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Broken Glass!

2009-06-12T12:17:23Z

128.135.89.184: Man, some of these Headmastesr summaries are waaaaaay too short. And we're seriously lacking for character appearances in a ton of them.

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=[[Headmasters (comic)|''Headmasters'']] #2
|prev=Ring of Hate!
|next=Love and Steel!
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel Comics)|''The Transformers'' (UK) #134–137]]
|prev2=Headhunt
|next2=Grudge Match!
|title="Broken Glass"
|image=MarvelHeadmasters-2.jpg
|caption=When you gotta go, you gotta go!
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=May 1987
|coverdate=September 1987
|writer=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|penciler=[[Frank Springer]]
|inker=[[Ian Akin]] & [[Brian Garvey]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov]]
|letterer=[[Pat Brosseau]]
|editor=[[Don Daley]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}

'''While the Autobots seek to prove their peaceful intentions to the Nebulans, Zarak summons the Decepticons.'''

==Synopsis==
The presence of giant f*cking robots threatens the 10,000-year peace of the planet [[Nebulos]], as the citizens gather in protest demonstrations. Galan, a member of the ruling "[[Council of Peers]]" on Nebulos, looks for a solution to the escalating tensions; he tries to break up a fight among the protesters, only to get slugged for his troubles. Lord Zarak, a rival member of the council, seeks to use the situation to further his own political position; he's paid for quite a few of the protestors. Debate in the council is somewhat mollified when Gort appears and explains that his injuries were an accident.

While Galan consults with the disconnected head of Fortress Maximus about recent events, an unconvinced Zarak and his staff pay a visit to the other Autobots, who are setting up an encampment. Though an ostensibly peaceful gesture, their true purpose is to obtain the the frequencies required to communicate with [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Using a facility owned by [[Grax]], Zarak calls for help in ridding Nebulos of the [[Autobot|Autobots]].

On Cybertron, Scorponok's band has invaded the deserted Autobot base, where they receive Zarak's message. Scorponok orders his troops to prepare for interplanetary transport and world conquest.

The Decepticons arrive and, over Zarak's protests, lay siege to the capital city of [[Koraja]] in hopes of getting the citizens of Nebulos to surrender the five captive Autobots to them. Realizing that they have no choice but to fight back, but unwilling to hand over control of their destinies to the Autobots, a group of Nebulans [[Binary bonding|binary bond]] with the Autobots who had sacrificed their heads earlier. These five Nebulans are bio-engineered to actually become the heads of the captive Autobots, creating the first [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]. While the Nebulans control the Autobots' bodies, the original Autobots maintain contact with the Nebulans they now carry, and the result is a group of highly effective warriors, which quickly dispatch the attacking Decepticons. Scorponok orders a retreat to allow time to study this new development.

The Autobots march through their damaged city, and the citizens gape in awe and fear at them, till they disconnect their heads and return to Nebulan form, whereupon they are greeted as heroes. But Lyra cannot find joy; her betroved Galan has become a machine of war, a man she can no longer recognize.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] (8)
* [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (10)
* [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] (11)
* [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] (12)
* [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (21)
* [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] (22)
* [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] (23)
* [[Brainstorm]] (24)
|c2=
* [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] (13)
* [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] (14)
* [[Mindwipe]] (15)
* [[Snapdragon]] (16)
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]/''[[Krunix]]'' (17)
* [[Skullcruncher]] (18)
|h3=[[Nebulos|Nebulans]]|c3=
* [[Spasma]] (1)
* [[Galen]] (2)
* [[Duros]] (3)
* [[Zarak (Nebulan)|Lord Zarak]] (4)
* [[Krunk]] (5)
* [[Grax]] (6)
* [[Vorath]] (7)
* [[Gort]] (9)
* [[Arcana]] (19)
* [[Stylor]] (20)
}}

==Errors==
* Even as the narration describes the Nebulans transforming to "look like the heads of" their new Autobot partners, Fortress Maximus' new head (i.e., Galen transformed) is actually the animation model for [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]]' head. Fort Max randomly changes to his own head design as the Autobots engage the Decepticons... then suddenly changes back to Cerebros' head as the Headmasters prepare to transform back to humanoid form at the battle's end. The Cerebros head would show up a couple more times in future issues.
* On page 10, a giant sized version of [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]'s future [[Targetmaster]] partner [[Nightstick (Cyclonus)|Nightstick]] is referred to as Cyclonus, even though he looks nothing like him. In an attempt to repair this error when the story was published in the UK comic, the character name was changed to [[Krunix]].
* On the same page, Mindwipe is drawn as a Nebulan Headmaster partner.
* When the Decepticons prepare to attack the city, a miscolored Misfire identifies himself as Mindwipe, while Slugslinger is drawn as a giant Caliburst.
* The Autobot Headmasters' relative proportions are all out of whack when the Nebulans connect to them for the first time. Fortress Maximus is the same size as the other four, when he should be a couple of heads taller. Hardhead is the smallest, while Brainstorm is swollen up like a weightlifter.
* While not a direct error as such, the Nebulans' decision to binary-bond with the Autobots rather than fully restoring them seems very much based on the letter, rather than the spirit, of the conditions under which the Autobots remained.
* It seems pretty incredible that Koraja's defenses, which are basically some cannons mounted on a stone wall, could hold off the Decepticons long enough for the Nebulans to perform five radical surgical procedures. The narration states that the surgeries take "hours". Getting past the walls of Koraja looks like it would take ''seconds''.
* Several Decepticons who show up in this issue are never seen again, including [[Flywheels]] and [[Sixshot]].

==Items of note==
* Advertised as part 2 in a 4-issue limited series.
* Although it is explained that the Nebulans turn into heads that only ''resemble'' the original heads of the Headmaster Autobots, and that the original heads maintain radio contact with their Nebulan partners, the original miniseries never mentions what becomes of the original heads. However, "[[The Final Conflict]]" in the [[Transformers Annual 1988|1988 UK annual]] showed that Fortress Maximus, at least, stored his original head in a chest compartment.

===Covers (5)===
* '''Headmasters #2 cover:''' Scorponok, with Zarak captive, fires on the Nebulans, by [[Frank Springer]].
* '''UK issue #134 cover:''' Cyclonus and Scourge, by [[Lee Sullivan]].
* '''UK issue #135 cover:''' [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] vs [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]], by [[Jeff Anderson]].
* '''UK issue #136 cover:''' [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] about to crush Divebomb, by [[Robin Smith]].
* '''UK issue #137 cover:''' [[Susan Hoffman]] discovers [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], by [[Lee Sullivan]].
<gallery>
Image:MarvelHeadmasters-2.jpg|'''Headmasters #2'''
Image:MarvelUK-134.jpg|'''UK issue #134'''
Image:TFUK135_COVER.JPG|'''UK issue #135'''
Image:MarvelUK-136.jpg|'''UK issue #136'''
Image:MarvelUK-137.jpg|'''UK issue #137'''
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* None yet identified.

[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)

2009-03-21T20:44:03Z

128.135.89.184:

[[Image:G2Logo.jpg|center]]

{{Nav-G2}}

'''''Generation 2''''' was the first of many rebirths for the [[Transformers brand|Transformers brand]]. Although the original ''Transformers'' franchise had never stopped producing toys in Japan or Europe, the North American line had completely disappeared for nearly two years when ''Generation 2'' launched in 1993.

The G2 [[Franchise|franchise]] featured the following primary components:

* [[Generation 2 (toyline)|A toyline]]
* [[Generation 2 Europe (toyline)|A European toyline]]
* [[Generation 2 (cartoon)|A cartoon series]]
* [[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|A US comic book series]]
* [[Generation 2 (Fleetway comic)|A short-lived UK comic]]
* One [[Generation 2 Annual|UK Annual]].
* Some [[Honey Bear Books|coloring books]]

Although the G2 cartoon was merely a set of repackaged [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes (featuring the flashy, computer-animated [[Cybernet Space Cube|Cybernet Space Cube]]), the G2 comic book was a direct continuation of the story from the [[Generation 1 (comic)|G1 comic]] which had ended at issue 80.

Generation 2's toy [[Commercial|commercials]] are noted for an early use of CGI animation (including depictions of some characters who had very few fictional appearances anywhere else.) A subset of the commercials is also noted for ''hilariously'' bad rap music.

The Japanese version of Generation 2 followed the animated continuity rather than the comic book continuity. The Japanese G2 storyline was told through a combination of:

* [[Generation 2 (story page)|A series of story pages]].
* [[Generation 2 (manga)|A manga series]] packaged with the instruction manuals.
* A manga special, "[[Generation 2: The New Battle!!|Generation 2: The New Battle!!]]", published in [[Comic Bom Bom|Comic Bom Bom]].

''Generation 2'' ended in 1995 in all markets, with flagging sales and waning interest in Transformers on the whole. While [[Takara|Takara]] moved on to other transforming robot series, the [[Brave|Brave]] Saga which would continue until 1997 with "King Of Braves GaoGaiGar", [[Hasbro|Hasbro]] shuffled its boys-toy lines over to the recently-acquired [[Kenner|Kenner]] offices, and gave them the task of re-inventing ''Transformers'' with something fresh and new... ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''.

[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Generation 2]]

Chaos (alien)

2009-03-21T20:37:55Z

128.135.89.184:

{{disambig2|the alien creature named Chaos|the ''Generation 1'' cartoon episode featuring this monster|Chaos (episode)}}

[[Image:G1 Chaos.JPG|right|300px|thumb|Excepting Chaos, Kup has forgotten what fear was...That's not a joke; he's just ''that old''.]]
'''Chaos''' is the name of a large alien monster, native to the planet [[Dread|Dread]]. Its skin is composed of an unbelievably destructive mineral known as [[Death crystal|death crystals]]. Apparently, death crystals are also the only thing that can hurt it.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon===
One hundred thousand years ago, [[Kup|Kup]] was visiting planet Dread, when he was kidnapped by [[Orb|Orbs]] and forced to work in their death crystal mines. One day, Kup and the other slaves were attacked by a wreck of [[Shrikebat|shrikebats]], and a fellow slave explained that the aliens were fleeing from the monstrous Chaos. Seconds later, Chaos caused an earthquake that killed the entire group of slaves, except Kup, who ran off and found dozens of imprisoned robots in the caves. As he was preparing to free them, Chaos appeared, and Kup ran away in fear and left the slaves behind. Kup never forgave himself for this, and refused to recount this story to anyone until he discovered that the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] had discovered the dangerous death crystals.

Returning to Dread, where the Decepticons had constructed a giant death crystal cannon designed to destroy [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Kup reencountered Chaos in the caves. He yelled at the beast to go face [[Predaking|a bigger monster waiting outside]] and ran off to rescue the robots and take them outside. When Chaos broke out of the caves, Kup and the slaves aimed and fired the Decepticons' cannon at it, obliterating the monster. {{storylink|Chaos (episode)|Chaos}}

==Trivia==
*Chaos appears to be the inspiration for [[Chaosteros|Chaosteros]], another large green alien monster which appeared in ''[[Spotlight: Wheelie|Spotlight: Wheelie]]''.

[[Category:Aliens]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Cartoon-only characters]]

Transformers: Energon (cartoon)

2009-03-21T20:31:39Z

128.135.89.184:

{{nav-energon}}
[[Image:TransEnergonTitle.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Bringing you pain for far too long.]]
The '''''Energon''''' animated series aired in the US from January 2004 to June 2005 for <strike>52</strike> 51 episodes, in support of the toyline of the same name. It is a direct sequel to ''[[Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' and forms the second part of the "[[Unicron Trilogy|Unicron Trilogy]]".

The show takes place ten years after the finale of ''Armada'', opening in an age of peace on Cybertron and Earth which is destined not to last long. ''Energon'' pits the Autobots against an array of villains: the reborn [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]], the barely functional [[Unicron|Unicron]], and the mysterious [[Alpha-Q|Alpha-Q]] and his [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]] minions.

''Energon'', like ''Armada'', was written and animated in Japan and dubbed for US consumption. The series introduced to Transformers cartoons the technique of combining cel-shaded [[CGI|computer animation]] with 2D cel-animation, creating a fusion between the CGI of ''[[Beast Wars|Beast Wars]]''/''[[Beast Machines|Machines]]'' and traditionally animated series such as ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]''.

:''Preceded by: [[Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]''
:''Followed by: [[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]''

==Characters==
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
! style="background:#FFEEB8" | Others
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
'''Main Cast'''

* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Garry Chalk|Garry Chalk]])
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] ([[Brent Miller|Brent Miller]])
* [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno/Roadblock]] ([[Michael Daingerfield|Michael Daingerfield]])
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] ([[Matt Hill|Matt Hill]])
* [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] ([[Scott McNeil|Scott McNeil]])
* [[Wing Saber|Wing Saber]] ([[Colin Murdoch|Colin Murdoch]])
* [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] (Scott McNeil)

'''Team Rodimus'''

* [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] ([[Brian Drummond|Brian Drummond]])
* [[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]] ([[Alistair Abell|Alistair Abell]])
* [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] ([[Ward Perry|Ward Perry]])

'''Team Bulkhead'''

* [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]] ([[French Tickner|French Tickner]])
* [[Cliffjumper (Energon)|Cliffjumper]] ([[Doron Bell Jr.|Doron Bell Jr.]])
* [[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]] ([[Ty Olsson|Ty Olsson]])

'''Omnicons'''

* [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]] ([[Sharon Alexander|Sharon Alexander]])
* [[Signal Flare (Energon)|Signal Flare]] ([[Michael Dobson|Michael Dobson]])
* [[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] ([[Terry Klassen|Terry Klassen]])
* [[Strongarm (Energon)|Strongarm]] (Scott McNeil)

'''Combiner teams'''

*[[Air Team|Air Team]]
* [[Superion Maximus|Superion Maximus]] ([[Paul Dobson|Paul Dobson]])
* [[Storm Jet (Energon)|Storm Jet]]
* [[Sky Shadow (Energon)|Sky Shadow]]
* [[Terradive (Energon)|Terradive]]
* [[Treadshot (Energon)|Treadshot]]
* [[Windrazor (Energon)|Windrazor]]

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
'''Main Cast'''

* [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron/Galvatron]] ([[David Kaye|David Kaye]])
* [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus/Snowcat]] ([[Don Brown|Don Brown]])
* [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] ([[Alvin Sanders|Alvin Sanders]])
* [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] ([[Michael Dobson|Michael Dobson]])
* [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave/Mirage]] ([[Doug Parker|Doug Parker]])
* [[Shockblast (Energon)|Shockblast]] ([[Brian Drummond|Brian Drummond]])
* [[Six Shot|Six Shot]] ([[Terry Klassen|Terry Klassen]])

'''Combiner teams'''

* [[Construction Team|Construction Team]]
* [[Constructicon Maximus|Constructicon Maximus]] (Don Brown)
* [[Steamhammer (Energon)|Steamhammer]]
* [[Bonecrusher (Energon)|Bonecrusher]]
* [[Duststorm|Duststorm]]
* [[Sledge (Energon)|Sledge]]
* [[Wideload (Energon)|Wideload]]

* [[Destruction Team|Destruction Team]]
* [[Bruticus Maximus|Bruticus Maximus]] ([[Trevor Devall|Trevor Devall]])
* [[Barricade (Energon)|Barricade]]
* [[Blackout (Combiner)|Blackout]]
* [[Blight|Blight]]
* [[Kickback (Energon)|Kickback]]
* [[Stormcloud (Energon)|Stormcloud]]

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" | '''Regulars'''
* [[Kicker|Kicker]] ([[Brad Swaile|Brad Swaile]])
* [[Misha Miramond|Misha Miramond]] ([[Ellen Kennedy|Ellen Kennedy]])
* [[Dr. Brian Jones|Dr. Brian Jones]] ([[Ron Halder|Ron Halder]])
* [[Alexis|Alexis]] ([[Tabitha St. Germain|Tabitha St. Germain]])
* [[Carlos Lopez|Carlos Lopez]] ([[Matt Hill|Matt Hill]])
* [[Miranda Jones|Miranda Jones]] ([[Nicole Oliver|Nicole Oliver]])
* [[Rad White|Rad White]] ([[Kirby Morrow|Kirby Morrow]])
* [[Sally Jones|Sally Jones]] (Nicole Oliver)

| style="background:#FFEEB8" valign="top" |
* [[Alpha Q|Alpha Q]] ([[Trevor Devall|Trevor Devall]])
* [[Primus|Primus]] ([[Ron Halder|Ron Halder]])
* [[Unicron|Unicron]] ([[Mark Acheson|Mark Acheson]])

'''Terrorcons'''

* [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] ([[Colin Murdoch|Colin Murdoch]])
* [[Battle Ravage (Energon)|Battle Ravage]]/[[Command Ravage|Command Ravage]]
* [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]]/[[Blackout (Terrorcon)|Blackout]]
* [[Cruellock|Cruellock]]
* [[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticon]]

|}
==Episodes==
{{main|List of Energon episodes}}

{{collist|4|
#[[Cybertron City (episode)|Cybertron City]]
#[[Energon Stars|Energon Stars]]
#[[Scorpinok|Scorpinok]]
#[[Megatron's Sword|Megatron's Sword]]
#[[The New Cybertron City|The New Cybertron City]]
#[[Megatron Resurrected|Megatron Resurrected]]
#[[Megatron Raid|Megatron Raid]]
#[[Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary|Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary]]
#[[Battle of the Asteroid Belt|Battle of the Asteroid Belt]]
#[[Energon Tower (episode)|Energon Tower]]
#[[The Legend of Rodimus|The Legend of Rodimus]]
#[[Crisis in Jungle City|Crisis in Jungle City]]
#[[Kicker Beware!|Kicker Beware!]]
#[[Energon Grid|Energon Grid]]
#[[Rodimus: Friend or Foe?|Rodimus: Friend or Foe?]]
#[[Go for Unicron!|Go for Unicron!]]
#[[The Return of Demolishor|The Return of Demolishor]]
#[[A Tale of Two Heros|A Tale of Two Heros]]
#[[Battle Stations|Battle Stations]]
#[[Alpha Q: Identity|Alpha Q: Identity]]
#[[Shockblast: Rampage|Shockblast: Rampage]]
#[[Survival Instincts|Survival Instincts]]
#[[Each One Fights...|Each One Fights...]]
#[[Unicron Unleashed|Unicron Unleashed]]
#[[Open Fire!|Open Fire!]]
#[[Ripped Up Space|Ripped Up Space]]
#[[Team Optimus Prime|Team Optimus Prime]]
#[[Protection|Protection]]
#[[Improsoned Inferno|Improsoned Inferno]]
#[[Jungle Planet (episode)|Jungle Planet]]
#[[Bulkhead (episode)|Bulkhead]]
#[[Farewell Inferno|Farewell Inferno]] [[Return! Our Scorponok|Return! Our Scorponok]]
#[[Crash Course|Crash Course]]
#[[Omega Supreme (episode)|Omega Supreme]]
#[[A Heroic Battle|A Heroic Battle]]
#[[The Power|The Power]]
#[[Optimus Supreme|Optimus Supreme]]
#[[Unicron Perishes|Unicron Perishes]]
#[[Ambition|Ambition]]
#[[Wishes|Wishes]]
#[[Galvatron!|Galvatron!]]
#[[Breakthrough!|Breakthrough!]]
#[[Distribution|Distribution]]
#[[The Omega Train|The Omega Train]]
#[[Deception Army|Deception Army]]
#[[Ironhide Team|Ironhide Team]]
#[[Formidable|Formidable]]
#[[Galvatron Terror|Galvatron Terror]]
#[[Destructive Power|Destructive Power]]
#[[Spark (episode)|Spark]]
#[[The Sun|The Sun]]
}}
"Return! Our Scorponok" was to be "Scorponok's Scars", but it never aired and was probably never dubbed. It is not considered to exist in the English version of the series.

==Criticisms==
{{bigquote|Something cool ''finally'' happened!|[[Alpha Q|Alpha Q]] announces that the series is over.<ref>No, really! In every preview for ''Super Link'', Alpha Q promised the audience that "Something cool might happen" in the next episode. When the series ended, he finally declared that the promised coolness had, at last, come to pass. He might be crazy, but he's not ''entirely'' wrong in the head.</ref>}}

The [[Unicron Trilogy|Unicron Trilogy]] was a franchise that got off to a poor start, fictionally speaking. ''Armada'' (the predecessor to ''Energon'') suffered from a bad beginning that, in the eyes of many, condemned the entire show. Although it improved as it went along (with the "Unicron Battles" story arc regarded as fairly good in comparison), the sub-par start left it laboring under a bad reputation that it never escaped. Many fans had hopes that ''Energon'' would be a return to glory. In retrospect, the fans' positive initial reaction may have been simply because it wasn't ''Armada.''

It was quite the proverbial [[Brick|brick]] to the testicles, then, that ''Energon'', the televisual representation of Transformers for its 20th anniversary year, turned out to be just the opposite — a series with a strong beginning, which slowly but surely degenerated into what is widely considered the worst Transformers cartoon broadcast in the U.S.

===Conceptual and storytelling flaws===
====Plotting====
The primary flaw of ''Energon'' is that it simply does not have enough plot to fill 52 episodes. The first half of the series moves at a respectable pace, and around episode #20, the villains achieve their objective — the restoration of Unicron. However, because there are another 30 episodes to fill, an attack by the Autobots and their allies [[Battle Stations|deactivates Unicron]]. The storyline is then essentially ''repeated'' for twenty more episodes, until Unicron is reactivated ''again'' and [[Unicron Perishes|destroyed ''again'']]. But even then, there are ''still'' thirteen more episodes to go, and with the ''driving aspect of the plot'' destroyed, viewers are served up a virtually pointless storyline full of [[To sell toys|repaints and combiners]], which added nothing to what had already taken place.

Individual episodes are likewise padded out with time-killing scenes such as [[Stock footage|stock footage]] sequences, generally a minimum of three per episode. An ''incredible'' amount of time is consumed in communication and report scenes, in which the characters stand around in front of video screens and [[Team Optimus Prime|tell one another things that the viewers already know]].

====Character de-evolution====
The series takes a ''very'' dismissive attitude towards characters and their development. With the exception of [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (who survives the series and resolves his long-running feud with [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]]), the writers seemed unable to carry personal sub-plots and conflicts through to any conclusion. Instead, they would either quietly drop these opportunities for character development, or (much more gallingly) the characters would die and/or get mindwiped, so the stories would not ''have'' to be resolved. Examples:

* Demolishor's uncertainty in the Decepticon cause? "Resolved" by having him sacrifice himself to save Megatron, then having Megatron resurrect him with no memories.
* Inferno's struggle against Megatron's Decepticon programming? Brought to an end by having him kill himself, then be resurrected, only to do ''absolutely nothing'' for the rest of the series.
* Kicker's hatred of Transformers? Vanishes with no explanation after roughly two episodes, save for the occasional kick to Ironhide.
* Rodimus and Optimus Prime's ideological feud over whether Unicron should be destroyed? Rodimus puts himself under Optimus's command for the mission to defeat Galvatron, and the argument never comes up again.
* Wing Saber's dedication to capturing Shockblast? Well, he captures him . . . but when Shockblast escapes again, Wing Saber doesn't say a word.

Many similar examples exist.

====Promoting toys====
Of course, any Transformers series exists [[To sell toys|to sell toys]], but in promoting the abilities and gimmicks of its toyline, ''Energon'' frequently ignored common sense to the most amazing degree in order to shoehorn these concepts into a setting and story where they didn't make sense.

[[Image:Carsinspace.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Their wheels spin and everything.]]
In choosing to set most of its action in the void of space, ''Energon'' foolishly robbed the Transformers of any real reason to ''transform.'' They can all happily fly in robot mode (in space, on planets, anywhere), inviting the question of why transformation is necessary. But, to promote the fact that the toys transform, characters would routinely change to vehicle mode anyway, even in outer space. Cue innumerable scenes of cars, trucks, and snowmobiles ''driving through space.'' Characters would even transform to vehicle mode on the ground, and then ''drive away into the air''. Everyone could control their flight with no problem in either form, completely invalidating the need for any variety in [[Alternate mode|alternate mode]]. Conversely, on occasions when it might actually make sense to transform to a speedy vehicle form for fast or long-distance travel, characters often choose to run to where they're going instead.

Whereas the English version of the series takes its name from the central plot element (the collection of Energon) the Japanese version, ''Super Link,'' takes its name from the main thematic concept/[[Gimmick|gimmick]]: Autobots [[Powerlinx|powerlinxing]]. The Japanese version of the show contained a lot of waffling about the symbolic nature of this ("Even when one heart is weak, together, we are strong!"). Unfortunately, the fact remains that, almost without exception, these combinations are used in straight firefights, where combining two soldiers into one means ''fewer guns to fire at the enemy.'' Further, the resulting combined soldier rarely shows any sign of enhanced firepower.

Further failing to advertise the combining gimmick are the "Maximus" combiner teams. For about 90% of their screen time, the three giants are seen in ''only'' their combined super robot modes, rarely splitting into individual vehicles. The central torso units are seen as individual robots for perhaps 5 seconds in the entire series, and the show doesn't even acknowledge that the limbs could ''be'' individuals.

===Production flaws===
====Art and animation====
[[Image:Scorponok blacklines.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Rescale what now?]]
''Energon'' introduced a new concept to Transformers cartoons: the blending of CGI with traditional cel animation. The animators rendered the Transformer characters in cel-shaded CGI, while animating humans and other aspects of the show through traditional means. On the plus side, this allowed for a consistently high level of cel animation quality (especially enjoyable after the often scattershot quality of ''Armada''). In particular, the show uses the CGI to show many characters in motion at once, often with a high frame rate that gives them a very fluid appearance (for example, the many charges of the [[Battle Ravage|Battle Ravage]] Terrorcon drones, replete with numerous stamping legs and bobbing heads and tails.)

On the other hand, the CGI animation is positively primitive. Characters possess no sense of weight and can not move in any manner but the most basic. Even ''walking'' is a challenge for characters with bulky models, like Ironhide, who is often reduced to swinging his arms and legs back and forth while sliding along a predetermined path. The black-line outlines of character models were often not rescaled for different shots, resulting in the characters sometimes appearing as indecipherable masses of heavy black lines.

[[Image:GuessIronhidesEmotion.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The above images feature: A horrified Ironhide witnessing Demolishor's death; a surprised Ironhide asking a question; a determined Ironhide charging into battle; and a fighting-mad Ironhide striking a decisive blow. Can you figure out which is which?]]
Additionally, "emotion" is nonexistent; the blank-faced CGI models could not easily display any [[Dull surprise|facial expressions beyond "mouth open" and "mouth closed."]] Numerous characters don't ''have'' facial animation, even ones with mouths. Most prominent among these is Alpha Q, who has ''no facial animation at all'' despite the fact that he's basically nothing but four faces. In some cases, when it was necessary for a character to emote visibly (Megatron's pronounced yawning, Inferno's [[Improsoned Inferno|tortured screaming]]), or to do something visually dynamic ([[Jungle Planet (episode)|acrobatic transformation]]), the CGI would actually be ''replaced'' with cel animation, because it just ''looked more impressive''. Does that seem ''right'' to you?

In addition, the show's CGI compares very poorly with ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines,'' both of which came out ''years'' previously, both of which were ''fully'' CGI (without the crutch of cel animation to fall back on), and both of which had characters who boasted complex, nuanced facial expressions and fluid, constant body language — even [[Diagnostic Drone|the ones with utterly inhuman faces and bodies]]. The only way to spare the animators' reputation is to assume that Energon's budget was minuscule in comparison.

Even within the limits of the animation, many bad editing, design, and lighting choices make the series difficult to follow visually. Unicron's body -- primarily black, to match his ''Energon'' redeco toy -- is frequently lost against the blackness of space. When Alpha Q energizes Unicron's head, it becomes a [[Energon orb|Energon orb]], with no visual indication as to what it used to be. Scenes set underground or within Unicron's body are commonly underlit, to the point that the characters can't even be distinguished. Strange elements such as the [[Rift (Energon)|rift in space]] are inconsistently animated and described by the characters, making it difficult to figure out what they are.

====Editing====
At times, ''Energon'' tends to flow like a single feature-length film... a film that has been mercilessly chopped up into 22 minute segments. Thus, confusing, unclear elements like the [[Rift (Energon)|rift in space]] and [[Unicron|Unicron]]'s dark, partially re-energized body are routinely shown in closeup without any introductory establishing shots, making it extraordinarily unclear what's happening or where for the viewer who's just watching one particular episode by itself. To be a ''little'' bit fairer, this "chopped-up film" sensation is not exactly uncommon in Japanese animated series with a defined length, but ''Energon'' is a good example of the method at its very worst.

The show's scene editing also tends to be very abrupt and choppy. Battle animation in particular routinely cuts between numerous, very short scenes, showing several simultaneous but unrelated events as if the viewer must be kept up to date on ''all'' of them in real time. This makes it difficult to grasp the significance of ''any'' of the events shown. When boiled down, this editing style often serves to mask the fact that not much is actually happening.

To make things worse for the credibility of the editors, [[Scorpinok|Scorpinok]], [[A Tale of Two Heros|A Tale of Two Heros]], [[Improsoned Inferno|Improsoned Inferno]], and [[Deception Army|Deception Army]] all have blatant spelling errors '''''in the titles!'''''

====Scripting and dubbing====
The original Japanese version of the show is, in short, sluggish and confusing... but at least the conversations make sense. Even that got lost when the show was ported for North American consumption.

The dub of ''Energon'' seems even ''more'' rushed than ''Armada,'' which was already known for being so hurried that dubbers were working with unfinished animation, got names wrong, and had moments of dialogue that didn't jibe with the action. ''Energon'' [[Battle of the Asteroid Belt|generally]] got completed animation, and ''usually'' got names right—but [[Misha Miramond|Misha]] gets three different names during the course of the show, and [[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]] and [[Cliffjumper (Energon)|Cliffjumper]] are constantly confused.

The rushed dub script is full of mistranslations. Though some elements obviously needed to be altered to suit a Western audience, it seems that many portions of the dub were never checked to see if they made logical sense. As a result, the script is stilted, perfunctory, and repetitive, constantly throwing in cliche, time-killing phrases like "We've gotta [repeat the plot which everyone already knows]", "Let's do it!", and "It's time to [perform some action that's already blatantly obvious]". There is arbitrary new dialogue (that seems to exist purely due to writers' carelessness) which ''does not match what is occurring onscreen''. The final result is a show with some bizarre non-sequiturs and more than a few moments of ''genuine nonsense.''

To cite just one example: at the start of "[[Team Optimus Prime|Team Optimus Prime]]", Dr. Jones says, in a frustrated tone, "I ''can't'' get back the energon I sent to Kicker. That's ''impossible!''" The entire notion of "getting it back" is absurd on the surface, akin to trying to get back water that went down a drain; saying that not getting it back is ''impossible'' is even more ridiculous; and further, the original dialog is a passive lament, more along the lines of "It's not like that energon I sent is ever coming back." Similar examples exist in nearly every single episode of the show.

Outside of these accidents, there are also some strange ''deliberate'' changes, chief among them the tendency for [[Primus|Primus]] to be intermittently ignored. In one episode, Primus would be dubbed accurately, talking with other characters normally, while in the next, he would be deliberately edited out, with his lines erased or given to other characters, and references to him replaced with "the core". Other odd instances include Terrorcon drones having spoken lines randomly inserted in some scenes, never attributed to any one Terrorcon.

Given all of this, the quality of voice acting frequently suffers throughout the show. This can be a common result of the antiseptic [[ADR|ADR]] (automated dialog replacement) environment, where actors perform solo, with no one to play off. But ''Energon'' is particularly bad in this regard. Lead talents such as [[Garry Chalk|Garry Chalk]] and [[David Kaye|David Kaye]] still turn in strong performances, but actors for many of the secondary characters clearly struggle to make something of the material they're given, often sounding flat and uninspired, or just confused. There are many times when ''all'' the actors clearly have no idea what their lines mean in the greater scheme of things, nor any idea of what they're really talking about; the Dr. Jones quote cited above is also an example of this problem.

There's also a pronounced amount of "filling dead air," with characters talking from offscreen simply to make noise where there was none originally. Take a drink every time someone goes "Uhh?" to break the silence, and you'll be hammered by the first commercial break.

{{bigquote|I really wish they would put this terrible series out on DVD. Not because I really want to watch it again, but because it would fill that unsightly gap between Armada and Cybertron with unsightly content.|The nicest words ever spoken about the Energon cartoon, [http://tinyurl.com/5tuucc "Gustavo!", August 2008]}}

==DVD releases==
{{stub|Needs more information, if known}}

===''Super Link''===
The ''Super Link'' version of ''Energon'' was released on DVD by [[Inter Channel Inc.|Inter Channel Inc.]] in [[Japan|Japan]] while the series was still on air.

===''Energon''===
====Paramount Home Entertainment====
When [[Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]] released a handful of ''Energon'' DVDs in 2004 and 2005, several episodes were re-dubbed to fix numerous mistakes that occurred in the episodes that were broadcast, as well as throwing in some new dialogue.

*'''''Transformers - Energon'': Volume. 1 - The Battle For Energon''' (2004)

: Contains the episodes "Cybertron City", "Energon Stars", "Scorpinok", and "Megatron's Sword".

*'''''Transformers - Energon'': Volume 2 - The Return Of Megatron''' (2004)

: Contains the episodes "Megatron Resurrected", "Megatron's Raid", "Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary", and "The Battle of the Asteroid Belt".

*'''''Transformers - Energon'': Volume 3 - Shockblast Unleashed''' (2005)

: Contains the episodes "Shockblast: Rampage", "Open Fire!", "Ripped Up Space", and "Protection".

*'''''Transformers - Energon'': Volume 4 - Omega Supreme''' (2005)

: Contains the episodes "Crash Course", "Omega Supreme", "Heroic Battle", and "The Power of Unicron".

*'''''Transformers: Energon'' - The Ultimate Collection''' (2008)

: On September 22, 2008, Hasbro and Paramount Home Entertainment announced that they would release "all 52 episodes" of ''Energon'' in a single boxset, similarly to their previously-released ''Cybertron'' DVD set. This set will be released on December 16, 2008.<ref>[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Transformers-Energon-The-Ultimate-Collection/10563 TV Shows on DVD announcing the ''Energon'' DVD boxset.]</ref> The specific reference to "52 episodes" is a curious one, given the absence of "Return! Our Scorponok" from the original broadcast run. The set, as released, in fact only contains the 51 episodes that were dubbed into English. As a side note, it features the redubbed DVD versions of the first few episodes rather than the broadcast ones.

==Footnotes==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%83%95%E3%82%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9E%E3%83%BC_%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%91%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AF ''Transformers: Super Link'' at the Japanese Wikipedia]

[[Category:Television series]]
[[Category:Energon]]

Infiltration protocol

2009-03-21T20:27:07Z

128.135.89.184:

:''The infiltration protocol is a [[Decepticon|Decepticon]] modus operandi in the [[IDW continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1|Generation 1]] [[Continuity family|continuity family]].''

[[Image:Siege mode bunker.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Purple prose on a red background.]]
The Decepticons under [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron's]] command follow a strict '''infiltration protocol''' -- a carefully staged process of destabilizing and conquering inhabited planets. The staged conquest is highly secretive, with soldiers under strict orders not to break cover till late in process. Though brutal in its later phases, this tactic is still constrained by the [[Code of Interplanetary Conflict|Code of Interplanetary Conflict]].
The Decepticon infiltration protocol has six phases:

'''Phase One''' presumably comprises the initial infiltration of a planet's society and gathering of intelligence. The Transformers have been on [[Earth|Earth]] for three years by the time [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] meets up with [[Verity Carlo|Verity]], [[Hunter O'Nion|Hunter]] and [[Jimmy Pink|Jimmy]]; Phase Two appear to be in its early stages by that point.

'''Phase Two''' involves the agitation of pre-existing conflicts and igniting "international hotspots". Frequently this is accomplished with [[Facsimile Construct|facsimile avatars]] -- artificial duplicates of key members of the planet's native population, equipped to duplicate the original's actions, memories and personalities, but programmed to serve the Decepticons' interests. The goal is to get the natives to obliterate themselves, without the Decepticons' direct involvement.

On occasion, the Decepticons will encounter unusual resistance, and see fit to use a special protocol known as [[Mirror response mode|Mirror response mode]], as they did when encountering the [[Avengers|Avengers]] as Phase Two unfolded on Earth. Whether this MO is tied specifically to Phase Two is not known.

'''Phase Three''' - Not described.

'''Phase Four''' - Not described.

'''Phase Five''' - Not described. However, according to comments made by Ratchet, it appears that the Decepticon presence is now known at this point, and is usually the earliest that [[Sixshot|Sixshot]] will get involved.<ref>[[Devastation issue 3|Devastation issue 3]]</ref>

A special M.O. known as '''Siege Mode''' is typically initiated during Phase Five. Military protection of assets appears to be the goal of Siege Mode, implying that the Autobots and/or the natives are now making efforts to stop the Decepticons through straightforward military force; a massive above-ground fortress (variously known as the '''siege armature''' or '''siege mode armature''') is typically installed on the planet and used as a base of operations. Secrecy is no longer a concern, as evidenced by the enormous and highly visible cliff-side command bunker that [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream's]] crew erected in Oregon, as well as [[Runabout|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck's]] flagrant and unconcealed attacks on Ratchet. Ratchet states that he has only seen this phase once before, though whether this is due to his normal role as a non-frontline combatant or because of other circumstances is not clear.

Breaking protocol is extremely rare, to the point that Ratchet was in a virtual panic when Starscream's unit on Earth engaged Siege Mode too early in the infiltration. Megatron himself soon arrived on-world to investigate and apply some Decepticon-style discipline. Having put Starscream out of commission, he promptly downgraded the operation back to Phase Two.

'''Phase Six''', by all accounts, is pretty much the end of the world. An aside comment by [[Springer|Springer]] ("I don't care if it's Phase SIXTY!") implies that the Decepticons have achieved Phase Six in the invasion of [[Varas Centralus|Varas Centralus]]: a state of open, all-out war on a devastated planet. Likewise, the flagrantly destructive and powerful Sixshot refers to himself as a "Phase Six kind of 'bot".

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Tactics]]

Facial hair

2009-03-21T20:25:35Z

128.135.89.184:

[[Image:WreckGar.JPG|right|300px|thumb|But teeth are out of the question.]]
Some [[Transformer|Transformers]] have facial features that resemble [[Human|human]] '''facial hair'''. These features sometimes indicate age, but this is not always the case.

==Transformers with facial hair==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Scourge.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Just like daddy.]]
*[[Alpha Trion (G1)|A3/Alpha Trion]]
*[[Detritus|Detritus]]
*[[Early Decepticon leader|Early Decepticon leader]]
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]
*[[Unicron|Unicron]]
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]]
*[[Governor Raikuru|Governor Raikuru]]
{{-}}
====Beast Era====
*[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] (''Wreckers'')
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] ([[Transmetal 2|Transmetal 2]])
*[[Ramulus|Ramulus]]
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (''Beast Machines'')
*[[Tigatron|Tigatron]]
{{-}}
===Unicron Trilogy===
[[Image:Alphatrionsigomega.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I've got a wicked sweet mustache! Who wants to touch me?]]
*[[Alpha Trion (Energon)|Alpha Trion/Sig-Omega]]
*[[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]]
*[[Levitacus|Levitacus]]
*[[Quickstrike (Energon)|Quickstrike]]
{{-}}
===Shattered Glass===
[[Image:Rodimus goatee.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fear the power of the 'stache!]]
*[[Rodimus (Shattered Glass)|Rodimus]]
*[[Bug Bite (Shattered Glass)|Bug Bite]]

{{-}}
===Animated===
[[Image:Scrapperanimated.jpg|right|150px|thumb|]]
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (The Lemmy)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (Sideburns)
*[[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] (Van Dyke)
*[[Wheeljack (Animated)|Wheeljack]] (beard and Walrus Mustache)

{{-}}
==See also==
*[[Humanizing|Humanizing]]

[[Category:Transformer anatomy]]

Laser Rod

2009-03-21T20:22:52Z

128.135.89.184: /* Generation 2 */

{{picsneeded}}
:''The Laser Rods are a cross-factional subgroup from the [[Generation 2|Generation 2]] portion of the [[Generation 1|Generation 1]] [[Continuity family|continuity family]].''

[[Image:Newdawn-laserrods.jpg|right|300px|thumb|I've got a "laser rod"... in my pants.]]
The '''Laser Rods''' are a quartet of warriors armed with flaming, energized, glowing swords. Though two of them are Autobots and the other two are Decepticons, on the whole, they tend to be destructive, rampaging, turbo-revving punks who spend their time tearing up streets, redlining their engines, and chopping down telephone poles.

The Laser Rods consist of:

Autobots:
*[[Electro|Electro]]
*[[Volt|Volt]]

Decepticons:
*[[Sizzle (G2)|Sizzle]]
*[[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]

:''European market name:'' '''Illuminators'''

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====''Generation 2''====
{{storylink|New Dawn|New Dawn}}

{{storylink|Escalation!|Escalation!}}

{{storylink|Total War!|Total War!}}

{{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!|A Rage in Heaven!}}

===Japanese G2 minicomics and story pages===
{{storylink|Generation 2 (manga)|Generation 2 (manga)}}

===''Comic Bom Bom'' G2 manga===
{{storylink|Generation 2: The New Battle!!|Generation 2: The New Battle!!}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Brainmasters dreamwave.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]
{{storylink|Atonement|Atonement}}
{{-}}

{{charstub}}

==Toys==
===Generation 2===
* '''Laser Rods''' (1994)
*[[Electro|Electro]]
*[[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]
*[[Sizzle (G2)|Sizzle]]
*[[Volt|Volt]]

[[Image:Laserrods-crosssell.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Blazing in the dark / Laser Rod cars Metamorphin' into WARRIORS! Electro, VOLT / Sizzle, JOLT Fighting with lightning LASER BLADES! ...that totally doesn't rhyme.]]

:The Laser Rods were among the later new molds included in the [[Generation 2|Generation 2]] toyline, sold individually carded. They transform into classic hot rods. They feature clear plastic swords and a small light that can peg into the bottom of the fist holding the sword to give the illusion that it is a "laser sword". In vehicle mode, the light serves to illuminate a transparent engine block.

: Their packaging advertised them as "[[Super Posable!|Super Posable!]]"; they are among the first fully poseable Transformers. In this, they prefigured the soon-to-be-born [[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]] line, though they lack the [[Ball joint|ball joints]] that gave most ''Beast Wars'' figures their articulation. The Laser Rods are built with an elastic-and-hook waist design similar to the [[Action Master|Action Masters]] (or the 1980's GI Joe line) that unfortunately rendered them rather floppy from the waist down when in robot mode. (This style of articulation was never used again.)

:Related toys from the same year using the same basic gimmick were the [[Laser Cycle|Laser Cycles]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1) toys|Laser Optimus Prime]], the latter of which is actually identified as a Laser Rod on his [[Real Action Pop-Ups 3-D Transformer Trading Card|Real Action Pop-Ups 3-D Transformer Trading Card]].

[[Category:Articles in need of images]]
[[Category:Character stubs missing fiction]]
[[Category:Generation 2]]
[[Category:Subgroups]]

Laser Rod

2009-03-21T20:21:04Z

128.135.89.184:

{{picsneeded}}
:''The Laser Rods are a cross-factional subgroup from the [[Generation 2|Generation 2]] portion of the [[Generation 1|Generation 1]] [[Continuity family|continuity family]].''

[[Image:Newdawn-laserrods.jpg|right|300px|thumb|I've got a "laser rod"... in my pants.]]
The '''Laser Rods''' are a quartet of warriors armed with flaming, energized, glowing swords. Though two of them are Autobots and the other two are Decepticons, on the whole, they tend to be destructive, rampaging, turbo-revving punks who spend their time tearing up streets, redlining their engines, and chopping down telephone poles.

The Laser Rods consist of:

Autobots:
*[[Electro|Electro]]
*[[Volt|Volt]]

Decepticons:
*[[Sizzle (G2)|Sizzle]]
*[[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]

:''European market name:'' '''Illuminators'''

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====''Generation 2''====
{{storylink|New Dawn|New Dawn}}

{{storylink|Escalation!|Escalation!}}

{{storylink|Total War!|Total War!}}

{{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!|A Rage in Heaven!}}

===Japanese G2 minicomics and story pages===
{{storylink|Generation 2 (manga)|Generation 2 (manga)}}

===''Comic Bom Bom'' G2 manga===
{{storylink|Generation 2: The New Battle!!|Generation 2: The New Battle!!}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Image:Brainmasters dreamwave.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]
{{storylink|Atonement|Atonement}}
{{-}}

{{charstub}}

==Toys==
===Generation 2===
* '''Laser Rods''' (1994)
*[[Electro|Electro]]
*[[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]
*[[Sizzle (G2)|Sizzle]]
*[[Volt|Volt]]

[[Image:Laserrods-crosssell.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Blazing in the dark / Laser Rod carsMetamorphin' into WARRIORS! Electro, VOLT / Sizzle, JOLT Fighting with lightning LASER BLADES! ...that totally doesn't rhyme.]]

:The Laser Rods were among the later new molds included in the [[Generation 2|Generation 2]] toyline, sold individually carded. They transform into classic hot rods. They feature clear plastic swords and a small light that can peg into the bottom of the fist holding the sword to give the illusion that it is a "laser sword". In vehicle mode, the light serves to illuminate a transparent engine block.

: Their packaging advertised them as "[[Super Posable!|Super Posable!]]"; they are among the first fully poseable Transformers. In this, they prefigured the soon-to-be-born [[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]] line, though they lack the [[Ball joint|ball joints]] that gave most ''Beast Wars'' figures their articulation. The Laser Rods are built with an elastic-and-hook waist design similar to the [[Action Master|Action Masters]] (or the 1980's GI Joe line) that unfortunately rendered them rather floppy from the waist down when in robot mode. (This style of articulation was never used again.)

:Related toys from the same year using the same basic gimmick were the [[Laser Cycle|Laser Cycles]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1) toys|Laser Optimus Prime]], the latter of which is actually identified as a Laser Rod on his [[Real Action Pop-Ups 3-D Transformer Trading Card|Real Action Pop-Ups 3-D Transformer Trading Card]].

[[Category:Articles in need of images]]
[[Category:Character stubs missing fiction]]
[[Category:Generation 2]]
[[Category:Subgroups]]