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.

Transformers War For Cybertron Haslab Unicron: Behold, the Chaos Bringer!

 What could end 2021? What could be the final review of the year, a final send off to the year that reminded us "things could get worse"? Up until the last week before it was released, I did have this guy on pre-order but ended up cancelling it due to the rocky nature of 2021. JobKeeper was ending. Work wasn't restarting reliably; it was hard to justify an $800 toy with no stable income coming in. So, I wrote it off, thinking I wouldn't get a chance to see it in person, let alone review it. Well, that chance would eventually come when Melbourne's version of Oz Comic-Con came around. On Wednesday Night group chats for the Transformers Collectors Club Australia, I said I'd be willing to help them with events as, to quote myself, "it's what I do for a living anyway." The current president of the club backed Unicron and brought his copy along to the event, and it's thanks to him that I was able to work on this review. Notes were taken at the show, though, and while I didn't get a chance to transform him, I did pay close attention to him transforming it, along with the transformation videos on YouTube by others who have reviewed it. Logistically, this was the best way to get this review done, even if it means it's not as thorough as other reviews have been in the past. 

 

 
I'll start with the accessories, as most are nothing to write home about. The largest and necessary one is a display stand primarily for the planet mode. While the robot can support its weight in robot mode, the stand can remain attached to the figure in both modes and dramatically helps with the transformation. While elements like the removable back leg for the sake of moving the figure closer to the wall is an excellent addition, one thing it could have benefited from was a rotation point at the base of the main arm to help move all the weight during the transformation process. Due to the weight and all the ratchet joints in the figure, an inbuilt way to spin it would help immeasurably. Due to their small size, what wasn't on display at the booth was the nano figure of Galvatron, Hot Rod, and the Autobot Shuttle. Galvatron and Hot Rod are nothing special, but considering as the two characters are barely a centimetre tall, there's understandably not much to them. From what I've seen in other reviews, though, the Shuttle's well-sculpted and is an excellent small display in its own right, in a similar style to models like the old die-cast Star Trek ships, but on a much smaller scale. A nice pseudo accessory he comes with is a removable head. While it's not a Headmaster, the gimmick is a nice inclusion for those who want to display the head on its own and a battle-damaged alternate face to replicate its status in Season 3 of the cartoon. The head has its own separate stand that can hold the minifigures and ship mentioned above, with room to include the ones that come with the Generations Selects Behold Galvatron set. However, these are small fry to the main event.

As for Unicron himself, I was stunned seeing him for the first time in Planet Mode. Words can't describe how big this guy is. For what is effectively a ball with spikes, Unicron is genuinely impressive. The transformation is almost seamless, with the panel lines for transformation blending effortlessly into the sculpted detail. The planet mode is the most eye-catching model for Unicron, and even in this form, it's nice to see the gimmick with the maw, where all the teeth can move in unison if you spin the yellow ring around it. It's a nice novelty feature, even if it's not one many will use. The blast effects posts on both the planet and robot mode are... divisive for me. On the one hand, I like that he has them, as specific blast effects would work well on him to make it look like the Autobots and Decepticons are firing their most potent weapons at him. On the other hand, some of them are in awkward places, and the variety of effects parts isn't there to justify the feature, let alone the ones that would look good on him (ones like Earthrise Soundbarrier's, for example). While the planet mode looks good and is an excellent representation of Unicron's most iconic mode, it's hard to talk about what is essentially a plastic ball with spikes and a ring, so let's get to the more exciting mode.

In robot mode, the only way to describe Unicron is imposing. The biggest ever Transformer lives up to the name thanks to how big a footprint he takes up in any display. Unicron demands attention with even the most basic positions you place him in. However, you'll likely only be placing him in these basic positions because of how heavy he is and how strong the ratchet joints support his weight. With that said, though, almost everything you'd want to move for poses can move. Seeing it in person, the only thing I could think of that would be nice to move around more are the wings, having a hinge where they connect to the shoulders to splay them out more, but that is an incredibly small nitpick. Like in the planet mode, I love all the sculpted detail on him; every surface in both modes is sculpted beautifully. Even the wings, which are very hollow, look really good due to how purposeful the open spaces appear. It helps make look Unicron even bigger. However, one major flaw that many have with the toy is how the designers handled the execution. Unicron is a shell former; almost, if not all of the planet mode, ends up on either his shins or his back in robot mode. In photos, this does look bad, really bad. But in person, it's something that works to his advantage, as the kibble helps make him look even stronger, even more imposing. Could the engineering be improved? Yes, see "Totally not Zeta Toy's Totally not Unicron" that was announced simultaneously and released before this project was. But the issue with better integrating the planet into robot mode, the more frustrating the transformation is, something that I've seen first hand as transforming Unicron isn't easy, purely due to the weight. I'm terrified to think how painful of a transformation "Studio Cell" Unicron would be if he were as big and heavy as Haslab Unicron is. 

Credit to Nathan who took this photo of the booth.

When looking at this from its perspective being a Generations-style release, there's very little to criticize. There aren't any major issues that bring the figure down. By the same merit, though, $800 for a Generations figure is hard to justify, even more so when you compare it to the roughly $500 Studio Cell figure that had Masterpiece styled engineering and was more accurate to the movie. For the cost, it's not unreasonable for people to want something with more complex engineering to help clean the figure up. However, all the barely contained planet chunks help give the sculpture a unique presence that the movie-accurate design doesn't have. I know first-hand how much attention Unicron got as many people stopped to look at how impressive it is. He's one of the best shell formers ever released by Hasbro, but on the matter of if Shellforming was the right approach, that's more debatable and up to personal preference.

Transformers War For Cybertron Kingdom Deluxe Class Waspinator: Scorpion + Spider = Robot Wasp?

 A week late for several reasons, one of which I'll discuss at the end, so I won't waste much time with this intro. For the final Predacon review of the year, it's time to look at the Predacon Punching Bag. The indestructible yet incredibly disposable Waspinator. Try not to read this in a Waspinator voice, though. You'll likely hate yourself for it.

Waspinator in Waszp mode suffers from a similar issue to Scoropnok's scorpion mode, but it feels less egregious here. The bug legs are limited to swivel joints for the sake of the robot mode, limiting what you can do with posing for the beast mode, amplified by the fact that the middle and back legs are moulded together. It makes Waspinator feel more rigid when compared to some of the other Beasts in Kingdom, but it's not as much of an issue as, for example, Scorponok because... well, what are you going to do with a wasp? It would be nice if the legs could move a bit more, at the very least separating the middle and back legs to give some more natural flight poses for those who want to put him on a flight stand. As it stands, all you can move are the pincers and the wings when in this mode. On the wings, though, many have an issue with the plastic colour it was moulded in. To have the bug and bot mode eyes be purple. The wings were also moulded in purple. I honestly don't mind this, as I think the purple wings add a nice bit of extra colour to the bug mode. While a selling point of the Beasts was "realistic animal modes", in practice, a lot of them were stylized in some form or another for the sake of making toys. T-Rex's aren't purple (to our knowledge), spiders don't have golden legs, scorpions aren't purple. Just let him have this; he's the Predacons punching bag; he deserves something nice.

In robot mode, Waspinator feels more like Blackarachnia, in that the robot mode looks very cluttered due to Wasp Mode junk. It's a messy robot mode, but not one you can change because of its iconic design for Waspinator. Granted, it's not entirely accurate. The pair of bug legs on the robot legs are new for this take, as they're generally on the arms. Due to this toy re-imagining tricks from his 2013 toy, there are bug legs on the robot legs at all might be seen as an eyesore compared to the original toy. I'm also not a fan of how they handled the blaster. For the sake of beast mode storage and the fact that spring-loaded shooters are no longer a thing in Transformers, Waspinator's gun just looks like a random bit of wasp he's holding as a classroom pointer. It somewhat looks better with a blast effect (something that would have been nice to include, especially if it looked like his old stinger), but I'm not even sure if it is meant to be blast effect compatible, as the nub on the end of the blaster is a bit smaller then the blast effect posts usually are, making any effect really easy to knock off by mistake. An unintended feature likely caused by a minor quality control defect results in Waspinator's head being effortless to take off. But, it's something that works in this toy's favour, as Waspinator was known to come apart in the show. Now that I say that, I kind of want to see a Weaponizer take on Waspinator now.

Should you get Kingdom Waspinator? Probably not if you have the Generations one. While this one does look good with the other Kingdom Predacons, arguably a lot better than the Generations one does, it doesn't feel very interesting. It's a toned-down version of the Generations one, with a lot of the excitement gone due to the changes in engineering and the inclusion of gimmicks changing in the last eight years. The main reason this took a whole extra week to work on was that he's a mediocre toy to talk about, nothing terrible, but nothing stands out either. Like Dinobot, he's an average figure, but unlike Dinobot, the average toy is perfectly fine. The final review of G.I. Joe Classified is next week, ironic as I may be helping out a Transformers booth at the local Comic-Con that weekend. As much as I want to talk about Cobra Grunts, I think I'll close out the year for them with the last two members of the Cobra Leadership team released so far: Destro and The Baroness.

Transformers War for Cybertron Kingdom Voyager Class Dinobot and Grimlock: No, not Dinobot Grimlock.

When Kingdom was unveiled, there was a specific set of characters that people couldn't wait for, and were characters that a new toy of them would be inevitable. Dinobot was one of these characters, as not only is he a beloved character from the Beast Era, but a spotlight episode for him, Code of Hero, is regarded as one of the best Transformers Episodes ever made. Considering he's one of five Beast Wars characters (not counting reprints and Lio Convoy) to have a Masterpiece figure, not including him in the toy line meant to represent the anniversary of Beast Wars would be a disastrous oversight. However, a bit more surprising was the inclusion of his repaint, Grimlock, in one of two exclusives that bundled an Autobot with a Maximal. Granted, Hasbro will use any excuse to repaint a figure that they can get, so Grimlock was likely; it just felt like an odd choice to include with a new Mirage toy, especially when G1 Grimlock was available in the Studio Series line (though out of all the possibilities, it probably still made the most sense). We've tackled Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Rattrap, Airazor and Rhinox; how well does 2021 treat one of the most infamous warriors in the franchise (and his white cousin)?

For a lot of toys this year, the term "Mini Masterpiece" has been thrown around. While I think how it's being used is wrong, I believe there is a grain of truth to it. Many toys have borrowed elements from Masterpiece engineering to achieve the two modes. Still, due to the downscale of cost, the engineering's used mainly for large chunks rather than minor tweaks. Dinobot is an excellent example of this as while the base concepts in his engineering are similar to the Masterpiece in certain elements, the compromises are far more visible due to the smaller budget. This velociraptor mode looks ugly; there's no getting around that. Due to the robot legs needing to go somewhere, the entire underside of the raptor mode looks awful, and due to how much the legs stick out compared to a raptor's body proportions, there's no natural way to fix it either. From the top-down, the raptor model looks really good, and all the Kingdom signature beast detail is nicely on display here. However, even at this angle, the illusion is ruined by the robot mode feet. Compared to how the legs integrate into the toy, elements like the robot mode-specific deco visible in what would be awkward areas of the Raptor mode don't stand out as much. However, an eyesore is easily the Raptor hands. For the sake of robot mode engineering, the fingers are too long when compared to (what we know of) raptor hands and claws, and the locked position of them always makes the hands look awkward no matter what you do with them. Another compromise for the sake of the robot mode was the articulation.

Compared to other Beast Wars characters, Dinobot's raptor mode feels uncomfortably stiff, thanks to the locked neck, the immoveable tail, and the thighs being locked in place, denying the ability to get good running poses. In addition, many have complained about one element of this mode: the end of the robot mode's sword being used as the tip of the tail. Due to the paint on the sword is based on the Masterpiece's metallic pink blade, it leaves the tail with a pink tip. If that bothers you, Grimlock's sword blends in better with the tail, but I find the deco on him to be less impressive when compared to Dinobot. Also, elements like the deco on the dino thighs feel less interesting than Dinobots, an interesting turn of events as Grimlock was an exclusive repaint, often resulting in a deluxe paint job compared to regular retail. Unfortunately, that might be due to the one he was bundled with, Mirage, getting the deluxe treatment, a shame for those who were after the set for Grimlock like I was. I love Grimlock's green eyes, though, and it gives the beast mode a robotic feel to it that almost helps with hiding the robot mode junk trying to pass itself off as a Raptor stomach. 

With the beast mode clearly suffering, one can hope that it was all for the sake of the robot mode. Thankfully, the robot mode for Dinobot is gorgeous! Dinobot is almost everything a Dinobot fan would want in a Voyager Class representation of the character in robot mode. He's one of the more agile figures in Kingdom, thanks to the extra joints in the shoulders for the sake of beast mode. 5mm ports on the palms of his hands can help fake the tail shield spinning gimmick the original toy and the Masterpiece had while maintaining the friction to hold his gear. Unfortunately, it's not very useful outside of his weapons because most weapons are designed for regular hands (sorry, you can't have him hold G1 guns, I'm sad to say). Paint applications are beautiful, with the only thing that feels like a glaring omission is painting the bone details on his shins, likely cut due to the transformation. Thankfully the moulding on the legs is there, so there's very little extra work that would be required if you're into customizing your figures. For those that aren't, I don't see an upgrade kit coming that could help fix this as the joints are covered up nicely, with pins not designed to be removed, locking the plastic pieces together. Once again, though, deco seems to be the issue with Grimlock, as not only is he missing paint applications, but applications intended for beast mode look awkward in robot mode, coming off as half done. The outer half of the knee spikes, thighs, and feet are painted white to blend into beast mode, but it shifts to the colours for robot mode, down the middle of each, resulting in a half-painted mess. The chest is also missing details, as some aspects in the moulding intended to replicate the Beast Wars Cartoon's Raptor head chest that Dinobot uses to full effect are lost on Grimlock. It seems like the priority that was given to Grimlock was for the beast mode. Still, it looks like a wasted effort, especially when the robot mode's engineering is so well done due to how heavily compromised the beast mode already was. 

What's frustrating about this toy is that it's okay when a character like Dinobot deserves an amazing one. However, the issue with that mindset is that Beasts are always going to be compromised, and though this feels like too much of a compromise, it's hard to deny the sacrifices that were worth it when you see the robot mode. As a Raptor, Dinobot's toy is awful when compared to the other beasts in Kingdom's line, up there with Scorponok's beast mode due to how rigid it feels. As a warrior, though, the toy is practically perfect at the Voyager scale. The two cancel each other out though, to make the toy okay in the line, very average when compared to others. As for Grimlock, I wish it got the same Robot mode attention that Dinobot did, but that was probably due to Mirage needing so much of the packs budget.

Transformers War for Cybertron Kingdom Leader Class Galvatron: Now with 100% less Jet Mode.

While Titans Return was justifiably praised back when it was the main Generations Toyline, very few Transformers toylines are without blunders. Some would argue that one of the biggest blunders the line had was its take on Galvatron. Though many of the choices for Voyager Class figures in the toy line were very questionable, Galvatron was one of the strangest as the goal was to make a triple changer out of a canon when the option for a toy gun was no longer going to cut it. As a result, Galvatron was given a jet mode that would make anyone with even basic knowledge of aerodynamics cry and a cockpit on his back that nobody asked for. If you have a seething hatred of Titans Return Galvatron, well, good news, today's subject does precisely what you want, have a purple Decepticon turn into a space canon. That alone would be worth an upgrade, but how well does Kingdom Galvatron hold up on his own. It's finally time to look at the last Herald of Unicron, in both cartoon and toy/kind of sort of comic colours.

Well... the one and only alt mode is undoubtedly a canon... As much of a cop-out bit of criticism as that sounds, it's hard to talk about G1 Galvatron's Alt mode because, like Megatron's original alt mode, it's interesting when compared to other Transformers but inherently not as exciting as something like a car or a plane, or a monster. You have small wheels on the tank treads and the angle leg (I don't know cannons), allowing you to roll him along the ground, and the joints in all three legs allow for you to angle the cannon. Apart from that, though, there isn't much to say. Elements like the front legs and the arms with treads sticking out the shoulders look bad but is a common thing for Galvatron. It's just how it has to work at the limitations this toy has (though one thing I do have to give credit to the Titans Return version for, the lower arms end up behind the main leg element, making it look more cohesive from the front). A pre-applied rub-sign sticker is the only major thing to bring up between the general retail release, and the Generations Selects release. Most of the differences become more noticeable in robot mode.

Missasembly issues on early releases of Kingdom Galvatron excluded (mine has the right shoulders if anyone is curious); I like this take on Galvatron, though I wish some minor things were addressed before release. I love the overall proportions, with the only minor exception being the panels on the side of his chest. While, on the one hand, it does break up the overall look of Galvatron and does make him look a bit too chubby (clearly, he's been putting on the lockdown weight, too), it also makes him look more imposing and stronger. The arm cannon is another element that I'm not a big fan of. I'm not a fan of where they put the 5mm post to connect the cannon to the arm, and I think the barrel looks a bit too long and a bit too thin. The 5mm post is my biggest issue with the cannon, though, as the ports on the arms limit you to either putting the cannon in a spot where it's accurately positioned on the arm but limits dynamic positions you can put him in. Your other option is a spot where the cannon should connect too and gives more articulation freedom, but makes the cannon look even longer and not sit in properly depending on the position of the upper arm. It's little things like those that, while they aren't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, become far more noticeable because this toy is so close to being a fantastic Galvatron toy. It's why I got the Generations Selects release as well, which has a colour scheme more closely aligned with that of the original G1 toy. It comes with a sticker sheet to give it more of the G1 toy details, but the base plastic and the Kingdom detailing is so well done that it feels redundant to include them. Combined with my disdain for putting stickers on toys (blame LEGO), and I've decided to keep them off. One thing I was surprised about with the Toy colours was the choice of Purple. It's surprisingly darker than the retail release and stands out beautifully against the muted grey (compared to the retail toy's heavy use of silver plastic). 

Both toys come with three accessories that are both interesting inclusions and redundant bits of plastic. First, both toys come with guns based on the design of his ship from the 1986 movie, The Revenge, something I do find odd as the original toy did come with a gun. The sculpting is beautiful on the weapons, and the two can combine to form an interesting looking sidearm, but it's always going to feel redundant compared to the cannons both toys come with. Something far more interesting was the inclusion of a Matrix of Leadership on a chain to reference his jewellery in the 86 movie. It's ok for a toy, though the chain does feel like a bit of an afterthought in the initial design concept. I have no issue with the chain being a solid bit of plastic; it feels a bit too small for me, though, resulting in the Matrix not sitting right. An extra link or two in length could have helped with this. Credit to them, though, I love the fact that Toy Colours Galvatron comes with the Creation Matrix from the G1 Marvel comics. I'm surprised a Creation Matrix repaint of the Matrix of Leadership didn't happen sooner. 

The issues I've brought up are just what they sound like, minor issues, nitpicks at best. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the best mainline G1 Galvatron they've designed. Almost completely flawless; I doubt anything would be topping this any time soon. If you can find one, get it because you won't be disappointed. 

Transformers War for Cybertron Kingdom Deluxe Class Predacon Scorponok: "What happened here?"

If there is one thing that has been nice about Kingdom, it's the focus on getting the Season 1 Beast Wars characters. Though there is a gap so far in the form of Tarantulus and Inferno, rumour has it that we'll be getting them next year. Unfortunately for all the good figures, some will be worse, though "absolutely terrible" is in the eyes of the beholder. For every Blackarachnia, there's going to be one like today's subject, where the issues come more from how you prioritize elements of Transformers. From Second in Command of the Predacons to nameless cannon fodder, and now to this. This year has not been kind to you, has it Scorponok?

 
I want to start the review of the beast mode with the most significant issue and the cause of the title: the Scorpion legs. I remember when they revealed the Kingdom toy line and talked about the first wave of toys, they said they spent a lot of time getting the tolerances right for Blackarachnia's spider legs. Even though they're ball joints, they're tight and nicely support her weight in spider mode (this even holds true with her Buzzworthy Bumblebee repaint). Scorponok doesn't get that luxury. In comparison, his beast mode is severely compromised, with the legs being the starting point. The legs feel hollow; the ball joints are loose; the scorpion legs themselves don't support the robot's weight. That title goes to the opened up chest with a robot leg stuffed into it. Usually, with Transformers waves, some compromises are made to figures to make others better. That's the perception of the situation, at least. I don't know if that holds here because I can't see where the compromises went too. Scorponok's wave includes a reissue of Earthrise Wheeljack, Fossilizer Wingfinger, and Autobot Tracks, none of which feel like the cause for the compromises. Is it because they knew the legs were never going to support the robot? Maybe. One day I hope to review the original Beast Wars Scorponok as the way it handled robot mass is extremely different. It would have been nice if they could have worked that engineering into the new toy, but that might not have been feasible at a Deluxe budget. There is also a third party one intended for a Legends Class Scale display that might also get a review later to see how well the bot junk is handled. While the underside of the beast mode isn't great, the top is really good. It's why the issues involving legs sting that much more. Once again, the texture work on the plastic is fantastic, adding to the creepy crawly feel of the figure. It's a shame that it's so static, with things like the tail not having a lot of articulation points without taking the other robot leg out of the tail. Overall, not a good beast mode. The positives bring it back a bit, but it feels like a letdown compared to others in the line. Does the robot mode do it better? 

It's complicated. In robot mode, Scorponok falls into a similar situation as Siege and Kingdom Ultra Magnus. He's in scale with other Predacons and has a design based on artwork from the original figure's box. But to some, it doesn't feel right, as evident by the thigh extension upgrades you can buy that make the legs into a glorified stand for the Scorpion. For me, the legs aren't the issue for the robot; it more comes down to the boxed shape of the chest. It's a minor issue, but it does throw off the look quite a bit. The robot is a significant saving grace for this toy. Though it's still not as good as other figures in Kingdom, it doesn't feel as compromised as the scorpion mode does. There are still compromises. The hollow tail looks terrible, you're not getting much of a waist swivel out of him due to the tail, and the head doesn't like to move due to how it's sculpted (which does look nice, by the way). But none of those issues feels like glaring issues compared to the overall look of the figure. The scorpion pincers look great in both modes, and thanks to them needing the robot arms, they're nicely articulate in both modes as well. I also love that he comes with both his twin missiles and the Cyber Bee, both of which effortlessly store in the pincers, though I do wish the missiles weren't hollow as those gaps are hard to ignore.

While I don't think Scorponok's one of the worst in the line, he's undoubtedly one of the worst Beast Wars figures in the line. A large chunk of that comes down to how good the other characters are, which is unfortunate but not unexpected. The good elements do claw back some quality, but it ends up making the figure underwhelming, something that stings even more, when you consider who it is. This would be like getting an underwhelming Starscream, only without the barrage of Seeker repaints that will follow. I kind of wish this got the same treatment Studio Series Hot Rod did, where it was sold at a higher size class for the sake of engineering. It could have been really interesting to see how they handled the robot mass for the Scorpion mode. Again, it's not the worst of the line (that title currently goes to Tracks), but unless you're really into Beast Wars and want an entire team of Season 1 Predacons, I'd say skip it.

Transforemrs War for Cybertron Kingdom Voyager Class Rhinox: Who says you can't have brains and muscles?

If you were to compare the main casts of Transformers shows throughout the years, you'd quickly find some tropes the personalities tend to fall into. The leader, the backstabbing second in command of the villains, the kid appeal character, the loner on the heroes side, to name a few. I bring this up because today's subject is a fusion of two of these tropes, the group's muscle and the engineer. A fusion of G1 Ironhide and Ratchet, with a bit of extra wisdom thrown in. A long-anticipated figure for me in the Kingdom line, allow me to introduce to you Rhinox.

As you've probably noticed by now, the vast majority of Beast Wars figures sacrifice articulation for sculpting when it comes to the beast modes, only breaking that rule if it's needed for the robot mode. Funnily enough, it's hard to make plastic move like realistic skin and muscles. I start the review here because Rhinox suffers from this pretty badly compared to other Maximals in the Kingdom line, second only to Rattrap (out of the ones I currently own). Without using transformation joints and breaking up the sculpt, you will not be making this rhino charge at anything. It's a good thing then that the sculpting is exquisite, with a lot of texture and subtle paint applications on the rhino skin to make it a very lovely looking Rhino shaped brick. Ok, maybe not a brick, the mouth can move, the front legs can move a little bit, and the back legs can move at the knee, but that's all the movement you're going to get out of him. From what I've seen, this is far more limited than the Thrilling 30 Rhinox from 2014, but I honestly think this looks better in Rhino mode when comparing the two (based on videos and pictures, I don't own a Thrilling 30 Rhinox). Thrilling 30 is more realistic to actual rhinos, whereas Kingdom Rhinox is more in line with the cartoon model. Maybe it's because I'm more familiar with how rhinos are animated and not how they look in the real world; Kingdom Rhinox looks more accurate to me, though a significant factor of that could be the colours rather than the sculpting. If anyone wants me to properly compare the two (and is willing to sell me a Thrilling 30 Rhinox), let me know, and I'll put that on the priority list. 

One element of the transformation frustrates me, more so when going into Rhino mode than going into robot mode. The leg transformation feels very cluttered, the clearance for moving parts around is a bit too tight, and because of that, it feels like I'm bending plastic to make parts move past other parts. It's not a pleasant transformation, something that I wished was refined a little more. The result, though, is a nice looking Rhinox, something that is very show accurate, though it does cheat in certain areas to pull it off. The Rhino mouth now no longer forms the chest plate, and the robot's main body looks a little too flat. Neither issue bothers me as the fake mouth makes the chest look a lot nicer, and the arms and rhino head nicely cover up the flat back. What does bother me, though, are the guns. For the sake of beast mode storage, Rhinox's Gatling Guns of Doom look bad from any angle other than from the front. While they are nicely painted from the front, the handle elements make them look more like the toy accurate flail sawblade rather than the cartoon accurate guns. It's an odd choice for something that's clearly aiming to replicate the cartoon look. I would have prefered the loss of internal weapon storage for them if it made the guns look better. It would have even been an excellent excuse to give Rhinox more C.O.M.B.A.T Ports (something that I wish wasn't all but exclusive to the G1 characters). I love how poseable Rhinox is in this mode. While he was a brick in Beast Mode, the joint implementation in robot mode makes him one of the most poseable Voyager figures I've ever seen, with the only joints missing being a waist swivel and an ab crunch, the latter I'm willing to accept as a loss as we got butterfly joints in the shoulders. 

While I can't say which is superior, this or the Thrilling 30 version, I do think this at the very least compliments the T30 release. A full replacement? Not entirely, but it does act as a nice Rhinox for those to get who can't/ haven't yet found a T30 version for sale. Neither is entirely perfect; we might be waiting for a Masterpiece version for that to happen. At the very least, this does what I wanted it to do almost perfectly, be an excellent representation of the Axalon's engineer.

Transformers War For Cybertron Kingdom Deluxe Class Airazor: Behold, the gender ambiguous falcon

While I'm sure many will agree that the War for Cybertron series on Netflix ended with a whimper, some standout moments stood out for the better, while others stood out for the worse. One of those was Airazor, the Maximal scout that looked to borrow a bit from Tony Stark when it came to her robot mode flight. A fan favourite from the Beast Wars show, it was inevitable that she'd be in Kingdom, but after being away for so long, how does the first female Transformer on toy store shelves (with a toy that was actually designed to be female) hold up after being absent for 24 years? 

One comparison to immediately draw when looking at Airazor is the wave one femme fatal, Blackarachnia, as many of the problems that Blackarachnia has in her beast mode, Airazor also has. However, like Blackarachnia, that's not an issue. Unlike female Autobots like Arcee and Chromia, the problems aren't limited to female Maximals and Predacons; very few Maximals and Predacons have beast modes that aren't compromised. Making robots out of realistic (to a certain extent) animals isn't easy compared to vehicles. Because of that, some are going to look like a crumpled up robot hiding under an animal. Airazor does not fit in her falcon mode; many exposed robot parts can easily be seen regardless of the angle you look at her. But as with Blackarachnia, I struggle to care because the features of the beast mode that are a Falcon are beautiful. I love the wingspread and all the feather detailing along with her wings and back. The falcon head looks fantastic, and even with the (albeit clunky in execution) neck movement, it doesn't take much to get it into beautiful flying positions. With all the joints in the wings, it's possible to get a somewhat convincing grounded pose out of the bird mode; however, doing this will expose the robot chest and back of the head. It's unfortunate, but there aren't many alternatives, especially as the robot mode needed the priority.

Another comparison to make to Blackarachnia is that representation of her robot mode from the show has been sparse. While Blackarachnia has had toys since Beast Wars that have been closer to her onscreen model (which in itself was heavily modified from the original toy), Airazor hasn't had that privilege. Outside of convention exclusive repaints trying to give her a vehicle alternate mode, Airazor has not been seen on shelves since 2000, which in itself was a tweaked version of her Transmetal toy. There hasn't been a toy of her look in the show due to it being drastically changed from the original toy, due to the original toy initially being a male character. This toy had something to prove, and if the robot mode were done well, many people would readily accept the beast mode compromises. This toy does not do the robot mode well; it does the robot mode almost perfectly. With one sole exception on my specific copy of the toy, I cannot find any fault in the robot mode design. It's lean. It's nimble, it's kibble free as the only parts that could be considered beast mode junk, the talons and the wings, actually improve her look, making her look even more dynamic. The head sculpts beautiful, with the only blemish on this toy being a slight quality control error misplacing one of the paint applications on her eyes. It doesn't look good when facing forward but makes for a very natural head turn position and making her look even more dynamic. The robot mode alone has put her in as one of the best figures in the Kingdom toyline so far for many people, and like Blackarachnia, she puts the recent Fembot toys to shame. Some might call this cheating, as unlike other female transformers, there's nothing inherently feminine about her design, save for potentially the face. I wouldn't be surprised if this is partly because Airazor in Japan is still a male character, which makes him one of the first openly gay Transformers characters. It's like what happened in Sailor Moon, only without turning a gay relationship into an incest relationship.

When it comes to recent female Transformers, Beasts 2, Bots 0, they're just killing it when it comes to female characters as toys. The Falcon mode is not great, requiring minimal effort to break the illusion of being a falcon. But for every issue the Falcon mode has, the robot mode makes up for and then some. I'm glad this toy is getting a second release as a Beast Wars Skywarp, though I do hope we'll get a Generations Magnaboss at some point; I miss three bot combiners. On the subject of three bot combiners (technically), I'll be reviewing Fossilizer mould number 2: Ractonite (and, if lockdown permits me, Tricranicus)

Transformers War For Cybertron Kingdom Cyclonus: Raising the bar even higher.

 While I love Scourge's toy, it's hard to deny that he's not very impressive as an overall Transformer. An imposing robot, a hilariously dumb alt mode, and a very basic transformation. While he did his job, the bar was set pretty low when it came to the new heralds of Unicron... and then Kingdom shows up with Cyclonus. Though he never got his armada, let's see how The Warrior was treated in the War for Cybertron Trilogy. 

Starting in Cyclonus' Jet mode, and right off the bat, there is something that needs to be addressed first. Generation 1 Cyclonus has a very distinct Jet mode, a sleek, futuristic space plane.Maybe it's because I wasn't that interested in my first exposure to the name Cyclonus in Transformers Armada, but I love this jet mode. If done well, it has the potential to be absolutely beautiful, as evident by all the third party versions that have been made. I've seen the design done well, I've seen it done amazingly, I've seen it done badly. Out of all the versions of G1 Cyclonus Hasbro and Takara have done over the years, this is, without a doubt, my favorite version of Cyclonus' Jet mode. This toy pulls off a beautiful jet mode and makes it look effortless, with the only hints of it transforming, the only traces of robot mode kibble being so minute that you effortlessly ignore them. The only minute problem I have with the jet mode is that I wish it borrowed a design cue from its forefather and had some guns on the nosecone to give the jet mode some armament that isn't sticking the robot mode gun on top of the jet, or under a wing. It doesn't look good, but other Transformers toys are guilty of it as well, so I'm not going to hold it against the toy. 

Kingdom Cyclonus shares a trait with a set of toys that I'll be reviewing (hopefully) sometime later this year, the Earthrise Seekers. Both toys have roots in the earliest years of what Transformers fans call the CHUG scale (standing for Classics, Henkei, Universe, Generations, the names of the toylines in Hasbro and Takara markets that follow the same scale and design cues). For Earthrise Starscream and all his repaints, it's the Classics toy of 2006. Cyclonus' traces back to his Universe toy from 2008. The modern toys share design tricks with the older toys, mainly in how parts move and what elements of the vehicles become parts of the robot. On Starscream, it feels like a hindrance, as aspects of engineering weren't brought up to date to accommodate modern engineering standards, with the only significant differences being how parts transform. The same could be said for Cyclonus; however, it doesn't feel like a crutch. The engineering is similar (just modernized), but parts of it were redone from the ground up to make something that looks cleaner in both modes. The proportions of the jet and robot look more refined; the articulation is improved in robot mode. There's even potential (with a bit of help from a 3D printer and a later Generations Selects figure) to recreate gimmicks of the Universe toy, thanks to the hands folding away to reveal 5mm ports. To top it all off, Cyclonus makes it seem so effortless. I'll go into this more once I review the Earthrise Seekers, but Cyclonus puts them to shame just by existing. It's what the Earthrise Seekers were trying to do, and not only succeeding at it but going above and beyond to fix the faults of the Universe toy. 

Not where I prefer to put his knees, but at least the lighting looks cool.

Is he flawless? Objectively no, there are some minor issues, especially when in robot mode. The plastic gaps in the wings, the gun, and the back of the thighs look bad, and the jet kibble on the sides of his stomach is distracting. It's also frustrating knowing the knees don't lock into place when in robot mode. But as mentioned before, when looking at the jet, it's hard to care about these issues. What minor faults are here are easily drowned out by the overall execution of the toy. Cyclonus' quality did come at a cost; his wave mate, Optimus Primal, is nowhere near the same quality as Cyclonus. But Primal didn't need to be. The Primal that we got was still almost everything fans of the character wanted in a new Primal toy; it didn't feel like corners were being cut. The results speak for themselves, this is one of the best Voyager toys in the War for Cybertron trilogy, and considering the competition, that's an impressive feat. The bar's been set high for Galvatron, but that review is still pretty far away. Instead of a G.I Joe figure next week, the following review will be a Maximal, Airrazor.