Top 10 Best Transformers of 2021

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

 

10. Shattered Glass Jetfire.

 

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

9. Generations Selects Galactic Man Shockwave. 

 

 

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

8. WFC Kingdom Megatron (Beast Mode). 

 

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

7. Generations Selects Transmutate.

 

 

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

6. Studio Series 86 Grimlock and Slug.

 

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

5. Netflix Optimus Primal

 

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

4. Golden Disc Collection Mutant Tigartron.

 

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

3. WFC Kingdom Rodimus Prime.

 

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

2. WFC Kingdom Cyclonus.

 

 

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

Before Number 1, a few honourable mentions. 

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

And the best of the best is...

 

1. WFC Kingdom Airazor.

 

 

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

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

Transformers 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.

G.I. Joe Classified Destro, Profit Director P.D Destro, Baroness with Cobra C.O.I.L and Movie Baroness: A large one to end the year on.

With 2021 coming to a close, bringing with it another year of trying to kill time during lockdowns, I've got one last review in me for the year before beginning the celebratory Best and Worst lists. With it being Cobra's time to shine, who's left to cover? Zartan? I've got the Pulsecon exclusive coming, so I'll wait to review both versions. How about the Red Ninjas, Cobra Vipers or Cobra Infantry? It's like ending the year with a review of a Stormtrooper, rather generic for the final review of the year. That only leaves two, and if the Joe's can have a double review of an iconic pair, why not give Cobra the same treatment? While I'm at it, why not cover a pair of reinterpretations? So, to end the year, let's look at G.I Joe Classified #03: Destro, Cobra Island #13: Baroness with Cobra C.O.I.L, #15: Profit Director Destro and #19, Snake Eyes Origins Baroness.

I'll go in the order I got them for this review, so I'll start with one of the few remaining members of Wave 1 to review: Destro (I'll get to you someday, Scarlet). Destro's an interesting case for me because out of all the Wave 1 figures; I found him to be rather dull at the time. When compared to the modernizations of Duke, Scarlet, Roadblock and Snake Eyes, Destro felt very safe and uneventful, scaled up remake of his original toy. But, with the element of hindsight and seeing how the line has evolved since Wave 1, I've grown more of an appreciation for Destro. The strengths in the design come from simplicity. In terms of design, this is a modern reinterpretation of his 1983 toy, the only new details being a new gold pistol accessory and some new paint and moulding details on the shoulders, briefcase, knees and boots. Just enough detail to break up the black without it being overpowering. Not counting the Cobra logo on the briefcase, I do appreciate the snake motif being toned down compared to characters like Cobra Commander and (as I'll go into later) The Baroness. Like with the original toy, the collar around Destro's shirt is designed like the Cobra Logo, but it's a detail most wouldn't recognize at first, adding to the brilliance of the subtlety. For accessories, Destro comes with a faithful recreation of his Laster gun, a reimagining of his suitcase to include painted in cash and a Cobra computer inside, and a gold futuristic revolver sidearm. Rather tame for a weapons specialist, but still appreciated.

If the priority for Destro was subtlety, Profit Director Destro's priority is extravagance. As for its history... it's complicated. Starting life as a traditional repaint of Destro's 1992 toy in 1997, a joke re-release was developed but not released, though some claim to have seen it at retail. The design got the nickname Pimp Daddy Destro thanks to the delightfully obnoxious leopard print added to the design, and something that Profit Director Destro (because you can't release a toy called Pimp Daddy anymore) takes and runs with. Everything about this is delightfully stupid. The gold head with the dark red and leopard print costume and the two-tiered cape with leopard skin on the back is laughable for all the right reasons. The fact that two of his accessories are a pair of pimp sunglasses (that, unfortunately, require glue to stay on) and some money on fire sells the stupidity of the design. They went all out on this repaint, both good and bad, because they overestimated how many people would want it. I still find store shelves with this guy on them as the only G.I. Joe Classified figure there, complete case assortments of them because no one's buying him. While I'm glad this exists, figures like this are why brands like Transformers have lines like Generations Selects, the lines where the semi niche, absolutely nerdy stretch repaints go for those who want more. At least if you want one, you can likely still find one in dedicated stores like Toyworld.

From a toy, they overestimated the demand for, to one they underestimated the need for (initially). Cobra Island Baroness with the Cobra C.O.I.L. I'll go over the C.O.I.L first before covering Baroness because while many people wanted to get rid of this thing and get the character, I love this bike design. This vehicle is new for the Classified line, as Cobra didn't have an equivalent to G.I. Joe's RAM Cycle. If anyone's curious, though, Coil was used as a name in G.I. Joe before. Coil was the name of a Cobra offshoot unit, and Cobra Coils was the driver's name for the 2003 vehicle, the Cobra Tread Fire. On the other hand, The Classified C.O.I.L is a modern styled motorcycle, the kind of bike you'd see in action movies. The bike is sleek, clearly built for speed while still packing a nice amount of onboard firepower. I would honestly love to see this re-released with a generic army builder repaint of Baroness. Her with a small squad of these would look imposing in a display. In terms of functionality, there isn't much here that's overly impressive. The bike has an excellent turning circle while still connected to the toy's handlebars. The ball joints used to connect the actual handles to the assembly give enough flexibility to help with attaching a figure to the bike. The kickstand also works well enough to keep the motorcycle standing upright on a shelf, and the guns can be removed and held by a figure. Is it a mind-blowing accessory? No, but I certainly prefer it over the RAM.

As for The Baroness herself, like the regular release of Destro, she's a faithful remaster of her early toy design, with grey patches helping to break up her outfit without detracting from the black and red. While I love the sculpting and moulding done for the body, I'm not a fan of the head sculpt they gave her. The big offender of this is the glasses they gave her. While they look better than the glasses she used to have, the frame style makes her look older than the rest of the sculpting lets on. While it works for a faithful reimagining of the 80's Baroness, I don't think it works for her modernization. Due to the inclusion of the bike, she doesn't get her rifle from her original toy, instead coming with two golden pistols, a small knife with a snakehead on the handle, akin to the sword Cobra Commander comes with, a helmet for the motorcycle which better incorporates all the joints in the neck, and... some snake gun that involves you sliding her arm through the coils made by the tail? I hate this gun; it stays in the accessories tub. Overall, she's not bad, and she does look outstanding alongside Destro. She's just not what I think of when I think of a modernization of The Baroness.

Ironically, that title would go to the Classified figure of The Baroness from the Snake Eyes movie. Based on Úrsula Corberó Delgado's portrayal of the character, though that's only obvious in the head sculpt. I love details like the shorter, more filled out hairstyle, along with the more angular glasses frames with smaller lenses. Details like that help modernize a character without subtracting from the original design. Another design element inspired by the original toy is the pure black costume with the red Cobra logo. Thanks to a healthy mix of matte black and glossy black, adding subtle separation in the detailing, it doesn't look as bland as you might think it would. One other change is the inclusion of heeled boots, helping to give the figure a sense of authority. One issue I have with the proportions is a minor one; I feel like the neck is a bit too long, something that's highlighted by the fact that this design for the Baroness has her wearing a Choker, along with paint on the torso to help better define her neckline. For accessories, she comes with a submachine gun with a removable silencer (yes people, a Classified figure that has a realistic weapon!) and two machete-like knives. You can remove the glasses, but I consider it more of an accessory to have the likeness align with the actor rather than the character. Because I don't recall her taking the glasses off during the film, they're something I prefer to keep on her and don't consider them an accessory. Though the Cobra Island one may fit in better with the rest of the line, Movie Baroness is an excellent representation of the character and one I recommend even if you're not collecting the Snake Eyes movie figures. 

Though my views are overall mixed when it comes to the four of them, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I appreciated Destro now that I've spent time focusing on him and how much I enjoyed the Movie Baroness. All four figures have the feel of a line still trying to figure out what it wants to do going forward, so it'll be interesting to see how 2022 treats the line, now that things like a pandemic delayed movie won't hamper it. I'm genuinely surprised the line has kept my attention, especially as this started life as an experiment. Marvel Legends didn't catch on, Star Wars I didn't end up trying because Star Wars content doesn't get much attention from my audiences, so to see the Joes, a brand that struggles outside of America, get interested in Australia enough for people to read the reviews of someone using them not only as an excuse to get into the brand, but also begin collecting traditional 6-inch figures has been quite relieving. I have more plans to review more Joes and Cobra characters in the future; maybe someday I'll give the Vintage toys a review as the vehicles were what got me interested initially. Until then, though, reviews will be put on hold until 2022... at least, that's what I would say, if I didn't have one last one in mind. There's not going to be a better time to review him, so next week: The Big Guy.

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.

G.I. Joe Classified Flint and Lady Jaye: Behold, Duke and Scarlet 2.0...?

 As the last few Transformers reviews have indicated, I've had the 1986 Transformers movie on my mind. Still, I did notice when comparing the original Transformers Cartoon to the G.I. Joe Cartoon running around the same time because it feels like G.I. Joe handled the leadership transition somewhat better than Transformers did. Ironic as a last-minute edit to the G.I. Joe Movie was done because of the backlash Transformers had. Though some leaders did take more of a backseat even when they were introduced, to me, it did feel like when Flint and Lady Jaye were introduced, they essentially replaced Duke and Scarlet. There was even an episode where leaders of both G.I. Joe and Cobra were taken for a series of challenges, and while Cobra Commander and Baroness were taken to represent the Cobra side, Flint and Lady Jaye were taken to represent the Joes. Even when an official chain of command was discussed, Duke wasn't in charge; he was now second in command behind the then-new General Hawk. It makes me wonder what would have happened if they committed to killing Duke off in the movie. While we may never know about that, what we can do is look at the newest versions of Duke and Scarlet 2.0. By request on a poll on Facebook, because of how close it was between these two and how many can't see one without the other, here's a review looking at both G.I. Joe Classified Flint and Lady Jaye.

I'll start with Flint first as, in the spirit of him being Duke 2.0. Though some elements are different, a new head, new shin guards, a few new accessories and the vest replacing Duke's belts, the bulk of the parts are reused, but using a fresh paint and colour scheme to make him feel more unique when compared to his Wave 1 predecessor. The reuse of components fits the two of them, thanks to how similar their roles are in the Joe team, and what elements are different make a significant change to how the two of them look. Even if you had the two of them standing right next to each other on a shelf, you wouldn't notice that they're essentially the same toy just by looking at them. For those looking for a faithful modernization of an 80's Joe figure, Flint is a mostly 1:1 accurate translation of his original 1985 toy, only missing his backpack from the original toy, but it doesn't feel like a significant loss.

Regarding the accessories he has, Flint comes with the same pistol that Duke comes with, but without the gold paint that Duke's did. While it looks more realistic, it also seems pretty bland by comparison. He also comes with what is essentially a Shotgun to serve as a primary firearm. I love the look of this gun, especially over the one he came within 1985. From what I've heard, it's not a realistic Shotgun, but the paint and sculpting is realistic enough to look like a modern shotgun, especially when compared to Duke's rifle. I'm less of a fan of how it stores on his back; it does feel like the holster designed for it was put on upside down. It doesn't look bad when stored away, but like many primary weapons in the line, it looks better in the figure's hands rather than on his back.

Lady Jaye, on the other hand, I find less impressive in certain elements but more impressive in others. She's a very mixed bag, as some parts have transitioned very well in the modernization process, while others have transitioned very badly. I love the sculpting on the figure itself. The design for her feels more like a translation of the cartoon rather than one of the original toys, similar to modern Transformers aiming for the look of the character in the cartoon rather than the toys. That's not to say she hasn't got any roots in the original toy. Like Flint, her design is primarily based on her 1985 toy, and the accessories help bring more of the toy's elements into the design. The inclusion of an optional hairpiece that has the hat the original toy came with is a lovely touch in this regard. However, the other accessories suffer in the attempt to merge the original toy's design with her design in the cartoon, all while modernizing the design for the 21st century. The backpack was completely redesigned to incorporate storage for a spare Javelin, optional Javelin heads that can be easily interchanged, and a modern redesign of the camera accessory her original toy came with, now looking more like a GoPro on a very articulate armature.

 

The Javelins are simple but effective in design, but what lets things down is the attempt to modernize her Javelin launcher gun. Trying to insert a Javelin in the launcher is surprisingly tricky, with a lot of friction between the pieces, making the connection feel too secure like it's trying to lock the Javelin in forever. The result is an awkward mess of a launcher that either sticks out too far or is cumbersome to hold. It would have been better if she came with a Mini Javelin to load into it, as that could have also worked for the backpack storage as her Javelins did compress for storage. I'm surprised her backpack doesn't have any Mini Javelins sculpted onto it, in a similar vein to Scarlet and Storm Shadow's Quivers. As it stands now, it looks like she has two shots before she has to rely on her knife, a weapon that doesn't work well when fighting an army all using guns. Granted, neither is Javelins, but a Javelin with an explosive tip would be more effective. 

 

With the exception of Lady Jaye's accessory choices (mainly the Javelin launcher), both these figures are solid inclusions in the line. Neither are the strongest the line offers, but both are fantastic inclusions to your Joe team. I could see Lady Jaye getting a re-release with different accessories, but they got Flint perfect right off the bat. Considering this was the first full year of the line and a year that was hampered by the delay of the Snake Eyes movie, it'll be fascinating to see what 2022 has on offer. Though the following review was sold as a Predacon, many know him as a Maximal. It's time to tell his tale to those who ask. To tell it truly, the ill deeds along with the good, and let him be judged accordingly. Up next: Dinobot.

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.