COUNTDOWN: 12 Generations repaints we’re still hoping for!

It’s only fair to acknowledge the sheer plethora of incredible and increasingly niche Transformers repaints being knocked out right now. Who can have predicted a Legacy Ferak, for example?

Yet for all the weird and wonderful recolours we’re seeing made real, there’s naturally a sense of heightened anticipation (nay, expectation!) for those further options that feel almost logically inevitable but have yet to materialise in plastic form. Today, here are twelve such examples!

#12: Machine Wars Starscream

The Legacy Skyquake design is an interesting one, to say the least! On the face of it, it’s an updated take on the TF: Prime iteration of the character, with the general look and colour scheme all harkening back to the 2010 series. Yet scratch the surface, and you’ll see plenty of details that also pay homage to the classic G1 toy from 1992. Firstly, the shape of the jet is unmistakable, and plenty of the moulded flourishes line up surprisingly well. The robot chest is also a dead giveaway, meaning the toy is an amalgamation of references if anything. All this means it would make a rather excellent choice for a Machine Wars homage – something overlooked in modern Generations fare – by bringing the black and grey 1997 version of Starscream back to life!

#11: Armada Powerlinx Optimus Prime

Last year’s fresh take on Armada Optimus Prime was a bit of a fan-favourite, ranking highly on many a “best of” list come 2023’s end. It’s no surprise collectors might start considering what repaints could eventually come of it despite its sizeable Commander class price point. A Nemesis version might be fun to see, even if there’s no precedent based on previous toys. Still, many of us are more excited about the super cool, sultry, dark blue Powerlinx makeover being given a go at some point. Has to happen, right?

#10: Beast Wars II Flash Lio Convoy

Here’s one I’ve mentioned before, but considering how much love the red Burning Convoy repaint of Optimus Primal has received in recent times, it’s surprising to see his Flash Lio Convoy counterpart all but forgotten about. After all, the powered-up crimson gorilla has appeared in Masterpiece and Generations form (although the latter was a reasonably elusive TakaraTomy Rise of the Beasts promotional tie-in), whilst the translucent white and gold remains a one-and-done, with only the original 1998 release left to reference the events of the Beast Wars II movie. Could the Legacy Leo Prime mould be used to bring this idea back soon?

#9: GoBots ‘BuggyMan’

Time for something very leftfield now! The recent Selects Go-Bot Guardians multipack has rounded off a full roster of updated Generations takes on the ultra-desirable Collector’s Edition GoBots set from 2004, which saw vintage Mini Vehicle moulds decked out in colour schemes referencing Transformers’ classic rival toy line of the same name. Even so, I couldn’t help but consider what further inspiration might be drawn from this well; one need not look beyond some of the Timelines stories to see more 1980s GoBots characters given new form using G1 toys as a base. With that in mind, I humbly submit Legacy Beachcomber to be decked out in red as the evil Renegade known as BuggyMan, exactly as he appears in fiction! This little KO of the 1985 Beachcomber toy is a neat coincidental nod in that direction, but it would be great to see the idea made real.

#8: Diaclone Insecter Robo

All of the Insecticons have received new toys in recent times, and it just so happens that they come with inherent repaint potential! You see, the vintage figures didn’t debut in the now classic black, purple and yellow tones we associate with them, first appearing under TakaraTomy’s Diaclone as a trio of non-sentient Insecter Robo (where they were more insect-shaped vehicles than actual robotic bugs!). This idea has already been seen under the Transformers banner, with the 2004 e-HOBBY exclusive Collector’s Edition set bringing back the (surprisingly festive) colour schemes and turning them into Decepticons known as Salvo, Zaptrap and, ahem, Shothole! It’s there for the taking, no?

#7: G-2 Laser Magnus

Another one I’ve mentioned before but c’mon! The Legacy Laser Prime mould has dropped in every conceivable colour scheme on record (and even a new spin we could never have predicted!) apart from one, and that is this handsome 2006 white, red and blue number. Released as an e-HOBBY exclusive, it’s one of those typical tales where a weird repaint is largely overlooked on release but then goes on to become *super* desirable after a couple of decades. True, the original remains a real thing to behold, but it’s surprising to consider it’s an inspiration still left on the table as far as Generations goes.

#6: Beast Wars Double Punch

The Kingdom Scorponok mould is an odd duck, truth be told, as it’s exceptionally hard to transform without bits popping off here, there and everywhere! Still, it’s been a good template for some interesting repaints already, not least of which was 2022’s Sandstorm, referencing the classic Botcon 1999 toy of the same name. Well, there’s a further inspiration waiting to be used here, as the previous year’s Japanese fan convention had its own recolour of the original mould, with Double Punch decked out in gorgeous translucent candy red! Still, as delicious as this could be, it seems unlikely after Legacy Sandstorm proved to be a massive shelfwarmer, sadly.

#5: Black Victory Saber

The mere idea of Haslab repaints is enough to cause all kinds of intense speculation. Still, for my money, I just don’t see the powers that be forever leaving some of these high-end designs on the shelf after one outing! Of the various crowdfund Transformers toys we’ve had so far, multiple makeover ideas could come to fruition further down the line, but one that seems arguably more likely than most is the evil Victory Saber, based on the e-HOBBY Robotmasters design from 2005. Yes, that means we could see this handsome figure trussed up in black and purple, which would be hard to turn down, no? It may be a pipe dream at this point, but time will tell if it becomes reality.

#4: Beast Wars Lazorbeak / Neo Hydra

Kingdom Terrorsaur has been a generally popular update to the first-season Beast Wars turncoat Pteranodon. Yet, although there have been some repaints already, plenty more potential remains for further outings in the future, not least of which would be either of the late nineties purple Predacons. Kenner’s Lazorbeak dropped in 1997, followed by Takara’s Beast Wars Neo Hydra two years later, which added some welcome silver highlights to the proceedings. Whichever route was taken on the modern mould, it could be a welcome sight to see, even if it feels somewhat unlikely at this stage.

#3: Universe King Atlas

We’ve already explored the bizarre (but brilliant) blend of influences used to bring Legacy Skyquake to life and posited that a Machine Wars Starscream redeco could be awesome! Yet there’s more inspiration to be had from the classic design (besides its original 1992 toy colour scheme, of course, which would also be welcome). It was released under the Universe line in 2004 as King Atlas, now in a mix of white, blue and yellow and serves as a quasi-nod to classic Takara G1 good guy Dai Atlas. This figure has gone on to become something of a fan-favourite in the years since, so it wouldn’t be too shocking to see it brought back on the Legacy design!

#2: Brave Red Geist

File this one firmly under “never going to happen”, but still, it’s far too fun not to at least wishlist the idea! As with Star Saber above, there is some repaint potential for Haslab Deathsaurus, although in this case, you’d have to look outside of Transformers for it. The vintage toy found new life in Takara’s Brave toy line in 1992, now known as the character Red Geist, and even appeared in the series The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn. It sported a lush red and blue colour scheme and featured no retooling from the original 1989 Deathsaurus toy despite only sporting one of the two animal partners. Naturally, one cannot help but consider how attractive the incredible Haslab design could be in these colours, even if it’s exceptionally unlikely considering that Bandai acquired the cartoon rights as part of buying up animation studio Sunrise Inc. in 1993. That said, TakaraTomy has just announced new takes on Brave A-listers King Exkaiser and Genesic GaoGaiGar as part of their T-SPARK line-up (and there have been Masterpiece figures before), so perhaps never say never?

#1: RID Cryotek

Finally, we have another idea I know I’ve bleated on about before. Yet, it remains the single most noteworthy omission regarding modern-day repaint potential, in this writer’s humble opinion! After all, if you’re going to do a Transmetal 2 dragon Megatron toy, then you absolutely need to redeco it in blue as a Robots in Disguise Cryotek homage. It should be international law. That it hasn’t happened already is surely an oversight of the highest order and we assume HasTak will be correcting it with due haste! All joking aside, here’s hoping this one comes to pass before too long, as it would be a highly welcome sight for Dragon fans like me.

So that’s our list! Are there any more ideas you’d love to happen?

TTFN