TRANSFORMERS
ANIMATED

Last Updated: 11/16/10
Deluxe Cybertron Ratchet and Arcee added.


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    The first post-movie line is a return to the basics...cel-animated cartoon where Autobots crash-land on Earth and wake up after a long nap. Although most of the details differ from G1....

    I'm going to try something new here. Toys that get a Strongly Recommended (or better) rating will be in boldface, while those getting Neutral or worse will be in italics.


LEGENDS
  • Legends - Actually sold under the Universe line as the Animated Series, but I'm including them here.
    • Wave 1: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Prowl.
    • Wave 1.5: Starscream, who's really part of a wave with three G1 Series Legends, but I'm splitting it off into its own review to keep all the TF:A stuff together.

BASICS
  • Activators - press-button autotransformations.
    • Wave 1: Bumblebee (compact car), Bulkhead (armored truck), Starscream (fighter jet).
    • Wave 2: Lockdown (muscle car), Autobot Ratchet (ambulance), Optimus Prime (truck).
    • Wave 3: Optimus Prime reship, Patrol Bumblebee (black and white redeco), Thundercracker (blue and black redeco of Starscream). Only Thundercracker reviewed.
    • Wave 4: Bandit Lockdown (redeco), Megatron (Earth mode), Grimlock. Lockdown not reviewed.
    • Wave 5: Dirge (blue and tan Starscream redeco, non-show clone) and Cliffjumper (Bumblebee remold).
    • Wave 6: Fireblast Grimlock (magma redeco), Soundwave (new mold).

DELUXE
  • Wave 1: Bumblebee (compact unmarked police car, Autobot), Lockdown (futuristic muscle car, Decepticon), Optimus Prime (Cybertronian truck/halftrack, Autobot), Prowl (motorcycle, Autobot). Updated later with fixes for some of the production problems (basically, everyone but Prime).
  • Wave 2: Blackarachnia (Mecha-spider, Decepticon), Ratchet (ambulance, Autobot). Updated 6/13 with some notes.
  • Wave 3: Oil Slick (chopped motorcycle), Autobot Jazz (sports car), Soundwave (van), Snarl (triceratops).
  • Wave 4: Swoop (pterodactyl), Sentinel Prime (truck), Elite Guard Bumblebee (recolor of Wave 1 BB).
  • Wave 5: Blazing Lockdown (redeco from wave 1), Blurr (sorta Mach 5), Swindle (urban assault vehicle).
  • Wave 6: Waspinator (techno-organic wasp), Samurai Prowl (extensive remold, motorcycle with sidecar).
  • Wave 7: Freeway Jazz (Bluestreak-ish redeco), Electrostatic Soundwave (gray redeco with keytar Ratbat).
  • TRU Exclusive Wave 1: Cybertron Mode Ratchet (Cybertronian ambulance), Arcee (Rocket Car/Scalper Bait)
  • TRU Exclusive Wave 2: Rodimus Minor (sportscar), Cybertron Mode Ironhide (redeco and head swap of Cybertron Mode Ratchet).

  • Target exclusive Deluxe/Legend Pack Wave 1: Rescue Ratchet (yellow redeco) with Legends Prowl and Starscream, Stealth Lockdown (smoky clear redeco) with Legends Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. The Legends figures are all slightly different from the single-pack versions. 1/9/09: Review updated with the Rescue Ratchet set.

  • Bumper Battlers Soundwave: Okay, I finally got one of these simplistic little guys. It's okay, but one of those toys I will freely say are for little kids and have almost no appeal to adult buyers.

VOYAGER

    This price point is a mix of single Voyager-sized toys and two-packs of Deluxe-sized toys. Disclaimer, the "official" assortments don't consider the two-pack a Voyager, but official assortment numbers are often stupid and I ignore them in favor of my own labels, as I have for years. :)

  • Wave 1: Bulkhead (SWAT van, Autobot), Starscream (Futuristic jet, Decepticon-ish), Optimus Prime (Earth-Mode Truck, Autobot). Review includes notes on "fixing" Megatron. Updated 6/25/08 with the running change adding Optimus Prime into the mix.
  • Two-Pack Wave 1: "The Battle Begins" Two-Pack. Deluxe sized Optimus Prime (Earth-mode Truck) and Megatron (Cybertronian spacecraft). Also includes a DVD of the first episode of the cartoon (22 minutes, not the entire opening "movie"). I originally called this Voyager Wave 2.
  • Wave 3: Grimlock (robot T.rex, Autobot-ish), Lugnut (Cargo jet, Decepticon). Blitzwing (jet/tank triple changer Decepticon) added in a running change as a sort of Wave 3.5. Update 8/28/08: Blitzwing added.
  • Wave 4: Grimlock reship, Shockwave/Longarm (tank/crane), Skywarp (Starscream redeco). Shockwave is the only one fully reviewed here.
  • Two-Pack Wave 2: Jetfire and Jetstorm who combine to form Safeguard, sold at the Voyager price point. An ambitious idea, but with so-so execution.
  • Wave 5: Wreck-Gar (garbage truck), Atomic Lugnut (redeco, not reviewed).

  • Target "Ultra" Two-Packs: Sunstorm with Autobot Ratchet (redeco of Voyager Starscream, unchanged Activators Ratchet), Shockwave with Bumblebee (purple redeco of Shockwave, unchanged Activators Bumblebee). Quality control is pathetic on these.

LEADER

  • Wave 1: Bulkhead with Headmaster (SWAT van, Autobot), Megatron (Helicopter, Decepticon).
  • Wave 2: Ultra Magnus (Assault Carrier, Autobot). There's a LOT of defective ones out there, my replacement for the seriously defective one I got was slightly defective. Review now more or less complete.
SUPREME
  • Roll Out Command Optimus Prime: Big and show-accurate, but seriously hobbled by gimmicks. I got it for $20, and wouldn't recommend it for a lot more than that.