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: 

 

Transformers Collaborative: G.I. Joe Mash-Up, Megatron H.I.S.S. Tank and Baroness: A toy almost 40 years in the making.

Don't call it a comeback...
 
With every toy release, certain things will always be prioritized over others. Some are hard limits, such as budget and complexity requirements; others are goals to strive for over others. Transformers Legacy aims to bring beloved characters from all across the 38-year history of the Transformers brand together into a unified theme. On the other hand, Transformers Studio Series tries to balance accurate robot modes with the accuracy of licensed vehicles from the six (as of the time of writing) live-action Transformers movies. G.I. Joe Classified's primary goal is to modernize the 3.75-inch 80's G.I. Joe toys while sprinkling in more modernized characters and versions of the Real American Hero icons. With every priority, something is sacrificed. Some characters in Legacy either feel too faithful to the originals or not faithful enough, thanks to the attempts at a unified theme. The need for accurate vehicle modes in Studio Series has led to large chunks of (primarily) car mode panels hanging off the robots' backs due to the complexity of the movie designs. Some designs in the Classified line feel too rooted in the 80's aesthetic, making things feel more like a hodgepodge of goals when you start looking at the line as a whole. The point of all of this? Well, it would be an understatement to say that this toy has to do a lot. 

G.I. Joe and Transformers are no strangers to each other. Many eras of comics intertwine the two brands together; references to G.I. Joe have been found in Transformers multiple times, from Marissa Fairborn in the Generation 1 cartoon being written as the daughter of Flint and Lady Jaye, Old Snake being an alias of Cobra Commander, and even in Transformers Prime where the military planes Agent Fowler uses in the attack on the Decepticon's base on earth being called Skystrikers. When it came to toys, though, while there were a few over the years, including Energon Snowcat, Combiner Wars Viper, numerous G.I. Joe and Cobra vehicles repainted as Transformers characters, and a subscription service figure of Serpent O.R to name a small handful of them, none of it hit the need that a lot of fans of both brands were after. Iconic Transformers characters transforming into G.I. Joe and Cobra vehicles that could interact with the 3.75-inch RAH figures. Right before this toy was revealed, I posted an opinion piece on the possibility of getting transforming Joe and Cobra vehicles in the modern Transformers scale, something that would have sacrificed the 3.75-inch compatability for cost and size, as it seemed like getting it all was going to be an impossible feet, something that this toy (depending on who you ask) confirms or debunks that belief. Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, transforming into the iconic Cobra H.I.S.S Tank and including... a Retro O-Ring Baroness with it... okay, maybe not the perfect combo, but it does leave the door open for Cobra Commander coming with a possible Starscream. Is it everything fans have wanted? Well, if you got the hint from the very first paragraph, not quite. 

I'll start small and work my way up, which means we're starting with the O-Ring Baroness. "What is it?" "What does O-Ring mean?" effectively, it's a re-release of the 1984 Baroness figure. The only potential difference is that the O-Ring (a name given to a rubber ring inside most of, if not every 3.75-inch G.I. Joe toy from the '80s that held the torso together while giving the figures a waist swivel and ab crunch) is made of a different, apparently more robust rubber. Seeing this next to the H.I.S.S Tank driver that came with the Retro H.I.S.S III, I can see the differences between the two engineering styles. Baroness is noticeably smaller and a bit more restricted in certain areas of articulation, though the only thing I wish she had was a wrist swivel to help make the laser gun she comes with look more natural in her hands. She also helps to highlight the moulding changes they make in the H.I.S.S III to accommodate the taller driver, with things like the foot pegs on the back being a different, smaller size.

 
The sculpting work on her is nice, though there are certain elements where I can see what they were going for, but it doesn't quite work. The sculpting on her boots makes it look like she's wearing baggy pants hidden under black armour, while her glasses look more like large painted circles rather than eyewear. The way the rest of Baroness's face is sculpted as well reminds me of Daria from Bevis and Butt-head. She looks bored rather than threatening. The giant laser rifle looks okay, just awkward in her hand thanks to the way the hands were moulded, and you can't get her to look like she's shooting at someone. The backpack is a nice inclusion, though all it does is act like a decorative screw hole cover, with the only noteworthy thing about it being the sculpted Cobra logo on it. I don't think she's inherently wrong, but I will admit my experience with her figures in the Classified line ahead of time is causing me to be more critical of her. Sometimes it is difficult to objectively judge an older product when you've had more experience with later versions (why do you think I'll never review an original G1 Transformer?). Suppose you're a Joe fan, especially a vintage/ retro collector. In that case, you'll appreciate getting this more than any Transformer fan picking the set up as to them, she comes off more as an accessory, especially with all the ways that the 3.75-inch figures can interact with Megatron. 

 
While usually, I would go from vehicle mode to robot mode when discussing Transformers, I want to save the vehicle mode for last as the vehicle mode is one of the biggest priorities for this figure, even more than the robot mode. You will be disappointed if you're a Transformers fan who wants a Megatron. While this Megatron has an impressive size and mass to him, it doesn't feel like a cohesive blend of Decepticon and Cobra due to the reliance on the Generation 1 look. The black HISS Tank pieces hang off of the mainly grey Megatron, resulting in a very cumbersome-looking robot mode, almost on a level like many Beast Wars figures, especially Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo toys. The plastic choice and lack of weight for what is effectively a Commander Class figure also give the toy a little knock-off feel too it, though I think some who have reviewed this toy already have exaggerated this element of the toy. The toy is, unfortunately, very hollow, with almost none of the H.I.S.S Tank mass trying to hide this fact. Though it might be Commander Class in price, it doesn't feel like Commander Class in hand, likely due to the fact that this wasn't given a Commander Class budget in development due to the need to include The Baroness. This toy feels like a Leader Class toy blown up to Commander Class size, so I recommend getting it at a price closer to that Leader Class price if you can. I got the toy for just under $100, which helps make the figure feel better than it would have at $120.

 
In terms of functionality, there are some interesting elements of play that can be found here. The H.I.S.S Tank's turret is still fully functional, meaning that you can have Baroness or any other 3.75-inch figure man the Diablo Cannons while riding on Megatron's back. Said cannons, along with Megatron's Fusion Cannon, are compatible with the blast effects pieces that came with some of the War for Cybertron Trilogy figures, and due to the cannons being Transformer standard 5mm connections to the toy, you could arm any figure with the cannons, and replace them with many different combinations of Transformers weapons. As inconsequential as that might be for many, I love that because it adds a level of novel stupidity to the toy I genuinely love. Want to give the H.I.S.S Tank a pair of Optimus' Ion Blaster? You can do that. Starscream's Null Rays? Sure. Are you like me and have way too many copies of the War for Cybertron Megatron toy and want to arm the H.I.S.S Tank with multiple Fusion Cannons? Completely doable. The choice is yours and yours alone. Another thing about this toy that is funnier than it has any right to be is the fact that the plugs typically meant for standing figures behind the H.I.S.S Tank still exist on this toy, meaning that when that otherwise meaningless piece of plastic is used as "Megatron's Shield" in robot mode, you can have troopers dangling for dear life while Megatron uses them as meat shields. Sure, none of this is intentional, but it makes the figure more entertaining and helps to cover up its shortcomings in robot mode. 

Many of the shortcomings in Robot mode can be traced back to the need to be as close to a 1:1 recreation of the 1983 H.I.S.S Tank, and in the vehicle mode is where this toy shines, though I think they could have deviated a little more. One of the things I love about this toy compared to the H.I.S.S III release is that almost all the stickers from the original toy are now painted details. The 788 number at the front, the light bar, the Cobra faction logos, and the only sticker missing when compared to the H.I.S.S III is the turret control panel. However, I feel it's a missed opportunity not to have some brand crossover with the decorations. Things like a mashup of the Cobra and Decepticon logos like what they did with the Combiner Wars Viper toy, potentially a "kill count" detail on the side that could show how many Autobots and G.I. Joes have been killed, little things like those to help blend the two brands in this mode. An impressive feat for this toy is that, except for some gap lines on the body and a few Megatron pieces poking out, you can hardly tell that this toy transforms. It would almost effortlessly blend in with a collection of vintage H.I.S.S Tanks without anyone noticing (depending on if you're storing the Fusion Cannon on him, of course, that is a bit of a dead giveaway). The functionality of the original toy is also carried over into this toy, with the cockpit able to house a figure as a driver, the turret able to be manned by a figure, and two more able to ride on the back. A tow hook is also included to allow the tank to tow any of the portable artillery found in the Real American Hero toyline back in the 80s. However, I don't know how compatible it is as I don't own any tow vehicles. Unlike the original H.I.S.S Tank, the Vulcan Turrets can move independently, allowing them to look more dynamic for display and play, further emphasized by the aforementioned blast effects posts. The H.I.S.S Tank mode is undoubtedly the star of the show, but is it worth the complete package?

 
Is this a good H.I.S.S Tank toy? Yes... but there are some compromises for the sake of Megatron. Is this a good Megatron toy? No. You're likely better off getting either a dedicated H.I.S.S Tank or a dedicated Megatron toy. Does this blend the two franchises together in an ideal way? No. Does it scratch the itch? Yes. Yes it does. This is the toy that many have been wanting for decades. While it may not be great, there may be better Transformers characters to turn into a H.I.S.S Tank; there may be better Cobra characters to include as the pack-in, and there may be better ways to incorporate more of what makes the two brands unique. But considering the brief this toy has. Turn the iconic leader of the Decepticons into the iconic Cobra tank that interacts with the '80s 3.75-inch figures in all the ways the original H.I.S.S Tank did, and do it at a leader class budget. It did those to the best of its ability, and it's a great toy as a result. Maverick felt like a collector's piece. Gigawatt felt like a collector's piece. X-Spance, The Jurassic Pack 2 pack, and Dracula all felt like collector's pieces, novelties for those who like the two brands (and none of which I own, so don't ask for reviews). This feels like a toy. This feels like the toy 80's kids have wanted since they were kids. This is as fun as a toy crossing over two wildly popular '80s toy lines should be, so I recommend getting it if you can, especially if you love one of the brands and have been curious about the other.

Hasbro Pulse G.I. Joe (A Real American Hero) 40th Anniversarry Stream: Alas, no love for Mr. Colton yet.

 I swear, at some point, I'll review those minibot trucks and start covering the Golden Disc collection. Anyway, more news this week, and a new two-hour-long stream covering some of the plans for the G.I. Joe (A Real American Hero, the G.I. Joe brand itself has been around even longer) 40th anniversary. There was a lot here, so let's go through almost all of it... I can't bring myself to get through that opening rap...

 

While this won't be in the order shown, this will be in the order of excitement for me personally. We saw more of many of the reveals in January, with the only significant exception that I can recall being the Retro Duke and Cobra Commander two-pack. Diorama shots of Stalker, the Cobra Viper three-pack, Xamot and Tomax were shown, including the reveal of the Vipers coming with blast effect accessories which should be compatible with almost all the guns in the Classified line. The Vipers were also used as an example of Classified's future with plastic-free packaging, with nice looking artwork of a Viper Squad. Stalker and the Crimson Twins also look great, but there isn't much to talk about outside of the reveals of their accessories. Same with the box reveal for the O Ring Cobra Officer and Cobra Trooper, along with the six-inch card backs for Baroness, Destro, Gung-Ho and Lady Jaye.

 

Super 7's ReAction figures were also shown off, within packaging looks at Snake Eyes, Flint, Roadblock, Cobra Commander, Baroness and Firefly, all of which look great thanks to their cartoon styling. I'm curious to see how these figures and the previous two waves (if they're out yet) look alongside the vintage vehicles, as I think the figures are around the same size, just sculpted to look like they do in the cartoon. In other elements of the more expansive franchise, there was an interview with Tom Walts from IDW discussing the new comic series: Saturday Morning Adventure, and a 40th-anniversary special comic that's (for lack of a better way to put it) remaking the iconic story from the original RAH comic run at Marvel: Silent Interlude, with new art by a wide variety of artists, each doing a page each. I'm pretty curious about the Saturday Morning Adventure series. I don't have a copy yet as my local comic shop isn't exactly local, but as with the talk about recent Transformers comics, it's hard to be interested in them when the license is almost over. On the note of comics, what seems like a passion project by some of the photographers is taking iconic G.I. Joe comic covers and replicating them with the Classified figures. You can find those on social media. In other entertainment news, a new Tabletop game is coming called G.I. Joe: Mission Critical, which sounds interesting, but I'll need to wait and see it being played first before I form an opinion on it, and you can now play as Snake Eyes (and Timber) and Storm Shadow in Brawlhalla. The only thing I have to say about this is that, once again, the Transformers team, take some notes. Showing actual gameplay helps to get people excited about playing these games (something many companies, even in the industry, could do to learn). Is it something I'll play? Probably not; if I want to play a Super Smash Brothers style game, I'll play Super Smash Brothers. Still, the presentation was far more interesting than all the other free to play crossovers they've shown off for Transformers.

 

On to the bigger reveals. There wasn't a lot of love for the Retro line this time, though Classified got a lot of attention thanks to eight new digital renders, including one I doubt anyone saw coming; it does give hope for certain exciting things in the future. Zarana for your Dreadnoks, Dusty for your standard Joe team, Python Patrol Viper to provide the Python Patrol with another Army Builder, Tiger Force Recondo and Bazooka joining Outback in the "we hope this gets a normal release in the future" camp, Dr Mindbender for Cobra, with potential hints to Serpentor coming soon based on what they were saying (though I may be reading too much into it) and... Kamakura... a 2003, post RAH toyline character. This was a character made while Devil's Due Publishing had the publishing rights to G.I. Joe comics. However, the basis seems to come from a minor character in the Marvel comics (or maybe he was retroactively retconned in? I'm not sure about this one, though I'll have more info when/ if I review him). It's interesting to see a far more recent character be included in the line, and with them saying in the stream that they would like to do more pre and post RAH characters in this Classified style, it does give hope for more characters other generations of G.I. Joe fans to be included into the line. There's still hope for you yet, Mr Colton! As for the other characters, all of these look good; I can't wait to see the diorama pictures and get them for myself.

 

And now, the big one... damm you Hasbro, you're making it harder and harder to not collect the vintage vehicles (I don't have the space nor money!). While I standby the ideas presented here: https://mediaholicstoybox.blogspot.com/2022/02/opinion-piece-transformers-x-gi-joe.html when it comes to a crossover line of toys, the rumours about Project Trooper being a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover were true. A desire since the 80s, and long overdue due to that desire, Decepticon Leader Megatron is being released in the G.I. Joe Retro line, transforming into an in scale H.I.S.S Tank, bundled with a Retro release of Baroness. I still maintain that the Cobra Mamba is a better fit, especially as we know Megatron can work as a dual rotor helicopter thanks to Transformers Animated. Still, it's hard to deny that this long-awaited dream for 80's kids is coming true. Does it look great? No, the priorities seem to be "Accurate and functional H.I.S.S Tank first, G1 accurate Megatron second, making that all actually work in a clean way coming third." Megatron doesn't look like he transforms into a H.I.S.S but instead wears a H.I.S.S tank on his back. A part of me would have liked to have seen the tank in silver, akin to the box set Hasbro put out in 2016 where they did a 2005 H.I.S.S Tank in Soundwave colours, but that is a nitpick and would detract from the fantasy fulfilment that this is going for. I've got it on pre-order; I'll aim to do a review of it as soon as I can, though this feels like I'm testing fate. I hope this goes well because I think many people would love to see even more Joe and Cobra Vehicles becoming Cybertronian Robots (plus, I doubt many would oppose getting Marissa Fairborn and Old Snake in the Classified line). 

 

2022 is looking to be a step up from 2021; there seems to be enough confidence in the brand to give it more of a push. I hope this momentum continues (and hopefully improves here in Australia before I start army building P.D Destros to get them off shelves). I'm interested to see what the standout reveals were too many people, though. So what are you hoping for next?

 

 

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.

Top 10 Worst Transformers of 2021

For everything good, there is often always something terrible. While this year and the last few years have been an excellent run for Transformers as a whole, not everything's been a hit. So for the first time on this site, I'd like to contrast the good with what has, to me at least, been some of the low points of the year. For most of the entries on this list, low points mean just that, low points. Just because a toy is on here doesn't make it objectively bad. Some entries are here because of questionable design choices and frustrating engineering elements. Some are here because it made me question what I was doing in past years. Some toys are bad for QC issues, some are personally frustrating, and others objectively don't work. The point I'm trying to make is that this is a spectrum, and just because I don't like it doesn't mean you don't have to (though I do hope we can all agree on Number 1). So come with me on this trip down memory lane to the things I'd rather forget.

 

10. Kingdom Red Alert. 

 

Red Alert is not a bad toy. I've gotten many versions of this mould, which should tell you how much I like the mould. The issue isn't that it's a lousy toy; it's the fact that it makes Siege seem redundant, more so than Earthrise did. I liked the futuristic look for the characters; I wanted to see more of them, so to see Hasbro not only throw that away after a year but also actively replace characters with their Earth Mode counterparts stings. It makes me feel like most of the stuff I got in 2019 was a waste of money.

 

9. Kingdom Wingfinger.

 

I'm an avid defender of the Partformer gimmick bots of the War for Cybertron Trilogy. I had a lot of fun with the Weaponizers of Siege, the Modulators of Earthrise, and the Fossilizers of Kingdom. Wingfinger as a parts pack for other figures is also fun. I've just never liked the standalone beast mode. I don't get how this one is supposed to work. Granted, you could say that about the others, but the others only had to walk. How is Wingfinger supposed to fly when he has no real wings? Yes, that's why he's low on the list. 

 

8. Studio Series 86 Gnaw. 

 

It's a little hard to justify saying this is one of the worst toys of 2021 when I have three of them, isn't it? Clearly, I don't hate it that much, and to be honest, I don't. I still enjoy the figures that are low on this list. Gnaw's a fun figure in robot mode and looks good in Shark mode. Honestly, the only issue I have is the position of the shark hips in beast mode, as they sit very far down the back, making him very front heavy and a pain to pose. It's an area where I think the Titans Return one did it better, but that came with its sacrifices. The bot head peeking out from under the jaw is also unsightly compared to how clean the shark mode was for the Titans Return release. While I think this has a way better bot mode than the Titans one did, the beast mode was handled better back then and considering the nature of the character; I can't help but feel the priorities were wrong, as the people who would buy lots of this (how's it going Simon) will buy them for the beast mode. 

 

7. Kingdom Ultra Magnus.

 

Though I went into this expecting a Siege retool (unlike many people, apparently), there are still some bells and whistles that I wish they did now that they could cut the extra guns and cut some of the costs retooling the Siege one. A Matrix cavity would have been nice, along with some hinged hands to hold a Matrix. Filling out the shoulder stacks also would have been nice, or at least moving the gaps, so they weren't visible beside his head. Do I hate the mould? No, and I'd honestly still buy a Delta Magnus repaint if they ever made it. I can't help but expect a little more as other 86 movie characters got that little extra TLC. 

6. Buzzworthy Bumblebee and Spike.

 

 

Or, to be more accurate, Spike. The Bumblebee included in this pack is good. I'd love to see a version of this at some point with a Bumper head sculpt. This is a really good figure for a modernization of Bumblebee's original toy. Unfortunately, he came packaged with a plastic plank. How hard is it to do a good toy of the Exo Suit? I didn't hear good things about the Masterpiece one when it came out with Bumblebee 1.0, the one that comes with Studio Series Slug is a joke, and this somehow fails even more than that thing did. How is the best version of the Exo Suit the one from Titans Return that has to do double duty as Arcee's head? 

5. Premium Finish Bumblebee. 

 

 

The worst thing about this toy isn't that it's genuinely bad but overly complicated. Considering the space to work with, the transformation is highly complex for a figure this size and price, and because of that, it's hard to make the car mode actually behave and stay together. Unfortunately, ambition got the best of you, Bumblebee. Here's hoping we get a new one that's accurate to the final on-screen model, though.

4. Buzzworthy Bumblebee Fangry. 

 

 

I'm just going to let this photo speak for itself:

This is the current state of my Fangry. Unfortunately, a severe factory error put a screw in at the wrong time, causing the hips to have no friction in them. All I need is a pin puncher to fix the issue, hopefully, but it's not exactly a tool I've got on hand. In the meantime, though, any toy that's in pieces, and isn't by Lego, has to make it onto the worst list.

3. Kingdom Scorponok. 

 

 

What the hell happened here? Between Blackarachnia's release and this, how did the care going into the Predacon bugs drop so drastically? The transformation isn't fun. The robot mode looks awkward (though accurate depending on where you look), and the beast mode is basically a brick thanks to the useless hollow bug legs and the tail almost wholly locked into place. All that comes to mind whenever I look at him is, "What the hell happened?"

2. Shattered Glass Megatron.

 

Is this a bad mould? No. Is this a lousy repaint? That depends on your definition. To me, it's not a good repaint due to the team trying to turn a tank into a jet. Because of it, Shattered Glass Megatron comes off as an awkward mess. A clash of identities given plastic form because if this is meant to look like the original Shattered Glass Megatron, a toy that was a repaint of the Transformers Energon Megatron, this is a laughable disgrace. I wouldn't have an issue with it if it were "Here's Siege Megatron, in Shattered Glass colours". I would probably groan a little because I like Energon Megatron's design and would love to see a new version, but I would at least respect it as a fresh take on the character. This awkward mashup of concepts makes me angry because the Unicron Trilogy designs get shafted so often lately, reduced to "kinda sorta close enough" repaints. That's why I put this toy so high on my "Worst of 2021". This, this right here is the pinnacle of fans of the toys, of the designs, being given less than scraps. Primus, I hope Legacy helps ease this and gives us more designs that aren't G1 or repaints forced out of G1 moulds.

 

Honourable Mentions 

• Generations Selects Powerdasher Zetar
• Earthrise Thrust
• Kingdom Huffer
• Kingdom Grimlock
• Generations Selects Lancer

1. Kingdom Tracks and Road Rage.

 

 

For all the issues I have with the concept behind Shattered Glass Megatron, the worst toy of the year has to go to a figure that barely works, and even when working as intended, it feels like it's straight-up broken. Nothing about Kingdom Tracks feels finished. While I'm willing to accept that issues would have come up in the testing process due to the pandemic, that can only go so far when there are objective design issues. Most copies of the mould barely stand, with many people (myself included) resorting to a variety of 3D Printed adapters just to keep the shins together in robot mode. I've had to modify both figures to get the front windscreen to plug in and out without running the risk of shattering, and I was unable to get a friend's copy of Road Rage into car mode in order to have a version of the mould for robot mode, and a version in car mode for Comic-Con. "Oh, you just have a dud copy" can't apply when three copies of the mould barely function, and the vast majority of people have similar issues. So is there a positive to this mould? Well, it's nice to have an alright looking copy of Tracks, and great to see Hasbro making a Road Rage for mass retail. For those like me who got back into collecting after his last toy left shelves, it's nice to have that hole in the Autobot Car Collection filled. But this is a toy I'm looking to replace as soon as a better one comes along, assuming it even lasts long enough to survive a resell. 

And that wraps up the worst of the worst for me this past year, at least from a Transformers perspective. Next week will be a smaller list combining the best and worst 6-inch figures I got over the year that aren't from G.I. Joe Classified. Let me know if you agree or disagree with this list, as I'm curious how these stack up in the eyes of others.

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.