Review of the Transformers revealed at Toy Fair 2020

Toy Fair 2020 has been and gone, and we've seen a whole bunch of new Transformers toys. Like every other fan online, I've got my own opinions of what we've seen, and I thought I'd share those thoughts here with you.

All images in this article are taken from TFW2005. Be sure to check out their full coverage of New York Toy Fair 2020 for more images and information.

Earthrise

The Generations line has been my main interest for collecting for a number of years now, and Earthrise is no exception to that. There are some great toys in store this year based on what we saw at Toy Fair, and here are my thoughts:
Micromasters: The Astro Squad feels like an unusual choice. The space shuttle is a great pair of Micromasters and a childhood favourite, so I'm glad for these new versions of Phaser (sorry, Fuzer) and Blast Master. Honestly, hats off to Hasbro for not retooling the Battle Squad as the rocket carrier pair from the Astro Squad. The Race Track Patrol look great. I'd been revisiting the originals before this news broke and I'm happy to see these guys get updates. I'm not surprised that Barricade, the team leader of the original four, got passed over for this release given his name is taken, but who knows, maybe we'll still see him in a future ten pack?

Slither Fang and Double Crosser: my first reaction to the new Battle Masters was "oh boy, more ramps!" (Heavy sarcasm). But having taken a bit of time, I actually like this pair. Slither Fang is an official release of the unreleased 80's cobra Headmaster concept, and he actually looks quite good. And Double Crosser is a dude with two heads, and a name that made me think "this is a guy whose existence is a ramp and an occasional living shield. He's probably fed up of getting driven on and taking bullets for everyone, and secretly selling out (double crossing) whichever faction he's working for". Yes. I sold myself on a toy by writing a silly bio based entirely on his name and the fact he's a ramp.
Arcee: This one was a surprise to me. We've had no shortage of Arcee toys in the last few years, and in 2020 we're getting three different iterations of Arcee including this one. Not bad for a character who didn't even get a toy until 2004's Transformers Energon! This one looks nice, but isn't a patch on the 2013 Generations version who did the same thing without the removable parts. Good for those who missed the 2013 one, I guess?

Alicon: The Alicon first appeared in Transformers the Movie in 1986, but it's taken until now for it to get an official release. There's been a couple of third party ones in the past, but this is the first official one. The robot mode is excellent, spot on to the animation and looks suitably menacing. The alternate mode looks half done, like it should do more to transform. Based on the initial robot mode pictures I'd planned to buy this one, but the alternate mode makes me want to wait to see more images.

Airwave: The creative reinterpretation of the Micromaster bases continues with Airwave, who gets the original airstrip and launcher modes, but now also gets a very squat and boxy robot mode. I love the look of this. It's something very new and different like Ironworks. I'll also certainly pick this one up.

Fast Track: Fast Track is another fun looking update in the vein of Cog and Sixgun from Siege. I particularly like how he's got his shoulder pads / hand guns in this version. I feel like we've not seen everything that Fast Track is offering - there's a weapon mode for Scorponok mentioned in a press release, and if Fast Track is like Cog we should also have some Weaponizer modes for him to power up other Decepticons.

Runamuck: Runamuck looks excellent - a very faithful version of the character compared to how he looked in the comics. I'm extremely happy that a less well known character is getting a bit of attention, too. I'll need to see more to decide if I want to trade up my old Collector's Club versions, and it'll also depend on if Runabout is coming - I'm sure he is.
Smokescreen:So I'm a fan of Smokescreen. I really like how his deco looks and everything. And this is a great rendition of the character. But we already had an equally great version in last year's Generations Selects lineup, and the old Universe version still holds up. So while I get the appeal, I don't see the need to add another version of Smokescreen to my collection.

Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker: These two weren't shown at New York Toy Fair but were revealed shortly after, and I thought I'd share quick thoughts here. Both of these look great, and are very well done realisations of the on-screen versions. Sunstreaker in particular looks excellent. However, I've got versions of both these guys on my shelf already and in Sunstreaker's case a Masterpiece version who does the animation look. On balance I'll probably pass on these since I'm not on board with getting new versions of the characters every few years.

Megatron: Yes, another Megatron. Last year's Siege Megatron was an excellent rendition of the character, and this one is more of the same, really. After Siege more or less perfectly nailed the look of the Generation 1 animation design for Megatron, I cannot help but feel that this one is redundant. It does a lot of what Siege Megatron already did, but some aspects - like the tank gun / sword - feel like they are inferior to what we had on the Siege version. For me, this one is a total pass.

Snapdragon: Hurrah, we're getting the second of the Horrorcon duo! Snapdragon looks excellent - he's a worthy update of the Generation 1 toy with a sharp look. I think Hasbro has well and truly got it with this release. He's not a 1:1 upgrade like Apeface but a true update with some great tweaks to the original. A Generations Snapdragon was always going to be a buy for me, but the fact he appears to have been done so well is all the more reason to be excited for this one.

Quintesson: This is awesome - we're finally getting an officially released version of the five-faced Quintesson judge. It has an alternate mode - a weird base thing - but that is a sideshow. The main attraction is that robot mode, and it looks great, though I'm not a fan of the space behind the faces as a result of the transformation.As someone who has an unofficial Quintesson chilling on his shelf, I'm not sure this one is something I'd pick up. I've already got a representation of the Quintesson judge in my collection.
Doubledealer: I like how this one looks. He's big and beefy, and unlike the old Generations toy he has all of the original character's modes. At first I was a bit disappointed that the Powermaster gimmick was dropped - but the Generations Selects Spy set includes versions of his Powermaster partners, and Doubledealer has a space in his chest to fit Knok or Skar, so the toy does actually have a version of the old gimmick (and the cavity itself is a reference to the storage of the spare Powermaster on the original. Doubledealer is a definite buy for me. I have great memories of the original toy and like Snapdragon this version delivers on the childhood nostalgia while making subtle improvements to the design of the original toy that make him even better.
The only knock against Doubledealer? I've also got to buy a separate release if I want his Powermaster partners.

Sky Lynx: So there's no denying that this Sky Lynx is cool. He's got the ability to split into his two components like the original, and he's a much more substantial size than the Combiner Wars Sky Lynx. Plus there is the addition of a base mode. All of this is awesome, but it's just not for me. I was never a big fan of Sky Lynx and the smaller size of the Combiner Wars version never bothered me too much, so I'm just not feeling the need for a much larger version of a character I've already got well-represented in my collection.

Scorponok: Scorponok looks fantastic, and seems to be a worthy successor to last year's Omega Supreme. From what I've seen so far, Scorponok is going to be close to the size of his rival Fortress Maximus - finally, those two will have toys of the same relative scale so we can pose them reenacting the showdown from the end of The Rebirth. Scorponok's design looks excellent and all the details seem to be present and correct, except for the huge gun but I suspect that's what Fast Track is for. I'm almost certainly getting this one to round out my Titan class collection, but I'll wait to see more pictures of Scorponok since he's very big and expensive before I put money down.

Netflix Transformers Siege

The Netflix Siege line was a surprise to me - I genuinely didn't expect Hasbro to revisit Siege for the Netflix show. As a whole they look nice, like "premium" versions of the earlier releases, and I feel the "worn" or "damaged" style is executed better here.
Sideswipe, Hound and Chromia: these three all look very nice, as noted they feel like premium versions of their Siege toys which is cool. That being said, I was never a fan of the heavy battle damage look, and none of these does anything to make me want to get the toys after passing on their original Siege releases.

Decepticon Mirage: this one I dig. The Decepticon purple and grey deco really works on this mold and almost gives it an identity of its own. Unlike the other three, this deco does something different with the mold. I might pick this one up to repurpose as a new character in my collection.

Scrapface: Hurrah! An original character! That's a rarity these days. He's got an interesting non-traditional Decepticon colour scheme too with his reds and blues. He's probably just a throwaway generic grunt character, but he's made an impression on me. I might pick him up, if the price is right.
Hotlink and the Fire Twins: another (relatively) new character! When Transformers has become so dominated by existing and established characters, it is always refreshing to see someone relatively obscure get attention. Hotlink has had a toy before via a Botcon exclusive, but it's nice to see him revisited. His twin Targetmasters are a cool concept and play into the character's established role as "that one Seeker with the flamethrower". The asking price of the set is quite high and I don't really need anothet Seeker though, so I'm passing on this for now.

Megatron, Pinpointer and Lionizer: Megatron's new deco is amazing. All that shiny silver really makes this mold look its absolute best, and the downplayed battle damage doesn't look as obnoxious as the original release. It's a pity I got the original, because first impressions are this is a much nicer version of the mold - albeit not one worth the higher price tag.  The Generation 1 colours Lionizer and Pinpointer are great additions. It's too bad you'll need to buy an expensive set to get them, and it means I won't have Crosshairs with his Targetmaster buddy any time soon. Unless I sell my Siege Megatron and upgrade, but the high cost of the set makes that hard to justify.

Transformers Studio Series 

Studio Series continues to give us modern versions of the movieverse Transformers cast. What we've seen at Toy Fair this year shows Hasbro is going to carry on filling out the roster of characters, now evidently drawing from Transformers Dark of the Moon as well as Revenge of the Fallen and Bumblebee's solo outing for characters.
Topspin: Topspin is delightfully screen accurate. I always enjoyed the meched-out look of the Movieverse Wreckers and I'm glad we're getting a Topspin to follow up Roadbuster. I have to give this one points for also having the option of having the claws either mount on the wrists (like the original toy) or on the paldrons for a four-armed mech monstrosity. That's pretty cool. Overall I do like Topspin but don't feel the need to buy him, since I have the Dark of the Moon version and he's an excellent toy and likeness in his own right.

Revenge of the Fallen Soundwave: This is a cool interpretation. The satellite mode is screen accurate of course, while the robot mode is a Cybertronian mode. I do like how the robot mode takes cues from his Dark of the Moon robot form. That's completely logical and helps bring the character together. Props for the inclusion of a display stand for the satellite mode, too.

Cliffjumper: I love how Cliffjumper looks - he's a good representation of the character from his one and only scene in the Bumblebee movie. I'm a bit cautious of how fiddly he will be - the Deluxe class Studio Series have been mixed on this front - but he's a potential purchase. I commend Hasbro for doing Cliffjumper first, too. His car mode looks like we'll see a remold of this one as Cybertronian Movie Bumblebee.
Blitzwing: Simply excellent. Blitzwing looks very faithful to his on screen persona and very intimidating. I also like the fact he's not a character already on my shelves. He's almost certainly going to be a purchase. There's not much I have to criticise on this one right now.

Skipjack: Studio Series Rampage was an excellent, solid release. Skipjack is more of the same, but now in yellow for Devastator. I feel the names are switched - I thought Skipjack was the red one and Rampage yellow - but that's not a knock against the toy. I'm passing on him, only because I have the red one. He's still a fantastic toy that is worth a purchase if you skipped the red one.

Sentinel Prime: I almost forgot Sentinel when writing this article which isn't a good sign for his chances of joining my collection. He does look excellent in both modes and has the sword, which hopefully can also split to do the single blade used in some scenes. I'd love it if Sentinel also had his rust gun, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm going to keep an eye on this one. If he's truly outstanding and not horrifically complex like the Dark of the Moon Leader toy, I may give him some further thought. 

Scrapper: I like this one. Scrapper was always one of the more conventional designs among the Constructicons in Revenge of the Fallen and Hasbro does him justice here. He's got a great robot mode with lots of detail and looks just unconventional enough to have some personality. I think he'll be quite a bit of fun. I'm getting the Constructicons, so naturally he's a buy for me.

Overload: I like him. He's a four-armed monstrosity whose face looks like it has a wicked serial-killer grin. He's a character that isn't represented in my collection yet - always a plus - and the robot design has a lot of personality and presence with those four arms - another plus. Plus he looks plain fun to mess around with, but that could be my appreciation of most of his fellow Constructicons talking. Naturally he's a buy.

Devastator: I thought I'd cap off this section with a few thoughts on the Devastator combiner, now we can see a final combined version. I think it looks awesome, a really hulk of a toy. I'd have liked it to have had a bit more of an apelike knuckle-dragging posture like the on-screen version, but what we have looks very impressive. I look forward to completing my Constructions and forming Devastator this year.

Transformers Cyberverse

The Transformers Cyberverse line so far hasn't been something I've paid a lot of attention to, but some of the new reveals this year have begun to make me think I should be paying more attention to the line. We're getting new characters for Cyberverse - including a cowboy robot! That alone has my attention.
Battle Call Series: these are this year's gimmick figures, with voice activated lights, sound gimmicks, and snap-on armour. They sound pretty cool as gimmick toys go and the armour idea is pretty cool. We've got a couple of new characters here too which is welcome. It's not an assortment I'm planning to collect, but they look nice. And one of the new characters is a cowboy. Speaking of that...
Wildwheel: Like I said, you make something wacky like a cowboy robot, Hasbro, then you'll have my attention. Wildwheel has a lot of personality to his design and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this one. I'm not 100% sure I'll get the Battle Call version - if one is made for the Deluxe lineup, for example, I'll certainly get that - but right now this is one of the few Cyberverse toys that has truly captured my interest, simply by virtue of being something different. I'd love to see more original characters and concepts like this - especially if they're fun ideas like Wildwheel here.
Cyberverse Deluxe Class: These actually look pretty good! It's a shame so much of the cast isn't being done in this style right now, including some of the newcomers like Wildwheel and Iaconus, and some of the series mainstays like Windblade and Slipstream. I mean, not even Starscream is being done in this series and he's a major character. The bonus Maccadam Build-a-Bot is very cool, and has had me considering tracking down this set of figures - but the thought of having such a limited pool of characters from the series has put me off, particularly because the Deluxe series hasn't offered many of the other characters from the show (I am writing this having only watched season 1, but I don't expect my opinion to change when I watch the rest of the series).

Conclusion: what is on my shopping list?

So with that series of opinions out of the way, what is on my shopping list from these new reveals?

The Micromasters continue to impress me, so no surprise that I'm fully on board with continuing to collect the little guys. I think I'm also getting the Battle Masters. I'm not so keen on their ramp modes, but the robot forms are nice and unique.

Among the Deluxe Earthrise toys, I'm getting Airwave - childhood nostalgia wins there - and he'll be joined by Fast Track. Runamuck and the Alicon are solid maybes, depending on how they look in future pics. From the Voyagers, Snapdragon is an absolute certainty, and I'll decide on the Quintesson if I see it in person. Doubledealer and Scorponok round out my shopping list from Generations.

From Studio Series, the only ones I'm really interested in are Scrapper and Overload to finish my Constructions (and they look fun) along with Blitzwing. I might get Cliffjumper and Sentinel Prime depending on how they look in person.

Cyberverse's Deluxe figures also have my attention. I am baffled why we're getting the characters we are and not others, but the ones we're getting look great. Also I don't think I mentioned it, but there's this cowboy robot who looks cool that I might pick up in some form.

And how about you? What is on your shopping list after seeing all the new toys at New York Toy Fair 2020?