Hasbro went all out this past weekend at Toy Fair 2019, showing off the entire fall line of Transformers figures and adding the more collector-focused War for Cybertron figures to Hasbro Pulse for preorder.

So which ones should you get right now, and which ones should you let chill for when there’s a sale (or maybe avoid altogether)?

The Best

These were the figures we were waiting for and that didn’t disappoint.

War for Cybertron Omega Supreme

Worth turning your back bedroom into a dedicated display area. (Image: Hasbro)

The on-the-floor shots of Omega Supreme revealed a towering masterpiece of a figure that’s also one of the best-updated homages to a G1 toy that I’ve ever seen. He’s a parts-former (just like the original), but has impressive upgrades like hidden missile compartments, an actual base mode, a transport bay in the tank, and “I can’t believe it’s not an LED” light-piping in his head. Seeing Omega Supreme next to the rest of the War for Cybertron Transformers confirmed that this giant, 2-foot-tall figure will be able to fulfill the role of “rocket base” much more satisfyingly than his G1 counterpart ever did.

You’ll likely never see Omega Supreme in stores. The only place I ever saw Titan class Transformers at retail was at Toys-R-Us and then at Ollie’s after they bought TRU’s remaining inventory. Giant toys are expensive and take up an inordinate amount of shelf space. Retailers can fit quadruple the amount of Leader-class Transformers in the box space of one Titan class. Plus, they make more from four $50 figures than one $160 figure (who also sells at a slower rate). If you want Omega Supreme, make sure you track him down online.

War for Cybertron Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime

Putting out space fires is the right of all sentient beings. (Image: Hasbro)

Oft-rumored, Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime is going to be the best space fire truck on your shelf. With an alt-mode that’s infinitely more interesting than “armored car carrier” and a super mode that’s recalls bits of the best Japanese Transformers, he’s going to disappear from shelves. His wave will also be released alongside Leader Shockwave (who everyone already owns), so expect to see lots of bottom shelves full of his purple case-mate and zero Optimuses (Optimi?). You can pick him up over on Hasbro Pulse.

War for Cybertron Jetfire

You didn’t think it could get better. You were wrong. (Image: Hasbro)

Jetfire had the most surprises for us at Toy Fair this past weekend. I don’t know if it’s because this is Hasbro’s first Commander-class figure or if this will be the standard for this size class going forward, but in addition to being astonishingly G1 accurate, he’s got some neat hidden features.

To recreate his changing allegiances in the original cartoon (before he realized Starscream is a self-serving jerk, Jetfire was briefly a Decepticon) his chest symbol actually rotates so that he can be either a Decepticon or Autobot! The other surprise is that his hands contain hidden pegs for his weapons that are revealed only when you close them into fists. His armor is its own drone vehicle and there are handholds on the bottom of his alt mode so that he can serve as a dropship. He’s also reportedly a very heavy figure, so I’d recommend grabbing a preorder from Hasbro Pulse while they still have free shipping.

War for Cybertron Springer

Also known as Arcee’s forgotten boyfriend. (Image: Hasbro)

I absolutely love the Generations “Thrilling 30” Springer that came out a few years back. It’s a great upgrade on the original character. But War for Cybertron’s Springer is something else. Much like Jetfire, he’s impressively G1-styled. Both alt modes sport the same boxy front end of the original toy, but the bot mode is fully detailed and articulated in ways that we could only dream of 35 years ago. Springer does what the best modern Transformers do, create figures that are pulled from our memories of how we imagined our old toys to be rather than slavishly recreating what they were. Preorder him here.

Studio Series Voyager Optimus Prime

The closest you’ll get to a “realistic” 80’s Optimus outside of a $200 Masterpiece figure. (Image: Hasbro)

Only seen briefly in the Bumblebee movie, the G1-styled Optimus Prime is exactly the Prime that we were hoping for before Michael Bay took our dreams and made us watch as he ran them through a shredder fueled by sophomoric humor, sub-par writing, and general “nerd disdain.” With Bumblebee officially rebooting the live-action movie universe, we’ll be seeing a lot more of ol’ Peterbilt Prime, but maybe in a more modern form? A bonus is that this is from the excellent Studio Series, which sports detailed decos (check out Prime’s chrome faceplate!) and movie-accurate heights. On the off chance this is the only time we get a “movie detailed” G1 Optimus Prime, I’d make sure you preorder yours as soon as possible.

Cyberverse Ark Power Optimus Prime

The third Optimus on this list and also the one you’ll unapologetically play with. (Image: Hasbro)

When I was taking notes over Toy Fair weekend and saw Ark Power Optimus Prime, I scribbled “bestest most funnest Prime ever.” Y’know what? I’m sticking to that. While the smaller Spark Armor Optimus has a really cool combination and fun military jet drone (think of if Leader-1 from the Gobots combined with Optimus Prime), Ark Power wins out as best Optimus Prime of the wave, if only by benefit of this being the first time we’ve ever seen the Autobot’s G1 spaceship in toy form! It’s surprising to see it in a toy line that’s dedicated itself more to fun rather than satisfying old school fans. At the same time, it makes for awesome armor and is a deserving pinnacle for the parts-forming armor drones of the fall Cyberverse line (most of which is awesome).

Cyberverse Ultimate Grimlock

Me Grimlock have scissor tail! (Image: Hasbro)

Interestingly, we don’t get an armored-up version of Grimlock in the fall Cyberverse wave. Even better, we get a giant-sized Grimlock who’s even more faithful to his show model, while still retaining a spring-loaded play feature in his tail. Besides, the standard rule for all Transfomers lists is “if you can include a robot T-rex, include a robot T-rex.”

Cyberverse Spark Armor Skybyte

Ask not for whom the shark drills. He drills for thee. (Image: Hasbro)

Rounding out the “must buy” portion of our list is Skybyte. A truly goofy character from Robots in Disguise, this roboshark has been a fan-favorite since his debut. A Decepticon with the heart of a poet, his fearsome alt-mode has always been in conflict with his less-than-bloodthirsty nature. His drone armor also color-coordinates nicely, which is oddly not the case for every figure in this wave (as demonstrated by Starscream’s unfortunate bulldozer armor).

The Worst

While I’d like to think that every Transformers toy has its perks, the sad fact is some of them are hard for even the most ardent Transformers fan to love.

Cyberverse Spark Armor Bumblebee

Megatron’s got the right idea. Bumblebee? Not so much. (Image: Hasbro)

While some Cyberverse figures get well-integrated drones that work well with their overall scheme (as demonstrated by Megatron), there are also some truly odd combinations. The worst example of this is poor Bumblebee who looks like he got bored, split a destroyer in half and taped it to his arms. I do appreciate that the armor gives him a “hydro mask” head (reminiscent of an unused design from Transformers: Animated), but the rest of the armor is a bolted-on mess.

Cyberverse 1-Step Shockwave

I dun stepped on a horny toad! (Image: Hasbro)

I often find it unfair to look down on 1-step Transformers. They’re simpler, distilled versions of the entire toy line, after all. It’s auto-transforming for the youngest fans who don’t really care if a toy is slavishly show-accurate or has 52 rotating panels. But in the case of 1-step Shockwave, I have to make an exception. Sure, his bot mode looks good but what on Cybertron’s moon is his alt-mode supposed to be? I’m assuming “spaceship” or “space tank” because when designers get lazy, that’s what they usually punt to. For me, however, I’m going to say “smashed purple frog.” Say no to the smashed purple frog-Former. If your child wants a 1-step, get the much better 1-Step Sky Byte instead.

War for Cybertron Chromia

Needlessly dull. (Image: Hasbro)

I love that we’re finally getting female Transformers on a regular basis, but I’m dismayed that so little design effort is going into keeping them interesting. Case in point is Chromia. Despite not being able to combine, her design is clearly pulled from Power of the Primes Moonracer and Novastar. So she’s a long, skinny car who looks like she should be a combiner limb (but isn’t) and adheres to the svelte bot-mode of most modern “fembots.” I’m not saying make fewer female Transformers. We actually need a lot more, in my opinion. But making them cookie-cutter clones does everyone a disservice.