This was the series that I really got into collecting Tf. I would go into Blacktown once or twice a week during my lunch breaks and get a figure or two each time as there almost always seemed to be new stock on shelves (not just wave 1 all the time!)
The quality and size of all the classes was brilliant, the legends class was also a very clever idea that I feel has lost the quality and concept of in recent years. The toys were larger, simpler than the movie figures, but more fun and easier to transform. Some deluxes were larger than today's voyagers. The packaging was eye catching and it was easy to tell which figure belonged to which allegiance and what planet as well. The toys on shelves often reflected the characters on in the show (which Cheez Tv cut and ruined terribly, there were numerous episodes where they played the same 10 minute segments and skipped the last third, skipped episodes only to air them out of order etc).
Even the non show characters and repaints were "must buy" to me, they had well written bios and often looked very good and different than the originals.
I remember going to my first Kmart midnight toy sale to get Leader Optimus and a few deluxes before the show aired, because they looked brilliant in the catalogues, and I think only Dirt Boss was a mild disappointment.
Stand out toys were numerous as I mentioned in the review thread, but there were a few in each class:
Legends: Thundercracker, Leobreaker, Megatron, Starscream
Scout: Armourhide, hardtop, Scrapmetal, Scattorshot
Deluxe: Red Alert, CD Hot Shot, Sideways, Longrack
Voyager: Evac, Vector prime, CD Scattorshot
Ultra: Jetfire, Scourge
Leader: Prime and Megatron/Galvatron
Supreme: Primus
Even the minicons were pretty good, the repaints from armada and energon were done up well, and the quality and usefulness of the Cybertron line was evident in that repaints from the line were being used in the movie and classics/Universe lines years later.
Looking For: Wreckers Saga TPB Collection (with Requiem)