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Transformer Toy of the Year - 2017
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banzait...@gmail.com
Dec 31, 2017, 1:50:42 AM12/31/17
to
Transformer Toy of the Year - 2017
ATT,
It's the holiday tradition that EVERYBODY looks forward to, the "Official" ATT Announcement of the Transformer Toy of the Year Award - 2017. First a review of the rules:
1.) No ties. You have to pick one (Feel free to name as many honorable mentions as you wish!)
2.) No molds. If you pick a mold that has been redeco'd a zillion times, you have to declare which of the redecos you are picking.
3.) No third party toys
4.) Released in 2017, if it’s close, anyone listed here: tfu.info (http://www.tfu.info/year/16index.htm) is disqualified. You can include any POTP toys that have shipped
5.) Cost is a factor in selection. The more expensive, the more "awesome" the toy has to be to win.
2017 could be argued to be one of the greatest years for transformer toys, ever. Hasbro took to heart our disgust for the ridiculous number of repaints we got in the Combiner Wars line. While Combiner Wars was a fantastic toy line, I feel the Titan Maters line best it. We got very few straight repaints, and the remolds we got all seemed to be rather extensive. We were treated to homages to several characters that, even after some 30+ years of toy production, were the first time the character was revisited since their G1 incarnations. This was significant.
There were only but a few drawbacks to the toy line, all minor. I personally did not like the “car seat” weapons that plagued the line. Some of the toys were better at hiding this than others. Overall, it did dampen the greatness of the toys themselves. I also got a bit of tired head over the headmaster feature. As a purist, I must admit that not every toy was meant to be a headmaster (including this year’s awardee). But alas, it’s a neat feature. One that you can completely ignore if you choose by not ever removing the head.
This is the first year that I didn’t have overwhelming feelings about which toy was above and beyond better than the rest. There were so many amazing toys that came out of the Titan Returns line. This year more than ever before, I think it is all personal preference. Of course, I am dying to hear what everyone else thinks on our aging, quaint transformer community.
There were a couple toys that I thought could have been Toy of the Year. First up is Hot Rod. This is a great figure, and IMHO the best Hot Rod toy produced to date, at any price. On the other hand, he is Hot Rod. There is no shortage of Hot Rod toys, and in a year that has unearthed so many characters from the past, I don’t think it would be a good selection. Top Spin and Twin Twist were also an absolute delight. Both of these toys are near perfection, and a welcome homage to a ubiquitous G1 toy that everyone had growing up, but quickly went silent for the countless Transformer Toy Lines to follow. They did get an obscure remold during Fall of Cybertron, and also how could I pick just one? I also very much enjoyed the Overlord toy. Simple, well executed, and a toy that has never been released in the US. Wow!
I do want to make special mention to this year’s runner up, Seaspray. This toy is pure, unadulterated awesomeness. Here is another famous G1 character that has largely been ignored. While he did get an excellent homage in a previous line… it just wasn’t Seaspray. The figure was far too large, and the colors weren’t right. But mainly he was too damn big. The TR version is just perfect. Even his much maligned “pizza box” weapon. I happen to love that 1. A minibot came with a weapon! 2. who said every alien weapon has to look like a human gun. And 3. There is no car seat on this weapon. For a while I was inclined to give him the award. Only after fiddling with the next toy described did I feel he was slightly outclassed (literally and figuratively) by someone else.
Drum roll please...
The ATT 2017 Toy of the year is Titans Return Perceptor! Perceptor is a legend among G1 characters. He had significant presence in the cartoon (both season 2 AND 3) and made a strong showing in the movie (He Survived!). Yet, we have only had a half baked homage to him that didn’t have the correct alt mode. The TR version miraculously retained the WORKING microscope mode, which is mind boggling in today’s cost cutting environment. His transformation is very close to the original toy, with improvements to prevent one of the most commonly broken G1 parts of all time, the bracket that holds his scope to his shoulders. You can configure his scope in several different places, including a fusion cannon like position. Finally, he maintained his hidden cannon mode. This was not just a “fanmode” creation, but a true undocumented mode that was engineered into his design, as evidenced by leg clips that snap in tank mode. I will be the first to admit that there isn’t anything sexy about a microscope alt mode, but that is what makes the existence of this toy even more miraculous. He’s a home run. Thank you Hasbro!!!
So there you have it... Would love to hear what everyone thinks was the best toy of 2017.
-Banzaitron
ATT,
It's the holiday tradition that EVERYBODY looks forward to, the "Official" ATT Announcement of the Transformer Toy of the Year Award - 2017. First a review of the rules:
1.) No ties. You have to pick one (Feel free to name as many honorable mentions as you wish!)
2.) No molds. If you pick a mold that has been redeco'd a zillion times, you have to declare which of the redecos you are picking.
3.) No third party toys
4.) Released in 2017, if it’s close, anyone listed here: tfu.info (http://www.tfu.info/year/16index.htm) is disqualified. You can include any POTP toys that have shipped
5.) Cost is a factor in selection. The more expensive, the more "awesome" the toy has to be to win.
2017 could be argued to be one of the greatest years for transformer toys, ever. Hasbro took to heart our disgust for the ridiculous number of repaints we got in the Combiner Wars line. While Combiner Wars was a fantastic toy line, I feel the Titan Maters line best it. We got very few straight repaints, and the remolds we got all seemed to be rather extensive. We were treated to homages to several characters that, even after some 30+ years of toy production, were the first time the character was revisited since their G1 incarnations. This was significant.
There were only but a few drawbacks to the toy line, all minor. I personally did not like the “car seat” weapons that plagued the line. Some of the toys were better at hiding this than others. Overall, it did dampen the greatness of the toys themselves. I also got a bit of tired head over the headmaster feature. As a purist, I must admit that not every toy was meant to be a headmaster (including this year’s awardee). But alas, it’s a neat feature. One that you can completely ignore if you choose by not ever removing the head.
This is the first year that I didn’t have overwhelming feelings about which toy was above and beyond better than the rest. There were so many amazing toys that came out of the Titan Returns line. This year more than ever before, I think it is all personal preference. Of course, I am dying to hear what everyone else thinks on our aging, quaint transformer community.
There were a couple toys that I thought could have been Toy of the Year. First up is Hot Rod. This is a great figure, and IMHO the best Hot Rod toy produced to date, at any price. On the other hand, he is Hot Rod. There is no shortage of Hot Rod toys, and in a year that has unearthed so many characters from the past, I don’t think it would be a good selection. Top Spin and Twin Twist were also an absolute delight. Both of these toys are near perfection, and a welcome homage to a ubiquitous G1 toy that everyone had growing up, but quickly went silent for the countless Transformer Toy Lines to follow. They did get an obscure remold during Fall of Cybertron, and also how could I pick just one? I also very much enjoyed the Overlord toy. Simple, well executed, and a toy that has never been released in the US. Wow!
I do want to make special mention to this year’s runner up, Seaspray. This toy is pure, unadulterated awesomeness. Here is another famous G1 character that has largely been ignored. While he did get an excellent homage in a previous line… it just wasn’t Seaspray. The figure was far too large, and the colors weren’t right. But mainly he was too damn big. The TR version is just perfect. Even his much maligned “pizza box” weapon. I happen to love that 1. A minibot came with a weapon! 2. who said every alien weapon has to look like a human gun. And 3. There is no car seat on this weapon. For a while I was inclined to give him the award. Only after fiddling with the next toy described did I feel he was slightly outclassed (literally and figuratively) by someone else.
Drum roll please...
The ATT 2017 Toy of the year is Titans Return Perceptor! Perceptor is a legend among G1 characters. He had significant presence in the cartoon (both season 2 AND 3) and made a strong showing in the movie (He Survived!). Yet, we have only had a half baked homage to him that didn’t have the correct alt mode. The TR version miraculously retained the WORKING microscope mode, which is mind boggling in today’s cost cutting environment. His transformation is very close to the original toy, with improvements to prevent one of the most commonly broken G1 parts of all time, the bracket that holds his scope to his shoulders. You can configure his scope in several different places, including a fusion cannon like position. Finally, he maintained his hidden cannon mode. This was not just a “fanmode” creation, but a true undocumented mode that was engineered into his design, as evidenced by leg clips that snap in tank mode. I will be the first to admit that there isn’t anything sexy about a microscope alt mode, but that is what makes the existence of this toy even more miraculous. He’s a home run. Thank you Hasbro!!!
So there you have it... Would love to hear what everyone thinks was the best toy of 2017.
-Banzaitron
Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.
Dec 31, 2017, 8:46:17 AM12/31/17
to
My vote has to go to TR Sixshot. The only weak point in the entire toy is the knees, but otherwise it's quite excellent in all modes.
Honorable mention/runners up, in order of how close they were to #1
TR Sharkticon
TR Triggerhappy
TR Misfire
TR Nautica
TR Shuffler
PotP Swoop
Honorable mention/runners up, in order of how close they were to #1
TR Sharkticon
TR Triggerhappy
TR Misfire
TR Nautica
TR Shuffler
PotP Swoop
Zobovor (the Man with All the Toys)
Dec 31, 2017, 12:34:26 PM12/31/17
to
On Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 11:50:42 PM UTC-7, banzait...@gmail.com wrote:
> It's the holiday tradition that EVERYBODY looks forward to, the "Official"
> ATT Announcement of the Transformer Toy of the Year Award - 2017.
I've been looking forward to this! So much so, in fact, that I already had my "ballot" filled out in advance. Ahem!
> It's the holiday tradition that EVERYBODY looks forward to, the "Official"
> ATT Announcement of the Transformer Toy of the Year Award - 2017.
There were a lot of great toys released this year. Hasbro's really hit their stride these days. For the past few years now, they've been knocking it out of the park with incredibly good toys, particularly the revisited G1 characters.
Many of us here have cited Triggerhappy as a nearly perfect toy, and he always comes up in conversations about which Titans Return toys are worth purchasing. He's got a well-proportioned robot mode, a fun transformation with some neat twists, an awesome-looking vehicle mode, and he resembles his G1 self to boot. He's got no crippling design flaws and there's really nothing about him I would change.
Six Shot is a great example of "G1 with ball joints," taking the essence of the G1 toy and tweaking it without attempting to totally redesign it from scratch. He does suffer from floppy knees, regrettably, but he's an incredibly fun toy, and Hasbro gets points for managing to sneak that handheld gun mode into his design despite not advertising its existence in any way, shape, or form.
Also, we finally, finally, FINALLY got a Headmaster Arcee! Granted, her availability was limited, she was pricy for a Deluxe, and she was just a Blurr remold when you got right down to it... but Blurr and Arcee always had similar-looking vehicle modes so it wasn't a completely terrible idea. I am so happy that she exists. (There's also Grotusque, but who the hell knows if I'll ever own him or not.)
There are so many fantastic runners-up. Octane, Blitzwing, Hot Rod, Kup, Perceptor, Topspin and Twin Twist, Cloudraker and Fastlane and Pounce and Wingspan, and even Wheelie and Windcharger were great. I even found a place in my heart for Overlord. There are also some really cool Power of the Primes toys that were released recently... Jazz, Dreadwind, Swoop, and Slag. Finally, new Dinobots!
Of course, 2017 also gave us Broadside. For some reason.
I really feel like Trypticon deserves mad props here, because the G1 toy was disappointingly small even in 1986. It just didn't represent the massive dinosaur killing machine depicted in the cartoon series. The new Trypticon is not only humongous, but he's awesome. He eats Titan Masters for breakfast! (Literally, if the ComicCon poster is any indication.) Also, Full-Tilt is one of the most fun Titans Return toys in his own right.
However. Then there are the Masterpiece toys to consider.
This year, Takara released Masterpiece versions of Artfire, Cheetor, Dirge, Grapple, a new edition of Megatron, a redeco version of Optimus Primal, a cartoon version of Red Alert, cassette packs with Enemy and Nightstalker and Stripes and Wingthing, and Sunstreaker. Not quite as prolific as they were in 2016. Megatron reportedly has some major fragility issues, and Grapple is just a variation on Inferno from 2016, so I would say only Sunstreaker is the only true potential standout Masterpiece release from this year. He just barely came out a few days ago, though, so I haven't had the opportunity to examine him. It's very impressive the way they managed to hide his exposed engine for a more normal-looking car mode variant, and his robot mode looks stellar, but I can't make an informed decision about him until I've handled him personally.
I keep coming back to Six Shot. More than any other toy this year, he was the one toy I desperately wanted and the one I was most excited about. And he didn't disappoint. Floppy knees aside, there's nothing about the toy I would change. Trypticon is a great toy, but is he $150 worth of great? He doesn't really do much. Six Shot was more affordable and actually more fun.
Zob (rearranging the Masterpiece shelves today)
banzait...@gmail.com
Dec 31, 2017, 2:36:34 PM12/31/17
to
SixShot is a great choice. I personally was not that over the top excited with him. Mainly because his G1 toy was rock solid, and the real potential improvement in the TR version was the toy's biggest failure, his poseable legs. So many great toys this year!
-Banzaitron
Gustavo Wombat
Dec 31, 2017, 8:22:32 PM12/31/17
to
This year has been a very, very good year for Transformers, with the bulk
of the Titans Return line being released. And some very nice toys from
PrimeRID. And Movie stuff.
The Masterpiece line was a little lacking this year, with Grapple being the
standout toy, and based on the existing Inferno mold. Sunstreaker was
released on December 22nd, so he will have to wait for next year before he
gets to the US (I don't care what the rules say, he will be eligible
then...).
Titans Return gave some great toys, including:
- Gnaw
- Shuffler
- Seaspray
- Topspin
- Octone
- Sixshot
- Misfire
- Arcee
- Slugslinger
- Black Shadow
- Trypticon
(I got the Triggerhappy wave in 2016, and Triggerhappy was, indeed Toy Of
The Year 2016, so Triggerhappy and Hot Rod, both excellent toys, are
excluded for me)
We have the first few POTP toys, which have given us a few greats already:
- Slug
- Swoop
PrimeRID gave us Skywarp and Soundwave.
- Skywarp is just a redeco of Starscream, of course, but he has an arguably
nicer color scheme -- he's the Grapple of PrimeRID.
- And Soundwave is just very nice.
- Thermador has not reached any level of saturation or even availability
yet (he's a redeco of Bisk, but may fix the engineering problems of Bisk).
He waits for next year.
The Last Knight gave us:
- Deluxe Barricade
- Voyager Megatron
There was also Unite Warriors Megatronia, who is currently my favorite
combiner. But she is also just a bunch of redecos, and expensive ones at
that.
All of the toys above are entirely worthy contenders. But, I would narrow
it down to five finalists...
SHUFFLER: An absolutely wonderful little Titan Master. The head is great,
and the vehicle is excellent in animal, vehicle and gun modes. I confess
that I buy each copy of it that I see in the stores, slowly building up a
herd of elephants.
TRYPTICON, with his buddy FULL TILT: He's a massive play set, and he has a
great Headmaster car. There are some quality control issues some people
have experienced, and he is the most expensive of the finalists.
TLK VOYAGER MEGATRON: The best of the Movieverse Megatron molds, by far.
This is an incredibly solid Cybertronian mode, where so many Cybertronian
modes are just shit. He does have a rather dull color scheme though.
TOPSPIN: So Topspinny. He looks like a 1970s toy in a good way.
SEASPRAY: Finally, our aquatic friend gets revisited. His feet are too big
to fit in the package comfortably, and the flap over his head in vehicle
mode is really cheaty, but he's the right level of complexity to be
enjoyable.
Shuffler, despite being the cheapest, doesn't quite rank. He's more of an
accessory to a toy than a toy. I love him dearly though. If the two-for-one
sale was a perpetual thing, he would probably win.
Topspin probably comes in second, but mostly on value. Deluxes are $17.99
at my local Target, which just isn't cheap enough to distinguish him on
value compared to a Voyager. Also, you can't really have Topspin without
Twintwist. Had they been sold together, it would be a different story.
TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
I have some concerns about long-term durability, since there are a lot of
thin struts, but so far he seems fine. And the struts are a softer, more
durable plastic.
It's been a really strong year with the main line, and there are few Titans
Return toys above the size of a Titan Master that I cannot see being
someone's choice.
Well, not Broadside. And I *like* Broadside (I am convinced he thinks his
plane mode is what planes look like... he has heard of disguise, he’s just
not good at it)
of the Titans Return line being released. And some very nice toys from
PrimeRID. And Movie stuff.
The Masterpiece line was a little lacking this year, with Grapple being the
standout toy, and based on the existing Inferno mold. Sunstreaker was
released on December 22nd, so he will have to wait for next year before he
gets to the US (I don't care what the rules say, he will be eligible
then...).
Titans Return gave some great toys, including:
- Gnaw
- Shuffler
- Seaspray
- Topspin
- Octone
- Sixshot
- Misfire
- Arcee
- Slugslinger
- Black Shadow
- Trypticon
(I got the Triggerhappy wave in 2016, and Triggerhappy was, indeed Toy Of
The Year 2016, so Triggerhappy and Hot Rod, both excellent toys, are
excluded for me)
We have the first few POTP toys, which have given us a few greats already:
- Slug
- Swoop
PrimeRID gave us Skywarp and Soundwave.
- Skywarp is just a redeco of Starscream, of course, but he has an arguably
nicer color scheme -- he's the Grapple of PrimeRID.
- And Soundwave is just very nice.
- Thermador has not reached any level of saturation or even availability
yet (he's a redeco of Bisk, but may fix the engineering problems of Bisk).
He waits for next year.
The Last Knight gave us:
- Deluxe Barricade
- Voyager Megatron
There was also Unite Warriors Megatronia, who is currently my favorite
combiner. But she is also just a bunch of redecos, and expensive ones at
that.
All of the toys above are entirely worthy contenders. But, I would narrow
it down to five finalists...
SHUFFLER: An absolutely wonderful little Titan Master. The head is great,
and the vehicle is excellent in animal, vehicle and gun modes. I confess
that I buy each copy of it that I see in the stores, slowly building up a
herd of elephants.
TRYPTICON, with his buddy FULL TILT: He's a massive play set, and he has a
great Headmaster car. There are some quality control issues some people
have experienced, and he is the most expensive of the finalists.
TLK VOYAGER MEGATRON: The best of the Movieverse Megatron molds, by far.
This is an incredibly solid Cybertronian mode, where so many Cybertronian
modes are just shit. He does have a rather dull color scheme though.
TOPSPIN: So Topspinny. He looks like a 1970s toy in a good way.
SEASPRAY: Finally, our aquatic friend gets revisited. His feet are too big
to fit in the package comfortably, and the flap over his head in vehicle
mode is really cheaty, but he's the right level of complexity to be
enjoyable.
Shuffler, despite being the cheapest, doesn't quite rank. He's more of an
accessory to a toy than a toy. I love him dearly though. If the two-for-one
sale was a perpetual thing, he would probably win.
Topspin probably comes in second, but mostly on value. Deluxes are $17.99
at my local Target, which just isn't cheap enough to distinguish him on
value compared to a Voyager. Also, you can't really have Topspin without
Twintwist. Had they been sold together, it would be a different story.
TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
I have some concerns about long-term durability, since there are a lot of
thin struts, but so far he seems fine. And the struts are a softer, more
durable plastic.
It's been a really strong year with the main line, and there are few Titans
Return toys above the size of a Titan Master that I cannot see being
someone's choice.
Well, not Broadside. And I *like* Broadside (I am convinced he thinks his
plane mode is what planes look like... he has heard of disguise, he’s just
not good at it)
Gustavo Wombat
Dec 31, 2017, 8:22:33 PM12/31/17
to
toy of the year great, but definitely a finalist.
Nautical slipped my mind for some reason. She is also excellent.
Triggerhappy was my choice for last year, when he popped up in my Target a
few days before the end of the year, when I had already written my post up,
but before I posted it.
I’m not a huge fan of Sixshot, but only because the joints make the
different modes a little floppy. There’s a trade off between articulation
and stability, and I love my G1 Sixshot more. TR Sixshot is great and if we
never had the G1 toy or it sucked he would probably top my list.
--
I wish I was a mole in the ground.
Gustavo Wombat
Dec 31, 2017, 8:37:33 PM12/31/17
to
Zobovor (the Man with All the Toys) <zobo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 11:50:42 PM UTC-7, banzait...@gmail.com wrote:
> Also, we finally, finally, FINALLY got a Headmaster Arcee! Granted, her
> availability was limited, she was pricy for a Deluxe, and she was just a
> Blurr remold when you got right down to it... but Blurr and Arcee always
> had similar-looking vehicle modes so it wasn't a completely terrible
> idea. I am so happy that she exists. (There's also Grotusque, but who
> the hell knows if I'll ever own him or not.)
I like this Arcee so much more than the “better” Arcee. Part of it is just
> On Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 11:50:42 PM UTC-7, banzait...@gmail.com wrote:
> Also, we finally, finally, FINALLY got a Headmaster Arcee! Granted, her
> availability was limited, she was pricy for a Deluxe, and she was just a
> Blurr remold when you got right down to it... but Blurr and Arcee always
> had similar-looking vehicle modes so it wasn't a completely terrible
> idea. I am so happy that she exists. (There's also Grotusque, but who
> the hell knows if I'll ever own him or not.)
that she has much better hands, but there’s something about the Blurr
design that fits her. And she’s a Headmaster, as she ought to be.
> Of course, 2017 also gave us Broadside. For some reason.
Also, he is awesome in his terribleness. Great robot mode, good aircraft
carrier mode marred by the stickers, and good god why does anyone think
that’s a plane?
> I really feel like Trypticon deserves mad props here, because the G1 toy
> was disappointingly small even in 1986. It just didn't represent the
> massive dinosaur killing machine depicted in the cartoon series. The new
> Trypticon is not only humongous, but he's awesome. He eats Titan Masters
> for breakfast! (Literally, if the ComicCon poster is any indication.)
> Also, Full-Tilt is one of the most fun Titans Return toys in his own right.
Trypticon was just a little bigger, he would. He doesn’t quite interact
with most of the deluxes.
> However. Then there are the Masterpiece toys to consider.
>
> This year, Takara released Masterpiece versions of Artfire, Cheetor,
> Dirge, Grapple, a new edition of Megatron, a redeco version of Optimus
> Primal, a cartoon version of Red Alert, cassette packs with Enemy and
> Nightstalker and Stripes and Wingthing, and Sunstreaker. Not quite as
> prolific as they were in 2016. Megatron reportedly has some major
> fragility issues, and Grapple is just a variation on Inferno from 2016,
> so I would say only Sunstreaker is the only true potential standout
> Masterpiece release from this year. He just barely came out a few days
> ago, though, so I haven't had the opportunity to examine him. It's very
> impressive the way they managed to hide his exposed engine for a more
> normal-looking car mode variant, and his robot mode looks stellar, but I
> can't make an informed decision about him until I've handled him personally.
early releases and actual availability leaves him as an option for next
year, and don’t let anyone tell you any differently. Sunstreaker shouldn’t
be penalized for his unfortunate release date.
> I keep coming back to Six Shot. More than any other toy this year, he
> was the one toy I desperately wanted and the one I was most excited
> about. And he didn't disappoint. Floppy knees aside, there's nothing
> about the toy I would change. Trypticon is a great toy, but is he $150
> worth of great? He doesn't really do much. Six Shot was more affordable
> and actually more fun.
I want one more fun thing from him, and I don’t know what it really should
be.
Six Shot is a solid choice. Not my choice, not even in my top 5, but a
solid choice. I just prefer the G1 toy.
Gustavo Wombat
Dec 31, 2017, 8:40:05 PM12/31/17
to
<banzait...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 4.) Released in 2017, if it’s close, anyone listed here: tfu.info
> (http://www.tfu.info/year/16index.htm) is disqualified. You can include
> any POTP toys that have shipped
I’m a pro-fuzzy-boundaries person. You know the POTP toys will all be
> 4.) Released in 2017, if it’s close, anyone listed here: tfu.info
> (http://www.tfu.info/year/16index.htm) is disqualified. You can include
> any POTP toys that have shipped
listed as 2018 even though some of us have them in our grubby little hands
already.
> There were a couple toys that I thought could have been Toy of the
> Year. First up is Hot Rod. This is a great figure, and IMHO the best
> Hot Rod toy produced to date, at any price.
clearly Hot Rod, and clearly awesome... Really, I love that toy.
> The ATT 2017 Toy of the year is Titans Return Perceptor! Perceptor is
> a legend among G1 characters. He had significant presence in the cartoon
> (both season 2 AND 3) and made a strong showing in the movie (He
> Survived!). Yet, we have only had a half baked homage to him that didn’t
> have the correct alt mode. The TR version miraculously retained the
> WORKING microscope mode, which is mind boggling in today’s cost cutting
> environment. His transformation is very close to the original toy, with
> improvements to prevent one of the most commonly broken G1 parts of all
> time, the bracket that holds his scope to his shoulders. You can
> configure his scope in several different places, including a fusion
> cannon like position. Finally, he maintained his hidden cannon mode.
> This was not just a “fanmode” creation, but a true undocumented mode that
> was engineered into his design, as evidenced by leg clips that snap in
> tank mode. I will be the first to admit that there isn’t anything sexy
> about a microscope alt mode, but that is what makes the existence of this
> toy even more miraculous. He’s a home run. Thank you Hasbro!!!
There’s nothing *wrong* with Perceptor, and I like that he has someone to
man his mobile observation station mode, but this is another case where I
just like the G1 toy better, and he was reissued recently enough that he’s
still available and awesome.
Zobovor (the Man with All the Toys)
Jan 1, 2018, 12:38:39 AM1/1/18
to
On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 12:36:34 PM UTC-7, banzait...@gmail.com wrote:
> TR triggerhappy is also near perfection. If I remember, a lot of people
> voted for him last year (I'll double check). But tfu.info states he was not
> released in 2016, so I guess he can win in multiple years through a loop
> hole.
Good gravy. I said something last year about how we'd probably be arguing about his release date in a year's time, and here we are, 12 months later...
> TR triggerhappy is also near perfection. If I remember, a lot of people
> voted for him last year (I'll double check). But tfu.info states he was not
> released in 2016, so I guess he can win in multiple years through a loop
> hole.
I think that's the longest I've ever waited to become the punch line of a joke.
(In my defense, I actually was going to refer to tfu.info this year, but they don't have a single 2017 toy listed to date. Slackers!)
> SixShot is a great choice. I personally was not that over the top excited
> with him.
Zob (sad that we didn't get a meat and cheese tray this year)
Zobovor (the Man with All the Toys)
Jan 1, 2018, 12:50:57 AM1/1/18
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On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 6:37:33 PM UTC-7, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> Great robot mode, good aircraft carrier mode marred by the stickers, and
> good god why does anyone think that’s a plane?
I've seen some pretty good fan modes for Broadside that are serviceable. I like this one:
> Great robot mode, good aircraft carrier mode marred by the stickers, and
> good god why does anyone think that’s a plane?
http://i.imgur.com/IPyCmti.jpg
> If Full-Tilt was sold separately, he would be my favorite. Really.
> I may be wrong about the rules, but that one-two month window of weird
> early releases and actual availability leaves him as an option for next
> year, and don’t let anyone tell you any differently. Sunstreaker shouldn’t
> be penalized for his unfortunate release date.
> Trypticon is about $120 worth of great. Which is a problem for a $150 toy.
> I want one more fun thing from him, and I don’t know what it really should
> be.
Zob (excited to see what they end up doing with Scorponok)
banzait...@gmail.com
Jan 1, 2018, 1:42:16 AM1/1/18
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My god. I got pulled away from my computer to host six adults and SEVEN kids at my house for a New Years party. There are so many comments that I want to respond to, but am too tired (and drunk) to formulate a response.
I did go back to last years post and saw the hilarious discussion between Zob and Gustavo on the eligeability of Triggerhappy. Priceless!!!
I’m not surprised there is such divergence of opinion this year. There were so many great toys. I am a bit disheartened that there is not much love out there for Perceptor. I was equally surprised to see the love for Shuffler. I love that toy.
I need to get back to my guests, but will revisit everyone’s comments again.
HAPPY NEW YEARS ATT!!!
-Banzaitron
I did go back to last years post and saw the hilarious discussion between Zob and Gustavo on the eligeability of Triggerhappy. Priceless!!!
I’m not surprised there is such divergence of opinion this year. There were so many great toys. I am a bit disheartened that there is not much love out there for Perceptor. I was equally surprised to see the love for Shuffler. I love that toy.
I need to get back to my guests, but will revisit everyone’s comments again.
HAPPY NEW YEARS ATT!!!
-Banzaitron
Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.
Jan 3, 2018, 7:12:24 PM1/3/18
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On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 7:22:32 PM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
> good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
> he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
> pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
> before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
> pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
>
I have to ask, is he much much better than the leader class toy? Would you choose Voyager if both were the exact same price?
> TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
> good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
> he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
> pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
> before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
> pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
>
I just got Leader Megatron and TR Octone for $39, and I don't have Voyager Megtron to compare the Leader to.
TLK was rather limited in recolor options wasn't it? With half the line already being recolors and all.
banzait...@gmail.com
Jan 4, 2018, 6:15:46 PM1/4/18
to
On Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at 6:12:24 PM UTC-6, Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People. wrote:
> On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 7:22:32 PM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> > TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
> > good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
> > he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
> > pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
> > before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
> > pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
> >
>
> I have to ask, is he much much better than the leader class toy? Would you choose Voyager if both were the exact same price?
This is a great toy. I only purchased the voyager version and was extremely impressed with him. I did a lot of research on this one, because I didn't want to buy both. It's been some time, but I think I liked the sword and smaller fusion cannon-ish thing built into his arm. My only complaint with this toy (I did consider giving it runner up status), is that his robot mode is too human like. I mean, he literally looks like a human with hips, round legs, etc. It's a common theme with the Bay toys, so I feel like complaining about it is like living in LA and complaining about traffic.
> On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 7:22:32 PM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> > TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
> > good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
> > he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
> > pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
> > before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
> > pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
> >
>
> I have to ask, is he much much better than the leader class toy? Would you choose Voyager if both were the exact same price?
You do bring up a good point though worth exploring, which is how some of the very good Bayverse toys tend to get overlooked because they are associated with those dumpster fire movies. I also thought Nitro was an outstanding toy. He definitely has the complexity bug (Hasbro claims he only has 35 steps, but I am confident they are off by an order of magnitude.) But everything eventually snaps in place and he has two very solid modes. He also has built in headmaster compatibility with the same head socket and place to put a pilot head in his cockpit. Outstanding!
I also feel that the RID toys don't get much love, but are routinely of solid engineering and quality. Some of these toys are truly great, even if their associated story line isn't.
-Banzaitron
Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats
Jan 5, 2018, 3:53:55 AM1/5/18
to
On Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at 4:12:24 PM UTC-8, Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People. wrote:
> On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 7:22:32 PM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> > TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
> > good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
> > he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
> > pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
> > before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
> > pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
> >
>
> I have to ask, is he much much better than the leader class toy? Would you choose Voyager if both were the exact same price?
Much, much better? Maybe. I would use only a single much.
> On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 7:22:32 PM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> > TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
> > good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
> > he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
> > pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
> > before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
> > pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
> >
>
> I have to ask, is he much much better than the leader class toy? Would you choose Voyager if both were the exact same price?
If they were the same price, would I get the smaller? Yes.
The leader has the soft, rubbery plastic in several spots, which can get misshapen, and it relies upon that soft, rubbery plastic to peg nicely against a spring's tension to keep the nose from splitting in two. And the transformation is a mixture of slightly annoying and kind of generic, with a bit of a backpack. The plane mode has the robot chest on the bottom.
He's basically fine. But there's nothing particularly special about him.
The Voyager though...
First, he has none of the flaws of the Leader mold. The plastic is firm and everything pegs in firmly in both modes.
Second, his transformation is unique, but not overly complicated. It's the type of transformation that you will puzzle over for a few minutes before you get it, but where each move is straightforward.
The robot mode is exceptionally clean. There's the tiniest bit of a backpack. The wings fold around the calves and basically vanish. The sculpt is slightly asymmetrical, but that's just the character model.
The plane mode is not quite as strong. There are feet hiding under the wings, and the shoulders are very noticeable on the underside once you know what you're looking for. The chest ends up split into three different parts, scattered along the toy so it just looks like weird alien details. He pegs together well, and is clearly a plane or a space ship, and clearly alien. And, he has points that could take an eye out.
He's just a great, solid toy that doesn't try to do anything he cannot deliver on.
The closest toys I can think of are WFC Megatron, and the Deluxe TF:Prime Megatron -- both Cybertronian designs, and both incredibly well done in both modes.
He is much smaller than the Leader, though. Less impressive and dominating on the shelf.
I take it back, I would go with two "much"s.
> I just got Leader Megatron and TR Octone for $39, and I don't have Voyager Megtron to compare the Leader to.
>
> TLK was rather limited in recolor options wasn't it? With half the line already being recolors and all.
Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats
Jan 5, 2018, 4:02:13 AM1/5/18
to
On Thursday, January 4, 2018 at 3:15:46 PM UTC-8, banzait...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at 6:12:24 PM UTC-6, Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People. wrote:
> > On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 7:22:32 PM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> > > TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
> > > good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
> > > he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
> > > pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
> > > before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
> > > pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
> > >
> >
> > I have to ask, is he much much better than the leader class toy? Would you choose Voyager if both were the exact same price?
>
> This is a great toy. I only purchased the voyager version and was extremely impressed with him. I did a lot of research on this one, because I didn't want to buy both. It's been some time, but I think I liked the sword and smaller fusion cannon-ish thing built into his arm. My only complaint with this toy (I did consider giving it runner up status), is that his robot mode is too human like. I mean, he literally looks like a human with hips, round legs, etc. It's a common theme with the Bay toys, so I feel like complaining about it is like living in LA and complaining about traffic.
There's something about him that sits right between the Beast Wars TM2 designs and the BM Technorganic designs, at least in robot mode. A bit more subtle than those, perhaps. He doesn't take his cues from G1 at all.
> On Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at 6:12:24 PM UTC-6, Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People. wrote:
> > On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 7:22:32 PM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> > > TLK Voyager Megatron gets the nod, doing the nearly impossible -- being a
> > > good toy from the movie lines. He's remained a favorite toy of mine since
> > > he was released. He is remarkably solid in vehicle mode, with everything
> > > pegging away nicely, and he has a lot of tricks that we haven't seen
> > > before. It's a pity about the color scheme. Retailing at $25-30, he is
> > > pricier than a lot of previous Toy Of The Year winners.
> > >
> >
> > I have to ask, is he much much better than the leader class toy? Would you choose Voyager if both were the exact same price?
>
> This is a great toy. I only purchased the voyager version and was extremely impressed with him. I did a lot of research on this one, because I didn't want to buy both. It's been some time, but I think I liked the sword and smaller fusion cannon-ish thing built into his arm. My only complaint with this toy (I did consider giving it runner up status), is that his robot mode is too human like. I mean, he literally looks like a human with hips, round legs, etc. It's a common theme with the Bay toys, so I feel like complaining about it is like living in LA and complaining about traffic.
> You do bring up a good point though worth exploring, which is how some of the very good Bayverse toys tend to get overlooked because they are associated with those dumpster fire movies.
Also, good lord are those movies bad.
> I also thought Nitro was an outstanding toy. He definitely has the complexity bug (Hasbro claims he only has 35 steps, but I am confident they are off by an order of magnitude.) But everything eventually snaps in place and he has two very solid modes. He also has built in headmaster compatibility with the same head socket and place to put a pilot head in his cockpit. Outstanding!
> I also feel that the RID toys don't get much love, but are routinely of solid engineering and quality. Some of these toys are truly great, even if their associated story line isn't.
Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.
Jan 5, 2018, 11:05:37 AM1/5/18
to
On Friday, January 5, 2018 at 2:53:55 AM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> The leader has the soft, rubbery plastic in several spots, which can get misshapen, and it relies upon that soft, rubbery plastic to peg nicely against a spring's tension to keep the nose from splitting in two. And the transformation is a mixture of slightly annoying and kind of generic, with a bit of a backpack. The plane mode has the robot chest on the bottom.
>
Yup, the nose/cannon is definitely annoying. there is nothing locking the center part in. It'd be nice if there were some form of lock that required button pressing, not that the button isn't constantly being pressed on accident anyway. The instructions say to close the nose cannon first during transformation, but it's not possible to keep it closed during anything. The rubbery part is annoying.
> The leader has the soft, rubbery plastic in several spots, which can get misshapen, and it relies upon that soft, rubbery plastic to peg nicely against a spring's tension to keep the nose from splitting in two. And the transformation is a mixture of slightly annoying and kind of generic, with a bit of a backpack. The plane mode has the robot chest on the bottom.
>
I'm convinced the tailfins behind the chest were originally intended to be landing gear, but with that chest we'll never know.
Overall I really like the jet ode and the robot modes of the leader more than I thought I would. The transforming head is neat, the robot is big and imposing, the jet has clean wings and a long nose and doesn't look bad at all with the fusion cannon sticking out the jet front. The backpack isn't too big and folds together very nicely, leaving limbs kibble free (except the giant cannon, which I like more than the voyager puny cannon pics I see online) The chest on the bottom is a little annoyance but a minor one. The paint job is mostly good, but other parts looks like he has spots left behind from the dishwasher drying unevenly. I wish he had a few more gold details like the Voyager though.
>
> The Voyager though...
> He's just a great, solid toy that doesn't try to do anything he cannot deliver on.
>
> The closest toys I can think of are WFC Megatron, and the Deluxe TF:Prime Megatron -- both Cybertronian designs, and both incredibly well done in both modes.
>
I just got the BH Voyager Shark Megatron, and to me it is much better then the Deluxe (I have the Rampage version of the Deluxe)
>
> The closest toys I can think of are WFC Megatron, and the Deluxe TF:Prime Megatron -- both Cybertronian designs, and both incredibly well done in both modes.
>
I like WFC Megs except that they try to sell hover-tank as an official mode. Apparently they thought it worked well, because FoC Brawl is also a hover-tank, and dumb looking.
Kil - Michael McCarthy
Jan 5, 2018, 11:38:01 PM1/5/18
to
On Sunday, December 31, 2017 at 1:50:42 AM UTC-5, banzait...@gmail.com wrote:
> Transformer Toy of the Year - 2017
>
> ATT,
>
> It's the holiday tradition that EVERYBODY looks forward to, the "Official" ATT Announcement of the Transformer Toy of the Year Award - 2017. First a review of the rules:
>
> 1.) No ties. You have to pick one (Feel free to name as many honorable mentions as you wish!)
> 2.) No molds. If you pick a mold that has been redeco'd a zillion times, you have to declare which of the redecos you are picking.
> 3.) No third party toys
> 4.) Released in 2017, if it’s close, anyone listed here: tfu.info (http://www.tfu.info/year/16index.htm) is disqualified. You can include any POTP toys that have shipped
> 5.) Cost is a factor in selection. The more expensive, the more "awesome" the toy has to be to win.
My pick is Slugslinger.
> Transformer Toy of the Year - 2017
>
> ATT,
>
> It's the holiday tradition that EVERYBODY looks forward to, the "Official" ATT Announcement of the Transformer Toy of the Year Award - 2017. First a review of the rules:
>
> 1.) No ties. You have to pick one (Feel free to name as many honorable mentions as you wish!)
> 2.) No molds. If you pick a mold that has been redeco'd a zillion times, you have to declare which of the redecos you are picking.
> 3.) No third party toys
> 4.) Released in 2017, if it’s close, anyone listed here: tfu.info (http://www.tfu.info/year/16index.htm) is disqualified. You can include any POTP toys that have shipped
> 5.) Cost is a factor in selection. The more expensive, the more "awesome" the toy has to be to win.
-Kil
wait where am I?
banzait...@gmail.com
Jan 6, 2018, 11:36:55 AM1/6/18
to
-Banzaitron
Zobovor
Jan 6, 2018, 1:13:50 PM1/6/18
to
On Friday, January 5, 2018 at 9:38:01 PM UTC-7, Kil - Michael McCarthy wrote:
> My pick is Slugslinger.
Slugslinger is a great toy (he's the only 1987 Decepticon Targetmaster I owned, so I'm fond of him) but I feel like the fact that he reuses so many Triggerhappy/Misfire assets works against him. Also, I dislike his obtrusive the tabs on his forearms are. Those tabs really bother me.
Zob (we call it alt.toys.transformers by the way)
> My pick is Slugslinger.
Slugslinger is a great toy (he's the only 1987 Decepticon Targetmaster I owned, so I'm fond of him) but I feel like the fact that he reuses so many Triggerhappy/Misfire assets works against him. Also, I dislike his obtrusive the tabs on his forearms are. Those tabs really bother me.
Zob (we call it alt.toys.transformers by the way)
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