Opinion Piece: Transformers x G.I. Joe, could it work? (Part 1?)

I want to take you down a thought process. With how often I review the G.I. Joe and Transformers toylines and how intertwined the two brands are, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I have been considering how a potential crossover could work. It has been something many have asked for over the years, and many of the Joe Vehicles lend themselves quite nicely to Transformers. Written before the upcoming stream announcing more of the plans for G.I. Joe's 40th anniversary, I wanted to give a pitch for how a potential crossover line could work.

 

To establish some ground rules, I will be keeping things to a standard based on the current mainlines for both brands. Generations for Transformers (Legacy, War for Cybertron, Prime Wars, etc.), and Classified for G.I. Joe. Unfortunately for those on the Joe's side, this will focus more on the Transformers standards because of the most significant issue, size. War for Cybertron: Earthrise Optimus Prime is around the same height as Classified Series Duke. Any way you want to cut it, the Joes will need to be shrunk down for this to potentially work. Perhaps at the smaller Titan Master size (Around 2 or 3cm), they can still interact with the vehicles and be large enough for things like basic paint applications. With the crossover theme in mind, this could be a good chance to modernize the Titan Masters scale, making Joes and the weapons on the other figures to be more modern armaments, or even futuristic like some of the Classified line’s weapons thanks to the Cybertronian elements.

 

The main reason for such a crossover would be to have the Joe and Cobra Vehicles have a new presence on store shelves outside of reissues. For this article, I'll be giving a wave synopsis based on how the first wave of a new Transformers line is currently distributed. From smallest to largest, these will be 3 Core Class figures, 4 Deluxe Class figures, 2 Voyager Class figures, and two Leader Class figures. 

Borrowing an element from the War for Cybertron Siege and Earthrise lines, the Core class would be based more on the Battlemasters, smaller robots that turn into weapons for the larger figures. What would make them different here is that they'd be based on the Joe and Cobra tow weapons, with each figure having a vehicle mode that can be towed by larger figures that double as a stationary weapon for the Joe and Cobra characters. It would also have a basic robot mode and can be converted into a handheld weapon for the larger robots. A few contenders for Wave 1 could be the G.I Joe H.A.L., the Cobra A.S.P., and potentially a more rigid gun that may not be able to be towed but still has the other elements of play like the Joe's FLAK. These would come with a generic trooper for the Joes and Cobra to encourage army building.

 

We'd be getting into the territory of actual characters at retail for the Deluxe class. For the Bots and Joes, a great first two would be the VAMP as Hound, with Clutch as the driver, and the M.O.B.A.T. as Warpath with Steeler. Two solid picks for the Cons and Cobra, the Cobra F.A.N.G. with a Cobra Trooper, and the Cobra Rattler as Viper with Wild Weasel. These would be in the traditional colours for the Transformers themselves, which wouldn't be that big of an issue for Hound and especially Viper. Many of these vehicles were reused multiple times over the Joe toyline, so repainting them into other Transformers, regardless of faction, wouldn't be unheard of. Viper can easily become a Powerglide later, and Hound has a lot of potential as a Stinger, though the Decepticon in question is someone I'm having trouble naming. 

 

Voyager is where things are starting to get interesting. As the figures get larger, you could include more characters with them as many of them become multi-seater vehicles of larger sizes. With the Deluxes favoring the Joes on the ground, and Cobra in the air, I'm going to flip it for the larger size. The Skystriker as Jetfire is an easy pick, with inclusions for the Skystriker as Ace and potentially Scarlett as a nod to the G.I. Joe animated series. Soundwave's often been picked as the Con for the Cobra H.I.S.S. Tank and that isn’t something I'm not inclined to disagree with. Destro or Major Bludd with a H.I.S.S. Driver would be the characters I include with the tank, and due to Soundwave being the tank, you could do the A.S.P. that I mentioned earlier as Frenzy or Rumble.

 

Finally, for the Leaders, though they rarely get Leader Class toys now, the best candidates would be Optimus Prime and Megatron. I think a good candidate for Optimus would be the Joe's A.P.C., as it would be a less drastic change for the leader of the Autobots and the vehicle style would also work for a common Optimus repaint, Ultra Magnus. I could even see Optimus transforming into a portion of the A.P.C., with the main troop carrier being the equivalent of Prime's traditional trailer. Alongside Duke, I could see the A.P.C. coming with a pair of generic troopers, or it could be an excuse to include some of the more stand-alone Joes. As for Megatron, I have to go with the Cobra Mamba, while Cobra Commander would get a couple of Gyro Vipers for co-pilots.

 

Repaint ideas have been dotted throughout this, as repaints are a staple of both brands. The vehicles above could all be made into more generic troop builders for both sides, and come with  Green Shirts or Cobra Troopers respectively. Having a Soundblaster in traditional H.I.S.S. black could be a pulse exclusive army builder that comes with two H.I.S.S. drivers instead of one. You could do a red one that comes with the Crimson guards while the twins Tomax and Xamot come in another vehicle in a later retail wave. It also means that you can satisfy both sets of fans as neither would feel like things have been badly compromised for the sake of the other. When you throw in other Transformers characters the vehicles can come with (the Skystriker as Starscream and the Seekers as noted earlier), you'd have lots of chances to build up the armies equally.

 

I'll leave it there for now, but I'd be happy to expand this further if there's interest. Feel free to let me know if you'd like to see more of these potential wave ideas and pairings or bring up any that you've come up with. Thank you to Craig Moore though for helping out with refining this piece though, helping to streamline it given that it was rushed out when compared to other opinion pieces.

Transformers War for Cybertron Kingdom Commander Class Rodimus Prime: You just always have to be controversial, don't you?

 I don't know if it's a bad habit of mine or a bad habit Hasbro has developed, but "Rodimus Prime" and "Controversy" seem to go hand in hand. The managerial plans for the 1986 Transformers animated movie are well known in the community. In an attempt to tie replacing stocked characters on shelves with a shift of the main cast in media, Hasbro tried to get kids to like a replacement for Optimus Prime. A new leader for the Autobots would rise in the form of Rodimus Prime, with commercials even teasing Optimus's demise. However, that plan became tainted by people blaming Rodimus for Optimus's death in the movie. Power of the Primes was, by comparison, far less controversial, but many hated how the execution of the gimmick was handled for him and his black repaint: Rodimus Unicronus. Unwanted Visible hands in two of the three modes, trailer kibble on the back, Hot Rod's thighs awkwardly acting as shoulders for Rodimus, there was just a lack of polish in the overall toy. It just felt clunky compared to how effortless his wave mate, Optimus Prime, handled the gimmick (though I think we can all agree that Optimal Optimus managed it the worst). Now it's not a matter of engineering, but something else entirely. To begin rounding out this pseudo, unofficial series of reviews celebrating the 1986 movie, let's look at the chosen one who crushed the dreams of many a child in 1986. Arise Rodimus Prime!

Before covering the toy, let's cover the controversy first: The Size class. As mentioned in the Hot Rod review, one thing Hasbro has been doing is making toys that scale with a size class but selling them at a larger size class due to enhanced engineering. For Studio Series 86 Hot Rod, he was a Deluxe Class sized toy but sold as a Voyager, a somewhat frustrating but easy to ignore element as the toy was $15 more (based on recommended retail price). Another thing Hasbro has been doing is releasing Voyagers with a lot of accessories and calling them Leader Class toys (for example, Earthrise Optimus Prime and his trailer). What's causing the controversy here is that Kingdom Rodimus does both of these, which stands out badly when you consider that he's the third ever Commander Class toy, and the price jump from Leader to Commander is more significant than the jump from Deluxe to Voyager. When he was officially revealed, people were furious at him because he is a Voyager Class toy with Leader Class engineering sold at a Commander Class price primarily because of the trailer. It was a hard pill to swallow compared to the previous two Commander Class toys, Jetfire in the Siege toyline and Sky Lynx in Earthrise. As someone who acknowledges the need for the trailer for car mode, but was hoping it would be something more along the lines of a third party take on Rodimus Prime, DX9's Carry (where the robot was the entire vehicle and not just the car), it was something I wasn't overly impressed with at first either, especially for the recommended retail price of $150. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be too hard to find him on sale, and with the Christmas Season sales beginning soon, it'll likely be even easier to see him for cheaper. I bring all of this up now because I will be making critiques of this toy with the understanding of its full RRP (even though I got it for a little over $120).

Looking at the Space Winnebago mode (because no one knows what this is supposed to be), this has one thing over the Power of the Primes toy: The look of the detachable car modes. Due to PotP's car needing to look more like Hot Rod's car mode while still connecting to become Rodimus, the car mode didn't look like a car, more so a doorstopper with wheels. The sleek curves of Hot Rod's car mode seemed too flat, which meant that I often kept both Rodimus Prime and Rodimus Unicronus in either Combined Vehicle mode or Combined Robot mode (because the robot mode for Hot Rod was also rubbish). Kingdom Rodimus' detachable car still looks like a car, but for those looking for it to look more like Hot Rod's car, you're going to be disappointed as now we have an opposite situation. The car mode has a lot more bulk to it now, but I find it fitting for Rodimus Prime. It's a car mode that trades speed for power, not only to lug the trailer around but to move around any terrain. It's a car mode that invokes the power of Optimus's truck mode while still having Hot Rod's sense of speed. 

When plugged into the trailer, the overall combination is fine, but I wish some elements were a bit more refined. One of the most significant elements of this is the prominent quality control issue most people have with this toy: the trailer is not shut. I've not found any conclusive fixes to this, the one I've personally been using is wrapping a rubber band around the front for a few weeks, but while that has mostly worked for me, it doesn't seem to be a definitive fix. I wish there were more locking points for the sealed trailer to secure the two sides better. Another minor design element that I wish was different is the overall size of the trailer. I find the car spoiler poking out the sides to look awkward, mainly because it causes a visible gap in the smokestacks that are meant to connect to the car's engine (based on the intended sculpting). I wish either the trailer was a little wider, or there was a way for the car spoiler to compress in a little to try and hide it. A nice addition the trailer does have is a Masterpiece styled accessories tray, intended to hold three specific effects parts (two smoke effects for the smokestacks and a "light our darkest hour" Matrix illumination effect). An otherwise useless compartment in the front of the trailer is ideal for storing some of the smaller blast effects. The main section of the trailer can hold either an Autobot car or the sentry turret alongside Rodimus's gun and sword, giving the overall set a nice amount of playability, especially when compared to Optimus and Ultra Magnus' truck modes. 

For me, though, the robot mode is where Rodimus shines. While the overall execution of Studio Series 86, Hot Rod was less than ideal thanks to tolerances and quality control, the same can't be said for Rodimus. The transformation is one of, if not the best in the trilogy. The tolerances are balanced so perfectly that they're effortless to move but sturdy enough to hold any position. The sculpting on the plastic is beautiful. But the use of paint is probably the weakest element of this. I'm not a fan of moulding large chunks of Transformers just to recolour it with paint completely. The leading cause of this view is figures like Power of the Primes Jazz and Kingdom Tracks having the mass majority of their cars painted transparent plastic just for the sake of the windscreen). Thankfully Rodimus isn't as egregious as those examples; the spoiler was moulded with the same plastic as the windscreen. However, I can't tell what colour plastic the thighs are underneath all the orange. This isn't a judge of the quality of the paintwork itself. Everything yellow and orange on the robot mode is painted plastic. Nevertheless, the overall effect is impressive; the issue mainly comes down to questionable plastic sprew organization, an issue not limited to Rodimus.

As with SS86 Hot Rod and Earthrise Optimus before him, the smaller size but higher price tag does give him extra points of articulation, making him one of the most agile Transformers mainline has seen in a long time. The articulation is on par with what many expect from a Masterpiece Transformer toy, with the only thing missing being an ab crunch. I can easily see an upscaled version of this working well as a Masterpiece stands in for Rodimus. With my copy of the toy, I noticed that I don't see many bringing up the new Matrix of Leadership. This isn't the same Matrix that comes with Earthrise Optimus Prime and SS86 Hot Rod. It looks to have been the same CAD file, just shrunk down to allow it to fit in Rodimus' chest. Unfortunately this means that the same issues I had with Optimus' Matrix also holds for Rodimus; in fact, it's even worse here because it's even smaller. Another minor nitpick for me is the size of the sword; I wish it were bigger. It would make a great sword for a Deluxe Class toy to hold, but figures can only hold it with the ability to open their hands. 

It's hard to deny that this is a good toy; any issues I have with it on its own are minor issues at best. But the question of cost does need to come back again. Yes, it is a good toy, but I don't think it's worth $150. He lacks the presence of the other two Commander Class toys, and if you're not someone who'll be displaying him in his alt mode, or actively playing with him, most of the cost of the toy will feel like a waste of money. Would people have bought a Rodimus Prime that was just the car? Probably not because the trailer is a part of the look of G1 Rodimus Prime. It's not as easy to ignore as Optimus Prime's Trailer. Not having it would be like releasing a G1 Ultra Magnus that's just the truck cab, a nice novelty maybe, he is a nice easy repaint of Optimus after all, but for what many people know as Ultra Magnus, he needs to have the car carrier trailer. It was a no-win situation on the design team, and it was always going to cause some controversy. What might have helped was if there was more of a definition to what Commander Class as a concept is, even if it was a second Commander Class figure in Kingdom as a way of saying, "This class can be for either semi big characters or smaller characters with a lot more engineering". After all, one of the reasons why Cliffjumper's height didn't cause more issues was because his wave mates included Wheeljack and Hoist. If rumours are true, then the definition of the class will continue to change as it's looking like 2022's Commander Class figure is going to be Motormaster, which would technically blend the "Big impressive bot" and "smaller but with a lot more engineering" definitions together. Time will tell how that experiment goes for them. As for next week? Well, who else could it be other than Megatron's replacement?

Transformers War for Cybertron Trilogy Optimus Prime Marathon: Nothing but Prime Time today.

For health and safety reasons, do not do a drinking game involving the number of times the word Prime is used in this review. 

 

 

So it occurs to me that I've only reviewed one War for Cybertron Optimus Prime, the Galaxy Upgrade one that was a remould of Siege Ultra Magnus designed to look like the Galaxy Force/ Cybertron Optimus Prime. I'm surprised no one noticed that, though these posts aren't exactly known for igniting internet attention. Because I haven't covered WFC Primes in detail, there may only be two moulds, but six toys covered, along with some upgrade kits acquired along the way. The subject material for today? Siege Optimus Prime, Netflix Nemesis Prime, Earthrise Optimus Prime, "Alternate Universe" Optimus Prime, Netflix Optimus Prime and Generations Selects Shattered Glass Optimus Prime. Funnily enough, this is not the biggest review I have planned. Bigger ones are coming. 

 

So, six trucks, but before tackling the trucks themselves, allow me to take a moment to go over everyone's accessories. Siege Optimus is probably one of the easiest of the lot, second only to Shattered Glass Prime (who I'll refer to as SG Prime for short). You get a nice looking, though very hollow Ion Blaster and a shield that can unfold into an axe. I like the axe, and it's a shame that it's only available here and on the cell-shaded 35th-anniversary toy (I skipped because I'm not fond of cell shading paint applications on toys). With the Earthrise mould, and all the primes that were sold as Leader Class toys in 2020 (Earthrise Prime (ER Prime from this point on), Alternate Reality Prime (Dead Prime) and Nemesis Prime), a trailer was included as an accessory. The trailer took me a while to appreciate, and was what got me into buying upgrade kits last year. Out of the box, I hated all three of these trailers, but with some help from kits found on TFSafari (though potentially not officially) and then later Nonnef Productions, the trailers now look really good. It's nice to have Optimus moulds with trailers, and the inclusion of Roller for those who couldn't get the Centurion Drone helped make the trailer an excellent modernization of the G1 trailer. By default, the trailers came with the repair unit/ laser turret that was blast effects compatible and could double as a jetpack for the Earthrise mould (the effect doesn't quite work on Nemesis). Still, while it's a neat play feature, it doesn't look good from an aesthetic perspective. Dead Prime's trailer also doubles as the table he died on in the 86 movie, a perfect accessory for Studio Series Perceptor coming next year! All the Earthrise versions also come with a Matrix compartment (I still wish Kingdom Magnus had one) with the same Matrix that came with Studio Series Hot Rod; this was the toy to have it first. My thoughts on the Matrix then also apply here, but my copy of SG Prime didn't have the paint applied properly. It's only painted on the front for some reason. How odd. The final accessory the Earthrise moulds share is a new compactable Ion Blaster that can fill out a gap in Truck mode, be stored on the back in robot mode, and be held. Though I think the Earthrise blaster is a bit too small, I do like that it's not hollow like the Siege one and looks a lot better overall when compared to the 2019 version. Netflix Optimus comes with two exclusive Battle Masters, Enerax and Sheeldron; Yellow Energon themed repaints of the Battle Masters Pterexadon and Soundbarrier, respectively. Enerax I'm fine with, though a minor issue with QC on mine makes the pin connecting the handle a bit too loose for my liking, Sheeldron on the other hand, is one that I'm not a fan of. For things intending to be shields, I prefer characters hold them in their hands, something that you can't do with Sheeldron because they engineered him. It's an easy fix with a 3D printer, sure, but a letdown nonetheless. For Nemesis Prime, you get a mix of Power of the Primes, Siege and Earthrise Prime accessories. You get the arm cannons, Dark Saber and Battle Master Giza, all of which I enjoyed from the Power of the Primes version, though my only complaint is that I wish the arm canons were smaller to better scale with the toy. You get the Ion Blaster from the Siege version, the trailer and repair unit/ laser turret/ jetpack from the Earthrise mould and encase that wasn't enough accessories; you get a Battle Master in the form of Fangtron from the Slitherfang mould (which with a minor modification can be held in the robot's hand), a blast effect for the shield and three Energon cubes. You physically cannot fit all the accessories into the trailer. You can barely get everything onto the truck mode, and that was before the Nonnef upgrade, including a black Roller. It's excessive but impressive that all of it was included at all. Many would have accepted a lot less. The only other "accessory" to mention is that SG Prime came in a two-pack with a Shattered Glass themed repaint of Ratchet, but that's a story for another day.

 

Before reviewing the trucks themselves, there is one question that should probably be answered first. Why so many? There are differences between the six of them, some more so than others. Siege Optimus and Netflix Nemesis are designed to look more like a futuristic cybertronian truck. It's the design used by both characters in the War For Cybertron series on Netflix. If I had to pick a mould I prefer, this one would probably just beat out the Earthrise one, though the keyword there is "just". I like futuristic vehicles, and the little design cues give the truck mode an aggressive feel without straying too far away from what many views as the traditional Optimus design. This look feels like an Optimus in his prime (pun not intended). This has a very early war feel to it, something the Netflix series doesn't portray when it comes to voice direction. It's not flawless; I'm not a fan of the Cyber Mud on Optimus, something they thankfully ditch for Nemesis, and the gap in the back of the truck looks bad when looking at it. It's also a gap that's easily ignored, thanks to it only being visible from the back, making it feel like far less of a problem. There's a lot of fun to be had with the mould. It feels more like a toy than the 2020 Prime mould does, and it's why I think it just nudges out the 2020 version.

 

 

The remaining four all use the Earthrise mould, which is meant to look more like a normal earth truck. Earthrise Optimus is the standard Optimus Prime colours, bright red, bright blue; if you've seen an Optimus Prime design, chances are you know what to expect (this version was also available in Kingdom, so if you are looking for this toy, you might still be able to find it on shelves). Netflix Optimus is similar in that regard, but with one key difference, the shade of blue. The darker shade of blue and the duller clear plastic (a more traditional toy glass colour compared to the blue on the regular release) is meant to resemble the original Optimus Prime toy, as the cartoon did change its colours slightly. It's a nice nod that I wish they went all the way with, but that's best saved for robot mode. Dead Prime's colours are designed to be precisely what they sound like they are; they're the colours of Optimus Prime's corpse in the 1986 animated movie, a design cue that's frequently reused to depict a dead Transformer. You don't get the full effect of this one until you get to robot mode, though, so once again, put a pin in this for later. Finally, there's SG Prime; a colour scheme meant to replicate the colours Optimus had in the Shattered Glass universe, Transformers version of the "Evil Mirror Universe" popularized by Star Trek. It's the reason why the colours are meant to be more sinister in tone; it's for an Optimus that's more sinister, sadistic, a tyrannical leader of the war-hungry, destructive Autobots. An excellent colour selection, to be sure, a Prime for all your needs, but as a toy in truck mode, it feels more boring to me. That's not to say it's not impressive, far from it. This is probably the best looking G1 Optimus Prime toy released on the mass market (the Masterpiece doesn't count). It feels like an evolution of the Siege version, leaning more into the "robots in disguise" mindset. It's not entirely original though, a fair chunk of parts are reused from the Siege mould (mainly parts of the lower legs, feet and head), and the wheels come from a Studio Series Optimus (I think the Bumblebee one, but I could be wrong). Engineering wise, something about it doesn't feel right to me when comparing it to the Siege version. The robot legs don't seem to sit in place properly, and the lack of a locking point for the cans on the side of the truck does get annoying when playing with the toy. Weapon storage for this one is a lot nicer when compared to the Siege version, but the Siege version does get a pass on the traditional weapon storage of "stick it on top" as the whole story, and aesthetic of Siege was "guns everywhere!". 

 

 

For all the issues I have with the Earthrise truck, it's hard to deny the improvements made for the robot mode. While visually I like the truck mode for the Siege version because the robot mode tries to stick as close to the G1 cartoon model as possible, the truck mode parts that have nowhere to go stick out a lot more. Some parts like the underarm machine guns are enjoyable in their own way, but the backpack is unsightly, at least on the Optimus version; it blends in very well on the Nemesis version, probably due to the colour differences. The only thing that comes close to that on the Earthrise mould is the front bumper and front wheels, but thanks to that assembly being on a clip, if it really bothers you that much, you can just take it off. I prefer leaving it on as the bar assembly on its looks out of place without the bumper. Regardless of the mould, though, both toys do an amazing job representing the character. I love the overall proportions of the Siege mould, both toys do have the same proportions, but the way they handled the Earthrise mould's hips makes him look lanky compared to the Siege version. The leg assembly for the Siege mould is also a lot more interesting when compared to the ER one, but on the flipside of that, the way the torso works on the Earthrise one and how neatly the truck cab compresses into the chest is really impressive. It's a minor miracle, though I wish the head cavity for the truck mode was a bit bigger; it's a very tight fit in there. In terms of individual elements between the six of them: 

 

• Siege Optimus: Like with the truck mode, the cyber mud does not look good. I still think that the only figures that did the Battle Damage look properly (officially at least) was the Netflix toys that had the battle-damaged paint jobs.
• Netflix Nemesis: The muted colours look imposing in robot mode, an impressive feat considering as this is just a repaint, unlike his Power of the Primes incarnation where he did get a new, more menacing head. As I said earlier, I wish some more work was done in the accessory department, mainly downscaling the arm cannons. A version that Takara put out on their own with a different paint scheme also came with a different sword, a repaint of the sword that came with Titans Return Alpha Trion, which I think looks a lot better than the sword we got, mainly due to the blade. While I'm not entirely sold on getting that version of Nemesis Prime, I want that sword and a Star Saber repaint of it.
• Earthrise Optimus: I'm not a fan of the plastic moulding distribution for this one. I know that sounds like a weird complaint, but hear me out on it. Because of how they split the plastic moulds, paint was needed to make parts the right colour, that that feels wasted and due to things like the grip texture on the gun, and the tight space for the head that I mentioned earlier, it has lead to paint chipping, which is why I know the back of Prime's head was cast in red while the front was cast in blue, while the hands were cast in grey. On the subject of the heads, though, the lack of silver around the eyes (something that the two Siege toys had) makes the blue eyes blend into the head. Many people have taken the Siege head and put it onto the Earthrise body for this very reason, especially as they are the same parts.
• Netflix Optimus: There are no moulding issues with this one, making the whole thing feel more sturdy when compared to the regular release. However, the eyes remain an issue, something that likely wouldn't have been a problem if they went all-in on the callback and gave him yellow eyes. I feel this was because when Earthrise was revealed, the prototype of the regular retail version they had on display had yellow eyes, and people got upset about that. It's a shame, too, because it would have helped with this one.
• Dead Prime: The mould distribution is also apparent here, but it doesn't feel like an issue due to the more muted colour scheme and (mostly) more durable paint (though once again, the hands are an issue, I think it has something to do with how the gun is designed. Robot mode is where this toy shines, with subtle but well-done battle damage and new moulding on the head to make it look like it does in the movie as he dies. A nice touch, as well as the fact that the only vibrant thing on this toy is the Matrix compartment, even if it's not accurate to the movie. 
• SG Prime: The only one of the Earthrise mould to not have the blending eye issue (though it once again makes sense for Dead Prime). The blood-red eyes recessed into that dark blue head does just enough to make this look imposing and take away the heroic qualities many consider baked into an Optimus head sculpt in the head sculpt. I also like the fact that the red is brighter than the red used for Nemesis' eyes. It's a nice bit of detail to help separate these two evil versions of Optimus. I'm not a fan of how they handled the inverted Autobot logo; due to it being on the shoulder with a lot of detail on it, it makes the shoulder look more cluttered while the other looks very barren now that it no longer has a faction symbol. 

To repeat myself (for those who skipped to the end), while I think the Siege mould is slightly better due to personal preferences for the truck mode, the Earthrise toy has the better overall robot mode; neither toy completely outshines the other. Both are excellent toys. I think the only reason I prefer the Siege one is for the same reasons as my preference for the Siege Datson squad; many people were willing to toss the Siege version aside for the sake of more G1 accuracy. "Not being completely G1 accurate" isn't a bad thing. Which one should you get if you can only get one? I don't know. As much of a cop-out answer as this is going to sound, get both and decide for yourself. They are just that close in terms of quality. You have options, at least if you don't want two G1 looking Optimus Primes. 

Transformers Studio Series 86-04; Hot Rod: Pissing people off since 1986

 Hot Rod cannot catch a break, can he? Hot Rod's been a character bound to controversy since his inception, and though not all of his appearances have caused issues, the ones that do tend to get a lot of negative attention. To the community, he's seen as the poster boy for Hasbro's "out with the old, in with the new" mindset that caused a lot of beloved 1984-1985 characters to be killed off in the 1986 movie, with some (either jokingly or seriously) still claiming he was the one that killed Optimus Prime. Many a meme exists of his collaboration with Megatron to kill the beloved big rig. Jumping 35 years later, and Hot Rod's got a new controversy. Smaller characters, sold at higher price points padded out with accessories. Both he and his Matrix infused alter ego Rodimus Prime (Rodimus moreso than Hot Rod) have taken pages from Siege Astrotrain and Earthrise Cliffjumper and are filling out their price range with lots of accessories. Hot Rod's a Deluxe Class toy being sold as a Voyager, while Rodimus is a Voyager being sold as a Commander. The original plan was to review both of these figures together; QC issues and shipping delays have put Rodimus on the backburner for now. His time will come, but in the meantime, is Hot Rod worth the extra $15? 

Starting in car mode. While I think the car mode looks excellent, tolerance issues plague this toy, and the car mode suffers from it the most. For the sake of the transformation, the panel lines don't look clean and intentional, making some parts like the ends of the headlights stick out like they're being held on with gaffer tape. Some of the tabs themselves are also relatively easy to snap. I've snapped off a tab on one of the smokestacks on the copy I have, which makes the panel line gaps even more significant due to a missing locking point. For something taking so much strain, it's annoying that it wasn't given more support. If you manage to get everything into place properly or can look past the gaps, the car mode looks good. One issue that many might have, though, is that it's not movie accurate. A few minor shaping differences, and a different colour pallet, opting more for a toy accurate colour scheme. With a Fan First Friday coming soon, I wouldn't be surprised to hear if a movie-accurate colour scheme is on the way, similar to how Galvatron is getting a toy accurate colour scheme. While I think the paint scheme with this release is ok, I wish some things were handled better, like the flames on his hood, but overall, it's not bad. I love the look of the car mode; I think the sculpting differences between this and the movie work in the toy's favour, adding to the sense of speed it has. However that is entirely subjective, it might be more of a problem for you, or you may not have even noticed. 

Ahh, gotta love mistransformed product shots...

Hot Rod comes with a lot of accessories, with the overall package being a bit hit and miss for me. First, you get the guns from his original toy, which can peg into the car in either the engine or slots on the hood of the car (which also double as robot mode storage), but these have a habit of scraping off the silver paint. It's a shame because the guns are nicely sculpted. Another accessory you get is his buzzsaw from the underwater scene on the Quintesson planet, which can also tab into the guns for the sake of storage. Finally, for now, you get some effect parts for his arm blasters, which can tab into the smokestacks in car mode. I'll cover the last two accessories once we get to Robot mode, as they cannot store anywhere in car mode. The buzzsaw is a nice inclusion, though the sculpting is kept intentionally plain for the sake of making it look like it's constantly spinning. The effect parts for the arm blasters are an annoying compromise for me; they were done in blue as a part of gang moulding, which looks bad when you consider the Autobot energy blasts are a yellow/ orange colour. Hopefully, a movie-accurate repaint has the parts moulded in that colour instead of Matrix Blue (more on that later).

When you get into Robot mode, you get a good looking but also not very exciting Hot Rod. One big issue with 2021 toys of the 1986 movie cast is that thanks to them being divided between Studio Series and War for Cybertron, there's an awkward mix of standards for the aesthetics of characters. This becomes really noticeable when you get cases like Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime. Rodimus goes all-in on the WFC aesthetic, with lots of detailing in the plastic, whereas Hot Rod goes for more movie-accurate detailing, making him look very dull in comparison. That's not to say that this is a bad toy, far from it. The Deluxe size at the Voyager price range has meant that the transformation can be more complicated, and extra joints were included to add more playability to the figure. Unlike other Transformers, there aren't many visible hollow spaces on the figure; a common shortcut designers use to cut down on the budget. The three areas I can find, the back of the pelvis and the bottom of the feet, are minuscule and so far out of the way that it's not a problem. Unfortunately, tolerances are once again an issue because while the figure looks very limber, certain areas are uncomfortably stiff, a prime example of that being the shoulders. A mix of joint placement, sculpting oversight, and uncomfortably stiff joints has resulted in some figures breaking at the shoulders. I want to say something is similar to a fault the original Masterpiece Hot Rod/ Rodimus Prime had. It also makes some poses somewhat awkward to do, including the position that's one of the big selling points of the toy, the ability to do the "Light our Darkest Hour" scene from the movie. The final two accessories are to pull off this moment, a Matrix (the same one that comes with Earthrise Optimus Prime), and an effect part to go over it to make it look like it's opening (this effect part being why the laser effects were also blue). Hot Rod's hands even act like Earthrise Prime's do, in that they can open up to have the Matrix handle slide over the thumbs. The only problem with this is the small size of the Matrix combined with the joint positions in the shoulders; it is challenging to get Hot Rod in a place where holding it feels natural or closely resembles the movie. A large part of that also comes from how small the Matrix is, for the sake of storing in Earthrise Prime. Storage for the Matrix isn't an issue for Hot Rod because there's nowhere to keep it on him. While it is movie accurate, if it wasn't going to store on him anyway, it would have been nice to get a Matrix that was sized to allow figures to hold it properly, something almost every Matrix gives up for the sake of storage. While it is fantastic that Hot Rod has a fold-out visor, a flip-out welding torch and a flip-out plug for the buzzsaw, I would have prefered those got cut to get a better Matrix. I'm also disappointed that he didn't come with a fishing pole, 0/10.

While this is a very good, gimmick-free Hot Rod toy, some issues take the shine off. I want to love the car mode, but it feels like it's fighting to stay out of car mode. Robot mode looks good, but the sparse detailing makes it look rather basic compared to his older self in Kingdom. While I like most of the accessories, the big selling point of the Matrix opening loses its charm due to the issues with the shoulder joints and the size of the Matrix itself. For the sake of storage, the small size works, but not when the figure is holding it. I hope that the stiff joints and the connections needed to keep together in car mode are improved, either on the version currently in stores or a potential Generations Selects release. Though I have minor complaints with the accessories, the joints and locking points are the most significant issues I have with the toy. It'll be interesting to see if Rodimus improves on those issues; for now, he will be one of the following Autobot reviews once he comes in. In the meantime, the next review continues the Heralds of Unicron, with Kingdom Cyclonus.

Transformers War for Cybertron; Kingdom Leader Class Ultra Magnus: When expectations are still dissapointing.

When rumours began to circulate of a Kingdom Ultra Magnus, my expectations were low. Unlike what felt like most of the community at the time, I was expecting a retool of 2019's War for Cybertron: Siege version. But just because I wasn't expecting a brand new toy doesn't mean that I wasn't disappointed in what I saw. The press shots didn't look good, and the reviews were mediocre at best. I was expecting to skip this one and potentially pick up a repaint as Delta Magnus if Hasbro ever made one for Generations Selects. I was content with my Siege version, especially with the upgrade kit made by DNA Design which fixes his proportion issues. So... why did I get this one? Aside from it looking good alongside other 1986 movie characters, I was able to pick one up in a recent toy sale. A Leader Class toy for under $50 is a hard price to ignore when they usually go from anywhere between $80 and $100 here. So, once more Magnus, this time with feeling!

It should say at the very start of this review that I won't be rehashing flaws with the original release back in Siege. I've already reviewed the Siege version of this mould, and design issues like the short thighs, the robot mode junk inside the car carry bay, the inner robot's backpack were a problem then, and they're a problem now. I'll only bring up design flaws in detail that become more of an issue after all the retooling made to give it an earth car carrier look. Unfortunately, that's where we first start because one of those issues need to be brought up almost immediately. The arms sticking out the back of the truck cab looked terrible on the Siege version, but with how recessed into the trailer, you didn't notice them unless the truck cab was on its own. Because earth trucks require some distance for a potential turning circle (no, there isn't one here, it connects to the trailer the same way the Siege version does), the arms are now a more significant issue. They're almost completely exposed now, shattering the illusion of this being a "robot in disguise" completely. There's also no option to bring the cabin closer to the trailer, thanks to the retooling. Not only can you not get the trailer closer, but now there's a gap in the trailer's lower car bed (I don't know car carriers), creating even more issues with this vehicle's ability to be a functional car carrier. Is it all bad, though? Not exactly. The new truck cab (when ignoring the robot junk behind it) does look good, going for the traditional Ultra Magnus truck cab look of being a white Optimus. They've done some retooling to the front wheel section to cover it up some more, making the area look a bit more cohesive without sacrificing movement for the legs when it goes into the fully armoured mode. It would have been nice if more details on the truck cab were painted, such as painting the lights to help break up the solid white, but it still looks like a truck cab—shame though that the front of the truck is the only thing that looks convincing in this mode.

The core robot for Magnus is pretty much business as usual for the mould, with no changes done to the engineering. Paint applications are slightly different, the head crest for Kingdom Magnus is silver instead of cyan, and the metallic blue paint for the crotch plate is somewhat darker. The new truck cab makes him look both thinner and also fatter at the same time when compared to the Siege one. It's a lot flatter when compared to the Siege version, but the design of Siege's truck cab gave him a leaner, more robust looking torso, whereas Kingdom's looks like a box with arms and legs. You do lose some articulation thanks to the gap filler for the truck mode, as he can't move his thighs back any further than five degrees, compared to Siege being able to do a full split. Once in the fully armoured mode, it's a bit of a mixed bag for me now that I've got it in person. Pros: It's more G1 accurate (for those that demand that at all costs). I also like the brighter white used, and it makes the toy look a lot more vibrant and lively than it did before. The joints feel tighter (though that could be just my copy of the Siege version) and the connection points for the shoulder pads and leg plates feels better, stronger. The head sculpts better, and I love the more prominent eyes, along with the inclusion of light piping. 

Do they make this version objectively better, though? Not really, as when putting them side by side, it feels like the Kingdom version is missing something. There's more paint overall on the Siege version, partly thanks to the battle damage gimmick, but there was also more plastic included in the box as well, as the Siege version has two extra guns that are entirely missing from the Kingdom version. Were they great guns? No, but in terms of general volume, along with the playability they bring, it's hard to ignore their exclusion for no real replacement. One frustrating omission is the lack of Autobot logos, as both Car Carrier mode and Robot mode have places moulded in for them, but they're nowhere to be found, something that feels like a more significant issue than it probably is. I know there are high-quality stickers that can fix that, but I'm not reviewing Reprolabel sets, and Lego stickers already frustrate me when I don't apply them properly; I'm not going through that for my Transformers. Something that I'm surprised wasn't included, especially as it would have been a perfect addition to the toy to tie into the 35th anniversary of the 1986 movie; he doesn't have a Matrix Chamber. There's room for it inside the core robot, especially as they've been able to design tiny Matrix Chambers for both Earthrise Optimus Prime and Kingdom Rodimus Prime. It's a feature that I could have seen as a big selling point for the toy, something to help it stand out more when compared to the Siege version.

Kingdom Ultra Magnus isn't objectively better than Siege Ultra Magnus, but it's also not objectively worse either. The only selling point it has for long time collectors is that it's more Generation 1 accurate, but even that doesn't feel like something it does an excellent job at doing. I think it's a fine Ultra Magnus to get if you don't have the Siege version and want a version of the City Commander, but there's not much of a point in upgrading unless you hate the Siege aesthetic (in which case I question why you even bought Siege Magnus in the first place). The most disappointing thing about Kingdom Magnus, though, is that he feels 90% complete, like they could have done just a little bit more to make him genuinely warrant the "OMG THIS IS TOTALLY BETTER THEN THAT LAST ONE" reaction he's been getting from people. He's nothing more than a repaint, and though he was always going to be a repaint, there could have been more done to make him a fantastic and affordable G1 Ultra Magnus.

Transformers Earthrise Voyager Class Grapple and Kingdom Voyager Class Inferno: When is a good toy mediocre?

Another two for one this week. In another case of "I was waiting until at least the obvious repaint was coming", something that likely took longer due to the virus last year. Well, over a year since we first got the mould, it's time to look at Earthrise Grapple and Kingdom Inferno!

 

I'll start by going over the elephant in the room when it comes to the first release of the mould. People's common quality control issue was the pegs that connected Grapple's backpack to his feet in Crane Truck mode. This problem was something addressed in Inferno, where they made the pegs shorter. Still, the fix many people used, myself included, was to shave a bit of plastic off of the pegs before trying to turn Grapple into his vehicle mode to cut down on the friction connecting the pieces. If you're wondering which version of Grapple you have (assuming they've done a silent reissue that fixes the problem), gently try to push one of the pegs into the ports on the feet. If it feels like you're putting too much force into it, take it out before you go further, take a knife, and shave some plastic off of the sides of the pegs before trying again.

Starting in the vehicle modes, and right off the bat, we have their worst modes. On their own, they look fine, with a lot of lovely detailing. Though the ladder and crane arms could be longer on both figures, the biggest issue both have is the size. These two are meant to scale well with other figures in Robot mode, but due to the nature of their vehicle modes, to achieve that task, the vehicles look tiny compared to any other Generations vehicle. Scale isn't usually an issue for me; as long as vehicles and robots look good when together, I'm willing to look past the size issues. When there are some alternate modes like motorbikes, animals, dinosaurs, realistic firearms, and other similarly troublesome modes, it's hard for me to get worked up about things not scaling right. However, these two bother me. They never look good in vehicle mode when next to anyone other than each other. They're just too small!

I get why they needed to be small, and the ends justify the means when we get to robot mode. It's just an unfortunate side effect of the alternate modes. The retooling done to separate the two is minor, though effective. With Grapple getting a crane arm with an optional claw end, Inferno has something that loosely resembles a fire ladder, a nozzle on the end of it, and some fire hoses that peg onto what will be his robot mode shins. Grapple's claw has the best use of gimmick compatibility, with a clip in the middle of it that can connect to the road pieces used for your Micromaster bases. With it connecting via a 5mm port, you can plug anything onto the end of the crane so long as it has a 5mm plug. It's little things like that which add a lot of enjoyment to a figure, and it's a shame that they didn't find a way to replicate it for Inferno's fire ladder. 

 

As I said, the reason for the small trucks is for better-proportioned robot modes. While the transformation isn't anything exciting (as is typical for Inferno/Grapple toys, everything tucks in behind the chest as you turn robots into logs with wheels), the robot modes do look great when you get to them. These are some of the best-proportioned Transformers I own, and because of that, people have been able to do a lot of exciting and hilarious things with them. However, for some reason, I don't get much enjoyment when messing around with them. They just come off as rather dull to me, though I'm not quite sure why because there's nothing objectively wrong about their robot modes. That's something I noticed a lot in Earthrise. While there were several toys in it that were objectively good for what they were doing, something didn't quite click with me about them. They don't feel like they had a presence to them other than being good representations of the characters like there's no life in them. I know that probably sounds weird to people that don't collect toys. It probably sounds strange to people who do. But to compare it to the last review a few weeks ago of Cobra Commander, that figure has no face and is only expressive through hands, yet it feels more lively than these two. Even their wave mates, Earthrise Starscream and Kingdom Megatron (for Grapple and Inferno, respectively), feel more alive than these two do, and one of them is a glorified upscale of a toy from 2006!

Tiny truck mode aside, these two are good toys objectively. They're just underwhelming for me. Maybe it's my lack of general interest in the characters. Perhaps it's the fact that they always transform the same way. Whatever the reason is, they just come off as a bit lacklustre to me. Both are readily available in stores if you're after them, Grapple more so than Inferno, thanks to how much leftover stock of Grapple there is lying around! If you get more out of them, then great! Feel free to tell me what I'm missing because even I'm not sure what exactly my issue is with these two.

Transformers War for Cybertron; Earthrise Deluxe Class Smokescreen and Bluestreak: The problems with Earthrise Part 2

As critical of Earthrise as I have been lately, as evident by the Top X List I did a while ago for 2020 figures, I overall enjoyed the Earthrise line, there were a lot of good figures in it. However, one thing I did find frustrating about it was the character reuse. A noticeable (though minor when compared to the rest of the figures released) chunk of the characters that made up the Earthrise toyline was also made available in Siege, just redone in a way that gave them "earth modes". While for these two, I appreciate an alternative way to get them as their Siege releases are a pain to get here (well, mainly Bluestreak), it does feel a little patronizing for those who did like the Siege versions. Granted, a part of that comes from people calling for the rest of the Siege toyline to get the same treatment. This doesn't look to end anytime soon, as Ultra Magnus in Kingdom will continue the trend. Leaks are suggesting Sideswipe and Mirage will eventually also get that treatment (aren't you excited to get at least six figures you bought recently all over again?!). All that being said though, how do these two compare to the Siege Space Datsons?

Optical Illusion. Those two words are the first two that come to mind when I see them in car mode. On their own, they look smaller than the Siege versions in car mode, but when sticking them side by side, they're the same size. The Siege one is a bit wider and a bit longer, but the Earthrise version is taller. The minor differences though don't feel large enough to justify why I keep thinking they're noticeably smaller. Those who don't want to buy two exclusive two packs, the Siege Prowl and Barricade do go well with these two Earthrise cars; it's how I'm personally going to represent them as it helps keep all four of them looking and feeling unique. The car modes themselves look fine; however, Smokescreen looks noticeably better due to one main reason. Quality Control for Earthrise was not great, likely due to the pandemic (or at least I hope it's due to the pandemic). My Bluestreak is the worst example I've had of QC issues in Earthrise, at least the kind that's not easy to fix. I haven't had mine break yet (thankfully), but it is noticeably harder to get everything pegged into place in Car mode, along with keeping everything pegged into place.

 

Meanwhile, it's more frustrating for the robot mode to peg the arms into place, almost as if the red part of the torso came out of the machine wrong, but not in a noticeable way. It's an understandable thing to get wrong, even as I look at it now, I can't spot somewhere that clearly shows the problem, but being understandable doesn't absolve it of not being frustrating. From what I've seen, it could be a lot worse. Though the two mould share engineering, there aren't any pieces that look reused. While it helps make them more distinct, some like the wheels that I wish they did reuse, because these wheels don't look great. I also appreciate that both come with three weapons each, two shoulder blasters, and a standard gun (a vast improvement over the general retail Siege versions, where the lightbar was the reason none of them got three guns). Deco on both look great, I especially love Bluestreak's paint job, and the fact that both got actual headlights further highlights the improvements made to this when compared to the Siege versions. Aesthetically though, I still prefer the Siege version, just because I think the space car looks better, especially when the paint on Barricade helps make the mould shine.

 
Robot mode is where things get a little more sporadic in terms of which one is genuinely better. Bluestreak's quality control aside, there are merits to both moulds in terms of engineering. I love how the torso was handled in the Earthrise one, as it allows the arms to better lock into place. The new one is also slightly taller, with better proportions and a more compressed backpack. On the flip side, though, the Siege version proportions have a nice charm to them. I prefer the bulkier arms, and the silver paint on the legs helps hide how hollow they are. The Earthrise cars have a panel to try and hide this on the inside of their legs, but I think it attracts more attention due to how little of its hollowness covers up. Thanks to Bluestreak's QC issues, even though both moulds have hinges on clear plastic, the Siege version feels more durable. It feels like there's enough give in the plastic for the transformation to feel fun without forcing it to go from mode to mode (an issue I find annoying in the Earthrise versions legs). A minor complaint I have is the heel support for the Earthrise version. For Siege, the heal feels like a proper part of the foot, while on the Earthrise version, it feels like an afterthought. 

There's no one right answer when it comes to which one is better. Both moulds have their strengths and their weaknesses. I wanted to make this comparison because it felt like the push to being "more G1 accurate" made people ignore the Siege version's strengths. I'm keeping Prowl and Barricade as the Siege versions, and Smokescreen and Bluestreak as the Earthrise versions (though Bluestreaks may depend on how bad that QC issue gets). Would it be nice to have four that match? Yeah, but regardless of which way I go, I'm going to have a hard time. Siege Bluestreak and Smokescreen are quite expensive now, and I don't need Earthrise Ironhide as I'm not too fond of the retooling they did from his Siege mould. I also don't need a Punch/ Counterpunch in Nightbeat colours, Earth Mode Barricade's pack-in mate. I don't envy the people who own all four in both versions, but it is a frustrating thing to deal with. I'll settle for having a version of each character, even if they don't match. I wish I had that same level of control for the Seekers (which will come later).

Top 10 Transformers figures of 2020

 *insert obligatory "2020 was a awful year" joke here

 

Now that 2020 is over, I thought it might be fun to look back on what has been, because while reviews haven't really happened this year, my collection did keep growing. Delayed? Yes, but here's hoping that this can kick off consistent reviews again, here are the top 10 best figures I got in 2020... which all came out IN 2020, as I didn't really get anything older last year...

10. Netflix Nemesis Prime

 

This feels like a steal in terms of value in the box, considering all the accessories you get in it, along with a black repaint of Siege Optimus Prime. The weapons once exclusive to the Power of the Primes Nemesis Prime along with Earthrise Optimus Prime's trailer, some Energon cubes and even a Battle Master that I'll get into later in the list for $120 AUD and the stink of unnecessary Play-Doh? Nemesis Prime is a character that gets my attention at the moment mostly because I like black repaints of Optimus Prime, there's just a intimidation factor to it that I don't think other designs for Evil Optimus Primes capture. My one complaint though with this figure comes from the reuse of Power of the Primes accessories. Though the Nemesis Prime Takara put out (which I almost got this year, but cancelled when the Pandemic struck in order to help cover the cost of the Seacons) has the better looking sword, the Power of the Primes swords aren't the issue for me, it's the arm cannons. They're too big, and barely fit into the trailer, certainly can't fit onto the weapon ports inside the trailer. If vehicle mode storage was more reliable then "try and squeeze all these bits of plastic in the box", this would have been put even higher on my list. 

9. Generations Selects Lobclaw

 

Representing both sets of Seacons, the one member missing from God Neptune. If you're sick of Combiner Wars styled combiners, then you're not going to like the Seacons, but that being said, it's nice to get a Combiner Wars team that feels complete in terms of gear. Lobclaw/ Nautilator is the stand out of the team, even if the Lobster legs don't want to stay in place in beast mode, mainly due to the use of Blot's mould for the foundation. It's a shame he never got a white repaint in God Neptune, as it was way better Overbite. Granted the name Sea Phantom is kinda badass.

8. Studio Series Scrapper

 

From one combiner crew to another, Studio Series Scrapper is probably the one member of Devastator that I can recommend on his own, because he isn't compromised that much in order to do the combined mode. Granted, he still suffers from the overly designed issues that plague the live action movie characters and his proportions are a too leg focused, but the excavator mode looks great. I do wish his wrecking ball hand was a normal hand with the wrecking ball whip as a accessory, as it looks more like a odd looking claw in robot mode rather then a weapon.

7. Earthrise Slitherfang

 

How did this become a thing? Not that I'm complaining, I think this is amazing, but just imagining the pitch for this guy. "Ok, so the new Battle Masters are going to be roads and shields, right? What if one of them turned into a snake?". I don't have much to say about this one because the Battle Masters are so basic, but the idea of a chunk of road turning into a giant snake is kind of amazing. This Battlemaster got repainted into Fangtron for the previously mentioned Netflix Nemesis Prime, which honestly further drives home the idea that the person who designed this works in the GI Joe team and snuck the design in. Question though, why aren't there official Transformers that turn into GI Joe vehicles? Hasbro, you're underestimating the interest this crossover would have. Make the vehicles generic Autobots and Decepticons and you have Army building the toyline.

6. Generations Selects Black Rorichi

 

The Decepticons pulled off the Weaponizer gimmick a lot better then the Autobots did. Though I have enjoyed the Modulators that have released this year, to the point that next year I'll be able to make my own take on the Micromaster Rocket Base, even with a Countdown I bought off a Omega Supreme owner who didn't want it, there's something sattisfying about a robot that turns into giant guns for another robot. Originally I was going to skip this guy, as I picked up Fasttrack and was enjoying him, plus considering as I don't own a Earthrise Skorponok, the chances of me owning a modern to of Black Zarak are insanely low. But this and Doublecrosser qualified for free shipping, and Rorichi is tons better then Fasttrack. So much so that I've considered getting a few more Fasttracks to army build Rorichi's drones from Super-God Masterforce. I just hope that this one is more durable then his original toy was.

5. Earthrise Sky Lynx

 

Like many, I thought the last we'd see of Sky Lynx was Combiner Wars. He is the biggest outlier in the G1 roster when it comes to a "Where did this come from?", both in concept and the toy itself looking nothing like any other figure in the G1 toyline. It seemed unlikely that they'd make a modern version that could pull off all the modes, that he'd be stuck as a new Combiner torso due to the sheer size of him. Well, it turns out he can survive in the modern day as (almost, there's no motor walking gimmick) his original self. In fact, he can thrive! It just makes me smile whenever I look at it, because it is such a stupid idea done so beautifully. He's a pain in the ass to store, don't get me wrong, but considering as this may never happen again, I'm willing to give it to him. Fitting that his space shuttle is called the Magnificence.

4. Earthrise Ramjet

 

This team was way harder to complete then it needed to be. I've probably spent way too much on trying to complete a Seeker Squad this year, something that many would say I still haven't because I haven't got Red Wing and the Rainmakers from Siege (maybe someday? but G1 accurate... not always a good thing!). Though Thrust didn't make the deadline (not that he would have made it anyway if I'm being honest), the best of the 5 that I did get this year would have to be Ramjet, if for nothing else then the fact that I can fold his wings forward, meaning he doesn't take up as much room when in Robot mode. They're all solid, and great if you don't have the Classics Seekers, just... be ready for the continued barrage of repaints.

3. Studio Series Jazz: 

 

Time to flex a little for anyone overseas who reads this (at least it would have been if I got this out at the start of the month like I intended). Australia seems to have gotten Studio Series 1986 first, and after picking up all three Deluxes, and the two Voyagers of the sub-series, all I can say is that if this is a indicator of where they're going with SS86, I'm excited! Paint and plastic matching isn't great on it, though it's not a deal-breaker for me as the plastic matching is only noticeable in Daylight, and the paint matching is hidden away in robot mode. Definitely worth getting this one, especially if you're a fan of Jazz.

2. Alternate Universe Optimus Prime

 I couldn't find any good pics of it as a corpse, so here it is as a Zombie!

 Or to give it the toys real name, Dead Prime. Though I still really enjoy the Siege version of Optimus Prime, it's hard to deny that the Earthrise one is a step up in terms of engineering. They're both as good as each other, but when comparing the versions of the Earthrise one that are out there, Dead Prime is the one I find the more interesting of the two I personally own (the two Leader versions, sorry Shattered Glass fans... for now...). It's rare to get novelty repaints of Optimus that aren't Nemesis Prime in general retail, and I think the first time Dead Prime has gotten a general retail toy. With the influx of 86 movie characters coming soon, it's a great figure to include with them.

Before getting to Number 1, some honorable mentions:

• Earthrise Doubledealer: It's the thighs that kill this figure for me. I can live with the hollow legs, that was done for Transformation, though I wish there was something trying to cover it. The thighs though that are a problem, he's too short! It's a shame because he's so close to becoming a great modernization of Doubledealer. It's nice though that his Powermasters got a release in Generations Selects, credit where it's due at least.
  
  
  
  
  
• Earthrise Runabout and Runamuck: I have a soft spot for Z list nobodies. The Battlechargers were not good toys from what I can tell. Better then the Jumpstarters, but that's not saying much. Their Earthrise figures do look good though, not great, I think Runamuck should have had Orange somewhere in the colours to help break up the white plastic and white paint, but that's a minor complaint. I love the fact though that they can pull of the G1 toy accurate robot modes though, very nice touch.
  
  
  
  
  
• Generations Selects Rotorstorm: Why has it taken this long to get a new Rotorstorm? The original toy is one of the coolest looking Helicopter Transformers I've seen, the fact that it took a repaint of Siege Spinister to get a new Rotorstorm is absurd! Still, love the Spinister mold, and once I found some 3D printed blasters that replicated his Turbomaster canons, he just got better. This doesn't excuse the fact that this is a repaint, maybe someday the Turbomasters can get new toys. Maybe Hasbro are waiting for all the Thunderclashes to be destroyed by Gold Plastic Syndrome...
  
  
  
  
  
• Studio Series Kup: Though I wish the front of the car that made up his chest poked out a bit more in robot mode, I don't have many complaints about this guy. Head looks great in person, I love the accessories he comes with, I just wish a Battlemaster Flintlock existed so I could give him his Targetmaster.
  
  
  
  
  
• Masterpiece Hound: So... funny story behind this one, I won it as a raffle prize drawn New Years Eve on a Facebook group I'm a part of... Though I didn't get a choice in prizes as my number was the last one called in the Skippie, so I got last dibs on prizes, some how I've ended up with one of a few MP Hounds that is still in one piece. How that happened is beyond me, though a part of me still wishes I got that Blackarachnia... oh well, at least Kingdom will give me some exposure to the Beasts outside of Transmetal Primal.
  
  
  
  
  
• Earthrise Quintesson Judge: All I can really say about them is "how did this get green-lit to go into production?"
  

 And for the best figures I got in 2020...

1. Studio Series Scourge and Hot Rod: 

 

I couldn't decide which was better, both are amazing interpretations of the characters for two different reasons. I love the engineering that went into Hot Rod, along with how effortless he is to pose. Being perfectly honest, he's the main reason I hope those rumors of a Commander Class Rodimus are fake, I just don't think we need a Rodimus that's that big (or more accurately, I don't know if he needs a giant trailer that fits the Leader class sized bot part, can't it be a Leader that turns into the car and trailer like what DX9 did?). Tangent aside, those Scourge is the lesser of the two in terms of complexity, he always has a strong presence to him, so much so that I'm actively considering getting more of him to make a Sweeps squad of that mould, even though I still have a Titans Return Scourge, and 5 of the Generations Bomber (thank you to whoever it was on Facebook selling all of those bombers in a cheap lot). It makes me really excited to get Kingdom Cyclonus, and see what Galvatron will eventually look like. 2021 looks to be a exciting year for Transformers.

 I plan to catch up on proper 2020 reviews, mixing them in with reviews of the 2021 figures, hopefully this year won't be as barron content wise as the last. Coming up though as the next review? A look at a mould that many consider one of the worst of Earthrise... Surf's up?