COUNTDOWN: 8 more Transformers characters who deserve Legacy attention!

With the fine folks at Hasbro having just unveiled a whole wealth of new Transformers Legacy toys, you’d think we’d be pretty sated for a little while now, eh?

Well, forget about it! With the current main line of robots in disguise exploring the increasingly darker depths of the franchise’s history, we’re as eager as ever to see what niche nods might be just around the corner. With this in mind, we already assembled a list of further suggestions for characters that might be fun to see given the treatment soon, with one example chosen from each of the lines that took place over a roughly ten-year span from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s (including in Japan). Hot on the heels of the latest Legacy reveal with Beast Wars Silverbolt, we’re back at it again for more!

There’s also been an attempt to avoid just picking Optimus Prime and Megatron designs because, well, they’re kind of obvious. All that said, let’s get to it!

#8: Beast Wars Depth Charge

It’s only fair to say Silverbolt would likely have topped many wishlists when it came to any upcoming Legacy Beast Wars toys. Still, now we seemingly have confirmation he’s on the way, there’s no harm in turning our attention to the rest of the roster, and who better to make a big splash than this disgruntled Maximal manta ray? Depth Charge was a breakout part of the ’90s cartoon’s third season, boasting a tough-guy, no-nonsense attitude that never wavered until the end. Meanwhile, the classic 1998 toy to his name was no slouch either, boasting one of the best beast modes of the entire run and packing in the gimmicks. A Legacy update would surely be a welcome thing considering how much potential there is to make it a showstopper, but also because the character is severely due another day in the spotlight.

#7: Beast Wars II Bighorn

Talking about Maximals with anger management problems, here’s another big blowhard, this time from the first Japanese beast series. Bighorn is big in both stature and temperament, although in this case, his aggressive exterior does at least mask a bit of a softer centre. Still, you wouldn’t want to mess with him when he’s in a bad mood, especially with his signature lighting ability or, indeed, his generally gruff demeanour. With only the original 1997 toy to his name, this could be a fun (and certainly unique) addition to an upcoming Legacy line-up, as well as a bit of unusual character representation to boot. After all, how many bison Transformers toys do you think there are?

#6: Beast Wars Neo Break

Piling on yet another quirky beast bot with a surprisingly unique alternate form, it’s the far more chirpy but equally somewhat irritating penguin from Takara’s Neo crew! Compared to the likes of Bighorn and Depth Charge, Break is but a young new recruit in the Maximal forces, but that doesn’t mean he lacks any kind of enthusiasm, or ambition for that matter. He’s yet another classic beast character with only one current toy, that being the 1999 Basic class effort (which was essentially the epitome of ‘shellforming’), so surely there’s room for another stab as part of Legacy before too long!

#5: Beast Machines Botanica

OK, I’m gonna do it. I considered whacking Beast Machines most notorious plant-based do-gooder on the original list, but in the end, I’d at least attempt to ease you in gently with that one. Now we’re back for more, so why not just come straight out and say what we’re all thinking – it’s high time that Botanica got a toy at long last. Introduced late into the second season of the much-maligned (but actually pretty good) turn-of-the-century cartoon, this shrubby scientist was never realised in 3D form at the time, which is a little surprise when you consider that many old-school franchise fans considered her an outright abomination. The premise is that Botanica was the captain of a similar exploration vessel as the more familiar Beast Wars Maximals, except her crew landed on a planet populated by living plants instead of animals, so naturally, that’s the form she took. In reality, she has too very non-robotic but still extremely bizarre humanoid forms, but no matter – it’s about time she planted some roots in toy form.

#4: Robots in Disguise Rail Racer

Triple power! Though the 2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon is littered with amazing transformation sequences, few get my engine running more than the sight of the Rail Racer crew merging into their big boy ‘bullet fusion mode’. Besides, the result is nothing shy of an outright delight, lighting up the screen in a manner that seems only appropriate considering what undeniable bangers the classic toys were, too. Yet aside from those original efforts, Railspike, Midnight Express and Rapid Run have been right royally underserved in the decades since and could be a truly wonderful sight in a modern Legacy line-up. I’d certainly be on board.

#3: Armada Scavenger

Another entry, another gruff and battle-hardened good guy, another character with only one toy to their name and another exciting prospect for a potential Legacy figure: Scavenger is all these and more. One of the more noteworthy turns in the 2002 Armada cartoon, it’s not clear what side this Contructicon-flavoured Autobot is taking after he first appears, as he shrouds himself in mystery and a fairly oversized and ridiculous-looking cloak. Still, after a few run-ins with Hot Shot, he soon makes his true allegiances clear, as it becomes clear that he and Optimus Prime are old friends. The accompanying vintage (I said it) figure was equally memorable for its idiosyncratic ‘walking’ feature, which was either a straight-up travesty or the best gimmick of the era, depending on who you ask. A modern re-do is sorely needed, not least because it could pack in all the ingredients required to stand out from the classic take and be its own thing entirely.

#2: Energon Wing Saber

When we talk about vintage Unicron Trilogy toys with their fair share of compromise, there can be no better example than this guy, surely? Wing Saber is the poster boy of 2000s-era bricks, with little to no articulation to speak of due to his core combination gimmick. Still, it’s a tremendous-looking thing and pays an obvious homage to the classic Takara Victory hero Star Saber in not-so-subtle fashion. The character is equally memorable from the cartoon, although as is becoming a theme on this list, he’s never been given an updated figure of his original form in any sense. A Legacy release could surely capitalise on what is unmistakably an interesting design but bring it to life with far more poseability than before. It would be especially worthwhile if it could combine with a potential Legacy Energon Optimus Prime, just sayin’.

#1: Cybertron Menasor

You won’t find me making any complaints about the 2006 Cybetron Menasor toy:

1. It’s beautiful, with a stunning finish and loads of paint
2. It sports several excellent and all quite unique modes
3. It’s loaded with gimmicks, boasting a Mini-Con partner, Cyber Planet Key and more besides
4. It’s wonderfully cartoon-accurate in all but one sense: it’s too small!

OK, so maybe I have just one complaint then. Whereas fellow Gigantion Metroplex was already quite huge back in the day, this Decepticon-aligned equivalent was fairly conservative in stature, something a modern-day re-do could easily correct. After all, his opposite number was granted the full Titan treatment, and I can’t say this wouldn’t be exciting to see standing alongside it.

So that’s our list! Which characters would you like to see done from each series?

TTFN