Bot Reviews: Transformers: Cyberworld Cyber Changers Wave 1 (plus Mirage)

Hey, remember how two reviews ago, I said that as a media-first kind of Transformers fan, if I don’t like the media, then I don’t want the bots from it? Well, the opposite has happened. I really like Cyberworld, and it made me want some of the bots from it. It’s funny, because this is how Transformers as a franchise is supposed to work (and did work, for decades). They make a show or a comic, and it sells you on the merch. But for a long time now, there’s been a big disconnect between the media and the merchandise. You’ve got Age of the Primes selling us characters with no stories behind them, while you’ve got movies and shows that have toylines that are incredibly out of sync with what’s on the screen ( i.e. Transformers One came out in summer 2024, and we’re only just now seeing Studio Series Elita-One make it to market). But not so with Cyberworld! Nearly everything that’s on shelves is onscreen.

Cyberworld, which, by the way, is free to watch right here on YouTube, is about a large group of Transformers who have seemingly been teleported to a mysterious, empty world, full of different environments (water, desert, city, etc.), with amnesia about how they even got there. There are random “drops” of Energon and weapons scattered across this world, but more strangely, mysterious zones containing “challenges,” where a computer voice tells them to break the targets, or win a race, or complete some other game, for more Energon, or other rewards. The focus of the story, aside from the challenges, is mostly about our heroes solving the mystery of how they got there, and how to escape, while forming and breaking alliances with the other heroes and villains that they come across. 

The thing is that I don’t think anyone, including myself, expected Cyberworld to actually be good. It’s a series of short 5-minute direct-to-Youtube CGI mini-episodes, with an obvious video gaming theme, to appeal to the kids. The last time they did that (a bunch of Transformers One stop motion shorts), it was pure slop, just completely nothing. And yet, this show somehow works.  It helps that it’s got an actual good story, with real character writing, though the characters love to quote memes. But in a funny way, where you can tell the writers get it, instead of Earthspark’s “hello fellow kids” kind of dialogue. 

The accompanying toyline is also interesting, for a completely different reason: It’s designed to be cheap, simple fun, without entering the Rescue Bots zone of gimmick toys for toddlers. You’ll remember that I got really into Hasbro’s Epic World of Action toyline, specifically its Spider-Man imprint, because each normal action figure was under ten dollars, and surprisingly well-made for the price. Cyberworld feels like an attempt by Hasbro to apply this idea to Transformers, and frankly, I’m here for it. Let’s be honest: The prices of mainline Age of the Primes and Studio Series Transformers are climbing, between inflation and tariffs, and they’re only going to get worse. Frankly, a toyline that doesn’t break the bank is a welcome change, even without considering the “I like the show” angle. But are they good? Well, I picked up the entire first wave of Cyber Changers, their smallest price point, so let’s find out.

About Cyber Changers in General

There’s enough common features between the entire first wave that I thought I’d cover some of the bases right here. Firstly, another big reason the whole line invites comparisons to Epic World of Action is because they’re the same size as those figures: Four inches tall in robot mode, give or take a tiny amount depending on the bot.

For the non-scale-brained (that’s me), that puts them at the same size as your average smaller Star Wars, G.I. Joe, or ReAction figure. These bots are a lot wider and bulkier than the Humanoids of the Spider-Verse, though. They also, sadly, cost a bit more. One of the appeals of the Epic World stuff is that you can get the basic figures for about $10 Canadian after tax, depending on where you get them. These Cyber Changers ran me $14.97 at Wal-Mart, before taxes. Still pretty cheap, but not the same price point.

Another big point of contention the Cyber Changers all share is their articulation, or lack thereof. See, the Epic World guys are surprisingly bendable, with 9 points of articulation, mostly universal joints. The Cyber Changers, on the other hand, are all under-articulated, and with a couple of exceptions, only have the following robot mode joints: Ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed hips, and swivel knees. So, yes, they lack elbows, head swivels, and waist joints. Still, they’re not bricks, at least, though I’d be lying if I said their lack of jointage didn’t bother me.  Honestly, if they had elbows, they’d feel a lot more complete, and if they had any kind of head articulation, I’d also gripe a bit less.

When it comes to features, each of them also includes some sort of auto-transformation gimmick, where moving a part of them during transformation makes another step automatically happen. Back during the 2007 movie toyline, they called this gimmick “automorph,” so that’s what I’m going to call it here. It’s a neat feature, and unlike One-Step Changers and their ilk, it doesn’t define the entire figure. For other features, while most of these Cyber Changers don’t have any accessories, they’re all covered in 5-millimeter ports, a curious decision, since it seems like the idea is for collectors like myself to arm them up with accessories from mainline figures. Finally, generally, across the board, the handfeel on these guys is solid, sturdy, and good. They’re not made of cheap plastic, they’re not too fragile, and all the joints are tight. Now, let’s get into the particulars of each character:

Optimus Prime

Our initial protagonist and POV character for the show, Optimus Prime has only just arrived in the Cyberworld, and is very much on the backfoot when it comes to figuring out how things work, and what’s going on, despite technically being the leader. He’s also written as a lot more of a deadpan snarker than he typically is, in a way that makes me think of the Transformers One version of the character. 

When it comes to the figure, I appreciate that this sculpt, like the rest of the line, is pretty accurate to his appearance on the show, give or take a couple tiny details (his smokestacks having chunks missing from them, for example). This isn’t a gimmick toy loosely evoking the guy, this is the main toy of the guy. I’ll just go ahead and add that out of all the robot mode sculpts, this one is my favorite. It’s recognizably Optimus, and is a similar-but-different take on the design. Between his generally bulky look, and details like his mono-window chest, he makes me think of a version of Optimus from the Unicron Trilogy of the 2000s, where he was often chunkier in design.

He’s got a bit of a backpack made of truck roof, and truck windows hanging off the backs of his arms as altmode kibble, but it feels characterful, instead of a flaw. I’d say the only bad bit of the design is how hollow the backs of his lower legs are, when they’re not even used for transformation. Uptop, he’s also got a really great Optimus headsculpt, one that makes me think of Laser Optimus Prime from Generation 2, for whatever reason. 

The colors are an area where, if you’re considering screen-accuracy, they definitely cheapened out, since he’s missing a lot of deco he has on the show, like Autobot symbols on his arms.  But, taking him on his own, what’s here manages to look nice and complete. He’s got bright red, white, black and dark blue plastic colors, with more shades of blue for some paint hits, and some tasteful metallic silver on his stomach and mouthplate, as well as a white Autobrand on his backpack. It’s very bright, and very pleasant. 

Optimus has an odd little addition to the standard articulation suite this bunch all has: He’s got a waist swivel in addition to the other 6 joints. I’m not even sure why he gets one, since it’s not needed for the transformation. I guess he just gets a little extra because he’s the leader, and it does add a certain something. When it comes to other features, though, all he’s got are 5-millimeter fists, and two more ports on his back. He uses an axe a lot on the show, so I’m a little bummed he doesn’t come with it, honestly. 

For his transformation, you flip his chest windows upwards, which activates an automorph that makes his head automatically fold away, and starts dropping his backpack down.

After that, you fold his arms forwards, and flop him onto his belly. Weirdly, the instructions neglect to finish the transformation, and I had to figure out myself that you needed to bend his legs forwards a bit, and plug a couple ligatures on the backs of his thighs into a hitch, to keep them stable.

Still, it’s a really fun, fluid, satisfying set of steps to do, and it’s even more fun going back into robot mode, because moving his backpack into place automatically drops his chestplate down, and reveals his head.

“To robot mode” is where you want him to be, though, because this vehicle mode is…noteably unfinished-looking. It’s really clearly just a humanoid figure on his stomache, arms in front of him, with a hidden head. His fists are just out there, the shapes of his body are just out there, it’s not great. It manages to feel less cohesive than the Transformers One Studio Series version’s altmode, though I suppose you could also pass this off as a Cybertronian altmode that doesn’t need to look believable.

I’ll note that on the show, they revised the design a lot to make him look more like a truck, so it can’t even claim media accuracy. Prime’s also kind of underpainted in this form, largely due to the truck grill just being blank red. It’s not the same one as the robot mode, or it could have been silver. I do appreciate the painted headlights, though, and the fact that his windows actually are his ones from robot mode. 

He also rolls along just fine on his four wheels, even if they’re the cheaper mushroom-pegged variety. Plus, the lone 5-millimeter port on his roof is particularly good for weaponizing. I just wish the entire altmode looked better!

Overall

It really feels like each of these Cyber Changers has limited points that they allocate to make aspects of them good, and Optimus squarely poured them all into his robot mode and transformation, at the expense of his vehicle mode being anything but a man on wheels.

It’s a shame, because the bits of him that are good are really good. So, if the altmode doesn’t matter to you, or you actually like it, I can recommend him, but fully 1/3rd of the experience here’s a miss, in my books.

Megatron

Cyberworld initially plays with the idea of Megatron using this new world as a fresh start, a place to be less evil, before quickly deciding that, no, he’s still an arch-villain, gathering power and followers as he goes. But even if his character isn’t unique, his design is. In fact, he’s a good example of a common thing for this toyline, radically re-inventing character designs. 

In Megatron’s case, he now changes into a mechanical bull (no, not that kind). And yeah, it’s a whole different body plan for him, with three entire sets of horns on his body, a beast head on his chest, and an oddly leggy physique that I somehow still read as “buff bruiser.” At the same time, they did manage to give him a headsculpt that still reads as G1 Megatron. He’s got horns, but they’re over the traditional Megs helmet and face, though he might actually have a moustache?

The show doesn’t give him one, but the sculpting seems to suggest one. I also think the shapes of his lower legs suggest the traditional G1 Megatron silhouette. Overall, it’s different but familiar in a good way, and while he’s not as stunning as Optimus, he’s a lot more inventive. A shame he’s got a bunch of hollow areas from the back, though his lower legs do need the space to transform. 

His colors are similarly non-traditional, mostly dark blue and light gray, with a bunch of lovely gold accents across him, plus red for both sets of eyes. My copy’s got the gold paint on the bull’s nose sloppily applied, but every copy of him I found on the pegs had it, so I guess we’re stuck with that. At least his robot mode face turned out well! 

Megatron has the normal limited articulation for this toyline, but does have an extra feature: An actual weapon accessory. On the other hand, I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be.

There’s an axe-head shape on it, but the bit you’d think would be the handle is actually a long, curved blade, with the handle being at the “top” of the axe, so you get this kinda…odd bladed sword-shield-axe thing? What is it? How does it work?

The show just gives it a proper long handle, making it into more of a straightforward axe.

At least he’s got an accessory, though. He’s also got two 5-millimeter ports in his forearms, and one on his back, though, funny enough, the shape of his weapon’s handle means it can’t actually fit in anything but his hands. 

Megatron’s automorph feature involves pushing his torso forwards, which folds the whole thing down into a horizontal shape, while folding away his robot head.

From there, you fold his legs at the knees to cut them to half-size, plug them and his arms into place, and put the weapon into some grooves at his butt (hah) to make a tail. 

This robotic bull mode is technically more cohesive and finished-looking than Prime’s truck mode, but I think it’s partially getting by on the fact that as a mechanical animal, it’s less important that he looks like a specific thing.

There’s sculpting on his robot fists that kind of suggests hooves when viewed from the side, but they’re not doing a great job of not looking like fists, and his back legs are plainly just folded robot legs. Plus, you can see the back of his robot head from above! Still, I don’t dislike it, and the image of this guy knuckle-walking when he rushes at you actively adds to it, I think. 

Technically, he has no articulation in this mode, with all four of his limbs plugged into his body. However, you can always unpeg his forelimbs, to use his shoulder articulation, for what it’s worth.

For other features, you’ve still got three useable 5-millimeter ports.

Overall

Y’know, this guy’s technically better than Optimus, with a more cohesive altmode, and an actual accessory, and the fact that he’s an original take on the character also counts for a lot. That being said, I still think I like Optimus better. If we’re distributing points based on modes and transformation, this guy’s better altmode definitely comes at the cost of his transformation and robot mode being a bit less interesting.

Still, while I like Optimus better, I’ve got to acknowledge that Megatron’s objectively the better-designed bot.

Snarl

This one’s a pretty pure case of “the show sold the character to me,” because Cyberworld made Snarl interesting for the first time ever. His role is Grimlock’s travelling companion, the calmer, strategic brains of the operation, or a squire to Grimlock’s knight. But his personality, for some reason is “shonen anime character?” “Smug anime glasses guy?” “I studied the blade?” Something like that. He’s melodramatic, he narrates fights with a blurry background behind him, he’s a bit zen and philosophical, and he Naruto Runs a few times. I don’t know *why* they settled on this personality, but it’s weirdly fun.

So, it’s kind of odd that the figure’s actual design is “what if Snarl were also a Junkion,” something the show doesn’t really use. He’s got asymmetrical detailing on his shoulders and thighs, alternating between spikes and pipes, and generally matches the aesthetic of the Trash TV Talkers from the 80’s movie, though he’s also got beastformer elements in the form of his dino-head-chest and spikes on his back.

Uptop, they gave his headsculpt some personality, between his red visor, and a curled mouth that seems to be going “hmph.”

It’s his colors that really sell the Junkion homage, though. He’s cast in light brown, gray, and bright orange, with some more yellow, red, and silver added via the paint job. More than Optimus or Megatron, this really feels like the guy from the show, despite missing some paint detailing. His one weakness is that he’s even more hollow from the back than Megatron, though. 

Snarl’s got the standard Cyber Changer articulation, and like Megatron, actually comes with an accessory.

It’s his dino tail, painted in solid silver, serving as a club…sword…spikey thing.

The show pretends it’s more of a sword than it is. It also really only looks good from one side, due to the hollowness of it. Aside from his fists, he’s got four more 5-millimeter ports on him, two on his forearms, and two on his back, and his sword can actually fit in all of them, though it’s not really angled for it.

Snarl might not share any parts with Megatron, but his transformation scheme, and automorph, are exactly the same, with just the extra step of flipping his dorsal fins up into place. 

Snarl’s robotic Stegasaurus mode is technically a bit better-looking than Megatron’s, since the sculpting on all four of his feet registers a bit more as dino feet, and his robot head is hidden slightly better, but it’s still clearly a folded up guy pretending to be a dino.

I think the Junkion aesthetic also helps sell it more as a cobbled-together creature. Plus, he’s got an oddly adorable headsculpt.

Like the Mega-bull, his limbs are all technically immobile, but you can just pop out his forelegs. He’s also still got three accessible 5-millimeter ports, though you need to move the spines on his back to get at one.

He does have one tiny extra feature that elevates him, though: His mouth can open on his Stego-head, and honestly, that adds a lot in my books. 

Overall

Snarl’s a good one. He basically does everything Megatron does, but executes it all more competently, and with a better sense of personality. Plus, I like the character, and that counts for something.

This is one where I don’t feel like he’s got any obvious points that were weakened to make other things better, he’s generally pretty well-executed across the board, aside from the budget crunch elements inherent in all the Cyber Changers. Still, if you’re only going to get one, I’d say this is the one to get. Plus, if the larger Grimlock figure they’re doing interests you, he makes a good partner for him.

Sky-Byte

This shark’s the one character that I feel like the show’s writing has let down a little bit. See, when Sky-Byte first appeared in the 2001 Robots in Disguise anime, he was an amusing warrior-poet, desperate for Megatron’s approval, quoting haikus as he bumbled through plans. That’s why he’s a fan-favorite. But Cyberworld kind of just writes him as a generic snarling bad guy, with none of the idiosyncrasies that first endeared him to fans. 

I think his writing really sticks out because the sculpt on him is trying really hard to just look like the original Robots in Disguise design, but simplified. Granted, he’s got a shark-head-chest now instead of his shoulderpads, and he’s got wheels on his legs and armpits, but the rest of him scans as the Guy from the Old Anime, between the claw-arm, the long legs, and the excellent headsculpt, with its big, wide snarl, and shark fin hat.

Same goes for the colors, mostly yellow, light gray, and dark blue, with some light blue and red added via paint. It’s a different layout than the original, but it looks like him at a glance. And it’s only his lower legs that are hollow from the back! 

Sky-Byte’s got a unique build quality problem, though: His torso doesn’t lock in, and his shark head just freely flips upwards when you handle it, or worse, if you pose his shoulders without putting a finger on the shark head to hold it down. It feels like the ligature on his back that his head’s attached to should maybe be able to move in a bit more (and therefore secure the torso better), but the sculpting doesn’t seem to allow for it. 

For articulation, Sky Byte’s mostly got the same six joints as the rest of the line, but with a slight enhancement: His knees are also on ball joints, instead of swivels, meaning he’s got a little bit more leg articulation, which is nice.

He’s also another one that’s actually got an accessory! The tail-claw on his left arm is able to spin, because it’s on a 5-millimeter peg, and you can just pop it off.

He can hold it in his hand, or you can peg it into one of the six (!) other ports across his arms and back. Plus, the claw itself has a port right in the middle of it.

It really feels like they added an extra layer of Weaponizing to him. It’s funny that one of those ports is on the back of his head, though. He traded brains for more room for guns. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t do poetry anymore.

Sky-Byte’s transformation’s also pretty unique: Peg the legs together, and rotate the shark head up, with the automorph making his robot head fold away. From there, flip back his arms to make the shark torso, and peg his robot legs into his body. But here’s his other major point of weakness: This is a fiddly transformation. The way his legs peg into each other, and then into his shark torso, need to be precise, in order for everything to line up and fit together.

I actually find myself taking my time, and doing some panel-massaging to make it all work.

The point of these guys is supposed to be quick transformations, and this one’s is too fiddly to be fast. Plus, if these toys are being aimed at the under-10 crowd, I think they’d have a bad time with this one. 

That said, the result is fantastic: A robotic shark, with four big wheels attached to him, so he can roll.

This is either based on a specific gag from the Robots in Disguise anime, where Sky-Byte turned himself into a race car in a similar manner, or a sly homage to the Hot Wheels Sharkruiser car.

Either way, it’s goofy in a really endearing way. I particularly appreciate that the wheels are full, realistic “tires and hubcaps” type designs, and the little detail of him having headlights on top of the shark head. Plus, this is one of the few Cyber Changers that doesn’t immediately scan as a folded-up person in altmode

Sky-Byte’s colors are largely the same in this mode, with the caveat that I got a QC problem involving a little smeared yellow, and the bonus of the fact that his black tires have properly painted silver hubcaps, something even Optimus didn’t have. And if you can get him all pegged together during his transformation, he at least holds together very well.

The big feature is how well he rolls, though. These wheels are pinned in with metal, and he glides as smoothly along any surface as a Hot Wheels car, outclassing Optimus’s tires. It’s a simple gimmick, but it works really well. Meanwhile, Sky-Byte’s tail is stuck in place due to his feet wrapping around it, but he’s still got five different weaponizer ports that he can access.

Overall

I keep hearing that Sky-Byte is the best one to get out of this whole wave, but in hand, I wouldn’t call him the best of the bunch. Conceptually, he’s excellent, and the shark-car thing is great. But he’s got two problems that no other figure in this wave has: A floppy robot mode torso, and a transformation involving fiddly little pegs. He’s the one guy here where the execution is lacking, where they took points out of “build quality” to make the rest of him work.

So, he’s not bad, but I think Snarl definitely outclasses him on most fronts, even if Sky-Byte wins on style.

Mirage

Mirage is another character the show did something interesting with, portraying him as a Decepticon gun-for-hire who’s not totally certain of the cause, and who works with the Autobots when he thinks they can get him out of Cyberworld. But he’s still allied with Megatron out of fear, and spends a lot of time nervously trying not to get scrapped.

Also, he’s got the hologram powers of his Rise of the Beasts counterpart.

Funny enough, the toy’s branded as an Autobot, despite his allegiance on the show. He’s also a Wal-Mart exclusive here in Canada, and I’ve heard he can be hard to get in some places, though I’ve seen plenty of him locally

The big twist with Cyberworld Mirage is that he’s a jetformer this time around, instead of a formula-one racer. And if you’ve handled any jetformers in the past 30 years, you know the body plan. Wings on back, cockpit on chest, tailfins on feet. Beyond the character choice, they aren’t reinventing the wheel. The large, curved wings on his back do noticeably give him a larger silhouette than anyone else in this wave, though.

Funny enough, he’s got an extremely G1-looking Mirage headsculpt on top, curved, sideburns-having helmet and all. I’m not sure what to make of his facial expression, though. Pensive? A bit annoyed? Trying not to look nervous? It’s fascinating either way.

For colors, he’s very traditionally Mirage: White, light blue, and a bit of red, black and silver. It’s funny how well this colorscheme maps to a flying character. For build quality and features, he’s got the typical Cyber Changer articulation, three 5-millimeter pegs, between his forearms and back, and no accessories. 

Mirage’s transformation’s also the exact same jetformer one we’ve seen since at least the Cyberjets in the 90s: Flip the cockpit over the head, and peg in the arms and legs.

The automorph’s pretty basic, too, guiding his torso upwards a bit, and bringing his arms in towards the body. You’ve still got to peg them and his legs in manually, though.

At the end of it, we’re left with a very sci-fi looking jet, mostly owing to the huge, curved wings, and tiny cockpit. I dig the design, and I dig the patterns of blue squares running down its back.

Of course, he really blatantly has his robot arms and legs hanging on his undercarriage, but, honestly, every jet Transformer’s like that, and in Mirage’s case, those big wings seem to be designed to cover it all up from as many angles as possible.

Beyond that, he’s got those same three weapons ports, with the ones on his robot arms in the perfect position to add null rays to him.

Overall

It’s funny. I’d technically call Mirage the best of the Cyber Changers. All three modes are good, and there’s no real flaws.

The thing is that he’s a bit on the dull side, as a really normal, standard-issue jet Transformer. While “Mirage, but a jet” is kind of a twist, there isn’t the novelty here of Snarl, or Sky-Byte, or Bull Megatron. So, I’d call him competent, but uninspired.

He’s also going to get an obvious retool into Starscream in wave 2 of this size class, so if you can’t find this Wal-Mart exclusive easily, don’t lose sleep. Unless, like me, you specifically want the Guy from the Show, in which case, uhh, good luck, but also, don’t pay extra.

Cyber Changers Overall

There was a lot of hype around the Cyber Changers, which is one of the reasons I bought into them, but in hand, they’re not the cultural reset I was expecting. Granted, none of these little guys are bad, but they’re a bit underwhelming, I think. It comes down to the fact that all of them are visibly budget-crunched in one way or another, with the compromises just being more or less noticeable depending on the figure. It’s perhaps an unfair comparison, but placing them next to my Epic World of Action Spider-People, I’m struck by how those guys (and gal) managed to feel like great value for the money, while their Transformers equivalents all had to cut corners. But that was bound to happen, because Transformers are more complex beasts than normal action figures, with bigger partscounts and engineering needs, so they were never going to be the same deal. 

Still, I do appreciate that we have gimmick-driven toys that still manage to feel like proper Transformers, and the fact that they’ve got an entire surprisingly good show behind them counts for a lot, too. There’s a lot of really clever, characterful designs here, mixed in with a lot of solid engineering, and a simple, but fun shared automorph gimmick. I’ll add that there’s a larger Armored Cyber Changer price point, which is 5 Canadian Dollars more, and is just the same style of figure, but with a big, geared weapon accessory, and those actually do feel like bad value for the money, which makes these normal Cyber Changers look better by comparison.

Jeez, I sound negative, don’t I? I still like everything in this wave. I didn’t even buy them all in one go, I got a couple, and then went back for the rest, which should speak to their quality. I’m definitely interested to see if Hasbro sticks with this format, where it can go, and if they can ease these growing pains, and make figures that flourish a bit more within these restrictions. So, I’d say, maybe get one or two to see what you think. They’re certainly cheap enough. I think I’d rank Snarl as the best of them, especially if you plan on getting Grimlock. Speaking of that, I’ll see you next time with a much larger purchase! 

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