COUNTDOWN: 10 more IDW Transformers that deserve Generations toys

With the Generations line ever in full swing when it comes to serving up new toys based on the most disparate of influences from Transformers history, we’re back again to consider what characters could – nay should! – be up for consideration one day!

It’s not the first time we’ve turned to IDW’s popular comics for inspiration of this kind. However, there’s still plenty of choices to be had, especially with so many unique and highly distinctive takes on classic characters to be found in those pages. So that’s what it’s all about today!

POTENTIAL SPOILERS to follow!

#10: Fortress Maximus

More Than Meets The Eye #15, artwork credit: Milne / Deering / Shearer / Novin / Burcham / Perez / Lafuente

Fortress Maximus is typically a popular character in any given continuity. However, IDW did something entirely different with him, making him a much more regular-sized (albeit still huge and imposing) guy and giving him a quite different look from his classic counterpart. His battle-ready Cybertronian tank alternate form sets him apart for one thing. Still, it’s the evidence of that in the robot mode which proves most visually striking, as Max wears his tread-covered kibble with pride. There have been popular third-party attempts at this design in the past, yet many agree a faithful official take is long overdue.

#9: Cyclonus

More Than Meets The Eye #2, artwork credit: Milne / Burcham

Cyclonus is a central pillar of IDW’s More Than Meets The Eye, eschewing the character’s classic roots of being a Unicron-spawned Decepticon in favour of something much more mysterious and arguably more compelling. He was also given a sizeable makeover for the page, with a panel-heavy, detailed design, including some very memorable claw-like hands. No doubt, though, the key element here is the head design, which takes the typical ‘bunny ears’ vibe of his G1 portrayal and skews it into an outlandish pair of horns atop a signature grimace, although earlier issues left it with just one intact. A retool of an existing Cyclonus figure could work, but this is still a project that would be welcomed by many.

#8: Chromedome

More Than Meets The Eye #14, artwork credit: Milne / Burcham

Chromedome is one of several IDW bots that actually have a different design depending on the time period depicted, with these earlier portrayals looking much more akin to what we expect of his vintage 1987 guise. For the current portion of More Than Meets The Eye, however, that’s been drastically overhauled, featuring a slender, tapered body complete with a set of extremely bulky shoulders, giving him quite the unusual silhouette and proportions. This could be something really unique in toy form, especially if they can incorporate his sinister mnemosurgery finger needles.

#7: Thunderclash

More Than Meets The Eye #22, artwork credit: Milne / Burcham

Thunderclash is the greatest Autobot ever. At least, that’s how he’s canonically thought of by many of his contemporaries within the universe of More Than Meets The Eye since his introduction in #22, which very deliberately presents him as what can only be described as Transformers’ answer to Ace Rimmer. Yet, like other examples on this list, it’s also a very welcome, fresh take on an otherwise familiar design and could be fascinating fodder for new toy inspiration. In fact, we even discussed the possibility of this specific iteration of the character being made in 3D during our most recent Triple Takeover chat!

#6: Riptide

More Than Meets The Eye #31, artwork credit: Rojo / Lafuente

Riptide is a terrific combination of elements that all make him perfect for a new toy. He’s an original IDW character who has never been seen in plastic form, and he turns into a rather exciting Cybertronian-style boat – a rarity in itself. What’s even more weird is that this character design has been a heavy influence on Cyberworld’s Elita-1, who looks all but identical in many ways! Whilst there is a toy of that more well-known Transformers name, Riptide remains ripe with potential.

#5: Getaway

More Than Meets The Eye #19, artwork credit: Milne / Shearer

Getaway is another classic Transformers design that has become better known for his updated MTMTE appearance than for his traditional 1988 Powermaster interpretation. He may not be a fan-favourite – more whatever the opposite of that term might be! – but still we can’t help but believe plenty of collectors would be intrigued to see this stylised take on the character made real in toy form. True, Titans Return ‘Breakaway’ already leaned more heavily in that direction. However, there’s still plenty of potential for a fully faithful recreation.

#4: Nautica

More Than Meets The Eye #28, artwork credit: Milne / Burcham

Nautica is one of those Transformers who seem like they could have hailed from the classic 1980s animation episode The Search For Alpha Trion, alongside familiar names such as Chromia, Firestar, and Moonracer. However, she actually made her popular debut on IDW’s pages, and since then she’s become a firm fan-favourite (in the actual sense of the word) and has been realised in toy form, too. Still, her Titans Return figure is really not all that accurate to her comic design, if indeed such a thing is truly achievable – we’re still not sure *how* her robot mode transforms into a gigantic boat-like alternate form, but we couldn’t be more excited to see it made real!

#3: Tyrest

More Than Meets The Eye #18, artwork credit: Milne / Shearer

Of all the many IDW original characters one could consider for a list like this, few of them feel quite as singularly intriguing as Tyrest. The Chief Justice turned genocidal supervillain is a truly unique design, for one thing, complete with a striking set of wings, a signature crown, and a cloak. Yet as outlandish as it may first appear to be, there’s still plenty of evidence for how it might transform into his attack jet alternate form, meaning a toy interpretation could be really fun to see made real. Besides, the grandiose vibes this guy gives off would be right at home in a line like Age of the Primes, once the original Thirteen are complete!

#2: Skids

More Than Meets The Eye #17, artwork credit: Milne / Burcham

Skids was always the bot who fell through the cracks in many ways. Originally a late addition to the 1984 wave of toys, his short-packed nature meant he wasn’t really heavily promoted in either that or the subsequent 1985 line-up, thus also costing him the change of being featured prominently in the accompanying cartoon or comic of the time (and even in the latter, he was shifted to the non-realm of Limbo for much of the story!). So, despite being one of the most classic names on this roster, it’s fair to say it wasn’t until his star turn in MTMTE that Skids truly made his mark (I’m sorry). In any case, plenty of us would be thrilled to see another take on this stupendous reinterpreted design in toy form. True, the 2013 Thrilling 30 effort made great strides in this direction already, but imagine what a more modern figure could accomplish!

#1: Megatron

More Than Meets The Eye #32, artwork credit: Milne / Lafuente

Any new line-up of Transformers seems all but guaranteed to have at least one (if not several) Megatron toys as part of it, but there are still tons of potential candidates just waiting to be mined for inspiration. Yet chief in the minds of many must surely be this stunning overhauled design from the pages of MTMTE, which boldly takes the familiar look and feel of the iconic Decepticon tyrant and gives it a distinct modern spin. It’s what plenty of fans casually dub ‘Autobot Megatron’, for obvious storyline reasons, yet the appeal extends beyond that novelty. Again, it’s one with a celebrated third-party effort to its name, but a legitimate Generations figure would surely be something to appreciate.

So that’s our list! Which IDW characters would you most like to see done in toy form?

TTFN