MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2008-03-29T21:08:55Z

76.68.80.206: /* Real-world references */

{{episodenav|animated|14|season=1|prev=Nature Calls|next=Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marsha Griffin]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ciro Nieli]], & [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
*'''Original airdate:''' March 29, 2008

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (11)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (10)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (13)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (15)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (14)
| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (4)
* [[Lugnut|Lugnut]] (5)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (12)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (3)

|}

==Quotes==
'''Lugnut''': "And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return!"<br>
'''Starscream''': "Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction?"<br>
'''Calm Blitzwing''': "Technical glitch. It happens."<br>
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': "A lot, actually! Ahahahahaaaa!"<br>
'''Lugnut''': "It's ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the key!"<br>
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Did you just say Megatron? Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL-...''saw'' it myself."
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''', master of deception.

'''Megatron''': "Look what the capacitor dragged in."<br>
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Alive? And looking...magnificent, as always."<br>
'''Megatron''': "Starscream. How good it is to be reunited with such a ''devoted'' and ''faithful'' subject in my time of need."<br>
'''Starscream''': "I would have come sooner, o grand and illustrious leader, but naturally we all assumed you perished at the hands of the Autobot scum. What...great...joy to discover you did not."<br>
'''Megatron''': "Yes. Delight is written all over your face."
:{{m-}}'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''' exchange warm and heartfelt pleasantries.

'''Lugnut''': "We have come for our glorious leader!"<br>
'''Megatron''': "I am here, Lugnut."<br>
'''Lugnut''': "Oh, Master, I am not worthy! I am not worthy{{m-}}What happened to your body?"<br>
'''Megatron''': "...Long story."<br>
'''Calm Blitzwing''': So, you didn't have a voice in your head."<br>
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': You had a head in your head!"<br>
:{{m-}}Decepticon reunion.

"''Decepticon?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot."<br>
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade."
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

==Other notes==
*Note

===Continuity errors===
*Error

===Transformers references===

*When Bumblebee arrives at Sumdac towers and notices Starscream it looks like an exact replica from the '86 movie in which Hot Rod saw Starscream and the Decepticons through a hole in the Shuttle on the way to Autobot City.

*The way Megatron's paint is chipped in the opening scene looks curiously similar to a poorly preserved G1 [[die-cast]] toy.

*Prime finally refers to [[Dinobot Island]] by that name.

===Real-world references===
*Ratchet's remark to Blitzwing about prying the ket from his cold, dead servos is a reference to an NRA slogan originted by Charlton Heston.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*Trivia

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

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2008-03-29T21:06:34Z

76.68.80.206: /* Transformers references */

{{episodenav|animated|14|season=1|prev=Nature Calls|next=Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marsha Griffin]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ciro Nieli]], & [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
*'''Original airdate:''' March 29, 2008

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (11)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (10)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (13)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (15)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (14)
| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (4)
* [[Lugnut|Lugnut]] (5)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (12)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (3)

|}

==Quotes==
'''Lugnut''': "And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return!"<br>
'''Starscream''': "Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction?"<br>
'''Calm Blitzwing''': "Technical glitch. It happens."<br>
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': "A lot, actually! Ahahahahaaaa!"<br>
'''Lugnut''': "It's ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the key!"<br>
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Did you just say Megatron? Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL-...''saw'' it myself."
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''', master of deception.

'''Megatron''': "Look what the capacitor dragged in."<br>
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Alive? And looking...magnificent, as always."<br>
'''Megatron''': "Starscream. How good it is to be reunited with such a ''devoted'' and ''faithful'' subject in my time of need."<br>
'''Starscream''': "I would have come sooner, o grand and illustrious leader, but naturally we all assumed you perished at the hands of the Autobot scum. What...great...joy to discover you did not."<br>
'''Megatron''': "Yes. Delight is written all over your face."
:{{m-}}'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''' exchange warm and heartfelt pleasantries.

'''Lugnut''': "We have come for our glorious leader!"<br>
'''Megatron''': "I am here, Lugnut."<br>
'''Lugnut''': "Oh, Master, I am not worthy! I am not worthy{{m-}}What happened to your body?"<br>
'''Megatron''': "...Long story."<br>
'''Calm Blitzwing''': So, you didn't have a voice in your head."<br>
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': You had a head in your head!"<br>
:{{m-}}Decepticon reunion.

"''Decepticon?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot."<br>
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade."
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

==Other notes==
*Note

===Continuity errors===
*Error

===Transformers references===

*When Bumblebee arrives at Sumdac towers and notices Starscream it looks like an exact replica from the '86 movie in which Hot Rod saw Starscream and the Decepticons through a hole in the Shuttle on the way to Autobot City.

*The way Megatron's paint is chipped in the opening scene looks curiously similar to a poorly preserved G1 [[die-cast]] toy.

*Prime finally refers to [[Dinobot Island]] by that name.

===Real-world references===
*Ref

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*Trivia

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

Shia LaBeouf

2008-03-27T07:08:56Z

76.68.80.206:

[[Image:ShiaLaBeouf.jpg|thumb|250px|Sam and Squirrel Girl are slated to become a couple in Great Lakes Avengers/Transformers]]

'''Shia LaBeouf''' ("shy-yuh leh-buff", ''lit,'' "Thank [[Primus|God]] for [[Tantrum|beef]]") (June 11, 1986- ) is an American actor. He has appeared in several motion pictures including ''Holes'', ''I, Robot'', and ''Constantine'' as well as the lead role in ''Disturbia'' (the commercials for the DVD release of the film even referring to him as "''Transformers' '' Shia LeBeouf"). As of writing he is currently filming the fourth ''Indiana Jones'' movie.

Shia is not actually a [[Wikipedia:Shia Islam|Shī‘a]]. He swears a lot... A whole lot. He drops the F-bomb almost 400 times daily. You would too if your dad were a mime.

{{quote|It's a movie; you have to update. To keep it in the '80s, that would be great for the twenty-five of you on the Internet, you know? But for the world it's like, you cannot have Megatron as a gun.|Shia regarding [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and [[Geewun|certain]] [[fans]]|''Transformers'' movie DVD special features}}

===''Transformers'' (2007)===
[[Image:Shialabeouf.jpg|left|thumb|100px|Now show us the yellow boots and you're hired.]]

* [[Samuel James Witwicky]]

===''Transformers The Game'' (console version)===
* Samuel James Witwicky (voice)

{{-}}

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0479471/ Shia LaBeouf at the Internet Movie Database]

[[Category: Activision|Labeouf, Shia]]
[[Category: DreamWorks|Labeouf, Shia]]
[[Category: On-camera actors|Labeouf, Shia]]
[[Category: Voice actors|Labeouf, Shia]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers

2008-03-27T07:04:25Z

76.68.80.206: /* Beast Wars */

{{picsneeded|Optimus dying and turning gray, perchance?}}

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

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Transformers is (only) a cartoon from the Eighties that has been brought back into vogue recently'''

: A misconception usually held by casual fans or nostalgic adults is that of the original 1980's cartoon being the best fiction and most influential/successful line to date, with all other successors being unpopular and/or unsuccessful ventures.

:Some of this misconception is based on the fact that most of the original audience stopped watching and following the franchise after its cancellation, or even before (as it wasn't "cool" to be kiddy once the puberty hit). Without any exposure to the market, the toyline and the new cartoons, they simply assume that ''Transformers'' has sunk in both popularity, quality and sales, since it's not what they remember.

:"Transformers" instead is in fact a term describing several lines of toys, cartoons and comics that span over two decades with no sign of stopping; in fact Hasbro considers it a core brand. Each line has experienced varying degrees of success, rebooting when their target audience gets too old or uninterested in the toyline and fiction. While it's hard to measure the overall success of every line in all its aspects, the original line has been surpassed in both quality and sales multiple times over. Arguably, Transformers is in an endless cycle of creating new fans who share new opinions on what is "teh greatest".

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

:The very earliest [[Generation 1 (toyline)|Generation 1]] toy catalogs used a photo of a blue-sided ''[[Diaclone]]'' Fairlady Z to represent [[Bluestreak]]; photographs of the same toy were used for Bluestreak's own [[instruction booklet]]. The same blue-sided color scheme was also used on his [[box art]]; Bluestreak's box art was in turn shown on ''every'' 1984 instruction booklet as a sample tech spec.

:All this gave rise to a long-standing myth that a blue Bluestreak toy was sold under the ''Transformers'' brand during Generation 1, with some people going so far as to "remember" owning blue Bluestreaks as children, or at least knowing someone else who did. Adding to the confusion, ''[[Wikipedia:ToyFare|ToyFare]]'' magazine has a long history of listing the supposed blue Bluestreak as a "foreign [[variant]]" in its monthly price guide.

:However, actual samples of a blue-sided Bluestreak in a sealed ''Transformers'' box have ''never'' appeared, and the [[Karl Hartman|collectors who have been at it since the very beginning]] and [[Jon Hartman|amassed ''insane'' numbers of rare Transformers]] have never seen one.

: Oddly enough, numerous other Transformers toys from that era were depicted in both catalogues and packaging art with colors they were never released in {{m-}}[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, for example{{m-}}, yet Bluestreak is the only one to be (mis)remembered in this manner.

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

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

*'''A green variant of Trailbreaker was available in some European countries.'''

:This belief seems to stem from the fact that [[IGA]]'s Mexican version of [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (which, like most Mexican Transformers, was widely available on the European gray market circa 1989) used the same head sculpt as [[Trailbreaker]]. But like the Bluestreak, no samples have been found.

*'''Some Generation 1 toy molds were in use as long ago as 1974.'''

:Some ''[[Microchange]]''-derived toys have the text "©1974 TAKARA" stamped on them, and as a result are occasionally sold on eBay with descriptions such as "original 1974 [[Ravage]]". However, the date 1974 refers to the introduction of the original [[Microman]] franchise; the first ''Microchange'' toys weren't even designed until the early 1980s.

*'''A winged variant of Sludge was available during Generation 1.'''

:A [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] [[knockoff]] that featured wings and a pterodactyl-like beast head was fairly commonplace during the Generation 1 era, and in some cases people who owned this knockoff as children seem to have misremembered it as being a [[HasTak]]-produced [[variant]]. [http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Sludge1.html]

*'''A "giant"-sized Optimus Prime toy was available during Generation 1.'''

:In at least a few cases, claims regarding a "giant" Generation 1 Prime may stem from dim memories of coming across [http://www.geocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbyg2.html oversized Optimus Prime knockoffs that were made in Korea]... or because they had the ''normal'' Prime as kids, when they (the former kids) were about ''half'' the height they are now. Masterpiece Prime isn't helping matters.

*'''A Unicron toy was available during Generation 1.'''

:No toys of Unicron were available (or even produced) until [[Unicron#Toys|2003]]. The fictional existence of a Generation 1 Unicron toy is likely based on schoolground one-upsmanship: if one kid had a larger toy such as [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] or [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], a rival kid would claim to have a Unicron toy in order to appear cooler, but would most likely retire to his bed a sobbing mess, knowing in his heart that one day [[Primus|God]] would punish him for being a HUGE FIBBER.

*'''The Decepticon combiner team Seacons is pronounced "See-ih-cons" vice "See-cons."'''

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

===Generation 2===
*'''"Generation 2" means "after ''The Transformers: The Movie''."'''

:This common but explicitly false idea probably stems from the many casual fans who grew up with the original ''Transformers'' line but stopped paying much attention around 1986, when the animated ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' debuted and the ''Transformers'' craze began to die down. Many such fans regained some interest in ''Transformers'' many years later, particularly with hype surrounding the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]]. Seeing the phrase "Generation 2" batted around in fandom, it might seem natural to assume it refers to the big changeover that happened with the animated film. It certainly didn't help that, early in the life of [[Dreamwave]], [[Pat Lee]] shared in this misconception, leading other new arrivals to the fandom to ape his use of the term.

:While the original animated movie certainly marked a change from one "generation" of toys to another, along some new design trends, the phrase "Generation 2" refers to [[Generation 2|a very specific franchise]], marketed from 1992 to 1995{{m-}}years after the animated film had come and gone. Its relative obscurity probably contributes to the mis-attribution of the term, as ''Generation 2'' marks a low point in popularity for ''Transformers'' as a whole.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline was known as "Transformers 2000" in Japan.'''

:As information about the then-new [[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|''Car Robots'' toyline]] began to trickle out of Japan in 2000, early rumors purportedly from Japanese sources indicated that it was officially named "Transformers 2000".<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_frm/thread/e6436b92178f0c0a/3a0dfb6f548a05dd?hl=en&lnk=st&q=#3a0dfb6f548a05dd]</ref> It's possible those Japanese sources were also going by early, inaccurate rumors or perhaps a soon-to-be-discarded working title for the line. The idea persisted with many Western fans well after the true name of the show was revealed, encouraged by online import retailers (who were equally misinformed) using the title to promote pre-orders on their sites.

===Other===
*'''Takara's Japanese-market releases are always of intrinsically better quality than their U.S. counterparts. (E.g., they have sweeter exclusives, and are always more show-accurate, have more accessories, and have tighter quality control.)'''

: This one depends a bit on the speaker, as it can either be a genuine misconception, a matter of opinion, or at worst, [[Personal canon|willful]] [[True fan|snobbery]]. But, like any broad generalization, it does have some basis.

:*"Better quality" can refer to the fact that Japanese versions of individual toys sometimes have clear plastic instead of painted-on windows like [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Movie Bumblebee]], or have vac-metallized parts where the equivalent U.S. release doesn't, like [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|''Energon'' Optimus Prime/Grand Convoy]]. Or, "better" quality can refer to the fact that Japan is a less litigious society, with different toy safety laws, and Takara can thus give [[Optimus Prime (G1) toys|Prime]] toys old-school long smokestacks, which are now shortened in the U.S. [[for safety reasons]]. These laws also mean that [[Megatron (G1)|Masterpiece Megatron]] is freely available in Japan, but hard to get in the U.S. (the exact opposite of ''real'' handguns, ironically).

:*"More [[Show accuracy|show-accurate]] decos" does have some basis, as Takara frequently releases its toys later than Hasbro does Stateside, and thus they are better able to reflect discrepancies between late-run changes to a character's coloration in a show (such as with the original [[Rattrap]] or [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|''Armada''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Tidal Wave]]). The most extreme example of this was '''[[Beast Machines|Beast Wars Returns]]'', the Japanese release of ''Beast Machines'', which was ''years'' later than in the U.S., allowing Takara to add a lot of the deco that was added to the characters by [[Mainframe Entertainment]] that was not the original toys. (''See also'': [[Show-accuracy]])

:*"More accessories" mostly comes from the fact that ''some'' of Takara's releases have some extra accessories, but the only cases of this before the reissues were [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]'s two swords, Megatron's sword and bullets (even though the Japanese release lacked the barrel, scope and stock extensions) and clear cases from the various cassettes. Japanese reissues have included additional accessories from the cartoon (the axe, chain mace, Energon cubes and gun-mode Megatron in the [[Transformers Collection]] reissues of Optimus and Megatron, Insecticons and Starscream, respectively, the Matrix from New Year's Convoy). Some ''[[Energon (franchise)|Superlink]]'' releases came with [[redeco]]ed [[Energon weapon]]s as well.

:*"Sweeter exclusives" is really a matter of taste. If endless redecos of Generation 1 toys as completely unprecedented Generation 1 characters, buying $40 worth of toys you got a month ago for a single [[Mini-Con]], and shelling out half your mortgage for [[Lucky Draw]] gold chrome figures is what floats your boat, then yeah, Japan has better exclusives.

:*"Tighter quality control" is a total myth. Takara products are manufactured under much the same production conditions as Hasbro's (pretty much everything for both markets is made in China), and their standards of quality control are just as likely to let mistakes creep through.

*'''Hasbro is responsible for your local store not having the newest toys right now.'''

: Hasbro actually has almost nothing to do with distribution (when Product A arrives in Store B) beyond making sure the manufactured product leaves the factories and shipyards of China at the desired time. Once the items arrive on US shores, they are almost immediately sent from the ships to the distribution centers for the retail chains that ordered them. From there, it's more truck rides to various regional warehouses, which is all controlled by the retailers, not Hasbro. After that, the schedule for taking product from those warehouses and putting it on shelves is dictated by each chain's inventory system.

: It's ''conceivable'' that Hasbro could take more control of the situation, but that would require chains like Wal-Mart to release the vise-like death grip they have on manufacturers' nuts that lets them dictate how the system works... and they're sooooooo not doing that.

*'''Hasbro should totally cater to the wishes of older collectors, as they purchase the most Transformers product.'''

: Fans would like to think they've got some sway over the direction of the [[Transformers brand]]. After all, they've been buying toys for many years (as opposed to the limited purchasing span of most children), and they buy many ''more'' toys than any individual child. And in truth, Hasbro does pay attention to the desires and discussions of its older buyers, even designing certain line segments like [[Alternators (toyline)|''Alternators'']] and [[Classics (2006)|''Classics'']] with collectors as the primary target audience.

: Collectors, however, simply can't compare to the vast numbers of children out there whose parents buy Transformers for them. The bulk of Transformers product is purchased for and/or by young children, and if it wants to stay in business and keep making money, Hasbro must design and market its products accordingly. No accurate figures exist on the collector/children ratio, but estimates mentioned at BotCon panels range from around 10% to 20% of all purchases coming from older collectors -- enough to be worth listening to, but not at all the driving force behind the brand. Past toylines have shown that betting ''too much'' on sales from adult collectors can be disastrous.

: Furthermore, it's not as though the fans speak with a unified voice. More often, for every fan pushing for one particular idea, there's another fan who thinks that same idea is boring or awful.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1===
====The original cartoon====
*'''The original ''The Transformers'' series was redubbed anime which originated in Japan, just like ''Battle of the Planets'', ''Voltron'', ''Robotech'' and other such shows screened in the '80s.'''

: Although most moderate-to-hardcore fans are well aware that this is a fallacy, there are those more casual fans (or those who have not rewatched the Generation 1 cartoon since childhood) who are under the misconception that [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|''The Transformers'']] was an anime.

: Although the original toyline and thus the characters' basic visual designs were taken from Japanese-originated products, the original characters, names, factions and entire story premise of the whole ''Transformers'' franchise were developed in the United States by [[Hasbro]], [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] and eventually [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]]. Although the animation was farmed out, the writing and original voice recording of [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|all four seasons of the original series]] plus ''[[The Transformers: The Movie|The Movie]]'' were entirely done in America.

: This misconception probably stems from distant childhood memories of the cartoon, coupled with the later realization that shows like the aforementioned ''Robotech'' were redubbed anime (presuming they didn't know this when they were kids) and, due to ''Transformers''<nowiki>'</nowiki> obvious Japanese influence, have made the assumption that it too was anime. This ''may'' also be due to passing exposure to ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' and the [[Unicron Trilogy]] shows which, viewed as an adult, are ''very'' obviously redubbed anime.

*'''''The Headmasters'' was going to be dubbed into English and shown in America.'''

: In America, "Season 4" consisted of "The Rebirth", a 3-episode mini-series. In Japan, "The Rebirth" was ignored, and a full-fledged series titled ''The Headmasters'' continued the story instead. Rumors once swirled in the fandom of an American-led dub of ''The Headmasters'' series; the dub was largely finished, goes the story, till the materials were lost in a warehouse fire.

: Given the meandering pace of the series (common for Japanese shows but anathema to American sensibilities), the presence of numerous characters who had no toy equivalent on US shelves, the incompatibility with the "[[Nebulan]]" head characters, the number of Japanese cultural references, and the very existence of "[[Generation 1 (cartoon)#Season 4|The Rebirth]]", this rumor seems unlikely on the surface.

: More to the point, no official confirmation or other evidence has ever surfaced to back it up.

====The Transformers: The Movie====
*'''There exists an "uncut version" of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' containing all sorts of non-kid-friendly content.'''

: These stories stem mainly from the fact that many home-video releases of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' omit two relatively minor instances of characters using profanity, which during the 1990s resulted in some [[alt.toys.transformers]] posters advertising "uncut" VHS copies of the movie for sale, thus either intentionally or unintentionally creating the myth of a really foul-mouthed and ultra-violent alternate version of ''The Transformers: The Movie''.

:A much stranger rumor, whose origins are unclear, claims that the original theatrical cut of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' depicted [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] crumbling into dust after dying, and that that scene was cut by the distributor in mid-release because children were traumatized by the imagery. Interestingly, the "Death of Optimus Prime" track on the original soundtrack album does contain ten extra seconds of music. At the end, just before the song's final low-octave percussion sequece, there is a very distinct, self-contained series of notes that appears nowhere else. However, no other evidence of this "lost" animation sequence exists among the many storyboards, preliminary animations, interviews, varying formats, etc., that have come to light.

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

*'''''The Transformers: The Movie'' was released in Japan under the title ''Matrix Forever''.'''

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

====Japanese Generation 1 fiction====
*'''In Japanese continuity, Megatron and Galvatron are two separate characters.'''

:There a few instances of Japanese fiction that would seem to support this notion, all of which can be attributed to a lack of communication between [[Hasbro]] and [[Takara]] prior to the release of ''The Transformers: The Movie''. There is also a ''Transformers: 2010'' [[manga]] story that depicts [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] commanding a legion of automatons created in [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron's]] image, which some non-Japanese-speaking fans have interpreted as depicting Galvatron and Megatron co-existing.<ref>[http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=179]</ref>

*'''In Japanese continuity, the Destrons (Decepticons) were invaders from a planet called Destron.'''

: The Autobots were renamed "Cybertrons" in the Japanese translation, resulting in a misconception that the Destrons must hail from somewhere other than the planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. However, the Japanese translation also renamed Cybertron "Seibertron" in order to avoid confusion.<ref name="tfa522">[http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=522]</ref>

*'''Black Shadow and Blue Bacchus are both members of a "Space Mafia".'''

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

*'''Metrotitan is a zombie version of Metroplex.'''

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

====European Generation 1 fiction====
*'''Starscream and Shrapnel are female characters in the French dub of Generation 1.'''

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

*'''The German version of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' was edited and didn't depict Starscream's death scene.'''

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

===Beast Wars===
*'''In Japanese ''Beast Wars'' continuity, Optimus Primal and Megatron were the same characters as their Generation 1 namesakes.'''

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

*'''In ''Beast Wars II'', Apache is a drunkard as part of a Native American stereotype.'''

: [[Apache]] did indeed get drunk in the first episode of the ''[[Beast Wars II]]'' cartoon...but only in grief, believing (erroneously) that his actions earlier had caused the death of [[Lio Convoy]] (which didn't happen). He did not get drunk again for the duration of the cartoon, nor did he ever do so in the manga. Outside of that, the Native American stereotype "common" to Japanese fictions is a stoic, silent, and often mystical warrior...none of which could be used to describe Apache accurately at all.

That's not to say there aren't [[Gimlet|some]] [[DJ|ethnic]] [[Motorarm|stereotypes]] in BWII that could be considered pretty offensive.

: Amusingly enough, in the sixth installment of the [[Beast Wars II (manga)|''Beast Wars II'' manga]], ''Lio Convoy'' gets drunk for no apparent reason and ends up trashing Apache's room.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The Japanese ''Car Robots'' cartoon was a direct sequel to ''Beast Wars Neo''.'''

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

===Transformers (2007)===
*'''''Transformers'' was nearly rated R by the MPAA.'''

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

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

Diagnostic Drone

2008-03-20T15:02:03Z

76.68.80.206:

{{picsneeded|Regular drone, Megatron-in-drone.}}

[[image:GrandMal_Schematics.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ahhhh...I am a genius. Heeheeheehee!]]

:''Diagnostic drones are characters/devices in the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]], most prominently in [[Beast Machines]].''

A '''Diagnostic Drone''' is a type of autonomous drone which generally assists [[Transformers]] in performing administrative or technical tasks. They have some measure of artificial intelligence and are small, roughly ovoid devices with one visual sensor, two clawed arms, and two "wings". They can hover or fly. Diagnostic Drones are explictly depicted as [[spark]]less. Several have been shown to have the ability to speak and use advanced experimental technology, but only one is known to have had apparent emotions and a sense of humor; that unit was either a true artificial intelligence, or a very good simulation of one.

==Fiction==
===Beast Era===
====Theft of the Golden Disk====
A black and white Diagnostic Drone accompanies [[Cryotek]]. {{storylink|Theft of the Golden Disk}}

====Beast Machines====
Diagnostic Drones were used by [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] during his tenure as ruler of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. One drone in particular served as Megatron's right-hand man until it was reprogrammed by the reawakened [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]. This drone displayed a seemingly full range of emotions, although its ability to make decisions was handicapped in some ways by its programming. Despite this nearly full sentience, it was explicitly stated to have no spark.

Near the end of Megatron's rule, after his spark was de- and repolarized, his spark became stuck in a Diagnostic Drone for a time.

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
Diagnostic Drones—or drones that look exactly like them—were shown assisting [[Optronix]] at his job in the archives. {{storylink|The War Within, Part 1}}

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

Black Shadow (G1)

2008-03-18T19:20:23Z

76.68.80.206: /* Victory */

:''Black Shadow is a [[Decepticon]] [[Crossformer]] from the [[Victory (television series)|Victory]] portion of the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:G1_BlackShadow_boxart.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Some people call me the Space Gangster/Some call me the Cowboy of Love...]]

'''Black Shadow''' is a vile gangster. He does most things people would expect from a nasty scoundrel; he robs, extorts and kills for hire. His partner in crime is [[Blue Bacchus]], a gunman with a similar personality and moral fiber.

:''English-Maylay dub name'': '''Thunderwing'''

==Fiction==
===''Victory'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor'': [[Yūji Mikimoto]] (Japan)

Black Shadow is an outer space gangster who was seen causing trouble along with Blue Bacchus on the planet [[Micro]], but both were defeated and run off by [[Greatshot]].
{{charstubfiction}}

{{-}}
===''Timelines''===
{{comingsoon|fan club}}
{{storylink|Gone Too Far}}

{{-}}
==Toys==
===Victory===
* '''Black Shadow''' (Crossformer, 1989)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-309'''
**''Accessories'': Crossformer shell, 2 large rifles, small rifle

[[Image:G1BlackShadow_toy.jpg|thumb|right|150px|He may not be a mafioso, but he'll still [[Professor Princess|cut off your horse's head]].]]

: Black Shadow is a [[redeco]] of the [[Pretender]] [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], transforming into a Cybertronic jet. His outer Crossformer shell is [[retool]]ed from Thunderwing's to make it more robotic. However, it still transforms into a larger Cybertronic jet like the original version. The inner vehicle can be attached underneath the nose of the larger vehicle to create a combined starship mode. All three of his guns can be mounted on his shell's vehicle mode.

{{-}}

==Trivia==
* In Japanese, Black Shadow's function reads "''Uchuu Gyangu''" (宇宙ギャング), which translates to "Space Gangster". The [[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#Japanese Generation 1 fiction|common misconception]] that he is a member of the "Space Mafia" is due to a mistranslation some years ago in which "gangster" was interpreted as "Mafia". Big difference.

* The Crossformers' ID numbers are actually a huge jump ''backwards'' in the numbering system. The other ''Victory'' Decepticons' numbers start at D-322. However, Shadow and Bacchus' numbers put them right in the middle of the ''[[Masterforce]]'' Decepticons' numbers, between 1988's [[Browning]] and [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]], even though the Crossformers were released in 1989. What the hell?

{{-}}
==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Destron/BlackShadow/blackshadow.htm Black Shadow at TFU.info]

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

Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers

2008-03-18T19:11:08Z

76.68.80.206: /* Generation 1 */

{{picsneeded|Optimus dying and turning gray, perchance?}}

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

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Transformers is (only) a cartoon from the Eighties that has been brought back into vogue recently'''

: A misconception usually held by casual fans or nostalgic adults is that of the original 1980's cartoon being the best fiction and most influential/successful line to date, with all other successors being unpopular and/or unsuccessful ventures.

:Some of this misconception is based on the fact that most of the original audience stopped watching and following the franchise after its cancellation, or even before (as it wasn't "cool" to be kiddy once the puberty hit). Without any exposure to the market, the toyline and the new cartoons, they simply assume that ''Transformers'' has sunk in both popularity, quality and sales, since it's not what they remember.

:"Transformers" instead is in fact a term describing several lines of toys, cartoons and comics that span over two decades with no sign of stopping; in fact Hasbro considers it a core brand. Each line has experienced varying degrees of success, rebooting when their target audience gets too old or uninterested in the toyline and fiction. While it's hard to measure the overall success of every line in all its aspects, the original line has been surpassed in both quality and sales multiple times over. Arguably, Transformers is in an endless cycle of creating new fans who share new opinions on what is "teh greatest".

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

:The very earliest [[Generation 1 (toyline)|Generation 1]] toy catalogs used a photo of a blue-sided ''[[Diaclone]]'' Fairlady Z to represent [[Bluestreak]]; photographs of the same toy were used for Bluestreak's own [[instruction booklet]]. The same blue-sided color scheme was also used on his [[box art]]; Bluestreak's box art was in turn shown on ''every'' 1984 instruction booklet as a sample tech spec.

:All this gave rise to a long-standing myth that a blue Bluestreak toy was sold under the ''Transformers'' brand during Generation 1, with some people going so far as to "remember" owning blue Bluestreaks as children, or at least knowing someone else who did. Adding to the confusion, ''[[Wikipedia:ToyFare|ToyFare]]'' magazine has a long history of listing the supposed blue Bluestreak as a "foreign [[variant]]" in its monthly price guide.

:However, actual samples of a blue-sided Bluestreak in a sealed ''Transformers'' box have ''never'' appeared, and the [[Karl Hartman|collectors who have been at it since the very beginning]] and [[Jon Hartman|amassed ''insane'' numbers of rare Transformers]] have never seen one.

: Oddly enough, numerous other Transformers toys from that era were depicted in both catalogues and packaging art with colors they were never released in {{m-}}[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, for example{{m-}}, yet Bluestreak is the only one to be (mis)remembered in this manner.

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

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

*'''A green variant of Trailbreaker was available in some European countries.'''

:This belief seems to stem from the fact that [[IGA]]'s Mexican version of [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (which, like most Mexican Transformers, was widely available on the European gray market circa 1989) used the same head sculpt as [[Trailbreaker]]. But like the Bluestreak, no samples have been found.

*'''Some Generation 1 toy molds were in use as long ago as 1974.'''

:Some ''[[Microchange]]''-derived toys have the text "©1974 TAKARA" stamped on them, and as a result are occasionally sold on eBay with descriptions such as "original 1974 [[Ravage]]". However, the date 1974 refers to the introduction of the original [[Microman]] franchise; the first ''Microchange'' toys weren't even designed until the early 1980s.

*'''A winged variant of Sludge was available during Generation 1.'''

:A [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] [[knockoff]] that featured wings and a pterodactyl-like beast head was fairly commonplace during the Generation 1 era, and in some cases people who owned this knockoff as children seem to have misremembered it as being a [[HasTak]]-produced [[variant]]. [http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Sludge1.html]

*'''A "giant"-sized Optimus Prime toy was available during Generation 1.'''

:In at least a few cases, claims regarding a "giant" Generation 1 Prime may stem from dim memories of coming across [http://www.geocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbyg2.html oversized Optimus Prime knockoffs that were made in Korea]... or because they had the ''normal'' Prime as kids, when they (the former kids) were about ''half'' the height they are now.

*'''A Unicron toy was available during Generation 1.'''

:No toys of Unicron were available (or even produced) until [[Unicron#Toys|2003]] (although there was a G1 version & later a [[Beast Wars II]] Unicron that never made it past the prototype stage). The fictional existence of a Generation 1 Unicron toy is likely based on schoolground one-upsmanship: if one kid had a larger toy such as [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] or [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], a rival kid would claim to have a Unicron toy in order to appear cooler, but would most likely retire to his bed a sobbing mess, knowing in his heart that one day [[Primus|God]] would punish him for being a HUGE FIBBER.

===Generation 2===
*'''"Generation 2" means "after ''The Transformers: The Movie''."'''

:This common but explicitly false idea probably stems from the many casual fans who grew up with the original ''Transformers'' line but stopped paying much attention around 1986, when the animated ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' debuted and the ''Transformers'' craze began to die down. Many such fans regained some interest in ''Transformers'' many years later, particularly with hype surrounding the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]]. Seeing the phrase "Generation 2" batted around in fandom, it might seem natural to assume it refers to the big changeover that happened with the animated film. It certainly didn't help that, early in the life of [[Dreamwave]], [[Pat Lee]] shared in this misconception, leading other new arrivals to the fandom to ape his use of the term.

:While the original animated movie certainly marked a change from one "generation" of toys to another, along some new design trends, the phrase "Generation 2" refers to [[Generation 2|a very specific franchise]], marketed from 1992 to 1995{{m-}}years after the animated film had come and gone. Its relative obscurity probably contributes to the mis-attribution of the term, as ''Generation 2'' marks a low point in popularity for ''Transformers'' as a whole.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline was known as "Transformers 2000" in Japan.'''

:As information about the then-new [[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|''Car Robots'' toyline]] began to trickle out of Japan in 2000, early rumors purportedly from Japanese sources indicated that it was officially named "Transformers 2000".<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_frm/thread/e6436b92178f0c0a/3a0dfb6f548a05dd?hl=en&lnk=st&q=#3a0dfb6f548a05dd]</ref> It's possible those Japanese sources were also going by early, inaccurate rumors or perhaps a soon-to-be-discarded working title for the line. The idea persisted with many Western fans well after the true name of the show was revealed, encouraged by online import retailers (who were equally misinformed) using the title to promote pre-orders on their sites.

===Other===
*'''Takara's Japanese-market releases are always of intrinsically better quality than their U.S. counterparts. (E.g., they have sweeter exclusives, and are always more show-accurate, have more accessories, and have tighter quality control.)'''

: This one depends a bit on the speaker, as it can either be a genuine misconception, a matter of opinion, or at worst, [[Personal canon|willful]] [[True fan|snobbery]]. But, like any broad generalization, it does have some basis.

:*"Better quality" can refer to the fact that Japanese versions of individual toys sometimes have clear plastic instead of painted-on windows like [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Movie Bumblebee]], or have vac-metallized parts where the equivalent U.S. release doesn't, like [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|''Energon'' Optimus Prime/Grand Convoy]]. Or, "better" quality can refer to the fact that Japan is a less litigious society, with different toy safety laws, and Takara can thus give [[Optimus Prime (G1) toys|Prime]] toys old-school long smokestacks, which are now shortened in the litigious U.S. These laws also mean that [[Megatron (G1)|Masterpiece Megatron]] is freely available in Japan, but hard to get in the U.S. (the exact opposite of ''real'' handguns, ironically).

:*"More [[Show accuracy|show-accurate]] decos" does have some basis, as Takara frequently releases its toys later than Hasbro does Stateside, and thus they are better able to reflect discrepancies between late-run changes to a character's coloration in a show (such as with the original [[Rattrap]] or [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|''Armada''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Tidal Wave]]). The most extreme example of this was '''[[Beast Machines|Beast Wars Returns]]'', the Japanese release of ''Beast Machines'', which was ''years'' later than in the U.S., allowing Takara to add a lot of the deco that was added to the characters by [[Mainframe Entertainment]] that was not the original toys. (''See also'': [[Show-accuracy]])

:*"More accessories" mostly comes from the fact that ''some'' of Takara's releases have some extra accessories, but the only cases of this before the reissues were [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]'s two swords, Megatron's sword and bullets (even though the Japanese release lacked the barrel, scope and stock extensions) and clear cases from the various cassettes. Japanese reissues have included additional accessories from the cartoon (the axe, chain mace, Energon cubes and gun-mode Megatron in the [[Transformers Collection]] reissues of Optimus and Megatron, Insecticons and Starscream, respectively, the Matrix from New Year's Convoy). Some ''[[Energon (franchise)|Superlink]]'' releases came with [[redeco]]ed [[Energon weapon]]s as well.

:*"Sweeter exclusives" is really a matter of taste. If endless redecos of Generation 1 toys as completely unprecedented Generation 1 characters, buying $40 worth of toys you got a month ago for a single [[Mini-Con]], and shelling out half your mortgage for [[Lucky Draw]] gold chrome figures is what floats your boat, then yeah, Japan has better exclusives.

:*"Tighter quality control" is a total myth. Takara products are manufactured under much the same production conditions as Hasbro's (pretty much everything for both markets is made in China), and their standards of quality control are just as likely to let mistakes creep through.

*'''Hasbro is responsible for your local store not having the newest toys right now.'''

: Hasbro actually has almost nothing to do with distribution (when Product A arrives in Store B) beyond making sure the manufactured product leaves the factories and shipyards of China at the desired time. Once the items arrive on US shores, they are almost immediately sent from the ships to the distribution centers for the retail chains that ordered them. From there, it's more truck rides to various regional warehouses, which is all controlled by the retailers, not Hasbro. After that, the schedule for taking product from those warehouses and putting it on shelves is dictated by each chain's inventory system.

: It's ''conceivable'' that Hasbro could take more control of the situation, but that would require chains like Wal-Mart to release the vise-like death grip they have on manufacturers' nuts that lets them dictate how the system works... and they're sooooooo not doing that.

*'''Hasbro should totally cater to the wishes of older collectors, as they purchase the most Transformers product.'''

: Fans would like to think they've got some sway over the direction of the [[Transformers brand]]. After all, they've been buying toys for many years (as opposed to the limited purchasing span of most children), and they buy many ''more'' toys than any individual child. And in truth, Hasbro does pay attention to the desires and discussions of its older buyers, even designing certain line segments like [[Alternators (toyline)|''Alternators'']] and [[Classics (2006)|''Classics'']] with collectors as the primary target audience.

: Collectors, however, simply can't compare to the vast numbers of children out there whose parents buy Transformers for them. The bulk of Transformers product is purchased for and/or by young children, and if it wants to stay in business and keep making money, Hasbro must design and market its products accordingly. No accurate figures exist on the collector/children ratio, but estimates mentioned at BotCon panels range from around 10% to 20% of all purchases coming from older collectors -- enough to be worth listening to, but not at all the driving force behind the brand. Past toylines have shown that betting ''too much'' on sales from adult collectors can be disastrous.

: Furthermore, it's not as though the fans speak with a unified voice. More often, for every fan pushing for one particular idea, there's another fan who thinks that same idea is boring or awful.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1===
====The original cartoon====
*'''The original ''The Transformers'' series was redubbed anime which originated in Japan, just like ''Battle of the Planets'', ''Voltron'', ''Robotech'' and other such shows screened in the '80s.'''

: Although most moderate-to-hardcore fans are well aware that this is a fallacy, there are those more casual fans (or those who have not rewatched the Generation 1 cartoon since childhood) who are under the misconception that [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|''The Transformers'']] was an anime.

: Although the original toyline and thus the characters' basic visual designs were taken from Japanese-originated products, the original characters, names, factions and entire story premise of the whole ''Transformers'' franchise were developed in the United States by [[Hasbro]], [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] and eventually [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]]. Although the animation was farmed out, the writing and original voice recording of [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|all four seasons of the original series]] plus ''[[The Transformers: The Movie|The Movie]]'' were entirely done in America.

: This misconception probably stems from distant childhood memories of the cartoon, coupled with the later realization that shows like the aforementioned ''Robotech'' were redubbed anime (presuming they didn't know this when they were kids) and, due to ''Transformers''<nowiki>'</nowiki> obvious Japanese influence, have made the assumption that it too was anime. This ''may'' also be due to passing exposure to ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' and the [[Unicron Trilogy]] shows which, viewed as an adult, are ''very'' obviously redubbed anime.

*'''''The Headmasters'' was going to be dubbed into English and shown in America.'''

: In America, "Season 4" consisted of "The Rebirth", a 3-episode mini-series. In Japan, "The Rebirth" was ignored, and a full-fledged series titled ''The Headmasters'' continued the story instead. Rumors once swirled in the fandom of an American-led dub of ''The Headmasters'' series; the dub was largely finished, goes the story, till the materials were lost in a warehouse fire.

: Given the meandering pace of the series (common for Japanese shows but anathema to American sensibilities), the presence of numerous characters who had no toy equivalent on US shelves, the incompatibility with the "[[Nebulan]]" head characters, the number of Japanese cultural references, and the very existence of "[[Generation 1 (cartoon)#Season 4|The Rebirth]]", this rumor seems unlikely on the surface.

: More to the point, no official confirmation or other evidence has ever surfaced to back it up.

====The Transformers: The Movie====
*'''There exists an "uncut version" of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' containing all sorts of non-kid-friendly content.'''

: These stories stem mainly from the fact that many home-video releases of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' omit two relatively minor instances of characters using profanity, which during the 1990s resulted in some [[alt.toys.transformers]] posters advertising "uncut" VHS copies of the movie for sale, thus either intentionally or unintentionally creating the myth of a really foul-mouthed and ultra-violent alternate version of ''The Transformers: The Movie''.

:A much stranger rumor, whose origins are unclear, claims that the original theatrical cut of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' depicted [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] crumbling into dust after dying, and that that scene was cut by the distributor in mid-release because children were traumatized by the imagery. Interestingly, the "Death of Optimus Prime" track on the original soundtrack album does contain ten extra seconds of music. At the end, just before the song's final low-octave percussion sequece, there is a very distinct, self-contained series of notes that appears nowhere else. However, no other evidence of this "lost" animation sequence exists among the many storyboards, preliminary animations, interviews, varying formats, etc., that have come to light.

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

*'''''The Transformers: The Movie'' was released in Japan under the title ''Matrix Forever''.'''

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

====Japanese Generation 1 fiction====
*'''In Japanese continuity, Megatron and Galvatron are two separate characters.'''

:There a few instances of Japanese fiction that would seem to support this notion, all of which can be attributed to a lack of communication between [[Hasbro]] and [[Takara]] prior to the release of ''The Transformers: The Movie''. There is also a ''Transformers: 2010'' [[manga]] story that depicts [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] commanding a legion of automatons created in [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron's]] image, which some non-Japanese-speaking fans have interpreted as depicting Galvatron and Megatron co-existing.<ref>[http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=179]</ref>

*'''In Japanese continuity, the Destrons (Decepticons) were invaders from a planet called Destron.'''

: The Autobots were renamed "Cybertrons" in the Japanese translation, resulting in a misconception that the Destrons must hail from somewhere other than the planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. However, the Japanese translation also renamed Cybertron "Seibertron" in order to avoid confusion.<ref name="tfa522">[http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=522]</ref>

*'''Black Shadow and Blue Bacchus are both members of a "Space Mafia".'''

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

*'''Metrotitan is a zombie version of Metroplex.'''

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

====European Generation 1 fiction====
*'''Starscream and Shrapnel are female characters in the French dub of Generation 1.'''

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

*'''The German version of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' was edited and didn't depict Starscream's death scene.'''

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

===Beast Wars===
*'''In Japanese ''Beast Wars'' continuity, Optimus Primal and Megatron were the same characters as their Generation 1 namesakes.'''

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

*'''In ''Beast Wars II'', Apache is a drunkard as part of a Native American stereotype.'''

: [[Apache]] did indeed get drunk in the first episode of the ''[[Beast Wars II]]'' cartoon... but only in grief, believing (erroneously) that his actions earlier had caused the death of [[Lio Convoy]] (which didn't happen). He did not get drunk again for the duration of the cartoon, nor did he ever do so in the manga. Outside of that, the Native American stereotype "common" to Japanese fictions is a stoic, silent, and often mystical warrior... none of which could be used to accurately describe Apache at all.

===Robots in Disguise===
*'''The Japanese ''Car Robots'' cartoon was a direct sequel to ''Beast Wars Neo''.'''

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

===Transformers (2007)===
*'''''Transformers'' was nearly rated R by the MPAA.'''

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

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