MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Knockoff

2008-03-19T02:33:20Z

61.88.131.156: Hey Might Gaine, you should link names and terms that have articles here as you mention them for the first instance in the article :-)

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. His knees are happy to see you.]]

A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]],
[[Takaratomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like Big Lots!. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and Kay Bee Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated eBay. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at Wal-Mart. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys also are widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980's in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990's onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings.

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have earned reputations via their rather distinctive ways of altering the original product:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant ''[[Generation 1]]'' molds and making massive [[retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire's]] head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys' had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|thumb|right|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]

* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, and ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''Godzilla''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - Currently the most well known knockoff company, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line is the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], many [[minibot]]s, several Decepticon cassette 2-packs, almost all the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]],several Autobot cars, Devastator, and [[Gnaw]]. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they recently began producing realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. So far, they have created knockoffs of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and [[Metrotitan]], both of which come in a Metroplex box. They both can be distinguished from the originals because of slightly different plastic colors.

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==

Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimized themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|thumb|right|SEND THE BOOKS!]]

* China -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kiddi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level.

* South Korea -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>.) Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.geocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990's, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980's and 1990's and can often be spotted on Italian Ebay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|thumb|right|AND I'LL FORM THE HE-Oh wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trendmasters Trendmasters], which reproduced a number of ''Transformers'', ''Power Rangers'', and Leader Shine designs without a license for various store chains in the early 1990s. Said company later came into possession of several movie and television tie-in licenses in the later 1990s, including such big names as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltron#Action_figures ''Voltron'']. It is possible that Happy Well might also follow this lead, given their success with the original Roadbots figures and subsequent shift away from their bootleg roots.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html</ref>

==High Quality ''Generation 1'' Counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on Ebay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, minibots, cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime).

Recently a second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, has begun producing high quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits as well, starting with Metroplex and Metrotitan. Fans of the knockoffs have complained that the box quality on these two releases is not as high as Zhong Jin's knockoffs and the color of the plastic is off. On the other hand, these knockoffs are much cheaper than the Zhong Jin counterfeits, and priced on par with Takaratomy reissues.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes, [[Aerialbot]] guns, and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Chinese-made G1 toys|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==

Over the years there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preoposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese strickers in the corner are high quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and often times slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were in fact [[Generation 1 China (toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==External links==
*[http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://mykooltoyz.tripod.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.geocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.geocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references/>

[[Category:Toys]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Broadside (G1)

2008-03-19T02:21:49Z

61.88.131.156: /* IDW Comics continuity */ The Stormbringer section needs to be rewritten to say what he *DID* rather than what he's like. - FFN

{{disambig3|Broadside}}{{picsneeded|Fiction, model comparison}}

:''Broadside is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:DW_G1Broadside.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Every mode is a loser.]]

'''Broadside''' is a huge loser. He's the forgotten Autobot [[Triple Changer]] who turns into either a tiny aircraft carrier and a jet, or an impossibly large "jet" and an aircraft carrier. Broadside also happens to be terrified of heights. And gets seasick on the water.

His life must suuuuuuck.

Fortunately, as one of the [[Wreckers]], Broadside is almost constantly shooting the [[slag (slang)|slag]] out of [[Decepticon]]s, which is probably a good outlet for any frustration.

:''Italian name'': '''Mistral'''<br>
:''French-Canadian name'': '''Navalo'''

==Fiction==

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{note|Events from the UK-only comics are in italics.}}

''Broadside and his fellow [[Triple Changer]]s were late recruits into [[Operation: Volcano]] by Emirate [[Xaaron]], taking the place of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] in the battle scenario. Their introduction into the [[Wrecker]]s was marred with tragedy, however, as their leader [[Impactor]] was killed when Volcano finally went down. Broadside's fellow Triple Changer [[Springer]] succeeded Impactor as squad leader. {{storylink|Target 2006}}''

''Broadside served on several missions with the Wreckers, battling zombie robots in [[Kalis]] and engaging the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] on Earth. {{storylink|City of Fear!}} {{storylink|Wrecking Havoc}} That last mission nearly proved to be a disaster, however, when the Wreckers blindly portal-jumped into a battle with Galvatron, only to find themselves in the middle of a populated human city, surrounded by potential civilian casualties. In order to guard against future problems such as that, Xaaron assigned Broadside, [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] to Earth full time as an advance guard, gathering information on the planet so that they would be better prepared for the next battle with Galvatron. {{storylink|Firebug!}} The three Autobots engaged in some rather comical situations while on Earth, including fighting a cute-but-dangerous [[Firebug]], and nearly causing a panic when they tried to celebrate Christmas with a bunch of humans. {{storylink|Cold Comfort and Joy!}}''

Broadside was somehow present to watch [[Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] duke it out on the moon. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

''The trio's mission became serious once the timestorm raging at both ends of Galvatron's time-jump began to tear apart the fabric of the universe. Xaaron had isolated Galvatron -- and his time-tossed minions [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] -- as the source of the distortion, and sent the full contingent of Wreckers to Earth, complete with unexpected back-up from their Decepticon counterparts, the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]. Broadside balked at the idea, but honestly...they needed all the help they could get. Even that wasn't enough, however, against the combined might of Galvatron and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. The twin titans tore through the Wreckers and Mayhems without mercy: at the end of the so-called "Time Wars", less than half of the warriors were left alive. {{storylink|Time Wars}}''

''Cut off from any supplies or assistance from Cybertron, Broadside, Springer and Inferno felt left behind and abandoned to their fate on Earth. In order to survive, they formed a new group aptly known as the "[[Survivor]]s" with the limbo-lost Autobot [[Skids]] and the remaining Mayhems, [[Carnivac]] and [[Catilla]]. {{storylink|Survivors}} Unfortunately, the Mayhems' former superiors on Cybertron didn't take kindly to this apparent mutiny, and assembled a new Mayhem Attack Squad to assassinate the traitors. Their first strike led to Catilla's death, and Carnivac ran off on his own afterwards to seek vengeance. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}} In order to take on the Mayhems effectively, Broadside and the other Survivors joined up with Grimlock's [[Earthforce]], and came to Carnivac's rescue just in the nick of time. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}} Later on, the Earth-based Decepticons under [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] attempted to divide the Autobots' attention, staging a full-scale assault on Earthbase while Starscream secured a tanker full of fuel in the meantime. While the main Earthforce defended their base, however, the Survivors fought back Starscream's energy-stealing attempt. Broadside used his rarely seen carrier-mode to transport his fellow Survivors into battle on the high seas against Starscream, and the [[Seeker]] was driven off without much effort. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer! (comic|Divide and Conquer!}}''

====Generation 2====

Broadside appeared with [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Hound]] and [[Blades]] as part of a team of firestormers under Grimlock's command. It was they who first uncovered the existence of [[Jhiaxus]] and his [[Cybertronian]] Empire, and alerted [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] to the threat. {{storylink|War Without End!}} Broadside continued serving as a soldier throughout the Autobots conflict with the Cybertronians. He was last seen fighting alongside Springer and several other veteran Autobots on the planet [[Ethos]]. {{storylink|Escalation!}}

{{note|Broadside's appearance on the moon in US #41 was almost certainly a continuity error. Broadside appeared consistently in the Marvel Comics as a normal-sized Autobot in his prototype character model design, as opposed to his toy design.}}

===Cartoon continuity===
====American cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bill Martin]] (US), [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japan)

When [[Teletraan II]] casually brought up in conversation that [[Trypticon]], the Decepticons' largest weapon of mass destruction, had not been destroyed as everyone thought, [[Rodimus Prime]] sent Broadside and [[Seaspray]] out to investigate the site where Trypticon fell into the sea. Sure enough, they found no body, but instead a trail of massive footprints leading back towards land. Once the Autobots tracked Trypticon down to the [[Carbombya|Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya]], Broadside transported the Autobot strike force in by the coast. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

During a strike against a new [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]] weapon asteroid, the Autobots and Decepticons alike were interrupted by a powerful harmonic discharge. Ultra Magnus, Blaster and Broadside broke away from the main battle to prevent Galvatron and Soundwave from taking control of the harmony for their own evil ends. Although Soundwave did manage to temporarily copy the harmony onto his tapes, Blaster erased the recording and the Autobots were able to drive off the Decepticons. {{storylink|Carnage in C-Minor}}

Broadside was among the Autobots attending the unveiling of a generator on Cybertron when the Decepticon [[anti-electron]] attack was unleashed. {{storylink|Grimlock's New Brain}}

At a time when the Decepticons were carrying out a series of assaults on the nation of Japan, Broadside confronted [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] in the waters near a fishing village. Broadside nearly capsized a small boat due to the waves generated by their fight, but he managed to stabilize the craft before returning to battle. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

====Japanese ''Headmasters'' anime====

Broadside appeared briefly fighting alongside Springer and Sandstorm in defense of [[Autobot City]] on Earth. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

{{Note|Broadside had a troubled history in the animated continuity. His jet model was used as a generic ship before his first appearance, by the Autobots in ''[[Five Faces of Darkness]]'' and the Decepticons in ''[[The Killing Jar]]''. He appeared in both his prototype and toy design robot modes in the series, as seen in ''[[Carnage in C-Minor]]'' and ''[[Grimlock's New Brain]]'', respectively. Furthermore, Broadside was consistently depicted as either larger or MUCH larger than the average Transformer in the American episodes, yet for his Japanese Headmasters appearance he was basically the same size as his fellow Triple Changers.}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===

During the first arc of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s tenure as [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot]]s, Broadside was an enormous warrior, as tall as the special combiner teams, and supposedly nearly as powerful. He helped defend the Autobot capital of [[Iacon]]. {{storylink|The War Within}}

A few thousand years after that, Broadside, now the size of a standard Transformer, was a member of the [[Wreckers]] fighting for control of the Tagan Heights region. Most notably, he organized the evacuation of his team when [[Devastator]] and [[Defensor]] were decimating the area. Possibly, Broadside had himself reduced after the signing of the [[Crisis Intervention Accords]] to keep his combat status nominal. {{storylink|The War Within: The Dark Ages}}

In the modern era, Broadside was one of the Autobots upgraded into a Triple Changer by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s new process, after the Autobots and Decepticons negotiated a truce following the [[Great Shutdown]]. Along with his fellow former Wrecker Sandstorm, Broadside served as part of Shockwave's Triple Changer Strike Force alongside the Decepticons [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Octane]] and [[Blitzwing]]. But, while Shockwave was making many promises of a new world order where Autobots and Decepticons could live forever in peace, Broadside eventually concluded he could not be trusted. As a result, Broadside and Sandstorm made contact with [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] and [[Tracks]] in the Autobot resistance, and began reporting of Shockwave's activities.

The Triple Changer Strike Force accompanied Shockwave to Earth, where they took into custody the castaway Transformers from the [[Ark]] and the [[Nemesis]] who had been cut off from developments on Cybertron for the last four million years. As soon as they got the chance, Broadside and Sandstorm freed the Ark's crew from imprisonment, and took them to meet Smokescreen's unit to plan an uprising against the Decepticon rule. The insurrection went off successfully, and the Autobots reclaimed control of Cybertron from Shockwave. {{storylink|War and Peace}}

{{note|Broadside appeared consistently in his toy model design in Dreamwave. Also, according to his DW "More Than Meets the Eye" bio, Broadside was magically cured of his fear of heights and seasickness when Shockwave turned him into a Triple Changer, but he still likes to complain about both anyway. (So basically, in the DW-verse, he's a whiner instead of a loser.)}}

===IDW Comics continuity===
Broadside was there. He saw it happen. The conquest of [[Kaon]]. The fall of a Prime. The beginning of the [[Great War]]. Broadside was there, and amazingly well armed for such a "peaceful" period, though perhaps he took a clue from [[Sentinel Prime]]. Either way, the huge old bot was one of the survivors who managed to evacuate before Megatron's takeover. {{storylink|Megatron Origin}}

Around four hundred years ago, Broadside was attempting to defend Autobot territory on Cybertron from Decepticon expansion. He was seen working with [[Kup]], [[Getaway]] and [[Huffer]] shortly after the Battle of [[Thunderhead Pass]], stuck in the trenches on what was left of Cybertron after [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] stomped through it. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}}

In the present, Broadside was a member of the elite combat unit "The Wreckers". Broadside appeared to be the team's strongarm and was second only to [[Roadbuster]] for total armament. He was also quite large (easily the tallest Wrecker), solving some of the issues of his mass-shifting. Typically, in the air he worked alongside [[Whirl]] and [[Sandstorm]], while on the ground he worked with Roadbuster and [[Scoop]]. He appeared not to have the animated continuity version's phobias. But then, there isn't really time to complain when [[Thunderwing (G1)|a homicidal Pretender]] was trying to kill you. {{storylink|Stormbringer (comics)|Stormbringer}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1_Broadside_toy.jpg|right|thumb|A loser in three modes.]]

*'''Broadside''' (Triple Changer, 1986)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-85'''
**''Accessories'': Plasma pulse gun, Vibro-axe, 2 missiles

: Broadside is the most ''blatantly'' out-of-[[scale]] Transformer ever. He transforms into an aircraft carrier and a rather unconvincing, apparently aircraft-carrier-sized jet fighter. He carries a rifle and a (comparably) small axe as weapons in robot mode. Two non-firing missiles attach to his wings in jet mode.

{{-}}

==Trivia==

[[Image:Proto_broadside.jpg|right|thumb|Awesome...no wait, the opposite.]]

* Broadside has the distinction of having two animated character models, one based on a prototype toy that apparently went just short of production for some reason, and one based on the actual toy. The prototype design{{m-}}which could be seen in a European toy catalog, at right{{m-}}was rendered in animated form only in "[[Carnage in C-Minor]]" and the commercial for the 1986 Triple Changer toys, where it featured a different color scheme that appeared to be derived from the actual finished toy (lacking the prototype toy's blue). The prototype design also appeared in the 1986 [[package art]] mural, and was consistently used for Broadside's [[Marvel Comics]] appearances, colored to resemble the prototype toy, blue and all.

*According to "[[Carnage in C-Minor]]", Broadside has quite a temper when it comes to his paint job.

* His italian name, "Mistral", refers to a [[Wikipedia:Mistral (L9013)|French Navy helicopter carrier]] and the Grand Prix car [[Wikipedia:Maserati Mistral|Maserati Mistral]], ''not'' Chilean woman poet [[Wikipedia:Gabriela Mistral|Gabriela Mistral]].

{{-}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Broadside/broadside.htm Broadside at TFU.info]

[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category: Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category: Headmasters characters]]
[[Category: Triple Changers]]
[[Category: Wreckers]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Transformers: Energon (mini-comic)

2008-03-19T02:11:38Z

61.88.131.156: /* Featured characters */

{{nav-energon}}

Continuing the marketing direction of ''Armada'', the ''Energon'' toyline included as series of 4 '''mini-comics''' rolled out as the line progressed. Written and illustrated by [[Dreamwave]], the mini-comics were printed back-to-back with a [[catalog]] featuring the current waves of ''Energon'' toys. None of them have any overt link to any other ''Energon'' fiction.

==Volume 1==
[[Image:energon-minicomic1.jpg|thumb|Why do you gotta keep starin' at my knee?!]]

Somewhere on Planet Earth, Hot Shot and Strongarm find a big yellow puddle of energon lying around in the desert. Before they can radio its location in, a pack of Battle Ravage drones attack the pair. But the battle is just a diversion; while the Autobots fight, other drones have been absorbing the energon.

Scorponok arrives to further harass the pair, ordering the drones to fashion an energon weapon for him. Strongarm soaks up enough of the energon to create a weapon for Hot Shot, which he uses to bash Scorponok aside. But with the energon secured, Scorponok simply calls a retreat. Hot Shot and Strongarm take some solace that they have faced "the toughest Decepticon" and survived.

But somewhere, deep inside Unicron, from a fiery portal steps the reborn form of... Megatron!
===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (1)
* [[Strongarm (Energon)|Strongarm]] (2)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Battle Ravage (Energon)|Battle Ravage]] (3)
* [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scroponok]] (4)
* [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (5)

|}

===Notes===
* The flip half of the booklet features a catalog of ''Energon'' Wave 1 toys.
* Megatron appears in colors decided by the colorist, as his colors were either not yet finalized or had not been made available to the artists.

{{-}}

==Volume 2==
[[Image:energon-minicomic2.jpg|thumb| ]]

The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, are tasked with the mission to save Earth's energon, but their task is made difficult by the Decepticons, led by Megatron. Will either side win the battle? Only time will tell.

On a tall hill on Earth, Inferno and Prowl find a horde of energon and decide to build an energon tower on the site. Landmine, however, lags behind, complaining that he's almost getting a "Spark attack" from climbing the hill. Prowl initiates a hologram, showing what the energon tower will appear as on the hill. Landmine contacts Optimus Prime for permission to build the energon tower. Optimus denies the request, citing Decepticon activity in the area.

Nearby, Megatron laughs at the attempt of erecting energon towers to keep the energon from him and orders the flock of Divebombs surrounding him to attack. Landmine, alarmed by Optimus's mention of nearby Decepticon activity, warns the other two Autobots, but the warning comes too late, as the Divebombs are in plain sight. To battle all the Divebombs, Inferno and Prowl Powerlinx and Landmine transforms into Brute Mode. In the meantime, Megatron flies overhead and shoots at the Autobots. However, Powerlinx Inferno manages to shoot him out of the sky, sending him crashing to the ground. Down but not out, Megatron reveals that the battle was a distraction, allowing his Insecticons to absorb the energon. Faced with unrelenting numbers, the Autobots retreat. Gloating, Megatron tells the Autobots to tell Optimus that he will not stop until all of Earth's energon is his.

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
! style="background:#FFEEB8" | Others
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] (2)
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (3)
* [[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]] (4)
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (7)
* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
* [[Skyblast]] (10)
* [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]] (12)
* [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (13)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Battle Ravage (Energon)|Battle Ravage]] (6)
* [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] (9)
* [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] (11)
* [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]] (14)
* "[[Insecticon (Energon)|Terrorcon Beetle]]" (15)

| style="background:#FFEEB8" valign="top" |
*[[Unicron]] (1)
|}

===Notes===
* The flip half of the booklet features a catalog of ''Energon'' wave 2 toys, along with 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, ''Alternators'' Side Swipe, and ''Universe'' toys.
* ''Energon'' Ultra Magnus makes a rare appearance... only to be mostly obscured by a caption. Bummer.
*The combination of Inferno and Prowl is bizarrely referred to as "Powerlinx". As in, "Run for cover Powerlinx!"
*The Insecticons are not referred to by name. Instead, they are called "Terrorcon Beetles".

{{-}}

==Volume 3==
[[Image:energon-minicomic3.jpg|thumb|An enormous, blinding blaze of laser blasts is far more important than whatever it is the characters are doing.]]

Mission clock running, 00:01. From orbit, Shockblast neutralizes the defenses of an Autobot energon refinery, allowing Slugslinger and Sharkticon to enter while Mirage patrols the exterior.

Mission clock: 02:11. The two Decepticons slip past an apparently inert sentry drone. They plan to modify the pipeline flows to destroy Autobot City, and capture the refinery to boot. Unfortunately, they come under attack from Bulkhead and Tow-Line.

Mission clock: 04:07. Mirage comes racing in to help, only to get stopped by the formerly "inert" Omega Supreme. Sharkticon attempts to cut out, but Omega nails him and the orbiting Shockblast with a single shot. Though the Autobots are victorious, Tow-Line notes that they can never rest as long as the Decepticons seek control of Earth's energon. Mission clock: 05:27.

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] (4)
* [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]] (5)
* [[Tow-Line (Energon)|Tow-Line]] (6)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Shockblast (Energon)|Shockblast]] (1)
* [[Sharkticon (Energon)|Sharkticon]] (2)
* [[Slugslinger (Energon)|Slugslinger]] (3)

|}

===Notes===
* It's very difficult to tell what Sharkticon and Slugslinger are reacting to when they see Omega Supreme. Only the inside portion of his legs are shown in the scene, and at no point are his legs visible when the rest of him is on-panel.
* Though uncredited, the story format and dialog both resemble Simon Furman's style ("That's Slugslinger's wings clipped!" "Shockblast, it's all gone to -- EEAG!"). Furman was also writing the main Dreamwave ''Energon'' comic at the time.
* The flip half of the booklet features a catalog of ''Energon'' toys, including the various "Energon" redecos and the later new-mold Combat-class toys.

{{-}}
==Volume 4==
[[Image:energon-minicomic4.jpg|thumb|I hate that logo. I'm gonna punch it. Just ''because!'']]
The Autobots and Decepticons had been locked in an epic war, until energon was discovered on Earth. Now both sides fight for control, and the '''Powerlinx Battles''' have begun!

Optimus Prime and Hot Shot are down, with Megatron, Snowcat, Mirage, Demolishor and Shockblast all standing ready to finish them. But just as all seems lost, Wing Saber arrives, combining with Prime. The pair blows away the Decepticons, then switches to flight mode as Megatron attacks from the air. Megatron is shocked that his foe can fly now, but Prime informs him that "with teamwork, you can do anything Megatron." [''sic'']

Prime speculates that Wing Saber will enable them to protect the area's energon.

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human|Humans]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Mini-Con]]s
! style="background:#FFEEB8" | Others
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (3)
* [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] (5)
* [[Optimus (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
* [[Wing Saber]] (13)
* [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] (14)
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (15)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Constructicon Maximus]] (1)
* [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] (7)
* [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (8)
* [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (9)
* [[Tidal Wave|Mirage]] (10)
* [[Shockblast (Energon)|Shockblast]] (11)
* [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] (12)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
* [[Kicker]] (4)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] (2)

| style="background:#FFEEB8" valign="top" |
*[[Unicron]] (16)
|}

===Notes===
* As [[Dreamwave]] was well on the road to total meltdown at this point, the comic is a translation of one that came with the ''Superlink'' edition of Wing Saber, in a noticeably different art style.
* It appears that all the love and care that went into the cartoon dub was likewise applied to this comic. Choice dialog selections include "Megatron is flying in fast!" and "You're flying? Optimus can't fly! What is happening?"
* [[Energon (cartoon)|Pain count]]:
**Let's do it: 1
**It's time to: 1
**We're a team: 1
**You're just in time: 1
* The flip half of the booklet features a catalog of ''Energon'' toys, including the three combiner teams and the various larger-sized late-run redecos.
* The binding of at least one of these booklets has been observed to come apart despite ''careful storage'' and ''minimal use''.
* This mini-comic was also available as a "Conventions 2004 Exclusive Mini Comic" in a larger format, paired with the Volume 3 catalog. The convention version featured a fold-out front cover with conceptual design sketches of various Energon toys. The actual comic was missing the first introductory page, however.

==External link==
*[http://www.insecticons.com/ae-toycomics.html Energon mini-comic scans at insecticons.com.]

[[Category:Comics]]
[[Category:Energon]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Talk:Transformers: Energon (mini-comic)

2008-03-19T01:33:16Z

61.88.131.156:

Wasn't Volume 3 adapted into a story in the Dreamwave summer special (written by Furman, story idea by Aaron Archer)? Quite similar, Slugslinger and Sharkticon attempting to sneak into somewhere and failing miserably, Snow Car trying to sneak into Omega Supreme's facility.

Also, wasn't Volume 4 just a translated version of the mini-comic that came with the Superlink release of Wing Saber?

I believe the mini-comics were credited (at least the Armada ones were), so I suggest crediting the artists and writers involved. - FFN

:Re: volume 4, that could very well be. The art style is definitely different from Vols. 1 and 3, and... yeah, reading again? It is almost certainly a translation. "You're flying? Optimus can't fly! What is happening?"
:Volume 3 is similar to the DW summer special story, but I don't know if there's a confirmed, explicit connection there or not.
:And, there are no credits on any of the ones I've got. The cover of Volume 3 includes a artist signature of "Erik Ai", whatever that means. Part of it's covered up by the "Volume 3" title. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 01:13, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

::Volume 4 is definately Superlink Wing Saber's mini-comic, given the art style, the colouring, the speech bubbles, the stilted-dialogue, the 'stock footage, catchphrase!" action.
::What was Volume 2? I can't even remember a volume 2. (probably due to Dreamwave's woes in 2004), I recall the Energon comics were really sporadic in updates to reflect new toys. --FFN
:::Volume 2 was [http://www.insecticons.com/toycomic-e2.html this] --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 01:26, 19 March 2008 (UTC)
::::Ahh, Guido's (?) mouth-Prime comic. Speaking of recognisable art, I believe volume 1 was pencilled by Don Figueroa. I recall him talking about it when one of the asian sites scanned the last page with the first glimpse of Megatron. Should it be noted that Volume 1 had the official look at Megatron? --FFN<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Talk:Transformers: Energon (mini-comic)

2008-03-19T01:20:13Z

61.88.131.156:

Wasn't Volume 3 adapted into a story in the Dreamwave summer special (written by Furman, story idea by Aaron Archer)? Quite similar, Slugslinger and Sharkticon attempting to sneak into somewhere and failing miserably, Snow Car trying to sneak into Omega Supreme's facility.

Also, wasn't Volume 4 just a translated version of the mini-comic that came with the Superlink release of Wing Saber?

I believe the mini-comics were credited (at least the Armada ones were), so I suggest crediting the artists and writers involved. - FFN

:Re: volume 4, that could very well be. The art style is definitely different from Vols. 1 and 3, and... yeah, reading again? It is almost certainly a translation. "You're flying? Optimus can't fly! What is happening?"
:Volume 3 is similar to the DW summer special story, but I don't know if there's a confirmed, explicit connection there or not.
:And, there are no credits on any of the ones I've got. The cover of Volume 3 includes a artist signature of "Erik Ai", whatever that means. Part of it's covered up by the "Volume 3" title. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 01:13, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

::Volume 4 is definately Superlink Wing Saber's mini-comic, given the art style, the colouring, the speech bubbles, the stilted-dialogue, the 'stock footage, catchphrase!" action.
::What was Volume 2? I can't even remember a volume 2. (probably due to Dreamwave's woes in 2004), I recall the Energon comics were really sporadic in updates to reflect new toys. --FFN<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Talk:Constructicon (G1)

2008-03-19T01:15:27Z

61.88.131.156: /* That stupid G2 release */

Do we really want to have links to each of the alt modes?--[[User:G.B. Blackrock|G.B. Blackrock]] 23:16, 16 March 2006 (UTC)
:I fixed this, it was an artifact left over from when the article was copied from Wikipedia. I also fixed all the links in the articles to fit the standard here, and added some links for specific things. (Robo-Smasher, Cybertronium, etc.) [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] 03:45, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

== Dreamwave ==

How is it apparent that the Constructicons weren't on the Ark when it crashed in 1984? We're led to believe that Vol. 2 is the first contact of any kind the Earthbound TFs have had with Cybertron since their crash, yet the Constructicons are a huge part of Vol. 1. --[[User:G.B. Blackrock|G.B. Blackrock]] 23:22, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

If they had NO contact- then how did the Arielbots get there? theyw erent' part of the Ark's crew. I suspect that the Cosntructicons took the 'long way around' to Earth, like Omega Supreme/Jetfire did. Thought yey arrived later- they did not represent current contact with Cybertron. (As was the case in the cartoon, per secret of Omega Supreme.) --Derik

This is not clear. MTMTE does indicate a crew of 18, which would not include the Aerialbots. However, this could just as easily be a mistake. They never adequately explained the discrepancy.--[[User:G.B. Blackrock|G.B. Blackrock]] 16:36, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

:We already know that the Dinobots and the Insecticons separately found their own ways to Earth. It gets pretty ridiculous, but all signs point to the Aerialbots getting their way there, too.--[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 12:51, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

:...I know there must be something-- but is there some reason Prime couldn't have created the Arialbots on Earth?
:Constructicons- meh. They came from space int he cartoon, having been out of contact with Cybertron for Millenia. Same schtick for Omega Sentinel, Omega Supreme, Jetfire... -[[User:69.88.91.218|69.88.91.218]] 14:14, 28 June 2006 (UTC)
::I'm pretty sure the Aerialbots being in The War Within series is a reason Prime couldn't have created them on Earth. ...unless there's two sets running around. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:26, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

:::...thank you. You know that's the onyl DW mini I havent' re-read recently? -[[User:Derik|Derik]]14:53, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

No one knows how the Constructicon got to Earth, they just kind of appeared. The same thing for the insecticons. As for the Dinobots, they were created by Wheeljack and Ratchet on Earth after a series of quakes from the volcano helped the Autobots find dinosaur bones. Also, the Arialbots were built on Cybertron my Prime and company. Optimus said the Autobots were no longer going to be stuck on the ground or something like that. I think the Arialbot leader even said he was a bus or something before. -{{unsigned|75.25.104.199}}(Jan 08)
:That's the cartoon continuity. We're referring to the Dreamwave continuity, in which things happened quite differently. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] 13:54, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
: The Arialbot toys just haven't been the same since Hasbro changed their kerning. [[User:JW|JW]] 15:00, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

==PX PLZ K THX==
*I've added pics, but this definitely needs more! [[User:Fulcrum|Fulcrum]] 11:47, 17 March 2006 (UTC)
**Before I change it back, why was the Dreamwave Devastator pic changed to be center aligned rather than right aligned? Was it messing up formatting on people's machines? It looked okay to me. [[User:Fulcrum|Fulcrum]] 14:14, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

== movement ==

I was under the impression that when there were two article covered characters with the same name, both got tags in the name with the untaged page pointing to the more prominate group. However, there are three groups of COnstructicons, G1, Uni Micromasters, and the Build Team redeco, which tipicly has the untaged page redirect to a disambg page. --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 00:13, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
:Yeah, isn't it kinda going against the usual way articles are titled to not have the (G1) in this one? --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 00:47, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
::The move is consistent with the [[Help:Disambiguation|disambiguation policy]] in the help pages. Which, admittedly, I wrote. But I asked for comments on the help pages a million times. As stated there, the "untagged" article should redirect to a disambiguation page only if none of the meanings is significantly more prominent than the others. That is the case whether there are two meanings, or many meanings. However, there should be a [[Constructicon (disambiguation)]] so we can put the disambig3 template in all the appropriate pages. --[[User:Steve-o|Steve-o]] 01:23, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
:::I'm a bit confused. "These are by far the most prominent Constructicons." But I didn't think that was how we determined such things. UT Hot Shot is by far the most prominent Hot Shot, but he still has (Armada) in his article's title. So, I would think there ''would'' be a (G1) in this article's, with perhaps a single [[Constructicon (Universe)]] article that would cover both the Micromasters and Build Team redecoes. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 01:25, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
::::We definitely did not determine things that way initially, I agree. And most of the character articles we have up right now are still showing signs of our original scheme where we gave every single character article a "tag" even if it didn't need one. I imagine Hot Shot is an example of that. All I'm doing is following what's written in the disambiguation policy. If people don't like that policy, we can of course discuss changing it. I don't really care either way. My one concern would be that it should be the same whether the number of articles is just two, or more than two. It makes no sense to me to allow an untagged article based on the number of articles, even if all of those other articles are highly obscure. If you want to change the policy you should post about it to the community portal's talk page to draw more attention from other editors. --[[User:Steve-o|Steve-o]] 01:39, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
:::::I was under the impression that we would have an untaged page regardless of the number of name uses, only what was on the page would change (1 use has the article, 2 uses redirects to more prominate use, 3+ uses redirects to disambuig) --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 02:41, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

::::::I thought I had no opinion on this, but I guess it turns out I do.
::::::When you have multiple possible meanings requiring a disambig, the main, un-suffixed page shoudl re-direct to a suffix'd page. The actual 'content' should never be on the main page. Here's why;
::::::If the 'most prominent' entry shoudl ever CHANGE, it becomes a big, messy deal to change links. And if the main entry is just 'constructicons', that ''encourages'' people to link to the un-suffixed entry. (After all, that is correct!) However, if 'Constructicon (G1)' was the main entry, when Transformers: Laser Agogo gives us a heroic Autobot called 'Constructicon' who, by virtue of staring in 3 seasons of the new cartoon and eventually becomign Autobot Leader (it's an example, the Constructicons, i admit, are hod to dislodge, alright?) DISLODGES the G1 'cons from their pre-eminent position... you now have to go back and change the hundreds, or possibly thousands of links that just go to 'Constructicon,' as well as sorting out which refer to which. And everyone will have been RIGHT to link to jsut the bare 'Constructicon', because that was actually the 'main' article.
::::::But, if the article was actually 'Constructicon (G1),' most people (hopefully) would link to that, and the only links needing 'clean up' would be the ones that (improperly) linked to the bare 'Constructicon' (which would be re-directed to the most prominent instance.)
::::::If you have multiple examples and one preeminent example, the unsuffixed article shoudl REDIRECT to the preeminent suffixed article. The article itslef shoudl not be there... '''because it will make future maintenence and upkeep much easier'''. You may disagree. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 09:12, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

== That stupid G2 release ==

Wasn't there one issue of Constructicons where they came without the Devastator parts? That was pretty retarded...almost as retarded as the [[Rescue Force]]. [[User:Takeshi357|Takeshi357]] 01:07, 19 March 2008 (UTC)
:European G1 release during the period that saw the Recue Force, the Turbomasters and the Predators. --FFN<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Talk:Transformers: Energon (mini-comic)

2008-03-19T01:07:35Z

61.88.131.156:

Talk:Transformers: Energon (mini-comic)

2008-03-19T01:04:37Z

61.88.131.156: new

User talk:Drmick

2008-03-19T00:54:18Z

61.88.131.156:

Hi, when we upload images, we have to use copyright tags if the images are owned by somebody else.

For comic covers:<br>
'''<nowiki>{{comiccover}}</nowiki>'''

For interiors:<br>
'''<nowiki>{{comicinterior}}</nowiki>'''

For general-purpose Hasbro/TakaraTomy + affiliated companies-owned images such as character art or stock toy photography:<br>
'''<nowiki>{{hastak}}</nowiki>'''

And for photos not owned by Hasbro/TakaraTomy but falls under US fair use laws:<br>
'''<nowiki>{{fairuse}}</nowiki>'''

You also need to credit the artists involved if it's some sort of comic or book art, if known. If you don't know, then say something like 'Art by: Unknown' or something. Artists should be credited individually as Pencillers, inkers, colourists and letterers.

It is also preferrable to mention and Wikilink the name of the issue as well as the number, since "TF UK No. 229" is fairly meaningless. Also preferrable to Wikilink names of major characters or whatever if you mentioned them in the description.

Thanks. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 17:35, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

:Oh, nowadays we try to avoid using comic covers inside the fiction sections of characters. We prefer comic panels. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 17:38, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

::As you probably have deduced, I'm new to the whole wiki thing. As such, i honestly have little clue as to what all that means. I'm just trying to help out. The Star Trek Wikia wiki is just like an encyclopedia. Unfortunately this Tf one is nowhere near the same reference quality. I might be safer just giving up.[[User:Drmick|Drmick]] 17:56, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
:::Wait, did you just diss us? --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 18:35, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

:::The image requirements that FFN specified stem from a desire to ''improve'' this wiki both as a reference document, and in its respect for the intellectual property of others. If you find the rules onerous or confusing, we apologize, but it would take a lot of convincing to change our minds about them.
:::If you find that the humor in this wiki detracts from its quality as a reference, we can only say that we disagree.
:::If you would like to stay and help, the best way to learn how things are done is to look at existing pages (including image pages), click on the edit link, and see what the page looks like "behind the scenes". Failing that, consult the help pages, or ask for help here or in the community portal. [[User:JW|JW]] 18:59, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

:::: No, I didn't diss the people involved, it is obvious that tons of work has been put in. But compared to works like the Star Trek and Marvel Database wikia (which try to emulate their paper equivalents) Teletraan 1 does not compare (in style). If you wanted to create a Transformers printed encyclopedia, you could not simply cut and paste this wiki, whereas you could do so with the two I mentioned. Sure, most of the information you would need is here, but it would need re-wriiten from scratch (to remove the amateur humour and speculative nature of a lot of the articles). Whereas he TRek and MArvel ones stick to canon, the TF one uses the profile books as a major source, rightly or wrongly. Much like a kid that gets picked last for the team, I am more disapponted that the TF fandom don't seem to share my preferences for how a Transformers reference work should be organised. [[User:Drmick|Drmick]] 09:25, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
:::::What is [[canon]]? If you pick and choose what is canon, then that's [[Personal canon]]. For Transformers, Everything is Canon.

:::::As for speculation, weren't you yourself speculating about Spinister? --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 11:58, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

::::::Exactly. See, that's your problem. Star Trek and Marvel have clearly defined canon. Transformers does not. Everything is canon unto itself, and sometimes different media might fit into the same canon. Profile books are canon, just like everything authorized by Hasbro is canon. The only question is: "Canon for ''what''?"

::::::And yes, we don't share your preferences for how we should run our Wiki.--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] 12:02, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

:::::::FFN's point is key. In Trek in particular, things like the ''Star Trek Encyclopedia'' are ''not'' as canonical as the actual TV show. For Transformers, however, the profile books have equal canonicity with the comics and such.
:::::::As for style, fundamentally, taking Transformers (or Trek or Marvel for that matter) too seriously ''really misses the point.'' TF is not a life-or-death issue. The rise and fall of TF does not determine the fate of nations. TF consists of ''toys mostly bought by kids'' and ''fiction created to sell toys.'' Writing about it in a dead-serious encyclopedic style does not suddenly make it important. We tend to believe that people who stop having fun with their fannish obsessions have, well, ''stopped having fun.'' That's especially true with TF which, let's be honest, is often pretty darn silly. Ergo, while priority 1 for this wiki is to provide the facts, priority 2 is to continue to have fun. To, metaphorically speaking, take the toys out of the box and play with 'em.
:::::::Anyway. To return to the original point on this page, do you need any help with the image uploading rules? [[User:JW|JW]] 12:13, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

::::: The only TF stories that are actually canonical are the Kids Stuff storybooks. We just put all this other crap in the wiki so Furman and Forward and Dille and etc. don't get their feelings hurt. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] 13:16, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

And yet, our wiki's been lauded by official Star Wars web gurus and Wookiepedia folks ''specifically because'' of the humor and "no neutral POV" approach, never mind the TF fandom's support. I think I'll take that anyday over TF IS SERIOUS BIDNESS!!! (And yes, TFs has not got a Canon Decider lording over it saying What Does Not Count. and I'm glad for it.) --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 15:14, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

:Ok, ok. I'll try to scan some colour pics of the Hunting Party-Where Wolf strip. I have the final UK annual, which has all that story in colour, and is reasonably rare I believe. But I still don't understand all the different types of brackets stuff at the top of the page. Do I need to put the words comicinterior into the filename between the curly brackets? Do I need to edit indivdual panels before I upload them?[[User:Drmick|Drmick]] 15:33, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
::I'm not sure what you're saying. The copyright tags (the curly bracket words) and the credits are only entered into the image description. If in doubt, check how other people have uploaded images. [http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Image:SpotlightBlaster_Spinister.jpg Here's one I prepared earlier.] Click edit and see what I did. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 15:48, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

::OK, cheers, I see now. The comicinerior in the curly brackets produces a big box talkng about copyright. This box is then present on the image upload page, but not in any article which uses the image. I made a custom modern day spinister using Transformers Energon Bulkhead (or Superlink Sprang), with some paint, and a bit of putty for the "mask". It looks cool. Are we allowed to upload customs if relevant? [[User:Drmick|Drmick]] 16:11, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
:::Sorry, no. We only deal with officially Hasbro authorised/licensed stuff. The only toy photos you can upload are photos of real, unmodified Transformers toys. There are exceptions, such as articles about bootleg and knock-off toys. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 16:27, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
::::He could still upload a shot of the custom if he used it as his User page image, couldn't he?--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 17:38, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
:::::Yeah, but only for his user page, and I don't believe he can link his user page at Spinister's article. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 02:25, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Can anyone else edit my userpage? :) I notice some character pages have either profile artwork, or box-art. Any particular reason why they should not have both? [[User:Drmick|Drmick]] 12:06, 15 March 2008 (UTC)
:Yeah, anybody can, but out of common courtesy normally only the owner of the user page should edit their user page. Admins can step in if they find something offensive or rule-breaking, of course.
:As for artwork, we use whatever looks good or is available to use. So long as the image is official artwork, we use it. We don't normally use both boxart and profile art (or whatever) at the same time because it would clutter up the page, and we would rather the Fiction sections show images of the character participating in adventures and such. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 13:24, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

I created (amateurish) userpage with photos of my custom. Let me know what you guys think? You've been a great help so far. [[User:Drmick|Drmick]] 14:27, 16 March 2008 (UTC)
:I think you are way over the one allowed user pic --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 23:20, 16 March 2008 (UTC)
::Yes, choose one image to keep, then request the admins to <nowiki>{{delete}}</nowiki> the others. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 05:50, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
::Can I link to the pics then? [[User:Drmick|Drmick]] 19:06, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
:::Sure. Upload them to Photobucket or Image Shack if you don't have your own website, and link to them using this:
<nowiki>[http://www.IMAGE URL image description]</nowiki>. An external link to the Prime image on the main page would look like <nowiki>[http://images.wikia.com/transformers/images/8/86/G1_movie_primal.png Prime, Prime and Primal]</nowiki>, and the link would be like this: [http://images.wikia.com/transformers/images/8/86/G1_movie_primal.png Prime, Prime and Primal] --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 19:15, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Just some advice: When you upload images, it is now preferable to link the names of the characters involved (if you mentioned them in the description), link the story or episode it came from, and if it's art, linking the names of the artists involved.
Oh, we also recently decided to credit the penciller as 'penciller' instead of just 'artist' or 'art by', since the other two people involved are also artists. Thanks :) -- FFN in class<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Fortress Maximus (G1)

2008-03-12T07:36:19Z

61.88.131.156: /* Toys */ Accessories lists

{{disambig3|Fortress Maximus}}

:''Fortress Maximus is an [[Autobot]] [[Headmaster]] in the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:FortMax1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Link called. He wants the [[Master Sword]] back.]]

Despite his great power, size, and rank, '''Fortress Maximus''' is a weary and reluctant warrior. Fighting is against his pacifist nature, even for the most noble of causes. Over time, the endless conflict on Cybertron has worn him down, to the point that he's willing to walk away from the war entirely to preserve himself and his ideals.

Fortress Maximus is big. ''How'' big generally depends on the continuity, but often as not he's binary-bonded to a smaller robot named [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] who forms his head; Cerebros's own head is formed by [[Spike Witwicky|Spike]].

{{note|Fortress Maximus is one of those fun characters whose English and Japanese incarnations were very different. See individual fiction entries below for continuity specific profiles.}}

:''French-Canadian name'': '''Forteresse Maximus'''
:''Cracked-out English-Maylay dub name:'' '''Spaceship Bruce''' ''(starship mode only)''
:''Japanese name'': '''Cerebros'''
:''Hungarian name'': '''Fortress Maximus'''

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
Fortress Maximus was an architect in his early career, designing and even constructing many works on Cybertron. When the war came, he reluctantly turned his talents to fighting.

During the long absence of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and their respective troops from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], unit commander Fortress Maximus became so sick of the war that he decided to leave it. He didn't care if it made him a coward or not, he simply believed that the war would go on regardless of whether or not he was in it. Taking a number of Autobots with him, he retreated to the peaceful planet of [[Nebulos]].

[[Image:Fortmaxgiveshead.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Dibs on the off-color jokes!]]

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before mistakes were made and Maximus's group found themselves at odds with the local [[human]] populace. Maximus 'proved' their peaceful intentions by marching up to the Nebulan capital, and discarding the group's weapons. When that didn't work, he did the next logical thing and pulled his head off. Four other Autobots also resorted to this grotesque stunt before [[Galen]], head of the Nebulan [[World Watchers]], was convinced they weren't a threat. {{storylink|Ring of Hate!}}

When the Decepticons followed the Autobots to Nebulos, Galen himself ended up becoming the head of Fortress Maximus to help defend the peace and his world, as both the Nebulan and Autobot underwent the [[binary-bonding]] process to become a [[Headmaster]]. {{storylink|Broken Glass!}} Fortress Maximus remained the leader of the Nebulan Autobots for the rest of their battles there, eventually abandoning the planet to support his stranded comrades on Earth. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!}} During the transport, Fortress Maximus underwent a number of treatments to alter his size considerably, increasing himself from a city-sized behemoth to a slightly ''larger'' city-sized behemoth. With these changes, he could save a lot of time in combat by simply stepping on Decepticons instead of having to actually fight them.

Of course, with his larger scale, Fortress Maximus needed a new head (Galen still being stuck at roughly human-size). For this reason, another Autobot, [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]], was added to serve as a secondary stage between Galen and Maximus. As the head of Cerebros, Galen could transform Cerebros into the larger head of Fortress Maximus.

Arriving on Earth, Fortress Maximus led his fellow Headmasters to Mount St. Hilary, source of the Autobot distress call that had drawn them to Earth. After recovering the damaged [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], the group encountered [[Spike Witwicky|Spike]], who had come in search of his missing younger brother [[Buster Witwicky]]. Spike asked for the Autobots' help in finding his brother, but Fortress Maximus was more interested in their primary mission of locating the Autobots of Earth, and led his troops off to follow the fuel trail of the missing ''Ark.''

Scorponok's crew soon followed Maximus to Earth, however, and to the same cave. When Spike replayed Goldbug's distress message, Fortress Maximus and company returned to the cave, apologizing to Spike for his failure to consider the danger he had brought to Earth's natives by leading the Decepticons there.

In the ensuing battle, Spike retreated further into the volcano's caves to seek shelter. Scorponok followed, seeking a hostage; Fortress Maximus pursued him. As the caves narrowed down, Maximus was forced to send Cerebros onward, and eventually Galen himself had to leave Cerebros to cross a fragile rock bridge. Scorponok used the distraction to blast rocks down on Galen, killing him. As the Decepticon leader left, laughing, Galen passed on his control helmet to Spike, allowing the Earthen to assume control of Fortress Maximus and drive the Decepticons off. {{storylink|Trial by Fire!}}

Spike soon underwent the full binary bonding process and became the leader of the ''Steelhaven'''s crew of Autobots. {{storylink|The Desert Island of Space!}}

[[Image:Fortmaxboat.jpg|right|250px|thumb|This is the last of three times you see his battle station mode, so don't blink.]]
Spike and Fortress Maximus would go on to have a very tumultuous relationship, fighting both the Decepticons and, at times, each other, as Spike constantly expressed his displeasure at being the large Autobot's partner. Once his brother Buster was finally rescued, Spike tried to go go his own way and resume his life, but time and time again the Decepticons would pose some sort of threat to the planet so immense that he would have to join with Fortress Maximus to combat it. {{storylink|The Man in the Machine!}}

After the other Autobots and Decepticons left Earth to battle Unicron, Spike and Fortress Maximus remained on Earth to safeguard the planet. Thus, when the remains of the [[Ark]] fell from orbit and crashed in the northern tundra of Canada, and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] emerged from the wreckage to wreak havoc, it fell to Fortress Maximus to stop him. After putting aside their differences, Spike and Fortress Maximus managed to unite in thought and deed, and defeat the crazed Decepticon. {{storylink|The Last Autobot?}}

====Generation 2====

It was ultimately [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] who would prove to be the undoing of this giant warrior: when the reborn and reconditioned Decepticon leader stole the Ark and used it as his personal flagship, Spike and Maximus took it upon themselves to stop him. Brutally beaten in combat with an upgraded and super-charged Megatron, the pair dragged themselves to the heart of the ship and threw themselves into the anti-matter containment unit at the core of its power supply, killing both of them. To add further insult to their sacrifice, it was a complete waste of effort: every other Transformer who was on board, including Megatron, managed to survive the destruction of the ship and lived to fight another day.
{{storylink|All or Nothing!}}

===American cartoon continuity===
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Stephen Keener]]

[[Image:Fortressmaximusg1rebirth.jpg|left|thumb|175px|Not surprisingly, Fortress Maximus is a bottom.]]

When the [[Hive]] of [[Nebulos]] had developed the massive [[Transformer]] [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in 2007, Spike found that his only available resources to combat the threat were the Hive's older technology and the pacifist Autobot Cerebros. Spike used the technology to create an Autobot giant, at the same time re-engineering Cerebros to become the new robot's head, and to take Spike himself as his own head (Cerebros seemed to get little say in these matters). The giant, named Fortress Maximus, blasted off for Cybertron, where he expectedly fought (and won) against Scorponok. After Maximus/Cerebros and Spike saved Cybertron and [[Earth]] from the Hive and the Decepticons, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] sent them back to Nebulos as its guardians.

It is unclear if Fortress Maximus had any sentience of his own; he did speak once in his own voice. But for the most part, even Cerebros's will seemed to be pushed aside so Spike could run the whole thing himself. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

{{-}}

===Japanese cartoon continuity===
====Kiss Players====
A [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Fortress Maximus]] from another time inspired the creation of a new Fortress Maximus when he crashed onto [[Master]].{{storylink|Kiss Players (fiction)|Kiss Players}}

====''The Headmasters''====
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Ikuya Sawaki]]

{{charstub}}

[[Image:G1FortressMaximus HMstockfootage.jpg|right|thumb|150px|"...But it's the pelvic [[Thrust|thruuuuuust]] / that really drives you in-sa-a-a-ane / Let's do the Time Warp again!"]]

Headmasters were human-sized Transformers who had long ago left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and established themselves on the planet [[Master]]. To better survive there, they built larger bodies for themselves; they could then transform to become the heads of these more powerful forms.

[[Image:FortressHeadJap.jpg|left|thumb|150px|The Ginsu Head, slices and dices, makes thousands of julienned Decepticons.]]

The leader of the Autobot faction on Master was named [[Fortress]]. Fortress took the Headmaster process one step further. Not only did he combine with a larger robot, but that robot could in turn enlarge and become the head of another, ''much'' larger robot, the robot form of the Battleship ''Maximus'', thus forming the mighty Fortress Maximus.

Fortress would sometimes run the battleship while sitting on the bridge transformed into a giant head. He also had [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] as a secretary.

{{-}}

====''Super-God Masterforce''====
Fortress was seen briefly and indistinctly as he introduced his brother, [[Grand Maximus]].

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
A gargantuan Fortress Maximus was first seen in a [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]-induced vision of future [[Nebulos]] by Optimus Prime.

Later in the same era, a more normal-sized Fortress Maximus was a co-leader of the Autobot forces on Cybertron, along with Ultra Magnus. As Cybertron's resources ran low, they struggled to hold the Autobot army together. {{storylink|Micromasters (comic)}}

===IDW comics continuity===

Fortress Maximus is the warden in charge of [[Garrus 9]], an Autobot-run penitentiary where both Autobot and Decepticon prisoners are kept in containment. As the ultimate imprisonment, each inmate is reduced down to their [[spark]] and [[laser core]] alone, held inanimate in a storage center known as "The Rig" until such a time as Fort Max deems to rebuild and release them, if ever.

When [[Blaster]] announced his return to the airwaves as "The Voice", Fortress Maximus was one of many Autobots shown hearing his message. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}}

After [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] encountered the [[Monstructor]] [[combiner]]s on [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'s asteroid bunker, he sent them to Garrus 9 with [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] and the [[Technobot]]s, hoping the science team could help the six recover from [[Jhiaxus]]'s experimentations. Fortress Maximus was dubious of the possible results, but allowed Jetfire and his team to run their tests at Garrus 9. Things changed for the worse, however, once word of the gestalt technology got out, and agents of the [[Decepticon Secret Service]] came to claim the remarkable new tech for themselves. Faced with an incredible amount of orbital bombardment and ground warfare, Fortress Maximus and his defensive crew were at serious risk of being overrun.

In order to maintain control of his base, Max reactivated the only Autobot inmate classified as Threat Level-9...[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]. Knowing Arcee had strong feelings about Jhiaxus and his work from personal experience, Fortress Maximus felt confident she would do anything to prevent the Decepticons from laying claim to the "[[Pretender Monster|Monstructor Six]]". In case he was wrong, though, Fort Max made it clear to Arcee she was lowjacked with synchronized G-forces that would crush her spark if she stepped out of line. Despite Arcee's help, the [[Combaticon]]s still managed to make off with the gestalt robots. Despite his better judgment, Fortress Maximus allowed Jetfire to convince him that Arcee was the best available to track and intercept the Secret Service ships and retrieve or destroy the gestalt robots. {{storylink|Spotlight: Arcee}}

{{note|Though thickly-built, Fortress Maximus is a normal-sized Transformer in IDW continuity.}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Fortress Maximus''' (Headmaster Base, 1987)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-114'''
**''Accessories:'' Spike Headmaster unit, Cerebros large Headmaster unit, Gasket, Grommet, Photon Rifle, Dual Laser Cannon, Cerebros's Mini Laser Rifle, Cog's Laser rifle, Radar Scope, Master Sword (Japanese release only), Cerebros's sword (Japanese release only)

[[Image:G1FortressMaximus_toy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|If I hear somebody ask "how's the weather up there" one more time, [[Primus]] help him...]]

: The largest Transformers toy from [[Generation 1]], Fortress Maximus has multiple altmode configurations. He transforms into a compact "city" mode, and can also assume a secondary mode described in the US instruction as a "battle station." This mode was rebranded as a starship for the Japanese instructions (perhaps because of its vague resemblance to a Pegasus class carrier from Gundam), and is the "default" mode for Fortress Maximus in the ''Headmasters'' animated series. Additionally, the 1987 Hasbro toy catalog features a mis-transformed Fortress Maximus in a mode referred to as an "impenetable fortress," essentially consisting of his city mode with the legs splayed outwards.

: In all modes, Maximus has a wide array of pop-out (non-firing) guns and gimmicks. Its left leg hides a small prison cell, plus has a swing-out cannon/helipad. Its right leg has a small storage compartment. Its torso has a gear-activated spinner for the detachable radar array accessory, a "control socket" for [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]]' "communcations tower" mode, and a working elevator that can lift small toys up to its central ramp to be launched in its altmodes. (The crank for this elevator ends up in a very unfortunate position in robot mode.) Each arm had a long ramp on the back with sliding launchers for small vehicles.

: Its robot-mode head is formed by Cerebros, who does not actually need Spike to attach to the upper body. It came with both Headmaster units, plus the Gasket and Grommet mini-vehicles.

: The Japanese release of Fortress Maximus came with a pair of swords; one for Fortress, a ''large'' one for Maximus. It is currently unknown if the swords were originally planned for the [[Hasbro]] version but dropped for price or [[for safety reasons|safety concerns]], or if they were a [[Takara]]-initiated addition to their release of the toy.

: This mold was used to make ''[[Masterforce (franchise)|Masterforce]]'' [[Grand Maximus]], ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]], and ''[[Robot Masters]]''' "[[Cybertron Base]]".

{{-}}

* '''Fortress Maximus''' (TF Jr, 1987)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-114'''
**Accessories:'' Fortress Headmaster unit, Photon Rifle

[[Image:G1_FortressMaximus_Jnr_toy.jpg|thumb|left|150px|''We represent the Lollybot guild'']]

: A smaller rendering of the character, scaled down to regular Transformer size, and with only one head. Fortress Maximus Jnr. could only transform from his starship mode to his robot mode, as his legs lack the joints to fold into city mode. Much of his detail and accessories have been simplified into stickers, such as his shin cannons. He comes with only one weapon, his large blue photon rifle.

:This toy was also available in a leaders three-pack with Chromedome and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Convoy Jnr.]]

{{-}}

===Merchandise===
* Fortress Maximus was a larger "build-a-bot" from the third "Act" of the [[Super Collection Figure]] PVC line; one piece of it was packaged in each of the six clear pieces in a case of twelve. Like the regular PVCs, it was available both in full-color or colorless-clear versions.

* The Fortress Maximus PVC was revisited for [[Hasbro]]'s [[Heroes of Cybertron]] line, again as a pack-in, one part in each of the six releases of wave four. This version was cast entirely in clear-blue plastic then painted over, save a small spot on his head to give him a "light-pipe" glowing-eyes effect.
:* Torso : [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]
:* Head & sword: [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]
:* Left arm: [[Powermaster]] [[Overlord|Gigatron]]
:* Right arm: [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
:* Left leg: [[Jazz|Autobot Jazz]]
:* Right leg : Autobot Espionage Team ([[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] & Spike)

==Trivia==
* 'Fortress Maximus' was likely a considered name for the character that eventually became [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] in [[Generation 1]]. The [[Marvel]] comic adaptation of the [[The Transformers: The Movie (1986)|1986 Movie]] even refers to [[Autobot City]] as ''Fortress Maximus'' in a caption.

* Fortress Maximus was the first toy to be released with a bona-fide Earthling figure. All of the other Headmasters' companions were from Nebulos. (Although Maximus's on-package [[bio]] refers to 'the Nebulan leader, Spike', the general consensus is that it was supposed to be the popular figure from TV and other media, who is almost certainly an Earthling.)

* When Spike transforms to join Fortress Maximus for the last time in the ''Generation 2'' book, Cerebros is not shown, and Spike transforms directly into Fortress Maximus's head. Maximus is shown to be no larger than Megatron. In real-life terms, it's an obvious series of art errors; in the context of the story, one might wonder if Maximus was reduced back to his original, smaller, size. It seems improbable, considering that Spike had been retired for years by that point.

* Fortress Maximus has the distinction of having one of the most well known Transformers [[knockoff|bootleg]] versions in existence. While Cerebros has been omitted, the Spike figure is the same, and the body has been scaled down to match, effectively making the body compatible with any other Headmaster head. It also fetches absurd prices for a bootleg.

* In America, Fortress Maximus is seven distinct flavors of awesome, while in Japan he is only 3 kinds of awesome.

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Autobot/FortressMaximus/fortressmaximus.htm Fortress Maximus at TFU.info]

[[Category: Autobot leaders]]
[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot bases]]
[[Category: Cities]]
[[Category: Generation 1 locations]]
[[Category: Headmasters]]
[[Category: Headmasters characters]]
[[Category: Starships]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Grand Maximus

2008-03-12T07:32:05Z

61.88.131.156: Accessories list

{{disambig2|the brother of [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] in Japanese G1 continuity|Fortress Maximus|Fortress Maximus (G1)}}
{{disambig2|Grand Maximus|other uses of Maximus|Fortress Maximus (disambiguation)}}
{{picsneeded|Screenshots}}

:''Grand Maximus is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Pretender_Gran.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Where is my [[Transtector|body]]?]]

'''Grand Maximus''', the younger brother of [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], participated in the [[Masterforce]] conflict. Much like his brother, Grand Maximus' intelligence and personality were actually contained solely in his smallest component, '''Gran''', while his [[Transector]], '''Grand''', functioned as a mech to boost his strength to that of a normal Transformer. Grand also possessed the ability to don a [[Pretender]] shell in order to disguise himself as a [[human]]. Gran's final and most impressive transformation is his mighty battleship, which, like his brother's, transforms into a body of immense stature while Grand himself transforms into its head.

==Fiction==
===Super God Masterforce cartoon===

===Masterforce manga===
Grand Maximus was sent to Earth to aid Autobots by his brother, Fortress Maximus. His Outer Shell can grow as big as the normal size of the Transformer.

===Zone OAV===
Grand Maximus was seen among other High-ranking Autobots (such as [[Road Caesar]], [[Landcross]], [[Metalhawk]], [[Lander]], and the Autobot [[Godmaster|Godmasters]]) when [[Dai Atlas]] is sworn-in by [[Star Saber (G1)|Victory Saber]] as the new [[Supreme Commander]] of the Autobot forces.

{{-}}
==Toys==
===Super God Masterforce===
*'''Grand Maximus''' (1988)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-311'''
**''Accessories:'' Gran Headmaster unit, Grand large Headmaster unit, Grand's Pretender Shell, Onomus, Koka, Photon Rifle, Dual Laser Cannon, Grand's Mini Laser Rifle, Cog's Laser rifle, radar dish, Master Sword, Grand's sword

[[Image:GrandMaximus_toy.jpg|thumb|left|250px|He became a Pretender to be better than his older brother.]]

: As a [[redeco]] of Fortress Maximus, Grand Maximus shares the title of largest Transformer toy from [[Generation 1]]. Grand Maximus transforms from robot, to city, to battleship.

[[Image:Mastersword_toy.jpg|right|thumb|75px|Blade of Evil's Bane.]]

: In all modes, Maximus has a wide array of pop-out (non-firing) guns and gimmicks. His left leg hides a small prison cell, plus has a swing-out cannon/helipad. His right leg has a small storage compartment. His torso has a gear-activated spinner for the detachable radar array accessory, a "control socket" for Grand's "communcations tower" mode, and a working elevator that can lift small toys up to the central ramp to be launched in his altmodes. (The crank for this elevator ends up in a very unfortunate position in robot mode.) Each arm had a long ramp on the back with sliding launchers for small vehicles.

: Grand Maximus' head can be removed and transformed into a robot called Grand. This component also transforms into a communications room that combines with Grand Maximus' city and battleship modes. Grand can additionally fit inside an included pretender shell. This shell, unlike most other Autobot shells, was robotic in appearance rather than human. Grand's head can also be removed and transformed into a smaller robot, known as Gran.

: Two smaller vehicles, [[Koka]] and [[Onomus]], fit into the toe areas of the Brave Maximus robot. They can combine into the robot [[Cog]]. Also included were a gun for Cog, a gun and sword for Grand, two larger guns and a larger sword for Grand Maximus, and a radar dish for Grand Maximus' battleship and city modes.

: This mold was used to make ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Car Robots]]'' [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]], and ''[[Robot Masters]]''' "[[Cybertron Base]]".

{{-}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1988/Cybertron/GrandMaximus/grandmaximus.htm Grand Maximus] at TFU.info

{{charstub}}
[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category: Autobot bases]]
[[Category: Cities]]
[[Category: Headmasters]]
[[Category: Masterforce characters]]
[[Category: Pretenders]]
[[Category: Starships]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Fortress Maximus (G1)

2008-03-12T07:23:23Z

61.88.131.156: /* Fiction */

{{disambig3|Fortress Maximus}}

:''Fortress Maximus is an [[Autobot]] [[Headmaster]] in the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:FortMax1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Link called. He wants the [[Master Sword]] back.]]

Despite his great power, size, and rank, '''Fortress Maximus''' is a weary and reluctant warrior. Fighting is against his pacifist nature, even for the most noble of causes. Over time, the endless conflict on Cybertron has worn him down, to the point that he's willing to walk away from the war entirely to preserve himself and his ideals.

Fortress Maximus is big. ''How'' big generally depends on the continuity, but often as not he's binary-bonded to a smaller robot named [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] who forms his head; Cerebros's own head is formed by [[Spike Witwicky|Spike]].

{{note|Fortress Maximus is one of those fun characters whose English and Japanese incarnations were very different. See individual fiction entries below for continuity specific profiles.}}

:''French-Canadian name'': '''Forteresse Maximus'''
:''Cracked-out English-Maylay dub name:'' '''Spaceship Bruce''' ''(starship mode only)''
:''Japanese name'': '''Cerebros'''
:''Hungarian name'': '''Fortress Maximus'''

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
Fortress Maximus was an architect in his early career, designing and even constructing many works on Cybertron. When the war came, he reluctantly turned his talents to fighting.

During the long absence of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and their respective troops from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], unit commander Fortress Maximus became so sick of the war that he decided to leave it. He didn't care if it made him a coward or not, he simply believed that the war would go on regardless of whether or not he was in it. Taking a number of Autobots with him, he retreated to the peaceful planet of [[Nebulos]].

[[Image:Fortmaxgiveshead.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Dibs on the off-color jokes!]]

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before mistakes were made and Maximus's group found themselves at odds with the local [[human]] populace. Maximus 'proved' their peaceful intentions by marching up to the Nebulan capital, and discarding the group's weapons. When that didn't work, he did the next logical thing and pulled his head off. Four other Autobots also resorted to this grotesque stunt before [[Galen]], head of the Nebulan [[World Watchers]], was convinced they weren't a threat. {{storylink|Ring of Hate!}}

When the Decepticons followed the Autobots to Nebulos, Galen himself ended up becoming the head of Fortress Maximus to help defend the peace and his world, as both the Nebulan and Autobot underwent the [[binary-bonding]] process to become a [[Headmaster]]. {{storylink|Broken Glass!}} Fortress Maximus remained the leader of the Nebulan Autobots for the rest of their battles there, eventually abandoning the planet to support his stranded comrades on Earth. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!}} During the transport, Fortress Maximus underwent a number of treatments to alter his size considerably, increasing himself from a city-sized behemoth to a slightly ''larger'' city-sized behemoth. With these changes, he could save a lot of time in combat by simply stepping on Decepticons instead of having to actually fight them.

Of course, with his larger scale, Fortress Maximus needed a new head (Galen still being stuck at roughly human-size). For this reason, another Autobot, [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]], was added to serve as a secondary stage between Galen and Maximus. As the head of Cerebros, Galen could transform Cerebros into the larger head of Fortress Maximus.

Arriving on Earth, Fortress Maximus led his fellow Headmasters to Mount St. Hilary, source of the Autobot distress call that had drawn them to Earth. After recovering the damaged [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], the group encountered [[Spike Witwicky|Spike]], who had come in search of his missing younger brother [[Buster Witwicky]]. Spike asked for the Autobots' help in finding his brother, but Fortress Maximus was more interested in their primary mission of locating the Autobots of Earth, and led his troops off to follow the fuel trail of the missing ''Ark.''

Scorponok's crew soon followed Maximus to Earth, however, and to the same cave. When Spike replayed Goldbug's distress message, Fortress Maximus and company returned to the cave, apologizing to Spike for his failure to consider the danger he had brought to Earth's natives by leading the Decepticons there.

In the ensuing battle, Spike retreated further into the volcano's caves to seek shelter. Scorponok followed, seeking a hostage; Fortress Maximus pursued him. As the caves narrowed down, Maximus was forced to send Cerebros onward, and eventually Galen himself had to leave Cerebros to cross a fragile rock bridge. Scorponok used the distraction to blast rocks down on Galen, killing him. As the Decepticon leader left, laughing, Galen passed on his control helmet to Spike, allowing the Earthen to assume control of Fortress Maximus and drive the Decepticons off. {{storylink|Trial by Fire!}}

Spike soon underwent the full binary bonding process and became the leader of the ''Steelhaven'''s crew of Autobots. {{storylink|The Desert Island of Space!}}

[[Image:Fortmaxboat.jpg|right|250px|thumb|This is the last of three times you see his battle station mode, so don't blink.]]
Spike and Fortress Maximus would go on to have a very tumultuous relationship, fighting both the Decepticons and, at times, each other, as Spike constantly expressed his displeasure at being the large Autobot's partner. Once his brother Buster was finally rescued, Spike tried to go go his own way and resume his life, but time and time again the Decepticons would pose some sort of threat to the planet so immense that he would have to join with Fortress Maximus to combat it. {{storylink|The Man in the Machine!}}

After the other Autobots and Decepticons left Earth to battle Unicron, Spike and Fortress Maximus remained on Earth to safeguard the planet. Thus, when the remains of the [[Ark]] fell from orbit and crashed in the northern tundra of Canada, and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] emerged from the wreckage to wreak havoc, it fell to Fortress Maximus to stop him. After putting aside their differences, Spike and Fortress Maximus managed to unite in thought and deed, and defeat the crazed Decepticon. {{storylink|The Last Autobot?}}

====Generation 2====

It was ultimately [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] who would prove to be the undoing of this giant warrior: when the reborn and reconditioned Decepticon leader stole the Ark and used it as his personal flagship, Spike and Maximus took it upon themselves to stop him. Brutally beaten in combat with an upgraded and super-charged Megatron, the pair dragged themselves to the heart of the ship and threw themselves into the anti-matter containment unit at the core of its power supply, killing both of them. To add further insult to their sacrifice, it was a complete waste of effort: every other Transformer who was on board, including Megatron, managed to survive the destruction of the ship and lived to fight another day.
{{storylink|All or Nothing!}}

===American cartoon continuity===
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Stephen Keener]]

[[Image:Fortressmaximusg1rebirth.jpg|left|thumb|175px|Not surprisingly, Fortress Maximus is a bottom.]]

When the [[Hive]] of [[Nebulos]] had developed the massive [[Transformer]] [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in 2007, Spike found that his only available resources to combat the threat were the Hive's older technology and the pacifist Autobot Cerebros. Spike used the technology to create an Autobot giant, at the same time re-engineering Cerebros to become the new robot's head, and to take Spike himself as his own head (Cerebros seemed to get little say in these matters). The giant, named Fortress Maximus, blasted off for Cybertron, where he expectedly fought (and won) against Scorponok. After Maximus/Cerebros and Spike saved Cybertron and [[Earth]] from the Hive and the Decepticons, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] sent them back to Nebulos as its guardians.

It is unclear if Fortress Maximus had any sentience of his own; he did speak once in his own voice. But for the most part, even Cerebros's will seemed to be pushed aside so Spike could run the whole thing himself. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

{{-}}

===Japanese cartoon continuity===
====Kiss Players====
A [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Fortress Maximus]] from another time inspired the creation of a new Fortress Maximus when he crashed onto [[Master]].{{storylink|Kiss Players (fiction)|Kiss Players}}

====''The Headmasters''====
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Ikuya Sawaki]]

{{charstub}}

[[Image:G1FortressMaximus HMstockfootage.jpg|right|thumb|150px|"...But it's the pelvic [[Thrust|thruuuuuust]] / that really drives you in-sa-a-a-ane / Let's do the Time Warp again!"]]

Headmasters were human-sized Transformers who had long ago left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and established themselves on the planet [[Master]]. To better survive there, they built larger bodies for themselves; they could then transform to become the heads of these more powerful forms.

[[Image:FortressHeadJap.jpg|left|thumb|150px|The Ginsu Head, slices and dices, makes thousands of julienned Decepticons.]]

The leader of the Autobot faction on Master was named [[Fortress]]. Fortress took the Headmaster process one step further. Not only did he combine with a larger robot, but that robot could in turn enlarge and become the head of another, ''much'' larger robot, the robot form of the Battleship ''Maximus'', thus forming the mighty Fortress Maximus.

Fortress would sometimes run the battleship while sitting on the bridge transformed into a giant head. He also had [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] as a secretary.

{{-}}

====''Super-God Masterforce''====
Fortress was seen briefly and indistinctly as he introduced his brother, [[Grand Maximus]].

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
A gargantuan Fortress Maximus was first seen in a [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]-induced vision of future [[Nebulos]] by Optimus Prime.

Later in the same era, a more normal-sized Fortress Maximus was a co-leader of the Autobot forces on Cybertron, along with Ultra Magnus. As Cybertron's resources ran low, they struggled to hold the Autobot army together. {{storylink|Micromasters (comic)}}

===IDW comics continuity===

Fortress Maximus is the warden in charge of [[Garrus 9]], an Autobot-run penitentiary where both Autobot and Decepticon prisoners are kept in containment. As the ultimate imprisonment, each inmate is reduced down to their [[spark]] and [[laser core]] alone, held inanimate in a storage center known as "The Rig" until such a time as Fort Max deems to rebuild and release them, if ever.

When [[Blaster]] announced his return to the airwaves as "The Voice", Fortress Maximus was one of many Autobots shown hearing his message. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}}

After [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] encountered the [[Monstructor]] [[combiner]]s on [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'s asteroid bunker, he sent them to Garrus 9 with [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] and the [[Technobot]]s, hoping the science team could help the six recover from [[Jhiaxus]]'s experimentations. Fortress Maximus was dubious of the possible results, but allowed Jetfire and his team to run their tests at Garrus 9. Things changed for the worse, however, once word of the gestalt technology got out, and agents of the [[Decepticon Secret Service]] came to claim the remarkable new tech for themselves. Faced with an incredible amount of orbital bombardment and ground warfare, Fortress Maximus and his defensive crew were at serious risk of being overrun.

In order to maintain control of his base, Max reactivated the only Autobot inmate classified as Threat Level-9...[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]. Knowing Arcee had strong feelings about Jhiaxus and his work from personal experience, Fortress Maximus felt confident she would do anything to prevent the Decepticons from laying claim to the "[[Pretender Monster|Monstructor Six]]". In case he was wrong, though, Fort Max made it clear to Arcee she was lowjacked with synchronized G-forces that would crush her spark if she stepped out of line. Despite Arcee's help, the [[Combaticon]]s still managed to make off with the gestalt robots. Despite his better judgment, Fortress Maximus allowed Jetfire to convince him that Arcee was the best available to track and intercept the Secret Service ships and retrieve or destroy the gestalt robots. {{storylink|Spotlight: Arcee}}

{{note|Though thickly-built, Fortress Maximus is a normal-sized Transformer in IDW continuity.}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Fortress Maximus''' (Headmaster Base, 1987)
: ''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-114'''

[[Image:G1FortressMaximus_toy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|If I hear somebody ask "how's the weather up there" one more time, [[Primus]] help him...]]

: The largest Transformers toy from [[Generation 1]], Fortress Maximus has multiple altmode configurations. He transforms into a compact "city" mode, and can also assume a secondary mode described in the US instruction as a "battle station." This mode was rebranded as a starship for the Japanese instructions (perhaps because of its vague resemblance to a Pegasus class carrier from Gundam), and is the "default" mode for Fortress Maximus in the ''Headmasters'' animated series. Additionally, the 1987 Hasbro toy catalog features a mis-transformed Fortress Maximus in a mode referred to as an "impenetable fortress," essentially consisting of his city mode with the legs splayed outwards.

: In all modes, Maximus has a wide array of pop-out (non-firing) guns and gimmicks. Its left leg hides a small prison cell, plus has a swing-out cannon/helipad. Its right leg has a small storage compartment. Its torso has a gear-activated spinner for the detachable radar array accessory, a "control socket" for [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]]' "communcations tower" mode, and a working elevator that can lift small toys up to its central ramp to be launched in its altmodes. (The crank for this elevator ends up in a very unfortunate position in robot mode.) Each arm had a long ramp on the back with sliding launchers for small vehicles.

: Its robot-mode head is formed by Cerebros, who does not actually need Spike to attach to the upper body. It came with both Headmaster units, plus the Gasket and Grommet mini-vehicles.

: The Japanese release of Fortress Maximus came with a pair of swords; one for Fortress, a ''large'' one for Maximus. It is currently unknown if the swords were originally planned for the [[Hasbro]] version but dropped for price or [[for safety reasons|safety concerns]], or if they were a [[Takara]]-initiated addition to their release of the toy.

: This mold was used to make ''[[Masterforce (franchise)|Masterforce]]'' [[Grand Maximus]], ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]], and ''[[Robot Masters]]''' "[[Cybertron Base]]".

{{-}}

* '''Fortress Maximus''' (TF Jr, 1987)
: ''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-114'''

[[Image:G1_FortressMaximus_Jnr_toy.jpg|thumb|left|150px|''We represent the Lollybot guild'']]

: A smaller rendering of the character, scaled down to regular Transformer size, and with only one head. Fortress Maximus Jnr. could only transform from his starship mode to his robot mode, as his legs lack the joints to fold into city mode. Much of his detail and accessories have been simplified into stickers, such as his shin cannons. He comes with only one weapon, his large blue rifle.

:This toy was also available in a leaders three-pack with Chromedome and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Convoy Jnr.]]

{{-}}

===Merchandise===
* Fortress Maximus was a larger "build-a-bot" from the third "Act" of the [[Super Collection Figure]] PVC line; one piece of it was packaged in each of the six clear pieces in a case of twelve. Like the regular PVCs, it was available both in full-color or colorless-clear versions.

* The Fortress Maximus PVC was revisited for [[Hasbro]]'s [[Heroes of Cybertron]] line, again as a pack-in, one part in each of the six releases of wave four. This version was cast entirely in clear-blue plastic then painted over, save a small spot on his head to give him a "light-pipe" glowing-eyes effect.
:* Torso : [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]
:* Head & sword: [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]
:* Left arm: [[Powermaster]] [[Overlord|Gigatron]]
:* Right arm: [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
:* Left leg: [[Jazz|Autobot Jazz]]
:* Right leg : Autobot Espionage Team ([[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] & Spike)

==Trivia==
* 'Fortress Maximus' was likely a considered name for the character that eventually became [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] in [[Generation 1]]. The [[Marvel]] comic adaptation of the [[The Transformers: The Movie (1986)|1986 Movie]] even refers to [[Autobot City]] as ''Fortress Maximus'' in a caption.

* Fortress Maximus was the first toy to be released with a bona-fide Earthling figure. All of the other Headmasters' companions were from Nebulos. (Although Maximus's on-package [[bio]] refers to 'the Nebulan leader, Spike', the general consensus is that it was supposed to be the popular figure from TV and other media, who is almost certainly an Earthling.)

* When Spike transforms to join Fortress Maximus for the last time in the ''Generation 2'' book, Cerebros is not shown, and Spike transforms directly into Fortress Maximus's head. Maximus is shown to be no larger than Megatron. In real-life terms, it's an obvious series of art errors; in the context of the story, one might wonder if Maximus was reduced back to his original, smaller, size. It seems improbable, considering that Spike had been retired for years by that point.

* Fortress Maximus has the distinction of having one of the most well known Transformers [[knockoff|bootleg]] versions in existence. While Cerebros has been omitted, the Spike figure is the same, and the body has been scaled down to match, effectively making the body compatible with any other Headmaster head. It also fetches absurd prices for a bootleg.

* In America, Fortress Maximus is seven distinct flavors of awesome, while in Japan he is only 3 kinds of awesome.

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Autobot/FortressMaximus/fortressmaximus.htm Fortress Maximus at TFU.info]

[[Category: Autobot leaders]]
[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot bases]]
[[Category: Cities]]
[[Category: Generation 1 locations]]
[[Category: Headmasters]]
[[Category: Headmasters characters]]
[[Category: Starships]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Nemesis (G1)

2008-03-12T07:03:11Z

61.88.131.156:

{{disambig3|Nemesis}}

:''The ''Nemesis'' is a space ship in the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:NemesisDreamwave1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"Prepare for ship-to-ship intimacy."]]

The '''''Nemesis''''' is a legendary [[Decepticon]] warship, famous for being the Decepticon ship which ambushed the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''.

{{note|The ''Nemesis'' is never named in the original animated series nor in the Marvel comics, and was not named until ''[[Beast Wars]]''.}}

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
''(Note: Events from the UK Marvel Comics are identified with italics.)''

[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and his crew of Decepticons used the ''Nemesis'' to chase [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and his crew of Autobots out into deep space. Eventually, the Decepticons boarded the Ark, the Autobots' ship, and left the ''Nemesis'' orbiting Earth. The Ark then crashed into Earth with all the Transformers onboard, deactivating them and leaving the ''Nemesis'' in orbit with [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] to watch it.{{storylink|The Transformers (comic issue)}}

''The ''Nemesis'' remained undisturbed, hidden from Earthling view with superior cloaking technology. In 2006, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] traveled back in time to the year 1986 in order to build a large laser cannon to destroy [[Unicron]]. Upon completing the cannon, Galvatron tested its effectiveness on the orbiting ''Nemesis'', destroying the ship with a single blast.''{{storylink|Target: 2006}}

During the Decepticon Civil War, Shockwave's base was the ''Nemesis'', which he had parked at the bottom of the ocean 4 million years ago when he fought the Dinobots.

{{note|The ship's identity and part of its backstory was revealed in the letters page, which directly conflicts the earlier UK story. Simon Furman wrote both stories.}}

===Cartoon continuity===

[[Image:Nemesis astroids.jpg|thumb|200px|left|When the Decepticons play a game of ''[[wikipedia:Asteroids (arcade game)|Asteroids]]'', it's quite literal.]]
The ''Nemesis'' was the ship used by the Decepticons to pursue the [[Autobot]]s. All the Decepticons left the ship to board the Ark and both ships ended-up crashing on prehistoric [[Earth]]. {{storylink|More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}

[[Image:NemesisMicrobots1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Eh, it's not so big]]
In 1985, archaeologists eventually discovered the wreck of the ''Nemesis'' in South America. Once [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] relayed the news to [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the Decepticons deployed immediately. Upon arriving, Megatron removed the ''Nemesis''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s power-source, the [[Heart of Cybertron]] and had [[Hook]] then install it in him. Imbued with near-limitless power, Megatron then attempted to destroy the Autobots, and almost succeeded, until the Heart of Cybertron was removed from his body and destroyed by [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Brawn]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|Microbots}}

{{-}}

===''Beast Wars''===
[[Image:BWNemesisPt1_rises.jpg|thumb|left|200px|And in four million years, its [[Decepticon space cruiser|sister ship]] crashes into the ocean, coming full circle.]]

The ''Nemesis'' was the flagship of the [[Decepticon fleet]], and the most powerful warship ever built.

[[Image:BWNemesisPt1 Nemesisname.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Megatron (G1)|Megs]] wanted his victims to know who it was that blew them up.]]

According to myth, it was responsible for shooting down the Ark. It was revealed that [[Tarantulas]] had discovered the wreckage of the ''Nemesis'' deep under water, and had been refurbishing it for unknown purposes. Following Tarantulas' death, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] discovered the rebuilt ship and commandeered it as a last ditch attempt to rewrite history and destroy the Ark. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

Using the ''Nemesis''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s awesome power, Megatron managed to kill [[Tigerhawk (BW)|Tigerhawk]] as well as [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] by accident. In the final battle, the ''Nemesis''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s controls were severely damaged by [[Rhinox]] and [[Optimus Primal]]. Out of control, the ship crashed a second time at an unseen location far over the horizon line.{{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

====Tactical systems====
[[Image:Nemesis missiles.JPG|left|150px|thumb|[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] liked to write messages on the missiles.]]

{{quote|I will say this for my namesake; he liked his artillery big, and plentiful|Beast Wars Megatron on ''Nemesis's'' armaments|"[[Nemesis, Part 2]]"}}

Even for the flagship of the Decepticon space fleet, one might have considered the armament on the ''Nemesis'' to be overkill. In addition to the standard energy weapons used by the Decepticons, the vessel carried a massive amount of [[missile]]s, which could be fired slowly in a swarm of rocket propelled death. A [[tractor beam]] could pull anything beneath it up to be sliced and grounded up by rotating blades and drills. The blades were incredibly sharp, being able to slice through solid rock.
[[Image:Nemesis fusion cannon.JPG|thumb|right|125px|"A second fusion cannon is unworkable, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]." "Silence, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]!"]]
Given that Megatron himself would have be the ship's normal commander, it shoould not be surprising that the primary weapon on the ''Nemesis'' was a [[fusion cannon]]. The fusion cannon was powered by its own reactor, apparently separate from the main [[Energon]] supply. The reactor needed to be at one hundred percent capacity to fire a blast, and would require a powerup time between blasts.

The ship also featured systems to enable the forced boarding of enemy ships. A pair of magnetic couplings amidships allowed for the Nemesis to forcibly establish a magnetic junction between herself and the unfortunate target, and a boarding chute could be released from within the hull to allow crew-members to cross the gap between ships. The tip of the chute could also be heated to cut through hull plating at least as thick as that used on the [[Ark]].

Tactically the ship had two main weaknesses. During the flight from Cybertron a heavy meteor shower required so much power to maintain the shields that ''Nemesis'' was forced to fly in the Ark's wake in order to survive. Given that a similar energy crisis shortly affected the Ark as well, it would seem that both ships were weakened by the lack of energy on Cybertron. Ergo, the Nemesis functioned best when well-fueled, otherwise her size and power requirements could make the ship a liability.

The second weakness was placing all the main tactical, command and fire-control systems in the prominent dorsal conning tower. Though the location provided a excellent viewpoint for piloting the ship and directing combat (and was presumably well armored and shielded), it also made for a compelling target, as happened in the final act of the Beast Wars when [[Rhinox]] piloted an [[Autobot Shuttle Omega Delta|Autobot shuttle]] straight into the conning tower in a kamikaze run, taking out the bridge and crippling the ship, which flew rudderless until crashing in [[South America]].

{{-}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===

After returning to Earth following Shockwave's defeat on Cybertron, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] used the ''Nemesis'' as his base of operations. It is unknown if the warship had previously been used for this purpose by the Decepticons or if Starscream rediscovered it after returning to Earth.

The technical specifications for the ''Nemesis'' were:
*Estimated length: 2.5 miles
*Wingspan: 1.75 miles
*Height: 1.25 miles

==Trivia==

*[[Energon (franchise)|Energon]] [[Sharkticon (Energon)|Sharkticon]]'s vehicle mode was originally designed to resemble the ''Nemesis'', and his early working name was "Decepticon Nemesis".

[[Category:Decepticon bases]]
[[Category: Beast Wars]]
[[Category: Generation 1]]
[[Category: Generation 1 locations]]
[[Category: Nameless things]]
[[Category: Starships]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Spotlight: Optimus Prime

2008-03-12T07:00:16Z

61.88.131.156: /* Major characters */ Changing 'Major' to 'featured'

[[Image:Spotlight_OptimusPrime_a.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Does your man have an ass like mine?]]
{{comicnav | Spotlight (comics) | 9 | seriesname=''The Transformers: Spotlight''| prev=Spotlight: Galvatron | next=Spotlight: Ramjet}}
'''Optimus Prime's search for answers about his predecessors leads to a dark discovery.'''

==Synopsis==
In the wake of his brush with death at Megatron's hands, Prime is pensive. To find out more about the sinister presence he felt while transferring his Spark through [[infraspace]], he takes ''[[Ark-32]]'' and journeys to the [[Muta-Gaath Nebula]]{{m-}}secret home of Omega Supreme. Unfortunately, another ship observes his transit, its [[Pretender Monster|inhabitants]] vowing to destroy whoever is inside the asteroid base that Omega calls home.

Prime quizzes Omega about Nova Prime and the original [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'']]'s mission; they both suspect it was one of expansion and conquest, rather than exploration as had been advertised. Omega explains that Nova Prime felt that Cybertronians were superior to other life forms and had a duty to impress their likeness on the rest of the universe.

[[Image:Monstructor-idw1.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Seriously. Forget Sunstreaker or Prowl. Give ''this'' guy a ''Classics'' toy.]]

But before they can further pursue the matter, Monstructor smashes his way in to Omega's domain. The enraged combiner robot has come for Omega Supreme; Monstructor makes short work of him, ripping off his cannon arm within seconds and nearly crushing him with a shuttlecraft. Prime's weapons are repelled by an energy-dampening field, so Prime blasts open an airlock, sucking all three of them into space.

Omega uses his rocket-engine arm to transport himself and Prime as far away as he can, but they both know Monstructor is hot on their heels. Prime demands answers, and Omega explains that Monstructor was an attempt by [[Jhiaxus]], at Nova Prime's behest, to combine minds and bodies of a group of Transformers to enhance strength and intellect. But the process failed, and the combined formed "devolved into a monster". After Jhiaxus and Nova Prime disappeared aboard the original ''Ark'', Omega locked Monstructor away in a dimensionally-displaced prison, an act which Prime finds reprehensible.

Further debate is ended as Monstructor's ship arrives, and the monster dives at them. Omega tells Prime that Monstructor has one weak spot, an area of his chest; unable to reason with the giant, Prime strikes the area, and Monstructor breaks apart into his components. Prime swears to the fallen robots that he will help them.

An Autobot cleanup crew arrives later, to restore Omega Supreme and take the Monstructor team prisoner. Omega warns Prime that if the gestalt technology falls into Megatron's hands, the result will be an all-consuming war. Jetfire takes the combiner robots away, leaving Optimus to reflect on the tarnished legacy of the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] lineage.
{{-}}
==Credits==
'''Script:''' [[Simon Furman]]<br>
'''Art:''' [[Don Figueroa]]<br>
'''Lettering:''' [[Chris Mowry]]<br>
'''Colors:''' [[Josh Burcham]]<br>
'''Editors:''' [[Dan Taylor]]<br>
* ''Originally published:'' August 29, 2007
* ''Continuity:'' [[IDW continuity]]

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
! style="background:#FFEEB8" | Others
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (2)
* [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] (4)
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (12)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
| style="background:#FFEEB8" valign="top" |
* [[Nova Prime]] (3)
* [[Birdbrain]] (5)
* [[Bristleback]] (6)
* [[Icepick]] (7)
* [[Scowl]] (8)
* [[Slog]] (9)
* [[Wildfly]] (10)
* [[Monstructor]] (11)
|}

== Errors ==
* A strange conversation occurs among the Monstructor bots:
''Panel 1:''
:'''Unknown:''' Is it him?

''Panel 2:''
:'''Birdbrain:''' Only one sure way to find out.
:'''Bristleback:''' Which is?
:'''Birdbrain:''' ''Smash'' our way in...

''Panel 3:''
:'''Bristleback:''' ...and kill ''whoever'' and ''whatever'' we find inside!

It's ''possible'' that Bristleback did indeed chime in with his two cents' worth (particularly given the intertwined nature of this team), but considering IDW's history of misattributed speech balloons, it also seems likely that Birdbrain and Bristleback's speech balloons got switched in the second panel. Whatever the case, the conversation was not altered for the trade paperback version.

== Items of note ==
* Among the Autobots reporting in to Prime at the issue's opening are:
:* [[Springer]] (presumably the one reporting on [[Spotlight: Kup|Kup's status]])
:* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (with a new lead on [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]{{m-}}possibly implying that he [[Spotlight: Ultra Magnus|cut another deal with Swindle]])
:* [[Wheelie]], making his first appearance in the IDWverse, wondering if anyone can hear him.
:* [[Hound]] reporting [[Spotlight: Galvatron|Sideswipe's desire to follow up]] on [[Escalation (issue 1)|Sunstreaker's disappearance]].
* A similar scene starts off [[Escalation issue 1|''Escalation'' #1]].
* This issue establishes that the various combiner teams shown to date in the IDW universe ([[Technobot]]s, [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, the odd [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobot]] and [[Combaticon]]) aren't actually combiners yet.
* Also, the [[Pretender Monster]]s are not [[Pretender]]s nor [[Decepticon]]s, as they were locked away before the Pretender process and factions were developed. {{storylink|Stormbringer}} ''See [[IDW timeline]].''
* This issue further establishes that the Pretender Monsters are AWESOME and that Monstructor is a total bad-ass death machine. But we already knew that.
* The issue includes 2 pages of sketches by [[Don Figueroa]]{{m-}}one of Optimus Prime in several stages of transformation (tough it's the transformation design of MasterPiece/dreamwave Optimus, not the IDW one) and the the second of the various alternate modes of Sentinel Prime and Nova Prime.

===Covers (4)===
[[Image:Spotlight_OptimusPrime_b.jpg|thumb|right|200px|I need some low-fat Energon]]
* '''Cover A:''' Optimus in spotlight by [[Don Figueroa]] and [[Josh Burcham]] (colors)
* '''Cover B:''' Optimus with gun by [[Gabriel Rodriguez]]
* '''Cover RI:''' Uncolored cover A
* '''Cover ComicNewsi.com:''' Optimus at console by [[Don Perlin]]

===Advertisements===
* ''[[Devastation]]'', including a 6-page preview
* ''[[The Ascending]]''
* ''[[Megatron Origin]]'' (back cover)

[[Category:Spotlight issues|Optimus Prime]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Hydra Cannon

2008-03-12T06:56:52Z

61.88.131.156: /* Fiction */

:''The Hydra Cannon is both a [[Mini-Con]] superweapon and a [[Decepticon]] starship from the [[Armada (franchise)|Armada]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] continuity family''

[[Image:Hydra_Cannon.jpg|right|thumb|250px|It does not actually launch [[Hydra (BWN)|hydras]].]]

The '''Hydra Cannon''' is one of the single most powerful weapons in existence. A combination of the Mini-Con weapons, the [[Star Saber (UT)|Star Saber ]], the [[Skyboom (Armada)|Skyboom Shield]] and the [[Requiem Blaster]], the Hydra Cannon requires no fewer then nine Mini-Cons to form (hence its name) and possess enough raw power to destroy an entire planet!

The ''Hydra Cannon'' starship was constructed on the [[Moon]], largely using Mini-Con slave-labour until the [[Autobots]] conducted a raid to free them. She was built as a means to contain the Hydra Cannon weapon itself, and serve as transport for the Decepticons under [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron's]] command for their trip home to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
===''Armada''===

After [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] betrayed the Autobots and delivered both the Skyboom Shield and Star Saber to Megatron, the Mini-Con weapons were placed into a chamber that drew upon their energy, serving as both the ship's main power core and the main weapon. Slowly, the ''Hydra Cannon'' lifted off from beneath the Moon's surface, destroying what was left of the [[Exodus]]' hulk. However, the ship struggled against the moon's gravitational pull, forcing [[Demolishor]] to push the engines to over 190% of their normal output.

[[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] recommended testing the cannon first before using it in combat. Megatron concurred, and it was decided that a comet passing through the Solar System would be the Hydra Cannon's first victim.

[[Image:Hydra_minicons.jpg|left|thumb| It belongs in a museum!]]

As the unwitting population of the western hemisphere watched, the Hydra Canon obliterated the comet, bathing the sky in light, then settling in an ominous green glow. Simultaneously, the computer systems at Lincoln's observatory shut down, much like when the Mini-Cons sent their distress signals to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{Storylink|Threaten}}

Megatron was greatly pleased at the results, then decided to destroy the Autobots once and for all by targeting their base on [[Earth]], much to the distress and objection of Starscream. After [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] captured images of the ''Hydra Cannon'', he and [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] launched a desperate assault on the warship in an effort to stop the cannon from firing. After a struggle with the Decepticons, Optimus placed himself in the path of the Cannon's beam, and used the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] to stop the beam and force it back towards the cannon itself. This caused a feedback overload that disengaged the Mini-Cons powering the core, shutting down the weapon.

Unfortunately, this cost Optimus Prime his life as he exploded into a million pieces, leaving only [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]] and his Matrix. As night fell, his debris rained down as shooting stars over Earth. Their human companions apparently found this very beautiful, 'as if the whole universe was mourning Prime's death'. Apparently they missed the morbid connotations of it raining Optimus bits.{{Storylink|Crisis}}

After Starscream died and Galvatron realized the enormity of [[Unicron]]'s threat, the Autobots and Decepticons reached a historic peace agreement and the alliance was formalized on board the ''Hydra Cannon''. {{Storylink|Alliance}}

She continued to serve as Galvatron's flagship until she was destroyed by [[Unicron]].

==Known crew and specifications==

The crew of the ''Hydra Cannon'' included:
*Megatron - Captain and Commanding Officer
*Thrust - First Officer
*Starscream - Tactical and Weapons
*Demolishor - Engineer
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] - Strategic Operations Officer (Doesn't do anything, like [[Rodimus (Energon)|Worf]]!)
*[[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]] - Angsty Cabin Boy

The main power core of the ''Hydra Cannon'' depends upon the continued operation of the three legendary Mini-Con weapons teams. However, with, a significant portion of this goes into the Cannon itself, leaving little adequate power for the ship's already slow engines (which are inferior to the Autobot [[Axalon (Armada)|Axalon's]]).

The ''Hydra Cannon'' also has a powerful, six-thousand gigavolt electro-shield, able to withstand a direct chest cannon blast from Unicron. At least for a few moments. Before the ship explodes.

The cannon itself is not actually Cybertronian technology, as Megatron mentions when he finally wakes up and realizes that Thrust is not exactly on their side. It is implied that [[Sideways]] gave Thrust the plans, or at least the idea that the three weapons combined housed a greater power that could be channeled into an even more powerful weapon.

{{Stub}}
[[Category: Armada]]
[[Category: Mini-Con weapons]]
[[Category: Starships]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Miracle (episode)

2008-03-12T06:55:24Z

61.88.131.156: Updated to current standards - FFN in class

{{picsneeded}}
{{episodenav|armada|42|prev=Depart|next=Puppet}}

'''Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons... IN SPAAAAAACE!!!'''

==Summary==

[[Image:Sshot-arm-42-1.jpg|right|thumb|150px|so first [[:Image:Sshot-arm-39-3.jpg|this]] happens, and then nine months later, a Prime pops out like this.]]

Aboard the [[Autobot]] spaceship [[Axalon (Armada)|Axalon]], Alexis and her friends looks back on Earth as they head towards Cybertron. Fred eats some chocolate and Billy cries that he forgot his video camera. On the bridge, Hot Shot and the Autobots salute Earth and the memory of Optimus Prime.

On the [[Hydra Cannon|Decepticon's ship]], Megatron orders the ship to be turned around so the Autobots can be destroyed.

Sparkplug, still holding Prime's [[Matrix]], meets with several Mini-Cons. Moments later, hundreds of glowing lights swarm around the Autobotship. High Wire - in english, introduces the lights as Mini-Con friends. After the swarm of minis are introduced, the [[Street Action Mini-Con Team]] trigger a flashback in the humans to [[Chase (Armada episode)|that time they saw a big evil in cyberspace]]. High Wire names the evil [[Unicron]].

Blurr tries to pilot the Axalon through an asteroid field. In the thick of space-debris, the Decepticons start their attack. Alexis notices the Mini-Cons also running to help the Autobots in the battle. Thrust fights against Jetfire, Cyclonus fights against Blurr, and Starscream and Hot Shot continue their long-standing grudge. Scavenger erotically battles against Demolishor. Megatron easily overpowers Side Swipe.<br>
When Megatron aims the [[Requiem Blaster]] at the Axalon, Hot Shot stands in his way. Meanwhile, on the Axalon's hull, Perceptor and Sparkplug present The Matrix to the swarm of their gathered friends. Several Mini-Cons plunge into the Matrix, where something begins to take shape.

Megatron degrades Hot Shot, but a large sphere of green light swoops around and knocks Megatron aside. To everybody's astonishment, Optimus stands alive. With a Max Flare, Optimus ruins the Decepticon's attack. At the end of the episode, Megatron is glad that Optimus is back.

{{-}}

==Stats==
'''Original airdate:''' September 12, 2003

'''Written by:'''

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"
! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human|Humans]]
! style="background:#FFEEB8" | Others
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Street Action Mini-Con Team]] (6)
*[[Side Swipe (Armada)|Sideswipe]] (7)
*[[Blurr (Armada)|Blurr]] (8)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (9)
*[[Hoist (Armada)|Hoist]] (10)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (11)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (12)
*[[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]] (13)
*[[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]] (18)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] (22)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
*[[Demolishor]] (14)
*[[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] (15)
*[[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (16)
*[[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] (17)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] (20)
*[[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]] (21)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" | '''Regulars'''
*[[Rad White|Rad]] (1)
*[[Carlos Lopez|Carlos]] (2)
*[[Alexis]] (3)
*[[Billy (Armada)|Billy]] (4)
*[[Fred (Armada)|Fred]] (5)

'''Guests'''

| style="background:#FFEEB8" valign="top" |
*[[Unicron]] (in a flashback) (19)
|}

==Quotes==

'''High Wire:''' "Friends"<br>
'''Rad:''' "Huh?" <br>
'''High Wire:''' "Yes, they are friends." <br>
'''Rad:''' "HAY! They're friendly!"

'''Carlos:''' "Hey dude, what's he saying?"<br>
'''Rad:''' "Haven't got a clue? - What's wrong?"<br>
'''High Wire:''' "Enemy."<br>

"Unicron..."
: {{m-}} '''Highwire'''

"I'd never thought I'd say this, but it's good to have you back, Prime."
: {{m-}} '''Megatron''', pleased that his old foe is alive

==Other notes==
===Lost in translation===
*

===Animation and/or technical glitches===
*

===Continuity errors===
*Alexis sees [[Iceberg]] in the hallway and calls him by his Japanese name, Junk. You should be used to this kind of thing by now.

===Real-world references===
*

===Miscellaneous trivia===
[[Image:Flashbox.jpg|right|thumb|150px|"Don't shoot! I don't know anything about Anonymous!"]]

*The Prime-Transforms sequence airs at the start of the episode, rather than after the first scene.
* Smokescreen finally has his name changed to Hoist.
*The arrival of the Mini-Cons is explained in the [[Linkage]] series of comics that came with each Japanese Micron Dentesu DVD release.
*Megatron's happiness over Prime's return matches his disappointment that Prime died in [[Crisis]].
* This episode debuts several non-toy Mini-Cons with designs, who would later get bios from the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]], such as [[Flashbox]].

===Keywords===

{{epstub}}

{{-}}

[[Category:Armada episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>