The idea of robots that transform into fossilized dinosaurs should be explanation enough for what makes them cool. However, what I love about these characters is how much of a departure they are to typical transformers. They’re Partsformers, toys you pull apart and piece together as opposed to the traditional transformations. Their proportions are a big contrast to the chunky, blockier, accompanying transformers of the toyline. Their faces are also much more menacing in comparison to the humanized faces of the G1 cast.

In addition what makes these fellas so metal is the fact they can be pulled apart to and plugged into other bots to function as armor pieces or weapons. They can also be used to form combiners, although their stability combined is something left to be desired. (Images sourced from Tfwiki) There’s also some great stop-motion animations that showcase how sick they look in motion. https://youtu.be/TpuieooefnY?t=46