For the Autobots - My favourite character is Grimlock, it’s such a cool thing to have a transforming robot T Rex and that immediately made me like the character from G1 cartoon and the Fall of Cybertron game.
For tbe Decepticons - Brawl of the combaticons, I really like tanks and this character was drawn to me with his rugged, battle tested design in the games and films. Oh and the fact he turns into a friggin’ tank.
Who more than meets the eye for you from each side?
Go!
I’m a huge Transformers nerd, grew up with the G1 cartoons and comics, have read all the IDW series comics, own several action figures, etc etc (but hate the Bayverse movies), so this is hard to pick just 2, because I like so many of the characters for different reasons, but:
Autobots - Ratchet. The older I get, the more I identify with him.
Decepticons - Ravage. He was my favorite when I was a kid because he was a Transformer AND a cat, which was just the coolest thing ever to me. I still have a G1 Ravage figure that turns into a cassette tape.
I loved soundwave as a kid, mostly because of his voice in the original cartoon.
As for toys that I had, the Devestator set was fun.
My fave autobot toy was metroplex.
War dog. Something about a grizzled adrenaline junkie is cool, with the firepower to lay down some hate.
Shockwave. Something about a highly intelligent scientist and senior combatant is super cool.
It is a coincidence they are both tanks
Character - Optimus Prime & Megatron
Toys - Fortress Maximus , I always wanted that toy. I just thought it would be cool to make multiple robots into one.
And
Shockwave , I just like the design of the robot and the fun modes
For both toys I’m talking about the original version. Not remakes or re releases
For Decepticons it’s the original Soundwave. I love the voice, the mono lense eye, the cassette minions he spawns, the fact he turns into a boombox instead of a military vehicle is baller.
For Autobots I’m going to cheat and pick Dinobot the Maximal from the old Beast Wars cartoon. I liked the redemption arc, his noble warrior personality, his weird spinning tail weapon, and the fact his raptor form is “generic dinosaur” in my head.
Beast Wars is my GOAT Transformer series. I figured it was nostalgia, but I rewatched during the pandemic and it honestly held up better than I remember. Even the weird early digital animation is impressive in context. So many interesting characters and motivations, too. And the sweetest extra on top is Megatron’s dialogue. Yeeeeess!
I was so invested in that show’s ongoing plot as a kid. The writers put a lot more thought into it than they needed to. And the voice actors were all awesome, especially Megatron.
This really depends on which version we’re talking about. Transformers as a franchise is rather inconsistent… This is my love hate franchise, I’m either all in or I absolutely hate it.
I think across most iterations I’m going to say Optimus Prime, Jetfire, and Megatron are characters I usually like.
But one of my favorite characters is Starscream from Transformers Prime, he is absolutely hilarious if you haven’t seen the show. Loved it. Typically Starscream is one of my least liked characters everywhere else.
The comics have a lot of variety in their art, I like Don Figueroa’s Jetfire a lot ( https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c7/48/46/c7484659f119f6f9a27bfbb6e2332291.jpg ) and the majority of Alex Milne and Nick Roche’s designs.
Hell yes, TFP Starscream is so over the top. At first I was like WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO HIM but the more you watch the series, the more hilarious he becomes. TFP was so great on so many levels.
Alex Milne is my favorite artist in the IDW comics. My partner got a commission from him of Fortress Maximus for my birthday one year and it’s like my most prized possession ever, his work is so intricate and amazing.
That commission sounds epic!
I’m super-out of date, so talking about the originals here.
For the Decepticons, I have to go with Devastator / the Constructicons. Something about “We build for EviL” is just so cartoon villian-y that I’ve always loved them. Plus, neon green & purple.
For the Autobots - my first transformers ever were Gears and Cliffjumper - two relative no-name minis, but they have a special place in my heart.
Yeah, but OG Cliffjumper (I’m sure you probably remember) was voiced by the legendary Casey Kasem, which is really cool. Like…this battlefield is freakin me out, I gotta transform and roll out, Scoob!