MYTH’S TOP 20 TRANSFORMERS OF 2021

Hi there, it has been a while since I have done a blog post, but it is that time of year where we take a look back at everything we got, did, and watched and then rank them because… why not. I would usually just do this on twitter but since I now have this space I can go a bit more in depth on each figure. Now If you know me, you know I like to rank things so this was a lot of fun for me and took a lot more time than I thought it would to finalize. Even now while writing this I am still moving figures around, which is a testament to how stacked this year has been for me in terms of getting figures. That is seconded by the fact that this isn’t a Top 10 list, it is a Top 20 cause there were just so many figures that deserve praise and recognition that I couldn't narrow it down to just 10.

Before we get into it I do want to set some general ground rules; First, this list is not limited to just figures that came out in the year 2021, it is any figure I got throughout the year. Second, this list is by no means definitive in anyway or to anyone other than me, I shouldn’t have to say that this is an opinion piece, but there are a lot of dumb people out there, so this is more of a precautionary measure than anything. This is less of a rule but if you couldn’t tell by the title, this is going to be a REALLY LONG blog post so strap in and let’s get started

20: Studio Series 86 Wreck-Gar

Starting us off is Wreck-Gar, who I imagine is going to be on numerous people's lists, because he not only looks excellent in both modes but also has tons of play value in either mode. In robot mode he has great pose ability and has his signature axe. On top of that his wheels can be placed in a variety of locations across his robot mode giving him quite a few display options. In vehicle mode he is engineered to be able to have figures ride him, which is way more fun than it has any right being. What really holds him back from being higher up is his transformation, while it isn’t complicated, I always get hung up on how everything folds, especially his chest.

19: Studio Series Dino

I don’t feel like I have much to say on Dino here. He is the first proper toy of a character we barely saw in Dark of the Moon, and it is wonderful. The transformation is neat, vehicle weapon storage is very cool, and just an all around fun figure.  

18: Legends Blurr (+ Mold Mates)

I went from having none of this mold too having 3 of it within a month, and while it is a pretty simple mold, it is still very fun and I love all 3 versions pretty much equally but I think Legends Blurr would come out on top if I had to pick one just because of that color scheme alone. I appreciate that all 3 versions look different enough from one another, especially in vehicle mode, giving the mold their own personality.  

17: Studio Series Bumblebee Starscream

I know I might get flak for this one considering how many people I see who dislike the alt-mode and head for this figure but as someone who loves both the Bumblebee movie aesthetic and Cybertronian alt modes, this is a hard one not to love. On top of that, the colors on this toy are absolutely perfect and just make me happy anytime I look at him. While I do have Thrust as well I don’t get the same level of enjoyment out of him as I do Starscream here.

16: Studio Series 86 Slug

This large lad is excellent despite some visual wideness and him being more complicated than I would have liked. That being said the transformation has some cool and interesting sections, like the way the rear dino legs compress and fold away for robot mode and how the robot chest compresses for dino mode.

15: Studio Series 86 Grimlock

Not much to say here, he just is a very good, very chunky G1 Grimlock, essentially a scaled down Masterpiece Grimlock. Just a simple and fun robot dinosaur that turns into a simple and fun aggressive murder himbo/dad  

14: Generation Selects Deep Cover

Deep Cover is one of those characters that is essentially a nobody. He has never appeared in any media, at least not in this color scheme, but I love him all the same. That is mainly because of the colors, as black and blue is one of my favorite color combinations and he wears it well. The mold itself is just the Siege Sideswipe mode, which is pretty basic in and of itself. Not much else to say here, just an obscure character with a good color scheme on a good mold.

13: Transformers 2007 Stealth Bumblebee

This one is pure nostalgia for me. I was introduced to the franchise via the 2007 movie and had both the Cliffjumper and regular Bumblebee variants of this mold, so getting Stealth Bee was an absolute blast from the past. The color scheme of this guy is incredible and the car mode is absolutely stellar. When I opened him up I did not want to transform him into robot mode because I was so enamored with his car mode for a good 15 minutes. On a side note, Transformers should return to being packed in vehicle mode.  

12: WFC: Kingdom Core Class Soundwave

Core Class was a pleasant surprise for me, I wasn’t initially going to get any of them but after I got Core Starscream(mainly out of spite) I was pleasantly surprised, and as much as I enjoy both him and Megatron, Soundwave takes the cake. He is the perfect little desk toy and the closest thing we have gotten to replicating the original toy in modern day. If you only get one core class figure make it Soundwave.

11: Titans Return Topspin/Twin Twist

These two have no good being as good as they are. From being some of the most simple G1 toys to these to being one of the best molds in the entirety of Titans Return, which was a line FULL of absolute bangers, especially at the deluxe size class. They are just a pair of absolute delights and the epitome of a “pick up and play figure”

10: Universe 2.0 Ratbat

This is a figure I was not expecting to love as much as I do. The transformation is simple but the way the legs become the wings is both ingenious and simple. The colors on this guy are ACE, and a jet mode that looks like some sort of evil future tech Batwing and is everything I love about cybertronian/non-earth alt modes

9: Generations Selects Shattered Glass Optimus Prime

If you know me then you know that I LOVE Shattered Glass, so obviously this figure was going to make the list. The colors and articulation are ace the the way they have miniaturized the MP-10 transformation for this mold is very impressive and shows just how far we have come in the decade since that figure came out.

8: Universe 2.0 Roadbuster

This guy is simplistic fun incarnate. The transformation is great, I love all the hidden missile pods and he feels good to handle. Just a good, chunky lad and sometimes that is all you need.

7: Reveal the Shield Lugnut

I really have no idea what to say about RTS Lugnut that hasn’t already been said by both myself and anyone else who has this mold. I highly doubt we will get a mold this good again, especially for this character. Just absolutely excellent.

6: Universe 2.0 Dirge

I don’t feel like I need to explain why this is a good figure, cause everyone should already know why this is a good figure, I mean it is the Cybertron Starscream mold. It looks incredible in both modes and then put Dirge’s royal blue and dull gold color scheme on it and you have a match made in heaven. Sure the arms may be hindered by the flip-out sword gimmick, but that is to cool a gimmick for me to not love.

5: WFC: Kingdom Galvatron

This is the best Galvatron figure we have ever gotten HANDS DOWN, and probably the best leader in the entire WFC trilogy. He just has this presence to him in robot mode that only he can have. He looks great next to anybody, whether that be Rodimus, Cyclonus and Scourge, or Optimus and Megatron. Transformation is interesting and alt mode is just this giant space cannon that looks as ridiculous as it does awesome

4: Universe 2.0 Nemesis Prime/Classics Ultra Magnus

This is a mold I have wanted for a while and I am so glad I got my hands on, not one but two versions of it. For a mold that is 15 years old, it holds up EXTREMELY well and is so much fun to play with. Posing it is a blast even if it doesn’t have the amount of articulation of a modern figure. The weapons look so cool and the way they store in vehicle mode is incredible and I am pretty sure there is not a single version of this mold that doesn’t look incredible. I think this is one of the quintessential Transformers figures and every fan should, at least, mess with it at some point.

3: WFC: Kingdom Cyclonus

On the topic of Classics figures, Kingdom Cyclonus is just Classics Cyclonus brought into the modern era. The engineering between the two is incredibly similar which I think is a testament to how ahead of its time the Classics figure was. Kingdom Cyclonus is proof that you don’t need complicated transformations or world class engineering to make a good toy, you know what they say, less is more.

2: WFC: Kingdom Rodimus Prime

There is not much I can say about this figure that I haven’t already said in my review. Rodimus’ price of admission may be high but he is absolutely worth it in my opinion. His engineering is incredible, he looks fantastic in both modes. He is so much fun to pose and the accessories just exemplify that. For a figure that I was not considering picking up when first revealed, I am so glad I caved.

1: Ocular Max Eris: Kultur

And so we have come to the final figure, my number 1 of 2021, and it should come to no surprise that it is Eris:Kultur. Similarly to Rodimus there is not a lot more I can say that I haven’t already said. Not only was this figure my first brand new 3rd Party figure but it also fits with my own personal canon, on top of that both modes are extremely good looking and all the engineering is simple yet intuitive. I knew as soon as I got her out of the box she would be my number for the year, and despite figures coming close it was never a question.

And that is all folks, that is my top 20 figures that I got in 2021. I do hope you enjoyed my little look back at the past year, and am curious as to what your favorite Transformers were that you got in 2021, so let me know on Twitter if you want. As for the future I still plan on doing galleries every week and I do want to get back to doing blog posts, they just take a while to write so they might not be as regular as they started out. I also want to expand beyond reviews and perhaps do monthly news roundups or top ten lists, maybe incorporate tier lists or brackets somehow, I guess only time will tell. Until then, Have a Happy New Year and I’ll see you when I see you.

WFC: Kingdom Rodimus Prime

If you read last week's blog, this week's subject should have been obvious since it continues this Kingdom train we have been on and it is also Commander Class. Since there is only one Commander class per toyline, I am reviewing Kingdom Commander Class Rodimus Prime, who is probably the most controversial of all the commanders so far but what he lacks in height he makes up for in playability.

As I have stated previously, Rodimus is my first Commander Class figure. I skipped both Siege Jetfire and Earthrise Sky Lynx as I wasn’t interested in them. I have T30 Jetfire which is the perfect Jetfire for me and I just don’t care for Sky Lynx both as a design and character. To be honest, I actually wasn’t planning to get Rodimus either for pretty much the same reasons, I have SS86 Hot Rod already and no real attachment to the character. Although the closer we got to his Rodimus’ release and the more in hand shots we got of him the more convinced I became that I should experience this figure. He ended up being my most expensive impulse buy, probably, and I have yet to regret it. Let’s get right into it and take a close look at why I think this guy is well worth the price of admission.

As always we look at the head and this head is absolutely INCREDIBLE, and I know I have probably said that before but I really mean it this time. The red duo tone helmet gives off big gladiator vibes, especially with the cheek guards and mohawk. The face is excellent with this stern aged look and it is all done up in this flat silver that really brings out all the angles and details. The eyes look nice painted in a metallic blue but I think they could have been a bit brighter as they tend to get lost at certain angles. Articulation is great as the head is on a ball joint and the neck can actually rock back and forth to allow for more up and down movement.

The torso is a very dense chunk of plastic parts all compacted quite nicely. His chest is his traditional flame decaled hood, which really pops thanks to the black outline around the flame itself. He also has his iconic collar which doesn’t affect the head articulation as much as you might think. You can actually open up his chest and find the matrix tucked away inside. Turning him around you will see he doesn’t have much of a backpack, just his windshield and the back section of the car mode including his absolutely ENORMOUS spoiler. This back panel gives me a bit of trouble where it can come untabbed pretty easily but it stays put for the most part.

Visually these arms are pretty simple but there is a lot going on mechanically. The shoulders have some slight butterfly joints in both directions which makes his poses much more dynamic. They also have your standard shoulder articulation, which can be a little limited by the spoiler but not enough where it is a real problem. My favorite part of the shoulders is actually the wheel because they slide into the arms slightly with the fronts hinging up and tab into the shoulders. The forearms are just as good as the shoulders with double hinge elbows and full bicep rotation and on the aesthetic side he has his iconic long exhaust pipe arm blasters. His hands are probably his main attraction as not only do they have some inward movement but his fingers are articulated. And I mean Masterpiece articulated, with the trigger finger being individually articulated, and the other 3 being one piece. Each section actually has 2 points of articulation, one where they connect to the palm and another at the first knuckle.

Legs aren’t anything special, just lots of joints connecting the larger chunks. The waist and hips have full range of motion except for backwards movement due to the shape of the shape of the parts and the waist is hindered by the backpack but like the shoulder, it is not enough to complain about really. He has full thigh swivels and double-jointed knees and his ankles have excellent forward and inward tilt but essentially nothing in either of the other directions. That is pretty much it for the legs, they look good but there just isn’t a lot going on with them.

Alright then with the robot mode all finished up, let’s take a look at all the accessories this guy comes with, cause there is A LOT. First off, just to get them out of the way, is all the blast effects he comes with. He comes with 10 total; 2 smoke effects, 1 matrix effect, 3 identical gun blast effects and 4 modular gun blast effects that are all different shapes and sizes. You can combine these 4 effect parts together in a variety of ways such as 1 large blast effect or 2 asymmetrical smaller blasts effects or any combination you can come up with. Since we have already touched on it, he does have a Matrix of Leadership which is hidden in his chest. It can be removed and he can even hold it like in the film. Next up is probably my favorite accessory which is the Sword of Primus. It just looks super cool and fits in his hand really well, plus it has a flip out peg allowing it to be stored on his back. The only unfortunate thing is that because of how it is designed it can only be held by figures who have opening hands, and at the moment that is only 3 figures, including Rodimus Prime himself. He also comes with his classic rifle the “Photon Eliminator”. It is quite long, coming up to about 2 thirds of Rodimus’ height and he can hold it with both hands. If you don’t want him holding it, it can fold up and store on his back.

Onto the two large accessories, the turret and the trailer. Starting with the turret as it is the simplest of the two. The turret head can rotate around fully and aim up and down. Rodimus can hold onto both of the handles and man the turret, just like his G1 toy and of course the blast effects can be plugged into either of the two main cannons. If you don’t want the cannon deployed, you can collapse it down and store it in the trailer or interestingly, in what seems to be an undocumented feature, you can actually plug the turret onto Rodimus’ back as a sort of backpack gun emplacement. Moving onto the trailer which can clearly unfurl into a makeshift base. This thing is absolutely loaded with 5mm ports; having 36 on the inside, 4 on the back, 3 on each side, right in between the wheels, and 1 on each of the side walls plus the one that is center aligned in trailer mode making for a total of 49. It also has an AIRLOCK connector so you can add it to any of your cityscapes, if that is of interest to you. Turning this thing into a trailer is really simple, unfortunately there seems to be a running issue where the trailer won’t hold together properly as there is not enough friction in one of the tabs. From what I have heard it is an easy fix and I do plan on doing it, I just figured I should do it after I put it up here. Like I stated before the turret can be stored here or you can attach it to the roof for some extra firepower in this mode. Instead of the turret you can fit one of the modern autobot car molds in there. A couple of last things about the trailer, he has this compartment in the front that I am uncertain what it is for, you can store some of the thinner blast effects in here though. Speaking of hidden compartments he actually has a storage compartment for the matrix and smoke effects that just slides out from the underside of the trailer. It also has a couple of 5mm ports both inside and out.

Well that took longer than expected to cover but let us wrap this review up by looking at the transformation and vehicle mode. Transformations a super interesting and intuitive with lots of different rotations, collapsing and extending joints and I enjoy 90% of it. When we get to the legs it is scary because of the amount of force you need to apply to get the wheels in the right positions, both going to and from the robot mode. Overall I enjoy it but I understand why others don’t. Now the car mode itself I absolutely LOVE. Just this bulky, offroad version of Hot Rods sleek car mode. The wheels raise the car up, giving him lots of clearance underneath, and allowing him to roll incredibly well. The clearance allows you to store the sword underneath the car mode, but you have to angle the foot up if you don’t want the hilt to drag on the ground. Speaking of storing weapons, you can also store the gun in this mode. Just fold it in half and plug it into the side of the car. You can kind of attach the smoke effects to the exhaust pipes but they don’t stay on very well thanks to how close the attachment points are to the car. The main function in this mode is of course connecting to the trailer for the full space-age Winnebago experience. You can attach the smoke effects to the exhaust pipes on the trailer which is clearly where they are supposed to go. You can also attach a couple of effects to the rear as some extra thrusters.

Ok I think that is everything, if I did miss something please feel free to let me know either in the comment section below or on Twitter, @Mythic_Gears. Overall I absolutely love this figure, he is so much fun to mess with and pose. All the accessories he comes with really just add to the enjoyment. Except that leg transformation and the QC issues, he is easily one of my favorite figures I have gotten this year and VERY worthy of the Commander Class title. 9/10 easily. This one took longer than expected, but luckily the one I had wanted to do next did show up when anticipated so it allowed me to take some extra time on this one, so I hope you all appreciate this gallery. Next week we look at one of the most mediocrely received figures in all of Kingdom. SO see you all next week.