MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Driller

2011-07-17T03:17:05Z

99.229.172.125:

{{factions|decepticonfilm}}
:''The Driller is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Dark of the Moon (franchise)|Dark of the Moon]] portion of the [[live-action film series]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:DOTM_Driller_vs_Prime.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Wikipedia:The Kraken (Pirates of the Caribbean)|The Kraken]] called, he wants his mouth back!]]

'''Drillers''' are a type of subterranean lifeform native to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and some of the single most dangerous creatures on or under the planet's surface. So naturally, [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] keeps one as a pet.

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Dark of the Moon'' comics===
[[Image:Foundation 2 Driller attack.jpg|350px|left|thumb| That's why you walk without rhythm.]]
Years before the war began, when [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]'s [[Autobot]]s revitalized Cybertron by re-energizing the [[AllSpark]], a Driller was drawn to the surface by the fresh energy flowing through the planet. At the outskirts of [[Thetacon (polity)|Thetacon]], it attacked some [[Hatchling]]s and their protector [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]. [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] saved them from the creature, forcing it into retreat, but the beast had left an impression upon Shockwave, who deemed it "magnificent". {{storylink|Foundation issue 2|Foundation #2}}

At some point before or during the war, Shockwave captured and tamed a Driller—whether it was the same creature he had fought beforehand or another member of its species is unknown—and brought it to [[Earth]] with him, where [[Astrotrain (DOTM)|Astrotrain]] built a cage for it. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} When its master was about to get killed by [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], the Driller made it to [[Philadelphia]] and saved him. [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] recognized the creature and told Prime that if the Driller is what he thought it was, then they were in a big trouble. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4|Rising Storm #4}}
{{-}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' film===
{{spoiler|Dark of the Moon (film)|July 29, 2011}}
The Driller, having journeyed to Earth with Shockwave, awoke as he did and served as his chariot and warhound thereafter, attacking the Autobots during their engagement in Chernobyl and Chicago. He crawled his way in and through a toppling skyscraper by Shockwave's command to flush out Sam Witwicky and his allies, but Optimus, now airborne, attacked the beast and sliced its head (?) off, presumably killing it
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Dark of the Moon (film)}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Game''===
The Driller was frozen along with his master, Shockwave in a military base, As Optimus Prime tried to keep Shockwave frozen until reinforcements arrived, the Driller came online and attacked the Autobot leader only to have his tentacles blasted by rockets, this caused it to retreat.

However, Just as Optimus was about to deliver the finishing blow to Shockwave, the Driller reappeared and protected his master, taking him to safety.

====(Xbox 360/PS3)====

{{charstubfiction}}

==Notes==
*The Driller resembles [http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2772 an aquatic Decepticon in concept art] by [[Ben Procter]] for ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''.
*The Driller also pays homage to a form of [[Cybertronic wildlife]] from [[Generation 1]], called the [[Dweller]].
*The Driller's working name was [http://www.joshnizzi.com/images/TF3/JoshNizzi_TF3_30.jpg "Colossus"].

[[Category: Cybertronic wildlife]]
[[Category: Dark of the Moon Decepticons]]
[[Category: Fiction-only characters]]

Transformers timeline

2010-07-07T21:24:31Z

99.229.172.125:

{{disambig2|real world events|the 'Timelines' franchise|Timelines (franchise)}}
{{disambig2|real world events|the internal timeline of various stories|Continuity}}
[[Image:Dool logo.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Like sands through the breem glass...]]
''This is a timeline of Transformers-related events that occurred in the "real" world, including release dates and other major occurrences.''

==The dawn of time==
===13500000000 BCE===
* The Big Bang creates the universe as we know it. The protons, neutrons, and electrons that will eventually compose Transformers are formed, thereby [[Ruined FOREVER| forever ruining]] the Transformers franchise. A [[wikipedia:Last_Thursdayism|Thursday]].

{{note|The above point contradicts the later account of God's creation of the universe. The later account is the one used in early recorded [[human]] history, but was later apparently [[Retcon|retconned]], replaced with the version of the story noted here. This version appeared in scientific literature and may be assumed to take precedence in [[canon]].}}

===4004 BCE===
*God creates the universe in six literal days starting [[October 23]].<ref>''Genesis'' 1:1; the time is determined by adding up the ages of Adam and his descendants.</ref> On the seventh day, he takes a break and does whatever omnipotent beings do for leisure. As a side note, on October 22 of this year, the Transformers franchise is [[Ruined FOREVER|forever ruined]] by brand mismanagement.

==1920s==
===1923===
* Henry and Helal Hassenfeld form the Hassenfeld Brothers company, selling textile remnants. The textile remnant industry is ruined forever.

===1924===
* The Japanese toy company [[TakaraTomy|Tomiyama]] is founded.

==1940s==
* The Hassenfeld brothers produce their first toys: pretend doctor and nurse sets.

==1950s==
===1955===
* The Japanese toy company [[Takara]] is founded.

==1960s==
===1964===
* Hassenfeld Brothers introduces [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]], the first "action figure."

===1967===
* [[July 4]] - Takara introduces the [[Licca Kayama|Licca-chan]] fashion doll.

===1968===
* The big wheels at Hassenfeld Brothers decide to make it easier for fans of their future toylines to curse their name by rebranding the company Hasbro Industries.

==1970s==
===1970===
* Takara acquires the license to introduce ''G.I. Joe'' to Japan. Eventually, Takara takes advantage of the 12" Joe figures' interchangeable parts to create a spinoff toyline called ''Henshin Cyborg'' (Transforming Cyborg).

===1974===
* Takara launches the ''[[Microman]]'' toyline, which represents a scaled-down version of the ''Henshin Cyborg'' [[gimmick]], and which will later be exported to the West as ''Micronauts''.

===1975===
* Robotman, the first ever transforming robot/vehicle toy, is added to the ''Microman'' line. This toy will later become known in the West as the Micronaut Biotron.<ref>[http://www.microforever.com/Robotman-Biotron.htm Robotman Series / Victory Series]</ref>

==1980s==
===1980===
* Takara launches the ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline.

===1982===
* March - The first two toys from Takara's ''Diaclone Car Robo'' line, No.1 Countach LP-500S Super Tuning (red version) and No.2 Onebox Cherry Vanette (black version), are released to stores in Japan. These toys' molds would later be used in ''Transformers'' as [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], respectively.

* April - The first four toys from the [[Popy]] company's ''[[Machine Robo]]'' line are released to stores in Japan. They will go on to be better known in the West as [[Cy-Kill (GoBots)|Cy-Kill]], Tank, Fitor, and Cop-Tur of the evil Renegades in the [[Tonka]] ''[[Tonka GoBots|GoBots]]'' line, the closest competitor to ''Transformers''.

* October 3 - ''The Super Dimension Fortress Macross'' debuts on Japanese television, featuring the transforming Valkyrie fighter jet. This vehicle will go on to be '''less''' known in the West as the Transformer [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]].

===1983===
* January - The first three toys from Takara's ''New Microman: MicroChange'' line, MC-01 Micross (available as blue and red variations), MC-02 Jaguar (available as blue and black variations) and MC-03 Condor (available as blue and black variations), are released to stores. These would later make up the first wave of [[Mini-Cassette]]s.
* Unknown date - A Hasbro delegation discovers Takara's Diaclone and Microman toys at the Tokyo Toy Show.
* Late 1983 - Takara releases three of their ''Diaclone'' toys (red Sunstreaker, black Ironhide and blue [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]) in the USA under the name "''[[Diakron]]''". Due to the new licensing agreement with Hasbro, the Diakron line is discontinued following these three toys.

===[[1984]]===
''The Transformers'' launches in the US, in toy, comic and cartoon formats, [[Ruined FOREVER|forever ruining]] ''Transformers''.

* February - [[Hasbro Bradley]] unveils their new ''Transformers'' toyline at Toy Fair.
* March - [http://web.archive.org/web/20080225185312/http://www.electric-escape.net/node/590 ''Marvel Age'' #17] announces the April debut of the ''Transformers'' comic book.
* Spring - The first animated [[commercial]] advertising the Marvel comics airs on US TV.
* [[May 8]] - [[The Transformers (issue)|Issue one of the Marvel comic]] is released.
* [[May 22]] - The [http://groups.google.com/group/net.comics/msg/1cdaf7df610e0376?dmode=source&hl=en first Usenet post about Transformers] is posted by Ted Nolan to net.comics. In a prediction of things to come, it is mostly complaints.
* Spring - ''Transformers'' toys start filtering into stores across the United States.
* [[September 17]] - "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" premieres on U.S. television Saturday morning.
* Unknown date - the UK is the only European country to get ''Transformers'' toys this year. Toys are being distributed by Hasbro. Megatron is not available until 1985.
* [[October 6]] - The [http://groups.google.com/group/net.comics/msg/fce7a2ddb7e35a81?dmode=source&hl=en first Usenet post about the ''Transformers'' cartoon] is posted to net.comics by Bill Flanagan.
* [[September 20]] - The Marvel UK comic begins publication.
* December - ''Transformers'' mania is in full swing, as the figures fly off store shelves, becoming the year's best seller for Hasbro.
* December - The ''Transformers'' cartoon begins airing in Mexico.
* Unknown date - Takara conducts test market sales of the Hasbro toys in Japan, under the working name ''Henshin Sentai Transformers'' ("Transformation Taskforce Transformers").

===1985===
* From its Limited Series origins, the Marvel comic becomes an ongoing monthly.
* [[July 6]] - Seasons 1 and 2 of the US cartoon begin airing in Japan as ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformer''.
* The ''Transformers'' toyline starts getting released to most European markets, with Hasbro using Milton Bradley's facilities for the continental European market, due to an initial lack of resources on their own. The MB toys would be available in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Spain and include lots of oddities unique to Europe, such as a red version of [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]. Concurrently, [[GiG]] launches ''[[Trasformer]]'' in Italy (''Diaclone'' toys with no ''Transformers'' license), while [[El Greco]] launches their short-lived version of the line in Greece.
* [[IGA]] begins producing ''Transformers'' toys for the Mexican and Central American market.
* [[Estrela]] begins producing ''Transformers'' toys in Brazil, creating a distinctive local version of the toyline that was eventually brought to Argentina by the second-hand licensee [[Antex]].
* The ''Transformers'' cartoon begins airing in Peru... despite the fact that the toyline it was [[To sell toys|created to promote]] is unavailable in the Peruvian market.

===1986===
* The Transformers cartoon begins airing in the Netherlands.
* April - [[Scramble City]], the first Japanese originated Transformers animation, is released on video tape in Japan.
* [[August 8]] - ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' is released in theatres in the United States. International releases follow, except for Japan and Germany.
* The Transformers toyline is introduced to Peru in response to the cartoon's popularity in that country (rather than the other way around) with a combination of [[Hasbro]] and [[Takara]] toys imported by [[HUDE]] and [[BASA]], and cheaper [[Redeco|redecoed]] [[Mini Vehicle|Mini Vehicles]] made by [[Lynsa]].
* [[December 12]] - ''The Transformers: The Movie'' is released in the UK.
* [[December 26]] - ''The Transformers: The Movie'' is released in Australia.

===1987===
* February- ''The Transformers: The Movie'' is released in Brazil.
* [[July 3]] - The American version of the G1 cartoon ends its run, to be replaced in Japan by the [[The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters cartoon]].

===1988===
* The [[Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Masterforce]] [[franchise]] is launched, ushering in a period of significant deviation between the Western and Japanese Transformers franchises.
* [[April 12]] - The [[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Masterforce cartoon]] begins airing in Japan.
* July - The translated version of the Marvel comic book hits Danish stores, lasting only 18 monthly issues (2 US comics per issue + random assortment of Universe profiles) with an editorial approach that wreaked havoc on any sort of continuity (skipping many key stories, resulting in sudden jumps in storylines, a condescending and ignorant letters page etc.)
* A [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|fifth season]] of the US Transformers cartoon begins airing, composed of re-edited episodes introduced by a stop-motion Powermaster Optimus Prime.

===1989===
* Unofficially imported Mexican IGA Transformers become a common sight on European store shelves.
* The Transformers cartoon begins airing in Germany.
* [[March 14]] - The [[Victory (cartoon)|Victory cartoon]] begins airing in Japan.
* August - Hasbro begins manufacturing and selling Transformers toys in mainland China. <ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/1743/37/ The Little Sticker in the Corner: The Truth about Early-1990's Chinese G1 Transformers Toys]</ref>
* [[August 9]] - ''The Transformers: The Movie'' finally is released in Japan, where it is not actually called "Matrix Forever".

==1990s==
===1990===
*The last year of Generation 1 toys are released in North America, while the franchise continues in Japan and Europe.
*July - [[Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!|Transformers Zone]] is released in Japan.

===1991===
* (Cover date of July) - The Marvel Comic ends in the United States with [[End of the Road! (US)|issue 80]].

===1992===
*[[January 4]] (cover date [[January 18]]) - The Marvel Comic ends in the United Kingdom with [[End of the Road! (US)|issue #332]].
*[[Operation Combination (franchise)|Operation Combination]] comes to an end, signalling the end of the original ''Transformers'' series in Japan.

===1993===
*''[[Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' attempts to revive the ''Transformers'' franchise in North America.
* The last year of Generation 1 toys are released in Europe.
* On [[September 11|September 11th]], the Usenet newsgroup [[alt.toys.transformers]] is established. Fans now have a dedicated online public forum on which to discuss whatever is ruining Transformers.

===1994===
* [[July 16]] - The first [[BotCon]] is held, in [[Fort Wayne]], Indiana.
* ''Generation 2'' is released in Europe.
* Antex briefly introduces ''Generation 2'' to Argentina with [[Robot-Man X]] and [[Robot-Man Z]].

===1995===
* ''Generation 2'' begins in Japan, the first ''Transformers'' series there in years.
* ''Generation 2'' craps out in every market, including Japan.
* The [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Chinese G1 toyline]] comes to a close with the reissuing of several [[Victory (toyline)|Victory]] toys for the Chinese market.
* The South Korean toy company [[Sonokong]] enters into a licensing agreement with [[Hasbro International]], paving the way for the introduction of officially licensed Transformers toys in a country where Transformers [[Knockoff|knockoffs]] were once popular enough to inspire their own animated movies.
* [[August 5]][[August 6|-6]] - [[BotCon 1995]] is held in Dayton, Ohio.

===1996===
* ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' is launched. The fandom declares it will forever destroy ''Transformers'' and nobody will ever like it ever, certainly not ten years into the future.
* ''Beast Wars'' revives the franchise.
* ''Beast Wars'' is one of the best ''Transformers'' anythings ever.
* [[July 12]][[July 14|-14]] - [[BotCon 1996]] is held in Rosemont, Illinois.

===1997===
* Hasbro releases the twelve [[Machine Wars]] toys, to little acclaim.
* [[July 18]][[July 20|-20]] - [[BotCon 1997]] is held in Rochester, New York, by the newly-formed [[3H Enterprises]].
* The target audience of the original cartoon reaches college age.

===1998===
* [[April 10]] - The ''Beast Wars'' TV show premieres in the UK.
* [[June 19]][[June 20|-20]] - [[BotCon 1998]] is held in Anaheim, California.
* Summer - Hasbro's Nordic subsidiary (located in Denmark) releases UK Beast Wars stock to Scandinavian stores. The CGI show is not picked up in any of the Scandinavian countries, as it is deemed "too graphic" for children.

===1999===
* [[July 16]][[July 18|-18]] - At [[BotCon 1999]] in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the first episode of ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'', "[[The Reformatting]]" is previewed, to overwhelming fan enjoyment.

==2000s==
===[[2000]]===
* Everyone hates ''[[Beast Machines (franchise)|Beast Machines]]''.
* [[July 28]][[July 30|-30]] - [[BotCon 2000]] is held in [[Fort Wayne]], Indiana.

===[[2001]]===
* Everyone loves "[[Transformers 2000]]," but they hate ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]''.
* [[February 19]] - ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' begins airing in the UK on Fox Kids.
* [[July 13]][[July 15|-15]] - [[BotCon 2001]] is held in Durham, North Carolina.
* Hasbro introduces Transformers to Turkey through its recently acquired subsidiary [[Intertoy]].

===[[2002]]===
* Hasbro ''Transformers'' lead designer [[Aaron Archer]] begins to post on the Transfandom.com boards as ORSON, at first primarily to refute various false claims about [[Armada (franchise)|''Transformers: Armada'']]. Skeptical fans remark that if he is a Hasbro designer, then they are various members of the British Monarchy.
* [[April 3]] - [[Dreamwave Productions]] begins publishing Transformers comics with [[Prime Directive issue 1|Transformers Generation 1 #1]]. There is much rejoicing, even though everyone started noticing how bad [[Pat Lee|Pat "Dull-Surprise" Lee's]] art really was.
* [[Aaron Archer]] does his best to kill ''Transformers'' through incredible sales; ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' kicks off the [[Unicron Trilogy]], the toys appear on store shelves in mid-July, the cartoon premieres in August.
* [[June 1]] - The [[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]] cartoon premieres in the UK in a run which includes several episodes originally withheld from US broadcast.
* [[July 6]] - ''Armada'' toys begin arriving in small toy stores and Kay-Bee. <ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/b22311a4862b3c07?dmode=source Armada has been spotted!] on alt.toys.transformers</ref>
* [[July 26]][[July 28|-28]] - [[BotCon 2002]] is held in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

===[[2003]]===
* [[June 11]] - [[Don Murphy]] and [[Tom DeSanto]] team up to produce a feature-length, [[Transformers (2007)|live-action ''Transformers'']] movie. They claim it will be exactly the same as ''Generation 1''. Really.
* [[July 25]][[July 27|-27]] - [[OTFCC 2003]] is held in Chicago, Illinois.
* Everybody loves ''[[Masterpiece]]/20th Anniversary'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].
* Everyone loves [[Binaltech]]/[[Alternators]].

===[[2004]]===
* [[June 19]][[June 20|-20]] - Although no longer the official convention, [[BotCon 2004]] is held at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.
* [[July 22]] - [[DreamWorks]], [[Paramount Pictures]] and [[Hasbro]] sign an agreement to produce a [[Transformers (2007)|live-action ''Transformers'']] movie.
* [[July 30]]-[[August 1]] - [[OTFCC 2004]] is held in Chicago, Illinois.

===[[2005]]===
* [[January 4]] - [[Dreamwave Productions]] goes bankrupt. Many artists complain about being unpaid for their work and/or being stuck with FedEx fees. [[Pat Lee|Pat "serfdom" Lee]] gives them the finger and drives off in his Porsche.
* [[April 18]] - Don Murphy reports that he wants to please the fans, Dreamworks want to change everything, and Hasbro don't care either way as long as the movie gets done in time.
* [[Michael Bay]] announced as the director for ''Transformers''. It will still totally be ''Generation 1'', honest.
* [[May 19]] - [[IDW Publishing]] acquires the ''Transformers'' comic book license. There is much rejoicing, and, as usual, much complaining.
* [[September 22]][[September 25|-25]] - [[BotCon 2005]] is held in Frisco, Texas, for the first time by [[Fun Publications]]. It's the official convention again.
* [[October 19]] - [[Infiltration]] #0, [[IDW Publishing]]'s first ''Transformers'' comic, is released in comic book stores.

===[[2006]]===
* [[January 18]] - ''[[Infiltration|Transformers: Infiltration]]'' #1 is released in comic book stores.
* [[April 19]] - Filming begins on the live-action [[Transformers (2007)|''Transformers'']] motion picture.
* [[July 24]] - [[Peter Cullen]] is announced at San Diego Comic-Con as the voice of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in the ''Transformers'' film. There is much rejoicing (yay).
* [[September 15]] - The first ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' toys arrive at a small store in Canada.
* [[September 28]]-[[October 1]] - [[BotCon 2006]] is held at the Lexington Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
* [[November 28]] - ''[[Escalation (IDW)|Transformers: Escalation]]'' #1 is released in comic book stores.
* Takara settles the ''[[Michael Bay]] is raping my childhood'' debate by ''[[Kiss Players (franchise)|actually raping your childhood]]''. Realizing that Michael Bay only touched your childhood in the swimsuit area, you apologize.

===[[2007]]===
* June - The first promotional images for ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'' are released. Take a guess as to the reaction. G'wan.

* [[June 27]]-[[July 1]] - [[BotCon 2007]] is held at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Hasbro's hometown. It was expected to be the best Transformers convention ''ever''. It was also expected to be the worst Transformers convention ''ever''.

* [[July 2]] - US theatres start showing the live-action [[Transformers (2007)|''Transformers'']] motion picture at 8:00 PM. By midnight, it's made $8.8 million USD.

* [[July 3]] - The ''Transformers'' release date. It makes $27.85 million, more money on a Tuesday than any film in history. Transformers ruined forever.

* [[July 4]] - Americans celebrate their Independence Day by giving $29 million to that Hollywood movie about an [[Bumblebee (Movie)|alien robot]] summoning his friends to [[Earth]] where they disguise themselves as [[General Motors]] vehicles and team up with the [[United States military]] to smash the evil robots. Unsurprisingly, this is more money than a movie's ever earned on the Fourth of July. Apparently, what's good for General Motors really ''is'' good for the country.

* [[July 25]] - As of this writing, the ''Transformers'' movie has grossed $270 million in the United States, with worldwide gross earnings of nearly '''one half billion dollars US'''.

* [[July 28]] - A ''Transformers Animated'' preview is shown to the public. The fandom rejoiced (and complained).

* [[October 16]] - ''[[Transformers (2007)|Transformers]]'' is released on DVD.

* November 3 - a specially edited 11-minute preview of ''Transformers Animated'' episode 1 is shown at the NTFA Mini-Con in Arlöv, Sweden, to the disdain of many a US fan. <ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/156331-new-transformers-animated-series-details-revealed-ntfa-mini-con.html</ref>

* [[December 26]] - ''Transformers Animated'' ruins Transformers forever slightly ahead of schedule when the premiere episodes are shown as a "movie" on the [[Cartoon Network]].<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/2125/20/ Date And Time For Transformers: Animated Debut!]</ref>

===[[2008]]===
* [[January 5]] - ''Transformers Animated'' begins airing regularly Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.
* [[April 24]][[April 27|-27]] - [[BotCon 2008]] is held at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
* June - ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' toys are scheduled to be released.

===[[2009]]===
* [[May 8]] - Transformers turns 25 (25th Anniversary of the release of [[The Transformers (issue)|''The Transformers'' #1]], the first publically-released TF merchandise.)
* [[May 28]]-[[May 31|31]] - [[BotCon 2009]] is held - again - at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.
* [[June 24]] - ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'' is released, ruining Transformers forever by raking in '''enormous''' profits.
* [[October 1]] - Michael Bay officially announces that preproduction has begun on ''[[Transformers 3]]''.<ref name="open">[http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5976 "Official 2011," Shootfortheedit.com]</ref>

==2010s==
===2010===
* [[June 22]] - ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'' is released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS. ''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron]]'' is released, ruining ''Transformers'' forever on continuity.
* [[June 24]]-[[June 27|27]] - [[BotCon 2010]] is held at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

===2011===
* [[July 1]] - ''Transformers 3'' is currently scheduled to ruin Transformers forever by opening on this date.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Chronologies]]
[[Category:Franchises]]

Shaoshao Li

2010-07-07T20:52:03Z

99.229.172.125:

{{factions|edc|autobot|kiss}}
:''Shaoshao Li is a [[human]] from the [[Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Shaoshao-main.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Dear Japan, Please Stop. Love, America.]]
'''Shaoshao Li''' (李蛸燒 ''Lǐ Shāo-Shāo'')<ref>"Shāoshāo" is written as "蛸焼", meaning "octopus dumplings". On the toy packaging, her name is rendered in English as "Syaosyao".</ref> is an athletic Chinese kung-fu girl who hates bugs and ghosts and enjoys hot steamed buns. She is completely obsessed with [[Marissa Faireborn]].

As a [[Kiss Player]], she is partnered with [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], but doesn't like to kiss him after he's been fishing because of the smell. She also wishes he'd take her fishing with him once in a while. She speaks with a Chinese accent, which makes sense since her parents are from [[China]]. Her ethnic background is also the reason she has worn a collar secured with a padlock that reads "Fortune" since childhood and cannot remove it. This makes less sense.

Apparently, she's a decent singer as well.

==Fiction==
===Kiss Players===
:''Voice actress:'' [[Yui Kano]]

[[Image:Shaoshao and marissa.jpg|left|thumb|250px|I thought I told you to STOP!]]

When Shaoshao was a child in the 1990s, her parents ran a Chinese restaurant in [[New York City]]. It was there that she met [[Marissa Faireborn]] and the two became good friends; indeed, Shaoshao seemed to have more than platonic designs on Marissa. Unfortunately for Shaoshao, Marissa only had eyes for the [[Autobot]] leader [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], and Shaoshao came to resent Prime for "stealing" Marissa away from her. Soon after, Shaoshao's parents closed their restaurant and the family returned to China, forcing Shaoshao to leave her issues with Marissa unresolved. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #23}}

In 2005, the body of the [[Decepticon]] leader [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] collided with the [[Earth]], decimating the city of [[Tokyo]] and utterly shattering [[Transformer]]-human relations. The [[Earth Defense Command]] reverse-engineered Galvatron's remains to create man-made Transformers named "[[Autorooper]]s", and forced all Transformers off of Earth, keeping them from returning to the planet by surrounding it with an [[anti-electron]] field. Having hated Transformers ever since losing Marissa to Prime, Shaoshao joined up with the E.D.C. to fight the robots, and quickly developed a reputation as a rising star within the organization.

The following year, however, a new threat soon emerged in the form of creatures known as [[Legion]]s, monsters created by Galvatron's [[Unicron]]-empowered cells, which had been dispersed into the atmosphere upon his impact and had fused with other lifeforms and objects. Galvatron's cells also provided the solution to this crisis: when they came into contact with certain human beings, these humans gained the power to fuse with other entities containing Galvatron's cells by kissing them. Given that their Autoroopers were the perfect candidate for this "[[ParasiTech]]" fusion process, the E.D.C. began recruiting these "[[Kiss Player]]s" and partnering them with the robots to battle Legions. Shaoshao was discovered to be a Kiss Player, and was not best pleased to be pulled away from her regular E.D.C. job and recruited into the E.D.C.'s [[Ne squad]], where she was forced to kiss the robots she so hated. She was easily the strongest member of the squad, able to boost her Autorooper's power to unheard of levels, and was greatly respected by her teammates, including the sociopathic [[Ringo Chikuma]], who may have even had a crush on her.

[[Image:Kissplay1 boooooaak.jpg|right|thumb|210px| Please. Please stop.]]

In truth, there was a more sinister reason behind Shaoshao's enlistment: E.D.C. commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]]'s [[Shizuku Amaō|daughter]] had died in Galvatron's impact, but she had discovered that her daughter's essence had somehow been infused into the Legions along with Galvatron's cells. Experimenting with Legions, Autoroopers and Kiss Players who had outlived their usefulness, Amaō conceived of a plan to resurrect her daughter in a Kiss Player's body...and as the most powerful Kiss Player she had yet discovered, Shaoshao was selected for the process. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|You, I and the Spinning Earth}}

Responding to a Legion attack in Tokyo, Shaoshao fused with her Autorooper and set off in pursuit of a Legion who had disguised itself as a car. Unfortunately, the chase took too long, and no sooner had Shaoshao found the Legion and kicked it through a wall than her fusion time limit ran out, and her Autorooper messily regurgitated her. As luck would have it, the Legion had been in the process of terrorizing a girl named [[Atari Hitotonari]], who proved to have Kiss Player powers as well, and fused with Shaoshao's Autorooper to destroy the creature. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 1|Kiss Players #1}} Observing the conflict, Commander Amaō realized that Atari was even more powerful than Shaoshao, and immediately decided that she would take her place for her resurrection project. Unfortunately for Shaoshao, this meant that she was now surplus to requirements, and she soon became fodder for Amaō's experiments.

[[Image:LiShaoShao2.jpg|left|thumb| The entire western world is begging you to stop.]]

Awakening to find herself in a glass tube in the secret [[Genital System]] facility beneath E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao was horrified to see dismembered Legion heads consuming the remains of other Kiss Players all around her. She barely had any time to take this in before a Legion head above her own tube unleashed a tangle of tentacles on her, intending to eat her too. Shaoshao fought back, biting the tentacles, when suddenly, the Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] came crashing through the roof of the facility. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 2|Kiss Players #2}} The Legions all turned on Hot Rod and began trying to fuse with him, but Shaoshao saved him by kissing him, fusing with him and reformatting him into a new Ford GT body. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}} The pair proceeded to escape, although all Shaoshao could find to wear was a Chinese dress. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #29}}

Shaoshao and Rodimus went on the run, battling the Legion and vowing to expose the mysterious evils at the heart of the E.D.C. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #2}} Shaoshao remained unhappy with the fact that she still had to kiss a robot, but admitted that she would swallow her pride for the forseeable future...and that just maybe, she did get a little something out of it herself. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #5}} She hated Hot Rod's smugness and lack of martial arts skills, and so she resolved to teach him some skills, only for Hot Rod to point out she could share her own abilities just by kissing him. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #8}} Shaoshao schooled him in the use of his tonfa, and the pair embarked on a long-distance drive as a form of training. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #11}}

Investigating a large swarm of Legions converging on E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao and Hot Rod were shocked to discover that the creatures were being led there by Optimus Prime! Hot Rod mistakenly came to the conclusion that this Prime was an impostor (given that the genuine article was supposed to be dead; he had, in actuality, been resurrected by Marissa Faireborn's Kiss Player powers) and Shaoshao urged him into battle, seeking to reclaim Marissa from her "rival". Atari soon arrived to stop the fight and turn the Legions back. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}} The whole experience left Shaoshao feeling very stressed; she believed she heard Marissa's voice coming from within Optimus Prime during the fight, and thought the stress was making her crack. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #14}}

[[Image:HotRodKP.jpg|right|thumb|215px]]

In the wake of this event, Shaoshao and Hot Rod returned to their fugitive lifestyle, with Shaoshao growing more and more irritated with Hot Rod's tendency to go fishing and come back smelling of raw fish. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #17}} Shaoshao couldn't believe it when he even wasted time making himself a new fishing rod, though it proved useful in battle when Hot Rod revealed it could transform into a set of blasters. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #20}} While the pair were fishing on Tokyo Bay Bridge, they were attacked by a mass of Legions, and Shaoshao refused to kiss the stinking Hot Rod until the situation absolutely demanded it. Through this latest mental fusion, however, a startling truth was unveiled: Shaoshao discovered that it was Hot Rod who had thrown Galvatron into space and inadvertently caused the devastation of Tokyo, and that he had given up the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and come to Earth to try and redeem himself for his misdeeds. Shaoshao's anger at this discovery caused the pair's fusion to come an end, and Shaoshao was hurled into the river! {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}} Reflecting on what she had learned, Shaoshao concluded that she did not care about Hot Rod's guilt or pain: she was merely using his power to get Marissa back. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #26}} She did not expect him to steal Marissa's underwear for her, however! {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #29}}

When Shaoshao and Hot Rod spotted the figure of a young girl, dressed all in black and bleeding, riding on the shoulder of a Legion, they thought she might be a Kiss Player, until Hot Rod discovered she was giving off no body heat. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #32}} They saw the girl again as more and more Legions began to converge on Tokyo, and Hot Rod began to suffer from nightmares plagued by images of [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] that gave him the urge to destroy. Shaoshao exploited this, whispering in the sleeping Hot Rod's ear for him to kill the "impostor" Optimus Prime for her. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #35}}

Following the Legions to the E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao and Hot Rod discovered that they were once again being led there by Optimus Prime and Marissa. And once again, consumed by the destructive impulses of their Galvatron cells, Prime and Hot Rod began to battle. The pair are able to settle their differences, and together with Atari, they ventured into the depths of the E.D.C. building to discover the truth. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #38}} Back in the Genital System once more, Shaoshao and the others discovered the remains of Galvatron, before a door suddenly came slamming down and separated Atari from the rest of the group. Commander Amaō appeared and explained to Atari her plan to resurrect her daughter (the ghost girl Shaoshao and Hot Rod had seen), beginning the process just as the others burst into the room. Atari fought back against the process, however, and was able to thwart it, causing all the Legions, Autroroopers and other Galvatron cells to be absorbed back into the Decepticon leader's body, which she then hurled back into space. With this action, Shaoshao and the others lost their Kiss Player powers, Hot Rod reverted to normal, and Optimus Prime slipped back into death once more. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|You, I and the Spinning Earth}}
{{-}}

===Kiss Players Position===

[[Image:15gogo_sparkbots_appear.jpg|left|thumb]]

Following the deactivation of the anti-electron field, the Autobots returned to Earth in early 2007, but Transformer-human relations were still in tatters. Ultra Magnus came up with the idea of a Transformer-human singing group to try and repair relations and spread goodwill between the two races, and to that end, Shaoshao joined with Marissa, Atari and [[Mini-Cassette|cassette Transformers]] [[Glit]], [[Sundor]] and [[Rosanna (KP)|Rosanna]] to form this group, the "[[Kiss Players (singing group)|Kiss Players]]".

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

While on their world goodwill tour, the Kiss Players arrived in North America to perform at [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]], but just before the concert began, three mysterious glowing orbs appeared before the Kiss Players, and telepathically spoke to them. Introducing themselves as the [[Sparkbot]]s, [[Star Dust]], [[Angela]] and [[Zangetsu]], they instructed the three girls to kiss them. When they did so, the girls and Brave Maximus were suddenly whisked off through time, rematerializing at [[Sherman Dam]] in the year 1985, where they witnessed Optimus Prime's historic battle with Megatron atop the structure. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #39}} The Sparkbots explained to Kiss Players' that the "[[Allspark]]" had been scattered throughout space and time, and that their mission was to recover its fragments by kissing Autobot leaders from different time periods, starting with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #40}}

Shaoshao was selected for the next mission, and travelled with the Sparkbot Zangetsu to 2005 to witness her old partner Hot Rod transforming into Rodimus Prime and throwing Galvatron into space. Time then shifted to the year 2010, and Shaoshao kissed Rodimus at the [[Galactic Olympics]] on [[Athenia]] to recover the second Allspark fragment. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #41}}

[[Image:XiaoMaid.jpg|left|thumb|SOMEBODY'S under arrest, meow.]]

The Kiss Players adventures through the timestream soon led them to the year 2011, where they fell into the clutches of the [[Quintesson]]s. Even the power of [[wikipedia:Moe (slang)|Moe]], despite transforming Shaoshao into a catgirl in a maid's outfit, was not enough to spare them from the Quintesson judge's verdict of "not guilty." Fortunately, Optimus Prime and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]] came to their accidental rescue, and the Kiss Players' voyage continued. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Tokyo_Toy_Festival_live_performance|Tokyo Toy Festival live performance}}

[[Image:KPVectorPrime.jpg|right|thumb]]

Shaoshao's next challenge was a tough one: She went on a marathon kissing session through time, obtaining fragments from [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]], [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and four different incarnations of Optimus Prime, which particularly disgusted her. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #44}} Things continued to proceed smoothly until the Kiss Players began obtaining Allspark fragments from Transformers participating in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]]. At the point of the Allspark fragments' emergence, an enigmatic, invisible force began appearing to steal the fragments away, culminating with the fragment Shaoshao recovered from [[Optimus Prime (RID)|''Robots in Disguise'' Optimus Prime]]. The Kiss Players gave chase across the timestream, but Brave Maximus wound up crashing into the "[[Wall of Time]]", {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #47}} and the team was scattered across the multiverse. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #48}}

Shaoshao found herself in the parallel reality of the "[[Unicron Trilogy]]", on the deserted [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] during the Transformers' search for the [[Cyber Planet Key]]s. Pursued by a swarm of [[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]], she was rescued by [[Vector Prime]], who opened a portal with the intention of helping her to return to her home dimension. From the portal, however, a giant golden hand emerged, which seized Shaoshao and dragged her off through time. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #50}} The hand, it transpired, belonged to [[Primus]], god of the Transformers, who had gathered the other Kiss Players, and who had also been responsible for stealing the Allspark fragments away—because the Sparkbots were in fact, servants of his nemesis, [[Unicron]]! The "Allspark" that the Kiss Players had been gathering was, in fact, Unicron's shattered [[Angolmois|lifeforce]], and the Sparkbots were attempting to resurrect their deceased master. Thankfully, Primus was able to trap Unicron's lifeforce within the Earth, but he would not answer Shaoshao when she asked what the Kiss Players' future would be. As his last act before he transformed into a [[Vector Sigma|golden sphere]], Primus returned the Kiss Players to the present day 2007, mere moments after they had left on their adventure. Realizing that her future was not defined by Primus or any god, Shaoshao vowed to make her own future, at last accepting Marissa and Optimus Prime's relationship and moving forward. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #51}}

==Toys==
===Kiss Players===
[[Image:Shaoshao_toy.jpg|right|thumb|Featured image on icanhasdimsum.com.]]
* '''Hot Rodimus X Syaosyao''' (Kiss Players, 2006)
**''Accessories'': Bamboo steamer

: Shaoshao's only toy is a 1:24-scale PVC figurine of her in her Chinese red dress. Unlike the other two ''Kiss Players'' girls, Shaoshao did not come with any interchangeable limbs, and consequently, she is permanently in a seated position, munching on a meat-filled steamed bun. This does not, however, prohibit her from either perching on the shoulder or sitting in the driver's seat of her Autobot partner, Hot Rod, with whom she comes packaged, though she can do little else. The set also includes a small bamboo steamer accessory, as well as a CD containing episodes 11-20 of the ''Kiss Players'' radio drama and the exclusive 10-minute story, "A Big Catch Tonight?!"

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Autobot/AltRodimus/rodimus.htm More information on Shaoshao, with Hot Rod, at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Shaoshao}}
[[Category:Earth Defense Command]]
[[Category:Humans]]
[[Category:Kiss Players characters]]

Kiss Players issue 1

2010-07-07T20:51:42Z

99.229.172.125:

{{comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[Kiss Players (manga)|Transformers: Kiss Players]]'' #1
|prev=
|next=Kiss Players issue 2
|title=
|image=LegionRape1.jpg
|caption=In Japan, it's like saying hello!
|published in=''[[Dengeki Daioh]]''
|date=[[August 21]], [[2006]]
|coverdate=September 2006
|story=[[Yūki Ōshima]]
|art=[[Yūki Ōshima]]
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Faced with the possibility of her own demise, the timid Atari Hitotonari makes a decision that will change her life.'''

<small>'''(Also, there's, like, a bunch of dicks and jizz and stuff.)'''</small>{{TOC}}

==Synopsis==

[[Image:Kissplay1_atari_wall_walk.jpg|left|thumb]]

In a residential area of [[Tokyo]], schoolgirl [[Atari Hitotonari]] slowly and precariously walks along the top of a narrow wall, miserably wondering why she was the only one to "survive". She loses her balance and tumbles to the ground, tearfully agonizing over how it feels wrong to be alive.

Elsewhere in Tokyo, the [[Earth Defense Command]] races to the scene of a Transformer attack on the Yamanote train line. As the public are directed to take cover in evacuation shelders, Commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]] arrives and receives a field report from a distressed EDC operative. The operative informs Amaō that agent [[Shaoshao Li]] is currently in pursuit of a fleeing [[Legion]] which has camouflaged itself as a car, but that her fusion time limit is almost up. Amaō comforts the girl with the promise that they will not lose any more [[Kiss Player]]s...

[[Image:Kissplay1_boooooaak.jpg|right|thumb]]

As Atari lies on the ground, she muses aloud that she can only feel the pain caused by her fall because she is alive, and wonders if her mother and father are now free from pain. Unable to bear the pressures of continuing to live in a world without her parents, Atari cries out that she wants to die... but the last thing she expects is for a voice to reply to her, asking if that is truly her desire. Atari looks up, and sees only a car, which quickly advances upon her, chasing her into a dead-end alleyway as the voice continues to repeat its question. Just as Atari realizes that the car has no driver, the vehicle splits apart, reconfiguring into a monstrous robot form that Atari realizes must be a Transformer! The Transformer leans in and once more asks Atari if she truly wishes to die... but faced with the very real possibility of death, Atari realizes that she wants to live. As if in answer to her prayers, what appears to be another Transformer comes to her rescue, flooring the monstrous robot with a roundhouse kick. The new robot suddenly drops to its knees, however, and disgorges a naked, slime-covered Asian woman as Atari watches in shock and horror. The robot announces that the Kiss Player fusion time has reached its limit, necessitating a forced ejection. Within seconds, Amaō's EDC team arrives on the scene, confirming that this gooey woman is Shaoshao Li, and her robot is an EDC [[Autorooper]]. Curiously, Amaō recognises Atari, and speculates that she and Shaoshao have been drawn to each other... as she knew they would be...

[[Image:Kissplay1_atari_fuses.jpg|left|thumb| This is a good thing, apparently]]

As it turns out, the Legion may be down, but it's not out: as its fist bursts out of the building into which it was thrown, the Autorooper instructs Atari to kiss it or she will die. The confused Atari is informed by Amaō that the Autorooper has chosen her, and that she is a Kiss Player, but the girl is too panicked to act, and the Autorooper's arm winds up being torn off by the attacking Legion's prehensile tongue. As the horrified Atari looks on, the Autorooper asks whether or not she regrets doing nothing. Atari stands up, and announces that doing nothing is the last thing she wants. Kissing the Autorooper, Atari fuses with the robot, which promptly regenerates its lost arm and, with one smooth attack, tears the Legion's head off. Although Amaō is delighted with Atari's display of Kiss Player power, Atari is shocked at what she has done, vomits, and passes out.

Atari awakes as dawn breaks the next day, in a bed in an unfamiliar room. As Atari wonders where she is, an Autorooper appears at the window, carrying a small girl in an EDC uniform on its shoulder. The girl introduces herself as [[Ringo Chikuma]] (although she tells Atari that she can call her "Princess Ringo"), and clambers onto the bed to drape her arms around Atari, pleased to meet the Kiss Player whose power exceeds that of Shaoshao's. Ringo soon reveals that she is a few biscuits short of a barrel, however, as she wonders what "flavor" Atari is, kisses her open-mouthed, and bites her tongue so hard that she starts to bleed. Atari shoves her away and cowers before the demented little girl, as Ringo wipes her own mouth off and welcomes her to the EDC with a manic grin.

Some time later... in the dead of night... at Narita International Airport, a cargo plane with EDC markings comes in for a landing. Watching from somewhere nearby, a mysterious woman in a skin-tight outfit reports via cellphone that "the package" has arrived. As the plane's doors are opened, exposing the dead body of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], the woman smiles and remarks that's it's been a long time...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Legion]] (3)

|c3=
*[[Atari Hitotonari]] (1)
*[[Hitoshizuku Amaō]] (2)
*[[Shaoshao Li]] (5)
*[[Ringo Chikuma]] (6)
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (7)

|c4=
*[[Autorooper]] (4)
}}

==Notes==

*This issue is the chronologically earliest piece of ''Kiss Players'' fiction. It is followed by the third [[Kiss Players (radio drama)|''Kiss Players'' radio drama]], which deals with Atari's induction into the E.D.C.
*Optimus Prime appears here following his death in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. The ''Kiss Players'' manga occurs in the five-year gap between the movie and "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]", which only exists in Japanese cartoon continuity (in American continuity, little to no time passes between these two animated adventures, while in Japan, an extra five years were inserted into the timeline). As such, this is chronologically the earliest appearance of Marissa Faireborn, four years before her animated debut in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3]]".

[[Category:Kiss Players issues]]

Shaoshao Li

2010-07-07T20:50:53Z

99.229.172.125:

{{factions|edc|autobot|kiss}}
:''Shaoshao Li is a [[human]] from the [[Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Shaoshao-main.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Dear Japan, Please Stop. Love, America.]]
'''Shaoshao Li''' (李蛸燒 ''Lǐ Shāo-Shāo'')<ref>"Shāoshāo" is written as "蛸焼", meaning "octopus dumplings". On the toy packaging, her name is rendered in English as "Syaosyao".</ref> is an athletic Chinese kung-fu girl who hates bugs and ghosts and enjoys hot steamed buns. She is completely obsessed with [[Marissa Faireborn]].

As a [[Kiss Player]], she is partnered with [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], but doesn't like to kiss him after he's been fishing because of the smell. She also wishes he'd take her fishing with him once in a while. She speaks with a Chinese accent, which makes sense since her parents are from [[China]]. Her ethnic background is also the reason she has worn a collar secured with a padlock that reads "Fortune" since childhood and cannot remove it. This makes less sense.

Apparently, she's a decent singer as well.

==Fiction==
===Kiss Players===
:''Voice actress:'' [[Yui Kano]]

[[Image:Shaoshao and marissa.jpg|left|thumb|250px|I thought I told you to STOP!]]

When Shaoshao was a child in the 1990s, her parents ran a Chinese restaurant in [[New York City]]. It was there that she met [[Marissa Faireborn]] and the two became good friends; indeed, Shaoshao seemed to have more than platonic designs on Marissa. Unfortunately for Shaoshao, Marissa only had eyes for the [[Autobot]] leader [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], and Shaoshao came to resent Prime for "stealing" Marissa away from her. Soon after, Shaoshao's parents closed their restaurant and the family returned to China, forcing Shaoshao to leave her issues with Marissa unresolved. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #23}}

In 2005, the body of the [[Decepticon]] leader [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] collided with the [[Earth]], decimating the city of [[Tokyo]] and utterly shattering [[Transformer]]-human relations. The [[Earth Defense Command]] reverse-engineered Galvatron's remains to create man-made Transformers named "[[Autorooper]]s", and forced all Transformers off of Earth, keeping them from returning to the planet by surrounding it with an [[anti-electron]] field. Having hated Transformers ever since losing Marissa to Prime, Shaoshao joined up with the E.D.C. to fight the robots, and quickly developed a reputation as a rising star within the organization.

The following year, however, a new threat soon emerged in the form of creatures known as [[Legion]]s, monsters created by Galvatron's [[Unicron]]-empowered cells, which had been dispersed into the atmosphere upon his impact and had fused with other lifeforms and objects. Galvatron's cells also provided the solution to this crisis: when they came into contact with certain human beings, these humans gained the power to fuse with other entities containing Galvatron's cells by kissing them. Given that their Autoroopers were the perfect candidate for this "[[ParasiTech]]" fusion process, the E.D.C. began recruiting these "[[Kiss Player]]s" and partnering them with the robots to battle Legions. Shaoshao was discovered to be a Kiss Player, and was not best pleased to be pulled away from her regular E.D.C. job and recruited into the E.D.C.'s [[Ne squad]], where she was forced to kiss the robots she so hated. She was easily the strongest member of the squad, able to boost her Autorooper's power to unheard of levels, and was greatly respected by her teammates, including the sociopathic [[Ringo Chikuma]], who may have even had a crush on her.

[[Image:Kissplay1 boooooaak.jpg|right|thumb|210px| Please. Please stop.]]

In truth, there was a more sinister reason behind Shaoshao's enlistment: E.D.C. commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]]'s [[Shizuku Amaō|daughter]] had died in Galvatron's impact, but she had discovered that her daughter's essence had somehow been infused into the Legions along with Galvatron's cells. Experimenting with Legions, Autoroopers and Kiss Players who had outlived their usefulness, Amaō conceived of a plan to resurrect her daughter in a Kiss Player's body...and as the most powerful Kiss Player she had yet discovered, Shaoshao was selected for the process. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|You, I and the Spinning Earth}}

Responding to a Legion attack in Tokyo, Shaoshao fused with her Autorooper and set off in pursuit of a Legion who had disguised itself as a car. Unfortunately, the chase took too long, and no sooner had Shaoshao found the Legion and kicked it through a wall than her fusion time limit ran out, and her Autorooper messily regurgitated her. As luck would have it, the Legion had been in the process of terrorizing a girl named [[Atari Hitotonari]], who proved to have Kiss Player powers as well, and fused with Shaoshao's Autorooper to destroy the creature. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 1|Kiss Players #1}} Observing the conflict, Commander Amaō realized that Atari was even more powerful than Shaoshao, and immediately decided that she would take her place for her resurrection project. Unfortunately for Shaoshao, this meant that she was now surplus to requirements, and she soon became fodder for Amaō's experiments.

[[Image:LiShaoShao2.jpg|left|thumb| The entire western world is begging you to top.]]

Awakening to find herself in a glass tube in the secret [[Genital System]] facility beneath E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao was horrified to see dismembered Legion heads consuming the remains of other Kiss Players all around her. She barely had any time to take this in before a Legion head above her own tube unleashed a tangle of tentacles on her, intending to eat her too. Shaoshao fought back, biting the tentacles, when suddenly, the Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] came crashing through the roof of the facility. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 2|Kiss Players #2}} The Legions all turned on Hot Rod and began trying to fuse with him, but Shaoshao saved him by kissing him, fusing with him and reformatting him into a new Ford GT body. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}} The pair proceeded to escape, although all Shaoshao could find to wear was a Chinese dress. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #29}}

Shaoshao and Rodimus went on the run, battling the Legion and vowing to expose the mysterious evils at the heart of the E.D.C. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #2}} Shaoshao remained unhappy with the fact that she still had to kiss a robot, but admitted that she would swallow her pride for the forseeable future...and that just maybe, she did get a little something out of it herself. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #5}} She hated Hot Rod's smugness and lack of martial arts skills, and so she resolved to teach him some skills, only for Hot Rod to point out she could share her own abilities just by kissing him. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #8}} Shaoshao schooled him in the use of his tonfa, and the pair embarked on a long-distance drive as a form of training. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #11}}

Investigating a large swarm of Legions converging on E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao and Hot Rod were shocked to discover that the creatures were being led there by Optimus Prime! Hot Rod mistakenly came to the conclusion that this Prime was an impostor (given that the genuine article was supposed to be dead; he had, in actuality, been resurrected by Marissa Faireborn's Kiss Player powers) and Shaoshao urged him into battle, seeking to reclaim Marissa from her "rival". Atari soon arrived to stop the fight and turn the Legions back. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 3|Kiss Players #3}} The whole experience left Shaoshao feeling very stressed; she believed she heard Marissa's voice coming from within Optimus Prime during the fight, and thought the stress was making her crack. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #14}}

[[Image:HotRodKP.jpg|right|thumb|215px]]

In the wake of this event, Shaoshao and Hot Rod returned to their fugitive lifestyle, with Shaoshao growing more and more irritated with Hot Rod's tendency to go fishing and come back smelling of raw fish. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #17}} Shaoshao couldn't believe it when he even wasted time making himself a new fishing rod, though it proved useful in battle when Hot Rod revealed it could transform into a set of blasters. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #20}} While the pair were fishing on Tokyo Bay Bridge, they were attacked by a mass of Legions, and Shaoshao refused to kiss the stinking Hot Rod until the situation absolutely demanded it. Through this latest mental fusion, however, a startling truth was unveiled: Shaoshao discovered that it was Hot Rod who had thrown Galvatron into space and inadvertently caused the devastation of Tokyo, and that he had given up the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and come to Earth to try and redeem himself for his misdeeds. Shaoshao's anger at this discovery caused the pair's fusion to come an end, and Shaoshao was hurled into the river! {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|A Big Catch Tonight?!}} Reflecting on what she had learned, Shaoshao concluded that she did not care about Hot Rod's guilt or pain: she was merely using his power to get Marissa back. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #26}} She did not expect him to steal Marissa's underwear for her, however! {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #29}}

When Shaoshao and Hot Rod spotted the figure of a young girl, dressed all in black and bleeding, riding on the shoulder of a Legion, they thought she might be a Kiss Player, until Hot Rod discovered she was giving off no body heat. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #32}} They saw the girl again as more and more Legions began to converge on Tokyo, and Hot Rod began to suffer from nightmares plagued by images of [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] that gave him the urge to destroy. Shaoshao exploited this, whispering in the sleeping Hot Rod's ear for him to kill the "impostor" Optimus Prime for her. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #35}}

Following the Legions to the E.D.C. headquarters, Shaoshao and Hot Rod discovered that they were once again being led there by Optimus Prime and Marissa. And once again, consumed by the destructive impulses of their Galvatron cells, Prime and Hot Rod began to battle. The pair are able to settle their differences, and together with Atari, they ventured into the depths of the E.D.C. building to discover the truth. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #38}} Back in the Genital System once more, Shaoshao and the others discovered the remains of Galvatron, before a door suddenly came slamming down and separated Atari from the rest of the group. Commander Amaō appeared and explained to Atari her plan to resurrect her daughter (the ghost girl Shaoshao and Hot Rod had seen), beginning the process just as the others burst into the room. Atari fought back against the process, however, and was able to thwart it, causing all the Legions, Autroroopers and other Galvatron cells to be absorbed back into the Decepticon leader's body, which she then hurled back into space. With this action, Shaoshao and the others lost their Kiss Player powers, Hot Rod reverted to normal, and Optimus Prime slipped back into death once more. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|You, I and the Spinning Earth}}
{{-}}

===Kiss Players Position===

[[Image:15gogo_sparkbots_appear.jpg|left|thumb]]

Following the deactivation of the anti-electron field, the Autobots returned to Earth in early 2007, but Transformer-human relations were still in tatters. Ultra Magnus came up with the idea of a Transformer-human singing group to try and repair relations and spread goodwill between the two races, and to that end, Shaoshao joined with Marissa, Atari and [[Mini-Cassette|cassette Transformers]] [[Glit]], [[Sundor]] and [[Rosanna (KP)|Rosanna]] to form this group, the "[[Kiss Players (singing group)|Kiss Players]]".

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

While on their world goodwill tour, the Kiss Players arrived in North America to perform at [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]], but just before the concert began, three mysterious glowing orbs appeared before the Kiss Players, and telepathically spoke to them. Introducing themselves as the [[Sparkbot]]s, [[Star Dust]], [[Angela]] and [[Zangetsu]], they instructed the three girls to kiss them. When they did so, the girls and Brave Maximus were suddenly whisked off through time, rematerializing at [[Sherman Dam]] in the year 1985, where they witnessed Optimus Prime's historic battle with Megatron atop the structure. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #39}} The Sparkbots explained to Kiss Players' that the "[[Allspark]]" had been scattered throughout space and time, and that their mission was to recover its fragments by kissing Autobot leaders from different time periods, starting with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #40}}

Shaoshao was selected for the next mission, and travelled with the Sparkbot Zangetsu to 2005 to witness her old partner Hot Rod transforming into Rodimus Prime and throwing Galvatron into space. Time then shifted to the year 2010, and Shaoshao kissed Rodimus at the [[Galactic Olympics]] on [[Athenia]] to recover the second Allspark fragment. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #41}}

[[Image:XiaoMaid.jpg|left|thumb|SOMEBODY'S under arrest, meow.]]

The Kiss Players adventures through the timestream soon led them to the year 2011, where they fell into the clutches of the [[Quintesson]]s. Even the power of [[wikipedia:Moe (slang)|Moe]], despite transforming Shaoshao into a catgirl in a maid's outfit, was not enough to spare them from the Quintesson judge's verdict of "not guilty." Fortunately, Optimus Prime and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]] came to their accidental rescue, and the Kiss Players' voyage continued. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Tokyo_Toy_Festival_live_performance|Tokyo Toy Festival live performance}}

[[Image:KPVectorPrime.jpg|right|thumb]]

Shaoshao's next challenge was a tough one: She went on a marathon kissing session through time, obtaining fragments from [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]], [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and four different incarnations of Optimus Prime, which particularly disgusted her. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #44}} Things continued to proceed smoothly until the Kiss Players began obtaining Allspark fragments from Transformers participating in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]]. At the point of the Allspark fragments' emergence, an enigmatic, invisible force began appearing to steal the fragments away, culminating with the fragment Shaoshao recovered from [[Optimus Prime (RID)|''Robots in Disguise'' Optimus Prime]]. The Kiss Players gave chase across the timestream, but Brave Maximus wound up crashing into the "[[Wall of Time]]", {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #47}} and the team was scattered across the multiverse. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #48}}

Shaoshao found herself in the parallel reality of the "[[Unicron Trilogy]]", on the deserted [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] during the Transformers' search for the [[Cyber Planet Key]]s. Pursued by a swarm of [[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]], she was rescued by [[Vector Prime]], who opened a portal with the intention of helping her to return to her home dimension. From the portal, however, a giant golden hand emerged, which seized Shaoshao and dragged her off through time. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #50}} The hand, it transpired, belonged to [[Primus]], god of the Transformers, who had gathered the other Kiss Players, and who had also been responsible for stealing the Allspark fragments away—because the Sparkbots were in fact, servants of his nemesis, [[Unicron]]! The "Allspark" that the Kiss Players had been gathering was, in fact, Unicron's shattered [[Angolmois|lifeforce]], and the Sparkbots were attempting to resurrect their deceased master. Thankfully, Primus was able to trap Unicron's lifeforce within the Earth, but he would not answer Shaoshao when she asked what the Kiss Players' future would be. As his last act before he transformed into a [[Vector Sigma|golden sphere]], Primus returned the Kiss Players to the present day 2007, mere moments after they had left on their adventure. Realizing that her future was not defined by Primus or any god, Shaoshao vowed to make her own future, at last accepting Marissa and Optimus Prime's relationship and moving forward. {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)#Weekly_Kiss_Players_Position_shows|Kiss Players radio drama #51}}

==Toys==
===Kiss Players===
[[Image:Shaoshao_toy.jpg|right|thumb|Featured image on icanhasdimsum.com.]]
* '''Hot Rodimus X Syaosyao''' (Kiss Players, 2006)
**''Accessories'': Bamboo steamer

: Shaoshao's only toy is a 1:24-scale PVC figurine of her in her Chinese red dress. Unlike the other two ''Kiss Players'' girls, Shaoshao did not come with any interchangeable limbs, and consequently, she is permanently in a seated position, munching on a meat-filled steamed bun. This does not, however, prohibit her from either perching on the shoulder or sitting in the driver's seat of her Autobot partner, Hot Rod, with whom she comes packaged, though she can do little else. The set also includes a small bamboo steamer accessory, as well as a CD containing episodes 11-20 of the ''Kiss Players'' radio drama and the exclusive 10-minute story, "A Big Catch Tonight?!"

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Autobot/AltRodimus/rodimus.htm More information on Shaoshao, with Hot Rod, at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Shaoshao}}
[[Category:Earth Defense Command]]
[[Category:Humans]]
[[Category:Kiss Players characters]]

The Great Car Rally

2009-07-15T03:37:52Z

99.229.172.125:

{{comicstory|
|prev=Battle for Cybertron
|seriesissue=[[Big Looker|Big Looker storybook]]
|next=Decepticon Hijack
|prev2=Battle for Cybertron
|seriesissue2=[[Kid Stuff|Kid Stuff storybook]]
|next2=Satellite of Doom
|image=GreatCarRallyRecord.jpg
|caption=Raise your hand if you know what one of these is.
|title=The Great Car Rally
|publisher=[[Kid Stuff]]
|date=1984, 1985
|written by=[[Dwight J. Zimmerman]]
|art by=[[Earl Norem]]
|continuity=Don't hold your breath.}}
'''The Autobots enter a race to win free gas and oil for a year. But the Decepticons have a little surprise for them!'''

==Synopsis==
Cliffjumper shows Mirage a billboard advertising the "Big Car Rally", for which first prize is free gas and oil for one year. The Autobots decide to inform their commander, but unbeknownst to them (but knownst to us) the evil [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] just happens to be hiding in the bushes next to that very billboard, listening to their entire conversation. While Mirage and Cliffjumper go off to tell Prime, Soundwave likewise informs Megatron of the Autobots' plan.

The Autobots examine a map of the race and decide who will run each of the three stages of the rally. Mirage is assigned the winding coastal road portion, the mountainous section will be traversed by Hound, and Cliffjumper is assigned the final stretch. When the race begins, Spike and Sparkplug watch as Mirage takes an early lead. Spike is excited, but Sparkplug wisely cautions that the Autobots have a long way to go before the race is over. Almost as if Sparkplug has some sort of supernatural clairvoyance, Skywarp appears and attacked Mirage. Mirage counterattacks and defeats the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]], but in the course of the fighting, he has gone from first place to last.

[[Image:KidsCliff1.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Megatron has the most awesome [[Ultra Pretender]] shell ever!]]

Mirage meets Hound at the start of the mountain stage, and warns his ally to watch out for Decepticons. Hound starts his part of the race with confidence, but up ahead, Rumble awaits his approach. Thinking Hound will be too busy watching for threats to keep his optics on the road, Rumble collapses a bridge so Hound will fall into the chasm. Huffer shows up and puts the bridge back together after Rumble leaves, and the racers proceed to the end of the stage without interruption.

At the start of the final stage of the race, Thundercracker attacks, planning to ambush Cliffjumper before he even gets going. Hound foils the Decepticon's plan, sacrificing himself by jumping into the path of the missiles meant for Cliffjumper. [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] arrives and begins reassembling Hound as Cliffjumper speeds away. The little red Autobot makes his way to the front of the pack, with only an ominous black car between him and the lead. When he pulls even, the black car's driver reveals himself to be none other than the Decepticon leader, Megatron!

[[Image:KidsPrime1.jpg|right|180px|thumb|And good times were had by all as the Decepticons starved to death.]]

Megatron opens fire on Cliffjumper as a concerned Bumblebee watches from near the finish line. After Bumblebee explains the situation to his commander, Optimus uproots a nearby utility pole, telling Bumblebee that the way to deal with bullies like Megatron is to use a bigger stick. Prime then proceeds to swing his impromptu bat at Megatron, sending the Decepticon and his car beyond the horizon. With Megatron out of the race, Cliffjumper cruises to an easy victory, and the Autobots celebrate their win. Spike declines to share a portion of the Autobots' prize, opting for [[human]] food instead.

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (1)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (2)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (3)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
* [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (11)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (13)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (14)
|c2=
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (4)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (9)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (10)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (12)
|c3=
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (7)
* [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"You sure go all to pieces when a missile hits you, Hound."
:—Oh, that '''Ratchet''', what a comedian.

==Notes==
* Owing to its different author and its origin as a [[Big Looker]] storybook, this book differs quite a bit in style and tone from subsequent [[Kid Stuff]] books. Among other things, it has more than the normal stable of four speaking characters.
* Sparkplug's son is called "Spike", but the illustrations look like his other son, [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]], or possibly his other other son, [[Butch Witwicky (G1)|Butch]]
* Rather than affording him invisibility, in this story Mirage's Electro-Disrupter seems to function like [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s electro-scrambler.
* Even if one assumes that the bridge he destroys is only one lane wide, and the trees he's standing next to are saplings, Rumble appears to be quite a bit bigger than his normal roughly-human-sized portrayal.
* Megatron is drawn in his [[Megatron (G1)|pre-production design]] with the black helmet. The text even mentions Megs pulling the trigger of his [[Fusion cannon|cannon]].
* Prime casually yanks a telephone pole out of the ground, probably cutting off telephone and electrical service to untold numbers of local residents in the process. What a jerk.

===Errors===
* At one point Cliffjumper is referred to as "Blow-Out".
* At the start of the third stage, the car next to Cliffjumper has its number '12' reversed.
* All appearances of Optimus show him with a mouth rather than his usual [[mouthplate]], leading to the ''really'' creepy open-mouthed grin on the last page.

==External links==
*[http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~sstoneb/tf/books/kidstuff/rally.html The Great Car Rally] at Steve-o Stonebraker's site.

[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Books]]
[[Category:Audiobooks]]