Ohhhhhhhh boy this thread is gonna lead to fights.

I can't think of any I'd really say are "bad", but I dislike quite a few. I don't care for the MTMTE aesthetic, but Swerve pops into my mind, generally. With that dumb grin and the sunken-in head. And Tailgate kinda looks like the TF version of a loli character to me. I do love their Springer design, though.

 

Rid2015 comes to mind for the repetitiveness in some of the design schemes. Like, so many of them have the Shockwave chest it's not even funny.
That said I do respect the variety if body shapes they use for some ofthe characters. I just wish a little more time and detail were put into them.

Movie Decepticon designs also come to mind in some cases. The body types are often great and interesting, but the lack of faces or capacity for self expression is definitely part of what defines them as soulless monsters rather than characters of an oposing faction. It's in part why I love the design cues given to Barricade for TLK.

I didn't like some of the Prime Autobot designs such as Arcee or Ultra Magnus either. Arcee for looking almost nothing like a motorcycle in robot mode (as well as having a super generic body shape) and Ultra Magnus for being literally a blue Optimus retool. Bumblebee wasn't too inspired either. I guess the rest were fine.

There's also Energon Optimus Prime, and those Animated head designs from the Almanac before DJW tackled them.

And though it isn't really anyone's fault, I'm not too big on the designs in the almanac that rely on previous molds. The Bumblebee body type is fine, but it's kind of boring how many characters are recolours of Arcee.

 

Bayformers
Also all the RID '15 designs in general except Starscream's, and even then I only partly liked it. Granted it's an homage to G1, but I think Prime Starscream's design is better.

 

Beast Machine/Beast Wars Ugh-Leee!

Bayformers-Un-ac-freakin-ceptable!

Team Prime Soundwave. Le Ugh.

RiD Bumblebee

RiD Sideswipe (he's known around our house as French Fry Head)

Actually most of the RiD Autobots are off, unless they're newer characters

Animated

The Protectobots

Clamp Down is ass ugly

So is Quillfire

Bisk. He doesn't even look like a cool robo lobster, just a regular one. Put him outta my misery and serve him up with lemon sauce and rice pilaf.

 

The Beast, Energon Optimus Prime, any Maximal in Beast Machines, and every single Bayverse character.

 

You know, every single poster on here bitching about how boring alt or bot modes are kind of remind me of Moriarty off of Sherlock. You know, the bipolar tantrum guy? Yeah, that's what I hear when I read those posts.

Yes, THAT atrocity may be the worst designed thing to ever see animation. RID Prowl works the whole car parts thing in much better, yet still kibbly, while this... thing manages to have so many bad choices that the alt mode is the only redeemable quality of the figure. And if it gets to that, get a die cast car.

 

X-Brawn 4 life



What's not to love? He's asymmetrical like a robotic Hellboy.

 

Hmmm, G1 Broadside's goofier animation model with the elongated head.

 

Rooting out all of Beast Machines, most of Animorphs and movie toys, I'll delve into my least favorites from the lines I do like, top 5 style (Mind you, these are primarily toy designs I hate. I really don't hate a single animation model, aside from said BM and movie. Even IDW has some decent designs, unto themselves, even if I don't care for a character having said design.):

5. Titanium Soundwave. Who thought fans would like a Soundwave who can barely stand and looks like he's wearing an oversized diaper? Only number 5 because he came with an awesome mini cassette and most of us had low expectations anyhow. I think there were fans even just using the reissue in their CHUG collections instead of this guy.
4. G1 Rodimus Prime. While I have fond memories of my childhood with him, his robot mode is a plank. Insult to injury, if you look closely, it appears he was designed to have knees but it was screwed instead of pinned. Overall, pretty disappointing. But I would peg his spoiler further down his back to represent "Hot Rod". LOL!
3. G2 Poweredmasters. Especially Ironhide. Although Bulletbike has a weird charm to him.
2. Throttlebots. These are really even worse than the Poweredmasters because their gimmick hangs out the back and they even lack weapons. The only reason they get a pass for many fans is because they were featured in the cartoon and had Goldbug.
1. G1 Wheelie. Absolutely one of the most horrendous toy designs from the 1986 movie. At least the animation model looked okay.

 

I'll be honest, I never liked Optimus Primal's first transmetal form, particularly the robot mode. Optimal Optimus was a huge improvement in regards to aesthetics. Also really don't care for TM2 Cheetor. I get that he's supposed to be catlike, but this takes it too far (plus the toy's transformation is literally "stand the cat up.")

While I am generally very tolerant of weird proportions because I grew up with Armada, Energon Optimus is painful to look at. Without Megatron to keep him occupied the dude really let himself go.

 

Armada Sideswipe and jam man were probably and literally the worst designs ever. Built to rule were the worst thing's to come out, at least kiss players some good figures for the humans. Anyone want to destroy.. KICKER!!!, sorry, I meant KICKER!!!!, god dammit, I meant energon Ironhide. I at least have genrations blitzwing and he's up there in my mp collection, and what idw came out with, sure his shoulders ar ebad, but the design is really good, I can't use screamer because I try playing him with mp bumblebee on my bed, and can't stand up, and his null rays get int he way, I think I'll get some idw vs. g1 sunbow action for now. Now arise to me, mp-36.

 

Most of the later G1 cartoon designs just tick me off because of how different they look from their toys (and therefore not a very good toy commercial, but at least Skyfire had an excuse). Plus, there's a lot of careless stuff like Blast Off's head crest being treated like a visor and hints that the designers did not have the actual toys in-hand, like the backs being completely made-up and features only appearing on one side of their body when they should be symmetrical. Of course, most of the G1 toys have not aged very well, so I don't really like them that much.

The BM Maximals would have been a lot better if not for their ugly faces. Uncanny valley big time!

ROTF Arcee is one of the few movie designs I don't like or can at least tolerate. Something about her just looks weird...

 

Admittedly, that does look like an animator's worst nightmare. As a toy, though, it's okay. I'm with you on that paint scheme, though. It's positively bitchin'.

I don't think the colors clash at all, though that's probably just me. The way I see it, the blue is dark but fully saturated, while the pink is bright but pale. If the pink was bright and fully saturated, then I'd have a problem with it.

My problem with TFP Arcee is the fact that aside from the calve-wheels and (maybe) the winglets, you can barely tell she transforms into a motorcycle.

The redesign done for the cancelled Universe MMO, in my opinion, is miles above the show's design simply because she actually looks like she has an alt mode.

 

Disproportionage garbage. Deluxe legs, Voyager thighs, Scout body and head, and besides being an extremely unwieldy design on the left arm side, it also has the stupidest kibble placement of all time. And I haven't even gotten to the "feet".

 

Beast Machines Maximals, I understand they had to do something new with them for a new series. But I wish they had done a merger of new concept with older body design influences.

 

I'm a lot more tolerant of Beast Machines designs after the Bay movies really widened the field on what does or doesn't look like a Transformer. I still dislike Nightscream, with his awkward frame, bug eyes, and slab of hair that constantly has to be brushed out of his eyes. Botanica is a poor design too - not because she is bad looking IMO, but because she (post re-formatting anyway) changes from a humanoid plant thing to a somewhat different humanoid plant thing.

 

You put those all together and what do you get? My second favorite figure in the line. My favorite of the three Autobot Bros.

Glorious.

 

I think that's my biggest problem with the Beast Machines designs, aside from the Uncanny Valleyness of their faces. None of them have any design cues from their previous forms. All of Primal's previous bodies have featured a Prime-like "helmet", but his BM design looked like a generic buff guy. None of the characters keep parts of their beast modes in robot mode, and those stupid, stupid "transformations". I am transformed? More like "the animators didn't want to design a transformations sequence for me, so I'm just gonna turn into a blob during it." Seriously what were they thinking with that concept? We actually have a "fool who follows the fool" phenomena going on here, as the last Bayfim did the same thing, only with cubes instead of blobs.

 

I really dislike AOE Optimus's Knight design.

The new TLK toys we've seen so far, just prove you can't make it look good IMO.

 

Hate to beat a horse, but BM Maximals for sure.

Animated Cliffjumpers head looked like a friggin water baloon.

RID Bumblebee and Sideswipe look crap. Bee for his roid rage proportions, and Swipe for his dumb, ugly, stupid, stupid, ugly, terrible "hair".

AOE Prime, Drift, and Galv.....because no. Just...just no.