The Top 5 Transformers of 2015. Apparently.

This year has been nuts, man. To do Transformers 2015 justice, try and imagine a party where everything you wanted was there, you're shirtless, drunk and slam dancing on the speakers loud and proud as your favourite tune blasts out, the hosts gleefully offering up a pie eyed night to remember for everyone. Yeah, that sums up this year in robots. Whatever your poison, that glass you've been drinking from has been kept richly filled.

Officially, Combiner Wars took whatever us 'orrible lot call 'Classics' these days and gave it a good kick up the arse, dropping the Special Teams of old into the mix as well as enjoyable takes on IDW favourites, not forgetting to tear the original mean green killing machine from the clutches of Third Parties to, ahem.. devastating effect.

Masterpiece saw its star in further ascent as A Listers such as Ultra Magnus, Thundercracker and Bumblebee rubbed shoulders with the likes of (hardly a B Lister) Tracks, Clampdown and Road Rage while the shadow of Japanese G1 loomed over all in the form of the victorious Star Saber.

And Third Party? Man, where do you start? Third Party went off like a Disneyland fireworks display, showering Classics, Legends and Masterpiece collectors alike with hugely expensive shimmering shiny bangs, often of the same character (Hello Snarl!) with plenty of de rigueur Mickey Mousing along the way.

Spare a moment for the almost (MMC Spartan), the maybe (Maketoys Rear End) and the nearly there (Masterpiece Star Saber) as cherry picking just five figures from a year brimming with such goodness was no easy task. So let's have it.

And please, debate away.



#5 Maketoys Cupola

I was initially utterly cold to Maketoys' Re:Master line. Didn't want to see them jump on the ever growing bandwagon of 3P Masterpiece imitators at the expense of why I loved them in the first place. Cos y'know, typical fan waaaaargh. That was until I got hold of Cupola and his streets ahead of the pack flava.

Heft, quality, sharp as a knife looks? Yeah this boy's packing all the good stuff.

Don't get me wrong, Cupola isn't a perfect figure for everybody. There's an inventive but divisive (Yay! Maketoys staple!) transformation at the figure's core and some frustratingly hindered articulation around the waist, but overall this is a hella classy take on Chromedome's retro futuristic look, and definitely the kind of unlicensed figure that can sit in the collection not as a placeholder but as the standard. A brilliant, strutting example of a company changing step and not missing a beat.



#4 DX9 Carry

Well for a start this all in one (no separate trailer here), Studio Ox inspired, Scratchgate pioneering, former turbo revving young punk actually came packaged in (a rarity these days) vehicle mode, giving the wonderful mass shifting transformation some actual justice first time round. Carry explodes from a modestly sized (think Voyager) Space Winnebago into a beautiful Masterpiece scaled, albeit not entirely styled robot via some nifty legwork and all the panels ever, delighting, confusing and annoying all in his wake. 'But where do I put him?', they scream. Top work, DX9.

Treading that thin line between brilliant and maddening, Carry then takes all this good stuff and drops an absolutely rubbish (it's too big to properly hold!) Targetmaster companion literally onto his windscreen which, along with some rough housing on the assembly line, created some unsightly vehicle mode blemishes for a good few folk. H'WHY, DX9?!

Make no mistake though, this is a barnstormer of a Transformer, marrying inventive engineering with stunning good looks and moves, creating a fresh and daring take on Rodimus Prime.


#3 MP-22 Ultra Magnus

'I've never seen anything this beautiful in the entire galaxy. Alright, give me the bomb.'
Ultra Magnus, Fight or Flee

That is what we're in this game for

It's all very '86 and '87 this list, isn't it? And Ultra Magnus almost jumped on it for one sole reason. It's a good reason though: That first impression upon unboxing him.

'I could kill a man with this', thought the not so young Mr Manfish when removing him from the plastic clamshell. Cold, cold metal weapon made into knockout robot man. Seriously, that initial oooomph was joyous. And it continues with the bruising look and size of the dude. Magnus is huge, an intimidating addition to any shelf and a blinding display piece.

Presence

There's a lot to buzzkill that rush though. I can't pretend that this is the most dynamic Masterpiece out there. I can't pretend that the top of the truck doesn't just hang off his ass. And I am damn sick of wanting to move his shoulders up one click higher.

But nor can I say that any of that actually matters a jot to me.  Some toys are all about presence, and this toy defines it. Then you have that wonderful, wonderful transformation which simply invites repeat visits, an intricately detailed Matrix chamber, two truly horrific representations of Daniel and Spike and the fact that staring me down as I type this is the most gloriously realised interpretation of Transformers: The Movie Ultra Magnus I could ever possibly hope for.

Even though he was a bit rubbish in it and Marvel UK Magnus was like, miles better.


#2 Combiner Wars Devastator

I couldn't not have this on the list, the sheer amount of fun this set has given me has been one of the best experiences I have had as a collector all year. Look at these guys!

Not to mention how this this beast of a release does such an effortless job of straddling some not inconsiderable Transformers real estate.

Happy New Year! Screw you Mixmaster!

At its heart this is nothing more than a great big set of dumb fun kids toys.
On its chest it wears size and on point retro cartoon stylings with pride (those headsculpts are incredible), inviting serious collectors to take a second look at it as viable Masterpiece material.
And on double fists are HasTak's middle fingers raised at the glut of unlicensed Devastators out there.

Indeed

There's some very nifty engineering masquerading beneath a veil of simplicity in Combiner Wars Devastator too. Like everything on this breakdown, there are also legitimate flaws to gripe about - lack of elbow articulation on the individuals, Mixmaster full stop.. - but what captured me is that in hand, Devastator is about that aforementioned heart first and foremost. Some real love went into bringing this to general release. Love for the character(s), love for the toys. And it's a fantastic set of toys. I defy anyone not to be giddy as all hell when combining the big bugger for the first time. It's an event that'll stay with you.


#1 Iron Factory Ex-04 City Commander

Yes I'm having two Ultra Magnii(?) in this list. Fight me. Deal with it.

And we're going from one of the biggest to one of the smallest, with this Legends scaled figure, based heavily (and brilliantly) on Robby Musso's IDW Spotlight design from all the way back in 2007(!). And mark my words son, this one is a giant killer.

Put simply, this is plastic crack. Rarely has Iron Factory's crowning achievement been far from these addicted fingers. He's the essence of the fiddle former distilled to its purest form, a toy that dares you to put it down knowing you'll be back minutes later to get another fix find another pose to put it in.

The transformation is pleasingly simple but effective, though with some tight tolerances at first, and I do bemoan the lack of functioning rear wheels, especially at the price point. But somehow these qualms fade into nothing when set against the intricate comic accurate sculpt, the surprisingly comprehensive articulation and the raft of modular weaponry the figure has to hand. I can comfortably say that this is the best Ultra Magnus figure I have ever owned.

And he's packed with gear. This little figure feels like its own Special Edition, the play value of the included guns being immense, something well worth mentioning as it is a staple play pattern of the majority of IF toys.

Iron Factory have made a bold statement of intent this year, almost single handedly cornering the Legends Class market, a scale I had no interest in before 2015, with a steady stream of high quality releases. City Commander however, trumps not just their own material but proves you don't need size to stand head and shoulders above everything else. 2016 might just belong to them.

Fully deserved

The Manfish has a new blog which can be read here. As always, buy your toys at Masterforce. Please?

The Darker Side of Transformers #8

#8 Mattel/IGA

Well, toys in general. Plasticos IGA SA were the company that produced Transformers for the Mexican market and while lead paint usage in children's toys had been banned in the USA in 1978, Mexico still allowed it. When the Transformers line flopped there the overstocks were shipped to the UK and Europe but laws here wouldn't allow them to be sold. The importers in some cases stripped the paint off entirely and repainted it but in many cases the offending paint was simply painted over. Badly.

Rise Ebola Prime.

You may wonder why this is a problem but in children's toys the paint invariably chips and flakes off with the child often eating the flakes. Lead is absorbed by skin and young children's skin is particularly absorbent meaning that handling a toy with lead paint can be enough to bring about poisoning, but consumption of the paint is far worse. Lead also builds up in the body so the affect accumulates and even small amounts can make very young children significantly ill while larger amounts can actually result in physical and mental development issues. The toys that never left Mexico still feature the lead paint.

Mattell on the other hand are unfortunate. In 1987 and 1988 Hasbro introduced sparking features into the Transformers line with the Sparkabots, Monsterbots and the Firecons as a simple gimmick; the toys were fitted with a wheel and flint like you'd find in a cigarette lighter and they'd spark away harmlessly. Or so you'd think. In small products aimed at young boys this wasn't a problem but in 1991 Mattel released Roller Blade Barbie which featured roller skates that would also produce sparks. The sparks generated by Barbie's footwear was a bit more significant than we saw in Transformers and these sparks would come into contact with something young boys don't generally use - hair spray. After young girls found their hair catching fire a product recall was issued for the whole line and sparking gimmicks were dropped until Hasbro resurrected them in 2014's Age of Extinction line.

The cold dead eyes and sick smile of a pyromaniac.

However, Mattel's misfortune didn't begin there and the biggest calamity they suffered massively impacted the toy industry and later the Transformers brand.

In 1977 everyone was going crazy over Star Wars and sci-fi was now the big moneymaker with film studios and tv networks clamouring to produce anything they could in order to capitalise. In August 1978 toys for an upcoming series were launched in stores and a month later, Battlestar Galactica debuted on September 17th 1978 depsite lawsuits from Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox. By December the Galactica toyline was a huge hit, selling two million of their vehicles alone but instead of being able to celebrate, Mattel had a huge problem.

The missiles in the Battlestar Galactica toys were similar to those used in Shogun Warriors and were only an inch and a half long with a powerful launching mechanism. The problem was that vehicles were designed in a way, it was later argued, that children were likely to put the nosecones of the vehicles in their mouths leading to the trigger button on the nosecone being pressed and the missile being fired. As the launcher was based under the trigger that meant that children were accidentally firing missiles into their own mouths. Following 7 reports of children inhaling or swallowing missiles, Mattel added warning labels to their existing inventory of Galactica toys on the 8th of December but it was too late.

Tom Rosinski holding the missile that was surgically removed from his lung. (March 17 1977, Denver Post)

On the 29th of December 1978, 4 year old Robert Jeffrey Warren fired the missile from a Battlestar Galactica Cylon Raider vehicle (not the Viper as often cited) into his mouth with the projectile becoming lodged in his larynx. 4 minutes later he lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital where he suffered a massive cardiac arrest but was briefly revived after the missile was surgically removed from his throat. Two days later, on New Year's Eve, Warren sadly passed away.

That Christmas a number of children would be hospitalised by the missiles but these children were older and so the airway around their vocal chords was large enough to let the missile pass into their lungs. While they would require surgery the children made full recoveries. On January 11th 1979 Mattel announced a recall of the missiles and offered to replace them with a free Hot Wheels car but on both the 10th and 11th at least another two children (Christopher Auger and Michael Affanto) were hospitalised. At the New York Toy Fair in February redesigned non firing Galactica toys were unveiled but the meltdown was underway.

Redesigned non-firing Viper with sticker reassuring parents that the missile feature was removed.

On March 22nd 1979 the parents of Robert Jeffrey Warren filed a lawsuit against Mattel for in excess of 14 million dollars and on April 29th the final episode of Battlestar Galactica was screened after the series was abruptly cancelled. At this point 27 children had inhaled missiles from the toys. While unrelated to the missile controversy, there was a last victim when a 15 year old boy committed suicide due to the series cancellation.

While toy manufacturers scrambled to address the issue, the most famous of toys to be changed was Star Wars' Boba Fett which had been heavily promoted as a mail away figure featuring a firing rocket. The figure would be released with the rocket glued into place and the firing mechanism removed, making the prototypes of the figure the only rocket firing examples.

Kenner stock photo showing the filled in 'J slot' where the firing mechanism would have been.

When Transformers debuted in 1984 their launching systems had been neutered to confirm with US and European child safety laws and no longer were capable of firing missiles over a distance of feet like their Diaclone and Microchange predecessors could. By 1986 new Transformers no longer had missiles with only the last two Diaclone and Microchange designs still featuring them with either no springs (Ultra Magnus) or longer missiles that prevented choking (Metroplex, who was designed for the abandoned Diaclone Jizai Gattai line along with the Stunticons, Aerialbots, Combaticons and Protectobots). From 1987 onwards there were no Transformers designed for the Western market with launching missiles until the relaunch of the brand as Generation 2.

Reissues of Generation 1 toys now always feature the longer missiles to prevent choking and while adult collectors aren't a fan of them, Battlestar Galactica proved that they are essential.

Only a porn star could swallow the reissue missiles

_______________________

IGA Prowl pic from author's own collection.
IGA red painted Optimus Prime picture courtesy of Maz
Barbie picture is a screenshot from the commerical
Tom Rosiniski photo is copyright The Denver Post
Battlestar Galactica picture comes from an unknown source
Boba Fett picture is from Kenner's stock photography
Optimus Prime missile comparison picture is from Fred's Workshop.