I recently bought Wild Wheel. One of the things that impressed me a lot of this figure is how retro his Cybertronian car mode looked like. It really blended well with the G1 1986 Cybertronian figures like Blurr, Springer, Kup, Hot Rod, Wheelie, etc. It reminds me of it being a figure from the G1 cartoon that never had a toy release. One example of this are the recent Arcee toys released over the past few years where she transforms into a cartoon accurate Cybertronian vehicle mode. I was wondering if there are any other Transformer toys that have Cybertronian alt-modes that I should look at? When I say Cybertronian vehicle, I mean ones that don't resemble Earth vehicles like how some of the Siege figures are. I'm talking about vehicles that look really alien like G1 Scourge, G1 Kup, etc.

 

I always thought the season 3 autobots were meant to be 2005 futuristic earth vehicles, rather than cybertronian vehicles.

I would say look at the Decepticons of the Cybertron series. Especially Sideways, Soundwave and Starscream. Studio Series Megatron from the 07 and rotf are pretty alien designs for their alt modes, though there's the whole movie aesthetic to them as well. And all of the vehicons from Beast Machines. To me, those are the perfect ideal of what a cybertron alt mode should be, outside the use of disguise.

 

SS Cliffjumper

Siege Mirage

 

All the 2012 WFC and FOC figures have fantastic Cybertronian modes.

 

There were the Titanium 6-inch War Within design figures.

 

I'm not 100% sold that any of the 1986 Autobots were MEANT to have Cybertronian modes (except for Wheelie) although since 2005 has come and gone and we didn't get cars like that then I guess that's what they are.

Season 3 of the TV show doesn't help with this much. Kup -- I think -- is shown to have his truck mode pre-Earth but Rodimus Prime's vehicle mode is shown to be a mass produced Earth vehicle line with the same flame decals.

Going off of context is hard. Springer would be the only Triple Changer not to have an Earth mode if he's a Cybertronian vehicle but then Sandstorm has his alt mode on Paradron, which suggests it isn't an earth mode despite looking like one. Unless... Blitzwing? Does he have an Earth mode?

Hot Rod was modeled on a real concept car and Arcee seems to have taken inspiration from 1950s cars.

I think -- for me -- a Transformers mode generally reads as Cybertronian if it looks like something from Star Wars, Star Trek, or the old Battlestar Galactica.

But they started counting futuristic earth vehicles when 2005 hit and cars didn't look like TFTM and that had the backwards effect of causing NEW Cybertronian designs to look like futuristic earth cars.

I mean, I GUESS that probably started in Energon. My vague memory is that the characters took Earth modes in Armada but then in Energon the Transformers just naturally looked like Earth vehicles and you explicitly had Energon Rodimus looking like a futuristic Earth vehicle without having been to Earth.

Although... Maybe you could say that started with G1 Sandstorm or RiD Ultra Magnus.

Oh! Actually, I think I have the original case of a Transformer whose Cybertronian mode is a futuristic earth vehicle: the conehead jets!

1. The conehead jets are not perfectly based on any real world jet.
2. They look enough like real world jets to pass for futuristic jets.
3. Five Faces of Darkness establishes that conehead style jet modes were common millions of years ago on Cybertron.

So they're probably the first semi-deliberate case of a Cybertronian alt mode that looks more like a passenger earth vehicle than a space fantasy vehicle.

 

TLK Megatron's jet mode is surprisingly awesome for a movieverse Cybertronian mode. It's a shame that the Leader version has a compromised bot mode, because that figure's jet mode in particular is diabolical.

I think the FOC figures were let down to some extent by their build quality (and Onslaught is just poor no matter how you look at him), but the earlier WFC figures in particular were great.

 

FOC Brawl! I love that tank mode:

 

Fall of Cybertron

Siege

SS Cliffjumper

 

Siege is HIGHLY debateable for the majority

 

I think they work. Individual results will vary.

 

To me, Siege is like season 1/2 characters with season 3 alt modes. If you consider season 3 alt modes to be earth or cybertron is up to you.

 

G1 Afterburner. Coolest motorcycle in the franchise.
Titans Return Misfire
Titans Return Hardhead
Studio Series Cliffjumper
G1 Springer
G1 Hot Rod
G1 Cyclonus
Titans Return Scourge
Takara Legends Blurr
Siege Crosshairs
Siege Seeker mold
Titans Return Topspin
Titans Return Triggerhappy
Armada Starscream
G1 Drillhorn
G1 Scourge
Titans Return Kup
Titans Return Wheelie
Chug Dirge repaint of Cybertron Starscream
Clicker
Energon Inferno
Armada Megatron
Titanium War Within Seekers
Fall of Cybertron Sideswipe
Fall of Cybertron Jazz
Fall of Cybertron Voyager Soundwave

 

I think T30 Arcee's alt. mode looks more Cybertronian than Terran, despite the seats, and is pretty cool:

 

WFC Bee/Cliff and Prime are the best IMO.

 

My favorite Cybertronian modes are really just 70's and 80's concepts like G1 Hot Rod being a Fiat Abarth Pininfarina or the Dome Zero later for the Classics figure.

 

I looked up the Fiat Abarth Pininfarina and it surprised me how much it looks like Siege Sideswipe.

 

The movieverse Cybertronian modes for looking really alien and not just “earth vehicle with some differences”.

 

WFC Optimus. I like that it kind of resembles a retro future vehicle. Also, there’s something really satisfying about the Siege seeker design. While the tetra jet kits look like, the alt mode still looks great stock (visible chest plate aside).