Who had the worst robot mode?

 

“Hey, man... Could you maybe turn back into a car? If I look at you any more, I’m probably gonna throw up.”

 

Yeah...this wins. This is the worst.

 

Very true!

 

G1 toy Megatron is a mess of a robot, but at least he has the excuse of being designed in the 80s and having an unconventional alt mode. What's Armada Sidewipe's excuse?

 

Drugs.

All of them.

At once.

 

Armada Sideswipe is what happens when you completely dominate a toy by gimmicks.

The worst part is said gimmicks aren't even Minicon powered like other Armada figures, but the stupid hidden Minicon storage gimmick and the weird... extending car thing gimmick. The actual Minicon gimmick is like a swinging punch thing which doesn't actually cause the horrid oversized arms or the worthless legs.

 

The Autorollers. I think they were also called Power Masters, the cancelled Sergeant Hound and General Optimus were examples.

 

I looked them up...and now I'm kind of wishing I hadn't.  

 

I don't agree with the above post about G1 Megatron, the Firecons and Armada Sideswipe having the worst robot modes but then I have a soft spot for each of them. My only problem with Sideswipe is that he wasn't available in the old scout class.

For me, the worst robot mode contenders include:

Powermaster Optimus Prime.
Pretender Inner Robot Jazz.
Pretender Inner Robot Grimlock.
G1 Ironhide and Ratchet (toys).
Guzzle
Dogfight
Actionmaster Inferno. Just looked wrong without his trademark collar.
Movie Starscream
Movie Ironhide
Movie Frenzy
Brains
ROTF Demolisher. Cool voice though.
Prime Starscream.
Bulkhead.
Scalpel
Igor
Beast Machines Thrust
Beast Machines Jetstorm
Beast Machines Tankor
G1 Slag
G1 Cyclonus
G1 Breakdown (toy)
G1 Dead End (animation model)
G1 Tantrum
G1 Headstrong
G1 Pretender Monsters
Quickswitch
Blot
Rodimus Prime (toy). He's always been my favourite Autobot but I can still admit the toy's robot mode was woeful.
Throttlebots
G1 Blurr (Toy)
G1 Wildrider (toy)
G1 Swindle
G1 Duocons
G1 Six Gun
Alpha Trion
Kup
Movie Drift for Cosplaying.
Movie Hound. See Drift.
Energon Signal Flare.
G1 Trailbreaker. I actually like the character.
Powerglide
Voyager Bludgeon

Of course, there are the robot modes ruined by ugly heads:

ROTF Nightbeat and Dead End
Rattrap
Bulkhead
Armada Scavenger
Armada Cyclonus
Prime Megatron
G1 Optimus Prime
G1 and Siege Apeface in gorilla mode.
G1 Galvatron
Titans Return Kup
Titans Return Hardhead
Combiner Wars Slingshot
Titans Return Scourge
Siege Big Shot
Siege Roadhandler
POTP Orion Pax
G1 Tracks (toy)
G1 Slapdash (toy)
Broadside
Crosscut
Backstreet
Combiner Wars Blackjack
Takara Legends Slugslinger. Every time I look at that face, I want to punch it.

I know some people will say, I've listed a lot of good toys but when we're listing potential worst Transformer, there are two sides: aesthetic and practicality which encompasses articulation, and yes aesthetic is relative.

Growing up with G1, lack of articulation doesn't bother me like a lot of other fans. I love the 1 step Cyberverse Wheeljack despite it's articulation being limited to both shoulders. For me, it's the aesthetic that makes or breaks it.

So my top 5 worst, or ugliest, robot modes are:

Alpha Trion
Orion Pax
Rattrap
Brains
Bulkhead

Bear in mind, this my personal opinion and if you like them, good for you.

 

I think it's more for the convenience of not having to walk, than it is for disguise. I mean, some of these alt-modes are fairly obvious. Like, Sam suddenly having a sports car concept prototype car, probably worth millions of dollars isn't fooling anyone.

Good luck explaining where you got that to the IRS, Sam.

 

Depends entirely on what they turn into I guess.

I can imagine many alt-modes are great for combat or with better mobility than their bipedal mode.

 

How could you not like a good guy by the name of dirt bag?

The combined mold or the individual robot?

 

Isn't Dirt Bag a Decepticon?

To answer your question, the combined mode with it's stumpy arms and disproportionately large head. A far cry from how cool he looked on rear battle scene.



Not the only time that artwork lied to us. It was used on the cover of the Return of Optimus Prime video but the episodes didn't show any Powermasters or Pretenders.

A few years ago, I did buy a one of a kind custom of Poweraster Prime that gave him articulation and better proportions.