Top 5 Transformers you love to transform and 5 you hate (40th Anni)
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Well he was trying to think of a bad toy.
I don't really have any that I truly love as I got lots of figures that I like to Transform, but hate, I have two:
1. Star Wars crossover Darth Vader, Death Star (those panels)
2. MP 05 Megatron, only transformed him to gun mode once and back again, since then, he has been in robot mode, gathering dust
1. Star Wars crossover Darth Vader, Death Star (those panels)
2. MP 05 Megatron, only transformed him to gun mode once and back again, since then, he has been in robot mode, gathering dust
Because I was mistaken and I just looked it up. T39 is a pain too though.
We're in Year 40, now.
Favorite:
Prime Vehicon
Soundwave (simple is nice)
Least Favorite:
ROTF Leader Prime
ROTF Devastator (all components)
Although, it is satisfying seeing Devastator come together, but it literally takes an hour to transform the all and assemble them.
Prime Vehicon
Soundwave (simple is nice)
Least Favorite:
ROTF Leader Prime
ROTF Devastator (all components)
Although, it is satisfying seeing Devastator come together, but it literally takes an hour to transform the all and assemble them.
Legends ROTF Devastator is still amazing. Some of the individual robot modes are a little iffy (mostly Mixmaster, really) but it's still impressive how much they accomplish in just a few steps.
The main ROTF line was the height of complexity yet its Legends were the height of efficiency.
The main ROTF line was the height of complexity yet its Legends were the height of efficiency.
It was, and I do love a challenge. However, for just grabbing a guy to transform for fun, RotF toys are not high on the list. I think Prime Vehicon is one of the greatest engineered Transformers of all time. The way the car panels fold up to become the legs is just a stroke of genius!
Here's another one I don't really like transforming that much: HasLab Unicron.
Takes at least 15-20 minutes to convert and it's all just shell-forming around a torso that's just one big functionless chunk.
And his robot head can't be stored anywhere in Planet Mode, having to be removed and set aside on its display stand in an act of parts-forming.
Takes at least 15-20 minutes to convert and it's all just shell-forming around a torso that's just one big functionless chunk.
And his robot head can't be stored anywhere in Planet Mode, having to be removed and set aside on its display stand in an act of parts-forming.
Top loves:
-Prime Vehicon. Just the right balance of complexity and playability. Not the most poseable, but they’ve got it where it matters. Plus the ability to peg almost any weapon in the hand while it’s flipped in makes for some delightful troop displays.
-Earthrise Optimus Prime. I have the “Dead Optimus” version and it’s the most perfect version of Optimus I’ve handled outside a Masterpiece. The transformation is brilliant, the poseablity is above and beyond, I honestly don’t know how they can top this figure.
-RTS Jazz. Probably the best Jazz figure we’ve ever gotten. He’s a near perfect update to the original’s transformation, and just looks SO. GOOD. The speaker accessories are a wonderful touch, just icing on the cake.
-TR Abominus. Sure, the combiners weren’t the absolute best, but of the Scramble City style teams, Abominus (and by extension the Seacons, though I never got to handle them) managed to work out a lot of the flaws while still having good individual robots. And that’s another thing; the individual bots all feel unique, from the beastly alt modes to their headsculpt to their bright colors. The Terrorcons are just a visual treat in any mode.
-Earthrise Seeker mold. The size, the articulation, the troop-building potential. It’s exactly what’s been desired since the Classics mold came out, if not before. The transformation is pretty much the Classics version with some extra steps, making it feel like an old friend who’s all grown up. The mold’s not perfect, certainly; the jet mode lacks landing gear, and the robot mode would would have benefited from a waist swivel, but it’s still the best iteration of the Seekers we’ve had yet.
Top dislikes:
-Earthrise Hoist. It’s not…bad, per se. but it’s got a lot that I just don’t love. The panels that hang behind the arms in robot mode, the way the arms sit in vehicle mode, his proportions, all of it feels too much like they were trying to recreate the G1 figure but with modern engineering. Which maybe they were, but I much prefer the Thrilling 30 design. Speaking of…
-T30 Skids/Crosscut. Great design, wonderful update to the character. But those feet. All toes, no heels. Plus the stress on the arm pegs each time you transform the figure, and the tendency for the panels to catch on each other, particularly the mirror pieces. It’s a good design that does too much up top and not enough on the lower half.
-Titans Return Blitzwing. A good figure, great even. Manages to incorporate all 3 modes better than any other iteration, IMO. But I hate the foil stickers. They keep peeling and catching. Also, one wing keeps popping off every time I transform him. That may just be a flaw with my particular figure, but damn if it isn’t tiresome.
-Titans Return Broadside. They tried, they really did, but he was just lacking so much. Robot mode was the strongest of the three with Jet mode being a wet fart at the bottom. Carrier mode was alright, but the poor guy was just too darned small. I appreciate that they tried, but it would have been better if they had gone the Sandstorm route and taken some liberties with at least one of his vehicle modes.
-Prime Breakdown. I can see why he didn’t get a mass release. Easily poppable hood panels, thin plastic on his arms, lots of pieces that can be broken so easily. He looks good, displays well, but transforming him is stressful. Each time it feels like one step towards his inevitable demise. Which is appropriate for the character, I guess.
-Prime Vehicon. Just the right balance of complexity and playability. Not the most poseable, but they’ve got it where it matters. Plus the ability to peg almost any weapon in the hand while it’s flipped in makes for some delightful troop displays.
-Earthrise Optimus Prime. I have the “Dead Optimus” version and it’s the most perfect version of Optimus I’ve handled outside a Masterpiece. The transformation is brilliant, the poseablity is above and beyond, I honestly don’t know how they can top this figure.
-RTS Jazz. Probably the best Jazz figure we’ve ever gotten. He’s a near perfect update to the original’s transformation, and just looks SO. GOOD. The speaker accessories are a wonderful touch, just icing on the cake.
-TR Abominus. Sure, the combiners weren’t the absolute best, but of the Scramble City style teams, Abominus (and by extension the Seacons, though I never got to handle them) managed to work out a lot of the flaws while still having good individual robots. And that’s another thing; the individual bots all feel unique, from the beastly alt modes to their headsculpt to their bright colors. The Terrorcons are just a visual treat in any mode.
-Earthrise Seeker mold. The size, the articulation, the troop-building potential. It’s exactly what’s been desired since the Classics mold came out, if not before. The transformation is pretty much the Classics version with some extra steps, making it feel like an old friend who’s all grown up. The mold’s not perfect, certainly; the jet mode lacks landing gear, and the robot mode would would have benefited from a waist swivel, but it’s still the best iteration of the Seekers we’ve had yet.
Top dislikes:
-Earthrise Hoist. It’s not…bad, per se. but it’s got a lot that I just don’t love. The panels that hang behind the arms in robot mode, the way the arms sit in vehicle mode, his proportions, all of it feels too much like they were trying to recreate the G1 figure but with modern engineering. Which maybe they were, but I much prefer the Thrilling 30 design. Speaking of…
-T30 Skids/Crosscut. Great design, wonderful update to the character. But those feet. All toes, no heels. Plus the stress on the arm pegs each time you transform the figure, and the tendency for the panels to catch on each other, particularly the mirror pieces. It’s a good design that does too much up top and not enough on the lower half.
-Titans Return Blitzwing. A good figure, great even. Manages to incorporate all 3 modes better than any other iteration, IMO. But I hate the foil stickers. They keep peeling and catching. Also, one wing keeps popping off every time I transform him. That may just be a flaw with my particular figure, but damn if it isn’t tiresome.
-Titans Return Broadside. They tried, they really did, but he was just lacking so much. Robot mode was the strongest of the three with Jet mode being a wet fart at the bottom. Carrier mode was alright, but the poor guy was just too darned small. I appreciate that they tried, but it would have been better if they had gone the Sandstorm route and taken some liberties with at least one of his vehicle modes.
-Prime Breakdown. I can see why he didn’t get a mass release. Easily poppable hood panels, thin plastic on his arms, lots of pieces that can be broken so easily. He looks good, displays well, but transforming him is stressful. Each time it feels like one step towards his inevitable demise. Which is appropriate for the character, I guess.
I'd put them on my honorable mentions, for sure - or at the very least, Rippersnapper and Blot. Rippersnapper, I was definitely considering for a top 5 slot, since I got him long before the rest, and he got a lot of play - and then Blot's just Rippersnapper, but different, chonkier, and purple. Despite my grousing about the CW limbs, yeah, these guys went above and beyond.
Funny enough, the ROTF ones were among the first few Transformers I had where after going back and forth from alt to robot to alt a few times I was just... I never want to do this again, and immediately put them up for sale. I think since then this has only happened with the original WFC game Bumblebee mold, although I haven't gotten around to selling that until now.
And I was wondering even then if the DOTM ones (which are from around the time Hasbro was starting to scale back on the overengineering from ROTF, at least in some cases) might be better.
Another figure with a really good transformation is the Energon Tow-Line mold.
Such a simple yet elegant and very effective transformation. It even trims the fat that most modern Ironhide/Ratchet molds struggle to deal with by recreating the sled of their original 1984 mold, even updating it to combine with the robot to create a mobile base-type super mode.
Such a simple yet elegant and very effective transformation. It even trims the fat that most modern Ironhide/Ratchet molds struggle to deal with by recreating the sled of their original 1984 mold, even updating it to combine with the robot to create a mobile base-type super mode.
Was that figure size class called basic? Whatever it was, MOST of them were solid. I wasn’t super impressed with the Insecticon one. Strongarm, Skyblast, Towline, Ravage, Laserbeak. Those were great figures that troop builders could go crazy with from all the repaints.
@Darth_Prime, I think the Towline/Deluxe-ish figures were "Combat Class." The smaller figures were "Energon Class."
Insecticon wasn't terribly articulate, but was incredibly chonky, even for the era of chonk, and had that delightful way of making the back bug legs into the lower robot legs. It just unfortunately had a pretty bland set of base colors that didn't help elevate it like Battle Ravage and Cruellock, and we didn't get the nicer green one.
Energon Optimus Prime may not get a lot of praise for its looks, but transforming it is a joy. The joints are deliciously clicky.
Tow-Line wasn't one of those little ones. He was Deluxe size.
A lot of people I think aren't fans of the basic robot mode and he earned the nick name, Fatmus Prime, the combined form is pretty good looking, thou if Hasbro were to revisit the desgin, I expect they'll likely make him a commander class unless they decide to do something wild and unexpected, by doing the basic robot and trailer as a leader and have the four drones be seperate bots that combine with OP!
Voltron Prime!
he wasn’t terrible. Just had Armada Prime and Cybertron Prime that he was squashed between so he kinda gets looked over IMO. I love Cyb Prime combined with Wing Saber.
he wasn’t terrible. Just had Armada Prime and Cybertron Prime that he was squashed between so he kinda gets looked over IMO. I love Cyb Prime combined with Wing Saber.