COUNTDOWN: 5 Marvel Transformers who deserve Legacy toys

With the current Legacy line-up ploughing through ever-increasing depths of niche Transformers history, it’s starting to feel like no stone will remain unturned!

Much of the attention has been on the franchise’s many cartoons, with 2002’s Armada currently in the spotlight as far as some recent releases have been concerned. That said, the focus has shifted to other territories occasionally, with examples such as last year’s Jhiaxus showing how to bring a robot conceived in comics to life.

But why stop there? With so many original characters from the classic Marvel comics to consider, the possibilities are endless should the powers that be see fit to go further down this road when seeking inspiration for future toys!

So today, let’s look at five Marvel Transformers characters who definitely deserve Legacy toys.

#5: Rack ‘n’ Ruin

The Transformers: Regeneration One #93 (Retailer Incentive Cover), Artwork credit: Senior / Burcham

As unusual as many Transformers characters from over the years can often claim to be, there’s nothing else quite like Rack ‘n’ Ruin! Despite being identical and forever conjoined at the shoulder, make no mistake that these two are separate ‘bots. Their origins vary a little since popping up in other media, but as far as the classic Marvel comics go, they were bonded to save their lives following a horrific accident and originally transformed into Cybertronian jet modes. They first pop up in the now legendary time-hopping caper Target: 2006 as part of the Wreckers, an affiliation that has remained relatively consistent in other portrayals since. Sadly, they meet a gruesome end in combat with Galvatron during Time Wars (although they’re in good company!). Still, they live on in the hearts of many a fan of the 1980s series, despite only ever cropping up in the UK exclusive material. Whilst there was a toy of their Cyberverse interpretation, G1 fans would surely love to see a stab at their original guise as part of Legacy, even if it’s hard to imagine quite what that would look like. It would certainly be unique!

#4: Scrounge

The Transformers (Marvel US) #17, Artwork credit: Perlin / Williams

Ask anyone who has read the 1980s Transformers comics about their favourite original characters, and there’s a decent chance they may mention Scrounge in there! This little lad didn’t last long after meeting his end in the titular torture device during The Smelting Pool!, but he still managed to make quite the impression despite such a brief tenure. After all, how many robots do you know that have such a special arm? Oh, and did we mention he transforms into a wheel? Unfortunately, despite his skills, Scrounge is still seen as a bit of a no-mark in the eyes of his enemies and comrades alike and only really captures his buddy Blaster’s attention when he’s in mortal danger. Still, the readers know what’s good, which is why he’s become such a fan-favourite over the years, leaving him as a surefire hit as far as a potential Legacy toy goes! There have been other attempts in plastic form before, but a classic interpretation would be just the ticket, special arm and all.

#3: Flame

The Transformers (Marvel UK) #168, Artwork credit: Smith / Peters

Another Marvel UK creation, Flame is about as flamboyant as they come. Despite looking like a wannabe Rodimus knock-off, this deranged Autobot scientist is no hero. His unbelievable arrogance leads him to enact a grand masterplan to raise the dead on Cybertron, creating an army of robotic zombies during one of the series’ most memorably spooky tales. Even beyond the obvious reasons to dislike him (did I mention he raises the dead?), he’s just an all-round douchebag who never fails to feel offputting whenever he’s on the page. Still, he’s super colourful and has a surprisingly sweet tank mode for a boffin, so there’s plenty of potential for a fun Legacy toy with this one! Evil Autobots need their representation, too.

The Transformers (Marvel UK) #168, Artwork credit: Smith / Peters

#2: Straxus

The Transformers (Marvel US) #17, Artwork credit: Perlin / Williams

The mighty Lord Straxus is now so well-known amongst the Transformers fandom that more casual observers may be surprised to discover just what a tiny role in the Marvel comics he had, at least initially. As a tyrant of Cybertron, he only appeared in two issues of the USA comic before meeting an undignified end in a Spacebridge mishap and being reduced to atoms. Still, he was memorable enough to stand out in the eyes of many American readers, which may be down to his no-nonsense leadership style or his impressive flying tank alternate mode. Really though, he became even more notorious in the UK exclusive material, as it picks up after his accident and shows he survived, although he now exists as little more than a head in a jar. He then enacts a plan to take over Megatron’s body which… well, suffice to say, it all gets a bit convoluted from there, but Straxus still manages to make his mark, nonetheless! There have been a few toys of this guy already from over the years, but as with Jhiaxus, it feels like there’s enough left on the table for a potential Legacy effort to be the definitive version a lot of fans would surely enjoy.

The Transformers (Marvel US) #18, Artwork credit: Perlin / Williams

HONOURABLE MENTION: Death’s Head

The Transformers (Marvel UK) #113, Artwork credit: Senior / Halfacree

Heard of him, yes? Despite now being more synonymous with comics titles beyond just Transformers, the infamous bounty hunt– er, freelance peacekeeping agent known as Death’s Head began life in the robots in disguise series. Well, kind of anyway. You see, although he was created for Transformers, Marvel liked the character so much that they published a one-page story of him in various other books prior to his debut in the series to prevent Hasbro from claiming they had copyright over him. The plus side of that has been the many comic adventures the character has popped up in over the years. The downside is there will never be a Transformers toy of Death’s Head, Legacy or otherwise. What a shame, yes?

#1: Emirate Xaaron

The Transformers (Marvel US) #61, Artwork credit: Senior / Yomtov

Come on, you knew I’d put him in at #1. Yes, the wily old buzzard is surely a shoo-in for Legacy attention at some point down the road, not least after being hinted at on the packaging of the recent Wreck ‘N Rule Collection. Still, as exciting as that was, a physical toy of the character would be most welcome, especially as he’s a mainstay of both the Marvel UK and US storylines and has popped up in other series since, including IDW. He’s also quite an unusual character in Transformers. Despite being the leader of the Autobot underground resistance movement, Xaaron is more of a politician than anything, using his wit and wisdom to solve problems instead of his fists. That’s exemplified by him being unable to transform into his old ‘combat mode’, given it’s been so long since he last attempted it! It makes the idea of a Legacy figure all the more intriguing, as one can’t help but wonder if it should transform at all! There’s also a major question mark around the colour scheme – classic UK silver and gold or uniform yellow like the US material? Whatever the case, this one needs to happen at some point, surely!

The Transformers (Marvel UK) #169, Artwork credit: Smith / Peters

So that’s our list! Which of these characters would you like to see brought to life?

TTFN