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Commercial bumper

2011-02-13T09:55:17Z

68.110.0.146: /* Animated */

{{disambig2|the bits between the show and the ads|the television advertisements|Commercial}}
{{picsneeded|RID}}
[[Image:G1CommercialBumper01.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Still not as catchy as ABC's "Aaaafter theeese messages, we'll be riiiight back!"]]
'''Commercial bumpers''' are short segments used to mark the start and end of a commercial segment during a television show. They have been used in many Transformers cartoons.

:''Japanese term:'' '''Eye catch'''

==Generation 1==
The original ''Transformers'' cartoon featured a rotating series of commercial bumpers, which changed by season. The music for all seasons remained the same, however, with [[Victor Caroli]] narrating "[[Media:G1-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1.ogg|''The Transformers'' will return after these messages]]" and "[[Media:G1-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-2.ogg|We now return to ''The Transformers'']]", while a character transformed. The animation for the season 1 and 2 bumpers was provided by [[Toei]] while the animation for the season 3 and 4 bumpers was provided by [[AKOM]]. Amusingly, at the end of each episode, it was announced the Transformers would return, only to come back to the end credits.

The commercial bumpers were among the many aspects of the cartoon subjected to aural desecration by [[Kid Rhino]]. Whereas the original bumpers featured only music and the narrator's voice, the Rhino DVD releases included lasers, squealing tires, revving engines, swooshing sounds, and [[transformation]] sound effects, none of which were present in the original.

The Japanese dub replaced [[Victor Caroli]] with [[Issei Masamune]] yelling "Exciting Transformer!", and had sound effects added to them. During the 2010 series, the regular music in the bumpers was replaced with "[[Transformer 2010|TRANSFORMER 2010]]".

[[Image:G1CommercialBumperOptimus01.jpg|thumb|200px|This image can also be found on every vintage trapper keeper, pencil case and paper party cup you'll ever find.]]
[[Image:G1CommercialBumperShockwave01.jpg|thumb|200px|Little known fact: Shockwave invented [[:Image:G1 Vol.2 Issue6 2.jpg|disco]].]]
[[Image:G1CommercialBumperTrypticon01.jpg|thumb|200px|Trypticon destroy obnoxious text!!]]
[[Image:G1CommercialBumperHighbrow01.jpg|thumb|200px|Featuring everyone's favorite... this guy!]]

;1984
''The Transformers'' will return:
*Optimus Prime transforms to robot mode.
*Jazz drives out from behind an Autobot symbol, spins out while transforming to robot mode, and backs off-screen while firing.

We now return to ''The Transformers'':
*Starscream flies over Earth, transforms to robot mode and lands.
*Laserbeak flies under cam in cassette mode; a passing Decepticon symbol hides his transformation to condor mode.

;1985
The Season Two commercial bumpers are distinguished by their bright, solid-color backgrounds.

''The Transformers'' will return:
*Cosmos transforms and lands on an upside-down planetoid, which then rotates so he's upright.
*Omega Supreme transforms from base to robot and fires.
*Shockwave transforms from gun to robot and fires at the camera
*Devastator forms, raises his fists together and is enveloped by an energy glow.
*Blitzwing

We now return to ''The Transformers'':
*Thrust transforms to robot mode and lands.
*Warpath transforms to tank mode and drives under the camera.
*Astrotrain flies past in shuttle mode, changes to robot mode and fires, then changes to locomotive form and drives into the camera.
*Grimlock changes to dino mode and uses his tail to smash a rock outcrop with the Decepticon emblem.
*Hook, in crane mode, lifts a sign declaring "We now return to the Transformers".

;1986
''The Transformers'' will return:
*Rodimus Prime, dodging fire from Cyclonus before changing to vehicle mode.
*Blurr flies past camera, transforms and fires.
*Base-mode Trypticon fires, then transforms to dinosaur mode.

We now return to ''The Transformers'':
*Ultra Magnus, discharging two passengers before transforming to robot mode.
*Sharkticon, transforming to shark mode and walking into the camera.

;1987
''The Transformers'' will return:
*Scorponok transforms from base to scorpion, scuttles at the camera, and transforms to robot.

We now return to ''The Transformers'':
*Highbrow transforms from helicopter to robot over a planet.
{{-}}

==''The Headmasters''==
Every bumper for ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' featured the same [[Media:HM-Commercial-Bumper-Sting.ogg|musical sting]], followed by a cry of "Head On!" from one of the cast.

[[Image:Headmasters bumpers.jpg|thumb|250px|"Apply directly to the command module!"]]
Into first commercial:
*Gun-mode [[Sixshot]] leaps from [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]'s hand, transforms to robot mode and fires a volley of shots from his blasters.

First return to show:
*Jet-mode [[Brainstorm]] flies and spins through space, then transforms to robot mode and fires a blast.

Into second commercial:
*Vehicle-mode [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] dodges two blasts from offscreen, then transforms to robot mode and fires back.
*Scorpion-mode [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] transforms to robot mode, materialises his shield and ends with a mighty pose.

Second return to show:
*Tank-mode [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] comes under fire from behind, and turns to return fire before transforming to robot mode.
*Ship-mode [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] transforms to robot mode.
{{-}}

==''Super-God Masterforce''==
Every ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' bumper was accompanied by [[Media:MF-Commercial-Bumper-Sting.ogg|a musical sting]] featuring a drawn-out cry of "Mastaaaaa-FORCE!"

;First rotation
[[Image:Masterforce bumper 1.jpg|thumb|200px|You'd better not touch that dial!]]
Into first commercial:
*Jet-mode [[Metalhawk]] flies over a polar wasteland, then transforms to robot mode and fires two shots.

First return to show:
*The [[Seacon (Masterforce)|Seacons]] burst out of the ocean and combine into [[King Poseidon]].

Into second commercial:
*Jet-mode [[Blood]] flies over a city and shoots at a building, then transforms to robot mode.

Second return to show:
*[[Shūta Gō|Goshooter]] transforms to robot mode.

Before closing credits:
*Truck-mode [[Ginrai]] drives across a rocky landscape, and transforms to robot mode.

;Second rotation
[[Image:Masterforce bumper 2.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
Into first commercial:
*Jet-mode [[Metalhawk]] flies over a polar wasteland, then transforms to robot mode and fires two shots.

First return to show:
*The [[Seacon (Masterforce)|Seacons]] burst out of the ocean and combine into [[King Poseidon]].

Into second commercial:
*[[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] and [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]] combine into [[Darkwings]].

Second return to show:
*[[Shūta Gō|Goshooter]] transforms to robot mode.

Before closing credits:
*Super Ginrai bursts out of a volcano in vehicle mode and transforms into robot mode.

;Third rotation
[[Image:Masterforce bumper 3.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
Into first commercial:
*Ship-mode [[Grand Maximus]] flies through a smokey battlefield, fires off a shot, and transforms to robot mode.

First return to show:
*Super Ginrai tears through a wall of strange organic material, then combines with [[Godbomber]] into God Ginrai.

Into second commercial:
*Scorpion-mode [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]] scuttles through a dark canyon and transforms to robot mode.

Second return to show:
*The [[Giga|Gigatank]] drives through some water as the [[Mega|Megajet]] flies overhead, then the pair combine into [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]].

Before closing credits:
*Super Ginrai tears through a wall of strange organic material, then combines with [[Godbomber]] into God Ginrai.

The final episode of the series, "[[You Too Use the Masterforce to Transform]]" featured a unique final bumper, starring [[Cab]]'s pet [[Cab|parrot and armadillo]]. The parrot rode around on top of the rolled up armadillo, then fell off as the armadillo uncurled.
{{-}}

==''Victory''==
[[Image:Victory bumpers.jpg|thumb|250px|When your room looks kinda weird, and you wish that you weren't the-ere...]]
[[Image:Roadcaesar bumper.jpg|thumb|125px|ANIMAL DANCE!]]

''[[Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'''s bumpers were distinguished by their use of cutesy "[[super deformed]]" characters, who would destroy the opposing faction's [[insignia]] to the tune of [[Media:Victory-Commercial-Bumper-Sting.ogg|a short musical sting]].

After opening credits:
*[[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] flies in and transforms, then slashes the Decepticon insignia, which falls apart to reveal the Autobot insignia beneath.

Into commercial:
*[[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] falls into shot in beast mode, transforms and smashes the Autobot insignia with his mace, which crumbles away to expose the Decepticon insignia.

Back to show:
*The [[Dinoforce]] combine into [[Dinoking]], who jumps on the Autobot insignia, then cheerfully plucks the Decepticon insignia from rubble.

Before closing credits:
*[[Holi]] destroys the Decepticon insignia by bursting out of it in car mode, then transforms to watch [[Jean Minakaze|Jean]] as he pushes the Autobot insignia into shot. Holi leans against it and Jean salutes.
*The [[Brainmaster|Brainmasters]] combine into [[Road Caesar]] and kick the Decepticon logo and the camera follows it as it rolls off to the right, past the Autobot logo, and falls over. Road Caesar jumps on it and dusts his hands off. Curiously, this bumper was only featured in "[[Attack! Leozack]]".
{{-}}

==''Generation 2''==
[[Image:G2commercialConstructiconsDinobots.jpg|thumb|125px|]]
''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|Generation 2]]'' incorporated [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] clips from the line's toy [[Commercial|commercials]], each one featuring a piece of unique narration.

Into commercial:
*The Constructicons transform and start smashing stuff as the narrator appeals to the audience: "Hey, don't trash the place! ''Transformers: Generation 2'' will be right back!"
*Jazz drives off a ramp and transforms to robot mode with a flip. "Hey, don't flip out! ''Transformers: Generation 2'' will be right back!"
*Optimus Prime drives down a road for a while before transforming. "Don't hit the road! ''Transformers: Generation 2'' will be right back!"

Back to show:
*Ramjet swoops down and transforms to robot mode as the narrator requests: "Don't go ballistic! ''Transformers: Generation 2'' is back!"
*Devastator smashes a chasm into the ground, out of which emerge the Dinobots. "And now, back to ''Transformers: Generation 2''!"
{{-}}

==''Beast Wars''==
''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' featured a standardized short commercial bumper, with the show's logo from the opening credits accompanied by the "BEAST WARS!" cry, and [[Garry Chalk]] proclaiming either "We'll be right back!" or "We're back!" as appropriate.

[[Image:Beast Wars bumper.jpg|thumb|left|200px|]]
After the final act of the episode and before the final commercial, there would be an additional bumper, with a narrator urging viewers to continue watching the series as a montage of action clips and quotes played quickly in the background.

[[Image:BeastWarsJapanBumperConvoy01.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
:''Garry Chalk'': "BEAST WAAAARS!"
:''Narrator'': "More exciting action--"
:''Chalk'': "MAXIMIZE!"
:''Narrator'': "--from your favorite 3-D Transformers!"
:''Chalk'': "Prime jets, ON!"
:''[[Ian James Corlett|Ian Corlett]]'': "Whoaaaaah, cool!"
:''Narrator'': "On the next exciting adventure of ''Beast Wars''! With 3-D action!"

Meanwhile, for the Japanese version of the series, the commercial bumpers were slightly more elaborate. Each bumper featured a framed image of a chosen character, showing off their transformation while screaming the name of the show. Layed over their narration was a clip of the theme song: "[[War War! Stop It|WAR WAR! STOP IT]]" by [[Banana Ice]].
{{-}}

==''Beast Wars II''==
[[Image:BWII Lio Convoy bumper.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
The Japanese ''[[Beast Wars II (cartoon)|Beast Wars II]]'' series used two different types of bumpers.

The first featured an over-the-shoulder, close-up shot of [[Lio Convoy]] on a plain black background. This would reveal itself slowly with an adjustment of the screen's lighting, followed by the series' logo materialising in the bottom right corner, all to the tune of [[Media:BWII-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1.ogg|a strange "whoosing" synth sting]].

The second type of bumper used in ''BWII'' featured a character's stock transformation footage on a plain black background, again ending with the show's logo slowly appearing in the corner. When the featured character had a beast mode, they were shown transforming to robot mode, but those without ended up in vehicle mode. The exceptions to this rule were [[Moon (BWII)|Moon]], [[Scuba]], and [[Ikard]], who were each shown to transform both to robot mode in a pre-break bumper and then back to beast mode after the break. [[Starscream (BWII)|Starscream]] also transformed to robot mode when he was featured. Instead of the "whoosing" synth, this style of bumper was accompanied by [[Media:BWII-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-2.ogg|its own short musical sting]].

The first Lio Convoy-style bumper was used almost exclusively for the first fifteen episodes, with the sole exception of episode twelve. Between the episodes sixteen and forty-two it only turned up in four episodes, and then shared the final episode with a [[Lio Junior]] transformation bumper.
{{-}}

==''Beast Wars Neo''==
''[[Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' also used bumpers that each featured the series' characters' transformation footage as ''BWII'' had. This was accompanied by one of two musical stings, depending on whether the bumper was positioned [[Media:BWN-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1.ogg|before]] or [[Media:BWN-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-2.ogg|after]] the ad break.

[[Image:Beast Wars Neo bumpers.jpg|thumb|280px|left|Wonkey <s>donkey</s> giraffe.]]
Approximately half of the episodes featured a different character either side of the ad break, whereas the other half kept the same character for both bumps. Occasionally they also mixed things up a bit by showing a single character transforming from beast mode to robot mode before the break and back again afterwards.

Of the twenty-two characters featured in the series' bumpers, only six were given more than one piece of transformation footage. Of those, [[Big Convoy]] is special in that he was shown in three separate clips; one transforming to beast mode, and two transforming to robot mode.

The familiar [[Lio Convoy]] over-the-shoulder bumper from ''BWII'' also made a cameo appearance in this series. It was used as both the pre- and post-break bumpers in [[Illusion? Lio Convoy|episode twenty-nine]]. The only difference was that it now featured the ''Neo'' logo and stings, naturally.

With this series, Lio Convoy also finally got his own transformation-style bumper, something that managed to elude him throughout the whole of ''BWII''.
{{-}}

==''Robots in Disguise''==
[[Image:Car Robots bumpers.jpg|right|280px|thumb|]]
;''Car Robots''
The Japanese ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Car Robots]]'' series featured bumpers that each re-used one of the [[computer-generated imagery|CGI]] character transformations seen in the show's [[title sequence|opening titles]], except taking place on a plain black background and with the series logo overlaid onto the bottom right corner. These were accompanied by one of two different musical stings, depending on whether they were [[Media:CR-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1.ogg|leading into]], or [[Media:CR-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-2.ogg|returning from]] the ad break.

;''Robots in Disguise''
Into commercial:
*CGI animation of a superdeformed [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] transforming into the [[Fox Kids]] logo. [[Neil Kaplan]] narrates "We'll be right back, on Fox Kids!"
*The [[Spy Changer]]s run towards the screen and transform, as [[Wally Wingert]] implores "Don't speed up--we'll be transforming back to the show!"

Back to show:
*CGI clip of Optimus Prime's transformation from the original ''Car Robots'' opening credits. Kaplan: "Shift--shape--and ready to roll--back to ''Transformers'' on Fox Kids!"
*[[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]]'s face appears on his own car-mode viewscreen. Wingert: "Dude! We're cruising the fast track, back to ''Transformers'' on Fox Kids!"
{{-}}

==''Armada''==
[[Image:Armada Optimus Prime bumper.jpg|thumb|150px|]]
;''Armada''
The ''[[Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' series featured bumpers that were very similar in part to the show's [[scene transition]]s.

The first bumper of the episode would start by showing [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]]'s vehicle mode driving down a dirt road for a couple of seconds before transitioning via a screen full of customised [[Autobot]] [[insignia]]-shaped [[wikipedia:wipe (transition)|iris wipes]] to a shot of him in robot mode in front of a vaguely mechanical looking background. Optimus would then twirl around, flailing wildly, before settling on a pose on the right side of the screen. This was accompanied by either [[Media:Armada-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1.ogg|a short musical sting taken from the show's theme song]], or [[Media:Armada-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-2.ogg|a second sting that, like, totally rocks out loud]].
[[Image:Armada bumpers.jpg|thumb|280px|left|Winners don't use drugs. Transfans don't need them.]]
The bumper leading into the mid-episode commercial break would start by fading up on the familiar swirling green background as pieces of the Autobot insignia quickly tumbled from behind the camera towards the middle of the screen. Once the pieces had met in the middle-ground and joined together to form the Autobot symbol, they would perform a quick flip while a glowing yellow monochrome Optimus suddenly appeared out of the flare effect. All of this was accompanied by the same first musical sting taken from the theme song.

The bumper that led the return to the show was basically the same, except with the [[Decepticon]] symbol, a glowing white [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]], and [[Media:Armada-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1-Short.ogg|a slightly shorter version of the first sting]].
{{-}}

[[Image:Micron Legend bumpers.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Transfans DEFINITELY don't need drugs. The franchise itself is addicting enough as it is.]]
;''Micron Legend''
The Japanese version ''Micron Legend'' used multiple bumper sets, changing to new ones in the later half of the series. Almost all feature the accompanying music sting that is the initial cries of [[Media:ML-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1.ogg|"Transform! Transform!" and guitar riff]] from the first opening song "[[Transformer: Dream Again|TRANSFORMER -Dream Again-]]".

The previously mentioned bumper of Prime driving, and transforming, at the start of each episode, which was used as bumper for the start of ''Armada'' episodes, instead served as the title cards for each episode in ''Micron Legend''.

The first set is more or less identical to ''Armada'''s mid-episode commercial break, although they're accompanied with the ''Micron Legend'' logo and instrumentals that play slightly extended versions of the [[scene transition#The Unicron Trilogy|scene transitions']] stings: [[Media:ML-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-2.ogg|the "heroic" guitars]] for Optimus, and [[Media:ML-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-3.ogg|the more ominous horns]] for Megatron.

[[Image:Micron Legend Unicron bumper.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Now do an "OM NOM NOM" pose!]]
The second eye catch variation leading into commercial shows Jet Optimus firing a shot while flying back, followed with [[Overload (Armada)|Overload]] driving by in vehicle form before cutting to a yellow monochrome of them all combined against the similarly styled green background.

Returning from commercial has more than one variation. One shows [[Megatron (Armada)|Galvatron]] standing on Cybertron with [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] popping up behind him and a starry backdrop. Cut to them combined and the green background with the ''Micron Legend'' logo, but not in silver monochrome

Another version of returning from commercial features Unicron in planet mode zooming close to the screen before his planet-mode's "jaws" transitions the screen over to him in robot mode hovering over Cybertron with the ''Micron Legend'' logo.
{{-}}

==''Super Link''==
[[Image:Super Link bumpers.jpg|thumb|280px]]
The Japanese version of the ''[[Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' cartoon featured still shots of various characters over the top of one of two musical stings, one for [[Media:SL-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1.ogg|either]] [[Media:SL-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-2.ogg|side]] of the break. In addition, the featured character would announce the show's title, often taking the opportunity to introduce themselves to the audience or give their characteristic rallying cry ("[[Megatron (Armada)|Galvatron]]—hyper mode!" for example).

Rather than follow a fixed pattern across the series or be chosen randomly, the bumpers would often relate to the events of the episode during which they appeared, and characters would sometimes make references to what was happening in the show at the time. The special episode "[[Distribution]]" featured an abundance of original commercial bumpers which didn't actually lead into commercials, but were just included for "fun" in the middle of the show.

''Super Link'''s commercial bumpers didn't make it into ''Energon'' (because it took commercial breaks more frequently and at different times), but the fake bumpers from "Distribution" did, since they were actually part of the episode. Naturally, the joke (weak as it was in the first place) was met with [[dull surprise|dull bemusement]] by the ''Energon'' audience, since viewers who had not seen ''Super Link'' (i.e. most of the viewing audience) had no idea what they were or where they came from.
{{-}}

==''Galaxy Force''==
The bumpers for the Japanese ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Galaxy Force]]'' series featured a harmonised cry of "[[Media:GF-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1.ogg|To-ran-su-for-MAAAAA!]]" taken from the end of [[Call You... Kimi to Boku no Mirai|the main theme tune]]. When the theme changed at episode twenty-eight the show's bumpers switched to using two different versions of the cry, neither from the main theme, each with slightly different timing for the pre- and post-break bumpers; "[[Media:GF-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-2.ogg|To-ran-su... fo-or-MAAAAA!]]" and "[[Media:GF-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-3.ogg|To-ran-su-FORRR-maaaaa!]]" respectively.

[[Image:Galaxy Force bumpers.jpg|thumb|280px|left|It's 8:13... Do you know where your children are?]]
[[Image:Galaxy Force bumpers ep51.jpg|thumb|190px|right|Up and below!]]
For the first half of the series, each bumper would start by showing the series' logo on a light blue star field, from which the planets would break away and fly around a bit as the title glowed white and phased-out. This would then quickly cross-fade into a close-up still of a character, on top of which said character would then phase-in with the same white glow seen earlier (together with their name and faction's insignia) and strike a pose with a mighty ''clunk''.

From episode twenty-seven (the series' half-way point), the bumpers would start with a close-up silhouette of a character on a star field background, overlaid with the series' logo in the bottom corner. The logo would then phase-out as the silhouette moved away from the camera, usually turning around, as the lighting adjusted to reveal the character and the background cross-faded into said character's close-up still. Each bump would still end with the same pose-striking ''clunk'' as before, together with the character's name and insignia phasing into view.

For the first thirteen episodes, the bumper leading into the ad break was also used to return to the show, whereas from episodes fourteen to twenty-five, most (but not all) episodes featured different characters either side of the break. From episode twenty-six onwards they were always different, and occasionally displayed two or three characters on the same screen.

A notable exception is [[Unfinished|episode fifty-one]], which is the only episode to feature no commercial bumpers; instead, the ''Galaxy Force'' logo scrolls on and off the screen to signal the beginning and the end of the commercial break, as pictured right.
{{-}}

==''Animated''==
[[Image:Animated Japan bumpers.jpg|250px|thumb|right|]]
In America, the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' cartoon series did not have any unique bumpers, simply going with whatever generic bumpers [[Cartoon Network]] was using at the time.

In Japan, however, new commercial bumpers were crafted for the series. These bumpers use one of two musical stings, depending on whether the character featured is [[Media:Animated-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-1.ogg|an Autobot]] or [[Media:Animated-Commercial-Bumper-Sting-2.ogg|a Decepticon]], with said character shouting their name followed by the "Transform!" command. The Autobot sting is based on [[Transformers Evo.|the show's opening theme song]].

Visually, each bumper starts with a blank screen showing a colour gradient, in front of which the featured character quickly moves in from off-screen in their vehicle mode. They then flip in a manner similar to a [[scene transition]] to reveal the same character in robot mode, flanked by a mirrored pair of monochrome versions of themselves in an action pose, set at a jaunty angle and overlaid with their name in a unique font. This art then moves towards the camera slightly before straightening up and shrinking back to the middle-ground as the series' logo positions itself in front of them.
{{-}}

==''Prime''==
In the US, ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers:Prime]]'' has no separate bumpers, simply using [[The Hub]]'s generic bumpers.
[[Category:Media]]

The many deaths of Optimus Prime

2011-02-01T22:24:53Z

68.110.0.146: /* Animated cartoon */

[[Image:Afterdeath-gameoverman.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Oh, he's gone and died again. Botheration! Most inconvenient.]]
Across the various continuities, '''Optimus Prime dies a lot.''' This happens for various reasons:

* It allows for him to be replaced by [[Hot Rod (G1)|a new character]] (and thus [[To sell toys|a new toy]]).
* It allows for him to come back from the dead in a new body (again, a new toy).
* It's dramatic (in theory).
* It makes him into something of a [[Jesus|Christ]]-figure.
* It allows for numerous [[Optimus Prime memorials|memorials]] to be constructed in his honor (though they're some times built even ''before'' he dies, morbidly enough).

Nearly every continuity family has featured Prime dying at least once; the only exceptions are the Optimus Primes from ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' (though [[The Final Battle (RID)|only just]]) and ''[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]''.

Some examples:

==Generation 1 cartoon continuity==
===''Generation 1 cartoon''===
[[Image:Wardawn_orion_dies.jpg|right|210px|thumb|Dying before he's even Optimus Prime (he's that good).]]

* Orion Pax died (or was at least severely damaged by Megatron) and had to be rebuilt into Optimus Prime by [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]. It's possible that if Orion had not been repaired, Optimus Prime would have ceased to exist. Pax's girlfriend Ariel was also heavily damaged, and rebuilt into [[Elita One]]. They were with their friend [[Dion]] when they were attacked by Megatron, although it is unknown if he was likewise rebuilt.

===''The Transformers: The Movie''===
[[Image:TFTM dead gray Prime.jpg|left|180px|thumb|[[:wikipedia:Oscar Wilde#Release and death|"Either that wallpaper goes, or I do."]]]]
* The best-known example is from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] dies of wounds from his battle with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. Famously, his body turns gray as he dies. ([[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers|Urban legend]] says his body also ''crumbles,'' but no such footage is known to exist.) Being the first time he died, it was actually unexpected.
{{-}}

===''Kiss Players''===
*Sometime between [[The Transformers: The Movie|2005]] and [[The Transformers (cartoon)|2010]], [[Marissa Faireborn]] revives Optimus using the Galvatron cells in her body. Ultimately, all the cells are put back into Galvatron, and without them, Optimus promptly dies again.

===Season 3===
[[Image:Optimusg1zombie.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Mind if I smoke?"]]
* He returns from the dead twice; first as a zombie under [[Quintesson]] control in "[[Dark Awakening]]" as part of a plan to destroy the Autobots, only to die again when he overcomes the Quintesson control through the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] and possibly the strength of his will, and sacrifices himself to save the Autobots.

* He then was brought to life again in "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1]]".
{{-}}

===''The Headmasters''===
[[Image:Headmasters-primedies.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"...I'm dead." "YES, you are!" "You think that's funny, Jennings?!"]]

* In ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'', Prime's death in ''The Transformers: The Movie'' was sort-of recreated in a flashback montage at the beginning of "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]", but not really. Rather than die while taking down his ultimate nemesis in a one-on-one struggle to the death to defend his city, his comrades, the planet Earth, and freedom itself, he just kind of gets randomly shot while in the middle of an ordinary battle outside of [[Ark (G1)|Autobot Headquarters]], and turns gray. Nobody else seems to notice this. It's not clear that Prime himself notices it. It's about the most half-hearted death ever.

* Optimus Prime later died again—in another act of self sacrifice, of course—when he walked into [[Vector Sigma]] and tried to bring it back under control directly in "[[Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime]]". His body turned gray as he died, followed by a (likely only symbolic) scene of him telling [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] that it would be his responsibility to keep leading the Autobots and to continue his work, seen as a transparent, light-haloed figure against the sky and heard in third person narration as Rodimus stared into the sky. (Then again, given the [[Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime|proven]] existence of [[Starscream (G1)|gho]][[Alpha Trion (G1)|sts]]...)
{{-}}

===''Return of Convoy''===
*The [[Battlestars]] managed to restore Optimus's life with the power of the [[Zodiac]], evolving him into Star Convoy in ''[[The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars]]''.

===''Generation 2''===
* In the Japanese version of ''Generation 2'', Optimus Prime was badly wounded by Megatron's [[fusion cannon]] and almost died, but was resurrected and evolved yet again, this time into [[Laser Rod]] Optimus Prime, by the power of the [[Reconfiguration Matrix]]. {{storylink|G-2 (pack-in comic)|G-2 #13}}

==Marvel Comics continuity==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:Pmoptimusprimedeath.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Give me my face!"]]

*In "[[Afterdeath!]]", Prime, after failing to live up to his moral principles while playing a video game, volunteers to be killed. The [[Autobot]]s launch his funeral bier into space. Fortunately, the creator of the video game, [[Ethan Zachary]], saves a backup copy of Prime's mind on a [[floppy disk]]. We first meet this virtual Prime sixteen issues later in "[[Pretender to the Throne!]]". He gets his new [[Powermaster]] body two issues thereafter, in "[[People Power!]]".

*A previous attempt was made at making virtual Prime a new body in "[[Totaled!]]". The body ''spontaneously blew up''.

*About thirty issues later, Prime sacrifices himself to defeat [[Unicron]], in "[[On the Edge of Extinction!]]". But he didn't actually die until "[[Still Life!]]". However, his Powermaster partner, [[Hi-Q]], survives, and almost immediately begins babbling about how he's ''really'' Optimus Prime. This turns out to be true, and the [[Last Autobot]] metamorphoses Hi-Q into Prime (with a new [[Action Master]] body) in [[End of the Road! (US)|the last issue of the original Marvel US series]].
{{-}}

===''Generation 2''===
[[Image:Swarmoptimus.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Unleashing the light of the Matrix upon a great evil. Again.]]
*This Prime wasn't done dying yet. His adventures continued in the G2 comics, and he died defeating the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]] in the final issue of that series, "[[A Rage in Heaven!]]". The Swarm reconstituted him three pages later (in a body based on his then-current [[Combat Hero]] toy).
{{-}}

==IDW Comics continuity==

*In his first battle with the [[Ore-13]] powered Megatron, Optimus was killed. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5}} Or at least, his ''main body'' was: by quickly downloading his consciousness into [[Combat Deck]] (and then back again), Optimus was able to survive. Being that close to death meant he briefly existed in a limbo state, which got him noticed by [[Nova Prime]] in the [[Dead Universe]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6}}
{{-}}

==''Beast Wars'' cartoon continuity==
===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
[[Image:Smelt Prime.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"I'm not quite dead yet! I feel happy!"]]
In ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' and ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'', you could mark the end of a season by the near-death experience of one [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] or [[Optimus Prime (G1)|another]]...

*At [[Other Voices, Part 2|the end of the first season]] of ''Beast Wars'', [[Optimus Primal]] piloted a bomb-equipped stasis pod in an attempt to destroy the [[Planet Buster]]. Unfortunately, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] had sealed the pod's hatch, and Optimus blew up with it. [[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)|Early in the second season]] (a few hours later as far as the characters were concerned), [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] managed to unite Optimus's drifting [[spark]] with a [[blank]] [[protoform]], thus bringing him back to life (and in a new [[Transmetal]] body, too).

*At [[The Agenda (Part III)|the end of second season]], the ''Beast Wars'' Megatron came very close to killing the original Optimus Prime. But [[Optimal Situation|Prime didn't ''quite'' die]], so we really shouldn't count it.

===''Beast Machines'' cartoon===
*At [[End of the Line|the end of the first season]] of ''Beast Machines'', Optimus and Megatron had a cataclysmic battle, using the energies of [[Vector Sigma]] and the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]. This would have destroyed [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], but Optimus took the warring energies into himself and disintegrated. However, his spark was trapped within the [[Oracle]], and the other [[Maximal]]s convinced him to return to the real world at [[Fallout|the start of second season]]. The Oracle kindly gave him a new body (which, believe it or not, was ''not'' a new toy).

*At [[Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future|the end of the series]], Optimus gave his life to defeat Megatron once and for all, pushing him into the [[technorganic]] core of the planet. In assorted ancillary media ([[Universe (2003 comic)|convention comics]], [[Beast Wars Reborn|text]] [[Alternators|stories]]), he comes back to life yet again.

(Strangely, the end of the third season of ''Beast Wars'' had no Optimus deaths whatsoever! A half-dozen ''[[Depth Charge (BW)|o]][[Tigerhawk|t]][[Dinobot II|h]][[Inferno (BW)|e]][[Quickstrike (BW)|r]][[Rampage (BW)|s]]'' died, but not Optimus.)

==Robots in Disguise==

[[Optimus Prime (RID)#Notes|He]]'s one of the only Primes that ''didn't'' die! However, it came ''very'' close in [[The Final Battle (RID)|the final battle]], when he planned to sacrifice himself to stop [[Megatron (RID)|Galvatron]].

==Unicron Trilogy==
===''Armada'' cartoon===
[[Image:Sshot-arm-39-4.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Now Optimus, don't go all to pieces. You say you have to split? Well, you're a chip off the ol' block.]]
* In the ''[[Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' episode "[[Crisis]]", [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] used his body to block the blast of [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]]'s [[Hydra Cannon]], protecting the [[Earth]]. When the cannon's energy is spent, we see Optimus turn grayish-white, then ''actually'' crumble to bits. A bunch of [[Mini-Con]]s use the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] to resurrect him [[Miracle|three episodes later]].
{{-}}

===''Armada ''comic===
* The corpse of an [[Optimus Prime (Worlds Collide)|Optimus Prime]] (killed by Unicron) from an alternate universe appeared in the ''[[Armada (comic)|Armada]]'' comic issue titled "[[Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4]]". Yep, practically all we know about this Optimus is that he died. He doesn't turn gray, but his colors are faded.

==''Universe''==
[[Image:Nemesisprimetfuclone.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Technically, this is the clone.]]
* The corpse of an [[Optimus Prime (Balancing Act)|Optimus Prime]] (killed by [[Megazarak (Universe)|Megazarak]]) from an alternate universe was cloned by Unicron to create [[Nemesis Prime (Universe 2003)|Nemesis Prime]]. The clone, before he became Nemesis, appeared in ''Cybertron'' comic issue "[[Balancing Act, Part 2]]". Once again, practically all we know about this Optimus is that he died.
{{-}}

==Movie continuity==
{{Note|Though Optimus Prime doesn't die in the first [[Transformers (2007)|movie itself]], he does consider fusing the [[AllSpark (Movie)|All Spark]] into his own spark, an action that would destroy them both, if necessary to keep it out of Decepticon hands.}}

===''Transformers The Game''===
In Decepticon mode storyline, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] was beaten to the ground, and as he crawled for the [[AllSpark (Movie)|All Spark]], [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] smashed his head with his flail ... poor Prime, he gets the most violent death. {{Storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
{{notetitantlg}}
Optimus was left in a frozen, ''near''-death state. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 9|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie===
[[Image:ROTF Optimus death.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Shot through the heart, and [[Sam Witwicky|you're]] to blame, you give love a bad name!]]

Perhaps the most brutal Prime death to date. To protect [[Sam Witwicky]], Optimus Prime engaged in a brutal battle with [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]. Despite "literally" disarming Starscream and destroying Grindor, Optimus is run-through from behind by Megatron and killed. This event causes Sam to follow the symbols the All Spark sliver placed in his mind to find the ancient [[Matrix of Leadership#Live-action film series|Matrix of Leadership]], the only thing that could restore life to Optimus. Unfortunately, it crumbled into dust upon touching it in the [[Tomb of the Primes]] on the border between [[Egypt]] and [[Jordan]]. During the climactic battle in Egypt between [[NEST]] and the Decepticons, Sam was seemingly killed by Megatron, only to be taken to another plane of existence where he met [[Seven Primes|the Primes who died]] to prevent [[The Fallen]] from achieving victory, and they bestowed upon him the true Matrix, which allowed Sam to revive Optimus. {{Storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}
{{-}}

==''Animated'' cartoon==
[[Image:TFAnimated transformandrollout DEATH.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Dead in the third episode for 75 seconds. It's a new record, Primey!]]
In the third part of the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' movie, "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] dies after his battle with [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]. Like the Generation 1 Prime before him, he turns gray upon dying. Seventy-five seconds later - for us AND for the characters - [[Sari Sumdac]] uses the mysterious [[AllSpark Key]] to revive him.
{{-}}

==''Henkei!'' manga==
{{storylink|A Nightmare, Once Again}}

==See also==
* [[Primus apotheosis]]

* [[Death]]

*[[Prime Spark]] - The short story explores the question of where <s>all</s> [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|most]] of those Optimus-es go when they die. (Answer: someplace dull.)

*[[Ginrai#Victory_cartoon|God Ginrai]] - Often erroneously put in this category

* [[Dirge (G1)]] - The appropriately named, yet very unlucky guy who gets [[:Image:Dirge DeathSerpentor.jpg|killed]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathSwarm.jpg|off]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathTimelines.jpg|in]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathUnicron.jpg|many]] [[:Image:Dirge DeathArmada.jpg|continuities]] (but less than [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]]).

* [[Sentinel Prime (G1)]] - The [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] [[:Image:Sentinel prime lou.jpg|who]] [[:Image:Sentinel prime dw.jpg|must]] [[Megatron Origin issue 4|die]].

* [[Cy-Kill (disambiguation)|Cy-Kill]], who is repeatedly killed COS HE SUCKS LOLOLOLOL.

* [[Starscream]] - He dies in nearly every continuity he's in

{{DEFAULTSORT:many deaths of Optimus Prime}}
[[Category:Stories]]

A Tale of Two Heros

2011-01-30T23:55:48Z

68.110.0.146: /* Animation and/or technical glitches */

{{episode|
|series=Energon
|series2=Superlink
|ep=18
|prev=The Return of Demolishor
|next=Battle Stations
|title=A Tale of Two Heros
|japanese=対決! ふたりのコンボイ
|romaji=Taiketsu! Futari no Convoy
|translation=Confrontation! Two Convoys
|image=E18_titlecard.jpg
|caption=Facepalm!
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Akira Okeya]]
|director=[[Mitsuru Kawasaki]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.|Actas]], [[Studio A-CAT]] (3D)
|airdate=[[May 7|7 May]] [[2004]] (Japanese) [[July 3]], 2004 (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}

'''Ironhide follows Rodimus, determined to find out more about the mysterious Alpha Q.'''

==Summary==
Aboard the ''[[Miranda II]]'', the Autobots have tracked the tracer signal to a Decepticon warp point.

Alpha Q freaks out in light of the recent [[energon (Energon)|energon]] theft. Scorponok offers to get more, using his position in Megatron's ranks... and Rodimus.

Kicker is worried about a Decepticon attack, and "that Unicron thing". Suddenly, they see an approaching ship, flying a flag (literally) with the AutoBrand—Rodimus's ship!

Rodimus opens a channel, asking permission to come aboard. Hot Shot, naturally, [[Rodimus: Friend or Foe?|isn't too happy about this]], but can't offer any proof to the others that anything's amiss.

[[Image:Energon-Optimus-And-Rodimus.jpg|left|230px|thumb|A dream is born, double prime!]] Rodimus lays it out: he wants Prime not to destroy Unicron, and focus on defeating Megatron instead. He tells Optimus that Unicron can create new life, such as the [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s created by Alpha Q, and that it's only dangerous in the wrong hands. Prime isn't buying it, but Rodimus tells him that Unicron consumed Alpha Q's planet.

Kicker asks Inferno how Rodimus and Optimus know each other. Inferno tells him a story that doesn't answer the question.

Rodimus says that the consumed planets can be re-created. Prime still thinks it's too dangerous. Rodimus leaves... and as he does, Ironhide overhears him and Prowl discussing what they're going to tell Alpha Q.

Kicker finds Ironhide watching Rodimus's ship depart, and deduces that he plans to track him back to Alpha Q's location. The ''Miranda II'' powers up. Ironhide doubts if he should go by himself, since he's spent his whole life following others, but a pep talk from Kicker gets him going; Kicker lends him the [[Energon Saber]]. Optimus solemnly watches Rodimus's ship depart.

[[Image:Energon-Ironhide-Teary-Hand-Drawn.jpg|230px|thumb|What is this, 1994?]]Rodimus is well aware of his stowaway, but decides to let him be for now.

The Autobots get their first look at Unicron. Hot Shot notices Ironhide's absence and figures out that he's gone to do something foolhardy. Kicker confirms it, and notes that Hot Shot must surely understand, given his past. Hot Shot does understand... and immediately reports it to Optimus. Prime isn't worried.

Rodimus's ship approaches Unicron's head and enters, as Ironhide grows more and more worried.

Within Unicron, Megatron is delighted to hear a report from Starscream that a ship has been sighted, and orders Starscream to do nothing. When the titan is activated, Optimus will be its first victim!

The Decepticons immediately attack the ''Miranda II''. As Prime goes to counter-attack, Kicker tells Misha to release all the energon, to help Ironhide. Or a small chunk.

Within Unicron, Ironhide comes to his senses and begins tracking Rodimus. Alpha Q observes him and frets, but Rodimus tells him not to worry. Alpha Q sends Scorponok to bring in the stowaway. Ironhide follows an opening door, and finds himself in a warehouse full of Terrorcon eggs. They hatch, of course, unleashing a swarm of Cruellock drones on him.

[[Image:Energon-Ironhide-Infiltration.jpg‎|left|230px|thumb|Alpha Quintesson tries to imitate Sauron]] Misha sends out a chunk of energon, which Kicker tosses into space. As the Terrorcons swarm toward it, Inferno blows it up, annihilating them.

The drones steal Ironhide's [[energon star]], but he fights his way free... and finds himself facing Scorponok. He demands to know where Alpha Q is, and peppers Scorponok with questions. They struggle. Ironhide punches him, and somehow knocks himself out. Scorponok agrees to take him there. He brings the unconscious Autobot into Alpha Q's chamber, to Rodimus's horror.

The Autobots have driven off their attackers, and vow to be ready next time. Megatron gloats that they don't have a clue what they're in store for...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] (1)
* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (6)
* [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (7)
* [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] (9)
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (10)
* [[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]] (11)
* [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (15)

|c2=
* [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] (4)
* [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] (16)
* [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (17)
* [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] (18)
* [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] (19)
* [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (20)

|c3=
* [[Kicker Jones]] (6)
* [[Misha Miramond]] (8)

|c4=
* [[Alpha Quintesson]] (3)
* [[Scattor (Energon)|Scattor]] (12)
* [[Skyboom (Energon)|Skyboom]] (13)
* [[Wreckage (Energon)|Wreckage]] (14)
* [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb drones]] (21)
* [[Cruellock|Cruellock drones]] (22)
}}

==Quotes==
"''You're being stubborn. '''PROWL!''' Let's go.''" 
:—'''Rodimus''' throws a sort of low-key tantrum.

"Uh, it's like, I've always lived my life following someone else around. Maybe it's time I saw what I can do on my own. Do you understand what I mean, Kicker?" 
"I know exactly how you feel. I'm ''always'' being told what to do. If you have to do this on your own, then go for it!" 
"Yeah. I will." 
"Come on, what are you waiting for? This is your chance, get on with it!" 
:-'''Kicker''' orders '''Ironhide''' to think for himself.

==Notes==
===Pain count===
* "Uh?": 10
* Stock footage: 1
* We need/they want energon: 2
* "Gimme a break": 1
* "You can't be serious": 1
* "I know what you mean": 1

===Lost in translation===
Nothing major or devastating, but this episode is rife with examples of the dub team just not paying attention:

* It starts almost immediately, as Optimus advises that they've tracked the Decepticons' "warp signal", and warns the others that the Decepticons have probably set up a defensive line to defend Unicron and a battle will happen as soon as they emerge from warp. The dub mangles this into the Autobots ''detecting'' a Decepticon warp point, in clear contradiction to the animation, which shows that they're ''already in warp space''. The dub also omits the important point that they're heading for Unicron, instead having Prime just say "we don't want to walk into a trap".
* In ''Super Link'', Scorponok doesn't propose to use Rodimus for the mundane task of retrieving more energon, but for ''re-taking Unicron's body'', since it's apparently going to be finished soon.
* Kicker's question is originally about the ''relationship'' between Optimus and Rodimus. The dub transmangulates this into "how do they know each other"; this turns Inferno's answer, correctly translated, into a non sequitur.
* In ''Super Link'', Inferno further elaborates that the two leaders don't see eye-to-eye, and that their ways of living are not compatible; Misha describes them as two heroes who walk different paths. The dub dumbs this down to Misha saying "they really are heroes, aren't they", somewhat at odds with the dramatic background music.
* The dub replaces Megatron's implied intention to attack ("we should go ahead and start the fun") with him telling Starscream not to attack. This makes it very odd when the very next scene is... the Decepticons attacking the Autobots.
* The purpose of Scorponok and the Terrorcons attacking Ironhide is to test his strength (thus showing if he can be of some use to Alpha Q), not to "see if he can be trusted" per the dub.
* Megatron's final lines are a dub addition; ''Super Link'' just has him laughing ominously.

===Animation and/or technical glitches===
* The dub budget was so cheap, they couldn't afford an "e" for the title card, apparently making the story about two [[wikipedia:Hero sandwich|sandwiches]]. [[Scorpinok|(Not]] [[Imprisoned Inferno|again.)]] This was not fixed for the DVD release. However, the DVD menus and case have the correct spelling.
* Kicker says "It's hard to tell what his intentions are!" without moving his mouth. (Despite appearances, the dialog is not a dub addition; the error repeats in ''Super Link''.)
* Prowl is ''tiny'' compared to Rodimus, as they prepare to leave the ''Miranda II''. They should be nearly the same height.
* Some odd editing, as Prime reacts to something off-screen, then immediately goes into his combination sequence, without the viewer ever learning what he was reacting to.

===Continuity errors===
* Hot Shot says that he doesn't "know how, but I think Rodimus is somehow involved with Unicron"; that he doesn't have proof, just a feeling. He apparently was not paying attention when Rodimus [[Rodimus: Friend or Foe?|previously laid out directly, specifically and in great detail his involvement with Alpha Q and Unicron]]. Perhaps it's that blaster shot he took at close range just moments later.
* Kicker urges Ironhide to hurry and transform as Rodimus leaves. But they're in space. Ironhide remains in robot mode the rest of the episode.
* A second later, Kicker produces the Energon Saber out of nowhere.
* It's not a terrible leap of logic to figure out that Ironhide's gone to follow Rodimus, but how does Hot Shot figure out that he's heading for ''Unicron''? The mention of Unicron is another dub artifact.

===References===
* In an obvious ''Star Wars'' homage, Jetfire looks at Unicron and comments "Look at the size of that thing!" It'd be a bit less nonsequitur if it was his first reaction, but by that time he's already made several other comments.
* Kicker references the time that Hot Shot single-handedly "stormed that Decepticon base", which could be a nod to the events of the ''Armada'' episode "[[Credulous]]" or "[[Dash (episode)|Dash]]".

===Trivia===
*Ironhide complains that he's been walking for what seems like hours. Guess he forgot that he turns into an automobile.
*The final battle is... not really there. The Decepticons swoop in once, then are never seen again. Optimus combines and takes off, then is not seen again till the battle is over. Inferno blows up some Terrorcons, who weren't shown until it was time for them to die. All the while, Kicker floats around outside the ship, not doing much of anything.
*There's another hand-drawn moment in this episode, which illustrates just how lackluster ''Energon's'' CGI really is. When Kicker encourages him to go after Rodimus, Ironhide displays the robotic equivalent of getting teary-eyed. This sort of minor shaking was done pretty much constantly back in ''Beast Wars'', but over ten years later it's apparently too difficult to animate.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Transformer: Super Link'' — Volume 005 ([[Interchannel]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tale of Two Heros}}
[[Category:Energon episodes]]

Wogan

2011-01-07T08:27:20Z

68.110.0.146:

:''Wogan is a [[television]] programme from the [[Robo-Capers]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

Little is known of the mysterious "'''Wogan'''", save that he, she or it is notable for interviewing celebrities. Unconfirmed intelligence suggests a loose affiliation with Radio One.

==Fiction==
===Robo-Capers===
When [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] let his [[The Transformers: The Movie|movie]] fame go to his head, he was more interested in being interviewed on "Wogan" than in [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]'s plan to stop the [[Decepticon]]s. {{storylink|Robo-Capers issue 91}}

==Notes==
*"[[wikipedia:Wogan|Wogan]]" was a long-running [[United Kingdom|British]] chat show, named after host [[wikipedia:Terry Wogan|Terry Wogan]]. It was hugely popular in the eighties.

[[Category:External properties]]
[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Television programs]]

Wogan

2011-01-07T08:26:42Z

68.110.0.146:

:''Wogan is a [[television]] programme from the [[Robo-Capers]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

Little is known of the mysterious "'''Wogan'''", save that he, she or it is notable for interviewing celebrities. Unconfirmed intelligence suggests an affiliation with Radio One.

==Fiction==
===Robo-Capers===
When [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] let his [[The Transformers: The Movie|movie]] fame go to his head, he was more interested in being interviewed on "Wogan" than in [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]'s plan to stop the [[Decepticon]]s. {{storylink|Robo-Capers issue 91}}

==Notes==
*"[[wikipedia:Wogan|Wogan]]" was a long-running [[United Kingdom|British]] chat show, named after host [[wikipedia:Terry Wogan|Terry Wogan]]. It was hugely popular in the eighties.

[[Category:External properties]]
[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Television programs]]

Wogan

2011-01-07T08:26:22Z

68.110.0.146:

:''Wogan is a [[television]] programme from the [[Robo-Capers]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

Little is known of the mysterious "'''Wogan'''", save that he, she or it is notable for interviewing celebrities. Unconfirmed intelligence suggests an affiliation with Radio 1.

==Fiction==
===Robo-Capers===
When [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] let his [[The Transformers: The Movie|movie]] fame go to his head, he was more interested in being interviewed on "Wogan" than in [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]'s plan to stop the [[Decepticon]]s. {{storylink|Robo-Capers issue 91}}

==Notes==
*"[[wikipedia:Wogan|Wogan]]" was a long-running [[United Kingdom|British]] chat show, named after host [[wikipedia:Terry Wogan|Terry Wogan]]. It was hugely popular in the eighties.

[[Category:External properties]]
[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Television programs]]

Electrum

2010-12-22T07:15:50Z

68.110.0.146: /* Generation 1 */

:''Electrum is a substance from the [[Generation 1]] and [[Movie (franchise)|Movie]] [[Continuity family|continuity families]].''

[[Image:Laserrave.gif|right|324px|thumb|Electrum causes Transformers to break out in Dance Fever.]]
'''Electrum''' is a golden liquid with the special property of bonding to metal and rendering it virtually indestructible.

This property is a result of its unique nature; electrum is an ''element'' with a ''molecular structure''.<ref>"Element with a molecular structure"? [[Skyfire (issue)|Dreamwave's ''Generation One'' #3]], you fail at science.</ref> It's also considered an alloy<ref>Alloy in [[Transformers (Glu)]]</ref> when in its bonded form.

Liquid electrum is combustible, but it has a considerably higher spark-point than [[Liquid Energon|liquid energon]] — a stray blaster shot will not ignite it, but a direct high-power shot will.

Electrum-augmented Transformers turn a golden color.

{{note|In the real world, electrum is an alloy of gold and silver. See: [[wikipedia:Electrum]] for more information. It is also the ancient Greek word for [[wikipedia:Amber|amber]].}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] discovered an isolated 'lagoon' full of electrum in a natural preserve, which was promptly seized by the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]]. [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] destroyed the electrum rather than let the Autobots have it. {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon}}

Most Transformers were unfamiliar with electrum, and the scientist [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] was apprehensive about its properties. Electrum seems to possess an almost 'mythical' status.

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] noted that [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm's]] body was constructed of a substance ''similar'' to electrum, a by-product of Cybertronian bio-mechanics.<ref>No, we have no idea what this means.</ref>

In this continuity electrum was grafted only onto inanimate material. It's possible that the material of which Sunstorm was constructed is simply the form electrum takes when bonded to living material.

===Transformers (2007) movie continuity===
[[Image:Glu electrum novaspray.jpg|right|180px|thumb|]]
Decepticon drones erected a series of blockades fortified with the Cybertronian alloy electrum.

[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] can use [[nova spray]] to turn the blockades brittle and destroy them. {{storylink|Transformers (Glu)|Mobile phone game}}

{{note|The electrum-augmented blockades in this game are not gold, as is typical of electrum, but are instead a warm gray. (The color of real-world electrum.)}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
* '''Meister''' (2003)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-06'''
**''Accessories:'' Photon Rifle, Missile launcher, 3 missiles

[[Image:Ehobby Meister.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Has/Tak's rejected submission to the Academy's "Update the Oscars Statue" contest.]]
: This version of reissue [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] is almost entirely constructed of [[Vacuum metallizing|vacuum-metallized]] gold plastic, based on Jazz's incredibly brief, non-speaking appearance in "[[The Golden Lagoon]]". This re-issue is a homage to special gold-colored toys 20 years earlier which was declared 'electrum' to give it a stronger tie to Transformers continuity. A silver edition of Bluestreak received no such explanation.

: Mesiter was an [[e-Hobby]] [[exclusive]], sold with [[Bluestreak|Streak (anime version)]].
{{-}}

==Notes==
* When [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] was submerged in [[Liquid Energon|liquid energon]] in the [[Keepers Trilogy]], he was covered with an invulnerable 'silver coat.' This appears completely unrelated to the way electrum works (the [[Matrix of Leadership|matrix]] was involved, to begin with...).

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Movie]]
[[Category:Substances]]

The Transformers: The Movie

2010-10-29T23:54:05Z

68.110.0.146: /* Edits */

{{disambig3|Transformers: The Movie}}

{{quote|Conceived in the epic tradition of ''[[Star Wars]]''...|[[Victor Caroli]] ain't just whistling Dixie|[[The Transformers: The Movie promo|''The Transformers: The Movie'' promo]]}}

{{episode|
|seriess=[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]
|prev=B.O.T. (episode)
|next=Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1
|seriess2=[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]
|prev2=Scramble City: Mobilization
|title=''The Transformers: The Movie''
|image=Transformersanimatedfilmposter.jpg
|caption=Featuring the deaths of all your favorite Transformers characters.
|production code=
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|writer=[[Ron Friedman]]
|directed by=[[Nelson Shin]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|release date=[[August 8]], [[1986]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''''The Transformers: The Movie''''' is an animated feature film based on the original Transformers toyline. It was released in the United States on August 8, 1986.

The film's storyline follows the same continuity as the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Transformers]]'' cartoon. It introduces a [[Scale|planet-sized Transformer]] called [[Unicron]] who eats other planets, and is approaching [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. As part of their continuing wars, the Autobots and Decepticons have a [[Battle of Autobot City|fierce battle]] on Earth which sees both Optimus Prime and Megatron mortally wounded. Prime passes the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to Ultra Magnus and dies, and Megatron is transformed by Unicron into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (briefly) assumes leadership of the Decepticons, but is killed when Galvatron arrives at Cybertron. Galvatron then chases the surviving Autobots on Earth across space, splitting them up and taking the Matrix. The Autobots find their way back to each other, and follow Galvatron to Cybertron just as Unicron transforms into robot mode and begins to eat their world. Travelling inside Unicron, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] recovers the Matrix, transforms into Rodimus Prime, and uses the Matrix to destroy Unicron.

Often referred to by fans simply as "the movie" or "TFTM", the movie was a step up in almost every area from the television series, with a more sophisticated plot, more serious treatment of war and violence, a hugely ambitious scope and a greatly increased animation budget with well-known celebrities providing voice work. For these reasons the film remains very popular with children of the 1980s.

The film opens with characters who had been featured in the first two years of the toyline and associated media (cartoons, comic books, etc.), but quickly introduces new characters and kills many of the old ones to make room. In particular, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], and [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] are all destroyed during the course of the film.

{{quote|The Japanese have funded a full-length animated cartoon about the doings of these toys, which is all bad outer-space stuff. I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and I tear myself apart on the screen.|Orson Welles<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=KlqsYy512WIC&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Orson Wells: A Biography"] page 522</ref>}}

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFTM_Unicron_Lithone.jpg|left|200px|thumb|That's no moon.]]

A mechanical planet travels through the depths of space, attacking [[Lithone (planet)|a metal planet]] which has [[Lithone (species)|robotic inhabitants]]. Robots, vehicles, buildings, and even large chunks of rock are sucked off the surface and devoured by the monstrous planet.

It is the year 2005, and the [[Decepticon]]s are now in control of Cybertron. The [[Autobot]]s are preparing to launch an assault to retake the planet from hidden bases on two of Cybertron's moons. The Autobots launch a [[Autobot shuttle|shuttle]] to pick up a final shipment of [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] from [[Earth]] before they strike.

[[Image:Tftm1986a.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I have a bad feeling about this.]]

Plans for the attack are overheard by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], who reports back to [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. The Decepticons attack the Autobot shuttle en route to Earth, wiping out its crew (including [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and the [[Brawn (G1)|guy in the picture over there]]). Using the Autobots' own shuttle, the Decepticons are able to get very close to the Autobots' base on Earth, [[Autobot City]], before they are detected, and begin a devastating surprise attack on the unprepared city.

During the battle at Autobot City, both [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and Megatron suffer mortal injuries, and a number of other characters are also killed. Eventually the Decepticons retreat, but the damage suffered by the Autobots has been severe.

{{note|For an extensive synopsis of the battle, see [[Battle of Autobot City]].}}

[[Image:Tftm1986b.jpg|left|200px|thumb|If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.]]

Shortly after the battle, Prime lies on his deathbed. He passes the reins of leadership to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and gives him the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. (Though Hot Rod actually touches the Matrix before Magnus does.) Prime relates a prophecy: "One day, an Autobot shall rise from our ranks, and use the power of the Matrix to light our [[darkest hour]]." He then gives the oath, "[['Til all are one]]", and [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|dies]]. This sequence of events is observed remotely by Unicron, who appears unusually concerned by the survival of the Matrix.

The Decepticons are making their escape aboard [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], but are too heavy for him to get them all home under his own power. After putting the matter to a fair vote, the Decepticons decide to throw their injured members off the ship to better the chance of survival for the rest. One of the most severely injured Decepticons is Megatron. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] tosses him out and claims leadership of the Decepticon army.

Megatron and the other adrift Decepticons then encounter Unicron in interstellar space. Unicron offers to rebuild Megatron and his minions in exchange for their service. Megatron agrees, and is [[Reformatting|reformatted]] into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The other Decepticons are turned into [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], and the [[Sweep]]s. Unicron provides them with a [[Revenge (G1)|ship]], and sends them to kill Ultra Magnus and destroy the Matrix, stating that the Matrix is the only thing which can stand in his way.

[[Image:Tftm1986c.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed.]]
Galvatron first stops at Cybertron to take his revenge by killing Starscream and reclaiming leadership of the Decepticons. Almost immediately afterwards, Unicron arrives in Cybertron's vicinity and devours at least two moons—both of the Autobots' moon bases are destroyed. Under coercion by Unicron, Galvatron finally heads to Earth to kill Ultra Magnus, but Magnus and the other surviving Autobots flee in a pair of shuttles. Eventually Galvatron manages to cause one shuttle to crash on yet another metal planet ([[Quintessa]]), and detonates the other with a volley of missiles. However, the Autobots in the second shuttle escape unnoticed by separating the front portion of their shuttle just before impact.

The Autobots in the crashed shuttle, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], find themselves separated and in a hostile environment. Hot Rod and Kup are captured by a squad of [[Allicon]]s and taken before a [[Quintesson]] [[Quintesson#Judges|judge]] and his court. While being held there, they learn the name and nature of Unicron from [[Kranix]], a survivor of the planet destroyed in the opening of the film, which he calls [[Lithone (planet)|Lithone]]. Meanwhile, the Dinobots encounter and befriend a young, wild Autobot named [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] who has been living alone on Quintessa. Together, they crash the trial just as Hot Rod and Kup are fighting losing odds against the Quintessons' [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. The tide is turned, and the Autobots commandeer a [[Quintesson spacecraft#Quintesson_Cruiser|Quintesson Cruiser]].

[[Image:Tftm1986d.jpg|left|200px|thumb|What an incredible smell you've discovered!]]
The other group of Autobots has landed on the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] to make repairs, but are attacked yet again by Galvatron, who was tipped off to their survival by Unicron. During the battle, Ultra Magnus tries to open the Matrix to use its power, but is unable to do so, and instead is killed. Galvatron absconds with the Matrix, taking it away to Unicron. The remaining Autobots—[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike's]] son [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]]—are then ambushed by [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], the eponymous natives of Junkion, who are also giant transforming robots. This battle is cut short, however, by the arrival of Hot Rod's group in their Quintesson ship. After exchanging the [[universal greeting]] they all make friends, and the Junkions restore Ultra Magnus to life. Together, the whole group travels to Cybertron to try to recover the Matrix.

[[Image:TFTM Unicron smashes cybertron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Rebel base in range. You may fire when ready.]]
Galvatron attempts to open the Matrix to use its power against Unicron, but is also unable to get it open. Unicron, not pleased with this attempted treachery, shocks Galvatron by transforming from a planet into a [[Scale|planet-sized robot]]. Unicron plucks Galvatron off his chest and swallows him, Matrix and all, and then begins attacking Cybertron itself. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] scrambles the Decepticon forces to defend the planet, but they are ineffective against so large an enemy. Shortly the Autobots arrive from Junkion, and fly the Quintesson ship straight through Unicron's eye. This impact destroys the ship, and the Autobots fall out inside Unicron. Hot Rod, separated from the others, eventually runs into Galvatron. During their fight, Hot Rod gets his hands on the Matrix and hears Optimus's voice speak the words, "Arise, Rodimus Prime." Hot Rod grows in stature, adopts a much sterner demeanor, and quickly dispatches Galvatron by tossing him through Unicron's hull out into space. He then opens the Matrix, which fills Unicron with light and begins destroying him.

[[Image:Tftm1986e.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Use the Force, Luke.]]
In the meantime, the other Autobots inside Unicron have located some of their comrades from the moon bases who had been presumed dead, including [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and Daniel's father, Spike. The Autobots, including Rodimus, escape through Unicron's remaining eye just as he begins to fall apart and explode. The scene then immediately shifts to the surface of Cybertron, where—for unclear reasons—the Autobots seem to be in charge again. Rodimus predicts an era of peace and prosperity, and the film closes with a shot of Unicron's severed head still floating in orbit around Cybertron.

[['Til all are one]].
{{-}}

==Quotes==
"Such heroic nonsense."
:—'''Megatron''' coldly finishes off Ironhide. The 'Cons always get the best lines.

"I've got better things to do tonight than die!"
:—'''Springer''', telling it like it is.

"One shall stand. One shall fall."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' uttering the most quoted line of the Movie. An ass kicker cometh.

"Until that day...'til all are one..."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s final words

"Oh, how it ''pains'' me to do this." 
"Wait! I still function!" 
"Wanna ''bet''?"
:—'''Starscream''' fights back the tears as he throws '''Megatron''' out of Astrotrain.

"I have summoned you here for a purpose." 
"Nobody summons Megatron!" 
"Then it pleases me to be the first."
:—'''Unicron''' shows '''Megatron''' who's the boss.

"Who disrupts my coronation?" 
"Coronation, Starscream? This is bad comedy." 
"Megatron? Is that you?" 
"Here's a hint!"
:—'''Galvatron''' drops "hints" for '''Starscream''' like others drop anvils.

"Did we ''have'' to let them detonate three quarters of the ship?" 
"Seeing as how they would have detonated ''four'' quarters, I think it was a good choice."
:—'''Arcee''' and '''Springer'''

"For a time... I considered ''sparing'' your wretched little planet Cybertron. But now... you shall witness... its ''dismemberment''!"
:—'''Unicron''' really needs to work on his anger management skills...

"Me Grimlock kick butt!" 
:—'''Grimlock''' isn't speaking figuratively.

"Destiny... You cannot... destroy... my... destiny--AAH!!" 
:—'''Unicron''''s final words

"Let this mark the end of the Cybertronian Wars as we march forward into a new era of peace and happiness! 'Til all are one!" 
:—'''Rodimus Prime''' announces the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]... yeah, right.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]/Rodimus Prime ([[Judd Nelson]])
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] ([[Robert Stack]])
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] ([[Lionel Stander]])
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] ([[Susan Blu]])
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] ([[John Moschitta]])
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] ([[Gregg Berger]])
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] ([[Paul Eiding]])
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] ([[Buster Jones]])
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] ([[Scatman Crothers]])
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] ([[Dan Gilvezan]])
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] ([[Casey Kasem]])
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] ([[Don Messick]])
*[[Auto-combatant]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Eject]]
*[[Rewind]]
*[[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]]
*[[Ramhorn]]
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
*[[Grapple]]
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
*[[Bluestreak]]
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]* ([[Walker Edmiston]])
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] ([[Leonard Nimoy]])
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] ([[Chris Latta]])
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] ([[Stan Jones]])
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] ([[Arthur Burghardt]])
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] ([[Don Messick]])
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]]
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] ([[Hal Rayle]])
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] ([[Clive Revill]])
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] ([[Jack Angel]])
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] ([[Bud Davis]])
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] ([[Ed Gilbert]])
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Sweep]]s
*[[Cyclonus's Armada]]
|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] ([[David Mendenhall]])
|c4=
*[[Unicron]] ([[Orson Welles]])
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] ([[Eric Idle]])
*[[Kranix]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])
*[[Junkion (species)|Junkion]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Junkion (species)|Junkion]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Quintesson]] leader ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Quintesson#Judges|Quintesson judge]] ([[Regis Cordic|Rege Cordic]])
*[[Arblus]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]
*[[Allicon]]s
|nonumbering=true
}}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Credited, but did not appear.

==Animation errors==
* When Unicron is approaching Lithone at the start of the movie, at the line "Look, it's Unicron!", a [[Animation error#Sizing errors|cel stacking error]] results in Unicron's ring appearing in front of a building arch, [[Distribution|making Unicron look very tiny]] in that shot. In the next shot, it is clear that Unicron is several times larger than the entire planet of Lithone.
* The inside of one of the Lithonian ships being devoured by Unicron is visible for a couple of frames. The pilot of the ship appears to be Kranix, even though he apparently screams out Kranix's name, and Kranix appears later in the Quintesson prison.
* When the inside of Unicron is shown after he devours Lithone, the "blinking energy" effect of Unicron's innards was apparently achieved by recycling backgrounds from other animated TV shows or movies. A frame by frame viewing reveals what appear to be several images of post-apocalyptic buildings inside Unicron.
* When Optimus Prime asks Jazz to report security status, it shows both Jazz and Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper is seen twiddling knobs above the actual drawn computer, as if a section was supposed to be present.
* When the Decepticons blow a hole through the Autobot shuttle to get in, it is a clean break. However, Megatron is still shown ripping through random ship components to get in.
* Scavenger's head is white instead of black as he ducks from Prowl's shot.
* When the Decepticons are killing the Autobot shuttle crew, there is one of the common Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker miscolors. Megatron transforms into gun mode and Starscream catches him, killing Brawn. When they cut back to the Decepticons, Starscream is in front of the Constructicons without Megatron and is firing one of his arm rifles (this probably should have been Skywarp or Thundercracker). When they cut back to the Decepticons for the third time, Starscream has Megatron again and is finishing off the rest of the Autobots. In the shot of Starscream firing his own lasers, his wings are red instead of gray.
* When the Decepticons fly to the shuttle's controls, all of the Autobots have changed positions from when they fell—Brawn is now on his back, for example, while Prowl is now face-down. Ironhide's chest is also completely intact, despite having a bunch of holes blown in it.
* Hot Rod has at least two totally different transformation schemes during the course of the film.
* When Kup and several Autobots at the roadblock react to Hot Rod's attack on the hijacked Autobot shuttle, Bluestreak is represented by Prowl's [[Character model|animation model]], in Bluestreak's grey and black colours.
* Sunstreaker appears with Kup's group on Earth as they observe Hot Rod firing on Ironhide's shuttle. Sunstreaker later appears as Optimus Prime's co-pilot when they arrive on Earth with the Dinobots, and is seen disembarking the shuttle along with Optimus Prime and Hound.
* In a wide aerial shot of the city under attack, a Reflector flies by in Ironhide's color scheme. Shockwave also makes his only appearance in the battle; considering both his role as Cybertron's guardian and his absence from any other scenes during the battle, his presence is probably an animation error. Rumble also flies past, despite being inside Soundwave at this point.
* Blaster's forehead is red instead of white after his "look out and shout!" line, and again after he returns to robot mode.
* A laser blast that should be behind Blaster is instead layered in front of him as he acknowledges Perceptor's orders.
* In the big lineup of firing Decepticons, Soundwave's cheek guards are blue instead of white.
* When [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] sends out his cassette troops, [[FIRRIB|Rumble is the same color as Frenzy]].
* Blaster first ejects what looks like Eject, who stays blue up until he gets to the edge of the screen. He then turns black like Rewind. Then Blaster ejects another blue cassette, which after about a second turns black. This one gets through half his transformation colored black, then turns blue for a split second then turns black again. Then, when the cassettes are fighting each other, Eject runs in from the left and jumps over Perceptor. And then he runs in from the left ''again'' to shoot Ravage. Suddenly [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl/Devastator]] doesn't look so bad, does he?
* As Springer runs up to the launcher, Wheeljack's body is visible, but he's in red, white and blue colors.
* While Springer and Arcee are trying to move the launcher into place, Springer's face is the same color as his helmet.
* When Devastator forms in Autobot City, his chest plate is the same green as the rest of him. In the next shot, it's the usual purple. However, it promptly turns green again in the next shot.
* As Devastator lays into the walls, Shrapnel is white where he should be black.
* While Perceptor and Grapple are shooting, Swoop's lower half runs by in the foreground, long before the rest of him gets there.
* Megatron's pelvis is white instead of black as he gives the "let the slaughter begin!" order.
* Prime's dramatic transformation sequence far outlasts the transformation sound that's supposed to go with it. It's also the wrong sound (ascending pitch) for his robot-to-vehicle transformation.
* When Prime drives up behind the Decepticons, Blitzwing's head is tan instead of purple. It becomes purple when he turns it, then goes back to tan again as he turns it back.
* The gun Megatron uses to fatally injure Optimus is blue and white for most of the shots it is seen in, but when Megatron screams "Fall! FALL!" while shooting Prime again, it is black.
* Prime's antennae are white as he tries to stand after knocking Megatron off the ledge.
* Starscream's whole nosecone, rather than just the canopy, is yellow as he looms over Megatron.
* When Optimus Prime takes the Matrix out of his chest to give to Ultra Magnus, there is another Matrix beneath it in his chest. (On which note, see also ''[[Matrix of Leadership#Universe|Matrix of Leadership, Universe comic]].'')
* When Ultra Magnus accepts the Matrix, he's seen inserting it into his chest twice, or at best readjusting its "fit".
* As the other Decepticons prepare to push him out, Bombshell's chest is rendered as a shapeless gray mass, rather than with its yellow canopy.
* The voice that says "Don't!" is nowhere close to the voices of any of the five Decepticons shown getting thrown out of Astrotrain.
* Starscream's got an extra yellow segment on his canopy as he nominates himself for leadership. Man, even the A-list animation team couldn't keep this straight.
* Most of Megatron's chest emblem isn't colored in as he first speaks to Unicron. It might pass for battle damage, but a few shots later it's fully purple.
[[Image:Coronation .jpg|thumb|right|250px| *''trumpet fanfare''* ]]
* Even after the [[Battle of Autobot City]], characters who are supposedly dead continue to appear in crowd shots and battles. Shrapnel's role in the fight on [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] is the most noticeable (and he was called for by name in the original script), but Thundercracker, Skywarp and Kickback can all be seen at Starscream's coronation. The two jets are later seen again, flying into Unicron's mouth.
* Hook has two eyes instead of a visor as he looks around in confusion during the trumpet scene.
* An early establishing shot clearly shows Cybertron with two and ''only'' two moons in low orbit. Yet a third moon is visible right after Unicron finishes eating the two Autobot bases.
* When Cyclonus is strafing the Autobot shuttle in space, he briefly flies offscreen, and during that time his laser blasts come from a point that in no way matches his flight path.
* Daniel's lips don't purse when he whistles.
* Wreck-Gar's mouth doesn't move at all during his first lines, despite the camera pushing in all close on his face.
* When Hot Rod tells the Junkions the universal greeting, the Autobot insignia on his chest is coloured black.
* Shrapnel's lower legs are white when he lands on Junk, instead of black. Must be a side effect of being dead.
* When Unicron transforms, the first hand we see (his right) is backwards relative to how the arm is shown on screen.
* Hot Rod's missing his Autobot symbol as he regains his footing inside Unicron.
* The third smelting victim doesn't fall from the conveyor belt; he simply vanishes.

== Continuity errors ==
[[Image:G1TFTM Snarl cameo.JPG|thumb|right|250px|He used to bulls-eye womp-rats in his T16 back home.]]

* The Dinobot [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] is mysteriously absent from almost the entire movie, even though the Dinobots as a group are featured prominently. Copies of the script which have come into fans' hands repeatedly list the Dinobots, but never make mention of Snarl by name. In fact, at one point the script refers to "the four Dinobots". Despite this, Snarl does appear in three very brief shots{{m-}}in which at least one other Dinobot (Swoop in one, Sludge in another) is entirely absent. Hmm.
* Also curiously absent are the 1985 Autobot cars and Mini-Vehicles, such as Inferno, Smokescreen, Cosmos, Warpath, etc. It would seem that these characters were available at the time of the movie:
** Perceptor and Blaster both debuted at the same time in the cartoon as the 1985 cars, and both play prominent roles in the movie.
** Grapple is [[:Image:BattleAutobotCity.jpg|seen ''very'' briefly]] during the battle for Autobot City.
** The 1985 Decepticons (Astrotrain, Dirge, etc.) appear in the film.
** [[:Image:TFTM-SideswipeRedAlertTracks.jpg|Tracks]], [[:Image:TFTM-RedAlertDown.jpg|Red Alert]] and Smokescreen all appeared in storyboards but not the finished film.
* Devastator is treated as ''the'' ultimate threat, while in the cartoon, his role (and apparent power) was already being [[Starscream's Brigade|severely diminished]], presumably because several other combiners had been introduced. In story terms, the absence of these newer combiners, not to mention the mighty Omega Supreme, is inexplicable. In real-life terms, those characters didn't exist when the film commenced production. (The [[Transformers: The Animated Movie]] adaptation shows Omega Supreme, Superion and Defensor guarding the Ark against an attack by Bruticus and Menasor, attempting to [[retcon]] the problem away.)
[[Image:Cyclonus armada tftf.jpg|thumb|right|250px|We'll be safe enough once we make the jump into lightspeed.]]
* The cartoon had made it abundantly clear that Cybertron had no moons. In numerous close and distant shots of the planet throughout the first two seasons, no moon was seen. Ever. The movie promptly introduces two (and possibly a third) moons in close orbit over the planet. In continuity terms, they must have been built or brought into orbit after 1986.
* During the Battle of Autobot City, Starscream gets his leg caught. He shoots downward and gets away while screaming "My foot!", but it's his shin that's smoking while his foot looks fine. Later he kicks Megatron with the same foot. Shouldn't that hurt, according to him? Note there is a time lapse between the "foot shooting" and the kicking, leaving the option of a battlefield repair.
* So Ultra Magnus just happens to have a ready-made Matrix chamber installed in his chest cavity? Is this standard issue for all Autobots?
* The cartoon had already established that Astrotrain increases his size when he transforms to shuttle mode, being large enough to carry a pair of Decepticons in his cockpit. However, within the movie itself, his size is [[scale|noticeably inconsistent]]: When he leaves Autobot City, he's just large enough for the Decepticon army to cram themselves in; later, he's so huge that the Constructicons can quite comfortably form Devastator inside him.
* The number of minions created by Unicron changes throughout the film, with more Sweeps appearing as the story progresses. A second Cyclonus ("Cyclonus, the warrior, and [[Cyclonus's Armada|his armada]]") is shown being created but disappears shortly thereafter. At least ''seven'' new characters are shown at one point, created from only ''six'' Decepticons thrown from the shuttle.

[[Image:SSBQ.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"I've been looking forward to this for a long time." "Yes, I bet you have."]]
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is capable of reducing [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] to ashes with a single shot from his cannon mode. Though in later episodes Galvatron is shown blowing up even small ''[[Thrull|planets]]'' with his cannon, his extraordinary killing power seems to be gone—like when he scores a direct hit in cannon mode on Ultra Magnus in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]" and Magnus isn't especially hurt at all, or how a similar blast against Scourge in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]" only leaves the latter temporarily incapacitated. [[Marvel Comics]] bios explain this by suggesting that Galvatron had nearly limitless power through Unicron... but then again, Galvatron himself claims to be "more powerful than ever" after Unicron is dead. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}} [[To sell toys|Who knows.]]
* Why didn't anyone notice Unicron until he was within devouring distance of Cybertron's moons?
* Despite running out of energon goodies on Quintessa, Hot Rod has at least one to offer to the Junkions. Maybe he got some on the ship. It's also possible that, when he told the Allicons "No more," he meant that he wasn't going to ''feed'' them any more energon goodies, not that he didn't ''have'' anymore.
* Daniel, who was just learning how to use his exo-suit, had to knock down the acid cover inside Unicron to save his loved ones. Why couldn't the more experienced Spike do the same with his suit from above? He had both of his arms free and a clear shot at the cover. On the other hand, the clamp holding him may well disable his exo-suit's weapons and movement abilities-if it didn't, Unicron probably wouldn't have eaten half as many victims by now...
* It's not clear how Rodimus Prime (carrying two humans) and the other Autobots survived their jump out of Unicron's eye and their plunge towards the surface of Cybertron.
* It's also unclear just how the dozen or so Autobots (and one shipload of Junkions) managed to retake the whole planet of Cybertron. Did Unicron really wipe out ''that'' many Decepticons?
* When the Autobots are repairing Autobot City, Blaster is present, but a few minutes later, he's nowhere to be seen. And he isn't seen getting on one of the shuttles. It is possible that they took off without him, but Daniel noticed Arcee was not on board. Guess he cares more about Arcee than Blaster.

===Not Necessarily Errors===
* Fans have noted throughout the years that Astrotrain, in his flight through zero-gravity space, should not have needed to "jettison some weight" in the literal sense. However, since the ejected Decepticons quickly fall behind Astrotrain instead of floating alongside him, he must still have been accelerating and thus would have needed to burn a greater amount of fuel in order to push a larger payload. Perhaps he should have said "jettison some ''mass''", but then again, just being a spaceship doesn't make him a rocket scientist.
* Starscream is shown just inside Astrotrain's cargo bay when he commands him to take off, but in the next shot (Astrotrain's door closing as his rocket engines ignite), Starscream is nowhere to be seen. It's possible that he walked further in, but he should still be at least partially visible.

==Continuity notes==
* The Movie has had a huge effect in shaping the mythos:
** It was the first story to establish that Cybertron had moons.
** It introduced the Matrix as a physical object, Autobot City, Unicron, the notion of Megatron becoming Galvatron, and it killed off Optimus Prime before it was cool!

* Gadgets and powers:
** Springer deploys a small flip-out twin laser from his wrist during the Autobot City battle.
** Arcee and Hot Rod both activate a long-distance scanner of some sort by lowering a red visor from under their helmets over their eyes.
** Hot Rod uses a saw blade that extends from his retracted wrist.
** Blurr has the same kind of hooked welding tip used by various Autobots as far back as "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]".
** Arcee unleashes a nasty barbed post from her fender to fend off a Junkion.
** Grimlock shows the never-before seen ability to shoot lasers from his fists.

==Real-world references and Easter eggs==
* When Sludge gets haymakered by Devastator, his eyes pop out of their sockets in ''[[Wikipedia:Looney Tunes|Looney Tunes]]'' fashion.
* Kup's storytelling sequence aboard the shuttle is drawn from the novel ''[[Wikipedia:Of Mice and Men|Of Mice and Men]]'', complete with Grimlock in the Lenny role asking Kup to "tell Grimlock about petrorabbits again".

* The Quintesson jail cell includes robot debris ''strongly'' resembling the mobile suits [[Wikipedia:Gundam Mk-II|RX-178 Gundam MK II]] and the [[Wikipedia:Zeta Gundam|MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam]] from 1985 Japanese animation ''[[Wikipedia:Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam|Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]''.

* The Junkions speak almost entirely in pop culture quotes and pastiches. Littered among the generic phrases like "operators are standing by!", "Film at eleven" and "eliminate even the toughest stains" are more specific references, such as:
** "Don't look behind door #2, Monty!" - a reference to the game show ''[[Wikipedia:Let's Make a Deal|Let's Make a Deal]]'' and its host, [[Wikipedia:Monty Hall|Monty Hall]].
** "Ger-ronny-doo-ron-ron-ronny-mo!" - both the famous "Geronimo!" war cry, and the 1963 hit "Da Do Ron Ron".
** "You check in, but you don't check out" - a parody of the tagline for Roach Motel insect traps.
** "Happy motoring!" - a 1970s slogan of gas company Exxon.

* ''[[Star Wars]]'' sound effects (yes, even the high-budget Movie uses them):
** The ''Millennium Falcon'' engine burst noise is used extensively throughout the film, over and over and over, almost any time a Decepticon takes flight.

** Luke's deactivating lightsaber is used as the sound of the Quintesson ship's ramp extending.
** Clashing lightsabers are used as Unicron fires eye-blasts at the attacking Transformers.

** An igniting lightsaber is used as Rodimus opens the Matrix.
* The ''Star Trek'' sliding door sound is used as Wreck-Gar pulls out his <s>iPhone</s> mini-TV.

==Adaptations==
*[[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel Comics)|A comic adaptation of the movie]] was published by [[Marvel Comics]] in 1986, concurrently with the movie's theater run. It was based off a non-finalized version of the script, and differs in many details from the final film. Additionally, most of the major character models (and possibly their unedited original character write-ups) appear in Issue #4 of the ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Transformers Universe]]'' series.
* [[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|A storybook adaptation]] was released in the UK by [[Ladybird Books]].
*A four-part adaptation was released in 2006/2007 by [[IDW Publishing]], as part of the film's 20th anniversary celebration. It was titled ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' to differentiate it from the [[Michael Bay]] [[Transformers (2007)|live-action film]]. Unlike its predecessor, it adheres rigidly to the script and plot of the finished movie.

==Soundtrack==
{{main|The Transformers: The Movie - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack}}

==Promotions==
* Early in the movie's production, a [[The Transformers: The Movie promo|promotional trailer]] was made to sell the project to potential investors.
* The movie was advertised on related 1986 toy packages via the [[Decipher the Decepticon]] Sweepstakes, which included a pack-in poster and contest.
* The movie was heavily advertised directly by TV [[commercial]]s, and tail-end segments on Transformer toy ads. Portions of its story were also retold in altered fashion by animation segments of commercials for the movie character toys, such as a spot showing Springer doing battle with Wreck-Gar.

==In the comic continuity==
The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK comic]] made extensive use of the Movie as the basis for a series of stories involving the Transformers in the future. However there are several differences between the events seen on screen and those referenced in the comic:

*The comic always dates the move to 2006, following the date given in a treatment that was all [[Simon Furman]] had when he wrote [[Target: 2006]].
*In Target: 2006, [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] states that he was previously "[[Life Spark]]".
*The Matrix is always called the "Creation Matrix" in the comic, a name that predates the "Matrix of Leadership" but which is now used for the same physical object.
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] both survive the events, both later appearing in [[Space Pirates!]] (set in 2008).

In addition, Shockwave definitely survives the attack by Unicron.

The US comic almost completely ignored the events of the Movie, though later in the run an alternative future is briefly shown in "[[Rhythms of Darkness!]]" and "[[A Savage Circle]]". In this timeline at least some of the events of the Movie took place such as the creation of Galvatron from Megatron, which is dated to 2005, though Prowl's death was overlooked. [[Prowl II|Wouldn't be the first time. Or the last.]]
*The US version of the future story [[The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006]] implicitly has the events of the movie as part of its backstory. However, since the rest of the US series ignored the movie, this issue's place in the continuity is questionable.

==Edits==
Several English-language versions of the film exist, with the following differences in content from the American theatrical run:

* In some versions (notably the European version) the opening credits are replaced with a scrolling text ("''Star Wars'' style") which provides backstory.
* In some versions (notably the European version) the film ends with [[Victor Caroli|a narrator]] reassuring the audience that Optimus Prime will return.
* Instances of swearing in the film (there are two) were edited out; sometimes one, sometimes both. Those instances are: Spike yelling, "Oh shit, what are we gonna do now?" after the self-destructing Moon Base 2 fails to scratch Unicron, and Ultra Magnus growling, "Open, damn it, open!" while trying to open the Matrix to fend off Galvatron and the Sweeps on Junkion. The United Kingdom cinema version had the swearing included but, when it was released on VHS in the United Kingdom, Spike's line was cut ("damn" not being considered offensive in the UK). However it has been restored on all United Kingdom DVD releases.
* In some early FHE video releases, the shot of the Matrix falling out of Optimus Prime's hand and being caught by Hot Rod is edited so that it appears that Ultra Magnus simply takes the Matrix from Prime. Why this was done is not known, and the replay of the Hot Rod catch on Unicron's monitors was left intact.
*Instead of DEG, the [[wikipedia:Rank Organiztion|Rank Film]] "gong man" appears before the film, as Rank were the United Kingdom distributors.

None of these edits significantly affect the story. They should not be confused with various other sequences which were changed before the film's final release:

* Originally, Ultra Magnus's "death sequence" on Junkion called for him to be lassoed and drawn and quartered by the Sweeps' energy beams, but this was deemed too graphic for audiences, hence the less disturbing "shot to death" sequence seen instead. There is evidence that the original sequence had been fully animated when the decision was made, however; the Sweeps still kept their solid energy lassos when they fire upon Magnus, and Magnus is seen visibly straining against what appears to be said lassos (edited out and replaced with laser fire) before exploding.
* A number of other sequences were illustrated as [[storyboard]]s but dropped, presumably without ever being animated. Among them were:
** A short scene showing the Autobot shuttle veering around some meteors, explaining how the Decepticons caught them unawares.
** An extended sequence with Hot Rod and Daniel outside the city.
** A sequence of Mirage blasting Bombshell and being fired on by Megatron.
** The Autobots finally bringing down Devastator with a barrage of missiles (and the Constructicons subsequently shooting Red Alert in the back).
** The Decepticons dogpiling Optimus Prime, explaining why he seems to be standing up just before his fight with Megatron.
:Some of these concepts were in earlier versions of the script, and hence made it into the comic adaptation.
* Rumors have occasionally circulated in the fandom of additional animated footage that was dropped from the film, such as ultra-violent battle scenes. No evidence has ever surfaced to back these claims; the only known edits are those listed in this section.
:{{see|Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#The Transformers: The Movie|Urban legends about ''The Transformers: The Movie''}}

==Reception==
{{quote|''The Transformers'', in which Orson Welles plays a planet, is pure headache material. Target audience of cartoon-watchers also will probably find the film unintelligible, noisy and unoriginal. Boxoffice prospects are dismal.|2=[http://books.google.com/books?id=DHNZAAAAMAAJ&q=Hasbro+Transformers&dq=Hasbro+Transformers&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1983&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=2005&num=50&as_brr=0&cd=69 Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19]}}

{{quote|Obnoxious animated feature about the title good guys, who defend the universe against an evil planet (which has a voice of its own... provided by Orson Welles.) That deafening rock score certainly doesn't help. Little more than a feature-length toy commercial.|Leonard Maltin, ''1987 Movie & Video Guide''}}

{{quote|While all this action may captivate young children, the animation is not spectacular enough to dazzle adults, and the Transformers have few truly human elements to lure parents along, even when their voices are supplied by well-known actors. |2=[http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/09/movies/screen-transformers-animation-for-children.html The New York Times]}}

{{quote|Transformers -- The Movie, a feature-length animated film inspired by the syndicated TV cartoon series inspired by the Hasbro toy imported from Japan, is utterly uninspired entertainment. |2=[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3CE8EA8D40CCA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM The Dallas Morning News]}}

{{quote|If you can swallow, without gagging, a large measure of sentimental and offensive religiosity - lines like "Do not grieve. Soon I will be one with the Matrix," whispered by a failing hunk of Autobot metal - then you have a better than even chance of leaving the theatre on your own two feet. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=01kiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=W6gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2445,1286000&dq=transformers&hl=en The Montreal Gazette]}}

{{quote|Everything is poorly drawn and - when it's in focus - one dimensional. It is terribly hard to separate the robots from the backgrounds, and there is no easy way to tell the good guys from the bad guys. In an earlier movie based on the same sort of robot toys - "Go-Bots: The Battle of the Rock Lords" - the good guys were either white or colorful and the bad guys were dreary, and they had distinct personalities. Not this movie; everyone looks and sounds alike, except one pink robot who is a female good guy. Her tin voluptuousness makes her stand out. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kw4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OgMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6957,6334152&dq=transformers&hl=en The Toledo Blade]}}

{{quote|Even with an all-star cast doing the voice overs... and a rock music score, this is still nothing more than a ripoff of a successful toy line. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AYckAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dtsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4192,1494652&dq=transformers&hl=en The Palm Beach Post]}}

{{quote|The great animated villains, like the Wicked Queen in Disney's "Snow White," had motivations as compelling as any live-action character. Unicron apparently destroys entire worlds because it has nothing else to do. |2=[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/57996397.html?dids=57996397:57996397&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+8%2C+1986&author=CHARLES+SOLOMON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=8&desc=%60THE+TRANSFORMERS%27%3A+STRETCHING+A+POINT The LA Times]}}

''The Transformers: The Movie'' was almost universally panned by professional critics upon its release.

Well-known film critic and animation enthusiast, Leonard Maltin, gave it a rating below 1 1/2 stars in his ''1987 Movie & Video Guide'', regarding it as a "bomb", then proceeded to write an unflattering blurb denouncing the film as a "feature-length toy commercial" (well, he was ''right'').

Caryn James of the ''New York Times'' admitted in the [[August 9]], 1986 edition of the paper that the film was intended for young children, pointing out that the kids in the audience were having a grand ole time with the ''Transformer'' toys and comics they brought with them to the theater, but derided the film as having little to no appeal to adults (''man-children'', on the other hand...).

''Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19 '' was far less even-handed in their review, claiming the film had no appeal to adults ''or'' children. They predicted the film would perform poorly in the box office (and were correct, in that regard).

Carrie Rickey of the ''Dallas Morning News'' chided the film in the [[August 13]], 1986 issue of the paper, describing it as "essentially a cartoon ''Star Wars'' about robots from a toybox galaxy far, far away". She then went on to say that the film "never takes off" and derided it as "uninspired".

Janice Kennedy of the ''Montreal Gazette'' verbally disemboweled the film in the [[August 23]], 1986 edition of the paper, criticizing it as overly commercial, profane, loud, violent, humorless, heavy-handed in its religious messages and chaulk-full of gratuitous celebrity voice-overs. Her only compliment: "But ''The Transformers: The Movie'' does have at least one good thing going for it, a howlingly appropriate song by [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]. It's title? ''Dare to be Stupid''." ''Ouch''.

Nanciann Cherry in the August 13, 1986 edition of the ''Toledo Blade'' claimed the robots in the movie had little personality and faded into the background. She even went on to say that ''Challenge of the GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords'' was a superior film! Her review was filled with inaccuracies, however, citing characters such as "Unicon" and claiming that the destruction of Cybertron's moons by "Unicon" is what caused the Autobots to travel to Autobot City, at which point Megatron attacked. To be fair, she readily admits, "About 20 minutes into the film, I gave up on the plot and tried to count all the ideas that were stolen from other sources. Now that kept me busy." So she wasn't really paying attention, anyway.

Kathryn Buxton in the [[August 22]], 1986 edition of the ''Palm Beach Post'' gave the film a whopping ''one'' star, calling it "a ripoff of a successful toyline", whatever ''that'' means. In the same article, she also gave David Cronenberg's ''[[Fly|The Fly]]'' one star, just for reference.

In the August 8, 1986 edition of the ''LA Times'', critic Charles Solomon made clear his dislike for the film centered primarily on the fact that none of the characters had interesting or believable motivation. He stated, "Not even the best actor can create a character out of nothing. Not one of the robots has a reason for doing what he does." Solomon then pointed to Unicron specifically as an example of the lack of deep, multi-dimensional motivations in the characters.

Over time, however, the movie has acquired something of a cult following beyond the core base of [[fandom|Transformers fans]], particularly among children of the 80s. It is sometimes screened as a midnight movie at colleges. Online, it is not hard to find amateur reviews lauding everything about it as utterly awesome, from the premise to the soundtrack, and dismissing more critical views out of hand.

To date, the budget of the film has not been disclosed—at least, not in any place the [[fandom]] has found. According to most box office tracking sites,<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers.htm</ref><ref>http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1986/0TRTM.php</ref> ''The Transformers: The Movie'' made $5,849,647 in domestic (e.g., United States) theaters. Comparing this with other animated films of 1986, the results are not particularly charitable; while it did better financially than ''[[Tonka GoBots|GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gobots.htm</ref> ($1,338,264) and ''Heathcliff: The Movie''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=heathcliff.htm</ref> ($2,610,686), it performed worse than the ''[[My Little Pony]]'' movie<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mylittlepony.htm</ref> ($5,958,456) and the '''second''' ''Care Bears'' movie<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=carebearsmovie2.htm</ref> ($8,540,346). Bringing up ''The Great Mouse Detective''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=greatmousedetective.htm</ref> ($25,336,794) and ''An American Tail''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americantail.htm</ref> ($47,483,002) would really just be overkill.

==Significance in Transfandom==
''The Transformers: The Movie'' remains one of the most important elements of the entire Transformers brand, both within the fiction and from the perspective of the brand's popularity and "mindshare".

Fictionally, it established several story concepts that have been used repeatedly in the years since 1986, some of which—such as Unicron and the Matrix—are now central to the entire Transformers mythos. The movie is also the centerpiece of the most well-known Transformers continuity: the Generation 1 animated universe. The ''Transformers'' cartoon is split into "pre-movie" and "post-movie" sections which feature different characters and settings, and even somewhat different visual styles. (Most pre-movie episodes were animated by the studio [[Toei]], while most post-movie episodes were animated by [[AKOM]].)

On a practical note, it was widely available on videotape, and remained so long after the ''The Transformers'' cartoon had gone off the air. Only a [[Family Home Entertainment|handful of series episodes]] were available on video, making ''The Transformers: The Movie'' the logical choice for someone looking to pick up a ''Transformers'' cartoon; this made it far more well-known among fans than any particular cartoon episode.

To an entire generation of young fans, the movie was the most visually spectacular and narratively epic ''Transformers'' experience of their entire youth. Events such as the death of Optimus Prime are widely reported to have reduced many kids to tears. It is hardly a surprise that these emotional experiences embedded themselves deeply in many fans' memories.

==Criticisms==
[[Image:TFTM Ratchet dies.jpg|180px|left|thumb|Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise.]]

All this is not all to say that the movie is a "masterpiece", exactly. The film met with extremely harsh critical reviews on its release, and some of those criticisms still ring true today.

The film displays an arguably cynical attitude towards itself as [[To sell toys|a vehicle for advertising toys]], especially in the way beloved characters are killed—sometimes gratuitously—for sake of justifying the story's focus on a new group of toys. (Note that with the exception of Laserbeak and possibly Buzzsaw [http://www.flickr.com/photos/42232106@N06/3893688802] the poster at the top of this article features ''only'' new characters.)

Further, the two primary plot devices—[[Unicron]] and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]—have no prior establishment in the fiction. Unicron is given no backstory or justification; he simply exists, is very dangerous, and is afraid of the Matrix, all for no adequately explained reason. The introduction of the Matrix itself is a heavy [[retcon]]. The story asks the audience to accept that this cosmically powerful artifact has been in Prime's possession all along (even though an X-ray of Optimus Prime's innards in the second season episode "[[A Prime Problem]]" show absolutely no signs of said Matrix), but has somehow never been relevant before. In fact, this lack of prior establishment is what led [[Simon Furman]] to develop the divinity backstory of Unicron and [[Primus]] in the UK comics run.

[[Image:Megatronlightsaber.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Your powers are weak, old man!]]
The movie bears many similarities to ''[[Star Wars]]'': There are several character-parallels ([[Springer (G1)|Springer]] is a [[Han Solo]]-type and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] even has Princess Leia's hairdo!), the primary threat is similar (it's the [[Death Star]]... [[Unicron|but it transforms!]]), and both feature a climactic battle where the [[Hot Rod (G1)|young hero]] hears the voice of his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|dead, wise mentor]] one last time before saving the day.

To be a bit more fair to ''The Transformers: The Movie'', however, most of these similarities are either superficial (Arcee's Leia-hair; Megatron's "lightsaber" he briefly uses in his duel against Optimus Prime) or can be seen as elements common to thousands of years worth of epic storytelling through human history, not just common to ''Star Wars''. As a simple example, the phenomenon of two charismatic leaders dealing each other mortal injuries in battle hearkens back to some versions of the "King Arthur" myth; in their final battle, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arthur]] and his arch-enemy [[Megatron (G1)|Sir Mordred]] deal one another lethal injuries and both apparently expire—though Arthur according to the legend will [[The Return of Optimus Prime|return]] when [[Cybertron (planet)|England's]] need [[Darkest hour|is greatest]].

==Formatting==
[[Image:Tftm widescreenesque.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The "widescreen" picture (left) actually ''cuts off'' the top and bottom of the fullscreen picture (right).]]
Although it was billed in some advertisements before its theatrical release as being "widescreen", the movie was in fact animated in a 4:3 (fullscreen) aspect ratio. For its theatrical screenings, the film was matted down in the projector by the projectionist to a 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen), chopping the top and bottom off the picture, but all video transfers of the movie were done without mattes, meaning that there was actually more picture visible in the fullscreen video and DVD releases than there would have been in theaters. Across 2006 and 2007, new editions of the DVD of the film were released by Sony BMG and [[Metrodome]] which applied the mattes in order to replicate the original theatrical presentation of the film for the first time in home entertainment. Some fans, however, didn't realize that the film wasn't actually ''animated'' in widescreen, and, hearing that the DVD was to be in widescreen, expected to see the fullscreen image with additional footage at the sides, causing them to complain that the top and bottom were cut off, thereby totally missing the point.

==International versions==
{{main|The Transformers: The Movie/dubs}}

==Commercial Releases==
* The movie was originally released in North America on home video in 1987 by [[Family Home Entertainment]], minus Spike's swear. Not long after, it was released in the UK by [[Video Gems]]. This version featured the opening text crawl and closing narration inherent to the UK version of the film. In Australia, the film was released on video by RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts. In Japan, Hillcrane released a Laserdisc version alongside a VHS copy.
*The movie was released spottily in the '90s, beginning with a budget VHS by Avid Home Entertainment in 1991. [[Malofilm]] released a VHS in Canada in 1995, notable for being the first home entertainment version to include Spike's swear. In 1998, Japanese company Pioneer produced another pair of Laserdisc and VHS releases. In 1999, things kicked off when American company [[Kid Rhino]] secured the Transformers license and released the film on VHS once again.
*The 21st century's flirtation with ''The Transformers: The Movie'' started with a UK budget VHS release of that country's version by [[Sony|Sony Wonder]], distributed by [[Maverick Entertainment]]. A Japanese company called CatCo followed this up with a VideoCD, and Malofilm—now Seville—were the first to release a DVD version of the film, though it was just a dump of their VHS version.
*In November 2000, ''The Transformers: The Movie'' got its first, full professional DVD release from Kid Rhino. This edition, labelled a "Special Collector's Edition", is the first to feature remastered video and audio, and several special features, including storyboards and an interview with [[Vince DiCola]]. Rhino concurrently released this version on VHS, sans extras.
*In 2001 in the UK, Sony Wonder released their own much-delayed DVD version of the film. It was the UK version of the film, but included Spike's swear. However, the release was burdened by badly interlaced video, though it notably included the [[Omni Productions]] dub version of the ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' episode "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]" as an extra. This version (including the ''Headmasters'' episode) was simultaneously released on VHS.
*The movie was released on DVD in Australia in 2003 by [[Madman Entertainment]], using the same video as the Maverick version, but distinguished by some nifty new cover art by [[Don Figueroa]], and special features not seen on other editions, such as ''[[Stan Bush|The Touch]]'' music video and 80s TV spots.
[[Image:Tftm uk covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The UK poster art (left) has been the most common DVD and VHS cover in its home country, but the Ultimate Edition featured new art by Andy Wildman (right).]]
*After acquiring the license to release ''Transformers'' DVDs in the UK, [[Metrodome]] focused on completing their run of series box sets before turning their attention to the movie properly, releasing only a cheap budget DVD of the UK version through Prism Leisure with no extras, and a UMD of the same version.
*In 2005, Metrodome released ''Transformers: The Movie - Reconstructed'', a new version of the film designed to expose as much of the animated picture as possible. This, however, only resulted in exposing the rough, unfinished edges of the animation, and an overly pale remaster was compounded by excessive interlacing due to an unnecessary NTSC to PAL transfer. This, coupled with a 5.1 remix from [[Magno Sound & Video]], featuring the same extra sound effects that they added to Rhino's season box sets, made this release both controversial and disappointing to many. This was the first time that the US version of the movie was released in the UK, and the first to feature the US poster art as a cover (although a Silverscreen store exclusive version of the disc included a reversible cover with the UK poster art as well). Extras include trailers, TV spots, the character biographies from the Madman release, and a subtitled version of "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]".
[[Image:Tftm sony covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Sony's covers, by Don Figueroa.]]
*For the movie's 20th anniversary in 2006, new license holder [[Sony|Sony BMG]] released a two-disc special edition of the film, featuring both a high-quality widescreen remaster and the original fullscreen version, audio commentaries from crew and fans, several new featurettes interviewing those involved in the movie's production, storyboards, tv spots, American and Japanese commercials and more. Most notably, this version included the first Western release of "[[Scramble City: Mobilization]]", albeit silent and unsubtitled, featuring only audio commentary. This release featured two covers by Don Figueroa: one is of the '84-'85 cast that appear in the movie, and one is of the movie's new characters, available either as a lenticular hologram that switches between the two, or as a reversible sleeve with the images printed on either side.
[[Image:Tftm madman covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Madman's 2003 DVD cover (left), and their 2007 Special Edition cover (right).]]
*Delayed a bit to coincide with the hype for the 2007 [[Transformers (2007)|live-action movie]], Metrodome also released a two-disc "Ultimate Edition" with a different widescreen master. Like "Reconstructed", this version used the US edition of the film, but this time, the UK version was also included, in fullscreen, on the second disc. Extras include TV spots, commercials, the Madman biographies, storyboards, commentary, "Scramble City" (with audio and subtitles), featurettes with [[Flint Dille]] and [[Peter Cullen]], and more. The double-disc edition was sold in a steel case featuring new art by [[Andrew Wildman]], with the UK poster art adorning the standard case inside. Various store exclusives were available, including postcards from Play.Com, a reversible cover with the US poster art from HMV, art cards from Virgin Megastore and [[posters]] from Woolworths and [[Toys"R"Us]]. It was also available in an extra-less single-disc version. This version was premiered at the Mid Ulster Film Festival in Ireland which was the only cinema showing of the remastered version of the film to date.
*The film was released in Full HD 1080p on Blu-ray in the UK in October 2007. The Blu-ray is not region-locked, so it will play anywhere in the world. It features a 2.0 soundtrack, 5.1 Dolby Digital track, and a full bitrate DTS 5.1 track. The master used was the same used by Sony for their US DVD. The picture is quite stunning and the sound very good. Sadly, there are no extras on the DVD. The version of the film on the Blu-ray is the US one, complete with swear word.
*Madman produced their two-disc special edition through some collaboration with Metrodome, and consequently it features much of the same content, with additional extras taking the form of The Touch music video and a bonus episode of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''. This release again features cover artwork by Don Figueroa, specifically the cover of [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' adaptation.

==Notes==
* According to [[Buzz Dixon]], Hasbro's decision to kill off Optimus Prime was actually an attempt to maintain some brand-storytelling parity with ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'', as Dixon had just convinced them to allow the death of [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] in ''[[wikipedia:G.I. Joe: The Movie|G.I. Joe: The Movie]]'' and both films were in production at the same time.<ref>http://www.joeheadquarters.com/interviews_dixon.shtml</ref>

* This film was the last professional performance by [[Orson Welles]], who died only a month later. According to production materials shown at [[BotCon 2000]] by Tim Finn, the voice recording sessions for ''The Transformers: The Movie'' were done on [[September 10]] and [[September 11|11]] of 1985. Welles died on [[October 10]] of that same year. It has often been speculated that Unicron's last line ("Destiny… you cannot destroy my destiny!") was recorded by another actor—possibly [[Leonard Nimoy|Nimoy]]—because it sounds different than the other lines. This speculation has been quashed by statements by Transformers voice director [[Wally Burr]].<ref>http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/60-astrominutes/wally-burr/wally_burr_3.html</ref>
[[Image:Windcharger wheeljack otp.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!!]]

* With the exception of Starscream and possibly Shockwave, only the Autobots suffered fatalities in the movie. All of the other "dead" Decepticons from the Autobot City battle were rebuilt into Galvatron's new troops, and although more Decepticons were shown taking heavy damage and suffering huge casualties while fighting Unicron, their identities and their final condition are uncertain. Additionally, both Starscream and Unicron survived in the post-movie series in some form or another. Shockwave's death in the finished film is highly uncertain, although in the script it is fairly strongly implied. He does make some miscolored appearances in crowd shots in later cartoon episodes, but these are probably examples of the fairly common animation errors in those episodes.

* Somewhat ironically, though only three of the original eighteen Autobots - [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] - are definitively shown to have survived the movie, two would quite literally never be heard from again: [[Scatman Crothers]] passed away (though this didn't stop Jazz from making any number of background cameos) while Casey Kasem [[Casey Kasem#Notes|quit the show early in the third season]]. Fate's finger is fickle indeed.

*[[:Image:TFTM-MaybeBeachcomber.jpg|A robot resembling Beachcomber]] appears alongside Spike and the Autobots inside Unicron seconds before Daniel blasts the acid cover. Whether this was actually meant to be Beachcomber or just coincidental coloring is unknown, but regardless, Beachcomber shows up alive and well in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]".

==External links==
* [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers.htm ''The Transformers: The Movie'''s box office domestic gross.]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080426020409/http://www.tftm.net/ ''The Transformers: The Movie'' "Unofficial Fansite", an extremely thorough site about the movie]
* [http://www.wombatking.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=4 ''The Transformers: The Movie'' deleted storyboards]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers: The Movie}}

[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:MSTF]]
[[Category:Real world films]]

Destron Pizza

2010-10-26T07:32:42Z

68.110.0.146:

{{factions|decepticon}}
:''Destron Pizza is a pizza franchise (presumably an '''evil''' pizza franchise) from the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Destron pizza.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"Those evil pizzas were no match for a simple stop light!"]]
In his quest to quench the thirst of all sentient beings, [[Pepsi Convoy]] must first confront the lurking evil of '''Destron Pizza'''...

Destron Pizza may represent an alliance between the [[Decepticon]]s and frequent [[Pepsiman]] adversary Cave Pizza. Whatever it is, it's based out of [[Florida]].

==Notes==
*Destron is the Japanese name for the Decepticons. Cave Pizza is a spoof of The Coca-Cola Company, Pepsi's primary rival in the soft drink market. They have very similar logos.

[[Category:Businesses]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Substances]]

Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers

2010-10-26T07:24:18Z

68.110.0.146: /* The original cartoon */

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{-}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Fiction==
===Generation 1===
====The original cartoon====
*'''The original ''The Transformers'' series was redubbed anime which originated in Japan, just like ''Battle of the Planets'', ''Voltron'', ''Robotech'' and other such shows screened in the '80s.'''
: Although most moderate-to-hardcore fans are well aware that this is a fallacy, there are those more casual fans (or those who have not rewatched the Generation 1 cartoon since childhood) who are under the misconception that [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'']] was an anime.
: Although the original toyline and thus the characters' basic visual designs were taken from Japanese-originated products, the original characters, names, factions and entire story premise of the whole ''Transformers'' franchise were developed in the United States by [[Hasbro]], [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] and eventually [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]]. Although the animation was farmed out, the writing and original voice recording of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|all four seasons of the original series]] plus ''[[The Transformers: The Movie|The Movie]]'' were entirely done in America.
: This misconception probably stems from distant childhood memories of the cartoon, coupled with the later realization that shows like the aforementioned ''Robotech'' were redubbed anime (presuming they didn't know this when they were kids) and, due to ''Transformers''' obvious Japanese influence, have made the assumption that it too was anime. This ''may'' also be due to passing exposure to ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' and the [[Unicron Trilogy]] shows which, viewed as an adult, are ''very'' obviously redubbed anime.
: This is in part related to the misconception that '''all''' ''Transformers'' toys are ''solely'' designed, developed and manufactured by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], and all [[Hasbro]] ever does is to put them in new packaging and distribute them on the Western market (see above). Because this is true for other Japanese robot toylines, and therefore it must also apply to ''Transformers''.
: The error is in part embellished by the fact that the animation work on most of the series was done by [[Toei]] Animation, a Japanese studio.
*'''''The Headmasters'' was going to be dubbed into English and shown in America.'''
: In America, "Season 4" consisted of "The Rebirth", a 3-episode mini-series. In Japan, "The Rebirth" was ignored, and a full-fledged series titled ''The Headmasters'' continued the story instead. Rumors once swirled in the fandom of an American-led dub of ''The Headmasters'' series; the dub was largely finished, goes the story, till the materials were lost in a warehouse fire.
: Given the meandering pace of the series (common for Japanese shows but anathema to American sensibilities), the presence of numerous characters who had no toy equivalent on US shelves, the incompatibility with the "[[Nebulan]]" head characters, the number of Japanese cultural references, and the very existence of "[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Rebirth]]", this rumor seems unlikely on the surface.
: More to the point, no official confirmation or other evidence has ever surfaced to back it up. In all likelihood the rumor was probably a [[wikipedia:Chinese_whispers|Chinese Whisper]] from the fact that the Malay English language [[Omni Productions]] dub {or "Star TV" dub) was screened on UK satellite TV during the 1990s.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

:The problem with this theory, however, is that the yellow "Euro" Constructicon toys were released in 1992; the comic story, however, had already come out in early 1990. If anything, "Desert Island Risks!" was based on the [[Action Master]] version of Devastator, which no longer consisted of six individual Constructicons.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{-}}

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

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

{{-}}

===Revenge of the Fallen===

*'''Barricade's return?'''
:A common misconception among fans is that [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade's]] Saleen Mustang alternate mode was spotted on the set of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''. In fact, however, a truck transporting three "Barricade" prop vehicles was spotted in Culver City, California, in March 2008, more than ''two months'' before principal shooting for ''Revenge of the Fallen'' started.<ref name="vehspotted">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/transformersnews.php?id=6980 Superhero Hype reporting on the spotting of Barricade vehicles in March 2008]</ref>
{{-}}

===Prime===

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

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

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

==References==
<references/>

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

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

Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers

2010-10-26T07:23:05Z

68.110.0.146: /* The original cartoon */

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{-}}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Fiction==
===Generation 1===
====The original cartoon====
*'''The original ''The Transformers'' series was redubbed anime which originated in Japan, just like ''Battle of the Planets'', ''Voltron'', ''Robotech'' and other such shows screened in the '80s.'''
: Although most moderate-to-hardcore fans are well aware that this is a fallacy, there are those more casual fans (or those who have not rewatched the Generation 1 cartoon since childhood) who are under the misconception that [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'']] was an anime.
: Although the original toyline and thus the characters' basic visual designs were taken from Japanese-originated products, the original characters, names, factions and entire story premise of the whole ''Transformers'' franchise were developed in the United States by [[Hasbro]], [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] and eventually [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]]. Although the animation was farmed out, the writing and original voice recording of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|all four seasons of the original series]] plus ''[[The Transformers: The Movie|The Movie]]'' were entirely done in America.
: This misconception probably stems from distant childhood memories of the cartoon, coupled with the later realization that shows like the aforementioned ''Robotech'' were redubbed anime (presuming they didn't know this when they were kids) and, due to ''Transformers''' obvious Japanese influence, have made the assumption that it too was anime. This ''may'' also be due to passing exposure to ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' and the [[Unicron Trilogy]] shows which, viewed as an adult, are ''very'' obviously redubbed anime.
: This is in part related to the misconception that '''all''' ''Transformers'' toys are ''solely'' designed, developed and manufactured by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], and all [[Hasbro]] ever does is to put them in new packaging and distribute them on the Western market (see above). Because this is true for other Japanese robot toylines, and therefore it must also apply to ''Transformers''.
: The error is in part embellished by the fact that the animation work on the first two season were done by [[Toei]] Animation, a Japanese studio.
*'''''The Headmasters'' was going to be dubbed into English and shown in America.'''
: In America, "Season 4" consisted of "The Rebirth", a 3-episode mini-series. In Japan, "The Rebirth" was ignored, and a full-fledged series titled ''The Headmasters'' continued the story instead. Rumors once swirled in the fandom of an American-led dub of ''The Headmasters'' series; the dub was largely finished, goes the story, till the materials were lost in a warehouse fire.
: Given the meandering pace of the series (common for Japanese shows but anathema to American sensibilities), the presence of numerous characters who had no toy equivalent on US shelves, the incompatibility with the "[[Nebulan]]" head characters, the number of Japanese cultural references, and the very existence of "[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Rebirth]]", this rumor seems unlikely on the surface.
: More to the point, no official confirmation or other evidence has ever surfaced to back it up. In all likelihood the rumor was probably a [[wikipedia:Chinese_whispers|Chinese Whisper]] from the fact that the Malay English language [[Omni Productions]] dub {or "Star TV" dub) was screened on UK satellite TV during the 1990s.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

:The problem with this theory, however, is that the yellow "Euro" Constructicon toys were released in 1992; the comic story, however, had already come out in early 1990. If anything, "Desert Island Risks!" was based on the [[Action Master]] version of Devastator, which no longer consisted of six individual Constructicons.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{-}}

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

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

{{-}}

===Revenge of the Fallen===

*'''Barricade's return?'''
:A common misconception among fans is that [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade's]] Saleen Mustang alternate mode was spotted on the set of ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''. In fact, however, a truck transporting three "Barricade" prop vehicles was spotted in Culver City, California, in March 2008, more than ''two months'' before principal shooting for ''Revenge of the Fallen'' started.<ref name="vehspotted">[http://www.superherohype.com/news/transformersnews.php?id=6980 Superhero Hype reporting on the spotting of Barricade vehicles in March 2008]</ref>
{{-}}

===Prime===

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

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

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

==References==
<references/>

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

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

Cheers

2010-10-24T06:57:58Z

68.110.0.146: /* G.I. Joe Featuring Snake-Eyes */

[[Image:DrMindbenderTubJackson1.jpg|thumb|300px|She should have died at Cheers! Then everybody would have known her name!]]

'''''Cheers''''' is a [[television]] program.

==Fiction==
===''G.I. Joe Featuring Snake-Eyes''===

Upon his resurrection, [[Doctor Mindbender]] was aghast at the cancellation of ''Cheers''. {{storylink|Goin' South}}

==External links==
*''[[Wikipedia:Cheers|Cheers]]'' at Wikipedia

[[Category:External properties]]
[[Category:Generation 2]]
[[Category:Television programs]]

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

2010-10-19T23:06:26Z

68.110.0.146: /* Notes */

:''The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is a museum from the [[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]] portion of the [[Live-action film series|live action]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:ROTF Smithsonian not really.jpg|thumb|right|350px]]
The '''Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum''' is a museum dedicated to the aviation history of the [[United States of America]].

{{bigquote|What sort of hideous mausoleum is this?!|[[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] isn't too impressed with his current address|[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]}}

==Fiction==

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===

When [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] told [[Sam Witwicky]], [[Mikaela Banes]], [[Seymour Simmons]], and [[Leo Spitz]] about the [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seeker]]s, he told them where to find the ancient [[Transformer]]s. The closest one was in [[Washington, D.C.]], in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The trip brought back memories for Simmons (he always wanted to be an astronaut). As part of their plan to do their search uninterrupted, Leo distracted the guards by claiming that the restrooms were out of toilet paper, then tazing one who followed him...also tazing himself. Simmons managed to down another four guards, and the human quartet went to work. They managed to find that the SR-71 Blackbird in the museum was the Seeker in question. Reactivating him with the [[AllSpark (Movie)|All Spark]] shard Sam had, it turned out to be [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], who had not aged very well and damaged a good portion of the museum while trying to get his bearings. {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

==Notes==
*''Revenge of the Fallen'' does some rather serious failures in geography with regards to the Smithsonian. What was actually displayed in the movie was the [[Wikipedia:Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center|Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]], which is administered by the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and holds many of the aircraft seen in the film, but is a separate building located at [[Wikipedia:Washington Dulles International Airport|Dulles International Airport]]. The [[Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]] makes the distinction about the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy center being a separate facility administered by the Smithsonian, but the film itself does not. Additionally, when Jetfire wanders outside, what is actually shown is the [[Wikipedia:309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group|309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group]] in Tucson, Arizona, implying that Washington, D.C. is actually an open desert.

*The Smithsonian seems to be proud of its role in ''Revenge of the Fallen'', as one of the exhibit cases at the [[Wikipedia:Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center|Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]] closest to the SR-71 Blackbird now contains several Transformers toys, prototypes, and props used during filming at the facility, as well as a short clip depicting the development stages of Jetfire's CGI transformation sequence.

==External links==
*[[Wikipedia:National Air and Space Museum|Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum at Wikipedia]]

[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen locations]]

Miami Metal Clamp

2010-10-19T22:53:12Z

68.110.0.146: /* Notes */

:''Miami Metal Clamp is a [[television]] program from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[Image:MarvelUK198_MiamiMetalClamp.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]

'''''Miami Metal Clamp''''' (or something like that) is a TV series about [[human]]s hitting each other. The [[Autobot]] [[Slapdash]] loves it.

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics UK continuity===
Slapdash was watching ''Miami Metal Clamp'' one [[Christmas]] when [[Getaway]] started bothering him about helping [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] with his personal problems. While Slapdash was much more interested in watching TV, the show was suddenly interrupted by a news bulletin, much to his disappointment.

When Slapdash kicked [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] a while later, he claimed to have learned that move from ''Miami Metal Clamp''. {{storylink|Cold Comfort and Joy!}}

==Notes==
*''Miami Metal Clamp'' is most likely based on (or is) the 80s cop show, ''Miami Vice''. The scruffy-faced man on the televison Slapdash is watching looks similar to Sonny Crockett, the fashionable vice officer with a five-o'clock shadow from the program.

[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Television programs]]

GoBots (disambiguation)

2010-10-17T06:15:54Z

68.110.0.146:

The name '''GoBots / Gobots / Go-Bots''' (and other variations) has been applied to several Transformers (and Transformers-related) characters and ideas.

*''[[Tonka GoBots|GoBots]]'' the [[Tonka]] transforming robot toyline and competitor to ''Transformers'' in the early 80s.

*[[Gobots (G2)|Gobots]] the [[Autobot]] water-shooting stock race car from ''[[Generation 2]]''.

*[[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]] the Autobot/[[Decepticon]] sub-group of cars from ''Generation 2''.

*''[[Go-Bots (toyline)|Go-Bots]]'' the [[Playskool]] transforming robot toyline aimed at children five and under (sometimes called '''Go-Go-Go-Bots''' by fans).

*[[GoBots (G1)|G1 GoBots]] the Japanese [[e-Hobby]] [[exclusive]] [[Mini Vehicle]] redeco set.

{{disambig}}

South Africa

2010-10-13T03:29:50Z

68.110.0.146:

'''South Africa''' is a country in, surprisingly, southern [[Africa]], and is the largest economy in that continent. Due to its status, it is a member of many global organisations such as the [[United Nations]], African Union, Commonwealth of Nations, G20, and [[NEST]].

It is known for a large diversity of ethnicities, cultures, and languages.

==Fiction==
===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

Not only was the country a member-state of NEST, but Bloemfontein contained a maximum-security prison for captured Decepticons.

In 2010, South Africa held the [[World Cup]]. Unfortunately, at the same time as the cup final, the Decepticon [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]] staged a jailbreak! The battle soon hit the Free State Stadium, and to prevent civilian casualties the Autobots had to allow the enemy to escape. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.13|Inside Out!}}

{{--}}

==Notes==

* In the real world continuity family, the Cup final was held at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. Whether that's also where South Africa really keeps its Decepticon prisoners is unknown.

==External Links==
* [[Wikipedia:South Africa|South Africa at Wikipedia]]

[[Category: Countries of Earth]]
[[Category: Revenge of the Fallen locations]]

World Cup

2010-10-13T03:29:22Z

68.110.0.146: /* Notes */

'''The World Cup''' is a colloquial term for the '''FIFA World Cup''', a match between the national football teams of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. In 2010, the Cup was held in [[South Africa]].

==Fiction==
===Titan Magazines===

Soon after the final match, a Transformer battle erupted around the outskirts of Free State Stadium. The Autobots were forced to let the Decepticons leave to prevent civilian casualties. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.13|Inside Out!}}

==Notes==

* In the real world continuity family, the Cup finals were held at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg.

==External links==
* [[Wikipedia:FIFA World Cup|FIFA World Cup at Wikipedia]]

[[Category: Earth culture]]

South Africa

2010-10-13T03:28:55Z

68.110.0.146: /* Notes */

'''South Africa''' is a country in, surprisingly, southern [[Africa]], and is the largest economy in that continent. Due to its status, it is a member of many global organisations such as the [[United Nations]], African Union, Commonwealth of Nations, G20, and [[NEST]].

It is known for a large diversity of ethnicities, cultures, and languages.

==Fiction==
===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

Not only was the country a member-state of NEST, but Bloemfontein contained a maximum-security prison for captured Decepticons.

In 2010, South Africa held the [[World Cup]]. Unfortunately, at the same time as the cup final, the Decepticon [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]] staged a jailbreak! The battle soon hit the Free State Stadium, and to prevent civilian casualties the Autobots had to allow the enemy to escape. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.13|Inside Out!}}

{{--}}

==Notes==

* In the real world continuity family, parts of the World Cup were in fact held at the [[Wikipedia:Free State Stadium|Free State Stadium]], which shared the honor with several stadia, including Johannesburg's Soccer City, home of the finals.

==External Links==
* [[Wikipedia:South Africa|South Africa at Wikipedia]]

[[Category: Countries of Earth]]
[[Category: Revenge of the Fallen locations]]

Hub Network

2010-10-13T02:57:05Z

68.110.0.146:

{{disambig3|Hub}}

[[Image:Thehubnetworklogo.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Beware programming manager [[Liege Maximo]].]]

'''The Hub''', previously known as the '''Hasbro-Discovery Communications Joint Venture Network''', is a new cable television network being developed by the '''[[Hasbro]]-Discovery Communications Joint Venture'''<ref>
Margaret Loesch is President of "Hasbro-Discovery Communications Joint Venture." A bit like inventing "New Technology #3" in Sid Meyers Civilization., isn't it?</ref>. It began broadcasting [[October 10]], [[2010]], replacing the channel formerly known as Discovery Kids.

The Hub will be the outlet for the ''[[Transformers: Prime]]'', ''[[My Little Pony]] Friendship is Magic'' and ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]] Renegades'' cartoons. Its management team is headed up by [[Margaret Loesch]], a veteran of the Transformers brand who worked on [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original cartoon]], which airs on weeknights on the channel.

Currently, Loesch and The Hub's senior Vice President of advertising sales [[Brooke Goldstein]] are negotiating with Hasbro's rival Mattel in an attempt to get the world's biggest toy company to buy advertising spots on the Hasbro-owned network.<ref>[http://adage.com/upfront2010/article?article_id=143861 "Can Hub Rally Rivals to Play With Hasbro?"; Andrew Hampp Advertising Age, May 17, 2010]</ref>

==Footnotes==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://hubworld.com/ HubWorld.com, the official website for The Hub]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9QPN5BP70I Commercial for The Hub]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hub, The}}
[[Category:Networks]]

Hub Network

2010-10-13T02:55:07Z

68.110.0.146: