This year was, to be brief, a downer. Without a proper TFCon, I had to scratch together what plastic joy I could. And though my purchases and trades this year sent a lot of my figures out the door, I’ve netted a total of 26 quality robots that brought a little ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy 12 months.

So, let’s press on to the 10 best Transformers I got this year!


10. Reveal the Shield Windcharger



2010 was a huge year for Transformers toys. It felt like the toy designers saw Revenge of the Fallen and immediately started fighting tooth and nail to let the message be heard that Transformers are more than dick jokes. That fight took the form of some stellar toys, from the movie and Generations lines, particularly the smaller, fondly remembered, Scout Class toys. Remember Breacher? Knockout? Brimstone? Absolute gold, right? Let’s talk about Windcharger.

Flip out magnet/gun hands on a 4” figure? Unheard of! A transformation that flips the bird to anyone who doubts Has/Tak’s engineers? Phenomenal! A figure so memorable and so fun it outshadows it’s descendants a decade later? That’s just insanity. That’s just Reveal the Shield Windcharger.


9. Beast Machines Night Viper



This toy came to me in a trade along with the Windcharger I just mentioned as well as the next entry. I didn’t know much about him, and my experience with my Beast Machines Vehicons was mixed, but I was intrigued. What won me over was the fact the he is one of only two snake Transformers, at least at the time I got him, because how do you make a humanoid into a tube with teeth?

Of course! You make him a cobra whose head and hood become the robot’s upper half with the remainder of the snake, well, his entire lower half. If you haven’t transformed this guy, or at least seen how he works, you need to. Seriously.

But, elephant in the room, a cobra with biting action in snake mode, a flip-out scythe in robot mode, and is a good guy? What? Between his 80’s women’s business suit shoulder pads and permanently somewhat relaxed karate chop hands, I think he’s as unsure about that combination as I am. But the colour palette and hyper-posability make him hard to resisssssst.


8. Universe ‘08 Roadbuster



This guy tied up three loose ends for me: First off, Generations Roadbuster left a bad taste in my mouth, with his iffy tolerances, crap stickers and thoroughly janky legs. Second, I had the Cybertron Defense Hot Shot version of this mold when I was younger and was sad to see it slowly die at the hands of my…self. And third, my Power Core Combiners Bombshock had just suffered a similar fate to my poor Hot Shot. What was I to do but rebuild?

Universe Roadbuster is armed to the teeth, made of chunk and full of spunk. This was my first attempt at a head swap, using the combiner head of the dearly departed Bombshock, and he looks like Robocop 2’s army themed ex wife. Roadbuster hasn’t exactly had a lion’s share of toys over the years, and while the 3rd party offerings are appealing, this is what I wanted. A Cybertron mold in Wrecker colours; a wolf in wolf’s clothing. Consider my road busted.


7. POTP Bomb Burst



Representing the POTP Primemasters is Bomb Burst, who came into my life almost by coincidence.

I needed to buy some things to propose to my girlfriend this year, and to dissuade suspicion, I also got the entire set of POTP Primemasters. Classy, I know. After the proposal (she said yes!), I felt a paint overhaul was in order. What started as simple details, snowballed into total palette swaps for some of them, but I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Along the way I improved my technique for mixing custom paint colours and finally figured out the right amount of thinner for yellow too.

Even though I got the Primemasters to pad out a box, they’ve become a mainstay of my Generations shelf. They look ferocious as a team, they make the other bigger figures look even bigger and more impressive, and they bring a certain whimsy to the collection. They’re the next evolution of Cybertronian stealth technology, but they’re also basically Power Rangers extras that fit in your pocket. What’s not to love?


6. POTP Inferno (Pyro)



Ever since I picked up Siege Impactor last year, I’ve been hungry to complete my set of Wreckers (more of which you’ll read about later). However, upon learning how many different iterations of the team have united, disbanded, been brutally dismembered or just straight up killed over the years, I needed a limit. I needed to cash out before they took up an entire shelf and my entire budget, and Pyro was that bookend.

After applying the Reprolabels Pyro conversion set, making polystyrene filler panels, popping a new head on, and slathering him in paint, Inferno has achieved the destiny so many other customizers have already done with debatably better results. I wanted to finish what the Reprolabels set started and make a Pyro that toed the line between his original toy and his IDW design the end result of which is a bot that looks like Prime but walks like Warpath. Absolute smasher


5. Siege Megatron



The fourth Megatron on the shelf and the third Classics Megatron I’ve had, I love me a good Megs and this one is up there; Siege Megatron melted my heart from first setting eyes on him. From a death sentence on treads in tank mode to the single most characterful robot mode I’ve seen in years. He needs no introduction, no excuses, and no remorse. This thing had me doing my metal face for a solid week after I got him, his energy is so infectious. I want an Optimus just so he has someone to brood over. God, this thing is almost too good. Ahh! Fantastic.


4. Galaxy Force Laserbeak



As you may have picked up, 2005-2010 is my chief area of interest in regard to Transformers. Though I missed Cybertron Soundwave when he first dropped, I was eager to pick up his oddball Universe 2008 repaint Blaster. And since my copy was frought with Q/C issues, I was left with the feeling I was only getting about 30% of the enjoyment the mold had to offer.

Finding the Galaxy Force version this year in the box for $30 from one of my favourite local sellers was a treat to say the least. While the toy has his limitations, he was a much-needed trip down memory lane with the sweetest cherry on top; Laserbeak.

He's so posable! Soaring, flapping, roosting, cawing, walking, perching on damn near anything with a 5mm port. It's all solid, intuitive and so damn spooky.

I don't think a bomb makes a very good alt mode, at least when it's a hexagonal prism rather than a big old ACME fat boy. But since it fits in Soundwave's chest more sensibly and the bird mode is absolute aces, this is plastic candy.


3. Combiner Wars Battle Core Optimus Prime (Thunderclash)



AHH, I FINALLY HAVE A THUNDERCLASH! I have a big soft spot for the Turbomasters, at the centre of which is the clash of thunder himself. Much like Pyro, this guy is a continuation of the Reprolabels conversion, and also like Pyro has been done 100 times before. But then, that just took most of the guess work out of painting.

I had Motormaster, but this is such a better use of this heavy set, bell bottomed beauty of a mold. Posing is good, transformation bares a striking resemblance to the original toy, and his colour turned out so well. Red pants, white shirt, but with navy and teal accents, gold details and a blue hat on a golden face? What do you mean he has pink windows!?! His existence is criminal, because he's stolen my heart.


2. Generations Springer



I got this guy shortly after trading away my Fansproject Warbot Defender, and oh my god I will never look back. From the ground up this guy is just better in every measurable and immeasurable way. Six years later, this guy still dominates the precious few toys that aren’t focused on just being posable or accurate to source material or doing a neat gimmick. He does all of those things with ease. His focus, his energy, and his raison d’etre is moving the toy industry forward and setting a new precedent by being the zeitgeistiest thing to come out of 2014.

Case and point; he’s the second-best figure I got all year six years later. How many Springers have come out since, official or otherwise, is irrelevant. This toy was a beacon of exactly what toys should be. He outshines the competition, but he doesn’t feel smug. He doesn’t feel hostile. This isn’t an attack on what any other toy is doing, this is a celebration of what Hasbro is capable of. This is a shining star among toys, and somehow, he goes for roughly retail prices as of this post. Even if you don’t like toys, he’s a damn good thing to have in your life.


1. Mastermind Creations Kultur (Tarn)



How does a toy follow that act? Sometimes it isn’t the toy. Sometimes, it’s how they come into your life. I’ve been working my current job for a little over a year now, and on the first day I walked in, I saw Tarn on a shelf, dusty and buried behind boxes. For over a year, it bothered me how neglected this toy was, and for over a year I dreamt of buying that toy someday, when I could afford it.



We were incredibly busy over this holiday season, as we were last year, but we were short handed. I took up the slack, got through it, and was given Tarn and his teammate, Cynicus (Vos), as a bonus for my efforts. Springer is a great toy, but Tarn is an achievement. He is my trophy for hardships endured and a job well done. Also, he’s f*cking metal as f*ck, dude.



Have you seen him? Have you seen the robot who wears tank treads as shoulder pads, not one, but TWO arm mounted fusion cannons, and the Decepticon symbol for a face?!? Mask? Same thing. Look, Toys like this put the party in 3rd party. He is the boogeyman, spoken of in hushed voices. A shadow, orchestrating your demise. A Tyrant of peace, and my favourite Transformer of 2020.

 

Okay, I'll chip in with my own list, in order of acquisition (more or less). I actually spent more of 2020 rediscovering toys I'd had stored away than buying new ones.

1) Cliffjumper - This figure is a dream come true. Since the only Bumblebee I had back in the G1 days was a red one, I just couldn't see the red Bee repaints as anything but a red Bee. So getting an actual, meant-to-be-him Cliffjumper was quite welcome.

2) Optimus Prime - The last standard size G1-style Optimus Hasbro needs to make for the foreseeable future. Not perfect, with the corners cut on the trailer and some missteps on the deco, but close enough to be worth perfecting with add-ons and paint.

3) Fans Hobby Archenemy/RiD Scourge - My favorite Decepticon in MP form, and better yet, non-animation-slavish MP form.

4) Striker Manus - I passed on him until now because of the alien-looking truck mode, but I found a good deal. And he was totally worth it. Very similar in concept to Classics Optimus, although executed very differently. Big, imposing, and much closer to what we should have gotten in Siege.

5) Sky Lynx - only the second version I've owned (the other being the CW), and an excellent incarnation. Posable, loads of character, and just lots of fun.

6) Scorponok - Decent update of the original, though it traded some of the city mode functionality for additional size. I love that he's a double-Headmaster now like his rival, and how they used the feature to homage both the original toy Headmaster and the anime version.

7) G2 Megatron - Finally, a tank Megatron in the correct deco!

8) Iron Samurai Yoroi Shishimaru - Awesome Legends Class Lioconvoy which actually handles some aspects of the transformation better than the full-size version.

And that's about it, I think. My buying was drastically reduced last year, so I can't really come up with a full 10.

 

1 Seige Ultra Magnus an excellent representation for one of my favorite bots

2 WFC Double dealer about time we got this guy transformation is fun and feels solid in all of his modes

3 TFC Road Ceaser I really love the individual bots and the combined mode looks great and doesnt feel flimsy

4 Titans Return Trypticon Big dino whats not to love kinda sad i waited til 2020 to get him but it was worth it

5 Fansproject DinoForce great little bots just to pick up and play around with.

A lot of my spending went towards the combiner teams so i grouped them together but still glad i was able to get them.

 

I got far fewer TFs in 2020 compared to previous years...spent more time on other lines. In fact, my top 10 represents at least 60% of the TFs I got in total last year. That being said, here are the standouts for the year in no particular order.

MP Sunstreaker
MP Blackarachnia
Earthrise Wheeljack
Earthrise Cliffjumper
Gigawatt
Earthrise Seekers (will never need to buy Seekers again!)
Earthrise Arcee (great little figure despite the shortcomings)
Earthrise Quintesson
MPM Ironhide (overall impressive with a few annoying glitches...$25 at Ross makes them far more palatable).
Earthrise Ironhide

 

I know I've written on similar lists and it probably changes each time but here goes:

10. Earthrise Snapdragon
9. Studio Series Cliffjumper
8. Titans Return Quickswitch
7. E-Hobby Galvatron
6. Siege Barricade
5. Elita-One
4. Earthrise Smokescreen
3. Redwing
2. Scorponok
1. Netflix Soundwave

Honourable mentions:

E-Hobby Howlback
Earthrise Hoist
Titans Return Fastlane
Earthrise Arcee