Favourite theme/gimmick/concept of Transformers

[CBratron]

So hard to pick. Triple Changers or Combiners.

[Sky Shadow]

I think it's easier to pick the best gimmicks by eliminating the worst ones.

Sky Shadow's Ten Least Favourite Gimmicks.

1. Colour changing/water shooting. The only time I'm going to get my Transformers wet is if I've bought them second hand and they need cleaning. Transformers are like Mogwais, just don't get them wet.

2. Cyber Planet Keys. There's nothing worse than an impersonal, awkward, unstorable, unnecessary part. There's nothing a Cyber Planet Key does that pressing a button wouldn't do better. Powermasters and Power Masters did this right.

3. Anything that diminishes the core modes. Giving a toy a third mode that's going to render the other modes crap? Don't do it. Giving a toy a combining feature that will make it crap in its own right? Don't do that either. Massive soundbox that doesn't play the greatest sounds ever designed? Yeah, that too.

4. Mini-Cons as an afterthought. If a Mini-Con is intrinsic to the design or character of a Transformer, great. Don't add one just because you have to pack one in.

5. Unnecessary articulation. Transformers need certain joints to transform. It's also great if they have heads, waists, arms and legs that turn. Anything else is just contributing to floppiness.

6. Size. If a toy is way bigger than it needs to be, scale it down. If it's too small to do what it needs to, scale it up.

7. Altmodes that really aren't anything. Cityformers are notorious for this.

8. Bay-Movie Accuracy. Best way to ensure a toy will look crap in robot mode.

9. Neutering. If a gimmick was integrated into the structural design, don't get rid of it.

10. Bumblebees. Enough already.

And thus, Sky Shadow's Ten Favourite Gimmicks.

1. Action Masters.

2. Headmasters and Brainmasters.

3. Beast modes.

4. Fun Transformations, including clever puzzleformers.

5. Pretenders.

6. Materials other than plastic.

7. Unusual colours.

8. Motors on proper Transformers.

9. Sparks. (Toys on fire are more awesome than toys that are not on fire.)

10. Transforming.

[GoktimusPrime]

Realistic alt modes.

This includes:
+ Devices/objects, e.g. toaster, phone, camera, walkman, cassettes, stereo etc.
+ Licensed vehicles
+ Realistic looking beast modes

Rationale: Robots In Disguise!
Spaceships and future cars don't look realistic (some of them don't even look aerodynamic), and robotic animals and insects aren't fooling anyone. Although I did like how the G1 comics and ROTF had insect-sized Insecticons (G1 comic Insecticons could mass shift from giant robots to insect-sized Insecticon modes). At that small size (and often buzzing speed), it's less likely that most people would notice that the insect is mechanical rather than organic. Some of my favourite moments have been seeing Transformers infiltrate human society with their disguises.

I really love it when I see a vehicle, device or animal IRL that's the same as a Transformer's alt mode, as my mind just immediately visualises it transforming. e.g. every time I see a Champion Yellow Suzuki Swift, I imagine it transforming into Alternity Bumblebee (heck, if it's a blue Swift, I imagine it transforming into Alternity Glyph, if it's white, then Alternity Bug Bite and so on) etc.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

1. Head/Power/Target masters. I love these guys to bits. Definitely my favourite gimmick of the TF line for some reason and very much want it to be revistsed.

2. Pretenders. I know they aren't popular, but I love them for their cheese, plus for the Autobots they are a great disuguise (in space, in the future). I liked the way the Decepticons were the basis for human mythologcal monsters in Masterforce.

3. Robot animals. Certainly it's a weak disguise, but you can't deny that they are cool. Dinobots, Predacons, Horrorcons (triple changing animal Headmasters? Hnnnnng!) I had no interest in BW toys (who really wants a toy that changes into a derpy looking cheetah?), but when they went Transmetal, hells to the YEAH!

4. Playsets/Base formers. I have a character that is also a BASE? Kill two birds with one stone! Plus two foot tall robots. WOOOOOOT!

5. Clever Transformations is another fave of mine. I love it when I get a new TF, transform it for the first time and am all " Oh yeah, that's nice!" and what-not as I transform it. MP Wheeljack being the most recent. Other notable ones were Animated Hotrod/Rodimus. MP Soundwave (I like that it is much the same as the original but with extra touches, same with MP Grimbo).

6. Combiners is also a good gimmick, in theory. I love the common theme that combiner groups have. Makes them the elite team of whatever area they are. Just a shame it rarely gets done right. FOC Bruticus for example. I'd really love to see Hasbro whip out a high end combiner bot, just to see how far they could go. Abominus Hasbro. Sex him up so I don't go Third Party....

One thing I would like to see attempted would be transforming Stealth force. I quite liked the Stealth force idea from DOTM (?) as it reminded me a lot of MASK which is cool. Imagine if we had normal looking cars, that had hidden weapons for a weaponised vehicle mode, but you could also transform them and have them use the hidden weapons in robot mode. For a combat mode (weapons out) or a relaxed mode (no weapons visible). Would make them expensive due to parts/engineering etc, but I think it would be hell cool! Like the Omnibits of olde days, or a better version of the Triggerbots/Cons.