There is nothing really bad about robots that transform into cars and planes and endless other technological objects. The concept is just so awesome that it powers individual Transformers into the memories of kids over thirty years after their debut on toy shelves. But not all Transformers - or Autobots - are created equal.

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While many of the original Autobot heroes introduced with the G1 iteration of the franchise starting in 1984 remain classics today, some didn't exactly stand the test of time.

Best: Hound

Hound just looks cool - which is the fundamental quality in most Transformers toys - and he translates his vehicle mode into the robot mode very well. This is not something all of the toys did or do even today, which has led to - gasp - Hasbro making Transformers that don't transform. Hound was a no-nonsense soldier who packed a lot of heat, something that was exaggerated to almost comic effect in the live-action movies directed by Michael Bay.

Worst: Cosmos

Cosmos is cool enough, but he breaks the cardinal rule of the Transformers transforming in the first place. The whole point is 'robots in disguise' and Cosmos' vehicle mode is bright green and yellow flying saucer. There is nothing that screams alien invasion more than a giant bright green and yellow flying saucer. It's hard to know what Cosmos was thinking when selecting his vehicle mode, but for sure he made it hard for the G1 Autobots to keep their cover.

Best: Wheeljack

Looks cool: check. Is cool: check. Wheeljack is one of the most alien of the original Autobots, with his unique head design that features really only a visor. Combined with the distinctive red and green paint scheme that he carries over from the kind and generous race car sponsor Italian airline Alitalia, though of course they weren't credited as such on the toy (it was 'Alitalla', sure). Wheeljack has the distinction of being the first Transformer to appear on screen in the G1 cartoon.

Worst: Grimlock

Now Grimlock is cool. Any robot that transforms into a metal Tyrannosaurus Rex is cool. But the characterization of Grimlock in the cartoon and the Marvel comic books made the Dinobot leader out to be a thick-headed idiot, which undermined one of the franchise's coolest designs.

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Grimlock blundered his way through the animated show and the comics, eventually being relegated to simple muscle. The character deserved better and so did fans, but with that said, Grimlock remains a fan favorite to this day.

Best: Springer

Springer arrived with Transformers: The Animated Movie in 1986. That film was not necessarily that well received by fans (it's pretty brutal to watch a kid's heroes - like all of them - blown away in the first fifteen minutes), but Springer made the cut. That's mostly because of his unique design. As a Triple Changer, he can go from a helicopter to a tank and back. Also, unlike Cosmos, his green and yellow sign doesn't stand out near as much. Though the big giant sword probably does.

Worst: Broadside

Another Triple Changer, Broadside is not nearly as cool as Springer. He should be, but he falls down in two major areas: as a toy and as a character. And for a Transformer, it's two strikes and out. Toy designers likely had Top Gun in mind in creating Broadside, who transforms from a fighter jet to an aircraft carrier. The problem was as a toy he was ridiculously small for the aircraft carrier and huge as the jet. The character was afraid of heights and got seasick, which made the whole thing kind of blah.

Best: Bumblebee

The classic best friend most kids always wanted, Bumblebee is so popular he eventually got his own movie. Most comic books, cartoon shows, or movies feature a character the audience can identify with - think Robin in Batman - to help make the strange world of the story more palatable. That's Bumblebee. A little VW bug who may be small on the outside but has a big heart on the inside, Bumblebee is never far from the action and never far from the centerpiece of many fan's collections.

Worst: Huffer

Huffer is whiny. He's a complainer. And he's just not that cool. One of the first Autobot Mini Vehicles introduced in 1984, he transforms from a very tiny semi-truck - automatically putting him in the shadow of another prominent Autobot semi - into a little robot with weird pipe hands.

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The smokestacks from the semi become Huffer's hands in the toy, but the conversion leaves a lot to be desired, like the character himself. The name of the character for his Japanese release was more in keeping with the boring quality of the character: Drag.

Best: Optimus Prime

As if there was a doubt. One of the coolest characters in the Transformers franchise, and one of the greatest characters of the 80s in general, Optimus Prime is a quintessential hero and leader. His steely determination and noble dignity have made him the most popular Transformer ever and ensured his inclusion in pretty much every single iteration of the franchise since 1984. When he was killed off in the animated movie in 1986, fan hearts were broken into pieces.

Worst: Wheelie

And so it comes to this. Wheelie. The inevitable 'fun, new character' that franchises try to introduce for reasons that often don't make sense, Wheelie is the Jar Jar Binks of Transformers. A rhyming 'child' Autobot, he grated nerves from the instant he debuted in the animated movie and for all his appearances in the animated series. The toy wasn't any better, essentially a futuristic orange car with one of the simplest and least visually appealing robot modes in the entire line.

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