Transformers was a really big part of my childhood, and a lot of attributes from the franchise still affect me to this day. I remember when Transformers: Armada first came out I was obsessed with that show. While Armada is often recognized as one of the weaker Transformers shows among hardcore fans, a lot of the storylines really had an impact on me. It may seem like trash to older fans; however, it meant a lot to me as a little kid.

My obsession with the franchise bled into the toys as well. I collected a lot of Transformers toys from the 2000s, particularly from the Armada and Cybertron brands. One of my favorite Christmas gifts was getting the Armada version of Optimus Prime. I kept that toy with me throughout my life, even taking it with me to college. I also collected some retro versions of Transformers toys, including getting a reissue version of Generation 1 Soundwave.

I haven’t kept up with the Transformers since Dark of the Moon, and I had stopped collecting the toys sometime before then. Despite that, the franchise is probably the series that has had the most influence on my childhood, so I still love it. While the toys of the Unicron Trilogy were my jam, the series has had plenty of amazing toys throughout the decades. They have also had plenty of weird toys within the brand, including a version of Optimus Prime that transforms into a shoe. So that is why I will be going over the fifteen best and fifteen weirdest Transformers toys.

30 Weird: Wheelie (G1)

Transformers: The Movie was released in 1986, and became a flop. The main focus of the movie was eliminating the old cast and replacing them with new characters. One of these new characters was named Wheelie, who was very unpopular among fans. Even the writers and directors weren’t keen on the character. So it feels appropriate that one of the least popular Transformers characters would have one of the worst Transformers toys out there. Not only does the toy not look like Wheelie on the show, but the overall design is bland and ugly.

29 Best: Optimus Prime (Revenge Of The Fallen)

The Optimus Prime figure based on the Revenge of the Fallen movie is one of the best versions of Optimus out there. The toy is very well detailed, and it looks very accurate towards how Optimus looks like in the film series. The coolest thing about the toy is the voice clip. If you press down on his chest, he would say “I am Optimus Prime.” I have always been a fan of the toys based on the live-action film franchise, and I think Revenge of the Fallen Optimus Prime is the best one.

28 Weird: Shoe Optimus Prime

Never say that Optimus Prime is above selling out, as he clearly has no qualms promoting another company. Apparently, Nike and Hasbro teamed up to create this anomaly. It’s not a bad looking toy; it is just a really weird toy. With that said, it is a kind of toy that no one asked for. Why would anyone want a Transformer that can turn into a shoe? That’s lame. Also, why would anyone want a shoe that can turn into a robot? I don’t think those would be comfortable shoes to wear and walk around with.

27 Best: Windblade (Robots In Disguise)

Due to the fact that I grew up with the Unicron trilogy of Transformers, which were animes, I didn’t like the more western feel that the following TV series took. Even though I no longer follow the series, the newer character named Windblade caught my interest. Possibly because of her Japanese influence, I grew attached to her design. The character has suffered from several pretty mediocre toys, yet at least her Robots in Disguise toy is decent enough for me to bring her up in this list.

26 Weird: Marvel Superheroes

Marvel superheroes are some of the most iconic characters in all of pop culture. There are Marvel characters on clothing, kitchen appliances, bed sheets, and, of course, toys. Mattel was the toy company that did many of the early Marvel superheroes’ toys, though Marvel has been known to make deals with other companies. Apparently one of those companies was with Hasbro, who made a line of Transformer toys based on Marvel heroes. This is not to say that the idea was inherently bad, however, it is still a very strange concept.

25 Best: Megatron (Beast Wars)

One of my earliest memories is me watching the episode “Transmutate” of Beast Wars. The episode is very dark, centering on a disfigured robot whose potential threatened all the other Transformers. It has a very sobering ending and has been something I never truly forgot. Some of the designs from Beast Wars hold up, even though most of the CGI from the show does not. Megatron’s simple yet imposing T-Rex form is one of the more memorable from the series, and it is still one of my favorite in the entire franchise.

24 Weird: Mickey Mouse

Marvel superheroes aren’t the only pop culture icons that got the Transformers treatment. Everyone’s favorite mouse was a Transformer at some point. The Mickey Mouse and Optimus Prime hybrid looks so surreal that it is hard to believe that it was a real toy at some point. Well, it did happen, and you can get your own Mickey Mouse transformer on eBay for about fifty to eighty bucks. The whole idea of Mickey being a giant robot is so odd, especially considering that Mickey is rarely shown as an action-orientated character.

23 Best: Predaking (Transformers Prime Beast Hunters)

I actually do remember the Predaking toy when it was released. Predaking is a major antagonist from the Transformers Prime series, particularly during the Beast Hunters seasons. A Transformer that is able to turn into a dragon, Predaking’s main goal was to revive the evil Predacons. I recall the toy releasing, and many collectors praising it for how cool it looked. It is definitely a solid design and has far more complex details than other Prime toys. It may be more expensive than the average toy; however, it may be the only Prime toy worth getting.

22 Weird: Hound (Age Of Extinction)

I love Hound from the original Transformers TV show. He was a loyal Autobot, who was able to transform into a jeep. He was originally the best friend of the human companion Spike until Bumblebee took over that role. Hound in the Age of Extinction movie is nothing like that. I am all for reinterpretations of classic characters, but Hound in the film sucks. He is a cranky old bot, who somehow has a belly despite being a robot. The toy is really unappealing, and it is sad to see such an unappreciated character get an ugly design.

21 Best: Starscream (Cybertron)

Starscream has always been my favorite Transformer. I love all his portrayals in the TV shows; however, it is Starscream’s portrayal in the Unicron trilogy that I grew to love. There were essentially two different Starscreams in the Unicron trilogy. There was the noble warrior one in Armada, and then there’s the devious Starscream in Cybertron who betrayed his fellow Decepticons and became an all-powerful robot. His King Starscream toy from Cybertron is huge and really expensive. Some fans complain that the toy lacks detail, but in my opinion, it is one of the coolest Starscream toys.

20 Weird: Scalpel (Revenge Of The Fallen)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was a critically panned, yet ludicrously successful Transformers film. I remember liking as a kid, though I remember there was a lot of weird elements to it. There was one Decepticon in particular that felt very out place. Scalpel was a tiny Decepticon that did a lot of espionage work in the film. It was a creepy looking creature in the movie, who bizarrely was able to transform into a magnifying glass. His toy doesn’t look good, diluting his creepy factor in favor for something more bland and weird.

19 Best: Transmetal Dinobot (Beast Wars)

Beast Wars is easily one of the better Transformers lines, and Dinobot was one of the best characters on the TV show. Originally a Predacon, he had a great sense of honor and he grew to be a true hero. He sadly passed away in the second season of the show and was replaced by a clone. This Transmetal Dinobot is one of the cooler looking designs from the Transmetal Beast Wars toys. His chrome coloring and his malevolent grim help sell the fact that he was a completely different character. He is also a Velociraptor, which is always cool.

18 Weird: Sideways (Armada)

The toys of Transformers: Armada are often criticized for being too bulky and lacking detail. While I adore Armada’s toys, even I can’t deny the weirdness of Sideways' aesthetic. Sideways was a double agent for the all-powerful Unicron, and he double-crossed both the Autobots and the Decepticons. His toy reflects that; he has two different faces, each one representing his Autobot or Decepticon façade. It’s a pretty cool concept, one that hasn’t really been replicated since then. That makes Armada Sideways an outlier within the toys, thus making him weird.

17 Best: Optimus Primal (Beast Wars)

The weird thing about Beast Wars was how there was a Megatron, yet no Optimus Prime. Instead of Prime, the show had Optimus Primal, who can transform into a gorilla. Optimus Primal always came across as a less experienced Optimus Prime. Primal was also the first time that Garry Chalk voiced an Optimus character. Chalk will later return for the Unicron Trilogy as Optimus Prime, forever cementing him as my favorite Optimus Prime voice actor. Optimus Prime has had three different forms throughout the series, each one having a very interesting toy. The original is perhaps the best.

16 Weird: Cheetor (Beast Machine)

Beast Machines is a direct sequel to Beast Wars, continuing the adventures of the Predacons and Maximals. Though Beast Wars was already a dark TV show for kids, Beast Machines was even grimmer. Longtime viewers weren’t fans of the darker tone, and even some of the voice actors took issue with how the characters were being portrayed. What’s worse, the toys looked awful. None of the toys look like what they did in the show. Cheetor from Beast Machines is obviously one of the worst ones, with his torso being too skinny and his face too ugly.

15 Best: Devastator (G1)

Combiners is a term used to describe a group of Transformers that can join together to become an even bigger robot. It is essentially Transformers being Voltron. The first combiner, and arguably the best, is the original Devastator. When the six Constructicons fuse, they become the giant Devastator. While the original Devastator toy is fairly primitive compared to more modern toys, it still has a cool factor that is hardly replicated since Devastator’s original release. Season 2 of the original Transformers introduce a lot more combiners; however, none of them beat Devastator for effect or lasting impact in the franchise.

14 Weird: Nightscream (Beast Machines)

To add further proof in how ingrain Transformers is in my DNA, one of my earliest Christmas gifts I ever remember getting was Nightscream from Beast Machines. Nightscream is a Maximal that is able to transform into a bat. At least he supposed to be bat; the toy version of Nightscream was pretty much a giant plastic ball, with wings and a bat head. It doesn’t even match Nightscream’s appearance on the show. I could never really work out how to transform him as a kid, yet I still loved it as a child. It was one of my favorite toys.

13 Best: Megatron (Energon)

Transformers: Energon television show is utter garbage. This is coming from someone who loves that era of Transformers, but Energon was such a hard show to get into at the time. Despite that, Energon does have one of my personal favorite Megatron toys out there. This version of Megatron is redesigned as a jet with the simple and sleek design working very well with his more subdue portrayal in Energon. It looks cooler than imposing, which works fine within the context of who Megatron is in the show. I guess even bad Transformers TV shows can have amazing toys.

12 Weird: Transmetal Rattrap And Megatron (Beast Wars)

In the second season premiere of Beast Wars, several major characters went through a metamorphosis. They gained new bodies, along with new transformations. This was done to tie into the new Transmetal line. Some of these new designs were cool, like the before mention Transmetal Dinobot. However, a lot of them were still really weird, as a lot the designs included stuff like wheels and surfboards. Megatron and Rattrap’s Transmetal forms were probably the strangest, as they essentially became a roller-blading T-Rex and a mini-Ratmobile.

11 Best: Optimus Prime (Cybertron)

The Unicron Trilogy, which was rushed, is often criticized by older fans. The Unicron Trilogy toys were also not very popular among older fans, however, the Cybertron version of Optimus Prime has proven to be one of the exceptions. In general, Transformers: Cybertron is the most well received of the three Unicron Trilogy series. The Cybertron Optimus Prime was a pretty impressive toy for the time. It was big, elaborate, and wonderfully painted. The red and blue pop on the toy, and is one of the best Optimus Prime designs out there.