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Soundwave (ROTF)

2011-04-11T14:07:03Z

58.69.183.193: /* Deluxe Class toys */

{{faction|decepticonfilm}}
{{disambig3|Soundwave}}
:''Soundwave is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]] portion of the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Rotf soundwave satellite mode.jpg|thumb|right|375px|Just wait till he tentacle rapes that other satellite!]]

'''Soundwave''', the Decepticon communications officer and one of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s staunchest supporters, doesn't just master the frequencies that carry information across our planet, he revels in them. Stationed high in the upper atmosphere and capable of processing millions of data streams at once, he is fully capable of taking over communications on a planetary scale. Whether he uses this to direct civilization or destroy it remains to be seen.

Soundwave has two extremely powerful weapons: his spread of [[Sonic Cannon]]s... and Megatron. If any Decepticon crosses him, he does not hesitate to send a full record of said Decepticon's failures to Megatron, almost certainly ensuring an untimely demise. His lofty position has made [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] suspicious, so Soundwave has his minion [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] keep an eye on the [[Air Commander]] if he gets out of hand. Soundwave is also nearly defenseless in space, as his devastating Sonic Cannons only work within the atmosphere.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/Battle-Bios.cfm Hasbro Soundwave Battle Bio]</ref>

{{quote|Nothing moves on the orb below without '''my''' being aware of it. I see and hear everything, be it out the open or behind closed doors. My reach is invisible, intangible. My grip...cast-iron.|Soundwave is watching you...|[[Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1]]}}

== Fiction ==
=== Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics ===
[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] was in talks with Soundwave to get him to join in the attack on Earth and be in [[Michael Bay]]'s next documentary. Soundwave is known for talking in several frequencies at once, apparently just to be annoying. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15|#15's Star Screams}} Starscream doesn't trust Soundwave but notes his intelligence, and so views him as a worthy successor in the event of his death. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 21|#21's Star Screams}}

=== IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics ===
[[Image:Defiance4Soundwave.jpg|thumb|left|100px|No full body shot in the movie or comics.]]
Soundwave was assigned by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] to take command of the newly built ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' with the sarcophagus containing [[The Fallen]]. Soundwave's task was to find a planet with a star [[Star harvester|harvester]] that could be used to free their mysterious benefactor. Soundwave left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] just before the outbreak of war. {{storylink|Defiance issue 4}}

[[Image:SoundwaveAllianceIssue2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Alas, poor Dreadwing. I knew him, Ravage.]]

Presumed dead for years, Soundwave arrived on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] one month after Megatron's death. He quickly took stock of the situation, scanning both [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing's]] remains, and an imprint of [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy's]] body. He contacted [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] after his battle with [[Wreckage (Movie)|Wreckage]], learning of the loss of Megatron and the AllSpark, while informing Starscream that he had sent troops from his ship to Earth, with more waiting in stasis. As Starscream headed for the ship, Soundwave informed him he still had orders to follow. {{storylink|Alliance issue 2}} As more and more Decepticons made planetfall on Earth's surface, Soundwave assumed the form of a satellite and silently observed their operations from orbit. {{Storylink|Alliance issue 4}}

{{-}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
Soundwave appears unknown to the Autobots.{{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.4|New Tricks}} He commanded a small Decepticon cell, based out of [[Mars (planet)|Mars]]' moon [[Phobos]]. While nominally under the command of [[The Fallen]], The Fallen is merely in ''contact'' with the Decepticons and currently incapacitated. This left Soundwave free to do his ''own'' thing... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}}

[[Image:Titan4_Soundwaveinterrogate.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only... Oops, wrong movie.]]

One of his goals was to find the location of the [[Tomb of the Primes]]. The aging [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seeker]] [[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]] knew it but would only tell it to The Fallen. ''Strangely'' unwilling to put The Fallen and Ransack in touch and ''oddly'' prefering to personally know the location of [[Matrix of Leadership|the key to a monstrous superweapon]] himself {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}}, Soundwave turned to the dormant Seekers instead. He directed [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] to [[Las Vegas]] to carve up one such Seeker for its "memory tree". He refused to explain the reason ''why'' to Grindor. When [[NEST]] showed up, Soundwave appeared contemptuous of them and their [[Human|whole species]], noting Transformers owned this world ''long'' before mankind. To Grindor, he simply said to get the memory tree to him and not get captured. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.3|Learning Curve}}

Later, [[Transformers Comic issue 2.2|on The Fallen's orders]], he directed [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] to find [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], find out what they knew about The Fallen's plans and who they'd told it to, and then terminate them. When Ravage had cornered Mudflap, Soundwave talked through him and attempted to interrogate the Autobot; this failed, with Mudflap not even being bothered about who Soundwave was. While the hit was a bust, Soundwave ensured the base was bugged. As a result, he discovered [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]] distrusted the twins.

[[Image:Titan6_SoundwaveIAm.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"[[Sanctuary|There you go]], fellas!"]]

This was something Soundwave found interesting {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.4|New Tricks}} and he hatched a plan to ensure the twins were believed to be traitors: which would ensure nobody would follow up on their intell! Somehow, he got [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] to [[Diego Garcia]] at the same time the twins were there. He then had [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] get captured, so that when he was taken to [[Diego Garcia]] Scorponok would free him. With the Decepticon attacking at the same time the twins were distracting Optimus and on top of previous acts, they seemed guilty and were taken into custody. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.5|Reversal of Fortune}} Soundwave sent [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] to blow up the soldiers escorting the twins to orbitary exile, and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] parachuted in to convince them to defect. When [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] tracked down the twins - who had kidnapped [[Sam Witwicky]] in a failed attempt to convince him to speak to Optimus on their behalf - Soundwave finally landed on Earth and blasted the scout. Soundwave told the twins The Fallen would offer them sanctuary, something they seemed happy to accept... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}

[[Image:Titan7_Soundwave_GO!.jpg|left|thumb|200px|]]

Poor Soundwave soon had to put ''up'' with the twins, as they insisted on chatting through his briefings and dissing the other 'cons. He ''just'' about, through ominous glares, got them to pay attention to their mission: to capture Ransack and bring him in to be "re-educated". This, however, was all a big con on the twins: he just wanted them as expendable bait to draw out Ransack, so Grindor and Sideways could knock him out. Soundwave also spoke for the entire Decepticons when he said that if the twins survived any encounter, ''kill them anyway''. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.7|Turnabout}}

[[Image:Titan8_Soundwave_FWATT.jpg|right|thumb|200px|KERPOW!]]

Once Ransack was in his hands, Soundwave beat the snot out of him and demanded the location to the Tomb of the Primes. The Seeker still refused to talk, and insulted Soundwave as being a mere cog who could barely understand the big picture. He almost killed Ransack for that, having to be held back by Starscream (don't want The Fallen ''knowing'' you've killed his Seeker!), but the elder continued to mock him for believing he had freedom of action just because The Fallen was absent.

When the twins, revealed to have been faking their defection, returned to beat the crap out of the Phobos base, an annoyed Soundwave ended their brief success with overwhelming violence. Unfortunately, before he could kill the Autobots, Ransack took the opportunity to leg it; desperate to stop The Fallen from being informed of what he'd been up to, Soundwave gave chase and the Phobos base was abandoned. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}} As he's still around later, it seems Soundwave made ''sure'' Ransack never made it to The Fallen...

{{note|The following events occur in the Law and Disorder continuity.}}

[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] considers Soundwave to be an untrustworthy jerk who ''never'' pulls his weight in a fight. Megatron, however, loves the guy. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.7|#7's Law and Disorder}}
{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Frank Welker]] (English, French, Italian. Latin American-Spanish?), [[Horst Lampe]] (German), [[Daisuke Gōri]] (Japanese)

[[Image:ROTF-Soundwaveface.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Next time, Gadget. Next time.]]
Soundwave received a transmission from [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]], who was tailing [[Mikaela Banes]], and instructed him to obtain a surviving shard of the [[AllSpark|AllSpark]] in her possession. He found a satellite transmitting a conversation between [[NEST]] and the [[United States military]]. Tapping into it with his tentacles to listen, Soundwave overheard [[Theodore Galloway]] mention another shard of the AllSpark in storage at [[Diego Garcia]], and of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s burial in the [[Laurentian Abyss]].

[[Image:ROTF Soundwave ejects Ravage.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Ravage: Eject. Operation: [[Ruined FOREVER|Childhood rape]].]]

Formulating a plan, Soundwave waited until it would be nightfall on Diego Garcia, then ejected [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] (who was equipped with [[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]] and the [[Microcon (ROTF)|microcons]] comprising [[Reedman]]) to Diego Garcia to steal the shard. Once they had stolen the shard, they reunited with some [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]] and managed to resurrect their leader.

Soundwave remained in space, tapping into the satellite he had found. When Megatron decided to reveal the Transformers presence on Earth after killing [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], Soundwave issued the mobilization order to the waiting troops on the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]''. As the Decepticons streaked toward Earth, Soundwave tracked down [[Ron Witwicky|Ron]] and [[Judy Witwicky]] in [[France|Paris]]. He called Judy on her cellphone, demanding to know where Sam was, which the human dismissed as a crank call by a pervert. This allowed the Decepticons to track them down and capture them to use as bait for Sam.

[[Image:SoundwaveSatellite.jpg|thumb|300px|Yes, yes, you fans all thought about ''[[Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'' when you saw me do this.]]

When the CIA discovered that Sam was in [[Egypt]], Soundwave relayed the information to the Decepticons. During [[Operation: Firestorm]], Soundwave blocked the satellites covering the Egyptian area, making things appear normal. General [[Morshower]] was unconvinced though and got other local informants to know what was happening at the [[pyramid]]s. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}

{{note|In the comic, Megatron rendezvous with Soundwave after killing Optimus, making the demand for Sam Witwicky himself, which Soundwave broadcasts through the satellite he clutches. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen issue 2}}}}

{{-}}

===IDW post-''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
Soundwave detected [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] was alive and active, and was furious someone else was ordering his pet around. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 5}} Monitoring Earth, he observed [[Alice]]'s attempt at flight and subsequent termination by [[NEST]]. [[Buzzsaw (ROTF)|Buzzsaw]], who he'd dispatched to [[Kingdom Petrochemicals]] to investigate Ravage's status, reported back that there were non-NEST humans poking around there, so Soundwave sent in [[Ratbat (ROTF)|Ratbat]], [[Rumble (ROTF)|Rumble]] and [[Beastbox (ROTF)|Beastbox]] to attack. Surprisingly [[Initiative|the humans]] were a match for the Decepticons, and Soundwave moved in to take direct action, however at that point the Autobots arrived. Soundwave destroyed [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]], but when the human forces pulled out, so too did Soundwave. To his surprise, he found he wasn't able to track where the departing humans had gone. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1}}

[[Image:Nefarious3 Soundwave bondage.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]
Ravage was reactivated by Buzzsaw, allowing Soundwave to access his memories. Acting on one memory, he sent Buzzsaw to help [[Strike Team Ursa]] while he rendezvoused with Ravage for an examination. When Strike Team Ursa triggered defenses, Soundwave warned them to withdraw. They did, but ran into [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]], and Soundwave was forced to come to their aid. Unfortunately Optimus Prime was also on the way, and Soundwave was no match for the Autobot leader. He tried to suggest it would be advantageous for them to let him go, but Optimus took him into custody. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 2|Nefarious #2}} Soundwave was secured and put on a plane bound for [[Odessa]], [[Texas]], however the plane was shot down by Buzzsaw, and then [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]'s team had [[Dirt Boss (ROTF)|Dirt Boss]] and Soundwave's minions to contend with as well. Soundwave tried to get Ravage to free him, but the cat's free will was overridden by an external force. In the end, Soundwave was too much trouble and Bumblebee let the Decepticons have him back. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 3|Nefarious #3}}

Soundwave tracked Ravage back to the [[Initiative base]] in [[California]]. After sending the other Decepticons in first to test the base's defenses, he moved in himself, only to find that the foe he faced had an army of brainwashed Transformers. He somehow escaped them and proceeded to the NEST base in Odessa. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 4|Nefarious #4}} He led the Autobots to the base's location, though he "neglected" to tell them about the brainwashed Transformers, but the base was gone, leading to the conclusion it was somehow mobile. Tapping into traffic cameras, he traced the base to [[Oregon]]. When they got there and began the assault, Soundwave was snootily dismissive of the Autobots' combat banter. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 5|Nefarious #5}} While the Initiative was distracted, Soundwave was able to reactivate Ravage and send [[Reedman]] to attack Initiatve head [[Carter Newell]]. When Newell tried to flee with the AllSpark, Soundwave ordered Buzzsaw to assist Optimus Prime in pursuing him. It was only after everything was over that NEST discovered that the Initiative data banks had been mysteriously picked clean... {{storylink|Nefarious issue 6|Nefarious #6}}

===Cyber Missions===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bronco D. Jackson]] (English), [[Salvador Reyes]] (Latin American-Spanish)

[[Image:CyberMission1-Soundwave.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Through the dark, to the light, it's a super sonic flight!
Gotta keep it goin'!]]

{{quote|No! Too many sonic booms! I can't absorb—!}}

When Soundwave and [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]] descended on [[Diego Garcia]], they interrupted an Autobot mission briefing. While Ironhide headed outside to face Bludgeon, Bumblebee remained inside to guard the Autobots' precious [[datatrax|data tracks]] from Soundwave. Bumblebee fired shot after shot, but Soundwave was able to simply use his sonic powers to repel the attacks back towards Bumblebee. However, Bumblebee gambled that Soundwave would be unable to repel a great number of attacks simultaneously, and the Decepticon was overwhelmed by Bumblebee's automatic weaponry. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 1}} Bumblebee confined Soundwave inside a vacuum-sealed electromagnetic bubble, where his sonic weaponry would be useless. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 2}}
{{-}}

===Titan Magazines post-''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

Instructed by Megatron to "hound" humans and "get up close and personal" in his attacks, Soundwave cut a swathe of destruction across the North Atlantic, destroying ships as he headed on a course towards Florida. Identifying his pattern, [[William Lennox]] and [[Robert Epps]] staged an ambush, laying out a cargo ship for Soundwave to attack and then blindsiding him with a volley from a hidden warship. Badly damaged in the surprise assault, Soundwave was forced to retreat, venturing into the confines of...the [[Bermuda Triangle]]! (Dun dun dunnnn!)

[[Image:Titan15_Soundwaveghostship.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Bustin' makes ghosts feel good!]]

Amidst the storm clouds, Soundwave discovered another ship that he decided to attack out of spite, but faltered when his databanks identified it as a [[United States Navy]] vessel that had been lost in [[1918]]. Caught off-guard by a volley of primitive weaponsfire (even for humans!) and damaged even further, Soundwave tried to limp away, only to cross paths with ''another'' mystery ship, this one allegedly from [[1941]]! Pelted from both sides and unable to get a handle on his situation, Soundwave fled high into the air, out of the ships' range...and right in the path of a squadron of [[World War II]] bombers! Rattled by their machine gun fire and unable to overcome their superior flying skills, Soundwave decided to break upwards...''all'' the way upwards. Whatever strange chronal chaos he had encountered in the depths of the Bermuda Triangle, Soundwave concluded that the solar radiation, meteor showers and space debris he would face on the ''[[Moon (moon)|moon]]'' would be ''much'' safer! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.15|Making Waves}}

{{-}}

==Games==
===''Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game (Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Jessop]] (English)

=====Autobot campaign=====

{{charstubfiction}}

=====Decepticon campaign=====
[[Image:ROTF_360PS3PC_DLC_Soundwave.jpg|thumb|250px|]]

Soundwave plays only a very minor role, delivering information or guidance (when Megatron or Starscream does not) to the character in question.

{{charstubfiction}}

{{Note|On [[August 27]], [[2009]], Soundwave was made available as a playable character (for multiplayer games) as optional downloadable content for Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 owners. However, instead of the silver colour scheme established on his regular release toys and movie appearance, the character model was coloured blue, like [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and the [[Toys"R"Us]]-[[exclusive]] Soundwave figure from the ''Gathering at Nemesis'' figure pack. His special attack in robot mode consisted of a deployable turret that generated earthquakes, a reference to [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], who was one of Generation 1 Soundwave's tape minions. While using his special in vehicle mode deployed a radar Jammer pod in the sky that also fired a laser at nearby enemies, a likely reference to Laserbeak, another of Generation 1 Soundwave's tape minions. In addition he and Jetfire are the only playable transformers with an airbone vehicle mode not to use missiles as their vehicle mode weapons.(soundwave shoots energy pulses of some sort while jetfire deploys bombs)}}
{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game (Wii/PS2)===
{{charstubfiction}}

===Transformers Autobots/Decepticons===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen: Autobots/Decepticons}}

==Toys==
===Revenge of the Fallen===
====Legends Class toys====
*'''Soundwave''' (Legends, 2009)
[[Image:ROTFLegends Soundwave.jpg|right|300px|thumb|No matter what mode you put him in, he is always ready to get down and dirty with unsuspecting satellites.]]

: Part of the fifth wave of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Legends Class]] figures, Soundwave transforms into a simplified version of his satellite alt mode which is notable for being more movie-accurate than his Deluxe Class toy. The satellite head is completely covered in blue, however.

{{-}}

*'''Infiltrator Soundwave''' (EZ Collection, 2010)

: In Japan, Legends class Soundwave was [[redeco]]ed to match the colors of Deluxe Infiltration Soundwave (see below). He was part of the Japanese ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' promotion, and was only available to those who bought the Voyager "[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] VS [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]" set at amazon.jp and Yamada Denki stores.

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:Soundwaverotfpreviewtoy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|War fork!]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RD-04'''
**''Accessories:'' 1 Ravage missile

:Part of the initial Movie Preview wave, Soundwave is a [[Triple Changer]], transforming into a satellite and a Cybertron jet, which are not exactly what could be described as "distinct" from one another. In all three modes, Soundwave features a spring-loaded missile launcher which fires a missile intended to resemble [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]], in reference to the scene in the film in which he launches the feline fiend down at Earth. In his (rather stocky) robot mode, Soundwave has blue light piping in his visor, but it is disabled, having been painted over in red; his other modes feature a second, armored version of his face, which is stored on the back of his robot mode. Probably to avoid giving the toy a very obviously two-headed robot mode, the alternate face lacks any paint details, and has an unpainted blue visor. Soundwave features numerous red and gold [[Paint operation|paint application]]s which are ''very'' cleverly and subtly positioned around his body to replicate similarly-colored and -positioned details on the [[Soundwave (G1)|original Soundwave toy]].

:The configuration for the satellite mode depicted in the toy's instructions is not the way Soundwave appears in the film, featuring a different angling for the panels on his shoulders. It's not a big change, but transforming the toy in accordance with his movie appearance ''does'' help to distinguish the jet from the satellite a little, since otherwise, virtually the only difference is in the positioning of the large panel "wings".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/Soundwave/soundwave.htm More information on Soundwave at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|GatheringNemesis}}
[[Image:ROTFtoy-GatheringattheNemesis.jpg|right|thumb|300px|You can get him in blue, but you gotta get those other guys, too!]]
*'''Gathering at Nemesis''' (Figure multi-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' 1 Ravage missile

: A [[Toys"R"Us]]-[[exclusive]] three pack (technically four pack if you want to count the Ravage missile), also featuring The Fallen, and a silver Voyager Class Megatron from the first movie toyline. Soundwave is [[redeco]]ed in predominantly blue as an homage to the [[Soundwave (G1)|original Soundwave]]. The Fallen was unchanged from his original release.

{{-}}{{anchor|BlackVersion}}
[[Image:CharaHobbyROTFSoundwaveBlack.jpg|thumb|300px| So...waiting for any ROTF Soundblaster jokes...]]
*'''Soundwave Black Version''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' 1 Ravage missile
:Exclusive to the 2009 "C3 X Hobby Chara Hobby" show that ran across [[August 29]]-[[August 30|30]] in Japan, Soundwave Black Version is a redeco of the deluxe ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Soundwave toy in black and red with orange highlights. Following the convention, remaining quantities of the figure were made available to purchase via lottery through the [[E-Hobby|e-Hobby]] website.

::*''[http://www.e-hobby.co.jp/cgi-bin/omc?port=33301&req=PRODUCT&code=tf_ev_07 Soundwave Black Version at e-Hobby]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Infiltration}}
[[Image:ROTFtoy-SoundwaveNESTAlliance.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Look out for Escalation Soundwave, Devastation Soundwave, and Soundwave Loves Drift-Chan.]]
*'''Battlefield Bumblebee Vs. Infiltration Soundwave''' (Deluxe 2-pack, 2010)
**''Accessories:'' 1 Ravage missile

:Part of the [[N.E.S.T. Global Alliance]] campaign, Infiltration Soundwave is another redeco of the Deluxe Class Soundwave mold, this time in dark blue and dark gray, plus bright red that simulates the intense heat of orbital reentry. He also comes with new light-piping that ''isn't'' painted over. He comes with Battlefield Bumblebee, a retooling of Cannon Bumblebee with a new battlemask head. Also included in the packaging is a "Mission Guide" catalog and ordering form for the mail-in exclusive Recon Ravage, a "starter sticker" for said ordering form, and a N.E.S.T. Global Alliance iron-on patch. Two additional stickers from specially-marked N.E.S.T. Global Alliance products and $4.95 shipping are required for the promotion. Sadly, this promotion does not exist in Europe or Australia, but Recon Ravage was made available in the latter country as a Toys R Us exclusive.

:Surprisingly, the package does not recognize his Cybertron jet mode, instead only acknowledging his satellite mode. The instructions ''do'' still mention his jet mode, though.
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Burger King===
[[Image:ROTFMerchandise-BurgerKingSoundwave.jpg|thumb|right|200px|I spy with my little eye.....impending tentacle rape.]]
*'''Seeking Soundwave''' (2009)
**'''Accessories:''' 2 blue solar panels
:The [[Burger King]] version of Soundwave is a representation of the communications satellite which Soundwave hacked into in the movie. The dishes have tendril details added to them. Peering into an opening in the top gives a sort of periscope effect, although as there is only one mirror, everything looks backwards.

{{-}}

===RPMs—Robot Powered Machines===
====Metal Heroes====
*'''Soundwave''' (2010)
*''Number:'' '''04 of 08''' (only 6 released)

:''[[Robot Powered Machines]]'' Soundwave is a small, non-transforming pseudo-Scion XB with his robot mode sculpted underneath. Said robot mode resembles [[Soundwave (Prime)|another Soundwave]] for some reason. The car's wheels feature through-axle construction for speedy racing on flat surfaces. Unlike other RPMs, Soundwave, along with the rest of the Metal Heroes, is made of [[die-cast]] metal.

:This toy features many differences in comparison to the [[Speed Stars]] release. Namely, the Speed Stars version lacks paint in the doors, as well as the chest, arms, legs and face of the "robot" mode, unlike the RPM release that has this fully painted. The plastic in the bottom of the car is cast in a different color: the RPM version is bronze while the Speed Stars version is golden. In addition, the RPM release has "Soundwave-Audio" written on the inferior part of the doors as well as having the tail lights painted (in red).

:RPM Soundwave is probably the most contradictory Transformer ever produced: he has [[Soundwave (Animated)|''Animated'' Soundwave]] alt mode and a mix between his regular and Electrostatic incarnations "tattoos", [[Soundwave (Prime)|''War for Cybertron'' Soundwave]] robot mode (which in turn was heavily based in [[Soundwave (G1)|G1 Soundwave]]) and despite this, the bio and toyline clearly identifies him as ROTF Soundwave. You can try and add [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Cybertron Soundwave]] to the list if you want, but that would be overkill.

:This toy's American release and the rest of the Metal Heroes were canceled in favor of the [[Speed Stars]] versions of the toys. They have been released in the Philippines, New Zealand and Mexico (at a discounted price compared to past RPM releases), however. Both versions were eventually available at retail in those countries.

===Speed Stars===
====Metal Heroes====
[[Image:SpeedStars_Soundwave_toy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|See? You ''have'' your damn ''Prime'' toys, now shut up!!]]
*'''Soundwave''' (2010)
*''Number:'' '''04 of 08'''

:Speed Stars Soundwave is a [[redeco]] of the RPM vehicle. All differences between the two releases are listed above.

{{-}}

====Stealth Force====
[[Image:SpeedStars_StealthForce_Soundwave_toy.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Three continuities for the price of one!]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Basic, 2010)

:This Soundwave toy is part of the "Stealth Force" subline, consisting of vehicles without robot modes, but with plenty of flip-out panels with hidden weapons. Like the smaller Metal Heroes toy, Soundwave has ''Animated'' Soundwave's Scion XB altmode and features ''War for Cybertron'' Soundwave on his packaging. He features non-firing weapons hidden all throughout the toy, activated by pulling part of the roof back.

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:EarlyMovieBlackout.jpg|right|200px|thumb|A Soundwave-headed Blackout from an animatic.]]
[[Image:ROTFEarthSoundwaveConcept.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Soundwave, before losing his weight.]]
* Soundwave was originally supposed to feature in [[Transformers (2007)|''Transformers'']]; he fulfilled both [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]]'s roles, hacking into the CIA headquarters as a portable stereo, then [[size changing|morphed]] into a Humvee to track down [[Sam Witwicky]].<ref>Details from an early script draft [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=2213120&postcount=297 summed up here], [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=2214148&postcount=303 confirmed as authentic by Roberto Orci here].</ref> [[Michael Bay]]'s decision to minimalize the amount of morphing in the film resulted in a change to a helicopter who openly attacks the army. Soundwave and [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] were changed to [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] as the film's location was changed from a jungle to a desert.<ref>[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=234188&postcount=2008 Roberto Orci confirms that Ravage was replaced by Scorponok at the official movie boards]</ref><ref>[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=234188&postcount=2008 Roberto Orci confirms that Ravage would have appeared in a different terrain at the official movie boards]
</ref> Soundwave's name remained attached to the separated portable stereo character for a while, but Hasbro felt the resulting character did not properly represent the original Soundwave—he was first renamed Soundbite, but eventually ended up with the name Frenzy.

*According to the trade paperback, Soundwave was a major character in the third draft of ''[[The Reign of Starscream]]''.

* In early drafts of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Soundwave came to Earth and scanned a black Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck form. Artist [[Paul Ozzimo]] created a visualization of this idea, and Hasbro based the Cybertronian satellite form's robot mode on this abandoned concept, particularly a Cybertronian version of the Chevy grill and small headlights on the lower torso. They then combined Ozzimo's body design with an unused, heavily G1-esque head design that had been created by artist [[Josh Nizzi]] (although Soundwave's finalized head design was also incorporated into the toy's satellite mode, in a manner akin to [[kibble#Faux parts|faux parts]]).

*Hasbro's description and arrangement of Soundwave's toy as a triple changer runs counter to the filmmakers' intent to introduce the technology in the next film.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-movie-just-movie-31/transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen-will-not-feature-triple-changers-165854/ News from TFW2005.com on September 23, 2008,] detailing [[Roberto Orci]]'s confirmation that there would be no triple-changers in ''Revenge of the Fallen''.</ref>

*Even though [[Frank Welker]] returned to voice Soundwave for the movie, his voice was not vocoded, but rather synthesized in the same way all the other Transformer voices in the movie were. Because of this, the voice he uses is much closer to that of "The Cave of Wonders" from [[Wikipedia:Aladdin (film)|Walt Disney's ''Aladdin'']], Dr. Claw from ''Inspector Gadget'' and Darkseid from The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, all voiced by Welker. However, in the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' video game, Soundwave's voice ([[Peter Jessop]]) is vocoded in a manner similar to that of ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]'s first voice, only with a more musical tone.

*[[Frank Welker]] voiced Soundwave not only in the English version of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', but also in a large number of foreign dubs, including the Italian one. Welker described the process as "very hard".<ref name="welkernewsarama">[http://www.newsarama.com/tv/090915-Animated-Shorts-Welker.html Newsarama interview with Frank Welker], September 2009.</ref> Althouth Welker is also credited in the German dub of the movie, German dubbing insiders insist that the voice heard in the actual movie is by someone else ([[Horst Lampe]], who also dubbed ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]), presumably as a last-minute decision because Welker's "German" performance was considered sub-standard.<ref name="germandub">[http://215072.homepagemodules.de/t511643f11775323-Transformers-Die-Rache-Transformers-Revenge-of-the-Fallen-7.html German dubbing board thread about ROTF, with a discussion about Soundwave's voice]</ref>. Welker is also credited in the Latin American-Spanish dub (which character he voiced is not listed, but it was most likely Soundwave, or he could have been credited for Devastator, Ravage, Grindor and Reedman, since all the sounds Welker did for them were kept in the Latin American-Spanish dub).

* Soundwave is unique among the Decepticons introduced in ''Revenge of the Fallen'' because he survives. ([[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]]'s fate is ambiguous in the film itself but he was clearly scrapped in the [[Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|two]] [[Revenge of the Fallen issue 2|adaptations]]). All the others are presumably killed, meaning if all our information only came from the films, then the only Decepticons alive are the original triad of Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave, along with the oft-overlooked [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]].

* Soundwave was included as a downloadable addition to the roster of the Revenge of the Fallen Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 video game, along with several ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' homages and fellow movie character [[Sideswipe (ROTF)|Sideswipe]]. Soundwave's special abilities deploy an aerial jammer pod that looks suspiciously like [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], and an AOE pod that continuously smashes the ground with piledrivers; undoubtedly a nod to Generation 1 [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s minion [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]. According to concept artist [[Ken Christiansen]], his appearance was based more closely on the Deluxe class toy than his movie design.

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Communications specialists]]
[[Category:Cyber Missions characters]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Decepticons]]
[[Category:Spies]]
[[Category:Triple Changers]]

Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers

2011-04-11T13:16:14Z

58.69.183.193: /* Generation 1 */

{{picsneeded}}
Over the years, many '''misconceptions and urban legends''' have sprung up within ''Transformers'' [[fandom]], often resulting from such factors as fuzzy childhood memories, inaccurate catalog illustrations, and mistranslations of foreign material.

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Transformers is (only) a cartoon from the Eighties that has been brought back into vogue recently.'''
: A misconception usually held by casual fans or nostalgic adults is that Transformers went away some time around 1986 (or 1987, or 1988—pick your year), and has only recently popped back up as an attempt to cash in on '80s nostalgia.
:In fact, the [[Transformers brand]] has been continuous since 1984 (there was a brief gap between 1990 and 1993 as far as the United States market was concerned, but the brand still continued with new products in other markets). It includes many [[Franchise|lines of toys, cartoons and comics]] that span over two decades, with no sign of stopping, as Hasbro considers it a core brand. Each line has experienced varying degrees of success, rebooting when its target audience gets too old or uninterested in the toyline and fiction.
:Some of this misconception is based on the fact that most of the original audience stopped watching and following the franchise after its cancellation, or even before (as it wasn't "cool" to be kiddy once puberty hit). Without any exposure to the market, the toyline and the new cartoons, they simply assume that ''Transformers'' has sunk in popularity, quality and/or sales, since it's not what they remember.
:It ''is'' true that Transformers hit a low point of popularity in the early 1990s, with the cancelation of Generation 1 and the unremarkable sales of ''[[Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]''. But the successor ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' line re-established the brand for a new generation beginning in 1996, and Transformers has been a dominant toy franchise ever since.

*'''Generation 1 obviously has the best toys, cartoons and characters.'''
:Casual fans likewise tend to assume automatically that the original 1980s iteration of Transformers is the best and most successful line to date, with all other successors being unpopular and/or unsuccessful ventures.
:While it's hard to measure the overall success of every line in all its aspects, the original line has been surpassed in both quality and sales multiple times over. In factors such as realistic alternate forms, durability, articulation, action features, and complexity, various later toylines have all exceeded Generation 1. And while fiction can't be measured objectively, many fans will swear up and down by some of the later incarnations of ''Transformers''.
:Arguably, Transformers is in an endless cycle of creating [[true fan|new fans who share new opinions on what is "teh greatest"]].

*'''Powermaster Optimus Prime was the first, ''original'' Optimus Prime toy.'''

[[Image:G1 OptimusPrime toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|1984—the original.]]
[[Image:PowermasterOptimusPrime toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|1988—the Powermaster version.]]
:This one claims that the [[Powermaster]] [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] toy, originally released in 1988, is the ''original'', first Optimus Prime toy ever released, rather than the ''earlier'', non-Powermaster toy, which is an entirely different mold and was originally available in 1984. This phenomenon is particularly common in [[eBay]] auctions, where Powermaster Optimus Prime toys are frequently advertised as "ORIGINAL Optimus Prime".
:The reasons for this misconception are obvious: Numerous people arrived late to the party—that is, became fans of the original ''Transformers'' line after the ''real'' original Optimus Prime toy had vanished off the shelves in 1986 (the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] was still shown in reruns on TV). Any of them looking for a toy of the iconic [[Autobot]] leader would only find the Powermaster toy on store shelves starting in 1988. Fast-forward to 20 years later, and people who weren't really paying a lot of attention to the brand for the past few years, now looking to sell off their childhood toys, would naturally conclude that the toy they got as a kid was the ''original'' Optimus Prime toy.
:The phenomenon is even more widespread in countries such as Germany, where the cartoon wasn't officially shown on TV until 1989(!). By that point, the ''original'' toy, which had originally been released by [[Milton Bradley]] on the European market in 1985, was long gone off the shelves. Thus, the only Optimus Prime toy available to kids who had only just become fans because of the cartoon was the Powermaster version. Admittedly, gray imports of the Mexican version of the ''original'' toy by [[IGA]] were also available in European stores around this time, and Hasbro themselves would release the original toy again two years later as part of their European-exclusive [[Classics (Europe)|Classics]] line of reissues. However, the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy was still a lot more widespread.

*'''20th Anniversary Optimus Prime was the Optimus Prime toy available more than 20 years ago/Alternators are the same toys that were available 20 years ago.'''

[[Image:20thAnniversary OptimusPrimesm.jpg|left|125px|thumb|Sadly, this didn't exist until 2003.]]
:This misconception usually comes from people who, upon seeing the 20th Anniversary [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] toy (which was originally released in 2003/2004), honest-to-god swear it's the toy they had when they were a kid. Similarly, there are also people who believe that the toys from the ''[[Alternators]]'' line are the same toys they had as kids, when they're most likely confusing them with the original Autobot Cars, which are about half the size.
:The reasons for this aren't too hard to guess: People were a lot smaller when they were kids, so obviously the original Transformers toys seemed a lot larger to them. Since these fans didn't repeatedly hold or play with their Transformers while growing up, they weren't constantly adjusting to the toys' size in relation to their own. This resulted in blurred memories of outright ''gargantuan'' Transformers toys available in the 1980s. (One might wonder how tall those people would remember [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] being.)
:When confronted with the original toys—now relatively small because the fans have grown up—these people often reject them, insisting the "original" toys were ''larger'' (occasionally even accusing the ''real'' original toys of being downsized [[Knockoff|knockoffs]]). Showing them the Alternators or 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, on the other hand, will bring back warm (albeit incorrect) memories.

{{-}}

*'''A "giant"-sized Optimus Prime toy was available during Generation 1.'''
:A variant of the above of sorts. In at least a few cases, claims regarding a "giant" Generation 1 Prime may stem from dim memories of coming across [http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbyg2.html oversized Optimus Prime knockoffs that were made in Korea]—or because they had the ''normal'' Prime as kids, when they (the former kids) were about ''half'' the height they are now (see above). Other people also may have blurred memories of the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy's larger robot mode when combined with his trailer.
:The release of 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime didn't exactly help matters either (again, see above).

*'''"Bumblejumper" is a fan name for a yellow version of Cliffjumper./Bumblejumper was sold both on Bumblebee and Cliffjumper cards.'''
[[Image:G1Bumper toy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Bumper", who later would be known as "Bumper".]]
:As part of the launch of the [[The Transformers (toyline)|''Generation 1'' toyline]] in 1984, Hasbro released two Autobot [[Mini Vehicle|Minicar]] toys, [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], both of which had vehicle modes that used [[Choro-Q]]-like proportions. Bumblebee was based on a classic Volkswagen Beetle, whereas Cliffjumper was based on a Porsche 924 Turbo. In all the official advertising as well as the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon series]] and the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel comics]], Bumblebee was consistently colored yellow, whereas Cliffjumper was colored red (not counting one-off coloring and [[Animation error|animation errors]]). However, Hasbro also released a red Bumblebee and a yellow Cliffjumper, both of which used the same cardbacks as the regular versions.
:In addition, Hasbro also released a [[Bumper (G1)|''third'' mold]] using a similar body structure and transformation scheme, based on a Mazda Familia 1500XG. This toy had originally been available as part of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]'' line, but was not officially advertised as a ''Transformers'' toy. (Note that this toy is not to be confused with [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]], a yellow [[retool]] of Cliffjumper released in 1986.) To this very day, only yellow samples of this toy in ''Transformers'' packaging have surfaced, all of them on "Cliffjumper" cards. The color variants for Bumblebee and Cliffjumper continued to be available with the 1985 assortment (which featured [[Rubsign|rubsigns]] and the Mini Vehicle toys packaged in robot mode rather than in [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode]]), whereas no samples of the Mazda Familia in 1985 packaging have surfaced thus far.
:Fans later started to refer to the Mazda Familia mold by portmanteau names such as "Bumblejumper", "Cliffbee" and "Bumper". The last of these names was eventually made official when a character based on the toy made appearances in the ongoing [[Generation One (Dreamwave comic)|''Generation One'' Volume 1]] comic series by [[Dreamwave Productions]] and in the ''[[Megatron Origin]]'' mini-series by [[IDW Publishing]]. However, fans who know about the Bumblebee/Cliffjumper color variants, but are unaware of the existence of the Mazda Familia mold, occasionally incorrectly assume that the name "Bumblejumper" refers to the yellow color variant of Cliffjumper... which is simply referred to as "yellow Cliffjumper" by most fans.

*'''A now-rare (and thus valuable) blue variant of Bluestreak was available during Generation 1.'''

[[Image:G1 Bluestreak boxart.jpg|right|150px|thumb|You had this as a kid. The picture, that is. Not the toy.]]
:The very earliest [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]] toy [[catalog]]s used a photo of a blue-sided ''[[Diaclone]]'' Fairlady Z to represent [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]; photographs of the same toy were used for Bluestreak's own [[Instructions|instruction booklet]]. The same blue-sided color scheme was also used on his [[Package art|box art]]; Bluestreak's box art was in turn shown on ''every'' 1984 instruction booklet as a sample tech spec.
:All this gave rise to a long-standing myth that a blue Bluestreak toy was sold under the ''Transformers'' brand during Generation 1, with some people going so far as to "remember" owning blue Bluestreaks as children, or at least knowing someone else who did. Adding to the confusion, ''[[wikipedia:ToyFare|ToyFare]]'' magazine has a long history of listing the supposed blue Bluestreak as a "foreign [[variant]]" in its monthly price guide.
:However, actual samples of a blue-sided Bluestreak in a sealed ''Transformers'' box have ''never'' appeared, and the [[Karl Hartman|collectors who have been at it since the very beginning]] and [[Jon Hartman|amassed ''insane'' numbers of rare Transformers]] have never seen one.
: Oddly enough, numerous other Transformers toys from that era were depicted in both catalogues and packaging art with colors they were never released in —[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], for example— yet Bluestreak is the only one to be (mis)remembered in this manner, perhaps because his name is Bluestreak, so he had to have been blue, right?

*'''A show-accurate Skyfire toy was available during Generation 1.'''

[[Image:Jetfire-SkyfireModels.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Patience. You just have to wait 22 years.]]
:Due to some legal entanglements, [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] was renamed "Skyfire" for the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]], with a [[character model]] that bore only a vague resemblance to the toy. Some confused viewers seem to have come away assuming that there had to be a [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] Generation 1 toy by the name of Skyfire. (The ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' Jetfire toy is actually designed as a mix between the original toy and the cartoon character model.)

*'''Some Generation 1 toy molds were in use as long ago as 1974.'''
:Some ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]''-derived toys have the text "©1974 TAKARA" stamped on them, and as a result are occasionally sold on eBay with descriptions such as "original 1974 [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]". However, the date 1974 refers to the introduction of the original [[Microman]] franchise due to the way Japanese IP law worked at the time; the first ''Microchange'' toys weren't even designed until the early 1980s.

*'''A winged variant of Sludge was available during Generation 1.'''
:A [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] [[knockoff]] that featured wings and a pterodactyl-like beast head was fairly commonplace during the Generation 1 era, and in some cases people who owned this knockoff as children seem to have misremembered it as being a [[Hasbro]] or [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]-produced [[variant]].<ref name="Sludge Knockoff">[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Sludge1.html http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Sludge1.html]</ref>

*'''A Unicron toy was available during Generation 1.'''
[[Image:Unicron Proto.jpg|thumb|200px|Seriously, aren't you glad your poor parents didn't have to waste like a hundred bucks on this back in '86?]]
:No toys of [[Unicron]] were available (or even produced beyond [[prototype]]) until 2003. In fact, the mere ''existence'' of those prototypes wasn't actually officially confirmed until many years later. The first official Unicron toy to be released came out as part of the ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' line in 2003 and was a brand new mold, not based on an old, unused prototype.
:The fictional existence of a ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' Unicron toy is likely based on schoolground one-upmanship: if one kid had a larger toy such as [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] or [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], a rival kid would claim to have a Unicron toy in order to appear cooler, but would most likely retire to his bed a sobbing mess, knowing in his heart that one day God would punish him for being a '''HUGE FIBBER'''.

*'''The Decepticon combiner team Seacons is pronounced "See-ih-cons" vice "See-cons."'''
:This belief stems from the fact that nearly all Decepticon teams before them had a "i" or "a" vowel break in between the prefix and "con" (Construct'''i'''cons, Combat'''i'''cons, Pred'''a'''cons, etc), with nearly all the teams having three or more syllables. To fit the pattern, some fans inserted an extra syllable into "[[Seacon (G1)|Seacon]]s", expanding the name to "See-ah-cons" or something similar. There was little to disprove this, since audio media mentioning the team by name is rare. However, fans have since found there was one toy commercial for the set and the narrator clearly calls them "See-cons."

*'''The reissue Soundwave toys released by Takara are reverse-engineered from Soundblaster because the original molds are lost'''
:Both the ''[[Transformers Collection]]'' and ''[[Encore]]'' [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] releases have different tape buttons and hinges than the ones found on the vintage Hasbro release. While the vintage Hasbro Soundwave had inset controls and an internal tape deck hinge, the Takara reissues have a large button block that serves as a pivot point for an external tape deck hinge. The supposed reason for this is the mold for the original versions of the buttons and door are lost or worn out, so a new single tape door was made to work with the Soundblaster mold.
:In fact, the buttons and hinge used on the reissue Soundwaves were originally a [[retool]]ed running change [[variant]] of Takara's original 1985 release of Soundwave. The further Soundblaster retool was based on the later Japanese version of Soundwave, as were the reissues. Presumably, the original mold in its original condition ''is'' lost - but this happened ''long'' before Takara retooled Soundwave into Soundblaster.

===Generation 2===
*'''"Generation 2" means "after ''The Transformers: The Movie''."'''
:This common but explicitly false idea probably stems from the many casual fans who grew up with the original ''Transformers'' line but stopped paying much attention around 1986, when the animated ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' debuted and the ''Transformers'' craze began to die down. Many such fans regained some interest in ''Transformers'' many years later, particularly with hype surrounding the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]]. Seeing the phrase "Generation 2" batted around in fandom, it might seem natural to assume it refers to the big changeover that happened with the animated film. It certainly didn't help that, early in the life of [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]], [[Pat Lee]] shared in this misconception, leading other new arrivals to the fandom to ape his use of the term.
:While the original animated movie certainly marked a change from one "generation" of toys to another, along with some new design trends, the phrase "Generation 2" refers to [[Generation 2 (franchise)|a very specific franchise]], marketed from 1992 to 1995—years after the animated film had come and gone. Its relative obscurity probably contributes to the mis-attribution of the term, as ''Generation 2'' marks a low point in popularity for ''Transformers'' as a whole.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline was known as "Transformers 2000" in Japan.'''
:As information about the then-new [[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|''Car Robots'' toyline]] began to trickle out of Japan in 2000, early rumors purportedly from Japanese sources indicated that it was officially named "Transformers 2000".<ref name="Transformers 2000">http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_frm/thread/e6436b92178f0c0a</ref> It's possible those Japanese sources were also going by early, inaccurate rumors or perhaps a soon-to-be-discarded working title for the line. The idea persisted with many Western fans well after the true name of the show was revealed, encouraged by online import retailers (who were equally misinformed) using the title to promote pre-orders on their sites.

===Alternators===
*'''A yellow version of Alternators Tracks was released to North American stores (but then recalled by Hasbro).'''

[[Image:YellowTracks.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Only in Japan, baby.]]
:When [[Hasbro]] (and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) originally announced the ''[[Alternators]]'' version of [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] in 2004, the toy's [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode's]] primary color was yellow. This caused the ire of a significant portion of the fandom, which insisted that the toy had to be ''blue'', like its ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' predecessor.
:However, while Takara did release their ''Binaltech'' version of the toy in yellow, stolen [[Prototype|samples]] of the Hasbro version eventually surfaced which were indeed blue rather than yellow. Hasbro eventually confirmed at [[OTFCC 2004]] that the initial idea had been to release the toy in yellow first, and then later as a running change [[variant]] in blue, like Takara would ultimately do. However, Hasbro had encountered problems at the test shot stage, where it became evident that some of the toy's innards were shining through the yellow plastic. As a result, plans for a release of the yellow version were scrapped, and it was decided to release the blue version from the get-go.
:However, around the time when the yellow version of ("Autobot") Tracks was originally supposed to arrive in stores, rumors started circulating that some stores (usually [[Walmart]]) had indeed received a shipment of the toy, but were then asked by Hasbro to send back the entire batch. Some variants of this rumor later even claimed having seen a cell photo from the friend of a friend depicting a yellow Alternators Tracks in packaging on top of a case sporting a "RETURN TO SENDER" note. Conveniently, circumstance always prevented these people from taking a photo and sharing it with the internet public.
:Needless to say, no substantial evidence has ever surfaced to back up these claims. Furthermore, there are several factors that make this story extremely doubtful: First, Hasbro—in their own words—discovered the problems with the see-through yellow plastic at the test shot stage (which is the entire ''point'' of this part of the production run). Why would they actually bother to continue the production run, print the packaging, pack the toy and send it to stores and ''then'' decide to recall it? Never mind that toy recalls are usually done due to safety concerns, not because of ''looks''. Also, we've seen "leaked" (read: stolen) packaged samples of pretty much every single Alternators toy several months prior to its official release. Yellow Tracks? The last thing we saw of him was an unpackaged, painted sample with (intentionally) off-color Autobot sigils and "NOT FOR SALE" markings. In all the years since the toy's alleged stealth shipment to stores, not a single packaged sample has surfaced.
:The only "packaged" versions of a yellow ''Alternators'' Tracks we ever got to see were internet pranks of the "yellow ''Binaltech'' Tracks in photoshopped Hasbro box" variety. Which, of course, didn't help matters at all.

*'''Hasbro omitted ''Alternators'' Windcharger's gun barrel for safety reasons.'''

[[Image:WindchargerOverdrive.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Castrated at the request of Honda.]]
:When the first stolen [[Prototype|test shots]] of ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] surfaced in 2004, the toy sported an extraordinarily long gun barrel (which doubled as the [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode]]'s drive shaft). However, when [[Hasbro]] finally officially announced the toy on their public website, the gun barrel was missing from all the official photos. Since Hasbro's photographers have a reputation of frequently depicting mistransformed toys in their official [[stock photography|promotional photos]], fans initially assumed that Hasbro was showing a "broken" toy—but then the first (stolen) packaged samples surfaced, which were also lacking the barrel.
:The toy was ultimately released without the barrel, which was not shown or mentioned anywhere on the packaging or in the instructions. Indeed, Windcharger's weapon accessory was officially identified as a "shield" on the back of the packaging (in addition to the actual, ragtop roof shield). [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], on the other hand, later released their own ''Binaltech'' version of the toy (named [[Overdrive]]) with the full barrel, prominently shown in the official promotional photos.
:The initial fan theory upon seeing the barrel-less toy was that Hasbro had gutted it [[for safety reasons]], since the long barrel might pose a choking hazard. Even though this was refuted by actual experts on toy safety standards, the rumor still persisted. An official response of Hasbro's customer service department to an e-mail inquiry (published on a fan site's message board) confirmed that the reason for the barrel's omission was "so the accessory would not look like a weapon".<ref name="Windcharger gun barrel">"http://forums.tformers.com/talk/index.php?showtopic=13088 Response from Hasbro's customer service department regarding the lack of Alternators Windcharger's gun barrel.</ref> Some fans now shifted the blame from Hasbro (or toy safety laws) to Honda, since all ''Alternators'' toys were officially licensed vehicles (Honda wouldn't be the first company to have objections about their vehicles being depicted as "war toys", either), while others tried to ambiguously interpret the response mail, or even accuse Hasbro's customer service department of simply not actually knowing what they were talking about. The release of Takara's version with the full gun barrel intact didn't exactly help to resolve matters either.
:Eventually, Hasbro (in the presence of Takara representatives) would confirm the full story at [[BotCon 2005]]: It had indeed been Honda, specifically their North American branch, that had asked to remove the gun barrel and all references to "weapons" from the toy, its packaging and included paperwork. Honda's Japanese department, on the other hand, had no such concerns, which is why Takara were able to release the ''Binaltech'' version with the barrel intact.
:This didn't mark an end to the "for toy safety reasons" rumor, though: Some fans who are unaware of Hasbro's statement at the BotCon panel still assume the (seemingly) evident explanation, whereas some conspiracy theorists explicitly reject the official explanation by Hasbro, arguing that Hasbro would rather put the blame on Honda than openly admit that they had altered a toy in order to conform to toy safety regulations.

===Masterpiece===
*'''Masterpiece Convoy has more diecast parts than 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime/Masterpiece Convoy is made almost entirely out of diecast/20th Anniversary Optimus Prime is made entirely out of plastic'''
:This misconception ''might'' be extrapolated from the ''[[Alternators]]'' toys, which are made entirely out of plastic (except for the rubber tires) for their Hasbro releases, whereas their Japanese ''Binaltech'' counterparts feature a few parts made out of [[die-cast|die-cast metal]].
:In fact, however, the amount of die-cast metal parts versus injection-[[mold|molded]] plastic parts is the same between 20th Anniversary [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]] and his Japanese ''[[Masterpiece]]'' Convoy counterpart. The only differences between the two toys (not counting the packaging) are the shortened smokestacks for Hasbro's 20th Prime and the addition of painted battle damage that is missing from the Takara version.

===Transformers Collection===
[[Image:G1 Vol.1 Issue2 1.jpg|thumb|100px|right|A solicitation of then upcoming Takara reissues? Not really.]]
*'''Takara's ''Transformers Collection'' had something to do with Dreamwave'''
:In 2002, Takara launched their series of [[Generation 1 reissues]] named ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'', also commonly referred to as "bookbox reissues" or even "Dreamwave reissues" among fans. The reason for that is simple: The [[package art]], especially for early releases such as [[Jazz (G1)/toys|Meister]] or [[Prowl (G1)/toys|Prowl]], was directly taken from the covers of and promotional posters for [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave's]] first ''[[Prime Directive|Generation One]]'' mini-series drawn by [[Pat Lee]]. A common misconception among fans at that time was that Takara was coordinating their reissues with Dreamwave. Some even tried to predict upcoming reissues based on the existing Dreamwave covers. Yet [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] never materialized.

:In fact, probably the main reason why Takara recycled Pat's Dreamwave artwork of those characters for the [[packaging]] of their reissues was its coincidental availability: The artwork had already been created and paid for, so why commission new art when they could just use what already exists? Furthermore, only about half of the TFC reissues actually sported "Dreamwave" package art, whereas the rest ''did'' use newly-commissioned art drawn by Japanese artist [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]], who has never in his life worked for Dreamwave and had been drawing in this style long before Pat Lee rose to his brief "superstar artist" fame.
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===Commemorative Series===
*'''Commemorative Series Side Swipe was found at Toys"R"Us stores in the USA'''
:In mid-2004, [[Toys"R"Us]] decided to discontinue the [[Commemorative Series]] line of ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Generation 1 reissues|reissues]] they had [[exclusive|exclusively]] carried up until that point due to low sales. This affected several planned releases, such as [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], which ultimately never came out. However, it ''also'' affected the ready-to-ship ''Commemorative Series'' VIII and IX: Series VIII [[Skids (G1)|Autobot Skids]] and Series IX [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] were still released; however, Series VIII [[Sideswipe (G1)|Side Swipe]] was ultimately released as a [[KB Toys]] exclusive over a year later, whereas Series IX [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] ended up as a [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] exclusive shortly afterwards. Side Swipe ''did'', however, show up at ''Canadian'' and ''Australian'' Toys"R"Us stores at different points in 2004.

:Still, around the time when Side Swipe's intended series-mate Skids hit stores, rumors started to pop up that someone ''had'' indeed found Side Swipe at Toys"R"Us. Similar to the "yellow ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] at [[Walmart]]" rumor, however, nobody was ever able to provide evidence of having purchased the toy. Thus, any of these instances were likely either due to fans trying to get their ten minutes of internet fame, or misinterpretations of Canadian or Australian sightings as hailing from the US ('cuz, y'know, all ''Transformers'' fans are presumed to be Americans by default).

===Europe (all generations)===
*'''The Generation 1 Seacon Overbite was released under the name "Jawbreaker" in some European markets.'''
[[Image:JawbreakerComic.jpg|right|thumb|UK comic exclusive name variant!]]
:This appears to originate from the fact that [[Enemy Action!|issue 152]] of the Marvel UK comics, the first appearance of the [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], refers to [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]] as "Jawbreaker", a name repeated in his appearance in [[Salvage!|issue 160]] and an "A to Z" profile in the [[Transformers Annual 1989]]. In the early days of the Transformers online fandom, when information about (and scans of) the UK comics were made available to a larger number of American fans for the first time, they concluded that this must mean that the toy had been released under a different name in Europe (which is not ''entirely'' unfounded: Generation 1 toys ''had'' been released under alternate names in Canada and Italy; and many of the tail-end G1 toys that were released following the cancellation of the line on the United States market were also available in several name variants on various European markets). A further variation of this rumor even cited legal (possibly [[trademark]]) reasons as an explanation for the alleged name change.
:However, no substantial evidence has ever surfaced to back up this rumor; in fact, European fans, when questioned, all claimed to recall that the toy was called "Overbite" when released in their respective countries (except for Italy, where [[GiG]] actually didn't release the Seacons ''at all''). Furthermore, the [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] in [[City of Fear!|issue #164]] of the UK comic features a question by a confused (British) reader who inquires about the "Jawbreaker" name, since the toy was called "Overbite" when released in the UK (which then results in a made-up-on-the-spot explanation on behalf of the Marvel staff to reconcile both names).
:So, why ''did'' the story identify the character as "Jawbreaker"? It's likely that writer [[Simon Furman]] simply got a few names mixed up, since the Overbite toy's instructions refer to his ''weapon'' as a "Jawbreaker cannon". That, or "Jawbreaker" was an early working name for Overbite. Or, as his first appearance was very early in the year, when the story was written Marvel UK had received incomplete information about a toy that was not yet on sale.

*'''Some toys were exclusively (or predominantly) available in the United Kingdom (sometimes also the Netherlands)'''
:This likely stems from the fact that during the early days of the Transformers online fandom, when information from European countries was shared with American fans, two of the most active fanbases (or, at least, fanbases with members who were capable of, and interested in, engaging in conversations using the English language) as far as Europe was concerned were based in the UK and in the Netherlands. As a result, when information about toys (or toy variants) that were not available in the United States was spread, there simply were no fans from Germany or France around to confirm that the toys in question had also been officially available in their respective countries.
:As a result, the red variant of [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] was initially branded a "Netherlands" release, as were some the Mexican toys originally produced by [[IGA]] for the Mexican market that were later imported to Europe through gray channels and sold in at least half a dozen countries (most notably exotic variations such as blue versions of [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]). Meanwhile, tail-end G1 releases after the toyline had been cancelled as far as the United States market was concerned, such as the [[Action Master Elite|Action Master Elites]], the "[[Classics (Europe)|Classics]]" reissues, the [[Turbomaster|Turbomasters]] or the [[Obliterator|Obliterators]], were often referred to as "UK exclusives" (and are occasionally still to this very day), even though all of them were also available in numerous other countries—some of them even in Canada and Australia!
:Simply put, there are very few toys that were actually exclusive to a single European country. The bizarre red-footed variant of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|G1 Optimus Prime]] has only been confirmed for the UK and France thus far (apparently in two different packaging variations, no less), and ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Jazz (G1)|Meister]] and ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] have both only been released in Italy as far as the European (but not the American, or Australian, or Asian) market is concerned. Even the red "Powerlinx" version of ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]], which had originally been available as a "[[USA Edition]]" in Japan and was later found in Israel of all places, also has confirmed sightings for Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The toy was even found in ''Australia'', but only in stores that also occasionally sell toys imported from other countries, and again in European packaging, oddly enough.
:The first ''genuine'' "UK exclusives" were released as part of the accompanying [[Movie (toyline)|toyline]] for the 2007 [[Transformers (2007)|''Transformers'' live action movie]], namely a three-pack containing the Deluxe Class toys [[Jazz (Movie)|Autobot Jazz]], [[Protoform]] [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Brawl (Movie)|Decepticon Brawl]], and a two-pack, named "Towed to Safety", which contained the first of the two Deluxe Class [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] molds and [[Longarm (Movie)|Longarm]] (''not '' to be confused with the Screen Battles "Final Stand" set, which was ''also'' available in the UK), both of them in their original decos. Meanwhile, other multi-packs or minor variants of toys from the 2007 movie toyline that were available in the UK but not in the United States were also available in other places, such as Japan, Hong Kong, Australia or other European countries again.

*'''A green variant of Trailbreaker was available in some European countries.'''
:This belief seems to stem from the fact that [[IGA]]'s Mexican version of [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (which, like most Mexican Transformers, was widely available on the European gray market circa 1989, as mentioned above) used the same head sculpt as [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]. But like the "Blue" Bluestreak, no samples of an actual green version of the Trailbreaker mold actually sold ''as'' "Trailbreaker" have been found.

===Other===
*'''Takara (alternatively, Hasbro) are ''solely'' responsible for designing, developing and manufacturing (all, or certain specific) ''Transformers'' toys.'''
: This was true only for the original [[The Transformers (toyline)|''Generation 1'' toys]], and possibly also the [[Generation 2 (toyline)|''Generation 2'' toys]]. Most of the toys from 1984 to 1986 were imported (and, occasionally, slightly altered) versions of already-existing Japanese toys originally designed and released by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]. Following that, Takara developed new toys both for the Japanese and the Western market, now specifically with ''Transformers'' in mind. The primary exceptions are a handful of toys licensed from other Japanese companies (Jetfire, Whirl and Roadbuster, for example), and the 1986 toys for the [[The Transformers: The Movie|animated movie]], which were mostly based on designs by [[Floro Dery]].
: However, at least since the time of the [[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]] toyline, most "main" line toys released both in Japan and the Western hemisphere (such as the [[Unicron Trilogy]], ''[[Alternators]]'', the [[Movie (toyline)|2007 Movie line]] and ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]/[[Henkei! Henkei! (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'') have been designed and developed in cooperation between [[Hasbro]] (or its subsidiary [[Kenner]]) and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] (now TakaraTomy). (For the specifics of this joint venture development process, see the article about [[Toy|toys]].)
: Still, numerous reasons have led some people to assume incorrectly that ''all'' ''Transformers'' toy lines were ''solely'' developed by only one of the two companies:
:* The Western public and mainstream media, naturally, tend to be unaware of the existence of Takara (TakaraTomy these days). It's therefore logical to assume that Hasbro, the company responsible for distributing Transformers toys outside Japan, is also solely responsible for developing and manufacturing the toys. The fact that Hasbro regularly chooses not to mention their Japanese business partner in official press releases and interviews hasn't exactly helped matters, either.
:* On the other hand, Western anime fans are used to Japanese companies being solely responsible for designing robot toys, which are then imported and sold by Western companies. For lack of better knowledge, those people then simply assume the same also applies to ''Transformers'' toys — namely, that Takara does ''all'' the design and engineering work on their own, and Hasbro is merely the Western ''distributor'' of those toys. The fact that the back of Hasbro's packaging for ''Transformers'' toys sports a small note saying "Manufactured under license from Takara Co., Ltd." (changed to "TOMY Company, Ltd." on more recent toys) is occasionally cited as "proof" that Takara is the sole manufacturer of ''Transformers'' toys as well. A long paper trail of evidence to the contrary<ref name="Hasbro Tour">[http://www.seibertron.com/events/gallery.php?event_id=70&size=0&start=272 Exemplary rundown] of the development process of ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' Leader Class [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]], shown during the Hasbro tour at [[BotCon 2007]]. Of course, Hasbro just replaced the name "Takara" in some of the steps with "Hasbro" in order to convince fans that... yeah, riiiight.</ref> has not been able to convince those people of the flaws in their conspiracy theory — rather, some of them have even postulated the existence of a so-called "Hasbro PR machine", whose sole purpose is to convince ''Transformers'' fans that Hasbro actually has a larger part in the development of ''Transformers'' toys than is actually the case.<ref name="Propaganda">[http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?1,88668 ToyBoxDX thread with anime fanboys arguing that "Takara is an enormous toy '''manufacturing''' company. Hasbro doesn't manufacturer anything. The sole reason for its existence is for marketing the products of their partners and wholly-owned subs. Just to be clear here - Takara is bigger than Hasbro."] They wouldn't even believe that [[Joe Kyde]] actually worked at Hasbro. No kidding.</ref>
: That being said, there ''are'' indeed a few toys originally developed by either Hasbro or Takara without the other one's involvement, and then later picked up by the other company, but they're fewer than usually assumed: For Takara, those include the new molds for ''[[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]'', ''[[Beast Wars Neo (toyline)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' and ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Car Robots]]'', plus various mostly short-lived, collector-aimed, niche market lines (such as the new ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' molds, the ''[[Smallest Transforming Transformers]]'', the ''[[Hybrid Style]]'' toys etc.); for Hasbro, those are mostly either toys originally based on fiction-based franchises that did not originate with Hasbro (such as ''[[Animorphs]]'' or the ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars Transformers]]'' and their later successor, ''[[Crossovers|Transformers Crossovers]]''), cross-brand lines ''within'' Hasbro where the Transformers toys only make up one part of the overall lineup (such as the [[Titanium Series]] and the [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] figures) and a few very rare "main" line Transfomers toys such as the ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Power Master|Power Masters]] and [[Grimlock (Energon)|Grimlock]], [[Swoop (Energon)|Swoop]], [[Alpha Quintesson]], [[Kicker Jones#Toys|Energon Kicker]] and [[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] from ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]''.

*'''Takara's Japanese-market releases are always of intrinsically better quality than their U.S. counterparts. (E.g., they have sweeter exclusives, and are always more show-accurate, have more accessories, and have tighter quality control.)'''
: This one depends a bit on the speaker, as it can either be a genuine misconception, a matter of opinion, or at worst, [[Personal canon|willful]] [[True fan|snobbery]]. But, like any broad generalization, it does have some basis.
:*"Better quality" can refer to the fact that Japanese versions of individual toys sometimes have clear plastic instead of painted-on windows like [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Movie Bumblebee]], or have vac-metallized parts where the equivalent U.S. release doesn't, like [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|''Energon'' Optimus Prime/Grand Convoy]]. Or, "better" quality can refer to the fact that Japan is a less litigious society, with different toy safety laws, and Takara can thus give [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Prime]] toys old-school long smokestacks, which are now shortened in the U.S. [[for safety reasons]]. These laws also mean that [[Megatron (G1)|Masterpiece Megatron]] is freely available in Japan, but hard to get in the U.S. (the exact opposite of ''real'' handguns, ironically).
:*"More [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] decos" does have some basis, as Takara frequently releases its toys later than Hasbro does Stateside, and thus they are better able to reflect discrepancies between late-run changes to a character's coloration in a show (such as with the original [[Rattrap]] or [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|''Armada'''s Tidal Wave]]). The most extreme example of this was ''[[Beast Machines (franchise)|Beast Wars Returns]]'', the Japanese release of ''Beast Machines'', which was ''years'' later than in the U.S., allowing Takara to add a lot of the deco that was added to the characters by [[Mainframe Entertainment]] that was not the original toys. (''See also'': [[Show-accuracy]])
:*"More accessories" mostly comes from the fact that ''some'' of Takara's releases have some extra accessories, but the only cases of this before the reissues were [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]'s two swords, Megatron's sword and bullets (even though the Japanese release lacked the barrel, scope and stock extensions) and clear cases from the various cassettes. Japanese reissues have included additional accessories from the cartoon (the axe, chain mace, Energon cubes and gun-mode Megatron in the [[Transformers Collection]] reissues of Optimus and Megatron, Insecticons and Starscream, respectively, the Matrix from New Year's Convoy). Some ''[[Energon (franchise)|Super Link]]'' releases came with [[Redeco|redecoed]] [[Energon weapon|Energon weapons]] as well. [[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Henkei Hot Rod]] came with two missile launchers and missiles not included with [[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys#Universe_.282008.29|Universe Hot Shot]] due to budget constraints, and consequently had a remolded rear bumper for their inclusion.
:*"Sweeter exclusives" is really a matter of taste. If endless redecos of Generation 1 toys as completely unprecedented Generation 1 characters, buying $40 worth of toys you got a month ago for a single [[Mini-Con]], and shelling out half your mortgage for [[Lucky Draw figure|Lucky Draw]] gold chrome figures is what floats your boat, then yeah, Japan has better exclusives.
:*"Tighter quality control" is a total myth. Takara products are manufactured under much the same production conditions as Hasbro's (pretty much everything for both markets is made in China), and their standards of quality control are just as likely to let mistakes creep through. Just ask any buyer of ''[[Henkei! Henkei! (toyline)|Henkei!]]'' [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] how well his weapons stay attached to the arms.
:*The fields in which Takara genuinely excels Hasbro are comparably minor: Takara's [[stock photography]] generally tends to be more impressive than Hasbro's, without obvious mistransformations and awkward poses, and at the same time looks more representative of the actual toy due to less reliance on blatant digital touch-ups. Likewise, Takara's [[instructions]] tend to be more detailed and useful than Hasbro's.

*'''"Repackaged" toys are ''literally'' unsold toys sent back to Hasbro, taken out of the old packaging, put into new packaging and then sent back to stores.'''

[[Image:SteamhammerEnergonUniverse.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Not literally a waste of packaging material.]]
:Every so often, a ''Transformers'' toyline features [[rebranding|rebranded]] toys; namely, toys that were originally released as part of a previous line, but are neither [[Redeco|redecos]] nor [[Retool|retools]]—they're virtually indistinguishable from the previous release other than the packaging. This happened most frequently during the final stages of the original ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' line, when it changed from being a line of redecos to a line of straight re-releases of toys from older lines, including Basic/Scout and Deluxe-sized toys from the ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' and ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' lines, [[Spy Changer|Spychangers]] and even the ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' "Ultimate Battle" two-pack, which were available from various "Dollar" store chains such as Dollar General, Family Dollar, Roses, Tuesday Morning or Big Lots.
:It also doesn't help that the [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] [[Universe (2008 franchise)|2008 ''Universe'']] [[Unicron]] is a virtually unchanged re-release of ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' Unicron. And, to further complicate matters, on the shelf tags for ''Universe'' Unicron, he is actually called "Armada Unicron."
:Because the common fandom term for those releases was "repackages", a popular misconception claims that those toys are ''literally'' "repackages", namely, unsold toys sent back to Hasbro, who took them out of their old packaging, put them into new packaging and then sent them back to (different) stores.
:Needless to say, that theory is dubious for various reasons: Generally, old unsold toys are ''not'' sent back to Hasbro. They either [[Shelfwarmer|sit on the store shelf]] (or hang on the peg) until someone finally decides to buy them, or the store somehow dumps them. And even ''if'' Hasbro did regularly get sent back huge shipments of unsold toys, they'd rather try to get rid of those toys in the old packaging rather than going through the effort of literally repackaging them.
:In addition, some of the Dollar Store exclusive ''Universe'' Basics and Deluxes were limbs and torsos from the ''Energon'' [[Combiner|combiners]] [[Superion Maximus]], [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] and [[Constructicon Maximus]]. The ''Energon'' combiners all sold out well, and now demand high prices on the aftermarket (with the exception of the ''Universe'' "repackages", ironically). So it's rather questionable that stores would have kept a huge unsold stock of those toys in numbers large enough to warrant the alleged repackaging business.
:Therefore, the most logical conclusion appears to be that those "repackages" are in fact a brand new production run simply using the same plastic colors and paint masks as the original releases of those toys, which is cheaper to produce (and therefore easier to sell for the lower "Dollar" stores price tags) than designing new decos. Hasbro confirmed this in January of 2009, stating that due to the toys being manufactured in Asia, it would be a waste of time and money to repackage them only to sell them at the same price-point.<ref>[http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=1934 SirStevesGuide.com, Tri-Weekly Hasbro Q&A - January 30th]</ref>
:This wouldn't be the first misconception based on popular fan terms, however: A common fan term for [[Redeco|redecos]] is "repaints", which has led to the misconception that those toys are ''literally'' toys from a previous production run ''painted over in new colors''. Obviously, however, the fact that most redecos are cast in differently colored plastic should be sufficient evidence for the absurdness of this assumption.

*'''A new toy that is vaguely reminiscent of an older toy is a retool of said toy.'''

[[Image:BumblebeeRRvsSB.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Screen Battles Bumblebee—remolded from scratch (not from Robot Replicas Bumblebee)!]]
:Hasbro like to [[redeco]] toys a lot (usually to recoup the R&D costs for developing the original [[mold]]). They also like to release redecos of toys from older lines in newer lines. In some instances, Hasbro also don't just redeco a toy, they [[retool]] it (or create new toolings for new parts that replace parts of the old version of the toy)—sometimes to improve a feature or fix an error, but sometimes also to give the toy new features or [[Gimmick|gimmicks]], or simply to make it different enough from the original version so owners of the original version would be interested in buying the "retool" as well.
:Some of those retools are comparably minor (such as [[Jazz (Movie)|Final Battle Jazz]] from the [[Movie (toyline)|2007 Movie line]]), whereas others can be pretty elaborate. Sometimes the retools are so elaborate that the line between "retool" and "new [[mold]]" gets blurred. The most drastic instances in this regard would be [[K-9]] from ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' (based on [[Wolfang (Maximal)|Wolfang]] from the same line) and [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Dark Crumplezone]] from ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' (based on the original ''Cybertron'' Crumplezone toy), both of which have most, if not ''all'' of their parts entirely retooled. Another borderline case would be the ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Mini-Con|Mini-Cons]] [[Mirage (Armada)|Mirage]] and [[Swindle (Armada)|Swindle]], which were released around the same time and are based on the same basic design, share a similar body structure and have very similar [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]].

[[Image:SmokesniperStarscream.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The similarities are astounding. Especially those that aren't there.]]
:However, sometimes fans ''definitely'' get too far decrying a new toy a "retool" (or "remold"). Toys that share some superficial design similiarities, coupled with similar transformation schemes, are often mistaken for retools even though they're simply that: Similar toys based on the same general design, maybe even directly influenced by the older toy, but nothing more. Examples:
*Despite their very similar body constructions and transformation schemes, the original ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] toys are ''not'' retools of each other. And neither is [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] a retool of Cliffjumper. ([[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]], however, ''is'' a retool of Cliffjumper.)
*Likewise, the [[Battlecharger|Battlechargers]] [[Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] aren't retools of each other either.
*And neither are the [[Jumpstarter|Jumpstarters]] [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] and [[Twin Twist]] retools of each other.
*''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] is not a retool of ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]], even though he was obviously inspired by the latter.
*Some fans actually seriously believed that ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Jazz (G1)|Meister]] is a retool of [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. (To be fair, the two actually share the same ''hand'' sculpts.)
*''Cybertron'' [[Hardtop (Cybertron)|Hardtop]] is not even ''remotely'' a "retool" of the ''Energon'' [[Sledge (Energon)|Sledge]]/[[Bonecrusher (Energon)|Bonecrusher]] mold.
*The legless [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|Bumblebee]] figure included with the Screen Battles "Final Stand" set from the 2007 [[Movie (toyline)|Movie line]] is not a retool of [[Robot Replicas]] Bumblebee.
*[[Transformers (2010 toyline)|2010 ''Transformers'']] Deluxe Class Battle Blades Bumblebee's legs are not retooled from the older ''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'' Deluxe Class Concept Camaro Bumblebee sculpt, which got retooled for the ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' line (and had its legs subsequently recycled for Cannon Bumblebee, who is otherwise an all-new sculpt from the waist up), even though they use a very similar [[Automorph Technology|Automorph]] mechanism (though not naming it such).

*'''Hasbro lost the copyright to a lot of G1 Transformers names. That is why you see toys named "Autobot Jazz" or "Decepticon Brawl" these days. Takara is more competent than Hasbro and doesn't need to change their toys' names.'''
: First of all, this is not "copyright". Copyright refers to the expression of ideas. For example, the backstory for the Transformers, the specific plot of a comic or a TV episode are protected by copyright. The names these stories are sold under, however, are protected by [[trademark]]. The same also applies to the names toys are sold under.
:That being said, there are indeed a few instances where another company has snatched a trademark, making it unavailable for Hasbro for the time being. The reason for that is because trademarks need to be consistently used in commerce (at least once every year or so), or the trademark can be considered "abandoned", making it open for grabs. [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] is unavailable to [[Hasbro]] because Mattel holds several similar trademarks, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] was too similar to Gendron's "Toledo 'Blue Streak'" trademark, and a company named Lanard held the trademark "Shockwave" until a few years ago. This prompted Hasbro to use substitute names for toys based on these characters, such as "Rodimus Major" or simply "Rodimus" for Hot Rod, "Silverstreak" for Bluestreak and "Shockblast" for Shockwave (Hasbro has since managed to reacquire the "Bluestreak" and "Shockwave" trademarks).
:Meanwhile, the names with prefixes such as "Autobot" or "Decepticon"? Those are usually non-compound single real words from the English language. Hasbro's legal department considers them too "generic" to be easily defensible as trademarks, hence the addition of prefixes such as "Autobot Jazz", "Decepticon Brawl "or "Constructicon Devastator" for better protection. This does ''not'' work with names already trademarked by another company–otherwise, [[Bandai]] could release a toy named "Megazord Optimus Prime" tomorrow, and Hasbro couldn't do anything about it.
:For a while, it seemed like these trademark quibbles were limited to Hasbro, and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] was somehow exempt due to a different market situation. However, the ''[[Classics (2006)#Henkei! Henkei!|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' line saw the emergence of quite a few "Cybertron", "Destron" and "[[Stunticon (G1)|Stuntron]]" prefixes, and for the ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen toyline]]'', Takara even uses "Autobot" and "Decepticon" prefixes the Hasbro versions of those toys ''don't'' have.

*'''Hasbro is responsible for your local store not having the newest toys right now.'''
: Hasbro actually has almost nothing to do with distribution (when Product A arrives in Store B) beyond making sure the manufactured product leaves the factories and shipyards of China at the desired time. Once the items arrive on US shores, they are almost immediately sent from the ships to the distribution centers for the retail chains that ordered them. From there, it's more truck rides to various regional warehouses, which is all controlled by the retailers, not Hasbro. After that, the schedule for taking product from those warehouses and putting it on shelves is dictated by each chain's inventory system.
: It's ''conceivable'' that Hasbro could take more control of the situation, but that would require chains like Wal-Mart to release the vise-like death grip they have on manufacturers' nuts that lets them dictate how the system works—and they're sooooooo not doing that.

*'''Hasbro should totally cater to the wishes of older collectors, as they purchase the most Transformers product.'''
: Fans would like to think they've got some sway over the direction of the [[Transformers brand]]. After all, they've been buying toys for many years (as opposed to the limited purchasing span of most children), and they buy many ''more'' toys than any individual child. And in truth, Hasbro does pay attention to the desires and discussions of its older buyers, even designing certain line segments like [[Alternators]] and [[Classics (2006)|''Classics'']] with collectors as the primary target audience.
: Collectors, however, simply can't compare to the vast numbers of children out there whose parents buy Transformers for them. The bulk of Transformers product is purchased for and/or by young children, and if it wants to stay in business and keep making money (and by extension, more toys), Hasbro must design and market its products accordingly. No accurate figures exist on the collector/children ratio, but estimates mentioned at BotCon panels range from around 10% to 20% of all purchases coming from older collectors—enough to be worth listening to, but not at all the driving force behind the brand. Past toylines have shown that betting ''too much'' on sales from adult collectors can be disastrous.
: Furthermore, it's not as though the fans speak with a unified voice. More often, for every fan pushing for one particular idea, there's another fan who thinks that same idea is boring or awful.

==Fiction==
===General===
*'''Bumblebee has always been the kid-appeal character of the Transformers franchise across toy lines and fiction.'''
: This is true to some degree, but there is a huge gap.

: Back in the very beginning of the [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'' brand]], it took Hasbro a while to establish [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] as the main [[kid-appeal character]]. If you pay attention to the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] [[More than Meets the Eye (episode)|pilot]], it's ''[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'' who hangs out a lot with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]. It isn't until the first post-pilot episode, [[Transport to Oblivion]], that the friendship between Spike and Bumblebee is actually established.

: Following that, Hasbro did grasp the kid-appeal of the small yellow guy, and thus made him one of the few Autobots who had been around since the pilot to survive the events of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. In fact, Bumblebee was one of the very few 1984 toys that still shipped in the 1986 assortment, and made several appearances in season 3 of the cartoon. He was also the first 1984 character to get an upgrade in the form of a new toy, the [[Throttlebot]] [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Goldbug|Goldbug]], in 1987 (1986's [[Galvatron (G1)/toys|Galvatron]] toy had a vague on-packaging [[bio]] that didn't establish him as the same [[character]] as [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]), and being part of both the 1989 [[Classic Pretender]] and the 1990 [[Action Master]] assortments, he's the only character with ''four'' toys that are entirely different [[mold|sculpts]] in the [[The Transformers (toyline)|''Generation 1'' toy line]], three of which were released under the same name.

: After that, Bumblebee's original toy was re-released in a [[vacuum metallizing|vacuum-metallized]] gold deco for ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'', and he got one more toy as part of the G2 [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]] line-up, which was a [[redeco]] of another toy and thus didn't resemble the original Bumblebee beyond some similarities in the colors.

: Following ''Generation 2'', Bumblebee disappeared from the brand entirely. There was no "Bumblebee" character during ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'', and even though it might have seemed an obvious idea, the name would have been difficult to protect as a [[trademark]] if a toy that ''is'' a bumblebee was ''named'' "Bumblebee", as it would have made the name descriptive.

: Trademark problems were also what prevented new "Bumblebee" toys for several years: As of 2003, the name was being used as a registered trademark by a company called Playcore for their "Buzz the Bumble Bee" swing, and since Hasbro had not used the name for a toy since 1995, the odds were against them. The first new toy based on G1 Bumblebee was a US release of [[TakaraTomy|Takara's]] SCF PVC two-pack of Spike and Bumblebee available as part of Hasbro's ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' line-up. Since the "Bumblebee" trademark was unavailable, the two-pack was officially named "Autobot Espionage Team", with Bumblebee's name only mentioned in the on-packaging bio, without a trademark claim after it. A fully-fledged Bumblebee toy was planned in the early conception stages of of the ''[[Alternators]]'' line, but since Volkswagen didn't want to be involved with "war toys", the idea never got past the [[control drawing]] stage, and it's unclear what name the toy would have been released under. There's also the keychain reissue of the original Bumblebee toy by Hasbro licensee [[Fun4All]] released in 2001, which fell into a different category than "toys" and was therefore not bound by trademark limitations in that field.

: An homage to G1 Bumblebee was part of the ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' series, a yellow [[Mini-Con]] named [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], but the main "kid appeal" Autobot of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] was a newly-created character named [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], who was also yellow during the first halves of both ''Armada'' and ''[[Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'', and even named "Bumblebee" in an early vesion of the ''Armada'' [[production bible]].

: "Bumblebee" as a kid-appeal character didn't return until the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' live-action movie]] was in the works. [[DreamWorks]] and [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] ''really'' wanted to use Bumblebee as a main character, and therefore, Hasbro also finally decided it was time to try and reclaim the trademark. Their registration attempt was contested in July 2005, both by a production company named "Bumble Bee Productions, Inc." and by an online toy retailer named "Bumblebee Toys", both of which argued that the mark, as it was filed under the "toys" field, was too close to their own registered marks. Ultimately, Hasbro abandoned the registration attempt for "Bumblebee" in 2006 and simply decided to use the name as a "normal", non-registered trademark instead. (Playcore, or more accurately, its subsidiary Swing-N-Slide no longer manufactures the "Buzz the Bumble Bee" swingset.<ref>[http://www.drillspot.com/products/291165/Swing-N-Slide_NE_4541_Buzz_Bumble_Bee_Swing Retailer site] mentioning the discontinuation. Also, said swing is no longer visible/available on Swing-N-Slide's official site.</ref>) The movie's release date being pushed back a year meant that the first "Bumblebee"-branded ''Transformers'' toys in over a decade were a 3" ''[[Titanium Series]]'' figure and a Deluxe Class toy from the ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' line. (In a twist of irony, [[Legends Class|Legends]] of [[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]] Hot Shot was also redecoed into G1 Bumblebee for ''Classics''.)

: It was the ''[[Movie (franchise)|Movie]]'' version of [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] that really drove home the point of him as a kid-appeal character, and the poster child for the entire ''Transformers'' franchise that has more [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|toys]] than even [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys|Optimus Prime]]. For the series that followed the 2007 movie, ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'', Hot Shot was originally planned as a character continuing the trend from the ''Unicron Trilogy'', but due to ''Movie'' Bumblebee's sudden popularity, he was renamed into "[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]". [[Hot Shot (Animated)|Hot Shot]] later appeared as a separate character in the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|''Animated'' cartoon]], and even had a toy planned, which sadly never made it past [[prototype]] stage.

===Generation 1===
====General====
*'''Transformers were meant as a "genderless" race. Arcee and the other female Transformers were added to the brand because feminists complained about the Transformers all being male.'''
: When [[Bob Budiansky]] was assigned to work out the character details for the toys, he initially intended some of them to represent female characters, like [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]. However, he was not given permission by [[Hasbro]] to include females because the company feared it would have a negative impact on the sales of those toys.<ref>[http://rustingcarcass.yuku.com/topic/954 Rusting Carcass interview]</ref>
: For the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comics]], this was not a big deal, even though Budiansky still slipped in a female Cybertronian in the form of [[Aunty]]. For the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] however, Hasbro's interests had to be matched with those of the TV networks that would broadcast ''The Transformers''. Since television requires a bigger investment than comics, but also offers the potential for a much better payoff, it is of interest for a TV network to broadcast material that reaches the highest possible demographic. Women make up half the population, so TV networks want at least one (hero) female character to bring in their views. As noted in the [[production bible]], the [[Female Autobots]] and possibly [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] are the result of the networks' demands. This situation has not remained unique in ''Transformers'' history either; Female [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] and [[Sari Sumdac]] have also been added to their respective cartoons because of network demands, whereas [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] and [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] were a request from the writers to Hasbro.
: Despite persistent stories, there is no documented instance of feminists demanding the inclusion of female Transformers (and likely, they've got something better to do than complain about another generic boys show like there are hundreds of). There is, however, a comic story called "[[Prime's Rib!]]" which presents Arcee's introduction to the Autobot ranks as an attempt by Optimus Prime to appease [[Feminist mob|human feminists]]. While the story is obviously satire, through hearsay it has become believed by some that it is what actually happened. Those people are idiots.

====The original cartoon====
*'''The original ''The Transformers'' series was redubbed anime which originated in Japan, just like ''Battle of the Planets'', ''Voltron'', ''Robotech'' and other such shows screened in the '80s.'''
: Although most moderate-to-hardcore fans are well aware that this is a fallacy, there are those more casual fans (or those who have not rewatched the Generation 1 cartoon since childhood) who are under the misconception that [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'']] was an anime.
: Although the original toyline and thus the characters' basic visual designs were taken from Japanese-originated products, the original characters, names, factions and entire story premise of the whole ''Transformers'' franchise were developed in the United States by [[Hasbro]], [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] and eventually [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]]. Although the animation was farmed out to [[Toei|Japanese]] (and later also [[AKOM|Korean]] and [[Unknown Filipino animation studio|Filipino]]) [[Tokyo Movie Shinsha|studios]], the writing and original voice recording of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|all four seasons of the original series]] plus ''[[The Transformers: The Movie|The Movie]]'' was entirely done in America.
: This misconception probably stems from distant childhood memories of the cartoon, coupled with the later realization that shows like the aforementioned ''Robotech'' were redubbed anime (presuming they didn't know this when they were kids) and, due to ''Transformers''' obvious Japanese influence, have made the assumption that it too was anime. This ''may'' also be due to passing exposure to ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' and the [[Unicron Trilogy]] shows which, viewed as an adult, are ''very'' obviously redubbed anime.
: This is in part related to the misconception that '''all''' ''Transformers'' toys are ''solely'' designed, developed and manufactured by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], and all [[Hasbro]] ever does is to put them in new packaging and distribute them on the Western market (see above). Because this is true for other Japanese robot toylines, and therefore it must also apply to ''Transformers''.

*'''''The Headmasters'' was going to be dubbed into English and shown in America.'''
: In America, "Season 4" consisted of "The Rebirth", a 3-episode mini-series. In Japan, "The Rebirth" was ignored, and a full-fledged series titled ''The Headmasters'' continued the story instead. Rumors once swirled in the fandom of an American-led dub of ''The Headmasters'' series; the dub was largely finished, goes the story, till the materials were lost in a warehouse fire.
: Given the meandering pace of the series (common for Japanese shows but anathema to American sensibilities), the presence of numerous characters who had no toy equivalent on US shelves, the incompatibility with the "[[Nebulan]]" head characters, the number of Japanese cultural references, and the very existence of "[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Rebirth]]", this rumor seems unlikely on the surface.
: More to the point, no official confirmation or other evidence has ever surfaced to back it up. In all likelihood the rumor was probably a [[wikipedia:Chinese_whispers|Chinese Whisper]] from the fact that the English language [[Omni Productions]] dub (or "Star TV" dub) was screened on UK satellite TV during the 1990s.

====The Transformers: The Movie====
*'''There exists an "uncut version" of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' containing all sorts of non-kid-friendly content.'''
: These stories stem mainly from the fact that many home-video releases of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' omit two relatively minor instances of characters using profanity, which during the 1990s resulted in some [[alt.toys.transformers]] posters advertising "uncut" VHS copies of the movie for sale, thus either intentionally or unintentionally creating the myth of a really foul-mouthed and ultra-violent alternate version of ''The Transformers: The Movie''. At least one poster claimed to have uncut reels of the original film showing a number of violent scenes<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/07464cbfbb5d0cc9/8aee0b30765b2b4a?hl=en#8aee0b30765b2b4a THE UNCUT JAPANESE TRANSFORMERS MOVIE]</ref>, but, unsurprisingly, was unwilling to provide any form of proof.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/799fec40c1aa285e/6af42e4099affa04?hl=en#
Doth the Canadian protesteth too much?]</ref> So have ended all claims of uncut footage from the film.
: Also two additions were made for the British release of the movie: The opening credits were replaced by a ''Star Wars'' style text scroll complete with narration, whilst the last scene of the Movie has an additional voice over declaring that the Transformers' adventures will continue and Optimus Prime will return. These additions have been seen in other international versions of the Movie but are less well known in the US.

[[Image:TFTM dead gray Prime.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Traumatizing enough as it is, frankly.]]
:A much stranger rumor, whose origins are unclear, claims that the original theatrical cut of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' depicted [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] crumbling into dust after dying, and that that scene was cut by the distributor in mid-release because children were traumatized by the imagery. Interestingly, the "[[Death of Optimus Prime]]" track on the original soundtrack album does contain ten extra seconds of music. At the end, just before the song's final low-octave percussion sequence, there is a very distinct series of notes that appears nowhere else in the song and is not in the onscreen version. However, no other evidence of this "lost" animation sequence exists among the many storyboards, preliminary animations, interviews, varying formats, etc., that have come to light.
:The myth could be related to the death of Starscream, a few scenes later, where Starscream '''does''' indeed crumble to dust after being shot by Galvatron; time and distance could lead fans to confuse the two scenes.
:These claims should not be confused with the extra storyboarded scenes which have come to light over the years. A number of scenes were planned out at the storyboarding stage, but no evidence exists that they were ever animated. Given the expense of producing full animation, it is unlikely they ever made it past the level of storyboards.
::''See also: [[The Transformers: The Movie#Edits]].''

*'''''The Transformers: The Movie'' was never released in Japan.'''
: A widespread (but false) assumption among Western fans holds that ''The Transformers: The Movie'' is not part of Japanese Generation 1 [[canon]], and that ''[[Scramble City (episode)|Scramble City]]'' was effectively its Japanese replacement. ''The Transformers: The Movie'' went unreleased in Japan until August 1989, and the various discrepancies between it and subsequent Japan-only Generation 1 fiction are largely a matter of the Japanese animators and writers being unaware of the precise details of ''The Transformers: The Movie''.<ref>http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?s=&postid=216153#post216153</ref><ref>http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?s=&postid=216478#post216478</ref><ref>http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?threadid=30800</ref>

*'''''The Transformers: The Movie'' was released in Japan under the title ''Matrix Forever''.'''
: ''[[Matrix Forever]]'' was actually the title of a 20-minute video created to promote the Japanese release of ''The Transformers: The Movie'', but some Western (and even Japanese) fans have been confused into thinking that ''The Transformers: The Movie'' itself was renamed ''Matrix Forever''.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/a5d29844863d2c29</ref>

====The Marvel comic====
*'''A Spider-Man story from the Clone Saga era confirms that Spider-Man's appearance in issue 3 of the Marvel ''Transformers'' comic isn't considered part of the mainstream Marvel Universe.'''
: Originally, the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''Generation 1'' comic]] was intended as a four-issue limited series. As was common with Marvel's licensed titles at that time, the early issues featured guest appearances by well-known Marvel characters, most prominently [[Spider-Man]] in [[Prisoner of War!|issue 3]]. However, when the title was expanded into an ongoing series, Marvel soon dropped all references to its established superhero universe. (The [[Savage Land]] got named in [[Repeat Performance!|issue 8]], but that's about it.) Likewise, no subsequent stories in Marvel's other non-licensed titles ever made mention of the Transformers existing in the same universe. Eventually, in 2006, the then-recent edition of the ''[[Wikipedia:Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe|Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe]]'' identified the Transformers' Earth (or, more precisely, the Marvel UK universe which [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]] debuted in) as "[[Earth-120185]]" within Marvel's own multiverse, versus the mainstream Marvel Universe's "Earth-616". (In addition, the Marvel US ''Transformers'' universe has recently been declared to be "[[Earth-91274]]", although this designation still has to be established in an official Marvel publication.)

:What's ''not'' true, however, is that a Spider-Man story published as part of the "[[wikipedia:Clone_Saga|Clone Saga]]" during the 1990s features a line where Peter claims that he had never been to Oregon, thus negating his appearance in ''Transformers'' issue 3 (where he ''does'' make a trip to Oregon). The issue in question is "Adjectiveless" ''Spider-Man'' #57 (1995), where Peter Parker (the <strike>clone</strike> guy who would have been active as Spider-Man at the time of ''Transformers'' #3) claims (in a monologue) having never been to '''Utah''', where Louise Kennedy (whose murder he was accused of) had been killed by [[wikipedia:Kaine|Kaine]] in ''Spider-Man: The Lost Years'' #3.

====Japanese Generation 1 fiction====
*'''In Japanese continuity, Megatron and Galvatron are two separate characters.'''
:There are a few instances of Japanese fiction (and advertising) that would seem to support this notion, all of which can be attributed to a lack of communication between [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] prior to the release of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. All of them were ultimately ignored by the "primary" fiction, namely the (dubbed) third season of the cartoon (named ''Transformers: 2010'' in Japan) and the accompanying manga, which followed the Western story concept of Galvatron being a reformatted [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].
:There is also a ''Transformers: 2010'' [[manga]] story that depicts [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] commanding a legion of automatons created in [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s image, which some non-Japanese-speaking fans have interpreted as depicting Galvatron and Megatron co-existing.<ref>http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=179</ref>

*'''In Japanese continuity, the Destrons (Decepticons) were invaders from a planet called Destron.'''
:The [[Autobot|Autobots]] were renamed "Cybertrons" in the Japanese translation, resulting in a misconception that the Destrons ([[Decepticon|Decepticons]]) must hail from somewhere other than the planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. However, the Japanese translation also used slightly different spellings for the faction, "Cybertron" (literally: サイバトロン, "Sa-i-ba-to-ro-n"), and the planet, (literally: セイバートロン, "Se-i-baa-to-ro-n"), commonly interpreted as "Seibertron" by Western fans, in order to avoid confusion, even though both words originally started out based on the English name "Cybertron".<ref name="tfa522">[http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=522 The Transformers Archive essay about various urban legends surrounding the Transformers franchise]</ref>
:This rumor presumably originates from an article a Thomas Wheeler had written for ''Attic's Collectible Toys and Values Monthly'' during the hiatus between the [[The Transformers (toyline)|G1]] and [[Generation 2 (toyline)|G2]] toylines. According to that article, Hasbro chose not to follow this element of the story because of the similarity between the term "Destron" and ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'''s "[[Destro]]" character. Of course, seeing as the story originated in America to begin with and was only dubbed into Japanese later on, this doesn't make a lot of sense. In later years, Wheeler wrote toy reviews for Master Collector's website, which occasionally also display a certain lack of knowledge about various toys and the ''Transformers'' brand's overall history, so it doesn't seem entirely out of place for him.

*'''Black Shadow and Blue Bacchus are both members of a "Space Mafia".'''
:[[Black Shadow]] and [[Blue Bacchus]], two characters from ''[[Victory (franchise)|Victory]]'', both have their function listed as "Space Gangster". An early fan translation of their on-package [[Bio|bios]] misinterpreted the Japanese word for "gangster" to mean "Mafia", hence the belief that a "Space Mafia" exists in the Japanese Generation 1 universe.

*'''Metrotitan is a zombie version of Metroplex.'''
: [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] was a Destron [[redeco]] of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] from the ''[[Zone (franchise)|Zone]]'' portion of Japanese Generation 1 continuity. For unclear reasons, Western fans believe that Metrotitan was a "zombified" version of Metroplex, and a stranger variation on this rumor holds that Metrotitan was somehow "regrown" from one of Metroplex's legs.<ref name="tfa522" />

====European Generation 1 fiction====
*'''Starscream and Shrapnel are female characters in the French dub of Generation 1.'''
: This rumor is only partly true. The [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Transformers'' cartoon]] used three different dub teams for the French version: one for the TV show's dub broadcast in Quebec, one for the TV show's dub broadcast in France and one for the [[The Transformers: The Movie|1986 movie]] used in both countries. Neither of the TV show's dubs use [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] as a female as he uses a distinctively male voice;<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhOCYZRxypM YouTube: Doublage de France: Combaticons et Égo]</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMXCeXw5Vdo Doublage Québécois: Égo et Dr. Croc-en-ville]</ref> however, the movie's dubbing team used a female voice for Starscream, and at one point [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] calls Starscream "une imbécile" (articles in French are gender-specific), clearly cementing Starscream's movie status as a female.<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20080612225831/http://www.bigbot.com/mp3/transformers_mp3.shtml#Femmes</ref> All the same is also true for [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], who is even referred to as "Mademoiselle Shrapnel" by [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] in the movie.

*'''The German version of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' was edited and didn't depict Starscream's death scene.'''
: German TV didn't air a dubbed version of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Generation 1'' cartoon]] until 1989. ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' was aired for the first time on German TV in 1994, with only one repeat. For unknown reasons, a rumor was circulating for several years claiming that [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream's]] death was considered too "violent" for German TV standards for children's programs and had therefore been edited out.<ref>[http://www.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung&fid=7489&vid=38680 German movie database ''still'' listing the rumor about Starscream's "edited death" in TF:TM]</ref> However, recordings of the TV airing still exist, which don't feature any obvious edits other than [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike's]] infamous "swear" line. Furthermore, a German DVD edition of the movie released in 2004 that features an entirely different dub also depicts Starscream's death in all its glory.

*'''An Earthforce story was written to promote the non-combining Constructicon toys.'''
:The comic story "[[Desert Island Risks!]]" from issue 264 of the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel UK]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|G1 comic]] reveals that the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] have somehow lost their ability to combine into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. As a result, they try to build another Devastator as a new robot.

:Some fans mistakenly believe that this is somehow related to a re-release of the Constructicons (now in yellow) that were available in [[Generation 1 (European toyline)|Europe]] after the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' toyline had ended in the USA. Those Constructicons omitted the extra parts necessary to form Devastator; and furthermore, [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] and [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (neither of them officially named in this version; all six toys came on multi-purpose cardbacks simply named "Constructicon") were [[retool|retooled]] to omit the tabs that were necessary for combining them (and [[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]]) when forming Devastator. Since the toys couldn't combine into Devastator anymore, fans believe that the [[Earthforce]] comic story was intended to serve as an "explanation" for this.

:The problem with this theory, however, is that the yellow "Euro" Constructicon toys were released in 1992; the comic story, however, had already come out in early 1990. If anything, "Desert Island Risks!" was based on the [[Action Master]] version of Devastator, which no longer consisted of six individual Constructicons. (Also, the individual Constructicons don't even appear in the story.)

===Beast Wars===
*'''In Japanese ''Beast Wars'' continuity, Optimus Primal and Megatron were the same characters as their Generation 1 namesakes.'''
: Although the Japanese dub of the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon originally did state that [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] were new incarnations of the Generation 1 faction leaders (possibly due to a communications breakdown with Hasbro and/or [[Mainframe Entertainment|Mainframe]]), the translators eventually backed away from that idea.<ref>http://www.bwtf.com/bw/toys/techspecs/primalultra.shtml</ref><ref>http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=180" rel="nofollow</ref>

*'''In ''Beast Wars II'', Apache is a drunkard as part of a Native American stereotype.'''
: [[Apache]] did indeed get drunk in the first episode of the ''[[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]'' cartoon, but only in grief, believing (erroneously) that his actions earlier had caused the death of [[Lio Convoy]] (which didn't happen). He did not get drunk again for the duration of the cartoon, nor did he ever do so in the manga. Outside of that, the Native American stereotype "common" to Japanese fictions is a stoic, silent, and often mystical warrior—none of which could be used to describe Apache accurately at all.
: That's not to say there aren't [[Jointron|some ethnic stereotypes]] in BWII that could be considered pretty offensive.
: Amusingly enough, in the sixth installment of the [[Beast Wars II (manga)|''Beast Wars II'' manga]], ''Lio Convoy'' gets drunk for no apparent reason and ends up trashing Apache's room.

===Beast Machines===
*'''A ''Beast Machines'' writer said, "Real heroes don't use guns."'''
:''Beast Machines'' was the first (but not the last) ''Transformers'' series to explicitly avoid all hand-held projectile [[weapon]]ry. While the [[Vehicon (BM)|villains]] still had traditional "blasters" mounted on their bodies, some of the [[Maximal|heroes]]' weapons were more esoteric (such as [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]'s energy-web attack, activated by putting her hands on the ground, or [[Optimus Primal]]'s gauntlets, powered by absorbing enemy fire). According to story editor [[Bob Skir]], this creative decision was agreed upon between the story editors, [[Fox Kids]], [[Mainframe Entertainment]], and [[Hasbro]],<ref name="Skir">[http://web.archive.org/web/20080222040119/http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Sat_06_Nov_1999.html Archived Q&A from Bob Skir's now-defunct website,] where Skir responds to the gun controversy (question 7).</ref> and it is indeed reflected in the toys as well.

:Note that many Maximals had weaponry that was functionally no different from a "gun"—compare [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]]'s hip-mounted energy cannons, [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]'s back-mounted sonic blaster, or Optimus Primal's chest-mounted energy disc launcher to [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]]'s shoulder-mounted ray guns or [[Strika (BM)|Strika]]'s wrist-mounted energy... tossing thingies.

:On his website, Skir also elaborated on his own position as a writer choosing if or how to portray gun use, including this statement: "Our heroes use their wiles and resourcefulness, plus a few cool weapons. Guns? I've never been a fan of them myself, and do not write heroes who need them."<ref>[http://members.aol.com/zobovor/guns.html Article on the fan Dave "Zobovor" Edwards' personal site,] quoting Bob Skir's original gun statement.</ref> Some fans interpreted Skir as condemning ''all'' gun use, even in the real world, no matter the circumstances. This led to the misquote, "Real heroes don't use guns,"<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/be5e55a90df944bb/b748601b997b3508#b748601b997b3508 Alt.toys.transformers thread] with the misquote and attendant assumptions right at the start.</ref> which remains a notoriously persistent error in the fandom. Skir, responding to the controversy, said on his site that "there '''are''' heroes who '''do''' need guns (such as the [[Punisher]]). Spider-Man doesn't need guns. Neither does the [[Hulk]]. And neither do Optimus, Cheetor, Black Arachnia{{sic}}, et al."<ref name="Skir" />
:Notably, the [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|series]] [[Unicron Trilogy|immediately]] [[Movie (franchise)|following]] ''Beast Machines'' did return to classic hand-held gun use among both heroes and villains. However, the more recent ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' series has again eschewed guns, probably because of its younger target audience.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The Japanese ''Car Robots'' cartoon was a direct sequel to ''Beast Wars Neo''.'''
: Some fans seem to have concluded, based on the similar animation style and overall tone, that the [[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|''Car Robots'' cartoon]] was meant to pick up where ''[[Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' had left off, but all indications are that ''Car Robots'' wasn't meant to take place in any pre-existing TF continuity. But now Takara says it's in the Generation 1 continuity. Along with the 2007 movie. Oooookay.<ref>http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=490</ref>

===Transformers (2007)===
*'''''Transformers'' was nearly rated R by the MPAA.'''
: In the spring of 2007, it was reported that ''[[wikipedia:Disturbia|Disturbia]]'', a then-upcoming [[DreamWorks]] film starring [[Shia LaBeouf]] and produced by [[Steven Spielberg]], had received an R rating from the [[wikipedia:Motion_Picture_Association_of_America|Motion Picture Association of America]]. That film's rating was eventually lowered to PG-13 on appeal, but in the meantime some ''Transformers'' fans became confused and believed that it was ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' that had been rated R, leading to some heated discussion on ''Transformers'' message boards.

*'''Brawl is named in the credits.'''

[[Image:MovieCreditsNoBrawl.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Invisible credit.]]
: There's a huge controversy surrounding the name of the Decepticon tank, who was named "[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]" in [[Hasbro|Hasbro's]] [[Movie (toyline)|toy line]] but "Devastator" in a subtitle in the movie itself. Both Hasbro and the screenwriters, [[Alex Kurtzman]] and [[Roberto Orci]], have expressly favored the toy's name, referring to the name in the movie as an "error".
: Since the character has a "speaking" line in the movie (which sounds an ''awful'' lot like a garbled "''Brawl'' reporting"), fans keep claiming that the voice actor is named in the ending credits, and the character's name is stated as "Brawl" there. In fact, however, there's no credit ''at all'' for the character, under either name, as he has no voice actor.

{{-}}

*'''The Decepticons' hologram is Tom Banachek.'''

[[Image:BanachekMustacheMan.jpg|right|150px|thumb|One of these is not like the others.]]
: Several Decepticons in the movie ([[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]) are seen using a holographic "pilot"/"driver" based on the same mustache-clad human, only wearing different clothes matching the Decepticons' respective [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]].
: Since [[Tom Banachek]], the head of [[Sector Seven]]'s Advanced Research Division, also sports a mustache, many fans mistakenly believe that the Decepticons' hologram is meant to look like Banachek.
: There's only one problem with that: The "[[Moustache Man]]" (the Decepticons' hologram) is played by a real-life United States Air Force Major named [[Brian Reece]], whereas Tom Banachek is portrayed by established actor [[Michael O'Neill]].
: In essence, this is a phenomenon ''Lost'' fans [http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Apophenia#Similar_faces.2C_different_characters should be awfully familiar with].

{{-}}

===Animated===

*'''The Japanese dub of ''Transformers Animated'' presents it as a prequel to the live-action movies'''

:This appears to have ''some'' basis: Back in March 2010, the then-recent edition of ''[[TV Magazine]]'' published some early pre-release information about the Japanese dub of the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|''Animated'' cartoon]]. Among the details announced was the name-change of [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] to "Ironhide", and changing his character to be closer in personality to [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] from the [[live-action film series|live-action movies]]. The article allegedly also claimed that because [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] was not Supreme Commander of the Autobots in ''Animated'', the cartoon would be "set chronologically before the live action movies".<ref name="tvmagani">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/animated-8/latest-edition-of-tv-magazine-reveals-new-transformers-animated-japan-details-169265/ TFW2005 reporting on ''TV Magazine'' article about the Japanese dub of the ''Transformers Animated'' cartoon], March 2010.</ref>

:In actuality, however, not much of this has been reflected in the dub itself: Aside from the aforementioned renaming of Bulkhead into "Ironhide", there's nothing in the Japanese dub that ties the ''Animated'' cartoon any closer to the live-action movies than its American counterpart.

===Revenge of the Fallen===

*'''Barricade's return?'''
:A common misconception among fans is that [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade's]] Saleen Mustang alternate mode was spotted on the set of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', possibly as part of the alleged "disinformation campain" director [[Michael Bay]] repeatedly insisted he had initated. In fact, however, a truck transporting three "Barricade" prop vehicles was spotted in Culver City, California, in March 2008, more than ''two months'' before principal shooting for ''Revenge of the Fallen'' started.<ref name="vehspotted">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/transformersnews.php?id=6980 Superhero Hype reporting on the spotting of Barricade vehicles in March 2008]</ref> There's been no indication that this had any significance other than moving the prop cars... someplace.

===Prime===
*'''''War for Cybertron'' is part of G1'''
{{quote|We really did look very closely at Generation 1 stuff and tried to capture what for us was the essence of the characters.|[[Sean Miller]] Director Character and Animation|[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/12/21/transformers-art-video.aspx Gameinformer interview]}}
:With its designs aiming at a video gamer audience who grew up with [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]], the development team for ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)| War for Cybertron]]'' took a great deal of inspiration from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]] for such things as characters and the design aesthetic for [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].<ref>[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/12/21/transformers-art-video.aspx Gameinformer interview]</ref> A [[Commercial#War for Cybertron|commercial]] even depicted Shockwave ordering Soundwave to play [[The Touch|a song]] made famous by the [[The Transformers: The Movie|original animated movie]]. Furthermore, War for Cybertron toys were sold as part of the ''[[Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' toyline that featured Generation 1-styled characters. These factors led many to believe the game was actually part of Generation 1.

:To be fair, there was and is virtually no information available to the average fan that War for Cybertron is not part of Generation 1. Hasbro has essentially been folding ''War for Cybertron'' into their modern continuity, and have been informing dedicated fans of this fact through [[Hasbro Q&A|question and answer sessions]].<ref>"The official story of the original 13 and specifically Alpha Trion has not been explored fully in the modern continuity that Transformers War for Cybertron, Exodus, and Prime are a part of." [[Hasbro Q&A/September 2010: Answers]]</ref> The [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|War for Cybertron comic adaptation]] and [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/play/details.cfm?guid=7fd5ecd9-19b9-f369-1041-a7635be83172 online timeline] actually are adaptations from [[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron]], which is the basis for the new modern continuity fiction.

:In conclusion, this myth may have had some validity at some time, but to say that ''War for Cybertron'' is part of Generation 1 is no longer true.

*'''''War for Cybertron'' is a prequel to the G1 cartoon'''
:With its designs aiming at a 20-something audience who grew up on the original cartoon, many gamers would be forgiven for mistaking ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)| War for Cybertron]]'' for a prequel, and it doesn't help that the developers at [[High Moon Studios]] advertised the game as such. More savvy fans would recognize that the game is generally irreconcilable with the cartoon (or any other Generation 1 continuity for that matter): the circumstances of [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s rise to power would contradict "[[War Dawn]]", and Optimus's [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|predecessor]] does not possess the Matrix, unlike his [[Sentinel Prime (G1)#Generation 1 cartoon|cartoon counterpart]]. The Autobots left Cybertron as energy sources were depleted, not because the [[Core]] had shut down, and characters like [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]], [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]], [[Cyclonus (Prime)|Cyclonus]], the [[Aerialbot (Prime)|Aerialbot]]s and [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]] wouldn't be on Cybertron or even ''exist''. Additionally, the game draws inspiration from other continuities, including characters not from G1 like [[Slipstream (Prime)|Slipstream]] and [[Demolishor (Prime)|Demolishor]]. The game does share a lot of similarities with Dreamwave's ''[[War Within (franchise)|War Within]]'' series (where Jetfire and Trypticon are present), but it cannot take place in that continuity either.

==Companies==
*'''Takara was taken over by Tomy'''
:In 2005, it was announced that Takara, longtime Japanese manufacturer/distributor of Transformers toys, and former competitor Tomy would merge into a new company, named [[TakaraTomy]], as of March 1, 2006. Some fans misinterpreted the media coverage, believing that Takara had been bought out by rival Tomy. This was not helped by official press releases declaring Tomy the "surviving company", Tomy having the majority of shares, and the merged company simply going by the name "Tomy" outside Japan.
:The name issue is easily explained, as it was done for purely pragmatic reasons. "Tomy" is an internationally established brand, since the company already had divisions in many other countries prior to the merger, and distributed their toys under their own name there. Takara, meanwhile, had mostly abandoned ventures into international markets years ago, and had its products distributed through other companies (such as [[Hasbro]]) instead. Thereby, the merged company decided to use the better-known name for its international business, while it would continue as "TakaraTomy" within Japan itself.
:Now, as for the specifics of the merger... Although the merger ratio was set at 0.356 of a Tomy share for each Takara share (including a split of Tomy's stock), and the companies announced a layoff of 15% of their combined workforce mostly on the Takara side, the term "merger" (as compared to "take-over") was prominently used in all the official announcements by the two companies, and twisting tiny details into a de facto "takeover" of Takara by Tomy is effectively splitting hairs.

*'''e-Hobby is owned by Takara (TakaraTomy)'''
:The [[e-Hobby]] shop is owned by Part One, Ltd. Although the company has had close ties with Takara for decades, the online store also sells toys by other companies, primarily TakaraTomy's rival [[Bandai]].
:The online store ''directly'' owned by TakaraTomy, meanwhile, is [[Toy Hobby Market]].

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=522 Ten popular but incorrect rumors about Japanese Transformers]

[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Brawl (Movie)

2011-04-11T10:06:45Z

58.69.183.193: /* Deluxe Class toys */

{{factions|decepticonfilm}}
{{disambig3|Brawl}}
{{disambig3.5|the character known on-screen as Devastator from the [[Movie (franchise)|2007 movie franchise]]|the ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[combiner]]|Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator}}
:''Brawl is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Movie (franchise)|2007 movie franchise]] in the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]]. He is sometimes referred to as '''Devastator''', and sometimes has a ''twin'' called Devastator.''

[[Image:Movie Brawl gamerender.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Maybe he was ''talking'' to Devastator earlier and got confused.]]

To say '''Brawl''' is a warrior is like calling [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] a hunk of metal. Brawl does not just enjoy fighting, he is consumed by it. Tearing Autobots apart is embedded into his very core, and every fiber-optic cable of his being is obsessed with wild, unyielding combat. The only thing he enjoys, or even cares about, is the fury of battle. And he ''loves'' a good explosion. Particularly if it's one he created, and if it's an [[Autobot]] that is exploding.

While it's not uncommon for ambition or independent thinking to cause trouble in the Decepticon ranks, Brawl's never had that problem. This is mostly because he suffers from a severe lack of both qualities. Where others question orders, Brawl simply carries them out, perfectly happy to let Megatron do all his thinking for him.

{{quote|See, me, I go by one guiding principle—keep it ''stupid''... simple!|Brawl's outlook on life|''[[Transformers Comic issue 4|Transformers]]''}}

:''Hungarian name:'' '''Huligán''' / '''Pusztító'''
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Hūng-tīen Léi''' (轟天雷, "Rumbling Thunder" for Brawl) / '''Pō-hùai Chě''' (破壞者, "Destructor" or "Destroyer" or "Buster" for Devastator)
:''Chinese name (China):'' '''Chao Nao'''(吵闹, "Brawl")

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:Defiance3_BrawlCrankcaseBarricade.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Brawl keeps quiet about the fact that he'd been napping for the past 30 minutes.]]

Many years in the past, Brawl was a member of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron's]] defense forces, under the command of Protector [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]. After the discovery of a [[The Fallen|mysterious relic]] and an alien attack {{Storylink|Defiance issue 1}}, Megatron changed significantly, altering the military's mission from one of protection of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to making war upon the hostile aliens and anybody who would stand in their way. {{storylink|Defiance issue 2}} Brawl was sent on a mission to capture science division leader (and thorn in Megatron's side) [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]] and eliminate his fellow scientists and the unwitting security team sent to arrest him. Brawl fired an explosive round that scattered the "traitors", but the wily Optimus managed to bury [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] and his fliers under a mountain of rubble. They survived and subsequently joined Megatron's new "Decepticon" faction. {{Storylink|Defiance issue 3}}

[[Image:Movie Brawl protoform.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Spacebrawls]]

During the war, while [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream's]] forces assaulted the Autobots at [[Tyger Pax]], Brawl bashed his way past faltering Autobot defenders, bringing news that Megatron knew where the All Spark was. When Starscream excitedly declared that he must go to the cube, Brawl questioned his loyalty, prompting [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] to threaten the latter with violence lest he not take the group to Megatron. After witnessing Megatron leave Cybertron to chase after the escaping All Spark, the Decepticons followed. {{storylink|Planetfall (Movie)|Planetfall}}

They boarded a Decepticon battlecruiser and gave chase to [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime's]] starship, only to fall prey to an Autobot trap. After repairing their ship, they followed the All Spark's trace energy pulse to the fourth planet of a distant solar system, where they encountered [[Beagle 2 Rover|a primitive lifeform]] that have could have been born from the All Spark's energy. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 1}}

The Decepticons landed on Earth and were detected by a nearby [[United States Military|US air base]], which sent an armoured personnel carrier to investigate. Brawl took the words right out of Bonecrusher's mouth, remarking that at last there was something to kill. Wreckage assumed the form of the carrier vehicle, destroyed it, then led Starscream's unit to the base. Brawl trans-scanned a nearby human tank and joined the others in leveling the base. {{storylink|Planetfall (Movie)|Planetfall}}

{{note|In the panel where the Decepticons react to the arrival of the armoured personnel carrier, it is likely that Bonecrusher's speech bubble regarding the military base was actually meant for Wreckage (as the latter was the one who tracked the base location), and that Brawl was incorrectly given Bonecrusher's own speech bubble about killing things.}}

===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:Movie Devastator TitanIssue2.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Yeah, I got two names - wanna make something of it?!]]

<strike>Brawl</strike> Devastator was known as [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s "pet weapon of mass destruction". Nonchalant and cavalier (he even has bandoliers of bullets!), he follows a single guiding principle - "keep it ''stupid''... simple!".

He also looks physically similar to Brawl, who's some other guy. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 3|#3's Mech Mail}}

Megatron threw him at the Autobots so he could reach the [[AllSpark (Movie)|AllSpark]], and had armed him with a [[foldspace warhead]]. When the Autobots pointed out that at this range, the warhead would take him out as well, he replied "Eh. So?" and fired anyway. He loves a good explosion ''that much''. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2|Prelude: Megatron}}

[[Image:Movie Devastator TitanIssue4.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Your gas comes out of where??]]

Devastator ended up warped to an uninhabited world covered with cities, and out of sheer boredom went around smashing a lot of it before he realized he should try getting off the planet. Yet every time he attempted to focus long enough to find a way to do so, he would be mysteriously and suddenly filled with a violent rage that would make him smash and blow up more stuff. Eventually he was able to concentrate long enough to find and scan a vehicle mode as well as lock onto an energy source he can use to replenish his fuel reserves to leave the planet.

The mysterious [[Flame (Movie)|Flame]], a power source that drove the planet's inhabitants to murder, tried to influence his mind towards rampaging until his fuel ran out; as he got nearer to it, it created apparitions of the other Decepticons that taunted him for his stupidity and attacked him. This failed to influence him as it would require Devastator to have introspection, or care about being stupid - instead, he simply carried on to the Flame, absorbed some of it, and left the planet. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4|Lost In Space 2: Devastator}}

{{note|The event below is unique to the Titan Magazines comics continuity.}}

A mere half-hour after Megatron's death and before his body was dumped in the sea, Devastator was resurrected by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] as a mindless zombie, a soulless monster that would only destroy. It's what he would've wanted. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 7|Starscream's Militia}}

{{notetitantlg}}
That other guy Brawl, who was much more wordier when he talked, tore up part of Baltimore as part of a Decepticon campaign to force America into getting rid of the Autobots. Piss off Brawl, we want Devastator! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Revolution Part 1}}
{{-}}

===''Ghosts of Yesterday'' prequel novel===
Brawl was oddly absent from events surrounding the ''[[Ghost 1]]'' discovery. Whether he was aboard the ''[[Nemesis (Movie)|Nemesis]]'' and otherwise indisposed or joined up with [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] at a later date is unknown. {{storylink|Ghosts of Yesterday}}

===''Transformers'' (2007) film===
[[Image:Decepticons highway.JPG|left|250px|thumb|Bra—um, I mean, Devastator does not care if this is suspicious. He will shoot anyone who objects.]]
Brawl (also named "Devastator" here) was lying in wait at a military depot when Starscream contacted the Decepticon infiltration team, informing them that the All Spark had been found and they were to move out. Devastator acknowledged that he was in transit and [[Roll out|rolled out]] of the depot. He met up with [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] and hit the highway, though Devastator separated from the group before Barricade and Bonecrusher got on the freeway and met up with Autobot/human convoy.

Arriving at [[Mission City]] in the aftermath of Starscream's opening attack on the Autobots and their [[William Lennox|human]] [[Robert Epps|allies]], Devastator fired shells from his main gun, narrowly missing several targets before running over vehicles abandoned by human bystanders. As the American soldiers fanned out in search of cover, the Autobots charged Devastator. He focused his attacks on [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], who was forced to somersault over his shells. This distraction allowed the Autobot Jazz to jump on top of Devastator and point his cannon away from the humans. Devastator managed to transform and throw the smaller Autobot off him, but not before Jazz destroyed his left side rocket launcher pod.

[[Image:Brawl Mission City.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Devast—um, I mean, Brawl says, "Surrender or perish!"]]
Damaged, but not down, Devastator fired two rockets from his remaining launcher, missing the heavily armed Autobot as he somersaulted over the missiles. Ironhide and Jazz managed to fire several shots at Devastator, disorienting him. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] followed up by using his buzzsaw to slice off Devastator's left arm. The humans then fired a volley of sabot rounds while Ratchet supported with suppressive fire, knocking Devastator to the ground. The only thing that saved him was the Autobots and humans' retreat at the arrival of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]. Eventually, Ironhide and Ratchet disengaged from the battle as they left to protect [[Sam Witwicky|ladiesman217]], who was escaping with the All Spark, while Jazz took on Megatron. Now with fewer targets to deal with, Devastator sprayed heavy [[machine gun]] fire at the remaining humans, whose leader remarked that the battle was not going well.

[[Image:Movie Brawl dies.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Ah, I'll just read the bullet with my name on it. THAT should settle the argument!]]
Devastator continued to pin down the soldiers until the damaged Autobot [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] suddenly attacked while on the back of of a tow truck driven by Ladiesman217's [[Mikaela Banes|female companion]]. Devastator tried to return fire, only for his machine gun, his last ranged weapon, to be destroyed by Bumblebee's [[plasma cannon]]. With the Autobot's return to battle being the deciding factor, the human soldiers rallied and fired more sabots, piercing Devastator's armor until a final shot from Bumblebee struck Devastator's spark and killed him. Devastator died as he lived: destroying things, for his chassis crashed into the building the human soldiers had taken refuge in.

Devastator's body was dumped into the deepest part of [[Laurentian Abyss]] along with his fellow Decepticons, in the hopes the intense pressure and cold will destroy whatever remained. {{storylink|Transformers (2007)}}

{{-}}

===Transformers (2007) toy bios===
{{notemoviebio}}

Before arriving on Earth, Brawl seriously injured Jazz in a battle on a barren world in deep space. {{storylink|Jazz (Movie)#Premium|Premium Jazz bio}}

Not many can make Brawl laugh, but one person who can is Ratchet. Watching him run around a battlefield after Brawl has sent a crowd of foes flying, trying to save as many lives as possible {{m-}} that cracks Brawl right up! {{storylink|#Legends Class toys|Rescue Ratchet Vs Decepticon Brawl}} Following an infusion of AllSpark energy, Brawl found his cannons more powerful than ever. {{storylink|#AllSparkBrawl|AllSpark-enhanced Brawl}}

In the final battle, Brawl was ''not'' killed, but saturated with power from the AllSpark and freed from the influence of Megatron. He disappeared into the rugged land around the Hoover Dam. Making his way over the course of months to the most dangerous place on Earth (presumably the [[Middle East]]), he adapted his vehicle mode to the new environment, went to ground and hid from the Autobot patrols. Brawl now gains up energy from the blazing sun, and emerges only to satisfy his hunger for destruction by attacking and annihilating anything that comes across him. {{storylink|#Fast Action Battlers|Desert Blast Brawl}} {{storylink|#Leader Class toys|Deep Desert Brawl (2007)}}

===Beast Wars Diorama Story===

At some point, Brawl and multiple Autobots and Decepticons traversed dimensions and found themselves on a different [[Earth]], in the distant past. They crossed paths with new Transformer factions, the [[Maximal]]s and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who were engaged in a conflict called the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]. A battle broke out between the four factions. The Autobots and the Decepticons eventually returned to their home dimension, leaving the Maximals and Predacons behind to settle the Beast Wars. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' toy bios===
The Autobots never found him, but he seethed with rage at hiding in defeat and having to wait for a new leader to emerge. Now Megatron is back from the dead, Brawl is ready to tear into the Autobots again! {{storylink|#Deluxe Class toys 2|Deep Desert Brawl (2009)}}

Brawl is one of the most experienced and cunning warriors to ever emerge from Cybertron's great war: a vicious, instinctive fighter, bred for victory. This stands in stark contrast to the tactical mind of Ironhide, the Autobot weapons-master. As they hunt each other through a desolate desert, they both know that only one of them will walk away from their inevitable battle. {{storylink|#Titanium Series 2|Deep Desert Brawl (Titanium)}}

===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
In the aftermath of the battle in Mission City, [[Sector Seven]] hauled away Brawl's corpse along with the other Decepticon bodies. The clandestine human organisation brought the bodies to a secret facility in the Nevada desert, with the intention of getting every bit of information they can out of the dead Decepticons before they were forced to dump them into the sea. {{storylink|Alliance issue 1}} One month after the battle of Mission City, the Autobots helped Sector Seven escort Megatron, Brawl, and Blackout's bodies to [[San Diego]], where the [[United States Navy]] would transport them to the drop site at the [[Laurentian Abyss]]. {{storylink|Alliance issue 2}}

===Transformers (2010) toy bios===
As Brawl advanced with a horde of his fellow Decepticon warriors towards an Autobot force entrenched among ancient ruins in a desert, he presumably had no idea that [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]] was eyeballing him for a take-down. {{storylink|#Deluxe Class toys 3|Desert Ruins Brawl}}

==Games==

===Flight of the Bumblebee===

Brawl joined [[Wreckage (Movie)|Wreckage]], [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] and [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] in trying to destroy [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] in a canyon. {{storylink|Flight of the Bumblebee}}

===Transformers The Game (console)===
:''Voice actor'': [[David Sobolov]]

====Autobot campaign====
[[Image:Brawl 2007game wolverine.jpg|thumb|left|200px|
{| width="100%"
|''*[[Wolverine (superhero)|snikt]]*
| style="text-align:right;padding-right:2em;"|''*[[Wolverine (superhero)|snikt]]*
|}]]

Brawl arrived in [[Mission City]] shortly after [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] took down [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] and a pair of [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwings]] single-handedly. The Autobot's victory was short-lived... and so was the Autobot, as Brawl punctured Jazz's chest with his claw, extinguishing his [[spark]] whilst commenting on how he loved the way that Autobots died. [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] arrived just in time to witness the killing, and fought through a horde of Decepticon units to destroy Brawl. Man Ironhide is obsessed. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

====Decepticon campaign====


[[Image:Brawlmovie tank activision.jpg|right|180px|thumb|I have many, many guns; I can call myself whatever I want! From now on, you will all refer to me by the name...Betty.]]
Brawl, [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] and Starscream were hiding out in a human military installation in the desert when they received word that [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] and [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] had discovered the location of the AllSpark. When the three Decepticons mobilized, the two ground-based machines were assaulted by tanks designed to fire holding beams of electrical energy, forcing Starscream to back-and-forth babysit the two Decepticons as they tried to escape.

Brawl later stood by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] side in Washington D.C. after they had retrieved the All Spark from the destroyed Autobots and had decimated pretty much everything in their path. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

{{note|Brawl was not a playable character in the console versions of the game.}}

===''Transformers: Autobots''===
As Optimus Prime attempted to rendez-vous with the other Autobots near Hoover Dam, Brawl blocked his only path — a hidden Air Force hangar tunneled into the canyon. He fought Prime with all his might, but the Autobot leader was too much for him. As Sector 7 tanks arrived, he converted to his vehicle mode, managing to con the tanks into his own reinforcements. In his tank mode, Prime could no longer damage him as much and had to resort to smashing the tanks into Brawl to damage him. In the end, Prime put him out of commission. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Autobots}}

===''Transformers: Decepticons''===
Brawl first appears in Qatar, where, under the command of [[Create-A-Bot (Decepticon)|a Create-A-Bot]], he is commanded to prevent a convoy from entering a nearby village (recognizable by moviegoers as the town where Lennox fought [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]) to prevent the humans from getting an upper hand over the [[N.B.E.|N.B.E.s]]. At the Hoover Dam, he is sent to capture a human tank, which he retrieves intact so as to interrogate the occupant human. Once the interrogation is done, the tank doesn't stay intact long, as he can be seen merrily destroying it while Create-A-Bot converses with [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]. Later, he faces off against [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] in a 1-on-1 street brawl involving an apparent grudge over a past encounter. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Decepticons}}

{{note|Brawl and Megatron are the only Decepticons to survive this game.}}

===Allspark Highway===

Brawl and the Decepticons fought hard to keep the Allspark from reaching [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Allspark Highway}}

==Toys==
===Transformers (2007)===
====Legends Class toys====
[[Image:Movie2007 LegendsRatchet VS Brawl.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You can take my articulation, but not my desire to kill!]]
*'''Rescue Ratchet vs. Decepticon Brawl''' (Legends Allspark Battles two-pack, 2008)

:Released as part of the ''AllSpark Battles'' line refresh alongside a repainted [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] in his Rescue Ratchet colors, this Legends class two-pack contains Brawl who transforms into a tiny tank and features limited articulation.

:This mold was [[redeco]]ed to make ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Tankor (ROTF)|Tankor]].

{{-}}

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:Movie Deluxe Brawl toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Don't let them know about my arm problem or they won't buy me.]]
*'''Decepticon Brawl''' (Deluxe Class, 2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MD-03'''
**''Accessories'': Missile

: Deluxe-class Brawl transforms into a heavily modified fictional tank based upon an [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#M1 Abrams|M1A1 Abrams]], fitted with angular reflective armor, a mine plow and external spare fuel canisters. Mounted upon the turret is a smaller sub-turret housing two anti-aircraft cannons and rocket launchers. The spring-loaded main cannon fires a translucent red projectile.

: During transformation to robot mode, [[Automorph|automorphing]] pushes down on the front of his tank during transformation raises the front of the treads and his head up into position for his robot mode, and vice versa for the tank mode. He is armed with his spring-loaded main gun on his right arm and a flip-out blade on his left.

: There is a [[design flaw]] in the way Brawl's arms attach to his torso: The rhombic peg and socket system used does not provide a tight enough fit, and thus the arms have a tendency to detach at the shoulder when moved. There have also been quite a few reports of the teeny-tiny automorph gears—molded out of fragile, translucent plastic—cracking and breaking into pieces, leaving the automorph non-functional but a different version of him fixes the problem by replacing the red transparent plastic gears with solid red plastic gears.
{{-}}

*'''Deluxe three-pack''' (Multi-pack, 2007)
**''Accessories'': Missile

: This Sam's Club [[exclusive]] three-pack contains an unchanged Deluxe Class Decepticon Brawl together with equally unchanged Deluxe Class [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] and [[Jazz (Movie)|Autobot Jazz]] toys. It also comes with a nifty poster depicting all three toys in a standoff scene. Not so nifty is that the box accidentally places Brawl and Bonecrusher's bios underneath each other.

{{-}}

*'''Deluxe three-pack''' (Multi-pack, UK 2007)
**''Accessories'': Missile

: This three-pack, which was available at general retail in the United Kingdom, contains an unchanged Deluxe Class Decepticon Brawl together with equally unchanged Deluxe Class [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Protoform Optimus Prime]] and [[Jazz (Movie)|Autobot Jazz]] toys.

{{-}}

*'''Ultimate Bumblebee Bonus Value pack''' (Multi-pack, 2007)
**''Accessories'': Missile

: A Wal-Mart [[exclusive]] special pack of [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Ultimate Bumblebee]] with Deluxe Class Decepticon Brawl and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] as bonus figures. None of the three toys are changed from their respective original releases.

{{-}}
{{anchor|AllSparkBrawl}}
[[Image:Movie2007 AllsparkBrawl.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Personality component]] not included.]]
*'''All Spark-Enhanced Decepticon Brawl''' (Target Exclusive Deluxe, 2007)
**''Accessories'': Missile

: This Target exclusive features the Deluxe Class Brawl in unique cylindrical packaging, with the only difference from his standard release being that key robot mode parts are highlighted in "Allspark Blue" for no other reason than [[to sell toys]].

{{-}}

====Leader Class toys====
[[Image:MovieLeaderDecepticonBrawl.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Ops, my head!'']]
*'''Decepticon Brawl''' (Leader Class, 2007)

: The larger, more heavily armed version of Brawl, this figure is more accurate to the character's CGI model, with more articulation and weapons than the Deluxe-class figure.

: While having no firing missiles, it does feature a number of [[Automorph]] gimmicks. First, pressing the button on the front of the tank causes his head and chest pieces to move into position. A scoop/claw has been added to the front of the tank, probably to make the lever to push his head back down stand out less. Second, pressing the headlights on either side of the front end causes the paneling to swing back into place. Finally, Brawl has automorph weapons on each of his forearms - his right arm has a quadruple-barreled cannon that extends as you slide a switch forward, while his left features a swing-out claw, deployed by pulling back the arm's cannon.

: Other features include lights and sounds, activated by pushing back on the main cannon or turning the upper turret. The turret sounds can also be activated by pressing the two small buttons on the top of the turret, on either side of the machine gun. A pair of blades can also swing down from the legs.

: Possibly due to [[For safety reasons|safety reasons]] or just the desire on the part of the designers to not see fragile parts break, the main cannon and anti-aircraft guns on Brawl's turrets detach from their mounting points rather easily.

{{-}}

[[Image:Movie Leader DeepDesert Brawl toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|... [[Sandstorm (OC)|Sandstorm]]? Is that you?]]
*'''Deep Desert Brawl''' (Leader Class, 2008)

: An extensive [[redeco]] of Leader Class Brawl in desert colors, as part of the ''AllSpark Power'' refresh of the movie toyline. His vehicle mode comes with battle damage carbon scoring as well as Autobot "kill" markings. His clear plastic parts are cast in bright translucent blue, along with the bright blue paint seen on his robot mode, a color accent he has in common with the rest of the ''AllSpark Power'' toys.

{{-}}

====Fast Action Battlers====
[[Image:Movie FAB Brawl.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Do not taunt Happy Fun Brawl.]]
*'''Double Missile Decepticon Brawl''' (Fast Action Battler, 2007)
**''Accessories'': 2 missiles

: "Double Missile Brawl" is a simplified version of Brawl. Designed for younger children, his transformation is designed with speedy conversion in mind, with relatively few steps compared to the Deluxe class Brawl. Additionally, in an effort to keep the design sturdy for play and safety, he has relatively low articulation for a figure of his size, while the design style of the figure is more rounded and 'friendly'. Two pressure-launched missiles are fired from his two missile pods.

{{-}}

[[Image:Movie2007 DesertBlastBrawl.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Olé!.]]
*'''Desert Blast Brawl''' (Fast Action Battler, 2008)
**''Accessories'': 2 missiles

: A [[redeco]] of Fast Action Battlers Brawl in desert colors. All of the previous gimmicks are retained.

{{-}}

====Cyber Slammers====
[[Image:Movie CyberSlammers Brawl.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"Daddy, what's my name?" "Well, son, your mom and I never decided between Brawl, Devastator, Demolishor..."]]
*'''Decepticon Brawl''' (Cyber Slammer, 2007)

: [[Cyber Slammers]] Brawl is an amazingly cute tank that transforms into an amazingly cute sentient machine of mass destruction. "Slam" his robot mode down into tank mode and he rolls along, slowly transforming back up into robot mode. Like most Cyber Slammers, Brawl manages to cram most of his vehicle mode's major details into a compact, super-deformed version of that mode.

{{-}}

===Titanium Series===
[[Image:Movie TitaniumRM Brawl.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Why do I not look this cool?!!]]
*'''Decepticon Brawl''' ( 3-inch Robot Masters, 2007)

:''[[Titanium Series]]'' Brawl is a die-cast metal and plastic figurine, with an accurate sculpt based on the CG model (or the concept designs) owing to the fact he doesn't need to transform. Being a figurine, he only has articulation in his shoulders and waist. Brawl comes with a Movie-style Decepticon symbol display stand.

{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen''===
[[Image:ROTF_Deluxe_DeepDesertBrawl_toy.jpg|thumb|300px|My shoulder's fixed. Now buy me.]]
*'''Deep Desert Brawl''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Accessories'': Missile

:Released as part of the many-times-revised wave 7 of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' Deluxes, Deep Desert Brawl is a [[retool]] of 2007's Deluxe class Brawl in a desert camouflage colour scheme similar to the 2008 [[Fast Action Battlers]] Desert Blast Brawl. The arm issue from the previous release has been corrected, and the transparent plastic gears of the initial release have been replaced with less fragile opaque plastic.

: The [[stock photography|stock photo]] pictured on the back of his package is clearly a hand-painted toy with a ''lot'' of differences from the final product. The chocolate-brown plastic is nowhere to be seen, and the entire toy is done up in a much more subtle, natural blend of tans and browns.


:During part of 2010, [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/transformers-toy-giveaway.cfm Hasbro did a promotion] wherein US fans could receive three free Deluxes in exchange for receipts showing the purchase of $25 or more of select ''Transformers'' product. As noted in [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69645&st=0 this thread over at Allspark.com], and later confirmed by [http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HT83971G3 this listing here], this version of Brawl was one of a pool of eight figures (all from the same wave) from which the free Deluxes were drawn.

{{-}}{{anchor|ROTFTitanium}}
[[Image:TSDeepDesertBrawl.jpg|thumb|150px|"Keep it stiff, simple!"]]
*'''Offroad Ironhide & Deep Desert Brawl''' (Titaniums 2-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories'': Decepticon logo base

:A [[Toys"R"Us]]-[[exclusive]] [[redeco]] of the original ''[[Titanium Series]]'' Brawl figure in tan. Like the original, it comes with a Movie-style Decepticon logo base to stand on.

:It was only available in a two-pack with an unchanged version of ''Titanium Series'' [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], despite the package suggesting that Ironhide would also be redecoed.

{{-}}

===Transformers (2010)===
====Legends Class toys====
[[Image:TF2010-toy_LegendsDesertBrawl.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
*'''Brawl Desert Mode''' (EZ Collection, 2010)

:A redeco of Legends Class Brawl in desert camouflage, with some light blue details based on the Leader Class Deep Desert Brawl toy. Brawl Desert Mode was only available in Japan.

{{-}}
[[Image:DesertDecimationBrawl.jpg|thumb|300px|I'm newly painted! Entirely newly painted!]]
*'''Desert Decimation''' (Legends multi-pack, 2010)

:A redeco of Legends Class Brawl which is... entirely different! Sandy tan and greyish brown replace the solid green plastic of the original release. Brown desert camo is painted along the sides of the vehicle mode.

:This version of Brawl was only available in the [[market six]]-[[exclusive]] "[[Desert Decimation]]" 4-pack together with [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], and [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]].

{{-}}

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:WMDesertRuinsBrawlAndJolt.jpg|thumb|300px|Fiesta Brawl.]]
*'''Desert Ruins Brawl''' (Walmart exclusive multi-pack, 2010)
**''Accessories:'' Missile

:This [[Walmart]] exclusive multi-pack includes a redeco of Legends class [[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt]] in gray and blue with bright green detailing and a redeco of Deluxe class Brawl in yellow, brown and gray. Taken together, they may be the [[Neon|least appealingly-colored]] set of toys in years.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===''Transformers'' 3D Battle-Card Game===
[[Image:3DBattleCard_Brawl.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Super Smash Brothers Devastator]]
*'''Brawl''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
**''Card number'': '''17'''

: Brawl is a 41-point "Rare" piece in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]. Constructed of punch-out pieces from plastic cards, he can be assembled into his tank mode, or a sort of representation of his robot mode. Oddly enough, he does not actually have his movie-model head; rather, he uses a recolored version of [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]'s noggin slapped on the Brawl body.

: He uses the same construction as the [[Wreckage (Movie)|Wreckage]], [[Blitzwing (Energon Wars)|Blitzwing]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] cards.

: His card art was done by [[Lucio Parrillo]].

{{-}}

===Transformers (2007)===
====Transformers Movie Danglers====
[[Image:Movie Brawl dangler.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]
*'''Decepticon Devastator''' (2007)

:Released by [[Tomy Yujin]] in November 2007<ref>[http://www.gachausa.com/products/transformers.asp Tomy Yujin ''Transformers'' page.]</ref> as part of the [[Danglers Collection]], this toy is a weird plastic [[super-deformed]] version of Brawl/Devastator that pops out his vehicle mode when you squeeze him. This little figurine has a little strap on it so that it can be put on cell phones or portable gaming devices.

:This product is one of the few that uses Brawl's on-screen name "Devastator".

{{-}}

===Revenge of the Fallen===
====RPMs - Robot Powered Machines====
[[Image:ROTF-toy_RPM_Jazz_vs_Brawl.jpg|thumb|right|300px|I see dead characters. Getting toys like regular characters. ''They don't know they're dead!'']]
*'''Autobot Jazz Vs. Decepticon Brawl''' (2-pack, 2009)
**''Series'': '''Battle Series'''
**''Number'': '''02 of 08'''

:[[Robot Powered Machines]] Brawl is a small, heavily modified M1A1 Abrams tank. Both turrets can be rotated, making him one of the few RPMs with any kind of artuculation. He does not transform, but has his robot mode sculpted on the underside of the tank alongside four wheels (as treads wouldn't be very fun to race around on). These wheels use through-axle construction to let his zip along smooth surfaces with very un-tank-like speed. He was only available in a two-pack with [[Jazz (Movie)#RPMs - Robot Powered Machines|Jazz]].

{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Rhjazzbrawl.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Who touched Sasha!?! WHO TOUCHED MY GUN?!!? ]]
*'''Protoform Jazz vs. Decepticon Brawl''' (Robot Heroes 2-pack, 2007)

: Part of the second wave of Movie-assortment ''[[Robot Heroes]]'', this adorable, [[super-deformed]] soft-plastic PVC of Brawl came in a two-pack with "[[Protoform]]" Jazz. He has swivel joints at the neck and shoulders.

{{-}}
[[Image:RobotHeroes_BattlefortheAllspark.jpg|300px|thumb|right|]]
*'''Battle for the Allspark''' (2009)

:Brawl is part of a set depicting the battle in Mission City with Megatron, plus new figures of Autobot Ratchet, Sam Witwicky, Optimus Prime in truck mode, Starscream in fighter mode and Bumblebee in vehicle mode.

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Movie Brawl Devastatorsubtitle.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Maybe his combat subroutines are interfering with his memory.]]
* Working names for Brawl were "Demolisher"<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/objects/content/wallpaper.cfm?img=wp_transformers651_1280.jpg&brand_id=496&lang_id=1 Wallpaper at Hasbro's website calling Brawl/Devastator "Demolisher".]</ref> and "Devastator", the latter had also been a working name for [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] at one point.<ref>[http://www.benprocter.com/SITEv2/HTML/ZOOM_Trans/ZOOM_32.html Blackout-as-"Devastator" concept art at Ben Procter's online portfolio.]</ref> Even though [[Michael Bay]] confirmed in May of 2006 that "Devastator" was ''not'' the final name,<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/newsblog/files/586e45dbd5e89a45846b0ec668a70e03-12.html Michael Bay claiming that the Transformers' names circulating were "aliases".]</ref> screenwriters [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] confirmed the final name to be "Brawl" in April 2006,<ref>[http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808716430/video/2701721/20070418/2048/2701721-300-wmv-s.35907855-,2701721-300-flash-s.35907881-,2701721-100-wmv-s.35907849-,2701721-100-flash-s.35907874-,2701721-1000-wmv-s.35907866-,2701721-1000-flash-s.35907894-,2701721-700-flash-s.35907887-,2701721-700-wmv-s.35907861- Yahoo webcast with Kurtzman and Orci, revealing the final names of the movie characters.]</ref> and Hasbro used that name for all their toys based on the movie character, he identifies himself as "Devastator" in a subtitle in the [[Transformers (2007)|movie]] itself. According to a fan who attended the Australian press conference, Bay had confirmed that he had decided to use the name "Devastator" because he had preferred it,<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=1360922&postcount=122 Australian fan griffin-of-oz reporting from the Australian press conference].</ref> while Hasbro considered the name in the movie a "continuity error",<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=139268 Hasbro Transformers Future Product Unveiling panel at BotCon 2007.]</ref> and Orci even claimed that he and Kurtzman had pointed out said "error" in the editing room twice.<ref>[http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=368555&postcount=4479 Orci confirming the name "Devastator" to be an "error".]</ref> But whoops, Titan Magazines had just done two strips with him called Devastator! The editor hurriedly stated in [[Transformers Comic issue 3|#3's letters page]] that Devastator was a different guy, honest, and a cover for a later issue made sure to identify Brawl as Brawl; so now there's ''two'' of them (and Brawl nicks Devastator's toys, the dastard)! Finally, IDW's ''Reign of Starscream'' retconned in that he was called Brawl at Mission City all along.
* And then ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' brought in two new guys called [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] and [[Brawl (ROTF)|Brawl]].
* Does your head hurt yet? This is normal.
* Despite rumors to the contrary, he is ''not credited'' in the film under either name.
* The name "Brawl" was previously also a working name for the character ultimately called [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]].<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-images/events/Botcon-2007/Hasbro-Tour/PICT5108.JPG.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1 Early design for Barricade with working name "Brawl" shown during the BotCon 2007 Hasbro Tour.]</ref>
[[Image:XXxtank.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Protoform Brawl.]]
* According to Picture Vehicle Coordinator [[Steve Mann]], the filming prop of Brawl was a redress of a tank prop made for another movie.<ref>[http://enewsi.com/news.php?catid=190&itemid=11213 Picture Vehicle Coordinator Steve Mann confirming Brawl/Devastator to be a redressed tank prop from another movie.]</ref> Specifically, it was the "stealth tank" seen in the film ''xXx: State of the Union''. The tank prop from ''xXx'' was allegedly based on a used truck chassis that was shortened and equipped with a Freightliner diesel truck engine, "stealth" panels to give the tank its unique look, treads from another piece of heavy equipment and a double turret that could counter-rotate. Since this information comes from an IMDB trivia note, take it with a grain of salt.<ref name="imdb">[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329774/trivia?tr0775998 IMDB trivia note on the construction of the "stealth tank" from ''xXx: State of the Union''.]</ref> Notable changes for ''Transformers'' include the addition of missile launchers on the sides of the secondary turret and a mine plow on the front end of the tank.
* Jazz's move of racing-transforming-boarding Brawl is not completely unlike the scene in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' where [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] does the same thing with [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]. The DVD's special features confirm this was the inspiration.
* Brawl is the most heavily armed Transformer in the movie, followed by [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]]. Unfortunately for him, he has no chance to unleash his full armament, as many of his weapons are broken before he can use them. For example, Jazz kicks off the four-tube missile launcher on his left shoulder, and Ratchet slices off his left arm at the elbow, blades and all. Don't you just hate wasted potential?
*A Decepticon similar to Brawl's Deep Desert toy was seen in a ''Dark of the Moon'' trailer. This however is probably just a diffrent Transformer with the same body-type.

{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2007/Decepticon/Brawl/brawl.htm Brawl at TFU.info]

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Decepticons]]
[[Category:Movie Decepticons]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Decepticons]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Sam's Club exclusives]]
[[Category:Target exclusives]]
[[Category:Titanium Series]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Decepticons]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

Ratchet (G1)

2011-04-11T09:49:39Z

58.69.183.193: /* Generation 1 Series */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2|hofsilver}}{{disambig3|Ratchet}}
{{featured}}
:''Ratchet is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Ratchetg1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|All aboard the party ambulance!]]
'''Ratchet''' is the Autobots' Chief Medical Officer. If something's broke, he can fix it. Ratchet is known for his irreverent bedside manner; He loves having a good time, and his party-loving nature has given him a dry wit. He is not a particularly mighty warrior, which sometimes leads him to believe that he is expendable. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] has trouble convincing Ratchet that this is far from the truth.

Although he's a healer, Ratchet often finds himself on the front lines of combat and, on occasion, the last hope the Autobots have. These pressures are sometimes too much for him to handle, but Ratchet ultimately never gives up.

His vehicle mode sometimes splits into his robot and a [[Onebox component|separate component]].

His nicknames are '''Cool Hand Lube''' and '''Greasefinger'''.<ref>Nicknames in profiles published in ''[[The Transformers Comic Magazine]]''.</ref>

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Ratchetg1first.jpg|left|200px|thumb|This look didn't last long.]]
Ratchet was one of the select Autobots chosen by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] to travel aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', and ended up in stasis lock for four million years at the base of [[Mount St. Hilary]] with the rest of the crew. Once the volcano exploded and the Transformers reactivated, Ratchet was rebuilt to transform into an ambulance. He responded to [[Gears (G1)|Gears]]'s complaining by telling him that at least he didn't have to fix everyone all the time! Ratchet would rather be partying. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}}

[[Image:Ratchetgetstofixgears.jpg|right|200px|thumb|What a comfortable-looking repair sled they're dragging Gears into.]]

As their war against the Decepticons continued on Earth, Ratchet joined the Autobots' debate about how to deal with their dwindling fuel resources. Thankfully, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] had located a human, [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], who could help them convert fuel to a form usable by them, so the ''Ark'' was left in Ratchet's hands as the others left to meet with Bumblebee and his new human friends. Ratchet noted sadly that without fuel, even his considerable skills were useless. {{storylink|Power Play!}} While they were gone, Ratchet attended to the ''Ark''. During his attempts at repairs, he uncovered something interesting in its memory databanks, but Optimus Prime cut him off before he could explain. Gears was badly damaged in the battle that followed, and his body was brought back to Ratchet for repairs. After working on him for a short period of time, Ratchet was amazed that he could already speak. Unfortunately, Gears had bad news; Sparkplug Witwicky had converted fuel for the Decepticons while he had been their prisoner! {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

The Autobots were outraged at this, which upset Sparkplug so much that he suffered a heart attack. Ratchet volunteered to drive Sparkplug and his son [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]] to the [[Greater Portland Medical Center|hospital]]. {{storylink|The Last Stand}} While Buster stayed at the hospital with his ailing father, Ratchet held fast to his oath to preserve life, an oath which made no distinction between organical or mechanical life, and helped [[Gus|two]] [[Mel|paramedics]] to get to their emergency. Upon their return to the hospital, Ratchet was happy to learn that Sparkplug, now able to speak, had told Buster that he'd poisoned the Decepticons' fuel. While this conversation was taking place, his drivers, alarmed their ambulance could talk, were poking around his ambulance mode, trying to discover the tape deck tehy suspected to be there. After an angry, annoyed outburst, the humans fled.

[[Image:Ratchetfriendtrafficsignal.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Staring also works.]]

Despite Buster's good news, Ratchet felt he should return to the ''Ark'' as swiftly as possible; no one there was responding to his communications. Buster accompanied him, and en route tried to explain to Ratchet that the traffic signals were nonsentient and would not respond to his pleas. When a red light turned green, eventually, after Ratchet's attempts at persuasion, the Autobot admonished the child for his lack of communication skills. But when Ratchet and Buster arrived at the ''Ark'', they were horrified to discover [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] standing sentry outside. Buster, who was small enough to slip in unnoticed, snuck inside to investigate. {{storylink|The New Order}} Buster later returned to Ratchet, looking like a fright, and told the Autobot that the Decepticons had taken over the ''Ark'', and that their bodies were hung like meat from the ceiling! Even crazier still was when [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] was seen carrying the defeated body of [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] back into the ''Ark''. Ratchet began to worry that he was the last Autobot alive. {{storylink|The Worse of Two Evils!}}

Ratchet soon discovered, to his horror, that he was the last Autobot still functional on Earth, up against the entire Decepticon army. Covertly invading the ''Ark'', he learned that even the mighty Optimus Prime had fallen. However, Prime's head, though detached, still functioned, and the Autobot Commander told Ratchet that he must rise up to meet this challenge. Ratchet did not believe he could; he was a doctor, not a warrior (damnit, Jim). {{storylink|Warrior School!}}

[[Image:Ratchetwarriorschool.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The more you know!™]]

Ratchet was no warrior, and he doubted what he could do to topple this new status quo, but still, Ratchet tried. In his weakened state, Megatron could not hope to defeat Shockwave and reclaim his leadership, but Ratchet approached him with a possible solution. Ratchet knew how Shockwave had fallen 4 million years ago (having discovered this earlier within the ''Ark'''s memory databanks), and struck a deal, sealed by the [[Rite of Oneness]]: If Ratchet could defeat Shockwave, Megatron would relinquish Decepticon control of the ''Ark'' and its wrecked Autobot inhabitants.

Ratchet journeyed to the [[Savage Land]], where the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] had fought Shockwave to a stalemate, leaving all dormant in a tar pit prison. He dug up the Dinobots and repaired them. Soon after, he met with Megatron on a snowy ski slope and announced that he had fulfilled his half of the bargain; Shockwave was defeated. Megatron, of course, went back on his part of the deal and threatened to kill Ratchet. Ratchet declared that he knew all along Megatron would not hold up his end of the bargain and admitted that he had not, in fact, defeated Shockwave. The Dinobots sprung up out of the snow surrounding Megatron and fought him, but did not succeed. Megatron now stood alone, triumphant, mocking Ratchet and his lack of a warrior's edge. With nothing to lose, Ratchet charged Megatron, but he was ineffectual. However, the charge had loosened the ground on which Megatron stood, and the Decepticon leader fell off the cliff side and disappeared. {{storylink|Repeat Performance!}}

''On their return trip to the ''Ark'', Ratchet helped educate the Dinobots about human/Autobot relations by telling them the story of a recent battle with the Decepticons at a hydroelectric dam. {{storylink|Decepticon Dam-Busters!}} When they arrived, Ratchet and the Dinobots found the ''Ark'' defended by [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]], an Autobot combat drone which had been reprogrammed by Shockwave. Ratchet rescued the Dinobots from the powerful drone by remembering and exploiting one of its few weaknesses, an access port which could admit a fine laser. Ratchet then began the task of repairing the Autobots, placing priority on those whose command skills would be useful. This put him at odds with Dinobot leader [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], who felt that the fallen Dinobot [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] should be repaired first. {{storylink|The Wrath of Grimlock!}}''

''When Prowl devised a plan to use the Matrix to create an army of monstrous Autobot warriors, debate over the plan's ethics threatened to divide the Autobots. Ratchet remained neutral and asked Optimus Prime to step in and provide guidance. {{storylink|Crisis of Command!}}''

''Ratchet and Wheeljack collaborated on a Transformer-sized robotic suit, to be used by Buster Witwicky in battle. Optimus Prime was unamused. {{storylink|Robot Buster!}}''

[[Image:Ratchetmechanic.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Such irony.]]

After the destruction of Optimus Prime, Ratchet was not able to repair him. Unable to deal with his failure, Ratchet wandered off on his own during Optimus's funeral. Ratchet decided that rather than moping, he should concern himself with the other damaged Autobots under his care, so he headed towards a junkyard to look for spare parts he could use. However, he was abducted in vehicle mode by the [[Mechanic (G1)|Mechanic]] and his accomplice [[Juan]] when the two thieves were found by the police. Ratchet revealed himself when they arrived at the Mechanic's hideout, but the Mechanic froze Ratchet with [[Cryogenic sprayer|his own surgical weapon]] and hid outside. When he had unfrozen, Ratchet presumed the humans had fled and went back to the ''Ark'', unaware that this was what the humans had been waiting for as they intended to follow him to his hideout and steal even more of his weapons. Inside the ''Ark'', Ratchet was again defeated by [[Laser scalpel|his own surgical tools]]. But using pieces he took from the junkyard, he repaired [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], and the appearance of the police car frightened the Mechanic away. The Mechanic escaped with Ratchet's tools and the [[Power Booster Rod]]. {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}}

Shortly after Optimus Prime's funeral, Ratchet stood with Omega Supreme, Blaster, and the others, and an incoming fleet of aircraft piloted by the terrorist organization [[Cobra]] was detected. {{storylink|Ashes, Ashes...}} After the Autobots teamed up with the human counterterrorist organization [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]], Ratchet worked with [[Mainframe (G.I. Joe)|Mainframe]], who had already begun to rebuild Bumblebee. Ratchet was surprised to see that Bumblebee had been upgraded by Mainframe into a more-powerful body, and after the process was completed (despite [[Dr. Mindbender]]'s bickering), Bumblebee decided to rename himself Goldbug. {{storylink|...All Fall Down!}}

[[Image:Ratchetneverisnow.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Paging Dr. Smartass.]]

With Optimus Prime dead, Ratchet and a few other high-ranking Autobots assembled to nominate a new leader. Ratchet stressed that their nominee must be kind, just as Optimus Prime had been, someone who would be willing to give everything he had. After a surprise attack on the ''Ark'' by [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], Ratchet had his answer. Ratchet's new patients, those that had suffered during the attack, had told him of Grimlock's selflessness in battle. The other Autobots agreed, and Grimlock was declared Autobot leader. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}} However, Grimlock's leadership quickly turned sour, and Ratchet became the voice of sarcasm behind Grimlock's decisions. When a second group of Autobots led by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] met Grimlock's Earth-bound Autobots, they brought with them a [[floppy disk]] containing the mind of the dead Optimus Prime. Ratchet couldn't contain his joy, and so Grimlock struck him down and told him to shut up. Ratchet was told to shut up again when he belittled Grimlock's disbelief that Fortress Maximus was part [[human]]. Grimlock set up a battle for Autobot supremacy between him and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (who fought in Fortress Maximus' stead), so Ratchet and all of both Autobot groups stepped out onto the surface of Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]] to watch the fight. Ratchet cheered relentlessly for Blaster, but the spectators were cut short by a surprise Decepticon attack. After the Decepticons had fled, Ratchet was glad to see that Blaster and Grimlock had, for the moment, set aside their differences, because they would need all the cooperation they could muster to repair the fallen and the heavily-damaged ''Ark''. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

''When an [[Underbase]]-powered [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and a time-traveling [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] decimated the Earthbound Autobot forces, Optimus Prime no longer possessed the life-giving powers of the [[Creation Matrix]], so Ratchet was left with the monumental task of repairing them. {{storylink|Deathbringer (issue)|Deathbringer}}'' During a period of work-induced stress, he began to hallucinate visions of his patients attacking him and accusing him of being worthless. It was during this time that the Decepticon [[Sports Car Patrol]], posing as Autobots, offered to help transport Ratchet to Cybertron, where he could have access to new medical technology that had been created during his 4-million-year absence on Earth. He and three of the Sports Car Patrol took the bodies of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]] with him, though Ratchet was curious why [[Blackjack]] stayed behind on the ''Ark''. Ratchet's concerns were answered when, upon arrival on Cybertron, he saw standing before him the believed-to-be-deceased Megatron, who had orchestrated the entire scheme. {{storylink|Back from the Dead}}

[[Image:Ratchetbroughtthemhere.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Megatron inadvertently activated Ratchet's dormant "evil genius" gene.]]

Megatron brought Ratchet the remains of Starscream, demanding Ratchet repair the Air Commander while Blackjack held the ''Ark'' and its medical bay inhabitants hostage. Ratchet agreed, and he used [[Pretender]] technology to repair Starscream while secretly repairing Grimlock, Jazz, and Goldbug as well. After Pretender Starscream was sent to Earth, Megatron sought out Ratchet to kill him, but Ratchet had his own Pretenders ready. {{storylink|The Resurrection Gambit!}} Ratchet sprung Grimlock, Jazz, and Bumblebee (Ratchet preferred Bumblebee's original form) on Megatron, but Megatron and his Micromasters were too powerful for them. The Pretenders and Micromasters' battle wandered outside [[Megatron's base]], and Ratchet was left alone. Sacrificing his life, Ratchet warped the bombs Blackjack had put on the ''Ark'' into the Decepticon base in an attempt to kill both himself and Megatron. Megatron tried to escape through the warp portal, but Ratchet tackled him, and the base exploded. {{storylink|Skin Deep}}

[[Image:Megs ratch.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ratchet to the left of me, Megatron to the right—Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.]]

Optimus Prime was devastated by the loss of Ratchet. {{storylink|Yesterday's Heroes!}} He assigned the detective [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] to investigate Ratchet's death, and Nightbeat hypothesized that Ratchet could possibly still be alive. There was an initial blast which could have knocked Ratchet into the portal and into [[unspace]], a netherworld between the warp portal's starting and ending points. A probe was sent to retrieve him, and it succeeded—but it also brought back Megatron, who was fused with Ratchet as a single, monstrous being. {{storylink|Eye of the Storm}} The Ratchet/Megatron creature rampaged through the ''Ark'', wounding several Autobots, but Optimus Prime would not let them harm it. This put Optimus Prime in an awkward position: Was the life of Ratchet worth the possible loss of his other troops? The creature fought his way into the engine rooms and began tearing stuff apart, and Prime's choice was made for him: The creature must be stopped. Prime fought Ratchet/Megatron to a standstill, and, alarmingly, the part that was Ratchet took control and pulled Prime's gun to his own forehead, pleading for the Autobot Commander to put him out of his misery. In an unpopular decision, Optimus Prime ordered [[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]] to separate Megatron and Ratchet, even if it meant saving Megatron. Bonded at a molecular level, neither could survive without the other, even when separated. {{storylink|The Pri¢e of Life!}}

[[Image:Ratchetjollies.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Holy crap.]]

Separated by Fixit, they remained in stasis on the ''Ark'' until Grimlock and his [[Nucleon]]-revived Dinobots found the ''Ark'' abandoned during the Transformers' battle with [[Unicron]]. They filled the entire medical bay chambers with Nucleon, not aware that Megatron lay there in storage. {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}} Shockwave and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] stole the ''Ark'' after Unicron was defeated, in an attempt to return to Earth and conquer it. {{storylink|Still Life!}} However, just as Megatron awoke, Starscream and Shockwave were interrupted by [[Galvatron II]], who had snuck on board before launch. While Galvatron and Megatron teamed up on Shockwave, Starscream went to check on any other possible survivors in the medical bay. He found Ratchet, whose mind was still connected to Megatron's, and Starscream fought the confused Autobot easily. However, when Starscream mused that Ratchet was no fun to kill, Ratchet became enraged and defeated him in a berserker state. Determined to end what he had started, Ratchet blew up the ''Ark'' as it was approaching Earth's orbit, sending all four Decepticons and himself to a supposed death.<ref>Except all the Decepticons eventually turn up alive.</ref> {{storylink|A Savage Circle}}

====Marvel UK future timelines====
''Ratchet was present at the ''Ark'' in 2003 when [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] announced his plans for a fully-functional transforming fortress known as [[Autobot City]]. {{storylink|Ark Duty}}''

====''Generation 2''====
{{note|Megatron's molecular-level link with Ratchet was entirely ignored in ''Generation 2''. Megatron returned and was rebuilt by Cobra, while Ratchet's fate was not mentioned at all.}}
As Optimus Prime was being repaired after a catastrophic battle with Megatron, he recalled the events of the Transformer civil war thus far, including two of Megatron's encounters with Ratchet. {{storylink|Tales of Earth Part Four}}

{{-}}
====''Classics''====
{{note|The ''Classics'' comics take place after the end of the original Marvel Comic, but in a [[splinter timeline]] that does not include the events of the Marvel UK-exclusive stories or ''Generation 2''.}}
[[Image:Ratchet-AtFightsEnd.jpg|left|250px|thumb|From martyr to furniture.]]
Fifteen years after Ratchet seemingly perished with Megatron, Starscream, and Shockwave when the ''Ark'' crashed into the [[Yukon]], Megatron had returned to power. Starscream had been fully rebuilt, Shockwave's disembodied head was rigged to exist only in a tortured advisory role, and [[:Image:Ratchetgamesofdeception.jpg|Ratchet's body was stashed]], seemingly lifeless, in a dark corner of Megatron's new throne room within the ''Ark'''s remains. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}

Megatron kept Ratchet there for his own amusement, able to talk but not to move, because the Decepticon leader had begun to consider his unlikely nemesis a friend. The Decepticon leader enjoyed toying with Ratchet's doubts; he asked Ratchet why Optimus Prime hadn't come to rescue him in all these years. Megatron also enjoyed hearing Ratchet's measured responses, many of which genuinely took him by surprise, though some Megatron didn't think Ratchet truly believed.

Megatron wanted Ratchet to know the real reason why the Transformers fight. After they watched Megatron's plan to assassinate [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] (and end the Decepticon civil war) culminate in success, he told Ratchet why. It's not to win or to lose, but because of who they were. The Transformers were born to fight. Megatron picked up Ratchet's motionless body, set it inside a [[CR chamber|bubbling tank]], and left him there. As Ratchet felt his body begin to dissolve, Megatron asked him to give Prime his regards.

Later, the Autobots secured the abandoned ''Ark'' and found Ratchet inside the tank, reformatted into a new body. However, Ratchet noted that his new surgical tools looked suspiciously like weapons. He recalled Megatron's words about why the Transformers fight. Did he truly have no choice? {{storylink|At Fight's End}}

{{-}}
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Don Messick]] (English), [[Wally Burr]] (English, "[[Masquerade]]" only), [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japanese), [[Garcia Neto]] (Brazil), [[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American)

[[Image:Ratchetg1cartoon.jpg|right|240px|thumb|Ruh-roh. Rooby-rooby-roo!]]
Ratchet served as chief medical officer of the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' on its mission to seek out new energy sources to fuel the Autobot struggle against the Decepticons. When the ''Ark'' was boarded by the crew of the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', Ratchet attempted to defend his ship by attacking [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]], but was thrown into a computer console for his trouble. Ratchet and the other Transformers were forced into emergency [[stasis lock]] when the out-of-control ''Ark'' crashed into a volcano on a [[Earth|primitive planet]]. Four million years later, the volcano erupted, activating [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] to rebuild the Autobots and Decepticons. Ratchet was rebuilt into a human-scaled ambulance. After [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]'s failed scouting mission ended in a counterattack by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], Ratchet arrived with [[Hauler]] to pull the damaged Hound out of a ravine. Once he finished repairing Hound, Ratchet was part of the battlegroup sent to stop the Decepticons stealing the oil from an off-shore oil rig. However, he did not fare well in this battle. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}

After the Autobots saved their new human friends, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Sparkplug Witwicky]], from the oil rig fire, Ratchet repaired [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]'s damaged arm in the repair bay outside the ''Ark.'' {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 2}} When [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was caught in the explosion of the [[Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma]], Ratchet helped the Autobot leader recover, but evidently his skills as a medic were not required, as Prime was totally fine after transforming back into robot mode. Soon afterwards, [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] was shot by Skywarp, so Ratchet carried the old-timer back to base for repairs. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

During an ill-fated Autobot attempt to defend the local solar power plant, [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] managed to shoot the guns out of Ratchet and Prowl's hands. Smarting from the concussion blast, Ratchet called for the Autobots to fall back. However, Ironhide once again managed to get himself damaged while saving Optimus Prime. Ironhide objected to Ratchet and Sparkplug's diagnosis of his damage, but Ratchet warned him against backtalk or the medic would short out Ironhide's mouth circuit. To prevent further argument, he shut down Ironhide, cutting off the warrior in mid-sentence. After the Autobots were led into a trap by a reprogrammed [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], Ratchet discovered the tampering done by the Decepticons and restored the little Autobot. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion}}

[[Image:DivideandConquer Ratchet at work.jpg|thumb|left|240px|"…But I'm still alive!" — "No matter, Optimus. Doctor knows better!"]]
Ratchet patched up the Autobots quick smart after they were caught in an explosion at a hi-tech lab. Of course, he immediately afterwards had to alert them to incoming Decepticons, and probably had to put them back together again after the ensuing battle. {{storylink|Roll for It}} With Optimus critically injured after a Decepticon attack, Ratchet and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] worked to repair their leader, only for Laserbeak to sneak into the base and inflict more damage on Optimus. Ratchet and Wheeljack continued to work, eventually succeeding in saving Prime's life using a [[Cosmitron]] retrieved from Cybertron by [[Chip Chase]] and a team of Autobots. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}

A group of Autobots including Ratchet enjoyed hijinks in the snow when abnormal weather conditions were caused by the Decepticons tapping a crystal in the Arctic. The Autobots went to the Arctic, where Ratchet was part of Ironhide's team, which was separated from the main Autobot force and captured by the Decepticons. After the group faked their own destruction, Ratchet repaired [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]], who had been shot by Starscream after refusing to terminate the Autobots. {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}} Inspired by the discovery of dinosaur bones, Ratchet and Wheeljack designed and built the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Unfortunately the new warriors were difficult to control, and Ratchet was soon patching up [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]. After the rest of the Autobots fell foul of the Decepticons, Wheeljack had the idea of reactivating the Dinobots, and he and Ratchet installed new brain modules, allowing the Dinobots to be successfully used in battle. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}}

Ratchet was one of the Autobots who went to [[Peru]] when the Decepticons discovered the [[Crystal of Power]] there, and built a cannon to utilise it. {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}} Ratchet was on hand for the impact of [[Meteorini Chipperoni]] and Optimus subsequently ordered him and Wheeljack to construct two more Dinobots to bolster the Autobots' ranks. Once [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] and [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] were constructed, Ratchet and Wheeljack held a demonstration. The two new additions quickly proved themselves and were dispatched to aid Optimus Prime, who'd run afoul of the other three Dinobots after [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] turned them against the Autobots. By the time Ratchet and the other Autobots got there, Optimus had persuaded [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] to defect back. {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}}

Following a rescue mission to retrieve Sparkplug from the Decepticon base, Ratchet was again repairing the Autobots when Sparkplug started trying to repair him, despite him being undamaged. Sparkplug then started working on Prime, despite Ratchet pointing out that Prime had already been fixed. Sparkplug was under the control of the Decepticons, and had sabotaged the Autobots weapons and Teletraan I, so the Decepticons could attack. After the attack was repelled, Ratchet repaired Teletraan I, which alerted the Autobots to the giant [[space bridge]] which the Decepticons were building. The Autobots rolled out, but were unable to prevent Cybertron being dragged into [[Earth]]'s orbit. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}}

[[Image:UltimateDoom2 Autobot volcano.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
Retreating to headquarters, the Autobots sent out the Dinobots to battle the disasters caused by the nearby Cybertron. The [[Mount St. Hilary|volcano]] which the ''Ark'' was embedded in became active, erupting and spewing Ratchet, [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] and Huffer into the air, necessitating a rescue on the part of Skyfire. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} Ratchet surfed with Optimus Prime and the others to where the Decepticons were building a generator, though they were unable to prevent the Decepticons getting away with a shuttle full of energon and saved a bunch of humans instead. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 3}}

Once Cybertron was blasted out of orbit, Ratchet and the other Autobots set about repairing the devastation it had wrought on Earth. They were subsequently occupied preventing Starscream's plan to destroy the planet using an [[Exponential Generator]]. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction}} After Megatron challenged Optimus to a one-on-one duel, the Autobots watched in horror as the Autobot leader was defeated. They later discovered that Megatron had cheated, rendering the results of the contest void, and allowed them to legally blast the Decepticons into a lava-filled crevasse. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

[[Image:G1 ChangingGears Ratchet karate.jpg|left|260px|thumb|Now COUGH!]]
After Spike was injured during a battle with the Decepticons, Ratchet carried their injured human friend to the metro hospital. While Spike's mind was transferred into the [[Autobot X]] experimental body Sparkplug had made earlier, Ratchet repaired the battle-damaged Bumblebee, but was forced to cut short his repairs after Spike went on a rampage in his new body. After Spike's mind was returned to his real body, Ratchet theorised that he could probably fix the problems in the mind-transfer process, but thought it was better left alone. {{storylink|Autobot Spike}} When Megatron captured [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] and unwittingly threatened the destruction of the Earth with his [[Solar Needle]], Ratchet totally fly-kicked Thundercracker. After the Decepticons retreated, Ratchet and Wheeljack argued over which wire they had to disconnect to stabilize the [[Sun]]. However, nobody seemed to notice that he and Gears sounded exactly the same. {{storylink|Changing Gears}}

Part of a mission to [[New York City]] to investigate the disappearance of the [[Empire State Building]], Ratchet joined Spike, Hound, Bumblebee and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] in entering the city via the sewers in an attempt to recover Optimus Prime. When they finally found their leader, he had been disassembled by [[Hook (G1)|Hook]], and Ratchet had a heck of a job putting him back together again, including having to wrangle an [[alligatorcon]]. During a battle on the streets of the city, Ratchet and Ironhide ended up in the Decepticon's new skyscraper, and were again able to rescue Prime from a nasty fall. {{storylink|City of Steel}}

[[Image:AttackoftheAutobots Prime and Ratchet on rocket.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"I can see my house from here!"]]
Ratchet was one of the Autobots affected by Megatron's [[personality destabilizer device]] and was compelled to attempt to get some blueprints from [[Doctor Harding]]. After being de-evilled by one of Sparkplug's [[attitude exchanger]]s, Ratchet and Optimus jumped aboard a rocket in mid-air and Ratchet detached a solar satellite even as the rocket blasted towards space. The pair were able to get the satellite into space on Skyfire's back. Afterwards, Ratchet and Sparkplug realised they had to repair all of the jets the Autobots had trashed while under Decepticon control. {{storylink|Attack of the Autobots}} He patched up Mirage after another battle, and told the other Autobot to rest, but Mirage instead rushed off to prove he wasn't a traitor as Cliffjumper had suggested. After Mirage led the Autobots into a trap, Ratchet found one of [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'s [[cerebro-shell]]s on Mirage's forehead. After the inevitable battle, Ratchet patched Mirage up once more. {{storylink|Traitor}}

[[Image:Immobilizer Ratchet ambulance mode.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
Ratchet attended the demonstration of Wheeljack's latest invention, the [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizer]]. It didn't go well, with Wheeljack being accidentally immobilized and the Decepticons stealing his device. Wheeljack was loaded into the back of Ratchet's ambulance mode, and they returned to base where Ratchet repaired Ironhide, telling him to STFU when he blamed himself for the attack. The Autobots were eventually able to get the Immobilizer back. {{storylink|The Immobilizer}} Ratchet was one of those who didn't take part in a charity race and was thus spared from being affected by the Decepticon's [[Transfixatron]] ray and captured. He and Wheeljack constructed an [[anti-transfixation grenade]] and mounted an attack with a small group to rescue the other Autobots. Afterwards, Ratcher realised that he was going to be repairing for days. {{storylink|The Autobot Run}}

He took part in the defence of [[Washington, D.C.]] against the combined forces of the Decepticons and [[Sub-Atlantica]]ns. {{storylink|Atlantis, Arise!}} Ordered to guard [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]], he an Wheeljack cracked jokes at the robot's expense, until Optimus told them off. They were unable to prevent the robot's capture by the Decepticons and returned to base, where Ratchet repaired Brawn. A stealth attack by the reprogrammed ninja resulted in the loss of power to the base, and Ratchet soon discovered that the [[World Energy Chip]] had been stolen. {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}}

[[Image:Dinobotislandratch&spark.jpg|right|thumb|250px]]
Ratchet, like the other Autobots, was taken in by Megatron's [[Optimus Prime clone]], at least until Windcharger revealed the truth. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}} He also took part in an attempt to stop one of Megatron's plans using [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], {{storylink|The Core}} and helped Wheeljack whipped up an antidote to prevent the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] exploding after they consumed the [[Nova Power Core]]. {{storylink|The Insecticon Syndrome}} After another Dinobot rampage at Autobot Headquarters, Ratchet sighed and started the repairs once again. The Dinobots were subsequently banished to [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], no doubt to his relief. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} With Sparkplug's help, repairs were soon complete. When Teletraan I detected a disturbance near the library Spike was visiting, Ratchet reassured Sparkplug as the rest of the Autobots rolled out. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}}

When Megatron found the [[Heart of Cybertron]], Ratchet was among the group of Autobots who were first to feel his wrath and had to limp back to base. While [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] put a bizarre plan into operation, Ratchet and Wheeljack set up a forcefield to hold back the Decepticon leader until Perceptor's plan could succeed. {{storylink|Microbots}} Ratchet attended the [[Autobot Day]] celebration, during which Megatron managed to frame the Autobots. The Autobots were subsequently banished from Earth. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} They almost perished in the [[Sun]], but made it back to Earth in time to overthrow the Decepticons. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

After the Dinobots were damaged in a Decepticon attack, Ratchet repaired them, only for them to desert the Autobot forces. There's gratitude for you. A short time later, the Autobots were all disabled by [[Cybertonium]] depletion. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}} With Spike and [[Carly]]'s help, the Dinobot retrieved more Cybertonium from Cybertron, and the Autobots were able to repair themselves. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}} Ratchet was among the Autobots who turned up too late to prevent Megatron from stealing the [[Voltronic Galaxer]]. After the Decepticons used it to jam Earth's radio signals, Ratchet helped some humans who'd become trapped in a blizzard. {{storylink|Blaster Blues}} He was also part of the group who coated themselves in [[electrum]] to defeat the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon}}

[[Image:Kremzeek! Ratchet with Kremzeek.jpg|thumb|left|200px|- Are you an elf? - No, I'm delirium tremens!]]
While defending New York against Decepticons drones, Ratchet realised that the drones didn't have brains, meaning they were remote controlled. Once [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] had broadcast a jamming signal, the Autobots were able to attack the Decepticon base in the [[Pine Barrens]]. Ratchet, Wheeljack and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] joined Sparkplug and [[Raoul]] in turning the drones back into cars. {{storylink|Make Tracks}} After Optimus Prime's team of Autobots went missing, Ratchet and the others attempted fruitlessly to find out where they'd gone. {{storylink|Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play}} Ratchet also took part in the operation to rescue [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] from a horde of [[Morphobot]]s. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}} He was one of the first Autobots to be disabled by [[Kremzeek]], which didn't bode well for the Autobots' chances of getting repaired. {{storylink|Kremzeek!}}

After Optimus beat [[Lord Chumley]]'s death traps, Ratchet and the other Autobots provided Prime with reinforcements. {{storylink|Prime Target (episode)|Prime Target}} He and Wheeljack picked up [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] after the Autobot plane was defeated by the [[Conehead]]s. Ratchet started patching him up, but Powerglide refused further treatment until he could rescue [[Astoria Carlton-Ritz|Astoria]], the spunky heiress he'd been charged with protecting. Once Astoria was safe, Powerglide returned for more repairs, and Ratchet joined in mocking him for his apparent [[Transformer romance|romantic feelings]] for the girl. {{storylink|The Girl Who Loved Powerglide}}

[[Image:KeyVectorSigma1 Ratchet thoughtful.jpg|thumb|right|200px| Did I prescribe him a soporific or purgative? Or both? ]]
Although Ratchet was puzzled by Megatron's sudden interest in stealing cars, Optimus knew what the Decepticons were up to, and led a team, including Ratchet, to Cybertron. There, they found [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] badly damaged. Once Ratchet and Wheeljack had repaired him, he explained that Megatron had taken the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], and the Autobots journeyed underground. Encountering [[Centurion droid|Centurions]] left by Megatron to guard the way, Ratchet and Wheeljack repaired Maintenance drones to send against them in battle. Unfortunately they reached [[Vector Sigma]] too late, and Optimus ordered that some shuttles be rebuilt into the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]]. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}} The Autobots returned to Earth with the new additions, and [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] promptly blew up on landing, resulting in Ratchet, Wheeljack and Sparkplug working feverishly to save the giant Autobot's life and repair his body. They ultimately succeeded. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}}

[[Image:CosmicRust Ratchet and Blaster infected.jpg|thumb|left|260px|'Cause this is thriller, thriller night!]]
The Aerialbots, much to Ratchet's disgust, seemed to admire the Decepticon [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]]. When the Autobot team was plunged millions of years back in time Ratchet worked with Wheeljack to repair the Decepticon time machine to get them back. They managed to, but wouldn't tell Ratchet what had happened, leaving the story telling to Optimus. {{storylink|War Dawn}} Ratchet helped apply [[corrostop]] to the [[Statue of Liberty]], and was later affected by the [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] that Megatron brought back from space. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}

[[Image:TFTM Ratchet dies.jpg|right|190px|thumb|Seen here suffering from a unique condition known as "Dying Ratchet Syndrome".]]
After [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and Cliffjumper were kidnapped by Starscream and the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] to provide [[energy absorber]]s, the Autobots launched an attack while the Combaticons were busy fighting Megatron's forces. Ratchet and Grapple managed to rescue the two prisoners during the distraction. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}} Ratchet was also a part of the team which came to the Aerialbots' aid, after they fell into a trap laid by the Combaticons. {{storylink|Aerial Assault}} During another of Megatron's plans, the Autobots captured the Stunticons, and Ratchet customised some of the Autobots using [[camouflage paint]] to disguise them as the Decepticon team. Somehow this worked, and after Megatron's plan was foiled, Ratchet and the rest of the Autobots provided reinforcements. {{storylink|Masquerade}}

In the year 2005, while piloting a secret mission to [[Autobot City]] in order to gather a stockpile of [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] from Earth, Ratchet and his allies were attacked by Megatron. Ratchet and Ironhide returned fire, but they were both shot repeatedly and left for dead on the floor of the shuttle as the Decepticons continued with their attack on Autobot City. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Ratchet's body was evidently recovered for interment, as his grave was housed in the interstellar [[Autobot Mausoleum]]. Sadly, it was not Ratchet's fate to rest in peace; along with the mausoleum itself, Ratchet's remains were later plunged into a star as a side-effect of a [[Quintesson]] plot. {{storylink|Dark Awakening}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic=====
Amidst a massive battle against the Decepticons at the Autobot base in Arizona, Ratchet was one of the first to notice that [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] and his cassette forces were nowhere to be found. Now suspicious, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] immediately alerted all his units in Japan to be on the lookout for the Decepticon. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 2|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2}}

Later, as [[Kenji]] was enjoying a tour of a secret Autobot facility in Japan, Ratchet was alerted to an attack by [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] in Yokohama. The Autobots immediately rolled out to meet the threat. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 4|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4}}

=====Full Throttle Scramble Power!=====
Ratchet was one of about a kajillion Autobots who arrived on Metroplex to provide reinforcements for Optimus Prime after the Decepticon's [[Omega Whip]] weapon was destroyed.{{storylink|Full Throttle Scramble Power!}}

=====The Stargate Battles=====
[[Image:Stargatebattles_ratchet.jpg|left|thumb|220px]]

In the 1990s, Ratchet used Cybertronian technology to save the lives of human scientist [[Professor Adle]] and his daughter [[Katua Adle|Katua]] when they were both badly injured in an explosion during a field test of one of the professor's creations. The professor's right arm was blown off and Katua lost her right leg, but Ratchet was able to fit them with cybernetic prosthetics so advanced that they were even able to experience pain and warmth through them as if they were their real limbs. This convinced Professor Adle of the Autobots' nobility, while Katua developed a fondness for Ratchet. {{storylink|Divided Views}}

About six months later, Ratchet was part of a delegation of Autobots who accompanied Optimus Prime to a press conference in America. The conference announced the construction of "[[Warp Gate|The Trigger]]", an interstellar teleportation system jointly developed between the Autobots and the United States government, and Ratchet helped Wheeljack write the speech that Prime proceeded to recite to the assembled human masses. Ignoring [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]'s attempts to keep them quiet while the conference was going on, Ratchet and Wheeljack muttered to each other that they didn't like the Trigger's gun-shaped design, as it reminded them entirely too much of Megatron. {{storylink|First Contact}}

A little later, when human protesters gathered to object to the presence of the Autobots on Earth, Katua Adle was able to prove that they were not emotionless metal monsters by revealing her prosthetic leg to the irate crowd and explained that she could feel through it. After all, how could Ratchet have replicated those sensations if he did not know them himself? The shamed crowd relented, and Optimus Prime told Katua that he would pass her kind words on to Ratchet himself. {{storylink|Divided Views}}

=====''Binaltech''=====
Along with [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], Ratchet helped implant [[Chip Chase]]'s consciousness into the lifeless Prowl-2 shell when Prowl's spark was lost in [[subspace]]. {{storylink|Prowl & Chase}}

===Big Looker storybooks continuity===
[[Image:Ratchetgreatcarrally.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"You sure are a jerk when you repair me, Ratchet!"]]
{{quote|You sure go all to pieces when a missile hits you, Hound.}}

While [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] was taking part in a cross-country Car Rally, he was attacked by [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]'s missiles. Ratchet raced onto the scene to repair Hound, and joked that his patient sure falls apart when a missile hits him! Also, Hound complained that Ratchet was screwing him together too tightly, causing him pain.

Ratchet is kind of a jerk. {{storylink|The Great Car Rally}}

Following a battle with the Decepticons that resulted in many Autobot injuries, Ratchet and [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] were busy trying to fix them. Optimus Prime asked them about their progress, but they both sighed. Ratchet noted that even the mighty Dinobots were out of commission, for they had suffered the heaviest losses. But suddenly, the Decepticons attacked, having repaired their warriors in record time! Optimus Prime called his remaining functional warriors to the highways while Ratchet and Huffer returned to their repairs. {{storylink|Decepticon Hijack}}

{{-}}
===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
[[Image:Agenda3-AutobotsonArkattack.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He's fallen and he's not getting up.]]
Four million years ago, Ratchet, Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, and Jazz were on the bridge of the Ark when it was suddenly attacked by the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. It crashed in a dormant volcano for untold years until it was disturbed by the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], who had traveled from the far future. Ratchet's body was sprawled across a pile of boxes. Frozen in [[stasis lock]] as he was, Ratchet was unable to stop the Predacon from assassinating the equally comatose Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}} This act would have rewritten history from that moment forward, but the ensuing time storm was stopped by [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] and some time-traveling [[Maximal]]s. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

{{-}}
===Dreamwave comics continuity===
{{notekeepers}}
{{quote|"OW! I should blast you to atoms! You did that ''on purpose''!" 
"Tone down your audio amplifiers, will ya? That ''didn't'' hurt... ''much''."|Starscream and Ratchet|"[[Skyfire (issue)|Skyfire]]"|style=2}}

[[Image:Ratchettww.jpg|left|180px|thumb|The Cybertronian red cross is Pac-Man.]]
8.2 million years ago, Ratchet accompanied [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], and [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] to the [[Border Regions|Sub-Orbital District]] of [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]], which had been devastated after [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] activated the planetary engines. He found no life signs in the entire blast radius. {{storylink|The War Within}} 600,000 years later, Ratchet remained with the Prowl-led Autobots after Optimus Prime disappeared in a [[space bridge]] explosion. He repaired [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] after the theoretician was damaged in a battle with [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. {{storylink|War Within: The Dark Ages}}

Ratchet was among the crew of the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' when it crashed on [[Earth]], and awoke in 1984 to battle the [[Decepticon]]s. After years of fighting, Ratchet and the other Autobots took part in [[Operation Liberation]] in 1998, a joint human/Autobot operation that defeated and captured the Earth-bound Decepticons. However, the ''[[Ark II]]'', which was meant to convey the Autobots, the captured Decepticons, and a number of humans back to Cybertron, was sabotaged by General [[Robert Hallo]], sending Ratchet and his comrades to the bottom of the [[Arctic Ocean]]. Years later, Ratchet was brought back by the sinister [[Lazarus]], who had recovered and reprogrammed a number of Transformers for his nefarious ends. However, when [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] broke free of Lazarus's control, he hooked up Ratchet and a number of other Autobots to a device that generated a deadly "metal virus". Soon after, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] detached Ratchet and the others from the doomsday device, and he eventually recovered. {{storylink|Prime Directive}}

''When the alien [[Keeper (species)|Keepers]] took over [[Las Vegas]], Ratchet was among the Autobots assembled by Optimus Prime to invade the occupied area. While the others engaged in battle, Ratchet was tasked with dealing with the collateral damage, and leading the human residents of Las Vegas to safety. He returned to the protection of Optimus Prime and his [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] augmented power before a nuclear strike hit the city, and lent his skills to repairing the Autobots who had given their energon to power up Prime's "Finishing Move". {{storylink|Annihilation}}''

''Over the next few days, Ratchet brought all the Autobots back on-line, including [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], who had each been drastically injured over the course of the preceding events. No sooner had Bluestreak been reactivated, though, that he was drawn back into the Keepers' control by their pawn, [[Franklin Townsend]]. Franklin's status as an "[[augment]]" -- a human specially engineered using Cybertronian technology -- allowed him to bypass [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]'s security and infiltrate the ''Ark''. Ratchet blamed himself for allowed that loophole in the security system. Later, Ratchet diagnosed the effects of the [[deconstructionite]]s -- reverse-engineered nanotechnology used by the government against the Transformers to drain away their processing power. {{storylink|Fusion (novel)|Fusion}}''

Ratchet took part in a battle in the [[Canada|Canadian]] Arctic with the Decepticons over possession of a crashed spacecraft containing [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]. As the Autobots overwhelmed their foes, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] arrived on the planet and gave them an ultimatum: Surrender and return to a newly unified Cybertron, or be destroyed. {{storylink|New World Order}} The Autobots returned to the ''Ark'', where Optimus Prime assigned Ratchet to a [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]-led team that was to remain on Earth. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}} After Shockwave's lieutenant, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], took Prime and others back to Cybertron, Ratchet and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] remained at the ''Ark'' as Jazz, [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] attempted to locate Scourge and his ship. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}}

[[Image:DWSkyfire Starscream Ratchet.jpg|right|300px|thumb|My crotch is my stomach.]]
When [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and a team of Decepticons arrived on Earth, they attacked the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s inhabitants, wanting the starship for themselves. In the initial assault, the Autobots managed to take [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], his cassettes, [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] prisoner, but eventually all the Autobots but Ratchet and Brawn were defeated by the mighty [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. Expecting a supply ship from Cybertron later that day, Ratchet and Brawn slipped past the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s berserk defense systems in order to contact the ship and warn them. Unfortunately, Bruticus arrived soon after, and they were forced to destroy the ''Ark'' rather than let the Decepticons have access to [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]. {{storylink|Night of the Combaticons}} Before the battle could escalate further, it was interrupted by the arrival of [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]], a [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] seemingly powered by supernatural forces. An uneasy truce was formed between the small group of Autobots and Decepticons, and Ratchet begrudgingly put his medic skills to work on Starscream. {{storylink|Skyfire (issue)|Skyfire}} However, after Jetfire left the ''[[Orion (ship)|Orion]]'' to go after Sunstorm, Starscream used his [[Null-ray]] on the remaining Autobots, including Ratchet. {{storylink|The Omega Effect}}

Ratchet later aided in the construction of Autobot City. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

{{-}}
===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[Image:Ratchetjoetf2.jpg|left|140px|thumb|Physician, arm thyself.]]
In an alternate timeline, a newly formed [[human]] terrorist organization named [[Cobra]] uncovered the ''Ark'' buried in a dormant volcano. Finding two armies of giant, transformable robots, they repurposed these aliens for their own use, rebuilding them so they could reconfigure into various Cobra-designed vehicles. Ratchet was reprogrammed and rebuilt into a Cobra [[H.I.S.S.]] tank. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1}} [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] was able to break free from his reprogramming and awaken the other Transformers, {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}} and, with the help of the human anti-terrorist task-force [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]], he defeated Megatron and Cobra. An alliance between the Autobots and the United States government was formed. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5}}

Two years later, a malfunction in [[Teletran 3]] sent dozens of Transformers into various points in history, an act which, if not reversed, would result in a perpetual holocaust being unleashed across [[Earth]]. To retrieve one Transformer and bring him home, a team of Cobra and G.I. Joe agents were sent 15 years into an apocalyptic future where [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and his Decepticons ruled. The remaining cyborged humans had formed a resistance which had only one Autobot warrior who stood between them and utter annihilation. The last Autobot alive, Ratchet had grown bitter and battle-hardened after years of guerrilla warfare, and he demanded the team sent to bring him back to the present day help him complete one more mission. Ratchet, the Joes, and the Cobra agents were successful in freeing a factory nearby that was manned by enslaved humans, but Ratchet refused to go home with them and abandon his calling. [[Barbecue]] returned Ratchet home against his wishes, and as Ratchet cursed the stupid little creature, the [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] of the present day shot Ratchet in the back, putting him out of commission. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3}}

Later, when [[Serpent O.R.]] took Optimus Prime prisoner, Ratchet (still in his post-apocalyptic body) was part of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]'s rescue team. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers/G.I. Joe''===
Ratchet was among the Autobots who were awakened by [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] in [[1939]], and joined their war on [[Cobra]] and the Decepticons. During the assault on the Cobra [[Terrordrome]], he wondered why the Decepticons were so easy to defeat ''now'', after having been such a pain in the neck back on Cybertron. Ratchet most likely perished when the [[Matrix of Leadership]] was smashed to pieces shortly afterwards. {{storylink|The Iron Fist}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology===
Ratchet was happy enough to repair a badly-damaged Starscream, when the latter was brought in to the Ark. He agreed with Wheeljack that they should take the opportunity to take a look at Starscream's logic circuits, and maybe see if there was anything untoward which was making him such a disagreeable fellow, and Optimus was eventually talked around. It wasn't long before Ratchet had Starscream back online, amnesiac and surprisingly benign (it didn't last). {{storylink|Redemption Center}}

While on a mission to retrieve [[Sky Spy]], Ratchet encountered [[Stitch]], a veteran army medic, and helped him save a woman trapped in a swollen creek. The woman needed emergency medical treatment, so Ratchet used Sky Spy to scan the necessary information from Stitch's mind in order to complete surgery on the woman. Sometime later, Ratchet checked on Stitch and presented him with a new cybernetic arm to replace the one he used to repair Sky Spy. {{storylink|Healers, Fighters, and Transformers}}

===''Timelines''===
[[Image:Ratchetironhidedescent.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Amazingly not dead.]]
Years after the Decepticon and Autobot Wars had ended, Ratchet and five other Autobots were sent to [[Ceti Alpha Seven]] to destroy [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|General Deathsaurus's]] Insecticon clone lab and stop his planned Decepticon uprising. After a team of four (consisting of [[Outback|Fallback]], [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]], [[Flareup (Timelines)|Flareup]], and [[Ricochet (Timelines)|Ricochet]]) failed, Ratchet and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] followed to help. After battling swarms of [[Virulent Clones]] and [[Buzzclaw (Timelines)|Buzzclaw]], they finally met up with Deathsaurus himself. Ironhide stayed to fight the general, and Ratchet separated to find their fallen friends.

Ratchet managed to gather the victims but was captured by Deathsaurus along with Ironhide. Both were restrained inside the lab, which was set to detonate. Before this happened, Ricochet snuck in and freed them, allowing them to gather the wounded and escape as the clone lab was destroyed. {{storylink|Descent into Evil}}
{{-}}

=== IDW comics continuity ===
{{ongoing}}
[[Image:Infiltration3_Ratchet.jpg|left|350px|thumb|]]

[[Image:Ratchetholomatter.jpg|right|100px|thumb|Ratchet's holo-matter avatar has no mouth, and he must snark.]]
Before the war with the Decepticons Ratchet served with the Security Forces stationed in Kaon. He was present at the funeral of [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

Ratchet was part of a detachment of Autobots that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, attempting to foil a Decepticon insurgency. Although a loyal warrior, Ratchet's conscience got the better of him when he intercepted a Decepticon pulsewave ordering the elimination of [[Stoker|a human being]]. While he was too late to save that human, he encountered two more—[[Verity Carlo]] and [[Hunter O'Nion]]—who had stumbled upon the Decepticon plot. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0}} Ratchet broke cover to save their lives, subjecting himself to the wrath of [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], who threatened disciplinary action. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3}}

Ratchet was seemingly alone in his convictions, until [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] agreed to help him and the humans investigate an abandoned Decepticon bunker in [[Nebraska]]. [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] arrived while the humans were reconnoitering and began an aerial bombardment of the bunker, intending to destroy it. Bumblebee and Ratchet engaged the Decepticons in order to buy the humans time to escape the collapsing bunker. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 4}}

The Autobots and humans were leaving the Decepticons to finish their work when an enraged [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] burst from the buried ruins of the bunker. Thankfully for them, Megatron was more concerned with the treachery of Blitzwing and Skywarp, allowing Ratchet and the others to escape with their lives. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5}} Unwilling to risk their safety further, Ratchet subsequently returned the humans to ''[[Ark-17]]'', where they met the newly arrived Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6}}

Ratchet went with the Autobots to investigate Decepticon activity in the country of [[Latveria]]. There they discovered a heavily shielded "array" that the Decepticons were using as a base. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}} There they skirmished with the humans that were assembled outside who were under the influence of the Decepticons' mind-altering [[Psycho-Prism]]. [[Ms. Marvel]] smashed through Ratchet's window and Ratchet subdued her with his driver-side airbag. After throwing off Ms. Marvel, Ratchet was able to attach an inhibitor device to [[Captain America]] which nullified the effects of the Psycho-Prism. He gave Captain America enough devices for everyone on his team. Now calmed down, the two groups teamed up to destroy the Psycho-Prism. They began attacking the array's defenses which caused the Decepticons to attack. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}}

During the fight, [[Luke Cage]] and Ratchet discovered a weak spot in the array's defenses and went in. Prowl followed to make sure Ratchet didn't put human interests ahead of Autobot interests, but the human [[Spider-Man]] was held captive inside, so Prowl gave in and let Ratchet and Luke Cage attempt a rescue. The two were surprised by a powered-up Megatron who blasted Ratchet and took Luke Cage hostage. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three}} Ratchet awoke next to Prowl to find Spider-Man had been freed by [[Doctor Doom]]. Prowl and Ratchet decided to use the Decepticons' [[mirror response mode]] equipment to boost their power with Spider-Man's superhuman abilities. [[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine]] arrived with Jazz and Bumblebee and suggested they use his abilities instead. They did, then [[orbital jump|orbital bounced]] with Spider-Man back to the battle outside, where their added strength helped defeat Megatron. Wolverine, Jazz, and Bumblebee stayed to destroy the Psycho-Prism. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}

[[Image:Sixshot-devastation3a.jpg|thumb|right|200px|]]

After [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] was apparently destroyed by [[Machination|a mysterious human organisation]], Ratchet determined that the wreckage the Autobots recovered was a fake. {{storylink|Escalation issue 2}} Later, Ratchet and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], against orders, accompanied Verity Carlo and [[Jimmy Pink]] to find clues on the missing Sunstreaker's and Hunter's whereabouts while Optimus Prime and the other Autobots went to [[Brasnya]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 4}} When the humans set off a trap, the Autobots saved them, though Ironhide was critically injured and Ratchet was forced to abandon him to bring the humans to safety. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6}}

When the Autobots decided to relocate the ''Ark-17'', they were attacked by [[Sixshot]], who downed the ship in mid-flight. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} Ratchet was ordered to take Verity and Jimmy into an escape pod while the rest of the crew piloted the ship into the ocean. {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}} Sixshot soon found Ratchet and pursued him relentlessly. Ratchet used the distraction provided by some human jet fighters to escape, hiding among an ambulance pool in [[Pensacola]], Florida. Sixshot soon flushed him out, however, and pursued him out of town, forcing Ratchet to abandon Verity and Jimmy for their own safety. When cornered at the water's edge, Ratchet prepared to make a last stand, but was saved by the timely arrival of the other Autobots. {{storylink|Devastation issue 3|Devastation #3}}

[[Image:Devastation5 Ratchet Jazz.jpg|left|200px|thumb|CLEAR!]]

The humans made their way back to the Autobots to warn them about an air attack by the military, and Ratchet took them with him on an orbital bounce to the ''[[Ark-32]]''. Unfortunately, this killed Verity and Jimmy. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}}

Guilt-stricken, Ratchet managed to restart their hearts after more than 5 minutes, though he feared they suffered brain damage. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} Some time later, however, Ratchet was present as the pair were reunited with Hunter. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

A year later, Ratchet and a number of other Autobots were led by Optimus Prime in an attempt to rid Earth of the Decepticons once and for all. Unfortunately, they fell right into a trap, and Ratchet was injured by a shot to the chest. The Autobots were then thrown into a [[space bridge]] leading to the ruins of Cybertron, where the Decepticons hoped the "[[Insecticon swarm|swarm]]" would eat them. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} Whilst hiding from the swarm, Ratchet tended to the critically-damaged Optimus Prime. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1}} After listening to [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]'s tale about how the ''[[Trion]]'' and its crew had crashed on the planet as well, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5}} Ratchet mingled with him and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}}

Ratchet later checked up on Sunstreaker, telling him that his separation from Hunter had been a complete success, although the human would never be "fully human" again. Their base soon came under attack from the swarm, however, so the other Autobots formed a perimeter around Ratchet and [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] as they fled elsewhere. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} At their new base, Ratchet managed to use a [[CR chamber]] to heal his damaged comrades, although he reported to [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] that the chamber could do nothing to improve their declining morale. In addition, he and Wheeljack were still having trouble repairing Optimus Prime, and Ratchet cursed that [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] had turned into just another "clown with a gun". Thankfully, they eventually came through and brought Prime back from the brink of death. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}}

Ratchet and the others finally managed to get off Cybertron thanks to [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], and returned to Earth to continue their fight against the Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11}} He survived the battle in [[New York City]], and cheered with his comrades as the Decepticons fled the planet. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

Later, Ratchet was part of the rescue party that saved Bumblebee from a military attack after the yellow guy abandoned his cover to save some refugees. After repairing Bumblebee, Ratchet told the mini-bot that they found him by monitoring human radio signals. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 16|Hidden}}

Several years after the fall of Megatron, Ratchet and the Autobots were still operating on Earth. It served as a meeting point for all Autobots who had survived the great purge the Decepticons had orchestrated throughout the galaxy. {{storylink|Spotlight: Prowl}} Not all Autobots were content with the virtually directionless existence Optimus Prime had led them into, however, especially with the human organization known as [[Skywatch]] hunting them and Decepticons alike. Ratchet was present when [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] demanded Prime allow him to stage a rescue operation to recover Prowl after he was captured...and afterwards, when Ironhide came back from the mission as a corpse. He witnessed Optimus Prime abdicate his role as leader, and leave the Autobots to surrender to Skywatch. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}}

In the aftermath of Prime's decision, and the subsequent departure of a splinter faction under Hot Rod's command, Ratchet and the others were left in a state of shock. With the war effectively over and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] missing, the line of succession was no longer clear. The Autobots decided to hold an election to see who their new leader would be. No one was more surprised than Bumblebee when HE turned out to be the new chosen leader. Ratchet quickly stepped up as Bumblebee's second, helping shepherd him into his new role. {{storylink|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} Bumblebee's authority was challenged almost immediately by the arrival of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], but Ratchet did his best to support 'Bee before Magnus took off on a mission of his own. {{storylink|A Rude Awakening}}

Ratchet had his work cut out for him, though. Not only was [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] undermining Bumblebee's authority from the start, Bumblebee himself just couldn't adjust to the role quickly. Still, he supported Bumblebee's decision to form a clandestine alliance with Skywatch through Colonel [[Gordon Horiuchi]], who was acting outside his mandate in the hopes of using the Autobots to stop [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] and the other Decepticons still loose on Earth. Working in secret with Horiuchi, the Autobots hoped to prove their value and good intentions to Skywatch's higher ups by racking up an impressive number of Decepticon captures. They even began wearing specially-designed Skywatch insignia badges for communication and to mask their activities from Skywatch operatives who weren't "in the loop". After five successful bag-and-tags, however, Horiuchi threw them the first curveball. The Autobots' next target was [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], one of their own who had left after Ultra Magnus's arrival. As Ratchet and the others refused to hunt one of their own, Horiuchi demonstrated a hidden feature of the badges -- the ability to forcibly revert the Autobots to vehicle mode at his command. {{storylink|The Hanging Sword}}

Left with no choice, Ratchet and Bumblebee led the Autobots in capturing Blurr. The whole situation was a fiasco, however, and Blurr even fired on Bumblebee during the encounter, damaging his badge. Bumblebee found the courage to defy Horiuchi and refused to turn over Blurr to Skywatch later that day. The colonel tried to mode-lock Bumblebee for his insubordination, but the shot to Bumblebee's badge had rendered it useless. Quick on the uptake, Ratchet whispered to Bumblebee to fake it so Horiuchi didn't realize he'd lost his edge over the Autobot leader. At Ratchet's prompting, the Autobots pretended the damaged badge had left Bumblebee trapped in vehicle mode permanently, despite Horiuchi's attempts to reverse the mode-lock. With Blurr's help, they recovered another Volkswagen Beetle to use as a ringer, allowing Bumblebee to leave the base and seek a solution for their predicament. Because Skywatch was constantly monitoring their vocal output using the badges, Ratchet and the others couldn't even speak a word of encouragement to 'Bee as he set off on his mission. {{storylink|The Impossible Knot}}

With Bumblebee on the loose, Ratchet continued the ruse of pretending to cooperate with Colonel Horiuchi and his staff, showing them the malfunctioning "Bumblebee" for examination. Meanwhile, he and Wheeljack kept in touch with the real Bumblebee using a text-only comm signal that wouldn't show up on Skywatch's monitoring. Ratchet was named acting leader of the Autobots while "Bumblebee" was off-line, as he and Wheeljack secretly led the real Bumblebee to [[Sanjay Bharwaney]], creator of the badges' control board. Bumblebee needed access to the board's schematics in order to free his friends, but had to manipulate [[Serena Bharwaney|Bharwaney's young daughter]] into helping him. Ratchet had to comfort Bumblebee through "using" the girl for his own purposes. {{storylink|The Gift Horse}}

Unfortunately, the rogue Decepticon Skywarp had also learned of the board, and was coming to Bharwaney's to steal it. Ratchet and the other Autobots were forced to blow their cover to rush to Bumblebee's aid. They were too late, however, and Bumblebee was forced to set off an EMP, knocking him and Skywarp off-line while disabling the control board and the badges as well. As Ratchet brought Bumblebee in for repairs, he reluctantly agreed to upgrade his new commander into a more war-like, combat ready body to fit his new duties. {{storylink|Wings of Wax}}

Soon, Ultra Magnus returned from his scouting mission to challenge Bumblebee's authority again, gathering Ratchet and several other Autobots in the name of the [[Tyrest Accord]] to arrest Hot Rod for colluding with the enemy. Hot Rod's mistake became clear when his "ally", [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], activated a new Decepticon combiner and unleashed it on the Autobots. {{storylink|Enemies of the System}}

After several Autobots were damaged fighting [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], Ratchet began patching them up as best he could, with the help of Skywatch personnel. He barely finished working on Ultra Magnus before the enforcer stomped off to search for [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]]. {{storylink|Earthworks}} Following this, the Autobots entered a formal alliance with Skywatch. {{storylink|The Transformers issue 7|The Transformers #7}}

Ratchet was helping a human technician repair [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] when [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] showed up and asked for the Autobots' help with defeating the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] in [[North Korea]]. They accepted, but due to pressure from the [[President of the United States]], they were going to have to do it in disguise. {{storylink|International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads"}} Their initial clash with the Combaticons ended in failure, and Ratchet ended up having to repair [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] and [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]]. {{storylink|International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"}} He took to the front lines in their next attack, during which he attempted to saw off [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]]'s rotor blades. {{storylink|International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows"}} The Combaticons were ultimately defeated, but the Autobots' cover had been blown in the process. Sitting over an unconscious Vortex, Ratchet wondered aloud what would happen to the Autobots now that their alliance with Skywatch was public knowledge. {{storylink|International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"}}

{{spoiler|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|April 9}}
On the way back from Korea, the plane carrying the Autobots was shot down over the ocean by a returning Megatron. The occupants survived, however, and made it ashore. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies}} They rolled out to confront the Decepticon leader near [[Albuquerque]], but Optimus Prime ordered Ratchet and the others to stay back while he went ahead alone to confirm what was going on. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome}}

{{note|The events of ''Spotlight: Mirage'' possibly take place in an alternate/unknown continuity.}}
Ratchet was with the Autobots hiding out in the [[Pegasus Star Cluster]], with most of the Autobot forces having been defeated. He tended to the seriously wounded Jetfire injuries, and suggested surrender to the Decepticons to save their fellow Autobot's life. When [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (disguised as Bumblebee) and the Decepticons attacked, he attempted to reason with the Decepticon mercenary about Jetfire's condition, only to be attacked for his trouble. After the Autobots surrendered, he was furious when Mirage betrayed his word and prepared to carry out Megatron's order to execute the Autobots. {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
With Optimus Prime in stasis lock, Ratchet and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] appeared to be the co-leaders of the Autobots in the 19th century. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1|Hearts of Steel #1}} Despite [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s pleading, he was reluctant to interfere with the humans, but nevertheless participated in the pursuit of the [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] as it headed to [[New York City|New York]]. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 4|Hearts of Steel #4}}

His "Ice Age Wars" altmode is uncertain, but it clearly has scales and spikes. His 19th-century altmode is a medical boxcar. He may be the very first Transformer depicted with a boxcar altmode, as prior to this, all train-based Transformers were locomotives.

{{-}}
===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in comic===
[[Image:RatchetHenkeiTsushima.jpg|left|150px|thumb|"Ma'am, I'm just an SUV—oh, fine."]]
Despite rescuing a girl from a burning building, she had fallen unconscious, so he offered to drive her and her mother to the hospital. Unfortunately, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] was tailing them from above. He would have blasted Ratchet, but Inferno blocked the shot with his fire truck mode, transformed, and then knocked Starscream out of the sky with his water cannon. Thanks to Inferno's help, Ratchet was able to successfully deliver the girl to the hospital.

But Ratchet's work wasn't done, as he had taken note of Inferno's heavy injuries. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 10|Henkei! Henkei! #10}}

{{-}}
==Games==
===Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons===
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' [[Mini Vehicle|Minicar]] troops from the Decepticons, Ratchet could come to his aid when Optimus was broken down. {{storylink|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game}}

===The Transformers (PS2)===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}

===Transformers G1: Awakening===
{{storylink|Transformers G1: Awakening}}
{{charstubfiction}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:Ratchettoyg1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Why's everything so dark in here?]]
* '''Ratchet''' (1984/1986/1990/2001/2007)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''99'''
**''Accessories'': "Static Laser Gun", gun connector, 3 missiles

: Ratchet was originally a Onebox Ambulance Type toy from [[Takara]]'s ''[[Diaclone]]'' line before [[Hasbro]] brought ''Transformers'' to North America. The toy transforms from an ambulance to a robot and [[Onebox component|gun-station]]. A [[variant]] of the toy includes red crosses on the top and sides of the vehicle. Ratchet and his [[retool]]/[[redeco]] buddy [[Ironhide (G1)/toys|Ironhide]], like all Diaclones, were designed to be piloted mecha, which is why he has a seat instead of a head. The Transformers version applied a face sticker to the back of the seat in lieu of a real sculpted noggin.

: In 1986, he was made available as a mail-away item (as he was no longer shipping to retail shelves) in multiple offers, including the [[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]] flier packed with most boxed ''Transformers'' toys. He cost $8 and two [[Robot Point]]s.

: In Japan, Ratchet was originally only available as a [[S.T.A.R.S.]] mail-away, costing 1700 yen and 4 robot points. In 2001, he was reissued in Japan as an [[e-Hobby]] [[exclusive]], paired with Ironhide.

:[[Image:Encoretoy-Ratchetwithhead.jpg|left|thumb|100px|This looks... better?]]

: In mid-December 2007, he was reissued again as part of Takara's Transformers Encore line. This particular version came with an illustration on one box flap depicting Ratchet's cartoon-design head and chest windshield. By punching out the image along the perforated edges, folding it just so and tucking it in behind the toy's windshield, one could give the toy a "real" head, just like in the TV series, instead of using the Diaclone-original windshield face sticker. Sort of. This version of the toy was [[retool]]ed to add a pair of "clips" to the mobile platform's gun-base, designed to keep Ratchet more securely attached when riding it. However, these clips are right where a pair of decals normally go.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/Ratchet/ratchet.htm More information on Ratchet at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
{{anchor|EmergencyGreen}}

[[Image:Encoreratchetemergencygreen.jpg|right|250px|thumb|To the Mystery Machine, gang!]]
* '''Ratchet Emergency Green''' (2008)
**''Accessories'': "Static Laser Gun", gun connector, 3 missiles

: A [[redeco]] of the original toy (well, the retooled Encore version) which [[homage]]s [[Ratchet (Movie)|the live-action movie Ratchet]], Ratchet Emergency Green is a Japanese mail-away exclusive available with a purchase of the book ''[[Transformers Visualworks]]''. After the book release on December 4, 2007, purchasers could mail in a ticket from the book and purchase either one (5200yen) or two (10,000 yen) of the item. Ratchet shipped to customers in April 2008. He comes in the same packaging as the regular Encore release, including packaging images, instructions, and the same white-headed cardboard torso punch-out.

: He's totally awesome.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Cybertron/EmergencyGreenRatchet/ratchet.htm More information on Emergency Green Ratchet at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Timelines===
[[Image:Timelinestoy-RatchetDiE.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Maybe photographing him against a white backdrop wasn't such a great idea.]]
* '''Autobot Ratchet & Flareup''' (2005)
**''Accessories'': Lightbar/blaster

: One of two "souvenir" packages [[exclusive]] to [[BotCon 2005]], Ratchet is a retooling of the ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' Autobot [[Tow-Line (Energon)|Tow-Line]] with a new head, transforming into a large utility van. In robot mode, his lower vehicle portion becomes a [[Onebox component|mobile battle/repair platform]]. Ratchet can fold his legs back and up over his shoulders (wow!) and re-attach to this platform for a "battle mode". In this, ahem, ''position'', Ratchet can also form the top half of a two-robot "Powerlinx combiner" with any ''Energon'' Deluxe Autobot, and any of them can also use his platform for their own combination.

: The mold's standard "receiver dish" weapon was not produced; instead, he came with a new "light bar" that pegged onto his roof in much the same manner.

: He could only be purchased in an at-show "souvenir" two-pack along with [[Flareup (Timelines)|Flareup]]. This mold was also used to make [[Ironhide (G1)/toys|Ironhide]] for the same convention.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Autobot/BCRatchet/ratchet.htm More information on BotCon Ratchet at TFU.info]''

===Henkei! Henkei!===
[[Image:Henkeitoy-Ratchet.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Surprise, I'm colored like the cartoon!]]
*'''Ratchet''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-14'''
**''Accessories:'' Converting Cannon

: A redeco and retooling of the [[Universe (2008 franchise)|2008 ''Universe'']] [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide toy]], ''[[Henkei! Henkei! (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' Ratchet transforms into an "emergency" SUV. He has a red Japanese-style emergency lightbar, is cast in bright white plastic and has a deco resembling Ratchet's appearance in the original cartoon series, down to his dark gray head crest. Like all ''Henkei'' toys, he features [[Vacuum metallizing|vacuum metalized]] plastic, specifically his headlights and taillights, as well as his "Converting Cannon" weapon.

{{-}}
===Universe (2008)===
====Generation 1 Series====
[[Image:Ratchet25toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|No, not ''[[Ratchet (Universe)|that]]'' Universe Ratchet.]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Medical Dispenser/Combat Blade

: Like ''Henkei'' Ratchet, ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' Ratchet is a redeco and retooling of the ''Universe'' Ironhide toy, and transforms into an "emergency" SUV. He has a blue American-style emergency lightbar (as opposed to Henkei Ratchet's different tooled red Japanese-style emergency lightbar), is cast in pearlescent white plastic and has a rather generic "Ratchety" colour/paint scheme. His [[license plate]] also reads [[The Pri¢e of Life!|H3L PU2]].

:While similar in execution, there are a great many changes from Henkei Ratchet to Universe Ratchet. The red paint detailing on Universe Ratchet is different than that of Henkei Ratchet in color and layout. The Henkei version's stripes resemble that more of his original counterpart, while the Universe version resemble that of his ''[[Ratchet (Animated)|Animated]]'' version. Henkei Ratchet uses chrome paint on his weapon and both sets of lights while the Universe version leaves them unpainted. Gray paint covers Henkei Ratchet's gun barrel and silver on his upper chest (behind the chest window), these parts remain unpainted on Universe Ratchet. The paint used for the windows of Universe Ratchet is a light blue while Henkei Ratchet uses a deeper metallic blue paint. Universe Ratchet has black forearms and upper thighs, while the Japanese version uses a pure white (different from the white used throughout the rest of the figure). Universe Ratchet has a yellow vanity plate and red head crest while Henkei Ratchet has a blank gray plate and gray head crest. Universe Ratchet features a blue blade on his weapon, while Henkei Ratchet features a red blade. Universe Ratchet also features a lighter red plastic than the Henkei version.

:Like ''Universe'' Ironhide, the blue paint used for his opaque windows matches ''really'', '''''really''''' badly with his translucent blue plastic windows.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/TFURatchet/ratchet.htm More information on Universe Ratchet at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
{{anchor|TakaraDecoy}}
[[Image:G1-toy DecoyRatchet.jpg|right|thumb|Ratchet cosplaying as Ironhide, or Ironhide cosplaying as Ratchet? You, the viewer, decides!]]
* '''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (Decoy multi-pack, 1985)

: In Japan, a red rubber mini-figure of Ratchet was available in part of a [[Decoy|massive multi-pack of similar mini-figurines]]. The number etched into his back is the sum total of his [[tech spec]] ratings, as these figurines were used as game pieces for a variety of ''Transformers'' board games in which this number had some meaning to how the game was played or something.

{{anchor|HasbroDecoy}}

*'''Ratchet''' (Decoy, 1987)
**''Decoy number'': '''6'''

: The [[Hasbro]] [[Decoy]] release of the Ratchet game piece is almost identical to the Japanese version, except the number on his back is a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Ratchet/ratchet.htm More information on Decoy Ratchet at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
===Super Collection Figure===
[[Image:SCF-Act6-Ratchet.jpg|right|thumb|Super-action pose doctor!]]
*'''Ratchet''' (2002)

: A three-inch tall [[plastic|PVC]] figurine of Ratchet was available in "Act 6" of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Super Collection Figure]]'' line, a slight retooling of the Ironhide figurine with a new head and "gun"-hand (despite the fact that their two [[character model]]s are not quite identical). Like all the figures in the wave, it was available as both a standard full color figure and a metallic silver "pewter" version, one of each of which was available in a standard case of twelve [[blindpacking|blindpacked]] figures. Additionally, the pewter version of Ratchet came packaged with the left leg of the wave's [[Grand Maximus]] collectable "build-a-figure".

===Heroes of Cybertron===
*'''Ratchet''' (2003)

: Ratchet's ''Super Collection Figure'' PVC was released the following year by Hasbro as part of their ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' line. Like all the figures in the series, Ratchet was given a [[light-piping]] gimmick by being cast entirely in translucent blue plastic then painted everywhere except on his eyes and the back of his head. Part of the fifth and final wave of ''Heroes of Cybertron'', Ratchet was, unlike the Japanese figure, sold on an indivudual blister card and came packaged with the right leg of the [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] "build-a-figure".

{{--}}
===Transformers Mini-Bust===
[[Image:Ratchet-DiamondSelectstatue.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Your choice of head! His choice of medical tools.]]
*'''Ratchet''' (2009)

: Released by [[Diamond Select Toys]] in 2009, Ratchet was sculpted by [[Mark Wong]] of [[Art Asylum]] and limited to 1000 pieces. The bust continues the tradition of giving all Ratchet merchandise (but not toys) the [[wikipedia:International_Committee_of_the_Red_Cross|red cross]] insignia on their shoulders to better match the Animation model. Ratchet's Bio credits him and Wheeljack with creating the [[Dinobot_(G1)#Cartoon_continuity|Dinobots]]; effectively making him the cartoon version but he comes packaged with two heads for do-it-yourself retconning. Comic accurate red helmet with white chevron, or the cartoon accurate white helmet with grey chevron. Fans of the Universe 2.0 version (white helmet, red chevron) will have to buy some red paint when they pick their bust up. Three tools are also included with the Bust. One slightly resembling the [[Power Booster Rod]], the other a Cybertronian version of an [[wikipedia:otoscope|otoscope]] and the third is some sort of medical gear shaft. They are not sculpted on nor do they possess a magnet and are simply lodged in his hands for display.

{{-}}
==Notes==
*[[Bob Budiansky]] has said that he named Ratchet after the less-friendly medic Nurse ''Ratched'' from ''[[wikipedia:Ratched|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]''.
*Ratchet never really showed his party animal spirit in Marvel, outside of the start of "Warrior School". Budiansky gives two answers for why: "1) in the comic book stories, he always found himself in situations too serious to allow his party personality to emerge. 2) I screwed up and forgot I had written that as part of his profile. I prefer to go with answer number 1."<ref>[http://www.metalmachine.net/blog/2009/11/21/todds-take-with-bob-budiansky-the-architect-of-the-transformers/ Budiansky interview at Metal Machine]</ref>
[[Image:G1RatchetSexchange.jpg|thumb|300px|So Ratchet basically avoided becoming part of the ''Girls Gone Wild'' cast. Good on her. Er, him.]]
*In the Shout! Factory Matrix of Leadership Special Edition DVD set, an interview with Bob Budiansky features close-ups of his original character notes for several characters, Ratchet being one of them. Oddly, his handwritten notes refer to Ratchet as "her" and the Autobots' "go-to gal" for repairs. While this obviously was not the final direction the character took, it is an odd [[Ratchet (Animated)#Notes|coincidence]]... and a fact that makes the early nicknames "Cool Hand Lube" and "Greasefinger" ''even more embarrassing''.
*In later years, toys sporting the name "Ratchet" require an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Ratchet'''".
* Ratchet's original toy is part of a matrix of cross-referencing [[redeco]]s:
** In 2008, the original 1984 Ratchet mold got a green redeco as "Ratchet Emergency Green" in obvious reference to [[Ratchet (Movie)|his movie counterpart]].
** Meanwhile, the movie counterpart's toys got a red and white "Rescue Ratchet" redeco... based on the original colors of the 1984 toy.
** Elsewhere, [[Ratchet (Animated)|''Animated'' Ratchet]] includes elements from both characters, including Generation 1 Ratchet's chevron crest and coloration. (''Animated'' Ratchet later got a movie-based "Rescue Ratchet" redeco, to boot.)

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Ratchet''' (ラチェット ''Rachetto'')
*''Czech:'' '''Zdravotník'''
*''French:'' '''Mécano''' (Canada)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Racsni'''
*''Italian:'' '''Doc'''
*''Portuguese:'' '''Alavanca''' (Portugal comics), '''Trinco''' (Brazil comics, "Lock")
*''Russian:'' '''Chrapovick''' (cartoon, Храповик, "Ratchet")

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Ratchet Ratchet's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Beast Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:E-Hobby]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:Letters page answerers]]
[[Category:Mail order exclusives]]
[[Category:Medics]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]