Considering on what on how old the transformers have been, what's the worst/best gimmick you've seen in a toy armada sideswipe is out of the question, but still, what's the worst/best gimmick you've seen in a toy?
Action Masters, Action Masters, Action Masters, also those Cybertron "key" things stuck out like a sore thumb. Using Minicons for that kind of thing worked much better. Also Action Masters.
For me, combining is the best gimmick as long as the components are fully functional Transformers in their own right. Minicons, Pretenders, and Action Masters are my least favorites. I won't buy figures that don't actually transform.
For me, I've got a few. But, any gimmick can be implemented poorly. But, in terms of MY favorites and antifavorites, here they are: The Best: Transformation. It's what makes a Transformer a Transformer, and not just another robot. I've seen a few that fall short of the mark, but overall, still so many great ones. It's the engineering I enjoy most, and this is the best example of that. Articulation. Like transformation, this one is so basic it is taken for granted. But, there is nothing that can make a figure as uncool as one that isn't expressive. Posing is fun, you should try it sometime. After transformation, this is kind of the most basic thing a Transformer needs to be a Transformer. Multiple alt modes/Triple Changing. Adds to the engineering impressiveness of the figure, and play value. Combining. 5 toys become one super cool robot, ideally. 5mm peg hands/weapons. A basic one, but encourages weapon sharing, and allows you to give the figure the weapons you want. Mech Alive. Seeing those little pistons move adds to the impression of living robot. Deployable weapons. Change up the figure, and give you more firepower. The Worst: Any gimmick that compromises the look,transformation, or articulation of the figure, or one that takes up more than 50% of the figure. Autotransformation. Now, there are some good ones, like Animated Activators, but most figures that do this are lame, like current one step/3 step changers. usually compromises poseability, and consumes the whole figure, leaving a figure that you can't do much with. Partial ones, like automorph are usually okay. Any gimmick that is triggered by a separate piece, like mini-cons, or cyber planet keys. Lose that thing, and you can't make the gimmick work. It's even worse when transformation is done this way. G1 Powermasters get a pass because you can still unlock the transformation without the Powermaster. Most linewide gimmicks. If every figure has to have the same gimmick, you will inevitably have ones that were not well though out/implemented. Exceptions: Automorph, Mech Alive, because they are non-intrusive. Headmasters. Never made any sense to me. Especially bad in Titans Return, since it was a line wide gimmick, we had figures who should not have been Headmasters having the gimmick foisted upon them needlessly. Soundboxes. Sometimes cool, mostly annoying.
I agree with everything that you said. You actually quantified my problem with the Unicron Trilogy, and Armada in particular, better than I did.
Inb4 someone says transformat-...fuck. I really like weapons that can be properly holstered/sheathed and drawn. I really don't like missile launchers that ruin the look of a gun. They're okay when they're supposed to look like a long thick cannon, though. Inb4 someone disses lightpiping (y'all are fun-hatin' meanies, ya know that?)
How his having a whole car tacked on better than having a key tacked on? Worst gimmicks, IMO: Pretenders, Action Masters, Minicons, Cyber keys, Mech Tech, Soundboxes, and quick-change.
Best: I guess saying transformation would be cheap, but I'm doing it anyway. Worst: Automorph can take the fun out of the transformation and sometimes the mechanism can destroy itself.
Worst gimmick... Don't know... I suppose I've never been a fan of missile launchers, that's right. Lost so much missiles... Even one this year with my G1 Rotorstorm! Best gimmick ever is my mom and her glue. She saved my Optimus head like a thousand times. And you have no idea of how much she hated this thing haha. I was a clumsy kid I guess.
For example: Hot Shot & Jolt. Having Jolt on Hot Shot's back works nicely as a jetpack/propeller thingy. Minicons are transformable remember? They don't necessarily have to be "a whole car" when they're attached.
I'd say transformation is the best gimmick of all in a Transformers toy. Beyond that, I would say it really depends on how the gimmick is executed. While I do like the Titans Returns figures I have, I will say that the Headmaster gimmick does not really do much for me in the Deluxe or Voyager size classes, which are the only size classes I currently own from that line. In my mind the fun of a Headmaster figure is not just that the head transforms into a small Transformer; it's that the head transforms into an articulated robot with some moveability. I know the head of a Headmaster is not going to be as complex as the regular Generations figures, but I do think that as a gimmick it works much better with really large figures like Titan Class than with the small to mid range size classes. Funny enough, Headmasters would actually be a good match for some of the larger RID figures, even though I have no interest in the RID line.
