good and Hasbro should have treated him and the line with more respect.
ScottyP - There is really not much to pick from here. Most of the tail end of Robots in Disguise had its potential squandered by the painfully not good Crash Combiner gimmick, leaving maybe a handful of Warrior Class releases out there to pick up the slack for collectors. With Adventure dead, and Rescue Bots floundering with the Flip Racers imprint, it falls to this small assortment when picking the best of this area of the brand.
This limited selection is my way of defending the choice of a repaint of a 2016 figure as my choice for favorite in this lineup: Thermidor. Featuring a new head sculpt, the Warrior Class Bisk base mold is given a brilliant blue makeover that looks really great in-hand. Additionally, this helps expand the very lacking ranks of Decepticons in the line. One more Scavenger is always a good thing, so please, please, pleeeeease bring on Clampdown and Clawtrap before RiD is sent out to pasture entirely.
That's not happening, is it?
Seibertron - There have been some fantastic figures that have come out of this Transformers product line, that sadly seems to get overlooked by a lot of fans. It was fun to see some new introductions like Twinferno, but I think I've got to go with Bludgeon, just because he's been one of my favorite characters for almost 30 years (thanks to Simon Furman making a not that great Pretender into an extremely memorable character). Yes, Bludgeon is technically a "repaint" from Blastwave and a "retool" from Megatronus, but I'm really happy with him as Bludgeon. Here's hoping we get a Generations Bludgeon at some point. Honorable mention: Thermidor needs some love since he was originally shown without a retooled head. It was nice to see him get his own noggin' separate from Bisk. Both are characters that I never thought we'd see in toy form. But Bludgeon would put both of their heads on spikes, so he wins.
william-james88 - Windchill the Yeti Bot. I cannot believe it, there is now an actual Transforming Yeti. I am a big fan of Cryptozoology and this was just awesome to now have as part of the iconic franchise/brand. Its also fun that his alt mode is a snowmobile, works well with the arctic theme. This was part of the Arctic Rescue sets and I must admit of all the Rescue Bots stuff I have seen so far, these sets are some of the best due to the level of interaction you could get. It reminded me (especially the Bumblebee one) of the Microman revival of the new millennia where you could remove parts of one animal and fuse them with another.
Seibertron - I've collected Rescue Bots since the beginning. While I have an immense amount of respect for the TV show, it's not for me, but many of the kids in mine and my wife's families have grown up with them before graduating onto something else. The Rescue Bots toyline has intrigued me since Hasbro demonstrated the concept to my wife and I at BotCon 2010. Many of you might not know this, but each of the original Rescue Bots transformation of the Rescue Bots main figures encourage different motor skills from kids, whether it's a push-and-pull, a lever, spinning, or other simple transformation schemes that utilize basic motor skills for children. The lighthearted, basic style of the Rescue Bots that are also "cutesy" and simple is just fun to have as part of my massive collection.
So that's a lot of me writing to basically say that I really don't have a favorite Rescue Bots figure this year. I feel like the uniquely American toyline from Hasbro's Playskool division might have finally jumped the shark this year, with dragons and other unnecessary versions of these characters while not having many updates to the main cast that you must have. With that said, if I had to choose, I'd say Brushfire. He's a new character, has an interesting half-track ATV alt-mode that we don't see too often, and even has a Mini-Con partner bear named Sequoia. Runner-up would be the very interesting looking Optimus Prime that has a very stylized helmet, unique alt-mode, and more-or-less a Diaclone color scheme.
william-james88 - 2016 was just such a better year for Robots in Disguise when it came to the warrior class. In comparison 2017 didn't have as much ingenuity and freshness in designs. But I did like that Soundwave. Of course the arms in alt mode are hard to ignore but he is still very gun to mess around with (fun transformation) and I always love seeing the evolution of character designs. This was a new take on Soundwave, one of my favourite characters, and the design borrowed from previous elements while also making him new and distinctive from any previous version.
Sigma Magnus - Warrior Soundwave wins by default, as he's the only RiD toy I have at the moment. He's not the best, but I still think he's pretty fun and has a good deal of personality.
WreckerJack - Warrior class Soundwave and Blurr for sure. I really like the clear plastic that was used in each of these figures. For Soundwave there is even a variant where he is either wearing a mask or has a fully clear faceplate. Blurr looks very cute and friendly so he's got kid appeal, but older fans can appreciate the smoothness of his race car design as well as the awesome clear gun.
Bounti76 - While not a huge fan of the show, I did pick up a figure or three now and then. The first one I was really intrigued by, and bought on sight, was Blurr. While not looking anything like previous Blurrs, he still had callbacks to them with the blue and white color scheme. He was something of a shellformer, but had enough unique bits in his transformation to make him fun to switch back and forth. And while I'm not a huge fan of translucent plastic being used for anything but light piping, I really enjoyed his weapon and headsculpt, which both use it, but with completely non-gimmicky (to me) results.
D-Maximus_Prime - So Robots in Disguise did not have a great year. The warriors were sort of lackluster and there was a larger focus on the Crash Combiners and Teams Combiners. I will say I did enjoy both combiner classes a lot, despite the criticism they got. They are fun things, especially the team combiners. which leads me to my pick.
Team Combiner Ultra Bee. The team combiners did something fairly unique: they were full 4/5 bot combiners that had robot modes, alt modes, and combiner modes, and were still fairly cheap to get. They were no combiner wars figures, but they were still quite good. They are a sort of new brand of G1 combiner, which is not a terrible thing. And Ultra Bee was so cool just because of how unique he is. He's a 4 bot combiner, 5 if they had counted Drift as the sword for the toy. His CG model was really cool and became my profile pic. He had a Dinobot, a Bumblebee, a pun for an arm, and a targetmaster of sorts. He had both male and female bots as components. And the toy was really cool, and is still fun to fiddle with. Grimlock's transformation into bottom half mode is quite cool and simple, and it is fun to transform Bee into torso mode too. The set had a lot going for it, and I greatly appreciate the love and effort they put into him.
Favorite 2017 Transformers: None of the Above Figure
ScottyP - 2017 was the year that "Classics" styled Transformers lines fully pivoted from re-imagining characters in creative, fun, new ways to recreating G1 toys while adding articulation. I am not a fan of this direction.
Out of protest, I'm choosing LG-EX Magna Convoy. A redeco that was in-demand for 11 years finally arrived, complete with an awesome sword, beautiful box art, appropriately placed chrome, and Convobat's butt. This felt like a treat and was a winner from start to finish. Even the full-sized pack-in comic has fun from the first page to the last. If this is a send-off for this mold, then it's the most appropriate one I can imagine. Thanks for 11 years of fun Transformers adventures, Classics Optimus Prime mold!
But I'll also mention MB-EX Laserbeak. Despite Dark of the Moon coming out at a time when Bumblebee repaints were so numerous they became a fandom joke, this on-screen representation of how the murderous Laserbeak enjoys spending his afternoon tea time was never released as a figure - until this year.
william-james88 - I LOVE the Movie the Best line from Takara. It gave me all those movie toys I wanted by either finally existing or being affordable. We finally got a voyager ROTF Megatron in colours that werent turguoise (gorgeous silver paint instead) and I finally got my hands on an authentic human alliance Soundwave which came in a fully painted alt mode. But best of all, and this is my pick for this category, MB 11 Leader Optimus Prime finally gave me the very best version of the ROTF mold. All I had before this was the original with the annoying flip out swords and lackluster deco. But at a very affordable cost, MB 11 gave me a gorgeously painted leader Prime, with separate accessories (rather than flip our swords, making the transformation much more enjoyable) with articulated hands and the retooled abdominal along with the brass knuckle accessory Prime uses to crush Soundwave, an accessory that previous to this was only available in a $270 release from Hasbro Asia. I was so worried I had waste money buying this toy when a new MPM Optimus prime was coming out but this turned out to be the better purchase, by a long shot.
D-Maximus_Prime - I'm going to pull a 2016 Counterpunch here with my pick: Chaos on Velocitron Laser Prime. I am considering this an "other" since it was a specialty boxset, and I really want this figure to be in here somewhere. I did not get the original figure, but when I got the boxset, I fell in love with it. A black and red Prime is so cool, the tanker sticker was awesome, and the figure overall screams how awesome a choice it was. It is a fun mold, the best besides Alpha Trion from Titans Return, and I love everything about it. It is a go to figure for me to play with.
Grotusque is a close 2nd place. I loved the Monsterbots we got. It was a hard choice between him and Laser Prime.
william-james88 - I also particularly liked the Chaos on Velocitron set. Especially the Laser Prime which went all out, even including a giant sticker of Optimus burning down a forest. Its just fun seeing an homage done so right and while the airplane mode isn't great, it can easily be ignored and wont interfere with the other two striking modes. He is one of the few toys I just couldn't put down. And I love that it was part of this very affordable set which could easily have been double the price or more if it were a Botcon exclusive. I really like what Hasbro did with these sets and I hope to see more in the future. Also, for some odd reason, I was able to enjoy that Sixshot mold far more as Quickswitch, which had a more premium feel to me.
Bronzewolf - I think my top POTP figure would honestly be Legend Beachcomber! It's nice to have a complete set of updated '85 Mini-bots, and he's just really fun to just drift around. A ton of the other fiugres in this first wave are really enjoyable, (See: Slash, the Prime masters, Dinobots) but Beachcomber's the best.
Bounti76 - I have to go with POTP Slash for this one. Even while being a big-time collector of fembot figures, and a lover of the Dinobots since childhood, I was intrigued by this figure for a number of reasons. She's tiny, but this works in multiple ways: her altmode is a tiny dinosaur, and as a tracker, she needs to be small and lithe to do her job effectively. She's quite poseable in robot mode, but a bit front heavy in raptor mode (her only drawback, in my opinion). But the clincher for me is the fact that her deco and figure homage the G1 Dinobots so well with the clear plastic and gold underneath, and even her transformation is G1-esque to the point that she fits right in with the other Dinobots and looks like she's always belonged there.
Counterpunch - POTP Leader Optimus - Who'd have thought an Optimus Prime toy would make my list? No one because I haven't been active enough this year for anyone to pay attention to any commentary I have. Regardless, this toy is outstanding. Now, I couldn't give a crap about Orion Pax as he is presented in the Sunbow style here. I'd honestly prefer and IDW-ish Orion or simply a nicer cab-to-Optimus figure. Still, the evolution gimmick here runs its course well and the toy itself is pretty good (alt mode gaps aside). Where we shine and I mean...really truly shine, is in the full Optimus Prime combined form.
This figure has personality to spare and I don't even understand how. It has shelf presence and heroic proportions...and a head tilt that is so full of charm you'll mistake it for me with three sheets to the wind.
megatronus - I'm a sucker for a black Prime, and the Leader Prime retooled from Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus is sexy as all heck in black. His packaging is original and slick, and that rail gun accessory - it's to die for. And that name! Primitive Prime all the way.
Seibertron - Some of you who really know me might think my pick for this category is really odd, but it seems to continue my trend of picking things that conflict with other opinions I have on this list. As some of you might know from listening to me on the Seibertron.com Twincast / Podcast, I dropped off the Transformers comic bandwagon for the first time ever after collecting them ever since 1984 ... and it was all because of what happened with the Hasbro Universe, as I strongly disliked how it was handled. However, this year's San Diego Comic-Con Revolution set that finally presented the IDW Hasbro Universe in toy form from the IDW comics, was a nice nod to fans. I still think the Hasbro Universe would have been much better off with a slow build to introduce this idea to all of us, and a toyline to go along with the comics. I've always wanted to see 3.75" human action figures alongside the mainline Transformers, and this finally accomplishes it. No Human Alliance silly scaled humans. I like my toys to be scaled, but not religiously scaled. Sometimes, just "hey this toy is bigger than another toy" is all you need. Smaller humans standing alongside larger robots is cool. It was a nice set and I give Hasbro kudos for bringing it to market. Here's hoping that the concept gets expanded further... and the Hasbro Universe stories improved.
Favorite 2017 Transformers Masterpiece Figure
D-Maximus_Prime - MP-37 Artfire. I have heard great things about this mold from the get go with Inferno, but my thing with MPs: I only want 1 per mold, and they have to mean something to me, really stick out to me. And Artfire has done all of that.
The paintwork is fantastic with this guy, he is flawless! The truck mode is a thing of beauty, and the ladder magic is all I hoped it would be. He is a fun Masterpiece to mess with, helped of course by Nightstick, who is a great little targetmaster in his own right, and a great partner to Artfire. And the paint work on Artfire makes him look far more detailed than he is, he doesn't look flat like Inferno and Grapple did. He is the best version of this mold.
Out of 3 new MPs and an old one I got this year, bringing my MP total to 5, He is the best.
Bounti76 - This one was tough. While Megatron is a strong contender, I also don't own him and haven't seen or handled him in person. He looks amazing in both modes, while having an insanely complex transformation, so while I may or may not get him in the future, that might throw me off a bit.
So while I'm waiting for Sunstreaker to show up (which might have been my favorite), I'm going to go with Artfire as my pick. He's got a great deco, probably the best of the Inferno/Grapple/Artfire/(Hauler??) mold, with multiple beautiful tampographs, and a color scheme that really makes the figure and the details of the mold pop. He looks great in either mode, and the inclusion of the best MP Targetmaster mold (to date) is icing on the cake.
ScottyP - Artfire because it's a cop-out answer so I can use something else in the next one. It's a fun mold, this redeco is very very good looking, and the new Targetmaster included is one of the best small figures that's ever been executed.
Seibertron - MP-38 Beast Wars Convoy Legendary Leader Version was a really nice redo of MP-32 Beast Convoy. I loved the classic Beast Wars Ultra Class Optimus Primal toy elements that were given to this toy to make it stand on its own merits from MP-32. The original toy version of this character in 1996 was a really great toy, and it is still one of my all-time favorite Transformers toys, despite it's simplicity. It represented many things to me and to see it in an updated toy form brings back many nostalgic feelings and memories to me.
MP-36 was a partial mess in robot mode to me. I just couldn't get over the problems with the upper shoulders and his backside, though I would have been much more forgiving of his backside. There needed to be some panels or something to cover up that mess. It's a "Masterpiece" figure. I can't forgive issues like that on a toy we've for which been waiting so long.
MP-35 Grapple and MP-37 Artfire also deserve nods because they have beautiful and well thought out transformations that I didn't find frustrating. I love the ladder magic of the Inferno mold.
However, MP-38 Beast Wars Convoy Legendary Leader Version just tugged at the right cords with me, so he wins this nomination from yours truly.
megatronus - Continuing the MP Beast Wars line with Cheetor was delightful, as is the new, smaller size movie Bumblebee. But really, they are a distant seconds to the biggest big bad of them all: Megatron. As someone who started collecting again with the goal of collecting ONLY Megatrons (boy, has time changed my tune), this is a figure I've wanted for years --- and he delivers. His articulation, accessories, and general expressiveness are an engineering achievement of the highest order, and it's clear these were intended to aid in reenactments of Transformers: The Movie scenes. The only drawback is that I will never, ever transform him - but I can cope.
william-james88 - This sucks. You see I am getting the Masterpiece Megatron rerelease at the very begginig of 2018. I had first passed on it since it was simply out of my price range and I had been burnt on previous attempts to a masterpiece (styled) Megatron. I didn't want to jump the gun (ha!) again. But what I have been hearing made me regret not getting him sooner. In any case compared to my other options (like Cheetor) I would rather go down in history as saying that Megatron is the best MP toy of 2017.
Bronzewolf - For the first time in years, I actually have two MPs to choose from! The brand new Hasbro MP-10 TRU release, and Mp-12+, and I have to go with Optimus just because of how significant he is to me. This is my first MP Optimus and first experience with the MP-10 mold after years of pining for him. I can finally fill that very large hole in my collection. (It helps that he's an incredible figure.)
Counterpunch - Frankly, I don't think it's fair to put any other figure in this place. Trypticon is the figure of the year because not only does he do everything right, but the size and scope of the project he represents has to be rewarded for what it is.
Trypticon is the G1 figure, minus the walking feature, but plus 30 years of design, development, and engineering. He's detailed, retains much of the play pattern, and somehow incorporates useful articulation into the sizable frame. He comes with stickers, that while not perfect, are a great margin better than Metroplex or Fort Max. He has a delightful integration of the Titan Master gimmick and three perfectly functional modes. Not only is this figure a treat for collectors, but I can attest to it enduring play with a 3 year old and being absolutely engaging for him.
I'd be remiss not to mention the design flaw that plagued the initial discussions of this toy, but to be honest, I had forgotten about it until now. It's a bummer that a number of people in the first days of this toy had issues. It's even worse that so many wen through with "fixes" that amounted to bad surgery on a problem that had far simpler fixes. Still, the vast majority of us had good figures or ones that could be corrected with small effort.
Trypticon continues in the pattern of outstanding city-bot figures from Hasbro and Takara. I hope this pattern is encouraged and continued with an Omega Supreme in the near future.
Qwan - Like some others, my choice for Figure of the Year doesn't align with any of my previous top picks. While Blitzwing was, for me, the height of what Titans Return achieved, Titan-Class Trypticon was a monumental toy in every regard - for what he was and what he represented. Not only the best Titan-class cityformer we've had so far in the Generations superline, he also assuaged any fears after Fort Max that we wouldn't get entirely new molds for our cityformer updates even when they were sorely needed, paving the way for new-mold Titans at least occasionally and restoring fans' dwindling confidence in the size class. He also has a bit of personal meaning for me - being an early-bird in getting him upon release more or less gave me my "in" to the Seibertron community, both with my reviews of the toy's good aspects, and my admittedly slash-and-burn approach to fixing early runs' major QC issues - so with that Tryp tips the scales to become my favourite Transformers toy of 2017.
Seibertron - Trypticon is truly an amazing figure that we probably shouldn't even have in our collections. I never thought we'd get an update of Trypticon as anything other than a Leader Class toy, and wasn't expecting a massive Titan Class version of him, even though I've wanted one since Generations Titan Class Metroplex. Sorry Perceptor, I think Trypticon has to take the top spot. While I picked Perceptor as my favorite main line Titans Return figure, I picked Trypticon overall because we'll get more Perceptors. However, at the rate we're going with Trypticon toys, this could be the only properly done Trypticon we get until 2048.
william-james88 - There were remarkable toys this year but none really stood out in the retail toys. RID didnt have much to offer this year and while Titans Return Kup and Topspin were fun, they do have some issues. Even Trypticon who doesnt do anything wrong still didn't wow me due to him being exactly what I thought he would be (and also due to having a shorter digestive track than I imagined). But there is one toy that came out early enough and that just still looks as awesome and imposing: Titans Return Sky Shadow. He 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 age 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). And its really awesome that this Sky Shadow is a Hasbro exclusive this time around (at the time of writing this). My runner up was TLK Voyager Megatron, what an excellent Transformers toy.
megatronus - I was not expecting pre-tooled Overlord to beat Overlord, but Sky Shadow is that good. Like Octane amongst the triple changers, Sky Shadow is the most streamlined of the phase sixers. This, combined with Sky Shadow's ease of transformation and the most outstanding play pattern in the entire Titans Return line, clinches it for this dark horse. MP36 Megatron comes close, but while I value his superior ability to pose and admire, I prioritize play in this category. Further, Octane is right there with Sky Shadow, but the Leader compares more favorably when considering competing figure lines. Plus, did I mention the Club intended to redeco him as Energon Megatron? Sky Shadow for the win.
ScottyP - MP-36 Megatron because duh. I know, you're too proud to use instructions, and you're getting old like me and remembering a bajillion steps gets harder all the time, but let's ignore that - the objectively right answer for this category is MP Megatron "2.0". This toy is in-scale with other Masterpiece figures in robot mode, amazingly engineered, packed with accessories, infinitely expressive, and just plain cool. Among those accessories are weathered, damaged chest and face pieces that, along with the included handgun and some smart shoulder articulation, let you put Megatron in the exact pose he waited an eternity to be in. It's over, Prime :Hot Rod jumps in to cut off the Furmanism:
Bronzewolf - Same as above, MP-10. He's just perfect, and is the penultimate Optimus Prime figure. Everything that could be said about him has been said, and I'm just glad to finally own him.
D-Maximus_Prime - TLK Nitro Zeus. It was always going to be him for me. For one thing, he is a fully original toy and character, and he got a very solid jet toy. His undercarriage blends into his overall jet mode, so you would really need to look to pick out the robot parts if you didn't know what the robot mode looked like. And the transformation is insane! The fact that his arms are the nosecone and thrusters yet the rest of the bot is symmetrical is insane. He is fun to swoosh around, and he has a cool looking robot mode.
But what really puts him over the top for me is his customability. His head is on a titan master port, so you can take his head off and swap in Titan Masters. His cockpit was designed for that purpose! The titan master can even ride inside the cockpit in robot mode too, so you can have a full time partner, like the Siege on Cybertron Thunderwing. Apeface is also a great looking head on him. He has so much potential for so many fun things regarding movie figures, transformation, and Titans Return and even Power of the Primes compatibility. He does everything for me, and he is the best of the year.
Bounti76 - Scorn. By a mile. Possibly the best Bayverse figure there is.
WreckerJack - I would probably have to say the leader class Megatron from TLK. It defines 2017 not only because of the movie but as one of the best looking Megatron figures of all time. I like how the design makes him look like an absolute monster, especially his mask.
Burn - Triggerhappy. Just deal with it!
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For those of you still with us, here's a brief break, before delving into our Transformers media compilation!
And now, on with the show!
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Favorite 2017 Transformers Comics-moment
Bounti76 - The entirety of Till All Are One. From the first page of the first issue, until the last page of the annual ( ), Maighread Scott, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Joana Lafuente and Tom Long created a masterpiece of a series that I couldn't wait to read every month. From shining a light on more obscure characters (Greenlight, Lancer, Lightbright) and bringing Prime characters (Knock Out and his husband-in-universe Breakdown, Airachnid) in so organically, I just devoured the series. And the unexpected moments that just knocked the breath out of you: Starscream's true self being revealed, his confession in the annual and seeing his face literally and figuratively light up with Windblade's gift to him in the final panels of the series (Mairghread Scott GETS Starscream when she writes him, and makes him such a compelling figure); Sara Pitre-Durocher's depiction of the merging of the Combaticons' minds into Bruticus'... that is an AMAZING piece of art that not only tells a story, but gives the best depiction of a combiner's mind we've gotten in Transformers fiction, ever; Liege Maximo's return and Elita One and Strika's unsuccesful attempts to stop him and Vigilem......I really cannot say enough about how well and seamlessly this team worked together to tell the stories that they did. I just wish IDW could have left well enough alone and let Scott, Pitre-Durocher and team keep going. Instead, we have the travesty that Lost Light is turning into, but that's another thread for another day.
Counterpunch - Till All Are One Annual: Starscream's Redemption - This is one of those, "I hope someone doesn't come around and screw this up later" moments. Starscream as "The Chosen One" has been a bit of a confusing topic that while significant in the story, has never really played out well in reader's minds. The Windblade books and subsequently Till All Are One have done more to add to the Transformers mythos and backstory than anyone has admitted except in retrospect. Oft times overlooked in favor of the more popular and poppy MtMtE and Lost Light, these books have given heart and soul to the world outside of one singular ship and its crew and done so with pointed stories and even more pointed character moments (Brawl, I'm looking at you).
In a way, what's happened to Starscream over the past year takes hold of and answers the question that's always been just beyond the issue of blind ambition and tackles it; the question of 'why is Starscream the guy he is'.
Va'al - I finally get to contribute something of my own, too! And I definitely have to jump back onto the wagon, and proclaim my undying love for Till All Are One, and its creative team - Mairghread Scott, Sara Pitre Durocher, Joana Lafuente, with Tom Long and the rotating editors at IDW - who were able to deliver the best story I could not have imagined about one of my very favourite characters (Windblade), and deal with issues that I'd easily read about in other books I follow, from politics to personal, religion to identity, and the over-arcing manipulation and mental spaces they all inhabited. All while tying extremely comfortably with the Primes plot steaming ahead in the background for the Transformers universe at large, eventually leading to Unicron.
william-james88 - I will be honest, I wasn't too fond of Lost Light for most of this year. BUT, and that's the beauty of how awesome this brand is right now in the comics, that still meant I had tons of other great comics to read to get my Transformers fix. I had been reading More than Meets the Eye exclusively before the relaunch and reading Till All Are One gave me a nice change of (s)pace, with a focus on what is going on in Cybertron (which I totally stopped caring about after Dark Cybertron). It was fun to see the day to day of this Transformers Home world and also seeing Tigertron and Airrazor together (alive and well and not fused). I would say my favourite comic moment is definitely discovering this new comic. It's also really fun that it made me glad I got the Hasbro Combiner Wars Blastoff.
ScottyP - Hats off to the creative minds at IDW Publishing for making this a very, very hard category to pick one choice from. One comics category in a great comics year and a bajillion toy ones in one of the weaker toy years, cool. (Sorry Va'al.)
After a great bit of deliberation, I'm going with Optimus Prime #9: "The Life of Sideswipe". An old soldier realizes his time has passed, and then he dies. It's powerful stuff and I recommend it to anyone reading this article.
D-Maximus_Prime - Optimus Prime #9 and the story of Sideswipe in that issue. This to me is one of the best Transformers moments and comics written. The story is touching, and it puts to rest one of my favorite Transformers of all time in the respect he deserves. It was brilliant.
Bronzewolf - 2017 was the year I got back into Transformers comics, thanks to ScottyP and my required reading for the Twincast (more on that below...). I LOVED Lost Light 10, and it immediately got me hooked. Can't wait to keep following along.
megatronus - That moment in Lost Light 10 when you first suspect the Protectobots & Mirage are in a memory loop... and then they end up in a memory loop. It was one of those rare moments of 12 Monkeys or Sixth Sense-esque surprise (I <3 Bruce WIllis) that encapsulates what I like about well-executed twists: the clues are all there, and when you look back, it seems so obvious. But they got you. They got you good.
Wreckerjack - Lost Light number 12. It really felt like things are getting into high gear. Yeah some upsetting things happened (which I don't want to spoil for those who take a week or two to get to the comic store.) I think that it matched the intensity we got with MTMTE, plenty of action and events that make me want to read the next issue to find out what happens already! Seems to me Lost Light has dragged on with filler for a long time and this issue has blown my mind more than any other in a long time.
Sigma Magnus - I haven't been keeping up with the comics as well I should, unfortunately. But one of the moments that I have read that stood out was the Wraith-infected Ultra Magnus from Shining Armor. The design of it was horrifying and grotesque, but I couldn't stop looking at it.
Seibertron - I just bought the past 18 months of Transformers comics for about $70 courtesy of Midtown Comics out of New York City, thanks to their 75% off sale. I'll get back to you guys on this one after I catch up on the Lost Light and other Transformers comics thanks to ScottyP's guidance, who I also owe a huge thanks to for more than one reason.
Favorite 2017 Transformers Show-moment
Qwan - I only have The Last Knight to pick from, having not seen any other Transformers media from 2017, so my range isn't too good here. And so, though my favourite entirely through irony, my top moment of this year was a single line from TLK and the subsequent reaction of every character present. To paraphrase a presumably world-leading scientist: "If these two planets collide, there will be millions of casualties." Oh no, approximately half the population of New York, truly an unimaginably huge casualty toll (not even a death toll) from an interplanetary collision. And nobody questions it, everyone reacts like this event would be the end of the world - which according to common sense it should be, and yet based on the information presented in the film somehow isn't - just, just. Keep doing you, Transformers: The Last Knight. Keep doing you.
Sigma Magnus - Cogman in TLK. While others thought he was annoying, I liked his comedic moments. Can't wait to get my hands on his toy, too!
megatronus - Hm. I wish I was up to date with RID, because I understand the conclusion was a bit better than satisfactory. However, for argument's sake, I'll say my favorite screen moment was in TLK when Megatron is negotiating to free his Decepticon compatriots. I appreciated the Suicide Squad reference, because it was entertaining call back to a crappy movie that helped distract me from the crappier movie I was watching.
Bounti76 - Sqweeks and Hot Rod being introduced into the movieverse was enough to make me pause. Would they (especially Sqweeks) take over screen time from more established characters? Would they take over the movie and make it annoying, rather than a fun summer popcorn movie? Thankfully, they did none of that. Sqweeks' scenes were funny without being obnoxious, and his big moment in blowing up the gun was hilarious (getting knocked back by the kickback of his gun arm) and hell-yeah inducing. And Hot Rod? He was a welcome addition. His gun served a purpose without feeling like it came out of nowhere, thanks to being introduced early on. His altmode and general character model were slick, and thanks to being voiced by an actual French speaking actor, his accent never sounded annoying.
Seibertron - My favorite scene from Transformers The Last Knight also continues my conflicting opinions about all-things Transformers from 2017. I really liked the scene where Optimus Prime and Bumblebee duked it out and Bumblebee got his voice back. But I also really disliked that scene because it wrapped up too quickly and ... Bumblebee got his voice back, which is something that should have been resolved back at the end of the first movie or Revenge of the Fallen. It's silly that continued for as long as it did. However, in the end, it was an emotional scene and even brought a tear to my eye. The scene represented everything that was right and wrong all at the same time with the Bayverse.
ScottyP - Optimus Prime, in truck mode, drives out of a cloud of smoke at the end of The Last Knight while Steve Jablonsky's "Arrival to Earth" is arranged in a full cheese rendition that blares in the background. Why is he a truck just now? Was this a lazy way to show how he survived the battle? What was this movie even about, and why did I buy it on Blu-ray? Who cares. Despite this movie's many, many mistakes and shortcomings, this 5 seconds of overdone brilliance will live forever as one of those "Optimus Prime really is great" moments.
WreckerJack - Seeing Bulkhead on RID. I missed his humor so much since TFP.
D-Maximus_Prime - Moon Breaker and the fight between Ultra Bee and Menasor. For one thing, it is fun to watch Ultra Bee form, and then it is fun to watch him move around and fight. And this was about as close as we got to a great combiner fight between any recent shows. It was fun to watch, and it is still fun to watch, just like the Bee and Bisk rock concert fight from last year.
Favorite 2017 Transformers Game-moment
D-Maximus_Prime - The addition of more combiners in Earth Wars. The combining aspect was something that seemed like so much fun, once you got the combiner. It took me until June, but I finally got my first: Bruticus, one of the combiners added this year. And finally experiencing the rush of combiner combat in the game was great, something I still really enjoy. I did finally get Devastator too, and I am only 1 bot away from Predaking, so thank you Earth Wars for combiners.
Burn - Any time I cracked a 4* crystal in Earth Wars and it wasn't a duplicate. OTHERS WILL UNDERSTAND MY JOB!
megatronus - The introduction of Astrotrain and the triple-changer concept in Earth Wars was pretty great to experience - and having a 4* is even better! The game has far exceeded the shelf life I expected it to have, and coming up on 2 years playing, I can only wonder what is wrong with my life.
Seibertron - I'm still tinkering around with Earth Wars and am still the commander of Seibertron.com's Autobot Alliance. I'm finally losing steam with the game. My least favorite update to the game is the new one where we attach "Matrix" like things to the chests of the characters and add power-ups to the defensive weapons. It's a bad take on the Matrix or the Power of the Primes power-up scheme and everything looks ridiculous now in the game. However, I like that they keep plugging forward with Combiners, Triplechangers, Beast Wars, and introducing other fan-favorite characters. It's still a fun game with a lot of potential tie-ins with the toyline, that I still don't think has been fully utilized but it was nice seeing a the game reveal Volcanicus alongside Hasbro's reveal at Hascon 2017. While I'm not a fan of Volcanicus or Dinobots combining, I loved seeing Hasbro and Space Ape do this reveal in conjunction with each other.
Favourite 2017 Fan Creation
Sigma Magnus - Thew's Awesome Transformers Reviews. He's a joy as he always is, and I'm always looking forward to his next video. Hopefully his channel continues to grow like it has this year!
Qwan - I know everyone gave Thew a bunch of attention last year, but I wasn't on staff back then, and his content certainly hasn't declined since last time so I feel it's only fair to give him a bit more spotlight for his stylish, often informative and always hilarious videos.
ScottyP - Customizer Chrome Tyranno had these custom Getaways available at TFcon and I'm so glad for it.
Bounti76 - As ScottyP has posted, turning the entirely lackluster Titans Return Getaway into his IDW coloring really makes that mold work for him. And it was so simple to have done it in those colors in the first place, it makes me wonder why Hasbro never did.
william-james88 - I really loved this stop motion ad for Titans Return.
Pretty smart that Hasbro is inviting the community to contribute in this way. I was also happy to see one of our own, xrotorstormx, featured in a Hasbro ad for the Toys'R'Us release of Masterpiece Optimus Prime.
Va'al - I have a number of them, but above all, I'd have to go with Lindsay Ellis' The Whole Plate, her video essay series on film studies through the lens of Michael Bay's approach to Transformers. It's a really well thought, written, edited and produced critical look at how to reconcile film with film, and what might come out of the meeting between criticism and movie-maker with singular vision.
Honourable shout-outs go to Chris McFeely, who single-handedly curates an introductory series to the Transformers franchise and its characters, on YouTube under Transformers: The Basics; another goes to the official Transformers social media team, and their game-upping on meme spreading and shitposting (Starscream is a cat person for sure); and finally, Bronzewolf's Transformersmas, which is getting better every year, and that is thanks to all of you.
D-Maximus_Prime - Fires_of_Inferno did a masterful job with his skit for the Transformersmas holiday special. Seeing Prime Starscream as a Scrooge for a week of comics was brilliant, and I am eternally grateful for all the funny stuff he gave us during the challenge.
Bronzewolf - Becka Allen's Transformers Photo Comics on Twitter. They've given me so much consistent joy over the past several months every time she releases a new one. They're hilarious and adorable, and really one of my favorite parts of the entire Transformers Twitter Sphere.
WreckerJack - There are so many I just can't decide. All of the fanwork I see makes me really glad to be in the community so I feel weird about liking one over all of the others. I honestly just like to see people's contributions to our fan community as a whole and just appreciate just how much the Transformers series means to all of us. People put a lot of heart into their work and it really shows.
...and now: Moment of the Year 2017 This is always the weird and wonderful one.
D-Maximus_Prime - I really don't wanna inflate their egos anymore than they already are ( ) but I have to say the moment(s) of the year for me came from my fellow Seibertronians and the Transformers they passed on to me to experience. Willy-J helped me obtain the final RiD guys I wanted and some TLK deluxes I never saw, and he got me my Sixshot. I am eternally grateful to Va'al for passing on a Prime Breakdown to me, and now I have 2 versions of that mold thanks to the Club Megatron from their sale. Cobotron helped me wrap up my Titans Return hunt, and many others such as Autobot N, Shajaki, Carytheone, o. surpreme, Rodimusconvoy, and Itscramtastic have contributed to my plastic crack.
But the true moment from all those: my buddy Burn. His love for pretenders finally caught my attention, as did an old Thew Review, and I have obtained 5 Pretenders this year. I found and put together G1 Roadgrabber and Gunrunner, and then Burn helped me complete Gunrunner while also giving me a complete Skullgrin and a nearly complete Waverider. I didn't have a particular "older line" that I really had love for other than Animated (not THAT old), but he hooked me on Pretenders. They have become a concept I incredibly enjoy, and they have some really awesome stuff I have started to hunt down (such as finally getting that Botcon Oilmaster) and they have me all excited for the Prime Masters of 2018.
So thank you all, and thank you most of all Burn
Burn - All those people I got to ban! HA! I kid. I actually don't like doing that.
I think the one thing that stood out for me this year, was helping guys like D-Max discover older G1 figures and finding others like bodrock who share my weird fascination with Pretenders.
Bounti76 - The reveal of POTP Terrorcons and fembots (Elita One, Moonracer and Firestar). More fembots? Yes please! Original G1 fembots? YES, please. And the Terrorcons were some of my favorite toys in the 80s.
Seibertron - Hascon 2017. Again, I continue with my favorites having opposing views. The event had a lot of love behind it, is full of untapped potential, and was an awesome family event. However, it was missing a lot of love, was full of untapped potential, and was a very absurdly expensive family event. Like I said, I'm torn. But at the end of the toy, it was a really unique brand experience, the Hasbro family of employees were there with smiles and showing fans of their brands much love, just as fans were showing their love and appreciation of the brands that made us. I look forward to seeing what Hasbro does with this at Hascon 2019 as well as any other possible incarnations that might come out of it.
megatronus - HASCON! That's right, Hasbro's very first fan convention was a smashing success and an all-around great time. As a Marvel Legends & Star Wars Black Series collector, it was awesome to have an opportunity to interact with all my favorite toy brands at one show. I had equal opportunities to meet the legendary Mark Boudreaux, an old guard Kenner designer who has been with the Star Wars brand for 40 years, as well as Ben Montano and John Warden, keepers of the Transformers brand. At the end of the day, it's great to have a toy-oriented convention geared towards experiences, as well as a convention that skews equal parts fans and families. Hascon was unique in its own way, and though I'm sad it is not yet an annual affair, I very much look forward to what 2019 brings for the convention.
william-james88 - This is easy, probably the easiest of all of these. Earlier this year, Seibertron himself asked if I would be interested in covering a story in Vancouver for the Forged to Fight game. I accepted right away and for this brief moment I became a full on jet-setting reporter. I absolutely loved the experience and the people I met, which included the artist for Transformers packaging from Armada to now). It was thanks to Seibertron and I wish to thank him again for it.
WreckerJack - Going to Cybfest 2017 and meeting a lot of really awesome people. It was great to connect with other fans and an old friend of mine. (And we scored some awesome loose figures from years past, along with some art!) It was a journey to get there but it was really worth it to be a part of the fan community in person rather than online. I loved every minute of it.
Bronzewolf - 1. I gave my first Transformers/Toy industry Convention Panel at this year's Fort Collins Comic Con in Colorado. It was SO MUCH fun, and the audience was great. I really hope to come back next year, and I've already applied to present at Denver Comic Con in 2018, which is one of the biggest conventions in the country. So stay tuned!
2. Being on the Seibertron Twincast Podcast! I've always wanted to be a part of the Twincast, and I finally got the opportunity to this year! ScottyP and megatronus were great, extremely nice, and whatever nerves I had instantly went away. It was one of my favorite times of 2017, and I really hope to do it again sometime soon!
ScottyP - At TFcon USA 2017, I hatched a diabolical plan along with fellow Twincasters Counterpunch and Razorclaw0000. You didn't find Cyberutopia, did you? No. No, you did not. I don't want to hear it.
Counterpunch - That girl at TFCON who yelled, "What the F is wrong with you?!?" upon seeing our "GETAWAY WAS RIGHT" shirts. It was the principle of the thing, lady.
Va'al - For me, it's a toss up between two things: a comics theme (and surprising no one), Mairghread Scott using my portmanteau for Dead Bumblebee in Till All Are One - aka Bumbleghost - as 'canon'. She said so. I don't make the rules, this is now the truth.
Or, the various moments we've had of complete and utter wholesome idiocy in the Energon Pub. Like the pun-a-thon that led to the creation of Va'alcanicus, for which I blame Qwan. Or the one Bronzewolf and I had during Transformersmas. You get the gist.
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Whew.. we're almost at the end of this looong trip through memories of a year just passed. If you're still with us, take a look at some Bad Comedy (geddit).
And finally...
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What are you looking forward to in 2018 for Transformers?
william-james88 - Leader Class Optimus Primal, Leader Class Blackout and Masterpiece Dinobot.
D-Maximus_Prime - I would have to say some of the Masterpieces and tail end legends guys. MP-40 grabbed my attention and has started my desire to collect Targetmaster MPs, and MPM-5 Barricade and MP-41 Dinobot are on the horizon too. Legends G2 Megatron also looks like a killer, and that "Megatron Rules!" sticker has me hooked. But the Prime Masters and beast combiners also have my interest for the coming year as well. It looks like it will be another good one!
Sigma Magnus - Masterpiece Dinobot, the Bumblebee movie, IDW Unicron, and the reveal of what comes after Power of the Primes.
Bounti76 - If the rest of POTP is as good as the already revealed figures, I am IN for the entire line, with only minor exceptions.
Burn - Power of the Primes stuff locally would be nice.
Hopefully finally taking possession of MP-36 Megatron as well.
I don't expect much for 2018, but I do foresee a lot of sneak peaks and reveals for 2019.
Qwan - As an Australian, I'm mostly just looking forward to being able to buy Power of the Primes toys in a reasonable manner . That aside however, I also like the look of the Studio Series toyline, and the Cyberverse cartoon has me cautiously optimistic too! Of course, anything Transformers is a good thing for me, so all I can say is: bring on 2018! I may not be ready, but you can be sure I'm excited for it.
megatronus - Honestly? Evolution Decepticons. We've got 3 Autobot/Maximal Evolutions announced, and I'm highly anticipating a Beast Wars Megatron that evolves into Transmetals 2 Megatron, or a 'Breastforce'-type character that evolves into Deathsaurus. If they can execute those concepts properly, I will forgive the poor execution of the Dinobots, and the poorly rates Combiner Wars-style figures we've received in the Power of the Primes line up to this point.
Counterpunch - I'm looking forward to a return to focus. What I mean by that is with RiD done and TLK in hindsight, all this unloved product on shelves can hit the old dusty trail and get out of my life.
There are some really good things coming around both in the Generations line and movie world. I'm looking forward to seeing these featured and not lost among the flotsam and jetsam of our beloved franchise.
Also, Grand Max.
Bronzewolf - MOAR DINOBOTS. Seriously, I think Hasbro pretty much knocked it out of the park with Swoop, Slash and Slag, and I can't wait to complete the set. I'm also looking forward to the Femmbots, as it's been an extremely long time coming for them. POTP seems to be the line of figures that are finally getting a true update, and I'm totally on board.
WreckerJack - I am very interested for Power of the Primes. Combiner Wars and Titans Return have had consistently good. They are almost always well engineered which gives me positive expectations. I already like the looks of the ones I have seen so far.
I also want to see the characters from Power of the Primes get more time in the comics so we get to know them more. I always tend to gravitate towards figures of characters I know and appreciate. When a figure is of good quality and is well detailed, being fond of the character it represents really seals the deal for me.
ScottyP - IDW's Unicron story. Maybe it's the end, maybe it's not. Maybe 2019 brings a reboot of the Tranformers comics for the first time since 2005. While I hope that isn't the case, if it is, then this is the story to go out on. Five and a half years, give or take a few months, led to his reveal and if you think the signs weren't there I will fight you. This is great timing to move the story along to another chapter, and with so many new characters introduced lately and the body count of 1984 cast growing, I'm ready for our Beast Wars/Armada/G2 dreams to become reality.
Plus, this story proves I was wrong about Rung all along, and I probably deserve that for coming up with a crappy fan theory in the first place.
Seibertron - The Bumblebee movie. It will either be a turning point or an ending point. If it does well, new life could be breathed into a Michael Bay-less Bayverse, but if it does poorly, I suspect that it will mark the end of the Bayverse. Time will tell. Hopefully with a smaller cast of actors and robots, a real story about the Transformers will surface that is full of emotion, characterization, and a sensical story that everyone can follow this time around. I really enjoyed Hailee Steinfeld in the Edge of Seventeen movie, a flick I highly recommend others watch, which I saw not long before it was announced she was going to star alongside Bumblebee. I look forward to seeing what she can bring to the film, and if it has some edginees like Edge of Seventeen, I'll be sold on the movie. Time will tell. It'll be interesting to see what we all think of the movie around this time next year. Almost forgot this point: Bumblebee will be a Beetle! Can't wait to see the toys that come out of this. I'm still hoping for a more G1 look in robot mode than a Bumblebee Camaro look.
...as for me, Va'al? I'm not sure, to be honest with you all. This is a strange moment in my investment in Transformers, and though I am content with where I am, something is niggling at the back of my head. Maybe 2018 - and Battletrap / Roadslash, along with the Transformers episode of The Toys That Made Us - will ease it. Oh! Though I am planning to attend SDCC in person with Seibertron, rather than through his phone on videocalls. We'll see where that leads when the time comes.
And of course, the new Seibertron.com redesign awaits us all.
For those of you who reached the end of this very long piece, I hope you enjoyed the writings and musings of the staff of Seibertron.com, and the editorial interventions that totally did not occur anywhere at all. How was your 2017 in Transformers? Any categories jump to your eye, and want to share your thoughts? Any wish or prediction for the year just started?
Share your thoughts in the Energon Pub discussion, and be excellent to each other.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Transformers with best weapon storage
The title is pretty self explanatory. Sadly, as you might guess, there are no G1s on this list.
It's a good thing I got the Takara version simply because its instructions showed how to store the weapons in alt mode. You had to guess for the Hasbro version, since they didn't say. And that's a pity since the weapons storage is really smart. Arcee comes with several weapons for a deluxe figure, including two guns of different shapes and sizes. They can both be stored at specific spots under the car mode but the best part of this is that the smaller gun also helps you tab the hands so that everything is solid under there.
Vector Prime is a Transformer toy that just keeps giving and giving. Never mind him having an intricate design and excellent paint, and being a great toy all around, he also has really awesome weapon storage. His minicon is also a spaceship/blaster and there is a perfectly shaped indentation on his vehicle mode to store him. The best part though is the sword. It is big and can be stored on the side of the spaceship. The little detail that just brings it over the top is how his sword has a nice artisinal hilt to drive home the ancient theme and it sticks out of the side of the ship when the sword is lokcked in. For this not to look out of place, there is a molded in hilt detail sticking out on the other side of the ship, completing the uniform look and totally hiding the sword since that extra hilt detail now becomes a detail of the ship.
Scourge is known for his big wings and Hasbro gave them a lot more functionality with this toy, by having them open up to store his two weapons. I also like how you have to transform the weapons a bit to have them fit properly within his wings. It looks even cooler on the translucent versions of this mold where you can see the guns there as if he is passing through an airport scanner.
I had this toy as a kid and the weapon storage was the best part of Rhinox. I loved how it makes you become a mini MacGyver taking random bits from here and there and then putting them together to give him a chaingun of doom. It was even more fun than actually transforming the figure. Plus his tail became a weapon as well.
This monkey the Boss when it comes to weapon storage, bar none. He's got two swords stored in his back, heightwise, and two springloaded shoulder cannons that spring out from his backside. These cannons have missiles, which are also stored inside the figure's back behind his head. But that's not all, he has more weapons up his sleeves, literally. One of his forearms has a springloaded double barreled blaster and his other forearm stores a mace shaped like a skull! This Maximal leader is a one man army all on his own and if he gave in to his Gorilla Warefare side we all know the Predacons would have been history and the beast Wars would have been over quite early on.
Honourable Mentions: Lots of Beast Wars; Dinobot, cheetor, all do it very well but it's nothing compared to Rhinox and Optimus Primal
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers. This list is written by Mindmaster with some help from D-Maximus Primal and Kurona and edited by Seibertron and myself.and I would like to thank him for having taken the time. These are his 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 Five Rivalries in Transformers Fiction
A franchise rich with characters isn't complete if it didn't have intense rivalries. After all, who doesn't like watching two characters with an intense hatred for each other fight to the death? Mindmaster here (Seibertron staff allumni and fellow board member) and this week on our "Top Five" list, we're taking a look at the fiercest rivalries seen in the history of the brand!
5. Star Saber and Deathsaurus
For Star Saber and Deathsaurus, nothing says "bitter rivalry" like two childhood friends who swore themselves to differing factions (or at least, that's what happened in the Victory manga). Star Saber and Deathsaurus were kids with a friendship, but that changed many years later, as they became the leaders of their respective factions. While the "childhood friends" part was never explored in the anime, their rivalry was clear one. -Mindmaster
If your robo-junk got cut off and you were forcibly experimented on to introduce gender to your species, you'd be pretty miffed yourself. Bent on gaining her vengeance, the being who would call herself Arcee devoted herself into hunting down ancient mad-scientist Jhiaxus, who was also responsible for IDW's equivalent of Micromasters and this universe's first combiner, the destructive Monstructor. This rivalry ended with Arcee finally getting the enjoyment of killing Jhiaxus (who was close enough to the Dead Universe to come back to life) again... and again... and again... and again... and again...
-Mindmaster
3. Animated Ratchet and Lockdown
Lockdown and Ratchet became rivals in the Transformers Animated Cartoon (which is also where Lockdown originates from). The way the story goes, Lockdown permanently scarred Ratchet during the war, both physically and psychologically. He also took his best medical tool, and then when they met again, Ratchet beat the scrap out of him out of Revenge, going so far as to rip the EMP right off Lockdown, along with Prime's grapplers. And then the Revenge of the Fallen line made their rivalry known in the toy bios and how weapons from one are compatible with the other, just like animated. And then Lockdown was the one to kill Ratchet in the live action movies, keeping their rivalry going into movies.
Not to mention the initial rivals were a war weary old medic against a ruthless spiky bounty hunter with no allegiance.
-D-Maximus
2. Depthcharge and Rampage
The rivalry of Depthcharge and Rampage is an intense one: after Rampage killed all save Depthcharge on Omicron Colony, Depthcharge became dangerously hellbent on tracking down the criminally insane murderer, apprehending him after killing and apparently eating Starbase Rugby's inhabitants. Fast forward (or rewind, technically speaking) to their debut in the Beast Wars cartoon, where while Rampage and Depthcharge nominally belonged Predacon and Maximal respectively, both tended to disobey their orders and go after each other. This bitter rivalry ended in the crossfire of the battle to stop Megatron from destroying the dormant Autobots, with Depthcharge piercing unstable Energon into Rampage's exposed spark, with the fiend cackling all the while, either embracing oblivion to end his tortuous life or because he was bat-s*** insane.
-Mindmaster
Alright, you knew this was coming, and of course it would. This is not only the most iconic rivalry in Transformers lore but also one of the most iconic rivalries in pop culture. Optimus and Megatron have been at each other's throats for over thirty years since their debut in 1984, whether one was a fan of the other (Generation One's episode "War Dawn"), a librarian and a miner who shared views on the oppressive caste system (Prime's "One Shall Stand, Part One"), or even blood brothers (as established by the live-action films). This is a rivalry that will brew for many, many more years to come. -Mindmaster and William-James88
The rivalry of Hot Shot and Wheeljack is similar to that of the manga version of Victory's Star Saber and Deathsaurus, but with differences: imagine having been friends for a long time, but an ill-fated mission separated the both of you. Your friend tells you that he will come back to help, but never returns. On the verge of losing hope, someone finally comes to help, but it's not your friend, but someone completely unexpected: it's your enemy faction's leader, Megatron, who convinces you that your friend abandoned you! Having been rescued by Megatron and sworn fealty to the Decepticons, Wheeljack was emotionally torn apart by Hot Shot's "betrayal" (technically not true, as Hot Shot was prevented by his senior officers from going back and helping him), and swore to hunt down the Autobot and gain vengeance. Years later, both parties met again on the battlefield on Earth, as the war for the Mini-Cons raged on. Having discovered the Hot Shot was mentoring an even younger Side Swipe, the embittered Decepticon took this personally. Thankfully, unlike the rivalries previously listed, this one took a turn to Happy Ending Avenue: after both factions united to fight Unicron, Wheeljack seemed to forgive Hot Shot for abandoning him. -Mindmaster
The Wreckers and Squadron X
Another bitter rivalry comes in the form of the Wreckers and their Decepticon counterparts, Squadron X, depicted as flashbacks in IDW's wildly-popular-to-this-day miniseries, "Last Stand of the Wreckers". During the war, Wrecker leader at-that-time Impactor became dangerously obsessed in bringing down the ruthless Decepticons, with both groups engaging in a final clash on the planet Pova. Having dealing a humiliating defeat to Squadron X, Impactor was told the unthinkable; to prevent a political incident between the Autobots and the planet's inhabitants who declared neutrality, Impactor had to free their prisoners. In response, Impactor promptly executed each member of Squadron X, earning him a cozy cell on the ill-fated penal colony of Garrus-9. Impactor would later blame his lieutenant-now-Springer, who testified against him in his court martial, for not agreeing with Squadron X'a demise. -Mindmaster
Rung vs. Froid
One of the many ways in which IDW separates itself from other series in the franchise is by having many other forms of warfare and rivalry than simply punching and firing lasers at each other; and no finer is that represented than in the rivalry between the two psychologists Rung and Froid in MTMTE. Their story coming in right before the comic's multi-part finale, ample time is devoted to their history together - including plagiarism; diverging views on psychiatry methods; and a dark spot in Rung's very long career. Very different to your typical Transformers story, but it is nonetheless a rivalry that gives way to many story paths and even sheds light on the past of a certain Theoretician. So while this list contains battlefield tales that no doubt make for some amazing action, never forget the much more subtle and down-to-Cybertron battles concerning the psychological health that is just as important as the physical. -Kurona
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are the opinions of just a few people, since I am joined by several other contributors today, 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 Years of the Transformers Brand / Franchise
With one of the best years of all time to be a Transformers collector wrapped up, I thought it would be high time we got a list of the best years ever for the franchise. This will be predominantly toy focused and western focused when it comes to accompanying media and toy availability. The community had a say in this list, especially fellow Seibertronian Amelie who first suggested it. Many contributed to this list and you can read all our opinions below!
5. 1996
1996, because after the waning years of G2 and the Japanese series after the ending of season 3, Transformers faded from pop culture. In comes Beast Wars kicking down the door, which an actual awesome story and some pretty cool toys, and the franchise is back in business. - Rodimus Prime
While G1 started it all, the reason we are all still here today able to collect toys is because of Beast Wars. This rejuvination of the brand with a totally new direction is what saved the brand and Hasbro has said so a few times themselves. It is how I personally got into the brand and it is a staple of all 90s boys and girls just as G1 was for kids growing in the 80s. There are also two very important factors that should not get overlooked. Beast Wars brought about the articulation we still use today in toys. Due to the innovations of this era, several have aged very well. The other factor is the strong sense of storytelling in the show. To this day, Beast Wars is still the best written Transformers show we ever got in the west and the idea of emphasis on characterization in the Transfomers brand that people love so much in today's comics originates from here. Remember, this is the year we got the very best character in all of Transformers fiction, Dinobot. - William-James88
4. 1984
This is where it all started. Hasbro brought over some amazing toys from Asia (predominantly Japan) over to the west and with the help of the geniuses at Marvel, they created this world of Transforming sentient robots to go along with the toys. You could follow their adventures on television or in comics and both highlighted the toys you could buy in different ways. The toys themselves were gems on their own and a dream come true for many of us. This is the only brans where you can really get two toys for the price of one. You could have a vehicle that looked just like your other toy cars, but it could also become a robot. And not only did you have the playability that came with a robot AND a vehicle, but you also had the added puzzle of getting it from one shape to the next. This was special and it is still special today, especially when you see that a deluxe toy that has all this playability next to a similarly priced Star Wars action figure that can simply be posed in a few different ways. While technology and storytelling has evolved from those days, we must always remember 1984, the year which gave us Transformers. - William-James88
Recency bias be damned, it was a damn good year. The generations line on Hasbro's end kept giving us these amazing updates to the G1 era, bringing back the golden age of Transformers for a whole new generation with their most ambitious combiners and the return of Headmasters with more playability than ever before. We got objectively the best combiners ever with Takara especially going all out to give us unique molds and updates for Bruticus and Computron, two combiners with very diversified limbs, as well as both Hasbro and Takara having fun with the combiner system with Victorion, Sky Lynx as a torso and Grand Galvatron, the later being one of the most beautifully toys I ever had. We also finally got an update to Fortress Maximus, the aforementioned Sky Lynx and Powermaster Optimus Prime (along with Liokaiser, a character we would have never thought Hasbro to bring us). We also got the first MP Beast Wars figure with Optimus Primal, along with MP Shockwave (like Skylynx this was Takara's first crack ever at designing that transformation ever, since neither were originally Takara toys), Ironhide, Ratchet, 2 coneheads, Inferno and Hot Rod. Plus, Robots in Disguise pulled a 180 and became an amazing line to collect with the most original transformations around. We had 4 lines pulling out all the stops!
The movie had come out and Hasbro had pretty much exhausted the Diaclone line and finally in 1986 we start seeing what I would call the first 'proper' Transformers toys - Hot Rod, Galvatron, Blurr, Kupp, Scourge, Cyclonus, Gnaw, Wreck-Gar. They were bigger than their Diaclone cousins and arguably less detailed and in many cases less 'involved' when it came to transformation. However - these toys looked much more like their show counter-parts and were generally more robust.
We also saw the introduction of the (cancelled Diaclone) figures that made up the scramble combiners alongside Metroplex, Typticon and Predaking. With Metroplex being the first titan-class figure to be released and Trypticon being the first fan-voted titan-class figure - to me it speaks volumes about how loved 1986 really was. Aside from the usual Prime, Megs, 'Scream - characters like Predaking, Hotrod, Galvatron are often among the first called out for with excitement when a new line starts.
City-bots, Combiners and Trailer-Armour - the gimmicks had come full-force, but it wasn't until 87's ~Masters lines that we would go into full wack-out territory.
Aside from the toys - we had Transformers: The Movie and Season3 out which introduced lots of our favorite (or not so favorite) recurring themes - The Matrix, Optimus-Prime-Must-Die, Megatron transforms into Galvatron, Unicron and Optimus-Must-Live-Again (as the season finale). Fint Dille had created a monster which Simon Furman and every other Transformers writer was going to run with for the next 3 decades - with varying levels of success.
"I'll be back after a 28 episode commercial break, guys"
To summarize - 1986 is the year Hasbro and Takara finally gives us a line that isn't simply a reboxing of other toys and branches out new. Transformers itself was transformed and strong themes were developed that would be retold series across series. To me G1 starts its gradual decline from this point - making it the high point of the 80s, even if arguably being the root cause of its decline. - Amelie
1. 2010
2010 is definitely the year I would pick to show the true hayday of the brand because it is the apex of value and quality. 86 is a fun year but it is a start while I would link a heyday to a summit. People unknowing of all these toys would find a certain charm to the 86 toys but any wow factor would be coming from 2010 or the years surrounding that (from 2006 to then). What I mean is that while the toys from 86 are in this time capsule, and wanted for rarity and nostalgia, toys from 2010 are wanted for the amount of toy you are getting. The engineering, the design. Design is a big deal here. While the G1 toys had a problem recreating what you saw on the screen, 2010 has so far not been beaten, when you look at the Human Alliance Line and the Leader Starscream figure we got. There has never ever been (and sadly never will be) a better toy for your money than that literally Masterpiece level leader sized figure. Compare it to what toys are costing today and you had this advanced figure, with electronics and all, for $40 US MSRP. That will never happen again.
But it is not just movie toys, 2010 also has 2 very specific series all about design innovation: Reveal the Shield and Animated. That year gave us Reveal the Shield Jazz and Wreck Gar, two toys which had great engineering, giving you a phenomenal toy that leaps off the G1 screen but without needing to dish out the money for a Masterpiece. There was also RTS Lugnut which is the apex of the entire Transformers line in its originality. Both in its origins (bringing an animated toy to a Classics line, merging both aesthetics perfectly) and in it's engineering, by having his wings become his arms. That reduces his plane kibble significantly and unlike almost all planes, he has a super smooth undercarriage with minimal robot kibble, and everything is stored neatly.
We also got the best animated toys of the entire line that year. Firstly, Takara finally had their crack at them and gave them some awesome decos and fixed the qc errors that plagued a bunch. Paint and quality control was the only problem with that line and Takara fixed it, leaving us with nothing else to do but to enjoy the beauty of these well engineered toys. I believe, the animated line has the best designs ever done for a tf toyline, it's insane they were able to replicate a radical style into a toyline and make them fully transformable. But regardless of takara's take (which wasnt always the best), we got Cybertron Ratchet/Ironhide, Arcee and Rodimus, which are 3 of the best designs ever. These are all small masterpieces in their own right, leaping from the screen with some amazing cycbertronian designs. That Rodimus is to this day still the best Rodimus toy out there and handles his kibble better than any other version.
So yeah, we get the apex of the 3 most distinctive TF styles, Movie, Classics and Animated with the best quality and engineering ever seen for toys of that price point, from the beginning to today. And that's not even looking at the wider Transformers landscape which included Last Stand of the Wreckers, War for Cybertron, and the first five episodes of Prime. - William-james88
Honourable mentions: This honourable mention comes to us from Scotty P
2006. No debate here for me, just a quick and easy answer: 2006.
Cybertron finished up its run in really cool fashion with some massive (in size and fun-factor) toys to go along with the second half of the show: Transformers Cybertron Menasor (Moledive) Gallery
Plus there was Beast Machines finally on DVD, Kiss Players, IDW coming into its own with Spotlights and Stormbringer - for me, it was a great, less hectic time to be a fan.
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. This week, we have a nice collaboration by other staff members which were quite passionate about several of these toys. 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 Motorcycle (Motorbike) Transformers Toys
This is a very simple list. I looked at all Transformers who turned into motorcycles from Armada Nightbeat to G1 Override (who both didn't make the list). There are a ton of motorcycles out there, especially in the movie lines so while the standouts were easy to find (number 1 will surprise no one), it got very tough to distinguish the best amongst many decent toys. So I sought advice from colleagues and fans who seemed to have passion for these very specific toys and rounded them up.
This little dude is one of the examples of the truly excellent Scout class back in the peaks of the movieverse lines and sub-lines - Hunt for the Decepticons, in Brimstone's case. An attempt to capture the spiky nature of the aesthetics of Bay's production, the general added evil looks to otherwise adorable little figures, some good complex transformations for toys this size - and you get a great blend of colours, stable feet, a precursor to TF Prime's Soundwave's sinister silhouette, plus the potential for Spinning Triblades of Death and Doom, if it takes you a couple of weeks to figure out that, yes, there are indeed hands in there too. One of my first paint touch-ups, too, so clearly it struck a chord!
The PRiD Arcee mold is a top-tier contender for this list. Tight construction, a believable alt mode, a bot mode that doesn't suffer for the small vehicle, and generally good detailing; not only is this a nice toy, but it's generally accurate to the challenging designs of the TF Prime show.
The engineering of this figure takes its marks from the best motorcycle designs and puts them together in a convincing package, while implementing an auto-morph gimmick that is unobtrusive. It does all of these things while keeping numerous and more importantly, meaningful points of articulation. If there are any failings to speak of, it should be noted that the weapons are not really show accurate, which was more of a problem with the PRiD line than with the figure.
There are a variety of delightful, high quality redecos like Chromia and the Queen of the Racing World, Flareup to choose from. So find a biker lady to ride with before someone ships them out from under you.
This guy. Shows up for the entirety of not-that-much in the fiction (from Animated cartoon to its corollary stories), causes enough damage - WITH SCIENCE - then disappears into the folds of officially sanctioned fan-fiction. The tracks, however, run deep. The most menacingly metal mucus motorbike out there, with an actual ram skull visible in both modes, full asymmetry, cactus limbs, chains, and cheating wheel transformation, this is the Ghost Rider figure that (almost, shhhh) never was - if Ghost Rider had the powers of snot. Brütal Snøt.
Anyone who thinks Hasbro did not take the Robots in Disguise (2015) line seriously will change their mind if they give Fracture a chance. While the material and the way he is built up doesn't scream solid quality à la Galaxy Force, he shows how Takara is at the height of their engineering prowess. His transformation is perfect and more unique and elegant than any generations toy he shared shelf space with. Everything is just so thought out and meticulous. Every piece clips in perfectly and both modes are dynamite with minimal extraneous kibble. There is no way to tell this turns into a robot in vehicle mode and at the same time, the robot mode is so damn sleek with nothing getting in the way of the articulation! This is by far the best toy to come out of the Robots in Disguise line (at the moment of writing) and any fan of Transformers toys would be doing themselves a disservice by not experiencing this toy.
The motorcycle mode is almost completely free of kibble from every angle, only the fingertips are visible from the rear, that's it. Robot mode is also extremely free of kibble, where the usual motorcycle bots have nose blocks that become hunchback growths or wheels that become extra appendages, all of those elements have been integrated cleanly and beautifully into robot mode. The only thing that can even be construed as kibble are the back fins, and even those flow nicely.
This flows right into the posability, this being one of the most posable bots ever made. Not only is he all ball joints, but the side effect of the wheel integration is that his knees are double-jointed, making him one of the few transformers that can crouch.
With perks like show accuracy and little extras like his ninja star hubcaps, I would qualify Animated Prowl as not just the best motorcycle Transformer ever designed, but one of the best transformer designs ever.
-- Trigaba (This wonderful review of the toy was found on our forums)
Honourable mentions: First Edition Prime Arcee is a good toy, but I preferred including other toys on the list rather than two similar Arcees and the Robots in Disguise is usually preferred simply due to the fact that it is more accurate. The First Edition is still a worthwhile toy and I recommend anyone to check this great pictorial review from fellow Seibertronian Carytheone. RTS Wreckgar should also get a mention because he is an amazing effort with a kickass robot mode. However, the breakage issue cannot be forgiven enough to be considered one of the best.
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 10 Best Transformers Toys with Cybertronian Alt Modes (Land Vehicles)
As we witnessed a few weeks ago, cybertronian alt modes can be a very lazy excuse for a subpar alt mode that looks like a mishmash of robot parts. To counter that, I wanted to showcase the amazing designs that Takara and Hasbro came up with when exploring the cybertronian aesthetic and how an great cybertronian alt mode could result in an equally impressive robot mode (hence why Cybertron Override isn't on the list). After all, these are the default looks of these characters on their home planet by definition, so it's interesting to see when designers go all out to give the best representation of said character. It turns out that there were so many good designs and toys that I had to split this up between two lists, one for the best cybertronian land vehicles (which is what we will start with) and one for the best air vehicles (which will come next).
Burn said it best for this toy:
"I was never a fan of (Animated) aesthetic, but for the Cybertron forms it worked well and embraced one of the things I love about Transformers. The fact that they're an advanced alien life form. And this guy encompassed that look, sleek, and futuristic."
I just love it when a cybertronian tank doesn’t mean a robot spreading his limbs out to form a hap hazard H tank and/or sticking his head out (like so many other Megatron or Shockwave toys). Instead, here, you have a very compact weapon of war with a giant cannon and dual purpose treads that make better thrusters for some light vertical jumps when brought under the vehicle (replicating what was seen in the video game). These treads then have a fun transformation of folding onto one another to make some bad ass forearms (and connect the hand pieces). It’s a great look and a breath of fresh air for all other tank Megatrons.
When it comes to cybertronian alt modes, this guy cannot be ignored. It is a perfect combination of both strength and speed with a sleek alt mode that is also massive and powerful looking, especially with the giant cannons that spring out. The Japanese name for this toy really encompasses that cool combination of power and speed by calling him Land Bullet. That contrast really comes full circle when you realize that the sleek and long vehicle becomes a brawler type robot with huge forearms and a wide chest. I love that rockbiter-like head sculpt (where the jaw moves as his head turns). This toy also has one of the best retools ever with Dark Crumplezone (called Arm Bullet in Japan) which has every single part redone for a totally new look.
It is so fun when designers have a field day with cybertronian modes. This mold is one of those fun occasions where we can see what these alien robots actually looked like back on their planet. As you might guess, it is unlike anything you would find on Earth. I really like how removed this quadrupedal vehicle is from Ratchet’s Earth mode while still giving you an idea of why he would pick a van as an alt mode on Earth. This has more of a tortoise design which indicates a greater importance on maneuverability than speed, which works very well for a rescue mission. In the end, I just love how this is a really heartfelt attempt at designing an otherworldly ground vehicle that isn’t simply the robot mode in some funny position. What’s great is that you still end up with a robot mode that is very similar to the one found on Earth mode Ratchet. This subtly adds an extra layer to the mechanics of Transformers where the scanning mechanism results in a greater change to the alt mode than the robot mode. That’s amazing!
This guy is all about the alt mode. Sure, the robot mode is fine aside from balancing issues with his monstrous shins, but seriously, you get this guy for the alt mode. This gives us the answer to the ultimate question "What would the Batmobile look like on Cybertron?" It would look awesome, that's what! And like I said, Megatron is no slouch in robot mode either. For one, the intricate detailing makes it seem like he is wearing Unicron's armour. Look at the circuity and circular details on his shoulders, for instance, which are also found on Unicron. He also shares that spike motif along his arms. In short this is just a great beefy Transformer who's bigger size just means more detail, with a very satisfying and intuitive transformation and loads of articulation.
Also, just a heads up: the "Just us geeks" website named this as one of the top 5 Transformer toys of all time in 2012.
5. Beast Machines Tankor
This is quite the underrated toy with loads of non intrusive gimmicks (like hidden saw blades) and the very best light piping ever. Firstly, they actually went out of their way to make the toy better and more fun than the intended cartoon model by giving it two separate and different looking heads when they could have been boring and just have the tank stand up with the same head (as was done later in the Generations line, sometimes cartoon accurate means more dull). In the show though, this head is (sadly) the same and thus it scans the environment in both modes which is shown as a red dot going from side to side on his visor. Well, this toy replicates that by having a nob which turns so that a slit in the light piping moves from side to side, making it look like he is scanning. This works for both the tank head and the robot head, and better yet, they are interconnected so that both gimmicks are activated at the same time. It’s also a solid and bulky toy with a fun transformation that is more complex and satisfying than the more show accurate toy.
We often get sleeker versions of earth based cars (like Cybertron Hotshot) that don't capitalize on the potential of designing vehicles from other worlds. This one totally fits the bill though. Unlike so many other alt modes, it bravely crosses the line between being a futuristic design to a full blown cybertronian one. It is a great homage to G1 Arcee which is followed through in robot mode and I like the added massive spoilers in the back. That detail gives it enough variation from the traditional Arcee model. Too bad it has exposed hands in vehicle mode though. Props go for it having that signature Arcee backpack without going the easy route and making this a shellformer.
Animated Arcee might be great but this one tops it. This cybertronian cruiser is very sleek and definitely otherworldly. I love how compact it is and perfectly aero dynamic yet not necessarily designed for speed. It’s just a summer loving convertible from a different world. It rolls super well too and there isn’t any extraneous robot kibble. However, that is due to it being a shellformer but the shell does fold in onto itself at the midsection recreating the G1 look very well. It is great to see a deluxe come with so many accessories and different places to store them in both robot mode and vehicle mode (the vehicle mode storage where Arcee’s robot hands hold a gun into place is really clever). While this is not a masterpiece, it looks exactly like the G1 cartoon model. Especially with the softer Takara deco which looks like it is made of delicious candy. For those who don’t know, this is the only toy from this line (Thrilling 30) to be designed partly by Takara instead of simply Hasbro. Since this is the very first toy of G1 Arcee, Takara felt it would be a disservice for it to be an update to her G1 self, which is the theme of the Generations line (and all the other “classics” lines.) So they stepped in and made her design reflect her G1 self as much as they could. That dedication and passion makes this toy extra special.
I LOVE this toy. This is one of the last great stand alone deluxes we have gotten. It’s massive in size, as intricate/complex as any Transformer toy can get (regardless of size class) without being frustrating, has plenty of smart paint apps, looks really close to the game model, has great plastic with a really fun shine to it, and was sold at a deluxe price point. It also sports an awesome looking cybertronian alt mode. I find this design so smart. Optimus wouldn’t be a truck with a trailer on Cybertron but the designers found a way to still give him an alt mode that screams Optimus yet also scream Cybertron at the same time. I love how smooth the front half of this armoured vehicle is. It is very alien and original. What I am most impressed with is how the smooth surface is actually made up of a bunch of smaller segments which fasten to one another very well to give the illusion that his armour is one uninterrupted shell. It could have been so easy for Takara’s engineers to just make him a shellformer but they instead opted to find places along his limbs to integrate his alt mode’s smooth panels. I find that incredible.
This is a perfect toy, especially for a deluxe scale. Unlike the G1 and classics toy, the designers really go out of their way to give this that extra cybertronian flare, which works since the character was on Cybertron in the show. So instead of the alt mode being a futuristic Countach, it has more of an alien look with a lot of curves and undulations replacing the sharp edges. I especially like the dashboard area which looks more like a dome atop a vehicle, thanks to the clear plastic found on every side. I really hear John Hammond saying “no expenses spared” when looking at this toy, especially from the side where I see the designers went out of their way to have details on separate pieces line up to make it seem like the exhaust pipes are running all across the back portion. That is of course in addition to the excellent paint apps, use of clear plastic, double projectile weapon, as well as ball jointed wrists and feet providing maximum articulation (a far cry from most deluxes since). The transformation is also quite ingenious, especially the bit where they store the front wheels into his chest piece to make him look just like his cartoon model (which was designed before the toy). In fact, this toy was actually used as the starting point for MP Rodimus, just to give you an idea at how highly this toy is regarded by designers.
Honourable Mentions: So many cybertronian Tanks!!!!!!!
This is a top 10 so there was enough space to mention everyone that had a simultaneously great cybertronian land vehicle mode and robot mode without resorting to any transformer doing yoga and calling that a mode. The ones that get lost in the crack are those who have great robot modes but subpar alt modes where being "cybertronian" is more of an excuse for an alt mode being the secondary focus and for some reason, it's usually tanks. The two I included are to me, the best cybertronian tanks, because they do something different and original, in their transformation and their look. The rest follow a similar formula. The legs spread out to become the treads, the arm(s) becomes the cannon(s) and the head floats around somewhere, always visible. While Revenge of the Fallen Megatron is a great example of this, there are way better toys to honour here that arent as lazily designed such as Titanium Fallen, Robots in Disguise Megatronus, Prime Shockwave and Animated Shockwave. That later toy is an engineering marvel since it has two identities where each distinct robot mode has a "distinct" alt mode. While the change from one robot mode to the next is amazing (as can be seen below), the alt modes had to remain simple. So not the greatest alt mode(s), but great robot mode(s) and a great toy to own.
Same with The Fallen. He does something pretty cool where that extra kibble in the back (with painted flames to represent the fire burning in him at all times) helps make an easy transformation where most of the robot limbs are reused but to fill in the tank with the treads adding alt mode specific detail in the outside. Both the sculpt detail and stellar deco work hand in hand giving you an impression of the Fallen burning like a furnace from within himself.
As for Prime Shockwave and Robots in Disguise Megatronus, the fact that these two tanks pretty much use the exact same parts for both modes means the tanks are super sleek while there is very little extraneous kibble in robot mode. However, it does mean that there is a lack of new detail in either mode and robot parts (especially the heads) can be seen in tank mode.
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), Maighread Scott, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Joana Lafuente and Tom Long created a masterpiece of a series that I couldn't wait to read every month. From shining a light on more obscure characters (Greenlight, Lancer, Lightbright) and bringing Prime characters (Knock Out and his husband-in-universe Breakdown, Airachnid) in so organically, I just devoured the series. And the unexpected moments that just knocked the breath out of you: Starscream's true self being revealed, his confession in the annual and seeing his face literally and figuratively light up with Windblade's gift to him in the final panels of the series (Mairghread Scott GETS Starscream when she writes him, and makes him such a compelling figure); Sara Pitre-Durocher's depiction of the merging of the Combaticons' minds into Bruticus'... that is an AMAZING piece of art that not only tells a story, but gives the best depiction of a combiner's mind we've gotten in Transformers fiction, ever; Liege Maximo's return and Elita One and Strika's unsuccesful attempts to stop him and Vigilem......I really cannot say enough about how well and seamlessly this team worked together to tell the stories that they did. I just wish IDW could have left well enough alone and let Scott, Pitre-Durocher and team keep going. Instead, we have the travesty that Lost Light is turning into, but that's another thread for another day.
. That aside however, I also like the look of the Studio Series toyline, and the Cyberverse cartoon has me cautiously optimistic too! Of course, anything Transformers is a good thing for me, so all I can say is: bring on 2018! I may not be ready, but you can be sure I'm excited for it. 
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