Best Toy Prchases of 2022

My apologies for the significant drop-off of content this year. With restrictions eased now that people stupidly believe the pandemic is over, things have naturally changed for me this year. For one thing, I got a new, better Audio Visual job than the one I was doing before the pandemic and the ones I was doing in the little spaces between lockdowns. In addition, my workload has picked up so much that I'm finally chipping away at my student loan debt from University at long last, and renting a house seems possible. That may seem like a low bar, but when your life was on hold for two years, it felt like a more significant accomplishment than you'd think it would. Sadly, the trade-off is less time to work on these sights. I work on these sites for fun; I don't make a profit on them, meaning that I need to prioritize what does make money.

Anyway, I wanted to do something different this year. Instead of ranking toys in separate lists, I wanted to do a single post cataloguing some of my favourite toys of the year in no particular order. Are these toys all objectively the best? No, but they're enjoyable for different reasons. I've sorted them into categories for you; feel free to skip through to what you're interested in. With that out of the way: 

 

Top 10 Best Transformers of 2021

2021 has come to a close, and it's time to begin looking back at the year that was. Throughout January, I'll be looking over the figures I've bought this year, seeing who's the best of the best and the worst of the worst. Both Transformers and G.I. Joe will have two posts each, today being the Best of Transformers. Between the Bots and the Joes, there's going to be a smaller miscellaneous list, covering some of the other 6-inch figures I obtained in 2021, to give them a send-off as well. However, a golden rule for all of them is that these are all figures I own. As a result, Unicron is automatically disqualified, as I don't own a copy of that toy. With that said, come with me on this trip down memory lane. Here are the Top 10 Best Transformers I got in 2021 (most of which came out in 2021).

 

10. Shattered Glass Jetfire.

 

I'm starting the list with some returning moulds that I enjoyed back then and still enjoy now. Many of my issues with Siege Jetfire still hold true with the Shattered Glass repaint; he still feels very light for a bot of this size (especially when compared to Sky Lynx). Some things also feel a bit too clunky (such as the Titan Master support), but the positives still outweigh the negatives, and the colour change on the Shattered Glass repaint makes a solid mould even better.

9. Generations Selects Galactic Man Shockwave. 

 

 

"He also looks great in black, at least based on pictures I've seen.". A quote from my 2019 Top 10 Transformers list and... Well, yeah, he does! Functionally this toy is just a repaint of the Siege Shockwave mould using the colours of the original, pre-Transformers toy in Japan. I was shocked by the little extras included in this toy, including painting some of the moulding detail to look like wires for a nonexistent light up gimmick (again to homage the original toy). I'm glad that the controversy about all the extra pieces has died down, probably because we live in a world where a Deluxe can be sold as a Voyager, Voyagers can be sold as Deluxes, Voyagers can be sold as Leaders, and a Voyager can be sold as a Commander if given enough accessories. Is Galactic Man a must buy? No, it's only for those who like the niche repaints.

8. WFC Kingdom Megatron (Beast Mode). 

 

"He's just a degimmicked re-release of the original!" Is that a bad thing? Though I haven't gotten the Beast Wars reissue of Megatron yet, it's something I've been on the fence on since learning about how similar the toys are because the Kingdom one is really good. Many of the Kingdom Beasts (and don't worry, there's more of them later on in this list) blend cartoon accuracy with realism, something that I think the brand has been missing up until recently. Sure, if they did a version of this toy in more cartoon accurate colours, I'd buy it because the cartoon colours are beautiful. Even without that, though, this is what I wanted in a modern take on Beast Wars Megatron. The dino skin is excellent; the gimmick integration is fun, the modern articulation makes him so much more dynamic in both beast and bot mode. This is the boss of the Predacons redone two decades later; what more is there to say?

7. Generations Selects Transmutate.

 

 

Representing the Fossizers and "partsforming made fun" for 2021, how could it not be Transmutate? The moulding and the gimmick work so well as a fresh take on the half a bot we all know, love and who haunts our nightmares thanks to the ugly 90's CGI and that godforsaken scream. While she's fine in official configurations, the nature of being a Fossilizer has meant that people have gone to town with configurations for her, bringing her closer to the original body horror-based design. Still don't like her as a standalone, independent fembot that don't need no Maximal's help? Well, rip her apart and turn her into a golden axe for Primal. Everybody wins! Just, please don't make her scream. I'm not kidding about that "haunts our nightmares" part.

6. Studio Series 86 Grimlock and Slug.

 

Wheelie and Daniel not included. I couldn't decide between the two of them which one I enjoyed more, which is why both of them made the list. Both begin to tease us with what we've been missing in our lives, a complete set of Leader Class Dinobots that tower over the cars and trucks of the Autobots. However, neither wholly outshines the other in my eyes. Grimlock's very imposing, but I'm not a fan of the transformation as it's a very safe transformation for Grimlock. On the other hand, Slug is more complex and exciting but not as burly in some areas, and the backpack looks far more cluttered when compared to Grimlocks (thanks to the new transformation. Together, both are great, I can't wait to get the other three, and Sludge had better have the Googly eyes as an accessory, dammit!

5. Netflix Optimus Primal

 

As tempting as it is to include all three versions of the mould here, I prefer the Netflix release just a bit more out of the three. The paint applications are more in line with the cartoon while still keeping the Kingdom detail, and some of the annoyingly tight elements of the original release are smoothed out here, making him effortless to move around and pose. The differences between this version and the regular Kingdom version are minor, though, so if you can't find one, the regular Kingdom release is still a great option. As for the Nemesis Primal repaint included in Buzzworthy Bumblebee, my only complaint is the black fur. After seeing all the customizers repainting the black gorilla fur white, it just looks so much nicer.

4. Golden Disc Collection Mutant Tigartron.

 

 A more recent inclusion that I only got a few days ago at the time of writing. I include it, though, because of the history of Tigartron and Cheetor. If you have Kingdom Cheetor, Netflix Cheetor or Kingdom Shadow Panther, you'll know how this mould's going to mostly work, as the original Cheetor mould was used for Tigertron back in the '90s. With the upscale to Voyager class, Tigartron gets to have more of the bells and whistles that the little cat didn't get. Extra joints, extra accessories, a few minor tweaks in the transformation, pretty much everything I wish was done for the Deluxe Class release is done here. I love the fact that this is a nod to the original plan for Tigartron, and I can't wait to get the regular release of him next year. Hopefully, I'll go into more detail early in 2022, but that will have to wait until I get the regular release. 

3. WFC Kingdom Rodimus Prime.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if this is Number 1 for many people. Rodimus is a great toy with a lot of playability and display options. I love how effortless he is to move, a perfect refinement of Studio Series Hot Rod from earlier this year (even though I got mine last year). The only issue with him is that he's a little overpriced at RRP, something that sales, especially holiday ones, easily fixed. So why isn't he Number 1 for me? Two do beat him. This year was just an excellent year for Transformers.

2. WFC Kingdom Cyclonus.

 

 

Refined Perfection. This is what the Earthrise Seekers wish they could be. An updated take on the 2008 toy is the Cyclonus toy people have wanted for years. Cartoon accurate without being bound to the aesthetic (looking at you modern Masterpieces), Voyager Class scale, with all the articulation and modern engineering tricks made standard in the 13 years since the original's release. If Starscream and his merry band of repaints got this kind of treatment last year, they would have made the Top 3 easily. Easily the best of the G1 stuff in Kingdom.

Before Number 1, a few honourable mentions. 

• Kingdom Vertibreak
• Kingdom Dinobot
• Pulsecon Covert Agent Ravage
• Generations Selects Sandstorm and Ramjet
• Studio Series Dino
• Buzzworthy Bumblebee Origin Bumblebee

And the best of the best is...

 

1. WFC Kingdom Airazor.

 

 

Beyond the perfect articulation, the beautifully sculpted feathers, and the delightful transformation, the reason Airazor gets Number 1 is because this is a long time coming. While a good chunk of the Beast Wars characters have had toys since the late '90s, some like Scorponok, Terrorsaur, and Airazor haven't. Until this year, the only other option for a Beast Wars Airazor on your shelf WAS her 1997 toy. This didn't need to be this good, and cases like Scorponok show that we still need to wait for a perfect version of some beasts. Kingdom Airazor is a perfect figure for the character, though. Not only that, she's the best female transformer toy to date as she doesn't get bogged down with alt mode junk on her back, putting recent releases of Arcee, Chromia and Elita-1 to shame. She's more dynamic than many other Aerialbots (not just the combiner team); what few faults she has are easily drowned out by the positives. Not only is Kingdom Airrazor the best figure of 2021, but I'd also go so far as to say it's one of the best Transformers figures I've ever owned, right up there with the likes of Cybertron Optimus Prime and Energon Tidal Wave. Without a doubt, Kingdom Airazor is a must-have figure.

And with that, that wraps up the best of the best. Let me know what you think if you agree or disagree, and I'll see you next week for the worst of the worst.

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 Studio Series 86-05; Scourge: Bewear the evil space boat!

 Decepticon reviews might become a little dry soon. I'm currently working on a project that will review a lot of them in a marathon of content. I've got one more planned before that point, maybe two depending on how long it takes to obtain it, all keeping to the theme of the Heralds of Unicron (Unicron review not included because I don't own one). So let's start things off with a review of the first herald to arrive on shelves recently: Scourge, the tracker.

 

Starting in the alternate mode and... I wasn't kidding about this being a space boat. Many of the designs made for the 1986 movie leaned very hard into the futuristic aesthetic, tossing away grounded earth vehicles for stuff that looked sci-fi enough to still be cool, but lent themselves to stupid community names. No one knows what Rodimus Prime's alternate mode is supposed to be, and everyone calls it a Space Winnebago as a result. Does Scourge's alternate mode resemble anything? No. Does it look like it could genuinely fly? No. On its own, it's nothing spectacular, but when considering ship designs like the Ark and other Autobot shuttles, it's got a decent "Transformers ish" design to the alt mode. This design isn't something that fits into the "robots in disguise" mentality, and it's very much a "fast travel" mode for Scourge. For the actual toy, though, the design is alright, though there is some undercarriage due to a bit of robot mode junk. However, I don't find it distracting, compared to something like the Combiner Wars Silverbolt mould, due to it being so far removed from anything that resembles a traditional airship. It's only an issue at the very front of the boat, thanks to a gap for the sake of robot mode. Everything else blends in well enough to at least look cohesive from a distance. While it is amusing that you can recreate the "head poking out of the alt mode" scene from the cartoon, this is without a doubt Scourge's worst mode. 

 

Another significant fault of Scourge is the transformation. He is a shell former: a transformer whose alternate mode is a shell around the robot mode, with very few (if any) parts being used between modes. Almost all of Scourge's alternate mode ends up on his back, but in this particular case, that's not a bad thing. Unlike other transformers (such as the aforementioned Combiner Wars Silverbolt mould), the alternate mode parts that would otherwise be junk hanging off his back gives Scourge a strong presence on a shelf. It makes him look a lot more intimidating, and with the parts moulded in a way to make it look as close as possible to the design in the movie, it makes him look a lot more alive in the process. The shell former nature works to the figure's advantage in this case. If you remember, I put Scourge as one of the best figures I bought last year, and that's purely because of the robot mode, the presence he has thanks to the sculpting, how effortless he is to pose in intimidating positions. If it weren't for the rumours of there being a dedicated Sweep release of this mould, I would have bought even more of him to have a complete set of Sweeps in this mould (but the thought of buying at least two more of Scourge is still there). While there are some joints I wish he had, like double joints for the elbows and knees, the minor flaws I have with the robot mode can't bring down how good of a robot mode it is to me. I also love the fact that he comes with a blast effect for his rifle. I hope that trend continues in 2022 because the effect parts are great ways to add more playability and display presence to figures. It's also something I hope carries on into other Hasbro toylines, but that's a story for another day and a story that will require some... external support.

 

The alternate mode isn't great as a toy (though it looks great as a representation of Scourge's alternate mode). The transformation is laughable for a $50 toy. But the robot mode steals the show. I love the sculpting on the robot mode, and I love the proportions of the robot. I love that they painted his pink nails and beard (neither of which I was expecting). He's just a great representation of the character for the price. Perfect? No. Unlike figures like Hot Rod, he's not up to the same quality standard in terms of an overall package. If you're looking for a "mini-masterpiece" version of Scourge, this is not it. He doesn't do everything right, but the one thing he does right, he does so almost flawlessly. I've got another Lego set coming up this Wednesday, and next Sunday will be another 6-inch G.I Joe figure in the form of Roadblock.

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?