Submitted By: Professor Coldheart
The year 2005 has come and gone…And what a year it was for Transformers fans. One of the most well recieved main lines in years, with Cybertron, produced some astounding figures. Add to that the continued introduction and release of Alternators and 2006 is shaping up to be a great year for everyone.
So before we all move forward with the coming year, some of the staff members from TFW2005 and the 2005 boards would like to share some of their top picks.
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Professor Coldheart:Cybertron Supreme Starscream – For me, my favorite figure of the year is easily Cybertron Supreme Starscream. I’ve always had a soft spot for extremely large figures. With this release we saw a direct homage to War Within Starscream, but with added goodies like the Crown of leadership. Very good articulation, a great look in both robot and vehicle modes and great paint apps make for one great looking figure. Supreme Starscream makes a great display piece and is just a blast to toy around with.
Runner ups:
Cybertron Optimus Prime, Alternators Skids, G1 Star Convoy Reissue, Alternators Prowl
Legends of Cybertron Starscream – When you think of the best figures of the year, a $3 toy that wasn’t even sold in the usual stores probably doesn’t immediately spring to mind. That’s a shame, because this is hands down my favorite toy of the year. It packs articulation that puts toys four times its size to shame, and the minimal paint apps permitted by the low price are used to their fullest to highlight just the right detailing in the mold. On top of all that, both robot and alt modes just plain look cool. The combination of good looks, great articulation, and insanely cheap price and value for the money makes this my no brainer pick for the most impressive figure of the year.
Runners Ups:
Cybertron Hot Shot, Cybertron Optimus Prime, Alternators Shockblast, Cybertron Armorhide
Galaxy Force Backgild – Backgild, soon to arrive in the US as Cybertron Defence Scattorshot, gets my number 1 spot, beating out stiff competition from the likes of Optimus Prime and Sideways. He nicely balances gimmicks, design and poseability, as well as having a very well engineered transformation. Transforming from a tank, with a cannon with full elevation and 360 degrees of rotation to robot without losing any articulation requires a lot of thought, and it is evident in the final product. Furthermore, his Force Chip gimmicks pop out some very cool cannons, which not only don’t interfere with the toy, but also make nice faux handweapons, right down to their little tabs which position themselves in Backgild’s fists as his cannons unfold. It’s another sign that Hasbro and Takara’s design team put a lot of thought and love into the design. And on top of all this, he is a Voyager, meaning he is big enough to look heavilly armed, but without being too huge or expensive. All in all, he is a polished, well rounded design which showcases the hard work, thought, and love of the production team very nicely.
Runners Ups:
Cybertron Sideways, Cybertron Optimus Prime, Cybertron Snarl, Cybertron Jetfire
Cybertron Optimus Prime/GF Galaxy Convoy – Possibly one of the best mainline Prime/Convoy figures to come out since RID Prime. This figure incorporates some of the best features of Optimus Prime/Convoy figures from the past twenty years. Some of which include a removable Matrix of Leadership that the figure can hold, a vehicle mode that can convert into a flight mode, a trailer that can act as a battle station or as supermode back pack, and a removable faceplate; a first in any leader figure. Unlike the Armada and Energon predecessors, this one gets the supermode combination right. Poseability and aesthetics are not compromised in either standard robot or combined supermode. His Cyber Key/Force Chip can activate either a set of missiles on one weapon or activate sound and light features on another. His standard gun is a nice replica of roleplay Matrix Blaster released in Energon as a roleplay toy. Another great aspect of this toy is that other figures can combine with him giving him different abilities and weapons, which further add to the playability of this already wonderful figure.
Runners Ups:
Cybertron (King) Starscream, Cybertron Armorhide, Cybertron Defense Red Alert/Galaxy Force First Gunner, Cybertron Hardtop
Cybertron Optimus Prime – I’d have to go with Cybertron Prime for #1 since he’s a tribute to all Primes before him. Choosing him would be like a small salute to past Primes, and since Prime is pretty much the most popular Transformer character ever, it was some mighty big shoes to fill and they did it right.
Runner Ups:
G1 Star Convoy Reissue, Cybertron Hot Shot, Galaxy Force Starscream, Cybertron Armorhide
G1 Reissue Soundblaster – An upgrade of the first Transformer I ever got for Christmas in 1984, I’ve wanted this remold of Soundwave since the moment I first saw images of it online. Sure it’s not as articulated as almost all of the other toys released this year but looking back at all the money I spent on plastic crack this year, due to the nostalgia factor this was my most anticipated purchase.
Runners Ups:
Binaltech Skids, Galaxy Force Starscream, Cybertron Optimus Prime, Cybertron Ransack