Top 10 Transformers of 2022!

[Skyquake87]

Seeing as everywhere else will have one of these going on, I thought I'd do one too

Picking my favourite Transformers this year has been surprisingly easy. These won't be the coolest or the most amazing, but they're the ones I've spent the most time playing with and have enjoyed the most! So yay for that. In no particular order then...

Kingdom Blaster & Eject



I've never really liked Blaster's original toy. It feels very Fisher Price and has a pea head. I liked the Titans Return toy, but that was massive so hooray for the really rather excellent Kingdom version. A nicely proportioned, articulated and detailed robot mode with a little see-through pal you can shove in his boobs. And it's better than Netflix Soundwave.

Shattered Glass Slicer and Exo-Suit



Yes, yes I know it's technically 'alt-universe' Wheeljack, but this isn't convincing anyone it isn't Slicer. Even the Decepticon insignia is more of a pinky-purple than the red SG figures get. Whatever, this is great and I love it. The colours are lush and I like the clear weapons and even the rather feeble Fasttrack weaponiser mould looks phenonmenal in it's hot red and pink.

Legacy Kickback, Nightprowler & Wildrider



Kickback is fantastic. I really think he's a great figure. The simple transformation works in the figure's favour, making it a a solid and robust figure. I like the addition of the Energon swords that can make up part of the grasshopper mode. Brilliant! Nightprowler (I think that's who this is, I've got rid of the box and the Instructions aren't to hand) is just a nice repaint of Kingdom Cheetor. Granted, the mold isn't the greatest, but I've grown fond of it and appreciate the effort to make this look like and actual Cheetah in beast mode. No idea why he was made an Autobot, rather than a Maximal, but makes for a nice in-fiction transition from the old world of Autobots and Decepticons to Maximals and Predacons. Wildrider has a glorious vehicle mode and I like the robot mode too. The backpack engineering is silly, but I like that it adds a bit of visual interest/ jet pack.

Legacy Buzzsaw, Tarantulas & Sandstorm



I like the simple (but effective) repaint/retools of the Kingdom Waspinator and Scorponok molds to give us two updates of Buzzsaw and Convention Exclusive Sandstorm. The colours are really eye catching and even though Sandstorm, like Scorponok, is pretty dire (transformation feels half-baked and unfinished), I can't help but like him. Tarantuals is just a banger. Probably the best Deluxe figure released this year.

Legacy Speedia 500 Collection Burn Out



I love this thing. It's so good! A boxy, stocky warrior with a bunch of cool weapons and a superb headsculpt. Transformation is great and the alt-mode is adorable. Easily the figure I've spent the most time playing with this year.

Studio Series Bumblebee Movie Arcee



Neatly sidesteps all the issues of trying to make a shapely female form somehow turn into a car ...by making her a sort of Cybertronian bike thing that looks like a discarded Tron design. I like how chunky she is and how fun she is to flip between modes. Easily the best Arcee toy for me.

And that is my list of the things I've most enjoyed and were put out this year. Hooray! What's your list looking like?

[Denyer]

Had to think if I bought ten Transformers released in 2022, it's been more MOTU for the last few years. Let's see...

Super7: ActionMaster Bombshell. And their Bludgeon was supposed to be 2022.

Legacy: Drag Strip, Jhiaxus, Selects Cyclonus, Minerva, Bomb-Burst, Needlenose. Not sure I'd include Iguanus, Kickback, Skids in a top 10 list personally as they were either pre-ordered or scratching an itch rather than anything that'd pass the Marie Kondo test.

Studio Series: 'Bumblebee' Arcee with a head swap with Thrilling 30 Arcee.

I'd probably have gone in for some of the Wreckers (Impactor, Springer, Leadfoot) if they hadn't been bundled or double-dipping, and there've been figures such as Leo Prime or Laser Prime that would only be double-dipping due to having been collecting for some considerable time (the RM and G2 ones are fine).

That Blaster's nice, would probably have got one if I didn't have a similar sized 3P one. Slicer's kind of in the Leadfoot category -- it's a much better use of bundling than a fossilizer, but since there's no specific nostalgic connection not that big enough a draw.

So just about >10 (actually, got two Drag Strips) and managing a top eight.

[Skyquake87]

I'd like to say the same about MOTU, but since it's been binned from Smyth's, that's kind of done it for me. Online stuff gets snapped up too quickly to be worth the bother, but I'm happy with the stuff I managed to collect DId pick up a bunch of the Revelations stuff that ended up in TKMaxx and liked it more than I thought I would, although He--Man and Skeletor look a bit odd. Absolutely love She-Ra, who Amazon discounted a bit, she's brilliant. Her and Catra are probably my favourites of all the Masterverse stuff I picked up.

I've not picked up Needlenose yet, but he looks cool. Good choices! Those Super 7 AMs look really good and Bombshell looks so much like the original '91 toy, it's like he's been KO'd to supersize.

[Denyer]

Yeah, distribution on MOTU continues to suck... although unlike Hasbro it's usually more a matter of working out where to order, rather than insufficient stock and a ton of exclusives. Smyths in Germany is still stocking but I think over here it got stuck with too many Masterverse units.

Like with Origins, Masterverse definitely lends itself to easy customs -- most people seem to agree that many of the the stock Revelations designs leave things to be desired, but with a spot of paint and head or accessory substitutions there's some fun to be had. And almost anything's better than the stock Revelations He-Man and Skelly heads.

Various of mine -- https://imgur.com/a/9LzjJz4

The Masterverse stuff sadly seems to have similar stocking problems due to places over-ordering the Revelations stuff and then clearing them out, plus price hikes, but still seems like a great alternative to Classics for anyone who didn't jump on that bandwagon at the time.

[Warcry]

I had to give this a lot of thought because I bought so few new toys in 2022! Only thirteen, actually, and that's after I decided to include a couple late-2021 releases that I only got early last year. I suppose I could have included the recent Beast Wars reissues in the mix, but that feels disingenuous...I definitely wouldn't have included the original releases if I'd bought them second-hand. So here goes!

1: Legacy Jhiaxus



An absolute killer of a toy. Really poseable in robot mode, fun to transform, and fun to swoosh as a jet. But most importantly, it has style. After the TF:Prime Legacy figures mostly fell flat, I was worried that this guy would wind up treading the same uninteresting ground where what made the design unique was gone, and what was left was boring and generic. But the Jhiaxus toy really captures the spirit of the G2 character design, especially the sneering, Yaniger-esque face sculpt. This might be the best figure Hasbro's done in years. I just hope it hasn't turned bright yellow by this time next year!

2: Legacy Tarantulas



The same basic toy as 2021's Blackarachnia, but the added bulk really ironed out a lot of the wrinkles that earlier toy had. The legs are sturdy, everything pegs together well, and the added waist joint makes it a lot more fun to play with. Blackarachnia felt fragile in both modes and especially during transformation, but Tarantulas feels solid in every way. But like Jhiaxus, what really puts Tarantulas at the top of the list for me is how well the toy captures his personality. The face sculpts in both modes are great and really help to get his personality across.

3: SS86 Sweep



Generations Scourge would always trick me into thinking it was a good toy, when it was sitting on a shelf and I hadn't tried to handle it recently. It looked so good! But it was such a pain in the butt to transform or pose. The SS86 toy beats it soundly when it comes to being fun. I didn't like the colours of the movie-accurate toy, but the brighter blue on the "Sweep" caught my eye. It's really more of a toy/comic deco. Paired up with a custom Fracas, it's a top-tier Transformer. I think it technically popped up on Amazon Canada in late 2021, but I got mine in January and anyway I'd rather talk about this than Iguanus or something...

4: Legacy Drag Strip



I'm honestly really surprised I like this so much. It's monochrome and it should probably feel generic, but the robot mode is a lot of fun to play with and I love the transformation.

I can't photograph the guy for the life of me, though.

5 and 6: Wreckers Leadfoot and Masterdominus



Hasbro's love of multi-packs really killed my interest in the Marvel Legends line and it's kept me from buying a fair number of Transformers that I would have grabbed if they'd been sold solo, as well. This was the rare two-pack where I actually wanted both toys it included. I love all things Fossilizer, and the original Leadfoot (dire though it was) was a toy I played with a lot as a kid. I don't own any other flavour of the Siege Mirage mold, since the previous options were two messes of clear plastic, one impossible to find store exclusive and one figure stuck in a two-pack with an awful rendition of BW Grimlock. But it really does feel like it was made for Leadfoot, it fits the character so well. And "transforming dead mastodon" is something I'd never say no to, so these guys make for a great pair.

7: Legacy Bomb-Burst



Tiny. Cute. Simple. Fun. Everything a Core-class toy should be, and everything I could have hoped for in a modern-day take on a Pretender if it's not going to include a separate shell and inner robot.

8: Shattered Glass Starscream



This might have been a late-2021 toy as well? I'm honestly not sure, because I'm not even sure I was aware it existed before I got it as a birthday gift. Very poseable, lots of fun in robot mode. Knocked down a few notches by being a Big Convoy-tier shellformer. Knocked down a few more notches by the fact that all of his flexible "unpaintable" plastic is rapidly turning an unsightly cream colour.

9: Legacy Kickback



I go back and forth on this guy...either he's brilliantly simple or he's just unambitious. Either way, I can't deny that the designers hit exactly the mark they were aiming for -- you're never going to get a Kickback toy that's Kickbackier than this one. I've always been a fan of Kickback's character design and that's enough to put me in the "good toy" camp with this figure, but I'd be hard-pressed to argue with someone who thought it was a boring figure. I think you need to really like Kickback beforehand to be a fan of this toy.

10: Golden Disc Collection Tigatron



And this is the problem with doing a top-ten with only thirteen toys to choose from. Tigatron makes the list by way of being better than Iguanus or Buzzsaw or Sandstorm, but he's so thoroughly outshone by the 2021 retail toy that I find it hard to get too excited about him. It's a good mold and I'm glad they finally made a toy of Tigatron's box art/prototype colour scheme, but I would have liked it a lot more if the orange was brighter and more vibrant.

Kingdom Blaster & Eject

This looks like an awesome toy, but I just can't get past the cartoon head on it. Budiansky Blaster and the Actionmaster toy made too much of an impression on me, I guess. Blaster with a friendly face and "nubs" for ears instead of tall, narrow mailbox flags just never looked right. I think I might pick up Twincast, since the different colours will make the head look...not so strange for me.

Shattered Glass Slicer and Exo-Suit

I forgot (or maybe didn't realize to begin with) that this was an SG release. That probably explains why I haven't seen it for sale anywhere in Canada! Maybe it'll pop up at Gamestop at some point? I'd definitely like a Slicer though I'm not convinced I need a retna-damaging version of Fast Track in my life.

Had to think if I bought ten Transformers released in 2022, it's been more MOTU for the last few years. Let's see...

Walmart has a pretty big MOTU section around here, but it seems like there are three or four different concurrent lines running and I have no idea what any of it is.

[Denyer]

I just hope it hasn't turned bright yellow by this time next year!

Even if it has, so have the original comics by this point.

I didn't realise Orange Tigatron was 2022. Despite sticking a Tracks head on him to go with Grimlock, it's still kind of what a lot of people described it as at the time -- a tiger toy you might expect to find in a zoo gift shop.

Walmart has a pretty big MOTU section around here, but it seems like there are three or four different concurrent lines running and I have no idea what any of it is.

The vintage sized and styled stuff is Origins, the bigger 7" figures are Masterverse and they started off based on the "adult" Netflix Revelation show but have gone on to do alt-universe and classic show style figures... and the He-Man And The MOTU cartoony ones are based on another Netflix show which is younger audience but not awful. Plus various other things Mattel have shovelled out such as minis, game figures, etc.

[Warcry]

I didn't realise Orange Tigatron was 2022. Despite sticking a Tracks head on him to go with Grimlock, it's still kind of what a lot of people described it as at the time -- a tiger toy you might expect to find in a zoo gift shop.

I initially thought Tigatron was a 2021 figure as well because it doesn't feel "new" to me, but I guess I just got bored of it really quick. But the preorders shipped out at the end of last January, at least in Canada.

And yeah, it's just...not a very inspiring tiger. The white one looks a lot better even though it uses the exact same paint masks (aside from a couple stripes they left out on the orange one) so I figure it most be the dull, browny-orange plastic that makes it look so cheap.

The vintage sized and styled stuff is Origins, the bigger 7" figures are Masterverse and they started off based on the "adult" Netflix Revelation show but have gone on to do alt-universe and classic show style figures... and the He-Man And The MOTU cartoony ones are based on another Netflix show which is younger audience but not awful. Plus various other things Mattel have shovelled out such as minis, game figures, etc.

The Origins stuff was what caught my eye, in that case. The retro look is nice and I'd probably pick a few up out of nostalgia if I ever see a version of any of the toys I remember having as a kid. Those seem to be the ones that are impossible to get at retail and get scalped online, though, so I'm probably not going to get into it.

[Clay]

Hmm... I'll have to think about this after I've figured out what came out in 2022.

[Denyer]

Finds rather than strictly 2022 toys, but it's nice Thew's list isn't just the ones that everyone seems to agree on like Drag Strip and Jhiaxus;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E17N5poB0oo

[Warcry]

Interesting choices for sure! I haven't heard people talk about that Alpha Trion much, I guess because it was a convention/Pulse exclusive. The vintage picks were interesting too, Animated Jackpot looks great and the Jazz he's based on is a killer toy.

If I'd been including stuff that was "new to me" and not just strictly new releases, reissue Optimus Primal, TM2 Iguanus, Sharkticon Megatron, BH Grimwing and the Cybertron Scrapmetals all would have gotten consideration for sure.

[Denyer]

I think I might have gotten the Tripredacus Agent set Ravage plus Savage Noble last year, but don't really remember. Possibly also T-Wrecks whenever it was they got clearanced, possibly that X-Men shuttle monstrocity, and possibly duplicates of MP BB, Warpath plus a CW Air Raid KO (and the rest of a set of KO CW Aerialbots) to go with Drag Strip as examples of updates to figures that have some specific sentimental value. As I say, it wasn't really a TF year.

Oh, and possibly also the carded blue Bumblebee KO. That's one (along with Ravage and T-Wrecks as "new to me" entries) I'd pick out because it's a nice display piece.

[Clay]

Sharkticon Megatron

How did you end up liking him?

As for me for the year, I suppose I should mention (in no order):

Transmetal II Megatron: they made a new one! And it's really nice! I have a few minor quibbles with the proportions of the tail and the face sculpt (both of which are addressed with an upgrade kit), but it's overall a nice new figure. That they made it both more accurate to the show and less fiddly is astounding. I also like that he has a mighty cheetoh club for a weapon.

MMC Assaultus (Bruticus): it's a Bruticus with everything built in! I got the reissue set after missing out the first time around. It's... complexly simple, if that makes any sense. It's an absolute marvel of engineering.

Worlds Collide Fangry: I actually bought the four-pack, but first among equals is the Fangry. He's (so far as I know) the only Decepticon/Destron canonically mean enough to kill a puppy.

HasLab Victory Saber: worth mentioning simply because it exists. It's also rather fun! They didn't over-complicate or reinvent it arbitrarily, and all the features of the original are intact.

AOE Dinobot Slug vs Stinger: a walmart exclusive recolor of BW Neo Guiledart in purple. Passed on him at the time, but found a set at the Nashville Botcon, thus acquiring another purple redeco of the BW-era dinosaurs (I think I have them all now?).

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head without straying into self-evidently fancy stuff like MP Blackout.

[Warcry]

How did you end up liking him?

As a toy it's not the greatest...if I'd bought the show-colours version I probably wouldn't have liked it very much. But it turns into an angry shark-plane with eye-searing colours and it's got a giant fish for a gun. How could I not love it? I think it's actually my favourite Megatron to display just for how silly it is and how much it stands out on a shelf. I don't think I'll take it down from that shelf very often though.

Transmetal II Megatron: they made a new one! And it's really nice! I have a few minor quibbles with the proportions of the tail and the face sculpt (both of which are addressed with an upgrade kit), but it's overall a nice new figure. That they made it both more accurate to the show and less fiddly is astounding. I also like that he has a mighty cheetoh club for a weapon.

I've never been able to get too excited about Megatron being a dragon. I don't know if it's because I associate the character so much with the purple tyrannosaur that a red dragon just seems like too much of a departure? The original toy and the show model were both ugly, and that definitely didn't help. They've actually managed to make it look really good here and I'm not sure how!

AOE Dinobot Slug vs Stinger

I know I shouldn't want this, but I kinda do? I know I shouldn't, I own a Triceradon, I know exactly how terrible that triceratops toy is. But it's so pretty!

I have the Strafe/Bumblebee set that was the companion to this and it's really cool! It's too bad we didn't get other Beast-era molds redecoed as the AoE Dinobots. It would make for an interesting shelf if we had Dinobot as Slash, Sling as Scorn, Saberback as Snarl...Megatron into Grimlock would probably have been a step too far since the two we actually got were a Deluxe and a Basic. I guess they did do the Energon Cruellock redeco as Grimlock but putting those colours on a mechanical dino isn't anywhere near as mad as using an organic alt-mode.

[Denyer]

Considering that obscure alternative deco like SG is getting regularly wheeled out these days, it seems likely there'll be a Cryotek. I don't have any affinity for RID but the photos of that back in the day looked very impressive, so a blue version of a modern design would appeal.

[Tantrum]

After going through the Newest Acq thread to see how distribution affected my collecting this year, I realized I had enough info for this. In no particular oder:

Authentics Wheeljack - Of the dozen or so G1 Wheeljack figures/homages I own, this is my favorite. Basically an official OSKO of Kingdom Wheeljack, this guy manages to look better in both modes. More here.

Legacy Dragstrip - I was planning to skip the Legacy Stunticons. Then I found this guy open but compete at a comic shop for $10. I'd've been happy with this guy at full price. He's got the 6 wheeled alt-mode, which rolls better than my CW figure. The transformation is clever, not leaving and alt mode hanging off the back. I even like the hollow head as the driver's seat.

Kingdom Blaster - Bought open but complete the same time as Dragstrip. That was a good day. He's more fun to fiddle with than Netflix Soundwave. And this boxy robot manages to become a box without leaving bot knees sticking out the side.

Black Zarak - At first, I thought I'd've preferred the Scorponok deco since that's what I had as a kid. But, I really like this guy. The base mode doesn't work as a city, but makes a great dais for Coronation Starscream's throne. He's the only baseformer whose 3rd mode looks like something other than the base mode folded up. The bot mode looks great holding that horrible CHUG deluxe menacingly. And the headmaster has an eyepatch.

Coronation Starscream - Speaking of the throne, the bot that came with it is pretty good, too. I have the CHUG Deluxe Starscream this guy's based on. That one has a not-quite G1 deco, so this guy scratches the nostalgia itch better. The cape, gauntlets, crown and throne are nice enough that I don't feel too ripped off paying Leader price for a Voyager with some accessories. Had I bought the previously released Voyager, though, I'd feel differently.

Legacy Galvatron - Another Voyager sized bot sold at Leader price. I can feel the weight difference between this guy and Cyclonus, so I can accept that this guy couldn't be a Voyager. I dig the Matrix, but the Nemesis guns are in my parts bin.

Cyberverse Deluxe Slag - A colorful little fellow with a clever transformation.

Cyberverse Slugtron - Megatron is typical kiddie combiner fare with no usful articulation in bit mode. Slag pales in comparison the figure mentioned above, but is OK on his own. His bot mode only has shoulder articulation, but so did the G1 toy. I still take this guy apart to fiddle with Slag sometimes. He spends most of his time in combined mode, though, since it looks great.

The two halves have a cohesive color scheme of grey and red with tinges of gold. They take advantage of the lack of shoulder articulation by giving him a great chest plate. He's got perhaps the best Megatron head sculpt I own, with a menacing sneer, scarred eye, and broken horn giving the distinct impression of a tyrant who's acquired his power the hard way.

Refraktor 3-pack - I had no interest in getting 3 of the show accurate mainline figure. Or even 1. I'm happy with this set, though. The added accessories do a good job of differentiating the single mold into the 3 distinct bots I had as a kid. It even inspired me to finally learn which non-Viewfinder bot was which. Hint: the red one has an R in his name. I just miss Spectro's clicky head.

Holiday Optimus Prime - A delightful idea executed well.