With Hasbro moving to make sure that every Transformer character from now on sticks with the same basics (color, faction, so on) we are pretty much guaranteed that Optimus will be a semi-truck, Starscream will be a Jet, so on.

But in the past characters were given alt modes different than what they normally got and those alt modes were more interesting than what had come before, to the point that many of us prefer these non-classic alt modes to the classic designs.

So let's use this thread to share our love for the non-standard!

I'll start: I love Prowl as a police motorcycle. Maybe it is because I never had a deep connection with Prowl in G1 and as such Barricade is now 'The Police Car Transformer' in my mind but I love him as a motorcycle, especially when he got his sidecar armor. I wish we'd get more of this in media.

 

Love soundwave as a car

 

Satellite Soundwave was genius.

 

Optimus Prime as a fire truck is absolutely perfect.

 

That was my next pick, honest. It just works so well and fits an idea I've had that Decepticons are all strong enforcement (military, weapons) while the Autobots are protectors and responders

 

I like Tank Megatron, it's a good replacement for his classic gun mode.

Optimus as a long nose truck is also a favourite of mine especially G2 laser Prime.

Transformers Animated introduces a very good SUV mode for Soundwave

 

I like Ironhide as a more heavy-weight vehicle than the mini van he was during G1.

One of the best modern changes for the character.

 

I actually like Megatron as an attack helicopter (Animated), a tank (ROTF, CW, Siege, Armada, etc), or a Cybertronian plane (2007 Movie) more than being a mass-shifting pistol in the G1 cartoon.

 

I was going to post something similar. I’ll always have a soft spot for the red van...but a big red pickup truck seems to fit his personality better. A minivan just doesn’t scream bad motherchucker.

 

Also got to go with Ironhide as a pick up truck over his G1 Vanette mode.

This due to the G2 GoBot version. When I saw this in the store it just made so much more sense to me. Not just because of his metallic colour (iron), but also because G1 Ironhide's bio mentioned that he was well protected on the front of his chest (what was his hood with the G2 pickup version) but vunerable at the back (the roof with windows with the G2). Plus, the pick up truck just fits better with his personality.

I have nostalgia for G1 Ironhide, but the G2 pickup is to me a much better fit.


(Secondary choice would also be Megatron as a tank.)

 

Ironhide as an elephant was pretty good.

 

Krok as a crocodile.
Device Label Blaster as a laptop.
DL Tigatron as a memory stick, with the tiger being his actual robot mode.
Botcon Dinobot as an excavator.
CHUG Overkill. I like him upgraded to having a proper robot mode and turning into a T Rex.

 

I like the dichotomy between Optimus and Megatron.

Optimus is almost always a truck.

Megatron can be just about anything.

 

Megatron as not gun.

 

Soundwave as a satalite.
Megatron as a helicopter, jet, tank or truck.
Rodimus as a truck.

 

I've always preferred Optimus as a fire truck.

Megatron, either a helicopter like in TFA, a truck like in DOTM or the dragster alt. mode he had in Cybertron.

 

Megatron as a heavy but still very fast plane/ship as being the leader and should be more powerful than his troops (aside the mega sized ones of course but then again), he should be able to travel fast and be massive enough to be armored beyond the average TF.

I really did like the Wing version but it was too small. But the idea of this version was great.

The movie alien ship is nice but looks too fragile with the flimsy wings.

The animated cybertronian ship was very nice (aside the tiny wings), but I missed getting it. I have the chopper one (but missing parts) and he's a solid version, but choppers are too limited.

 

Rodimus as a racing truck.

 

Tanker truck. If you're gonna have a big rig you gotta give them something to pull.

 

Honestly yes. Biases aside as Energon Rodimus was my first figure, him being a racing truck works so well, honestly better than a space Winnebago.