Just in terms of pure news and reveals, 2013’s BOTCON was one of the better ones in recent memory. If there was ever any fear that the Transformers 30th anniversary was going to pass with a whimper, those fears were eviscerated this past weekend as Hasbro showed us what they have in store for the rest of 2013 and 2014. So many of the upcoming figures that were revealed have been long-time fan-demanded figures, and that alone made many of the reveals particularly exciting. Titan-class Metroplex hasn’t even hit yet, but he already feels like old news in light of what we saw, and that is really saying something. So much good stuff! There was nary a head-scratcher among the reveals, and I think the below image succinctly sums up the reaction many fans had:
With so many great reveals this past weekend, were there any that really stood out? You bet there was! It’s no easy task, but this is just one attempt at distilling a top-5 list from that big ol’ pile of awesome:
#5 Deluxe-Class Skids
Skids is finally getting his day, and it really feels like a hell of a long time coming. He was barely featured in the G1 cartoon, and his original G1 figure was one of the harder ones to find, so, aside from a curious release in the Alternators line, Skids has never received all that much attention. To rephrase that, the *real* Skids has never really received all that much attention. This character has nothing to do with that unfortunate mess of the same name from the second Michael Bay Transformers movie — that one is best forgotten. Thank Primus James Roberts has featured the real Skids so prominently in the wonderful More Than Meets the Eye IDW series, otherwise Skids may have ended up a long-forgotten character, or worse, remembered only as that green thing from Revenge of the Fallen.
The alt-mode is a bit of a departure from the G1 minivan, but this is his IDW interpretation, so he has been updated a bit.
#4.Voyager-Class Whirl
OK, Hasbro did not actually unveil their forthcoming voyager-class Whirl along with all the others, but the mere mention of him in the presentation was enough to send fans in a tizzy. Whirl has been a character fans have wanted for quite a while, mainly due to this ties to the Wreckers, and, again, James Roberts’ awesome characterization of him in More Than Meets the Eye. And it’s a safe bet that the Whirl we’re getting is going to be based on his portrayal in the comic since the original G1 design is one of those dubious who-the-heck-owns-the-rights messes that have kept him off toy shelves for so long. And that works because, these days, anything associated with, or based on, the current IDW comics are a sure-fire hit.
What’s ironic is there’s a Generations deluxe-class Whirl that is just making its way out right now, but the news of the voyager has nuked just about any interest that deluxe figure may have commanded. But, to be fair, that deluxe figure is a pretty lame repaint in odd colors, so it’s really only “Whirl” in name. Safe money is on the voyager’s ultimate reveal blowing it out of the water, easily.
#3 Legends-Class Swerve
The IDW Train just keeps a’ rollin’! Swerve is another fan-favorite from IDW’s More Than Meets the Eye, and this figure looks to be about as true to the source material as one could hope for. It even seems to trump iGear’s “Veer” (their not-Swerve) in terms of capturing the spirit of the character. To be fair, iGear’s Veer is meant to emulate a G1 Swerve more than an IDW Swerve, but both of their basic design elements are very similar, so a comparison is inevitable. The only thing that seems to be missing here is an accessory that identifies him as the Lost Light’s resident barkeep.
Swerve’s alt-mode looks to be a nice upgrade of the G1 toy, and let’s cross all our fingers and all our toes for the (hopefully) inevitable Gears repaint.
#2 Deluxe-Class Waspinator
Now we’re talking. As good as everything has been so far, this is where it gets really good. All the IDW love has been awesome to see, but Beast Wars updates? GOOD Beast Wars updates? Hasbro just spiked the football in the end zone at the buzzer. Just look at Waspinator — he’s nearly perfect. The Beast Wars 10th Anniversary and Takara Telemocha versions were often thought to be the best Waspinator figures we could ever hope to get, but this? This absolutely destroys those two in terms of screen-accuracy. I guess winning the Hall of Fame fan-poll a couple years ago finally paid off! 
Both modes look to be superb. And since Waspinator has been spotted among the Insecticon ranks in the current IDW comics, he’s going to fit nicely in both a Beast Wars display and an IDW display. In fact, his new IDW ties may explain the robotic nature of his alt-mode.
And just when it looks as though things couldn’t possible get any better, things got better:
#1 Voyager-Class Rhinox
Rhinox. Beast Wars Rhinox. In a voyager scale. Does any more really need to be said? Beast Wars fans have been waiting a long time to see this beloved character produced in a capacity that at least resembled the character on the show. All previous versions of the character were… off, to say the least. This figure, however, looks to be a revelation, and one that’s long overdue. Months ago Hasbro said they had a Beast Wars update coming that would inspire tears of joy, but then they showed us a Beast Wars Megatron that was a repaint of Fall of Cybertron Grimlock. That didn’t inspire “tears of joy,” but this Rhinox? This does.
Both modes look simply outstanding, so all we can do is now is hope the final product lives up to these promotional images. Fingers crossed!
Hasbro really knocked several balls out of the bark this year, and fans really have a lot to be excited about and a lot to look forward to. These were just a few of the reveals from BotCon, but there were many more. Let us know what you think of these upcoming figures and what your own personal favorites from the show are by joining the discussion below or on the Fwoosh forums!