Since posting this line wide review last November. I've gone and acquired a few more Deluxes I had been missing in my collection. As such, I've had the difficult but fun task of going back and determining who makes the top 10.

__________________________________________________ ______________

I firstly admit, quite guiltily, that Cybertron was my 1st real modern toy-line. Prior to that, I had returned to collecting specifically for G1 and Binaltech/MPs. It was supposed to stop there. It didn’t. It harmlessly started off with wanting something to buy from retail after being so steadfastly opposed to “this new crap” for one and half years. Then my nephew got Cybertron Defence Red Alert. I then saw the rest of the Cybertron defence team. I figured, these bots are one funky group. I’ll make an exception. The rest, as they say, is history.

The allure of these figures is their poseability and playability coupled with their unique moulds that range from primal beasts to sophisticated starships. My enjoyment of them cumulatively increased as I acquired figure after figure. I’ve been meaning to have a yarn on these guys. They really are quite good. So in the fashion of top10 threads that I hope to do more of, let us begin…

The Top 10


1.) Supreme Primus
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0

This figure is incredible. Unlike Armada Unicron, this thing turns into a round planet with extensive detailing. While Unicron may look hindered in certain poses and his face lacks that detail, Primus does not. Primus is a 2-3 centimetres shorter than Unicron which is unfortunately quite noticeable. That is his only failing though. He is a wonderful figure and I pride him amongst the joys of my collection. He is an infinitely elegant and powerful figure, one who appears imposing but benevolent.

2.) Leader Optimus Prime
"G1" version: http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
"Galaxy Force" version: http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0

Of the modern Primes, this one is the closest we get to G1 Prime. He is a firetruck unfortunately but everything about him resonates G1. The face-plate. The colours, The transformation. He even has a matrix. I prefer my Cybertron Prime without the backpack and the super robot legs folded down. This gives him a far more G1 look. In terms of play value, lots of things one can do with him. And that’s without cool extra figures like Wing Saber or Leobreaker to fit on.

3.) Leader Galvatron
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
I passed on this figure at retail figuring I could wait for the next sale. Then he disappeared and I chased him for months on eBay. He was in high demand, commanding prices of up to $100 USD which might be par now. But what makes him so appealing? His alt mode is a awesome raging sports car that can plow through any Autobot line of defence. His silver chrome really gives him that sense of majesty and quality. My gripe with this figure is that he should have been named Megatron. It would have made far more sense.

I hope to custom him at some point by finding a cool large gun I can mount on his left arm as a fusion blaster just to give him that G1 feel.

4.) Voyager Evac
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
Best. Helicopter. Ever. His range colours mesh together perfectly, giving him that rescue vehicle aura. He is indisputably an excellent figure because of his play value, poseability and, quite frankly, good looks. I have not seen a more perfect looking bot. His weapons aren’t big bulky guns but blades and they work really well and do not obstruct the posing process. In fact, unlike with say TFM Voyager Blackout, Evac’s weapons open up a whole new range of poses. This is one incredible figure. My only disappointment is when his TFM namesake rocks up and does this mould a disservice. If I want to see a figure repainted into Classics, it would be Evac into G1 Blades. Whatever someone at Hasbro does, they need to find a few more repaints of this mould. I could use three.

5.) Voyager Cybertron Defence Scattershot
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
One of my first Cybertron figures. He turns into a military figure armed to the teeth. At first, I expected that the guns on the arms would really weight him down. Wrong. In fact, what they do is, like with Evac, enhance the range of poses one has available when toying around with him. He has a great head mould and that chest is really awesome.

6.) Voyager Vector Prime
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
I know there’s a bit of disenchantment with this figure when compared to his Takara self but I still rate him. His detailing is really good b/c it gives the vibe of a bot who has been around for many vorns and should henceforth be deserving our of reverence amongst the Autobots. He is for all intents and purposes a robot knight with that sword of his; something no other bot can claim in my humble opinion.

7.) Ultra Scourge
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
This figure has one wicked beast mode. It’s huge. Massive when one compares it to certain BWs figures. His orange fiery colours bode not well for any Autobot foolish enough to cross his path. His 3 heads each hungrily glare at you; reminding you that you’ll be mince meat if you don’t make haste and split. His tail becomes his awesome sized axe which adds that necessary dimension of power and violence to the toy. His sounds are probably the best of the Cybertron toys too; with appropriate roars.
His failing though is his limited articulation in his shoulders. If that were remedied, this figure could’ve climbed the list. No toy is perfect though and this figure remains a favourite of mine.

8.) Deluxe Cybertron Defence Hot Shot
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
This one is perhaps sentimental. I know others like the normal Deluxe better but this one is my preference. His alt mode as armored carrier is really quite awesome and unique as he is one of the few bots in history to adopt that form without have massive missiles on top of him. He is a good looking bot but what others may find disappointing in him is his lack of articulation. He is rather brickly. Further, that sword doesn’t have a very good storage space, making it easy to lose. Nevertheless, he is armed to the teeth and in the vein of the Defence Team, that is his allure.

9.) Voyager Quickmix
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
If anyone recalls G1 Quickmix, he was a pretty crabby toy. This update is awesome He has essentially what is a Targetmaster buddy which nicely reminds us of his binary-bonded past. Voyager Quickmix has a perhaps not so sturdy alt mode b/c the mixing barrel can be easily dislodged. However, this is a minor point. Once you transform him and behold the plates, detailing of his figure, the uniqueness of his head sculpt, this figure screams “awesome” at you. And having the mixing barrel as a gun as well as a Targetmaster, certainly only entrenches this figure into the top 10.

10.) Crosswise/Smokescreen
The new entrant to the top 10. I had to squeeze him in. He almost took Voyager Quickmix's spot but I do like larger vehicles and the Targetmaster G1 vibe gives Quickmix that slight edge. But we're not here to talk about Quickmix. We're here to talk about why Crosswise makes the top 10 at the expense of Armorhide who is essentially one of the most brilliant scouts to date. Crosswise is a wonderful little toy. He has a wonderful little shield, a great gun that is his spoiler, and those two extended bars at his back all give him a don't mess with me vibe. He is a warrior. Make no mistake about it. His alt mode imo looks best without the spoiler. It gives it that edgy, speedy, futuristic feel. His articulation is vast, opening up many poses and many hours of fun. A favourite of mine, I'm glad to see him being reused for this years Botcon set Jazz. I actually think it's somewhat close to the War Within feel.

Honourable Mentions: (in no particular order w/ exception of poor ol' Armorhide who has been displaced from the top 10)

11.) Scout Armorhide
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0

Originally in the top 10, he has since been unfortunately nudged out by the Crosswise/Smokescreen mold.

I will be honest and concede that I have never been a lover of small figures. That’s the reason why I passed on so many Deluxe figures in Cybertron. I love big figures. Period. I have almost all of the large Cybertron figures but have many missing when it comes to Scouts and Deluxes. (I don’t count Mini-Cons). But to my surprise, the few Scouts or Deluxes that have slipped into my possession have been really good. Skyblast is a favourite of mine but he pales in comparison to Armorhide

Armorhide is foremost among them because his articulation is immense. He virtually can do every pose bar have his arms cross one another. He has a large gun and a front panel that reveals an awesome array of rockets. As simple as the figure is, he has immense play value and looks excellent. Botcon 2007 released him as Huffer, TFM as part of their scout line. He does not disappoint. I generally was against getting recolours, but where the base mould is so good, one can’t help but pick it up!

I have in fact moved him out of my Cybertron line and into my Classics box. Since Pipes was essentially a repaint of Huffer, I figured that I could at the least rename my Armorhide as G1 Pipes. Fortunately, he adds to my now undermanned Autobots.

a.) Sky Shadow:
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
he really is quite a good figure but what lets him down is the major cavity between his front chest and his back. It looks awkward from side on. Ultimately he is a repaint of Jetfire. I just can’t get past a Jetfire being so devoid of white so my preference has always been to enlargen my Decepticon ranks.
REF: Jetfire: http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0

b.) Voyager Soundwave:
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
An immensely good figure and perhaps he should not have missed out. He comes with Laserbeak who transforms into a bomb of all things. This figure has a sweet transformation and is an awesome update on an old favourite that preserves all the things we loved about the character. His failing is he finds it difficult to stand upright and his cannons don’t always slide easily into place.

c.) Ultra Red Alert:
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
A lot of fun can be had with him but he works best in conjunction with the rest of the Cybertron Defence Team. Together as a unit, I pity the Decepticon foolish enough to confront them. What disappoints about this figure is the rocket. It really screws up with the weight distribution of the figure. It should have been removable at the least in the vein that Stalker/Machine Wars Soundwave worked. And a little feature about him I find cool is how his head actually is below a “collar” if you will. It gives the sense he’s got a large back and more of a big gun that rolls in and turns the tide.

d.) Deluxe Override
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
I really regret not holding onto this figure. A very cool futuristic sports car and the colour scheme conveys an elegance I can’t describe. Very sleek, love the curves. The problem is this is another figure that may be hard to stand.

e.) Ultra Menasor
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
This guy is a lot of fun but for some reason he doesn’t make my list. I can’t quite place it. He has a unique futuristic drilling machine alt mode, has a cool looking head sculpt, great gimmicks and unique colours. I think perhaps it has to do with the fact that when he is in alt mode, you pick him up and realize, he isn’t at all that hard to transform and so one derives little utility from scarfing him up.

f.) Wing Saber
Takara version: http://www.tfw2005.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/875
Alright. I used to frequent boards a lot as a lurker before finally joining fandom and the vibe I always got was that this was a much adored and treasured figure amongst Cybertron toys. I like him, yes but he has noticeable flaws. Of any figure, he is the worst to pose b/c he is back heavy. The front cockpit folds back and it’s a big chunk, I assure you. It makes him very difficult to stabilise. Secondly, he suffers from the worst sin. There are –no- hands. Bot Hands to me are essential. It really makes it more of a drone if it has not hands. The only exception that surfaces itself in my mind is BW Megatron. His swords slot into two holes on the side of his fore arms rather than in his hands. It looks downright weird.
That said, he is still a must get in the line. His combining with Optimus is quite good!

g.) Leobreaker/Nemesis Breaker
Leo: http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
Nemesis: http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
For me, it reminds me of Lio Convoy. Mind you, Lio Convoy has exceptionally better articulation and that’s why this toy fails. It had the potential. All that was required were a few extra joints. That failure means this figure is an above average figure but not a must get. I previously only had the Nemesis Breaker mould and regretted not getting Leobreaker. I have since gone back and located one and am very glad that I have

h.) Downshift
http://www.seibertron.com/toys/galle...size=0&start=0
This toy is really cool. The alt mode is scintillatingly designed. The colour choices are great. It could easily have been made G1 Wheeljack as many say but in all honesty I'm not that fussed. What's excellent about this figure is the way the guns can assume so many attack positions. They can be placed on his shoulders, in his hands or in alt mode. My quibble with this figure is the lack of storage of his weapons in vehicle mode. I'm also particularly impressed by the transformation of Downshift. The way the gimmick still works even though the back section becomes bent in robot form. The few problem that this has are its knees which will buckle easily one day with age and the spring that is necessary for the head. Hopefully those days are distant.

Concluding remarks

Of the modern mass market/non-collector-specific lines, I do not believe there is a line as good as this. Classics is too small a line in my humble opinion to yet include. Maybe in 1 or 2 more waves. It just lacks the larger figures and the range of alt modes. Armada has woeful articulation and designs though some nice looking bots. Energon’s powerlink gimmick sacrificed too much of a figure’s playability at times. Cybertron got it right. If there’s any compliant, it’s arguably the absence of combiners that made a return during Energon. That though fades quickly from the forefront of one’s mind when we behold the range of vehicles, style of robots that this line graced us with.

I never watched the cartoon but I believe that the whole idea of planet keys gave the toymakers great flexibility with alt modes. This in large part is why the line works. Of course, we should not forget the designers at Hasrbo & Takara. They finally develop a gimmick that did not infringe on the visual integrity and playability of the figure.

The last thing I’d say about Cybertron as a line is that even the worst figures (Mudflap, Blurr) were decent. This is something that can’t be said about other lines like TFM, RiD, Armada or Energon. In those cases, where the figures were crap, they really were crap. And that’s what makes this line so strong. I hope that in time, I’ll be able to say the same of Classics.