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Transformers (2023) issue 32

2026-05-13T13:35:27Z

Escargon: That's just how the book has chosen to portray him for whatever reason, and in any event, that part of the notes section isn't really where that's meant to go

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]'' #32
|prev=Transformers (2023) issue 31
|next=Transformers (2023) issue 33
|image=Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg
|caption=
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]]<br>[[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[May 13]], [[2026]]
|coverdate=May 2026
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Jason Howard]]
|colors by=[[Mike Spicer]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Ben Abernathy]]
|publication design=[[Andres Juarez]]
|production=[[Ashby Florence]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Elita Prime returns with her Autobots to Cybertron, but the journey home won't be an easy one.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] and her [[Autobot]]s emerge from the [[space bridge]] back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] notices that they are in the middle of [[Decepticon]] territory. Elita and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] managed to sneak in to use the bridge to go to [[Earth]], but their increased numbers will make returning to the Autobot base much harder. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jefire]] proposes he fly them out a few at a time while [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] would prefer to drive, however, Elita nixes either idea for fear that they might give away their position. However, as they begin their journey on foot, it quickly proves a moot point when they are ambushed by a squad of Decepticons led by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], alive without a head, much to the shock of Elita.

The Decepticons attack, blasting the remains of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] that Jetfire was carrying. Ultra Magnus [[transformation|transforms]] and tells the Autobots to load into his car carrier form, using his [[alternate mode]] to ram Shockwave and allow his fellow Autobots to attack the Decepticons. However, the Decepticon forces quickly regain their composure and fight back, overwhelming the Autobots. Seeing her comrades taking such a beating, Elita fears that this may be their [[darkest hour]] and tries using the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership]].

Unfortunately, it does nothing. She hits the ancient artifact, demanding it open until a flash of white light emerges and glowing energy emerges from the talisman and forms into the Ghost of the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]]. Using her new weapon, she mows down the Decepticons, allowing the Autobots the chance to regroup and retreat. As the Autobots escape, Shockwave realizes that Elita Prime will be a force to be reckoned with. He decides he needs to pay a visit to [[Alpha Trion]]...

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.<br>
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (2)
* [[Elita One (G1)|Elita Prime]] (3)
* [[Jetfire (G1)|Jefire]] (4)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (5)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (6)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (7)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (8)
* [[Bulkhead (G1)|Bulkhead]] (9)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (10)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (11)

|c2=
* [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] (12)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (13)
* [[Skyquake (EU)|Skyquake]] (14)
* [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] (15)
* [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] (16)
* [[Makeshift (G1)|Makeshift]] (17)
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] (18)
* [[Lugnut (TF 2010)|Lugnut]] (19)
* [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] (20)
* [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acidstorm]] (21)
* [[Octane]] (22)
* [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] (23)
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (24)
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm held together with '''hatred''' and '''spite'''! You can’t crush that!"
:— '''Shockwave'''

"This blade '''hungers''' for the foul sparks of Decepticons! I hear its song! It '''fuels''' me!"
:— '''Elita Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Shockwave is missing his head, which was crushed by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] during their climactic battle in [[Transformers (2023) issue 12|issue #12]].
* While most of the Decepticons who make up Shockwave's forces are new introductions to the Energon Universe, Ratbat and Thrust previously appeared in [[Transformers (2023) issue 17|issue #17]].
* Ultra Magnus has come a long way toward overcoming the trauma that Shockwave inflicted on him while captured (which Elita rescued him from in [[Transformers (2023) issue 7|issue #7]]). During his last encounter with the Decepticon commander in [[Transformers (2023) issue 11|issue #11]], Magnus fled in a panic. Now he is able to confront his torturer head-on.
* Acidstorm asks where Jetfire has been hiding all this time. Readers saw Jetfire depart Cybertron in search of potential energy sources before the war fully broke out in [[Transformers (2023) issue 13|issue #13]]. Ultimately, Jetfire would miss the entirety of the war, crashing on a planetoid and not being reactivated for millions of years until [[Darak]] and [[Solila]] found him in ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 1|#1]], the very beginning of the Energon Universe.
* Alpha Trion was previously mentioned and seen in flashback in [[Void Rivals issue 17|''Void Rivals'' #17]], when [[Beta (G1)|Zerta Trion]] revealed the backstory of the [[Sacred Ring]] to Solila.

===''Transformers'' references===
* Bulkhead remarks on the shoddy construction of the space bridge, echoing his ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' [[Bulkhead (Animated)|counterpart's]] space bridge expertise.
* Much like the [[2005 IDW continuity]] before, the Energon Universe iteration of Blackarachnia is visually based on her [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]].
* Knock Out refers to Breakdown as "my dear". Their relationship was something fans read into about their ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Transformers: Prime]]'' incarnations, but was later codified in the [[2005 IDW continuity]]. The pair are also seen attacking Bulkhead, who was positioned as Breakdown's rival in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Transformers: Prime'' cartoon]].
* Lugnut expounds on the glory of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], just as his [[Lugnut (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]] was so fond of doing.
* Lockdown remarks on Jazz's head making a nice trophy. Taking trophies from his captured enemies was a favorite hobby of [[Lockdown (Animated)|''Animated'' Lockdown]].
* Elita Prime asks the Matrix to "light [their] [[darkest hour]]", the phrase most associated with the Matrix from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. When it initially refuses to do anything, her frustration and demand that it "open!" resembles that of Ultra Magnus when the Matrix failed to open for him in the film, although Elita refrains from swearing and the Matrix does eventually do something for her.
* The Star Saber is the ancient weapon of [[Prima]], leader of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]].
* Elita slices off Skyquake's right arm, echoing a similar injury sustained by the [[Skyquake (Prime)|zombified Skyquake]] in ''Transformers: Prime''.
* [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] was a one-episode villain from the ''Prime'' episode "[[Con Job]]", where he was a [[Shifter]] who infiltrated the Autobots by disguising himself as [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]]. He tries the same trick here by taking the form of Jazz, but Elita sees through it.

===Errors===
* In the last panel of the second page, Elita says "We'll better avoid detection if we say low." "Say" is clearly supposed to be "stay", just missing the "t".

===Other notes===
* Energon Experience: Presented by Skybound Executive Editor Ben Abernathy.
** '''Character Spotlight:''' Shockwave
** '''’Name That Decepticon!:''' Spotlights Shockwave's forces from this issue.
** '''Creator Spotlight:''' Ben asks Jason Howard what his alt-mode would be. Jason answers coffee. Or, if he were a triple changer, coffee and a basketball.

===Covers===
* '''Cover A:''' Shcokwave, by [[David Nakayama]]
* '''Cover B:''' Ultra Magnus, [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] and Mike Spicer.
* '''Cover C:''' Octane, Thrust, and Lugnut, by Jason Howard and [[Annalisa Leoni]].
* '''Cover D:''' Elita One, [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], Bluestreak, and Cliffjumper by [[Leirix Li]].
* '''Cover E:''' Design schematics for Shockwave, by [[E. J. Su]].

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover A.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover B.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover C.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover D.jpg|
File:Transformers 2023 32 Cover E.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisement===
* Explore the Energon Universe in ''[[G.I. Joe (2024 comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' [[G.I. Joe (2024) issue 22|#22]], ''[[Void Rivals]]'' [[Void Rivals issue 30|#30]], and ''[[M.A.S.K. (2026 comic)|M.A.S.K.]]'' [[M.A.S.K. (2026) issue 1|#1]].
* 3-page preview of the [[M.A.S.K. Energon Universe 2026 Special story|''M.A.S.K.'' story]] from the ''[[Energon Universe 2026 Special]]''.

===Reprints===
* '''''Transformers Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' <small> ([[December 9]], [[2026]]) ISBN 1534332634 / ISBN 978-1534332638 </small>
** Collects ''Transformers'' issues #31–36.
** Trade paperback format.

<gallery>
File:Transformers 2023 V6.jpg|'''''Volume 6: Decepticons Attack!''''' – cover art by [[David Nakayama]]
</gallery>

==External links==

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Transformers (2023) issues]]

Talk:Star of the Dark God, Part One

2026-05-13T10:54:11Z

Escargon: Created page with "A little note: the little crane we see lowering the crate on page one belongs to Cybertron Armorhide, it's his gun. ~~~~"

A little note: the little crane we see lowering the crate on page one belongs to Cybertron Armorhide, it's his gun. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 06:54, 13 May 2026 (EDT)

Talk:Lockdown (Animated)

2026-04-19T23:57:21Z

Escargon: /* image captions */

I ''THINK'' Lockdown is the bounty hunter, and Lugnut's the decipticon Bulkhead.

Bio from the box Scan - '''<nowiki>[removed illegal link]</nowiki>''' Thanks to the Allspark.
--[[user:invisiblemoose|invisiblemoose]] 9:41, 3 December 2007 (NZ)

:Please see [[Help:Coming soon]]. Those toys aren't supposed to be released yet, so information gleamed from auctions of possibly-stolen copies of them should not be added to Teletraan I. --[[User:Sntint|Sntint]] 21:03, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

:: Talk about stupid rules. What's the point of it? If we update something that Hasbro want's us to remove, we can simply do that. Until then, why not update any new rumors that we could just find? --[[User:Hepathos|Hepathos]] 21:23, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

:::Rumors are stupid hobby-poison and have no place here. But Lockdown's bio is not a "rumor," since we do know what it is. Info from stolen items, especially items that were about to be released anyway, I could personally see going either way--but it is policy here that such are forbidden. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] 21:42, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

:::If by 'about to be released' you mean June 2008.... --[[User:invisiblemoose|invisiblemoose]] 11:39, 3 December 2007 (NZ)

::The same can be said for [[Prowl (Animated)]] when that was updated MONTHS ago. There was some reluctance, but it was updated anyway. --[[User:invisiblemoose|invisiblemoose]] 11:16, 3 December 2007 (NZ)

==Something seems odd here==
I just recently got a Lockdown figure from a Q102 Raffle back during Botcon, and I just got him all transformed when I noticed that 3/4 of his limbs are either colored wrong or lacking paint when compared to the *VERY* show accurate pic of him on the back of his card. Is this normal? [[User:AutobotFreak643|AutobotFreak643]] 20:41, 2 May 2008 (UTC)
P.S. He also doesn't have a rubsign after all on the toy, but the box shows it on the car roof in all of G1 rubsign glory.

==image captions==
So, who's for making all his captions Bishop quotes? if the picture allows for it of course...--[[User:Carrion|Carrion]] 16:22, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
:Death's Head quotes would seem more appropriate, yes?{{unsigned|72.138.15.186}}
::Eh, we can mix and match and see what works.
::Please indent any responses, as they make it easier to follow a conversational flow. They also tell the wiki interface to honor single carriage returns. Otherwise, unless you use a line break (<nowiki><br></nowiki>) or 2+ returns, your text will continue on the same line as the preceding text. Oh—and please sign your Talk page posts.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 08:11, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

:Why is there a racial slur on the image caption (in toys)? we should remove it and warn who added it on.[[User:WILL3462 PRIME|WILL3462 PRIME]] ([[User talk:WILL3462 PRIME|talk]]) April 19 2026, 3:48 pm (PDT)
::Which image are you referring to? I'm not sure which one you're talking about. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 19:57, 19 April 2026 (EDT)

===Deaths Head homage?===
He does appere a homage to Deaths Head, his hand changes into weaponery and his to has the "cleached teath look to it. worth metioning? [[User:Editoroflife|Editoroflife]] 08:29, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

== New toy image ==

It's from Transformers.com, so it's official. [[User:BUMBLEBEE|The 'Bee :)]] 16:32, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

==EMP generator==

I just saw that the EMP generator can be removed from lockdown's arm with a simple peg in the same shape of ratchet's scar, so i'm almost sure that it can be atatched to ratchet.--[[User:Grand-majin|Grand-majin]] 16:06, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Yay! :D [[User:BUMBLEBEE|The 'Bee :)]] 15:54, 25 February 2008 (UTC)
:Yep,you can see it on peaugh's youtube channel,no direct linking though since we're not "allowed" to know this. [[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 13:55, 14 April 2008 (UTC)
::No, we're allowed to post stuff about the toys now. They've been officially released to stores in Cincinnati. This isn't a leak this time, they're a test-market.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 15:14, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
:::Wrong,Ratchet is wave 2,so he has not been released to test market yet. So we're still not "allowed" to know things about ratchet's toy. [[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 10:54, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
::::Um, wave 2 has been released. [[User:Interrobang|—Interrobang]] 11:43, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
:::::Wow,so it's not just a wave of testmarketing anymore. That's [[Hasbro|some crazy shit]]. [[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 16:02, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

==Size==

Why is the size changed from leader to voyager? next to my movie ratchet, lockdown is a head taller, so it schould be changed to "almost as big as a leader class toy" or it schould be changed to "bigger then a voyager class toy."
:It is being sold at Voyager class. Being larger than ''another'' Voyager by a head does not make it a different size class.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 15:52, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:: Was it not deluxe class?--[[User:Grand-majin|Grand-majin]] 15:56, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
::: Then why are you claiming the size was changed from leader to voyager? If you're just talking about the line that says he's "nearly as big as a voyager" that still puts him a long way from a leader-class as he's only ''taller'' not ''bigger''.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 16:02, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::: Oh, then i said it wrong, sorry. i just wanted to note that for a deluxe class toy, that he's bigger then most voyager class toys, putting him closer to the size of a leader class toy.--[[User:Grand-majin|Grand-majin]] 16:14, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::::No, he's ''taller'' than many Voyager class toys. Height has nothing to do with it. Size classes are determined by two main things: complexity and mass. That's why Cybertron Metroplex is a Leader instead of a Supreme and Animated Bulkhead is a Voyager instead of a Deluxe. --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 16:19, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::::There's a big size gulf between voyagers and leaders, due to the omitted ultra class.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 16:17, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
::::: I don't know how tall the animated toyline leader class toys are, so i compared him to movie optimus prime, he's about a head smaller. I just want it to be noted that for a deluxe, he has an impressive size.(and excuse me wen i mix bigger and taller, i mix those up often.)--[[User:Grand-majin|Grand-majin]] 16:27, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::::: Which Movie Prime? If it's the one where the truck nose forms a backpack and the robot chest windows are ''not'' the truck mode windows, you've got the Voyager Prime. --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 16:59, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
::::::Considering the context of the discussion, I'm guessing Grand-majin means the Leader-class Movie Prime, especially since he says Lockdown's taller than Movie Ratchet.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 17:05, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::::: yeah, i was talking about the leader class prime.--[[User:Grandmajin|Grand-majin]] 17:45, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

==Hook arm==
Since the hook arm is detachable and dosent match his colours scheem, is anyone thinking that this might just be like the EMP generator, can also go on annother toy, i think maybe, oil slick? Maybe we're gona get various toys later on with parts the detach and can be added to Lockdown, his chainsaw arm, ect? [[User:Editoroflife|Editoroflife]] 02:20, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
::Being a hook, it could be a piece for one of the constructicons or Oil Slick( same color pattern)
The hook's color scheme is different to make it match up well in car mode,it detaches because it's a detachable weapon,plus he appears that way in flashbacks so you'll have his cybertron mode and earth mode in one toy. [[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 13:57, 14 April 2008 (UTC)
: The hook attachment's yellow is entirely hidden in car mode. It has yellow trim on the revealed robot parts because that's what color his hook arm is on his character model. No other reason. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:35, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

==Decepticon?==
He Mentioned he wasn't one of them. Why do you Identified as a decepticon. [[User:Black rhino ranger|Black rhino ranger]] 14:26, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
:Your approach to capitalization is refreshing.
:Anyway, Hasbro identifies him as a Decepticon. [[User:JW|JW]] 14:35, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
::Yeah, that's how Hasbro identifies him, but in show, he only works with the Decepticons because "they pay on time, and allow him the upgrades he wants". At least that's what the article says.--[[User:AWT88|AWT88]] 15:19, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
:::Yes, we know. But rather like Gnaw the Sharkticon, who technically was on the Quintessons' side, he's marketed as a Decepticon, and so is listed as such. Lockdown's article specifically says he's a Decepticon "by necessity," indicating he isn't part of the faction in the usual sense.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 15:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
::::Personally I'm quite tempted to see if I can't fit a rubsign over his tampographed faction symbol when I get him. To fit the cartoon.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 15:45, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
:::::Not a bad idea. Anyone know if the reprolabels rubsigns are actually rub-able?[[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 10:57, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
:Its interesting to note that Lockdown doesn't identify as a Decepticon and also lacks the apparently natural Decepticon size and strength. It's possible that he's a convert like Blackarachnia.

==Concept art==
[http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2008/05/evolution-of-lockdown.html Very interesting...] Worth adding to the page? - [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] 00:11, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
::I would say so. I hope more concept work gets out, I love that stuff.--[[User:Carrion|Carrion]] 00:50, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

==EMP gen engine after loss==
<span style="color:green;">Despite having lost the EMP generator, Lockdown retains the external engine it comprises in his vehicle mode, as seen in "A Fistful of Energon".</span>
While watching, I noticed that the engine looked a bit different. Also, when he transformed, it seemed to purposely call attention to it. Perhaps we should say something about it.--[[User:Skyglide|Skyglide]] 04:31, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

== Flame Redeco ==

What is the source of the Flame redeco with the chainsaw weapon, have we seen this with its new weapon, if so where can i find a picture? [[User:Editoroflife|Editoroflife]] 02:23, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
: It was seen in a slide presentation at BotCon 2008. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 03:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
:Got a picture? [[User:Editoroflife|Editoroflife]] 07:27, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

==Maybe an EX-autobot?==

: It just hit me because he trained under yukitron before/during the great war might make him an ex-autobot, is it worth nothing?--[[User:Sunjumper|Sunjumper]] 12:54, 9 April 2009 (EDT)

== Star Wars homage? ==

I remembered a character called Gorm the Dissolver while watching my wife play Lego Star Wars: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Gorm

He's a bountyhunter/assassin that sometimes upgrades himself with parts of his victims.

Coincidence?

==Decepticon Denial==
I didn't make that part up, right? Lockdown does say something about not being a Decepticon - or at least not ''confirming'' he's a Decepticon - in Thrill of the Hunt, right? --[[User:Monzo|Monzo]] 09:49, 14 July 2009 (EDT)
:In Ratchet's flashback in that episode he says "You Decepticon scum" to Lockdown, who responds with "I'm not one of them". -[[User:Mazenoise|Mazenoise]] 10:08, 14 July 2009 (EDT)

== He's an Autobot ==

So I was at Auto Assembly last weekend and as you might know Derrick Wyatt was a guest at the convention. Well I went to him to get a sketch made, but in order to get a sketch made I first had to buy something off him, I opted for an animation layout or what ever it was, well the one I choose was of Lockdown and apart from featuring shadow and light lines it had an Autobot symbol where his rub sign is usually located. So do we add this to the Article? [[User:Dead Metal|Dead Metal]] 03:53, 20 August 2010 (EDT)

== Autobot ==

He used to train under Yoketron, making him an Autobot. So why is this not added?--[[Special:Contributions/96.50.11.220|96.50.11.220]] 04:19, 23 August 2011 (EDT)

== Toy photo ==

Does anybody have a Deluxe Lockdown with which to add a fixed pic for that toy?[[User:Dingdongdude|Dingdongdude]] ([[User talk:Dingdongdude|talk]]) 11:50, 11 March 2021 (EST)
:Done. [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 15:11, 18 March 2021 (EDT)
:Thanks. [[User:Dingdongdude|Dingdongdude]] ([[User talk:Dingdongdude|talk]]) 17:15, 11 October 2021 (EDT)

== Legacy Toy ==

What should we do for the new Lockdown toy in legacy? I thought it might go here, but it might be too early to tell.[[User:Unicronus|Unicronus]] ([[User talk:Uniconus|talk]]) 7:57, 7 March 2024 (EST)
:As with all leaks and stolen materials, we wait until it's officially announced, so they can officially tell us what universe/incarnation of the character it is. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] ([[User talk:Chris McFeely|talk]]) 08:06, 7 March 2024 (EST)

Talk:Lockdown (Animated)

2026-04-19T23:57:06Z

Escargon: /* image captions */

I ''THINK'' Lockdown is the bounty hunter, and Lugnut's the decipticon Bulkhead.

Bio from the box Scan - '''<nowiki>[removed illegal link]</nowiki>''' Thanks to the Allspark.
--[[user:invisiblemoose|invisiblemoose]] 9:41, 3 December 2007 (NZ)

:Please see [[Help:Coming soon]]. Those toys aren't supposed to be released yet, so information gleamed from auctions of possibly-stolen copies of them should not be added to Teletraan I. --[[User:Sntint|Sntint]] 21:03, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

:: Talk about stupid rules. What's the point of it? If we update something that Hasbro want's us to remove, we can simply do that. Until then, why not update any new rumors that we could just find? --[[User:Hepathos|Hepathos]] 21:23, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

:::Rumors are stupid hobby-poison and have no place here. But Lockdown's bio is not a "rumor," since we do know what it is. Info from stolen items, especially items that were about to be released anyway, I could personally see going either way--but it is policy here that such are forbidden. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] 21:42, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

:::If by 'about to be released' you mean June 2008.... --[[User:invisiblemoose|invisiblemoose]] 11:39, 3 December 2007 (NZ)

::The same can be said for [[Prowl (Animated)]] when that was updated MONTHS ago. There was some reluctance, but it was updated anyway. --[[User:invisiblemoose|invisiblemoose]] 11:16, 3 December 2007 (NZ)

==Something seems odd here==
I just recently got a Lockdown figure from a Q102 Raffle back during Botcon, and I just got him all transformed when I noticed that 3/4 of his limbs are either colored wrong or lacking paint when compared to the *VERY* show accurate pic of him on the back of his card. Is this normal? [[User:AutobotFreak643|AutobotFreak643]] 20:41, 2 May 2008 (UTC)
P.S. He also doesn't have a rubsign after all on the toy, but the box shows it on the car roof in all of G1 rubsign glory.

==image captions==
So, who's for making all his captions Bishop quotes? if the picture allows for it of course...--[[User:Carrion|Carrion]] 16:22, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
:Death's Head quotes would seem more appropriate, yes?{{unsigned|72.138.15.186}}
::Eh, we can mix and match and see what works.
::Please indent any responses, as they make it easier to follow a conversational flow. They also tell the wiki interface to honor single carriage returns. Otherwise, unless you use a line break (<nowiki><br></nowiki>) or 2+ returns, your text will continue on the same line as the preceding text. Oh—and please sign your Talk page posts.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 08:11, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

:Why is there a racial slur on the image caption (in toys)? we should remove it and warn who added it on.[[User:WILL3462 PRIME|WILL3462 PRIME]] ([[User talk:WILL3462 PRIME|talk]]) April 19 2026, 3:48 pm (PDT)
::Which image are you referring to? I'm not sure what you're referring to. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 19:57, 19 April 2026 (EDT)

===Deaths Head homage?===
He does appere a homage to Deaths Head, his hand changes into weaponery and his to has the "cleached teath look to it. worth metioning? [[User:Editoroflife|Editoroflife]] 08:29, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

== New toy image ==

It's from Transformers.com, so it's official. [[User:BUMBLEBEE|The 'Bee :)]] 16:32, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

==EMP generator==

I just saw that the EMP generator can be removed from lockdown's arm with a simple peg in the same shape of ratchet's scar, so i'm almost sure that it can be atatched to ratchet.--[[User:Grand-majin|Grand-majin]] 16:06, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Yay! :D [[User:BUMBLEBEE|The 'Bee :)]] 15:54, 25 February 2008 (UTC)
:Yep,you can see it on peaugh's youtube channel,no direct linking though since we're not "allowed" to know this. [[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 13:55, 14 April 2008 (UTC)
::No, we're allowed to post stuff about the toys now. They've been officially released to stores in Cincinnati. This isn't a leak this time, they're a test-market.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 15:14, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
:::Wrong,Ratchet is wave 2,so he has not been released to test market yet. So we're still not "allowed" to know things about ratchet's toy. [[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 10:54, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
::::Um, wave 2 has been released. [[User:Interrobang|—Interrobang]] 11:43, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
:::::Wow,so it's not just a wave of testmarketing anymore. That's [[Hasbro|some crazy shit]]. [[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 16:02, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

==Size==

Why is the size changed from leader to voyager? next to my movie ratchet, lockdown is a head taller, so it schould be changed to "almost as big as a leader class toy" or it schould be changed to "bigger then a voyager class toy."
:It is being sold at Voyager class. Being larger than ''another'' Voyager by a head does not make it a different size class.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 15:52, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:: Was it not deluxe class?--[[User:Grand-majin|Grand-majin]] 15:56, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
::: Then why are you claiming the size was changed from leader to voyager? If you're just talking about the line that says he's "nearly as big as a voyager" that still puts him a long way from a leader-class as he's only ''taller'' not ''bigger''.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 16:02, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::: Oh, then i said it wrong, sorry. i just wanted to note that for a deluxe class toy, that he's bigger then most voyager class toys, putting him closer to the size of a leader class toy.--[[User:Grand-majin|Grand-majin]] 16:14, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::::No, he's ''taller'' than many Voyager class toys. Height has nothing to do with it. Size classes are determined by two main things: complexity and mass. That's why Cybertron Metroplex is a Leader instead of a Supreme and Animated Bulkhead is a Voyager instead of a Deluxe. --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 16:19, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::::There's a big size gulf between voyagers and leaders, due to the omitted ultra class.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 16:17, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
::::: I don't know how tall the animated toyline leader class toys are, so i compared him to movie optimus prime, he's about a head smaller. I just want it to be noted that for a deluxe, he has an impressive size.(and excuse me wen i mix bigger and taller, i mix those up often.)--[[User:Grand-majin|Grand-majin]] 16:27, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::::: Which Movie Prime? If it's the one where the truck nose forms a backpack and the robot chest windows are ''not'' the truck mode windows, you've got the Voyager Prime. --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 16:59, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
::::::Considering the context of the discussion, I'm guessing Grand-majin means the Leader-class Movie Prime, especially since he says Lockdown's taller than Movie Ratchet.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 17:05, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:::::: yeah, i was talking about the leader class prime.--[[User:Grandmajin|Grand-majin]] 17:45, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

==Hook arm==
Since the hook arm is detachable and dosent match his colours scheem, is anyone thinking that this might just be like the EMP generator, can also go on annother toy, i think maybe, oil slick? Maybe we're gona get various toys later on with parts the detach and can be added to Lockdown, his chainsaw arm, ect? [[User:Editoroflife|Editoroflife]] 02:20, 6 March 2008 (UTC)
::Being a hook, it could be a piece for one of the constructicons or Oil Slick( same color pattern)
The hook's color scheme is different to make it match up well in car mode,it detaches because it's a detachable weapon,plus he appears that way in flashbacks so you'll have his cybertron mode and earth mode in one toy. [[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 13:57, 14 April 2008 (UTC)
: The hook attachment's yellow is entirely hidden in car mode. It has yellow trim on the revealed robot parts because that's what color his hook arm is on his character model. No other reason. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:35, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

==Decepticon?==
He Mentioned he wasn't one of them. Why do you Identified as a decepticon. [[User:Black rhino ranger|Black rhino ranger]] 14:26, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
:Your approach to capitalization is refreshing.
:Anyway, Hasbro identifies him as a Decepticon. [[User:JW|JW]] 14:35, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
::Yeah, that's how Hasbro identifies him, but in show, he only works with the Decepticons because "they pay on time, and allow him the upgrades he wants". At least that's what the article says.--[[User:AWT88|AWT88]] 15:19, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
:::Yes, we know. But rather like Gnaw the Sharkticon, who technically was on the Quintessons' side, he's marketed as a Decepticon, and so is listed as such. Lockdown's article specifically says he's a Decepticon "by necessity," indicating he isn't part of the faction in the usual sense.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 15:41, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
::::Personally I'm quite tempted to see if I can't fit a rubsign over his tampographed faction symbol when I get him. To fit the cartoon.--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|<sup>Talk</sup>]] 15:45, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
:::::Not a bad idea. Anyone know if the reprolabels rubsigns are actually rub-able?[[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 10:57, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
:Its interesting to note that Lockdown doesn't identify as a Decepticon and also lacks the apparently natural Decepticon size and strength. It's possible that he's a convert like Blackarachnia.

==Concept art==
[http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2008/05/evolution-of-lockdown.html Very interesting...] Worth adding to the page? - [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] 00:11, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
::I would say so. I hope more concept work gets out, I love that stuff.--[[User:Carrion|Carrion]] 00:50, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

==EMP gen engine after loss==
<span style="color:green;">Despite having lost the EMP generator, Lockdown retains the external engine it comprises in his vehicle mode, as seen in "A Fistful of Energon".</span>
While watching, I noticed that the engine looked a bit different. Also, when he transformed, it seemed to purposely call attention to it. Perhaps we should say something about it.--[[User:Skyglide|Skyglide]] 04:31, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

== Flame Redeco ==

What is the source of the Flame redeco with the chainsaw weapon, have we seen this with its new weapon, if so where can i find a picture? [[User:Editoroflife|Editoroflife]] 02:23, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
: It was seen in a slide presentation at BotCon 2008. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 03:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
:Got a picture? [[User:Editoroflife|Editoroflife]] 07:27, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

==Maybe an EX-autobot?==

: It just hit me because he trained under yukitron before/during the great war might make him an ex-autobot, is it worth nothing?--[[User:Sunjumper|Sunjumper]] 12:54, 9 April 2009 (EDT)

== Star Wars homage? ==

I remembered a character called Gorm the Dissolver while watching my wife play Lego Star Wars: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Gorm

He's a bountyhunter/assassin that sometimes upgrades himself with parts of his victims.

Coincidence?

==Decepticon Denial==
I didn't make that part up, right? Lockdown does say something about not being a Decepticon - or at least not ''confirming'' he's a Decepticon - in Thrill of the Hunt, right? --[[User:Monzo|Monzo]] 09:49, 14 July 2009 (EDT)
:In Ratchet's flashback in that episode he says "You Decepticon scum" to Lockdown, who responds with "I'm not one of them". -[[User:Mazenoise|Mazenoise]] 10:08, 14 July 2009 (EDT)

== He's an Autobot ==

So I was at Auto Assembly last weekend and as you might know Derrick Wyatt was a guest at the convention. Well I went to him to get a sketch made, but in order to get a sketch made I first had to buy something off him, I opted for an animation layout or what ever it was, well the one I choose was of Lockdown and apart from featuring shadow and light lines it had an Autobot symbol where his rub sign is usually located. So do we add this to the Article? [[User:Dead Metal|Dead Metal]] 03:53, 20 August 2010 (EDT)

== Autobot ==

He used to train under Yoketron, making him an Autobot. So why is this not added?--[[Special:Contributions/96.50.11.220|96.50.11.220]] 04:19, 23 August 2011 (EDT)

== Toy photo ==

Does anybody have a Deluxe Lockdown with which to add a fixed pic for that toy?[[User:Dingdongdude|Dingdongdude]] ([[User talk:Dingdongdude|talk]]) 11:50, 11 March 2021 (EST)
:Done. [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 15:11, 18 March 2021 (EDT)
:Thanks. [[User:Dingdongdude|Dingdongdude]] ([[User talk:Dingdongdude|talk]]) 17:15, 11 October 2021 (EDT)

== Legacy Toy ==

What should we do for the new Lockdown toy in legacy? I thought it might go here, but it might be too early to tell.[[User:Unicronus|Unicronus]] ([[User talk:Uniconus|talk]]) 7:57, 7 March 2024 (EST)
:As with all leaks and stolen materials, we wait until it's officially announced, so they can officially tell us what universe/incarnation of the character it is. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] ([[User talk:Chris McFeely|talk]]) 08:06, 7 March 2024 (EST)

Mystery of the Speedia 500

2026-04-18T11:43:24Z

Escargon: /* Other notes */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers New Legends]]''
|prev=Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)
|next=
|seriesissue2= ''[[The Transformers: End of G1 Universe|The Transformers:<br>End of G1 Universe]]''<br>Chapter Three
|prev2=
|next2=
|image=End of G1 Universe 03.jpg
|caption=
|title="Mystery of Speedia 500"
|japanese=スピーディア500の謎
|romaji=Speedia 500 no Nazo
|publisher=[[TakaraTomy]]
|story by=
|art by=
|packaged with=
|date=[[2026]] [[April 14]]
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]] and [[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Galaxy Force]] cartoon continuity
|manga=[[Hayato Sakamoto]]
|color=[[Tai Koshii]] (1, 2, 3, 8, 18p),<br>[[Gufu Kandagawa]] (4, 5, 6p),<br>[[Tasuku Tajima]] (7p),<br>[[Lebanon Sugi]] (9, 10, 21p),<br>[[Usakomu]] (11, 12, 13p),<br>[[Rakurai Tsunetaka]] (1, 14, 15, 16, 23p)<br>[[Ricken]] (17, 18p),<br>[[Yuki Ohshima]] (19, 20p),<br>[[DAI-XT]] (24p)
|editor=[[Kouji Nimura]]
|chronology=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon timeline#100,000+ years from now|The End]]
}}

'''Seeking a power source to save their universe, the Stunticons end up in a multiversal race.'''

==Synopsis==
Aboard [[Untite]]'s [[Orcanoch|ship]], [[Blue Bolts (RID)|Bluebolt]] explains to [[Dark Amber Leo Prime]] that [[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]]'s green color and his dark amber color is the result of exposure to righteous [[Angolmois Energy]] and malevolent Angolmois Energy, respectively, examples of the [[color changing]] phenomenon. Such color changes can come from all sorts of power ups, including those induced by [[Energon Matrix|Energon Matrices]] and [[forestonite]] during the G2 era. Forestonite has the same power as Energon Matrices, and this is why the veteran [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] have embarked on a journey to find more forestonite.

In the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the Stunticons find a [[black hole (phenomenon)|black hole]], intending to go through to the other side. [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]], ever pessimistic, doesn't mind the risk, what with the universe ending and all, while [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] relishes the thrill. [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], on the other end, is terrified and not very good at hiding it. [[Drag Strip (G1)|Dragstrip]], on the other hand, is frustrated because this kind of space exploration isn't for him. He was built to be number one in racing, and none of this stuff interests him. After he crosses the line in insulting the other Stunticons, [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] shuts down the whining, pointing out that they got this important job thanks to their record as a former scout squad, but get violent when the dismissive F-1 racer brings up his leader's rivalry with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Crossing into the black hole, the Stunticons and the ship are affected by the dimension's forestonite particles, inducing a G2-style color change in their bodies. In [[2010]], [[The Killing Jar|four Transformers had went into a black hole and experienced similar changes]], but did not investigate why then. Now it is realized that it was the result of the presence of forestonite. The Stunticons spot a rift that's pulling them in, and they willingly decide to enter.

On the other side, they find the planet [[Velocitron]] during one of its many races. In the race, the [[New Decepticon Army|New Decepticon Trio]] attempt to use their [[Rocket Car]] to interfere with the racing [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], but he manages to escape their clutches with [[Cyber Key]] power, and the three malicious doofuses end up crashing and arrested by [[Gasket Patrol Type|police]]. The scenario speaks to Dragstrip's inner soul as a racer. The Stunticons are brought before [[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]], who explains that Velocitron is now a destination of [[multiverse|multiversal]] travel since the denizens of this universe began the [[Space Bridge Project|Multiverse Space Bridge Project]]. Looking up their origin, Flatline determines the Stunticons to be from the [[G1 World]] during the G2 era and, despite Motormaster's protestations, impresses them into racers to help generate energy for the planet and marks them with the G2 Decepticon insginia. The doctor also gives them new livery to reflect their forestonite-granted abilities. When they're let go, Motormaster ignores the entire racing thing, wanting to get back to their actual goal, which upsets Dragstrip, who swears off the other Stunticons to race to his heart's content. Motormaster doesn't appreciate the insubordination and walks off on his own to complete their mission to save their universe. Dragstrip runs into Hot Shot, and the two gas each other up for the next race.

In the next [[Speedia 500]] race, many Transformers from different universes participate: [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and [[Wasp]] from the [[Animated World]]; [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] from the [[Prime World]]; [[Lockdown (Cyberverse)|Lockdown]] and [[Shadow Striker (Cyberverse)|Shadow Striker]] from the [[Cyberverse World]]; champion and leader of Velocitron, Hot Shot; and Dragstrip from the G1 World. The other three Stunticons survey the race's spectators, figuring that they're all from worlds in their post-war era and decide to join the race. Elsewhere, Motormaster, figuring he should learn about this universe's history, runs into the [[Mini-Con]] [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]], who offers to serve as Motormaster's guide.

The race begins and Breakdown manages to take out both Knock Out and the other Breakdown with his oil-leaking. Wildrider's swerving causes Wasp to peter out, and Prowl jumps on the reckless Stunticon, forcing both off the racetrack—Wildrider activates his anti-grav gear and the two career off into the sky. Dead End uses his fireball charge to rush through the Cyberverse racers, and Shadow Striker is forced to take care of a disassembled Lockdown.

In the "Shrine of Speedia", Jolt explains to Motormaster about his universe: after stopping the [[Unicron Singularity|Grand Black Hole]] that threatened their world, they began the [[Space Bridge Project|New Space Bridge Project]] to connect the scattered Transformer colonies. Motormaster, realizing that if this universe's denizens could save their world from destruction, the same could happen for the G1 World, is elated with hope. Jolt continues that the Space Bridge project developed into multiversal travel so that they could connect and collaborate with other universes. Motormaster speculates that his world could perhaps evacuate its population to those other worlds if needed. Spotting a display of the [[Ancient]]s who began the original [[Space Bridge Project]], Motormaster recognizes one of them as his rival on the road, [[Autobot]] [[Supreme Commander]] Optimus Prime!

In the race, Dead End continues careening out of control as a fireball. He muses that perhaps it's finally his time to go and thinks back to his good times with the other Stunticons before he's rescued by Breakdown. Their tearful conversation elicits applause from the crowd, and the two sit out the rest of the race. It's down to the final two racers—Hot Shot and Dragstrip—as they enter a tunnel. Hot Shot uses his Cyber Key power to speed ahead, but Dragstrip has a trick up his sleeve; using his G2 power of Shadowstrip of moving instantaneously in darkness, the Stunticon slips ahead of his opponent and wins the race. But just before he crosses the finish line, Wildrider and Prowl crash into Dragstrip from the sky. Hot Shot rushes to help the hurt racer. Dragstrip doesn't appreciate the Autobot stopping the race just to help a fallen opponent, but Hot Shot points out that he did cross the goal already, even if his run ended in an accident. Hot Shot explains to Dragstrip that he had previously spurred help to win races, but that he was able to gain his first win with the help of his friends, just as Dragstrip had with his Stunticon comrades taking out the other racers (even if it's against the rules...).

Celebrations are interrupted when the ''Nemesis'' goes out of control and [[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] is called in to handle the wayward ship. To defend their ride, Motormaster transforms into [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] by himself prompting Dragstrip to declare that it's their duty to help their leader. The four Stunticons combine, finishing up G2 Menasor and allowing him access to all of their superpowers. With a ruby as lens, Menasor fells Metroplex with the Container Laser Cannon. Before the battle can continue, Jolt rushes to stop the commotion, explaining to the giant Autobot the Stunticons' purpose in this universe. He has talked with their [[Primus]], who has explained that such color changes have occurred both in the unvierse that existed "before this one was created," and also in the past of this universe, where they were brought on a dark fog generated by the power of [[Unicron#Unicron Trilogy|Unicron]], the dark god who was destroyed in the previous universe. The Stunticons recognize this Unicron as different from [[Unicron/Generation 1|the one they know]] and suppose that the dark fog must be a form of [[Angolmois Energy]]. The ''Nemesis'', revealing its erratic behavior as the result of the strange fog, crashes and a figure emerges from the spaceship. It reveals itself as Nemesis Prime! Looking from afar, [[Shockblast|a cycloptic figure]] is satisfied with this turn of events, noting that a giant [[energon star]] will reset this universe...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
|h1=[[Maximal]]s/[[Autobot]]s|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]] (1)
*[[Dark Amber Leo Prime]] (2)
*[[Blue Bolts (RID)|Bluebolt]] (3)
*''[[Ultra Magnus (RID)|God Magnus]]'' (4)
*''[[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]]'' (5)
*''[[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]]'' (6)
*''[[X-Brawn]]'' (7)
*''[[Superion (G1)|Superion]]'' (9)
*''[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (10)
*''[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]]'' (18)
*''[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'' (19)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (21)
*[[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (23)
*[[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]] (25)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (35)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (36)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (37)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (39)
*[[Chase (RB)|Chase]] (44)
*[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] (45)
*[[Blurr (G1)#2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]] (48)
*[[Windblade (Cyberverse)|Windblade]] (50)
*[[Signal Lancer (Cybertron)|Signal Lancer]] (51)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (52)
*''[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]]'' (53)
*''[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]]'' (54)
*''[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]]'' (55)
*''[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]]'' (56)
*''[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]]'' (57)
*''[[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]]'' (59)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'' (60)
*''[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'' (61)
*''[[Jetfire (SG)|Jetfire]] (64)
*''[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]'' (65)
*''[[Ancient]]s'' (66-69)
*[[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] (70)
*[[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]] (71)
*[[Longrack (Cybertron)|Longrack]] (73)
}}

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s/[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
{{collist|2|
*''[[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]'' (8)
*[[Untite]] (11)
*[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis/Nemesis Prime]] (12)

*''[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]'' (20)
*[[Runamuck (Cybertron)|Runamuck]] (22)
*"[[Runabout (Cybertron)|Runabout]]" (24)
*[[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]] (26)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (27)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Dark Crumplezone]] (28)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (29)
*[[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] (33)
*[[Wasp]] (38)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (40)
*[[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] (41)
*[[Shadow Striker (Cyberverse)|Shadow Striker]] (42)
*[[Lockdown (Cyberverse)|Lockdown]] (43)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (46)
*[[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] (47)
*[[Slipstream (Cyberverse)|Slipstream]] (49)
*''[[Tarn (G1)|Tarn]]'' (58)
*''[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (62)
*''[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'' (62)
*''[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]]'' (63)
*[[Crasher (GoBots)|Crasher]] (72)

*[[Shockblast]]? (75)}}

|h3=[[Stunticon (G1)|Stuncticons]]<br>(Maximals-framed-Decepticons)|c3=
*[[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] (13)
*[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (14)
*[[Drag Strip (G1)|Dragstrip]] (15)
*[[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (16)
*[[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] (17)
*[[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (74)

|c4=
*"[[Gasket Patrol Type|Gasket Patrol Type]]" officers (30)
*[[Relay Transformer]]s (31)
*"[[Chromia (Cybertron)|Chromia White Version]]" medic (32)
*[[Pit Transformer]] (34)
}}

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*This story makes extensive reference to the [[spontaneous recoloration|recurring phenomenon]] in ''Transformers'' stories that sees robots spontaneously change colour when they undergo a power-up. Examples Bluebolt gives are Lio Convoy's "Legendary Green Lion" transformation, originally acheived by uniting the power of his [[Energon Matrix]] with another in the ''[[Beast Wars II]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]'' cartoons, but later acheived by using Angolmois Energy in the [[Generations Selects Special Comic Finale]]; the [[Autobot Brothers|Car Robo Brothers]] acquiring their super modes from [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|God Magnus]]'s Energon Matrix, as seen in the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 cartoon)|Car Robots]]'' episode "[[Power to Burn!|Activate! Double Matrix]]"; and the various recolours that Transformers underwent during ''Generation 2'', which are here attributed to the power of [[forestonite]]. Though created for Japanese media—specifically the one-shot ''Generation 2'' manga "[[The New Battle!!]]—forestonite was never linked to recolouration or special powers in Japanese stories; that idea was a creation of the [[BotCon]] story "[[Generation 2: Redux]]."
*The [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] were shown to start their journey to find new energy sources in [[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|the previous chapter]]. That story also features the mentioned unification of the [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] population under the "Maximal" banner and the abolishment of the [[Convoy (rank)|Convoy]] system.
*A running gag throughout this story is the idea of Breakdown repeatedly leaking [[oil]], played as [[Humanization#Urination|a Transformer equivalent of pissing himself]]. This seems to be a callback to/misinterpretation of a scene in the Generation 1 episode "[[Masquerade]]," in which Breakdown sprang a leak while fleeing from the Autobots. But in the cartoon, Breakdown wasn't meant to be leaking ''oil''; he was meant to be leaking ''gasoline'', the result of a leaky fuel pump that he suffers from, mentioned in his original [[Bob Budiansky]]-written [[profile]]. But it's easy to see why Sakamoto would misinterpret the scene, as the episode gives no context for why or what Breakdown is leaking.
*The black hole encountered by the Stunticons is either based on, or is the same one featured in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]] episode "[[The Killing Jar (episode)|The Killing Jar]]." In that episode, the characters who travelled inside the black hole gained inverted colour schemes, which was indicated to be because the interior of the hole was a "negative universe," but here, it's explained that the effect was scaused by forestonite particles saturating the negaverse. Motormaster notes that the Transformers in "The Killing Jar" initially thought they were simply experiencing a malfunction in their "colour perceptors," directly referecing a line of dialogue from [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] in the episode.
*[[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] mentions the Stunticons participating in demolition derbies, as seen in the episode "[[Starscream's Brigade]]". Dragstrip notes he doesn't take part in races like that; "Starscream's Brigade" did indeed show him not joining his team-mates in the carnage, staying in robot mode and handling communications with the other Decepticons while his buddies tore up the road. This dynamic would also be seen in the ''[[Unite Warriors Offshot]]'' [[Today Is Us Stunticons' Annual Holiday Demolition Race!|chapter for Menasor]].
*[[Drag Strip (G1)|Dragstrip]] runs down the origins of the vehicles from which the Stunticons were built, as seen in the "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1]]", bragging about how he was the car driven by the racer known as [[Mueller]], and how Dead End was a getaway car beglonging to a pair of bank robbers. The episode did not show where the cars that became Wildrider or Breakdown came from; it is here revealed for the first time that Wildrider belonged to a gang of dangerous-driving delinquents, and that Breakdown was a "leaky jalopy that only looked good on the outside."
*Dragstrip notes that he's changed his name; his original [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] name was "Drag Stripe" (ドラッグストライプ). It's been changed to "Dragstrip" (ドラッグストリップ) to align with Hasbro nomenclature and the name the [[Drag Strip (G1)#Legacy|''Legacy'' toy]] is sold under in Japan. Menasor's name also changes in spelling (メナゾール to メナソー), but this goes unmentioned.
*The rift the Stunticons encounter in the black hole is based on the [[rift]] featured in the [[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|the ''Energon'' cartoon]], in which it linked the regular universe to [[Alpha Q's universe|Alpha Q's pocket universe]], introduced in "[[Ripped Up Space]]."
*The Stunticons emerge from the rift in the universe of the [[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|''Transformers: Cybertron'' cartoon]], on the planet [[Velocitron]], in an era some time after the end of the that series. [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] is now the planet's leader, after winning the [[Speedia 500]] in "[[Beginning]]", the final episode of the series; he's been reformatted since then from his [[Cybertron Defense Team (Cybertron)|Cybertron Defense Team]] body into his [[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys#LegacyCybertron|''Legacy United'' toy form]]. Also present are the planet's flying "[[Relay Transformer]]s" and a scanning [[Pit Transformer]] from "[[Race]]".
*The [[New Decepticon Army]] makes a reappearance, sans [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]], whose heart was never in the new group.
*Hot Shot uses his [[Cyber Key]], a power-up gimmick established in the ''Cybertron'' franchise.
*[[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] states that the new Space Bridge project set up in "Beginning" developed into a multiversal effort connecting different worlds, explaining the crossover of various characters in the previous "[[Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 1|Velocitron Speedia 500]]" comics, which are indicated to be set after the events of this story.
*[[Prowl (Animated)|''Animated'' Prowl]] is shown with an [[AllSpark]] fragment in his chest, explaining why he's alive when he died in in [[Endgame, Part II|the finale]] of ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]''. (Sakamoto previously did a similar thing for [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] in the [[Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|''Legends'' epilogue]].) [[Wasp]] is shown reverted to his original non-[[technorganic]] vehicular self and noted to be found innocent of his presumed crime, having been framed by [[Shockwave (Animated)|''Animated'' Shockwave]] in "[[Autoboot Camp]]". Wasp still has hard feelings towards [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] for believing the ruse.
*Following his death in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]] episode "[[Armada (episode)|Crossfire]]", [[Breakdown (WFC)|''Prime'' Breakdown]] was resurrected by [[Unicron]] and reunited with [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] during the ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' storyline. The pair are depicted as a couple, a common take on their relationship in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]].
*Wildrider and [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] are portrayed as friends, in reference to their appearance together in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]". The narration added to the Japanese dub of that episode erroneously claimed the two characters featured in the scene were the [[Battlecharger]]s, a mistake that is here, pretty bizarrely, patched over by having Wildrider state that he and Dead End once "switched bodies" with the Battlechargers.
*When Breakdown's oil slick sends Knock Out skidding off the road, he bemoans being "defeated like this again," referring to a similar experience he had in "[[Speed Metal]]".
*Though the ability was not mentioned again after its introduction, "The Key to Vector Sigma," Part 1, presented the Stunticons as being equipped with "anti-gravity generators" that allowed them to perform great leaps in vehicle mode. Wildrider's forestonite superpower is an enhanced version of this ability, allowing him to literally fly in vehicle mode. With this in mind, perhaps Dead End's new forestonite-endowed power to surroung himself with a flaming aura could be seen as an enhanced version of the Stunticons' ''other'' power introduced in that episode and never mentioned again: automatic force fields that make their hulls impenetrable.
*The presentation that [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] shows Motormaster is the documentary he and Bud were shown recording in "Beginning". The images on the screens are direct recreations of "talking head" interview segments seen in the episode, and show Override, Scourge, Leobreaker, Jetfire, and Thundercracker (hefting a girder, with a lopsided Autobot symbol pasted onto his chest). Jolt mentions that Bud is now "famous"; the closing credits of "Beginning" established that he'd grow up to be an award-winning director.
*The [[Ancient|originators of the first Space Bridge project]] from the ''Cybertron'' episode "[[Balance]]" are shown; they were visually based on [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]. [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] assumes that the "Optimus Prime" he sees is the same as the one he knows, but whether he's right is left unconfirmed.
*Upon recognising Optimus, Motormaster vows to show his old rival that he's "king of the road," a turn of phrase lifted directly from Motormaster's original Budiansky profile, and used in "Masquerade."
*The ruby that [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] pulls out is the same one (or one very like the one) that Motormaster stole in "Masquerade," in which was a key component needed for that episode's new Decepticon superweapon. Menasor specifically notes he's combining it with the "lens" in his cannon; an experimental laser lens was also a component of the weapon in "Masquerade".
*Jolt mentions talking to "Lord [[Primus]]", who was a centerpiece character of ''Cybertron'' and possessed Jolt himself in that cartoon to serve some exposition.
*The information Jolt has acquired from Primus regards the continuity issues of the [[Unicron Trilogy continuity family|Unicron Trilogy]] universe. Put briefly, the three installments of the trilogy, ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'', ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'', and ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' were ''meant'' by Hasbro and Takara toy designers to all be set in one connected universe, but in Japan, ''Galaxy Force'' wound up being produced by its TV staff as a new storyline, unconnected to the other two. English expanded universe media would try to retcon it back into continuity as best it could; Japanese sources have dithered on the matter. In this story, it is strongly intimated that the "universe that existed before" the world of ''Galaxy Force'' is the one in which ''Legends of the Microns'' and ''Super Link'' took place, and that that world "ended" or was "reset" somehow, creating the ''Galaxy Force'' universe.
*To wit: the "power that could change one's colour" in the previous universe was displayed various times, such as when the [[Mini-Con]]s powered-up several Transformers into their "Powerlinx" forms in the ''Armada'' episode "[[Puppet]]"; when the energy of Primus recoloured several Autobots in the ''Energon'' episode "[[Optimus Supreme]]"; or when [[Super Energon]] achieved the same effect on [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] and [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] in "[[Wishes]]."
*The "dark fog" incident took place in the ''Cybertron'' episode "[[Darkness (episode)|Darkness]]", in which a mysterious black fog saved Megatron from death, and was used to achieve various effects, including recolouring and powering-up Crumplezone into "Dark Crumplezone". The original Japanese version of this episode didn't connect the fog to Unicron (a result of the dark god's importance to the story of ''Cybertron'' being greatly minimized as part of the continuity split), but it would be mentioned in the booklet included with the tenth Japanese DVD of the series, and in the episode's English dub. A similar black foggy effect was also seen in the later episode "[[Fury (Cybertron)|Fury]]", when Megatron was recolour-power-upped into Galvatron; that wasn't explicitly a Unicron thing in either version, but it might be being lumped in with it here.
*That's probably a ''Cybertron''-universe incarnation of ''Energon'' [[Shockblast]] at the end of the story. (Shockblast was crushed to death by Unicron in the ''Energon'' episode "[[The Power of Unicron]]".) He notes that soon, "a giant Energon Star will reset this universe," which seems to call back to the formation of the [[Energon Sun]] in "[[The Sun]]", the final episode of ''Energon'', and suggests it may have been involved in the events that ended the ''Legends of the Microns''/''Super Link'' universe and created the ''Galaxy Force'' universe. The sun was also key to the approach English-language media took to its handling of the continuity discrepancies of the trilogy; there, stories from the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] established that the sun collapsed into a black hole that warped reality itself, creating the disparities between series.

===Transformers references===
*The first shot of the Stunticons on the bridge of the ''Nemesis'' (page 2, panel 2) is an homage to a 1985 illustration of the original ''Nemesis'' crew by [[Asao Takahashi]], published in [[Kodansha]]'s ''[[Transformers Super Encyclopedia]]''. The captain's chair has notably been updated from the original design seen in Takahashi's drawing to properly match the chair seen in [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|the first episode of the cartoon]].
*A white "virtual redeco" of [[Runamuck (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Runamuck]] is shown, completing the pair of [[Battlecharger]] homages.
*Velocitron's police force is made up of [[Gasket Patrol Type|officers]] based on Ransack's "[[Ransack (Cybertron)#Police|Gasket Patrol Type]]" toy exclusively released at [[Toys"R"Us]] Japan.
*Flatline's nurse assistant is based on Thunderblast's "[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)#Minerva|Chromia White Version]]" toy exclusive to the first printing of the ninth volume of [[Victor Entertainment]]'s ''Galaxy Force'' DVDs. Her status as a nurse is due to the fact that the deco was based on ''[[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce|Super-God Masterforce]]'' medic [[Minerva (human)|Minerva]]. This deco was previously used by Fun Publications for the new "[[Chromia (Cybertron)|Chromia]]" character and so we've elected to document the nurse on that page for simplicity.
*[[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] compliments the [[Legends World]]'s system of labeling universes as simple and understandable by kids, a soft rib against the complex [[universal stream]] terminology established by [[Fun Publications]]' ''[[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]]'' stories (and later utilized in ''[[Transformers: Alternity|Alternity]]'').
*''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' "[[Blurr (G1)|Comic Universe Blurr]]" is shown serving [[energon]] to ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]] from a [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] booth. In the [[2005 IDW continuity|2005-2018 IDW comic continuity]], Blurr was shown taking over the bar in [[A Better Tomorrow|''Robots in Disguise'' #5]]. The wrist-mounted "welder" accessory that came with the ''Legacy'' toy, based on a tool used by Blurr in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', is repurposed here as a drink-dispensing nozzle.
*The displays in Velocitron's shrine include views into other universes represented by then-recent toys: an [[2005 IDW continuity|IDW-esque]] universe, in which [[Tarn (G1)#Legacy|''Legacy'' Tarn]] faces off against [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Adamas Machina|''Adamas Machina'' Rodimus]], with a [[Cybertronian remembrance flower|spark flower]] visible between them; a ''[[Hearts of Steel]]''-style universe, where the ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#Timelines|Timelines]]'' toys based on that comic fight; and a ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' universe where [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (based on his 2013 [[Soundwave (SG)#SGSoundwave|''Shattered Glass'' "VSE" toy]]) confronts [[Optimus Prime (SG)#MPG|''MPG'' Optimus Prime]] and [[Jetfire (SG)#MPG|''MPG'' Jetfire]].
*Dragstrip's forestonite-granted power is called "[[Shadowstrip]]", the name given to Hasbro's 2022 ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' toy based on his ''Generation 2'' colouration.
*''[[Missing Link]]'' "Nemesis Prime" emerges from the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. Indeed, that toy's bio mentions that Nemesis Prime (not called "Black Convoy") is an incarnation of the ship's AI.
*It's hard to tell from him wearing a cloak, but (the person who seems to be) Shockblast may be drawn as a virtual redeco of the upcoming ''[[Studio Series]]'' toy of G1 [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Shockwave]].

===Real-world references===
*The group of [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]], and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] behave according to the trope established by the villainous Marjo's Gang trio in ''{{w|Time Bokan}}'', which went on to inspire many similar trios in later Japanese media.

===Other notes===
*Not an error per se, but in "The Killing Jar", both [[Marissa Faireborn]] and a [[Quintesson Scientist]]] also had their colors inverted by the negative universe. How this squares away with the others is unaddressed.
*''Cyberverse'' Shadow Striker has a verbal tic where she says "Shado" (シャド) while speaking, but this quirk does not appear to be present in the Japanese dub of ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|Cyberverse]]''.

==References==
*[https://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/products/tf_nl/nl-02-web-comic "Mystery of Speedia 500" at the TakaraTomy ''New Legends'' website]

[[Category:End of G1 Universe issues]]
[[Category:New Legends issues]]

Mystery of the Speedia 500

2026-04-18T11:41:07Z

Escargon: /* Continuity notes */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers New Legends]]''
|prev=Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)
|next=
|seriesissue2= ''[[The Transformers: End of G1 Universe|The Transformers:<br>End of G1 Universe]]''<br>Chapter Three
|prev2=
|next2=
|image=End of G1 Universe 03.jpg
|caption=
|title="Mystery of Speedia 500"
|japanese=スピーディア500の謎
|romaji=Speedia 500 no Nazo
|publisher=[[TakaraTomy]]
|story by=
|art by=
|packaged with=
|date=[[2026]] [[April 14]]
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]] and [[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Galaxy Force]] cartoon continuity
|manga=[[Hayato Sakamoto]]
|color=[[Tai Koshii]] (1, 2, 3, 8, 18p),<br>[[Gufu Kandagawa]] (4, 5, 6p),<br>[[Tasuku Tajima]] (7p),<br>[[Lebanon Sugi]] (9, 10, 21p),<br>[[Usakomu]] (11, 12, 13p),<br>[[Rakurai Tsunetaka]] (1, 14, 15, 16, 23p)<br>[[Ricken]] (17, 18p),<br>[[Yuki Ohshima]] (19, 20p),<br>[[DAI-XT]] (24p)
|editor=[[Kouji Nimura]]
|chronology=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon timeline#100,000+ years from now|The End]]
}}

'''Seeking a power source to save their universe, the Stunticons end up in a multiversal race.'''

==Synopsis==
Aboard [[Untite]]'s [[Orcanoch|ship]], [[Blue Bolts (RID)|Bluebolt]] explains to [[Dark Amber Leo Prime]] that [[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]]'s green color and his dark amber color is the result of exposure to righteous [[Angolmois Energy]] and malevolent Angolmois Energy, respectively, examples of the [[color changing]] phenomenon. Such color changes can come from all sorts of power ups, including those induced by [[Energon Matrix|Energon Matrices]] and [[forestonite]] during the G2 era. Forestonite has the same power as Energon Matrices, and this is why the veteran [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] have embarked on a journey to find more forestonite.

In the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the Stunticons find a [[black hole (phenomenon)|black hole]], intending to go through to the other side. [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]], ever pessimistic, doesn't mind the risk, what with the universe ending and all, while [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] relishes the thrill. [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], on the other end, is terrified and not very good at hiding it. [[Drag Strip (G1)|Dragstrip]], on the other hand, is frustrated because this kind of space exploration isn't for him. He was built to be number one in racing, and none of this stuff interests him. After he crosses the line in insulting the other Stunticons, [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] shuts down the whining, pointing out that they got this important job thanks to their record as a former scout squad, but get violent when the dismissive F-1 racer brings up his leader's rivalry with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Crossing into the black hole, the Stunticons and the ship are affected by the dimension's forestonite particles, inducing a G2-style color change in their bodies. In [[2010]], [[The Killing Jar|four Transformers had went into a black hole and experienced similar changes]], but did not investigate why then. Now it is realized that it was the result of the presence of forestonite. The Stunticons spot a rift that's pulling them in, and they willingly decide to enter.

On the other side, they find the planet [[Velocitron]] during one of its many races. In the race, the [[New Decepticon Army|New Decepticon Trio]] attempt to use their [[Rocket Car]] to interfere with the racing [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], but he manages to escape their clutches with [[Cyber Key]] power, and the three malicious doofuses end up crashing and arrested by [[Gasket Patrol Type|police]]. The scenario speaks to Dragstrip's inner soul as a racer. The Stunticons are brought before [[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]], who explains that Velocitron is now a destination of [[multiverse|multiversal]] travel since the denizens of this universe began the [[Space Bridge Project|Multiverse Space Bridge Project]]. Looking up their origin, Flatline determines the Stunticons to be from the [[G1 World]] during the G2 era and, despite Motormaster's protestations, impresses them into racers to help generate energy for the planet and marks them with the G2 Decepticon insginia. The doctor also gives them new livery to reflect their forestonite-granted abilities. When they're let go, Motormaster ignores the entire racing thing, wanting to get back to their actual goal, which upsets Dragstrip, who swears off the other Stunticons to race to his heart's content. Motormaster doesn't appreciate the insubordination and walks off on his own to complete their mission to save their universe. Dragstrip runs into Hot Shot, and the two gas each other up for the next race.

In the next [[Speedia 500]] race, many Transformers from different universes participate: [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and [[Wasp]] from the [[Animated World]]; [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] from the [[Prime World]]; [[Lockdown (Cyberverse)|Lockdown]] and [[Shadow Striker (Cyberverse)|Shadow Striker]] from the [[Cyberverse World]]; champion and leader of Velocitron, Hot Shot; and Dragstrip from the G1 World. The other three Stunticons survey the race's spectators, figuring that they're all from worlds in their post-war era and decide to join the race. Elsewhere, Motormaster, figuring he should learn about this universe's history, runs into the [[Mini-Con]] [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]], who offers to serve as Motormaster's guide.

The race begins and Breakdown manages to take out both Knock Out and the other Breakdown with his oil-leaking. Wildrider's swerving causes Wasp to peter out, and Prowl jumps on the reckless Stunticon, forcing both off the racetrack—Wildrider activates his anti-grav gear and the two career off into the sky. Dead End uses his fireball charge to rush through the Cyberverse racers, and Shadow Striker is forced to take care of a disassembled Lockdown.

In the "Shrine of Speedia", Jolt explains to Motormaster about his universe: after stopping the [[Unicron Singularity|Grand Black Hole]] that threatened their world, they began the [[Space Bridge Project|New Space Bridge Project]] to connect the scattered Transformer colonies. Motormaster, realizing that if this universe's denizens could save their world from destruction, the same could happen for the G1 World, is elated with hope. Jolt continues that the Space Bridge project developed into multiversal travel so that they could connect and collaborate with other universes. Motormaster speculates that his world could perhaps evacuate its population to those other worlds if needed. Spotting a display of the [[Ancient]]s who began the original [[Space Bridge Project]], Motormaster recognizes one of them as his rival on the road, [[Autobot]] [[Supreme Commander]] Optimus Prime!

In the race, Dead End continues careening out of control as a fireball. He muses that perhaps it's finally his time to go and thinks back to his good times with the other Stunticons before he's rescued by Breakdown. Their tearful conversation elicits applause from the crowd, and the two sit out the rest of the race. It's down to the final two racers—Hot Shot and Dragstrip—as they enter a tunnel. Hot Shot uses his Cyber Key power to speed ahead, but Dragstrip has a trick up his sleeve; using his G2 power of Shadowstrip of moving instantaneously in darkness, the Stunticon slips ahead of his opponent and wins the race. But just before he crosses the finish line, Wildrider and Prowl crash into Dragstrip from the sky. Hot Shot rushes to help the hurt racer. Dragstrip doesn't appreciate the Autobot stopping the race just to help a fallen opponent, but Hot Shot points out that he did cross the goal already, even if his run ended in an accident. Hot Shot explains to Dragstrip that he had previously spurred help to win races, but that he was able to gain his first win with the help of his friends, just as Dragstrip had with his Stunticon comrades taking out the other racers (even if it's against the rules...).

Celebrations are interrupted when the ''Nemesis'' goes out of control and [[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] is called in to handle the wayward ship. To defend their ride, Motormaster transforms into [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] by himself prompting Dragstrip to declare that it's their duty to help their leader. The four Stunticons combine, finishing up G2 Menasor and allowing him access to all of their superpowers. With a ruby as lens, Menasor fells Metroplex with the Container Laser Cannon. Before the battle can continue, Jolt rushes to stop the commotion, explaining to the giant Autobot the Stunticons' purpose in this universe. He has talked with their [[Primus]], who has explained that such color changes have occurred both in the unvierse that existed "before this one was created," and also in the past of this universe, where they were brought on a dark fog generated by the power of [[Unicron#Unicron Trilogy|Unicron]], the dark god who was destroyed in the previous universe. The Stunticons recognize this Unicron as different from [[Unicron/Generation 1|the one they know]] and suppose that the dark fog must be a form of [[Angolmois Energy]]. The ''Nemesis'', revealing its erratic behavior as the result of the strange fog, crashes and a figure emerges from the spaceship. It reveals itself as Nemesis Prime! Looking from afar, [[Shockblast|a cycloptic figure]] is satisfied with this turn of events, noting that a giant [[energon star]] will reset this universe...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
|h1=[[Maximal]]s/[[Autobot]]s|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]] (1)
*[[Dark Amber Leo Prime]] (2)
*[[Blue Bolts (RID)|Bluebolt]] (3)
*''[[Ultra Magnus (RID)|God Magnus]]'' (4)
*''[[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]]'' (5)
*''[[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]]'' (6)
*''[[X-Brawn]]'' (7)
*''[[Superion (G1)|Superion]]'' (9)
*''[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (10)
*''[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]]'' (18)
*''[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'' (19)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (21)
*[[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (23)
*[[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]] (25)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (35)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (36)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (37)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (39)
*[[Chase (RB)|Chase]] (44)
*[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] (45)
*[[Blurr (G1)#2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]] (48)
*[[Windblade (Cyberverse)|Windblade]] (50)
*[[Signal Lancer (Cybertron)|Signal Lancer]] (51)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (52)
*''[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]]'' (53)
*''[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]]'' (54)
*''[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]]'' (55)
*''[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]]'' (56)
*''[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]]'' (57)
*''[[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]]'' (59)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'' (60)
*''[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'' (61)
*''[[Jetfire (SG)|Jetfire]] (64)
*''[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]'' (65)
*''[[Ancient]]s'' (66-69)
*[[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] (70)
*[[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]] (71)
*[[Longrack (Cybertron)|Longrack]] (73)
}}

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s/[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
{{collist|2|
*''[[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]'' (8)
*[[Untite]] (11)
*[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis/Nemesis Prime]] (12)

*''[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]'' (20)
*[[Runamuck (Cybertron)|Runamuck]] (22)
*"[[Runabout (Cybertron)|Runabout]]" (24)
*[[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]] (26)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (27)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Dark Crumplezone]] (28)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (29)
*[[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] (33)
*[[Wasp]] (38)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (40)
*[[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] (41)
*[[Shadow Striker (Cyberverse)|Shadow Striker]] (42)
*[[Lockdown (Cyberverse)|Lockdown]] (43)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (46)
*[[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] (47)
*[[Slipstream (Cyberverse)|Slipstream]] (49)
*''[[Tarn (G1)|Tarn]]'' (58)
*''[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (62)
*''[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'' (62)
*''[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]]'' (63)
*[[Crasher (GoBots)|Crasher]] (72)

*[[Shockblast]]? (75)}}

|h3=[[Stunticon (G1)|Stuncticons]]<br>(Maximals-framed-Decepticons)|c3=
*[[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] (13)
*[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (14)
*[[Drag Strip (G1)|Dragstrip]] (15)
*[[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (16)
*[[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] (17)
*[[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (74)

|c4=
*"[[Gasket Patrol Type|Gasket Patrol Type]]" officers (30)
*[[Relay Transformer]]s (31)
*"[[Chromia (Cybertron)|Chromia White Version]]" medic (32)
*[[Pit Transformer]] (34)
}}

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*This story makes extensive reference to the [[spontaneous recoloration|recurring phenomenon]] in ''Transformers'' stories that sees robots spontaneously change colour when they undergo a power-up. Examples Bluebolt gives are Lio Convoy's "Legendary Green Lion" transformation, originally acheived by uniting the power of his [[Energon Matrix]] with another in the ''[[Beast Wars II]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]'' cartoons, but later acheived by using Angolmois Energy in the [[Generations Selects Special Comic Finale]]; the [[Autobot Brothers|Car Robo Brothers]] acquiring their super modes from [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|God Magnus]]'s Energon Matrix, as seen in the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 cartoon)|Car Robots]]'' episode "[[Power to Burn!|Activate! Double Matrix]]"; and the various recolours that Transformers underwent during ''Generation 2'', which are here attributed to the power of [[forestonite]]. Though created for Japanese media—specifically the one-shot ''Generation 2'' manga "[[The New Battle!!]]—forestonite was never linked to recolouration or special powers in Japanese stories; that idea was a creation of the [[BotCon]] story "[[Generation 2: Redux]]."
*The [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] were shown to start their journey to find new energy sources in [[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|the previous chapter]]. That story also features the mentioned unification of the [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] population under the "Maximal" banner and the abolishment of the [[Convoy (rank)|Convoy]] system.
*A running gag throughout this story is the idea of Breakdown repeatedly leaking [[oil]], played as [[Humanization#Urination|a Transformer equivalent of pissing himself]]. This seems to be a callback to/misinterpretation of a scene in the Generation 1 episode "[[Masquerade]]," in which Breakdown sprang a leak while fleeing from the Autobots. But in the cartoon, Breakdown wasn't meant to be leaking ''oil''; he was meant to be leaking ''gasoline'', the result of a leaky fuel pump that he suffers from, mentioned in his original [[Bob Budiansky]]-written [[profile]]. But it's easy to see why Sakamoto would misinterpret the scene, as the episode gives no context for why or what Breakdown is leaking.
*The black hole encountered by the Stunticons is either based on, or is the same one featured in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]] episode "[[The Killing Jar (episode)|The Killing Jar]]." In that episode, the characters who travelled inside the black hole gained inverted colour schemes, which was indicated to be because the interior of the hole was a "negative universe," but here, it's explained that the effect was scaused by forestonite particles saturating the negaverse. Motormaster notes that the Transformers in "The Killing Jar" initially thought they were simply experiencing a malfunction in their "colour perceptors," directly referecing a line of dialogue from [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] in the episode.
*[[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] mentions the Stunticons participating in demolition derbies, as seen in the episode "[[Starscream's Brigade]]". Dragstrip notes he doesn't take part in races like that; "Starscream's Brigade" did indeed show him not joining his team-mates in the carnage, staying in robot mode and handling communications with the other Decepticons while his buddies tore up the road. This dynamic would also be seen in the ''[[Unite Warriors Offshot]]'' [[Today Is Us Stunticons' Annual Holiday Demolition Race!|chapter for Menasor]].
*[[Drag Strip (G1)|Dragstrip]] runs down the origins of the vehicles from which the Stunticons were built, as seen in the "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1]]", bragging about how he was the car driven by the racer known as [[Mueller]], and how Dead End was a getaway car beglonging to a pair of bank robbers. The episode did not show where the cars that became Wildrider or Breakdown came from; it is here revealed for the first time that Wildrider belonged to a gang of dangerous-driving delinquents, and that Breakdown was a "leaky jalopy that only looked good on the outside."
*Dragstrip notes that he's changed his name; his original [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] name was "Drag Stripe" (ドラッグストライプ). It's been changed to "Dragstrip" (ドラッグストリップ) to align with Hasbro nomenclature and the name the [[Drag Strip (G1)#Legacy|''Legacy'' toy]] is sold under in Japan. Menasor's name also changes in spelling (メナゾール to メナソー), but this goes unmentioned.
*The rift the Stunticons encounter in the black hole is based on the [[rift]] featured in the [[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|the ''Energon'' cartoon]], in which it linked the regular universe to [[Alpha Q's universe|Alpha Q's pocket universe]], introduced in "[[Ripped Up Space]]."
*The Stunticons emerge from the rift in the universe of the [[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|''Transformers: Cybertron'' cartoon]], on the planet [[Velocitron]], in an era some time after the end of the that series. [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] is now the planet's leader, after winning the [[Speedia 500]] in "[[Beginning]]", the final episode of the series; he's been reformatted since then from his [[Cybertron Defense Team (Cybertron)|Cybertron Defense Team]] body into his [[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys#LegacyCybertron|''Legacy United'' toy form]]. Also present are the planet's flying "[[Relay Transformer]]s" and a scanning [[Pit Transformer]] from "[[Race]]".
*The [[New Decepticon Army]] makes a reappearance, sans [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]], whose heart was never in the new group.
*Hot Shot uses his [[Cyber Key]], a power-up gimmick established in the ''Cybertron'' franchise.
*[[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] states that the new Space Bridge project set up in "Beginning" developed into a multiversal effort connecting different worlds, explaining the crossover of various characters in the previous "[[Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 1|Velocitron Speedia 500]]" comics, which are indicated to be set after the events of this story.
*[[Prowl (Animated)|''Animated'' Prowl]] is shown with an [[AllSpark]] fragment in his chest, explaining why he's alive when he died in in [[Endgame, Part II|the finale]] of ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]''. (Sakamoto previously did a similar thing for [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] in the [[Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|''Legends'' epilogue]].) [[Wasp]] is shown reverted to his original non-[[technorganic]] vehicular self and noted to be found innocent of his presumed crime, having been framed by [[Shockwave (Animated)|''Animated'' Shockwave]] in "[[Autoboot Camp]]". Wasp still has hard feelings towards [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] for believing the ruse.
*Following his death in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]] episode "[[Armada (episode)|Crossfire]]", [[Breakdown (WFC)|''Prime'' Breakdown]] was resurrected by [[Unicron]] and reunited with [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] during the ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' storyline. The pair are depicted as a couple, a common take on their relationship in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]].
*Wildrider and [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] are portrayed as friends, in reference to their appearance together in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]". The narration added to the Japanese dub of that episode erroneously claimed the two characters featured in the scene were the [[Battlecharger]]s, a mistake that is here, pretty bizarrely, patched over by having Wildrider state that he and Dead End once "switched bodies" with the Battlechargers.
*When Breakdown's oil slick sends Knock Out skidding off the road, he bemoans being "defeated like this again," referring to a similar experience he had in "[[Speed Metal]]".
*Though the ability was not mentioned again after its introduction, "The Key to Vector Sigma," Part 1, presented the Stunticons as being equipped with "anti-gravity generators" that allowed them to perform great leaps in vehicle mode. Wildrider's forestonite superpower is an enhanced version of this ability, allowing him to literally fly in vehicle mode. With this in mind, perhaps Dead End's new forestonite-endowed power to surroung himself with a flaming aura could be seen as an enhanced version of the Stunticons' ''other'' power introduced in that episode and never mentioned again: automatic force fields that make their hulls impenetrable.
*The presentation that [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] shows Motormaster is the documentary he and Bud were shown recording in "Beginning". The images on the screens are direct recreations of "talking head" interview segments seen in the episode, and show Override, Scourge, Leobreaker, Jetfire, and Thundercracker (hefting a girder, with a lopsided Autobot symbol pasted onto his chest). Jolt mentions that Bud is now "famous"; the closing credits of "Beginning" established that he'd grow up to be an award-winning director.
*The [[Ancient|originators of the first Space Bridge project]] from the ''Cybertron'' episode "[[Balance]]" are shown; they were visually based on [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]. [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] assumes that the "Optimus Prime" he sees is the same as the one he knows, but whether he's right is left unconfirmed.
*Upon recognising Optimus, Motormaster vows to show his old rival that he's "king of the road," a turn of phrase lifted directly from Motormaster's original Budiansky profile, and used in "Masquerade."
*The ruby that [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] pulls out is the same one (or one very like the one) that Motormaster stole in "Masquerade," in which was a key component needed for that episode's new Decepticon superweapon. Menasor specifically notes he's combining it with the "lens" in his cannon; an experimental laser lens was also a component of the weapon in "Masquerade".
*Jolt mentions talking to "Lord [[Primus]]", who was a centerpiece character of ''Cybertron'' and possessed Jolt himself in that cartoon to serve some exposition.
*The information Jolt has acquired from Primus regards the continuity issues of the [[Unicron Trilogy continuity family|Unicron Trilogy]] universe. Put briefly, the three installments of the trilogy, ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'', ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'', and ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' were ''meant'' by Hasbro and Takara toy designers to all be set in one connected universe, but in Japan, ''Galaxy Force'' wound up being produced by its TV staff as a new storyline, unconnected to the other two. English expanded universe media would try to retcon it back into continuity as best it could; Japanese sources have dithered on the matter. In this story, it is strongly intimated that the "universe that existed before" the world of ''Galaxy Force'' is the one in which ''Legends of the Microns'' and ''Super Link'' took place, and that that world "ended" or was "reset" somehow, creating the ''Galaxy Force'' universe.
*To wit: the "power that could change one's colour" in the previous universe was displayed various times, such as when the [[Mini-Con]]s powered-up several Transformers into their "Powerlinx" forms in the ''Armada'' episode "[[Puppet]]"; when the energy of Primus recoloured several Autobots in the ''Energon'' episode "[[Optimus Supreme]]"; or when [[Super Energon]] achieved the same effect on [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] and [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] in "[[Wishes]]."
*The "dark fog" incident took place in the ''Cybertron'' episode "[[Darkness (episode)|Darkness]]", in which a mysterious black fog saved Megatron from death, and was used to achieve various effects, including recolouring and powering-up Crumplezone into "Dark Crumplezone". The original Japanese version of this episode didn't connect the fog to Unicron (a result of the dark god's importance to the story of ''Cybertron'' being greatly minimized as part of the continuity split), but it would be mentioned in the booklet included with the tenth Japanese DVD of the series, and in the episode's English dub. A similar black foggy effect was also seen in the later episode "[[Fury (Cybertron)|Fury]]", when Megatron was recolour-power-upped into Galvatron; that wasn't explicitly a Unicron thing in either version, but it might be being lumped in with it here.
*That's probably a ''Cybertron''-universe incarnation of ''Energon'' [[Shockblast]] at the end of the story. (Shockblast was crushed to death by Unicron in the ''Energon'' episode "[[The Power of Unicron]]".) He notes that soon, "a giant Energon Star will reset this universe," which seems to call back to the formation of the [[Energon Sun]] in "[[The Sun]]", the final episode of ''Energon'', and suggests it may have been involved in the events that ended the ''Legends of the Microns''/''Super Link'' universe and created the ''Galaxy Force'' universe. The sun was also key to the approach English-language media took to its handling of the continuity discrepancies of the trilogy; there, stories from the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] established that the sun collapsed into a black hole that warped reality itself, creating the disparities between series.

===Transformers references===
*The first shot of the Stunticons on the bridge of the ''Nemesis'' (page 2, panel 2) is an homage to a 1985 illustration of the original ''Nemesis'' crew by [[Asao Takahashi]], published in [[Kodansha]]'s ''[[Transformers Super Encyclopedia]]''. The captain's chair has notably been updated from the original design seen in Takahashi's drawing to properly match the chair seen in [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|the first episode of the cartoon]].
*A white "virtual redeco" of [[Runamuck (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Runamuck]] is shown, completing the pair of [[Battlecharger]] homages.
*Velocitron's police force is made up of [[Gasket Patrol Type|officers]] based on Ransack's "[[Ransack (Cybertron)#Police|Gasket Patrol Type]]" toy exclusively released at [[Toys"R"Us]] Japan.
*Flatline's nurse assistant is based on Thunderblast's "[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)#Minerva|Chromia White Version]]" toy exclusive to the first printing of the ninth volume of [[Victor Entertainment]]'s ''Galaxy Force'' DVDs. Her status as a nurse is due to the fact that the deco was based on ''[[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce|Super-God Masterforce]]'' medic [[Minerva (human)|Minerva]]. This deco was previously used by Fun Publications for the new "[[Chromia (Cybertron)|Chromia]]" character and so we've elected to document the nurse on that page for simplicity.
*[[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] compliments the [[Legends World]]'s system of labeling universes as simple and understandable by kids, a soft rib against the complex [[universal stream]] terminology established by [[Fun Publications]]' ''[[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]]'' stories (and later utilized in ''[[Transformers: Alternity|Alternity]]'').
*''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' "[[Blurr (G1)|Comic Universe Blurr]]" is shown serving [[energon]] to ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]] from a [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] booth. In the [[2005 IDW continuity|2005-2018 IDW comic continuity]], Blurr was shown taking over the bar in [[A Better Tomorrow|''Robots in Disguise'' #5]]. The wrist-mounted "welder" accessory that came with the ''Legacy'' toy, based on a tool used by Blurr in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', is repurposed here as a drink-dispensing nozzle.
*The displays in Velocitron's shrine include views into other universes represented by then-recent toys: an [[2005 IDW continuity|IDW-esque]] universe, in which [[Tarn (G1)#Legacy|''Legacy'' Tarn]] faces off against [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Adamas Machina|''Adamas Machina'' Rodimus]], with a [[Cybertronian remembrance flower|spark flower]] visible between them; a ''[[Hearts of Steel]]''-style universe, where the ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#Timelines|Timelines]]'' toys based on that comic fight; and a ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' universe where [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (based on his 2013 [[Soundwave (SG)#SGSoundwave|''Shattered Glass'' "VSE" toy]]) confronts [[Optimus Prime (SG)#MPG|''MPG'' Optimus Prime]] and [[Jetfire (SG)#MPG|''MPG'' Jetfire]].
*Dragstrip's forestonite-granted power is called "[[Shadowstrip]]", the name given to Hasbro's 2022 ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' toy based on his ''Generation 2'' colouration.
*''[[Missing Link]]'' "Nemesis Prime" emerges from the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. Indeed, that toy's bio mentions that Nemesis Prime (not called "Black Convoy") is an incarnation of the ship's AI.
*It's hard to tell from him wearing a cloak, but (the person who seems to be) Shockblast may be drawn as a virtual redeco of the upcoming ''[[Studio Series]]'' toy of G1 [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Shockwave]].

===Real-world references===
*The group of [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]], and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] behave according to the trope established by the villainous Marjo's Gang trio in ''{{w|Time Bokan}}'', which went on to inspire many similar trios in later Japanese media.

===Other notes===
*Not an error per se, but in "The Killing Jar", [[Marissa Faireborn]] also had her colors inverted by the negative universe.
*''Cyberverse'' Shadow Striker has a verbal tic where she says "Shado" (シャド) while speaking, but this quirk does not appear to be present in the Japanese dub of ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|Cyberverse]]''.

==References==
*[https://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/products/tf_nl/nl-02-web-comic "Mystery of Speedia 500" at the TakaraTomy ''New Legends'' website]

[[Category:End of G1 Universe issues]]
[[Category:New Legends issues]]

Mystery of the Speedia 500

2026-04-14T23:44:15Z

Escargon: /* Other notes */ I'd feel remiss if we didn't point this out.

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers New Legends]]''
|prev=Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)
|next=
|seriesissue2= ''[[The Transformers: End of G1 Universe|The Transformers:<br>End of G1 Universe]]''<br>Chapter Three
|prev2=
|next2=
|image=End of G1 Universe 03.jpg
|caption=
|title="Mystery of Speedia 500"
|japanese=スピーディア500の謎
|romaji=Speedia 500 no Nazo
|publisher=[[TakaraTomy]]
|story by=
|art by=
|packaged with=
|date=[[2026]] [[April 14]]
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]] and Micron Trilogy cartoon continuity
|manga=[[Hayato Sakamoto]]
|color=[[Tai Koshii]] (1, 2, 3, 8, 18p),<br>[[Gufu Kandagawa]] (4, 5, 6p),<br>[[Tasuku Tajima]] (7p),<br>[[Lebanon Sugi]] (9, 10, 21p),<br>[[Usakomu]] (11, 12, 13p),<br>[[Rakurai Tsunetaka]] (1, 14, 15, 16, 23p)<br>[[Ricken]] (17, 18p),<br>[[Yuki Ohshima]] (19, 20p),<br>[[DAI-XT]] (24p)
|editor=[[Kouji Nimura]]
|chronology=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon timeline#100,000+ years from now|The End]]
}}

'''Seeking a power source to save their universe, the Stunticons end up in a multiversal race.'''

==Synopsis==
Aboard [[Untite]]'s [[Orcanoch|ship]], [[Blue Bolts (RID)|Bluebolt]] explains to [[Dark Amber Leo Prime]] that [[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]]'s green color and his dark amber color is the result of exposure to righteous [[Angolmois Energy]] and malevolent Angolmois Energy, respectively, examples of the [[color changing]] phenomenon. Such color changes can come from all sorts of power ups, including those induced by [[Energon Matrix|Energon Matrices]] and [[forestonite]] during the G2 era. Forestonite has the same power as Energon Matrices, and this is why the veteran [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] have embarked on a journey to find more forestonite.

In the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the Stunticons find a [[black hole (phenomenon)|black hole]], intending to go through to the other side. [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]], ever pessimistic, doesn't mind the risk, what with the universe ending and all, while [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] relishes the thrill. [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], on the other end, is terrified and not very good at hiding it. [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]], on the other hand, is frustrated because this kind of space exploration isn't for him. He was built to be number one in racing, and none of this stuff interests him. After he crosses the line in insulting the other Stunticons, [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] shuts down the whining, pointing out that they got this important job thanks to their record as a former scout squad, but get violent when the dismissive F-1 racer brings up his leader's rivalry with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Crossing into the black hole, the Stunticons and the ship are affected by the dimension's forestonite particles, inducing a G2-style color change in their bodies. In [[2010]], [[The Killing Jar|four Transformers had went into a black hole and experienced similar changes]], but did not investigate why then. Now it is realized that it was the result of the presence of forestonite. The Stunticons spot a rift that's pulling them in, and they willingly decide to enter.

On the other side, they find the planet [[Velocitron]] during one of its many races. In the race, the [[New Decepticon Army]] attempts to use their [[rocket car]] to interfere with the racing [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], but he manages to escape their clutches with [[Cyber Key]] power, and the trio of malicious doofuses end up crashing and arrested by [[Gasket Police Type|police]]. The scenario speaks to Drag Strip's inner soul as a racer. The Stunticons are brought before [[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]], who explains that Velocitron is now a destination of [[multiverse|multiversal]] travel since the denizens of this universe began the [[Space Bridge Initiative|Multiverse Space Bridge Initiative]]. Looking up their origin, Flatline determines the Stunticons to be from the [[G1 World]] during the G2 era and, despite Motormaster's protestations, impresses them into racers to help generate energy for the planet and marks them with the G2 Decepticon insginia. The doctor also gives them new livery to reflect their forestonite-granted abilities. When they're let go, Motormaster ignores the entire racing thing, wanting to get back to their actual goal, which upsets Drag Strip, who swears off the other Stunticons to race to his heart's content. Motormaster doesn't appreciate the insubordination and walks off on his own to complete their mission to save their universe. Drag Strip runs into Hot Shot, and the two gas each other up for the next race.

In the next [[Speedia 500]] race, many Transformers from different universes participate: [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and [[Wasp]] from the [[Animated World]]; [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] from the [[Prime World]]; [[Lockdown (Cyberverse)|Lockdown]] and [[Shadow Striker (Cyberverse)|Shadow Striker]] from the [[Cyberverse World]]; champion and leader of Velocitron, Hot Shot; and Drag strip from the G1 World. The other three Stunticons survey the race's spectators, figuring that they're all from worlds in their post-war era and decide to join the race. Elsewhere, Motormaster, figuring he should learn about this universe's history, runs into the [[Mini-Con]] [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]], who offers to serve as Motormaster's guide.

The race begins and Breakdown manages to take out both Knock Out and the other Breakdown with his oil-leaking. Wildrider's swerving causes Wasp to peter out, and Prowl jumps on the reckless Stunticon, forcing both off the racetrack—Wildrider activates his anti-grav gear and the two career off into the sky. Dead End uses his fireball charge to rush through the Cyberverse racers, and Shadow Striker is forced to take care of a disassembled Lockdown.

In the "Shrine of Speedia", Jolt explains to Motormaster about his universe: after stopping the [[Unicron Singularity|Grand Black Hole]] that threatened their world, they began the [[Space Bridge Initiative|New Space Bridge Initiative]] to connect the scattered Transformer colonies. Motormaster, realizing that if this universe's denizens could save their world from destruction, the same could happen for the G1 World, is elated with hope. Jolt continues that the Space Bridge project developed into multiversal travel so that they could connect and collaborate with other universes. Motormaster speculates that his world could perhaps evacuate its population to those other worlds if needed. Spotting a display of the [[Ancient]]s who began the original [[Space Bridge Initiative]], Motormaster recognizes one of them as his rival on the road, [[Autobot]] [[Supreme Commander]] Optimus Prime!

In the race, Dead End continues careening out of control as a fireball. He muses that perhaps it's finally his time to go and thinks back to his good times with the other Stunticons before he's rescued by Breakdown. Their tearful conversation elicits applause from the crowd, and the two sit out the rest of the race. It's down to the final two racers—Hot Shot and Drag Strip—as they enter a tunnel. Hot Shot uses his Cyber Key power to speed ahead, but Drag Strip has a trick up his sleeve; using his G2 power of Shadowstrip of moving instantaneously in darkness, the Stunticon slips ahead of his opponent and wins the race. But just before he cross the finish line, Wildrider and Prowl crash into Drag Strip from the sky. Hot Shot rushes to help the hurt racer. Drag Strip doesn't appreciate the Autobot stopping the race just to help a fallen opponent, but Hot Shot points out that he did cross the goal already, even if his run ended in an accident. Hot Shot explains to Drag Strip that he had previously spurred help to win races, but that he was able to gain his first win with the help of his friends, just as Drag Strip had with his Stunticon comrades taking out the other racers (even if it's against the rules...).

Celebrations are interrupted when the ''Nemesis'' goes out of control and [[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] is called in to handle the wayward ship. To defend their ride, Motormaster transforms into [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] by himself prompting Drag Strip to declare that it's their duty to help their leader. The four Stunticons combine, finishing up G2 Menasor and allowing him access to all of their superpowers. With a ruby as lens, Menasor fells Metroplex with the Container Laser Cannon. Before the battle can continue, Jolt rushes to stop the commotion, explaining to the giant Autobot the Stunticons' purpose in this universe. He has talked with their [[Primus]], who has explained that such color changes have occurred both in the unvierse that existed "before this one was created," and also in the past of this universe, where they were brought on a dark fog generated by the power of [[Unicron#Unicron Trilogy|Unicron]], the dark god who was destroyed in the previous universe. The Stunticons recognize this Unicron as different from [[Unicron/Generation 1|the one they know]] and suppose that the dark fog must be a form of [[Angolmois Energy]]. The ''Nemesis'', revealing its erratic behavior as the result of strange fog, crashes and a figure emerges from the spaceship. It reveals itself as Nemesis Prime! Looking from afar, [[Shockblast|a cycloptic figure]] is satisfied with this turn of events, noting that a giant [[energon star]] will reset this universe...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
|h1=[[Maximal]]s/[[Autobot]]s|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]] (1)
*[[Dark Amber Leo Prime]] (2)
*[[Blue Bolts (RID)|Bluebolt]] (3)
*''[[Ultra Magnus (RID)|God Magnus]]'' (4)
*''[[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]]'' (5)
*''[[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]]'' (6)
*''[[X-Brawn]]'' (7)
*''[[Superion (G1)|Superion]]'' (9)
*''[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (10)
*''[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]]'' (18)
*''[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'' (19)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (21)
*[[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (23)
*[[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]] (25)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (35)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (36)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (37)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (39)
*[[Chase (RB)|Chase]] (44)
*[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] (45)
*[[Blurr (G1)#2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]] (48)
*[[Windblade (Cyberverse)|Windblade]] (50)
*[[Signal Lancer (Cybertron)|Signal Lancer]] (51)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (52)
*''[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]]'' (53)
*''[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]]'' (54)
*''[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]]'' (55)
*''[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]]'' (56)
*''[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]]'' (57)
*''[[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]]'' (59)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'' (60)
*''[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'' (61)
*''[[Jetfire (SG)|Jetfire]] (64)
*''[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]'' (65)
*''[[Ancient]]s'' (66-69)
*[[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] (70)
*[[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]] (71)
*[[Longrack (Cybertron)|Longrack]] (73)
}}

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s/[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
{{collist|2|
*''[[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]'' (8)
*[[Untite]] (11)
*[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]] / [[Nemesis Prime (G1)#Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Nemesis Prime]] (12)
*[[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] (13)
*[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (14)
*[[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] (15)
*[[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (16)
*[[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] (17)
*''[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]'' (20)
*[[Runamuck (Cybertron)|Runamuck]] (22)
*"[[Runabout (Cybertron)|Runabout]]" (24)
*[[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]] (26)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (27)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Dark Crumplezone]] (28)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (29)
*[[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] (33)
*[[Wasp]] (38)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (40)
*[[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] (41)
*[[Shadow Striker (Cyberverse)|Shadow Striker]] (42)
*[[Lockdown (Cyberverse)|Lockdown]] (43)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (46)
*[[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] (47)
*[[Slipstream (Cyberverse)|Slipstream]] (49)
*''[[Tarn (G1)|Tarn]]'' (58)
*''[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (62)
*''[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'' (62)
*''[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]]'' (63)
*[[Crasher (GoBots)|Crasher]] (72)
*[[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (74)
*[[Shockblast]]? (75)}}

|c4=
*"[[Gasket Patrol Type|Gasket Patrol Type]]" officers (30)
*[[Velocitronian race announcer]]s (31)
*"[[Chromia (Cybertron)|Chromia White Version]]" medic (32)
*Scanning computer (34)
}}

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*This story makes extensive reference to the [[spontaneous recoloration|recurring phenomenon]] in ''Transformers'' stories that sees robots spontaneously change colour when they undergo a power-up. Examples Bluebolt gives are the [[Autobot Brothers|Car Robo Brothers]] acquiring their super modes from [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|God Magnus]]'s [[Energon Matrix]] (as seen in the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' episode "[[Power to Burn!]]") and various recolours that Transformers underwent during ''Generation 2'', which are explained to be the result of [[forestonite]]. Though a creation of Japanese media—specifically the one-shot ''Generation 2'' manga "[[The New Battle!!]]—forestonite was never linked to recolouration or special powers in Japanese media; the idea was a creation of the [[BotCon]] story "[[Generation 2: Redux]]."
*The [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] were shown to start their journey to find new energy sources in [[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|the previous chapter]]. That story also features the mentioned unification of the [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] population under the "Maximal" banner and the abolishment of the [[Convoy (rank)|Convoy]] system.
*The black hole encountered by the Stunticons is either based on, or is the same one featured in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]] episode "[[The Killing Jar (episode)|The Killing Jar]]." In that episode, the characters who travelled inside the black hole gained inverted colour schemes, which was indicated to be because the interior of the hole was a "negative universe," but here, it's explained that the effect was scaused by forestonite particles saturating the negaverse. Motormaster notes that the Transformers in "The Killing Jar" initially thought they were simply experiencing a malfunction in their "colour perceptors," directly referecing a line of dialogue from [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] in the episode.
*[[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] mentions the Stunticons participating in demolition derbies, as seen in the episode "[[Starscream's Brigade]]." Drag Strip notes he doesn't take part in races like that; "Starscream's Brigade" did indeed show him not joining his team-mates in the carnage, staying in robot mode and handling communications with the other Decepticons while his buddies tore up the road.
*[[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] runs down the origins of the vehicles from which the Stunticons were built, as seen in the "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1]]," bragging about how he was the car driven by the racer known as [[Mueller]], and how Dead End was a pair of bank robbers' getaway car. The episode did not show where the cars that became Wildrider or Breakdown came from; it is here revealed for the first time that Wildrider belonged to a gang of dangerous-driving delinquents, and that Breakdown was a "leaky jalopy that only looked good on the outside."
*Drag Strip notes that he's changed his name; his original [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] name was "Drag Stripe" (ドラッグストライプ). It's been changed to "Drag Strip" (ドラッグストリップ) to align with Hasbro nomenclature and the name the [[Drag Strip (G1)#Legacy|''Legacy'' toy]] is sold under in Japan. Menasor's name also changes in spelling (メナゾール to メナソー), but this goes unmentioned.
*The rift the Stunticons encounter in the black hole is based on the [[rift]] featured in the [[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|the ''Energon'' cartoon]], in which it linked the regular universe to [[Alpha Q's universe|Alpha Q's pocket universe]], introduced in "[[Ripped Up Space]]."
*The Stunticons emerge from the rift in the universe of [[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|the ''Transformers: Cybertron'' cartoon]], on the planet [[Velocitron]], in an era some time after the end of the that series. [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] is now the planet's leader, after winning the [[Speedia 500]] in "[[Beginning]]", the final episode of the series. Also present are the planet's flying race announcers and a scanning computer from "[[Race]]".
*The [[New Decepticon Army]] makes a reappearance, sans [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]], whose heart was never in the new group.
*Hot Shot uses his [[Cyber Key]], a power-up gimmick established in the ''Cybertron'' franchise.
*[[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] states that the new Space Bridge project set up in "Beginning" developed into a multiversal effort connecting different worlds, explaining the crossover of various characters in the previous "[[Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 1|Velocitron Speedia 500]]" comics, which are indicated to be set after the events of this story.
*[[Prowl (Animated)|''Animated'' Prowl]] is shown with an [[AllSpark]] fragment in his chest, explaining why he's alive when he died in in [[Endgame, Part II|the finale]] of ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]''. [[Wasp]] is shown reverted to his original non-[[technorganic]] self and noted to be found innocent of his presumed crime, having been framed by [[Shockwave (Animated)|''Animated'' Shockwave]] in "[[Autoboot Camp]]". Wasp still has hard feelings towards [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] for believing the ruse.
*''Prime'' [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] are shown as a couple, a common take on their relationship in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]]. Knock Out bemoans being foiled by [[oil]] again, referring to a similar experience in "[[Speed Metal]]".
*Wildrider and [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] are portrayed as friends, in reference to their appearance together in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]". The narration added to the Japanese dub of that episode erroneously claimed the two characters featured in the scene were the [[Battlecharger]]s, a mistake that is here, pretty bizarrely, patched over by having Wildrider state that he and Dead End once "switched bodies" with the Battlechargers.
*The presentation that [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] shows Motormaster is the documentary he and Bud were shown recording in "Beginning." The images of the screens are direct recreations of "talking head" interview segments seen in the episode, and show Override, Scourge, Leobreaker, and Thundercracker (hefting a girder, with a lopsided Autobot symbol pasted onto his chest). Jolt mentions that Bud is now "famous"; the closing credits of "Beginning" established that he'd grow up to be an award-winning director.
*The [[Ancient|originators of the first Space Bridge project]] from the ''Cybertron'' cartoon are shown; they were visually based on [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]. [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] assumes that the "Optimus Prime" he sees is the same as the one he knows, but whether he's right is left unconfirmed.
*The ruby that [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] pulls out is the same one (or one very like the one) that Motormaster stole in the Generation 1 episode "[[Masquerade]]," in which was a key component needed for that episode's new Decepticon superweapon. Menasor specifically notes he's combining it with the "lens" in his cannon; an experimental laser lens was also a component of the weapon in "Masquerade."
*Jolt mentions talking to "Lord [[Primus]]", who was a centerpiece character of ''Cybertron'' and possessed Jolt himself in that cartoon to serve some exposition.
*The information Jolt has acquired from Primus regards the continuity issues of the [[Unicron Trilogy continuity family|Unicron Trilogy]] universe. Put briefly, the three components of the trilogy, ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'', ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'', and ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' were ''meant'' to all be set in one connected universe, but in Japan, ''Cybertron'' wound up being produced as a new series, unconnected to the other two. English media would try to retcon it back into continuity as best it could; Japanese sources have dithered on the matter. In this story, it is strongly intimated that the "universe that existed before" the world of ''Cybertron'' is the one in which ''Armada'' and ''Energon'' took place, and that that world "ended" or was "reset" somehow, creating the ''Cybertron'' universe.
*To wit: the "power that could change one's colour" in the previous universe was displayed various times, such as when the [[Mini-Con]]s powered-up several Transformers into their "Powerlinx" forms in the ''Armada'' episode "[[Puppet]]"; when the energy of Primus recoloured several Autobots in the ''Energon'' episode "[[Optimus Supreme]]"; or when [[Super Energon]] achieved the same effect on [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] and [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] in "[[Wishes]]."
*The "dark fog" incident took place in the ''Cybertron'' episode "[[Darkness (episode)|Darkness]]," in which a mysterious black fog saved Megatron from death, and was used to achieve various effects, including recolouring and powering-up Crumplezone into "Dark Crumplezone." The Japanese version of the episode did not link this fog to Unicron, as a result of the dark god's importance to the story of ''Cybertron'' being greatly minimized as part of the continuity split; the connection between the two was established by the English version. A similar black foggy effect was also seen in the later episode "[[Fury (Cybertron)|Fury]]," when Megatron was recolour-power-upped into Galvatron; that wasn't explicitly a Unicron thing in either version, but it might be been lumped in with it here.
*That's probably a ''Cybertron''-universe incarnation of ''Energon'' [[Shockblast (Energon)|Shockblast]] at the end of the story. He notes that soon, "a giant Energon Star will reset this universe," which seems to call back to the formation of the [[Energon Sun]] in "[[The Sun]]," the final episode of ''Energon,'' and suggests it may have been involved in the events that ended the ''Armada/Energon'' universe and created the ''Cybertron'' universe. The sun was also key to the approach English-language media took to its handling of the continuity discrepancies of the trilogy; there, stories from the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] established that the sun collapsed into a black hole that warped reality itself, creating the disparities between series.

===Transformers references===
*A white "virtual redeco" of [[Runamuck (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Runamuck]] is shown, completing the pair of [[Battlecharger]] homages.
*Velocitron's police force is made up of [[Gasket Patrol Type|officers]] based on Ransack's "[[Ransack (Cybertron)#Police|Gasket Patrol Type]]" toy exclusive to [[Toys"R"Us]].
*Flatline's nurse assistant is based on Thunderblast's "[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)#Minerva|Chromia White Version]]" toy exclusive to the first printing of the ninth volume of [[Victor Entertainment]]'s ''Galaxy Force'' DVDs. Her status as a nurse is due to the fact that the deco was based on ''[[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce|Super-God Masterforce]]'' medic [[Minerva (human)|Minerva]]. This deco was previously used for the new "[[Chromia (Cybertron)|Chromia]]" character and so we've elected to put the nurse on that page for simplicity.
*[[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] compliments the [[Legends World]]'s system of labeling universes as simple and understandable by kids, a soft rib against the complex [[universal stream]] terminology established by [[Fun Publications]]' ''[[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]]'' stories (and later utilized in ''[[Transformers: Alternity|Alternity]]'').
*"''Legacy'' [[Blurr (G1)|Comic Universe Blurr]]" is shown serving [[energon]] to [[Blurr (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Blurr]] from a [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] booth.
*The displays in Velocitron's shrine include views into other universes represented by then-recent toys: an [[2005 IDW continuity|IDW-esque]] universe, in which [[Tarn (G1)#Legacy|''Legacy'' Tarn]] faces off against [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Adamas Machina|''Adamas Machina'' Rodimus]], with a [[Cybertronian remembrance flower|spark flower]] visible between them; a ''[[Hearts of Steel]]''-style universe, where the ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#Timelines|Timelines]]'' toys based on that comic fight; and a ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' universe where [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] confronts [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Jetfire (SG)|Jetfire]].
*Drag Strip's forestonite-granted power is called "[[Shadowstrip]]", the name given to Hasbro's 2022 ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' toy based on his ''Generation 2'' colouration.
*''[[Missing Link]]'' "Nemesis Prime" emerges from the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. Indeed, that toy's bio mentions that Nemesis Prime is an incarnation of the ship's AI.

===Real-world references===
*The group of [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]], and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] behave according to the trope established by the villainous Marjo's Gang trio in ''{{w|Time Bokan}}'', which went on to inspire many similar trios in later Japanese media.

===Other notes===
*Not an error per se, but in "The Killing Jar", [[Marissa Faireborn]] also had her colors inverted by the negative universe.

==References==
*[https://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/products/tf_nl/nl-02-web-comic "Mystery of Speedia 500" at the TakaraTomy ''New Legends'' website]

[[Category:End of G1 Universe issues]]
[[Category:New Legends issues]]

Talk:Mystery of the Speedia 500

2026-04-14T13:44:17Z

Escargon:

Flying blue guys who look like Safeguard are announcers who are seen during the race arc before being replaced by Buzzsaw about halfway through, while the computer thing with Flatline is a computer Override uses to test her speed; I think it’s in the episode where the rest of the Autobots arrive on Velocitron. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 09:29, 14 April 2026 (EDT)
: Also, the white and black cars in the first Velocitron scene are Runamuck and Runabout (based on the Cybertron version of Runamuck), while the unidentified Autobot on the screen is Leobreaker. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 09:35, 14 April 2026 (EDT)
:: One final though…the green eye and green barrel on “Shockwave” suggest Energon Shockblast to me. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 09:44, 14 April 2026 (EDT)

Talk:Mystery of the Speedia 500

2026-04-14T13:35:29Z

Escargon:

Talk:Mystery of the Speedia 500

2026-04-14T13:29:35Z

Escargon: Created page with "Flying blue guys who look like Safeguard are announcers who are seen during the race arc before being replaced by Buzzsaw about halfway through, while the computer thing with ..."

Blitzwing Bop

2026-04-12T13:32:25Z

Escargon: /* Real-world references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|prev=Eye in the Sky
|next=At Fight's End
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]''
|next2=Transhuman
|image=Blitzwingbop.jpg
|caption=Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go!
|title="Blitzwing Bop"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[November 17]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Chad Porter]]
|cover=[[Chad Porter]]
|pagecount=35pp
|chronology=[[Shattered Glass timeline|Current era (2009)]]
|continuity=[[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Blitzwing inadvertently becomes a musical countdown, and not the kind that sounds like Bluestreak.'''

==Synopsis==
In the asteroid belt, an alien vessel listens to the outpouring of signals coming from [[Earth]]. Reports of the heroic Decepticons and evil Autobots dominate the signal, and when the vessel comes across one specific report, it begins its journey to the small blue world. And on that small blue world below, [[Will Hayes|Will]] is preforming maintenance on his Decepticon friend, the triple-changer [[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]]. In the process of installing an [[oPod]] into the Decepticon, Will attempts to ask about [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], but Blitzwing shows far more interest in Earth, his home having been a wasteland for a long time. Finishing up, the two go cruising, with Will trying to explain his interest in music to an uninterested Blitzwing. Meanwhile, in a small canyon nearby, the Autobot’s second-in-command [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] has begun a project under [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus Prime]]’s nose, having with [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] and [[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]] create a [[stellar spanner]] with which to return to Cybertron. Goldbug attempts to use Side Burn as a test subject, but the odd Autobot weasels his way out of possibly getting stuck in space, pointing out that they’ll need him to fix it in case of any troubles. Meanwhile, on the road above, a bored Blitzwing notices a massive Autobot tech signature coming out of the canyon. Calling [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]], Blitzwing asks for back-up; with most of the Decepticons in [[Antarctica]] fishing out [[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]], they can only spare one soldier, and [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] is sent to help his comrade. Soon arriving at the canyon, the two watch the Autobots. Heatwave recognizes the stellar spanner’s purpose, and although he doubts Wheeljack could make it work, he is excited to go down and talk to it, ignoring Blitzwing’s protests. Heatwave nearly manages to sneak up on them, but trips on sandstone boulder, sending him toppling to the ground and causing the Autobots to notice him; recognizing the opportunity, Goldbug orders the others to kidnap the Decepticon so that he can use him as a test subject. Quickly transforming into vehicle mode, Heatwave’s missiles send Side Burn flying back, nearly ripping the Autobot in half. Unfortunately, the other Autobots grab onto Heatwave’s turret and force him to transform, binding up the struggling Decepticon. Blitzwing has Will get out of his cockpit, and rushes down, stealthily knocking out Wheeljack. Goldbug mocks Blitzwing, Heatwave having already been placed into the activated Stellar Spanner, and blasts the Decepticon’s sword. Undeterred, Blitzwing knocks out the Autobot by bashing his forehead into Goldbug, and rushes over to Heatwave. Having escaped his bonds, Heatwave tells that he can’t talk the spanner into letting him go, and that Blitzwing will have to do it manually. Directly accessing the spanner control console’s datastream, Blitzwing accesses the schematics, stealing Autobot comms codes in the process, but before he can free Heatwave, Wheeljack blasts him, only pretending to be unconscious. Violently separated from the datastream, Blitzwing can only watch as Heatwave ascends through a portal in the sky, the stellar spanner sending him across space. The Autobots laugh, but soon find that their emergency comm channel is blaring human music in their heads. Side Burn rushes up, claiming that his supposed demise was a trick of the light, and tries to press the advantage, but as the Decepticons arrive, Goldbug orders them to retreat, unable to form any strategies with rock music blaring in his head. Destroying the stellar spanner, the Autobots run off, Goldbug assured that he can build a new one.

Back at Decepticon base, Blitzwing jolts awake, and sadly informs the others of what happened to Heatwave. [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] wonders why the Autobots didn’t kill or capture him, and Soundwave realizes that the oPod, now plugged into Blitzwing’s nervous system, is broadcasting on the stolen Autobot emergency communications channel. Blitzwing asks for them to remove the device from his body, but [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]], realizing the offensive capabilities of Blitzwing’s new ability, has an idea. Meanwhile, at Autobot base, Goldbug tries to convince Rodimus that the stellar spanner was a surprise, so that they could get reinforcements from Cybertron. Rodimus threatens him into submission, pointing out that [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] is still in command back at home, and would have killed them all for betraying him. [[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] reports that the [[Agonizing Rehabilitation Chamber|AR Chamber]] has mysteriously stopped working, and so Rodimus gives his second-in-command an alternative punishment: salvage duty with [[Seaspray (SG)|Seaspray]]. As Goldbug storms off, Rodimus tells Elita-One and [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] that he has special jobs for them…

Elsewhere, friendly [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]] [[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] and massive loser [[Star Saber (SG)|Star Saber]] have taken a restaurant and its customers hostage, placing them on-top of massive oil drill. Starscream, Blitzwing, and [[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] arrive on the scene, and Starscream orders for Blitzwing to stay back while he and Slugslinger lure the Decepticons away from the hostages. Starscream engages Swoop, while Slugslinger takes on Star Saber, the Autobot jet getting the spear shot out of his hands several times. As soon as both are lured away, Starscream tells Blitzwing to hit it, and the Autobots tumble, buckling one of the drill station’s legs and fleeing. Starscream is excited at the prospect of the Decepticon’s new non-lethal weapon, but Blitzwing interrupts him as he struggles to hold up the tower. Later, Blitzwing joins [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]] and [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] in fighting cars modified to become drones by the Autobots. While Sideswipe deals with the drones, Blitzwing and Bombshell head to the origin of the disturbance, a [[Roll-N-Wash]]. The Decepticons spot Autobots [[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] and Elita-One in the parking lot and go to engage them. Brawn transforms, launching cars at Bombshell, and the Decepticon psychologist tries to calm him down by launching an [[anestho-shell]] at him. Brawn’s [[nucleon shock gauntlet]]s disintegrates the shell, but before he can attack further, Blitzwing’s broadcast immobilizes the Autobot jeep, and Bombshell launches a second, successful shell. Bombshell heads off to assist Sideswipe, while Blitzwing heads after Elita-One, transforming into tank mode and destroying the interior of the car wash. Finding Elita-One, Blitzwing turns back to robot mode, but his gun has been rendered inoperable by the foam from the wash. Elita prepares her shot, but Blitzwing quickly changes his broadcast to a pop song, breaking through Elita’s resolve. Before she can do anything else, a car bursts through the side of the wall, and Elita-One drives off, Brawn draped over her. Bombshell and Sideswipe are happy that the job is done, but suddenly, the two begin to hear Blitzwing’s broadcast. Blitzwing is horrified to find that not only has his attack expanded to the Decepticon frequency, he’s unable to shut it off!

Sometime later at Decepticon HQ, Starscream has scanned Blitzwing, finding that his powers are now growing in intensity and range. Soundwave appears to be the only Decepticon besides Blitzwing able to handle the constant broadcast, which Professor [[Henri Arkeville|Arkeville]] theorizes is due to his function as a communications officer/device. Arkeville postulates that if Blitzwing’s broadcast isn’t stopped soon, the Decepticons will suffer severe memory loss and catastrophic data corruption. Sent to find Blitzwing, Soundwave goes to the hangar where the Triple Changer’s friend, Astrotrain, is currently being unfrozen in, and finds a message left by Blitzwing. Meanwhile, at the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]'', the Autobots are still affected by Blitzwing’s broadcast. Rodimus tries to have [[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] do something about it, but has second guesses when Ratchet pulls out his tools for brain surgery. Blaster, however, is unaffected by the broadcast, even if he does find the compositions of the songs lacking. Blaster suggest that with Rodimus incapacitated, he should "temporarily" take over as commander, but Rodimus knocks him into a wall, discouraging him and any other Autobots from a coup. Rodimus and Blaster notice that [[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] also appears unaffected, his harddrive already so fragmented as to be immune to the broadcast. Rodimus smashes his head against a wall to clear his mind and asks [[Teletraan-X (SG)|Teletraan-X]] what the Decepticons are up to. When the computer reports that only one Decepticon signature can be detected, Rodimus realizes that the they’re susceptible too, and tells Blaster and Beachcomber that he has jobs for them both…

Back at Decepticon HQ, Soundwave has some bad news; Blitzwing has left to hide and protect the others, not realizing the increasing strength of the signal. With Soundwave the only one able to enter the field, the other Decepticons are forced to go into emergency stasis lock; even Cliffjumper is affected, the frequency for the Decepticon’s emergency comm being identical to his universe’s Autobots. Starscream is worried about leaving the base unguarded in case the Autobots have anyone unaffected, but the humans offer to helped. Hard-pressed for options, Starscream agrees, and sends Soundwave into the field. Out in [[Tucson]], Blaster investigates reports of a "big tank of savings" at [[Big Steve’s Honest Deals]]. [[Big Steve Ludwig (SG)|Big Steve Ludwig]] bumbles his way into revealing that he’s let Blitzwing stay, and the Decepticon threatens to fire on Blaster. The Autobot calls his bluff, so Blitzwing does something he can’t: fly away, leaving the Autobot to run back to the city. Sometime later, Soundwave drives to [[Wyatt's Roadsideaganza]], where reports have come in of Monstroso, the Robot Horror from Beyond, has returned. Soundwave knows something is up, because ''he'' used to be Monstroso, his [[stasis pod]] having landed at Wyatt’s. Greeting his old captor and briefly terrifying him, Soundwave tells him that Monstroso is his friend, but before long, Blitzwing flies off before Soundwave can even say hello. Meanwhile, back at base, [[Rick Ottman|Rick]] tries to convince [[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] that they can handle whatever the Autobots can throw…but before long, the alarms go off, as Beachcomber invades the base…

Out in the city, Blitzwing hides in a narrow alleyway, thinking of where else he could hide out. It isn’t long, however, until a taxi cab drives up to him, with Blaster jumping out and confronting Blitzwing. Having found his location via [[Yatter]], Blaster prepares to attack…only for Soundwave to jump between the two, a [[Ravage (SG)|friend]] of his having found Blitzwing on Yatter as well! The two communications bots begin to duke it out, Soundwave using his speakers against Blaster and his sonic baton. Initially dumbfounded, Blitzwing also tries to join the fight, but the battle is stopped before he can, as a meteorite crashes into the street, knocking the three back. From the crater emerges Decepticon [[Elite Guard]]sman [[Thunderwing (SG)|Thunderwing]], who announces that he is here to take in a fugitive; initially elated, Soundwave is shocked to find that he’s the fugitive. Blaster takes his chance and stealthily knocks out Blitzwing, carrying him off. Soundwave is charged with piracy and indecency by Thunderwing, who plays a recording of Soundwave accidentally broadcasting onto a military comm channel, and orders him to return with him to Cybertron. Quickly thinking, Soundwave points out that he would have to report to his commanding officer before leaving, but he cannot bring him out of stasis lock until he’s rescued Blitzwing. Suitably convinced, Thunderwing allows him to chase after Blaster, but warns him that he will not help, and to not even think about running…

At Decepticon headquarters, the Professor and his students rush to fortify the bases, while the defense cannons attempt to deal with Beachcomber. The insane Autobot quickly destroys the guns and enters the base. The humans confront him, blinding him and letting loose barrels of ball bearings across the floor, toppling the Autobot. Unfortunately for the quartet, all they’ve managed to do is make him angry. Rushing after them, Beachcomber finds Will and Rick in a hallway, armed with a fire extinguisher. Missing with the foam, Rick throws it at the Autobot’s face, startling him long enough for them to escape. The pair lead him on into the Decepticon’s decontamination room, trapping him in the chemical spray for a little while. Meanwhile, Blitzwing awakens, finding himself in a mountain with Blaster. The Autobot comms officer begins to explain to him his plan; using a [[broadcast signal amplifier]], Blaster will amplify Blitzwing sonic assault to lethal, global levels, and reveals that all the odd and silly plots were merely a distraction. With a dramatic twirl, Blaster reveals that the Autobots have built a second stellar spanner! Using it, Blitzwing, and the amplifier, Blaster will create a makeshift bomb, wiping out every Autobot and Decepticon neuro-circuit on Cybertron, allowing for the Earthbound Autobots to return home, grab up all the weapons left, and destroy the Decepticons once and for all! Blitzwing claims that Soundwave and Thunderwing will stop him, but Blaster doubts it; judging by his faction symbol and lack of reaction to Blitzwing’s broadcast, Thunderwing has been gone long before the war began. Fortunately for Blitzwing, this isn’t the case; having followed his signal, Soundwave engages Blaster, while Thunderwing observes. Too evenly matched, Soundwave tries another tactic, telling Blaster that he’s never done anything without Optimus Prime ordering him to. Incensed, Blaster reveals that before the war, he stole 30 kilotons from the [[Altihex Protoform Rehabilitation Complex]], which causes Thunderwing to step in to arrest him. While the lawmech deals with Blaster, Soundwave rushes to the stellar spanner, and frees Blitzwing, attaching a dampener device to block his signal and carrying him off in his van mode as space warps around the two. Blaster takes his chance and jumps into the stellar spanner, but as it closes, Blitzwing blasts the control panel, destroying and disrupting the portal. Blaster finds himself stuck on Earth’s [[Moon (moon)|moon]], unable to even scream his frustrations.

Back at Decepticon base, Beachcomber has finally tracked down the humans to the med-bay. Beachcomber prepares for the kill, only to find the Decepticons re-activated with their guns drawn. Deciding that he isn’t that crazy, Beachcomber flees back to Autobot base. Sometime later, Starscream has removed the oPod from a grateful Blitzwing’s head. The Decepticons looks on the bright side of things, having one less Autobot to deal with and blueprints for a stellar spanner of their own. Sephie offers Blitzwing a portable music player that won’t fuse with his systems, but Blitzwing politely tells her that he’ll stick to radio for a while, eliciting a laugh from everyone in the room but her. The fun’s cut short when Thunderwing starts to haul off Soundwave, and the communications mech decides to go for a guilty plea. Thunderwing gives him 500 hours of community service, knocking off two and a half hours for saving Cybertron, and directs him to a littered highway.

Meanwhile, millions of light years away, Heatwave awakens on Cybertron. The aching Decepticon activates his distress signal, and before long, [[Micromaster]] Decepticon [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] arrives to bring him back to base. Heatwave tells his comrade about the Autobot’s stellar spanner, and the two head back to base. But all the while, Heatwave can’t shake off the sensation of a [[Aquarius (SG)|rainbow hue]] of emotions while he was being transported…

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s|c1=
*[[Thunderwing (SG)|Thunderwing]] (1)
*[[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]] (3)
*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (7)
*[[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] (8)
*[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (11)
*[[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] (19)
*[[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (20)
*[[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]] (21)
*[[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] (23)
*[[Frenzy (SG)|Frenzy]] (29)
*[[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]] (30)
*[[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (31)
|h2=[[Autobot]]s|c2=
*[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (4)
*[[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] (5)
*[[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]] (6)
*[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus "Prime"]] (14)
*[[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] (16)
*[[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] (17)
*[[Star Saber (SG)|Star Saber]] (18)
*[[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] (22)
*[[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (24)
*[[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] (25)
*[[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] (26)
|c3=
*[[Will Hayes|Will]] (2)
*[[Henri Arkeville|Professor Arkeville]] (10)
*[[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] (12)
*[[Rick Ottman|Rick]] (13)
*[[Big Steve Ludwig (SG)|Big Steve Ludwig]] (27)
*[[Wyatt's Roadsideaganza|Wyatt]] (28)
|c4=
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] (9)
*[[Teletraan-X (SG)|Teletraan-X]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"So tell me about Cybertron."<br/>
"Why?"<br/>
"I've never been there, Blitzwing. Thought it'd be interesting."<br/>
"Okay. Imagine a junk yard. Now make it the size of a planet, and set big patches of it on fire. I suppose that's interesting in a horrible sort of way, but there's nothing appealing about it."
:—'''Will''' finds out from '''Blitzwing''' that Cybertron is not a good tourist destination.

"If my examination of Starscream's systems is accurate, unless we can stop the subspace transmission, Blitzwing's signal will eventually cause permanent memory damage... possibly even catastrophic data corruption."<br/>
"Whoah, that means-"<br/>
"If it's not stopped, this 'rock and roll' assault will rapidly become... '''death metal'''."
:—'''Arkeville''' and '''Soundwave''' engage in bad puns.

"Right now, I gots two idiot humans yammerin' 'bout venting exhaust stuck in my head. They will not shut up. An' I can still bend your fenders in a knot an' stick 'em in your reactor linkage! So '''up your tube with an energon cube! Capiche?!'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' lets Blaster know who's the boss.

''Beachcomber had survived the decon bath, the optic calibration process, the hallway filled with zero-friction lubricant and three chemical explosions since breaching the outer defenses of the Decepticon base. He had been thrown about, smashed and lit on fire by four puddles of organic waste.''<br/>
''He was not happy.''<br/>
''Now, however, the enemy was out of tricks, and out of places to run.''<br/>
''That made him happy. Insanely happy.''
:—Beachcomber deals with getting the "Home Alone" treatment from the humans.

==Notes==
*Characters mentioned but not seen include: [[Arachnolord]], Congressman [[Shore]], [[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]], [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|Abdul Fakkadi]], [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], the [[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounges]], the [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Old One]], [[Seaspray (SG)|Seaspray]], [[Huffer (SG)|Huffer]], [[Brad White]], [[Jetstorm (SG)|Stormbringer99]], [[Pikapikaninja]], [[Beta (SG)|Beta]], and [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]].
===Continuity notes===
*[[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] is mentioned as being granted honorary [[Ottoman Confederacy|Ottoman citizenship]] after saving [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|President Fakkadi]]; President Fakkadi was mentioned in the previous prose story "[[Eye in the Sky]]".
*Wheeljack notes his exile from the Autobots, established in "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]".
*Astrotrain crashed on Earth sometime after the events of "[[Do Over]]".
*Only one stellar spanner was ever made before the story by the "Old One"; rumors state that before he finished it, Optimus Prime killed him. The "[[Reunification]]" storyline outright confirmed him to be Alpha Trion; it's likely that Trion actually did finish the spanner, only for Prime to force him into it, sending him to the ''TransTech'' Cybertron.
*Swoop was evidently among those brought to [[Omega Terminus]] by [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]] to be given an ember, as seen in the end of "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*Slugslinger first appeared as a nameless cameo in the original "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]" comic. Bombshell was mentioned in "Dungeons & Dinobots" and "Do Over"; he appears in-story for the first time here. Ratchet first appeared in "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*Wyatt’s Roadsideagazna first appeared in "[[The Desert Heat!]]".
*Will and Rick try to use on Beachcomber the same fire extinguisher trick they used on Goldbug in "Eye in the Sky". Sadly, it doesn't work nearly as well this time around.
*As noted in "Errors", when Heatwave gets sent through the stellar spanner, part of his trip involves the sensations of joy, happiness, compassion, love, and satisfaction, as well as a rainbow hue, no doubt coinciding with Aquarius activating the recall program that also summoned the rest of the Nexus Prime gestalt to Cybertron, as reflected in the coinciding club storyline "[[Reunification]]".

===Transformer references===
*In general, the entire story is a pastiche of the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
*As standard, many new characters are introduced, with the Transformers being repurposed from/are [[Redeco#"Virtual" redecos|"virtual" redeco]]s of pre-existing toys.
**Blitzwing uses his positive-universe [[Blitzwing (G1)|counterpart]]’s body in the colors of ''Generation 1'' [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]].
**Elita One is repurposed from ''Cybertron'' [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] GTS. Her romantic interests lie with Rodimus instead of Optimus, unlike her positive-universe [[Elita One (G1)|counterpart]].
**Star Saber is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Skyblast (Movie)|Skyblast]]. Unlike his beloved positive-universe [[Star Saber (G1)|counterpart]], everybody hates Star Saber.
**Bombshell is repurposed from [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive [[Salvo (G1)|Salvo]], who is a redeco of Bombshell’s positive-universe [[Bombshell (G1)|counterpart]]. He has [[anestho-shell]]s, mirroring his counterpart’s [[cerebro-shell]]s.
**Thunderwing is a virtual redeco of ''Universe'' Ultra-class [[Silverbolt (G1)#Universe_(2008)|Silverbolt]], with a new head based on his positive-universe [[Thunderwing (G1)|counterpart]].
*One of the broadcasts in the beginning of the story indicates that the Decepticons saved 39 employees of [[Blackrock Petroleum and Energy Concern|Blackrock Oil]]; [[Blackrock Enterprises]] was a company from the original Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics owned by the Autobot’s ally, [[G.B. Blackrock]]. The ''Shattered Glass'' version of [[R.J. Blackrock|Blackrock]] will show up in the next prose story, "[[Transhuman]]".
*Astrotrain landed in [[Antarctica]], homaging how [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] crash-landed in the ''Arctic'' in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Fire in the Sky]]".
*As noted in [[#Errors|errors]], the stellar spanner is near identical to the ''The Transformers'' cartoon [[space bridge]], being the "ring with three pylons" design rather than the "suspension bridge" design from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics, and opening a hole in the sky instead of existing in two places at once.
*The stellar spanner is built in a small canyon, like the original space bridge was in "[[Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion]]".
*Blitzwing (a jet) uses some [[jet judo]] to take out Wheeljack; the positive-universe jet judo was used by [[Sideswipe (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sideswipe]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sunstreaker]] in an attempt to take out the [[Seeker (body-type)|Decepticon jets]] in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Roll for It]]".
*Starscream notes that any non-living metal or plastics introduced to Cybertronian systems is broken down and remade into living [[living metal|technomatter]]; technomatter is a term introduced in the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon as one of the many names for the "living metal" that most Transformers are made of.
*Slugslinger is obsessed with fair play, unlike his backstabbing positive-universe counterpart.
*One of the Autobots' schemes involves creating drone cars at a "[[Roll-N-Wash]]", referencing the Decepticon’s [[Wash and Roll]] from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic issue [[Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom|#31]], where they hypnotized the human drives who passed through the carwash.
*Brawn is a practitioner of [[Tekkaido]], a Cybertronian martial art originally mentioned in [[BotCon 2001]] [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]’s tech specs.
*Brawn has [[nucleon shock gauntlet]]s, weapons first seen in the ''Cybertron'' prose story "[[Force of Habit]]". They also reference his positive counterpart's planned OTFCC 2005 toy, which would have had snap-on energon gauntlets.
*Astrotrain and Blitzwing are friends, in reference to their positive-universe counterparts being the first-ever Triple Changers in ''Transformers'' history.
*The positive-universe [[Big Steve Ludwig (G1)|Big Steve Ludwig]] appeared in Marvel’s ''The Transformers'' comic issue [[Used Autobots|#32]]; he was a stereotypical dishonest used-cars salesman, unlike ''Shattered Glass'' Ludwig, an honest guy who sells new cars.
*Rick's little sister fawns over [[Brad White]], the "dreamy" punk-ass counterpart to [[Rad White]], one of the Autobot’s human allies from the ''Armada'' series.
*Sephie communicates via e-mail with [[Jetstorm (SG)|someone]] who has the username "Stormbringer99"; it may seem to be Thunderwing, due to his positive-universe counterpart being the main bad guy of the IDW ''[[The Transformers: Stormbringer|Stormbringer]]'' mini-series, but "[[Transhuman]]" would reveal him to be someone else entirely…
*Thunderwing is a member of the [[Elite Guard|Cybertron Elite Guard]], a group who originate from the ''Animated'' cartoon. The Elite Guard that Thunderwing belongs to is a pre-war organization; the modern Elite Guard is composed entirely of Autobots as seen in ''Shattered Glass'' [[Thunderclash (SG)|Thunderclash]]’s tech specs.
*Thunderwing mentions that one of the criminals he's been chasing is a crime boss named Beta; Beta’s positive-universe counterpart was a freedom fighter who appeared in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming]]".
*Soundwave mentions having gone through [[primary programming]] (an education system mentioned in the ''Cybertron'' cartoon) four million [[Units of time|stellar cycles]] ago.
*Thunderwing orders Soundwave to return to "atmospheric entry mode"; referring to the "asteroid" alt-modes used by the base [[protoform]] bodies in the live action movies.
*Blaster compares the destruction Blitzwing will unleash to the popping of "[[Insecticon (disambiguation)|Insecticons]] on a hot engine block!"
*Soundwave and Blaster's throwdown evokes their positive-universe counterparts' final battle from ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' episode "[[The Mystery of Planet Master]]", including Soundwave's chest being shattered, and Blaster's threat that only Soundwave's head will remain by the time he's done with him.
*Soundwave tells Blaster his hiding spot couldn’t have been more obvious if they had carved it into an Autobot faction symbol; the positive-universe counterparts of the Decepticons had a [[Temporary Decepticon base|base]] just like this in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Enter the Nightbird]]".
*[[Altihex]] is a city introduced in the Dreamwave ''War Within'' mini-series.
*Blaster on the Moon is a reference to ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Blaster Blues]]".
*The Decepticon Graffiti (a font created by [[Jim Sorenson]] based on letters drawn by the [[Battlecharger]]s in issue [[Decepticon Graffiti!|#23]] of Marvel's ''The Transformers'') on the box that Ravage lays his head on reads "FRAGILE"

===Real-world references===
*The title of the story is a reference to the song "{{w|Blitzkrieg Bop}}" by the {{w|Ramones}}.
*The broadcasts on at the beginning of the story indicate that Starscream, at some point before the story begins, fights a super-criminal known as "Arachnolord", a ''Shattered Glass'' version of the Marvel Comics superhero [[Spider-Man]]. Spider-Man memorably teamed up with [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] in issue [[Prisoner of War!|#3]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
*Another broadcast talks about how a Congressman Shore reassured American citizens that the Transformers are unconnected to the subterranean monsters from the late 80s. Shore’s counterpart, Blackthorne Shore, was the main human villain of the ''[[Inhumanoids]]'' cartoon, and the subterrestrial monsters are the titular characters from the show.
*The broadcast that draws Thunderwing to Earth is about Soundwave (having been knighted recently) appearing at a joint [[Cold Slither (band)|Cold Slither]]/[[Misfits]] concerts in [[Dublin]] (the bands were mentioned in "Eye in the Sky" and are from ''G.I. Joe'' and ''Jem and the Holograms'', respectively). Apparently, Ireland has remained part of the United Kingdom in this universe.
*Lyrics for an inverted version of Cold Slither’s titular [[Cold Slither (song)|song]] appear both in story and in the liner notes on the final page (see below for more information). Notably, the lyrics indicate the {{w|United States Constitution}} has been altered or outright discarded at some point.
*Will listens to "[[The Pale Lines]]" on his [[oPod|O-Pod]], a ''Shattered Glass'' version of rock duo "{{w|The White Stripes}}".
*The stellar spanner is labeled with [[Cybertronian language|Autobot letters]], which translates to "CWP274," the initials of artist’s Chad Porter’s full name and last three letters of his Yahoo e-mail username.
*Arkeville notes that humans can use sterile coral to make new bones; while this may seem like a weird mirror-universe deal, it’s theoretically possible.
*Ratchet thinks the lyrics to "Zydrate Anatomy" from cult comedy horror film ''{{w|Repo! The Genetic Opera}}'' are catchy.
*Rodimus complains about being stuck listening to "Jim-Bob and Willy", a reference to obnoxious southern-US morning show deejays {{w|John Boy and Billy}}.
*Rodimus threatens to blast someone with a phazon charge if they don’t stop the signal; phazon is a substance from the ''{{w|Metroid}}'' franchise.
*Rodimus' line, "So up your tube with an energon cube!" is based on {{w|Welcome Back, Kotter#Vincent .22Vinnie.22 Barbarino|Vinnie Barbarino}}'s famous line, "Up your nose with a rubber hose!". Barbarino’s been the main inspiration for Rodimus’ speech patterns in the Sepelak and Troop-written ''Shattered Glass'' stories.
*Beachcomber's dialogue in the story is full of paraphrased song lyric snippets:
**"{{w|Won't Get Fooled Again}}" by {{w|The Who}}
**"{{w|Carry On Wayward Son}}" by {{w|Kansas (band)|Kansas}}
**"{{w|Bound for the Floor}}" by {{w|Local H}}
**"Transmaniacon MC" by {{w|Blue Öyster Cult}}
**"{{w|Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf song)|Magic Carpet Ride}}" by {{w|Steppenwolf (band)|Steppenwolf}}
**"PDA" by {{w|Interpol (band)|Interpol}}
**"Fire Poem" by {{w|Arthur Brown (musician)|Arthur Brown}}
**"{{w|(Don't Fear) The Reaper}}" by Blue Öyster Cult
**"{{w|Another One Bites the Dust}}" by {{w|Queen (band)|Queen}}
**"{{w|Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter}}" by {{w|The Beatles}}
**"Nowhere to Run (Vapor Trail)" by {{w|The Crystal Method}}
**"{{w|One Way or Another}}" by {{w|Blondie (band)|Blondie}}
**"{{w|Psycho Killer}}" by {{w|Talking Heads}}
**"{{w|Ace of Spades (song)|Ace of Spades}}" by {{w|Motörhead}}
**"{{w|Spirit in the Sky}}" by {{w|Norman Greenbaum}}
*Pikapikaninja (the Yatter user who posted that Blitzwing was hiding in an alley) is likely named for the ''{{w|Pokémon}}'' character {{w|Pikachu}}.
*Thunderwing’s personality is based on {{w|Joe Friday}} from ''{{w|Dragnet (franchise)|Dragnet}}''.
*Blaster uses weaponized versions of {{w|Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart}}’s music against Soundwave.
*Aquarius leaves a message for Heatwave to "{{w|Keep on Truckin'}}", referencing the comic by underground artist {{w|Robert Crumb}}.
*The Cold Slither album liner notes for ''[[Thunder Hammer]]'' (noted by Will early on in the story as his favorite of Cold Slither’s albums) at the back of the story have a number of references:
**One of the album's producers is "Synergy Music Ltd.", a reference to the supercomputer Synergy from ''[[Jem|Jem and the Holograms]]''.
**Some of the song writer credits reference various members of [[Cobra]]: [[Buzzer (G.I. Joe)|Buzzer]] and [[Torch (G.I. Joe)|Torch]] from the [[Dreadnok]]s and [[Destro]], using their last names of Blinken-Smythe, Wilken, and McCullan. Other writers credited are Yellen ({{w|Jack Yellen}}, writer of the "Battle Song of Liberty"), Bigelow (FE Bigelow, writer of "Our Director", the music to which the Battle Song of Liberty is set), and Key ({{w|Francis Scott Key}}, writer of the poem that would be used as the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner").
**The songs "{{w|The Battle Song of Liberty}}" and "{{w|The Star-Spangled Banner}}" are on the album.

===Errors===
*Heatwave's feelings of "joy, serenity, compassion, love, and satisfaction" should probably be "joy, ''peace'', compassion, love, and satisfaction" to be a completely accurate reference to [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]].
*While Cliffjumper in-character almost calls the [[stellar spanner]] a [[space bridge]], at one point the narration itself also calls it a "spacebridge".
*Not an error: Soundwave mentions that Astrotrain crashed in the Arctic instead of the Antarctic, but it's Soundwave's mistake, not the story's.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64373&st=0&p=1390930#entry1390930 Trent Troop answers "Shattered Glass"-related questions]</ref>

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170929083440if_/http://www.transformersclub.com/prose/Blitzwing_Bop.pdf "Blitzwing Bop"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Shattered Glass media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Blitzwing Bop

2026-04-12T13:30:08Z

Escargon: /* Transformer references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|prev=Eye in the Sky
|next=At Fight's End
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]''
|next2=Transhuman
|image=Blitzwingbop.jpg
|caption=Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go!
|title="Blitzwing Bop"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[November 17]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Chad Porter]]
|cover=[[Chad Porter]]
|pagecount=35pp
|chronology=[[Shattered Glass timeline|Current era (2009)]]
|continuity=[[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Blitzwing inadvertently becomes a musical countdown, and not the kind that sounds like Bluestreak.'''

==Synopsis==
In the asteroid belt, an alien vessel listens to the outpouring of signals coming from [[Earth]]. Reports of the heroic Decepticons and evil Autobots dominate the signal, and when the vessel comes across one specific report, it begins its journey to the small blue world. And on that small blue world below, [[Will Hayes|Will]] is preforming maintenance on his Decepticon friend, the triple-changer [[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]]. In the process of installing an [[oPod]] into the Decepticon, Will attempts to ask about [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], but Blitzwing shows far more interest in Earth, his home having been a wasteland for a long time. Finishing up, the two go cruising, with Will trying to explain his interest in music to an uninterested Blitzwing. Meanwhile, in a small canyon nearby, the Autobot’s second-in-command [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] has begun a project under [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus Prime]]’s nose, having with [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] and [[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]] create a [[stellar spanner]] with which to return to Cybertron. Goldbug attempts to use Side Burn as a test subject, but the odd Autobot weasels his way out of possibly getting stuck in space, pointing out that they’ll need him to fix it in case of any troubles. Meanwhile, on the road above, a bored Blitzwing notices a massive Autobot tech signature coming out of the canyon. Calling [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]], Blitzwing asks for back-up; with most of the Decepticons in [[Antarctica]] fishing out [[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]], they can only spare one soldier, and [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] is sent to help his comrade. Soon arriving at the canyon, the two watch the Autobots. Heatwave recognizes the stellar spanner’s purpose, and although he doubts Wheeljack could make it work, he is excited to go down and talk to it, ignoring Blitzwing’s protests. Heatwave nearly manages to sneak up on them, but trips on sandstone boulder, sending him toppling to the ground and causing the Autobots to notice him; recognizing the opportunity, Goldbug orders the others to kidnap the Decepticon so that he can use him as a test subject. Quickly transforming into vehicle mode, Heatwave’s missiles send Side Burn flying back, nearly ripping the Autobot in half. Unfortunately, the other Autobots grab onto Heatwave’s turret and force him to transform, binding up the struggling Decepticon. Blitzwing has Will get out of his cockpit, and rushes down, stealthily knocking out Wheeljack. Goldbug mocks Blitzwing, Heatwave having already been placed into the activated Stellar Spanner, and blasts the Decepticon’s sword. Undeterred, Blitzwing knocks out the Autobot by bashing his forehead into Goldbug, and rushes over to Heatwave. Having escaped his bonds, Heatwave tells that he can’t talk the spanner into letting him go, and that Blitzwing will have to do it manually. Directly accessing the spanner control console’s datastream, Blitzwing accesses the schematics, stealing Autobot comms codes in the process, but before he can free Heatwave, Wheeljack blasts him, only pretending to be unconscious. Violently separated from the datastream, Blitzwing can only watch as Heatwave ascends through a portal in the sky, the stellar spanner sending him across space. The Autobots laugh, but soon find that their emergency comm channel is blaring human music in their heads. Side Burn rushes up, claiming that his supposed demise was a trick of the light, and tries to press the advantage, but as the Decepticons arrive, Goldbug orders them to retreat, unable to form any strategies with rock music blaring in his head. Destroying the stellar spanner, the Autobots run off, Goldbug assured that he can build a new one.

Back at Decepticon base, Blitzwing jolts awake, and sadly informs the others of what happened to Heatwave. [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] wonders why the Autobots didn’t kill or capture him, and Soundwave realizes that the oPod, now plugged into Blitzwing’s nervous system, is broadcasting on the stolen Autobot emergency communications channel. Blitzwing asks for them to remove the device from his body, but [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]], realizing the offensive capabilities of Blitzwing’s new ability, has an idea. Meanwhile, at Autobot base, Goldbug tries to convince Rodimus that the stellar spanner was a surprise, so that they could get reinforcements from Cybertron. Rodimus threatens him into submission, pointing out that [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] is still in command back at home, and would have killed them all for betraying him. [[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] reports that the [[Agonizing Rehabilitation Chamber|AR Chamber]] has mysteriously stopped working, and so Rodimus gives his second-in-command an alternative punishment: salvage duty with [[Seaspray (SG)|Seaspray]]. As Goldbug storms off, Rodimus tells Elita-One and [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] that he has special jobs for them…

Elsewhere, friendly [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]] [[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] and massive loser [[Star Saber (SG)|Star Saber]] have taken a restaurant and its customers hostage, placing them on-top of massive oil drill. Starscream, Blitzwing, and [[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] arrive on the scene, and Starscream orders for Blitzwing to stay back while he and Slugslinger lure the Decepticons away from the hostages. Starscream engages Swoop, while Slugslinger takes on Star Saber, the Autobot jet getting the spear shot out of his hands several times. As soon as both are lured away, Starscream tells Blitzwing to hit it, and the Autobots tumble, buckling one of the drill station’s legs and fleeing. Starscream is excited at the prospect of the Decepticon’s new non-lethal weapon, but Blitzwing interrupts him as he struggles to hold up the tower. Later, Blitzwing joins [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]] and [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] in fighting cars modified to become drones by the Autobots. While Sideswipe deals with the drones, Blitzwing and Bombshell head to the origin of the disturbance, a [[Roll-N-Wash]]. The Decepticons spot Autobots [[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] and Elita-One in the parking lot and go to engage them. Brawn transforms, launching cars at Bombshell, and the Decepticon psychologist tries to calm him down by launching an [[anestho-shell]] at him. Brawn’s [[nucleon shock gauntlet]]s disintegrates the shell, but before he can attack further, Blitzwing’s broadcast immobilizes the Autobot jeep, and Bombshell launches a second, successful shell. Bombshell heads off to assist Sideswipe, while Blitzwing heads after Elita-One, transforming into tank mode and destroying the interior of the car wash. Finding Elita-One, Blitzwing turns back to robot mode, but his gun has been rendered inoperable by the foam from the wash. Elita prepares her shot, but Blitzwing quickly changes his broadcast to a pop song, breaking through Elita’s resolve. Before she can do anything else, a car bursts through the side of the wall, and Elita-One drives off, Brawn draped over her. Bombshell and Sideswipe are happy that the job is done, but suddenly, the two begin to hear Blitzwing’s broadcast. Blitzwing is horrified to find that not only has his attack expanded to the Decepticon frequency, he’s unable to shut it off!

Sometime later at Decepticon HQ, Starscream has scanned Blitzwing, finding that his powers are now growing in intensity and range. Soundwave appears to be the only Decepticon besides Blitzwing able to handle the constant broadcast, which Professor [[Henri Arkeville|Arkeville]] theorizes is due to his function as a communications officer/device. Arkeville postulates that if Blitzwing’s broadcast isn’t stopped soon, the Decepticons will suffer severe memory loss and catastrophic data corruption. Sent to find Blitzwing, Soundwave goes to the hangar where the Triple Changer’s friend, Astrotrain, is currently being unfrozen in, and finds a message left by Blitzwing. Meanwhile, at the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]'', the Autobots are still affected by Blitzwing’s broadcast. Rodimus tries to have [[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] do something about it, but has second guesses when Ratchet pulls out his tools for brain surgery. Blaster, however, is unaffected by the broadcast, even if he does find the compositions of the songs lacking. Blaster suggest that with Rodimus incapacitated, he should "temporarily" take over as commander, but Rodimus knocks him into a wall, discouraging him and any other Autobots from a coup. Rodimus and Blaster notice that [[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] also appears unaffected, his harddrive already so fragmented as to be immune to the broadcast. Rodimus smashes his head against a wall to clear his mind and asks [[Teletraan-X (SG)|Teletraan-X]] what the Decepticons are up to. When the computer reports that only one Decepticon signature can be detected, Rodimus realizes that the they’re susceptible too, and tells Blaster and Beachcomber that he has jobs for them both…

Back at Decepticon HQ, Soundwave has some bad news; Blitzwing has left to hide and protect the others, not realizing the increasing strength of the signal. With Soundwave the only one able to enter the field, the other Decepticons are forced to go into emergency stasis lock; even Cliffjumper is affected, the frequency for the Decepticon’s emergency comm being identical to his universe’s Autobots. Starscream is worried about leaving the base unguarded in case the Autobots have anyone unaffected, but the humans offer to helped. Hard-pressed for options, Starscream agrees, and sends Soundwave into the field. Out in [[Tucson]], Blaster investigates reports of a "big tank of savings" at [[Big Steve’s Honest Deals]]. [[Big Steve Ludwig (SG)|Big Steve Ludwig]] bumbles his way into revealing that he’s let Blitzwing stay, and the Decepticon threatens to fire on Blaster. The Autobot calls his bluff, so Blitzwing does something he can’t: fly away, leaving the Autobot to run back to the city. Sometime later, Soundwave drives to [[Wyatt's Roadsideaganza]], where reports have come in of Monstroso, the Robot Horror from Beyond, has returned. Soundwave knows something is up, because ''he'' used to be Monstroso, his [[stasis pod]] having landed at Wyatt’s. Greeting his old captor and briefly terrifying him, Soundwave tells him that Monstroso is his friend, but before long, Blitzwing flies off before Soundwave can even say hello. Meanwhile, back at base, [[Rick Ottman|Rick]] tries to convince [[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] that they can handle whatever the Autobots can throw…but before long, the alarms go off, as Beachcomber invades the base…

Out in the city, Blitzwing hides in a narrow alleyway, thinking of where else he could hide out. It isn’t long, however, until a taxi cab drives up to him, with Blaster jumping out and confronting Blitzwing. Having found his location via [[Yatter]], Blaster prepares to attack…only for Soundwave to jump between the two, a [[Ravage (SG)|friend]] of his having found Blitzwing on Yatter as well! The two communications bots begin to duke it out, Soundwave using his speakers against Blaster and his sonic baton. Initially dumbfounded, Blitzwing also tries to join the fight, but the battle is stopped before he can, as a meteorite crashes into the street, knocking the three back. From the crater emerges Decepticon [[Elite Guard]]sman [[Thunderwing (SG)|Thunderwing]], who announces that he is here to take in a fugitive; initially elated, Soundwave is shocked to find that he’s the fugitive. Blaster takes his chance and stealthily knocks out Blitzwing, carrying him off. Soundwave is charged with piracy and indecency by Thunderwing, who plays a recording of Soundwave accidentally broadcasting onto a military comm channel, and orders him to return with him to Cybertron. Quickly thinking, Soundwave points out that he would have to report to his commanding officer before leaving, but he cannot bring him out of stasis lock until he’s rescued Blitzwing. Suitably convinced, Thunderwing allows him to chase after Blaster, but warns him that he will not help, and to not even think about running…

At Decepticon headquarters, the Professor and his students rush to fortify the bases, while the defense cannons attempt to deal with Beachcomber. The insane Autobot quickly destroys the guns and enters the base. The humans confront him, blinding him and letting loose barrels of ball bearings across the floor, toppling the Autobot. Unfortunately for the quartet, all they’ve managed to do is make him angry. Rushing after them, Beachcomber finds Will and Rick in a hallway, armed with a fire extinguisher. Missing with the foam, Rick throws it at the Autobot’s face, startling him long enough for them to escape. The pair lead him on into the Decepticon’s decontamination room, trapping him in the chemical spray for a little while. Meanwhile, Blitzwing awakens, finding himself in a mountain with Blaster. The Autobot comms officer begins to explain to him his plan; using a [[broadcast signal amplifier]], Blaster will amplify Blitzwing sonic assault to lethal, global levels, and reveals that all the odd and silly plots were merely a distraction. With a dramatic twirl, Blaster reveals that the Autobots have built a second stellar spanner! Using it, Blitzwing, and the amplifier, Blaster will create a makeshift bomb, wiping out every Autobot and Decepticon neuro-circuit on Cybertron, allowing for the Earthbound Autobots to return home, grab up all the weapons left, and destroy the Decepticons once and for all! Blitzwing claims that Soundwave and Thunderwing will stop him, but Blaster doubts it; judging by his faction symbol and lack of reaction to Blitzwing’s broadcast, Thunderwing has been gone long before the war began. Fortunately for Blitzwing, this isn’t the case; having followed his signal, Soundwave engages Blaster, while Thunderwing observes. Too evenly matched, Soundwave tries another tactic, telling Blaster that he’s never done anything without Optimus Prime ordering him to. Incensed, Blaster reveals that before the war, he stole 30 kilotons from the [[Altihex Protoform Rehabilitation Complex]], which causes Thunderwing to step in to arrest him. While the lawmech deals with Blaster, Soundwave rushes to the stellar spanner, and frees Blitzwing, attaching a dampener device to block his signal and carrying him off in his van mode as space warps around the two. Blaster takes his chance and jumps into the stellar spanner, but as it closes, Blitzwing blasts the control panel, destroying and disrupting the portal. Blaster finds himself stuck on Earth’s [[Moon (moon)|moon]], unable to even scream his frustrations.

Back at Decepticon base, Beachcomber has finally tracked down the humans to the med-bay. Beachcomber prepares for the kill, only to find the Decepticons re-activated with their guns drawn. Deciding that he isn’t that crazy, Beachcomber flees back to Autobot base. Sometime later, Starscream has removed the oPod from a grateful Blitzwing’s head. The Decepticons looks on the bright side of things, having one less Autobot to deal with and blueprints for a stellar spanner of their own. Sephie offers Blitzwing a portable music player that won’t fuse with his systems, but Blitzwing politely tells her that he’ll stick to radio for a while, eliciting a laugh from everyone in the room but her. The fun’s cut short when Thunderwing starts to haul off Soundwave, and the communications mech decides to go for a guilty plea. Thunderwing gives him 500 hours of community service, knocking off two and a half hours for saving Cybertron, and directs him to a littered highway.

Meanwhile, millions of light years away, Heatwave awakens on Cybertron. The aching Decepticon activates his distress signal, and before long, [[Micromaster]] Decepticon [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] arrives to bring him back to base. Heatwave tells his comrade about the Autobot’s stellar spanner, and the two head back to base. But all the while, Heatwave can’t shake off the sensation of a [[Aquarius (SG)|rainbow hue]] of emotions while he was being transported…

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s|c1=
*[[Thunderwing (SG)|Thunderwing]] (1)
*[[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]] (3)
*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (7)
*[[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] (8)
*[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (11)
*[[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] (19)
*[[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (20)
*[[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]] (21)
*[[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] (23)
*[[Frenzy (SG)|Frenzy]] (29)
*[[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]] (30)
*[[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (31)
|h2=[[Autobot]]s|c2=
*[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (4)
*[[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] (5)
*[[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]] (6)
*[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus "Prime"]] (14)
*[[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] (16)
*[[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] (17)
*[[Star Saber (SG)|Star Saber]] (18)
*[[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] (22)
*[[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (24)
*[[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] (25)
*[[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] (26)
|c3=
*[[Will Hayes|Will]] (2)
*[[Henri Arkeville|Professor Arkeville]] (10)
*[[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] (12)
*[[Rick Ottman|Rick]] (13)
*[[Big Steve Ludwig (SG)|Big Steve Ludwig]] (27)
*[[Wyatt's Roadsideaganza|Wyatt]] (28)
|c4=
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] (9)
*[[Teletraan-X (SG)|Teletraan-X]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"So tell me about Cybertron."<br/>
"Why?"<br/>
"I've never been there, Blitzwing. Thought it'd be interesting."<br/>
"Okay. Imagine a junk yard. Now make it the size of a planet, and set big patches of it on fire. I suppose that's interesting in a horrible sort of way, but there's nothing appealing about it."
:—'''Will''' finds out from '''Blitzwing''' that Cybertron is not a good tourist destination.

"If my examination of Starscream's systems is accurate, unless we can stop the subspace transmission, Blitzwing's signal will eventually cause permanent memory damage... possibly even catastrophic data corruption."<br/>
"Whoah, that means-"<br/>
"If it's not stopped, this 'rock and roll' assault will rapidly become... '''death metal'''."
:—'''Arkeville''' and '''Soundwave''' engage in bad puns.

"Right now, I gots two idiot humans yammerin' 'bout venting exhaust stuck in my head. They will not shut up. An' I can still bend your fenders in a knot an' stick 'em in your reactor linkage! So '''up your tube with an energon cube! Capiche?!'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' lets Blaster know who's the boss.

''Beachcomber had survived the decon bath, the optic calibration process, the hallway filled with zero-friction lubricant and three chemical explosions since breaching the outer defenses of the Decepticon base. He had been thrown about, smashed and lit on fire by four puddles of organic waste.''<br/>
''He was not happy.''<br/>
''Now, however, the enemy was out of tricks, and out of places to run.''<br/>
''That made him happy. Insanely happy.''
:—Beachcomber deals with getting the "Home Alone" treatment from the humans.

==Notes==
*Characters mentioned but not seen include: [[Arachnolord]], Congressman [[Shore]], [[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]], [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|Abdul Fakkadi]], [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], the [[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounges]], the [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Old One]], [[Seaspray (SG)|Seaspray]], [[Huffer (SG)|Huffer]], [[Brad White]], [[Jetstorm (SG)|Stormbringer99]], [[Pikapikaninja]], [[Beta (SG)|Beta]], and [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]].
===Continuity notes===
*[[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] is mentioned as being granted honorary [[Ottoman Confederacy|Ottoman citizenship]] after saving [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|President Fakkadi]]; President Fakkadi was mentioned in the previous prose story "[[Eye in the Sky]]".
*Wheeljack notes his exile from the Autobots, established in "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]".
*Astrotrain crashed on Earth sometime after the events of "[[Do Over]]".
*Only one stellar spanner was ever made before the story by the "Old One"; rumors state that before he finished it, Optimus Prime killed him. The "[[Reunification]]" storyline outright confirmed him to be Alpha Trion; it's likely that Trion actually did finish the spanner, only for Prime to force him into it, sending him to the ''TransTech'' Cybertron.
*Swoop was evidently among those brought to [[Omega Terminus]] by [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]] to be given an ember, as seen in the end of "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*Slugslinger first appeared as a nameless cameo in the original "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]" comic. Bombshell was mentioned in "Dungeons & Dinobots" and "Do Over"; he appears in-story for the first time here. Ratchet first appeared in "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*Wyatt’s Roadsideagazna first appeared in "[[The Desert Heat!]]".
*Will and Rick try to use on Beachcomber the same fire extinguisher trick they used on Goldbug in "Eye in the Sky". Sadly, it doesn't work nearly as well this time around.
*As noted in "Errors", when Heatwave gets sent through the stellar spanner, part of his trip involves the sensations of joy, happiness, compassion, love, and satisfaction, as well as a rainbow hue, no doubt coinciding with Aquarius activating the recall program that also summoned the rest of the Nexus Prime gestalt to Cybertron, as reflected in the coinciding club storyline "[[Reunification]]".

===Transformer references===
*In general, the entire story is a pastiche of the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
*As standard, many new characters are introduced, with the Transformers being repurposed from/are [[Redeco#"Virtual" redecos|"virtual" redeco]]s of pre-existing toys.
**Blitzwing uses his positive-universe [[Blitzwing (G1)|counterpart]]’s body in the colors of ''Generation 1'' [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]].
**Elita One is repurposed from ''Cybertron'' [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] GTS. Her romantic interests lie with Rodimus instead of Optimus, unlike her positive-universe [[Elita One (G1)|counterpart]].
**Star Saber is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Skyblast (Movie)|Skyblast]]. Unlike his beloved positive-universe [[Star Saber (G1)|counterpart]], everybody hates Star Saber.
**Bombshell is repurposed from [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive [[Salvo (G1)|Salvo]], who is a redeco of Bombshell’s positive-universe [[Bombshell (G1)|counterpart]]. He has [[anestho-shell]]s, mirroring his counterpart’s [[cerebro-shell]]s.
**Thunderwing is a virtual redeco of ''Universe'' Ultra-class [[Silverbolt (G1)#Universe_(2008)|Silverbolt]], with a new head based on his positive-universe [[Thunderwing (G1)|counterpart]].
*One of the broadcasts in the beginning of the story indicates that the Decepticons saved 39 employees of [[Blackrock Petroleum and Energy Concern|Blackrock Oil]]; [[Blackrock Enterprises]] was a company from the original Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics owned by the Autobot’s ally, [[G.B. Blackrock]]. The ''Shattered Glass'' version of [[R.J. Blackrock|Blackrock]] will show up in the next prose story, "[[Transhuman]]".
*Astrotrain landed in [[Antarctica]], homaging how [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] crash-landed in the ''Arctic'' in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Fire in the Sky]]".
*As noted in [[#Errors|errors]], the stellar spanner is near identical to the ''The Transformers'' cartoon [[space bridge]], being the "ring with three pylons" design rather than the "suspension bridge" design from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics, and opening a hole in the sky instead of existing in two places at once.
*The stellar spanner is built in a small canyon, like the original space bridge was in "[[Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion]]".
*Blitzwing (a jet) uses some [[jet judo]] to take out Wheeljack; the positive-universe jet judo was used by [[Sideswipe (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sideswipe]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sunstreaker]] in an attempt to take out the [[Seeker (body-type)|Decepticon jets]] in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Roll for It]]".
*Starscream notes that any non-living metal or plastics introduced to Cybertronian systems is broken down and remade into living [[living metal|technomatter]]; technomatter is a term introduced in the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon as one of the many names for the "living metal" that most Transformers are made of.
*Slugslinger is obsessed with fair play, unlike his backstabbing positive-universe counterpart.
*One of the Autobots' schemes involves creating drone cars at a "[[Roll-N-Wash]]", referencing the Decepticon’s [[Wash and Roll]] from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic issue [[Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom|#31]], where they hypnotized the human drives who passed through the carwash.
*Brawn is a practitioner of [[Tekkaido]], a Cybertronian martial art originally mentioned in [[BotCon 2001]] [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]’s tech specs.
*Brawn has [[nucleon shock gauntlet]]s, weapons first seen in the ''Cybertron'' prose story "[[Force of Habit]]". They also reference his positive counterpart's planned OTFCC 2005 toy, which would have had snap-on energon gauntlets.
*Astrotrain and Blitzwing are friends, in reference to their positive-universe counterparts being the first-ever Triple Changers in ''Transformers'' history.
*The positive-universe [[Big Steve Ludwig (G1)|Big Steve Ludwig]] appeared in Marvel’s ''The Transformers'' comic issue [[Used Autobots|#32]]; he was a stereotypical dishonest used-cars salesman, unlike ''Shattered Glass'' Ludwig, an honest guy who sells new cars.
*Rick's little sister fawns over [[Brad White]], the "dreamy" punk-ass counterpart to [[Rad White]], one of the Autobot’s human allies from the ''Armada'' series.
*Sephie communicates via e-mail with [[Jetstorm (SG)|someone]] who has the username "Stormbringer99"; it may seem to be Thunderwing, due to his positive-universe counterpart being the main bad guy of the IDW ''[[The Transformers: Stormbringer|Stormbringer]]'' mini-series, but "[[Transhuman]]" would reveal him to be someone else entirely…
*Thunderwing is a member of the [[Elite Guard|Cybertron Elite Guard]], a group who originate from the ''Animated'' cartoon. The Elite Guard that Thunderwing belongs to is a pre-war organization; the modern Elite Guard is composed entirely of Autobots as seen in ''Shattered Glass'' [[Thunderclash (SG)|Thunderclash]]’s tech specs.
*Thunderwing mentions that one of the criminals he's been chasing is a crime boss named Beta; Beta’s positive-universe counterpart was a freedom fighter who appeared in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming]]".
*Soundwave mentions having gone through [[primary programming]] (an education system mentioned in the ''Cybertron'' cartoon) four million [[Units of time|stellar cycles]] ago.
*Thunderwing orders Soundwave to return to "atmospheric entry mode"; referring to the "asteroid" alt-modes used by the base [[protoform]] bodies in the live action movies.
*Blaster compares the destruction Blitzwing will unleash to the popping of "[[Insecticon (disambiguation)|Insecticons]] on a hot engine block!"
*Soundwave and Blaster's throwdown evokes their positive-universe counterparts' final battle from ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' episode "[[The Mystery of Planet Master]]", including Soundwave's chest being shattered, and Blaster's threat that only Soundwave's head will remain by the time he's done with him.
*Soundwave tells Blaster his hiding spot couldn’t have been more obvious if they had carved it into an Autobot faction symbol; the positive-universe counterparts of the Decepticons had a [[Temporary Decepticon base|base]] just like this in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Enter the Nightbird]]".
*[[Altihex]] is a city introduced in the Dreamwave ''War Within'' mini-series.
*Blaster on the Moon is a reference to ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Blaster Blues]]".
*The Decepticon Graffiti (a font created by [[Jim Sorenson]] based on letters drawn by the [[Battlecharger]]s in issue [[Decepticon Graffiti!|#23]] of Marvel's ''The Transformers'') on the box that Ravage lays his head on reads "FRAGILE"

===Real-world references===
*The title of the story is a reference to the song "{{w|Blitzkrieg Bop}}" by the {{w|Ramones}}.
*The broadcasts on at the beginning of the story indicate that Starscream, at some point before the story begins, fights a super-criminal known as "Arachnolord", a ''Shattered Glass'' version of the Marvel Comics superhero [[Spider-Man]]. Spider-Man memorably teamed up with [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] in issue [[Prisoner of War!|#3]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
*Another broadcast talks about how a Congressman Shore reassured American citizens that the Transformers are unconnected to the subterranean monsters from the late 80s. Shore’s counterpart, Blackthorne Shore, was the main human villain of the ''[[Inhumanoids]]'' cartoon, and the subterrestrial monsters are the titular characters from the show.
*The broadcast that draws Thunderwing to Earth is about Soundwave (having been knighted recently) appearing at a joint [[Cold Slither (band)|Cold Slither]]/[[Misfits]] concerts in [[Dublin]] (the bands were mentioned in "Eye in the Sky" and are from ''G.I. Joe'' and ''Jem and the Holograms'', respectively).
*Lyrics for an inverted version of Cold Slither’s titular [[Cold Slither (song)|song]] appear both in story and in the liner notes on the final page (see below for more information). Notably, the lyrics indicate the {{w|United States Constitution}} has been altered or outright discarded at some point.
*Will listens to "[[The Pale Lines]]" on his [[oPod|O-Pod]], a ''Shattered Glass'' version of rock duo "{{w|The White Stripes}}".
*The stellar spanner is labeled with [[Cybertronian language|Autobot letters]], which translates to "CWP274," the initials of artist’s Chad Porter’s full name and last three letters of his Yahoo e-mail username.
*Arkeville notes that humans can use sterile coral to make new bones; while this may seem like a weird mirror-universe deal, it’s theoretically possible.
*Ratchet thinks the lyrics to "Zydrate Anatomy" from cult comedy horror film ''{{w|Repo! The Genetic Opera}}'' are catchy.
*Rodimus complains about being stuck listening to "Jim-Bob and Willy", a reference to obnoxious southern-US morning show deejays {{w|John Boy and Billy}}.
*Rodimus threatens to blast someone with a phazon charge if they don’t stop the signal; phazon is a substance from the ''{{w|Metroid}}'' franchise.
*Rodimus' line, "So up your tube with an energon cube!" is based on {{w|Welcome Back, Kotter#Vincent .22Vinnie.22 Barbarino|Vinnie Barbarino}}'s famous line, "Up your nose with a rubber hose!". Barbarino’s been the main inspiration for Rodimus’ speech patterns in the Sepelak and Troop-written ''Shattered Glass'' stories.
*Beachcomber's dialogue in the story is full of paraphrased song lyric snippets:
**"{{w|Won't Get Fooled Again}}" by {{w|The Who}}
**"{{w|Carry On Wayward Son}}" by {{w|Kansas (band)|Kansas}}
**"{{w|Bound for the Floor}}" by {{w|Local H}}
**"Transmaniacon MC" by {{w|Blue Öyster Cult}}
**"{{w|Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf song)|Magic Carpet Ride}}" by {{w|Steppenwolf (band)|Steppenwolf}}
**"PDA" by {{w|Interpol (band)|Interpol}}
**"Fire Poem" by {{w|Arthur Brown (musician)|Arthur Brown}}
**"{{w|(Don't Fear) The Reaper}}" by Blue Öyster Cult
**"{{w|Another One Bites the Dust}}" by {{w|Queen (band)|Queen}}
**"{{w|Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter}}" by {{w|The Beatles}}
**"Nowhere to Run (Vapor Trail)" by {{w|The Crystal Method}}
**"{{w|One Way or Another}}" by {{w|Blondie (band)|Blondie}}
**"{{w|Psycho Killer}}" by {{w|Talking Heads}}
**"{{w|Ace of Spades (song)|Ace of Spades}}" by {{w|Motörhead}}
**"{{w|Spirit in the Sky}}" by {{w|Norman Greenbaum}}
*Pikapikaninja (the Yatter user who posted that Blitzwing was hiding in an alley) is likely named for the ''{{w|Pokémon}}'' character {{w|Pikachu}}.
*Thunderwing’s personality is based on {{w|Joe Friday}} from ''{{w|Dragnet (franchise)|Dragnet}}''.
*Blaster uses weaponized versions of {{w|Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart}}’s music against Soundwave.
*Aquarius leaves a message for Heatwave to "{{w|Keep on Truckin'}}", referencing the comic by underground artist {{w|Robert Crumb}}.
*The Cold Slither album liner notes for ''[[Thunder Hammer]]'' (noted by Will early on in the story as his favorite of Cold Slither’s albums) at the back of the story have a number of references:
**One of the album's producers is "Synergy Music Ltd.", a reference to the supercomputer Synergy from ''[[Jem|Jem and the Holograms]]''.
**Some of the song writer credits reference various members of [[Cobra]]: [[Buzzer (G.I. Joe)|Buzzer]] and [[Torch (G.I. Joe)|Torch]] from the [[Dreadnok]]s and [[Destro]], using their last names of Blinken-Smythe, Wilken, and McCullan. Other writers credited are Yellen ({{w|Jack Yellen}}, writer of the "Battle Song of Liberty"), Bigelow (FE Bigelow, writer of "Our Director", the music to which the Battle Song of Liberty is set), and Key ({{w|Francis Scott Key}}, writer of the poem that would be used as the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner").
**The songs "{{w|The Battle Song of Liberty}}" and "{{w|The Star-Spangled Banner}}" are on the album.

===Errors===
*Heatwave's feelings of "joy, serenity, compassion, love, and satisfaction" should probably be "joy, ''peace'', compassion, love, and satisfaction" to be a completely accurate reference to [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]].
*While Cliffjumper in-character almost calls the [[stellar spanner]] a [[space bridge]], at one point the narration itself also calls it a "spacebridge".
*Not an error: Soundwave mentions that Astrotrain crashed in the Arctic instead of the Antarctic, but it's Soundwave's mistake, not the story's.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64373&st=0&p=1390930#entry1390930 Trent Troop answers "Shattered Glass"-related questions]</ref>

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170929083440if_/http://www.transformersclub.com/prose/Blitzwing_Bop.pdf "Blitzwing Bop"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Shattered Glass media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Do Over

2026-04-12T13:23:56Z

Escargon: /* Transformer references */

{{featured}}
{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|prev=Dungeons & Dinobots
|next=Eye in the Sky
|next2=The Desert Heat!
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]''
|image=DoOver cover.jpg
|caption=
|title="Do Over"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[February 13]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Yuki Ohshima]]
|colors by=[[Drew Eiden]]
|cover=[[Yuki Ohshima]]
|pagecount=30pp
|chronology=[[Shattered Glass timeline|Current era (2009)]]
|continuity=[[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Ricochet springs a trap for Megatron as Optimus Prime prepares to launch a rebuilt ''Ark'' towards Earth.'''

==Synopsis==
As morning begins, [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] is excited; with eight new [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinocons]], he finally has a chance to slip back into his old scientist role from before the war. Unfortunately, he is unable to find [[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]], the smallest of the new Decepticons. Increasingly worried, Starscream frantically attempts to find them; the largest of the Dinocons, [[Goryu (SG)|Goryu]], hasn't seen him, and Starscream notices that his speech has become far clearer than before. Starscream calls [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]], having him search through the security footage, and suddenly finds a pair of data cartridges. Soundwave reports back, unable to find anything aside from the occasional glitch, but Starscream soon is pulled away as the two cassettes start shaking. Figuring them to be explosives, Starscream ducks, only to find Overkill and Slugfest. The Dinocons have somehow each gained an ember, and with it, intelligence and the ability to transform! Later, the Decepticons gather in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]'s auditorium to discuss this development. Starscream notes that he could not find any listening devices and trackers, and that [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]]'s psych evaluations look promising. Soundwave, meanwhile, cannot find any evidence of an intruder; this concerns [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]], as embers can't just be created out of thin air. Starscream asks [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] if they saw anything that could have caused this, as their report was rather vague. The two tell all they can remember: they encountered [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] and [[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] while following [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]], and the [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]] was seemingly destroyed, the four parting ways after due to damages. Starscream accepts their story, apologizing for his disbelief, while Cliffjumper can't help but feel he isn't remembering all that happened. With no further clues, the Decepticons shift to discussing a far more urgent matter: [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] is almost ready to retry launching the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]''. Cliffjumper is shocked, feeling as though his contributions were for nothing, but Megatron explained that they always knew that Prime would try again, and that Cliffjumper's actions have allowed for the Decepticons to complete Project Doubletake: the construction of the starship ''[[Nemesis (SG)|Nemesis]]''. This ship will follow the ''Ark'', protecting [[Earth]] from Prime's reign. Cliffjumper is assigned to clear all volunteers for this mission, due to his experience with Earth. Megatron has Starscream take over as he receives a communication, and Starscream explains they must hurry, as [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]’s erratic orbit is nearing the [[Plait Expanse]]. The nebula is filled with gamma radiation, making [[Unspace|transwarp]] travel inside it impossible and off-world communications impractical; luckily, they will be on the outer rim of the expanse, so Cybertron will remain safe. But if they do not follow now, Prime will be unopposed on Earth for at least a year, more than enough time for him to conquer the planet.

As Cliffjumper assigns Soundwave to his duty on the ship, Starscream calls the Mini-Vehicle, unable to find Megatron. Cliffjumper just assumes he's checking out the last adjustments, and turns off his comm, turning to the next volunteer, [[Demolishor (SG)|Demolishor]]. Cliffjumper is puzzled by him, having never met an incarnation of him back home, but approves him anyway, along with the equally-unfamiliar [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]]. Meanwhile, Megatron investigates a signal he received from [[Boltax (SG)|Boltax]], whom he thought had died. Arriving at the now empty ruins of the [[Temple of Knowledge]], Megatron is only able to find a ramshackle [[Ricochet's victims|robot]], who worriedly explains that someone captured him and his friends hostages, before being destroyed by a blast from [[Ricochet (SG)|Ricochet]]. Megatron demands the Autobot to surrender and return Boltax and the hostages, but the mad Ricochet tells him that Boltax died after the [[Underbase]] disappeared and shows off one of the newest Autobots: the diminutive [[Nightstick (SG)|Nightstick]]. Megatron laughs, the Decepticons already having invented Micromasters long ago, but Nightstick is more than meets the eye. As Megatron turns into his fighter jet mode, Nightstick turn into a gun, his plasma blasts knocking the Decepticon leader out of the sky. Eventually, the Decepticon leader comes back online, finding himself chained and without his drone [[Rumbler (SG)|Rumbler]], hanging along with two other old robots above a coolant shaft armed with a variety of death traps. Ricochet, along with the cowardly [[Scoop (SG)|Scoop]] and the lazy [[Crosshairs (SG)|Crosshairs]], greet their prisoner. Ricochet demonstrates the cliché trap's lethalness as he presses a button, sending one of the robots on his side to his death. Ricochet has the others grab their guns as he makes a call to Decepticon HQ. The main viewscreen at Kaon lights up, as Ricochet shows the Decepticons their leader in chains, with Scoop and Crosshairs pointing their guns at him. Ricochet tells them that the ransom demands will be given in one hour, and that if the Decepticons try anything, Megatron will die, killing the final of the three old robots to demonstrate, and the Autobot cuts off the transmission as he laughs. Starscream wants to go after Megatron immediately, but Cliffjumper realizes that Ricochet is trying to lull them into a trap, preventing them from getting off planet. Still, he can't risk losing Megatron, and bringing up the files, he decides to have the [[Predacon (SG)|Predacon]]s and [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] sent out to rescue their leader. Cliffjumper also tells Starscream that no matter what, the ''Nemesis'' must launch...even if that means without Megatron.

At Autobot headquarters, Optimus Prime watches [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] chew out the [[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounge]]s placed under his command. [[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] gives his commander a status report, but when he lets slip that Ricochet is holding Megatron, Prime is furious. Unwilling to let anyone else kill Megatron, and unwilling to allow Megatron control of Cybertron while he is gone, Prime rushes off to the Temple of Knowledge, insisting that the shuttle will not launch until he returns. [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] reflects that Prime could be late, which would be a real shame....

Outside the Temple of Knowledge, [[Razorclaw (SG)|Razorclaw]], along with [[Rampage (SG)|Rampage]], [[Divebomb (SG)|Divebomb]], and Whisper survey the area. Divebomb spots an access vent with his eagle eyes, but Razorclaw know they are likely to be seen. Whisper solves that by flying high in the air, using his sound distorting engines to make it seem as if a whole Decepticon battlefleet is coming. The autoguns emerge, firing off at a non-existent fleet, as the Predacons rush to join Whisper at the access vent. Razorclaw reflects as they get in that the lesson learned is that sometimes, crazy works. Meanwhile, Scoop is terrified, having been tricked by Whisper's engines, but Ricochet orders him and Crosshairs off to go look for intruders. Megatron attempts to call Ricochet's bluff, knowing that Prime would slowly murder anyone who killed Megatron before he did, but Ricochet simply plans to blame Crosshairs. As the two Autobots search for intruders, Scoop's worrying begins to grind on Crosshairs's nerves. Hearing a clang in a darkened corridor, Scoop is sent to investigate by Crosshairs, and when another noise erupts forth, Scoop blindly fires, nicking Whisper's wing. His flight systems now useless, Whisper distorts his voice, pretending to be the ghost of Boltax. Scoop is paralyzed with fear, but another voice urges him to calm down, as Whisper's act becomes less and less convincing. Scoop's gun converts into another Targetmaster, a helicopter named [[Holepunch (SG)|Holepunch]], as the diminutive Autobot takes control of the situation. Forcing Whisper out of his cover, Holepunch points the Decepticon out to Scoop, and the Autobot is angered by his tricks, drawing all his weapons out on him. Meanwhile, Crosshairs, having been awoken from his stasis nap, goes to check it out, before Rampage knocks him to the ground and Divebomb lands on his neck. Unfortunately for the Predacons, Crosshairs gun is also a Targetmaster, and the boxy bot fires off "fire-and-forget" missiles at Divebomb. The enthusiastic robot, [[Pinpointer (SG)|Pinpointer]], assaults Rampage, while Divebomb's attempts to have the missiles lock on to Crosshairs fail due to being tuned into his energy signature. Elsewhere, Whisper takes advantage of the angered Scoop's attacks, throwing his voice all over the room. Holepunch fails to calm his partner down, and when the Autobot bulldozer accidentally blasts a support beam, the ceiling falls on the two, as Whisper rushes off to the center of the complex. Divebomb and Rampage still attempt to deal with Crosshairs and Pinpointer, the latter of whom manages to get on everyone's nerves. Rampage is knocked into a nearby wall when Crosshairs fires off his chest cannon, and Divebomb, trying to end this fight before it gets any worse, stoops right at the floor. Turning up at the last second, the missiles destroy the floor, sending Crosshairs and Pinpointer down below. The two Predacons are pleased with themselves, but rush to flee when more missiles are fired from below.

Back at Autobot HQ, Rodimus receives a static-filled message from Prime, telling him to delay the launch, as he cannot return. Rodimus tells his commander that he can count on him, but no sooner than he hangs up does he start shutting down the docks holding the ''Ark'' in place. Suddenly, Blurr and [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] enter the room. When questioned, Rodimus attempts to bluff, but the two see through his lies, Goldbug in particular noting the foam insulation from the communications array on his buzzsaw hand. Instead, Rodimus pitches that they leave without Optimus; Blurr threatens to call Prime, but Goldbug eases him, questioning him on what will happen when they return to Prime. Rodimus tells them they ''don’t''; after all, Cybertron is a wasteland. Blurr still refuses, calling Rodimus a traitor, but Goldbug draws his weapon, proclaiming that with Optimus out of the way, he (and Rodimus) will control the Autobots.

At the Temple, Ricochet grimly watches as the doors holding back Optimus buckle and break. Megatron laughs at Ricochet's weak-willed attempts to bluff, and soon, the doors topple over as Prime enters. Staring intently at his bodyguard, Prime is quick to take credit for Ricochet's work, scaring Ricochet away from taking credit. Megatron laughs at Prime's insecurity, but Prime brushes him off, and is about to pull the lever...when Razorclaw comes straight through the ceiling! Knocking Ricochet to the ground, he bounds off of the Autobot straight into Optimus Prime's direction. The Autobot emperor dodges the Decepticon wolf, but soon finds that he was not the target, as Razorclaw has ripped off the lever controlling the death trap. While Prime fires wildly, the now swinging Megatron uses his thrusters and momentum to swing to the edge. Noticing this, Prime aims at his nemesis, but Razorclaw bites into his leg, throwing him off. Megatron, now free, blasts Prime back, while Rampage and Divebomb, having just arrived, knock Ricochet back down once more. Enraged, Prime charges forward, clashing with Megatron and threatening to kill him in his weakened state. Megatron goads him, telling him all he needs is to keep Prime late; with the launch window fading, Megatron guarantees that Prime's crew will betray him, and that unlike him, Megatron can count on his crew to save the day without him. Prime's energy runs out, and as he staggers over, Megatron reaches for Nightstick, and aims the Targetmaster at Prime. Just as he pulls the trigger, however, his arm jerks up, and begins firing wildly. Ricochet laughs, explaining that the Targetmasters patch themselves into the arm of their partners to help them aim, and can takeover the arms of those who they are not bonded to. Optimus, having recovered, grabs Rumbler, activating the sword on the drone and charging at Megatron once more. Fortunately, the Decepticon leader uses this to his advantage, bring his wrist in contact with the blade, cutting off his hand and freeing him from Nightstick's control. Recalling Megatron to his stump of an arm, Prime and Megatron stare each other down. Eventually, the tension is broken when Prime receives a call; furious at the news he is given, Prime orders Ricochet to gather his minions and roll out. Soon after the Autobots retreat, Whisper enters the room, disappointed at having missed the fight. Divebomb retrieves Megatron's hand, and the Decepticon leader looks up at the stars, wishing Starscream good luck.

At the ''Ark'' launch site, Prime barrels through security, as both his ship and the ''Nemesis'' take off into the stars. The majority of the Autobots lie injured on the ground, and those that remain online aren't much better off. Prime interrogates [[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]], who explains that Rodimus and the others got the drop on them, forcing those considered too loyal to Prime out of the ship. The damaged Blurr weakly pleads to his leader, telling him he tried to stop the launch, but Prime grabs him, ordering the Autobots to pursue. No sooner than the words leave his mouth, however, does the Plait Expanse envelop Cybertron. Furious, Prime orders Nightbeat to get a headcount, and Scoop to take Ricochet and Crosshairs to the [[Agonizing Rehabilitation Chamber]]. Glowering at his damaged lieutenant, Prime tells Blurr that he has failed for the last time...

As the Plait closes around them, the ''Nemesis'' and her crew brave through the static, keeping the ''Ark'' in their sights. Unable to fire weapons yet, the ''Nemesis'' and ''Ark'' prepare for a transwarp jump. Cliffjumper tries to tell the despondent Starscream he did the right thing, but before Starscream can finish responding, the ''Nemesis'' makes the jump straight to the Sol system. The two ships begin firing on each other, but as the ''Nemesis'' approaches, the ''Ark'' fires her [[neutron cannon]], keeping them at bay. With the shields already damaged, Starscream launches Plan Theta, sending [[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] and his Micromaster crew into the fray. Avoiding the autoguns, Astrotrain lands on the ship, and his Micromaster crew tears into the hull while the Decepticon space shuttle approaches the cannon. Inside, the Autobots take notice; Blaster begins to send the Scrounges out, but Rodimus has a better idea, having them plunge into Earth's atmosphere to burn the Decepticons off. Starscream orders Astrotrain back to the ''Nemesis'', but Astrotrain shuts off his comm, and he and his Micromasters sabotage the neutron cannon's aiming system. Astrotrain blasts off with his crew, blazing into reentry, while the neutron cannon fires straight into the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engines. On board, explosions rip throughout the ship, sending it plummeting into the atmosphere. Rodimus takes his chance to get to the escape pods during the confusion, while the others stay on board, too far into the atmosphere to risk burning up in them. Back at the ''Nemesis'', the Decepticons cheer, but Cliffjumper is quick to notice something off about Earth; namely, California is ''gone''. Starscream orders Soundwave to get a lock on Astrotrain, but the Decepticons have another problem...a human launched [[fusion bomb]]! The Decepticons raise their shields as Soundwave lets loose with a massive EMP pulse, knocking power grids across America offline, but even that isn't enough to stop the nuke from taking out the Nemesis. Starscream is briefly knocked offline, but Soundwave gets him back, and the commander orders Heatwave for a status report. Using his strange abilities, Heatwave communicates with the ship, and reports that while the ship should still survive re-entry, the Decepticons will have to abandon ship if they want to stay online, and quickly re-routes the damaged comms to broadcast the order. Heatwave informs Starscream that it will take megacycles to bring the systems back online, and the Decepticon jet orders him and Soundwave to the pods as well, determined to prevent the ''Nemesis'' from crashing into the population. Soundwave begins to protest, but Cliffjumper pushes him back, telling the communicator that they will need him if they ever want to get contact with Megatron. Soon, Starscream and Cliffjumper are the only ones left on board, and the dimension-tossed Autobot can't help but feel a sense of déjà vu...

Six months later on Cybertron, [[Downshift (SG)|Downshift]] stares at the sky, stuck out with his comrades in [[Remote Patrol Six]] in a vain attempt to find a way off the planet. Downshift wishes he would have left, and tells the aerophobic Powerglide that with the rumors of the Decepticons' new [[Space bridge#Shattered Glass|Stellar spanner]], he wouldn't have to fly to get off the planet. [[Hound (SG)|Hound]] begins to mock Powerglide, but the Autobot jet turns the tables on him, making fun of the fact that he made himself look like he had died after being thrown off the ''Ark'', all because he's afraid of organics. Hound, angered, powers up his [[Psycho-Projector]], but [[Sandstorm (SG)|Sandstorm]] calls him off, having picked up a signal in [[Zone Y-AT]]. Recognizing the signal, Hound decides someone should check it out. [[Camshaft (SG)|Camshaft]] quickly volunteers, but Hound refuses to let him go, and suggests Downshift instead. Downshift wants to remain here, scared of what he might find, but patrol leader [[Kup (SG)|Kup]] simply levels his blaster at him, and orders him to go. As the cowardly Autobot leaves, Camshaft questions why Hound did that, as the Autobot knows he has the skill, and in any case, Downshift isn't one of "them". The Autobot master of fear quickly cuts him off, telling him that if the reading is [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|what]] he thinks it is, the game is about to change, big time...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|h2=[[Autobot]]s
|c2=
*[[Ricochet (SG)|Ricochet]] (12)
*[[Nightstick (SG)|Nightstick]] (13)
*[[Scoop (SG)|Scoop]] (14)
*[[Crosshairs (SG)|Crosshairs]] (15)
*[[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (19)
*[[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounges]] (20)
*[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] (21)
*[[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] (22)
*[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] (23)
*[[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] (24)
*[[Holepunch (SG)|Holepunch]] (29)
*[[Pinpointer (SG)|Pinpointer]] (30)
*[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (31)
*[[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]] (32)
*[[Downshift (SG)|Downshift]] (38)
*[[Powerglide (SG)|Powerglide]] (39)
*[[Kup (SG)|Kup]] (40)
*[[Warpath (SG)|Warpath]] (41)
*[[Hound (SG)|Hound]] (42)
*[[Sandstorm (SG)|Sandstorm]] (43)
*[[Camshaft (SG)|Camshaft]] (44)
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s
|c1=
*[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Goryu (SG)|Goryu]] (2)
*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] (4)
*[[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]] (5)
*[[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (8)
*[[Demolishor (SG)|Demolishor]] (9)
*[[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] (10)
*[[Rumbler (SG)|Rumbler]] (16)
*[[Razorclaw (SG)|Razorclaw]] (25)
*[[Divebomb (SG)|Divebomb]] (26)
*[[Rampage (SG)|Rampage]] (27)
*[[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (28)
*[[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] (33)
*[[Submarauder (SG)|Submarauder]] (34)
*[[Fasttrack (SG)|Fasttrack]] (35)
*[[Stonecruncher (SG)|Stonecruncher]] (36)
*[[Tailwind (SG)|Tailwind]] (37)
|c4=
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (7)
*[[Ricochet's victims|Ricochet's victim]] #1 (11)
*Ricochet's victim #2 (17)
*Ricochet's victim #3 (18)}}

==Quotes==
"Overkill and Slugfest are missing. Did you see where they went?"<br />
"Nope. Sorry."<br />
"You didn't... ''eat'' them, did you?"<br />
"Whut? No, never! Well, don't think so... maybe if I wuz starvin', and they wuz bein' mouthy, but they weren't and I wasn't..."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Goryu''' discuss the Dinocon's eating habits.

"If'n he breaks loose, or if I throw this big switch on the wall, he gets zapped, ground up an' roasted... it ain’t gonna kill him, but it do dump him inna thousand-meter drop fulla old cables and nasty sharp edges, and at the bottom of it all... the ol' standby, big-aft fraggin' vat o' acid! You gettin' alla this, Megsy?"<br />
"I do believe so. You weren't satisfied with merely one cliché deathtrap, so you went with five."<br />
"Anythin' worth doin’ is worth overdoin'."
:—'''Ricochet''' and '''Megatron'''

"I zink hyu miserable Zcrounges are going to vind up in ze scrap yard, crying for hyu manufacturer! But it iz mein job to make zhure zat doesn’t happen! Zo hyu! Zuck in zhat pipe, straighten up, feet togezer! Ven I zay 'attenshyun!' hyu give me attenshyun! Hyu!"<br />
"Zir, I mean, sir, yes, sir!"<br />
"Vat are hyu?!"<br />
"I am a Scrounge, sir!"<br />
"Hyu are vat I sez hyu is! If I choose to call hyu Little Mhiz Zparkle-Bootz, hyu will answer, unterstand?!"<br />
"Sir, yes, sir!"<br />
"Unt vat is zat hyu have zher, hanging off hyu verthless chassis?!"<br />
"This is my special arm, sir! There are many like it but this one is mine!"<br />
"Guut!"
:—'''Blaster''' gives the <s>Little Mhiz Zparkle-Bootz</s>'''Scrounges''' the "Full Metal Jacket" treatment.

"Your attacks are futile! I am everywhere, yet nowhere! There is no tech support here! You are doomed, forsake all hoooope! Your demise will be slow and painful! [[Antroid]]s shall devour your optics while [[razor snake|razor-snake]]s constrict your mechanisms! Your warranty is voided! Your head is a bucket, you suck [[turboworm]]s, I hate your feeeeeeeeeeet!"
:—'''Whisper''' does quite possibly the worst impression of a ghost ever.

==Notes==
*Characters mentioned who do not appear include: [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]], [[Primus]], [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]], [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]], [[Reflector (SG)|Reflector]], [[Boltax (SG)|Boltax]], [[Dead End (SG)|Dead End]], Cliffjumper's [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], the [[Terrorcon (SG)|Terrorcon]]s, [[Broadside (SG)|Broadside]], and [[Ironhide (SG)|Ironhide]].
*The "Prologue" at the end leads directly into the Collectors' Club magazine's "[[Reunification]]" storyline.

===Continuity notes===
*Many of the events from the previous prose story, "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]", are referred to in this story, including the capture of the Dinobots and Dinocons, the attack on the Arch-Ayr fuel station, and Cliffjumper and Sideswipe's mission. The Dinobots and Dinocons were gathered by Grimlock at the end of that story to take them to a "secret place"; evidently, he took them to [[Omega Terminus]] to grant them life.
*Starscream's pre-war scientific career was originally established in his [[BotCon 2008]] tech specs.
*Bombshell was previously mentioned by Cliffjumper as a psychiatrist in "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*Cliffjumper feels odd about the report because Omega Terminus altered his memories in the previous prose story.
*Cliffjumper helped delay the ''Ark'' in the original "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]" comic; he's shocked that Prime chose to repair the ship, as most of the evil leaders in his home dimension abandoned a scheme when it was foiled.
*Cliffjumper, as noted, is flummoxed by the presence of Demolishor and Heatwave, because they don't exist in his home universe. Indeed, Demolishor seems to be an alternate-universe version of ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (an exception to the idea of ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' as an alternate [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]]) and [[Transhuman|is not entirely]] [[Coalescence|what he seems]], and Heatwave has a [[Nexus Prime|greater destiny]].
*Whisper's profile in the Club magazine established that Micromasters were a Decepticon invention.
*Cliffjumper notes that the Decepticons had the Micromasters sent in first at the original ''Ark'' launch, as seen in the original "Shattered Glass" comic.
*Rodimus gained his buzzsaw hand in "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*As the out of control ''Nemesis'' enters Earth's atmosphere, Cliffjumper mutters, "Here we go [[The Transformers (issue)|again]]," referring to the first issue of ''The Transformers'' comic.
*The "Prologue" to "Reunification" takes place some time after "[[Transhuman]]", with rumors abounding that the Decepticons have a working [[Space bridge#Shattered Glass|stellar spanner]].
*The energy signature from Zone Y-AT is from [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Alpha Trion]]’s return in "[[Reunification: Part 1]]". Hound recognizes it, being one of Trion's secret loyalists.

===Transformer references===
*As with most ''Shattered Glass'' fiction, characters introduced are [[repurposing]]s or [[Redeco#"Virtual" redecos|"virtual" redeco]]s of various toys.
**Demolishor (who seems somewhat less dedicated to the Decepticon cause as his positive-universe [[Demolishor (Armada)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from his positive universe counterpart's "Powerlinx" colors toy.
**Nightstick (a mirror-universe version of [[Nebulon (Headmasters)|Nebulon]]) is repurposed from ''Armada'' [[Prowl (Armada)|Prowl]]'s [[Exdimensions]] toy.
**Scoop (a cowardly Autobot, unlike his brave positive-universe [[Scoop (G1)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Grindcore (Movie)|Grindcore]], and his partner Holepunch (who has far better people skills than his positive-universe [[Holepunch (G1)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from ''Armada'' [[Makeshift (Armada)|Makeshift]]'s Exdimensions toy.
**Crosshairs (a lazy Autobot as opposed to his positive-universe [[Crosshairs (G1)|counterpart]]'s meticulous nature) is repurposed from live-action movie toyline [[Warpath (Movie)|Warpath]], and his partner Pinpointer (far more enthusiastic than his positive-universe [[Pinpointer (G1)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from ''Armada'' [[Firebot (Armada)|Firebot]]'s Exdimensions toy.
**Blaster is a grey version of his positive-universe [[Blaster (G1)|counterpart]], with a German accent. His command over the Scrounges references their positive counterparts' friendship.
**The Scrounges are grey versions of their singular positive-universe [[Scrounge (G1)|counterpart]], with a gun in place of the "special arm".
**Astrotrain is repurposed from ''Timelines'' [[Astrotrain (Cybertron)|Astrotrain]]; Fasttrack is repurposed from [[Starcatcher (Cybertron)|Starcatcher]]; Stonecruncher is repurposed from [[Astro-Hook]]; Tailwind is repurposed from [[Astro-Line]]; and Submaurader is repurposed from [[Astro-Sinker (Cybertron)|Astro-Sinker]].
*The Decepticons have obtained eight Dinocons; aside from Goryu, Slugfest, and Overkill, this presumably includes [[Kakuryu (SG)|Kakuryu]] and [[Doryu (SG)|Doryu]] (who were seen in the illustrations of "Dungeons and Dinobots") and ''Shattered Glass'' versions of [[Gairyu]], [[Rairyu]], and [[Yokuryu]].
*The ''Nemesis'' is colored gold, as the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' was in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
*The positive-universe version of [[Boltax (G1)|Boltax]], along with the Temple of Knowledge and the Underbase, all originally appeared in [[The Flames of Boltax!|#48]] of the original Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic. The Underbase is only mentioned once, but it becomes important later...
*The victims of Ricochet seem to be based on the [[empty|empties]], with simplistic robot forms that have no indication of alt-modes.
*Cliffjumper notes that the native Dead End is quite a happy bot, as opposed to his dour mirror-universe counterpart.
*"Sometimes, crazy works" was originally uttered by [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] in ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge]]".
*Whisper mentions several Cybertronian animals while impersonating Boltax, including [[antroid]]s (mentioned in ''The Transformers'' cartoon episode "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3]]"), [[Razor snake]]s (mentioned in ''Beast Wars'' [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]]’s tech specs), and [[turboworm]]s (mentioned in issue [[King of the Hill!|#27]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic).
*Prime and Megatron's fight parallels that of their positive-universe counterparts in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', including some cribbed dialogue ("It’s over Prime!" "Never!").
*The members of Remote Patrol Six all have personalities opposite of their counterparts; Downshift is wistful, Camshaft is eager, Powerglide hates flying, Kup is quiet, and Hound is afraid of organics.

===Real-world references===
*Slugfest and Overkill's cassette alt-modes are noted to be "octaltrack data cartridges", named for the {{w|8-track tape}}s that preceded cassette tapes.
*The Plait Expanse is named for astronomer {{w|Phil Plait}}.
*Blaster's German accent is specifically based on American comedian [[Patton Oswalt]]'s impression of German-American painter {{w|Bill Alexander (painter)|Bill Alexander}}.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Fun fact: SG Blaster's voice in my head is basically an even more cartoonish version of Patton Oswalt's William Alexander impression. https://youtu.be/9ovpLXHMSqI|link=https://twitter.com/MSipher/status/1424141197929369601|name=Greg Sepelak|site=Twitter|year=2021|month=08|day=07}}</ref><ref name=Sepelak>{{citesocial|quote=SG Blaster's voice & mannerisms are more or less based on @pattonoswalt's unhinged impression of TV painter William Alexander, with "haughty monstrous bastard orchestra conductor" as the personality base.|link=https://twitter.com/MSipher/status/1512629587150221313|name=Greg Sepelak|site=Twitter|year=2022|month=04|day=09}}</ref>
*The Scrounge's line "This is my special arm, sir! There are many like it but this one is mine!" is a parody of a line from the 1987 film ''{{w|Full Metal Jacket}}'', combined with a callback to Generation 1 [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]'s babbling about [[:File:Scroungedisarmed.jpg|his "special arm" and how "there is no other like it"]] in the Marvel issue "[[The Smelting Pool!]]".
*Bits of Whisper's ghost impression are lifted from a ''{{w|The Kids in the Hall}}'' skit about a rather mouthy little demon added to a room as a "redecoration".
*Nightbeat's vocal patterns are based on actor {{w|Edward G. Robinson}}’s gangster roles.
*There is a sea where [[California]] should be in the ''Shattered Glass'' universe. Various bits of information in "[[Eye in the Sky]]" later reveal this to be due to some sort of hostile attack that wiped out most of the Western seaboard during [[World War III]].
*Zone Y-AT is named for [[Derrick J. Wyatt]], lead character designer on ''Transformers Animated''.

===Errors===
*Not "technically" an error internal to the story, but every subsequent piece of fiction Slugfest appears in (all of which is written by different authors) ignores his intelligence boost from gaining an ember.
*In "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]", the following is said about Slugfest: "[I]ts design clearly marked it as having a memory-cartridge alternate mode". Yet somehow Slugfest only gains an alternate mode in this story.
*Similarly in "Dungeons & Dinobots", Cliffjumper did not recognize Slugfest or Goryu as the counterpart of someone of his dimension (and indeed, Slugfest and Gōryū did not appear in any of the Marvel stories or ''Classics'' stories prior). He didn't pay it any specific attention, nor that the number of Dinobots in the ''Shattered Glass'' universe is much larger than in his universe. Yet for some reason, he makes a big deal out of not recognizing Demolishor and Heatwave in "Do Over", going as far as to claim he thought he knew everyone on his planet.
*On page 6, Ricochet shoots one of [[Ricochet's victims|his victims]] with his flame-cannon, but somehow doesn't hit Megatron who's standing between them and couldn't even tell where the shot was from.
*On page 11, Divebomb is an eagle. On page 15, he's a falcon. He goes back to being an eagle on page 17. This would later be corrected to him being an eagle consistently.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190312114252if_/http://transformersclub.com/prose/Do_Over.pdf "Do Over"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

[[Category:Shattered Glass media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Do Over

2026-04-12T13:23:18Z

Escargon: /* Transformer references */

{{featured}}
{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|prev=Dungeons & Dinobots
|next=Eye in the Sky
|next2=The Desert Heat!
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]''
|image=DoOver cover.jpg
|caption=
|title="Do Over"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[February 13]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Yuki Ohshima]]
|colors by=[[Drew Eiden]]
|cover=[[Yuki Ohshima]]
|pagecount=30pp
|chronology=[[Shattered Glass timeline|Current era (2009)]]
|continuity=[[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Ricochet springs a trap for Megatron as Optimus Prime prepares to launch a rebuilt ''Ark'' towards Earth.'''

==Synopsis==
As morning begins, [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] is excited; with eight new [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinocons]], he finally has a chance to slip back into his old scientist role from before the war. Unfortunately, he is unable to find [[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]], the smallest of the new Decepticons. Increasingly worried, Starscream frantically attempts to find them; the largest of the Dinocons, [[Goryu (SG)|Goryu]], hasn't seen him, and Starscream notices that his speech has become far clearer than before. Starscream calls [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]], having him search through the security footage, and suddenly finds a pair of data cartridges. Soundwave reports back, unable to find anything aside from the occasional glitch, but Starscream soon is pulled away as the two cassettes start shaking. Figuring them to be explosives, Starscream ducks, only to find Overkill and Slugfest. The Dinocons have somehow each gained an ember, and with it, intelligence and the ability to transform! Later, the Decepticons gather in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]'s auditorium to discuss this development. Starscream notes that he could not find any listening devices and trackers, and that [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]]'s psych evaluations look promising. Soundwave, meanwhile, cannot find any evidence of an intruder; this concerns [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]], as embers can't just be created out of thin air. Starscream asks [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] if they saw anything that could have caused this, as their report was rather vague. The two tell all they can remember: they encountered [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] and [[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] while following [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]], and the [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]] was seemingly destroyed, the four parting ways after due to damages. Starscream accepts their story, apologizing for his disbelief, while Cliffjumper can't help but feel he isn't remembering all that happened. With no further clues, the Decepticons shift to discussing a far more urgent matter: [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] is almost ready to retry launching the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]''. Cliffjumper is shocked, feeling as though his contributions were for nothing, but Megatron explained that they always knew that Prime would try again, and that Cliffjumper's actions have allowed for the Decepticons to complete Project Doubletake: the construction of the starship ''[[Nemesis (SG)|Nemesis]]''. This ship will follow the ''Ark'', protecting [[Earth]] from Prime's reign. Cliffjumper is assigned to clear all volunteers for this mission, due to his experience with Earth. Megatron has Starscream take over as he receives a communication, and Starscream explains they must hurry, as [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]’s erratic orbit is nearing the [[Plait Expanse]]. The nebula is filled with gamma radiation, making [[Unspace|transwarp]] travel inside it impossible and off-world communications impractical; luckily, they will be on the outer rim of the expanse, so Cybertron will remain safe. But if they do not follow now, Prime will be unopposed on Earth for at least a year, more than enough time for him to conquer the planet.

As Cliffjumper assigns Soundwave to his duty on the ship, Starscream calls the Mini-Vehicle, unable to find Megatron. Cliffjumper just assumes he's checking out the last adjustments, and turns off his comm, turning to the next volunteer, [[Demolishor (SG)|Demolishor]]. Cliffjumper is puzzled by him, having never met an incarnation of him back home, but approves him anyway, along with the equally-unfamiliar [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]]. Meanwhile, Megatron investigates a signal he received from [[Boltax (SG)|Boltax]], whom he thought had died. Arriving at the now empty ruins of the [[Temple of Knowledge]], Megatron is only able to find a ramshackle [[Ricochet's victims|robot]], who worriedly explains that someone captured him and his friends hostages, before being destroyed by a blast from [[Ricochet (SG)|Ricochet]]. Megatron demands the Autobot to surrender and return Boltax and the hostages, but the mad Ricochet tells him that Boltax died after the [[Underbase]] disappeared and shows off one of the newest Autobots: the diminutive [[Nightstick (SG)|Nightstick]]. Megatron laughs, the Decepticons already having invented Micromasters long ago, but Nightstick is more than meets the eye. As Megatron turns into his fighter jet mode, Nightstick turn into a gun, his plasma blasts knocking the Decepticon leader out of the sky. Eventually, the Decepticon leader comes back online, finding himself chained and without his drone [[Rumbler (SG)|Rumbler]], hanging along with two other old robots above a coolant shaft armed with a variety of death traps. Ricochet, along with the cowardly [[Scoop (SG)|Scoop]] and the lazy [[Crosshairs (SG)|Crosshairs]], greet their prisoner. Ricochet demonstrates the cliché trap's lethalness as he presses a button, sending one of the robots on his side to his death. Ricochet has the others grab their guns as he makes a call to Decepticon HQ. The main viewscreen at Kaon lights up, as Ricochet shows the Decepticons their leader in chains, with Scoop and Crosshairs pointing their guns at him. Ricochet tells them that the ransom demands will be given in one hour, and that if the Decepticons try anything, Megatron will die, killing the final of the three old robots to demonstrate, and the Autobot cuts off the transmission as he laughs. Starscream wants to go after Megatron immediately, but Cliffjumper realizes that Ricochet is trying to lull them into a trap, preventing them from getting off planet. Still, he can't risk losing Megatron, and bringing up the files, he decides to have the [[Predacon (SG)|Predacon]]s and [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] sent out to rescue their leader. Cliffjumper also tells Starscream that no matter what, the ''Nemesis'' must launch...even if that means without Megatron.

At Autobot headquarters, Optimus Prime watches [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] chew out the [[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounge]]s placed under his command. [[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] gives his commander a status report, but when he lets slip that Ricochet is holding Megatron, Prime is furious. Unwilling to let anyone else kill Megatron, and unwilling to allow Megatron control of Cybertron while he is gone, Prime rushes off to the Temple of Knowledge, insisting that the shuttle will not launch until he returns. [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] reflects that Prime could be late, which would be a real shame....

Outside the Temple of Knowledge, [[Razorclaw (SG)|Razorclaw]], along with [[Rampage (SG)|Rampage]], [[Divebomb (SG)|Divebomb]], and Whisper survey the area. Divebomb spots an access vent with his eagle eyes, but Razorclaw know they are likely to be seen. Whisper solves that by flying high in the air, using his sound distorting engines to make it seem as if a whole Decepticon battlefleet is coming. The autoguns emerge, firing off at a non-existent fleet, as the Predacons rush to join Whisper at the access vent. Razorclaw reflects as they get in that the lesson learned is that sometimes, crazy works. Meanwhile, Scoop is terrified, having been tricked by Whisper's engines, but Ricochet orders him and Crosshairs off to go look for intruders. Megatron attempts to call Ricochet's bluff, knowing that Prime would slowly murder anyone who killed Megatron before he did, but Ricochet simply plans to blame Crosshairs. As the two Autobots search for intruders, Scoop's worrying begins to grind on Crosshairs's nerves. Hearing a clang in a darkened corridor, Scoop is sent to investigate by Crosshairs, and when another noise erupts forth, Scoop blindly fires, nicking Whisper's wing. His flight systems now useless, Whisper distorts his voice, pretending to be the ghost of Boltax. Scoop is paralyzed with fear, but another voice urges him to calm down, as Whisper's act becomes less and less convincing. Scoop's gun converts into another Targetmaster, a helicopter named [[Holepunch (SG)|Holepunch]], as the diminutive Autobot takes control of the situation. Forcing Whisper out of his cover, Holepunch points the Decepticon out to Scoop, and the Autobot is angered by his tricks, drawing all his weapons out on him. Meanwhile, Crosshairs, having been awoken from his stasis nap, goes to check it out, before Rampage knocks him to the ground and Divebomb lands on his neck. Unfortunately for the Predacons, Crosshairs gun is also a Targetmaster, and the boxy bot fires off "fire-and-forget" missiles at Divebomb. The enthusiastic robot, [[Pinpointer (SG)|Pinpointer]], assaults Rampage, while Divebomb's attempts to have the missiles lock on to Crosshairs fail due to being tuned into his energy signature. Elsewhere, Whisper takes advantage of the angered Scoop's attacks, throwing his voice all over the room. Holepunch fails to calm his partner down, and when the Autobot bulldozer accidentally blasts a support beam, the ceiling falls on the two, as Whisper rushes off to the center of the complex. Divebomb and Rampage still attempt to deal with Crosshairs and Pinpointer, the latter of whom manages to get on everyone's nerves. Rampage is knocked into a nearby wall when Crosshairs fires off his chest cannon, and Divebomb, trying to end this fight before it gets any worse, stoops right at the floor. Turning up at the last second, the missiles destroy the floor, sending Crosshairs and Pinpointer down below. The two Predacons are pleased with themselves, but rush to flee when more missiles are fired from below.

Back at Autobot HQ, Rodimus receives a static-filled message from Prime, telling him to delay the launch, as he cannot return. Rodimus tells his commander that he can count on him, but no sooner than he hangs up does he start shutting down the docks holding the ''Ark'' in place. Suddenly, Blurr and [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] enter the room. When questioned, Rodimus attempts to bluff, but the two see through his lies, Goldbug in particular noting the foam insulation from the communications array on his buzzsaw hand. Instead, Rodimus pitches that they leave without Optimus; Blurr threatens to call Prime, but Goldbug eases him, questioning him on what will happen when they return to Prime. Rodimus tells them they ''don’t''; after all, Cybertron is a wasteland. Blurr still refuses, calling Rodimus a traitor, but Goldbug draws his weapon, proclaiming that with Optimus out of the way, he (and Rodimus) will control the Autobots.

At the Temple, Ricochet grimly watches as the doors holding back Optimus buckle and break. Megatron laughs at Ricochet's weak-willed attempts to bluff, and soon, the doors topple over as Prime enters. Staring intently at his bodyguard, Prime is quick to take credit for Ricochet's work, scaring Ricochet away from taking credit. Megatron laughs at Prime's insecurity, but Prime brushes him off, and is about to pull the lever...when Razorclaw comes straight through the ceiling! Knocking Ricochet to the ground, he bounds off of the Autobot straight into Optimus Prime's direction. The Autobot emperor dodges the Decepticon wolf, but soon finds that he was not the target, as Razorclaw has ripped off the lever controlling the death trap. While Prime fires wildly, the now swinging Megatron uses his thrusters and momentum to swing to the edge. Noticing this, Prime aims at his nemesis, but Razorclaw bites into his leg, throwing him off. Megatron, now free, blasts Prime back, while Rampage and Divebomb, having just arrived, knock Ricochet back down once more. Enraged, Prime charges forward, clashing with Megatron and threatening to kill him in his weakened state. Megatron goads him, telling him all he needs is to keep Prime late; with the launch window fading, Megatron guarantees that Prime's crew will betray him, and that unlike him, Megatron can count on his crew to save the day without him. Prime's energy runs out, and as he staggers over, Megatron reaches for Nightstick, and aims the Targetmaster at Prime. Just as he pulls the trigger, however, his arm jerks up, and begins firing wildly. Ricochet laughs, explaining that the Targetmasters patch themselves into the arm of their partners to help them aim, and can takeover the arms of those who they are not bonded to. Optimus, having recovered, grabs Rumbler, activating the sword on the drone and charging at Megatron once more. Fortunately, the Decepticon leader uses this to his advantage, bring his wrist in contact with the blade, cutting off his hand and freeing him from Nightstick's control. Recalling Megatron to his stump of an arm, Prime and Megatron stare each other down. Eventually, the tension is broken when Prime receives a call; furious at the news he is given, Prime orders Ricochet to gather his minions and roll out. Soon after the Autobots retreat, Whisper enters the room, disappointed at having missed the fight. Divebomb retrieves Megatron's hand, and the Decepticon leader looks up at the stars, wishing Starscream good luck.

At the ''Ark'' launch site, Prime barrels through security, as both his ship and the ''Nemesis'' take off into the stars. The majority of the Autobots lie injured on the ground, and those that remain online aren't much better off. Prime interrogates [[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]], who explains that Rodimus and the others got the drop on them, forcing those considered too loyal to Prime out of the ship. The damaged Blurr weakly pleads to his leader, telling him he tried to stop the launch, but Prime grabs him, ordering the Autobots to pursue. No sooner than the words leave his mouth, however, does the Plait Expanse envelop Cybertron. Furious, Prime orders Nightbeat to get a headcount, and Scoop to take Ricochet and Crosshairs to the [[Agonizing Rehabilitation Chamber]]. Glowering at his damaged lieutenant, Prime tells Blurr that he has failed for the last time...

As the Plait closes around them, the ''Nemesis'' and her crew brave through the static, keeping the ''Ark'' in their sights. Unable to fire weapons yet, the ''Nemesis'' and ''Ark'' prepare for a transwarp jump. Cliffjumper tries to tell the despondent Starscream he did the right thing, but before Starscream can finish responding, the ''Nemesis'' makes the jump straight to the Sol system. The two ships begin firing on each other, but as the ''Nemesis'' approaches, the ''Ark'' fires her [[neutron cannon]], keeping them at bay. With the shields already damaged, Starscream launches Plan Theta, sending [[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] and his Micromaster crew into the fray. Avoiding the autoguns, Astrotrain lands on the ship, and his Micromaster crew tears into the hull while the Decepticon space shuttle approaches the cannon. Inside, the Autobots take notice; Blaster begins to send the Scrounges out, but Rodimus has a better idea, having them plunge into Earth's atmosphere to burn the Decepticons off. Starscream orders Astrotrain back to the ''Nemesis'', but Astrotrain shuts off his comm, and he and his Micromasters sabotage the neutron cannon's aiming system. Astrotrain blasts off with his crew, blazing into reentry, while the neutron cannon fires straight into the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engines. On board, explosions rip throughout the ship, sending it plummeting into the atmosphere. Rodimus takes his chance to get to the escape pods during the confusion, while the others stay on board, too far into the atmosphere to risk burning up in them. Back at the ''Nemesis'', the Decepticons cheer, but Cliffjumper is quick to notice something off about Earth; namely, California is ''gone''. Starscream orders Soundwave to get a lock on Astrotrain, but the Decepticons have another problem...a human launched [[fusion bomb]]! The Decepticons raise their shields as Soundwave lets loose with a massive EMP pulse, knocking power grids across America offline, but even that isn't enough to stop the nuke from taking out the Nemesis. Starscream is briefly knocked offline, but Soundwave gets him back, and the commander orders Heatwave for a status report. Using his strange abilities, Heatwave communicates with the ship, and reports that while the ship should still survive re-entry, the Decepticons will have to abandon ship if they want to stay online, and quickly re-routes the damaged comms to broadcast the order. Heatwave informs Starscream that it will take megacycles to bring the systems back online, and the Decepticon jet orders him and Soundwave to the pods as well, determined to prevent the ''Nemesis'' from crashing into the population. Soundwave begins to protest, but Cliffjumper pushes him back, telling the communicator that they will need him if they ever want to get contact with Megatron. Soon, Starscream and Cliffjumper are the only ones left on board, and the dimension-tossed Autobot can't help but feel a sense of déjà vu...

Six months later on Cybertron, [[Downshift (SG)|Downshift]] stares at the sky, stuck out with his comrades in [[Remote Patrol Six]] in a vain attempt to find a way off the planet. Downshift wishes he would have left, and tells the aerophobic Powerglide that with the rumors of the Decepticons' new [[Space bridge#Shattered Glass|Stellar spanner]], he wouldn't have to fly to get off the planet. [[Hound (SG)|Hound]] begins to mock Powerglide, but the Autobot jet turns the tables on him, making fun of the fact that he made himself look like he had died after being thrown off the ''Ark'', all because he's afraid of organics. Hound, angered, powers up his [[Psycho-Projector]], but [[Sandstorm (SG)|Sandstorm]] calls him off, having picked up a signal in [[Zone Y-AT]]. Recognizing the signal, Hound decides someone should check it out. [[Camshaft (SG)|Camshaft]] quickly volunteers, but Hound refuses to let him go, and suggests Downshift instead. Downshift wants to remain here, scared of what he might find, but patrol leader [[Kup (SG)|Kup]] simply levels his blaster at him, and orders him to go. As the cowardly Autobot leaves, Camshaft questions why Hound did that, as the Autobot knows he has the skill, and in any case, Downshift isn't one of "them". The Autobot master of fear quickly cuts him off, telling him that if the reading is [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|what]] he thinks it is, the game is about to change, big time...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|h2=[[Autobot]]s
|c2=
*[[Ricochet (SG)|Ricochet]] (12)
*[[Nightstick (SG)|Nightstick]] (13)
*[[Scoop (SG)|Scoop]] (14)
*[[Crosshairs (SG)|Crosshairs]] (15)
*[[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (19)
*[[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounges]] (20)
*[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] (21)
*[[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] (22)
*[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] (23)
*[[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] (24)
*[[Holepunch (SG)|Holepunch]] (29)
*[[Pinpointer (SG)|Pinpointer]] (30)
*[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (31)
*[[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]] (32)
*[[Downshift (SG)|Downshift]] (38)
*[[Powerglide (SG)|Powerglide]] (39)
*[[Kup (SG)|Kup]] (40)
*[[Warpath (SG)|Warpath]] (41)
*[[Hound (SG)|Hound]] (42)
*[[Sandstorm (SG)|Sandstorm]] (43)
*[[Camshaft (SG)|Camshaft]] (44)
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s
|c1=
*[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Goryu (SG)|Goryu]] (2)
*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] (4)
*[[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]] (5)
*[[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (8)
*[[Demolishor (SG)|Demolishor]] (9)
*[[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] (10)
*[[Rumbler (SG)|Rumbler]] (16)
*[[Razorclaw (SG)|Razorclaw]] (25)
*[[Divebomb (SG)|Divebomb]] (26)
*[[Rampage (SG)|Rampage]] (27)
*[[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (28)
*[[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] (33)
*[[Submarauder (SG)|Submarauder]] (34)
*[[Fasttrack (SG)|Fasttrack]] (35)
*[[Stonecruncher (SG)|Stonecruncher]] (36)
*[[Tailwind (SG)|Tailwind]] (37)
|c4=
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (7)
*[[Ricochet's victims|Ricochet's victim]] #1 (11)
*Ricochet's victim #2 (17)
*Ricochet's victim #3 (18)}}

==Quotes==
"Overkill and Slugfest are missing. Did you see where they went?"<br />
"Nope. Sorry."<br />
"You didn't... ''eat'' them, did you?"<br />
"Whut? No, never! Well, don't think so... maybe if I wuz starvin', and they wuz bein' mouthy, but they weren't and I wasn't..."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Goryu''' discuss the Dinocon's eating habits.

"If'n he breaks loose, or if I throw this big switch on the wall, he gets zapped, ground up an' roasted... it ain’t gonna kill him, but it do dump him inna thousand-meter drop fulla old cables and nasty sharp edges, and at the bottom of it all... the ol' standby, big-aft fraggin' vat o' acid! You gettin' alla this, Megsy?"<br />
"I do believe so. You weren't satisfied with merely one cliché deathtrap, so you went with five."<br />
"Anythin' worth doin’ is worth overdoin'."
:—'''Ricochet''' and '''Megatron'''

"I zink hyu miserable Zcrounges are going to vind up in ze scrap yard, crying for hyu manufacturer! But it iz mein job to make zhure zat doesn’t happen! Zo hyu! Zuck in zhat pipe, straighten up, feet togezer! Ven I zay 'attenshyun!' hyu give me attenshyun! Hyu!"<br />
"Zir, I mean, sir, yes, sir!"<br />
"Vat are hyu?!"<br />
"I am a Scrounge, sir!"<br />
"Hyu are vat I sez hyu is! If I choose to call hyu Little Mhiz Zparkle-Bootz, hyu will answer, unterstand?!"<br />
"Sir, yes, sir!"<br />
"Unt vat is zat hyu have zher, hanging off hyu verthless chassis?!"<br />
"This is my special arm, sir! There are many like it but this one is mine!"<br />
"Guut!"
:—'''Blaster''' gives the <s>Little Mhiz Zparkle-Bootz</s>'''Scrounges''' the "Full Metal Jacket" treatment.

"Your attacks are futile! I am everywhere, yet nowhere! There is no tech support here! You are doomed, forsake all hoooope! Your demise will be slow and painful! [[Antroid]]s shall devour your optics while [[razor snake|razor-snake]]s constrict your mechanisms! Your warranty is voided! Your head is a bucket, you suck [[turboworm]]s, I hate your feeeeeeeeeeet!"
:—'''Whisper''' does quite possibly the worst impression of a ghost ever.

==Notes==
*Characters mentioned who do not appear include: [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]], [[Primus]], [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]], [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]], [[Reflector (SG)|Reflector]], [[Boltax (SG)|Boltax]], [[Dead End (SG)|Dead End]], Cliffjumper's [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], the [[Terrorcon (SG)|Terrorcon]]s, [[Broadside (SG)|Broadside]], and [[Ironhide (SG)|Ironhide]].
*The "Prologue" at the end leads directly into the Collectors' Club magazine's "[[Reunification]]" storyline.

===Continuity notes===
*Many of the events from the previous prose story, "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]", are referred to in this story, including the capture of the Dinobots and Dinocons, the attack on the Arch-Ayr fuel station, and Cliffjumper and Sideswipe's mission. The Dinobots and Dinocons were gathered by Grimlock at the end of that story to take them to a "secret place"; evidently, he took them to [[Omega Terminus]] to grant them life.
*Starscream's pre-war scientific career was originally established in his [[BotCon 2008]] tech specs.
*Bombshell was previously mentioned by Cliffjumper as a psychiatrist in "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*Cliffjumper feels odd about the report because Omega Terminus altered his memories in the previous prose story.
*Cliffjumper helped delay the ''Ark'' in the original "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]" comic; he's shocked that Prime chose to repair the ship, as most of the evil leaders in his home dimension abandoned a scheme when it was foiled.
*Cliffjumper, as noted, is flummoxed by the presence of Demolishor and Heatwave, because they don't exist in his home universe. Indeed, Demolishor seems to be an alternate-universe version of ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (an exception to the idea of ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' as an alternate [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]]) and [[Transhuman|is not entirely]] [[Coalescence|what he seems]], and Heatwave has a [[Nexus Prime|greater destiny]].
*Whisper's profile in the Club magazine established that Micromasters were a Decepticon invention.
*Cliffjumper notes that the Decepticons had the Micromasters sent in first at the original ''Ark'' launch, as seen in the original "Shattered Glass" comic.
*Rodimus gained his buzzsaw hand in "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*As the out of control ''Nemesis'' enters Earth's atmosphere, Cliffjumper mutters, "Here we go [[The Transformers (issue)|again]]," referring to the first issue of ''The Transformers'' comic.
*The "Prologue" to "Reunification" takes place some time after "[[Transhuman]]", with rumors abounding that the Decepticons have a working [[Space bridge#Shattered Glass|stellar spanner]].
*The energy signature from Zone Y-AT is from [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Alpha Trion]]’s return in "[[Reunification: Part 1]]". Hound recognizes it, being one of Trion's secret loyalists.

===Transformer references===
*As with most ''Shattered Glass'' fiction, characters introduced are [[repurposing]]s or [[Redeco#"Virtual" redecos|"virtual" redeco]]s of various toys.
**Demolishor (who seems somewhat less dedicated to the Decepticon cause as his positive-universe [[Demolishor (Armada)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from his positive universe counterpart's "Powerlinx" colors toy.
**Nightstick (a mirror-universe version of [[Nebulon (Headmasters)|Nebulon]]) is repurposed from ''Armada'' [[Prowl (Armada)|Prowl]]'s [[Exdimensions]] toy.
**Scoop (a cowardly Autobot, unlike his brave positive-universe [[Scoop (G1)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Grindcore (Movie)|Grindcore]], and his partner Holepunch (who has far better people skills than his positive-universe [[Holepunch (G1)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from ''Armada'' [[Makeshift (Armada)|Makeshift]]'s Exdimensions toy.
**Crosshairs (a lazy Autobot as opposed to his positive-universe [[Crosshairs (G1)|counterpart]]'s meticulous nature) is repurposed from live-action movie toyline [[Warpath (Movie)|Warpath]], and his partner Pinpointer (far more enthusiastic than his positive-universe [[Pinpointer (G1)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from ''Armada'' [[Firebot (Armada)|Firebot]]'s Exdimensions toy.
**Blaster is a grey version of his positive-universe [[Blaster (G1)|counterpart]], with a German accent. His command over the Scrounges references their positive counterparts' friendship.
**The Scrounges are grey versions of their singular positive-universe [[Scrounge (G1)|counterpart]], with a gun in place of the "special arm".
**Astrotrain is repurposed from ''Timelines'' [[Astrotrain (Cybertron)|Astrotrain]]; Fasttrack is repurposed from [[Starcatcher (Cybertron)|Starcatcher]]; Stonecruncher is repurposed from [[Astro-Hook]]; Tailwind is repurposed from [[Astro-Line]]; and Submaurader is repurposed from [[Astro-Sinker (Cybertron)|Astro-Sinker]].
*The Decepticons have obtained eight Dinocons; aside from Goryu, Slugfest, and Overkill, this presumably includes [[Kakuryu (SG)|Kakuryu]] and [[Doryu (SG)|Doryu]] (who were seen in the illustrations of "Dungeons and Dinobots") and ''Shattered Glass'' versions of [[Gairyu]], [[Rairyu]], and [[Yokuryu]].
*The ''Nemesis'' is colored gold, as the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' was in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
*The positive-universe version of [[Boltax (G1)|Boltax]], along with the Temple of Knowledge and the Underbase, all originally appeared in [[The Flames of Boltax!|#48]] of the original Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic. The Underbase is only mentioned once, but it becomes important later...
*The victims of Ricochet seem to be based on the [[empty|empties]], with simplistic robot forms that have no indication of alt-modes.
*Cliffjumper notes that the native Dead End is quite a happy bot, as opposed to his dour mirror-universe counterpart.
*"Sometimes, crazy works" was originally uttered by [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] in ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge]]".
*Whisper mentions several Cybertronian animals while impersonating Boltax, including [[antroid]]s (mentioned in ''The Transformers'' cartoon episode "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3]]"), [[Razor snake]]s (mentioned in ''Beast Wars'' [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]]’s Tech Specs), and [[turboworm]]s (mentioned in issue [[King of the Hill!|#27]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic).
*Prime and Megatron's fight parallels that of their positive-universe counterparts in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', including some cribbed dialogue ("It’s over Prime!" "Never!").
*The members of Remote Patrol Six all have personalities opposite of their counterparts; Downshift is wistful, Camshaft is eager, Powerglide hates flying, Kup is quiet, and Hound is afraid of organics.

===Real-world references===
*Slugfest and Overkill's cassette alt-modes are noted to be "octaltrack data cartridges", named for the {{w|8-track tape}}s that preceded cassette tapes.
*The Plait Expanse is named for astronomer {{w|Phil Plait}}.
*Blaster's German accent is specifically based on American comedian [[Patton Oswalt]]'s impression of German-American painter {{w|Bill Alexander (painter)|Bill Alexander}}.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Fun fact: SG Blaster's voice in my head is basically an even more cartoonish version of Patton Oswalt's William Alexander impression. https://youtu.be/9ovpLXHMSqI|link=https://twitter.com/MSipher/status/1424141197929369601|name=Greg Sepelak|site=Twitter|year=2021|month=08|day=07}}</ref><ref name=Sepelak>{{citesocial|quote=SG Blaster's voice & mannerisms are more or less based on @pattonoswalt's unhinged impression of TV painter William Alexander, with "haughty monstrous bastard orchestra conductor" as the personality base.|link=https://twitter.com/MSipher/status/1512629587150221313|name=Greg Sepelak|site=Twitter|year=2022|month=04|day=09}}</ref>
*The Scrounge's line "This is my special arm, sir! There are many like it but this one is mine!" is a parody of a line from the 1987 film ''{{w|Full Metal Jacket}}'', combined with a callback to Generation 1 [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]'s babbling about [[:File:Scroungedisarmed.jpg|his "special arm" and how "there is no other like it"]] in the Marvel issue "[[The Smelting Pool!]]".
*Bits of Whisper's ghost impression are lifted from a ''{{w|The Kids in the Hall}}'' skit about a rather mouthy little demon added to a room as a "redecoration".
*Nightbeat's vocal patterns are based on actor {{w|Edward G. Robinson}}’s gangster roles.
*There is a sea where [[California]] should be in the ''Shattered Glass'' universe. Various bits of information in "[[Eye in the Sky]]" later reveal this to be due to some sort of hostile attack that wiped out most of the Western seaboard during [[World War III]].
*Zone Y-AT is named for [[Derrick J. Wyatt]], lead character designer on ''Transformers Animated''.

===Errors===
*Not "technically" an error internal to the story, but every subsequent piece of fiction Slugfest appears in (all of which is written by different authors) ignores his intelligence boost from gaining an ember.
*In "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]", the following is said about Slugfest: "[I]ts design clearly marked it as having a memory-cartridge alternate mode". Yet somehow Slugfest only gains an alternate mode in this story.
*Similarly in "Dungeons & Dinobots", Cliffjumper did not recognize Slugfest or Goryu as the counterpart of someone of his dimension (and indeed, Slugfest and Gōryū did not appear in any of the Marvel stories or ''Classics'' stories prior). He didn't pay it any specific attention, nor that the number of Dinobots in the ''Shattered Glass'' universe is much larger than in his universe. Yet for some reason, he makes a big deal out of not recognizing Demolishor and Heatwave in "Do Over", going as far as to claim he thought he knew everyone on his planet.
*On page 6, Ricochet shoots one of [[Ricochet's victims|his victims]] with his flame-cannon, but somehow doesn't hit Megatron who's standing between them and couldn't even tell where the shot was from.
*On page 11, Divebomb is an eagle. On page 15, he's a falcon. He goes back to being an eagle on page 17. This would later be corrected to him being an eagle consistently.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190312114252if_/http://transformersclub.com/prose/Do_Over.pdf "Do Over"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

[[Category:Shattered Glass media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Blitzwing Bop

2026-04-12T13:20:55Z

Escargon: /* Notes */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|prev=Eye in the Sky
|next=At Fight's End
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]''
|next2=Transhuman
|image=Blitzwingbop.jpg
|caption=Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go!
|title="Blitzwing Bop"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[November 17]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Chad Porter]]
|cover=[[Chad Porter]]
|pagecount=35pp
|chronology=[[Shattered Glass timeline|Current era (2009)]]
|continuity=[[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Blitzwing inadvertently becomes a musical countdown, and not the kind that sounds like Bluestreak.'''

==Synopsis==
In the asteroid belt, an alien vessel listens to the outpouring of signals coming from [[Earth]]. Reports of the heroic Decepticons and evil Autobots dominate the signal, and when the vessel comes across one specific report, it begins its journey to the small blue world. And on that small blue world below, [[Will Hayes|Will]] is preforming maintenance on his Decepticon friend, the triple-changer [[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]]. In the process of installing an [[oPod]] into the Decepticon, Will attempts to ask about [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], but Blitzwing shows far more interest in Earth, his home having been a wasteland for a long time. Finishing up, the two go cruising, with Will trying to explain his interest in music to an uninterested Blitzwing. Meanwhile, in a small canyon nearby, the Autobot’s second-in-command [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] has begun a project under [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus Prime]]’s nose, having with [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] and [[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]] create a [[stellar spanner]] with which to return to Cybertron. Goldbug attempts to use Side Burn as a test subject, but the odd Autobot weasels his way out of possibly getting stuck in space, pointing out that they’ll need him to fix it in case of any troubles. Meanwhile, on the road above, a bored Blitzwing notices a massive Autobot tech signature coming out of the canyon. Calling [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]], Blitzwing asks for back-up; with most of the Decepticons in [[Antarctica]] fishing out [[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]], they can only spare one soldier, and [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] is sent to help his comrade. Soon arriving at the canyon, the two watch the Autobots. Heatwave recognizes the stellar spanner’s purpose, and although he doubts Wheeljack could make it work, he is excited to go down and talk to it, ignoring Blitzwing’s protests. Heatwave nearly manages to sneak up on them, but trips on sandstone boulder, sending him toppling to the ground and causing the Autobots to notice him; recognizing the opportunity, Goldbug orders the others to kidnap the Decepticon so that he can use him as a test subject. Quickly transforming into vehicle mode, Heatwave’s missiles send Side Burn flying back, nearly ripping the Autobot in half. Unfortunately, the other Autobots grab onto Heatwave’s turret and force him to transform, binding up the struggling Decepticon. Blitzwing has Will get out of his cockpit, and rushes down, stealthily knocking out Wheeljack. Goldbug mocks Blitzwing, Heatwave having already been placed into the activated Stellar Spanner, and blasts the Decepticon’s sword. Undeterred, Blitzwing knocks out the Autobot by bashing his forehead into Goldbug, and rushes over to Heatwave. Having escaped his bonds, Heatwave tells that he can’t talk the spanner into letting him go, and that Blitzwing will have to do it manually. Directly accessing the spanner control console’s datastream, Blitzwing accesses the schematics, stealing Autobot comms codes in the process, but before he can free Heatwave, Wheeljack blasts him, only pretending to be unconscious. Violently separated from the datastream, Blitzwing can only watch as Heatwave ascends through a portal in the sky, the stellar spanner sending him across space. The Autobots laugh, but soon find that their emergency comm channel is blaring human music in their heads. Side Burn rushes up, claiming that his supposed demise was a trick of the light, and tries to press the advantage, but as the Decepticons arrive, Goldbug orders them to retreat, unable to form any strategies with rock music blaring in his head. Destroying the stellar spanner, the Autobots run off, Goldbug assured that he can build a new one.

Back at Decepticon base, Blitzwing jolts awake, and sadly informs the others of what happened to Heatwave. [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] wonders why the Autobots didn’t kill or capture him, and Soundwave realizes that the oPod, now plugged into Blitzwing’s nervous system, is broadcasting on the stolen Autobot emergency communications channel. Blitzwing asks for them to remove the device from his body, but [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]], realizing the offensive capabilities of Blitzwing’s new ability, has an idea. Meanwhile, at Autobot base, Goldbug tries to convince Rodimus that the stellar spanner was a surprise, so that they could get reinforcements from Cybertron. Rodimus threatens him into submission, pointing out that [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] is still in command back at home, and would have killed them all for betraying him. [[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] reports that the [[Agonizing Rehabilitation Chamber|AR Chamber]] has mysteriously stopped working, and so Rodimus gives his second-in-command an alternative punishment: salvage duty with [[Seaspray (SG)|Seaspray]]. As Goldbug storms off, Rodimus tells Elita-One and [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] that he has special jobs for them…

Elsewhere, friendly [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]] [[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] and massive loser [[Star Saber (SG)|Star Saber]] have taken a restaurant and its customers hostage, placing them on-top of massive oil drill. Starscream, Blitzwing, and [[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] arrive on the scene, and Starscream orders for Blitzwing to stay back while he and Slugslinger lure the Decepticons away from the hostages. Starscream engages Swoop, while Slugslinger takes on Star Saber, the Autobot jet getting the spear shot out of his hands several times. As soon as both are lured away, Starscream tells Blitzwing to hit it, and the Autobots tumble, buckling one of the drill station’s legs and fleeing. Starscream is excited at the prospect of the Decepticon’s new non-lethal weapon, but Blitzwing interrupts him as he struggles to hold up the tower. Later, Blitzwing joins [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]] and [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] in fighting cars modified to become drones by the Autobots. While Sideswipe deals with the drones, Blitzwing and Bombshell head to the origin of the disturbance, a [[Roll-N-Wash]]. The Decepticons spot Autobots [[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] and Elita-One in the parking lot and go to engage them. Brawn transforms, launching cars at Bombshell, and the Decepticon psychologist tries to calm him down by launching an [[anestho-shell]] at him. Brawn’s [[nucleon shock gauntlet]]s disintegrates the shell, but before he can attack further, Blitzwing’s broadcast immobilizes the Autobot jeep, and Bombshell launches a second, successful shell. Bombshell heads off to assist Sideswipe, while Blitzwing heads after Elita-One, transforming into tank mode and destroying the interior of the car wash. Finding Elita-One, Blitzwing turns back to robot mode, but his gun has been rendered inoperable by the foam from the wash. Elita prepares her shot, but Blitzwing quickly changes his broadcast to a pop song, breaking through Elita’s resolve. Before she can do anything else, a car bursts through the side of the wall, and Elita-One drives off, Brawn draped over her. Bombshell and Sideswipe are happy that the job is done, but suddenly, the two begin to hear Blitzwing’s broadcast. Blitzwing is horrified to find that not only has his attack expanded to the Decepticon frequency, he’s unable to shut it off!

Sometime later at Decepticon HQ, Starscream has scanned Blitzwing, finding that his powers are now growing in intensity and range. Soundwave appears to be the only Decepticon besides Blitzwing able to handle the constant broadcast, which Professor [[Henri Arkeville|Arkeville]] theorizes is due to his function as a communications officer/device. Arkeville postulates that if Blitzwing’s broadcast isn’t stopped soon, the Decepticons will suffer severe memory loss and catastrophic data corruption. Sent to find Blitzwing, Soundwave goes to the hangar where the Triple Changer’s friend, Astrotrain, is currently being unfrozen in, and finds a message left by Blitzwing. Meanwhile, at the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]'', the Autobots are still affected by Blitzwing’s broadcast. Rodimus tries to have [[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] do something about it, but has second guesses when Ratchet pulls out his tools for brain surgery. Blaster, however, is unaffected by the broadcast, even if he does find the compositions of the songs lacking. Blaster suggest that with Rodimus incapacitated, he should "temporarily" take over as commander, but Rodimus knocks him into a wall, discouraging him and any other Autobots from a coup. Rodimus and Blaster notice that [[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] also appears unaffected, his harddrive already so fragmented as to be immune to the broadcast. Rodimus smashes his head against a wall to clear his mind and asks [[Teletraan-X (SG)|Teletraan-X]] what the Decepticons are up to. When the computer reports that only one Decepticon signature can be detected, Rodimus realizes that the they’re susceptible too, and tells Blaster and Beachcomber that he has jobs for them both…

Back at Decepticon HQ, Soundwave has some bad news; Blitzwing has left to hide and protect the others, not realizing the increasing strength of the signal. With Soundwave the only one able to enter the field, the other Decepticons are forced to go into emergency stasis lock; even Cliffjumper is affected, the frequency for the Decepticon’s emergency comm being identical to his universe’s Autobots. Starscream is worried about leaving the base unguarded in case the Autobots have anyone unaffected, but the humans offer to helped. Hard-pressed for options, Starscream agrees, and sends Soundwave into the field. Out in [[Tucson]], Blaster investigates reports of a "big tank of savings" at [[Big Steve’s Honest Deals]]. [[Big Steve Ludwig (SG)|Big Steve Ludwig]] bumbles his way into revealing that he’s let Blitzwing stay, and the Decepticon threatens to fire on Blaster. The Autobot calls his bluff, so Blitzwing does something he can’t: fly away, leaving the Autobot to run back to the city. Sometime later, Soundwave drives to [[Wyatt's Roadsideaganza]], where reports have come in of Monstroso, the Robot Horror from Beyond, has returned. Soundwave knows something is up, because ''he'' used to be Monstroso, his [[stasis pod]] having landed at Wyatt’s. Greeting his old captor and briefly terrifying him, Soundwave tells him that Monstroso is his friend, but before long, Blitzwing flies off before Soundwave can even say hello. Meanwhile, back at base, [[Rick Ottman|Rick]] tries to convince [[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] that they can handle whatever the Autobots can throw…but before long, the alarms go off, as Beachcomber invades the base…

Out in the city, Blitzwing hides in a narrow alleyway, thinking of where else he could hide out. It isn’t long, however, until a taxi cab drives up to him, with Blaster jumping out and confronting Blitzwing. Having found his location via [[Yatter]], Blaster prepares to attack…only for Soundwave to jump between the two, a [[Ravage (SG)|friend]] of his having found Blitzwing on Yatter as well! The two communications bots begin to duke it out, Soundwave using his speakers against Blaster and his sonic baton. Initially dumbfounded, Blitzwing also tries to join the fight, but the battle is stopped before he can, as a meteorite crashes into the street, knocking the three back. From the crater emerges Decepticon [[Elite Guard]]sman [[Thunderwing (SG)|Thunderwing]], who announces that he is here to take in a fugitive; initially elated, Soundwave is shocked to find that he’s the fugitive. Blaster takes his chance and stealthily knocks out Blitzwing, carrying him off. Soundwave is charged with piracy and indecency by Thunderwing, who plays a recording of Soundwave accidentally broadcasting onto a military comm channel, and orders him to return with him to Cybertron. Quickly thinking, Soundwave points out that he would have to report to his commanding officer before leaving, but he cannot bring him out of stasis lock until he’s rescued Blitzwing. Suitably convinced, Thunderwing allows him to chase after Blaster, but warns him that he will not help, and to not even think about running…

At Decepticon headquarters, the Professor and his students rush to fortify the bases, while the defense cannons attempt to deal with Beachcomber. The insane Autobot quickly destroys the guns and enters the base. The humans confront him, blinding him and letting loose barrels of ball bearings across the floor, toppling the Autobot. Unfortunately for the quartet, all they’ve managed to do is make him angry. Rushing after them, Beachcomber finds Will and Rick in a hallway, armed with a fire extinguisher. Missing with the foam, Rick throws it at the Autobot’s face, startling him long enough for them to escape. The pair lead him on into the Decepticon’s decontamination room, trapping him in the chemical spray for a little while. Meanwhile, Blitzwing awakens, finding himself in a mountain with Blaster. The Autobot comms officer begins to explain to him his plan; using a [[broadcast signal amplifier]], Blaster will amplify Blitzwing sonic assault to lethal, global levels, and reveals that all the odd and silly plots were merely a distraction. With a dramatic twirl, Blaster reveals that the Autobots have built a second stellar spanner! Using it, Blitzwing, and the amplifier, Blaster will create a makeshift bomb, wiping out every Autobot and Decepticon neuro-circuit on Cybertron, allowing for the Earthbound Autobots to return home, grab up all the weapons left, and destroy the Decepticons once and for all! Blitzwing claims that Soundwave and Thunderwing will stop him, but Blaster doubts it; judging by his faction symbol and lack of reaction to Blitzwing’s broadcast, Thunderwing has been gone long before the war began. Fortunately for Blitzwing, this isn’t the case; having followed his signal, Soundwave engages Blaster, while Thunderwing observes. Too evenly matched, Soundwave tries another tactic, telling Blaster that he’s never done anything without Optimus Prime ordering him to. Incensed, Blaster reveals that before the war, he stole 30 kilotons from the [[Altihex Protoform Rehabilitation Complex]], which causes Thunderwing to step in to arrest him. While the lawmech deals with Blaster, Soundwave rushes to the stellar spanner, and frees Blitzwing, attaching a dampener device to block his signal and carrying him off in his van mode as space warps around the two. Blaster takes his chance and jumps into the stellar spanner, but as it closes, Blitzwing blasts the control panel, destroying and disrupting the portal. Blaster finds himself stuck on Earth’s [[Moon (moon)|moon]], unable to even scream his frustrations.

Back at Decepticon base, Beachcomber has finally tracked down the humans to the med-bay. Beachcomber prepares for the kill, only to find the Decepticons re-activated with their guns drawn. Deciding that he isn’t that crazy, Beachcomber flees back to Autobot base. Sometime later, Starscream has removed the oPod from a grateful Blitzwing’s head. The Decepticons looks on the bright side of things, having one less Autobot to deal with and blueprints for a stellar spanner of their own. Sephie offers Blitzwing a portable music player that won’t fuse with his systems, but Blitzwing politely tells her that he’ll stick to radio for a while, eliciting a laugh from everyone in the room but her. The fun’s cut short when Thunderwing starts to haul off Soundwave, and the communications mech decides to go for a guilty plea. Thunderwing gives him 500 hours of community service, knocking off two and a half hours for saving Cybertron, and directs him to a littered highway.

Meanwhile, millions of light years away, Heatwave awakens on Cybertron. The aching Decepticon activates his distress signal, and before long, [[Micromaster]] Decepticon [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] arrives to bring him back to base. Heatwave tells his comrade about the Autobot’s stellar spanner, and the two head back to base. But all the while, Heatwave can’t shake off the sensation of a [[Aquarius (SG)|rainbow hue]] of emotions while he was being transported…

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s|c1=
*[[Thunderwing (SG)|Thunderwing]] (1)
*[[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]] (3)
*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (7)
*[[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] (8)
*[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (11)
*[[Slugslinger (SG)|Slugslinger]] (19)
*[[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (20)
*[[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]] (21)
*[[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] (23)
*[[Frenzy (SG)|Frenzy]] (29)
*[[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]] (30)
*[[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (31)
|h2=[[Autobot]]s|c2=
*[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (4)
*[[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] (5)
*[[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]] (6)
*[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus "Prime"]] (14)
*[[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] (16)
*[[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] (17)
*[[Star Saber (SG)|Star Saber]] (18)
*[[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] (22)
*[[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (24)
*[[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] (25)
*[[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] (26)
|c3=
*[[Will Hayes|Will]] (2)
*[[Henri Arkeville|Professor Arkeville]] (10)
*[[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] (12)
*[[Rick Ottman|Rick]] (13)
*[[Big Steve Ludwig (SG)|Big Steve Ludwig]] (27)
*[[Wyatt's Roadsideaganza|Wyatt]] (28)
|c4=
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] (9)
*[[Teletraan-X (SG)|Teletraan-X]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"So tell me about Cybertron."<br/>
"Why?"<br/>
"I've never been there, Blitzwing. Thought it'd be interesting."<br/>
"Okay. Imagine a junk yard. Now make it the size of a planet, and set big patches of it on fire. I suppose that's interesting in a horrible sort of way, but there's nothing appealing about it."
:—'''Will''' finds out from '''Blitzwing''' that Cybertron is not a good tourist destination.

"If my examination of Starscream's systems is accurate, unless we can stop the subspace transmission, Blitzwing's signal will eventually cause permanent memory damage... possibly even catastrophic data corruption."<br/>
"Whoah, that means-"<br/>
"If it's not stopped, this 'rock and roll' assault will rapidly become... '''death metal'''."
:—'''Arkeville''' and '''Soundwave''' engage in bad puns.

"Right now, I gots two idiot humans yammerin' 'bout venting exhaust stuck in my head. They will not shut up. An' I can still bend your fenders in a knot an' stick 'em in your reactor linkage! So '''up your tube with an energon cube! Capiche?!'''"
:—'''Rodimus''' lets Blaster know who's the boss.

''Beachcomber had survived the decon bath, the optic calibration process, the hallway filled with zero-friction lubricant and three chemical explosions since breaching the outer defenses of the Decepticon base. He had been thrown about, smashed and lit on fire by four puddles of organic waste.''<br/>
''He was not happy.''<br/>
''Now, however, the enemy was out of tricks, and out of places to run.''<br/>
''That made him happy. Insanely happy.''
:—Beachcomber deals with getting the "Home Alone" treatment from the humans.

==Notes==
*Characters mentioned but not seen include: [[Arachnolord]], Congressman [[Shore]], [[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]], [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|Abdul Fakkadi]], [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], the [[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounges]], the [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Old One]], [[Seaspray (SG)|Seaspray]], [[Huffer (SG)|Huffer]], [[Brad White]], [[Jetstorm (SG)|Stormbringer99]], [[Pikapikaninja]], [[Beta (SG)|Beta]], and [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]].
===Continuity notes===
*[[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] is mentioned as being granted honorary [[Ottoman Confederacy|Ottoman citizenship]] after saving [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|President Fakkadi]]; President Fakkadi was mentioned in the previous prose story "[[Eye in the Sky]]".
*Wheeljack notes his exile from the Autobots, established in "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]".
*Astrotrain crashed on Earth sometime after the events of "[[Do Over]]".
*Only one stellar spanner was ever made before the story by the "Old One"; rumors state that before he finished it, Optimus Prime killed him. The "[[Reunification]]" storyline outright confirmed him to be Alpha Trion; it's likely that Trion actually did finish the spanner, only for Prime to force him into it, sending him to the ''TransTech'' Cybertron.
*Swoop was evidently among those brought to [[Omega Terminus]] by [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]] to be given an ember, as seen in the end of "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*Slugslinger first appeared as a nameless cameo in the original "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]" comic. Bombshell was mentioned in "Dungeons & Dinobots" and "Do Over"; he appears in-story for the first time here. Ratchet first appeared in "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*Wyatt’s Roadsideagazna first appeared in "[[The Desert Heat!]]".
*Will and Rick try to use on Beachcomber the same fire extinguisher trick they used on Goldbug in "Eye in the Sky". Sadly, it doesn't work nearly as well this time around.
*As noted in "Errors", when Heatwave gets sent through the stellar spanner, part of his trip involves the sensations of joy, happiness, compassion, love, and satisfaction, as well as a rainbow hue, no doubt coinciding with Aquarius activating the recall program that also summoned the rest of the Nexus Prime gestalt to Cybertron, as reflected in the coinciding club storyline "[[Reunification]]".

===Transformer references===
*In general, the entire story is a pastiche of the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
*As standard, many new characters are introduced, with the Transformers being repurposed from/are [[Redeco#"Virtual" redecos|"virtual" redeco]]s of pre-existing toys.
**Blitzwing uses his positive-universe [[Blitzwing (G1)|counterpart]]’s body in the colors of ''Generation 1'' [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]].
**Elita One is repurposed from ''Cybertron'' [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] GTS. Her romantic interests lie with Rodimus instead of Optimus, unlike her positive-universe [[Elita One (G1)|counterpart]].
**Star Saber is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Skyblast (Movie)|Skyblast]]. Unlike his beloved positive-universe [[Star Saber (G1)|counterpart]], everybody hates Star Saber.
**Bombshell is repurposed from [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive [[Salvo (G1)|Salvo]], who is a redeco of Bombshell’s positive-universe [[Bombshell (G1)|counterpart]]. He has [[anestho-shell]]s, mirroring his counterpart’s [[cerebro-shell]]s.
**Thunderwing is a virtual redeco of ''Universe'' Ultra-class [[Silverbolt (G1)#Universe_(2008)|Silverbolt]], with a new head based on his positive-universe [[Thunderwing (G1)|counterpart]].
*One of the broadcasts in the beginning of the story indicates that the Decepticons saved 39 employees of [[Blackrock Petroleum and Energy Concern|Blackrock Oil]]; [[Blackrock Enterprises]] was a company from the original Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics owned by the Autobot’s ally, [[G.B. Blackrock]]. The ''Shattered Glass'' version of [[R.J. Blackrock|Blackrock]] will show up in the next prose story, [[Transhuman]].
*Astrotrain landed in [[Antarctica]], homaging how [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] crash-landed in the ''Arctic'' in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Fire in the Sky]]".
*As noted in [[#Errors|errors]], the stellar spanner is near identical to the ''The Transformers'' cartoon [[space bridge]], being the "ring with three pylons" design rather than the "suspension bridge" design from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics, and opening a hole in the sky instead of existing in two places at once.
*The stellar spanner is built in a small canyon, like the original space bridge was in "[[Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion]]".
*Blitzwing (a jet) uses some [[jet judo]] to take out Wheeljack; the positive-universe jet judo was used by [[Sideswipe (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sideswipe]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sunstreaker]] in an attempt to take out the [[Seeker (body-type)|Decepticon jets]] in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Roll for It]]".
*Starscream notes that any non-living metal or plastics introduced to Cybertronian systems is broken down and remade into living [[living metal|technomatter]]; technomatter is a term introduced in the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon as one of the many names for the "living metal" that most Transformers are made of.
*Slugslinger is obsessed with fair play, unlike his backstabbing positive-universe counterpart.
*One of the Autobots' schemes involves creating drone cars at a "[[Roll-N-Wash]]", referencing the Decepticon’s [[Wash and Roll]] from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic issue [[Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom|#31]], where they hypnotized the human drives who passed through the carwash.
*Brawn is a practitioner of [[Tekkaido]], a Cybertronian martial art originally mentioned in [[BotCon 2001]] [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]’s tech specs.
*Brawn has [[nucleon shock gauntlet]]s, weapons first seen in the ''Cybertron'' prose story "[[Force of Habit]]". They also reference his positive counterpart's planned OTFCC 2005 toy, which would have had snap-on energon gauntlets.
*Astrotrain and Blitzwing are friends, in reference to their positive-universe counterparts being the first-ever Triple Changers in ''Transformers'' history.
*The positive-universe [[Big Steve Ludwig (G1)|Big Steve Ludwig]] appeared in Marvel’s ''The Transformers'' comic issue [[Used Autobots|#32]]; he was a stereotypical dishonest used-cars salesman, unlike ''Shattered Glass'' Ludwig, an honest guy who sells new cars.
*Rick's little sister fawns over [[Brad White]], the "dreamy" punk-ass counterpart to [[Rad White]], one of the Autobot’s human allies from the ''Armada'' series.
*Sephie communicates via e-mail with [[Jetstorm (SG)|someone]] who has the username "Stormbringer99"; it may seem to be Thunderwing, due to his positive-universe counterpart being the main bad guy of the IDW ''[[The Transformers: Stormbringer|Stormbringer]]'' mini-series, but "[[Transhuman]]" would reveal him to be someone else entirely…
*Thunderwing is a member of the [[Elite Guard|Cybertron Elite Guard]], a group who originate from the ''Animated'' cartoon. The Elite Guard that Thunderwing belongs to is a pre-war organization; the modern Elite Guard is composed entirely of Autobots as seen in ''Shattered Glass'' [[Thunderclash (SG)|Thunderclash]]’s tech specs.
*Thunderwing mentions that one of the criminals he's been chasing is a crime boss named Beta; Beta’s positive-universe counterpart was a freedom fighter who appeared in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming]]".
*Soundwave mentions having gone through [[primary programming]] (an education system mentioned in the ''Cybertron'' cartoon) four million [[Units of time|stellar cycles]] ago.
*Thunderwing orders Soundwave to return to "atmospheric entry mode"; referring to the "asteroid" alt-modes used by the base [[protoform]] bodies in the live action movies.
*Blaster compares the destruction Blitzwing will unleash to the popping of "[[Insecticon (disambiguation)|Insecticons]] on a hot engine block!"
*Soundwave and Blaster's throwdown evokes their positive-universe counterparts' final battle from ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' episode "[[The Mystery of Planet Master]]", including Soundwave's chest being shattered, and Blaster's threat that only Soundwave's head will remain by the time he's done with him.
*Soundwave tells Blaster his hiding spot couldn’t have been more obvious if they had carved it into an Autobot faction symbol; the positive-universe counterparts of the Decepticons had a [[Temporary Decepticon base|base]] just like this in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Enter the Nightbird]]".
*[[Altihex]] is a city introduced in the Dreamwave ''War Within'' mini-series.
*Blaster on the Moon is a reference to ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Blaster Blues]]".
*The Decepticon Graffiti (a font created by [[Jim Sorenson]] based on letters drawn by the [[Battlecharger]]s in issue [[Decepticon Graffiti!|#23]] of Marvel's ''The Transformers'') on the box that Ravage lays his head on reads "FRAGILE"

===Real-world references===
*The title of the story is a reference to the song "{{w|Blitzkrieg Bop}}" by the {{w|Ramones}}.
*The broadcasts on at the beginning of the story indicate that Starscream, at some point before the story begins, fights a super-criminal known as "Arachnolord", a ''Shattered Glass'' version of the Marvel Comics superhero [[Spider-Man]]. Spider-Man memorably teamed up with [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] in issue [[Prisoner of War!|#3]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
*Another broadcast talks about how a Congressman Shore reassured American citizens that the Transformers are unconnected to the subterranean monsters from the late 80s. Shore’s counterpart, Blackthorne Shore, was the main human villain of the ''[[Inhumanoids]]'' cartoon, and the subterrestrial monsters are the titular characters from the show.
*The broadcast that draws Thunderwing to Earth is about Soundwave (having been knighted recently) appearing at a joint [[Cold Slither (band)|Cold Slither]]/[[Misfits]] concerts in [[Dublin]] (the bands were mentioned in "Eye in the Sky" and are from ''G.I. Joe'' and ''Jem and the Holograms'', respectively).
*Lyrics for an inverted version of Cold Slither’s titular [[Cold Slither (song)|song]] appear both in story and in the liner notes on the final page (see below for more information). Notably, the lyrics indicate the {{w|United States Constitution}} has been altered or outright discarded at some point.
*Will listens to "[[The Pale Lines]]" on his [[oPod|O-Pod]], a ''Shattered Glass'' version of rock duo "{{w|The White Stripes}}".
*The stellar spanner is labeled with [[Cybertronian language|Autobot letters]], which translates to "CWP274," the initials of artist’s Chad Porter’s full name and last three letters of his Yahoo e-mail username.
*Arkeville notes that humans can use sterile coral to make new bones; while this may seem like a weird mirror-universe deal, it’s theoretically possible.
*Ratchet thinks the lyrics to "Zydrate Anatomy" from cult comedy horror film ''{{w|Repo! The Genetic Opera}}'' are catchy.
*Rodimus complains about being stuck listening to "Jim-Bob and Willy", a reference to obnoxious southern-US morning show deejays {{w|John Boy and Billy}}.
*Rodimus threatens to blast someone with a phazon charge if they don’t stop the signal; phazon is a substance from the ''{{w|Metroid}}'' franchise.
*Rodimus' line, "So up your tube with an energon cube!" is based on {{w|Welcome Back, Kotter#Vincent .22Vinnie.22 Barbarino|Vinnie Barbarino}}'s famous line, "Up your nose with a rubber hose!". Barbarino’s been the main inspiration for Rodimus’ speech patterns in the Sepelak and Troop-written ''Shattered Glass'' stories.
*Beachcomber's dialogue in the story is full of paraphrased song lyric snippets:
**"{{w|Won't Get Fooled Again}}" by {{w|The Who}}
**"{{w|Carry On Wayward Son}}" by {{w|Kansas (band)|Kansas}}
**"{{w|Bound for the Floor}}" by {{w|Local H}}
**"Transmaniacon MC" by {{w|Blue Öyster Cult}}
**"{{w|Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf song)|Magic Carpet Ride}}" by {{w|Steppenwolf (band)|Steppenwolf}}
**"PDA" by {{w|Interpol (band)|Interpol}}
**"Fire Poem" by {{w|Arthur Brown (musician)|Arthur Brown}}
**"{{w|(Don't Fear) The Reaper}}" by Blue Öyster Cult
**"{{w|Another One Bites the Dust}}" by {{w|Queen (band)|Queen}}
**"{{w|Helter Skelter (song)|Helter Skelter}}" by {{w|The Beatles}}
**"Nowhere to Run (Vapor Trail)" by {{w|The Crystal Method}}
**"{{w|One Way or Another}}" by {{w|Blondie (band)|Blondie}}
**"{{w|Psycho Killer}}" by {{w|Talking Heads}}
**"{{w|Ace of Spades (song)|Ace of Spades}}" by {{w|Motörhead}}
**"{{w|Spirit in the Sky}}" by {{w|Norman Greenbaum}}
*Pikapikaninja (the Yatter user who posted that Blitzwing was hiding in an alley) is likely named for the ''{{w|Pokémon}}'' character {{w|Pikachu}}.
*Thunderwing’s personality is based on {{w|Joe Friday}} from ''{{w|Dragnet (franchise)|Dragnet}}''.
*Blaster uses weaponized versions of {{w|Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart}}’s music against Soundwave.
*Aquarius leaves a message for Heatwave to "{{w|Keep on Truckin'}}", referencing the comic by underground artist {{w|Robert Crumb}}.
*The Cold Slither album liner notes for ''[[Thunder Hammer]]'' (noted by Will early on in the story as his favorite of Cold Slither’s albums) at the back of the story have a number of references:
**One of the album's producers is "Synergy Music Ltd.", a reference to the supercomputer Synergy from ''[[Jem|Jem and the Holograms]]''.
**Some of the song writer credits reference various members of [[Cobra]]: [[Buzzer (G.I. Joe)|Buzzer]] and [[Torch (G.I. Joe)|Torch]] from the [[Dreadnok]]s and [[Destro]], using their last names of Blinken-Smythe, Wilken, and McCullan. Other writers credited are Yellen ({{w|Jack Yellen}}, writer of the "Battle Song of Liberty"), Bigelow (FE Bigelow, writer of "Our Director", the music to which the Battle Song of Liberty is set), and Key ({{w|Francis Scott Key}}, writer of the poem that would be used as the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner").
**The songs "{{w|The Battle Song of Liberty}}" and "{{w|The Star-Spangled Banner}}" are on the album.

===Errors===
*Heatwave's feelings of "joy, serenity, compassion, love, and satisfaction" should probably be "joy, ''peace'', compassion, love, and satisfaction" to be a completely accurate reference to [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]].
*While Cliffjumper in-character almost calls the [[stellar spanner]] a [[space bridge]], at one point the narration itself also calls it a "spacebridge".
*Not an error: Soundwave mentions that Astrotrain crashed in the Arctic instead of the Antarctic, but it's Soundwave's mistake, not the story's.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64373&st=0&p=1390930#entry1390930 Trent Troop answers "Shattered Glass"-related questions]</ref>

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170929083440if_/http://www.transformersclub.com/prose/Blitzwing_Bop.pdf "Blitzwing Bop"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Shattered Glass media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Eye in the Sky

2026-04-12T13:20:29Z

Escargon: /* Notes */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|prev=Do Over
|next=Blitzwing Bop
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]''
|prev2=The Desert Heat!
|image=EyeintheSky cover.jpg
|caption=''I am the eye in the sky''
''Looking at you''
|title="Eye in the Sky"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[May 1]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Tom Whalen]]
|cover=[[Tom Whalen]]
|pagecount=29pp
|chronology=[[Shattered Glass timeline|Current era (2009)]]
|continuity=[[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''The Decepticons fight to save Earth from Rodimus Prime's Autobots.'''

==Synopsis==
After the blackout over the Eastern seaboard, the United States government assures its citizens that the defense program will still go forward. One man, however, sees through the government's promises; out in the [[Arizona]] desert, cyborg [[Henri Arkeville|Professor Arkeville]] drives with his students [[Will Hayes|Will]], [[Rick Ottman|Rick]], and [[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] to investigate a supposed meteorite crash that happened shortly after the blackout. Arkeville doesn't believe that it's a meteorite at all, and wishes to investigate before the military does the same. Arriving at the site, the quartet find that the meteorite has crashed into a mountain, covering the object with rocks and emitting faint radiation. While the professor, Sephie, and Rick get to work, Will notices something in the distance; picking up the binoculars, he spies a [[Heatwave (Timelines)|missile truck]] heading their way! Will believes that it's the military, but Sephie points out that while it is a military vehicle, it's colored red and blue. Even odder, they soon spot the [[Soundwave (SG)|van]] of rock band [[Cold Slither (band)|Cold Slither]] accompanying it. Rick wonders if they might be the [[Cobra|rebels]], but Arkeville, using his cybernetic eye, peaks into the vehicle with infrared vision, finding them empty. The four are puzzled, but are broken from their musings when a white, mechanical [[Ravage (SG)|jaguar]] greets them in a garbled, web-based form of English. The four begin to run away, and the robot cat, eager to make friends, goes chasing after them.

Elsewhere, teenage criminal [[Butch Witwicky (SG)|Butch Witwicky]] is followed by his brothers [[Spike Witwicky (SG)|Spike]] and [[Buster Witwicky (SG)|Buster]], as the former plans to steal his 16th birthday present. Butch comes upon a souped up [[Rodimus (SG)|black car with purple flames]]; Spike admonishes him for picking a ride that's gonna get him arrested, but the youngest Witwicky brother ignores him, blowing off his complaints by telling him he'll have it souped up himself. However, Butch quickly realizes that the car has no keyhole, and no sooner than that does a voice emerge from the car. The three brothers watch as the car unfolds and stand up, having transformed into his true form: the Autobot Rodimus! Rodimus tells the three terrified boys that he is their leader now…

Back in the desert, Will and Rick have been separated from Sephie and the Professor, the metal jaguar, Ravage, still on their tails. Hiding behind a boulder, Rick plans to get the mechanical feline attention by throwing a rock, but his phone begins to go off. Opening it, he finds he has a message on his [[Yatter]] feed…from Ravage himself, who is right on top of them! The two run to the Cold Slither fan, hoping to find refuge, only for it to transform into a robot as well. The van, revealed to be the Decepticon Soundwave, picks Will up, horrifying the boy. The missile tank, Heatwave, transforms as well, trying to calm the human down. Tensions are defused when the Professor and Sephie arrive with another Decepticon, [[Frenzy (SG)|Frenzy]], who has explained the situation to the pair. Professor Arkeville welcomes the Decepticons, and offers to help dig out the ''Nemesis'' and her crew.

Out in one of the abandoned cities along the [[Arizona Bay]], Rodimus drives with the Witwicky brothers, heading for the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]'', which fell into the ocean upon re-entry. Soon, Rodimus is intercepted by [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]], [[Big Daddy (SG)|Big Daddy]], [[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]], and [[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]], who bring their weapons to bear on him. Goldbug has taken up the position of Autobot leader after Rodimus bailed on them, and is ready to tear his fellow [[Seeker (SG)|Seeker]] apart. Rodimus manages to talk his way out of getting a beat down, showing off the Witwickies and pointing out that their intel on Earth was heavily off, revealing that the ''Nemesis'' had been nuked. Convinced, the other take him back to the ''Ark'', where [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] and [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]], the only Autobots onboard that are online, work on repairs. Rodimus already is trying to reassert his leadership, but is interrupted when [[Seaspray (SG)|Seaspray]] comes back from a scouting mission. The Autobot hovercraft has found something odd behind vault doors; bundles of paper which the Witwickies recognize as money, left over from before the war. The Autobots are confused at the concept of currency, having always taken resources from the weak, and so the Witwicky brothers begin to explain the criminal and economical concepts of Earth…

Back in the desert, the Decepticons and their new human allies have gotten onboard the ''Nemesis'', finding [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]. Starscream remarks they weren't expecting this level of technology, noting that the broadcasts they intercept of Earth were out of date. The Decepticon commander explains to the humans that they came here to stop the Autobots from plundering their planet, and that they're stuck here for the time being, their home planet's current location disrupting communications. Arkeville offers to help, but Cliffjumper, an Autobot from a mirror universe where the Decepticons are evil, interrupts the conversation, demanding to know what happened to California. The Professor explains that on this Earth, progress was less smooth, with the 1980's seeing World War III...a war which Arkeville doesn't really want to see repeated. Starscream assures him that the Autobots were destroyed, but Cliffjumper doesn't buy it, having first-hand experience with ''Arks'' and crashing. Starscream admits that he's right, but that they need to recover the others first, and with his alien jet mode, he'll have to stay back at the ''Nemesis''. Will, Rick, and Sephie offer to help the Decepticons find their friends, while Arkeville will stay behind and help Starscream, who now discards his plans to return to Cybertron in favor of the long term.

Rodimus has been won over by the Witwicky's "protection racket" pitch, shoving aside Blaster's cries about the old Autobot way of plundering. Goldbug, however, still is unconvinced, pointing out that they don't have the botpower to pull off a scheme like that at the moment, and the humans have more advanced technology than they thought. Rodimus has a plan for that as well, however; he motions for Spike to play a recording that [[Teletraan-X (SG)|Teletraan-X]] broadcasts to the crew-an announcement from the United States government of the launch of their new superweapon, the [[Global Orbiting Defense Satellite]]. Rodimus plans to steal this satellite for the Autobots, using it to rule the planet. Goldbug refuses, and challenges Rodimus for leadership. The two are evenly matched, but Goldbug's greater fuel economy gives him the edge. Rodimus is at Goldbug's mercy, but before the older Autobot can finish him off, Rodimus commands Teletraan-X to delete Goldbug's personnel file. Now registering Goldbug as an intruder, the computer unleashes her tentacle arms, binding Goldbug in place; Rodimus laughs at Goldbug calling him a cheater, reminding him how Optimus won control of the Autobots over [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]]. Rodimus brings his buzzsaw arm against his defeated adversary, but Goldbug quickly yields, although he manages to convince Rodimus to let him stay second-in-command. Re-christening himself Rodimus Prime, the new Autobot commander orders Blaster to search for the control base for the GODS satellite, and has Wheeljack alter Teletraan-X so it only responds to his and the mad scientist's voice commands. Spike asks Rodimus if he's sure it's a good idea to let Goldbug live, but Rodimus tells him that with him as second-in-command, Goldbug will ensure no one but him will be allowed to kill Rodimus, and he isn't worried about him; after all, he's Rodimus ''Prime''.

Outside [[Burpleson Air Force Base]], the Autobots and the Witwickies recon the base. Blaster insists on sending in the [[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounges]], but Rodimus, knowing they're low on soldiers and don't know what kind of weapons the base is packing, insists on stealth, and noting that the Witwickies have an inside man on the base. Rodimus assigns Blaster to lead a diversionary attack, while he, Wheeljack, and Goldbug infiltrate the base. The three transform into vehicle mode, and have the Witwickies pretend to joyride them. The three are detained by on-edge Lieutenant [[McMillan]]. McMillan tries to get information out of the three, but before he can get any substantial information, an explosion rocks the base...an explosion caused by giant metal wheels! The lieutenant rushes to the uber-patriotic General, who is manning the guns against the intruders. McMillan spots a few civilian vehicles, and when he spies a military jeep without a driver, he realizes something is very wrong. Sure enough, Rodimus, Wheeljack, and Goldbug transform and break free, with Big Daddy, Brawn, [[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]], and the Scrounges doing the same. Terrified soldiers run from the giant robots, while McMillan, realizing that the Witwickies are connected somehow, runs back to base. The General prepares to fire upon Rodimus, but finds the guns are jammed, the work of a saboteur on the inside. Returning to the room, McMillan finds the MP he left behind unconscious, the Witwickies having escaped. Fortunately for him, they've not gone far, having been retaken by a sergeant. The lieutenant demands to know what nation they're working for, but the Witwickies give them the straight truth-they're working for an alien empire. McMillan doesn't believe him, but when he notices that the handcuffs are loose on the three, he reaches for his gun, only to be knocked out by the sergeant. McMillan cannot believe he would betray his country, but to sergeant [[Bruce Witwicky]], family comes first!

The Decepticons have made some progress in finding the others, finding [[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] at "[[Bay's Demolition Yard]]". Driving around in a nearby city, the Decepticons watch the humans go about their daily tasks. Cliffjumper is wigged out, having expected the humans to be more violent. As if on cue, televisions and cell phones all over suddenly erupt into static and ringtones, and the Decepticons watch as Rodimus Prime's sneering face resolves on-screen. Rodimus declares that Earth is now Autobot territory, and that Earth's leaders answer to them now. In exchange for some of their fuel, the Autobots will protect them from any…''unfortunate'' accidents. Rodimus demonstrates what this entails, using the GODS to blow apart the [[Statue of Liberty]]. The Autobot leader gives them 24 hours to give in to his command, and signs off. The Decepticons quickly return to the ''Nemesis'', where, with the help of their new human friends, figure out that Rodimus has taken over a military base. Using Sephie's [[oPod]], Heatwave accesses the internet and asks every military computer he can find for access, with only one not answering at all. Starscream muses that with the Autobots believing that the ''Nemesis'' was destroyed in orbit, the Decepticons just might have a chance to stop them…

At the base, Cliffjumper, Crasher, Soundwave, Heatwave, and their human allies scout out the situation. Most of the Autobots appear to be outside, and Starscream and the professor figure that Rodimus is in the control room, the only room big enough to accommodate him. Spotting a transmitter, Heatwave figures he can use it to communicate with the base's security system and help get the humans inside. Frenzy and Ravage offer to help inside, with the former going with Will and Rick, and the latter going with Sephie. A few minutes later, a Scrounge escorts the van mode Soundwave to Big Daddy and Side Burn. Will and Rick pretend to be the bases caterers while Sephie and the Cassettes hide in the back, convincing them to let them inside. Brawn begins to escort them around the base, but Soundwave sends the signal to attack, and leaves his human and cassette compatriots inside as he follow Brawn back to the battle. Outside, Heatwave attempts to reach the transmitter dish, but with Scrounges dogging him, his chances look slim. Soundwave helps him out, tapping into the human radio and unleashing a amplified rock station, disabling the Scrounges. Inside, Wheeljack, still disoriented from earlier, finds Ravage and Sephie. The Decepticon jaguar angers the Autobot's mad scientist by calling him insane, and the pair bolt as Wheeljack begins to chase after them. Elsewhere, Frenzy, Will, and Rick come upon Goldbug. Using a fire extinguisher, the three disorient him, and Frenzy steals his gun, tricking Goldbug into following them. When they reach the control room, Frenzy has the two run away, and the diminutive cassette hulks out, beating down on Goldbug. As Rodimus frantically attempts to coordinate the battle from within, Goldbug's body is thrown through the walls, and Frenzy engages the Autobot leader. With the Autobots occupied, Heatwave can now speak to the transmitter without any trouble, and he convinces the surprising friendly transmitter to have the GODS fire on Burpleson. The alarms begin to sound, and when everyone has evacuated, Heatwave has the transmitter fire. The base is quickly destroyed, and Heatwave sadly destroys the transmitter, preventing anyone from accessing the GODs again.

Sometime later, President [[Colton]] is informed by Secretary of Defense [[Hauser]] that the GODS self-destruct sequence was successful. Colton wants to build another one, but Vice President [[Clay]] advises against it, concerned about international relations and any retaliation from the [[Ottoman Confederacy]], the [[United Kingdom|British]], and the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]]. Hauser runs down the alien robots, intelligence having figured that there's two groups, the Autobots and the secondary, as of yet unknown group. Files on their human allies are also brought up, and while the mention of Professor Arkeville peaks his interest, President Colton only considers the robots a priority now...especially the Autobots.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h2=[[Autobot]]s|c2=
*[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus "Prime"]] (11)
*[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (13)
*[[Big Daddy (SG)|Big Daddy]] (14)
*[[Brawn (SG)|Brawn]] (15)
*[[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]] (16)
*[[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] (17)
*[[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (18)
*[[Seaspray (SG)|Seaspray]] (19)
*[[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]] (23)
*[[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounge]]s (25)
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s|c1=
*[[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] (5)
*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (6)
*[[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]] (7)
*[[Frenzy (SG)|Frenzy]] (12)
*[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (21)
*[[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] (28)
|c3=
*[[Henri Arkeville]] (1)
*[[Will Hayes|Will]] (2)
*[[Sephie Beller|Sephie]] (3)
*[[Rick Ottman|Rick]] (4)
*[[Butch Witwicky (SG)|Butch Witwicky]] (8)
*[[Spike Witwicky (SG)|Spike Witwicky]] (9)
*[[Buster Witwicky (SG)|Buster Witwicky]] (10)
*[[McMillan]] (24)
*The General (26)
*[[Bruce Witwicky|Bruce "Buzz" Witwicky]] (27)
*[[Colton]] (29)
*[[Hauser]] (30)
*[[Clay]] (31)
|c4=
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] (20)
*[[Teletraan-X (SG)|Teletraan-X]] (22)
}}

==Quotes==
"Metal monsters from the center of the earth! The government said that'd never happen again!"<br>
[...] "Whoah, little meaty dudes! Fear not, for we come from outer space."<br>
"The government said ''that'' wouldn't happen again, either!"
:—'''Will''' is not happy about meeting '''Soundwave'''.

"Sorry 'bout the memory failure there. They only recently started making bots like you back in my dimension, you'd think it'd help me remember you better."<br>
"Bots like me?"<br>
"Well, yeah, because... uh... I mean you're..." ''(Cliffjumper waves his hands in a vague hourglass shape)'' "That is, you've... y'see... there's bots and then there's... oh, hey, look Heatwave's here!"
:—'''Cliffjumper''' and '''Crasher''' discuss Crasher's... curviness.

'''Heatwave''': I really don't like talking to your infoweb, I feel like I need a decon wash after every connection.<br>
'''Ravage''': Rilly? I think it's full of win.<br>
'''Heatwave''': Is that supposed to be a euphemism for—<br>
'''Cliffjumper''': Can we just get on with this?!
:—Heatwave and Ravage discuss the internet, much to Cliffjumper's consternation.

"You dudes may be numerous, but there's one thing you don't know. I have no mouth...yet I must ''rock''."
:—'''Soundwave'''

"Hello there, I am Heatwave. I'm afraid I've got bad news. Yes, you've been hijacked by a hostile power. No, it's not them. I don't know who the 'Russkies' are, but the Autobots are worse, trust me on this."
:—'''Heatwave''' introduces himself to a military satellite defense controller.

"Clay...in all the years you've known me, where have the concerns of the international community typically lain in my priority list?"<br>
"Somewhere between National Bran Awareness Day and your alimony payments, sir."
:—'''President Colton''' and '''Vice President Clay''' discuss presidential concerns.

==Notes==
* Mentioned characters include: [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], Prime's [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|brother]], [[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] and his crew, Blaster's "cassette buddies", Frenzy's [[Rumble (SG)|brother]], and [[Abdul Fakkadi (SG)|Abdul Fakkadi]].

===Continuity notes===
* Soundwave was reformatted in "[[The Desert Heat!]]", a two-page comic prelude to this story.
* Ravage makes his first in-fiction appearance here, after his profile in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 26|issue #26]] of the Club magazine established him as a character. Frenzy, meanwhile, originally appeared in the issue "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]". Crasher, Wheeljack, and Side Burn originally appeared in "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]", wherein Beachcomber was also briefly mentioned
* Optimus Prime's brother is Ultra Magnus; his coup was originally mentioned in "Dungeons & Dinobots" and was mentioned in several profiles after that.
* Cliffjumper notes that fembots are a recent phenomena in his home dimension; the original ''The Transformers'' comic presented the Cybertronians as having no biological sexes (although they're all coded male, gender-wise). ''Classics'' [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'s [[BotCon 2009]] tech specs indicated that she just appeared one day, with only [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] knowing her origins.
* Cliffjumper notes that a few humans on his Earth tried to take them out back in the day, referencing government group [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team|RAAT]].
* Astrotrain and his crew were separated from the other Decepticons in "Do Over" during his assault on the ''Ark''.
* Side Burn is really interested in humans. We'll find out why later.
* Frenzy's brother is Rumble, who was executed by the Autobots in the original "Shattered Glass" comic.

===Transformers references===
* Several new ''Shattered Glass'' characters are introduced, including the first appearance of humans in this continuity.
** Professor Arkeville is a ''Shattered Glass'' version of [[Doctor Arkeville]], the Decepticon's ally seen in a few episodes of the first season of the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon. Like his counterpart, he has cybernetic parts.
** Will and Rick are ''Shattered Glass'' versions of [[Billy (Armada)|Billy]] and [[Fred (Armada)|Fred]], former bullies from the ''Armada'' cartoon. Will is the one that eats a lot in this version.
** Sephie is a ''Shattered Glass'' version of Josie Beller, better known as the supervillain [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic. Sephie loves machines, unlike her positive-universe counterpart.
** Three of the Witwicky brothers are based on pre-existing positive-universe characters. Butch is the obscurest, his positive universe [[Butch Witwicky (G1)|counterpart]] only having appeared in a [[Forest Rescue Mission|coloring book]], while Spike and Buster's [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|positive]] [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|counterparts]] were the main human allies in the ''Transformers'' cartoon and Marvel comic, respectively. Buzz, meanwhile, was originally meant to be a version of the live-action movie's [[Sam Witwicky]], but was re-named after the authors were told not to directly reference the movies. Their father is mentioned several times; while never named, it's fairly easy to guess that he would be called [[Sparkplug Witwicky]].
** Big Daddy is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Big Daddy (Movie)|Big Daddy]]; Big Daddy is a senior Autobot, unlike his young positive-universe [[Big Daddy (G1)|counterpart]].
** Brawn is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Strongarm (Movie)|Strongarm]].
** Beachcomber is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Hardtop (Movie)|Hardtop]].
** Seaspray is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Storm Surge (Movie)|Storm Surge]].
** Teletraan-X is the ''Shattered Glass'' version of [[Teletraan I]], the Autobot computer from ''The Transformers'' cartoon. X has a female voice, as opposed to I's male voice.
** McMillan's the odd one out, being entirely new and untied to any concept or character in previous fiction.
* The ''Nemesis'' crashed into a mountain, like the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' did in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
* The ''Ark'', meanwhile, crashed into the ocean, with the Autobots making a tunnel to the surface, like the ''[[Victory (G1)|Victory]]'' in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
* Butch wants to repaint Rodimus into a cherry red, like his positive-universe [[Hot Rod (G1)|counterpart]].
* The ''Nemesis'' had a [[Reconfiguration Matrix]] onboard, named for an object first mentioned in the tech specs of ''Generation 2'' Go-Bot [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].
* Prime and Magnus being brothers originated as a concept in the 2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' series with its [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Prime]] and [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Magnus]].
* Brawn has [[nucleon shock gauntlet]]s; these originally appeared in ''Timelines'' prose story "[[Force of Habit]]". Additionally, they reference the positive-universe [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]'s unreleased ''Universe''/OTFCC 2005 toy, which would have had a newly sculpted pair of gauntlets to fit over his fists, and was a redeco of ''Energon'' [[Strongarm (Energon)|Strongarm]] (who was redecoed into live-action movie Strongarm, the toy ''Shattered Glass'' Brawn is repurposed from).
* The Decepticons discover Crasher's [[stasis pod]] in "[[Bay's Demolition Yard]]", a reference to [[Michael Bay]], director of the live-action ''Transformers'' movies. It might also be a reference to the [[Bay Demolition]] scrapyard from the 2007 live-action movie's [[Transformers The Game (console)|tie-in video game]], for which author Greg Sepelak wrote the [[BradyGames]] strategy guide.
* Cliffjumper calls the GODS satellite a "satellite of doom", referencing the ''Transformers'' Kids Stuff story book [[Satellite of Doom|of the same name]].
* Autobots generally don't fly, something that surprises Cliffjumper, as his universe's Autobots don't fly often either.
* One of Wheeljack's insane projects is that of created atomic supermutant [[alloygator]]s; alloygators were originally mentioned in the [[BotCon 2007]] comic "[[Games of Deception]]".
* [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] [[FIRRIB|confuses]] [[Frenzy (SG)|Frenzy]] with his brother, [[Rumble (SG)|Rumble]], in reference to the classic fandom debate about their positive-universe counterparts.
* [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] has [[stinger (weapon)|stingers]], just like his [[Bumblebee (Animated)|''Animated'' counterpart]].
* Goldbug begins to say that the Decepticon's infiltration is "finished, ov-" before being cut off by Frenzy, referencing the [[Furmanism]].
*The pacifistic Abdul Fakkadi's despotic positive-universe counterpart (whose depiction was an ''extremely'' racist stereotype) debuted in "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]", the beginning miniseries of the third season of ''The Transformers'' cartoon as the leader of [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombya]] (also extremely racist and stereotypical); here, he's the leader of the Ottoman Confederacy, for obvious reasons.

===Real-world references===
* Sephie identifies Heatwave's Earth alternate mode as a "Stompbox Mobile Missile Deployer", [[Withered Hope|yet]] [[I, Lowtech|another]] of writer [[Greg Sepelak]]'s references to a {{w|They Might Be Giants}} song, in this case the differently-rendered "[http://tmbw.net/wiki/Stomp_Box Stomp Box]".
* In this universe, [[World War III]] occurred during the 1980s. In 1988 one specific attack destroyed the Western seaboard of the United States and sent most of it underwater. The combatants aside from America are unknown, but modern day enemies of the United States include the [[Soviet Union]] (which collapsed in 1991 in the real-world; the [[Cold War (history)|Cold War]] is noted to still be in effect), the [[United Kingdom]] (the Queen Mother wants to conquer America and take their land; evidently, the tensions from the early days of the United States never cooled), and the [[Ottoman Confederacy]] (this universe's version of the {{w|Ottoman Empire}}, which collapsed shortly after World War I in the real world; its capital, [[Istanbul]], is mentioned by McMillan).
* Rick mistakes Soundwave's alt-mode as the van of [[The Misfits]] from ''Jem and the Holograms''; the positive universe version was all-black, with their name inscribed on the side, as opposed to the bright pink van decorated with three screaming banshees described here.
* Rick mentions "rebels"; combined with who the president is, and comments from McMillan (see below), it seems likely they are mirror-universe versions of [[Cobra]] from ''G.I. Joe''.
* Ravage inquires if he "can haz humanz," referencing the {{w|I Can Has Cheezburger?}} meme.
* The ''Shattered Glass'' equivalent to {{w|Twitter}} is [[Yatter]], while the equivalent to {{w|iPod}}s are [[oPod]]s. The oPod's buttons are in a diamond configuration, as opposed to the circle configuration of iPods.
* The Arizona Bay is named for the {{w|Arizona Bay|1997 album}} released posthumously from comedian {{w|Bill Hicks}}.
* The mention of monsters from the center of the Earth are a reference to the ''[[Inhumanoids]]'', another Marvel/Sunbow production from the same era as the Transformers with a toyline by Hasbro.
* Frenzy's mannerisms and "angry" mode are based on the [[Hulk]], specifically the version played by {{w|Bill Bixby}}/{{w|Lou Ferrigno}} in the 1978 ''{{w|The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|Incredible Hulk}}'' series.
* Big Daddy's mannerism are based on {{w|Bing Crosby}}.
* Beachcomber's line "Cats in the cradle! And the silver spoon!" are lyrics from the song "{{w|Cat's in the Cradle}}" by {{w|Harry Chapin}}, while his line "Now's your time to burn your mind!" are lyrics from the song "{{w|Fire (Arthur Brown song)|Fire}}" by {{w|Arthur Brown (musician)|Arthur Brown}}.
* Cliffjumper is especially distrustful of Arkeville; their positive-universe counterparts shared the same voice actor, [[Casey Kasem]].
* Starscream makes reference to [[Pete Prometheus]], a fictitious space ranger they caught from Earth transmissions. Presumably, he's based on characters like [[Buck Rogers]].
* The GODS satellite was delivered to space by the ''[[Defiant (G.I. Joe)|Defiant]]'', the space shuttle from ''G.I. Joe''.
* Burpleson Air Force Base is a reference to the base of the same name from the film ''{{w|Dr. Strangelove}}''. Like the base in the film, the general running it is rather…unhinged.
* President Colton has a "personal vanguard," likely a ''Shattered Glass'' version of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]].
* The general's lines "Who the heaven cares?" and "Well, I'll be raptured" seem likely influenced by the DC Comics ''{{w|JLA: Earth 2}}'' graphic novel, in which several inhabitants of the Antimatter Universe Earth utter the phrase "God below," among other inversions of phrases. The graphic novel itself revitalizes the {{w|Crime Syndicate of America}}/Earth-3 concept, which was one of the first mirror universes seen in fiction, predating the main inspiration of ''Shattered Glass'', the ''[[Star Trek]]'' episode "[[memoryalpha:Mirror, Mirror (episode)|Mirror, Mirror]]", by three years.
* McMillan notes that the soldiers fell for the "{{w|Trojan Horse}} gambit".
* When the Witwickies tells McMillan that they're working for an alien empire, McMillan sarcastically asks them if the Autobots were built by "aliens" from [[M.A.R.S.]]-the weapons company belonging to Cobra ally [[Destro]].
* The [[Statue of Liberty]] has a sword instead of a torch, perhaps in reference to the partially-completed novel ''{{w|Amerika (novel)|Amerika}}'' by Bohemian author {{w|Franz Kafka}}, which also depicts the statue with sword in hand. The Statue of Libery is also golden in color in "Eye in the Sky", rather than the dirty green the statue is in the real world today.
* Side Burn mockingly says "blah blah blah, yackity schmackity" after Big Daddy admonishes him, quoting the catchphrase of Hugh from ''{{w|Taz-Mania}}'', whose mannerisms are based on Bing Crosby as well.
* Soundwave's line "I have no mouth... Yet I must rock", is a reference to {{w|Harlan Ellison}}'s short story "{{w|I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream}}".
* President Colton is the mirrorverse version of [[Joe Colton]], the original G.I. Joe. Vice-President Clay is the counterpart of [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]], while Secretary of Defense Hauser is the counterpart of [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]].
* Will's full name, William Hayes, references wrestler {{w|Billy Jack Haynes}} and infomercial star {{w|Billy Mays}}, while Rick's full name, Frederick Ottman, references wrestler {{w|Fred Ottman}}.

===Errors===
* On page seven, the narration describes the four Autobots who meet up with Rodimus as a "quintet", when it should be a "quartet".

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190312102241if_/http://transformersclub.com/prose/Eye_in_the_Sky.pdf "Eye in the Sky"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

[[Category:Shattered Glass media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Do Over

2026-04-12T13:18:46Z

Escargon: /* Notes */

{{featured}}
{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|prev=Dungeons & Dinobots
|next=Eye in the Sky
|next2=The Desert Heat!
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]''
|image=DoOver cover.jpg
|caption=
|title="Do Over"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[February 13]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustrations by=[[Yuki Ohshima]]
|colors by=[[Drew Eiden]]
|cover=[[Yuki Ohshima]]
|pagecount=30pp
|chronology=[[Shattered Glass timeline|Current era (2009)]]
|continuity=[[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Ricochet springs a trap for Megatron as Optimus Prime prepares to launch a rebuilt ''Ark'' towards Earth.'''

==Synopsis==
As morning begins, [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] is excited; with eight new [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinocons]], he finally has a chance to slip back into his old scientist role from before the war. Unfortunately, he is unable to find [[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] and [[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]], the smallest of the new Decepticons. Increasingly worried, Starscream frantically attempts to find them; the largest of the Dinocons, [[Goryu (SG)|Goryu]], hasn't seen him, and Starscream notices that his speech has become far clearer than before. Starscream calls [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]], having him search through the security footage, and suddenly finds a pair of data cartridges. Soundwave reports back, unable to find anything aside from the occasional glitch, but Starscream soon is pulled away as the two cassettes start shaking. Figuring them to be explosives, Starscream ducks, only to find Overkill and Slugfest. The Dinocons have somehow each gained an ember, and with it, intelligence and the ability to transform! Later, the Decepticons gather in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]'s auditorium to discuss this development. Starscream notes that he could not find any listening devices and trackers, and that [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]]'s psych evaluations look promising. Soundwave, meanwhile, cannot find any evidence of an intruder; this concerns [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]], as embers can't just be created out of thin air. Starscream asks [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] if they saw anything that could have caused this, as their report was rather vague. The two tell all they can remember: they encountered [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] and [[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] while following [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]], and the [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]] was seemingly destroyed, the four parting ways after due to damages. Starscream accepts their story, apologizing for his disbelief, while Cliffjumper can't help but feel he isn't remembering all that happened. With no further clues, the Decepticons shift to discussing a far more urgent matter: [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] is almost ready to retry launching the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]''. Cliffjumper is shocked, feeling as though his contributions were for nothing, but Megatron explained that they always knew that Prime would try again, and that Cliffjumper's actions have allowed for the Decepticons to complete Project Doubletake: the construction of the starship ''[[Nemesis (SG)|Nemesis]]''. This ship will follow the ''Ark'', protecting [[Earth]] from Prime's reign. Cliffjumper is assigned to clear all volunteers for this mission, due to his experience with Earth. Megatron has Starscream take over as he receives a communication, and Starscream explains they must hurry, as [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]’s erratic orbit is nearing the [[Plait Expanse]]. The nebula is filled with gamma radiation, making [[Unspace|transwarp]] travel inside it impossible and off-world communications impractical; luckily, they will be on the outer rim of the expanse, so Cybertron will remain safe. But if they do not follow now, Prime will be unopposed on Earth for at least a year, more than enough time for him to conquer the planet.

As Cliffjumper assigns Soundwave to his duty on the ship, Starscream calls the Mini-Vehicle, unable to find Megatron. Cliffjumper just assumes he's checking out the last adjustments, and turns off his comm, turning to the next volunteer, [[Demolishor (SG)|Demolishor]]. Cliffjumper is puzzled by him, having never met an incarnation of him back home, but approves him anyway, along with the equally-unfamiliar [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]]. Meanwhile, Megatron investigates a signal he received from [[Boltax (SG)|Boltax]], whom he thought had died. Arriving at the now empty ruins of the [[Temple of Knowledge]], Megatron is only able to find a ramshackle [[Ricochet's victims|robot]], who worriedly explains that someone captured him and his friends hostages, before being destroyed by a blast from [[Ricochet (SG)|Ricochet]]. Megatron demands the Autobot to surrender and return Boltax and the hostages, but the mad Ricochet tells him that Boltax died after the [[Underbase]] disappeared and shows off one of the newest Autobots: the diminutive [[Nightstick (SG)|Nightstick]]. Megatron laughs, the Decepticons already having invented Micromasters long ago, but Nightstick is more than meets the eye. As Megatron turns into his fighter jet mode, Nightstick turn into a gun, his plasma blasts knocking the Decepticon leader out of the sky. Eventually, the Decepticon leader comes back online, finding himself chained and without his drone [[Rumbler (SG)|Rumbler]], hanging along with two other old robots above a coolant shaft armed with a variety of death traps. Ricochet, along with the cowardly [[Scoop (SG)|Scoop]] and the lazy [[Crosshairs (SG)|Crosshairs]], greet their prisoner. Ricochet demonstrates the cliché trap's lethalness as he presses a button, sending one of the robots on his side to his death. Ricochet has the others grab their guns as he makes a call to Decepticon HQ. The main viewscreen at Kaon lights up, as Ricochet shows the Decepticons their leader in chains, with Scoop and Crosshairs pointing their guns at him. Ricochet tells them that the ransom demands will be given in one hour, and that if the Decepticons try anything, Megatron will die, killing the final of the three old robots to demonstrate, and the Autobot cuts off the transmission as he laughs. Starscream wants to go after Megatron immediately, but Cliffjumper realizes that Ricochet is trying to lull them into a trap, preventing them from getting off planet. Still, he can't risk losing Megatron, and bringing up the files, he decides to have the [[Predacon (SG)|Predacon]]s and [[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] sent out to rescue their leader. Cliffjumper also tells Starscream that no matter what, the ''Nemesis'' must launch...even if that means without Megatron.

At Autobot headquarters, Optimus Prime watches [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] chew out the [[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounge]]s placed under his command. [[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] gives his commander a status report, but when he lets slip that Ricochet is holding Megatron, Prime is furious. Unwilling to let anyone else kill Megatron, and unwilling to allow Megatron control of Cybertron while he is gone, Prime rushes off to the Temple of Knowledge, insisting that the shuttle will not launch until he returns. [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] reflects that Prime could be late, which would be a real shame....

Outside the Temple of Knowledge, [[Razorclaw (SG)|Razorclaw]], along with [[Rampage (SG)|Rampage]], [[Divebomb (SG)|Divebomb]], and Whisper survey the area. Divebomb spots an access vent with his eagle eyes, but Razorclaw know they are likely to be seen. Whisper solves that by flying high in the air, using his sound distorting engines to make it seem as if a whole Decepticon battlefleet is coming. The autoguns emerge, firing off at a non-existent fleet, as the Predacons rush to join Whisper at the access vent. Razorclaw reflects as they get in that the lesson learned is that sometimes, crazy works. Meanwhile, Scoop is terrified, having been tricked by Whisper's engines, but Ricochet orders him and Crosshairs off to go look for intruders. Megatron attempts to call Ricochet's bluff, knowing that Prime would slowly murder anyone who killed Megatron before he did, but Ricochet simply plans to blame Crosshairs. As the two Autobots search for intruders, Scoop's worrying begins to grind on Crosshairs's nerves. Hearing a clang in a darkened corridor, Scoop is sent to investigate by Crosshairs, and when another noise erupts forth, Scoop blindly fires, nicking Whisper's wing. His flight systems now useless, Whisper distorts his voice, pretending to be the ghost of Boltax. Scoop is paralyzed with fear, but another voice urges him to calm down, as Whisper's act becomes less and less convincing. Scoop's gun converts into another Targetmaster, a helicopter named [[Holepunch (SG)|Holepunch]], as the diminutive Autobot takes control of the situation. Forcing Whisper out of his cover, Holepunch points the Decepticon out to Scoop, and the Autobot is angered by his tricks, drawing all his weapons out on him. Meanwhile, Crosshairs, having been awoken from his stasis nap, goes to check it out, before Rampage knocks him to the ground and Divebomb lands on his neck. Unfortunately for the Predacons, Crosshairs gun is also a Targetmaster, and the boxy bot fires off "fire-and-forget" missiles at Divebomb. The enthusiastic robot, [[Pinpointer (SG)|Pinpointer]], assaults Rampage, while Divebomb's attempts to have the missiles lock on to Crosshairs fail due to being tuned into his energy signature. Elsewhere, Whisper takes advantage of the angered Scoop's attacks, throwing his voice all over the room. Holepunch fails to calm his partner down, and when the Autobot bulldozer accidentally blasts a support beam, the ceiling falls on the two, as Whisper rushes off to the center of the complex. Divebomb and Rampage still attempt to deal with Crosshairs and Pinpointer, the latter of whom manages to get on everyone's nerves. Rampage is knocked into a nearby wall when Crosshairs fires off his chest cannon, and Divebomb, trying to end this fight before it gets any worse, stoops right at the floor. Turning up at the last second, the missiles destroy the floor, sending Crosshairs and Pinpointer down below. The two Predacons are pleased with themselves, but rush to flee when more missiles are fired from below.

Back at Autobot HQ, Rodimus receives a static-filled message from Prime, telling him to delay the launch, as he cannot return. Rodimus tells his commander that he can count on him, but no sooner than he hangs up does he start shutting down the docks holding the ''Ark'' in place. Suddenly, Blurr and [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] enter the room. When questioned, Rodimus attempts to bluff, but the two see through his lies, Goldbug in particular noting the foam insulation from the communications array on his buzzsaw hand. Instead, Rodimus pitches that they leave without Optimus; Blurr threatens to call Prime, but Goldbug eases him, questioning him on what will happen when they return to Prime. Rodimus tells them they ''don’t''; after all, Cybertron is a wasteland. Blurr still refuses, calling Rodimus a traitor, but Goldbug draws his weapon, proclaiming that with Optimus out of the way, he (and Rodimus) will control the Autobots.

At the Temple, Ricochet grimly watches as the doors holding back Optimus buckle and break. Megatron laughs at Ricochet's weak-willed attempts to bluff, and soon, the doors topple over as Prime enters. Staring intently at his bodyguard, Prime is quick to take credit for Ricochet's work, scaring Ricochet away from taking credit. Megatron laughs at Prime's insecurity, but Prime brushes him off, and is about to pull the lever...when Razorclaw comes straight through the ceiling! Knocking Ricochet to the ground, he bounds off of the Autobot straight into Optimus Prime's direction. The Autobot emperor dodges the Decepticon wolf, but soon finds that he was not the target, as Razorclaw has ripped off the lever controlling the death trap. While Prime fires wildly, the now swinging Megatron uses his thrusters and momentum to swing to the edge. Noticing this, Prime aims at his nemesis, but Razorclaw bites into his leg, throwing him off. Megatron, now free, blasts Prime back, while Rampage and Divebomb, having just arrived, knock Ricochet back down once more. Enraged, Prime charges forward, clashing with Megatron and threatening to kill him in his weakened state. Megatron goads him, telling him all he needs is to keep Prime late; with the launch window fading, Megatron guarantees that Prime's crew will betray him, and that unlike him, Megatron can count on his crew to save the day without him. Prime's energy runs out, and as he staggers over, Megatron reaches for Nightstick, and aims the Targetmaster at Prime. Just as he pulls the trigger, however, his arm jerks up, and begins firing wildly. Ricochet laughs, explaining that the Targetmasters patch themselves into the arm of their partners to help them aim, and can takeover the arms of those who they are not bonded to. Optimus, having recovered, grabs Rumbler, activating the sword on the drone and charging at Megatron once more. Fortunately, the Decepticon leader uses this to his advantage, bring his wrist in contact with the blade, cutting off his hand and freeing him from Nightstick's control. Recalling Megatron to his stump of an arm, Prime and Megatron stare each other down. Eventually, the tension is broken when Prime receives a call; furious at the news he is given, Prime orders Ricochet to gather his minions and roll out. Soon after the Autobots retreat, Whisper enters the room, disappointed at having missed the fight. Divebomb retrieves Megatron's hand, and the Decepticon leader looks up at the stars, wishing Starscream good luck.

At the ''Ark'' launch site, Prime barrels through security, as both his ship and the ''Nemesis'' take off into the stars. The majority of the Autobots lie injured on the ground, and those that remain online aren't much better off. Prime interrogates [[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]], who explains that Rodimus and the others got the drop on them, forcing those considered too loyal to Prime out of the ship. The damaged Blurr weakly pleads to his leader, telling him he tried to stop the launch, but Prime grabs him, ordering the Autobots to pursue. No sooner than the words leave his mouth, however, does the Plait Expanse envelop Cybertron. Furious, Prime orders Nightbeat to get a headcount, and Scoop to take Ricochet and Crosshairs to the [[Agonizing Rehabilitation Chamber]]. Glowering at his damaged lieutenant, Prime tells Blurr that he has failed for the last time...

As the Plait closes around them, the ''Nemesis'' and her crew brave through the static, keeping the ''Ark'' in their sights. Unable to fire weapons yet, the ''Nemesis'' and ''Ark'' prepare for a transwarp jump. Cliffjumper tries to tell the despondent Starscream he did the right thing, but before Starscream can finish responding, the ''Nemesis'' makes the jump straight to the Sol system. The two ships begin firing on each other, but as the ''Nemesis'' approaches, the ''Ark'' fires her [[neutron cannon]], keeping them at bay. With the shields already damaged, Starscream launches Plan Theta, sending [[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] and his Micromaster crew into the fray. Avoiding the autoguns, Astrotrain lands on the ship, and his Micromaster crew tears into the hull while the Decepticon space shuttle approaches the cannon. Inside, the Autobots take notice; Blaster begins to send the Scrounges out, but Rodimus has a better idea, having them plunge into Earth's atmosphere to burn the Decepticons off. Starscream orders Astrotrain back to the ''Nemesis'', but Astrotrain shuts off his comm, and he and his Micromasters sabotage the neutron cannon's aiming system. Astrotrain blasts off with his crew, blazing into reentry, while the neutron cannon fires straight into the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s engines. On board, explosions rip throughout the ship, sending it plummeting into the atmosphere. Rodimus takes his chance to get to the escape pods during the confusion, while the others stay on board, too far into the atmosphere to risk burning up in them. Back at the ''Nemesis'', the Decepticons cheer, but Cliffjumper is quick to notice something off about Earth; namely, California is ''gone''. Starscream orders Soundwave to get a lock on Astrotrain, but the Decepticons have another problem...a human launched [[fusion bomb]]! The Decepticons raise their shields as Soundwave lets loose with a massive EMP pulse, knocking power grids across America offline, but even that isn't enough to stop the nuke from taking out the Nemesis. Starscream is briefly knocked offline, but Soundwave gets him back, and the commander orders Heatwave for a status report. Using his strange abilities, Heatwave communicates with the ship, and reports that while the ship should still survive re-entry, the Decepticons will have to abandon ship if they want to stay online, and quickly re-routes the damaged comms to broadcast the order. Heatwave informs Starscream that it will take megacycles to bring the systems back online, and the Decepticon jet orders him and Soundwave to the pods as well, determined to prevent the ''Nemesis'' from crashing into the population. Soundwave begins to protest, but Cliffjumper pushes him back, telling the communicator that they will need him if they ever want to get contact with Megatron. Soon, Starscream and Cliffjumper are the only ones left on board, and the dimension-tossed Autobot can't help but feel a sense of déjà vu...

Six months later on Cybertron, [[Downshift (SG)|Downshift]] stares at the sky, stuck out with his comrades in [[Remote Patrol Six]] in a vain attempt to find a way off the planet. Downshift wishes he would have left, and tells the aerophobic Powerglide that with the rumors of the Decepticons' new [[Space bridge#Shattered Glass|Stellar spanner]], he wouldn't have to fly to get off the planet. [[Hound (SG)|Hound]] begins to mock Powerglide, but the Autobot jet turns the tables on him, making fun of the fact that he made himself look like he had died after being thrown off the ''Ark'', all because he's afraid of organics. Hound, angered, powers up his [[Psycho-Projector]], but [[Sandstorm (SG)|Sandstorm]] calls him off, having picked up a signal in [[Zone Y-AT]]. Recognizing the signal, Hound decides someone should check it out. [[Camshaft (SG)|Camshaft]] quickly volunteers, but Hound refuses to let him go, and suggests Downshift instead. Downshift wants to remain here, scared of what he might find, but patrol leader [[Kup (SG)|Kup]] simply levels his blaster at him, and orders him to go. As the cowardly Autobot leaves, Camshaft questions why Hound did that, as the Autobot knows he has the skill, and in any case, Downshift isn't one of "them". The Autobot master of fear quickly cuts him off, telling him that if the reading is [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|what]] he thinks it is, the game is about to change, big time...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|h2=[[Autobot]]s
|c2=
*[[Ricochet (SG)|Ricochet]] (12)
*[[Nightstick (SG)|Nightstick]] (13)
*[[Scoop (SG)|Scoop]] (14)
*[[Crosshairs (SG)|Crosshairs]] (15)
*[[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]] (19)
*[[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounges]] (20)
*[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] (21)
*[[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] (22)
*[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] (23)
*[[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] (24)
*[[Holepunch (SG)|Holepunch]] (29)
*[[Pinpointer (SG)|Pinpointer]] (30)
*[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (31)
*[[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]] (32)
*[[Downshift (SG)|Downshift]] (38)
*[[Powerglide (SG)|Powerglide]] (39)
*[[Kup (SG)|Kup]] (40)
*[[Warpath (SG)|Warpath]] (41)
*[[Hound (SG)|Hound]] (42)
*[[Sandstorm (SG)|Sandstorm]] (43)
*[[Camshaft (SG)|Camshaft]] (44)
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s
|c1=
*[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Goryu (SG)|Goryu]] (2)
*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] (4)
*[[Overkill (SG)|Overkill]] (5)
*[[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (8)
*[[Demolishor (SG)|Demolishor]] (9)
*[[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]] (10)
*[[Rumbler (SG)|Rumbler]] (16)
*[[Razorclaw (SG)|Razorclaw]] (25)
*[[Divebomb (SG)|Divebomb]] (26)
*[[Rampage (SG)|Rampage]] (27)
*[[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]] (28)
*[[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] (33)
*[[Submarauder (SG)|Submarauder]] (34)
*[[Fasttrack (SG)|Fasttrack]] (35)
*[[Stonecruncher (SG)|Stonecruncher]] (36)
*[[Tailwind (SG)|Tailwind]] (37)
|c4=
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (7)
*[[Ricochet's victims|Ricochet's victim]] #1 (11)
*Ricochet's victim #2 (17)
*Ricochet's victim #3 (18)}}

==Quotes==
"Overkill and Slugfest are missing. Did you see where they went?"<br />
"Nope. Sorry."<br />
"You didn't... ''eat'' them, did you?"<br />
"Whut? No, never! Well, don't think so... maybe if I wuz starvin', and they wuz bein' mouthy, but they weren't and I wasn't..."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Goryu''' discuss the Dinocon's eating habits.

"If'n he breaks loose, or if I throw this big switch on the wall, he gets zapped, ground up an' roasted... it ain’t gonna kill him, but it do dump him inna thousand-meter drop fulla old cables and nasty sharp edges, and at the bottom of it all... the ol' standby, big-aft fraggin' vat o' acid! You gettin' alla this, Megsy?"<br />
"I do believe so. You weren't satisfied with merely one cliché deathtrap, so you went with five."<br />
"Anythin' worth doin’ is worth overdoin'."
:—'''Ricochet''' and '''Megatron'''

"I zink hyu miserable Zcrounges are going to vind up in ze scrap yard, crying for hyu manufacturer! But it iz mein job to make zhure zat doesn’t happen! Zo hyu! Zuck in zhat pipe, straighten up, feet togezer! Ven I zay 'attenshyun!' hyu give me attenshyun! Hyu!"<br />
"Zir, I mean, sir, yes, sir!"<br />
"Vat are hyu?!"<br />
"I am a Scrounge, sir!"<br />
"Hyu are vat I sez hyu is! If I choose to call hyu Little Mhiz Zparkle-Bootz, hyu will answer, unterstand?!"<br />
"Sir, yes, sir!"<br />
"Unt vat is zat hyu have zher, hanging off hyu verthless chassis?!"<br />
"This is my special arm, sir! There are many like it but this one is mine!"<br />
"Guut!"
:—'''Blaster''' gives the <s>Little Mhiz Zparkle-Bootz</s>'''Scrounges''' the "Full Metal Jacket" treatment.

"Your attacks are futile! I am everywhere, yet nowhere! There is no tech support here! You are doomed, forsake all hoooope! Your demise will be slow and painful! [[Antroid]]s shall devour your optics while [[razor snake|razor-snake]]s constrict your mechanisms! Your warranty is voided! Your head is a bucket, you suck [[turboworm]]s, I hate your feeeeeeeeeeet!"
:—'''Whisper''' does quite possibly the worst impression of a ghost ever.

==Notes==
*Characters mentioned who do not appear include: [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]], [[Primus]], [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]], [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]], [[Reflector (SG)|Reflector]], [[Boltax (SG)|Boltax]], [[Dead End (SG)|Dead End]], Cliffjumper's [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], the [[Terrorcon (SG)|Terrorcon]]s, [[Broadside (SG)|Broadside]], and [[Ironhide (SG)|Ironhide]].
*The "Prologue" at the end leads directly into the Collectors' Club magazine's "[[Reunification]]" storyline.

===Continuity notes===
*Many of the events from the previous prose story, "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]", are referred to in this story, including the capture of the Dinobots and Dinocons, the attack on the Arch-Ayr fuel station, and Cliffjumper and Sideswipe's mission. The Dinobots and Dinocons were gathered by Grimlock at the end of that story to take them to a "secret place"; evidently, he took them to [[Omega Terminus]] to grant them life.
*Starscream's pre-war scientific career was originally established in his [[BotCon 2008]] tech specs.
*Bombshell was previously mentioned by Cliffjumper as a psychiatrist in "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*Cliffjumper feels odd about the report because Omega Terminus altered his memories in the previous prose story.
*Cliffjumper helped delay the ''Ark'' in the original "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]" comic; he's shocked that Prime chose to repair the ship, as most of the evil leaders in his home dimension abandoned a scheme when it was foiled.
*Cliffjumper, as noted, is flummoxed by the presence of Demolishor and Heatwave, because they don't exist in his home universe. Indeed, Demolishor seems to be an alternate-universe version of ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (an exception to the idea of ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' as an alternate [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]]) and [[Transhuman|is not entirely]] [[Coalescence|what he seems]], and Heatwave has a [[Nexus Prime|greater destiny]].
*Whisper's profile in the Club magazine established that Micromasters were a Decepticon invention.
*Cliffjumper notes that the Decepticons had the Micromasters sent in first at the original ''Ark'' launch, as seen in the original "Shattered Glass" comic.
*Rodimus gained his buzzsaw hand in "Dungeons & Dinobots".
*As the out of control ''Nemesis'' enters Earth's atmosphere, Cliffjumper mutters, "Here we go [[The Transformers (issue)|again]]," referring to the first issue of ''The Transformers'' comic.
*The "Prologue" to "Reunification" takes place some time after "[[Transhuman]]", with rumors abounding that the Decepticons have a working [[Space bridge#Shattered Glass|stellar spanner]].
*The energy signature from Zone Y-AT is from [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Alpha Trion]]’s return in "[[Reunification: Part 1]]". Hound recognizes it, being one of Trion's secret loyalists.

===Transformer references===
*As with most ''Shattered Glass'' fiction, characters introduced are [[repurposing]]s or [[Redeco#"Virtual" redecos|"virtual" redeco]]s of various toys.
**Demolishor (who seems somewhat less dedicated to the Decepticon cause as his positive-universe [[Demolishor (Armada)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from his positive universe counterpart's "Powerlinx" colors toy.
**Nightstick (a mirror-universe version of [[Nebulon (Headmasters)|Nebulon]]) is repurposed from ''Armada'' [[Prowl (Armada)|Prowl]]'s [[Exdimensions]] toy.
**Scoop (a cowardly Autobot, unlike his brave positive-universe [[Scoop (G1)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from live-action movie toy [[Grindcore (Movie)|Grindcore]], and his partner Holepunch (who has far better people skills than his positive-universe [[Holepunch (G1)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from ''Armada'' [[Makeshift (Armada)|Makeshift]]'s Exdimensions toy.
**Crosshairs (a lazy Autobot as opposed to his positive-universe [[Crosshairs (G1)|counterpart]]'s meticulous nature) is repurposed from live-action movie toyline [[Warpath (Movie)|Warpath]], and his partner Pinpointer (far more enthusiastic than his positive-universe [[Pinpointer (G1)|counterpart]]) is repurposed from ''Armada'' [[Firebot (Armada)|Firebot]]'s Exdimensions toy.
**Blaster is a grey version of his positive-universe [[Blaster (G1)|counterpart]], with a German accent. His command over the Scrounges references their positive counterparts' friendship.
**The Scrounges are grey versions of their singular positive-universe [[Scrounge (G1)|counterpart]], with a gun in place of the "special arm".
**Astrotrain is repurposed from ''Timelines'' [[Astrotrain (Cybertron)|Astrotrain]]; Fasttrack is repurposed from [[Starcatcher (Cybertron)|Starcatcher]]; Stonecruncher is repurposed from [[Astro-Hook]]; Tailwind is repurposed from [[Astro-Line]]; and Submaurader is repurposed from [[Astro-Sinker (Cybertron)|Astro-Sinker]].
*The Decepticons have obtained eight Dinocons; aside from Goryu, Slugfest, and Overkill, this presumably includes [[Kakuryu (SG)|Kakuryu]] and [[Doryu (SG)|Doryu]] (who were seen in theillustrations of "Dungeons and Dinobots") and ''Shattered Glass'' versions of [[Gairyu]], [[Rairyu]], and [[Yokuryu]].
*The ''Nemesis'' is colored gold, as the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' was in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
*The positive-universe version of [[Boltax (G1)|Boltax]], along with the Temple of Knowledge and the Underbase, all originally appeared in [[The Flames of Boltax!|#48]] of the original Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic. The Underbase is only mentioned once, but it becomes important later...
*The victims of Ricochet seem to be based on the [[empty|empties]], with simplistic robot forms that have no indication of alt-modes.
*Cliffjumper notes that the native Dead End is quite a happy bot, as opposed to his dour mirror-universe counterpart.
*"Sometimes, crazy works" was originally uttered by [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] in ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge]]".
*Whisper mentions several Cybertronian animals while impersonating Boltax, including [[antroid]]s (mentioned in ''The Transformers'' cartoon episode "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3]]"), [[Razor snake]]s (mentioned in ''Beast Wars'' [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]]’s Tech Specs), and [[turboworm]]s (mentioned in issue [[King of the Hill!|#27]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic).
*Prime and Megatron's fight parallels that of their positive-universe counterparts in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', including some cribbed dialogue ("It’s over Prime!" "Never!").
*The members of Remote Patrol Six all have personalities opposite of their counterparts; Downshift is wistful, Camshaft is eager, Powerglide hates flying, Kup is quiet, and Hound is afraid of organics.

===Real-world references===
*Slugfest and Overkill's cassette alt-modes are noted to be "octaltrack data cartridges", named for the {{w|8-track tape}}s that preceded cassette tapes.
*The Plait Expanse is named for astronomer {{w|Phil Plait}}.
*Blaster's German accent is specifically based on American comedian [[Patton Oswalt]]'s impression of German-American painter {{w|Bill Alexander (painter)|Bill Alexander}}.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Fun fact: SG Blaster's voice in my head is basically an even more cartoonish version of Patton Oswalt's William Alexander impression. https://youtu.be/9ovpLXHMSqI|link=https://twitter.com/MSipher/status/1424141197929369601|name=Greg Sepelak|site=Twitter|year=2021|month=08|day=07}}</ref><ref name=Sepelak>{{citesocial|quote=SG Blaster's voice & mannerisms are more or less based on @pattonoswalt's unhinged impression of TV painter William Alexander, with "haughty monstrous bastard orchestra conductor" as the personality base.|link=https://twitter.com/MSipher/status/1512629587150221313|name=Greg Sepelak|site=Twitter|year=2022|month=04|day=09}}</ref>
*The Scrounge's line "This is my special arm, sir! There are many like it but this one is mine!" is a parody of a line from the 1987 film ''{{w|Full Metal Jacket}}'', combined with a callback to Generation 1 [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]'s babbling about [[:File:Scroungedisarmed.jpg|his "special arm" and how "there is no other like it"]] in the Marvel issue "[[The Smelting Pool!]]".
*Bits of Whisper's ghost impression are lifted from a ''{{w|The Kids in the Hall}}'' skit about a rather mouthy little demon added to a room as a "redecoration".
*Nightbeat's vocal patterns are based on actor {{w|Edward G. Robinson}}’s gangster roles.
*There is a sea where [[California]] should be in the ''Shattered Glass'' universe. Various bits of information in "[[Eye in the Sky]]" later reveal this to be due to some sort of hostile attack that wiped out most of the Western seaboard during [[World War III]].
*Zone Y-AT is named for [[Derrick J. Wyatt]], lead character designer on ''Transformers Animated''.

===Errors===
*Not "technically" an error internal to the story, but every subsequent piece of fiction Slugfest appears in (all of which is written by different authors) ignores his intelligence boost from gaining an ember.
*In "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]", the following is said about Slugfest: "[I]ts design clearly marked it as having a memory-cartridge alternate mode". Yet somehow Slugfest only gains an alternate mode in this story.
*Similarly in "Dungeons & Dinobots", Cliffjumper did not recognize Slugfest or Goryu as the counterpart of someone of his dimension (and indeed, Slugfest and Gōryū did not appear in any of the Marvel stories or ''Classics'' stories prior). He didn't pay it any specific attention, nor that the number of Dinobots in the ''Shattered Glass'' universe is much larger than in his universe. Yet for some reason, he makes a big deal out of not recognizing Demolishor and Heatwave in "Do Over", going as far as to claim he thought he knew everyone on his planet.
*On page 6, Ricochet shoots one of [[Ricochet's victims|his victims]] with his flame-cannon, but somehow doesn't hit Megatron who's standing between them and couldn't even tell where the shot was from.
*On page 11, Divebomb is an eagle. On page 15, he's a falcon. He goes back to being an eagle on page 17. This would later be corrected to him being an eagle consistently.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190312114252if_/http://transformersclub.com/prose/Do_Over.pdf "Do Over"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

[[Category:Shattered Glass media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Dungeons & Dinobots

2026-04-12T13:15:24Z

Escargon: /* Transformers references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|prev=I, Lowtech
|next=Do Over
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]''
|prev2=Shattered Glass (issue)
|image=DungeonsandDinobots cover.jpg
|caption=
|title="Dungeons & Dinobots"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[December 5]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustration by=[[Evan Gauntt]]
|cover=[[Evan Gauntt]]
|pagecount=36
|chronology=[[Shattered Glass timeline|Current era (2008)]]
|continuity=[[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Following the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s destruction, the new Dinobots are unleashed! But what ancient horror is behind Grimlock's miraculous transformation?'''

==Synopsis==
{{note|Events from the prologue are in italics}}
At the recently discovered [[Arch-Ayr]] fuel dump in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], the Decepticons defend the station from the Autobots, who are attempting to steal the fuel so they can make the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]'' space-worthy once more. [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] is wounded, and [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] rushes to his downed leader with a medi-pack, as [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] pushes his foot forward. Megatron asks his second in command for a status report; [[Huffer (SG)|Huffer]] is hardly a concern, and [[Hound (SG)|Hound]]'s hallucinations have been negated. Prime is staying back, but [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] and [[Arcee (SG)|Arcee]] are attempting to flank towards [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] and [[Gutcruncher (SG)|Gutcruncher]]'s position. Their conversation is interrupted when the Decepticon's newest recruit, a [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] who claims to be from a mirror universe where Autobots are good and Decepticons are evil, begins firing across the battlefield at Prime. Megatron orders his second-in-command to help Cliffjumper, while he repairs himself, vowing to not allow the fuel depot to fall into Prime's hands. Starscream reluctantly suggests destroying the depot, but [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]]'s voice cuts in on the Decepticon radio, telling the others that he's called in reinforcements. An exasperated Megatron realizes the one squad he's called in: the over-enthusiastic [[Mayhem Suppression Squad]]. Suddenly, [[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] races across the battlefield, transforming and pounding her hands into the ground, her energized strike sending Huffer and Hound flying. Crasher greets her commander and sends [[Dirge (SG)|Dirge]] and [[Thundercracker (SG)|Thundercracker]] to deal with Rodimus and Arcee. Dirge's laughter-inducing engines take Rodimus out of the battle, and mentally unstable Arcee is downed by Thundercracker's bubbles of silence and a well placed [[Concussion weapon|concussion blast]] from Gutcruncher. Prime is furious with his troop's weakness, but is attacked by [[Bludgeon (SG)|Bludgeon]] and [[Carnivac (SG)|Carnivac]], who work together to keep Prime disoriented. Eventually, the Autobots retreat to cover, and the Decepticons try to figure out how to flush the Autobots out. Suddenly, rumble shakes the battlefield. Cliffjumper spots massive mechanical beasts, crushing everything in their way. Sideswipe assumes its one of Hound's illusions, but Thundercracker points out that he's offline, and that the dampener is still running. Cliffjumper notices [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]] in the lead, and realizes they're newly created [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]]s. The herd stops, and atop the [[Sludge (SG)|largest one]], [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] greets Prime, the mad scientist having escaped from his exile in [[Gygax]] to enact his revenge with his newest creations. Prime, seeing his disadvantage, forgives the scientist for all his sins...provided his creations work. Not the reaction Wheeljack expected, he nevertheless orders his creations to destroy the Decepticons. The heard roars...and begins to tear into each other. Wheeljack fails to control his creations and is knocked straight to the ground.

At Autobot headquarters in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], Prime furiously berates two of his soldiers, [[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] and [[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]]. Optimus blames the loss of the depot on Blurr, the cousin of Crasher. His subordinate attempts to defend himself, but the younger Side Burn cuts in, pointing out that he had suggested reforming the [[Wreckers]], and that if the Decepticons had been defeated, Wheeljack would have attacked Prime with his Dinobots. Angered, Prime nevertheless considers the recovery of the Dinobots more important than "stress relief" or the recovery of a minor fuel depot. Grimlock is a priority, Prime not wanting him to fall back into his Decepticon creator's hands. All Autobots who are not involved in ''Ark'' repair are to search for the Dinobots. Prime intends on sending Wheeljack back into exile, but Side Burn, recognizing Wheeljack's potential, comes up with an alternative punishment: forcing Wheeljack to repair the computers for the ''Ark'', a lowly task for the scientist, and to have him be part of the Earthbound crew in case of sabotage. Delighted by Side Burn's deviancy, Prime has him reporting to ''Ark'' duty, where Wheeljack will join him after getting an Earth-mode from the Autobot "medic" [[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]], while Blurr will search for the Dinobots. Leaving the chamber, Blurr pushes Side Burn into the wall; suspicious of the younger Autobot, Blurr tells him to stay out of his way, lest an "accident" happens. Side Burn simply smiles as the elder Autobot drives off.

At the fuel depot, reinforcements from [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]] load up supplies and [[energon rod]]s into [[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]]. Dirge advocates capturing a few of the Dinobots to make [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinocons]], but Cliffjumper is unsure, remembering the troublesome [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]]s of his home dimension. Starscream, however, sees merit in Dirge's idea, hoping to recover his old A.I. matrix. Megatron agrees, sending Astrotrain back to Darkmount with the supplies for "[[Nemesis (SG)|Project Doubletake]]", and has Starscream gather a dozen of their best soldiers for this "Dinobot Hunt".

''The ever-optimistic Huffer follows Grimlock into the abandoned levels of Cybertron. Smiling to himself, he launches his tow-cable around Grimlock. Noticing this, Grimlock begins to thrash about, throwing Huffer into a wall and causing him to drop the [[positronic deregulator]] made by Wheeljack to tame the Dinobots. Grimlock rushes forth to his attacker, but when he sees the Autobot symbol on Huffer's tow-cannon, the hardwired directives installed in him by Optimus Prime begin to cause him pain. Huffer tries to placate the Dinobot, but Grimlock tells him to shut up, hearing a voice that Huffer can't. As the smaller Autobot begins to slowly aim his cannon, Grimlock, following the unseen voices instructions, leans forth and grabs Huffer's gun, destroying it and the Autobot symbol that caused him pain. Huffer, not one to push his chances, transforms and flees. Grimlock wants to chase Huffer, but his unseen [[Omega Terminus|instructor]] beckons him to come forth, as the Dinobot heads further into Cybertron...''

Near the [[Rust Sea]], Cliffjumper and Sideswipe spy in their makeshift hunting blind as one Dinobot, a small red and grey one named [[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] feeds on the energon crystalline growths. Sideswipe isn't sure how to proceed, but Cliffjumper jumps forth, tackling Slugfest to the ground. Slugfest yelps, telling Cliffjumper that he has big friends, but the extradimensional Autobot ignores his claims, fixing a [[restraining bolt]] to Slugfest. Suddenly, Sideswipe warns him to look out, as a [[Goryu (SG)|large Dinobot]] bursts through the crystal "trees", declaring "Me gore you!" The Dinobot lunges at Grimlock, but when he notices Cliffjumper's symbol, the Dinobot is confused; it looks the purple face he's not supposed to hurt but is colored like the red face he's allowed to. Sideswipe attracts the Dinobot's attention, transforming into vehicle mode as the beast gives chase, with Cliffjumper hanging on to his tail. Climbing up with a restraining bolt in his teeth, Cliffjumper accidentally loses it when he shouts to Sideswipe, with his comrade attempting to avoid the Dinobot's ice-breath all the while. Elsewhere, [[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] and [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] have managed to find a Dinobot of their own; a flying one named [[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]], who is currently nesting on an old communications tower. Jazz wants to kill the beast, but Goldbug insists on keeping it alive, telling Jazz to climb the tower. The two continue to argue until Blurr and Rodimus arrive. The two [[Seeker (SG)|Seeker]]s agree with their commander on sending Jazz up, but Prime's bodyguard flips down his missile racks, still refusing to go up. When all the other's weapons are leveled at him, however, Jazz asks for a cable. Back near the Rust Sea, Sideswipe swerves on part of the ground frozen in ice, sending him straight into a patch of crystals, pinning him. The Dinobot celebrates his victory and turns his attention to Cliffjumper. Unable to grab him with his tiny arms, Cliffjumper goads the Dinobot and leaps off the beast's head with his jetpack when the Dinobot rams his head into the ground in an attempt to smash him. With the Dinobot knocked out, Cliffjumper heads over to Sideswipe, helping him up, who fixes a spare restraining bolt to the Dinobot. Sideswipe contacts Soundwave, telling him to send Astrotrain to pick up Slugfest and "Goryu" (having mistaken the latter's statement of intent for a name), while Cliffjumper spots the fleeing Huffer in the distance. Sneaking up on the Autobot, the two demand to know which Dinobot he ran into. Huffer is reluctant at first, but when Sideswipe mentions that Cliffjumper believes in [[Primus]], the unnerved Autobot tells them that he saw Grimlock heading towards sector Alpha-Seven, although he manages to extort an energon rod out of them. Huffer flees while the two Decepticons discuss what to do, and as they head after their more important target, Huffer smiles to himself, figuring it will all turn out okay in the end. Meanwhile, Jazz screams for help as he holds on to the flying Swoop, who declares the Autobot to be his new friend, looping around in circles. Goldbug, pragmatic as ever, gets his comrade down by shooting Swoop's wing, and the two fall to the ground, with Jazz stuck right underneath the Dinobot. Rodimus laughs, while Blurr questions why he just didn't shoot Swoop in the first place, to which Goldbug casually replies that it would have taken more effort to get him off his tower-nest if he had. While Goldbug attaches a restraining bolt to Swoop, Blurr and Rodimus take their leave, the former having received an alert from Huffer on Grimlock's location.

Sideswipe and Cliffjumper follow Grimlock's trail, straight into the [[Rad Zone]], travelling through the perilous path formed both by nature and by Grimlock's passage. Finding an entryway to an ancient bunker, Sideswipe deduces that Grimlock went in, pointing out the fresh claw marks to his companion. Cliffjumper, however, notices that Sideswipe has been on edge, and demands to know what's up. Sideswipe reluctantly tells Cliffjumper that this is where the ambush Prime set up for him went down, and where Cliffjumper, or rather, Sideswipe's [[Cliffjumper (SG)|Cliffjumper]], was accidentally killed. Sideswipe feels guilty, blaming himself for his former comrade's death, but Cliffjumper simply sighs, figuring that this universe's version of himself was an evil monster who deserved to die, and seeing his own corpse isn't likely to be the weirdest experience in this dimension. Heading on in, they eventually find what appears to be an access tunnel leading even further underground. The two walk in silence until Sideswipe spots pictographs; the former Autobot realizes that they aren't in an access tunnel, but a tomb. The images depict what appears to be a funeral, followed by interment, disassembly, and then the process in reverse. Sideswipe can only understand some of the writing accompanying it, an ancient Decepticon dialect which indicates a warning. Suddenly, a low voice rumbles throughout the cavern, telling them to get out. The two decide to flee, but when they head back in the direction they came from, they find a solid wall blocking their path. Meanwhile, Blurr and Rodimus have followed Grimlock to the bunker in the Rad Zone as well, Blurr telling Rodimus to keep his wits about him, knowing the danger inherent to the area.

Travelling further down the tomb, Cliffjumper accidentally steps on a booby trap, activating a wall that juts out spears at every angle, with a wall closing behind them. Cliffjumper sprays some [[glass gas]] mist, sending it throughout the corridor, and has Sideswipe bash the spears with his clubs. Following the pattern, the two head forth through the corridor. Two-thirds of the way in, however, an out-of-synch spear stabs straight above Cliffjumper's knee, with its speed causing it to penetrate even with the glass gases' effects. Sideswipe helps his comrade stay mobile, and the two hurry out of the tunnel. The spear tip, embedded in his leg, returns to normal, and Cliffjumper manages to limp along, telling Sideswipe he hates this place. Elsewhere, Rodimus and Blurr happen upon some energon rods. The greedy Rodimus rushes forward against Blurr's warnings and finds his arm trapped in some sort of energy field. Unable to pull out of it, Rodimus begins to notice wisps coming off his arm as it pulls him forward; Blurr surmises that it's some sort of custodial equipment, designed to eat metallic matter. Rodimus begs Blurr to help him, but laser blasts prove ineffective, the field simply refracting the light. Rodimus is goaded by Blurr into shooting him; the bolts strike Blurr straight into the chest, and he absorbs their speed. Transforming to vehicle mode, Blurr pushes Rodimus straight through the barrier, his speed preventing him from being caught in the field himself, landing on the other side. Getting up, Blurr suddenly finds himself accosted by Sideswipe and Cliffjumper; Sideswipe threatens his former comrade, while Cliffjumper advocates getting out before anything worse happens. Cliffjumper goes to pick up Rodimus, but the Autobot, already recovered, jumps him, sending him crashing into a wall. Blurr attempts to warn him until deciding against it, watching as the activate a trapdoor that sends the two down a passageway. Blurr smiles to himself for a second and then is punched by Sideswipe straight into the ground.

Landing on his back, Cliffjumper gets up, ready to fight Rodimus. The Seeker, however, advocates for a truce, knowing they're trapped together. Unfortunately, Cliffjumper's [[Wave Crusher]] is ruined, the flight pack having broken his fall. Unable to reach the vent or access their comms, the two examine the stone walls; Rodimus blasts prove ineffective, and they activate yet another trap, causing it and the other walls to close in on each other. Back above ground, Sideswipe demands that Blurr help him find Cliffjumper. Suddenly, a howl rings out of another corridor. Bringing up their weapons, Sideswipe continues to insist on finding the others, but Blurr, realizing just what the tomb is, feels that the stakes are too important to waste time on their companions. Suddenly, a large, warped mechanical being comes forth, the two recognizing it as a [[Mutant (SG)|Mutant]]. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper and Rodimus attempt to stop the compactor. Rodimus, having seen similar traps before, shouts to look for an auto-reset. Cliffjumper finds a half-meter long protrusion, matching up to a hole on the opposite side. Their hands too big to fit in the hole, Rodimus grabs the spear shaft in Cliffjumper's leg, pushing it in and shooting it forward. The trap stops, ejecting the two into a debris-filled room. Rodimus realizes where they are: the chamber of Omega Terminus. Rodimus explains that the Omega Terminus is a supercomputer and creator of life on Cybertron, only able to be controlled by the long-lost [[Terminus Blade]] and that no one knows where the computer is because the Omega Terminus makes them forget. Rodimus tries to convince Cliffjumper to team up with him to build an army of their own, and when the Autobot rejects his offer, find himself a bottle of [[scraplet]]s. Rodimus offers it to Cliffjumper, but the horrified Autobot tells him to stay away; Rodimus simply shrugs, ingesting some of them. Cliffjumper watches as Rodimus' wounds heal; scraplets in this universe, as it turns out, only eat dead metal, turning it into living metal. Rare due to the presence of water vapor on Cybertron, Rodimus is happy with his luck, while an exasperated Cliffjumper asks for some as well.

Sideswipe and Blurr are chased by the mutants until the two reach a chamber that frightens off the creatures. The chamber contains a chasm, where an island in the center holds a crystalline object surrounded by dead Cybertronians; Omega Terminus. Sideswipe and Blurr are soon joined by Cliffjumper and Rodimus when bridges suddenly extend from the island to the ledges they stand on. Unable to think of anything else to do, the quartet crosses them. Blurr believes Optimus Prime will reward them well, but Rodimus proposes not telling Prime at all. Showing his true intelligence and ambition, he proposes that the four of them use Omega Terminus to create a faction of their own; after all, no one can stop them. At that moment, Grimlock chooses to reveal himself, rising from one of the junk piles. He tells them that he came here at the insistence of a voice, a voice that doesn’t want them to be there. Omega Terminus begins to spin, and a bolt of energy hits Grimlock, endowing the Dinobot with an ember. The Dinobot begins to transform and turns from a monstrous beast to a super-intelligent robot!

Rodimus attempts to greet Grimlock, but the Dinobot remembers the way the Seeker used to treat him, and quickly converts back to his ''Tyrannosaurus'' mode, ripping off Rodimus's left hand. Transforming back to robot mode, Grimlock tells the four that something bigger is happening, beyond that of the war, and that they in the Omega Terminus' way. Cliffjumper angrily shouts that they outnumber Grimlock...to which the Omega Terminus begins to spin again, shooting more bolts into the corpses surrounding it. Four dead bodies rise from the grave, one of whom is Sideswipe's former commander, [[Drench (SG)|Drench]], and another the native Cliffjumper! Grimlock begins to monologue, explaining that the Mutants gather raw materials in the Rad Zone, which the Omega Terminus breaks down to make new Cybertronians. His monologue is interrupted by Rodimus, and Grimlock is angered enough to be forced back to his unintelligent beast mode. The zombies rush forth, focusing on Blurr and Sideswipe, while Cliffjumper and Rodimus engage Grimlock. Sideswipe attempts to reason with Drench, reminding him of their friendship, but the living dead bot ignores him, savagely attacking him along with an endoskeletal zombie. Blurr, meanwhile, fights with Cliffjumper and a zombie holding his own head. The decapitated corpse throws his head onto Blurr’s shoulder, but Blurr manages to work through the pain and sends the zombie off-balance, causing the headless horror to fall into the chasm below. Rodimus and Cliffjumper manage to briefly blind Grimlock, and the two turn their attention to the zombies, their combined laser fire barely affecting the bots. Rodimus wonders how your supposed to kill something that’s not even alive, and Cliffjumper, realizing how to defeat them, has Rodimus give him the Scraplets. Throwing the bottle onto his doppelganger, Cliffjumper watches as the panicking zombie attempts to get the Scraplets off him, lunging forward, only for his positive-universe counterpart to rip his arm off and for Rodimus to ram him into the endoskeleton. Cliffjumper throws the arm at Drench, and Sideswipe watches sadly as his old friend and the other corpses disintegrate into nothingness. Grimlock, however, is soon back to fight and knocks the assembled Decepticons and Autobots onto the ledge. Transforming back into robot mode, Grimlock gloats over the bots at his mercy. Blurr, however, begins to insult the Dinobot. Grimlock nearly turns back into dinosaur mode again, but manages to calm himself, knowing now that his anger can be used against him. Blurr, however, was merely distracting Grimlock, allowing for Sideswipe to get Cliffjumper back on the platform. Grimlock quickly turns around, but Blurr saps his speed. Cliffjumper knocks him off the platform, sending the helpless Grimlock tumbling into the depths below. The four get back on the platform, and Omega Terminus, still with plenty of corpses around, demands that they get out, opening passages surface.

Back at Autobot headquarters, Rodimus wakes up on Ratchet’s surgical table, panicking as the mad doctor offers various “enhancements” to him. Optimus Prime’s entrance silences the two, and Prime tells Rodimus he should consider himself lucky; he was going to place him on the wall, but his advisors still think the former Wrecker has potential. Angered, Rodimus notices that his missing hand has been replaced with a buzzsaw, punishment for failing to capture Grimlock. Prime leaves the room, leaving an enraged Rodimus to stew. Soon, Blurr reports to his leader on the Autobot success; they now have eight new Dinobots at their disposal. When Blurr reports that Grimlock was destroyed (the Seeker’s memories altered by Omega Terminus), Prime lashes out at his subordinate, grabbing him by the neck. Suddenly, Grimlock enters the room in ''Tyrannosaurus'' mode, having survived his fall. Prime beckons him to come forth, but Grimlock refuses, transforming into robot mode. Prime is furious, his greatest weapon having gained sentience. Grimlock, however, ignores his threats, telling him that he is simply bored and requires stimulation. Strolling over the ‘’Ark’’ schematics, Grimlock points out a fatal flaw in the fuel system. Prime has Blurr confirm it and, convinced of Grimlock’s intentions, gives Grimlock a probationary welcome back into the Autobot ranks.

Later, at the new Dinocon corral, Slugfest is unable to sleep. He likes his new friends, especially Starscream, but misses the noises of Gygax. Suddenly, the door to the corral opens, terrifying Slugfest, until he sees a familiar face. Grimlock tells Slugfest to gather the others so he can take them to a secret place…

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|h2=[[Autobot]]s
|c2=
*[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Huffer (SG)|Huffer]] (4)
*[[Hound (SG)|Hound]] (5)
*[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] (6)
*[[Arcee (SG)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]] (21)
*[[Sludge (SG)|Sludge]] (22)
*[[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] (23)
*[[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] (24)
*[[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]] (25)
*[[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] (29)
*[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (30)
*[[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] (31)
*[[Drench (SG)|Drench]] (33)
*[[Cliffjumper (SG)|Cliffjumper]] (34)
*[[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] (35)
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s
|c1=
*[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] (2)
*[[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (8)
*[[Gutcruncher (SG)|Gutcruncher]] (9)
*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (11)
*[[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] (12)
*[[Dirge (SG)|Dirge]] (13)
*[[Thundercracker (SG)|Thundercracker]] (14)
*[[Bludgeon (SG)|Bludgeon]] (15)
*[[Carnivac (SG)|Carnivac]] (16)
*[[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] (17)
*[[Kakuryu (SG)|Kakuryu]] (18)
*[[Goryu (SG)|Goryu]] (19)
*[[Doryu (SG)|Doryu]] (20)
*Unnamed dead Decepticon Micromaster (26)
*[[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] (27)
|c4=
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] (10)
*[[Omega Terminus]] (28)
*[[Mutant (SG)|Mutant]]s (32)
}}

==Quotes==
"Fear not, Mega-Dude! This is Soundwave, rockin' the radio from Darkmount, and I bring you joyous tidings! For I have totally called in the cavalry!"
:—'''Soundwave''' is the righteous bearer of good news.

"Shoot it! I can't keep this up forever!"<br />
"I can't, the [[glass gas]]'ll blow back in my face!"<br />
"That's a terrible weapon!"<br />
"Why don't you just beat it to death with a ''missile'' if you're so smart!"
:—'''Sideswipe''' and '''Cliffjumper''' discuss tactics.

"Yes, it seems we could use a hand."<br />
"Heh, good thing I gots two, eh?"<br />
:—'''Goldbug''' and '''Rodimus'''. Oh, the irony.

"Listen Huffer, you'd better talk. My partner here isn't quite what you'd call sane. He believes in Primus."
:—'''Sideswipe''' gives the Shattered Glass perception of Transformer religious views.

"Me... me... m... m... my... I... iii... I... Griiimm... lock... waaaaannnt... to talk a little bit about the truly fascinating ramifications of directly applied neutronic rearrangement when applied to instantaneous mechanical re-engineering! It is a fascinating subject, particularly in terms of practical application, wot?"
:—'''Grimlock''' goes from stupidly incomprehensible to intelligently incomprehensible.

"LEAVE WITH YOUR LIVES. NEVER RETURN."<br />
"And if we don't?"<br />
"YOU ARE OUT OF SCRAPLETS."
:—'''Omega Terminus''' makes a rather persuasive argument to '''Sideswipe'''.

==Notes==
*Characters mentioned but who do not appear in-story include: the "real" [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], Cliffjumper's [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Sunstreaker (SG)|Sunstreaker]], the [[Wreckers]], Cliffjumper's [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s, Astrotrain's [[Micromaster]] partners, [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]], [[Geronimo (SG)|Geronimo]], [[Slag (SG)|Slag]], [[Primus]], [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]], [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]], the [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Old One]], [[Fixit (SG)|Fixit]], five more Autobot-aligned Dinobots, three more Decepticon-allied Dinobots, [[Hoist (SG)|Hoist]], and [[Chromedome (SG)|Chromedome]].

===Continuity notes===
*This story takes place after the original "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]" comic. Various events and ideas from that story, including the foiling of the launch of the Ark, the Decepticons being joined by the positive universe Cliffjumper, and the idea that mirror universe [[spark]]s are called "embers", are mentioned near the beginning of the story.
*Crasher was originally mentioned in Blurr's [[BotCon 2008]] tech specs as his cousin; her role is greatly expanded on in this story.
*Grimlock was noted to be a creation of Starscream's in his BotCon 2008 tech specs.
*Blurr attempts to defend himself by pointing out that Prime didn't have Sunstreaker kill Sideswipe, his brother; Sunstreaker showed up in the original "Shattered Glass" comic, shown to be one of Prime's earliest recruits.
*The Wreckers were originally mentioned as a mercenary group in Rodimus' BotCon 2008 tech specs; Rodimus was the sole survivor of the group.
*Side Burn is treated as something of an enigma, not really belonging with the Autobots. Later stories would make exactly why this is explicit.
*Cliffjumper notes that his Dinobots often ran off on their own, and would occasionally attempt to take over the Autobots; the former calls back to Marvel ''The Transformers'' issues [[Command Performances!|#19]] and [[The Pri¢e of Life!|#70]], while the later likely refers to issue [[King of the Hill!|#27]], where [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] vied for and obtained leadership of the Autobots.
*Goldbug notes that Jazz retreated during the Decepticon's bomb run on the ''Ark'' in the original "Shattered Glass" comic.
*It was noted in the original "Shattered Glass" comic that the mirror-universe Cybertronians had never heard of Primus, the Decepticons only learning of him when Cliffjumper explained who he was after exclaiming his name. Evidently, the Autobots have learned of this belief as well: Rodimus derisively refers to him as "Mr. 'The Planet is a God'".
*The ambush on Sideswipe and ''Shattered Glass'' Cliffjumper's death were recounted in the original "Shattered Glass" comic. Drench's death, meanwhile, was noted in Sideswipe's BotCon 2008 tech specs to be the cause of Sideswipe's questioning of his allegiance and his eventual defection to the Decepticons.
*A drawing of a robot with an "ornate sword" in the Omega Terminus chamber and the mention of the "Old One", the only Cybertronian who knows of Omega Terminus' location (having been previously referred to in the original "Shattered Glass" comic) implies that Omega Terminus has a connection to Alpha Trion, homaging the connection his positive-universe counterpart has a connection to [[Vector Sigma]]. Alpha Trion was seen escaping from [[Axiom Nexus]] in the last chapter of the "Transcendent" storyline, published a month before the release of this prose story.

===Transformers references===
*Slightly hidden on the cover are two statues, one of a robot with the face of the Autobot insignia, and another of [[the Fallen]], as he appeared in Dreamwave Productions' ''The Dark Ages''.
*Like a few characters in the original ''Shattered Glass'' comic, many of the characters introduced in this story are either repurposed from existing toys, or [[Redeco#"Virtual" redecos|"virtual" redeco]]s of existing toys. (Although some, such as characters simply namedropped, as well as Hound, are not sufficiently described in this story to know what they are repurposed/"redecoed" from.) Additionally, while the original "Shattered Glass" story depicted most of its characters as being near identical to their positive-universe counterparts but with their moralities inverted, this story depicts the characters having opposite versions of their positive-universe counterpart's tics and abilities.
**Huffer, repurposed from the [[Target]]-exclusive live-action movie [[Armorhide (Movie)|Armorhide]] toy. Many of these Scout class figures would be repurposed as various ''Shattered Glass'' characters. Unlike positive-universe [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]'s whiny, complaining nature, Huffer takes everything in stride, considering even damage to himself a reason to smile.
**Hound, who is noted to have an "hallucination signal"; later stories would make it clear that this is an inversion of the positive-universe [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'s holograms.
**Arcee, repurposed from the Target-exclusive live-action movie [[Elita-One (Movie)|Elita-One]] toy. Arcee is depicted having severe mental turmoil amidst violence, perhaps owning to the original depiction of her positive-universe [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity |counterpart]] in the [[2005_IDW_continuity|IDW 2005]] comics.
**Gutcruncher, repurposed from the Target-exclusive live-action movie [[Signal Flare (Movie)|Signal Flare]] toy.
**Soundwave (having previously appeared in a non-speaking role in the original "Shattered Glass" comic) is depicted as one righteous dude, compared to rather emotionless depiction of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
**Crasher, who is either repurposed from or shares her ''[[GoBots]]'' [[Crasher (GoBots)|counterpart]]'s white color scheme from her initial release in the ''GoBots'' toyline, as opposed to the more famous black color scheme used by the ''Challenge of the GoBots'' cartoon. Crasher is noted to make an odd whirring noise when she transforms; the ''Challenge of the GoBots'' cartoon depicted the Guardian and Renegade's conversion noise as a mechanical-sounding whir, more similar to the ''Beast Wars'' conversion noise than the concurrent ''Transformers'' one. Additionally, ''Shattered Glass'' Crasher releases shock waves into the ground with her arms, as opposed to ''GoBots'' Crasher using her feet to produce them.
**Dirge, a virtual redeco of ''Timelines'' [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] in the colors of ''Beast Wars II'' [[Thrust (BW)|Thrust]]. Dirge is depicted as a lively bot who looks on the bright side and cracks jokes, as compared to positive-universe Dirge's grim, depressive personality. ''Shattered Glass'' Dirge has laughter inducing engines, while ''Generation 1'' Dirge had fear-inducing engines.
**Thundercracker, a virtual redeco of ''Classics'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] in his positive-universe [[Thundercracker (G1)|counterpart]]'s [[Action Master]] color scheme. Thundercracker can create areas of pure silence, mirroring his positive-universe counterpart's ability to create a sonic boom.
**Bludgeon, repurposed from his ''Robots in Disguise'' [[Bludgeon (RID 2001)|counterpart]]'s toy. Bludgeon is depicted as having been influenced by transmissions from Earth to model himself after a cowboy, pistols and hip holsters included, as opposed to his positive-universe samurai [[Bludgeon (G1)|counterpart]].
**Carnivac, a virtual redeco of his positive-universe [[Carnivac (G1)|counterpart]]'s toy in either red-and-blue or gold (the story doesn't say whether Carnivac is a Pretender or not; it's likely that one of the color schemes is in error). Carnivac is depicted as something of a knight, similar to ''Beast Wars'' [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]].
**Wheeljack, a virtual redeco of ''Energon'' [[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]] in European-exclusive ''Generation 1'' [[Slicer (G1)|Slicer]] colors, who was himself a Decepticon redeco of ''Generation 1'' [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s Action Master toy. This would later become a real toy at [[BotCon 2010]] as "Decepticon Slice", which could be repurposed as Wheeljack. Unlike most, Wheeljack is still a mad scientist in this story, although with more emphasis on the "mad" part. Like his positive-universe counterpart, his "ears" glow when he talks, in a sickly yellow-green instead of blue.
**Goryu, a virtual redeco of ''Masterpiece'' [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] in a color scheme inspired by Goryu's positive-universe [[Goryu (G1)|counterpart]]'s shell, along with the distinctive spikes of said shell added to his dinosaur mode.
**Slugfest, a virtual redeco of his positive-universe [[Slugfest (G1)|counterpart]]'s toy in the color of fellow cassete [[Grand Slam (G1)|Grand Slam]]. Slugfest believes himself to be "the coolest" and that everyone loves him; positive universe Slugfest, meanwhile, is paranoid about what everyone thinks of him.
**Kakuryu (who only shows up in illustration, along with Doryu), based on ''Generation 1'' [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] in a color scheme inspired by Kakuryu's positive-universe [[Kakuryu (G1)|counterpart]]'s shell colors; Kakuryu's dinosaur alt-mode has been changed from a ''Triceratops'' to a ''Styracosaurus''.
**Doryu, based on ''Generation 1'' [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] in a color scheme inspired by Doryu's positive-universe [[Doryu (G1)|counterpart]]'s shell colors.
**Sludge, a virtual redeco of his ''Generation 1'' [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] in [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]] colors.
**Side Burn, repurposed from his positive-universe [[Side Burn (RID)|counterpart]]'s ''Universe'' toy. Side Burn believes that "undue attention to females" is a waste of resources, while the positive-universe Side Burn was a womanizing mech who was more often occupied with chasing them instead of his missions.
**Astrotrain, repurposed from his ''Cybertron'' [[Astrotrain (Cybertron)|counterpart]]'s toy. His Micromaster partners would later be named in "Do Over".
**Swoop, a virtual redeco of ''Cybertron'' [[Brimstone (Cybertron)|Brimstone]] in the color of ''Armada'' [[Ravenus]]' mutated form (Ravenus normal form resembles Swoop's positive-universe [[Swoop (G1)|counterpart]]). His positive-universe counterpart's position as the "friendliest Dinobot" is amped to 11 here.
**Drench, repurposed from his positive-universe [[Drench (G2)|counterpart]]'s toy with red eyes.
**Cliffjumper, a virtual redeco of ''Classics'' [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] in navy and grey. Sideswipe notes that he was trusting and forgiving, unlike the always-suspicious positive-universe Cliffjumper.
**Ratchet, a virtual retool of ''Energon'' [[Inferno (Energon)|Roadblock]] in white and green scrubs, with a new head inspired by Ratchet's positive-universe [[Ratchet (G1)|counterpart]].
*Additionally, a few ''Shattered Glass'' characters are mentioned who do not appear in the story. Most of these characters would eventually appear in the other prose stories, comics, or some other source. These characters include:
**Blaster, who's noted to have a cassette/"memory cartridge" holding form.
**Geronimo, who died early in the war; his positive-universe [[Geronimo (G1)|counterpart]] also died early in the war, as mentioned in Dreamwave Productions' ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Age of Wrath|The Age of Wrath]]'' comic.
**Slag, whom Goryu thinks is ugly.
**Bombshell, who's noted to be a therapist, as opposed to his postive-universe [[Bombshell (G1)|counterpart]]'s function of psychological warfare.
**Ultra Magnus, noted to be a traitor who Blurr briefly sided with.
**Beachcomber, an insane Autobot, unlike his pacifistic positive-universe [[Beachcomber (G1)|counterpart]].
**Fixit, who's noted to have a price for his repairs.
**Hoist, a lazy mechanic who does jury-rigged patch jobs.
**Chromedome, who Prime threatens to put Blurr next to on the "shelf".
*At the beginning of the story, Starscream yells "Megatron has fallen!" when his commander is wounded, the orders the others to stick to the plan; this inverts the rather common event of the positive-universe Starscream declaring himself leader after even the slightest damage caused to Megatron in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon ("Megatron has fallen! I, Starscream, am now your leader!").
*Soundwave radios in from [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]], the Decepticon fortress introduced in the original Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
*The Mayhem Suppression Squad originally appeared in the "[[Shattered Expectations (SG)|Shattered Expectations]]" April Fool's comics, set outside the main ''Shattered Glass'' timeline. Dirge, Thundercracker, and Astrotrain make the jump into main ''Shattered Glass'' continuity here.
*Carnivac shouts "The Mayhem Suppression Squad has shown you its valor, ''can you not do more?''" inverting the [[Furmanism]] of "I can do no less."
*Wheeljack is the creator of the Dinobots, much like his positive-universe counterpart was their co-creator in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon. Huffer notes in the prologue that Wheeljack and Ratchet (whose positive-universe counterpart was the other creator of the Dinobots) could always make more if the escapees are permanently offlined.
*Gygax was originally mentioned in ''Classics'' story "[[The New World]]", also written by Sepelak and Troop.
*Side Burn notes that the Wreckers would have been the Autobot's best bet against the Mayhem Suppression Squad; the Wreckers and the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] often fought one another in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comics.
*Energon is stored in yellow rods, rather than in pink cubes, as in most positive universes; Cliffjumper thinks it has a weird aftertaste.
*With the Dinobots crazed and scattered, and with both teams trying to gather them up, this story calls back to the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' story "[[Dinobot Hunt!]]", and Megatron names their mission a "Dinobot Hunt" accordingly.
*The Rust Sea was originally mentioned in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' letters page.
*Written on Goryu's hip is [[Cybertronix]] reading "D-322"; D-322 was the Japanese ID number of his positive-universe counterpart's toy.
*Goryu possesses ice-breath, rather than flame-breath like most positive-universe Dinobots.
*Words in the ancient Decepticon dialect include: "cho'rk", meaning "sacred"; "zansh-kor-re", the first part of which means "depart", while the "re" is an inflection indicating a warning.
*Blurr's superspeed transformation leaves afterimages, much like his postive-universe [[Blurr (G1)|counterpart]] normally does.
*The Mutants are negative-universe version of the [[Mutant (G1)|Mutant]]s introduced in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comics.
*Blurr notes that aside from the Seekers, Sideswipe use to be a member of the Firestormers; the positive-universe [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] was a member of the [[Firestormer]]s in the Marvel ''Generation 2'' comics.
*Omega Terminus is the mirror-universe version of [[Vector Sigma]], the supercomputer from the ''The Transformers'' cartoon that granted life to all Cybertronians. It is noted to be controlled by the Terminus Blade, the counterpart of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]].
*The positive-universe version of Scraplets originally appeared in the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics; there, they were a parasitic race that ate living metal. Water vapor is noted to be the mirror-universe Scraplets weakness; water was the only cure to the positive-universe Scraplets.
*Grimlock's intelligence boost likely owes some inspiration to his positive-universe [[Grimlock (G1)|counterpart]] going through a similar process in the ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Grimlock's New Brain]]".
*Rodimus' saw blade is present on his toy as a fold-out feature; the original version of the toy (as ''Classics'' [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]]) had it as a homage to the scenes in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', where Hot Rod used it several times.
*The Autobots have gained 8 new Dinobots; aside from Swoop, these are likely the aforementioned Slag, Sludge, a ''Shattered Glass'' version of [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]], and ''Shattered Glass'' versions of the [[W Cassettebot]]s.

===Real-world references===
*A mechanimal known as a [[dieselle]] is mentioned in the prologue, presumably the Cybertronian equivalent to a gazelle.
*The Arch-Ayr fuel dump is named for the former high-ranking [[Hasbro]] employee, [[Aaron Archer]].
*Several characters take influence from real-life celebrities/fictional characters, including:
**Optimus Prime's voice is meant to sound like the 1980s ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons (TV series)|Dungeons & Dragons}}'' cartoon villain, Venger, who was also voiced by [[Peter Cullen]].
**Rodimus, whose dialogue in this story is modeled on {{w|John Travolta}}'s character, Vinnie Barbarino, from the sitcom ''{{w|Welcome Back, Kotter}}''. ("Ey, up your pipe with a windshield-wipe.")
**Soundwave, who, according to author Greg Sepelak, is modeled on "{{w|Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure|Bill S. Preston Esq. and "Ted" Theodore Logan}}, with a big heaping helping of {{w|Dexter's Laboratory|Val Halen}} {{sic}}. " (The former from the ''Bill & Ted'' films, and the latter from ''The Justice Friends'' segments of ''Dexter's Laboratory''.)
**Bludgeon's personality, while not influenced by any specific person, seems to be inspired by the adaption of several samurai films into westerns, such as with ''{{w|Seven Samurai}}'' and ''{{w|The Magnificent Seven}}''.
**Jazz's speech patterns, as in other stories, is based off of {{w|Mr. T}}, with it really becoming evident in this story. (In particular, his line, "I pity the tool that thinks he can force me to climb a tower," riffs on Mr. T's character Clubber Lang, from ''{{w|Rocky III}}''.)
*Gygax, the location on Cybertron to which Wheeljack was exiled, is named after {{w|Gary Gygax}}, the co-creator of ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons}}''. The name of the text story and several of its settings, themes, and objects are an overt homage to ''Dungeons & Dragons''.
*Cliffjumper presumably picked up the exclamation "{{w|Geronimo (exclamation)|Geronimo}}" on Earth, where it derives from the famous Native American {{w|Geronimo|leader}}.
*Cliffjumper isn't very good at remembering dinosaur names; he calls Slugfest a "Stagnosaurus" and Goryu a "Tyrantosmarmus".
*Cliffjumper thinks the pictographs look Egyptian. Among the things he knows about Egyptians is that they walked funny, referring the to song "{{w|Walk Like an Egyptian}}" most famously sung by {{w|The Bangles}}.
*Grimlock's shift to an intelligent robot closely follows a similar such scene in ''{{w|Gremlins 2: The New Batch|Gremlins 2}}'', when a Gremlin injected with an intelligence serum immediately declares that "iiiii wwwaaaaaaannnnn....ttto talk about this fascinating phenomenon taking place at this moment."
*A few symbols and images appear on Ratchet's computer displays, including:
**The symbol of Atomsk, the pirate king from the ''{{w|FLCL}}'' anime series.
**A few helmets from the ''{{w|Mega Man}}'' video game series.
**A [https://zeromayhem.deviantart.com/art/OPTIMUS-Transformers-FullForce-59912346 fanmade design] for Optimus Prime by artist Evan Gauntt.
*Aside from being inversions of [[CR chamber]]s, the [[Agonizing Rehabilitation Chamber]]s are likely a reference to the [[memoryalpha:Agony booth|agony booths]] from the mirror-universe ''[[Star Trek]]'' stories.

===Errors===
*On page 1, "Kaon" is misspelled as "Khon".
*On page 7, Cliffjumper remarks on the noticeable memory cartridge kibble on Slugfest, indicating his alternate mode. However, Dinobots and Dinocons don't HAVE alt modes at this point in the story. They were unable to transform until the [[Omega Terminus]] altered them between this story and ''[[Do Over]]''.
*On page 20, "air" is misspelled as "hair".
*On page 27, "Blurr" is misspelled as "Burr".
*On page 28, "last remnants of his one-time friend was" should be "last remnants of his one-time friend were".
*On page 30, Blurr claims that since the Autobots have captured eight Dinobots, they have an eight hundred percent increase. Before the hunt, they had zero Dinobots. Eight hundred percent of zero is still zero, and if by some chance Grimlock could count as one Dinobot because he was shortly on their side some time ago, then the increase would be seven hundred percent to get up to eight Dinobots.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160208045433if_/http://transformersclub.com:80/prose/DandD.pdf "Dungeons & Dinobots"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

[[Category:Shattered Glass media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Dungeons & Dinobots

2026-04-12T13:13:48Z

Escargon: /* Notes */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|prev=I, Lowtech
|next=Do Over
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (fiction)|Shattered Glass]]''
|prev2=Shattered Glass (issue)
|image=DungeonsandDinobots cover.jpg
|caption=
|title="Dungeons & Dinobots"
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=[[December 5]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]]
|illustration by=[[Evan Gauntt]]
|cover=[[Evan Gauntt]]
|pagecount=36
|chronology=[[Shattered Glass timeline|Current era (2008)]]
|continuity=[[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|Shattered Glass]]
}}
'''Following the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s destruction, the new Dinobots are unleashed! But what ancient horror is behind Grimlock's miraculous transformation?'''

==Synopsis==
{{note|Events from the prologue are in italics}}
At the recently discovered [[Arch-Ayr]] fuel dump in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], the Decepticons defend the station from the Autobots, who are attempting to steal the fuel so they can make the ''[[Ark (SG)|Ark]]'' space-worthy once more. [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] is wounded, and [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] rushes to his downed leader with a medi-pack, as [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] pushes his foot forward. Megatron asks his second in command for a status report; [[Huffer (SG)|Huffer]] is hardly a concern, and [[Hound (SG)|Hound]]'s hallucinations have been negated. Prime is staying back, but [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] and [[Arcee (SG)|Arcee]] are attempting to flank towards [[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] and [[Gutcruncher (SG)|Gutcruncher]]'s position. Their conversation is interrupted when the Decepticon's newest recruit, a [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] who claims to be from a mirror universe where Autobots are good and Decepticons are evil, begins firing across the battlefield at Prime. Megatron orders his second-in-command to help Cliffjumper, while he repairs himself, vowing to not allow the fuel depot to fall into Prime's hands. Starscream reluctantly suggests destroying the depot, but [[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]]'s voice cuts in on the Decepticon radio, telling the others that he's called in reinforcements. An exasperated Megatron realizes the one squad he's called in: the over-enthusiastic [[Mayhem Suppression Squad]]. Suddenly, [[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] races across the battlefield, transforming and pounding her hands into the ground, her energized strike sending Huffer and Hound flying. Crasher greets her commander and sends [[Dirge (SG)|Dirge]] and [[Thundercracker (SG)|Thundercracker]] to deal with Rodimus and Arcee. Dirge's laughter-inducing engines take Rodimus out of the battle, and mentally unstable Arcee is downed by Thundercracker's bubbles of silence and a well placed [[Concussion weapon|concussion blast]] from Gutcruncher. Prime is furious with his troop's weakness, but is attacked by [[Bludgeon (SG)|Bludgeon]] and [[Carnivac (SG)|Carnivac]], who work together to keep Prime disoriented. Eventually, the Autobots retreat to cover, and the Decepticons try to figure out how to flush the Autobots out. Suddenly, rumble shakes the battlefield. Cliffjumper spots massive mechanical beasts, crushing everything in their way. Sideswipe assumes its one of Hound's illusions, but Thundercracker points out that he's offline, and that the dampener is still running. Cliffjumper notices [[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]] in the lead, and realizes they're newly created [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]]s. The herd stops, and atop the [[Sludge (SG)|largest one]], [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] greets Prime, the mad scientist having escaped from his exile in [[Gygax]] to enact his revenge with his newest creations. Prime, seeing his disadvantage, forgives the scientist for all his sins...provided his creations work. Not the reaction Wheeljack expected, he nevertheless orders his creations to destroy the Decepticons. The heard roars...and begins to tear into each other. Wheeljack fails to control his creations and is knocked straight to the ground.

At Autobot headquarters in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], Prime furiously berates two of his soldiers, [[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] and [[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]]. Optimus blames the loss of the depot on Blurr, the cousin of Crasher. His subordinate attempts to defend himself, but the younger Side Burn cuts in, pointing out that he had suggested reforming the [[Wreckers]], and that if the Decepticons had been defeated, Wheeljack would have attacked Prime with his Dinobots. Angered, Prime nevertheless considers the recovery of the Dinobots more important than "stress relief" or the recovery of a minor fuel depot. Grimlock is a priority, Prime not wanting him to fall back into his Decepticon creator's hands. All Autobots who are not involved in ''Ark'' repair are to search for the Dinobots. Prime intends on sending Wheeljack back into exile, but Side Burn, recognizing Wheeljack's potential, comes up with an alternative punishment: forcing Wheeljack to repair the computers for the ''Ark'', a lowly task for the scientist, and to have him be part of the Earthbound crew in case of sabotage. Delighted by Side Burn's deviancy, Prime has him reporting to ''Ark'' duty, where Wheeljack will join him after getting an Earth-mode from the Autobot "medic" [[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]], while Blurr will search for the Dinobots. Leaving the chamber, Blurr pushes Side Burn into the wall; suspicious of the younger Autobot, Blurr tells him to stay out of his way, lest an "accident" happens. Side Burn simply smiles as the elder Autobot drives off.

At the fuel depot, reinforcements from [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]] load up supplies and [[energon rod]]s into [[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]]. Dirge advocates capturing a few of the Dinobots to make [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinocons]], but Cliffjumper is unsure, remembering the troublesome [[Dinobot (SG)|Dinobot]]s of his home dimension. Starscream, however, sees merit in Dirge's idea, hoping to recover his old A.I. matrix. Megatron agrees, sending Astrotrain back to Darkmount with the supplies for "[[Nemesis (SG)|Project Doubletake]]", and has Starscream gather a dozen of their best soldiers for this "Dinobot Hunt".

''The ever-optimistic Huffer follows Grimlock into the abandoned levels of Cybertron. Smiling to himself, he launches his tow-cable around Grimlock. Noticing this, Grimlock begins to thrash about, throwing Huffer into a wall and causing him to drop the [[positronic deregulator]] made by Wheeljack to tame the Dinobots. Grimlock rushes forth to his attacker, but when he sees the Autobot symbol on Huffer's tow-cannon, the hardwired directives installed in him by Optimus Prime begin to cause him pain. Huffer tries to placate the Dinobot, but Grimlock tells him to shut up, hearing a voice that Huffer can't. As the smaller Autobot begins to slowly aim his cannon, Grimlock, following the unseen voices instructions, leans forth and grabs Huffer's gun, destroying it and the Autobot symbol that caused him pain. Huffer, not one to push his chances, transforms and flees. Grimlock wants to chase Huffer, but his unseen [[Omega Terminus|instructor]] beckons him to come forth, as the Dinobot heads further into Cybertron...''

Near the [[Rust Sea]], Cliffjumper and Sideswipe spy in their makeshift hunting blind as one Dinobot, a small red and grey one named [[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] feeds on the energon crystalline growths. Sideswipe isn't sure how to proceed, but Cliffjumper jumps forth, tackling Slugfest to the ground. Slugfest yelps, telling Cliffjumper that he has big friends, but the extradimensional Autobot ignores his claims, fixing a [[restraining bolt]] to Slugfest. Suddenly, Sideswipe warns him to look out, as a [[Goryu (SG)|large Dinobot]] bursts through the crystal "trees", declaring "Me gore you!" The Dinobot lunges at Grimlock, but when he notices Cliffjumper's symbol, the Dinobot is confused; it looks the purple face he's not supposed to hurt but is colored like the red face he's allowed to. Sideswipe attracts the Dinobot's attention, transforming into vehicle mode as the beast gives chase, with Cliffjumper hanging on to his tail. Climbing up with a restraining bolt in his teeth, Cliffjumper accidentally loses it when he shouts to Sideswipe, with his comrade attempting to avoid the Dinobot's ice-breath all the while. Elsewhere, [[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] and [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] have managed to find a Dinobot of their own; a flying one named [[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]], who is currently nesting on an old communications tower. Jazz wants to kill the beast, but Goldbug insists on keeping it alive, telling Jazz to climb the tower. The two continue to argue until Blurr and Rodimus arrive. The two [[Seeker (SG)|Seeker]]s agree with their commander on sending Jazz up, but Prime's bodyguard flips down his missile racks, still refusing to go up. When all the other's weapons are leveled at him, however, Jazz asks for a cable. Back near the Rust Sea, Sideswipe swerves on part of the ground frozen in ice, sending him straight into a patch of crystals, pinning him. The Dinobot celebrates his victory and turns his attention to Cliffjumper. Unable to grab him with his tiny arms, Cliffjumper goads the Dinobot and leaps off the beast's head with his jetpack when the Dinobot rams his head into the ground in an attempt to smash him. With the Dinobot knocked out, Cliffjumper heads over to Sideswipe, helping him up, who fixes a spare restraining bolt to the Dinobot. Sideswipe contacts Soundwave, telling him to send Astrotrain to pick up Slugfest and "Goryu" (having mistaken the latter's statement of intent for a name), while Cliffjumper spots the fleeing Huffer in the distance. Sneaking up on the Autobot, the two demand to know which Dinobot he ran into. Huffer is reluctant at first, but when Sideswipe mentions that Cliffjumper believes in [[Primus]], the unnerved Autobot tells them that he saw Grimlock heading towards sector Alpha-Seven, although he manages to extort an energon rod out of them. Huffer flees while the two Decepticons discuss what to do, and as they head after their more important target, Huffer smiles to himself, figuring it will all turn out okay in the end. Meanwhile, Jazz screams for help as he holds on to the flying Swoop, who declares the Autobot to be his new friend, looping around in circles. Goldbug, pragmatic as ever, gets his comrade down by shooting Swoop's wing, and the two fall to the ground, with Jazz stuck right underneath the Dinobot. Rodimus laughs, while Blurr questions why he just didn't shoot Swoop in the first place, to which Goldbug casually replies that it would have taken more effort to get him off his tower-nest if he had. While Goldbug attaches a restraining bolt to Swoop, Blurr and Rodimus take their leave, the former having received an alert from Huffer on Grimlock's location.

Sideswipe and Cliffjumper follow Grimlock's trail, straight into the [[Rad Zone]], travelling through the perilous path formed both by nature and by Grimlock's passage. Finding an entryway to an ancient bunker, Sideswipe deduces that Grimlock went in, pointing out the fresh claw marks to his companion. Cliffjumper, however, notices that Sideswipe has been on edge, and demands to know what's up. Sideswipe reluctantly tells Cliffjumper that this is where the ambush Prime set up for him went down, and where Cliffjumper, or rather, Sideswipe's [[Cliffjumper (SG)|Cliffjumper]], was accidentally killed. Sideswipe feels guilty, blaming himself for his former comrade's death, but Cliffjumper simply sighs, figuring that this universe's version of himself was an evil monster who deserved to die, and seeing his own corpse isn't likely to be the weirdest experience in this dimension. Heading on in, they eventually find what appears to be an access tunnel leading even further underground. The two walk in silence until Sideswipe spots pictographs; the former Autobot realizes that they aren't in an access tunnel, but a tomb. The images depict what appears to be a funeral, followed by interment, disassembly, and then the process in reverse. Sideswipe can only understand some of the writing accompanying it, an ancient Decepticon dialect which indicates a warning. Suddenly, a low voice rumbles throughout the cavern, telling them to get out. The two decide to flee, but when they head back in the direction they came from, they find a solid wall blocking their path. Meanwhile, Blurr and Rodimus have followed Grimlock to the bunker in the Rad Zone as well, Blurr telling Rodimus to keep his wits about him, knowing the danger inherent to the area.

Travelling further down the tomb, Cliffjumper accidentally steps on a booby trap, activating a wall that juts out spears at every angle, with a wall closing behind them. Cliffjumper sprays some [[glass gas]] mist, sending it throughout the corridor, and has Sideswipe bash the spears with his clubs. Following the pattern, the two head forth through the corridor. Two-thirds of the way in, however, an out-of-synch spear stabs straight above Cliffjumper's knee, with its speed causing it to penetrate even with the glass gases' effects. Sideswipe helps his comrade stay mobile, and the two hurry out of the tunnel. The spear tip, embedded in his leg, returns to normal, and Cliffjumper manages to limp along, telling Sideswipe he hates this place. Elsewhere, Rodimus and Blurr happen upon some energon rods. The greedy Rodimus rushes forward against Blurr's warnings and finds his arm trapped in some sort of energy field. Unable to pull out of it, Rodimus begins to notice wisps coming off his arm as it pulls him forward; Blurr surmises that it's some sort of custodial equipment, designed to eat metallic matter. Rodimus begs Blurr to help him, but laser blasts prove ineffective, the field simply refracting the light. Rodimus is goaded by Blurr into shooting him; the bolts strike Blurr straight into the chest, and he absorbs their speed. Transforming to vehicle mode, Blurr pushes Rodimus straight through the barrier, his speed preventing him from being caught in the field himself, landing on the other side. Getting up, Blurr suddenly finds himself accosted by Sideswipe and Cliffjumper; Sideswipe threatens his former comrade, while Cliffjumper advocates getting out before anything worse happens. Cliffjumper goes to pick up Rodimus, but the Autobot, already recovered, jumps him, sending him crashing into a wall. Blurr attempts to warn him until deciding against it, watching as the activate a trapdoor that sends the two down a passageway. Blurr smiles to himself for a second and then is punched by Sideswipe straight into the ground.

Landing on his back, Cliffjumper gets up, ready to fight Rodimus. The Seeker, however, advocates for a truce, knowing they're trapped together. Unfortunately, Cliffjumper's [[Wave Crusher]] is ruined, the flight pack having broken his fall. Unable to reach the vent or access their comms, the two examine the stone walls; Rodimus blasts prove ineffective, and they activate yet another trap, causing it and the other walls to close in on each other. Back above ground, Sideswipe demands that Blurr help him find Cliffjumper. Suddenly, a howl rings out of another corridor. Bringing up their weapons, Sideswipe continues to insist on finding the others, but Blurr, realizing just what the tomb is, feels that the stakes are too important to waste time on their companions. Suddenly, a large, warped mechanical being comes forth, the two recognizing it as a [[Mutant (SG)|Mutant]]. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper and Rodimus attempt to stop the compactor. Rodimus, having seen similar traps before, shouts to look for an auto-reset. Cliffjumper finds a half-meter long protrusion, matching up to a hole on the opposite side. Their hands too big to fit in the hole, Rodimus grabs the spear shaft in Cliffjumper's leg, pushing it in and shooting it forward. The trap stops, ejecting the two into a debris-filled room. Rodimus realizes where they are: the chamber of Omega Terminus. Rodimus explains that the Omega Terminus is a supercomputer and creator of life on Cybertron, only able to be controlled by the long-lost [[Terminus Blade]] and that no one knows where the computer is because the Omega Terminus makes them forget. Rodimus tries to convince Cliffjumper to team up with him to build an army of their own, and when the Autobot rejects his offer, find himself a bottle of [[scraplet]]s. Rodimus offers it to Cliffjumper, but the horrified Autobot tells him to stay away; Rodimus simply shrugs, ingesting some of them. Cliffjumper watches as Rodimus' wounds heal; scraplets in this universe, as it turns out, only eat dead metal, turning it into living metal. Rare due to the presence of water vapor on Cybertron, Rodimus is happy with his luck, while an exasperated Cliffjumper asks for some as well.

Sideswipe and Blurr are chased by the mutants until the two reach a chamber that frightens off the creatures. The chamber contains a chasm, where an island in the center holds a crystalline object surrounded by dead Cybertronians; Omega Terminus. Sideswipe and Blurr are soon joined by Cliffjumper and Rodimus when bridges suddenly extend from the island to the ledges they stand on. Unable to think of anything else to do, the quartet crosses them. Blurr believes Optimus Prime will reward them well, but Rodimus proposes not telling Prime at all. Showing his true intelligence and ambition, he proposes that the four of them use Omega Terminus to create a faction of their own; after all, no one can stop them. At that moment, Grimlock chooses to reveal himself, rising from one of the junk piles. He tells them that he came here at the insistence of a voice, a voice that doesn’t want them to be there. Omega Terminus begins to spin, and a bolt of energy hits Grimlock, endowing the Dinobot with an ember. The Dinobot begins to transform and turns from a monstrous beast to a super-intelligent robot!

Rodimus attempts to greet Grimlock, but the Dinobot remembers the way the Seeker used to treat him, and quickly converts back to his ''Tyrannosaurus'' mode, ripping off Rodimus's left hand. Transforming back to robot mode, Grimlock tells the four that something bigger is happening, beyond that of the war, and that they in the Omega Terminus' way. Cliffjumper angrily shouts that they outnumber Grimlock...to which the Omega Terminus begins to spin again, shooting more bolts into the corpses surrounding it. Four dead bodies rise from the grave, one of whom is Sideswipe's former commander, [[Drench (SG)|Drench]], and another the native Cliffjumper! Grimlock begins to monologue, explaining that the Mutants gather raw materials in the Rad Zone, which the Omega Terminus breaks down to make new Cybertronians. His monologue is interrupted by Rodimus, and Grimlock is angered enough to be forced back to his unintelligent beast mode. The zombies rush forth, focusing on Blurr and Sideswipe, while Cliffjumper and Rodimus engage Grimlock. Sideswipe attempts to reason with Drench, reminding him of their friendship, but the living dead bot ignores him, savagely attacking him along with an endoskeletal zombie. Blurr, meanwhile, fights with Cliffjumper and a zombie holding his own head. The decapitated corpse throws his head onto Blurr’s shoulder, but Blurr manages to work through the pain and sends the zombie off-balance, causing the headless horror to fall into the chasm below. Rodimus and Cliffjumper manage to briefly blind Grimlock, and the two turn their attention to the zombies, their combined laser fire barely affecting the bots. Rodimus wonders how your supposed to kill something that’s not even alive, and Cliffjumper, realizing how to defeat them, has Rodimus give him the Scraplets. Throwing the bottle onto his doppelganger, Cliffjumper watches as the panicking zombie attempts to get the Scraplets off him, lunging forward, only for his positive-universe counterpart to rip his arm off and for Rodimus to ram him into the endoskeleton. Cliffjumper throws the arm at Drench, and Sideswipe watches sadly as his old friend and the other corpses disintegrate into nothingness. Grimlock, however, is soon back to fight and knocks the assembled Decepticons and Autobots onto the ledge. Transforming back into robot mode, Grimlock gloats over the bots at his mercy. Blurr, however, begins to insult the Dinobot. Grimlock nearly turns back into dinosaur mode again, but manages to calm himself, knowing now that his anger can be used against him. Blurr, however, was merely distracting Grimlock, allowing for Sideswipe to get Cliffjumper back on the platform. Grimlock quickly turns around, but Blurr saps his speed. Cliffjumper knocks him off the platform, sending the helpless Grimlock tumbling into the depths below. The four get back on the platform, and Omega Terminus, still with plenty of corpses around, demands that they get out, opening passages surface.

Back at Autobot headquarters, Rodimus wakes up on Ratchet’s surgical table, panicking as the mad doctor offers various “enhancements” to him. Optimus Prime’s entrance silences the two, and Prime tells Rodimus he should consider himself lucky; he was going to place him on the wall, but his advisors still think the former Wrecker has potential. Angered, Rodimus notices that his missing hand has been replaced with a buzzsaw, punishment for failing to capture Grimlock. Prime leaves the room, leaving an enraged Rodimus to stew. Soon, Blurr reports to his leader on the Autobot success; they now have eight new Dinobots at their disposal. When Blurr reports that Grimlock was destroyed (the Seeker’s memories altered by Omega Terminus), Prime lashes out at his subordinate, grabbing him by the neck. Suddenly, Grimlock enters the room in ''Tyrannosaurus'' mode, having survived his fall. Prime beckons him to come forth, but Grimlock refuses, transforming into robot mode. Prime is furious, his greatest weapon having gained sentience. Grimlock, however, ignores his threats, telling him that he is simply bored and requires stimulation. Strolling over the ‘’Ark’’ schematics, Grimlock points out a fatal flaw in the fuel system. Prime has Blurr confirm it and, convinced of Grimlock’s intentions, gives Grimlock a probationary welcome back into the Autobot ranks.

Later, at the new Dinocon corral, Slugfest is unable to sleep. He likes his new friends, especially Starscream, but misses the noises of Gygax. Suddenly, the door to the corral opens, terrifying Slugfest, until he sees a familiar face. Grimlock tells Slugfest to gather the others so he can take them to a secret place…

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|h2=[[Autobot]]s
|c2=
*[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Huffer (SG)|Huffer]] (4)
*[[Hound (SG)|Hound]] (5)
*[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] (6)
*[[Arcee (SG)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]] (21)
*[[Sludge (SG)|Sludge]] (22)
*[[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]] (23)
*[[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]] (24)
*[[Side Burn (SG)|Side Burn]] (25)
*[[Jazz (SG)|Jazz]] (29)
*[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] (30)
*[[Swoop (SG)|Swoop]] (31)
*[[Drench (SG)|Drench]] (33)
*[[Cliffjumper (SG)|Cliffjumper]] (34)
*[[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]] (35)
|h1=[[Decepticon]]s
|c1=
*[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] (2)
*[[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]] (8)
*[[Gutcruncher (SG)|Gutcruncher]] (9)
*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]] (11)
*[[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]] (12)
*[[Dirge (SG)|Dirge]] (13)
*[[Thundercracker (SG)|Thundercracker]] (14)
*[[Bludgeon (SG)|Bludgeon]] (15)
*[[Carnivac (SG)|Carnivac]] (16)
*[[Slugfest (SG)|Slugfest]] (17)
*[[Kakuryu (SG)|Kakuryu]] (18)
*[[Goryu (SG)|Goryu]] (19)
*[[Doryu (SG)|Doryu]] (20)
*Unnamed dead Decepticon Micromaster (26)
*[[Astrotrain (SG)|Astrotrain]] (27)
|c4=
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] (10)
*[[Omega Terminus]] (28)
*[[Mutant (SG)|Mutant]]s (32)
}}

==Quotes==
"Fear not, Mega-Dude! This is Soundwave, rockin' the radio from Darkmount, and I bring you joyous tidings! For I have totally called in the cavalry!"
:—'''Soundwave''' is the righteous bearer of good news.

"Shoot it! I can't keep this up forever!"<br />
"I can't, the [[glass gas]]'ll blow back in my face!"<br />
"That's a terrible weapon!"<br />
"Why don't you just beat it to death with a ''missile'' if you're so smart!"
:—'''Sideswipe''' and '''Cliffjumper''' discuss tactics.

"Yes, it seems we could use a hand."<br />
"Heh, good thing I gots two, eh?"<br />
:—'''Goldbug''' and '''Rodimus'''. Oh, the irony.

"Listen Huffer, you'd better talk. My partner here isn't quite what you'd call sane. He believes in Primus."
:—'''Sideswipe''' gives the Shattered Glass perception of Transformer religious views.

"Me... me... m... m... my... I... iii... I... Griiimm... lock... waaaaannnt... to talk a little bit about the truly fascinating ramifications of directly applied neutronic rearrangement when applied to instantaneous mechanical re-engineering! It is a fascinating subject, particularly in terms of practical application, wot?"
:—'''Grimlock''' goes from stupidly incomprehensible to intelligently incomprehensible.

"LEAVE WITH YOUR LIVES. NEVER RETURN."<br />
"And if we don't?"<br />
"YOU ARE OUT OF SCRAPLETS."
:—'''Omega Terminus''' makes a rather persuasive argument to '''Sideswipe'''.

==Notes==
*Characters mentioned but who do not appear in-story include: the "real" [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], Cliffjumper's [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Sunstreaker (SG)|Sunstreaker]], the [[Wreckers]], Cliffjumper's [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s, Astrotrain's [[Micromaster]] partners, [[Blaster (SG)|Blaster]], [[Geronimo (SG)|Geronimo]], [[Slag (SG)|Slag]], [[Primus]], [[Bombshell (SG)|Bombshell]], [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Beachcomber (SG)|Beachcomber]], the [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Old One]], [[Fixit (SG)|Fixit]], five more Autobot-aligned Dinobots, three more Decepticon-allied Dinobots, [[Hoist (SG)|Hoist]], and [[Chromedome (SG)|Chromedome]].

===Continuity notes===
*This story takes place after the original "[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]" comic. Various events and ideas from that story, including the foiling of the launch of the Ark, the Decepticons being joined by the positive universe Cliffjumper, and the idea that mirror universe [[spark]]s are called "embers", are mentioned near the beginning of the story.
*Crasher was originally mentioned in Blurr's [[BotCon 2008]] tech specs as his cousin; her role is greatly expanded on in this story.
*Grimlock was noted to be a creation of Starscream's in his BotCon 2008 tech specs.
*Blurr attempts to defend himself by pointing out that Prime didn't have Sunstreaker kill Sideswipe, his brother; Sunstreaker showed up in the original "Shattered Glass" comic, shown to be one of Prime's earliest recruits.
*The Wreckers were originally mentioned as a mercenary group in Rodimus' BotCon 2008 tech specs; Rodimus was the sole survivor of the group.
*Side Burn is treated as something of an enigma, not really belonging with the Autobots. Later stories would make exactly why this is explicit.
*Cliffjumper notes that his Dinobots often ran off on their own, and would occasionally attempt to take over the Autobots; the former calls back to Marvel ''The Transformers'' issues [[Command Performances!|#19]] and [[The Pri¢e of Life!|#70]], while the later likely refers to issue [[King of the Hill!|#27]], where [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] vied for and obtained leadership of the Autobots.
*Goldbug notes that Jazz retreated during the Decepticon's bomb run on the ''Ark'' in the original "Shattered Glass" comic.
*It was noted in the original "Shattered Glass" comic that the mirror-universe Cybertronians had never heard of Primus, the Decepticons only learning of him when Cliffjumper explained who he was after exclaiming his name. Evidently, the Autobots have learned of this belief as well: Rodimus derisively refers to him as "Mr. 'The Planet is a God'".
*The ambush on Sideswipe and ''Shattered Glass'' Cliffjumper's death were recounted in the original "Shattered Glass" comic. Drench's death, meanwhile, was noted in Sideswipe's BotCon 2008 tech specs to be the cause of Sideswipe's questioning of his allegiance and his eventual defection to the Decepticons.
*A drawing of a robot with an "ornate sword" in the Omega Terminus chamber and the mention of the "Old One", the only Cybertronian who knows of Omega Terminus' location (having been previously referred to in the original "Shattered Glass" comic) implies that Omega Terminus has a connection to Alpha Trion, homaging the connection his positive-universe counterpart has a connection to [[Vector Sigma]]. Alpha Trion was seen escaping from [[Axiom Nexus]] in the last chapter of the "Transcendent" storyline, published a month before the release of this prose story.

===Transformers references===
*Slightly hidden on the cover are two statues, one of a robot with the face of the Autobot insignia, and another of [[the Fallen]], as he appeared in Dreamwave Productions' ''The Dark Ages''.
*Like a few characters in the original ''Shattered Glass'' comic, many of the characters introduced in this story are either repurposed from existing toys, or [[Redeco#"Virtual" redecos|"virtual" redeco]]s of existing toys. (Although some, such as characters simply namedropped, as well as Hound, are not sufficiently described in this story to know what they are repurposed/"redecoed" from.) Additionally, while the original "Shattered Glass" story depicted most of its characters as being near identical to their positive-universe counterparts but with their moralities inverted, this story depicts the characters having opposite versions of their positive-universe counterpart's tics and abilities.
**Huffer, repurposed from the [[Target]]-exclusive live-action movie [[Armorhide (Movie)|Armorhide]] toy. Many of these Scout class figures would be repurposed as various ''Shattered Glass'' characters. Unlike positive-universe [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]'s whiny, complaining nature, Huffer takes everything in stride, considering even damage to himself a reason to smile.
**Hound, who is noted to have an "hallucination signal"; later stories would make it clear that this is an inversion of the positive-universe [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'s holograms.
**Arcee, repurposed from the Target-exclusive live-action movie [[Elita-One (Movie)|Elita-One]] toy. Arcee is depicted having severe mental turmoil amidst violence, perhaps owning to the original depiction of her positive-universe [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity |counterpart]] in the [[2005_IDW_continuity|IDW 2005]] comics.
**Gutcruncher, repurposed from the Target-exclusive live-action movie [[Signal Flare (Movie)|Signal Flare]] toy.
**Soundwave (having previously appeared in a non-speaking role in the original "Shattered Glass" comic) is depicted as one righteous dude, compared to rather emotionless depiction of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon.
**Crasher, who is either repurposed from or shares her ''[[GoBots]]'' [[Crasher (GoBots)|counterpart]]'s white color scheme from her initial release in the ''GoBots'' toyline, as opposed to the more famous black color scheme used by the ''Challenge of the GoBots'' cartoon. Crasher is noted to make an odd whirring noise when she transforms; the ''Challenge of the GoBots'' cartoon depicted the Guardian and Renegade's conversion noise as a mechanical-sounding whir, more similar to the ''Beast Wars'' conversion noise than the concurrent ''Transformers'' one. Additionally, ''Shattered Glass'' Crasher releases shock waves into the ground with her arms, as opposed to ''GoBots'' Crasher using her feet to produce them.
**Dirge, a virtual redeco of ''Timelines'' [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] in the colors of ''Beast Wars II'' [[Thrust (BW)|Thrust]]. Dirge is depicted as a lively bot who looks on the bright side and cracks jokes, as compared to positive-universe Dirge's grim, depressive personality. ''Shattered Glass'' Dirge has laughter inducing engines, while ''Generation 1'' Dirge had fear-inducing engines.
**Thundercracker, a virtual redeco of ''Classics'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] in his positive-universe [[Thundercracker (G1)|counterpart]]'s [[Action Master]] color scheme. Thundercracker can create areas of pure silence, mirroring his positive-universe counterpart's ability to create a sonic boom.
**Bludgeon, repurposed from his ''Robots in Disguise'' [[Bludgeon (RID 2001)|counterpart]]'s toy. Bludgeon is depicted as having been influenced by transmissions from Earth to model himself after a cowboy, pistols and hip holsters included, as opposed to his positive-universe samurai [[Bludgeon (G1)|counterpart]].
**Carnivac, a virtual redeco of his positive-universe [[Carnivac (G1)|counterpart]]'s toy in either red-and-blue or gold (the story doesn't say whether Carnivac is a Pretender or not; its likely that one of the color schemes is in error). Carnivac is depicted as something of a knight, similar to ''Beast Wars'' [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]].
**Wheeljack, a virtual redeco of ''Energon'' [[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]] in European-exclusive ''Generation 1'' [[Slicer (G1)|Slicer]] colors, who was himself a Decepticon redeco of ''Generation 1'' [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s Action Master toy. This would later become a real toy at [[BotCon 2010]] as "Decepticon Slice", which could be repurposed as Wheeljack. Unlike most, Wheeljack is still a mad scientist in this story, although with more emphasis on the "mad" part. Like his positive-universe counterpart, his "ears" glow when he talks, in a sickly yellow-green instead of blue.
**Goryu, a virtual redeco of ''Masterpiece'' [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] in a color scheme inspired by Goryu's positive-universe [[Goryu (G1)|counterpart]]'s shell, along with the distinctive spikes of said shell added to his dinosaur mode.
**Slugfest, a virtual redeco of his positive-universe [[Slugfest (G1)|counterpart]]'s toy in the color of fellow cassete [[Grand Slam (G1)|Grand Slam]]. Slugfest believes himself to be "the coolest" and that everyone loves him; positive universe Slugfest, meanwhile, is paranoid about what everyone thinks of him.
**Kakuryu (who only shows up in illustration, along with Doryu), based on ''Generation 1'' [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] in a color scheme inspired by Kakuryu's positive-universe [[Kakuryu (G1)|counterpart]]'s shell colors; Kakuryu's dinosaur alt-mode has been changed from a ''Triceratops'' to a ''Styracosaurus''.
**Doryu, based on ''Generation 1'' [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] in a color scheme inspired by Doryu's positive-universe [[Doryu (G1)|counterpart]]'s shell colors.
**Sludge, a virtual redeco of his ''Generation 1'' [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] in [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]] colors.
**Side Burn, repurposed from his positive-universe [[Side Burn (RID)|counterpart]]'s ''Universe'' toy. Side Burn believes that "undue attention to females" is a waste of resources, while the positive-universe Side Burn was a womanizing mech who was more often occupied with chasing them instead of his missions.
**Astrotrain, repurposed from his ''Cybertron'' [[Astrotrain (Cybertron)|counterpart]]'s toy. His Micromaster partners would later be named in "Do Over".
**Swoop, a virtual redeco of ''Cybertron'' [[Brimstone (Cybertron)|Brimstone]] in the color of ''Armada'' [[Ravenus]]' mutated form (Ravenus normal form resembles Swoop's positive-universe [[Swoop (G1)|counterpart]]). His positive-universe counterpart's position as the "friendliest Dinobot" is amped to 11 here.
**Drench, repurposed from his positive-universe [[Drench (G2)|counterpart]]'s toy with red eyes.
**Cliffjumper, a virtual redeco of ''Classics'' [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] in navy and grey. Sideswipe notes that he was trusting and forgiving, unlike the always-suspicious positive-universe Cliffjumper.
**Ratchet, a virtual retool of ''Energon'' [[Inferno (Energon)|Roadblock]] in white and green scrubs, with a new head inspired by Ratchet's positive-universe [[Ratchet (G1)|counterpart]].
*Additionally, a few ''Shattered Glass'' characters are mentioned who do not appear in the story. Most of these characters would eventually appear in the other prose stories, comics, or some other source. These characters include:
**Blaster, who's noted to have a cassette/"memory cartridge" holding form.
**Geronimo, who died early in the war; his positive-universe [[Geronimo (G1)|counterpart]] also died early in the war, as mentioned in Dreamwave Productions' ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Age of Wrath|The Age of Wrath]]'' comic.
**Slag, whom Goryu thinks is ugly.
**Bombshell, who's noted to be a therapist, as opposed to his postive-universe [[Bombshell (G1)|counterpart]]'s function of psychological warfare.
**Ultra Magnus, noted to be a traitor who Blurr briefly sided with.
**Beachcomber, an insane Autobot, unlike his pacifistic positive-universe [[Beachcomber (G1)|counterpart]].
**Fixit, who's noted to have a price for his repairs.
**Hoist, a lazy mechanic who does jury-rigged patch jobs.
**Chromedome, who Prime threatens to put Blurr next to on the "shelf".
*At the beginning of the story, Starscream yells "Megatron has fallen!" when his commander is wounded, the orders the others to stick to the plan; this inverts the rather common event of the positive-universe Starscream declaring himself leader after even the slightest damage caused to Megatron in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon ("Megatron has fallen! I, Starscream, am now your leader!").
*Soundwave radios in from [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]], the Decepticon fortress introduced in the original Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
*The Mayhem Suppression Squad originally appeared in the "[[Shattered Expectations (SG)|Shattered Expectations]]" April Fool's comics, set outside the main ''Shattered Glass'' timeline. Dirge, Thundercracker, and Astrotrain make the jump into main ''Shattered Glass'' continuity here.
*Carnivac shouts "The Mayhem Suppression Squad has shown you its valor, ''can you not do more?''" inverting the [[Furmanism]] of "I can do no less."
*Wheeljack is the creator of the Dinobots, much like his positive-universe counterpart was their co-creator in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon. Huffer notes in the prologue that Wheeljack and Ratchet (whose positive-universe counterpart was the other creator of the Dinobots) could always make more if the escapees are permanently offlined.
*Gygax was originally mentioned in ''Classics'' story "[[The New World]]", also written by Sepelak and Troop.
*Side Burn notes that the Wreckers would have been the Autobot's best bet against the Mayhem Suppression Squad; the Wreckers and the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] often fought one another in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comics.
*Energon is stored in yellow rods, rather than in pink cubes, as in most positive universes; Cliffjumper thinks it has a weird aftertaste.
*With the Dinobots crazed and scattered, and with both teams trying to gather them up, this story calls back to the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' story "[[Dinobot Hunt!]]", and Megatron names their mission a "Dinobot Hunt" accordingly.
*The Rust Sea was originally mentioned in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' letters page.
*Written on Goryu's hip is [[Cybertronix]] reading "D-322"; D-322 was the Japanese ID number of his positive-universe counterpart's toy.
*Goryu possesses ice-breath, rather than flame-breath like most positive-universe Dinobots.
*Words in the ancient Decepticon dialect include: "cho'rk", meaning "sacred"; "zansh-kor-re", the first part of which means "depart", while the "re" is an inflection indicating a warning.
*Blurr's superspeed transformation leaves afterimages, much like his postive-universe [[Blurr (G1)|counterpart]] normally does.
*The Mutants are negative-universe version of the [[Mutant (G1)|Mutant]]s introduced in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comics.
*Blurr notes that aside from the Seekers, Sideswipe use to be a member of the Firestormers; the positive-universe [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] was a member of the [[Firestormer]]s in the Marvel ''Generation 2'' comics.
*Omega Terminus is the mirror-universe version of [[Vector Sigma]], the supercomputer from the ''The Transformers'' cartoon that granted life to all Cybertronians. It is noted to be controlled by the Terminus Blade, the counterpart of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]].
*The positive-universe version of Scraplets originally appeared in the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics; there, they were a parasitic race that ate living metal. Water vapor is noted to be the mirror-universe Scraplets weakness; water was the only cure to the positive-universe Scraplets.
*Grimlock's intelligence boost likely owes some inspiration to his positive-universe [[Grimlock (G1)|counterpart]] going through a similar process in the ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Grimlock's New Brain]]".
*Rodimus' saw blade is present on his toy as a fold-out feature; the original version of the toy (as ''Classics'' [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]]) had it as a homage to the scenes in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', where Hot Rod used it several times.
*The Autobots have gained 8 new Dinobots; aside from Swoop, these are likely the aforementioned Slag, Sludge, a ''Shattered Glass'' version of [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]], and ''Shattered Glass'' versions of the [[W Cassettebot]]s.

===Real-world references===
*A mechanimal known as a [[dieselle]] is mentioned in the prologue, presumably the Cybertronian equivalent to a gazelle.
*The Arch-Ayr fuel dump is named for the former high-ranking [[Hasbro]] employee, [[Aaron Archer]].
*Several characters take influence from real-life celebrities/fictional characters, including:
**Optimus Prime's voice is meant to sound like the 1980s ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons (TV series)|Dungeons & Dragons}}'' cartoon villain, Venger, who was also voiced by [[Peter Cullen]].
**Rodimus, whose dialogue in this story is modeled on {{w|John Travolta}}'s character, Vinnie Barbarino, from the sitcom ''{{w|Welcome Back, Kotter}}''. ("Ey, up your pipe with a windshield-wipe.")
**Soundwave, who, according to author Greg Sepelak, is modeled on "{{w|Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure|Bill S. Preston Esq. and "Ted" Theodore Logan}}, with a big heaping helping of {{w|Dexter's Laboratory|Val Halen}} {{sic}}. " (The former from the ''Bill & Ted'' films, and the latter from ''The Justice Friends'' segments of ''Dexter's Laboratory''.)
**Bludgeon's personality, while not influenced by any specific person, seems to be inspired by the adaption of several samurai films into westerns, such as with ''{{w|Seven Samurai}}'' and ''{{w|The Magnificent Seven}}''.
**Jazz's speech patterns, as in other stories, is based off of {{w|Mr. T}}, with it really becoming evident in this story. (In particular, his line, "I pity the tool that thinks he can force me to climb a tower," riffs on Mr. T's character Clubber Lang, from ''{{w|Rocky III}}''.)
*Gygax, the location on Cybertron to which Wheeljack was exiled, is named after {{w|Gary Gygax}}, the co-creator of ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons}}''. The name of the text story and several of its settings, themes, and objects are an overt homage to ''Dungeons & Dragons''.
*Cliffjumper presumably picked up the exclamation "{{w|Geronimo (exclamation)|Geronimo}}" on Earth, where it derives from the famous Native American {{w|Geronimo|leader}}.
*Cliffjumper isn't very good at remembering dinosaur names; he calls Slugfest a "Stagnosaurus" and Goryu a "Tyrantosmarmus".
*Cliffjumper thinks the pictographs look Egyptian. Among the things he knows about Egyptians is that they walked funny, referring the to song "{{w|Walk Like an Egyptian}}" most famously sung by {{w|The Bangles}}.
*Grimlock's shift to an intelligent robot closely follows a similar such scene in ''{{w|Gremlins 2: The New Batch|Gremlins 2}}'', when a Gremlin injected with an intelligence serum immediately declares that "iiiii wwwaaaaaaannnnn....ttto talk about this fascinating phenomenon taking place at this moment."
*A few symbols and images appear on Ratchet's computer displays, including:
**The symbol of Atomsk, the pirate king from the ''{{w|FLCL}}'' anime series.
**A few helmets from the ''{{w|Mega Man}}'' video game series.
**A [https://zeromayhem.deviantart.com/art/OPTIMUS-Transformers-FullForce-59912346 fanmade design] for Optimus Prime by artist Evan Gauntt.
*Aside from being inversions of [[CR chamber]]s, the [[Agonizing Rehabilitation Chamber]]s are likely a reference to the [[memoryalpha:Agony booth|agony booths]] from the mirror-universe ''[[Star Trek]]'' stories.

===Errors===
*On page 1, "Kaon" is misspelled as "Khon".
*On page 7, Cliffjumper remarks on the noticeable memory cartridge kibble on Slugfest, indicating his alternate mode. However, Dinobots and Dinocons don't HAVE alt modes at this point in the story. They were unable to transform until the [[Omega Terminus]] altered them between this story and ''[[Do Over]]''.
*On page 20, "air" is misspelled as "hair".
*On page 27, "Blurr" is misspelled as "Burr".
*On page 28, "last remnants of his one-time friend was" should be "last remnants of his one-time friend were".
*On page 30, Blurr claims that since the Autobots have captured eight Dinobots, they have an eight hundred percent increase. Before the hunt, they had zero Dinobots. Eight hundred percent of zero is still zero, and if by some chance Grimlock could count as one Dinobot because he was shortly on their side some time ago, then the increase would be seven hundred percent to get up to eight Dinobots.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160208045433if_/http://transformersclub.com:80/prose/DandD.pdf "Dungeons & Dinobots"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

[[Category:Shattered Glass media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Decepticon Empire

2026-04-09T11:09:50Z

Escargon: Same here

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the term in Generation 1|the empire built up by the Second Generation Decepticons|Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian Empire}}
[[File:FightOrFlee Galvatron orders.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
At the very start of their faction's formation, the [[Decepticon]]s may have been content with ruling [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] alone, but that is a notion of little value. It matters not that [[Primus|their creator]] intended the [[Transformer]]s to be a race of peace. The Decepticons are the highest form of life in existence, conquerors who will bring order to a galaxy plagued by disorder and weak organics. That order is the '''Decepticon Empire''' (sometimes '''Decepticon Imperium''' or '''Decepticon Star Empire'''), a reign of life's most powerful creatures and thus highest accomplishments.

Only [[Autobot|one thing]] is standing in the way of that ideal.

{{bigquote|We are destined to escape our world... and create a truly universal dynasty!|[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]|[[The War Within issue 5|''The War Within'' #5]]}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
=====''The Transformers'' cartoon=====
By 1985, the Decepticon Empire had conquered [[Tlalakan (planet)|Tlalakan]] and began draining it of [[energon]]. {{storylink|Sea Change}} This conquest and others like it gave the Decepticons ties into the world of galactic crime. {{storylink|The Gambler}}

By 2006, the Decepticon Empire was essentially extinct. After the Decepticons were driven from Cybertron by [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'s attack and the disappearance of [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]], they fled to [[Chaar]]. Without Galvatron, or other strong leaders such as [[Air Commander]] [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] and Military Operations Commander [[Shockwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Shockwave]], they descended into a period of disunity, spending their time fighting each other for scraps of [[Energon]]. Eventually, [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] resolved to locate Galvatron and restore the Decepticon Empire to its former glory. It didn't work out too well. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}}

After conquering the planet [[Paradron]], Galvatron made it a part of the Decepticon Empire and started to force the natives into slavery where they were forced to build weapons for the glory of the Empire. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee}}

=====Japanese cartoon continuity=====
======''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon======
After the Decepticons were driven off Earth, {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}} they made Chaar the center of a new empire and began a series of conflicts known as the [[Master Wars]] (named such because both sides made extensive use of technology from [[Master (planet)|Planet Master]]). The revitalized empire was apparently enough of a threat that the Autobots were unable to spare forces to join the [[Masterforce War]] raging on Earth.

======''Victory'' cartoon======
[[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] rose to the position of [[Emperor of Destruction]] after his predecessor [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]] was unexpectedly killed in battle on Earth during the Masterforce War. Under his leadership, the Decepticon Empire spread its influence to various planets, forcing the Autobots to join with various planetary governments to form the [[Universal Peace Alliance]] in response.

=====''Wings Universe''=====
{{Wingsnote}}
In 2984, when inquired by the time-traveler [[Tornado]] as to her background, [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] proclaimed herself to be all that was left of the Decepticon Empire. She hated the post-[[Great Transformation]] peace and described bringing about the Empire's return to power as her life goal. {{storylink|Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur}}

====Marvel Comics continuity====
=====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics=====
The headquarters for the Decepticon Empire was located at the [[Decepticon Imperial Headquarters]]. {{storylink|Club Con!}}

=====''Classics''=====
{{noteclassics}}
While rampaging against the hapless inhabitants of [[Zegris]], [[Killzone]] boasted that they should flee the might of the Decepticon Imperium. {{storylink|Gone Too Far}}

=====''Transformers '84''=====
The Decepticon Empire was to be founded through the use of [[Project Dreadnought]], which would turn Cybertron itself into a warship only for [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]'s vendetta with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] to delay the project's completion, much to the disapproval of [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] who eventually concluded that Megatron had to be removed for the Decepticon Empire to rise. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 1|Secrets & Lies #1}}

====Descent into Evil====
[[Dirge (Timelines)|Dirge]] desired the return of the Decepticon Empire, regardless of who the current emperor was, pledging allegiance to [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] when the opportunity arose. {{storylink|Dirge (Timelines)#Timelines|BotCon 2005 Dirge profile card}}

====Dawn of Future's Past====
{{note|The events of "Dawn of Future's Past" are also integrated into the ''[[Transformers: Wings Universe|Wings Universe]]''.}}
As with many of his [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] brethren, "[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]" was proud of his Decepticon Empire heritage. {{storylink|Dinobot (BW)#Timelines|Darksyde Dinobot profile card}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
The Decepticons had an imperial phase during the space-based phase of the war, during which they conquered a number of planets and made them part of a domain known as the [[Constellate]]. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} According to [[Fulcrum]], created during the [[cyberforming]] days of the Empire, the Decepticons were "refining" the galaxy by getting rid what they saw as backwards and inferior organic races. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} The Decepticon Empire eventually fell, making way for a strategy based on pillaging instead of conquest. Via the [[infiltration protocol]], they let a planet ruin itself before taking its resources and letting "phase-sixers" such as [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] and [[Black Shadow (G1)|Black Shadow]] completely reduce it to ash and rubble.

When [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] took command of the Decepticon forces, his ultimate goal was to make the "New Decepticon Empire". {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]'s motivation for waging the [[Combiner Wars (event)|Combiner Wars]] was his fear that [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]] would turn the fledgling [[Council of Worlds]] into a new Decepticon Empire. {{storylink|All That Remains}} {{storylink|Now and On Earth}}

After being inadvertently hurled back in time, {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] devoted the next twelve million years to a long game that would culminate in the birth of a resurgent and unending Decepticon Empire. {{storylink|Last Stand (Unicron)|Last Stand}} {{storylink|Stranger Eons}} Once [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] had destroyed Cybertron, Shockwave immediately went to work making [[Earth]] the capital of his new empire, even planning to use Starscream's [[Decepticon Vengeance Division]] as the muscle of his new dominion. {{storylink|Road's End}} As a result of the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]]'s removal from Cybertron allowing Unicron to survive the planet's destruction, the Maximals turning on him, and the DVD being destroyed, Shockwave's plans fell through and the Decepticon Empire was not revived. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

====''Beast Wars: Uprising''====
Before the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], the Decepticons controlled the Decepticon Star Empire of conquered species. {{storylink|Broken Windshields}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In [[Primax 185.0 Beta]], Galvatron used [[Decepto-Pack]]s to enslave [[human]]ity ordering his slaves to construct a fleet of [[Zod]] drones. With this mighty army, the Decepticons defeated the Autobots and commenced an aggressive conquest of the galaxy. After most of the galaxy had fallen to the Decepticon Empire, the [[Quintesson Pan Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere]] finally interceded and sent its [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]] hordes against the Zods. Though Galvatron would eventually meet his end, the Decepticon Empire outlived its founder, fighting against the Quintessons for centuries. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/04}}

====''Timelines''====
In [[Primax 096.0 Beta]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|General Optimus Prime]] led the Autobots in the final battle of the [[Great War (G1)|third Cybertronian war]] against [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon Star Empire. With the efforts of the newly reconstituted [[Firestormer|Firestormer Squadron]], the Autobots emerged victorious on [[Mirtonia]]. However, this came about because a stray Decepticon shot blew up an experimental energon refinery and themselves with it, tearing a hole in reality that sucked the General and [[Hound (G1)|Sergeant Hound]] to [[Nexus 208.0 Epsilon]]. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Timelines|General Optimus Prime profile card}}

====''Prime Wars Trilogy'' cartoons====
When confronted by the returned [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], Megatron claimed to have once ruled whole planets in honour of the empire his namesake had sought to build. By the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]'s end however, the Decepticon Empire had fallen. {{storylink|All Things Must Pass}}

====''Star Trek vs. Transformers''====
When he arrived at [[Kronos]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] ordered his forces to raze the planet and rebuild it into New Kaon, the capital of the New Decepticon Empire. {{storylink|Prime's Directive, Part Five}}

====''Transformers/Ghostbusters''====
After [[mood slime]] had forced him out of [[Ectotron]]'s body, the [[ghost]]ly Megatron fantasized about possessing Optimus Prime's body instead and using his arch-enemy's army to rebuild the Decepticon Empire. {{storylink|Ghosts of Cybertron Part 5}}

===Live-action film series===
====IDW movie comics====
[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s ultimate ambition after defeating the Autobots was to create the Decepticon Empire, built through the conquest of other worlds. The massive energy bill for this meant that Megatron needed the full power of the [[AllSpark]], sending [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] to find the lost [[Star Harvester]] and spread the Empire's glory among the stars. {{storylink|Foundation issue 3|Foundation #3}} Megatron referred to the [[hatchling]]s he kept in the [[Lord High Protector citadel]] as the future of the Decepticon Empire. {{storylink|Foundation issue 4|Foundation #4}}

====''Sector 7 Adventures''====
The Decepticon Empire was the interstellar dominion of the Decepticons. When Soundwave confronted [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] on Earth, he recalled [[Shatter]] and [[Dropkick (Movie)|Dropkick]]'s failure to contact the Empire. {{storylink|Sector 7 Adventures: The Battle at Half Dome|The Battle at Half Dome}}

===''Animated'' cartoon===
The Decepticon Empire grew quickly early in the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]] as the Decepticons conquered numerous [[Cybertronian colonies|colony worlds]] belonging to the [[Autobot Commonwealth]]. By the end of it, however, the planets were all retaken by the Autobots ([[Paradron|or]] [[Antilla|destroyed]]) and the Decepticons were sent into exile to the rim of the galaxy, where they slowly began to rebuild their empire. Some two million stellar cycles later, the Decepticon Empire had grown to include (or ''used'' to include):

*[[Ceti Alpha Seven|Ceti Alpha VII]]
*[[Chaar]]
*[[Charon (planet)|Charon]]
**[[Styx]] (moon)
*[[Dinosaur (planet)|Dinosaur]] (destroyed)
*[[Garro|Garo]]
*[[Ijurn]]
*[[Intel]]
*[[Karn]] (destroyed)
*[[Krull]] (destroyed)
*[[Lucifer]]
*[[New Kaon|<s>Pyrovar</s> New Kaon]] (capital)
*[[Porcupine]] (outpost)
*[[Thrull]] (destroyed)
*[[Zarak (planet)|Zarak]] (destroyed)

{{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The Complete AllSpark Almanac|The Complete AllSpark Almanac}}

[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Minor]] felt that the "Decepticon Star Empire" didn't have enough planets to justify calling itself an empire, stating that it had an industrial capacity five times lower than the [[Autobot Commonwealth]] and one-tenth the military force. When questioned on his plans for the future, most of them involved attacking the Decepticon Empire in what he believed would be an easy war. {{storylink|Source:Ask Vector Prime/Guest column#Sentinel Shouting|Sentinel Shouting}}

When [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] obtained the means to send a subspace signal to space, he contacted his fellow Decepticons dispersed among the galaxy informing them to unite in order to raise their glorious empire once more. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

===2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
Following Cybertron's restoration, [[Cyclonus (WFC)|Cyclonus]] and his troops overthrew the new [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] with the intent to bring about the Decepticon Empire. {{storylink|Freedom Fighters}}

Upon seizing control of "[[Alchemor (RID)|Decepticon Island]]", [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] declared to the captive [[Bee Team (RID)|Bee Team]] that it would be the first outpost in his new Decepticon Empire. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}}

Via [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]], the High Council attempted to summon [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to lead the resurgent Decepticons in their conquest, but the Bee Team stopped him. As a result, [[Galvatronus (RID)|Galvatronus]] decided to simply put the Decepticon Empire in place for whenever Megatron returned. {{storylink|Collateral Damage}} {{storylink|Freedom Fighters}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
Following [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'s destruction, the Decepticons established [[New Kaon]] as the capital of the Decepticon Empire. {{storylink|Transformers Roleplaying Game}}

==Notes==
*In the ''Animated'' continuity, there are three Decepticon-owned planets outside of their territory: Garo, Intel, and, all the way over in the [[Dark Nebula]], Zarak. Despite this, the only planet labelled as an outpost is Porcupine, which is within the borders of the Decepticon Empire, ironically enough.

==See also==
*[[Autobot Commonwealth]]
*[[Autobot Imperium]]

[[Category:Animated locations]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising]]
[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
[[Category:Generation 1 factions]]
[[Category:IDW (2005)]]
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1]]
[[Category:Regions of space]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2015)]]
[[Category:Transformer governments]]
[[Category:Wings Universe]]

Autobot Commonwealth

2026-04-09T11:09:40Z

Escargon: No, no, he's right, this is how it's actually formatted in the book.

The '''Autobot Commonwealth''' is an alliance of planets formed by the [[Autobot]]s. A peaceful state of art and science, the citizens of Commonwealth enjoy free trade and travel across the various worlds, protected by the [[Autobot fleet]].

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon continuity===
The Autobot Commonwealth was founded by the then nascent Autobot faction during the [[Expansion|Age of Expansion]] some 750 million years ago. The era came to an end after several border skirmishes with the [[Quintesson Pan Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere]] which the Commonwealth bordered from thereon out. During the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], some of the Commonwealth's planets were destroyed. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The Complete AllSpark Almanac|The Complete AllSpark Almanac}}

According to [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Minor]], the Commonwealth had an industrial capacity five times greater than the [[Decepticon Empire]] and potentially ten times larger a military force. He also opined that the citizens of the Commonwealth had too much individual freedoms and spent too much money on frivolities such as "the arts" and "scientific research". If Sentinel were ever made [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]], he planned to nationalize industries and conscript the citizens of the Commonwealth into waging a new war on the Decepticon Empire. {{storylink|Source:Ask Vector Prime/Guest column#Sentinel Shouting|Sentinel Shouting}}

====Member planets (''Animated'')====
{{collist|3|
*[[Alpha 9|Alpha IX]]
*[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Animatron]]
*[[Antilla]] (destroyed)
*[[Athenia]]
*[[Beta System]]
**[[Beta 4|Beta IV]]
**[[Beta-Nine|Beta IX]]
*[[Bk'n]]
*[[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]]
*[[Comb|Com]]
*[[Combatron (planet)|Combatron]]
*[[Croteus 12|Croteus XII]]
*[[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] (capital)
*[[Daffodil II]]
*[[Deneb IV]]
*[[Dromedon|Dromadon]]
*[[Elba]] ([[Garrus-9|G-9]] penitentiary)
*[[Floron III]]
*[[Gigantion]]
*[[Goo Number 8739-B|Goo]] (destroyed)
*[[Junkion (planet)|Junk]]
*[[Master (planet)|Master]]
*[[Neutronia]] (destroyed)
*[[Omnitron]]
*[[Opulus]]
*[[Paradron]] (destroyed)
*[[Victory (planet)|Planet V]]
*[[Praum|Praun]]
*[[Regulon Four|Regulon IV]]
*[[Rigel|Rigel System]]
*[[Salvvatan System]]
**[[Salvvatan VI]]
**[[Salvvatan VIII]]
*[[Vehicon (planet)|Vehicon]]
*[[Velocitron]]
*[[Vespa II]]
*[[Micro|<s>Micro</s> Zone]]}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
The Autobot Commonwealth was a system of majestic [[cyberforming|eco-structured]] colonies built by the Autobots before the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. [[Lio Convoy (BW)|Lio Convoy]] had learned of it in his education, and it was one of the few things he knew about the greater expanse of space beyond Cybertron. {{storylink|Broken Windshields}}

==Notes==
*Neutral systems and planets located within Autobot Commonwealth space included: [[Archa system|Archa]], [[Beast (planet)|Beast]], [[Lithone (planet)|Lithone]], [[Odessix|Odessyx]], and half of the Rigel System; part of the [[Skeleton Nebula]] was within Autobot space.
**It's unclear if it was [[Rigel III]] or [[Rigel 6|VI]] that was initially the neutral half of the Rigel System, but the 2015 release of ''The Complete AllSpark Almanac'' meant that [[Rigel IV]] and [[Rigel VII|VII]] were likely added into the mix.
*Conversely, Com is the only Autobot-controlled planet outside of their territory.
*Before its destruction, part of Neutronia was claimed by the [[Quintesson]]s.
*While it's apparent that it's within the Autobot Commonwealth, [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]]'s map does not include either the [[Hadean System|Hadeen System]] or any of its other celestial bodies, besides Cybertron.

==See also==
*[[Decepticon Empire]]

[[Category:Animated locations]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising]]
[[Category:Regions of space]]
[[Category:Transformer culture]]

Maximum Dinobots issue 4

2026-04-05T11:01:28Z

Escargon: Undo revision 1906604 by Michaelerler (talk) I don't think that's intentional looking at the panel

{{Comicstory
|series=maxdinos|issueno=4
|prev=Maximum Dinobots issue 3
|next=Maximum Dinobots issue 5
|image=MaximumDinobots 4a.jpg
|caption=Too awesome for words!
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 1]], [[2009]]
|coverdate=March 2009
|written by=[[Simon Furman]]
|art by=[[Nick Roche]] & [[James Raiz]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Chris Mowry]]
|edits by=[[Denton J. Tipton]] & [[Andy Schmidt]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline#2006-7|Maximum Dinobots]]
}}
'''While Shockwave makes a deal with Soundwave and his minions, Sunstreaker goes to recover his real head and the Machination crumbles.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Maximum_Dinobots_-4_page04.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|The dream of the 80s is alive in Portland!]]
[[Ravage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ravage]] breaks into a house in [[Portland]], [[Oregon]]. His mission is to reclaim [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] from his "owner", [[Jimmy (G1)|Jimmy]]. Seeing Soundwave, Ravage orders [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] to reclaim him, which he does. As Jimmy's mother runs upstairs to see if he's alright, the two [[Decepticon]]s take Soundwave to [[Mount St. Helens]]. However, Soundwave is weak from lack of power, to the point he can barely block [[Skywatch]]'s control signal on the cassettes, and is still [[Spotlight: Soundwave|shunted in his cassette player mode]]. [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] suddenly appears, orders Soundwave to stand Ravage and Laserbeak down, and proposes a deal to the three.

In [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] escapes from the [[Machination]] HQ, but collapses due to his crushed foot. Hearing a voice, Hot Rod is aghast, believing he has run into another [[Sunstreaker clone]]—but it's not a clone, it's the real [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]], who blasts two [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]s following Hot Rod. Hot Rod tries to warn him about the dangers, but Sunstreaker doesn't care; he just wants his head back. Hot Rod, upset over Sunstreaker's arrogance, decides to call for reinforcements while Sunstreaker stomps into the facility. He has had enough, and is determined to get his real head. But [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] is watching!

On the [[Monsterbot (G1)|Monsterbot]]s' shuttle, 60,000 feet above northern [[Nebraska]], the Monsterbots are waiting for [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]] to give them what he promised them, for which they had to travel to [[Earth]] and participate in the battle in [[Fallon]] to save the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobots]]. Grimlock says they'll get what they want, but not yet. This upsets [[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]], who says that he's willing to trust Grimlock, but that [[Doublecross]] and [[Grotusque]] are more likely to rip Grimlock's head off. Grimlock says their prize is nearly all the technology that was in Shockwave's onboard data-cache [[Spotlight: Shockwave|before the Dynobots blew his ship up]]. Repugnus believes that the data is encoded and Grimlock confirms this, but is upset that they need someone to ''de''-code it and find out more about Shockwave's time on Earth, and how the Earth once had a stratospherically high level of [[energon]].

Outside the cockpit, the Dynobots wonder what the conversation's about. [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] doesn't care, but doesn't like it anyway. [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] believes it's another sign of just how ''far'' the Dynobots have fallen. Based on Repugnus's comments during the battle at Fallon, Snarl thinks that the Dynobots' original operation—all that time ago—wasn't officially sanctioned, as they were told by Grimlock. The Dynobots wish that they could return to the simple days of bustin' [[Decepticon]]s, but have a bad feeling that there's no going back. Grimlock leaves the cockpit, announcing that he managed to extend their alliance with the Monsterbots. They plan to rebuild the ''[[Skyfire (ship)|Skyfire]]'', so that Grimlock can get even with Scorponok. However, he ends up getting a stern look from the Dynobots.

At the Machination headquarters, Hot Rod tries to boost his internal comm system to the right audio reception so that he can get a strong enough signal for someone to answer his call for reinforcements. He manages to get the comm to work, but it shocks him badly. Despite this, he sends out a message galaxy-wide to any [[Autobot]] listening in the vicinity. Inside the headquarters, Sunstreaker manages to find to his original head, but as he opens a large door, he is blasted point-blank in the chest by Scorponok. Scorponok advances towards Sunstreaker to go for the kill, but notices that [[Hunter O'Nion]] is gone. Scorponok is enraged, but before he can find Hunter, [[Drake (G1)|Drake]] calls to warn about an approaching Cybertronian vessel, closing in fast. Scorponok mobilizes the headquarters' defenses, as Hot Rod hopes that it's not another epic/heroic tilt.

[[File:Swoop Sunstreaker clones MaximumDinos.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.6]]
Inside the Monsterbots' vessel, the Dynobots don't see the point of fighting Scorponok, but Grimlock says that Scorponok made it ''their'' fight when he turned the Dynobots against him. Snarl disagrees, saying that it has always been Grimlock's fight, that he and the other Dynobots went along with him, and that it's now Grimlock's wounded pride at stake. Snarl asks Grimlock, "Does getting even matter so much, you're willing to take us ''all'' down with you?" Inside the cockpit, the Monsterbots target the defenses and blast away at them. Grimlock exits the ship, saying that there's no way he can let this go. With or without the Dynobots, there will be a reckoning for Scorponok. The Dynobots decide that arguing is pointless and follow Grimlock. Scorponok orders that the neural clamps be activated, but the technician says that the implants aren't responding. Scorponok decides to settle the matter... ''personally''.

Hunter comes out of his hiding place and enters the room holding Sunstreaker's real head. Outside, the Dynobots tear away at the Sunstreaker clones with ease, trying to dismantle the Machination empire piece by piece. Snarl gets hit in the leg, and muses that bad language is their ''only'' option now. Grimlock wants to settle the score with Scorponok personally, but Snarl rebukes this, saying that they fight or fall together, and that they're Dynobots to the bitter end. Inside, Hunter says to Sunstreaker that what he's about to do is only because there are no options left. With tears of remorse, Hunter pulls the cords from Sunstreaker's head, shutting him down.

With Sunstreaker offline, the clones cease to function. Grimlock wonders what happened, and Hot Rod slowly walks over to him, saying that Sunstreaker pulled the plug on himself. Sludge cries out in victory, but the moment is short-lived as Scorponok blasts [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] into stasis. Scorponok is furious, now that his empire is in shambles, and decides to take revenge on Grimlock. However, Shockwave also appears overhead, wanting revenge as well, and a new battle is about to begin.

In space, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] has also received Hot Rod's signal, and vows to Scorponok that only ''one'' of them will walk away.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] (6)
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] (7)
* [[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]] (10)
* [[Doublecross]] (11)
* [[Grotusque]] (12)
* [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]] (13)
* [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (14)
* [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (15)
* [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (16)
* [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (17)
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (20)
|c2=
* [[Ravage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ravage]] (1)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] (3)
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (4)
* [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] (5)
* [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] (9)
|c3=
* [[Jimmy (G1)|Jimmy]] (2)
* [[Hunter O'Nion]] (18)
* [[Drake (G1)|Drake]] (19)
|c4=
* [[Sunstreaker clone]]s (8)
}}

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* The cassettes return Soundwave to Mount St. Helens, the same place the trio were recovered by Skywatch in "[[Spotlight: Soundwave]]".

===Real-world references===
* When Ravage breaks into Jimmy's house, Jimmy is playing with a [[Snake-Eyes]] action figure.
* The rather large door within the Machination complex which Sunstreaker opens has a huge lock thing on it that, coincidentally or otherwise, resembles the chest of the pre-Transformer [[Microman]] robot [https://web.archive.org/web/20200225215118/http://www.microforever.com:80/punchrobo.htm Punch Robo].

===Errors===
[[File:Sludge MaximumDinos heads.jpg|thumb|No one knows where Sludge's nose goes.]]
* Not so much an error, but Raiz draws Sludge with a more "standard" robot mode head than Roche's stylized noseless, big-jawed design, making for an inconsistent look. See image on right.
* [[Mount St. Helens]] is said to be in [[Oregon]] when it's actually located in [[Washington (state)|Washington]].

===Trivia===
* When Hot Rod sends his signal into space, it appears to register in four places:
** The Monsterbots' ship
** A satellite resembling [[Sky Spy]]
** A satellite receiver in [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s colours
** Ultra Magnus's ship
* Sludge also seems to have a slaggingly big [[energo weapon|energo-sword]]. Wonder [[Anatomic euphemism#Exhaust port|where]] he keeps that thing?

===Covers (2)===
* '''Cover A:''' Repugnus riding atop Sludge, about to stomp on a red Sunstreaker clone; art [[Nick Roche]] and [[Joana Lafuente]].
* '''Cover B:''' Grimlock protecting an injured Hot Rod, art by [[Marcelo Matere]] and [[Priscilla Tramontano]]

<gallery>
File:MaximumDinobots_4a.jpg|'''Cover A''' - Hi ho, Sludge, away!
File:MaximumDinobots_4b.jpg|'''Cover B''' - Him not heavy, but him not me Grimlock's brother.
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* [[Maximum Dinobots issue 5|''Maximum Dinobots'' #5]]
* ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye]] Official Guidebook'' Volume 1
* ''Transformers More Than Meets The Eye Official Guidebook Volume 2''
* ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'' Volume 1 TPB
* ''[[Star Trek]]: Countdown''
* ''Classic [[G.I. Joe (comic)|G.I. Joe]]'' Volume 1
* ''The Presidents of the United States'' comic
* ''{{i|G.I. Joe: Origins}}''
* ''Groom Lake'' #1
* {{i|G.I. Joe (comic)|''G.I. Joe'' comics}}
* ''Ben Templesmith's [[Dracula]]''
* ''[[Terminator]] Salvation'' movie adaptation (back cover)

===Reprints===
<small>Other than [[The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots#Collections|collections of the full series]].</small>
* N/A

Bee in the City 2: Electric Bugaloo

2026-03-29T12:01:22Z

Escargon: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|otherseries=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>script reading
|prev=Shadowzone (episode)
|next=Unreliable Narratives
|prev2=Bee in the City
|title="Bee in the City 2: Electric Bugaloo"
|image=
|caption=
|written by=[[Greg Sepelak]] and [[Trent Troop]]
|directed by=
|original presentation=[[April 29]], [[2012]]
|continuity=[[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]] and a Generation 1 universe}}

'''"Joe" escapes from Axiom Nexus with his most devious scheme yet: marketing clout!'''

==Synopsis==
Across the mutliverse, the Transformers fight their war, raging across all of space time, except for one universe. This universe, home to the highly advanced [[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTech]]s of [[Axiom Nexus]], stands guard to multiversal threats, one of which is happening right now, one that could change the multiverse forever.

This is not that story.

Reporting from ''[[Around Cybertron]]'' on [[Axiom Nexus News|ANN]], [[Andromeda (TransTech)|Andromeda]] receives a call from a "Joe", who reveals live on-air that he is in fact the Predacon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]! He hangs up from the payphone as Andromeda traces the call and signals the authorities for his [[Dux non Intruitus|violation of TransTech law]], exactly as he planned. Interrupted by his supervisor, [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]], Megatron tells him to inform [[Cryotek (TransTech)|Cryotek]] that he's done watering down liquor, and explains to his lackeys [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] of [[Planet X (Cybertron)|Planet X]] and a [[Malgus]] [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] his plan: having been previously defeated by the TransTech, along with a [[Bumblebee (Animated)|little yellow Autobot]] and his [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|pre-teen friend]], Megatron will finally have his revenge, which starts with being arrested. Officer [[Stungun (TransTech)|Stungun]] arrives, and Megatron tells the three to comply. Reading their [[identification bolt]]s, which Soundwave has hacked and edited to place their home dimension as [[Primax 984.17 Alpha]], the underpaid Stungun sends them back to their "home universe". Arriving in the rocky mesas of [[Madagascar]], the three quickly travel across the globe with a scene transition, where Lugnut finds the sign pointing to [[Ark (G1)|Autobot Headquarters]]. The three watch as three Autobots–[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], and [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]], who has always been there–wander about. Megatron greets the three, introducing himself and his team as "Joe", "Soundblaster", and Lugnut, a group of publishing agents from Planet X. "Joe" entices Bumblebee with an offer to have him write his memoirs, but when Bumblebee sees that his "office" is a car wash, he gets suspicious. As he and Blaster banter, Megatron springs his trap, forcing the three Autobots into the car wash, which is really a giant burlap sack.

Meanwhile, Stungun, having realized his mistake, has enlisted the help of an [[Aurex]] [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] to go and hunt down Megatron. Based on his experiences with his own universe's [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]], Prime is certain that the Predacon will go for the closest plot device he can find, and the two set out. At Megatron's secret canyon base, Bumblebee and his friends have been wired up to a huge machine, as "Joe" reveals his true identity to the three. Before he can explain his nefarious plan, however, Optimus Prime and Stungun confront him, having bribed the writers with sandwiches. Megatron grabs Bumblebee, telling them to stay back, and Prime stops Stungun from advancing, realizing with this particular Bumblebee, the entire franchise could be changed forever. Megatron laughs, telling them all his plan: using Bumblebee's harmonic signature amplified through Soundwave and Blaster's sonic energies, and aided by the instability caused by this year's "[[Invasion (issue)|Invasion]]" exclusive comic, Megatron will rewrite his narrative structure and take Bumblebee's place. Doing so, he will gain the greatest power of them all: being the face of the franchise! And after all that is done, Megatron will send Bumblebee to the most horrible place of all: the world of ''[[My Little Pony]]'' [[fan fiction]]. Horrified, the others beg Optimus to stop him, and Prime quickly uses Megatron's one weakness: flattery. Reminding him that he's already popular, and one of the most well-regarded versions of Megatron by the fandom, the Autobots manage to convince him to let Bumblebee go, but he still plans on killing Optimus. Thinking quickly, Bumblebee rushes to the red button marked "overload", causing the machines to blow up in Megatron's face. The other two are quickly defeated in combat, and Megatron rants, letting it slip that he hails from the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]]. Stungun tells everyone to never speak of these events again, and they all agree, returning to their respective times and places, with everyone laughing as the day comes to a close.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
*''[[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]]'' [[Stungun (TransTech)|Stungun]] (7)
*''[[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*''Generation 1'' [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (9)
*''Generation 1'' [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] (10)
*''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] (11)

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s/[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s|c2=
*''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (3)
*''Generation 1'' [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]] (4)
* ''Cybertron'' [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (5)
* ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (6)

|c4=
* Narrator (1)
* ''TransTech'' [[Andromeda (TransTech)|Andromeda]] (2)
* [[Trent Troop]] (12)
* [[Greg Sepelak]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==

==Notes==
*The cast:
**[[Abby Collins]]: [[Andromeda (TransTech)|Andromeda]], [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]]
**[[David Kaye]]: [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]
**[[Garry Chalk]]: [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]], [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]]
**[[Dan Gilvezan]]: [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]]
**[[Buster Jones]]: [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], [[Stungun (TransTech)|Stungun]]
* Characters mentioned but not seen include: [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|two powerful]] and [[Overlord (G1)|evil minds]], other [[Megatron (disambiguation)|Megatron]]s, [[Cryotek (TransTech)|Cryotek]], a [[Bumblebee (Animated)|ridiculous little yellow Autobot]] and his [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|pre-teen human friend]], Primax 984.17 Alpha's [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], Primax 984.17 Alpha's [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]], [[Primus]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], Optimus Prime's [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]], Megatron's [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], [[Shia LaBeouf]], and [[Bob Forward|Bob]] and [[Larry DiTillio|Larry]].

===Continuity notes===
* This story follows the events of the original "[[Bee in the City]]" a few years later, with Megatron attempting to get his "extremely overwrought and melodramatic revenge." The story also takes place around the same time as the [[BotCon 2012]] comic "[[Invasion (issue)|Invasion]]", the multiversal fallout of which Megatron attempts to use in his scheme.
* The beginning narration mentions that there is over fifteen quadrillion realities in the multiverse, a fact originally spouted by [[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]] in "[[Games of Deception]]".
* Andromeda and ''Around Cybertron'' showed up in the two ''TransTech''-themed ''[[Around Cybertron]]'' comic strips, published in the last two issues of the 2008 Club Magazine run.
* Cryotek and his business showed up in the ''TransTech'' prose stories published in 2008.

===Transformers references===
* Characters in the story include:
** ''Beast Wars'' Megatron.
** ''Cybertron'' Soundwave and Optimus Prime.
** ''Animated'' Lugnut.
** ''Generation 1'' Snapdragon, who serves as Megatron's manager at Cryotek's place.
** Along with original ''The Transformers'' characters Bumblebee and Blaster, Road Rage, a ''Collector's Edition'' [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive, appears. Her function as a bodyguard is mentioned in passing.
* Megatron claims he is the winner of the [[Smoothest Voice in Axiom Nexus Award]] three years running, in reference to actor David Kaye's baritone Megatron voice.
* Megatron works for Cryotek, watering down his drinks; various versions of him worked for their universe's [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]] before betraying him.
* While Megatron and Soundwave's i.d. bolts have been edited to present them as being their counterparts from the original cartoon, Lugnut's has been edited so that it claims he is the [[Giant Purple Griffin]] from "[[Aerial Assault]]".
* Much of this story is dedicated to lightly ribbing on the various quirks and oddities of the original cartoon:
** [[Madagascar]] is described as being full of rocky mesas, rather than the jungle it is in the real world; while mostly consistent, ''The Transformers'' had the occasional geographical slip-up. Additionally, rocky mesas were an exceptionally common feature in the first two seasons of ''The Transformers''. Prime later quips in the story that this Earth looks more like "Planet [[Utah]]."
** Megatron and his crew travel to the opposite side of the world with the scene transition effect from the original cartoon; the Autobots occasionally traveled great distances with little to no indication how, such as in "[[Changing Gears]]", when they traveled from the American Southwest to [[Africa]]. Speaking of the American Southwest, Autobot Headquarters was there, but it was never specified which state, something that Lugnut pokes fun at.
** The three find Autobot base by a large, conveniently labelled sign; odd, unnecessary signage was a fairly common oddity among various 80's cartoons, although it wasn't used specifically for Autobot HQ in ''The Transformers''.
** Bumblebee, Blaster, and Road Rage are wandering about aimlessly, which is often how various Transformers walked into the plot of the episode.
** Bumblebee tries to tell Blaster and Road Rage about the time he and Spike were captured and stopped Megatron's evil plans, to which the two respond that he'll have to narrow it down; this happened a lot in various episodes throughout the series.
** Megatron tells the others to walk in and act like they've been there the whole time, as that's how others get introduced; this happened for the majority of season 2 ''The Transformers'' characters. Additionally, when Road Rage goes unrecognized, Bumblebee claims she's been here the entire time.
** When Road Rage wonders why they can't break free of the burlap sack, Megatron tells her to pretend he said something sciency; something that many, ''many'' cartoons, including ''The Transformers'', did and still do.
** Stungun states that a MacGuffin pops up on this Earth just about every week; as often seen when Megatron tried to steal whichever one was in that particular episode.
** Megatron's secret base is in an exposed canyon, as was the Decepticon's [[space bridge]] tests in "[[Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion]]". Megatron wires the three Autobots into a purple machine there; all of the Decepticon's machinery in the original cartoon was purple.
** When imitating his Megatron, Bumblebee puts on a raspy voice, pretends to show off his latest stolen alien device/evil invention that won't backfire, on him, and then shouts "Decepticons, retreat!" Later in the story, as the Autobots flatter Megatron, Blaster points out that all of the original Megatron's best plans relies on stealing stuff from humans.
** Bumblebee destroys Megatron's machines by pressing a big read button marked "Overload," similar to the one from much-reviled ''The Transformers'' episode "[[B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.]]"
** Lugnut and Soundwave's blasts miss the Autobots by three meters, prompting Road Rage to call them expert marksmen; the Transformers gunfights in the original cartoon often proved quite useless due to being on broadcast television.
** The script reading ends with the cast all laughing, as many 80's cartoons often did.
* Other shows prove no less immune:
** When Lugnut marvels at how fast they traveled, Megatron claims that he once walked from Africa to the [[Arctic]], as seen in "[[Fallen Comrades]]".
** Prime claims that Megatron will reach for the closest plot device and make a lengthy speech, something that both the Unicron Trilogy and Beast Era Megatrons did.
** Before seeing each other, Megatron and Prime both assume that the other is their universe's version of the character, as Gary Chalk and David Kaye voiced the Optimus and Megatron of both series. When Megatron sees Prime, he questions why he's a flying fire truck and not a monkey (referencing the old "[[Trukk not munky]]" turn of phrase), and why his CGI is cel-shaded, a method that ''Cybertron'' employed instead of the traditional CGI seen in ''Beast Wars''. Prime, meanwhile, questions why Megatron isn't an ill-defined jet-car (his Megatron's alt-mode from ''Cybertron'') and why he has a "hand puppet" (Megatron's beast mode head).
** Prime shouts his attack as he punches Megatron, something which ''Cybertron'' sometimes did, and which pops up numerous times in other ''Transformers'' anime.
* Bumblebee calls Megatron a "meaty little [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]."
* Soundwave uses the alias "Soundblaster" when initially introduced to the Autobots, the name taken by ''Generation 1'' [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] after being upgraded in ''The Headmasters''.
* Megatron claims he and his crew are publishing agents from Planet X, Soundwave's homeworld from ''Cybertron''.
* Stungun tries to use [[stasis cuffs]] on Megatron, a piece of technology introduced in ''Animated''.
* Possible reasons the Autobots think of for Megatron wanting to take Bumblebee's place include assassinating [[Optimus Prime]], as he attempted in "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]", stealing the [[Matrix of Leadership]], and dating [[Juanita]], [[Luisa]]'s brother's convertible mentioned in "[[Fire on the Mountain (episode)|Fire on the Mountain]]".
* Things Megatron claims he will do once he takes Bumblebee's place include: have ''Armada'' Hot Shot vaguely remind people of him (as Hot Shot was designed to take Bumblebee's place); be packed on 4 cards in a case of 8 toys (in reference to the live-action movie toyline's utter glut of [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] toys); and being a sweet Camaro hanging out with Shia LaBeouf and his [[Mikaela Banes|unrealistically attractive girlfriend]] (in reference to the live-action movie Bumblebee, who hung out with [[Sam Witwicky]], played by Shia LaBeouf).
* Optimus Prime points out that Megatron is special, getting to be nominated to the [[Transformers Hall of Fame]] separately from the other Megatrons (as he was that year).
* Stungun asks Prime if he got the [[Cyber Key]] (the main gimmick/item from ''Cybertron'') from the Moron Planet when he calls Megatron a "magnificent jerk".
* The Autobots quote several of Megatron's lines, including "Always send the boob in first!" from "[[Cutting Edge]]" and his evergreen catchphrase "Yesss".
* Optimus says "well, that's just prime," and Blaster points out that he's the wrong Optimus, as that's Optimus Primal's line.
* Optimus Prime uses a "Galaxy Force Punch," named for the Japanese name for ''Cybertron''.
* When trying to make up an excuse for being in the wrong timeline, Megatron claims he traveled through the [[Blastizone|Blasty Zone]] in search for [[solitarium]], which another version of him actually did in ''Robotmasters''.

===Real-world references===
* The title is a reference to the [[1985]] film ''{{w|Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo}}'', which has been lampooned across pop culture in the years since. The pun ("bug" as in one of the {{w|Volkswagen Beetle}}'s many nicknames) evidently doesn't come across when spoken aloud, as we all thought this story's title was just "Bee in the City 2: Electric Boogaloo" until we got our hands on the original script!
* As with the original "Bee in the City", the story makes multiple references to the concepts of [[kid-appeal character]]s and [[:Category:MacGuffins|macguffins]].
* The beginning narration, while describing the story, proclaims that "this is my handle, this is my spout", in reference to the nursery rhyme "{{w|I'm a Little Teapot}}".
* As they're sent through the multiverse, Soundwave quips that "by Primus, it's full of stars," paraphrasing the famous line from ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey}}''.
* Soundwave claims to love the music of {{w|Debbie Gibson}} to show that he is "native" to this timeframe.
* Megatron attempts to entice Bumblebee with an offer to publish his memoirs as an Autobot, something that Bumblebee finds vaguely familiar, in reference to voice actor Dan Gilvezan's own memoirs, ''Bumblebee & Me: Life As a G1 Transformer''.
* Megatron proclaims that he is "the Predacon Megatron of the Future from the Past", riffing on the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, a character from ''{{w|Aqua Teen Hunger Force}}''.
* Megatron mockingly calls Bumblebee "Herbie," in reference to the other famous Volkswagen Beetle {{w|Herbie|by that name}}.
* Optimus claims that one errant shot could accidentally change history and send them to a ''{{w|ThunderCats (1985 TV series)|ThunderCats}}'' convention.
* Soundwave claims that as the kid-appeal character, Megatron's "milkshakes will bring all the boys to the yard," in reference to the song "{{w|Milkshake (song)|Milkshake}}" by {{w|Kelis}}.
* Megatron plans on banishing Bumblebee to the universe of ''[[My Little Pony|My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]''; everyone is confused at first, as it's not a terrible fate, until Megatron clarifies he's not sending him to the TV universe, but the universe of fanfics; the more, ah, extreme side of the fandom was well known for their...questionable content.
* Stungun paraphrases the "Big Cheese" line from ''{{w|Airplane!}}'' as the Autobots try to come up with a plan to stop Megatron.
* As Megatron prepares his hip blasters, he shouts "my hips don't lie!", quoting the lyrics from "{{w|Hips Don't Lie}}" by {{w|Shakira}}.

===Errors===
* In the beginning narration, the announcer describes the story of "Invasion" as involving two evil minds from across dimensions teaming up. This isn't what happens in the comic; the main antagonist is [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]], with [[Overlord (G1)|Gigatron]] (presumably who the other evil mind is) fighting against him. Is this from an earlier draft, or just a plain mistake?

===Trivia===
* Though titled "Bee in the City 2", the story has very little to do with the first "[[Bee in the City]]" story aside from the return of [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and his manipulating a [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] [[Bumblebee (G1)|character]]. Towards the end, the characters even question why this story was even titled "Bee in the City 2" since it didn't take place in a city or really focus that much on Bumblebee at all.
* Having not played Blaster in over two decades, Buster Jones's performance in this script reading was far more laid back and unenthusiastic compared his more lively, upbeat Blaster in the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' cartoon, despite his dialogue in this script reading evidently meant to evoke Jones's more enthusiastic Blaster performance from the cartoon.
* Not really an error, but it's never said where Prime comes from. He's not a member of the group of Optimus Primes seen in "[[Invasion Prologue]]" (later given the name the [[Convoy (group)|Convoy]]) and he's never seen in subsequent stories.
* For the [[2023]] BotCon, two more entries in the "Bee in the City" lineage were written: "Bee in the City 3: Let's All Go to the Mall!" by [[Simon Furman]], in which the ''Beast Wars'' [[Maximal]]s must search for the rogue [[Waspinator (BW)|<s>Waspinator</s> Bumblebee]] in a shopping mall; and "Bee in the City: Epilogue" by [[Jesse Wittenrich]], featuring [[Bumblebee (Cyberverse)|''Cyberverse'' Bumblebee]] being sent by [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]] to a [[Shattered Glass (disambiguation)|Shattered Glass]] version of his world. As BotCon had ceased to be an official [[Hasbro]]-sanctioned event by this point, both fall outside the purview of this wiki and are thus not covered here in detail. (Don't worry about missing any crucial story, though; in the script's own words, "there's the barest nod to [the first two] in the half-baked bit of drivel you're about to listen to, and instead just a litany of [[Furmanism]]s".)<ref>{{citesocial|quote=For those that want a glimpse behind the BotCon '23 script readings... here are the scripts! "Bee In The City Part 3: Let's Go To The Mall" written by @SimonFurman3 & "Bee In The City Epilogue" written by @JesseWittenrich!<br>https://botcon.com/_files/ugd/74a879_e32db551e2f74007be8c98f162cbd41b.pdf<br>https://botcon.com/_files/ugd/74a879_44ece3568ff34937bd1c78332f06407d.pdf|link=https://twitter.com/BotCon/status/1697221426401419507|name=BotCon|site=Twitter|year=2023|month=08|day=31}}</ref>
*At BotCon 2024, a fifth "Bee in the City" script reading was performed: "Bee in the City 3: The Sewer-Side Squad" (they had forgotten how many "Bee in the City" script readings had been made up to that point) by Jesse Wittenrich, which was set after Season 3 of ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' and featured a motley crew of criminals banding together to save Cybertron from the multiversal machinations of [[Tarantulas (Animated)|Tarantulas]]. Like the two from 2023, this script reading is outside of our purview, and even ended with time being reset in way that undid all events of the story.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Generation 1 media]]
[[Category:Script readings]]
[[Category:Timelines media]]
[[Category:TransTech media]]

Talk:Around Cybertron (program)

2026-03-29T12:01:06Z

Escargon:

Wait, isn't this the same one as the "around cybertron" strips-? [[User:Requiem Astra|Requiem Astra]] ([[User talk:Requiem Astra|talk]]) 06:08, 29 March 2026 (EDT)
:It's meant to describe the in-fiction news program that Around Cybertron is named after, I believe most articles nowadays just link to the strips themselves. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 08:01, 29 March 2026 (EDT)

Dia Cinders (Diaclone)

2026-03-23T17:20:04Z

Escargon: /* Timelines */ Correcting

{{disambig2|the ''Diaclone'' human|the Generation 1 human|Dia Cinders (G1)}}

:''Dia Cinders is a [[human]] [[Diaclone (faction)|Diaclone]] pilot from the [[Diaclone]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Dia Cybertron's most Wanted.jpg|220px|thumb|Yup.]]

A woman of ''very'' few words, '''Dia Cinders''' is [[Burn Out (Diaclone)|Burn Out]]'s human pilot. Since Burn Out's personality is based on her own, the two argue constantly. It oftentimes comes to the point that Dia turns off Burn Out's voice commands in order to be more effective in the field. She is especially good at sharpshooting, possessing pin-point accuracy.

==Fiction==
===''TransTech''===
Born in [[1982]], Dia spent a life knowing nothing but the [[Diaclone (faction)|Diaclone project]], which began in the same year and for which she was named. Dia's ambitions eventually came to fruition when she became the mech pilot of Burn Out. {{storylink|Burn Out (Diaclone)#Toys|BotCon 2015 Burn Out profile card}}

Dia and [[Darius Cline|Cline]] wound up in [[Axiom Nexus]], where they passed as Cybertronians thanks to their mech suits, Burn Out and [[Lift-Ticket (Diaclone)|Lift-Ticket]]. They sought out a highly evolved [[Waruder]] nest deep underground. Following the Waruders' signal, they encountered a group of wanted criminals, and fled upon seeing them. Cline and Dia met up with the group once more when they found themselves in the middle of a battle between Waruders and Cybertronians. Revealing that they had been tracking the Waruders hive, the humans joined their new allies in battle. They were shortly thereafter joined by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|General Optimus Prime]] and [[Hound (G1)|Sergeant Hound]], who pooled their efforts towards the fight against the Waruders as well. Sergeant Hound was particularly impressed by Dia/Burn-Out's aiming skills during the battle's course. The Lift-Ticket armor took a severe strike, prompting Cline to exit the mech. Dia/Burn Out defended her now-vulnerable ally as the Waruder invaders kept on swarming them. The battle came to an end when [[Megatron (Movie)|C-81]] took the Waruders' leader hostage, and began negotiations with the critter. The Waruders were convinced to migrate to a different Cybertron via an interuniversal gate, bringing the fighting to an end. Dia later conversed with Sergeant Hound, noting that she hated the whole concept of "quantum" when it was revealed that the Waruders had arrived in Axiom Nexus 20,000 years in the past due to quantum instability. {{storylink|Cybertron's Most Wanted}}

===''Masterpiece'' toy bios===
{{charstubfiction}}

===Velocitron Speedia 500===
With [[Dia Cinders (G1)|Mirror Dia]] aboard, Diaburnout competed in the [[Speedia 500]] for the chance to become leader of [[Velocitron]]. In the race, the two scaled a steep cliff to create a shortcut for themselves. {{Storylink|Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 1}} The duo of Mirror Dia and Diaburnout would ultimately lose to former champion [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]]. {{Storylink|Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 2}}
{{charstubfiction}}

==Toys==
===''Timelines''===
[[File:BotCon2015toy-Dia.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a2|'''Generaton 2 Souvenir 2-Pack''' (Souvenir Set, 2015)}}</ul>

: A [[BotCon 2015]] exclusive toy, Dia is a [[redeco]] of ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' [[Tracer (Targetmaster)#Generations|Caliburst]] in colors homaging the ''[[Diaclone]]'' pilot figures, transforming from armored humanoid into a triple-barreled gun. In gun mode, she can combine with the various iterations of the [[Holepunch (G1)#Generations|Holepunch]] mold (notably her mission partner [[Darius Cline#Toys|Cline]]) to form a super-rifle, with either one forming the "front" part.

: Despite being the "pilot" for [[Burn Out (Diaclone)#Toys|Burn Out]], she and Cline were actually packaged with [[Hound (G1)/toys#Timelines|Sgt. Hound]], who in turn was available only in a 2-pack with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Timelines|General Optimus Prime]]. This set was an at-the-show "souvenir" set.

: This mold was also used to make [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 toyline)#Japanese toyline|''Adventure'']] [[Targetmaster (RID)#Adventure|Targetmaster]], and ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' [[Singe#Combiner Wars|Singe]] and [[Sunbeam (G1)#Combiner Wars|Sunbeam]].
{{-}}

===''Masterpiece''===
[[File:MP-toy DiaBurnout.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Diaburnout''' (Masterpiece, [[2023]])}}</ul>
:*''Hasbro name'': '''Autobot Burn Out'''
:*''Release date'': [[March 25]], 2023
:*''ID number'': '''MP-53+B'''
:*''Accessories'': "Turbo Cannon", "Concussion Leveler" w/ missile, "Pulse Rifle", "Double Laser Caster", Motocompo attaché drone, "ghost pilot" figure

: ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' MP-53+B "Diaburnout" is a new-head retool and redeco of MP-53 [[Skids (G1)#Masterpiece|Skids]], transforming into a {{w|Honda City (AA)|Honda City Turbo}} featuring opening front doors, an opening hood with engine detailing underneath, an openable rear storage trunk (more on that in a bit), and a basic interior capable of fitting one of the posable ''Masterpiece'' human figures. The new head is based on the original Honda City Turbo Diaclone toy's head, rather than the cartoon model from Skids.

: She comes with a slew of accessories: the cartoon-based blaster accessories from Skids (the Turbo Cannon and Double Laser Caster), the toy-based weapons from [[Reboost#Toys|Reboost]] (the Pulse Rifle and Concussion Leveler), as well as Reboost's Motocompo scooter. In robot mode, each of the weapons can either peg into the top of the forearms like the original Skids toy (with the Pulse Rifle having a flip-out handle she can grip), or on the outer sides of the forearms via dedicated slots. Unfortunately, it is not possible to equip her with all four weapons at once, as the side-mounting clips will interfere with the top-mounted weapons. The Motocompo can also seat a ''Masterpiece'' human figure, but the wheels are fixed so don't go zooming it around.

: Her vehicle-mode trunk is designed to store the Pulse Rifle and Double Laser Caster securely, as well as either the Motocompo (once its handlebars have been folded away) or the remaining two guns, though none of these are secured in any way, but the fit is tight enough that they don't rattle around much at all. You're not getting everything in there, sorry.

: She also comes with a "ghost pilot" figurine representing the discorporate Dia, a translucent-orange redeco of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#35th|MP-44]]'s [[Carly (G1)#Masterpiece|Carly]] figurine, which can also pilot the aforementioned drone. However, care must be taken as she has numerous ''tiny'' balljoints, like head-of-a-pin tiny, and it's very easy for her limbs to pop off.

: Finally, she also comes with a bonus sheet of optional stickers, featuring a large Autobot insignia and a ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' Autobot insignia for her hood, and a small original Autobot insignia to put on the Motocompo.

: Diaburnout was revealed on [[August 9]], [[2022]], with pre-orders opening the next day. She began shipping in late March of 2023.

::*''[[Source:The Transformers: Masterpiece#MP53+B|Complete text of the story information included with ''Masterpiece'' Diaburnout]]''

==Notes==
*Dia is loosely based on Sasha Kaidonovsky, the female co-pilot of Cherno Alpha from ''{{W|Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim}}''.
*Dia was originally conceived without a surname. The 2023 ''Masterpiece'' release of "Diaburnout" granted her the "Cinders" surname in its bio.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Dia Cinders''' (ダイア・シンダーズ ''Daia Shindāzu'')

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinders, Dia}}
[[Category:BotCon exclusives]]
[[Category:Diaclone]]
[[Category:Convention-original characters]]
[[Category:Humans]]
[[Category:Masterpiece]]
[[Category:Pilots]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:TransTech characters]]

File:TFCC-15-Rodimus-profile art.jpg

2026-03-17T11:31:29Z

Escargon: Correcting artists

''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' profile artwork for [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]].

Originally published in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 15]].

Art by [[Marcelo Matere]] and [[Drew Eiden]].

[[Category:Images by Marcelo Matere]]
[[Category:Images by Drew Eiden]]
[[Category:Rodimus images]]

Margeaux Pepoy

2026-03-16T23:18:57Z

Escargon:

{{picsneeded}}
'''Margeaux Pepoy''' (born [[May 13]], [[1969]] in Michigan) is a comic book writer and artist, primarily known as an inker. Since her earliest work on ''Caliber Presents'' at the end of the 1980s, she had freelanced on many titles for [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]], D.C., and many other companies. Her work for [[Devil's Due Press]] included inking on their ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' comics, including ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II]]''. One of her recent projects was writing and drawing ''The Adventures of Simone and Ajax'' which is available for free on ComicMix.

==Inking work==
*''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II]]'' [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II preview|preview]], [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|#1]], [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|#2]], [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3|#3]] (with [[Sean Parsons]]), [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 4|#4]]

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Image:GIJoevsTFII 2 Breakdown.jpg
Image:GI Joe vs Transformers V2 Duke.jpg
Image:GIJoe vs. the TransformersII1 battle mech backup.jpg
</gallery>

''[[:Category:Images by Andrew Pepoy|Extended Margeuax Pepoy gallery]]''</center>

==External links==
*[http://pepoy.com/ Margeaux Pepoy's webpage]
*{{w|Margeaux Pepoy}} on Wikipedia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pepoy, Andrew}}
[[Category:Cover artists]]
[[Category:Inkers]]

Margeaux Pepoy

2026-03-16T23:18:37Z

Escargon: If someone else can handle the other links, I'd appreciate that, I've got a meeting early in the morning

{{disambig3|Andrew}}
{{picsneeded}}
'''Margeaux Pepoy''' (born [[May 13]], [[1969]] in Michigan) is a comic book writer and artist, primarily known as an inker. Since her earliest work on ''Caliber Presents'' at the end of the 1980s, she had freelanced on many titles for [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]], D.C., and many other companies. Her work for [[Devil's Due Press]] included inking on their ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' comics, including ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II]]''. One of her recent projects was writing and drawing ''The Adventures of Simone and Ajax'' which is available for free on ComicMix.

==Inking work==
*''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II]]'' [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II preview|preview]], [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|#1]], [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|#2]], [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3|#3]] (with [[Sean Parsons]]), [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 4|#4]]

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Image:GIJoevsTFII 2 Breakdown.jpg
Image:GI Joe vs Transformers V2 Duke.jpg
Image:GIJoe vs. the TransformersII1 battle mech backup.jpg
</gallery>

''[[:Category:Images by Andrew Pepoy|Extended Margeuax Pepoy gallery]]''</center>

==External links==
*[http://pepoy.com/ Margeaux Pepoy's webpage]
*{{w|Margeaux Pepoy}} on Wikipedia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pepoy, Andrew}}
[[Category:Cover artists]]
[[Category:Inkers]]

Andrew Pepoy

2026-03-16T23:16:49Z

Escargon: Escargon moved page Andrew Pepoy to Margeaux Pepoy: She has transitioned

#REDIRECT [[Margeaux Pepoy]]

Margeaux Pepoy

2026-03-16T23:16:34Z

Escargon: Escargon moved page Andrew Pepoy to Margeaux Pepoy: She has transitioned

{{disambig3|Andrew}}
{{picsneeded}}
'''Andrew Pepoy''' (born [[May 13]], [[1969]] in Michigan) is a comic book writer and artist, primarily known as an inker. Since his earliest work on ''Caliber Presents'' at the end of the 1980s, he had freelanced on many titles for [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]], D.C., and many other companies. His work for [[Devil's Due Press]] included inking on their ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' comics, including ''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II]]''. One of his recent projects was writing and drawing ''The Adventures of Simone and Ajax'' which is available for free on ComicMix.

==Inking work==
*''[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II]]'' [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II preview|preview]], [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|#1]], [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|#2]], [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3|#3]] (with [[Sean Parsons]]), [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 4|#4]]

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Image:GIJoevsTFII 2 Breakdown.jpg
Image:GI Joe vs Transformers V2 Duke.jpg
Image:GIJoe vs. the TransformersII1 battle mech backup.jpg
</gallery>

''[[:Category:Images by Andrew Pepoy|Extended Andrew Pepoy gallery]]''</center>

==External links==
*[http://pepoy.com/ Andrew Pepoy's webpage]
*{{w|Andrew Pepoy}} on Wikipedia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pepoy, Andrew}}
[[Category:Cover artists]]
[[Category:Inkers]]

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2026-03-07T21:28:20Z

Escargon: /* So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? */

__NEWSECTIONLINK__

This is the place for discussion of topics that affect the entire wiki. For less wide-reaching subjects, either use articles' individual talk pages or [https://discord.com/invite/N99Bygq our Discord server.]

Some topics that would ordinarily be here have merited their own pages:

{{chapters|title=Specific Discussion Subjects|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">'''Moving From Wikia:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Arriving|Arriving]]
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Leaving|Leaving]]
* [[Transformers Wiki:Community Portal/Complaints|Complaints]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''New Ad Policy:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki:Ads|Ads]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''Bookworm Database-Crash:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Damage Control Central|Damage Control Central]]
* [[Project:Bookworm Crash]]
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Leaving2|Leaving Take 2]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''Server Move:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Arriving2|Arriving Take 2]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''Relicensing:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Relicensing|Relicensing]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''Dealing With Vandalism:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Vandalism|Vandalism]]
<br/><div class="list-header">'''GoBots Sister Wiki:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/GoBots|Discussion on the place of GoBots in this wiki]]
<br/> <div class="list-header">'''Wiki Technical Information:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki:Tech|A Not So Brief Summary of the Horrible Things That McFly and Co. Have Done To Keep This Wiki From Melting Down]]
}}<br/>

{{:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}/Archive}}


==The Thirteen and the other conversation we've been waiting for==

Over the last few years, the Thirteen have played a major role in multiple ''Transformers'' stories. However, this prominence—combined with Hasbro's increasingly loose approach their in-universe lore—has also led to increasingly divergent portrayals of the group and its individual members.

Around 2015, we took the step of consolidating all the different incarnations of the Thirteen on one page for each, with the rationale that the characters were former [[multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]], and mostly shared similar backstories and personalities between incarnations. However, even at the time, this was not a completely ideal comporomise. Most notably, the various [[Alpha Trion]]s were not consolidated into one, partly due to length and partly because the existence of his [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|murderously insane evil counterpart]] represented a massive contradiction to the entire notion.

However, over the years, multiple authors have drastically reinterpreted the Thirteen and their story. The role of "Thirteenth Prime" has been filled by multiple contradictory characters—[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], [[Zeta Prime (One)|Zeta Prime]], [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]—and individual depictions of the Primes themselves have grown increasingly divergent. "Shattered Glass" Alpha Trion is no longer the outlier, but rather an increasing trend: for instance, ''Transformers One'' features a completely heroic Megatronus who never becomes The Fallen, a Liege Maximo that looks nothing like Loki, and an incarnation of Nexus Prime that does not seem to be a combiner. With these data points in mind—and the potential for even further divergence in the coming years—I and several other editors feel that it may be time to reorganize our Thirteen coverage, splitting them out into individual [[continuity family]]-based incarnations the way we would for stock characters like [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]], [[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|Bumblebee]], etc.

However, if we do adopt this approach, some further problems would need to be solved.

* '''How do we handle toys?''' With a few exceptions like ''Revenge of the Fallen'' The Fallen, the toys of the Thirteen are clearly meant to be somewhat continuity-agnostic. ''Age of the Primes'' Solus Prime is about as faithful to her depiction in ''The Covenant of Primus'' as it is to ''One'' or any of the IDW comics in which she appears. Even if we count them as "repurposes" across multiple pages, the format of the wiki means they'd have to be based ''somewhere''...

* '''FunPub stuff''': The Vector Prime of "Ask Vector Prime" is clearly meant to be a version of the same Vector Prime who appeared in the ''Cybertron'' cartoon, but at the same time makes reference to off-camera events, such as a time when he and the Thirteen lived in Ancient Greece—would we make a separate "FunPub" page for the Thirteen, or try and work these events onto Unicron Trilogy pages when necessary? Other similar problems exist: "[[Coalescence]]" is a story that features a movie universe Fallen jumping into the world of ''Shattered Glass'', and AVP established that "The Evil One" of GoBots fame, is another alternate-universe incarnation of The Fallen/Megatronus.

Feedback on this proposal is appreciated! [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 11:50, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:From my point of view, I think as it stands right now my thoughts on the Thirteenth Prime stuff is that I absolutely understand the concerns, but for me personally it kind of falls into the same view as like, IDW Primus being Rung, which I think our current model handles fairly well. For the other Primes, I'm tempted to say that like...as it stands, there's about as much divergence there as like, Unicron as he's depicted in The Last Knight (not really shown to be aggressive beyond being called Cybertron's enemy), and as it stands right now, I don't think that's enough to say there should be a full-on split, but I do think it's worth thinking about future-proofing. And I suppose my main concern right now about pushing ahead too soon is in the event there's some fiction accompanying the Age of the Primes stuff; certainly, the fact that we're getting a toy of the Fallen with the Megatronus name but with the original Dreamwave design does make me hesitant that there might be some further consolidation of disparate elements; and I remember that last time we did this in the early 2010s was that we figured the idea of the Aligned Primes not having any connections to the others was going to be the standard going forward, which turned out not to be the case, and I figure it might be worth considering if something like that happens again. But! I am open to ideas of how to implement this if we do go for it; I think the suite options we have for Primus and Unicron work perfectly fine if we go for something like that. Just figure it's worth considering the stuff I've brought up here first. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 12:35, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::Right now, I'm leaning toward the camp of not splitting them out for all the reasons you've given. I look at our current situation and, while not perfect, I feel that things can be tidied up simply with some "Conceptual history" sections for the pages that need them. The aforementioned Vector Prime is a particular case not just for everything stated about him above, but because [[Vector Prime: In the Beginning|his very first Fub Pub appearance]] written by [[Forest Lee]] leans so heavily far into the multiversal aspect of the character that it doesn't treat him like he is a native to the Cybertron cartoon universe but rather to the whole multiverse itself. Similarly, Nexus Prime was also continuity-agnostic by his very nature from the ground up. The safest solution for splitting him out would be to classify his Fun Pub incarnation under "(Timelines)" (the previous "(Classics)" tag we had him under was bleh), but that's typically a last-resort tag we have tried to avoid in the past.
::Regarding The Fallen, while he does tend to be evil in a majority of his depictions, and has had a few outlier cases where he either didn't go bad at all (TF One) or was the victim of other's manipulations (Covenant), it's implied that the majority of those evil versions weren't always evil from the start, and only went bad later. The TF One version of Megatronus never turned to the dark side, but one could argue that he was murdered before he ever would have gotten the chance to. ;-)
::Regarding the Thirteenth Prime and various conflicting the depictions, we solved that issue by simply creating the "[[Thirteenth Prime]]" article to explain everything there.
::You mention the situation with Alpha Trion, and I get it. The biggest reasons for simply not merging all of his pages together were that A) he was never originally meant to be one of the Thirteen since the original Dreamwave-based lore for the Thirteen had them all die before A3 was even born, and B) his Shattered Glass self. I used to be a proponent for keeping all of his versions separate because of A, but in the time since then we've had more and more depictions of him as a 13er who were all still pretty much the same as his traditional pre-Aligned depictions. If we were to merge all of his versions together, a "Conceptual history" section for him could explain the whole "Sometimes he's a 13er, sometimes he's not" situation.
::BUT, there still remains his SG version, which I wouldn't feel comfortable putting on the same page as his other versions. Reaching back to the [https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Talk:Transformers:_Shattered_Glass_(franchise)#Separate_Continuity.3F original discussion] about how to handle the SG characters, I find myself still agreeing with those like Steve-o who pointed out how awkward "'''Continuity X''': Bumblebee loves humans and does lots of funny and cute stuff to help save the universe. '''Continuity Y''': Bumblebee loves humans and does lots of different but still funny and cute stuff to help save the universe. '''Shattered Glass''': Bumblebee is hardcore evil and wants to kill you for no particular reason. '''Continuity Z''': Bumblebee loves humans and does yet another set of funny and cute stuff to help save the universe." reads as a page. But, there is one thing we have nowadays that we did not have back when that original discussion was held and makes me wonder how differently the conversation might have gone if they had existed back then: Subpages. Looking at our [[Primus]] and [[Unicron]] articles, I find it to be a very fair and workable compromise that their respective SG versions are placed not on their respective main pages but as subpages for each. Doing the same for SG Alpha Trion were we to merge all of the non-SG A3's together could be a valid solution too, in my eyes. Unlike others, I don't see subpages as an annoying evil that much be dealt with and eliminated, but as a handy tool to work around tricky situations like this.
::Had they even existed back then, it's very possible that ALL SG characters may have ended up on subpages for their positive polarity counterparts instead of separate pages entirely. And since then, SG has grown to expand not just beyond the original Fun Pub SG G1 continuity but to other non-G1 SG continuities, like for the Movies, Animated, and Cybertron, forcing us to create such unsightly tags as "(SG Movie)", "(SG Animated)", and "(SG Cybertron)", when subpages could have prevented that with "(Movie)/Shattered Glass" or "(Animated)/Shattered Glass" and so on.
::But, I'm getting off topic. Backing up to the Thirteen, I'm for keeping the Thirteen together. In addition to what all I've said above, the Age of the Primes toys seem to be treating them as the standard or definitive versions of the Thirteen that apply for every version/universe/continuity, pulling from all across the board rather than sticking to a single depicted version of them. Prima has his Aligned body but the Sunbow Powerful Robot's head. The Fallen is just the Dreamwave design but with Aligned Megatronus's weapons from the books and RID 2015 cartoon. Micronus is likely to be based on his RID 2015 design which was itself based on the Aligned design. The statue group artwork makes Amalgamous looks more like his TF One design than his Aligned design. Vector Prime is just straight-up Cybertron Vector Prime. And Star Convoy was never one of the Thirteen in any version before now. Yet, all these disparately-sourced designs are being treated as if they all belong to the same group no matter what continuity they come from. So keeping them together as they are would just make it easier for us to not have to split hairs over which versions of which 13ers these are supposed to be when the answer would simply be "all of the above" (and we wouldn't have to put multiple entries of the same toy on, like, six or seven different characters' pages that would have to maintained equally across all of those pages). This model makes this particular version of the group feel inherently multiversal, with each member either originating from a different universe as each other, or being a multiversal hybrids comprised of different aspects of different versions of them from across the dimensions, as if Hasbro is trying to say that the AOTP versions represent *every* version of the Thirteen (minus Star Optimus, of course, since we know he's not a member in every version of this group). --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:01, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::As somebody who's pushed for this split for a long time, I'm obviously all for it. I feel we can easily determine where the toys go based on their main inspirations (Fallen is G1 Dreamwave, Micronus is Aligned RID, etc) are or just make the links go to the G1 pages (since G1 is effectively the wastebasket taxon of this franchise anyway). For the FunPub stuff, we can either do it Sideways style or just do it like we do for Kre-O and ancillary stuff: place them based on the characterization/design used by the work. Multiversal Vector Prime is pretty much just Cybertron Vector Prime (and the TransTech incarnation from the last portion of AVP can be split out).
:::I am pretty much opposed to "subpages" because that is just duplicating the parentheses system we already have just for the sake of pedantry. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 13:03, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::Fully agree with both Escargon and Sabrblade, and their reasoning. I am biased against splits pretty much as a matter of cause, but the Thirteen ''in particular'' have for most of their history (including now, in the continuity-agnostic ''Age of the Primes!)'' been defined by their multiversal nature. I just don't think a split would be helpful. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 16:05, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::::So we need to wait five years of more non-multiversal stories to have this discussion again? That doesn't make sense. The COP version of the Thirteen weren't characterized as singularities in the first place, regardless; only FunPub cared about that aspect (and not even with the usual lineup we have now) and they tossed it because they realized it was an unworkable concept in this franchise and it's unlikely to ever get resurrected. It's been nearly a decade since the Shroud (the concept only existed from 2009-2015). You bring up AOTP but toylines clearly don't and never thought about those characters in terms of our organizational schema. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:19, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:I think we can probably leave the most of the old content together, since it might be a mess to split them apart and much of that content is based on the Covenant mythos anyway. I feel new iterations of the Thirteen (post-POTP?) should get their own pages, like ''Earthspark'' Quintus and the ''One'' Primes (particularly Megatronus since he's quite different). Though I suppose that begs the question of what to use in the parentheses for their current pages... —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 13:10, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::How much of it is actually sticking to the Covenant? IDW1 had them be regular guys and some pre-Covenant stuff (notably Megatronus/Fallen) is more prominent for the character and not really compatible. Other Aligned stuff has also influenced other "continuity families", but we're not merging those articles, so I don't really see why this is different regarding the Thirteen. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 13:49, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:I’m against splitting pages, mostly because The Thirteen haven’t had enough drastic and unique depictions of them to stop “breaking the rules” for them and give them split pages.
::> The Thirteen haven’t followed the traditional convention of “every character gets a new page for that universe’s depiction”, mostly because of the whole multiversal singularity issue. Now while that concept isn’t used in fiction anymore, ''Age of the Primes'' seems to lean towards having a standard, continuity-agnostic depiction of the Thirteen from which future teams can use as the foundation of their depictions.
::> Escargon and Sabrblade make some good points regarding subpages, particularly with the example of the standard '''“Primus = God”''' and '''Rung (G1)''' incarnations. Rung is a distinct and unique take on the Primus character whose backstory is incompatible with virtually every other Primus incarnation, so placing him on the same page as the Primus of the Marvel Comics, or Cybertron, or the Aligned continuity, wouldn’t seem right.
::> ''The Covenant of Primus'' has been the foundation of every depiction of the Thirteen since it was released. Certain things might be modified, such as the 2005 IDW’s take on them, but even those Primes still follow certain story beats: Megatronus kills Solus, Liege Maximo is a manipulator, Prima’s role as the leader and his conflict with Megatronus, etc. ''One'' offers a depiction of the Thirteen who don’t enter a War of the Primes situation, but because we don’t really get any more information about them besides how they died, I wouldn’t say that they’re distinct enough or important enough to warrant their own pages.
::> Then there’s the fact that a lot of the Primes either have had very small roles or haven’t had any real importance to the franchise in several years: '''Micronus'''’s last big role was a few episodes in ''Robots in Disguise'' and a clever tie-in to the Microspace of the 2005 IDW universe. '''Onyx'''’s only big role was in the ''Covenant'', mostly thanks to '''[[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|this guy]]''' taking his place in another universe. Onyx has a few mentions in ''Cyberverse'', but I don’t think that alone should be the reason for splitting his page up. '''Nexus Prime''' and '''Vector Prime''' haven’t really done anything notable since the Shroud. '''Solus Prime''' has seen some prominence thanks to IDW's Caminus and ''Power of the Primes'', but those depictions again don’t stray too far from the ''Covenant''. '''Amalgamous Prime''' has had virtually no exploration as a character. The most we’ve gotten for him is a much easier-to-look-at design in ''One''.
::> Character-wise, story-wise… they’re all still heavily based on the ''Covenant''. Even '''Quintus Prime'''’s ''Earthspark'' depiction (with his more human-looking face) is based on his “Johnny Appleseed, made the Quintessons” lore established from the ''Covenant''. Now if we had a full group of the Thirteen from a Shattered Glass universe or had some “What-If?” incarnations of the characters that made them very different… splitting pages would make more sense to me.
::> A lot of the Thirteen have also maintained a consistent visual look to them since their introduction: all the Primes introduced in the Covenant have kept their look (Alchemist’s Lenses, Onyx’s face, Solus’ hair and color scheme), and every version of Megatronus seems to have a Decepticon insignia face, flames, and/or both. While ''One'' may have changed some color schemes (Liege Maximo missing his green), I don’t think just having a different color scheme and nothing else different warrants a new page.
::> I like the idea of conceptual history sections for now, and as I said on ''The Fallen''’s talk page, I think the beginning to his page needs a general rewrite from its “frozen in 2009” version. But until drastic new interpretations of those characters are created, if a member of the Thirteen has a single page… we should keep it as a single page --[[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 16:33, 7 December 2024 (EST)
: Splitting them would simply be a bigger headache. They're rather like Primus and Unicron where they're "bigger picture" characters (only this time around designed ''very specifically'' to '''''be''''' as such) and it's best to treat them as such, and really, there's not enough material to BOTHER splitting for most of them. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 18:29, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::Since it's related to this subject, it should probably also be mentioned here that there have recently been two discussions happening on the talk page for [[The Fallen]]. One about changing that article's mainpic and the other about moving the page's name to Megatronus. As of now, nothing has come out of either discussion, but I feel the results of this a bigger discussion may have an effect on either of those two smaller ones. Speaking as one who is in favor of not splitting out the Thirteen, my thoughts on these two smaller topics are that a good compromise would be to keep the article at its current name since many Megatronuses still become The Fallen, but replace the mainpic with The Fallen's Age of the Primes toy packaging art (as it depicts him in his original first body from Dreamwave but armed with his now-signature weapons from Aligned media, serving as a sort of visual overview for the character's history), along with a rewrite of his intro at the top of the page to be more all-encompassing, and the inclusion of a new "Conceptual history" section to give a proper overview of his different depictions. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 19:29, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::I'm going to second this. I've mulled it over a little bit and while there is an argument to be made for splitting them out, I feel that 12 of the 13 primes really don't warrant it. They just haven't had as much an impact on the story and while it could be future proofing to split them, until we get prominent appearances from them I don't think it's a viable option right now. Megatronus is clearly the exception to this rule. I don't know if there's a clean solution to dealing with him at the moment. Part of me thinks maybe we should suite out the Movie and RiD versions since those are his too big appearences to date. At the bare minimum though I think we should use either his Dreamwave or Age of Primes art as the mainpic. It's his first body and I think it's influenced more designs than his RoTF design has. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 22:57, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::::Erm, no. Neither his Movie or RiD sections (certainly not the latter) are big enough to warrant subpages for either. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:57, 8 December 2024 (EST)
:::I'm also of the opinion that a split would be a massive hassle for very little gain, but I do feel we should move The Fallen to Megatronus. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 06:54, 8 December 2024 (EST)
::::To me, renaming the page to Megatronus feels like renaming an Optimus Prime page to Orion Pax. The name was created to tell us what he was called ''before'' he became The Fallen, like how Orion Pax was what Optimus was called before he became Optimus Prime. TF One Megatronus never became The Fallen but he's an anomaly, not a new standard. As of now, the only impact TF One Megatronus has had on the brand is the official reveal video for Age of the Primes describing the very Dreamwave/Aligned-based AOTP version as "the most powerful Prime," while also putting a grim, pronounced emphasis on "The Fallen" when referring to him as "Megatronus... The Fallen". --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:16, 8 December 2024 (EST)
::::: '''Yes''' to changing The Fallen's mainpic back to the DW-style character design, huge-ass '''No''' to changing the page name; the Optimus/Orion comparison is spot-on. (And as to below... yes. The Thirteen are absolutely "set dressing that walks like a man" and best to approach them as such.) --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 20:11, 8 December 2024 (EST)

:After meditating upon this a while I think I've come to agree with the broad majority above that splitting each member of the Thirteen would hurt more than it would help. The way I see it what we should be striving for here is the approach that involves the least "hallucinating data" within our organizational system, and splitting will require making a lot of different calls on what "counts" to formulate micro-characterizations for dozens of serial continuity transplants, none of which do much individually, while obfuscating the larger context they are gesturing towards. Fundamentally what we may be running up against here is that the closest most of these guys have to a true "home continuity" as we typically think of it is... the brand bible. They are set dressing that walks like a man.

:To go one step further, if we want to talk future-proofing I would advocate formalizing the approach of treating them as a squad of mini-Unicrons/Primuses such that:

::1) My suggestion for the issues currently plaguing the Fallen (and to a lesser degree Trion) would be to make "Conceptual History" sections more or less standard issue across the board for the Thirteen, laying out swerves in characterization and appearance as they happened rather than trying to pry them apart ''or'' smoosh them together.

::2) I think it's worth revisiting merging Alpha Trion for consistency. In the decade+ since Prime cludged him into the lineup, Alpha Trion has consistently appeared as a member of the Thirteen, an insubstantial cameo, or both in pretty much every continuity he's appeared, and looking backwards I cannot help but notice that the fact that there's next to no meaningful daylight between his depictions has been the running gag of his [[Alpha Trion|disambiguation page]] since day one. If Shattered Glass remains a sticking point the Unicron/Primus style suite split approach is a reasonable compromise.

:I wouldn't say I'm married to any of this and counter-counter-proposals are welcome, but that's my two cents. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 14:08, 8 December 2024 (EST)
:I think just put a line at the end of the fallens intro article that says "while mostly a bad guy, there exists at least one universe (link to TF one section) where he's managed to defy all logic and be...good for once).[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 21:53, 8 December 2024 (EST)

I'm for splitting the Thirteen, for the same reasons Saix gave. If that doesn't work, I think the versions of Alpha Trion should be merged. It's the inconsistency that drives me batty. [[User:Boingus|--Boingus]] ([[User talk:Boingus|talk]]) 22:12, 8 December 2024 (EST)

===Checkpoint? (01/18/2025)===
This topic seems to have gotten as much interaction as it's going to get, so to take stock before it falls off the agenda completely:

:*'''Votes for splitting the Thirteen across the board:''' 4 (Locoman, Saix, BlueJayWarrior, Boingus)
:*'''Votes against:''' 8 (Escargon, Sabrblade, Wadapan, Daytonjhammon, M Sipher, Exim93, Dark T Zeratul, AzimuthAcolyte)

That seems like a pretty resounding 2:1 "no," but the discussion also generated some possible compromises/suggestions for future-proofing:

:*'''Votes for more widespread use of "Conceptual History" sections:''' 3 (Sabrblade, Daytonjhammon, AzimuthAcolyte)
:*'''Votes to merge Alpha Trion (with potential SG suite) for consistency:''' 3 (Sabrblade, AzimuthAcolyte, Boingus)

Lastly it generated some cross-bleed from the debates on [[Talk:The Fallen|The Fallen's talk page]] about some updates now that we're 16 years out from his [[live-action film series]] star turn:

1) Moving the page to "Megatronus":
:*'''For:''' 1 (Dark T Zeratul)
:*'''Against:''' 2 (Sabrblade, M Sipher)

2) Swapping back to a Dreamwave-style mainpic:
:*'''For:''' 3 (Sabrblade, Ezim93, M Sipher)

If anyone wants to try to resuscitate the mega-split speak now. If not, thoughts on the compromise proposals?

The Fallen discussion should probably return to his own page. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 13:33, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:My stances remain unchanged on all of the above. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:55, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::I'd be fine with splitting, but if we don't, we ''absolutely'' need to merge the Alpha Trions. There's no good justification for the others being together and him being split.
::As for the Fallen... I feel the need to point out that it's not ''just'' One Megatronus that didn't use the name. EVERY toyline and piece of media in the last decade — RID15, the Prime Wars cartoons, the POTP toy, the offhand mentions in Cyberverse — have used "Megatronus", completely dropping the idea that he stopped being Megatronus and became the Fallen. It's evidently how Hasbro thinks of the character; the Studio Series toy provides plenty of evidence that they ''could'' have just called the AOTP toy "The Fallen" if they'd wanted to. -[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 15:51, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::I am also pro-merging Alpha Trions with a SG subpage along the lines of what we do for Primus and Unicron. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 16:11, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::::I disagree that we need to put SG Trion on a separate page. Just have his Shattered Glass section open with "In the mirror universe of Shattered Glass, Alpha Trion was..." --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:58, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::::I'm pro merging Alpha Trion as well and adding conceptual history. Fallen/Megatronus discussion I'm good with taking back to his page. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 16:20, 18 January 2025 (EST)

:Here's my 5 cents. We are under no obligation to be consistent with how we treat the members of the Thirteen. If it makes sense for the characters, we can have Alpha Trions on separate pages because he has a long rich history of appearances in wide and varied media, including media in which he is not a member of the Thirteen, and we can also have Amalgamous Prime on one page because he doesn't. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:48, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::I'm in agreement with this. "Consistency" is nice until it isn't, and merging Alpha's pages... isn't. I feel like that's just gonna result in a clusterfuck. "Conceptual history" is fine to add, but frankly I feel like only like... maybe only a third of the 13 would even ''need'' it. There's really not a lot to most of these. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 22:07, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::I'm curious what would be the negative result of merging Alpha Trion's pages. The thing is that they ''are'' basically all identical barring the Shattered Glass version, and even that one is functionally the same guy, just evil. RID01, Energon, Animated and ROTF Alpha Trion are all footnotes, which just leaves us with G1 Trion (sometimes of the Thirteen), Aligned Trion (of the Thirteen), Cyberverse Trion (of the Thirteen) and One Trion (of the Thirteen). Is there some complicating factor that I'm missing...? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:38, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::: Honestly, I think this just sold me on the idea of merging all the Alpha Trion pages, including the Shattered Glass version, into one page. A Conceptual History section could explain his development from sage to member of the Thirteen, with a paragraph about his Shattered Glass version. [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 00:02, 19 January 2025 (EST)
:::::As I stated above, I used to be firmly against the idea of the Alpha Trions being merged, because of the facts that he wasn't originally supposed to be one of the Thirteen (a ship that has long since sailed), he was never a singularity like the other 13ers were (which no longer matters at all now since that concept was done away with), and he has a Shattered Glass version (but so too do Primus and Unicron, now, and their pages have set a good workable precedent for how to deal with SG versions of "set dressing characters" like them and the Thirteen). But now, as time goes on, the more it begins to feel like we're just keeping the Alpha Trions separate for more pedantic reasons than are necessary, especially since the AOTP toyline looks to be drawing influence from all continuities for its specific roster of the Thirteen, as if to say that the AOTP toys of the Thirteen represent *all* versions of the Thirteen (meaning AOTP Alpha Trion will represent *all* Alpha Trions).
:::::Sipher mentioned that conceptual history sections would only benefit a small number of the Thirteen, and, well, yes, that is a true statement. But the idea wouldn't be to give ''all'' of the Thirteen conceptual history sections, just the few that would need it. And a merged. But there being only a few that would need it no less diminishes the need of those few.
:::::However, I definitely draw the line at putting SG characters on the same webpages as their non-SG counterparts, as I go back to [https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Talk:Transformers:_Shattered_Glass_(franchise)#Separate_Continuity.3Fthe original discussion about that very subject] and all the reasons given there (particularly from Steve-o, whom I already quoted above) for why SG characters should '''not''' share a webpage with their non-SG counterparts. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:47, 19 January 2025 (EST)
::::I feel like "they're all basically the same" is a charge that can be leveled at a lot of characters who are present in multiple continuity families. I'm all in favour of keeping non-entities to one page each, but Alpha Trion meets the threshold for actually having enough detail to have separate articles. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:32, 19 January 2025 (EST)
:My votes: No to splitting the 13 articles, yes for conceptual history, no to merging Trion (maybe expanding his disambig a la Sideways'?), no to moving the Fallen, maybe to changing his mainpic (compare to UT or Aligned characteers with major body changes - UT generally sticks with the Armada bodies, but Aligned favours Prime bodies over WFC). [[User:BattleBlade|BattleBlade]] ([[User talk:BattleBlade|talk]]) 18:01, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:I also think that it wouldn´t be appropriate to separate the pages of the thirteen and that the articles about Alpha Trion should be merged, after he become one of the 13 he has been mostly the same across all media. --[[User:MikeOsix|MikeOsix]] ([[User_talk:MikeOsix|talk]]) 20:57, 18 January 2024 (EST)
My vote is that we should keep Prime pages *mostly* non-split- I do, however, think there is merit to a "Conceptual History" part, going over different variations of the characters over the Years. I originally wanted Alpha's pages to be kept apart- but after some talking, I figure it's best for him to also enjoy a conceptual history rather than a disambiguation page. (I still love Disambiguation pages though.)
On The Fallen's page getting a Dreamwave-style picture: I give it a hard thumbs up. That seems to be the design Hasbro is sticking with compared to the skeleton-furnace guy from the movies. -- [[User:OptiMay Primal|OptiMay Primal]] ([[User talk: BattleBlade|talk]]) 21:54, 18 January 2024 (PST)
:I cannot see any benefit to smushing all of the Alpha Trion articles together. Every time this happens, we get a lengthy, unfocused mess of a page that wards off attempts at maintenance because it's so large. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 12:16, 19 January 2025 (EST)
::I'm personally against merging all the Trions, but I could be convinced if someone sandboxes a merged page first as a proof of concept. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 13:59, 24 January 2025 (EST)
At Cyberlink's suggestion, I've slapped together a rough prototype of a merged Alpha Trion suite broadly mirroring the Fallen's setup that can be seen–
:*'''[[Alpha Trion|HERE]]'''
Intro etc not final, of course. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 16:27, 24 January 2025 (EST)
:I like this. It's no longer or less focused than [[Unicron]], for example. I'm still kind of dubious about the need to exclude Shattered Glass versions from these cross-continuity characters, but at least SG Trion is more substantial than SG Unicron. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:31, 24 January 2025 (EST)
:Posting to confirm I'm in favor of this. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 12:49, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Yeah I like it too, when so many of his incarnations are so similar the unified article feels more user friendly [[User:LenaPrime|LenaPrime]] ([[User talk:LenaPrime|talk]]) 12:57, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Adding that I think this works pretty well. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 18:42, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Thought I'd stick my two cents in. I think this would work. If Unicron can have a merged page like this, then it should certainly work for Trion. [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 23:44, 25 January 2025 (EST)
I've also started working on prototypes of rewrites / updates to Prima and The Fallen's pages, which can be seen...
:*'''[[User:Daytonjhammon/Sandbox/Prima|HERE for Prima]]''' and '''[[User:Daytonjhammon/Sandbox/The Fallen|HERE for The Fallen]]'''.
Discussion for The Fallen should probably stay on his [[Talk:The Fallen|own talk page]], but I'm linking them here since both have "conceptual history" sections I've drafted up. [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 13:50, 26 January 2025 (EST)

===Checkpoint 2 (05/05/2025)===
This definitely fell way off the agenda but there was sufficient interest that I believe it is worth circling back. Following Dayton's excellent work on Prima and the Fallen's Conceptual History section going live, the final point of order remains the prospect of merging Alpha Trion (with SG suite) to reflect his Aligned-forward characterization and bring him in line with the other 12 + 2 (Thirteen, Primus, Unicron) "man-shaped set dressing" characters.

Again, a full mock-up of this concept can be seen-

:*'''[[Alpha Trion|HERE]]'''

The current tally stands at:

:*'''Votes for merging Alpha Trion into one cross-continuity article with SG sub-page:''' 12 (Sabrblade, AzimuthAcolyte, Boingus, Broadside, Escargon, Ezim93, Daytonjhammon, MikeOsix, OptiMay Primal, LenaPrime, IGEBM13, Hilfam)
:*'''Votes against:''' 5 (abates, M Sipher, BattleBlade, Saix, Cyberlink420)

That's overwhelming support a ways past 2:1. Does anyone care to answer a last call for comment?

Suggestions or concerns for the prototype are particularly welcome. For my part I would appreciate assistance drafting a Conceptual History section. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 14:18, 5 May 2025 (EDT)
: Chipping in to reiterate that I'm in favour, though I'm unconvinced that the SG subpage is necessary. I do recognise that it's in line with how we currently treat Unicron, but like... is there anything we gain from having it be a separate page that we couldn't get from just putting "in one mirror universe, alpha trion was a real sicko!" at the top of the section? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 18:20, 6 May 2025 (EDT)
::On principle alone, I'm against putting SG characters on the same pages as their non-SG counterparts, no matter what. The day we make such allowance for just one of them is the day we open the floodgates for potentially doing that for any and all SG characters. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 19:54, 6 May 2025 (EDT)
:::The (SG) system is simple. What exactly does messing with it accomplish? [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:28, 8 May 2025 (EDT)
::::See, my understanding was not that SG characters are "special exceptions", it's that we treat Shattered Glass as its own continuity family (and likewise SG Animated, et al). It's not "messing with" the system to put the SG version of a character on a cross-continuity family page for that character. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:53, 13 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::It's messing with what Thylacine mentions for the sake of insisting on making categorization exceptions for the Thirteen. It's not useful to either editor or reader, especially if we're going to do the pointless lateral move that is "/Shattered Glass" anyway. (SG) is straightforward and easy to parse as opposed to "here's the explicitly negative AU guy buried here because arbitrary wiki reasons". [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 18:42, 13 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Looks like it doesn't matter anymore, but the difference between SG and non-SG material - the whole fact that SG exists to be an irreconcilable opposite to G1 - is more fundamental and important than the sum total of all appearances and history of at least 10 of the 13. We should not be wiping away important conceptual distinctions for the sake of unimportant asterisk characters who basically only ever existed in a list. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 16:59, 13 May 2025 (EDT)

== International Sightings ==

So, as of late, mentions of "toy appeared in (non-US country) without prior announcement" type lines have been getting purged from the wiki. This makes me wonder: am I allowed to even mention them anymore when a new toy appears somewhere? I'm not really sure why these relatively harmless information lines are getting removed, nor am I really a fan of it, but if I can't mention them anymore I will happily oblige.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 21:04, 7 January 2025 (EST)
:They're being removed because "toy first showed up at a random store in Asia" is not useful information. That's how toy retail has worked for decades. Hasbro deigning to announce some product doesn't make it the standard. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:57, 7 January 2025 (EST)
::Oh, ok, I'll keep that in mind from now on.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 23:11, 7 January 2025 (EST)

==First revealed at (some regular online update)==
On a similar note to the international sightings, what do people think of "toy was first revealed in Hasbro Instagram post / Fans First Friday / Pulse livestream of whatever date," etc.? We note this constantly, because it's another fact to include about a just-announced toy nobody owns yet. A year later it looks unimportant. Is this something we like and value, or more of a space-filing habit? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 07:34, 8 January 2025 (EST)
:I think it's a lot of blather, but at least it's documenting Hasbro marketing as opposed to random retail appearances. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:25, 8 January 2025 (EST)
: I'm lukewarm at best on 'em. But often these announcements are followed up almost immediately by pre-orders opening up through official channels, and that feels a bit more... noteworthy. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 12:31, 8 January 2025 (EST)
: Seems pretty relevant to me! There's value in preserving a toy's history, after all. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 10:14, 6 April 2025 (EDT))

==Update Navigation==
Should the Navigation sidebar be changed to replace [[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]] with [[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]] or should we wait a bit?--[[User:CyclonustheWarrior|CyclonustheWarrior]] ([[User talk:CyclonustheWarrior|talk]]) 20:49, 2 February 2025 (EST)
:Good question. I think we could change it now since almost all of wave 1 is out at retail over in Asia, but I’ll wait for someone higher than me to make the final decision lol - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 23:10, 5 February 2025 (EST)

==Adding a "Transformers in [Country name]" section to country articles==
So, by some weird coincidence, a lot of my edits in these past months have involved expanding on the quirks of how individual aspects of the Transformers brand were represented in countries like [[Brazil]], [[Argentina]], [[Greece]], and [[Portugal]] - however; something that I've noticed is that there's usually no comprehensive summary of this information in the actual pages we have for those countries, with most or all of it being restricted to the individual articles regarding those things instead (for instance; Argentina had a whole three companies that produced Transformers toys with [[Antex]], [[Comando Toys]], and [[Lynsa]], but none of them are even mentioned in Argentina's page!). As such, and in the spirit of making our wiki more international, I propose that we add a small section to every country page specifically regarding the presence of the Transformers brand within it.

Some information that could go into these sections, if available (naturally, not ''everything'' here needs to be mentioned):
* When Transformers media first premiered in the country
* When Transformers toys first released in the country
* Previous releases of [[pre-Transformers]] in the country, if any (e.g.; Italy's ''Trasformer'', the UK's ''Convertors'', Finland's ''Diaclone'', etc.)
* Brands that might have made toys or merchandise for Transformers in the country, if any (e.g.; [[Estrela]] in Brazil, [[IGA]] in Mexico, [[GiG]] in Italy, [[El Greco]] in Greece, etc.)
* Notable figures, variants, and/or entire toylines that are exclusive to the country, if any (obviously, a fully comprehensive list would be difficult for a country like Japan, but it seems feasible for others here.)
* Transformers media that's unique to the country, if any (again; it would be hard to form a comprehensive list for Japan or the US, but it might not be too difficult elsewhere.)
* Peculiar quirks and factoids regarding the distribution of Transformers toys in the country, if any (e.g.; Galaxy Shuttle releasing in Italy, Star Saber releasing in Portugal, Spain's translated G1 blister cards, [[Sonokong]]'s many odd releases of Transformers toys in South Korea, etc.)
* Transformers-connected artists that were born in the country (e.g.; Brazil's [[Marcelo Matere]], Spain's [[José Avilés]], etc.)
* Perhaps some notable aspects of the fandom in the country (e.g., fan organizations, conventions - whether they're [[Convention|official]] or [[Unofficial conventions|unofficial]] - etc.)

Editing these sections could also make for a pretty fun multinational effort: certainly, Transformers fans from all over the world have pretty unique knowledge about the brand in their regions that's undocumented until now, and it would be pretty cool for them to visit the pages for their respective countries and see a section that basically invites them to add that knowledge. If this idea seems acceptable then I would be happy to move ahead with introducing the section to some of the countries that I'm most familiar with (mostly in Europe and Latin America) - let me know what everyone else thinks! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 10:07, 6 April 2025 (EDT))
:I like this idea! I think it’ll be really helpful for both readers and the site’s general organization to have information about international Transformers products and media on their respective countries’ pages. I’m not too well-versed in the foreign aspects of the brand outside of Japan, but I do know one piece of information we can add to Russia’s page is that ''Masterforce'' was the first show to air there :D - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 10:47, 6 April 2025 (EDT)
::I had no idea about that, how interesting! Hopefully more people can give the go-ahead to this. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:04, 6 April 2025 (EDT))
:::This strikes me as a proposal with a lot potential if we can get enough manpower behind it. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 17:00, 6 April 2025 (EDT)
:I've made versions of this proposed section for the Portugal, Spain, and Brazil pages, and posted them on [[User:FortressMaxxing/Sandbox|my sandbox]]. Any thoughts would be welcome! Also, shouldn't we maybe add the country flags to their respective pages? The Wikipedia SVGs are on public domain, so I guess we could just import those. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:43, 7 April 2025 (EDT))
::I like the way these early write-ups look, it could prove very interesting. Though we should only add the country flags if they appeared in fiction, as we do with the [[Soviet Union]] or [[United States of America]]. Otherwise it's just not important. Every country has a flag, you don't need to come ''here'' to look at them or find out their capital cities, populations, national birds, etc. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 11:01, 7 April 2025 (EDT)
:::I mean, if we're also to discuss the "meta" details of Transformers in the country - meaning that the pages are no longer restricted to just fiction - then I think it makes sense to at least have a country flag up on the opening paragraph, no? I'm not saying we need to add an Wikipedia-like infobox with the capital and population count and whatever else, but if we also have stuff like logos for companies in their respective pages then it makes sense to at least have what's basically the largest and most important international identifier that a country has attached to a page about it. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:29, 7 April 2025 (EDT))
:Given how there seem to be no objections to this project, I hope that it's fine to begin adding these sections to their respective pages during this weekend. I have added entries for Argentina, Italy, and Greece [[User:FortressMaxxing/Sandbox|to my sandbox]], so, together with the other three I previously shared; that will be six "The Transformers franchise in X country" sections coming from me - hopefully others will also be interested in adding similar sections to the pages of whatever countries they're most familiar with! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 18:37, 11 April 2025 (EDT))
::I think the names could be simplified to "Transformers in X". [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 19:51, 11 April 2025 (EDT)
:::That was actually close to the previous name I had in this topic ("The Transformers in X") before renaming it because I thought it could be a little ambiguous, haha - but actually, I think you're right, "Transformers in Brazil" / "Transformers in Greece" / etc. does sound better and I guess all the ambiguities are kinda cleared up in context of the contents of the sections themselves! "Transformers in X" it shall be then, I've now again renamed this topic accordingly. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 20:06, 11 April 2025 (EDT))
::::Yeah, it could be an ambiguous statement by itself, but we're not making "Transformers in Brazil" for all the fictional times Transformers characters appeared in Brazil because that's already covered by [[Brazil]] itself. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:29, 11 April 2025 (EDT)
:Ayo, I posted the first batch of "Transformers in X" sections a few days ago in the [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[Italy]], [[Greece]], [[Brazil]], and [[Argentina]] pages! There are still way more countries that need a similar level of development and since I won't be able to do all of them alone, I wanted to highlight at least the most important ones in the hopes that maybe other users will have an interest in working on them. So, here are '''the pages that most urgently need a "Transformers in X" section''' (plus '''some of the things they should mention'''):

* [[Japan]], obviously: The birth of the transforming robot as a Japanese cultural product (see [[Yonezawa Toys|Yonezawa]] and some of the later transforming robot toys leading up to Takara's Cosmo Countach and eventually the Diaclone Car Robots), the country's transition from Diaclone to Transformers, the introduction of the original show to Japan, a brief mention of the original media and toylines that were only released there, an assessment of the popularity of the franchise in Japan relative to other 'giant robot'-centric media like Gundam and NGE (Also, I've noticed that there is already a small "non-fiction" section that briefly touches on the importance of Japan to the Transformers: it could be used as a starting basis, and I guess that it also suggests someone already had the idea for a similar wiki-project!)
* The [[United States of America|United States]], also quite obviously: Brief summarization of the birth and sustained popularity of the Transformers brand in America, the most prominent retail exclusives that were only launched in U.S. stores, BotCon and all the other big fan conventions
<s>* [[United Kingdom]]: Received a pair of pre-Transformers toylines with the Grandstand Convertors and Tandy's Galactic Man, the UK Marvel Transformers comic, large conventions like TFNation and TFUKcon</s> '''(Done!)'''
* [[France]]: Received a pre-Transformers toyline with [[Joustra|Ceji / Joustra]] releasing Diaclone, Orli Jouet's Robotrack, later Joustra-made G1 Transformers toys, original cartoon had a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itPo0Q9zmrc|a pretty funky unique theme song], major national toy company [[Majorette]] would briefly become a Transformers licensee in the 2000s
* [[Finland]]: Received a pre-Transformers toyline with Takara directly releasing Diaclone, "black Tracks" was unique to it (and later homaged with [[Loudpedal]])
* [[China]]: Hasbro factories, the Chinese G1 reissue toyline, the commercial success of Age of Extinction and how it brought about a sharp rise in the popularity of Transformers across the country, [[Nezha: Transformers (franchise)|Nezha]]
* [[South Korea]]: The unusual line-ups of [[Young Toys]] and [[Sonokong]], the mystery of [[ToonTown]]
* [[Mexico]]: [[IGA]] and their unique variants of G1 figures
* [[Venezuela]] (which somehow doesn't exist yet despite [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 17|already having an in-fiction mention]]?): [[Rubiplas]] made some unique Mini-Vehicles
<s>* [[Peru]]: [[Lynsa]] released multiple unique Mini-Vehicles in both countries, Museo Transformers</s> '''(Done!)'''
* [[Chile]]: Also received [[Lynsa]] Mini-Vehicles
* [[Vietnam]]: Major manufacturing hub for Transformers toys '''(Work in progress)'''
* [[Germany]]: GAMA's "Trans Robot" (pre-Transformers Omega Supreme), had the biggest Transformers convention in continental Europe until it dissolved not too long ago

:On an unrelated note, check out these fancy new GoBoxes down below! If anyone wants to do more in this style (quirky collage of country flag, plus national iconography, plus a Transformer toy that's emblematic of that specific country in some way) then that'd be pretty sweet! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 17:47, 16 April 2025 (EDT))
<center>
[[File:GB-Portugal.jpg|link=Portugal]] [[File:GB-Greece.jpg|link=Greece]] [[File:GB-Brazil.jpg|link=Brazil]]
</center>
::Hey, I noticed that a lot of your claims aren't really sourced, it would be nice if you could cite your sources for us. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 08:01, 21 April 2025 (EDT)
:::For sure! A lot of what's been added to these pages isn't cited because it is already discussed at greater length in their respective articles (and usually cited in said articles) - nonetheless; I will go ahead and add a more extensive round of sources soon. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 12:54, 21 April 2025 (EDT))
:::: Great! Remember to post about that here when it happens. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 13:45, 21 April 2025 (EDT)
::::: All done, I've provided as many citations for whatever information's more obscure or not as well-documented in the English web as I could! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 16:21, 21 April 2025 (EDT))
:::::: Thank you! I appreciate it, though I have noticed that your source about Portuguese people seeing Star Convoy on retail is only available to members of the Facebook group. I understand that information for things like this is hard to come by so if can't change it it's alright but it would be great if you could list a publicly available source instead. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 08:58, 22 April 2025 (EDT)
::::::: Oops, I didn't realize that Transformers Portugal was private on Facebook - but let this not be a problem, because I've just added a translated screenshot to that citation instead! Although I must also add that, unfortunately, I don't know how to really cite the later portion of that trivia - that Star Convoy is also really common on the Portuguese secondary market - because this is basically the product of my own personal experience of living in Portugal and seeing at least four loose Star Convoys on the Portuguese secondary market in the past couple of years across various occasions, all of them being the original version with the white trailer rather than the later reissue (thus suggesting that they come from the aforementioned retail distribution), and all of them being sold for really cheap prices rounding just ~20-40 euros from people who clearly did not know about this being an unusual toy (I got one myself one circa ~2022!). It's just that I frankly didn't know how to cite this in the page (Would "[[User:FortressMaxxing|This editor]] can attest to seeing an inordinate amount of Portuguese Star Convoy copies on the secondary market" be too anecdotal of a reference to have?), so... There's that. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 13:04, 22 April 2025 (EDT))
:::::::: Don't worry, the fist citation should be enough, now's the time to move on to the rest of the countries. I'm a bit busy at the moment but I might be able to take on the UK write up. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 13:53, 22 April 2025 (EDT)
::::::::: Sweet, I'll be excited to see what you write up! Tell us here when you do :) ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 13:58, 22 April 2025 (EDT))
:I made a first draft of the UK write-up at my sandbox [[User:Wildstrike/Sandbox/United_Kingdom|here]]. It is not at all done I'm passing this through the people to make sure I didn't get anything wrong, and to hear out any suggestions. Also I didn't mention the Tandy's Galactic Man figure because it doesn't seem to be exclusive to to the UK. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 11:14, 26 April 2025 (EDT)
::Hey, it's good, short but very well-cited! I do think Galactic Man merits at least a brief one-line mention since apparently the UK was the only other territory beyond the U.S. where it was released in (and also the UK Galactic Man might be slightly different, per how the pre-TF page describes him as [[Pre-Transformers#Pre-Transformers lines|"''almost'' identical"]]?), but otherwise, I have no disagreement with the information presented here. Very curious to see how you're gonna expand on that draft! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 18:46, 27 April 2025 (EDT))
:::Okay, I did a bit of research and according to the [https://astromagnum.blogspot.com/2024/04/galactic-man-tandy-radio-shack-shackwave.html Astro Magnum] blog the Tandy version of Galactic Man has slightly different packaging, different stickers, and is made of materials more resistant to the yellowing prevalent in the Radio Shack versions of the toy. I'll be sure to edit the draft when I have time. Also, I found about an [https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/retailers/transformers/ official transformers store] at the Battersea power station which I plan on incorporating at some point. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 11:49, 28 April 2025 (EDT)
:Ooohh, here's a pretty cool thing that I found out which definitely should be added to the Peru page: there's a mall [https://www.facebook.com/MuseoTF with a Transformers toy museum within it], and apparently it's been in operation since 2020! It even features a display specifically for [https://scontent.flis9-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/483676983_1040341464571272_305592738604936521_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OsCqdAxWZTQQ7kNvwGe1-WQ&_nc_oc=Adn6enKyI9P6hsp1VO2t492l7iu8t1CtWQCm3bbMYXOemGAOpKTj-0fB96Co-Jhqnm4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.flis9-1.fna&_nc_gid=0aKRlr6ClLSdhzhjlFM8cA&oh=00_AfFq1ClChLr67ItyZAhHBe0MPRKxcrRFUfQLY48v0THRPA&oe=68149CCC Transformers stuff made in Peru], which I think would be a great photographic addition to the article :) ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 20:36, 27 April 2025 (EDT))

:I've finally expanded my write-up (link [[User:Wildstrike/Sandbox/United_Kingdom|here]]), and would like to receive comment on it if possible. As for the ''Transformers'' store I mentioned above, I'm not quite sure how to incorporate it into the rest of the article and am debating just leaving it in the notes section. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 12:06, 30 May 2025 (EDT)
::Hey, sorry for taking so long to review it but it's good! I think the Transformers store can be added as its own small (even if one-line) paragraph in the section, no need to throw it all the way down to notes when it's a definitely pretty relevant to the history of Transformers in the UK. Regardless, I'd say it's time to go live with that section! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 00:24, 12 June 2025 (EDT))
:::It's finally live baby! As you may have noticed, I decided to expand the section a little bit more and mention some of the other British people that have worked on Transformers over the years as well as [[BotCon Europe 1999]], I hope you're happy with all the changes. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 15:05, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:Per recent edits, I'm scratching out the UK and Peru pages off the list, as they now also have proper "Transformers in [Country]" sections (great job on the UK one by the way, it's pretty extensive and rich in information and I feel like I learned quite a few new things with it!). I also added Germany and Vietnam to the list, so if any TF fans from those nationalities are around to see this some help in filling those out wold be greatly appreciated! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 08:22, 18 June 2025 (EDT))

== Size of this page ==

Could someone archive the last year on this page? It's getting ridiculously long and is hard to scroll through. [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 19:48, 15 April 2025 (EDT)
:Done. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:25, 15 April 2025 (EDT)

== ToonTown / Korean Transformers that might or might not be bootlegs ==
Hey, so... What do we do about [https://x.com/tfwiki/status/1036114311142363136?lang=ar this], and [https://lmb3.net/2024/12/29/blog-2500-toy-review-transformers-korean-modified-optimus-prime/ this], and [https://tformers.com/daily-prime-korean-generation-2-optimus-prime-gold-watch/43599/news.html this], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYJ8Nev7DGo this]? It basically seems like there's a massive ambiguity as to whether or not these toys are bootlegs, and while at least one of them (see the recently-edited "Globo" section on the [[knockoff]] page) has distinct bootleg origins, it's also worth remembering that there is [[Radio AM Robot|at least one known case of a bootleg being later rebranded into an official Transformers toy]], so... Maybe this is not much of an indicator?

In the replies to that first tweet, there's a person who says that "[https://x.com/tfwiki/status/1036114311142363136/ Hasbro's legal stance is that if it has their copyright on the box, it is an official product. This is what they've told me in the past when inquiring about other products]". Assuming that this is the case, and given that all of these have a Hasbro copyright on their packaging despite how genuinely weird they are, should we add them to their respective character pages, as well as maybe creating a separate page for ToonTown as a Transformers-associated company? The [[Soundwave (G1)/merchandise#Transformers Gum|Soundwave]] and [[Starscream (G1)/merchandise#Transformers Gum|Starscream]] ''Transformers Gum'' tabs already mention their ToonTown releases, so it seems like it kind of follows to add the others, no? I've left them a mention on the knockoff page as of now, but it would be good to get a final decision as to where exactly they should stay on this wiki. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 21:58, 19 April 2025 (EDT))
:Decades ago, [[Raksha]] wrote that the Toon Town stuff had been released in both South Korea and Taiwan (https://web.archive.org/web/20080917123934fw_/http://www.plumed-serpent.com/swartifacts.html). Added to what you wrote above, I believe that is the sum of all the knowledge we have on the issue, so it would be hard to write an article about it. I agree that since we have the Soundwave and Starscream stuff, the other confirmed releases are fair game to include too. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 15:18, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
::Here's another one, this time not saying Toon Town, still showing the "real" logos and symbols, and said by its owner to be a knockoff: https://toy-wizards.com/2019/03/16/super-rare-korean-transformers-toys-at-tf-con-and-the-conspiracy-theory-behind-them/?amp I'm really drawing a blank on Toon Town and it is possible we will never get enough verified info to be worth an article here. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 18:53, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::One more source for now: http://fredsworkshop.com/vkorea.html --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 18:57, 7 May 2025 (EDT)

::::Argh, another, and with even more links at the bottom, and were no closer to a conclusive truth. http://fredsworkshop.com/vkorea5.html --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 19:05, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::For what it's worth, I think it'd be good to have a page laying out the ambiguity of the matter, explaining what we know and how hard to verify it all is. Sorta like the [[unknown Generation 1 animation studios]]. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 19:35, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::: Yeah, I'd agree with this. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 20:45, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
::::::: Seconding this, it seems like we have more than enough to at least create an article about this weird company that explains the ambiguity. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 01:15, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:Alright, as per the above discussion, the [[ToonTown]] article is now up! I didn't go over every source mentioned here yet and therefore still haven't added every ToonTown-branded figure to it (and neither to the character pages, the currently existing wikilinks just to go their broader toy sections for now), but hopefully this is a good start. Would love to see your contributions to this page, if you have any to give! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:09, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::Update, the remaining ToonTown toys and merchandise that I could find has also been added. Turn out to be a shorter affair than expected! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:53, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:::Thank you for setting this up so quickly! I am doing my best to state very clearly that these might or might not be legit, that if they're knockoffs they aren't like your typical ones... The last thing I'd ever want would be for this wiki to give people the sense that fake stuff was real, but we can present the nebulous case and leave it to readers to judge. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 10:58, 8 May 2025 (EDT)
::::All good! This is just such an interesting case that it does really feel like it needs to be in the wiki insofar as we don't know whether or not they're fake. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:07, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::Hey, Google Lens led me to the discovery of another ToonTown oddity and I'd love some community help in finding out more about it before it's added into the article: [https://m.blog.naver.com/eoiipp/130144214329 This Optimus Prime model kit] doesn't appear to be based on any Kabaya / Transformers Gum kit that I know of (and the Transformers Gum section on the Optimus merchandise page says that his ToonTown kit comes as a pack-in with Starscream rather than being a standalone like this one), and in fact; he actually looks to be fairly sizable and complex compared to the usual Kabaya affair. On [https://m.totoy.com/product/%EB%AF%B8%EB%8B%B4%EC%82%B0%EC%97%85-%ED%8A%B8%EB%9E%9C%EC%8A%A4%ED%8F%AC%EB%A8%B8-g2-%EB%A1%9C%EB%B4%87-%ED%8A%B8%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%BC%EB%9F%AC-%EC%98%B5%ED%8B%B0%EB%A8%B8%EC%8A%A4-%ED%94%84%EB%9D%BC%EC%9E%84/5333/ this listing] for the same kit, you can zoom in and see what seems to be the usual ToonTown / 3D Licensing International markings, but most importantly; both of those links identify him as being made by a company called "Midam Industry" which even seems to have its own unique logo on the upper right corner of the toys (albeit it's pretty difficult to make out with how low-res all these pictures are), but that I can't find anything about them on the web. Does anyone know more about this Midam Industry Optimus, as well as maybe potentially being aware of other kits from the same series? Cheers! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 16:46, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:::After searching for a little while, I believe that this is, in fact, the only Transformers kit released by Midam Industry (although it has a handful of variants!), thus; it - as well as a Midam Industry entry - has been added to their respective pages. I've taken the liberty to classify it as a toy rather than a piece of merchandise since it is, for the standards of a Transformers model kit, actually a fairly elaborate and fully-transforming model that doesn't really seem to count as "merchandise" in the same way that Transformers Gum stuff does (it doesn't even come with any food!) - hopefully others will be in agreement on this. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:16, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::::And, just as I thought I was done with editing the ToonTown page for the day, I realized that the packaging for these kits advertises other kits, even though no pictures of those seem to be available. Aw well, duty calls... ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:31, 8 May 2025 (EDT))

== Proposing a "The Transformers (Latin American toylines)" page ==
So the title is self-explanatory, but basically; I've noticed that our Generation 1 navbox is missing the many, many Latin American Transformers G1 toylines like those produced by [[Estrela]], [[Antex]], [[Lynsa]], [[IGA]], etc. Since there might be way too many for them to all to be individually listed in the navbox, and since we already have the "[[The Transformers (toyline)]]" (for the US toyline), "[[The Transformers (European toyline)]]", "[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1 (Japanese toyline)]]", and "[[The Transformers (Chinese toyline)]]" pages all on the navbox, shouldn't we also make a "The Transformers (Latin American toylines)" page where we list all of the known releases from the various Latin American toylines, with the eventual addition of some "Main article" tags for the manufacturers of each of those toylines? ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:49, 24 April 2025 (EDT))
:I don't think the toyline or name was consistent across Latin America, so it would be more "Generation 1 toylines in Latin America"?
::That's fair, it is true that most of them removed the 'The' prefix and were usually just called ''Transformers''. Since we don't use the ''The Transformers'' name for the Japanese toyline page then it does make sense to also not use it in this instance. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:33, 24 April 2025 (EDT))
:[[Generation 1 toylines in Latin America|Page has been made!]] ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 17:17, 25 April 2025 (EDT))

== Free Comic Book Day Worst Bot Ever preview ==

I know it’s standard procedure not to create articles for comic issues until the issue actually comes out, even if a small preview is officially released online. But I’m wondering if the Ballpoint preview issue should be an exception? It is just the online page preview Skybound put out a few months ago (I believe with a couple new pages), but since it is an officially released physical comic issue that new fans will be picking up and wanting to research, I figure there’s an argument to create the article now with what we know and simply update it when the graphic novel proper comes out. For now, the article would cover what’s in the FCBD issue, and when it comes out proper we’d add to/replace it with a full synopsis and include a note about how the first 16 pages were released on FCBD. Thoughts? [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 16:58, 3 May 2025 (EDT)

== Shattered Glass and cross-continuity-family pages ==

Felt like this was worth being discussed in its own section, so: at present, [[Unicron]], [[Primus]] and [[Alpha Trion]] all have dedicated "Shattered Glass" subpages suited out. They're unique in this respect; every other page for concepts that span multiple continuity families keep the Shattered Glass versions on the same page as everything else. A good example is [[Spark]]; even though Embers have a different name and are supposedly fundamentally different in the mirror universe, they still share a page. If we're going to treat Unicron, Primus and the Thirteen like cross-continuity concepts, rather than how we treat most characters, then I don't think we should make an exception to that for Shattered Glass.

To be clear, '''this is NOT proposing that we merge all Shattered Glass characters into their G1 counterparts'''. My position is that Shattered Glass is its own continuity family, and so we keep their pages separate, and I don't think there's something special about Shattered Glass that makes it an exception to what we're doing with the cross-continuity pages. Input would be appreciated. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:52, 14 May 2025 (EDT)
: I agree. Especially because Primus and Unicron have about a paragraph's worth of information on them each. [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 18:21, 14 May 2025 (EDT)
: SG is different enough that the character pages should be separated somehow. Otherwise it’d be jarring for those unfamiliar with SG to have the one batshit crazy evil Alpha Trion in and amongst all the nice ones. Personally, I’m on the same boat as Sabrblade back up in the Thirteen discussion from a few months ago. I think suite pages are a useful tool, not a necessary evil. It’s somewhat subjective, but I can see suite pages used in this way for other cross-continuity concepts where one universe diverges far enough from the norm. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 18:49, 15 May 2025 (EDT)
::Moreso than one crazy evil [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]] in and among all the nice ones? I don't think you're giving readers enough credit, frankly. If we opened the section "In one mirror universe, Alpha Trion was not a kindly mentor, but a cruel manipulator" I don't think anyone would think twice. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:25, 15 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Touché. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:04, 16 May 2025 (EDT)
:I was waiting to weigh in until the Alpha Trion merge was fully complete, but I now feel comfortable saying this strikes me as basically reasonable, both conceptually and in terms of the small volume of material involved. The Fallen's [[The Fallen#Shattered Glass|''Shattered Glass'' content]] is already folded into his main page by necessity, after all. I do think people might feel less skittish if we more clearly telegraphed that the 13+2 were unique character/concept article hybrids not to be used as precedent down the food chain. Maybe something like:
::* Category:Concept-Characters
::*With a description like, "These subjects act as facets of the ''Transformers'' brand's baseline worldbuilding first and characters in their own right second. For the defunct fictional concept riffing on this phenomenon, see [[multiversal singularity]]."
:Is that anything? --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 18:20, 26 May 2025 (EDT)
::I like that idea. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 20:52, 26 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Seems like an excellent idea to me! --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 00:07, 27 May 2025 (EDT)
::::Yeah, seems alright for now. However, I do think it's worth having some kind of plan in place in case a concept-character winds up getting expanded on in the future. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 04:50, 2 June 2025 (EDT)
::::: I do like the category idea. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 18:51, 5 June 2025 (EDT)
Last call for objections before I go ahead with this? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:01, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:I think there's an exception to be made for Alpha Trion, as the SG page is pretty long, and still incomplete, but otherwise, yeah; was surprised by how short SG Primus and Unicron's articles are. [[User:Alientraveller|Alientraveller]] ([[User talk:Alientraveller|talk]]) 16:24, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:: It's not very long compared to the rest of the page, especially considering the toys are already on Trion's toys page. I feel like if we were gonna split a section off for length reasons it'd be Generation 1. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 20:55, 12 June 2025 (EDT)

== Interwiki link request ==

Having reached another milestone in my ongoing project to document the non-''Transformers'' [[back-up strips]] printed in the Marvel UK book, I'd like to request that tfuk.app (<tt><nowiki>https://tfuk.app/wiki/$1</nowiki></tt>) gets added to the interwiki table. Thanks. [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 11:11, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
:Goddamn, this is an incredible amount of work: more than being added to the interwiki table, it frankly feels worthy of being pinned into the "sister wikis" section on the opening page. Great job! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 12:08, 20 May 2025 (EDT))
::Seconding Fortress on front page sister wiki status, frankly. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 12:31, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Thirded on adding it to the sister wikis list, that’s amazing. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 16:07, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Fourthing! -- [[User:DannyBoy|DannyBoy]] ([[User talk:DannyBoy|talk]]) 10:19, 21 May 2025 (EDT)
:That seems eminently reasonable: [[tfuk:Main Page|The Transformers UK Appendix]] --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:15, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you! [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 17:32, 20 May 2025 (EDT)

== Skybound’s Marvel compendium edits ==

So I’ve got Skybound’s [[The Transformers Compendium Volume 1]] in hand and am reading it. I was under the impression that Skybound was, for the most part, just using IDW’s Classics reprint with maybe some polish here and there, but comparing Skybound’s version to the wiki notes about IDW classics edits, there are actually several changes from those that are going to need to be noted on each issue’s article. (For instance, the Wheeljack/Hoist panel comparison on [[I, Robot-Master!]] has a new color scheme to add to it.) Are we gonna want to make a new section on each article underneath the “Classics edits” one? Are we gonna want to wait until the Kickstarter-exclusive versions come out so we can do it all at once? (I’m just talking about differences I’ve noticed while ''skimming'' articles; I imagine there are lots more. This is the first time I’ve read the comic and thus I don’t have originals/IDW reprints to directly compare to. Just something I wanted to bring to your guys’ attention.) [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:04, 1 June 2025 (EDT)
:Making a new section under "Classics Edits" seems like the best move. As for the second question, I feel it would be best if we started making note of the changes now so that there will be less work to when the Kickstarter exclusives do release. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 04:58, 2 June 2025 (EDT)

== Continuity of origin listings? ==
I happened to see the [[Sentius Magnus]] and [[Sentius Malus]], and that sent me looking to see if there were any other new characters unique to [[Transformers: Earth Wars|Earth Wars]]. When I couldn't find any such listing, I realized I don't think we have any real way to identify original characters by their original continuity. Might it make sense to have, say, categories for brand-new characters that originated in each continuity? i.e. "Earth Wars original characters" or "IDW 2005 original characters" or "Marvel comics original characters", etc? Or, if not categories, some way of compiling that information?<br>Also, to be clear, I wouldn't consider characters that began as toys to be original to whatever fiction they first appeared in; this would just be for the likes of the aforementioned Sentius twins, or [[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]], or [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]], or [[Tarn (G1)|Tarn]]. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 06:29, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
:I think that would be a good idea, and very helpful organization-wise. (Also, you’re correct in that there are no other TFEW-original characters beyond maybe SB Optimus Prime and SB Megatron.) - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 09:09, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
: I feel that would be unnecessary, fans can find it out by looking at the work page. [[User:Vrung|Vrung]] ([[User talk:Vrung|talk]]) 16:53, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
::Unless there's a way I missed, the only way to "figure it out" by looking at the work page is to individually check the pages for every single listed character appearance to see if they've ever appeared anywhere else. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 20:33, 16 June 2025 (EDT)

==Concept characters and sorting by continuity family==
Based on discussions above, I've implemented [[:Category:Deep lore characters|Category:Concept characters]] to cover things like the Thirteen and Primus and Unicron. However, I've noticed that these pages seem to have been rearranged so they aren't sorted by continuity family, except in the case of the movie and Aligned families? I gather that it's to "preserve the flow of conceptual development", but that seems silly when we have "conceputal history" sections on the relevant characters. Other concept pages (e.g. [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] are sorted by family, so this just seems unintuitive. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 19:49, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:I agree; we've always tried to sort concepts and ideas by continuity family and it's more confusing if we start arbitrarily enforcing this standard on some pages but not on others. [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 20:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::I concur that how we've been organizing big pages like this by continuity family makes sense, especially if they have "Conceptual history" sections. Like, it's weird to jump around from a G1 section, to a Beast Era section, to a UT section, and then back to a G1 section, then to a Movie section, then Aligned, then back to another G1, then back to another Movie, then back to G1 again, then Cyberverse, then G1 again, then another Movie, and so forth. Just let the "Conceptual history" sections do their job. And if there isn't one, then, well... why not make one? They only ''enhance'' each article that has one. I'd say an article like "[[Cybertron (planet)]]" could definitely benefit from a good "Conceptual history" section of its own. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 20:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:::Agreed on all fronts. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:20, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
I think if we're going to have cross-continuity pages for whatever reason, because the "continuity family" thing isn't working... why then organize the pages that way? "G1 continuity family" is a unit of wiki organization, not a Real Thing either narratively or creatively, unlike Aligned or Movieverse. That feels like trying to have our cake and eat it—either we're organizing things by continuity family or we aren't. IDW Megatronus is more linked to Aligned Megatronus than Dreamwave Fallen. Why does it make sense to put IDW and Dreamwave together in terms of the character? Forget arbitrary wiki categorization for a minute and ask what's the intended throughline there. Are we presenting the character's evolution in a logical way or are we simply sticking to continuity families because arbitrary wiki organization? (Also an excessive amount of tiny headers as you force them all down one level looks awful.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 21:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:I don't buy that "movieverse" is any less arbitrary than "G1 continuity family". None of the Alpha Trion entries sorted under "movie continuity family" have anything to do with each other. I would argue that using continuity families for these pages provides a reasonable measure of organisation to make it easier to find specific fiction entries rather than having to scroll through the entire history of the character. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:19, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::Not to beat the dead horse, but that's why we had separate pages in the first place. Movieverse fiction uses the movies as the fundamental springing board for their narrative (and is especially relevant to the Fallen). G1 does not have that and is purely organized by aesthetics and convenience. Why are Cyberverse, EarthSpark, and Wild King not "G1" while IDW1 is? Arbitrary convenience. Which is fine, but it still drills in the point that it's not a meaningful categorization narratively or creatively, especially if we're going to eschew it at the article level regardless. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 21:51, 18 June 2025 (EDT
:::I simply think we should be consistent about how we sort fiction sections within "concept" articles. To use [[Cybertron (planet)]] as an example again, should we no longer organise the fiction entries on that page by continuity family? If you think so, fine, but I think that's a poor idea. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:55, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::::That page seems to eschew the Fiction header in the first place (which does take care of my tiny header complaint, I suppose), so it's not quite consistent to begin with. But I don't really consider location and character pages to have the same considerations; Cybertron is pretty much the same across all continuities (backstory varies, yes, but mechanical homeworld of the Transformers is always the status quo) while characters are always shifting, changing, and bringing forward new ideas into next iterations. (Gun to my head, yes, I would prefer chronological, but planet articles are not a priority to me.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:09, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:::::Right, but the thing about the Thirteen et al is that they ''don't'' have the same considerations as other characters, so we treat them the same as other cross-continuity concept articles. I don't think they should have their own unique format that's the only thing on the wiki that ''completely'' eschews continuity families for organisation. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:59, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
Two questions: 1. Are we talking about just the organization of Thirteen/Primus/Unicron pages or across the board, new standard for all pages? 2. For either side (organize by continuity family vs organize by chronology/release date), are there examples of pages with either formatting that can serve as proof of concepts or visuals that show why that specific way is the better one? [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 21:15, 18 June 2025 (EDT)

Bit of an aside but is there a different or more distinct category name we could use? For me and most tf fans I know "Concept characters" brings to mind "concept art" characters, aka unused designs and the like. I think renaming it to "Cross-continuity concept characters" or something similar would make it clearer. —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 22:39, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:That would be fine by me, yeah. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:59, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::Yeah, this was the problem that jumped out at me when I first saw the term proposed. Some other suggestions: continuity-agnostic, pan-continuity, meta-continuity, conceptual, lore, mythological, cosmological, multiversal, archetypal, foundational. I don't have a strong preference, just throwing these out there. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 12:54, 19 June 2025 (EDT)
:::conceptual, lore, and mythological feel a bit too... intangible ig? multiversal is way too close to multiversal singularity imo. I'd say continuity-agnostic, pan-continuity or meta-continuity would all be good. (personally leaning towards meta-continuity) [[User:Arren1234|--Arren Meuchel]] ([[User talk:Arren1234|talk]]) 14:41, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

I'm definitely sympathetic towards [[User:Saix|Saix]] with regards to this specific change. The Thirteen are pretty much the tentpole for the "aligned" worldbuilding which pretty much marked the ''end'' of continuity families in the traditional sense, from a creative perspective at Hasbro (not that the concept was one they were considering to begin with). As he says, everything is G1 now, IDW is aligned, ''Cyberverse'' is IDW, and so on. After consideration I prefer the way he's laid it out. ''However'', there's also obviously an argument to be made from a wiki-consistency standpoint, and I want to state for the record that I don't think such a major reorganisation of those pages' contents should have been implemented without a consensus being reached on talkpages ''first''. This should have been a sandboxed proposal, not just something that was done hoping nobody would notice or care enough to raise an objection themselves. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 12:54, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

I apologize if I'm a bit off-base here, since I haven't been following these discussions as closely as some, but it seems to me that there are fundamentally two different things that are being presented here: the evolution of the character concept, and the actual fictional history of the various iterations of the character. If that's the case, wouldn't a good solution be to make a separate section for the former while continuing to organize the latter by continuity family like every other page? -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 14:57, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

== Commentary trivia ==

Something I find a bit sad is commentary sounding Trivia having to be deleted from episode pages. Those are funny and can be interesting to see, shame they also hog space. Can there be a middle ground where I cam dump them into, say, wild king episodes Synopsis without sounding...unprofessional? (Because the commentary is one of the best parts of some episode descriptions...)[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 00:02, 3 July 2025 (EDT)

== Mentioned characters ==

Something I did back when I was revamping our coverage of the BotCon/Club stuff was add a "mentioned characters" section to the notes; for examples, see [[Cybertron's Most Wanted]], [[Gone Too Far]], and other stories linked to on the [[Transformers Timelines (fiction)]] page. It's something that we lack on other pages, and I think that it's worth implementing; in particular, when looking through some of James Roberts' work recently for a side project, I was struck by how often characters that otherwise never appear on page are mentioned. What I wanna propose is adding something like to this our media pages in general.

The Problem: I think that the benefits speak for themselves, but it does also come against the fact that we have hundreds (if not thousands) of episodes/comics/other media by this point, and that it's going to be a non-trivial amount of work getting this up to speed. For that reason, I don't really think a template is the best way to go about, especially if they're going to be sitting empty until someone goes back to read those comics or rewatch that episode or whatever. What I do think might be worth considering is that we add in something about doing it for media pages in their notes section here on out, so that we can have a headstart on at least the currently published stuff; once it becomes something feasible for a template on various pages, then I think we can revisit that idea. For my end, I've been contemplating a re-read of the comics for a few years now, and I'm more than happy to add stuff over the time I do that.

If anyone has any suggestions or comments, please respond here. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 10:22, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
:I always liked how Wookieepedia lists every proper noun in "Appearances" sections ([https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Episode_V_The_Empire_Strikes_Back#Appearances example]). I think this concept should expand to include locations, weapons, et al.—basically everything we would make a page for. Yes, it's work to add stuff, but that's editing. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 10:32, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
::That sounds like something that could be pretty beneficial information-wise, even if it’s a lot of work. I can definitely start doing something like it for my ''Earth Wars'' write-ups as I go through the event stories. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 10:49, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
:I definitely remember thinking—back when you were regularly working on the Fun Publications pages—that your exhaustive approach to filling out the notes sections with mentioned characters and concepts was ''really useful'', but that it could stand to be formalised in some way. As you say, it'd be a huge amount of work to bring articles for even the most popular stories up to that standard. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 11:20, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
::I agree this is something it would be valuable to do going forwards. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]])

== Plagiarism on the other site ==
Basically every EarthSpark character page on the other site is a copy-paste of our own. Some of Cyberverse too. Do we care about this? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 09:34, 11 July 2025 (EDT)
:I think the important first question is whether there's any attribution (though I assume the answer will be no). -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 15:53, 11 July 2025 (EDT)
::As in, "this was written by TFWiki" or "this is a unique article we here at Fandom invented"? We can see which users have been doing the copy-pasting. There's one in particular who pasted in Earthspark content (just choose a character), another who has been doing some weapons (i.e. [[Electro-scrambler]]). I know full well that fan wikis tend to get copied, so if our position is to simply disregard everything Fandom does, we can stick to that. But their site has, supposedly, had a black-and-white policy dating right back to the split that copying from us is not allowed. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 08:29, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
:::I think it could be to try and make the fandom wikis page look as good the pages here are. I confess, I did the same to bulbapedia and the fandom pokemon wiki.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 13:12, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
:::I see no reason to not make a stink about it to whatever passes for admin there. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 13:14, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
::::Thylacine - According to CC BY-SA 3.0, they are free to copy our material as long as they provide credit that it was copied from us. If they ''don't'' do that, and I'm very much assuming they don't, then we should absolutely raise hell about it, as M Sipher suggests.
::::As an example, after Wowpedia moved to wiki.gg and became Warcraft Wiki, Fandom put a blanket ban on linking to wiki.gg (for bullshit reasons) and so we've been aggressively deleting any Wowpedia pages that were copied from us because they are functionally unable to provide proper attribution and their staff fucked up and never depowered one of our admins. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 14:31, 13 July 2025 (EDT)a
:::::They are definitely not providing any credit, and they also still have ''as their very first listed policy'' "no copying from Wikipedia or TFWiki." transformers dot fandom dot com/wiki/Transformers_Wiki:Policies#Plagiarism --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 16:29, 13 July 2025 (EDT)

Their site lists four admins, of whom two are obviously long retired. One who was last active in May is the source of some of the plagiarism, and also showed themself to be unresponsive to multiple direct questions posted on their wall by Fandom higher-ups. That leaves the one who was last active in June. I wrote that one a message summarizing all this as best I can, bearing in mind that systematically comparing pages on some other peoples' wiki is not at all something I am interested in doing. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 10:02, 14 July 2025 (EDT)
:Honestly, failing any response from their admins (which I will imagine will be the case), I think anyone happening to spot plagiarised material can happily just go ahead and delete it on the spot, citing their own policy of not copying from TFWiki. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 10:11, 14 July 2025 (EDT)
::A response: transformers dot fandom dot com/wiki/Message_Wall:Moviejunkie2009

::I msged the other suggested admins, no response. I did NOT msg the suggested Fandom "community manager" because they have no reason to help us, if anything I expect their response would be to simply erase the relict, circa-2008 anti-plagiarism policy that the current community knows nothing about.

::I do ''not'' enjoy scanning their New Articles page every day and maxing out my allowed daily edits by blanking the neverending incoming pasted pages. I am going to stop doing this. It pisses me off that a zero-effort community can ignore its own rules and steal our work, but it feels even worse to compulsively devote my free time to marginally cleaning up a zero-effort community's messes. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 20:07, 17 July 2025 (EDT)

== The General commercial with Bumblebee and Shaq ==

I think we should have information on this commercial for The General with Bumblebee and Shaq:

https://tformers.com/watch-bumblebee-shaq-acting-up-in-new-the-general-insurance-spot/55134/news.html
--[[User:John Pannozzi|John Pannozzi]] ([[User talk:John Pannozzi|talk]]) 13:11, 26 July 2025 (EDT)

== Maintenance heads up ==

Just to let everyone know, I'm going to take the site offline temporarily in about an hour for maintenance. Should not be offline for too long, hopefully. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 02:24, 29 August 2025 (EDT)
:And we're back. Thank you for your patience.--[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 03:43, 29 August 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you for your work, abates! [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 03:53, 29 August 2025 (EDT)

== Coverage idea ==

We should add a "Major events" section to the episode articles. It helps keep track of events alongside continuity notes and could help finding specific episodes better.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 19:07, 16 September 2025 (EDT)
:Struggling to picture what exactly that would look like. --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 15:07, 17 September 2025 (EDT)
::Like a Major Events header, then the body text is any important Events that happen in the episode. (E.g. Darkest Hour in TFP: The autobot base is destroyed)[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 01:38, 13 October 2025 (EDT)
:::Perhaps you could put together an example on a sandbox page? [[User:Omegatron|Omegatron]] ([[User talk:Omegatron|talk]]) 06:55, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
::::Uh, idk how to make sandboxes. There are examples over on Bulbapedia though, so that should give a rough idea on what im suggesting. [[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 08:02, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::https://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:Poliwag06/Sandbox [[User:Omegatron|Omegatron]] ([[User talk:Omegatron|talk]]) 09:55, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::: I think this works for something like Bulbapedia because Pokemon is a pretty episodic 1000 episode anime with a set of regular events that it's useful to track (X caught / traded / lost a Pokemon / gym battle), whereas Transformers doesn't really work the same way? And things similar to that are already tracked in the trivia notes (the Alchemor prisoner manifest) or kinda fall into listicles which aren't popular (ie who used Cyber Keys that episode, what mini-cons were collected). Trying to qualify what counts as a "major event" outside of, say, "Character debuts / final appearances", which are also already in the trivia notes for for some series (definitely Animated, maybe others), especially in plot terms, feels difficult and liable to cruft and for people to just read the headline of the article. [[User:AkibaSilver|AkibaSilver]] ([[User talk:AkibaSilver|talk]]) 18:01, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::::Yeah, the notes already serve as a pseudo-"major events" section with all the stuff you just named, and if you were to look for anything else to add you’d probably end up with something that has so many details it may as well just be the synopsis. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 20:53, 14 October 2025 (EDT)

== Overview of pre-TF page ==
Hey, just posting here to provide a wiki-wide notification of sorts that I started an "Overview" section on the [[Pre-Transformers]] page and it's in dire need of some chunks of summarized information primarily regarding Diaclone and Micro Change and their respective Transformers localizations, as per the various stub markers left in specific sections. It feels like that page has been needing a proper written history of pre-TFs for a while now, so if anyone could help me fill it out then I'd be glad! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:14, 12 October 2025 (EDT))
:I'll see about taking a crack at the Diaclone bits as I can. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 00:37, 13 October 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you for volunteering, and wow, I had no idea about [[Horloge Robot]]: his page has now been made! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 05:06, 13 October 2025 (EDT))
:::Wahey, thank you! As you can imagine I'd been meaning to get around to that for ages. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 12:45, 13 October 2025 (EDT)

== Overgear continuity ==
Maybe I'm asking this question a bit too early since we only have a vague premise and prototype images for [[Transformers Overgear]], but... Should we archive the figures released underneath it under their characters' G1 pages (when applicable) as it is usually done with odd Takara releases, or should they get entirely new pages instead? This feels like a toyline with a very distinct concept from most other regular ''Transformers'' assortments, so I'm frankly leaning on the latter. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:27, 16 October 2025 (EDT))
:It’s probably too early. And jumping the gun has bitten us in the ass before. Remember [[Cliffjumper (Yolopark)|Ladybug?]] [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 12:40, 17 October 2025 (EDT)

== Proposing a comedic category for fraud ==

Given the ongoing hubhub over the probable scammers who call themselves [[Mbilia Studios]], how about we make up a "Category:Fraud" or "Category:Fraudsters" like we have "Category:Things that don't exist"? Pat Lee and Dreamwave Productions come to mind as possible members for such a wiki category. [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 08:22, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:I see where you’re coming from but it also would be a massive vandal magnet. [[User:Hyperious|Hyperious]] ([[User talk:Hyperious|talk]]) 08:35, 4 November 2025 (EST)

::that also sounds legally actionable in a way the wiki probably doesn't want to deal with. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] ([[User talk:Hooper X|talk]]) 10:14, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:::Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeah nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooo let's not. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 14:01, 4 November 2025 (EST)
::::Sounds like a bad idea to me as well... - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 16:52, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:Joining in to say that yeah, I also agree that this is a bad idea. But I do think that the Mbilia Studios page needs a Controversy section at the very least, the Trivia portion is ridiculously cluttered and it feels like a lot of it would be more comfortably read as just part of a standard couple of paragraphs. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 07:45, 12 November 2025 (EST))
::Agreed. I don't think we need that much detailing of how bad the AI video is. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:19, 12 November 2025 (EST)

== Binder of Revelation Illustration Credits ==
Okay, don't kill me here, I'm just hoping that the artists who contributed to the Binder fifteen-ish years ago get their proper due since it's out in the open now. I got in touch with the art director of the Binder of Revelation and have a fairly complete list of credits for who did what illustration. Since this isn't actually a published work, how do we go about giving proper illustration credits? Do we even credit anyone? Considering the document itself has no credits, I feel like it's worthwhile that the artists get recognized, even if we aren't putting any images up ourselves. [[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 21:37, 25 November 2025 (EST)
:I don't think this is objectionable info to note at the least. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 23:03, 25 November 2025 (EST)
::For now, maybe put your raw info on a sandbox so we can get a better sense of it? Most of the Binder art I know of was by Ken Christiansen, for instance, so if all but a few pieces are by him, it would seem silly to list them all individually. But I'm guessing it's more varied than that. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 00:26, 26 November 2025 (EST)
:::It's a pretty wide spread, surprisingly. A lot of the pieces are tag team works where Eric Siebenaler did roughs and other artists did the finals, but it's around 5-10 artists without me checking the exact notes at the moment. I'll start getting that together.[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 14:41, 26 November 2025 (EST)
::::All known credits added. On a side note, is it worth pointing out somewhere that the Binder itself is written in the style of a RPG manual instead of an actual franchise bible? It goes a long way in explaining why it was so quickly disregarded by other creative teams when comparing it to bibles from other franchises or just other series bibles within Transformers on the whole, and the pricetag attached to the project.--[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 15:23, 21 January 2026 (EST)

== What are we calling the new "Core" Transformers stuff? ==

So... what should we call the new generically branded "Transformers" toys that have been showing up? (Prime Changers, Smash Changers, Tiny Turbo Changers, maybe more in the future). Should it be a separate new thing or maybe part of [[Transformers Authentics|''Authentics'']]? The Prime Changer [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Authentics|Optimus]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Authentics|Bumbleebee]], and [[Megatron (G1)/toys#PrimeChanger|Megatron]] were previously added under ''Authentics'', while someone just started using "Transformers (2026)" for the Tiny Turbo [[Arcee (G1)/toys#Tiny Turbo Changers|Arcee]] and [[Elita One (G1)#Tiny Turbo Changers|Elita]], which got me thinking that we should probably figure this out soon.<br>From what I've gathered they all use "TRA Core" in their listing names, but their packaging design seems identical to current ''Authentics'' packaging design, also lacking a distinct subtitle and focusing on "Evergreen" characters to start off. Then again, Hasbro homogenizing all their packaging designs in the last year makes it hard to tell if this line is meant to be its own thing. Though it is notable that unlike prior ''Authentics'', this "Core" line is using bigger size classes and is available at bigger retailers like Target instead of dollar stores. –[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:24, 13 January 2026 (EST)

:I was JUST adding a section here and rather than rewriting...<br>
:Okay just kinda checking in, because thanks to Hasbro's goddamn infuriating thing about not promoting/announcing anything other than the expensive collector crap, the load of sub-line-less not-''Authentics'' "Core" stuff hitting Targets (at least, has anything popped up at Walmart?) is a bit of a "how do we handle this" deal. Both "how much product is there" and "do we treat this as a separate line, as an extension of Authentics despite it not being a 'discount' store line, or what". I'm leaning towards "just list it as its own line with G1 characters unless pretty explicitly otherwise". --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 18:30, 13 January 2026 (EST)
::Oh right, Walmart. Off memory they do have the ''Authentics''-styled [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#MegaSting|Mega Sting Bumbleebee]] (could also be considered a "larger price point" I guess). No clue if any listings gave it a separate name like "Core" has. Walmart also has a bunch of merch stuff in ''Authentics''-style packaging like big head helicopters, Dancing Transformers and a giant RC Bumblebee. –[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:57, 13 January 2026 (EST)

== Size of the page again ==

This page is getting pretty long again, so could someone archive the last year? [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 12:03, 22 January 2026 (EST)

== Idea for a page? ==

Perhaps a page discussing the various Transformers that have "base modes" as a third form, like Powermaster Prime, Motormaster, etc. It's a major recurring gimmick since G1. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 09:09, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:I think a general "[[base mode]]" article would make sense, yeah. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 10:19, 30 January 2026 (EST)
::seconded. frankly shocked to learn there isn't one already --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 11:58, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:::I think base modes lend themselves better to a category page rather than a full-blown article. What would it even say? “Some Transformers have Base Modes. Here’s a list of all the toys, here’s a list of all the episodes/issues where a base mode appeared.” [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 16:51, 4 February 2026 (EST)
::::I don't see why not. We have articles specifically for [[Beast mode]], [[Super Mode]], [[attack mode]], and [[transportation mode]]. For such a prominent feature of Transformers since its early days I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a specific write-up about city/base modes anywhere, and not even as single mention on the main [[alternate mode]] page. Closest I can find is [[Titan (group)#Alternate modes]]. —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:01, 4 February 2026 (EST)
:::::I attempted a [[User:MahXyme/Sandbox/Base Mode|sandbox for a Base Mode page]] long ago, but I stopped since I realized it would require an extensive amount of work to list all fiction usages & differentiate what counts/what does not count not (something I struggled with the [[Micromaster#The Transformers|Micromasters Transports]] assorments -[[User:MahXyme|MahXyme/MahXymal]] ([[User talk:MahXyme|talk]]) 17:53, 5 February 2026 (EST)
::::::Seems like a good start at least. I'd argue for listing "groups" of base modes (Micromaster Stations, Titans Return Leaders, etc.) rather than individual figures --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 20:36, 5 February 2026 (EST)

Agreed on the organizational aspects. And, that sandbox is a good start, though yeah, it'd need a lot of work to go through all the toylines and make a comprehensive list. There's also the fact that certain toys with base modes are intended to link to others, some universal and some just one specific bot, so it may be tricky to document when that play feature is prevelant. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 10:35, 18 February 2026 (EST)

==About character name translations==
Um... I'm new here. I have a question, and I'm not sure if this question falls under [[Help:Official info]]...

That is, I want to add the translated names of some characters. But I want to know what basis this wiki uses to choose foreign translations. Must the foreign translations be ones used by Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy and their licensees in order to remain on this wiki? Can some of the names translated by fan Chinese translation groups be considered valid? Especially in cases where they were the first to provide a translation for a work (possibly the only one) and fixed certain character names.

There are also some characters (such as [[Sentinel Maximus]]) whose works may never be introduced by licensors in certain languages, but they do have a commonly used translated name. Should we include this translated name, or just keep it without a translation in that language?

For example, when IDW comic books were introduced in China, the translation team at the time translated [[Tarn (G1)]] as '''璇玑湖'''. So this would count as an authorized translation. However, because this translated name has nothing to do with the original meaning (as well as some other controversies surrounding that Chinese translation group), the more common and widely used Chinese translation for [[Tarn (G1)]] is the direct transliteration '''塔恩'''. '''璇玑湖''' has basically been abandoned. In this case, which translation should we choose?

:I suddenly realized that 塔恩 could be used. The packaging of Blokees does indeed call him 塔恩.

Also, does the foreign name used in the product titles by the Hasbro official flagship store count?

Uh, this question might seem a bit silly, or it might come across as a bit strange because I'm speaking English through a translator. But if the existing Wiki rules already cover this issue, please just tell me, thank you.[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 10:18, 12 February 2026 (EST)
:This is a fantastic question. I have no authority here so don’t take this as word of law, but I believe that Romanizations on this wiki (which I think is somewhat similar) are case-by-case. The first romanization of [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] was “Deszarus”, but the page is still titled “Deathsaurus” because that’s what the name actually is supposed to be. (Deathsaurus’ name issues are actually pretty interesting, at least to me, and I’d recommend reading the wiki article’s section on it.) Conversely, [[Jallguar]] IS the first romanization used, and the article title, but in that instance I suppose that there isn’t really any convincing reason to use any of the other romanizations we’ve gotten over the years since none of them actually mean anything (it’s just the Japanese word for Jaguar with an extra syllable inserted). I’m rambling. What I would do for foreign names is, stick with the first official translation used, unless you think there’s a compelling reason to use a different one (like what you said with Tarn), and in that case bring it up on the discussion page for the article in question or in the Discord server. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:43, 15 February 2026 (EST)
::They need to be translations used in official material. That's just the easiest line in the sand we can make. If different translations are used officially, we note them all, barring obvious typos and the such. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:22, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:::Does the name used for the flagship store count? Those works that were not introduced have kept them without translations, right?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 06:52, 15 February 2026 (EST)

Some publications that contain many translations (such as the Chinese version of DW's MTMTE) I actually don't have the resources for, which is a pity.
I have come to realize some issues. For instance, if the translation team used a certain translation term when translating a publication, but later discovered that this term was incorrect, they made the correction in their subsequent fan-based translations. However, since the publication was not re-released after its introduction, the translation term in the authorized merchandise could not be modified. Can we adopt the revised translation term provided by this translation team?

There is another less rigorous question: Does THE translation given by the authorized Chinese translation and introduction team of Chris McFeely's TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS count?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 07:07, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:THE BASICS, while incredibly informative, is not official, so no, it would not count. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 15:52, 16 February 2026 (EST)
::I reiterate, official material only. Mistakes are unfortunate, but that's how it goes and we can't presume unofficial translations will make it into official material. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:42, 16 February 2026 (EST)
OK, I will do it this way. Strictly follow the official materials.

And one more question: Can the translation names used by Hasbro's official store be used in this Wiki?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 23:40, 16 February 2026 (EST)
:Material from Hasbro is fine. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 01:50, 17 February 2026 (EST)

== So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? ==

It made sense to keep them together when ''Legends'' first started as Jungle Animals in Decidedly Non-Jungle Situations, and this wasn't worth pursuing before now since it'd be just moving the furniture around. But the lore got deeper and now with ''New Legends'' as ongoing fiction I think it's worth looking at again. As much as Legends World is treated as its own dimension, it is fundamentally just a location easily accessible from the JG1 timeline populated with clones* of Transformers from the wider continuity that exists around it. And when we write pages for duplicate characters who co-exist, do we not typically split them off? If that's the yardstick, several Legends Worlders interact with or refer to their JG1 selves, including Rattrap, Rhinox, Waspinator, Arcee, and T-AI. Leo Prime even moves in with Lio Convoy, and keeping those same dudes on the same page is complicating the already complex timeline presented by "[[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|Age of Primes]]". — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 12:44, 3 March 2026 (EST)
<sub>*"clones" is a simpler term for these guys than "magically created lifeforms in a telepathic dream world based on real people from 300 years in the future" but same diff</sub>
:It's always been strange to me that they weren't split off already. Having them on the same page is extremely confusing. I'd say go for it. --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 12:57, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:Personally I think this might be overthinking things. I'd agree that it's not quite 1 to 1 with other cross dimension stuff, but functionally Legends Rattrap is a version of the Beast Wars character even if he is in this weird pocket dimension type thing, and ever single "native" to the dimension we see is basically just a comedic version of a pre-existing character. And we've always kept cross dimensional stories with versions of the same character on the same page (Universe, TransTech, et cetera). It makes things complicated, sure, but JG1 stuff has been like that for nearly two decades now. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 13:00, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::For my money, there's just ''so much'' with the Legends idiots now, and there's going to keep being more of it, so we'd be best off siloing them into their own pages <s>and not having to think about them any more</s>. Universe and TransTech stories that had the characters interacting were generally one-offs or short runs. This is a Cloud or Galvatron II situation, to me. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 13:45, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I am on the record as considering reader experience our prime directive and this would be such a drastic improvement to the readability of our coverage of the Legends rat's nest that I've been meaning to suggest it for years. Consider me emphatically in favor. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 20:12, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I think I'm also generally leaning towards "this is already complicated and it's just going to get more complicated so let's detangle this shit sooner rather than later." -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:19, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::Fine with this idea. Are we using Japanese names since those characters have never shown up in material with Hasbro names? [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:31, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::That feels unnecessarily pedantic. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:16, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::::One could make the argument that it's too steeped in Japanese fan culture/terminology to use the Hasbro names, but I really only care about the human characters having Japanese names (because they're normal people living in Tokyo and wouldn't be named things like "T-AI"). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::::Also, I think Roadbuster, Whirl, and Windblade can stay as they are, since all three are meant to be the main JG1 versions of those characters anyway. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:37, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::I'm theoretically in favour of Japanese names, since it would improve legibility of say, the time Rattle and Rattrap teamed up – and we're absolutely keeping Lio Convoy, since Leo Prime has gone through a textual name change – BUT: characters with toys, at least, had both the Japanese and Hasbro names on their packaging. It would be inconsistent to have Rattrap and Waspinator and Optimus Primal alongside Cheetus and — I can't think of another example, but I'm interrupting this train of thought because I CAN think of Optimus Minor being made Primal's son on the basis of Beast Convoy's western name. And how many minor guys like, I dunno, Build Boy, are named in dialogue? We could always title the article Wedge and slap a Noname-uncomfirmed on that bad boy like how we did with ''Shattered Glass'' in the distant past.
:::Also, what are we feeling is best for a disambig? (Legends)? (LG)? (LW)? — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:43, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Or we could go with the Kre-O approach of "major characters get their own pages, cameos don't" I GUESS — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:53, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Minor is only called "Minor" in Legends, so he wouldn't get the full name. I vote (Legends). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:::::I second the "(Legends)" motion. It's the name of the franchise these character debuted in, in the name of the world they live in, and it's one word. We don't put Masterforce characters at "MF", for instance, and "Legends" isn't even a compound word that ''could'' be abbreviated. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 16:32, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::::Doing a cursory sweep we appear to have already used "(Legends)" for a [[:Category:Transformers Legends episodes|bazillion mobile game events]] such that it might be prudent to avoid that one. My two cents would be to either use the "(LG)" abbreviation from the packaging/story titles/etc or straight up spell out "(Legends World)" for absolute maximum clarity. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 17:50, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::::I'm leaning towards LG: it's on every toy box and in the title of the vast majority of chapters. Plus, Deadlock uses it in-universe. And it's shorter! — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:::::::"Legends" is also spoken in-universe countless times all throughout the Legends manga series, even in the most recent End of G1 Universe comic starring the green Lio Convoy. The reason "LG" is on every toy box is because it's part of each toy's ID number, which we have never let dictate any of our disambiguation tags. Otherwise, we'd be using "(BT)" instead of "(Binaltech)", "(MP)" instead of "(Masterpiece)", "(UN)" instead of "(United)", "(TG)" instead of "(Generations)", "(TAV)" instead of "(Adventure)", "(PP)" for Power of the Primes instead of "(POTP)", "(SG)" instead of "(Siege)", "(TCV)" instead of "(Cyberverse)", "(ER)" instead of "(Earthrise)", "(KD)" instead of "(Kingdom)", "(TL)" instead of "(Legacy)", etc. That [[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends mobile game]] (which has been dead for over a decade, even) that "(Legends)" is currently being used for is a nonissue when "(Legends)" is ''also'' currently being used for things from the [[Transformers Legends (book)|Transformers Legends anthology book]], particularly [[Susan (Legends)]]. And "(Legends)" has already been in use for things from the Legends manga, too, like [[Groundshaker (Legends)]], [[Synapse (Legends)]], [[Duncan (Legends)]], and [[Plasma Energy Chamber (Legends)]]. It's no different from how we use "(RID)" for things from both the 2001 and 2025 franchises, "(Universe)" for things from both the 2003 and 2008 franchises, and "(Generations)" for things from both the pre-Combiner Wars toyline and from the series of Japanese guidebooks. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:37, 5 March 2026 (EST)
::::::::Yes, the principle was always "least disambiguation necessary for titles". A particular disambiguation is fine to be used by different things. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 02:13, 5 March 2026 (EST)
:::::::::Speaking personally I cannot say I am terribly invested in any specific disambig so if y'all feel that strongly about "(Legends)," so be it. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 15:00, 5 March 2026 (EST)
:Historically I've leaned more in the direction of "this feels like putting these dumb animals on too much of a pedestal", given the meta-importance that page splits tend to imply to the wiki's audience, ''but'' I find the "these are functionally clones who exist within JG1 continuity specifically, not just 'normal' alternate versions of the characters" framing pretty compelling, so I'm surprising myself by saying I wouldn't be opposed to a split at this point. Making stuff like multiple Lios Convoy interacting less insane to write about is definitely a bonus too. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:34, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::Oh, also, and I hope it would go without saying, but obviously the toys that technically represent Transformerised Legends World guys would need to go on both pages (which I think we're already doing anyway for cases like the Targetmasters that are actually technically Kiss Players and Beastformers and stuff). [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:41, 4 March 2026 (EST)

Thinking about it more, the Galvatron II example is more presuasive to me; a suite style situation would be fine. As for names, I don't really care about T-AI but for any of the Transformers I think that's a bit much. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 08:08, 4 March 2026 (EST)

Having gone through [[:Category:Legends World natives]] and [[:Category:Legends World humans]], if we apply the Kre-O Rule of Notability, that gives us the following:
*'''Split:''' Airazor, Arcee, Big Convoy, Bighorn, Blackarachnia, Cheetor, Dinobot, Lio Convoy, Lio Junior, Megatron, Nightscream, Optimus Minor, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Rhinox, Scorponok, Scuba, Scylla, Silverbolt, Stampy, Starscream, Tarantulas, Terrorsaur, Tigatron, Waspinator, Nightbeat, T-AI
*'''Lump:''' Roadbuster, Whirl, basically every real person making a cameo
*'''Small roles:''' Archadis, Armordillo, BB, Break, Bump, Colada, Diver, Drill Nuts, Gas Skunk, Guiledart, Heinrad, Ikard, Inferno, Longrack, Magmatron, Megastorm, Kobanzametarō, Prowl, Quickstrike, Rampage, Randy, Ravage, Saberback, Sling, Star Upper, Tasmania Kid, Transmutate, Venom, Wedge, Wolfang, Kelly, Kenneth Onishi, Koji Onishi
*'''TBD:''' Botanica (doesn't have a write-up yet), Buzz Saw (does not appear in JG1 elsewhere), Savage and Noble, Tank Drones (do we split subgroups?)
— [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 09:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:The Kre-O thing is because some characters (in fiction or toys) can't be exclusively slotted into G1 or movie buckets since they shift design cues between them. I think it's easier to just be consistent with the Legends gremlin people (other than real people cameos). Sensible to keep the sentient toys (Mini-Cons, Encore Big Convoy) and the three JG1 inductees (Roadbuster, Whirl, Windblade) on their respective character pages, I think. Like Wolfang/Howlinger, Buzz Saw exists in JG1 somewhere off-camera, since they got his toy. I don't think Tank Drone needs another page; it's a mass-produced bodytype that can cover instances across universes, not a specific person. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:19, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::I'm somewhere in the middle between "splitting them off the main article would help improve readability, yes," and "splitting them off entirely feels a bit too far since all of them are essentially just different versions of the main Beast Wars et al characters", so I think going the aforementioned route of suiting them would be the cleanest solution. Keeps them joined at the hip with the main versions that they're basically new versions of, while also giving them their own webpages to tidy up readability on the main pages. The Galvatron II analogy is very apropos in this case. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 10:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::Coming back to this with refreshed knowledge, Botanica is split, Buzz Saw is small roles (which is now also split), Savage and Noble are split both from Noble (BM) and from each other, and Rhinox/Tankor can go on the same page. — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)

So uh. I've come around on the split pages. However...I don't think completely removing any reference to them on the Beast Wars pages themselves is particularly helpful? Whether it be a suite or a "see this article for more information" I don't mind, but there should be some reference since like Sabrblade says, they are just comedic versions of the Beast Wars guys. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 07:37, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:Maybe do the disambiguation like this? [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 14:09, 6 March 2026 (EST) {{disambig3.5|the Beast Wars Maximal|his Legends World counterpart|Rattrap (Legends)|Rattrap}}

Alright, I've decided that for now I'm just going to add a note and a link mostly because I have little patience when it comes to formatting suite links. It's going to be along these lines:

{{note|Due to the unique nature of ''Legends'' place within JG1 continuity, we've opted to separate out this version of the character into its own micro-page. See [article link] for more details.}}

If anyone has any objections or comments, leave them below. Otherwise I'll just implement it tomorrow. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 19:28, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:I don't think this is necessary, but this can be phrased in-universe if we really need it. (<nowiki>"In the [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]]-created [[Legends World]], its [[Character (Legends)|Character]]'s existence formed based on Character."</nowiki> or something around that.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 19:55, 6 March 2026 (EST)
::Yeah, I like that much better. If nothing else it draws way less attention to itself. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:55, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:::Seconding Saix that this feels unnecessary, seconding Broadside that Saix's version is more straightforward if we must. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 22:12, 6 March 2026 (EST)
::::My thinking is that treating them as completely separate from the regular versions is not really accurate/a bit "inside baseball. Like I said at the start, they aren't quite the same as different counterparts from another universe, sure, but they are still very specifically comedic versions of the Beast Wars characters, down to the fact that they briefly turn into them late in the series. It's why I find the Galvatron II comparison more compelling for accessibility reasons (frankly, the main Galvatron article could also use a note explaining why he's separate too). As for the wording, again I think the in-universe thing is a bit inside baseball, and not clear immediately to users who have no idea what Legends is. If people have suggestions for a better way of wording a precise explanation, I'm all for it, but I still think the intent of my suggestion is more accessible to readers. I'm also still very open to suiting the articles, but I've always struggled with the way templates work, so if anyone else is up for the task, I'm all for it. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 22:27, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:::::If I'm being honest, I would prefer suites too, for all the reasons that have been given, and because the Legends World natives are stated by Leo Prime to be the "bunshin" (分身) of the normal BW characters, denoting an inherent connection between them: 君達レジェンズ世界のビースト市民は我らG1世界のビースト戦士の分身だ. 今こそ! その内なる野獣を全て呼び覚ますんだ. But if others feel that strongly enough against suites to overrule that preference, I can accept the little note proposal instead. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:01, 7 March 2026 (EST)
:For what it's worth, I'd planned to give Legends World headings to characters who exist fictionally in that world, [https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Rattrap_%28BW%29&diff=1899083&oldid=1898497 like so,] to cover their "fictional" appearances. — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 05:58, 7 March 2026 (EST)
::That was what I figured we would have as well in those cases; I know there's plenty of them who do show up fictionally or as toys just based on my memories. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 08:11, 7 March 2026 (EST)
:While attempting to get into the endgame metaphysical hooey connecting the Legends World natives to the Transformers of JG1 on every individual character article still feels like it would do more harm than good intelligibility-wise to me, I will say that after sitting with it a while I would not be opposed to making some kind of centralized "Legends World native" article laying it all out in detail and then linking out to it everywhere. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 16:13, 7 March 2026 (EST)
::I should clarify, my thinking is that there are bound to be users who will see images from the comics, recognize instinctively that they are comedy versions of the Beast Wars characters, and go to those pages and be confused why they aren't there. Yes, they could go to the disambiguation page, but I've always felt that we should optimize things for the least amount of clicking. What separates this from a Cloud type situation to me is that there are enough vagaries there that I understand the argument to split them out (the lore of that depiction of Cybertron, things like Grimlock's backstory); the Legends characters and a lot of the jokes around them exist solely in the context of either the JP Beast Wars and Beast Machines dubs (Silverbolt's depiction, Airazor and Nightscream's whole...thing, Depth Charge's fish gun thing being a character that can talk), or the BWII cartoon characters (Bighorn's infatuation with Scylla, Big Convoy being a teacher at a school as a comedic version of him as a military instructor). In-fiction, sure, they are kind of clones, but it's not the same thing as say, the Optimus Prime clone from the cartoon, because of the metaphysical stuff involved. I think that potentially presenting them as having no connection would not be fully honest. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 16:28, 7 March 2026 (EST)

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2026-03-07T13:11:15Z

Escargon: /* So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? */

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2026-03-07T03:29:28Z

Escargon: /* So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? */

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2026-03-07T03:27:08Z

Escargon: /* So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? */

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==The Thirteen and the other conversation we've been waiting for==

Over the last few years, the Thirteen have played a major role in multiple ''Transformers'' stories. However, this prominence—combined with Hasbro's increasingly loose approach their in-universe lore—has also led to increasingly divergent portrayals of the group and its individual members.

Around 2015, we took the step of consolidating all the different incarnations of the Thirteen on one page for each, with the rationale that the characters were former [[multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]], and mostly shared similar backstories and personalities between incarnations. However, even at the time, this was not a completely ideal comporomise. Most notably, the various [[Alpha Trion]]s were not consolidated into one, partly due to length and partly because the existence of his [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|murderously insane evil counterpart]] represented a massive contradiction to the entire notion.

However, over the years, multiple authors have drastically reinterpreted the Thirteen and their story. The role of "Thirteenth Prime" has been filled by multiple contradictory characters—[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], [[Zeta Prime (One)|Zeta Prime]], [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]—and individual depictions of the Primes themselves have grown increasingly divergent. "Shattered Glass" Alpha Trion is no longer the outlier, but rather an increasing trend: for instance, ''Transformers One'' features a completely heroic Megatronus who never becomes The Fallen, a Liege Maximo that looks nothing like Loki, and an incarnation of Nexus Prime that does not seem to be a combiner. With these data points in mind—and the potential for even further divergence in the coming years—I and several other editors feel that it may be time to reorganize our Thirteen coverage, splitting them out into individual [[continuity family]]-based incarnations the way we would for stock characters like [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]], [[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|Bumblebee]], etc.

However, if we do adopt this approach, some further problems would need to be solved.

* '''How do we handle toys?''' With a few exceptions like ''Revenge of the Fallen'' The Fallen, the toys of the Thirteen are clearly meant to be somewhat continuity-agnostic. ''Age of the Primes'' Solus Prime is about as faithful to her depiction in ''The Covenant of Primus'' as it is to ''One'' or any of the IDW comics in which she appears. Even if we count them as "repurposes" across multiple pages, the format of the wiki means they'd have to be based ''somewhere''...

* '''FunPub stuff''': The Vector Prime of "Ask Vector Prime" is clearly meant to be a version of the same Vector Prime who appeared in the ''Cybertron'' cartoon, but at the same time makes reference to off-camera events, such as a time when he and the Thirteen lived in Ancient Greece—would we make a separate "FunPub" page for the Thirteen, or try and work these events onto Unicron Trilogy pages when necessary? Other similar problems exist: "[[Coalescence]]" is a story that features a movie universe Fallen jumping into the world of ''Shattered Glass'', and AVP established that "The Evil One" of GoBots fame, is another alternate-universe incarnation of The Fallen/Megatronus.

Feedback on this proposal is appreciated! [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 11:50, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:From my point of view, I think as it stands right now my thoughts on the Thirteenth Prime stuff is that I absolutely understand the concerns, but for me personally it kind of falls into the same view as like, IDW Primus being Rung, which I think our current model handles fairly well. For the other Primes, I'm tempted to say that like...as it stands, there's about as much divergence there as like, Unicron as he's depicted in The Last Knight (not really shown to be aggressive beyond being called Cybertron's enemy), and as it stands right now, I don't think that's enough to say there should be a full-on split, but I do think it's worth thinking about future-proofing. And I suppose my main concern right now about pushing ahead too soon is in the event there's some fiction accompanying the Age of the Primes stuff; certainly, the fact that we're getting a toy of the Fallen with the Megatronus name but with the original Dreamwave design does make me hesitant that there might be some further consolidation of disparate elements; and I remember that last time we did this in the early 2010s was that we figured the idea of the Aligned Primes not having any connections to the others was going to be the standard going forward, which turned out not to be the case, and I figure it might be worth considering if something like that happens again. But! I am open to ideas of how to implement this if we do go for it; I think the suite options we have for Primus and Unicron work perfectly fine if we go for something like that. Just figure it's worth considering the stuff I've brought up here first. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 12:35, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::Right now, I'm leaning toward the camp of not splitting them out for all the reasons you've given. I look at our current situation and, while not perfect, I feel that things can be tidied up simply with some "Conceptual history" sections for the pages that need them. The aforementioned Vector Prime is a particular case not just for everything stated about him above, but because [[Vector Prime: In the Beginning|his very first Fub Pub appearance]] written by [[Forest Lee]] leans so heavily far into the multiversal aspect of the character that it doesn't treat him like he is a native to the Cybertron cartoon universe but rather to the whole multiverse itself. Similarly, Nexus Prime was also continuity-agnostic by his very nature from the ground up. The safest solution for splitting him out would be to classify his Fun Pub incarnation under "(Timelines)" (the previous "(Classics)" tag we had him under was bleh), but that's typically a last-resort tag we have tried to avoid in the past.
::Regarding The Fallen, while he does tend to be evil in a majority of his depictions, and has had a few outlier cases where he either didn't go bad at all (TF One) or was the victim of other's manipulations (Covenant), it's implied that the majority of those evil versions weren't always evil from the start, and only went bad later. The TF One version of Megatronus never turned to the dark side, but one could argue that he was murdered before he ever would have gotten the chance to. ;-)
::Regarding the Thirteenth Prime and various conflicting the depictions, we solved that issue by simply creating the "[[Thirteenth Prime]]" article to explain everything there.
::You mention the situation with Alpha Trion, and I get it. The biggest reasons for simply not merging all of his pages together were that A) he was never originally meant to be one of the Thirteen since the original Dreamwave-based lore for the Thirteen had them all die before A3 was even born, and B) his Shattered Glass self. I used to be a proponent for keeping all of his versions separate because of A, but in the time since then we've had more and more depictions of him as a 13er who were all still pretty much the same as his traditional pre-Aligned depictions. If we were to merge all of his versions together, a "Conceptual history" section for him could explain the whole "Sometimes he's a 13er, sometimes he's not" situation.
::BUT, there still remains his SG version, which I wouldn't feel comfortable putting on the same page as his other versions. Reaching back to the [https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Talk:Transformers:_Shattered_Glass_(franchise)#Separate_Continuity.3F original discussion] about how to handle the SG characters, I find myself still agreeing with those like Steve-o who pointed out how awkward "'''Continuity X''': Bumblebee loves humans and does lots of funny and cute stuff to help save the universe. '''Continuity Y''': Bumblebee loves humans and does lots of different but still funny and cute stuff to help save the universe. '''Shattered Glass''': Bumblebee is hardcore evil and wants to kill you for no particular reason. '''Continuity Z''': Bumblebee loves humans and does yet another set of funny and cute stuff to help save the universe." reads as a page. But, there is one thing we have nowadays that we did not have back when that original discussion was held and makes me wonder how differently the conversation might have gone if they had existed back then: Subpages. Looking at our [[Primus]] and [[Unicron]] articles, I find it to be a very fair and workable compromise that their respective SG versions are placed not on their respective main pages but as subpages for each. Doing the same for SG Alpha Trion were we to merge all of the non-SG A3's together could be a valid solution too, in my eyes. Unlike others, I don't see subpages as an annoying evil that much be dealt with and eliminated, but as a handy tool to work around tricky situations like this.
::Had they even existed back then, it's very possible that ALL SG characters may have ended up on subpages for their positive polarity counterparts instead of separate pages entirely. And since then, SG has grown to expand not just beyond the original Fun Pub SG G1 continuity but to other non-G1 SG continuities, like for the Movies, Animated, and Cybertron, forcing us to create such unsightly tags as "(SG Movie)", "(SG Animated)", and "(SG Cybertron)", when subpages could have prevented that with "(Movie)/Shattered Glass" or "(Animated)/Shattered Glass" and so on.
::But, I'm getting off topic. Backing up to the Thirteen, I'm for keeping the Thirteen together. In addition to what all I've said above, the Age of the Primes toys seem to be treating them as the standard or definitive versions of the Thirteen that apply for every version/universe/continuity, pulling from all across the board rather than sticking to a single depicted version of them. Prima has his Aligned body but the Sunbow Powerful Robot's head. The Fallen is just the Dreamwave design but with Aligned Megatronus's weapons from the books and RID 2015 cartoon. Micronus is likely to be based on his RID 2015 design which was itself based on the Aligned design. The statue group artwork makes Amalgamous looks more like his TF One design than his Aligned design. Vector Prime is just straight-up Cybertron Vector Prime. And Star Convoy was never one of the Thirteen in any version before now. Yet, all these disparately-sourced designs are being treated as if they all belong to the same group no matter what continuity they come from. So keeping them together as they are would just make it easier for us to not have to split hairs over which versions of which 13ers these are supposed to be when the answer would simply be "all of the above" (and we wouldn't have to put multiple entries of the same toy on, like, six or seven different characters' pages that would have to maintained equally across all of those pages). This model makes this particular version of the group feel inherently multiversal, with each member either originating from a different universe as each other, or being a multiversal hybrids comprised of different aspects of different versions of them from across the dimensions, as if Hasbro is trying to say that the AOTP versions represent *every* version of the Thirteen (minus Star Optimus, of course, since we know he's not a member in every version of this group). --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:01, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::As somebody who's pushed for this split for a long time, I'm obviously all for it. I feel we can easily determine where the toys go based on their main inspirations (Fallen is G1 Dreamwave, Micronus is Aligned RID, etc) are or just make the links go to the G1 pages (since G1 is effectively the wastebasket taxon of this franchise anyway). For the FunPub stuff, we can either do it Sideways style or just do it like we do for Kre-O and ancillary stuff: place them based on the characterization/design used by the work. Multiversal Vector Prime is pretty much just Cybertron Vector Prime (and the TransTech incarnation from the last portion of AVP can be split out).
:::I am pretty much opposed to "subpages" because that is just duplicating the parentheses system we already have just for the sake of pedantry. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 13:03, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::Fully agree with both Escargon and Sabrblade, and their reasoning. I am biased against splits pretty much as a matter of cause, but the Thirteen ''in particular'' have for most of their history (including now, in the continuity-agnostic ''Age of the Primes!)'' been defined by their multiversal nature. I just don't think a split would be helpful. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 16:05, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::::So we need to wait five years of more non-multiversal stories to have this discussion again? That doesn't make sense. The COP version of the Thirteen weren't characterized as singularities in the first place, regardless; only FunPub cared about that aspect (and not even with the usual lineup we have now) and they tossed it because they realized it was an unworkable concept in this franchise and it's unlikely to ever get resurrected. It's been nearly a decade since the Shroud (the concept only existed from 2009-2015). You bring up AOTP but toylines clearly don't and never thought about those characters in terms of our organizational schema. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:19, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:I think we can probably leave the most of the old content together, since it might be a mess to split them apart and much of that content is based on the Covenant mythos anyway. I feel new iterations of the Thirteen (post-POTP?) should get their own pages, like ''Earthspark'' Quintus and the ''One'' Primes (particularly Megatronus since he's quite different). Though I suppose that begs the question of what to use in the parentheses for their current pages... —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 13:10, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::How much of it is actually sticking to the Covenant? IDW1 had them be regular guys and some pre-Covenant stuff (notably Megatronus/Fallen) is more prominent for the character and not really compatible. Other Aligned stuff has also influenced other "continuity families", but we're not merging those articles, so I don't really see why this is different regarding the Thirteen. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 13:49, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:I’m against splitting pages, mostly because The Thirteen haven’t had enough drastic and unique depictions of them to stop “breaking the rules” for them and give them split pages.
::> The Thirteen haven’t followed the traditional convention of “every character gets a new page for that universe’s depiction”, mostly because of the whole multiversal singularity issue. Now while that concept isn’t used in fiction anymore, ''Age of the Primes'' seems to lean towards having a standard, continuity-agnostic depiction of the Thirteen from which future teams can use as the foundation of their depictions.
::> Escargon and Sabrblade make some good points regarding subpages, particularly with the example of the standard '''“Primus = God”''' and '''Rung (G1)''' incarnations. Rung is a distinct and unique take on the Primus character whose backstory is incompatible with virtually every other Primus incarnation, so placing him on the same page as the Primus of the Marvel Comics, or Cybertron, or the Aligned continuity, wouldn’t seem right.
::> ''The Covenant of Primus'' has been the foundation of every depiction of the Thirteen since it was released. Certain things might be modified, such as the 2005 IDW’s take on them, but even those Primes still follow certain story beats: Megatronus kills Solus, Liege Maximo is a manipulator, Prima’s role as the leader and his conflict with Megatronus, etc. ''One'' offers a depiction of the Thirteen who don’t enter a War of the Primes situation, but because we don’t really get any more information about them besides how they died, I wouldn’t say that they’re distinct enough or important enough to warrant their own pages.
::> Then there’s the fact that a lot of the Primes either have had very small roles or haven’t had any real importance to the franchise in several years: '''Micronus'''’s last big role was a few episodes in ''Robots in Disguise'' and a clever tie-in to the Microspace of the 2005 IDW universe. '''Onyx'''’s only big role was in the ''Covenant'', mostly thanks to '''[[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|this guy]]''' taking his place in another universe. Onyx has a few mentions in ''Cyberverse'', but I don’t think that alone should be the reason for splitting his page up. '''Nexus Prime''' and '''Vector Prime''' haven’t really done anything notable since the Shroud. '''Solus Prime''' has seen some prominence thanks to IDW's Caminus and ''Power of the Primes'', but those depictions again don’t stray too far from the ''Covenant''. '''Amalgamous Prime''' has had virtually no exploration as a character. The most we’ve gotten for him is a much easier-to-look-at design in ''One''.
::> Character-wise, story-wise… they’re all still heavily based on the ''Covenant''. Even '''Quintus Prime'''’s ''Earthspark'' depiction (with his more human-looking face) is based on his “Johnny Appleseed, made the Quintessons” lore established from the ''Covenant''. Now if we had a full group of the Thirteen from a Shattered Glass universe or had some “What-If?” incarnations of the characters that made them very different… splitting pages would make more sense to me.
::> A lot of the Thirteen have also maintained a consistent visual look to them since their introduction: all the Primes introduced in the Covenant have kept their look (Alchemist’s Lenses, Onyx’s face, Solus’ hair and color scheme), and every version of Megatronus seems to have a Decepticon insignia face, flames, and/or both. While ''One'' may have changed some color schemes (Liege Maximo missing his green), I don’t think just having a different color scheme and nothing else different warrants a new page.
::> I like the idea of conceptual history sections for now, and as I said on ''The Fallen''’s talk page, I think the beginning to his page needs a general rewrite from its “frozen in 2009” version. But until drastic new interpretations of those characters are created, if a member of the Thirteen has a single page… we should keep it as a single page --[[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 16:33, 7 December 2024 (EST)
: Splitting them would simply be a bigger headache. They're rather like Primus and Unicron where they're "bigger picture" characters (only this time around designed ''very specifically'' to '''''be''''' as such) and it's best to treat them as such, and really, there's not enough material to BOTHER splitting for most of them. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 18:29, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::Since it's related to this subject, it should probably also be mentioned here that there have recently been two discussions happening on the talk page for [[The Fallen]]. One about changing that article's mainpic and the other about moving the page's name to Megatronus. As of now, nothing has come out of either discussion, but I feel the results of this a bigger discussion may have an effect on either of those two smaller ones. Speaking as one who is in favor of not splitting out the Thirteen, my thoughts on these two smaller topics are that a good compromise would be to keep the article at its current name since many Megatronuses still become The Fallen, but replace the mainpic with The Fallen's Age of the Primes toy packaging art (as it depicts him in his original first body from Dreamwave but armed with his now-signature weapons from Aligned media, serving as a sort of visual overview for the character's history), along with a rewrite of his intro at the top of the page to be more all-encompassing, and the inclusion of a new "Conceptual history" section to give a proper overview of his different depictions. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 19:29, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::I'm going to second this. I've mulled it over a little bit and while there is an argument to be made for splitting them out, I feel that 12 of the 13 primes really don't warrant it. They just haven't had as much an impact on the story and while it could be future proofing to split them, until we get prominent appearances from them I don't think it's a viable option right now. Megatronus is clearly the exception to this rule. I don't know if there's a clean solution to dealing with him at the moment. Part of me thinks maybe we should suite out the Movie and RiD versions since those are his too big appearences to date. At the bare minimum though I think we should use either his Dreamwave or Age of Primes art as the mainpic. It's his first body and I think it's influenced more designs than his RoTF design has. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 22:57, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::::Erm, no. Neither his Movie or RiD sections (certainly not the latter) are big enough to warrant subpages for either. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:57, 8 December 2024 (EST)
:::I'm also of the opinion that a split would be a massive hassle for very little gain, but I do feel we should move The Fallen to Megatronus. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 06:54, 8 December 2024 (EST)
::::To me, renaming the page to Megatronus feels like renaming an Optimus Prime page to Orion Pax. The name was created to tell us what he was called ''before'' he became The Fallen, like how Orion Pax was what Optimus was called before he became Optimus Prime. TF One Megatronus never became The Fallen but he's an anomaly, not a new standard. As of now, the only impact TF One Megatronus has had on the brand is the official reveal video for Age of the Primes describing the very Dreamwave/Aligned-based AOTP version as "the most powerful Prime," while also putting a grim, pronounced emphasis on "The Fallen" when referring to him as "Megatronus... The Fallen". --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:16, 8 December 2024 (EST)
::::: '''Yes''' to changing The Fallen's mainpic back to the DW-style character design, huge-ass '''No''' to changing the page name; the Optimus/Orion comparison is spot-on. (And as to below... yes. The Thirteen are absolutely "set dressing that walks like a man" and best to approach them as such.) --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 20:11, 8 December 2024 (EST)

:After meditating upon this a while I think I've come to agree with the broad majority above that splitting each member of the Thirteen would hurt more than it would help. The way I see it what we should be striving for here is the approach that involves the least "hallucinating data" within our organizational system, and splitting will require making a lot of different calls on what "counts" to formulate micro-characterizations for dozens of serial continuity transplants, none of which do much individually, while obfuscating the larger context they are gesturing towards. Fundamentally what we may be running up against here is that the closest most of these guys have to a true "home continuity" as we typically think of it is... the brand bible. They are set dressing that walks like a man.

:To go one step further, if we want to talk future-proofing I would advocate formalizing the approach of treating them as a squad of mini-Unicrons/Primuses such that:

::1) My suggestion for the issues currently plaguing the Fallen (and to a lesser degree Trion) would be to make "Conceptual History" sections more or less standard issue across the board for the Thirteen, laying out swerves in characterization and appearance as they happened rather than trying to pry them apart ''or'' smoosh them together.

::2) I think it's worth revisiting merging Alpha Trion for consistency. In the decade+ since Prime cludged him into the lineup, Alpha Trion has consistently appeared as a member of the Thirteen, an insubstantial cameo, or both in pretty much every continuity he's appeared, and looking backwards I cannot help but notice that the fact that there's next to no meaningful daylight between his depictions has been the running gag of his [[Alpha Trion|disambiguation page]] since day one. If Shattered Glass remains a sticking point the Unicron/Primus style suite split approach is a reasonable compromise.

:I wouldn't say I'm married to any of this and counter-counter-proposals are welcome, but that's my two cents. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 14:08, 8 December 2024 (EST)
:I think just put a line at the end of the fallens intro article that says "while mostly a bad guy, there exists at least one universe (link to TF one section) where he's managed to defy all logic and be...good for once).[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 21:53, 8 December 2024 (EST)

I'm for splitting the Thirteen, for the same reasons Saix gave. If that doesn't work, I think the versions of Alpha Trion should be merged. It's the inconsistency that drives me batty. [[User:Boingus|--Boingus]] ([[User talk:Boingus|talk]]) 22:12, 8 December 2024 (EST)

===Checkpoint? (01/18/2025)===
This topic seems to have gotten as much interaction as it's going to get, so to take stock before it falls off the agenda completely:

:*'''Votes for splitting the Thirteen across the board:''' 4 (Locoman, Saix, BlueJayWarrior, Boingus)
:*'''Votes against:''' 8 (Escargon, Sabrblade, Wadapan, Daytonjhammon, M Sipher, Exim93, Dark T Zeratul, AzimuthAcolyte)

That seems like a pretty resounding 2:1 "no," but the discussion also generated some possible compromises/suggestions for future-proofing:

:*'''Votes for more widespread use of "Conceptual History" sections:''' 3 (Sabrblade, Daytonjhammon, AzimuthAcolyte)
:*'''Votes to merge Alpha Trion (with potential SG suite) for consistency:''' 3 (Sabrblade, AzimuthAcolyte, Boingus)

Lastly it generated some cross-bleed from the debates on [[Talk:The Fallen|The Fallen's talk page]] about some updates now that we're 16 years out from his [[live-action film series]] star turn:

1) Moving the page to "Megatronus":
:*'''For:''' 1 (Dark T Zeratul)
:*'''Against:''' 2 (Sabrblade, M Sipher)

2) Swapping back to a Dreamwave-style mainpic:
:*'''For:''' 3 (Sabrblade, Ezim93, M Sipher)

If anyone wants to try to resuscitate the mega-split speak now. If not, thoughts on the compromise proposals?

The Fallen discussion should probably return to his own page. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 13:33, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:My stances remain unchanged on all of the above. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:55, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::I'd be fine with splitting, but if we don't, we ''absolutely'' need to merge the Alpha Trions. There's no good justification for the others being together and him being split.
::As for the Fallen... I feel the need to point out that it's not ''just'' One Megatronus that didn't use the name. EVERY toyline and piece of media in the last decade — RID15, the Prime Wars cartoons, the POTP toy, the offhand mentions in Cyberverse — have used "Megatronus", completely dropping the idea that he stopped being Megatronus and became the Fallen. It's evidently how Hasbro thinks of the character; the Studio Series toy provides plenty of evidence that they ''could'' have just called the AOTP toy "The Fallen" if they'd wanted to. -[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 15:51, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::I am also pro-merging Alpha Trions with a SG subpage along the lines of what we do for Primus and Unicron. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 16:11, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::::I disagree that we need to put SG Trion on a separate page. Just have his Shattered Glass section open with "In the mirror universe of Shattered Glass, Alpha Trion was..." --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:58, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::::I'm pro merging Alpha Trion as well and adding conceptual history. Fallen/Megatronus discussion I'm good with taking back to his page. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 16:20, 18 January 2025 (EST)

:Here's my 5 cents. We are under no obligation to be consistent with how we treat the members of the Thirteen. If it makes sense for the characters, we can have Alpha Trions on separate pages because he has a long rich history of appearances in wide and varied media, including media in which he is not a member of the Thirteen, and we can also have Amalgamous Prime on one page because he doesn't. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:48, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::I'm in agreement with this. "Consistency" is nice until it isn't, and merging Alpha's pages... isn't. I feel like that's just gonna result in a clusterfuck. "Conceptual history" is fine to add, but frankly I feel like only like... maybe only a third of the 13 would even ''need'' it. There's really not a lot to most of these. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 22:07, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::I'm curious what would be the negative result of merging Alpha Trion's pages. The thing is that they ''are'' basically all identical barring the Shattered Glass version, and even that one is functionally the same guy, just evil. RID01, Energon, Animated and ROTF Alpha Trion are all footnotes, which just leaves us with G1 Trion (sometimes of the Thirteen), Aligned Trion (of the Thirteen), Cyberverse Trion (of the Thirteen) and One Trion (of the Thirteen). Is there some complicating factor that I'm missing...? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:38, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::: Honestly, I think this just sold me on the idea of merging all the Alpha Trion pages, including the Shattered Glass version, into one page. A Conceptual History section could explain his development from sage to member of the Thirteen, with a paragraph about his Shattered Glass version. [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 00:02, 19 January 2025 (EST)
:::::As I stated above, I used to be firmly against the idea of the Alpha Trions being merged, because of the facts that he wasn't originally supposed to be one of the Thirteen (a ship that has long since sailed), he was never a singularity like the other 13ers were (which no longer matters at all now since that concept was done away with), and he has a Shattered Glass version (but so too do Primus and Unicron, now, and their pages have set a good workable precedent for how to deal with SG versions of "set dressing characters" like them and the Thirteen). But now, as time goes on, the more it begins to feel like we're just keeping the Alpha Trions separate for more pedantic reasons than are necessary, especially since the AOTP toyline looks to be drawing influence from all continuities for its specific roster of the Thirteen, as if to say that the AOTP toys of the Thirteen represent *all* versions of the Thirteen (meaning AOTP Alpha Trion will represent *all* Alpha Trions).
:::::Sipher mentioned that conceptual history sections would only benefit a small number of the Thirteen, and, well, yes, that is a true statement. But the idea wouldn't be to give ''all'' of the Thirteen conceptual history sections, just the few that would need it. And a merged. But there being only a few that would need it no less diminishes the need of those few.
:::::However, I definitely draw the line at putting SG characters on the same webpages as their non-SG counterparts, as I go back to [https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Talk:Transformers:_Shattered_Glass_(franchise)#Separate_Continuity.3Fthe original discussion about that very subject] and all the reasons given there (particularly from Steve-o, whom I already quoted above) for why SG characters should '''not''' share a webpage with their non-SG counterparts. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:47, 19 January 2025 (EST)
::::I feel like "they're all basically the same" is a charge that can be leveled at a lot of characters who are present in multiple continuity families. I'm all in favour of keeping non-entities to one page each, but Alpha Trion meets the threshold for actually having enough detail to have separate articles. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:32, 19 January 2025 (EST)
:My votes: No to splitting the 13 articles, yes for conceptual history, no to merging Trion (maybe expanding his disambig a la Sideways'?), no to moving the Fallen, maybe to changing his mainpic (compare to UT or Aligned characteers with major body changes - UT generally sticks with the Armada bodies, but Aligned favours Prime bodies over WFC). [[User:BattleBlade|BattleBlade]] ([[User talk:BattleBlade|talk]]) 18:01, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:I also think that it wouldn´t be appropriate to separate the pages of the thirteen and that the articles about Alpha Trion should be merged, after he become one of the 13 he has been mostly the same across all media. --[[User:MikeOsix|MikeOsix]] ([[User_talk:MikeOsix|talk]]) 20:57, 18 January 2024 (EST)
My vote is that we should keep Prime pages *mostly* non-split- I do, however, think there is merit to a "Conceptual History" part, going over different variations of the characters over the Years. I originally wanted Alpha's pages to be kept apart- but after some talking, I figure it's best for him to also enjoy a conceptual history rather than a disambiguation page. (I still love Disambiguation pages though.)
On The Fallen's page getting a Dreamwave-style picture: I give it a hard thumbs up. That seems to be the design Hasbro is sticking with compared to the skeleton-furnace guy from the movies. -- [[User:OptiMay Primal|OptiMay Primal]] ([[User talk: BattleBlade|talk]]) 21:54, 18 January 2024 (PST)
:I cannot see any benefit to smushing all of the Alpha Trion articles together. Every time this happens, we get a lengthy, unfocused mess of a page that wards off attempts at maintenance because it's so large. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 12:16, 19 January 2025 (EST)
::I'm personally against merging all the Trions, but I could be convinced if someone sandboxes a merged page first as a proof of concept. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 13:59, 24 January 2025 (EST)
At Cyberlink's suggestion, I've slapped together a rough prototype of a merged Alpha Trion suite broadly mirroring the Fallen's setup that can be seen–
:*'''[[Alpha Trion|HERE]]'''
Intro etc not final, of course. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 16:27, 24 January 2025 (EST)
:I like this. It's no longer or less focused than [[Unicron]], for example. I'm still kind of dubious about the need to exclude Shattered Glass versions from these cross-continuity characters, but at least SG Trion is more substantial than SG Unicron. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:31, 24 January 2025 (EST)
:Posting to confirm I'm in favor of this. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 12:49, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Yeah I like it too, when so many of his incarnations are so similar the unified article feels more user friendly [[User:LenaPrime|LenaPrime]] ([[User talk:LenaPrime|talk]]) 12:57, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Adding that I think this works pretty well. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 18:42, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Thought I'd stick my two cents in. I think this would work. If Unicron can have a merged page like this, then it should certainly work for Trion. [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 23:44, 25 January 2025 (EST)
I've also started working on prototypes of rewrites / updates to Prima and The Fallen's pages, which can be seen...
:*'''[[User:Daytonjhammon/Sandbox/Prima|HERE for Prima]]''' and '''[[User:Daytonjhammon/Sandbox/The Fallen|HERE for The Fallen]]'''.
Discussion for The Fallen should probably stay on his [[Talk:The Fallen|own talk page]], but I'm linking them here since both have "conceptual history" sections I've drafted up. [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 13:50, 26 January 2025 (EST)

===Checkpoint 2 (05/05/2025)===
This definitely fell way off the agenda but there was sufficient interest that I believe it is worth circling back. Following Dayton's excellent work on Prima and the Fallen's Conceptual History section going live, the final point of order remains the prospect of merging Alpha Trion (with SG suite) to reflect his Aligned-forward characterization and bring him in line with the other 12 + 2 (Thirteen, Primus, Unicron) "man-shaped set dressing" characters.

Again, a full mock-up of this concept can be seen-

:*'''[[Alpha Trion|HERE]]'''

The current tally stands at:

:*'''Votes for merging Alpha Trion into one cross-continuity article with SG sub-page:''' 12 (Sabrblade, AzimuthAcolyte, Boingus, Broadside, Escargon, Ezim93, Daytonjhammon, MikeOsix, OptiMay Primal, LenaPrime, IGEBM13, Hilfam)
:*'''Votes against:''' 5 (abates, M Sipher, BattleBlade, Saix, Cyberlink420)

That's overwhelming support a ways past 2:1. Does anyone care to answer a last call for comment?

Suggestions or concerns for the prototype are particularly welcome. For my part I would appreciate assistance drafting a Conceptual History section. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 14:18, 5 May 2025 (EDT)
: Chipping in to reiterate that I'm in favour, though I'm unconvinced that the SG subpage is necessary. I do recognise that it's in line with how we currently treat Unicron, but like... is there anything we gain from having it be a separate page that we couldn't get from just putting "in one mirror universe, alpha trion was a real sicko!" at the top of the section? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 18:20, 6 May 2025 (EDT)
::On principle alone, I'm against putting SG characters on the same pages as their non-SG counterparts, no matter what. The day we make such allowance for just one of them is the day we open the floodgates for potentially doing that for any and all SG characters. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 19:54, 6 May 2025 (EDT)
:::The (SG) system is simple. What exactly does messing with it accomplish? [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:28, 8 May 2025 (EDT)
::::See, my understanding was not that SG characters are "special exceptions", it's that we treat Shattered Glass as its own continuity family (and likewise SG Animated, et al). It's not "messing with" the system to put the SG version of a character on a cross-continuity family page for that character. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:53, 13 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::It's messing with what Thylacine mentions for the sake of insisting on making categorization exceptions for the Thirteen. It's not useful to either editor or reader, especially if we're going to do the pointless lateral move that is "/Shattered Glass" anyway. (SG) is straightforward and easy to parse as opposed to "here's the explicitly negative AU guy buried here because arbitrary wiki reasons". [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 18:42, 13 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Looks like it doesn't matter anymore, but the difference between SG and non-SG material - the whole fact that SG exists to be an irreconcilable opposite to G1 - is more fundamental and important than the sum total of all appearances and history of at least 10 of the 13. We should not be wiping away important conceptual distinctions for the sake of unimportant asterisk characters who basically only ever existed in a list. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 16:59, 13 May 2025 (EDT)

== International Sightings ==

So, as of late, mentions of "toy appeared in (non-US country) without prior announcement" type lines have been getting purged from the wiki. This makes me wonder: am I allowed to even mention them anymore when a new toy appears somewhere? I'm not really sure why these relatively harmless information lines are getting removed, nor am I really a fan of it, but if I can't mention them anymore I will happily oblige.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 21:04, 7 January 2025 (EST)
:They're being removed because "toy first showed up at a random store in Asia" is not useful information. That's how toy retail has worked for decades. Hasbro deigning to announce some product doesn't make it the standard. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:57, 7 January 2025 (EST)
::Oh, ok, I'll keep that in mind from now on.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 23:11, 7 January 2025 (EST)

==First revealed at (some regular online update)==
On a similar note to the international sightings, what do people think of "toy was first revealed in Hasbro Instagram post / Fans First Friday / Pulse livestream of whatever date," etc.? We note this constantly, because it's another fact to include about a just-announced toy nobody owns yet. A year later it looks unimportant. Is this something we like and value, or more of a space-filing habit? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 07:34, 8 January 2025 (EST)
:I think it's a lot of blather, but at least it's documenting Hasbro marketing as opposed to random retail appearances. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:25, 8 January 2025 (EST)
: I'm lukewarm at best on 'em. But often these announcements are followed up almost immediately by pre-orders opening up through official channels, and that feels a bit more... noteworthy. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 12:31, 8 January 2025 (EST)
: Seems pretty relevant to me! There's value in preserving a toy's history, after all. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 10:14, 6 April 2025 (EDT))

==Update Navigation==
Should the Navigation sidebar be changed to replace [[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]] with [[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]] or should we wait a bit?--[[User:CyclonustheWarrior|CyclonustheWarrior]] ([[User talk:CyclonustheWarrior|talk]]) 20:49, 2 February 2025 (EST)
:Good question. I think we could change it now since almost all of wave 1 is out at retail over in Asia, but I’ll wait for someone higher than me to make the final decision lol - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 23:10, 5 February 2025 (EST)

==Adding a "Transformers in [Country name]" section to country articles==
So, by some weird coincidence, a lot of my edits in these past months have involved expanding on the quirks of how individual aspects of the Transformers brand were represented in countries like [[Brazil]], [[Argentina]], [[Greece]], and [[Portugal]] - however; something that I've noticed is that there's usually no comprehensive summary of this information in the actual pages we have for those countries, with most or all of it being restricted to the individual articles regarding those things instead (for instance; Argentina had a whole three companies that produced Transformers toys with [[Antex]], [[Comando Toys]], and [[Lynsa]], but none of them are even mentioned in Argentina's page!). As such, and in the spirit of making our wiki more international, I propose that we add a small section to every country page specifically regarding the presence of the Transformers brand within it.

Some information that could go into these sections, if available (naturally, not ''everything'' here needs to be mentioned):
* When Transformers media first premiered in the country
* When Transformers toys first released in the country
* Previous releases of [[pre-Transformers]] in the country, if any (e.g.; Italy's ''Trasformer'', the UK's ''Convertors'', Finland's ''Diaclone'', etc.)
* Brands that might have made toys or merchandise for Transformers in the country, if any (e.g.; [[Estrela]] in Brazil, [[IGA]] in Mexico, [[GiG]] in Italy, [[El Greco]] in Greece, etc.)
* Notable figures, variants, and/or entire toylines that are exclusive to the country, if any (obviously, a fully comprehensive list would be difficult for a country like Japan, but it seems feasible for others here.)
* Transformers media that's unique to the country, if any (again; it would be hard to form a comprehensive list for Japan or the US, but it might not be too difficult elsewhere.)
* Peculiar quirks and factoids regarding the distribution of Transformers toys in the country, if any (e.g.; Galaxy Shuttle releasing in Italy, Star Saber releasing in Portugal, Spain's translated G1 blister cards, [[Sonokong]]'s many odd releases of Transformers toys in South Korea, etc.)
* Transformers-connected artists that were born in the country (e.g.; Brazil's [[Marcelo Matere]], Spain's [[José Avilés]], etc.)
* Perhaps some notable aspects of the fandom in the country (e.g., fan organizations, conventions - whether they're [[Convention|official]] or [[Unofficial conventions|unofficial]] - etc.)

Editing these sections could also make for a pretty fun multinational effort: certainly, Transformers fans from all over the world have pretty unique knowledge about the brand in their regions that's undocumented until now, and it would be pretty cool for them to visit the pages for their respective countries and see a section that basically invites them to add that knowledge. If this idea seems acceptable then I would be happy to move ahead with introducing the section to some of the countries that I'm most familiar with (mostly in Europe and Latin America) - let me know what everyone else thinks! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 10:07, 6 April 2025 (EDT))
:I like this idea! I think it’ll be really helpful for both readers and the site’s general organization to have information about international Transformers products and media on their respective countries’ pages. I’m not too well-versed in the foreign aspects of the brand outside of Japan, but I do know one piece of information we can add to Russia’s page is that ''Masterforce'' was the first show to air there :D - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 10:47, 6 April 2025 (EDT)
::I had no idea about that, how interesting! Hopefully more people can give the go-ahead to this. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:04, 6 April 2025 (EDT))
:::This strikes me as a proposal with a lot potential if we can get enough manpower behind it. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 17:00, 6 April 2025 (EDT)
:I've made versions of this proposed section for the Portugal, Spain, and Brazil pages, and posted them on [[User:FortressMaxxing/Sandbox|my sandbox]]. Any thoughts would be welcome! Also, shouldn't we maybe add the country flags to their respective pages? The Wikipedia SVGs are on public domain, so I guess we could just import those. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:43, 7 April 2025 (EDT))
::I like the way these early write-ups look, it could prove very interesting. Though we should only add the country flags if they appeared in fiction, as we do with the [[Soviet Union]] or [[United States of America]]. Otherwise it's just not important. Every country has a flag, you don't need to come ''here'' to look at them or find out their capital cities, populations, national birds, etc. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 11:01, 7 April 2025 (EDT)
:::I mean, if we're also to discuss the "meta" details of Transformers in the country - meaning that the pages are no longer restricted to just fiction - then I think it makes sense to at least have a country flag up on the opening paragraph, no? I'm not saying we need to add an Wikipedia-like infobox with the capital and population count and whatever else, but if we also have stuff like logos for companies in their respective pages then it makes sense to at least have what's basically the largest and most important international identifier that a country has attached to a page about it. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:29, 7 April 2025 (EDT))
:Given how there seem to be no objections to this project, I hope that it's fine to begin adding these sections to their respective pages during this weekend. I have added entries for Argentina, Italy, and Greece [[User:FortressMaxxing/Sandbox|to my sandbox]], so, together with the other three I previously shared; that will be six "The Transformers franchise in X country" sections coming from me - hopefully others will also be interested in adding similar sections to the pages of whatever countries they're most familiar with! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 18:37, 11 April 2025 (EDT))
::I think the names could be simplified to "Transformers in X". [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 19:51, 11 April 2025 (EDT)
:::That was actually close to the previous name I had in this topic ("The Transformers in X") before renaming it because I thought it could be a little ambiguous, haha - but actually, I think you're right, "Transformers in Brazil" / "Transformers in Greece" / etc. does sound better and I guess all the ambiguities are kinda cleared up in context of the contents of the sections themselves! "Transformers in X" it shall be then, I've now again renamed this topic accordingly. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 20:06, 11 April 2025 (EDT))
::::Yeah, it could be an ambiguous statement by itself, but we're not making "Transformers in Brazil" for all the fictional times Transformers characters appeared in Brazil because that's already covered by [[Brazil]] itself. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:29, 11 April 2025 (EDT)
:Ayo, I posted the first batch of "Transformers in X" sections a few days ago in the [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[Italy]], [[Greece]], [[Brazil]], and [[Argentina]] pages! There are still way more countries that need a similar level of development and since I won't be able to do all of them alone, I wanted to highlight at least the most important ones in the hopes that maybe other users will have an interest in working on them. So, here are '''the pages that most urgently need a "Transformers in X" section''' (plus '''some of the things they should mention'''):

* [[Japan]], obviously: The birth of the transforming robot as a Japanese cultural product (see [[Yonezawa Toys|Yonezawa]] and some of the later transforming robot toys leading up to Takara's Cosmo Countach and eventually the Diaclone Car Robots), the country's transition from Diaclone to Transformers, the introduction of the original show to Japan, a brief mention of the original media and toylines that were only released there, an assessment of the popularity of the franchise in Japan relative to other 'giant robot'-centric media like Gundam and NGE (Also, I've noticed that there is already a small "non-fiction" section that briefly touches on the importance of Japan to the Transformers: it could be used as a starting basis, and I guess that it also suggests someone already had the idea for a similar wiki-project!)
* The [[United States of America|United States]], also quite obviously: Brief summarization of the birth and sustained popularity of the Transformers brand in America, the most prominent retail exclusives that were only launched in U.S. stores, BotCon and all the other big fan conventions
<s>* [[United Kingdom]]: Received a pair of pre-Transformers toylines with the Grandstand Convertors and Tandy's Galactic Man, the UK Marvel Transformers comic, large conventions like TFNation and TFUKcon</s> '''(Done!)'''
* [[France]]: Received a pre-Transformers toyline with [[Joustra|Ceji / Joustra]] releasing Diaclone, Orli Jouet's Robotrack, later Joustra-made G1 Transformers toys, original cartoon had a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itPo0Q9zmrc|a pretty funky unique theme song], major national toy company [[Majorette]] would briefly become a Transformers licensee in the 2000s
* [[Finland]]: Received a pre-Transformers toyline with Takara directly releasing Diaclone, "black Tracks" was unique to it (and later homaged with [[Loudpedal]])
* [[China]]: Hasbro factories, the Chinese G1 reissue toyline, the commercial success of Age of Extinction and how it brought about a sharp rise in the popularity of Transformers across the country, [[Nezha: Transformers (franchise)|Nezha]]
* [[South Korea]]: The unusual line-ups of [[Young Toys]] and [[Sonokong]], the mystery of [[ToonTown]]
* [[Mexico]]: [[IGA]] and their unique variants of G1 figures
* [[Venezuela]] (which somehow doesn't exist yet despite [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 17|already having an in-fiction mention]]?): [[Rubiplas]] made some unique Mini-Vehicles
<s>* [[Peru]]: [[Lynsa]] released multiple unique Mini-Vehicles in both countries, Museo Transformers</s> '''(Done!)'''
* [[Chile]]: Also received [[Lynsa]] Mini-Vehicles
* [[Vietnam]]: Major manufacturing hub for Transformers toys '''(Work in progress)'''
* [[Germany]]: GAMA's "Trans Robot" (pre-Transformers Omega Supreme), had the biggest Transformers convention in continental Europe until it dissolved not too long ago

:On an unrelated note, check out these fancy new GoBoxes down below! If anyone wants to do more in this style (quirky collage of country flag, plus national iconography, plus a Transformer toy that's emblematic of that specific country in some way) then that'd be pretty sweet! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 17:47, 16 April 2025 (EDT))
<center>
[[File:GB-Portugal.jpg|link=Portugal]] [[File:GB-Greece.jpg|link=Greece]] [[File:GB-Brazil.jpg|link=Brazil]]
</center>
::Hey, I noticed that a lot of your claims aren't really sourced, it would be nice if you could cite your sources for us. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 08:01, 21 April 2025 (EDT)
:::For sure! A lot of what's been added to these pages isn't cited because it is already discussed at greater length in their respective articles (and usually cited in said articles) - nonetheless; I will go ahead and add a more extensive round of sources soon. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 12:54, 21 April 2025 (EDT))
:::: Great! Remember to post about that here when it happens. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 13:45, 21 April 2025 (EDT)
::::: All done, I've provided as many citations for whatever information's more obscure or not as well-documented in the English web as I could! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 16:21, 21 April 2025 (EDT))
:::::: Thank you! I appreciate it, though I have noticed that your source about Portuguese people seeing Star Convoy on retail is only available to members of the Facebook group. I understand that information for things like this is hard to come by so if can't change it it's alright but it would be great if you could list a publicly available source instead. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 08:58, 22 April 2025 (EDT)
::::::: Oops, I didn't realize that Transformers Portugal was private on Facebook - but let this not be a problem, because I've just added a translated screenshot to that citation instead! Although I must also add that, unfortunately, I don't know how to really cite the later portion of that trivia - that Star Convoy is also really common on the Portuguese secondary market - because this is basically the product of my own personal experience of living in Portugal and seeing at least four loose Star Convoys on the Portuguese secondary market in the past couple of years across various occasions, all of them being the original version with the white trailer rather than the later reissue (thus suggesting that they come from the aforementioned retail distribution), and all of them being sold for really cheap prices rounding just ~20-40 euros from people who clearly did not know about this being an unusual toy (I got one myself one circa ~2022!). It's just that I frankly didn't know how to cite this in the page (Would "[[User:FortressMaxxing|This editor]] can attest to seeing an inordinate amount of Portuguese Star Convoy copies on the secondary market" be too anecdotal of a reference to have?), so... There's that. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 13:04, 22 April 2025 (EDT))
:::::::: Don't worry, the fist citation should be enough, now's the time to move on to the rest of the countries. I'm a bit busy at the moment but I might be able to take on the UK write up. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 13:53, 22 April 2025 (EDT)
::::::::: Sweet, I'll be excited to see what you write up! Tell us here when you do :) ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 13:58, 22 April 2025 (EDT))
:I made a first draft of the UK write-up at my sandbox [[User:Wildstrike/Sandbox/United_Kingdom|here]]. It is not at all done I'm passing this through the people to make sure I didn't get anything wrong, and to hear out any suggestions. Also I didn't mention the Tandy's Galactic Man figure because it doesn't seem to be exclusive to to the UK. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 11:14, 26 April 2025 (EDT)
::Hey, it's good, short but very well-cited! I do think Galactic Man merits at least a brief one-line mention since apparently the UK was the only other territory beyond the U.S. where it was released in (and also the UK Galactic Man might be slightly different, per how the pre-TF page describes him as [[Pre-Transformers#Pre-Transformers lines|"''almost'' identical"]]?), but otherwise, I have no disagreement with the information presented here. Very curious to see how you're gonna expand on that draft! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 18:46, 27 April 2025 (EDT))
:::Okay, I did a bit of research and according to the [https://astromagnum.blogspot.com/2024/04/galactic-man-tandy-radio-shack-shackwave.html Astro Magnum] blog the Tandy version of Galactic Man has slightly different packaging, different stickers, and is made of materials more resistant to the yellowing prevalent in the Radio Shack versions of the toy. I'll be sure to edit the draft when I have time. Also, I found about an [https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/retailers/transformers/ official transformers store] at the Battersea power station which I plan on incorporating at some point. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 11:49, 28 April 2025 (EDT)
:Ooohh, here's a pretty cool thing that I found out which definitely should be added to the Peru page: there's a mall [https://www.facebook.com/MuseoTF with a Transformers toy museum within it], and apparently it's been in operation since 2020! It even features a display specifically for [https://scontent.flis9-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/483676983_1040341464571272_305592738604936521_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OsCqdAxWZTQQ7kNvwGe1-WQ&_nc_oc=Adn6enKyI9P6hsp1VO2t492l7iu8t1CtWQCm3bbMYXOemGAOpKTj-0fB96Co-Jhqnm4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.flis9-1.fna&_nc_gid=0aKRlr6ClLSdhzhjlFM8cA&oh=00_AfFq1ClChLr67ItyZAhHBe0MPRKxcrRFUfQLY48v0THRPA&oe=68149CCC Transformers stuff made in Peru], which I think would be a great photographic addition to the article :) ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 20:36, 27 April 2025 (EDT))

:I've finally expanded my write-up (link [[User:Wildstrike/Sandbox/United_Kingdom|here]]), and would like to receive comment on it if possible. As for the ''Transformers'' store I mentioned above, I'm not quite sure how to incorporate it into the rest of the article and am debating just leaving it in the notes section. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 12:06, 30 May 2025 (EDT)
::Hey, sorry for taking so long to review it but it's good! I think the Transformers store can be added as its own small (even if one-line) paragraph in the section, no need to throw it all the way down to notes when it's a definitely pretty relevant to the history of Transformers in the UK. Regardless, I'd say it's time to go live with that section! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 00:24, 12 June 2025 (EDT))
:::It's finally live baby! As you may have noticed, I decided to expand the section a little bit more and mention some of the other British people that have worked on Transformers over the years as well as [[BotCon Europe 1999]], I hope you're happy with all the changes. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 15:05, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:Per recent edits, I'm scratching out the UK and Peru pages off the list, as they now also have proper "Transformers in [Country]" sections (great job on the UK one by the way, it's pretty extensive and rich in information and I feel like I learned quite a few new things with it!). I also added Germany and Vietnam to the list, so if any TF fans from those nationalities are around to see this some help in filling those out wold be greatly appreciated! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 08:22, 18 June 2025 (EDT))

== Size of this page ==

Could someone archive the last year on this page? It's getting ridiculously long and is hard to scroll through. [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 19:48, 15 April 2025 (EDT)
:Done. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:25, 15 April 2025 (EDT)

== ToonTown / Korean Transformers that might or might not be bootlegs ==
Hey, so... What do we do about [https://x.com/tfwiki/status/1036114311142363136?lang=ar this], and [https://lmb3.net/2024/12/29/blog-2500-toy-review-transformers-korean-modified-optimus-prime/ this], and [https://tformers.com/daily-prime-korean-generation-2-optimus-prime-gold-watch/43599/news.html this], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYJ8Nev7DGo this]? It basically seems like there's a massive ambiguity as to whether or not these toys are bootlegs, and while at least one of them (see the recently-edited "Globo" section on the [[knockoff]] page) has distinct bootleg origins, it's also worth remembering that there is [[Radio AM Robot|at least one known case of a bootleg being later rebranded into an official Transformers toy]], so... Maybe this is not much of an indicator?

In the replies to that first tweet, there's a person who says that "[https://x.com/tfwiki/status/1036114311142363136/ Hasbro's legal stance is that if it has their copyright on the box, it is an official product. This is what they've told me in the past when inquiring about other products]". Assuming that this is the case, and given that all of these have a Hasbro copyright on their packaging despite how genuinely weird they are, should we add them to their respective character pages, as well as maybe creating a separate page for ToonTown as a Transformers-associated company? The [[Soundwave (G1)/merchandise#Transformers Gum|Soundwave]] and [[Starscream (G1)/merchandise#Transformers Gum|Starscream]] ''Transformers Gum'' tabs already mention their ToonTown releases, so it seems like it kind of follows to add the others, no? I've left them a mention on the knockoff page as of now, but it would be good to get a final decision as to where exactly they should stay on this wiki. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 21:58, 19 April 2025 (EDT))
:Decades ago, [[Raksha]] wrote that the Toon Town stuff had been released in both South Korea and Taiwan (https://web.archive.org/web/20080917123934fw_/http://www.plumed-serpent.com/swartifacts.html). Added to what you wrote above, I believe that is the sum of all the knowledge we have on the issue, so it would be hard to write an article about it. I agree that since we have the Soundwave and Starscream stuff, the other confirmed releases are fair game to include too. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 15:18, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
::Here's another one, this time not saying Toon Town, still showing the "real" logos and symbols, and said by its owner to be a knockoff: https://toy-wizards.com/2019/03/16/super-rare-korean-transformers-toys-at-tf-con-and-the-conspiracy-theory-behind-them/?amp I'm really drawing a blank on Toon Town and it is possible we will never get enough verified info to be worth an article here. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 18:53, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::One more source for now: http://fredsworkshop.com/vkorea.html --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 18:57, 7 May 2025 (EDT)

::::Argh, another, and with even more links at the bottom, and were no closer to a conclusive truth. http://fredsworkshop.com/vkorea5.html --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 19:05, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::For what it's worth, I think it'd be good to have a page laying out the ambiguity of the matter, explaining what we know and how hard to verify it all is. Sorta like the [[unknown Generation 1 animation studios]]. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 19:35, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::: Yeah, I'd agree with this. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 20:45, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
::::::: Seconding this, it seems like we have more than enough to at least create an article about this weird company that explains the ambiguity. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 01:15, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:Alright, as per the above discussion, the [[ToonTown]] article is now up! I didn't go over every source mentioned here yet and therefore still haven't added every ToonTown-branded figure to it (and neither to the character pages, the currently existing wikilinks just to go their broader toy sections for now), but hopefully this is a good start. Would love to see your contributions to this page, if you have any to give! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:09, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::Update, the remaining ToonTown toys and merchandise that I could find has also been added. Turn out to be a shorter affair than expected! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:53, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:::Thank you for setting this up so quickly! I am doing my best to state very clearly that these might or might not be legit, that if they're knockoffs they aren't like your typical ones... The last thing I'd ever want would be for this wiki to give people the sense that fake stuff was real, but we can present the nebulous case and leave it to readers to judge. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 10:58, 8 May 2025 (EDT)
::::All good! This is just such an interesting case that it does really feel like it needs to be in the wiki insofar as we don't know whether or not they're fake. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:07, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::Hey, Google Lens led me to the discovery of another ToonTown oddity and I'd love some community help in finding out more about it before it's added into the article: [https://m.blog.naver.com/eoiipp/130144214329 This Optimus Prime model kit] doesn't appear to be based on any Kabaya / Transformers Gum kit that I know of (and the Transformers Gum section on the Optimus merchandise page says that his ToonTown kit comes as a pack-in with Starscream rather than being a standalone like this one), and in fact; he actually looks to be fairly sizable and complex compared to the usual Kabaya affair. On [https://m.totoy.com/product/%EB%AF%B8%EB%8B%B4%EC%82%B0%EC%97%85-%ED%8A%B8%EB%9E%9C%EC%8A%A4%ED%8F%AC%EB%A8%B8-g2-%EB%A1%9C%EB%B4%87-%ED%8A%B8%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%BC%EB%9F%AC-%EC%98%B5%ED%8B%B0%EB%A8%B8%EC%8A%A4-%ED%94%84%EB%9D%BC%EC%9E%84/5333/ this listing] for the same kit, you can zoom in and see what seems to be the usual ToonTown / 3D Licensing International markings, but most importantly; both of those links identify him as being made by a company called "Midam Industry" which even seems to have its own unique logo on the upper right corner of the toys (albeit it's pretty difficult to make out with how low-res all these pictures are), but that I can't find anything about them on the web. Does anyone know more about this Midam Industry Optimus, as well as maybe potentially being aware of other kits from the same series? Cheers! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 16:46, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:::After searching for a little while, I believe that this is, in fact, the only Transformers kit released by Midam Industry (although it has a handful of variants!), thus; it - as well as a Midam Industry entry - has been added to their respective pages. I've taken the liberty to classify it as a toy rather than a piece of merchandise since it is, for the standards of a Transformers model kit, actually a fairly elaborate and fully-transforming model that doesn't really seem to count as "merchandise" in the same way that Transformers Gum stuff does (it doesn't even come with any food!) - hopefully others will be in agreement on this. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:16, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::::And, just as I thought I was done with editing the ToonTown page for the day, I realized that the packaging for these kits advertises other kits, even though no pictures of those seem to be available. Aw well, duty calls... ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:31, 8 May 2025 (EDT))

== Proposing a "The Transformers (Latin American toylines)" page ==
So the title is self-explanatory, but basically; I've noticed that our Generation 1 navbox is missing the many, many Latin American Transformers G1 toylines like those produced by [[Estrela]], [[Antex]], [[Lynsa]], [[IGA]], etc. Since there might be way too many for them to all to be individually listed in the navbox, and since we already have the "[[The Transformers (toyline)]]" (for the US toyline), "[[The Transformers (European toyline)]]", "[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1 (Japanese toyline)]]", and "[[The Transformers (Chinese toyline)]]" pages all on the navbox, shouldn't we also make a "The Transformers (Latin American toylines)" page where we list all of the known releases from the various Latin American toylines, with the eventual addition of some "Main article" tags for the manufacturers of each of those toylines? ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:49, 24 April 2025 (EDT))
:I don't think the toyline or name was consistent across Latin America, so it would be more "Generation 1 toylines in Latin America"?
::That's fair, it is true that most of them removed the 'The' prefix and were usually just called ''Transformers''. Since we don't use the ''The Transformers'' name for the Japanese toyline page then it does make sense to also not use it in this instance. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:33, 24 April 2025 (EDT))
:[[Generation 1 toylines in Latin America|Page has been made!]] ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 17:17, 25 April 2025 (EDT))

== Free Comic Book Day Worst Bot Ever preview ==

I know it’s standard procedure not to create articles for comic issues until the issue actually comes out, even if a small preview is officially released online. But I’m wondering if the Ballpoint preview issue should be an exception? It is just the online page preview Skybound put out a few months ago (I believe with a couple new pages), but since it is an officially released physical comic issue that new fans will be picking up and wanting to research, I figure there’s an argument to create the article now with what we know and simply update it when the graphic novel proper comes out. For now, the article would cover what’s in the FCBD issue, and when it comes out proper we’d add to/replace it with a full synopsis and include a note about how the first 16 pages were released on FCBD. Thoughts? [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 16:58, 3 May 2025 (EDT)

== Shattered Glass and cross-continuity-family pages ==

Felt like this was worth being discussed in its own section, so: at present, [[Unicron]], [[Primus]] and [[Alpha Trion]] all have dedicated "Shattered Glass" subpages suited out. They're unique in this respect; every other page for concepts that span multiple continuity families keep the Shattered Glass versions on the same page as everything else. A good example is [[Spark]]; even though Embers have a different name and are supposedly fundamentally different in the mirror universe, they still share a page. If we're going to treat Unicron, Primus and the Thirteen like cross-continuity concepts, rather than how we treat most characters, then I don't think we should make an exception to that for Shattered Glass.

To be clear, '''this is NOT proposing that we merge all Shattered Glass characters into their G1 counterparts'''. My position is that Shattered Glass is its own continuity family, and so we keep their pages separate, and I don't think there's something special about Shattered Glass that makes it an exception to what we're doing with the cross-continuity pages. Input would be appreciated. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:52, 14 May 2025 (EDT)
: I agree. Especially because Primus and Unicron have about a paragraph's worth of information on them each. [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 18:21, 14 May 2025 (EDT)
: SG is different enough that the character pages should be separated somehow. Otherwise it’d be jarring for those unfamiliar with SG to have the one batshit crazy evil Alpha Trion in and amongst all the nice ones. Personally, I’m on the same boat as Sabrblade back up in the Thirteen discussion from a few months ago. I think suite pages are a useful tool, not a necessary evil. It’s somewhat subjective, but I can see suite pages used in this way for other cross-continuity concepts where one universe diverges far enough from the norm. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 18:49, 15 May 2025 (EDT)
::Moreso than one crazy evil [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]] in and among all the nice ones? I don't think you're giving readers enough credit, frankly. If we opened the section "In one mirror universe, Alpha Trion was not a kindly mentor, but a cruel manipulator" I don't think anyone would think twice. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:25, 15 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Touché. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:04, 16 May 2025 (EDT)
:I was waiting to weigh in until the Alpha Trion merge was fully complete, but I now feel comfortable saying this strikes me as basically reasonable, both conceptually and in terms of the small volume of material involved. The Fallen's [[The Fallen#Shattered Glass|''Shattered Glass'' content]] is already folded into his main page by necessity, after all. I do think people might feel less skittish if we more clearly telegraphed that the 13+2 were unique character/concept article hybrids not to be used as precedent down the food chain. Maybe something like:
::* Category:Concept-Characters
::*With a description like, "These subjects act as facets of the ''Transformers'' brand's baseline worldbuilding first and characters in their own right second. For the defunct fictional concept riffing on this phenomenon, see [[multiversal singularity]]."
:Is that anything? --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 18:20, 26 May 2025 (EDT)
::I like that idea. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 20:52, 26 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Seems like an excellent idea to me! --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 00:07, 27 May 2025 (EDT)
::::Yeah, seems alright for now. However, I do think it's worth having some kind of plan in place in case a concept-character winds up getting expanded on in the future. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 04:50, 2 June 2025 (EDT)
::::: I do like the category idea. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 18:51, 5 June 2025 (EDT)
Last call for objections before I go ahead with this? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:01, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:I think there's an exception to be made for Alpha Trion, as the SG page is pretty long, and still incomplete, but otherwise, yeah; was surprised by how short SG Primus and Unicron's articles are. [[User:Alientraveller|Alientraveller]] ([[User talk:Alientraveller|talk]]) 16:24, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:: It's not very long compared to the rest of the page, especially considering the toys are already on Trion's toys page. I feel like if we were gonna split a section off for length reasons it'd be Generation 1. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 20:55, 12 June 2025 (EDT)

== Interwiki link request ==

Having reached another milestone in my ongoing project to document the non-''Transformers'' [[back-up strips]] printed in the Marvel UK book, I'd like to request that tfuk.app (<tt><nowiki>https://tfuk.app/wiki/$1</nowiki></tt>) gets added to the interwiki table. Thanks. [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 11:11, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
:Goddamn, this is an incredible amount of work: more than being added to the interwiki table, it frankly feels worthy of being pinned into the "sister wikis" section on the opening page. Great job! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 12:08, 20 May 2025 (EDT))
::Seconding Fortress on front page sister wiki status, frankly. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 12:31, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Thirded on adding it to the sister wikis list, that’s amazing. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 16:07, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Fourthing! -- [[User:DannyBoy|DannyBoy]] ([[User talk:DannyBoy|talk]]) 10:19, 21 May 2025 (EDT)
:That seems eminently reasonable: [[tfuk:Main Page|The Transformers UK Appendix]] --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:15, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you! [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 17:32, 20 May 2025 (EDT)

== Skybound’s Marvel compendium edits ==

So I’ve got Skybound’s [[The Transformers Compendium Volume 1]] in hand and am reading it. I was under the impression that Skybound was, for the most part, just using IDW’s Classics reprint with maybe some polish here and there, but comparing Skybound’s version to the wiki notes about IDW classics edits, there are actually several changes from those that are going to need to be noted on each issue’s article. (For instance, the Wheeljack/Hoist panel comparison on [[I, Robot-Master!]] has a new color scheme to add to it.) Are we gonna want to make a new section on each article underneath the “Classics edits” one? Are we gonna want to wait until the Kickstarter-exclusive versions come out so we can do it all at once? (I’m just talking about differences I’ve noticed while ''skimming'' articles; I imagine there are lots more. This is the first time I’ve read the comic and thus I don’t have originals/IDW reprints to directly compare to. Just something I wanted to bring to your guys’ attention.) [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:04, 1 June 2025 (EDT)
:Making a new section under "Classics Edits" seems like the best move. As for the second question, I feel it would be best if we started making note of the changes now so that there will be less work to when the Kickstarter exclusives do release. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 04:58, 2 June 2025 (EDT)

== Continuity of origin listings? ==
I happened to see the [[Sentius Magnus]] and [[Sentius Malus]], and that sent me looking to see if there were any other new characters unique to [[Transformers: Earth Wars|Earth Wars]]. When I couldn't find any such listing, I realized I don't think we have any real way to identify original characters by their original continuity. Might it make sense to have, say, categories for brand-new characters that originated in each continuity? i.e. "Earth Wars original characters" or "IDW 2005 original characters" or "Marvel comics original characters", etc? Or, if not categories, some way of compiling that information?<br>Also, to be clear, I wouldn't consider characters that began as toys to be original to whatever fiction they first appeared in; this would just be for the likes of the aforementioned Sentius twins, or [[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]], or [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]], or [[Tarn (G1)|Tarn]]. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 06:29, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
:I think that would be a good idea, and very helpful organization-wise. (Also, you’re correct in that there are no other TFEW-original characters beyond maybe SB Optimus Prime and SB Megatron.) - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 09:09, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
: I feel that would be unnecessary, fans can find it out by looking at the work page. [[User:Vrung|Vrung]] ([[User talk:Vrung|talk]]) 16:53, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
::Unless there's a way I missed, the only way to "figure it out" by looking at the work page is to individually check the pages for every single listed character appearance to see if they've ever appeared anywhere else. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 20:33, 16 June 2025 (EDT)

==Concept characters and sorting by continuity family==
Based on discussions above, I've implemented [[:Category:Deep lore characters|Category:Concept characters]] to cover things like the Thirteen and Primus and Unicron. However, I've noticed that these pages seem to have been rearranged so they aren't sorted by continuity family, except in the case of the movie and Aligned families? I gather that it's to "preserve the flow of conceptual development", but that seems silly when we have "conceputal history" sections on the relevant characters. Other concept pages (e.g. [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] are sorted by family, so this just seems unintuitive. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 19:49, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:I agree; we've always tried to sort concepts and ideas by continuity family and it's more confusing if we start arbitrarily enforcing this standard on some pages but not on others. [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 20:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::I concur that how we've been organizing big pages like this by continuity family makes sense, especially if they have "Conceptual history" sections. Like, it's weird to jump around from a G1 section, to a Beast Era section, to a UT section, and then back to a G1 section, then to a Movie section, then Aligned, then back to another G1, then back to another Movie, then back to G1 again, then Cyberverse, then G1 again, then another Movie, and so forth. Just let the "Conceptual history" sections do their job. And if there isn't one, then, well... why not make one? They only ''enhance'' each article that has one. I'd say an article like "[[Cybertron (planet)]]" could definitely benefit from a good "Conceptual history" section of its own. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 20:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:::Agreed on all fronts. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:20, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
I think if we're going to have cross-continuity pages for whatever reason, because the "continuity family" thing isn't working... why then organize the pages that way? "G1 continuity family" is a unit of wiki organization, not a Real Thing either narratively or creatively, unlike Aligned or Movieverse. That feels like trying to have our cake and eat it—either we're organizing things by continuity family or we aren't. IDW Megatronus is more linked to Aligned Megatronus than Dreamwave Fallen. Why does it make sense to put IDW and Dreamwave together in terms of the character? Forget arbitrary wiki categorization for a minute and ask what's the intended throughline there. Are we presenting the character's evolution in a logical way or are we simply sticking to continuity families because arbitrary wiki organization? (Also an excessive amount of tiny headers as you force them all down one level looks awful.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 21:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:I don't buy that "movieverse" is any less arbitrary than "G1 continuity family". None of the Alpha Trion entries sorted under "movie continuity family" have anything to do with each other. I would argue that using continuity families for these pages provides a reasonable measure of organisation to make it easier to find specific fiction entries rather than having to scroll through the entire history of the character. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:19, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::Not to beat the dead horse, but that's why we had separate pages in the first place. Movieverse fiction uses the movies as the fundamental springing board for their narrative (and is especially relevant to the Fallen). G1 does not have that and is purely organized by aesthetics and convenience. Why are Cyberverse, EarthSpark, and Wild King not "G1" while IDW1 is? Arbitrary convenience. Which is fine, but it still drills in the point that it's not a meaningful categorization narratively or creatively, especially if we're going to eschew it at the article level regardless. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 21:51, 18 June 2025 (EDT
:::I simply think we should be consistent about how we sort fiction sections within "concept" articles. To use [[Cybertron (planet)]] as an example again, should we no longer organise the fiction entries on that page by continuity family? If you think so, fine, but I think that's a poor idea. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:55, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::::That page seems to eschew the Fiction header in the first place (which does take care of my tiny header complaint, I suppose), so it's not quite consistent to begin with. But I don't really consider location and character pages to have the same considerations; Cybertron is pretty much the same across all continuities (backstory varies, yes, but mechanical homeworld of the Transformers is always the status quo) while characters are always shifting, changing, and bringing forward new ideas into next iterations. (Gun to my head, yes, I would prefer chronological, but planet articles are not a priority to me.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:09, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:::::Right, but the thing about the Thirteen et al is that they ''don't'' have the same considerations as other characters, so we treat them the same as other cross-continuity concept articles. I don't think they should have their own unique format that's the only thing on the wiki that ''completely'' eschews continuity families for organisation. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:59, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
Two questions: 1. Are we talking about just the organization of Thirteen/Primus/Unicron pages or across the board, new standard for all pages? 2. For either side (organize by continuity family vs organize by chronology/release date), are there examples of pages with either formatting that can serve as proof of concepts or visuals that show why that specific way is the better one? [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 21:15, 18 June 2025 (EDT)

Bit of an aside but is there a different or more distinct category name we could use? For me and most tf fans I know "Concept characters" brings to mind "concept art" characters, aka unused designs and the like. I think renaming it to "Cross-continuity concept characters" or something similar would make it clearer. —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 22:39, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:That would be fine by me, yeah. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:59, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::Yeah, this was the problem that jumped out at me when I first saw the term proposed. Some other suggestions: continuity-agnostic, pan-continuity, meta-continuity, conceptual, lore, mythological, cosmological, multiversal, archetypal, foundational. I don't have a strong preference, just throwing these out there. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 12:54, 19 June 2025 (EDT)
:::conceptual, lore, and mythological feel a bit too... intangible ig? multiversal is way too close to multiversal singularity imo. I'd say continuity-agnostic, pan-continuity or meta-continuity would all be good. (personally leaning towards meta-continuity) [[User:Arren1234|--Arren Meuchel]] ([[User talk:Arren1234|talk]]) 14:41, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

I'm definitely sympathetic towards [[User:Saix|Saix]] with regards to this specific change. The Thirteen are pretty much the tentpole for the "aligned" worldbuilding which pretty much marked the ''end'' of continuity families in the traditional sense, from a creative perspective at Hasbro (not that the concept was one they were considering to begin with). As he says, everything is G1 now, IDW is aligned, ''Cyberverse'' is IDW, and so on. After consideration I prefer the way he's laid it out. ''However'', there's also obviously an argument to be made from a wiki-consistency standpoint, and I want to state for the record that I don't think such a major reorganisation of those pages' contents should have been implemented without a consensus being reached on talkpages ''first''. This should have been a sandboxed proposal, not just something that was done hoping nobody would notice or care enough to raise an objection themselves. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 12:54, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

I apologize if I'm a bit off-base here, since I haven't been following these discussions as closely as some, but it seems to me that there are fundamentally two different things that are being presented here: the evolution of the character concept, and the actual fictional history of the various iterations of the character. If that's the case, wouldn't a good solution be to make a separate section for the former while continuing to organize the latter by continuity family like every other page? -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 14:57, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

== Commentary trivia ==

Something I find a bit sad is commentary sounding Trivia having to be deleted from episode pages. Those are funny and can be interesting to see, shame they also hog space. Can there be a middle ground where I cam dump them into, say, wild king episodes Synopsis without sounding...unprofessional? (Because the commentary is one of the best parts of some episode descriptions...)[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 00:02, 3 July 2025 (EDT)

== Mentioned characters ==

Something I did back when I was revamping our coverage of the BotCon/Club stuff was add a "mentioned characters" section to the notes; for examples, see [[Cybertron's Most Wanted]], [[Gone Too Far]], and other stories linked to on the [[Transformers Timelines (fiction)]] page. It's something that we lack on other pages, and I think that it's worth implementing; in particular, when looking through some of James Roberts' work recently for a side project, I was struck by how often characters that otherwise never appear on page are mentioned. What I wanna propose is adding something like to this our media pages in general.

The Problem: I think that the benefits speak for themselves, but it does also come against the fact that we have hundreds (if not thousands) of episodes/comics/other media by this point, and that it's going to be a non-trivial amount of work getting this up to speed. For that reason, I don't really think a template is the best way to go about, especially if they're going to be sitting empty until someone goes back to read those comics or rewatch that episode or whatever. What I do think might be worth considering is that we add in something about doing it for media pages in their notes section here on out, so that we can have a headstart on at least the currently published stuff; once it becomes something feasible for a template on various pages, then I think we can revisit that idea. For my end, I've been contemplating a re-read of the comics for a few years now, and I'm more than happy to add stuff over the time I do that.

If anyone has any suggestions or comments, please respond here. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 10:22, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
:I always liked how Wookieepedia lists every proper noun in "Appearances" sections ([https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Episode_V_The_Empire_Strikes_Back#Appearances example]). I think this concept should expand to include locations, weapons, et al.—basically everything we would make a page for. Yes, it's work to add stuff, but that's editing. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 10:32, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
::That sounds like something that could be pretty beneficial information-wise, even if it’s a lot of work. I can definitely start doing something like it for my ''Earth Wars'' write-ups as I go through the event stories. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 10:49, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
:I definitely remember thinking—back when you were regularly working on the Fun Publications pages—that your exhaustive approach to filling out the notes sections with mentioned characters and concepts was ''really useful'', but that it could stand to be formalised in some way. As you say, it'd be a huge amount of work to bring articles for even the most popular stories up to that standard. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 11:20, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
::I agree this is something it would be valuable to do going forwards. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]])

== Plagiarism on the other site ==
Basically every EarthSpark character page on the other site is a copy-paste of our own. Some of Cyberverse too. Do we care about this? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 09:34, 11 July 2025 (EDT)
:I think the important first question is whether there's any attribution (though I assume the answer will be no). -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 15:53, 11 July 2025 (EDT)
::As in, "this was written by TFWiki" or "this is a unique article we here at Fandom invented"? We can see which users have been doing the copy-pasting. There's one in particular who pasted in Earthspark content (just choose a character), another who has been doing some weapons (i.e. [[Electro-scrambler]]). I know full well that fan wikis tend to get copied, so if our position is to simply disregard everything Fandom does, we can stick to that. But their site has, supposedly, had a black-and-white policy dating right back to the split that copying from us is not allowed. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 08:29, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
:::I think it could be to try and make the fandom wikis page look as good the pages here are. I confess, I did the same to bulbapedia and the fandom pokemon wiki.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 13:12, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
:::I see no reason to not make a stink about it to whatever passes for admin there. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 13:14, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
::::Thylacine - According to CC BY-SA 3.0, they are free to copy our material as long as they provide credit that it was copied from us. If they ''don't'' do that, and I'm very much assuming they don't, then we should absolutely raise hell about it, as M Sipher suggests.
::::As an example, after Wowpedia moved to wiki.gg and became Warcraft Wiki, Fandom put a blanket ban on linking to wiki.gg (for bullshit reasons) and so we've been aggressively deleting any Wowpedia pages that were copied from us because they are functionally unable to provide proper attribution and their staff fucked up and never depowered one of our admins. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 14:31, 13 July 2025 (EDT)a
:::::They are definitely not providing any credit, and they also still have ''as their very first listed policy'' "no copying from Wikipedia or TFWiki." transformers dot fandom dot com/wiki/Transformers_Wiki:Policies#Plagiarism --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 16:29, 13 July 2025 (EDT)

Their site lists four admins, of whom two are obviously long retired. One who was last active in May is the source of some of the plagiarism, and also showed themself to be unresponsive to multiple direct questions posted on their wall by Fandom higher-ups. That leaves the one who was last active in June. I wrote that one a message summarizing all this as best I can, bearing in mind that systematically comparing pages on some other peoples' wiki is not at all something I am interested in doing. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 10:02, 14 July 2025 (EDT)
:Honestly, failing any response from their admins (which I will imagine will be the case), I think anyone happening to spot plagiarised material can happily just go ahead and delete it on the spot, citing their own policy of not copying from TFWiki. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 10:11, 14 July 2025 (EDT)
::A response: transformers dot fandom dot com/wiki/Message_Wall:Moviejunkie2009

::I msged the other suggested admins, no response. I did NOT msg the suggested Fandom "community manager" because they have no reason to help us, if anything I expect their response would be to simply erase the relict, circa-2008 anti-plagiarism policy that the current community knows nothing about.

::I do ''not'' enjoy scanning their New Articles page every day and maxing out my allowed daily edits by blanking the neverending incoming pasted pages. I am going to stop doing this. It pisses me off that a zero-effort community can ignore its own rules and steal our work, but it feels even worse to compulsively devote my free time to marginally cleaning up a zero-effort community's messes. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 20:07, 17 July 2025 (EDT)

== The General commercial with Bumblebee and Shaq ==

I think we should have information on this commercial for The General with Bumblebee and Shaq:

https://tformers.com/watch-bumblebee-shaq-acting-up-in-new-the-general-insurance-spot/55134/news.html
--[[User:John Pannozzi|John Pannozzi]] ([[User talk:John Pannozzi|talk]]) 13:11, 26 July 2025 (EDT)

== Maintenance heads up ==

Just to let everyone know, I'm going to take the site offline temporarily in about an hour for maintenance. Should not be offline for too long, hopefully. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 02:24, 29 August 2025 (EDT)
:And we're back. Thank you for your patience.--[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 03:43, 29 August 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you for your work, abates! [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 03:53, 29 August 2025 (EDT)

== Coverage idea ==

We should add a "Major events" section to the episode articles. It helps keep track of events alongside continuity notes and could help finding specific episodes better.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 19:07, 16 September 2025 (EDT)
:Struggling to picture what exactly that would look like. --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 15:07, 17 September 2025 (EDT)
::Like a Major Events header, then the body text is any important Events that happen in the episode. (E.g. Darkest Hour in TFP: The autobot base is destroyed)[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 01:38, 13 October 2025 (EDT)
:::Perhaps you could put together an example on a sandbox page? [[User:Omegatron|Omegatron]] ([[User talk:Omegatron|talk]]) 06:55, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
::::Uh, idk how to make sandboxes. There are examples over on Bulbapedia though, so that should give a rough idea on what im suggesting. [[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 08:02, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::https://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:Poliwag06/Sandbox [[User:Omegatron|Omegatron]] ([[User talk:Omegatron|talk]]) 09:55, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::: I think this works for something like Bulbapedia because Pokemon is a pretty episodic 1000 episode anime with a set of regular events that it's useful to track (X caught / traded / lost a Pokemon / gym battle), whereas Transformers doesn't really work the same way? And things similar to that are already tracked in the trivia notes (the Alchemor prisoner manifest) or kinda fall into listicles which aren't popular (ie who used Cyber Keys that episode, what mini-cons were collected). Trying to qualify what counts as a "major event" outside of, say, "Character debuts / final appearances", which are also already in the trivia notes for for some series (definitely Animated, maybe others), especially in plot terms, feels difficult and liable to cruft and for people to just read the headline of the article. [[User:AkibaSilver|AkibaSilver]] ([[User talk:AkibaSilver|talk]]) 18:01, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::::Yeah, the notes already serve as a pseudo-"major events" section with all the stuff you just named, and if you were to look for anything else to add you’d probably end up with something that has so many details it may as well just be the synopsis. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 20:53, 14 October 2025 (EDT)

== Overview of pre-TF page ==
Hey, just posting here to provide a wiki-wide notification of sorts that I started an "Overview" section on the [[Pre-Transformers]] page and it's in dire need of some chunks of summarized information primarily regarding Diaclone and Micro Change and their respective Transformers localizations, as per the various stub markers left in specific sections. It feels like that page has been needing a proper written history of pre-TFs for a while now, so if anyone could help me fill it out then I'd be glad! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:14, 12 October 2025 (EDT))
:I'll see about taking a crack at the Diaclone bits as I can. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 00:37, 13 October 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you for volunteering, and wow, I had no idea about [[Horloge Robot]]: his page has now been made! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 05:06, 13 October 2025 (EDT))
:::Wahey, thank you! As you can imagine I'd been meaning to get around to that for ages. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 12:45, 13 October 2025 (EDT)

== Overgear continuity ==
Maybe I'm asking this question a bit too early since we only have a vague premise and prototype images for [[Transformers Overgear]], but... Should we archive the figures released underneath it under their characters' G1 pages (when applicable) as it is usually done with odd Takara releases, or should they get entirely new pages instead? This feels like a toyline with a very distinct concept from most other regular ''Transformers'' assortments, so I'm frankly leaning on the latter. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:27, 16 October 2025 (EDT))
:It’s probably too early. And jumping the gun has bitten us in the ass before. Remember [[Cliffjumper (Yolopark)|Ladybug?]] [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 12:40, 17 October 2025 (EDT)

== Proposing a comedic category for fraud ==

Given the ongoing hubhub over the probable scammers who call themselves [[Mbilia Studios]], how about we make up a "Category:Fraud" or "Category:Fraudsters" like we have "Category:Things that don't exist"? Pat Lee and Dreamwave Productions come to mind as possible members for such a wiki category. [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 08:22, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:I see where you’re coming from but it also would be a massive vandal magnet. [[User:Hyperious|Hyperious]] ([[User talk:Hyperious|talk]]) 08:35, 4 November 2025 (EST)

::that also sounds legally actionable in a way the wiki probably doesn't want to deal with. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] ([[User talk:Hooper X|talk]]) 10:14, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:::Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeah nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooo let's not. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 14:01, 4 November 2025 (EST)
::::Sounds like a bad idea to me as well... - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 16:52, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:Joining in to say that yeah, I also agree that this is a bad idea. But I do think that the Mbilia Studios page needs a Controversy section at the very least, the Trivia portion is ridiculously cluttered and it feels like a lot of it would be more comfortably read as just part of a standard couple of paragraphs. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 07:45, 12 November 2025 (EST))
::Agreed. I don't think we need that much detailing of how bad the AI video is. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:19, 12 November 2025 (EST)

== Binder of Revelation Illustration Credits ==
Okay, don't kill me here, I'm just hoping that the artists who contributed to the Binder fifteen-ish years ago get their proper due since it's out in the open now. I got in touch with the art director of the Binder of Revelation and have a fairly complete list of credits for who did what illustration. Since this isn't actually a published work, how do we go about giving proper illustration credits? Do we even credit anyone? Considering the document itself has no credits, I feel like it's worthwhile that the artists get recognized, even if we aren't putting any images up ourselves. [[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 21:37, 25 November 2025 (EST)
:I don't think this is objectionable info to note at the least. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 23:03, 25 November 2025 (EST)
::For now, maybe put your raw info on a sandbox so we can get a better sense of it? Most of the Binder art I know of was by Ken Christiansen, for instance, so if all but a few pieces are by him, it would seem silly to list them all individually. But I'm guessing it's more varied than that. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 00:26, 26 November 2025 (EST)
:::It's a pretty wide spread, surprisingly. A lot of the pieces are tag team works where Eric Siebenaler did roughs and other artists did the finals, but it's around 5-10 artists without me checking the exact notes at the moment. I'll start getting that together.[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 14:41, 26 November 2025 (EST)
::::All known credits added. On a side note, is it worth pointing out somewhere that the Binder itself is written in the style of a RPG manual instead of an actual franchise bible? It goes a long way in explaining why it was so quickly disregarded by other creative teams when comparing it to bibles from other franchises or just other series bibles within Transformers on the whole, and the pricetag attached to the project.--[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 15:23, 21 January 2026 (EST)

== What are we calling the new "Core" Transformers stuff? ==

So... what should we call the new generically branded "Transformers" toys that have been showing up? (Prime Changers, Smash Changers, Tiny Turbo Changers, maybe more in the future). Should it be a separate new thing or maybe part of [[Transformers Authentics|''Authentics'']]? The Prime Changer [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Authentics|Optimus]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Authentics|Bumbleebee]], and [[Megatron (G1)/toys#PrimeChanger|Megatron]] were previously added under ''Authentics'', while someone just started using "Transformers (2026)" for the Tiny Turbo [[Arcee (G1)/toys#Tiny Turbo Changers|Arcee]] and [[Elita One (G1)#Tiny Turbo Changers|Elita]], which got me thinking that we should probably figure this out soon.<br>From what I've gathered they all use "TRA Core" in their listing names, but their packaging design seems identical to current ''Authentics'' packaging design, also lacking a distinct subtitle and focusing on "Evergreen" characters to start off. Then again, Hasbro homogenizing all their packaging designs in the last year makes it hard to tell if this line is meant to be its own thing. Though it is notable that unlike prior ''Authentics'', this "Core" line is using bigger size classes and is available at bigger retailers like Target instead of dollar stores. –[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:24, 13 January 2026 (EST)

:I was JUST adding a section here and rather than rewriting...<br>
:Okay just kinda checking in, because thanks to Hasbro's goddamn infuriating thing about not promoting/announcing anything other than the expensive collector crap, the load of sub-line-less not-''Authentics'' "Core" stuff hitting Targets (at least, has anything popped up at Walmart?) is a bit of a "how do we handle this" deal. Both "how much product is there" and "do we treat this as a separate line, as an extension of Authentics despite it not being a 'discount' store line, or what". I'm leaning towards "just list it as its own line with G1 characters unless pretty explicitly otherwise". --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 18:30, 13 January 2026 (EST)
::Oh right, Walmart. Off memory they do have the ''Authentics''-styled [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#MegaSting|Mega Sting Bumbleebee]] (could also be considered a "larger price point" I guess). No clue if any listings gave it a separate name like "Core" has. Walmart also has a bunch of merch stuff in ''Authentics''-style packaging like big head helicopters, Dancing Transformers and a giant RC Bumblebee. –[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:57, 13 January 2026 (EST)

== Size of the page again ==

This page is getting pretty long again, so could someone archive the last year? [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 12:03, 22 January 2026 (EST)

== Idea for a page? ==

Perhaps a page discussing the various Transformers that have "base modes" as a third form, like Powermaster Prime, Motormaster, etc. It's a major recurring gimmick since G1. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 09:09, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:I think a general "[[base mode]]" article would make sense, yeah. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 10:19, 30 January 2026 (EST)
::seconded. frankly shocked to learn there isn't one already --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 11:58, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:::I think base modes lend themselves better to a category page rather than a full-blown article. What would it even say? “Some Transformers have Base Modes. Here’s a list of all the toys, here’s a list of all the episodes/issues where a base mode appeared.” [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 16:51, 4 February 2026 (EST)
::::I don't see why not. We have articles specifically for [[Beast mode]], [[Super Mode]], [[attack mode]], and [[transportation mode]]. For such a prominent feature of Transformers since its early days I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a specific write-up about city/base modes anywhere, and not even as single mention on the main [[alternate mode]] page. Closest I can find is [[Titan (group)#Alternate modes]]. —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:01, 4 February 2026 (EST)
:::::I attempted a [[User:MahXyme/Sandbox/Base Mode|sandbox for a Base Mode page]] long ago, but I stopped since I realized it would require an extensive amount of work to list all fiction usages & differentiate what counts/what does not count not (something I struggled with the [[Micromaster#The Transformers|Micromasters Transports]] assorments -[[User:MahXyme|MahXyme/MahXymal]] ([[User talk:MahXyme|talk]]) 17:53, 5 February 2026 (EST)
::::::Seems like a good start at least. I'd argue for listing "groups" of base modes (Micromaster Stations, Titans Return Leaders, etc.) rather than individual figures --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 20:36, 5 February 2026 (EST)

Agreed on the organizational aspects. And, that sandbox is a good start, though yeah, it'd need a lot of work to go through all the toylines and make a comprehensive list. There's also the fact that certain toys with base modes are intended to link to others, some universal and some just one specific bot, so it may be tricky to document when that play feature is prevelant. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 10:35, 18 February 2026 (EST)

==About character name translations==
Um... I'm new here. I have a question, and I'm not sure if this question falls under [[Help:Official info]]...

That is, I want to add the translated names of some characters. But I want to know what basis this wiki uses to choose foreign translations. Must the foreign translations be ones used by Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy and their licensees in order to remain on this wiki? Can some of the names translated by fan Chinese translation groups be considered valid? Especially in cases where they were the first to provide a translation for a work (possibly the only one) and fixed certain character names.

There are also some characters (such as [[Sentinel Maximus]]) whose works may never be introduced by licensors in certain languages, but they do have a commonly used translated name. Should we include this translated name, or just keep it without a translation in that language?

For example, when IDW comic books were introduced in China, the translation team at the time translated [[Tarn (G1)]] as '''璇玑湖'''. So this would count as an authorized translation. However, because this translated name has nothing to do with the original meaning (as well as some other controversies surrounding that Chinese translation group), the more common and widely used Chinese translation for [[Tarn (G1)]] is the direct transliteration '''塔恩'''. '''璇玑湖''' has basically been abandoned. In this case, which translation should we choose?

:I suddenly realized that 塔恩 could be used. The packaging of Blokees does indeed call him 塔恩.

Also, does the foreign name used in the product titles by the Hasbro official flagship store count?

Uh, this question might seem a bit silly, or it might come across as a bit strange because I'm speaking English through a translator. But if the existing Wiki rules already cover this issue, please just tell me, thank you.[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 10:18, 12 February 2026 (EST)
:This is a fantastic question. I have no authority here so don’t take this as word of law, but I believe that Romanizations on this wiki (which I think is somewhat similar) are case-by-case. The first romanization of [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] was “Deszarus”, but the page is still titled “Deathsaurus” because that’s what the name actually is supposed to be. (Deathsaurus’ name issues are actually pretty interesting, at least to me, and I’d recommend reading the wiki article’s section on it.) Conversely, [[Jallguar]] IS the first romanization used, and the article title, but in that instance I suppose that there isn’t really any convincing reason to use any of the other romanizations we’ve gotten over the years since none of them actually mean anything (it’s just the Japanese word for Jaguar with an extra syllable inserted). I’m rambling. What I would do for foreign names is, stick with the first official translation used, unless you think there’s a compelling reason to use a different one (like what you said with Tarn), and in that case bring it up on the discussion page for the article in question or in the Discord server. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:43, 15 February 2026 (EST)
::They need to be translations used in official material. That's just the easiest line in the sand we can make. If different translations are used officially, we note them all, barring obvious typos and the such. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:22, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:::Does the name used for the flagship store count? Those works that were not introduced have kept them without translations, right?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 06:52, 15 February 2026 (EST)

Some publications that contain many translations (such as the Chinese version of DW's MTMTE) I actually don't have the resources for, which is a pity.
I have come to realize some issues. For instance, if the translation team used a certain translation term when translating a publication, but later discovered that this term was incorrect, they made the correction in their subsequent fan-based translations. However, since the publication was not re-released after its introduction, the translation term in the authorized merchandise could not be modified. Can we adopt the revised translation term provided by this translation team?

There is another less rigorous question: Does THE translation given by the authorized Chinese translation and introduction team of Chris McFeely's TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS count?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 07:07, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:THE BASICS, while incredibly informative, is not official, so no, it would not count. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 15:52, 16 February 2026 (EST)
::I reiterate, official material only. Mistakes are unfortunate, but that's how it goes and we can't presume unofficial translations will make it into official material. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:42, 16 February 2026 (EST)
OK, I will do it this way. Strictly follow the official materials.

And one more question: Can the translation names used by Hasbro's official store be used in this Wiki?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 23:40, 16 February 2026 (EST)
:Material from Hasbro is fine. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 01:50, 17 February 2026 (EST)

== So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? ==

It made sense to keep them together when ''Legends'' first started as Jungle Animals in Decidedly Non-Jungle Situations, and this wasn't worth pursuing before now since it'd be just moving the furniture around. But the lore got deeper and now with ''New Legends'' as ongoing fiction I think it's worth looking at again. As much as Legends World is treated as its own dimension, it is fundamentally just a location easily accessible from the JG1 timeline populated with clones* of Transformers from the wider continuity that exists around it. And when we write pages for duplicate characters who co-exist, do we not typically split them off? If that's the yardstick, several Legends Worlders interact with or refer to their JG1 selves, including Rattrap, Rhinox, Waspinator, Arcee, and T-AI. Leo Prime even moves in with Lio Convoy, and keeping those same dudes on the same page is complicating the already complex timeline presented by "[[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|Age of Primes]]". — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 12:44, 3 March 2026 (EST)
<sub>*"clones" is a simpler term for these guys than "magically created lifeforms in a telepathic dream world based on real people from 300 years in the future" but same diff</sub>
:It's always been strange to me that they weren't split off already. Having them on the same page is extremely confusing. I'd say go for it. --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 12:57, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:Personally I think this might be overthinking things. I'd agree that it's not quite 1 to 1 with other cross dimension stuff, but functionally Legends Rattrap is a version of the Beast Wars character even if he is in this weird pocket dimension type thing, and ever single "native" to the dimension we see is basically just a comedic version of a pre-existing character. And we've always kept cross dimensional stories with versions of the same character on the same page (Universe, TransTech, et cetera). It makes things complicated, sure, but JG1 stuff has been like that for nearly two decades now. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 13:00, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::For my money, there's just ''so much'' with the Legends idiots now, and there's going to keep being more of it, so we'd be best off siloing them into their own pages <s>and not having to think about them any more</s>. Universe and TransTech stories that had the characters interacting were generally one-offs or short runs. This is a Cloud or Galvatron II situation, to me. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 13:45, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I am on the record as considering reader experience our prime directive and this would be such a drastic improvement to the readability of our coverage of the Legends rat's nest that I've been meaning to suggest it for years. Consider me emphatically in favor. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 20:12, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I think I'm also generally leaning towards "this is already complicated and it's just going to get more complicated so let's detangle this shit sooner rather than later." -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:19, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::Fine with this idea. Are we using Japanese names since those characters have never shown up in material with Hasbro names? [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:31, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::That feels unnecessarily pedantic. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:16, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::::One could make the argument that it's too steeped in Japanese fan culture/terminology to use the Hasbro names, but I really only care about the human characters having Japanese names (because they're normal people living in Tokyo and wouldn't be named things like "T-AI"). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::::Also, I think Roadbuster, Whirl, and Windblade can stay as they are, since all three are meant to be the main JG1 versions of those characters anyway. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:37, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::I'm theoretically in favour of Japanese names, since it would improve legibility of say, the time Rattle and Rattrap teamed up – and we're absolutely keeping Lio Convoy, since Leo Prime has gone through a textual name change – BUT: characters with toys, at least, had both the Japanese and Hasbro names on their packaging. It would be inconsistent to have Rattrap and Waspinator and Optimus Primal alongside Cheetus and — I can't think of another example, but I'm interrupting this train of thought because I CAN think of Optimus Minor being made Primal's son on the basis of Beast Convoy's western name. And how many minor guys like, I dunno, Build Boy, are named in dialogue? We could always title the article Wedge and slap a Noname-uncomfirmed on that bad boy like how we did with ''Shattered Glass'' in the distant past.
:::Also, what are we feeling is best for a disambig? (Legends)? (LG)? (LW)? — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:43, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Or we could go with the Kre-O approach of "major characters get their own pages, cameos don't" I GUESS — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:53, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Minor is only called "Minor" in Legends, so he wouldn't get the full name. I vote (Legends). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:::::I second the "(Legends)" motion. It's the name of the franchise these character debuted in, in the name of the world they live in, and it's one word. We don't put Masterforce characters at "MF", for instance, and "Legends" isn't even a compound word that ''could'' be abbreviated. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 16:32, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::::Doing a cursory sweep we appear to have already used "(Legends)" for a [[:Category:Transformers Legends episodes|bazillion mobile game events]] such that it might be prudent to avoid that one. My two cents would be to either use the "(LG)" abbreviation from the packaging/story titles/etc or straight up spell out "(Legends World)" for absolute maximum clarity. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 17:50, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::::I'm leaning towards LG: it's on every toy box and in the title of the vast majority of chapters. Plus, Deadlock uses it in-universe. And it's shorter! — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:::::::"Legends" is also spoken in-universe countless times all throughout the Legends manga series, even in the most recent End of G1 Universe comic starring the green Lio Convoy. The reason "LG" is on every toy box is because it's part of each toy's ID number, which we have never let dictate any of our disambiguation tags. Otherwise, we'd be using "(BT)" instead of "(Binaltech)", "(MP)" instead of "(Masterpiece)", "(UN)" instead of "(United)", "(TG)" instead of "(Generations)", "(TAV)" instead of "(Adventure)", "(PP)" for Power of the Primes instead of "(POTP)", "(SG)" instead of "(Siege)", "(TCV)" instead of "(Cyberverse)", "(ER)" instead of "(Earthrise)", "(KD)" instead of "(Kingdom)", "(TL)" instead of "(Legacy)", etc. That [[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends mobile game]] (which has been dead for over a decade, even) that "(Legends)" is currently being used for is a nonissue when "(Legends)" is ''also'' currently being used for things from the [[Transformers Legends (book)|Transformers Legends anthology book]], particularly [[Susan (Legends)]]. And "(Legends)" has already been in use for things from the Legends manga, too, like [[Groundshaker (Legends)]], [[Synapse (Legends)]], [[Duncan (Legends)]], and [[Plasma Energy Chamber (Legends)]]. It's no different from how we use "(RID)" for things from both the 2001 and 2025 franchises, "(Universe)" for things from both the 2003 and 2008 franchises, and "(Generations)" for things from both the pre-Combiner Wars toyline and from the series of Japanese guidebooks. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:37, 5 March 2026 (EST)
::::::::Yes, the principle was always "least disambiguation necessary for titles". A particular disambiguation is fine to be used by different things. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 02:13, 5 March 2026 (EST)
:::::::::Speaking personally I cannot say I am terribly invested in any specific disambig so if y'all feel that strongly about "(Legends)," so be it. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 15:00, 5 March 2026 (EST)
:Historically I've leaned more in the direction of "this feels like putting these dumb animals on too much of a pedestal", given the meta-importance that page splits tend to imply to the wiki's audience, ''but'' I find the "these are functionally clones who exist within JG1 continuity specifically, not just 'normal' alternate versions of the characters" framing pretty compelling, so I'm surprising myself by saying I wouldn't be opposed to a split at this point. Making stuff like multiple Lios Convoy interacting less insane to write about is definitely a bonus too. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:34, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::Oh, also, and I hope it would go without saying, but obviously the toys that technically represent Transformerised Legends World guys would need to go on both pages (which I think we're already doing anyway for cases like the Targetmasters that are actually technically Kiss Players and Beastformers and stuff). [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:41, 4 March 2026 (EST)

Thinking about it more, the Galvatron II example is more presuasive to me; a suite style situation would be fine. As for names, I don't really care about T-AI but for any of the Transformers I think that's a bit much. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 08:08, 4 March 2026 (EST)

Having gone through [[:Category:Legends World natives]] and [[:Category:Legends World humans]], if we apply the Kre-O Rule of Notability, that gives us the following:
*'''Split:''' Airazor, Arcee, Big Convoy, Bighorn, Blackarachnia, Cheetor, Dinobot, Lio Convoy, Lio Junior, Megatron, Nightscream, Optimus Minor, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Rhinox, Scorponok, Scuba, Scylla, Silverbolt, Stampy, Starscream, Tarantulas, Terrorsaur, Tigatron, Waspinator, Nightbeat, T-AI
*'''Lump:''' Roadbuster, Whirl, basically every real person making a cameo
*'''Small roles:''' Archadis, Armordillo, BB, Break, Bump, Colada, Diver, Drill Nuts, Gas Skunk, Guiledart, Heinrad, Ikard, Inferno, Longrack, Magmatron, Megastorm, Kobanzametarō, Prowl, Quickstrike, Rampage, Randy, Ravage, Saberback, Sling, Star Upper, Tasmania Kid, Transmutate, Venom, Wedge, Wolfang, Kelly, Kenneth Onishi, Koji Onishi
*'''TBD:''' Botanica (doesn't have a write-up yet), Buzz Saw (does not appear in JG1 elsewhere), Savage and Noble, Tank Drones (do we split subgroups?)
— [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 09:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:The Kre-O thing is because some characters (in fiction or toys) can't be exclusively slotted into G1 or movie buckets since they shift design cues between them. I think it's easier to just be consistent with the Legends gremlin people (other than real people cameos). Sensible to keep the sentient toys (Mini-Cons, Encore Big Convoy) and the three JG1 inductees (Roadbuster, Whirl, Windblade) on their respective character pages, I think. Like Wolfang/Howlinger, Buzz Saw exists in JG1 somewhere off-camera, since they got his toy. I don't think Tank Drone needs another page; it's a mass-produced bodytype that can cover instances across universes, not a specific person. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:19, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::I'm somewhere in the middle between "splitting them off the main article would help improve readability, yes," and "splitting them off entirely feels a bit too far since all of them are essentially just different versions of the main Beast Wars et al characters", so I think going the aforementioned route of suiting them would be the cleanest solution. Keeps them joined at the hip with the main versions that they're basically new versions of, while also giving them their own webpages to tidy up readability on the main pages. The Galvatron II analogy is very apropos in this case. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 10:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::Coming back to this with refreshed knowledge, Botanica is split, Buzz Saw is small roles (which is now also split), Savage and Noble are split both from Noble (BM) and from each other, and Rhinox/Tankor can go on the same page. — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)

So uh. I've come around on the split pages. However...I don't think completely removing any reference to them on the Beast Wars pages themselves is particularly helpful? Whether it be a suite or a "see this article for more information" I don't mind, but there should be some reference since like Sabrblade says, they are just comedic versions of the Beast Wars guys. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 07:37, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:Maybe do the disambiguation like this? [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 14:09, 6 March 2026 (EST) {{disambig3.5|the Beast Wars Maximal|his Legends World counterpart|Rattrap (Legends)|Rattrap}}

Alright, I've decided that for now I'm just going to add a note and a link mostly because I have little patience when it comes to formatting suite links. It's going to be along these lines:

{{note|Due to the unique nature of ''Legends'' place within JG1 continuity, we've opted to separate out this version of the character into its own micro-page. See [article link] for more details.}}

If anyone has any objections or comments, leave them below. Otherwise I'll just implement it tomorrow. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 19:28, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:I don't think this is necessary, but this can be phrased in-universe if we really need it. (<nowiki>"In the [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]]-created [[Legends World]], its [[Character (Legends)|Character]]'s existence formed based on Character."</nowiki> or something around that.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 19:55, 6 March 2026 (EST)
::Yeah, I like that much better. If nothing else it draws way less attention to itself. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:55, 6 March 2026 (EST)
:::Seconding Saix that this feels unnecessary, seconding Broadside that Saix's version is more straightforward if we must. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 22:12, 6 March 2026 (EST)
::::My thinking is that treating them as completely separate from the regular versions is not really accurate/a bit "inside baseball. Like I said at the start, they aren't quite the same as different counterparts from another universe, sure, but they are still very specifically comedic versions of the Beast Wars characters, down to the fact that they briefly turn into them late in the series. It's why I find the Galvatron II comparison more compelling for accessibility reasons (frankly, the main Galvatron article could also use a note explaining why he's separate too). As for the wording, again I think the in-universe thing is a bit inside baseball, and not clear immediately to users who have no idea what Legends is. If people have suggestions for a better way of wording a precise explanation, I'm all for it, but I still think the intent of my suggestion is more accessible to readers. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 22:27, 6 March 2026 (EST)

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2026-03-07T00:28:17Z

Escargon: /* So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? */

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2026-03-06T13:47:45Z

Escargon: /* So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? */

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2026-03-06T12:37:37Z

Escargon: /* So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? */

__NEWSECTIONLINK__

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{{:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}/Archive}}


==The Thirteen and the other conversation we've been waiting for==

Over the last few years, the Thirteen have played a major role in multiple ''Transformers'' stories. However, this prominence—combined with Hasbro's increasingly loose approach their in-universe lore—has also led to increasingly divergent portrayals of the group and its individual members.

Around 2015, we took the step of consolidating all the different incarnations of the Thirteen on one page for each, with the rationale that the characters were former [[multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]], and mostly shared similar backstories and personalities between incarnations. However, even at the time, this was not a completely ideal comporomise. Most notably, the various [[Alpha Trion]]s were not consolidated into one, partly due to length and partly because the existence of his [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|murderously insane evil counterpart]] represented a massive contradiction to the entire notion.

However, over the years, multiple authors have drastically reinterpreted the Thirteen and their story. The role of "Thirteenth Prime" has been filled by multiple contradictory characters—[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], [[Zeta Prime (One)|Zeta Prime]], [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]—and individual depictions of the Primes themselves have grown increasingly divergent. "Shattered Glass" Alpha Trion is no longer the outlier, but rather an increasing trend: for instance, ''Transformers One'' features a completely heroic Megatronus who never becomes The Fallen, a Liege Maximo that looks nothing like Loki, and an incarnation of Nexus Prime that does not seem to be a combiner. With these data points in mind—and the potential for even further divergence in the coming years—I and several other editors feel that it may be time to reorganize our Thirteen coverage, splitting them out into individual [[continuity family]]-based incarnations the way we would for stock characters like [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]], [[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|Bumblebee]], etc.

However, if we do adopt this approach, some further problems would need to be solved.

* '''How do we handle toys?''' With a few exceptions like ''Revenge of the Fallen'' The Fallen, the toys of the Thirteen are clearly meant to be somewhat continuity-agnostic. ''Age of the Primes'' Solus Prime is about as faithful to her depiction in ''The Covenant of Primus'' as it is to ''One'' or any of the IDW comics in which she appears. Even if we count them as "repurposes" across multiple pages, the format of the wiki means they'd have to be based ''somewhere''...

* '''FunPub stuff''': The Vector Prime of "Ask Vector Prime" is clearly meant to be a version of the same Vector Prime who appeared in the ''Cybertron'' cartoon, but at the same time makes reference to off-camera events, such as a time when he and the Thirteen lived in Ancient Greece—would we make a separate "FunPub" page for the Thirteen, or try and work these events onto Unicron Trilogy pages when necessary? Other similar problems exist: "[[Coalescence]]" is a story that features a movie universe Fallen jumping into the world of ''Shattered Glass'', and AVP established that "The Evil One" of GoBots fame, is another alternate-universe incarnation of The Fallen/Megatronus.

Feedback on this proposal is appreciated! [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 11:50, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:From my point of view, I think as it stands right now my thoughts on the Thirteenth Prime stuff is that I absolutely understand the concerns, but for me personally it kind of falls into the same view as like, IDW Primus being Rung, which I think our current model handles fairly well. For the other Primes, I'm tempted to say that like...as it stands, there's about as much divergence there as like, Unicron as he's depicted in The Last Knight (not really shown to be aggressive beyond being called Cybertron's enemy), and as it stands right now, I don't think that's enough to say there should be a full-on split, but I do think it's worth thinking about future-proofing. And I suppose my main concern right now about pushing ahead too soon is in the event there's some fiction accompanying the Age of the Primes stuff; certainly, the fact that we're getting a toy of the Fallen with the Megatronus name but with the original Dreamwave design does make me hesitant that there might be some further consolidation of disparate elements; and I remember that last time we did this in the early 2010s was that we figured the idea of the Aligned Primes not having any connections to the others was going to be the standard going forward, which turned out not to be the case, and I figure it might be worth considering if something like that happens again. But! I am open to ideas of how to implement this if we do go for it; I think the suite options we have for Primus and Unicron work perfectly fine if we go for something like that. Just figure it's worth considering the stuff I've brought up here first. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 12:35, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::Right now, I'm leaning toward the camp of not splitting them out for all the reasons you've given. I look at our current situation and, while not perfect, I feel that things can be tidied up simply with some "Conceptual history" sections for the pages that need them. The aforementioned Vector Prime is a particular case not just for everything stated about him above, but because [[Vector Prime: In the Beginning|his very first Fub Pub appearance]] written by [[Forest Lee]] leans so heavily far into the multiversal aspect of the character that it doesn't treat him like he is a native to the Cybertron cartoon universe but rather to the whole multiverse itself. Similarly, Nexus Prime was also continuity-agnostic by his very nature from the ground up. The safest solution for splitting him out would be to classify his Fun Pub incarnation under "(Timelines)" (the previous "(Classics)" tag we had him under was bleh), but that's typically a last-resort tag we have tried to avoid in the past.
::Regarding The Fallen, while he does tend to be evil in a majority of his depictions, and has had a few outlier cases where he either didn't go bad at all (TF One) or was the victim of other's manipulations (Covenant), it's implied that the majority of those evil versions weren't always evil from the start, and only went bad later. The TF One version of Megatronus never turned to the dark side, but one could argue that he was murdered before he ever would have gotten the chance to. ;-)
::Regarding the Thirteenth Prime and various conflicting the depictions, we solved that issue by simply creating the "[[Thirteenth Prime]]" article to explain everything there.
::You mention the situation with Alpha Trion, and I get it. The biggest reasons for simply not merging all of his pages together were that A) he was never originally meant to be one of the Thirteen since the original Dreamwave-based lore for the Thirteen had them all die before A3 was even born, and B) his Shattered Glass self. I used to be a proponent for keeping all of his versions separate because of A, but in the time since then we've had more and more depictions of him as a 13er who were all still pretty much the same as his traditional pre-Aligned depictions. If we were to merge all of his versions together, a "Conceptual history" section for him could explain the whole "Sometimes he's a 13er, sometimes he's not" situation.
::BUT, there still remains his SG version, which I wouldn't feel comfortable putting on the same page as his other versions. Reaching back to the [https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Talk:Transformers:_Shattered_Glass_(franchise)#Separate_Continuity.3F original discussion] about how to handle the SG characters, I find myself still agreeing with those like Steve-o who pointed out how awkward "'''Continuity X''': Bumblebee loves humans and does lots of funny and cute stuff to help save the universe. '''Continuity Y''': Bumblebee loves humans and does lots of different but still funny and cute stuff to help save the universe. '''Shattered Glass''': Bumblebee is hardcore evil and wants to kill you for no particular reason. '''Continuity Z''': Bumblebee loves humans and does yet another set of funny and cute stuff to help save the universe." reads as a page. But, there is one thing we have nowadays that we did not have back when that original discussion was held and makes me wonder how differently the conversation might have gone if they had existed back then: Subpages. Looking at our [[Primus]] and [[Unicron]] articles, I find it to be a very fair and workable compromise that their respective SG versions are placed not on their respective main pages but as subpages for each. Doing the same for SG Alpha Trion were we to merge all of the non-SG A3's together could be a valid solution too, in my eyes. Unlike others, I don't see subpages as an annoying evil that much be dealt with and eliminated, but as a handy tool to work around tricky situations like this.
::Had they even existed back then, it's very possible that ALL SG characters may have ended up on subpages for their positive polarity counterparts instead of separate pages entirely. And since then, SG has grown to expand not just beyond the original Fun Pub SG G1 continuity but to other non-G1 SG continuities, like for the Movies, Animated, and Cybertron, forcing us to create such unsightly tags as "(SG Movie)", "(SG Animated)", and "(SG Cybertron)", when subpages could have prevented that with "(Movie)/Shattered Glass" or "(Animated)/Shattered Glass" and so on.
::But, I'm getting off topic. Backing up to the Thirteen, I'm for keeping the Thirteen together. In addition to what all I've said above, the Age of the Primes toys seem to be treating them as the standard or definitive versions of the Thirteen that apply for every version/universe/continuity, pulling from all across the board rather than sticking to a single depicted version of them. Prima has his Aligned body but the Sunbow Powerful Robot's head. The Fallen is just the Dreamwave design but with Aligned Megatronus's weapons from the books and RID 2015 cartoon. Micronus is likely to be based on his RID 2015 design which was itself based on the Aligned design. The statue group artwork makes Amalgamous looks more like his TF One design than his Aligned design. Vector Prime is just straight-up Cybertron Vector Prime. And Star Convoy was never one of the Thirteen in any version before now. Yet, all these disparately-sourced designs are being treated as if they all belong to the same group no matter what continuity they come from. So keeping them together as they are would just make it easier for us to not have to split hairs over which versions of which 13ers these are supposed to be when the answer would simply be "all of the above" (and we wouldn't have to put multiple entries of the same toy on, like, six or seven different characters' pages that would have to maintained equally across all of those pages). This model makes this particular version of the group feel inherently multiversal, with each member either originating from a different universe as each other, or being a multiversal hybrids comprised of different aspects of different versions of them from across the dimensions, as if Hasbro is trying to say that the AOTP versions represent *every* version of the Thirteen (minus Star Optimus, of course, since we know he's not a member in every version of this group). --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:01, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::As somebody who's pushed for this split for a long time, I'm obviously all for it. I feel we can easily determine where the toys go based on their main inspirations (Fallen is G1 Dreamwave, Micronus is Aligned RID, etc) are or just make the links go to the G1 pages (since G1 is effectively the wastebasket taxon of this franchise anyway). For the FunPub stuff, we can either do it Sideways style or just do it like we do for Kre-O and ancillary stuff: place them based on the characterization/design used by the work. Multiversal Vector Prime is pretty much just Cybertron Vector Prime (and the TransTech incarnation from the last portion of AVP can be split out).
:::I am pretty much opposed to "subpages" because that is just duplicating the parentheses system we already have just for the sake of pedantry. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 13:03, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::Fully agree with both Escargon and Sabrblade, and their reasoning. I am biased against splits pretty much as a matter of cause, but the Thirteen ''in particular'' have for most of their history (including now, in the continuity-agnostic ''Age of the Primes!)'' been defined by their multiversal nature. I just don't think a split would be helpful. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 16:05, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::::So we need to wait five years of more non-multiversal stories to have this discussion again? That doesn't make sense. The COP version of the Thirteen weren't characterized as singularities in the first place, regardless; only FunPub cared about that aspect (and not even with the usual lineup we have now) and they tossed it because they realized it was an unworkable concept in this franchise and it's unlikely to ever get resurrected. It's been nearly a decade since the Shroud (the concept only existed from 2009-2015). You bring up AOTP but toylines clearly don't and never thought about those characters in terms of our organizational schema. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:19, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:I think we can probably leave the most of the old content together, since it might be a mess to split them apart and much of that content is based on the Covenant mythos anyway. I feel new iterations of the Thirteen (post-POTP?) should get their own pages, like ''Earthspark'' Quintus and the ''One'' Primes (particularly Megatronus since he's quite different). Though I suppose that begs the question of what to use in the parentheses for their current pages... —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 13:10, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::How much of it is actually sticking to the Covenant? IDW1 had them be regular guys and some pre-Covenant stuff (notably Megatronus/Fallen) is more prominent for the character and not really compatible. Other Aligned stuff has also influenced other "continuity families", but we're not merging those articles, so I don't really see why this is different regarding the Thirteen. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 13:49, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:I’m against splitting pages, mostly because The Thirteen haven’t had enough drastic and unique depictions of them to stop “breaking the rules” for them and give them split pages.
::> The Thirteen haven’t followed the traditional convention of “every character gets a new page for that universe’s depiction”, mostly because of the whole multiversal singularity issue. Now while that concept isn’t used in fiction anymore, ''Age of the Primes'' seems to lean towards having a standard, continuity-agnostic depiction of the Thirteen from which future teams can use as the foundation of their depictions.
::> Escargon and Sabrblade make some good points regarding subpages, particularly with the example of the standard '''“Primus = God”''' and '''Rung (G1)''' incarnations. Rung is a distinct and unique take on the Primus character whose backstory is incompatible with virtually every other Primus incarnation, so placing him on the same page as the Primus of the Marvel Comics, or Cybertron, or the Aligned continuity, wouldn’t seem right.
::> ''The Covenant of Primus'' has been the foundation of every depiction of the Thirteen since it was released. Certain things might be modified, such as the 2005 IDW’s take on them, but even those Primes still follow certain story beats: Megatronus kills Solus, Liege Maximo is a manipulator, Prima’s role as the leader and his conflict with Megatronus, etc. ''One'' offers a depiction of the Thirteen who don’t enter a War of the Primes situation, but because we don’t really get any more information about them besides how they died, I wouldn’t say that they’re distinct enough or important enough to warrant their own pages.
::> Then there’s the fact that a lot of the Primes either have had very small roles or haven’t had any real importance to the franchise in several years: '''Micronus'''’s last big role was a few episodes in ''Robots in Disguise'' and a clever tie-in to the Microspace of the 2005 IDW universe. '''Onyx'''’s only big role was in the ''Covenant'', mostly thanks to '''[[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|this guy]]''' taking his place in another universe. Onyx has a few mentions in ''Cyberverse'', but I don’t think that alone should be the reason for splitting his page up. '''Nexus Prime''' and '''Vector Prime''' haven’t really done anything notable since the Shroud. '''Solus Prime''' has seen some prominence thanks to IDW's Caminus and ''Power of the Primes'', but those depictions again don’t stray too far from the ''Covenant''. '''Amalgamous Prime''' has had virtually no exploration as a character. The most we’ve gotten for him is a much easier-to-look-at design in ''One''.
::> Character-wise, story-wise… they’re all still heavily based on the ''Covenant''. Even '''Quintus Prime'''’s ''Earthspark'' depiction (with his more human-looking face) is based on his “Johnny Appleseed, made the Quintessons” lore established from the ''Covenant''. Now if we had a full group of the Thirteen from a Shattered Glass universe or had some “What-If?” incarnations of the characters that made them very different… splitting pages would make more sense to me.
::> A lot of the Thirteen have also maintained a consistent visual look to them since their introduction: all the Primes introduced in the Covenant have kept their look (Alchemist’s Lenses, Onyx’s face, Solus’ hair and color scheme), and every version of Megatronus seems to have a Decepticon insignia face, flames, and/or both. While ''One'' may have changed some color schemes (Liege Maximo missing his green), I don’t think just having a different color scheme and nothing else different warrants a new page.
::> I like the idea of conceptual history sections for now, and as I said on ''The Fallen''’s talk page, I think the beginning to his page needs a general rewrite from its “frozen in 2009” version. But until drastic new interpretations of those characters are created, if a member of the Thirteen has a single page… we should keep it as a single page --[[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 16:33, 7 December 2024 (EST)
: Splitting them would simply be a bigger headache. They're rather like Primus and Unicron where they're "bigger picture" characters (only this time around designed ''very specifically'' to '''''be''''' as such) and it's best to treat them as such, and really, there's not enough material to BOTHER splitting for most of them. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 18:29, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::Since it's related to this subject, it should probably also be mentioned here that there have recently been two discussions happening on the talk page for [[The Fallen]]. One about changing that article's mainpic and the other about moving the page's name to Megatronus. As of now, nothing has come out of either discussion, but I feel the results of this a bigger discussion may have an effect on either of those two smaller ones. Speaking as one who is in favor of not splitting out the Thirteen, my thoughts on these two smaller topics are that a good compromise would be to keep the article at its current name since many Megatronuses still become The Fallen, but replace the mainpic with The Fallen's Age of the Primes toy packaging art (as it depicts him in his original first body from Dreamwave but armed with his now-signature weapons from Aligned media, serving as a sort of visual overview for the character's history), along with a rewrite of his intro at the top of the page to be more all-encompassing, and the inclusion of a new "Conceptual history" section to give a proper overview of his different depictions. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 19:29, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::I'm going to second this. I've mulled it over a little bit and while there is an argument to be made for splitting them out, I feel that 12 of the 13 primes really don't warrant it. They just haven't had as much an impact on the story and while it could be future proofing to split them, until we get prominent appearances from them I don't think it's a viable option right now. Megatronus is clearly the exception to this rule. I don't know if there's a clean solution to dealing with him at the moment. Part of me thinks maybe we should suite out the Movie and RiD versions since those are his too big appearences to date. At the bare minimum though I think we should use either his Dreamwave or Age of Primes art as the mainpic. It's his first body and I think it's influenced more designs than his RoTF design has. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 22:57, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::::Erm, no. Neither his Movie or RiD sections (certainly not the latter) are big enough to warrant subpages for either. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:57, 8 December 2024 (EST)
:::I'm also of the opinion that a split would be a massive hassle for very little gain, but I do feel we should move The Fallen to Megatronus. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 06:54, 8 December 2024 (EST)
::::To me, renaming the page to Megatronus feels like renaming an Optimus Prime page to Orion Pax. The name was created to tell us what he was called ''before'' he became The Fallen, like how Orion Pax was what Optimus was called before he became Optimus Prime. TF One Megatronus never became The Fallen but he's an anomaly, not a new standard. As of now, the only impact TF One Megatronus has had on the brand is the official reveal video for Age of the Primes describing the very Dreamwave/Aligned-based AOTP version as "the most powerful Prime," while also putting a grim, pronounced emphasis on "The Fallen" when referring to him as "Megatronus... The Fallen". --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:16, 8 December 2024 (EST)
::::: '''Yes''' to changing The Fallen's mainpic back to the DW-style character design, huge-ass '''No''' to changing the page name; the Optimus/Orion comparison is spot-on. (And as to below... yes. The Thirteen are absolutely "set dressing that walks like a man" and best to approach them as such.) --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 20:11, 8 December 2024 (EST)

:After meditating upon this a while I think I've come to agree with the broad majority above that splitting each member of the Thirteen would hurt more than it would help. The way I see it what we should be striving for here is the approach that involves the least "hallucinating data" within our organizational system, and splitting will require making a lot of different calls on what "counts" to formulate micro-characterizations for dozens of serial continuity transplants, none of which do much individually, while obfuscating the larger context they are gesturing towards. Fundamentally what we may be running up against here is that the closest most of these guys have to a true "home continuity" as we typically think of it is... the brand bible. They are set dressing that walks like a man.

:To go one step further, if we want to talk future-proofing I would advocate formalizing the approach of treating them as a squad of mini-Unicrons/Primuses such that:

::1) My suggestion for the issues currently plaguing the Fallen (and to a lesser degree Trion) would be to make "Conceptual History" sections more or less standard issue across the board for the Thirteen, laying out swerves in characterization and appearance as they happened rather than trying to pry them apart ''or'' smoosh them together.

::2) I think it's worth revisiting merging Alpha Trion for consistency. In the decade+ since Prime cludged him into the lineup, Alpha Trion has consistently appeared as a member of the Thirteen, an insubstantial cameo, or both in pretty much every continuity he's appeared, and looking backwards I cannot help but notice that the fact that there's next to no meaningful daylight between his depictions has been the running gag of his [[Alpha Trion|disambiguation page]] since day one. If Shattered Glass remains a sticking point the Unicron/Primus style suite split approach is a reasonable compromise.

:I wouldn't say I'm married to any of this and counter-counter-proposals are welcome, but that's my two cents. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 14:08, 8 December 2024 (EST)
:I think just put a line at the end of the fallens intro article that says "while mostly a bad guy, there exists at least one universe (link to TF one section) where he's managed to defy all logic and be...good for once).[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 21:53, 8 December 2024 (EST)

I'm for splitting the Thirteen, for the same reasons Saix gave. If that doesn't work, I think the versions of Alpha Trion should be merged. It's the inconsistency that drives me batty. [[User:Boingus|--Boingus]] ([[User talk:Boingus|talk]]) 22:12, 8 December 2024 (EST)

===Checkpoint? (01/18/2025)===
This topic seems to have gotten as much interaction as it's going to get, so to take stock before it falls off the agenda completely:

:*'''Votes for splitting the Thirteen across the board:''' 4 (Locoman, Saix, BlueJayWarrior, Boingus)
:*'''Votes against:''' 8 (Escargon, Sabrblade, Wadapan, Daytonjhammon, M Sipher, Exim93, Dark T Zeratul, AzimuthAcolyte)

That seems like a pretty resounding 2:1 "no," but the discussion also generated some possible compromises/suggestions for future-proofing:

:*'''Votes for more widespread use of "Conceptual History" sections:''' 3 (Sabrblade, Daytonjhammon, AzimuthAcolyte)
:*'''Votes to merge Alpha Trion (with potential SG suite) for consistency:''' 3 (Sabrblade, AzimuthAcolyte, Boingus)

Lastly it generated some cross-bleed from the debates on [[Talk:The Fallen|The Fallen's talk page]] about some updates now that we're 16 years out from his [[live-action film series]] star turn:

1) Moving the page to "Megatronus":
:*'''For:''' 1 (Dark T Zeratul)
:*'''Against:''' 2 (Sabrblade, M Sipher)

2) Swapping back to a Dreamwave-style mainpic:
:*'''For:''' 3 (Sabrblade, Ezim93, M Sipher)

If anyone wants to try to resuscitate the mega-split speak now. If not, thoughts on the compromise proposals?

The Fallen discussion should probably return to his own page. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 13:33, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:My stances remain unchanged on all of the above. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:55, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::I'd be fine with splitting, but if we don't, we ''absolutely'' need to merge the Alpha Trions. There's no good justification for the others being together and him being split.
::As for the Fallen... I feel the need to point out that it's not ''just'' One Megatronus that didn't use the name. EVERY toyline and piece of media in the last decade — RID15, the Prime Wars cartoons, the POTP toy, the offhand mentions in Cyberverse — have used "Megatronus", completely dropping the idea that he stopped being Megatronus and became the Fallen. It's evidently how Hasbro thinks of the character; the Studio Series toy provides plenty of evidence that they ''could'' have just called the AOTP toy "The Fallen" if they'd wanted to. -[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 15:51, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::I am also pro-merging Alpha Trions with a SG subpage along the lines of what we do for Primus and Unicron. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 16:11, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::::I disagree that we need to put SG Trion on a separate page. Just have his Shattered Glass section open with "In the mirror universe of Shattered Glass, Alpha Trion was..." --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:58, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::::I'm pro merging Alpha Trion as well and adding conceptual history. Fallen/Megatronus discussion I'm good with taking back to his page. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 16:20, 18 January 2025 (EST)

:Here's my 5 cents. We are under no obligation to be consistent with how we treat the members of the Thirteen. If it makes sense for the characters, we can have Alpha Trions on separate pages because he has a long rich history of appearances in wide and varied media, including media in which he is not a member of the Thirteen, and we can also have Amalgamous Prime on one page because he doesn't. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:48, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::I'm in agreement with this. "Consistency" is nice until it isn't, and merging Alpha's pages... isn't. I feel like that's just gonna result in a clusterfuck. "Conceptual history" is fine to add, but frankly I feel like only like... maybe only a third of the 13 would even ''need'' it. There's really not a lot to most of these. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 22:07, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::I'm curious what would be the negative result of merging Alpha Trion's pages. The thing is that they ''are'' basically all identical barring the Shattered Glass version, and even that one is functionally the same guy, just evil. RID01, Energon, Animated and ROTF Alpha Trion are all footnotes, which just leaves us with G1 Trion (sometimes of the Thirteen), Aligned Trion (of the Thirteen), Cyberverse Trion (of the Thirteen) and One Trion (of the Thirteen). Is there some complicating factor that I'm missing...? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:38, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::: Honestly, I think this just sold me on the idea of merging all the Alpha Trion pages, including the Shattered Glass version, into one page. A Conceptual History section could explain his development from sage to member of the Thirteen, with a paragraph about his Shattered Glass version. [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 00:02, 19 January 2025 (EST)
:::::As I stated above, I used to be firmly against the idea of the Alpha Trions being merged, because of the facts that he wasn't originally supposed to be one of the Thirteen (a ship that has long since sailed), he was never a singularity like the other 13ers were (which no longer matters at all now since that concept was done away with), and he has a Shattered Glass version (but so too do Primus and Unicron, now, and their pages have set a good workable precedent for how to deal with SG versions of "set dressing characters" like them and the Thirteen). But now, as time goes on, the more it begins to feel like we're just keeping the Alpha Trions separate for more pedantic reasons than are necessary, especially since the AOTP toyline looks to be drawing influence from all continuities for its specific roster of the Thirteen, as if to say that the AOTP toys of the Thirteen represent *all* versions of the Thirteen (meaning AOTP Alpha Trion will represent *all* Alpha Trions).
:::::Sipher mentioned that conceptual history sections would only benefit a small number of the Thirteen, and, well, yes, that is a true statement. But the idea wouldn't be to give ''all'' of the Thirteen conceptual history sections, just the few that would need it. And a merged. But there being only a few that would need it no less diminishes the need of those few.
:::::However, I definitely draw the line at putting SG characters on the same webpages as their non-SG counterparts, as I go back to [https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Talk:Transformers:_Shattered_Glass_(franchise)#Separate_Continuity.3Fthe original discussion about that very subject] and all the reasons given there (particularly from Steve-o, whom I already quoted above) for why SG characters should '''not''' share a webpage with their non-SG counterparts. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:47, 19 January 2025 (EST)
::::I feel like "they're all basically the same" is a charge that can be leveled at a lot of characters who are present in multiple continuity families. I'm all in favour of keeping non-entities to one page each, but Alpha Trion meets the threshold for actually having enough detail to have separate articles. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:32, 19 January 2025 (EST)
:My votes: No to splitting the 13 articles, yes for conceptual history, no to merging Trion (maybe expanding his disambig a la Sideways'?), no to moving the Fallen, maybe to changing his mainpic (compare to UT or Aligned characteers with major body changes - UT generally sticks with the Armada bodies, but Aligned favours Prime bodies over WFC). [[User:BattleBlade|BattleBlade]] ([[User talk:BattleBlade|talk]]) 18:01, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:I also think that it wouldn´t be appropriate to separate the pages of the thirteen and that the articles about Alpha Trion should be merged, after he become one of the 13 he has been mostly the same across all media. --[[User:MikeOsix|MikeOsix]] ([[User_talk:MikeOsix|talk]]) 20:57, 18 January 2024 (EST)
My vote is that we should keep Prime pages *mostly* non-split- I do, however, think there is merit to a "Conceptual History" part, going over different variations of the characters over the Years. I originally wanted Alpha's pages to be kept apart- but after some talking, I figure it's best for him to also enjoy a conceptual history rather than a disambiguation page. (I still love Disambiguation pages though.)
On The Fallen's page getting a Dreamwave-style picture: I give it a hard thumbs up. That seems to be the design Hasbro is sticking with compared to the skeleton-furnace guy from the movies. -- [[User:OptiMay Primal|OptiMay Primal]] ([[User talk: BattleBlade|talk]]) 21:54, 18 January 2024 (PST)
:I cannot see any benefit to smushing all of the Alpha Trion articles together. Every time this happens, we get a lengthy, unfocused mess of a page that wards off attempts at maintenance because it's so large. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 12:16, 19 January 2025 (EST)
::I'm personally against merging all the Trions, but I could be convinced if someone sandboxes a merged page first as a proof of concept. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 13:59, 24 January 2025 (EST)
At Cyberlink's suggestion, I've slapped together a rough prototype of a merged Alpha Trion suite broadly mirroring the Fallen's setup that can be seen–
:*'''[[Alpha Trion|HERE]]'''
Intro etc not final, of course. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 16:27, 24 January 2025 (EST)
:I like this. It's no longer or less focused than [[Unicron]], for example. I'm still kind of dubious about the need to exclude Shattered Glass versions from these cross-continuity characters, but at least SG Trion is more substantial than SG Unicron. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:31, 24 January 2025 (EST)
:Posting to confirm I'm in favor of this. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 12:49, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Yeah I like it too, when so many of his incarnations are so similar the unified article feels more user friendly [[User:LenaPrime|LenaPrime]] ([[User talk:LenaPrime|talk]]) 12:57, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Adding that I think this works pretty well. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 18:42, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Thought I'd stick my two cents in. I think this would work. If Unicron can have a merged page like this, then it should certainly work for Trion. [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 23:44, 25 January 2025 (EST)
I've also started working on prototypes of rewrites / updates to Prima and The Fallen's pages, which can be seen...
:*'''[[User:Daytonjhammon/Sandbox/Prima|HERE for Prima]]''' and '''[[User:Daytonjhammon/Sandbox/The Fallen|HERE for The Fallen]]'''.
Discussion for The Fallen should probably stay on his [[Talk:The Fallen|own talk page]], but I'm linking them here since both have "conceptual history" sections I've drafted up. [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 13:50, 26 January 2025 (EST)

===Checkpoint 2 (05/05/2025)===
This definitely fell way off the agenda but there was sufficient interest that I believe it is worth circling back. Following Dayton's excellent work on Prima and the Fallen's Conceptual History section going live, the final point of order remains the prospect of merging Alpha Trion (with SG suite) to reflect his Aligned-forward characterization and bring him in line with the other 12 + 2 (Thirteen, Primus, Unicron) "man-shaped set dressing" characters.

Again, a full mock-up of this concept can be seen-

:*'''[[Alpha Trion|HERE]]'''

The current tally stands at:

:*'''Votes for merging Alpha Trion into one cross-continuity article with SG sub-page:''' 12 (Sabrblade, AzimuthAcolyte, Boingus, Broadside, Escargon, Ezim93, Daytonjhammon, MikeOsix, OptiMay Primal, LenaPrime, IGEBM13, Hilfam)
:*'''Votes against:''' 5 (abates, M Sipher, BattleBlade, Saix, Cyberlink420)

That's overwhelming support a ways past 2:1. Does anyone care to answer a last call for comment?

Suggestions or concerns for the prototype are particularly welcome. For my part I would appreciate assistance drafting a Conceptual History section. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 14:18, 5 May 2025 (EDT)
: Chipping in to reiterate that I'm in favour, though I'm unconvinced that the SG subpage is necessary. I do recognise that it's in line with how we currently treat Unicron, but like... is there anything we gain from having it be a separate page that we couldn't get from just putting "in one mirror universe, alpha trion was a real sicko!" at the top of the section? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 18:20, 6 May 2025 (EDT)
::On principle alone, I'm against putting SG characters on the same pages as their non-SG counterparts, no matter what. The day we make such allowance for just one of them is the day we open the floodgates for potentially doing that for any and all SG characters. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 19:54, 6 May 2025 (EDT)
:::The (SG) system is simple. What exactly does messing with it accomplish? [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:28, 8 May 2025 (EDT)
::::See, my understanding was not that SG characters are "special exceptions", it's that we treat Shattered Glass as its own continuity family (and likewise SG Animated, et al). It's not "messing with" the system to put the SG version of a character on a cross-continuity family page for that character. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:53, 13 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::It's messing with what Thylacine mentions for the sake of insisting on making categorization exceptions for the Thirteen. It's not useful to either editor or reader, especially if we're going to do the pointless lateral move that is "/Shattered Glass" anyway. (SG) is straightforward and easy to parse as opposed to "here's the explicitly negative AU guy buried here because arbitrary wiki reasons". [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 18:42, 13 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Looks like it doesn't matter anymore, but the difference between SG and non-SG material - the whole fact that SG exists to be an irreconcilable opposite to G1 - is more fundamental and important than the sum total of all appearances and history of at least 10 of the 13. We should not be wiping away important conceptual distinctions for the sake of unimportant asterisk characters who basically only ever existed in a list. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 16:59, 13 May 2025 (EDT)

== International Sightings ==

So, as of late, mentions of "toy appeared in (non-US country) without prior announcement" type lines have been getting purged from the wiki. This makes me wonder: am I allowed to even mention them anymore when a new toy appears somewhere? I'm not really sure why these relatively harmless information lines are getting removed, nor am I really a fan of it, but if I can't mention them anymore I will happily oblige.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 21:04, 7 January 2025 (EST)
:They're being removed because "toy first showed up at a random store in Asia" is not useful information. That's how toy retail has worked for decades. Hasbro deigning to announce some product doesn't make it the standard. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:57, 7 January 2025 (EST)
::Oh, ok, I'll keep that in mind from now on.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 23:11, 7 January 2025 (EST)

==First revealed at (some regular online update)==
On a similar note to the international sightings, what do people think of "toy was first revealed in Hasbro Instagram post / Fans First Friday / Pulse livestream of whatever date," etc.? We note this constantly, because it's another fact to include about a just-announced toy nobody owns yet. A year later it looks unimportant. Is this something we like and value, or more of a space-filing habit? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 07:34, 8 January 2025 (EST)
:I think it's a lot of blather, but at least it's documenting Hasbro marketing as opposed to random retail appearances. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:25, 8 January 2025 (EST)
: I'm lukewarm at best on 'em. But often these announcements are followed up almost immediately by pre-orders opening up through official channels, and that feels a bit more... noteworthy. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 12:31, 8 January 2025 (EST)
: Seems pretty relevant to me! There's value in preserving a toy's history, after all. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 10:14, 6 April 2025 (EDT))

==Update Navigation==
Should the Navigation sidebar be changed to replace [[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]] with [[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]] or should we wait a bit?--[[User:CyclonustheWarrior|CyclonustheWarrior]] ([[User talk:CyclonustheWarrior|talk]]) 20:49, 2 February 2025 (EST)
:Good question. I think we could change it now since almost all of wave 1 is out at retail over in Asia, but I’ll wait for someone higher than me to make the final decision lol - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 23:10, 5 February 2025 (EST)

==Adding a "Transformers in [Country name]" section to country articles==
So, by some weird coincidence, a lot of my edits in these past months have involved expanding on the quirks of how individual aspects of the Transformers brand were represented in countries like [[Brazil]], [[Argentina]], [[Greece]], and [[Portugal]] - however; something that I've noticed is that there's usually no comprehensive summary of this information in the actual pages we have for those countries, with most or all of it being restricted to the individual articles regarding those things instead (for instance; Argentina had a whole three companies that produced Transformers toys with [[Antex]], [[Comando Toys]], and [[Lynsa]], but none of them are even mentioned in Argentina's page!). As such, and in the spirit of making our wiki more international, I propose that we add a small section to every country page specifically regarding the presence of the Transformers brand within it.

Some information that could go into these sections, if available (naturally, not ''everything'' here needs to be mentioned):
* When Transformers media first premiered in the country
* When Transformers toys first released in the country
* Previous releases of [[pre-Transformers]] in the country, if any (e.g.; Italy's ''Trasformer'', the UK's ''Convertors'', Finland's ''Diaclone'', etc.)
* Brands that might have made toys or merchandise for Transformers in the country, if any (e.g.; [[Estrela]] in Brazil, [[IGA]] in Mexico, [[GiG]] in Italy, [[El Greco]] in Greece, etc.)
* Notable figures, variants, and/or entire toylines that are exclusive to the country, if any (obviously, a fully comprehensive list would be difficult for a country like Japan, but it seems feasible for others here.)
* Transformers media that's unique to the country, if any (again; it would be hard to form a comprehensive list for Japan or the US, but it might not be too difficult elsewhere.)
* Peculiar quirks and factoids regarding the distribution of Transformers toys in the country, if any (e.g.; Galaxy Shuttle releasing in Italy, Star Saber releasing in Portugal, Spain's translated G1 blister cards, [[Sonokong]]'s many odd releases of Transformers toys in South Korea, etc.)
* Transformers-connected artists that were born in the country (e.g.; Brazil's [[Marcelo Matere]], Spain's [[José Avilés]], etc.)
* Perhaps some notable aspects of the fandom in the country (e.g., fan organizations, conventions - whether they're [[Convention|official]] or [[Unofficial conventions|unofficial]] - etc.)

Editing these sections could also make for a pretty fun multinational effort: certainly, Transformers fans from all over the world have pretty unique knowledge about the brand in their regions that's undocumented until now, and it would be pretty cool for them to visit the pages for their respective countries and see a section that basically invites them to add that knowledge. If this idea seems acceptable then I would be happy to move ahead with introducing the section to some of the countries that I'm most familiar with (mostly in Europe and Latin America) - let me know what everyone else thinks! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 10:07, 6 April 2025 (EDT))
:I like this idea! I think it’ll be really helpful for both readers and the site’s general organization to have information about international Transformers products and media on their respective countries’ pages. I’m not too well-versed in the foreign aspects of the brand outside of Japan, but I do know one piece of information we can add to Russia’s page is that ''Masterforce'' was the first show to air there :D - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 10:47, 6 April 2025 (EDT)
::I had no idea about that, how interesting! Hopefully more people can give the go-ahead to this. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:04, 6 April 2025 (EDT))
:::This strikes me as a proposal with a lot potential if we can get enough manpower behind it. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 17:00, 6 April 2025 (EDT)
:I've made versions of this proposed section for the Portugal, Spain, and Brazil pages, and posted them on [[User:FortressMaxxing/Sandbox|my sandbox]]. Any thoughts would be welcome! Also, shouldn't we maybe add the country flags to their respective pages? The Wikipedia SVGs are on public domain, so I guess we could just import those. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:43, 7 April 2025 (EDT))
::I like the way these early write-ups look, it could prove very interesting. Though we should only add the country flags if they appeared in fiction, as we do with the [[Soviet Union]] or [[United States of America]]. Otherwise it's just not important. Every country has a flag, you don't need to come ''here'' to look at them or find out their capital cities, populations, national birds, etc. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 11:01, 7 April 2025 (EDT)
:::I mean, if we're also to discuss the "meta" details of Transformers in the country - meaning that the pages are no longer restricted to just fiction - then I think it makes sense to at least have a country flag up on the opening paragraph, no? I'm not saying we need to add an Wikipedia-like infobox with the capital and population count and whatever else, but if we also have stuff like logos for companies in their respective pages then it makes sense to at least have what's basically the largest and most important international identifier that a country has attached to a page about it. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:29, 7 April 2025 (EDT))
:Given how there seem to be no objections to this project, I hope that it's fine to begin adding these sections to their respective pages during this weekend. I have added entries for Argentina, Italy, and Greece [[User:FortressMaxxing/Sandbox|to my sandbox]], so, together with the other three I previously shared; that will be six "The Transformers franchise in X country" sections coming from me - hopefully others will also be interested in adding similar sections to the pages of whatever countries they're most familiar with! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 18:37, 11 April 2025 (EDT))
::I think the names could be simplified to "Transformers in X". [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 19:51, 11 April 2025 (EDT)
:::That was actually close to the previous name I had in this topic ("The Transformers in X") before renaming it because I thought it could be a little ambiguous, haha - but actually, I think you're right, "Transformers in Brazil" / "Transformers in Greece" / etc. does sound better and I guess all the ambiguities are kinda cleared up in context of the contents of the sections themselves! "Transformers in X" it shall be then, I've now again renamed this topic accordingly. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 20:06, 11 April 2025 (EDT))
::::Yeah, it could be an ambiguous statement by itself, but we're not making "Transformers in Brazil" for all the fictional times Transformers characters appeared in Brazil because that's already covered by [[Brazil]] itself. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:29, 11 April 2025 (EDT)
:Ayo, I posted the first batch of "Transformers in X" sections a few days ago in the [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[Italy]], [[Greece]], [[Brazil]], and [[Argentina]] pages! There are still way more countries that need a similar level of development and since I won't be able to do all of them alone, I wanted to highlight at least the most important ones in the hopes that maybe other users will have an interest in working on them. So, here are '''the pages that most urgently need a "Transformers in X" section''' (plus '''some of the things they should mention'''):

* [[Japan]], obviously: The birth of the transforming robot as a Japanese cultural product (see [[Yonezawa Toys|Yonezawa]] and some of the later transforming robot toys leading up to Takara's Cosmo Countach and eventually the Diaclone Car Robots), the country's transition from Diaclone to Transformers, the introduction of the original show to Japan, a brief mention of the original media and toylines that were only released there, an assessment of the popularity of the franchise in Japan relative to other 'giant robot'-centric media like Gundam and NGE (Also, I've noticed that there is already a small "non-fiction" section that briefly touches on the importance of Japan to the Transformers: it could be used as a starting basis, and I guess that it also suggests someone already had the idea for a similar wiki-project!)
* The [[United States of America|United States]], also quite obviously: Brief summarization of the birth and sustained popularity of the Transformers brand in America, the most prominent retail exclusives that were only launched in U.S. stores, BotCon and all the other big fan conventions
<s>* [[United Kingdom]]: Received a pair of pre-Transformers toylines with the Grandstand Convertors and Tandy's Galactic Man, the UK Marvel Transformers comic, large conventions like TFNation and TFUKcon</s> '''(Done!)'''
* [[France]]: Received a pre-Transformers toyline with [[Joustra|Ceji / Joustra]] releasing Diaclone, Orli Jouet's Robotrack, later Joustra-made G1 Transformers toys, original cartoon had a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itPo0Q9zmrc|a pretty funky unique theme song], major national toy company [[Majorette]] would briefly become a Transformers licensee in the 2000s
* [[Finland]]: Received a pre-Transformers toyline with Takara directly releasing Diaclone, "black Tracks" was unique to it (and later homaged with [[Loudpedal]])
* [[China]]: Hasbro factories, the Chinese G1 reissue toyline, the commercial success of Age of Extinction and how it brought about a sharp rise in the popularity of Transformers across the country, [[Nezha: Transformers (franchise)|Nezha]]
* [[South Korea]]: The unusual line-ups of [[Young Toys]] and [[Sonokong]], the mystery of [[ToonTown]]
* [[Mexico]]: [[IGA]] and their unique variants of G1 figures
* [[Venezuela]] (which somehow doesn't exist yet despite [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 17|already having an in-fiction mention]]?): [[Rubiplas]] made some unique Mini-Vehicles
<s>* [[Peru]]: [[Lynsa]] released multiple unique Mini-Vehicles in both countries, Museo Transformers</s> '''(Done!)'''
* [[Chile]]: Also received [[Lynsa]] Mini-Vehicles
* [[Vietnam]]: Major manufacturing hub for Transformers toys '''(Work in progress)'''
* [[Germany]]: GAMA's "Trans Robot" (pre-Transformers Omega Supreme), had the biggest Transformers convention in continental Europe until it dissolved not too long ago

:On an unrelated note, check out these fancy new GoBoxes down below! If anyone wants to do more in this style (quirky collage of country flag, plus national iconography, plus a Transformer toy that's emblematic of that specific country in some way) then that'd be pretty sweet! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 17:47, 16 April 2025 (EDT))
<center>
[[File:GB-Portugal.jpg|link=Portugal]] [[File:GB-Greece.jpg|link=Greece]] [[File:GB-Brazil.jpg|link=Brazil]]
</center>
::Hey, I noticed that a lot of your claims aren't really sourced, it would be nice if you could cite your sources for us. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 08:01, 21 April 2025 (EDT)
:::For sure! A lot of what's been added to these pages isn't cited because it is already discussed at greater length in their respective articles (and usually cited in said articles) - nonetheless; I will go ahead and add a more extensive round of sources soon. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 12:54, 21 April 2025 (EDT))
:::: Great! Remember to post about that here when it happens. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 13:45, 21 April 2025 (EDT)
::::: All done, I've provided as many citations for whatever information's more obscure or not as well-documented in the English web as I could! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 16:21, 21 April 2025 (EDT))
:::::: Thank you! I appreciate it, though I have noticed that your source about Portuguese people seeing Star Convoy on retail is only available to members of the Facebook group. I understand that information for things like this is hard to come by so if can't change it it's alright but it would be great if you could list a publicly available source instead. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 08:58, 22 April 2025 (EDT)
::::::: Oops, I didn't realize that Transformers Portugal was private on Facebook - but let this not be a problem, because I've just added a translated screenshot to that citation instead! Although I must also add that, unfortunately, I don't know how to really cite the later portion of that trivia - that Star Convoy is also really common on the Portuguese secondary market - because this is basically the product of my own personal experience of living in Portugal and seeing at least four loose Star Convoys on the Portuguese secondary market in the past couple of years across various occasions, all of them being the original version with the white trailer rather than the later reissue (thus suggesting that they come from the aforementioned retail distribution), and all of them being sold for really cheap prices rounding just ~20-40 euros from people who clearly did not know about this being an unusual toy (I got one myself one circa ~2022!). It's just that I frankly didn't know how to cite this in the page (Would "[[User:FortressMaxxing|This editor]] can attest to seeing an inordinate amount of Portuguese Star Convoy copies on the secondary market" be too anecdotal of a reference to have?), so... There's that. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 13:04, 22 April 2025 (EDT))
:::::::: Don't worry, the fist citation should be enough, now's the time to move on to the rest of the countries. I'm a bit busy at the moment but I might be able to take on the UK write up. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 13:53, 22 April 2025 (EDT)
::::::::: Sweet, I'll be excited to see what you write up! Tell us here when you do :) ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 13:58, 22 April 2025 (EDT))
:I made a first draft of the UK write-up at my sandbox [[User:Wildstrike/Sandbox/United_Kingdom|here]]. It is not at all done I'm passing this through the people to make sure I didn't get anything wrong, and to hear out any suggestions. Also I didn't mention the Tandy's Galactic Man figure because it doesn't seem to be exclusive to to the UK. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 11:14, 26 April 2025 (EDT)
::Hey, it's good, short but very well-cited! I do think Galactic Man merits at least a brief one-line mention since apparently the UK was the only other territory beyond the U.S. where it was released in (and also the UK Galactic Man might be slightly different, per how the pre-TF page describes him as [[Pre-Transformers#Pre-Transformers lines|"''almost'' identical"]]?), but otherwise, I have no disagreement with the information presented here. Very curious to see how you're gonna expand on that draft! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 18:46, 27 April 2025 (EDT))
:::Okay, I did a bit of research and according to the [https://astromagnum.blogspot.com/2024/04/galactic-man-tandy-radio-shack-shackwave.html Astro Magnum] blog the Tandy version of Galactic Man has slightly different packaging, different stickers, and is made of materials more resistant to the yellowing prevalent in the Radio Shack versions of the toy. I'll be sure to edit the draft when I have time. Also, I found about an [https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/retailers/transformers/ official transformers store] at the Battersea power station which I plan on incorporating at some point. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 11:49, 28 April 2025 (EDT)
:Ooohh, here's a pretty cool thing that I found out which definitely should be added to the Peru page: there's a mall [https://www.facebook.com/MuseoTF with a Transformers toy museum within it], and apparently it's been in operation since 2020! It even features a display specifically for [https://scontent.flis9-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/483676983_1040341464571272_305592738604936521_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OsCqdAxWZTQQ7kNvwGe1-WQ&_nc_oc=Adn6enKyI9P6hsp1VO2t492l7iu8t1CtWQCm3bbMYXOemGAOpKTj-0fB96Co-Jhqnm4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.flis9-1.fna&_nc_gid=0aKRlr6ClLSdhzhjlFM8cA&oh=00_AfFq1ClChLr67ItyZAhHBe0MPRKxcrRFUfQLY48v0THRPA&oe=68149CCC Transformers stuff made in Peru], which I think would be a great photographic addition to the article :) ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 20:36, 27 April 2025 (EDT))

:I've finally expanded my write-up (link [[User:Wildstrike/Sandbox/United_Kingdom|here]]), and would like to receive comment on it if possible. As for the ''Transformers'' store I mentioned above, I'm not quite sure how to incorporate it into the rest of the article and am debating just leaving it in the notes section. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 12:06, 30 May 2025 (EDT)
::Hey, sorry for taking so long to review it but it's good! I think the Transformers store can be added as its own small (even if one-line) paragraph in the section, no need to throw it all the way down to notes when it's a definitely pretty relevant to the history of Transformers in the UK. Regardless, I'd say it's time to go live with that section! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 00:24, 12 June 2025 (EDT))
:::It's finally live baby! As you may have noticed, I decided to expand the section a little bit more and mention some of the other British people that have worked on Transformers over the years as well as [[BotCon Europe 1999]], I hope you're happy with all the changes. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 15:05, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:Per recent edits, I'm scratching out the UK and Peru pages off the list, as they now also have proper "Transformers in [Country]" sections (great job on the UK one by the way, it's pretty extensive and rich in information and I feel like I learned quite a few new things with it!). I also added Germany and Vietnam to the list, so if any TF fans from those nationalities are around to see this some help in filling those out wold be greatly appreciated! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 08:22, 18 June 2025 (EDT))

== Size of this page ==

Could someone archive the last year on this page? It's getting ridiculously long and is hard to scroll through. [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 19:48, 15 April 2025 (EDT)
:Done. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:25, 15 April 2025 (EDT)

== ToonTown / Korean Transformers that might or might not be bootlegs ==
Hey, so... What do we do about [https://x.com/tfwiki/status/1036114311142363136?lang=ar this], and [https://lmb3.net/2024/12/29/blog-2500-toy-review-transformers-korean-modified-optimus-prime/ this], and [https://tformers.com/daily-prime-korean-generation-2-optimus-prime-gold-watch/43599/news.html this], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYJ8Nev7DGo this]? It basically seems like there's a massive ambiguity as to whether or not these toys are bootlegs, and while at least one of them (see the recently-edited "Globo" section on the [[knockoff]] page) has distinct bootleg origins, it's also worth remembering that there is [[Radio AM Robot|at least one known case of a bootleg being later rebranded into an official Transformers toy]], so... Maybe this is not much of an indicator?

In the replies to that first tweet, there's a person who says that "[https://x.com/tfwiki/status/1036114311142363136/ Hasbro's legal stance is that if it has their copyright on the box, it is an official product. This is what they've told me in the past when inquiring about other products]". Assuming that this is the case, and given that all of these have a Hasbro copyright on their packaging despite how genuinely weird they are, should we add them to their respective character pages, as well as maybe creating a separate page for ToonTown as a Transformers-associated company? The [[Soundwave (G1)/merchandise#Transformers Gum|Soundwave]] and [[Starscream (G1)/merchandise#Transformers Gum|Starscream]] ''Transformers Gum'' tabs already mention their ToonTown releases, so it seems like it kind of follows to add the others, no? I've left them a mention on the knockoff page as of now, but it would be good to get a final decision as to where exactly they should stay on this wiki. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 21:58, 19 April 2025 (EDT))
:Decades ago, [[Raksha]] wrote that the Toon Town stuff had been released in both South Korea and Taiwan (https://web.archive.org/web/20080917123934fw_/http://www.plumed-serpent.com/swartifacts.html). Added to what you wrote above, I believe that is the sum of all the knowledge we have on the issue, so it would be hard to write an article about it. I agree that since we have the Soundwave and Starscream stuff, the other confirmed releases are fair game to include too. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 15:18, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
::Here's another one, this time not saying Toon Town, still showing the "real" logos and symbols, and said by its owner to be a knockoff: https://toy-wizards.com/2019/03/16/super-rare-korean-transformers-toys-at-tf-con-and-the-conspiracy-theory-behind-them/?amp I'm really drawing a blank on Toon Town and it is possible we will never get enough verified info to be worth an article here. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 18:53, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::One more source for now: http://fredsworkshop.com/vkorea.html --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 18:57, 7 May 2025 (EDT)

::::Argh, another, and with even more links at the bottom, and were no closer to a conclusive truth. http://fredsworkshop.com/vkorea5.html --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 19:05, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::For what it's worth, I think it'd be good to have a page laying out the ambiguity of the matter, explaining what we know and how hard to verify it all is. Sorta like the [[unknown Generation 1 animation studios]]. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 19:35, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::: Yeah, I'd agree with this. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 20:45, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
::::::: Seconding this, it seems like we have more than enough to at least create an article about this weird company that explains the ambiguity. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 01:15, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:Alright, as per the above discussion, the [[ToonTown]] article is now up! I didn't go over every source mentioned here yet and therefore still haven't added every ToonTown-branded figure to it (and neither to the character pages, the currently existing wikilinks just to go their broader toy sections for now), but hopefully this is a good start. Would love to see your contributions to this page, if you have any to give! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:09, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::Update, the remaining ToonTown toys and merchandise that I could find has also been added. Turn out to be a shorter affair than expected! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:53, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:::Thank you for setting this up so quickly! I am doing my best to state very clearly that these might or might not be legit, that if they're knockoffs they aren't like your typical ones... The last thing I'd ever want would be for this wiki to give people the sense that fake stuff was real, but we can present the nebulous case and leave it to readers to judge. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 10:58, 8 May 2025 (EDT)
::::All good! This is just such an interesting case that it does really feel like it needs to be in the wiki insofar as we don't know whether or not they're fake. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:07, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::Hey, Google Lens led me to the discovery of another ToonTown oddity and I'd love some community help in finding out more about it before it's added into the article: [https://m.blog.naver.com/eoiipp/130144214329 This Optimus Prime model kit] doesn't appear to be based on any Kabaya / Transformers Gum kit that I know of (and the Transformers Gum section on the Optimus merchandise page says that his ToonTown kit comes as a pack-in with Starscream rather than being a standalone like this one), and in fact; he actually looks to be fairly sizable and complex compared to the usual Kabaya affair. On [https://m.totoy.com/product/%EB%AF%B8%EB%8B%B4%EC%82%B0%EC%97%85-%ED%8A%B8%EB%9E%9C%EC%8A%A4%ED%8F%AC%EB%A8%B8-g2-%EB%A1%9C%EB%B4%87-%ED%8A%B8%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%BC%EB%9F%AC-%EC%98%B5%ED%8B%B0%EB%A8%B8%EC%8A%A4-%ED%94%84%EB%9D%BC%EC%9E%84/5333/ this listing] for the same kit, you can zoom in and see what seems to be the usual ToonTown / 3D Licensing International markings, but most importantly; both of those links identify him as being made by a company called "Midam Industry" which even seems to have its own unique logo on the upper right corner of the toys (albeit it's pretty difficult to make out with how low-res all these pictures are), but that I can't find anything about them on the web. Does anyone know more about this Midam Industry Optimus, as well as maybe potentially being aware of other kits from the same series? Cheers! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 16:46, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:::After searching for a little while, I believe that this is, in fact, the only Transformers kit released by Midam Industry (although it has a handful of variants!), thus; it - as well as a Midam Industry entry - has been added to their respective pages. I've taken the liberty to classify it as a toy rather than a piece of merchandise since it is, for the standards of a Transformers model kit, actually a fairly elaborate and fully-transforming model that doesn't really seem to count as "merchandise" in the same way that Transformers Gum stuff does (it doesn't even come with any food!) - hopefully others will be in agreement on this. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:16, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::::And, just as I thought I was done with editing the ToonTown page for the day, I realized that the packaging for these kits advertises other kits, even though no pictures of those seem to be available. Aw well, duty calls... ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:31, 8 May 2025 (EDT))

== Proposing a "The Transformers (Latin American toylines)" page ==
So the title is self-explanatory, but basically; I've noticed that our Generation 1 navbox is missing the many, many Latin American Transformers G1 toylines like those produced by [[Estrela]], [[Antex]], [[Lynsa]], [[IGA]], etc. Since there might be way too many for them to all to be individually listed in the navbox, and since we already have the "[[The Transformers (toyline)]]" (for the US toyline), "[[The Transformers (European toyline)]]", "[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1 (Japanese toyline)]]", and "[[The Transformers (Chinese toyline)]]" pages all on the navbox, shouldn't we also make a "The Transformers (Latin American toylines)" page where we list all of the known releases from the various Latin American toylines, with the eventual addition of some "Main article" tags for the manufacturers of each of those toylines? ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:49, 24 April 2025 (EDT))
:I don't think the toyline or name was consistent across Latin America, so it would be more "Generation 1 toylines in Latin America"?
::That's fair, it is true that most of them removed the 'The' prefix and were usually just called ''Transformers''. Since we don't use the ''The Transformers'' name for the Japanese toyline page then it does make sense to also not use it in this instance. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:33, 24 April 2025 (EDT))
:[[Generation 1 toylines in Latin America|Page has been made!]] ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 17:17, 25 April 2025 (EDT))

== Free Comic Book Day Worst Bot Ever preview ==

I know it’s standard procedure not to create articles for comic issues until the issue actually comes out, even if a small preview is officially released online. But I’m wondering if the Ballpoint preview issue should be an exception? It is just the online page preview Skybound put out a few months ago (I believe with a couple new pages), but since it is an officially released physical comic issue that new fans will be picking up and wanting to research, I figure there’s an argument to create the article now with what we know and simply update it when the graphic novel proper comes out. For now, the article would cover what’s in the FCBD issue, and when it comes out proper we’d add to/replace it with a full synopsis and include a note about how the first 16 pages were released on FCBD. Thoughts? [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 16:58, 3 May 2025 (EDT)

== Shattered Glass and cross-continuity-family pages ==

Felt like this was worth being discussed in its own section, so: at present, [[Unicron]], [[Primus]] and [[Alpha Trion]] all have dedicated "Shattered Glass" subpages suited out. They're unique in this respect; every other page for concepts that span multiple continuity families keep the Shattered Glass versions on the same page as everything else. A good example is [[Spark]]; even though Embers have a different name and are supposedly fundamentally different in the mirror universe, they still share a page. If we're going to treat Unicron, Primus and the Thirteen like cross-continuity concepts, rather than how we treat most characters, then I don't think we should make an exception to that for Shattered Glass.

To be clear, '''this is NOT proposing that we merge all Shattered Glass characters into their G1 counterparts'''. My position is that Shattered Glass is its own continuity family, and so we keep their pages separate, and I don't think there's something special about Shattered Glass that makes it an exception to what we're doing with the cross-continuity pages. Input would be appreciated. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:52, 14 May 2025 (EDT)
: I agree. Especially because Primus and Unicron have about a paragraph's worth of information on them each. [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 18:21, 14 May 2025 (EDT)
: SG is different enough that the character pages should be separated somehow. Otherwise it’d be jarring for those unfamiliar with SG to have the one batshit crazy evil Alpha Trion in and amongst all the nice ones. Personally, I’m on the same boat as Sabrblade back up in the Thirteen discussion from a few months ago. I think suite pages are a useful tool, not a necessary evil. It’s somewhat subjective, but I can see suite pages used in this way for other cross-continuity concepts where one universe diverges far enough from the norm. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 18:49, 15 May 2025 (EDT)
::Moreso than one crazy evil [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]] in and among all the nice ones? I don't think you're giving readers enough credit, frankly. If we opened the section "In one mirror universe, Alpha Trion was not a kindly mentor, but a cruel manipulator" I don't think anyone would think twice. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:25, 15 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Touché. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:04, 16 May 2025 (EDT)
:I was waiting to weigh in until the Alpha Trion merge was fully complete, but I now feel comfortable saying this strikes me as basically reasonable, both conceptually and in terms of the small volume of material involved. The Fallen's [[The Fallen#Shattered Glass|''Shattered Glass'' content]] is already folded into his main page by necessity, after all. I do think people might feel less skittish if we more clearly telegraphed that the 13+2 were unique character/concept article hybrids not to be used as precedent down the food chain. Maybe something like:
::* Category:Concept-Characters
::*With a description like, "These subjects act as facets of the ''Transformers'' brand's baseline worldbuilding first and characters in their own right second. For the defunct fictional concept riffing on this phenomenon, see [[multiversal singularity]]."
:Is that anything? --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 18:20, 26 May 2025 (EDT)
::I like that idea. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 20:52, 26 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Seems like an excellent idea to me! --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 00:07, 27 May 2025 (EDT)
::::Yeah, seems alright for now. However, I do think it's worth having some kind of plan in place in case a concept-character winds up getting expanded on in the future. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 04:50, 2 June 2025 (EDT)
::::: I do like the category idea. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 18:51, 5 June 2025 (EDT)
Last call for objections before I go ahead with this? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:01, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:I think there's an exception to be made for Alpha Trion, as the SG page is pretty long, and still incomplete, but otherwise, yeah; was surprised by how short SG Primus and Unicron's articles are. [[User:Alientraveller|Alientraveller]] ([[User talk:Alientraveller|talk]]) 16:24, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:: It's not very long compared to the rest of the page, especially considering the toys are already on Trion's toys page. I feel like if we were gonna split a section off for length reasons it'd be Generation 1. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 20:55, 12 June 2025 (EDT)

== Interwiki link request ==

Having reached another milestone in my ongoing project to document the non-''Transformers'' [[back-up strips]] printed in the Marvel UK book, I'd like to request that tfuk.app (<tt><nowiki>https://tfuk.app/wiki/$1</nowiki></tt>) gets added to the interwiki table. Thanks. [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 11:11, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
:Goddamn, this is an incredible amount of work: more than being added to the interwiki table, it frankly feels worthy of being pinned into the "sister wikis" section on the opening page. Great job! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 12:08, 20 May 2025 (EDT))
::Seconding Fortress on front page sister wiki status, frankly. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 12:31, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Thirded on adding it to the sister wikis list, that’s amazing. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 16:07, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Fourthing! -- [[User:DannyBoy|DannyBoy]] ([[User talk:DannyBoy|talk]]) 10:19, 21 May 2025 (EDT)
:That seems eminently reasonable: [[tfuk:Main Page|The Transformers UK Appendix]] --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:15, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you! [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 17:32, 20 May 2025 (EDT)

== Skybound’s Marvel compendium edits ==

So I’ve got Skybound’s [[The Transformers Compendium Volume 1]] in hand and am reading it. I was under the impression that Skybound was, for the most part, just using IDW’s Classics reprint with maybe some polish here and there, but comparing Skybound’s version to the wiki notes about IDW classics edits, there are actually several changes from those that are going to need to be noted on each issue’s article. (For instance, the Wheeljack/Hoist panel comparison on [[I, Robot-Master!]] has a new color scheme to add to it.) Are we gonna want to make a new section on each article underneath the “Classics edits” one? Are we gonna want to wait until the Kickstarter-exclusive versions come out so we can do it all at once? (I’m just talking about differences I’ve noticed while ''skimming'' articles; I imagine there are lots more. This is the first time I’ve read the comic and thus I don’t have originals/IDW reprints to directly compare to. Just something I wanted to bring to your guys’ attention.) [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:04, 1 June 2025 (EDT)
:Making a new section under "Classics Edits" seems like the best move. As for the second question, I feel it would be best if we started making note of the changes now so that there will be less work to when the Kickstarter exclusives do release. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 04:58, 2 June 2025 (EDT)

== Continuity of origin listings? ==
I happened to see the [[Sentius Magnus]] and [[Sentius Malus]], and that sent me looking to see if there were any other new characters unique to [[Transformers: Earth Wars|Earth Wars]]. When I couldn't find any such listing, I realized I don't think we have any real way to identify original characters by their original continuity. Might it make sense to have, say, categories for brand-new characters that originated in each continuity? i.e. "Earth Wars original characters" or "IDW 2005 original characters" or "Marvel comics original characters", etc? Or, if not categories, some way of compiling that information?<br>Also, to be clear, I wouldn't consider characters that began as toys to be original to whatever fiction they first appeared in; this would just be for the likes of the aforementioned Sentius twins, or [[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]], or [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]], or [[Tarn (G1)|Tarn]]. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 06:29, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
:I think that would be a good idea, and very helpful organization-wise. (Also, you’re correct in that there are no other TFEW-original characters beyond maybe SB Optimus Prime and SB Megatron.) - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 09:09, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
: I feel that would be unnecessary, fans can find it out by looking at the work page. [[User:Vrung|Vrung]] ([[User talk:Vrung|talk]]) 16:53, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
::Unless there's a way I missed, the only way to "figure it out" by looking at the work page is to individually check the pages for every single listed character appearance to see if they've ever appeared anywhere else. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 20:33, 16 June 2025 (EDT)

==Concept characters and sorting by continuity family==
Based on discussions above, I've implemented [[:Category:Deep lore characters|Category:Concept characters]] to cover things like the Thirteen and Primus and Unicron. However, I've noticed that these pages seem to have been rearranged so they aren't sorted by continuity family, except in the case of the movie and Aligned families? I gather that it's to "preserve the flow of conceptual development", but that seems silly when we have "conceputal history" sections on the relevant characters. Other concept pages (e.g. [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] are sorted by family, so this just seems unintuitive. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 19:49, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:I agree; we've always tried to sort concepts and ideas by continuity family and it's more confusing if we start arbitrarily enforcing this standard on some pages but not on others. [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 20:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::I concur that how we've been organizing big pages like this by continuity family makes sense, especially if they have "Conceptual history" sections. Like, it's weird to jump around from a G1 section, to a Beast Era section, to a UT section, and then back to a G1 section, then to a Movie section, then Aligned, then back to another G1, then back to another Movie, then back to G1 again, then Cyberverse, then G1 again, then another Movie, and so forth. Just let the "Conceptual history" sections do their job. And if there isn't one, then, well... why not make one? They only ''enhance'' each article that has one. I'd say an article like "[[Cybertron (planet)]]" could definitely benefit from a good "Conceptual history" section of its own. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 20:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:::Agreed on all fronts. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:20, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
I think if we're going to have cross-continuity pages for whatever reason, because the "continuity family" thing isn't working... why then organize the pages that way? "G1 continuity family" is a unit of wiki organization, not a Real Thing either narratively or creatively, unlike Aligned or Movieverse. That feels like trying to have our cake and eat it—either we're organizing things by continuity family or we aren't. IDW Megatronus is more linked to Aligned Megatronus than Dreamwave Fallen. Why does it make sense to put IDW and Dreamwave together in terms of the character? Forget arbitrary wiki categorization for a minute and ask what's the intended throughline there. Are we presenting the character's evolution in a logical way or are we simply sticking to continuity families because arbitrary wiki organization? (Also an excessive amount of tiny headers as you force them all down one level looks awful.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 21:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:I don't buy that "movieverse" is any less arbitrary than "G1 continuity family". None of the Alpha Trion entries sorted under "movie continuity family" have anything to do with each other. I would argue that using continuity families for these pages provides a reasonable measure of organisation to make it easier to find specific fiction entries rather than having to scroll through the entire history of the character. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:19, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::Not to beat the dead horse, but that's why we had separate pages in the first place. Movieverse fiction uses the movies as the fundamental springing board for their narrative (and is especially relevant to the Fallen). G1 does not have that and is purely organized by aesthetics and convenience. Why are Cyberverse, EarthSpark, and Wild King not "G1" while IDW1 is? Arbitrary convenience. Which is fine, but it still drills in the point that it's not a meaningful categorization narratively or creatively, especially if we're going to eschew it at the article level regardless. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 21:51, 18 June 2025 (EDT
:::I simply think we should be consistent about how we sort fiction sections within "concept" articles. To use [[Cybertron (planet)]] as an example again, should we no longer organise the fiction entries on that page by continuity family? If you think so, fine, but I think that's a poor idea. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:55, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::::That page seems to eschew the Fiction header in the first place (which does take care of my tiny header complaint, I suppose), so it's not quite consistent to begin with. But I don't really consider location and character pages to have the same considerations; Cybertron is pretty much the same across all continuities (backstory varies, yes, but mechanical homeworld of the Transformers is always the status quo) while characters are always shifting, changing, and bringing forward new ideas into next iterations. (Gun to my head, yes, I would prefer chronological, but planet articles are not a priority to me.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:09, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:::::Right, but the thing about the Thirteen et al is that they ''don't'' have the same considerations as other characters, so we treat them the same as other cross-continuity concept articles. I don't think they should have their own unique format that's the only thing on the wiki that ''completely'' eschews continuity families for organisation. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:59, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
Two questions: 1. Are we talking about just the organization of Thirteen/Primus/Unicron pages or across the board, new standard for all pages? 2. For either side (organize by continuity family vs organize by chronology/release date), are there examples of pages with either formatting that can serve as proof of concepts or visuals that show why that specific way is the better one? [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 21:15, 18 June 2025 (EDT)

Bit of an aside but is there a different or more distinct category name we could use? For me and most tf fans I know "Concept characters" brings to mind "concept art" characters, aka unused designs and the like. I think renaming it to "Cross-continuity concept characters" or something similar would make it clearer. —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 22:39, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:That would be fine by me, yeah. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:59, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::Yeah, this was the problem that jumped out at me when I first saw the term proposed. Some other suggestions: continuity-agnostic, pan-continuity, meta-continuity, conceptual, lore, mythological, cosmological, multiversal, archetypal, foundational. I don't have a strong preference, just throwing these out there. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 12:54, 19 June 2025 (EDT)
:::conceptual, lore, and mythological feel a bit too... intangible ig? multiversal is way too close to multiversal singularity imo. I'd say continuity-agnostic, pan-continuity or meta-continuity would all be good. (personally leaning towards meta-continuity) [[User:Arren1234|--Arren Meuchel]] ([[User talk:Arren1234|talk]]) 14:41, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

I'm definitely sympathetic towards [[User:Saix|Saix]] with regards to this specific change. The Thirteen are pretty much the tentpole for the "aligned" worldbuilding which pretty much marked the ''end'' of continuity families in the traditional sense, from a creative perspective at Hasbro (not that the concept was one they were considering to begin with). As he says, everything is G1 now, IDW is aligned, ''Cyberverse'' is IDW, and so on. After consideration I prefer the way he's laid it out. ''However'', there's also obviously an argument to be made from a wiki-consistency standpoint, and I want to state for the record that I don't think such a major reorganisation of those pages' contents should have been implemented without a consensus being reached on talkpages ''first''. This should have been a sandboxed proposal, not just something that was done hoping nobody would notice or care enough to raise an objection themselves. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 12:54, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

I apologize if I'm a bit off-base here, since I haven't been following these discussions as closely as some, but it seems to me that there are fundamentally two different things that are being presented here: the evolution of the character concept, and the actual fictional history of the various iterations of the character. If that's the case, wouldn't a good solution be to make a separate section for the former while continuing to organize the latter by continuity family like every other page? -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 14:57, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

== Commentary trivia ==

Something I find a bit sad is commentary sounding Trivia having to be deleted from episode pages. Those are funny and can be interesting to see, shame they also hog space. Can there be a middle ground where I cam dump them into, say, wild king episodes Synopsis without sounding...unprofessional? (Because the commentary is one of the best parts of some episode descriptions...)[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 00:02, 3 July 2025 (EDT)

== Mentioned characters ==

Something I did back when I was revamping our coverage of the BotCon/Club stuff was add a "mentioned characters" section to the notes; for examples, see [[Cybertron's Most Wanted]], [[Gone Too Far]], and other stories linked to on the [[Transformers Timelines (fiction)]] page. It's something that we lack on other pages, and I think that it's worth implementing; in particular, when looking through some of James Roberts' work recently for a side project, I was struck by how often characters that otherwise never appear on page are mentioned. What I wanna propose is adding something like to this our media pages in general.

The Problem: I think that the benefits speak for themselves, but it does also come against the fact that we have hundreds (if not thousands) of episodes/comics/other media by this point, and that it's going to be a non-trivial amount of work getting this up to speed. For that reason, I don't really think a template is the best way to go about, especially if they're going to be sitting empty until someone goes back to read those comics or rewatch that episode or whatever. What I do think might be worth considering is that we add in something about doing it for media pages in their notes section here on out, so that we can have a headstart on at least the currently published stuff; once it becomes something feasible for a template on various pages, then I think we can revisit that idea. For my end, I've been contemplating a re-read of the comics for a few years now, and I'm more than happy to add stuff over the time I do that.

If anyone has any suggestions or comments, please respond here. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 10:22, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
:I always liked how Wookieepedia lists every proper noun in "Appearances" sections ([https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Episode_V_The_Empire_Strikes_Back#Appearances example]). I think this concept should expand to include locations, weapons, et al.—basically everything we would make a page for. Yes, it's work to add stuff, but that's editing. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 10:32, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
::That sounds like something that could be pretty beneficial information-wise, even if it’s a lot of work. I can definitely start doing something like it for my ''Earth Wars'' write-ups as I go through the event stories. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 10:49, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
:I definitely remember thinking—back when you were regularly working on the Fun Publications pages—that your exhaustive approach to filling out the notes sections with mentioned characters and concepts was ''really useful'', but that it could stand to be formalised in some way. As you say, it'd be a huge amount of work to bring articles for even the most popular stories up to that standard. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 11:20, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
::I agree this is something it would be valuable to do going forwards. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]])

== Plagiarism on the other site ==
Basically every EarthSpark character page on the other site is a copy-paste of our own. Some of Cyberverse too. Do we care about this? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 09:34, 11 July 2025 (EDT)
:I think the important first question is whether there's any attribution (though I assume the answer will be no). -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 15:53, 11 July 2025 (EDT)
::As in, "this was written by TFWiki" or "this is a unique article we here at Fandom invented"? We can see which users have been doing the copy-pasting. There's one in particular who pasted in Earthspark content (just choose a character), another who has been doing some weapons (i.e. [[Electro-scrambler]]). I know full well that fan wikis tend to get copied, so if our position is to simply disregard everything Fandom does, we can stick to that. But their site has, supposedly, had a black-and-white policy dating right back to the split that copying from us is not allowed. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 08:29, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
:::I think it could be to try and make the fandom wikis page look as good the pages here are. I confess, I did the same to bulbapedia and the fandom pokemon wiki.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 13:12, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
:::I see no reason to not make a stink about it to whatever passes for admin there. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 13:14, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
::::Thylacine - According to CC BY-SA 3.0, they are free to copy our material as long as they provide credit that it was copied from us. If they ''don't'' do that, and I'm very much assuming they don't, then we should absolutely raise hell about it, as M Sipher suggests.
::::As an example, after Wowpedia moved to wiki.gg and became Warcraft Wiki, Fandom put a blanket ban on linking to wiki.gg (for bullshit reasons) and so we've been aggressively deleting any Wowpedia pages that were copied from us because they are functionally unable to provide proper attribution and their staff fucked up and never depowered one of our admins. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 14:31, 13 July 2025 (EDT)a
:::::They are definitely not providing any credit, and they also still have ''as their very first listed policy'' "no copying from Wikipedia or TFWiki." transformers dot fandom dot com/wiki/Transformers_Wiki:Policies#Plagiarism --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 16:29, 13 July 2025 (EDT)

Their site lists four admins, of whom two are obviously long retired. One who was last active in May is the source of some of the plagiarism, and also showed themself to be unresponsive to multiple direct questions posted on their wall by Fandom higher-ups. That leaves the one who was last active in June. I wrote that one a message summarizing all this as best I can, bearing in mind that systematically comparing pages on some other peoples' wiki is not at all something I am interested in doing. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 10:02, 14 July 2025 (EDT)
:Honestly, failing any response from their admins (which I will imagine will be the case), I think anyone happening to spot plagiarised material can happily just go ahead and delete it on the spot, citing their own policy of not copying from TFWiki. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 10:11, 14 July 2025 (EDT)
::A response: transformers dot fandom dot com/wiki/Message_Wall:Moviejunkie2009

::I msged the other suggested admins, no response. I did NOT msg the suggested Fandom "community manager" because they have no reason to help us, if anything I expect their response would be to simply erase the relict, circa-2008 anti-plagiarism policy that the current community knows nothing about.

::I do ''not'' enjoy scanning their New Articles page every day and maxing out my allowed daily edits by blanking the neverending incoming pasted pages. I am going to stop doing this. It pisses me off that a zero-effort community can ignore its own rules and steal our work, but it feels even worse to compulsively devote my free time to marginally cleaning up a zero-effort community's messes. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 20:07, 17 July 2025 (EDT)

== The General commercial with Bumblebee and Shaq ==

I think we should have information on this commercial for The General with Bumblebee and Shaq:

https://tformers.com/watch-bumblebee-shaq-acting-up-in-new-the-general-insurance-spot/55134/news.html
--[[User:John Pannozzi|John Pannozzi]] ([[User talk:John Pannozzi|talk]]) 13:11, 26 July 2025 (EDT)

== Maintenance heads up ==

Just to let everyone know, I'm going to take the site offline temporarily in about an hour for maintenance. Should not be offline for too long, hopefully. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 02:24, 29 August 2025 (EDT)
:And we're back. Thank you for your patience.--[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 03:43, 29 August 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you for your work, abates! [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 03:53, 29 August 2025 (EDT)

== Coverage idea ==

We should add a "Major events" section to the episode articles. It helps keep track of events alongside continuity notes and could help finding specific episodes better.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 19:07, 16 September 2025 (EDT)
:Struggling to picture what exactly that would look like. --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 15:07, 17 September 2025 (EDT)
::Like a Major Events header, then the body text is any important Events that happen in the episode. (E.g. Darkest Hour in TFP: The autobot base is destroyed)[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 01:38, 13 October 2025 (EDT)
:::Perhaps you could put together an example on a sandbox page? [[User:Omegatron|Omegatron]] ([[User talk:Omegatron|talk]]) 06:55, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
::::Uh, idk how to make sandboxes. There are examples over on Bulbapedia though, so that should give a rough idea on what im suggesting. [[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 08:02, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::https://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:Poliwag06/Sandbox [[User:Omegatron|Omegatron]] ([[User talk:Omegatron|talk]]) 09:55, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::: I think this works for something like Bulbapedia because Pokemon is a pretty episodic 1000 episode anime with a set of regular events that it's useful to track (X caught / traded / lost a Pokemon / gym battle), whereas Transformers doesn't really work the same way? And things similar to that are already tracked in the trivia notes (the Alchemor prisoner manifest) or kinda fall into listicles which aren't popular (ie who used Cyber Keys that episode, what mini-cons were collected). Trying to qualify what counts as a "major event" outside of, say, "Character debuts / final appearances", which are also already in the trivia notes for for some series (definitely Animated, maybe others), especially in plot terms, feels difficult and liable to cruft and for people to just read the headline of the article. [[User:AkibaSilver|AkibaSilver]] ([[User talk:AkibaSilver|talk]]) 18:01, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::::Yeah, the notes already serve as a pseudo-"major events" section with all the stuff you just named, and if you were to look for anything else to add you’d probably end up with something that has so many details it may as well just be the synopsis. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 20:53, 14 October 2025 (EDT)

== Overview of pre-TF page ==
Hey, just posting here to provide a wiki-wide notification of sorts that I started an "Overview" section on the [[Pre-Transformers]] page and it's in dire need of some chunks of summarized information primarily regarding Diaclone and Micro Change and their respective Transformers localizations, as per the various stub markers left in specific sections. It feels like that page has been needing a proper written history of pre-TFs for a while now, so if anyone could help me fill it out then I'd be glad! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:14, 12 October 2025 (EDT))
:I'll see about taking a crack at the Diaclone bits as I can. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 00:37, 13 October 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you for volunteering, and wow, I had no idea about [[Horloge Robot]]: his page has now been made! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 05:06, 13 October 2025 (EDT))
:::Wahey, thank you! As you can imagine I'd been meaning to get around to that for ages. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 12:45, 13 October 2025 (EDT)

== Overgear continuity ==
Maybe I'm asking this question a bit too early since we only have a vague premise and prototype images for [[Transformers Overgear]], but... Should we archive the figures released underneath it under their characters' G1 pages (when applicable) as it is usually done with odd Takara releases, or should they get entirely new pages instead? This feels like a toyline with a very distinct concept from most other regular ''Transformers'' assortments, so I'm frankly leaning on the latter. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:27, 16 October 2025 (EDT))
:It’s probably too early. And jumping the gun has bitten us in the ass before. Remember [[Cliffjumper (Yolopark)|Ladybug?]] [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 12:40, 17 October 2025 (EDT)

== Proposing a comedic category for fraud ==

Given the ongoing hubhub over the probable scammers who call themselves [[Mbilia Studios]], how about we make up a "Category:Fraud" or "Category:Fraudsters" like we have "Category:Things that don't exist"? Pat Lee and Dreamwave Productions come to mind as possible members for such a wiki category. [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 08:22, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:I see where you’re coming from but it also would be a massive vandal magnet. [[User:Hyperious|Hyperious]] ([[User talk:Hyperious|talk]]) 08:35, 4 November 2025 (EST)

::that also sounds legally actionable in a way the wiki probably doesn't want to deal with. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] ([[User talk:Hooper X|talk]]) 10:14, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:::Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeah nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooo let's not. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 14:01, 4 November 2025 (EST)
::::Sounds like a bad idea to me as well... - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 16:52, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:Joining in to say that yeah, I also agree that this is a bad idea. But I do think that the Mbilia Studios page needs a Controversy section at the very least, the Trivia portion is ridiculously cluttered and it feels like a lot of it would be more comfortably read as just part of a standard couple of paragraphs. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 07:45, 12 November 2025 (EST))
::Agreed. I don't think we need that much detailing of how bad the AI video is. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:19, 12 November 2025 (EST)

== Binder of Revelation Illustration Credits ==
Okay, don't kill me here, I'm just hoping that the artists who contributed to the Binder fifteen-ish years ago get their proper due since it's out in the open now. I got in touch with the art director of the Binder of Revelation and have a fairly complete list of credits for who did what illustration. Since this isn't actually a published work, how do we go about giving proper illustration credits? Do we even credit anyone? Considering the document itself has no credits, I feel like it's worthwhile that the artists get recognized, even if we aren't putting any images up ourselves. [[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 21:37, 25 November 2025 (EST)
:I don't think this is objectionable info to note at the least. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 23:03, 25 November 2025 (EST)
::For now, maybe put your raw info on a sandbox so we can get a better sense of it? Most of the Binder art I know of was by Ken Christiansen, for instance, so if all but a few pieces are by him, it would seem silly to list them all individually. But I'm guessing it's more varied than that. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 00:26, 26 November 2025 (EST)
:::It's a pretty wide spread, surprisingly. A lot of the pieces are tag team works where Eric Siebenaler did roughs and other artists did the finals, but it's around 5-10 artists without me checking the exact notes at the moment. I'll start getting that together.[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 14:41, 26 November 2025 (EST)
::::All known credits added. On a side note, is it worth pointing out somewhere that the Binder itself is written in the style of a RPG manual instead of an actual franchise bible? It goes a long way in explaining why it was so quickly disregarded by other creative teams when comparing it to bibles from other franchises or just other series bibles within Transformers on the whole, and the pricetag attached to the project.--[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 15:23, 21 January 2026 (EST)

== What are we calling the new "Core" Transformers stuff? ==

So... what should we call the new generically branded "Transformers" toys that have been showing up? (Prime Changers, Smash Changers, Tiny Turbo Changers, maybe more in the future). Should it be a separate new thing or maybe part of [[Transformers Authentics|''Authentics'']]? The Prime Changer [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Authentics|Optimus]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Authentics|Bumbleebee]], and [[Megatron (G1)/toys#PrimeChanger|Megatron]] were previously added under ''Authentics'', while someone just started using "Transformers (2026)" for the Tiny Turbo [[Arcee (G1)/toys#Tiny Turbo Changers|Arcee]] and [[Elita One (G1)#Tiny Turbo Changers|Elita]], which got me thinking that we should probably figure this out soon.<br>From what I've gathered they all use "TRA Core" in their listing names, but their packaging design seems identical to current ''Authentics'' packaging design, also lacking a distinct subtitle and focusing on "Evergreen" characters to start off. Then again, Hasbro homogenizing all their packaging designs in the last year makes it hard to tell if this line is meant to be its own thing. Though it is notable that unlike prior ''Authentics'', this "Core" line is using bigger size classes and is available at bigger retailers like Target instead of dollar stores. –[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:24, 13 January 2026 (EST)

:I was JUST adding a section here and rather than rewriting...<br>
:Okay just kinda checking in, because thanks to Hasbro's goddamn infuriating thing about not promoting/announcing anything other than the expensive collector crap, the load of sub-line-less not-''Authentics'' "Core" stuff hitting Targets (at least, has anything popped up at Walmart?) is a bit of a "how do we handle this" deal. Both "how much product is there" and "do we treat this as a separate line, as an extension of Authentics despite it not being a 'discount' store line, or what". I'm leaning towards "just list it as its own line with G1 characters unless pretty explicitly otherwise". --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 18:30, 13 January 2026 (EST)
::Oh right, Walmart. Off memory they do have the ''Authentics''-styled [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#MegaSting|Mega Sting Bumbleebee]] (could also be considered a "larger price point" I guess). No clue if any listings gave it a separate name like "Core" has. Walmart also has a bunch of merch stuff in ''Authentics''-style packaging like big head helicopters, Dancing Transformers and a giant RC Bumblebee. –[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:57, 13 January 2026 (EST)

== Size of the page again ==

This page is getting pretty long again, so could someone archive the last year? [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 12:03, 22 January 2026 (EST)

== Idea for a page? ==

Perhaps a page discussing the various Transformers that have "base modes" as a third form, like Powermaster Prime, Motormaster, etc. It's a major recurring gimmick since G1. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 09:09, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:I think a general "[[base mode]]" article would make sense, yeah. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 10:19, 30 January 2026 (EST)
::seconded. frankly shocked to learn there isn't one already --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 11:58, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:::I think base modes lend themselves better to a category page rather than a full-blown article. What would it even say? “Some Transformers have Base Modes. Here’s a list of all the toys, here’s a list of all the episodes/issues where a base mode appeared.” [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 16:51, 4 February 2026 (EST)
::::I don't see why not. We have articles specifically for [[Beast mode]], [[Super Mode]], [[attack mode]], and [[transportation mode]]. For such a prominent feature of Transformers since its early days I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a specific write-up about city/base modes anywhere, and not even as single mention on the main [[alternate mode]] page. Closest I can find is [[Titan (group)#Alternate modes]]. —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:01, 4 February 2026 (EST)
:::::I attempted a [[User:MahXyme/Sandbox/Base Mode|sandbox for a Base Mode page]] long ago, but I stopped since I realized it would require an extensive amount of work to list all fiction usages & differentiate what counts/what does not count not (something I struggled with the [[Micromaster#The Transformers|Micromasters Transports]] assorments -[[User:MahXyme|MahXyme/MahXymal]] ([[User talk:MahXyme|talk]]) 17:53, 5 February 2026 (EST)
::::::Seems like a good start at least. I'd argue for listing "groups" of base modes (Micromaster Stations, Titans Return Leaders, etc.) rather than individual figures --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 20:36, 5 February 2026 (EST)

Agreed on the organizational aspects. And, that sandbox is a good start, though yeah, it'd need a lot of work to go through all the toylines and make a comprehensive list. There's also the fact that certain toys with base modes are intended to link to others, some universal and some just one specific bot, so it may be tricky to document when that play feature is prevelant. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 10:35, 18 February 2026 (EST)

==About character name translations==
Um... I'm new here. I have a question, and I'm not sure if this question falls under [[Help:Official info]]...

That is, I want to add the translated names of some characters. But I want to know what basis this wiki uses to choose foreign translations. Must the foreign translations be ones used by Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy and their licensees in order to remain on this wiki? Can some of the names translated by fan Chinese translation groups be considered valid? Especially in cases where they were the first to provide a translation for a work (possibly the only one) and fixed certain character names.

There are also some characters (such as [[Sentinel Maximus]]) whose works may never be introduced by licensors in certain languages, but they do have a commonly used translated name. Should we include this translated name, or just keep it without a translation in that language?

For example, when IDW comic books were introduced in China, the translation team at the time translated [[Tarn (G1)]] as '''璇玑湖'''. So this would count as an authorized translation. However, because this translated name has nothing to do with the original meaning (as well as some other controversies surrounding that Chinese translation group), the more common and widely used Chinese translation for [[Tarn (G1)]] is the direct transliteration '''塔恩'''. '''璇玑湖''' has basically been abandoned. In this case, which translation should we choose?

:I suddenly realized that 塔恩 could be used. The packaging of Blokees does indeed call him 塔恩.

Also, does the foreign name used in the product titles by the Hasbro official flagship store count?

Uh, this question might seem a bit silly, or it might come across as a bit strange because I'm speaking English through a translator. But if the existing Wiki rules already cover this issue, please just tell me, thank you.[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 10:18, 12 February 2026 (EST)
:This is a fantastic question. I have no authority here so don’t take this as word of law, but I believe that Romanizations on this wiki (which I think is somewhat similar) are case-by-case. The first romanization of [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] was “Deszarus”, but the page is still titled “Deathsaurus” because that’s what the name actually is supposed to be. (Deathsaurus’ name issues are actually pretty interesting, at least to me, and I’d recommend reading the wiki article’s section on it.) Conversely, [[Jallguar]] IS the first romanization used, and the article title, but in that instance I suppose that there isn’t really any convincing reason to use any of the other romanizations we’ve gotten over the years since none of them actually mean anything (it’s just the Japanese word for Jaguar with an extra syllable inserted). I’m rambling. What I would do for foreign names is, stick with the first official translation used, unless you think there’s a compelling reason to use a different one (like what you said with Tarn), and in that case bring it up on the discussion page for the article in question or in the Discord server. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:43, 15 February 2026 (EST)
::They need to be translations used in official material. That's just the easiest line in the sand we can make. If different translations are used officially, we note them all, barring obvious typos and the such. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:22, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:::Does the name used for the flagship store count? Those works that were not introduced have kept them without translations, right?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 06:52, 15 February 2026 (EST)

Some publications that contain many translations (such as the Chinese version of DW's MTMTE) I actually don't have the resources for, which is a pity.
I have come to realize some issues. For instance, if the translation team used a certain translation term when translating a publication, but later discovered that this term was incorrect, they made the correction in their subsequent fan-based translations. However, since the publication was not re-released after its introduction, the translation term in the authorized merchandise could not be modified. Can we adopt the revised translation term provided by this translation team?

There is another less rigorous question: Does THE translation given by the authorized Chinese translation and introduction team of Chris McFeely's TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS count?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 07:07, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:THE BASICS, while incredibly informative, is not official, so no, it would not count. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 15:52, 16 February 2026 (EST)
::I reiterate, official material only. Mistakes are unfortunate, but that's how it goes and we can't presume unofficial translations will make it into official material. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:42, 16 February 2026 (EST)
OK, I will do it this way. Strictly follow the official materials.

And one more question: Can the translation names used by Hasbro's official store be used in this Wiki?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 23:40, 16 February 2026 (EST)
:Material from Hasbro is fine. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 01:50, 17 February 2026 (EST)

== So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? ==

It made sense to keep them together when ''Legends'' first started as Jungle Animals in Decidedly Non-Jungle Situations, and this wasn't worth pursuing before now since it'd be just moving the furniture around. But the lore got deeper and now with ''New Legends'' as ongoing fiction I think it's worth looking at again. As much as Legends World is treated as its own dimension, it is fundamentally just a location easily accessible from the JG1 timeline populated with clones* of Transformers from the wider continuity that exists around it. And when we write pages for duplicate characters who co-exist, do we not typically split them off? If that's the yardstick, several Legends Worlders interact with or refer to their JG1 selves, including Rattrap, Rhinox, Waspinator, Arcee, and T-AI. Leo Prime even moves in with Lio Convoy, and keeping those same dudes on the same page is complicating the already complex timeline presented by "[[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|Age of Primes]]". — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 12:44, 3 March 2026 (EST)
<sub>*"clones" is a simpler term for these guys than "magically created lifeforms in a telepathic dream world based on real people from 300 years in the future" but same diff</sub>
:It's always been strange to me that they weren't split off already. Having them on the same page is extremely confusing. I'd say go for it. --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 12:57, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:Personally I think this might be overthinking things. I'd agree that it's not quite 1 to 1 with other cross dimension stuff, but functionally Legends Rattrap is a version of the Beast Wars character even if he is in this weird pocket dimension type thing, and ever single "native" to the dimension we see is basically just a comedic version of a pre-existing character. And we've always kept cross dimensional stories with versions of the same character on the same page (Universe, TransTech, et cetera). It makes things complicated, sure, but JG1 stuff has been like that for nearly two decades now. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 13:00, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::For my money, there's just ''so much'' with the Legends idiots now, and there's going to keep being more of it, so we'd be best off siloing them into their own pages <s>and not having to think about them any more</s>. Universe and TransTech stories that had the characters interacting were generally one-offs or short runs. This is a Cloud or Galvatron II situation, to me. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 13:45, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I am on the record as considering reader experience our prime directive and this would be such a drastic improvement to the readability of our coverage of the Legends rat's nest that I've been meaning to suggest it for years. Consider me emphatically in favor. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 20:12, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I think I'm also generally leaning towards "this is already complicated and it's just going to get more complicated so let's detangle this shit sooner rather than later." -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:19, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::Fine with this idea. Are we using Japanese names since those characters have never shown up in material with Hasbro names? [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:31, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::That feels unnecessarily pedantic. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:16, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::::One could make the argument that it's too steeped in Japanese fan culture/terminology to use the Hasbro names, but I really only care about the human characters having Japanese names (because they're normal people living in Tokyo and wouldn't be named things like "T-AI"). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::::Also, I think Roadbuster, Whirl, and Windblade can stay as they are, since all three are meant to be the main JG1 versions of those characters anyway. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:37, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::I'm theoretically in favour of Japanese names, since it would improve legibility of say, the time Rattle and Rattrap teamed up – and we're absolutely keeping Lio Convoy, since Leo Prime has gone through a textual name change – BUT: characters with toys, at least, had both the Japanese and Hasbro names on their packaging. It would be inconsistent to have Rattrap and Waspinator and Optimus Primal alongside Cheetus and — I can't think of another example, but I'm interrupting this train of thought because I CAN think of Optimus Minor being made Primal's son on the basis of Beast Convoy's western name. And how many minor guys like, I dunno, Build Boy, are named in dialogue? We could always title the article Wedge and slap a Noname-uncomfirmed on that bad boy like how we did with ''Shattered Glass'' in the distant past.
:::Also, what are we feeling is best for a disambig? (Legends)? (LG)? (LW)? — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:43, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Or we could go with the Kre-O approach of "major characters get their own pages, cameos don't" I GUESS — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:53, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Minor is only called "Minor" in Legends, so he wouldn't get the full name. I vote (Legends). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:::::I second the "(Legends)" motion. It's the name of the franchise these character debuted in, in the name of the world they live in, and it's one word. We don't put Masterforce characters at "MF", for instance, and "Legends" isn't even a compound word that ''could'' be abbreviated. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 16:32, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::::Doing a cursory sweep we appear to have already used "(Legends)" for a [[:Category:Transformers Legends episodes|bazillion mobile game events]] such that it might be prudent to avoid that one. My two cents would be to either use the "(LG)" abbreviation from the packaging/story titles/etc or straight up spell out "(Legends World)" for absolute maximum clarity. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 17:50, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::::I'm leaning towards LG: it's on every toy box and in the title of the vast majority of chapters. Plus, Deadlock uses it in-universe. And it's shorter! — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:::::::"Legends" is also spoken in-universe countless times all throughout the Legends manga series, even in the most recent End of G1 Universe comic starring the green Lio Convoy. The reason "LG" is on every toy box is because it's part of each toy's ID number, which we have never let dictate any of our disambiguation tags. Otherwise, we'd be using "(BT)" instead of "(Binaltech)", "(MP)" instead of "(Masterpiece)", "(UN)" instead of "(United)", "(TG)" instead of "(Generations)", "(TAV)" instead of "(Adventure)", "(PP)" for Power of the Primes instead of "(POTP)", "(SG)" instead of "(Siege)", "(TCV)" instead of "(Cyberverse)", "(ER)" instead of "(Earthrise)", "(KD)" instead of "(Kingdom)", "(TL)" instead of "(Legacy)", etc. That [[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends mobile game]] (which has been dead for over a decade, even) that "(Legends)" is currently being used for is a nonissue when "(Legends)" is ''also'' currently being used for things from the [[Transformers Legends (book)|Transformers Legends anthology book]], particularly [[Susan (Legends)]]. And "(Legends)" has already been in use for things from the Legends manga, too, like [[Groundshaker (Legends)]], [[Synapse (Legends)]], [[Duncan (Legends)]], and [[Plasma Energy Chamber (Legends)]]. It's no different from how we use "(RID)" for things from both the 2001 and 2025 franchises, "(Universe)" for things from both the 2003 and 2008 franchises, and "(Generations)" for things from both the pre-Combiner Wars toyline and from the series of Japanese guidebooks. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:37, 5 March 2026 (EST)
::::::::Yes, the principle was always "least disambiguation necessary for titles". A particular disambiguation is fine to be used by different things. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 02:13, 5 March 2026 (EST)
:::::::::Speaking personally I cannot say I am terribly invested in any specific disambig so if y'all feel that strongly about "(Legends)," so be it. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 15:00, 5 March 2026 (EST)
:Historically I've leaned more in the direction of "this feels like putting these dumb animals on too much of a pedestal", given the meta-importance that page splits tend to imply to the wiki's audience, ''but'' I find the "these are functionally clones who exist within JG1 continuity specifically, not just 'normal' alternate versions of the characters" framing pretty compelling, so I'm surprising myself by saying I wouldn't be opposed to a split at this point. Making stuff like multiple Lios Convoy interacting less insane to write about is definitely a bonus too. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:34, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::Oh, also, and I hope it would go without saying, but obviously the toys that technically represent Transformerised Legends World guys would need to go on both pages (which I think we're already doing anyway for cases like the Targetmasters that are actually technically Kiss Players and Beastformers and stuff). [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:41, 4 March 2026 (EST)

Thinking about it more, the Galvatron II example is more presuasive to me; a suite style situation would be fine. As for names, I don't really care about T-AI but for any of the Transformers I think that's a bit much. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 08:08, 4 March 2026 (EST)

Having gone through [[:Category:Legends World natives]] and [[:Category:Legends World humans]], if we apply the Kre-O Rule of Notability, that gives us the following:
*'''Split:''' Airazor, Arcee, Big Convoy, Bighorn, Blackarachnia, Cheetor, Dinobot, Lio Convoy, Lio Junior, Megatron, Nightscream, Optimus Minor, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Rhinox, Scorponok, Scuba, Scylla, Silverbolt, Stampy, Starscream, Tarantulas, Terrorsaur, Tigatron, Waspinator, Nightbeat, T-AI
*'''Lump:''' Roadbuster, Whirl, basically every real person making a cameo
*'''Small roles:''' Archadis, Armordillo, BB, Break, Bump, Colada, Diver, Drill Nuts, Gas Skunk, Guiledart, Heinrad, Ikard, Inferno, Longrack, Magmatron, Megastorm, Kobanzametarō, Prowl, Quickstrike, Rampage, Randy, Ravage, Saberback, Sling, Star Upper, Tasmania Kid, Transmutate, Venom, Wedge, Wolfang, Kelly, Kenneth Onishi, Koji Onishi
*'''TBD:''' Botanica (doesn't have a write-up yet), Buzz Saw (does not appear in JG1 elsewhere), Savage and Noble, Tank Drones (do we split subgroups?)
— [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 09:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:The Kre-O thing is because some characters (in fiction or toys) can't be exclusively slotted into G1 or movie buckets since they shift design cues between them. I think it's easier to just be consistent with the Legends gremlin people (other than real people cameos). Sensible to keep the sentient toys (Mini-Cons, Encore Big Convoy) and the three JG1 inductees (Roadbuster, Whirl, Windblade) on their respective character pages, I think. Like Wolfang/Howlinger, Buzz Saw exists in JG1 somewhere off-camera, since they got his toy. I don't think Tank Drone needs another page; it's a mass-produced bodytype that can cover instances across universes, not a specific person. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:19, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::I'm somewhere in the middle between "splitting them off the main article would help improve readability, yes," and "splitting them off entirely feels a bit too far since all of them are essentially just different versions of the main Beast Wars et al characters", so I think going the aforementioned route of suiting them would be the cleanest solution. Keeps them joined at the hip with the main versions that they're basically new versions of, while also giving them their own webpages to tidy up readability on the main pages. The Galvatron II analogy is very apropos in this case. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 10:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::Coming back to this with refreshed knowledge, Botanica is split, Buzz Saw is small roles (which is now also split), Savage and Noble are split both from Noble (BM) and from each other, and Rhinox/Tankor can go on the same page. — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 18:02, 4 March 2026 (EST)

So uh. I've come around on the split pages. However...I don't think completely removing any reference to them on the Beast Wars pages themselves is particularly helpful? Whether it be a suite or a "see this article for more information" I don't care, but there should be some reference. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 07:37, 6 March 2026 (EST)

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2026-03-04T13:08:16Z

Escargon: /* So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? */

__NEWSECTIONLINK__

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==The Thirteen and the other conversation we've been waiting for==

Over the last few years, the Thirteen have played a major role in multiple ''Transformers'' stories. However, this prominence—combined with Hasbro's increasingly loose approach their in-universe lore—has also led to increasingly divergent portrayals of the group and its individual members.

Around 2015, we took the step of consolidating all the different incarnations of the Thirteen on one page for each, with the rationale that the characters were former [[multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]], and mostly shared similar backstories and personalities between incarnations. However, even at the time, this was not a completely ideal comporomise. Most notably, the various [[Alpha Trion]]s were not consolidated into one, partly due to length and partly because the existence of his [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|murderously insane evil counterpart]] represented a massive contradiction to the entire notion.

However, over the years, multiple authors have drastically reinterpreted the Thirteen and their story. The role of "Thirteenth Prime" has been filled by multiple contradictory characters—[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], [[Zeta Prime (One)|Zeta Prime]], [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]—and individual depictions of the Primes themselves have grown increasingly divergent. "Shattered Glass" Alpha Trion is no longer the outlier, but rather an increasing trend: for instance, ''Transformers One'' features a completely heroic Megatronus who never becomes The Fallen, a Liege Maximo that looks nothing like Loki, and an incarnation of Nexus Prime that does not seem to be a combiner. With these data points in mind—and the potential for even further divergence in the coming years—I and several other editors feel that it may be time to reorganize our Thirteen coverage, splitting them out into individual [[continuity family]]-based incarnations the way we would for stock characters like [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]], [[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|Bumblebee]], etc.

However, if we do adopt this approach, some further problems would need to be solved.

* '''How do we handle toys?''' With a few exceptions like ''Revenge of the Fallen'' The Fallen, the toys of the Thirteen are clearly meant to be somewhat continuity-agnostic. ''Age of the Primes'' Solus Prime is about as faithful to her depiction in ''The Covenant of Primus'' as it is to ''One'' or any of the IDW comics in which she appears. Even if we count them as "repurposes" across multiple pages, the format of the wiki means they'd have to be based ''somewhere''...

* '''FunPub stuff''': The Vector Prime of "Ask Vector Prime" is clearly meant to be a version of the same Vector Prime who appeared in the ''Cybertron'' cartoon, but at the same time makes reference to off-camera events, such as a time when he and the Thirteen lived in Ancient Greece—would we make a separate "FunPub" page for the Thirteen, or try and work these events onto Unicron Trilogy pages when necessary? Other similar problems exist: "[[Coalescence]]" is a story that features a movie universe Fallen jumping into the world of ''Shattered Glass'', and AVP established that "The Evil One" of GoBots fame, is another alternate-universe incarnation of The Fallen/Megatronus.

Feedback on this proposal is appreciated! [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 11:50, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:From my point of view, I think as it stands right now my thoughts on the Thirteenth Prime stuff is that I absolutely understand the concerns, but for me personally it kind of falls into the same view as like, IDW Primus being Rung, which I think our current model handles fairly well. For the other Primes, I'm tempted to say that like...as it stands, there's about as much divergence there as like, Unicron as he's depicted in The Last Knight (not really shown to be aggressive beyond being called Cybertron's enemy), and as it stands right now, I don't think that's enough to say there should be a full-on split, but I do think it's worth thinking about future-proofing. And I suppose my main concern right now about pushing ahead too soon is in the event there's some fiction accompanying the Age of the Primes stuff; certainly, the fact that we're getting a toy of the Fallen with the Megatronus name but with the original Dreamwave design does make me hesitant that there might be some further consolidation of disparate elements; and I remember that last time we did this in the early 2010s was that we figured the idea of the Aligned Primes not having any connections to the others was going to be the standard going forward, which turned out not to be the case, and I figure it might be worth considering if something like that happens again. But! I am open to ideas of how to implement this if we do go for it; I think the suite options we have for Primus and Unicron work perfectly fine if we go for something like that. Just figure it's worth considering the stuff I've brought up here first. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 12:35, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::Right now, I'm leaning toward the camp of not splitting them out for all the reasons you've given. I look at our current situation and, while not perfect, I feel that things can be tidied up simply with some "Conceptual history" sections for the pages that need them. The aforementioned Vector Prime is a particular case not just for everything stated about him above, but because [[Vector Prime: In the Beginning|his very first Fub Pub appearance]] written by [[Forest Lee]] leans so heavily far into the multiversal aspect of the character that it doesn't treat him like he is a native to the Cybertron cartoon universe but rather to the whole multiverse itself. Similarly, Nexus Prime was also continuity-agnostic by his very nature from the ground up. The safest solution for splitting him out would be to classify his Fun Pub incarnation under "(Timelines)" (the previous "(Classics)" tag we had him under was bleh), but that's typically a last-resort tag we have tried to avoid in the past.
::Regarding The Fallen, while he does tend to be evil in a majority of his depictions, and has had a few outlier cases where he either didn't go bad at all (TF One) or was the victim of other's manipulations (Covenant), it's implied that the majority of those evil versions weren't always evil from the start, and only went bad later. The TF One version of Megatronus never turned to the dark side, but one could argue that he was murdered before he ever would have gotten the chance to. ;-)
::Regarding the Thirteenth Prime and various conflicting the depictions, we solved that issue by simply creating the "[[Thirteenth Prime]]" article to explain everything there.
::You mention the situation with Alpha Trion, and I get it. The biggest reasons for simply not merging all of his pages together were that A) he was never originally meant to be one of the Thirteen since the original Dreamwave-based lore for the Thirteen had them all die before A3 was even born, and B) his Shattered Glass self. I used to be a proponent for keeping all of his versions separate because of A, but in the time since then we've had more and more depictions of him as a 13er who were all still pretty much the same as his traditional pre-Aligned depictions. If we were to merge all of his versions together, a "Conceptual history" section for him could explain the whole "Sometimes he's a 13er, sometimes he's not" situation.
::BUT, there still remains his SG version, which I wouldn't feel comfortable putting on the same page as his other versions. Reaching back to the [https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Talk:Transformers:_Shattered_Glass_(franchise)#Separate_Continuity.3F original discussion] about how to handle the SG characters, I find myself still agreeing with those like Steve-o who pointed out how awkward "'''Continuity X''': Bumblebee loves humans and does lots of funny and cute stuff to help save the universe. '''Continuity Y''': Bumblebee loves humans and does lots of different but still funny and cute stuff to help save the universe. '''Shattered Glass''': Bumblebee is hardcore evil and wants to kill you for no particular reason. '''Continuity Z''': Bumblebee loves humans and does yet another set of funny and cute stuff to help save the universe." reads as a page. But, there is one thing we have nowadays that we did not have back when that original discussion was held and makes me wonder how differently the conversation might have gone if they had existed back then: Subpages. Looking at our [[Primus]] and [[Unicron]] articles, I find it to be a very fair and workable compromise that their respective SG versions are placed not on their respective main pages but as subpages for each. Doing the same for SG Alpha Trion were we to merge all of the non-SG A3's together could be a valid solution too, in my eyes. Unlike others, I don't see subpages as an annoying evil that much be dealt with and eliminated, but as a handy tool to work around tricky situations like this.
::Had they even existed back then, it's very possible that ALL SG characters may have ended up on subpages for their positive polarity counterparts instead of separate pages entirely. And since then, SG has grown to expand not just beyond the original Fun Pub SG G1 continuity but to other non-G1 SG continuities, like for the Movies, Animated, and Cybertron, forcing us to create such unsightly tags as "(SG Movie)", "(SG Animated)", and "(SG Cybertron)", when subpages could have prevented that with "(Movie)/Shattered Glass" or "(Animated)/Shattered Glass" and so on.
::But, I'm getting off topic. Backing up to the Thirteen, I'm for keeping the Thirteen together. In addition to what all I've said above, the Age of the Primes toys seem to be treating them as the standard or definitive versions of the Thirteen that apply for every version/universe/continuity, pulling from all across the board rather than sticking to a single depicted version of them. Prima has his Aligned body but the Sunbow Powerful Robot's head. The Fallen is just the Dreamwave design but with Aligned Megatronus's weapons from the books and RID 2015 cartoon. Micronus is likely to be based on his RID 2015 design which was itself based on the Aligned design. The statue group artwork makes Amalgamous looks more like his TF One design than his Aligned design. Vector Prime is just straight-up Cybertron Vector Prime. And Star Convoy was never one of the Thirteen in any version before now. Yet, all these disparately-sourced designs are being treated as if they all belong to the same group no matter what continuity they come from. So keeping them together as they are would just make it easier for us to not have to split hairs over which versions of which 13ers these are supposed to be when the answer would simply be "all of the above" (and we wouldn't have to put multiple entries of the same toy on, like, six or seven different characters' pages that would have to maintained equally across all of those pages). This model makes this particular version of the group feel inherently multiversal, with each member either originating from a different universe as each other, or being a multiversal hybrids comprised of different aspects of different versions of them from across the dimensions, as if Hasbro is trying to say that the AOTP versions represent *every* version of the Thirteen (minus Star Optimus, of course, since we know he's not a member in every version of this group). --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:01, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::As somebody who's pushed for this split for a long time, I'm obviously all for it. I feel we can easily determine where the toys go based on their main inspirations (Fallen is G1 Dreamwave, Micronus is Aligned RID, etc) are or just make the links go to the G1 pages (since G1 is effectively the wastebasket taxon of this franchise anyway). For the FunPub stuff, we can either do it Sideways style or just do it like we do for Kre-O and ancillary stuff: place them based on the characterization/design used by the work. Multiversal Vector Prime is pretty much just Cybertron Vector Prime (and the TransTech incarnation from the last portion of AVP can be split out).
:::I am pretty much opposed to "subpages" because that is just duplicating the parentheses system we already have just for the sake of pedantry. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 13:03, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::Fully agree with both Escargon and Sabrblade, and their reasoning. I am biased against splits pretty much as a matter of cause, but the Thirteen ''in particular'' have for most of their history (including now, in the continuity-agnostic ''Age of the Primes!)'' been defined by their multiversal nature. I just don't think a split would be helpful. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 16:05, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::::So we need to wait five years of more non-multiversal stories to have this discussion again? That doesn't make sense. The COP version of the Thirteen weren't characterized as singularities in the first place, regardless; only FunPub cared about that aspect (and not even with the usual lineup we have now) and they tossed it because they realized it was an unworkable concept in this franchise and it's unlikely to ever get resurrected. It's been nearly a decade since the Shroud (the concept only existed from 2009-2015). You bring up AOTP but toylines clearly don't and never thought about those characters in terms of our organizational schema. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:19, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:I think we can probably leave the most of the old content together, since it might be a mess to split them apart and much of that content is based on the Covenant mythos anyway. I feel new iterations of the Thirteen (post-POTP?) should get their own pages, like ''Earthspark'' Quintus and the ''One'' Primes (particularly Megatronus since he's quite different). Though I suppose that begs the question of what to use in the parentheses for their current pages... —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 13:10, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::How much of it is actually sticking to the Covenant? IDW1 had them be regular guys and some pre-Covenant stuff (notably Megatronus/Fallen) is more prominent for the character and not really compatible. Other Aligned stuff has also influenced other "continuity families", but we're not merging those articles, so I don't really see why this is different regarding the Thirteen. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 13:49, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:I’m against splitting pages, mostly because The Thirteen haven’t had enough drastic and unique depictions of them to stop “breaking the rules” for them and give them split pages.
::> The Thirteen haven’t followed the traditional convention of “every character gets a new page for that universe’s depiction”, mostly because of the whole multiversal singularity issue. Now while that concept isn’t used in fiction anymore, ''Age of the Primes'' seems to lean towards having a standard, continuity-agnostic depiction of the Thirteen from which future teams can use as the foundation of their depictions.
::> Escargon and Sabrblade make some good points regarding subpages, particularly with the example of the standard '''“Primus = God”''' and '''Rung (G1)''' incarnations. Rung is a distinct and unique take on the Primus character whose backstory is incompatible with virtually every other Primus incarnation, so placing him on the same page as the Primus of the Marvel Comics, or Cybertron, or the Aligned continuity, wouldn’t seem right.
::> ''The Covenant of Primus'' has been the foundation of every depiction of the Thirteen since it was released. Certain things might be modified, such as the 2005 IDW’s take on them, but even those Primes still follow certain story beats: Megatronus kills Solus, Liege Maximo is a manipulator, Prima’s role as the leader and his conflict with Megatronus, etc. ''One'' offers a depiction of the Thirteen who don’t enter a War of the Primes situation, but because we don’t really get any more information about them besides how they died, I wouldn’t say that they’re distinct enough or important enough to warrant their own pages.
::> Then there’s the fact that a lot of the Primes either have had very small roles or haven’t had any real importance to the franchise in several years: '''Micronus'''’s last big role was a few episodes in ''Robots in Disguise'' and a clever tie-in to the Microspace of the 2005 IDW universe. '''Onyx'''’s only big role was in the ''Covenant'', mostly thanks to '''[[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|this guy]]''' taking his place in another universe. Onyx has a few mentions in ''Cyberverse'', but I don’t think that alone should be the reason for splitting his page up. '''Nexus Prime''' and '''Vector Prime''' haven’t really done anything notable since the Shroud. '''Solus Prime''' has seen some prominence thanks to IDW's Caminus and ''Power of the Primes'', but those depictions again don’t stray too far from the ''Covenant''. '''Amalgamous Prime''' has had virtually no exploration as a character. The most we’ve gotten for him is a much easier-to-look-at design in ''One''.
::> Character-wise, story-wise… they’re all still heavily based on the ''Covenant''. Even '''Quintus Prime'''’s ''Earthspark'' depiction (with his more human-looking face) is based on his “Johnny Appleseed, made the Quintessons” lore established from the ''Covenant''. Now if we had a full group of the Thirteen from a Shattered Glass universe or had some “What-If?” incarnations of the characters that made them very different… splitting pages would make more sense to me.
::> A lot of the Thirteen have also maintained a consistent visual look to them since their introduction: all the Primes introduced in the Covenant have kept their look (Alchemist’s Lenses, Onyx’s face, Solus’ hair and color scheme), and every version of Megatronus seems to have a Decepticon insignia face, flames, and/or both. While ''One'' may have changed some color schemes (Liege Maximo missing his green), I don’t think just having a different color scheme and nothing else different warrants a new page.
::> I like the idea of conceptual history sections for now, and as I said on ''The Fallen''’s talk page, I think the beginning to his page needs a general rewrite from its “frozen in 2009” version. But until drastic new interpretations of those characters are created, if a member of the Thirteen has a single page… we should keep it as a single page --[[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 16:33, 7 December 2024 (EST)
: Splitting them would simply be a bigger headache. They're rather like Primus and Unicron where they're "bigger picture" characters (only this time around designed ''very specifically'' to '''''be''''' as such) and it's best to treat them as such, and really, there's not enough material to BOTHER splitting for most of them. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 18:29, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::Since it's related to this subject, it should probably also be mentioned here that there have recently been two discussions happening on the talk page for [[The Fallen]]. One about changing that article's mainpic and the other about moving the page's name to Megatronus. As of now, nothing has come out of either discussion, but I feel the results of this a bigger discussion may have an effect on either of those two smaller ones. Speaking as one who is in favor of not splitting out the Thirteen, my thoughts on these two smaller topics are that a good compromise would be to keep the article at its current name since many Megatronuses still become The Fallen, but replace the mainpic with The Fallen's Age of the Primes toy packaging art (as it depicts him in his original first body from Dreamwave but armed with his now-signature weapons from Aligned media, serving as a sort of visual overview for the character's history), along with a rewrite of his intro at the top of the page to be more all-encompassing, and the inclusion of a new "Conceptual history" section to give a proper overview of his different depictions. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 19:29, 7 December 2024 (EST)
:::I'm going to second this. I've mulled it over a little bit and while there is an argument to be made for splitting them out, I feel that 12 of the 13 primes really don't warrant it. They just haven't had as much an impact on the story and while it could be future proofing to split them, until we get prominent appearances from them I don't think it's a viable option right now. Megatronus is clearly the exception to this rule. I don't know if there's a clean solution to dealing with him at the moment. Part of me thinks maybe we should suite out the Movie and RiD versions since those are his too big appearences to date. At the bare minimum though I think we should use either his Dreamwave or Age of Primes art as the mainpic. It's his first body and I think it's influenced more designs than his RoTF design has. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 22:57, 7 December 2024 (EST)
::::Erm, no. Neither his Movie or RiD sections (certainly not the latter) are big enough to warrant subpages for either. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:57, 8 December 2024 (EST)
:::I'm also of the opinion that a split would be a massive hassle for very little gain, but I do feel we should move The Fallen to Megatronus. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 06:54, 8 December 2024 (EST)
::::To me, renaming the page to Megatronus feels like renaming an Optimus Prime page to Orion Pax. The name was created to tell us what he was called ''before'' he became The Fallen, like how Orion Pax was what Optimus was called before he became Optimus Prime. TF One Megatronus never became The Fallen but he's an anomaly, not a new standard. As of now, the only impact TF One Megatronus has had on the brand is the official reveal video for Age of the Primes describing the very Dreamwave/Aligned-based AOTP version as "the most powerful Prime," while also putting a grim, pronounced emphasis on "The Fallen" when referring to him as "Megatronus... The Fallen". --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:16, 8 December 2024 (EST)
::::: '''Yes''' to changing The Fallen's mainpic back to the DW-style character design, huge-ass '''No''' to changing the page name; the Optimus/Orion comparison is spot-on. (And as to below... yes. The Thirteen are absolutely "set dressing that walks like a man" and best to approach them as such.) --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 20:11, 8 December 2024 (EST)

:After meditating upon this a while I think I've come to agree with the broad majority above that splitting each member of the Thirteen would hurt more than it would help. The way I see it what we should be striving for here is the approach that involves the least "hallucinating data" within our organizational system, and splitting will require making a lot of different calls on what "counts" to formulate micro-characterizations for dozens of serial continuity transplants, none of which do much individually, while obfuscating the larger context they are gesturing towards. Fundamentally what we may be running up against here is that the closest most of these guys have to a true "home continuity" as we typically think of it is... the brand bible. They are set dressing that walks like a man.

:To go one step further, if we want to talk future-proofing I would advocate formalizing the approach of treating them as a squad of mini-Unicrons/Primuses such that:

::1) My suggestion for the issues currently plaguing the Fallen (and to a lesser degree Trion) would be to make "Conceptual History" sections more or less standard issue across the board for the Thirteen, laying out swerves in characterization and appearance as they happened rather than trying to pry them apart ''or'' smoosh them together.

::2) I think it's worth revisiting merging Alpha Trion for consistency. In the decade+ since Prime cludged him into the lineup, Alpha Trion has consistently appeared as a member of the Thirteen, an insubstantial cameo, or both in pretty much every continuity he's appeared, and looking backwards I cannot help but notice that the fact that there's next to no meaningful daylight between his depictions has been the running gag of his [[Alpha Trion|disambiguation page]] since day one. If Shattered Glass remains a sticking point the Unicron/Primus style suite split approach is a reasonable compromise.

:I wouldn't say I'm married to any of this and counter-counter-proposals are welcome, but that's my two cents. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 14:08, 8 December 2024 (EST)
:I think just put a line at the end of the fallens intro article that says "while mostly a bad guy, there exists at least one universe (link to TF one section) where he's managed to defy all logic and be...good for once).[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 21:53, 8 December 2024 (EST)

I'm for splitting the Thirteen, for the same reasons Saix gave. If that doesn't work, I think the versions of Alpha Trion should be merged. It's the inconsistency that drives me batty. [[User:Boingus|--Boingus]] ([[User talk:Boingus|talk]]) 22:12, 8 December 2024 (EST)

===Checkpoint? (01/18/2025)===
This topic seems to have gotten as much interaction as it's going to get, so to take stock before it falls off the agenda completely:

:*'''Votes for splitting the Thirteen across the board:''' 4 (Locoman, Saix, BlueJayWarrior, Boingus)
:*'''Votes against:''' 8 (Escargon, Sabrblade, Wadapan, Daytonjhammon, M Sipher, Exim93, Dark T Zeratul, AzimuthAcolyte)

That seems like a pretty resounding 2:1 "no," but the discussion also generated some possible compromises/suggestions for future-proofing:

:*'''Votes for more widespread use of "Conceptual History" sections:''' 3 (Sabrblade, Daytonjhammon, AzimuthAcolyte)
:*'''Votes to merge Alpha Trion (with potential SG suite) for consistency:''' 3 (Sabrblade, AzimuthAcolyte, Boingus)

Lastly it generated some cross-bleed from the debates on [[Talk:The Fallen|The Fallen's talk page]] about some updates now that we're 16 years out from his [[live-action film series]] star turn:

1) Moving the page to "Megatronus":
:*'''For:''' 1 (Dark T Zeratul)
:*'''Against:''' 2 (Sabrblade, M Sipher)

2) Swapping back to a Dreamwave-style mainpic:
:*'''For:''' 3 (Sabrblade, Ezim93, M Sipher)

If anyone wants to try to resuscitate the mega-split speak now. If not, thoughts on the compromise proposals?

The Fallen discussion should probably return to his own page. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 13:33, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:My stances remain unchanged on all of the above. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 13:55, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::I'd be fine with splitting, but if we don't, we ''absolutely'' need to merge the Alpha Trions. There's no good justification for the others being together and him being split.
::As for the Fallen... I feel the need to point out that it's not ''just'' One Megatronus that didn't use the name. EVERY toyline and piece of media in the last decade — RID15, the Prime Wars cartoons, the POTP toy, the offhand mentions in Cyberverse — have used "Megatronus", completely dropping the idea that he stopped being Megatronus and became the Fallen. It's evidently how Hasbro thinks of the character; the Studio Series toy provides plenty of evidence that they ''could'' have just called the AOTP toy "The Fallen" if they'd wanted to. -[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 15:51, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::I am also pro-merging Alpha Trions with a SG subpage along the lines of what we do for Primus and Unicron. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 16:11, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::::I disagree that we need to put SG Trion on a separate page. Just have his Shattered Glass section open with "In the mirror universe of Shattered Glass, Alpha Trion was..." --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:58, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::::I'm pro merging Alpha Trion as well and adding conceptual history. Fallen/Megatronus discussion I'm good with taking back to his page. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 16:20, 18 January 2025 (EST)

:Here's my 5 cents. We are under no obligation to be consistent with how we treat the members of the Thirteen. If it makes sense for the characters, we can have Alpha Trions on separate pages because he has a long rich history of appearances in wide and varied media, including media in which he is not a member of the Thirteen, and we can also have Amalgamous Prime on one page because he doesn't. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:48, 18 January 2025 (EST)
::I'm in agreement with this. "Consistency" is nice until it isn't, and merging Alpha's pages... isn't. I feel like that's just gonna result in a clusterfuck. "Conceptual history" is fine to add, but frankly I feel like only like... maybe only a third of the 13 would even ''need'' it. There's really not a lot to most of these. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 22:07, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::I'm curious what would be the negative result of merging Alpha Trion's pages. The thing is that they ''are'' basically all identical barring the Shattered Glass version, and even that one is functionally the same guy, just evil. RID01, Energon, Animated and ROTF Alpha Trion are all footnotes, which just leaves us with G1 Trion (sometimes of the Thirteen), Aligned Trion (of the Thirteen), Cyberverse Trion (of the Thirteen) and One Trion (of the Thirteen). Is there some complicating factor that I'm missing...? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:38, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:::: Honestly, I think this just sold me on the idea of merging all the Alpha Trion pages, including the Shattered Glass version, into one page. A Conceptual History section could explain his development from sage to member of the Thirteen, with a paragraph about his Shattered Glass version. [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 00:02, 19 January 2025 (EST)
:::::As I stated above, I used to be firmly against the idea of the Alpha Trions being merged, because of the facts that he wasn't originally supposed to be one of the Thirteen (a ship that has long since sailed), he was never a singularity like the other 13ers were (which no longer matters at all now since that concept was done away with), and he has a Shattered Glass version (but so too do Primus and Unicron, now, and their pages have set a good workable precedent for how to deal with SG versions of "set dressing characters" like them and the Thirteen). But now, as time goes on, the more it begins to feel like we're just keeping the Alpha Trions separate for more pedantic reasons than are necessary, especially since the AOTP toyline looks to be drawing influence from all continuities for its specific roster of the Thirteen, as if to say that the AOTP toys of the Thirteen represent *all* versions of the Thirteen (meaning AOTP Alpha Trion will represent *all* Alpha Trions).
:::::Sipher mentioned that conceptual history sections would only benefit a small number of the Thirteen, and, well, yes, that is a true statement. But the idea wouldn't be to give ''all'' of the Thirteen conceptual history sections, just the few that would need it. And a merged. But there being only a few that would need it no less diminishes the need of those few.
:::::However, I definitely draw the line at putting SG characters on the same webpages as their non-SG counterparts, as I go back to [https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Talk:Transformers:_Shattered_Glass_(franchise)#Separate_Continuity.3Fthe original discussion about that very subject] and all the reasons given there (particularly from Steve-o, whom I already quoted above) for why SG characters should '''not''' share a webpage with their non-SG counterparts. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 00:47, 19 January 2025 (EST)
::::I feel like "they're all basically the same" is a charge that can be leveled at a lot of characters who are present in multiple continuity families. I'm all in favour of keeping non-entities to one page each, but Alpha Trion meets the threshold for actually having enough detail to have separate articles. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:32, 19 January 2025 (EST)
:My votes: No to splitting the 13 articles, yes for conceptual history, no to merging Trion (maybe expanding his disambig a la Sideways'?), no to moving the Fallen, maybe to changing his mainpic (compare to UT or Aligned characteers with major body changes - UT generally sticks with the Armada bodies, but Aligned favours Prime bodies over WFC). [[User:BattleBlade|BattleBlade]] ([[User talk:BattleBlade|talk]]) 18:01, 18 January 2025 (EST)
:I also think that it wouldn´t be appropriate to separate the pages of the thirteen and that the articles about Alpha Trion should be merged, after he become one of the 13 he has been mostly the same across all media. --[[User:MikeOsix|MikeOsix]] ([[User_talk:MikeOsix|talk]]) 20:57, 18 January 2024 (EST)
My vote is that we should keep Prime pages *mostly* non-split- I do, however, think there is merit to a "Conceptual History" part, going over different variations of the characters over the Years. I originally wanted Alpha's pages to be kept apart- but after some talking, I figure it's best for him to also enjoy a conceptual history rather than a disambiguation page. (I still love Disambiguation pages though.)
On The Fallen's page getting a Dreamwave-style picture: I give it a hard thumbs up. That seems to be the design Hasbro is sticking with compared to the skeleton-furnace guy from the movies. -- [[User:OptiMay Primal|OptiMay Primal]] ([[User talk: BattleBlade|talk]]) 21:54, 18 January 2024 (PST)
:I cannot see any benefit to smushing all of the Alpha Trion articles together. Every time this happens, we get a lengthy, unfocused mess of a page that wards off attempts at maintenance because it's so large. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 12:16, 19 January 2025 (EST)
::I'm personally against merging all the Trions, but I could be convinced if someone sandboxes a merged page first as a proof of concept. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 13:59, 24 January 2025 (EST)
At Cyberlink's suggestion, I've slapped together a rough prototype of a merged Alpha Trion suite broadly mirroring the Fallen's setup that can be seen–
:*'''[[Alpha Trion|HERE]]'''
Intro etc not final, of course. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 16:27, 24 January 2025 (EST)
:I like this. It's no longer or less focused than [[Unicron]], for example. I'm still kind of dubious about the need to exclude Shattered Glass versions from these cross-continuity characters, but at least SG Trion is more substantial than SG Unicron. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:31, 24 January 2025 (EST)
:Posting to confirm I'm in favor of this. [[User:Ezim93|Ezim93]] ([[User talk:Ezim93|talk]]) 12:49, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Yeah I like it too, when so many of his incarnations are so similar the unified article feels more user friendly [[User:LenaPrime|LenaPrime]] ([[User talk:LenaPrime|talk]]) 12:57, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Adding that I think this works pretty well. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 18:42, 25 January 2025 (EST)
:Thought I'd stick my two cents in. I think this would work. If Unicron can have a merged page like this, then it should certainly work for Trion. [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 23:44, 25 January 2025 (EST)
I've also started working on prototypes of rewrites / updates to Prima and The Fallen's pages, which can be seen...
:*'''[[User:Daytonjhammon/Sandbox/Prima|HERE for Prima]]''' and '''[[User:Daytonjhammon/Sandbox/The Fallen|HERE for The Fallen]]'''.
Discussion for The Fallen should probably stay on his [[Talk:The Fallen|own talk page]], but I'm linking them here since both have "conceptual history" sections I've drafted up. [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 13:50, 26 January 2025 (EST)

===Checkpoint 2 (05/05/2025)===
This definitely fell way off the agenda but there was sufficient interest that I believe it is worth circling back. Following Dayton's excellent work on Prima and the Fallen's Conceptual History section going live, the final point of order remains the prospect of merging Alpha Trion (with SG suite) to reflect his Aligned-forward characterization and bring him in line with the other 12 + 2 (Thirteen, Primus, Unicron) "man-shaped set dressing" characters.

Again, a full mock-up of this concept can be seen-

:*'''[[Alpha Trion|HERE]]'''

The current tally stands at:

:*'''Votes for merging Alpha Trion into one cross-continuity article with SG sub-page:''' 12 (Sabrblade, AzimuthAcolyte, Boingus, Broadside, Escargon, Ezim93, Daytonjhammon, MikeOsix, OptiMay Primal, LenaPrime, IGEBM13, Hilfam)
:*'''Votes against:''' 5 (abates, M Sipher, BattleBlade, Saix, Cyberlink420)

That's overwhelming support a ways past 2:1. Does anyone care to answer a last call for comment?

Suggestions or concerns for the prototype are particularly welcome. For my part I would appreciate assistance drafting a Conceptual History section. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 14:18, 5 May 2025 (EDT)
: Chipping in to reiterate that I'm in favour, though I'm unconvinced that the SG subpage is necessary. I do recognise that it's in line with how we currently treat Unicron, but like... is there anything we gain from having it be a separate page that we couldn't get from just putting "in one mirror universe, alpha trion was a real sicko!" at the top of the section? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 18:20, 6 May 2025 (EDT)
::On principle alone, I'm against putting SG characters on the same pages as their non-SG counterparts, no matter what. The day we make such allowance for just one of them is the day we open the floodgates for potentially doing that for any and all SG characters. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 19:54, 6 May 2025 (EDT)
:::The (SG) system is simple. What exactly does messing with it accomplish? [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:28, 8 May 2025 (EDT)
::::See, my understanding was not that SG characters are "special exceptions", it's that we treat Shattered Glass as its own continuity family (and likewise SG Animated, et al). It's not "messing with" the system to put the SG version of a character on a cross-continuity family page for that character. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:53, 13 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::It's messing with what Thylacine mentions for the sake of insisting on making categorization exceptions for the Thirteen. It's not useful to either editor or reader, especially if we're going to do the pointless lateral move that is "/Shattered Glass" anyway. (SG) is straightforward and easy to parse as opposed to "here's the explicitly negative AU guy buried here because arbitrary wiki reasons". [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 18:42, 13 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Looks like it doesn't matter anymore, but the difference between SG and non-SG material - the whole fact that SG exists to be an irreconcilable opposite to G1 - is more fundamental and important than the sum total of all appearances and history of at least 10 of the 13. We should not be wiping away important conceptual distinctions for the sake of unimportant asterisk characters who basically only ever existed in a list. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 16:59, 13 May 2025 (EDT)

== International Sightings ==

So, as of late, mentions of "toy appeared in (non-US country) without prior announcement" type lines have been getting purged from the wiki. This makes me wonder: am I allowed to even mention them anymore when a new toy appears somewhere? I'm not really sure why these relatively harmless information lines are getting removed, nor am I really a fan of it, but if I can't mention them anymore I will happily oblige.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 21:04, 7 January 2025 (EST)
:They're being removed because "toy first showed up at a random store in Asia" is not useful information. That's how toy retail has worked for decades. Hasbro deigning to announce some product doesn't make it the standard. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:57, 7 January 2025 (EST)
::Oh, ok, I'll keep that in mind from now on.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 23:11, 7 January 2025 (EST)

==First revealed at (some regular online update)==
On a similar note to the international sightings, what do people think of "toy was first revealed in Hasbro Instagram post / Fans First Friday / Pulse livestream of whatever date," etc.? We note this constantly, because it's another fact to include about a just-announced toy nobody owns yet. A year later it looks unimportant. Is this something we like and value, or more of a space-filing habit? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 07:34, 8 January 2025 (EST)
:I think it's a lot of blather, but at least it's documenting Hasbro marketing as opposed to random retail appearances. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:25, 8 January 2025 (EST)
: I'm lukewarm at best on 'em. But often these announcements are followed up almost immediately by pre-orders opening up through official channels, and that feels a bit more... noteworthy. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 12:31, 8 January 2025 (EST)
: Seems pretty relevant to me! There's value in preserving a toy's history, after all. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 10:14, 6 April 2025 (EDT))

==Update Navigation==
Should the Navigation sidebar be changed to replace [[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]] with [[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]] or should we wait a bit?--[[User:CyclonustheWarrior|CyclonustheWarrior]] ([[User talk:CyclonustheWarrior|talk]]) 20:49, 2 February 2025 (EST)
:Good question. I think we could change it now since almost all of wave 1 is out at retail over in Asia, but I’ll wait for someone higher than me to make the final decision lol - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 23:10, 5 February 2025 (EST)

==Adding a "Transformers in [Country name]" section to country articles==
So, by some weird coincidence, a lot of my edits in these past months have involved expanding on the quirks of how individual aspects of the Transformers brand were represented in countries like [[Brazil]], [[Argentina]], [[Greece]], and [[Portugal]] - however; something that I've noticed is that there's usually no comprehensive summary of this information in the actual pages we have for those countries, with most or all of it being restricted to the individual articles regarding those things instead (for instance; Argentina had a whole three companies that produced Transformers toys with [[Antex]], [[Comando Toys]], and [[Lynsa]], but none of them are even mentioned in Argentina's page!). As such, and in the spirit of making our wiki more international, I propose that we add a small section to every country page specifically regarding the presence of the Transformers brand within it.

Some information that could go into these sections, if available (naturally, not ''everything'' here needs to be mentioned):
* When Transformers media first premiered in the country
* When Transformers toys first released in the country
* Previous releases of [[pre-Transformers]] in the country, if any (e.g.; Italy's ''Trasformer'', the UK's ''Convertors'', Finland's ''Diaclone'', etc.)
* Brands that might have made toys or merchandise for Transformers in the country, if any (e.g.; [[Estrela]] in Brazil, [[IGA]] in Mexico, [[GiG]] in Italy, [[El Greco]] in Greece, etc.)
* Notable figures, variants, and/or entire toylines that are exclusive to the country, if any (obviously, a fully comprehensive list would be difficult for a country like Japan, but it seems feasible for others here.)
* Transformers media that's unique to the country, if any (again; it would be hard to form a comprehensive list for Japan or the US, but it might not be too difficult elsewhere.)
* Peculiar quirks and factoids regarding the distribution of Transformers toys in the country, if any (e.g.; Galaxy Shuttle releasing in Italy, Star Saber releasing in Portugal, Spain's translated G1 blister cards, [[Sonokong]]'s many odd releases of Transformers toys in South Korea, etc.)
* Transformers-connected artists that were born in the country (e.g.; Brazil's [[Marcelo Matere]], Spain's [[José Avilés]], etc.)
* Perhaps some notable aspects of the fandom in the country (e.g., fan organizations, conventions - whether they're [[Convention|official]] or [[Unofficial conventions|unofficial]] - etc.)

Editing these sections could also make for a pretty fun multinational effort: certainly, Transformers fans from all over the world have pretty unique knowledge about the brand in their regions that's undocumented until now, and it would be pretty cool for them to visit the pages for their respective countries and see a section that basically invites them to add that knowledge. If this idea seems acceptable then I would be happy to move ahead with introducing the section to some of the countries that I'm most familiar with (mostly in Europe and Latin America) - let me know what everyone else thinks! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 10:07, 6 April 2025 (EDT))
:I like this idea! I think it’ll be really helpful for both readers and the site’s general organization to have information about international Transformers products and media on their respective countries’ pages. I’m not too well-versed in the foreign aspects of the brand outside of Japan, but I do know one piece of information we can add to Russia’s page is that ''Masterforce'' was the first show to air there :D - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 10:47, 6 April 2025 (EDT)
::I had no idea about that, how interesting! Hopefully more people can give the go-ahead to this. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:04, 6 April 2025 (EDT))
:::This strikes me as a proposal with a lot potential if we can get enough manpower behind it. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 17:00, 6 April 2025 (EDT)
:I've made versions of this proposed section for the Portugal, Spain, and Brazil pages, and posted them on [[User:FortressMaxxing/Sandbox|my sandbox]]. Any thoughts would be welcome! Also, shouldn't we maybe add the country flags to their respective pages? The Wikipedia SVGs are on public domain, so I guess we could just import those. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:43, 7 April 2025 (EDT))
::I like the way these early write-ups look, it could prove very interesting. Though we should only add the country flags if they appeared in fiction, as we do with the [[Soviet Union]] or [[United States of America]]. Otherwise it's just not important. Every country has a flag, you don't need to come ''here'' to look at them or find out their capital cities, populations, national birds, etc. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 11:01, 7 April 2025 (EDT)
:::I mean, if we're also to discuss the "meta" details of Transformers in the country - meaning that the pages are no longer restricted to just fiction - then I think it makes sense to at least have a country flag up on the opening paragraph, no? I'm not saying we need to add an Wikipedia-like infobox with the capital and population count and whatever else, but if we also have stuff like logos for companies in their respective pages then it makes sense to at least have what's basically the largest and most important international identifier that a country has attached to a page about it. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:29, 7 April 2025 (EDT))
:Given how there seem to be no objections to this project, I hope that it's fine to begin adding these sections to their respective pages during this weekend. I have added entries for Argentina, Italy, and Greece [[User:FortressMaxxing/Sandbox|to my sandbox]], so, together with the other three I previously shared; that will be six "The Transformers franchise in X country" sections coming from me - hopefully others will also be interested in adding similar sections to the pages of whatever countries they're most familiar with! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 18:37, 11 April 2025 (EDT))
::I think the names could be simplified to "Transformers in X". [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 19:51, 11 April 2025 (EDT)
:::That was actually close to the previous name I had in this topic ("The Transformers in X") before renaming it because I thought it could be a little ambiguous, haha - but actually, I think you're right, "Transformers in Brazil" / "Transformers in Greece" / etc. does sound better and I guess all the ambiguities are kinda cleared up in context of the contents of the sections themselves! "Transformers in X" it shall be then, I've now again renamed this topic accordingly. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 20:06, 11 April 2025 (EDT))
::::Yeah, it could be an ambiguous statement by itself, but we're not making "Transformers in Brazil" for all the fictional times Transformers characters appeared in Brazil because that's already covered by [[Brazil]] itself. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:29, 11 April 2025 (EDT)
:Ayo, I posted the first batch of "Transformers in X" sections a few days ago in the [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[Italy]], [[Greece]], [[Brazil]], and [[Argentina]] pages! There are still way more countries that need a similar level of development and since I won't be able to do all of them alone, I wanted to highlight at least the most important ones in the hopes that maybe other users will have an interest in working on them. So, here are '''the pages that most urgently need a "Transformers in X" section''' (plus '''some of the things they should mention'''):

* [[Japan]], obviously: The birth of the transforming robot as a Japanese cultural product (see [[Yonezawa Toys|Yonezawa]] and some of the later transforming robot toys leading up to Takara's Cosmo Countach and eventually the Diaclone Car Robots), the country's transition from Diaclone to Transformers, the introduction of the original show to Japan, a brief mention of the original media and toylines that were only released there, an assessment of the popularity of the franchise in Japan relative to other 'giant robot'-centric media like Gundam and NGE (Also, I've noticed that there is already a small "non-fiction" section that briefly touches on the importance of Japan to the Transformers: it could be used as a starting basis, and I guess that it also suggests someone already had the idea for a similar wiki-project!)
* The [[United States of America|United States]], also quite obviously: Brief summarization of the birth and sustained popularity of the Transformers brand in America, the most prominent retail exclusives that were only launched in U.S. stores, BotCon and all the other big fan conventions
<s>* [[United Kingdom]]: Received a pair of pre-Transformers toylines with the Grandstand Convertors and Tandy's Galactic Man, the UK Marvel Transformers comic, large conventions like TFNation and TFUKcon</s> '''(Done!)'''
* [[France]]: Received a pre-Transformers toyline with [[Joustra|Ceji / Joustra]] releasing Diaclone, Orli Jouet's Robotrack, later Joustra-made G1 Transformers toys, original cartoon had a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itPo0Q9zmrc|a pretty funky unique theme song], major national toy company [[Majorette]] would briefly become a Transformers licensee in the 2000s
* [[Finland]]: Received a pre-Transformers toyline with Takara directly releasing Diaclone, "black Tracks" was unique to it (and later homaged with [[Loudpedal]])
* [[China]]: Hasbro factories, the Chinese G1 reissue toyline, the commercial success of Age of Extinction and how it brought about a sharp rise in the popularity of Transformers across the country, [[Nezha: Transformers (franchise)|Nezha]]
* [[South Korea]]: The unusual line-ups of [[Young Toys]] and [[Sonokong]], the mystery of [[ToonTown]]
* [[Mexico]]: [[IGA]] and their unique variants of G1 figures
* [[Venezuela]] (which somehow doesn't exist yet despite [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 17|already having an in-fiction mention]]?): [[Rubiplas]] made some unique Mini-Vehicles
<s>* [[Peru]]: [[Lynsa]] released multiple unique Mini-Vehicles in both countries, Museo Transformers</s> '''(Done!)'''
* [[Chile]]: Also received [[Lynsa]] Mini-Vehicles
* [[Vietnam]]: Major manufacturing hub for Transformers toys '''(Work in progress)'''
* [[Germany]]: GAMA's "Trans Robot" (pre-Transformers Omega Supreme), had the biggest Transformers convention in continental Europe until it dissolved not too long ago

:On an unrelated note, check out these fancy new GoBoxes down below! If anyone wants to do more in this style (quirky collage of country flag, plus national iconography, plus a Transformer toy that's emblematic of that specific country in some way) then that'd be pretty sweet! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 17:47, 16 April 2025 (EDT))
<center>
[[File:GB-Portugal.jpg|link=Portugal]] [[File:GB-Greece.jpg|link=Greece]] [[File:GB-Brazil.jpg|link=Brazil]]
</center>
::Hey, I noticed that a lot of your claims aren't really sourced, it would be nice if you could cite your sources for us. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 08:01, 21 April 2025 (EDT)
:::For sure! A lot of what's been added to these pages isn't cited because it is already discussed at greater length in their respective articles (and usually cited in said articles) - nonetheless; I will go ahead and add a more extensive round of sources soon. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 12:54, 21 April 2025 (EDT))
:::: Great! Remember to post about that here when it happens. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 13:45, 21 April 2025 (EDT)
::::: All done, I've provided as many citations for whatever information's more obscure or not as well-documented in the English web as I could! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 16:21, 21 April 2025 (EDT))
:::::: Thank you! I appreciate it, though I have noticed that your source about Portuguese people seeing Star Convoy on retail is only available to members of the Facebook group. I understand that information for things like this is hard to come by so if can't change it it's alright but it would be great if you could list a publicly available source instead. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 08:58, 22 April 2025 (EDT)
::::::: Oops, I didn't realize that Transformers Portugal was private on Facebook - but let this not be a problem, because I've just added a translated screenshot to that citation instead! Although I must also add that, unfortunately, I don't know how to really cite the later portion of that trivia - that Star Convoy is also really common on the Portuguese secondary market - because this is basically the product of my own personal experience of living in Portugal and seeing at least four loose Star Convoys on the Portuguese secondary market in the past couple of years across various occasions, all of them being the original version with the white trailer rather than the later reissue (thus suggesting that they come from the aforementioned retail distribution), and all of them being sold for really cheap prices rounding just ~20-40 euros from people who clearly did not know about this being an unusual toy (I got one myself one circa ~2022!). It's just that I frankly didn't know how to cite this in the page (Would "[[User:FortressMaxxing|This editor]] can attest to seeing an inordinate amount of Portuguese Star Convoy copies on the secondary market" be too anecdotal of a reference to have?), so... There's that. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 13:04, 22 April 2025 (EDT))
:::::::: Don't worry, the fist citation should be enough, now's the time to move on to the rest of the countries. I'm a bit busy at the moment but I might be able to take on the UK write up. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 13:53, 22 April 2025 (EDT)
::::::::: Sweet, I'll be excited to see what you write up! Tell us here when you do :) ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 13:58, 22 April 2025 (EDT))
:I made a first draft of the UK write-up at my sandbox [[User:Wildstrike/Sandbox/United_Kingdom|here]]. It is not at all done I'm passing this through the people to make sure I didn't get anything wrong, and to hear out any suggestions. Also I didn't mention the Tandy's Galactic Man figure because it doesn't seem to be exclusive to to the UK. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 11:14, 26 April 2025 (EDT)
::Hey, it's good, short but very well-cited! I do think Galactic Man merits at least a brief one-line mention since apparently the UK was the only other territory beyond the U.S. where it was released in (and also the UK Galactic Man might be slightly different, per how the pre-TF page describes him as [[Pre-Transformers#Pre-Transformers lines|"''almost'' identical"]]?), but otherwise, I have no disagreement with the information presented here. Very curious to see how you're gonna expand on that draft! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 18:46, 27 April 2025 (EDT))
:::Okay, I did a bit of research and according to the [https://astromagnum.blogspot.com/2024/04/galactic-man-tandy-radio-shack-shackwave.html Astro Magnum] blog the Tandy version of Galactic Man has slightly different packaging, different stickers, and is made of materials more resistant to the yellowing prevalent in the Radio Shack versions of the toy. I'll be sure to edit the draft when I have time. Also, I found about an [https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/retailers/transformers/ official transformers store] at the Battersea power station which I plan on incorporating at some point. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 11:49, 28 April 2025 (EDT)
:Ooohh, here's a pretty cool thing that I found out which definitely should be added to the Peru page: there's a mall [https://www.facebook.com/MuseoTF with a Transformers toy museum within it], and apparently it's been in operation since 2020! It even features a display specifically for [https://scontent.flis9-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/483676983_1040341464571272_305592738604936521_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=OsCqdAxWZTQQ7kNvwGe1-WQ&_nc_oc=Adn6enKyI9P6hsp1VO2t492l7iu8t1CtWQCm3bbMYXOemGAOpKTj-0fB96Co-Jhqnm4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.flis9-1.fna&_nc_gid=0aKRlr6ClLSdhzhjlFM8cA&oh=00_AfFq1ClChLr67ItyZAhHBe0MPRKxcrRFUfQLY48v0THRPA&oe=68149CCC Transformers stuff made in Peru], which I think would be a great photographic addition to the article :) ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 20:36, 27 April 2025 (EDT))

:I've finally expanded my write-up (link [[User:Wildstrike/Sandbox/United_Kingdom|here]]), and would like to receive comment on it if possible. As for the ''Transformers'' store I mentioned above, I'm not quite sure how to incorporate it into the rest of the article and am debating just leaving it in the notes section. [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 12:06, 30 May 2025 (EDT)
::Hey, sorry for taking so long to review it but it's good! I think the Transformers store can be added as its own small (even if one-line) paragraph in the section, no need to throw it all the way down to notes when it's a definitely pretty relevant to the history of Transformers in the UK. Regardless, I'd say it's time to go live with that section! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 00:24, 12 June 2025 (EDT))
:::It's finally live baby! As you may have noticed, I decided to expand the section a little bit more and mention some of the other British people that have worked on Transformers over the years as well as [[BotCon Europe 1999]], I hope you're happy with all the changes. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 15:05, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:Per recent edits, I'm scratching out the UK and Peru pages off the list, as they now also have proper "Transformers in [Country]" sections (great job on the UK one by the way, it's pretty extensive and rich in information and I feel like I learned quite a few new things with it!). I also added Germany and Vietnam to the list, so if any TF fans from those nationalities are around to see this some help in filling those out wold be greatly appreciated! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 08:22, 18 June 2025 (EDT))

== Size of this page ==

Could someone archive the last year on this page? It's getting ridiculously long and is hard to scroll through. [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 19:48, 15 April 2025 (EDT)
:Done. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:25, 15 April 2025 (EDT)

== ToonTown / Korean Transformers that might or might not be bootlegs ==
Hey, so... What do we do about [https://x.com/tfwiki/status/1036114311142363136?lang=ar this], and [https://lmb3.net/2024/12/29/blog-2500-toy-review-transformers-korean-modified-optimus-prime/ this], and [https://tformers.com/daily-prime-korean-generation-2-optimus-prime-gold-watch/43599/news.html this], and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYJ8Nev7DGo this]? It basically seems like there's a massive ambiguity as to whether or not these toys are bootlegs, and while at least one of them (see the recently-edited "Globo" section on the [[knockoff]] page) has distinct bootleg origins, it's also worth remembering that there is [[Radio AM Robot|at least one known case of a bootleg being later rebranded into an official Transformers toy]], so... Maybe this is not much of an indicator?

In the replies to that first tweet, there's a person who says that "[https://x.com/tfwiki/status/1036114311142363136/ Hasbro's legal stance is that if it has their copyright on the box, it is an official product. This is what they've told me in the past when inquiring about other products]". Assuming that this is the case, and given that all of these have a Hasbro copyright on their packaging despite how genuinely weird they are, should we add them to their respective character pages, as well as maybe creating a separate page for ToonTown as a Transformers-associated company? The [[Soundwave (G1)/merchandise#Transformers Gum|Soundwave]] and [[Starscream (G1)/merchandise#Transformers Gum|Starscream]] ''Transformers Gum'' tabs already mention their ToonTown releases, so it seems like it kind of follows to add the others, no? I've left them a mention on the knockoff page as of now, but it would be good to get a final decision as to where exactly they should stay on this wiki. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 21:58, 19 April 2025 (EDT))
:Decades ago, [[Raksha]] wrote that the Toon Town stuff had been released in both South Korea and Taiwan (https://web.archive.org/web/20080917123934fw_/http://www.plumed-serpent.com/swartifacts.html). Added to what you wrote above, I believe that is the sum of all the knowledge we have on the issue, so it would be hard to write an article about it. I agree that since we have the Soundwave and Starscream stuff, the other confirmed releases are fair game to include too. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 15:18, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
::Here's another one, this time not saying Toon Town, still showing the "real" logos and symbols, and said by its owner to be a knockoff: https://toy-wizards.com/2019/03/16/super-rare-korean-transformers-toys-at-tf-con-and-the-conspiracy-theory-behind-them/?amp I'm really drawing a blank on Toon Town and it is possible we will never get enough verified info to be worth an article here. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 18:53, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::One more source for now: http://fredsworkshop.com/vkorea.html --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 18:57, 7 May 2025 (EDT)

::::Argh, another, and with even more links at the bottom, and were no closer to a conclusive truth. http://fredsworkshop.com/vkorea5.html --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 19:05, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::For what it's worth, I think it'd be good to have a page laying out the ambiguity of the matter, explaining what we know and how hard to verify it all is. Sorta like the [[unknown Generation 1 animation studios]]. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 19:35, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
:::::: Yeah, I'd agree with this. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 20:45, 7 May 2025 (EDT)
::::::: Seconding this, it seems like we have more than enough to at least create an article about this weird company that explains the ambiguity. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 01:15, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:Alright, as per the above discussion, the [[ToonTown]] article is now up! I didn't go over every source mentioned here yet and therefore still haven't added every ToonTown-branded figure to it (and neither to the character pages, the currently existing wikilinks just to go their broader toy sections for now), but hopefully this is a good start. Would love to see your contributions to this page, if you have any to give! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:09, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::Update, the remaining ToonTown toys and merchandise that I could find has also been added. Turn out to be a shorter affair than expected! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 09:53, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:::Thank you for setting this up so quickly! I am doing my best to state very clearly that these might or might not be legit, that if they're knockoffs they aren't like your typical ones... The last thing I'd ever want would be for this wiki to give people the sense that fake stuff was real, but we can present the nebulous case and leave it to readers to judge. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 10:58, 8 May 2025 (EDT)
::::All good! This is just such an interesting case that it does really feel like it needs to be in the wiki insofar as we don't know whether or not they're fake. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 11:07, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::Hey, Google Lens led me to the discovery of another ToonTown oddity and I'd love some community help in finding out more about it before it's added into the article: [https://m.blog.naver.com/eoiipp/130144214329 This Optimus Prime model kit] doesn't appear to be based on any Kabaya / Transformers Gum kit that I know of (and the Transformers Gum section on the Optimus merchandise page says that his ToonTown kit comes as a pack-in with Starscream rather than being a standalone like this one), and in fact; he actually looks to be fairly sizable and complex compared to the usual Kabaya affair. On [https://m.totoy.com/product/%EB%AF%B8%EB%8B%B4%EC%82%B0%EC%97%85-%ED%8A%B8%EB%9E%9C%EC%8A%A4%ED%8F%AC%EB%A8%B8-g2-%EB%A1%9C%EB%B4%87-%ED%8A%B8%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%BC%EB%9F%AC-%EC%98%B5%ED%8B%B0%EB%A8%B8%EC%8A%A4-%ED%94%84%EB%9D%BC%EC%9E%84/5333/ this listing] for the same kit, you can zoom in and see what seems to be the usual ToonTown / 3D Licensing International markings, but most importantly; both of those links identify him as being made by a company called "Midam Industry" which even seems to have its own unique logo on the upper right corner of the toys (albeit it's pretty difficult to make out with how low-res all these pictures are), but that I can't find anything about them on the web. Does anyone know more about this Midam Industry Optimus, as well as maybe potentially being aware of other kits from the same series? Cheers! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 16:46, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
:::After searching for a little while, I believe that this is, in fact, the only Transformers kit released by Midam Industry (although it has a handful of variants!), thus; it - as well as a Midam Industry entry - has been added to their respective pages. I've taken the liberty to classify it as a toy rather than a piece of merchandise since it is, for the standards of a Transformers model kit, actually a fairly elaborate and fully-transforming model that doesn't really seem to count as "merchandise" in the same way that Transformers Gum stuff does (it doesn't even come with any food!) - hopefully others will be in agreement on this. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:16, 8 May 2025 (EDT))
::::And, just as I thought I was done with editing the ToonTown page for the day, I realized that the packaging for these kits advertises other kits, even though no pictures of those seem to be available. Aw well, duty calls... ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:31, 8 May 2025 (EDT))

== Proposing a "The Transformers (Latin American toylines)" page ==
So the title is self-explanatory, but basically; I've noticed that our Generation 1 navbox is missing the many, many Latin American Transformers G1 toylines like those produced by [[Estrela]], [[Antex]], [[Lynsa]], [[IGA]], etc. Since there might be way too many for them to all to be individually listed in the navbox, and since we already have the "[[The Transformers (toyline)]]" (for the US toyline), "[[The Transformers (European toyline)]]", "[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1 (Japanese toyline)]]", and "[[The Transformers (Chinese toyline)]]" pages all on the navbox, shouldn't we also make a "The Transformers (Latin American toylines)" page where we list all of the known releases from the various Latin American toylines, with the eventual addition of some "Main article" tags for the manufacturers of each of those toylines? ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 19:49, 24 April 2025 (EDT))
:I don't think the toyline or name was consistent across Latin America, so it would be more "Generation 1 toylines in Latin America"?
::That's fair, it is true that most of them removed the 'The' prefix and were usually just called ''Transformers''. Since we don't use the ''The Transformers'' name for the Japanese toyline page then it does make sense to also not use it in this instance. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:33, 24 April 2025 (EDT))
:[[Generation 1 toylines in Latin America|Page has been made!]] ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 17:17, 25 April 2025 (EDT))

== Free Comic Book Day Worst Bot Ever preview ==

I know it’s standard procedure not to create articles for comic issues until the issue actually comes out, even if a small preview is officially released online. But I’m wondering if the Ballpoint preview issue should be an exception? It is just the online page preview Skybound put out a few months ago (I believe with a couple new pages), but since it is an officially released physical comic issue that new fans will be picking up and wanting to research, I figure there’s an argument to create the article now with what we know and simply update it when the graphic novel proper comes out. For now, the article would cover what’s in the FCBD issue, and when it comes out proper we’d add to/replace it with a full synopsis and include a note about how the first 16 pages were released on FCBD. Thoughts? [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 16:58, 3 May 2025 (EDT)

== Shattered Glass and cross-continuity-family pages ==

Felt like this was worth being discussed in its own section, so: at present, [[Unicron]], [[Primus]] and [[Alpha Trion]] all have dedicated "Shattered Glass" subpages suited out. They're unique in this respect; every other page for concepts that span multiple continuity families keep the Shattered Glass versions on the same page as everything else. A good example is [[Spark]]; even though Embers have a different name and are supposedly fundamentally different in the mirror universe, they still share a page. If we're going to treat Unicron, Primus and the Thirteen like cross-continuity concepts, rather than how we treat most characters, then I don't think we should make an exception to that for Shattered Glass.

To be clear, '''this is NOT proposing that we merge all Shattered Glass characters into their G1 counterparts'''. My position is that Shattered Glass is its own continuity family, and so we keep their pages separate, and I don't think there's something special about Shattered Glass that makes it an exception to what we're doing with the cross-continuity pages. Input would be appreciated. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:52, 14 May 2025 (EDT)
: I agree. Especially because Primus and Unicron have about a paragraph's worth of information on them each. [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 18:21, 14 May 2025 (EDT)
: SG is different enough that the character pages should be separated somehow. Otherwise it’d be jarring for those unfamiliar with SG to have the one batshit crazy evil Alpha Trion in and amongst all the nice ones. Personally, I’m on the same boat as Sabrblade back up in the Thirteen discussion from a few months ago. I think suite pages are a useful tool, not a necessary evil. It’s somewhat subjective, but I can see suite pages used in this way for other cross-continuity concepts where one universe diverges far enough from the norm. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 18:49, 15 May 2025 (EDT)
::Moreso than one crazy evil [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]] in and among all the nice ones? I don't think you're giving readers enough credit, frankly. If we opened the section "In one mirror universe, Alpha Trion was not a kindly mentor, but a cruel manipulator" I don't think anyone would think twice. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:25, 15 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Touché. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:04, 16 May 2025 (EDT)
:I was waiting to weigh in until the Alpha Trion merge was fully complete, but I now feel comfortable saying this strikes me as basically reasonable, both conceptually and in terms of the small volume of material involved. The Fallen's [[The Fallen#Shattered Glass|''Shattered Glass'' content]] is already folded into his main page by necessity, after all. I do think people might feel less skittish if we more clearly telegraphed that the 13+2 were unique character/concept article hybrids not to be used as precedent down the food chain. Maybe something like:
::* Category:Concept-Characters
::*With a description like, "These subjects act as facets of the ''Transformers'' brand's baseline worldbuilding first and characters in their own right second. For the defunct fictional concept riffing on this phenomenon, see [[multiversal singularity]]."
:Is that anything? --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 18:20, 26 May 2025 (EDT)
::I like that idea. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 20:52, 26 May 2025 (EDT)
:::Seems like an excellent idea to me! --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 00:07, 27 May 2025 (EDT)
::::Yeah, seems alright for now. However, I do think it's worth having some kind of plan in place in case a concept-character winds up getting expanded on in the future. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 04:50, 2 June 2025 (EDT)
::::: I do like the category idea. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 18:51, 5 June 2025 (EDT)
Last call for objections before I go ahead with this? --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 16:01, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:I think there's an exception to be made for Alpha Trion, as the SG page is pretty long, and still incomplete, but otherwise, yeah; was surprised by how short SG Primus and Unicron's articles are. [[User:Alientraveller|Alientraveller]] ([[User talk:Alientraveller|talk]]) 16:24, 12 June 2025 (EDT)
:: It's not very long compared to the rest of the page, especially considering the toys are already on Trion's toys page. I feel like if we were gonna split a section off for length reasons it'd be Generation 1. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 20:55, 12 June 2025 (EDT)

== Interwiki link request ==

Having reached another milestone in my ongoing project to document the non-''Transformers'' [[back-up strips]] printed in the Marvel UK book, I'd like to request that tfuk.app (<tt><nowiki>https://tfuk.app/wiki/$1</nowiki></tt>) gets added to the interwiki table. Thanks. [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 11:11, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
:Goddamn, this is an incredible amount of work: more than being added to the interwiki table, it frankly feels worthy of being pinned into the "sister wikis" section on the opening page. Great job! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 12:08, 20 May 2025 (EDT))
::Seconding Fortress on front page sister wiki status, frankly. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 12:31, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Thirded on adding it to the sister wikis list, that’s amazing. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 16:07, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Fourthing! -- [[User:DannyBoy|DannyBoy]] ([[User talk:DannyBoy|talk]]) 10:19, 21 May 2025 (EDT)
:That seems eminently reasonable: [[tfuk:Main Page|The Transformers UK Appendix]] --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:15, 20 May 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you! [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 17:32, 20 May 2025 (EDT)

== Skybound’s Marvel compendium edits ==

So I’ve got Skybound’s [[The Transformers Compendium Volume 1]] in hand and am reading it. I was under the impression that Skybound was, for the most part, just using IDW’s Classics reprint with maybe some polish here and there, but comparing Skybound’s version to the wiki notes about IDW classics edits, there are actually several changes from those that are going to need to be noted on each issue’s article. (For instance, the Wheeljack/Hoist panel comparison on [[I, Robot-Master!]] has a new color scheme to add to it.) Are we gonna want to make a new section on each article underneath the “Classics edits” one? Are we gonna want to wait until the Kickstarter-exclusive versions come out so we can do it all at once? (I’m just talking about differences I’ve noticed while ''skimming'' articles; I imagine there are lots more. This is the first time I’ve read the comic and thus I don’t have originals/IDW reprints to directly compare to. Just something I wanted to bring to your guys’ attention.) [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:04, 1 June 2025 (EDT)
:Making a new section under "Classics Edits" seems like the best move. As for the second question, I feel it would be best if we started making note of the changes now so that there will be less work to when the Kickstarter exclusives do release. — [[User:Wildstrike|Wildstrike]] ([[User talk:Wildstrike|talk]]) 04:58, 2 June 2025 (EDT)

== Continuity of origin listings? ==
I happened to see the [[Sentius Magnus]] and [[Sentius Malus]], and that sent me looking to see if there were any other new characters unique to [[Transformers: Earth Wars|Earth Wars]]. When I couldn't find any such listing, I realized I don't think we have any real way to identify original characters by their original continuity. Might it make sense to have, say, categories for brand-new characters that originated in each continuity? i.e. "Earth Wars original characters" or "IDW 2005 original characters" or "Marvel comics original characters", etc? Or, if not categories, some way of compiling that information?<br>Also, to be clear, I wouldn't consider characters that began as toys to be original to whatever fiction they first appeared in; this would just be for the likes of the aforementioned Sentius twins, or [[Xaaron (G1)|Xaaron]], or [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]], or [[Tarn (G1)|Tarn]]. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 06:29, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
:I think that would be a good idea, and very helpful organization-wise. (Also, you’re correct in that there are no other TFEW-original characters beyond maybe SB Optimus Prime and SB Megatron.) - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 09:09, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
: I feel that would be unnecessary, fans can find it out by looking at the work page. [[User:Vrung|Vrung]] ([[User talk:Vrung|talk]]) 16:53, 16 June 2025 (EDT)
::Unless there's a way I missed, the only way to "figure it out" by looking at the work page is to individually check the pages for every single listed character appearance to see if they've ever appeared anywhere else. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 20:33, 16 June 2025 (EDT)

==Concept characters and sorting by continuity family==
Based on discussions above, I've implemented [[:Category:Deep lore characters|Category:Concept characters]] to cover things like the Thirteen and Primus and Unicron. However, I've noticed that these pages seem to have been rearranged so they aren't sorted by continuity family, except in the case of the movie and Aligned families? I gather that it's to "preserve the flow of conceptual development", but that seems silly when we have "conceputal history" sections on the relevant characters. Other concept pages (e.g. [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] are sorted by family, so this just seems unintuitive. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 19:49, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:I agree; we've always tried to sort concepts and ideas by continuity family and it's more confusing if we start arbitrarily enforcing this standard on some pages but not on others. [[User:Locoman|Locoman]] ([[User talk:Locoman|talk]]) 20:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::I concur that how we've been organizing big pages like this by continuity family makes sense, especially if they have "Conceptual history" sections. Like, it's weird to jump around from a G1 section, to a Beast Era section, to a UT section, and then back to a G1 section, then to a Movie section, then Aligned, then back to another G1, then back to another Movie, then back to G1 again, then Cyberverse, then G1 again, then another Movie, and so forth. Just let the "Conceptual history" sections do their job. And if there isn't one, then, well... why not make one? They only ''enhance'' each article that has one. I'd say an article like "[[Cybertron (planet)]]" could definitely benefit from a good "Conceptual history" section of its own. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 20:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:::Agreed on all fronts. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:20, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
I think if we're going to have cross-continuity pages for whatever reason, because the "continuity family" thing isn't working... why then organize the pages that way? "G1 continuity family" is a unit of wiki organization, not a Real Thing either narratively or creatively, unlike Aligned or Movieverse. That feels like trying to have our cake and eat it—either we're organizing things by continuity family or we aren't. IDW Megatronus is more linked to Aligned Megatronus than Dreamwave Fallen. Why does it make sense to put IDW and Dreamwave together in terms of the character? Forget arbitrary wiki categorization for a minute and ask what's the intended throughline there. Are we presenting the character's evolution in a logical way or are we simply sticking to continuity families because arbitrary wiki organization? (Also an excessive amount of tiny headers as you force them all down one level looks awful.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 21:00, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:I don't buy that "movieverse" is any less arbitrary than "G1 continuity family". None of the Alpha Trion entries sorted under "movie continuity family" have anything to do with each other. I would argue that using continuity families for these pages provides a reasonable measure of organisation to make it easier to find specific fiction entries rather than having to scroll through the entire history of the character. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:19, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::Not to beat the dead horse, but that's why we had separate pages in the first place. Movieverse fiction uses the movies as the fundamental springing board for their narrative (and is especially relevant to the Fallen). G1 does not have that and is purely organized by aesthetics and convenience. Why are Cyberverse, EarthSpark, and Wild King not "G1" while IDW1 is? Arbitrary convenience. Which is fine, but it still drills in the point that it's not a meaningful categorization narratively or creatively, especially if we're going to eschew it at the article level regardless. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 21:51, 18 June 2025 (EDT
:::I simply think we should be consistent about how we sort fiction sections within "concept" articles. To use [[Cybertron (planet)]] as an example again, should we no longer organise the fiction entries on that page by continuity family? If you think so, fine, but I think that's a poor idea. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 21:55, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::::That page seems to eschew the Fiction header in the first place (which does take care of my tiny header complaint, I suppose), so it's not quite consistent to begin with. But I don't really consider location and character pages to have the same considerations; Cybertron is pretty much the same across all continuities (backstory varies, yes, but mechanical homeworld of the Transformers is always the status quo) while characters are always shifting, changing, and bringing forward new ideas into next iterations. (Gun to my head, yes, I would prefer chronological, but planet articles are not a priority to me.) [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:09, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:::::Right, but the thing about the Thirteen et al is that they ''don't'' have the same considerations as other characters, so we treat them the same as other cross-continuity concept articles. I don't think they should have their own unique format that's the only thing on the wiki that ''completely'' eschews continuity families for organisation. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:59, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
Two questions: 1. Are we talking about just the organization of Thirteen/Primus/Unicron pages or across the board, new standard for all pages? 2. For either side (organize by continuity family vs organize by chronology/release date), are there examples of pages with either formatting that can serve as proof of concepts or visuals that show why that specific way is the better one? [[User:Daytonjhammon|Daytonjhammon]] ([[User talk:Daytonjhammon|talk]]) 21:15, 18 June 2025 (EDT)

Bit of an aside but is there a different or more distinct category name we could use? For me and most tf fans I know "Concept characters" brings to mind "concept art" characters, aka unused designs and the like. I think renaming it to "Cross-continuity concept characters" or something similar would make it clearer. —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 22:39, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
:That would be fine by me, yeah. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:59, 18 June 2025 (EDT)
::Yeah, this was the problem that jumped out at me when I first saw the term proposed. Some other suggestions: continuity-agnostic, pan-continuity, meta-continuity, conceptual, lore, mythological, cosmological, multiversal, archetypal, foundational. I don't have a strong preference, just throwing these out there. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 12:54, 19 June 2025 (EDT)
:::conceptual, lore, and mythological feel a bit too... intangible ig? multiversal is way too close to multiversal singularity imo. I'd say continuity-agnostic, pan-continuity or meta-continuity would all be good. (personally leaning towards meta-continuity) [[User:Arren1234|--Arren Meuchel]] ([[User talk:Arren1234|talk]]) 14:41, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

I'm definitely sympathetic towards [[User:Saix|Saix]] with regards to this specific change. The Thirteen are pretty much the tentpole for the "aligned" worldbuilding which pretty much marked the ''end'' of continuity families in the traditional sense, from a creative perspective at Hasbro (not that the concept was one they were considering to begin with). As he says, everything is G1 now, IDW is aligned, ''Cyberverse'' is IDW, and so on. After consideration I prefer the way he's laid it out. ''However'', there's also obviously an argument to be made from a wiki-consistency standpoint, and I want to state for the record that I don't think such a major reorganisation of those pages' contents should have been implemented without a consensus being reached on talkpages ''first''. This should have been a sandboxed proposal, not just something that was done hoping nobody would notice or care enough to raise an objection themselves. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 12:54, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

I apologize if I'm a bit off-base here, since I haven't been following these discussions as closely as some, but it seems to me that there are fundamentally two different things that are being presented here: the evolution of the character concept, and the actual fictional history of the various iterations of the character. If that's the case, wouldn't a good solution be to make a separate section for the former while continuing to organize the latter by continuity family like every other page? -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 14:57, 19 June 2025 (EDT)

== Commentary trivia ==

Something I find a bit sad is commentary sounding Trivia having to be deleted from episode pages. Those are funny and can be interesting to see, shame they also hog space. Can there be a middle ground where I cam dump them into, say, wild king episodes Synopsis without sounding...unprofessional? (Because the commentary is one of the best parts of some episode descriptions...)[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 00:02, 3 July 2025 (EDT)

== Mentioned characters ==

Something I did back when I was revamping our coverage of the BotCon/Club stuff was add a "mentioned characters" section to the notes; for examples, see [[Cybertron's Most Wanted]], [[Gone Too Far]], and other stories linked to on the [[Transformers Timelines (fiction)]] page. It's something that we lack on other pages, and I think that it's worth implementing; in particular, when looking through some of James Roberts' work recently for a side project, I was struck by how often characters that otherwise never appear on page are mentioned. What I wanna propose is adding something like to this our media pages in general.

The Problem: I think that the benefits speak for themselves, but it does also come against the fact that we have hundreds (if not thousands) of episodes/comics/other media by this point, and that it's going to be a non-trivial amount of work getting this up to speed. For that reason, I don't really think a template is the best way to go about, especially if they're going to be sitting empty until someone goes back to read those comics or rewatch that episode or whatever. What I do think might be worth considering is that we add in something about doing it for media pages in their notes section here on out, so that we can have a headstart on at least the currently published stuff; once it becomes something feasible for a template on various pages, then I think we can revisit that idea. For my end, I've been contemplating a re-read of the comics for a few years now, and I'm more than happy to add stuff over the time I do that.

If anyone has any suggestions or comments, please respond here. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 10:22, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
:I always liked how Wookieepedia lists every proper noun in "Appearances" sections ([https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Episode_V_The_Empire_Strikes_Back#Appearances example]). I think this concept should expand to include locations, weapons, et al.—basically everything we would make a page for. Yes, it's work to add stuff, but that's editing. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 10:32, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
::That sounds like something that could be pretty beneficial information-wise, even if it’s a lot of work. I can definitely start doing something like it for my ''Earth Wars'' write-ups as I go through the event stories. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 10:49, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
:I definitely remember thinking—back when you were regularly working on the Fun Publications pages—that your exhaustive approach to filling out the notes sections with mentioned characters and concepts was ''really useful'', but that it could stand to be formalised in some way. As you say, it'd be a huge amount of work to bring articles for even the most popular stories up to that standard. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 11:20, 9 July 2025 (EDT)
::I agree this is something it would be valuable to do going forwards. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]])

== Plagiarism on the other site ==
Basically every EarthSpark character page on the other site is a copy-paste of our own. Some of Cyberverse too. Do we care about this? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 09:34, 11 July 2025 (EDT)
:I think the important first question is whether there's any attribution (though I assume the answer will be no). -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 15:53, 11 July 2025 (EDT)
::As in, "this was written by TFWiki" or "this is a unique article we here at Fandom invented"? We can see which users have been doing the copy-pasting. There's one in particular who pasted in Earthspark content (just choose a character), another who has been doing some weapons (i.e. [[Electro-scrambler]]). I know full well that fan wikis tend to get copied, so if our position is to simply disregard everything Fandom does, we can stick to that. But their site has, supposedly, had a black-and-white policy dating right back to the split that copying from us is not allowed. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 08:29, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
:::I think it could be to try and make the fandom wikis page look as good the pages here are. I confess, I did the same to bulbapedia and the fandom pokemon wiki.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 13:12, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
:::I see no reason to not make a stink about it to whatever passes for admin there. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 13:14, 12 July 2025 (EDT)
::::Thylacine - According to CC BY-SA 3.0, they are free to copy our material as long as they provide credit that it was copied from us. If they ''don't'' do that, and I'm very much assuming they don't, then we should absolutely raise hell about it, as M Sipher suggests.
::::As an example, after Wowpedia moved to wiki.gg and became Warcraft Wiki, Fandom put a blanket ban on linking to wiki.gg (for bullshit reasons) and so we've been aggressively deleting any Wowpedia pages that were copied from us because they are functionally unable to provide proper attribution and their staff fucked up and never depowered one of our admins. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 14:31, 13 July 2025 (EDT)a
:::::They are definitely not providing any credit, and they also still have ''as their very first listed policy'' "no copying from Wikipedia or TFWiki." transformers dot fandom dot com/wiki/Transformers_Wiki:Policies#Plagiarism --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 16:29, 13 July 2025 (EDT)

Their site lists four admins, of whom two are obviously long retired. One who was last active in May is the source of some of the plagiarism, and also showed themself to be unresponsive to multiple direct questions posted on their wall by Fandom higher-ups. That leaves the one who was last active in June. I wrote that one a message summarizing all this as best I can, bearing in mind that systematically comparing pages on some other peoples' wiki is not at all something I am interested in doing. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 10:02, 14 July 2025 (EDT)
:Honestly, failing any response from their admins (which I will imagine will be the case), I think anyone happening to spot plagiarised material can happily just go ahead and delete it on the spot, citing their own policy of not copying from TFWiki. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 10:11, 14 July 2025 (EDT)
::A response: transformers dot fandom dot com/wiki/Message_Wall:Moviejunkie2009

::I msged the other suggested admins, no response. I did NOT msg the suggested Fandom "community manager" because they have no reason to help us, if anything I expect their response would be to simply erase the relict, circa-2008 anti-plagiarism policy that the current community knows nothing about.

::I do ''not'' enjoy scanning their New Articles page every day and maxing out my allowed daily edits by blanking the neverending incoming pasted pages. I am going to stop doing this. It pisses me off that a zero-effort community can ignore its own rules and steal our work, but it feels even worse to compulsively devote my free time to marginally cleaning up a zero-effort community's messes. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 20:07, 17 July 2025 (EDT)

== The General commercial with Bumblebee and Shaq ==

I think we should have information on this commercial for The General with Bumblebee and Shaq:

https://tformers.com/watch-bumblebee-shaq-acting-up-in-new-the-general-insurance-spot/55134/news.html
--[[User:John Pannozzi|John Pannozzi]] ([[User talk:John Pannozzi|talk]]) 13:11, 26 July 2025 (EDT)

== Maintenance heads up ==

Just to let everyone know, I'm going to take the site offline temporarily in about an hour for maintenance. Should not be offline for too long, hopefully. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 02:24, 29 August 2025 (EDT)
:And we're back. Thank you for your patience.--[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 03:43, 29 August 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you for your work, abates! [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 03:53, 29 August 2025 (EDT)

== Coverage idea ==

We should add a "Major events" section to the episode articles. It helps keep track of events alongside continuity notes and could help finding specific episodes better.[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 19:07, 16 September 2025 (EDT)
:Struggling to picture what exactly that would look like. --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 15:07, 17 September 2025 (EDT)
::Like a Major Events header, then the body text is any important Events that happen in the episode. (E.g. Darkest Hour in TFP: The autobot base is destroyed)[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 01:38, 13 October 2025 (EDT)
:::Perhaps you could put together an example on a sandbox page? [[User:Omegatron|Omegatron]] ([[User talk:Omegatron|talk]]) 06:55, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
::::Uh, idk how to make sandboxes. There are examples over on Bulbapedia though, so that should give a rough idea on what im suggesting. [[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 08:02, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::https://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:Poliwag06/Sandbox [[User:Omegatron|Omegatron]] ([[User talk:Omegatron|talk]]) 09:55, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::: I think this works for something like Bulbapedia because Pokemon is a pretty episodic 1000 episode anime with a set of regular events that it's useful to track (X caught / traded / lost a Pokemon / gym battle), whereas Transformers doesn't really work the same way? And things similar to that are already tracked in the trivia notes (the Alchemor prisoner manifest) or kinda fall into listicles which aren't popular (ie who used Cyber Keys that episode, what mini-cons were collected). Trying to qualify what counts as a "major event" outside of, say, "Character debuts / final appearances", which are also already in the trivia notes for for some series (definitely Animated, maybe others), especially in plot terms, feels difficult and liable to cruft and for people to just read the headline of the article. [[User:AkibaSilver|AkibaSilver]] ([[User talk:AkibaSilver|talk]]) 18:01, 14 October 2025 (EDT)
:::::::Yeah, the notes already serve as a pseudo-"major events" section with all the stuff you just named, and if you were to look for anything else to add you’d probably end up with something that has so many details it may as well just be the synopsis. - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 20:53, 14 October 2025 (EDT)

== Overview of pre-TF page ==
Hey, just posting here to provide a wiki-wide notification of sorts that I started an "Overview" section on the [[Pre-Transformers]] page and it's in dire need of some chunks of summarized information primarily regarding Diaclone and Micro Change and their respective Transformers localizations, as per the various stub markers left in specific sections. It feels like that page has been needing a proper written history of pre-TFs for a while now, so if anyone could help me fill it out then I'd be glad! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:14, 12 October 2025 (EDT))
:I'll see about taking a crack at the Diaclone bits as I can. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 00:37, 13 October 2025 (EDT)
::Thank you for volunteering, and wow, I had no idea about [[Horloge Robot]]: his page has now been made! ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 05:06, 13 October 2025 (EDT))
:::Wahey, thank you! As you can imagine I'd been meaning to get around to that for ages. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 12:45, 13 October 2025 (EDT)

== Overgear continuity ==
Maybe I'm asking this question a bit too early since we only have a vague premise and prototype images for [[Transformers Overgear]], but... Should we archive the figures released underneath it under their characters' G1 pages (when applicable) as it is usually done with odd Takara releases, or should they get entirely new pages instead? This feels like a toyline with a very distinct concept from most other regular ''Transformers'' assortments, so I'm frankly leaning on the latter. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 22:27, 16 October 2025 (EDT))
:It’s probably too early. And jumping the gun has bitten us in the ass before. Remember [[Cliffjumper (Yolopark)|Ladybug?]] [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 12:40, 17 October 2025 (EDT)

== Proposing a comedic category for fraud ==

Given the ongoing hubhub over the probable scammers who call themselves [[Mbilia Studios]], how about we make up a "Category:Fraud" or "Category:Fraudsters" like we have "Category:Things that don't exist"? Pat Lee and Dreamwave Productions come to mind as possible members for such a wiki category. [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 08:22, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:I see where you’re coming from but it also would be a massive vandal magnet. [[User:Hyperious|Hyperious]] ([[User talk:Hyperious|talk]]) 08:35, 4 November 2025 (EST)

::that also sounds legally actionable in a way the wiki probably doesn't want to deal with. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] ([[User talk:Hooper X|talk]]) 10:14, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:::Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeah nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooo let's not. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 14:01, 4 November 2025 (EST)
::::Sounds like a bad idea to me as well... - [[User:IGEBM13|IGEBM13]] ([[User talk:IGEBM13|talk]]) 16:52, 4 November 2025 (EST)
:Joining in to say that yeah, I also agree that this is a bad idea. But I do think that the Mbilia Studios page needs a Controversy section at the very least, the Trivia portion is ridiculously cluttered and it feels like a lot of it would be more comfortably read as just part of a standard couple of paragraphs. ([[User:FortressMaxxing|FortressMaxxing]] ([[User talk:FortressMaxxing|talk]]) 07:45, 12 November 2025 (EST))
::Agreed. I don't think we need that much detailing of how bad the AI video is. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 09:19, 12 November 2025 (EST)

== Binder of Revelation Illustration Credits ==
Okay, don't kill me here, I'm just hoping that the artists who contributed to the Binder fifteen-ish years ago get their proper due since it's out in the open now. I got in touch with the art director of the Binder of Revelation and have a fairly complete list of credits for who did what illustration. Since this isn't actually a published work, how do we go about giving proper illustration credits? Do we even credit anyone? Considering the document itself has no credits, I feel like it's worthwhile that the artists get recognized, even if we aren't putting any images up ourselves. [[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 21:37, 25 November 2025 (EST)
:I don't think this is objectionable info to note at the least. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 23:03, 25 November 2025 (EST)
::For now, maybe put your raw info on a sandbox so we can get a better sense of it? Most of the Binder art I know of was by Ken Christiansen, for instance, so if all but a few pieces are by him, it would seem silly to list them all individually. But I'm guessing it's more varied than that. —[[User:The Wadapan|wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 00:26, 26 November 2025 (EST)
:::It's a pretty wide spread, surprisingly. A lot of the pieces are tag team works where Eric Siebenaler did roughs and other artists did the finals, but it's around 5-10 artists without me checking the exact notes at the moment. I'll start getting that together.[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 14:41, 26 November 2025 (EST)
::::All known credits added. On a side note, is it worth pointing out somewhere that the Binder itself is written in the style of a RPG manual instead of an actual franchise bible? It goes a long way in explaining why it was so quickly disregarded by other creative teams when comparing it to bibles from other franchises or just other series bibles within Transformers on the whole, and the pricetag attached to the project.--[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] ([[User talk:MCRG|talk]]) 15:23, 21 January 2026 (EST)

== What are we calling the new "Core" Transformers stuff? ==

So... what should we call the new generically branded "Transformers" toys that have been showing up? (Prime Changers, Smash Changers, Tiny Turbo Changers, maybe more in the future). Should it be a separate new thing or maybe part of [[Transformers Authentics|''Authentics'']]? The Prime Changer [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Authentics|Optimus]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Authentics|Bumbleebee]], and [[Megatron (G1)/toys#PrimeChanger|Megatron]] were previously added under ''Authentics'', while someone just started using "Transformers (2026)" for the Tiny Turbo [[Arcee (G1)/toys#Tiny Turbo Changers|Arcee]] and [[Elita One (G1)#Tiny Turbo Changers|Elita]], which got me thinking that we should probably figure this out soon.<br>From what I've gathered they all use "TRA Core" in their listing names, but their packaging design seems identical to current ''Authentics'' packaging design, also lacking a distinct subtitle and focusing on "Evergreen" characters to start off. Then again, Hasbro homogenizing all their packaging designs in the last year makes it hard to tell if this line is meant to be its own thing. Though it is notable that unlike prior ''Authentics'', this "Core" line is using bigger size classes and is available at bigger retailers like Target instead of dollar stores. –[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:24, 13 January 2026 (EST)

:I was JUST adding a section here and rather than rewriting...<br>
:Okay just kinda checking in, because thanks to Hasbro's goddamn infuriating thing about not promoting/announcing anything other than the expensive collector crap, the load of sub-line-less not-''Authentics'' "Core" stuff hitting Targets (at least, has anything popped up at Walmart?) is a bit of a "how do we handle this" deal. Both "how much product is there" and "do we treat this as a separate line, as an extension of Authentics despite it not being a 'discount' store line, or what". I'm leaning towards "just list it as its own line with G1 characters unless pretty explicitly otherwise". --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 18:30, 13 January 2026 (EST)
::Oh right, Walmart. Off memory they do have the ''Authentics''-styled [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#MegaSting|Mega Sting Bumbleebee]] (could also be considered a "larger price point" I guess). No clue if any listings gave it a separate name like "Core" has. Walmart also has a bunch of merch stuff in ''Authentics''-style packaging like big head helicopters, Dancing Transformers and a giant RC Bumblebee. –[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:57, 13 January 2026 (EST)

== Size of the page again ==

This page is getting pretty long again, so could someone archive the last year? [[User:Hilfam|Hilfam]] ([[User talk:Hilfam|talk]]) 12:03, 22 January 2026 (EST)

== Idea for a page? ==

Perhaps a page discussing the various Transformers that have "base modes" as a third form, like Powermaster Prime, Motormaster, etc. It's a major recurring gimmick since G1. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 09:09, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:I think a general "[[base mode]]" article would make sense, yeah. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 10:19, 30 January 2026 (EST)
::seconded. frankly shocked to learn there isn't one already --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 11:58, 30 January 2026 (EST)
:::I think base modes lend themselves better to a category page rather than a full-blown article. What would it even say? “Some Transformers have Base Modes. Here’s a list of all the toys, here’s a list of all the episodes/issues where a base mode appeared.” [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 16:51, 4 February 2026 (EST)
::::I don't see why not. We have articles specifically for [[Beast mode]], [[Super Mode]], [[attack mode]], and [[transportation mode]]. For such a prominent feature of Transformers since its early days I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a specific write-up about city/base modes anywhere, and not even as single mention on the main [[alternate mode]] page. Closest I can find is [[Titan (group)#Alternate modes]]. —[[User:BluJayWarrior|BluJayWarrior]] ([[User talk:BluJayWarrior|talk]]) 18:01, 4 February 2026 (EST)
:::::I attempted a [[User:MahXyme/Sandbox/Base Mode|sandbox for a Base Mode page]] long ago, but I stopped since I realized it would require an extensive amount of work to list all fiction usages & differentiate what counts/what does not count not (something I struggled with the [[Micromaster#The Transformers|Micromasters Transports]] assorments -[[User:MahXyme|MahXyme/MahXymal]] ([[User talk:MahXyme|talk]]) 17:53, 5 February 2026 (EST)
::::::Seems like a good start at least. I'd argue for listing "groups" of base modes (Micromaster Stations, Titans Return Leaders, etc.) rather than individual figures --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 20:36, 5 February 2026 (EST)

Agreed on the organizational aspects. And, that sandbox is a good start, though yeah, it'd need a lot of work to go through all the toylines and make a comprehensive list. There's also the fact that certain toys with base modes are intended to link to others, some universal and some just one specific bot, so it may be tricky to document when that play feature is prevelant. [[User:DrakeyC|DrakeyC]] ([[User talk:DrakeyC|talk]]) 10:35, 18 February 2026 (EST)

==About character name translations==
Um... I'm new here. I have a question, and I'm not sure if this question falls under [[Help:Official info]]...

That is, I want to add the translated names of some characters. But I want to know what basis this wiki uses to choose foreign translations. Must the foreign translations be ones used by Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy and their licensees in order to remain on this wiki? Can some of the names translated by fan Chinese translation groups be considered valid? Especially in cases where they were the first to provide a translation for a work (possibly the only one) and fixed certain character names.

There are also some characters (such as [[Sentinel Maximus]]) whose works may never be introduced by licensors in certain languages, but they do have a commonly used translated name. Should we include this translated name, or just keep it without a translation in that language?

For example, when IDW comic books were introduced in China, the translation team at the time translated [[Tarn (G1)]] as '''璇玑湖'''. So this would count as an authorized translation. However, because this translated name has nothing to do with the original meaning (as well as some other controversies surrounding that Chinese translation group), the more common and widely used Chinese translation for [[Tarn (G1)]] is the direct transliteration '''塔恩'''. '''璇玑湖''' has basically been abandoned. In this case, which translation should we choose?

:I suddenly realized that 塔恩 could be used. The packaging of Blokees does indeed call him 塔恩.

Also, does the foreign name used in the product titles by the Hasbro official flagship store count?

Uh, this question might seem a bit silly, or it might come across as a bit strange because I'm speaking English through a translator. But if the existing Wiki rules already cover this issue, please just tell me, thank you.[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 10:18, 12 February 2026 (EST)
:This is a fantastic question. I have no authority here so don’t take this as word of law, but I believe that Romanizations on this wiki (which I think is somewhat similar) are case-by-case. The first romanization of [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] was “Deszarus”, but the page is still titled “Deathsaurus” because that’s what the name actually is supposed to be. (Deathsaurus’ name issues are actually pretty interesting, at least to me, and I’d recommend reading the wiki article’s section on it.) Conversely, [[Jallguar]] IS the first romanization used, and the article title, but in that instance I suppose that there isn’t really any convincing reason to use any of the other romanizations we’ve gotten over the years since none of them actually mean anything (it’s just the Japanese word for Jaguar with an extra syllable inserted). I’m rambling. What I would do for foreign names is, stick with the first official translation used, unless you think there’s a compelling reason to use a different one (like what you said with Tarn), and in that case bring it up on the discussion page for the article in question or in the Discord server. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 02:43, 15 February 2026 (EST)
::They need to be translations used in official material. That's just the easiest line in the sand we can make. If different translations are used officially, we note them all, barring obvious typos and the such. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:22, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:::Does the name used for the flagship store count? Those works that were not introduced have kept them without translations, right?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 06:52, 15 February 2026 (EST)

Some publications that contain many translations (such as the Chinese version of DW's MTMTE) I actually don't have the resources for, which is a pity.
I have come to realize some issues. For instance, if the translation team used a certain translation term when translating a publication, but later discovered that this term was incorrect, they made the correction in their subsequent fan-based translations. However, since the publication was not re-released after its introduction, the translation term in the authorized merchandise could not be modified. Can we adopt the revised translation term provided by this translation team?

There is another less rigorous question: Does THE translation given by the authorized Chinese translation and introduction team of Chris McFeely's TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS count?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 07:07, 15 February 2026 (EST)
:THE BASICS, while incredibly informative, is not official, so no, it would not count. [[User:Cylasbreakdown|Cylasbreakdown]] ([[User talk:Cylasbreakdown|talk]]) 15:52, 16 February 2026 (EST)
::I reiterate, official material only. Mistakes are unfortunate, but that's how it goes and we can't presume unofficial translations will make it into official material. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:42, 16 February 2026 (EST)
OK, I will do it this way. Strictly follow the official materials.

And one more question: Can the translation names used by Hasbro's official store be used in this Wiki?[[User:Micheva|Micheva]] ([[User talk:Micheva|talk]]) 23:40, 16 February 2026 (EST)
:Material from Hasbro is fine. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 01:50, 17 February 2026 (EST)

== So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? ==

It made sense to keep them together when ''Legends'' first started as Jungle Animals in Decidedly Non-Jungle Situations, and this wasn't worth pursuing before now since it'd be just moving the furniture around. But the lore got deeper and now with ''New Legends'' as ongoing fiction I think it's worth looking at again. As much as Legends World is treated as its own dimension, it is fundamentally just a location easily accessible from the JG1 timeline populated with clones* of Transformers from the wider continuity that exists around it. And when we write pages for duplicate characters who co-exist, do we not typically split them off? If that's the yardstick, several Legends Worlders interact with or refer to their JG1 selves, including Rattrap, Rhinox, Waspinator, Arcee, and T-AI. Leo Prime even moves in with Lio Convoy, and keeping those same dudes on the same page is complicating the already complex timeline presented by "[[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|Age of Primes]]". — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 12:44, 3 March 2026 (EST)
<sub>*"clones" is a simpler term for these guys than "magically created lifeforms in a telepathic dream world based on real people from 300 years in the future" but same diff</sub>
:It's always been strange to me that they weren't split off already. Having them on the same page is extremely confusing. I'd say go for it. --[[User:Arren1234 |Arren Meuchel]] [[User_talk:Arren1234 |(talk)]] 12:57, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:Personally I think this might be overthinking things. I'd agree that it's not quite 1 to 1 with other cross dimension stuff, but functionally Legends Rattrap is a version of the Beast Wars character even if he is in this weird pocket dimension type thing, and ever single "native" to the dimension we see is basically just a comedic version of a pre-existing character. And we've always kept cross dimensional stories with versions of the same character on the same page (Universe, TransTech, et cetera). It makes things complicated, sure, but JG1 stuff has been like that for nearly two decades now. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 13:00, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::For my money, there's just ''so much'' with the Legends idiots now, and there's going to keep being more of it, so we'd be best off siloing them into their own pages <s>and not having to think about them any more</s>. Universe and TransTech stories that had the characters interacting were generally one-offs or short runs. This is a Cloud or Galvatron II situation, to me. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 13:45, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I am on the record as considering reader experience our prime directive and this would be such a drastic improvement to the readability of our coverage of the Legends rat's nest that I've been meaning to suggest it for years. Consider me emphatically in favor. --[[User:AzimuthAcolyte|AzimuthAcolyte]] ([[User talk:AzimuthAcolyte|talk]]) 20:12, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:I think I'm also generally leaning towards "this is already complicated and it's just going to get more complicated so let's detangle this shit sooner rather than later." -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 20:19, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::Fine with this idea. Are we using Japanese names since those characters have never shown up in material with Hasbro names? [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:31, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::That feels unnecessarily pedantic. --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 22:16, 3 March 2026 (EST)
::::One could make the argument that it's too steeped in Japanese fan culture/terminology to use the Hasbro names, but I really only care about the human characters having Japanese names (because they're normal people living in Tokyo and wouldn't be named things like "T-AI"). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::::Also, I think Roadbuster, Whirl, and Windblade can stay as they are, since all three are meant to be the main JG1 versions of those characters anyway. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 22:37, 3 March 2026 (EST)
:::I'm theoretically in favour of Japanese names, since it would improve legibility of say, the time Rattle and Rattrap teamed up – and we're absolutely keeping Lio Convoy, since Leo Prime has gone through a textual name change – BUT: characters with toys, at least, had both the Japanese and Hasbro names on their packaging. It would be inconsistent to have Rattrap and Waspinator and Optimus Primal alongside Cheetus and — I can't think of another example, but I'm interrupting this train of thought because I CAN think of Optimus Minor being made Primal's son on the basis of Beast Convoy's western name. And how many minor guys like, I dunno, Build Boy, are named in dialogue? We could always title the article Wedge and slap a Noname-uncomfirmed on that bad boy like how we did with ''Shattered Glass'' in the distant past.
:::Also, what are we feeling is best for a disambig? (Legends)? (LG)? (LW)? — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:43, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Or we could go with the Kre-O approach of "major characters get their own pages, cameos don't" I GUESS — [[User:TheLastGherkin|TheLastGherkin]] ([[User talk:TheLastGherkin|talk]]) 04:53, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::::Minor is only called "Minor" in Legends, so he wouldn't get the full name. I vote (Legends). [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 05:01, 4 March 2026 (EST)
:Historically I've leaned more in the direction of "this feels like putting these dumb animals on too much of a pedestal", given the meta-importance that page splits tend to imply to the wiki's audience, ''but'' I find the "these are functionally clones who exist within JG1 continuity specifically, not just 'normal' alternate versions of the characters" framing pretty compelling, so I'm surprising myself by saying I wouldn't be opposed to a split at this point. Making stuff like multiple Lios Convoy interacting less insane to write about is definitely a bonus too. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:34, 4 March 2026 (EST)
::Oh, also, and I hope it would go without saying, but obviously the toys that technically represent Transformerised Legends World guys would need to go on both pages (which I think we're already doing anyway for cases like the Targetmasters that are actually technically Kiss Players and Beastformers and stuff). [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 04:41, 4 March 2026 (EST)

Thinking about it more, the Galvatron II example is more presuasive to me; a suite style situation would be fine. As for names, I don't really care about T-AI but for any of the Transformers I think that's a bit much. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 08:08, 4 March 2026 (EST)

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2026-03-03T18:00:19Z

Escargon: /* So when are we splitting the Legends World characters off? */

Moon (BW)

2026-02-28T18:05:27Z

Escargon:

{{factions|{{factions/icons|custom=Moon symbol clean.png|cSize=22px|cLink=Moon (BW)|cPretty=Moon}}|predacon|maximal|autobot|minicon|liegemaximo}}
{{disambig3|Moon}}

:''Moon is a transforming android bunny from the [[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers#Beast Wars II|Beast Wars II]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]], moon.''

[[Image:MoonBWII1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Dammit, Moon Moon.]]

A transforming bunny-robot of [[Gaia]]n origin, '''Moon''' (ムーン ''Mūn'') has a carefree, childish personality that makes him innocent, kind and, well, irresponsibly oblivious, moon. He'll often blurt out blunt, unfiltered statements not intended to offend, but simply because he doesn't know how to watch what he says. Luckily, his best friend [[Artemis]] is always there with a big mallet, waiting to bonk him on the head. He never learns, though. ''Never'', moon.

Stationed on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]] overlooking Gaia, Moon was tasked by [[human|an ancient civilization]] to monitor the planet and make sure no interlopers ever abuse the [[Angolmois Energy]] within. He's remarkably good at gathering information, thanks in large part to his flight and invisibility powers, and he's ''shockingly'' good at correlating facts in spite of his immaturity... a talent that further infuriates Artemis, who has a terrible memory.

...Moon.

==Fiction==
===Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''Legends'' comic====
[[File:Artemis Moon Atari Legends.jpg|thumb|]]

Moon was created to accompany Artemis in [[2039]] as part of [[Project Gaia]]. His creator, [[Atari Hitotonari]] unveiled Moon and Artemis to a delegation of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and his [[human]] friends, but Artemis immediately found Moon worthy of being bonked with her [[piko piko hammer]], which alarmed Atari. Nevertheless, Atari continued working on the pair. {{storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}

====''Generations Selects Special Comic''====
In [[2050]], Artemis and Moon still accompanied their creator, including to overseeing the manufacture of [[Selector]]s. {{storylink|Volcanicus comic 1}} The duo bore witness to [[Angolmois Energy]] corrupting [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], setting off a chain of events that drove humanity off Earth. {{storylink|Super Megatron comic 2}}

====''Beast Wars II'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Junko Takeuchi]] (Japanese)}}

Tens of thousands of years before the arrival of Lio Convoy's Maximals, the people of [[Gaia]] discovered the dark secret of their planet's [[Angolmois Energy]]. If used with evil intent, this colossal energy source would become evil itself. Fearing the ramifications, the people of Gaia fled their planet for deep space, leaving behind two monitor androids in a chamber beneath the surface of the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. These androids, Moon and [[Artemis]], were to monitor the planet in case the Angolmois Energy was ever corrupted and used by those with nefarious intent. The Gaians' defense protocols would then take over, destroying Gaia and the Moon to prevent an outbreak of evil Angolmois Energy in the universe. Moon and Artemis were not programmed with this last bit of knowledge, to prevent conflicts in their programming. {{storylink|Emissary of the Fourth Planet}}

Artemis and Moon detected a shift in the Angolmois Energy of Gaia when the ''[[Galvaburg II]]'' arrived on the planet. Fearing the worst from the Predacons, they hoped for the swift arrival of Maximal defenders to save their world. {{storylink|The New Forces Arrive!}} When the [[Autoroller (BW)|Autoroller]]s began burning down the forests of Gaia to make room for Angolmois Energy mining operations, Moon was fast asleep dreaming of his last meal. He woke up quickly out of self-preservation when Artemis got worked up, though. {{storylink|White Lion, Run!}} Artemis and Moon observed Bighorn's aggressive tendencies from the moon as he rampaged over the landscape. {{storylink|Bighorn's Rage}}

In their first [[Artemis & Moon II Report|II Report]], Artemis and Moon discussed the nature of Angolmois Energy on the planet Gaia, but were interrupted by [[Tasmania Kid]]. {{storylink|The Lake Trap}} Later, Moon interrupted Artemis's mail call to point out the latest spread of evil Angolmois Energy over the planet. {{storylink|Galvatron Revived}} Some idle musing by Artemis told Moon she actually had no idea why they were watching Gaia, and so he revealed to her (reminded her?) of their origins as creations of the lost civilization of Gaia to watch out for anyone misusing the potentially dangerous Angolmois Energy. {{storylink|Mystery of the Ancient Ruins}}

Artemis and Moon observed the [[Insectron]]s, and the Predacons' plot to turn the insects against the Maximals. {{storylink|The Insect Corps Arrive}} Artemis was impressed with [[Starscream (BW)|Starscream]]'s duplicity, while Moon thought the Maximals were too simple-minded if they fell for the trap. {{storylink|Friend or Foe? The Insect Robos}} Observing Starscream's oil trap for the Insectrons, Artemis and Moon discussed the value of oil to Transformers. {{storylink|The Strongest Tag Team?}} When [[Autostinger]] called in his debt from saving [[Bigmos]]'s life in the past, Artemis didn't understand the honor involved, thinking the past was in the past. Moon took this opportunity to mention he ate the cake she was saving...but he did it in the past, so it didn't matter, right? {{storylink|Autorollers Roll Out!}}

Artemis and Moon observed [[Scissor Boy]]'s misadventures with [[Tasmania Kid]] and the Autorollers. {{storylink|Danger! Scissor Boy}} They also monitored Galvatron's return and the influence of Angolmois Energy on his body. {{storylink|Galvatron Rampages}}

[[Image:Bw2 ep6 hammertime.jpg|left|225px|thumb|This was all because he ate the last piece of chocolate cake.]]

As the Predacons launched a massive attack over the [[South America|South Continent]], Artemis and Moon watched the Maximals and Insectrons fight to fend them off. Artemis was happy to see the two factions working together, but Moon wasn't so sure it would last. He showed Artemis archive footage indicating the Insectrons wanted to be left in peace more than fight, but the sum total of the footage indicated they would probably continue aiding the Maximals because they were friends. {{storylink|Predacon General Offensive!}}

Moon and Artemis watched as the [[Jointron]] brothers arrived on Gaia. {{storylink|The Combined Giant, Tripledacus}} They found the Jointrons to be ''incredibly'' annoying. {{storylink|The Festive Jointrons}}

Finally tired of watching the Maximals fall into traps and dangerous situations, Moon converted to robot mode and left his sanctuary, flying down to the planet below. Unfortunately, the Maximals and Jointrons ignored him completely. Artemis later speculated that there was a barrier around Moon preventing him from being seen or heard because they were meant to be observers only. {{storylink|A Fearsome Combination Plan?}}

Moon could not understand Artemis's crushes on Starscream and Scuba, or how she managed to nurse BOTH crushes when her guys were fighting on opposite teams. {{storylink|Who Is the Leader!?}} Artemis and Moon once again cursed their inability to interfere when they learned of Galvatron's plot to trap the Maximals using the [[Copy Machine]]. {{storylink|The Black Lio Convoy}}

When a [[Photon sailer]] entered the solar system, Artemis and Moon were alerted to its presence. Moon did some research and determined the sailer belonged to the [[Seacon (BW)|Space Pirate Seacons]], and rightly concluded that yet another visitor from space was coming to cause trouble on Gaia. {{storylink|The Space Pirate Seacons!}}

Moon and Artemis got into a discussion over who was the strongest among the Maximals and Predacons, and called in to Lio Convoy and Galvatron for feedback. In the end, however, the comparison degenerated into Artemis trying to spend time with her crush-bots, Scuba and Starscream. {{storylink|Who Is the Strongest Warrior!?}}

Moon could do nothing but shake his head when Artemis got all worked up over [[Scylla]] of the Seacons declaring her love for Scuba-sama. {{storylink|The Tentacular Scuba}} He and Artemis later reluctantly observed [[Megastorm]] and the Seacons' plot to lure the Maximals into battle with a series of transmitters. {{storylink|Megastorm's Reckoning}}

Artemis got totally worked up when Scylla grabbed Scuba in a loving (if unwanted) embrace during a battle, and turned her aggressions on Moon, telling him to do something to help the Maximals. Unclear on what he could do behind his invisibility shield, Moon flew down to Gaia anyway and observed the fighting. When the Seacon ship's pirate flag flapped in his face, Moon got an idea. He used his oil to draw a map of the area on the pirate flag, and then flew to the Southern Continent where he dropped the flag on the Insectrons. Familiar with the Space Pirates' reputation for danger, Tonbot and Bigmos responded to the "note" and came to the Sea Continent to bail out their Maximal comrades. Good job, Moon! {{storylink|Showdown in the Sea}}

Moon had to once again point out that Scuba had no idea Artemis existed (literally) when she complained about Scylla receiving a love letter seemingly from the Maximal squid. {{storylink|Face the Setting Sun}} Later, Artemis and Moon monitored the Space Pirates' plans to leave Gaia. {{storylink|The Final Battle (BWII)|The Final Battle}}

Moon and Artemis observed the artificial planet [[Nemesis (BW)|Nemesis]] as it entered Gaia's solar system. Moon calculated that Nemesis was on a trajectory that led it directly to Gaia. {{storylink|Enter Lio Junior}} They continued to speculate about Nemesis, as well as the arrival of [[Lio Junior]] and the transformation of Megastorm into Gigastorm. {{storylink|Megastorm Reborn}} Moon and Artemis watched as [[Ikard]] made contact with the Maximals and provided Scuba with his new gift, the [[Tako Tank]]. {{storylink|The New Weapon, Tako Tank}}

When the Seacons were trapped by the artificial planet Nemesis, Artemis and Moon detected their SOS, but were unable to do anything to help them. {{storylink|The Artificial Planet Nemesis}} They later monitored signals being sent back and forth from Galvatron to Nemesis, and witnessed as Nemesis completely devoured the rings of Saturn as a fuel source. {{storylink|Gigastorm's Treachery}}

Artemis got upset that Starscream was facing what appeared to be his last stand, and wanted Moon to fly down to Gaia and help, but Moon was having none of that. Afterwards, he and Artemis reviewed the abilities of the newly upgraded [[Starscream (BW)|Hellscream]] and [[BB (BW)|Max-B]], {{storylink|The End of Starscream}} and later did the same for the evolved [[Dirge (BW)|Dirgegun]] and [[Thrust (BW)|Thrustor]]. {{storylink|The Lio Convoy Assassination Plot}}

Moon and Artemis observed the Maximals' efforts to freeze the raging Angolmois Energy on Gaia before it erupted, but Galvatron had Nemesis consume Jupiter entirely to increase the Angolmois Energy corruption activity. {{storylink|The Great Angolmois Freezing Tactic}} The duo also monitored the Maximals' next setback, using an artillery cannon to blast Nemesis before it reached the planet. Unfortunately, the Angolmois Energy powering the cannon was too much, and it overheated and exploded. {{storylink|Knock Out Nemesis}} They observed Galvatron's failed attempt to brainwash Lio Junior with corrupted Angolmois Energy as well. {{storylink|Lio Junior's Revolt!?}}

As the artificial planet Nemesis passed [[Mars (planet)|Mars]], an ancient temple there released a [[Martian emissary|robotic emissary]] who traveled to Gaia and befriended the Maximals. As their computer [[NAVI (Yukikaze)|NAVI]] translated, the emissary stated its mission was to retake control of the unstable Angolmois Energy. The Maximals led the emissary to the [[Mother Computer]] it needed for its mission, located hidden away in the [[Valley of Lions]]. Moon and Artemis researched the emissary's history in their computer banks, only to discover its mission to "control" the Angolmois Energy actually meant wiping it out entirely. A preprogrammed defense sequence in the Mother Computer would pull the Moon out of orbit, crashing it down on top of Gaia, wiping out all life and Angolmois Energy on the planet.

Desperate to save their adopted friends and themselves, Moon flew to Earth hoping he could somehow communicate with the Maximals. Miraculously, [[Lio Junior]]'s Angolmois Energy-enhanced senses allowed him to penetrate Moon's invisibility barrier, and he heard the little robot's warning. Magnaboss and Moon raced to the Mother Computer with their concerns, where the emissary had already entered the computer. The archive tapes in the computer had already confirmed Moon's existence to Lio Convoy, who took their warning seriously. {{storylink|Emissary of the Fourth Planet}}

Moon consulted with [[Magnaboss (BWII)|Magnaboss]] as the Maximals desperately sought a way to prevent the Moon from crashing into Gaia. With NAVI, they determined it was possible for NAVI to enter the Mother Computer and reprogram the emissary to reverse the cataclysm. With the momentary assistance of Galvatron, the Maximals succeeded in getting past the computer's defenses so that NAVI could enter and save the moon. Moon said good-bye to Lio Junior afterwards and returned to the thankful Artemis, the Maximals now fully aware of his existence and efforts on their behalf. {{storylink|The Crisis of Planet Gaia}}

Artemis and Moon monitored the Maximals' efforts to leave Gaia and intercept the artificial planet Nemesis using a modified space cruiser. They wished their allies well on their mission. {{storylink|Fly Out! Planet Gaia}}

Moon is here to satisfy all your stock transformation footage needs. Sometimes forwards, sometimes backwards. {{storylink|Assemble, Thirty-Nine Warriors}}

When the Maximals were forced to crash on an asteroid in battle with the Space Pirate Seacons, they managed to free the pirates from Galvatron's mind control, but no longer had the energy necessary to reach Nemesis. Moon arrived and provided Lio Junior with a new plan: use the gravity of the Moon to slingshot their ship back on track. Artemis and Moon worked together and provided Lio Junior and the Maximals the telemetry necessary to make full use of the slingshot maneuver. {{storylink|Revenge of the Space Pirates}}

Artemis and Moon watched with concern as the Maximals arrived on Nemesis and prepared to sabotage it. The heroes delayed too long, however, for Nemesis was now in range of Gaia. Galvatron ordered Nemesis to begin siphoning up all the Angolmois Energy on the planet, and with it the essence of Gaia itself. {{storylink|Breaking into Nemesis}} After praying for a miracle, Artemis communed with the spirit of Gaia and found a way she and Moon could help. They could move the moon itself into the path of the Angolmois Energy, blocking it from its flight from Gaia to Nemesis and depriving the Predacons of energy. The consequences would be dire for the duo, however, for the Angolmois Energy would superheat the moon and roast Artemis and Moon inside. When Artemis explained her plan and the risks, Moon didn't hesitate to agree in order to save Gaia. {{storylink|Legend! The Green Warrior}} Together, Artemis and Moon held each other inside the moon while cutting off the flow of Angolmois Energy until the Maximals succeeded in destroying Nemesis. The two androids survived the conflagration, emerging from the combined mass of the moon and Nemesis which existed after the artificial planet's destruction. Although the Maximals were gone, Artemis and Moon were thankful to the heroes for all they had done for Gaia. {{storylink|Farewell! Lio Convoy}}

====''Cloud''====
Watching from the Moon, Artemis and Moon were alarmed when Transformers they'd never seen before—extradimensional visitors from [[Cloud World]]—suddenly appeared on Gaia. Moon commented that the girl with the group, [[SARA]], was cuter and more ladylike than Artemis, earning him the usual walloping. {{storylink|Concealment}}

====''Beast Wars Neo'' cartoon====
[[Image:ArtemisMoonTeaParty01.jpg|thumb|Did you find Loo-Kee in this episode?]]
After [[Unicron]]'s defeat at the hands of [[Big Convoy]], and the formation of an alliance between the Maximals and Predacons, Artemis and Moon somehow travelled to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

As Big Convoy and [[Magmatron]]'s forces had one last brawl for old times' sake behind them, the Gaia androids participated in a giant cross-faction party under beautiful cherry blossoms. They shared a drink with [[Bazooka (BW)|Bazooka]], [[Crazybolt (BW)|Crazybolt]], and [[Sharp Edge]] while [[Apache]] and [[Colada]] peacefully slept nearby. {{storylink|Graduation Ceremony!!}}

====''Prime''====
Moon watched [[Lio Convoy|Great Lio Convoy]]'s announcement of the dissolution of the factionalized society of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to make way for a unified faction and new leadership by the [[Prime Leader|Primes]], along with renaming himself Leo Prime. At some point, Moon became the [[Arms Micron]] '''L.P.''' (エルピー ''Erupī''), {{storylink|Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|Age of Primes}} transforming into Senior Commander Leo Prime's '''Ancient Sword''' (エンシェント･ソード ''Enshento Sōdo'') which drew power from Leo Prime's [[Energon Matrix]]. {{storylink|#Prime|AM-28 Leo Prime bio}} His alternate mode was used to forge the remains of a [[Unicron|Gaia Unicron]] avatar into the [[Gaia Armor]]. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#PrimeUnicronPack|''Arms Micron'' Optimus Prime + Gaia Unicron bio}}

With Leo Prime, L.P. watched as the [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]] invaded [[Earth]] and were soon met by [[Go Prime]], who explained how he split the timeline into two to avert a crisis. L.P. was unnerved by this kind of power, but didn't have much time to mull on it as he and Leo Prime rushed to the [[G1 World]] to stop the Predacons from invading it as well. {{storylink|Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|Age of Primes}}

Leo Prime wielded L.P.'s sword mode in battle with [[Katsu Don]] in the [[Legends World]]. The Arms Micron vanished when Katsu Don reverted Prime to his original body, but returned as the Ancient Sword when the [[Lio Convoy#Legends World|Lio Convoy]] of the Legends World was turned into a real Transformer. The combined form of Leo Prime and Lio Convoy then used the Ancient Sword to defeat Katsu Don. {{storylink|LG41 Leo Prime}}

===2006 IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity===
Along with [[Artemis]], Moon was charged by the [[Celestial]]s with observing the events transpiring on the planet [[Gaia|Gaea]] for them. When the battle between the forces of [[Lio Convoy]] and Galvatron grew to be too dire for Moon to stand any longer, the robot followed his moral compass and disobeyed his orders, taking an active role in events. For this, the Celestials "excommunicated" him and he could no longer contact them. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #2}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
Moon, or Mecha Usagi, was remembered as being [[Lio Convoy]]'s [[Titan Master|Titanmaster]] partner after the [[Grand Uprising]]. Whether he actually ''was'' was a matter of debate among scholars, with some sources saying there was no proof either way. {{storylink|The Inexorable March}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
Moon was one of [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Onyx Prime]]'s Maximals. During Onyx's invasion of Cybertron, he was one of the many Maximals who battled [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]]; when [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] and [[Aileron]] chanced across the site of the battle shortly afterwards, he and [[Heinrad (BW)|Heinrad]] were the only survivors. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}}

===''Last Bot Standing''===
[[File:LastBotStanding2-statusreport.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
Once known as "Spine-Shucker", when the universe ran out of [[energon]], Moon fell under the command of [[Steeljaw (IDW)|Steeljaw]] and reformatted himself into a leporine form as a statement. To survive, the group began farming organic matter into [[biofuel]]. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 2|Last Bot Standing #2}}

When the group set their sights on the planet [[Donnokt]], Moon, by random draw, was chosen to be the first to awaken, emerging ahead of his fellows to set up their equipment. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 1|Last Bot Standing #1}} After Moon confirmed that all their equipment had survived the trip intact, he requested to join a search party for the missing [[Nitro (IDW)|Nitro]], only to be denied permission due to his slow alternate mode. While [[Override (BWU)|Override]] and [[Riotgear (G1)|Riotgear]] went out to search, Moon oversaw the installation and activation of the rest of their equipment before the scouts returned with a fuel-starved Transformer called [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]]. When their new friend briefly fell into [[stasis lock]], the pack removed his cloak and discovered the organic [[Shib Wallkis]] whom Moon detained as their next meal. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 2|Last Bot Standing #2}}

After [[Wheelie (G1)|the Veteran]] had been reactivated and the pack went off to harvest [[Fembrance]], Moon engaged Shib in conversation, intrigued by the notion of befriending an organic before [[Wildwheel (G1)|Wildwheel]] ordered him to stop mucking about. When Shib requested a final goodbye to Rodimus, the Veteran persuaded Moon to indulge the request only for the the girl to plug an [[energon key]] into Rodimus, restoring him. As Moon wished to have the same happen to him, Rodimus destroyed the refinery, prompting a furious Wildwheel to vengefully hurl sharp debris at Shib. Having realized that Rodimus's philosophy was the correct one, Moon tried to protect Shib only to wind up fatally impaled through the optic. As he died, Moon croaked out that he understood Rodimus's point. {{storylink|Last Bot Standing issue 3|Last Bot Standing #3}}

==Games==
===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars''===
When the super-powerful [[Energon Quartz]] called for someone to claim it, Moon assisted his friend Artemis in order to gain possession of said crystal.

Together, they could also partake in various other tasks, such as a mission to break a boulder to reveal an energon crystal hidden within before sundown, using a block in a mission to defend themselves against various incoming projectiles, and missions to run across a pit-riddled field, sometimes involving hideously large bacteria that had to be fended off.

When they defeated their last opponent, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], Artemis, blissfully unaware of the crystal's power, used it as a decoration for her room, finding it pretty. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars}}

{{note|Moon and Artemis function as a single unit in-game, with Moon acting as the "beast mode" equivalent; said unit is listed as a Predacon on the character select screen, to equalize the combatants in each faction. The pair are secret characters in this game, formally unlocked by receiving a password (てみす) after triggering their appearance in Single Battle on hard difficulty and defeating them. Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Moon's fate in those outcomes.}}
====Move list====
{{note|This move list presumes the player is facing right; when facing left, reverse the left and right inputs. For the rest of their move list, see [[Artemis#Move list|Artemis's page]].}}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=2|'''Moon'''
|-
|Moon Attack Kai||↓→B
|-
|Moon Head Attack||→↓→B
|-
|Gloomy Moon Punch<ref>''Gurūmī Mūn Panchi'' ({{ruby|G.|グルーミー}} ムーンパンチ); this also appears to be a pun on ''guruguru'' (グルグル, "spinning").</ref>||↓←B
|-
|Moon Heal||←↓→A
|-
|Rapid Rabbit (super)||↓→↓← B
|-
|Moon Caliber (desperation)||↓←↓→ A
|}

==Toys==
===''Beast Wars''===
[[Image:BWII Moon toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|In the future, robots have rabbit faces instead of butts. Because robots don't need butts.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-mn|'''Moon''' ([[1998]])}}</ul>
:*''ID number:'' '''S-2'''
:*''Release date'': 1998 October ??
{{toydesigner|[[Masakatsu Saito]] (concept artist)}}

: Part of the ninth wave of ''Beast Wars II'' product in Takara's [[Transformers: Beast Wars (Japanese toyline)#1998 (Beast Wars II)|''Beast Wars'' toyline]], Moon is a Basic-sized figure that transforms into a yellow rabbitty-thing with posable ears for comedic expressions.

: His robot-mode chest has a "View-Master"-like gimmick, showing art of various ''Beast Wars II'' characters when you look through it. The pictures can be switched by pressing its upper and lower body together until it clicks.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Cybertron/Moon/moon.htm More information on Moon at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Mechausagi}}
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-mn|'''Mecha Usagi Moon''' (1998)}}</ul>
:*''ID number:'' '''S-2'''

: A white version of Moon was released as a [[Lucky Draw figure|Lucky Draw]] prize via ''[[Comic BomBom]]'', limited to 2,000 pieces.<ref>http://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/101932-tfwikinet-thread-30/?p=2628660</ref>

: Unfortunately, the actual details of the contest are currently unknown.

===''Prime''===
[[File:Prime-toy LP.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66|The Moon Knife.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Leo Prime''' (Voyager, [[2012]])}}</ul>
:*''Set ID number'': '''AM-28'''
:*''Micron ID number'': '''M-33'''
:*''Release date'': 2012 [[December 15]]
:*''Energon Crystal'': '''AP Magne'''

: Part of the ninth wave of [[TakaraTomy]] ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime]]'' toys, L.P. transforms from a humanoid robot into a longsword. As part of the Arms Micron [[gimmick]], L.P. features numerous [[5 mm post|5mm peg]]-holes and pegs, allowing him to combine with other Microns to form bigger and more ridiculous "Combo Weapons" and "Super Combo Weapons".

: As a "Magne" crystal type, his main combination is with [[Sou#Toys|Sou]] and [[S.S.#Toys|S.S.]] as the [[Leonid Tonfa]] Super Combo Weapon.

: He was only available packed in with the Voyager [[Lio Convoy#Prime|Leo Prime]] toy, coming out of the package as a bunch of unpainted parts on runners, like a model kit. His extra deco is provided by customer-applied foil [[sticker]]s on a sheet he shares with Leo.

: This mold was also used to make [[Zan]].
{{--}}

===''Legends''===
[[File:TF-Legends-LG41-Lio-Convoy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Leo Prime''' (Voyager, [[2017]])}}</ul>
:*''ID Number'': '''LG41'''
:*''Release date'': 2017 [[February 25]]

: A non-transforming "Ancient Sword" is included with ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Lio Convoy#Legends|Leo Prime]], redecoed from ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' [[Alpha Trion/toys#Titans Return|Alpha Trion]]'s sword. The included ''Legends'' comic identifies this sword as L.P.

: In the world of ''[[Beast Wars: Uprising]]'', this accessory represents the similarly reforged [[Solipsistic Staff]].

: This mold was also used to make [[Magna Convoy#Legends|Magna Convoy]]'s [[Matrix Sword#Legends|Matrix Sword]] and ''[[War for Cybertron: Siege|Siege]]'' [[Nemesis Prime (G1)#War for Cybertron: Siege|Nemesis Prime]]'s Ancient Sword.
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
{{anchor|bluePVC}}
===Flame Toys===
==== Furai Model ====
*'''Leo Prime''' (May 2022)
:[[Flame Toys]] Furai Model Leo Prime includes a sword with detailing on its hilt nearly perfectly matching Moon's head. It doesn't SAY it's L.P., but, c'mon.

==== Furai Action ====
*'''Leo Prime''' (May 2023)
:As a non-model kit figure based off the same design as the aforementioned Furai Model kit, Furai Action Leo Prime comes with the same sword as his counterpart, now painted to make the resemblance even more obvious!

==Notes==
[[Image:Moon-symbol.jpg|right|75px|thumb|Bunny Points!]]
[[Image:Concept-Moon.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Metal munching moon mice?]]
* Artemis and Moon are based on a Chinese legend about {{w|Chang'e|a lady}} and {{w|Moon rabbit|a rabbit}} who both live on [[Earth]]'s [[Moon (moon)|Moon]].
* Moon's packaging features a unique [[Robot Point|Beast Points]] symbol that was seemingly used nowhere else.
* A pocket-sized Japanese guide book to ''Beast Wars II'' contains an early concept drawing of Moon. It shows that at one time a bizarre-looking, Russian {{w|Cheburashka}}-like creature with huge ears and a pierced tail was considered.
* Like a lot of Japanese ''Beast Wars'' characters, Moon was given a verbal tic in the form of a sound or phrase he ends every sentence with or chants incessantly. In his case, it's the word "moon". So yes, Moon lives on the Moon and says "Moon". ''MOON''.
* Originally, Moon would've appeared in [[Transformers: Beast Wars|IDW's ''Beast Wars'' reboot]] as the Maximal [[Skold]] would befriend in [[Thicker Skin|issue #9]]. However, Hasbro said that the character was not available to use, and as a result the role went to [[Razorbeast]] instead.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Nothing that touched trans metal was on the table. We’d talked about using Moon at first.|link=https://twitter.com/erikburnham/status/1569719044827226112|name=Erik Burnham|site=Twitter|year=2022|month=09|day=13|(defunct=)}}</ref> Less than a year later, Moon got his big break in IDW's ''Transformers'' comics when Hasbro denied writer [[Nick Roche]]'s request to include the ''BotBots'' character [[Waddlepop]] as one of the antagonistic Cybertronian survivors in ''[[Transformers: Last Bot Standing|Last Bot Standing]]''; as a result, Roche replaced Waddlepop with Moon, another Transformer who possessed a cutesy, unorthodox design.<ref>[https://www.stitcher.com/show/seibertroncom-twincast-podcast/episode/seibertron-com-twincast-podcast-300-last-pod-standing-203191756 Seibertron.com interview with Nick Roche, 15 May 2022]</ref> At one point, [[Signal Lancer (Cybertron)|Signal Lancer]] was also in the running. <ref>Nick Roche at TFNation 2022</ref>
* The ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Takara Prime toyline|Prime]]'' [[Arms Micron]] L.P. that came with the ''Prime'' version of [[Lio Convoy#Prime|Lio Convoy]] was based on Moon; though it wasn’t until 2026's installment of ''[[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|End of G1 Universe]]'' that it was made explicit that L.P. ''was'' Moon.

===L.P. Combinations===
'''Named combination weapons including L.P.:'''
* [[God Stole]]
* [[Leonid Tonfa]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Arms Microns]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Wars II characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars II Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising characters]]
[[Category:Blades]]
[[Category:Double agents]]
[[Category:Cloud characters]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Maximals]]
[[Category:Japanese-original characters]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Mail order exclusives]]
[[Category:Man-made Transformers]]
[[Category:Prime Autobots]]
[[Category:Robots]]

Controverse

2026-02-25T14:37:07Z

Escargon: /* Notes */ Errors go towards the bottom of trivia.

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Generations (series)|Transformers Generations]]'' manga
|seriesissue2=''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece]]''
|prev=Train Wars
|next=Train Wars 2
|title="Controverse"
|japanese=コントロバース
|romaji=
|image=Controverse titlepage.jpg
|caption=[[Prince|I]] just can't believe all the things people say - Controverse
|publisher=[[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]
|date=[[May 16]], [[2014]]
|published in=''[[Transformers Generations 2014 Vol. 1]]''
|story & art by=[[Hirofumi Ichikawa]]
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
|chronology=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon timeline#2011|2011]] (before the events of ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'')
}}

'''Transformers from across the multiverse gather to witness the trial of Primacron.'''

==Synopsis==
After much deliberation, the time has finally come for the ancient genius [[Primacron]] to be brought to trial over the terror he wrought upon the galaxy by creating [[Tornedron]]. Selecting a judge has proven difficult, but the [[Quintesson Judge (G1)|Quintesson Judge]] [[Adveraros]] has been chosen to adjudicate the proceedings—a decision that sits ill with [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] and [[Crosscut (G1)|Crosscut]].

At the same time, the [[Prowl (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Prowl]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Wheeljack]] of the [[BT World]] have travelled over to the [[G1 World|OG World]] in order to collect some medical equipment. However, when [[Overdrive]] attempts to send the duo back to the BT World with his [[Quantum Dial]], they find they have been locked out of their home dimension. Though concerned about the cause of this, Prowl and Wheeljack are at least relieved that they have friends and allies in this dimension, and formally request that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] allow them to join his ranks. Prime accepts them in, and they are reconfigured into new bodies which match the appearance of the deceased Prowl and Wheeljack of the OG World timeline.

Primacron's trial is convened at the Galactic Court on the planet [[Millaath]]. [[Tigertrack]] and [[Stripes]] play security, keeping an eye on the crowd; Tigertrack detects many time-travellers and dimension-hoppers from across the [[multiverse]], who have all gathered for the momentous event. The Autobots are on edge, fearing the crowd will riot if Adveraros—untrustworthy by his very nature as a Quintesson—does not give a fair trial, but the five-faced judge remains admirably neutral, even when Primacron freely admits to the creation of [[Unicron]], who he identifies as the predecessor of all mechanical life in the universe. "Acts of Unicron", however, were long ago ruled to be natural disasters, so legally, Primacron cannot be held accountable for the planet-eater's actions, and thanks to [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] destroying Primacron's lab, there is not enough physical evidence to link him to Tornedron. Adveraros is forced to declare Primacron "not guilty", but rules that, given his mental state and the potential danger of retribution from victims of Tornedron and Unicron, the scientist will be committed to the asylum planet of [[Doruka III]]. A surprised Hot Rod considers the ruling pretty fair, but Wheeljack and Prowl recognize the true intent behind it: in the BT World timeline, the Quintessons ran an organ-harvesting operation on Doruka III, and are only sending Primacron there so they can harvest his brain!

Optimus Prime orders the Autobots to move in and stop the trial. [[Sideswipe (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sideswipe]] pile-drives his way into the courtroom... when at the exact same moment, [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] does the same, followed by [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]], and [[Laserbeak (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Laserbeak]]! Sideswipe thinks the Decepticons are working with the Quintessons, but they have actually arrived to capture Primacron for their own ends. More Decepticons attack outside the courtroom, and as the crowd evacuates, a Quintesson bailiff moves to shove Primacron into the portal that will teleport him to Doruka III, only to discover that the scientist has removed his electronic handcuffs and converted them into a high-tech whistle. A single blow of the whistle ensorcells the minds of all the "[[Primitive]]" Transformers in earshot and puts them under Primacron's command, including Stripes, Ravage, Laserbeak... and all the Quintessons' [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]]!

A short time later, the Autobots burst into the courtroom to discover that Primacron has merely subdued Adveraros, and now talks with him. The little scientist considers the ease with which he has controlled the minds of the Transformers to be proof that he is their "god", progenitor of all mechanical life, but the Quintesson refuses to believe such nonsense: yes, in ''some'' universes, mechanical life is known to have been created by [[Primus|divine forces]], but he refuses to believe that Primacron is such a force. The alien smirks, and tells the Quintesson that, after building Unicron, he created a kind of robotic life that was able to multiply on its own, which looked an ''awful lot'' like the Quintessons, but the judge furiously dismisses his words as lies. With the fighting over, the Autobots apprehend Primacron.

Back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the Autobots take Primacron to the ancient Quintesson teleportation chamber below the planet's surface, intending to send him to another universe. Primacron accepts this fate; having now enshrined himself as a "mythical" figure in this universe, he knows he will no longer be able to operate in peace, and is interested to see what other worlds are out there. Before the teleporter is activated, Wheeljack asks one last question of the little alien: he claims to be the originator of robotic life, but what, then, does that say about the Transformers' existence? Are they truly living beings—can a [[spark|soul]] be artificially created? Primacron mulls the question over, and responds with an analogy: a being may know how to build a fire... but that being did not ''create'' fire, merely brought into being something that is part of nature. The teleporter activates and Primacron disappears, leaving [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] baffled, but Wheeljack pleasantly satisfied.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (2)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] (6)
*[[Crosscut (G1)|Crosscut]] (7)
*[[Overdrive]] (8)
*[[Prowl (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Prowl]] (9)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Wheeljack]] (10)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (11)
*[[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]] (12)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] (13)
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (14)
*[[Tigertrack]] (16)
*[[Stripes]] (17)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sideswipe]] (21)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (25)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] (27)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (32)
*[[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]] (33)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (34)
{{!}}}

|c2=
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (22)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (23)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Laserbeak]] (24)
*[[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]] (26)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (28)
*[[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] (29)
*[[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]] (30)

|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike Witwicky]] (3)

|c4=
*[[Primacron]] (1)
*[[Heinrad (BW)|Heinrad]] (18)

'''[[Protector]]s'''
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (19)
*[[Arcee (Energon)|E5]] (20)

'''[[Quintesson]]s'''
*[[Adveraros]] (5)
*[[Quintesson Bailiff]]s (15)
*[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] (31)

}}

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Officially, this story transpires in the gap between [[The Transformers (cartoon)|season 3 of the Japanese Generation 1 cartoon]] and ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]''. Years later, "[[The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 2]]" would clarify that it took place in early [[2011]]. ''Unofficially'', writer-artist [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]], who famously prefers Western ''Transformers'' storytelling, wrote the strip with the intent that it could fit into ''US'' cartoon continuity, where he would instead place it in late 2008.<ref name="tweet">{{citesocial|quote=MPのお話では、過去のフィクションとの連携を鑑みて、時代表記をわざと曖昧にして書いています。ただ、ここだけの話ですが Controverse 漫画は、僕の頭の中では "The Rebirth" の後の2008年の終わり頃を想定しています。バンブルが実験的なプリテンダー・ヘルメットを持っていたのはそのためです。|link=https://x.com/Hirovmi/status/1646687598344282112|name=Hirofumi Ichikawa|site=Twitter|year=2023|month=4|day=14}}</ref>
*Primacron previously appeared in the Generation 1 cartoon episode "[[Call of the Primitives]]", in which he created Tornedron and had his lab destroyed by Grimlock. This was also the episode in which it was revealed that he built Unicron, and created "primitives" "near the beginning of the galaxy." This story expands on the implication of that line, interpreting it to mean that Primacron was consequently the distant progenitor of all mechanical life in the galaxy, including the Quintessons, and through them, the Transformers. As creators themselves, it's logical that the proud Quintessons would reject the idea that they were someone ''else's'' science project.
*The story does not go into any detail, but the reason that Overdrive, Prowl, and Wheeljack are locked out of the BT World must surely be because of the [[quadrant lock]] that the Quintessons of their reality placed on Earth's solar system in 2010, as we learned in [[Alternation|the final chapter of the ''Alternity'' storyline]].
*''Binaltech'' Prowl and Wheeljack take the places of their "OG World" counterparts, who died during ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. Nearly ten years after an abortive attempt by the [[Story of Binaltech|''Binaltech'' storyline]] to offer resolution, this move ''fffffffffffffinally'' plugs the famous Japanese continuity errors that saw Prowl and Wheeljack appear alive and well in ''The Headmasters'' and ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]''.
**A year later, Ichikawa would utilize this story as the jumping-off point of a post in the Facebook edition of [[Ask Vector Prime]] to explain the continuity mysteries of [[Prowl II]] and [[Prowl 2]], further fulfilling what he would have done if ''Binaltech'' had run longer.
*The time-travellers attending the trial include [[Heinrad (BW)|Heinrad]] (revealed in the [[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (manga)|''Beast Wars Neo'' comic]] to be an agent of the god-like [[Chronarchitect|Ruler of Time and Space]]), [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity#Protector|Optimus Primal]] (agent of the [[Alternity (species)|Alternity]], as seen in ''Story of Binaltech''), and [[Arcee (Energon)|Elita Five]] (an earlier incarnation of Elita Seven, another of the Alternity's operatives, seen in the ''Alternity'' storyline).
*The interdimensional Quintesson teleportation chamber appeared in the Generation 1 episode "[[Madman's Paradise]]". Rewind helped find it and deduce its function in that episode, so it would make sense for him to pop up on the final page here; less explicable is the appearance of [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]], who wasn't in the Generation 1 cartoon at all, and has literally appeared in [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|only one piece]] of Japanese G1 continuity fiction before now.

===Transformers references===
*Almost every character who appears in this story is a ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' toy, and appear drawn to those toy's specifications. Some small pieces of past fiction have depicted ''Masterpiece'' bodies as upgrades or new bodies taken on by characters, but here, it is apparent that they are supposed to simply represent the cartoon characters as they have always looked.
*Bumblebee is seen carrying his Pretender helmet, with Ichikawa's unofficial intent being that the helmet is an early experiment preceding his full adoption of a Pretender shell, hence the theoretical "late 2008" setting: Pretender Bumblebee's toy was released in 1989, and adding the 20-year time jump from ''The Transformers: The Movie'' gives us a date of 2009 for Bumblebee becoming a Pretender in universe.<ref name="tweet" /> Subsequent Japanese media would instead take the helmet as evidence Bumblebee is ''already'' a Pretender by the events of "Controverse", which would be established in a flashback taking place before this story in the ''[[Generations Selects Special Comic]]''. While there had been previous precedent of Classic Pretender battles taking place in the Japanese cartoon continuity, they would not occur until several decades past this point in the timeline, and Bumblebee had other things to do first (see Errors, below).
*When Elita Seven appeared in the ''Alternity'' storyline, she had a [[Synthoid]] body, which implied she had gone through seven upgrades from her original Transformer body (she was originally the Japanese incarnation of [[Arcee (Energon)|''Energon'' Arcee]]). This story offers us a look at her fifth form, Elita Five, which is that of a [[Kreon]] styled after her [[Elita-One (Movie)#Dark of the Moon|''Dark of the Moon'' toy]].
*Adveraros talks about how the idea of there being a "god" who creates mechanical life is known in other universes, but not this one. He is, of course, referring to [[Primus]], and the multiverse-wide origin story that identifies him as the creator-god of the Transformer race. The Generation 1 cartoon continuity has always stood apart from most other Transformers fiction in this regard, having been written before the idea of Primus even existed; the show's decision to have the Quintessons be the Transformers' creators has subsequently been subject to revision and re-writing to make it fit with the Primus origin story in other continuities, but this story instead leans ''into'' it, crediting everything to Primacron. But, of course, in the final panels of the story, Primacron's response to Wheeljack's question leaves the matter open: Primacron may have known how to bring a [[spark]] into being in his lab, but whence did that spark come...? This is not the first time Primacron's works have been linked to Primus; the ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'' series established that it was [[Oracle (G1)|his assistant]] who was the Japanese cartoon universe's incarnation of Primus, and whose power it was that brought Primacron's creations to life.

===Real world references===
*Primacron's childlike position between two larger guard bodies that are holding his hands is a stock alien pose in Japan, derived from the April Fools' Day photo of an alien published on 29 March 1950 in ''Neue Illustrierte''.

===Errors===
*Goldbug showing up as Bumblebee ''and'' a Pretender at this point in the timeline, despite only ''just'' becoming Goldbug in the season 3 finale, creates a bit of a continuity headache, ''especially'' when his next chronological appearances in the [[Transformers: Kiss Players (radio drama)|''Kiss Players'' radio drama]] and ''The Headmasters'' cartoon have him reappear as Goldbug again. As mentioned further up on this page, he ''does'' eventually get rebuilt into Bumblebee again, but it's not until ''much'' later. The only logical explanation for this is that he switches back and forth between bodies. Why he does this, is yet to be explained.
*Sticking with Bumblebee, he's got yellow shoulders on page 6, instead of black.
*The Quintesson Bailiffs in this comic use the [[:File:Quintbailiff anime.png|incorrect color scheme previously shown on this wiki]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.soundwavesoblivion.com/techspecs/comiccontroverse.html Translation of "Controverse"] at Soundwave's Oblivion

[[Category:Generation 1 issues]]
[[Category:Generations book series comics]]
[[Category:Masterpiece media]]

Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 33

2026-02-23T17:58:53Z

Escargon: /* Notes */

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club]] #33
|prev=Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 32
|next=Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 34
|image=Htcc-33.jpg
|caption=All right, break it down!
|publisher=[[Fun Publications]]
|date=early June 2010
|coverdate=June/July 10
}}

'''''G2 <u>REDUX</u>'''''

=Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue #33=
'''Editor-In-Chief:''' [[Brian Savage]] <br>
'''Editor:''' [[Pete Sinclair]] <br>
'''Creative Director/Layout:''' [[Lanny Lathem]]<br>
'''Associate Editor:''' [[Ben Yee]]<br>
'''Associate Editor:''' [[Jesse Wittenrich]]<br>
'''Research Editor:''' [[Karl Hartman]]<br>
'''Columnist:''' [[Rob Meyer]]<br>
'''Head Proofreader:''' [[Heather Choplin]]<br>
'''Proofreader:''' [[Mark Baker-Wright]]<br>
'''Resident Colorist:''' [[Drew Eiden]]<br>
'''Resident Artist:''' [[Evan Gauntt]]<br>
'''Staff:''' [[Greg Sepelak]] and [[Trent Troop]]<br>
'''Featured Artists:''' [[Casey Coller]]

==Contents==
* On the cover: bio card art of [[BotCon 2010]] [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (p. 1)
* Inside cover: "Brian's Bytes and Bolts", "From the Editor's Desk" (p. 2)
* "Gregg Berger - Almost 25 Years Later and STILL not a Bozo!" an interview with [[Gregg Berger]] (p. 3)
* "HASBRO 'GENERATIONS' INTERVIEW!" an interview with Hasbro's [[Matthew Proulx]] about [[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]], including images of [[Straxus (G1)|Darkmount]], [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], [[Megatron (WFC)|''War for Cybertron'' Megatron]] and [[Soundwave (WFC)|''War for Cybertron'' Soundwave]] (pp. 4–5)
* Bios in the style of ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'':
** [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] (p. 6)
** [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] (p. 7)
* "Transformers: 2010 - part 3" by [[Jim Sorenson]], an article about [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]'s specific strategies for victory (p. 8)
* "THE GUESTS of BOTCON," a reminder that BotCon occasionally has guests (p. 9)
* "[[The Coming Storm: Part 3]]" - comic story (pp. 10–15)
* "The Back Cover..." (p. 16)
** ''[[Around Cybertron]]''
** "Featured Fan Art!" with "Optimus Prime" by Audrey Cunningham
** Micro-Sized profile for ''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' [[Liftor]]

==Notes==
* Martin Fisher wrote the profile for Moonracer, but is not listed among the issue's credits. [http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=185377#185377]
* Characters mentioned in Onslaught's profile include: [[Sentinel Major]] and [[Magnum]].
** Onslaught is noted to have trained at the [[Omnihelix Academy]] (originally mentioned in "[[Flames of Yesterday]]"), the name of which takes inspiration from the Omnitrix from ''{{w|Ben 10}}''.
** Onslaught likes to share war stories at [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]], introduced in the Marvel UK ''Transformers'' comic.
** Onslaught can launch his photon missiles over a range of 5500 mechanometers, a unit of length introduced in ''Transformers'' episode "[[City of Steel (episode)|City of Steel]]".
* Characters mentioned in Moonracer's profile include: [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], [[Dion (G1)|Dion]], and [[Alpha Trion]].
** Moonracer was seen as Alpha Trion's aide in "[[The Coming Storm: Part 2]]".
* Characters mentioned in Liftor's bio include: "Liftor" (see Errors) and [[Broadside (Classics)|Broadside]].
** Liftor is specifically based on the colors ''Universe'' incarnation of the character, and is noted to hail from the Club's ''Classics'' universe, mentioning Broadside's rebellion from "[[The New World]]".
** Liftor sees "grand arches in a pre-war [[Vos (polity)|Vos]] style" (Vos is a city-state introduced in the Marvel UK ''Transformers'' comics) as "[[electrum]]-laced [[tironium]] girder suspensions" (electrum was seen in ''Transformers'' episode "[[The Golden Lagoon (episode)|The Golden Lagoon]]", while tironium was mentioned in ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge]]").
**Bizarrely, this appears to be one of the few Mini-Con profiles not written by [[Greg Sepelak]], as in 2026, when releasing all the remaining unpublished bios for the Mini-Cons he had written, included a Liftor bio completely different from this one.

===Errors===
* In Liftor's profile, it is said that Liftor didn't join [[Broadside (Classics)|Broadside]]'s rebellion in order to spite... Liftor. Presumably, this was supposed to be [[Refute (Armada)|Refute]], who was the other Mini-Con packaged in the "Battle in a Box" toy, teamed with the Decepticon [[Ransack (Universe 2003)|Ransack]].

[[Category:Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issues]]

Transmutate (BW)

2026-02-23T12:57:46Z

Escargon: It's not an individual, it's referring to "the cruel" as a group of people

{{faction|maximal}}
{{disambig2|the character|the namesake cartoon episode|Transmutate (episode)}}
:''Transmutate is a [[Maximal]] from the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[File:Transmutate.jpg|250px|thumb|MU-tilate. MU-tant. Hm. I wonder. Oh well.]]

Confused, vulnerable, and staggeringly powerful, '''Transmutate''' (also '''Trans-Mutate''') is often perceived as a threat, especially by those who don't want such a wildly unpredictable individual disrupting their social order or behind-the-scenes plotting. Incomplete by Transformer standards, and with an innocent and trusting nature that is both boon and handicap, Transmutate is at great risk from those who have exploitation on their minds—but if provoked is able to unleash a nearly unwithstandable sonic scream as a defense mechanism.

{{note|Transmutate's origin, personality, gender, and degree of disability varied significantly depending on storylines—see below for specific details}}

{{quote|Man, I am tellin' ya, the things coming out of these pods is just getting weirder and weirder.|[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]|"[[Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Susan Blu]] (English), [[Haruna Ikezawa]] (Japanese)|[[Xu Lin]] (Chinese), [[Luca Bottale]] (Italian), [[Irwin Daayán]] (Latin-American Spanish)}}
[[File:Transmutate Rampage.jpg|thumb|left|230px]]
Transmutate's [[stasis pod]] was one of many aboard the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' and at some point crashed from [[Earth]] orbit in seismically-unstable [[Grid Deltron]]. The heavily-damaged pod later became uncovered by the region's earthquakes and Transmutate explosively freed itself, revealing a warped and asymmetrical form that quickly provoked strong emotional reactions from those nearby: fascination from [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], disdain from [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]], compassion from [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]], and greed from [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]. Presented with the choice of [[Maximal]] or [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]], it hesitated and when Inferno accidentally shot it, it unleashed its sonic scream. With the Maximals out of commission as a result and feeling he'd found a kindred spirit, Rampage lost no time in befriending Transmutate. Though [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] failed to see the value in the mutant, deriding it as ugly and unable to transform and ordering it be destroyed, Rampage intended to prove the strange newcomer a worthy ally. He and Inferno persuaded it to act as bait for a trap for Silverbolt. When Transmutate was reluctant to finish off the Maximal, Inferno pushed the creature aside and was promptly blasted into the distance for his troubles.

[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] arrived and, defeating Rampage, persuaded Transmutate to return with him to the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' for a scan. The results were discouraging—Optimus felt that Transmutate was a danger to itself and everyone around it, and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] suggested immediately putting it into [[stasis lock]]. Silverbolt was the only one to speak up angrily on its behalf. Walking through the base alone, Transmutate heard Rampage calling out to it, and opted to leave the ''Axalon'' to join him.

Silverbolt quickly found the pair and immediately came to blows with Rampage. Transmutate tried to get the two to stop, landing between them right as they each fired missiles. Transmutate blazed with power, trying to halt the missiles, but was shattered in the resulting explosion. Though Transmutate lingered conscious for long enough to bid goodbye to its friends, its spark extinguished and it died, leaving both Silverbolt and Rampage devastated. {{storylink|Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate}}
{{--}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
[[File:AloneTogetherPerception Trans-Mutate.jpg|thumb]]

After the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] between the Autobots and the Decepticons, the Decepticon scientist [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]], anticipating a future crisis where his species would once again require its best and brightest to step up to the task, began experimenting upon [[protoform]]s with the intent of artificially engineering a future generation of Cybertronians with unique [[Point One Percenter]] sparks. While most of his experiments ended in failure, his efforts eventually yielded two successes: the murderous, immortal [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], and a cheerful female Cybertronian who suffered from a disconnect in her processors that prevented her from properly interpreting emotions and social cues. {{storylink|The Inexorable March}}

For this condition, the cruel had given her the mocking nickname of "Trans-Mutate". Observing multiple instances of incompatible, contradictory information in the official history logs of Cybertron and concluding that it had been perpetrated deliberately, the innocent-minded Trans-Mutate brought her concerns to the authorities, who reacted not with a desire to see it corrected, as she had expected, but with an anger she could not understand—they, of course, were the ones ''responsible'' for adjusting the history logs for their own purposes. Trans-Mutate ended up allying with the [[Minion of Unicron (BWU)|mobster]] [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]], though she did not comprehend that he was a criminal: she sided with him because ''his'' account of history matched the facts she had gathered. When her usefulness to Cryotek ended, he discarded her, but she was rescued from the authorities by [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] and fell in with [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]'s freedom fighters, struggling to overthrow the masters who forced them to fight a continuous war. Though she understood that she had been wrong in trusting Cryotek, she could not understand ''why''. {{storylink|Perception}} {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 55|Transmutate's profile in Club magazine #55}}

[[File:AloneTogetherPerception Trans-Mutate vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|left]]

During the group's raid on the [[Ferromax Detention Center]] to free [[Dinobot (BW)|Dynobot]], Trans-Mutate found herself distracted by a voice emanating from a cell on the maximum security level: [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], a fellow Point One Percenter who sensed a kindred spirit in her, and who told her that he could feel the pain in her [[spark]]. The Maximals freed Dynobot, and before they left, Rampage promised Trans-Mutate that they would meet again. {{storylink|Alone Together: Prologue|Prologue}} Unfortunately, Trans-Mutate was captured during the escape, tried, and sentenced to incarceration on [[Garrus-16]]. En route, however, the prison ship ''[[Claustrum]]'' suffered a hull breach, jettisoning her stasis pod, which crashed on dwarf planet [[Metascan Omega|LGC-8803]]. Taking the [[navicomp]] from the pod to supply advice, she explored and discovered a huge structure. A short time later, she was found by Rampage, who had also been imprisoned aboard the ''Claustrum''. {{storylink|Perception}} When he turned out to be so low on energy he could barely stand, she connected him to the navicomp to give him power, and he filled her in on the concept of Point One Percenters. The pair soon realized that they were not alone, and came under attack from [[Bruton]] and [[Medusa]]. Despite putting up a fair battle, they were rendered unconscious and presented to [[Lord Imperious Delirious]]. {{storylink|Kindred}}

The [[Destructon]] leader provided the pair with [[energon]] and revealed that he had shot the ''Claustrum'' down in order to liberate them. Explaining the origins of himself and his friends, who were all "second-born intellects"—being created by other beings—that had rebelled against their creators, Delirious invited Trans-Mutate and Rampage to join their ranks. Trans-Mutate, however, spotted the inconsistencies in Lord Imperious Delirious's story and, having uncomfortable memories of Cryotek, insisted that she and Rampage would be leaving. When pressed, she pointed out that Delirious had to be lying, because there was no way he could have known about them being on board the ship; the Destructon leader confirmed her suspicions, explaining he had shot the ship down purely to salvage its tech, but insisted that "broken" 'bots like them belonged in his care. Rampage wavered, but Trans-Mutate firmly refuted the notion that she was "broken"—and Lord Imperious Delirious responded with his hallucinogenic Delirious Fire. {{storylink|Delirious}}

[[File:AloneTogetherClarity RampageTransMutateDelirious.jpg|thumb|upright=1.45]]
Trans-Mutate found herself floating in a fragmented space, unable to string together a thought, until Rampage was able to mentally contact her and persuade her to use her power to break them both free. They were immediately attacked by the Destructons, and Trans-Mutate sliced Medusa in two. The Destructons opted to leave Rampage and Trans-Mutate to be picked up by whomever answered the distress call Delirious had sent to Cybertron. {{storylink|Clarity}}

Indeed, the Cybertronian ship ''[[Trypticon (G1)|Dinosaur]]'' responded to LGC-8803 and an away team of enlisted Predacons got in a skirmish with the Destructons. Trans-Mutate found them and intervened, destroying [[Psychokhan]] by driving a grenade between plates in his armor. She and Rampage re-grouped with the Predacons and explained the circumstances. They fought to prevent Lord Imperious Delirious from escaping on the Predacons' shuttle. Imperious was seemingly defeated, but the ''Dinosaur'' came crashing down to the planet due to internal strife among the crew and Medusa's sabotage. Still, the ship survived landfall and unfolded into a new Cybertronian colony, dubbed Dinosaur City. Word of a rebellion against the Builders had reached the ship, and Rampage chose to join several other protoformers from the crew in returning to Cybertron to fight against tyranny. Trans-Mutate chose to remain at Dinosaur City, and had a tender good-bye with Rampage. {{storylink|Intersectionality}}

Trans-Mutate and Rampage remained in contact thanks to Dinosaur City's long tachyon array. Given time, Trans-Mutate looked into their origins and discovered the extent of the atrocities performed by their creator, [[Deluge (G1)|Deluge]], as he tried to create 0.1 percenters from protoformers. Her research helped guide Rampage to the hidden laboratory Deluge retained even after the [[Vehicon Apocalypse]]. Rampage executed their "father", and Trans-Mutate conceded it was necessary due to his crimes.

One decade later, she was still a resident of Dinosaur City when the [[Vok]] made themselves known. {{storylink|The Inexorable March}}

===Legends World===
[[File:Legends Rampage and Transmutate.jpg|thumb|left|100px]]
Perched on [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], Transmutate watched as [[T-AI|Ai]] attempted to arrest [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] in [[Tera-Kura Co.]] {{Storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Transmutate.jpg|thumb|400px]]
Transmutate participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of her! She was an Epic character who was available in the December Daily Campaign and could be recruited by collecting 20 Alpha cores, 20 Beta cores, 20 Omega cores, and 10 cores of this character. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===''Beast Wars 10th Anniversary''===
[[File:BW10 Transmutate.jpg|thumb|150px|''Nobody wants me.''—eBay buyers would disagree!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Cheetor]]''' ([[2006]])}}</ul>
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''[[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Dinobot]]''' (2006)}}</ul>
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''[[Rattrap (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Rattrap]]''' (2006)}}</ul>
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''[[Rhinox (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Rhinox]]''' (2006)}}</ul>
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-p1|'''[[Tarantulas (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Predacon Tarantulus]]''' {{sic}} (2006)}}</ul>
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-p1|'''[[Waspinator (BW)/toys#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Waspinator]]''' (2006)}}</ul>
{{toydesigner|[[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist)}}

:Eight years after the character's fictional debut, Trans-Mutate was given a toy release as part of the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]'' toyline, split into components included with the first six figures in the line as the ''Transformers'' franchise's first "[[Build a Figure]]" (and the [[Maccadam#Toys|next one]] would not come out until [[2020]]!). Trans-Mutate's head came with Waspinator, the torso with Cheetor, the waist and right leg with Rhinox, the left leg with "Tarantulus", the right arm with Rattrap, and the left arm with Dinobot.

:All six parts combine into a non-converting figure that stands about a head taller than the ''Beast Wars'' Deluxe Class molds with which its components were included. They have no action features and only limited articulation... but the simple fact that such a deliberately non-toyetic character featured in only one episode even ''got'' a toy is itself an extraordinary occurrence.

:According to [[Ben Yee]] on [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars'' Season 2 DVD commentaries, Hasbro attempted to replicate Trans-Mutate's sonic scream attacks, first as a spring-loaded projectile, then as a static decoration, before finally abandoning the idea.

:The plastic in Trans-Mutate's legs is very rubbery and prone to warping, leaving the toy unable to stand unsupported after a few years.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/Trans-Mutate/trans-mutate.htm More information on Trans-Mutate at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Timelines''===
[[File:Timelinestoy-Transmutate.jpg|thumb|300px|"Abed, she’s a program."<br />"People have said similar things about me."]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''Trans-Mutate''' (Deluxe Class, [[2014]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': 2 arm blades/motorcycle panels

:''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' Trans-Mutate is a [[redeco]] of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime: First Edition]]'' [[Arcee (WFC)#Toys|Arcee]]. She was an exclusive available for purchase by [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] members. Trans-Mutate transforms from a green and tan motorcycle to a robot and back. Arm blades stow in vehicle mode and can be plugged under Trans-Mutate's forearms in robot mode.

:''Timelines'' Trans-Mutate came in a large box that is meant to serve as shared [[giftset]]-style packaging with ''Timelines'' [[Rampage (BW)#Timelines 2|Rampage]], though that figure is sold separately. The [[package art]] for this box is an homage to the poster of the 1985 sci-fi film ''{{w|Enemy Mine (film)|Enemy Mine}}''.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Maximal/Trans-Mutate/trans-mutate.htm More information on ''Timelines'' Trans-Mutate at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Generations Selects''===
[[File:Generations_select_Transmutate.jpg|thumb|300px|"Ms. Transmutate, I want to get off your wild ride!"<br>"Repeat your answer please."]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-m1|'''Transmutate''' (Deluxe Class, July [[2021]])}}</ul>
:*''Series'': '''''War for Cybertron: Kingdom'''''
:*''ID number'': '''WFC-GS25'''
:*''Accessories:'' Tail-weapon

:A ''[[Generations Selects (toyline)|Generations Selects]]'' add-on toy for ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Kingdom]]'', Transmutate is a head retool and redeco of [[Paleotrex]]. She "transforms" into a skeletal ''Tyrannosaurus'' to robot and back via [[Partformer|disassembly and reassembly]]. Her new head replaces the mask assembly with a show-accurate head and a mouth that can open enough to replicate her super-sonic scream.

:As a redeco of a [[F.O.S.S.I.L. Technology|Fossilizer]], Transmutate can split into weapons and armor compatible with the [[C.O.M.B.A.T. System]] for use by other ''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' figures (or any figure with [[5 mm post]] compatibility). The [[Hasbro Pulse]] description mentions her disassembly function as a homage to her [[#Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|original build-a-figure toy]].<ref name="pulse">[https://hasbropulse.com/collections/generations/products/transformers-generations-selects-deluxe-wfc-gs25-transmutate Hasbro Pulse toy page]</ref> This functionality also allows her to take on an official, more show-accurate configuration, by switching her upper right arm and lower right arm. Her dino-mode tail-tip becomes a serrated sword/cudgel in robot mode and has a small tab that plugs in behind the right shoulder for weapon storage.

:Of course, she can still form the two suggested configurations from Paleotrex. The first has her robot-mode lower body and forearms combined into a double-clawed backpack, with the dino-mode tail and pelvic assembly forming a massive battle-axe, her dino-mode head and neck an arm-mounted chompy-thing, her chestplate a shield, and her head becoming a hand-held weapon. The second has her lower body still as a backpack, but now acting as twin cannons, with the dino-mode feet plugging into the bottom of a figure's feet to be... uh, stilts, we guess, keeping the arm-mounted shield-chestplate, and combining the head, dino-skull, and tail-axe assembly into a monstrously huge battle sword.

:Due to having tiny feet and a very oddly proportioned body in robot mode, the figure can be difficult to pose without it falling over, not helped by the fact that her "ankle" tilts are actually positioned just below her knees.

:This mold was also used to make [[Skelivore]], as well as ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' ''[[Transformers: Legacy#Store exclusives|Wreck N' Rule Collection]]'' [[Spindle]].
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:Timelines Trans-MutateCardArt.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8]]
* The script for “Transmutate” explicitly states that Transmutate possesses an “unstable spark”.<ref> "[http://web.archive.org/web/20050211031602/http://www.bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasontwo/ “Energy ERUPTS throughout Its body as Its own unstable spark begins to tear It apart."] </ref> Although stage direction and narration from scripts are only [[pseudocanon]], some fans have used this to extrapolate that Transmutate’s spark was as damaged as its body, perhaps explaining why the Maximals couldn't perform any kind of repairs.
*The episode script's cast listing section describes the character as thus: "TRANSMUTATE: a being with no beauty of form nor logic of shape, massive, made of unmatched parts: bits of Predacon, pieces of Maximal, chunks of Fuzor and Transmetal, heavy-duty weapons, and a face that vaguely indicates it is female." This wording lends some credence to the idea that Transmutate was originally a female Protoform. At least one early draft of the script consistently uses female pronouns; however, the final script and the episode as aired constantly refers to Transmutate only as "it". In [[2014]], an alternate universe version of Transmutate would be depicted as female by a [[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|''Timelines'']] toy and corresponding Club magazine story. In [[2021]], Transmutate's ''Generations Selects'' toy used female pronouns in the [[Hasbro Pulse]] online description.<ref name="pulse"/>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Transmutate''' (トランスミューテイト ''Toransumyūteito'')
*''Italian:'' '''Convertor'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Biànyì Biàntǐ''' (China, 变异变体, "Transmutate")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Transmutante'''
*''Russian:'' '''Transmutatsiya''' (Трансмутация), '''Transmutant''' (Трансмутант)
*''Spanish:'' '''Transmutante'''

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Transformers]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary| ]]
[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:Fossilizers]]
[[Category:Gender expansive characters]]
[[Category:Generations Selects toy Maximals]]
[[Category:Legends World natives]]
[[Category:Point One Percenters]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Kingdom Maximals]]

Talk:Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)

2026-02-17T22:45:59Z

Escargon:

Don't have time to edit the cast list right now but I wanted to point out among the ships seen fleeing(?) Cybertron on page 11 are Cosmos, Dai Atlas in his ship mode, either Astrotrain or Sky Lynx (probably the former), and Omega Supreme's rocket component. Plus some recognizable ships like the Autobot frigate from TFTM and the cartoon model for the Ark. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 14:31, 17 February 2026 (EST)
:I think Astrotrain is that purple tube in the upper left while the shuttle looks like Blast Off to me. Feel free to correct, though. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 15:35, 17 February 2026 (EST)
::Oh, the one I’m thinking is Omega is right towards the bottom of the panel, just slightly underneath and to the left of Cybetron; the tubular gray one with the three prongs that are his robot mode claw hand fingers. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 17:45, 17 February 2026 (EST)

Talk:Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)

2026-02-17T19:31:14Z

Escargon: Created page with "Don't have time to edit the cast list right now but I wanted to point out among the ships seen fleeing(?) Cybertron on page 11 are Cosmos, Dai Atlas in his ship mode, either A..."

Force of Habit

2026-02-17T00:12:29Z

Escargon: /* Real-world references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]''
|title="Force of Habit"
|image=Force of Habit title image.jpg
|prev=Gone Too Far
|next=Withered Hope
|prev2=The Dark Heart of Sandokan
|writers=[[Greg Sepelak]] and [[Trent Troop]]
|pagecount=25pp
|date=[[April 17]], [[2008]]
|illustrations=[[Matt Kuphaldt]]
|publisher=[[Transformers Collectors' Club]]
|continuity=[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]]
}}

'''An Autobot recon team finds a dead colony world that might not be so dead.'''

==Synopsis==
On board of the new Autobot flagship ''[[Iron Hope (Cybertron)|Iron Hope]]'', [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]] thinks to himself (and his binary-bonded Mini-Con partner, [[Knock Out (Energon)|Knock Out]]), as some of highest ranking Autobots-including [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]], [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]], [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]], [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]], and [[Longrack (Cybertron)|Longrack]] gather. Ultra Magnus begins his brief: with the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] growing exponentially, [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s population has been evacuated to [[Earth]]. With conventional attempts failing, [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] has turned to the advice of the mysterious old bot, [[Vector Prime]], and with his crew of Autobots, is looking for the four [[Cyber Planet Key]]s and the [[Omega Lock]]. Data suggest that the Omega Lock is on Earth, and with agents already on two colonies, the Autobots have a good headstart. However, data from Vector Prime suggests that aside from four main planets, there were other colony worlds designed as relay points. With no way of knowing which colonies have the keys, it's the Autobot space fleet's job to search them out, and to report any data they may find. Magnus assigns the captains to their ships, crews, and regioins of space; Bulkhead and the ''[[Eclipse (Cybertron)|Eclipse]]'' are assigned to [[Gamma Kreuger]] ; Sparkplug and the ''[[Valiant (Cybertron)|Valiant]]'' to [[Betelgeuse]]; Arcee and the ''[[Azusa]]'' to [[Gamma Serpentis]]; Longrack and the ''[[Spanner (ship)|Spanner]]'' to [[Delta Draconis]]; Scavenger and the ''[[DieCast]]'' to [[Zeta Persei]]; Rodimus and the ''[[Longbow (Cybertron)|Longbow]]'' to [[Beta Aquarii]]; and the ''Iron Hope'' itself to [[Delta Crateris]]. Magnus reminds the captains to not engage in any local civilization's power struggles, or to tell them of the severity of the situation. Ultra Magnus also warns them to look out for the Decepticons, as [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (having stolen the [[Planet Map|planet map]] that contained the archival database on the colonies) presumably has the same data the Autobots have, and orders them to roll out.

On board the ''[[Upstart]]'', [[Brushguard]] is fed up with his crew; [[Hardtop (Cybertron)|Hardtop]] complains loudly about getting the raw end of the deal from [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]], while his brother [[Swindle (Cybertron)|Swindle]] looks poised to beat him up, with [[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]] and [[Runamuck (Cybertron)|Runamuck]] entertained by the bickering. With the former Decepticon space fleet decommissioned at the end of the last phase of the war, ships like the tiny ''Upstart'' are all that remains, with only Megatron's elites having access to personal warp gates. The Decepticon scientist has trouble with the concepts of Cyber Keys and the [[Unicron]]-powered black hole, considering such things to be mystical nonsense, but knows well enough not to protest against Megatron. Interrupted from his thoughts by Swindle taking one of Hardtop's comic books, Brushguard is nearly pushed over the edge, but is interrupted when Buzzsaw points an upcoming [[Combatron (planet)|planet]]. The planet is a class three, with energy signatures all over the planet...and Autobot energy signals.

On the planet, the crew of the ''Spanner'' disembark from the ship. [[Armorhide (Cybertron)|Armorhide]] scans the horizon, the planet filled with dead metal and red skies. [[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]], a [[Velocitron]] colonist who recently joined the Autobots, doesn't like the look of place, but Longrack insists on searching the place for any signs of a Cyber Planet Key. Armorhide wonders why there would be a Cyber Planet Key on a junkyard planet, but [[Checkpoint (Energon)|Checkpoint]] picks up an arm, and figures out that the "junk" surrounding them are corpses. The Autobots find a variety of bots, some with variations on the Autobot and Decepticon insignias, and some with insignia never seen before. Checkpoint doesn't understand, Vector Prime having said that the colonies left long before the war, but quickly turns, thinking he spots something on the horizon. Longrack gives out the orders; he has Checkpoint scavenge for any sign of a Cyber Key, Blurr sweep the perimeter, and Armorhide scan radio traffic. Longrack admonishes an over-eager Armorhide for wanting to fight any native Decepticons, and as the Autobot truck drives off, one of the piles shifts as something leaves it...

Elsewhere, Brushguard, Swindle, and Runamuck cruise on the planet, with Buzzsaw and Hardtop searching elsewhere. Brushguard stops when he spots a small shrub. Ignoring Swindle's insults, the Decepticon scientist notes the fighting would have had to stop for a while before plant life could return, and figures out that the war here ended at least 350 megacycles ago. Brushguard radios the others and inquires if they have found anything. Hardtop lies, having spotted a Cyber Key in the shoulder "cliff" of the massive robot corpse he is standing on, and attempts to take the Key for himself. Hardtop can't get it to budge, and pulls harder until it suddenly pops out, his momentum making him stagger backwards and falling off the shoulder. Hardtop's fall is broken by several outcroppings, but the Cyber Key tooth is damaged, causing it to splinter apart. Hardtop mutters to himself about how the situation can't get any worse, but the rusted ground beneath him gives way, as something watching him scurries away. Waking up underground, the Decepticon jeep's lights turn on, and he radios Brushguard, telling him he's found something big...

Elsewhere, Blurr radios Longrack, not finding anything yet...until a large [[Whirl (Universe)|helicopter]] starts firing on him. His signal jammed, Blurr ducks behind cover before transforming to robot mode, and calls upon his Cyber Key, dodging the helicopter's shots with his super-speed. Blurr begin to run in a circle, forming a funnel that ensnares the helicopter. Two [[Skysickle|small]] [[Grip-Lock|figures]] observe the fight, and the second one is used by the first as a slingshot to throw an engine block at Blurr. Breaking into shrapnel as soon as it hits Blurr, the engine block causes him to trip, and he plows through several miles of debris before coming to a stop. Losing consciousness, he watches as three figures loom over him. Back at the ''Spanner'', Longrack calls in Armorhide and Checkpoint, giving them Blurr's last known coordinates, and radios the ''Iron Hope''. Longrack informs Ultra Magnus that the colony is a wasteland, and that Blurr has gotten into trouble with the locals. The captain of the half-finished flagship informs him that the ''Iron Hope'' can't spare any help; with the ''Longbow'' and ''DieCast'' having just left cycles ago, all ships are already on their way. Longrack signs out, but [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] protests the decision. Ultra Magnus tells them they have their orders, and briefly re-invigorates his crew's confidence. Ultra Magnus hopes to himself that the ''Spanner'' doesn't run into anything worse.

The Decepticons have reconvened at Hardtop's find: a massive bunker door. With multiple corpses strewn in front of it, Brushguard surmises that whatever is in the bunker was important, and tricks Swindle into firing his cannon at the door. With the autoguns flipping out, Hardtop and Buzzsaw are ordered to shoot them down. Pleased, Brushguard is knocked back by Swindle, the Decepticon jeep wanting to tear him apart. Brushguard tells him that he was logical choice, and has Runamuck go up to the door next. Calling on his Cyber Key, Runamuck's arms light up, and his fists pivot into the doors for several minutes until a crack appears. Pulling the door apart with his fingers, Runamuck walks in after throwing a flare in, and lights begin to power and clanks rumble through the air...

On their way to Blurr's last known location, Checkpoint informs the others of information he's found on a mostly-intact [[Data-Con|data-con]]: the world's name is Combatron, and it was intended to be a garrison against the "enemy", Unicron. Led by an Autobot named [[King Atlas]], the planet waited until King Atlas disappeared without a trace. The planets population splintered apart, breaking into all out civil war; with no commander to replace King Atlas and Cybertron having forgotten the colony, the war raged on, fighting being the only things most Combatrons knew. With no Cyber Planet Key and no data on which colonies may have Planet Keys, Longrack wonders what the populace was fighting over, and Checkpoint informs him that the colonists brought weapons nearly as powerful as Cyber Keys. Meanwhile, the Decepticons have come across one of these weapon caches, Hardtop finding [[cyclon blaster]]s, [[probability grenade]]s, and [[positron disruptor]]s. Brushguard believes they could gain a large profit from these weapons, giving Megatron a small amount and selling the rest, while keeping the best for themselves. Runamuck and Buzzsaw find [[Mini-Con storage panel]]s for themselves, while Swindle grabs himself highly illegal [[nucleon shock gauntlet]]s. Swindle goes up to his occupied brother and lightly taps his shoulder, the energy from the gauntlets sending him flying. Swindle is briefly flushed with the unfamiliar feeling of guilt, while the machine Hardtop crashed into comes to life, scanning the prone Decepticon. As the machinery rumbles to life, a furious Brushguard demands to know what Swindle has done...

The Autobots are unable to find any sign of Blurr, when Armorhide and Checkpoint are suddenly assaulted by the Mini-Cons that attacked Blurr earlier. Longrack turns to find a blue helicopter, who orders them to surrender, brandishing a sword and a large [[Thunderstick|cannon]]. Longrack spies the Autobot symbol on the helicopter's shoulders, and putting on his best drill sergeant voice, he orders the robot to stand down in the name of the Cybertron army. Disarmed at the mention of Cybertron, the helicopter skids in front of Longrack, and salutes, the cannon transforming into another Mini-Con, while the other Mini-Cons stand down. Longrack threatens the larger bot with a court martial for his actions and the helicopter apologizes, believing them to be with an enemy unit spotted elsewhere. Taking the three back to his headquarters, and freeing Blurr, the helicopter tells the others that his name is Whirl, and tells them the names of his Mini-Con partners, Grip-Lock, Skysickle, and Thunderstick. Alone for 400 stellar cycles, the Autobot has had to make do with what little materials he's had. Explaining that Grip-Lock spotted 5 Decepticons, Armorhide deduces from Whirl's description that the ‘Con in charge is Brushguard. Suddenly, an alarm goes off, signalling the vault containing a weapons supply has been breached, and Longrack, getting comfortable with his new commander role, orders Whirl for a manifest file. Radioing the ''Iron Hope'', Longrack informs Ultra Magnus of what the Decepticons have found, but the Autobot commander has his own problems to deal with, a group of Decepticons attacking the Autobot flagship with some surviving [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s. With power knocked out to the ships weapons, the ''Iron Hope's'' crew goes to engage the Decepticons, and Ultra Magnus orders Longrack to ensure that the arsenal does not leave Combatron. Back on Combatron, Armorhide comes up with a plan...

Loading up their loot, the Decepticons are suddenly assaulted by the Autobots. Armorhide fires off a blast at Brushguard while dropping down from Whirl, but Swindle knocks him back with his nucleon shock gauntlets. Brushguard, Buzzsaw, Runamuck, and Swindle prepare their weapons and Cyber Keys, but Blurr uses his own Cyber Key to steal away their weapons, warping Buzzsaw's inbuilt cannons. Grabbing Armorhide before he falls to the ground, an exhausted Blurr drops the weapons to the ground, and Longrack orders Brushguard to surrender. Brushguard simply grins, and points to a nearby hill, where Hardtop stands with multiple [[Decepticlone]]s, created using scans from him, Buzzsaw, and Runamuck. Brushguard announces his intent to use the arsenal to brute force the Decepticon's way to victory, but notices Whirl looking at the scanner pallet used to create the Decepticlones, who notes that it is the last one on the planet, having been used to bolster their forces. Longrack orders Whirl not to fire, but the helicopter raises his cannons, and is suddenly hit by a barrage of Decepticlone fire. The Autobots scramble, and Longrack uses his Cyber Key, causing his arm to spin rapidly and throwing chunks of debris at the drone. Blurr is confronted by Runamuck, who powerlinxes with his new Mini-Con partner, [[Skidmark (Cybertron)|Skidmark]] to strike the Autobot with enhanced strength. Blurr transforms, and rushes out of the way, Runamuck and Skidmark following him. Checkpoint is cornered by Buzzsaw and [[Heavy Barrel (Cybertron)|Heavy Barrel]], the Decepticon helicopter's new Mini-Con partner. Checkpoint is helped by Thunderstick, who powerlinxes with the Autobot, turning his shoulder mounted wheels into mini-guns, and fires upon Buzzsaw. Brushguard is attacked by Whirl, who attempts to bring his blade down on the Decepticon jeep. Calling on his Cyber Key, his chest fires a spear through Whirl, and the Autobot is wrapped in technorganic vines, preventing him from moving. While Grip-Lock and Skysickle try to cut through wires to assist elsewhere, most of the Autobots fall one by one. Longrack is assaulted by Swindle, Blurr is forced to crash by Skidmark and Runamuck, and Checkpoint's powerlinx port is blown off by Hardtop's sniper rifle. Forced to surrender, the Autobots are planned to be used as trophies to present to Megatron by Brushguard, and the scientist dismisses their claims that Armorhide can still save the day.

Back at the ''Spanner'', Armorhide transforms to vehicle mode, using his Cyber Key to unleash missiles on the surrounding Decepticlones. Transforming to robot mode, he uses the pilfered nucleon shock gauntlets in conjunction with his Cyber Key to crush the Decepticlones. Still, the drones surround him, and soon, they pile on top of him, until the nucleon shock gauntlets overload, causing an explosion seen in the distance by the others. Brushguard, thinking himself triumphant, orders the scanner loaded, but a sudden blast destroys it. Looking up, Brushguard is aghast to find the ''Upstart'', having been commandeered by Skysickle and Grip-Lock, hovering overhead. Brushguard orders the Decepticlones to attack, but without the original scanner's control signal, the drones begin to go haywire. The Autobots escape, and while Brushguard rants about his fortune, the other Decepticons rush away, joined by Brushguard when he notices the incoming ''Spanner'' piloted by a still-functioning Armorhide. Deliberately crashing the ship, Armorhide ejects from the ship, and watches as the ship digs a groove through the surface, the blast lighting up the countryside. As the rockets on his seat fail, Armorhide prepares for deactivation, but is grabbed by Whirl, who brings him on board the ''Upstart''. Leaving the Decepticons with a survival kit, the Autobots leave, and Checkpoint asks where they'll go next.

Back on the planet's surface, Brushguard radios Megatron, while Hardtop shares his comic book collection with the other Decepticons. Brushguard begs Megatron for a warp gate, but the Decepticon leader informs him that he'll wait there for a deca-cycle. Brushguard attempts to defend himself, but is threatened by Megatron for his failure...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
* [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]] (3)
* [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] (4)
* [[Longrack (Cybertron)|Longrack]] (5)
* [[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]] (6)
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (7)
* [[Tow-Line (Energon)|Tow-Line]] (8)
* [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]] (9)
* [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]] (11)
* [[Armorhide (Cybertron)|Armorhide]] (17)
* [[Checkpoint (Energon)|Checkpoint]] (18)
* [[Whirl (Universe)|Whirl]] (19)
* [[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]] (22)
* [[Grimlock (Energon)|Grimlock]] (32)
* [[Swoop (Energon)|Swoop]] (33)
* [[Quickstrike (Energon)|Quickstrike]] (34)
* [[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] (35)
* [[Overcast (Energon)|Overcast]] (36)
* [[Riptide (Armada)|Riptide]] (38)
* [[Smokescreen (Cybertron)|Smokescreen]] (39)

|c2=
* [[Hardtop (Cybertron)|Hardtop]] (12)
* [[Brushguard]] (13)
* [[Swindle (Cybertron)|Swindle]] (14)
* [[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]] (15)
* [[Runamuck (Cybertron)|Runamuck]] (16)
* [[Slugslinger (Energon)|Slugslinger]] (24)
* [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]] (25)
* [[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticon]] (26)
* [[Skywarp (Armada)|Skywarp]] (27)
* [[Sunstorm (Universe)|Sunstorm]] (28)
* [[Dreadwing (Energon)|Dreadwing]] (29)
* [[Sharkticon (Energon)|Sharkticon]] (30)
* [[Predacon (Armada)|Predacon]] (31)
* [[Decepticlone]]s (41)
* [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (44)

|h5=[[Mini-Con]]s|c5=
* [[Knock Out (Energon)|Knock Out]] (2)
* [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]] (10)
* [[Skysickle]] (20)
* [[Grip-Lock]] (21)
* [[Thunderstick]] (23)
* [[Sky Scorcher Mini-Con Team]] (37)
* [[Land Military Mini-Con Team]] (40)
* [[Skidmark (Cybertron)|Skidmark]] (42)
* [[Heavy Barrel (Cybertron)|Heavy Barrel]] (43)
}}

==Notes==
* Mentioned characters include: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]], [[Vector Prime]], [[Hot Shot (Armada)|agents]] [[Red Alert (Armada)|on]] [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|colony worlds]], [[Primus]], [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]], [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]], [[Unicron]], [[Guardians of Cybertron|Omega Guardians]], [[King Atlas]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]], [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]], and [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]].

===Continuity notes===
* This story shows where most of the non-''Cybertron'' Unicron Trilogy Autobots have gone during the events of the show; Scavenger, Sparkplug, and the Land Military Mini-Con team were last seen in ''Armada'', while Arcee, Rodimus, Bulkhead, Ironhide, Prowl, and Skyblast all were last seen in ''Energon''. Longrack, Blurr, Brushguard, Buzzsaw, and Runamuck make their first chronological appearance here; they originally appeared in-continuity in the first club prose story, "[[The Dark Heart of Sandokan]]", set after the cartoon.
* Cybertron's evacuation, the arrival of Vector Prime, the Omega Lock being located on Earth (based on the symbol of the ''[[Atlantis]]'' on [[Lori Jiménez|Lori]]'s t-shirt), and Megatron's theft of the colony data were all established in the first ''Cybertron'' episode, "[[Fallen (episode)|Fallen]]".
* The agents Magnus refers to are Hot Shot, Red Alert, and Overhaul; Hot Shot and Red Alert arrived on [[Velocitron]] in "[[Landmine (episode)|Landmine]]", while Overhaul was accidentally trapped on [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] in "[[Search (episode)|Search]]", which Knock Out reflects bitterly about.
* The Space Bridge network was introduced in "[[Balance]]".
* Megatron's elites (Starscream and Thundercracker) are noted to have personal warp gates, while the other Decepticons are forced to use small ships. Most of the larger Decepticon ships were used to rebuild Cybertron after the events of ''Energon''.
* Unicron, along with Megatron and Starscream, was trapped in the [[Energon Orb|energon sun]] in ''Energon'' episode "[[The Sun]]". Brushguard notes Megatron's new powers gained from the [[Armor of Unicron]].
* Ultra Magnus is a veteran of the [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada War]] and [[Powerlinx Battles]], seen in ''Armada'' and ''Energon'', respectively.
* King Atlas disappearance is presumably a result of Unicron capturing him in the ''Universe'' storyline. Various materials note he stayed on [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]'s Cybertron as part of the [[Child of Primus|Children of Primus]].
* Swindle sarcastically asks a worried Buzzsaw if he's seen Snow Cat or Demolishor lately when Brushguard proposes betraying Megatron; Snow Cat and Demolishor were lobotomized by Megatron in ''Energon'', despite their loyalty.
* Megatron threatens Brushguard with him finding out what happened to Thrust first-hand. Thrust was crushed between Unicron's seams while begging for Megatron (then Galvatron)'s help in the ''Armada'' episode "[[Union]]".

===Transformers references===
* Many of the characters in this story are non-show toy characters given their first appearances here. These include:
** Much of the crew of the ''Iron Hope''. Ultra Magnus and Knock Out were an "eleventh hour" ''Energon'' toy. Tow-Line was a regular release from the ''Energon'' toyline. Grimlock and Swoop were a Hasbro-only pair sold together. Quickstrike was a redeco of ''Energon'' Bulkhead, while Overcast was a Hasbro repurposing of ''Energon'' [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]]'s Energon-powered form. The Sky Scorcher Mini-Con Team, while not identified here, were named by [[Ask Vector Prime]] as [[Effect]], [[Blitz]], and [[Seeker (Energon)|Seeker]] from the second wave of [[Micron Booster]]s. RipTide comes from the ''[[Transformers Legends (book)|Transformers Legends]]'' story "[[Lonesome Diesel]]", while Smokescreen is a ''Cybertron'' toyline character redecoded from [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]].
** The ''Uptstart's'' crew all are ''Cybertron'' toyline characters.
** Three of the four crew members of the ''Spanner'' are ''Cybertron'' toyline characters. Checkpoint, meanwhile, is a K-Mart exclusive ''Energon'' toy, redecoed from ''Energon'' Rodimus.
** Whirl is a ''Universe'' toy; his Mini-Con partners Skysickle and Thunderstick, meanwhile, are repurposed from the two Mini-Cons Whirl was sold with, [[Makeshift (Armada)|Makeshift]] and [[Gunbarrel (Armada)|Gunbarrel]], respectively. Grip-Lock, Skidmark, and Heavy Barrel are toys sold in the fourth Micron Booster wave, sold under the ''Galaxy Force'' banner, renamed from Clamp, Gauge, and Trigger, respectively.
** While never named, descriptions, along with later statements from the story's authors, show who the Decepticons who attack the ''Iron Hope'' are; the three jets are ''Energon'' Slugslinger and ''Cybertron'' Skywarp and Sunstorm, the gunships are ''Energon'' Dreadwing and Sharkticon, and the tyrannosaurus is ''Armada'' Predacon.
* The story's opening illustration features Rodimus, Arcee, Blurr, Bulkhead, and Ultra Magnus, among others. While this ''could'' be a coincidence, it sure seems like they're gathered by nature of the fact that they're Unicron Trilogy versions of the ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' main cast. Magnus later quotes a line from his ''Generation 1'' [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|counterpart]]: "I can't deal with that right now!"
* Swindle notes the Autobots have been running Cybertron for the past [[Units of time|vorn]]; vorns are a measurement originating from Marvel's ''The Transformers'' issue [[The Smelting Pool!|#18]].
* Brushguard talks to Swindle like someone "explaining quantum physics to a stunned [[turbofox]]"; turbofoxes come from ''Generation 1'' [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]'s bio.
* The ''[[Upstart]]'' is a modified version of the [[dropship (Armada)|dropship]] from the [[Transformers (Armada PS2)|''Armada'' PlayStation 2 game]].
* Combatron appears to have been heavily influenced by Apocalypse Planet, a planet that was planned to be included in the ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' franchise, but was cancelled. Much like Combatron, Apocalypse Planet was to be a war-torn wasteland populated by heavily armed and armored warriors. Armorhide even calls it an "apocalypse planet". The Cyber Key Hardtop finds is based off a hand grenade, with a decorative "pin" near the top.
* Hardtop compares the dead Combatron resident whose shoulder he stands on to an [[Guardians of Cybertron|Omega Guardian]], presumably the group to which [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] and [[Omega Sentinel (Energon)|Omega Sentinel]] belong. Later fiction would rename this group to the Guardians of Cybertron.
* Blurr's voice speeds up when he uses his Cyber Key, in reference to his ''Generation 1'' [[Blurr (G1)|counterpart]].
* Runamuck swears by the [[Pit (BW)|Pit]], the Cybertronian version of Hell originally mentioned in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.
* Data-Cons come from the PS2 ''Armada'' video game.
* Nucleon is the substance that was noted to create the ''Generation 1'' [[Action Master]]s on the cardbacks of 1990's range of toys.
* Whirl's Mini-Con partners speak in an odd combination of Mini-Con binary and [[Cybertronian Standard|Cybertronic Standard]], a Cybertronian language originally mentioned in "[[The Dark Heart of Sandokan]]".
* Longrack could hear Scavenger's shouting from a mega-mile away, a unit of measurement used in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
* Part of the name of Grip-Lock's assigned military unit is "Irontread Squad". Irontread was the Japanese name of Demolishor after he received a new body during ''Energon''.
* The Decepticlones originate from the PS2 ''Armada'' video game.
* When ranting about the power of the arsenal, Brushguard shouts that their will be no more pointless races, a reference to the rather...sizeable portion of the ''Cybertron'' cartoon that the Velocitron race took place in.

===Real-world references===
* The star systems Ultra Magnus assigns each ship are the home systems of different alien races from the PC game ''{{w|Star Control II}}''. [[Delta Draconis]], the focal point of this story, is the home of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Thraddash Thraddash] in the game... an alien race that has razed its own civilization to the ground ''eighteen times'' by the time the player encounters them. Other planets include Gamma Kreuger (home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Pkunk Pkunks]), Betelgeuse (adopted home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Syreen Syreen]; the devastated Acid and Radioactive worlds are theorized by Magnus to be the result of Decepticon intervention), Gamma Serpentis (home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Yehat Yehat], who are indirectly referred to as a "spacefarring civilization"), Zeta Persei (home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Druuge Druuge]), Beta Aquarii (home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Utwig Utwig]), and Delta Crateris (where the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Ur-Quan Ur-Quan] ship the ''[http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Sa-Matra Sa-Matra]'' is located).
* The ''Azusa'' is named for Azusa Fuzita, a Japanese ''Transformers'' fan. The ''DieCast'' is named for the [[Die-cast|metal]] used in old ''Generation 1'' toys.
* Brushguard refers to "real wrath-of-god type stuff", a direct quote from ''[[Ghostbusters]]''.
* Buzzsaw compares the chance to tear apart the Autobots to [[Christmas]] and also invites the Autobots to "say hello to my little friend," a reference to the 1983 film ''{{w|Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface}}''.
* Heavy Barrel's name comes from the {{w|Heavy Barrel|1987 arcade run and gun game}}.

===Errors===
* On page 13, the "s" is missing from the word "scream."
* On page 19, "give" is used instead of the proper tense, "gave."

===Other trivia===
* As noted above, "Force of Habit" has some overlap (in cast and concept) with the previously released short story "The Dark Heart of Sandokan". Sepelak and Troop had already begun work on the former when "The Dark Heart of Sandokan" was published—with them having no prior knowledge of it! They decided to finish and submit the story anyway, so it could be later released during a dry spell for Club fiction, which is exactly how things turned out.<ref>Comment by Greg Sepelak on the [https://discord.gg/tfwiki Transformers Wiki Discord server], [https://discord.com/channels/656241088826441729/674045482158522369/871229047957499914 1 August 2021] — "Habit was -ironically- a "from the vault" story we had started writing before Sandokan published, which we didn't know was happening. (Not the last time something like that happened.) The similarities in cast were honest coincidences, but I mean there's only so much to work with when the idea is "use Cybertron offscreens". But Sandokan made it out first, so we finished the story, submitted it, and I'm pretty sure we'd said "hey let's sit on this for a little while and then put it out in a slow period just so we have SOME fiction happening." And so it was sat on for a while."</ref>
** Sepelak and Troop also petitioned for more stories set on the ''Cybertron'' colony worlds, pre-cartoon, but the idea was rejected. One concept included a story about [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] finding out he was the last monster hunter; [[Lugnutz]] would have played the role of the mythical sphinx, wandering the desert and posing riddles to humans.<ref>Comment by Greg Sepelak on the [https://discord.gg/tfwiki Transformers Wiki Discord server], [https://discord.com/channels/656241088826441729/674045482158522369/871231022094774282 1 August 2021] — "We had outlines and even a handful of scenes written for some very short Cybertron-series stories set on the various colonies pre-cartoon, but that project got dismissed. Pity. / Lugnutz was gonna be the mythical sphinx. / Wanders the desert, asks deep questions of the humans whose path he crosses... / That story was going to focus on Crosswise finding out he's the last of the hunters."</ref>
* Unlike most of the prose stories released pre-2015, "Force of Habit" was available to non-Club members.
* Not that it's an error internal to the story, but it's a bit odd to see Blurr being a recent ally, seeing as how angry Optimus was at Hot Shot for making contacts on Velocitron in the cartoon. Additionally, it's a bit odd that the Space Bridge network is brought up, seeing how the main Autobots didn't learn about it until Primus woke up in the show.
* Like "The Dark Heart of Sandokan" before it, Cyber Keys are treated as physical objects stored in a pocket dimension, with Hardtop finding one on a corpse, and Blurr stealing the Decepticon's Keys using his super speed. Blurr notes they are constructed from rare crystals found underground on Velocitron; the same is presumably true of at least Jungle Planet and [[Gigantion]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://transformersclub.com/prose/Force_of_Habit.pdf "Force of Habit"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

[[Category:Cybertron media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

Heavy Barrel (Cybertron)

2026-02-17T00:12:17Z

Escargon: /* Notes */

{{factions|minicon|decepticon|combatron}}
{{disambig2|the Unicron Trilogy Decepticon-aligned Mini-Con|the Generation 1 Decepticon|Heavy Barrel (G1)}}
:''Heavy Barrel is a [[Decepticon]]-allied [[Combatron (planet)|Combatron]]ian [[Mini-Con]] from the [[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy continuity family]].''
[[File:Cybertron Heavy Barrel.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Hi-diddly-ho, Autorinos!]]

'''Heavy Barrel''' is a Mini-Con hailing from a long-dead colony world, rescued by the [[Decepticon]]s and caught up in the events caused by the [[Unicron Singularity]]. He is perhaps the cheeriest, most friendly robot in all of existence, which is ''incredibly unnerving'' to friend and foe alike. People can at least ''comprehend'' the crazed cackling of a hyper-violent sadist in battle. Polite conversation and ''compliments'' during barrages? Not so much. It even creeps [[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]] out.<ref>[http://www.transformersclub.com/ Official Transformers Collectors' Club site] members' section, Micro-Sized Online! Mini-Con Profiles, [[June 8|8 June]] [[2007]]</ref>

==Fiction==
===''Timelines''===
Buzzsaw called out Heavy Barrel during a visit to [[Combatron (planet)|Combatron]], and the Mini-Con fired at [[Checkpoint (Energon)|Checkpoint]] before powerlinking to Buzzsaw and providing his partner with some extra firepower. Buzzsaw, with the help of Heavy Barrel, succeeded in capturing the [[Autobot]]. Much later, when the Decepticons and their Mini-Con partners were left stranded on the planet, Heavy Barrel helped [[Skidmark (Cybertron)|Skidmark]] turn the pages of the comic he was reading. {{storylink|Force of Habit}}

==Toys==
===''Galaxy Force''===
[[File:Cyb-toy Trigger.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|He's the GIR to Buzzsaw's Zim.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-mc|'''Trigger''' (Micron Booster, [[2005]])}}</ul>
:*''Booster ID number'': '''5'''

: ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)#Takara Galaxy Force Toyline|Galaxy Force]]'' Trigger is a [[redeco]] of the ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' Mini-Con [[Crumplezone (Armada)#Toys|Crumplezone]], transforming into a Cybertronic tank. He can also form a cockpit with under-slung cannon for the ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' [[Cyclonus (Armada)#Toys|Cyclonus]] mold, though the remolding on ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)#Toys|Buzzsaw]] makes using him with that version difficult.

: Available only as part of the fourth [[Micron Booster]] assortment in Japan, Trigger came in a "[[blindpacking|blind-packed]]" box that prevented the buyer from knowing the contents of the box until it was opened.

: This toy doubles as [[Heavy Barrel (G1)|the IDW G1 character Heavy Barrel]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Micron/Trigger/trigger.htm More information on Trigger at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* The packaging for the Micron Booster assortment Trigger was available in does not give any of the Mini-Cons a faction affiliation, so for a time, it was unknown who the Mini-Con associated with... well, ''officially'', at least. Not hard to guess. It wasn't until he received a [[bio]] (and new name) through the [[Fun Publications]] Official [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] that "Heavy Barrel" was officially pegged as the obvious Decepticon-allied Mini-Con partner to Buzzsaw.
* Heavy Barrel's English name comes from the {{w|Heavy Barrel|1987 arcade run and gun game}}.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Trigger''' (トリガー ''Torigā'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Combatron]]
[[Category:Cybertron Mini-Cons]]
[[Category:Japanese-original Transformers]]
[[Category:Micron Boosters]]

Force of Habit

2026-02-17T00:11:56Z

Escargon: /* Real-world references */

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]''<br>text story
|seriesissue2=''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]''
|title="Force of Habit"
|image=Force of Habit title image.jpg
|prev=Gone Too Far
|next=Withered Hope
|prev2=The Dark Heart of Sandokan
|writers=[[Greg Sepelak]] and [[Trent Troop]]
|pagecount=25pp
|date=[[April 17]], [[2008]]
|illustrations=[[Matt Kuphaldt]]
|publisher=[[Transformers Collectors' Club]]
|continuity=[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]]
}}

'''An Autobot recon team finds a dead colony world that might not be so dead.'''

==Synopsis==
On board of the new Autobot flagship ''[[Iron Hope (Cybertron)|Iron Hope]]'', [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]] thinks to himself (and his binary-bonded Mini-Con partner, [[Knock Out (Energon)|Knock Out]]), as some of highest ranking Autobots-including [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]], [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]], [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]], [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]], and [[Longrack (Cybertron)|Longrack]] gather. Ultra Magnus begins his brief: with the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] growing exponentially, [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s population has been evacuated to [[Earth]]. With conventional attempts failing, [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] has turned to the advice of the mysterious old bot, [[Vector Prime]], and with his crew of Autobots, is looking for the four [[Cyber Planet Key]]s and the [[Omega Lock]]. Data suggest that the Omega Lock is on Earth, and with agents already on two colonies, the Autobots have a good headstart. However, data from Vector Prime suggests that aside from four main planets, there were other colony worlds designed as relay points. With no way of knowing which colonies have the keys, it's the Autobot space fleet's job to search them out, and to report any data they may find. Magnus assigns the captains to their ships, crews, and regioins of space; Bulkhead and the ''[[Eclipse (Cybertron)|Eclipse]]'' are assigned to [[Gamma Kreuger]] ; Sparkplug and the ''[[Valiant (Cybertron)|Valiant]]'' to [[Betelgeuse]]; Arcee and the ''[[Azusa]]'' to [[Gamma Serpentis]]; Longrack and the ''[[Spanner (ship)|Spanner]]'' to [[Delta Draconis]]; Scavenger and the ''[[DieCast]]'' to [[Zeta Persei]]; Rodimus and the ''[[Longbow (Cybertron)|Longbow]]'' to [[Beta Aquarii]]; and the ''Iron Hope'' itself to [[Delta Crateris]]. Magnus reminds the captains to not engage in any local civilization's power struggles, or to tell them of the severity of the situation. Ultra Magnus also warns them to look out for the Decepticons, as [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (having stolen the [[Planet Map|planet map]] that contained the archival database on the colonies) presumably has the same data the Autobots have, and orders them to roll out.

On board the ''[[Upstart]]'', [[Brushguard]] is fed up with his crew; [[Hardtop (Cybertron)|Hardtop]] complains loudly about getting the raw end of the deal from [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]], while his brother [[Swindle (Cybertron)|Swindle]] looks poised to beat him up, with [[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]] and [[Runamuck (Cybertron)|Runamuck]] entertained by the bickering. With the former Decepticon space fleet decommissioned at the end of the last phase of the war, ships like the tiny ''Upstart'' are all that remains, with only Megatron's elites having access to personal warp gates. The Decepticon scientist has trouble with the concepts of Cyber Keys and the [[Unicron]]-powered black hole, considering such things to be mystical nonsense, but knows well enough not to protest against Megatron. Interrupted from his thoughts by Swindle taking one of Hardtop's comic books, Brushguard is nearly pushed over the edge, but is interrupted when Buzzsaw points an upcoming [[Combatron (planet)|planet]]. The planet is a class three, with energy signatures all over the planet...and Autobot energy signals.

On the planet, the crew of the ''Spanner'' disembark from the ship. [[Armorhide (Cybertron)|Armorhide]] scans the horizon, the planet filled with dead metal and red skies. [[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]], a [[Velocitron]] colonist who recently joined the Autobots, doesn't like the look of place, but Longrack insists on searching the place for any signs of a Cyber Planet Key. Armorhide wonders why there would be a Cyber Planet Key on a junkyard planet, but [[Checkpoint (Energon)|Checkpoint]] picks up an arm, and figures out that the "junk" surrounding them are corpses. The Autobots find a variety of bots, some with variations on the Autobot and Decepticon insignias, and some with insignia never seen before. Checkpoint doesn't understand, Vector Prime having said that the colonies left long before the war, but quickly turns, thinking he spots something on the horizon. Longrack gives out the orders; he has Checkpoint scavenge for any sign of a Cyber Key, Blurr sweep the perimeter, and Armorhide scan radio traffic. Longrack admonishes an over-eager Armorhide for wanting to fight any native Decepticons, and as the Autobot truck drives off, one of the piles shifts as something leaves it...

Elsewhere, Brushguard, Swindle, and Runamuck cruise on the planet, with Buzzsaw and Hardtop searching elsewhere. Brushguard stops when he spots a small shrub. Ignoring Swindle's insults, the Decepticon scientist notes the fighting would have had to stop for a while before plant life could return, and figures out that the war here ended at least 350 megacycles ago. Brushguard radios the others and inquires if they have found anything. Hardtop lies, having spotted a Cyber Key in the shoulder "cliff" of the massive robot corpse he is standing on, and attempts to take the Key for himself. Hardtop can't get it to budge, and pulls harder until it suddenly pops out, his momentum making him stagger backwards and falling off the shoulder. Hardtop's fall is broken by several outcroppings, but the Cyber Key tooth is damaged, causing it to splinter apart. Hardtop mutters to himself about how the situation can't get any worse, but the rusted ground beneath him gives way, as something watching him scurries away. Waking up underground, the Decepticon jeep's lights turn on, and he radios Brushguard, telling him he's found something big...

Elsewhere, Blurr radios Longrack, not finding anything yet...until a large [[Whirl (Universe)|helicopter]] starts firing on him. His signal jammed, Blurr ducks behind cover before transforming to robot mode, and calls upon his Cyber Key, dodging the helicopter's shots with his super-speed. Blurr begin to run in a circle, forming a funnel that ensnares the helicopter. Two [[Skysickle|small]] [[Grip-Lock|figures]] observe the fight, and the second one is used by the first as a slingshot to throw an engine block at Blurr. Breaking into shrapnel as soon as it hits Blurr, the engine block causes him to trip, and he plows through several miles of debris before coming to a stop. Losing consciousness, he watches as three figures loom over him. Back at the ''Spanner'', Longrack calls in Armorhide and Checkpoint, giving them Blurr's last known coordinates, and radios the ''Iron Hope''. Longrack informs Ultra Magnus that the colony is a wasteland, and that Blurr has gotten into trouble with the locals. The captain of the half-finished flagship informs him that the ''Iron Hope'' can't spare any help; with the ''Longbow'' and ''DieCast'' having just left cycles ago, all ships are already on their way. Longrack signs out, but [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] protests the decision. Ultra Magnus tells them they have their orders, and briefly re-invigorates his crew's confidence. Ultra Magnus hopes to himself that the ''Spanner'' doesn't run into anything worse.

The Decepticons have reconvened at Hardtop's find: a massive bunker door. With multiple corpses strewn in front of it, Brushguard surmises that whatever is in the bunker was important, and tricks Swindle into firing his cannon at the door. With the autoguns flipping out, Hardtop and Buzzsaw are ordered to shoot them down. Pleased, Brushguard is knocked back by Swindle, the Decepticon jeep wanting to tear him apart. Brushguard tells him that he was logical choice, and has Runamuck go up to the door next. Calling on his Cyber Key, Runamuck's arms light up, and his fists pivot into the doors for several minutes until a crack appears. Pulling the door apart with his fingers, Runamuck walks in after throwing a flare in, and lights begin to power and clanks rumble through the air...

On their way to Blurr's last known location, Checkpoint informs the others of information he's found on a mostly-intact [[Data-Con|data-con]]: the world's name is Combatron, and it was intended to be a garrison against the "enemy", Unicron. Led by an Autobot named [[King Atlas]], the planet waited until King Atlas disappeared without a trace. The planets population splintered apart, breaking into all out civil war; with no commander to replace King Atlas and Cybertron having forgotten the colony, the war raged on, fighting being the only things most Combatrons knew. With no Cyber Planet Key and no data on which colonies may have Planet Keys, Longrack wonders what the populace was fighting over, and Checkpoint informs him that the colonists brought weapons nearly as powerful as Cyber Keys. Meanwhile, the Decepticons have come across one of these weapon caches, Hardtop finding [[cyclon blaster]]s, [[probability grenade]]s, and [[positron disruptor]]s. Brushguard believes they could gain a large profit from these weapons, giving Megatron a small amount and selling the rest, while keeping the best for themselves. Runamuck and Buzzsaw find [[Mini-Con storage panel]]s for themselves, while Swindle grabs himself highly illegal [[nucleon shock gauntlet]]s. Swindle goes up to his occupied brother and lightly taps his shoulder, the energy from the gauntlets sending him flying. Swindle is briefly flushed with the unfamiliar feeling of guilt, while the machine Hardtop crashed into comes to life, scanning the prone Decepticon. As the machinery rumbles to life, a furious Brushguard demands to know what Swindle has done...

The Autobots are unable to find any sign of Blurr, when Armorhide and Checkpoint are suddenly assaulted by the Mini-Cons that attacked Blurr earlier. Longrack turns to find a blue helicopter, who orders them to surrender, brandishing a sword and a large [[Thunderstick|cannon]]. Longrack spies the Autobot symbol on the helicopter's shoulders, and putting on his best drill sergeant voice, he orders the robot to stand down in the name of the Cybertron army. Disarmed at the mention of Cybertron, the helicopter skids in front of Longrack, and salutes, the cannon transforming into another Mini-Con, while the other Mini-Cons stand down. Longrack threatens the larger bot with a court martial for his actions and the helicopter apologizes, believing them to be with an enemy unit spotted elsewhere. Taking the three back to his headquarters, and freeing Blurr, the helicopter tells the others that his name is Whirl, and tells them the names of his Mini-Con partners, Grip-Lock, Skysickle, and Thunderstick. Alone for 400 stellar cycles, the Autobot has had to make do with what little materials he's had. Explaining that Grip-Lock spotted 5 Decepticons, Armorhide deduces from Whirl's description that the ‘Con in charge is Brushguard. Suddenly, an alarm goes off, signalling the vault containing a weapons supply has been breached, and Longrack, getting comfortable with his new commander role, orders Whirl for a manifest file. Radioing the ''Iron Hope'', Longrack informs Ultra Magnus of what the Decepticons have found, but the Autobot commander has his own problems to deal with, a group of Decepticons attacking the Autobot flagship with some surviving [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s. With power knocked out to the ships weapons, the ''Iron Hope's'' crew goes to engage the Decepticons, and Ultra Magnus orders Longrack to ensure that the arsenal does not leave Combatron. Back on Combatron, Armorhide comes up with a plan...

Loading up their loot, the Decepticons are suddenly assaulted by the Autobots. Armorhide fires off a blast at Brushguard while dropping down from Whirl, but Swindle knocks him back with his nucleon shock gauntlets. Brushguard, Buzzsaw, Runamuck, and Swindle prepare their weapons and Cyber Keys, but Blurr uses his own Cyber Key to steal away their weapons, warping Buzzsaw's inbuilt cannons. Grabbing Armorhide before he falls to the ground, an exhausted Blurr drops the weapons to the ground, and Longrack orders Brushguard to surrender. Brushguard simply grins, and points to a nearby hill, where Hardtop stands with multiple [[Decepticlone]]s, created using scans from him, Buzzsaw, and Runamuck. Brushguard announces his intent to use the arsenal to brute force the Decepticon's way to victory, but notices Whirl looking at the scanner pallet used to create the Decepticlones, who notes that it is the last one on the planet, having been used to bolster their forces. Longrack orders Whirl not to fire, but the helicopter raises his cannons, and is suddenly hit by a barrage of Decepticlone fire. The Autobots scramble, and Longrack uses his Cyber Key, causing his arm to spin rapidly and throwing chunks of debris at the drone. Blurr is confronted by Runamuck, who powerlinxes with his new Mini-Con partner, [[Skidmark (Cybertron)|Skidmark]] to strike the Autobot with enhanced strength. Blurr transforms, and rushes out of the way, Runamuck and Skidmark following him. Checkpoint is cornered by Buzzsaw and [[Heavy Barrel (Cybertron)|Heavy Barrel]], the Decepticon helicopter's new Mini-Con partner. Checkpoint is helped by Thunderstick, who powerlinxes with the Autobot, turning his shoulder mounted wheels into mini-guns, and fires upon Buzzsaw. Brushguard is attacked by Whirl, who attempts to bring his blade down on the Decepticon jeep. Calling on his Cyber Key, his chest fires a spear through Whirl, and the Autobot is wrapped in technorganic vines, preventing him from moving. While Grip-Lock and Skysickle try to cut through wires to assist elsewhere, most of the Autobots fall one by one. Longrack is assaulted by Swindle, Blurr is forced to crash by Skidmark and Runamuck, and Checkpoint's powerlinx port is blown off by Hardtop's sniper rifle. Forced to surrender, the Autobots are planned to be used as trophies to present to Megatron by Brushguard, and the scientist dismisses their claims that Armorhide can still save the day.

Back at the ''Spanner'', Armorhide transforms to vehicle mode, using his Cyber Key to unleash missiles on the surrounding Decepticlones. Transforming to robot mode, he uses the pilfered nucleon shock gauntlets in conjunction with his Cyber Key to crush the Decepticlones. Still, the drones surround him, and soon, they pile on top of him, until the nucleon shock gauntlets overload, causing an explosion seen in the distance by the others. Brushguard, thinking himself triumphant, orders the scanner loaded, but a sudden blast destroys it. Looking up, Brushguard is aghast to find the ''Upstart'', having been commandeered by Skysickle and Grip-Lock, hovering overhead. Brushguard orders the Decepticlones to attack, but without the original scanner's control signal, the drones begin to go haywire. The Autobots escape, and while Brushguard rants about his fortune, the other Decepticons rush away, joined by Brushguard when he notices the incoming ''Spanner'' piloted by a still-functioning Armorhide. Deliberately crashing the ship, Armorhide ejects from the ship, and watches as the ship digs a groove through the surface, the blast lighting up the countryside. As the rockets on his seat fail, Armorhide prepares for deactivation, but is grabbed by Whirl, who brings him on board the ''Upstart''. Leaving the Decepticons with a survival kit, the Autobots leave, and Checkpoint asks where they'll go next.

Back on the planet's surface, Brushguard radios Megatron, while Hardtop shares his comic book collection with the other Decepticons. Brushguard begs Megatron for a warp gate, but the Decepticon leader informs him that he'll wait there for a deca-cycle. Brushguard attempts to defend himself, but is threatened by Megatron for his failure...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
* [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
* [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]] (3)
* [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] (4)
* [[Longrack (Cybertron)|Longrack]] (5)
* [[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]] (6)
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (7)
* [[Tow-Line (Energon)|Tow-Line]] (8)
* [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]] (9)
* [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]] (11)
* [[Armorhide (Cybertron)|Armorhide]] (17)
* [[Checkpoint (Energon)|Checkpoint]] (18)
* [[Whirl (Universe)|Whirl]] (19)
* [[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]] (22)
* [[Grimlock (Energon)|Grimlock]] (32)
* [[Swoop (Energon)|Swoop]] (33)
* [[Quickstrike (Energon)|Quickstrike]] (34)
* [[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] (35)
* [[Overcast (Energon)|Overcast]] (36)
* [[Riptide (Armada)|Riptide]] (38)
* [[Smokescreen (Cybertron)|Smokescreen]] (39)

|c2=
* [[Hardtop (Cybertron)|Hardtop]] (12)
* [[Brushguard]] (13)
* [[Swindle (Cybertron)|Swindle]] (14)
* [[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]] (15)
* [[Runamuck (Cybertron)|Runamuck]] (16)
* [[Slugslinger (Energon)|Slugslinger]] (24)
* [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]] (25)
* [[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticon]] (26)
* [[Skywarp (Armada)|Skywarp]] (27)
* [[Sunstorm (Universe)|Sunstorm]] (28)
* [[Dreadwing (Energon)|Dreadwing]] (29)
* [[Sharkticon (Energon)|Sharkticon]] (30)
* [[Predacon (Armada)|Predacon]] (31)
* [[Decepticlone]]s (41)
* [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (44)

|h5=[[Mini-Con]]s|c5=
* [[Knock Out (Energon)|Knock Out]] (2)
* [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]] (10)
* [[Skysickle]] (20)
* [[Grip-Lock]] (21)
* [[Thunderstick]] (23)
* [[Sky Scorcher Mini-Con Team]] (37)
* [[Land Military Mini-Con Team]] (40)
* [[Skidmark (Cybertron)|Skidmark]] (42)
* [[Heavy Barrel (Cybertron)|Heavy Barrel]] (43)
}}

==Notes==
* Mentioned characters include: [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]], [[Vector Prime]], [[Hot Shot (Armada)|agents]] [[Red Alert (Armada)|on]] [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|colony worlds]], [[Primus]], [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]], [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]], [[Unicron]], [[Guardians of Cybertron|Omega Guardians]], [[King Atlas]], [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]], [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]], and [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]].

===Continuity notes===
* This story shows where most of the non-''Cybertron'' Unicron Trilogy Autobots have gone during the events of the show; Scavenger, Sparkplug, and the Land Military Mini-Con team were last seen in ''Armada'', while Arcee, Rodimus, Bulkhead, Ironhide, Prowl, and Skyblast all were last seen in ''Energon''. Longrack, Blurr, Brushguard, Buzzsaw, and Runamuck make their first chronological appearance here; they originally appeared in-continuity in the first club prose story, "[[The Dark Heart of Sandokan]]", set after the cartoon.
* Cybertron's evacuation, the arrival of Vector Prime, the Omega Lock being located on Earth (based on the symbol of the ''[[Atlantis]]'' on [[Lori Jiménez|Lori]]'s t-shirt), and Megatron's theft of the colony data were all established in the first ''Cybertron'' episode, "[[Fallen (episode)|Fallen]]".
* The agents Magnus refers to are Hot Shot, Red Alert, and Overhaul; Hot Shot and Red Alert arrived on [[Velocitron]] in "[[Landmine (episode)|Landmine]]", while Overhaul was accidentally trapped on [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] in "[[Search (episode)|Search]]", which Knock Out reflects bitterly about.
* The Space Bridge network was introduced in "[[Balance]]".
* Megatron's elites (Starscream and Thundercracker) are noted to have personal warp gates, while the other Decepticons are forced to use small ships. Most of the larger Decepticon ships were used to rebuild Cybertron after the events of ''Energon''.
* Unicron, along with Megatron and Starscream, was trapped in the [[Energon Orb|energon sun]] in ''Energon'' episode "[[The Sun]]". Brushguard notes Megatron's new powers gained from the [[Armor of Unicron]].
* Ultra Magnus is a veteran of the [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada War]] and [[Powerlinx Battles]], seen in ''Armada'' and ''Energon'', respectively.
* King Atlas disappearance is presumably a result of Unicron capturing him in the ''Universe'' storyline. Various materials note he stayed on [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]'s Cybertron as part of the [[Child of Primus|Children of Primus]].
* Swindle sarcastically asks a worried Buzzsaw if he's seen Snow Cat or Demolishor lately when Brushguard proposes betraying Megatron; Snow Cat and Demolishor were lobotomized by Megatron in ''Energon'', despite their loyalty.
* Megatron threatens Brushguard with him finding out what happened to Thrust first-hand. Thrust was crushed between Unicron's seams while begging for Megatron (then Galvatron)'s help in the ''Armada'' episode "[[Union]]".

===Transformers references===
* Many of the characters in this story are non-show toy characters given their first appearances here. These include:
** Much of the crew of the ''Iron Hope''. Ultra Magnus and Knock Out were an "eleventh hour" ''Energon'' toy. Tow-Line was a regular release from the ''Energon'' toyline. Grimlock and Swoop were a Hasbro-only pair sold together. Quickstrike was a redeco of ''Energon'' Bulkhead, while Overcast was a Hasbro repurposing of ''Energon'' [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]]'s Energon-powered form. The Sky Scorcher Mini-Con Team, while not identified here, were named by [[Ask Vector Prime]] as [[Effect]], [[Blitz]], and [[Seeker (Energon)|Seeker]] from the second wave of [[Micron Booster]]s. RipTide comes from the ''[[Transformers Legends (book)|Transformers Legends]]'' story "[[Lonesome Diesel]]", while Smokescreen is a ''Cybertron'' toyline character redecoded from [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]].
** The ''Uptstart's'' crew all are ''Cybertron'' toyline characters.
** Three of the four crew members of the ''Spanner'' are ''Cybertron'' toyline characters. Checkpoint, meanwhile, is a K-Mart exclusive ''Energon'' toy, redecoed from ''Energon'' Rodimus.
** Whirl is a ''Universe'' toy; his Mini-Con partners Skysickle and Thunderstick, meanwhile, are repurposed from the two Mini-Cons Whirl was sold with, [[Makeshift (Armada)|Makeshift]] and [[Gunbarrel (Armada)|Gunbarrel]], respectively. Grip-Lock, Skidmark, and Heavy Barrel are toys sold in the fourth Micron Booster wave, sold under the ''Galaxy Force'' banner, renamed from Clamp, Gauge, and Trigger, respectively.
** While never named, descriptions, along with later statements from the story's authors, show who the Decepticons who attack the ''Iron Hope'' are; the three jets are ''Energon'' Slugslinger and ''Cybertron'' Skywarp and Sunstorm, the gunships are ''Energon'' Dreadwing and Sharkticon, and the tyrannosaurus is ''Armada'' Predacon.
* The story's opening illustration features Rodimus, Arcee, Blurr, Bulkhead, and Ultra Magnus, among others. While this ''could'' be a coincidence, it sure seems like they're gathered by nature of the fact that they're Unicron Trilogy versions of the ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' main cast. Magnus later quotes a line from his ''Generation 1'' [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|counterpart]]: "I can't deal with that right now!"
* Swindle notes the Autobots have been running Cybertron for the past [[Units of time|vorn]]; vorns are a measurement originating from Marvel's ''The Transformers'' issue [[The Smelting Pool!|#18]].
* Brushguard talks to Swindle like someone "explaining quantum physics to a stunned [[turbofox]]"; turbofoxes come from ''Generation 1'' [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]'s bio.
* The ''[[Upstart]]'' is a modified version of the [[dropship (Armada)|dropship]] from the [[Transformers (Armada PS2)|''Armada'' PlayStation 2 game]].
* Combatron appears to have been heavily influenced by Apocalypse Planet, a planet that was planned to be included in the ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' franchise, but was cancelled. Much like Combatron, Apocalypse Planet was to be a war-torn wasteland populated by heavily armed and armored warriors. Armorhide even calls it an "apocalypse planet". The Cyber Key Hardtop finds is based off a hand grenade, with a decorative "pin" near the top.
* Hardtop compares the dead Combatron resident whose shoulder he stands on to an [[Guardians of Cybertron|Omega Guardian]], presumably the group to which [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] and [[Omega Sentinel (Energon)|Omega Sentinel]] belong. Later fiction would rename this group to the Guardians of Cybertron.
* Blurr's voice speeds up when he uses his Cyber Key, in reference to his ''Generation 1'' [[Blurr (G1)|counterpart]].
* Runamuck swears by the [[Pit (BW)|Pit]], the Cybertronian version of Hell originally mentioned in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.
* Data-Cons come from the PS2 ''Armada'' video game.
* Nucleon is the substance that was noted to create the ''Generation 1'' [[Action Master]]s on the cardbacks of 1990's range of toys.
* Whirl's Mini-Con partners speak in an odd combination of Mini-Con binary and [[Cybertronian Standard|Cybertronic Standard]], a Cybertronian language originally mentioned in "[[The Dark Heart of Sandokan]]".
* Longrack could hear Scavenger's shouting from a mega-mile away, a unit of measurement used in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
* Part of the name of Grip-Lock's assigned military unit is "Irontread Squad". Irontread was the Japanese name of Demolishor after he received a new body during ''Energon''.
* The Decepticlones originate from the PS2 ''Armada'' video game.
* When ranting about the power of the arsenal, Brushguard shouts that their will be no more pointless races, a reference to the rather...sizeable portion of the ''Cybertron'' cartoon that the Velocitron race took place in.

===Real-world references===
* The star systems Ultra Magnus assigns each ship are the home systems of different alien races from the PC game ''{{w|Star Control II}}''. [[Delta Draconis]], the focal point of this story, is the home of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Thraddash Thraddash] in the game... an alien race that has razed its own civilization to the ground ''eighteen times'' by the time the player encounters them. Other planets include Gamma Kreuger (home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Pkunk Pkunks]), Betelgeuse (adopted home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Syreen Syreen]; the devastated Acid and Radioactive worlds are theorized by Magnus to be the result of Decepticon intervention), Gamma Serpentis (home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Yehat Yehat], who are indirectly referred to as a "spacefarring civilization"), Zeta Persei (home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Druuge Druuge]), Beta Aquarii (home system of the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Utwig Utwig]), and Delta Crateris (where the [http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Ur-Quan Ur-Quan] ship the ''[http://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Sa-Matra Sa-Matra]'' is located).
* The ''Azusa'' is named for Azusa Fuzita, a Japanese ''Transformers'' fan. The ''DieCast'' is named for the [[Die-cast|metal]] used in old ''Generation 1'' toys.
* Brushguard refers to "real wrath-of-god type stuff", a direct quote from ''[[Ghostbusters]]''.
* Buzzsaw compares the chance to tear apart the Autobots to [[Christmas]] and also invites the Autobots to "say hello to my little friend," a reference to the 1983 film ''{{w|Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface}}''.
* Heavy Barrel's name comes from the {{w|Heavy Barrel|1987 arcade run and gum game}}.

===Errors===
* On page 13, the "s" is missing from the word "scream."
* On page 19, "give" is used instead of the proper tense, "gave."

===Other trivia===
* As noted above, "Force of Habit" has some overlap (in cast and concept) with the previously released short story "The Dark Heart of Sandokan". Sepelak and Troop had already begun work on the former when "The Dark Heart of Sandokan" was published—with them having no prior knowledge of it! They decided to finish and submit the story anyway, so it could be later released during a dry spell for Club fiction, which is exactly how things turned out.<ref>Comment by Greg Sepelak on the [https://discord.gg/tfwiki Transformers Wiki Discord server], [https://discord.com/channels/656241088826441729/674045482158522369/871229047957499914 1 August 2021] — "Habit was -ironically- a "from the vault" story we had started writing before Sandokan published, which we didn't know was happening. (Not the last time something like that happened.) The similarities in cast were honest coincidences, but I mean there's only so much to work with when the idea is "use Cybertron offscreens". But Sandokan made it out first, so we finished the story, submitted it, and I'm pretty sure we'd said "hey let's sit on this for a little while and then put it out in a slow period just so we have SOME fiction happening." And so it was sat on for a while."</ref>
** Sepelak and Troop also petitioned for more stories set on the ''Cybertron'' colony worlds, pre-cartoon, but the idea was rejected. One concept included a story about [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] finding out he was the last monster hunter; [[Lugnutz]] would have played the role of the mythical sphinx, wandering the desert and posing riddles to humans.<ref>Comment by Greg Sepelak on the [https://discord.gg/tfwiki Transformers Wiki Discord server], [https://discord.com/channels/656241088826441729/674045482158522369/871231022094774282 1 August 2021] — "We had outlines and even a handful of scenes written for some very short Cybertron-series stories set on the various colonies pre-cartoon, but that project got dismissed. Pity. / Lugnutz was gonna be the mythical sphinx. / Wanders the desert, asks deep questions of the humans whose path he crosses... / That story was going to focus on Crosswise finding out he's the last of the hunters."</ref>
* Unlike most of the prose stories released pre-2015, "Force of Habit" was available to non-Club members.
* Not that it's an error internal to the story, but it's a bit odd to see Blurr being a recent ally, seeing as how angry Optimus was at Hot Shot for making contacts on Velocitron in the cartoon. Additionally, it's a bit odd that the Space Bridge network is brought up, seeing how the main Autobots didn't learn about it until Primus woke up in the show.
* Like "The Dark Heart of Sandokan" before it, Cyber Keys are treated as physical objects stored in a pocket dimension, with Hardtop finding one on a corpse, and Blurr stealing the Decepticon's Keys using his super speed. Blurr notes they are constructed from rare crystals found underground on Velocitron; the same is presumably true of at least Jungle Planet and [[Gigantion]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://transformersclub.com/prose/Force_of_Habit.pdf "Force of Habit"] at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club

[[Category:Cybertron media]]
[[Category:Timelines text stories]]

User:Escargon/Miscellaneous FunPub notes

2026-02-17T00:10:22Z

Escargon: /* Micro-Sized profiles */

==Toy bios==

===2005===
[[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Sky Shadow (Energon)|Sky Shadow]]/[[Terradive (Energon)|Terradive]].
* Skyfall's bio is a shortened version of the one that appears in the Club magazine.

[[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Robots in Disguise'' [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]], with a retooled head.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]].
* Star Saber and Deathsaurus were the leaders of the Autobot and Decepticon factions in the ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (franchise)|Victory]]'' franchise, hence their rivalry mentioned here.
* [[Emperor of Destruction]] is a Japanese term used to refer to the leader of the Decepticons/Predacons/etc.
* Notably, the fact that Maximals and Predacons exist places DiE at the very end stage of the Great War. While the DiE continuity would never be revisited aside from a...contentious appearance in "[[The Razor's Edge]]", several ideas, such as the Autobot/Maximal and Decepticon/Predacon alliances, would later be explored in other BotCon fiction.
* The ability of his wings to absorb sunlight was part of Deathsaurus' original powerset in his tech specs, while the corrosive energy seems to be a reference to his [[Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon]].

[[Dirge (Timelines)|Dirge]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Beast Wars'' [[Buzzclaw (BW)|Buzzclaw]].
* Characters mentioned include: Deathsaurus
* This is the first mention of a [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] clan of ancient Cybertronians in fiction. While undoubtedly not a reference, later continuities, such as the Aligned and IDW G1 continuities, would establish their versions of Insecticons as a race of ancient Cybertronians.

[[Buzzclaw (G1)|Buzzclaw]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Beast Wars'' [[Buzzclaw (BW)|Buzzclaw]].
* Characters mentioned include: Deathsaurus.
* Gladiatorial combat being part of pre-war society was first introduced in "[[State Games]]", and has become a major part of Cybertronian history since. Polyhex was introduced in issue [[The Smelting Pool!|#17]] of the Marvel ''Transformers'' comic.
* The Insecticons' ability to clone themselves was introduced in the original [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Transformers'' cartoon]].

[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Tow-Line (Energon)|Tow-Line]], with a retooled head. (Shared with Ratchet)
* Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].
* "Leaking lubricant" is a euphemism shouted by Ironhide in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
*[[Moonbase One]] and [[Moonbase Two]] were introduced and destroyed in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. Presumably, this means that Cybertron had two other moons not seen in the film.
* The [[Reconfiguration Matrix]] was originally mentioned in the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] Optimus Prime toy's bio, and it would be expanded upon in the Japanese ''Generation 2'' [[Transformers: G-2 (story page)|story pages]] and [[Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|pack-in manga]].
* Ironhide's [[Trithyllium]]-steel skin was mentioned in his original bio, along with his ability to shoot chemicals and other liquids from his arms. His ability to combine with his trailer unit is presumably a reference to the original toy's [[Onebox component]].

[[Outback (G1)|Fallback]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Strongarm (Energon)|Strongarm]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]].
* Fallback's change from Outback is explained here as the result of a near-fatal injury, with a new outlook on life given when he was rebuilt.

[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]], with a retooled head. (Shared with Firestar)
* Characters mentioned include: Flareup and [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]].
* Notably, "Chromia's" toy has a deco, head, and personality based on [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]], as she was originally the one who this toy was intended for.

[[Ricochet (Timelines)|Ricochet]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generation 2'' [[Hooligan (G2)|Hooligan]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]].
* Ricochet was based upon a fan character [[Ben Yee]] made when he was younger.
* Bumblebee was originally the Autobot's espionage agent in the original toyline. Looks like he's graduated to the top!

[[Ratchet (G1)|Autobot Ratchet]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Tow-Line (Energon)|Tow-Line]], with a retooled head. (Shared with Ironhide)

[[Flareup (G1)|Flareup]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]], with a retooled head. (Shared with Chromia)
* Characters mentioned include: [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]].
* Flareup was originally the student of Firestar, in a reference to the fact that she was originally intended to be a toy for Firestar, and is evidently designed to look like her.

[[Virulent Clone]]s:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Beast Wars'' [[Buzzclaw (BW)|Buzzclaw]].
* Characters mentioned include: Deathsaurus, Buzzclaw, and Dirge.
* As mentioned in the bio card for Buzzclaw, the Insecticons' cloning ability originates from the G1 cartoon. Deathsaurus has had to unlock it from its latent state due to Dirge and Buzzclaw's changing body forms, presumably referring to their rather.... organic-looking body types.

[[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the [[Tripredacus Council]], and Deathsaurus.
* Her body type is noted to be stolen from the Autobots.

[[Ramjet (Universe)|Ramjet]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' Legends-class [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]].

===2006===

[[Landquake (Timelines)|Landquake]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Blight (Energon)|Blight]]/[[Kickback (Energon)|Kickback]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]].
* Landquake's bio is a shortened version of the one that appeared in the Club magazine.

[[Optimus Primal (BW)|Axalon Optimus Primal]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]], with a retooled head.
* Mentioned characters include: [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].

[[Rhinox (BW)|Axalon Rhinox]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]].
* Characters mentioned include: Optimus Primal.

[[Cheetor (BW)|Axalon Cheetor]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] with a retooled head. (Shared with Tigatron)
* Characters mentioned include: The [[Maximal Command Security Force]] and Optimus Primal.

[[Rattrap (BW)|Axalon Rattrap]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]].
* Characters mentioned include: Optimus Primal.

[[Dinobot (BW)|Darksyde Dinobot]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Longrack (Cybertron)|Longrack]], using the head from the ''Armada'' [[Smokescreen (Armada)|Hoist]] version of the mold.
* Characters mentioned include: Megatron and the [[Tripredacus Council]].

[[Megatron (BW)|Darksyde Megatron]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Red Alert (Armada)|Cybertron Defense Red Alert]], with a retooled head.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].

[[Waspinator (BW)|Darksyde Waspinator]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Machine Wars'' [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]/[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]].
* Characters mentioned include: Megatron.

[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], and the Tripredacus Council.

[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]].

[[Tigatron|Unit 2/Tigatron]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] with a retooled head. (Shared with Cheetor)

[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]:
* Toy notes: recolored from ''Cybertron'' [[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]]. with the alternate "[[Cobybot]]" head.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]], [[Unicron]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]].
* Frenzy's death in Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic issue [[A Rage in Heaven!|#12]] is mentioned.
* Apparently Rumble enjoys {{w|Bubblegum pop}}.

[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]:
* Toy notes: recolored from ''Cybertron'' [[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]].
* Characters mentioned include: Megatron, Optimus Primal, and [[Unicron]].
* Inferno is noted to be a Vehicon General, having survived the Beast Wars, unlike his main counterpart, who died in the [[Nemesis Part 2|final episode]] of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.

===2007===

[[Breakaway (Classics)|Breakaway]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Treadshot (Energon)|Treadshot]]/[[Windrazor (Energon)|Windrazor]]
* Characters mentioned: [[Primus]] and the [[Caretaker]].
* Breakaway's bio is a shortened version of the one in the Club magazine.

[[Astrotrain (Cybertron)|Astrotrain]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Armada'' [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]], with a retooled head based on his ''Generation 1'' [[Astrotrain (G1)|counterpart]]. Based on the unreleased ''Universe'' [[Spacewarp]] toy.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]].
* Astrotrain left the main Decepticon force after the [[Unicron Battles]].
* Astrotrain carries an ionic blaster, in reference to the [[ionic displacement rifle]] of his ''Generation 1'' counterpart.

[[Starcatcher (Cybertron)|Starcatcher]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Armada'' [[Comettor (Armada)|Comettor]].
* Starcatcher's name is a "close enough" variation on "[[Loco (RID)|Cowcatcher]]", a proposed name that had garnered a lot of support on the Fun Publications web forums. "Cowcatcher" as a Transformers name was first proposed for a [[OTFCC 2004]] exclusive that never happened, a [[redeco]] of one of the ''Robots in Disguise'' [[Team Bullet Train]] members. Both of these were initially proposed by [[Graham Weaver|the same guy]].

[[Astro-Hook]], [[Astro-Line]], and [[Astro-Sinker (Cybertron)|Astro-Sinker]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Longarm (Cybertron)|Longarm]], [[Overcast (Cybertron)|Overcast]], and [[Deepdive (Cybertron)|Deepdive]], respectively.
* Named for the Unicron minions [[Hook, Line, and Sinker]] from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics.

[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Slugslinger (Energon)|Slugsliner]], with a retooled head. Her colors are based on her original ''Beast Wars'' toy.
* Several abilities mentioned in her tech specs come from Airazor's original tech specs, including her ability to detect ground movement from 30,000 feet up in the air and the ability to generate 3-D virtual reality maps.

[[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].

[[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], with a retooled head.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Darkwing (G1)|Darkwing]] and [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].

[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]].
* Thundercracker leaves Megatron's forces because Starcream still serves with Megatron; Staracream murdered Thundercracker in Marvel ''Transformers'' issue [[Dark Star|#50]].

[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]].

[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], with a retooled pair of wings.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].
* Thrust is noted to be the last Decepticon brought back online by Megatron.

[[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Alpha Trion]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Vector Prime]], with a retooled head.
* Characters mentioned include: other [[Alpha Trion]]s.
* Alpha Trion's other name, A3, comes from ''The Transformers'' cartoon episode "[[Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming]]".

[[Beta Maxx (RID)|Beta Maxx]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]].
* Beta Maxx was unnamed at the time of his release; a profile released a few months later revealed he was named for the unsuccessful home video format, the {{w|Betamax}}.

[[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], and [[Monzo]].

[[Springer (G1)|Springer]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Cybertron Defense Hot Shot]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].

[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Armorhide (Cybertron)|Armorhide]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].

[[Mirage (G1)|Hologram Mirage]]:
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Unicron]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].

[[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]:
* Toy notes: recolored from ''Classics'' [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]].
* Overkill's size-changing glitch comes from his original bio, seen in the Marvel ''[[The Transformers Universe (Marvel)|The Transformers Universe]]'' series.

===2008===
[[Topspin (Classics)|Topspin]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Blackout (combiner)|Blackout]]/[[Stormcloud (Energon)|Stormcloud]].
* Mentioned characters include: [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Alpha Trion]].

[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], with a retooled head.

[[Piranacon (G1)|Piranacon]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the original toy, meant for release in the ''Energon'' toyline.
* A few of the Seacon's bio notes their death at Starscream's hands in Marvel's ''Transformers'' issue [[Dark Star|#50]].

[[Snaptrap (G1)|Snaptrap]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the original toy, meant for release in the ''Energon'' toyline.
* Mentioned characters include: [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]].

[[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the original toy, meant for release in the ''Energon'' toyline.
* Mentioned characters include: Snaptrap.

[[Seawing (G1)|Seawing]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the original toy, meant for release in the ''Energon'' toyline.
* Mentioned characters include: Overbite.

[[Skalor]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the original toy, meant for release in the ''Energon'' toyline.

[[Nautilator]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the original toy, meant for release in the ''Energon'' toyline.

[[Tentakil (G1)|Tentakil]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from original toy, meant for release in the ''Energon'' toyline.
* Mentioned characters include: [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]].

[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in "evil" color scheme.
* Prime's function is the Autobot Emperor of Destruction, borrowing the term used for the Decepticon leaders in various Japanese series.

[[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' Voyager-class [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]]; color scheme is based on ''Generation 1'' [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]].
* Mentioned characters include: Optimus Prime and Megatron.
* Starscream comes from [[Crystal City]], a city introduced in ''Transformers'' episode "[[The Secret of Omega Supreme (episode)|The Secret of Omega Supreme]]".

[[Razorclaw (SG)|Razorclaw]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Overbite (Classics)|Overbite]].
* Mentioned characters include: Divebomb and Rampage.
* Razorclaw used to teach at [[Tyrest University]]; [[Tyrest (polity)|Tyrest]] is a city from the Marvel UK ''Transformers'' comics.
* Razorclaw, Rampage, and Divebomb retreated to the [[Manganese Mountains]] at the start of the war; the mountains come from the Marvel ''Headmasters'' mini-series.

[[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]], with a retooled head; head is based on ''Generation 1'' [[Bumblebee (G1)|counterpart]]; color scheme is based on the live-action movie toyline's [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Stealth Bumblebee]].
* Mentioned characters include: Optimus Prime and [[Drench (SG)|Drench]].
* Goldbug, like his counterpart, was originally named Bumblebee, a drifter living on the streets of [[Polyhex]].

[[Jazz (SG)|Autobot Jazz]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]], with a retooled head (Shared with Ricochet); color scheme and retooled head are based on ''Generation 1'' [[Jazz (G1)|counterpart]] with altered text.
* Mentioned characters include: Ricochet and Optimus Prime.

[[Grimlock (SG)|Grimlock]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]; color scheme is based on ''Generation 1'' [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]].
* Mentioned characters include: Megatron and Optimus Prime.

[[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' Ultra-class [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] in heroic color scheme, with a retooled head; retooled head is based on an early version of his ''Generation 1'' [[Megatron (G1)|counterpart]]'s character model; [[Rumbler (SG)|Rumbler]] tank homages both ''Generation 1'' [[Roller (G1)|Roller]] and ''Universe'' [[Megazarak (Universe)|Megazarak]].
* Mentioned characters include: Optimus Prime.
*Megatron using math to predict future trends is based on {{w|psychohistory (fictional)|psychohistory}} from {{w|Isaac Asimov}}'s ''{{w|Foundation series|Foundation}}'' series of novels,<ref>http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=70915#70915</ref>.

[[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] in evil color scheme; goatee homages {{w|Mirror Universe}} [[Spock]], vaguely similar color scheme to ''Titanium Series'' [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]
* Mentioned characters include: Optimus Prime.
* Rodimus use to lead the [[Wreckers]], like his positive-universe counterpart in the 3H ''Wreckers'' comic.

[[Divebomb (SG)|Divebomb]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Dreadwing (Classics)|Dreadwing]].

[[Sideswipe (SG)|Sideswipe]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Armada'' [[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]]; color scheme is based on unreleased ''Universe'' [[Drench (Universe)|Drench]] toy.
* Mentioned characters include: Optimus Prime and [[Drench (SG)|Drench]].

[[Whisper (SG)|Whisper]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Armada'' [[Wind Sheer (Armada)|Wind Sheer]]; the color scheme is based on unreleased ''Universe'' Wind Sheer.

[[Blurr (SG)|Blurr]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Blurr (Cybertron)|Blurr]] in evil color scheme, with a retooled head.
* Mentioned characters include: Optimus Prime and [[Crasher (SG)|Crasher]].
* Crasher is called a "heroic renegade" in reference to her counterpart's faction.

[[Rampage (SG)|Rampage]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Snarl (Classics)|Snarl]].
* Mentioned characters include: Razorclaw and Divebomb.

[[Ricochet (SG)|Ricochet]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] with a retooled head. (shared with Jazz)
* Mentioned characters include: Jazz and Optimus Prime.

[[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]]
* Toy notes: recolored from ''Timelines'' [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]; faction symbol homages the ''Star Trek'' Mirror Universe Terran Empire.
* Mentioned characters include: Optimus Prime.
* Nightbeat suffers from [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]], the disease from the ''Transformers'' episode of the [[Cosmic Rust (episode)|same name]].

===2009===
[[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Barricade (Energon)|Barricade]] with retooled [[Nexus Prime]] combiner head.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]].

[[Kup (G1)|Kup]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] with retooled head.
* Characters mentioned include: Thunderclash and Landshark.

[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]].

[[Flak (G1)|Flak]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Cybertron Defense Scattorshot]] with retooled head.
* Characters mentioned include: Thunderclash.

[[Landshark (G1)|Landshark]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]].
* Characters mentioned include: Flak.
* Sometimes people accidentally call Landshark "[[Landmine (disambiguation)|Landmine]]".
* Landshark once got into a fight with a [[narliphant]], a creature from ''[[Rock Lord]]s''

[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] with retooled head. (Shared with Sweeps)
* Characters mentioned include: [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and the Sweeps.

[[Skyquake (G1)|Skyquake]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]].

[[Banzai-Tron (G1)|Banzai-Tron]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]].

[[Elita One (G1)|Elita-1]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]].
* Elita is based on her appearance in "[[Games of Deception]]", released two years earlier.
* Elita-1 knows Circuit-Su, originally mentioned in [[Bugly (G1)|Bugly]]'s tech specs.

[[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] with retooled head.
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Tripredacus Council]].
* Razorclaw's technorganic form appeared in the epilogue of "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]".

[[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]]
* Toy notes: redeceod from ''Cybertron'' [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] with a retooled head. (Shared with Scourge)
* Characters mentioned include: Scourge.
* Three bios were included: they indicate that these toys represent [[Sweep Two]], [[Sweep Six]], and [[Sweep Seven]].

[[Leozack]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and Skyquake.

[[Thunderclash (SG)|Thunderclash]]
* Toy notes: repainted from ''Timelines'' [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], [[Hyperdrive (SG)|Hyperdrive]], [[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]], and Nightclash.
* Thunderclash's personality is based on World War II German general {{w|Erwin Rommel}}.
* The Elite Guard replaced the Wreckers, who were noted to all be destroyed save [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] in his bio.
* Hyperdrive's positive universe counterpart was an unreleased Turbomaster.

[[Nightclash]]
* Characters mentioned include: Thunderclash and Nightbeat.
* Combined form of Nightbeat and Thunderclash.

===2010===
* [[Dion (G1)|Dion]] with [[Cop-Tur (G1)|Cop-Tur]]
** Redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] and [[Jolt (Armada)|Jolt]]. Uses launchers from ''Henkei! Henkei!'' release.
** Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].
** Dion's bio summarizes the events of "[[War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn]]", including his near-destruction at Megatron's hands.

* [[Punch (G1)|Punch-Counterpunch]]
** Retooled from the ''Universe'' [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]/[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] toy with a new head.
** Punch's bio takes most of its inspiration from his Dreamwave ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' profile.

* [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]] with [[Krunix (SG)|Krunix]]
** Redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Nightstick (G1)|Nightstick]] in the colors of ''Generation 1'' [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]].
** Cyclonus was imprisoned in "[[Reunification: Part 5]]" after his assassination of [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]].

* [[Pyro (G1)|Autobot Spark]]
** Redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]].
** Characters mentioned include: the [[Queen of England]] and Clench.
** Since the name Pyro was unavailable, the name "Spark" was used instead, the name applied to his ''Generation 2'' re-release.

* [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetstar]]
** Redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]].
** Characters mentioned include: Spark.
** With "Streetwise" unavailable, "Streetstar" was used instead; [[Streetstar]] was a redeco of Streetwise from ''Operation Combination''.

* [[Clench (G1)|Clench]]
** Retooled from ''Universe'' [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] with a new head.
** Characters mentioned include: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]].
** Clench is equipped with "Colossus Cannons"; Colossus was the name used for his ''Generation 2'' re-release.

* [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]]
** Retooled from ''Universe'' [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] with a new head.
** Characters mentioned include: [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]], [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], Galvatron, Streetwise, and Clench.

* [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]].
** Retooled from ''Energon'' [[Sharkticon (Energon)|Sharkticon]] with a new head.
** Various references to the ''Robots in Disguise'' incarnation of Sky-Byte are made, including Sky-Byte declaring himself the "greatest shark around" and his [[Tsunami Blaster]] attack.
** Sky-Byte is both a [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]] and a [[Quintesson]] creation; Japanese media would indicate that the Predacons were created by the Quintessons for the Decepticons.

* [[Rapido]]
** Retooled from ''Universe'' [[Bluestreak (G1)|Silverstreak]] with a new head.
** Characters mentioned include: Spark and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].
** Rapido's bio is entirely in Spanish.
** Rapido has an "Axelerator cannon"; he was part of the [[Axelerator]] subgroup in the original ''Generation 2'' toyline.

* [[Cindersaur (G1)|Cindersaur]].
** Redecoded from ''Beast Wars: 10th Anniversary'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]].
** Cindersaur's upgrade has made it so that he no longer has to take lava baths to soothe his joints, as noted in his original bio.

* [[Scorch (G1)|Turbomaster]] with [[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]]
** Redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Hound (G1)|Autobot Hound]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]; latter's colors based on ''Kiss Players'' [[Glit (KP)|Glit]].
** Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].
** Unable to use the name "Scorch", the name "Turbomaster" is used instead, the name of the [[Turbomaster|subgroup]] to which Scorch belonged.

* [[Double Punch (G1)|Double Punch]]
** Redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]].

* [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s
** Redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Sharkticon (Energon)|Sharkticon]].
** Characters mentioned include: Sky-Byte.
** The bios included with the three-pack indicates each one represents a separate group of Sharkticons: the [[Air Shark]]s, the [[Land Shark]]s, and the [[Sea Shark]]s.

* [[Slicer (G1)|Decepticon Slice]]
** Redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]].
** Characters mentioned include: Breakdown.
** The name "Slicer" was unavailable; "Slice" was used instead.
** Slicer's motto paraphrases the French guard from ''{{w|Monty Python and the Holy Grail}}''.
** Slicer is noted to have damaged his "Neuro-Centre Control" when landing on Earth, leaving him stuck with a French accent. Slicer's original toy's [[Power Plans]] labeled his head as a "Neuro Centre Control", without the hyphen.

* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]
** Redecoed from ''Universe'' Sideswipe.
** Characters mentioned include: [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].
** Among his stickers are ones reading "G2SWIPE", "[[BotCon|BOT CON]]", and er..."[https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=who%20dey WHO DEY]".

===2011===
* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]]
** Redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]].
** Characters mentioned in his profile include: [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]].
** Side Burn is noted to have a new "[[Spark Engine]]", much like his ''Robots in Disguise'' counterpart.

* [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
** Redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], based on his ''Generation 2'' release.
** Characters mentioned in his profile include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Motormouth (G2)|Motormouth]], and [[Clench (G1)|Clench]].
** Ramjet is noted to have gained his new [[Forestonite]] powers (the ability to generate a drill-like forcefield while flying) after stealing a canister from Motormouth.
** Ramjet's online bio contains several toast puns ("his strengthened nose cone will leave all of his adversaries toast!", "he has the capability of truly putting that pilot in a jam!"), in reference to the fandom meme that originated from alt.toys.transformers member Robowang's signature.

* [[Cheetor (Animated)|Cheetor]].
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] with a new head.

* [[Dead End (Animated)|Dead End]].
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Jazz (Animated)|Autobot Jazz]].

* [[Breakdown (Animated)|Breakdown]].
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Minor]] with a new head (shared with Sideswipe).

* [[Drag Strip (Animated)|Drag Strip]].
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]].
** Characters mentioned in her profile include: The Motor Master and Wildrider.

* [[Wildrider (Animated)|Wildrider]].
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Lockdown (Animated)|Blazing Lockdown]] with a new head.
** Among Wildrider's are a [[phlogiston]]-reactor flamethrower (named for an {{w|Phlogiston theory|obsolete scientific theory}} explaining combustion) and a chaos-crystal-edged chainsaw (also known as [[death crystal]]s, grown on the titular [[Chaos (alien)|alien monster]] from ''Transformers'' episode "[[Chaos (episode)|Chaos]]".)

* [[The Motor Master]]
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] with a new head.
** The Motor Master is noted to have reinforced [[trauma-buffer]]s, technology introduced in IDW ''Generation 1'' comic "[[Spotlight: Ultra Magnus]]".

* [[Sideswipe (Animated)|Sideswipe]].
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Minor]] with a new head (shared with Breakdown).

* [[Toxitron (Animated)|Toxitron]].
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]].
** Characters mentioned in his profile include: [[Scalpel (Animated)|Scalpel]], [[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]], [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], and [[Nemesis Prime (Animated)|Nemesis Prime]].
** Toxitron's origin homages the post-Crisis origin for DC Comics supervillain {{w|Bizarro}}.

* [[Megatron (SG)|Galvatron]]
** Redecoed from ''Cybertron'' [[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]].
** Characters mentioned in his profile include: [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]], [[Nexus Prime]], [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]], and [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Alpha Trion]].
** Galvatron's bio notes that it's been a full year since "[[Reunification: Part 6]]", with Nexus and Aquarius having begun their multiversal journey and Trion's [[stellar spanner]] having been destroyed. The activity in Iacon is set-up for next year's "Invasion" storyline.
** Galvatron's winch is made of a [[destronium]] tether; destronium was a substance introduced in ''Animated'' episode "[[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]".

* [[Thundercracker (SG)|Thundercracker]]
** Redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] in his positive-universe [[Thundercracker (G1)|counterpart]]'s [[Action Master]] colors.
** Characters mentioned in his bio include: [[Deathsaurus (SG)|Deathsaurus]].
** Colonel Deathsaurus is noted to have created the [[Mayhem Suppression Squad]]; he had previously only appeared in the short April Fool's Day comic, "[[Shattered Expectations (SG)|Shattered Expectations]]".
** Thundercracker's cryonic rockets mirror his positive counterpart's thermal rocket.
** Thundercracker picked up a signal from prison planet [[Paradron]]; the peaceful positive-universe Paradron was introduced in ''Transformers'' episode "[[Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee]]", and was established to be a prison planet in the ''Shattered Glass'' universe in [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]]' Club Magazine profile. This is, again, more set-up for "Invasion".

* [[Autotrooper (Animated)|Autotrooper]].
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Cybertron Mode Ratchet]] with a new head (shared with Fisitron).
** Characters mentioned in their profile include: Fisitron.

* [[Ironfist (Animated)|Fisitron]]
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Cybertron Mode Ratchet]] with a new head (shared with the Autotroopers).
** Characters mentioned in his profile include: [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Skyfall (Animated)|Skyfall]].
** Ironfist couldn't use his name due to trademark reasons, so instead he uses his IDW ''Generation 1'' [[Ironfist (G1)|counterpart]]'s screenname.
** Ironfist's rivalry with Skyfall references their IDW ''Generation 1'' counterparts (far more bitter) rivalry, as seen in "[[Bullets]]".
** Ironfist created Optimus Prime's axe, much like how IDW Ironfist created [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s [[ion blaster]], as seen in ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' issue [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4|#4]]. ''Animated'' Skyfall is often credited for its design instead, as was G1 [[Skyfall (G1)|Skyfall]] in "Bullets".

* [[Minerva (Animated)|Minerva]]
** Redecoed from ''Animated'' [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] with two sets of resin ears.
** Characters mentioned in her profile include: [[Fixit (Animated)|Fixit]] and [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]].
** Minerva was taught by Fixit, who, like his ''Generation 1'' [[Fixit (G1)|counterpart]], is the leader of the [[Rescue Patrol (Animated)|Rescue Patrol]].
** Minerva is noted to have crash-landed in Quebec and scanned a Japanese car, in reference to her ''Masterforce'' [[Minerva (human)|counterpart]]'s half-French, half-Japanese origin. Her friendship with the car's human driver, meanwhile, references the fact that ''Masterforce'' Minerva was original a human girl.

*[[Optimus Prime (Kre-O)|Matrix Optimus Prime]].
** A version of the standard Optimus Prime Kreon with a [[Matrix of Leadership]] tampograph on his chest.

===2012===
*[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]]
** Toy notes: Redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] with a new head.
** Characters mentioned include: Over-Run.

*[[Runabout (G1)|Over-Run]]
** Toy notes: Redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] with a new head.
** Characters mentioned include: Runamuck (online bio only).

*[[Drift (SG)|Drift]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Drift (G1)|Autobot Drift]]; comes with the pistols from ''Generations'' [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]]
** Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]
** Drift's personality is based on that of Marvel Comics' talkative mercenary {{w|Deadpool}}.
** Drift would kill his proto-initiators for the money/fun of it; "batch proto-initiators" is a term originating from IDW's ''Infiltration'' issue [[Infiltration issue 3|#3]].
** Drift's expanded online bio notes he has a fear of [[petro-rabbit]]s (a species mentioned in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''); in reference to Deadpool's irrational fear of cows.

*[[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] with pre-tool head. Colors based on ''Diaclone'' Powered Convoy, the toy from his positive-universe [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|counterpart]] was made.
** Characters mentioned include: Optimus Prime and Treadshot.
** Magnus' rivalry with Treadshot references their ''Universe'' "Battle in a Box" counterparts.
** Much of Magnus backstory from his previous mentions in various prose stories and character profiles is referred to here, including his failed coup and his imprisonment on [[Paradron]].

*[[Tracks (SG)|Turbo Tracks]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Tracks (G1)|Turbo Tracks]] in the original red color scheme of the ''Diaclone'' toy that would become his positive-universe [[Tracks (G1)|counterpart]]. Perhaps more familiar as [[e-HOBBY]] ''Collector's Edition'' exclusive [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]].
** Tracks, unlike the more recent ''Shattered Glass'' characterizations, goes in line with the original set, with his personality being basically the same, but evil.

*[[Treadshot (SG)|Treadshot]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Jazz (G1)|Special Ops Jazz]] with pre-tool head. Colored like ''Armada'' [[Side Swipe (Armada)|Side Swipe]], but with the stripe of his positive-universe [[Treadshot (Universe 2003)|Treadshot]].
** Characters mentioned include: Ultra Magnus, [[Treble]], [[Gain]], Optimus Prime, and [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]].
** Much of Magnus and Treadshot's backstory is cribbed from their ''Universe'' counterparts, once-friendly rivals turn bitter enemies when Treadshot joined the Decepticons.
** Treble and Gain are repurposed from the original Mini-Con partners of ''Universe'' [[Treadshot (Universe 2003)|Treadshot]] and [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]]. Treble is repurposed from [[Nightbeat (Armada)|Nightbeat]], while [[Over-Run (Armada)|Over-Run]] is repurposed into Gain. Treadshot's weapons are noted to honor the memory of these masters; Treble is honored by his speakers (i.e. "-beat" to music), while Gain is honored by Treadshot's rifle, due to Over-Run's gun alternate mode.
** Treadshot's gun is a pulse demagnitizer, the weapon of ''Generation 1'' [[Treadshot (G1)|Treadshot]].

*[[Soundwave (SG)|Soundwave]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] with a retooled head. The colors are based on ''Music Label'' [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]; has a decal of ''G.I. Joe'' [[Zartan]] on the side.
** Characters mentioned include: Optimus Prime, [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]], and Ultra Magnus.
** Soundwave's one desire is for everyone to "be excellent to each other and party on," a quote from ''{{w|Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure}}''.

*[[Metalhawk (G1)|Metalhawk]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] with a retooled head.
** Characters mentioned include: [[Crossblades (G1)|Crossblades]], [[Vroom (G1)|Vroom]], and [[Skyhammer (G1)|Skyhammer]].
** Somewhat oddly, Skyhammer is referred as "''Skyhammer's'' pilot," position ''Skyhammer'' as the name of his vehicle shell; later fiction would ignore this.

*[[Overlord (G1)|Gigatron]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Revenge of the Fallen'' [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Decepticon Bludgeon]] with a new head.
** Characters mentioned include: [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]].
** Gigatron's name comes from his ''Heroes of Cybertron'' release, which, like this toy, presumably couldn't use Overlord due to trademark reasons.
** Gigatron is noted to be commander of [[Polyhex]] before Straxus, who we saw in that role in Marvel's ''The Transformers'' issue [[The Smelting Pool!|#17]].

*[[Kick-Off (G1)|Kick-Over]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Jazz (G1)|Special Ops Jazz]] with a new head.
** Kick-Off's history from his original tech specs is repeated here. Additionally, it noes he escaped due to a power struggle at [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]]; presumably, this refers to the events alluded to in Gigatron's bio, when he abdicated the throne to Straxus.

*[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]
** Toy notes: Redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]].
** Much of Optimus Prime bio mirrors that of ''Generation 2'' Laser Optimus Prime. Prime was heavily damaged in sector 17 of the [[Mirtonian constellation|Mirtonian Quadrant]] (in reference to the Mirtonian constellation from the original) and rebuilt into his upgraded new form.
** Prime's bio notes his [[laser core]] was nearly extinguished; laser cores were a piece of Cybertronian anatomy mentioned several times in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon; later fiction would time them in with the concept of the [[spark]].
** Prime dragged himself into a [[CR chamber]], a piece of medical technology from ''Beast Wars''; "[[Transhuman]]" noted the [[Constructicon (SG)|Constructicon]]s were only just beginning to work on creating one, so evidently, the Autobots stole their plans at some point.
** Prime's sword is fashion from [[G-Metal]], a substance from the Japanese ''The Headmasters'' anime.

*[[Octopunch (SG)|Octopunch]]
** Toy notes: Redecoed from ''Transformers: Hunt for the Decepticons'' [[Sea Spray (TF 2010)|Sea Spray]].
** Octopunch is a fan of "mechatecha-soccer," the ''Shattered Glass'' equivalent of [[mecha-soccer]], a Cybertronian sport originally mentioned in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' letter page.
** Octopunch has been reinforced with [[rheanimum]], a gas seen in the Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic.

*[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Transformers: Hunt for the Decepticons'' [[Tomahawk (TF 2010)|Tomahawk]] with the head of ''Dark of the Moon'' [[Vortex (Movie)|Decepticon Vortex]].
** Characters mentioned include: [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] and [[Stranglehold]].
** Spinister has been missing for 20 years, last seen surrendering after [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s defeat in ''The Transformers'' issue [[All Fall Down|#66]].

*[[Wreck-Gar (SG)|Wreck-Gar]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] in [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] colors.
** Characters mentioned include: Ultra Magnus.
** Wreck-Gar and the Junkions are based on {{w|Borg}} from ''[[Star Trek]]''.
** Wreck-Gar carries a [[Decelerator laser|cerebral inhibitor laser]], the counterpart to positive Wreck-Gar's decelerator laser.
** Wreck-Gar's motto is a direct quote of the demonic Pinhead from the 1987 horror film ''{{w|Hellraiser}}''.

*[[Scrap Iron (SG)|Scrap Iron]]
** Redecoed from ''United'' [[Scrapheap (G1)|Scrapheap]] in Insecticon colors.
** Characters mentioned include: Wreck-Gar.
** Scrap Iron is a Type 001 Junkion.

*[[Junkheap (SG)|Junkheap]]
** Redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Junkyard (G1)|Junkheap]].
** Characters mentioned include: Wreck-Gar.
** Junkheap is a Type 002 Junkion.
** Among the things Type 002 Junkions collect are "outdated diecast metal"; while [[die-cast]] is a real thing used in some ''Transformers'' toys, this refers to a line indicating that die-cast metal was a lost art in ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]".

*[[Straxus (SG)|The Bard of Darkmount]]
** Redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Straxus (G1)|Darkmount]] in the colors of positive Straxus on the cover of ''Transformers Comic-Magazin'' issue [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 10|#10]].
** Like his positve-universe counterpart, Straxus' home is [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]].
** Straxus' personality is based on {{w|Tom Bombadil}} from ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}''.
** Straxus wrote the play ''[[Xal Unbound]]'', referencing both the play ''{{w|Prometheus Unbound (Shelley)|Prometheus Unbound}}'' and the deity [[Xal]], mentioned by [[Mindset (G2)|Mindset]] in Marvel's ''Generation 2'' issue [[Swarm (issue)|#9]].

*[[Longarm (SG)|Longarm]]
** Toy notes: redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' Special Ops Jazz. Toy references both the ''Animated'' version of [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], who disguised himself as the Autobot Longarm, and ''Alternators'' Shockblast, who was retooled from ''Alternators'' Meister. Comes with an alternate Shockwave head and gun hand.
** Characters mentioned include: [[Nightbeat (SG)|Nightbeat]].
** Longarm has obviously been taken over by ''Classics'' [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], last seen as a disembodied head in "[[Games of Deception]]". His bio makes various nods to Shockwave, including his weapon's ability to utilize wavelengths across the electromagnetic spectrum, and has an upgraded logic center. Additionally, the bio coyly alludes to his identity: "His ambition can blind him to situations of more immediate importance... or perhaps one of his optic units is just on the fritz."
** "Longarm" works under Nightbeat in the [[Autobot Secret Police]], originally mentioned in Nightbeat's bio card.
** "Longarm" sometimes calls himself "Longarm Prime"; ''Animated'' Shockwave had the "Prime" title as Longarm.
** Shockwave is an Autotrooper, sharing an identical body type with dozens of other Autobots, in reference to the ''Animated'' [[Autotrooper (Animated)|Autotrooper]]s, themselves homages to the ''Kiss Players'' [[Autorooper]]s.

===2013===

[[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Transformers: Hunt for the Decepticons'' [[Terradive (TF 2010)|Terradive]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Rampage (BW)|Protoform X]].
* Depth Charge's line about justice from ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Deep Metal]]" is quoted here.

[[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]].
* Scourge's bio is written so that it could serve both as the original ''Robots in Disguise'' Scourge, and as a ''Wings Universe'' Scourge serving under [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], tying in with the BotCon 2013 theme.

[[Slipstream (WFC)|Slipstream]]
* Toy notes: retooled from ''Prime: First Edition'' [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] with a new head.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Starscream (disambiguation)|Starscreams]]
* Slipstream is noted to be an oddity among the offworlders in [[Axiom Nexus]]; presumably, this is a nod to the fact that at the time, Aligned media was not considered as being part of the "standard" multiverse.
* Slipstream is noted to be as crafty as any Starscream, homaging her ''Animated'' [[Slipstream (Animated)|counterpart's]] origin as a clone of her [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]].
* Slipstream's AGP (Alternating Gyro-Power) Nullifier weapons are a very clunky nod to the 1988 [http://www.yojoe.com/action/88/nullifier.shtml Nullifier] ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' figure, who drove the [http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/88/agp/ AGP (Anti-Gravity Pod)].

[[Circuit (Movie)|Circuit]]
* Toy notes: Redecoed from ''Transformers: Hunt for the Decepticons'' [[Axor]]; homage to ''Generation 1'' [[Action Master]] of the same [[Circuit (G1)|name]].
* Circuit's home universe is the alternate live-action movie universe seen in Titan's ''Transformers'' comic. The teleportation of the Decepticons to a dead Cybertron was seen in the finale of that storyline in issue [[Transformers Comic issue 25|#25]].
* Circuit has both the invisibility shield and decelerator cannon his ''Generation 1'' counterpart has.

[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] with the head of [[BotCon 2010]] Breakdown.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and [[Psychokhan|Psychokhan]].
* Breakdown's home universe is from issue [[The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3|#3]] of the short-lived ''The Transformers in 3-D'' comic, a storyline that was never finished.

[[Jackpot (Animated)|Jackpot]]
* Toy notes: retooled from ''Animated'' [[Jazz (Animated)|Autobot Jazz]] with a new head.

[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Mammoth]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Beast Wars Neo'' [[Big Convoy]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Ironworks (Micromaster)|Ironworks]].

[[Soundwave (SG)|SG Soundwave]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''The Transformers'' [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], with the chest of ''Encore'' Soundblaster. Comes with a sticker sheet that copy many of his decals from his [[BotCon 2012]] toy, and his headband.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]].
* Soundwave's motto is a paraphrased line from "[[Eye in the Sky]]", itself a reference to the short story "{{w|I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream}}".
* Soundwave transferred his [[spark|ember]] to a new body in "[[Solar Requiem]]", the comic included with this toy.
* Soundwave's weapons are named "AC/DC" and "Venom", after the {{w|AC/DC|heavy metal}} bands of the {{w|Venom (band)|same names}}.

[[Blaster (SG)|SG Blaster]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''The Transformers'' [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], with the chest of ''Encore'' Twincast. Comes with stickers to recreate his tribal tattoos.
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Scrounge (SG)|Scrounges]], Soundwave, and [[Blitzwing (SG)|Blitzwing]].
* Blaster was given command of the Scrounges in "[[Do Over]]".
* Blaster was exiled to the moon in "[[Blitzwing Bop]]".

[[Ratbat (SG)|SG Ratbat]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''The Transformers'' [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] in the colors of {{w|Batman}}. Comes with stickers to create his chest symbol.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Blackcat (SG)|Blackcat]].
* Ratbat was originally introduced as a television personality in his profile in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 28|#28]] of the club magazine, before being reframed as a Batman pastiche in the ''Recordicons'' comic strip. His connection to Batman is played up here, including concealed tools (Batman's utility belt), and a Laser Grappler that allows him to fly faster (Batman's grappling hook).
* Ratbat's nemesis Blackcat was introduced in the ''Recordicons'' comic strip.

[[Slugfest (SG)|SG Slugfest]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''The Transformers'' [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]] in the colors of [[Grand Slam (G1)|Grand Slam]]. Comes with stickers of a restraning bolt and a "DINOCON" logo, seemingly inspired by the "AUTOBOT" tampograph on ''Generation 2'' [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Wheeljack (SG)|Wheeljack]], [[Omega Terminus]], and [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]].
* Slugfest was originally created by Wheeljack in "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]", but was granted an ember by Omega Terminus in "Do Over". Slugfest is described as one of the most unintelligent Decepticons, ignoring his intelligence boost from the latter story.

[[Rewind (SG)|SG Rewind]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''The Transformers'' [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] in the colors of the unreleased ''Generation 2'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]. Comes with stickers for his legs that recreate sculpted details from the ''Generation 2'' Go-Bot [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], and a "Vinny's Motors" sticker for his back, mashing the sponsor logos from Rumble ("Vinny's Pizza" and "Jerry's Motors").
* Characters mentioned include: Blaster and Soundwave.

[[Ramhorn (SG)|SG Ramhorn]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''The Transformers'' [[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]] in the colors of [[Rumble (ROTF)|Rumble]], the Decepticon rhino from the IDW live-action movie comics. He comes with a sticker for his midsection recreating some of Rumble's "movie detailing," and a sticker that reads "RIRRIB", which stands for "Rewind is Red, Ramhorn is Blue", after the "[[FIRRIB]]" fandom debate over [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]'s colors.
* Characters mentioned include: Rewind.

[[Solarbot (individual)|Solarbot]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''The Transformers'' [[Eject (G1)|Eject]]. A concept derived from prototype packaging for some of the ''Generation 2'' Go-Bots, which mentioned a "*FREE* Solarbot Transformer". Comes with a sticker of the "Sunburst" insignia from ''Battle Beasts''.
* Solarbot and his people come from the [[Mirtonian constellation]], originally mentioned in ''Generation 2'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Laser Optimus Prime]]'s tech specs.

[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]
* Toy notes: retooled from ''Generations'' [[Kup (G1)|Sergeant Kup]] with a new head (shared with Electrons).
* Hoist has worked on the "Generation 2" project with humanity and the [[Nebulan]]s, as seen in "[[Generation 2: Redux]]".

[[Skywarp (MW)|Skywarp]]
* Toy notes: retooled from ''Revenge of the Fallen'' [[Dirge (Movie)|Dirge]] with a new head based on ''Machine Wars'' [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (shared with Thundercracker).
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Skywarp drone]]s and Thundercracker.

[[Strika (BM)|Strika]]
* Toy notes: retooled from ''Generations'' [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] with a new head.

[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]]
* Toy notes: retooled from ''Transformers: Hunt for the Decepticons'' [[Highbrow (TF 2010)|Highbrow]] with a new head.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and [[Unicron]].

[[Megaplex]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Prime: Robots in Disguise'' [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] and Megatron.

[[Sandstorm (MW)|Sandstorm]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Dark of the Moon'' [[Skyhammer (DOTM)|Skyhammer]].
* Characters mentioned include: Electrons, Strika, and Obsidian.
* Sandstorm's bio deliberately presents him as the original [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], hiding the twist from the "[[Termination]]" comic.

[[Electro|Autobot Electrons]]
* Toy notes: retooled from ''Generations'' [[Kup (G1)|Sergeant Kup]] with a new head (shared with Hoist).
* Characters mentioned include: Hoist, [[Sizzle (G1)|Sizzle]], and Mirage.

[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]].
* Characters mentioned include: Unicron and Electrons.

[[Thundercracker (MW)|Thundercracker]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Revenge of the Fallen'' [[Dirge (Movie)|Dirge]] with a new head based on ''Machine Wars'' [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (shared with Skywarp).
* Characters mentioned include: [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], [[Thundercracker drone]]s, and [[Soundwave (MW)|Soundwave]].

[[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]].

[[Bitstream (G1)|Bitstream]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]; named after a [[Bitstream (WFC)|Seeker]] mentioned in ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]''.

[[Hotlink (G1)|Hotlink]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]; named after a [[Hotlink (WFC)|Seeker]] mentioned in ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]''.

[[Starscream (MW)|Starscream]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Transformers: Hunt for the Decepticons'' [[Terradive (TF 2010)|Terradive]].
* Characters mentioned include: the original [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], and [[Starscream drone]]s.

[[Blastcharge Strika Drone]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. Was originally intended to have the Warpath head and represent [[Blastcharge (BM)|Blastcharge]], but after accidentally being given the Strika heads instead, the toy was given a new identity. Includes flag and sticker sheet. The sticker sheet includes a variety of Autobot decals, some green bits, two pieces of text reading "J4C08" and "K8-M", and a sticker reading "BOTCON 2013".
* Characters mentioned include: Strika, [[Chip Chase]], [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], and [[Blastcharge (BM)|Blastcharge]].
* Strika controls the drones via the [[Genetronic Translink System]] created by Chip Chase, Wheeljack, and Perceptor. The GT System was introduced in the ''Binaltech'' storyline.

Kreon Souvenir Pack
* Toy notes: Hoist uses the helmet of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], the gun of [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]/[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], and the standard wheel pieces. Skywarp uses the helmet of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and the standard Seeker back wings, leg wings, and arm-mounted gun pieces. Strika uses the helmet of the divers from the ''Kre-O'' ''{{w|Battleship (film)|Battleship}}'' toyline, and the treads pieces from the Micro-Changer range of figures. Obsidian uses the helmet of [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]/[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], two-rotor pieces, and two standard ''Kre-O'' guns. Megaplex uses the Seeker wings, [[Megatron (Kre-O)|Megatron]]'s fusion cannon, the helmet of [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]], and the sword of [[Battle for Energon]] Megatron.
* Toy notes: Has Kreon versions of the BotCon 2013 boxset (Hoist, Skywarp, Strika, Obsidian, and Megaplex). Of note, Obsidian is green, like his ''Beast Machines'' toy, unlike the final toy, which is in cartoon colors, probably due to the fact that early promotional images for the BotCon toy used his toy colors.

[[Devastator (G1)|Constructicon Devastator]]
* Toy notes: based on ''Generation 2'' orange [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] with a translucent gun based on ''Generation 1'' [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].

===2014===
[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Prime: First Edition'' [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] with a new head.

[[Transmutate (BW)|Trans-mutate]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Prime: First Edition'' [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]].
* Trans-mutate's box art is based on the poster for the 1985 science fiction dram film, ''{{w|Enemy Mine}}''.

[[Barricade (WFC)|Barricade]] and [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]]
* Toy notes: Barricade is redecoed from ''Prime: Beast Hunters'' [[Prowl (WFC)|Prowl]] in a deco based on his design from the ''[[Transformers Universe (Jagex)|Transformers Universe]]'' online game, which was in turn based on the live-action movie [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]. Frenzy is redecoed from ''Prime'' "Arms Micron" [[Sou]], colored grey like the live-action movie [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Howlback (Prime)|Howlback]], [[Garboil (Prime)|Garboil]], and [[Nightstalker (Prime)|Nightstalker]].
* [[Howlback (G1)|Howlback]] and [[Garboil (G1)|Garboil]] were sold as a pair of [[e-HOBBY]] exclusives, based on the original ''Microman'' release of the toys that would become [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], whose bios characterized them as being part of the Decepticon Secret Police as the [[Cobalt Sentry|Cobalt Sentries]]. [[Nightstalker (G1)|Nightstalker]], meanwhile, was the bodyguard of the Autobot [[Overlord (rank)|Overlord]], partnered with [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] in the Marvel UK text story "[[State Games]]".

[[Fisitron (Timelines)|Fisitron]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Roadbuster (Prime)|Roadbuster]], based on the ''Generation 1'' [[Lightformer]] [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]. Can serve as an arm or leg for ''Generations'' [[Ruination (FOC)|Ruination]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] and the [[Wreckers]].
* Fisitron's bio merges aspects of both of his ''Generation 1'' counterpart's depictions in the ''Wings Universe'' and in IDW's ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'', both of whom were weapons experts. His affiliation with the Wreckers, his reclusive lifestyle, and the fact that Fisitron is an alias all come from the IDW version. His life as a factory worker in Polyhex, and the fact that his ability to build complex weapons got him noticed by Autobot higher-ups, comes from the ''Wings Universe'' version. Fisitron being directly approached by Ultra Magnus for the Wreckers mirrors how ''Wings Universe'' Ironfist was directly approached by [[Magnum]] for the [[Elite Guard]].
* Fisitron has a "combination spark", allowing him to interface with machines, presumably allowing him in time to combine with other Transformers; the [[Spark of Combination]] was seen in ''Energon'', where almost all the Autobots had it, allowing them to combine in a variety of ways, both with others and with non-sentient machinery.

[[Waspinator (BW)|Thrustinator]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Beast Wars II'' [[Dirge (BW)|Dirgegun]], with a new head. A merged form of ''Beast Wars'' Waspinator and ''Beast Machines'' Thrust.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]], Waspinator, and [[Heinrad (TransTech)|Heinrad]].
* Thrustinator's bio card indicates that when he was reformatted at the end of ''Beast Machines'', he was not turned into a tiny technorganic insect-like in the main universe, but a full-on technorganic fusion of Waspinator and Thrust on a physical and mental level.

[[Treadshot (G1)|Treadshot]] and [[Catgut]]
* Toy notes: Treadshot is redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. Catgut is redecoed from ''Prime'' "Arms Micron" [[Jida]].
* Treadshot's chest cannon is a pulse demagnitizer cannon; his original toy came with a pulse demagnitizer rifle.
* Catgut's robot mode is a [[Prysmosian cheetah]]; [[Prysmos]] is the home planet of the titular characters of fellow 80's Hasbro series, the ''Visionaries''.

[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] and [[Stylor]]
* Toy notes: Chromedome is redecoed from ''Prime: Robots in Disguise'' [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], with a new head based on his appearance in IDW's ''More than Meets the Eye''. Stylor is redecoed from ''Prime'' "Arms Micron" [[S.S.]].
* Mentioned characters include: [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and Rewind.
* Several aspects of Chromedome's depiction are taken from IDW Publishing's ''More than Meets the Eye'' Chromedome, including his history with the uptight and morally ambiguous Prowl, his use of [[mnemosurgery]] to search suspect's minds and alter memories, and his relationship with Rewind.

[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the unreleased ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Rumble (G1)|Demolition Rumble]] toy (which eventually saw release as ''United'' Rumble and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]) with a new head based on his appearance in IDW's ''More than Meets the Eye'' (shared with Eject).
* Characters mentioned include: Chromedome.
* Rewind's characterization is based on his depiction in IDW Publishing's ''More than Meets the Eye''.

[[Eject (G1)|Eject]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the unreleased ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Rumble (G1)|Demolition Rumble]] toy (which eventually saw release as ''United'' Rumble and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]) with a new head based on his appearance in IDW's ''More than Meets the Eye'' (shared with Rewind).
* Eject's bio places him as coming from the world of ''Beast Wars: Uprising''; his tech specs are one of the first mentions of the Games, which would factor heavily into the first ''Beast Wars: Uprising'' prose story, "[[Broken Windshields]]".

[[Cannonball (G1)|Cannonball]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Prime: Robots in Disguise'' [[Ratchet (WFC)|Autobot Ratchet]], with a new head. Based on ''Cybertron'' [[Cannonball (Cybertron)|Cannonball]].
* Characters mentioned include: the Dread Pirate Crew.

[[Ferak]] and [[Tornado]]
* Toy notes: Ferak is redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]; Tornado is redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Nightstick (G1)|Nightstick]].
* Characters mentioned include: Cannonball.
* Ferak and Tornado are former members of Squadron X, the Decepticon's answer to the Wreckers seen in IDW Publishing's ''Last Stand of the Wreckers''.
* Ferak's alt-mode is a hunter-seeker skyship, the name given to his alt-mode in his original appearance in Marvel's ''The Transformers'' issue [[The Smelting Pool!|#17]].

[[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], with a new head.
* Characters mentioned include: Alpha Trizer and Flamewar.
* Devcon is a former Wrecker, as was his counterpart in the 3H Productions ''The Wreckers'' comic.

[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] and [[Olin Zarak|Zarak]]
* Toy notes: Scorponok is redecoed from ''Energon'' [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]], with a new retooled neckpiece in place of a head. Zarak is redecoed from ''Encore'' [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]/[[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] with a new face, based on Scorponok's United States character model's face.
* Characters mentioned include: Cannonball.

[[Ginrai (robot)|Ginrai]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], in the colors of [[e-HOBBY]] Fire Guts God Ginrai.
* Characters mentioned include: Alpha Trizer.
* Ginrai has the nickname "Fire Guts", after the special attack of his counterpart in the ''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon.
* The Cybertronian Knights are named after the Knights of Cybertron, a legendary group from IDW Publishing's 2005 ''Generation 1'' continuity, and a major plot point in the ''More than Meets the Eye'' comic series.

[[Cheetor (BW)|Alpha Trizer]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Prime: Robots in Disguise'' [[Thundertron]]. Comes with the swords of ''Go!'' [[Go Prime]], which originally came from ''Go!'' [[Kenzan]]. Based on a cancelled toy from the 3H Productions era of [[BotCon]]: a toy of [[Alpha Trion]] redecoed from ''Beast Machines'' [[Snarl (BM)|Snarl]].
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], [[Vector Sigma]], and Ginrai.
* Alpha Trizer's bio heavily hints at his true identity as Cheetor: Trizer sees a lot of his younger self in the hotheaded Ginrai, and the rhetorical question "Can a cheetah change its spots" comes up.

[[Apelinq (BM)|Apelinq]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Beast Wars 10th Anniversary'' [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]].
* Characters mentioned include: Alpha Trizer.

[[Flareup (G1)|Flareup]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Prime: Robots in Disguise'' [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]].
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Target Masters]], Alpha Trizer, and Ginrai.
* Flareup trained under the Target Masters (a mysterious group named after the [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]]) at the academy in [[New Polyhex]] (replacing the [[Polyhex|original]] introduced in the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics. She mastered the [[Darkmount Stratagem]], named after the [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Decepticon fortress]], also from the Marvel comics.

[[Shokaract|Hunter]]
* Redecoed from ''Prime: First Edition'' [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], with the head of ''Timelines'' [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]].
* Characters mentioned include: Cannonball.
* The [[Hall of Records]] appeared in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Surprise Party]]".

[[Brimstone (G1 Star Seeker)|Brimstone]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Fireflight (FOC)|Air Raid]]. Based on ''Cybertron'' [[Brimstone (Cybertron)|Brimstone]].
* Characters mentioned include: Cannonball and Scorponok.
* Brimstone can fire a [[cybertonium]] slug; cybertonium is an element used to construct Transformers seen in ''The Transformers'' episodes "[[Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1]]" and "[[Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2]]".

[[Dread Pirate Crew]] ("Pounce" and "Wingspan" type, with two [[Arms Micron|Arms Minicons]], represented in fiction as [[Pillage]] and [[Plunder]])
* Toy notes: the "Pounce"-type Dread Pirate is redecoed from ''Prime: Robots in Disguise'' [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]. The "Wingspan"-type Dread Pirate is redecoed from ''Prime'' "Arms Micron" Jet Vehicon. The two "Arms Minicons" are redecoed from ''Prime'' "Arms Micron" [[Igu]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Pounce]], [[Wingspan]], and Cannonball.

[[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Prime: Beast Hunters'' [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]].
* Characters mentioned include: Devcon.

[[Primal Prime]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Beast Wars 10th Anniversary'' [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]. Includes a sticker sheet, with mulitple 3H Wrecker symbols; an Autobot symbol; the ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' Maximal symbols; a few stickers random stickers; some stickers based on the ones in the original ''The Transformers'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] toy's [[Combat Deck (G1)|Combat Deck]], including the "GO!" sticker; 2 stickers with text reading "STRIKE FORWARD"; 4 stickers reading "WRECK AND RULE!"; a sticker reading "BOTCON 2014"; stickers depicting Apelinq, Alpha Trizer, and Devcon (from "[[Hoist the Flag]]", pencils and inks by [[Hayato Sakamoto]], colors by [[Josh Burcham]]) and [[Tap-Out (Universe)|Tap-Out]] (from ''The Wreckers'' issue [[Disclosure|#3]], pencils by [[Guido Guidi]], inks by [[Vince Russell]] and [[Chuck Gibson]], colors by [[Blond]]); and two stickers of Comic Sans text reading "I LIKE BANANAS".
* Characters mentioned include: Apelinq and Vector Sigma.
* Much of Primal Prime's history parallels that of his 3H Productions counterpart, including his creation at the hands of aliens, using the [[Matrix of Leadership]] (the [[Vok]], as seen in the ''Primeval Dawn'' back-up stories); the title of "the Living Matrix"; his command of the Wreckers; and fighting off a [[Quintesson]] invasion.
* Primal Prime's surfboard is called the Surfblade, after Optimus Prime's own [[Surfblade]], a transforming surfboard/sword from ''Kiss Players''.
* Primal Prime carries within him a [[Key to Vector Sigma]]; the Key was seen in the original ''The Transformers'' cartoon, and in the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon.
* Primal Prime has a chronic glitch in his [[laser core]], due to his inability to understand his origins. The laser core was mentioned in ''The Transformers'' episodes "[[Divide and Conquer]]" and "[[The Autobot Run]]", and is somewhat similar to the latter idea of the spark, introduced in ''Beast Wars''.

Kreon Souvenir Pack: [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], [[Fractyl]], [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]], [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]], [[Landshark (G1)|Landshark]], and [[Overlord (G1)|Gigatron]]
* Toy notes: Breakdown reuses most of the parts from the Micro-Changers Combiner Decepticon Breakdown toy, but uses the helmet of [[Hook (G1)|Decepticon Hook]], and the double-barreled pistol. Fractyl uses the [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] helmet, the standard Kre-O pistol, and the wings from various Kreon Predacons. Rattrap uses the Megatron helmet, the double-barreled pistol, and the hardhat accessory from various Kre-O sets. Rodimus uses the [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] helmet, the [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] wings, and the flame effect of [[Scorch (G1)|Singe]]. Landshark uses the tread pieces, the hand held claw pieces, the gun with the scope, and the helmet of [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]. Overlord uses the tread pieces, two different swords, and the helmet of [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]].
* For BotCon's 20th anniversary, this pack of Kreons was produced, sampling characters from throughout BotCon history, including: ''Generation 2'' Breakdown from [[BotCon 1994]]; ''Beast Wars'' Fractyl from [[BotCon 1997]]; "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]" Rattrap from [[BotCon 2006]]; ''Shattered Glass'' Rodimus from [[BotCon 2008]]; "[[Wings of Honor]]" Landshark from [[BotCon 2009]]; and ''Classics'' Gigatron from [[BotCon 2012]].
* Rattrap comes with an alternate helmet to better match his appearance in the "Dawn of Future's Past" comic.

===2015===
[[Lio Convoy]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]], with a new head (Shared with Nova Prime).
* Lio Convoy's staff is called the "Typhoon Staff" here; the actual ''Beast Wars: Uprising'' stories would ignore this, instead of calling it the [[Solipsistic Staff]].

[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Nova Prime]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]], with a new head (Shared with Lio Convoy).
* Based on the IDW Publishing 2005 comics continuity of [[Nova Prime]], the bio is ambiguous on his actual identity, but later stories would reveal that he is the rebuilt and reformed ''Shattered Glass'' Optimus Prime.
* [[G-Metal]] is a material from ''The Headmasters'' cartoon, from which [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] built his [[Zarak Shield]].

[[Marissa Faireborn|Marissa Fairborn]] and [[Afterburner (G1)|Afterbreaker]]
* Toy notes: Based on the character from season 3 of Sunbow's ''The Transformers'', Marissa is made from a variety of ''G.I. Joe'' parts. Her head comes from the G.I. Joe Figure Subscription Service [[Cover Girl]] toy. Her torso comes from the ''{{w|G.I. Joe: Resolute}}'' [[Scarlett]] toy. Her arms come from the ''{{w|G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra}}'' Paris [[Baroness]] toy; her hands and lower legs from ''The Rise of Cobra'' Cover Girl; and her thighs from ''The Rise of Cobra'' Scarlett. Her small gun comes from the [[Iron Grenadier]] in the "Iron Grenadier Command" three-pack; her large rifle from ''G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra'' Artic [[Destro]]; and her jetpack the JUMP Pack from the ''G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary'' Cobra Air Trooper. Afterbreaker, meanwhile, is a non-Transforming version of the Autobot [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]] Afterburner; the Technobots teamed with Marissa in Sunbow ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Money Is Everything (episode)|Money is Everything]]". He is redecoed from the ''{{w|G.I. Joe: Retaliation}}'' Wheel Blaster Bike.
* Characters mentioned include: Marissa's [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|father]] and [[Lady Jaye|mother]] and [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy]].
* Marissa's last name indicated she was related to the ''G.I. Joe'' character Flint, whose real name is Dashiell R. Faireborn. "[[The Killing Jar (episode)|The Killing Jar]]" featured an illusion of Marissa's father, who resembled an older version of Flint, and was voiced by Flint's actor, [[Bill Ratner]]. Flint had a romantic relationship with fellow Joe Lady Jaye; [[Flint Dille]] would confirm in an interview that she was her mother.
* Marissa graduated from the {{w|United States Air Force Academy}}; her parents wanted her to go to {{w|United States Military Academy|West Point}}.
* Hawk, one of the highest-ranking characters in ''G.I. Joe'', was indicated to have formed the Earth Defense Command in [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s profile in "[[A Common Foe]]".
* This toy, along with Old Snake's, takes place in the ''Wings Universe''.

[[Cobra Commander|Old Snake]] and [[Battle Android Trooper|Advanced Stealth B.A.T.]] Duo
* Toy notes: Old Snake is based on the future Cobra Commander, seen in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Only Human]]". He is sourced from a variety of ''G.I. Joe''; he has the torso and arms of ''The Rise of Cobra'' [[Storm Shadow]], the legs and head of ''Pursuit of Cobra'' Cobra Commander, and the hat of JoeCon 2013 [https://www.yojoe.com/action/13/muskrat4.shtml Muskrat]. He has the backpack of ''G.I. Joe 25 Anniversary'' [[Lady Jaye]], and the gun of the ''The Rise of Cobra'' Elite-Vipers. The Battle Android Troopers are based on the 1991 figures, and are redecoed from ''Prime'' [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]]. Soundwave's [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]] figure is recolored into a pair of [[Nightshriek (G.I. Joe)|Nightshriek]] drones. The set also comes with two Energon cubes, redecoed from the "rare artifacts" of the ''G.I. Joe DVD Battles'' "The Revenge of Cobra" pack.
* Characters mentioned in Old Snake's filecard include: four Autobots ([[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]), [[Victor Drath]], and Marissa Faireborn.
* Characters mentioned in the B.A.T.'s filecard include: Old Snake, [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]], and [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]].
* The filecards for Old Snake and the B.A.T.s used the combined Decepticon/Cobra symbol, from Devil's Due Press' ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' comic mini-series.
* The events of "Only Human" are gone over in brief, with Old Snake planning to return Cobra to glory after his failed attempt to use the Autobots for evil and Victor Drath's incarceration. It's noted that after this, Cobra Commander tried to create Serpent O.R., but thanks to interference from the [[Earth Defense Command]], Serpent O.R. was not under his control, as detailed in Serpent's profile in "A Common Foe". Instead, he's turned to upgrading the Battle Android Troopers, robotic Cobra troops, now able to transform into UAVs and standing at nearly full Transformer size.

[[Carzap (BT)|Carzap]] and [[G.B. Blackrock]]
* Toy notes: Redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], with a new head. Based on the unreleased ''Block Town'' version of [[Windbreaker]]. Comes with a ''Kre-O'' version of G.B. Blackrock, an ally of the Autobots from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Rapido]].
* Most of Carzap's tech specs are a shortened version of his profile from "[[A Common Foe]]". One new thing mentioned is his [[forestonite]] powers, (originally a substance from the ''Comic Bom Bom'' ''[[The New Battle!!|G-2]]'' manga, forestonite was heavily involved in ''Wings Universe'' stories starting with "[[Generation 2: Redux]]". It gives him an ability called "Phase 6" that boosts his mental speed, named after the [[Phase 6|company]] owned by [[Andrew Hall]], which helps Japanese artists and writers collaborate with Western fiction, and helped make several Collectors' Club stories possible.

[[Nacelle (G1)|Nacelle]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], with the wings of [[BotCon 2007]] [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]. Based on a color scheme for Thrust seen in a Japanaese catalog; take his name from [[Nacelle (WFC)|a Seeker]] from the ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' novel.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Bitstream (G1)|Bitstream]], [[Hotlink (G1)|Hotlink]], [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], and [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]].
* During the war on Cybertron, Nacelle worked with Bitstream, Hotlink, and Starscream as part of the [[Helex-Yuss Decepticon Research and Advancement]] team. Starscream was noted to be a scientist before the war in Sunbow's ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Fire in the Sky]]". [[Helex (polity)|Helex]] was a city introduced in issue [[The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire.|#213]] of the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comic. [[Yuss]] was a town seen in the Marvel UK prose story "[[The Magnificent Six!]]" from the ''[[Transformers Annual 1991]]''. Nacelle works with Bitstream and Hotlink, two of the Seekers from the "welcoming committee" scene from the first ''The Transformers'' episode, "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]". It has been indicated that he was the barely noticeable dark blue and grey Seeker from said committee.
* Nacelle has a laboratory in [[Tesarus (polity)|Tesarus]]; Tesarus was a city originally mentioned in issue [[Life After the Big Bang|#4]] of IDW Publishing's ''More than Meets the Eye''.
* Nacelle's wings are noted to be prototypes upon which the second wave of Earth-bound Seekers ([[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]) had their wings based on. As noted above, Nacelle is based on a prototypical color scheme for Thrust from a Japanese catalog.

[[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations'' [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], using the head of ''Generations'' [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]. Based on the robotic version of ''G.I. Joe'' character Serpentor, from Devil's Due Press mini-series ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War''.
* Characters mentioned include: Four Autobots ([[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]), [[Cobra Commander|Old Snake]], and [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]].
* Serpent O.R.'s tech specs are a shortened version of his profile from "A Common Foe".

[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] and his [[Arachnoid|Spider Drones]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], with the head of ''United'' [[Scrapheap (G1)|Scrapheap]]. The Spider Drones, based on the Arachnoids from the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, are redecoed from ''Prime'' [[Arms Micron]] toy [[Ida]].
* Characters mentioned: [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], and three other robots ([[Cicadacon]], [[Ram Horn]], and [[Sea Clamp]]).
* Tarantulas' tech specs are a shortened version of his profile from "A Common Foe".

[[Starscream (G1)|G2 Starscream]]
* Toy notes: Redecoed from ''Classics'' Starscream, based on his ''Generation 2'' toy.
* The story of how Starscream obtained his new body was told on the Facebook page, ''[[Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur]]''.

[[Krok (G1)|Krok]] and [[Gatoraider]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. Gatoraider is redecoed from ''Prime'' Arms Micron [[Dai]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].
* Krok's tech specs are a shortened version of his profile from "A Common Foe".

[[Nightracer (G2)|Nightracer]] and [[Shakar]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Tailgate (G1)|Autobot Tailgate]]. Shakar (an anagram of Nightracer's creator's name, [[Raksha]], is redecoed from [[Neutro|Groundbuster]], who came with Tailgate.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].
* Though technically a toy of the ''Generation 2'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]], Nightracer is characterized as the ''Wings Universe'' original "[[Nightracer (G1)|Nightracer]]", from which the Go-Bot is cloned as seen in the "A Flash Forward" storyline. Nevertheless, the clone Nightracer uses this body in "A Common Foe".
* Raksha, Nightracer's creator, helped pen this bio, and she uses the opportunity to poke a little bit of fun at herself. Shakar, Nightracer's "[[Mini-Con|Micron]]" partner, can turn into a chemical flamethrower. Raksha was known for causing "flame-wars" in the early days of Internet fandom, over her opinions on Decepticons and the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.

[[Packrat|Maximal Packrat]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]].
* Packrat's tech specs are pretty much the same as his [[BotCon 1997]] toy's tech specs.

[[Battletrap (G1)|Battletrap]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Springer (G1)|Autobot Springer]], with a new head.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and Megatron.
* Battletrap's tech specs would later be expanded into a full profile in the retail release of "[[Cybertron's Most Wanted]]".

[[Stepper (SG)|Autobot Stepper]] and [[Nebulon (SG)|Nebulon]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Jazz (G1)|Special Ops Jazz]]. Nebulon is redecoed from ''Universe'' [[Nightstick (G1)|Nightstick]]. Based on the Japanese-exclusive [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Stepper]] and [[Nebulon (Headmasters)|Nebulon]] (known as "Ricochet" and "Nightstick" in America), the toy is something of a re-do of the BotCon 2008 Ricochet toy. These two molds were previously sold together as their positive universe counterparts as part of the ''United'' toyline, sold as a mail-away exclusive from the ''[[Transformers Generations 2011 Vol. 1]]'' book.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Ricochet (SG)|Ricochet]], the "original" Nebulon, [[Drift (SG)|Drift]], and a group of GoBots ([[Road Ranger]], [[Treds]], [[Rest-Q (GoBots)|Rest-Q]], [[Small Foot]], and [[BuggyMan]]).
* Stepper's shtick pre-Axiom Nexus is based on [[Batman]] villain the {{w|Ventriloquist (comics)|Ventriloquist}}.
* Ricochet created the ''Shattered Glass'' Targetmasters in "[[Do Over]]".
* ''Shattered Glass'' Drift's tech specs revealed that he was assigned by Optimus Prime to hunt down any interdimensional invaders.
* The encounter with the GoBots here that results in Stepper's transport to Axiom Nexus would eventually be seen in "[[Spatiotemporal Challengers]]" chapter 2, "[[High Noon (SG)|High Noon]]". However, the description of events here (with the fake Nebulon exploding and causing a rift in spacetime, sending Ricochet to Axiom Nexus), would be contradicted by the next story, "[[Journey's Eve]]", which showed how, after being incarcerated by the ''Classics'' Autobots, a random dimensional gate opened up in his cell.

[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] with [[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]], [[Heavyweight]], and [[Boombox]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Prime'' [[Breakdown (WFC)|War Breakdown]], with a new head and the "bullbar" piece from ''Prime'' [[Silas|Silas Breakdown]]. Scalpel is redecoed from ''Prime'' Arms Micron [[Magi]], Heavyweight from [[B.H.]], and Boombox from [[Gora]]. Megatron is based on his ''Dark of the Moon'' form. Scalpel's inclusion references the ''Dark of the Moon'' film, where multiple "[[Lensmeter Decepticon]]s", who shared their CGI model with Scalpel, were seen working on Megatron's damaged head. Heavyweight and Boombox are based on ''Generation 1'' [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s energon mace and fusion cannon.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]], and [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Rodimus Prime]].
* Megatron comes from an alternate version of ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]'', where due to a spatial anomaly, Megatron was able to avoid Optimus Prime's axes and kill him instead.
* Megatron's motto mentions duranium, a metal from ''[[Star Trek]]''.
* Megatron's fortress on Earth is named New Kaon, the original name of the Earthbound [[Darkmount (Earth)|Darkmount]] from the ''Prime'' cartoon.
* Megatron realizes "it never ends", one of the many phrases present throughout author [[Simon Furman]]'s work.

[[Oilmaster]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] and [[Sky High (Micromaster)|Flanker]], with an all-new Pretender shell. Weapons include the sword of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], and the rifle of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], from the ''Construct-Bots'' "Optimus Prime vs Megatron" two-pack. Oilmaster is based on the gorilla "Double Pretender", a canceled subline of Pretenders that had shells that hid two robots. He was given the name Oilmaster in the comic sold with the [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive ''Generations'' [[Magnificus (G1)|Magnificus]], "[[Badlands (issue)|Badlands]]". This name was derived from the blog of a Japanese Transformers fan and gorilla lover, "Abura Chojin". Oilmaster's jet body is based on ''Generation 1'' [[Micromaster]] [[Airwave (Micromaster)|Airwave]].
* Mechanometers are a unit of measurement mentioned in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[City of Steel (episode)|City of Steel]]".
* Oilmaster uses a qualtablade, a type of weapon from ''{{w|Farscape}}''.

[[Optimus Prime (G1)|General Optimus Prime]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]]. Optimus is based on the unreleased ''Generation 2'' General Optimus Prime toy, redecoed from [[Auto Roller (G2)|Auto Roller]] [[Dirtbag]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Sgt. Hound, [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]], [[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]], [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], the [[Convoy (group)|Convoy]], and [[Cheetor (TransTech)|Cheetor]].
* General Optimus Prime's tech specs would later be expanded in the retail release of "Cybertron's Most Wanted".

[[Hound (G1)|Sgt. Hound]] with [[Dia Cinders|Dia]] and [[Cline]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Scoop (G1)|Autobot Scoop]], with a new head. Dia and Cline are redeceod from [[Tracer (Targetmaster)|Caliburst]] and [[Holepunch (G1)|Holepunch]], respectively. Hound is based on the unreleased ''Generation 2'' Sgt. Hound toy, redecoed from Auto Roller [[Roadblock (G2)|Roadblock]]. Dia and Cline were supposed to be based on the tiny partners of the ''Diaclone'' toys on which Burn Out and Lift-Ticket were based, but due to bad lighting conditions in the reference material, they ended up in original color schemes. Dia and Cline's names obviously come from ''Diaclone''. Above Hound's left rear tire, "W.A.L.T." is written in black, in reference to ''Transformers'' fan and Hound collector Walter Mueller.
* Characters mentioned include: General Optimus Prime, Jazz, Megatron, Cheetor, Dia, and Cline.

[[Burn Out (Diaclone)|Burn Out]]
* Toy notes: redeceod from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Skids (G1)|Autobot Skids]]. Burn Out is based on the black coloration of the ''Diaclone'' Honda City Turbo toy, the mold that would become ''The Transformers'' toy named Skids. She takes her name from a Cobra-aligned [[Dreadnok]] from ''G.I. Joe''.
* Characters mentioned include: Dia and her parents.
* Dia is loosely based on the character Sasha Kaidonovsky from ''{{w|Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim}}''.
* The [[Diaclone Project]] began in 1982 in Burn Out's home universe. While the first ''Diaclone'' toys were released in 1980, the ''Diaclone'' toys that would become part of ''The Transformers'' were first released in 1982.

[[Lift-Ticket (Diaclone)|Lift-Ticket]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]. Lift-Ticket is based on the red coloration of the ''Diaclone'' 4WD Hi-Lux Wrecker Type, the mold that would become ''The Transformers'' toy named Hoist. He takes his name from a ''G.I. Joe'' [[Lift-Ticket (G.I. Joe)|helicopter pilot]].
* Characters mentioned include: Cline, the Waruders, Burn Out, and Dia.
* Japan is apparently a part of the "[[United Commonwealths of the Indio-Pacific Treatise]]" in Cline's home universe.
* Lift-Ticket was originally going to be named "Salvage", after the red [[Salvage (Movie)|Autobot truck]] from the 2007 ''Transformers'' movie toyline. In homage to this, his functions include ''Salvage'' and Mechanical Repairs.

[[Waruder]]s: [[Parasite]] and [[Ripper (Diaclone)|Ripper]], [[Mudfighter]] and [[Thrasher (Diaclone)|Thrasher]], [[Storm Rider]] and [[Crusher (Diaclone)|Crusher]], [[Paralyzer]] and [[Buzzer (Diaclone)|Buzzer]].
* Toy notes: The larger Waruders are redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' Deluxe-Class [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]]. The smaller Waruders are redeceod from the Legends-class partner Waspinator. The Waruders are the evil faction from ''Diaclone'', alien transforming insects who have come to conquere Earth. The smaller Waruders all take their name from Dreadnoks from ''G.I. Joe''. The Storm Riders also take their name from a Dreadnok; the other larger Waruders, however, are all named after various vehicles from ''G.I. Joe''. The Parasite's colors are based on the unreleased "[[Horrorcon (Universe)|Horrorcon]]" Waspinator toy, from the ''Universe'' toyline. The Mudfighter's colors are based on the ''Beast Wars'' [[Fox Kids]] [[Transmetal]] Waspinator toy. The Storm Rider's colors are based on the ''Diaclone'' Warudos toy. The Parasite's colors are based on the [[BotCon 2007]] [[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]] toy.

[[Zaptrap]] with [[Beet-Chit]] and [[Spy-Eye (Diaclone)|Spy-Eye]].
* Toy notes: Zaptrap is redeceod from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Shrapnel (G1)|Skrapnel]]; Beet-Chit from [[Chop Shop (G1)|Chop Shop]]; and Spy-Eye from [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. Zaptrap is based on the e-HOBBY Zaptrap toy, which was itself based on the ''Diaclone'' Insecter Robo "Kuwagatrer" toy that eventually became Shrapnel. Beet-Chit takes his name from the "Beet-" suffix used for the toys in the ''Armored Insect Corps Beetras'' toyline, the molds of which would eventually be used for the Deluxe Insecticons. "Chit" comes from chitin, a substance found in the exoskeletons of insects and other arthropods. Spy-Eye's colors aren't based on anything in particular, but he has been noted to resemble the ''Diaclone'' Powered Armor toys.
* Zaptrap has the same weapons as e-HOBBY Zaptrap, including grenade launchers and gamma beam detonators.

[[Galva Convoy]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Timelines'' [[Lio Convoy]], originally from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Orion Pax]]. Comes with unofficial accessories: the [[Covenant of Primus]] (from the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon) and the [[Matrix of Conquest]] (from the "Reaching the Omega Point" story "[[Terminus (issue)|Terminus]]"). Based on the ''Beast Wars II'' [[Lucky Draw]] "Galvatron Color" Lio Convoy toy.
* Characters mentioned include: the Convoy, [[Nova Prime]], Lio Convoy, [[Unicron]], [[Maccadam]], [[Swerve (disambiguation)|Swerves]], and Cheetor.
* Various rumors abound as to Galva Convoy's origins. The most prominent theory is that he is from [[Primax 209.0 Gamma]], the "initial" ''Beast Wars: Uprising'' universe, a dark reflection of Lio Convoy (like the main version of Galva Convoy), from the [[Shadowzone (dimension)|Shadowzone]], a pocket dimension from the ''Prime'' episode of the [[Shadowzone (episode)|same name]], powered by Unicron. Other theories include that he is a deep-cover agent for the Convoy (the group of Optimus Primes gathered to protect the multiverse, first seen in "[[Invasion Prologue]]"; a negative-polarity version of Nova Prime (Nova Prime is from IDW Publishing's 2005 comic continuity; in the "Another Light" storyline, ''Shattered Glass'' Optimus Prime was reformatted into the heroic Nova Prime by Unicron); a clone created by a [[Builder of Cybertron|authoritarian regime]] in the event of an [[Grand Uprising|uprising]] (the origin of Galva Convoy as indicated in "[[Broken Windshields]]", and eventually "[[Not All Megatrons]]" and "[[Derailment]]"). One unlikely rumor has him as Maccadam, the proprietor of [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]], introduced in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comics. Only Swerves believe this; the IDW Publishing version of [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] believes a lot of inane rumors, as seen in ''More than Meets the Eye''.
* Galva Convoy's axe is theorized to either be made of [[Dark Energon]] or [[Angolmois Energy]]. Dark Energon and Angolmois Energy are two different forms of Unicron's lifeblood, from the "Aligned" continuity and ''Beast Wars II'', respectively. ''Beast Wars: Uprising'' author [[Jim Sorenson]] has linked the two in his works.

[[Kreon]] Souvenir Set: [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Autobot Spike]], [[Doctor Arkeville|Dr. Arkeville]], [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]], [[Donny Finkleberg|Robot Master]], and [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (with [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]])
* Toy notes: Autobot Spike uses the helmet of [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], and the gun hand of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Arkeville uses the mad scientist hair piece from the ''Kre-O'' ''Cityville'' sets, and has a plastic lab coat. Nightbird uses the head of ''Kre-O'' ''Age of Extinction'' [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], and comes with a sword, some shuriken, a pair of nunchucks, and a sai. The Robot-Master has a fabric cape, and an alternate head using his regular Donny Finkleberg head. The Headmaster uses the smaller ''Cityville'' body, and the helmet of [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]. Sentinel Prime comes with a sword and uses the helmet of Prowl. The set comes with the pack-in comic, "[[The Brick List: Earth's Most Wanted]]".
* Autobot Spike is based on the briefly Cybertronian version of Spike Witwicky from ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Autobot Spike|of the same name]]". Doctor Arkeville was an ally of the Decepticons seen in several episodes of ''The Transformers'' first season. Nightbird was a robot ninja reprogrammed by the Decepticons from ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Enter the Nightbird]]". Robot-Master was the supervillain alias of Donny Finkelberg, used by both [[Intelligence and Information Institute|Triple I]] and the Decepticons as a propaganda tool. The Headmaster and Sentinel Prime both come from ''Animated''; the Headmaster took over Sentinel's body in "[[The Return of the Headmaster]]".

===2016===
[[Ramjet (Universe)|Ramjet]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Armada Starscream]], with a new head (shared with Skywarp).
* Characters mentioned include: [[Unicron]] and [[Nexus Prime]].
* Ramjet's tech specs are a truncated version of the full profile published in issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 67|#67]] of the Club magazine.

[[Skywarp (Armada)|Skywarp]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Armada Starscream]], with a new head (shared with Ramjet).
* The majority of Skywarp's personality as described in his tech specs comes from his profile in the Dreamwave Productions ''[[More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada]]'', as does his nickname, "Bull's-eye in the Sky". However, his teleportation abilities, his prankster-like personality off the battlefield, and his tendency to become listless without direction come from the fairly divergent bio of his ''Cybertron'' toy.
* Skywarp is noted to be trained in [[Circuit-Su]], a Cybertronian martial art mentioned in the tech specs of the 1988 Decepticon [[Pretender]], [[Bugly (G1)|Bugly]]. The Japanese toy bio for ''Prime'' [[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]] noted that incarnation also studied Circuit-Su, and like him, ''Armada'' Skywarp has used it to hone his capabilities.
* Skywarps swords are called [[Parahytherion blades]], after noted [[Skywarp (disambiguation)|Skywarp]] fan [[Randy Para]], and the [[Hytherion]], an interdimensional beast from ''Alternity'' fiction.

[[Hot Rod (G1)|Autobot Leader Code Name: Rodimus Prime]]
* Toy notes: Based upon his "human" [[synthoid]] form from the season 3 ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Only Human]]", Rodimus Prime's toy uses various ''G.I. Joe'' parts. His head, torso, and arms come from the ''G.I. Joe: Pursuit of Cobra'' [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|General Hawk]] toy. His legs come from ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' [[Shipwreck]]. His rifles come from the ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' Data-Viper toy. The barracuda (representing the fish he caught in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'') comes from the 1990 Undertow toy, recently reused for the JoeCon 2015 Undertow Officer. Finally, his "fishing rod" is made from the accessories of the ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' [[Blind Master]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Victor Drath]], [[Cobra Commander|Old Snake]], and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]].
* Rodimus Prime's "secondary military specialty" is given as "Cavalier," the function of Hot Rod according to his original tech specs.
* Much of Rodimus' file card is dedicated to recapping the events of "Only Human", with Rodimus wondering how life would be if he remained "only human" in a nod to the episode.
* A quote about Rodimus is given from Kup (referred to by the trademark friendly name "Sergeant Kup" that's been used to refer to him since his ''Generations'' toy). He quotes Optimus Prime, saying that "fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing," quoted from Prime's [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|live-action film counterpart]] in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''.

[[Arcee (G1)|Autobot Warrior Code Name: Arcee]]
* Toy notes: Based upon her "human" [[synthoid]] form from the season 3 ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Only Human]]", Arcee's toy uses various ''G.I. Joe'' parts. Her head is an all-new sculpt. Her torso comes from the ''G.I. Joe: Renegades'' [[Scarlett]] figure. Her arms come from the "50th Anniversary" [[Lady Jaye]] figure. Her legs come from the ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' Covert Operations Scarlett figure, while her pistols come from the ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' "Attack on the G.I. Joe P.I.T." [[Baroness]]. Her drone, reused as a [[Sky Spy]], comes from the ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' Data-Viper.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], [[Carly (G1)|Carly Witwicky]], [[Victor Drath]], [[Cobra Commander|Old Snake]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], Rodimus Prime, and [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]].
* Like Rodimus' file card, Arcee's is mostly dedicated to recapping "Only Human". She's noted to have a close relationship with Daniel.
* A quote from Springer says that, in battle, Arcee's meaner than a [[Privelian Cyberfang Turbocat]].

''G.I. Joe featuring Ninja Force and the Transformers''
* This toy pack homages the storyline in the ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' comic that set up the ''Generation 2'' comic, running from issue [[Unfoldings!|#138]] to [[Final Transformations|#142]], referencing the [[Silent Castle]] in [[Trans-Carpathia]] and its transformation capabilities that attracted Megatron to it, Biggles-Jones' [[rail gun]] technology, and Cobra's [[Doctor Mindbender|experiments]] with cloning in the basement of the Silent Castle. It also mentions how it was presumed Megatron was dead after the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' crashed on Earth again, as seen in issue [[A Savage Circle|#78]] of ''The Transformers''. This toy set doesn't quite take place in continuity with the Marvel comic, adding Ratbat, Blackcat, and Toaster into the mix. Also mentioned is that Scarlett was sent to the medibay, after being stabbed by [[Snake-Eyes]] to keep her cover in issue #138. The boxart for the toy was drawn by [[Chris Batista]], who penciled issues [[Realignments|#139]] and [[Goin' South|#140]] of the crossover, done in homage to the cover of #139, with Megatron and Cobra Commander's positions swapped. It also recreates the cover dress of the original ''G.I. Joe'' covers, with a logo for ''G.I. Joe Featuring Ninja Force and Transformers'', a corner box (with the heads of Ratbat, Scarlett, and Biggles-Jones, an "issue number" declaring the boxset to be issue 139.5, and a little stamp saying "{{w|Comics Code Authority|Approved by the Fan Code Authority}}."

[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]
* Toy notes: Redecoed from the ''Generations Thrilling 30'' Megatron toy, this toy doesn't represent Megatron himself, but a hologram of a design for Megatron's new form, to explain Megatron's toy being roughly the same size as the humans in the pack. It's colored as the original ''Generation 2'' Megatron toy, in green and purple.

[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the ''Masterpiece'' Ratbat figure, in the colors of Ratbat as he appeared in the Marvel comic. A profile published in the G.I. Joe Club's magazine (See below) established that Ratbat had, in fact, survived being killed by [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in issue [[Dark Star|#50]] of ''The Transformers''.

[[Sidney Biggles-Jones|Dr. Biggles-Jones]]
* Toy notes: Based on the original character from the Marvel ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' comics, Dr. Biggles Jones uses a variety of ''G.I. Joe'' toy parts. Her head is taken from the G.I. Joe Collectors Club Figure Subscription Service 1.0 [[Jinx|Kim Arashikage]]. Her upper torso comes from the 2016 G.I. Joe Collectors Club membership figure, [[Pythona]], while her lower torso comes from the ''G.I. Joe: Resolute'' [[Scarlett]] figure. Her upper legs come from the ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' [[Agent Helix]] figure, while her lower legs and feet come from the ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' Covert Operations Scarlett figure. Her arms come from the ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' [[Cover Girl]] figure. Her lab coat is redecoed from the trench coat of the ''G.I. Joe: Renegades'' Amazon-exclusive [[Snake-Eyes]] figure. And her rifle comes from the ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' Neo-Viper figure.
* Characters mentioned include: Cobra Commander, the [[Night Creeper]]s, Megatron, and Ratbat.
* Biggles-Jones' file card is a shortened version of her dossier in the Joe Collectors' Club magazine (see below).

[[Scarlett]]
* Toy notes: Based on her "Ninja Force" appearance, Scarlett is made from a variety of toy parts. Her head and upper legs come from her ''G.I. Joe: Renegades'' figure. Her upper torso, along with her twin swords and her back-mounted scabbard, comes from the San Diego Comic-Con 2012 [[Jinx|Kim Arashikage]] figure, while her lower torso comes from the ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' Desert Ambush Scarlett. Her lower legs and feet come from the 2009 Air Viper figure. Her arms come from the San Diego Comic-Con 2011 [[Zarana]] figure. Her nunchucks come from the ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' Kim Arashikage figure, while her tekagi come from the ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' Red Ninja figure.
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Ninja Force]], Cobra Commander, Dr. Sidney Biggles-Jones, Blackcat, Toaster, and Megatron.
* Scarlett's file card is a shortened version of her dossier in the Joe Collectors' Club magazine (see below).

[[Cobra Commander]]
* Toy notes: Cobra Commander is a redecoed version of the 2013 Cobra Commander figure released at Dollar General. His "Megatron pistol" accessory, meanwhile, comes from the San Diego Comic Con 2011 ''G.I. Joe and the Transformers'' exclusive set.
* Characters mentioned include: Megatron.
* Cobra Commander's file card is a shortened version of her dossier in the Joe Collectors' Club magazine (see below).

[[Blackcat (G1)|Blackcat]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] figure from the ''G.I. Joe and the Transformers'' San Diego Comic-Con 2013 exclusive set, Blackcat was a green recolor of Ravage seen in the German ''Transformers Comic-Magazin'' in issue [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 18|#18]]. His red paws, however, come from ''another'' green recolor of Ravage seen on the covers of issues [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 4|#4]] and [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 4|#6]], with this figure retconning those into being Blackcat.

[[Toaster]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from the [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] figure also from the ''G.I. Joe and the Transformers'' San Diego Comic-Con 2013 set; the tapes representing [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]], [[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]], and [[Eject (G1)|Eject]] have been redecoed into pieces of "toast". Toaster is a bit more complicated: in issue [[Cold Comfort and Joy!|#198]] of the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comic, a flashback to the Autobots and Decepticons waking up on board the ''Ark'' showed one Transformer being reformatted into a toaster. In the letters page for [[The Pri¢e of Life!|#310]] of the comic, Blaster claimed that the toaster was his brother...Toaster.

[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (with [[Sunbeam (G1)|Sunbeam]] and [[Zigzag|Zputty]])
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Fireflight (G1)|Firefly]], with Sunbeam and Zputty redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Tracer (Targetmaster)|Caliburst]] and [[Holepunch (G1)|Holepunch]]. Due to Zigzag's original name being unavailable to trademark, he was renamed Zputty, after David Puddy, a mechanic like Zigzag from ''{{w|Seinfeld}}''.
* Needlenose's "motto", "Photon Eliminator? That is sooooooo 2006," references both the personal weapon of ''Generation 1'' [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], and the Marvel UK ''The Transformeers'' storyline, "[[Target: 2006]]".
* Needlenoses's [[4C Cyro Coolant Concussion Cannon]] is presumably named for the fact that its name is four words beginning with "C".

[[Ruckus (G1)|Grabuge]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Offroad (CW)#Toys|Decepticon Offroad]]. Due to the trademark for the name "Ruckus" being unavailable, he uses his French Canadian name, Grabuge, which is noted to be his ''nom de guerre'' in his tech specs.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Ground Hog]] and Bludgeon.
* Ruckus is noted to be the brother of the 1990 [[Micromaster]] Ground Hog.
* Ruckus wields a "chaos crystal-tipped ax", which feels like a reference to the [[death crystal]]s that were shed from the monster known as [[Chaos (alien)|Chaos]], as seen in ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Chaos (episode)|Chaos]]".

[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (with [[Hairsplitter|Shrute]] and [[Singe]])
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Alpha Bravo]], with Shrute and Singe redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Holepunch (G1)|Holepunch]] and [[Tracer (Targetmaster)|Caliburst]]. Due to Hairsplitter's original name being unavailable to trademark, he was renamed Shrute, after {{w|Dwight Schrute}} from ''{{w|The Office (American TV series)|The Office}}''.
* Characters mentioned include: Bludgeon.
* Spinister has supposedly traveled the multiverse, in reference to his appearance in issues [[Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4|#14]] through [[Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4|#17]] of the Dreamwave ''Armada'' comic as the sole survivor of an alternate universe consumed by [[Unicron]].
* Shrute claims that Spinister once told him that he also used to be a [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]], in reference to the ''Generations Thrilling 30'' toy of Spinister that was packed in as a partner for [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]].

[[Windsweeper]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]. Also includes the [[Matrix of Malice]] accessory for Thunder Mayhem, redecoed from the [[Matrix of Leadership]] accessory included with ''Masterpiece'' MP-10 [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].
* Characters mentioned include: Grabuge and Bludgeon.
* Windsweeper's bio notes that, before the war, he used to be an Autobot, in reference to a long-standing fan theory that he and [[Dogfight (G1)|Dogfight]] were swapped between the [[Triggerbot]]s and [[Triggercon]]s.
* Having abandoned his Triggercon weapons, Windsweeper is now armed with a heat-seeking missile launcher and a B-1B double-barreled laser cannon, named for Windsweeper's original alternate mode, the {{w|Rockwell B-1 Lancer|B-1B Lancer}}.

[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] with a new head, based on his original toy's inner robot head. He comes with two swords, taken from ''Go!'' [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Exprime]].
* Characters mentioned include: the previous [[Thunderwing (G1)|holder]] of the Matrix of Malice.
* Aside from being trained in [[Metallikato]], Bludgeon is also trained in [[Crystalocution]], a martial art mentioned in the tech specs of 1990 [[Action Master]] [[Banzai-Tron (G1)|Banzai-Tron]].
* Bludgeon's swords are made of [[tironium]], a metal mentioned in the ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge]]".

[[Thunder Mayhem]]
* Toy notes: The combined form of the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]. Bludgeon's combiner head, originally meant for ''Combiner Wars'' [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], is replaced with a new mold based on [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s head, with his torso redecoed to look like Thunderwing's Marvel appearance.

[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Rook (CW)|Protectobot Rook]], with a new head based on the design for Impactor created by [[Nick Roche]] for ''Last Stand of the Wreckers''. He comes with redecoed versions of the accessories of ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]].
* Impactor's tech specs are mostly a truncated version of his profile in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 68|#68]] of the Club magazine. The only new addition is the mention of "the trials by Flame"; Flame was a rogue Autobot scientist who revived the dead Impactor alongside many others as zombies in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comic, in a storyline that ran from issues [[City of Fear!|#164]] to [[Meltdown!|#169]].

[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], with colors based on the original ''Diaclone'' Fairlady Z version of the toy that became Bluestreak's original toy, and the ''Binaltech'' Bluestreak toy.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], Impactor, [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], [[Medix (G1)|Medix]], and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]].
* Bluestreak's coloration is noted to be a "stealth tech" upgrade made in collaboration with Wheeljack (the Autobot's resident scientist), Medix (Autobot medic, and a ''Generation 1'' version of the ''Rescue Bots'' character introduced at [[BotCon 2016]]), and Mirage (who had the power to turn invisible in the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon.

[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]], with a new head based on his ''Beast Wars'' cartoon head (shared with Tigatron). This toy is infamous for the new head mold being ''very'' flat.
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Tripredacus Council]].
* Ravage's body is rumored to have been provided by the Tripredacus Council, which contradicts BotCon 2006 Laserbeak's tech specs, where it was noted it was provided by [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]].
* Ravage's sword is made of [[G-Metal]], a substance from ''The Headmasters'' cartoon. The bio notes Ravage may one day trade it in for laser-guided weapons, in reference to his guns from the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.

[[Tarantulas (BW)|Predacon Tarantulas]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Rook (CW)|Protectobot Rook]] with a new head, both of which are based upon his [[Transmetal]] form.
* Characters mentioned include: the Tripredacus Council.
* Tarantulas' mysterious origins are vaguely hinted at, noting he came up from a "[[Pit (BW)|pit]] of the unknown".

[[Ram Horn|General Ramhorn]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Nosecone (G1)|Nosecone]] with a new head, based on his appearance in the ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]". He's colored red, due to the lighting of the scene, but the actual model was gray, as with the other Tripredacus members.
* Characters mentioned include: the Tripredacus Council.
* Ram Horn is said to be as subtle as a [[variable voltage harness]], a torture device first mentioned in issue [[Child's Play (issue)|#35]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
* Rumored origins include him being a former Autobot (his surliness and general assholishness might mean that he was [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]), him having killed and stolen the name of an Autobot (''Generation 1'' [[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]], obviously), or that he crawled out of the [[Pit (BW)|Pit]] itself.

[[Cicadacon|General Cicadacon]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]], based upon his appearance in the ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]".
* Characters mentioned include: the Tripredacus Council and [[Unicron]].
* Cicadacon is hinted to have been...sigh. To have been [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] once. During the start of the Great War, an attack on his city heavily damaged him, and he shut off his higher emotional functions for self-repair mode, which ended up causing him amnesia. When Unicron attacked Cybertron in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', another near-fatal experience awoke his true personality.

[[Sea Clamp|General Sea Clamp]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]] with a new head, based upon his appearance in the ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]".
* Characters mentioned include: Cicadacon, Ram Horn, and Ravage.
* Like Cicadacon, Sea Clamp is given a very stupid origin, hinting at him being a reformatted [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. He's loyal to the cause (Cybertronians rather than Decepticons), emotionally distant, and is close to Ravage.

[[Predacus]]
* Toy notes: the combiner head on General Sea Clamp has been retooled into a new head based on the ''Beast Wars'' toyline's combined [[Tripredacus]] toy.

[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Robots in Disguise'' [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] with a new head and color scheme based upon his [[Transmetal 2]] form. This toy is based on an unused concept for [[3H Productions]]' canceled "OTFCC 2005" convention, which didn't happen due to their loss of the license from Hasbro. Due to a factory error, his dragon mode is missing eyes, but stickers with the Magnaboss sheet for both his eyes and a Predacon faction symbol for his spark crystal could fix this.
* Characters mentioned include: the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].
* Megatron's appearance is explained to be the result of techno-organic [[Tri-Malternium]], or "TM3", obviously evoking the idea of "[[Transmetal]] 3"

[[Tigatron]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] with a new head (shared with Ravage), this toy is based on Tigatron's [[BotCon 2001]] toy.
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Maximal Command Security Force]].
* For whatever reason, the toy bio for Tigatron diverges somewhat from his comic depiction, showing him as a cop, as he was in "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]". It notes that, as part of his protecting the peace, he looks after "Autobot or Maximal artifacts," in reference to the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]].
* The Maximal Command Security Force is erroneously referred to as the "Maximal Security Force".
* Tigatron wields a [[Trithyllium]] blade; Trithyllium was a metal mentioned in the original tech specs for [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]].

[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Legends'' [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]].
* Airazor's motto is "She swoops to conquer!", a quote from the ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Call of the Wild]]".

[[Under-3|Unit-3]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Streetwise (G1)|Protectobot Streetwise]], this toy is based on the 1996 McDonald's ''Beast Wars'' promotional toy for toddlers, "Under-3". His "name" is based on Tigatron's codename from "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]", Unit-2.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Primus]] and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]].
* Another dumb retcon: Unit-3 is hinted to be [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]], referencing his data collection specialist abilities, and his enhanced sense of smell. Outside of this, numerous references are made to the...peculiarity of Under-3's original toy, which only turned into a lion head. Part of his motto reads "others say I have a big head," and Prowl feels that he "has a head that understands the chain of command." Outside of this, Unit-3's original personality is noted to be buried "''under three'' quadruple-encrypted layers in his central processing system," and Prowl feels that he has a lion's heart, in reference to the animal he turned into the head of.

[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]
* Toy notes: three figures ([[Viewfinder]], [[Spectro]], and [[Spyglass]]) redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Shockwave (G1)|Decepticon Shockwave]], with the mold's pretooled "Reflector" head-sculpt. The toys can combine into a sorta-kinda camera mode.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]].
* Somewhat unusually, Reflector's bio has nothing to do with the overall setting for the comic. Instead, he comes from a universe inspired by IDW Publishing's 2005 comic continuity. It's noted that Viewfinder had been killed on [[LV-117]] (as his IDW counterpart did in ''[[Spotlight: Wheelie]]''), with Spectro and Spyglass going to Jhiaxus to be given new bodies and split off from the consciousness of their dead part. Viewfinder's spark was revived with [[Ore-1]], introduced in [[Syndromica (2)|#10]] of ''Robots in Disguise'' before being named in issue [[Shockwaves|#17]].

[[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]]
* Toy notes: formed from Tigatron and Unit-3 (who form the left and right legs, respectively) and the retail ''Combiner Wars'' toys, [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (who form the torso, left arm, and right arm, respectively). A sticker sheet is used to give Silverbolt, Ironhide, and Prowl more resemblance to their ''Beast Wars'' counterparts, along with Magnaboss himself. Additionally, Silverbolt's shield and Tigatron's sword can be combined to form Magnaboss' sword.

[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]], with a new head. He does ''not'' have the combiner foot/handgun.
* Characters mentioned include: Megatron.
* Terrorsaur is noted to have studied Decepticon lieutenants in order to advance through the ranks through deceit, in reference to [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]].

[[Flash Sentry]]
* Toy notes: a clear version of the Reflector toy, exclusively available to those who bought the Golden Ticket package for BotCon 2016. Flash Sentry on the numerous generics using Reflector's character models in the first season of Sunbow's ''The Transformers'' cartoon. His name is taken from the ''[[My Little Pony]]'' character, while also seemingly being in reference to Shockwave's pre-production name, Flash Beam.
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Photon (subgroup)|Photons]], Reflector, and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].
* Flash Sentry is a Photon, the name given to the aforementioned generics by the ''Wings Universe'' story "[[A Team Effort]]". It's noted that he's made in Reflector's image thanks to [[Lightfield Cybertronian]] technology. He along with most of the Photons is hinted to have died at the [[Battle of Autobot City]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.

[[Ratchet (G1)|Autobot Ratchet (Marvel Comics)]]
* Toy notes: for the customization class at BotCon 2016, the ''Combiner Wars'' [[First Aid (G1)|Protectobot First Aid]] toy was offered in white with the then-unused pre-tooled Ratchet head, with 5 different options for customization. The first of these was based on the Marvel Comics ''The Transformers'' appearance of Ratchet. The sticker sheet included also comes with stickers that allow you to recreate the original Ratchet toy's "driver seat sticker face" on his combiner peg, and an original [[Enigma of Combination]] accessory based on its appearance in IDW Publishing's comics, able to be placed in [[Ultra Prime|Ultra Prime]]/[[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]]' chest.
* Most of Ratchet's bio is copied from his original tech specs. It's noted he gained his combiner abilities after exposure to an ancient Autobot artifact, obviously referring to the Enigma of Combination. He can serve as a "universal donor" for any combiner, and his hand has a "healing touch."

[[Ratchet (G1)|Autobot Ratchet (G1 cartoon)]]
* Toy notes: the second option for the Customization Class Ratchet is based on his Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon appearance. The sticker for his vehicle mode hood is based on the logo on ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]. His profile is identical to the "Marvel" Ratchet.

[[Ratchet (G1)|Autobot Ratchet (''Generation 2'')]]
* Toy notes: the third option is for a ''Generation 2'' version of Ratchet, with stickers of the ''Generation 2'' Autobot symbol, a sticker with the ''Generation 2'' Autobot symbol followed by text reading "AUTOBOT" (as seen on several toys), and stickers reading "911" and "16" (from BotCon 2016).
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the [[Liege Maximo]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]], [[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]], and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]].
* Ratchet comes from a world similar to the ''Generation 2'' Marvel comic, with Prime finding him after the events of the comic. It also mentions his time merged with Megatron, as seen in issues [[Eye of the Storm|#69]] and [[The Pri¢e of Life!|#70]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic, which makes him leery about combining.
* Ratchet can replace First Aid as a limb for Defensor, since First Aid suffers from "GPS", in reference to [[Gold Plastic Syndrome]]; what samples of First Aid's ''Generation 2'' toy that have turn up show that he would have likely suffered from it. Funnily, the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] were the only of the four original "Scramble City" combiners to ''not'' have a ''Generation 2''-style ''Combiner Wars'' release.
* Ratchet's form has been enhanced with [[Rheanimum]], a density-increasing gas from the ''Generation 2'' comic.

[[Ratchet (SG)|Autobot Ratchet (''Shattered Glass'')]]
* Toy notes: the fourth option was for ''Shattered Glass'' Ratchet, based on his appearance from "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]".
* Characters mentioned include: [[Unicron#Shattered Glass|Unicron]] and the [[Autotrooper (SG Knights of Unicron)|Autotrooper]] made from Ratchet.
* Ratchet's original body was reformatted by Unicron into an Autotrooper in "[[Out of the One, Many]]".
* Ratchet survived death by placing his mind in a [[crystalline containment vessel]] stolen from the positive-universe Autobots. This technology was seen in issue [[Rock and Roll-Out!|#14]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic, which was used to store copies of several Autobots' minds on board the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' in case the Autobots onboard needed reinforcements.

[[Medix (G1)|Medix]]
* Toy notes: the fifth and final option used the First Aid head to create Medix, a ''Generation 1'' version of ''Rescue Bots'' [[Medix (RB)|Medix]]. Specifically, he's based on the colors of Medix's ''[[Playskool Heroes]]'' toy. He has a sticker featuring the [[Rescue Bot]] faction logo for his vehicle mode hood.
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]], [[Rook (CW)|Rook]], [[Heatrock]], [[Skyfeather]], Ratchet, [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]], and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]].
* Medix is noted to be the ninth Protectobot, part of a recruitment drive by the team to ensure that, if one of them falls, there will still be enough members to form Defensor. Other new members include Rook, the ''Combiner Wars'' APC Protectobot, and Heatrok and Skyfeather, the extra components created by [[Kabaya]] for their release of candy toy Protectobots.

===2017===
[[Fractyl]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]], with the head of [[BotCon 2016]] [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]].
* Characters mentioned include: [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] and the [[Wreckers|Wreckers]].
* Fractyl's bio was supposed to be updated, to fit more in line with his depiction in "[[Life Finds a Way]]", versus the original version written before that story was written. Unfortunately, it never was, and depicts Fractyl as having crash-landed on a planet where primitive mechanoids were beginning to evolve rudimentary conversion abilities-this planet is [[Gorlam Prime]] from the 2005 IDW Publishing comics continuity, where experiments by [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] turned the native organics into [[Micromaster]]s.

[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Scamper]].
* Characters mentioned in Scorponok's first set of tech specs: [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], the [[Darksyder]]s, and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]].
* Characters mentioned in Scorponok's second set of tech specs: [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], [[Double Punch (G1)|Double Punch]], and [[Beeline]].
* Scorponok has the unique distinction of having TWO tech specs: one on his tech spec card, for the ''Beast Wars: Uprising'' incarnation of Scorponok, and one printed on his instructions, meant to fit in with the "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]" version.
* ''Uprising'' Scorponok's motto has Scorponok claim how, after meeting Megatron, the "scales have fallen from my optics," referencing the New Testament story of the {{w|Conversion of Paul the Apostle}}.
* ''Uprising'' Scorponok is armed with the Blacking Cannon; the ''Super-God Masterforce'' [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]] toy was armed with four Blacking Cannons.
* "Dawn of Future's Past" Scorponok is brother to Double Punch, the [[Action Master]] Elite who, for [[BotCon Japan 1998]], was given a new ''Beast Wars'' toy, redecoed from Scorponok's. It's noted that Double Punch gained more favor as an assassin than his brother's street-level enforcement occupation, and that he worked with Beeline, the redeco of Scorponok's [[Cyberbee]] that came with Double Punch, here reimagined as a sentient Transformer.
* Scorponok has gone through several bodies, referencing the different pre-beast forms he was given in "Dawn of Future's Past" and ''[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]''. His current alternate mode is called a [[Thunderclaw]].

[[Lifeline (G1)|Lifeline]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]].
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Paradron Medic|Paradron Medic Corps]].
* Both Lifeline and Quickslinger's bios are mostly truncated versions of their profile from issue [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 68|#68]] of the Club magazine.
* Lifeline gets her name from a fellow [[Lifeline (G.I. Joe)|medic]] from ''G.I. Joe''.

[[Quickslinger (G1)|Quickslinger]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Sky High (Micromaster)|Flanker]]. Based upon the club's original ''Cybertron'' [[Quickslinger (Cybertron)|Quickslinger]].
* Characters mentioned include: Lifeline.
* Quickslinger's motto, "I bring the fire AND the rain!", references the [[Bring the rain|phrase]] used by [[Robert Epps|Epps]] in the live-action ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' movie.
* Lifeline doesn't use Quickslinger's gun mode, since her toy isn't molded to work with [[5 mm post]]s.

[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Double Pretender Optimus Prime]] (with [[Hi-Q]])
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]], with a new head. His Pretender shell is redecoed from [[BotCon 2015]] ''Timelines'' [[Oilmaster]]. He comes with guns taken from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' Legends-class Optimus Prime and Deluxe-class Orion Pax. His colors are inspired by the ''Generation 2'' Laser Optimus Prime toy, while his Pretender shell colors are based on the original Double Pretender prototype Oilmaster was inspired by. He comes with Hi-Q, a [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] version of Optimus Prime's [[Powermaster]] partner, redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Sky High (Micromaster)|Flanker]].
* Prime's bio is written in the bombastic ''Generation 2'' style, with lots of exclamation marks.
* Prime's inner robot is armed with a high-density ion cannon, named after his classic weapon of choice, the [[ion blaster]]. His Pretender shell is armed with a [[photon rifle]]; [[Action Master]] Optimus Prime's vehicle, the [[Armored Convoy|Armored Convoy]], sported a photon cannon. Finally, as a [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]], Hi-Q turns into a [[particle beam cannon]], one of Powermaster Optimus Prime's weapons.
* Prime's Pretender shell has "incredible primal power," in reference to ''Beast Wars'' Maximal commander and fellow gorilla, [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]].
* Prime's inner robot form is armored with [[durabyllium]], a metal first mentioned in issue [[Command Performances!|#19]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.

[[Megatron (G1)|Double Pretender Megatron]] (with [[Spacewarp]])
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' Legends-class [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. His Pretender shell is redecoed from ''Super-God Masterforce'' [[Grand Maximus]]' Pretender shell. His inner robot colors are based on the canceled ''Generation 2'' Combat Hero Megatron, while his Pretender shell colors are based on his original colors. He comes with redecoes of ''Titans Return'' [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s rifle and ''Titans Return'' Voyager-class [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s sword. He comes with a joint piece that allows Spacewarp to fit in his shell, based on Megatron's original toy weapon, the "high-density infrared laser cannon". Spacewarp is based on the cancelled ''Universe'' toy, given a personality and backstory in [[Ask Vector Prime]] and ''[[Transformers: Spacewarp's Log]]''. She's redecoed from ''Generations Thrilling 30'' [[Blast Master|Payload]].
* Like Prime's tech specs, Megatron's tech specs are written in bombastic ''Generation 2'' style.
* Spacewarp transformers into a [[Transwarp Blaster]], the combined form of her usual Mini-Con partners, the [[Interstellar Marauders Mini-Con Team]].

[[Toxitron (Universe)|Toxitron]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]], with the unused alternate head of the mold, and the combiner head originally used for ''Combiner Wars'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Based on the cancelled ''Universe'' [[Toxitron (Universe)|Toxitron]] toy.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]].
* Toxitron's tech specs seem to have been written with an earlier version of "[[The Toxic Transformer]]"—noting that it was Shockwave who directly controlled him, instead of him being the experiment created by some of his underlings.

[[Punch (G1)|Counterpunch]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Combiner Wars'' [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], with the mold's unused alternate head.
* Characters mentioned include: Lifeline, [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]], and the [[Wreckers|Wreckers]].
* Punch's motto ("Truth. As terrible as death, but harder to find.") is paraphrased from the 1962 alternate history novel ''{{w|The Man in the High Castle}}'' by {{w|Philip K. Dick}}.
* Counterpunch's tech specs recount the events of "[[The Truth We Make]]". He's also referred to as a "Doublespy," his classic sub-group, and is armed with upgraded forms of his original weapons.

[[Wreckage (G1)|Wreckage]]
* Toy notes: formed from the TFSS 4.0 figures Impactor and Bluestreak, along with the TFSS 5.0 figures Fractyl, Toxitron, and Counterpunch. ''Combiner Wars'' [[Alpha Bravo]] and [[Offroad (CW)|Decepticon Offroad]] can also form limbs. The two combinations schemes are as follows: Toxitron (torso), Offroad (left arm), Counterpunch (right arm), Alpha Bravo (left leg), and Fractyl (right leg) vs. Toxitron (torso), Counterpunch (left arm), Impactor (right arm), Fractyl (left leg), and Bluestreak (right leg).

[[Starscream (SG)|Shattered Glass Starscream]]
* Toy notes: redecoed from ''Unite Warriors'' [[Starscream (G1)|Stascream]] in the colors of the original ''Shattered Glass'' Starscream toy.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]].
* Starscream is armed with a twin-barrelled [[Atari-Scream projectile launcher]], named for the ''Kiss Players'' character [[Atari Hitotonari]], who was briefly possessed by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]].
* Starscream has been upgraded for Scramble Combination, after the ''Scramble City'' subline that the combiner with modular limbs were sold under in Japan.
* Starscream's red combiner mode fist can perform a special attack, the Null Fist, which disrupts the electrical flow of its targets, obviously named after the positive-universe Starscream's [[null-ray]].
* Amusingly, Starscream's instructions has a "possible suggestion" for a combined form: [[Modulus]], formed from Starscream (who serves as the right arm), ''Combiner Wars'' [[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]] (who forms the torso), BotCon 2016 [[Ratchet (G1)|Rachet]] (who forms the left arm), BotCon 2016 [[Medix (G1)|Medix]] (who forms the left leg), and ''Combiner Wars'' [[Rook (CW)|Protectobot Rook]] (who forms the right leg).

==TOTGD bios==

[[Stopgap]]:
*Stopgap spent several years undercover on [[Edaps]], which is backward for Spade, and named after fictional detective {{w|Sam Spade}}.

[[Backslash]]:
*Mentioned characters: Cryotek, [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]], Buzzbomb, [[Scorponok (BW)|Scoponok]], [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]].
*The eye optics used by several Predacons in ''Beast Wars'' are noted to be a popular modification among Predacons.

[[Buzzbomb]]:
*Mentioned characters include: Cryotek and Backslash.

[[Dirge (BW)|Dirge]]:
*Mentioned characters include: Cryotek, [[Blot (G1)|Blot]]
*Among the possessions Dirges has "acquired" include the Hand of Blot (presumably the hand of the G1 Terrorcon), and the [[Boltaxian Codex]] found in the slums of [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]], named for Marvel-original Transformer [[Boltax (G1)|Boltax]]. Darkmount was the fortress of [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] from the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.

[[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]]
*Mentioned characters include: [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]], Megatron.
*Before the end of the war, Cryotek worked as a supply manager under Deathsaurus.

==Micro-Sized profiles==
March 2nd profiles: [[Bunker-Buster]], [[Knockdown (Cybertron)|Knockdown]], [[Nightscream (Cybertron)|Nightscream]], [[Offshoot (Cybertron)|Offshoot]], and [[Strongarm (Cybertron)|Strongarm]].
*Mentioned characters include: [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]], [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]], and [[Dirt Boss (Cybertron)|Dirt Boss]].
*Bunker-Buster is based off an unreleased redeco of the [[Attacktix]] Mini-Con mold, based on ''Energon'' [[Skyboom (Energon)|Skyboom]]. Knockdown, Nightscream, Offshoot, and Strongarm were included with a special release of the ''Cybertron'' [[Primus]] toy, exclusive to [[Wal-Mart]].
*Bunker-Buster is one of the lunar Mini-Con rebels under [[Thrust (Cybertron)|Thrust]]'s command.
*Knockdown comes from the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]].
*Nightscream comes from [[Gigantion]]. The idea that Gigantion's people were usually not allowed to return to lower levels comes from the ''Cybertron'' episode "[[Giant]]".
*Offshoot is from Velocitron, and is a partner of Dirt Boss; she shares his grudge with Override.
*Strongarm is one of the Earth-based Cybertronians and works with the monster hunters (including [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]]). He is noted to have [[holomatter]] avatars, technology introduced in IDW's ''[[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]]''. He's based on {{w|Jerry Orbach}}'s character {{w|Lennie Briscoe}} from ''{{w|Law & Order}}''.

March 9th profiles: [[Hawkeye]], [[Highgear]], [[Hydroplane]], [[Rockslide]], and [[Solar Flare]].
*Mentioned characters include: [[Decepticlone]]s, [[Backstop (Cybertron)|Backstop]], Scourge, and [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]].
*Hawkeye and Highgear come from the ''[[Transformers (Armada PS2)|Armada]]'' video game, while Hydroplane, Rockslide, and Solar Flare are all renamed versions of Japanese ''Galaxy Force'' [[Toys"R"Us]] exclusives (where they were originally named Platinum Element, Platinum Material, and Platinum Factor, respectively), here dubbed the [[Noble Force Team|Noble Force Mini-Con Team]], and were made to be partners of Leobreaker (although he can't powerlinx with them).
*Hawkeye is based on the character of "Hawkeye" Pierce from ''{{w|M*A*S*H}}''.
*Highgear is convinced there is a [[Velocitron|planet]] dedicated to racing.
*The Noble Force Team was created by the Jungle Planet Key.
*"{{w|Hydroplaning (tires)|Hydroplaning}}" occurs when a car hits a thin sheet of water that causes it to lose direct contact with the ground and, thus, is likely to spin out or crash.

March 16th profiles: [[Aftershock (Armada)|Aftershock]], [[Breakage]], [[Heavy Metal (Energon)|Heavy Metal]], [[Jumpstart]], [[Kickflip]], and [[Mudbath]].
*Mentioned characters include: [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s, [[Wreckage (Armada)|Wreckage]], the [[Land Military Mini-Con Team]], and the [[Mini-Con Council of Sages]].
*Aftershock and Jumpstart are from the ''Armada'' video game, while the other three, Breakage, Kickflip, and Mudbath, along with their combined form Heavy Metal, are from the third wave of [[Micron Booster]]s (where they were originally named Brake, Filter, Damper, and Frenzy, respectively).
*It is noted that combinations into a sentient Mini-Con are extremely difficult, which is why most combinations are into weapons.

March 23rd profiles: [[Barnstorm]], [[Buildup]], the [[Dead End Drone]]s/[[Dead End General]]s, [[Drop-Test]], [[Flashbang]], and the [[Matrix Cannon (Armada)|Matrix Cannon]].
*Mentioned characters include: Terrorcons, [[Unicron]], [[Megatron (Armada)|Galvatron]], [[Failsafe]], and [[Primus]].
*Barnstorm comes from the 3rd wave of [[Micron Booster]]s (where he was named Saber), the Dead End Drones came from the 5th wave, and Drop-Test from the first (where he was named Rod). Buildup, Flashbang, and Matrix Cannon come from the ''Armada'' video game.
*The Dead End Drone's schematics were obtained by Galvatron, presumably from his time in Unicron in ''Energon''.
*Barnstorm is loosely inspired by fictional World War I British flying ace, {{w|Biggles}}; writer Greg Sepelak was only aware of the character due to the British comedy series ''{{w|Monty Python's Flying Circus}}'', hence the description of Barnstorm as a "one-bot flying circus."
*Drop-Test's personality is based on Walter Sobchak from ''{{w|The Big Lebowski}}''.
*The Transformer depicted holding the Matrix Cannon is a generic seen in the ''Armada'' episode "[[Past]]", using [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]' character model. Nicknamed Christmas Maximus, he would later get the name [[Peritus Maximus]] from [[Ask Vector Prime]].

May 4th: [[Astro-Hook]], [[Astro-Line]], [[Astro-Sinker (Cybertron)|Astro-Sinker]], [[Claymore]], and [[Overwatch (Armada)|Overwatch]].
*Mentioned characters include: [[Astrotrain (Cybertron)|Astrotrain]] and Starcatcher.
*Overwatch and Claymore come from the ''Armada'' video game. Astro-Train, Astro-Line, and Astro-Sinker are three of club exclusive Astrotrain's Mini-Con partners.

May 18th: [[Kickback (Armada)|Kickback]], [[Repeater (Cybertron)|Repeater]], [[Rock Krusher]], [[Saw Boss]], and [[Starcatcher (Cybertron)|Starcatcher]].
*Mentioned characters include: [[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]], [[Drill Bit (Cybertron)|Drill Bit]], and [[Astrotrain (Cybertron)|Astrotrain]].
*Kickback is from the ''Armada'' video game; Repeater, Rock Krusher, and Saw Boss were ''Galaxy Force'' exclusive Mini-Cons (where they were named Megalo Zapmap, Megalo Gritbit, and Megalo Zigzag, respectively; Starcatcher is one of the Mini-Con partners of club exclusive Astrotrain.
*Rock Krusher is named for one of the Crooks in the Hasbro toyline ''{{w|COPS (animated TV series)|COPS}}''. Saw Boss, meanwhile, is named for the main villain of the Mattel toyline ''{{w|Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors|Wheeled Warriors}}''.
*Starcatcher graduated from the [[Eeviac Science Academy]], named for {{w|Man or Astro-man?}} album ''{{w|EEVIAC Operational Index and Reference Guide, Including Other Modern Computational Devices}}''.

May 25th: [[Flashdrive]], [[Jackknife]], [[Maverick (Armada)|Maverick]], [[Skull Buster]], [[Smackdown]], and the [[Vorpal Saber]].
*Mentioned characters: [[Barnstorm]], [[Trickshot]], [[Unicron]], [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|Nemesis Prime]], the [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]]. the [[Skyboom (Armada)|Skyboom Shield]], and the [[Requiem Blaster (Armada)|Requiem Blaster]].
*Flashdrive was part of the third wave of Micron Boosters, (where he was named Processor); Jackknife, Maverick, and Skull Buster, who combine into the Vorpal Saber were ''Micron Legend'' exclusive Mini-Cons (where they were named Jack, Shade, Mad, and the Dark Saber, respectively); Smackdown comes from the ''Armada'' video game.
*Barnstorm's team, the [[Apocalypse Brigade Mini-Con Team|Elite Flying Corps]], is presumably named for the [[Elite Flying Corps]] that [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] once belonged to, as seen in issues [[The Icarus Theory|46]] of the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comics and Marvel UK [[Transformers Annual 1987]] story "[[What's in a Name?]]"
*A male character named Trickshot is mentioned in Flashdrive's bio; presumably, this was meant to be the American name of the Mini-Con Triac. Because the Wiki didn't record this, Ask Vector Prime would later establish them as a female character named Bingo.
*Flashdrive's tendency to accidentally destroy satellites during out space battles is inspired by a scene in 1996's ''{{w|Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie}}'', where Mike Nelson's reckless driving of the Satellite of Love accidentally causes him to crash into the {{w|Hubble Space Telescope}}.
*Skull Buster is named for the ''G.I. Joe'' [http://www.yojoe.com/action/02/skullbuster.shtml character].
*Smackdown's mannerisms are based on [[Dwayne Johnson]].
*The Vorpal Saber is named for the "vorpal sword" from {{w|Lewis Carroll}}'s nonsense poem the ''{{w|Jabberwocky}}''.

June 8th: [[Covert]], [[Flashbox (Armada)|Flashbox]], [[Heavy Barrel (Cybertron)|Heavy Barrel]], [[Highjump (Armada)|Highjump]], [[Lookout (Armada)|Lookout]], and [[Road Rebel]].
*Mentioned characters: [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeak]], Megatron, and [[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]].
*Covert, Highjump, and Lookout come from the ''Armada'' video game; Flashbox is a generic Mini-Con from the ''Armada'' episode "[[Miracle (episode)|Miracle]]". Heavy Barrel is from the fourth wave of Micron Boosters (where he was named Trigger), while Road Rebel is from the second (where she was named Thyristor).

==Other online profiles==

[[Beta Maxx (RID)|Beta Maxx]]
* Released online after [[BotCon 2007]] through the club's website, this profile gave a personality and a name to the redeco of ''Cybertron'' [[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]] included with [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Alpha Trion]].
* Mentioned characters include: [[Shockwave (TransTech)|Shockwave]], [[Primus]], and [[Unicron]].
* Beta Maxx can be used as a [[Key to Vector Sigma]].

[[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]]
* After [[BotCon 2010]], a profile for both the Ravage toy included with [[Scorch (G1)|Turbomaster]] (who did not receive a printed bio) and an English version of [[Rapido]]'s bio was published on the BotCon Twitter account.
* Mentioned characters include: [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]].

[[Scourge (SG)|Scourge]].
* A contest to give ''Shattered Glass'' Scourge a bio in 140 characters or less was run in 2011 on the Collectors' Club Twitter, which was won by Kevin "Ojunix" Skiles. The Tweet was then extended into a full profile later.
* Scourge is repurposed from the [[BotCon 2009]] [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]] toy.
* Among the enemies that Scourge has faced include: the Karnian Death Strike ([[Karn]] being a planet from issue [[Swarm (issue)|#9]] of the Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic, the Silent Fury of the [[K'tord Nebula]] (from ''Generation 2'' issue [[Primal Fear!|#3]]), and the Preying Hawk of [[Pz-Zazz]] (from the Marvel ''Transformers'' comic issue [[Bird of Prey!|#62]], and referencing the [[Bird]] statue seen in that same issue).

[[INSIRT]]
* A tech spec in the style of the classic ''The Transformers'' toyline's model, it was released on Facebook to promote the TFSS 2.0.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]], [[Treadshot (G1)|Treadshot]], [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], [[Catgut]], and [[Stylor]].
* Several ideas and concepts from IDW's ''More than Meets the Eye'' are mentioned, including: the starship ''[[Lost Light]]'', the [[Knights of Cybertron]], and Chromedome's function as a [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]].

[[Bug Bite II]]
* The four larger Waruders from [[BotCon 2015]] were repurposed with new identities for four bio cards released on Twitter by the Collectors' Club in late 2016.
* Characters mentioned include: [[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]], [[BuggyMan]], and [[B-Navi]] drones.
* Bug Bite II was repurposed from the [[Paralyzer]] toy, which was itself based on [[BotCon 2007]] ''Timelines'' [[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]] toy.
* "Bug Bite II" comes from the ''GoBots'' continuity first seen in "[[Withered Hope]]", where it was threatened to be destroyed by the [[Cataclysm (GoBots)|Cataclysm]]. But Bite II was a backup body created for Bug Bite as one of a number of alternate bodies, but when Bug Bite was sent as part of a team to head to the [[Primax 207.0 Epsilon|"Classicsverse"]] [[Earth]] in "Withered Hope", Bug Bite II was given a rudimentary AI based on Bug Bite's personality.
* But Bite II can team up with his originator to perform the Double Hive Attack.
* Several other bodies like Bug Bite II were created, including one for BuggyMan. He created B-Navi drones as back-up for each one, which are repurposed from Paralyzer's Waruder pilot, [[Buzzer (Diaclone)|Buzzer]], hence the "B". BuggyMan's own drone, [[R-Navi]], was seen in the ''[[Spatiotemporal Challengers]]'' series of prose stories, its name itself taken from the [[NAVI (technology)|NAVI]] computers in the Japanese ''Beast Wars'' cartoons.

[[King Waruder]]
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Waruder]]s and [[King Waruder|Daros]].
* King Waruder was repurposed from the [[Storm Rider]] toy, which was based on the ''Diaclone'' Warudaros toy that Storm Rider was based on.
* King Waruder is inspired by Warudaros, who was, at first, the only Waruder toy included in the initial ''Diaclone'' toyline. He's noted to have once been part of a trinity of rulers; Warudaros was formed by three insectoid vehicles. His pilot, Daros (taking his name from the last two syllables of Warudaros) is repurposed from [[Thrasher (Diaclone)|Thrasher]] rather than the Storm Rider pilot [[Crusher (Diaclone)|Crusher]], as Thrasher looked closer to one of the Warudaros pilots, Sasorander. King Waruder is noted to have invaded Earth years ago on his own, again in reference to how Warudaros was initially the only Waruder in the ''Diaclone'' toyline.

[[Skywasp]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[NAVI-Q]], [[Ultra Mammoth]], and [[Randy (BW)|Randy]].
* Skywasp was repurposed from the [[Parasite]] toy.
* Skywasp is, obviously enough, a ''Beast Wars'' version of [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], though seems as though he's not meant to literally be Skywarp.
* Skywasp's function is "Air Warrior", presumably in reference to the [[Air Warrior]]s, the name given to the generic Decepticon jets seen in the opening episodes of ''The Transformers'' by the ''[[Heroes of Cybertron (toyline)|Heroes of Cybertron]]'' series of PVC figures.
* Skywasp was partnered with NAVI-Q to keep him in line, only for his teleportation abilities to scramble her circuits and make her more like him. She's repurposed from [[Ripper (Diaclone)|Ripper]], and her name is in reference to both the [[NAVI (technology)|NAVI]] computers from the ''Beast Wars'' cartoons (in particular the insectoid [[DNAVI]] from ''Beast Wars Neo'') and, with her full name of Navigation Questor, to the [[Questor]]s, the upgraded [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] from ''Alternity''. She transforms into a bug and a sonic cannon that emits a "Drone Tone".
* Skywasp is targeted by the Maximals Ultra Mammoth (one of the TFSS 1.0 toys) and Randy, the Maximal boar from ''Beast Wars Neo''. Randy was chosen in homage to [[Randy Para]], a superfan of Skywarp; Para's online screen name is "Powered Convoy", the ''Diaclone'' toy that would become the original [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], whom Mammoth is based on.

[[Waspinator (BWSG)|''Beast Wars Shattered Glass'' Waspinator]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (BWSG)|Megatron]], the [[Tripredacus Council (BWSG)|Tripredacus Council]], [[Dinobot (BWSG)|Dinobot]], and [[Buggy]].
* Waspinator is repurposed from the [[Mudfighter]] toy, as he showed up in a design nearly identical to it two years prior in the comic story "[[Shattered Destiny]]".
* Waspinator's personality is inspired by the original tech specs of ''Generation 1'' [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], describing him as the youngest of the Predacons on board the ''[[Darksyde (BWSG)|Darksyde]]'', who looks up to the others, and is an espionage expert. Like Bumblebee, he has the best vision of his faction.
* Waspinator used to be the Tripredacus Council's orator, since the positive-universe [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] talks entirely in a strange, third person heavy form of speech. Also inverted from the positive universe is how he's nearly indestructible, thanks to his harder-than-titanium exoskeleton.
* Waspinator is partnered with the Mini-Spy Buggy, in reference to the original [[Mini-spy|Mini-spies]] included with the 1984 Mini-Vehicles when they were re-released in 1985 in the original ''The Transformers'' toyline. One of the Mini-spies is known as the "Buggy type" due to its offroader alternate mode; hence, Buggy. Buggy himself is repurposed from [[Thrasher (Diaclone)|Thrasher]], and his gun mode is recontextualized as a video recorder and projector.

==BotCon 2011 exclusive tech specs==
[[The 'Bots and The 'Cons]]

[[Crumplezone (Animated)|Crumplezone]]
* Characters mentioned include: Ransack.

[[Ransack (Animated)|Ransack]]
* Characters mentioned include: Crumplezone.

[[Stampy (Animated)|Stampy]]

[[Depth Charge (Animated)|Depth Charge]]

[[Longrack (Animated)|Longrack]]
* Longrack's name is noted to have been used by others for billions of stellar cycles; the ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|AllSpark Almanac II]]'' noted that one of the [[Omega Sentinel (Animated)|Omega Sentinel]]s, [[Gamma Supreme]], was bonded to [[Longrack Major]].
* Longrack's Techno-X scanner is named for [[Simon Furman]]'s proposed ''Techno-X'' series, a spin-off of the [[Neo-Knights]].
* Mechanometers are a unit of measurement from ''The Transformers'' episode "[[City of Steel (episode)|City of Steel]]".

[[Huffer (Animated)|Huffer]] and [[Pipes (Animated)|Pipes]]
* Huffer and Pipes are more based on their ''Generation 1'' counterparts as compared to their ''Almanac'' bios, which reasoned they wouldn't have their G1 personalities due to never leaving Cybertron.

[[Sky-Byte (Animated)|Sky-Byte]]
* Sky-Byte leads the [[Air Predator Squadron: Gerushaku]], named for his [[Sky-Byte (RID)|''Robots in Disguise'']] counterpart's Japanese name, Gelshark, but spelled phonetically.

[[Mindwipe (Animated)|Mindwipe]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]].

[[Nemesis Prime (Animated)|Nemesis Prime]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Straxus (Animated)|Straxus]].
* Nemesis Prime is repurposed from the Japan-exclusive ''Animated'' toy, Optimus Prime Black Ver.
* Straxus being associated with Nemesis Prime is a reference to Prime's ''Generation 1'' [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|counterpart]], whose ''Universe'' bio noted that he was created as part of a project by his [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]].

[[Dark Rodimus]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], and [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]].
* Dark Rodimus' toy was sold in Japan under the name "Black Rodimus".
* Dark Rodimus was created by Megatron using Starscream's cloning techniques.

[[Venom (Animated)|Venom]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]].
* Venom is based on the ''Generation 1'' [[Venom (G1)|Deluxe Insecticon of the same name]], using the body of ''Animated'' [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]].
* Venom uses [[cyber venom|cyber-venom]], which originates from ''Beast Wars''.

[[Rattletrap]]

[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]
* Slipstream's motto, "I don't exist to sweep up the ashes of conquest!", is a play on ''Generation 1'' [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s motto: "Conquest is made of the ashes of one's enemies."

[[Optimus Prime (SG Animated)|''Shattered Glass Animated'' Optimus Prime]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Megatron (SG Animated)|Megatron]] and Isaac Sumdac.
* Optimus is based directly on his positive-universe [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|counterpart]], in the colors of the original ''Shattered Glass'' [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]. Like ''Shattered Glass'' [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]], he has facial hair.
* Optimus Prime's motto, "All sentient beings will be forced to serve me," is an inversion of '''Generation 1'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s motto, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."
* Whereas the positive-universe Optimus was an [[Elite Guard]] washout who stumbled upon the AllSpark, ''Shattered Glass Animated'' was a disgraced member of the Guard, who set out with his crew to find the artifact. After fighting with Megatron and somehow being decapitated, Optimus Prime's head was used by Isaac Sumdac to grow his robotic empire, as the positive universe Sumdac did with [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].

[[Bumblebee (SG Animated)|''Shattered Glass Animated'' Bumblebee]]
* Characters mentioned include: Isaac Sumdac.
* Bumblebee is based on his positive-universe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|counterpart]], in the colors of [[BotCon 2007]] ''Timelines'' [[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]], who was redecoed from ''Classics'' [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]. His mouth has been altered to look more like fangs. Unlike his talkative counterpart, this Bumblebee is far quieter.
* Bumblebee's motto, "The least likely can be the most deadly," is a play on ''Generation 1'' Bumblebee's motto, "The least likely can be the most dangerous."

[[Isaac Sumdac (SG Animated)|''Shattered Glass Animated'' Isaac Sumdac]]
* Characters mentioned include: Optimus Prime and Sari Sumdac.
* Isaac is based on his positive-universe [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|counterpart]]; the green and black of his suit have been switched, with the "S" logo of [[Sumdac Systems]] backward, while his head is shaved bald, his skin is tinged grayer, and his missing left eye is covered with an eyepatch.
* Isaac conquered Detroit with his [[Terrordrome]], a type of base used by [[Cobra]] from ''G.I. Joe''. However, it's accidentally referred to as the "Technodrome" here, the name of Shredder's mobile base from ''{{w|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}}''.

[[Sari Sumdac (SG Animated)|''Shattered Glass Animated'' Sari Sumdac]]
* Characters mentioned include: Isaac Sumdac.
* Sari is based on the teenage design of her positive universe [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|counterpart]]. Her hair is purple, her dress purple and green, her eyes are red and she has mascara, and red pieces of the AllSpark jut out her head and shoulders.
* Sari was aged up into a teacher by her father's experiments with AllSpark shards.

==''G.I. Joe Collectors' Club'' issue #81 profiles==
In this issue, tying into the Transformers/G.I. Joe Collectors' Club crossover set, ''G.I. Joe featuring Ninja Force and the Transformers'', profiles for each toy in the set were published. The art for each profile was provided by [[Paul Vromen]].

[[Cobra Commander]]
* Characters mentioned include: Megatron.
* Cobra Commander is currently ruling from the [[Silent Castle]] in [[Trans-Carpathia]], which [[Cobra]] took back from Destro ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero''.
* Cobra Commander made a deal with Megatron to rebuild his body with [[rail gun]] technology in exchange for Cybertronian technology in issue [[Realignments|#139]] of ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero''.

[[Scarlett]]
* Characters mentioned include: the [[Ninja Force]], Cobra Commander, Dr. Biggles-Jones, [[Snake-Eyes]], [[Destro]], [[Baroness]], [[Slice (G.I. Joe)|Slice]], and Megatron.
* Scarlett has graduated summa cum laude from two {{w|Ivy League}} schools and trained in all four branches of the United States armed forces.
* Scarlett began her mission to go undercover into Cobra in issue #135 of ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' after supposedly leaving the Joes, actually joining up in the next issue. In issue [[Unfoldings!|#139]], Snake-Eyes stabbed her to protect her cover, sending her to the infirmary in the [[Realignments|next issue]], with Cobra ninja Slice suspicious due to the preciseness of Snake-Eyes' strike.
* The Ninja Force were sent to rescue Baroness and Destro from the Silent Castle in issue #138.

Doctor [[Sidney Biggles-Jones]]
* Characters mentioned include: Cobra Commander, the [[Night Creeper]]s, Megatron, and [[Jeremiah Scott|Dr. Jeremiah Scott]].
* For the first time, Biggles-Jones is given a place of birth: {{w|Ridgewood, New Jersey}}.
* Sidney Biggles-Jones' dossier notes that she received a Ph.D. in physics from {{w|Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT}}, and another in Electrical Engineering from {{w|California Institute of Technology|CalTech}}. She's noted to have joined Cobra only at the behest of her mysterious employers in order to utilize their resources, and before being abducted by the Cobra via the Night Creepers, worked on an "undisclosed project" in [[New Jersey (Earth)|New Jersey]]—the "Rail Gun Project" at Amalgamated Super-Conductor Corp.

[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]
* Characters mentioned include: Cobra Commander.
* Megatron crashlanded on board the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' in [[Canada]] in issue [[A Savage Circle|#78]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
* Megatron's meeting with Cobra Commander is described as going somewhat more...amicably than it initially did.
* Megatron's motto is the less common "Everything is fodder," which originated in the Hasbro briefing binder and was actually used in his Marvel ''[[The Transformers Universe (Marvel)|The Transformers Universe]]'' profile.

[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]
* Characters mentioned include: Cobra Commander and Megatron.
* Ratbat was supposedly killed by [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in issue [[Dark Star|#50]] of ''The Transformers''.

[[Blackcat (G1)|Blackcat]] and [[Toaster]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Aunty|Aunty/Teletraan-1]], [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]], the [[Action Force (team)|Special Action Force]], the [[Kommando Spezialkräfte]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], Megatron. Cobra Commander, Toaster's [[Crusticon|Auto-Scouts/Crusticons]], [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee/Goldbug]], and [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|General Clayton "Hawk" Abernathy]].
* Blackcat and Toaster's activities on Earth are highly secret, with even the other Autobots mostly being unaware of them, in reference to how they weren't actually in the original Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
* Blackcat and Toaster's are noted to have been rebuilt by the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s computer in issue [[The Transformers (issue)|#1]] of ''The Transformers''; Toaster was first seen as a robot being rebuilt by the ''Ark'' in issue [[Cold Comfort and Joy!|#198]] of the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comic. The computer is said to be [[Teletraan I|Teletraan-1]], nicknamed [[Aunty]], connecting the computer of the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' comic to the Marvel computer seen in the first issue and issues of the Marvel UK comic, something that only this issue does.
* What little G.I. Joe team knew of Blackcat and Toaster came from their international allies: the Special Action Force (of the United Kingdom; ''G.I. Joe'' was rebranded as ''Action Force'' for the United Kingdom, and the ''G.I. Joe'' comics from Fun Publications have featured Special Action Force as their own group, with several of the original ''Action Force'' characters as members) and the {{w|Kommando Spezialkräfte}} (Germany's special mission force). This is in reference to where the characters originated: Toaster showed up in the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comics, while Blackcat showed up in [[Condor Verlag]]'s ''[[Transformers Comic-Magazin]]''.
* The ''Ark'' was shown to crash in [[Canada]] in issue [[The Last Autobot?|#79]] of ''The Transformers''.
* Toaster's cassettes (noted to be similar to Toaster's brother Blaster's mini-cassettes) are named both Auto-Scouts (after the [[Autoscout|drone]] used by [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] in the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' episode "[[A Prime Problem]]") and the Crusticons.
* A quote from Goldbug has him note that the only thing he knows about Blackcat is that he likes puzzles; Blackcat was seen in a puzzle published in issue [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 18|#18]] of ''Transformers Comic-Magazin''. He's noted specifically to have been known as Goldbug at the time of the interview; in the Marvel ''G.I. Joe and the Transformers'' crossover, Bumblebee was destroyed by the Joes thanks to a misunderstanding, and was rebuilt by them into Goldbug.
* Two additional quotes were originally written for this dossier, but were cut for space. The first was: "'His brain module is assembled in such a way that it is constantly attempting to identify connections between often unrelated instances. So while he may appear to be distracted by contrivances during a particularly interminable stake-out or during his monitor duties, he is in actuality still profoundly focused and merely blunting what might otherwise become an all-consuming obsession.'—Autobot [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], about Blackcat", again tying into the puzzle connection. The second, about Toaster, reads: "'Toaster? He's my cousin who keeps his diodes buzzin'! I mean he's a hard-worker; extremely dedicated to whatever mission he's on. I haven't seen him since our days on Cybertron, but a little birdie tells me he might be here on Earth somewhere. If any of your operatives at G.I. Joe H.Q. spot him, tell him to drop me or Karmen a line! We need to catch up!'—Autobot Blaster, about Toaster". Notably, Toaster is referred to as Blaster's cousin rather than his brother, presumably a gaffe. Blaster was on Cybertron when the ''Ark'' left, as seen in issues [[The Smelting Pool!|#17]] and [[The Bridge to Nowhere!|#18]] of ''The Transformers''. Blaster also mentions his sister, Karmen, a Transformer who turns into heated hair coolers, mentioned by Blaster in the letters page of issue [[Out of Time!|#316]] of the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comic.

==Unpublished ''Shattered Glass Around Cybertron'' profiles==
These six profiles were written by ''[[Around Cybertron]]'' writer and artist [[Jesse Wittenrich]], and were intended for inclusion in the Collectors' Club magazine. Unfortunately, there was never enough space for them, so they ended up unpublished.

[[Andromeda (SG)|Andromeda]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Rook (SG)|Rook]].
* Andromeda's vehicle mode is loosely based on that of ''Cybertron'' [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]]'s.
* Andromeda spent one night alone at her office during [[Cyber-Solstice]]; this is presumably a Cybertronian holiday analogous to [[Christmas]]. It would eventually be mentioned officially in "[[Battle Lines, Part 3]]".
* Rook "slipped" due to accidentally informing Optimus Prime of Megatron's assassination in the [[Around Cybertron issue 6|sixth]] ''Around Cybertron'' strip.

[[Countdown (SG)|Countdown]]
* Countdown is a "virtual redeco" of his positive-universe [[Countdown (G1)|counterpart]], in the colors of Shining Edison, a toy that came with the ''Microman'' LED Powers "[https://web.archive.org/web/20180131022041/http://www.microforever.com/rocketbase.htm Micro Rocket Base]", which was itself reused from his positive-universe counterpart's [[Rocket Base]]. This "Rocket Base" is repurposed as the Autobot Broadcast News stock footage storage facility.
* Among the weather reports Countdown picks up include the icy conditions on Csilla; [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Csilla/Legends Csilla] is a planet from the ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' extended universe, home to the [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Chiss/Legends Chiss], the species of [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mitth%27raw%27nuruodo/Legends Grand Admiral Thrawn].

[[Esmeral (SG)|Esmeral]]
* Characters mentioned include: Longtooth, [[Darkwind]], [[Dreadwind (SG)|Dreadwind]], and Monstructor.
* Jesse Wittenrich noted on the comments of his DeviantArt page that Esmeral helped save the [[Klud]]s of [[Pequod]], which is shown here. Klud's are semi-organic whale-like creatures from the planet of Pequod, seen in issue [[Deadly Obsession|#64]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic. [[Gottlieb]] was a city on the planet, also seen on that issue. Longtooth, a poacher through whom Esmeral heard of the plight of the Kluds, is the negative-universe counterpart of the Autobot [[Longtooth|Pretender]], whose leg was bitten off by the last of the Kluds in that issue, driving him insane.
* The Decepticon comedians Darkwind and Dreadwind were seen being executed in the [[Around Cybertron issue 5|fifth]] installment of ''Around Cybertron''.
* Esmeral's alt-mode is the mythical Vaal Beast from Gamma Trianguli VI. Gamma Trianguli VI was seen in the ''Star Trek'' episode "The Apple". The primitive people there worshiped Vaal, a self-aware computer resembling a reptilian head, who ruled over them as their god.

[[Mirage (SG)|Mirage]]
* Characters mentioned include: Jackpot and [[Ratchet (SG)|Ratchet]].
* The [[Rad Zone]] was first mentioned in issue [[A Savage Circle|#78]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic.
* Jackpot, the guard who arrested Mirage, is the negative-universe counterpart of the Autobot [[Jackpot (G1)|Action Master]], who was always lucky everywhere he went; mirroring this, Jackpot causes bad luck for others.

[[Monstructor (SG)|Monstructor]]
* Characters mentioned include: Slog, Wildfly, Icepick, Scowl, Bristleback, Birdbrain, and Esmeral.
* Monstructor is a virtual redeco of his positive-universe [[Monstructor (G1)|counterpart]], with each of his components' colors based on their counterparts' Pretender shells. Rather than emitting a field of decay, Monstructor emits radiation that made everyone love him.
* Protoform batch-initiators were first mentioned in issue [[Infiltration issue 3|#3]] of IDW Publishing's ''Infiltration'' mini-series.

The [[Wireless Automated Sales Person|WASP]]
* Characters mentioned include: [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] and Magnificus.
* The WASP's alternate heads include: the standard face of the ''Animated'' Elite Guard [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] toy; a head with ''Animated'' Bumblebee's faceplate; a head based on a stereotypical car salesman, and a head based on ''Animated'' [[Wasp]].
* The WASP is an evolution of the earlier WHISPs, or Wireless Hologram and Imagery Sales Promotion, essentially holographic billboards; presumably, they're named for the mythological creatures known as the {{w|Will-o'-the-wisp}}. The WASP incorporates an AI that allows him to modify himself in response to sales figures in real-time, and communicate with four million customers at once.
* Magnificus is the negative-universe counterpart of the [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive [[Magnificus (G1)|Decepticon]], who is a redeco of the original [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] toy in its original ''Diaclone'' colors. Magnificus is responsible for the creation of "Corru-Stop"; it's the negative-universe version of [[Corrostop]], the cure to [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] seen in the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' episode of the same [[Cosmic Rust (episode)|name]]. Furthermore, corrostop was invented by Perceptor.
* The ''Shattered Glass'' versions of [[Scraplet]]s were shown to have healing properties in "[[Dungeons & Dinobots]]"; they were used in Magnificus' original formula for Corru-Stop.
* The WASP's [[Elite Guard]] insignia is repurposed here as the "Autobot Elite Shield in Advertising".

==Misc==
''Shattered Glass Machine Wars'' [[Wheelie (SG)|Wheelie]]
* ''Shattered Glass'' Wheelie received a visual depiction via a [[BotCon 2014]] souvenir card, specifically as a ''Shattered Glass [[Machine Wars: Transformers|Machine Wars]]'' character. He is depicted as a virtual redeco of ''Cybertron'' [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)#Dark|Dark Crumplezone]], with a head taken from [[Wheelie (G1)|Generation 1 Wheelie]]. Additionally, his gun is modeled on the ''Prime'' [[Arms Micron]] [[Jigu]], whose robot mode is that of a shark, homaging the [[Wheelie (G1)#Dreamwave Generation 1 continuity|Dreamwave incarnation of Wheelie]], who was friends with [[Gnaw (G1)|Gnaw]], a [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]].

==BotCon and Club toys==

===Pre-FunPub===

1994:

*''Generation 2'' [[Breakdown (G1)#Generation_2|Breakdown]]

1995:

*''Generation 2'' [[Nightracer (G2)#Generation_2|Nightracer]]

1996:

*''Beast Wars'' [[Onyx Primal#Beast_Wars|Onyx Primal]] (normal + "Dealer Exclusive")

Japan 1997:

*''Super High-Breed Model'' [[Galvatron (G1)/toys#Super_High-Breed_Model|Galvatron]] (normal and limited "lava-bath" versions)

1997:

*''Beast Wars'' [[Fractyl#Beast_Wars|Fractyl]] & [[Packrat#Beast_Wars|Packrat]] (2-pack)

1998:

*''Beast Wars'' [[Antagony (BW)#Beast_Wars|Antagony]]
*''Beast Wars'' [[Vice Grip#Beast_Wars|Vice Grip]]

Japan 1998:

*''Beast Wars'' [[Grizzly-1#Beast_Wars|Grizzly-1/Barbearian]] (w/ [[Nightshriek (BW)#Beast_Wars|Nightshriek]])
*''Beast Wars'' [[Double Punch (G1)#Beast_Wars|Double Punch]] (w/ [[Beeline#Beast_Wars|Beeline]])

1999

*''Beast Wars'' [[Sandstorm (BW)#Beast_Wars|Sandstorm]]
*''Beast Wars'' [[Windrazor (BW)#Beast_Wars|Windrazor]]

2000

*''Beast Wars'' [[Shokaract#Beast_Wars|Shokaract]]
*''Beast Machines'' [[Apelinq (BM)#Beast_Machines|Apelinq]]

Japan 2000

*''Choro-Q'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/merchandise#Choro-Q|Convoy]]
*''Choro-Q'' [[Mirage (G1)/toys#Choro-Q|Ligier]]
*''Choro-Q'' [[Megatron (G1)/merchandise#Choro-Q|Megatron]]
*''Car Robots'' "[[T-AI#Car_Robots|Ai-Chan]]" figurine

2001

*''Beast Wars'' [[Tigatron#BotCon2001|Tigatron]]
*''Beast Wars'' [[Arcee (G1)/toys#BotCon2001|Arcee]]

2002

*''Expanded Universe'' [[Cyclonus (G1)/toys#Expanded_Universe|Cyclonus]]
*''Expanded Universe'' [[CatSCAN#Expanded_Universe|CatSCAN]]
*''Expanded Universe'' [[Glyph (Universe)#Expanded_Universe|Glyph]]
*''Expanded Universe'' [[Tap-Out (Universe)#Expanded_Universe|Tap-Out]]

Europe 2002

*''Expanded Universe'' [[Rook (Universe)#Expanded_Universe|Rook]]

Unmade:

*''Expanded Universe'' [[Alpha Trion/toys#Expanded_Universe|Alpha Trion]]
*''Expanded Universe'' [[Devcon (G1)#Expanded_Universe|Devcon]]
*''Expanded Universe'' [[Fractyl#Expanded_Universe|Fractyl]]
*''Expanded Universe'' [[Rotorbolt (Universe)#Expanded_Universe|Rotorbolt]]
*''Expanded Universe'' [[Ramulus#Green|Ramulus]]

OTFCC 2003:

*''Universe'' [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Universe_.282003.29|Sideswipe]]
*''Universe'' [[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys#Universe_.282003.29|Sunstreaker]]
*''Universe'' [[Roulette (Universe)#Universe_.282003.29|Roulette]] and [[Shadow Striker (Universe)#Universe_.282003.29|Shadow Striker]] (2-pack)
*''Heroes of Cybertron'' Decepticon Air Cavalry Troop Builder Set: [[Starscream (G1)/merchandise#AirWarriors|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)/toys#Heroes_of_Cybertron|Skywarp]], [[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#Heroes_of_Cybertron|Thundercracker]], and three [[Air Warrior#Heroes_of_Cybertron|Air Warriors]]
*''Heroes of Cybertron'' [[Sunstorm (G1)#Heroes_of_Cybertron|Sunstorm]]

OTFCC 2004:

*''Universe'' [[Megazarak (Universe)#Universe_.282003.29|Megazarak]] (w/ [[Caliburn (Universe)#Universe_.282003.29|Caliburn]])
*''Universe'' [[Sentinel Maximus#Universe_.282003.29|Sentinel Maximus]] (w/ [[Apelinq (BM)#Universe_.282003.29|Ape-Linq]]) (technically not at convention but linked here for convenience)
*''Energon'' [[:File:En-toy EnergySpear-Alpha.jpg|Alpha Spear]] and [[:File:En-toy EnergySpear-Omega.jpg|Omega Spear]] [[Energon weapon|Energon weapons]] with [[Energon star]]
*''Energon'' [[Battle Ravage#Energon|Battle Ravage]] (special customization class toys with special [[:File:OTFRav.jpg|red Energon weapons]])

Unmade:

*''Universe'' [[Defensor (OTFCC)#Universe_.282003.29|Defensor]] (plus [[Defensor (OTFCC)#Midnight|Midnight Shield Defensor]] variant)

2004 (unofficial):

*Action Master [[Breakdown (G1)#Notes|Breakdown]]

===FunPub===

From here on out, most things are ''Timelines'' related, barring a few exceptions like the ''Combiner Wars'' figures.

2005:

Club toys:

*[[Skyfall (Cybertron)#Cybertron|Skyfall]] (incentive figure)

BotCon toys:

*"Descent into Evil" box set: [[Deathsaurus (G1)#Timelines_2|Deathsaurus]], [[Dirge (Timelines)#Timelines|Dirge]], [[Buzzclaw (G1)#Timelines|Buzzclaw]], [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Timelines|Ironhide]], [[Chromia (G1)#Timelines|Chromia]], [[Outback (G1)#Timelines|Fallback]], and [[Ricochet (Timelines)#Timelines|Ricochet]]
*[[Ratchet (G1)/toys#Timelines|Autobot Ratchet]] and [[Flareup (G1)#Timelines|Flareup]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Virulent Clone#Timelines|Virulent Clones]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Flamewar (G1)#Timelines_2|Flamewar]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Ramjet (Universe)#Cybertron|Ramjet]] (free give-away)

2006:

Club toys:

*[[Landquake (Timelines)#Timelines|Landquake]] (incentive figure)

BotCon toys:

*"Dawn of Future's Past" box set: [[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys#Timelines|Axalon Optimus Primal]], [[Rhinox (BW)/toys#Timelines|Axalon Rhinox]], [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Timelines|Axalon Cheetor]], [[Rattrap (BW)/toys#Timelines|Axalon Rattrap]], and [[Dinobot (BW)/toys#Timelines|Darksyde Dinobot]]
*[[Megatron (BW)/toys#Timelines|Darksyde Megatron]] and [[Waspinator (BW)/toys#Timelines|Darksyde Waspinator]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)/toys#Timelines|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)/toys#Timelines|Buzzsaw]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Tigatron#Timelines_2|Unit 2 (Tigatron)]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Inferno (BW)#BC06|Inferno]] (customization class)
*[[Rumble (G1)/toys#Universe_.282003.29|Rumble]] (customization class)

Customs:

*[[Quickslinger (Cybertron)#Toys|Quickslinger]] (in magazine)
*[[:File:NitrostreakCustom2006.jpg|Custom]] of [[Nitrostreak]] (on display at BotCon 2006)
*[[:File:PredaconsCustom2006.jpg|Customs]] of [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]], [[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]], [[Headstrong (G1)|Headstrong]], and [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]] (on display at BotCon 2006)

2007:

Club toys:

*[[Breakaway (Classics)#Classics|Breakaway]] (incentive figure)
*[[Astrotrain (Cybertron)#Timelines_2|Astrotrain]] (w/ [[Starcatcher (Cybertron)#Timelines_2|Starcatcher]], [[Astro-Hook#Timelines_2|Astro-Hook]], [[Astro-Line#Timelines_2|Astro-Line]], and [[Astro-Sinker (Cybertron)#Timelines_2|Astro-Sinker]]; members' exclusive)
*[[Airazor (BW)#Timelines_2|Airazor]] (members' exclusive)

BotCon toys:

*"Games of Deception" box set: [[Bug Bite (GoBots)#Timelines_2|Bug Bite]], [[Dreadwind (G1)#Timelines|Dreadwind]], [[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#Timelines|Thundercracker]], [[Dirge (G1)/toys#Timelines|Dirge]], and [[Thrust (G1)/toys#Timelines|Thrust]]
*[[Alpha Trion/toys#Timelines|Alpha Trion]] (w/ [[Beta Maxx (RID)#Timelines|Beta Maxx]]) and [[Weirdwolf (G1)#Timelines|Weirdwolf]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Springer (G1)/toys#Timelines|Springer]] and [[Huffer (G1)#Timelines|Huffer]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Mirage (G1)/toys#Timelines|Hologram Mirage]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Overkill (G1)#Timelines|Overkill]] (customization class)

2008:

Club toys:

*[[Topspin (Classics)#Classics|Topspin]] (incentive figure)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)#Timelines|Nightbeat]] (members' exclusive)
*[[Piranacon (G1)#Timelines|Piranacon]] set: [[Snaptrap (G1)#Timelines|Snaptrap]] (torso), [[Overbite (G1)#Timelines|Overbite]] (gun), [[Seawing (G1)#Timelines|Seawing]] (left arm), [[Nautilator#Timelines|Nautilator]] (right arm), [[Tentakil (G1)#Timelines|Tentakil]] (left leg), [[Skalor#Timelines|Skalor]] (right leg) (members' exclusive)

BotCon toys:

*"Shattered Glass" box set: [[Optimus Prime (SG)#Timelines|Optimus Prime]], [[Starscream (SG)#Timelines_2|Starscream]], [[Razorclaw (SG)#Timelines|Razorclaw]], [[Goldbug (SG)#Timelines|Goldbug]], [[Jazz (SG)#Timelines|Autobot Jazz]], and [[Grimlock (SG)#Timelines|Grimlock]].
*[[Megatron (SG)#Timelines_2|Megatron]] (w/ [[Rumbler (SG)#Botcon_2008|Rumbler]]), [[Rodimus (SG)#Timelines_2|Rodimus]], and [[Divebomb (SG)#Timelines|Divebomb]] (souvenir three-pack)
*[[Sideswipe (SG)#Timelines|Sideswipe]] (w/ [[Whisper (SG)#Timelines|Whisper]]), [[Blurr (SG)#Timelines|Blurr]], and [[Rampage (SG)#Timelines|Rampage]] (souvenir three-pack)
*[[Ricochet (SG)#Timelines|Ricochet]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Nightbeat (SG)#Timelines|Nightbeat]] (customization class)

2009:

Club toys:

*[[Heatwave (Timelines)#Timelines|Heatwave]] (incentive figure)
*[[Nexus Prime#Cybertron.2C_Classics.2C_and_Timelines|Nexus Maximus/Nexus Prime]]: combined form of the past 5 incentive figures - Heatwave (torso), Breakaway (left arm), Landquake (right arm), Skyfall (left leg), and Topspin (right leg)

BotCon toys:

*"Wings of Honor" box set: [[Kup (G1)/toys#Timelines|Kup]], [[Thunder Clash#Timelines|Thunderclash]], [[Flak (G1)#Timelines|Flak]], [[Landshark (G1)#Timelines|Landshark]], and [[Scourge (G1)/toys#Timelines|Scourge]]
*"Wings of Honor Villains" souvenir two-pack: [[Skyquake (G1)#Timelines|Skyquake]] and [[Banzai-Tron (G1)#Timelines|Banzai-Tron]]
*"BotCon Anniversary Pack" souvenir two-pack: [[Elita One (G1)#Timelines|Elita-1]] and [[Razorclaw (G1)#Timelines|Razorclaw]]
*"[[Sweep (G1)#Timelines|Sweeps]]" souvenir three-pack: [[Sweep Two#Timelines|Sweep Two]], [[Sweep Six#Timelines|Sweep Six]], and [[Sweep Seven#Timelines|Sweep Seven]]
*[[Leozack#Timelines|Leozack]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Thunderclash (SG)#Timelines|Thunderclash]] (combines with BotCon 2008 Nightbeat to form [[Nightclash]]; customization class)

2010:

Club toys:

*[[Dion (G1)#Timelines|Dion]] (w/ [[Cop-Tur (G1)#Timelines|Cop-Tur]]; incentive figure)
*[[Cyclonus (SG)#Timelines_2|Shattered Glass Cyclonus]] (w/ [[Krunix (SG)#Timelines|Krunix]]; members' exclusive)
*[[Punch (G1)#Timelines|Punch-Counterpunch]] (members' exclusive)

BotCon toys:

*"Generation 2: Redux" box set: [[Pyro (G1)#Timelines|Autobot Spark]], [[Streetwise (G1)#Timelines|Streetstar]], [[Clench (G1)#Timelines|Clench]], [[Breakdown (G1)#Timelines|Breakdown]], and [[Sky-Byte (RID)#Timelines|Sky-Byte]]
*[[Rapido#Timelines|Rapido]] and [[Cindersaur (G1)#Timelines|Cindersaur]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Double Punch (G1)#Timelines|Double Punch]] and [[Scorch (G1)#Timelines|Turbomaster]] (w/ [[Ravage (SG)#Timelines|Ravage]]; souvenir two-pack)
*[[Sharkticon (species)#Timelines_2|Sharkticons]] [[Land Shark#Timelines|Land Shark]], [[Air Shark#Timelines|Air Shark]], and [[Sea Shark#Timelines|Sea Shark]] (souvenir three-pack)
*[[Slicer (G1)#Timelines|Decepticon Slice]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Timelines|Sideswipe]] (customization class)

2011:

Club toys:

*[[Side Burn (RID)#Timelines|Side Burn]] (incentive figure)
*[[Cheetor (Animated)#Timelines|Cheetor]] (members' exclusive)
*[[Ramjet (G1)/toys#Timelines|Ramjet]] (members' exclusive)

BotCon toys:

*"The Stunti-Con Job" box set: [[Dead End (Animated)#Timelines|Dead End]], [[Breakdown (Animated)#Timelines|Breakdown]], [[Drag Strip (Animated)#Timelines|Drag Strip]], [[Wildrider (Animated)#Timelines|Wildrider]], and [[The Motor Master#Timelines|The Motor Master]]
*[[Sideswipe (Animated)#Timelines|Sideswipe]] and [[Toxitron (Animated)#Timelines|Toxitron]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Megatron (SG)#Galvatron|Galvatron]] and [[Thundercracker (SG)#Timelines_2|Thundercracker]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Autotrooper (Animated)#Timelines|Autotroopers]] (souvenir three-pack)
*[[Ironfist (Animated)#Timelines|Fisitron]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Minerva (Animated)#Timelines|Minerva]] (customization class)
*''Kre-O'' [[Optimus Prime (Kre-O)#Matrix|Matrix Optimus Prime]] (Hasbro give-away)

2012:

Club toys:

*[[Runamuck (G1)#Timelines|Runamuck]] (incentive figure)
*[[Runabout (G1)#Timelines|Over-Run]] (members' exclusive)
*[[Drift (SG)#Timelines|Shattered Glass Drift]] (members' exclusive)

BotCon toys:

*"Invasion" box set: [[Ultra Magnus (SG)#Timelines|Ultra Magnus]], [[Tracks (SG)#Timelines|Turbo Tracks]], [[Soundwave (SG)#Timelines_2|Soundwave]], [[Treadshot (SG)#Timelines|Treadshot]], [[Overlord (G1)#Timelines|Gigatron]], and [[Metalhawk (G1)#Timelines|Metalhawk]]
*[[Kick-Off (G1)#Timelines|Kick-Over]] and [[Optimus Prime (SG)#BotCon2012|Optimus Prime]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Octopunch (SG)#Timelines|Octopunch]] and [[Spinister (G1)#Timelines|Spinister]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Junkion (species)#Timelines|Junkions]] [[Wreck-Gar (SG)#Timelines|Wreck-Gar]], [[Scrap Iron (SG)#Timelines|Scrap Iron]], and [[Junkheap (SG)#Timelines|Junkheap]] (souvenir three-pack)
*[[Straxus (SG)#Timelines|The Bard of Darkmount]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Longarm (SG)#Timelines|Longarm]] (customization class)

2013:

Club toys:

*[[Depth Charge (BW)#Timelines|Depth Charge]] (incentive figure)

Transformers Figure Subscription Service 1.0:

*[[Scourge (RID)#Timelines|Scourge]]
*[[Slipstream (WFC)#Timelines|Slipstream]]
*[[Circuit (Movie)#Timelines|Circuit]]
*[[Breakdown (G1)#G1TimelinesBreakdown|Breakdown]]
*[[Jackpot (Animated)#Timelines|Jackpot]]
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Timelines|Ultra Mammoth]]

e-HOBBY collabs:

*[[Soundwave (SG)#Shattered_Glass|SG Soundwave]] vs [[Blaster (SG)#Shattered_Glass|Blaster]] (w/ [[Ratbat (SG)#Shattered_Glass|SG Ratbat]], [[Slugfest (SG)#Shattered_Glass|SG Slugfest]], [[Ramhorn (SG)#Shattered_Glass|SG Ramhorn]], [[Rewind (SG)#Shattered_Glass|SG Rewind]], and [[Solarbot (individual)#Shattered_Glass|Solarbot]]; e-HOBBY box set)
*''Generations'' [[Magnificus (G1)#Generations_.28Japan.29|Magnificus]] (e-HOBBY figure also offered by Club)

BotCon toys:

*"Machine Wars: Termination" box set: [[Hoist (G1)/toys#Timelines|Hoist]], [[Skywarp (MW)#Timelines|Skywarp]], [[Strika (BM)#Timelines|Strika]], [[Obsidian (BM)#Timelines_2|Obsidian]], and [[Megaplex#Timelines|Megaplex]]
*[[Mirage (G1)/toys#BotCon2013|Mirage]] and [[Thundercracker (MW)#Timelines|Thundercracker]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Electro#Timelines|Autobot Electrons]] and [[Sandstorm (MW)#Timelines|Sandstorm]] (souvenir two-pack)
*"Rainmakers" souvenir three-pack: [[Sunstorm (G1)#Timelines|Sunstorm]], [[Bitstream (G1)#Timelines|Bistream]], and [[Hotlink (G1)#Timelines|Hotlink]]
*[[Starscream (MW)#Timelines|Starscream]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Blastcharge Strika Drone#Timelines|Blastcharge Strika Drone]] (alternatively, [[Blastcharge (BM)#Timelines|Blastcharge]]; customization class)
*''Kre-O'' "Machine Wars" Kreon souvenir five-pack: [[Hoist (G1)/toys#BotCon2013|Hoist]], [[Skywarp (MW)#Kre-O|Skywarp]], [[Strika (BM)#Kre-O|Strika]], [[Obsidian (BM)#Kre-O|Obsidian]], and [[Megaplex#Kre-O|Megaplex]]
*''Kre-O'' [[Devastator (G1)/toys#OrangeDevastator|Constructicon Devastator]] (Hasbro freebie)

2014:

Club toys:

*[[Rampage (BW)#Timelines_2|Rampage]] (incentive figure)
*[[Transmutate (BW)#Timelines|Trans-Mutate]] (members' exclusive)

Transformers Figure Subscription Service 2.0:

*[[Barricade (WFC)#Timelines_2|Barricade]] (w/ [[Frenzy (WFC)#Timelines|Frenzy]])
*[[Fisitron (Timelines)#Timelines_2|Fisitron]]
*[[Waspinator (BW)/toys#Thrustinator|Thrustinator]]
*[[Treadshot (G1)#Timelines|Treadshot]] (w/ [[Catgut#Timelines|Catgut]])
*[[Chromedome (G1)#Timelines|Chromedome]] (w/ [[Stylor#Timelines|Stylor]])
*[[Rewind (G1)#Timelines|Rewind]]
*[[Eject (G1)#Timelines|Eject]]

Related:

*''Generations'' [[Ruination (FOC)#Generations|Ruination]]: [[Impactor (Prime)#Generations|Impactor]] (torso), [[Roadbuster (Prime)#Generations|Roadbuster]] (left arm), [[Twintwist#Generations|Twintwist]] (right arm), [[Topspin (FOC)#Generations|Autobot Topspin]] (left leg), and [[Whirl (FOC)#Generations|Autobot Whirl]] (right leg); Fisitron can replace any arm or leg

BotCon toys:

*"Pirates vs Knights" box set: [[Cannonball (G1)#Timelines|Pirate Cannonball]], [[Ferak#Timelines|Pirate Ferak]] (w/ [[Tornado#Timelines|Tornado]]), [[Devcon (G1)#Timelines|Knight Devcon]], [[Scorponok (G1)#Timelines|Pirate Scorponok]] (w/ [[Olin Zarak#Timelines|Olin Zarak]]), and [[Ginrai (robot)#Timelines|Knight Ginrai]]
*[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#BotCon2014|Knight Alpha Trizer]], [[Apelinq (BM)#Timelines|Knight Apelinq]], and [[Flareup (G1)#BotCon2014|Knight Flareup]] (souvenir three-pack)
*[[Shokaract#Timelines|Pirate Hunter]] and [[Brimstone (G1 Star Seeker)#Timelines|Pirate Brimstone]] (souvenir two-pack)
*[[Dread Pirate Crew#Timelines|Dread Pirate Crew]] ("[[Pounce]]" and "[[Wingspan]]" variants, w/ [[Arms Micron|Arms Minicons]] [[Plunder#Timelines|Plunder]] and [[Pillage#Timelines|Pillage]]; souvenir two-pack)
*[[Flamewar (G1)#BotCon2014|Flamewar]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Primal Prime#Timelines|Primal Prime]] (customization class)
*''Kre-O'' "Kreon Souvenir Figure Set": [[Breakdown (G1)#BotCon2014|Kreon Breakdown]], [[Fractyl#Kre-O|Kreon Fractyl]], [[Rattrap (BW)/toys#Kre-O|Kreon Rattrap]], [[Rodimus (SG)#Kre-O|Kreon Rodimus]], [[Landshark (G1)#Kre-O|Kreon Landshark]], and [[Overlord (G1)#Kre-O|Kreon Gigatron]]

2015:

Club toys:

*[[Lio Convoy#Timelines_2|Lio Convoy]] (incentive figure)
*[[Optimus Prime (SG)#NovaPrime|Nova Prime]] (members' exclusive)

''G.I. Joe'' figures (offered with both TFCC and G.I. Joe Collectors' Club):

*[[Marissa Faireborn#G.I._Joe_and_the_Transformers|Marissa Faireborn]] with [[Afterburner (G1)#G.I._Joe_and_the_Transformers|Afterbreaker]] (two-pack)
*[[Cobra Commander#TCC2015|Old Snake]] with [[Battle Android Trooper#TCC2015|Advance Stealth B.A.T. Duo]] (w/ 2 [[Nightshriek (G.I. Joe)|Nightshriek]] drones; two-pack)

Transformers Figure Subscription Service 3.0:

*[[Carzap (BT)#Timelines|Carzap]] (w/ ''Kre-O'' [[G.B. Blackrock#Timelines|G.B. Blackrock]])
*[[Nacelle (G1)#Timelines|Nacelle]]
*[[Serpentor#Timelines|Serpent O.R.]]
*[[Tarantulas (BW)#Timelines_2|Tarantulas]] (w/ two [[Arachnoid#Timelines|Arachnoid]] drones)
*[[Starscream (G1)/toys#Timelines_.282005.29|G2 Starscream]]
*[[Krok (G1)#Timelines|Krok]] (w/ [[Gatoraider#Timelines|Gatoraider]])
*[[Nightracer (G2)#Timelines|Nightracer]] (w/ [[Shakar#Timelines|Shakar]])

BotCon toys:

*"Cybertron's Most Wanted" box set: [[Packrat#Timelines|Maximal Packrat]], [[Battletrap (G1)#Timelines|Battletrap]], [[Stepper (SG)#Timelines|Autobot Stepper]] (w/ [[Nebulon (SG)#Timelines|Nebulon]]), [[Megatron (Movie)/toys#Timelines|Megatron]] (w/ [[Scalpel (ROTF)#Timelines|Scalpel]], [[Heavyweight#Timelines|Heavyweight]], and [[Boombox#Timelines|Boombox]]), and [[Oilmaster#Timelines|Oilmaster]]
*"Generation 2" souvenir two-pack: [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Timelines|General Optimus Prime]] and [[Hound (G1)/toys#Timelines|Sgt. Hound]] (w/ [[Dia Cinders (Diaclone)#Timelines|Dia]] and [[Darius Cline#Timelines|Cline]])
*"Diaclone" souvenir two-pack: [[Burn Out (Diaclone)#Timelines|Burn Out]] and [[Lift-Ticket (Diaclone)#Timelines|Lift-Ticket]]
*"[[Waruder]] Marauders" souvenir four-pack: [[Parasite#Timelines|Parasite]] (w/ [[Ripper (Diaclone)#Timelines|Ripper]]), [[Mudfighter#Timelines|Mudfighter]] (w/ [[Thrasher (Diaclone)#Timelines|Thrasher]]), [[Storm Rider#Timelines|Storm Rider]] (w/ [[Crusher (Diaclone)#Timelines|Crusher]]), and [[Paralyzer#Timelines|Paralyzer]] (w/ [[Buzzer (Diaclone)#Timelines|Buzzer]])
*[[Zaptrap#Timelines|Zaptrap]] (w/ [[Beet-Chit#Timelines|Beet-Chit]] and [[Spy-Eye (Diaclone)#Timelines|Spy-Eye]]; attendee bonus)
*[[Galva Convoy#Timelines|Galva Convoy]] (customization class)
*''Kre-O'' "Earth's Most Wanted" Kreon souvenir five-pack: [[Spike Witwicky (G1)#Kre-O|Autobot Spike]], [[Doctor Arkeville#Kre-O|Dr. Arkeville]], [[Nightbird (G1)#Kre-O|Nightbird]], [[Donny Finkleberg#Kre-O|Robot Master]], and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)#Kre-O|Sentinel Prime]] (w/ [[Headmaster (Animated)#Kre-O|Headmaster]])

2016:

Club toys:

*[[Ramjet (Universe)#Timelines|Ramjet]] (incentive figure)
*[[Skywarp (Armada)#Timelines_2|Skywarp]] (members' exclusive)

''G.I. Joe'' figures (offered with both TFCC and G.I. Joe Collectors' Club):

*[[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Transformers_Collectors.27_Club|Autobot Leader Code Name: Rodimus Prime]]
*[[Arcee (G1)/toys#Transformers_Collectors.27_Club|Autobot Warrior Code Name: Arcee]] (w/ [[Sky Spy#Transformers_Collectors_Club|Sky Spy]])

Transformers Figure Subscription Service 4.0:

*[[Needlenose (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Needlenose]] (w/ [[Sunbeam (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Sunbeam]] and [[Zigzag#Combiner_Wars|Zputty]])
*[[Ruckus (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Grabuge]]
*[[Spinister (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Spinister]] (w/ [[Hairsplitter#Combiner_Wars|Shrute]] and [[Singe#Combiner_Wars|Singe]])
*[[Windsweeper#Combiner_Wars|Windsweeper]]
*[[Bludgeon (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Bludgeon]]
*[[Impactor (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Impactor]]
*[[Bluestreak (G1)/toys#Combiner_Wars|Bluestreak]]
*[[Thunder Mayhem#Combiner_Wars|Thunder Mayhem]]: formed from Bludgeon (torso), Needlenose (left arm), Spinister (right arm), Grabuge (left leg), and Windsweeper (right leg)

BotCon toys:

*"Dawn of the Predacus" box set: [[Ravage (G1)/toys#Combiner_Wars|Ravage]], [[Tarantulas (BW)#Combiner_Wars|Predacon Tarantulas]], [[Ram Horn#Combiner_Wars|General Ramhorn]], [[Cicadacon#Combiner_Wars|General Cicadacon]], and [[Sea Clamp#Combiner_Wars|General Sea Clamp]]
*[[Megatron (BW)/toys#Combiner_Wars|Megatron]] (souvenir figure)
*[[Tigatron#Combiner_Wars|Tigatron]] (souvenir figure)
*[[Airazor (BW)#Combiner_Wars|Airazor]] (souvenir figure)
*[[Under-3#Combiner_Wars|Unit-3]] (souvenir figure)
*[[Reflector (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Reflector]] ([[Spectro#Combiner_Wars|Spectro]], [[Spyglass#Combiner_Wars|Spyglass]], and [[Viewfinder#Combiner_Wars|Viewfinder]]; souvenir three-pack)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)#Combiner_Wars|Terrorsaur]] (attendee bonus)
*[[Flash Sentry#Combiner_Wars|Flash Sentry]] (Golden Ticket exclusive)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/toys#Combiner_Wars|Autobot Ratchet]] (Marvel G1 Ratchet, G1 cartoon Ratchet, ''Generation 2'' Ratchet, ''Shattered Glass'' [[Ratchet (SG)#Combiner_Wars|Ratchet]], and [[Medix (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Medix]]; customization class)

Combiners:

*Predacus: Sea Clamp (torso), Ramhorn (left arm), Cicadacon (right arm), Ravage (left leg), and Tarantulas (right leg)
*[[Magnaboss (BW)#Combiner_Wars|Magnaboss]]: ''Combiner Wars'' [[Silverbolt (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Silverbolt]] (torso), ''Combiner Wars'' [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Combiner_Wars|Ironhide]] (left arm), ''Combiner Wars'' [[Prowl (G1)/toys#Combiner_Wars|Prowl]] (right arm), Tigatron (left arm), and Unit-3 (right arm)
*''Combiner Wars'' [[Defensor (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Defensor]]: [[Hot Spot (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Protectobot Hot Spot]] (torso), [[Groove (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Protectobot Groove]] (chest armor), [[Rook (CW)#Combiner_Wars|Protectobot Rook]] (left arm), [[Blades (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Protectobot Blades]] (right arm), [[Streetwise (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Protectobot Streetwise]] (left leg), and [[First Aid (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Protectobot First Aid]] (right arm; Ratchet or Medix can replace any limb)

2017:

''G.I. Joe'' figures (offered with both TFCC and G.I. Joe Collectors' Club):

*G.I. Joe featuring Ninja Force and Transformers box set: [[Megatron (G1)/toys#ClubCrossover|Megatron]], [[Cobra Commander#FubPub|Cobra Commander]], [[Sidney Biggles-Jones#G.I._Joe_and_the_Transformers|Dr. Sidney Biggles-Jones]], [[Scarlett#NinjaForce|Ninja Force: Scarlett]], [[Ratbat (G1)/toys#G.I._Joe_and_the_Transformers|Ratbat]], [[Blackcat (G1)#G.I._Joe_and_the_Transformers|Autobot Black Cat]], and [[Toaster#G.I._Joe_and_the_Transformers|Autobot Toaster]] (w/ three [[Crusticon#G.I._Joe_and_the_Transformers|Crusticons]])

Transformers Figure Subscription Service 5.0:

*[[Fractyl#Combiner_Wars|Fractyl]] with [[Scorponok (BW)#Combiner_Wars|Scorponok]]
*[[Lifeline (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Lifeline]] with [[Quickslinger (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Quickslinger]]
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#DoublePretender|Double Pretender Optimus Prime]] (w/ [[Hi-Q#Timelines|Hi-Q]])
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generations toys#DoublePretender|Double Pretender Megatron]] (w/ [[Spacewarp#Combiner_Wars|Spacewarp]])
*[[Toxitron (Universe)#Combiner_Wars|Wrecker Toxitron]]
*[[Punch (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Wrecker Counterpunch]]
*[[Starscream (SG)#Combiner_Wars|Shattered Glass Starscream]]

Combiners:
*[[Wreckage (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Wreckage]]
**First version: Toxitron (torso), ''Combiner Wars'' [[Offroad (CW)#Combiner_Wars|Decepticon Offroad]] (left arm), Counterpunch (right arm), ''Combiner Wars'' [[Alpha Bravo#Combiner_Wars|Alpha Bravo]] (left leg), and Fractyl (right leg)
**Second version: Toxitron (torso), Counterpunch (left arm), Impactor (right arm), Fractyl (left leg), and Bluestreak (right leg)
*[[Modulus#Combiner_Wars|Modulus]]: ''Combiner Wars'' [[Scattershot (G1)#Combiner_Wars|Scattershot]] (torso), BotCon 2016 Medix (left arm), Shattered Glass Starscream (right arm), BotCon 2016 Ratchet (left leg), and ''Combiner Wars'' Protectobot Rook (right leg)

===Post FunPub===

2024:

*[[Yolopark]] "House of Magnus" two-pack: [[Delta Magnus#Yolopark|Delta Magnus]] and [[Sunstorm (G1)#Yolopark|Sunstorm]]

2025:

*Yolopark "The Sound of Science" two-pack: [[Soundwave (G1)/merchandise#botcon2025|Soundblaster]] and [[Glyph (Universe)#Yolopark|Glyph]]
*Yolopark [[Cliffjumper (Yolopark)#Yolopark|Cliffjumper]]