As always, we'll begin with the Core Class line-up of figures introduced in Studio Series 2 years ago, and this may sadly be the final rodeo for smaller-than-Deluxe characters. We may see them included with larger characters as some sort of price-hike justification, like Ramhorn can come with Perceptor to desperately be a Voyager Class set. But for now, let's look back on this mixed bag of a quartet of molds.
4. Steeljaw - Hasbro, what were you smoking when making this shitty excuse of a cassette deployer??? As much as I hate hearing Geewunners boast about their toys being the best, the original Steeljaw is worlds better than this dumbass piece of shit.
3. Concept Art Rumble/Frenzy - The Concept Art subline really is Hasbro trying hard to bulk up the Bumblebee movie roster more than it is trying to make characters who actually were meant to appear in a prior movie, huh? I'd be fine with Rumble if he matched the Battle at Half Dome design, but this toy, with its lackluster arm articulation, puny size, and pathetic alt mode, make this a worse figure than the pegwarming Ravage. At least Ravage was decently articulated. Also, Frenzy is a slap in the face for anyone hoping to complete the 2007 Decepticon collection.
2. Starscream - Now we have some genuine quality! This version's altmode looks much better than the Voyager while also having a transformation that feels somewhat more straightforward than its larger toy. Robot mode does have stiff neck rotation, but at least he looks sleeker than the Voyager. Still odd how he and Shockwave were some of the large-scale characters to receive Cores if you exclude Bumblebee (since he was redecoed from tiny dude Laserbeak) and the 86 characters like Ironhide.
1. Mohawk - The Last Knight may have sucked ass, but that doesn't stop me from loving this figure. The bike mode matches the on-screen altmode fairly well, the transformation is somewhat unique, robot mode has some of that personality representing Mohawk's loudmouth nature, and his removable head has an articulated jaw to boot! Now we need more of Megatron's shortlived crew.
Moving on to the main numbering system, I am including the two characters from Transformers One despite them being unconnected from the 7 live-action movies. Not only is it much easier to label this section as "mainline films" to separate them from the 1986 and Gamer Edition sublines, but there is so little TFOne rep that it wouldn't make sense to separate them. Let's carry on.
8. Megatron (TF One) - For as rushed and watered-down as the film was, seeing D-16 become Megatron near the end of the movie was the one thing I liked most. From pulling Megatronus's T-Cog out of the dead Sentinel's body to him sounding less like the "stronger friend" character trope seen in many animated films to a pretty convincing Megatron, it did make me intrigued in owning the Studio Series figure as it's release date got closer. Sadly, it suffers from some uncharacteristically long legs (or having the hips connected to the skirt armor), having no silver paint despite the movie coating him in that color, not featuring the bulked out fusion cannon in this form, and missing the Decepticon insignia either etched by Sentinel or stamped at the end. Likely because of the mandate in having most of the characters in the Deluxe scale, Megatron suffers from having basic engineering that includes making a chunk of the altmode detached out of the box. Like with Legacy United Quake, it's not technically partsforming, but it shows how held back some characters could be in this scale.
7. Skywarp - After no Seeker repaints popped up in 2023, Skywarp at least completes the OG trio, though he still retains all the flaws from the other non-Thrust versions of the mold. I also have to knock points off for the bent up nosecones and the stress marks on some of the parts near it in robot mode; the opaque cockpit is also going to throw many off for how it doesn't match the more translucent ones on the other Seekers. And while this is the deco that he had in the movie, I think it looks more like a generic Seeker than a proper Skywarp. And Thew thought Siege Skywarp looked washed out!
6. Shockwave - It was about time this thicc-thighed Thoccwave got a larger toy after only having a Core Class figure in 2022. While that part is cool, he does function rather similarly to the smaller toy, albeit with the benefit of having his hands and wrists hidden away. That being said, I despise how he has no bicep rotation. We can have two thighs swivels but no bicep swivels? About as stupid of a choice as putting the Geewun designs in the beginning of the Bumblebee movie. OH!
5. Scorponok - Even though this Predacon is now a Troopbuilder that didn't transform (sadly), this figure did make me wish he actually had the concept art utilized in the movie. With how toyetic the Buzzworthy version looked, I'm happy to report that the same isn't said with this monstrous design. I also like that for once the scorpion claws become part of the shoulders rather than the forearms, and using the tail as a whip also works. Sadly, the ball-jointed feet are rather loose, and my copy's hips are unusually sticky. Not in a liquid substance way but for how stiff they are in addition to the plastic feeling slightly flexible. Still, this at least makes me interested in having Double Punch in 2025, and I am interested in a hypothetical Sandstorm.
5. Megatron (Concept Art) - For as overrated as the design and hype towards this figure can get, I at least appreciate the ideas this figure provides; this mainly revolves around a triple-changing Megatron, having as much articulation as possible, and even the fan mode potential many have taken advantage of. That being said, the two altmodes suck in either appearance or stability, he is missing wheels in the tank treads for a Leader Class, and doesn't have much in the form of accessories to loosely justify his price tag. I'm glad he was cut from the movie, but we'll see if the G.I.Joe crossover will fuck things up with continuity even more than the last few movies have.
3. Wheeljack - Forget that Downshift-looking dude. This is the real Wheeljack of the movie continuity! Even more screen-accurate than the mainline Deluxe, Jackie benefits from a more accurate transformation, altmode, and bot mode proportions. Sadly, he still has a generic gun, the transformation is more annoying to work with, and the wings are facing the wrong way. I wish there would be upgrade kits to fix that, but it seems butthurt mf's are more obsessed with giving him a Geewun head.
2. Optimus Prime (TF One) - Even though I don't like the newest movie, I do like this figure apart from a few issues. The beige doesn't look that great, even if he did have a champagne tint on the silvery parts. His axe is somewhat inaccurate, the crotch comes off easily, and the cannons are useless in bot mode, but the transformation is decent, the robot mode looks accurate, the truck mode is more convincing as a Cybertronian design than the Siege version, and he even features a Matrix in this scale. With a larger scale, he could be even better, but this is an A-Level Deluxe due to Hasbro wanting the figures to be more accessible...even though $25 for a Deluxe ain't cheap.
1. Sunstreaker - A surprisingly good figure, Sunstreaker won me over with how inventive he felt, what with the alt mode having a mix of Corvette and Lamborghini elements, the versatility of his guns, and a design that isn't quite as Geewunish as other Autobots are. I wouldn't mind if he was in the movie since he'd be less likely to break continuity. He could use some black paint in bot mode, but he is a welcome addition regardless. Bonus points for making him an almost perfect companion for Gamer Edition Sideswipe.
Given how the 40th anniversary of the Transformers franchise mainly gave far too much attention to G1 than the 30th anniversary, the 86 subline continues getting more attention than it really needs at this rate, we have figures from that film to go over. Luckily, next year will change things up with the addition of Devastator. Until then, here are the characters we got this year:
8 and 7. Dead Ratchet and Brawn - A companion piece for the dead IronProwl set, this RatchBrawn set does a similar schtick of making Ratchet utilize no opaque parts, giving Brawn a torso molded in its color rather than have it painted on, and adding damage as well as screaming heads. Not much else to write home about at this rate with the concept, but it's proof that Hasbro will milk this fucking movie till it's dry no matter what.
6. Scrapheap - Another Junkion retool made without one present in 2023, possibly since Junkyard warmed shelves. He at least has a gun and still has retooled parts of his own. Still, I'm through with this mold with how barely different the regular Junkions are. Good thing Legacy Evolution changed things up with their unique designs.
5. Blaster - A Target-exclusive variant of Kingdom Blaster, this version has brighter grays, a white face, and opaque plastic for the chest and Eject. If you got the original, you can skip on this. If you never got that version somehow, you could have gotten this. I did when the ROTB DVD was on discount, and it was a good bargain. Still, WHY WASN'T THIS WHAT WE GOT IN THE FIRST PLACE?!
4. Springer - As much as I don't like the way Hasbro had to justify calling this a Leader Class toy due to the triple-changing aspect Siege handled as a Voyager back then, the retooling and accessory count does attempt to justify it. I appreciate the new accessories and the efforts they put in retooling this figure. There is room for improvement, however, mainly for covering the wheels in helicopter mode as well as covering the gaps in the back of the robot legs. This may as well be the last Springer I'll need after thinking Siege would be it.
3. Bumblebee - I thought Netflix would be it for a G1 Bumblebee in my CHUG display, but then this figure popped up and may be a little more definitive in some cases. His alt mode rooftop could be rounder and his windows blue instead of black, but the latter can be fixed with Reprolabels unless you're fine with the toy-accuracy. I like that the figure captures the chibi proportions of the G1 series while also adding an Autobot insignia on the chest and hiding the one on the hood in bot mode. No partsforming is needed this time, though I can always have Legacy Goldbug be the design using the Netflix tooling.
2. Swoop - The G1 Dinobots are finally complete, and I'm happy to report that Swoop managed to be better than I expected. He has a good amount of accessories as well as a solid wingspan in Dino mode to make up for his leaner proportions, and I appreciate that his transformation isn't super basic. Swoop could have easily been a Voyager, but making him a Leader works well just so he can be in equal footing with his fellow Dinobots. He even has a sword meant for Grimlock. That being said, still waiting for the AOE Dinobots, Hasbro.
1. Optimus Prime (Commander Class) - Too easy and predictable. Still, I'd argue this toy has a great amount of passion put into it, arguably more than other Commanders apart from Earthrise Sky Lynx, Legacy Evolution Armada Prime, and this year's United Magmatron. While he is a textbook example of a mini-Masterpiece, the engineering thankfully isn't riddled with BS, the accessories he comes with are plentiful, and the trailer feels as dense as the G1 versions (for the most part). There are some things I'd fix, but he still feels like the final CHUG-scale Prime fans need, and I hope people get their hands on this instead of that shitty Devastation Deluxe Prime.
And finally, Gamer Edition takes the spotlight to wrap things up soon. Let's quickly go over Reactivate Bumblebee for a moment; he looks cool and represents a bit more creativity than other Reactivate designs using the G1/evergreen looks but with post-apocalyptic aesthetics. However, this was never part of the Studio Series line originally and thus won't be included. Stay tuned for where I place him in my miscellaneous Transformers ranking list. Spoiler alert, it may happen sooner than Reactivate updates.
4. Decepticon Soldier - As a heavy retool of Barricade, this Genericon consists of a chunkier bot mode design than the bad cop had, though with faintly painted metallic green accents on a light gray body. The head is kind of neat, and the figure is somehow less disappointing than Barricade. Maybe it's because I had fewer expectations for a no-name than a legacy-ish character. The mold is still mid, though.
3. Starscream - Looking more obese than the old toy, this Starscream suffers from a shorter wingspan, a bigger torso, and weapons that are mostly awkward for him to hold with how the handles are. The melee weapon especially looks goofy without him holding it in a higher part of the handle. Articulation is at least comparable to the old Deluxe, but there is a ton of room for improvement. I doubt Skywarp would be any better.
2. Sideswipe - This guy is not as bad as I anticipated. Though he suffers from having no ankle pivots, I can at least say more effort was out into this design thanks to a more inventive transformation, weapon integration that fits his proportions, and overall being an improvement from the old Deluxe, which was retooled from that shitty Deluxe Jazz mold from FOC.
1. Ratchet - The best Gamer Edition figure we got yet, and it does at least prove that making these kinds of figures is not downright impossible for Hasbro. His alt mode and bot mode are equally good, articulation isn't missing any key points like ankle pivots, there is storage for the weapon and - *GASP* - the right forearm, too?! The only issues I have are how cheap the white plastic sort of feels without a wash to reduce the likelihood of this toy yellowing, and the arms can be somewhat shorter if it weren't for the shoulder pads. Still, those are handled better than on Legacy Laser Prime and Armada Megatron.
And that about wraps it up for the 2024 line-up! We'll see how good 2025 can be, with a mostly promising lineup of figures in the first wave alone, but we also have more figures coming soon with Que and a long-overdue AOE Prime joined with a new G1 Megatron and other Constructicons. Let's just hope 2025 manages to be tolerable as a year.
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