COUNTDOWN: 5 more RID 2015 Decepticons that deserve Legacy toys

With the wonderful news that we’re soon to receive a new 2015 Robots in Disguise Strongarm figure, we recently considered which bad guys from the show might also make worthy candidates for potential new Transformers Legacy toys. The cartoon is a particular favourite of mine, so much so that I believe it’s criminally underrated in the fandom.

With so many exceptionally weird and whacky characters in the show, there’s plenty of material to use for inspiration, especially as the Decepticon designs tend to push the envelope for what might be considered typical Transformers fare. With that in mind, here are five more characters who would make for fascinating new Legacy toys!

#5: Scorponok

Depending on which corner of Transformers you’re most familiar with, the name Scorponok carries a certain expectation. After all, there’s a classic Generation 1 original design from 1986 and a well-established Beast Wars reinterpretation that stands separately from that, both of which have been revisited by the current main line of toys within just the last few years. Yet there are other Scorponoks besides, and whilst the live-action effort is likely next on most people’s familiarity radar, that doesn’t make the RID 2015 take any less worthy of your attention. After all, he’s one of the quirkier efforts of all his namesakes, which is perhaps no surprise given the series in focus for today! It’s not uncommon for any version of the character to have claw hands. Yet, this chap takes things significantly further by having an expressly non-humanoid appearance, complete with arachnoid-esque legs and a sizeable tail in his robot mode. Overall, he’s distinct enough to stand on his own two weirdly-shapen feet.

In this case, there’s a pre-determined repaint ripe and ready for action, as RID Paralon is basically the same body type but with a new head and done over in purple. What more could you ask for?

#4: Chop Shop

If there’s one thing thatthe 2015 RID cartoon did well, it was taking pre-established character designs from years gone by and overhauling them in exceptionally creative ways. Step forward Chop Shop, who has a robot mode not a million miles away from his 1985 counterpart, yet eschews the more straightforward transformation to a standard insect mode in favour of being a secret multi-bot combiner-of-sorts. Yes, this Cockney-accented half-incher with pincers doesn’t turn into just one bug, but five! Even more impressive is his apparent ability to incorporate other robots, too, at one point even using the Autobot Fixit as a temporary right arm, which surely would make for great amounts of potential play value.

Perhaps the only pause here is how to make something like this actually work in toy form, which probably explains why it’s yet to be done. Yes, incredibly, Chop Shop was never realised in 3D form at the time, making a Legacy figure all the more tantalising a prospect.

#3: Springload

Take one look at this guy’s design and tell me that wouldn’t make for a unique Legacy toy, eh? It’s a giant robot frog that turns into a surprisingly non-descript green pick-up truck, which is certainly not your everyday affair. If anything, it’s giving me strong Alternators Ravage vibes, with a car mode going straight into something more animalistic in nature for the robot form, and I love every bit of it. This idea is even more exciting because it’s never really been done justice in toy form. True, there were some attempts to bring Springload to life at the time, but all in the smaller class sizes, leaving plenty of room on the table for a potential Legacy figure to shine. It also helps that the character is every bit as memorable as his design would suggest, with his mythical-treasure-hunting ways a delight to observe on screen!

#2: Fracture

Though he only features in a relatively few episodes across RID‘s fun, it’s fair to say that Fracture makes his presence felt. A bounty hunter by trade, this underhanded Decepticon is about as fierce as they come, using whatever tactic he can think of to get what he wants! Fracture turns into a chopper-style motorbike, making for a memorable design in both modes. He’s a staunch rival of the Autobot Drift and, like his nemesis, also possesses two Mini-Con partners who can be deployed to aid their boss in a pinch or a punch-up. Airazor and Divebomb are nightmarish minions that would be an essential part of any new take on the main character here. Sadly, though Fracture himself has been captured in toy form a few times over, they have always been omitted in the past, which is another way a Legacy effort could truly impress.

#1: Clampdown

When you imagine the name Clampdown, you perhaps think of the Diaclone-inspired police-themed G1 original repaint of Red Alert. Well, this guy is about as far from that as you can get, although the name is no less appropriate! After all, a signature feature of the RID take is his rather sizeable clamp-like claws, for which he receives a fair dose of mockery. Alongside his unorthodox appearance and bizarre frame, this Clampdown is certainly not a warrior at heart, regularly doing whatever he can to avoid conflict of any kind and merrily selling out even his own comrades if it means a personal advantage.

There have been toys of the character before, most notably a Legion class effort. However, there are plenty of ways a full-size Legacy design could capture this unfortunate specimen in all his “glory”, including his wood-panelled hatchback car alternate form. What’s better, there’s an easy repaint option, as fellow Decepticon Clawtrap looks remarkably similar and equally quirky, just green instead.

So that’s our list! Are there any other characters we should consider?

TTFN