2025 is now upon us, but as many gear up for Age of the Primes and new Studio Series offerings, let's take a look at what our Allspark staff got last year. There were plenty of toys from 2024, and we are here to choose our favorites. Let's see who the lucky 'bots are:
ALArts - Macho Mexicano:
Favorite: I never owned the original Optimus Prime toy. I guess I could have with the multiple reissues of it out there already. We even have a suped-up version of it with the Missing Link toy, which already has 3 decos as I'm posting this. So when Legacy United provided a deluxe offering of Optimus Prime with how his old toy looked, I figured why not own it. Never have I imagined that I just absolutely love messing with this toy. I had my Danny DeVito Always Sunny moment where I said "I finally get it". I now understand why Transformers were so popular from the beginning. This toy, while not how the original was, carries over that spirit (albeit without having to pop his hands off for truck mode). I grew up during the Unicron Era and was there to see when the Michael Bay movie franchise was taking off, and to have this toy, this deluxe, represent the past, present, and then-future of Transformers as a toy, it just feels makes me feel as happy and grateful for how long these converting trinkets have stuck around for so long. It's my favorite of 2024. Here's to the new offerings for last year.
Honorable Mention: Gears from this year deserve plenty of cheers. Man, talk about nailing a character to a T (for Transformers). A grumpy bot who hates Earth and will let you know it. That's what this toy represents so effectively. He is just fun to mess with. He would have been no.1 if Deluxe Opti didn't pop out. That's another thing he'll probably complain about, too, lol.
GodSentinelOmega:
Favorite (Two way tie):
Straxus is my pick partly cause of Marvel G1 UK nostalgia and the fact that the pretty extensive retooling/redecoing cements him as his own figure and not just a Galvatron reskin. Even when stood next to Galvy. Plus he nails the comic vibe, looking like he quite literally walked off the page to deliver death (not mercy) to any and all Autobot fools! Plus, they leaned completely into him turning in an unashamedly 80s flying space cannon.
With Tigerhawk, he is big, beefy, imposing and comes with cannons, feather blades and his double-barrelled arm blaster. He might not like quite as asymmetrical in design as his og TM2 figure did, but he certainly captures the essence. And they certainly didn’t have to work so hard to make his transformation as far removed from ‘robot crouches down’ as they did. Having him rearrange basically all his limbs when he turns into beast mode.
Honorable Mention:
Runner up has to be Legacy Animated Prime, who seems to have perfected the ‘Animated but G1ified’ look. Keeping the very superhero-y proportions, dynamic articulation and cartoony altmode all wrapped up in a fun transformation.
LBD "Nytetrayn":
Favorite: It might just have to be Studio Series Steeljaw.
What can I say? I'm a cat lover, and while I love what each Optimus brings to the table, I've also had my fair share of OPs over the years. But Steeljaw was a favorite of mine when I was a kid, but I had no Blaster. Now, all these years later, I have a Blaster, and after a bit more waiting, a Steeljaw as well. (Sadly, I kept missing out on the reissues for one reason or another.) He was also the toughest of the lot for me to get, so the victory there scores him some points, too. And I just love the little guy.
Actually, I hope I get a good opportunity at a second one. He'd fit perfectly in that smaller inner pocket on my pants.
lastmaximal:
Favorite: Legacy United BW Silverbolt. It was tempting to name SS86 Optimus Prime, who in many ways set the bar anew for updates to classic figures. And that wouldn't be a bad pick at all for many reasons. But to see the same degree of care and cleverness poured into a comparatively much less prominent character, and one I've always been personally fond of, was a real treat too.
Legacy United Silverbolt succeeds where a few Kingdom-era BW remakes fell short. Now at the Voyager price point, he's able to bring sufficient mass to the party while still having his (slightly pointier now) feather clubs and an excellent robot mode headsculpt.
There are things I'd change. The beast mode proportions are a bit odd because of the way the rear half forms and where the forelegs/robot legs sit, and the wings feel like they sit a bit low in robot mode for my tastes (I wouldn't be surprised if that were show-accurate, just feels off). But the flaws are just enough to make him... Interesting. By and large, this is a solid, sizeable update to the Maximal knight. (I just wish some of his hollow vent bits still had the "bone" shape sculpted into them.)
MadameVixen:
Favorite: I chose Legacy universe g1 prime for mine. Hes a fun desk toy that takes the old 84 toy optimus and updates it to a cheap robust design with a nice fast transformation.
Blazezard:
Favorite: 86 Optimus eats and slays.
What was your favorite Transformer toy from this year? You can discuss
on the Allspark Facebook page, on our partnered Discord at discord.gg/allspark, and on the Allspark Forums !
Hope everyone has a great 2025. And be sure to save your pennies for this year's latest releases!
-ALArts
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