The Soapbox XI: Battle of the Cityformers
Apologies in the delay between instalments of the Soapboxes, this one was done a fair while ago but between being prepared to upload images and whatnot I decided to give in eventually and just post it without the pictures. Then I started and said what the heck, so that brings us to today. Anyways, let's hope all enjoy my first poll-Soapbox.
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The Soapbox XI: Cityformers
Any fan who returns to the TF fold again almost always immediately turns their mind to the massive robots that dominated their childhood TV screens. Their sheer scale and size made them immensely memorable. Whether it was Trypticon or Metroplex or Omega Supreme, you’d be hard pressed to find a kid who didn’t want a Cityformer. Cityformers are a rare breed and there are very few real ones. There are those that incorporate headquarters into their trailers but the ones who turn into actual cities/bases are few. It’s the aim of this Soapbox to assess the major Cityformers and see how they stack up against each other.
The list I’ll be working from is Fortress Maximus, Omega Supreme, Metroplex, Overlord, Scorponok and Trypticon. A very vintage list but it’s not like we’ve seen many Cityformers since G1.
Omega Supreme
Nostalgically Omega Supreme rates right up there. Of all of the giants, he had the most air time and focus. Through the first 3 seasons, he was the one massive giant that was the Autobot’s pillar of strength. His unique instructional manner of speaking kept him distinct in our minds. Combine that with the rocket base alt mode and unique blaster and claw, Omega stood out not just because he was a massive robot but because of his other features too.
How did this stack up as a toy?
Poorly. The G1 toy is one heck of a partsformer. In all honesty, he’s a mess. Without clips to hold him together, he’s an utterly frustrating toy. His transformation is hardly intuitive at all. Calling it a “transformation” is far too generous. In terms of scale, he’s not that great either b/c once you get him, you have to suspend your notion of reality and imagine that large toys can somehow fit in the other – either by removing them from sight or by simply ignoring the others.
Omega isn’t that big a toy either. Once you have Shockwave or even a Seeker, you really struggle with the scale of the figure. He’s still bigger but he’s certainly not what you imagined. As such, Omega only ever holds up as a toy b/c of the inherent nostalgia that accompanies him.
Metroplex
Where Omega was not a real city, Metroplex made up for it. He was the first real Transformer & playset rolled into one. In the cartoon, his air time was quite severely limited and rarely did he have an opportunity to shine. And even when he did, it was more the token end of the episode saviour role. Metroplex seemed a constant victim too with him losing his eyes or transformation cog. Very rarely did he seem imposing and a threat to the Decepticons as he should’ve been.
In hindsight, one must concede that it makes sense that he was a victim b/c the Decepticons would make it their objective to limit his strategic value to the Autobots. That said, it doesn’t help from a nostalgic point of view when compared to the dominance of Omega Supreme who was never Mr. Victim.
Metroplex was a very good toy. His transformation holds up well even today with its twists and turns. He’s better than a lot of figures that have been sold in the Supreme size class in the last five years. His playability is great and he can accommodate not only Mini-bots but combiner teams as well. If you dig deeper you’ll find “gestalt” formations that that he can form with the Aerialbots or Protectobots. Add to that, he’s accompanied by two robots, Six Gun and Scamper. Add Slammer and this is one heckuva playset. Add his third carrier mode and you have one of the great Cityformers.
Trypticon
Trypticon was the large hulking dinosaur that was the answer to Metroplex. Inevitably, his simplified manner of speaking made him akin to the Dinobots. Unfortunately the fact that he transformed into a base was hardly ever a point accentuated in the cartoon and until you got your mitts onto the toy catalogue, you’d be forgiven for hardly remembering that fact too. That said, he was hardly forgettable. Trypticon was the only ever Decepticon Cityformer in G1. For that reason alone he was special.
The merits of the toy though are few. At heart he splits in half and, well, that’s it. Not exactly an inspiring transformation. He does hold up as a City though with all of the weapons he had and his ability to, like Metroplex, accommodate mini-bots and combiner teams. However, he didn’t have all the extras that Metroplex had. Full-Tilt and Brunt pale in comparison to the three extra vehicles/bots that Metroplex has. Furthermore, Brunt, the purple tank, is less than inspiring compared to Scamper who you can visualize as running around Metroplex’s city form. The other thing is that Trypticon suffers from what Scorponok does: symmetry. Basically, asymmetrical transformers work for most modes but not for cities. Cities are supposed to have a wide array of terrains and that’s what Metroplex has that Trypticon can’t match.
Overlord
Nostalgically, he has nothing to offer. Before anyone starts, let’s look at this from a returned childhood fan. To the childhood fan, Transformers were G1 or Beast Wars. Hearing of the Japanese incarnations is foreign to you. You may or may not go on to invest time into these other versions but either way, it holds little nostalgic value b/c you never experienced. That’s not to say you won’t become interested in it, its just that until your re-initiation the name Overlord meant as much to you as “Mike Smith”.
Well, why then does he make this list? Because some of us did acquire him in our childhood but we didn’t have a context for him. So how does he stack up? Overlord isn’t much different from Omega Supreme; he’s a partsformer. He is better though b/c he is larger and requires far less clips to hold together. He has complete forms that are reasonably sturdy. Add the little Power Masters and you’ve got a neat little playset. He is the largest Decepticon of the Cityformers. Unfortunately, his base mode too suffers from the symmetrical problem that Scorponok and Trypticon have. It really is a central command hub surrounded by two loosely connected platforms. But his saving grace is still his scale. It’s amazing to have such a large toy and even though is his scale. And nothing has ever come close to comparing with that and being dubbed a Cityformer in the process.
Scorponok
Ah, Scorponok. Apart from 3 episodes in the final season of G1, he means very little to most audiences. He was cool though. A gigantic Scorpion that morphed into a base and a robot. He was powerful and brutal and that made him memorable. He might’ve been at the tail end but unlike Trypticon who was a clutz, you actually felt Scorponok would be the first Cityformer who would actually pose a real threat.
That enjoyment though isn’t carried on through to his toy. Again the problem with symmetry unfortunately arises in City mode. It’s a peak at the centre and resembles more of a mountain than anything else. The Headmaster gimmick is unique to it though and is partially its saving grace. The other feature that you’ve got to like about it are the ports and little bays that it has. Without the consideration of scale it seems cool. But once you factor in the scale of toys in its time, it does not hold up well. The Scorponok mode though is great. It’s menacing and imposing. And there’s certainly a sense of scale when you compare it to many Autobot cars.
Fortress Maximus
The grand daddy of Generation One Transformers. There is one indisputable fact. In G1, Fortress Maximus was not a character that you could warm to. A pacifist (“wimp”) at heart, his character was not compelling. He relied on the last 15 minutes of the last episode of G1 to show the full force of his power. It was cool but it was hardly memorable.
As a toy though, all fans alike will agree he is the Holy Grail. The largest Transformer ever produced, there’s that allure about being able to add him to your collection. Having a toy of that scale, a scale that has not been replicated since, is the goal of every collector. But that’s not all. He’s a very good Transformer. The way his legs twist and turn to form his City Mode is quite ingenious. It reduces space quite cleverly. The way his guns fold in and form the city tower is lovely. There’s plenty of weapons, hatches, ramps, storage areas, elevators and bunkers to keep one fascinated. That’s not even talking about his two headmasters and little city bots! His sheer scale adds to his playability. His largest failing is arguably the fact that he lies down in Battle Station mode. You thought War Within Megatron was bad? Try Fortress Maximus. Of course, given the time in which he was created, you can argue its forgiveable. And it is once you take a look at the Battle Station mode. It’s a fearsome beast that no horde would want to oppose.
Conclusions
What one looks for in a City Former is a fine balance between nostalgia and transformation. The only toy that ever really offered that was Metroplex. His transformation holds up, his playability is great, and nostalgically, there was a lot to love about Metroplex. That’s not to say that any of the other toys aren’t worthy in their own right. They are. Some have more nostalgic meaning than others and one most remember a very large part of acquiring G1 is nostalgia. But when one adopts a holistic approach, only Metroplex can tick all the boxes.
