I can think of several of them:

 

R.I.D.'s Landfill (rotation/limb swapping), Piranacon (the limb-to-gun swapping) and Reflector (three robots merging into a shared alt. mode).

 

As for other robots, all I can think of is Dairugger XV (Vehicle Voltron).

Raiden, and Landcross.

for not TF combiners....GAOGAIGAR!!! (you have to shout it if you have seen the show...)

Stealth plane, train, drill tank, transforming lion...and a bot that turns into his fist with a big hammer (with one hell of a personalty)...

 

Tformer...the greatest, most powerful combiner (and I say he could take down predaking) Leokaiser! another 6 bot combiner who is made of basic size bots...a great conbination of gimics...just super rare...

Second place goes to Devestator fore being the original, and still totally original

I'm not too familiar with most of the Japanese combiners (I.E. the train bots, or anything after G1 that wasn't also released here) but My votes go to Devastator for #1, Predaking for #2, and Magnaboss for #3. Reasons:

 

Devastator was, and to my knowledge (correct me if I'm wrong) is still the ONLY combiner I remember that HAD to be assembled in his show accurate order, i.e. no limb-swapping. IMO, you need to have your place as a limb clearly defined, play value be damned. The whole "Big bot in the middle, and limb bots can go anywhere they like" thing seemed lame to me then, and is still lame to me now. That definitely makes Devvy "Unique", IMO.

 

Predaking was unique to G1 as being made up of all larger bots. I still have yet to ever see one in person, so I don't know about the limb swapping thing in regards to him, but for a G1 combiner, he was pretty damn menacing looking, and was definitely a big mo-fo. Second place!

 

And Magnaboss gets third/honorable mention because when I first saw him (in Autobot Loki's sig) I just figured he was a Jap Beast Wars figure, not a combiner. I didn't realize he was a combiner until I won an Ebay lot that had him in it. Awesome design, and unique in the fact of having only three components, as well as maintaining a fair amount of poseability. :thumb

Devastator was, and to my knowledge (correct me if I'm wrong) is still the ONLY combiner I remember that HAD to be assembled in his show accurate order, i.e. no limb-swapping. IMO, you need to have your place as a limb clearly defined, play value be damned. The whole "Big bot in the middle, and limb bots can go anywhere they like" thing seemed lame to me then, and is still lame to me now. That definitely makes Devvy "Unique", IMO.

Also Raiden, Landcross and Liokaiser had to be assembled in a specific way too. Dev and Raiden have a commonality in that both are Diaclones. :)

i only have bw tripredicus and armada prime. bw tripedicus i have to say as not only did he have only 3 parts but he had great articulation (even if that meant he fell down from time to time.)

Devastator was, and to my knowledge (correct me if I'm wrong) is still the ONLY combiner I remember that HAD to be assembled in his show accurate order, i.e. no limb-swapping.  IMO, you need to have your place as a limb clearly defined, play value be damned.  The whole "Big bot in the middle, and limb bots can go anywhere they like" thing seemed lame to me then, and is still lame to me now.  That definitely makes Devvy "Unique", IMO.

Also Raiden, Landcross and Liokaiser had to be assembled in a specific way too. Dev and Raiden have a commonality in that both are Diaclones. :)

Thanks! :thumb Don't suppose you have pics of any of those? I'd love to have some of them, but I have a hard time justifying spending that kind of cash on rare bots I'm not familiar with. I collect more for nostalgia factor than anything, so most of my big money purchases go for either G1 stuff that I remember wanting or having as a kid, or new Alt prototypes like Shockwave and Wheeljack.

i happen to think that the autobot tapes that combind into one robot was really an un expected gestault. :ab

i happen to think that the autobot tapes that combind into one robot was really an un expected gestault. :ab

I remember those. They were lame, to a degree, but cool at the same time. Definitely unique though, so yeah! :thumb

G1 Predaking; he's by far one of the smarter gestalts.

G1 Piranacon/King Poisedon: he's both a gestalt and a targetmaster.