2022 Australian Transformers Fans Awards results

[Paulbot]

The Australian fans have voted and here's the results.

On this post I'll put all the winners, but to view more details, including runner ups and how the votes were spread across the multiple choice options view the full report (PDF).

Thanks to everyone who took part!

Toys

Favourite Legacy Core Class figure: Iguanus
Favourite Legacy Deluxe figure: Predacon Tarantulas
Favourite Legacy Voyager figure: Autobot Blaster & Eject
Favourite Legacy Leader figure: Blitzwing

Opinion of Commander Class Motormaster: 4.1 stars (average)
Opinion of Titan Class Cyberton Universe Metroplex: 3.2 stars (average)
Opinion of HasLab Star Saber: 3.7 stars (average)

Favourite Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection Deluxe figure: Autobot Cosmos
Favourite Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection Voyager figure: Cybertron Universe Override
Opinion of Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection leader class RID 2000 Universe Scourge: 3.9 stars (average)

Favourite Generations Selects figure: Cyclonus & Nightstick
Favourite Store Exclusive Legacy figure: Alpha Trion (A Hero is Born)
Favourite Buzzworthy Bumblebee "Legacy" figure: Autobot Silverstreak
Favourite Wreck N' Rule Collection figure: Autobot Springer

Favourite Studio Series Core Class figure: Decepticon Rumble (Blue)
Favourite Studio Series Deluxe figure: 86-11 Perceptor
Favourite Studio Series Voyager figure: 86-17 Ironhide
Favourite Studio Series Leader figure: 86-15 Dinobot Sludge
Favourite Buzzworthy Bumblebee "Movie" figure: 86-13BB Cliffjumper

Favourite 2022 Masterpiece figure: MP-52+ Skywarp
Favourite 2022 Shattered Glass figure: Ultra Magnus

Favourite 2022 Collaborative figure: Tonkanator (Tonka X Transformers )
Opinion of Lego Optimus Prime: 4.2 stars (average)

Most anticipated (announced) 2023 mainline figure: Comic Universe Tarn
Most anticipated (announced) 2023 Masterpiece figure: MP-56 Trailbreaker
Most anticipated (announced) 2023 exclusive figure: Deathsaurus (Haslab)


Media

Favourite Transformers comic series of 2022: IDW Transformers
Favourite Transformers comic special of 2022: Transformers: Best of Optimus Prime

Opinion of the Earthspark Season 1 cartoon: 3.2 stars (average)
Your level of interest/anticipation in the Earthspark toys: 2.4 stars (average)

Favourite physical store for buying Transformers: JB Hi Fi
Favourite online store/dealer for buying Transformers: Amazon
Favourite third party transforming line of 2022: Newage


All-Time

Favourite heroic Transformer toy ever: G1 Optimus Prime
Favourite heroic Transformers character ever: G1 Optimus Prime (with Grimlock and Dinobot tied second)
Favourite villainous Transformer toy ever: G1 Soundwave
Favourite villainous Transformers character ever: G1 Soundwave


Selected additional comments

The good:
“2022 had the smallest amount of toy product released in a year since 2006 (thanks to the next movie being pushed back a year), so it was a good year to catch up on a few loose ends.”

“2022 has been among the last few years where the Transformers action figures have been at the peak of design philosophy.”

“An embarrassment of riches. Spoiled for choice. Bring on 2023.”

“It was a bigger year than expected with so many lines once you have a look at what’s released"

"Excellent year for collecting, outstanding figures in all size classes"

"I just want HasTak to keep selling me G1 and BW Generations figures at the quality level of 2022's releases. I was very impressed with the quality of almost every figure this year."

"What a good year, jam packed with so many releases- we are truly in the golden age of collecting and 2022 is surely an all-time year"

"Robosen Optimus Prime : Best impulse buy ever!"

The bad:
"2022, the year of yellowing"

"Too many exclusives"

"Prices are getting to high for the quality of product getting on shelves"

"There are far too many Arcee's, Sweeps and Bulkheads in the world."

"A very mixed bag where Transformers still proves tepid in exploring the history of Transformers or creating a new future, beyond the confines of G1."

"Line is getting too expensive and availability in Australia is getting terrible."

"I don't like the new packaging, there's too many missing heads on the figures. They are releasing too many figures, I can't afford to buy them all."

"in store has been really lackluster. really letdown by retailers. most purchases done online. been exciting when i have seen them in store."

The wishes:
"I wish for more combiners."

"Why can't we get recolours of THE KILLING JAR episode when Cyclonus turns yellow?!?!"

"Release a red deco of Mirage"

"We need more Gobots, Cy-kill, Leader-1, and Xaaron"

"Would love to see Hasbro try and finish off the G1 cast. Firecons, Triggerbots, Omnibots, Throttlebots, Powermasters, Targetmasters, etc..."

"I just want HasTak to keep selling me G1 and BW Generations figures at the quality level of 2022's releases. I was very impressed with the quality of almost every figure this year."

[griffin]

Nice work, once again.
A real shame that we were only 10 short of last year's number of 268.
I'm going to have to try harder next year to get more people voting.

I guess it says something about the Legacy Voyagers if the winner was a reissue toy from another toyline... getting almost double the votes of a new toy (Inferno).
Similarly with the Core class, with reissue Soundwave coming a close second, beating out four of the five new toys in Legacy.

I was a bit surprised about Blitzwing winning the Leader vote, being a mess of kibble or gaps in each mode and giant fist accessories that still make no sense.

On the other hand, I was not surprised with the rating for Metroplex, barely scraping in over the halfway point of 3 by having the average come to 3.2. (since it is not a good idea to have a zero voting option, the mid-point is actually 3 instead of 2.5)

I was also not surprised that the Haslab Victory Saber set ended up averaging at just 3.7... because I just didn't think it was necessary, so needed to be something spectacular or significantly different. With the Masterpiece Star Saber already created, they should have spent the money on creating a Masterpiece Victory Leo to combine with that toy, and then re-release the MP Star Saber with it for those who didn't already have it. Hasbro set the bar high on Haslab with Unicron, and in a way set the standard of this extremely limited edition concept for things that have never been or would never be released. And we now know that Deathsaurus was already planned to be released as a regular release toy, before it was upsized for the Haslab release... so that one also cheapens the concept (it was almost beaten on the fan-vote by an unconfirmed redeco of an older toy, showing just how "special" it isn't rating). A concept that should give us things like Animated Omega Supreme, or some quality playsets/display sets like the Gen1 Ark base, Beast Wars Axalon, Beast Wars Predacon ship, Gen1 Nemesis or the underwater base spaceship (with or without a robot mode like the Kingdom Ark), or what about the Gen1 comic spacebridge with Spanner alt-mode. Or a boxset of several Gen1 cartoon and comic characters who have never had an accurate toy or at all.

Velocitron Deluxe Cosmos getting over half of the votes was not a surprise either, as I had been commenting at the time, it was the only new Deluxe mould, with the other four in that first wave being redecos of toys still on the shelf, and/or characters that were very niche or obscure. My guess as to its short supply was that retailers who saw the set, preferred vehicles they recognised, but since they don't really know or care about what they are buying they wouldn't have noticed the same moulds that would be on shelf at the same time.

It was interesting to see that the Lego Optimus managed to get the highest rating of the various questions asking for a rating... as it is kinda ironic that it is not a Hasbro product, doing better than actual Hasbro products for the Brand.

In regards to the Masterpiece questions... are we as fans, well and truly over the Masterpiece concept now? The vote on most anticipated 2023 Masterpiece toy might have gone to Trailbreaker, but since that was released in the last days of 2022, if you look at the next two toys, they are both just redecos... beating out the new mould Trainbots. And the winner of the 2022 MP toys was also just a redeco, beating out new moulds which mustn't have inspired fans enough to like them more.
(It was unfortunate that Trailbreaker came out in the final days of 2022, being a new mould and one of the last 1984 characters, so it was best to have it included in the 2023 listing, as people here wouldn't get it in the mail until January anyway... and I hope that it is remembered to be included in next year's vote, as I'm sure it will win next year, if we don't have anything else from 1984 released before the end of this year.)

I guess finally, as someone who was able to play with some of the first wave of Earthspark toys, the below average rating the toys got on the fan-vote was not a surprise... and not just a case of older fan-boys being harsh on something new or for a different age-group before they have even tried them. If anything, the rating would probably have been lower if the toys were already out and people had actually spent their hard-earned cash on them, making the customer more critical if it isn't value for money.

[Paulbot]

Thank you.

I was happy we got past 250 votes earlier this week, 300 would have been nice but it's fine!

I think because Blaster was nearly impossible to find in Kingdom (I never saw one) the Legacy version was the first time people got him. I did think Inferno would be closer or might win. Iguanus and Soundwave were neck and neck for most of the voting, and given that Soundwave as also a clear winner in the all time faves, I guess people really loved getting a little version of him.

Overall the trend I noticed watching the votes come in was that 'G1' still rules supreme. Tarantulas being the favourite deluxe was really the only one to rise above that, alongside Override who was one of the two new Velocitron molds. Even in the "movie" lines it was the 86 movie toys that won out*, and a literal G1 toy (in new colours) was a top pick too. Should be noted though that Crankcase, a G1 character and MTMTE comic cast member, got the lowest votes in any category, but there's a lot of competition in the deluxe.

I think the MP toys fall into the same space, and it was reflected in comments on the form, people want those G1 (US) cast toys. MP Trailbreaker will be in the poll next January, Skywarp was released around Boxing Day Dec 2021 so I held him over from last year too and would keep doing so for any toy released so late in the year overseas. Skywarp is a very nice looking toy though so I see why he'd appeal!

The EarthSpark toy question was partly there for me to get a sense of how much space in the form next year to devote to them. They'll be there but probably not every 'gimmick' toy (nor will all the ROTB gimmick toys be included either).



*I've just realised a layering misfire means Sludge was mostly hidden by Metroplex's saw - I've uploaded a corrected version of the image

[DELTAprime]

The EarthSpark toy question was partly there for me to get a sense of how much space in the form next year to devote to them. They'll be there but probably not every 'gimmick' toy (nor will all the ROTB gimmick toys be included either).

I hoped there would be more interested people, but I guess it's another line not aimed at collectors. (not that any line is aimed at collectors if you ask Hasbro)

[griffin]

*I've just realised a layering misfire means Sludge was mostly hidden by Metroplex's saw - I've uploaded a corrected version of the image

Ah sorry... I noticed Sludge missing in the original picture that I used on our facebook posting, and even though I was so close to typing up "all of the winners" on the facebook posting, I just knew that some smartass would point out that it didn't include all of them.

And yeah, I noticed the really low vote for Crankcase and wondered why, since it is supposed to be a significantly unique enough mould (noting the recycled engineering and parts from Skids) and a rarely used character (particularly for the slow release of Trigger bots/cons)... but since I haven't played with mine yet, I couldn't comment on if it was worth the poor vote.

[JJJ]

Well, I dunno about anyone else, but I'm rather excited about the Earthspark deluxes, and even some of the warriors. They look like fun to me, and they appear (going entirely off pictures of course) to be of slightly improved quality than the Cyberverse deluxes, which I rather like.