Bumblebee hit theaters in 2018, and it was the last film in the Transformers franchise before the plans for the Cybertronian cinematic universe were reworked and the franchise has been in limbo since. Fans haven't had to wait this long to hear of new plans for a Transformers film in a while, but thankfully there are other ways to celebrate the robots in disguise.
Sideshow Collectibles has a fantastic selection of statues, figures, and dioramas based on the Transformers franchise. The collection of incredibly detailed figures pulls inspiration from the film franchise as well as the original animated series and even the classic Generation One toy line. Today we're going to take a look at a few of our favorite Transformers from Sideshow to tide us over until the Autobots and Decepticons are back on the big screen.
ANIMATED OPTIMUS PRIME
In almost incarnations of the Transformers franchise, the heroic Autobots are led in their battle against the Decepticons by Optimus Prime. Optimus usually takes on the form of an eighteen-wheeler semi-truck with a battle station housed in his trailer segment.
This PCS Collectible figure brings Optimus Prime's animated form from The Transformers animated series to life with a dynamic paint job designed to properly replicate the Autobot leaders' animated look. The figure also features alternate arm options complete with different weapons to truly showcase the star of the original animated series.
BUMBLEBEE 2018
As previously mentioned, Bumblebee was the last film in the Transformers franchise, though it chronologically took place before the events of the first live-action film. Bumblebee starred in his own film alongside Hailee Steinfeld, and his robotic form was a bit different than fans had seen in the previous films.
The replication of Bumblebee's VW bug body is fantastic and uses a die-cast metal frame to reinforce the hard steel exterior of the Autobot. ThreeA Toys fantastically detailed and extremely poseable figure comes with multiple weapons as seen in the film and includes multiple LED eye modes to replicate Bumblebee's dangerous Retaliation Mode!
BLITZWING
Of course, Bumblebee didn't just feature the silent Autobot driving around for two hours, and a deadly Decepticon was introduced that had a franchise history with Bumblebee that brought the two Transformers into frequent conflict.
Blitzwing took on the form of an Air Force jet in the film and was also revealed to have been the Decepticon responsible for damaging Bumblee's voicebox. Prime 1 Studio has sculpted this fantastic film representation of Blitzwing that stands at around 31" tall and features interchangeable parts and light-up LEDs.
G1 STARSCREAM
Starscream is a fan-favorite Decepticon who may not have made it through every film intact, but he is one of the few characters to appear in almost every continuity of the Transformers franchise. His original Generation 1 form was so iconic it even made an appearance in the Beast Wars continuity that saw the familiar vehicle forms replaced with animals.
It's his G1 form that PCS Collectibles have modeled their Starscream statue after, and like the Optimus Prime figure we previously mentioned, has a detailed paint job that is designed to replicate the 2D animated style in 3D. Starscream also comes with multiple arm options so fans can really customize their favorite traitorous Decepticon.
MEGATRON DELUXE
ThreeA Toys has produced a phenomenal figure based on Megatron as he appeared in Transformers: The Last Knight. Megatron is more often than not the leader of the Decepticons, though he as at times also gone by the name of Galvatron in Age of Extinction, though he returned to his Megatron form for The Last Knight.
The Megatron Deluxe Version showcases Megatron's final form in the franchise, and he stands at around 19" with over 7- points of articulation. The figure comes with Megatron's sword and shield from the film The Last Knight, and includes LED features and a brilliant weathered paint job that truly brings the character to life.
ULTRA MAGNUS
While we've seen a number of Transformers make the jump to live-action in the film franchise, one character who has long been rumored to appear but never did was Ultra Magnus. Fans may recognize him as the City Commander of Autobot City from Transformers: The Movie, where he briefly becomes the leader of the Autobots before ing on the role to Rodimus Prime.
Ultra Magnus is similar to Optimus Prime in his vehicle choice, though he often serves as a vehicle carrier for his fellow Autobots. Prime 1 Studio has released this beautifully redesigned G1 Optimus Prime figure as their G1 Ultra Magnus, which stands at around 24" tall and features light-up eyes and an interchangeable Fusion Axe accessory.
FLAME TOYS OPTIMUS PRIME
As Optimus Prime is easily the most popular Transformer in the entire toy line, fans have seen quite a few different variations of the Autobot leader. Flame Toys and Sideshow have created this inspired take on Optimus Prime that features over a hundred points of articulation!
Not only is the dynamic figure incredibly poseable, but the customization options are above and beyond, with multiple swords, axes, guns, along with interchangeable hands and three interchangeable faces to truly help create the scene your collection needs!
SOUNDWAVE
While Optimus Prime is the most popular toy, fans just can't seem to get enough of the Decepticon known as Soundwave, whose appearance in the animated series is still his best adaptation. Unlike most of his Decepticon brethren, Soundwave took the form of a cassette player, and his cassettes were smaller Transformers he used in his surveillance missions.
Pop Culture Shock and Sideshow have produced another great figure that attempts to replicate the style of the original animated series, which makes Shockwave the perfect bot for the job. Not only is he in his original cassette player form, but the figure includes his mini-cassette ally Rumble.
BUMBLEBEE
Bumblebee really rose to popularity with his role in the first Transformers film that led to his appearance in every film of the franchise, including starring in his solo movie Bumblebee that was set in the past of the Transformers film franchise.
Prime 1 Studio has released an outstanding statue of Bumblebee as he appeared in Transformers: The Last Knight. This iteration of the character is his final form chronologically and has definitely seen some action, and this exclusive version features his Cybertronian hammer from the film!
JETPOWER OPTIMUS PRIME
We just couldn't up this opportunity to showcase the biggest and baddest Optimus Prime statue around. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen introduced the threat of the Fallen and the ancient Autobot known as Jetfire, who offers his parts to Optimus to assist him in the final battle.
The result was Jetpower Optimus Prime, and Prime 1 Studio has sculpted this impressive replica of one of Optimus' most powerful forms. The statue stands at over a whopping 36" and features the same incredible attention to detail both Sideshow and Prime 1 are known for. Jetpower Optimus Prime doesn't make your collection better, it makes your collection.