Year: 2011
Figure it out: The Iron Grenadiers are Destro's elite soldiers. I've blogged them before (too lazy to look it up), but this is a new figure that represents the heavier arm of Destro's army. I love huge, improbable machine guns with ammo belts and I've always enjoyed the Nazi-gas-mask-esque IG helmet. The figure also came with a neat three-piece rifle that doesn't really fit in his hands very well. But it's an awesome figure!

Figure it out: I previously blogged this trio here, but this is a different Thundercracker, so I'll focus on him. See, here's my sob story. The G1 seekers came out starting in 1984 with Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp (these three). The next year, three more came out (Ramjet, Thrust, Dirge). When Hasbro started doing Classics in 2006, they released Starscream and Skywarp, and later on they released Ramjet. Three of the six. Then, in the next year's Botcon, Fun Publications released a five-figure set that included all of the seekers Hasbro didn't make. The catch? It cost $250.

I bought it.

Flash forward. In 2010-2011, the Generations line comes out, and Hasbro finally releases mass-market versions of Thrust and Dirge. Thus two expensive exclusives are rendered moot. Finally, at the very end of Generations, Thundercracker comes out, in a much prettier color scheme. The blue one, below, is that release. So, effectively, all of those highly valued seekers from the 2007 set are now without value. Am I upset? Nah. I like the color scheme on this one better and besides, 2007 was a long time ago. I don't know what I'll do with my funpub seekers, but eh. Whatever.

Let's go for a drive: This is the sexiest thing you have ever seen. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ARGUE

Decepticon villain
Year: 2011
Figure it out: Shockwave has been a major Decepticon antagonist since the earliest days of Generation 1, although in different ways. In the cartoon, he was subservient to Megatron and kept an eye (heh heh) over Cybertron while his master was away. In the comics, he was an independent tyrant who frequently battled with Megatron for leadership of the Decepticons. In all cases, he was always terrifyingly huge and a cool villain. Will he be as cool in the upcoming third movie? We'll see, I guess. This toy has four of Shockwave's characteristic features: A gun for an arm, a single eye, a rubber hose attached to his back and a royal purple color scheme. He turns into a tank-thing that I did not photograph.

From: Dark of the Moon
Year: 2011
Figure it out: Skyhammer is, I believe, one of those movie toy characters that we'll never see in the actual movie. His design smacks of toy-first, rather than movie-concept-first. He Transforms from an Apache-like helicopter that I did not photograph to a highly dynamic robot mode. I'm a big fan of how his turbines end up on his wrists to create rocket-like attachments, and how his two missile pods that mount under his helicopter wings can be removed and reattached in various places. His huge Mechtech cannon plugs into his arm and can transform into a ridiculous sword, which I did photograph. It looks even more absurd mounted on the chin of his helicopter mode.

Autobot warrior
Year: 2011
Figure it out: Based on a 1985 toy. Warpath has proved very difficult to find on the primary market, being on the tail end of a toyline that is being cleared out for the new Dark of the Moon toys. But I somehow managed to find one! I love this figure - he's got a lot of heft and feels exactly as well-armed as Warpath always should have been. In the 1980s cartoon, Warpath was known mainly for interspersing onomatopoeia into his vocabulary. Let's KABLAM get those Decepticons! So his vehicle mode has "ZOW-333" and "K4-90W" printed on it. Clever.

Allegiance: Decepticon
Year: 2009
Figure it out: I mentioned Sideways in a previous post. He was one of two Decepticons the Autobots were pursuing through Shanghai in the early parts of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Unlike Demolishor, who caused massive property damage, Sideways did nothing obviously wrong. In fact, he was fleeing for his life. Then Sideswipe sliced him neatly in half and congratulated himself. Nice, huh? Toy-wise, a lot of folks thought Sideways was going to be Barricade thanks to the facial similarity. Instead he was just Sideways. He has a buzzsaw on his fist that he never had a chance to brandish in the film, and he's got weird digitigrade legs.

Cobra ninja
"We spin and chop with sword and battle axe so quickly that you never see us coming!"
Figure it out: They're red. They're ninja. They come with a huge man-catcher thing. What else do you need to know?

Year: 2011
Figure it out: The new Dark of the Moon toyline has started a smaller scale series of "Human Alliance" figures, a set that used to be exclusively for larger figures at a $30 price point. Each small HA figure comes with a human pilot, and each transforms into a third mode that is intended to interact with the figure in some way. Backfire converts to a huge cannon (not pictured), and the pilot can man its controls. The cannon also has a peg underneath so larger Transformers can wield it. The two rifles are also on a c-clip system, so other Transformers made in the last couple of years can use them as well. Plus, it comes with Spike Witwicky (or at least a DotM version of him)! That's awesome! This is like, what, the third Spike figure we've ever gotten?

From: Rock Lords
"Among the hazards of the planet Quratex are Rockasaurs. Both good and evil Rock Lords must be on their guard when traveling in the wilderness. The large rock they stumble over might change into Terra-Roc! This winged menace soars through the air spreading fear and terror with his piercing cries warning everyone to 'Look out below!'"
Figure it out: Yes, Rock Lords. Frequently lambasted as the worst transforming idea ever. But I actually like them! See, I think the problem comes from people thinking "Ugh, a robot that turns into a rock? That's lame." But I think of them more as rocks that turn into creatures. Like they could disguise themselves in craters and mountains, then spring out of the wilderness to destroy their enemies. Also, this one is an awesome dinosaur.