TF14of2014

Put together for twitter, and kind of in reverse order of my 14 favourite purchases of 2014

9. TFA G2 SIDESWIPE

Similar to last years' list, in no specific order.

Honorable non-tf mentions go to SHF Kachidoki Arms, MU Death's Head and the absurd amount of lego I also picked up this year.

Now on to the task at hand (this might not be the most exciting compilation since I mostly focus on one toyline):

Generations Whirl

Whirl's one of those guys whom nobody really cared about until he became a big deal in recent years, via comic-book fame. The toy got some mixed reception by the general public because it was more of a G1 homage with a dash of comic-book flair rather than a full-on IDWesque take on the character. Personally I do not mind - it's a unique and different toy in terms of aesthetics, albeit with a stupid design decision that kinda hamstrings its leg articulation (unless you feel like rolling the dice on breaking them each transformation).

Generations Armada Starscream

While I have little to no interest in TF - Armada, I was kind of sick and tired of my old trio of 07 seekers this year. Instead of going triple on the FOC design (which is a neat new take on the idea itself!), I decided to pick up the armada homage of SC, which is concidentally his current look in the ongoing comics: one could argue it's a hamfisted cross-sell scheme, but I personally love how this gives Screamer a new and distinct silhouette and character. Fun little figure.

FOC Skywarp and Thundercracker

These were also part of the seeker revamp project for this year. I never got the original FOC SC when it was new, so these two were a totally new experience for me. Definitely one of the better molds to come out under the 'budget cut' year of 2012/2013. It's also nice to have more play-friendly versions of these characters!

Beast Wars Neo Big Convoy

Love is here - I got this figure part of a trade as it was always something I wanted to have a go at. BC is a pretty superb figure in both modes (although you know things must have gone south when the flagship optimus toy of any toyline turns out weak) - although I think his big cannon is kind of a janky accessory no matter how you look at it. It also completes my Beast Era Convoy trio.

United Axalon/Botcon Sky-Byte

2014 was a movie year for transformers, which meant I could focus on my toy backlog due to disinterest in the movie line! The Energon Sharkticon mold is a pretty cool deluxe class toy, save for its somewhat tacky deco. Thankfully these repaints crank up the cool factor to eleven. I especially love the huge amount of paint dedicated to Sky-Byte; it really gives the impression of a premium item. Also it's a far better substitute than the current voyager toy of said character.

Botcon Banzaitron

I got Banzaitron along with Sky-Byte; it's another Energon mold that holds up pretty well even to this day, with a killer paint app for a character that doesn't get much mainline love.

Generations Tankor

It's always a small victory when beast era characters get modernized, especially Beast Machines characters! Tankor, while not perfect, is a solid enough love letter to the Vehicons. I liked it so much I wound up with both decos of the mold! More Vehicons please!

Mech Ideas Apex and Geminus

While I pick up unofficial addons for mainline figures here and there, I never got any full-blown unofficial figures before, mainly because of budget constraints. The Jumpstarters are my first foray into the realm, and I really, REALLY love how simple yet intuitive they turned out. 

Generations Cosmos

I was on the fence about justifying importing legends-class figures since they can end up quite pricy. Thank goodness I pulled the trigger on Cosmos! This fella is a very nice pocket robot - it also feels like a little reward for not forking out crazy money for the previous figure iteration of the character.

Generations Chromia

HasTak really spoiled us with THREE ladybots at the end of the year - while I'm still waiting for the takara decos of Windblade and Arcee, I found the hasbro deco of Chromia the better-looking of the two. The figure itself is just a retool of Prime Arcee, which was a pretty nice toy but overall had some annoying tidbits in terms of aesthetics for my liking. Thankfully Chromia improves and expands on said design, resulting in a sort of 'ultimate' version of the mold.

That said I still wouldn't mind Botcon Flareup.

Generations Nightbeat

The 2013 Bumblebee/Goldfire mold was one of the weaker releases of the current iteration of the generations line - I myself needed some time to get used to it. It's not necessarily a bad mold, but it has its flaws. I still find it charming in a sense, and Nightbeat is definitely the best available deco of it as of current.

ROTF SkyStalker

The movie line had some pretty cool scout toys huh? I'm really glad I picked up one of the better figures of the line - currently hunting for its redecos!

Generations Roadbuster

Talk about a last minute arrival! Just received yesterday (at the time of writing this piece). It's definitely in the same boat with Whirl - awesome redesign, faithful to its roots. Unfortunately it also has some bad design decisions - this time it's the shoulders and their somewhat fragile nature. Just be gentle with it and you should be fine.

ROTF Bludgeon

My copy sports the 'Headrobots - Blood' unofficial upgrade kit, which gives the toy a more G1-esque head and a pair of non-rubbery swords (that was the main turn-off for me about the original figure since said gummy plastic had a tendecy to break the figure's hand). A visually really striking piece, I'm very happy to have it after so many years!