MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Lost Bots

2023-02-04T11:35:11Z

JakeMorph: Fixed broken sentence

{{factions|lostbots}}
{{disambig2|the group|the book|Lost Bots! (book)}}
:''The Lost Bots is a subgroup from [[Transformers: BotBots (franchise)|BotBots]].
[[File:LB.jpg|thumb|400px|''They nervous, they nebbish, they small.'' ''And The Populars don't like them at all...'' ''But that's okay, life is sweet!'' ''Dey cool. Dey The Off-Beats.'']]
Does a team of BotBots seem incomplete? Then maybe you should check the [[Lost and Found (BotBots)|Lost and Found]] for '''The Lost Bots'''.

This ragtag assemblage of kooks and oddballs are not terribly popular with their fellow mall mechanoids, which ''may'' have something to do with their repeated hare-brained attempts to try and get into the good graces of their would-be peers, which often seem to backfire spectacularly. But at the end of the day, when nobody else might want them around, the Lost Bots will at least have each other.

{{TOCclear}}

==Members==
These hard-to-findsters include:
{{collist|3|
*[[Abominable Soundman]] the headphones
*[[Bonz-Eye]] the bonsai tree
*[[Burgertron]] the cheeseburger
*[[Clogstopper]] the plunger
*[[The Detangler]] the conditioner bottle
*[[Dimlit]] the flashlight
*[[Fail Polish]] the nail polish bottle
*[[Frostferatu]] the cupcake
*[[Game Over]] the game controller
*[[Grave Rave]] the decorative tombstone
*[[Greeny Rex]] the herbal plant
*[[Hamurai]] the hamhock
*[[Kikmee]] the soccer ball
*[[Love Struck]] the softball
*[[Nanny McBag]] the diaper bag
*[[Ol' Tic Toc]] the wristwatch
*[[Overpack]] the backpack
*[[PB Junior]] the peanut butter and jelly sandwich
*[[Rebugnant]] the insect spray bottle
*[[Rock Swagger]] the electric guitar
*[[Smooth Shaker]] the maraca
*[[Sprinkleberry Duh'Ball]] the donut hole
*[[Stinkeye Stapleton]] the stapler
*[[Strike Four]] the baseball bat
*[[Trisourtops]] the moldy orange
}}

==Fiction==
===''BotBots Adventure''===
{{issuestub}}
{{storylink|Transformers BotBots Adventure|BotBots Adventure}}

===''BotBots Official Sticker Book''===
The Lost Bots were a ragtag band of 'bots living in the Lost and Found. They may have originally all come from different stores, but they've banded together to form a team of their own. {{storylink|Transformers BotBots Official Sticker Book|BotBots Official Sticker Book}}

===Musical Mall Madness===
{{note|This stop motion singalong was a remake of the "[[#Official Digital Commercial|Official Digital Commercial]]" below.}}
{{storylink|Transformers: BotBots (franchise)|Musical Mall Madness}}
{{--}}

===''Lost Bots!''===
The Lost Bots lived and played happily together in Lost and Found. One day [[Dimlit]] saw [[S'up Dawg]] and [[Hawt Diggity]] and realized how close the [[Greaser Gang]] members seemed. Dimlit decided to set out with a group of other Lost Bots to see if they could find places where they best fit in. After they traveled the [[mall (BotBots)|mall]], to no success, the group returned to Lost and Found. There, Dimlit saw all the Lost Bots playing together and realized that was where they all belonged. {{storylink|Lost Bots! (book)|Lost Bots!}}

===''BotBots'' cartoon===
Having been in the mall's Lost and Found when the [[energon]] [[energon radiation|cloud]] hit, the Lost Bots, consisting of [[Kikmee]], [[Dimlit]], [[Bonz-Eye]] and [[Clogstopper]], were born separately from all the other BotBots, to the extent they never even knew there were other BotBots to begin with. Meanwhile, their fellows only suspected the Lost Bots' existence, but were too busy partying all night to check. That is until circumstances led [[Burgertron]] to wind up in the lost and found. He informed the quartet of the various squads, and convinced them to travel with him back to the [[food court]], where they could meet their own squads. On the way back, they had to avoid the gaze of the [[Dave (BotBots)|flesh being]], lest they break the [[Sacred Rule of the Mall]], but Burgertron's completely brilliant and well thought-out plan to get back to the food court quicker wound up drawing his attention anyway. To prevent Burgertron being eaten by the snacky human, Dimlit broke the rule to save him, an act witnessed by all the other BotBots. As a consequence, Burgertron was kicked out of the [[Greaser Gang|Hunger Hubs]], and a gloating [[Spud Muffin]] noted that after that none of the other 'bots were likely to accept them either. {{storylink|Mall Than Meets the Eye}} The Lost Bots quickly became total outcasts. Not one to admit defeat, Burgertron hit upon the idea of regaining their lost popularity via zany schemes, starting with [[BotVids]]. Their efforts did not succeed, with Kikmee's idea of pranking 'bots by hitting them in her ball mode making them even ''more'' unpopular. Stumbling on the "trap" the flesh being had constructed in an attempt to prove the BotBots existed, the Lost Bots decided to disarm them and become heroes to the rest of the mall. Though they succeeded, their efforts were for naught, as [[Fomo]] instead recorded [[Sprinkleberry D'uhnut]] falling on his behind. {{storylink|(Never) Be Yourself}}
{{groupstub}}

==Commercial appearances==
===Official Digital Commercial===
The Lost Bots are "The ones that no one knows". Kikmee, [[Game Over]], Clogstopper, Bonz-Eye, [[Stinkeye Stapleton]], Dimlit, and [[Frostferatu]] emerged from the shadowy cubbyholes of Lost and Found and leapt over the desk. {{storylink|Commercial#Official Digital Commercial|Official Digital Commercial}}

==Toys==
===''BotBots''===
[[File:BotBots-toy S1-5packs.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Lost Bots are found in the lower-left plastic bubble of nearly every multi-pack in the line.]]
*'''''BotBots''''' packs ([[2018]], [[2019]])
**''Series'': '''1, 2, 3'''

:The individual members of The Lost Bots are spread out across a range of ''[[Transformers: BotBots (toyline)|BotBots]]'' products... and ''only'' in the [[Blindpacking|blind-packed]] portions. Luckily, the Lost Bots are ''not'' randomly-packed, so you are always assured a specific Lost Bot with each different set.
::*Single-bot [[Blindpacking|Blind Bag Mystery Figures]]
::*5-Packs with two characters from the pack's theme team, two figures from two other teams, and an additional blind-packed rare "Lost Bot"
::*8-Packs with two characters from the pack's theme team, five figures from five other teams, and an additional blind-packed rare "Lost Bot"

:There are a few exceptions: the [[Bakery Bytes]], [[Lawn League]] and [[Arcade Renegades]] sets keep the blindpacked portions, but the toys inside are all members of those three teams, ''not'' Lost Bots.

:See the individual Bots' pages for a complete listing of what packs they're available in.
{{--}}

==Notes==
* Each Lost Bot is meant to fit in with one of the other teams in their Series, with no more than three Lost Bots per team in Series 1 through 3. The matches for Series 1 and 2 were confirmed by the BotBots Sticker Book, while Series 3's are our best guesses:
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="15%" align=right valign="top"|'''Series 1'''
Bonz-Eye = 
Burgertron = 
Clogstopper = 
Dimlit = 
Frostferatu = 
Game Over = 
Stinkeye Stapleton =
|
|width="18%" valign="top"| 
[[Shed Heads]] 
[[Greaser Gang]] 
[[Toilet Troop]] 
[[Shed Heads]] 
[[Sugar Shocks]] 
[[Techie Team]] 
[[Backpack Bunch]]
|
|width="15%" align=right valign="top"|'''Series 2'''
Abominable Soundman = 
The Detangler = 
Hamurai = 
Love Struck = 
Ol' Tic Toc = 
Overpack = 
PB Junior = 
Rebugnant = 
Rock Swagger = 
Sprinkleberry Duh'Ball =
|
|width="18%" valign="top"| 
Techie Team 
Toilet Troop 
[[Spoiled Rottens]] 
Jock Squad 
[[Swag Stylers]] 
Backpack Bunch 
Greaser Gang 
Shed Heads 
[[Music Mob]] 
Sugar Shocks
|
|width="15%" align=right valign="top"|'''Series 3'''
Grave Rave = 
Greeny Rex = 
Fail Polish = 
Nanny McBag = 
Smooth Shaker = 
Strike Four = 
Trisourtops =
|
|width="19%" valign="top"| 
[[Seasons Greeters]] 
[[Fresh Squeezes]] 
Swag Stylers 
[[Goo-Goo Groopies]] 
Music Mob 
[[Playroom Posse]] 
Spoiled Rottens
|}
* Currently for Series 1 to 3, the [[Bakery Bytes]], [[Lawn League]] and [[Arcade Renegades]] teams do not have any Lost Bots. The [[Winner's Circle]] team effectively replaced the Lost Bots starting in Series 4.
* [[Kikmee]] was originally intended to be the Lost Bot from the [[Jock Squad]] in Series 1, revealed in the ''BotBots'' animated pitch.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmjc_F0GISU "Transformers BotBots Origin Story Sing-Along"] - on YouTube</ref> However, he was eventually pushed to Series 3 as part of the [[Playroom Posse]].
** His bio in the ''[[Transformers BotBots Official Sticker Book|BotBots Official Sticker Book]]'' still lists him as a Lost Bot and he is still treated as one in the ''[[Lost Bots! (book)|Lost Bots!]]'' storybook.
** Additionally, Kikmee (as a female) is also a Lost Bot in the [[Transformers: BotBots (cartoon)|''BotBots'' cartoon]], presumably due to the early promotional materials still treating the character as a Lost Bot.
* While the ''Musical Mall Madness'' stopmotion is a remake of the "Official Digital Commercial", [[Arctic Guzzlerush]] appears in place of Stinkeye Stapleton. This seems most likely to be an animation error, as both are the same color. It's also possible that the animators may not have had a Stinkeye Stapleton available to use.
** Alternately, maybe this is actually "[[first name Guzzlerush|'''''first name''''' Guzzlerush]]".

===Foreign names===
*''French:'' '''Robots Perdus''' (toyline, "Lost Robots"), '''Solo-Bots''' (cartoon)
*''German:'' '''Bots Auf Abwegen''' (toyline, "Astray Bots"), '''Lost Bots''' (cartoon)
*''Italian:'' '''Robot Perduti''' (toyline, "Lost Robots"), '''Lost Bots''' (cartoon)
*''Polish:'' '''Zagubione Roboty''' ("Lost Robots")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Robôs Perdidos''' (Brazil, "Lost Robots"), '''Bots Perdidos''' (Portugal, "Lost Bots")
*''Turkish:'' '''Kayip Botlar''' ("Lost Bots")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Lost Bots| ]]
[[Category:BotBots subgroups]]

Transformers: BotBots (franchise)

2023-02-04T10:55:14Z

JakeMorph: Improved wording; fixed sketchy pluralisation

{{Nav-botbots}}
[[File:BotBotsPromoArt.jpg|upright=3|thumb|Collect the mall!]]
'''''Transformers: BotBots''''' is a [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'']] [[franchises|franchise]] that began in [[2018]], involving small, cartoony, [[super deformed]] robot characters who transform into mundane items.

In the universe of the BotBots, a [[Energon radiation|mysterious cloud]] of [[energon]] gas drifted through a [[Mall (BotBots)|shopping mall]], turning tools, electronics, furniture, food, toys, sports equipment, and just about anything else into tiny transforming robots. By day they hide, and by night, mischief is aplenty.

Starting off originally as a toyline, the running success helped grow the franchise enough for it to gain books, a mini-comic, a pack of [[San Diego Comic-Con|convention]] [[Exclusive#Convention and club exclusives|exclusives]] and a bunch of other merchandise. A [[Netflix]]-original [[Transformers: BotBots (cartoon)|cartoon]] premiered in [[March]] [[2022]].

''BotBots'' takes place within its own [[continuity]], and—for the most part—ignores any of the factions or concepts that had previously been used in ''Transformers''. Instead, the line gave birth to a wide variety of "squads" based on the stores or places they were brought to life inside. On ''very'' rare occasions, references would be made to extant ''Transformers'' universes or incarnations of existing characters; which indicate those to exist as mass-market fiction within the ''BotBots'' universe.

{{Quote|One stormy night at a mall nearby, Energon power fell from the sky. It hit the mall with its powerful might, and gave everyday objects robot life!|official synopsis}}

==Franchise elements==
The ''BotBots'' franchise features the following components:

* [[Transformers: BotBots (toyline)|A toyline]] — ([[2018]] – present)
* [[Transformers BotBots Official Sticker Book|A sticker book]] — ([[2019]])
* [[Transformers BotBots Adventure|A promotional mini-comic]] — ([[2019]])
* [[Lost Bots! (book)|A 3-step reading book]] — ([[2020]])
* [[Transformers BotBots Mad Libs|A ''Mad Libs'' book]] — ([[2021]])
* [[Transformers: BotBots (cartoon)|A cartoon series]] — ([[2022]])
* And several pieces of merchandise ([[#Merchandise|see below]])

==Squads==
As the story goes, every single BotBot gathered together, forming their own squads inside the respective stores or environments of the mall that they were brought to life in.

The squads are as follows:
{{collist|3|
*[[Arcade Renegades]] ([[Game Palace]] arcade)
*[[Backpack Bunch]] ([[school supply store]])
*[[Bakery Bytes]] ([[bakery]])
*[[Caffeine Collective]] (coffee shop)
*[[Cardio Clique]] ([[gym]])
*[[Frequent Flyers]] ([[travel goods store]])
*[[Fresh Squeezes]] ([[health-food store|juice bar and health food]])
*[[Gamer Geeks]] (tech department)
*[[Gifted Guild]] (??)
*[[Goo-Goo Groopies]] ([[baby store]])
*[[Greaser Gang]] ([[food court]])
*[[Hibotchi Heats]] ([[Asian restaurant]])
*[[Home Rangers]] ([[department store]])
*[[Jock Squad]] ([[sports store]])
*[[Lawn League]] ([[gardening store]])
*[[Los Deliciosos]] ([[Mexican restaurant]])
*[[Lost Bots]] ([[Lost and Found (BotBots)|Lost and Found]])
*[[Magic Tricksters]] ([[magic store]])
*[[Movie Moguls]] ([[movie theater]])
*[[Music Mob]] ([[musical instrument store]])
*[[Oil Slicks (BotBots)|Oil Slicks]] (auto parts store?)
*[[Party Favors]] ([[party store]])
*[[Pet Mob]] (pet shop)
*[[Play Plexers]] (play area)
*[[Playroom Posse]] ([[toy store]])
*[[Retro Replays]] (vintage electronics)
*[[Science Alliance]] ([[science store]])
*[[Seasons Greeters]] ([[holiday decoration store]])
*[[Shed Heads]] ([[home-and-garden store]])
*[[Spoiled Rottens]] ([[trash can]])
*[[Sugar Shocks]] ([[Sprinkles|Sprinkles, the sweets shop]])
*[[Swag Stylers]] ([[fashion store]])
*[[Techie Team]] ([[Tech Store]] electronics)
*[[Toilet Troop]] ([[bathroom]])
*[[Wilderness Troop]] ([[camping supply store]])
*[[Winner's Circle]] (trophy store)
}}

Additionally, there was a "bonus" squad released as a [[San Diego Comic-Con]]-exclusive. However, this pack of BotBots was made with the intention of being completely [[ComicCon (BotBots)|convention-related]] and thus has very little (if any) connection to the mall and the other BotBots that exist in this universe.

The "[[Con Crew]]", is separated into three miniature "sub-squads" that specialize in different tasks relating to a convention.

These "sub-squads" include:
*[[Fantastic Fuelers]] (food and drinks)
*[[Line League]] (tools for waiting in line)
*[[Meet N' Greets]] (tools for meeting idols)

==Merchandise==
[[File:Botbots-shirt-stock-image.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Well, do ya?"]]
* '''''BotBots'' apparel''' ([[2019]])

: Available through Amazon.com, ''BotBots'' has a number of t-shirts, long-sleeve tees, and hoodies for kids and adults:

:* Botbots group shot
:* "#Brobots" (group shot)
:* "At First I Was Like..." (group shot)
:* "I (Donut) Care ([[Sprinkleberry D'uhnut]])
:* "I'm About To Do Something Awesome!" (group shot)
:* "Nacho Business" ([[Shredder Jack]])
:* "Power Player" ([[Game Over]])
:* "That's How I Roll" ([[King Toots]] & [[Rootwing]])
:* "To Do List:" (group shot)
:* "Today I Am:" (group shot)
:* "Whatever Happened, It Wasn't Me!" (King Toots)
:* "You Want A Pizza Me?" ([[Duderoni]])
{{--}}

==Notes==
* All of the characters introduced thus far are entirely new, separate from any traditional "Generation 1" characters: a rarity in today's ''Transformers'' market.
* ''BotBots'' easily has the highest percentage of [[female Transformer]]s in its cast of any ''Transformers'' toyline, and by a stunningly wide margin. In the first two series alone, ''39'' of the 121 characters are female. In fact, it took ''Transformers'' as a whole ''thirty years'' to approach that number of female toy characters, and that's including [[BotCon|convention]]-exclusive offerings! (And ''not'' counting toys that had no [[bio]] upon release and were later [[retcon]]ned as female.) As of Series 5, roughly a third of the cast is female, with a few bio-less bots and some with no gendered pronouns in their bio at all.
* The premise of sudden exposure to Energon radiation bringing random objects to "robot life" is similar to the [[Energon mutation|AllSpark Mutation]]s of the [[live-action film series]].
* The BotBots' various groups were referred to as "tribes" in most fiction until around 2021, when all media began using the term "squad" instead, likely to avoid potential cultural insensitivity issues. As such, for consistency's sake, {{SITENAME_SHORT}} has opted to use "squad" in all instances except for fiction that explicitly refers to these groups as "tribes".
* Storyboards for a pitched but unmade BotBots commercial done by [[Sahle Robinson]] can be found on the [[Sahl'good Studios]] YouTube channel, humorously featuring sound effects performed vocally by Sahle to help sell the concept.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqPehlg9vw8&t</ref>

==External links==
* [https://transformers.hasbro.com/en-us/brands/botbots Page on the ''Transformers'' website]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:BotBots| ]]
[[Category:Franchises]]

Sparkbot

2022-12-28T10:59:20Z

JakeMorph: Improved wording

{{factions|unicron}}
{{disambig2|the Kiss Players subgroup|the Generation 1 Autobot subgroup|Sparkabot}}
:''The Sparkbots are a [[Herald of Unicron]] [[subgroup]] from the [[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:KPSparkbot-Group.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|The big guy was really scraping the bottom of the herald barrel when he picked this lot.]]
The '''Sparkbots''' (スパークボット ''Supākubotto'') are a trio of [[Transformer]]s who claim to be servants of [[Primus]], but their true allegiance is to Primus' dark opposite, Unicron. They transform from small glowing spheres into significantly larger robots of various configurations. They have the ability to fly, communicate telepathically, and apparently also to travel through time when their abilities are activated by a [[kiss]]. They mostly make grinding noises when they speak out loud.

The group's members are:

*[[Angela]]
*[[Star Dust]]
*[[Zangetsu]]

==Fiction==
===''Kiss Players''===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Mysterious Falling Star Volume}} {{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 1}} {{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 2}} {{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 3}} {{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 4}} {{storylink|Sparkbots Volume 5}}}}

In the year 2006 or 2007, the Sparkbots suddenly appeared in the sky before the "[[Kiss Players (singing group)|Kiss Players]]" singing group at the [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]] Fortress concert of their world tour. They introduced themselves to the performers telepathically and insisted that the three humans in the group kiss them.

[[File:SparkbotsTrio.jpg|left|thumb|Making this series took a lot of...no, we can't do it.]]
When [[Atari Hitotonari]], [[Shaoshao Li]] and [[Marissa Faireborn]] complied, they were engulfed by a bright light and Brave Maximus was transported back to the [[Sherman Dam]] in the year 1985. The [[Autobot]] commander [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] was there, but could not see the time travellers as they observed him.

[[File:TGGSparkbots.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|The truth revealed! Those little potty-mouths.]]
The Sparkbot Angela commanded Marissa to kiss her and the glowing pink sphere transformed into a lion. Flying close to Prime with Marissa on her back, she told the human to kiss the Autobot. When she did, a fragment of the [[Transformer afterlife|Allspark]] emerged from his chest. As the travellers retrieved it, Angela ordered their return to the present day. The Sparkbots continued to lead the Kiss Players from one point in time and space to the next. At each destination, they encountered a famous Autobot or [[Maximal]] leader and kissed him to extract a fragment of the Allspark.

Following a perilous adventure on the planet [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]], the Kiss Players decided to decorate their new friends with symbols of their own devising. The Sparkbots' only response was to make grinding noises, leaving the girls undecided as to whether or not they approved.

As the team came closer to reaching their goal, a mysterious giant golden hand started appearing from nowhere and taking the Allspark fragments before the Kiss Players and Sparkbots could collect them.

When the hand was discovered to belong to [[Primus]] himself, the true purpose and allegiance of the Sparkbots was at last revealed: they were agents of evil, and what the Kiss Players had been collecting were not fragments of the Allspark at all, but [[Angolmois Energy]], the lifeforce of [[Unicron]]! In fact, it had been the Sparkbots who redirected [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s path toward Earth when he was originally fated to crash on [[Thrull]], thus causing the destruction of [[Tokyo]] and all of the events that resulted from that catastrophe.

Fleeing back in time to prehistoric Earth with their precious prize, the Sparkbots released the Angolmois Energy that they had collected. Unicron was reborn!

In a mighty struggle, Primus succeeded in destroying Unicron once more, confining both his dark energy and the Sparkbots beneath the surface of the planet and creating [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]] as a mighty guardian to watch over them. {{storylink|Transformers: Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players}}

===Ask Vector Prime===
Unicron recycled the Sparkbots designs from the [[Egg Beast]] sleeper agents he used to infiltrate [[Maximal]] and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] societies. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/29}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===''Kiss Players''===
[[File:Sparkbot.gif|upright=1.67|thumb|The keychains are used as leashes. Does that count as bondage?]]
* '''Kiss Players Sparkbot x3''' (multi-pack, 2007)

:Announced in the first "Transformers Kiss Play: Transformers News Center" radio show of 2007, the Sparkbots were released as a three-pack that includes a music CD starring the "Kiss Players" voice actresses. The set was only available at the Japanese "Toy Festival" in March 2007.

:The Sparkbot toys are [[redeco]]s of the [[Egg Beast]] molds last released in the Japanese [[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|''Beast Wars'' toyline]]. They are:

* Angela ([[Eggleo]] mold, name and color scheme by [[Lyrian]])
* Star Dust ([[Eggbot (BW)|Eggbot]] mold, name and color scheme by [[Satomi Akesaka]])
* Zangetsu ([[Eggbird]] mold, name and color scheme by [[Yui Kano]])
{{--}}

==Notes==
* They function as {{w|Shikigami}}.

[[Category:Kiss Players]]
[[Category:Subgroups]]
[[Category:Unicron]]

The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk

2022-12-28T10:55:27Z

JakeMorph: Fixed minor typographical error

{{Nav-Asterisk}}
 
[[File:BTA-toy Junko.jpg|upright=1.4|right|thumb]]
'''''The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk''''' (バイナルテックアスタリスク) is a spinoff franchise of ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Binaltech]]''.

In late [[2005]] (not too long before it went on "indefinite hiatus"), ''Binaltech'' gained a sub-series, ''Binaltech Asterisk'', using old molds in new decos as previously-unreleased Autobots, but also including small PVC figurines of [[human]] girls, each one inspired by a female human character from a previous ''Transformers'' series. These figurines had alternate arms and lower bodies so they could "drive" the Autobots in car mode. These toys were also packaged in robot mode as opposed to the normal car mode (presumably to encourage transformation to car mode so the girls could drive). Reportedly, the addition of the PVCs was to try and reach a broader market to help the line's flagging sales... though the ''higher price tag'' probably didn't help.

This series only had three releases before it was canceled; a "Black Convoy meets [[Marissa Faireborn|Melissa]]" set was solicited as the fourth set but never released as originally planned. Instead, it was changed for the next incarnation of the 1:24 line: ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (toyline)|Kiss Players]]''.

==Fiction==

{{chapters|title=''Binaltech Asterisk''
|prev=
|next=
|content=
<div class="list-header">''[[Asterisk Story]]'':</div>
*[[The Cat and the Medal|BTA-01]]
*[[I'll Show You Some Great Scenery|BTA-02]]
*[[The World's First Disaster Relief Car!?|BTA-03]]
 <div class="list-header">Pack-in prose:</div>
*[[Story with Alert|BTA-01]]
*[[Story with Sunstreaker|BTA-02]]
*[[Story with Broadblast|BTA-03]]
}}

''Binaltech Asterisk'' received a short series of online comics, collectively titled ''[[Asterisk Story]]'', supplemented with prose stories packed in with the toys themselves. Each chronicled an adventure of a Transformer/human duo participating in the joint diplomatic effort between Cybertron and Earth known as the [[Interplanetary Personnel Exchange Program]]. These were at the time largely unconnected to any other ''Transformers'' timeline, being mostly short vignettes free of Decepticon troubles. However, the official [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|Japanese Generation 1 timeline]] placed these comics within the same fiction and period of time as ''Binaltech''.

==Toyline==

{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
<ul class="iconlist">
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 1''' ([[September 29]], [[2005]])
{{Bp-a1|BTA01. [[Red Alert (G1)/toys#Binaltech Asterisk|Alert]] meets [[Ai Kuruma#Toys|Ai]] (Subaru Impreza WRX)}}
{{Bp-a1|BTA02. [[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys#Binaltech Asterisk|Sunstreaker]] meets [[Kelly (RID)#Toys|Junko]] (Dodge Viper Competition Coupe)}}
|}
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
<ul class="iconlist">
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Wave 2''' ([[November 18]], 2005)
{{Bp-a1|BTA03. [[Blaster (G1)/toys#Binaltech Asterisk|Broadblast]] meets [[Lumina Hoshi#Toys|Lumina]] (Toyota bB)}}
|}

==References==
*[[:Category:Binaltech Asterisk sources|Complete archive of ''Binaltech Asterisk'' media]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Binaltech Asterisk}}
[[Category:Alternators]]
[[Category:Binaltech Asterisk| ]]
[[Category:Japanese franchises]]