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Dominus Ambus

2016-11-28T12:34:11Z

Cyhwuhx: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot}}
:''Dominus Ambus is an [[Autobot]] from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Before&After Dominus Ambus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|''Men of action all that matters is the bottom line Grow a nice one and get ready for your time to shine'']]

Scientist, explorer, philosopher, and more, '''Dominus Ambus''' is one of pre-war Cybertron's movers and shakers. He rocks the [[Facial hair|'stache]].

His spark-brother is [[Minimus Ambus]]. The two have always had friction, especially thanks to Dominus being the accomplished 'bot-of-all-trades he is, leaving the less accomplished brother in his shadow. Not to mention the fact that while Dominus can be stiff and serious, prone to saying things like "pleasure is a distraction from the truth", he is apparently quite the talker, once he gets going.

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:AtCloseOfDay-DominusAmbus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|He's probably really good at the foxtrot.]]
Dominus Ambus of [[Ambustus Minor]] {{storylink|The Not Knowing}} was the spark-brother of [[Minimus Ambus]]. Both were [[loadbearer]]s, a specific variety of [[Point One Percenter]]s. Dominus was always sensitive about his appearance, particularly his [[turbofox]] [[beast mode]]. This unusual shape would have made him an outcast in [[Functionism|functionist]]-era Cybertronian society; to this end, he always wore an extensive suit of armor to hide his innermost [[robot mode]]. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} Perhaps as a result of his situation, Dominus became an outspoken advocate for the rights of "lesser" Cybertronians, including the so-called "[[disposable class]]". {{storylink|Before & After}} The [[Ambus Test]], used to determine the sentience of such 'bots, was named after him; he may even have developed the test himself, but this is not known for certain. {{Storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}} Among his writings was a work called ''[[The Ascetic Cybertronian]]'', in which he wrote, "Pleasure is a distraction from pursuit of truth." {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}} Minimus lived in the shadow of his brother's accomplishments, and although he did love him, he found it difficult to get along with Dominus at times. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}} The one area in which Minimus surpassed his brother was the ability of his loadbearing spark to withstand more extensive augmentation. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} This capability saw Minimus chosen to take on the mantle of
[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]], a role he happily took on, eager to escape his brother's shadow and become his own 'bot. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

Dominus employed [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] as a data receptacle, and forged a strong friendship with him, finding in him a source of inspiration in his crusade for the rights of others. He secretly allowed Rewind to fuel using his own premium [[energon]], instead of the cruder stuff society said he was supposed to use, {{storylink|Before & After}} and the bond between the pair eventually blossomed into love, and they became [[Conjunx Endura]]e. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} Together, they left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to search for the legendary [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], the miracle moon that supposedly held the solution to every question. Dominus hoped to find a cure for [[cybercrosis]], but after years of searching, they returned to their homeworld empty-handed to find war had broken out. The pair signed up as [[Autobot]]s almost immediately. {{storylink|Before & After}}

[[File:MTMTE44 Agent113.jpg|thumb|left]]
At some point in the war's history, Dominus Ambus was chosen by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] to serve as a double agent, and was tasked with infiltrating the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. Codenamed "Agent 113", after the turbofox alternate mode being numbered 0113 in the [[Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy]], {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} which was Prowl's idea of a clever little joke, Dominus used his loadbearer abilities to don an entirely new bodyframe with hooked hands and feet, {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} and served in the D.J.D. under the codename [[Vos (DJD)|Vos]]. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}} So deep undercover was Dominus that not even those closest to him were aware of his mission, leaving both Rewind and Minimus to wonder where he had disappeared to. Rewind began a lifelong quest to learn his fate, {{storylink|Before & After}} while Minimus eventually came to assume his brother was dead. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

Dominus had become increasingly, ah, 'eccentric' over his total fear of being caught out and tortured to death, so in order to pass information covertly he would wait until the D.J.D. found themselves in battle with Autobots, and would then shoot an Autobot squarely in the right "eye" of their [[insignia]]" with a bullet containing a data chip loaded with his intel. [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] quietly recruited Autobots stationed in medical facilities around the galaxy to be on the lookout for these bullets, including [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]], who found the bullet containing Dominus's information about the Decepticon takeover of [[Garrus-9]] {{storylink|Bullets}} {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Last Stand of the Wreckers #1}}

Of course, Dominus could not maintain his cover without participating in the D.J.D.'s brutal activities. He was in the thick of things when the group tracked down friends of [[Gripper (G1)|Gripper]]'s and murdered them (footage of which would be shown at [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s trial), {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} and for a battle in which the Autobot metallurgist [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] witness got an up-close look at a [[Genericon]]'s innards. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}} It was during the latter encounter that Dominus tagged Swerve with one of his message bullets, but when Swerve repaired the injury himself, he unknowingly patched over the bullet, which remained inside him for years. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}} In this message, Agent 113 mentioned being compromised, referred to a schism within the Decepticons, and left a warning not to trust [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]]. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

Dominus's fear that his deception had been discovered by the D.J.D. was correct. As a form of torture, he was subjected to "[[domestication]]," a process that involved lobotomization and the removal of his [[transformation cog]]. Trapped in his turbofox mode, he became nothing more than a feral "Pet" that [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] took a liking to. The D.J.D. spread the story that he was a wild [[sparkeater (creature)|sparkeater]] they had partially tamed. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

[[File:The pet whos afraid of the djd.jpg|thumb|What does the turbofox say?]]
As "the Pet", Dominus's leash was held by [[Helex (DJD)|Helex]] while Kaon participated in the execution of [[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]]. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} Sooner after, the D.J.D. tracked their next target, the fugitive [[Fulcrum]] to the planet [[Clemency]], where Kaon unleashed the Pet on the unfortunate [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]], who suffered numerous claw and bite wounds from the turbofox for aiding the criminal. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} Later, he participated in the DJD attack on an alternate version of the ''[[Lost Light]]'', where they killed [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and all but one of the Autobot crew. {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} When Kaon was stricken by the effects of [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]]'s [[universal killswitch]], The Pet even comforted his master. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

The bullet in Swerve eventually caused a rust infection that, along with a case of extreme self-neglect, ultimately threatened to kill the metallurgist. Upon learning the cause of this injury, First Aid was able to instruct [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] in the removal and retrieval of the bullet and Agent 113's message finally reached the Autobots. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}} Much of the message had been corrupted by rust, so the Autobots could only make out portions of the message. The [[Censere|Necrobot]]'s base of operations recorded Dominus as dead, but his name was also engraved on a monolith labelled "In Honor of the Disappeared", much to Rewind's delight: this meant he could still out there! {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

[[File:Permanent Revolution - The Pet.jpg|thumb|left]]
After the D.J.D's murder of [[Blip]], the Pet looked on as [[Nickel]] berated the others for ruining their victim's transformation cog in the process. He was later brought to Tarn's negotiations with [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] to join forces and kill the traitorous Megatron. {{Storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} The Pet accompanied the D.J.D. and their Decepticon allies to the [[Necroworld]], where they sprung a trap for Megatron and his comrades. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Scouting the area, [[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]] found the enemy base and used [[Ten]] as distraction. The Pet sped along with his master into savagely attacking the [[Legislator]], but he was eventually rescued by [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] and [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} who took the Pet hostage. Not wanting his companion harmed, Kaon told the other Decepticons to stand down, allowing the Autobots to escape with the help of Ravage and with the Pet in tow. Kaon's later blubbering about the kidnapping of his pet led Tarn to tear out his head to serve as an example of the follies of compassion. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

Desiring to learn the location of the D.J.D.'s ship, [[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] had [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] pry into the Pet's memories. At the same time, Rewind and Minimus Ambus discussed the latter's brother, with Minimus explaining that Dominus was a loadbearer like him. Looking up Dominus's alternate mode in the Necrobot's copy of the Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy, Rewind realized the truth at the same time as Chromedome. Speeding to Dominus and Chromedome, Rewind was faced with a choice: Chromedome could restore Dominus, but the stress would snuff out his spark. Otherwise, cutting the connection between the two would kill Dominus. Making his choice, Rewind took Drift's blade and cut Chromedome's arm, dooming his former Conjunx Endura to save his lover. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

====The Functionist Universe====
[[File:CustomMadeNow-Dominus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Dominus has no mouth, so he must screen.]]
In [[Functionist Universe|an alternate timeline]] where the [[Functionist Council]] had slowly but surely conquered Cybertron, Dominus failed to end widespread discrimination against the disposable class and could only pull strings to get Rewind upgraded from disposable to research assistant. He also removed Rewind's obsolence chip, ensuring he couldn't be "recalled" if the Council turned on memory sticks. Ironically, one of his jobs was to better classify the "animals".

The two acted against the monstrous dictatorship both secretly and verbally, which got Dominus turned into a "[[empurata|flathead]]": his head replaced with a computer screen that was Council property, given no voice and 'talking' with text so he couldn't express himself, and his face showing propaganda pop-ups at random moments.

In an act of supreme cruelty, the Council deleted Dominus's vocabulary so he only knew the simplest of words and "love" was not among them. His screen was then used to taunt Rewind and Minimus about their impending doom. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
*"Dominus" means "lord" or "master" in Latin, while "Ambus" appears to be derived from "ambulare", meaning "to walk".
*Members of the [[House|House Of Ambus]] all have those distinct 'taches.
*In "[[Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss]]" Ultra Magnus refers to the [[Ambus Test]], a universally recognised question-set designed to detect sentience in mechanical lifeforms that was presumably named after Dominus.
*It's unclear whether the Functionist Council, or anyone else like the [[Senate]], knew that Dominus was a turbofox fella inside a suit or not in the main timeline. In the Functionist Universe, they'd have surely found out at least when they replaced his head; it could have been sooner, as it's hard not to read ordering him to classify the "animals" as a really nasty joke on the part of the Functionists.
*Dominus Ambus' codename 'Vos' in the D.J.D. is also the Dutch word for 'fox'. It is unknown if this is another one of Prowl's clever little jokes.

[[Category:Comic-only Autobots]]
[[Category:Double agents]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Point One Percenters]]
[[Category:Spies]]

Multilingual packaging

2012-11-17T13:08:53Z

Cyhwuhx: Added Dutch.

[[Image:Energon rapidrun cardback.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Typical trilingual cardback: photos of the wrong toy representing a different character, with misidentified factions and swapped names. No room for characterization, function or stats, but a franchise description longer than the Gettysburg Address appears in three languages.]]
'''Multilingual packaging''' is essentially the standard way ''Transformers'' toys are available in other countries outside the United States. Rather than producing packaging sporting texts in a single language for different countries, Hasbro saves money by putting texts in several different languages on the same packaging, which will then be released in all the target markets. (There are a few exceptions, such as places like Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore or the Philippines, which traditionally get their toys in the same packaging that is available in the United States.)

Un '''emballage multilingue''' est essentiellement le format standard dans lequel les jouets ''Transformers'' sont disponibles dans les pays autres que les États-Unis. Plutôt que de produire des emballages portant du texte dans une seule langue pour chaque pays, Hasbro économise de l'argent en mettant des textes dans plusieurs langues différentes sur le même emballage, qui sera alors envoyé sur tous les marchés. (Il y a quelques exceptions, telles que des endroits comme l'Australie, la Nouvelle Zélande, Hong Kong, la Malaisie, Singapour ou les Philippines, qui obtiennent traditionnellement leurs jouets dans le même emballage que celui disponible aux États-Unis.)

'''El empaquetado multilingüe''' es la forma común en la que los juguetes ''Transformers'' están disponibles en otros países fuera de los Estados Unidos. En vez de hacer empaques con un lenguaje único para cada región, Hasbro ahorra dinero imprimiendo el texto en varios lenguajes diferentes en un mismo empaque, el cual a continuación será distribuido a todos los mercados objetivo. (Existen algunas excepciones como Australia, Nueva Zelanda, Hong Kong, Malasia, Singapur o las Filipinas, que usualmente usan el mismo empaque que en los Estados Unidos.)

'''Mehrsprachige Verpackungen''' sind gewissermaßen die übliche Form, in der ''Transformers'' Spielzeugfiguren in Ländern außerhalb der Vereinigten Staaten erhältlich sind. Statt für verschiedene Länder Verpackungen mit Texten in einer einzelnen Sprache herzustellen, spart Hasbro Geld, indem dieselbe Verpackung mit Texten in verschiedenen Sprachen bedruckt wird, die dann auf den jeweiligen nationalen Märkten veröffentlicht wird. (Es gibt einige Ausnahmen, darunter Orte wie Australien, Neuseeland, Honkong, Malaysia, Singapur oder die Philippinen, an denen die Spielzeuge normalerweise in denselben Verpackungen erscheinen, die auch in den Vereinigten Staaten erhältlich sind.)

Le '''Confezioni multilingua''' sono essenzialmente il formato standard in cui i ''Transformers ''sono distribuiti fuori dagli Stati Uniti. Piuttosto che produrre confezioni in una sola lingua per paese, Hasbro risparmia inserendo testo in più lingue differenti sulla stessa confezione, che verrà distribuita in tutti i mercati.(Ci sono alcune eccezioni, in posti come l'Australia, la Nuova Zelanda, Hong Kong, in Malesia, Singapore e nelle Filippine, che li vedono tradizionalmente distribuiti nella stessa confezione degli Stati Uniti.)

'''Wielojęzyczne opakowania''' są zasadniczo standardem dla zabawek ''Transformers'' dostępnych w innych krajach poza Stanami Zjednoczonymi. Przy produkcji opakowań dają oddzielny tekst dla każdego kraju, Hasbro oszczędza pieniądze poprzez tworzenie tekstów w różnych językach w tym samym opakowaniu, które zostaną następnie wydane na wszystkich rynkach docelowych. (Jest kilka wyjątków dla takich miejsc jak Australia, Nowa Zelandia, Hong Kong, Malezja, Singapur i Filipiny, które dostają zabawki z opakowaniem takim jak w Stanach Zjednoczonych.)

'''Meertalige verpakkingen''' zijn in essentie de standaard methode van verkrijgbaarheid van ''Transformers'' speelgoed in landen buiten de Verenigde Staten. In plaats van meerdere verpakkingen te produceren met teksten in een enkele taal voor verschillende landen, bespaart Hasbro geld door teksten in verschillende talen op dezelfde verpakking te zetten, die dan weer verkrijgbaar worden gemaakt in alle doelmarkten. (Er zijn een paar uitzonderingen voor regio's zoals Australië, Nieuw-Zeeland, Hong Kong, Maleisië, Singapore of de Filipijnen, welke nromaal gezien speelgoed krijgen in dezelfde verpakking als ook verkrijgbaar is in de Verenigde Staten.)

==Multilingual packaging in America==
[[Image:StormSurgeUSCanMex.jpg|left|300px|thumb|In Soviet Canada, I'm an Autobot.]]
When the original [[The Transformers (toyline)|Transformers toyline]] was introduced to the Canadian market in 1984, the packaging was bilingual (sporting texts in English and French), using a smaller printing font to fit the [[Tech Spec]]s and [[Bio|bios]] in both languages onto the packaging. Even the ''characters' names'' required French translations!

With the launch of the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|''Beast Wars'' toyline]] in 1996, Hasbro introduced trilingual Transformers packaging, sporting texts in English, French and Spanish, for the Canadian and Mexican markets (prior to that, Mexican Transformers toys had been distributed by a sub-contracted company named [[IGA]] between 1985 and 1986, with the packaging being completely in Spanish), now also featuring abbreviated bios in addition to the already used smaller print. In addition, the toyline itself sported additional, alternative titles for the French Canadian and Mexican markets, ''Guerre Bêtes'' for the former and ''Guerra Bestias'' for the latter. However, at least the individual toys' names no longer required translations into French (the Mexican toys had always used the English names).

With the launch of the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (toyline)|''Robots in Disguise'' toyline]] in 2001, Hasbro decided to cut costs by using the trilingual packaging for the US market as well, which meant they only had to design one kind of packaging for three markets rather than two. Thus the standard United States packaging, traditionally sporting English-only texts, was replaced by trilingual packaging with texts in English, French and Spanish. This move was, of course, [[Ruined FOREVER|well-received]] by fans.

In 2002, when the [[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|''Armada'' toyline]] was about to be launched, someone (probably a lawyer) informed Hasbro that if any part of the packaging was trilingual, the ''entire'' contents had to be trilingual, including the [[Transformers: Armada (mini-comic)|pack-in comic books]]; this resulted in the comics' dialogue being in stilted, unpleasant prose, but on the bright side the unsightliness of the comics may have prompted the creation of the popular [[jaAm]] joke.<ref>"Everything must be trilingual" from the 2002 Hasbro BotCon panel, [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/3003d05818cf8b5e?dmode=source&output=gplain Steve-o's BotCon 2002 Report,: Zobovor Edition]</ref> Hasbro later realized this person was overcautious, and volumes 3 and 4 of the pack-in comic were printed in a much more eye-pleasing way: in English.

[[Image:LegacyBumblebeeCanadian.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Everything must be translated. ''Everything''. Tout doit être traduit. ''Tout''. Todo debe ser traducido. ''Todo''. ]]
Instead of settling for "incredibly short and banal" on-package [[Bio|bios]], Hasbro's Transformers team sent kids to the English-only [http://www.transformers.com Transformers.com] website, where they promised-hope-to-die there would be bios for the characters. Sometimes this was true, but often it was not.

In 2005, Hasbro's Transformers team successfully lobbied the Brand Overlords to return to English-only packaging; arguing that the multi-lingual packaging was so ''phenomenally ugly'' that it was costing them sales.<ref>Kids also hate foreign languages; [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/0cd6f0724b39615f?dmode=source&output=gplain Steve-o's 2005 BotCon Report]</ref> As a result, the launch of the [[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|''Cybertron'' toyline]] heralded the return not only of English-only packaging for the US market, but also of full bios printed on the packaging. At the same time, ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' packaging intended for the US market also became monolingual (although bios would still not be included).

Meanwhile, the Canadian and Central/South American markets still have to live with trilingual packaging to this very day... except for store [[Exclusive|exclusives]] that are intended to be released in Canada but not in Central/South America, which only feature bilingual English/French texts. Amazingly, French translations are required for even the most incidental bit of English texts on the packaging (such as "Deluxe Class" or "[[Premium Series]]"), with pretty much the only exception being the characters' names (which ''is'' an improvement over the ''Generation 1'' days). As a quick Google search shows, nobody actually seems to care for those alternate non-English names outside the toys' packaging. However, it appears that the term "Robots in Disguise" was finally allowed to remain untranslated starting with the later waves of the ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' line.

[[Image:UniDelWave1CanMex.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Beast Machines anyone?]]
The requirement for multiple languages also leads to unfortunate omissions for the non-US markets, such as the comic reprints from the ''Universe'' comic two-packs or the DVD from [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|25th Anniversary Optimus Prime]]. This even leads to modifications of the toys themselves. For example, the electronic Leader Class figures from the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' toyline]] have alternate versions distributed in markets outside the US and English Canada that only say their names rather than saying full sentences in English (ironically, these markets include the UK). In addition, trilingual packaging occasionally features odd errors, such as the packaging for all of the [[Movie (toyline)|2007 Movie]] Scouts sporting Autobot logos on the packaging, regardless of which faction [[insignia]] the toy itself sported. Also, the ''Universe'' toy line's Deluxe Class figures only sport the [[package art|character art]] of one "representative" toy per wave (Wave 1: [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], Wave 2: [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]], Wave 3: [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]) on the front of the card, regardless of which toy actually ''is'' in the packaging. (The artwork on the side of the bubble is correct, though.) The Voyager Class toys, meanwhile, feature no character artwork on the front of the box at all.

Another problem with trilingual packaging is that trying to put three times as much text on a packaging of the same dimensions (especially on Deluxe and smaller-sized figures) would result in having extremely ''tiny'' (and therefore, pretty much impossible to read) text, so Hasbro had to find another way to keep the information that formerly was on the packaging. This resulted in the idea that what could not be on the toy's box had to be placed somewhere else. As such, some toys had their packaging's back filled with [[Cross-sell|cross-sells]], and what would normally be on the back of the box (tech specs, [[bio]]s, quotes, stock photography, features, etc.) is moved either to the back of the instructions ([[Transformers Animated (toyline)|''Animated'']]) or in a [[Pack-in material|separate flyer]] inside the box (''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'').

Between the third and fourth waves of the ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[size class]] assortments, Hasbro changed the packaging from trilingual to quadrilingual, now adding Portuguese as a fourth language for the Brazilian market.

==Multilingual packaging in Europe==
[[Image:Desertattackeurope.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Just three languages? Europe should be so lucky.]]
[[Generation 1 (European toyline)|Europe]] has its own history of multilingual packaging:

When [[Milton Bradley]] started distributing ''Transformers'' toys in mainland Europe (Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Denmark) in 1985, the packaging sported ''four'' languages, namely German, French, Dutch and Spanish. As with the trilingual packaging, that meant that instead of bios, the tech specs simply sported the characters' mottos in four different languages.

A year later, the "MB" logos on European packaging were replaced by Hasbro logos, though the local MB branches still handled the distribution, and some of them weren't officially renamed into "Hasbro" until years later. Possibly because sales in Germany were less than stellar, German texts on the packaging were replaced with their English counterparts (even though the United Kingdom continued to get toys in plain English-only packaging), or perhaps to "cover" more European countries.

By 1987, Hasbro apparently realized that English as a fourth language was pointless when the United Kingdom was getting toys in different packaging, so the languages on the European toys' packaging were reduced to bilingual Dutch and French texts. Spain later got their own toys in Spanish-only packaging; although it's unclear at what point exactly that packaging was introduced, Spanish-only packaging is confirmed for the 1989 Micromasters toys and the [[Classics (Europe)|Classic]] reissues (this is not to be confused with the Spanish-only packaging for the early 1984-86 toys originally distributed by [[IGA]] in the Mexican market, which were later semi-legally imported to Europe).

[[Image:CybStreetSpeedTeamUsEuro.jpg|left|300px|thumb|It could only get better after this.]]
In 1991, after the original [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1 toyline]] had ended in the USA, Hasbro continued producing new toys for the European market. Starting with the [[Turbomaster|Turbomasters]] and [[Predator (subgroup)|Predators]], English and Spanish texts were merged into a new, bilingual packaging which would be released in the United Kingdom and Spain. In addition, the French/Dutch packaging now sported different (but still English or at least English-derived) names for the individual toys and sub-groups than the English/Spanish packaging.

The [[Transformers: Generation 2 (European toyline)|European version]] of the [[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|''Generation 2'' toy line]] introduced yet another variant: the formerly bilingual English/Spanish packaging became trilingual, now incorporating Portuguese as well. At the same time, the formerly bilingual French/Dutch packaging also became trilingual, incorporating texts in German language again for the first time in nine years. Also, name variants for the different markets were abolished again (although some of the toys still sported different names than their ''American'' counterparts).

With the launch of the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|''Beast Wars'' toyline]], trilingual French/Dutch/German packaging remained the same (with the toyline itself sporting an additional alternate title, "''Ani Mutants''", for the French market), while the formerly trilingual English/Spanish/Portuguese packaging replaced the latter language with texts in Italian, thereby gradually shifting out [[GiG]], the company that had previously been distributing ''Transformers'' toys in Italy, in favor of Hasbro's own Italian branch. For the Italian and Scandinavian markets, the toyline also sported the alternate title "''Biocombat''", as well as Italian (or at least Italian-esque) names for the individual toys. An unusual exception were the European-exclusive "[[Transmetal]]" [[redeco]]s of [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]] and [[Claw Jaw]], which came on English/German/Italian cards with the additional ''Biocombat'' title.

With the later waves of ''Beast Wars'', the toys in "Biocombat" packaging started to include an additional [[instructions|instruction sheets]] in Scandinavian languages (Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish). The packaging itself did not include nor hint at those additional languages. This practice continued into early waves of ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' with the English/Spanish/Italian packaging, but was abandoned with later waves of ''Beast Machines''.

[[Image:UltimateBattleUSEuro.jpg|right|thumb|European packaging for the "Ultimate Battle" boxset was noticeably smaller because it lacked the DVD case. In the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the [[Optimus Prime vs Megatron: The Ultimate Battle|DVD]] was included only in a paper sleeve; in other European stores, it was given as a freebie separately.]]
With the launch of the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (toyline)|''Robots in Disguise'' toyline]], the two trilingual packaging variants were merged into a single, quadrilingual packaging style featuring texts in English, French, Dutch and German. This also finally marked the end of any further name variants for the individual toys between the different European markets, as well as between the European and American markets.

With the launch of the [[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|''Armada'' toyline]], the number of languages on the formerly quadrilingual packaging was expanded to hexalingual, now incorporating texts in Spanish and Italian again. Also, at least since the days of the ''Armada'' line, whichever packaging was available in Europe has also been used for Israel.

Finally, in the middle of the [[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|''Cybertron'' toyline]]'s run and with the shift of the red ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' packaging to the bubble-style packaging, the number of languages on European packaging was doubled to dodecalingual, adding texts in Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Greek, Polish and Turkish to the established languages English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and Italian.

Somewhere around the addition of the six new languages and the replacement of [[package art]] with stock photos of the toys themselves (see below), European packaging also started to feature obtrusive "2 in 1" logos ("3 in 1" in the case of triple changers). Apparently, ''Transformers'' is considered not as much of a household name in Europe as it is in the USA, so Hasbro feel that they really need to drive home the point that ''Transformers'' toys are really two (or three) toys in one.

Amazingly, unlike Canada (which requires French translations for even the most trivial instances of English texts on the packaging, except for the individual toys' names), European packaging has gradually ''reduced'' the amount of multi-lingual versions of text elements over the years. The ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Animated]]'', ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' toys even feature text blurbs describing a toy's gimmicks in ''English-only'', with only the back of the packaging featuring translated and country-specific texts (bios, Hasbro contact info etc.). On the other hand, European ''Universe'' packaging replaced individual [[franchise]] logos used for the "timeline" on the back of the US toys' packaging with the name of the franchise in a generic font.

For ''[[Reveal the Shield]]'', Hasbro apparently decided that since they weren't attempting to claim every single toy's name as an exclusive [[trademark]] due to both the large number of national markets and the somewhat different nature of European trademark law compared to US trademark law, they could as well drop prefixes required for better trademark protection in the USA from the bios. So while the bios are still heavily truncated compared to their US counterparts, they simply refer to the characters as "[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]" and "[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]" rather than "Autobot Jazz" and "Autobot Tracks" (the toys' official names are still "Special Ops Jazz" and "Turbo Tracks", though).

With ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'', European packaging leaves a lot of space on the side flaps for large "Attention!" or "Warning!" notes in a plethora of languages, presumably in order to point out the inclusion of a safety warning sheet in all these languages inside the packaging. In practice, it makes the toys appear as enormous safety hazards.

''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime]]'' introduces two new changes to the packaging, the least of which is that Russian has been added, making a grand total of 13 different languages. The more drastic change is that the size of the Deluxe Class cards has been ''reduced'' to 5/6ths of the US standard. The reasons for the size reduction are currently unclear.

The occasional officially distributed toys in US packaging are still isolated incidents.
{{-}}

===Package art===
[[Image:AltPrimeUSEuro.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Transformers: 2 in 1! Find more information on the underside! (Not a knockoff.)]]
In addition to the increasing number of languages cluttering the packaging with an abundance of text, European multilingual packaging also didn't sport [[package art]] for several years, replacing it with airbrushed [[stock photography|stock photos]] of the toys themselves instead. The most likely reason is a newly introduced European Union guideline (subsequently implemented into national law) regarding "misleading advertising", which ''could'' be interpreted to extend to artistic renditions of products on the packaging, especially in [[:Image:SuperionMaximusCatalogArt.jpg|poses not actually possible with the toy]] (although this doesn't explain why artistic depictions suddenly became okay again several years later).

Package artwork was dropped from European ''Transformers'' packaging and replaced with stock photos of the toys themselves starting with one of the last waves of ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' (the first wave of [[combiner]] limbs, featuring [[Treadshot (Energon)|Treadshot]], [[Sky Shadow (Energon)|Sky Shadow]], [[Sledge (Energon)|Sledge]] and [[Duststorm (Energon)|Duststorm]], still used package art; the second wave, featuring [[Terradive (Energon)|Terradive]] and [[Windrazor (Energon)|Windrazor]], already used toy photos instead) and ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] and [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] ([[Jazz (G1)|Meister]], who had only ever been released in Italy, had still featured package art).

The first toys to feature package art on the European ''Transformers'' packaging again were the [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] and [[Fast Action Battlers]] from the [[Movie (toyline)|2007 Movie toyline]] (the "main" Movie line toys still used stock photos of the toys instead of the artwork of the robot heads). With the launch of the ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Animated]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' lines in 2008, European multilingual packaging as a whole has finally returned to depicting package art, coinciding with the aforementioned drastic reduction of texts in multiple languages in favor of English-only texts wherever possible.
{{-}}

==Psychology==
[[Image:UniRedAlertThreeVersions.jpg|right|280px|thumb|Hasbro eventually gave up on European packaging and opted for a minimalistic approach instead.]]
Fans ''hate'' multilingual packaging (although having the tech specs and bios on the instruction sheet is a great space saver versus hanging on to a chunk of the box in addition to the instruction sheet).

While a typical child rips open cardboard packaging to free the misassembled plastic figure encased within like the sweet meat from a nut, discarding the useless shell, adult collectors store their mint-on-card Transformers unopened in humidity-controlled fireproof rooms. Because this is essentially playing with the package rather than the toy, adult fans prefer cleaner mono-lingual packaging.

This can affect the secondary market value of a toy; if there are monolingual and multilingual versions of the same toy, the monolingual version is ''usually'' worth more money.{{fact}} One of the possible reasons for this is the omission of features (bios, tech specs etc.), which make up part of the nostalgia value especially of older toys. Frequent errors (such as the wrong [[package art]] or [[insignia|faction logo]]) are also possible factors for a collector's rejection of multilingual packaging.
{{--}}

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Armada]]
[[Category:Energon franchise]]
[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Toys]]

User:Cyhwuhx

2012-05-16T07:39:16Z

Cyhwuhx: New page: '''Vincent Leeuw''' Dutch boulder-tugger, senior game designer at Flight 1337, content writer at Monster Smile Inc, climber, Transformers-fan (in case that needs reiteration).

'''Vincent Leeuw'''

Dutch boulder-tugger, senior game designer at Flight 1337, content writer at Monster Smile Inc, climber, Transformers-fan (in case that needs reiteration).

Transformation (issue)

2012-05-16T07:34:49Z

Cyhwuhx: /* Notes */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Autocracy]]'' #9
|prev=Overthrown
|next=
|caption=
|image=Autocracy 9.jpg
|title="Transformation"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[May 9]], [[2012]]
|coverdate=
|story by=[[Chris Metzen]] & [[Flint Dille]]
|art by=[[Livio Ramondelli]]
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|editor=[[John Barber]] & [[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Before the war]]
}}
'''Orion Pax is no more... Arise, Optimus Prime!'''

==Synopsis==
At the [[Trion Square]] in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] announces to the populace that [[Zeta Prime]]'s oppression has come to an end, and the [[Decepticon]]s will now rule [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. He invites any [[Autobot]]s who wish to rebuild their society to join him, but of course they don't trust him after his previous betrayal and instead choose to go into hiding. [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] are discussing strategies in the city of [[Ultrix]] when [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] joins them to pitch in that factions don't matter anymore: the violence will never end anyway.

In the [[Undergrid]] far beneath Iacon, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]] lies barely alive where Megatron has disposed of him. In spite of his injuries, he is drawn to move towards a nearby energy source, and ends up in an ancient vault containing the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. In his head, he hears a voice much like his own, but older and wiser, urging him to reach out for the artifact. When he does, he is overcome by pain, fear and loneliness--the current emotions of Cybertronians everywhere. As Orion's consciousness expands across Cybertron and beyond, he takes in the few but bright [[spark]]s that still burn with courage and hope, and realizes that the Matrix does not only represent leadership or creation, but the sparks of all Cybertronians.

As the Autobots consider rallying the people in a resistance movement against Megatron, their safe-house is compromised by the Decepticons and they're all arrested. While the Autobots are led away, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] takes special interest in Hot Rod and invites him to join the Decepticons.

Meanwhile, the Matrix courses throughout Orion Pax, repairing his body and imbuing his mind with clarity and wisdom. He realizes that despite what the Decepticons think, the Cybertronians are ''not'' a divided race and that unity is a matter of perception rather than some event that has to be brought about. The Autobots are not supposed to fight to uphold the laws of a broken system, but to protect the freedom of all sentient beings. It's time for a change... a change that begins with Orion Pax's transformation into Optimus Prime!

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (6)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax/Optimus Prime]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Roadblock (G2)|Roadblock]] (2)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (3)
*[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] (4)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (9)
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (10)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (11)

|c4=
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] (8)
}}

==Notes==
*Optimus Prime experiencing pain when first united with the Matrix was previously mentioned in "[[Chaos Theory Part 2]]".
*Orion Pax describes the Matrix as "a vast [[Underbase]] of collective thought and experience".
*Orion Pax's repairs and transformation into Optimus Prime is presented in a similar fashion to that of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s transformation into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] during [[The Transformers: The Movie]].

[[Category:Autocracy issues]]