As I've pretty much settled into MP and IDW MtMtE styles for what I collect for the most part:

The second design MP Seekers are basically good enough at this point as I don't really want to buy another set of three unless it really blows me out of the water as all they do is sit on a shelf and look menacing. Maketoys's Despotron is good enough for a MP Megs that has some comic-style beefyness.

I thought Badcube's Sunsurge was good enough... until Takara's Sunstreaker because damn.

On the MtMtE side though there are a lot that have never quite hit the mark. Whirl is a prime example. MMC's is not bad for a Stormbringer design, but I want that spindly chickenlegs MtMtE version; the Hasbro Whirl is passable but is more G1 and not the same design as MtMtE. Hasbro's Ultra Magnus with Minimus is okay but it could be better. The Cyclonus from the old Rodimus vs. Cyclonus set with Maketoys Hurricane upgrade kit makes an acceptable MtMtE Cyclonus but it's a little too small, and MMC's Boreas is way off. In general a lot of the Hasbro CHUGs that fall into the MtMtE style such as Trailbreaker/Trailcutter are perfectly servicible in a display but when compared to some later third party figures are now a little too small and they also show some general cost cutting aspects (like hollow legs with no panels covering the gaps).

 

Brawn is still awaiting a perfect rendition. BadCube's effort got certain aspects right, but the most important ones wrong (i.e., his head sculpt definitely felt off). My money is on either Fanstoys or XTB (possibly both?) to really nail his proper look.

 

iGear's were nice.


MP Brawn & Astrotrain
Classics Shockwave. The best one available has no knee articulation and hollow legs.

 

I was considering the Igear ones, but they are just a little too tall for me. They are more tall voyagers when ideally, i'd like tall Deluxes or short voyagers.

 

I suppose, but nothing scales worth a crap for Generations figures, so as long as it's not obnoxious, good enough for me.

 

Megatron

 

if i'm spending 15 or so dollars for a deluxe, it gets a lot more slack for not being great than something that is 60 or so dollars (which is what Igear ironhide is now). usually if I am spending 3p money, it has to be pretty close to perfect. HasTak releases are cheaper so I put up with more. Another example of me not pulling the trigger on a 3p figure, MMC IDW Rodimus. I love the rodimus design, I love MMC, but in my eyes, the figure is just too big. a not prime Rodimus should be deluxe sized to me. I love 3p stuff, but I've been burned by some lackluster ones, so since I decided to really focus my collection, I don't buy a 3p figure on the only reason that it looks cool. It has to scale right, it has to have a transformation that is interesting, but not to hard and not too easy.

 

Studio Ox Rodimus Prime. I crave for a physical manifestion of this. Highend and all.

I'd pay $300+, without a doubt.

 

Strictly speaking 3p here....mp springer

Yea we have options but in my opinion they all suck. Either the bot mode looks shitty or the armored car mode looks bad. There's been something with each offering that I greatly dislike. Springer is one of my favorites and even if I don't do mps I have a few springer figures and id like a "premier" figure to center an all springer display around. I have zero faith in takara since I feel all designs post tracks suck....except the beast wars mps they friggin rock.

Chug idw rodimus. Sxs and mmc rodimus are both an inch or so too tall.

 

One that immediately comes to mind?

Devastator.

I like all the current ones for different reasons, but I have not yet found one that is 100% perfect. Toy World probably came closest, but the proportions were off and most important of all: The vehicles weren't real. For some reason every single Devastator has construction vehicles that still feel like they belong in the Unicron Trilogy. And that is an enormous turnoff for me.

Another one was Bruticus, but it looks like the Ox version is filling that hole.

EDIT: Grimlock! How could I forget about him? Every single alternative just feels like it's based on MP-08, when there is so much more you can do with him. It's insane that the DX9 legends is the only one that shows this. Where is the MP Grimlock that hides the dino head in robot mode, and the chest in dino mode?

 

Since I crave more than just old G1 toon versions, here's what my pickiness generates desire for:

FoC Bruticus (preferably from Planet X)
IDW (MTMTE) Whirl
IDW (MTMTE) Cyclonus
IDW (MTMTE) Rodimus (SSX and MMC seem to be missing the mark somehow to me)
IDW (MTMTE) Scavengers + Grimlock
MP Astrotrain
IDW Terrorcons

 

Fair enough. I'd probably say they're about right compared to deluxe cars and Prime should be bigger than official options, but regardless, I wouldn't want to spend big money on something I didn't think was great.

 

1. MP Astrotrain
2. MP Blitzwing
3. MP WarPath (FT’s looks promising)
4. MP Scourge
5. MP Rodimus Prime

 

Star Saber.

He has a G1, MP, and Robotmasters figure. Nobody has attempted to do him in any fashion, not even his IDW design which you think someone would.

I love Star Saber, and I would get his MP if not for the fact that I really don’t have an MP collection he would belong in. CHUG though? IDW? Hell even Legends scale? I’d pre-order it day one. He is a character that doesn’t get much love, but low and behold we have three Deathsauruses(including CW) and a Dai Atlas on the way now.

 

MP Dark of the Moon Megatron, I'm hoping one of them gets released at some point.

 

IDW chromedome Any IDW design of him.
Also Impactor (i have high hopes for WFC) and Rinox (come on beastwars) masterpiece

 

I need a good MP Windcharger. The G1 toy was my first Transformer back in '84. The character holds a special place in my heart, and XTB's effort isn't close to me.

 

MP Alpha Trion. I. Honestly don’t care if he transforms if his bot mode is great and he is well articulated!

I need this for my Vector Sigma stop motion series.