Light-piping

2010-08-25T17:37:46Z

74.38.159.164:

[[Image:Light piping in action.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And all done without batteries or photoshop.]]
'''Light-piping''' is a low-tech [[gimmick]] used on [[Toy|Transformers toys]] that allows lighting effects (usually for the eyes) without the need for electronics. Light-piping is achieved by using a translucent (often colored) piece of plastic that is inserted into the body part in question (usually the head), leading from one side of the body to the other side. When the other side (usually the rear, sometimes the top or the sides) is held against an external light source, the light will shine through the clear plastic and cause a lighting effect on the front side. The gimmick was originally introduced with the [[Generation 1 (European toyline)|European-exclusive late-G1]] [[Turbomaster|Turbomasters]] and [[Predator (subgroup)|Predators]] toys released in [[1992]].

Some more advanced light-piping techniques allow for less conspicuous windows that don't always even have to be on the back of the head. For example, both ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Shockblast (Energon)|Shockblast]] and ''[[Alternators]]'' [[Shockwave (G1)/toys|Shockwave]] feature a triangular design facing forwards that manages to pipe light through to their singular eye, meaning they don't have to be held with their backs to a light source.

Being a fairly widespread feature, there are also numerous instances where a toy was initially designed to include light-piping only to have it "neutered" at a later stage--usually by employing opaque plastics instead of translucent, or covering one or both ends of the "pipe" with paint.

When used outside of eyes, light-piping is most often used to allow weaponry to light up without storing electronics within the weapon itself; that is, by having a "pipe" starting in the weapon's handle, and embedding a light in the weapon's owner's hand, so that when the weapon is held, lighting the hand-light causes the weapon to light up as well. For example, ''[[Armada]]'' [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] and Masterpiece [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] use this trick.

[[Category:Gimmicks]]
[[Category:Toys]]

Punch of Kill Everything

2010-08-25T01:14:29Z

74.38.159.164:

[[Image:Lugnutfist.JPG|right|250px|thumb|This is how you start it.]]
The '''Punch of Kill Everything''', or '''The POKE''', is [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]'s trump card. By retracting his "hand" and replacing it with a pressure-sensitive pad, Lugnut can devastate any opponent near him by slamming it into the ground. As long as the move is completed, the shock wave doesn't affect Lugnut or [[Blitzwing (Animated)|those]] near him, although it can rattle their circuits a bit. Unfortunately, if the trigger is activated prematurely, the move has a tendency to backfire, the force hitting Lugnut instead. Ouch.

{{quote|I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: GIVE ME SOME WARNING BEFORE YOU USE THE PUNCH!|[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Hothead Blitzwing]], sick of being buried alive|"[[Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon continuity===
{{note|Events from [[IDW Publishing]] occurring in italics.}}
[[Image:TFA Punch 2.JPG|left|200px|thumb|This is how you do it.]]
''[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] asked the [[upgrade]]-collecting bounty hunter [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] to hunt down the Transformer that destroyed [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Lockdown's price for the job was Lugnut's Punch of Kill Everything. Blitzwing was ''outraged'', ''insulted'', ''scandalized'' that Lockdown would even ''imply'' he could betray his fellow Decepticon—steal from him—like that! He then agreed to the price, ''provided'' that the job was successful. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 4#A Few Loose Strands|A Few Loose Strands}}''

During his first encounter with the Autobots, the suggestion that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] had been killed infuriated Lugnut, and he used the Punch of Kill Everything to level the Autobots, shaking Blitzwing up in the process. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}.

The Punch of Kill Everything was again seen during a brief battle with [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], in which it was used to knock Ratchet through a wall after he refused to hand over [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]]'s [[AllSpark Key]]. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}. Later, during an open assault on the [[Teletran-1|Autobots' ship]], Lugnut engaged in one-on-one combat with [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]. He prepared to use his Punch to finish off the weaker Autobot, but he was so busy talking, Bulkhead triggered it early, and the force of it sent Lugnut flying. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

[[Image:TFA Punch 3.JPG|right|200px|thumb|This is what you get.]]
While attempting to recover a fragment of the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], Lugnut ended up "converting" [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] to the Decepticons. When Ratchet and Bumblebee tracked Wreck-Gar down, Lugnut prepared to use the Punch...which Wreck-Gar took to be [[Universal greeting|a high-five]], so he set the Punch off. Lugnut actually came out of this one without being blown away. {{storylink|Garbage In, Garbage Out}}

After duping a couple of [[Mixmaster (Animated)|eager]] and [[Scrapper (Animated)|rather dense bots]] into doing some heavy lifting for him and Blitzwing, Lugnut attempted to take out the poor saps with his mighty Punch. Unfortunately, Megatron interrupted it, surprising Lugnut and causing him to stumble into a mine shaft, where his punch backfired upon him. Again. Ever the trooper, he made sure everyone knew he was OK. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

Lugnut later showcased the ability to fire his fists in a manner akin to missiles, using the Punch from long range. It didn't do him much good, as [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] demolished him with ease. Along with the rest of the Decepticons. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

Although the Autobots removed the Punch of Kill Everything when Lugnut was captured,{{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}} [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] was happy to supply a replacement—which Lugnut used to blow a hole in the side of the Elite Guard's ship. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

==Notes==
*In his Cybertronian body, Lugnut's elbow transformed, revealing a rocket nozzle to slam the arm into the ground. This hasn't been seen since he took his Earth body, although since then, he's rarely succeeded in using the thing ''at all''.

*At Botcon 2008, Marty Isenberg took a liking to the term [[Punch of Kill Everything]] used in the fandom to refer to Lugnut's attack, and said he would find a way to work it in. Sure enough, in the comic [[The Arrival issue 4|''The Arrival'' #4]] penned by Isenberg, Lugnut's attack was [[Canonizing|canonized]] and named as such.

* The [[Character model| model]] sheet name for The Punch is "Explosive Punch".

* In spite of its evocative name, we have not yet in fact witnessed the "Punch of Kill Everything" actually kill ''any''thing.

* The Punch of Kill Everything is useful for [[Explosive Punch|making a swimming pool]].

* In ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'', one of the [[Leader (WFC)|Leader class]]'s Killstreaks is the '''P.O.K.E. V2.0'''; when equipped, the commander announces, "'''Punch of Kill Everything''' equipped!" The in-game description calls it a "Deadly melee attack that causes enemies to explode."
** The [[Soldier (WFC)|Soldier class]] has an abillity called P.O.K.E. Alpha, and it increases the damage of their Whirlwind special attack.

[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Weapons]]

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Light-piping

Punch of Kill Everything