33. Power of the Primes Orthia limbs - Some of the worst Combiner limbs we got in the mid-2010s, and somehow even more samey than the Aerialbots despite their colors. Lousy combiner joint kibble integration, mediocre articulation, and altmodes that are more nondescript than anything else. The funniest part? They put two of the members in the Siege line, so we had to wait another year to complete Orthia, and even funnier is how the green one became incredibly sought after. Why a mid mold is worth the triple digits is beyond me.
32. Collaborative Blue Booster & Wingtail - It sucks that a Sonic/Transformers collab finally came true as someone who loves both franchises, but boy, are these molds rough. The altmodes look decent, but one robot mode looks decent, and another one has kibble placement that looks rough as hell; and people claim ROTF Mixmaster was a mess, yet he's refined in comparison!
31. G1 Insecticon trio - These three are basic and not entirely worth nearly $30, but getting them for cheap is always a treat. Unique bug modes and transformations, Energon cube accessories, and silver paint being a good substitute for chrome, I can't really complain too much. Not pictured: Ramhorn because Unicron thought he was a chocolate bar in cassette mode.
30. Cybertron Clocker & Brakedown GTS - Back when Scout Class figures were reasonably affordable and pretty fun toys on their own. While Clocker and Brakedown may not be the best showcases of the size class, they still represent that Hot Wheels fun we got with the Velocitron designs.
29. Power of the Primes Battleslash/Roadtrap - Individually, one is a decent Legends figure, and the other one is ass. Together, they make a pretty dynamic Duocon overall. Battletrap isn't perfect, but I appreciate it for being more creative than other Legends figures, minus Slash who I hope we get at a larger scale.
28. Energon Starscream - Not a bad version of the character, especially with that sweet dark clear plastic and the heavy level of sculptwork, but the smaller size combined with the articulation holds him back somewhat. I wish he had a Voyager figure for Legacy Evolution, but nooooo, Hasbro is afraid of representing Energon proper beyond a measly Core Class Megatron.
27. G1 Blaster - He may be oversized compared to every G1 character who was taller than him in most media, but he is a nice, chunky G1 toy all around. Admittedly, he has slightly less articulation than Soundwave, and for some reason, Hasbro had the stickers for the sun/mane on the back of Steeljaw rather than the front, as one would expect (might be a long-term design oversight).
26. Thrilling 30 Sky-Byte - Age of the Primes wins / As a Faithful update, yet / Thrilling 30's fine.
25. Titans Return Slugslinger - The dual-cockpit Targetmaster may look better in the Age of the Primes 2-pack with Sandstorm, but the mold itself is still good overall. Would have been neat if Titan Masters could pilot either cockpit.
24. Energon Optimus Prime - He may be fat as hell and looks like Megazord in his Super Mode, but I won't lie when I say his design creativity is so underrated. I wish we got a Legacy version or an AOTP update, but at least his articulation is better than the original Armada Prime. The Superlink Grand Convoy looks better, though.
23. Cybertron Landmine - This is the Takara version from Galaxy Force named Guardshell. Both toys are identical, just about, despite TFWiki saying he has his grey parts in silver. While most people would probably use the Energon design because IDW repurposed it for their comic runs (of course, they would), this is still a solid take on the character that also makes me think of Armada's Smokescreen and Scavenger. Plus, he is mentioned in the Cybertron intro when Optimus talks about how our worlds are in danger.
22. Go! Hunter Smokescreen - Sure, Takara's version of the mold looks closer to the cartoon than the Hasbro version, but there are still various paint apps missing on this figure, like the faux headlights and the vents in the altmode. I would have loved to see them include the removable accessories since Takara still kept the ones for Shockwave and only painted them black, so maybe having them be silver would work fine on this figure. Regardless, the more accurate deco is a step closer to a definitive TFP Smokescreen (for anyone wondering, the AOTP version is still being reviewed).
21. Cybertronian Megatron - His articulation is limited in some spaces, and the altmode depends on the fusion cannon to look complete, but at least this Megatron can bend at the knees properly as well as look more dynamic in his sculpt rather than look as if it depended on being an FOC pretool.
20. Battle Blade Bumblebee/Movie the Best Laserbeak - Both of them are placed together because they work the same, more or less, just that Battle Blade is a leaner sculpt while DOTM is meant to better match the slight model tweaks we got from the movie with the chest. Admittedly, the reused leg transformation we got since 2007 does mean we still lack ankle rockers, but these were good steps towards making a more definitive sculpt with the accuracy found on the MPM and some Studio Series versions.
19. Cybertronian Optimus Prime - In some ways, the Studio Series version does things better than this one, yet I will always appreciate it for not feeling so cheap to the point that it has a quality comparable to a knockoff. The original Deluxe manages to be pretty close to the old game model, even as a Deluxe from a time when Generations only had that size class, and nothing felt compromised or held back despite what other characters went through. Plus, the spring-loaded gun is always addictive as hell, and at least he won't have to partsform. Even the sculpted insignia on his back is awesome.
18. Adventure Ultra Magnus - Yes, this figure pales in comparison to the First Edition, but that mostly applies to the Optimus tooling. Magnus, meanwhile, manages to be even better than I expected, thanks to his opaque forearms and a more dynamic design that the PRID mold did better justice to as Magnus than as Optimus. I still wish the hammer the seller sent to me had gold paint.
17. Energon Demolishor - He may look like Long Haul and also is a technical downgrade (why phase out a tank design for a dump truck?), but the altmode is still pretty neat, while the transformation and robot mode are fun to mess around with. That Hyper attack is stupid yet so fitting when it comes to using that dump bed.
16. Rodimus Unicronus - Kingdom may have given us a more definitive Rodimus Prime figure, but when it comes to having the evil recolor, the Power of the Primes version works more than fine as either a Dark Hot Rod homage or a Shattered Glass Rodimus whose able to combine with his trailer. Not a perfect toy, but the black makes him better overall for cohesion and color matching than the Autobot version.
15. Retro Seaspray - Hey, look, a version of Seaspray we can get without waiting for a cartoon version to come out. Just slap on the eye decals, and you're all set. That being said, this guy may be neat as a larger-scale version of that sailorbot, but a different, far cooler version of himself will be even higher on the list.
14. Go! Hunter Optimus Prime - While the figure itself is flawed from being a hollow toy that pretended being dense as an illusion of getting more out of your money, it was at least able to redeem itself by being one of the few Beast Hunters upgrades we got in the show, and the design itself is an underrated look for Optimus in not just the Aligned continuity but all of Transformers as a whole. The Takara version's use of blue instead of green is much appreciated, too.
13. Dr. Wu Little Monster - The Movieverse has the best version of Wheelie, so this Megan Fox enjoyer naturally gets the best figure possible from a third-party company when Hasbro only gave us a microscopic figurine along with Brains as Shockwave's accessories. Articulation is pretty good at this scale, both modes are scrappy and adorable, and the transformation is surprisingly complex at this scale.
12. Energon Megatron - Not content with a small sliver of Energon rep in the Legacy United line, I went ahead and bought Energon Megatron. This is how you balance chunky fun with cool engineering and all around designwork. Not only does he have a good amount of articulation, but the transformation is straightforward and satisfying without ever putting me to sleep. I also love the spring loaded knee pads and fists whenever I turn him into his robot mode. The Galvatron recolor may look even better, but this is still a toy so nice I want to get the Ultra Class version to.accompany it!
11. 2007 Stockade - While he has no bicep rotation, Stockade manages to be a cool addition to the first movie line based on the SUV that had a freaky, face-hugging steering wheel with Sector 7 markings on it. The design is friendly for a Decepticon, but that's where the Gears repaint steps in. Either way, it's a good toy all around.
10. Animated Grimlock - What a fun reimagining of the character; this is more than just Hasbro doing their Evergreen crap like they did since 2018; this may resemble G1 Grimlock, but the animatronic like aesthetics and muncher look give him a whole lot of personality beyond just doing a slight tweak to the G1 character. The chomping gimmick and sword flames are cool, too.
9. Beast Hunters SDCC Shockwave & Predaking - I wish I got the Go! Hunter version, but this repaint isn't too far off from the Shockwave colors if a bit oversaturated. Ignoring the G1 influence, this mold is one of the better options from the Beast Hunters line from the decent heft of the toy to the gimmick not intruding the left arm-ticulation like with Energon Shockblast. Predaking is neat but I wish the playset was included when I bought them.
8. Age of Extinction Rusty Optimus Prime - This mold is popular for multiple reasons: Geewun altmode, custom potential, accurate bot mode proportions, and consistently good articulation. We'll see how well the Studio Series version will turn out, but I love the Rusty deco for being very close to the truck prop in Age of Extinction, especially compared to the usual red and blue.
7. Hunt for the Decepticons Highbrow - I was happy to buy this toy, because it's Highbrow...It was so good it earned this spot, because it's Highbrow...He's near the top for this year, and I know why know, YAAY YAY! Because it's Highbrow, because it's Highbrow, HypeGuy drinks up white out! LA LA LA LA LA LA
6. Masterpiece Bluestreak - What a lovely repaint for the Datsun mold. While the character never had this color in most G1 media back then, the metallic blue and silver combo is just too good to pass, especially compared to his other color schemes. It also holds up pretty well for a 2010s Masterpiece long before they focused too much on cartoon accuracy.
5. Revenge of the Fallen Lockdown - While I was never against the AOE design, this one feels way more badass in comparison. Sure, it seems hypocritical to bash IDW for using non-G1 characters while doing a 180 with this, but at least it was a cool figure all around and from a time when it mostly paying tribute to Animated rather than plucking random post-G1 characters because IDW writers are likely doubting how popular their OCs truly are. I wish the rubber bits are less pliable while also being painted silver, but this is a marvelously designed figure.
4. Sea Spray - Now this is a badass Seaspray figure. Instead of being a more poseable version of his G1 stumpybot, this is a beefy reimagining that looks like he's ready to either fight competently along with the Autobots or wreck and rule with the Wreckers. Easily the best version of the character we are ever going to get, screw Geewun faithfulness!
3. Railspike/Rapid Run/Midnight Express - Raiden was kind of average for what he offers, even if the trains were nicer in the MPG line than with the old toys, but what about Rail Racer? What a surprisingly sleek combiner! He feels like he isn't made up of 3 train robots and is instead his own guy! While he lacks any limb swapping feature like with Landfill or Ruination, he at least has a light up gun in addition to being more refined unlike Landfill and is still a new mold unlike Ruination.
2. Trypticon - There is no other Titan like this dude, from the humongous size we no longer get due to the downscaling they're doing, in addition to his beast mode being what we get instead of a robot mode. Even the Titan Master integration used for Full Tilt only while Trypticon remains unchanged is a bonus. So what could possibly trump this Titan?
1. Cybertron Megatron - I just love how much we go further into the Unicron influences during the Unicron Trilogy. We go from a G2-esque Megatron for Armada into a Galvatron-esque design for Energon into one that feels brand new. I love the radical color scheme almost taking elements of his prior two decos, the robot mode looks perfectly dynamic while using parts of Unicron's design, and the altmode is unlike anything Megatron used before and since Cybertron aired. The best part? His Galvatron repaint is even better!
And that wraps everything up. Hope we get to see some surprises for 2026, what with it being the best time to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Dark of the Moon, the 25th anniversary of Robots in Disguise 2001, and the 30th anniversary of Beast Wars. The 1986 movie can go fuck itself with how much Hasbro wants to shove it down our throats despite doing that already for the past 10 years.
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