Top 15 Transformers of 2015

15. MP-25 Tracks

Tracks is a step back from previous Masterpiece figures, but he’s no less a Masterpiece in his own right. The corvette alt mode is spot on as is the impressive flying car alt-mode. The transformation is satisfying and the bot mode is wonderful even if the backpack is a bit hollow. He’s fantastically posable and fits in perfectly with the other Masterpiece figures.

14. Unique Toys Mania King (Galvatron)

Mania King is exactly what I wanted from a Galvatron figure – Deep purple, menacing scowl, and a space cannon alt mode to be feared. Sure, he has “gorilla arms” due to a lack of wrist swivel, but that definitely does not detract from his imposing stature as the Decepticons’ ruthless and strong, if completely insane, leader.

13. AFT Toys Titanium Saint (Alpha Trion)

This ancient Autobot sage was a wonderful addition to my collection. He’s a very accurate representation of Alpha Trion from the G1 cartoon series. Even though he is never shown to have an alt mode, this figure gives him one in a very nice looking space cruiser. After all, what would a Transformer be without an alt-mode? Nothing more than an action figure.

12. MakeToys Quantron (Computron)

I was holding out on this guy due partially to the price and partially due to the hope that Combiner Wars would eventually give us a Computron. All I knew, though, was that I had to have a Computron in my collection since he was the one combiner that I completed as a kid. Once it became clear that Combiner Wars was’t going to be releasing Computron and helped by a dramatic price cut on Black Friday, I pulled the trigger on Quantron and he’s everything I hoped he’d be – solid, faithful to G1 and fun Even the individual bots are amazing in their own right.

11. Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus

When we first saw pictures of Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus at the New York City Toy Fair, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him! A perfect representation of Ultra Magnus from the IDW comics, complete with Minimus Ambus, this figure did not disappoint. The weapons are a little wonky, especially the forced hammer formed by combining the guns with his shoulder missiles. Even so, that doesn’t detract from what is, over all, one of the best Leader class figures in a while.

10. BadCube Wardog (Warpath)

BLAM! BadCube knocked it out of the POW! park with their version of a Masterpiece Warpath. He has a great looking alt mode and the bot mode is incredible! He suffers from a complex and, at times frustrating, transformation sequence and an general lack of paint details. Although I think the lack of paint was an aesthetic decision since he’s a tank and the G1 figure that he’s ultimately based on didn’t have much either. Drawbacks aside, what we have is a beautiful, highly posable and fun figure.

9. Robots in Disguise Fixit

It’s not often that you’ll see a Legion class figure wind up on a year’s best list, but Robots in Disguise Fixit is just that good! He’s a marvelous representation of the character from the cartoon and, likely due to his lack of legs, he’s highly posable with multiple neck joints, waist rotation and even an ab crunch. On top of all that, he stays standing far better than most other figures with wheels for feet. Most of all, he’s just so darn cute. I mean, look at that face!

8. Iron Factory Miko for Iron Titan (Windblade)

Iron Factory related quite a few amazing figures this year including City Commander (Ultra Magnus) and Evil Lord (Overlord), but the one that makes this list is the one that got me hooked – Miko for Iron Titan aka Windsaber – their version of a Legends scale Windblade. After last year’s nice looking but unstable official Windblade, this figure highlights everything that one could have been – great looking, well-articulated and, most of all, stable. The size actually works out really well to go along with Generations Metroplex too.

7. Toy World Throttlebots

The Throttlebots are all grown up! No longer just a team of mini-bots, these guys from Toy World are Deluxe to Voyager scale figures and combine to an un-named combiner. We’ll call him Throttleboss. I love the creativity and out-of-the-box thinking of Toy World to throw this previously uncombining team together to make a new, unique, combining robot. Sure there are a lot of parts that have nowhere to store when not in combined mode, but that helps to make for a beefy, stable and great looking combiner!

6. MakeToys Rearend (Tailgate)

Rearend, aka Tailgate, was a very late addition to my collection as he arrived just after Christmas. I was already starting to put this list together, but I just knew he’d end up on it. He is the perfect representation of the More Than Meets The Eye (MTMTE) Tailgate from the comics. I expected no less since Maketoys accomplished the same thing with their Trashtalk, aka Swerve, last year. On top of his great looks, excellent posability and overall cuteness, he comes with some great accessories like an alternate head with his panic-eyes expression and an upgrade kit for the Reveal The Shield Cyclonus figure to make him more MTMTE accurate.

5. Planet X Dinobots

Fall of Cybertron (FOC) was the pinnacle of Transformers video games. Amazingly, there was even a dedicated line of official figures in the Generations line  just for representations from that game to go along with a few designs that got released based on the previous War for Cybertron (WFC) game. The problem with that line was the glaring lack of Dinobots. Other than Grimlock, they were nowhere to be found. Enter Planet X. This year, they managed to release the other four Dinobots as well as a new version of Grimlock, all perfect representations of their FOC counterparts. As of the making this list, I haven’t yet received their version of Grimlock, named Vulcun, so I’m giving this spot to Quirinus, their version of Slag. Although this could have easily gone to any of the other three as well.

4. Mastermind Creations Spartan (Impactor)

Wreck ’n’ Rule! What Wreckers shelf would be complete without Impactor? After not getting a satisfying Impactor figure for, well, ever, Mastermind Creations (MMC) solved that glaring gap on the Wreckers shelf with Spartan. Sure, we got Impactor as a repaint of Onslaught in the Generations FOC line and we’re getting a repaint of Rook in the Transformers Collectors’ Club (TCC) Subscription Service next year, but those don’t hold a candle to the snarling, imposing, harpoon-fisted beast that is Spartan! Outstanding posability, solid construction and perfect looks make Spartan one of the best figures this year. The mold was even retooled into a just-as-impressive version of Turmoil with their Commotus figure.

3. Combiner Wars Devastator

The flagship figure of the Combiner Wars line, Devastator towers over the other combiners and nearly every other figure ever made by Hasbro or Takara. As a Titan class figure, he is dwarfed only by Generations Metroplex and G1 Fortress Maximus. Unfortunately, that makes him out-of-scale with the other combiners when they should be roughly the same size. Still, it’s hard not to be impressed with him. The individual figures largely left a lot to be desired as a trade off for such an amazing combined mode, but let’s be honest, he’s going to be displayed as Devastator 99% of the time.

2. MP-22 Ultra Magnus

Masterpiece Ultra Magnus was the first figure I received this year and it was hard to find a better figure. He captures the G1 Ultra Magnus look perfectly in both modes and has a very satisfying and not overly complex transformation. It would have been nice to have the cab be a white version of the Masterpiece Optimus Prime for another throwback to the G1 toy, but I think that would have made the overall bot mode suffer. Even so, when in alt mode, one is hard pressed to tell the difference between the cabs of Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime. One drawback is that his posability is a little limited and that kept him out of the top spot for this list.

Honorable Mentions:

Reprolabels Thunderclash

The Thunderclash reprolabels set was so good that it made me get a figure that I wasn’t planning on just so I can get those stickers. Brilliant!

Takara Nightbird

Just like we finally got a proper official version of G1 Arcee last year, this year, that same mold was used by Takara to give us a proper official version of Nightbird. Beautiful!

Mastermind Creations Cynicus (Vos) and Anarchus (Kaon)

The Decepticon Justice Division (DJD) was well-represented with versions of Vos (Cynicus) and Kaon (Anarchus) from MMC. I can’t wait for Tarn!

Combiner Wars

Combiner Wars was the main official line this year and it did not disappoint, bringing us updated, articulate figures of many of the G1 combiners. As the year went on it suffered from repaintitis, but even those generally made sense. It was nice to see some fresh ideas like having new character such as Alpha Bravo and Rook thrown in the mix as well as including Legends scale figures as weapons (like Targetmasters) or chest minions (like Powermasters).

1. MakeToys Gundog (Hound)

I love this figure! Gundog is Maketoys’ version of a Masterpiece Hound and it is truly a masterpiece. I’ve always been a big fan of Hound and I think he’s why I like Jeeps so much. This figure is a mind-blowing representation of Hound in both bot mode and alt mode and the transformation is fun and unique. The way that the arms unfold is simply fantastic! He’s also a very heavy and solid figure with die-cast parts in all the right places. Throw in some rubber tires and perfect representations of his weapons, Gundog is without a doubt, my top figure of the year!