When you think about all-time great toy franchises,??? ?? Transformers has to be up there.
After Hasbro debuted them in the 1980s as a rag-tag conglomeration of various repurposed Japanese robots, they became a massive multimedia juggernaut with an animated series, comics, a feature film and more. The mighty wave of nostalgia swept them back into the mainstream with the Michael Bay movies, but true heads know they never stopped making Transformers toys.
This might be is the best year for them yet, with multiple high-end studios knocking out some ultra-sweet robots. Here are our picks for the best Transformers on the market right now.
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1. G1 Ultra Magnus Figure
G1 Ultra Magnus Figure Credit: hasbro What is a Transformer if it doesn’t transform? Well, it’s at least a bad-ass robot. Limited to a production run of 500, this incredible action figure of prospective Autobot leader Ultra Magnus — first seen in the Transformersmovie — stands 16 inches tall and comes with a staggering 59 points of articulation. Like you remember from the 80s, there’s real diecast metal used in the detailing of the figure, and he also has a bunch of LED-illuminated features including a chamber for the Matrix and a blaster rifle. Sure, he can’t turn into a truck, but he can kick some ass.
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2. Masterpiece Star Saber
Masterpiece Star Saber Credit: hasbro I don’t know that much about Star Saber — you might have noticed there are kind of a lot of Transformers – but how could you say no to this incredibly dope retro design? The original figure dates from 1989 as one of the “Brainmasters,” which is completely a name you’d call someone to make fun of them, and the character is renowned as one of the greatest swordmasters in the known universe. This modern updating from the Masterpiece line comes with a smaller figure called the “Brain of Courage” to ride in his cockpit as well as his iconic sword and shield.
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3. Generations Power of the Primes Voyager Class Grimlock
Generations Power of the Primes Voyager Class Grimlock Credit: hasbro The introduction of the Dinobots threw such a cool spanner into the Transformersuniverse – instead of having alt modes designed for subterfuge, these five mighty warriors transformed into the massive reptiles that ruled the Earth before humans came along. Even better, they took absolutely no crap from anybody. Their leader Grimlock often feuded with Optimus Prime over how the Autobots should do their business, and the cartoon portrayed them as unstoppable forces that could wreak all kinds of havoc if left unchecked. This Generations figure is very close in design to his G1 incarnation with a few quality of life improvements.
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4. Masterpiece Starscream
Masterpiece Starscream Credit: hasbro We’re going to be leaning pretty heavily on Takara Tomy’s Masterpiece line for this roundup, and for good reason: they’re dope, combining fidelity with the characters’ original design with smooth transformations and quirky, unique features. Case in point: this build of Megatron’s perpetually scheming second in command Starscream after he’s abandoned the Decepticons and installed himself as Cybertron’s “High Chancellor,” complete with crown and cape. It’s a rare moment of triumph and of course it’s snatched from him, but you can remember it forever with this baby.
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5. Studio Series Optimus Prime
Studio Series Optimus Prime Credit: hasbro The fearless leader of the Autobots has undergone quite a bit of evolution over the three decades that the franchise has been a thing, but his recent appearances (most notably in Bumblebee) have dialed back the detail to return him to the iconic red, silver and blue champion that he deserves to be. This Studio Series figure is based on his appearance in that film, boasting an insane amount of detail (check out those windshield wipers) without sacrificing poseability or transformation. He even comes with a San Francisco backdrop.
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6. Flame Toys Drift
Flame Toys Drift Credit: hasbro These high-end, extremely limited figures from Flame Toys based on characters introduced in the IDW comics (which if you haven’t read, you really should) are some of the most impressive Transformersever made. Standing eight inches tall and made of high-quality plastic with diecast metal for stability, Drift — a former Decepticon who turned on his side when the horrors of war became too much — is massively poseable and even comes with a cape that you can manipulate thanks to internal wires for mega-dramatic posing. This guy doesn’t transform but he does pretty much everything else.
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7. Siege Hound
Siege Hound Credit: hasbro The thing with Transformers is that they’re a lot like Pokemon would be a decade or two later — there are so many of them that everybody has their own sentimental favorites. So that’s this pick for me — the Autobot Hound was the first Transformer I owned as a kid, but let’s be frank: his 80s toy version didn’t look nearly as cool as this modern reimagining. The Siege line is Hasbro’s latest take on the G1 characters, with robot modes measuring 5.5 inches and clear, smooth transformations. Hound comes with multiple ports for the line’s C.O.M.B.A.T. System, allowing him to attach different weapons in multiple locations.
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8. Masterpiece Bumblebee
Masterpiece Bumblebee Credit: hasbro While we were pretty down with the revised design for the little yellow Autobot in the Bumblebeesolo movie, our heart still belongs to the classics. The original Bumblebee Transformer was in the G1’s wave of really tiny characters that were Matchbox car-sized upon transformation, meaning that he didn’t get a lot of detail. But this modern reimagining for the Masterpiece line upscales him to the size of all the other big cars, and the end result is seriously cool no matter what form you keep him in.
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9. Titans Return Soundwave
Titans Return Soundwave Credit: hasbro It’s funny how dated the technology from the original Transformers seems today — how many kids even know what a boom box is, much less tote one around? I’m surprised we haven’t gotten a robot that turns into an Amazon Echo yet. But back in the day, Soundwave was the coolest, a monotone jam box who came with a menagerie of assistants and cronies. This design from the Titans Return series takes a cue from the Headmasters with a small figure that transforms into Soundwave’s face, as well as a blaster rifle and a cassette pal.
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10. Combiner Wars Victorion
Combiner Wars Victorion Credit: hasbro The fan community for Transformersis incredibly dedicated, and Hasbro quite wisely reaches out to them for input on new characters and figures. One of the more interesting recent examples is the Combiner Victorion from 2016. First introduced in the IDW comics series, she (yes, she’s a girl big robot) was designed through a fan poll that came up with her color scheme, individual part molds and more. The end result is a badass amalgam that stands around a foot and a half tall and is ready to throw down with the big boys.
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11. Masterpiece Megatron
Masterpiece Megatron Credit: hasbro It was a significantly more innocent time that allowed children to buy toy robots that changed shape into picture-perfect replicas of German handguns. This modern version of the Decepticon leader is definitely for grown-ups – check out that three figure price tag – but what you get in return is an incredibly accurate reproduction of the anime version, with tons of articulation, weapons and a trio of interchangeable faceplates. Just look at the expression on this guy! He’s so excited to commit some evil deeds.
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This story originally appeared on Geek.