Yes! Definitely can't leave out Rodimus Primal. It's odd, since getting to know him I forget he's a big Channel
And definitely Michael Mercy

 

This is exactly my views of these 4. Overall, my favorites as well.

 

So after watching nearly all Transformers video reviewers out there, I've come to settle on a few that I truly enjoy, though sometimes for different reasons. I look for one of four things in a video reviewer; while it would be great if a reviewer satisfies more than one criteria, that rarely seems to overlap for whatever reason.

• Opinions - Although many posters have said they don't care about opinions, I'm just the opposite. I try to be quite selective in my purchases, so I appreciate opinions from reviewers who are very vocal about their tastes and thoughts, even if I often disagree in terms of priority. Far too many reviewers like nearly every single bot they touch ("so should you get xxx figure? you bet!"), and while there may be non-nefarious reasons behind it (easier to please, only purchase bots they know they'll like, etc), that's quite useless to me as I want more critical impressions from reviews, ideally from people who have handled the figure for more than a couple of days. I prioritize engineering, transformations, playability, sculpt, articulation and presence ... in that order. But it's still easy to watch reviewers who might never care about transformations and only display their figures, as long as they are open with their priorities. I've come to find that most "big" youtubers are quite hesitant to be critical in their reviews, whether it's because they are afraid of losing privileges for early looks or because reviewers tend to gain more followers and popularity if they allow others to feel good about their purchases, i.e. an echo chamber. Regardless, I tend to find smaller reviewers are more forthcoming with their opinions.
  • Bobby Skullface - Much has been said about good ol' BSF, but I find him both entertaining and informative. Our priorities in figures probably couldn't be any more different, but I find that he articulates what he likes and doesn't like about a figure enough that I can draw my own conclusion. I'm not offended if he dislikes something I like, as I know we look for different things; I still find his videos informative, and I love his Sit Down Saturdays and 4 Dummies series.
  • Paik4life - Probably the reviewer who checks the most boxes for me, as Paik is informative, entertaining and great with his transformations. No wonder that MMC commissions him for transformation instruction videos. He seems to be doing more livestreams lately and interacts with the community, which is always nice.
  • Magnum Prime - Absolutely love this guy's reviews. He's very clear on what he rates and prioritizes in a figure, but still tries to provide all his thoughts objectively so that his viewers can form their own opinions. Very opinionated and offers many comparisons which I appreciate; I just wish he had more figures that he could compare his stuff to.
  • RobsteinOne - Another user that is forthcoming with his opinions, even if I don't always agree. He also takes extra effort to show the benefits of panel-lining or using decals and stickers to improve a figure, which I appreciate.
• Transformations - Sometimes I just need a video that shows some good step-by-step instructions so that I don't break my MP36 trying to figure out the transformation on my own, or because the included 3p instructions are absolute trash or missing steps (hello Planet X).
  • Paik4life - I already gave props to Paik in the previous section, but he's also my #1 go-to for transformation videos. He goes to the effort to show multiple transformations (both ways for a regular transformer, and usually 3 or 4 ways for a triple changer/combiner).
  • emgo - I am absolutely not the target demographic for emgo - I quickly tire of his repetitive jokes, he likes almost every single figure he reviews, and offers almost no opinions when he compares relevant figures together, which seems like such a waste to me. And yet, I often save his videos because the man is EXCELLENT with his transformations, and he also tends to transform the opposite way that others do (vehicle to bot for the most part).
  • peolesdru - Sometimes I just need good stop-motion transformations to trigger my memory. Pretty fun to watch even for figures I'd never consider purchasing, just to admire the engineering.
  • TOY BASE - Similar to above without the stop motion - reminds me of emgo's Just Transform It series.
• Entertainment - These are the videos I'll gladly watch regardless of what they're reviewing. Sometimes they sway my purchasing decisions but that's generally quite rare - the amount of video editing and scripting these creators pour into their videos is admirable and they're just darn fun to watch.
  • JobbytheHong - I will watch any video this crazy man uploads. His jokes are sometimes a bit "out there", but the pure energy that exudes from him is remarkable to watch. He's not afraid to express his opinions or trash a figure either, which is always a plus for me.
  • Thew Adams - Thew seems to stick with mainline figures for the most part, but what he does review tends to be entertaining. He does seem to like every 3P figure he reviews though.
  • Vangelus - Another creator with good production values,
  • The Lazy Eyebrow - I love TLE's dedication to stop-motion and skits, and his skit compilations are a hit with my kids. He mainly sticks to mainline or official masterpiece figures and is generally late with his reviews, but it's understandable given all the work it takes to pump out so much stop-motion.
  • Bots and Bits - Although it seems like his output has slowed down considerably of late, I love this man's humor and production values. He tends to stick with KOs but also often compares them with official products, which isn't as common for KO videos. Not afraid to express his opinion, his videos are pretty slick with editing and fun to watch.
  • harrisloureiro - These are probably better classified as "promotional" videos, but my kids still love his little skits, so that's a plus.
• First Looks and News - I will watch these videos once in a while just to see what's happening in the TF scene, both for mainline and 3p. These reviewers generally get their figures out ahead of others (mainline, 3p, KO, etc) or provide news and updates that I might otherwise miss since I'm not browsing forums or reddit nonstop.
  • Tydirum Hanger - My primary source of news for Transformers. He's pretty comprehensive and covers mainline, 3P and KO, so his channel is a good one-stop shop for that stuff.
  • PrimevsPrime - One of "big two" who seems to get mainline figures ahead of everyone else, I prefer PvP over TonTon as his videos have better production quality, he's very helpful with his transformations, and he's not afraid to bash a figure when needed (hello ER Arcee).
  • BensKOllectables - I'd never look to Ben for opinions as he's just not that critical a fellow - nothing wrong with that, as he just seems to be a very jovial guy considering all the lemons that life has thrown his way, and I respect him for that. But he does tend to get KO products ahead of everyone else, so it's always interesting to see what's coming down the taobao pipe on his channel.
  • Tef Tef - Same as Ben, although I also have to give a special shoutout for his transformations - he's quite thorough and even offers some tips that other reviews sometimes pass up. Solid channel and covers some figures I don't see elsewhere.

 

I like Wotafa even tho I don't understand a word he says lol.

His transformations are precise, detailed and on point.

 

Only really Jobby and Thew. All the other ones don't do it for me.
-Emgo laughing at his own immature comments/jokes gets annoying
-Peaugh is way too slow and boring
-Optibotimus is an asshole
-Bobby's fine, just don't really care about him
-Vangelus is actually quite good, but whenever he gets to the posability section his reviews slow down to a crawl and I just give up. The contrast between the script and editing to just messing around with a figuring and rambling is jarring and pretty shit.
-Baltmatrix is just a rushjob that's identical to Peaugh except worse.
-I do watch Benscollectibles sometimes if I'm interested in a certain figure, but I mainly just scim through it.
There is a smaller channel I like called Kit Katastrophe. He's not great or anything but he's about as pessimistic as I am, so.

 

Even better when he pointed out issues on a figure and you know exactly what he's referring to internally.

 

i'm realy happy Sixo joined the review youtube crew his intro song has me humming all the way to the end   if i want a certain figure i watch all video's tho for transformation i tend to watch paik4life most.

 

The Mr. Stan Show - I like his detailed criticisms of everything he reviews. He’s not afraid to point out a figure’s flaws, but will also praise a figure’s good points - sculpt, engineering, what have you. He’s one of those guys who can make me more interested in a figure just by listening to him talk about it.
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCsAeudD3M6O149X_Bs9Hddw

 

Emgo and BSF are my go tos.

Emgo because of his transformations which have helped me out on more than one occasion. If I ever get stuck on something, I go right to Emgo. Can usually find the exact spot I need pretty quickly with how he films. Also enjoy/share his sense of humor, bad jokes, bad puns, skits and all. He never goes completely negative, but he will point out issues. He also usually has on hand what I want to see the figure compared to so I can at least get a side by side.

BSF because he knows what he likes and won't apologize for it. I've thoroughly agreed and disagreed with him on a whole range of figures. Thing is he's not afraid to go negative. And whether the piece deserves it or not, he brings attention to the flags I need to see and then I can determine whether it's a red or green flag to me. I think he gets a little too hung up on what's paint and unpainted, but again, those are things I like to know. More important to him, less important to me, but regardless helps my purchase decisions. Also enjoy his sense of humor.

Thew is extremely extemporaneously entertaining and I thoroughly enjoy his acrobatic auditory alliterations of amazement. He doesn't put out content consistently enough to be what I'd consider a normal reviewer though. That's not his bag, baby.

I enjoy most other reviewers too but do find that they're more often than not way too positive. Part of me gets it because it's just nice to have and show off new product.

 

I've seen and follow many of the big reviewers already mentioned.

Nice to see Mr. Stan get noticed too! He's a relatively new reviewer who not only does TFs but many other toy lines also. One advantage is, he's located in Hong Kong and will have early access to many of the newest toys.

 

Started watching Jobby. Used to watch Optibotimus a lot but frankly he's gotten way less likeable in trying to start beef or copy other Youtubers.

 

Even back in like 2012 dude was an asshole to the people he responded to in the comments

 

Main main YT resources are BSF, Emgo, and Paik. I feel I get a good mix with that crew. Smaller guys I try to watch are DeluxeBaldwin and some guy in China called Windcharger.

 

none.

 

I am really enjoying Sixo's videos, the editing effort is immense and I really appreciate the quality and thought put into presenting each video. Really enjoy the background info to the characters too. Keep up the good work.

Paik is my usual go to guy when available for the figure, everything is clean and well presented with all major things that I care about usually pointed out.

Both these gentlemen just have more agreeable demeanours suited to my tastes and I like their sense of humour.

 

My go to:

Presentation: optibotimus, tim kaye

Opinion: tman978, bsf, deluxe

Transformation: paik, emgo (his silent transformations, not his humor), peaugh, tman978

Improving: deluxe baldwin (he has come on along so much in last couple of yrs on his own, really happy 4 him)

 

Probably even longer than that. I can't remember a time when Optibotimus wasn't an asshole in the comments.

 

Optibotimus seems to be doing these live events a lot more than doing reviews .

What s up with that?

 

I've only really got three main guys - Jobby, Thew and Vange1us.

Each of them hit a particular sweet spot for me. At 8-12 minutes in length, the duration is perfect. They've each got great delivery and charisma - even though I'm an Aussie I especially love Thew's UK in-jokes (Alan Partridge references, football gags). They also skip over the 'this goes here, that goes there, tab this over that' transformation stuff. I find that uninteresting. They're not the most prolific reviewers in terms of numbers of videos, but I'll always watch their new stuff as it comes out.

EmGo's stuff is great if you're stuck transforming something and need a bit of help. I otherwise find him too annoying to watch consistently. CobaltMatrix also goes in this basket.

Peaugh's stuff is too short and clinical to interest me.

BobbySkullFace just rubs me the wrong way, entirely. PrimevsPrime too.

 

• Emgo - Like his skits and his transformation videos are great.
• Javitron (spanish) - He makes very lenghty and detailed reviews (some over 1 hour), mostly of 3rd/4th party products, the ones I love.
• Ben - I find his reviews very enjoyable but sometimes gives me the impression he'd rather be doing something else.
• Auvelier (spanish) - Another funny guy, I see him when I need more information about a figure's quality as he's more strict on that.
• Prime vs Prime/TonTon, occasionally when they have some good stuff beforehand.

For other reviewers, I have seen some once or twice but none has really caught my attention, also I can't stand Sixo or Jobby, for some reason I really, really dislike those guys.