Tough question actually. Personally, I'd go with Armada as far as the playability of toys. But, G1 toys will always be a favorite I think. So...final answer...Armada.
Comparing Armada to G1 is a little like comparing the Lawn & Garden section of a Wal-Mart with an entire Wal-Mart. Narrowing down, I'll give Minicons the edge over Micromasters.
Ah, you were one step ahead of me... this is the angle I was going to take as well. Whatever faults the Armada mainline had (and admittedly, they were numerous ), Minicons redeemed the line from all its sins. As attachable gimmicks go, Minicons blew Headmasters, Targetmasters, and Powermasters completely out of the water. As toys, they boasted insightful and complex transformations that were sometimes more involved than bots three or four size classes larger. And here we are all these years later, still seeing Minicons on the shelf. Now THAT'S a successful, enduring gimmick!
Oh yeah the minicon gimmick is one of the best gimmicks to come out of the last 10 years of TFs. As for Micromasters vs Minicons, I would put them on par with each over, simply because Micromasters had some wonderful playsets to go with them and for the time micromasters were as cutting edge as the Minicons were during armada
I can't believe this question was even asked. Armada, I think, was the biggest TF toy letdown since BW.
It's a completely legitimate question. Different people grew up in different times, and some people that grew up with G1 have grown to accept new series. Many people could say the same thing about Beast Wars being the biggest disappointment in the Transformers lore, but are willing to accept it for what it was. I've never seen it, but according to the masses it had an awesome story and introduced new ways of articulating toys, and some day i plan on watching it, but some people just can't accept fur and scales on our 'bots and 'cons. Like I said before, I grew up with G1, but Armada was the series that brought me back into the hobby. Sure Armada had some stereotypically disappointing human characters...but so did G1. Animation errors and scripting errors were often on par...but we pick on Armada more because we were more attentive ADULTS while viewing it. As children we had no need to watch for errors, nor did we have a means of communication to discuss these errors in mass. I will not deny any love for G1, but I think its a shame that most of this thread involves people just asking to close the thread...and asking what the "real" question is. Each comment added should expand the discussion. I think Aernaroth had the right idea with comparing similar concepts such as Micromasters and Minicons. Maybe we should compare toys by character or subgroup, ie Optimus Prime vs Optimus Prime, Hotrod vs. Hotshot, Ratchet vs. Red Alert, Devastator vs Energon Constructicon Maximus, and so on and so forth. Personally I don't think any G1 toys can stand toe to toe with any modern toy. Sure we all buy re-issues, but mostly for display and nostalgic purposes, especially for those of us that had our collections given away . If I grew up with Armada, and my parents gave away my collection and Hasbro decided to re-issue the series 20 years later, I'd be all over them all over again (and I feel the same way even as an adult collector). I realize the thread is all about opinions, but surely there is a civil way to apply it here without pretending we are all mods and having the thread "closed."
The funny part about Armada bashing is, it's toyline was essentially what G1 was without the nostalgia.
You're missing out, man. Even if you have to envision Beast Wars as a completely separate franchise that just happens to resemble Transformers in order to make it palatable, you should watch the Beast Wars series ASAP. As to your comparisons, let's take a crack at them. Prime v. Prime. Okay, can we use Powermaster Prime / Ginrai here? I think that's a little closer in terms of comparison. Combination with trailer and later, second trailer? Check. Big guns? Check. "flight mode"? Check. Base mode for small transformers? Check. I think the real advantages of Armada Prime (other than the 8-10 years of technological advancement) are the strengths of the base Prime (bendy prime), which is a pretty good figure even by today's standards, whereas Powermaster Prime's cab is more a means to an end, designed to be crumpled up into a cube and forgotten about in the bigger mode, the automated transformation gimmick, which is cool (and pretty unique), and the fact that he combines with two separate transformers instead of just another trailer (though that's pretty much what overload is, and the apex armor trailer arguably has more effect on PM Prime than either of armada's combination partners). I call it a tie, but prefer the look of PM Prime. In toy terms, Hot Rod is nothing more than and ordinary targetmaster, albeit one of the best looking ones, whereas Hot Shot is one of the better figures of the Armada line, and one of the few examples where real the potential of the minicon gimmick shines through. He's loaded with features, especially for a toy his size. I think Bumblerod comes out in front in this pairing. Red Alert never struck me as all that great a toy, but G1 Ratchet is either a great design or an absolutely horrible design, depending on which side of the fence you're on. He's (and Ironhide, obviously) certainly one of the more unique molds of that first year of G1. In terms of characterizations, Ratchet probably wins. Devastator vs. Constructicon Maximus shouldn't really count because its energon, not armada. But I'm tempted to give it to Devastator because he's got 6 different partners, no repaints, and they all look pretty great. Even though Constructicon Maximus has the scramble city gimmick, that's not enough, given how old the Devastator mold is comparibly, and the fact that it really only has 3 unique molds and still needs hands/feet attachments. I think a lot of G1 toys still stand up extremely well compared to modern toys, especially the ones based on the Diaclones. We've made amazing advances in terms of technology and design, but I think the charm and style of many of even the first Transformers is still pretty amazing, especially when you consider that many would be considered Scout or Deluxe or even legends class.
That's the thing though, some of the fandom will just not go against their G1 routes. As proven by this thread the thought of Armada going up against G1 is just insane to the majority, but like you have pointed out it is a legitimate question if we take a step back and truly think about it.
No, with the exception of the final couple of episodes, the vast majority of Armada episodes involved loooooooooooonnnnnnggggggggg stretches of complete inactivity where the characters simply stared at one another. Believe me, were I 6, I'd have found it mind-numbingly boring. As an adult, I found it mind-numbingly boring, with mind-numbingly stupid dialogue (unlike G1, which while geared for kids, had good and frequently clever dialogue for the most part), mind-numbing repetition, and an unbearible level of stock footage.