This one's tough since it's difficult to gauge whether something is truly underrated/overrated, but Generations Metroplex might be my choice. I don't dislike it. In fact, I understand its appeal while acknowledging that it's a good toy. In a way, it soured me on the titan class as I only ever owned 2 other releases at that scale (Fort Max and Trypticon). I remember buying upgrade kits and a set of Reprolabels for it, but I couldn't even bring myself to install/apply any of that stuff.
I'm looking to get him if he's around at a cheap price. Sadly online stores here have not been that kind to me... Man, if only I kept a counter of how many times Ratchet got mentioned as "best Deluxe" on the Movie thread.
Earthrise Optimus Prime - I love this figure, but the effect it's had with certain members of the fandom, praising it like it's Jesus Christ and that every other Optimus Prime is utter trash is a bit ridiculous. There's also the garbage trailer, which they should've been able to make just slightly wider to fit more deluxes into, but higher ups cutting budgets and all, and it's an accessory at the end of the day an accessory they use to justify him being $20 more but that's another discussion Earthrise Seeker Mold - Oh boy, this mold...it's just not that good. Even not taking account its worse poseability to the Siege mold, it just looks bad. The chest is bloated and hollow, the kibble management is frankly poor, and it's just not that much of a step up from the classics deluxe from all those years ago. And the transformation isn't that fun either, too much plastic flexing, and all for a mediocre robot mode and a frankly awful jet mode. And I don't really get the argument of the siege mold looking bad in poses...and then acting like the earthrise one is at all better??
Well this quickly devolved into "I just don't like this" answers instead of genuine overrated answers.
I agree with the Seekers and I think to a certain extent can describe most of the 84 redos in WFC: They're not bad, but they just seem so... souless? I can't put it to words but some of the molds just seem so devoid of passion and effort, as if the Hastak team was told to make it as acccurate as possible whilst taking the least amount of risk. The amount of times I've seen the CW leg collapse trick used is quite a bit. Siege is pretty indicitive of this "souless", as the "Cybertronian" modes were just really weak in favor of toon accurate robots being taken into priority. ER fares a little better on paper because they can just throw the "alien" modes out the window, but suffers even further in execution, with the seekers being the most obvious example, and the Siege Datsuns transforming 90% similarly to the Earth versions of them; but this time with a car mode that everyone was dreaming for and they don't look like soap bars. Before I get crucified for allegedly hating on WFC, I don't. I just think that the toys are just so devoid of risk to the point its just not very exciting. Nothing on those dudes have engineering magic to them (except for a few outliers like ER OP with the grille management) and steps that make me say "holy shit" like Triggerhappy's torso spin. Speaking of other overrated toys, I suppose the vast majority of SS deluxes? A lot of them seem to suffer from the same clear plastic issues that the G1 mainline stuff are getting flack for, and the amount of shellforming and kibble is so egregious its kind of appalling. Even if they don't have these issues they lack so much paint it just looks like a candy toy from Japan, and even then Bandai has been knocking out of the park lately (seriously look at the Evangelion stuff). SS Rathet looks like a neon green highlighter with limbs, and the pube spots on ROTF Soundwave is just a big FAT yikes.
ER Optimus, ER Seekers, Kingdom Megatron, Titan Metroplex, SS 44, SS Ironhide (a literal brick, his articulation is terrible)
ER Optimus- I like the figure, transformation is fun and intuitive, alt mode solid. Robot mode is kind of a let down. His comically long legs really throw off the proportions. Prefer the Siege for bot mode, and don't get me started on that POS trailer.. ER Soundwave- again not that he's bad, but he feels like a step backwards from Siege Soundwave without that sweet ab crunch. Alt mode is clean, transformation solid enough but really he's just turning into a box...Yellow paint around his cassette door looks like shit too. Don't know if this counts but FT insecticons, most overrated figures ever! Replaced mine with the MMC versions and have never regretted it. Fans toys makes some nice stuff. I'm not hating on them but I was never impressed with their bugs. I guess my only regret is I sold them too soon should've waited another year and tripled my $.
CW Megatron. From afar, he looks great but up close his shoulders joints and neck gap are really distracting.
but at least he turns into something, unlike Siege (I swear that's the fiddliest transformation I've ever seen for what ends up essentially the robot lying on it's face)
Titans return blitzwing. I hate that thing with a passion. People only like it cause it's better that the t30 version imo.
Are you calling them overrated by today's standards or when they came out? I find it hard to believe you can overrate the G1 toys in 1983 given the ingenuity and novelty of the toys. They're a product of their time and about the most creative toys at the time. The simplicity and effectiveness despite the limited engineering of the toys calling them "overrated" is a bit harsh IMO
He's not well liked I'd say those issues made him unpopular. But I like him. He feels like an old school Transformer.