This is a real toughie for me. As much as I loved the CR/RID toyline, I wasn't a great fan of the cartoon when it was imported (Car Robots was fun, but it just seemed to lose something in the translation). The original designs for the toyline, however, were absolutely stunning. A combiner that was so complex that it's simply not cost effective to reuse it? Insane. But WHAT a combiner. And Omega Prime/God Fire Convoy deserves to go down in history as one of the most impressive looking toys this side of Victory Saber.

However, my vote goes to Beast Machines.

For the first time we had a series where the good guys were utterly screwed pretty much all the way through. They were manipulated, deceived, hunted and desperate. The dialogue was superb, and the voice acting was faultless.
Beast Machines touched on so many subjects that one wouldn't expect to see explored so deeply in a TF series; Betrayal (not only of comrades but of yourself), fanaticism and the dangers of blind faith (on both sides; Cybertron's inhabitants basically having their souls stolen because of one tyrant's twisted hatred of individuality), to name but 2. It showed that actions truly do have consequences, and despite the discrepancies between some of the characters BW incarnations and their BM ones it also gave us the most (and the most logical) character development we have ever seen in a Transformers series.
The animation was a clear setp up from Beast Wars; gone were the somewhat gaudy palettes used in BW, replaced by a bleak, mechanised ghost planet. Character animation was hugely improved as well.
Beast Machines was dark, nasty, uncompromising and represented an experiment in a more mature story. I don't think we will ever see its like again.
Toy-wise, BM was a very mixed bag. The Maximals were a strange mix of extremely cool techno-organic designs, and strange monstrosoties (Silverbolt, I'm looking at you here). Scale was also all over the place. Optimus Primal as a Mega Class at his largest, whilst Nightscream got an Ultra.
The Vehicons, on the other hand, were almost uniformly superb toys such as Tankor & Jetstorm (both Deluxe and Ultra). But again, scale issues REALLY plagued the line. Megatron (more commonly referred to at the time as "Minitron") was a prime example of this.
However, BM also gave us some of the best Basic Class figures ever seen to that date. Spy Streak, Obsidian, Hammerstrike, Tank Drone, and Cycle Drone are all amazing toys.
I would love to see some of the toys re-released in show accurate colours, as they were in Japan's Beast Wars Returns line. From a purely selfish POV I'd like to be able to get them for less than the insane prices some of the BWR figures go for, but I do think they would look superb redone in show accurate colours.

 

I would have voted for RiD, but with Machine Wars as an option, it's the easy pick for me, as it's a VERY brief line. I'd also HIGHLY recommend to anyone wanting to start any kind of TF collection to get the whole line. One of the very gratifying things about this line is that it's so short it's an easy jumping on point for any collector. The prices still remain relatively low as well.

This line really needs more love.

That being said, I would like to say that RiD is a VERY close second for me. I'd LOVE to see this series get more love in an official capacity (more toy nods, more fiction, etc.). I'd still love a Region free DVD set release in the US. One can dream . . . .

 

With beast machines, it took me a while to get into it. I thought the designs were horrible (and for the most part, still do), the toys were a mixed bag, and that bloody "chase" music from the series really grated with its overuse.

However, I did warm to the story eventually, and I think beast machines is one of the most distinctive eras in transformers history, and theres at least a couple of characters that i'd like to see given the generations treatment.

RID is another wierd and wonderful series that used brand new, state of the art molds, beast wars molds and G1 repaints, and i loved it. However, i'm still kicking myself for never picking up an RID prime! I think RID is at least partly responsible for making the Transforming Car popular again, and more than anything, I would LOVE for Sideburn to get some love somewhere, either as a character in a new series or simply as a Generations re-imagining.

 

I voted for Alternators.

While I agree that the HA figures of late are very much an Alt. update, (and I love Hasbro for it) I still think the line as a whole deserves a little more love due to the lack of any fictional support from Hasbro. (No Tech Specs on the Alt packages)

I've always wanted a series like the Alts. when I was buying G1 off the rack at my local toy store. Not that I'm complaining about G1 mind you, I just wanted more articulated figures that were in scale with each other. And, the Alts. delivered in a huge way. But, they were left in a limbo of any sort of fiction other than the Binaltech stuff. Were they G1 updated, or a new universe like most of the other lines.

I'd like to see HA evolve back into an Alt-like line with more classic characters from past series made as a collectors class figures like the Masterpieces. Give them the Tech Specs and a mini-comic (like the Armada/Energon figures had) and make them part of the Generations line as the Movie lines prove, you can offer multiple sizes of the same character and the kids will buy them if they have a story.

They don't have to be exactly like the old G1 figures as the old Alts and CHUG show that updated figures sell just fine, nor do the have to be made into licensed vehicles. Hell, you don't have to do just G1 either as I'd love to see the RID brothers get the Alt treatment. They could even do Beast Wars characters. (Masterpiece Dinobot anyone?)

 

RiD by a mile - this was the series that got me noticing TFs again, after a combination of the beast era and becoming more interested in beer & girls sent me in a direction away from toys.

Really, it heralded the rebirth of Transformers as a whole after Beast Machines was cancelled and things weren't looking good. We saw the return of realistic vehicle modes (go and look up pics of the Shinkansen trains JRX was based on, even the decos are largely accurate!), familar names like 'Optimus Prime', 'Prowl', 'Bruticus' all made a comeback. The engineering on some of the toys was stunning, and it felt like they took a real backward step in Armada and Energon, and we're only seeing a return to that level of intricacy with the latest movie toys. RiD was the jumping-off point that paved the way for Armada which saw the return of TFs in a big way, and in turn led to the franchise being as hugely popular as it is today.

Yet in terms of homages, it's often overlooked. Aside from Botcon Sky-byte and Universe Bruticus there haven't really been any 'new' toys in years. While many of the moulds are utterly destroyed through over-use, I would love to see newly-engineered versions of the car brothers, or Build King/Landfill, or Valdigus/Ruination. I know FunPub are doing Sideburn using the Classics Rodimus mould, next year but it doesn't seem the same.   Maybe Botcon 2011's set will celebrate the line's 10th anniversary in the west...?

 

I have to say RID for what that series did to the Transformers after the Beast era. Fantastic re-vamps of characters and some new and wonderful, and let's not forget the spychangers. Just love them.
So RID it is  

 

RID.

The series wasn't especially brainy, but the animation was very nice, the toys were fantastic, and it could be surprisingly funny (if you can put up with the anime cliche`s). It's also what originally brought me to TFW2005 waaaay back when it didn't have a message board... watching streaming untranslated episodes over a 56k dialup... memories, man. Memories.

 

wait... WHERE'S MY VICTORY!?!

 

Going by the basis of 'needs more love' I'll vote Unicron Trilogy. RID is a top contender, but since it's actually a decent series with actual fans I'm going to overlook it in favour of these three shows.

Despised by fans due to storylines that drag on, crappy animation and occassionally hilarious voice acting.

But there are some good things in here. Armada had some great concepts, a good long term plot and some really nice designs (even if these designs often didn't translate to the toys). Energon was a show. Cybertron was, in many ways, excellent. The toys were the first of the true 'modern' transformers, the animation was much better than Energon (to the extent of the robots being toy accurate. Weird design choice but oh well.), and the designs were excellent on the whole. In fact, without Cybertron to back up this trilogy, I'd be a lot more critical about it.

Show some love to the unicron trilogy. It marks a gateway to modern transformers, if nothing else.

 

RID!

RID was right when I got my internet legs out under me, had bought my first PC trying to watch trailers for the new star wars or watch episodes TB put up on those primitive media players we were stuck with back in the day,and seeing images of transformers in Japan called Car Robots! Blew my mind. I was so overjoyed by the thought of old school transforming car robots with the added benefit of this ball joint thing that bloomed in beast wars after being conceived in latter G2.
This series will always be dear to me, on a whole the toy line is inspired and magnificent. It led to the pursuit of Transformers knowledge globally. Things like the names of designers, Simon Furmans UK material via the Titan UK collected editions(my personal favorite fiction) and how the G1 story evolved differently in the land of the rising Sun.
Basically it opened the wider world of this fandom up to me. As far as I'm concerned it can never get enough props.

 

i was torn between RID or beastmachines, but in the end, despite all that was going on, RID was a good hearted funny transformers romp.

 

I say RID needs more love. I never really saw the show because of the cruddy broadcasting, but upon reading what there is on the wiki the series sounds very interesting. I also think that even though the majority of the molds got overused to the point of wearing them out, toy technology has improved to the point where I think the figures could be recreated to be much more versitile than before (imagine: an articulated Rail Racer!).

A DVD release of the series that I could get ahold of easily would be nice, too, so I could actually see the entire series.

 

I thought Beast Machines had a lot of potential but left a lot of things half-baked. The Vehicon figures were awesome but almost all the Maximals sucked and were prone to breaking from the clear plastic or having their chrome flake off.

It is by far, the most bold series in Transformers. Its polarity is proof of that. As a show, it was what many have already elaborated on: a richer experience compared to other merchandise-driven programs and not just a toy commercial (it kind of failed in that respect because it was anything BUT show-accurate).

Maybe a Resident Evil 3 type of story (part "interquel"/prequel and sequel) can follow up on the Beast Era:

It would start at the end of the Beast Wars and focus on the Predacon Megatron's (with an accompanying brand new molding of that delicious Dragon form or at least a retooling with bigger wings and a new head; that would be happiness*) conquest of Cybertron and doomed efforts to stop him.
Then BM happens.
Finally, a brand new story would pick up after BM and treat us to a delightful mind-screw that blends all the continuity families together and breaks the fourth wall by reminding us that it is fiction or something to that effect.

*Then they could retool it further with transforming wings, a damaged dragon form, and a control harness to apologize for that horrible Minitron!


RiD was something special for what it was, though. It was a repackaged anime (complete with cliche storms for that genre) with recycled molds accounting for half the line. My vote still goes to BM, though.

Please don't eat me.

 

"Attaboy Carl!"
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that thought Machine Wars doesn't get any love.

 

AEC because I am more focused on toys. The volume of stuff from that period nearly bankrupted me but I would like to see more updates to the core characters.

 

I have to go with Beast Machines. Great show, I love that it took a chance and it still makes some folks rage to this very day. Even on the toy side it gets no love, since the only figures we have received recently are the Tankor/Cheetor RH two pack. I would love if they threw a couple Vehicons into the classics line.

 

I voted Beast Machines. I know that the haters gonna hate, but I'm a lover and I definitely think, as a series, it deserves more than it's gotten so far.

 

I voted RiD. Because Sky-Byte is cool and needs a non-convention new toy.

But seriously, I voted for it because what was only ever supposed to buy time for a 'proper' new line to be created ended up having a major impact upon the series-black repaints of Primes got their big start here, and Sky-Byte became a fan favourite, among many other things I have failed to list here.

And that, despite this, the only representation RiD got in Universe (excluding the unreleased Robot Heroes) was a repaint of Cybertron Scourge as Bruticus. Where is the love?

 

Beast Machines definitely. I just started watching the whole series for the first time and I think it deserves alot more love.

 

RiD will always hold a special place for me. As with a lot of fans, it's what brought me back into the Transformers fold. I still remember popping onto TFW when it was a much simpler site than today and seeing the first episode of Car Robots. When it finally came to North America, I immediately began buyign the figures and have been hooked since.

The story itself is pretty contained and doesn't need much expanding. But I'd simply love to see new toy versions of some of those characters. I'd even be happy with an entire Botcon set done as RiD.