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S.O.S. Dinobots

2012-09-10T02:51:58Z

71.75.169.6: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=8
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=7
|prev2=Divide and Conquer
|next2=War of the Dinobots
|series3=''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (cartoon)|Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=4
|prev3=More than Meets the Eye, Part 3
|next3=Heavy Metal War
|image=FHE-SOSDinobots.jpg
|caption="Uh, who?" '''"Everybody!"'''
|title="S.O.S. Dinobots"
|production code=#700-05
|airdate=[[October 27]], 1984
|written by=[[Donald F. Glut]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Autobots create the Dinobots, but can barely control these new powerful warriors.'''

:''Japanese title:'' ダイノボット誕生! (''Dinobot Tanjō!'', "Dinobots Are Born!")
:''German Generation 2 title:'' Die Dinobots (''The Dinobots'')
:''Russian title:'' На помощь, Диноботы! (''Na pomoshch, Dinoboty!'', "Help us, Dinobots!")
:''Serbian title:'' С.О.С Диноботи (''S.O.S Dinoboti'')
:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''La nascita dei Dinorobot''' ("Birth of the Dinobots")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''S.O.S. Dinobots'''
{{TOCclear}}
==Synopsis==
[[Image:SOSDinobots_fossilcavern.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Guys, I think we found [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]]'s stash.]]

A series of tremors turns the attentions of the Autobots into the ancient stone surrounding their volcano headquarters. Deep sensor scans reveal [[dinosaur]] fossils, which pique the curiosity of Optimus Prime. Spike explains that dinosaurs were very powerful reptiles that lived on [[Earth]] millions of years ago. He takes Hound on a tour of a natural history museum to further illustrate his paleontological crash-course. Hound snaps a few holograms of dinosaur bone displays, inspiring Wheeljack and Ratchet to construct robotic versions of dinosaurs.
[[Image:SOSDinobots_Grimlockwrecks_Teletraan.jpg|thumb|right|200px|When the [[television|TV]] no work, Me know how to fix it!]]

[[Image:SOSDinobots_Ravage_window.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Holy Hell!]]
[[Image:SOSDinobots_Autobotsfall.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Bet you wished you scanned air vehicle forms now, huh?]]

Elsewhere, the Decepticons stake out the [[Great Falls]] hydroelectric power facility. Reflector and Soundwave return with the data they gathered, and Megatron orders a strike.

Wheeljack unveils the three new additions to their ranks: the Dinobots Grimlock, Slag and Sludge. The demonstration of their power turns sour as they run amuck, their primitive brains unable to control their raw strength. The Dinobots begin attacking their fellow Autobots, even destroying [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan]].

The Autobots finally rein in the rampaging Dinobots thanks to Wheeljack's [[magnetic inducer]]. Prime declares the terrible trio to be too dangerous. Despite Wheeljack's desperate entreaties, Prime pulls the plug on the project, and orders the Dinobots holed up in a cavern in the Ark, never to be activated again.

The Decepticons arrive at the Great Falls, and the humans try to reach the Autobots via Teletraan I. Their distress signal goes unheard, as Teletraan I is currently offline thanks to the Dinobot rampage.

With Teletraan I out of commission, it's up to individual Autobot scouts like Hound to be on the lookout for Decepticon activity. Hound's sensors detect the ransacking of the Great Falls plant, and he and Spike go to investigate. Hound radios in his findings to the Ark, and Optimus Prime leaves with a strike force, leaving Bumblebee behind to guard the base.

The Autobots arrive at the Great Falls, but the Decepticons are ready for them. A battle erupts, and Megatron fires his fusion cannon directly powered by the Great Falls output. He blasts the cliff-face where the Autobots stand, sending them falling into the raging waters below.

[[Image:SOSDinobots_Megatron_falls.jpg|thumb|left|200px|I've warned you about that, mighty Megatron.]]
[[Image:SOSDinobots_SSMegatron_attacks_Dinobots.jpg|thumb|right|200px|When you get shot at, you die. When the Dinobots get shot at, they '''glow with a holy light'''.]]

Disobeying orders, Bumblebee arrives at the Great Falls and picks up Spike. They return to the Ark, informing Wheeljack and Ratchet of the Autobots' failure at the Great Falls. Wheeljack decides to reactivate the Dinobots. He has secretly developed a series of memory components that would upgrade the Dinobots' brains. The Dinobots awaken. Still relatively simple-minded, they are now much more intelligent than the mindless monsters that first appeared. Sludge, Slag and Grimlock carry out Wheeljack's orders and fly to the Great Falls.

The Decepticons pull the soggy Autobots from the drink and truss them up with [[Energon chains]]. Just as the Decepticons are about to execute the captives, the Dinobots arrive and make short work of the Decepticons who retreat as Wheeljack frees the Autobot captives. Wheeljack and Bumblebee brace themselves for reprimands for disobeying Prime's direct orders, but Prime concedes he was wrong. He accepts the Dinobots as the newest members of the Autobot forces. The Autobots cheer the decision, and the Dinobots growl their approval.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (4)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (6)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (7)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (8)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (11)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (12)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (13)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (14)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (19)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (20)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (21)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (22)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (23)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (24)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (25)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (27)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (28)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] (29)

|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (8)
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] (9)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (15)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (16)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (17)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (18)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (30)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (31)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (5)
*[[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (26)
}}

==Quotes==
"Well I'll be a Cybertronic [[bolt-bat]]!"
:—'''Sideswipe'''

"Robot dinosaurs might be useful. You have my authorization."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gives the okay to make the Dinobots, because sure, why not?

"Maybe Hound's got [[Glitch mouse|glitch mice]] in his databanks again!"
:—'''Bluestreak''', mocking Hound's radar accuracy, to the amusement of no one

"Nice shootin', if you were aimin' for the sky!"
:—'''Rumble''' goading Bluestreak

"Which ones... friends?" 
"Ones with... face like this...uh, I think." 
"That... good enough for Slag."
:—'''Slag''' and '''Sludge''' determine friend from foe by using faction symbols.

"If on Decepticon turf you happen to tumble, look out robot, 'cause here comes Rumble!"
:—'''Rumble'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s clever combat banter

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* Ironhide's cheekguards are gray instead of red as he explains his sonadar sensor.
* Brawn's lines don't quite time up with the animation; he says "let's clean up this mess" while in the middle of tossing rocks everywhere; and he says "Hey, there's a cavern in there!" while gaping at a huge opening that must have been revealed much earlier in their dig.
* Wheeljack likewise says "Feels like stone" before he's even picked up one of the dinosaur bones. His ears don't flash for the first part of his line. And the top of his chest is colored windshield blue when it should be metal armor white.
* Speaking of which, Wheeljack's ears flash orange in this episode, rather than the usual blue. It's a convention that also appeared in "[[Roll for It]]" (an episode which has a similar art style to this one.)
* Jazz clearly isn't with the group that enters the cave; yet he abruptly pops up out of nowhere to say his line.
* Only the front of Wheeljack's ears flash for his "I'd sure like to know more about 'em" line.
* The exposition-spouting tourist visiting the Great Falls hydroelectric power plant has hair that turns from red to black from one shot to the next.
* Spike identifies a ''Brontosaurus'' during his tour of the museum's dinosaur exhibit, though there does not appear to be a ''Brontosaurus'' on display. Though, to be fair, it may just be Spike's error, or the ''Brontosaurus'' skeleton might be out of the camera's view. (Also, by the time this episode took place, [[Wikipedia:Brontosaurus|''Brontosaurus'' was a deprecated genus]], but that's just picking nits.)
* Wheeljack's ears are drawn as mishapen white blobs as he and Prime first call up the image of the dinosaurs on Teletraan 1.
* Wheeljack is missing his wings as he works on the helmet-brain units.
* The Decepticon Headquarters docking tower is rather clumsily animated against the background matte, shaking a bit as it lowers. When the tower lowers, the source of the streaming bubbles lowers with it!
* "I suppose you've devised a brilliant plan..." Starscream's intakes are shown behind his shoulders, rather than on top of them.
* The top of the docking tower is missing as the Decepticons fly out it.
* Wheeljack's line of dialogue, "Autobots, meet Dinobots" is delivered by Ratchet.
* As Wheeljack introduces the Dinobots, the foreground characters slide magically against the background scenery due to an error in animation.
* As the Autobots react with shock upon seeing the Dinobots, all three audible lines in the scene—"Look at the size of those things", "Great Cybertron", and "Holy heterodyne"—are animated as being spoken by Bluestreak. The lines were evidently not scripted as belonging to any specific characters, as they are provided respectively by [[Peter Cullen]] (using neither Prime nor Ironhide's voice), [[Dan Gilvezan]] (sounding like himself) and [[Gregg Berger]] (who shouldn't be voicing ''any'' of the assembled Autobots!).
* Wheeljack's is missing his wings as he's introducing the Dinobots.
*As Huffer mocks the Dinobots, he says: "Dinobots, huh? I thought you were supposed to make ''dino''saurs!" The emphasis, of course, should be on the "saurs".
* In his introductory shot, Slag's head is miscolored, mostly gray instead of all-red. This is the first of many, many, many times that his head and face will get the wrong colors.
* Another frequent coloring error has Sludge with gray on the sides of his dino head, which should be all-gold. It pops up numerous times in this episode.
* Optimus Prime's line, "Interesting, but what else can they do?" is delivered by Cliffjumper.
* As he opens his mouth to clear the rubble, Grimlock's dinosaur head has whole bunch of extra joint lines, based on his toy's detail. This detail never appears again.
* Bluestreak gets Optimus Prime's laser rifle sound effect for his shoulder launcher blasts.
* As Slag shoots him, Sideswipe cries out in Bluestreak's voice.
* As Grimlock heads into the control room, he just slides across the frame, rather than being animated with leg motion, etc.
* Grimlock clearly destroys the big main screen with the lolipop next to it. Yet as Bumblebee tries to get away, he passes this same screen, totally intact, while the explosion comes from somewhere else (unless there's ''two'' big screens with lolipops?)
* Ratchet rights a tipped-over Bumblebee in the thick of the Dinobot rampage. After Bumblebee drives away, the section of Ratchet obscured by a foreground Bumblebee is still missing .
* As often happens, Prowl has Sideswipe's voice as he asks "Doesn't anything get to this guy?"
* Prime's missing his grille lines as he declares that the Dinobots must be destroyed.
* As he fires to deactivate the Dinobots, Wheeljack's missile launcher swings around and clicks into place, pointing forward. Only... it was already pointing forward just a second earlier.
* After standing in front of the cave lamenting the loss of his creations (aw, poor Wheeljack!), Wheeljack moves out of the way as the Autobots open fire to seal the cavern. Yet as the rocks come down, he's back in front of the cave.
* When the Decepticons arrive at the Great Falls plant, Rumble is colored like Brawn.
* As Skywarp and another Decepticon land, a foreground Decepticon Seeker's leg is colored a deep yellow (an error, but as close as [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] ever came to appearing on Earth in a Generation 1 cartoon.)
* As Megatron claims control of the dam and the Decepticons strike silly poses, two background Seekers appear to have Bluestreak's colors.
* After Optimus signs off from Hound's transmission, his head does a strange little back-and-forth bob. As the view pans out from him, we see Bluestreak, whose headcrest is gray instead of red.
* As the Autobots roll out, they kind of slide sideways across the floor of Autobot Headquarters.
[[Image:SOSDinobots Soundwave shoots Gears.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
* Appearing/disappearing Autobots:
** Wheeljack is shown in the lineup of Autobots leaving HQ; yet a moment later, it's shown that he stayed behind to continue working on stuff.
* "Endless energy, Starscream!" Megatron is missing his waist details.
* As Prime rolls toward the falls, his smokestacks are red.
* When Optimus tells the Autobots to fight, his line is clipped off at the end, telling the Autobots to "fight ba-".
* When Gears flies up to Soundwave, his truck roof (on his back) is red instead of blue.
* Just before Gears tumbles into him, Bluestreak is standing there waving a fist in the air. It looks like he was supposed to be shooting, but the laser fire wasn't animated.
* Bluestreak is knocked over by Gears, and but is standing and firing in the next shot.
* "Nice shootin'!" Rumble's eyeband is gray instead of red.

[[Image:SOSDinobots-Miscolors.jpg|thumb|center|600px|[[Nelson Yomtov|Yomtov]]-licious!]]
* As Skywarp and Thundercracker strafe the Autobots, ''every single Autobot is miscolored'', including Sideswipe painted as Sunstreaker, Bluestreak as Trailbreaker, Brawn as Hound, Optimus Prime as Sideswipe, Hound as Ironhide, Trailbreaker as Gears, and Mirage as Bluestreak.
* Rumble's pile driver tips are the same blue-purple as the rest of him when he lands, but are red in a close-up shot a second later.
* Sunstreaker's hands are yellow in the shot of him, Jazz, etc. reacting to Rumble's earthquake.
* Megatron is shown laughing, but there's no vocalization to go with it.
* Optimus's chest is the same blue as his head as he struggles in the water. As the Autobots move past camera, he morphs into his usual red.
* Megatron's missing his insignia as he and Starscream look down from the cliff.
* "We shall retrieve their short-circuited carcasses..." Megatron's lip-flap doesn't keep pace with his speech.
* Ratchet's head crest is white instead of gray as he works on Teletraan-1.
* "I've been working on a little research project." Once again, only the front of Wheeljack's ears flash.
[[Image:SOSDinobots_bluePrime.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Not Powered Convoy. And don't even think about [[redeco|it]], [[e-HOBBY]]!]]
* While the Autobots are trapped in Energon Chains, Optimus is colored entirely blue and Trailbreaker is a light grey rather than black. And again, Megatron suffers a severe lip-flap malfunction. The energon chains to bounce and move like a single solid object; this is apparently supposed to show the Autobots struggling against their bonds, but it doesn't really work very well.
* Yet another vocal malfunction for Megatron after Wheeljack shoots him; he makes a falling-over "Whauurrrrrr!" sound long after he's already fallen over.
* Starscream's entire cockpit cowling is yellow after the transforms, rather than just the canopy.
* Rumble's shin is all-yellow as he and the rest of the Decepticon group take off.
* When Skywarp drops bombs on Grimlock, Grimlock's an overly-dark shade of gray.
* Rumble's colors are reversed as Sludge's crevasse knocks him over.
* After they transform to retreat, all three Seekers have entirely gold nosecones. A pan across the three jets shows Starscream, Thundercracker, and a second Starscream in place of Skywarp.
* Sludge's face is black after he returns to robot mode.
* "And whatever punishment you have in mind..." Bumblebee is missing his insignia, has yellow "cheeks" instead of white, and appears to have borrowed [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]]'s rectangular chest.
* The closing scene features Optimus announcing that the Dinobots... will stay! And everyone is happy, and everybody cheers! Everybody except the background music, which is a tense, frantic piece normally reserved for cliffhanging crises and catastrophes.

===Continuity errors===
* Though the holographic dinosaurs illustrated in the episodes matched some of the concepts of the early ‘80s, their depiction is outdated by today's standards. The dinosaurs in the show are the sluggish, tail-dragging cold-blooded variety not in keeping with more modern theories of warm-blooded, bird-like animals.

* When the holographic dinosaurs are shown, a brontosaurus is seen living alongside a ''Triceratops'' and a ''Tyrannosaurus''. In reality, the brontosaurus (well, ''Apatosaurus''...oh, you know what we mean) lived in the Jurassic Period, while the ''Triceratops'' and the ''Tyrannosaurus'' lived during the Cretacious Period. So basically, they were separated by millions of years, [[Wikipedia:Fantasia (film)|but apparently]], [[Wikipedia:The Flintstones|in a cartoon,]] [[Wikipedia:The Land Before Time|that doesn't matter]].

* So, why didn't Wheeljack just give the Dinobots their cognitive upgrades ''before'' he activated them and showed them off?

* The data gathered by Reflector and Soundwave leads Megatron to conclude with relish that the Great Falls contain enough energy to vanquish the Autobots and control the universe...but that's really nothing new. The Decepticons have targeted hydroelectric power sources before.

*What is it about falling into the river that is so devastating to the Autobots? We've seen that Autobots can deal with being in the water (Hound in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]", various Autobots in "[[The Ultimate Doom]]", Springer, Kup, and Arcee in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', etc.). It's possible that the fall itself damaged them, but the Autobots are clearly shown struggling around in the water. Then again, Optimus Prime needed Jazz's help to escape the rushing river in "More Than Meets the Eye, Part 2".

* It's possible the editorial pace of the show plays with time and space, but taken at face value, the Autobots build three Dinobots in the span of time it takes the Decepticons to decide to attack the Great Falls.

===Rhino DVD release===
[[Image:dvd broadcast.jpg|right|thumb|Pretty colors are more important than things making sense!]]

* The chapter stops for this episode on the Rhino DVD are: Opening / Old Bones / "Dinobots Must Die" / Fusion Power / Permanent Dysfunction / Dinobots Will Stay.

* Though all G1 episodes released on DVD by Rhino were altered in some way, both with additional sound effects and unintentional changes induced by not using the finalized broadcast masters, this one is particularly screwed up:
** The Rhino version uses a faulty take for the shot where the Dinobots demonstrate their power by clearing rubble. In the DVD, the blasts from the Dinobots' mouths are missing, and the rubble does not vanish. The broadcast version, though, has both effects, which were reinstated on the Shout! Factory release. (See illustration).
** As the Autobots walk around the unnamed museum, they pass a pair of street punks looking at a display. While divided into grey and blue parts in the broadcast version, the display was [[:Image:SOSDinobotsPunksDisplay.jpg|rendered entirely blue]] in the Kid Rhino version of the episode, making it look a bit like a computer terminal. This random color change was ''not'' undone in the Shout! Factory version.
** When Hound contacts Autobot Headquarters with a recon report, the glowing light on his chest and forehead are blue in the broadcast version, but red in the DVD version. This was changed back in the Shout! Factory release.
** …When Spike says the line "Is it much farther, Hound" the broadcast version has his mouth move with his speech but the Rhino version has his mouth stop at the word "much" with his mouth hanging open in the rest of the sentence and this error is uncorrected in Shout! Factory's version.
** When the Autobots arrive at the Great Falls and they transform from vehicle mode to robot mode, the shot of Bluestreak is reversed, and he is shown transforming from robot to car. The broadcast version used the correct take, as does the Shout! Factory release.
** Not so much a goof, but the Rhino DVD version of this episode has a rainbow visible at the Great Falls when Megatron lands. This is not in the broadcast version and was removed when Shout Factory corrected the scene.

===Continuity notes===
* After being almost totally ignored (or completely absent) for the first seven episodes, Windcharger finally gets his first speaking line.
* Wheeljack is shown working on the memory upgrades for the Dinobots before they're even built!
* Flying Autobots:
** Gears takes to the air to attack the Decepticons at the power plant, and Wheeljack flies alongside the Dinobots. These abilities are never explained within the cartoon itself. However, according to the [[Tech Spec]]s, these two (along with Sideswipe) are the original Autobots who are SUPPOSED to be flight-capable; Gears is equipped with compressed air boosters and Wheeljack has solid-fuel rockets in his arms. Gears would never be shown to use his flight capabilities again; Wheeljack, however, will fly again in "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]" and actually use his arm-rockets in "[[The Core]]" and "[[The Autobot Run]]".
**The Dinobots are also shown to be able to fly in robot mode under their own power; they will consistently retain this ability all the way through Season 2 and the Movie.
* "We do... as told... for now." Grimlock's first lines already foretell the trouble that the Autobots will have keeping the Dinobots in line.
* The Dinobots are shown to be incredibly tough and resistant to damage. Nothing the Decepticons do leaves so much as a scratch or scorch mark, not even shots from gun-mode Megatron. This too is consistent through Season 2 and the Movie.
** Slag's triceratops frill can reflect Optimus Prime's laser rifle blast back at him.
[[Image:Sosdinos sonadar sensors.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
[[Image:SOSDinobots Trailbreaker in force field.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
[[Image:SOSDinobot Hound radios in.jpg|thumb|right|200px|As noted above, Hound's glowy bits were bright blue in the original broadcast version.]]
* Powers and gadgets:
** Ironhide is equipped with a [[sonodar]] sensor array that extends from his forearm, capable of penetrating solid rock. The findings of the sensor are displayed in the windshield in his chest.
** Sideswipe is equipped with piston arms, that allow him to punch through stone walls. Here, they are simply heavy protrusions that he slams into the rock to break it up, but when they show up again in "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]" they actually operate like pneumatic jackhammers. His pistons are also misinterpreted as a ''hand-held'' jackhammer in "[[Fire on the Mountain]]".
** Trailbreaker's force field is rendered as a glowing yellow sphere that comes from the space between his upraised hands. (Well, hand, since the other one is a gun.)
** Wheeljack fires a "magnetic inducer" from his shoulder cannon to stop the rampaging Dinobots, and later nails Megatron with a "[[gyro-inhibitor shell]]", launched from same. Both these are weapons Wheeljack's tech spec says he has and fires from his shoulder cannons.
** Hound uses a cheekguard-mounted communicator to contact Autobot Headquarters, along with a button on his stomach that lights up parts of his helmet while he's transmitting.
** Optimus has a similar cheekguard communicator, along with little antennae which slide out of the larger antennae on his head.
** Thundercracker attempts to torch the Dinobots with a flamethrower, which shows up again in "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 2]]". This weapon is probably based on his tech spec's mention of incendiary guns.
** Skywarp still packs heat-seeking missiles, per his tech spec bio.
** Starscream drops small bomb-missiles on the Dinobots. These may or may not be the from the launchers concealed in his air ducts, which are used in "[[Fire on the Mountain]]".
[[Image:Sosdinos rumble broken piledrivers.jpg|thumb|right|200px| ]]
*Megatron actually refers to his [[fusion cannon]] by that name.
* Laserbeak does not appear but is mentioned in this episode, as Megatron credits him for gathering intelligence at the Great Falls.
* Per his tech spec bio, Sludge proves adept in the water. He also uses his seismic stomp to retaliate against Rumble's earthquake power.
* Rumble getting hit by Sludge's quake while using his piledrivers causes them to break off.
* '''[[Transport to Oblivion|< <]]''' What makes Starscream the leader? Megatron's lost his equilibrium! '''[[Countdown to Extinction (episode)|> >]]'''

===Real-world references===
* Dinosaurs, obviously. And a natural history museum, and a lame joke about "heavy metal" in reference to Hound.
* ''Star Wars'' sound effects:
** Death Star turbolasers are used as the sound of Bluestreak firing at Rumble.
** Luke repelling Seeker bolts with his lightsaber is used as the sound of the Decepticons lifting off under Starscream's command.
** Clashing lightsabers are used as the sound of Slag's horns powering up.
** More lightsabers as the Dinobots fire on Megatron and Starscream.

===Japanese version===
Original airdate: [[August 17]], [[1985]]
*In the Japanese version of this episode, the Dinobots' roars were replaced with classic kaiju roars (mostly an altered version of Baragon's roar).
*'''Cut:''' Following Spike's line, "There goes an Autobot with guts" and Ratchet charging, the close-up of Spike's head and Ratchet repairing Teletraan-1 have been cut. The sequence resumes at Sludge firing his laser eyes.
*'''Cut:''' After Prime yells "Roll out!" and transforms, the following footage of the Autobots driving out of the Ark behind him, the pan across the base interior and the footage of Wheeljack working on the Dinobot brain upgrades have all been cut.

===Trivia===
[[Image:SOSDinobots_Great_Falls.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The rules of Decepticon fashion dictate that no two members of a flying group can use the same arm pose.]]
* This episode shares the slightly stylized artistic style of "Roll for It". Note the strange poses that the Decepticons strike while flying, Optimus's unusually rounded head, Bumblebee's somewhat flattened head, and the little bits of shading seen on characters's faces in closeup.
*This was one of the six episodes featured on the ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' console game.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 1985 — ''The Transformers'' — Volume 3: "S.O.S. Dinobots" ([[Family Home Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1997 — ''The Transformers'' — War of the Dinobots ([[Malofilm]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2002 — ''Transformers: Generation 2'' ([[Maverick Entertainment|Sony Wonder]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2002 — ''Transformers'' — Original Series: Volume Three (Sony Wonder) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2002 — ''Transformers'' — Complete Original Series: Deluxe Edition (Sony Wonder) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — First Season Collector's Edition ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Volume Two (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 1: Series 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — The Best of ''The Transformers'' (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers'' — The Classic Episodes (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Classic Transformers'' — Series One: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 01: Stagione Uno Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete First Season: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
* [http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/sos_dinobots.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category: Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

Heart of Darkness issue 4

2012-08-25T07:39:05Z

71.75.169.6: /* Errors */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Heart of Darkness|Heart of Darkness]]'' #4
|prev=Heart of Darkness issue 3
|next=
|title=
|image=HOD 4A.jpg
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[June 29]], [[2011]]
|coverdate=June 2011
|written by=[[Dan Abnett]] and [[Andy Lanning]]
|art by=[[Ulises Farinas]]
|colors by=[[Andrew Crossley]]
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|assistant editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|editor=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2011)]]
}}

'''All the pieces are put in place in preparation for D-Void's next move.'''

==Synopsis==
On the planet [[Dykayra]], [[Nova Prime|Nemesis Prime]] attacks [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], explaining that [[D-Void]] revived him so he could get his revenge of Galvatron for betraying and killing him. When Galvatron's minions try to protect him, Nemesis destroys two of them and absorbs their energy, then transforms into a gigantic horrible beast under the direct control of D-Void itself. It kills several [[Sweep]]s, but Galvatron will not be underestimated, and confronts D-Void's avatar on his own while ordering [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] to summon his main army. While he is unable to defeat "Nemesis", he manages to distract him long enough for the army to arrive and force him through the [[Dead Universe]] portal, which Galvatron then destroys.

But Galvatron knows that what they defeated was just an emissary of D-Void, and the real threat is still coming. He travels to [[Earth]] to recruit [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and his troops for his cause, [[The Transformers: Infestation issue 2|but his offer is rejected]]. Despite this letdown, he continues with his plan by sending his army to the planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], D-Void's first target and thus their first line of defense. As scout units are sent out to search for life signs on the abandoned planet, one Sweep locates [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], and breaks orders to attack them. He is shot down, but is quickly repaired and scolded by Galvatron. The Autobots, who know Galvatron as an evil maniac, are horrified to see him in control of an army, and blasts off in a spaceship despite Galvatron's attempts to stop them and teach them of his intentions. He ultimately lets them go, as he's got what he came for: Cybertron. He will defend this planet from D-Void for the sake of the Transformers... and fate of the universe.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] (7)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (10)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (11)
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (12)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] (14)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (15)
|c2=
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (1)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (3)
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] (4)
*[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] (5)
*[[Sweep]]s (8)
|c4=
*[[Nova Prime|Nemesis Prime]]/[[D-Void]] (2)
*Galvatron's army (9)
*[[Zombie]]s (13)

}}

==Quotes==
" This... unlife that was threatening Earth. A zombie virus. It intrigues me. It manifested in robot life forms too."

"It was irrelevant and inefficient"

'''Jhiaxus''' and '''Galvatron''' disagree on the merits of Infestation

==Notes==
*This issue both retells part of [[The Transformers: Infestation issue 2|issue 2 of ''The Transformers: Infestation'']] and [[Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|issue 20 of the ongoing series]], showing events from those comics from Galvatron's point of view.

===Errors===
*One of the panels that recalls ''Infestation'' retains the original comic's error of calling Jhiaxus "Jihaxus".
*Since when does Galvatron know Rodimus? Of all the Autobots Galvatron met, Rodimus wasen't one of them. And even if he does know who Rodimus is, he really shouldn't be aware of his recent name change from Hot Rod.

{{picsneeded|Cover RI}}

===Covers (4)===
* '''Cover A:''' Galvatron and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], art by Ulises Farinas with colors by Andrew Crossley.
* '''Cover B:''' Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge versus a giant hand, art by [[Casey Coller]] with [[Joana Lafuente]].
* '''Cover C:''' Galvatron in darkness, art by [[Livio Ramondelli]].
* '''Cover RI:''' Pencil sketch version of cover A.

<gallery>
Image:HOD 4A.jpg|Arcee LUVS her some Galvatron... can you blame her?
Image:HOD 4B.jpg|"Cobra! Attaaaaaaack!"
Image:HOD 4C.jpg|"Me, Galvatron badass!"
Image:HOD 4RI.jpg|Cover RI
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
{{issuestub}}

[[Category:Heart of Darkness issues]]

Atlantis, Arise!

2012-08-25T07:12:31Z

71.75.169.6: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=24
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=16
|prev2=The Immobilizer
|next2=Enter the Nightbird
|series3=''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (cartoon)|Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=15
|prev3=War of the Dinobots
|next3=Auto Berserk
|image=SubAtlantica Undersea.jpg
|caption=There's fire burning... underwater. Don't ask.
|title="Atlantis, Arise!"
|production code=#700-23
|airdate=[[October 3]], 1985
|written by=[[Douglas Booth]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Decepticons ally with the undersea realm of Sub-Atlantica. But they may be more treacherous than Megatron expected.'''

:''Japanese title:'' アトランティス浮上! (''Atlantis Fujō!'', "Atlantis, Arise!")
:''German'' Generation 2 ''title:'' "'''Die Unterwasserstadt'''" ("The Underwater City")
:''Russian title:'' '''"Воскресшая Атлантида"''' (''Voskresshaya Atlantida'', "Atlantis Is Resurrected")
:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''Il segreto di Atlantide''' ("Secret of Atlantis")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''Atlantide risorge''' ("Atlantis arises")
==Synopsis==
[[Image:Atlantis Arise Sub-Atlanticans Decepticons.JPG|left|150px|thumb|And when you see Aquaman, tell him his superpower sucks.]]

[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] summons [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] to the control room, saying that [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] have detected massive energy readings underwater. The Decepticons investigate and encounter the [[Sub-Atlantica|Sub-Atlanticans]], a race who hope to conquer the surface world one day. Megatron negotiates a deal with [[Nergill]], King of Sub-Atlantica, offering Decepticon military technology in exchange for access to their [[geothermal]] storehouses. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] distrusts the Sub-Atlanticans, who communicate with each other telepathically.

[[Image:Atlantis Arise Autobots football.JPG|right|150px|thumb|R U READY 4 SUM FOOTBALL?]]

Near the [[Autobot]] [[Ark (G1)|base]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] are playing a game of [[football]] with the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] arrives before the Dinobots accidentally kill anyone, telling them there is a massive energy reading emanating from near the [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|Decepticon base]]. [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] dispatches Bumblebee, [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], Hound, and Wheeljack to investigate, with Spike tagging along. The Decepticons and Sub-Atlanticans attack and take Wheeljack prisoner. After raising the city from the bottom of the ocean, the Decepticons and Sub-Atlanticans prepare to attack [[Washington, D.C.]] as a sign of their new alliance. Nergill communicates with his soldiers, telling Megatron that they will imprison Wheeljack in his dungeons. However, at Starscream's orders, Soundwave unscrambles the message and learns that Wheeljack is to be taken to their laboratory to develop weapons against the Autobots and Decepticons alike.

The Autobots head for Washington, hoping to stop the Decepticons and Sub-Atlanticans. Prime has Spike and Bumblebee head for Sub-Atlantica, hoping to rescue Wheeljack, while the Autobot leader takes the others to Washington. The Sub-Atlanticans raise a [[force field]] over Washington, trapping the Autobots inside. In Sub-Atlantica, Nergill has developed a [[magnetic dysfunction ray]] which will shut down [[Transformer|Transformers]]; he's tested it on Wheeljack, leaving him immobile. Starscream discovers this and is shot by Nergill, who learns that it is less effective on Decepticons. As Nergill leaves, Starscream attempts to drain power from Wheeljack, but Bumblebee and Spike stop arrive just in time to stop the Decepticon and restore Wheeljack.

[[Image:Atlantis Arise Megs Lincoln memorial.JPG|left|150px|thumb|Four score and seven million years ago, I founded a [[Decepticon Empire|new nation]]...]]

Nergill strolls into Washington, with Wheeljack, Bumblebee and Spike sneaking in behind him. Nergill uses the disruptor to defeat Prime's team of Autobots, bringing the battle to an end. As the Sub-Atlanticans secure the Capitol building, his soldiers ask when to move against the Decepticons, but Nergill decides to wait a little while longer. Meanwhile, Megatron (sitting at the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial]]) tells [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] that they will deal with the Sub-Atlanticans soon enough.

Wheeljack calls in the Dinobots, who manage to penetrate the force field and come to blows with the Decepticons. As Megatron and [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] grapple, Nergill is on the verge of shooting them both until Starscream arrives and bashes Nergill aside, declaring that he is now an enemy. Grimlock grabs the disruptor and destroys it, causing the Autobots to revive. The Decepticons and Sub-Atlanticans retreat back to their own city, with the Autobots in pursuit.

[[Image:SubAtlantica Asplode.jpg|right|150px|thumb|But the others chose to stay, sitting in their porches with their shotguns, and eventually evolved into mermaids. And they would sing and dance, and ring in the new...]]

Back at Sub-Atlantica, Megatron demands an answer to Starscream's treason charge against Nergill, but Nergill informs him that the Autobots are coming. They invade the city, and the Dinobots begin smashing everything in sight.

Nergill decides to destroy the city, hoping to destroy the Transformers as well. Spike, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee follow, hoping to stop Nergill, with [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] in pursuit. The two [[Mini-Cassette|Mini-Cassettes]] realize Nergill's intentions, and Rumble tries to bury him in rubble, but it's not enough. Wheeljack likewise tries to stop the sub-aquatic king, but it's too late. Nergill throws a device into his energy containers, which starts a chain reaction that begins to destroy the city. The Decepticons retreat; Prime orders the Autobots to clear out, then rescues Wheeljack's team (and strangely finds Grimlock there as well). Prime and the others escape, watching from the nearby sea as the Sub-Atlanticans and their home disappear under the waves. Prime says they probably won't see Nergill again for a long time.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (10)
* [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] (11)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (12)
* [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (13)
* [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (14)
* [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (15)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (16)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (17)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (18)
* [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (19)
* [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (20)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (21)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (22)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (23)
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (25)
* [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (26)

|c2=
* [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (1)
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (2)
* [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (3)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (4)
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (5)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (6)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (7)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (27)
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (28)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (9)

|c4=
*[[Nergill]] (8)
*Sub-Atlantican General (24)
}}

==Quotes==
"Are you sure humans do this for fun?"
:—'''Hound''', after playing a game of football with the Dinobots

"No! That could ruin Wheeljack's function circuits!" 
"So... what? Ruining Autobots is my life!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Starscream'''

"Autobots bite off more than they can chew, then send for Dinobots! Come, Snarl, Sludge. We go!"
:—'''Grimlock''', responding to the SOS call by Wheeljack. Apparently he does not want Slag or Swoop.

"Mmm, we are ''here''."
:—'''Grimlock''' is a master of subtle and astute observation

"Me Grimlock here again, Optimus Prime, to pull your diodes out of laser fire."
:—'''Grimlock''' is getting a little tired of rescuing Optimus Prime

"Okay, Grimlock. Time for you and the Dinobots to ''act'' prehistoric!"
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

"You don't frighten me, you mechanical throwbacks!" 
"Good, Megatron! We love stupid enemies!"
:—'''Grimlock''' has no grasp of irony.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* Someone mistook the strange glint of sunlight reflecting off of Buzzsaw for a laser beam, and inserted a Decepticon laser sound effect accordingly.
* Soundwave has some extra black shading around his eyeband as he reports to Megatron.
* As Megatron pontificates about "an underwater city of such size", a strangely-timed edit has the scene cut to an exterior shot of [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|Decepticon Headquarters]], as if ''that'' were supposed to be the underwater city in question. If it's meant to be an establishing shot, why isn't it at the beginning of the scene?
* The Decepticon Headquarters docking tower appears to be listing about 15 degrees or so as it emerges from the water, as if a stock view from one point-of-view angle was copied onto a new background drawn at a different point-of-view angle.
*When the Decepticons leave their base, Starscream's jet mode has a yellow underbelly. For an animation error, it's unusually appropriate!
* As he orders Soundwave to unscramble Nergill's message, Starscream's left pectoral is colored gray instead of red, and isn't really drawn in correctly, almost as if the animators intended his arm to be covering it during the scene.

[[Image:SubAtlantica Undersea.jpg|thumb|right|200px|]]
* Considering how bright and well-lit everything is, Sub-Atlantica must be in about 25 feet of water.
* As Hound's camper roof unfolds, his turret gun clips right through it.
* Bumblebee appears to be using one of the Sub-Atlanticans' weapons as he fires at Starscream and company.
* During Wheeljack's "But nobody else is gonna follow you either" line, only the front side of his "ears" flash.
* Soundwave is drawn with a totally transparent tape door as Starscream has him unscramble Nergill's second message. It appears to be a deliberate choice to show the cassette mechanism within, but it conflicts with the usual white coloration of his chest panel.
* As Megatron makes his dramatic proclamation of Sub-Atlantica's destination, the bottom of Starscream's cockpit cowling is colored yellow instead of gray.
* Starscream is shown among the Decepticons leaving Sub-Atlantica to conquer D.C. The very next shot shows him lurking within the city as Nergill exposits to himself.
* As the Autobots drive toward Washington, Optimus mispronounces their foes' names as "Sub-[[Atlanta]]-cans".
* The "highway" that the Autobots use to drive to D.C. has an "exit" for the Chesapeake Bay that's more like a T-shaped intersection. Bumblebee somehow manages to negotiate it at full speed without flying out of control.
* The animation is very inconsistent as to whether the little red bulb on the Sub-Atlanticans' headwear is supposed to flash when they talk.
* The Dome Of Invulnerability guy is missing his telepathic waves as he refuses Megatron's order.
* Laser bolts bounce right off the Washington Monument without leaving so much as a burn mark. With weapons that ineffectual, it's no wonder nobody ever dies in this show!
* Laserbeak's attack on Hound is strangely truncated; Laserbeak fires non-glowing lasers, and then suddenly vanishes out of the shot.
* The shot that Hound fires at Laserbeak doesn't line up with his gun barrel.
* The electrical bolts enveloping Starscream right after Nergil blasts him are not animated to jigger for the first few seconds.
* While calling to warn Optimus about Nergil's weapon, the Autobot insignia on Wheeljack's roof/chest is upside-down.
* When Megatron removes the President Abraham Lincoln statue from the chair, his Decepticon insignia is grey.
* The inside of Sludge's robot-mode mouth is white when he says "Alright!"
* When the Dinobots break through the force field, Starscream is among the group fighting them off, even though he is still lying inert within Sub-Atlantica at this point.
[[Image:Optimus prime doppelgaenger.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Prime uses [[budding]] to hold up the Washington Monument.]]

* Before Megatron bashes the Washington Monument, Prime and Prowl are standing there watching. After Megatron bashes the Monument, the shot returns to the same Prowl-and-Prime angle. But Prowl is gone, and the earlier artwork of Prime is still there watching as ''another'' Prime runs to catch the monument!
* The Autobots shown entering the city and attacking Megatron include Prime, Hound, Brawn, Prowl, Ironhide, and Sunstreaker. Sunstreaker and Ironhide disappear after the battle begins; only Hound, Brawn, Prowl and Prime are shown being disabled by Nergill and being revived later on. Ironhide finally shows up again after the battle is over; Ratchet and Trailbreaker appear out of nowhere as the Autobots roll out of D.C. During the Sub-Atlantica battle, Sideswipe appears (also out of nowhere), and Sunstreaker finally reappears.
* Slag's face is white instead of red as he exits Prime's trailer. In the next shot, his whole head is gray.
* A strangely angled shot, looking up from below the water, is supposed to show Prime, Wheeljack, Bumblebee and Grimlock swimming out of Sub-Atlantica. It's ''very'' easy to mistake it for a shot showing them flying through the air. They don't move any of their limbs, they move across the screen very rapidly, and the water itself is backlit by the sunset colored sky.
* Spike's declaration that "Nergill's gone!" doesn't mean much, since the animation never actually makes it clear that Wheeljack carried him out of Sub-Atlantica.
* What are Prime and the others standing on after they evacuate Sub-Atlantica? Even Spike is above water almost to his waist!
* The sign that the Autobots past says 'New York' (Right Arrow) 'Baltimore' (Forward Arrow)and Washington DC (Left Arrow). It is also backwards.

===Continuity errors===
* If Nergill "communicates telepathically", as Soundwave claims, why is his mouth moving all the time?
[[Image:Spike SemiNude.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Then again, look at how ripped his pecs are. Maybe he really ''is'' a superhuman!]]
* Superhuman Spike:
** Spike can survive in the "deepest part of the Atlantic ocean" wearing only a bathing suit and using a simple oxygen tank and goggles. Amazing that he isn't crushed under the weight of the ocean or frozen to death.
** Spike can somehow speak clearly to the Autobots without removing the mouthpiece for his breathing apparatus from his mouth; hell, he can even perform this trick ''underwater''.
* How can Bumblebee calculate Sub-Atlantica's destination from watching it sail along the coast for like two seconds? It could be going anywhere!
* The "conquest" of Washington is incredibly half-hearted. The Decepticons and the squiddy guys run around in the street for a bit, scare some tourists, blow up a couple of cars, and put up a force field. About the only conquery thing they do is set up a giant vacuum tube computer in the capital building.

[[Image:SubAtlantican SurfaceGear.jpg|thumb|right|150px| ]]
* The Sub-Atlanticans have to wear aquatic masks over their faces when they're on dry land. Yet they don't wear them inside their city, which appears to be just as water-free as the surface.
* The water-based Sub-Atlanticans don't think to create a force field that extends under the water?
* More an omission than an error, but it's never explained just what Starscream was trying to do to Wheeljack.
* Wheeljack says that they'd better warn Prime about the dysfunction ray... then proceeds to say something totally vague and uninformative ("There is great danger! Nergill must be stopped!")
* [[Microbots|How]] [[The Agenda (Part III)|many]] times do cartoons have to be told that it's not a ''force field'' if it ''shatters like glass''? (Does this mean that the streets of D.C. are now covered with piles of shattered force field bits?)
* Some "dome of ''invulnerability''". The Dinobots get through it in about five seconds flat.
* Starscream's third appearance in DC isn't an animation error; he's central to the plot! How did he get free of the dysfunction ray?!
* Who knew that destroying a gun could un-shoot the gun's prior victims? That's exactly what happens — Grimlock destroys the dysfunction gun, and suddenly the Autobots are un-dysfunctionalized!
* How ''did'' Grimlock get into the energy supply room with Wheeljack, Bumblebee, and Spike? The last time we saw him, he was up in Sub-Atlantica fighting.
* Fire under water? really?

===District of Columbia errors===
[[Image:Megatron hates lincoln.jpg|thumb|right|200px|It also survives being carelessly tossed aside without a scratch.]]
* Despite the Autobots being near the Chesapeake Bay, the backgrounds show huge rocks and expanses of sand, as if they were in the desert.
* As Hound fights near the reflecting pool, there's lots of tall buildings behind him. D.C. doesn't really have many tall buildings, certainly not near the Mall.
* Both the plot and the animation seem to imply that DC sits on a major body of water. Or did Sub-Atlantica just sail right up the Potomac?
* The Lincoln Memorial is strangely [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]-[[Scale|sized]]. Also, the statue part apparently just comes right off. Who knew?
* Somehow, the rotational forces involved in the Washington Monument's partial fall do not cause the masonry structure to snap like a dry twig.
* Apparently, damaged masonry structures like the Washington Monument can be ''melted'' back together. Who knew?

===Continuity notes===
[[Image:Atlantis Arise Hound roof.JPG|right|150px|thumb|Whoops! Can't get my fancy cushions wet!]]
[[Image:AtlantisArise Bumblebee spygear.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Bumblebee had GPS before it existed!]]
* Gadgets and powers:
** Two groups of Autobots drive on the water, using the water ski-like hydrofoils that showed up in several other episodes. (At most points, the hydrofoils are not shown, but Bumblebee's can be glimpsed after the first commercial break.)
** [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] has a folding sunroof. That is awesome. His toy did not. That is not awesome.
** Bumblebee has a bizarre direction calculator thing that comes out of his back.
** Shoulder artillery: Wheeljack uses a missile from his shoulder launcher to seal the cave shut behind the other Autobots. The only other time he actually fires missiles (instead of laser beams from the tip of the missile) is in "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]".
* Grimlock also grumbled about having to save the Autobots in "[[Day of the Machines]]". It'll finally come to a head in "[[Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1]]".
* Hey, that shot of Soundwave ejecting Laserbeak during the DC battle sure looks familiar... why, it's copied from "[[Transport to Oblivion]]"! [[Changing Gears|Again!]]
* In the Decepticon campaign of ''[[Transformers The Game]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]'', [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] also takes the Lincoln Memorial throne as his own.

===Real world references===
* As the obligatory "conquer Washington" episode (''G.I. Joe'' had one too), "Atlantis, Arise!" features several D.C. landmarks, including the Washington Monument, the White House (where the Decepticons first land), the US Capitol Building, and the Lincoln Memorial and its Reflecting Pool, as well as a mention of the Chesapeake Bay.
* ''Star Wars'' sound effects:
** The gouts of fire that burst from the sea as SubAtlantica sinks are soundtracked with various explosions from the Death Star battle, possibly exploding X-Wing fighters.

===Trivia===
* This episode is one of a handful that begins with a (rather pointless) narrative voiceover from [[Victor Caroli]].
*When played back at a slower speed, Nergill says telepathically to his people:
** "Never mind. Put your weapons away. We don't want to put them on guard."
** "Take no aggressive action. They suspect."
* They have in fact seen the last of Nergill.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 2 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Bumper Collection Special (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 03: Stagione Due Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/atlantis_arise.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

The Ascending issue 2

2012-07-30T03:54:19Z

71.75.169.6: /* Notes */

{{comicstory|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending]]'' #2
|prev=The Ascending issue 1
|next=The Ascending issue 3
|image=BWAscending-02A.jpg
|caption=I think they fought the Gargoyles.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 17]], [[2007]]
|coverdate=September 2007
|written by=[[Simon Furman]]
|art by=[[Don Figueroa]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|colors assist by=[[Andrew Elder]] & [[Jeong Joo Park]]
|letters by=[[Robbie Robbins]]
|edits by=[[Dan Taylor (IDW)|Dan Taylor]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The secret battle between Ravage's Predacons and Razorbeast's Pack must cease in order to prevent Shokaract's ascension..'''

==Synopsis==
A disembodied [[Unicron]] commands [[Blendtron|his loyal servants]] to eliminate an rogue element in the timestream and to not tell the "[[Shokaract|vessel]]". He orders [[Rartorata]] to travel to prehistoric [[Earth]] to stop anyone from alerting of his coming.

On Earth, even with [[Torca]] and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]'s [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] have the advantage in the battle. [[Snarl (BW)|Snarl]] calls [[Razorbeast]] outside to help fight, leaving Ravage inside the cave base, unaware that the Predacon is still functional. Using the [[Maximal]]s' hardware, Ravage shifts his chronal placement to interact with the primary [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]].

But before arriving in the same existence as [[Optimus Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s war, Ravage finds himself drawn out of time to [[Magmatron]]. Having seen the future, Magmatron explains to Ravage that a truce is in order to save [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s future.

The [[Maximal Imperium]], finding their society destabilized, (unaware of the effects [[Angolmois]] energy is having on the populace of Cybertron) call for help from [[Big Convoy]]. Big Convoy, however is too busy investigating a murder—one Angolmois junkie being killed so the Angolmois could be stolen. The theft of Angolmois was perpetrated by [[Drancron]], [[Elephorca]], and Rarotata so they could feed the energy to Shokaract.

[[Lio Convoy]]'s [[Pack]] arrives through [[transwarp]] (having received Razorbeast's distress signal—thanks to Magmatron), ready to assist the group on Earth. They descend, changing the tide of battle with their heavy weaponry. But before the battle is over, Ravage shifts himself into their time and relays the news from Magmatron: the two sides must join forces. But before he can finish explaining, Rartorata swoops out and stings Razorbeast with something that mutates the Maximal into a pig... of rage!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Air Hammer]] (8)
*[[Optimus Minor]] (10)
*[[Bantor (BW)|Bantor]] (11)
*[[B'Boom]] (12)
*[[Torca]] (13)
*[[Ramulus]] (17)
*[[Polar Claw]] (19)
*[[Wolfang (Maximal)|Wolfang]] (20)
*[[Bonecrusher (BW)|Bonecrusher]] (21)
*[[Cybershark]] (22)
*[[Snarl (BW)|Snarl]] (23)
*[[Claw Jaw]] (28)
*[[K-9]] (29)
*[[Armordillo]] (30)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (31)
*[[Razorbeast]] (32)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (35)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (36)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (37)
*[[Tasmania Kid]] (38)
*[[Ikard]] (39)
*[[Big Convoy]] (40)
*[[Mach Kick]] (42)
*[[Stampy (BWN)|Stampy]] (43)
*[[Lio Convoy]] (44)
*[[Longrack (BWN)|Longrack]] (45)
*[[Apache]] (46)
*[[Break]] (47)
*[[Drill Nuts]] (48)
*[[Noctorro]] (50)
*[[Prowl II|Prowl]] (52)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Transquito]] (5)
*[[Jetstorm (BW)|Jetstorm]] (6)
*[[Lazorbeak]] (7)
*[[Sky Shadow (BW)|Sky Shadow]] (9)
*[[Powerpinch]] (14)
*[[Drill Bit (BW)|Drill Bit]] (15)
*[[Scourge (BW)|Scourge]] (16)
*[[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]] (18)
*[[Insecticon (BW)|Insecticon]] (24)
*[[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]] (25)
*[[Terragator]] (26)
*[[Manta Ray (BW)|Manta Ray]] (27)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (33)
*[[Magmatron]] (34)
*[[Shokaract]] (41)
*[[Injector]] (49)
*[[Buzzclaw (BW)|Buzzclaw]] (51)
*[[Scavenger (BW)|Scavenger]] (53)
*[[Buzz Saw]] (54)

|c4=
* [[Unicron]] (1)
* [[Elephorca]] (2)
* [[Drancron]] (3)
* [[Rartorata]] (4)
}}

==Notes==
* Stampy is shown holding a carrot while in the Maximal ship—apparently his "beast head" hand was hungry.
* The Maximal ship used by The Pack seems to be loosely based on the Maximal symbol.
* The murdered Angolmois junkie is the [[GoBots (franchise)|GoBot]] Pincher, albeit miscolored. Well, that's either him or [[Vice Grip]].
* The Imperium dwells in a tower with a roof shaped like the Maximal insignia, rather than the [[Council Citadel]].
* Big Convoy's dialogue seems to indicate some Maximal-Predacon discrimination is going on in Cybertron's legal system as he has to remind Ikard to tell the Imperium that the mob that killed the junkie was an equal mix of Maximal and Predacon. Other ''Beast Wars'' fiction also indicates this.
* When Big Convoy is showing Ikard the murdered junkie, Ikard covers his face as though he was about to vomit.

===Errors===
* [[Mark Bristow]], the colorist of the previous issue, is incorrectly credited for the colors of this issue instead of Josh Burcham.
* On the third page, Wolfang addresses one of his statements to himself, because the second two speech balloons (his and Bonecrusher's) are reversed.

===Covers (3)===
{{picsneeded|Cover RI}}
* '''Cover A:''' The Pack arrive; art by [[Don Figueroa]].
* '''Cover B:''' Ravage attacks Optimus Primal; art by [[Nick Roche]].
* '''Cover RI:''' Uncolored version of cover B

<gallery>
Image:BWAscending-02A.jpg|X-Men, assemble!
Image:BWAscending-02B.jpg|Ravage about to take a bite outta Prime
Image:BWAscending-02ri.jpg|Cover RI
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* [[The Ascending issue 3|''Beast Wars: The Ascending'' #3]]
* CGC Grading, feat. Grimlock
* Transformers posters
* ''[[Transformers: Movie Prequel |Movie Prequel]]''
* [[Transformers: Movie Adaptation|''Transformers'' 2007 movie adaptation]]
* ''[[The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin]]'' comic series
* ''[[The Transformers: Greatest Battles of Optimus Prime and Megatron|Greatest Battles of Optimus Prime and Megatron]]''
* ''[[The Transformers: Cover Gallery Volume 2]]''
* ''Star Trek: Year Four''
* "Star Trek Alien Spotlight: Vulcans"
* ''[[The Transformers: Devastation|Devastation]]'' series (back cover)

===Reprints===
*[[2008]] — ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending]]''
*[[2008]] — [[Transformers Comic issue 18|''Transformers Comic'' #18]]–[[Transformers Comic issue 20|20]]
*[[2009]] — ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Omnibus]]''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ascending issue 2}}
[[Category:IDW Beast Wars issues]]

Fortress Maximus (G1)

2012-06-29T02:03:42Z

71.75.169.6: /* IDW comics continuity */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2}}
{{disambig3|Fortress Maximus}}
:''Fortress Maximus is an [[Autobot]] [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] [[City-bot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:FortMax1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Nobuyuki Hiyama|Link]] called. He wants the [[Master Sword]] back.]]
Despite his great power, size, and rank, '''Fortress Maximus''' is a weary and reluctant warrior. Fighting is against his pacifist nature, even for the most noble of causes. Over time, the endless conflict on Cybertron has worn him down, to the point that he's willing to walk away from the war entirely to preserve himself and his ideals.

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

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

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Ringofhate-evilstain.jpg|right|250px|thumb|He is mad as hell and he's not gonna take it anymore!]]
Fortress Maximus was an architect in his early career, designing and even constructing many works on Cybertron. When the war came, he reluctantly turned his talents to fighting. {{storylink|The Transformers Universe|Transformers Universe profile}}

During the long absence of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], and their respective troops from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], unit commander Fortress Maximus established a headquarters in the [[Manganese Mountains]] and continued the fight against Scorponok's Decepticon contingent.

One fine day on Cybertron, Fortress Maximus's troops staged an ambush on Scorponok's Decepticons, who had just leveled an Autobot city and were marching their prisoners toward the [[Smelting pool|smelting pools]]. Maximus's troops cut a swath through the Decepticon ranks, quickly driving them into retreat.

{{bigquote|Whether I am a hero or a coward is ''not'' the issue! I am ''weary!'' My joints creak from the corrosion of ''war without end!'' I... cannot break this ring of hate that surrounds us all -- but I can remove myself from it. No matter what you decide... I am leaving.|Fortress Maximus announces his decision to quit the war|"[[Ring of Hate!]]"}}

[[Image:Pan-galactic telescope.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"...And that, prospective investors, is why GoogleSaturn will make a million dollars per month."]]
Though his troops were jubilant at their victory, the battle was the last straw for Fortress Maximus. He had become so sick of the war that he decided to leave it. He didn't care if it made him a coward or not, he simply believed that the war would go on regardless of whether or not he was in it. Maximus declared that no matter what the others decided, he was leaving for the planet of [[Nebulos]], a world he had long studied and which seemed to be at peace. His stunned troops agreed, and together constructed a starship dubbed the ''[[Steelhaven]]'' to propel them across the void.

Fortress Maximus immediately sent [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] as an messenger to the Nebulan natives; however, an accident made it appear that the giant robots from outer space came with hostile intent. Some of the more reactionary elements among the Nebulan leadership conspired to make Fortress Maximus's envoy [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] also appear to have hostile intent, and thus were able to incite their fellow Nebulans to arms.

[[Image:Fortmaxgiveshead.jpg|right|250px|thumb|GIVE ME YOUR FACE-I MEAN HEAD!]]
Fortress Maximus and his troops thus found themselves under a full attack from the Nebulans. Max ordered his troops to not fight back, despite complaints from the likes of [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], and covered them as they retreated into the woods.

Faced with a newly hostile enemy, Fortress Maximus resolved to wage peace, not war. Gathering ten of his followers, he marched up to the Nebulan capital of [[Koraja]], begged to be heard out, and had his group discard their weapons. When that didn't work, he did the next logical thing and pulled his head off. Four other Autobots also resorted to this grotesque stunt before [[Galen]], head of the Nebulan [[World Watchers]], was convinced they weren't a threat. {{storylink|Ring of Hate!}}

[[Image:Brokenglass-autobotstorage.jpg|left|200px|thumb|My honey my baby, don't put my head upon no shelf.]]
The five Autobots' heads were stored in a warehouse, and Galen occasionally consulted with Fortress Maximus, keeping him up to date on outside events as anti-robot protests rocked the capital city.

Soon after, a horde of the Autobots' Decepticon foes appeared before the city gates. Max advised Galen that turning the Autobots over to Scorponok would not prevent him from attacking, and under the Autobot-Nebulan peace agreement, Galen could not simply restore the five Autobots to their bodies. But together with [[Arcana]], the pair came up with another plan. Five volunteer Nebulans were bio-engineered to combine with special armor, and transform into likenesses of the Autobots heads, connecting with and controlling them through the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster process]]. Galen himself became Fortress Maximus's new partner. Fortress Maximus led his newly-enhanced troops against Scorponok, and soundly defeated his numerically superior squad. {{storylink|Broken Glass!}}

[[Image:Loveandsteel-runfortmaxrun.jpg|right|250px|thumb|I'm just a-runnin' down the road, trying to loosen my load, got a world of troubles on my mind.]]
Fortress Maximus remained inert while Galen performed his various duties. He came back online to lead the Headmasters to the [[Grax Communications Facility]], where a number of Nebulan leaders were apparently being held hostage by the Decepticons. It turned out to be a trap, however, as the Decepticons had also become Headmasters, with Galen's rival [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]] now bonded to Scorponok himself. Using several Nebulans as a distraction, Scorponok's troops overpowered Fortress Maximus and the others, taking them hostage. {{storylink|Love and Steel!}}

Max remained out of commission until Zarak, briefly overcoming Scorponok's influence on his mind, freed Galen and the other Autobot-allied Nebulans. Fortress Maximus and company smashed their way out of the holding facility, then ran straight into the newly-formed Decepticon Targetmasters. Max briefly led his troops against the Decepticons, but opted to retreat rather than fight it out. To spare Koraja the carnage of a full-scale fight to the finish, he covered their retreat with the time-honored technique of smashing his enemies with Koraja's metal sculpture of the planet Nebulos. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

''Scorponok and Zarak challenged Fortress Maximus and Galen (here called "Kord") to a duel to settle their differences. Kord/Maximus won by cheating, but it didn't matter because the duel was a ruse to distract the Autobots while [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] stole Autobot fuel converters. The Deceptions had bugged the Autobot base and learned of Earth. They needed the converters to travel there. The Decepticons left for Earth and the Autobots followed.'' {{storylink|The Final Conflict}}

{{note|The events in this UK story differ in significant ways to the [[The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters]] mini-series.}}

Returning to the Autobot camp, Max/Galen decided to lead the troops away from Nebulos, knowing that Scorponok would follow. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

[[Image:Trialbyfire-fortmax-disassemble.jpg|left|200px|thumb|He does seem to have trouble staying in one piece, doesn't he?]]
During their voyage to Earth, Fortress Maximus underwent a radical reconstruction to alter his size considerably, increasing himself from a slightly tall dude to a ''very'' tall dude, about twice the height of the average Transformer. Of course, with his larger scale, Fortress Maximus needed a new head (Galen still being stuck at roughly human size). For this reason, another Autobot, [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]], was added to serve as a secondary stage between Galen and Maximus. As the head of Cerebros, Galen could transform Cerebros into the larger head of Fortress Maximus.

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

[[Image:Fortressmaximus-trialbyfire-rollout.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The usage of "roll out" gets stranger and stranger.]]
Scorponok's crew soon followed Maximus to Earth, however, and to the same cave. When Spike replayed Goldbug's distress message, Fortress Maximus and company returned to the cave, apologizing to Spike for his failure to consider the danger he had brought to Earth's natives by leading the Decepticons there.

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

Spike soon underwent the full binary bonding process and became the leader of the ''Steelhaven'''s crew of Autobots. With his new partner, Fortress Maximus led the Autobot [[Targetmaster]]s in an effort to locate Buster, first visiting his father at a shady motel, then heading to a spot in the tropics where the Decepticons had set up an island base.

[[Image:Clubconpalmtreespear.jpg|left|300px|thumb|The purpose of Club Con is to flip out and spear people.]]
With Kup worried about the inexperience of Fortress Maximus's new partner, Max held back while the Targetmasters landed on the island. They were driven back by automated defenses, however, and the island revealed itself to be a rocket ship, launching into the atmosphere with Buster still aboard. Maximus resolved to take matters into his own hands, and took off after the rocket (who knew he could fly?) Unfortunately, once in space, the ship's defenses made shishkabob out of him, forcing Spike to resort to using Cerebros instead. Cerebros was likewise trashed by an attack from [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], though Spike was able to use Maximus's guns to send Shockwave falling to his apparent demise. Maximus and his partners were subsequently rescued by the Targetmasters, and for his gusto, Spike was welcomed as the group's new leader. {{storylink|The Desert Island of Space!}}

As Fortress Maximus underwent repairs, his crew caught wind of a [[floppy disk]] in possession of one [[Ethan Zachary]], which contained the memories and personality of Optimus Prime. With the aid of a computer-generated version of Prime, Fortress Maximus gathered a lot of data from Scorponok's [[Pretender]] experiments and gave that ability to some of his own crew. {{storylink|Pretender to the Throne!}}

With the disk in their possession, Fortress Maximus oversaw efforts to build a new body for Optimus Prime's mind. However, the ''Steelhaven'''s resources were depleted after creating the Pretenders, causing the effort to fail explosively. Thus when [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] located the Ark nearby, Fortress Maximus was eager to contact its Autobots and forge an alliance.

[[Image:Fortressmaximus-totalled-worthlesshuman.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It begs the question of why Grimlock didn't just step on him.]]
Unfortunately, [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] developed an immediate dislike for Fortress Maximus, partially because he was a possible threat to Grimlock's leadership, partially because he was part human, and partially because he had a fugitive (Goldbug). He challenged "Fruitloop Multipuck" to a duel for leadership on the [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. Faced with the prospect of a divided Autobot force, Fortress Maximus agreed, though his unhealed injuries made victory an unlikely prospect. Luckily for Max, the imprisoned [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] agreed to fill in for him.

[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] led a Decepticon assault on the Autobots during the duel. While fighting off the attackers, Fortress Maximus ordered Goldbug, [[Joyride (G1)|Joyride]], [[Getaway]], and [[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]] to take the disk to Nebulos to restore Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

With Optimus Prime restored, Maximus accepted a subordinate role in the Autobot ranks. ''He was among those Autobots present as Optimus Prime briefed the troops about the threat of the time-displaced [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. When Optimus and five other Autobots spontaneously and explosively vanished into thin air, only to be replaced by six Transformers claiming to be Autobots from the future, Fortress Maximus immediately assumed command, freaked out, and ordered his troops to destroy the "imposters". (Apparently, his memory was a little rusty, since said "imposters" included his own present-day troops Kup and Blurr.) Maximus sparred with Rodimus Prime until the words of Goldbug, as well as a Matrix-linked Optimus Prime, convinced him that Rodimus was telling the truth when he claimed to be a future Autobot leader. Maximus participated in the subsequent battle against Megatron and Galvatron; he attacked Megatron alongside Grimlock and Swoop, but was quickly put down by the battle-crazed Decepticon.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}}

[[Image:Fortmaxboat.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Contrary to what's advertised here, the toy will sink if you put it in the bathtub.]]
Fortress Maximus provided a floating search platform for Optimus and Blaster as they searched the ocean for the Decepticons' [[Club Con]] base. Spike expressed frustration that they still had not located his brother, though Optimus vowed to keep searching. {{storylink|Cold War!}}

Fortress Maximus was among the many Autobots who responded to an Autobot emergency signal in the Arctic... which turned out to be sent by none other than Buster Witwicky, who was dying of hypothermia. Maximus took his human sibling into a special thermal compartment, restoring his body temperature to normal.

When the Decepticons attacked soon after, Maximus came under attack from the [[Horrorcon]]s, followed by [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], who clung to him tenaciously and eventually caused Buster to spill out of the warming compartment. This turned out to be a lucky break, as Buster reminded Ratbat that the battle was nothing but a ruse engineered by Starscream. Ratbat and Maximus together called for all the combatants to lay down their arms.

[[Image:Fortressmaximus-maninthemachine1.jpg|right|125px|thumb|Cast in the name of God, Ye not guilty]]
After Starscream seized the power of the [[Underbase]], Fortress Maximus and Soundwave led a team to [[Buenos Aires]] to try and stop him. As their troops fell en masse, Maximus attacked Starscream, only to receive a debilitating energy blast in return. His organic component, however, allowed him to survive the first attack. Omega Supreme intervened just then, preventing Maximus from being crushed by a monument hurled by Starscream. Starscream disposed of Omega, and was on the verge of finishing off Maximus, when he was lured away by a radio signal from Buster aboard the Ark. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[Image:Fortressmaximus-maninthemachine2.jpg|left|200px|thumb|So why couldn't he have just kept Cerebros attached to him and gone on with his life?]]
With Buster rescued and the threat of Starscream removed, Spike and Fortress Maximus's tumultuous relationship came to light. Feeling his work with the Autobots was done, Spike tried to go his own way and resume his life, going so far as to pitch his control helmet into a junkyard, but his binary bond could not be left behind so easily. Strange nightmares plagued him, visions of falling into a void. Nor would the Decepticons relent; while on a skiing expedition, he found himself hunted by Carnivac and Snarler. Turning inwards, he found his link to Fortress Maximus remained even without the control helmet and that he could summon the giant warrior from afar. Max left his storage space aboard the Ark and descended to Earth. Despite Carnivac's dirty fighting, Fortress Maximus easily disposed of the two attackers and their Pretender shells, once he and Spike physically recombined. With the battle over, Spike sent Fortress Maximus back to the Ark. {{storylink|The Man in the Machine!}}

Despite Spike's reconciliation, Fortress Maximus was subsequently out of action for many months or even years. He was still stored aboard the Ark just before the great battle with Unicron, when Grimlock and his Dinobots had returned from [[Hydrus Four]]. They had come looking for the rest of the Autobots, but the Ark's scanners were only picking up one Transformer. Weirder still, this Transformer was in ''two'' parts! {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}}

{{note|It's kind of odd that [[Primus]] didn't warp Fortress Maximus with every other Transformer on Earth, but it's implied that it's because half of him was on the Ark. Odder still is that the Dinobots didn't notice or mention that half of this Transformer was on the Ark with them.}}

[[Image:Fortressmaximus-thelastautobot1.jpg|right|125px|thumb|]]
After Unicron was defeated, the Ark plummeted to Earth and crashed in the northern tundra of Canada. When [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] emerged from the wreckage to wreak havoc, it fell to Fortress Maximus to stop him. He called to Spike, who came. He and Spike went through some mental wrangling before Max convinced Spike to reunite with him once more. Anxious and desperate after so long out of the war, Maximus immediately suppressed his hesitating partner and took full control upon regaining his head. This proved not to be such a wise idea. Fortress Maximus alone wasn't quite ready to deal with the totally insane Galvatron, who started smashing and biting(!) him to pieces. Realizing the power of their combined strength, Spike and Fortress Maximus managed to unite in thought and deed, and defeated the crazed Decepticon. Fortress Maximus stood alone at the battle's end, the last Autobot, guardian of Earth. {{storylink|The Last Autobot?}}

{{-}}

====Generation 2====
[[Image:Fortressmaximus-allornothing2.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Let me demonstrate just how much you don't have a [[To sell toys|toy on the shelves]] anymore.]]
It was ultimately [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] who would prove to be the undoing of this giant warrior. The reborn and reconditioned Decepticon leader stole the Ark from its crash site in [[Canada]], and used it as his personal flagship. {{storylink|Realignments}} While establishing control over the ship, Megatron found and disabled Fortress Maximus's dormant form. Spike sneaked aboard the ship and rejoined with Maximus, but the damage inflicted by Megatron meant they had virtually no chance to win.

Brutally beaten in combat with an upgraded and super-charged Megatron, the pair dragged themselves to the heart of the ship and threw themselves into the anti-matter containment unit at the core of its power supply, killing them both and causing the Ark to explode. {{storylink|All or Nothing!}}

Though it kept the Ark out of Megatron's hands, and nearly derailed his plans entirely, their effort was ultimately not successful: Megatron escaped aboard a shuttle and lived to fight again, and even had time to take the convalescent Starscream with him. {{storylink|New Dawn}} {{storylink|Devices and Desires! (Marvel)|Devices and Desires!}}

{{-}}

====''Classics''====
{{classicsnote}}

[[Image:Invasion-FortMax.jpg|right|thumb|200px|]]

Decades later, in [[2012]] Fortress Maximus was stationed in [[South America]]. Due to the actions of an evil [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]] from [[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|another dimension]], a rift of space time opened over Earth, causing catastrophes worldwide. Cerebros, merged with Spike, gathered civilians inside Fortress Maximus for safety. {{storylink|Invasion (issue)|Invasion}}
{{-}}

===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Stephen Keener]] (English), [[Kunihiko Yasui]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Fortressmaximusg1rebirth.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]

When a battle for possession of the [[Key to the Plasma Energy Chamber]] led a group of Autobots and Decepticons to be stranded on the planet [[Nebulos]], partnership between the Transformers and the native Nebulans led to the development of Headmaster and Targetmaster technology. The planet's evil ruling council, the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]], took the technology to its most powerful extreme when its leader [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]] created the massive city-sized Scorponok to serve as his Headmaster partner and used his power to steal back the chamber key. The Decepticons departed for Cybertron, and the Autobots were poised to give chase when Spike Witwicky announced that he and the pacifistic Cerebros would be staying behind. While the other Autobots left in pursuit, Spike had Cerebros lead him to the ruins of the Hive's original city, which they had lived in before moving underground. Taking control of the various abandoned machines there, Spike rebuilt the city, Cerebros and even himself into a Headmaster robot that could stand up to Scorponok's power: Fortress Maximus!

[[Image:Rebirth3_fortmax_battlestation.jpg|left|250px|thumb]]

The completed Fortress Maximus quickly flew to Cybertron and made a dramatic entrance, setting down in city mode and then transforming to battle station mode to bombard Scorponok and the Decepticons with a hail of weaponsfire. When Zarak transformed Scorponok to robot mode, Spike did likewise with Fortress Maximus, and the two titans battled, with Maximus on the losing end until Zarak threatened the life of Spike's son, Daniel. With a burst of strength, Fortress Maximus took Scorponok down, causing him to collapse with such force that he transformed back to city mode. Spike and Cerebros then disconnected from Maximus and headed inside Scorponok to recover the captive Daniel and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], leaving Maximus to keep the other Decepticons at bay with his many weapons. The Decepticons were able to get through Maximus's firestorm and got Scorponok airborne, but not before Spike succeeded in his rescue.

Subsequently, with the Plasma Energy Chamber back under Autobot control, Fortress Maximus flew the Autobot Headmasters and Targetmasters back to Nebulos. There, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] announced that after they had eradicated the Hive's evil from the planet, Cerebros would live on the planet as its guardian, presumably meaning that Fortress Maximus would be staying there too. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

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

===Japanese animated continuity===
{{note|In Japan, Fortress Maximus's mental functions are housed in a small robot who transforms into a head and connects to a larger, lifeless transtector body. This larger body in turn becomes the head of a ''giant'' transtector, forming the robot known as Fortress Maximus. The ''Headmasters'' toyline referred to the smallest robot as '''Cerebros''', who formed the head of the intermediate robot '''Fortress''', but this distinction was never actually made in fiction, and the character was always referred to as "Fortress" regardless of whether he was in small or intermediate form.}}

====''The Great Transformer War'' comic====
[[Image:Hmmanga battered headmasters.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]

In the year 2010, while significant Transformer battles were being waged throughout space and on Earth, Fortress was active on the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]]. After the younger Headmaster warriors under his command were defeated in battle by [[Sixshot]] and the Decepticon Headmasters, Fortress quickly roused his fallen comrades and ordered them to board his battleship, the Maximus, so that they could pursue the villains. Their destination: Cybertron! {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 3|The Great Transformer War #3}}

====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ikuya Sawaki]]

[[Image:Hm7 fortress small bot.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]

Four million years ago, Fortress was a [[Cyberdroid|diminutive Cybertronian]] who had not yet mastered the art of transformation, and was a friend of [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]'s. He was among the many Transformers that fled Cybertron in an attempt to escape the corrosion of war without end, and led a group of his fellow small Cybertronians in search of a new peaceful world they could call home. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} Alas, engine trouble caused their ship to crash on the inhospitable world of planet Master, whose hazardous environmental conditions began threatening the lives of Fortress and his men almost as soon as they departed the wreckage of their ship and began trekking through a desert of shifting sands. The need for survival fostered many technological and mental advancements, however, and Fortress and his people endured.

[[Image:Hm1_battleship_maximus.jpg|right|thumb|250px]]

Fortress was responsible for many of the technological quantum leaps, the most significant of which was the invention of "[[transtector]]s": larger, lifeless Transformer bodies to which the small Cybertronians could connect as heads. After a rigorous physical and mental training program that allowed them to finally master transformation and even instilled powerful telepathic and telekinetic powers in them, Fortress and nine other warriors bonded with these transtectors to become "Headmasters". {{storylink|The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery}} Fortress even took the process one step further, and with the aid of other Master scientists like [[Jack (Headmasters)|Jack]], created a ''huge'' transtector that could transform into the battleship, Maximus. Fortress's own transtector was engineered to also transform into a head, which could control the many functions of the Maximus from a special docking bay on the battleship's bridge, {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}} and which could form the head for the battleship's own colossal robot mode, known as "Fortress Maximus". Fortress also created the powerful [[Master Sword]] for himself, and tied the Maximus's transformation into it; in order to convert the battleship to robot mode, Fortress had to draw a small version of the blade from a sheath beneath his command console, but this feat could only be accomplished when his physical and mental energies were in perfect synchronization. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger}}

Unfortunately, half of the Headmasters eventually rebelled against Fortress's leadership, siding with a traitor named Scorponok against him. The traitors were defeated by Fortress and his comrades and exiled from Master, but eventually, they came to ally themselves with the Decepticons under the command of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}}

{{note|The events of the ''Great Transformer War'' manga occur at this point.}}

[[Image:Hm2_kup_and_fortress.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]

In the year 2011, when Galvatron launched his latest attack on Cybertron with the added power of his new Decepticon Headmasters, Fortress Maximus brought the Autobot Headmasters back to their homeworld aboard the Maximus. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Even the mightiest of the Decepticons' [[combiner]]s could not stand against Battleship Maximus's firepower, and the evil robots were forced into retreat. This task complete, Fortress set the Maximus down at the Autobots' secondary headquarters on the planet [[Athenia]], where he introduced himself and his comrades and explained their origins, and was reunited with Kup. After being filled in by the Autobots on the current crisis—[[Vector Sigma]] had become destabilized, putting the planet at risk—Fortress deduced that the [[Matrix of Leadership]] was necessary to bring the computer back under control. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} Unfortunately, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] had already ventured into the depths of Cybertron without the Matrix, willing to sacrifice his own life to stabilize Vector Sigma, so Fortress headed into the planet's catacombs after him while the other Headmasters helped [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] search for the Matrix, hidden somewhere on [[Earth]]. Though Fortress was not able to catch up to Prime before he reached Vector Sigma's chamber, he was able to use his telepathic powers to contact Prime's companion, the spirit of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], helping to guide him safely through the maze of tunnels. It turned out that [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] had made it to the chamber ahead of Prime, however, and Fortress raced through the remainder of the tunnels to aid Prime against the two Decepticons. Hot Rod soon arrived with the Matrix, which he used to become Rodimus Prime again, but before he could use it to bring Vector Sigma back under control, Optimus Prime merged with the computer to stabilize it, giving up his life in the process. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}} Prime was not the only casualty of the crisis: [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] also lost his life in the search for the Matrix. Luckily, Fortress was able to use the advanced technology of Master to rebuild and resurrect him, as Twincast. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}}

[[Image:Hm5_fortmax_headmode.jpg|right|thumb|225px]]

While patrolling space for Decepticon activity aboard the Maximus, the Autobot Headmasters discovered [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] stowed away on board. After explaining the function of his Head Mode to the shocked youngsters, Fortress agreed to let the pair join them on the patrol. Soon after, the Autobots came upon two stranded [[Beastformer]]s from the planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]], and learned that the Decepticons had invaded their planet; the infuriated Fortress made for the planet with all due speed, after sending a report to Rodimus Prime on Athenia. The Autobot Headmasters helped the native Beastformers liberate their planet from Decepticon control, but Fortress was concerned with a blueprint recovered from an underground factory that indicated the Decepticons were building something. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}}

[[Image:Hm6_fortmax_funnyfaces.jpg|left|thumb|225px|:D]]

When the Decepticons launched a [[Metamorphose|metal-warping meteor]] at Athenia, Fortress and his battleship were powerless to do anything, for fear of being destroyed by the meteor's gravity sensors. It fell to Daniel Witwicky to destroy the meteor, so Fortress transported him as close to it as he was able. Daniel lost his nerve at the last minute, so Fortress calmed him down by making some silly faces. Dignified! {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}} Later, a phoney distress call lured Fortress and the Autobot Headmasters into a trap on the planet [[Praum]] set by their old foe, Scorponok. Despite being trapped in a subterranean chamber with the endless desert sands pouring in on top of him, Fortress kept his head and reminded his young allies of the similar hardships they had suffered on Master and the training they had undergone to overcome them. With the skills they had learned back then, they were able to escape. {{storylink|The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery}}

[[Image:Hm10_fortress_appointed_commander.jpg|right|thumb|225px]]

When Galvatron launched an attack on Cybertron in an attempt to steal a new alloy developed by Vector Sigma named [[cybertonuron]], Fortress advised Rodimus Prime against striking back in full force, preferring to find another way to stop the Decepticons than putting all their warriors in danger. Rodimus refused, and Fortress quietly acquiesced to his commander's wishes, ferrying him to Cybertron on Battleship Maximus. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}} The battle ended catastrophically, however, when treachery on the part of Scorponok led to the detonation of a collection of bombs in Vector Sigma's chamber, devastating Cybertron and rendering it uninhabitable, and apparently killing Galvatron in the process. Realizing with deep regret that Fortress's caution had been warranted, Rodimus Prime decided that the era of his generation of Transformers was over, and vowed to search the universe for a new planet the Transformers could call home. He passed the title of [[Supreme Commander]] of the Autobots (though not the Matrix of Leadership) to Fortress, who was visibly uncomfortable with the appointment, but accepted it graciously, telling himself not to contest it because it was his destiny. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}

[[Image:G1FortressMaximus HMstockfootage.jpg|left|225px|thumb|"...But it's the pelvic thruuuuuust / that really drives you in-sa-a-a-ane..."]]

Fortress's tenure as leader got off to a strong start with the successful completion of the [[Sol 1]] satellite, a joint venture between the Autobots and humanity to gather solar energy. Unfortunately, the satellite was stolen by the Decepticons, forcing the Autobot Headmasters to destroy it to keep it out of their hands. Before being destroyed, however, the satellite's energy was beamed by the villains to the planet [[Zarak (planet)|Zarak]]. {{storylink|The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok}} Fortress attempted to study Zarak from afar in hopes of deducing what the Decepticons were up to, but the planet's gaseous shroud prevented remote observation of its surface, and the Decepticons began staging concentrated attacks on Earth to keep the Autobots' attentions divided. {{storylink|The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts}} One such attack saw the Decepticons unleash a carnivorous, ambulatory plant upon [[San Francisco]], which Fortress identified as a [[buridanka]] from the planet [[Darhos]]. When the Autobot Headmasters responded, Battleship Maximus was caught in the plant-monster's vines, and Fortress's lack of focus left him unable to draw the Master Sword and transform. Galvanized by the cries of the other Headmasters, however, his energies soon came into alignment, and for what was apparently the first time (given everyone else's surprise when it happened) Fortress transformed the Maximus and combined with it to form Fortress Maximus. With the power of the Master Sword, he easily dispatched the giant plant. {{storylink|Head On!! Fortress Maximus}}

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Weakened by the great energy demands of his transformation, Fortress sent the Autobot Headmasters to [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] without him when news of Decepticon movement on the planet reached the Autobots. When the Headmasters discovered that the Decepticons were planning to blow up Mars, however, Fortress went into action, only to be struck with a [[plasma energy]] bomb by the Decepticons Headmasters just as he was in the middle of transforming into Fortress Maximus. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger}} Although Fortress survived the blast, his energies were severely drained, and the powerless Maximus was unable to depart Mars as the countdown to the Decepticons' planet-destroying explosion continued. Even worse, into the middle of this crisis stepped Scorponok, now outfitted with a gigantic transtector of his own: the end result of the mysterious construction operations on planets Beast and Zarak. Scorponok pummelled the paralyzed Maximus, then pulled out just before the chain of explosion began. Fortress told the Headmasters to leave him and the Maximus to their fate, but luckily, at the last minute, the battleship began absorbing the energy released by the early stages of the explosion. Fortress was able to use this energy to transform into Fortress Maximus, and escaped the destruction of Mars, slashing Scorponok with the Master Sword as he came bursting from the conflagration. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears}}

[[Image:Hm17_maximus_vs_scorponok.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]

While Fortress and the Headmasters were patrolling the edges of Decepticon space to keep an eye on their enemies' activities, Scorponok attacked the Maximus, only for the fight to be broken up by a strange UFO. Back on Athenia, Fortress met with the Autobots' deep cover spy, [[Punch (G1)|Punch]], and learned that Scorponok was holding a coronation ceremony for himself on Earth's [[moon (moon)|moon]]. The Autobots attacked the ceremony, during which Fortress again pitted his battleship against Scorponok, but the fighting was brought to an end when the UFO returned, and was revealed to belong to Galvatron, who had survived Cybertron's destruction. {{storylink|Return of the Immortal Emperor}} Fortress fought Scorponok again soon after, when the Autobots tried to provide energy relief to the other-dimensional planet [[Sandra (planet)|Sandra]]. {{storylink|SOS from Planet Sandra}}

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When the Decepticons embarked on an interplanetary energy quest, the Autobots determined to follow them aboard Fortress's battleship; Fortress had to be convinced to allow Daniel to come with them. {{storylink|Daniel Faces His Biggest Crisis Ever!!}} Their first port of call was the planet [[Hive (planet)|Hive]], but before the Maximus could set down, they were attacked by the planet's force. Fortress was intent on a show of non-resistance and would not fire back, while [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] went down to the planet's surface and proved the Autobots' good intentions to Hive's [[Queen Bee]]. The Autobots joined forces with the natives to fend off the Decepticons; Fortress disconnected the Maximus's "Master Shot" cannon so the Headmasters could wield it, then transformed into Fortress Maximus to send Scorponok packing with the Master Sword. {{storylink|Fight to the Death on Planet Hive!!}} Fortress then used the Maximus to fly the Autobots to [[Twin Star]], where he dealt with Scorponok by hauling him into the air and dropping him, {{storylink|Battle for Defense of the False Planet}} and [[Daros]], where he used the Maximus's internal defense systems to stop [[Curl|a gang of prisoners]] from taking control of the battleship. {{storylink|Find MegaZarak's Weak Spot!!}} The battleship needed some repairs before it could take the Autobots to [[Paradise]], which Fortress had Chromedome and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] perform. {{storylink|Head Formation of Friendship}} Fortress again transformed to Fortress Maximus on the final planet of their journey, [[Pirate Planet]], taking Scorponok out with a Master Sword-slash to the chest. {{storylink|Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship}}

[[Image:Hm25_fortress_cradles_magnus.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]

After returning to Athenia, Fortress and the Headmasters received news of a Decepticon attack on Earth and headed there with all due haste, but they were not in time to stop [[Sixshot]] from mortally wounding [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. Fortress held Magnus as he died, then carried his body aboard the Maximus for burial along an Earth coastline. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}} Soon after, with Decepticon attacks intensifying, Fortress had to talk [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] out of risking his own life in the pursuit of revenge against Sixshot. When word came through from Punch that Galvatron intended to use the gathered energy to fuse himself with the Earth itself, Fortress and the Headmasters immediately departed to confront the Decepticon leader in [[Alaska]]. The Headmasters were able to use Punch's information to finally end the threat of Galvatron with their [[Head Formation]], burying him in the Arctic ice. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}}

[[Image:Hm26_weak_spot.jpg|right|thumb|250px]]

Galvatron's demise left a power vacuum that Scorponok immediately filled, and once appointed leader again, he immediately put into motion a plan to destroy the Earth by simultaneously erupting every volcano on the [[Pacific Ring of Fire]]. [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] deduced his plan, but a Decepticon attack on [[Autobot City]] left Spike fatally wounded, with a chunk of shrapnel embedded in one of his arteries. Medical science could do nothing for Spike, so Fortress used his telekinetic powers to dissolve the shrapnel, saving Spike, but draining all of Fortress's energy. Even in his weakened state, unable to transform, Fortress still attempted to stop Scorponok from initiating his plan on the Kamchatka Peninsula, but Scorponok simply hurled the Maximus into a volcano. As it turned out, this allowed Fortress to absorb the geothermal energy of the volcano's magma, restoring his power and ability to transform. Following information decoded by Chromedome, Fortress Maximus was able to puncture Scorponok's weak spot, the Decepticon symbol on his chest, forcing the villain and his followers to flee the planet. {{storylink|I Risk My Life for Earth}}

[[Image:Hm28_fortress_examines_targetmaster.jpg|left|thumb]]

With Earth finally free of the Decepticons, the Autobots set about removing every trace of their evil from the planet. Fortress co-ordinated the effort, but just as he was meeting with three new Autobot arrivals—[[Pointblank]], [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] and [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]]—a report came through from Chromedome that one of the plasma energy bombs he had been tasked with gathering up had become active. Fortress quickly picked up the bombs in Battleship Maximus, intending to transport them into space so they could detonate harmlessly, but as the ship departed the atmosphere, it crossed paths with another vessel containing refugees from Master. While the Autobots held off the Decepticons pursuing the Master vessel, Fortress and Twincast welcomed the refugees on board, and learned from them that Scorponok's Decepticons had attacked Master. The refugees then helped get the plasma bombs off Battleship Maximus, but they proceeded to detonate before everyone could get clear, and the explosion fused the refugees to the arms of the Autobots and Decepticons. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}} Fortress used his scientific know-how to remove the refugees from the Autobots' arms, but a strange link remained between the warriors. With these "[[Targetmaster]]s" added to their ranks, Fortress piloted Battleship Maximus to Master to stop Scorponok's evildoings there. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}}

[[Image:MasterSwordDanger Floppydisk.jpg|right|thumb|225px]]

Seeking to forge a weapon to counter Fortress's Master Sword, Scorponok arranged for the kidnap of Wheelie so that he could be ransom for information on the sword. Fortress agonized over what to do, but the decision was made for him when Chromedome and Daniel snuck away to rescue Wheelie themselves. Learning of their insubordination, Fortress played along, keeping the Decepticons' attentions on his battleship and preparing a data disk to "hand over". Unfortunately, when the Decepticons learned that Wheelie had been rescued, a fight broke out over the disk and it was snatched from Fortress's grasp. {{storylink|The Master Sword Is in Danger!!}} The Decepticons retreated underground, but Fortress was able to track them down by equipping the Master Sword with sensors that would allow the Maximus to track any surges of the energy needed to create it, which Scorponok was sure to require to forge his own weapon. Unfortunately, [[Weirdwolf]] was able to sneak aboard the Maximus, and although Fortress repelled him, he had secretly planted bombs on the battleship that covered the Decepticons' escape when they went off. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}}

[[Image:Hm31_fortmax_defeated.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]

As Battleship Maximus was repaired, Fortress debated strategy with the Autobots, eventually agreeing with the Targetmasters' plan to lure the Decepticons into space to avoid collateral damage to Master. Unfortunately, the hot-headed Chromedome disagreed, and staged his own attack on the Decepticons with the aid of the young warriors of Master. Chromedome's strategy went sour, forcing Fortress Maximus to go into action, but when the Master Sword clashed with Scorponok's newly-forged "[[Zarak Shield]]", it was the Zarak Shield that emerged triumphant! Defeated, Fortress Maximus could only watch as Scorponok departed for Earth, intending to destroy it once and for all. {{storylink|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}}

The Autobots gave chase in the Maximus, but during the space battle that resulted, Daniel was set adrift when the Maximus's Laser Block unit was damaged and jettisoned. Fortress was forced to divert to rescue the boy, allowing the Decepticons a substantial lead in the race back to Earth. {{storylink|My Friend Sixshot!}} Their lead was lost when they were forced to set down on the asteroid [[Pallas]] for repairs, and the Maximus set down on [[Ceres]] in order to attack. During the fight, Sixshot challenged Chromedome to a one-on-one duel, and Fortress's pleas that he not accept the challenge fell on deaf ears. Even as Scorponok took off for Earth again, Fortress concluded that he and the other Autobots would have to leave Chromedome to his duel and carry on the chase. As it happened, the duel was interrupted by an explosion courtesy of bombs Scorponok had planted on the battlefield, so Chromedome was able to rejoin Maximus not long after. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}}

[[Image:Hm35 master sword zappped.jpg|right|thumb|225px]]

As the Maximus entered the final stretch back to Earth, reports began coming in from the Autobots down on the planet of Decepticon attacks, accompanied by the emergence of strange towers at specific points around the globe. Once back on Earth, Fortress met with Punch, who unfortunately had to report that Scorponok had disappeared into the Mediterranean Ocean. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1)}} The Autobots soon realized that the "Death Towers" were composed of energy-amplifying [[crysmagnetal]], and were creating a field of energy that was surrounding the Earth. Following Punch's lead, Fortress led the Autobots to Egypt, where Scorponok was outfitting a Death Tower with an induction booster to magnify the amount of energy it was projecting. The Master Sword played the unfortunate role of lightning rod in the presence of the Death Tower, attracting bolts of the tower's energy and stunning Fortress, preventing him from stopping Scorponok. As Scorponok fled, he told Fortress to meet him at the North Pole, where even he would have a role to play in his scheme.

[[Image:Hm35_final_battle.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]

With no other choices, Fortress followed his enemy's instructions, and the entire Autobot and Decepticon armies clashed in battle in the frozen north. There, Scorponok lured Fortress Maximus onto a crysmagnetal dais, at which point, an orbiting Decepticon satellite that had been gathering the energies projected by the Death Towers activated, beaming the collected energy down to the dais. Scorponok disconnected from his transtector, and left the paralyzed Fortress Maximus trapped in the satellite's beam, part of a deadly circuit of energy that threatened to tear the Earth apart. The four Headmasters joined in Head Formation and tried to channel their energy into Fortress Maximus in hopes of giving him the strength to break free, but their own power was not enough. At Daniel's suggestion, all the other Autobots linked up as part of the chain, and together combined in "Final Formation", they infused Maximus with enough energy to deflect the satellite's beam with the Master Sword, destroying it. With one mighty slash, Fortress Maximus bisected Scorponok's transtector, finally ending the Decepticon threat.

The Decepticons subsequently fled Earth, and the Autobots gathered to pursue them. Fortress told the tearful Daniel that it was necessary in order to continue defend peace throughout the universe, but promised the boy that they would meet again. Together, the Autobots all boarded Fortress's battleship, and took off into the setting sun. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}

====''Kiss Players/15 Go! Go!''====
[[Image:KPBraveMax.jpg|right|thumb|115px]]
{{note|Fortress's cameo appearance in ''Kiss Players'' is set shortly after his arrival on Master.}}

Slumped miserably on the barren surface of Master in their smallest robot forms, Fortress, Chromedome and Highbrow's attention was caught when a [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|time-travelling spaceship]] materialized over their heads and crashed nearby. {{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 1}} By studying and reverse-engineering the technology found in this spaceship, Fortress and the scientists of Master invented transtectors and the Headmaster process. {{storylink|Transformers: Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #48}}/{{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 3}}

====''The Headmasters'' comic====
{{note|The events of the Headmasters manga take place concurrently with the Headmasters cartoon.}}

[[Image:Manga fort max.jpg|left|thumb|275px]]

Soon after Optimus Prime died stabilizing Vector Sigma, the Decepticons staged an attack on Athenia, and Fortress and the Autobot Headmasters quickly took off in Battleship Maximus to intercept them as they approached the planet. Daniel opined that the Decepticons were "a lot like parasites", to which Fortress murmured an agreement. At that point, the Decepticons appeared in front of them, and the Autobots realized that they had played into the villains' hands: they intended to destroy Fortress's battleship with a bomb. Luckily, Chromedome moved quickly enough to snatch the bomb away and save the Maximus. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 1|The Headmasters #1}}

Responding to an SOS from their Beastformer comrades, Fortress escorted the Autobot Headmasters to planet Beast to investigate. No sooner had the young warriors left Battleship Maximus to search, Rodimus Prime radioed Fortress for an update. Fortress didn't have anything to tell him, but assured Rodimus that the Headmasters would get to the bottom of the mystery. {{storylink|Great Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!}} Later, once they were back on Earth, Fortress sent the Headmasters on their next mission, to respond to a Decepticon attack on an Alaskan energy plant. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 2|The Headmasters #2}}

When a fire tore through [[Shinjuku]], Chromedome, [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] and [[Artfire (Headmasters)|Artfire]] responded, but their rescue effort was impeded by the Decepticon Targetmaters. Luckily, Fortress soon arrived to extinguish the fire by dumping a massive amount of water on it from above using Battleship Maximus, freeing up the others to deal with the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 7|The Headmasters #7}}

{{-}}
====''Super-God Masterforce Master File''====
Following the expulsion of the Decepticons from Earth after the battle at the North Pole, the Transformers' war shifted into a series of space-based exchanges between Athenia and Chaar known as the [[Master Wars]]. With the space bridge destroyed, interstellar transportation was severely limited, and it fell to Fortress and the Maximus to patrol space for the Decepticons. While on one such patrol, Fortress received a transmission from Sixshot alerting him to the existence of a [[Devil Z|new shadowy puppet master]] who had taken control of the Decepticons. This news came at the same time as a report from the Trainbots which indicated that Scorponok had constructed a new transtector for himself, and so Fortress had no choice but to focus on dealing with this mystery. With access to the ever-important Earth now greatly reduced and his attentions now focused elsewhere, Fortress left guardianship of the planet in the hands of [[Metalhawk]] and his [[Pretender]]s. {{storylink|Master File No, 1}}

{{note|Following the end of the ''Headmasters'' franchise, Japanese cartoon continuity branches off in two separate directions. One version of the story is told through the [[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon]], the other is told through the [[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (manga)|''Masterforce'' manga]]. Fortress plays much the same role in both, but gets up to a bit more in the manga.}}

====''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon====
[[Image:Masterforce ep23 FuzzyFortress.JPG|right|thumb]]
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ikuya Sawaki]] (Japanese)

Following the commands of Devil Z, the space-based Decepticon forces orchestrated the bombardment of Earth with meteors. Although they were able to carry out this assault without the direct knowledge of Fortress's Autobots, Fortress did become suspicious when he observed that the Decepticons had broken their usual formation. Worried, Fortress sent a message to Metalhawk's Autobots on Earth, but alas, by the time the distorted missive arrived, the meteors had already struck the planet and caused massive collateral damage. {{storylink|Expose the Decepticons' Dark Trap!}}

Soon after, Fortress's younger brother, [[Grand Maximus|Grand]], travelled to Earth to aid the Autobots there against the approaching threat of [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]]. Grand was physically identical to his big bro, save for his coloration, and even piloted a smaller Maximus-style battleship of his own. {{storylink|Life? Death? The Desperate Lightfoot}}

{{-}}
====''Super-God Masterforce'' comic====
[[Image:Mfmanga fortress meets ginrai.jpg|left|thumb]]

When a new and powerful Autobot warrior named [[Ginrai]] rose to prominence on Earth, he distinguished himself to the point that Fortress decided to step down as Supreme Commander and appoint Ginrai in his place. The Trainbots brought Ginrai and his [[Headmaster Junior]] allies to Athenia, where Fortress formally handed over leadership, then departed to take care of some business on Master. In his absence, the united forces of the Earth- and space-based Decepticons attacked Athenia, but Ginrai was able to repel them. Fortress arrived back just as the Decepticons were pulling out, and announced that the Autobots must pool their resources as their enemies had, uniting their forces on Earth and space to commence the [[Godbomber|Bomber Project]]. {{storylink|The Battle Begins! The United Earth-Space Troops}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
Fortress Maximus served as transport when Ultra Magnus lead a mission to a small asteroid in search of a new source of [[Energon]]. The Autobots discovered a [[Observer|small alien]], and [[Lightspeed (G1 Technobot)|Lightspeed]] utilized Maximus's laboratory to determine that the creature turned its food into Energon. A later fracas with the Decepticons resulted in Fortress Maximus getting involved, leading to a fight with Scorponok. {{storylink|The Test (issue)|The Test}}

===''Transformers PD Type''===
[[Image:Pdtype_fortmax_manga.jpg|right|thumb|275px]]
While casually minding his own business one day, Fortress Maximus was suddenly shocked to see a wave of Decepticons led by Galvatron bearing down on him. He immediately transformed into robot mode... but he had completely forgotten that he had been in city mode, leaving all the poor Autobots who had been inside him squished and thinking there had been an earthquake. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##12 "Bigger than Life! Fortress Maximus!"|Bigger Than Life! Fortress Maximus!}}

Fortress Maximus later met Scorponok in battle, vowing to never surrender. All the other Transformers would probably have preferred that he ''did'' surrender, though, since the battle put them ''all'' in danger when the two towering titans toppled over, threatening to accidentally crush them all! {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##14 "Watch Out! Mega Zarak!"|Watch Out! MegaZarak!}}

{{-}}
===Dreamwave comics continuity===
A normal-sized Fortress Maximus was a co-leader of the Autobot forces on Cybertron, along with [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. As Cybertron's resources ran low, they struggled to hold the Autobot army together. {{storylink|Destined for Nothing}} The war continued despite their best efforts, and after a fruitless and disastrous skirmish with the Micromaster [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]] and the Decepticons, Fortress Maximus gave up on the war. He left the Autobot army in order to seek a new path. {{Storylink|Victims of the Revolution}}

A gargantuan Fortress Maximus was also seen in a [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]-induced vision of future [[Nebulos]] by Optimus Prime and Megatron. {{Storylink|The War Within issue 4|The War Within #4}}

===Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' comics===
[[Image:Ironclaw artofwar.jpg|right|150px|thumb|]]
While imbued with the wisdom of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]] had a vision of Fortress Maximus and [[Sgt. Savage]] fighting against [[Iron Klaw]] and [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #5}}

{{-}}
===IDW comics continuity===
[[Image:SpotlightArcee FortressMaximus.jpg|left|300px|thumb|You wanna argue with him?]]
A somewhat less pacifistic Fortress Maximus (Seriously, he repeatedly threatened to kill his prisoners or otherwise "strip them down to their spark cores") was the warden in charge of [[Garrus-9]], an Autobot-run penitentiary where both Autobot and Decepticon prisoners were kept in containment. As the ultimate imprisonment, most inmates were reduced down to their [[spark]] and [[laser core]] alone, held inanimate in a storage center known as "The Rig" until such a time as Fortress Maximus deemed to rebuild and release them, if ever. Astoundingly, this method was deemed too "merciful" for at least one [[Impactor (G1)|prisoner]].

Fortress Maximus was one of many Autobots across the galaxy who watched a news report heralding the miraculous return of [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}}

After [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] encountered the [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] [[Combiner|combiners]] on [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'s asteroid bunker, he sent them to Garrus-9 with [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] and the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]], hoping the science team could help the six recover from [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s experimentations. Fortress Maximus was dubious of the possible results, but allowed Jetfire and his team to run their tests at Garrus-9. Things changed for the worse, however, once word of the gestalt technology got out, and agents of the [[Decepticon Secret Service]] came to claim the remarkable new tech for themselves. Faced with an incredible amount of orbital bombardment and ground warfare, Fortress Maximus and his defensive crew were at serious risk of being overrun.

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

When Optimus Prime and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] met with Fortress Maximus and Jetfire on Garrus-9 to discuss the prisoners' breakout, also mentioned was that a surviving Decepticon had been tortured. Maximus and Jetfire exchanged guilty glances. Prime left Maximus in charge and returned with Prowl and Jetfire to the ''[[Ark-32]]''. {{storylink|Spotlight: Cyclonus}}

With the death of [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], [[Nova Prime|Nemesis Prime]] was forced to enter the living universe and confront Optimus Prime at Garrus-9. Fortress Maximus and the other Autobots were hunkered down in The Last Resort, the best-defended, highest-security section of the penitentiary, and he believed that not even a [[Cortynivian shadow worm]] could get in. He was wrong, as Nemesis effortlessly forced his way in, killed [[Manta Ray (G2)|Manta Ray]] and [[Drench (G2)|Drench]] and shrugged off all Autobot weapons fire. Maximus called in reinforcements until Optimus convinced him that conventional tactics would not work with the undead Prime and went to deal with Nemesis Prime himself. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}

During Megatron's massive push against the Autobots, an annoyed Maximus led the defense of the prison against the [[Predator (subgroup)|Predator]] forces. However, when the sociopathic [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] took control of the Decepticon forces, the prison was overrun and Fortress Maximus beaten down by the monster. And then, to keep the liberated prisoners on his side, Overlord tossed them their former warden to have some fun... so long as they kept him alive. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Last Stand of the Wreckers #1}}

[[Image:LastStandoftheWreckers3-Fort Max the cabbage.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hope you weren't going to bed after reading this page!]]
The inmates apparently followed Overlord's instructions, as one half of the [[Wrecker]]s eventually came across Maximus's barely-alive body. Rendered comatose and with his optics and limbs pulled off, he had been plugged into the lock of the door to [[Aequitas]]'s chamber, and put to use entering in code after code in a Decepticon attempt to break in. [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] removed Maximus's connection to the lock, then [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] and [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]] pulled his body from the door to carry him. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 3|Last Stand of the Wreckers #3}}

When the Decepticons broke into the Aequitas chamber, [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]] carried Fortress Maximus to safety. Eventually, the Wreckers succeeded in defeating Overlord and saving Garrus-9, and Maximus was placed on life support alongside [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}

When [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], [[Pharma| Pharma]], and [[Ambulon| Ambulon]] were cornered by [[Genericon|Genericons]], [[First Aid (G1)| First Aid]] managed to revitalize Fortress Maximus to fight the Decepticons. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}}Fortress Maximus then brutally murdered them. Afterwards, Pharma revealed himself to have caused the Red Rust virus and Fortress Maximus gave pursuit to him while the others went to treat the dying patients but lost Pharma when he went in a space to narrow for him, causing Ratchet to have to continue the pursuit. After Pharma was defeated, Fortress Maximus joined the crew of the [[Lost Light]] and their mission of finding the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}
{{-}}

===''United''===
When the [[Autobot]]s fell down with a [[nano-virus]], Fortress Maximus was in city mode as part of [[Autobot City]]. {{storylink|The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: The Headmasters''===
When the Decepticons struck out at four planets, including Cybertron and Earth, Fortress Maximus was joined by [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] and the Headmasters of Justice to save the final planet from [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Headmasters (video game)|Transformers: The Headmasters}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1FortressMaximus toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|If I hear somebody ask "how's the weather up there" one more time, Primus help them...]]
*'''Fortress Maximus''' (Headmaster Base, 1987)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-114'''
**''Accessories:'' Spike Headmaster unit, Cerebros large Headmaster unit, [[Cog (G1)|Gasket]], [[Cog (G1)|Grommet]], Photon Rifle, Dual Laser Cannon, Cerebros's Mini Laser Rifle, [[Cog (G1)|Cog]]'s Laser rifle, Radar Scope, Master Sword (Japanese release only), Cerebros's sword (Japanese release only)

: Fortress Maximus is, by far, the largest Transformers toy ever produced. In robot mode it stands 22" (or 56 cm) tall, nearly 8" (20 cm) taller than its in-fiction rival Scorponok. The original retail price was over $100USD. Taking into account ongoing trends in toy pricing and retail shelf space jockeying, it is highly doubtful any other Transformers even close to this size will ever be made again.

: The toy has multiple alt mode configurations, transforming into a relatively compact "city" mode, and also a secondary mode described in the US instruction as a "battle station." That mode was rebranded as a starship for the Japanese instructions, and is the "default" mode for Fortress Maximus in the ''Headmasters'' animated series. Additionally, the 1987 Hasbro toy catalog features a mis-transformed Fortress Maximus in a mode referred to as an "impenetrable fortress," essentially consisting of his city mode with the legs splayed outwards.

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

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

:[[Megatron (BW)/toys#MegaheadMegatron|Megahead Megatron]]'s spider-head mode (with a few alterations) can fit into Fortress Maximus's head socket; though surely a coincidence, it was noted on the card [[bio]].

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

: This mold was used to make ''[[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (toyline)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' [[Grand Maximus]], ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Car Robots]]'' [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]], and ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' "[[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Cybertron Base]]".
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Autobot/FortressMaximus/fortressmaximus.htm More information on Fortress Maximus at TFU.info]

{{-}}

===Transform Jr===
[[Image:G1 FortressMaximus Jnr toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|We represent the Lollybot guild]]
* '''Fortress Maximus''' (1987)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-114'''
**''Accessories:'' Fortress Headmaster unit, Photon Rifle

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

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

::*''[http://www.cliffbee.com/reviews/fortmaxjr.php More information of Transform Jr Fortress Maximus at Cliffbee.com]''
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Transformers Gum===
[[Image:Tfgum_fortmax.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Fortress Maximus''' (1987)
**''Accessories:'' Head, Photon Rifle, Dual Laser Blaster
:Released in the seventh wave of [[Kabaya]]'s ''[[Transformers Gum]]'' line of snap-together "[[candy toy]]" model kits, this version of Fortress stands at about four inches tall and is cast in grey, white and blue plastic. Unlike the Headmaster figures from the previous ''Transformers Gum'' wave, this version of Fortress Maximus does away with his Headmaster gimmick, and by sheer necessity of size, also lacks the guns in his forearms and fists and the prison cell in his left leg. He does include both of his hand-held weapons and swing-out waist cannons, however, and he can still transform into both starship and city modes. As a ''Transformers Gum'' kit, he featured no paint applications, but came with stickers for detail, and a piece of terrible gum.

::*''[http://bowbowdaijin.blog96.fc2.com/blog-entry-27.html More information on Transformer Gum Fortress Maximus at a Japanese fansite]''
{{--}}

===Parody Deformed===
[[Image:Pdtype_fortmax.jpg|right|thumb|]]
*'''Fortress Maximus''' (1990)
**''Accessories:'' Master Sword

:A small, blue and white non-transforming [[super deformed]] model kit of Fortress Maximus was available as part of Kabaya's "[[Parody Deformed]]" line of candy toys. The twelfth figure in the series, he came with a "Transformers PD Type" comic about himself, "Bigger Than Life! Fortress Maximus!", and more of that alleged "gum".
{{--}}
===Super Collection Figure/Heroes of Cybertron===
[[Image:Fortmax_scf_hoc.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Fortress Maximus''' (2001)

:Fortress Maximus was the collectible "Build-A-Figure" from the third ''Headmasters''-centric wave of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s line of ''[[Heroes of Cybertron|Super Collection Figure]]'' PVC figurines. He was divided into six parts, each one packaged with one of the other six figurines in the line: His head and sword came with [[Raiden]], his torso with [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], his left arm with [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], his right arm with [[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]], his left leg with [[Ironhide (G1)/toys|Ironhide]] and his right leg with [[Sixshot]].

:As the first collectible figure from the line, Fortress Maximus was much rarer than those that would come later, with his parts only coming in two out of every ten cases. Like all the other figures in the wave, his parts were available in two color schemes; of the two cases he was available in, one contained a full-color figure, while the other contained a colorless translucent version.

*'''Fortress''' (2002)

:A standard 3" PVC figurine of Fortress was available in the eighth and final ''SCF'' wave line. Like all the figures in the wave, it was available as both a standard full color figure and a metallic silver "pewter" version, one of each of which was available in a standard case of twelve [[blindpacking|blindpacked]] figures. Additionally, in eight out of every ten cases, the pewter version of Fortress came packaged with head and torso of the wave's collectible [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] figure.

*'''Fortress Maximus''' (2003)

: The Fortress Maximus PVC was later revisited by [[Hasbro]] for their domestic release of the ''Super Collection Figure'' series, ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]''. Like all the ''Heroes of Cybertron'' figures, this version of Fortress Maximus was cast entirely in clear-blue plastic and then painted over, save a small spot on his head to give him a "light-pipe" glowing-eyes effect. He remained available only as a collectible pack-in, one part in each of the six releases in the line's fourth wave. His head and sword came with [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], his torso with [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], his left arm with [[Powermaster]] [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Gigatron]], his right arm with [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], his left leg with [[Jazz (G1)/toys|Autobot Jazz]] and his right leg with the Autobot Espionage Team ([[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]).

==Notes==
* "Fortress Maximus" was an early name for the characters that eventually became [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] and [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]. The [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel comic)|comic adaptation]] of the [[The Transformers: The Movie|1986 movie]] even refers to [[Autobot City]] as "Fortress Maximus" in a caption.

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

* Both Scorponok and Fortress Maximus suffer from the writers struggling to reconcile the characters' high rank with their size. In their comic appearances, they are portrayed as commanders in some capacity but are shrunk down to interact with other Transformers, and their city modes pretty much don't exist. Conversely, the cartoons have opted to portray them as giant city Transformers, though they seem to be merely extensions of the smaller beings that bond with them, with no real life or will of their own.

[[Image:FortMaxReds.jpg|thumb|250px]]

*Fortress Maximus appeared in an unusual red-accented color scheme on the cover of Marvel's [[Ring of Hate!|''Headmasters'' #1]]. This color scheme was repeated in the corner box for [[Love and Steel!|''Headmasters'' #3]] and on the cover of [[The Man in the Machine!|''The Transformers'' #51]]. Its origin is unknown.

* The Battleship ''Maximus'' bears a slight resemblance to the [[Wikipedia:White Base|White Base]], a battleship from the [[Wikipedia:Gundam|''Gundam'' franchise]].

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

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

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Cerebros''' (セレブロス ''Sereburosu''), '''Fortress''' (フォートレス ''Fōtoresu''), '''Fortress Maximus''' (フォートレスマキシマス ''Fōtoresu Makishimasu'')
*''English:'' '''Spaceship Bruce''' (spaceship mode, [[Omni Productions]] dub), '''Cerebros''' (Fortress, [[Shout! Factory]] sub)
*''French:'' '''Forteresse Maximus''' (Canada)
*''Mandarin:'' '''Ford''' (Taiwan, 福特 ''Fú Tè''), '''Furmon''' (Taiwan [[Omni Productions]] dub, 福蒙 ''Fú Méng''), '''Fortry''' (Taiwan [[Omni Productions]] dub, 福崔 ''Fú Tsūei'')
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Fortecya Maxima''' (Фортеця Максима, "Fortress Maxima")
*''Russian:'' '''Krepysh Maximus''' (Крепыш Максимус, "Sturdy Fellow Maximus")

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

[[Category:Autobot bases]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Autobot starships]]
[[Category:City Transformers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 locations]]
[[Category:Generation 1 starships]]
[[Category:Headmasters]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Super-God Masterforce Autobots]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:United Autobots]]

New Dawn

2012-06-03T16:53:56Z

71.75.169.6: /* Quotes */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Transformers: Generation 2]]'' #7
|prev=The Gathering Darkness
|next=Escalation!
|title="New Dawn"
|image=MarvelUSG2-07.jpg
|caption=Megatron is suddenly cured of his foot fetish.
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=March 1994
|coverdate=May 1994
|writer=[[Simon Furman]]
|artist=[[Derek Yaniger]] ("Tales of Earth Part Four")
|penciler=[[Manny Galan]] ("New Dawn")
|inker=[[Jim Amash]] ("New Dawn")
|colorist=[[Sarra Mossoff]]
|letterers=[[Richard Starkings]] with [[William O'Neil|O'Neil]]
|editor=[[Rob Tokar]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Megatron and the Decepticons get their diodes kicked by Jhiaxus and the Cybertronians.'''

==Synopsis==
==="New Dawn"===
On the planet [[Tykos]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and the [[Decepticon]]s are staging a raid for the wonder chemical, [[rheanimum]]. This is the first field test for the new [[Rotor Force]] and [[Laser Rod]] Decepticons, as well as the rebuilt [[Darkwing]], and they acquit themselves admirably. Megatron gloats over his success, then orders [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] to begin loading the rheanimum for transport to the ''[[Warworld]]''. Starscream muses over how it's approaching the day when he'll have to start looking out for number one.

Megatron is contemplating his victory and his plans for conquest, when [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] informs him of an incoming message from [[Skullgrin]]. Megatron had dispatched him and five other Decepticons to investigate the alleged threat of the [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]]. Skullgrin is the only survivor, and he's so badly damaged that he doesn't survive the crash of his shuttle. Megatron is enraged, and whips the Decepticons into a killing frenzy. The ''Warworld'' sets out to conquer the rivaling faction.

This goes really badly. The Cybertronians are vicious beyond [[Autobot|any foes the Decepticons are used to]], and they kill [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] and [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], among others. Megatron confronts [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] personally, and is thoroughly trounced. Jhiaxus only breaks off the beating when Megatron undergoes orbital reentry, at which point the Decepticons retreat to look for their fallen (literally) leader. Eventually they find a black smoking crater, and ''most'' of Megatron... who is nevertheless still alive, and if you thought he was angry ''before''...

==="Tales of Earth Part Four"===
[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], having been beaten by Megatron last issue, is [[Repair crab|recovering from his injuries]], and mourning the loss of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]]. He quietly thinks back over Megatron's many defeats and resurrections, and wonders if the war will ever end. His reverie is interrupted by the arrival of the hideously damaged Megatron, who ominously declares, "I'm ''not'' happy!"

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (36)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (37)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (38)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (39)

|c2=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Ransack (G2)|Ransack]] (1)
*[[Powerdive]] (2)
*[[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]] (3)
*[[Sizzle (G2)|Sizzle]] (4)
*[[Darkwing]] (6)
*[[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]] (7)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Fangry]] (9)
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (10)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (11)
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (12)
*[[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]] (13)
*[[Skullgrin]] (14)
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (15)
*[[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]] (16)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (17)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (18)
*[[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] (19)
*[[Stranglehold]] (20)
*[[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (21)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (22)
*[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (23)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (24)
*[[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] (25)
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (26)
*[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] (29)
*[[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] (30)
*[[Quake (G1)|Quake]] (31)
*[[Battletrap]] (32)
*[[Weirdwolf]] (33)
*[[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] (34)
*[[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] (35)
{{!}}}
|h4=[[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]]|c4=
*[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] (27)
*[[Rook (G2)|Rook]] (28)

|h5=Others|c5=
* Tykos miners (5)
}}

==Quotes==
''"Death to the pretenders!"''
:—An '''unspecified Decepticon''', referring to the Cybertronians, not his many [[Pretender]] teammates

"Acid...They're droppin' some kind'a acid!"
:-'''Stranglehold''' accidently makes his death scene hilarious

"Bludg — er... ''beat'' them into the ground!"
:—Another '''unspecified Decepticon''' narrowly avoids mentioning the former Decepticon leader in front of Megatron

==Notes==
* Rotor Force briefly stop fighting to re-attach their rotors. The next generation, ladies and gents!
* Darkwing's new body is pretty obviously the [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] toy.
* As Megatron is musing over past events, immediately before receiving the message from Skullgrin, there's a flashback panel showing some mountains surrounded by forest. This appears to be a (cropped, recolored, and squashed) reprint of a panel from issue #5, "[[The Power and the Glory]]", depicting [[Outpost D-109|a world]] the Cybertronians were cyberforming in that issue. There's no sensible reason for it to be part of Megatron's flashback, since he has not encountered the Cybertronians yet, wasn't thinking about the Cybertronians during that flashback, and has never been to that world, so far as we know.
*However, here's a theory. Megatron is reminiscing about A) killing [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], and B) taking the Matrix-force from Optimus. The panel ''after'' the "mystery panel" is a reprint from issue #6, showing Megatron ripping off Optimus's chest (event B). Presumably the directions to the artist for panel B were something like "reprint panel 2 from page sixteen of issue #6". If panel A was ''supposed'' to be Megatron killing Bludgeon (event A), the instructions ''might'' have been "reprint panel 1 from page five of 'Tales of Earth' from issue #5" (Megatron decapitating Bludgeon). The mountains-and-trees panel is — wait for it! — panel 1 from page five of ''issue #5 as a whole,'' instead of panel 1 from page five of ''the back-up story'' in issue #5. Ergo: The writer and artist had an understandable miscommunication, which nobody caught, so instead of a decapitation scene, we got some pretty trees.
* Among Megatron's crew are Runamuck and Quake, both back from the dead. They are also among those killed off. Again.
* Optimus Prime flashes back to "[[The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers]]", "[[Power Play!]]", "[[Repeat Performance!]]", "[[Afterdeath!]]", "[[Gone but Not Forgotten!]]", "[[Skin Deep]]", and "[[The Pri¢e of Life!]]".

===Errors===
* Ransack's name is spelled "Ransak".
* Powerdive's name is spelled "Powerdrive".
* Drag Strip's name is parsed as "Dragstrip".
* In group shot, what appears to be Bonecrusher is miscolored red and silver.
* When Octopunch is killed, he suddenly is colored partially brown.

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

===Reprints===
*2003 — ''[[Transformers: Rage in Heaven]]''
*2007 — ''[[The Transformers: The Best of Simon Furman]]'' ("New Dawn")

[[Category:Marvel Generation 2 issues]]

New Dawn

2012-06-03T16:53:20Z

71.75.169.6: /* Quotes */

Apache (BW)

2012-06-03T16:01:35Z

71.75.169.6: /* Notes */

{{factions|maximal}}
:''Apache is a [[Maximal]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:NewForces Apache.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Mandrill Sergeant]]

'''Apache''' (アパッチ ''Apatche'') is second-in-command to [[Lio Convoy]]. He is a grizzled, seasoned warrior who fights with every drop of emotion he can muster. Apache respects his commander like he was family, and will defend any decision he should make. He is also a very demanding officer and will accept nothing but the best from his soldiers. This no-nonsense attitude of his often brings him frustration with the fun-loving [[Jointron]] Brothers. Though an experienced, capable warrior and leader, Apache doubts his own usefulness at times. This self-doubt leads him to question his own instincts and decisions and makes him more comfortable as a second-in-command than as the leader he could otherwise be. Though he tends to get depressed, he is still a powerful soldier who has yet to realize his true courage and power. He readily uses his strength in his special third mode, a sort of artillery platform called "[[Attack mode|Angry Combat Mode]]", but assuming this form also alters his personality, turning him into a berserker. This may account for some of his reticence and self-doubt.

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars II'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Sanryō Odaka]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Bwiie06 apache fuel.jpg|right|200px|thumb|He's dead Jim]]

As a trainee, Apache fell on the battlefield during a live-fire exercise. A fellow trainee, [[Lio Convoy|Convoy]], ignored their hot-blooded instructor's command to leave behind their fallen comrades, who had washed out of the program and should be left to die. Despite being almost out of fuel himself, Convoy shared what he had with Apache, and the two of them, greatly weakened, supported one another through the final leg of the exercise. Both warriors made it to the checkpoint and neither washed out. Since then, Apache has vowed to protect Convoy as his deputy. {{storylink|Mystery of the Ancient Ruins|Mystery of the Ancient Ruins}}

[[Image:ApacheAnime1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|What is your major malfunction!?!]]

Having received a mysterious SOS signal from within an asteroid field, Apache and Convoy went to investigate in small, one-man scout ships. Confident in his ability, Apache split off on his own, only to encounter a massive planetoid-ship on a collision course with his vessel. Convoy opened fire on the planetoid, causing a massive explosion that sent Apache's ship hurling through space while Convoy himself vanished.

Returning to the Maximal Space Station where he and his friends were stationed, Apache blamed himself for their commander's disappearance and drowned his sorrows in cheap [[oil]]. When the other Maximals voiced their concerns that Convoy probably wasn't coming back, Apache assured them that he would, then named himself commanding officer in Convoy's absence and passed out. [[Bighorn]] took command instead and took the team with him to investigate an abnormal energy reaction on the planet [[Gaea]]. They flew off in the ''[[Yukikaze (BWII)|Yukikaze]]'' before Apache had a chance to wake up, leaving him to freeze in space as he held onto the outside of the vessel.

[[Image:ApacheMexican1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|¡Vamonos, Muchachos!]]

When the Maximals arrived at Gaea via [[transwarp]], the ''Yukikaze'' was shot down by [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]], so Apache and his team had to flee to Gaea's surface in escape pods. The planet's atmosphere proved lethal to Transformers, however, so Apache [[Scanning|scanned]] a local mandrill to protect himself. After joining up with the rest of the team, Apache went to investigate a mysterious black fog that was killing the flora and fauna around them. They discovered [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]] and his troops, who had earlier blasted the ''Yukikaze'' out of the sky. Unfortunately, the Predacons rather easily paralyzed Apache and his friends, and were prepared to kill them when a white lion came to their rescue. {{storylink|The New Forces Arrive!|The New Forces Arrive!}}

The lion led them back to the crashed ''Yukikaze'' and revealed itself to be Convoy, now going by the name of "Lio Convoy". While the other Maximals were taken aback by the lion's true identity, Apache had already figured it out. Nevertheless, he was delighted to have his commander back, and he cried tears of happiness when Convoy took back control of the troops. {{storylink|White Lion, Run!|White Lion, Run!}}

When the Maximals went to investigate a strange energy reading, Apache rigged a "draw straws" competition so that he could go with Lio Convoy. To his embarrassment, his commander noticed him cheating, and Apache confessed of his private vow to protect Lio Convoy ever since they were trainees together. When [[BB]] carpet-bombed the jungle to flush out the Maximals, Apache took a near-hit and collapsed, forcing Lio Convoy to drag him into the nearby ruins for safety. Apache lamented he was nothing but a burden, but Lio Convoy disagreed— pointing to a tunnel leading deeper into the ruins which they otherwise would never have found. Exploring deeper they were separated when Apache triggered a trap and was attacked by the [[Insectron]] [[Mantis]], who strung him up as bait for his commander. Mantis attacked Lio Convoy and was about to kill him when Apache called upon [[Burning justice|previously-undiscovered inner strength]] to transform into a powerful weapons platform which caused the ruins to collapse. Afterward Apache had no memory of what he had done, but was pleased that Lio Convoy credited his performance. {{storylink|Mystery of the Ancient Ruins|Mystery of the Ancient Ruins}}

{{-}}
{{charstubfiction}}

====''Beast Wars Neo'' cartoon====
===''Beast Wars II'' comic===
===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
[[Image:Ascending3 apache bboom.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Apache (lower left) and the near-identical B'Boom (upper right). ''I think I'm a clone now...'']]

He looks almost identical to [[B'Boom|another guy]].

Lio Convoy's deputy officer even back before the [[Pax Cybertronia]] was signed, Apache continued to serve him as a member of the covert special ops unit known as the [[Pack]]. {{Storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook 1}} When Lio received [[Razorbeast]]'s distress signal, he ordered Apache and the other Pack members to prepare to travel to Earth. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 1|The Ascending #1}}

{{charstubfiction}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BW BBoom toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Tonto! Jump on it! Kemosabe! Jump on it!]]
*'''Apache''' (Mega, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-12'''
**''Accessories'': Spring-loaded missile launcher, 2 missiles

: This toy is identical to [[B'Boom]], transforming into a mandrill. His beast mode face has spring-activated features, with a revealed spring-loaded missile launcher in his mouth. This launcher becomes a hand-held weapon in robot mode. He has a third "artillery station" mode that a Basic-sized toy can pilot.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Maximal/BBoom/bboom.htm More information on Apache (well, B'Boom) at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VsMegastorm}}
*'''Showdown of Artillery: Apache VS Megastorm''' (Vs pack, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-12'''
**''Accessories'': Spring-loaded missile launcher, 2 missiles

: Apache was also available in a two-pack with the Predacon [[Megastorm]]. Both toys in this set are identical to their individually-packaged versions.

{{-}}{{anchor|ContestApache}}
*'''Apache''' (Mega, 1998)
**''Accessories'': Spring-loaded missile launcher, 2 missiles

: A special contest-prize version of Apache in a kind of camo-green was given away as a prize from ''Comic Bom Bom'' magazine, as part of a "design a Cybertron" contest, along with new-color versions of all five main Maximals from the series. How many of these Apaches were awarded is unknown.

==Notes==
* The notion that Apache is a drunkard as part of a Native American stereotype is [[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers|untrue]]. While ''Beast Wars II'' is not above having [[Starscream (BWII)|horrible]] [[Jointron|stereotypes]], this isn't one of them. Apache does get drunk in the first episode of the cartoon... but that's in grief because he believes his actions have caused the death of [[Lio Convoy]]. He never gets drunk again in the cartoon, and never ''at all'' in the manga. Amusingly enough, in the manga ''Lio Convoy'' gets drunk for no reason and trashes Apache's room.

* As B'Boom had already been well established in ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'', when Apache was set to appear, [[Don Figueroa]] drew Apache with the shoulder cannons retracted. Furthermore, he was given a lighter coloration and made less stocky to distinguish him from [[B'Boom]]. This is especially apparent in the scene where both have to help secure an [[Angolmois]]-infected [[Razorbeast]]. This was not the only time a [[Injector|design]] [[Rartorata|adjustment]] was necessary.

[[Category:Beast Wars II Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Neo Maximals]]
[[Category:Japanese-original Transformers]]
[[Category:Pack]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]