The PoP!-Stars give their take on the latest in Action Figures and Toy-lines in eight (succinct) parts.

As part of our 2-week 25^th anniversary Transformers-fest here at Panels on Pages, we’d like to showcase 8 of the coolest Transformers figures from the last 25 years across the multitude of lines and series.  Save those “Where’s Prime?” comments.  Big Bot gets his own spotlight next week.

I'm friggin' amazing... Yes!

Beast Wars Transmetals Megatron - Not only was this version of Megatron one of the coolest designs from the Beast era, this figure was able to capture it almost perfectly.  Granted, the Transmetal figures were generally more successful than their strictly furry brethren, but this guy takes the cake.  PLUS, this was the first Beast Wars figure to actually give Megatron a hand (The non-removable tail attack gimmick thing… Really, Hasbro?), and it gave him TWO!  We went from having a Megatron with no functioning hands to TWO hands in an instant.  If that’s not magic, then I just don’t know what is.
– Rodriguez

For god's sake, it's a working MP3 player! BRILLIANT!

Music Label Soundwave - This simply had to happen.  EVERYONE loved Soundwave, the monotone straightman of the Decepticon organization.  Sure, the other Transformers were robots in disguise, but Soundwave was purely robotic in his tone and actions, and as such, stood out among an already rich cast of characters.  Originally a toy tape deck, the Music Label folks had the good sense to create a working MP3 player that could transform into this cold, calculating automaton.  Perhaps even more impressive… he follows his G1 transformation for the most part, only deviating to improve upon the original figure.  So what are you waiting for?  Pick up the Rumble and Frenzy headphones sold separately, cue up The Touch (the original), transform, and rock out!
– Kerouac

Armada Unicron - So this guy might not look exactly like the Unicron from our childhoods.  Who cares!?  It’s friggin’ Unicron!  The big bad here is a whopping 16-inches tall and has all sorts of play features for the kiddies (and big kids, too).  The only real downside to this figure is that it can’t be properly displayed in planet mode because of the ring.  A stand of some sort would have been really nice, but we can’t win ‘em all.  Most people said we’d never even get a Unicron figure at all.
–Rodriguez

NO one calls my pile drivers un-chrome-somatic!

Alternators Rumble - With an updated Soundwave already claiming a spot on the list, it’s time to show the love for one of the re-imagined Cassetticons, Rumble, as he appeared in the BLAARGH!-ably short lived Alternators line.  It’s not just that they breathed new life into this fan favorite character.  It’s not just that they styled the new robot mode to reflect the original’s cassette inspired look with faux spools on his chest and back mounted lasers to replicate his original accessories.  It’s the fact that they finally - FINALLY - gave him his goddamned pile driver arms!  That’s all the reason I need to love this little guy.  The vanity plate’s just a bonus.
– Kerouac

Double your pleasure, double you fun--- Wait, that's not right...

Universe Sunstreaker and Sideswipe - There’s nothing special about a repaint.  Every Transformers series has been stupid with them.  Sometimes if we’re lucky, we get a new head on an old body, but even those are somewhat few and far between… And then there was Sunstreaker.  When the designers at Hasbro engineered this figure (and he really is a nice figure), they designed it to have two distinct robot modes, one with the car’s hood on the chest and one with the car’s roof.  It’s a simple decision, but when coupled with the new head and paint scheme, this mold was reused to make Sunstreaker’s brother Sideswipe and the result is one of the most impressive bits of forethought in Transformers history.
–Rodriguez

Other figures? Better than me? Wanna bet!?

Masterpiece Starscream - You know the Big Bot will be getting nod to his Masterpiece figure next week, but the idea of giant, super-detailed, ridiculously accurate Transformers could not go unrecognized this week, and who better to represent than a figure potentially better than Prime’s (there, I said it), Masterpiece Starscream.  The Decepticon’s self-serving second-in-command came with a flight base that works in either jet or robot mode, and is quite literally two-faced, sporting a blank expression, or his trademark smirk.  Throw in the malevolent Dr. Arkeville as a tiny pilot figure, and you’ve got yourself one hellva toy!
– Kerouac

"Magnus Hammer?" Pleeeease.

Fansproject City Commander - I’ve gushed about this one before, but the fact remains that this independent fan-produced upgrade kit is one of the greatest Transformers toys ever to grace a shelf.  Anyone who’s seen one can attest to its beauty and thanks to the interwebz, you can still snatch one up for yourself.  The price is a little steep, but once you see one of these things in person, it’s easy to see that it’s worth every penny.
– Rodriguez

G1 Fortress Maximus - From a ‘Former who’s worth every penny to the biggest beast of the property’s history… the toy that convinced me there was a Santa Claus, cause no way did my parents spend this much… Fortress Maximus was the second Autobot city and he puts his predecessor Metroplex to shame.  Not only the largest Transformer to date, Maximus long stood as the most expensive, boasting a roughly $90 price tag even back in the 80’s!

That's a shitload of play value, right there!

What did you get for your money (or your parents’)?  Fortress Maximus stood just shy of 2-feet tall and came loaded for bear with cannons that could pop out of his wrists, forearms, waist, hip, and lower legs.  Not to mention the two hand held blasters, or the companion robot Cog which was formed from two included mini-vehicles.  Transform the big guy into city mode, and you have access to a jail cell built into one leg, a cargo hold in the other, an observation tower, a communications tower, working elevator, and three launching ramps.  But wait, there’s more!  Fortress Maximus was a Headmaster, and that means the big guy’s skull could transform into Cerebros, who could himself transform into the aforementioned communications tower.  Still not enough?  Cerebros was also a Headmaster, and had the distinction of his noggin turning into none other than perennial Autobot hanger-on, Spike Whitwicky.  Spike, for his own part, could fit into the cockpit of the observation tower.  Maximus had a third “battle station” mode - which made almost no sense at all, as it was basically just a half-assed midpoint between robot and city mode - only notable for its use of his otherwise completely ancillary wheels.

Large and in charge, Fortress Maximus was pretty much everything you could want in a toy.  Not to mention, while the scale on the cities was never exactly appropriate for the average Transformers figures, Maximus came out just prior to the release of the Transformers Micromasters, who were just the right size to make the big guy that much more impressive.
– Kerouac

So there you are.  The best and the brightest Transformers had to offer over the years.  Keep checking in all week for new Transformers-centric articles, and be sure to come back next Wednesday - it’ll be Prime time!