Transformers: Top 10 Best G1 Toys

I consider myself a Transformers experts on the cartoon and toys. I’ve seen every episode tons of times since the 80s. I’ve also been buying and selling G1 Transformers toys since 1994. In that time, I’ve owned almost every G1 toy about five times over, some over twenty. And I have owned several Japanese, bootleg, and knockoff toys.

Wow, this is a tough one. My original favorites list was around thirty different toys. I narrowed it down to eight plus two groups of toys, which I count as ten. My list is not in any particular order. As Optimus would say, “Transform and roll out!”

1) Optimus Prime

No list would be complete with the Autobot leader, Optimus! This is the original G1 version, although the Diaclone and G2 versions are almost the same molds.

This toy is awesome! It’s a two-part toy with tons of accessories. We have the main cab which is the actual robot.

The transformation is simple and looks realistic in both forms. A few folds and turns, pop the fists in his headlight, toss him his rifle, and he is good to go.

He’s not very poseable but better than other robots.

He has several diecast parts which is a plus. The trailer unfolds, revealing an Autobot base / repair bay, a pod with a folding extension arm (a little Diaclone driver is supposed to fit in it), a gas hose with nozzle, missiles, and Roller, a little scouting car that is pushed out of the trailer with a spring-loaded launcher attached to the trailer. What’s cool is that you can fit other vehicles in Roller’s spot. The trailer is pretty sturdy except for the back door / ramp because the hinges often break.

Poseability: 8
Colors: 10
Accessories: 10
Show likeness: 8
Realisticness of alt form: 10
Kibble: 8
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 9.1
Cost today: around $75-100.

2) Sixshot

This is a Decepticon multichanger with six, yes six! different forms! You cannot top that! Most of the forms resemble what they’re supposed to be very well but the car and tank are pretty similar to each other.

When I was a kid, I did four of the transformations without the instructions. Trust me, most people will need the instructions to do at least half of the conversions.

You get a robot (of course), wolf, laser gun, tank, armored carrier, and jet. The robot looks the best. The other forms aren’t bad but are a bit futuristic and blocky.

The colors are cool; a mint green, purple, and grey/white.

Not very poseable in each form but it’s makes up for it with six transformations! The Autobot six-changer, Quickswitch, pales in comparison.

Poseability: 6
Colors: 10
Accessories: 10
Show likeness: 7
Realisticness of alt form: 10
Kibble: 8
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 8.7
Cost today: around $50.

3) Omega Supreme

This is one of the few electronic motorized robots. He’s an Autobot base and is pretty large compared to most robots. Omega Supreme did not originate as a Transformer but was produced by ToyBox under the name “Mechabot 1.” It’s basically the same bot but with different colors (grey, blue, and off-white, I believe.

I wanted Omega Supreme as a kid but the store never had it here. I owned a few in recent years and just had to transform him once.

His transformation is a bit tricky and requires instructions the first few times you do it. It’s not a one piece robot; it comes with six leg, ankle, and foot pieces, six yellow clips to hold the legs together, a back pack, a claw arm, a rocket arm, and six track pieces.

What is especially cool is that in robot form he walks and in tank form he rolls on the track pieces (they attach to his back in robot form). Not one piece is wasted in either form!

When in tank form, the body is a good-sized tank that has a spinning turret with lights and rolls around the track, which is held together by the leg parts. The arm pieces join to form a space rocket and the feet and backpack form the rocket’s launching bay. How cool is that?
The color scheme is bland but I like it. It’s mostly brown, yellow, and tan; reminds me of a German chocolate cake.

Poseability: 7
Colors: 10
Accessories: 10
Show likeness: 8
Realisticness of alt form: 10
Kibble: 8
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 8.9
Cost today: around $150-$200.

4) Jetfire

This was not originally a transformer toy. It is from the Valkerie/Macross line. I’m no expert on those, so I won’t say more about it. He is used in the G1 line though.

He’s a big sucker for a G1 jet. I love the white, red, and black color scheme.

It has a ton of accessories that are mostly red and black. This robot is difficult to find complete unless you buy it boxed. The pieces cost a lot if bought individually (like $5-20 per piece) so it’s only reasonable to by a few pieces to complete him. He has armor pieces for his legs, arms, and a piece that holds big rocket boosters on his back. Plus there is his huge black rifle.

Like other Valkeries, he is a jet, robot, and has several halfway conversions that look cool too. The transformation process is a bit tricky the first few times. His jet form is awesome with huge wings. In robot form, he’s highly poseable. He has some metal parts.

Overall, he’s one all-around great transforming toy!

Poseability: 10
Colors: 10
Accessories: 10
Show likeness: 8
Realisticness of alt form: 10
Kibble: 9
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 9.6
Cost today: around $125-150.

5) Roadbuster

This is called a deluxe transformer. Like Jetfire, Roadbuster is not really a Transformer. He originally came from the Japanese anime series, “Dorvack,” from 1983-1984. The robot himself was named “VV-54 AR Mugen Calibur.” Several transforming and non-transforming versions of Mugen Calibur exist, but this is about the real transforming Hasbro Transformers toy.

Roadbuster’s color scheme is similar to Omega Supreme, with his orange, brown, and green color scheme, like hunting fatigues with the added orange but not spotted. It take getting used to but I like it.

This is very difficult to find complete unless it’s boxed because it has 17 accessories!

His transformation is about medium level for it’s relatively average size.
The one problem is the all parts except for the pins are plastic. His arms break easily. My original had two broken arms, one leg, and head.

Both of his forms, as an armored car (like a Hummer) and robots look good. In car mode, his seat and windshield can be folded so the roof can be pushed forward (how anyone could sit in it this way is beyond me) and his wheels roll. What is cool is that he has rockets and other weapons molded into the sides. These parts don’t move but they add depth.

The robot form is just great. He really does look like a soldier and with his full arsenal of weapons attached, he’s better equipped than five robot Rambos! The weapons definitely add to the fun factor; he’s like the Mr. Potatohead of transformers. He’s not too poseable though. Only his shoulders tend and his hips but they need to be kept straight to standup.
Another all-around great transforming toy!

Poseability: 6
Colors: 7
Accessories: 10
Show likeness: NA
Realisticness of alt form: 10
Kibble: 10
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 8.8
Cost today: around $125

6) Predaking

This is probably the most expensive U.S. Transformers combiner/gestalt to date. The first two factors you will distinctly notice are the colors and the size. First off, the colors are supposed to be like fire. Each of the 5 individual robots are mostly bright red, orange, and yellow with some black parts. He’s definitely hard to miss! His giant robots hands and feet are grey and he has a huge black & grey cannon. The individual robots have 2 black guns each, except the leader, and one gold sword each. The parts are expensive if bought separately. The second thing you’ll notice is the large size of all 5 robots. Whereas other gestalts have one large robot and 4-5 smaller robots, all 5 Predacons are large. You might think that 5 large bots wouldn’t hold together well, on the contrary, it creates a very solid and evenly-balanced equilibrium. The connecting mechanisms are sturdy too.

Individual robots are Divebomb (eagle or hawk), Headstrong (rhino), Rampage (tiger), Tantrum (bull), and Razorclaw (lion and leader). The two coolest robots out of these are Razorclaw because of his intricately sculpted and Divebomb huge wing span. Even cooler is that when combined, these two feature prominently. Razorclaw’s head becomes Predaking’s chest and the wings go on his back like a cloak.

Each robot pretty much looks like what he is supposed to but in blocky way. The robots are not too poseable and, when combined, he’s not poseable either but at least you can move him without it falling apart. There are no loose parts when combined but none of the smaller guns go on him.

The biggest issues is that the wings are flexible vinyl so the stickers bend up easily.

This is an overall great, large, sturdy, and fun combiner with a proper scale/size next to non-combiners at over a foot tall.

Poseability: 7
Colors: 7
Accessories: 10
Show likeness: 10
Realisticness of alt form: 7
Kibble: 8
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 8.4
Cost today: around $285

7) Shockwave

This is definitely the most fun Transformers guns because he lights up & makes sounds but is also a good-looking and transformable robot. Galvatron does too but he barely transforms at all.

Like Jetfire and Roadbuster, Shockwave was not a Transformers toy but was sold as one. It came from a company named ToyCo, which produced the toy under the name “Astro Magnum,” with a few mold and color differences. Radio Shack also sold a gray “knock-off” version in the U.S. and is often referred to as Shackwave.

The colors on Shockwave are awesome! His body is mostly grey and dark purple. His hand and canon (no hand on that arm) are a translucent light purple so they light up when the trigger is pulled. His only removable accessory is his gun barrel that snaps over his hands in gun form. No parts to lose with this bot! His face is really unique; it’s just one dot for his eye.

He is mostly plastic with metal feet & legs and the electronics. One problem is that the rubber tube that holds his wires is fragile and most old, unsealed toys have dry, brittle tubes with several cracks.

He transforms well but can be a little tricky with his legs because he’s top heavy. His arms are fully poseable though.

Due to his life-size gun mode and electronic laser lights and sounds, he is a perfect role play toy for kids. Definitely a fun toy!

Poseability: 8
Colors: 10
Accessories: 8
Show likeness: 9
Realisticness of alt form: 10
Kibble: 8
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 9
Cost today: around $125-150.

8) Fortress Maximus

This is the great, granddaddy of all Transformers. He is the largest Transformers toy from Generation 1, standing almost two-feet tall!

Fortress Maximus is a double Headmaster Transformer, which means that Fortress Maximus’ head can transform into the robot, Cerebros, whose head, in turn, transform into the robot, Spike. It’s very cool!

Fortress Maximus has three basic modes: giant robot, city, and battle station with other forms that are variations of these modes. In all modes, he has over a dozen guns, compartments, ramps, and more that fold out or open. Smaller bots can fit inside as well.

He has 12 large accessories and 10 parts that aren’t supposed to be removed but can be. The individual parts can sell for over $50!

His color scheme can be descried as gloomy. He is mostly grey, eggshell white and dark blue. Some of his guns and accessories are red. It might sound an odd mix but they go well together in a non-blinding way.

His negatives are that he’s very clunky, his robot form can’t be posed much at all. he is pretty much hollow inside, all plastic, and the price is insane! But it’s to be expected due to its limited production numbers (being so large, less could be shipped per case).

His definite positives are his huge size, his being a double Headmaster, his tons of moving parts, tons of accessories, and number of different configurations. Definitely a fun bot!

Poseability: 5
Colors: 10
Accessories: 10
Show likeness: 9
Realisticness of alt form: 10
Kibble: 8
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 8.9
Cost today: around $500-800

9) Soundwave & Buzzsaw

Who wouldn’t choose Soundwave? A definite fan favorite!

Soundwave goes from robot to cassette player that looks great in both modes. As a cassette player, he really does look like the real deal with rewind, play, and fast-forward buttons, volume dial, on/off switch, a battery compartment, and a tape deck that opens to reveal a mini cassette that transforms into a bird. Even the two batteries, which fit in the “battery compartment,” are also a rocket launcher and a concussion blaster gun. All of the accessories serve as weapons and he has three silver rockets.

His color scheme is perfect. He’s mostly blue and silver. Everything blends well together.

His transformation is quite simple but enough to be satisfying. In robot form he stands well (if joints are loose) and is very poseable, well his arms, legs, and head are. His chest is the same as the tape deck face so that’s a bit of kibble but it looks surprisingly good regardless.

The cassette included is Buzzsaw, which transforms quite a bit for a tiny cassette.

The negatives are that he is not a real working player, although there is a bigger version (not a Transformer) that does play. The other is that he doesn’t come with Laserbeak, the same exact cassette as Buzzsaw but with better colors (Laserbeak is the main bird cassette on the cartoon).

Overall, a fun Transformer that keeps on giving because he can be used with about a dozen other cassettes.

Poseability: 8
Colors: 10
Accessories: 10
Show likeness: 10
Realisticness of alt form: 10
Kibble: 8
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 9.4
Cost today: around $100-125

10) Dinobots:

This is an entire sub-group of Autobot Transformers that were originally Japanese Diaclones. They all look so cool together, that they belong together as a set. There is Slag (triceratops), Sludge (brontosaurus), Snarl (stegosaurus), Swoop (pterodactyl), and Grimlock (tyrannosaurus rex).

Everyone’s color blends together perfectly. They are all mostly grey, silver with touches of red and gold. There is more red parts showing on Snarl and Swoop.

Swoop comes with a sword, two launchers, and red rockets. The rest have a gun, sword, launcher, and three silver or gold rockets.

The dinosaur forms are just beautiful. They are cybernetic dinosaurs, so lots a futuristic aspects are shown.

Each Dinobot has a fairly complex transformations to robot form with lots of twists and turns. Swoop offers the easiest process of the group.

The robots look great too. They pretty much stand up well, but Snarl and Grimlock are top-heavy. Swoop’s legs aren’t that sturdy either. They don’t pose very well.

The negatives are that they aren’t that poseable and there aren’t more dinobots!

The positives are they all look cool in both modes, they have metal parts, especially Snarl, and they’re DINOSAURS!! What more can you want?

Ratings are as a group.

Poseability: 7
Colors: 10
Accessories: 9
Show likeness: 9
Realisticness of alt form: 10
Kibble: 8
Fun factor: 10
Overall rating: 9
Cost today: around $75-125 each