MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Shelfwarmer

2008-05-08T17:41:21Z

85.90.232.145:

{{disambig2|toys from a long time ago that still haven't been sold|toys that have lots of [[kibble]]|Shellformer}}

'''Shelfwarmer''' is a colloquial term for a toy that either fails to sell well or is over-produced, leaving residual quantities on store shelves for months or even years after its original release, generally far in excess of other toys from the same waves.

The term is doubtless a reference to the theoretical lessening of potential heat rejection from a shelving unit covered with a layer of packaged products, as compared with a bare shelving unit. In other words, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], it's a joke. Alternately, it could be based on the sports term '''benchwarmer''', referring to an athlete who very rarely enters the field of play, spending most of his time (you guessed it) warming the benches.

A related term is '''pegwarmer''', used to refer to toys packaged on cards (which thereby hang on pegs), rather than in boxes.

On occasion, a toy that's considered rare and hard to find in the USA can very well end up as a shelfwarmer in other countries. Usually, this is due to the toy being only shipped to US stores in limited quantities, oftentimes even [[shortpacking|shortpacked]], whereas European stores get those toys in solid cases (as in, cases only containing multiples of nothing but the same one or two toys).

==Examples==
* [[Smokescreen (G1)|Alternators Smokescreen]]
* [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s
* [[Wedge]]
;Beast Era franchise
* [[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]] in the UK
* [[Injector]]
* [[Jawbreaker]] in the UK
* [[Primal Prime]] in Taiwan. ''No, Really.''
* [[Transquito]]
* [[Prowl II|Transmetal 2 Prowl]] in the UK
* [[Scavenger (BW)|Transmetal Scavenger]]
;Energon franchise
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]]
* [[Offshoot (Energon)|Offshoot]]
* [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]] in the UK
;Cybertron franchise
* [[Mudflap]]
* [[Vector Prime]] in Taiwan
* [[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] in Taiwan 
;Classic franchise
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]
* [[Constructicon Devastator]]
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
* [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
;Movie franchise
* All [[Real Gear Robots]] in Canada
* [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] in Germany and Canada
* [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] in Germany, Canada and New Zealand
* [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Protoform Optimus Prime]]
* [[Starscream (Movie)|Protoform Starscream]]
* [[Camshaft (Movie)|Camshaft]] in the UK
* [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]], affectionately renamed by some fans as ''Pegload''.

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

Shelfwarmer

2008-05-08T17:40:48Z

85.90.232.145:

{{disambig2|toys from a long time ago that still haven't been sold|toys that have lots of [[kibble]]|Shellformer}}

'''Shelfwarmer''' is a colloquial term for a toy that either fails to sell well or is over-produced, leaving residual quantities on store shelves for months or even years after its original release, generally far in excess of other toys from the same waves.

The term is doubtless a reference to the theoretical lessening of potential heat rejection from a shelving unit covered with a layer of packaged products, as compared with a bare shelving unit. In other words, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], it's a joke. Alternately, it could be based on the sports term '''benchwarmer''', referring to an athlete who very rarely enters the field of play, spending most of his time (you guessed it) warming the benches.

A related term is '''pegwarmer''', used to refer to toys packaged on cards (which thereby hang on pegs), rather than in boxes.

On occasion, a toy that's considered rare and hard to find in the USA can very well end up as a shelfwarmer in other countries. Usually, this is due to the toy being only shipped to US stores in limited quantities, oftentimes even [[shortpacking|shortpacked]], whereas European stores get those toys in solid cases (as in, cases only containing multiples of nothing but the same one or two toys).

==Examples==
* [[Smokescreen (G1)|Alternators Smokescreen]]
* [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s
* [[Wedge]]
;Beast Era franchise
* [[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]] in the UK
* [[Injector]]
* [[Jawbreaker]] in the UK
* [[Primal Prime]] in Taiwan. ''No, Really.''
* [[Transquito]]
* [[Prowl II|Transmetal 2 Prowl]] in the UK
* [[Scavenger (BW)|Transmetal Scavenger]]
;Energon franchise
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]]
* [[Offshoot (Energon)|Offshoot]]
* [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]] in the UK
;Cybertron franchise
* [[Mudflap]]
* [[Vector Prime]] in Taiwan
* [[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] in Taiwan 
;Classic franchise
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]
* [[Constructicon Devastator]]
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
* [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
;Movie franchise
* All [[Real Gear Robots]] in Canada
* [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] in Germany and Canada
* [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] in Germany, Canada and New Zealand
* [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Protoform Optimus Prime]]
* [[Starscream (Movie)|Protoform Starscream]]
* [[Camshaft (movie)|Camshaft]] in the UK
* [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]], affectionately renamed by some fans as ''Pegload''.

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

Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)

2008-05-07T17:12:25Z

85.90.232.145: /* Deluxe class */ Fixed the Ironhide link.

{{disambig3|Universe}}

[[Image:Universe2008Logo.jpg|center|300px]]

The 2008 '''''Universe''''' is the second ''Transformers'' [[franchise]] to use the name. Like [[Universe (franchise)|the previous franchise]], this line is intended to be something of a catch-all for toys that don't fit in the ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' line, currently the brand's flagship franchise.

Hasbro first announced the line at [[BotCon 2007]], stating that it would not have an overall story arc. The line's primary (but not ''only'') focus will be on "realistic" vehicles, filling a gap left by the ending of the [[Movie (franchise)|live-action movie]] line. The line's first offerings in 2008 will be a set of [[Generation 1]]- and ''[[Beast Wars]]''-inspired [[Robot Heroes]], and a continuation of the [[Classics]] toyline, now dubbed the Classic Series, in Deluxe and Ultra price points, with [[Legends of Cybertron|Legends]] and Voyager classes to follow.

In January 2008, Hasbro launched a web page for the new ''Universe'' line, featuring a preview of the first wave of new Classics and a CGI reimagining of the battle between [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] from the [[The Transformers: The Movie|original animated Transformers movie]]. The tagline for the video, in keeping with the toyline's theme, was "They were always real to me."

Many of the figures in the Ultra price point will feature electronic light and sound. Each figure will come with the required batteries.
==Toys==
===''Classic Series''===
====Legends class====
*[[Onslaught]]
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]
*[[Jazz (G1)|Autobot Jazz]]
*[[Hound|Autobot Hound]]
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]
*[[Brawn (G1)|Autobot Brawn]]
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]
====="Aerial Rivals" multipack (Target exclusive)=====
*[[Air Raid]]
*[[Blades|Autobot Blades]]
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
*[[Skydive (G1)|Skydive]]
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]
====="Leadership Team" multipack (Target exclusive)=====
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Zone]]
*[[Hun-Gurrr]]
*[[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]]
*[[Scattershot]]
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]

====Deluxe class====
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]
*[[Octane|Tankor]] (an update of Octane, not named so due to [[Trademark|trademark issues]])
*[[Sunstreaker]]
*[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]
*[[Acid Storm]]
*[[Cheetor]]
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]
*[[Silverstreak]]
*[[Ratbat]] (packaged with Voyager-class Springer and a comic as a Target exclusive)
*[[Roadbuster|Autobot Roadbuster]] (packaged with Voyager-class Dirge and a comic as a Target exclusive)
*[[Hound|Autobot Hound]] with [[Ravage]]
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] with [[Nightstick (Decepticon)|Nightstick]]

====Voyager class====
*[[Blaster|Autobot Blaster]] with [[Blockrock|Blockrock Mini-Con]]!
*[[Heavy Load (Universe)|Decepticon Heavy Load]] with [[Drillbit|Drillbit Mini-Con]]!
*[[Blades|Autobot Blades]]
*[[Dropshot (Universe)|Decepticon Dropshot]]
*[[Springer]] (packaged with Deluxe-class Ratbat and a comic book as a Target exclusive)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (packaged with Deluxe-class Roadbuster and a comic book as a Target exclusive)

====Ultra class====
*[[Onslaught]]
*[[Powerglide]]
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]
*[[Storm Cloud (G1)|Storm Cloud]]

===''Robot Heroes''===

*''G1'' [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] & [[Rumble (G1)| Rumble]]
*''Beast Wars'' [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] & [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]
*''Beast Wars'' [[Optimus Primal|Optimus Primal]] & [[Tarantulas|Tarantulas]]
*''G1'' [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] & [[Blitzwing (G1)| Blitzwing]]
*''Beast Wars'' [[Rattrap|Rattrap]] & [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]
*''Beast Wars'' [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] & [[Waspinator|Waspinator]]
*''Beast Wars'' [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]] & [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]
*''G1'' [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] & [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]

===25th Anniversary===
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|25th Anniversary Optimus Prime Pack]]
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] with [[Jolt]]

==External links==

[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/universe/ Hasbro's Transformers Universe front page]

[[Category: Franchises]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)| ]]<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>

Infiltration issue 6

2008-05-07T13:46:29Z

85.90.232.145: Added an error I spotted.

[[Image:Infiltration_6ria.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Starscream thinks he can defeat Megatron...]]
{{comicnav | Infiltration | 6 | seriesname=''The Transformers: Infiltration''| prev=Infiltration issue 5 | next=Stormbringer issue 1}}
'''A super-powered Starscream challenges Megatron.'''

__TOC__
<br clear="all">
== Synopsis ==
Starscream charges himself up to immense levels with [[Ore-13]], intending to defeat Megatron. While the other [[Decepticon]]s drop their guns and cease their mutiny at the mere sound of Megatron's voice, Starscream unleashes his full, devastating power...

... and Megatron kicks his ass.

With Megatron now in command of the [[Earth]] cell and ordering [[Siege Mode|Phase Two]], Prowl realizes they need to call in Optimus Prime. Luckily, he's already arrived.

Unluckily, the [[Machination]] have tracked the [[Autobot]]s to their base...

==Credits==
'''Script:''' [[Simon Furman]]<br>
'''Art:''' [[E. J. Su]]<br>
'''Colors:''' [[John Rauch]], Simon Bork, Mark Englert, Aaron Myers, Sunder Raj and Kevin Senft<br>
'''Lettering:''' [[Robbie Robbins]]<br>
'''Editor:''' [[Chris Ryall]] & [[Dan Taylor]]<br>
* ''Originally published:'' July 12, 2006
* ''Continuity:'' [[IDW continuity]]

===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:#FFEEB8" | Others
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (4)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (8)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (9)
* [[Sunstreaker]] (10)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (11)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (12)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (13)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (18)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Runabout]] (1)
* [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (2)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (3)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (14)
* [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] (15)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (16)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" | '''Regulars'''
* [[Verity Carlo]] (5)
* [[Hunter O'Nion]] (6)
* [[Jimmy Pink]] (7)
'''Others'''
* [[Drake]] (17)
| style="background:#FFEEB8" valign="top" |
|}

== Errors ==
* In the very first panel, "Oregon" is mis-spelled as "Orgeon".

== Items of note ==
* The Machination sub-plot continues directly into ''[[Escalation issue 1|Escalation]]'' #1.
* Starscream reveals that most of the Transformers are surviving off artificial Energon substitutes.
* Megatron and Prime's arrivals turn Earth into "the pivotal front line". Both of the leaders are treated by the cells as awe-inspiring, supremely powerful entities{{m-}}which Megatron demonstratively is.
* Megatron states that he believed he and Starscream had long since moved on from "such power plays". While it's obvious Starscream has been treacherous before (because he's Starscream), this implies he stopped long ago. Starscream's dialog suggests this was due to fear more than anything else.
* As with Bumblebee, Sunstreaker's holomatter avatar (and presumably voice) is female.
* The "Decepticomments" section featured mail answered by Chris Ryall and an image of a cover for ''Escalation'' #1.

===Covers (7)===
[[Image:Infiltration_6b.jpg|thumb|right|200px|...and that's what he gets for thinking!]]
* '''Cover A:''' Optimus Prime by [[E. J. Su]]
* '''Cover B:''' Starscream on throne by [[Guido Guidi]]
* '''Cover C:''' Optimus Prime by [[Klaus Scherwinski]]
* '''Cover D:''' Megatron vs Starscream by [[Nick Roche]]
* '''Cover RI-A:''' Megatron vs Starscream wraparound cover by [[Andrew Wildman]]
* '''Cover RI-B:''' Arcee vs Decepticons wraparound cover by [[Bob Lefevre]]
* '''Cover RI-C:''' Optimus Prime by [[Guido Guidi]] (includes 4 mini-prints)

===Advertisements===
* Optimus Prime ''[[Alternators (toyline)|Alternators]]'' toy
* [[Hearts of Steel issue 1|''Hearts of Steel'' #1]] + a 5-page preview
* [[Stormbringer issue 1|''Stormbringer'' #1]]
* Transformers posters
* ''[[Stormbringer (comics)|Stormbringer]]'' (back cover)

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 issues]]<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

2008-02-19T19:56:32Z

85.90.232.145: /* 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]], giving 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.

*'''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]]. The fictional existance of a G1 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 "G2" 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" means [[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 recent 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. Recently, 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 [[Wikipedia:He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)|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 "[[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]

[[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>

Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers

2008-02-19T19:54:24Z

85.90.232.145: /* 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]], giving 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.

*'''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]]. The fictional existance of a G1 Unicron toy is likely based on schoolground one-upsmanship: if one kid 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 "G2" 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" means [[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 recent 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. Recently, 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 [[Wikipedia:He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)|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 "[[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]

[[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>

Spike Witwicky (G1)

2008-02-18T16:16:06Z

85.90.232.145: /* Dreamwave comics continuity */

{{cleanup}}

:''Spike Witwicky is an [[Autobot]]-allied [[human]] in the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[image:Lolpuberty.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Amazing what a bit of testosterone can do for a guy. Rawr.]]

'''Spike Witwicky''' is the oldest (and sometimes only) son of [[Sparkplug Witwicky]].

Spike, like most Witwickys, has a tendency to form close bonds to the Autobots and become one of their main human allies. Cause lets face it, there are advantages when your best friend is [[Bumblebee (G1)|a car]].

:''Malay-English dub name:'' '''Sparkle'''<br>
:''Hungarian ''The Movie'' dub name'': '''Csuka''' ("Pike"), in other media, '''Spike'''.

==Fiction==
===Animated continuity===
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (US), [[Show Hayami]] → [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japan)

[[Image:Spike_SemiNude.jpg|thumb|left|150px|We have hereby filled our beefcake quotient for this Wiki. Move along.]]
[[Image:Spike_ospit.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Oh, bother. How do you propose we solve our predicament at this moment?]]
In 1984, Spike was a 14-year-old adolescent working with his father [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] on an oil rig when the Decepticons attacked. After the Autobots rescued them, they volunteered to become their native guides to planet Earth.

Spike had many adventures with the Autobots, taking part in just about everything they did on Earth for at least the next few years. He became especially close friends with the little Autobot Bumblebee. At one point, however, Spike was injured in a Decepticon attack, and his mind was transferred to the unstable [[Autobot X]]. The process began to play havoc with Spike's mind, allowing [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] to manipulate him in into attacking [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots. Only after nearly killing his father did Spike realize that he was being duped. His mind was subsequently transferred back into his body.
[[Image:Bumblebeepinkinterior.jpg|left|thumb|150px|It's the pink interior that makes Spike such a [[Ladiesman217|Ladiesman]]]]

In the course of his adventures with the Autobots, he met [[Carly]], an impetuous prodigy and MIT graduate. Despite being (much) smarter, older (she could drive), and hotter than him, Carly displayed a noticeable affection for the somewhat-dim Spike. They mated and produced [[Daniel Witwicky|offspring]].

As an adult in the distant year 2005, Spike was stationed with Bumblebee on one of the Autobot's secret moonbases. He had a bit of a potty-mouth about being eaten by the monster-planet [[Unicron]], but that would make anyone pissed. He was saved from the belly of Unicron by his afforementioned offspring. Later, when the Autobots had regained control of the planet, he became Earth's ambassador...or something.

[[Image:SpikeHeadmasterRebirth1.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Spike is BACK! ...and BLACK!]]

Marooned on the distant planet [[Nebulos]] he became a [[Headmaster]] partner to [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] and single handedly rebuilt an ancient city into [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|a giant transformer]].

He polished up good.

===Headmasters Cartoon===
Uh, disregard those last two sentences and add in some misogyny.

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
''(Note: Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.)''

Spike Witwicky was away at college for the first few years of the Autobot/Decepticon war on Earth until he returned home to find his younger brother [[Buster_Witwicky|Buster]] kidnapped by the Decepticons. Spike soon became the binary-bond partner to the [[Headmaster]] [[Fortress_Maximus_(G1)|Fortress Maximus]], after Fortress Maximus' first partner, [[Galen]], was killed in a battle with the Deception [[Scorponok_(G1)|Scorponok]].

Thereafter he struggled with balancing his responsibillities to his family with those to the Autobots. Once Buster was rescued, and with [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] returned to life to take his place as Autobot leader, Spike went into retirement, mothballing poor Max. This retirement wouldn't last however as it was interupted, first by a pair of Decepticon [[Pretender]]s, then by the crash of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and a raving [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. Through the course of these conflicts Spike learned that the [[binary bonding]] he had undergone with Maximus was far deeper and more permanent than he'd believed. Fortress Maximus was always there with him in his head, always a part of him. After his battle with Galvatron he seemed to have made peace with his connection to Fortress Maximus and his role as (perhaps) the last Autobot protector of Earth.

[[Image:Spikewitwicky2009.jpg|150px|right|thumb|In 2009, jheri curls return with a vengeance. Just you wait.]]
[[Image:Spikewitwickytimewars.jpg|150px|left|thumb|White jumpsuits were so 2006.]]
''In an alternate timeline in the year 2009, Decepticons had built a machine to destroy Earth while a space-time anomaly was eating entire planets. After [[Hot Rod|Rodimus Prime]] orchestrated a plan to travel twenty years back in time to the source of the anomaly, Spike Witwicky and his son Daniel accused Rodimus of shirking his responsibilities towards Earth and guilted Rodimus into allotting more troops to help destroy the Decepticons' machine.''

In another alternate timeline in the year 2009, Spike Witwicky was part of a very small Autobot/human resistance movement in a world where [[Galvatron II]]'s Decepticons controlled North America. The handful of Autobots who remained alive despaired and were on the cusp of giving up, but Spike and [[Lisa]] (who shared growing feelings for each other) guilted them into one last suicidal attack on Decepticon headquarters in New York before the rest of the world could unleash a nuclear holocaust onto America at midnight. Though there were several casualties, Spike managed to hoist an American flag on the Decepticon stronghold on live television, a symbolic measure which prompted the end of the planned nuclear strike. Before Galvatron II could respond, the Decepticon despot was abducted by [[Hook, Line, and Sinker]] into another timeline.

====''Generation 2''====
[[Image:Spikewitwickyg2.jpg|left|thumb|100px|Now the jumpsuit's in BROWN?]]

Spike followed up on the now [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]-controlled Ark, which he'd apparently stuffed Fortress Maximus aboard and then abandoned after his battle with Galvatron (great job protecting Earth there, "Last Autobot").

He reunited with Max and together they . . . um sort of stopped Megatron (well, delayed him a little . . . maybe) by throwing themselves into the ship's [[antimatter]] core.

He blowed up '''real''' good.
{{-}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===

It's to be assumed that Spike and his father, Sparkplug, met the Autobots early on in their time on Earth (in a similar fashion as Spike and Sparkplug did in the cartoon, or Buster and Sparkplug did in the Marvel Comics). Spike definitely had a younger brother named Buster (like in the Marvel comics), yet it was Spike who formed a close friendship with Bumblebee (like in the cartoon, rather than missing out on the first few years of the Witwicky family's interaction with the Transformers while engaging in drinking orgies at college, like he did in the Marvel comics). The exact details of the Witwicky's early years as the Autobots' human associates are therefore not known.

Somewhere in the time after 1984, Spike married Carly, who then gave birth to Spike's son, Daniel. After the explosion of the Ark II in 1999, which caused the death of Spike's father Sparkplug, Spike tried to leave his involvement with the Transformers behind and settled down with his wife and son in Cleveland, Ohio, trying to live a new life as a normal family. The newfound peace wouldn't last for long, though, as Spike was soon recruited by a shady military official named [[Robert Hallo|General Hallo]] seeking his help in reviving Optimus Prime, whose body his men had recently found in the Arctic. Spike, who had been entrusted by Prime with a fragment of the Matrix, used that fragment to bring Prime back to life. {{Storylink|Prime Directive, Part 1}} {{Storylink|Prime Directive, Part 2}}

Prime subsequently used the Matrix to revive and assemble a group of his Autobots, which he would then lead against Megatron's Decepticons. Meanwhile, Spike was imprisoned by General Hallo, who had double motives behind reviving the Autobots and even tried to kill them by bombing them. With the help of [[Larry|Larry, the World's Most Resourceful Janitor]], Spike was able to escape his cell and uncover Hallo's sinister schemes, but not in time to stop him from launching a nuclear strike against the Autobots which was ultimately averted when [[Superion]] sacrificed his life in order to make it detonate before it could reach its target. {{Storylink|Prime Directive, Part 5}} {{Storylink|Prime Directive, Part 6}}

Following these events, Spike once again returned to his family and tried to leave his past with the Transformers behind. A few months later, though, his old friend Bumblebee, who had just decided to quit the Autobot army following a fierce battle against [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]], showed up by his house. Spike, frustrated that the Autobots refused to leave him alone, hurled a few nasty insults against his old buddy before changing his mind and joining him on a men's night out in the city, where they stopped a mugging. The follow-up scene of Carly shouting at Spike singing [[drinking_songs|drinking songs]] with Bumblebee was never published due to the untimely faltering of Dreamwave. It also means we will never know if Spike and Bumblebee formed a crime fighting duo.

===Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe vs the Transformers'' continuity===
In response to the forming of the terrorist organization [[Cobra]] and its commandeered Transformers, the United States government assembled a strike team dubbed [[G.I. Joe]]. Spike Witwicky (codename Spike) was listed on the roster, but was never seen. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs the Transformers, Part 2}}

''(Oddly, Spike Witwicky's was the only name of a military specialist on the roster which was not ordered last name, first name.)''

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
* '''Fortress Maximus with Spike''' (Headmaster, 1987)
:Spike was a [[Headmaster]] figure who came with [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. Gray and blue, he transformed into [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]]' head, who then in turn became Fortress Maximus' head. Although the tech specs referred to 'the Nebulan leader, Spike', most assume it was supposed to represent the character from TV, making this the first Transformers toy of an Earth human.

==Merchandise==

===Super Collection Figure===
*'''Bumble and Spike''' (Act 3, 2001)
*''Japanese ID Number'': '''5''' (painted) '''6''' (clear)

[[Image:SCF-Bumblebee-Spike.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Spike says "How."]]

:Spike and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] were sold together as a single PVC in ''Act 3'' of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s [[Super Collection Figure]] series. They were [[blindpacked]], with painted and clear variations sold in equal quantities. In [[Hasbro]]'s markets, they were sold together on a blister card as the "Autobot Espionage Team". (At this point, Hasbro did not have the trademark rights to Bumblebee's name.) In both Japan and the West, the two came packaged with HOC Fortress Maximus' right leg.

==Trivia==

*Spike and Buster were both derived from the same "young male human friend" character in early backstory material. For more on the name variation see [[Butch Witwicky]].
*[[:Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|Cameos of the Witwicky family]] appear in the [[Transform and Roll Out!|pilot movie]] of ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]''.

{{stub}}
[[Category: G.I. Joe|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Generation 1 characters|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Generation 2 characters|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Headmasters|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Headmasters characters|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Humans|Witwicky, Spike]]<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>

Spike Witwicky (G1)

2008-02-18T16:15:48Z

85.90.232.145: /* Dreamwave comics continuity */

{{cleanup}}

:''Spike Witwicky is an [[Autobot]]-allied [[human]] in the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[image:Lolpuberty.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Amazing what a bit of testosterone can do for a guy. Rawr.]]

'''Spike Witwicky''' is the oldest (and sometimes only) son of [[Sparkplug Witwicky]].

Spike, like most Witwickys, has a tendency to form close bonds to the Autobots and become one of their main human allies. Cause lets face it, there are advantages when your best friend is [[Bumblebee (G1)|a car]].

:''Malay-English dub name:'' '''Sparkle'''<br>
:''Hungarian ''The Movie'' dub name'': '''Csuka''' ("Pike"), in other media, '''Spike'''.

==Fiction==
===Animated continuity===
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (US), [[Show Hayami]] → [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japan)

[[Image:Spike_SemiNude.jpg|thumb|left|150px|We have hereby filled our beefcake quotient for this Wiki. Move along.]]
[[Image:Spike_ospit.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Oh, bother. How do you propose we solve our predicament at this moment?]]
In 1984, Spike was a 14-year-old adolescent working with his father [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] on an oil rig when the Decepticons attacked. After the Autobots rescued them, they volunteered to become their native guides to planet Earth.

Spike had many adventures with the Autobots, taking part in just about everything they did on Earth for at least the next few years. He became especially close friends with the little Autobot Bumblebee. At one point, however, Spike was injured in a Decepticon attack, and his mind was transferred to the unstable [[Autobot X]]. The process began to play havoc with Spike's mind, allowing [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] to manipulate him in into attacking [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots. Only after nearly killing his father did Spike realize that he was being duped. His mind was subsequently transferred back into his body.
[[Image:Bumblebeepinkinterior.jpg|left|thumb|150px|It's the pink interior that makes Spike such a [[Ladiesman217|Ladiesman]]]]

In the course of his adventures with the Autobots, he met [[Carly]], an impetuous prodigy and MIT graduate. Despite being (much) smarter, older (she could drive), and hotter than him, Carly displayed a noticeable affection for the somewhat-dim Spike. They mated and produced [[Daniel Witwicky|offspring]].

As an adult in the distant year 2005, Spike was stationed with Bumblebee on one of the Autobot's secret moonbases. He had a bit of a potty-mouth about being eaten by the monster-planet [[Unicron]], but that would make anyone pissed. He was saved from the belly of Unicron by his afforementioned offspring. Later, when the Autobots had regained control of the planet, he became Earth's ambassador...or something.

[[Image:SpikeHeadmasterRebirth1.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Spike is BACK! ...and BLACK!]]

Marooned on the distant planet [[Nebulos]] he became a [[Headmaster]] partner to [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]] and single handedly rebuilt an ancient city into [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|a giant transformer]].

He polished up good.

===Headmasters Cartoon===
Uh, disregard those last two sentences and add in some misogyny.

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
''(Note: Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.)''

Spike Witwicky was away at college for the first few years of the Autobot/Decepticon war on Earth until he returned home to find his younger brother [[Buster_Witwicky|Buster]] kidnapped by the Decepticons. Spike soon became the binary-bond partner to the [[Headmaster]] [[Fortress_Maximus_(G1)|Fortress Maximus]], after Fortress Maximus' first partner, [[Galen]], was killed in a battle with the Deception [[Scorponok_(G1)|Scorponok]].

Thereafter he struggled with balancing his responsibillities to his family with those to the Autobots. Once Buster was rescued, and with [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] returned to life to take his place as Autobot leader, Spike went into retirement, mothballing poor Max. This retirement wouldn't last however as it was interupted, first by a pair of Decepticon [[Pretender]]s, then by the crash of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and a raving [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. Through the course of these conflicts Spike learned that the [[binary bonding]] he had undergone with Maximus was far deeper and more permanent than he'd believed. Fortress Maximus was always there with him in his head, always a part of him. After his battle with Galvatron he seemed to have made peace with his connection to Fortress Maximus and his role as (perhaps) the last Autobot protector of Earth.

[[Image:Spikewitwicky2009.jpg|150px|right|thumb|In 2009, jheri curls return with a vengeance. Just you wait.]]
[[Image:Spikewitwickytimewars.jpg|150px|left|thumb|White jumpsuits were so 2006.]]
''In an alternate timeline in the year 2009, Decepticons had built a machine to destroy Earth while a space-time anomaly was eating entire planets. After [[Hot Rod|Rodimus Prime]] orchestrated a plan to travel twenty years back in time to the source of the anomaly, Spike Witwicky and his son Daniel accused Rodimus of shirking his responsibilities towards Earth and guilted Rodimus into allotting more troops to help destroy the Decepticons' machine.''

In another alternate timeline in the year 2009, Spike Witwicky was part of a very small Autobot/human resistance movement in a world where [[Galvatron II]]'s Decepticons controlled North America. The handful of Autobots who remained alive despaired and were on the cusp of giving up, but Spike and [[Lisa]] (who shared growing feelings for each other) guilted them into one last suicidal attack on Decepticon headquarters in New York before the rest of the world could unleash a nuclear holocaust onto America at midnight. Though there were several casualties, Spike managed to hoist an American flag on the Decepticon stronghold on live television, a symbolic measure which prompted the end of the planned nuclear strike. Before Galvatron II could respond, the Decepticon despot was abducted by [[Hook, Line, and Sinker]] into another timeline.

====''Generation 2''====
[[Image:Spikewitwickyg2.jpg|left|thumb|100px|Now the jumpsuit's in BROWN?]]

Spike followed up on the now [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]-controlled Ark, which he'd apparently stuffed Fortress Maximus aboard and then abandoned after his battle with Galvatron (great job protecting Earth there, "Last Autobot").

He reunited with Max and together they . . . um sort of stopped Megatron (well, delayed him a little . . . maybe) by throwing themselves into the ship's [[antimatter]] core.

He blowed up '''real''' good.
{{-}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===

It's to be assumed that Spike and his father, Sparkplug, met the Autobots early on in their time on Earth (in a similar fashion as Spike and Sparkplug did in the cartoon, or Buster and Sparkplug did in the Marvel Comics). Spike definitely had a younger brother named Buster (like in the Marvel comics), yet it was Spike who formed a close friendship with Bumblebee (like in the cartoon, rather than missing out on the first few years of the Witwicky family's interaction with the Transformers while engaging in drinking orgies at college, like he did in the Marvel comics). The exact details of the Witwicky's early years as the Autobots' human associates are therefore not known.

Somewhere in the time after 1984, Spike married Carly, who then gave birth to Spike's son, Daniel. After the explosion of the Ark II in 1999, which caused the death of Spike's father Sparkplug, Spike tried to leave his involvement with the Transformers behind and settled down with his wife and son in Cleveland, Ohio, trying to live a new life as a normal family. The newfound peace wouldn't last for long, though, as Spike was soon recruited by a shady military official named [[Robert Hallo|General Hallo]] seeking his help in reviving Optimus Prime, whose body his men had recently found in the Arctic. Spike, who had been entrusted by Prime with a fragment of the Matrix, used that fragment to bring Prime back to life. {{Storylink|Prime Directive, Part 1}} {{Storylink|Prime Directive, Part 2}}

Prime subsequently used the Matrix to revive and assemble a group of his Autobots, which he would then lead against Megatron's Decepticons. Meanwhile, Spike was imprisoned by General Hallo, who had double motives behind reviving the Autobots and even tried to kill them by bombing them. With the help of [[Larry|Larry, the World's Most Resourceful Janitor]], Spike was able to escape his cell and uncover Hallo's sinister schemes, but not in time to stop him from launching a nuclear strike against the Autobots which was ultimately averted when [[Superion]] sacrificed his life in order to make it detonate before it could reach its target. {{Storylink|Prime Directive, Part 5}} {{Storylink|Prime Directive, Part 6}}

Following these events, Spike once again returned to his family and tried to leave his past with the Transformers behind. A few months later, though, his old friend Bumblebee, who had just decided to quit the Autobot army following a fierce battle against [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]], showed up by his house. Spike, frustrated that the Autobots refused to leave him alone, hurled a few nasty insults against his old buddy before changing his mind and joining him on a men's night out in the city, where they stopped a mugging. The follow-up scene of Carly shouting at Spike singing [[drinking_songs|drinking songs]] with Bumblebee was never published due to the untimely faltering of Dreamwave. It also means we will never know if Spike and Bumblebee formed a crime fighting duo

===Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe vs the Transformers'' continuity===
In response to the forming of the terrorist organization [[Cobra]] and its commandeered Transformers, the United States government assembled a strike team dubbed [[G.I. Joe]]. Spike Witwicky (codename Spike) was listed on the roster, but was never seen. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs the Transformers, Part 2}}

''(Oddly, Spike Witwicky's was the only name of a military specialist on the roster which was not ordered last name, first name.)''

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
* '''Fortress Maximus with Spike''' (Headmaster, 1987)
:Spike was a [[Headmaster]] figure who came with [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. Gray and blue, he transformed into [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]]' head, who then in turn became Fortress Maximus' head. Although the tech specs referred to 'the Nebulan leader, Spike', most assume it was supposed to represent the character from TV, making this the first Transformers toy of an Earth human.

==Merchandise==

===Super Collection Figure===
*'''Bumble and Spike''' (Act 3, 2001)
*''Japanese ID Number'': '''5''' (painted) '''6''' (clear)

[[Image:SCF-Bumblebee-Spike.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Spike says "How."]]

:Spike and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] were sold together as a single PVC in ''Act 3'' of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s [[Super Collection Figure]] series. They were [[blindpacked]], with painted and clear variations sold in equal quantities. In [[Hasbro]]'s markets, they were sold together on a blister card as the "Autobot Espionage Team". (At this point, Hasbro did not have the trademark rights to Bumblebee's name.) In both Japan and the West, the two came packaged with HOC Fortress Maximus' right leg.

==Trivia==

*Spike and Buster were both derived from the same "young male human friend" character in early backstory material. For more on the name variation see [[Butch Witwicky]].
*[[:Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|Cameos of the Witwicky family]] appear in the [[Transform and Roll Out!|pilot movie]] of ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]''.

{{stub}}
[[Category: G.I. Joe|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Generation 1 characters|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Generation 2 characters|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Headmasters|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Headmasters characters|Witwicky, Spike]]
[[Category: Humans|Witwicky, Spike]]<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>

Blastification

2008-02-18T14:45:43Z

85.90.232.145: /* As Underlying force */

{{essay}}

There's no such thing as '''Blastification''', it's completely made up.

But if it ''did'' exist, Blastification would refer to the lowest-energy-state status of the word 'blast.' In a closed system entropy reaches a maximum when the system is at equilibrium. In Transformers entropy reaches a maximum when everything is called 'blast.'

In 2004 it was observed that when two names for [[Energon (franchise)|Energon]] characters (Skyfire and Shockwave) proved [[Trademark|legally unavailable]], they both had the ends of their names replaced with the word 'blast' ([[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] and [[Shockblast (Energon)|Shockblast]].) In Shockblast's case, the word 'shockwave' had an actual meaning while the replacement, 'shockblast,' was essentially nonsense. The same would be true of 2006's [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], where a nonsensical 'blast' suffix had been substituted whre a real word (Thunderbolt, Thunderclap, Thundercloud) would traditionally have been used. [[Fireblast|Fireblast]] had recently, mysteriously, replaced the word 'firepower,' highlighting the apparent pattern to these changes.

''The theory of Blastification states;'' Absent any intention to the contrary, Transformers naturally tends to the word 'blast.' As a result 'blast' becomes the default form a Transformer name assumes if no better options are available.<br/>
'''Example:''' "We wanted Shockwave, but it's unavailable. The name has to be similar so Shock... Shock... Shockblast!"<br/>
'''Converse example:''' When [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod's]] trademark expired he was renamed 'Rodimus,' that character had another name pre-established as a natural alternative.

==As Observed Phenomena==
The [[Wikipedia:Phenomenon|observed phenomenon]] explanation of Blastification holds that 'blast' is a common choice when the first Transformer name choice is blocked precisely ''because'' it is nonsense. 'Blast' is a context-neutral joining word— so while using _____blast to rename a Transformer cannot be said to be 'correct,' (because it is not the original name) it is also not 'incorrect' in that: 1) The resulting word is almost always nonsense, and thus carries no connotation that conflicts with the previously established character. 2) _____blast isn't 'really' a new name, but more of an acknowledgment that the old name is unavailable. Part of the old name remains, and Shockblast is considered a better choice than calling him Astroscope. 3) Nonsense words are easier to retain trademark on.

Thus Blastification represents a compromise for fans. The resulting name is not ''correct'', but a blastified name is ''less incorrect'' than the alternatives. The phenomena exists, but it is a result of [[Wikipedia:selection pressures|selection pressures]], not an outside force.

==As Underlying force==
The [[Wikipedia:Ontology|underlying force]] explanation of Blastification holds that 'blast' represents a fundamental truth that reveals itself only when there is a complete lack of [[Wikipedia:intentionality|intentionality]] to cloud human perception.

When Thunderbolt<ref>Many claims</ref>, Thunderclap<ref>Costume roleplay toys</ref> and Thundercloud<ref>Stock racing</ref> all fail, the Zen [[Aaron Archer|Archer]] meditates until achieving the [[Wikipedia:Mushin|mushin]] no-mind state where he will cease to be conscious of the problem of a name and instead becomes aware of the ''absence'' of a name. Rather than an adversary or obstacle this absence-thing becomes a mere hole in an ocean of possibilities, and into that hole... flows ''blast''.

The meaning behind 'blast' and its connection to Transformers is much-discussed, but because blastification's mushin no-mind provides only a limited view onto the problem, adherents are in a position of trying to understand the whole when [[Wikipedia:Blind Men and an Elephant|presented only one part]]. However, this 17th century Zen haiku may provide a more useful parallax:
{{quote|Blast cherry blossoms<br/>blast blast blasting blasts, blasty blassst.<br/>Blast blast wicker rack blast.|<u>First Sparrow in the Rushes</u>|Bashō}}



Diligent study and meditation has so far yielded only one firm conclusion about the nature of ''blast''; it hates the color purple.

HILARIOUS.

==Comparison to "Fire"==
Regardless of the explanation, the word 'blast' does seem unusually prominent in Transformers.

Below is a comparison of 'blast' to 'fire.' As fire is a much more common word, and one of the four elements, one would expect it to be used much more frequently than the essentially meaningless 'blast.'

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Blast!!Fire
|-
|
*Blast Off
*Blast Master
*Blastcharge (x2)
*Blaster/Broadblast
*Aquablast
*Blast Punch Optimus Primal
*Shockblast (x2)
*Sky Blast (x4)
*Soundblaster
*Thunderblast (x2)

|
*Artfire
*Fire Chief
*Firebot (x3)
*Firecracker
*Fireflight
*Fireshot
*Jetfire (x2)
*Misfire
*Roadfire
*Skyfire
*Turbofire
|-
!16 Blasts!! 14 Fires
|}

In fact the uncommon 'blast' not only matches the common 'fire,' but but actually slightly surpasses it.

==Testability==

Blastification is a true scientific hypothesis, in that it it makes testable predictions. By proposing the lowest energy state nature of the syllable ''blast'' and its relationship to ''fire'', it predicts that the final form of Transformers in the universe will be the epic struggle between two robots named Fireblast and Blastfire. As such, it is in conflict with the [[Principle of 1984]], which predicts that the lowest energy state of Transformers has already come in the conflict in the [[United States of America]] between [[Optimus Prime]] with [[Bumblebee]] and [[Megatron]] with [[Starscream]].

==Footnotes==
<references/>

[[Category: Fandom]]
[[Category: Things that don't exist]]
'''Bold text'''<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>

Omega Supreme (Energon)

2008-02-05T19:54:18Z

85.90.232.145: /* Trivia */

{{disambig3|Omega Supreme}}

:''Omega Supreme is an [[Autobot]] in the [[Energon]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:EnergonOmegaSupreme DVD.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You call that a streak-free shine?!<br>I don't want to see your face until I can... uh... nevermind.]]

'''Omega Supreme''' is one of the [[Guardians of Cybertron]] who serves under the command of [[Omega Sentinel]] and is a powerful Autobot protector. He believes that unyielding resolve has no conqueror and will not hesitate to engage even the strongest foe. He is composed of '''Omega Train''', '''Omega Battleship''', and a [[#Related characters|small robot]] named '''Omega''' that transforms into a larger head for their combined robot mode. His two vehicular components also have the ability to transform into the mighty '''Omega Crusher''' and '''Omega Force Gun''' weapon platforms respectively.

:''Hungarian name'': '''Végső Omega''' ("Omega, the Last", figuratively "The Last, the Last")

==Fiction==
===Animated continuity===
====''Energon''====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Scott McNeil]] (US), [[Kenta Miyake]] (Japan)

Omega Supreme is an ancient Cybertronian who single-handedly battled and defeated Unicron way back in the distant past of Cybertron. Subsequent to this, he spent millions of years in stasis below the surface of the planet. He was awakened when [[Primus]] guided [[Doctor Jones]] to his location, and embued him with the [[Spark of Combination]]. This allowed Omega Supreme to join the Autobots' struggle against the [[Decepticon]]s and [[Unicron]], in which he would combine with [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] to form the powerful Optimus Supreme.

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
{{charstubfiction}}

===Pack-in comics continuity===

==Related characters==
===Omega===
Omega Supreme's larger head turns into a smaller robot. It is unknown if the smaller robot ''is'' Omega Supreme and the large form merely boosts his size and power, or if "Omega Supreme" specifically refers to the union of all three, though the combined Omega Train and Omega Battleship have the ability to form the robot '''Omega Grand''' without him. How many Omegas can be in one set?

{{-}}
==Toys==
===Energon===
*'''Omega Supreme''' (Supreme, 2004)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''SC-22'''
**''Accessories'': "Omega" head robot, 2 missiles
[[Image:EnergonOmegaSupreme_toy.jpeg|left|thumb|Homage: Appreciated]]

: ''Energon'' Omega Supreme is nominally composed of two major components, the '''Omega Train''' - a train engine with a large construction arm on its caboose - and the '''Omega Battleship''' - a multi-gunned space battleship. Both components can link together in vehicle mode to form the Battle Train, and can be reconfigured into ground based weapon emplacements. Additionally, the two parts Powerlinx combine together, along with the '''Omega''' Headmaster component form the robot '''Omega Supreme''', or without the Headmaster to form '''Omega Grand'''.

[[Image:Energon_OptimusSupreme.jpg|thumb|right|Whites: whiter. Brights: brighter. Accessories: Cumbersome.]]

: In this mode, Omega Supreme vaguely looks like his Generation 1 namesake. He features an extending claw gimmick on his right arm, along with electronic lights and sounds in his left arm, with both gimmicks accessible in all modes and combinations.

: He can combine with ''Energon'' Optimus Prime to form '''Powerlinx Omega Supreme''' (called '''Optimus Supreme''' in the cartoon, as noted above), with Optimus sitting inside Omega Supreme's chest cavity. The Omega head component, capable of transforming into its own robot mode, can be stored in Omega Supreme's right shoulder while in the Optimus Supreme configuration. This configuration also allows the attachment of Optimus Prime's "Prime Force" drone limb teams as auxilary weapons.

: The main difference between the US and Japanese releases is the latter version used silver paint on his thighs and biceps, to give more uniformity to the colourscheme.

: This mold was redecoed into [[Omega Sentinel]].

{{-}}
===Attacktix===
*'''Omega Supreme''' (Battle Masters multipack, 2006)

[[Image:Attacktix_EnOmegaSupreme.jpg|left|thumb|"I am sick and tired of all these jokes about my giant hand. The first such incident occurred in 1956, when..."]]

**''Attacktix ID number'': '''TF24'''
**''Faction'': N/A
**''Class'': Battle Master
**''Special'': Recruit - 6/26 (23%) success ratio
**''Point Cost'': 80
**''Base Speed'': 10
**''Attack Type'': Tosser (the good kind)

:Omega Supreme comes in a pack the first series [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] figure. His right arm features a powerful scooping melee attack based on his main toy's claw gimmick, which hurl pieces impressive distances (try flinging an opposing piece into a crowd of 'em!).

:At 80 points, Omega Supreme is one of the most expensive figures in all ''Attacktix''. His ''Recruit'' special power lets you put any Autobot piece into play from your back-ups. Like all Battle Masters figures Omega Supreme is not tournament legal.

:This piece is best taken out with a striker attack, particularly the likes of [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]], or [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]]. However a point-blank shot to his chest (putting the missile right against him) by a even a [[Light Unit|Decepticlone]] should topple Omega Supreme every time. Yes he can be defeated by the Crumplezone figure that's packed with him, though it's difficult to do (aim near the right knee).

:At long range Omega Supreme is meant to be knocked down by hitting both the targets on his knees, unlocking the joints so he falls over backwards thanks to the weight of his upper body. Unfortunately he is so well balanced that he simply flops back into a prone position that is even more difficult to shoot down from a distance.

:Omega lacks any kind of ''allegiance'' marker, preventing you from calling him into play from your graveyard or back-ups. You have to start with this guy, and once he's down, he's down for the game.

{{-}}
==Trivia==
* According to [[Aaron Archer]] at the [[BotCon 2005]] [[Hasbro]] panel, ''Energon'' Omega Supreme was originally going to be part rocket like the Generation 1 toy, but it was decided that a battleship was "cooler".

* Also according to Archer, the main toy's body has that little pop-up head because he never liked how if you lost the [[Headmaster]] figure for the old [[Generation 1]] toys, then your robot had no head at all. At least this way, the big robot has ''something''.

{{-}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2004/Autobot/OmegaSupreme/omegasupreme.htm Omega Supreme at TFU.info]

[[Category: Attacktix]]
[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category: Combiners]]
[[Category: Energon 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>

Ramjet (Armada)

2008-02-04T18:20:32Z

85.90.232.145: /* Trivia */

{{disambig3|Ramjet}}

:''Ramjet is a [[Mini-Con]] from the [[Armada]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Ramjet-AR-DVD.jpg|right|thumb|300px|AND a The Cheat!]]

'''Ramjet''' is a coward, pure and simple. He hides behind the bulk of his colossal partner [[Tidal Wave]], who for some reason remains protective of the little guy. He's an opportunistic weasel who likes to push others into combat he's too chicken to enter himself. He's speedy in the air, and pretty persuasive in speech, but those are about his only strengths.

:''Japanese name:'' '''Sonic'''

==Fiction==
===Dreamwave ''Armada'' comic===

==Toys==
===Armada===
*'''Tidal Wave with Mini-Con Ramjet''' (Ultra-Con, 2003)
:''Japanese ID number:'' '''MD-06'''

: Available only with his larger partner [[Tidal Wave]], Ramjet transforms into a Dassault Rafale fighter jet. He is designed to fold up and fit into the storage elevator of Tidal Wave's aircraft carrier portion.

: Despite the changes to Tidal Wave in the [[Takara]] release of the set, the Japanese version of Ramjet is identical to the [[Hasbro]] release.

===Energon===
*'''Tidal Wave with Mini-Con Ramjet''' (Ultra, 2004)
:''Japanese ID number:'' '''SD-04'''

: For ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'', Ramjet was [[redeco]]ed along with his larger partner, into varying shades of gray.

===Unreleased===
[[Image:Ramjet-BTR.jpg|right|thumb|Dammit, that's COOL.]]

* A Ramjet ''[[Built to Rule]]'' set was planned as part of the tail-end for the ''Armada'' series, but was cancelled. The set was reworked into the ''Energon'' [[Omnicon]] [[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]], for the short-lived ''Energon Built to Rule'' series.

{{-}}
==Trivia==
[[Image:Ramjet-ArmadaGame.jpg|left|thumb|Somewhere, Marty Sherman is crying.]]

* Ramjet was originally planned to be a sub-boss in the Mid-Atlantic level of the [[Transformers (Melbourne House)|''Armada'' PlayStation 2 game]]. Storyboards shown in the game's "Extras" version reveal that the Mid-Atlantic area was originally going to be Easter Island, and Ramjet was going to perform air strikes on the player as they approached Tidal Wave's warship mode.

{{-}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Mini-Con/Ramjet/ramjet.htm Ramjet at TFU.info]

{{charstub}}
[[Category: Armada characters]]
[[Category: Energon characters]]
[[Category: Mini-Cons]]
[[Category: Unreleased toys]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Roller (G1)

2008-02-04T17:37:57Z

85.90.232.145: /* IDW Comics Continuity */

{{Cleanup|May 2007}}
:''Roller is a component of [[Autobot]] leader [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:Roller_.jpg|thumb|350px|Roller should not look this cool.]]

In robot mode, Optimus Prime splits into three components:
*A sentient robot module.
*A wheeled drone module known as '''Roller'''.
*A [[Combat Deck]].

Although Optimus Prime can function as three independent modules, injury to any one module is felt by the other two.

Prime's original character description, as seen in the [[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|''Transformers Universe'']] comic and the series [[bible]], named the robot module "Optimus" and the drone module "Prime", noting that the Prime module is also known as Roller. However, in practice, these names were never used. The robot module was always treated as if named "Optimus Prime", with "Prime" even his most common nickname.

==Fiction==
===Animated Continuity===
[[Image:Roller outsmart.jpg|thumb|left|Roller exploits a tactical opening.]]

When [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sparkplug]] are caught by [[Decepticons]], and with the clock ticking on the bomb they planted, Optimus Prime sends Roller into the mine. When the bomb explodes, Optimus is nearly destroyed, but Roller emerges cheekily unscathed, prompting Jazz to observe "Roller's one tough little Autobot!"
{{Storylink|More Than Meets the Eye, Part 2|MtMtE2}},
{{Storylink|More Than Meets the Eye, Part 3|MtMtE3}}

The Autobots are stuck in automotive mode by the evil [[Transfixatron]]. With [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] in the claws of Megatron's car-crushing machine, only Roller can save the day! Roller leads the Decepticons on a merry chase, allowing Optimus to rescue Ironhide from the jaws of undignified death!
{{Storylink|The Autobot Run}}

''[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] would later succeed in killing Ironhide in an undignified manner during [[The Transformers: The Movie|the movie]], when Roller was not around.''

{{-}}

===Marvel Comics===
[[Image:Roller g2.jpg|thumb|Roller's ''extreme'' phase in the 90s.|100px]]
Roller provided covering fire for Optimus Prime and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] as they fled the [[Cybertronian Empire]].

====Plague of the Insecticons====
Optimus Prime used his Roller unit to command a battle in [[Washington, D.C.]] while actually sneaking away from the action to find [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]. [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] swooped in and destroyed Roller, causing Optimus Prime to double over in pain, and ironically saving him from the Insecticon [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'s [[cerebro-shell]]. {{Storylink|Plague of the Insecticons!}}

===Ladybird Continuity===
Spike's sally to sneakily sabotage the Solar Station is stymied by a sealed storage-door. Roller to the Rescue! Sent scuttling through the sage, secreted from Soundwave's sight, to supply a Cybertronian sonic multi-tool. Roller has saved the day!

''Spike's subsequent sabotage of the solar station and ensuing explosion of [[energon cube]]s could be construed (in some small way) to save the day as well.''
{{Storylink|Megatron's Fight for Power}}

{{-}}

===IDW Comics Continuity===

[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] ordered [[Blitzwing]] to wait for [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] to come into range before firing on him. Optimus discreetly sent Roller ahead to intercept Blitzwing, and at the last moment Roller blew him up good. {{storylink|Escalation, Issue 4}} Unfortunately, the same trick didn't work on Megatron, who buried the poor guy under a pile of rocks.

{{-}}

==Capabilities==
[[Image:Roller deploy.jpg|thumb|left|Roller's one tough little autobot]]

Roller is a small cart-shaped device that Optimus Prime uses to unobtrusively slip behind enemy lines. He can maintain radio control over Roller at distances up to 1200 miles. Having Roller present somewhere is like being there himself.

Roller is a droid, able to function autonomously without Optimus' active oversight. But without Optimus, by far the most important of the three modules, Roller would not survive. Optimus shows great attachment and concern for Roller, who is left particularly vulnerable by the behind-the-scenes situations in which it specializes.

{{-}}

==Origin==
[[Image:Barrelroller_g1.jpg|thumb|80px|Roll out the barrel, we'll have a barrel of fun...]]
The bio information in the [[E-Hobby]] exclusive toy of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] established a pre-Earth history for Roller. Orion Pax was a transport and delivery worker on Cybertron. His body was composed to two autonomous units, Orion (the robot) and an industrial droid '''Barrelroller''', who transformed into an electromagnetic lift handle.

The name "Barrelroller" only appears in the official English-language translations of Orion Pax's bio on Takara's E-Hobby site. In the Japanese-language version of the bio — both online and on the pack-in bio card from the toy — Barrelroller is called simply "Roller". This more or less cements the idea that Barrelroller was rebuilt into Roller as we know him when [[Alpha Trion]] rebuilt Orion Pax into Optimus Prime.

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Optimus Prime''' (1984)
: ''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-01'''

[[Image:Roller g1 toy.jpg|100px|left|thumb|<SPAN TITLE="There are even whispered rumors of a GIANT orange Korean Roller that haunts eBay...">'''Many colors:''' Roller has been released in Dark Blue ''(shown,)'' Light Blue, Purple, Dark Purple, Gray and Black.</SPAN>]]

: Roller was included with the original Optimus Prime toy (as well as its many rereleases). Roller is a small, six-wheeled vehicle that is stored in the trailer portion. The seats are scaled to allow Roller to carry [[Diaclone]] figures, due to its use in the prior toyline. The trailer/[[Combat Deck]] features a spring-loaded device that is capable of launching Roller out of the combat deck. Roller has a hole on top to hold the included oil pump or Optimus' gun.

* '''Star Convoy''' (Powered Master, 1991, 2005)
: ''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-372'''

: This toy from the [[Battlestars]] line included an upgraded Roller, patterned after a tracked ballistic missile carrier.

* '''Orion Pax''' (2006)
: ''Japanese ID number:'' '''67'''

: This Japanese e-Hobby exclusive was a redeco of [[Targetmaster]] [[Kup]]. As Orion Pax toy is meant to represent an early version of Optimus Prime, his Targetmaster partner, Barrelroller, is meant to represent an early version of Roller. This is the first version of Roller to actually transform, from robot to an electromagnetic lift handle.

===Generation 2===
* '''Optimus Prime''' (1993, 1994)

: A slightly altered version of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime, Roller was included.

===Smallest Transforming Transformers===
* '''G1 Convoy Trailer''' (2003)
: ''Japanese ID Number:'' '''GTF-01B (trailer)'''

: The Combat Deck was available separately as a shortpacked figure. Included was a tiiiiny roller. Aww!

: In wave 2.5 it was again available in cartoon colors as a chase figure.

===Hybrid Style===
*'''G1 Convoy''' (2006)
: ''Japanese ID number:'' '''THS-02'''

: THS-02 G1 Convoy is a finely detailed, partially die-cast metal transforming toy of G1 Optimus Prime. It comes with a fully-transforming and highly detailed trailer that opens up into its Combat Deck/repair bay, with Roller, who features four-wheel steering.

===Masterpiece===
*'''Roller is not part of the so-called Convoy Perfect Edition''' (2006)
: ''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-4'''

: The indignity!

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm Roller (with Optimus Prime) at TFU.info.]<br>
*[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Cybertron/SmallestCombatDeck/combatdeck.htm Smallest Transforming Transformers Roller (with Combat Deck) at TFU.info.]<br>
*[http://www.e-hobby.co.jp/cgi-bin/omc?&port=33301&req=PRODUCT&code=tfce_34 Orion Pax's e-HOBBY bio.]

[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category: Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category: Generation 2 characters]]
[[Category:Drones]]<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>