The final chapter of the Legacy line comes to an end with the United waves now taken care of. One more wave is coming out soon, as it mostly consists of redecoes and catch-up releases for anyone that missed out on their original runs, this makes for a grand time to reflect back on a line with added rep for Animated, brilliant choices for Commander and Titan Class figures, and a surprising G1 Prime among others. Let's rank every figure from worst to best, just remember that this is my personal list and to not be a pest!
Let's quickly go over certain releases that need an honorable mention each. Soundwave, though appreciative for fans who never got the original version in 2020, shows the need for tooling changes to better justify the Leader Class price tag; adding gap fillers, articulated fingers, and removing even more remnants of the Siege toy would go a long way. The cassette partners are neat, though it will be annoying for people to have to wait for another chance at buying Laserbeak and Ratbat. As for Dinoking, though the new accessories and retooled robot heads are great, the figures are still the same from the Legacy Evoluton Dinobots, only with more love and attention applied.
I also have to give a shout-out to the Star Raider Collection, specifically the heavily retooled Cannonball and Filch. Though one was a retool of Legacy Skids and another a retool of Kingdom Airazor, the efforts put into them make for impressive figures in this Walmart-exclusive subline. Sure, some could show some love to Ferak, and others would argue Lockdown is great apart from his short legs, but I'm happy to see a more streamlined version of the Cybertron Red Alert design while another adds some long-overdue RID15 Decepticon rep.
Now that the honorable mentions covering figures reused from prior lines are over, let's get to covering the Core Class figures right away! Sadly, the Legacy United line has them at a rather smaller quantity than expected. 6 releases and only 4 molds were newly made in this line. Regardless, it's best to take one last look back at the Core Class figures now that Hasbro is going to discontinue the size class...though it should be mentioned that I'll revisit Legacy's complete three years of Core Class figures when I take a look at the whole line.
4. Bouldercrash/Geocron - These two Infernac Tricycles feel like bikeformers we've seen before in the Core Class line, mostly with the transformations and where their body parts go. Though the rocky aesthetics make them unique combined with either the ruby-red paint apps on Bouldercrash or the metallic lavendar on Geocron, both don't really have much else to offer that would make them stand out in the line-up, and their weapon mode was lame.
3. Tasmania Kid - After Rattrap stood out for being the sole Maximal in the Core Class series, Tasmania Kid joins him and serves as a great companion to Lio Convoy and/or non-TV show characters if named as Snarl. The transformation thankfully isn't that different from the rodent of the Kingdom line, though the way the weapon integrates in the toy is kind of stupid. I also don't like how the open hands don't do much for this toy beyond maybe karate chops.
2. Energon Megatron/Galvatron - An almost perfect miniature representation of the Ultra or Leader toy, this figure retains a transformation similar to the original toy while adding slightly more articulation, with thigh swivels and the elbows now on ball joints. Though he can't do the hyper mode or remove the blade from the tank, those aren't issues I have with the toy compared to the knees not utilizing pins (making them pop off rather easily) while the cannons don't stay in their shoulders as well if pointed up versus pointing forwards. With some better tolerances, this mold could have been ranked higher.
1. Beast Machines Cheetor - Yes, this figure received a higher rank than the more beloved Energon Megatron design (because it looked like G1 Galvatron). Yes, this "ugly" design of the youthful Maximal made it in first place. Why is that, you might ask? Because it not only manages to be show-accurate, but it also includes a good level of articulation in addition to retaining a decently sharp sculpt for both figures. It's not like other Core Class figures we've had before with the lean proportions, and it's a shame that he's the sole form of rep for Beast Machines. He, like Energon Galvatron, are definitely outnumbered compared to regular Beast Wars, both Japanese Beast Era sequels, and the first and third chapters of the Unicron Trilogy.
After the Core Class figures are covered, it's now time to tackle the figures from Deluxes to beyond. As always, I will be including any retools that are heavily different the original versions of the molds we previously had, so that means Doom & Destruction Rukus and Fractured Friendship Optimus Prime wouldn't count. With that taken care of, let us cover the line for a second-to-last time.
20. Quake - A very mediocre retool of a mold with a mixed reception, this version of Quake leaves me scratching my head with how the quality control issues with the legs coming apart went past the quality control department. Not only that, but the altmode is straight up ass, and the Targetmasters slathered in paint without having them molded in a specific plastic color where needed makes the barrels detach and the pegs ill-fitting in tolerances.
19. Origins Wheeljack - We finally have a transformable version of Wheeljack as he appeared in MTMTE Part 1, but who expected him to gain some weight in the process? I guess this was the best Hasbro could do for a door-stopper of an altmode. While making this figure a Voyager would explain why the vehicle mode feels big, it doesn't stop the toy from feeling cheaper than usual. If I'm honest, I find the idea interesting overall, but the execution is where I wish it was handled better than it currently is.
18. Squeezeplay - Like a lot of late-G1 characters, the alt mode design looks stupid as hell while the robot mode looks fairly okay, but the Generations line manages to make the overall appearance somewhat salvageable. Much like Fangry, Squeezeplay is a retool of a Titans Return figure, that being Mindwipe. Though he thankfully lacks the frail joints that hold the wing pieces, I feel there are issues with how the hips detach from the Titan Master way too easily while the use of ball joints on the shoulders and the lack of wrist rotation are aspects of this figure that make the toy less like the concurrent WFC/Legacy line. Still happy to see another newish post-Titans Return figure in another 4-pack, which also includes 3 great repaints/retools.
17. Magneous/Nucleous/Calcitron -One of two Infernac Universe molds we received in the line, this rocky car turns into a fairly stocky "robot" with a synched waist so small it'd make Pixar moms look proportionate by comparison. I do appreciate that we have new tooling for some of these figures, whether it's a new head to go with a specific deco or having Nucleous's parts further retooled from what the other uses already have. Still, I feel that the transformation has a somewhat rough quality to how parts scrape into each other without a needed amount of space. It's something you would better understand if you play with it in-hand, but your mileage may vary.
16. Tigerhawk - While more refined in terms of aesthetics and sculptwork than the original toy, it all comes at the cost of removing any spring-loaded gimmicks and a few missed opportunities, such as a visor meant for the tiger head or filling in those hollow spaces of the wings, I do appreciate having another Fuzor-type character join the collection, but I do find the overall figure's quality could be better if it had a few more tweaks added and further gaps filled in.
15. Cybertron Vector Prime - As a retool of Jhiaxus, I appreciate the efforts put in making the figure look as faithful to the original toy as humanly possible, though I do find some issues need to be rectified, mostly with joint tolerance, the hinges used to hold the wings, and the lack of Safeguard; the third example does make me wonder how much money Hasbro saved from using previously-made figures for their retools. Not saying there isn't enough to make the price justifiable, but it still feels lacking somewhat.
14. Animated Bumblebee - Though not exactly 1:1 to how Bee appeared in the series, I really love seeing how this design turned out...for the most part. Articulation is good, the head sculpt better matches the Animated aesthetics with the asymmetrical placement of the smirk, and he retains the rockets and stingers, though I really feel concerned about the clear plastic's longevity, especially given Hasbro's prior history with the materials. We'll see how much can be fixed with Fugitive Wasp.
13. Shard - The second Infernac Universe character we have, I really like how the design for this character turned out when it comes to being leaner overall, befitting the almost diamond-like aspect of this concept. The altmode is unusual for heavy materials, but the weapon versatility is neat with the blades as well as the turbines, and the unique color scheme of green, sea green, and teal, helps her stand out from the rest of the Infernac characters. Shame we didn't get much from this toyline when it comes to the Rock Lord homages. In fact, can Hasbro stop trying to use a line-specific gimmick if it'll go nowhere near the end?
12. Fuzor Silverbolt - While the original version of the character was great, Hasbro went a step further by adding sharper details, better articulation, and closer show-accuracy to the cartoon model. Granted, Silverbolt could really use a fitting facial expression, like a smirk or snarl, and some shading could really go a long way, but at least this design has been done with proper justice as with many Beast Wars characters since Kingdom. Another great addition to the roster of Scott McNiel characters.
11. Sandstorm - A Triple Changer that is dense in plastic as well as utilizing as much engineering, Sandstorm succeeds in having his altmodes look as good as possible, from the dune buggy not being mostly shite apart from a few gaps or proportionate oddities to the helicopter mode looking fairly seamless beyond the odd propeller looking like a step-ladder. He could use articulated fingers and maybe an alternate head without the mouthplate, but the figure still succeeds in being a better triple-changing figure than most of the Leader Class triple-changers. His cage comes with a functional winch, and he even has rubber tires!...just keep him away from toys with painted areas because he sort of fucked up my Kingdom Rodimus.
10. Gears/Small Foot - 10 years after that retool of Thrilling 30 Swerve, we get a more refined Deluxe version of the grumpy Minibot; not only that, but we get a reuse with a new head to represent the G1 GoBot known as Small Foot! The Gears mold has impressive articulation for a Deluxe at his height, and the transformation is thankfully not too boring. Meanwhile, the altmode looks somewhat wonky, with the tiny wheels and the toyish proportions on a GMC Topkick-looking altmode. Either way, I love this mold, and I hope we get a Windcharger soon.
9. Cyberverse Windblade/Slipstream - Remember when Windblade was hyped up the ass by Hasbro since 2014, making her a big deal in the IDW comics, then in RID15, then in the Prime Wars Trilogy, and having to hang out with Bumblebee in the first season of Cyberverse before we saw less of her around the time of the "controversial" Flame Toys Windblade model kit? While this figure isn't 100% perfect in terms of engineering, I do appreciate that Hasbro managed to make the aesthetics somewhat match the show, meaning you could put her with the rest of the Deluxes in Cyberverse and she won't stick out too weirdly. Though I admit she could also be in a G1 display if you want. Slipstream needs more retooling if she wants to even remotely be a Cyberverse version of herself.
8. Rescue Bots Chase/TFP Cliffjumper - Finally, we get some love for the Rescue Bots! Chase gets a long-overdue upgrade from being a one-step gimmick toy into a traditional Transformer figure, with a transformation that doesn't feel too similar to the Wheeljack sequence despite the similar part layout, and the claw weapon doesn't seem too out of place given the Rescue Bots' reliance on tools rather than ormal weapons unless you remove the pincers. The Cliffjumper retool is also great, being the best of the TFP Autobots in the Legacy line by being faithful enough to the original design while still having the altered aesthetics. He could pass for a TF Universe MMORPG version of himself while Bulkhead could be a proper G1 version of himself without repurposing the proper TFP toys (and Arcee is mid in Legacy).
7. Animated Optimus Prime/Motormaster - I'm thankful that Optimus doesn't feel too deviated from the proper Animated aesthetics; though the legs aren't super stylized, he still retains that unique anime influence for the upper body's dynamic proportions, and the headsculpt feels like the closest to the show than the other heads from prior toys. I'm also happy to see his axe match the show compared to the original Voyager using an inaccurate design (or the Deluxe from the Battle Begins set having it be held at the bottom). Articulation is impressive thanks to the double-jointed elbows and buttery smooth leg joints, and I'm stoked to see all of these applied onto Motormaster, who has his unique head sculpt to boot. Thank you Hasbro for not making me pay triple digits for a BotCon redeco!
6. G1 Optimus Prime - Imagine having the balls to call this "Missing Link at Home" when there is a sense of passion put into this little dude. Recreating the G1 Optimus Prime toy design with modern engineering is already an interesting idea, but selling it at a more reasonable price is also a good treat. I don't mind the smaller size, because at least there is a good amount of poseability other than weirdly having the hands static while the feet rotate at the ankles. I wish the wheels and smokestacks were painted, but there is a lot more love put into this toy than the incoming SS86 Deviation Optimus Prime, who screams "corporate-mandated" by comparison.
5. Cybertron Hot Shot - Hasbro stepped their game up in making an already great Deluxe even better with this new version of the mold. Yes, he's lighter and his gimmick isn't spring-loaded anymore, but his articulation is improved slightly with the help of some swivels for the wrists, waist, and thighs in addition to some ankle joints. The proportions also keep him from looking static in a vanilla pose, feeling a little more dynamic overall. I hope we get some repaints in future lines, like Excellion, Shattered Glass Goldbug, and even Breakaway for some 2007 movie repaint nostalgia.
4. Thundertron - Anyone remembered Thundertron in the Transformers Prime toyline? Anyone else read his adventures in the novels? I'm surprised we got two similarly-colored versions of the toy, with the original being in darker colors that I'd argue look better, while the Star Raiders 3-pack version has a TFP-accurate head (al beit with an eyepatch) as well as lighter colors to match the icy theme of the gift set. The hook hand is new, but I'm honestly more of a fan of the original version. The new version's headsculpt is more fitting for a TFP display, though. In fact, I'm putting my Thundertron in my TFP display. Which one, we'll see.
3. Cybertron Starscream - I was originally going to buy the Cybertron version of the Voyager mold, but this popped up and succeeds overall with its superior articulation, faithful design and transformation, and even doing what Takara did in having the blades deployed from the arms while the blaster remains a separate accessory a la the old Voyager. Once again, Hasbro managed to lock in, or cook as Gen Beta would say, not fucking up any important details beyond maybe the cannons near the cockpit not articulate or the legs lack in detail. In any case, I'm still excited to see a Seeker mold as poseable as the Siege Seeker mold get plenty of repaints over the years, such as the Toys R Us repaint that looks like Thrust, a Dirge redeco that came with a Roadbuster redecoed from Cybertron Defense Hot Shot, etc.
2. Armada Tidal Wave - Did you think I would put this figure in the number 1 spot?! Think again, because while TW is awesome, I do admit that he could have been better in some spots here and there. Firstly, we are once again missing a Minicon partner in the form of Ramjet. Not only that, but I am disappointed that the toy can't transform into robot mode while in the combined ship mode; the base mode to make up for it isn't too great since it looks like the base mode that any robot toy could pull off. The rest of the toy works fine, be it as a unit, as a single vehicle, and then as part of the Darkfleet (though the vehicle that forms the legs doesn't stay together that well). The mini fleet to go with Megatron is also a good compromise for the size discrepancy, though I wish the gaps can be filled in if they're not present.
1. Magmatron - A surprise addition to the Legacy United line, this character blows my mind with how crazy the transformation works from jamming three different beasts into either a ridiculous single-unit mode or a Megazord-looking design with the asymmetrical head shoulders. While many would look at the Ultra Class toy from long ago and wonder how much has changed, I'd say this figure benefits from having more refined details all around. Sure, we lack any spring-loaded gimmicks, but this figure retains as much of the personality while utilizing modern engineering to make the figure a lot more refined than it previously was in the late 90s. While I may like SS86 Optimus Prime, the Legacy line wins once again with having a more interesting Commander Class figure. Spoiler alert for 2025, but I don't know if some jetformer with a fear of heights would be better or worse than two construction dudes.
And that covers the third and final chapter of the Legacy United line. Stay tuned for the reflection on the entire line, spanning from the beginning of 2022 to the last few weeks of this year! I'll try to make as many pictures as possible, assuming I'd get more figures based on the rest of the molds originating in the line. We'll see how many gaps I have missing, but stay tuned and be on the lookout for when that post comes out. It'll be as big as the WFC trilogy one.
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