Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 8.
Number 8: Leobreaker
Series: Cybertron
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: None
Function: Warrior
Cat Alt Mode: Lion
Leobreaker comes from Transformers Cybertron, part of the Unicron Trilogy. This is one of those TF series that I’m not all too familiar with so I’m just gonna comment on the toy. This is a Voyager class figure and I think he looks pretty good. The pic above is the lion mode and his robot mode ain’t too shabby either. My understanding is that his original identity was Overhaul. After arriving on the Jungle planet, some stuff happens and he gets reformatted into Leobreaker. Some fans speculate that originally his name was supposed to be Trailbreaker (after the G1 character) and not Overhaul. This would make sense, since Overhaul’s alt mode was a SUV and the transition to the name Leobreaker would be much smoother. Regardless, I like this character because in robot mode he’s got claws like Wolverine.
Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 9.
Number 9: Sky Lynx
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: None
Function: Lieutenant Commander
Cat Alt Mode: Lynx
Sky Lynx is unusual to say the least. His toy was originally manufactured by a third party and then later incorporated into the Transformers line, much like the toys for Jetfire and Omega Supreme. This probably explains why he always seemed like such an odd fit in the TF Universe. I’ve never seen the toy for Sky Lynx, but I know the bottom component is battery operated and it rolls in transport mode and walks in lynx mode (the pic above is this lower component in lynx mode). His two components combine to form a large, griffin-like creature, and it is this mode for which he is most famous in G1 because this mode acts as his dominant robot mode. I guess his name is a play on words, being that he’s a lynx and his two components “link” up. His profile describes him as snobby and arrogant, punctuated by a British accent. He was a regular recurring character in season 3 of G1, and his most famous appearance was probably when Optimus Prime was revived. For a TF with so many appearances, you might think he would rank higher on this list. But I’m not a big fan of Sky Lynx and so this is as high as he goes. Hey at least he’s in the top 10.
Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 10.
Number 10: Quickswitch
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Six Changer
Function: Assault Warrior
Cat Alt Mode: Puma
This is the second time Quickswitch made one of my lists (the other time being the top 10 TF boats). As a Six Changer, he’s got lots of opportunities for recognition. I have read repeatedly online that he is the son of Sixshot (the only other Six Changer in the TF Universe). I have no idea what that means, but I always assumed that this information must’ve come from either comics or the Japanese TF continuity, because G1 cartoons were canceled well ahead of Quickswitch’s toy release. As it turns out, it is directly stated that he is the son of Sixshot in his toy commercial! See the commercial for yourself here. Also of note in the commercial is that we see Getaway in the opening moments (the one that says “The Decepticons are attacking”). Getaway is a Powermaster that I’m partial to, and I’m glad he has an animated appearance somewhere. But yeah, other than this commercial, I am not aware of any other appearances by Quickswitch. As a toy, Quickswitch has a horrendous looking robot mode and I’m not feeling his color scheme. But his puma mode doesn’t look half bad.
Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 11.
Number 11: Bantor
Series: Beast Wars
Allegiance: Maximal
Sub-Group: Fuzor
Function: Jungle Warrior, Demolitions
Cat Alt Mode: Lion
I thoroughly enjoyed Beast Wars. Its definitely one of the better Transformers series, probably my 2nd favorite, next to G1. BW does have a certain amount of silliness that can turn off the uninitiated, such as how the Predacons like to say “Terrorize” when they transform, or how various characters transform into the beast of their namesake (eg. Rattrap, Rhinox, Waspinator, etc). But behind all this cheese is a solid plot, and once the series get going, it can be hard to stop watching (I watched all 3 seasons on DVD). And as a G1 purist I most definitely like that fact that BW ties into G1. Bantor did not appear in the BW TV series, and I am certainly no authority on Beast Wars so I cannot say if he had any comic book appearances. He is a Fuzor, a sub-group that has in their alt modes a combination of two individual beasts. Bantor is a strange combination of lion and mandrill. Those crazy Hasbro toy designers… I want to know what they were smoking when they created this mix.
Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 12.
Number 12: Catilla
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Pretender
Function: Surveillance
Cat Alt Mode: Sabre-Toothed Tiger
I’m not a big fan of Pretenders. I had a few of them back in G1, including Cloudburst, Finback, Skullgrin, and Roadgrabber. Even Pretender version of Jazz. The shell gimmick serves absolutely no purpose. Catilla was a Pretender Beast, a variation of the standard Pretender theme in which a TF in its beast alt mode hides inside a beast shell. The pic above is Catilla in its sabre-toothed tiger alt mode, and not the shell itself. I think the character had a few appearances in the G1 US Marvel Comics continuity, but my memory of those stories are shaky at best. (BTW, I do have a pretty good collection of G1 Marvel Transformers comics. Next time I go home I should take pics of them). Catilla’s character profile lists him as a silent stalker that likes to observe from the shadows before he strikes. Sounds like he could be a private investigator if things with the Autobots don’t work out.
Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 13.
Number 13: Lionizer
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Actionmaster
Function: Aerospace Engineer
Cat Alt Mode: Lion
Two Actionmasters two days in a row! That should be a crime, but I need to list these guys before I get to the cool TFs with real cat class and style. Lionizer is the Targetmaster partner of Rad (one of the dumbest names in the TF Universe, IMO). He transforms from a lion to an atom-smasher rifle. A quick search for this duo on Wiki reveals that they did appear in an Actionmaster commercial in which Rad even had a speaking role. Sometimes I think about hunting down at least one Actionmaster toy just to see if they have some hidden potential that I may have overlooked, though I have a feeling I’m not missing anything. But anyway, this is the last Actionmaster on this list. Rest assured there are no more.
Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 14.
Number 14: Catgut
Series: G1
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Actionmaster
Function: Gunslinger
Cat Alt Mode: Tiger?
I hate Actionmasters. Transformers that don’t transform simply should not have been made. Catgut is only on here because I need 15 cats and he should be glad he’s not at the bottom. The function listed above is really for Treadshot, and Catgut serves as his weapon. Catgut does transform, from gun to some kind of cat/tiger/panther type animal. I don’t think the duo has an appearance anywhere. That’s probably just as well. They’re getting their 15 minutes of fame for today’s post on this blog, and that’s already more than they deserve.
Happy Chinese New Year! I wish everyone happiness and prosperity in the new year ahead. For those that don’t know, Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival. It is a 15 day celebration that begins with the New Year (on the Chinese Lunar Calendar) and ends 15 days later on the day of the Lantern Festival. My friends from China tell me that, where they come from, many businesses literally shut down for the entire period in celebration of the event. Its too bad we don’t have something similar here in the United States (I work 9 to 6 and live a cubicle life, so I could certainly appreciate the 15 days off).
This is also the year of the tiger. People who belong to this Chinese Zodiac is said to be lucky, vivid, lively, and engaging. Tigers are well-liked because of their charming personality. They are courageous and do not shy away from competition, though they can be restless and obstinate.
In honor of 15 days of the Spring Festival and the Year of the Tiger, I will count down the top 15 big cats in the TF Universe over the next 15 days, until we get to number 1.
Have a safe and happy Chinese New Year! And to quote Brian Setzer: “I got cat class and I got cat style.”
Number 15: Snow Cat
Series: Universe
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Mini-Cons, Ground Surveillance Mini-Con Team
Function: ???
Cat Alt Mode: White Tiger
This is no. 15 so I’m really digging into the bottom of the TF barrel here. This Snow Cat (pic above) is not to be confused with the character of the same name from the Unicron Trilogy. The toy comes in a Universe Armada 10 pack that might be a K-Mart exclusive if I remember correctly. Not sure if this is a new mold of a repaint of something previous, but the transformation appears to be extremely simple, like all Mini-Cons. I don’t think this Snow Cat has an appearance anywhere. But he is a White Tiger so very appropriate for today’s posting.
Today I had some spare time so I decided to compile a list of every Transformer that I own. The list only includes TFs I purchased since 2004, the year that I got back into TF collecting. Compiling this list took a little bit of time, but I’m glad I did. Having a list like this puts in perspective just how many TFs I own 🙂
Hopefully this list will provide some street cred to my TF hardness. Or just demonstrate how crazy about TFs I really am. 🙂
Click here to see the list, or simply click on My TF List on top.
To all the Autobots and Decepticons on this list… Transform and Roll Out!
The only thing I would like to be this Halloween is a Transformer, but unfortunately I don’t have the skills or resource to make a nice TF costume. And of course I prefer if it transforms, but non-transforming costumes are still cool if they look good enough.
This reminded me of some nice TF cosplaying at this years Botcon, so I’ll post some pics of it.
And here’s a cool video of TransFans acting out their favorite characters. Too cool!
