Alex Weaver 1/8/24 Alex Weaver 1/8/24

MYTH’S TOP 20 TRANSFORMERS OF 2023

Hi, there. It is that time of year again when everyone figures out their favorite figures of the year and my yearly tradition of going over my Top 20 figures I got this year. Let me tell you this year's top 5 is the CLOSEST ranking I have ever had and there is an easy argument for any of them to be #1. Honestly, this year was great for figures both in terms of release and acquisitions on my end, and on the whole, there are plenty of great figures that just didn’t make the cut that I thought were shoe-ins for this list when I got them. If you have read the previous year's posts you should know the standard rigamarole for my lists, the figures on this list didn’t have to come out this year I just had to acquire them within the past 12 months and it is not a Top 10 list because there are too many figures that I think deserve attention. Now then let’s get into it

#20: Shattered Glass Grimlock

The original Studio Series 86 Grimlock figure came in at #15 on my list two years ago and combine that with my love for Shattered Glass, this figure being on this list was a no-brainer. Sometimes all you need in life is a big plastic robot dinosaur that turns into a big plastic robot—pure simplicity.

#19: Universe 2.0 Powerglide

I have always loved this era of Transformers toys and Powerglide is such a good example of it. New designs for existing characters that have wack proportions, made of big chunky parts, and have tons of play value. This toy just oozes an energy that we just don’t get anymore, sure he doesn’t have the standard articulation we have now but he proves that it isn’t necessary to be a good toy.

#18: Alternators Miester & Wheeljack

I got quite a few Alternators this year so I am glad a couple of them made the list. Alternators are an incredible toyline that I don’t think we could get today and even if we did I don’t know if they would hit the same. This is a line of 1:24 scale model cars that just so happen to transform into, usually, recognizable Transformers characters. Wheeljack and Jazz here may be some of the more controversial picks for favorites, but Jazz has a really interesting transformation and Wheeljack is a toy I have wanted for a while, and he didn’t disappoint.

#17: Buzzworthy Origin Jazz

Not a figure I was initially planning on getting as I am pretty content with the 86 Jazz figure but I am really gald I did as this figure has no right being this good. He looks great in both modes, handles great, and transforms great. I don’t know how they managed to pull off this alt mode so well and have the robot mode be as good as it is.

#16: Legacy Evo Orion Pax & Senator Shockwave

This is a super weird set where neither mold really suits the designs they are going for but there aren’t any better options so this is what we got and I love it for that. Shockwave uses the Siege Seeker mold, which is always a win in my book, and wears it well. The new molding is good but I wish the wings were slightly bigger. Orion is the real star for me though as the Siege Hound mold is almost as good as the Seeker mold and it really shines here with the bright colors and new parts

#15: Legacy Evo Nacelle

This really shouldn’t be a surprise. Considering I just went over the other use of this mold that came out this year and that I had two versions of this mold on last year's list. This mold is a constant for these lists for me and I am not mad about it. Nacelle here is one of the best-looking of the bunch too. The only thing I wish he had was new wings with V-TOL blades, I am not complaining.

#14: Retro G1 Hound & Hot Rod

These two toys made me understand why the G1 toys are so loved. I grew up on the Micheal Bay movies and those are the toys that I grew up with so I had never really handled any G1 toys growing up, aside from a well-loved Prime and Soundwave, which were still great don’t get me wrong. But Hound and Hot Rod here are so good. They are fun, they are simple, and they are exactly what they need to be.

#13: Legacy Evolution Javelin

The original use of this mold was already phenomenal and one of, if not the best, female Transformers figure, and this version knocks it out of the park. I love the entire look of this figure, with the new colors and parts really enhancing the look. The customizable weapon is a big stand out for me, as it gives so much versatility and variety, but this entire figure is great and has not moved from my desk since I got her.

#12: Masterpiece Trainbot Suiken

Two MP Trainbots made the cut last year so of course at least one was going to make its way onto this year's list and Suiken is my new second favorite. The transformation on him is much simpler than the other 3 I have and he just feels so much more dynamic and clean compared to the rest and the train mode is just as incredible as the rest of the crew’s

#11: Shattered Glass Sideswipe & Hot Rod

As noted earlier, I am a Shattered Glass enjoyer so this pack was a necessity for me but man I was not expecting it to be this good. Hot Rod was already a great toy and the new head and Skywarp colors make it incredible but the real surprise here is Sideswipe. There are only 4 new parts on the mold itself plus the 2 new sword parts and it feels like a brand-new toy compared to any of the previous Siege/Kingdom Sideswipe variants, and then add the new mini-con and you get the full, incredible package.

#10: Legacy Evolution Metalhawk

The final instance of a remold/repaint of a toy that was on a previous year's list and what a toy. Metalhawk uses the phenomenal mold that is Kingdom Cyclous and it works so well. Both modes look super good and so and Metalhawk is just as fun to handle as Cyclonus, the only reason he loses points is that his alt mode is not as sleek and the colors are not clean, especially in jet mode

#9: Legacy Evolution Skyquake

Here is a toy that I’m surprised me it made my top 10, but after picking it back up I totally get it. This toy has presence, in both modes. The design is also such a good blend of the original toy and Prime iterations of the character, the easily best of all the “Prime Universe” figures we have gotten in Legacy. I am really hopeful we get to see this mold done up in more colors in the coming years as I am all in on a version in Classic G1 toy colors and Machine Wars Starscream colors.

#8: Legacy Evolution Tarn & Bludgeon

These two show off how good Hasbro figures can be, and how two, of what is essentially the same toy, can feel so distinct. Tarn is a toy nobody thought we would ever get in toy form, just because of the nature of the character, so his toy being this good is incredible. But then to get a reuse of the mold later in the year with Bludgeon who somehow wears the mold just as well if not BETTER than Tarn is something I never expected.

#7: Legacy Evolution Needlenose

Needles here is a surprise hit for me, I did not expect to like him as much as I do. He is a phenomenal fiddle figure, with a simple yet interesting transformation, all the various ports for the Targetmasters, and all while looking superb in all modes. Add to that the playability with Skyquake and you have a whole lot in such a small package.

#6: Studio Series 86 Ultra Magnus

I was always gonna get this figure when it came out as my last Ultra Magnus was the Siege version and I am not a big fan of that mold. This guy is the exact opposite; incredible looking in both modes, a transformation that is both interesting and not infuriating, incredible playability, and great accessories. This toy made me understand why the car carrier is such a great alt mode and why vehicle scale is so good.

#5: Haslab Deathsaurus

It may come as a surprise that the new Haslab is coming in this low considering last year’s was my figure of the year, but that just proves how stiff the competition is. On top of that, Victory Saber is more toyetic, with lots of combining elements, and just more fun overall to mess with. Deathsaurus on the other hand, while he has a lot of accessories and functionality, is just a phenomenal, premium figure which in the end, is all he needs to be.

#4: MMC Optus Prominon

As far as hyper-articulated Transformers go this is one of the best. He can pull off most poses extremely well, and all the accessories he comes with just add even more variety. On top of all that he looks great in both modes, my only gripe is that the transformation can be a bit of a pain in the ass, especially going to vehicle mode but considering everything he can do, that is a fair compromise.

#3: Legacy Evolution Armada Optimus Prime

I have always loved the Armada Optimus design so I am super glad this toy came along, as a good quality version of the original toy feels so far out of my price range, and boy does he deliver. The core robot is a blast on its own and then adding the trailer pants just adds so much pure presence that is hard to beat.

#2: Maketoys Contactshot

Everyone in this fandom has that one character who is essentially a nobody but they love them anyway, and for me, that is Pointblank. Needless to say, I have really wanted this guy for a while, and man I was not expecting him to be this good. Or this big. He is so much fun and such a beauty to pose and even just look at. The head and face options are a great addition, so you can mix and match to create your preferred Pointblank look. Transformation isn’t complicated and has some very interesting sections, specifically the legs, and the car mode is immaculate.

#1: Maketoys Striker Manus

This was a long-time grail figure for me, essentially ever since the original version was released back in 2016(I think), I have wanted it and now that I have it I have to say he doesn’t disappoint. This version in particular is the Premium Editions so it comes with all the extra bits and weapons from previous releases of the mould which just increases his fun exponentially. There are so many things I love about this toy, that there comes a point where it becomes derivative and the only thing to say is that he is phenomenal.

Once again my Top 20 Figures of the year list has 25 figures in it but really who’s counting? This is just a way for me to gush about a fraction of the cool robots I got this year for anyone who will read it. If you haven’t caught on this is the end of the list no honorable mentions or anything as that would take WAY too long and this is long enough already. Hoping to update this site more this year but I guess only time will tell, so in that case, I will see you when I see you.

Alex Weaver 5/9/21 Alex Weaver 5/9/21

Transformers Generations Selects Deep Cover

Welcome all to my first official MythicTF.ca blog review, I do hope you enjoy and don’t forget to check out the figures gallery afterwards. Now without further adieu let’s get to it and take a look at one of my favorite figures I have gotten this year, Transformers Generations Selects WFC-GS23 Deep Cover.

Now this toy is based on the original Deep Cover toy which was a E-Hobby repaint of the G1 Sideswipe mold that was released in 2003. As soon as I learned about this guy he has been one of my favorites, from his colors to his ability to shrink like a transformers version of Ant-Man. I just wish he got put in some Transformers media so we would have more to go off of personality wise than just his OG toy’s bio-card.

Getting back to the figure at hand, he is obviously a repaint of the Siege Sideswipe mold, the 7th use of the mold to be exact(well 8th if you count Gigawatt) so he has every positive and negative that mold has, plus quite a few more positives. That being said he is closer to the Covert Clone Sideswipe use of the mold with the color layout being the same, just swap the red for a deep blue and some red accents to help break it all up.

The head is you standard Sideswipe affair cast in this glorious deep blue, with the trapezoidal prism triangle making up the general face shape with the small horns/fins/ears on the sides and the head crest on top, for which he is the only one out of all the mold uses to have it painted and in silver no less. On the topic of silver, his face is done up in it and it looks really nice, my only gripe with this face sculpt would have to be the eyes, more specifically the color used. The color they used is a metallic, almost pearlescent blue, which while nice, but they just kinda get lost cause it doesn’t really stand out enough from the blue or silver surrounding it. At least the head is on a very nice ball joint, meaning you can get some good poses out of it.

The chest is your standard hood chest carbot variant, that being said I do like the shape of the chest with the subtle curves at the bottom and sides, but then the top has these nice angles so that the head is visible, while also giving a sort of jacket vibe, especially with how the wheels end up hidden and the white sections beside his head giving off a collar like vibe. The back is just the entire windshield of the car but that is par for the course for Sideswipe’s design, But because of how wide it is it is visible from the front or at least partially. Like most kibble on transformers this doesn’t really bug me as it gives the character/mold a unique look and feel, plus it doesn’t get in the way of the wait swivel, or any of the other articulation for that matter, or make him back heavy.

The arms are your pretty standard affair, just a series of boxes attached via a multitude of joints, including full shoulder movement, bicep swivel, and a 90 degree elbow. No wrist articulation unfortunately, due to transformation. There is quite a bit of detail present on the forearms and because of the white plastic used none of it really gets lost which is always nice. The legs are in a similar boat to the arms, just boxes connected via joints; Full hip movement, thigh swivels(slightly limited by their design) 90 degree knees and a decent amount of ankle tilt. All this articulation means he can pull off quite a few good poses and he has decent enough balance to pull off a high kick and a running pose of sorts.

I guess the final thing to address in robot mode would be the accessories. Deep Cover comes with the Sideswipe missile launcher parts, both molded in black, the launcher section has silver trim on one side while the missile is fully painted white. He also comes with the “Red Alert Gun'' this time painted in silver. It is just a standard rifle but it does have a 5mm hole on the back for you to plug the launcher into if you so choose. Seeing as this was a Siege toy to begin with you can plug the weapons into any of the 5mm ports available or you can plug the missile launcher into either side of the shoulder for a more traditional look, but personally i chose to either store the launcher on his back or attach it to the side of his arm as a sort wrist mounted rocket or a drill.

Transformation is a pretty simple affair, nothing complicated at all but nothing super inventive either. That being said, I constantly forget to keep the side panels folded up to give the legs the clearance they need. Now the vehicle mode is a sort of cybertronian supercar, similar to what a space age Lamborghini might look like, and probably the best looking out of all the uses of this mold. The slight glossiness of the black and the blue highlights (that are mainly just remnants from robot mode) really compliment each other, and the added accents like the golden badge tampographs, and painted rims, headlights and taillights really bring this everything together. You can of course plug the weapons into either side of the car or the roof if you would like.

I think that about covers everything I have to say about this figure. I just really love his whole vibe from the car mode to the bomb ass colors to the excellent articulation he is all around just a very fun figure and the best looking version of a mold that has been used many times over. Now if only we could get his brother Clampdown for the final use of the mold, but until then I will make due.

I hope you all enjoyed my first actual blog post review, and are looking forward to more, hoping for these to be weekly but that is dependent on my work schedule so if some are late or possibly early, blame that and don’t forget to check out the full gallery of pictures for Deep Cover (click here) before heading out. I will be adding pictures to pre-existing galleries down the road when I use said figure again for comparison with other figures, so look forward to that. Figured I should add that at the end before I forgot, even though it doesn’t really apply quite yet. Anyways, that is all for now, see you all next week.

(Edit)May 16th,2021
With my Siege Springer review, I have started giving figures a rating out of 10, so I am retroactively adding one for Deep Cover. I give Deep Cover a 8.5/10 mainly based on his colors and simplicity but the ability to just pick him up and mess with him without really worrying about anything, and my love of the character does factor into that score as well.