Welcome to Hoist’s Top Ten Transformers series! In these articles, I will be showing off the top ten transformers figures from my collection. The top ten from each toy line will be chosen and the series will culminate in an overall top ten. 
This Generations list includes all of the lines that more-or-less homage the original characters (commonly called CHUG for Classics, Henkei, United, Generations) but also includes lines such as the RTS (Reveal The Shield) line. Also, even though the War for Cybertron (WFC) and Fall of Cybertron (FOC) figures were released under the Generations line, I felt there were enough of them to warrant a list of their own. This was a very difficult line to narrow down to just a top ten partly because there are just so many that fall into this category, but also because there are so many fantastic figures. I know that I have left out a lot of great figures and I also know that if I were to make this list again in a few months, it’s highly likely that it would look different. In fact, one of the figures that made this list has only been in my collection for about a week! Let’s get to the list! Continue reading
Tag: Orion Pax
30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 21
A Tragic Character
Empurata is a terrible crime that was used all too often by the old Senate. This is but one of many things which brought about the Great War. It was used as a way to publicly shame anyone that disagreed with the Senate by removing their heads and hands and replacing them with the cyclops, claw hands look. Whirl is one such victim.
Whirl had, and still has, a flight-capable alt-mode. During the time of the Senate and the Functionists, this meant that his lot in life was to use that flight capability to the greater benefit of all of Cybertron. It is unclear what his exact flight duties were in the Aerial Corps, but it is known that he was one of the lucky ones to change to a job that was not related to his alt-mode. His chosen profession was a chronosmith – a watchmaker.
I hope he didn’t make Tailgate’s malfunctioning Chronometer.
When he had nothing left to lose, the Senate took his identity by removing his head and hands in an effort to persuade him to join their cause. As he has said, it is very convincing. Before too long, Whirl was working a Senate enforcer and was sent to deliver a message to a certain miner from Tarn who had been wrongly arrested for a barfight that he had not participated in, but was simply at the bar. It would be known years later that this “message” had turned the miner from a peaceful, freedom-fighter who preferred to use words to bring about change into the tyrant that we all know as Megatron, founder and leader of the Decepticons.
As the war loomed near, Whirl’s former commander, Orion Pax, now Optimus Prime, invited Whirl to join the Autobot cause. He did, but he has never been able to release the anger that Empurata and the actions of the Senate has poisoned him with.
He’s only happy when he’s mad!
He behaves irrationally and violently in nearly every circumstance and shows very little regard for the well being or feelings of others. Truly, Whirl’s actions are more befitting those of a Decepticon than an Autobot, but in war, it can be difficult to determine exactly who the “good guys” really are.
At the end of the day, when Whirl is alone and does not feel the need to maintain his tough-guy image with absurd levels of bravado, he is left alone with his thoughts and his one true longing.
30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 19
An Opinion That’s Changed Since You Started Reading
It took me a while to figure this one out since I pretty much go with the flow. As it is, this isn’t so much a change of opinion as it is a new concept that I have grown to like: Conjunx Endura or relationships in general.
In the vast history of Transformers, interpersonal relationships between bots is usually of a professional nature in that we generally only see them as part of a military-type unit. Sure, it got touched on in G1 in those couple of episodes when we met Elita-One, Chromia, Firestar and Moonracer and it was hinted at in pretty much any scene Acree was in with Springer or Hot Rod in the movie or Season 3, and got played up WAY too much in Beast Wars with the whole Silverbolt and Blackarachnia courtship. Still, the relationships didn’t get as much attention as it has in MTMTE. I think that has to do with the fact that a lot of people tend to think of these bots as male and these relationships are shown between two bots that are identified as male and that brings up connotations of homosexuality. Primus, I can’t believe I’m writing about this, but I already started so I guess i have to finish. Anyway, while humans identify bots as having a gender, they technically do not and since there is no gender and thus no sexual relations, there are neither homosexual nor heterosexual relationships between Cybertronians. These conjunx endura relationships are more like a best friend relationship.
Obviously the most popular of these relationships (and the one that I think sparked the most controversy) is between Chromedome and Rewind.
While it may have been controversial at one point, I think everyone came to accept it and it was their relationship that made Rewind’s death so tragic. We’ve seen countless bots die over the course of the many series but there haven’t been many that have had the effect that Rewind’s did on the fandom.
Other relationships that have driven great stories include the evolution of Cyclonus and Tailgate:
Another relationship on the Lost Light that never had much of the spotlight in the comic was between Rodimus and Drift:
Rodimus even explained their relationship in the most recent issue, Issue #26 (Dark Cybertron #8) when we was explaining to Orion Pax how he felt guilty for letting Drift take the blame for Overlord. He simply mentioned that he let his best friend take the blame. Of course we all know that was Drift.
I think this is what makes this particular comic great and really stand out above almost any other Transformers fiction. Sure, we all love the giant alien transforming robot battles and we always will, but there’s only so many ways to depict warring factions battling each other. Once these additional layers are added to the characters, the possibilities become endless and it keeps the fandom ravenously waiting for the next issue (and toy).
30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 8
A Badass Scene
How do you choose just one? How about pick the scenes that the other bots in the story thought were badass?
When Orion Pax said he’d “drop by”, this is not what I expected.
Swerve and Tailgate are certainly fans of this one; Whirl, not so much. But then again it’s Whirl – he’s pretty badass himself. He’s just hard to impress.
“But wait,” you say, “that’s in a story being told by Chromedome! That doesn’t count!” Well I say it does! But to play by another set of rules in which flashbacks don’t count, try this on for size:
Sparkeater onboard? Cool.
Drift and Skids are clearly Rodimus fanbots on this one, though Rung seems unimpressed. Actually, I think he’s just in shock after having just been used for bait. You just can’t please everyone, even if you’re Rodimus.