MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Talk:Zarak Maximus

2023-02-18T22:13:30Z

Might Gaine: /* Torso and forearms from Cerebros? */ new section

Uh... [http://members.aol.com/regenesis0/destron_soldier_thesis.jpg visual aid]

Destorn Soldier (it shoudl be Decepticon soldier, the name comes from Generations,w hich named him by the JP convention) appears in the Micromasters Battle Station comercial.

The comercial clearly bases him on Scorponok, but only very loosely. That isnt' green onhim, color-fading aside, it's dark gray (possibly greenish-gray, but definatel ynot Scorponok's green.) No shoulder cannons, and gray shoulders and legs. (and hands, but we'll ignore that)

Where did this come from?

The FIRST Micromasters comercial- the LONG one, which featured only the first wave and had animation and stop-motion footage not featured in any other comercial, showed them battling both Scorponok (original toy) and, well... not-Scorponok, as you see here. With no shoudler-cannons. And gray shoulders and legs. Destron Soldier a Wave 3(ish) Micromaster comercial was almost certainly based on this guy, meshed around a bit with Scorponok's colors. (Again, they both appeared in the same comercial.) Was he a test-shot they had lying aroudn and thre in for a comercial? A repaint? A planend re-release in new colors like Japan had because he was the right sidze to play as a Micromaster base?

Who knows. What I DO know is that that color-combination-- is not possible on Scorponok's mold. And while the color is realyl grotty int his comercial, it kicks in again for the last frame I have snapped here- where you see his colors are white, blue, and dark gray. Surprisingly similar to the Kabaya Scorponok.

That last bit is almost certianly a coincidence- Kabaya Scorponok inherited his colors from Kabaya Fort Max. But still.

Um, anyway, I was putting this up bere for responses before I added any of it to the article. I think it's well-substantiated enough to stick int he article, but I want to know if others think it's too speculative. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 02:03, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

:Psst.

:http://s90690880.onlinehome.us/jhiaxus/uscartoon/giantdecepticonwarrior.htm

:(By me!) --[[User:Monzo|Monzo]] 02:09, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

::I have read this article before. I love your page.
::I am contribuiting to this discussion the stuff abotu the repainted Scorponok from the 1st Micromasters comercial, which has gray laid out in the same impossible-on-the-toy manner as Giant Destron Soldier. (As seen in my visual aid) -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 02:18, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

Do I make fun of your spelling? :~( -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 04:37, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
: Do I make fun of your singing? :-( --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 04:40, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

::Looking at the commercials in question again, and at your visual aid, um... the are some problems. For one, Derek, your photoshop of toy-Scorponok in the commercial guy's colors doesn't MATCH the color layout as seen in the commercial - heck, look at the screenshots right next to it. His thighs are supposed to be blue, not white, and his shins are white, and not blue.

::When you compare the color layouts of the two toys, they match.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/monzo/scorpo-bluenok.jpg

::(Some parts not colored out of lazyness.)

::The only thing that doesn't match exactly to the original Scorponok toy is that the feet are a different color from the chest. However - examining photos of Black Zarak, it appears that this is not impossible with the Scorponok mold. BZ's feet are gold plastic, while his chest and shoulder guns are chrome gold. Therefore, it's not a hard leap to the idea that Blue Scorponok utilized this facet of the mold to make the legs and feet solid white.

::As to Blue Scorpy versus Giant Decepticon Warrior... he's got dark grey in places that Blue Scorpy has white. I can't see a connection between them, especially since Giant Decepticon Warrior's detailing has significant departures from Scorponok's own... heck, his feet appear to be derived from Fort Max, while his torso and forearms look like they came from Cerebros. --[[User:Monzo|Monzo]] 04:48, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

To clarify- I was proposing that Giant Decepticon Warrior was a mash-up of the two color schemes. The lack of shoudler cannosn and gray shoudlers/legs coming fromt his mystery guy, the rest coming from Scorponok. Thus ''loose'' inspiration, not pure.

I thought it seemed likely, given details (or lack thereof int he cannons) and the proximity of th two in the MM comercials.
At for GDS's '''character model'', I agree it's a mess, taking from multiple sources. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 05:16, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

== Moving suggest ==

"兵士" usually refers to "soldier" instead of "warrior" (戦士). --'''[[User:TX55|TX55]]'''''[[User talk:TX55|TALK]]'' 03:59, 11 September 2009 (EDT)
:Go 4 it. - [[User:Starfield|Starfield]] 09:41, 11 September 2009 (EDT)

== Torso and forearms from Cerebros? ==

I realized I'm challenging an assertion made 17 years ago, but to me, the forearms and torso don't look like Cerebros at all... neither the toy, the cartoon model, or the Japanese Headmasters anime model. They look as much like Cerebros as they do dozens of other Transformers. They're just very generic looking. Does anyone agree that this small part of the article about Cerebros should be removed, since it seems to be incorrect? [[User:Might Gaine|Might Gaine]] ([[User talk:Might Gaine|talk]]) 17:13, 18 February 2023 (EST)

Talk:Hyperdrive (Turbomaster)

2022-12-04T17:11:25Z

Might Gaine: /* Hyperdrive concept art */

==Untitled==
Why does this use disambig 3.5 instead of 3.0? --[[User:Jimsorenson|Jimsorenson]] 21:02, 14 December 2009 (EST)
:I did it because they're two characters with the same name in the same continuity. Which, contrary to Interrobang's summary edit, we ''have'' made note of on this wiki... including [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]'s page and several of the Movie characters. (In fact, what gave me the idea for the Disambig3.5 to begin with was just making a generic version of the Movie one we made after ''that'' whole discussion.)
:So, er... if we don't need to use that disambig on anything other than SG pages, then OK, but I did do it based on how we do things on other pages, not pulling it out of my backside. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 02:17, 15 December 2009 (EST)
::The only reason we use it on Movie/RotF characters is because we concluded that our readers <s>are retarded</s> have a hard time telling the difference between "Movie" and "ROTF". There is no actual reason to use it on G1 continuity family dudes. (We managed just fine with the existence of [[Flame (Marvel)]], [[Dreadwing (G2)]], [[Overlord (G.I. Joe)]], among others.) [[User:Interrobang|—Interrobang]] 02:31, 15 December 2009 (EST)
:::So what about the Skydive page, then? I'm not the one who added that there. I've seen similar disambigs on other G1 pages, too. If I got it wrong, then fine... but it was done wrong before I got here, then. (I guess I just find it a little frustrating when I get told "we don't do that" when we ''do'' do that, which is why I did it in the first place, as I always try to look at how other pages do things.)
:::(...I ''could'' point out none of your examples are relevant, as they're not two TFs with the same name in the same continuity (yes, I know G2 is technically the same continuity family, but it's generally treated as its own separate thing).) --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 02:52, 15 December 2009 (EST)
::::[[Flame (Motorvator)]] and [[Flame (Marvel)]]. And the difference between G1 and G2 is about the same as "Movie" and "ROTF". You still haven't explained why we ''need'' it here. [[User:Interrobang|—Interrobang]] 03:00, 15 December 2009 (EST)
:::::The same reason we need any disambig... to avoid confusion. If we don't need it, then OK... but you might as well remove it from the Skydive and Movie pages too, etc., then, as they're in the exact same scenarios. *shrug* --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 03:24, 15 December 2009 (EST)
::::::My two cents worth: while in principle I agree with Jeysie's rationale, given that there are only three Hyperdrives total a simpler disambig is probably better (for now). [[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 06:04, 15 December 2009 (EST)

Ah, I see, two characters with the same name IN THE SAME CONTINUITY FAMILY. That has a certain amount of value to it. I'm not sure if I agree with it or not, but I at least see the logic. It just seemed like a strange exception to me. --[[User:Jimsorenson|Jimsorenson]] 03:06, 15 December 2009 (EST)
:Yeah, basically. I could see the argument for not doing it, too, but I noticed other pages had done it and so I went for consistency. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 03:24, 15 December 2009 (EST)

==Hyperdrive concept art==
Does anyone else think the explanation for Hyperdrive's concept art doesn't make sense? Thunderclash was already a pretty big and expensive toy in his own right, but the article says Hyperdrive would have been an even bigger, more expensive toy? I really don't think the two are different enough that at any point they could have been intended to be part of the same toy line. His vehicle mode is extremely similar to Thunderclash's, down to the "Transformers" writing in the same spot on the trailer. The robot mode we see in the concept art appears to be formed only from the cab portion of the vehicle mode, just like Thunderclash's robot mode is. Also, the robot mode transformation, while clearly different, is just as simple as Thunderclash's is. All of these things make me think that Hyperdrive was an early concept for Thunderclash. They more of less kept the vehicle mode as-is and changed the robot mode completely. Given that the robot mode looks like God Ginrai and Star Saber had a baby, maybe Hasbro UK requested the design be changed to be less Japanese-inspired. I think that is a better theory, personally. [[User:Might Gaine|Might Gaine]] ([[User talk:Might Gaine|talk]]) 17:23, 25 June 2022 (EDT)
:What we have here is based on the description given in the Generations book, though admittedly that is using an old translation. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 17:50, 25 June 2022 (EDT)
::From the description in the image we have: サンダークラッシュの上に立つリーダーとなるはずであった—"Was to be a leader standing above Thunder Clash". [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 18:59, 25 June 2022 (EDT)
:::Here is a more complete explanation with some pictures that convey the argument better https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/theory-hyperdrive-is-thunder-clash.1240655 [[User:Might Gaine|Might Gaine]] ([[User talk:Might Gaine|talk]]) 12:11, 4 December 2022 (EST)

Talk:Hyperdrive (Turbomaster)

2022-06-25T21:23:48Z

Might Gaine: Hyperdrive concept art discussion added

Brave (franchise)

2017-12-15T01:58:43Z

Might Gaine: /* Exkaiser */ I don't think the real reason for this has been established. It's probably better to omit a reason than to guess at one.

{{disambig2|the franchise that uses designs from ''Transformers''|the ''Car Robots'' character|Emissary (RID)}}
[[Image:Fighbird groupshot.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Like Transformers, except every robot has a face plate, something long sticking out of its head, and a gold chest. And they [[Kunio Okawara|look like]] [[Wikipedia:Gundam|Gundam]].]]

'''Brave''' (勇者, Yūsha) is a non-Transformers [[franchise]] that [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] and [[wikipedia:Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]] created after the [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]] anime ran its course in Japan. The Brave Series consists of eight individual series that were released one after the other from 1990 to 1998 with corresponding TV shows in Japan. The last show in the series received a follow-up OVA beginning in 2000.
Although none of the series storylines are connected to one another<ref>Although the storylines are not interconnected, there are some small connections between the series. For example, the reason Fighbird joined the Space Guards is that he admires Exkaiser. (This connection is stated in the ''Encyclopedia of Fighbird'', published by Keibunsha.) Also, there are some small cameos of human characters between shows, and some [[character model]]s, such as Draias and Guard Diver, are reused in subsequent series. Lastly, the ''Brave Saga'' video games [[retcon]] the storylines of the shows so that they link up.</ref> the basic format of each series is similar. Usually a kid befriends/creates/becomes a sentient robot, and together they fight a great evil threatening the Earth. The main robots combine with other vehicles and robots to become larger robots, and additional teams of sentient robots combine amongst themselves to form larger robots as well. This structure had been established in ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (franchise)|Transformers: Victory]]'' and would be reproduced almost beat-for-beat in every Brave series. The Brave franchise has been described as a cross between Transformers and the [[wikipedia:Super Robot|Super Robot]] genre of the late '70s and early '80s.

The Brave series consisted of:

* 1990: ''[[wikipedia:Brave Exkaiser|Brave Exkaiser]]''
* 1991: ''[[wikipedia:The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird|Brave Fighter of the Sun Fighbird]]''
* 1992: ''[[wikipedia:The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn|Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn]]''
* 1993: ''[[wikipedia:The Brave Express Might Gaine|The Brave Express Might Gaine]]''
* 1994: ''[[wikipedia:Brave Police J-Decker|Brave Police J-Decker]]''
* 1995: ''[[wikipedia:The Brave of Gold Goldran|Brave of Gold Goldran]]''
* 1996: ''[[wikipedia:Brave Command Dagwon|Brave Command Dagwon]]''
**1997: ''[[wikipedia:ja:勇者指令ダグオン水晶の瞳の少年|Brave Command Dagwon - The Boy with Crystal Eyes]]''
* 1997: ''[[wikipedia:The King of Braves GaoGaiGar|The King of Braves GaoGaiGar]]''
** 1999: ''[[wikipedia:The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL|The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL]]''
* ''The Saint Of The Braves Baan Gaan'' (cancelled, later made into a video game.)

Toys for these robots were created in two sizes: DX ("deluxe") versions that contained more gimmicks and more complicated transformations, and STD ("standard") versions that contained fewer [[gimmick]]s and more limited transformations (often resorting to [[Partformer|partsforming]]), but often also higher [[Show-accuracy|accuracy]] in reproducing the look of the robot from the anime series. Generally, the transformation of the robots was created by Takara, while the look of the robots was created by [[Kunio Okawara|Kunio Okawara]], a legendary Sunrise mecha designer.

==Relationship to ''Transformers''==
The initial concept designs for ''Brave Exkaiser'', the first Brave Series, were intended to be Transformers designs. While the Brave robot Ultra Raker was very far along at this stage, the Max team and King Exkaiser bore little resemblance to their final designs.

The Brave toys also have design elements similar to ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' Transformers, which were released around the same time as the Brave toys. For example, many of the ''Brave of Legend'' toys have [[Light-piping|light-piped]] eyes thanks to transparent pieces of plastic in their heads, a design element which many ''Generation 2'' Transformers share. The ''Goldran'' DX toyline contains many projectile launchers, something Generation 2 shared as well. In particular, the ''Goldran'' toy "Advenger" contains a rotor-launching gimmick identical to that of the [[Rotor Force]] from ''Generation 2'', and the "Captain Shark" figure has a Gatling-gun style launcher, the same as ''Generation 2'' [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]]. Lastly, the elbows of Leon from DX Leonkyzer contain ball joints, a design element that gained much broader use during ''Generation 2'' and even more so during the ''Beast Wars'' toyline.

[[Image:DeathsaurusAndRedGeist.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And to think, Red Geist's toy doesn't even have any remolding.]]The Brave Series also reused character designs and toys from previous ''Transformers'' series. It was not uncommon for the recycled designs to appear in a Brave TV show, but not in toy form. These designs were often significantly augmented to distinguish them from their Transformer counterparts. For example, the four Geister henchmen in ''Exkaiser'' use character models of four of the five Dinobots (minus Grimlock), but with all-new faces, body detail and color schemes. Of the designs that did appear in toy form, some of them were remolded to reflect these changes, whereas others were simple recolors. (A complete listing of the reuses follows in the section below).

Similarly, subsequent ''Transformers'' lines have also been influenced by the Brave Series. The Japanese [[Mini-Con]] [[Kingbolt (MD)|Kingbolt]]'s coloration and characterization are [[homage]]s to the Brave series ''Exkaiser''. Also, the [[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]] featured many homages to the Brave series ''King Of Braves GaoGaiGar'', most notably the way [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] combines with [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] and [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]], which is similar to the way GaoGaiGar combines with Goldymarg and Stealth Gao respectively. This similarity is also evident in [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]]'s transformation sequence being almost identical to Volfogg's. The cinematography for ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' Optimus Prime's stock-footage combination sequence with his [[Prime Force]] limbs is also very reminiscent of Brave series stock footage. The [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] characters [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] are similar to Enryū and Hyōryū from ''GaoGaiGar'', both with respect to their elemental motifs and method of combination. ''Animated'' also has a brief cameo appearance by ''Dagwon'''s [[Dug Base|Dag Base]]. ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Esmeral (SG)|Esmeral]]'s color scheme is based on Red Geist, a redeco of [[Esmeral (Victory)|her ''Victory'' counterpart]]'s [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|husband]].

Despite the Brave Series' reuse of many Transformers molds and character designs, Brave toys have never been reused in a Transformers toy line. This is likely because the characters that the toys represent are owned by Sunrise. That said, a Brave mold was finally reused in 2008, when Might Kaiser's trailer was modified and included in TakaraTomy's ''[[wikipedia:Tomica Hero: Rescue Force|Tomica Hero: Rescue Force]]'' as part of the toy Zero Fire.

One striking difference between the Brave Series and ''Transformers'' toy lines is that very few villain robots were released in the Brave Series. This is in sharp contrast to most of the ''Transformers'' series, in which heroes and villains are released in relatively equal numbers (with the exception of ''[[Transformers: Zone (toyline)|Zone]]'' and ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Return of Convoy (toyline)|Return of Convoy]]''). Generally speaking, the lack of villain toys is more the norm for such toylines in Japan, with the various ''Transformers'' lines (save for the aforementioned two) being the exception.

Although Hasbro never released Brave toys in the West, they apparently did receive samples from Takara on [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/File:Dxgoldran.jpg at least one occasion].

==Toys and character designs recycled from ''Transformers''==
'''Note:''' ''Italicized names'' are non-toy characters.

===''Exkaiser''===
* [http://youtu.be/pCoGs3mQcl4 Green & Blue Raker] — Originally designed with [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/toyark/98174-brave-386.html#post5402246 Transformers in mind] but released under the Brave banner as Transformers.
* ''[http://youtu.be/54Onss3GyaY Armor Geist]'' — [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/rmPP2kRP5DM Horn Geist]'' — [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/rRY8gky0PQE Ptera Geist]'' — [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/kuJTrWuy68Y Thunder Geist]'' — [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]

===''Da Garn''===
* [http://youtu.be/_37zYGQow00 Red Geist] with Red Breaster — [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Tigerbreast]] (no [[Eaglebreast]])

===''Might Gaine''===
* ''Atlas Epsilon'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''Atlas Mk.II'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* [http://youtu.be/E89XiJOWzIo Gōryū] with Oowashi — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and [[Speeder]]
* [http://youtu.be/PBkMnRnv3pw Hiryū] with Hayabusa — [[Sonic Bomber]] and [[Sonic (Zone)|Sonic]]
* ''Mega Sonic 8823'' — [[Sonic Bomber]]

[[Image:BraveShadowmaruKagerouModels.jpg|thumb|250px|One ninja is deadly. A bunch of ninjas are cannonfodder. Two ninjas are... um...]]

===''J-Decker''===
* [http://youtu.be/xGFHTcC5tlo Duke Fire] — Transformation very likely based upon [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Notes|New Rodimus]].
* ''Kagerō'' (literally ''Mirage'') — [[Sixshot]]
* [http://youtu.be/ZLYgYX7IxLA Shadowmaru] — [[Sixshot]] (featured a new head, chest, chest fins, beast head, and entirely new set of weaponry to incorporate a ninja motif; also has slightly more articulation since the bar connecting the lower legs to each other was removed)
* The Micromaster Stations [[Fire station|1]][[Construction station|2]][[Gas station|3]][[Airport|4]] (sans Micromasters and including non-transformable Brave Police figures; never appeared in the show)

===''Goldran''===
* [http://youtu.be/xMZgEc78A6Y Death Garry Gun] with Missile Gear — [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and [[Shotbomber]] (cannibalized trailer launchers)
* ''[http://youtu.be/z0ObWFgDfls Revibaron]'' — [[Sonic Bomber]] with parts from [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/uE7caCCFWKc Zazorigun]'' — [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]

===''Dagwon''===
* Dag Base — [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]] (significant remolding, cannot combine with Star Convoy)
* [http://youtu.be/ei2MgBwc8Iw Thunder Dagwon] — [[Galaxy Shuttle]] (significant remolding, including an additional motorcycle/robot that combines for the shuttle's robot mode)

==Fiction==
===Ask Vector Prime===
[[Vector Prime]] was asked whether or not ''Brave'' was a part of the Transformers [[multiverse]]. Unfortunately, the Prime seemed to have misinterpreted the question. He did, however, express a fondness for the [[Wikipedia:Brave (2012 film)|adventures of Princess Merida and Queen Elinor]].

The events of the ''Brave'' anime were later established to take place in the [[Cymond]] Cluster, which bordered the [[Megaverse]] and only possessed a tangential connection to the goings-on elsewhere in the Transformers multiverse. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime}}

==Notes==
*''Brave Police J-Decker'' mecha Duke Fire and Shadowmaru inspired the Autobot drone [[Duke Fire]] and Decepticon [[Greatsix]]. Meanwhile, the human police superintendent Juzo Saejima also inspired the Generation 1 human [[Saejima]].

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[[wikipedia:Brave series|Brave Series at Wikipedia]]

*[http://www.yusha.net/ Official Sunrise Brave Series website]

*[http://bravewiki.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page Brave Wiki]

*[http://gaogaigar.wikia.com/wiki/GaoGaiGar-Betterman_Wiki The GaoGaiGar-Betterman Wiki].

*[http://mamao2.cside.com/ MAOMAO2's Room (Japanese)]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=98174 The TFW2005 forum Brave thread]

{{stub}}

[[Category:Other TakaraTomy properties]]
[[Category:Japanese franchises]]
[[Category:Non-Transformers toylines]]

Brave (franchise)

2017-12-14T23:08:45Z

Might Gaine: /* Relationship to Transformers */

{{disambig2|the franchise that uses designs from ''Transformers''|the ''Car Robots'' character|Emissary (RID)}}
[[Image:Fighbird groupshot.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Like Transformers, except every robot has a face plate, something long sticking out of its head, and a gold chest. And they [[Kunio Okawara|look like]] [[Wikipedia:Gundam|Gundam]].]]

'''Brave''' (勇者, Yūsha) is a non-Transformers [[franchise]] that [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] and [[wikipedia:Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]] created after the [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]] anime ran its course in Japan. The Brave Series consists of eight individual series that were released one after the other from 1990 to 1998 with corresponding TV shows in Japan. The last show in the series received a follow-up OVA beginning in 2000.
Although none of the series storylines are connected to one another<ref>Although the storylines are not interconnected, there are some small connections between the series. For example, the reason Fighbird joined the Space Guards is that he admires Exkaiser. (This connection is stated in the ''Encyclopedia of Fighbird'', published by Keibunsha.) Also, there are some small cameos of human characters between shows, and some [[character model]]s, such as Draias and Guard Diver, are reused in subsequent series. Lastly, the ''Brave Saga'' video games [[retcon]] the storylines of the shows so that they link up.</ref> the basic format of each series is similar. Usually a kid befriends/creates/becomes a sentient robot, and together they fight a great evil threatening the Earth. The main robots combine with other vehicles and robots to become larger robots, and additional teams of sentient robots combine amongst themselves to form larger robots as well. This structure had been established in ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (franchise)|Transformers: Victory]]'' and would be reproduced almost beat-for-beat in every Brave series. The Brave franchise has been described as a cross between Transformers and the [[wikipedia:Super Robot|Super Robot]] genre of the late '70s and early '80s.

The Brave series consisted of:

* 1990: ''[[wikipedia:Brave Exkaiser|Brave Exkaiser]]''
* 1991: ''[[wikipedia:The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird|Brave Fighter of the Sun Fighbird]]''
* 1992: ''[[wikipedia:The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn|Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn]]''
* 1993: ''[[wikipedia:The Brave Express Might Gaine|The Brave Express Might Gaine]]''
* 1994: ''[[wikipedia:Brave Police J-Decker|Brave Police J-Decker]]''
* 1995: ''[[wikipedia:The Brave of Gold Goldran|Brave of Gold Goldran]]''
* 1996: ''[[wikipedia:Brave Command Dagwon|Brave Command Dagwon]]''
**1997: ''[[wikipedia:ja:勇者指令ダグオン水晶の瞳の少年|Brave Command Dagwon - The Boy with Crystal Eyes]]''
* 1997: ''[[wikipedia:The King of Braves GaoGaiGar|The King of Braves GaoGaiGar]]''
** 1999: ''[[wikipedia:The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL|The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL]]''
* ''The Saint Of The Braves Baan Gaan'' (cancelled, later made into a video game.)

Toys for these robots were created in two sizes: DX ("deluxe") versions that contained more gimmicks and more complicated transformations, and STD ("standard") versions that contained fewer [[gimmick]]s and more limited transformations (often resorting to [[Partformer|partsforming]]), but often also higher [[Show-accuracy|accuracy]] in reproducing the look of the robot from the anime series. Generally, the transformation of the robots was created by Takara, while the look of the robots was created by [[Kunio Okawara|Kunio Okawara]], a legendary Sunrise mecha designer.

==Relationship to ''Transformers''==
The initial concept designs for ''Brave Exkaiser'', the first Brave Series, were intended to be Transformers designs. While the Brave robot Ultra Raker was very far along at this stage, the Max team and King Exkaiser bore little resemblance to their final designs.

The Brave toys also have design elements similar to ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' Transformers, which were released around the same time as the Brave toys. For example, many of the ''Brave of Legend'' toys have [[Light-piping|light-piped]] eyes thanks to transparent pieces of plastic in their heads, a design element which many ''Generation 2'' Transformers share. The ''Goldran'' DX toyline contains many projectile launchers, something Generation 2 shared as well. In particular, the ''Goldran'' toy "Advenger" contains a rotor-launching gimmick identical to that of the [[Rotor Force]] from ''Generation 2'', and the "Captain Shark" figure has a Gatling-gun style launcher, the same as ''Generation 2'' [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]]. Lastly, the elbows of Leon from DX Leonkyzer contain ball joints, a design element that gained much broader use during ''Generation 2'' and even more so during the ''Beast Wars'' toyline.

[[Image:DeathsaurusAndRedGeist.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And to think, Red Geist's toy doesn't even have any remolding.]]The Brave Series also reused character designs and toys from previous ''Transformers'' series. It was not uncommon for the recycled designs to appear in a Brave TV show, but not in toy form. These designs were often significantly augmented to distinguish them from their Transformer counterparts. For example, the four Geister henchmen in ''Exkaiser'' use character models of four of the five Dinobots (minus Grimlock), but with all-new faces, body detail and color schemes. Of the designs that did appear in toy form, some of them were remolded to reflect these changes, whereas others were simple recolors. (A complete listing of the reuses follows in the section below).

Similarly, subsequent ''Transformers'' lines have also been influenced by the Brave Series. The Japanese [[Mini-Con]] [[Kingbolt (MD)|Kingbolt]]'s coloration and characterization are [[homage]]s to the Brave series ''Exkaiser''. Also, the [[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]] featured many homages to the Brave series ''King Of Braves GaoGaiGar'', most notably the way [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] combines with [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] and [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]], which is similar to the way GaoGaiGar combines with Goldymarg and Stealth Gao respectively. This similarity is also evident in [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]]'s transformation sequence being almost identical to Volfogg's. The cinematography for ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' Optimus Prime's stock-footage combination sequence with his [[Prime Force]] limbs is also very reminiscent of Brave series stock footage. The [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] characters [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] are similar to Enryū and Hyōryū from ''GaoGaiGar'', both with respect to their elemental motifs and method of combination. ''Animated'' also has a brief cameo appearance by ''Dagwon'''s [[Dug Base|Dag Base]]. ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Esmeral (SG)|Esmeral]]'s color scheme is based on Red Geist, a redeco of [[Esmeral (Victory)|her ''Victory'' counterpart]]'s [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|husband]].

Despite the Brave Series' reuse of many Transformers molds and character designs, Brave toys have never been reused in a Transformers toy line. This is likely because the characters that the toys represent are owned by Sunrise. That said, a Brave mold was finally reused in 2008, when Might Kaiser's trailer was modified and included in TakaraTomy's ''[[wikipedia:Tomica Hero: Rescue Force|Tomica Hero: Rescue Force]]'' as part of the toy Zero Fire.

One striking difference between the Brave Series and ''Transformers'' toy lines is that very few villain robots were released in the Brave Series. This is in sharp contrast to most of the ''Transformers'' series, in which heroes and villains are released in relatively equal numbers (with the exception of ''[[Transformers: Zone (toyline)|Zone]]'' and ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Return of Convoy (toyline)|Return of Convoy]]''). Generally speaking, the lack of villain toys is more the norm for such toylines in Japan, with the various ''Transformers'' lines (save for the aforementioned two) being the exception.

Although Hasbro never released Brave toys in the West, they apparently did receive samples from Takara on [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/File:Dxgoldran.jpg at least one occasion].

==Toys and character designs recycled from ''Transformers''==
'''Note:''' ''Italicized names'' are non-toy characters.

===''Exkaiser''===
* [http://youtu.be/pCoGs3mQcl4 Green & Blue Raker] — Originally designed with [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/toyark/98174-brave-386.html#post5402246 Transformers in mind] but released under the Brave banner as Transformers had been phased out at the time.
* ''[http://youtu.be/54Onss3GyaY Armor Geist]'' — [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/rmPP2kRP5DM Horn Geist]'' — [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/rRY8gky0PQE Ptera Geist]'' — [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/kuJTrWuy68Y Thunder Geist]'' — [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]

===''Da Garn''===
* [http://youtu.be/_37zYGQow00 Red Geist] with Red Breaster — [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Tigerbreast]] (no [[Eaglebreast]])

===''Might Gaine''===
* ''Atlas Epsilon'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''Atlas Mk.II'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* [http://youtu.be/E89XiJOWzIo Gōryū] with Oowashi — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and [[Speeder]]
* [http://youtu.be/PBkMnRnv3pw Hiryū] with Hayabusa — [[Sonic Bomber]] and [[Sonic (Zone)|Sonic]]
* ''Mega Sonic 8823'' — [[Sonic Bomber]]

[[Image:BraveShadowmaruKagerouModels.jpg|thumb|250px|One ninja is deadly. A bunch of ninjas are cannonfodder. Two ninjas are... um...]]

===''J-Decker''===
* [http://youtu.be/xGFHTcC5tlo Duke Fire] — Transformation very likely based upon [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Notes|New Rodimus]].
* ''Kagerō'' (literally ''Mirage'') — [[Sixshot]]
* [http://youtu.be/ZLYgYX7IxLA Shadowmaru] — [[Sixshot]] (featured a new head, chest, chest fins, beast head, and entirely new set of weaponry to incorporate a ninja motif; also has slightly more articulation since the bar connecting the lower legs to each other was removed)
* The Micromaster Stations [[Fire station|1]][[Construction station|2]][[Gas station|3]][[Airport|4]] (sans Micromasters and including non-transformable Brave Police figures; never appeared in the show)

===''Goldran''===
* [http://youtu.be/xMZgEc78A6Y Death Garry Gun] with Missile Gear — [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and [[Shotbomber]] (cannibalized trailer launchers)
* ''[http://youtu.be/z0ObWFgDfls Revibaron]'' — [[Sonic Bomber]] with parts from [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/uE7caCCFWKc Zazorigun]'' — [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]

===''Dagwon''===
* Dag Base — [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]] (significant remolding, cannot combine with Star Convoy)
* [http://youtu.be/ei2MgBwc8Iw Thunder Dagwon] — [[Galaxy Shuttle]] (significant remolding, including an additional motorcycle/robot that combines for the shuttle's robot mode)

==Fiction==
===Ask Vector Prime===
[[Vector Prime]] was asked whether or not ''Brave'' was a part of the Transformers [[multiverse]]. Unfortunately, the Prime seemed to have misinterpreted the question. He did, however, express a fondness for the [[Wikipedia:Brave (2012 film)|adventures of Princess Merida and Queen Elinor]].

The events of the ''Brave'' anime were later established to take place in the [[Cymond]] Cluster, which bordered the [[Megaverse]] and only possessed a tangential connection to the goings-on elsewhere in the Transformers multiverse. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime}}

==Notes==
*''Brave Police J-Decker'' mecha Duke Fire and Shadowmaru inspired the Autobot drone [[Duke Fire]] and Decepticon [[Greatsix]]. Meanwhile, the human police superintendent Juzo Saejima also inspired the Generation 1 human [[Saejima]].

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[[wikipedia:Brave series|Brave Series at Wikipedia]]

*[http://www.yusha.net/ Official Sunrise Brave Series website]

*[http://bravewiki.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page Brave Wiki]

*[http://gaogaigar.wikia.com/wiki/GaoGaiGar-Betterman_Wiki The GaoGaiGar-Betterman Wiki].

*[http://mamao2.cside.com/ MAOMAO2's Room (Japanese)]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=98174 The TFW2005 forum Brave thread]

{{stub}}

[[Category:Other TakaraTomy properties]]
[[Category:Japanese franchises]]
[[Category:Non-Transformers toylines]]

File:Dxgoldran.jpg

2017-12-14T22:58:20Z

Might Gaine: Shipping invoice for Brave toys sent from Takara to Hasbro in October, 1996.

Shipping invoice for Brave toys sent from Takara to Hasbro in October, 1996.

Shrapnel (G1)

2014-12-06T02:47:52Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Shrapnel}}
:''Shrapnel is a [[Decepticon]] [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]], family.''

[[File:Shrapnelg1.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|My kingdom for better electrical insulation... insulation.]]
The eccentric way in which '''Shrapnel''' parses his dialogue may seem endearing at first, first. Others are soon to discover that his seemingly benign tic is merely the gateway to a frighteningly twisted and perverse mind, even for a Decepticon, Decepticon. A master of electricity, his dark desires put this skill to use on his victims, victims. Nothing delights him more than to see how they squirm from his touch, touch.

He is sometimes known as '''Sharpshot''' or '''Skrapnel''', Skrapnel.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Hal Rayle]] (English), [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japanese), [[Show Hayami]] (Japanese, "Traitor"), [[Yoku Shioya]], (Japanese, "The Revenge of Bruticus"), [[Toshio Ishii]] (Japanese, ''The Movie'')|[[Galina Kristenskaya]] (Russian), [[Edgar Wald]] (American Spanish), [[Tonio von der Meden]] (German, ''The Movie'' TV dub and ''Generation 2'')}}

[[File:ShrapnelG1.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Flash before my eyes, now it's time to die, die!]]
The mercenary Insecticons landed on earth in their own space pod before the Ark crashed to [[Earth]]. ''(It is unclear whether this pod was launched from the [[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]] or not, as the dialogue seems to suggest maybe it was, but the Insecticons and [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s Decepticons do not seem to know each other.)'' Their pod crashed into the region that would become known as "[[Demon Swamp]]" and their [[idento-computer]]s adapted them to transform into insects and eat organic food to survive. Though they were largely communal, Shrapnel was a leader among then, usually alternating with [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] ([[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] was out of luck). The "Insecticons" apparently lived in the swamp for millions of years until discovered by Megatron's Decepticons. They form an uneasy alliance with Megatron, never coming fully under his command but working with the Decepticons when they could be convinced there was something (usually food) in it for them. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}}

When the Autobots were attacking the Decepticons, the Insecticons were conveniently in the same area, and helped the Decepticon cause during the battle. Shrapnel fought [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], but failed to hit him and instead damaged the buffer where Megatron was keeping the [[electro-cell]]s. Still, they were given a reward of energon cubes... a grand total of ''two'', being exact. Though Kickback was optimistic, Shrapnel and Bombshell were understandably disappointed considering Megatron had so many more. They were even ''more'' enraged when [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] stole the cubes and framed the Decepticons for it. When [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] showed up and got in a fight with Cliffjumper (who was spying on Mirage nearby), Shrapnel thought that the Decepticons had ambushed them and a huge fight broke out, with Shrapnel grazing and exposing the invisible Mirage. Shrapnel wanted to kill Mirage, but Bombshell decided it'd be better if they made the Autobot into their slave. When Megatron saw Bombshell controlling Mirage, he revealed to the Insecticons that no Decepticon stole the cubes; it was Mirage after all. During an Autobot attack, Megatron destroyed the electro-cells in frustration, and Shrapnel commanded the Insecticons to retreat. {{storylink|Traitor}}

[[File:InsecticonSyndrome Shrapnel explode.jpg|thumb|Frustration will blow you up, up!]]
Even after the Insecticons devoured a huge forest, they discovered they were hungry again. Bombshell announced that it was snack time, and Shrapnel decided that they should eat the redwoods next. A park ranger, [[Mike]] spotted the Insecticons and reported it to fellow park ranger [[Jeff (ranger)|Jeff]]. When Jeff, [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], and [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] arrived, Shrapnel used his grenade launcher to scatter them, but they recovered and Bumblebee knocked Shrapnel down. The Insecticons got rid of their enemies by sending a huge tree down the river, sending them down the waterfall (or so they thought; their "demise" was actually one of Hound's holograms). After that, Megatron arrived and struck a deal with the Insecticons, taking them to the [[Nova Power Plant]], a place rife with energy. Shrapnel commended Megatron's taste in appetizers and the Insecticons feasted, but the [[Nova Power Core]] within the plant caused them to grow rapidly. Shrapnel decided that the Insecticons would use their new size to seize control of the Decepticons from Megatron, hypnotizing [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] to do their bidding. Defeating the [[Autobot]] opposition, the Insecticons had become invincible and were now vital to Megatron's plan to control the world, but the Autobots discovered that the Nova Power Core, incompatible with the Insecticons' [[Trilithium stomach|stomachs]], would soon destroy them from within. Later Shrapnel infiltrated [[Iron Mountain]] using the humans' defense system against them, and helped himself to the data Soundwave took from the computer. However, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] arrived with an antidote for the Nova Power Core, and using Megatron's gun mode blasted it at Kickback and Bombshell, curing and resizing them. Shrapnel, however, was not so lucky, as despite Spike's warnings (and jamming the cure into him), he was blown to pieces. Luckily, Bombshell was able to repair Shrapnel and the Insecticons made their escape. {{storylink|The Insecticon Syndrome}}

The Insecticons later created a new army of clones which nearly devastated the planet Earth. Luckily, they were destroyed by the [[Morphobot]]s and the Insecticons barely escaped uneaten, uneaten. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:TFTM RundownShrapnel.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Great, now there's bug guts all over his windshield, windshield.]]
During the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]' attempt at destroying Earth by sending it into the sun, the Insecticons were seen in large numbers, numbers, again and Shrapnel was responsible for taking apart the [[space bridge|Space Bridge]] controls. He would later be tracked, tracked, by the combined Autobots and Decepticons after which he relinquished the controls. {{storylink|The Revenge of Bruticus}}

Shrapnel, along with his Insecticon colleagues, [[Battle of Autobot City|attacked]] [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] on Earth, where he was badly damaged and dumped into space from [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]. His floating body would be reformatted by [[Unicron]] into one of [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s minions. But that didn't stop him from showing up later on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] and threatening [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} He also somehow appeared on [[Chaar]] after the Decepticons' defeat to nibble on some energon cubes {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}}, and he tried to stop [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] from returning [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[transformation cog]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}} Much later, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] briefly spoke using Shrapnel's voice and speech pattern for no reason. {{storylink|Fight or Flee}}
{{--}}

====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comics====
Shrapnel, along with the other Insecticons, took part in an attack on Kyushu that attracted the attention of the Autobots. The [[4-Wheel-Drive Brigade]] responded, but the attack turned out to be an ambush as the Insecticons trapped the Autobots in a volcanic crater. Luckily, the 4-Wheel-Drive brigade was able to "combine" and perform the fearsome "4-Wheel-Drive Robo Combination Scrumbuster" attack. The blast of energy was so powerful that it sent the Insecticons fleeing in terror. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3|issue #3}}

====''Mars Attacks: The Transformers''====
[[File:Mars attacks the insecticons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left]]
The three Insecticons were among Decepticon forces who formed an alliance with the Autobots during a [[Martian]] invasion. They saved [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] from some of the Martians' giant ants. {{storylink|Mars Attacks: The Transformers}}
{{-}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Straxusholdscourt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Why don't I get a caption, caption?]]
Shrapnel was one of the top lieutenants of Lord [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] at [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]] on Cybertron, acting as his Executive Officer and supervising both the technicians that translated [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|Soundwave's message from Earth]] & assisting on the Space Bridge project. He was also was responsible for capturing Autobot spy [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]] before he could report back on the whereabouts of [[Spanner (G1)|Spanner]]. Despite his rank, Straxus used Shrapnel's face as a stress ball when things went wrong {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}} and was willing to send him on a suicidal janitorial mission once simply out of petty spite, but Shrapnel managed to talk his way out of it. {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}}

[[File:Shrapnel aerialbots over america.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85]]
''In addition to his high rank, he was one of the [[Ten Deadliest Killers|most feared and dangerous killers]] on Cybertron, a key target for the Autobot resistance. The rebel plan [[Operation: Volcano]] was kicked off when Shrapnel tortured the information of a (fake) rebel meeting out of an [[Autobot traitor|informant]], but was ruined by Megatron calling the Insecticons to Earth.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}} Shrapnel arrived on Earth to play a key role in the [[Hoover Dam]] battle, and afterwards served on Earth under Megatron permanently. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}}

Then he served under [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], possibly [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], Megatron again... all while doing absolutely nothing of note besides being uncommonly easy to spot in crowd shots. He may have been killed by the [[Underbase]]-powered [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], or alternatively he could've just been really lazy and not gotten involved with things—he's one of Cybertron's deadliest killers, what does he have to prove?
{{--}}

====Earthforce====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Earthforce insecticons.jpg|upright=0.95|thumb|This page is basically colorless, colorless]]
Shrapnel and his Insecticon buddies served under [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] in the [[Decepticon Civil War]], but their spying mission against Shockwave was foiled by Starscream. Shrapnel got in a good electrified shot at Starscream's bum first, but then he caught them in a [[rustbug hoop]]. The treacherous [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] then drafted them into helping him set up a clash between the two leaders. {{storylink|Bugged!}}
{{-}}

===Find Your Fate Junior===
{{Note|As the following stories are [[multipath adventure]]s, details will vary depending on the path taken. See individual pages for information on alternate paths.}}
====Attack of the Insecticons====
[[File:AttackoftheInsecticonstheSunPak.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Shrapnel was stationed at the Insecticons' nest, an underground cavern located near to another cavern the Autobots used to test the Sun-Pak, an energy device that could power a Cybertronian for twenty-four hours after being charged for only an hour in sunlight.

If the Autobots flee their testing site after having been discovered by the Decepticons and confused their escape route for a tunnel that led them deeper underground instead of towards the surface, they would come upon Shrapnel and his Electro-Disrupter, which all-but paralyzed the Autobots. After taking the time to mock his captives, Shrapnel briefly left the Autobots unattended in order to contact Megatron. If the Autobots attempt to use the Sun-Pak as a bargaining chip for their release, Shrapnel informs them that once his fellow Insecticon Bombshell arrives on their coordinates, the Insecticons will use Cerebro-Shells to mentally enslave all of the Autobots, rendering any attempt at negotiations moot. Before the Insecticons are able to follow through with their plan, however, the human Buster is able to sneak up on the pair and turn the Insecticons' Electro-Disrupter on them, allowing the Autobots to escape.

If the Autobots flee their testing site and choose the correct path to the surface, Shrapnel encounters the convoy nonetheless and is able to sneak up on Ironhide and snatch away the Sun-Pak while the Autobot struggles with the tunnel's cramped confines. Once the Sun-Pak's absence is discovered, if the Autobots decide to send Mirage and Buster as advanced scouts to go after the Insecticons immediately, the pair find Shrapnel, Bombshell and Kickback hiding out in a rotting forest. The Sun-Pak having given him delusions of grandeur, Shrapnel gloats that he will use its power to take control of the Decepticons from Megatron, unaware that Ravage is nearby, reporting the Insecticon's boasts to his master.

If Mirage and Buster act quickly and decide to take on the Insecticon trio in light of this situation, Mirage successfully confuses all three Insecticons with his holographic powers, while Buster snatches the Sun-Pak, leaving the Insecticons empty handed for all the scheming.

If Mirage and Buster call for reinforcements before confronting the Decepticons, Megatron arrives on-scene and berates Shrapnel for keeping the Sun-Pak from him. Shrapnel attempts weasel his way out of being punished by denying the Sun-Pak's existence, only for Megatron to blast him for his duplicity. When Megatron hears the approaching Autobot convoy, he orders Shrapnel along with the rest of his troops to hide in order to ambush their enemies. This leads to nothing more for the Decepticons but being sprayed by Ironhide's acid-dispenser, forcing the lot of them to retreat. {{storylink|Attack of the Insecticons}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
While temporarily out of his mind (well, more than usual, anyway), the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] believed himself to actually be Shrapnel, and adopted his mannerisms and speech pattern, pattern. {{storylink|Dark Designs}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:Bombshell kickback shrapnel soundwave ravage war within 1-2.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Oy with the speechifying, ing! When do we get to shoot someone, one??]]
Shrapnel was part of an assassination unit alongside Kickback, Bombshell, [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] shortly after the rise of Optimus Prime. He and his partners were assigned to eliminate the new Prime, steal the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], and bring it to Megatron so that he could turn Cybertron into a cosmic dreadnought and conquer the universe. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Spoiler alert—it didn't work. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} During the Dark Ages after Megatron's disappearance, Shrapnel served with the main Decepticon faction under [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s command. One time [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] sucker-punched him so hard, Shrapnel's colors went wrong. {{storylink|Conflagration}} Shrapnel was also present at [[Tyger Pax]] during the aborted peace treaty between the Autobots, Decepticons and [[Ultracon]]s. Megatron's sudden arrival with the [[Air Warrior|Aerospace Extermination Squadron]] put a quick stop to those peace talks. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}}

Shrapnel was part of a unit sent to Earth by Shockwave to guide the planet's development and prepare it for invasion. He and his team changed their alternate modes to giant insects (from his original "jet with antennae" mode). They were beaten up by the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobots]] on arrival, then played dead until [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] got bored and wandered off. {{storylink|Extermination}}

{{note|Shrapnel and the Insecticons made a brief appearance in the second ''[[The Transformers Trilogy|Transformers Trilogy]]'' novel, ''[[Transformers: Annihilation|Annihilation]]'', as troops under Starscream's command on Earth. This appearance is contradicted by later Dreamwave stories. Also, in the novel the Insecticons shrink down to insect-size as they did in Marvel Comics, whereas later Dreamwave issues showed them retaining their full size, like their cartoon versions.}}

[[File:Shrapnel extermination.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95]]
Millions of years later, they were discovered by both the [[Earth Defense Command|EDC]] and Autobots after kidnapping an entire town. Over the preceding few thousand vorns, Shrapnel had apparently lost control of the Insecticons unit, with Bombshell gathering more and more power for himself without Shrapnel even recognizing it. Kickback pointed this out, but the Autobot incursion prevented the conversation from going any farther. Shrapnel was last seen getting a building dropped on him by [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]. {{storylink|Extermination}}
{{-}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' continuity===
In an alternate future where the Decepticons had conquered Earth, swarms of Insecticons, including Shrapnel-type ones, was a constant menace. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3}}

In the regular timeline, as part of [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s forces, Shrapnel defended the newly unified Decepticon army's base against a combined Autobot/[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] strike force. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:AllHailMegatron8-Insecticons.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
Shrapnel, Bombshell and Kickback were created by [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]], under supervision by [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]. The Insecticons joined Megatron's forces on Earth, where they helped defeat and capture the local Autobots. The Decepticons then shipped their prisoners off to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] via [[space bridge]], intending to feed them to the failed Insecticon creations known as the [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

The Insecticons then participated in the attack on [[New York City]], during which Shrapnel took part in destroying some human jets. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} After listening to Megatron's victory speech {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}}, the Insecticons traveled to [[China]] and helped wreck [[Beijing]]. There, Shrapnel and Kickback sided with Bombshell when he picked a fight with [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]], but the three bugs decided to drop the subject and run away when faced with Skywarp's [[teleportation]] ability. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} After returning to New York, the Insecticons were approached by [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], and Shrapnel demanded to know what the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] wanted with them, although Bombshell chastised him for being rude to a superior officer. Starscream apologized to the three for their treatment at Skywarp and Thundercracker's hands, then decided it was time to tell them about his vision of the future. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[File:UneasyLiesTheHead-Shrapnel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
The Insecticons subsequently joined Starscream as he rebelled against Megatron, and Shrapnel blasted his former leader with lightning. Unfortunately, this did minimal damage to Megatron, who responded by shooting Shrapnel with his [[fusion cannon]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} The revolt was cut short when human jets from [[Europe]] attacked and the Autobots returned from Cybertron unharmed, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} leading to the Decepticons' defeat. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}} As they fled the planet aboard [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], Shrapnel showed Starscream that Megatron was still functioning, which did not please the Seeker in the least. Shrapnel volunteered to stealthily kill Megatron by siphoning his energon, but Starscream felt assassination wouldn't work in his favor. When he saw that Starscream was going to throw the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]] down a garbage chute, Shrapnel was shocked and convinced him to keep the artifact as a symbol of leadership. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

[[File:Needlenose kickback shrapnel all his engines.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Unfortunately, Starscream turned out to be a less-than-competent leader, stranding his troops on a desolate asteroid where they had to resort to strict rations or even cannibalism to survive. Upon learning that [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]] had been stealing precious fuel for himself, Shrapnel, Kickback and [[Needlenose]] hunted him down and executed him for his crime. As they proceeded to loot their victim's corpse, Shrapnel was particularly interested in getting his hands on an afterburner. {{storylink|All His Engines}}

Shrapnel was controlling the base's defenses with [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]] when the latter detected an incoming Autobot vessel. While Acid Storm was busy panicking, Shrapnel calmly fired missiles at the intruder... not realizing that the wreckage of the ship would come crashing down on top of them afterward. After getting to safety, he returned to scavenge the remains of the ship, and found a weapons locker. An ''empty'' weapons locker. Then [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]] shot him in the back with its contents. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}} He survived and was present when a repaired Megatron took back control of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

Megatron would later use [[space bridge]] technology built into in his new body to summon Shrapnel and the rest of the Decepticons to him on Cybertron. At first they did battle with the Autobots, but were soon mind-controlled by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] into combining with his [[Sweep]] army and forming a [[Deceptigod|huge monster]]. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Following Galvatron's defeat and the reformatting of Cybertron, Shrapnel and the other Decepticons had their fair share of trouble integrating into post-war society. Thankfully Megatron finally showed up, giving them an excuse to riot and cause chaos once more. {{storylink|City on Fire}} He and a group of other Decepticons immediately marched on the Autobot prison and freed Megatron so that he could lead them again. {{storylink|The Verge}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[File:HeartsofSteel2 Shrapnel safes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Where the scrap have my colors gone, gone?]]
The Decepticons, including Shrapnel, fought against the Autobots in Earth's distant past until an Ice Age forced them to shut down and wait it out. They awoke in the late 19th century when a failed human submarine crashed onto their submerged ship. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1}} As the Decepticons' [[Tobias Muldoon|human ally]] required money to help them, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] ordered the Insecticons to provide some. Shrapnel disguised himself as one end of the "[[Insectrain]]", providing the combined mode with a pair of giant scissor blades to destroy other trains on the railway. The Insecticons robbed a train carrying cash and bullion from the Denver Mint, and despite not seeing the value in human currency, they stuffed Shrapnel's chest cavity full of money and [[gold]]. They delivered the stolen property to Starscream and Tobias Muldoon the following morning. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 2}} Shrapnel was later present when Starscream announced to his troops that the Autobots had awakened as well. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 3}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
{{ongoing}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Targetmasters (issue)|Targetmasters}}.}}
 

==Games==
===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{Note|Shrapnel is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Decepticon duplicates in the Autobot campaign.}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)}}

===Transformers Legends===
Sharpshot and [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] helped [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] defeat [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]. {{storylink|The War Within}}

Chafing under Megatron's rule, Sharpshot and his fellow Insecticons began raiding energy storage and high-energy research facilities worldwide. The energy gave them increased size and power, and it was only when the Autobots and Decepticons formed an alliance that they were able to be stopped. {{storylink|Harvest of the Insecticons}} When [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] returned to Earth with new troops in the form of [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], the Insecticons managed to ambush them. {{storylink|Junkion Reunion}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[File:G1Shrapnel toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|I don't have two left hands, hands.]]
*'''Shrapnel''' (Insecticon, 1985)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''42'''

:Shrapnel transforms into a robotic [[Popular beast alternate modes#Stag beetles (family Lucanidae)|stag beetle]]. He doesn't do a whole lot more than that. Like the other Insecticons, he has a variation on his chromed parts, but this one is on his gun. Some Shrapnels have "fins" on the very back-end of the rifle and a more detailed main barrel, while others (obviously) lack those details. The extra-detail versions appear to be a later run.

:In Japan, Shrapnel and the other Insecticons were "re-released" as mail-order items from 1987 through 1988. They each cost 880 yen (their normal retail price) and two [[Robot Point]]s.

:This mold was used to make the [[Zaptrap]] drones.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Decepticon/Shrapnel/shrapnel.htm More information on Shrapnel at TFU.info]''

===The Transformers Collection===
*'''Insectrons''' (Multi-pack, 2004)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''16''' (full set)

:Shrapnel was released as part of the Japanese [[The Transformers Collection]] series in a set with [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] and [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]]. This set also included three [[energon cube]] accessories that fit inside their chest compartments.

:The Shrapnel in this set has the lower-detail rifle, probably in order to keep it closer to the original-original release, particularly for the redeco.

===Universe (2008)===
*'''Insecticons''' (Toys"R"Us exclusive multi-pack, 2009)

:Shrapnel was re-released as a [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] in the ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' line, in a set with his Insecticon pals. Like with his 2007 ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' incarnation (see below), Shrapnel has been renamed for [[trademark]] reasons, this time to "Sharpshot". Likewise, [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'s name has been changed to "Hardshell", a name previously used for his Robot Hero.

:This version uses the more detailed version of the gun.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/CSSharpshot/sharpshot.htm More information on ''Universe'' Sharpshot at TFU.info.]''

===Generations===
[[File:Generationstoy-SkrapnelReflector.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Shutterbug, bug.]]
*'''Skrapnel & Reflector''' (Legends Class, 2014)
**''Series / Number'': '''02 / #008'''

: Part of the sixth wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' [[Legends Class]] toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' "Skrapnel" (so renamed for trademark reasons... again) is a new mold that is roughly the size of a ''[[Cyberverse]]'' Commander Class toy, and is thus roughly the same size as his original toy. He generally resembles his original G1 character model, once again transforming into a robotic interpretation of a stag beetle. He is partnered with [[Reflector (G1)#Generations|Reflector]], a smaller robot that mixes elements of [[Viewfinder]]'s character model with his toy. Reflector can transform into a camera or a weapon modeled after Shrapnel's grenade launcher, both of which Skrapnel can wield via its [[5mm post]], or mount onto Skrapnel's back in insect mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Decepticon/GenSkrapnel/skrapnel.htm More information on ''Generations'' Skrapnel at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
*'''Shrapnel''' (Decoy, 1987)

:Shrapnel was one of the Decepticon [[Decoy]]s packed in with smaller carded ''Transformers'' toys. While the normal purple version could be included with any Decepticon toy, the rarer red version was available ''only'' on [[Throttlebot]] cards and only for a short while before the switch to purple.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Decepticon/Decoys/Shrapnel/shrapnel.htm More information on Decoy Shrapnel at tfu.info.]''

*'''Destron Hero Collection-22 Set''' (Decoy multi-pack, 1987)

:The entire run of twenty-two Decepticon Decoys were sold as a single boxed set in Japan, only in purple.

===Hard Hero===
[[File:HardHero Shrapnel statue.JPG|upright=0.85|thumb|Stop! In the name of love, love.]]
*'''Shrapnel''' (2003)

:The second installment of [[Hard Hero]]'s "Insecticon Series", Shrapnel is a 9-inch cold-cast porcelain statue sculpted by [[Jason Ray]]. Only 1000 pieces of the statue were produced.
{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
*'''Rodimus Vs. Insecticon''' (2007)

[[File:G1 RobotHeroes RodimusVsInsecticon.jpg|thumb|The world's cutest psycho, psycho.]]
:As part of the [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] line of PVC figurines, "Insecticon" (so named because Hasbro was unable to acquire the [[trademark]] to "Shrapnel") is a two-inch tall soft-plastic figurine in an adorable "super-deformed" style. He has swivels at the shoulders and neck.

:"Insecticon" was only available in a two-pack with fellow trademark-loss refugee, [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys|Rodimus]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Decepticon/RHInsecticon/insecticon.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Insecticon at tfu.info.]''
{{-}}

==Notes==
*Shrapnel—like the other Insecticons—was originally a ''[[Diaclone]]'' "Waruder" evil-alien-piloted mech in different colors... which were eventually used when the trio were [[redeco]]ed for [[e-HOBBY]] release. Specifically, Shrapnel was the Kuwagattler (or Kuwagatra) mecha. This is also the genesis of those opening chest compartments.
*In the cartoon, Shrapnel was often shown as something of a leader among the Insecticons, while [[Venom (G1)|Venom]] is the official leader in other portions of Generation 1.
*Shrapnel's Executive Officer rank would never come up again after ''The Bridge to Nowhere!'', and he ended up as just some guy. Presumably, Budiansky (and later Furman) just forgot about it.
*Shrapnel's alt mode is devoid of wings yet he [[Flight#Levitation|still manages to fly]] while transformed as an insect.
*In ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', this guy got shot by [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (thanks to [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]]), knocked into a moat by [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]], AND run over by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. THEN he proceeded to get THROWN INTO SPACE by his fellow Decepticons. He was killed by [[Unicron]] and his body was used to make a [[Sweep]]. Later, he somehow came back to life on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] only to get run over by [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]]. Poor guy sure had an off-day.
*Shrapnel, along with [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], had his gender switched from male to female in the French dub of ''The Transformers: The Movie''. It is unknown why this change was effected, but it's most likely because of the character's high-pitched voice. The change did not happen in the cartoon, as it had used a different dubbing team from the movie. The change is especially ironic, given that only male stag beetles have the large pincers of Shrapnel's alt-mode.
**His gender was also switched in the Russian dub, mainly because Shrapnel is a feminine noun in Russian.
*In the Japanese dub of ''The Transformers'', Shrapnel retained his speech quirk of repeating words and phrases (as well as his gender). However, the dub was less consistent with the quirk and he only repeated himself from time to time. Also, Shrapnel's lightning blasting abilities were given a name, the "Thunder Attack", in true anime special move fashion.
*On Shrapnel's US box art, he has two left hands. On the Japanese release, this error is corrected.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Sharpnel''' (シャープネル ''Shāpuneru'')<ref>In Japan, "Shrapnel" is transliterated as シュラプネル, ''Shurapuneru'', suggesting his name-change was deliberate.</ref>
*''French:'' '''Éclats D'Obus''' (Canada)
*''Hebrew:'' '''Mitsrár''' (מצרר, "Cluster Bomb")
*''Italian:'' '''Rantrox'''
*''Portuguese:'' '''Estilhaço''' (Portugal comic), '''Metralha''' (Brazil comic), '''Estilhaço''' (Brazil comic), '''Granada''' (Brazil Beast Wars)
*''Russian:'' '''Shrapnel''' (Шрапнель ''Shrapnel<nowiki>'</nowiki>'')
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Shrapnel''' (ICTV, Шрапнель ''Shrapnel"'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Shrapnel Shrapnel's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Gender-switch characters]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Insecticons]]
[[Category:Mail order items]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Swerve (G1)

2014-10-12T00:57:35Z

Might Gaine:

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Swerve}}
:''Swerve is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]. He is sometimes known as "Shut the Hell Up." ''
[[File:Swerve.toy.boxart.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Comes with ''[[My First Blaster]]''™ accessory!]]
Gregarious would be a good word to describe '''Swerve.''' So would outgoing, enthusiastic, upbeat, joyfully irreverent, flippant, sarcastic, wise ass, troll, or "total pain in the aft," depending on which side of his weapons-grade mouth you happen to fall on and how long you've been listening to him use it. Swerve has a sense of fun and even whimsy that stands out from your run of the mill Autobots fairly dramatically. The little fellow may get on their nerves... he'll ''probably'' get on their nerves... But it'll always be with a smile, a laugh, and an epic level quip, making him a good [[Swerve's|bartender]].

He is, however, also a menace to everyone within range of a gun in his hand - including himself - given his legendarily bad aim, as well as to anyone driving nearby because he's ''so'' easily distracted by just about anything that catches his attention. Despite this, he's quite intelligent and skilled as a metallurgist, analysing the properties of a material with unique sensors in his hands. When he gets caught up in a problem, he becomes almost laser-like in focus and intensity, going on quest after quest, both major and [[Thumb Quest|minor]]. Unfortunately, this generally leaves him just as distracted from any other tasks at hand and just as accident-prone as ever. He's almost always in need of some repairs, major or minor, because of it.

Now if only [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Prime]] could get him to not get easily distracted when receiving his orders too...

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' N/A (English), [[Minoru Inaba]] (Japanese)

[[File:FFOD Part5 Swerve.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Now we know why he refuses to play in the sand.]]
Swerve participated in the defense of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] in [[2006]], but was trod upon by [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}} Later, after the [[Quintesson]] scientist [[Inquirata]] attempted to change history by removing the Autobot resistance leader known as [[Alpha Trion (G1)|A3]] from the past, a race Swerve was participating in repeated itself in an endless loop due to the ripples in the timestream. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}
{{-}}

====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic ====
[[File:4WheeldriveBrigade1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Swerve appeared on Earth as a member of the [[4-Wheel-Drive Brigade]]. Led by [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], the Brigade confronted the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] out in the desert, only to be caught in an explosive mine trap and fall into a pit. Working together, Swerve and the others combined their Scramble Power and worked their way free of the pit. A concentrated Scrumbuster attack drove off the Decepticons, and the Autobots won the day. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #3}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:BlackSunshine Autobot training failures.jpg|left|thumb]]
Swerve was on Cybertron observing the anti-Prime propaganda that [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] pumped through the data-net after retrieving the Ark's crew from [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Later, after the Autobots toppled Shockwave and the Decepticons' rule, he was among the group of new recruits seen failing to take on the [[auto-combatant]] training drones on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] after Shockwave's rule was toppled. {{storylink|Black Sunshine}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
{{ongoing}}
{{quote|People ''don't'' like me—they just laugh at my jokes. There's a difference.|{{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}}}}
[[File:Swerve blurr cybertronian homesick blues.jpg|thumb|225px|It's actually [[Joe Kyde]]'s number.]]
Swerve was [[Reproduction#IDW Generation 1 continuity|forged]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} For at least four million years, Swerve has wanted to swap his metallurgy career for bartending. Before the war, he was a huge fan of [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and when he was getting an autograph, Blurr mentioned he wanted to run a bar too after retiring from racing; Swerve thought Blurr might want to run it with ''him'' and the only way the racer could escape was to give Swerve a fake phone number. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Forever after, Swerve would tell people that he and Blurr had a plan to run a bar after the war. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}

During the war, before Cybertron had to be abandoned, Swerve's metallurgical skills prompted [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] to contact him along with several other Transformer scientists with his discovery about Cybertron's dwindling energy reserves. Swerve, like the rest, disregarded Thunderwing's warnings. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 1|Stormbringer #1}} With a fondness for adventure, Swerve took part in at least ten quests over the course of the war, including a [[Moonbase One|Moon Quest]], a [[Metrotitan (body-type)|Titan Quest]], a [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix Quest]], a [[Prime (rank)|Prime Quest]] and the legendarily bad [[Thumb Quest]]. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} He once saw the Justice Division doing its dirty work. The shock rendered him speechless for six months, which was quite a feat for him. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}}

In more modern times, Swerve was stationed at the [[Kimia Facility]]. He was a fan of the ''[[Wreckers: Declassified]]'' datalogs, although he thought [[Fisitron (G1)|Fisitron]] was a bit of a hagiographer. {{storylink|Bullets}} Swerve was present when [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] and the [[Sweep]]s invaded Kimia. {{storylink|Chaos Part One: Lamentations|Lamentations}} He survived the massacre and got away aboard an escape pod piloted by [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] and [[Brainstorm]]. [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] soon came to rescue them. Everyone seemed to feel the need to remind him in particular not to say something tactless that might set her off. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}}

[[File:Swerve Chaos Part4.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|"Step 1: Fight D-Void! Step 2: ???? Step 3: Profit!!"]]
Aboard Arcee's shuttle, Swerve listened with the others to [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] and Arcee's explanation of the situation with [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]], the [[Darkness (G1)|Heart of Darkness]] and [[D-Void]]. Swerve reiterated everything he had just heard to Hardhead, just to confirm he understood the complicated scenario (he got it all right, except for missing the hyphen in "D-Void"). He was quite naively optimistic at the prospect of putting a stop to Galvatron's plans and saving the universe. However, once they arrived in Cybertron's atmosphere and Arcee had ordered the shuttle to fly directly at the planet's surface, Swerve was among the first to bail out. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD1-SwerveRedAlert.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Questquestquestquestquestquestquest.]]
Swerve was one of the Autobots who chose to accompany [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] on his quest to find the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] reluctantly allowed Swerve to board the ''[[Lost Light]]'' if he'd stop talking. Swerve doesn't know. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} He was in the medibay when [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] recovered consciousness, and got to be the one who broke the news about how long Tailgate had been trapped underground. He and Tailgate went out for some fresh air and, along with [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] and [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]], encountered [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and watched him fight the [[Legislator]]s. Skids wasn't keen on Swerve's suggestion they should team up. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

[[File:Swerves bar life after the big bang.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Sometimes you've got to go where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came.]]
During the incident with the [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]], Swerve and Skids stumbled on [[Swerve's|a bar]], reminding Swerve of his earlier plans to run such an establishment. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} Swerve opened the bar for a celebration of the Sparkeater's demise. As a subscriber to Fisitron's ''Wreckers: Declassified'', he received a strange new datalog and discussed it with [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]], prompting the latter's trip to [[Delphi]]. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}}

Swerve accompanied [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] and [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] on a mission to scrounge [[energon]] from a deserted Decepticon outpost but their pilot, [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], was distracted by his own reflection in the radar screen and crashed their shuttle into a planet. With the ship upside down and Perceptor half-melted into the floor (now the ceiling) Swerve kept up his usual banter as they found themselves under attack by [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]], which happened to be one of his worst fears. With the shuttle cloaked, Swerve passed the time by teasing Sunstreaker and talking about his other worst fears—[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]], [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]], [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Overmegasixwave|some nightmare combination of all four]]. However, it was soon revealed that this bluster was merely an attempt to disguise the fact that his spark casing had cracked during the crash and that without attention he would die. Hoist and Sunstreaker left him to take the fight to Tarn but the [[Decepticon Justice Division|D.J.D.]] leader quickly took down Sunstreaker and Hoist found himself under attack by Megatron, Overlord, Sixshot and Shockwave—who then combined before disappearing at the same time Swerve fell unconscious. After Perceptor deduced that the planet was protected by a [[phobia shield]], Hoist managed to defeat it by rendering Perceptor and Bob unconscious and facing his own worst fear—being alone. {{storylink|The Waiting Game}} Swerve was presumably repaired upon their rescue by the ''Lost Light'', as he was back tending his bar soon afterwards.

[[File:Swerve Interiors arrested.jpg|thumb|260px]]
Unfortunately [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] finally found out about the bar, stormed in, and led Swerve away in handcuffs. Swerve was soon on rivet duty with Rewind, clambering around on the ''Lost Light'''s hull and replacing rivets. The pair were pressed into service when [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] flipped and took [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] hostage, as the only way to get near the hostage situation was via an exterior window. While Rewind distracted Maximus with a recording of [[Garrus-9]], Swerve fired his rivet gun. Unfortunately his protests about his poor aim turned out to be true, and instead of wounding Maximus, he blew Rung's head off. {{storylink|Interiors}} Though Rung survived, Swerve was horrified to learn that his actions had left the psychiatrist in a coma. He visited Rung with Skids, and left one of Rung's model ships at his bedside. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}} Later, he would sit and talk to Rung for 147 hours straight, until the patient finally moved for the first time since the shooting... to make a "shush" gesture. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

[[File:MtMtEAnn2012-contemplative Swerve.jpg|thumb|left|230px]]
Swerve intended to attend Tailgate's [[Act of Affiliation]] ceremony but got sidetracked when he discovered [[Ore]] had been recently revived. He was assigned by Rodimus to distract Ore from realizing what had happened to him which would cause the engine block he was stuck on to activate and [[quantum jump]] the whole ship. Swerve began a conversation with Ore, not telling Ore what had happened to him, under the false identity of [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] since the [[Duobot]] had been chatting with Pipes before the accident. Swerve used the conversation as an excuse to (surreptitiously) discuss the guilt he was experiencing after shooting Rung, his inability to disobey Rodimus for fear of losing his bar as well as the confusion he was undergoing about the difference between peace and happiness. Ore allowed Swerve to realize that his ability to regret his actions made him a decent person, and Swerve considered whether or not he really wanted the reputation he'd earned. Moments late, Swerve was contacted by Rodimus to tell Ore the truth about what happened, as his death or mental breakdown would jump them away from the recently aggressive [[Galactic Council]]. Swerve responded by saying he would rather save Ore than hurt him, orders or no, something Rodimus kept to himself when asked. Fortunately, a recently revived Metrotitan quantum-jumped the ship and Ore was teleported away as an extra convenience. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

A few days later, Swerve joined a few other Autobots for movie night in Rewind's hab-suite, watching "[[Proteus's Promise]]". {{storylink| Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} Swerve and Rewind arranged a series of storytelling sessions in the bar to try and help Rung's mental recovery. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} They made little progress and eventually had a third session with Chromedome, [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], Ratchet, Whirl and others. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} Swerve was unable to stop himself occasionally interjecting into the story. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} Unable to get into his own quarters to fetch refreshments, Swerve raided [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]'s stash of [[Nightmare Fuel]]. Following the story, the shipwide alarm sounded and Swerve speculated that someone had trodden dirt into Ultra Magnus's office. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

[[File:Before&After Shoomer.jpg|thumb|upright=0.95|"Swerve’s fun to write because he shoots his mouth off" — [[James Roberts]].]]
The alarm turned out to be a call to take part in a mission to [[Temptoria]] to find the [[Circle of Light]]. Swerve kept himself calm during the trip in the ''[[Leading Light]]'' by using Rungian re-experience therapy. He took part in the battle on Temptoria until his gun ran out, at which point he asked Whirl for another and was thrown the [[Shoomer]]. He struggled to lift the huge weapon and accidentally ended up shooting himself in the face with it and so his part in the fight ended. Despite the damage, he survived and was taken back to the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|Before & After}}

[[File:LL Rush Hour.jpg|thumb|left|And the humans thought their rush hours were bad...]]
When Swerve and his crew went to [[Hedonia]]'s bars, he was tasked by Rodimus to bring Ultra Magnus along and help him relax. That led to Magnus falling unconscious after drinking [[nucleon]] and Swerve was left to look after him, and provide a shoulder for a maudlin drunk Magnus to cry on. He tried to buck the enforcer up, reassuring him that people did like him; when Magnus fell unconscious again, Swerve quietly admitted that people didn't like ''him'' but just tolerate him because of his jokes. After an intense effort, Swerve and the gang got Ultra Drunkus back to the ''Lost Light'' (Swerve decided this quest was now in his top three) and he used a prototype broadcast system to tell the whole thing to Blurr's personal number... refusing to admit that it was a fake. After that, sensing a new relationship with Magnus, Swerve asked him (next in a long line) if he'd like to share his room: Magnus, like everyone else, turned it down. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}}

Swerve and Tailgate bet 100 [[shanix]] that each would be the first to discover what Rung's [[alternate mode]] was without asking him directly. Swerve's initial attempts involved striking the psychiatrist in the [[neural cluster]] to induce an involuntary transformation, but he was unsuccessful. He then tried to bribe Rung by getting him [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]]'s autograph, however they soon found themselves in the middle of a hostage situation as the Autobot [[Paddox]] revealed he was actually a deep-cover group of [[Ammonite]]s and demanded the ''Lost Light'', with its superior quantum engines, in exchange for Thunderclash's life. Swerve bemoaned the fact that they were unarmed and Rung responded that wasn't necessarily the case—he transformed into his alternate mode (officially classified as an "ornament") and Swerve used him to clobber Paddox into his component parts. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

[[File:MtMtE15-MetaBomb.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Some while later, Swerve accompanied Rewind to Brainstorm's laboratory, as the archivist was hoping to probe the inventor as to Chromedome's whereabouts. Whilst the two other Autobots talked, Swerve had a poke around, and decided to push a button on small device he picked up, something which he subsequently denied to Brainstorm. The invention, as it turned out, was a "[[metafictional bomb|meta bomb]]", and it had the effect of making Swerve unwittingly act as if he were a character in a [[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|comic book]]. Just then, a ship wide alarm sounded – the notorious [[Decepticon]] psychopath Overlord had appeared on the ship and begun a rampage! No doubt too small and inept to be of much use in the battle that followed, Swerve wound up sitting by an injured Drift and thanks to the continuing effects of the meta bomb began an oddly detached monologue about the situation the crew found themselves in. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}}

After the threat had passed, thanks to Rewind's self-sacrifice, Swerve and Tailgate visited the medibay, where Ratchet was working on the mortally wounded Ultra Magnus. To the medical officer's chagrin, Swerve played ''[[The Empyrean Suite]]'' for the comatose patient. Shortly afterwards, at the memorial service for those killed during Overlord's rampage, Swerve decided to begin a "quest" to learn the contents of Brainstorm's briefcase, as a way of distracting himself from the recent tragedies. {{storylink|The Gloaming}}

After the service, Ultra Magnus disappeared from the medibay and fled in a shuttlecraft, and in pursuing it the ''Lost Light'' arrived at a vast portal hanging in space. Swerve enthused wildly about this latest development to Tailgate, ignorant that the Autobot-in-training had just been diagnosed with a fatal case of [[cybercrosis]]. Through the portal, the ship found the long lost [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], but despite the his enthusiasm, Rodimus forbade Swerve from joining the landing party, citing that he had done nothing useful with his metallurgical training for the past months and had instead been a barman. Forlorn, Swerve decided to shut down the bar for good, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a [[Legislator|huge, heavily armed robot]] saying nothing but 'seventeen twenty-one' over and over. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}}

[[File:MyFirstBlaster DirectHit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcNXq5DUZnk"Dun-dun-dun-dundundun. Dun-dun-dun-dundundun."]]]
The mechanoid promptly opened fire, shredding the room to pieces, but Swerve was able to get behind the bar and trigger the 'security' installed recently by Brainstorm: scores of automated turrets that emerge from the walls and blast the invader. Despite the heavy fire, the attacker remained standing, so the bartender went for another gift from Brainstorm, ''[[My First Blaster]]''™. Despite his infamous (lack of) marksmanship skills, this chunky weapon allowed Swerve to put a hole through his assailant, finally stopping it.

With more invaders all across the ship, Swerve ran to find his friend Skids at the oil reservoir. He arrived just as the amnesiac theoretician emerged victorious from an enormous battle, but a [[Star Saber (Victory)|large, sword-wielding warrior]] teleported in behind him and ran Skids through. Swerve frantically opened fire, but missed every shot and was knocked unconscious. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}} The two Autobots were teleported into a cell on Luna 1 where they found the captured members of the ''Lost Light'''s landing party and [[Getaway]], who explained that the insane [[Chief Justice]] [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]] was behind their imprisonment. He sprung them from the cell and they rushed to confront Tyrest but the mad lawman was ready for them and incapacitated the Autobots before activating his [[universal killswitch]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} Swerve was unaffected and after Tyrest was defeated by [[Minimus Ambus]] he heard the Chief Justice say something about winning. Later he was part of a team that raided [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]'s medbay, where he used his metallurgy skills to discover a cure for [[cybercrosis]] that would help save Tailgate's life. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} Swerve was still congratulating himself on this achievement when he was approached by Brainstorm, who suspected that someone had opened his briefcase and wanted Swerve to help him find out who would have done such a thing. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Swerve also took this opportunity to salvage [[Ten|one of Tyrest's Legislators]], hacking its "bruised brain" and putting it to work as a doorman in his bar. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} After the ''Lost Light'' left Luna 1, Swerve held a grand reopening of his bar that was attended by Ultra Magnus but not Rodimus. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

On their way to make contact with Thunderclash, the ''Lost Light'' received a dire warning from Orion Pax about the destruction of [[Gorlam Prime]]. Demonstrating a keen awareness of the severity of the situation, Swerve turned the warning into the ring-tone for his comm unit. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} After they rescued Pax and his crew, a welcoming celebration was held for them at ''Swerve's''. Seeing Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, and "Optimus Prime" sharing a drink together at his bar, Swerve couldn't contain himself and started taking pictures for the wall until they shooed him away. {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}}

The ''Lost Light'' later quantum jumped to the planet [[Hydrophena]] in search of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], but were attacked by a few thousand Ammonites. Swerve joined the crew in taking the fight to the [[Stentarian]] army hand-to-hand while Ultra Magnus, Ratchet, and several others went for Metroplex himself. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}} Inside Metroplex, they located traces of [[admium]] in the water running through the Titan, and contacted Swerve for his metallurgic expertise. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Swerve warned them that admium basically meant "death plague", and they had a horde of Ammonites rushed towards them at the moment. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} Swerve and the crew got back aboard the ''Lost Light'' before Metroplex linked with the ship and triggered his internal Space Bridge, bringing them back to Cybertron in time for Metroplex to defeat the [[Necrotitan]]. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

After the dark Titan fell, Swerve opened up ''Swerve's'' for Autobot and Decepticon alike to relax in. His innermost energon nearly boiled over, though, when a dream came true: Blurr. ''In his bar.'' Swerve played it as cool as he could, meaning he left Blurr feeling unnerved and very annoyed at "that three-fingered guy". {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} As the Ammonites returned to invade Cybertron by the billions, Swerve held the ground with the other Cybertronians. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} They kept the planet from falling until the leadership of the Autobots and Decepticons succeeded in stopping Shockwave's mad schemes. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

As the ''Lost Light'' prepared to leave Cybertron for the second time, Swerve, [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] hosted a series of "crewditions", during which he rejected [[Groove (G1)|Groove]], [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Nautica]] for spurious reasons before [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] revealed the whole exercise to be a sham Swerve had concocted purely for his own amusement. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Once the mission was once again underway, Swerve chafed under its new commander, the supposedly reformed Megatron. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} When things aboard the ''Lost Light''—and ultimately the ship itself—started to disappear, Swerve abandoned the ship along with the rest of the crew. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} While trying to make sense of the situation aboard the [[Rodpod]] along with Megatron and a collection of other Autobots, Swerve himself then vanished. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[File:G1-toy Swerve.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Elbows. I no has them!]]
*'''Swerve''' (Mini-Vehicle, 1986)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-58'''

:Swerve is a [[retool]] of the ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]'' toy originally used to make [[Gears (G1)#Generation 1|Gears]], and therefore has a similar pickup truck vehicle mode, a 4WD off-road of indeterminable model. He is largely maroon and white, with squarer legs and a more elaborate face than Gears.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Swerve/swerve.htm More information on Swerve at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Alternators===
[[File:Alternator Swerve Toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|A new head. We were so spoiled...]]
*'''Swerve''' (Alternator, 2004)
**''Alternator ID number:'' '''15'''
**''Accessories:'' Engine/blaster

:''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' Swerve is a retool of [[Tracks (G1)#Alternators|Tracks]], and transforms into a red [[Wikipedia:Chevrolet Corvette C5|Corvette Z06]] featuring opening doors and hood, as well as a realistic interior. Amusingly enough, his rocket launchers are stored next to the passenger and driver seats. Swerve is armed with his double-barreled engine gun formed from his engine, two pairs of double-barreled slide-out wrist blasters, and two shoulder-mounted rocket launchers, making him one of the most heavily armed ''Alternators'' toys.

:He came with a flame hood decal reminiscent of the flames on Tracks's original toy (which was originally available with Tracks's ''Binaltech'' release), thus making him resemble [[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] in vehicle mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Autobot/AltSwerve/swerve.htm More information on Alternators Swerve at TFU.info]''

===Encore===
[[File:Encore Swerve toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Weird—I crashed into a paint-sprayer, and for some reason, I can see better.]]
*'''Bumble & Minibots''' (Multi-pack, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''10'''

:In 2008, Swerve was reissued in the ''[[Transformers Encore|Encore]]'' line, bundled with [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Encore|Bumblebee]], [[Pipes (G1)#Encore|Pipes]], [[Tailgate (G1)#Encore|Tailgate]], and [[Outback (G1)#Encore|Outback]]. As with his pack-mates, his face paint was given more detailing to resemble his cartoon model better.
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generations china import deluxe swerve.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|He's scowling because he still doesn't have his own mold.]]
*'''Swerve''' (Deluxe, 2012)
**''Accessories'': Blaster

:''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Swerve is a [[Retool#Gang-molded alternate parts|pretool]] and [[redeco]] of [[Kup (G1)#Generations|Sergeant Kup]], using the planned-in alternate head for the mold.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-generations-classics-30-35/transformers-generations--movie-series-asia-exclusives-174569/ Transformers Generations & Movie Series Asia Exclusives]</ref> He transforms into a pseudo-retro-styled pickup truck of indeterminate, probably-made-up model, and is covered in 3mm rungs that are compatible with [[C joint]] clip-on weapons. There are two rungs on his backpack, plus two rungs each on his forearm [[kibble]], and two on his lower back. The blaster can either be hand-held via [[5mm post]], plug into the underside of the truck to form a second exhaust pipe, or clip onto the roof of the truck via C joint. Interestingly, due to his transformation, Swerve's truck mode features a working tailgate.

:Swerve was originally only to be released as part of a big block of toys developed [[exclusive]]ly for release in China and other Hasbro Asia markets. However, [[Toys"R"Us|ToysЯUs]] picked up Swerve as part of a ''massive'' group of ''Transformers'' exclusives for US market release, just in time for the 2012 holiday shopping season.

:This mold was retooled into ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' [[Hoist (G1)#Timelines|Hoist]] and [[Electro (G2)#Timelines|Autobot Electrons]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/GDOSwerve/swerve.htm More information on ''Generations'' Swerve at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|GenerationsLegends}}
[[File:Generationstoy-Swerve.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Sound chip not included. World breathes sigh of relief.]]
*'''Swerve & Flanker''' (Legends, 2013)
**''Series / number'': '''2 / 005'''

:Part of the fifth wave of [[2012]]-onwards ''Generations'' [[Legends Class]] toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' Swerve is a new mold that is roughly the size of a ''[[Cyberverse]]'' Commander Class toy. His robot mode is styled after his appearance in ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye]]'', but transforms into a mostly red, modernized 4-wheel-drive pickup truck of made-up model. He comes with <s>a tray of drinks</s> <s>a ''My First Blaster''™</s> [[Sky High (Micromaster)#Generations|Flanker]], a small bot who transforms into either a blue jet or a weapon for Swerve to wield via its 5mm handle.

:Swerve was retooled into ''Generations'' [[Gears (G1)#Generations|Gears]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/GenSwerve/swerve.htm More information on ''Thrilling 30'' Swerve at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
===Legends===
*'''Swerve & Tailgate''' (Multi-pack, [[January 24|1-24]]-[[2015]])
**''Japanese ID number'': '''LG08'''

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Swerve is a redeco of ''Generations'' Legends Class Swerve in a darker shade of red with additional white paint on his legs/truck bed and a black square on his hood in homage to his original toy. He comes with [[Phaser#Legends|Phaser]], a redeco of Flanker.

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

==Notes==
*Swerve and [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]] are curiously absent from 1986's ''[[The Transformers Universe|Transformers Universe]]'' profile book. The only other missing characters were the two [[Deluxe Vehicle]]s and the four [[Insecticon (G1)|Deluxe Insecticons]], whose absence might be explained by their toys' origins with companies in competition with [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]. Swerve and Hubcap's omissions, however, appear to be errors; all the other toys in their wave and subgroup were included. The extended, unused TFU entry [http://boltax.blogspot.com/2010/12/extended-bios.html ended up on ''Disciples of Boltax''].

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Wave''' (ウェーブ ''Wēbu''; sometimes ウエーブ ''Uēbu''), '''Swerve''' (スワーブ ''Suwābu'')
*''French:'' '''Embardo''' (Canada)
*''Mandarin:'' '''Bèi Lí''' (背离, "Swerve")

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Bartenders]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Legends franchise]]
[[Category:Mini Vehicles]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Ladybird Books Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]

ToyCo

2013-07-01T20:49:37Z

Might Gaine:

ToyCo (토이코코리아) is a [[Korean]] toy company responsible for licensing the [[Shockwave (G1)]] mold to [[Hasbro]] and [[Takara]] for the Transformers toy line in the 1980's. ToyCo is still in operation today, making and/or distributing a large variety of toys in Korea, including [http://toyco.co.kr/shop/shopdetail.html?branduid=804729&search=&sort= off-brand transforming robot toys], as well as licensed [http://toyco.co.kr/shop/shopdetail.html?branduid=823088&special=1 Transformers Prime kids' inner tubes]. Other toys they make or distribute include battery-operated toys, and cheap Power Rangers and Hello Kitty toys that supplement the range of toys released by larger companies, such as Bandai, in Korea.

==External links==
*[http://toyco.co.kr/ Toyco's web site (in Korean)]

ToyCo

2013-07-01T20:47:23Z

Might Gaine: Created page with "ToyCo (토이코코리아) is a Korean toy company responsible for licensing the Shockwave mold to Hasbro and Takara for the Transformers toy line in the 1980's. …"

ToyCo (토이코코리아) is a [[Korean]] toy company responsible for licensing the [[Shockwave]] mold to [[Hasbro]] and [[Takara]] for the Transformers toy line in the 1980's. ToyCo is still in operation today, making and/or distributing a large variety of toys in Korea, including [http://toyco.co.kr/shop/shopdetail.html?branduid=804729&search=&sort= off-brand transforming robot toys], as well as licensed [http://toyco.co.kr/shop/shopdetail.html?branduid=823088&special=1 Transformers Prime kids' inner tubes]. Other toys they make or distribute include battery-operated toys, and cheap Power Rangers and Hello Kitty toys that supplement the range of toys released by larger companies, such as Bandai, in Korea.

==External links==
*[http://toyco.co.kr/ Toyco's web site (in Korean)]

Shockwave (G1)/toys

2013-06-29T17:05:01Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{suite}}

'''[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]''' has many toys, so logic dictates that they should receive a page. Logic also dictates that they should be awesome.

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Shockwave toy.jpg|thumb|250px|You can try to play Duck Hunt with him all day long, but it just doesn't work.]]
*'''Shockwave''' (Decepticon, 1985)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''49'''
**''Accessories'': "Magnetic impulse defuser" barrel
: Sold boxed, Shockwave was one of the very first 1985 toys to see release, if not ''the'' first. Shockwave transforms into a large Cybertronian handgun. He has light and sound electronics activated by his gun-mode trigger and powered by a 9-volt battery. The sound effects can be switched between two (fairly generic) blaster-sound frequencies with a small toggle on his battery pack. As a robot, he has a large, if not the most, amount of articulation for the era.

: Shockwave was initially sold without a rub sign; one was later added to the side of his torso.

:The rubber hose covering the wires connecting his torso and arm's electronics is particularly prone to dry-rotting. Be careful!

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Decepticon/Shockwave/shockwave.htm More information on Shockwave at TFU.info]''

[[Image:ActionMaster Shockwave.jpg|thumb|Small and deadly.]]

* '''Shockwave with Fistfight''' (Action Master, 1990)
** ''Accessories'': Double-barreled "Turbo Rifle"

: As an [[Action Master]], Shockwave is a non-transforming action figure who combines elements of his cartoon model and original toy, with a few more details. He is compatible with any other Action Master weapon or vehicle. Part of the third wave of individually-carded Action Master figures, He came with his small robot [[Action Master partner|partner]] [[Fistfight (G1)|Fistfight]], who combines with Shockwave's handgun to form a "Lightning Gun" cannon.

: Reportedly, early "test market" releases came with a rubber hose that connects from his gun-arm to his back, like the original toy. There are holes in the toy's gun-arm and backpack; the black hoses found in many old ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' toys can fit in the holes.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1990/Decepticon/Shockwave/shockwave.htm More information on Shockwave at TFU.info]''

 

===Alternators===
[[Image:AlternatorsShockblast toy.jpg|thumb|250px|Guns akimbo.]]
*'''Shockblast''' (Alternator, 2004)
**''Alternator ID number:'' '''12'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''BT-13'''
**''Accessories'': Muffler-blaster

: A [[Retool|retooling]] of the "[[Jazz (G1)/toys|Meister]]" Alternator, "Shockblast" ([[trademark]] problems...) transforms into a 1:24-scale fully-licensed Mazdaspeed-modified RX-8 sports car. He features working car doors, hood, and trunk. His muffler unfolds to become a hand-held blaster; the mounting peg for car-mode actually pegs into the holes on his forearms by the elbow joints quite snugly, letting you mount the blaster there if you wish. While the box has the name "Shockblast", the car's actual license plate is "SHKWAV".

: Aside from the new head, color change and the laser cannon replacing his left hand, other differences between Shockblast and Meister are that Shockblast has new front and rear fenders, doors, side skirts and a spoiler.

: The original Meister mold was also used to make the [[Autorooper]] and [[Zoom-Zoom]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Decepticon/AltShockblast/shockblast.htm More information on Shockblast at TFU.info]''

 

===Titanium Series===
[[Image:Shockwavetitanium.jpg|thumb|150px|Cancelling me is illogical.]]
*'''Shockwave'''

: A 6" transforming Shockwave toy was designed and displayed at [[BotCon]] 2007, but [[Titanium Series]] was canceled before its tooling could be completed.
{{Canceledtoy}}{{-}}

===Generations===
[[Image:Generationstoy-Shockwave.jpg|right|thumb|300px|This repurposing is very logical indeed.]]
*'''Shockwave''' (Deluxe, 2012)
**''Accessories:'' Two-piece laser cannon
{{note|This toy was [[repurposing|repurposed]] as ''Generation 1'' Shockwave in [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' comics.}}
: Part of the first wave of [[2012]] ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' [[Shockwave (WFC)#Generations|Shockwave]] transforms into a "Cybertronian mobile artillery" mode. The front center fuselage of the vehicle becomes a [[5mm post|hand-held]] "laser cannon" that's modeled after the [[Sling Shock#Generations|Sling Shock]]. It can be stored on a 5mm port on his back, and undocumented in his [[instructions]], can replace his hands by folding either one of them in, revealing a socket on his wrist that a tab underneath his cannon can mount to. As another undocumented feature, the cannon actually consists of two pieces, with a large y-shaped barrel that can be removed, revealing the sculpted ends of a triple-barreled gun. The y-shaped barrel part can also be stored on Shockwave's back, forming some sort of jet-pack exhaust.

:Shockwave features two examples of [[Kibble#faux-parts|faux-parts]]: The undersides of his heels resemble the front end of the y-shaped barrel part, effectively serving as an extension of the barrel in vehicle mode, whereas a fake replica of the top end of his head (including his signature "ear" panels) is sculpted on the top side of his vehicle mode (which ends up on the underside of his backpack in robot mode).

:The figure has a "dramatic reveal" feature, where pressing the chest into place causes the head to pop up. The clasp used to hold the spring-loaded piece in place is fairly strong, and requires a small amount of force to latch if the head isn't pressed down before moving the chest assembly. Depending on the individual quality of the figure, this can cause the latch to wear out, and the spring is strong enough that the head will push the whole assembly out of place in vehicle mode if not properly retracted. As such, care should be taken on this step of conversion.

: This mold was [[redeco]]ed/retooled into ''Fall of Cybertron'' [[Air Raid (FOC)|Air Raid]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Decepticon/GenShockwave/shockwave.htm More information on ''Generations'' Shockwave at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Transformers Milk Caramel===
[[Image:Caramel_shockwave.jpg|right|thumb]]
*'''Laserwave''' (1985)
:A soft rubber figurine—known in Japan as a ''keshigomu''— of Shockwave was released as part of the second wave of [[Kabaya]]'s ''[[Transformers Milk Caramel]]'' [[candy toy]] range. He came packaged with chocolate-covered caramel candies, and was available in red, blue and yellow.
{{-}}

===Decoy===
{{anchor|TakaraDecoy}} [[Image:Decoy_shockwave.jpg|right|thumb]]
*'''Destron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)
:Shockwave was among the many characters rendered by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] as part of their series of 1.5" ''keshigomu'' figurines. Like all the Decepticons in the series, Shockwave was molded in soft purple rubber, and featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his [[Tech Spec]]s, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines. Shockwave was available as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, and later, in a peach coloration randomly packed as part of various other box sets.

{{anchor|HasbroDecoy}}
*'''Shockwave''' (Decoy, 1987)
**''Decoy number'': '''51'''

:The figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number (51, in Shockwave's case). Like all Decepticon Decoys, Shockwave was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] and was, very early on in the promotion, available in an alternate red coloration that was only packed in with the Throttlebots. Unsurprisingly, this red figurine is much rarer.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Decepticon/Decoys/Shockwave/shockwave.htm More information on Decoy Shockwave at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
===Bust===
[[Image:Shockwave bust.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Shockwave reminisces back to when he had two hands.]]
* '''Shockwave''' (Bust, 2003)

: In 2003, [[Hard Hero]] released a six-inches tall polystone bust of Shockwave, based upon his Generation 1 cartoon appearance. It was limited to 2500 pieces worldwide, with an additional 100 specially signed by the sculptor.

{{-}}
[[Image:HardHero_MetallicShockwave.jpg|thumb|right|150px|]]
* '''Shockwave Metallic Exclusive''' (Bust, 2003)

: Hard Hero's Shockwave was also released in shiny "metallic" coloration. This version was in even shorter supply, limited to only 500 copies.

{{-}}

===Mini Bust===
[[Image:Shockwave statue.jpg|thumb|"Yeah, I had to sell the trigger and most of the handle to feed my family."]]
* '''Shockwave''' (Diamond Select, 2008)
:Released by Diamond Select Toys in 2008, Shockwave was sculpted by [[Mark Wong]] of [[Art Asylum]] and limited to 1,000 pieces. Both his fist and "gun hand" are translucent to better match his toy incarnation.

{{-}}
===Mini Statue===
[[Image:Shockwaveministatue.jpg|thumb|150px|Meet me in the bank... it's going down...]]
* '''Shockwave''' (Mini statue, 2005)
: Diamond Comics Distributors also released a small, six-inch polystone statue of Shockwave made by [[Palisades Toys]], based upon [[Pat Lee]]'s rendition of the character in [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s Transformers comic books. An image of this statue made a cameo in the 2009 film ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)| Revenge of the Fallen]]'', featuring in a newspaper that was sucked up by [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]].

{{-}}

===Attacktix===
[[Image:Shockwave-atx.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
* '''Shockwave''' (Booster, <strike>2007</strike>)

: Shockwave was likely to have been one of several ''Transformers [[Attacktix]]'' Booster pieces, using a wide, powerful, spring-loaded "blaster" missile launcher attack. He was to be a 40-point Leader-class piece. Though displayed as part of the ''Attacktix'' display at the [[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] "Celebration IV" convention, Shockwave was ultimately never released as the ''Attacktix'' toyline was put on ice.

{{Canceledattacktix}}

{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:G1 RobotHeroes ShockwaveVsGrimlock.jpg|200px|thumb|right|He's logical ''and'' cute.]]
* '''Grimlock & Shockwave''' (Robot Heroes, 2007)

: The most adorablest Shockwave ever, ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' Shockwave is a stumpy PVC figurine that combines toy and animation model details into a single package. He has limited articulation (neck and shoulder swivels only), but he's so cute it doesn't matter. He was available in a two-pack with a similarly lovable version of [[Grimlock (G1)/toys|Grimlock]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Decepticon/RHShockwave/shockwave.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Shockwave at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Mighty Muggs===
[[Image:MightyMuggs_Shockwave.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Cute ''and'' frightening plus angry about my big head]]
*'''Shockwave''' (Mighty Mugg, 2009)

: Part of the third wave of [[Mighty Muggs]], Shockwave is a [[super deformed]], non-transformable PVC figure with articulated arms and head. As all Mighty Muggs are made from the same mold, he has a really weird-looking round head. His left arm, however, is [[retool]]ed to include his trademark gun hand.

: Shockwave was briefly believed to be canceled, but Hasbro revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2009 that his wave would be released. Along with the rest of his wave, Shockwave was eventually released as an exclusive at Diamond Distributors and [[Toys"R"Us]] stores.

{{-}}

===G.I. Joe and the Transformers===
*'''Shockwave H.I.S.S. Tank with two figures & Energon''' (2012)
**''Accessories:'' Soundwave cassette deck, three "MiniCon Deployers", and energon cubes

: An [[exclusive]] release for [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2012, this is a [[redeco]] of the 2012 new-[[mold]] ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe: Retaliation]]'' [[HISS tank]] meant to represent Shockwave, with an additional cannon piece meant to emulate ''Generation 1'' Shockwave's gun barrel. It includes the [[Cobra]]s [[Destro|James McCullen Destro XXIV]] and a [[Battle Android Trooper]]<ref>[http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/12/shockwavehiss/ Shockwave H.I.S.S. page at yojoe.com]</ref> with a trolley for carrying [[Energon cube]]s. Destro's accessories include [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] in the form of a non-transforming tape deck, various guns, a suitcase of money, and three micro-casettes capable of being placed within the Soundwave toy. The toy's press release identifies the tapes as [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] and [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], but since all three sport the sculpted details of the original Laserbeak toy and are colored red, gold, and orange they visually appear to be Laserbeak and his redecos [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] and [[Sundor]], respectively.

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:ToyCoAstroMagnum.jpg|230px|thumb|"Shackwave"? '''"Shackwave"?!''' RADIOWAVE, [[fandom|you]] idiots!]]
* Although Shockwave was depicted in the very first episode of the original cartoon series, he did not receive a toy release until early in 1985. Unlike the bulk of early Transformers that drew their molds from [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Diaclone]]'' and ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]'' toys, Shockwave's original form was first produced by ToyCo as the "[http://tfsource.com/products/view/product_id/1672/ 4 Changeable Astro Magnum]". As such, similar non-Transformer toys using the same mold were released in 1985, including a [[RadioShack]] exclusive called "Galactic Man". A minor but amusing difference between the RadioShack version, humorously called "Shackwave" by fans, and the [[Hasbro]] version, is that Shockwave's inconveniently placed trigger was remolded and appears less... inconvenient.
** A 1985 Hasbro briefing binder gives Shockwave's toy the name "Spark Man," which probably was a name attached to the toy, considering its similarity to Radio Shack's "Galactic Man," rather than being an early name for the Hasbro character. <ref>http://boltax.blogspot.com/2010/12/ron-friedman-auction-hasbro-briefing_15.html</ref> He still hadn't settled into his finalized name at the time the script for "[[More than Meets the Eye (episode)|More than Meets the Eye]]" was written; in it, he is referred to as '''Flash Beam'''. <ref>http://boltax.blogspot.com/2011/02/ron-friedman-auctions-scripts-part-3-of.html</ref>
* The Astro Magnum mold also appears to have been licensed to a small company called Village Toys in the 1980s, where it showed up in their [http://counter-x.net/footnotes/convert-a-bots/index.html Convert-A-Bots] line under the name "N-4-SR" (..."Enforcer", get it?). This release was [http://plasticcrack.net/archives/2009/04/convert-a-bot_shockwave_that_is_not_shockwave dark grey, with purple highlights].
[[Image:Starbrigade.jpg|125px|thumb|Product and colors (and franchise) may vary.]]
* Shockwave bears the rather strange distinction of receiving a number of particularly high quality [[Knockoff|knockoffs]], all of which known retain the electronics and some even having odd [[wikipedia:Flash Gordon|Flash Gordonesque]] [[retool]]s.
* One of the earliest pictured versions of Action Master Shockwave features some awkward proportions and Fistfight with reversed colors. Another oddity of this version is that Shockwave's right hand is sculpted in an open position.
* A silhouette of Action Master Shockwave's card art appears on the back of the [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] Star Brigade packaging... as [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]]!
* Shockwave was released by ToyCo in Korea in the 1980's at the same time Hasbro released him elsewhere. The only difference between the Korean version and the Hasbro release is a large "ToyCo" sticker on the front of the box.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Decepticons]]
[[Category:Attacktix]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]

Soundwave (WFC)

2013-02-18T13:44:57Z

Might Gaine: /* Generations */

{{faction|decepticon|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Soundwave}}
:''Soundwave is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:Soundwave Prime.jpg|thumb|300px|<center>"..."</center>]]
'''Soundwave''' is the spy master of the Decepticons. One of [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]'s earliest followers, and, many believe, instrumental to his rise, he uses his tentacles and a veritable army of [[Mini-Con|Minicon]] [[Deployer (Prime)|Deployer]]s to learn everything there is to know about his allies and his enemies. He was never very chatty, but these days, on Earth, he's become near silent, communicating by playing back recordings of other people's conversations. He just sneaks about, patiently looking for Autobot transmissions and creeping [[Starscream (WFC)|you]] out. Since the incapacitation of Megatron, Soundwave acts as a restraint on [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]], reining in his rather volatile emotions, and ensuring that Starscream's less than subtle ambitions are held in check.

Soundwave has the ability to receive transmissions from anywhere on the planet, bar the shielded Autobot Base. This allows him to spy on every being on the planet in the hopes of picking up Autobot-related communications.

After being rebuilt by his minions using arcane science, he took on the name '''Soundblaster'''.

{{quote|Watch out for the quiet ones.|[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]]|"[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Aligned novels===
Soundwave was a gladiator from [[Kaon]] who almost bested [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] in combat, an act that created mutual respect between the two. Soundwave saw in Megatron a desire to return to the swashbuckling spirit of the [[Golden Age]] of Cybertron, when Cybertronians emerged from the [[Well of All Sparks]] having to escape from the [[Underworld]]'s monsters rather than being put into a [[caste system|caste]]. He was appointed Megatron's lieutenant with [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]. Though Megatron despised Minicons, Soundwave insisted on having them around to spy on their gladiators, including the time when Megatron's librarian friend [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Orion Pax]] came to visit. He was suspicious of Orion and even asked permission from Megatron to tail him as he returned to [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]].

After [[Decepticon]]s bombed Cybertron in Megatron's name, Soundwave sent [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]] and [[Rumble (WFC)|Rumble]] to search for the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in [[Crystal City]] (a place which design he always found self indulgent). Soundwave was not sure whether he should have bothered, as he was not superstitious and wondered what use a piece of a [[Star Saber (Prima)|broken sword]] could be. Instead he got chilling indications Crystal City's scientists were planning to revive [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]].

[[Image:WFCcomicDecepticons.jpg|thumb|250px|"Yeah, this look is cool now, but I don't think I'll have it ''forever'': I mean, who'd like to [[GEEWUN|see things looking the same for over twenty five years]], right guys? ...guys?"]]

Soundwave attended Orion and Megatron's hearing before the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]]. During this meeting, Soundwave helped to sow discord and tension by loudly shouting his complaints over security breaches that, in truth, he himself had caused. The Council noted that they were aware someone had tried to find the Matrix, and they appointed Orion [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] and requested he find it. This tore Orion and Megatron's movement in two.

During the final days of the war, Soundwave and his minions' research changed the fate of Cybertron. It was they who found the areas of the [[DataNet]] that [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]] had overlooked and not deleted, revealing the existence of [[Dark Energon]] on [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] Station. It was he who remembered the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]] below Crystal City that allowed for the mass transportation of Dark Energon between Cybertron and Trypticon. And it was the evidence he got from Rumble and Frenzy when they infiltrated Crystal City that revealed the existence of the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]] and its two [[Code Key]]s, which enabled Megatron to poison the [[Core]] of Cybertron.

When Optimus removed the Chamber from the Core, beginning the planet's slow healing process, Soundwave boarded the ''Nemesis'' with Megatron, [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] and [[Lugnut (WFC)|Lugnut]] to pursue the Autobot ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' into the unknown reaches of space. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

Soundwave regained consciousness onboard the ''Nemesis'' after emerging from the energy field created by the Space Bridge explosion over Cybertron. While Megatron demanded a status report, Soundwave was already deep at work in a console attempting to determine the answer. Along with Starscream and Megatron, Soundwave examined the tracking reports and confirmed Starscream's assumption that the ''Ark'' was likely not too far away. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
When a gladiator calling himself Megatronus vowed to challenge Cybertron's leadership, Soundwave was his first follower and chief amongst them. Soundwave remained at Megatronus' side, now Megatron, as the conflict escalated into a war. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}} Following the [[Great Exodus]], when the Decepticons were trying to decrypt an encoded Autobot transmission, Soundwave suggested they should let [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] have a shot at interrogating [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]]. {{storylink|Out of the Past}}

The Decepticons later arrived on [[Earth]]. During a Decepticon attack on Cliffjumper, Soundwave intercepted Arcee's comms talk. He later played it back to Starscream, prompting the Decepticon leader to send the drones after her. He later detected transmissions coming from deep space, that prompted the Decepticons to fire up the [[space bridge]], allowing Megatron to return. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}}

[[Image:DarknessRising5-Soundwaveturn.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Voice actor: ''Snake eyes'' (english).]]
Shortly after Megatron left the ship on a mission, Starscream wondered aloud if Megatron had a touch of space madness, and Soundwave reminded him that their absent leader was still in charge. Starscream told him to step up global surveillance. Soundwave subsequently intercepted a transmission from [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] and, on Starscream's order, dispatched [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]] to capture the agent to learn the location of the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]]. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}} When the Autobots attacked the ''Nemesis'' to retrieve Fowler, slaughtering dozens of their soldiers, Soundwave hid. He simply watched when Megatron returned and took his fury out on Starscream on the bridge for not waiting on his command. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}

Starscream sent Soundwave to the [[Giant Sized Array]] radio telescope in [[Texas]] as they needed to use the array to target the space bridge at [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Soundwave hacked into the computer network at the site, but after he had lined up the dishes, someone realigned them. In response to Starscream's demands as to what was happening, he tapped into the base's security system and discovered that the Autobots' three human friends were in a nearby room, similarly accessing the computer. He extended a tentacle into the room they were in and attacked them. When [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] tried to chop the tentacle with an ax, Soundwave took it from her and used it to sever the computer system's hardline, locking the dishes on Cybertron. The three kids entered the room in time to see him leaving, and Miko and Soundwave snapped photos of each other.

[[Image:MastersStudents-Soundwavesradar.jpg|thumb|left|200px|See how much more convincing I am as a [[:Image:Cybertronsoundwave.jpg|communications tower]] with this look?]]

Because of Soundwave's success, the Autobots resorted to sabotaging the space bridge, blowing it up and taking Megatron with it. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}} At Starscream's order, Soundwave activated the comm system so Starscream could give a speech to the troops, declaring himself leader. Failing to impress the Vehicons, Starscream pressed Soundwave's sensors into locating [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]], a Decepticon secreted in a pod in the desert. Starscream and Soundwave reactivated Skyquake, only to find he wasn't receptive to Starscream's leadership, and instead set about fighting [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]. Soundwave detected a Decepticon signal from the site where the space bridge exploded, and when Starscream went to investigate, Soundwave sent Laserbeak to keep Starscream honest while he himself filmed the battle between Skyquake and Optimus and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]]. Though the outcome of the fight was not favorable to the Decepticon cause, Soundwave was able to ensure that Starscream returned Megatron's barely-functioning body to the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Masters & Students}}

Soundwave intercepted a transmission from [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] who was heading for Earth. At Starscream's order, he downloaded the necessary information to [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]], who took on Wheeljack's form and infiltrated the Autobot base. As Starscream and Soundwave paid a visit to the captive Wheeljack, Soundwave prevented his leader from terminating their prisoner, as he might be of use later. The two 'Cons retired to the ship's top deck to wait for Makeshift to activate the [[GroundBridge]], however Wheeljack broke free and started trashing the Vehicons. When Wheeljack escaped through the ground bridge and sent back Makeshift with his grenade activated, Soundwave and Starscream made sure to get well clear before he exploded. {{storylink|Con Job}} During another Autobot operation, Soundwave listened in on their comm chatter, prompting Starscream to send some Vehicons to attack. {{storylink|Convoy (episode)|Convoy}}

[[Image:Deusex-Soundwavecrouching.jpg|thumb|250px|And that's why there's no [[Ratbat (WFC)|Ratbat]].]]

When [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] mentioned seeing an [[Energon Harvester]] in a fresco in [[Greece]], Soundwave was able to track the device's location to a museum. Breakdown and [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] kept the Autobots busy in front of the museum while Soundwave sneaked in the back. He ran into [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] and [[Jack Darby|Jack]], who were already in the process of stealing the Harvester, and grabbed it from them before making a getaway in his vehicle mode. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}}

[[Image:SickMind-Soundwaveobjects.jpg|thumb|250px|left|"Let me see some tenderness connected with a death, or that dark chamber, Spirit, which we left just now, will be forever present to me."]]

Starscream and Knock Out made a concerted attempt to convince Soundwave that Megatron was beyond saving, and that the only option left to them was euthanasia. Soundwave remained skeptical, and pointed out the patch cable that Arcee and Bumblebee was using to access Megatron's brain. Megatron's life support was damaged during the ensuing confusion, and though it seemed Starscream and Knock Out were content to leave Megatron flat-lining, Soundwave pressured them into reconnecting the cable sustaining their master. {{storylink|Sick Mind}}

After Megatron's resurrection, Soundwave kept him informed regarding Starscream's activities, including his attempt to resurrect Skyquake with the Dark Energon shard ripped from Megatron's chest, and the loss of his arm. {{storylink|Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone}} Soundwave watched as Breakdown was captured by [[MECH]], and reported back to Starscream. He was on the bridge of the ''Nemesis'' when Starscream passed the news on to Megatron, who was less than impressed that Breakdown had been taken by a bunch of humans. {{storylink|Operation: Breakdown}} He detected the magnetic anomaly caused by the [[polarity gauntlet]], causing Megatron to send Breakdown to go look for it. {{storylink|Metal Attraction}}

Megatron and Starscream headed to a stripped Energon Mine to discover mining drills still there. Starscream attempted to blame this on Soundwave. Megatron told Starscream that Soundwave had been filling him in on the second-in-command's activities. {{storylink|Rock Bottom}} Soundwave listened to Starscream's confessions after Megatron nearly terminated the second-in-command. {{storylink|Partners}}

When the new Decepticon space bridge was nearing completion, Soundwave supplied a diagram of the last component they needed. After they obtained said component, Megatron left the ship on a mission of his own. [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] began searching the ship for the Decepticon leader and Megatron instructed Soundwave to send Prime to him. {{storylink|One Shall Fall}}

[[Image:SoundwavePlayingSparkbeat..jpg‎|thumb|200px|He's playing Dubstep.]]

Soundwave translated tremors coming from the Earth's core into sound, revealing it to be a heartbeat. Megatron did not appreciate this, as it was making his head hurt. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

After Megatron left the ship to talk to [[Unicron]], Soundwave monitored the comms channels for his master's return. When [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] suggested considering a future without Megatron, Soundwave ominously looked at her. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}}

[[Image:Soundwavelayingdownthelaw.jpg‎|thumb|200px|left|YOU! SHALL NOT! PASS!]]
Soundwave continued to try to find some sign of Megatron. When Airachnid announced Megatron wasn't coming back and ordered the ship to [[Regulon Four]], Soundwave decided it was time to lay down the law. He defied Airachnid, who angrily attacked him, but the Decepticon spy master quickly proceeded to defeat Airachnid. Upon Unicron's defeat, Soundwave detected Megatron's signal and activated the GroundBridge, bowing in respect with the other Decepticons as Megatron entered the bridge of the ship. He had to hold Breakdown back when they saw that Megatron was accompanied by Optimus Prime. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

With Optimus amnesiac and believing himself to be archivist Orion Pax, Soundwave made sure the ship's [[data core]] was clear of any incriminating evidence so Orion could be put to work decrypting information they'd stolen from the Iacon archives. When Arcee managed to get on board the ship to look for the lost Autobot leader, Soundwave made deft use of the GroundBridge to get her back off before Orion could see her. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}} When Orion eventually learned the truth, Soundwave relayed the news to Megatron. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}} He also notified Megatron when activity was detected on Cybertron, indicating that the Autobots had gone there in an attempt to help Optimus. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 3}}

When Megatron was angry after having had the [[spark extractor|latest find]] snatched from his hands, Soundwave reminded him there were still two more sets of coordinates to investigate. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 1}} Soundwave was present when Megatron unsuccessfully tested the [[Forge of Solus Prime]]. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 2}} He played back footage of Skyquake's demise for [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]. {{storylink|Loose Cannons}}

Soundwave continued to try to decode more data from the Iacon archives, in a continuation of Orion Pax's work. When Airachnid requested Megatron's approval to take point in the hunt for the relics, Megatron requested that Soundwave remind him of her previous words when she planned to abandon him. Later, after Dreadwing and Breakdown's failure to execute her, Soundwave began tracing Airachnid's location during her communication to the ''Nemesis'' for Megatron. {{storylink|Crossfire}}

After the ''Nemesis'' crashed, Soundwave reviewed security footage and discovered that Bulkhead had been the one to cause it. Megatron brought it back online using Dark Energon, though the ship's guiding intelligence proved uncontrollable by the Decepticons. Soundwave plugged himself into the flight console in an attempt to regain control, but was zapped into stasis. {{storylink|Flying Mind}}

[[Image:Triage Soundwave visor reflection.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
He was on the ''Nemesis'' bridge when Knock Out left to find the first of the four relics decoded by the ship. {{storylink|Tunnel Vision}} Dispatched to find the third relic, Soundwave encountered the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]'' and used Laserbeak as a distraction. He soon uncovered the [[Resonance Blaster]], only to be attacked by [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]]. Though the Autobot managed to crack his visor, Soundwave triumphed, and was only stopped from dispatching Wheeljack by an SOS from Laserbeak. He picked up Laserbeak and returned to the ''Nemesis'', where Knock Out discovered a grenade implanted in the deployer. Once the offending item was removed, Soundwave returned to his work decrypting the Iacon database, unaware that the Autobots had also implanted a virus in Laserbeak, which passed into the computer and began transmitting the database to the Autobots' mainframe. {{storylink|Triage}} He returned to the bridge to listen to Megatron complain about how ineffective everyone else was, and watched [[Hardshell]] and Knock Out argue. {{storylink|Hurt}}

When [[Silas|Cylas]] came to the Decepticons with the offer of a [[Project Damocles]] satellite, Soundwave was sent to a military base in [[Colorado]] to get the codes so they could control the satellite from the ''Nemesis''. He hacked into the computer, giving him the ability to use the satellite even as he was downloading the codes for it, but failed to stop Raf from knocking the satellite out of orbit. He retreated as the Autobots reached his position. {{storylink|The Human Factor}}

With new information about where the Autobots' human friends lived, Soundwave had Laserbeak patrol the area around [[Jasper]]. {{storylink|Hard Knocks}} Soundwave succeeded in decoding another set of coordinates, and Megatron sent him with a decoy Iacon relic to draw the Autobots off. While he managed to keep Optimus Prime's team occupied for a lengthy period of time, it was not long enough, and by the time he returned to the ''Nemesis'', Optimus had gotten hold of the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. {{storylink|Legacy}} Continuing his work, Soundwave decoded more coordinates and reported them to Megatron while the latter forged the [[Dark Star Saber]]. {{storylink|Alpha/Omega}}

When Megatron returned from victory, he told Soundwave, in great detail, how he had destroyed the Star Saber with his own blade. He soon had two more sets of coordinates downloaded, resulting in Knock Out securing an [[Omega Key]]. When the final set decoded into an image of [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]], Soundwave joined Laserbeak in the field to capture the Autobot rookie. {{storylink|Hard Knocks}} He was on hand to show the image he'd decoded to Smokescreen. {{storylink|Inside Job}}

After firing up the space bridge so Megatron could go to Cybertron, Soundwave told Starscream about what he'd discovered regarding the location of the Autobots' human allies. He later helped Starscream kidnap the three kids and transport them to Cybertron for use as hostages. {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}}

After handing over Raf in exchange for an [[Omega Key]], Soundwave took part in the activation of the [[Omega Lock]]. He survived the lock's destruction at the hands of Optimus Prime, and returned to Earth with the others. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}}
{{--}}

===Titan Magazines ''Prime'' comics===
[[Image:Titan4.2 Soundwave listen.jpg|thumb|right|200px| You look different, Soundwave. Did you do something different with your entire face?]]
During the war, Soundwave took part in a mission led by Megatron to invade [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] and destroy the [[Iacon Energon Refinery]]. The team had barely made it in before Soundwave detected that they'd been spotted and the five Decepticons had to take cover. Following a failed gambit which expended the other three team members, Megatron gave Soundwave a bomb. While his leader caused a distraction, Soundwave ran to plant the bomb, only to be struck by blasts from [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|one of the defenders]]. Megatron picked up his wounded second-in-command and helped him to safety, along with the other three Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.2|War Story}}

Megatron and Soundwave somehow slipped some code into ''[[Invasionauts II]]'' to hypnotise Raf into opening the GroundBridge so they could send Vehicons through. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.4|Tinker, Tailor, Gamer, Spy!}} When Soundwave's plan to ambush the Autobots in [[The Wave]] went badly, he fired his remote-controlled hand at [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]]. The hand lodged in the scout's chest and later emerged when Bumblebee and [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] were asleep. Despite trying its best to kill Bumblebee, Soundwave's hand was strapped to a firework and shot high into the air. Starscream and Soundwave later scoured the desert for the missing hand and managed to find at least one finger. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.12|The Evil Shred}}

{{--}}

===Toy bios===
When Soundwave was severely damaged, his loyal Deployers set to work repairing him. Utilizing the ancient, mysterious science of an alien world, they succeeded, and Soundwave was revived. To reflect the fact that he was no longer content with just being the Decepticons' communications specialist, he renamed himself "Soundblaster", and took on a more combative role. {{storylink|#GenerationsSoundblaster|Voyager Class Soundblaster}}

===''Tales of the Beast Hunters''===
Soundwave intercepted a message between [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] and [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] indicating that the pair were heading for a derelict starship in the [[asteroid belt]]. As [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] and [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] headed out to tail the two Autobots, Soundwave monitored events on [[Earth]] to make sure no one else was following. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 2}} When Predaking came back alone with the news Megatron had apparently perished in an explosion, Soundwave and the other Decepticons immediately suspected [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] was responsible. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 7}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
{{voiceactor|[[Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.]] (English)|[[Claudio Moneta]] (Italian)}}
[[Image:Soundwave WfC GameInformer Concept Art.jpg|300px|Fans loved this but apparently Soundwave wasn't a G1 fan. |thumb|right]]
Soundwave took control of the orbital station [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] was posted at, helping [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to reach the [[Dark Energon]] by establishing a forward base within the station. He then directed Megatron to a Data Matrix Center in order to find a route to the Dark Energon that had not been blocked by Starscream.

Later, Soundwave notified Megatron that access to the core was impossible, as it was guarded by the Omega Gate. He and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] accompanied Megatron as they led the assault on [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], through which they would find and take the [[Omega Key]], opening the Omega Gate and allowing the core to be infused with Dark Energon. On their way to the [[Stellar Galleries]], Soundwave reported [[sniper (WFC)|sniper]]s, and after taking them down, Megatron infused the entrance with Dark Energon and took his team into the security station. Soundwave noticed that the batteries fed the security grid, and the trio infused each of them with Dark Energon, deactivating the security measures. Soundwave then detected the Omega Key behind their next door, and after opening it, the Decepticons arrived at the Stellar Galleries. They opened the container, finding not the key, but a message from [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Zeta Prime]], who announced that he had taken the Omega Key, anticipating Megatron's plan. Zeta sent Autobot attack forces against them, but they were swiftly taken down. Megatron ordered Soundwave to trace Zeta Prime's broadcast, and Soundwave found it came from 12.7 cycles ahead. He then noted a weak wall, and the Decepticons broke it down and entered the cities' subsystems, providing a direct route to Zeta, and the Omega Key.

The group descended down a shaft and went through a tunnel, avoiding trains on the way, and after breaking down a door in a ventilation area, they were ambushed by Autobot cloakers. Soundwave dispatched them and infused Dark Energon into the batteries. Megatron congratulated him, and then ordered him to unlock the exit. Soundwave obliged, and the trio found themselves in another tunnel. Breakdown challenged Soundwave to a race, to which the Decepticon responded, in his trademark monotone, "Negative." Tough crowd. Rushing through the tunnel, this time full of moving trains, the group came to a station where they infiltrated Iacon's lower levels. Soundwave detected the Omega Key at last, and suggested proceeding through the logistics station. Roughing it through the Autobot attackers, Soundwave finally determined that the key was beyond the train tunnels.

Soundwave and his teammates arrived at Iacon's main streets, where they met up with [[Brawl (WFC)|Brawl]] outside of Zeta Prime's vaults, which were impervious to the small amount of Dark Energon Megatron was capable of channeling. After Megatron's squad helped Brawl clear the area, Brawl called in the Dark Energon bombers, but they were spectacularly shot down by the planetary guns. Brawl suggested disabling them, and Soundwave assisted in carrying out the plan. Autobots advanced all around, but Soundwave and the others managed to hold them off until the next wave of bombers arrived, clearing the street and destroying the Vault doors. Soundwave joined the others on their way to the entrance, but the squad was intercepted by a [[Destroyer (WFC)|Destroyer]]. Soundwave and Breakdown split from Megatron to flank him, and eventually they rendered him non-functional. Inside the vault, they avoided Zeta's traps and finally reached the Omega Key—but it too was a trap. Zeta then attacked them, using a giant hologram and controlling the chamber to his advantage, dropping the ceiling and sending holographic brutes to attack for him while safe within an impenetrable energy shield. (Even during the battle, Soundwave was impressed by the creation of endless energon clones, to which Breakdown responded, roughly, "NERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD!") Soundwave's dorkiness proved useful in discerning the weakness of Zeta's machines—that the core rapidly overheated after prolonged use, and needed to open up in order to cool, rendering it vulnerable to attack. After the battle, Megatron plucked from Zeta's hand the "key"...which started to blink its lights and chirp. Zeta Prime informed them that the "key" he was actually a device that activated the real key: [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]].

As the three Decepticons flew away to track Omega, Soundwave noticed that the "key" was coming for them. Omega Supreme attacked, and thrust the Decepticons' star cruiser into a wall. Crash-landing, Megatron had a change of plans; force Omega Supreme to open the Omega Gate. Soundwave noticed a Decepticon [[Dropship (WFC)|Dropship]] across the bridge, but when the squad went to investigate, Omega Supreme intercepted them. Soundwave reported that his weapons were ineffective; Megatron told his soldiers to destroy the bridge supports, causing Omega Supreme's vast bulk to collapse it. But he transformed to his ship mode, flew back up, and forced the Decepticons to retreat inside. In a frenzy, Breakdown noted that the next door was locked, and Soundwave proposed that Dark Energon could open the door, which it did. Inside, Soundwave picked up a transmission from Starscream, who announced that he would be replacing the "deceased" Megatron as Decepticon leader. Enraged, Megatron threatened Starscream, but Soundwave informed his leader that communication to the surface had been cut off, so Starscream could not hear him.

The trio arrived at the lift, but found it to be locked down. Breaking the locks got the lift back to working condition, but on their way up, Omega Supreme returned and blasted it, forcing the Decepticons down the shaft at breakneck speed. Omega was still out there, so the emergency brakes' destruction was the Decepticons' only hope. At the bottom, they continued their journey to find a way to fight Omega Supreme—Soundwave noted that at the top of the tower were several heavy weapons emplacements which could at least theoretically damage Omega—but Omega Supreme didn't know the meaning of the word quit. (He really doesn't; not much in the processor department.) He grabbed the Decepticons, but Soundwave helped out in shooting Omega Supreme's hand, forcing him relinquishing the three from his grasp. They retreated inside a fortified Autobot position, and in order to prevent detection, Soundwave jammed their signals. Slaying the Autobots inside who dared attempt to counterattack, Soundwave unlocked the exit, which only let in more Autobots. They too, met their demise, but as Soundwave and his comrades escaped, he noticed that the Autobots' security was countering the effects of Dark Energon. Destroying the sentries turned to be a worthwhile solution, but then the Decepticons had to deal with Omega Supreme mining road. Soundwave's sensors indicated the presence of a bridge nearby, and though Breakdown was unsure, Megatron was willing to follow Soundwave's advice. Once again, Omega Supreme continued to stalk them, but Soundwave led his group to an alternate route...a dead end, to be precise, which Megatron was irritated with. Soundwave revealed that breaking a structurally-weak sealed doorway nearby took them to Iacon maintenance tunnels leading straight to the bridge terminal. When they arrived through the power conduits, Soundwave and the others fought through more Autobots and finally activated the bridge.

Racing across the bridge, they barely avoided Omega Supreme's pursuit, and Soundwave located another cargo lift that would transport them straight to the heavy ion turrets. On the lift he picked up several Autobot/Decepticon signals, a sign they were approaching the battle on the surface. Soundwave participated in the slugfest, and his analysis proved that the turrets nearby had enough firepower to legitimately damage Omega Supreme. Then, he showed no mercy using the turrets to breach Omega's armour and finally topple him to the ground below.

Soundwave, Breakdown, and Megatron followed Omega, and at the bottom, they were surprised to see him survive and transform into his mighty robot mode. Soundwave noted that energon batteries produced from within Cybertron were the source of Omega's limitless endurance, and further advised the team on battling Omega; avoiding his tractor beams would allow them to live, and his turrets were vulnerable, making them the prime target. When the turrets were blown, Soundwave saw that the batteries were being used to repair them, and so it became an objective to corrupt them with Dark Energon. When Omega Supreme used the batteries to heal himself, he was instead weakened, allowing the Decepticons to critically injure him. Omega Supreme was still alive even after all of that, but much weaker. Soundwave observed that his chest plating had been damaged, and Megatron ordered Soundwave and Breakdown to blast it, and Omega Supreme fell at last. Soundwave advised Megatron that now would be a good time to corrupt Omega with Dark Energon, but Megatron told Captain Obvious to shut up and did as he would have done even if Soundwave hadn't brought it up, laughing all the way.

After Cybertron's Core had been infected with Dark Energon, Soundwave was reassigned as head of [[Kaon]]'s prison, and watched over (i.e., tortured) Zeta Prime in his spare time. [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]], [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Sideswipe (WFC)|Sideswipe]] and [[Air Raid (WFC)|Air Raid]] led an Autobot breakout and battled Soundwave's minions [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]], [[Rumble (WFC)|Rumble]] and [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]]. Soundwave himself sustained heavy damage leaving the safety of his position to revive and retrieve each Minicon, showing uncharaceristic concern for other living beings. Eventually, defeated and critically damaged, Soundwave desperately attempted to restore himself by absorbing life force from Zeta's very own spark. His attempt to fully heal was halted by Optimus, who even took a shot from the Decepticon intended to finish off Prime. Although Soundwave and his minions fled, the damage had already been done and Zeta Prime expired moments later. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.]] (English)
Soundwave hacked into the Autobot mainframe and, while Megatron and some other Decepticons kept the Autobots distracted, downloaded intel indicating the location of the Trypticon space station. As they approached the station in Megatron's ship, Soundwave reported that the inhabitants were taking up defensive positions and docking would not be possible. Though Megatron was confident they could ram the station, Soundwave turned out to be right, and they could only get close enough to drop a small team off on the debris surrounding the station. When the station was conquered and Dark Energon in Megatron's hands, Soundwave suggested it might be a good idea to test the stuff prior to use. It turned out to be unstable, and he warned it could result in destruction of its host. The Decepticons set up Kaon Prison as a testing ground and, after eleven failures, established that the Dark Energon could be used. When Barricade asked what happened to the failures, Soundwave would only say that their remains laid in the prison and creepily ask Barricade to get in the chair so he too could be infused with Dark Energon.

Trypticon station required more power, so the Decepticons sent a team to Cybertron's core to reactivate the Energon Bridge. Soundwave did not anticipate the activation of latent defense systems, triggered by the Decepticon presence, because he hadn't studied the same ancient files as Starscream. Megatron ordered Soundwave to give Starscream whatever he needed, and they succeeded in activating the bridge. Soundwave reported that they were only at 37% power — the Autobots had severed the bridge's link to the core using the Omega Key. Lazerbeak intercepted an Autobot transmission indicating that Zeta Prime was hiding the Omega Key, and Megatron ordered Soundwave to assemble a strike force to obtain it. They managed to find and defeat the Autobot leader, but the Omega Key he had was only the key to awaken the real key — Omega Supreme. Once the Decepticons fought their way through the Autobot defenses, Soundwave reported they had reached Omega Supreme himself. The Decepticons defeated the giant, reestablished the link to the core and infused it with Dark Energon. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)}}

===''Transformers: Cybertron Adventures''===
{{voiceactor|[[Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.]] (English)|[[Claudio Moneta]] (Italian)}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Cybertron Adventures}}

===Transformers: Fall of Cybertron===
Soundwave was present when Optimus was brought to Megatron by Starscream and [[Onslaught (WFC)|Onslaught]]. He watched as [[Metroplex (FOC)|Metroplex]]''' pulverised''' Megatron. He was the only one who hesitated in following Starscream. He secretly salvaged and with the help of Laserbeak, Rumble and an [[E.D.K. TechVolt]], rebuilt his glorious leader, improving on his original design. He infused Megatron with Dark Energon, and pointed his leader in the direction of Starscream. He took part in the assault on the factory the Autobots had built in the crater where Trypticon crashed, and once Megatron had rebuilt the giant Decepticon, came to power up Trypticon's power core. On Megatron's orders, Soundwave rebuilt Trypticon into the ''Nemesis'', a ship strong enough to make it towards [[Earth|the planet]] [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] had chosen. When the Autobots launched the Ark, the ''Nemesis'' soon caught up, and Soundwave spearheaded the assault on the other ship. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron}}

===''Terrorcon Defense''===
[[Image:SoundwaveTerrorconDefense.jpg|300px|thumb|As awesome as he looks here, he's probably waltzing off after Bumblebee blasted him ''again''.]]
Soundwave attempted to retrieve Dark Energon from a mining area but despite his army of Vehicons and Terrorcons, Bumblebee managed to stop him. {{storylink|Transformers Prime: Terrorcon Defense}}
{{-}}

=== ''Transformers: Prime - The Game ===
[[Image:TransformersPrimeTheGame Soundwave.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Wait, I thought Daft Punk had two guys in it.]]
{{storylink|Transformers: Prime - The Game}}
{{charstubfiction}}
{{--}}

==Commercial appearances==

===Transformers: War For Cybertron===
[[Image:WFC Gamestop Commercial.jpg|left|150px|thumb|The toy can do this if you try hard enough.]]
[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] arrived to a location where [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]], and Soundwave were battling Autobots. Megatron left, leaving Shockwave in charge. Shockwave ordered Soundwave to [[Transformation|Transform]]. Soundwave changed into Cybertronian boombox mode and played [[The Touch]]. {{storylink|Commercial#War for Cybertron|GameSpot's commercial for their Shockwave multiplayer exclusive}}
{{--}}

===Transformers: Prime===
Soundwave knows that out of all the radio transmissions in the universe, Megatron's favorite song is the ''[[My Little Pony]]: Friendship is Magic'' theme. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime|Megatron's Favorite Song (26 Hour Takeover marathon promo)}}

==Toys==
===Generations===
[[Image:Generationstoy-CybertronianSoundwave.jpg|thumb|300px|No [[Soundwave (Animated)|giant guitar]] this time!]]
*'''Cybertronian Soundwave''' (Deluxe, 2010)
**''Accessories:'' two "weapons"

: Part of the third wave of ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)#Toys|War for Cybertron]]'' Soundwave transforms into an SUV-style "communications truck", as seen in [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|the video game]]. He comes with his classic shoulder launcher and rifle, both of which can be mounted on his hands, right shoulder, and rear vehicle sides via [[5mm post]]s, and store inside his opening chest (approximating the visual of cassette spools). Soundwave's head features a [[light-piping]] gimmick, but the effect is largely neutered by his painted visor.

: This mold was [[repaint]]ed into ''[[Transformers United|United]]'' [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#United|Soundwave Cybertron Mode]].

::*''[http://tfu.info/2010/Decepticon/GenerationsSoundwave/soundwave.htm More information on Cybertronian Soundwave at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
{{anchor|GenerationsVoyager}}
[[Image:Generations-SoundwaveVoyager.jpg|thumb|300px|With all the downsizing, Soundwave's surprised he's gotten so big.]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Voyager, 2012)
**''Series / number'': '''1 / 001'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TG13'''
**''Accessories:'' Laserbeak/Data disc, shoulder cannon

: Part of the first wave of [[2012]] Voyager Class ''Generations [[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' toys, Soundwave is a larger mold, and comes with a shoulder cannon which can peg (via 5mm post) into his hands, right shoulder, and roof/back.

: He also comes with [[Legends Class]] [[Laserbeak (WFC)#Generations|Laserbeak]], who utilizes Soundwave's main [[gimmick]], storing and launching Laserbeak and other "data disc" minions. A button to the left of his head can be pressed to open his spring-loaded chest compartment, allowing up to three data discs to be stored inside. With discs stored, his back panel/roof now acts as a plunger, which can be moved forward in either mode to launch minions out. Launched minions should land on buttons on their undersides, thus triggering their [[Flipchanger|spring-loaded transformation mechanisms]] and springing them into action! ...Hopefully.

: The toy has a special easter egg for collectors: the seat on top of his vehicle mold holds [[Diaclone]] drivers.

: Soundwave's trigger finger is molded into his left hand, presumably so he can push his own eject button.

: For some reason, his [[stock photography]] and [[instructions]] depict him with the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Generation 1|Optimus Prime]] toy's [[Ion blaster]] accessory, which isn't included with the final product.

: Soundwave was [[redeco]]ed and [[retool]]ed into ''Generations'' [[Blaster (FOC)|Autobot Blaster]].

{{-}}
{{anchor|GenerationsSoundblaster}}
[[Image:Generationstoy-FOCSoundblaster.jpg|thumb|300px|"Am I New Soundwave, or [[#Beast Hunters|Old]] [[#Deluxe|Old]] New Soundwave?"]]
*'''Soundblaster''' (Voyager, 2012)
**''Series / number'': '''1 / 002'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TG14'''
**''Accessories:'' Buzzsaw/Data disc, shoulder cannon

: Also available in the first wave of [[2012]] Voyager Class ''Generations Fall of Cybertron'' toys, Soundblaster is a black, red, gold, and yellow [[redeco]] of Voyager Class Soundwave, as is the trend with [[Soundblaster (disambiguation)|Soundblasters]]. He now comes with [[Buzzsaw (FOC)|Buzzsaw]], a redeco of Laserbeak.

: His stock photography and instructions once again depict him with ''Generation 1'' Optimus Prime's ion blaster accessory which is still not included with the final product.
{{-}}

===Prime===
{{anchor|Deluxe}}
[[Image:Primetoy-SoundwaveDeluxe.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Toy doesn't talk, just like in the tv show!]]
[[Image:TakaraTomyPrimetoy-AMSoundwave.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Ooh, does this mean I'm [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] now?]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Deluxe, 2012)
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[April 28]], 2012'''
**''Series / number'': '''1 / 004'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''AM-09'''
**''Accessories'': [[Laserbeak (WFC)#Prime|Laserbeak]], [[Zori#Prime|Zori]] Arms Micron (TakaraTomy only)

: Part of the first wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Robots in Disguise (2012)|Prime: Robots in Disguise]]'' toys, Soundwave transforms from a UAV not unlike the [[Wikipedia:General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper|Predator B drone]] into an angular batlike robot mode. His transformation includes a spring-loaded head that deploys automatically when his tail and thrust bottle are folded up. His vehicle mode has a [[5mm post|5mm port]] on the top of its fuselage; the robot also has 5mm sockets passing entirely through his palms. Any of these holes can mount the included Laserbeak, or he can store inside Soundwave's chest in either mode.

: In wave six of the ''Prime'' toyline, Soundwave was put into new packaging, which came with a DVD featuring the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)| Prime]]'' episode "[[Loose Cannons]]".

: The [[TakaraTomy]] release of Soundwave has considerable differences from the [[Hasbro]] version. He comes with his own [[Arms Micron]], Zori, and cannons with 5mm ports and posts have been added to his wings (on his shoulders in robot mode) in order to accommodate said gimmick. Many of the Hasbro [[paint operation]]s have also been removed and replaced with numerous, small, customer-applied [[sticker]]s, including ones for his tiny sculpted kneecaps, which are practically guaranteed to peel off at the sides. In addition, the [[instructions]] for applying the stickers unfortunately contain an error, with the placement of stickers 14 and 15 being swapped around.

::*''[http://tfu.info/2012/Decepticon/Soundwave/soundwave.htm More information on Hasbro Soundwave at TFU.info]''
::*''[http://higekumatoytoy.blog60.fc2.com/blog-entry-1501.html Arms Micron Soundwave gallery at Alfes's blog]''

{{-}}

===Beast Hunters===
[[Image:PrimeBHtoy-Soundwave.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series/number'': '''2/002'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''G18'''
**''Accessories'': [[Ravage (WFC)#Beast Hunters|Ravage]], Talon Grapple Cannon
: Part of the first wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime:]] [[Beast Hunters]]'' Deluxe Class toys, Soundwave is a redeco and extensive [[retool]] of the ''Robots in Disguise'' Soundwave mold, and transforms into a spiky aerial drone with a massive wingspan and three tail-fins. Aside from the usual peg-holes on his fuselage and palms, his wings have been retooled with two new peg-holes, with one on each wing. Instead of Laserbeak, Soundwave features a new partner in the form of Ravage, who is a robotic jaguar that transforms into a thing that fits into Soundwave's chest.

:Soundwave also comes with the Talon Grapple Cannon, a spring-loaded launcher that fires a [[missile]] with an opening "claw" at the end, with the missile and launcher being tied together with a length of string. The launcher itself features an additional peg on each side, and its main peg is sculpted to be able to fit in the specially-shaped socket on his chest, allowing the cannon to mount on his vehicle-mode underside when Ravage is removed.

:His instructions include the [[Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 2|second chapter]] of the ''[[Tales of the Beast Hunters]]'' series.

{{--}}
[[Image:BHtoy Cyberverse Soundwave.jpg|thumb|300px]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Cyberverse Legion, 2013)

{{comingsoontoy}}

{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:TfprimeSoundwavePredator.jpg|thumb|But can he replay footage of "[[Operation: Firestorm]]"?]]
[[Image:VectorSigmaBotBuilderSoundwave.jpg|thumb|Deep Desert Soundwave.]]
* Soundwave transforms into a Cybertronian car during gameplay of ''War for Cybertron'', and his toy does the same, having only one alternate mode. However, in a ''War for Cybertron'' cutscene, the Gamestop commercial for Shockwave, and the end credits for ''War for Cybertron'', he is additionally shown to transform into a Cybertronian boombox, which the toy can technically do with some fiddling.
* Despite his toy and concept art appearance, Soundwave has a [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Generation 1|yellow]] visor in the War for Cybertron game. This was changed to red for the Fall of Cybertron sequel (perhaps displaying, in-universe, his furthered dedication to the Decepticon cause?).
* According to the [[Transformers Hall of Fame]] biography, Soundwave [[Perceptor (Animated)|deleted his emotions to process information more quickly]], and is susceptible to [[Cyber Missions 1|too many sonic booms]].
* [[Duane Capizzi]] said Soundwave can speak, but just chooses not to. The decision was to contrast Soundwave with the overly talkative Starscream,<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/bonus-q--a-with-transformers-prime-creators---answered-171430/ TFW2005 Q&A January 2011]</ref> and at [[BotCon 2011]], the staff compared Soundwave to [[Boba Fett]]. Instead, he records what he overhears and replays it with a mechanical echo that is very similar to the echo of his G1 counterpart. Sorry, [[Frank Welker|Frank]], only [[Megatron (WFC)|one character]] for now...
* Soundwave's prehensile tentacles are reminiscent of [[Soundwave (ROTF)|another Soundwave]], although they are significantly less naughty.
* Soundwave's body parts are available to use in the Hub website's [[Vector Sigma Bot Builder]] online game. Normally, you cannot configure a generic 'bot using all Soundwave parts, but you can see what one would look like at right through the magic of Photoshop.

===Arms Up Modes===
In the Japanese ''Prime'' toyline, Soundwave has named powered-up modes when given various [[Arms Micron]]s in certain configurations:

*'''Night Attack Mode''' (ナイトアタックモード ''naitoatakkumōdo'')
**''Arms Microns'': Balo, Jida, Zori
: In this mode, shown on his box-back photo, Soundwave uses the two-Micron weapon [[Spike Hammer Rod]], while [[Jida]] in "Defense Shield" mode hangs on his left shoulder. What exactly makes all this ideal for nighttime attacks is anyone's guess.

*'''Jet Mode'''
**''Arms Microns'': Gora (x2), Zori
: Meant simply for flying in fast and blowing crap up, this heavily modified version of Soundwave requires some real work. Because of all the recycled non-''Transformers'' parts in this mode, TakaraTomy designer [[Takashi Nakase]] has nicknamed this version "Recycle Mode". Two jet thruster/fuel tanks are created using bottles from a Japanese "common yogurt drink" and a pair of [[Gora]]s painted up silver, with snipped Arms Micron sprues added on for detail. Soundwave also carries a large weapon made from Zori, a plastic fork, and more sprues. Yes, a plastic fork. You read that correctly.
: There is also a vehicle mode configuration for this Arms Up Mode, with the massive turbines on the end of Soundwave's wings and the weapon on top of the main body. The whole schebang can be seen [http://youtu.be/QJUMhgggH-Q in this TakaraTomy developer video on YouTube].

===Foreign names===
*''Russian:'' '''Barkhan''' (Бархан, "Dune")

==References==

<references/>

[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Gladiators]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]
[[Category:Spies]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Decepticons]]

Blaster (FOC)

2013-02-18T13:43:36Z

Might Gaine: /* Generations */

{{faction|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Blaster}}
:''Blaster is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron| Fall of Cybertron]] portion of the [[Aligned continuity family]].''

[[Image:Generationstoy-FOCBlaster.jpg|right|thumb|400px|]]

'''Blaster''' just ''loves'' music. He has a massive collection of rock-and-roll music that he's gathered from numerous worlds, and he prefers his rock ''heavy'', so when you're charging into battle and hear that rallying music that Blaster is providing, you just might get that needed boost of morale... if your aural receptors don't start leaking.

He is partnered with [[Steeljaw (FOC)|Steeljaw]].

==Toys==
===Generations===
*'''Autobot Blaster''' (Voyager, 2012)
**''Series / number:'' '''1 / 004'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TG17'''
:*''Accessories:'' Steeljaw/data disc, rifle

: Part of the second wave of [[2012]] Voyager Class ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]] [[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' toys, "Autobot Blaster" is a [[redeco]] and [[retool]] of ''Fall of Cybertron'' [[Soundwave (Prime)#GenerationsVoyager|Soundwave]], with a new, grinning head, as well as a new chest, wheels, and weapon. He transforms into an SUV-style "communications truck", and comes with a rifle which is based on [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s [[electro-scrambler]]. The rifle can peg (via [[5mm post]]) into his hands, right shoulder, and roof/back, and the rifle itself features a peg-hole on each side.

: He also comes with [[Legends Class]] [[Steeljaw (FOC)#Generations|Steeljaw]], who is a redeco/retool of [[Ravage (Prime)#Generations|Ravage]], and utilizes Blaster's main [[gimmick]], which is that he is capable of storing and launching Steeljaw and other "data disc" minions. When a button to the left of his head is pressed, his spring-loaded chest compartment is opened, allowing up to three data discs to be stored inside. When the disc/s is/are stored, his back panel/roof now acts as a plunger, and pushing/sliding on this plunger in either mode launches the disc/s out of his chest compartment, wherein they will land on and depress the buttons on their undersides, thus triggering their [[Flipchanger|spring-loaded transformation mechanisms]] and springing them into action! ...Hopefully.

: The toy has a special easter egg for collectors: the seat on top of his vehicle mold holds [[Diaclone]] drivers.

: Blaster's trigger finger is molded into his left hand, presumably so he can push his own eject button.

: His chest [[insignia]] is the [[live-action film series]] "angry eyes" Autobot symbol. Also, his [[stock photography]] depicts him with black antennae that are red on the final product, while his [[instructions]] reuse Soundwave's image for the "completed" robot mode.

[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Autobots]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Toy-only characters]]

Soundwave (WFC)

2013-02-18T12:40:37Z

Might Gaine: /* Generations */

{{faction|decepticon|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Soundwave}}
:''Soundwave is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:Soundwave Prime.jpg|thumb|300px|<center>"..."</center>]]
'''Soundwave''' is the spy master of the Decepticons. One of [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]'s earliest followers, and, many believe, instrumental to his rise, he uses his tentacles and a veritable army of [[Mini-Con|Minicon]] [[Deployer (Prime)|Deployer]]s to learn everything there is to know about his allies and his enemies. He was never very chatty, but these days, on Earth, he's become near silent, communicating by playing back recordings of other people's conversations. He just sneaks about, patiently looking for Autobot transmissions and creeping [[Starscream (WFC)|you]] out. Since the incapacitation of Megatron, Soundwave acts as a restraint on [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]], reining in his rather volatile emotions, and ensuring that Starscream's less than subtle ambitions are held in check.

Soundwave has the ability to receive transmissions from anywhere on the planet, bar the shielded Autobot Base. This allows him to spy on every being on the planet in the hopes of picking up Autobot-related communications.

After being rebuilt by his minions using arcane science, he took on the name '''Soundblaster'''.

{{quote|Watch out for the quiet ones.|[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]]|"[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Aligned novels===
Soundwave was a gladiator from [[Kaon]] who almost bested [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] in combat, an act that created mutual respect between the two. Soundwave saw in Megatron a desire to return to the swashbuckling spirit of the [[Golden Age]] of Cybertron, when Cybertronians emerged from the [[Well of All Sparks]] having to escape from the [[Underworld]]'s monsters rather than being put into a [[caste system|caste]]. He was appointed Megatron's lieutenant with [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]. Though Megatron despised Minicons, Soundwave insisted on having them around to spy on their gladiators, including the time when Megatron's librarian friend [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Orion Pax]] came to visit. He was suspicious of Orion and even asked permission from Megatron to tail him as he returned to [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]].

After [[Decepticon]]s bombed Cybertron in Megatron's name, Soundwave sent [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]] and [[Rumble (WFC)|Rumble]] to search for the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in [[Crystal City]] (a place which design he always found self indulgent). Soundwave was not sure whether he should have bothered, as he was not superstitious and wondered what use a piece of a [[Star Saber (Prima)|broken sword]] could be. Instead he got chilling indications Crystal City's scientists were planning to revive [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]].

[[Image:WFCcomicDecepticons.jpg|thumb|250px|"Yeah, this look is cool now, but I don't think I'll have it ''forever'': I mean, who'd like to [[GEEWUN|see things looking the same for over twenty five years]], right guys? ...guys?"]]

Soundwave attended Orion and Megatron's hearing before the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]]. During this meeting, Soundwave helped to sow discord and tension by loudly shouting his complaints over security breaches that, in truth, he himself had caused. The Council noted that they were aware someone had tried to find the Matrix, and they appointed Orion [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] and requested he find it. This tore Orion and Megatron's movement in two.

During the final days of the war, Soundwave and his minions' research changed the fate of Cybertron. It was they who found the areas of the [[DataNet]] that [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]] had overlooked and not deleted, revealing the existence of [[Dark Energon]] on [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] Station. It was he who remembered the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]] below Crystal City that allowed for the mass transportation of Dark Energon between Cybertron and Trypticon. And it was the evidence he got from Rumble and Frenzy when they infiltrated Crystal City that revealed the existence of the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]] and its two [[Code Key]]s, which enabled Megatron to poison the [[Core]] of Cybertron.

When Optimus removed the Chamber from the Core, beginning the planet's slow healing process, Soundwave boarded the ''Nemesis'' with Megatron, [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] and [[Lugnut (WFC)|Lugnut]] to pursue the Autobot ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' into the unknown reaches of space. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

Soundwave regained consciousness onboard the ''Nemesis'' after emerging from the energy field created by the Space Bridge explosion over Cybertron. While Megatron demanded a status report, Soundwave was already deep at work in a console attempting to determine the answer. Along with Starscream and Megatron, Soundwave examined the tracking reports and confirmed Starscream's assumption that the ''Ark'' was likely not too far away. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
When a gladiator calling himself Megatronus vowed to challenge Cybertron's leadership, Soundwave was his first follower and chief amongst them. Soundwave remained at Megatronus' side, now Megatron, as the conflict escalated into a war. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}} Following the [[Great Exodus]], when the Decepticons were trying to decrypt an encoded Autobot transmission, Soundwave suggested they should let [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] have a shot at interrogating [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]]. {{storylink|Out of the Past}}

The Decepticons later arrived on [[Earth]]. During a Decepticon attack on Cliffjumper, Soundwave intercepted Arcee's comms talk. He later played it back to Starscream, prompting the Decepticon leader to send the drones after her. He later detected transmissions coming from deep space, that prompted the Decepticons to fire up the [[space bridge]], allowing Megatron to return. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}}

[[Image:DarknessRising5-Soundwaveturn.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Voice actor: ''Snake eyes'' (english).]]
Shortly after Megatron left the ship on a mission, Starscream wondered aloud if Megatron had a touch of space madness, and Soundwave reminded him that their absent leader was still in charge. Starscream told him to step up global surveillance. Soundwave subsequently intercepted a transmission from [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] and, on Starscream's order, dispatched [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]] to capture the agent to learn the location of the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]]. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}} When the Autobots attacked the ''Nemesis'' to retrieve Fowler, slaughtering dozens of their soldiers, Soundwave hid. He simply watched when Megatron returned and took his fury out on Starscream on the bridge for not waiting on his command. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}

Starscream sent Soundwave to the [[Giant Sized Array]] radio telescope in [[Texas]] as they needed to use the array to target the space bridge at [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Soundwave hacked into the computer network at the site, but after he had lined up the dishes, someone realigned them. In response to Starscream's demands as to what was happening, he tapped into the base's security system and discovered that the Autobots' three human friends were in a nearby room, similarly accessing the computer. He extended a tentacle into the room they were in and attacked them. When [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] tried to chop the tentacle with an ax, Soundwave took it from her and used it to sever the computer system's hardline, locking the dishes on Cybertron. The three kids entered the room in time to see him leaving, and Miko and Soundwave snapped photos of each other.

[[Image:MastersStudents-Soundwavesradar.jpg|thumb|left|200px|See how much more convincing I am as a [[:Image:Cybertronsoundwave.jpg|communications tower]] with this look?]]

Because of Soundwave's success, the Autobots resorted to sabotaging the space bridge, blowing it up and taking Megatron with it. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}} At Starscream's order, Soundwave activated the comm system so Starscream could give a speech to the troops, declaring himself leader. Failing to impress the Vehicons, Starscream pressed Soundwave's sensors into locating [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]], a Decepticon secreted in a pod in the desert. Starscream and Soundwave reactivated Skyquake, only to find he wasn't receptive to Starscream's leadership, and instead set about fighting [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]. Soundwave detected a Decepticon signal from the site where the space bridge exploded, and when Starscream went to investigate, Soundwave sent Laserbeak to keep Starscream honest while he himself filmed the battle between Skyquake and Optimus and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]]. Though the outcome of the fight was not favorable to the Decepticon cause, Soundwave was able to ensure that Starscream returned Megatron's barely-functioning body to the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Masters & Students}}

Soundwave intercepted a transmission from [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] who was heading for Earth. At Starscream's order, he downloaded the necessary information to [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]], who took on Wheeljack's form and infiltrated the Autobot base. As Starscream and Soundwave paid a visit to the captive Wheeljack, Soundwave prevented his leader from terminating their prisoner, as he might be of use later. The two 'Cons retired to the ship's top deck to wait for Makeshift to activate the [[GroundBridge]], however Wheeljack broke free and started trashing the Vehicons. When Wheeljack escaped through the ground bridge and sent back Makeshift with his grenade activated, Soundwave and Starscream made sure to get well clear before he exploded. {{storylink|Con Job}} During another Autobot operation, Soundwave listened in on their comm chatter, prompting Starscream to send some Vehicons to attack. {{storylink|Convoy (episode)|Convoy}}

[[Image:Deusex-Soundwavecrouching.jpg|thumb|250px|And that's why there's no [[Ratbat (WFC)|Ratbat]].]]

When [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] mentioned seeing an [[Energon Harvester]] in a fresco in [[Greece]], Soundwave was able to track the device's location to a museum. Breakdown and [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] kept the Autobots busy in front of the museum while Soundwave sneaked in the back. He ran into [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] and [[Jack Darby|Jack]], who were already in the process of stealing the Harvester, and grabbed it from them before making a getaway in his vehicle mode. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}}

[[Image:SickMind-Soundwaveobjects.jpg|thumb|250px|left|"Let me see some tenderness connected with a death, or that dark chamber, Spirit, which we left just now, will be forever present to me."]]

Starscream and Knock Out made a concerted attempt to convince Soundwave that Megatron was beyond saving, and that the only option left to them was euthanasia. Soundwave remained skeptical, and pointed out the patch cable that Arcee and Bumblebee was using to access Megatron's brain. Megatron's life support was damaged during the ensuing confusion, and though it seemed Starscream and Knock Out were content to leave Megatron flat-lining, Soundwave pressured them into reconnecting the cable sustaining their master. {{storylink|Sick Mind}}

After Megatron's resurrection, Soundwave kept him informed regarding Starscream's activities, including his attempt to resurrect Skyquake with the Dark Energon shard ripped from Megatron's chest, and the loss of his arm. {{storylink|Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone}} Soundwave watched as Breakdown was captured by [[MECH]], and reported back to Starscream. He was on the bridge of the ''Nemesis'' when Starscream passed the news on to Megatron, who was less than impressed that Breakdown had been taken by a bunch of humans. {{storylink|Operation: Breakdown}} He detected the magnetic anomaly caused by the [[polarity gauntlet]], causing Megatron to send Breakdown to go look for it. {{storylink|Metal Attraction}}

Megatron and Starscream headed to a stripped Energon Mine to discover mining drills still there. Starscream attempted to blame this on Soundwave. Megatron told Starscream that Soundwave had been filling him in on the second-in-command's activities. {{storylink|Rock Bottom}} Soundwave listened to Starscream's confessions after Megatron nearly terminated the second-in-command. {{storylink|Partners}}

When the new Decepticon space bridge was nearing completion, Soundwave supplied a diagram of the last component they needed. After they obtained said component, Megatron left the ship on a mission of his own. [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] began searching the ship for the Decepticon leader and Megatron instructed Soundwave to send Prime to him. {{storylink|One Shall Fall}}

[[Image:SoundwavePlayingSparkbeat..jpg‎|thumb|200px|He's playing Dubstep.]]

Soundwave translated tremors coming from the Earth's core into sound, revealing it to be a heartbeat. Megatron did not appreciate this, as it was making his head hurt. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

After Megatron left the ship to talk to [[Unicron]], Soundwave monitored the comms channels for his master's return. When [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] suggested considering a future without Megatron, Soundwave ominously looked at her. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}}

[[Image:Soundwavelayingdownthelaw.jpg‎|thumb|200px|left|YOU! SHALL NOT! PASS!]]
Soundwave continued to try to find some sign of Megatron. When Airachnid announced Megatron wasn't coming back and ordered the ship to [[Regulon Four]], Soundwave decided it was time to lay down the law. He defied Airachnid, who angrily attacked him, but the Decepticon spy master quickly proceeded to defeat Airachnid. Upon Unicron's defeat, Soundwave detected Megatron's signal and activated the GroundBridge, bowing in respect with the other Decepticons as Megatron entered the bridge of the ship. He had to hold Breakdown back when they saw that Megatron was accompanied by Optimus Prime. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

With Optimus amnesiac and believing himself to be archivist Orion Pax, Soundwave made sure the ship's [[data core]] was clear of any incriminating evidence so Orion could be put to work decrypting information they'd stolen from the Iacon archives. When Arcee managed to get on board the ship to look for the lost Autobot leader, Soundwave made deft use of the GroundBridge to get her back off before Orion could see her. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}} When Orion eventually learned the truth, Soundwave relayed the news to Megatron. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}} He also notified Megatron when activity was detected on Cybertron, indicating that the Autobots had gone there in an attempt to help Optimus. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 3}}

When Megatron was angry after having had the [[spark extractor|latest find]] snatched from his hands, Soundwave reminded him there were still two more sets of coordinates to investigate. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 1}} Soundwave was present when Megatron unsuccessfully tested the [[Forge of Solus Prime]]. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 2}} He played back footage of Skyquake's demise for [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]. {{storylink|Loose Cannons}}

Soundwave continued to try to decode more data from the Iacon archives, in a continuation of Orion Pax's work. When Airachnid requested Megatron's approval to take point in the hunt for the relics, Megatron requested that Soundwave remind him of her previous words when she planned to abandon him. Later, after Dreadwing and Breakdown's failure to execute her, Soundwave began tracing Airachnid's location during her communication to the ''Nemesis'' for Megatron. {{storylink|Crossfire}}

After the ''Nemesis'' crashed, Soundwave reviewed security footage and discovered that Bulkhead had been the one to cause it. Megatron brought it back online using Dark Energon, though the ship's guiding intelligence proved uncontrollable by the Decepticons. Soundwave plugged himself into the flight console in an attempt to regain control, but was zapped into stasis. {{storylink|Flying Mind}}

[[Image:Triage Soundwave visor reflection.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
He was on the ''Nemesis'' bridge when Knock Out left to find the first of the four relics decoded by the ship. {{storylink|Tunnel Vision}} Dispatched to find the third relic, Soundwave encountered the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]'' and used Laserbeak as a distraction. He soon uncovered the [[Resonance Blaster]], only to be attacked by [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]]. Though the Autobot managed to crack his visor, Soundwave triumphed, and was only stopped from dispatching Wheeljack by an SOS from Laserbeak. He picked up Laserbeak and returned to the ''Nemesis'', where Knock Out discovered a grenade implanted in the deployer. Once the offending item was removed, Soundwave returned to his work decrypting the Iacon database, unaware that the Autobots had also implanted a virus in Laserbeak, which passed into the computer and began transmitting the database to the Autobots' mainframe. {{storylink|Triage}} He returned to the bridge to listen to Megatron complain about how ineffective everyone else was, and watched [[Hardshell]] and Knock Out argue. {{storylink|Hurt}}

When [[Silas|Cylas]] came to the Decepticons with the offer of a [[Project Damocles]] satellite, Soundwave was sent to a military base in [[Colorado]] to get the codes so they could control the satellite from the ''Nemesis''. He hacked into the computer, giving him the ability to use the satellite even as he was downloading the codes for it, but failed to stop Raf from knocking the satellite out of orbit. He retreated as the Autobots reached his position. {{storylink|The Human Factor}}

With new information about where the Autobots' human friends lived, Soundwave had Laserbeak patrol the area around [[Jasper]]. {{storylink|Hard Knocks}} Soundwave succeeded in decoding another set of coordinates, and Megatron sent him with a decoy Iacon relic to draw the Autobots off. While he managed to keep Optimus Prime's team occupied for a lengthy period of time, it was not long enough, and by the time he returned to the ''Nemesis'', Optimus had gotten hold of the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. {{storylink|Legacy}} Continuing his work, Soundwave decoded more coordinates and reported them to Megatron while the latter forged the [[Dark Star Saber]]. {{storylink|Alpha/Omega}}

When Megatron returned from victory, he told Soundwave, in great detail, how he had destroyed the Star Saber with his own blade. He soon had two more sets of coordinates downloaded, resulting in Knock Out securing an [[Omega Key]]. When the final set decoded into an image of [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]], Soundwave joined Laserbeak in the field to capture the Autobot rookie. {{storylink|Hard Knocks}} He was on hand to show the image he'd decoded to Smokescreen. {{storylink|Inside Job}}

After firing up the space bridge so Megatron could go to Cybertron, Soundwave told Starscream about what he'd discovered regarding the location of the Autobots' human allies. He later helped Starscream kidnap the three kids and transport them to Cybertron for use as hostages. {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}}

After handing over Raf in exchange for an [[Omega Key]], Soundwave took part in the activation of the [[Omega Lock]]. He survived the lock's destruction at the hands of Optimus Prime, and returned to Earth with the others. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}}
{{--}}

===Titan Magazines ''Prime'' comics===
[[Image:Titan4.2 Soundwave listen.jpg|thumb|right|200px| You look different, Soundwave. Did you do something different with your entire face?]]
During the war, Soundwave took part in a mission led by Megatron to invade [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] and destroy the [[Iacon Energon Refinery]]. The team had barely made it in before Soundwave detected that they'd been spotted and the five Decepticons had to take cover. Following a failed gambit which expended the other three team members, Megatron gave Soundwave a bomb. While his leader caused a distraction, Soundwave ran to plant the bomb, only to be struck by blasts from [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|one of the defenders]]. Megatron picked up his wounded second-in-command and helped him to safety, along with the other three Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.2|War Story}}

Megatron and Soundwave somehow slipped some code into ''[[Invasionauts II]]'' to hypnotise Raf into opening the GroundBridge so they could send Vehicons through. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.4|Tinker, Tailor, Gamer, Spy!}} When Soundwave's plan to ambush the Autobots in [[The Wave]] went badly, he fired his remote-controlled hand at [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]]. The hand lodged in the scout's chest and later emerged when Bumblebee and [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] were asleep. Despite trying its best to kill Bumblebee, Soundwave's hand was strapped to a firework and shot high into the air. Starscream and Soundwave later scoured the desert for the missing hand and managed to find at least one finger. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.12|The Evil Shred}}

{{--}}

===Toy bios===
When Soundwave was severely damaged, his loyal Deployers set to work repairing him. Utilizing the ancient, mysterious science of an alien world, they succeeded, and Soundwave was revived. To reflect the fact that he was no longer content with just being the Decepticons' communications specialist, he renamed himself "Soundblaster", and took on a more combative role. {{storylink|#GenerationsSoundblaster|Voyager Class Soundblaster}}

===''Tales of the Beast Hunters''===
Soundwave intercepted a message between [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] and [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] indicating that the pair were heading for a derelict starship in the [[asteroid belt]]. As [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] and [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] headed out to tail the two Autobots, Soundwave monitored events on [[Earth]] to make sure no one else was following. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 2}} When Predaking came back alone with the news Megatron had apparently perished in an explosion, Soundwave and the other Decepticons immediately suspected [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] was responsible. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 7}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
{{voiceactor|[[Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.]] (English)|[[Claudio Moneta]] (Italian)}}
[[Image:Soundwave WfC GameInformer Concept Art.jpg|300px|Fans loved this but apparently Soundwave wasn't a G1 fan. |thumb|right]]
Soundwave took control of the orbital station [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] was posted at, helping [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to reach the [[Dark Energon]] by establishing a forward base within the station. He then directed Megatron to a Data Matrix Center in order to find a route to the Dark Energon that had not been blocked by Starscream.

Later, Soundwave notified Megatron that access to the core was impossible, as it was guarded by the Omega Gate. He and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] accompanied Megatron as they led the assault on [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], through which they would find and take the [[Omega Key]], opening the Omega Gate and allowing the core to be infused with Dark Energon. On their way to the [[Stellar Galleries]], Soundwave reported [[sniper (WFC)|sniper]]s, and after taking them down, Megatron infused the entrance with Dark Energon and took his team into the security station. Soundwave noticed that the batteries fed the security grid, and the trio infused each of them with Dark Energon, deactivating the security measures. Soundwave then detected the Omega Key behind their next door, and after opening it, the Decepticons arrived at the Stellar Galleries. They opened the container, finding not the key, but a message from [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Zeta Prime]], who announced that he had taken the Omega Key, anticipating Megatron's plan. Zeta sent Autobot attack forces against them, but they were swiftly taken down. Megatron ordered Soundwave to trace Zeta Prime's broadcast, and Soundwave found it came from 12.7 cycles ahead. He then noted a weak wall, and the Decepticons broke it down and entered the cities' subsystems, providing a direct route to Zeta, and the Omega Key.

The group descended down a shaft and went through a tunnel, avoiding trains on the way, and after breaking down a door in a ventilation area, they were ambushed by Autobot cloakers. Soundwave dispatched them and infused Dark Energon into the batteries. Megatron congratulated him, and then ordered him to unlock the exit. Soundwave obliged, and the trio found themselves in another tunnel. Breakdown challenged Soundwave to a race, to which the Decepticon responded, in his trademark monotone, "Negative." Tough crowd. Rushing through the tunnel, this time full of moving trains, the group came to a station where they infiltrated Iacon's lower levels. Soundwave detected the Omega Key at last, and suggested proceeding through the logistics station. Roughing it through the Autobot attackers, Soundwave finally determined that the key was beyond the train tunnels.

Soundwave and his teammates arrived at Iacon's main streets, where they met up with [[Brawl (WFC)|Brawl]] outside of Zeta Prime's vaults, which were impervious to the small amount of Dark Energon Megatron was capable of channeling. After Megatron's squad helped Brawl clear the area, Brawl called in the Dark Energon bombers, but they were spectacularly shot down by the planetary guns. Brawl suggested disabling them, and Soundwave assisted in carrying out the plan. Autobots advanced all around, but Soundwave and the others managed to hold them off until the next wave of bombers arrived, clearing the street and destroying the Vault doors. Soundwave joined the others on their way to the entrance, but the squad was intercepted by a [[Destroyer (WFC)|Destroyer]]. Soundwave and Breakdown split from Megatron to flank him, and eventually they rendered him non-functional. Inside the vault, they avoided Zeta's traps and finally reached the Omega Key—but it too was a trap. Zeta then attacked them, using a giant hologram and controlling the chamber to his advantage, dropping the ceiling and sending holographic brutes to attack for him while safe within an impenetrable energy shield. (Even during the battle, Soundwave was impressed by the creation of endless energon clones, to which Breakdown responded, roughly, "NERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD!") Soundwave's dorkiness proved useful in discerning the weakness of Zeta's machines—that the core rapidly overheated after prolonged use, and needed to open up in order to cool, rendering it vulnerable to attack. After the battle, Megatron plucked from Zeta's hand the "key"...which started to blink its lights and chirp. Zeta Prime informed them that the "key" he was actually a device that activated the real key: [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]].

As the three Decepticons flew away to track Omega, Soundwave noticed that the "key" was coming for them. Omega Supreme attacked, and thrust the Decepticons' star cruiser into a wall. Crash-landing, Megatron had a change of plans; force Omega Supreme to open the Omega Gate. Soundwave noticed a Decepticon [[Dropship (WFC)|Dropship]] across the bridge, but when the squad went to investigate, Omega Supreme intercepted them. Soundwave reported that his weapons were ineffective; Megatron told his soldiers to destroy the bridge supports, causing Omega Supreme's vast bulk to collapse it. But he transformed to his ship mode, flew back up, and forced the Decepticons to retreat inside. In a frenzy, Breakdown noted that the next door was locked, and Soundwave proposed that Dark Energon could open the door, which it did. Inside, Soundwave picked up a transmission from Starscream, who announced that he would be replacing the "deceased" Megatron as Decepticon leader. Enraged, Megatron threatened Starscream, but Soundwave informed his leader that communication to the surface had been cut off, so Starscream could not hear him.

The trio arrived at the lift, but found it to be locked down. Breaking the locks got the lift back to working condition, but on their way up, Omega Supreme returned and blasted it, forcing the Decepticons down the shaft at breakneck speed. Omega was still out there, so the emergency brakes' destruction was the Decepticons' only hope. At the bottom, they continued their journey to find a way to fight Omega Supreme—Soundwave noted that at the top of the tower were several heavy weapons emplacements which could at least theoretically damage Omega—but Omega Supreme didn't know the meaning of the word quit. (He really doesn't; not much in the processor department.) He grabbed the Decepticons, but Soundwave helped out in shooting Omega Supreme's hand, forcing him relinquishing the three from his grasp. They retreated inside a fortified Autobot position, and in order to prevent detection, Soundwave jammed their signals. Slaying the Autobots inside who dared attempt to counterattack, Soundwave unlocked the exit, which only let in more Autobots. They too, met their demise, but as Soundwave and his comrades escaped, he noticed that the Autobots' security was countering the effects of Dark Energon. Destroying the sentries turned to be a worthwhile solution, but then the Decepticons had to deal with Omega Supreme mining road. Soundwave's sensors indicated the presence of a bridge nearby, and though Breakdown was unsure, Megatron was willing to follow Soundwave's advice. Once again, Omega Supreme continued to stalk them, but Soundwave led his group to an alternate route...a dead end, to be precise, which Megatron was irritated with. Soundwave revealed that breaking a structurally-weak sealed doorway nearby took them to Iacon maintenance tunnels leading straight to the bridge terminal. When they arrived through the power conduits, Soundwave and the others fought through more Autobots and finally activated the bridge.

Racing across the bridge, they barely avoided Omega Supreme's pursuit, and Soundwave located another cargo lift that would transport them straight to the heavy ion turrets. On the lift he picked up several Autobot/Decepticon signals, a sign they were approaching the battle on the surface. Soundwave participated in the slugfest, and his analysis proved that the turrets nearby had enough firepower to legitimately damage Omega Supreme. Then, he showed no mercy using the turrets to breach Omega's armour and finally topple him to the ground below.

Soundwave, Breakdown, and Megatron followed Omega, and at the bottom, they were surprised to see him survive and transform into his mighty robot mode. Soundwave noted that energon batteries produced from within Cybertron were the source of Omega's limitless endurance, and further advised the team on battling Omega; avoiding his tractor beams would allow them to live, and his turrets were vulnerable, making them the prime target. When the turrets were blown, Soundwave saw that the batteries were being used to repair them, and so it became an objective to corrupt them with Dark Energon. When Omega Supreme used the batteries to heal himself, he was instead weakened, allowing the Decepticons to critically injure him. Omega Supreme was still alive even after all of that, but much weaker. Soundwave observed that his chest plating had been damaged, and Megatron ordered Soundwave and Breakdown to blast it, and Omega Supreme fell at last. Soundwave advised Megatron that now would be a good time to corrupt Omega with Dark Energon, but Megatron told Captain Obvious to shut up and did as he would have done even if Soundwave hadn't brought it up, laughing all the way.

After Cybertron's Core had been infected with Dark Energon, Soundwave was reassigned as head of [[Kaon]]'s prison, and watched over (i.e., tortured) Zeta Prime in his spare time. [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]], [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Sideswipe (WFC)|Sideswipe]] and [[Air Raid (WFC)|Air Raid]] led an Autobot breakout and battled Soundwave's minions [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]], [[Rumble (WFC)|Rumble]] and [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]]. Soundwave himself sustained heavy damage leaving the safety of his position to revive and retrieve each Minicon, showing uncharaceristic concern for other living beings. Eventually, defeated and critically damaged, Soundwave desperately attempted to restore himself by absorbing life force from Zeta's very own spark. His attempt to fully heal was halted by Optimus, who even took a shot from the Decepticon intended to finish off Prime. Although Soundwave and his minions fled, the damage had already been done and Zeta Prime expired moments later. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.]] (English)
Soundwave hacked into the Autobot mainframe and, while Megatron and some other Decepticons kept the Autobots distracted, downloaded intel indicating the location of the Trypticon space station. As they approached the station in Megatron's ship, Soundwave reported that the inhabitants were taking up defensive positions and docking would not be possible. Though Megatron was confident they could ram the station, Soundwave turned out to be right, and they could only get close enough to drop a small team off on the debris surrounding the station. When the station was conquered and Dark Energon in Megatron's hands, Soundwave suggested it might be a good idea to test the stuff prior to use. It turned out to be unstable, and he warned it could result in destruction of its host. The Decepticons set up Kaon Prison as a testing ground and, after eleven failures, established that the Dark Energon could be used. When Barricade asked what happened to the failures, Soundwave would only say that their remains laid in the prison and creepily ask Barricade to get in the chair so he too could be infused with Dark Energon.

Trypticon station required more power, so the Decepticons sent a team to Cybertron's core to reactivate the Energon Bridge. Soundwave did not anticipate the activation of latent defense systems, triggered by the Decepticon presence, because he hadn't studied the same ancient files as Starscream. Megatron ordered Soundwave to give Starscream whatever he needed, and they succeeded in activating the bridge. Soundwave reported that they were only at 37% power — the Autobots had severed the bridge's link to the core using the Omega Key. Lazerbeak intercepted an Autobot transmission indicating that Zeta Prime was hiding the Omega Key, and Megatron ordered Soundwave to assemble a strike force to obtain it. They managed to find and defeat the Autobot leader, but the Omega Key he had was only the key to awaken the real key — Omega Supreme. Once the Decepticons fought their way through the Autobot defenses, Soundwave reported they had reached Omega Supreme himself. The Decepticons defeated the giant, reestablished the link to the core and infused it with Dark Energon. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)}}

===''Transformers: Cybertron Adventures''===
{{voiceactor|[[Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.]] (English)|[[Claudio Moneta]] (Italian)}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Cybertron Adventures}}

===Transformers: Fall of Cybertron===
Soundwave was present when Optimus was brought to Megatron by Starscream and [[Onslaught (WFC)|Onslaught]]. He watched as [[Metroplex (FOC)|Metroplex]]''' pulverised''' Megatron. He was the only one who hesitated in following Starscream. He secretly salvaged and with the help of Laserbeak, Rumble and an [[E.D.K. TechVolt]], rebuilt his glorious leader, improving on his original design. He infused Megatron with Dark Energon, and pointed his leader in the direction of Starscream. He took part in the assault on the factory the Autobots had built in the crater where Trypticon crashed, and once Megatron had rebuilt the giant Decepticon, came to power up Trypticon's power core. On Megatron's orders, Soundwave rebuilt Trypticon into the ''Nemesis'', a ship strong enough to make it towards [[Earth|the planet]] [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] had chosen. When the Autobots launched the Ark, the ''Nemesis'' soon caught up, and Soundwave spearheaded the assault on the other ship. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron}}

===''Terrorcon Defense''===
[[Image:SoundwaveTerrorconDefense.jpg|300px|thumb|As awesome as he looks here, he's probably waltzing off after Bumblebee blasted him ''again''.]]
Soundwave attempted to retrieve Dark Energon from a mining area but despite his army of Vehicons and Terrorcons, Bumblebee managed to stop him. {{storylink|Transformers Prime: Terrorcon Defense}}
{{-}}

=== ''Transformers: Prime - The Game ===
[[Image:TransformersPrimeTheGame Soundwave.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Wait, I thought Daft Punk had two guys in it.]]
{{storylink|Transformers: Prime - The Game}}
{{charstubfiction}}
{{--}}

==Commercial appearances==

===Transformers: War For Cybertron===
[[Image:WFC Gamestop Commercial.jpg|left|150px|thumb|The toy can do this if you try hard enough.]]
[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] arrived to a location where [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]], and Soundwave were battling Autobots. Megatron left, leaving Shockwave in charge. Shockwave ordered Soundwave to [[Transformation|Transform]]. Soundwave changed into Cybertronian boombox mode and played [[The Touch]]. {{storylink|Commercial#War for Cybertron|GameSpot's commercial for their Shockwave multiplayer exclusive}}
{{--}}

===Transformers: Prime===
Soundwave knows that out of all the radio transmissions in the universe, Megatron's favorite song is the ''[[My Little Pony]]: Friendship is Magic'' theme. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime|Megatron's Favorite Song (26 Hour Takeover marathon promo)}}

==Toys==
===Generations===
[[Image:Generationstoy-CybertronianSoundwave.jpg|thumb|300px|No [[Soundwave (Animated)|giant guitar]] this time!]]
*'''Cybertronian Soundwave''' (Deluxe, 2010)
**''Accessories:'' two "weapons"

: Part of the third wave of ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)#Toys|War for Cybertron]]'' Soundwave transforms into an SUV-style "communications truck", as seen in [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|the video game]]. He comes with his classic shoulder launcher and rifle, both of which can be mounted on his hands, right shoulder, and rear vehicle sides via [[5mm post]]s, and store inside his opening chest (approximating the visual of cassette spools). Soundwave's head features a [[light-piping]] gimmick, but the effect is largely neutered by his painted visor.

: This mold was [[repaint]]ed into ''[[Transformers United|United]]'' [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#United|Soundwave Cybertron Mode]].

::*''[http://tfu.info/2010/Decepticon/GenerationsSoundwave/soundwave.htm More information on Cybertronian Soundwave at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
{{anchor|GenerationsVoyager}}
[[Image:Generations-SoundwaveVoyager.jpg|thumb|300px|With all the downsizing, Soundwave's surprised he's gotten so big.]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Voyager, 2012)
**''Series / number'': '''1 / 001'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TG13'''
**''Accessories:'' Laserbeak/Data disc, shoulder cannon

: Part of the first wave of [[2012]] Voyager Class ''Generations [[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' toys, Soundwave is a larger mold, and comes with a shoulder cannon which can peg (via 5mm post) into his hands, right shoulder, and roof/back.

: He also comes with [[Legends Class]] [[Laserbeak (WFC)#Generations|Laserbeak]], who utilizes Soundwave's main [[gimmick]], storing and launching Laserbeak and other "data disc" minions. A button to the left of his head can be pressed to open his spring-loaded chest compartment, allowing up to three data discs to be stored inside. With discs stored, his back panel/roof now acts as a plunger, which can be moved forward in either mode to launch minions out. Launched minions should land on buttons on their undersides, thus triggering their [[Flipchanger|spring-loaded transformation mechanisms]] and springing them into action! ...Hopefully.

: The toy has a special easter egg for collectors: the seat on top of his vehicle mold holds [[Diaclone]] drivers.

: For some reason, his [[stock photography]] and [[instructions]] depict him with the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Generation 1|Optimus Prime]] toy's [[Ion blaster]] accessory, which isn't included with the final product.

: Soundwave was [[redeco]]ed and [[retool]]ed into ''Generations'' [[Blaster (FOC)|Autobot Blaster]].

{{-}}
{{anchor|GenerationsSoundblaster}}
[[Image:Generationstoy-FOCSoundblaster.jpg|thumb|300px|"Am I New Soundwave, or [[#Beast Hunters|Old]] [[#Deluxe|Old]] New Soundwave?"]]
*'''Soundblaster''' (Voyager, 2012)
**''Series / number'': '''1 / 002'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TG14'''
**''Accessories:'' Buzzsaw/Data disc, shoulder cannon

: Also available in the first wave of [[2012]] Voyager Class ''Generations Fall of Cybertron'' toys, Soundblaster is a black, red, gold, and yellow [[redeco]] of Voyager Class Soundwave, as is the trend with [[Soundblaster (disambiguation)|Soundblasters]]. He now comes with [[Buzzsaw (FOC)|Buzzsaw]], a redeco of Laserbeak.

: His stock photography and instructions once again depict him with ''Generation 1'' Optimus Prime's ion blaster accessory which is still not included with the final product.
{{-}}

===Prime===
{{anchor|Deluxe}}
[[Image:Primetoy-SoundwaveDeluxe.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Toy doesn't talk, just like in the tv show!]]
[[Image:TakaraTomyPrimetoy-AMSoundwave.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Ooh, does this mean I'm [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] now?]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Deluxe, 2012)
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[April 28]], 2012'''
**''Series / number'': '''1 / 004'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''AM-09'''
**''Accessories'': [[Laserbeak (WFC)#Prime|Laserbeak]], [[Zori#Prime|Zori]] Arms Micron (TakaraTomy only)

: Part of the first wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Robots in Disguise (2012)|Prime: Robots in Disguise]]'' toys, Soundwave transforms from a UAV not unlike the [[Wikipedia:General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper|Predator B drone]] into an angular batlike robot mode. His transformation includes a spring-loaded head that deploys automatically when his tail and thrust bottle are folded up. His vehicle mode has a [[5mm post|5mm port]] on the top of its fuselage; the robot also has 5mm sockets passing entirely through his palms. Any of these holes can mount the included Laserbeak, or he can store inside Soundwave's chest in either mode.

: In wave six of the ''Prime'' toyline, Soundwave was put into new packaging, which came with a DVD featuring the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)| Prime]]'' episode "[[Loose Cannons]]".

: The [[TakaraTomy]] release of Soundwave has considerable differences from the [[Hasbro]] version. He comes with his own [[Arms Micron]], Zori, and cannons with 5mm ports and posts have been added to his wings (on his shoulders in robot mode) in order to accommodate said gimmick. Many of the Hasbro [[paint operation]]s have also been removed and replaced with numerous, small, customer-applied [[sticker]]s, including ones for his tiny sculpted kneecaps, which are practically guaranteed to peel off at the sides. In addition, the [[instructions]] for applying the stickers unfortunately contain an error, with the placement of stickers 14 and 15 being swapped around.

::*''[http://tfu.info/2012/Decepticon/Soundwave/soundwave.htm More information on Hasbro Soundwave at TFU.info]''
::*''[http://higekumatoytoy.blog60.fc2.com/blog-entry-1501.html Arms Micron Soundwave gallery at Alfes's blog]''

{{-}}

===Beast Hunters===
[[Image:PrimeBHtoy-Soundwave.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series/number'': '''2/002'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''G18'''
**''Accessories'': [[Ravage (WFC)#Beast Hunters|Ravage]], Talon Grapple Cannon
: Part of the first wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime:]] [[Beast Hunters]]'' Deluxe Class toys, Soundwave is a redeco and extensive [[retool]] of the ''Robots in Disguise'' Soundwave mold, and transforms into a spiky aerial drone with a massive wingspan and three tail-fins. Aside from the usual peg-holes on his fuselage and palms, his wings have been retooled with two new peg-holes, with one on each wing. Instead of Laserbeak, Soundwave features a new partner in the form of Ravage, who is a robotic jaguar that transforms into a thing that fits into Soundwave's chest.

:Soundwave also comes with the Talon Grapple Cannon, a spring-loaded launcher that fires a [[missile]] with an opening "claw" at the end, with the missile and launcher being tied together with a length of string. The launcher itself features an additional peg on each side, and its main peg is sculpted to be able to fit in the specially-shaped socket on his chest, allowing the cannon to mount on his vehicle-mode underside when Ravage is removed.

:His instructions include the [[Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 2|second chapter]] of the ''[[Tales of the Beast Hunters]]'' series.

{{--}}
[[Image:BHtoy Cyberverse Soundwave.jpg|thumb|300px]]
*'''Soundwave''' (Cyberverse Legion, 2013)

{{comingsoontoy}}

{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:TfprimeSoundwavePredator.jpg|thumb|But can he replay footage of "[[Operation: Firestorm]]"?]]
[[Image:VectorSigmaBotBuilderSoundwave.jpg|thumb|Deep Desert Soundwave.]]
* Soundwave transforms into a Cybertronian car during gameplay of ''War for Cybertron'', and his toy does the same, having only one alternate mode. However, in a ''War for Cybertron'' cutscene, the Gamestop commercial for Shockwave, and the end credits for ''War for Cybertron'', he is additionally shown to transform into a Cybertronian boombox, which the toy can technically do with some fiddling.
* Despite his toy and concept art appearance, Soundwave has a [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Generation 1|yellow]] visor in the War for Cybertron game. This was changed to red for the Fall of Cybertron sequel (perhaps displaying, in-universe, his furthered dedication to the Decepticon cause?).
* According to the [[Transformers Hall of Fame]] biography, Soundwave [[Perceptor (Animated)|deleted his emotions to process information more quickly]], and is susceptible to [[Cyber Missions 1|too many sonic booms]].
* [[Duane Capizzi]] said Soundwave can speak, but just chooses not to. The decision was to contrast Soundwave with the overly talkative Starscream,<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/bonus-q--a-with-transformers-prime-creators---answered-171430/ TFW2005 Q&A January 2011]</ref> and at [[BotCon 2011]], the staff compared Soundwave to [[Boba Fett]]. Instead, he records what he overhears and replays it with a mechanical echo that is very similar to the echo of his G1 counterpart. Sorry, [[Frank Welker|Frank]], only [[Megatron (WFC)|one character]] for now...
* Soundwave's prehensile tentacles are reminiscent of [[Soundwave (ROTF)|another Soundwave]], although they are significantly less naughty.
* Soundwave's body parts are available to use in the Hub website's [[Vector Sigma Bot Builder]] online game. Normally, you cannot configure a generic 'bot using all Soundwave parts, but you can see what one would look like at right through the magic of Photoshop.

===Arms Up Modes===
In the Japanese ''Prime'' toyline, Soundwave has named powered-up modes when given various [[Arms Micron]]s in certain configurations:

*'''Night Attack Mode''' (ナイトアタックモード ''naitoatakkumōdo'')
**''Arms Microns'': Balo, Jida, Zori
: In this mode, shown on his box-back photo, Soundwave uses the two-Micron weapon [[Spike Hammer Rod]], while [[Jida]] in "Defense Shield" mode hangs on his left shoulder. What exactly makes all this ideal for nighttime attacks is anyone's guess.

*'''Jet Mode'''
**''Arms Microns'': Gora (x2), Zori
: Meant simply for flying in fast and blowing crap up, this heavily modified version of Soundwave requires some real work. Because of all the recycled non-''Transformers'' parts in this mode, TakaraTomy designer [[Takashi Nakase]] has nicknamed this version "Recycle Mode". Two jet thruster/fuel tanks are created using bottles from a Japanese "common yogurt drink" and a pair of [[Gora]]s painted up silver, with snipped Arms Micron sprues added on for detail. Soundwave also carries a large weapon made from Zori, a plastic fork, and more sprues. Yes, a plastic fork. You read that correctly.
: There is also a vehicle mode configuration for this Arms Up Mode, with the massive turbines on the end of Soundwave's wings and the weapon on top of the main body. The whole schebang can be seen [http://youtu.be/QJUMhgggH-Q in this TakaraTomy developer video on YouTube].

===Foreign names===
*''Russian:'' '''Barkhan''' (Бархан, "Dune")

==References==

<references/>

[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Gladiators]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]
[[Category:Spies]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Decepticons]]

Liokaiser

2012-10-26T22:55:28Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
:''Liokaiser is a [[Decepticon]] [[Combiner]] from the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (franchise)|Victory]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Liokaiser.jpg|right|300px|thumb|They call me Kibblefree!]]
'''Liokaiser''' (ライオカイザー ''Raiokaizā'') is the combined form of the [[Breastforce]], an elite combat team consisting of land and air assault vehicles who hail from the [[Death Zone]]. He is powerful, cruel, merciless, and — unlike pretty much every other combiner — intelligent to boot. An expert in melee combat, he's fought against [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] and [[Road Caesar]] on several occasions and promptly beat the stuffing out of them. It's possible the only opponents he can't contend with are Victory Saber and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]].

Liokaiser is composed of the Decepticons [[Leozack]], [[Drillhorn]], [[Guyhawk]], [[Hellbat (Victory)|Hellbat]], [[Jallguar]], and [[Killbison]]. Despite their unusually high levels of coordination and ruthlessness, Liokaiser's performance may suffer if the individual minds get distracted.

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Victory'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese)
[[Image:UniteLiokaiser Liokaiser spins nunchaku.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]
As the war between Autobots and Decepticons intensified on Earth, Deathsaurus began calling in members of the Breastforce to aid him. Although effective on their own, team leader Leozack began making preparations to unleash his team's true potential, leading an attack on Planet Micro to liberate Guyhawk {{storylink|Rescue! Guyhawk}} and calling in his more trustworthy comrade [[Deathcobra (Victory)|Deathcobra]] to replace the scheming Hellbat as part of Liokaiser. Unfortunately, Hellbat arrived bearing news of Deathcobra's death at the hands of [[Holi]] — in truth covering his own role in his fellow Decepticon's murder — and the Breastforce would perform their first combination "in some time" to battle [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]], who arrived in defense of Holi and his friends.

Liokaiser proved a great challenge for Star Saber, badly damaging and nearly defeating him. Star Saber was only saved by the arrival of God [[Ginrai]], but he too proved no match for Liokaiser on his own. Working together, the injured Autobots managed to immobilize Liokaiser and deliver a flurry of powerful blows. Deciding to call it a day after that, Liokaiser separated into his components and withdrew. {{storylink|Unite! Liokaiser}}

The ease at which Liokaiser matched Star Saber in battle left a dark cloud on [[Jean Minakaze]]'s mind, leading him to beg Star Saber to defeat the new Decepticon combiner when they next met. Such a chance arrived when Deathsaurus' forces attempted to steal [[Schaeffer Energy]], and the Breastforce combined once again to battle Star Saber. Liokaiser soon found himself at an advantage, especially when Star Saber abandoned the fight to stop a tower from falling on a residential area, but he was prevented from finishing his foe when the Brainmasters intervened in their combined form, Road Caesar. Liokaiser proceeded to dominate his new opponent, but the battle gave Holi and [[Rescue Patrol Team|his team]] time to evacuate the civilians, allowing Star Saber to rejoin the fray. The Autobot leader launched a furious assault on Liokaiser, but the fight was interrupted by Deathsaurus, who had secured the Schaeffer Energy. Liokaiser was thus forced to withdraw with his allies, but not before warning Star Saber that his presence would allow the Decepticons to plunder Earth as they wished.

[[Image:AntarcticBattle Invisible Liokaiser.jpg|thumb|right|230px|"Right, where's my invisible sandwich?"]]
Later Hellbat came up with a plan to steal energy from Antarctica which Deathsaurus approved. When the Multiforce Autobots [[Wing (Victory)|Wing]] and [[Mach]] showed up, the Breastforce decided to engage in some overkill by combining into Liokaiser. The Autobots were outclassed by Liokaiser, but the rest of the Multiforce arrived and they all combined into [[Landcross (Victory)|Landcross]]. Liokaiser's ability to become invisible allowed him to trounce Landcross and the Multiforce were forced to separate again. Wing and Mach used a multi-gamma string to grab Liokaiser and throw them in the Decepticon's mine shaft but he was able to cling to the mining equipment and escape. The Multiforce combined again but with no more of a plan than the first time, were set upon by the invisible Liokaiser. Star Saber was able to arrive to save Landcross's hide, but Liokaiser claimed that Star Saber had no more right to Earth than the Decepticons. Even Star Saber had trouble against Liokaiser, who unleashed a "Battle Explosion" maneuver, in which he briefly separated so the individual Breastforce could attack. They continued to fight until Liokaiser had Star Saber on the ropes, at which point [[Galaxy Shuttle]] jumped in the way of the Decepticon's attack. As Liokaiser was about to finish Star Saber, Deathsaurus stepped in to do the job himself, though Liokaiser believed he himself should have been the one to face the Autobot. He retreated when the drilling device was destroyed. {{storylink|Fight to the Death!! Antarctic Battle}}

Later the Decepticons set a trap for the Autobots in the desert, it was going well until Guyhawk's old friend [[Greatshot]] showed up and turned the tide. Guyhawk suggested they combine into Liokaiser, but Leozack overrode him; the other members of the Breastforce had sustained too much damage from Greatshot to do so. As such, the villains were forced to retreat. {{storylink |Crisis! Ambush in the Desert}}

[[Image:ADeadlyBattle Liokaiser faces Star Saber.jpg|thumb|left|280px]]
Liokaiser appeared again in an attack on an Autobot base in Asia, but it turned out to be a trap to destroy Star Saber. After damaging the [[V-Star]], the Breastforce combined to meet Star Saber in combat. After the Autobot leader broke Liokaiser's [[Electromagnetic Nunchaku]] with his sword, Liokaiser led him into a ring of explosive statues before disappearing. Star Saber subsequently fell into a pit, where he was set on by Deathsaurus, and Liokaiser dropped a boulder on him, bragging that the Decepticons would be able to do whatever they wanted to the planet after Star Saber perished. Before he and Deathsaurus were able to destroy him, [[Ginrai|God Ginrai]] came to the rescue again. As Deathsaurus pounded on Ginrai, Star Saber was held by Liokaiser so he was unable to come to his comrade's aid. Star Saber broke free and stabbed Deathsaurus. Though badly injured, the Decepticon leader would have fought on, but Liokaiser convinced him to retreat when Autobot reinforcements arrived. {{storylink|A Deadly Battle}}.

Liokaiser would not be used again until much later, when Leozack was pretending to be Star Saber in a mission to get the Unification plans for the Autobot leader and [[Victory Leo]]. Leozack managed to return the plans to the Breastforce, but they were confronted by Victory Leo and Star Saber, who merged into Victory Saber. The Breastforce responded by combining into Liokaiser, but the combiner was easily defeated by Victory Saber. He fled through the ruins, collapsing him behind him and almost got Victory Saber that way, but no dice. {{storylink|A Mystery?! The Deception of the Base Bombs}}

[[Image:Liokaiser death.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"B-but I don't ''want'' to get a "Greyscale" [[redeco]]!"]]
When Deathsaurus raised [[Atlantis]], the Breastforce was sent to keep Star Saber busy. When he and Victory Leo merged, so did the Breastforce, but Liokaiser wasn't much of a match for Victory Saber. As a huge tsunami headed towards them, Liokaiser separated so the Breastforce could board the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'', leaving Victory Saber to face the wave alone. {{storylink|The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves}} After Deathsaurus's [[Planet-Destroying Fortress]] was up and running again, Liokaiser attempted to stop Victory Saber, but only lasted a few seconds before being blasted back into the fortress in one shot. {{storylink|The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress!}} As the Fortress neared Earth, Liokaiser was sent out to stop Victory Saber from entering it, thought with orders not to kill the Autobot. At one point, Victory Saber separated, with only Victory Leo staying to face Liokaiser, but the combiner had trouble even with just him. After struggling with the Autobot for a time, Liokaiser managed to fling Victory Leo away, only for a burst of fire from the Autobot's guns to sent him flying into the Fortress's main cannon. Still charging, the cannon drained him of his energy, and Liokaiser's lifeless grey body was flung off into space. {{storylink|Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification}}
{{--}}

====''Zone'' catalog====

Revived from death by some means and lead by the reborn [[Emperor of Destruction|Dark Emperor]] [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], Liokaiser joined several other powerful Decepticons in an assault on planet [[Zone (planet)|Zone]]. Attempting to steal their [[Energon Z]], the Decepticons proved no match for the [[Micromaster]]s and were driven away. What became of Liokaiser after this is unknown. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)#Catalogue story page 1|Zone Project Story}}

===''Victory'' comic===
[[Image:StarOfFriendship Liokaiser argument.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Don't make me turn this combiner around!"]]
Frustrated at not being able to find the Breastforce, [[Jean Minakaze]] kicked a piece of junk over a rise, only to hear a noise of pain from Liokaiser, who was hiding behind it. Liokaiser announced that, as Deathsaurus was laid up with some illness, Jean and Star Saber were going to have to face him instead. Jean and Star Saber combined, but were seized by the combiner, only for his component parts to start arguing over which of them would finish the Autobots off. Distracted, Liokaiser was thus unable to prevent the pair wriggling free and ganging up on him. The Breastforce retreated hastily. {{storylink|The Star of Friendship, Jean and Star Saber!}}

Liokaiser, [[Dinoking]] and Deathsaurus were finally able to bring down Star Saber in battle, but before they could finish him off, Victory Leo came to the rescue. The two Autobots combined into Victory Saber, but the Decepticons attacked anyway and were blasted by Victory Saber's Flash Victory attack, forcing another retreat. {{storylink|The Strongest Partners, the Combination of Victory!}} Deathsaurus and Liokaiser continued to plunder Earth's energy, with the Autobots seemingly powerless to stop them. Liokaiser had [[Braver]] and [[Laster]] at his mercy when [[Blacker]] arrived and the Brainmasters were able to form Road Caesar. Even [[Solon Kitakaze (Victory)|Solon Kitakaze]] turned against his former Decepticon comrades. With power lent to them by the [[Victories]], Victory Saber and Road Caesar were able to send the Decepticons packing. {{storylink|Shine! The Five Stars of Victory}}

{{--}}
===''Transformers PD Type'' comic===
Facing Victory Saber, Liokaiser was bemused by his foe's speech constantly being interrupted by Victory Leo's head. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##2 "He's Here! Victory Saber!!"|He's Here! Victory Saber!!}} Just as Star Saber had Deathsaurus on the ropes, the Decepticon leader brought in Liokaiser. Star Saber attempted unsuccessfully to distract the combiner with some tuna, and ended up having to hide from the two Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##5 "Don't Lose! Star Saber!!"|Don't Lose! Star Saber!!}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers PD Type##20 "Find the Bright Day! Liokaiser!!"|Find the Bright Day! Liokaiser!!}}

==Toys==
===Victory===
[[Image:Victory-toy Liokaiser.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Why this has not been reissued yet, we will never know.]]
*'''Liocaesar''' {{sic}} (Multi-pack, 1989)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-335'''
**''Component members/Accessories:'' Leozack (Liokaiser head), Drillhorn, Guyhawk, Hellbat, Jallguar (2 missiles), Killbison (2 cannons, combined gun handle)

: Released only in Japan, Liokaiser is a unique and highly sought-after combiner. Unlike most other combiners at its time of release, Liokaiser has almost no "combiner [[kibble]]", his feet and hands being built into the component robots. Only his combined-mode head is a separate accessory; even his hand-weapon is assembled from Killbison and Jallguar's extra weapons. However, in this form, the individuals' breastplate-animal partners cannot be stored and must be put aside.

: Though his components were all sold as individuals, they were also available in a single Liokaiser box set.

: Four of the six components to Liokaiser were used to make the European-[[exclusive]] [[Rescue Force]]. Unless you are in need of an [[Big Rescue Force|armless combiner whose head is tiny]], you should not attempt to combine them.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Destron/Liokaiser/liokaiser.htm More information on Liokaiser at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Merchandise===
*Transformers Choco '''Liokaiser''' (Kabaya kit, 1989)

:A tiny non-transforming "[[candy toy]]" model kit version of Liokaiser was made available during the original ''Victory'' series.

*Transformers Gum '''Liokaiser''' (Kabaya kit, 1989)

:A transforming "[[candy toy]]" model kit version of Liokaiser was made available during the original ''Victory'' series. Composed of two normal-sized Kabaya gum kits, this little model kit can pull off the individual robot modes, vehicles modes, combined mode, and even comes with detachable breast plate/guns. The only thing missing is the breast plate's animal transformation.

{{-}}{{anchor|SCF}}

*'''Liokaiser''' (SCF, 2002)

:In 2002, a PVC mini-figurine of Liokaiser was released in the seventh [[Super Collection Figure|SCF]] series. All of the PVCs in this series were available in both full-color and solid pewter-painted versions, in blind-packed boxes.

==Notes==

*Although his name is pronounced and often written as "Liokaiser", the toy's paperwork calls him "Liocaesar", in English. This is at odds with [[Road Caesar]]'s name, which is pronounced completely differently.

===Foreign names===
*''Russian:'' '''Centurion''' (Центурион)
[[Category:Breastforce]]
[[Category:Combined forms]]

Slugslinger (G1)

2012-09-16T01:40:05Z

Might Gaine: /* Generation 1 */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Slugslinger}}
{{picsneeded|Toy}}
:''Slugslinger is a [[Decepticon]] [[Targetmaster]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Continuity family|continuity family]].''

[[Image:Slugslingerg1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|His name is fun to say.]]
If you ask '''Slugslinger''' to describe himself, he'll tell you all about how he'll never turn down a chance to duel anyone, because he knows he'll always win. That is, assuming his [[Nebulan]] partner, [[Caliburst (G1)|Caliburst]], still has some ammo left for Slugslinger to use to gun down his opponent from a distance. Take that away, and suddenly he's not such a tough guy after all.

Funny, that.

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English), [[Kenichi Sakaguchi]] (Japanese)

[[Image:TheRebirth1 TriggerhappySlugslinger.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Birds fly, grass grows, the sun shines, and me? I slaggin' hurt people.]]
Slugslinger was under the command of [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] when they attacked [[Autobot City]] as part of a division while the Decepticon Clones stole the Key to the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]. After Scourge successfully activated the chamber on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] (and inadvertently sent a shuttle full of Autobots and the key halfway across the galaxy), Slugslinger attempted to restrain [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]'s anger towards the prone Scourge. When he arrived on the distant world of [[Nebulos]], Slugslinger defiantly shouted about leaping into battle... though the actual "leaping" was delayed because [[Triggerhappy]] kept standing in front of him. Yeah, that's it. However, he did extol Trigger's battle cries. Lucky Autobots. He'll get them next time. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}}

Despite the Decepticons managing to capture several Autobots, when their friends arrived with their new-fangled [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster technology]], the Decepticons had their asses handed to them. Slugslinger got a lucky break, being a jet, when the Decepticons met up with the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]: Cyclonus didn't offer their new partners his head. Instead, he was partnered with [[Caliburst (G1)|Caliburst]], a Hive member who claimed to have never missed a shot in his life, which Slugslinger pointed out was because he had never taken a shot before. Not that he was scared, mind you. He's just an honest sort. Yeah, that's it. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}

Slugslinger and the other Targetmasters returned to Cybertron just in the nick of time to save Galvatron from the remainder of the Autobot forces. They may have done better to stand aside, for when Galvatron learned about the Hive, he was on the verge of scrapping them right there. But Slugslinger wasn't worried. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

===Japanese cartoon continuity===
====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ken Yamaguchi]]

Slugslinger was a Decepticon aerial warrior partnered with [[Misfire]] and [[Triggerhappy]]. Their campaigns typically took place far away from recognizable worlds such as Cybertron, Earth and [[Chaar]], battling against [[Pointblank]] and other Autobots on deep space missions. In 2011, Slugslinger and his men allied themselves with [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] just before his siege of the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]] began. When a group of six refugees fled the planet seeking aid, Slugslinger, Misfire and Triggerhappy joined [[Sixshot]] in pursuing them. They crossed paths with the [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Battleship Maximus]] and their old foes Pointblank, [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] and [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] out in space. As the fighting raged outside, the refugees befriended [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] and volunteered to dispose of the [[plasma energy]] bombs aboard the battleship. As the refugees flew out in their starship to take the bombs to a safe distance, Slugslinger led his men to intercept them, but they were blocked by Pointblank's forces. The bombs exploded early, washing over all the Transformers present. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}}

Sixshot retrieved Slugslinger and his partners after the explosion, bringing them back to Master. The plasma energy had somehow [[Binary bonding|binary-bonded]] each of the Decepticons to one of the refugees. A permanent link now existed between Slugslinger and [[Caliburst (Headmasters)|Caliburst]], who could transformed into a powerful weapon for his new Decepticon master. Slugslinger and his Targetmaster partners rejoined the battle for Master at Scorponok's side. Their Targetmasters weapons were the equal of Pointblank and his men, who had also become Targetmasters in the plasma explosion. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}} As the Decepticon Targetmasters mingled with the Headmasters, Slugslinger demonstrated that he (much like his Autobot counterpart Pointblank) is a humongous tool. His braggadocio quickly got on the nerves of [[Weirdwolf]], leader of the Headmaster regiment. During a fight for data on the [[Master Sword]], Slugslinger callously knocked the Headmasters aside as they got in the way of his shot. {{storylink|The Master Sword Is in Danger!!}}

Slugslinger and his partners got into another fight with Pointblank's trio, and believed the Autobots were dead after triggering a flash flood that washed them out of sight. Slugslinger's self-congratulation rankled Weirdwolf even more, especially after his fellow Headmasters started gushing over the Targetmasters' skill. Luckily for Weirdwolf's ego, the Autobot Targetmasters later turned up alive and well. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}} With the Zarak Shield fully reforged out of [[G-Metal]], the Decepticons began making preparations to leave Master for Earth. Caliburst alerted Slugslinger that the Autobot Targetmasters had uncovered their location, and Slugslinger flew out with Sixshot and the Targetmasters to confront Pointblank's crew. They also unleashed massive devastation on a Master city when MegaZarak emerged from beneath it. {{storylink|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}}

As Scorponok's ship touched down on [[Pallas]] for repairs, Slugslinger and the Targetmasters defended it against Autobot attack. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}} At the North Pole, they were involved in the final battle against the Autobots, fighting their Targetmaster counterparts. After Fortress Maximus was tricked onto the platform of [[crysmagnetal]], Slugslinger and the other Decepticons fled out into space. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}

====''The Headmasters'' comic====
[[Image:HM issue 7 Decepticon Targetmasters.jpg|thumb|200px|]]

Slugslinger and the Decepticon Targetmasters attempted to disrupt the Autobots' efforts to put out a blazing fire on Earth. The Autobots' split focus left them vulnerable, until the Battleship Maximus extinguished the entire fire in one sweep. [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] and [[Artfire (Headmasters)|Artfire]] then turned their full attention on Slugslinger and his allies, driving them from the scene. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 7|The Headmasters #7}}

===Marvel Generation 1 comics===
Slugslinger was one of the Decepticons working for [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] back on Cybertron, rounding up Autobots for the [[Smelting pool]]. Their greatest rivals were the Autobots led by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], and so they were more than a little perturbed when their favorite sparring partners vanished into the night. A foolish interstellar phone call from [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]], though, led the Decepticons to them on [[Nebulos]]. They quickly took Zarak and his people hostage and began laying waste to the planet. They were initially rebuffed by a new group of Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]], but Scorponok managed to replicate the procedure and apply it to his own men. He didn't make Slugslinger a Headmaster but, for some reason, when he was choosing warriors who might need a boost of confidence from becoming a super-charged, gun-slinging [[Targetmaster]], Scorponok did think of him. Slugslinger was binary-bonded to the Nebulan Caliburst shortly before the Decepticons left Nebulos behind, chasing the Autobots of the ''[[Steelhaven]]'' towards Earth. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

Slugslinger remained on call with Scorponok's forces after they arrived on Earth, but rarely participated in any active missions. He did battle with a group of Autobot fliers during the [[Underbase Saga]] and won (though he only did so while accompanied by the ever-terrifying [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] and several other Decepticons). {{storylink|Dark Star}} Slugslinger also stood up to Scorponok with his fellow Decepticons to challenge Starscream's place in the army.

He probably just wanted attention. {{storylink|Primal Scream}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
Slugslinger took part in an attack on [[Tau-Ursa]], picking up one of the locals as a threat, while Galvatron obtained a vital component for his [[Nullification Cannon]] from [[Monitorus]]. Afterwards, he and the other Decepticons pretty much destroyed the entire city, just to show the Tau-Ursans who was boss. Their next stop was Cybertron, where Galvatron used his new toy to nullify the planet's [[energon]] supply. With [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] approaching, Galvatron ''threw'' Slugslinger at him, prepared for Slugslinger to die in order to facilitate his own escape. Prime decked Slugslinger, resulting in the Decepticon clinging to the edge of a precipice and pleading to Optimus to save him. Apparently unaware that Slugslinger's alternate mode was a space fighter, Prime stopped to help him, allowing Galvatron to escape. Slugslinger laughed that the Autobots were doomed, and was probably promptly slapped in a detention cell. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation 1'' comics===
Slugslinger was a member of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacon]] faction by the end of the Dark Ages. He participated in the attack on the peace treaty at [[Tyger Pax]] along with the other Predacons, but was quickly overrun by the combined Autobots, Decepticons and [[Ultracon|Ultracons]] who survived their first bombing run. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===
Back before the war, Slugslinger appeared among the crowd in the [[Forge]] watching Megatron's first pit fight against [[Cy-Kill (G1)|Cy-Kill]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}}

===''United''===
[[Image:FierceFightingOnPlanetNebulos-StraxusDecepticons.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Yes, I'm there. Look harder.]]
A [[nano-virus]] that afflicted most Autobots save the [[Targetmaster]]s and the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] required [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] to lead a team to [[Nebulos]] for an anti-virus. However, the nano-virus was merely a ploy by the Decepticons to draw out the Targetmasters and Headmasters to abduct their [[Nebulan]] partners, so when the Autobots arrived on Nebulos, Slugslinger and several other Decepticons were waiting for them! Slugslinger and the others quickly fell into disarray, unfortunately, when their leader [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] was singled out and defeated. {{storylink|The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{Note|Slugslinger is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Decepticon duplicates in the Autobot campaign.}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Slugslinger with Caliburst''' (1987)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-90'''
**''Accessories:'' Caliburst Targetmaster gun

:''Generation 1'' Slugslinger is a Cybertronian twin-cockpit space fighter with possibly the most conservative colour scheme of the Targetmaster Transformers, being predominantly grey. His Targetmaster partner Caliburst attaches to a peg hole on the dorsal hull behind the cockpits.

:As typical with some of the larger 1987 ''Transformers'' toys, Slugslinger has a well-proportioned robot mode body that is seemingly designed to better match the style of the ''Generation 1'' cartoon animation models, at least compared to Transformers designed during the Diaclone era and the 1986 Movie toys. He has decent articulation with shoulder and elbow joints, as well as hip and knee joints (though the latter is mainly to facilitate his transformation sequence). Caliburst transforms into a small guy in robot suit/little robot dude, depending on where you live, or can be left in gun mode to be held by Slugslinger.

: Like the other Targetmasters, his Japanese release lacks a [[Rubsign]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Decepticon/Slugslinger/slugslinger.htm More information on Slugslinger at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Linkage5-PreEarth.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Targetbastards.]]
* Slugslinger is, of course, the inspiration for the ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]''-series [[homage]]-toy [[Slugslinger (Energon)|Slugslinger]].

* Slugslinger's design was used as a "generic" Decepticon in the [[Linkage (comic)|''Linkage'' mini-comics]], in a flashback showing [[Redline]] and [[Flat-Out]]'s former Decepticon masters. This fits in with the general theme of using Generation 1 [[Character model|character models]] as unnamed extras in the [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|''Armada'' cartoon]]. Of course, his actual'' appearance'' fits in with artist [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]]'s general theme of using the [[toy]]s as a visual reference rather than the [[Character model|character models]] used in animation; that is so not Slugslinger's animation design. {{storylink|Linkage Part 5}}

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Slugslinger''' (スラッグスリンガー ''Suraggusuringā'')
*''French:'' '''Lance-Balle''' (Canada)

==External links==
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Slugslinger Slugslinger's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Defense specialists]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Decepticons]]
[[Category:United Decepticons]]

Triggerhappy (G1)

2012-09-16T01:37:14Z

Might Gaine: /* Generation 1 */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the Decepticon Targetmaster|the Marvel UK text story|Trigger-Happy!}}
{{picsneeded|fictional appearances}}

:''Triggerhappy is a [[Decepticon]] [[Targetmaster]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:G1Triggerhappy boxart.jpg|right|300px|thumb|We cool, G? Eh? Eh? Alriiiight.]]
'''Triggerhappy''' is a nutball. You get them in the Decepticons from time to time. He's generally found [[Humanization|drooling]] and/or giggling wildly. He's been that way ever since an incident at [[Decepticon boot camp]], in which he was firing while surfing on his [[hoverboard]], but fell off and hit his head. He remained firing all the while and ended up disintegrating half a dozen other Decepticons. The camp commander was impressed and graduated Triggerhappy on the spot. Nobody is sure if it's an act or if he suffered [[Flashdrive|processor]] damage in the fall. What is known is that he pays very little attention to where he's shooting but LOVES the sound his gun makes when fired. Good idea arming him there, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]].

Triggerhappy is [[Binary bonding|binary-bonded]] with [[Blowpipe (G1)|Blowpipe]], the conniving, envious brother-in-law of [[Nebulan]] leader [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]].

{{bigquote|Have gun, have fun!|Triggerhappy's motto}}

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Charlie Adler|Charles Adler]] (English), [[Ken Narita]] (Japanese)

[[Image:TheRebirth1 TriggerhappySlugslinger.jpg|left|200px|thumb|How is he supposed to drool when he doesn't have a mouth?]]
Triggerhappy was one of several Decepticon jets serving under [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] when they attacked [[Autobot City]] as part of a division while the Decepticon Clones stole the Key to the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]]. After Scourge successfully activated the chamber on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] (and inadvertently sent a shuttle full of Autobots and the key halfway across the galaxy), Triggerhappy, [[Misfire]] and [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] were among the Decepticon unit sent to retrieve the key. Following the Autobots to [[Nebulos]], Triggerhappy attacked the Autobums, welcoming them to the scrapyard that they would become should he succeed in destroying them. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}}

Though the Decepticons managed to capture several Autobots, they were soon overwhelmed by new [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster technology]] the Autobots developed with the Nebulan rebels. After making a deal with the Hive, the Decepticons underwent [[binary-bonding]] as well, and Triggerhappy was given a new partner who blows hard and fast. Armed with this new skill, Triggerhappy and his [[Targetmaster]] companions successfully helped reacquire the Chamber's key. While waiting for Zarak to complete modifications to [[Scorponok (G1)|his city]], Triggerhappy declared a possible gasket-blowing event was imminent should he be made to wait any longer. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}

Triggerhappy and the other Targetmasters returned to Cybertron just in the nick of time to save Galvatron from the remainder of the Autobot forces. Galvatron was less than impressed by their new Hive partners, however, and addressed Triggerhappy directly when he berated them for letting organics inhabit their bodies, despite the fact Triggerhappy wasn't a Headmaster. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

===Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Michihiro Ikemizu]]

Triggerhappy and his partners, Misfire and Slugslinger, were frequent opponents of the Autobot trio under [[Pointblank]]'s command. When all of them were engaged in combat over several space-faring denizens of planet [[Master (planet)|Master]], a massive explosion caught everyone off-guard. Triggerhappy and his partners and foes alike were transformed into Targetmasters, somehow fused together in pairs with each of the smaller Master Transformers by the explosion. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}}

{{charstubfiction}}

====''The Headmasters'' comic====
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Headmasters issue 7|The Headmasters #7}}

===Marvel Generation 1 comics===
[[Image:US69EyeofStorm.JPG|right|300px|thumb|"And you, Stand up straight! You're making us all look uncivilized!"]]
For some reason, when [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] was choosing troops who might enjoy becoming binary-bonded Targetmasters with more powerful weapons, he thought of Triggerhappy. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

During the war on Earth, Triggerhappy got sick of Scorponok's command, especially after he let that maniac [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] back into the Decepticons. Triggerhappy couldn't stand working with Starscream, so he and [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] left Scorponok's Decepticons and joined Shockwave's auxiliary army, which included Runamuck, Runabout, Ravage and Starscream. {{storylink|Eye of the Storm}}

Wait. What?

Their coup was interrupted when [[Primus]] summoned all the Transformers of Earth to Cybertron to do battle with [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|Out of Time!}} Triggerhappy and the other teleported Transformers witnessed Primus, speaking through the body of [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron]], tell the history of their supernatural war with the Dark God. {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
While [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] used his [[Nullification Cannon]] on Cybertron's [[energon]] suppliy, Triggerhappy was part of a team lead by [[Sixshot]] that carried out a diversionary attack. Triggerhappy was punched out by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===
[[Image:Stormbringer4 Decepticonfliers.jpg|left|180px|thumb|]]
Triggerhappy was part of the crew of the ''[[Thanatos]]'', commanded by [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] and the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. He begrudgingly gave aid to Optimus Prime and the [[Wrecker]]s while battling [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] in order to preserve their home planet of Cybertron and show the Autobots how war was really done. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4|Stormbringer #4}}

Much later, Triggerhappy appeared among the Decepticons imprisoned on Cybertron after the war with [[D-Void]]. {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson}} Triggerhappy was part of an angry Decepticon crowd who demanded answers from the Autobots for Ratbat's death.{{storylink|Stick Together}}
{{--}}

===''United''===
[[Image:FierceFightingOnPlanetNebulos-StraxusDecepticons.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
A [[nano-virus]] that afflicted most Autobots save the [[Targetmaster]]s and the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] required [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] to lead a team to [[Nebulos]] for an anti-virus. However, the nano-virus was merely a ploy by the Decepticons to draw out the Targetmasters and Headmasters to abduct their [[Nebulan]] partners, so when the Autobots arrived on Nebulos, Triggerhappy and several other Decepticons were waiting for them! Triggerhappy and the others quickly fell into disarray, unfortunately, when their leader Straxus was singled out and defeated. {{storylink|The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{Note|Triggerhappy is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Decepticon duplicates in the Autobot campaign.}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Triggerhappy with Blowpipe''' (Targetmaster, 1987)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-88'''
**''Accessories:'' "Blowpipe" Targetmaster gun/[[Compression cannon|Compressed Air Cannon]]
[[Image:G1 Triggerhappy toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Couldn't decide whether to come as Thundercracker or Skyquake.]]
: Triggerhappy transforms into a blue Cybertronic fighter craft with large, dual off-white cannons on either side his body, looking a fair bit like an [[Luke Skywalker|X-Wing fighter]] from ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]''. His Targetmaster partner, Blowpipe, can be stored in a socket on the rear of the fighter, just in front of where his head is stored. Somewhat unusually, the entire cockpit nose is mounted on a bar that swings upward so the nose meets with the rear fuselage to form his upper torso. His large fighter cannons swing up to the sides of his arms in robot mode, but the hinges aren't strong enough to deal with their weight, so they have a tendency to flop down. Blowpipe can be held in Triggerhappy's hands.

: Like the other Targetmasters, his Japanese release lacks a [[Rubsign]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Decepticon/Triggerhappy/triggerhappy.htm More information on Triggerhappy (with Blowpipe) at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Triggerhappy heads.JPG|right|200px|thumb|The guy on the left went on to [[wikipedia:Shredder_(Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles)|bigger and better]] things]]
* For some reason Triggerhappy's [[character model]] in the comics and cartoon differs from that of his toy and [[package art]]. He has a [[Mouthplate|faceplate]] in his fictional appearances, and normal eyes, giving him a ninja-like face. His toy features a normal face with Nightbeat-style "shades".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Triggerhappy''' (トリガーハーピー ''Torigāhāpī'')
*''French:'' '''Déclic''' (Canada)
*''Italian:'' '''Efestus'''

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Triggerhappy Triggerhappy and Blowpipe's Universe profile at NFTA.net]

[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Gunners]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Decepticons]]
[[Category:United Decepticons]]

Misfire (G1)

2012-09-16T01:36:43Z

Might Gaine: /* Generation 1 */

{{factions|decepticon}}
:''Misfire is a [[Decepticon]] [[Targetmaster]] (presumably under a very wide definition of "master") from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:G1Misfire boxart.jpg|right|350px|thumb|He couldn't hit the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] if he was shooting from inside it!]]

'''Misfire''' is the kind of guy you want on the Decepticons' side—if you're an Autobot, that is. He couldn't hit the broad side of [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]]. He holds the record for enrolling and failing the [[Decepticon Military College]], only graduating because the Autobots blew it up. He claims his aim is getting better. ''What was it like before?!''

Together with his [[Targetmaster]] partner [[Aimless (G1)|Aimless]], he's a danger to himself and others. Mostly others.

{{TOCclear}}

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Stan Jones]] (English), [[Hiroshi Naka]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Rebirth1-Misfirejetmode.jpg|left|thumb|200px|]]

Misfire was one of several Decepticon jets serving under [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] when they attacked [[Autobot City]] as part of a division while the Decepticon [[Clone (subgroup)|Clones]] stole the Key to the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]]. After Scourge successfully activated the chamber on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] (and inadvertently sent a shuttle full of Autobots and the key halfway across the galaxy), Misfire, [[Triggerhappy]], and [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] were among the Decepticon unit sent to retrieve the key. Following the Autobots to [[Nebulos]], Misfire, alongside Cyclonus and Scourge, blasted both [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] and [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]]. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}}

[[Image:Rebirth2-Aimlesssuitsyoubetter.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Maybe Misfire would aim better if he held his gun right.]]

After being soundly trounced by the new Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]], the Decepticons made a deal with the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]] to donate their heads and weapons for the [[binary bonding]] process. Misfire liked his partners to have short, memorable names. Armed with this new skill, Misfire and his [[Targetmaster]] companions successfully helped reacquire the Chamber's key... though Misfire himself and Aimless didn't really do very much that was helpful. To anyone. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}

Misfire did very little afterwards. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

===Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Tomomichi Nishimura]]
[[Image:HM31 Misfire robot mode.jpg|thumb|left|200px|That's "Ms. Fire" to you.]]

Misfire was a Decepticon aerial warrior partnered with [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] and [[Triggerhappy]]. Their campaigns typically took place far away from recognizable worlds such as Cybertron, Earth and [[Chaar]], battling against [[Pointblank]] and other Autobots on deep space missions. In 2011, Misfire and his partners allied themselves with [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] just before his siege of the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]] began. When a group of six refugees fled the planet seeking aid, Slugslinger, Misfire and Triggerhappy joined [[Sixshot]] in pursuing them. They crossed paths with the [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Battleship Maximus]] and their old foes Pointblank, [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] and [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] out in space. As the fighting raged outside, the refugees befriended [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] and volunteered to dispose of the [[plasma energy]] bombs aboard the battleship. As the refugees flew out in their starship to take the bombs to a safe distance, Misfire and the Decepticons moved to intercept them, but they were blocked by Pointblank's forces. The bombs exploded early, washing over all the Transformers present. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}}

Sixshot retrieved Misfire and his partners after the explosion, bringing them back to Master. The plasma energy had somehow [[Binary bonding|binary-bonded]] each of the Decepticons to one of the refugees. A permanent link now existed between Misfire and [[Aimless (Headmasters)|Aimless]], who could transformed into a powerful weapon for his new Decepticon master. Misfire and his Targetmaster partners rejoined the battle for Master at Scorponok's side. Their Targetmasters weapons were the equal of Pointblank and his men, who had also become Targetmasters in the plasma explosion. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}} As the Decepticon Targetmasters mingled with the Headmasters, they demonstrated...poor interpersonal skills around the energon water-cooler. Their braggadocio quickly got on the nerves of [[Weirdwolf]], leader of the Headmaster regiment. {{storylink|The Master Sword Is in Danger!!}}

[[Image:HM31 Misfire vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]

Misfire and his partners got into another fight with Pointblank's trio, and believed the Autobots were dead after triggering a flash flood that washed them out of sight. Their obnoxious self-congratulation rankled Weirdwolf even more, especially after his fellow Headmasters started gushing over the Targetmasters' skill. Luckily for Weirdwolf's ego, the Autobot Targetmasters later turned up alive and well. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}} With the Zarak Shield fully reforged out of [[G-Metal]], the Decepticons began making preparations to leave Master for Earth. Caliburst alerted Slugslinger that the Autobot Targetmasters had uncovered their location, and Misfire flew out with Sixshot and the Targetmasters to confront Pointblank's crew. They also unleashed massive devastation on a Master city when MegaZarak emerged from beneath it. {{storylink|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}}

As Scorponok's ship touched down on [[Pallas]] for repairs, Misfire and the Targetmasters defended it against Autobot attack. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}} At the North Pole, they were involved in the final battle against the Autobots, fighting their Targetmaster counterparts. After Fortress Maximus was tricked onto the platform of [[crysmagnetal]], Misfire and the other Decepticons fled out into space. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}

====''The Headmasters'' comic====
[[Image:HM issue 7 Decepticon Targetmasters.jpg|thumb|200px|]]

Misfire and the Decepticon Targetmasters attempted to disrupt the Autobots' efforts to put out a blazing fire on Earth. The Autobots' split focus left them vulnerable, until the Battleship Maximus extinguished the entire fire in one sweep. [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] and [[Artfire (Headmasters)|Artfire]] then turned their full attention on Misfire and his allies, driving them from the scene. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 7|The Headmasters #7}}

{{-}}
===Marvel Generation 1 comics===
{{noteukonly}}

[[Image:RobinSmithDecepticonCharacterModels1.jpg|left|thumb|200px|I'm sort of colored!]]

For some reason, when [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] was choosing troops who might benefit from being re-engineered as a [[Targetmaster]] with greater shooting ability, he thought of Misfire. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

''After the Autobot [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] stole Scorponok's head, Misfire led a group of Decepticons to recover their leader. Almost immediately after getting Zarak and Scorponok reattached, Misfire and his companions were cast into limbo to make room for the time-traveling [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] from 2009.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}}

[[Image:OntheEdgeofExtinction-Misfire.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I think the name "Shouldn't have tried to help Finback" suits you better!]]

Misfire was damaged to an unknown extent when a surface-to-air cannon manned by [[Finback]] overloaded and exploded. Seeing as they were fighting [[Unicron]], and Misfire was never seen again after that point... well, fill in the blanks. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
While [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] used his [[Nullification Cannon]] on Cybertron's [[energon]] suppliy, Misfire was part of a team lead by [[Sixshot]] that carried out a diversionary attack. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

===''United''===
[[Image:FierceFightingOnPlanetNebulos-StraxusDecepticons.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Peekaboo.]]
A [[nano-virus]] that afflicted most Autobots save the [[Targetmaster]]s and the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] required [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] to lead a team to [[Nebulos]] for an anti-virus. However, the nano-virus was merely a ploy by the Decepticons to draw out the Targetmasters and Headmasters to abduct their [[Nebulan]] partners, so when the Autobots arrived on Nebulos, Misfire and several other Decepticons were waiting for them! Misfire and the others quickly fell into disarray, unfortunately, when their leader Straxus was singled out and defeated. {{storylink|The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos}}
{{--}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===
[[Image:RulesofDisengagement-FulcrumMisfire.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Misfire is the only guy who asks permission to do a fatality.]]

{{quote|"You know, there are some Decepticons who, upon finding themselves in a skin-covered room surrounded by '''aborted protoforms''' and '''mechanoids made of bark,''' would rub their hands together, marvel at the universe's infinite capacity for surprise and '''dive right in.''' I am not one of those Decepticons.".|Misfire on himself}}

Misfire was part of a [[Scavenger (group)|ragtag Decepticon crew]] composed of [[Krok (G1)|Krok]], [[Flywheels]], [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] and [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] aboard the ''[[Weak Anthropic Principle]]'', currently located on the planet [[Clemency]]. Misfire's job was to extract [[Energon]] from corpses but his crazed personality often got in the way, in part due to sampling Energon whose [[Monstercon|former owners]] had overdosed on [[circuit speeder]]s. He was about to extract fuel from [[Fulcrum]]'s seemingly lifeless body when he suddenly came back online and kicked him away. Misfire then gave Fulcrum a tour and presented him to the other members of the bunch in a... most peculiar manner.

He later attended the campfire that night, and found a P-6 [[Worldsweeper]] ship while "chasing" what he thought was the [[Necrobot]]. During the crew's exploration of the ship, Misfire found a ceiling covered entirely in [[brain module]]s and decided it was probably better to "run away screaming". When the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] contacted them, Misfire naturally panicked. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{Note|"Missfire" is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Decepticon duplicates in the Autobot campaign.}}
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1 Misfire toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Jolt (Armada)|"I have articulation!"]]]]
*'''Misfire''' (Targetmaster, 1987)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-89'''
**''Accessories:'' "Aimless" Targetmaster partner/[[ionic blaster|double-barrelled ion particle blaster]]

:Misfire transforms into a pink Cybertronian car-jet thing that goes real fast. Hopefully he can steer better than he can aim. Funnily enough, unlike Triggerhappy and Slugslinger, Misfire is totally unarmed in vehicle mode unless Aimless is attached to him. Just as well, really. In robot mode, Misfire is one of the best articulated Targetmasters due to his clearly defined legs with hip and (however awkward) knee articulation coupled with good arm articulation, making him one of the small number of Generation 1 toys of this era that isn't a brick.

: Like the other Targetmasters, his Japanese release lacks a [[Rubsign]].

{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Linkage5-PreEarth.jpg|200px|thumb|Targetbastards.]]
* Misfire's design was used as a "generic" Decepticon in [[Linkage Part 5|"Linkage" Part 5]], in a flashback showing [[Redline]] and [[Flat-Out]]'s former Decepticon masters. This fits in with the general theme of using Generation 1 character models as unnamed extras in the [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|''Armada'' cartoon]]. Of course, his actual'' appearance'' fits in with artist [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]]'s general theme of using the toys as a visual reference rather than the [[Character model|character models]] used in animation; that is so not Misfire's ''Headmasters'' design.
* In IDW continuity, Misfire is so called because of "a very short story involving a machine gun, a '''''misunderstanding''''' and a dozen dead Decepticons".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Misfire''' (ミスファイヤー ''Misufaiyā'')
*''French:'' '''Longfeu''' (Canada, "Fizzled")
*''Italian:'' '''Elektro'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Huotan''' (China, 火炭, "Charcoal"), '''Diao Suo''' (China, 吊索, "Hanging Cable")

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1987/Decepticon/Misfire/misfire.htm Misfire at TFU.info]
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Misfire Misfire's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Interceptors]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Decepticons]]
[[Category:United Decepticons]]

Pointblank

2012-09-16T01:35:54Z

Might Gaine: /* Generation 1 */

{{factions|autobot}}
:''Pointblank is an [[Autobot]] [[Targetmaster]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:G1 Pointblank boxart.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A bot of brief speech and briefer forearms.]]
'''Pointblank''' would say that war is hell, if he wasn't a bot of very few words. Words make [[Trukk not munky|arguments]], and arguments make wars, and he wants no more of those. That isn't to say he's a poor fighter. He just wants a quiet place to sit down with a good datatrack and a glass of frosty [[energon]], without a Decepticon missile spoiling everything, and if he should find himself pounding the ever-loving lock washers out of the shooter of that missile, it isn't because he bears grudges or even out of regret for the waste of a good drink. No, it's just on general principle. Every battle won brings him closer to retirement, which of course is never going to happen in a million years. No hard feelings, though.

[[Peacemaker]] keeps trying to cheer up his Autobot partner, which doesn't make sense, since he's not really upset. He just wants to retire, perhaps to a cozy little polished-titanium cottage with [[Morphobot]]s twining up the walls, and maybe a cozy nuclear fire blazing on the lead-lined hearth—or for whatever rest an old Autobot soldier yearns. Just because he's pretty sure this won't happen and he'll end up a flattened, burned casualty of a never-ending war doesn't mean he's depressed, does it?

==Fiction==
===Marvel Generation 1 comics===
[[Image:Pointblankbrothersinarmor.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Quail Man!]]
Pointblank lived in an Autobot city on Cybertron. The city came under attack by Scorponok's crew of Decepticons, however, and was destroyed. Pointblank and numerous other captives were being marched to the [[smelting pool]]s when [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]'s band of Autobots attacked, driving off their Decepticon captors.

Pointblank joined Maximus's group and was one of the first Autobots to volunteer to join Maximus when he declared his intent to leave the war-torn [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] behind and try to live in peace. However, the native creatures on the peaceful planet [[Nebulos]] were suspicious of his warlike race. While Fortress Maximus and a few others surrendered their heads to achieve peace, Pointblank and the rest of the Autobots surrendered only their weapons. {{storylink|Ring of Hate!}}

Those who still had their heads started constructing a headquarters in a nearby forest clearing. As Pointblank oversaw the installation of a [[thermoelectric wall module]], the Autobots were visited by a committee from the [[Council of Peers]], who were interested in learning more about their alien visitors. Unknown to them, however, was that this visit allowed the politician [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]] to contact their rival Decepticons on Cybertron. As a result of Zarak's subterfuge, the Decepticons soon followed the Autobots to Nebulos, and war broke out. {{storylink|Broken Glass!}}

[[Image:BrothersinArmor-Targetmasters.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Targetmasters! Line up in alphabetical order!]]
As the war dragged on, both battle and propaganda began to swing in Zarak's favor. Fortress Maximus himself was captured. With Maximus out of the picture, Pointblank assumed an authority role within the Autobot ranks, possibly acting as group commander. Those Nebulans who supported Fortress Maximus's Nebulon parter, [[Galen]], were considered criminals by the government. A few who dared to defy this edict underwent the [[binary bonding]] process, took on code names, and became Targetmasters. Pointblank was soon paired up with [[Peacemaker]].

Pointblank led his fellow Targetmasters on their first assignment to protect [[The Nursery]] from Decepticon interference. He and his team fared well against [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] and the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], but when the Autobots realized their presence was causing the Nursery to be destroyed, Pointblank ordered his troops into retreat. The Autobots soon extrapolated this experience to the larger picture; realizing they were doing more harm than good, they left Nebulos. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

[[Image:Pointblank worlds apart.jpg|thumb|left|250px|I'm sensing a slight flaw here...]]
''Sometime before they left Nebulos Pointblank, [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] and [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] were captured by Scorponok, apparently because he couldn't perfect the Targetmaster process. The Autobot Headmasters attempted to rescue them from the [[Fortress of Despair]] but discovered too late that the Targetmasters were bait in a trap and that it was the Headmaster process The Decepticons were having trouble with. When their restraints were blasted by [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], the Autobot Targetmasters soon freed their partners Peacemaker, [[Pinpointer (G1)|Pinpointer]] and [[Spoilsport]] and set about the Decepticons. Despite them pretty much winning the battle, Scorponok was able to escape with [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] as a captive to study.'' {{storylink|Worlds Apart!}}

Pointblank then traveled to [[Earth]] with Fortress Maximus and the rest of ''[[Steelhaven]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s crew. After [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] was kidnapped, the Targetmasters attacked [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s [[Club Con|Decepticon island/spaceship]] under Maximus's leadership, but Pointblank and his comrades were held at bay by the island's defenses and could not join Fortress Maximus when he pursued the ship into space. {{storylink|The Desert Island of Space!}} He was later introduced to [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] as "Targetmaster Leader" (although on assignment, it seemed to be Kup who was leading the team). {{storylink|Totaled!}}

{{note|He was only seen in background roles later on. It is assumed that he survived the [[Underbase]]-empowered [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s assault like all Transformers with organic components, but while [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] and [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] resurfaced, Pointblank was never seen again.}}
{{-}}

===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Neil Ross]] (English) [[Kenichi Sakaguchi]] (Japanese), [[Hans-Rainer Müller]] (German, ''The Rebirth, Part 1''), [[Thomas Rau]] (German, ''The Rebirth, Part 3'')

Pointblank was hanging out on Cybertron when [[Brainstorm]] used a race between [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] as an experiment to demonstrate the Autobots could improve their capabilities with secondary human partners or operators. The discussion was interrupted by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], who warned the crew on Cybertron that the Decepticons had just raided [[Autobot City]] on Earth, and were now headed for the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]], 12 levels below Generator C on Cybertron. Pointblank and the other available Autobots loaded into a shuttle and took the largest ventilation shaft in existence deep under Cybertron's surface. They found [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] attempting to open the chamber, but stole the key back from him just before a bolt of plasma energy launched their shuttle into deep space. They eventually crashed on the planet [[Nebulos]], but luckily [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] suggested they "think good thoughts", and everyone walked away from the planetfall without a scratch. After some...miscommunication with the natives, the Autobots were confronted by a pursuing Decepticon ship. Pointblank and Hot Rod were blasted in the following battle as they drove through the Decepticon lines, and were captured as the 'Cons retreated with several others. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}}

In their absence, the remaining Autobots bio-mechanically engineered themselves into [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] by joining with the native Nebulans. Their new skill enabled them to rescue Pointblank and the others from Scourge and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]'s crew. After the Decepticons improved on the idea with the evil [[Hive (G1)|Hive]] to create Targetmasters, Pointblank and the remainined Autobots duplicated the new process to become Targetmasters themselves. He binary-bonded with a Nebulan sharpshooter named Peacemaker. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} The Targetmasters returned to Cybertron to prevent Galvatron from opening the Plasma Energy Chamber, then came back to Nebulos to restore it to peace and prosperity. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

===''The Headmasters'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Yūji Mikimoto]] (Japanese)

In his early years during the Great Wars on Cybertron, Pointblank was a brash, hot-headed warrior ruled by his heart—and often his pride. At one point [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was forced to expel him from the Autobots when he refused a direct order not to pursue a battlefield vendetta.<ref>The original Japanese episode simply says 'Commander', the specific identification of Optimus Prime is an artifact of the [[Omni Productions]] dub.</ref>
{{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}}

Pointblank later would become a legendary veteran soldier rumored to have defeated hundreds of Decepticons. According to Pointblank himself, his small team of [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]], [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]], and himself have speed and power unlike any other Transformer. He also did not like it that [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] considered him a friend. (Can we blame him?)

Pointblank, along with Crosshairs and Sureshot, was desperate to get into the heat of battle alongside the Autobots. He made short work of Sixshot but soon after was caught in an explosion of plasma energy when the refugees of [[Master (planet)|Master]] tried to dispose of Decepticon mine bombs. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}}

After the explosion settled, the damaged and unconscious Pointblank, along with Crosshairs and Sureshot, was brought back to Battleship Maximus for repairs. [[Brainstorm]] noticed new bizarre weaponry merged with their right hands. When healed, Pointblank told Chromedome how he'd now become one with a [[Peaceman (Headmasters)|small Master robot]] in both body and mind and how it could transform into a powerful weapon attachment for his arm. Fortress named them the "Targetmasters". Chromedome was not too keen on the Targetmasters' arrogance and claims of power and experience. Later on, Chromedome learned to respect and understand Pointblank and his team for who they are, and likewise for Pointblank. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}}

Pointblank questioned Fortress Maximus's ideas of war when he refused to sacrifice Wheelie to keep the [[Master Sword]]'s secret out of Decepticon hands. He later helped with the assault on the Decepticons to rescue [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] but was unable to hold the front line defense against the [[Duocon]]s, who in the end stole the Master Sword plans. {{storylink|The Master Sword Is in Danger!!}}

Doubting that [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] and the Decepticons had fled [[Master (planet)|Master]] Planet, Pointblank made a request to Fortress to go down to the planet to investigate. When talking to Fortress, Pointblank sensed [[Ratbat (G1)|someone]] else in the command room. Abruptly, the spy fled Maximus, revealing that the Decepticons were in fact on Master mining [[G-Metal]]. Landing on the planet, Pointblank and his Targetmaster team were ambushed by the Decepticon Targetmasters. During a quick skirmish, they were accidentally caught in a flash flood created by a stray laser blast and assumed dead by their evil counterparts. After recovering from the loss, Pointblank insisted on restoring the honor that the loss had cost him. The group continued their search 'till they found a group of Decepticons returning to what could be their secret base. Pointblank reported this to Fortress and was told to continue his investigation. Later, Pointblank found Transformer footprints leading to a large cave entrance, which, after deeper inspection, revealed the Decepticon base, in which [[Zarak Shield|something]] important was being built. Peaceman and the other two Autobot Targetmaster partners volunteered to go investigate. The Autobot Headmasters arrived on the scene and were also ambushed by the Decepticon Targetmasters, but were quickly saved by Pointblank and company. [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] was shocked to see the Autobot Targetmasters were still alive. A shootout began, but Zarak, fearing for the new Zarak Shield's safety, called a retreat. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}}

To calm the worries of Fortress and Chromedome about the new Zarak Shield, Pointblank and the Autobot Targetmasters reminded their commander that the shield was used as a defensive weapon, rather than an offensive one for a major attack. Pointblank suggested if they split up the Decepticons and destroyed them in small numbers, they would leave Scorponok with a super defensive shield but no warriors to dish out the offensive attacks for him. Fortress approved of the plan, but Chromedome objected. Pointblank assured that the Decepticons wouldn't escape destruction, and his group took their leave to the hidden Decepticon base.

During their attempt to sneak up on the Decepticons, Pointblank and the Autobot Targetmasters were spotted by the Decepticon Targetmaster partner [[Caliburst (G1)|Caliburst]], who informed the others of the surprise attack. Pointblank sensed something was wrong with the Decepticons' retreat formation, and his fears proved sound when the Decepticon Targetmasters made their presence known and rained lasers on them. Though outnumbered 3 to 7 by the Decepticon Headmasters, Targetmasters and Sixshot, Pointblank's team held a strong front and found an opening when a Planet Master reconnaissance jet distracted the Decepticons. The Autobots left the battle, hoping to cause their enemies to follow, but Sixshot, feeling the Targetmasters' movements were suspicious, ordered his group not to pursue.

Instead of the entire Decepticon team being led to their death in a large Planet Master ambush, Soundblaster alone followed discreetly and learned of the small base. Pointblank didn't expect this much firepower from the youth of Planet Master and wondered who could have made them take this action. He returned to Fortress to report that he felt Chromedome was logically behind the growth of offense from the small band of warriors.

Pointblank arrived at a large battle between the natives of Master, led by Chromedome, and the Decepticons, but high casualties among the Autobot ranks left Pointblank with little confidence in Chromedome's victory.

[[Image:Pointblankmessage.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Hey Fortress, trouble is a-brewin'...]]
After Fortress was downed in a small skirmish between himself and Scorponok, the Decepticons all left Planet Master for Earth. Chromedome, being hotheaded, attempted to follow, but Pointblank held him back, as enough people had died that day. When Chromedome objected, Pointblank punched the Headmaster right in the face to straighten him out. Chromedome objected again, and Pointblank throttled him, saying he didn't understand the big picture and that the dead hadn't died with peace or with honor. Pointblank was then shocked to see [[Kirk]] was still alive. {{storylink|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}}

When Daniel went missing, Pointblank and the Targetmasters opted to follow Scorponok to Earth while Fortress and the rest of the Autobots found him. After Daniel was found, Pointblank expressed relief, but also reported that Scorponok had just entered the Sol System. He vowed to continue his watch over Scorponok's movements until Battleship Maximus arrived. {{storylink|My Friend Sixshot!}}

He informed Fortress of Scorponok's propulsion failure and continued his pursuit. Later while communicating with Fortress he was ambushed by the Decepticon Targetmasters only to be saved by the Autobot Headmasters. When Chromedome arranged a one on one duel with Sixshot, Pointblank gave some words of advice to the young Headmaster. When the battle turned bad, he came to the rescue of Chromedome and Daniel and took them back to Battleship Maximus, where they all had a big laugh about it. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}}

As the Battleship Maximus returned to Earth, the Autobots learned of a series of mysterious Death Towers rising around the globe. In Santiago, [[Chile]], Pointblank and the Targetmasters followed up on an investigation by the [[Throttlebot]]s and the [[Clone (subgroup)|Autobot Clones]]. While Sureshot was taking energy readings on the tower, [[Predaking]] lept out of hiding and presented himself for battle. Pointblank said, "Not now, we're busy" and shot him down with one blast. Elsewhere on Earth, [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] and [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] hung their heads in shame. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1)}}

Pointblank and the Targetmasters joined the whole Autobot army in storming the Decepticon position at the North Pole. The two Targetmaster teams fought once more over the icey sheet. When Fortress Maximus was trapped in an energy circuit atop the [[crysmagnetal]] platform, Pointblank and the Targetmasters lent their personal energies to the Headmasters' [[Head Formation]]. With the combined strength of all the Autobots channeled into Fortress Maximus, he wsas able to free himself from the circuit and undo Scorponok's plan. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===
Pointblank was a crewman aboard the ''[[Ark-27]]'' when [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] came to investigate the disappearance of [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s survey team and the possible reappearance of [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2}} When Thunderwing returned to Cybertron, Pointblank took part in the subsequent battle against the [[Ultra-Energon|ultra-energized]] monster. He was apparently a bit leadfooted in his attack and paid for it. He survived, however and was aboard the ''Ark-27'' again as it transported Optimus Prime to Earth. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4}}

Pointblank and the crew of the ''Ark-27'' recovered the severely damaged [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] from a comet in the [[Muta-Gaath Nebula]] after the giant Autobot and Optimus Prime were attacked by [[Pretender Monster|a group of strange "gestalt" Transformers]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Optimus Prime}}

Pointblank was present at [[Kimia Facility]] when [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and the [[Sweep]]s invaded. {{storylink|Chaos Part One: Lamentations}} He survived the attack and joined the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' once the war was over. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Pointblank toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The engine-block fills in the Pointblank.]]
*'''Pointblank''' (Targetmaster, 1987)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-106'''
**''Accessories'': "Peacemaker"/"Peaceman" Targetmaster partner/"Sonic Blaster", spoiler/shield

: Pointblank transforms into a Cybertronic sports car. As a Targetmaster, he can hold in his hand or mount on his vehicle-mode roof any Targetmaster gun (or any weapon that uses a 5mm peg). He comes with his partner, [[Peacemaker]]/[[Peaceman (Headmasters)|Peaceman]] who transforms into his "Sonic Blaster" gun. His winged engine block can be removed and held as a shield.

: Pointblank is the only one of the new-character Targetmasters to have an accessory beyond his partner/rifle (in the US, at least).

: Like the other Targetmasters, his Japanese release lacks a [[Rubsign]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Autobot/Pointblank/pointblank.htm More information on Pointblank and Peacemaker at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

==Notes==
*The head on Pointblank's "[[The Rebirth|Rebirth]]" character model is rather different from the actual toy's, looking something like the [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] toy's head with a fin stuck on the forehead. His Japanese depictions do not use this model, instead opting for one much closer to the toy with exaggerated antennae off the sides.

*Unlike his toy or "[[The Rebirth]]" depiction, the Japanese Pointblank's Targetmaster partner does not transform into a handheld gun, but rather a gun attachment which affixes onto his hand after his own fist folds and tucks into his forearm. The same applies to the other Japanese Targetmasters.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Blanker''' (ブランカー ''Burankā'')
*''French:'' '''Bout-Portant''' (Canada)
*''Italian:'' '''Sibilo'''
*''Russian:'' '''Bonko''' (cartoon, Бонко)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Pointblank Pointblank's Universe profile at NFTA.net]

[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]

Crosshairs (G1)

2012-09-16T01:34:25Z

Might Gaine: /* Generation 1 */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Crosshairs}}
:''Crosshairs is an [[Autobot]] [[Targetmaster]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:G1 Crosshairs boxart.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Crosshairs. Everyone owns one. Everyone.]]
As the Autobot weapons supervisor, '''Crosshairs''' oversees the procurement and maintenance of a dizzying arsenal of implements of death for his fellow Autobots. Long association with such machinery has made him meticulous and careful, possibly to a fault. Crosshairs will often refuse to fire his own weapon unless he's certain it won't miss.

Crosshairs enjoys a good relationship with his equally methodical Targetmaster partner [[Pinpointer (G1)|Pinpointer]], who is content to let Crosshairs call the shots.

==Fiction==
===Marvel Generation 1 comics===
{{noteukonly}}
Crosshairs was Weapons Supervisor in his hometown on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]; he had a long career of acquiring and maintaining his comrades' arsenal of boom sticks. He found the role disturbing, however, as he saw more and more casualties as a result of his work. {{storylink|The Transformers Universe|Crosshairs's ''Universe'' profile}} Eventually, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s Decepticons came along and blew the place up and took everybody captive. Crosshairs was being shuffled off toward a messy end in the [[smelting pool]]s when an attack by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] and company saved him.

Crosshairs quickly joined Maximus's band, and he was among the first to agree when Maximus decided to quit the war and seek peace on [[Nebulos]].

However, when stuff exploded on Nebulos, Fortress Maximus was all "Waah, I'm on fire, where did our guns go?" and Crosshairs was pressed back into service as the Autobots' armorer. {{storylink|Ring of Hate!}}

[[Image:BrothersinArmor-Targetmasters.jpg|thumb|left|250px|]]
When the Autobots' [[Nebulan]] allies feared that the Decepticons were planning to attack [[The Nursery]], Crosshairs didn't care: he had already given away his gun to make peace with the Nebulans, so it's not like he could do anything about it. Instead, he suggested leaving Nebulos and traveling to [[Earth]], but was voted down and forced to go save [[The Nursery]] with the other Targetmasters. Unfortunately, the ensuing battle just ended up destroying the place, so the Autobots retreated. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

[[Image:Crosshairs worlds apart.jpg|thumb|right|Who are you calling yellow?]]
''Before leaving Nebulos [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]], Crosshairs and [[Pointblank]] were captured by Scorponok's Decepticons and word was leaked to their Headmaster comrades that it was because they were having trouble perfecting the Targetmaster process. However, when the Autobot Headmasters attempted to rescue them from the [[Fortress of Despair]] they found that the Targetmasters were merely bait and that it was the Headmasters Scorponok was interested in. Freed by [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], the Autobot Targetmasters broke out their partners [[Peacemaker]], Pinpointer and [[Spoilsport]], pretty much winning the battle. However, Scorponok was able to escape with [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] as a captive to study the Headmaster process.'' {{storylink|Worlds Apart!}}

{{note|In the UK-produced "Worlds Apart", Crosshairs and Sureshot's colours are switched.}}

Crosshairs eventually ended up on Earth like he wanted, where he participated in a failed attack on the Decepticons' [[Club Con|island headquarters]]. {{storylink|The Desert Island of Space!}} He later watched [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] fight it out over Autobot leadership on the [[Moon (moon)|moon]], but the duel was interrupted by a full-scale Decepticon assault on everyone present. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

When [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] took control of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], he blasted Crosshairs. [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] later mentioned that three Autobots were deactivated by Thunderwing, and since Crosshairs was never seen again, it's possible he was one of the casualties. {{storylink|All Fall Down}}

====Earthforce====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[Image:Grimlock prime ark crew break-away.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
Crosshairs was among the "new age" Autobots who attended [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s meeting with [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] about their more brutal methods. When Grimlock threatened to quit the Autobots, Prime seemed all too willing to let him, and the two of them actually came to blows. After beating some sense into each other, however, Optimus Prime agreed to allow Grimlock his autonomy, to lead "Earthforce" while he and the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'s crew took off for space. {{storylink|Break-Away!}}
{{-}}

===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Neil Ross]] (English), [[Jin Horikawa]] (Japanese), [[Thomas Rau]] (German)

[[Image:Targetmasters.jpg|left|200px|thumb|And the winner of the 100 meter dash is...!]]
Crosshairs does quite the Ronald Reagan impression. Or maybe Jack Nicholson. He is very concerned with "the hubbub".

Crosshairs was among the group of Autobots in 2007 that pursued [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] into [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s depths and into the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]. The group's shuttle was subsequently blasted across the cosmos, crash-landing on [[Nebulos]]. They were captured by the natives, and only got released when the Decepticons attacked. While several of his teammates were knocked out and captured in the subsequent battle, the completely undamaged Crosshairs just ''stood there'' while [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] grabbed him and flew off with him.

Seriously, he didn't even ''try'' to get away. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}}

Outnumbered, Crosshairs' friends created new Headmasters technology to rescue him and the others from the Decepticons. The 'Cons then countered with Headmaster and Targetmaster technologies, upping the arms race on Nebulos and stealing back the Key to the Plasma Energy Chamber from the Autobots. Still, [[Brainstorm]] managed to scan a Nebulan Targetmaster and duplicate the process, letting Crosshairs binary bond with a native sharpshooter named [[Pinpointer (G1)|Pinpointer]] as a Targetmaster himself. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}}

After returning to Cybertron, Crosshairs and the Targetmasters helped stop [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]'s plot to destroy Earth's sun, and ushered in a new Golden Age of Cybertron by recharging Vector Sigma with excess solar energy. They then returned to Nebulos to clear the planet of the Hive's evil machines. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

===''The Headmasters'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Hōchū Ōtsuka]] (Japanese)

Crosshairs was one of the top two lieutenants of [[Pointblank]], a famed Autobot sub-commander of fantastic skill. They arrived on Earth shortly after the final defeat of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] to join forces with [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] and his men. Fortress was in the midst of dealing with some planetary-level explosives left behind by the Decepticons, and so Crosshairs and his comrades went with Fortress aboard the Battleship Maximus to dispose of the bombs. Out in space, they had just reached a safe distance from Earth when they passed a refugee ship being attacked by the Decepticons. Crosshairs, Pointblank and [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] went out onto the surface of the battleship to engage the enemy long enough for the refugees to get inside. The battle continued to rage outside until the refugees attempted to return the kind favor by removing the bombs to a safe distance themselves. The Decepticon sub-commander [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] flew out after them, and Crosshairs joined his comrades in pursuing them, right up until the plasma bombs exploded, bathing Autobot and Decepticon alike with tremendous energies. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}}

The [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]s recovered the unconscious Crosshairs and his friends from space. Miraculously, the three Autobots had not only survived the explosion, each of them had also been fused to one of the Master refugees in a kind of symbiotic combination. The smaller Master robot known as [[Pointech]] could now transform into a powerful weapon and affix himself to Crosshairs's hand, creating a Targetmaster. Pointblank and his men seemed cocky before, but their newfound power made them almost unbearable. Crosshairs and Sureshot had to get between Pointblank and the Headmasters when their leader simply would not shut up about how awesome he was. After the Autobots arrived on Master, [[Apeface]] and [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]] were triple-teamed by the new Targetmasters. Perhaps not considering the [[Horrorcon]]s worthy of their new powers, Crosshairs and the Targetmasters spent the whole battle unarmed and in vehicle mode, and still royally smacked the chips out of the two Decepticons. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}}

Crosshairs continued to serve on Master with Pointblank and Fortress. He and his fellow Targetmasters were involved in the battle for data on the [[Master Sword]]. {{storylink|The Master Sword Is in Danger!!}} While in orbit around Master in the Battleship Maximus, the Targetmasters spotted [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] spying on them, and chased him and [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundblaster]] back to the planet's surface. Their pursuit was interrupted by the arrival of the Decepticon Targetmasters, who tried to eliminate the Autobots by blasting open a natural reservoir, washing Crosshairs and his friends away in a massive wave. The Targetmasters survived, however, and located the Decepticons' secret cavern base. They sent out their small partners to covertly investigate the base, but the loud and bolsterous arrival of [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] and the Headmasters made stealth impossible, and so a battle was joined. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}}

{{charstubfiction}}

===3H comics===
[[Image:Hotspot-wreckers.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]
He was part of a crew of Autobot reinforcements led by [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] with the unenviable task of rescuing [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]], [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] and [[Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist]] from Fujiyama's [[Nightbird (G1)|latest blunder]]. There were a lot of Nightbirds to kill off. {{storylink|Departure}}
{{-}}

===IDW comics continuity===
[[Image:Stormbringer4 Crosshairs Autobots.jpg|left|180px|thumb|"If you kids don't pipe down, I'll turn this Ark around, so help me Primus!"]]
During the early years of the war, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] wanted to see a lineup and rollcall of all his newest warriors. [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] thought this was stupid, but Crosshairs and a few other newbies showed up for this anyway. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13#Old Ways|Old Ways}} Crosshairs was later part of an Autobot team led to victory by [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]. {{Storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 14#Replay|Replay}}

In the modern day, Crosshairs was stationed out of the [[Autobot Orbital Command Hub]] and was seen acting as navigator for the crew of the ''[[Ark-27]]''. They transported Optimus Prime into battle with [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] on Cybertron {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2|Stormbringer #2}} and later brought him to Earth to follow up a lead on the Decepticons' resurrection and to investigate the why the Decepticon [[infiltration protocol|Infiltration unit]] there had assumed Siege Mode. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4|Stormbringer #4}}

Later, Crosshairs was with the rest of the ''Ark 27''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s crew as they worked to recover the heavily-damaged [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] after his battle with [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Optimus Prime}} He was present on the Orbital Command Hub when [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] announced his return to the airwaves, and was one of the trusted Autobots [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] chose to help him apprehend the mind-controlled [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], who was programmed by [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] to kill Blaster. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}}

Crosshairs also spent time as a weapons designer at the [[Kimia Facility]]. Whereas engineers like [[Brainstorm]] specialized in the absurd and unbelievable, Crosshairs focused more on developing new guns and conventional weapons. Ten months before [[Operation: Retrieval]], he discovered [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]] on the floor of his workshop, a victim of his own [[cerebro-sensitive bullet]]. {{storylink|Bullets}}

Alongside the rest of the Autobots at Kimia, Crosshairs was caught by surprise when [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and the [[Sweep]]s invaded the facility. {{storylink|Chaos Part One: Lamentations}} He and several others managed to escape, and drifted in a cramped escape pod for some time until they were rescued by [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings}} She told the survivors about [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]'s misguided plans to save the universe (which would actually destroy it), then brought them to Cybertron to put a stop to it. Crosshairs and the others bailed out of the ship before Arcee rammed it into the planet. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Crosshairs toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
* '''Crosshairs''' (Targetmaster, 1987)
** ''Japanese ID number'': '''C-107'''
** ''Accessories'': "Pinpointer"/"Pointech" Targetmaster partner

: Crosshairs transforms into a Cybertronic van-buggy-sorta-kinda-thing. As a Targetmaster, he can hold in his hand or mount on his vehicle-mode roof any Targetmaster gun (or any weapon that uses a [[5mm post]]). He was released with his partner, Pinpointer/[[Pointech]].

: Like the other Targetmasters, his Japanese release lacks a [[Rubsign]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Autobot/Crosshairs/crosshairs.htm More information on Crosshairs & Pinpointer at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
* Along with many other Generation 1 characters, Crosshairs's animation model appeared as a generic Autobot in the [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|''Transformers: Armada'']] cartoon. Specifically, it's his Japanese model from ''The Headmasters'' cartoon.
* Crosshairs's voice in the American cartoon seems to be an impersonation of [[President of the United States|Ronald Reagan]].

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Crosshairs''' (クロスヘアーズ ''Kurosuheāzu'')
*''French:'' '''Échevelé''' (Canada)
*''Italian:'' '''Cross'''

==External links==
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Crosshairs Crosshairs's Universe profile at NFTA.net]

[[Category:Beast Machines Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]

Sureshot (G1)

2012-09-16T01:32:55Z

Might Gaine: /* Generation 1 */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig2|the way-bad Generation 1 Autobot Targetmaster|the Generation 2 European Hero Prime [[redeco]]|Sureshot (G2)}}
{{picsneeded}}

:''Sureshot is an [[Autobot]] [[Targetmaster]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:G1 Sureshot boxart.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Dammit, [[Weirdwolf]]! Stop peeing on my lawn!!]]
'''Sureshot''' is [[Pat Lee|an ego]] that holds a gun. 

''He's too skillful for his chestplate, too skillful for his chestplate.'' 
''His shooting is great. And he's too much for [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] and even [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]],'' 
''[[Femax]] and [[Nebulos|Nebulon]].'' 

''And he's too skillful to take orders'' 
''Or work with stupid [[human|stubbies]].'' 
''The [[Optimus Prime (G1)|big red guy]] can stuff it.'' 

''He's a marksman—you know what that means—'' 
''And he shoots his laser gun on the front lines...'' 
''On the front lines, on the front lines, yeah.'' 
''He shoots his laser gun on the front lines.'' 

''And he's too skillful for this song...''

Sureshot would probably be pleased if [[Hasbro|a toy company]] produced a replica of his marvelous self, but extremely annoyed if said replica were [[Sureshot (G2)|a redeco of an Optimus Prime toy]].

Sureshot's [[Targetmaster]] partner [[Spoilsport]] is just as good at marksmanship as him, and he hates that.

==Fiction==
===Marvel Generation 1 comics===
{{noteukonly}}
Sureshot was one of many Autobots living in an unnamed city on Cybertron. The city was eventually incinerated by Scorponok's Decepticons; Sureshot was among the numerous Autobots captured and marched off toward the [[smelting pool]]s. Only a timely attack by Fortress Maximus's band saved them, driving off their Decepticon captors.

Sureshot apparently joined Fortress Maximus's group at this point; he was part of the group of Autobots who abandoned the war under the leadership of [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], attempting to give peace a chance on the new world of [[Nebulos]]. Their efforts at peaceful coexistence with the natives were destabilized by mistrust and treachery, however, prompting Fortress Maximus to make a desperate bid for peace. Sureshot was one of nearly a dozen Autobots who gave up their personal weapons to the Nebulans as a sign of cooperation—a major sacrifice for Sureshot, to be sure. {{storylink|Ring of Hate!}}

[[Image:BrothersinArmor-Targetmasters.jpg|thumb|left|250px|]]
The arrival of the Decepticons was almost beneficial for the Autobots, as it compelled the Autobots and Nebulans to work together by [[binary bonding]] into integrated [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] pairings. After [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] and his army made a deal with the unscrupulous Lord [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]] and became Headmasters themselves, though, they were able to use Zarak's connections and [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]]'s hypnotic power to turn public Nebulan sentiment against the Autobots. Sureshot and many of his fellow warriors were still weaponless, and now leaderless after Fortress Maximus and the Headmasters were captured by Zarak's crew. Luckily, some Nebulans still believed in Max's partner, [[Galen|Peer Galen]], and had themselves bio-mechanically engineered to transform into weapons that would replace those the Autobots lost. In defending the Nursery botanical gardens, Sureshot first combined with his Nebulan partner [[Spoilsport]] as an Autobot [[Targetmaster]]. Shortly thereafter, the Autobots chose to abandon Nebulos rather than allow the war to continue raging over an innocent new world. {{storylink|Brothers in Armor!!}}

[[Image:Sureshot misfire worlds apart.jpg|thumb|right|I '''DO''' look good in pink!]]
''At some point before they left Nebulos Sureshot, [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] and [[Pointblank]] were captured by Scorponok's Decepticons, ostensibly because they were having trouble perfecting the Targetmaster process. However, when the Autobot Headmasters pursued the fleeing Decepticons back to their [[Fortress of Despair]] they found that the Targetmasters were merely bait and that it was the Headmasters that Scorponok wanted to study. After [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] released their bonds the Autobot Targetmasters freed [[Peacemaker]], [[Pinpointer (G1)|Pinpointer]] and Spoilsport and joined the fray. Although they pretty much won the battle, Scorponok was able to escape with a captive [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]].'' {{storylink|Worlds Apart!}}

{{note|In the UK-produced "Worlds Apart", Crosshairs and Sureshot's colours are switched.}}

Sureshot and the other Autobots made their way to Earth and eventually came under the command of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Sureshot didn't see any major action under Prime's command and was actually taken down inside the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'s hallways when a crazed [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]/[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] fusion...thingy went rampaging through the ship. {{storylink|The Pri¢e of Life!}} He was repaired in short order by [[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]] and was up and active by the time [[Primus]] summoned all the Transformers of Earth back to Cybertron to do battle with [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}} A destroyed vehicle resembling Sureshot was seen in the aftermath of the battle with the Planet-Eater. {{storylink|Still Life!}}

===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Steve Bulen]] (English), [[Ken Narita]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Sureshot lefty.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Sureshot will fight left-handed; otherwise, it's over too quickly.]]
Sureshot was first seen hanging around with [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]], [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]], [[Brainstorm]] and several others on Cybertron when [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] radioed in to warn them that the Decepticons were coming for an assault. How many Decepticons, you ask? ALL of them. It seemed [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] had learned of the Plasma Energy Chamber, the foundry in which the original Autobot bodies were forged, and had a plan to take the Chamber's key, open it, and turn the massive energies within to his advantage. Sureshot and his allies managed to get the key back from Galvatron's lackey, [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], just before a blast of [[plasma energy]] sent their shuttle rocketing through space. They eventually crash-landed on the planet Nebulos and were captured by machine-hating rebels who mistook the Autobots for creations of their enemies, the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]].

When the Decepticons arrived, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] was able to convince the Nebulan leader [[Gort]] to release the Autobots to fight for them. Mere moments after the energy bonds were undone, though, Sureshot was disabled by the Decepticons' opening volley of laser fire. The 'Cons disengaged after a short battle, taking the fallen Autobots with them as leverage and to torture them for the location of the key. After applying Brainstorm's ideas for bio-mechanical engineering to themselves and the Nebulans to become Headmasters, the free Autobots assaulted the Decepticons and managed to reclaim Sureshot and the rest of their comrades.

[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], Scourge and the other Decepticons then made a devil's bargain with Zarak and the Hive, creating Decepticon Headmasters and a new variant in binary bonding: Targetmasters. Their enhancements proved effective, and they managed to steal back the key from the Autobots. On the other hand, Brainstorm's exo-scanner captured a full bodyscan of a Targetmaster warrior, allowing him to recreate the process and turn Sureshot and several others into Autobot Targetmasters, binary bonded to six Nebulan sharpshooters. Having created two giant transforming starships as well, Scorponok and later Fortress Maximus, the Transformers carried the battle back to Cybertron, where the power of the Plasma Energy Chamber was ultimately reversed back into the planet's core, revitalizing Cybertron back to what it was in the Golden Age. Sureshot and the -Master warriors were last seen returning to Nebulos to cleanse the planet of the Hive's evil machines. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1|The Rebirth}}

===''The Headmasters'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Masaharu Satō]] (Japanese), [[Rik Thomas]] (English, [[Omni Productions]] dub)

Sureshot was part of an elite trio of Autobots, along with [[Pointblank]] and [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]]. Contrary to what SOME 'bots may have said, he was no friend of [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]'s. He and his comrades came to Fortress's aid shortly after the deaths of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] and Galvatron changed the course of the war. They became involved in a mission to dispose of deadly plasma energy bombs when everything became complicated by the arrival of a Decepticon space squad and a ship of refugees trying to flee from the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]]. The bombs ended up going off during the battle, and several Autobots and Decepticons were bathed with plasma energy. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}}

The [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] recovered the unconscious Sureshot and his friends from space. Miraculously, the three Autobots had not only survived the explosion, each of them had also been fused to one of the Master refugees in a kind of symbiotic combination. The smaller Master robot known as [[Spoil (Headmasters)|Spoil]] could now transform into a powerful weapon and affix himself to Crosshairs' hand, creating a Targetmaster. Pointblank and his men seemed cocky before, but their newfound power made them almost unbearable. Sureshot and Crosshairs had to get between Pointblank and the Headmasters when their leader simply would not shut up about how awesome he was. After the Autobots arrived on Master, [[Apeface]] and [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]] were triple-teamed by the new Targetmasters. Perhaps not considering the [[Horrorcon]]s worthy of their new powers, Sureshot and the Targetmasters spent the whole battle unarmed and in vehicle mode, and still royally smacked the chips out of the two Decepticons. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}}

Sureshot continued to serve on Master with Pointblank and Fortress. He and his fellow Targetmasters were involved in the battle for data on the [[Master Sword]]. {{storylink|The Master Sword Is in Danger!!}} While in orbit around Master in the Battleship Maximus, the Targetmasters spot [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] spying on them, and chase him and [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundblaster]] back to the planet's surface. Their pursuit was interrupted by the arrival of the Decepticon Targetmasters, who tried to eliminate the Autobots by blasting open a natural reservoir, washing Sureshot and his friends away in a massive wave. The Targetmasters survived, however, and located the Decepticons' secret cavern base. They sent out their small partners to covertly investigate the base, but the loud and bolsterous arrival of [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] and the Headmasters made stealth impossible, and so a battle was joined. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}}

Sureshot and the Targetmasters continued working with Fortress's army against Scorponok and were involved in the final [[Head Formation]] that destroyed Mega Zarak at the North Pole. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
Following the destruction of Cybertron's [[energon]] supply by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], Sureshot was on [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s team for a mission to destroy the [[Nullification Cannon]]. After they broke into the Decepticon's hidden base, Optimus went on alone, and succeeded in destroying the Cannon. Blurr and Sureshot helped him limp away from the destruction. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

===3H comics===
Sureshot, Crosshairs, and [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]], were part of a rescue team sent to [[Japan]] to retrieve [[Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist|Doctor Fujiyama]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] from an all-out assault of an army of [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbirds]]. Sureshot had the task of suppressing Fujiyama's latest blunder. {{storylink|Departure}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===
Sureshot was a crewman aboard the ''[[Ark-27]]'' under the command of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. He was seated next to the navigator station, so he could have been in charge of anything from sensor operations to communications to helm control. With his pride in his shooting, though, weapons seems a good bet. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2|Stormbringer #2}}

Sureshot was present when [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and the [[Sweep]]s invaded Kimia. He survived the massacre and got away aboard an escape pod piloted by [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] and [[Brainstorm]]. They were soon rescued by [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings}} She told the survivors about [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]'s misguided plans to save the universe (which would actually destroy it), then brought them to Cybertron to put a stop to it. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis}}

After Cybertron was reborn in the wake of the [[D-Void]]'s attack, Sureshot joined [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]]'s mission to use the map within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to find the [[Knights of Cybertron]] at [[Cyberutopia]]. The mission's departure in the ''[[Lost Light]]'' was interrupted by an explosion in the ship sending it into premature [[quantum jump]]. The resulting hull breach sucked Sureshot out of the ship. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} He was soon rescued by Rodimus and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], who had come to retrieve him and the others. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On‎|Hangers On}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
*'''Sureshot''' (Targetmaster, 1987)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-105'''
**''Accessories'': "Spoilsport"/"Spoil" Targetmaster partner

: Sureshot transforms into a Cybertronic buggy somewhat resembling a [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes|Baja buggy]]. As a Targetmaster, he can hold in his hand or mount on his vehicle-mode roof any Targetmaster gun (or any weapon that uses a 5mm peg). He came with his partner, [[Spoilsport]]/[[Spoil (Headmasters)|Spoil]].

: Like the other Targetmasters, his Japanese release lacks a [[Rubsign]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1987/Autobot/Sureshot/sureshot.htm More information on Sureshot at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
*Sureshot's [[character model]] (to be precise, his Japanese one from ''The Headmasters'' rather than his Western one) was recolored and used in ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' to make the "[[arrogant Autobot officer]]".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Sureshot''' (サーショット ''Sāshotto'')
*''French:'' '''Tirexact''' (Canada)
*''Italian:'' '''Dragster'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Sasha''' (Taiwan [[Omni Productions]] dub, 沙夏 ''Shā Hsìa'')
*''Russian:'' '''Sniper''' (Снайпер, ''Snaĭper'')

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Sureshot Sureshot's Universe profile at NFTA.net]

[[Category:Beast Machines Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]

Starscream (BW)

2012-05-19T22:07:06Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|predacon}}
{{disambig3|Starscream}}
:''Starscream is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Combatron (BWII)|Combatron]] from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:BWIIStarscreamVideoBox.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Probably sounds just like [[wikipedia:Maximillion Pegasus|Maximillion Pegasus]].]]
'''Starscream''' (スタースクリーム ''Sutāsukurīmu'') is the effeminate [[Air Commander]] of [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]]'s Predacons on [[Gaea]]. He is partnered with the dull-witted [[BB]]; strangely, he seems to interpret BB's grunts of "Roger" into actual sentences. Though ridiculously girly, he is in reality a treacherous little so-and-so who will take any opportunity to seize power, much as [[Starscream (G1)|his namesake]]. He hates the other Predacon Jet Warriors, [[Dirge (BWII)|Dirge]] and [[Thrust (BWII)|Thrust]], considering them simpletons. In jet mode he can combine with BB into the "Formation Scream" which enhances their aerial attack power.

He was later upgraded via [[Angolmois]] energy into the [[Cyborg Beast]] '''Hellscream''' (ヘルスクリーム ''Herusukurīmu'').

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars II'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Hiroki Takahashi]] (Japanese)

{{cleanup|September 2010|Needs more detail and ALL appearances, with links to these episodes.}}

[[Image:Girlyscream1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Tee hee!]]
Starscream and BB were the right-hand men of Galvatron and [[Megastorm]] during the Beast Wars on Gaea. Starscream's major role during those Beast Wars, however, was to try and kill his fellow Predacons so he could move up the chain of command. (he was gunning for [[Emperor of Destruction]]). At one point, he even went so far as to dunk Megastorm in a pit of pure Angolmois energy, assuming it would kill him. Unfortunately, all it did was upgrade Megastorm into Gigastorm.

Starscream later got his own Angolmois energy upgrade. Gigastorm, hoping to destroy all the [[Maximal]]s at once, set up a series of bombs and then hid himself behind a mountain. Starscream and BB then showed up and tangled with the Maximals. They lost, but rather than face an honorable defeat, Starscream pleaded for the chance to switch sides and fight against the Predacons. This enraged Gigastorm, who then activated the explosives regardless of Starscream and BB's safety. The pair then fell into a pit of pure Angolmois, supposedly to their doom. However, Starscream weathered it quite well, emerging from the pit in a new cybernetic shark form as "Hellscream".

[[Image:HellscreamMovie1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Artemis has low standards when it comes to men]]
Later when a strange ship landed on Gaea, Hellscream took part in stealing the Control Unit for it. However a few minutes later Lio Junior charged at him and almost killed him, but he was saved by [[BB|Max-B]] (the upgraded BB). Hellscream was present for the summoning of [[Majin Zarak]], and took part in the climactic battle only to be beaten up by [[Diver (BWII)|Diver]] and [[Bighorn]], and forced into retreat along with the others. Galvatron stated that he and the others were morons and continued the attack on the Maximals. {{storylink|Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars Neo'' cartoon====
After the defeat of [[Unicron]], Hellscream and the rest of the exiled Predacons were invited back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to help restore their home planet. {{storylink|Graduation Ceremony!!}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars II'' comic===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{-}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
[[Image:BWAscending3 heralds.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Let's get this rave started! ACEEEEEED!"]]
Starscream spent time in a Maximal prison facility, where he developed grandiose plans for the future. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook 4}} There, Starscream also met and befriended the traumatized giant [[BB]]. During an escape from the prison, Starscream took BB with him, solidifying BB's loyalty to Starscream. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook 1}} After their escape, Starscream and BB joined [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]]'s [[Destron (BW)|Destrons]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook 4}} Starscream was later exposed to [[Angolmois]] by [[Megastorm|Gigastorm]], which altered the jet into the vicious Hellscream. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook 2}}

At some point, Starscream became one of [[Herald of Unicron|Unicron's heralds]] and subsequently one of [[Herald of Shokaract|Shokaract's Heralds]]. When [[Shokaract]] faced [[Big Convoy]] in battle, Hellscream and the other Heralds returned to Cybertron with, as Hellscream put it, more than enough [[Angolmois]] for Shokaract's eternal glory. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 3|The Ascending # 3}} He went on to help spread Angolmois across Cybertron, causing widespread chaos and violence. When Shokaract suddenly disappeared from the battlefield, he and his fellow Heralds temporarily retreated to think up what to do next. 'Next' never happened due to [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] and a grenade, which put an end to the Heralds' deaths. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 4|The Ascending # 4}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
When a super-powerful [[Energon crystal]] was discovered on [[Earth]], Starscream was one of the several Predacons involved in the ensuing conflicts. He was not, however, directly involved in combat: instead, sent on missions to traverse pit-riddled fields, occasionally having to fend off enormous bacteria opponents. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BW2 Starscream toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Soon to be hosting "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy".]]
* '''Starscream and BB''' (Ultra, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-13'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 missile launchers, 2 missiles

: A recolor of [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] with [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]], this toy is nearly identical to the unreleased ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron ATB]] with [[Starscream (G1)/toys|Starscream]] toy. Starscream transforms into a fighter jet of undetermined (probably made-up) model. He has two side-mounted spring-loaded rocket launchers that become hand-weapons in robot mode. He can combine with BB's vehicle mode to form the large Formation Scream stealth bomber jet.

: The stickers on his tailfins and on BB's arms call him "Starscrem." This is easily ignorable as bad [[romanization|transliteration]].

: This mold is also used by ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Smokejumper]] and ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' [[Smokesniper]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Destron/Stascream/starscream.htm More information on Starscream at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Hellscream}}
[[Image:BWII-toy_Hellscream.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Heart of sharkness.]]
*'''Hellscream''' (Deluxe, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-23'''
**''Accessories:'' Head missile launcher/sword hilt, spear missile, 2 missiles

: An extensive [[retool]]ing of the ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Cybershark]] mold, "Hellscream" now transforms into a heavily-cyborged shark. This toy features a new mechanically styled beast mode head, fins and tail, a new robot mode head, arm, and leg. The beast mode head may be launched in shark mode and used as a hand-weapon in robot mode. The beast mode body/robot mode chest has a flip-up spring-loaded missile launcher that can fire the head or the two missiles that store in Hellscream's back. The tail turbine has a spring-loaded missile launcher as well.

: This mold was slightly [[redeco]]ed to make ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Overbite (Universe)|Overbite]]. A [[retool]] of the original mold was used to make [[Sharp Edge (BWN)|Sharp Edge]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Destron/Hellscream/hellscream.htm More information on Hellscream at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
{{charstubtoys}}

==Notes==
*Starscream's name is repeatedly mistranslated as "Starscrem" in Japanese material, including the stickers on the toy.
*According to the Beast Wars Sourcebook, Hellscream hates his new form and would prefer to have his jet form back.
* Like some of the other Beast Wars II Predacons, Starscream was reissued in [[Korea]] in [[Car Robots]] packaging, reaffiliated as an Autobot, and renamed. His new name: [[Stealth Saber]].

==External links==
*[http://www.transformertoys.co.uk/content.php?/transformers-toys/toy-gallery/1784/Generation+2/Starscream.html Gallery of G2 Starscream with comparison to BW Starscream at Transformers At the Moon]

[[Category:Beast Wars Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars II Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Neo Predacons]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Destrons]]
[[Category:Japanese-original Transformers]]

Galvatron (BW)

2012-05-19T21:51:57Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|predacon}}
{{disambig3|Galvatron}}
:''Galvatron is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Era]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:BW2Galvatron01.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"He's Galvatron," said [[Megastorm|the Duke]], "and that's why."]]
An [[Emperor of Destruction]] (either "New" or self-proclaimed), '''Galvatron''' (ガルバトロン ''Garubatoron'') journeys to [[Gaea]] in search of a powerful energy source. He is a strong and cunning warrior, though a little on the crazy and suicidal side. His younger brother, [[Megastorm]], secretly desires to overthrow his brother and take his place as Emperor. Galvatron is well aware of this, however, and lets it slide out of love for his li'l bro.

He is incapable of not grimacing like a ''[[wikipedia:Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' toy, even during one of his narcolepsy attacks, unless it is...the Final Battle.

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars II'' catalog====
[[Image:MegatronGalvatronBW1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"I will enjoy taking your [[Rubber Ducky]] to bath with me." "You... monster!"]]
On planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] once disagreed with Galvatron over opinions on galactic conquest and engaged him in battle over it. At the time, Megatron momentarily let his guard down and was defeated by Galvatron, who declared "Your era is over, Megatron!"

Later, Megatron noted that while Galvatron was ambitious, he cared for his underlings—and although he was loath to admit it, he acknowledged that Galvatron probably had all the regal bearing of a new [[Emperor of Destruction]].

In the seventh month of the Space Year 1999, Galvatron's plans would bloom... {{storylink|Catalog#Beast Wars II|The next stage of battle advances to the Second War... ...Beast Wars, Transform!}}

{{note|The catalog's events are ignored in the [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|official Japanese timeline]], which has ''Beast Wars II'' take place thousands of years after ''[[Beast Machines (franchise)|Beast Wars Returns]]''.}}

====''Beast Wars II'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Tetsuo Komura]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Whitelionrun galvatronscan.jpg|right|thumb|210px]]

Seeking to control the mysterious and powerful [[Angolmois]] energy of the planet [[Gaea]], Galvatron set course for the planet in his ship, the ''[[Galvaburg II]]'', along his younger brother Megastorm, the [[Combatron (BWII)|Combatrons]] and the [[Autoroller]]s. Knowing that the [[Maximal]] commander [[Lio Convoy|Convoy]] was sure to stand in his way, Galvatron staged a trap for his enemy, luring him into the depths of space and apparently destroying him with the explosion of an artificial planetoid. Despite the loss of their leader, Convoy's troops pursued Galvatron's forces to Gaea, but were soon captured by the Predacons. Little could Galvatron have realized, however, that the explosion did not kill Convoy, but had instead hurled him to Gaea, where the planet's Angolmois energy restored him as "Lio Convoy". In this new form, he rescued his troops, and they escaped Galvatron's clutches together. {{storylink|The New Forces Arrive!}}

[[Image:Bw2 ep5 galvatronawakens.jpg|left|thumb|210px]]

Seeking alternate modes for his Predacons scan, Galvatron investigated some ruins on Gaea and discovered an [[Mother Computer|ancient, but still-functional, computer]]. The machine provided vehicular forms for his men, but when Galvatron demanded that the computer provide him with information on the strongest vehicle and creature from Gaean history, the resultant surge of data was so powerful that it knocked him offline. {{storylink|White Lion, Run!}}

[[Image:Bw2_ep5_dragonfire.jpg|right|thumb|210px]]

Galvatron's unconscious form was brought aboard the ''Galvaburg II'', and he remained there, soundly sleeping, while Megastorm led the Predacons in his stead for some time. Unfortunately for Galvatron, this gave Megastorm a taste for leadership, and he eventually decided to try and dispose of his brother so that he could take his throne for good. Hauling the unconscious Galvatron off the ship, Megastorm dropped his slumbering sibling into a well of Angolmois energy, thinking it would destroy him... only for Galvatron to re-energized, and rudely awakened! Exploiting his brother's slightly disoriented state, Megastorm claimed that it was the Maximals who had thrown him in the well, and Galvatron promptly set off to eliminate Lio Convoy and his team. Unable to deal any damage to Galvatron's new drill-tank alternate mode, the Maximals tried luring the Predacon Emperor to the rim of a volcano, where he unveiled the second form he had scanned: a colossal, fire-breathing dragon! The Maximals attempted to shoot out the ledge beneath Galvatron's feet and send him falling into the mouth of the volcano, but were unsuccessful. Megastorm, however, had been observing the battle from afar, and emulated their strategy with great aplomb, sending his brother sinking into the molten lava below. {{storylink|Galvatron Revived}}

[[Image:Bw2 ep6 wallhanging.jpg|left|thumb|210px]]

What Megastorm had not realized, however, was that [[Starscream (BWII)|Starscream]] had also been watching the fight, and quickly recovered Galvatron from the volcano, bringing him back to the ''Galvaburg II'', unconscious once more and sealed in a coffin of solidified lava. {{storylink|Mystery of the Ancient Ruins}}

[[Image:BWIIep9DrunkGalv01.jpg|right|thumb|210px]]

This situation was not to last, as Galvatron eventually awoke under his own power a little later and broke free. Seeking to slake his thirst, Galvatron came upon a stockpile of tainted oil that Starscream had brewed in order to inebriate the [[Insectron]]s as part of a plan to have them destroy the Maximals and then each other. Naturally, Galvatron was unaware of any of this and began chugging the oil down, until he was completely sozzled and proved himself to be a ''really'' mean drunk by turning on the other Predacons and chased them out of their ship. Galvatron's rampage carried him to the site of the Insectrons' drunken battle with the Maximals, where the two sides sobered up enough in order to team-up and take Galvatron down. With the Insectrons' help, Lio Convoy was able to fire a round of missiles into Galvatron's mouth, causing an explosion that hurled him into a nearby river, from which he did not emerge. {{storylink|The Strongest Tag Team?}}

[[Image:BWIIep9DrunkGalv02.jpg|left|thumb|210px]]

Galvatron was subsequently "missing in action" for a while, spending his time tunneling around underground in vehicle mode, still not quite back in his right mind. Happening upon a pipeline set up by the Autorollers to as part of an Angolmois-energy drilling scheme, Galvatron tore the pipe in half and happily began guzzling the energy that was flowing through it. This infusion of the ever-unpredictable Angolmois caused the Predacon leader to grow to huge size, and his temper did not improve when Starscream and [[BB]], remembering the last time he had gotten drunk, shut off the flow of energy. To stop the rampaging Galvatron, the Maximals teamed up with the Autorollers, and employed [[Scuba]]'s plan to do just the opposite of what Starscream and BB had tired: ''force-feeding'' Galvatron's Angolmois energy until he was overloaded. The plan was a success, causing a huge explosion that reverted Galvatron to normal, and sent him crashing into the sea, his mind restored, and his memories of his drunken rampage lost. {{storylink|Galvatron Rampages}}

At some point, an alien device called a "teleport gate" crashlanded in the frozen wastes of planet Gaea. Sensing it might bring the Predacons great fortune, Galvatron immediately dispatched his warriors to secure it before the Maximals could. The Predacons were quickly defeated and driven away, however, the events of the battle resulted in the young [[Lio Junior]] receiving a military reprimand. Galvatron observed the hurt Lio Junior, who possessed the control unit needed to operate the teleport gate, flee into the forest on his own and hatched a scheme. Approaching the young and naive Maximal, Galvatron convinced him that the teleport gate was actually a weapon of mass destruction that would destroy all of Gaea if not shut down with the control unit. Lio Junior fell for the ruse and, after handing over the control unit, was immediately beaten and imprisoned on the ''Galvaburg II''.

[[Image:GalvatronBW1.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for meeeee!]]

At the teleport gate, Galvatron ordered [[Megastorm|Gigastorm]] to summon [[Megatron]], the most fearsome and vicious Transformer in history. Gigastorm screwed up and summoned the mighty [[Majin Zarak]], instead. Galvatron was not displeased, though, as he considered Majin Zarak an even ''greater'' weapon than Megatron. Taking command of the behemoth in aircraft carrier mode, Galvatron steered the monster on a path of destruction toward the Maximals, defeating them all with ease. However, Lio Junior managed to escape Predacon custody and used the teleport gate to summon [[Optimus Primal]] to aid the Maximals. Primal then sent Galvatron a challenge via text message: "You think you've won, but we won't be defeated. Let us settle this. Come to point B-2." Galvatron angrily accepted the challenge and steered Majin Zarak toward point B-2.

A bad move on his part, as the location was actually a part of Optimus Primal's strategy. Point B-2 being a narrow canyon, Majin Zarak's great bulk made him ineffective in the tight arena. Majin Zarak eventually decided he'd had ''enough'' of this noise and, revealing his sentience, ejected Galvatron from his command deck and transformed into a giant kaiju. Galvatron was then picked up by Gigastorm in hovercraft mode and carried off to safety, swearing vengeance. The Maximals eventually succeeded in destroying Majin Zarak and, after sending Optimus Primal back home, destroyed the teleport gate as well {{storylink|Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!}}

Galvatron eventually set his final plan into motion, summoning his "artificial planet", [[Nemesis (BWII)|Nemesis]], into Gaea's orbit. The ship then proceeded to suck all the Angolmois energy out of the planet and store it within itself. The Maximals followed Galvatron and his Predacons to Nemesis to stop him. Lio Convoy and [[Lio Junior]] merged into the Great Green Lion and narrowly defeated Galvatron in battle, thwarting his plans by ejecting the Angolmois energy from Nemesis in capsules.

Defeated but not willing to surrender, Galvatron activated his [[Galva-Matrix]], which set off a self-destruction sequence in Nemesis. The explosion killed Galvatron, sent the Predacons drifting helplessly through outer space, and trapped all the Maximals within a wormhole.
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars Neo'' cartoon====
[[Image:BWNeo Unicron.JPG|left|180px|thumb|Not even the mighty Unicron is capable of getting his host body to stop grimacing.]]
After stealing all the Angolmois capsules from [[Magmatron]] and [[Big Convoy]], the [[Blendtron|Blendtrons]] released the energy into the corpse of Galvatron. Galvatron's body then served as the vessel of the reborn [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|Unicron's Ambition}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars II'' comic===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{-}}
===Universe Featuring the Wreckers===
After the reformatting of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Galvatron, with Megastorm, led the Predacon forces in the former region of [[Polyhex]]. His army was attacked by forces under Overseer [[Vashik]], who took them through a suspiciously unguarded canyon. That canyon was unguarded for a reason, and Vashik soon found his army wiped out by a river of magma. Chucking Vashik into the lava, Galvatron announced his plans—using the [[Quintesson]]'s makeup as base materials, he would rebuild the great fortress of [[Darkmount]] to serve as the new Predacon capital. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
Galvatron took his name from [[Galvatron (G1)|infamous creation]] of [[Unicron]]. As the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] neared its end, Galvatron seized his chance to make a name for himself using the mysterious energy known as [[Angolmois]] on [[Gaea]]. While on Gaea, Galvatron was one of the first of the new-generation [[Transformer]]s to take on a beast mode, taking the form of a [[dragon]] species native to Gaea. The Predacon Emperor also took the mode of a drill tank from Gaea's datafiles. In the end, his greed for unlimited power and disregard for Angolmois's potential side effects did him in. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook 2}}

==Games==
===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
The discovery of a super-powerful [[Energon crystal]] on [[Earth]] leads Galvatron, along with several other Predacons and Maximals, into a series of battles with the crystal being the victor's prize.

Galvatron 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 himself against various incoming projectiles, and missions to run across a pit-riddled field, sometimes involving hideously large bacteria he had to fend off.

After defeating his final opponent, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], in the cave wherein the crystal is located, Galvatron absorbs its power. Unfortunately, this causes him to go mad with power, and he ends up destroying his own base. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{note|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 Galvatron's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BWII toy - Galvatron.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Galvatron''' (Ultra, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-16'''
**''Accessories:'' Two axe/missiles, "Galva-Claw"

:Galvatron is a [[Triple Changer]], transforming from robot to [[dragon]] and "drill-tank" [[alternate mode]]s. As the only totally unique Predacon mold created for the ''Beast Wars II'' toyline, Galvatron is also the only figure from the series with both vehicle and animal forms, making him quite similar to a [[Transmetal]], albeit one with a substantially more convincing vehicular mode. He lacks the [[vacuum metallizing]] traditional to Transmetals, but features a yellow marble in his chest to represent his [[Galva-Matrix]]. His purple and golden coloration is a presumably deliberate homage to his [[Galvatron (G1)|Generation 1 namesake]]; the color layout of his tank form in particular calls to mind Generation 1 Galvatron's cannon mode.

:Galvatron is armed with a pair of bladed missiles that are fired by two spring-loaded launchers located in the bifurcated tail of his dragon mode. These launchers wind up on his wrists in robot mode, and can be flipped forward over his fists to act as weapons in this mode. He can also wield the missiles in his fists as scythe- or axe-like melee weapons. In robot mode, Galvatron's dragon-wings unfold into a pair of serrated claws that can either be angled over his shoulders, or disconnect to become a hand-held weapon called the "Galva-Claw" that features a lever-activated pinching gimmick. His drill-tank mode features a gear-activated spinning drill, activated by pushing a large black button on his back.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Destron/Galvatron/galvatron.htm More information on Galvatron at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* In a funny little bit of [[Engrish|Engrish]], his named is spelled "GARBA TRON" on his box.
* Like some of the other Beast Wars II Predacons, Galvatron was reissued in [[Korea]] in [[Car Robots]] packaging, reaffiliated as an Autobot, and renamed. His new name: [[Gigatron Z]].

==External links==
* [http://www.transformertoys.co.uk/content.php?/transformers-toys/toy-gallery/898/Beast+Wars+II/Silver+Galvatron.html Lucky Draw Silver Galvatron at Transformers At The Moon]
* [http://www.luckydrawtransformers.com/content.php?/transformers-lucky-draw/toy-gallery/1792/Gold+Galvatron.html Gold Galvatron At Lucky Draw Transformers.com]

[[Category:Beast Wars II Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Neo Predacons]]
[[Category:Destrons]]
[[Category:Emperors]]
[[Category:Japanese-original Transformers]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Predacon leaders]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category:Universe Predacons]]

Megastorm (BW)

2012-05-19T21:43:38Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|predacon}}
{{disambig2|the Beast Wars II Predacon|Megatron (any of them)|Megatron (disambiguation)}}
{{picsneeded|His toys}}
:''Megastorm is the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Emperor of Destruction|Duke of Destruction]] during [[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]].''

[[Image:MegastormModel.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You can't see his eyeliner very well here.]]
'''Megastorm''' (メガストーム ''Megasutōmu'') is the Predacon Duke of Destruction and [[Relatives|younger brother]] to [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]], the [[Emperor of Destruction]]. He believes in being realistic and conservative when it comes to goals and strategy and hence tends to have a rather different viewpoint than his more bold and reckless older brother. Finally when Galvatron began his audacious quest for the [[Angolmois]] energy the differences between them became too great and Megastorm began to consider how he could seize the reins of command and steer them back towards sanity. Galvatron is well aware of his younger sibling's attempts at treachery, but looks the other way purely out of brotherly love.

Megastorm can transform into a tank. He was later upgraded by Angolmois into the [[Cyborg Beast]] '''Gigastorm''' (ギガストーム ''Gigasutōmu''), a giant mechanical [[Hojoni]], which gave him a base mode and a battle station mode, along with a [[Gigascouter]] drone. His personality was likewise magnified to drive out all compassion, weakness, and doubt. The upgrade included an enlarged title as Arch-Duke of Destruction.

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars II'' cartoons====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Takashi Matsuyama]] (Japanese)
[[Image:Megastorm1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|My Stormin' Norman commemorative plates have been stolen! ...again.]]
Galvatron set course for the planet in his ship, the ''Galvaburg II'', along his younger brother Megastorm, the Combatrons and the Autorollers. Seeking alternate modes for his Predacons to scan, Galvatron investigated some ruins on Gaea and discovered an ancient but still-functional computer. The machine gave his troops vehicular forms, but when Galvatron demanded that the computer provide him with information on the strongest vehicle and creature from Gaean history, the resultant surge of data was so powerful that it knocked him offline. It was then that Megastorm gained his tank form and decided to become the new leader of the Destrons.

Galvatron's unconscious form was brought aboard the ''Galvaburg II'', and he remained there, soundly sleeping, while Megastorm led the Predacons in his stead for some time. Unfortunately for Galvatron, this gave Megastorm a taste for leadership, and he eventually decided to try and dispose of his brother so that he could take Galvatron's throne for good. Hauling the unconscious Galvatron off the ship, Megastorm dropped his slumbering sibling into a well of Angolmois energy, thinking it would destroy him...only for Galvatron to be re-energized and rudely awakened! Exploiting his brother's slightly disoriented state, Megastorm claimed that it was the Maximals who had thrown him in the well, and Galvatron promptly set off to eliminate Lio Convoy and his team. Megastorm observed the ensuing the battle between Galvatron and the Maximals from afar, and he emulated their strategy with great aplomb, sending his brother sinking into the molten lava below.

Megastorm didn't realize that Starscream had also been watching the fight and had quickly recovered Galvatron from the volcano, bringing him back to the ''Galvaburg II'', unconscious once more and sealed in a coffin of solidified lava, and so Megastorm became mad with Starscream, fearing this would conflict with his leadership.

[[Image:Gigastorm1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|In reality, Monster Island is only a peninsula!]]
{{-}}

{{charstubfiction}}

====''Beast Wars Neo'' cartoon====
Gigastorm is one of the many Cybertronians seen rebuilding Cybertron after Unicron's attack.
{{charstubfiction}}

===''Beast Wars II'' comic===
[[Image:MangaGigastormRecliner.jpg|left|180px|thumb|I say, this is a delightful brew, chappies.]]
Gigastorm was killed in battle with Lio Convoy. He shared one last, sweet scene with his older brother before dying. Galvatron swore revenge for his brother's death.

{{-}}
===Universe Featuring the Wreckers===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
After Megastorm was exposed to [[Angolmois]], his form mutated into a bipedal robotic dinosaur known as Gigastorm. With a new body came newfound confidence, so Gigastorm declared himself the leader of a subfaction within the [[Destron (BW)|Destrons]]. With his power, he created the recon drone [[Gigascouter]].

Gigastorm set out to increase the power of his troops, exposing them to Angolmois just as he was. His efforts created the [[Cyborg Beast]]s. {{Storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook 2}}

==Games==
===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
A super-powerful [[Energon crystal]] is discovered on [[Earth]], and Megastorm intends to obtain it for himself. So do several other Predacons and Maximals however, leading to a series of one-on-one battles.

Megastorm 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 himself against various incoming projectiles, and missions to travel across a pit-riddled field, sometimes involving hideously large bacteria he had to fend off.

After defeating his final opponent, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], Megastorm gloats that using the crystal's power, he will finally be capable of overthrowing his older brother, [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]]. But his plans never become reality, as Galvatron steals the crystal from under Megastorm's nose. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}

{{note|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 Megastorm's fate in those outcomes.}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
* '''Megastorm''' (Predacon, 1998)
** ''Japanese ID number'': '''D-12'''

: A [[redeco]] of the first ''[[Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] toy (which had not been released in Japan previously), Megastorm transforms into a large combat tank. In both modes, his main cannon stocks up to six missiles, and gravity slides the next missile into place when one is fired. Megastorm lacks the electronics present in the ''Generation 2'' toy, however.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Destron/Megastorm/megastorm.htm More information on Megastorm at TFU.info]''

* '''Apache vs Megastorm''' (Vs pack, 1998)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-12'''

: Megastorm was also available in a two-pack with the Maximal [[Apache]].

* '''Gigastorm''' (Predacon, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-22'''

: Gigastorm is a partial [[retool]] of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], giving him a new dino-mode nose-horn as well as removing the metal ball-bearings from the outsides of the legs. He transforms from a T-rex-thing to a base-form-thing. Gigastorm lacks most of Trypticon's accessories, only coming with [[Gigascouter]], a redeco of [[Full-Tilt]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Destron/Gigastorm/gigastorm.htm More information on Gigastorm at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* According to [[Ben Yee]], who wrote his [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] profile, he envisioned Megastorm as having Trypticon's design specs in his database and using those as the basis of his upgraded form when empowered by [[Angolmois]] energy.
* Like some of the other Beast Wars II Predacons, Megastorm was reissued in [[Korea]] in [[Car Robots]] packaging, reaffiliated as an Autobot, and renamed. His new name: [[Armored Cops]].

[[Category:Beast Wars II Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Neo Predacons]]
[[Category:Destrons]]
[[Category:Japanese-original Transformers]]
[[Category:Royalty]]
[[Category:Universe Predacons]]

Megastorm (BW)

2012-05-19T21:40:16Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|predacon}}
{{disambig2|the Beast Wars II Predacon|Megatron (any of them)|Megatron (disambiguation)}}
{{picsneeded|His toys}}
:''Megastorm is the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Emperor of Destruction|Duke of Destruction]] during [[Beast Wars II (franchise)|Beast Wars II]].''

[[Image:MegastormModel.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You can't see his eyeliner very well here.]]
'''Megastorm''' (メガストーム ''Megasutōmu'') is the Predacon Duke of Destruction and [[Relatives|younger brother]] to [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]], the [[Emperor of Destruction]]. He believes in being realistic and conservative when it comes to goals and strategy and hence tends to have a rather different viewpoint than his more bold and reckless older brother. Finally when Galvatron began his audacious quest for the [[Angolmois]] energy the differences between them became too great and Megastorm began to consider how he could seize the reins of command and steer them back towards sanity. Galvatron is well aware of his younger sibling's attempts at treachery, but looks the other way purely out of brotherly love.

Megastorm can transform into a tank. He was later upgraded by Angolmois into the [[Cyborg Beast]] '''Gigastorm''' (ギガストーム ''Gigasutōmu''), a giant mechanical [[Hojoni]], which gave him a base mode and a battle station mode, along with a [[Gigascouter]] drone. His personality was likewise magnified to drive out all compassion, weakness, and doubt. The upgrade included an enlarged title as Arch-Duke of Destruction.

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars II'' cartoons====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Takashi Matsuyama]] (Japanese)
[[Image:Megastorm1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|My Stormin' Norman commemorative plates have been stolen! ...again.]]
Galvatron set course for the planet in his ship, the ''Galvaburg II'', along his younger brother Megastorm, the Combatrons and the Autorollers. Seeking alternate modes for his Predacons to scan, Galvatron investigated some ruins on Gaea and discovered an ancient but still-functional computer. The machine gave his troops vehicular forms, but when Galvatron demanded that the computer provide him with information on the strongest vehicle and creature from Gaean history, the resultant surge of data was so powerful that it knocked him offline. It was then that Megastorm gained his tank form and decided to become the new leader of the Destrons.

Galvatron's unconscious form was brought aboard the ''Galvaburg II'', and he remained there, soundly sleeping, while Megastorm led the Predacons in his stead for some time. Unfortunately for Galvatron, this gave Megastorm a taste for leadership, and he eventually decided to try and dispose of his brother so that he could take Galvatron's throne for good. Hauling the unconscious Galvatron off the ship, Megastorm dropped his slumbering sibling into a well of Angolmois energy, thinking it would destroy him...only for Galvatron to be re-energized and rudely awakened! Exploiting his brother's slightly disoriented state, Megastorm claimed that it was the Maximals who had thrown him in the well, and Galvatron promptly set off to eliminate Lio Convoy and his team. Megastorm observed the ensuing the battle between Galvatron and the Maximals from afar, and he emulated their strategy with great aplomb, sending his brother sinking into the molten lava below.

Megastorm didn't realize that Starscream had also been watching the fight and had quickly recovered Galvatron from the volcano, bringing him back to the ''Galvaburg II'', unconscious once more and sealed in a coffin of solidified lava, and so Megastorm became mad with Starscream, fearing this would conflict with his leadership.

[[Image:Gigastorm1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|In reality, Monster Island is only a peninsula!]]
{{-}}

{{charstubfiction}}

====''Beast Wars Neo'' cartoon====
Gigastorm is one of the many Cybertronians seen rebuilding Cybertron after Unicron's attack.
{{charstubfiction}}

===''Beast Wars II'' comic===
[[Image:MangaGigastormRecliner.jpg|left|180px|thumb|I say, this is a delightful brew, chappies.]]
Gigastorm was killed in battle with Lio Convoy. He shared one last, sweet scene with his older brother before dying. Galvatron swore revenge for his brother's death.

{{-}}
===Universe Featuring the Wreckers===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
After Megastorm was exposed to [[Angolmois]], his form mutated into a bipedal robotic dinosaur known as Gigastorm. With a new body came newfound confidence, so Gigastorm declared himself the leader of a subfaction within the [[Destron (BW)|Destrons]]. With his power, he created the recon drone [[Gigascouter]].

Gigastorm set out to increase the power of his troops, exposing them to Angolmois just as he was. His efforts created the [[Cyborg Beast]]s. {{Storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook 2}}

==Games==
===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
A super-powerful [[Energon crystal]] is discovered on [[Earth]], and Megastorm intends to obtain it for himself. So do several other Predacons and Maximals however, leading to a series of one-on-one battles.

Megastorm 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 himself against various incoming projectiles, and missions to travel across a pit-riddled field, sometimes involving hideously large bacteria he had to fend off.

After defeating his final opponent, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], Megastorm gloats that using the crystal's power, he will finally be capable of overthrowing his older brother, [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]]. But his plans never become reality, as Galvatron steals the crystal from under Megastorm's nose. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}

{{note|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 Megastorm's fate in those outcomes.}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
* '''Megastorm''' (Predacon, 1998)
** ''Japanese ID number'': '''D-12'''

: A [[redeco]] of the first ''[[Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] toy (which had not been released in Japan previously), Megastorm transforms into a large combat tank. In both modes, his main cannon stocks up to six missiles, and gravity slides the next missile into place when one is fired. Megastorm lacks the electronics present in the ''Generation 2'' toy, however.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Destron/Megastorm/megastorm.htm More information on Megastorm at TFU.info]''

* '''Apache vs Megastorm''' (Vs pack, 1998)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-12'''

: Megastorm was also available in a two-pack with the Maximal [[Apache]].

* '''Gigastorm''' (Predacon, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-22'''

: Gigastorm is a partial [[retool]] of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], giving him a new dino-mode nose-horn as well as removing the metal ball-bearings from the outsides of the legs. He transforms from a T-rex-thing to a base-form-thing. Gigastorm lacks most of Trypticon's accessories, only coming with [[Gigascouter]], a redeco of [[Full-Tilt]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Destron/Gigastorm/gigastorm.htm More information on Gigastorm at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* According to [[Ben Yee]], who wrote his [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] profile, he envisioned Megastorm as having Trypticon's design specs in his database and using those as the basis of his upgraded form when empowered by [[Angolmois]] energy.
* Like some of the other Beast Wars II Predacons, Megastorm was reissued in Korea in [[Car Robots]] packaging, reaffiliated as an Autobot, and renamed. His new name: [[Armored Cops]].

[[Category:Beast Wars II Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Neo Predacons]]
[[Category:Destrons]]
[[Category:Japanese-original Transformers]]
[[Category:Royalty]]
[[Category:Universe Predacons]]

Skids (G1)

2012-04-04T01:31:32Z

Might Gaine: /* Generation 1 */ Skids was released in 1984! TM Box! Pre-Rub!

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Skids}}
:''Skids is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:Skidsg1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Gee, that REALLY looks like his Alternators head, what are the odds?]]
'''Skids''' is a theoretician. This is appropriate, as some would say his existence is merely theoretical; everyone forgets who he is or that he was there. But if they got to know him, they'd learn that he likes to daydream, get built into furniture, and pick up cowboy chicks.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor'': [[Michael Chain]] and [[Dan Gilvezan]] (English), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese), [[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American)

[[Image:Skidsanimated.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Hoist, Prime, and Skids ogle Bumblebee's animation model.]]
Like many of the Autobots who first appeared in 1985, the exact circumstances behind Skids joining the original group of Earth-based Autobots remain unknown. Skids first appeared as part of a strike force that was sent to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from ravaging a human farm, only to meet with failure. Apparently injured in the battle, Skids underwent some repairs by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] upon return to Autobot Headquarters, where he responded incredulously to [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]'s report that he had retrieved [[robotic insecticide]] from the planet [[Floron III]] to deal with the Insecticon threat. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[Image:TripleTakeover Skids.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Racing into obscurity.]]
Later, Skids was part of a team sent to investigate bombs that were raining down on a city from a football stadium (the work of the [[Triple Changer]] [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]). Blitzwing, however, had the stadium surrounded by a massive "Zone Defense" maze built by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], and while attempting to traverse it, Skids crashed into [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and was driven over by tank-mode Blitzwing. Skids and the other Autobots' remains were then gathered by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], who built a throne for himself out of them. These Autobots were soon rescued and quickly rebuilt, and participated in the crises that ensued as Blitzwing, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] vied for Decepticon leadership. Following that skirmish, Prowl opined that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was the greatest leader in the universe, which prompted himself, Skids, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to form themselves into a throne for Prime; Prime refused to sit, saying that thrones were for Decepticons—he'd rather roll. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Story of Binaltech''=====
[[Image:Binaltech_skids_cardart.jpg|left|220px|thumb]]
Skids was the first of the Binaltech Autobots created simply with the intent of upgrading an existing, healthy Transformer, rather than in the name of repairing one that had been injured. Outfitted with self-repairing nanomechanical antibodies, Skids's body can, barring heavy damage in battle, theoretically function for thousands of years without maintenance. In both his original and new body, Skids dedicated time to studying the chronal warp on [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], which gave rise to the Autobot strategy known as "[[Operation: Distant Thunder]]", a last-ditch scheme should the Decepticons tamper with the fabric of space-time. That horror occurred in 2004 when Ravage used the [[Kronosphere]] to alter the timeline, and Skids prepared to initiate the plan and send [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s memory data back in time to avert the catastrophe. {{storylink|Darkest Hour}}

The data probe was launched, but as the timeline was righting itself a [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] arrived, and manipulated the temporal wave to preserve the Binaltech timeline separate from the original continuity. Possessed by the Spark of the [[Optimus Primal|Protector]], hailing from some future point in time, Nemesis Prime informed Skids and the others that their timeline was destined to produce great warriors capable of safeguarding the entire multiverse, and therefore must continue on its new course. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

{{-}}
=====''Henkei! Henkei!''=====
[[Image:Skids_and_screech.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]
When Skids successfully proved the existence of particles able to cross over between dimensions, he put his discovery to work for the forces of good, coating his armor in these "Dimension Slide" particles and endowing himself with the power to move between realities, as well as a snazzy new green paintjob. In this quest to examine anomalies within the multiverse, Skids found he could summon other versions of himself from different dimensions to aid him, but for unknown reasons, one of these alternate versions wound up trapped in Skids's home dimension, unable to return to his own world. Named "[[Screech (Generations)|Screech]]" (presumably to save all the Autobots a headache), this alternate Skids teamed up with his counterpart, and together, the pair worked as "Quantum Operatives" policing the multiverse while searching for a way to get Screech home. {{storylink|#Toys|Skids's toy bio}} {{storylink|Screech (Generations)|Screech's toy bio}}

Hot on the trail of one such multiversal anomaly, Skids and Screech pursued [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost across the multiverse to a [[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (franchise)|parallel dimension]] where he was causing trouble. While the two dimension-hoppers kept the ghost busy with wordplay and pop culture references, the [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] of that world used his illusion casting powers to scare Starscream into fleeing the dimension by projecting an illusion of his greatest fear: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]! {{storylink|Starscream's New Body}}

{{--}}
===Marvel Generation 1 comics===
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Skidsnatives.jpg|right|100px|thumb|We bet you can't.]]
In the event that the [[Ark (G1)|Ark's]] mission would require more manpower, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had several Autobots encode copies of their personalities as light patterns within crystals, including Skids. When a large number of Prime's troops were then injured during the opening volleys of the war on [[Earth]], Prime arranged for the construction of new bodies, which the personalities were then programmed into, bringing Skids and the others to life "for a second time." Now in a new body that transformed into a blue van, Skids' first mission was to aid in preventing [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] from stealing sonic energy from a [[Brick Springhorn]] concert, and he immediately took a liking to the music of Earth and the possibilities of what could be learned from interacting with mankind. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] ran out of fuel in the middle of the [[Powder River Basin]] in [[Wyoming]], Optimus Prime took Skids and a few other Autobots to prevent harm to the humans who had discovered him. Unfortunately, these humans (and their military) forced the Autobots into a retreat. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

[[Image:Charleneskids.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Proving once and for all that chicks dig giant robots.]]
On the way to raid the [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]], Skids accidentally clipped the car of hot-tempered [[Jake Dalrymple]], who pursued the Autobots on their mission and distracted Skids just enough for [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to blast him off a cliff. Although Optimus Prime mourned the loss of Skids, neither the Autobot leader nor any other Autobot thought to recover the believed deactivated body of Skids later after their mission had been completed. {{storylink|Command Performances!}} Lying crippled and unable to transform, Skids was shortly discovered by register girl [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]], who, thinking he was an ordinary van, had him fixed up with the intent of keeping him for herself. Skids was open to the idea at first, preferring a peaceful life to that of a warrior, but after another bout of road rage with Dalrymple, the unearthly stunts he performed left him no option but to reveal his true nature of Charlene.

A somewhat unusual [[Transformer romance|relationship]] ensued between the two, but more trouble soon came Skids's way in the form of [[Donny Finkleberg]], who was being hunted down by Ravage. Fleeing from the Decepticon with Charlene and Donny, Skids hid out at an abandoned mining town, but yet again, the raging Dalrymple tracked him down and shattered his windshield, knocking him unconscious and into a dream where he died through his refusal to attack Megatron and save Charlene. Reawakening, he engaged Ravage in battle again, finally finding the strength to act, and causing his foe to tumble down a mineshaft. Skids then parted ways with Charlene, having come to the realisation that their two roles in life were too different for their relationship to work out. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

[[Image:Skidslimbo.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Oh, hey, remember Skids?]]
Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg, and later embarked on a mission with him to track down a group of missing Autobots who had been captured by the [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team]]. Unfortunately, money still governed Finkleberg's actions, and he promptly sold out Skids to RAAT's leader [[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]] when Skids was deactivated for the night. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}} Skids was disassembled for study, but when the Decepticons [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] appeared on Earth and began defacing landmarks, RAAT operative [[Circuit Breaker]] was forced to enter into a deal with the Autobots to stop them. Skids and the other Autobots' components were combined to form a jury-rigged robot that Circuit Breaker used to stop the [[Battlecharger]]s, but in return for their co-operation, Skids and the Autobots were allowed to go free. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

''On the return trip to the Ark, however, Skids was abruptly torn from reality when the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] traveled back in time from 2006, shunting Skids into [[limbo]] to maintain temporal balance. {{storylink|Fallen Angel}} Skids remained in limbo for two years while Galvatron ran amok on Earth, his mind steadily succumbing to the dream-illusions created by the [[Limbo parasite|parasites]] native to the realm.''

{{note|While Skids was lost to limbo in the UK comics, no such fate befell him in the American stories. Luckily enough for continuity's sake, he never did anything important in the US comics again, only showing up in crowd scenes: He attended Optimus Prime's funeral {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}}, witnessed the arrival of the Spacehikers {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} and watched [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] fight for Autobot leadership on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. {{storylink|Totaled!}} To maintain consistency, the UK printings of these stories either redrew Skids into a different, [[generic]] robot, or erased him from the art entirely.}}

[[Image:Skidssurvivors.jpg|left|200px|thumb|And then he stole [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head.]]
''With Galvatron's eventual destruction during the [[Time Wars]], Skids was finally returned to Earth, but he had spent too long in Limbo—the limbo-creatures had succeeded in shaping a reality from his dreams, and the nightmarish monsters that he had imagined materialised on Earth with him. Fleeing from the beasts, who desired to merge with Skids so that they might become more powerful, Skids lured them into a nuclear power plant which he had planned to detonate, wiping out the monsters and himself, but the remnants of the Autobot [[Wrecker]]s—joined by [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] and [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] of the Decepticon [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]—arrived to aid him, defeating the monsters. Skids joined with this group of Transformers, forming the [[Survivors]]. {{storylink|Survivors!}}''

[[Image:Grimlockwasthatwise.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hey, who here remembers when I was damaged and shoved into the medbay? No? Well, that makes all of us.]]
Grimlock traveled to [[Hydrus Four]] to use [[Nucleon]] to revive the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Returning to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], he also pumped Nucleon into the med bays, reviving Skids and several others, and headed towards [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Grimlock used the Ark as a blunt instrument across [[Unicron]]'s head, forcing Skids and the others to evacuate and join the battle against the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}

{{-}}
====Earthforce====
{{earthforcefiction}}
''When Carnivac ran off on his own to avenge Catilla's death, Skids and the other Survivors insisted Springer contact Grimlock and the Earthforce for back-up. Hooked up with these Autobot reinforcements, they stormed the Mayhem Attack Squad's tropical island base to save their friend. Skids personally confronted [[Octopunch]] in single combat, holding his own against the murderous Pretender.'' {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}

''On a later mission for Earthforce, Skids and the Survivors protected an oil tanker from [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], while the rest of the Decepticons were trying to distract the Autobots with an all-out assault on their base. Undeterred by the sleight-of-hand, the Survivors caught up with Starscream in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Skids used a flying leap by Carnivac as a distraction to catch Starscream with his liquid nitrogen cannon, and then [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] knocked the Decepticon commander into the drink.'' {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}
{{-}}

===3H comics===
[[Image:Skidswreckers2.jpg|left|200px|thumb|In the context of science, "theory" does not mean "guess" or "hunch", Rodimus. You should probably pay attention.]]
Skids was among the senior scientists (including [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]], and [[Rad]]) who questioned [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s plan to send out the best of the remaining Autobot science and research members to establish deep-space reconnaissance posts. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

{{-}}
===Dreamwave ''Generation 1'' comics===
8.2 million years ago, Skids was in the [[Chamber of the Ancients]], observing the ceremony in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optronix]] was given the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and transformed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Immediately, three Decepticon assassins attacked, and though Skids acted to protect the new Prime, his arm was cut off by [[Umbra]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

Skids was repaired and he returned to his post at the [[Decagon]]. While Prime was absent, Skids picked up radar of incoming Decepticon invaders and a transmission from the force's field commander, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Skids manned auto-defenses from inside the Decagon until they and their [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]] units were destroyed. Picking up their personal weaponry, Skids and the other Autobots were all that was left to defend [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], but defend it they did and Shockwave's forces were driven back. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}}

During the Dark Ages, Skids served with [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s faction of Autobots. {{storylink|Devastation}} The team got involved in a skirmish with [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and the giant Decepticon jumped onto a building in which Skids was trying to hide, crushing him. He survived though. {{storylink|Revelation (The Dark Ages)|Revelation}}

Skids was not among the Autobots who traveled to Earth aboard the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', remaining behind on Cybertron as the planet slipped into the deactivated state known as the [[Great Shutdown]]. When Shockwave began reactivating the planet and successfully unified the Autobot and Decepticon factions, Skids was a member of the council of Autobots who served to represent their faction in the alliance. Few of the council members were actually suited for leadership, however, and slowly found themselves giving more and more control to Shockwave. Eventually, the example shown by the ''Ark'''s returning crew and several homegrown Autobot insurgency cells tore the blinders from the council's optics, and Skids gathered his fellow councilmen in taking to the streets and ousting the Decepticons from power. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers''===
During an Autobot peace ceremony on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skids reported to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] that [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] had yet to find the Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] that had gone missing while chasing [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] Their conversation was then interrupted due to a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}

Skids was later stationed on the ''[[Arc II]]'' on Earth, where he helped his comrades in the field by warning them about incoming G.I. Joe [[S.H.A.R.C.]]s. When the ship came under attack by the [[Pretender Monster]]s, Skids was knocked out by [[Icepick (G1)|Icepick]] while alerting the others on board. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}} He was sent to [[Pit (G.I. Joe)|the Pit]] for repairs and was expected to quickly recover from his injuries. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2}}

===''TransTech''===
In an Offworld Zone of [[Axiom Nexus]], a Skids was yet another victim of [[Bulletbike (TransTech)|Bulletbike]], murdered for a cred-key. {{storylink|I, Lowtech}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===

[[Image:LiarsAtoD2-Skids.jpg|left|thumb|300px|How do you like me now?]]

Skids was believed to have gone missing or dead long ago due to yet-unrevealed circumstances. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

Though too late to be heeded, a mysterious message from the future was sent to the Autobots departing to find the lost [[Knights of Cybertron]]—with a warning stating "Don't let them take Skids". {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}}

Piloting a shapeshifting craft, Skids arrived through a portal above the planet where the ''Lost Light'' had crashed. He was amnesiac, had an inhibitor claw clinging to his back, and was followed by mysterious warrior robots, but he slowly began to regain his memory. After ejecting the craft and exploding it, he battled the warrior robots on the ground, as they repeated one phrase over and over: "Nineteen eighty-four." Skids didn't fare well against the robots without much of his memory and an inhibitor clamp, so thankfully he ran into a small party of Autobots from the ''[[Lost Light]]''. After [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] removed the clamp, Skids destroyed the robots with some impressive moves. [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] asked Skids if he were an ex-Wrecker or some other sort of elite fighting unit, but Skids, who was slowly recalling more and more of himself, responded that he was merely a theoretician.

Skids was brought on board. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

==Games==
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Skids was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}

{{-}}
==Toys==
===Generation 1===
{{anchor|G1v1}}
[[Image:G1 Skids toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Introducing the new Nikahimi Deathtrap. With its poly-cotton body shell, it's the fastest car in the world... to open with the jaws of life. The Nikahimi Deathtrap—the last car you'll ever drive.]]
* '''Skids''' (Autobot, 1984/1985/2004/2009)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
: Skids's toy transforms into a blue Honda City Turbo with a red stripe. His robot mode is similar to other hood-chest Autobot Transformers, but is unusual in that his rear wheels fold into his feet, aiding in stability. Also unusual for ''Transformers'' figures, his hand weapons actually attach onto his forearms rather than being held in his fists. He is also armed with a spring-loaded rocket launcher.

: Although Skids is often associated with the 1985 Autobot Cars, he was in fact available as early as December, 1984 with the other 1984 Autobot Cars. For his initial release, he came in packaging closer to that of the 1984 Cars, including a "TM" mark by the "Transformers" logo, rather than a "(R)" mark. Also like the other 1984 cars, at least some of these early Skids releases lacked the [[rubsign]] on the roof.

: Skids is one of the rarest mass-release G1 figures, as just one was included per every ''two'' [[Case|shipping cases]].

: Skids was reissued by [[Takara]] on [[September 27]] of 2002 as part of their "book-box" ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' series. In 2004, [[Hasbro]] re-released him as part of the [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' VIII. The Takara version features a fully functional spring-loaded rocket launcher, whereas the Hasbro version has the launching spring removed.

: In October of 2009, [[TakaraTomy]] reissued Skids as part of their ''[[Transformers Encore]]'' series. This version of Skids featured [[tampograph|tampographed]] Autobot symbols and rear tail lights. He also featured cherry red plastic and stickers as opposed to tomato red, and his blue plastic was changed to a blueish purple plastic. The clear blue used for his windows, is a much lighter shade then the previous versions. Some of his stickers were also updated, including the pre-applied grill sticker.

: This mold was [[Retool|retooled]] to make the [[e-HOBBY]] Autobot [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and the ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]'' exclusive [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Skids/skids.htm More information on Skids at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VSZ}}
*'''Skids & Sunstreaker vs Buzzsaw''' (Multi-pack, 1985)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''VSZ'''
: In the original Japanese toyline, Skids was released ''only'' in a multi-pack with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]. This box set remains a considerable rarity on the secondary market.
{{-}}

[[Image:MillionPublishing-SkidsScreech.jpg|right|thumb|300px|You sure you can call this an homage?]]
*'''Skids & Screech Quantum Operative Ver.''' (2009)
**''Accessories:'' "Material acceleration pistol", dual-barreled gun, "quantum shield" launcher, 3 rockets, scooter

: Skids is a green [[redeco]] of his Generation 1 toy. He transforms into a Honda City R hatchback. He also comes with a "scooter" accessory that fits in his hatchback. Skids was an [[exclusive]] to [[Million Publishing]], sold only in a set with [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]] with volume 3 of ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]''. While Skids' colors are an homage to ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], Screech is likewise a match for Skids' twin [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Cybertron/Skids/skids.htm More information on Exclusives Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Alternators===
[[Image:Alt Skids toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Heavily clearanced so fanboys could customize him into Ironhide.]]
{{anchor|Alt}}
*'''Autobot Skids''' (2005)
**''Alternator ID number'': '''17'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BT-16'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-rifle

: Skids transforms into a 1:24-scale blue Toyota Scion xB. All four doors open, revealing a fully-detailed realistic interior with seats for a driver and passengers, plus his hood pops open to reveal his engine. His robot mode is very reminiscent of his original toy, with his head sculpt based off his animation model with toy details. His engine pops out and unfolds to become his hand-held pistol.

[[Image:BT Skids toy.jpg|left|300px|thumb|No flames here. The Scion logo doesn't exist in Japan, and a burning Toyota logo just isn't as striking.]]
: The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' release (part of the first wave of new "bubble packaging" toys) differs from the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''Binaltech'' release in that it has a much darker shade of blue, tinted windows, and various Scion-type tampographed flame decals. The Japanese release naturally has die cast metal parts, is painted a lighter shade of blue, and has different paint decos. It also includes a sheet of stickers, including flames resembling the ones printed on the ''Alternators'' version, as well as some Generation-1-style red stripes, and most humorously, a Japanese "New Driver" badge.

: This mold was also used to make ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' [[Blaster (G1)#Binaltech Asterisk|Broadblast]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)

*'''Skids''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''12'''

: The figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Skids/skids.htm More information on Decoy Skids at TFU.info]''

{{anchor|3DBC}}

[[Image:EnergonWarsSkids.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Are, uh, you sure you're a G1 character?]]
*'''Skids''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
: A 26-point "common" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]'s "Energon Wars" expansion, Skids "transforms" into a grey pickup truck of indeterminate make. He uses the same parts layout as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Dropkick]].

:He is equipped with a LN2 Cryo Rifle, an Electron Blaster, and a Rocket Launcher, which are similar to his G1 weapons — but due to the interdimensional nature of the Energon Wars subset, the Battle-Card may or may not also represent the [[Skids (Movie)|live-action movie Skids]].

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:DiacloneSkids.jpg|right|180px|thumb|A rainbow of theoretical flavors.]]
[[Image:Skidsdiacloneconceptart.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Suck it, Ironhide! This head was mine first!]]
* The ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Skids was additionally available in black or red. Neither of these color schemes has been used within the ''Transformers'' toyline as yet, but with [[Takara]], you never know.

* Skids' animation model head appears to be based on early ''Diaclone'' promotional concept art. The toy's head would be different... and ultimately different from the [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] head shown in his instructions, which also popped up a few times in the UK comics.

* Though Skids' toy turned into a [[wikipedia:Honda_City_Turbo|Honda City Turbo]], his car mode was often misinterpreted in Transformers fiction as one of the then-new minivans, despite the fact that a Honda City Turbo is a subcompact car, and as such, could theoretically be stowed in the back seat of an actual minivan. This is likely because most Americans in 1985 wouldn't know what a subcompact car is.

* Skids is noteworthy for his almost complete absence from the original television series. He had but two lines in two different episodes by two different voice actors.

* In the television commercial that introduced all the rest of his assortment, Skids was totally absent. Burnsauce!

* His bad luck doesn't stop there. Though Skids had an issue all to himself in the Marvel Comics, he spent upwards of 100 (UK) issues abandoned and forgotten in [[limbo]] while parasites ate his brain.

* In the "[[Survivors!]]" story, Skids was suddenly drawn with [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head. "Survivors!"' artist, [[Dan Reed]], previously drew him with his real head, so it'd be interesting to learn why and how this change happened. (He would later mysteriously regain his own face.)

* In more recent years, toys sporting the name "Skids" have required an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Skids'''".

* [[TakaraTomy]] accidentally revealed the color scheme for the [[Transformers_Generations_2009|Transformers Generations 2009]] exclusive Skids figure by including the [[:Image:Encore_Skids_Tokyo_Toy_Show_2009.jpg|missile launcher from the exclusive version]] with the normal ''[[Transformers Encore|Encore]]'' version at Tokyo Toy Show 2009.<ref name="internat">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/5790/20/ TakaraTomy Accidentally Gives Clue to TF Generations Vol. 3 Mail Away Figure?!]</ref>

* [[:Image:MillionPublishing-SkidsScreech.jpg|Mockup images]] showed Skids with black shoulders, shins, and legs, but the final product's shoulders, shins, and legs are gray. His face was also shown as gray, but ended up silver.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Skids''' (スキッズ ''Sukizzu'')
*''French:'' '''Platon''' ("Plato")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Szán'''
*''Italian:'' '''Furetto''' ("Ferret")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Patins''' (Brazil comic, "Skate"), '''Pe-de-cabra''' (Portugal comic, "Crowbar")
*''Russian:'' '''Tormoz''' (Тормоз, "Brake")

==External links==
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Skids Skids's ''Universe'' profile at NTFA.net]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]

Liokaiser

2012-01-25T01:25:01Z

Might Gaine: /* Merchandise */

{{factions|decepticon}}
:''Liokaiser is a [[Decepticon]] [[Combiner]] from the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (franchise)|Victory]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Liokaiser.jpg|right|300px|thumb|They call me Kibblefree!]]
'''Liokaiser''' (ライオカイザー ''Raiokaizā'') is the combined form of the [[Breastforce]], an elite combat team consisting of land and air assault vehicles who hail from the [[Death Zone]]. He is powerful, cruel, merciless, and — unlike pretty much every other combiner — intelligent to boot. An expert in melee combat, he's fought against [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] and [[Road Caesar]] on several occasions and promptly beat the stuffing out of them. It's possible the only opponents he can't contend with are Victory Saber and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]].

Liokaiser is composed of the Decepticons [[Leozack]], [[Drillhorn]], [[Guyhawk]], [[Hellbat (Victory)|Hellbat]], [[Jallguar]], and [[Killbison]]. Despite their unusually high levels of coordination and ruthlessness, Liokaiser's performance may suffer if the individual minds get distracted.

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===
====''Victory'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese)
[[Image:UniteLiokaiser Liokaiser spins nunchaku.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]
As the war between Autobots and Decepticons intensified on Earth, Deathsaurus began calling in members of the Breastforce to aid him. Although effective on their own, team leader Leozack began making preparations to unleash his team's true potential, leading an attack on Planet Micro to liberate Guyhawk {{storylink|Rescue! Guyhawk}} and calling in his more trustworthy comrade [[Deathcobra (Victory)|Deathcobra]] to replace the scheming Hellbat as part of Liokaiser. Unfortunately, Hellbat arrived bearing news of Deathcobra's death at the hands of [[Holi]] — in truth covering his own role in his fellow Decepticon's murder — and the Breastforce would perform their first combination "in some time" to battle [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]], who arrived in defense of Holi and his friends.

Liokaiser proved a great challenge for Star Saber, badly damaging and nearly defeating him. Star Saber was only saved by the arrival of God [[Ginrai]], but he too proved no match for Liokaiser on his own. Working together, the injured Autobots managed to seize Liokaiser and hit him until the Breastforce separated and retreated. {{storylink|Unite! Liokaiser}}

[[Image:AntarcticBattle Invisible Liokaiser.jpg|thumb|right|230px|"Right, where's my invisible sandwich?"]]
Later Hellbat came up with a plan to steal energy from Antarctica which Deathsaurus approved. When the Multiforce Autobots [[Wing (Victory)|Wing]] and [[Mach]] showed up, the Breastforce decided to engage in some overkill by combining into Liokaiser. The Autobots were outclassed by Liokaiser, but the rest of the Multiforce arrived and they all combined into [[Landcross (Victory)|Landcross]]. Liokaiser's ability to become invisible allowed him to trounce Landcross and the Multiforce were forced to separate again. Wing and Mach used a multi-gamma string to grab Liokaiser and throw them in the Decepticon's mine shaft but he was able to cling to the mining equipment and escape. The Multiforce combined again but with no more of a plan than the first time, were set upon by the invisible Liokaiser. Star Saber was able to arrive to save Landcross's hide, but Liokaiser claimed that Star Saber had no more right to Earth than the Decepticons. Even Star Saber had trouble against Liokaiser, who unleashed a "Battle Explosion" maneuver, in which he briefly separated so the individual Breastforce could attack. They continued to fight until Liokaiser had Star Saber on the ropes, at which point [[Galaxy Shuttle]] jumped in the way of the Decepticon's attack. As Liokaiser was about to finish Star Saber, Deathsaurus stepped in to do the job himself, though Liokaiser believed he himself should have been the one to face the Autobot. He retreated when the drilling device was destroyed. {{storylink|Fight to the Death!! Antarctic Battle}}

Later the Decepticons set a trap for the Autobots in the desert, it was going well until Guyhawk's old friend [[Greatshot]] showed up and turned the tide. Guyhawk suggested they combine into Liokaiser but they had sustained too much damage from Greatshot to do so and were forced to retreat. {{storylink |Crisis! Ambush in the Desert}}

[[Image:ADeadlyBattle Liokaiser faces Star Saber.jpg|thumb|left|280px]]
Liokaiser appeared again in an attack on an Autobot base in Asia, but it turned out to be a trap to destroy Star Saber. After damaging the [[V-Star]], the Breastforce combined to meet Star Saber in combat. After he broke Liokaiser's [[Electromagnetic Nunchaku]] with his sword, Liokaiser led him into a ring of explosive statues before disappearing. Star Saber subsequently fell into a pit, where he was set on by Deathsaurus, and Liokaiser dropped a boulder on him. Before he and Deathsaurus were able to destroy him, [[Ginrai|God Ginrai]] came to the rescue again. As Deathsaurus pounded on Ginrai, Star Saber was held by Liokaiser so he was unable to come to his comrade's aid. Star Saber broke free and stabbed Deathsaurus. Though badly injured, the Decepticon leader would have fought on, but Liokaiser begged him to retreat. {{storylink|A Deadly Battle}}.

Liokaiser was used again much later when Leozack was pretending to be Star Saber in a mission to get the Unification plans for the Autobot leader and [[Victory Leo]]. Leozack managed to return the plans to the Breastforce, but they were confronted by Victory Leo and Star Saber, who merged into Victory Saber. The Breastforce responded by combining into Liokaiser, but the combiner was easily defeated by Victory Saber. He fled through the ruins, collapsing him behind him and almost got Victory Saber that way, but no dice. {{storylink|A Mystery?! The Deception of the Base Bombs}}

[[Image:Liokaiser death.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
When Deathsaurus raised [[Atlantis]], the Breastforce was sent to keep Star Saber busy. When he and Victory Leo merged, so did the Breastforce, but Liokaiser wasn't much of a match for Victory Saber. As a huge tsunami headed towards them, Liokaiser separated so the Breastforce could board the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'', leaving Victory Saber to face the wave alone. {{storylink|The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves}} After Deathsaurus's [[Planet-Destroying Fortress]] was up and running again, Liokaiser attempted to stop Victory Saber, but only lasted a few seconds before being blasted back into the fortress in one shot. {{storylink|The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress!}} As the Fortress neared Earth, Liokaiser was sent out to stop Victory Saber from entering it, thought with orders not to kill the Autobot. At one point, Victory Saber separated, with only Victory Leo staying to face Liokaiser, but the combiner had trouble even with just him. After struggling with the Autobot for a time, Liokaiser managed to fling Victory Leo away, only for a burst of fire from Victory Leo to sent him flying into the Fortress's main cannon. Still charging, the cannon drained him of his energy, and Liokaiser's grey body was flung off into space. {{storylink|Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification}}
{{--}}

====''Zone'' catalog====

Revived from death by some means and lead by the reborn [[Emperor of Destruction|Dark Emperor]] [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], Liokaiser joined several other powerful Decepticons in an assault on planet [[Zone (planet)|Zone]]. Attempting to steal their [[Energon Z]], the Decepticons proved no match for the [[Micromaster]]s and were driven away. What became of Liokaiser after this is unknown. {{storylink|Zone (story page)#Catalogue story page 1|Zone Project Story}}

===''Victory'' comic===
[[Image:StarOfFriendship Liokaiser argument.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Don't make me turn this combiner around!"]]
Frustrated at not being able to find the Breastforce, [[Jean Minakaze]] kicked a piece of junk over a rise, only to hear a noise of pain from Liokaiser, who was hiding behind it. Liokaiser announced that, as Deathsaurus was laid up with some illness, Jean and Star Saber were going to have to face him instead. Jean and Star Saber combined, but were seized by the combiner, only for his component parts to start arguing over which of them would finish the Autobots off. Distracted, Liokaiser was thus unable to prevent the pair wriggling free and ganging up on him. The Breastforce retreated hastily. {{storylink|The Star of Friendship, Jean and Star Saber!}}

Liokaiser, [[Dinoking]] and Deathsaurus were finally able to bring down Star Saber in battle, but before they could finish him off, Victory Leo came to the rescue. The two Autobots combined into Victory Saber, but the Decepticons attacked anyway and were blasted by Victory Saber's Flash Victory attack, forcing another retreat. {{storylink|The Strongest Partners, the Combination of Victory!}} Deathsaurus and Liokaiser continued to plunder Earth's energy, with the Autobots seemingly powerless to stop them. Liokaiser had [[Braver]] and [[Laster]] at his mercy when [[Blacker]] arrived and the Brainmasters were able to form Road Caesar. Even [[Solon Kitakaze (Victory)|Solon Kitakaze]] turned against his former Decepticon comrades. With power lent to them by the [[Victories]], Victory Saber and Road Caesar were able to send the Decepticons packing. {{storylink|Shine! The Five Stars of Victory}}

{{--}}
===''Transformers PD Type'' comic===
Facing Victory Saber, Liokaiser was bemused by his foe's speech constantly being interrupted by Victory Leo's head. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##2 "He's Here! Victory Saber!!"|He's Here! Victory Saber!!}} Just as Star Saber had Deathsaurus on the ropes, the Decepticon leader brought in Liokaiser. Star Saber attempted unsuccessfully to distract the combiner with some tuna, and ended up having to hide from the two Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##5 "Don't Lose! Star Saber!!"|Don't Lose! Star Saber!!}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers PD Type##20 "Find the Bright Day! Liokaiser!!"|Find the Bright Day! Liokaiser!!}}

==Toys==
===Victory===
[[Image:Victory-toy Liokaiser.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Why this has not been reissued yet, we will never know.]]
*'''Liocaesar''' {{sic}} (Multi-pack, 1989)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-335'''
**''Component members/Accessories:'' Leozack (Liokaiser head), Drillhorn, Guyhawk, Hellbat, Jallguar (2 missiles), Killbison (2 cannons, combined gun handle)

: Released only in Japan, Liokaiser is a unique and highly sought-after combiner. Unlike most other combiners, Liokaiser has almost no "combiner [[kibble]]", his feet and hands being built into the component robots. Only his combined-mode head is a separate accessory; even his hand-weapon is assembled from Killbison and Jallguar's extra weapons. However, in this form, the individuals' breastplate-animal partners cannot be stored and must be put aside.

: Though his components were all sold as individuals, they were also available in a single Liokaiser box set.

: Four of the six components to Liokaiser were used to make the European-[[exclusive]] [[Rescue Force]]. Unless you are in need of an [[Big Rescue Force|armless combiner whose head is tiny]], you should not attempt to combine them.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Destron/Liokaiser/liokaiser.htm More information on Liokaiser at TFU.info]''

===Merchandise===
*Transformers Choco '''Liokaiser''' (Kabaya kit, 1989)

:A tiny non-transforming "[[candy toy]]" model kit version of Liokaiser was made available during the original ''Victory'' series.

*Transformers Gum '''Liokaiser''' (Kabaya kit, 1989)

:A transforming "[[candy toy]]" model kit version of Liokaiser was made available during the original ''Victory'' series. Composed of two normal-sized Kabaya gum kits, this little model kit can pull off the individual robot modes, vehicles modes, combined mode, and even comes with detachable breast plate/guns. The only thing missing is the breast plate's animal transformation.

{{-}}{{anchor|SCF}}

*'''Liokaiser''' (SCF, 2002)

:In 2002, a PVC mini-figurine of Liokaiser was released in the seventh [[Super Collection Figure|SCF]] series. All of the PVCs in this series were available in both full-color and solid pewter-painted versions, in blind-packed boxes.

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Russian:'' '''Centurion''' (Центурион)
[[Category:Breastforce]]
[[Category:Combined forms]]

Skyfall (G1)

2012-01-16T03:05:55Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Skyfall}}
:''Skyfall is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:SkyfallG1.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Can transform into anything, except someone with a conscience.]]

'''Skyfall''' is an up-and-coming Autobot weapons engineer who envisions a very bright future for himself. He has an effusive and enthusiastic personality, always heaping praise on those around him and telling them things they already know, in a way that doesn't seem suspicious at all. Whenever his friends reach a major success, Skyfall is always there to join in the celebration (and glory), and wouldn't you know it, whenever his rivals fail, things just seem to work out to Skyfall's benefit too. What a lucky bot he is! One day, Skyfall will accomplish great things—you'll see! Oh, you'll see.

His [[Action Master partner]] is [[Top-Heavy]].

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 comics===
Skyfall was a weapons-designer and a rival of [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]. Ironfist designed [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s signature [[ion blaster|rifle]], but the Autobot commander mistakenly believed it was Skyfall's work. Of course, it was only out of respect for Prime's image that Skyfall never corrected that misconception. Yeah. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4|Last Stand of the Wreckers #4}}

Skyfall received plenty of praise for "designing" Prime's ion blaster, but it was Ironfist who received the next round of cheers for his development of cold phosphex, otherwise known as "[[glass gas]]". Perhaps feeling he needed to prove himself, Skyfall volunteered to take part in an advance patrol, which was then captured by Decepticons. He endured 100 years of captivity in the infamous Grindcore penal colony. Upon Skyfall's rescue, Ironfist strongly advocated for him to become one of the engineers at the [[Kimia Facility|Kimia design facility]]. Instead, Skyfall was brought into the less-prestigious manufacturing division, although Ironfist still let his good buddy use his workshop from time to time for personal projects. There, working side by side, the two renewed their friendship... except for the teensy little detail about how Skyfall was an amoral bastard out for no one but himself. After Ironfist had developed the fearsome chemical weapon known as [[Gideon's Glue]], he himself was so shocked by its virulence that he attempted to destroy the entire stockpile of his creation, but Skyfall found out about it and leaked critical information to the Decepticons, who then used it in the massacre at [[Babu Yar]]. Skyfall then manipulated the subsequent Autobot investigation of the incident to direct suspicion towards Ironfist, but ultimately, nothing came of it.

[[Image:SpotlightArcee Autobotsfighting.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"We're not going to make it!" "Shut up, SHUT UP!"]]

Skyfall soon fell under official scrutiny too, when he used his time in Ironfist's workshop to further development of cold phosphex (which he "jokingly" swore had been his idea from the beginning and that Ironfist had stolen from him). His more extreme and poorly tested concoction, [[glass gas|black phosphex]], led to severe weapons malfunctions in the field. High Command forcibly transferred Skyfall out of weapons design and into the penal system, working as a guard on [[Garrus-9]]. While there, he accidentally fulfilled Ironfist's dream and helped the Wreckers in battle, fighting off a prison break side-by-side with [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]'s team. {{storylink|Bullets}} He was among the personnel attempting to defend the G-9 penitentiary from [[Banzai-Tron (G1)|Banzaitron]]'s assault. {{storylink|Spotlight: Arcee}}

Once again, Ironfist intervened on his "friend"'s behalf, bringing him back to the Kimia engineering corps so he could enjoy Skyfall's company... which often took the form of passive-aggressive backhanded compliments about Ironfist's temperament during ethics investigations and the repetitiveness of many of his entries in the ''[[Wreckers: Declassified]]'' series. At some point, Ironfist promised his good buddy Skyfall that he could have Ironfist's lab if anything ever happened to him. Wasting little time, Skyfall tampered with one of Ironfist's cerebro-guns, insuring it would automatically fire when held at a certain angle and thus dooming Ironfist to a slow death by creeping brain-bullet. Naturally, Ironfist confided in his friend about his injury, to which Skyfall sensitively replied that he should have his head examined.

Skyfall essentially sabotaged himself, however, once [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] learned of Ironfist's injury (although not its cause). Thinking Ironfist's death sentence made him uniquely suitable for the [[Aequitas]] mission to Garrus-9, Prowl used his sway in High Command to get Ironfist named as a new Wrecker, replacing Springer's initial choice... Skyfall. Just as he was leaving Kimia for the Wreckers, however, Ironfist got the analysis reports back from [[Brainstorm]] about the cerebro-gun that "malfunctioned". Realizing that Skyfall had enough access to his workshop to have rigged the gun to fire as it did, Ironfist still departed Kimia without confronting his "friend".

After Ironfist left, Skyfall took possession of that precious, long-sought lab. But Skyfall's true personality soon shone through: He was arrogant and dismissive enough to repeatedly ditch the requests of [[Xaaron]]'s investigative committee, and as punishment, the authorities repossessed all the weapon tech that the lab had housed. Skyfall had barely absorbed this setback when he found himself receiving a recorded message from Ironfist, who had just died at that moment. Revisiting all the strange coincidences that had accompanied Skyfall's career over the years, Ironfist had uploaded an automatic message and broadcast timer into his brain-bullet's internal computer, and he revealed the proof of all of Skyfall's crimes to every fan who was following "Fisitron"'s datafeeds.

Skyfall soon found himself barricaded inside his lab with an angry mob of Autobot troopers banging on the door, as Ironfist laid out one condemnation after another. Knowing he would never survive among his former victims on Garrus-9, Skyfall happened across the one remaining weapon in the lab—Ironfist's last, secret sample of Gideon's Glue—and drank it, killing himself. {{storylink|Bullets}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Skyfall toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Gun-DAMMIT! ...Sorry.]]
*'''Skyfall with Top-Heavy''' (Action Master, 1990)
**''Accessories:'' Top-Heavy partner, "Cloudburst cannon"

: Skyfall is an Action Master, and as such does not transform (which, given [[#Notes|what it says in his toy bio]], is more than a little ironic), though his design shows hints of a vehicle mode, likely a Cybertronic jet fighter similar in style to early [[Pretender]] robots such as [[Cloudburst]], given the cockpit and vehicle details on his back. He is compatible with any Action Master weapon or vehicle. He came with his rhino-[[Action Master partner|partner]] [[Top-Heavy]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1990/Autobot/Skyfall/skyfall.htm More information on Skyfall at TFU.info]''
{{--}}
==Notes==
*Skyfall's toy bio<ref>[http://www.tfu.info/1990/Autobot/Skyfall/skyfall.htm Skyfall at TFU.info]</ref> contains the line: "Can change into anything from a construction crane to a can opener, then into a weapon in less time than it takes to plug in a phone jack." This could be a typo given its startling nature and its minor clash with the next sentence, which calls him a "former jet fighter." Removing the first "into" and the ", then" would create a new meaning that jibes very well with his weapons-engineer function. On the other hand, it says what it says, and [[Simon Furman]] has stated that if the [[Action Master]] storyline in the comics had continued, he planned to have [[Nucleon]] affect individual Transformers in lots of strange and different ways. It is possible that Skyfall's super-transformational abilities could have been a result of this.

[[Image:Skyfall catalog.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Yow, that's [[Neon|primary.]]]]
* Skyfall's color went through several alterations before production; his catalog photography and [[Power Plans]] show him in different red and white colors. With these colors comes an entirely different preproduction name, [[:Image:1990protoactionmasters.jpg|Fireball]].

[[Image:Skyfall boxback.jpg|right|116px|thumb|This, less primary.]]
* The 1990 boxback art<ref>[http://www.botchthecrab.com/galleryImage.asp?gallery=2&image=41 Back of the Box Art: 1990 - botchthecrab.com]</ref> features Skyfall in an even more different color scheme, blue and green. It's possible he was mistaken for [[Gutcruncher (G1)|Gutcruncher]].

*Skyfall's design seems to be strongly inspired by the Japanese ''Gundam'' robot line, with maybe a little Generation 1 [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] mixed in.
{{--}}

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Engineers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]

Optimus Prime (G1)/toys

2011-09-26T01:40:11Z

Might Gaine: /* 20th Anniversary/Masterpiece */ Just fleshed out the description slightly...

{{suite}}
[[Image:G1 OptimusPrime boxart.jpg|thumb|350px|Awwwwww yeah......]]
Since 1984, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 '''Optimus Prime''']] has received the largest number of toys for any single ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' character, a testament to the character's enduring popularity and status as a hero to many fans.

==Generation 1==
{{anchor|G1v1}}
[[Image:G1_OptimusPrime_toy.jpg|thumb|300px|From the ''Diaclone'' Battle Convoy came Optimus Prime and all his subsequent incarnations.]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (1984, 1985, 1986)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''01'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), [[Trailer]]/[[Combat Deck]], [[Roller (G1)|Roller]], 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

: The original Optimus Prime toy started life as the ''[[Diaclone]]'' toy, "Battle Convoy", created by a team of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] designers who came on board when the original designer fell behind. This team included [[Hiroyuki Obara]] (listed as the sole creator on the toy's patent) and famed mecha designer [[Shōji Kawamori]]. The toy transforms into a late 1970s red Freightliner FL86 Cab-over-Engine triple-axle semi trailer truck formed from two major components: a red and blue cab partially composed of [[die-cast]] metal and a large silver trailer.

:The cab transforms into the robot mode of Optimus Prime himself, with the addition of a pair of removable blue fists that plug into his headlights. The fists themselves do not store anywhere in vehicle mode, but can fit easily in Prime's opening chest compartment (originally designed to accommodate two ''Diaclone'' driver figures). Prime is armed with a black laser rifle that, due to design, he cannot hold straight.

:Prime's trailer opens up into his [[Combat Deck]], containing the scout drone, [[Roller (G1)|Roller]]. The interior of the Combat Deck features three pegs that can accommodate Prime's laser rifle, fuel pump and nozzle accessories, and seating for two ''Diaclone'' drivers. As its central feature, the Combat Deck features a missile-armed repair drone pod mounted upon a boom lift arm (featuring another cockpit for a ''Diaclone'' driver), which can also be extended through holes in the trailer's roof and front-end when it is closed. Situated in the base of the boom arm is a spring-loaded launcher that can launch Roller out of the Combat Deck and into action. Roller himself has seating for four ''Diaclone'' passengers, and features a port that can accomdiate either Prime's rifle or the fuel pump. The interior space of the trailer allows storage room for one standard Autobot car, which can also be shot forward by the launcher.

[[Image:G1toy_optimus_prime_variants_and_running_changes.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Most people would be happy with just ''one'' Optimus Prime, but noooooo...]]

:Optimus Prime was subject to several molding and color variations in his early days. The earliest release of the figure featured larger fists, a gun with a thick, round barrel, a slightly-differently shaped gas pump, grey rockets, a grey Roller, a grey launcher in his Combat Deck, and metal plates in the floor of the Combat Deck (a holdover from the ''Diaclone'' version of the toy, to which the magnetic feet of the pilots could cling). In short order, his fists were slimmed down, the gun's barrel was pared down to a more slender form, the gas pump's shape was altered, the rockets and launcher were recast in black plastic, the metal plates were removed from the Combat Deck, and Roller's color was changed to a light blue. Along with Roller's color change, however, the Combat Deck's drone pod also became light blue, and a third running change soon followed that saw it restored to its original darker blue, and Roller changed along with it. These modified components would would become the default accessories used by subsequent reissues of the Prime toy would take, though Roller stills fluctuates back and forth between grey and dark blue, depending on how [[show-accuracy|show-accurate]] each reissue wants to be.

:The Japanese release of the figure also underwent the changes in weapon shapes, but never featured a silver Roller; instead, their original release of Prime featured a ''Diaclone''-style Roller without the two rear pegs, and the differently-shaped launcher that accommodated him, before a running change switched over to the Hasbro version of the mold. Finally, in some European countries, Prime sported red feet, as opposed to his traditional blue.

:Having been removed from toy store shelves after 1985, Optimus Prime was made available as a mail-away toy in the "[[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction (G1)|Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]]" offer in the US in 1986 to coincide with the [[The Transformers: The Movie|Transformers movie]] premiering that year. He cost $21.50 and 5 [[Robot Point]]s, and came with a special "Movie Edition Certificate" and a round sticker that read " Movie . Edition . Transformer" with the Autobot symbol in the middle. (This item is considered ''rare''.)

:Over twenty-plus years, there have been a ''bajillion'' releases of this mold, some identical to the original toy, and some featuring significant variants with notably different paint jobs, color schemes, accessories and other pack-ins. We have striven to list all these variants on this page under their respective series; for a quick-reference list of all variants and releases [[#Notes|check here]]. The cab robot has also been used sparingly to represent different characters; outfitted with different trailers, it has become Generation 1 [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Pepsi Convoy]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Generation 1 Optimus Prime at TFU.info]

{{-}}{{anchor|PepsiPrime}}
[[Image:G1-toy OptimusPepsi.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Pespibots, roll out!]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (Limited edition promotional variant, 1985)
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (dark blue), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

:A limited edition of the Optimus Prime toy sold as a mail-away exclusive by [[PepsiCo]] was made available in North America in 1985. This version of the figure came with a small fold-out leaflet glued to the top-right of the packaging, which contained two Pepsi logo stickers for the buyer to attach to Prime, mid-way through the traditional silver-and-blue stripe on his trailer. [[Canada]] also got a version of this promotional figure, but with much larger stickers that were the full length and height of the trailer. This promotion would go on to serve as the inspiration for the Japanese character of [[Pepsi Convoy]], who would in turn be released by Hasbro as a new "[[#Classics|Pepsi Optimus Prime]]" in 2007.
{{-}}{{anchor|VSX}}
[[Image:Convoy_megatron_vsx.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* '''Convoy vs. Megatron''' (Versus set, 1985)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VSX'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller, 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

: This Japanese-[[exclusive]] release of Optimus Prime came with the Japanese release of [[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron]]. There are no differences between this release of Convoy and the individually released toy.

{{-}}{{anchor|goodbye}}
[[Image:Goodbye_convoy.jpg|thumb|right|300px|He's not leaving! He's right behind you!]]
* '''Good Bye Convoy''' (Multipack, 1986)
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (dark blue), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump
: Commemorating the death of Optimus Prime in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', this set contains a special version of the original Optimus Prime figure with show-inspired translucent blue windows. It was packaged with [[Mirage (G1)|Ligier]] and [[Red Alert (G1)|Alert]], in an apparent homage to the similar ''Diaclone'' "Powered Convoy DX" giftset that packaged the "Powered Convoy" version of the Optimus mold with figures using the molds of Ligier and Alert.

{{-}}{{anchor|PMOP}}
* '''Optimus Prime''' (Powermaster, 1988)
**''Accessories:'' Hi-Q Powermaster unit, 2 Laser Rifles, 2 Twin Particle Beam Cannons, Super Robot head
[[Image:PowermasterOptimusPrime_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|My Japanese release has a lot more bling.]]
:Powermaster Optimus Prime was the first new toy of the Autobot leader since the original toy's release in 1984. He is an all-new design, utilizing the [[Powermaster]] gimmick of requiring the partner figure, who transforms into an engine module, to be inserted into a special area on the main toy before it is able to transform.

:Like the original figure, Powermaster Prime is composed of two major components: his truck cab, which transforms into Prime himself, and his trailer, which is essentially a heavily-armed version of the original. The trailer has a fold-down ramp to allow the storage of a smaller Transformer, or perhaps spare accessories. The trailer transforms into a battle station armed with two long black rifles and two grey double-barreled cannons (featuring seating for Powermaster engine figures), all of which Optimus Prime can also wield in his fists.

:Aside from the Powermaster feature itself, the main [[gimmick]] of the toy is the ability of the truck cab to combine with the trailer to form the larger "Super Optimus Prime" figure. This is essentially accomplished by standing the trailer up, folding the cab in half and inserting it into the empty cavity in the trailer's torso, forming an imposing—if almost entirely unposeable—robot form armed with all four weapons. The head of this super robot form is a separate piece which can be stored in the rear of Prime's trailer when not in use.

:The Japanese release of Powermaster Optimus Prime actually represented a new character named [[Ginrai]], and featured several retools: the cab featured die-cast metal, shortened smokestacks, vacuum-metalized plastic and clear blue windows, while the trailer was given retractable super robot fists. This Japanese version was eventually issued by Hasbro in 2003 as part of the [[Commemorative Series]] collection ([[#Commemorative Series|see below]]).

:This toy was later redecoed into the Japanese-exclusive Nucleon Quest Super Convoy.

:There were several different prototypes made for this toy. [[#Powermaster Optimus Prime design history|See a list here]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1988/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optmiusprime.htm More information on Powermaster Optimus Prime on TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|AM}}
[[Image:ActionMasterPrime_toy.jpg|thumb|300px|Eastbound and Down.]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (Action Master, 1990)
**''Accessories:'' 2 Laser Guns, Galactic Pulverizer Gun Barrels, 4 Blaster Cannons, 2 Energon Exhaust Stack, Photon Bazooka

: The largest ''[[Action Master]]'' set, this incarnation of Optimus Prime is a non-transforming action figure which comes with the "[[Armored Convoy]]", a large, heavily armed tractor trailer. The cab of the truck transforms into a small jet that can seat one Action Master figure, while the trailer itself converts into a larger battle station with turrets that several Action Masters can man. The sculpt of the Prime figure itself is closely based on his [[character model]], albeit with a coloration that seems to have been based at least partially on the small robot form of his Powermaster body.

:The Action Master Optimus Prime figure was later redecoed with a more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] color scheme and included in the Japanese-exclusive "New Year" reissue of the original Optimus Prime toy in 2002.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1990/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Action Master Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''

{{-}}[[Image:Euro_classics_optimus.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Original Optimus Prime''' (Original Autobot Leader, 1990)
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (dark blue), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

:This straight reissue of the original Optimus Prime figure was released in Hasbro's European markets in the early 1990s, at the same time as many other Generation 1 figures were being re-released as "[[Classics (Europe)|Classics]]". Oddly, although he shares their golden packaging, Prime is not actually ''identified'' as a "Classics" figure anywhere on his box, but is generally considered to be part of the sub-line for simplicity's sake.
{{-}}
*'''Convoy''' (reissue, 2000)[[Image:2000 japanese prime reissue.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''01'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (grey), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

:The first in what would be a deluge of reissues of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime figure in the 21st century, this Japanese release sported a golden sticker on his packaging announcing the celebration of the Transformers' 15th anniversary in the country. It featured slightly modified fists to help hold the gun better.

:Simultaneously, this figure was available as a black convention-exclusive redeco, and a golden-chromed "[[Lucky Draw figure]]" (see below).
{{-}}{{anchor|JAFCON}}
[[Image:Jafcon_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Convoy Black Version''' (2000)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''01'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (black), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

:Released concurrently with the 2000 reissue of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime toy, this [[black repaint|black redeco]] of the original Prime was available exclusively at the Japanese convention JAFCON. ''Everything'' about it is black, including all of the Combat Deck and Roller.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Cybertron/JAFConvoy/jafconvoy.htm More information on JAFCON Black Convoy at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|LuckyDrawPrime}}
[[Image:G1toy_convoy_gold_version.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Convoy Gold Version''' (2000)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''01'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (gold), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

:Released concurrently with the 2000 reissue of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime toy, this "[[Lucky Draw figure|Lucky Draw]]" redeco of the original Prime replaced all of the figure's silver chromed parts and stickers with golden ones, and even included a blinged-out Roller. The figure is extremely rare; apparently only 25 are known to exist.
{{-}}{{anchor|NucleonQuest}}
[[Image:Nucleon_quest_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* '''Nucleon Quest Super Convoy''' (2001)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-307X'''
**''Accessories:'' Hi-Q Powermaster unit, 2 Laser Rifles, 2 Twin Particle Beam Cannons, Super Robot head

:This redeco of the Ginrai tooling of the Powermaster Optimus Prime figure (released concurrently with the 2001 reissue of the Ginrai figure) was a Toys ''R'' Us Japan [[exclusive]] black repaint, made to represent the original Optimus Prime equipped for a special mission. All of his red and blue plastics were changed to black, his clear blue windows were now tinted red, making his overall colour scheme very reminiscent of the now-familiar 'Black Convoy' color schemes.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2001/Autobot/NucleonQuestConvoy/nqconvoy.htm More information on Nucleon Quest Super Convoy at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|NewYearConvoy}}
*'''New Year Special Convoy''' (2002)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''01'''[[Image:New_year_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
**''Accessories:'' 2 Laser Blasters, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (dark blue), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump, Action Master Optimus Prime figure, [[Matrix of Leadership]], chain, Autobot sticker sheet, mouse pad

:This Japanese-exclusive reissue of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime figure featured tinted blue windows, like those sported by the "Goodbye Convoy" edition of the toy, as well as show-accurate blue eyes. Prime came with all his original accessories, including ''both'' versions of his rifle, as well as a new die-cast metal Matrix of Leadership accessory, which could be looped around his neck on a removable chain. Additionally, the set included a show-accurate redeco of the Action Master Optimus Prime figure, a sheet of Autobot [[insignia]] stickers of varying sizes, and a mouse pad decorated with the Autobot symbol.

:The Matrix accessory was later recolored in gold chrome for inclusion with the 2005 [[Galvatron (G1)/toys|Galvatron reissue toy]], and in green chrome as the [[Creation Matrix]] for the [[e-Hobby]]-exclusive [[Galvatron_II#Toys|Galvatron II]] toy. It returned to its original silver coloration when it was included, sans chain, in the 2010 ''[[Transformers (2010 toyline)|Transformers: Reveal the Shield]]'' "Battle in Space" 2-pack.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Cybertron/NewYearsConvoy/nyconvoy.htm More information on New Year Special Convoy at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|OrionPax}}
[[Image:OrionPaxDion_toys.jpg|thumb|300px|"Welcome to The Past!"]]
* '''Orion Pax''' (2005)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''67'''
**''accessories:'' Barrelroller partner, laser rifle

: This Japanese [[e-Hobby]] exclusive was a redeco of [[Targetmaster]] [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], released in conjunction with the 2006 reissue of Kup and designed to represent the character [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Orion Pax]] from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 television series]] episode "[[War Dawn]]". Orion transforms into a Cybertronic pickup truck and came with both a gun and [[Roller (G1)|Barrelroller]], a redeco of [[Recoil]]. He has full shoulder rotation, though the way his elbows are set up means he cannot make full use of their joints. His legs feature no articulation whatsoever.

: Just as the reissued Kup came with a reissue of [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], this set also included a redeco of Wheelie as Orion's best friend, [[Dion]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/OrionPax/orionpax.htm More information on Orion Pax at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
[[Image:G1toy_sons_of_cybertron_optimus_prime.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Sons of Cybertron''' (2010)
**''Accessories:'' Machine gun turret/rifle

:Released as part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s "Welcome to Transformers 2010" campaign, the "Sons of Cybertron" set includes a redeco of the 2006 ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]'' "Ultimate Battle" pack Deluxe class [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Classics (2006)|Optimus Prime]], cast mostly in translucent plastic (his shoulders remain opaque [[plastic|Polyoxymethylene (POM)]]). He comes packaged with a similarly translucent redeco of ''Classics'' [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Classics (2006)|Rodimus]].

:The set is a counterpart to TakaraTomy's simultaneously-available ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' Sons of Cybertron set, which also features translucent versions of that line's Deluxe [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus]] figures. It was intended as an exclusive for the Japanese Chara Hobby 2010 festival, but was also initially offered as a raffle prize at the 2010 "Autobot Alliance" event in the Philippines.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/classics-11/sons-of-cybertron-crystal-classics-optimus-prime-and-rodimus-set-images-169977/ TFW2005.com reports on the Philippines Autobot Alliance/Cybertron Con event. June 18, 2010]</ref>, and was later available for purchase at [[Cybertron Con 2010]] in [[Shanghai]].
{{-}}

{{anchor|bape}}
[[Image:G1toy_BAPE_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[Trukk_not_munky|TRUKK...''AND'' MUNKY?]]]]
* '''Convoy''' (A Bathing Ape exclusive, 2011)
**''ID number:'' '''01'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), Trailer/Combat Deck, Roller, 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

:Available exclusively from Japanese clothing company [[A Bathing Ape]] in July 2011, concurrently with a range of exclusive Transformers t-shirts, this redeco of the original Optimus Prime toy sports a unique new green color scheme, along with a tan trailer decorated with a camouflage pattern. Both trailer and Prime himself feature the A Bathing Ape logo in place of an Autobot symbol, while the floor of the trailer's Combat Deck mode features new Bathing Ape-themed labels. The figure comes in a recolored version of the original Japanese Prime packaging.
::*''[http://bape.com/transformer A Bathing Ape Conboy on BAPE.com]''
{{-}}

==Transform Jr==
{{anchor|1985Jnr}}
[[Image:Convoy_Junior_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Prime's kid brother.]]
* '''Convoy''' (1985)
**''ID number:'' '''01'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 fists (left and right), head, Laser Blaster, cardboard trailer

: As one of the first ''Transform Jr'' toys, this version of Optimus Prime was released under the early name for the series, ''Tranform Gōkin''. As a smaller, simplified version of the original Generation 1 Prime figure intended as a low-cost alternative for younger children, Prime features a similar transformation, with a removable head in addition to fists, but lacks rubber tires and translucent windows. As with most other ''Transform Jr'' figures, he lacked any of his major accessories, coming only with his rifle and a cardboard replacement for his trailer that had to be assembled by the buyer.

{{-}}{{anchor|HeroSet}}
[[Image:Transformjr_hero_set.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''3 Hero Set''' (multipack, 1987)
**''Accessories:'' 2 fists (left and right), head, Laser Blaster, cardboard trailer

:The ''Transform Jr'' version of Prime was re-released a few years later in a "Hero Set" alongside the ''Jr'' versions of [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]].
{{-}}

==Return of Convoy==
{{anchor|StarConvoy}}

[[Image:StarConvoy_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"... and that's why you're my Micromaster now, [[Hot Rod (G1)|bitch]]"]]
* '''Star Convoy''' (Powered Master, 1991)
**''ID number:'' '''C-372'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle, [[Micro Trailer]], Microcarrier, small cannon, cannon turret stand, radar, connector, 2 ramps

: As the final new-design Optimus Prime toy from the original Generation 1 era, the Japanese-exclusive Star Convoy was a significant departure from previous versions. This incarnation of Prime transforms into an extended-hood cab truck of made-up model pulling an implausibly large trailer, incorporating the motorized "Microcarrier". Powered by four AA batteries, the Microcarrier drives Star Convoy either forward or backward, spinning a radar dish mounted on the rear of his trailer as he rolls along. Prime's teammate in the [[Battlestars]], [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]], can link up to the rear of Star Convoy's vehicle mode and be pulled along behind him; [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] can then land atop Grandus, forming a giant vehicle.

:Unlike previous Prime toys, the cab section does not separate from the trailer for transformation, instead forming the arms of his imposing 12-inch tall robot mode. He lacks any sort of leg articulation in this mode, but the Microcarrier comes into play again, allowing Prime to roll either forward or backward into action.

:Additionally, Star Convoy transforms into a large battle station that interacts with the [[Micromaster]]s that made up the vast majority of the ''Transformer'' toyline at the time. His chest contains a peg that allows Micromaster figures to stand inside it in either robot or base modes, and he comes with a unique Micromaster version of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] not available on its own. He features storage space in his legs for two spring-loaded figure-launching [[Micro Trailer]]s, and comes with one of his own, decorated in a unique black and orange color scheme. In this mode, two ramps are connected to the Microcarrier; when the carrier's treads are set rolling, they do not move the base, but instead act as conveyor belts that carry Micromaster figures down the ramps. The Microcarrier also spins a gun turret mounted between the conveyors, on which Micromaster figures can stand. Finally, a special connector packaged with Star Convoy allows the Microcarrier to be connected up to Grandus's base mode, powering his moving elevator.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1991/Cybertron/StarConvoy/starconvoy.htm More information on Star Convoy at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
[[Image:StarConvoy reissue.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* '''Star Convoy''' (reissue, 2005)
**''ID number:'' '''C-372'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle, [[Micro Trailer]], Microcarrier, small cannon, cannon turret stand, radar, connector, 2 ramps

:Star Convoy was reissued by Takara in 2005, with some notable alterations to his deco: his white plastic was replaced with metallic silver, and the yellow star on his chest was chromed golden. Star Convoy himself retained some of his original decals but most notably his "simulated head lights" and "wind shield panels" were stamp graphed on him, similarly, Hot Rod's were replaced with the same stamp graphing applications. Additionally, where the original toy had been packaged in robot mode in a tall box decorated with the standard Japanese package art of the time, the reissue was packaged in vehicle mode, in a long, wide box more reminiscent of the original Generation 1 toys.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/StarConvoy/starconvoy.htm More information on reissue Star Convoy at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Generation 2==
* '''Optimus Prime''' (1993, 1994)[[Image:G2Prime_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I AM OPTIMUS PRIME.]]
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (light blue), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump, 2 missile launchers, 2 missiles, sound and lights module

:The first ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime toy was largely identical in sculpt to the original Generation 1 figure release. While his cab robot retained his original red and blue color scheme, his trailer was recast in black, with the original blue and silver striped sticker replaced with a red and silver one displaying Optimus's name. The traditionally dark blue internal components of the trailer are a lighter blue, as is Roller, and a running change later made to the toy saw the dark blue of the cab robot changed to match this lighter shade. A bright yellow "Optimus" [[tampograph]] was also added to the back of his right leg.

:''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime comes with all his original accessories, as well as two major new play features. To increase his arsenal, he is armed with a pair of black missile launchers that fit in his fists and fire red spring-loaded missiles; these launchers were retooled from the ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' figure [http://www.yojoe.com/action/92/barricade.shtml Barricade]. Secondly, he comes with an electronic "sound and lights module" that can either plug into the front of the trailer, or hook onto Optimus's back in robot mode (via a new slot sculpted into the cab robot). The soundbox features a large, [[vacuum metallizing|vacuum metalized]] Autobot symbol on its front, and three grey buttons which trigger two flashing red LEDs on either side of the module, and [[:Image:G2OptimusNoises.ogg|a trio of sound effects]]: a truck engine noise, a laser gun sound effect and a garbled voice that said "I am Optimus Prime!". The module also features ports on either side into which the missile launchers can peg.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1993/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Generation 2 Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
{{anchor|HeroOptimusPrime}}
[[Image:CombatheroPrime_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|BE A HEEEERO]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (Hero, 1994)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TRF-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Gun, 2 rockets

:[[Hero (G2)|Hero]] Optimus Prime was the first new-mold Optimus Prime toy created for the ''Generation 2'' line. He transforms into a Kenworth truck of unknown model which defies Optimus convention by being one continuous unit, rather than the traditional cab-and-trailer combo. In addition to a small gun, he is armed with a large missile launcher, which can fire a rubber-tipped rocket by means of a bellows which you slam your fist down on to produce a puff of air. The launcher is accessible in both modes, ending up mounted on his right forearm in robot mode; the bellows is attached via a rubber hose and cannot be disconnected, but stores on the figures's back when not in use, as do the rockets. A similar air-launching system with identical missiles was used by the simultaneously-released [[Megatron (G1)/toys#Generation 2|Hero Megatron]], and by Laser Optimus Prime the following year (see below).

: This mold was also used to create [[Sureshot (G2)|Sureshot]] and the [[KB Toys]]-exclusive [[Destructicon (RID)|Destructicon]] [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1994/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Hero Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
{{anchor|LaserOptimusPrime}}
* '''Laser Optimus Prime''' (1995)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TRF-13'''
**''Accessories:'' "Laser cannon", "saber weapon", missile launcher, 10 missiles, 5 discs, 2 rockets
[[Image:G2toy laser optimus prime.jpg|right|thumb|400px]]

: Laser Optimus Prime transforms into a mid-1990s Western Star 4964EX, pulling a grey and black fuel tank trailer. The sides of the trailer are decorated with an unintentionally humourous sticker depicting Prime using a flamethrower to burn down a forest, with the words "Optimus Prime Octane" over the image. Not an especially Primey thing to do! The truck is armed with a disc launcher on the roof of its trailer, which launches five blue discs bearing the ''Generation 2'' Autobot insignia as a knob is turned. Like the other "[[Laser Rod|Laser]]" toys released this year, Prime features electronics powered by two button-cell batteries; in truck mode, pressing the button on the cab's roof causes his headlight to light up with yellow LEDs.

:In the grand Optimus tradition, the cab of Laser Optimus Prime disconnects to become the highly poseable robot mode of Prime himself. Like Powermaster Prime and Hero Prime, the toy features the iconic windshield pecs and grill abs, despite not actually being formed from the actual truck components they emulate. In robot mode, pressing the button on Prime's cab (now on his back) activates a red LED in his right fist which illuminates his clear-plastic sword (which stores beneath his legs in truck mode).

:Prime's trailer unfolds via a spring-loaded transformation mechanism in a battle station that is positively ''bristling'' with varied weaponry. In addition to the disc launcher, it is armed with a "ripple-fire" missile launcher that fires five missiles, an air-powered rocket launcher like the one previously seen on Hero Optimus Prime, and a small laser cannon that mounts on the base's main tower. Both the missile launcher and laser cannon can disconnect and be held by Prime; his LED-fist will illuminate the laser cannon like it does his sword. Additional missiles and a second rocket are stored in grooves inside the sides of the trailer.

:This mold was redecoed by Takara in 2000 as ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Car Robots]]'' [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]]. The following year, it was released by Hasbro as Black Convoy's ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' counterpart, Scourge, with retooled discs that lacked the Autobot insignia. Following this, the next use of the mold was planned to be ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Toxitron (Universe)|Toxitron]], which ended up being canceled. The modified tooling was also used when Laser Prime was reissued by Takara in 2006 with a modified deco ([[#G2reissue|see below]]), and for the e-Hobby exclusive [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Generation 2|Laser Ultra Magnus]] that accompanied the reissue's release.

:In addition to being the most popular Generation 2 figure, Laser Optimus Prime was, prior to 2003, a regular contender for most popular Transformers toy ''ever'', back in the days of the annual Transformers fan awards, "The Trannies." The toy won twice, and actually lost once to his repaint, Scourge.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1995/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Laser Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
[[Image:G2toy_gobot_prime.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Sweet ride, Prime]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (Go-Bot, 1995)
**''Accessories:'' Gun

: [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] Optimus Prime transforms into a red Hot Wheels-sized Lamborghini Diablo. Like most Go-Bots, he features high speed axles and can roll very well across smooth surfaces, but lacks the weight to propel him quickly. He is armed with a small red laser rifle.

:The Japanese release of this toy swapped out the orange plastic for neon yellow, and had a large tampograph on the car's hood that was shaped like a stylized letter 'T', with the Transformers logo in it. Going against the grain, this toy was released in Japan with the name "Optimus Prime" instead of "Convoy".

:This mold was redecoed from the ''Generation 2'' Gobot [[Firecracker]]. The plastic colors are a "solid" version of Firecracker's color layout, substituting opaque red for transparent red plastic. It was redecoed again for the third wave of Go-Bots to become [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (who Prime ''really'' looks a lot like), and would later be used to created ''Robots in Disguise'' [[R.E.V.]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1995/Autobot/OptimusPrimeGobot/optimusprime.htm More information on Go-Bot Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
{{anchor|CombatHeroOptimusPrime}}
[[Image:CombatHeroPrime.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (Combat Hero, 1995)
** ''Accessories:'' Gun, 2 rockets

: Combat Hero Optimus Prime was to be a redeco of Hero Optimus Prime in dark blue and red. A packaged sample of this toy was produced, but it was ultimately never released.

:A finished sample of Combat Hero Optimus Prime was among the rare toys auctioned off for charity at [[BotCon 1996]], along with several other unreleased ''Generation 2'' items.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}
* '''General Optimus Prime''' (Auto Roller, 1995)
** ''Accessories:'' Four missiles
[[Image:Un autorollers.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]

: "General" Optimus Prime would have been a redeco of the Decepticon [[Auto Roller]] [[Dirtbag]] in green, ironically bearing a closer resemblance to [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'s color scheme than the also-unreleased "Sgt. Hound" Auto Roller. General Optimus Prime would have transformed into a dump truck, and would've had an [[autotransformation]] gimmick.

: This mold was also used to make [[Autostinger]].

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}
{{anchor|G2reissue}}
[[Image:LaserPrime reissue.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* '''Battle Convoy''' (reissue, 2006)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TRF-13'''
**''Accessories:'' "Laser cannon", "saber weapon", missile launcher, 10 missiles, 5 discs, 2 rockets

:This reissue of the original ''Generation 2'' Laser Optimus Prime figure was made using the modified version of the mold created for ''Robots in Disguise'' Scourge, lacking the sculpted ''Generation 2'' Autobot insignias on the disks featured on the original. It sported a modified deco, with the flat grey plastic on both the trailer and Prime's chest now replaced with silver chrome; additionally, new Autobot symbol tamographs were added to the doors of Prime's cab mode and the front end of his trailer, and a pair of new chest-window stickers featuring an illustration of the Matrix of Leadership replaced the original decals.

:This version of the mold was used to create the e-Hobby exclusive Laser Ultra Magnus, and somewhat more perplexingly, was briefly [[repurposing|repurposed]] by the [[Master of the Game|second]] ''[[Beast Wars Reborn]]'' text story as a temporary body for [[Optimus Primal]]!
{{-}}

==Beast Wars==
{{Note|Very early in the life of the ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' toyline (before the debut of the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon), Hasbro treated the series as an extension of the Autobot/Decepticon war, and so Optimus Primal was presented as being the same character as Optimus Prime.}}

* '''Optimus Primal vs Megatron!''' (Basic versus two-pack, 1996)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-6'''[[Image:BWtoy-Primalbat.jpg|right|300px|thumb|I'm Batman, and I can breathe in space.]]
**''Accessories:'' Two swords
:The first ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Optimus Primal]] is a Basic size class blue bat which could autotransform into a robot by pulling the tail. Two swords were removable from under its wings for use as weaponry in robot mode. It was packaged along with an alligator version of Megatron and a ''Beast Wars'' mini-comic.

:This figure was released during the short-lived period when Hasbro was treating the Beast Wars as an extension of the Autobot/Decepticon war, and Optimus Primal was presented as being the same character as Optimus Prime. This was soon relegated to the realms of [[micro-continuity]] when the ''Beast Wars'' animated series began and clearly established that the two Optimuses were different characters, but the toy remains one that was officially branded as Prime, and is consequently listed here.

:This mold was also used to make the [[Optimus Primal/toys|Optimus Prime-recolored Convobat]] (who may or may not be a separate character to either Prime or Primal), and [[Onyx Primal]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/OptimusPrimalBat/optimusprimal.htm More information on Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

[[Image:Optimusprimaltoyultraape.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Well, that's just Prime.]]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (Ultra, 1996/1997/1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail
: The second Optimus Primal toy was an ape in the Ultra size class. Though the transformation from primate to humanoid was a relatively simplistic one, the toy compensated with more than a fair share of weaponry and action features. A compartment on his right forearm opened to reveal a skull-shaped mace he could hold in his fist. His left forearm could open into a double-barreled missile launcher. On his back were two spring-loaded missile launchers which auto-flipped over each shoulder. By pulling a lever in the center of his back, both arms would either spin at the bicep or bend in and out at the elbow, depending on the placement of notch-buttons located on either bicep. This gimmick was shown to be an effort to simulate a gorilla beating its chest while Optimus was in beast mode, but could also be used in robot mode, making him swing his weapons wildly before himself. And finally, like many first-year ''Beast Wars'' toys, a battle mask/"[[mutant head]]" could be deployed over his robot head.

:Takara released the toy as part of their ''Beast Wars'' line in July of 1997, nearly identical to the Hasbro version. The missiles for the Takara version are thinner and simpler than the original Hasbro version, and would be used in all subsequent releases of the mold.

:Just like Optimus Primal's basic bat toy, this figure was released during the short-lived period when the Beast Wars was still considered to be an extension of the Autobot/Decepticon war, and Optimus Primal was the same character as Optimus Prime. This was soon relegated to the realms of [[micro-continuity]] when the ''Beast Wars'' animated series began and clearly established that the two Optimuses were different characters, but the toy remains one that was officially branded as Prime, and is consequently listed here.

:This mold was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' Optimus Primal and [[Beast Wars Telemocha Series]] DX Convoy, and [[retool]]ed into ''Beast Wars Reborn''/''Beast Wars Tenth Anniversary'' versus pack Optimus Primal. Takara also created multiple special variants, including all-gold (from ''Tele-V Magazine'', only ten awarded), red and gray (''Tele-V'' again, but only ''one'' awarded), and blue-fur (a ''Comics Bom Bom'' design-contest prize, only five awarded).

[[Image:BW-toy OptimusPrimalCDROM.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Freedom is the right of all superstitious, cowardly lots. Wait, no, that's not right...]]
*'''Amazon Showdown''' (multipack)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-S1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords
: Available only in a special CD-ROM two-pack with a [[Megatron (BW)/toys|purple redeco of "Megaligator"]], this version of Optimus Primal (maybe) retains its previous gimmickry. his back features a silver Maximal [[Insignia|faction symbol]] plus "C-ROM", as in "Cybertron", get it? Huh? And Megatron has the "D-ROM"? See what they did there?

: Just what character this toy represents is up for debate. The toy's [[bio]] claims he used to turn into a tractor-trailer (indicating [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]), but considering the timeframe of when they were written and the whole lack of a stance on who Primal "was" before the show and blah blah blah... it's just easier to file this under the same iffiness as the original toy bios set on modern [[Earth]] and leave it at that.

: This mold was also used to make [[Onyx Primal]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Cybertron/ConvoyBat/convoybat.htm More information on CD-ROM Convobat at TFU.info]''

==Machine Wars==
[[Image:MachineWarsPrime.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Minus mouthplate]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (Ultra, 1997)
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle, 2 missiles

: Available only at [[KB Toys]], ''[[Machine Wars]]'' Optimus Prime is a redeco and slight retool of the European Generation 1 exclusive [[Turbomaster]] leader [[Thunder Clash]], transforming into a Cybertronic truck cab. It's easy to see why Thunder Clash was chosen to become the new Optimus Prime, given his adherence to Prime tradition: the cab disconnects to become the robot, while the trailer unfolds to become an assault tower with twin missile launchers. On the original Thunder Clash version of the mold, the launchers operated on a gravity-feed system that saw a new missile drop into the launcher from above each time one was fired, allowing for twelve to be fired in rapid succession, but for ''Machine Wars'' Prime, this feature had to be dialed back [[for safety reasons]]. The missiles had to be lengthened to prevent choking hazards, and so the toy's launchers were modified to accommodate them, becoming straightforward spring-loaded single-firing weapons.

: This version of the mold was planned to be [[redeco]]ed into [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] for the ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' line, but the release was canceled.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Machine Wars Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

==Choro-Q Robo==
[[Image:ChoroQOptimus.jpg|thumb|300px]]

* '''Convoy TV Version''' (2001)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''Q/01'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle

:''[[Choro-Q|Choro-Q Robo]]'' Convoy is a small, cutesified transforming figure of Optimus Prime that changes from trailer-pulling truck directly to robot mode. The toy features a working pull-back motor, and is decorated in a color scheme based on Prime's appearance in the original Generation 1 cartoon, with blue eyes and windows and a grey stripe on the trailer.

* '''Convoy Metallic Version''' (2001)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''Q/02'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle

:This version of ''Choro-Q Robo'' Convoy is a redeco of the first, featuring glittering metallic plastic, and a deco based upon the original toy, with yellow eyes, black windows and a silver-and-blue stripe on the trailer.
{{-}}
==Commemorative Series==
[[Image:Commemorative_series_optimus_prime_modifications.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The snip that launched a thousand snits.]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (2002)
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (grey), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

:The first reissue of the original Optimus Prime toy in North America since the Generation 1 toyline reached its end, this "Commemorative Series" edition of the figure was a Toys R Us exclusive. It was ''mostly'' identical to the original figure, save for some necessary modifications made [[for safety reasons]]: In the first instance of what would become a recognizable alteration to the mold, the toy's smokestacks were shortened, while the Combat Deck's firing missiles were elongated to prevent potential choking, as was the case with all other Commemorative Series figures' firing missiles. This release also had the trailer's launching feature removed.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Commemorative Series Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|ApexArmorPrime}}
[[Image:GodGinrai_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Powermaster Optimus Prime with Apex Armor''' (2003)
**''Accessories:'' Hi-Q Powermaster unit, 2 Laser Rifles, 2 Twin Particle Beam Cannons, Super Robot head, missile launcher, 2 missiles, [[Apex Bomber]] chest/trailer top, 2 legs (left & right), 2 arms (left and right), Armor chest/trailer front, 2 wings (left & right)

:Marketed as a reissue of Powermaster Optimus Prime, this Toys R Us-exclusive Commemorative Series figure is in truth based on the Ginrai tooling on the toy that had previously been exclusive to Japan. It features a die-cast metal cab with translucent blue windows, and shortened, chrome smokestacks, and comes packaged with the drone [[Apex Bomber]] (formerly Ginrai's partner [[Godbomber]]), who splits into several components and combines with Prime to form "Apex Armor". As with all other Commemorative Series figures, Prime's new spring-loaded missile launcher featured an elongated missile.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Autobot/ApexPrime/apexprime.htm More information on Powermaster Prime with Apex Armor at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Transformers Collection==
[[Image:Tf_collection_0_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* '''Convoy''' (2003)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''0'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (dark blue), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump, [[energon-axe]]

:As yet another in an increasingly large number of reissues of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime toy, this entry in the Japanese-exclusive ''[[Transformers Collection]]'' line of reissues added a few extra goodies to spice things up. Chiefly, the figure was armed with a new [[energon-axe]], based on the weapon used by Prime in the Generation 1 cartoon episode, "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]", which plugs into either of the headlight-holes that normally accommodate Prime's fists. Additionally, Prime came packaged with a ring binder folder designed to hold the pull-out character file sheets that were included with all the other ''Transformers Collection'' reissues. Notably, this figure reinstated the original, thick version of Prime's rifle as the standard for all future Japanese reissues.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Transformers Collection Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
[[Image:Tfcollection_prime_fist.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* '''Starscream''' (2003)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''9'''

:This redeco of the original Generation 1 [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] [[Starscream (G1)/toys|toy]] came packaged with a remolded right fist for Optimus Prime. This fist featured additional pegs that allowed it to hold the pistol-mode [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] accessory which was also included with Starscream.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Destron/AnimeStarscream/starscream.htm More information on Transformers Collection Starscream at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Smallest Transforming Transformers==
[[Image:WSTF_Convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|You didn't find my trailer, did you? Haw haw.]]
* '''Convoy''' (2003)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''GTF 01A'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster

:Standing only two-and-a-quarter inches tall, ''[[Smallest Transforming Transformers]]'' Optimus Prime is the smallest fully transforming G1 Optimus toy. He features an accurate transformation sequence based on the original full-sized toy, and he even comes with a tiny version of his laser rifle, but understandably has no detachable hands, and has little articulation. His trailer and Roller were also available as a separate set in the same wave, as a rare [[shortpacking|shortpacked]] figure with the ID number "GTF-01B".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Cybertron/SmallestPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Smallest Transforming Convoy at TFU.info]''
{{-}}[[Image:Wstf_anime_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* '''Convoy (Anime Version)''' (2004)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''GTF 06'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster

:''Smallest Transforming'' Prime was redecoed the following year for the second wave of the line, into a color scheme based on his Generation 1 cartoon appearance featuring brighter reds and blues, white thighs, yellow details on his bumper, and blue eyes and windows. This version of the figure was made available for a second time in the next wave ("Wave 2.5"), with a new anime-decorated version of the Combat Deck now available as a rare "chase" figure.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/SmallestAnimePrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Convoy (Anime Version) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}[[Image:Wstf_white_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* '''Convoy (White)''' (2004)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''GTF X-4'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster

:Another version of Prime was also available in the second wave of the ''Smallest Transforming Transformers'' series as a chase figure. This almost entirely white version of the figure is clearly based on the version of the original Prime cab robot used in the Generation 1 Ultra Magnus figure, but was nonetheless sold as Optimus Prime for the ''Smallest'' line.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/SmallestConvoyWhiteMode/convoy.htm More information on Convoy (White) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}[[Image:Wstf vsx.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
* '''Convoy vs Megatron''' (multipack, 2004)
** ''Japanese ID Number:'' '''VSX'''
** ''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster

:Available exclusively through [[Dengeki Hobby]] magazine, this ''Smallest Transforming Transformers'' two-pack contains both Optimus Prime and Megatron, in homage to the original 1984 "VSX" giftset containing the original versions of the two leaders.
{{-}}

==20th Anniversary/Masterpiece==
[[Image:20thAnniversary_OptimusPrimesm.jpg|right|thumb|400px|And the fandom rejoiced.]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (2003/2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster, Autobot Matrix of Leadership, gun-mode Megatron, Megatron's scope, stock and silencer, energon-axe, cardboard trailer (Japanese release only)

: As the name suggests, this impressive incarnation of Optimus Prime was produced in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Transformers'' brand. So successful was the figure that ''ToyFare'' magazine ultimately ranked it #1 in their quest for "Best Toy Ever".<ref>[http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/toyfare/000054376.cfm ToyFare Magazine Best Toys Ever]</ref>

:Created with the specific purpose of producing an Optimus Prime as accurate to the original animated series as possible, the toy is exceptionally poseable, partially constructed from die-cast metal, features rubber tires and vacuum-metalized plastic and is heavily detailed, with sliding pistons in its joints and working spring-loaded suspension in vehicle mode. The figure also contains multiple non-intrusive gimmicks, such as a moving [[mouthplate]] to emulate Prime's traditional method of speech, flip-up communications panels on the forearms depicting images of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], and an opening, light-up Matrix chamber in the chest, which contains a removable vacuum-metalized Matrix of Leadership that can also be pulled open.

:Optimus Prime comes with many accessories in addition to the aforementioned Matrix, including the character's traditional laser rifle, now termed (and henceforth known as) an [[ion blaster]]. The initial release of the figure cast the ion blaster in grey plastic, but later assortments recast it in its more familiar black coloration. Other accessories include a transparent orange energon-axe that plugs into either wrist when Prime's fist is retracted, and even a non-transforming gun-mode Megatron weapon, with removable stock, silencer and scope accessories, in homage to [[Countdown to Extinction (episode)|several]] [[The Insecticon Syndrome|instances]] in the Generation 1 cartoon when Prime was forced to wield his enemy. Pack-in bonuses that came with the figure included an inner cardboard tray illustrated to resemble the interior of Prime's Combat Deck, and in later releases, a small poster drawn by [[Pat Lee]].

:Takara released the figure in their markets soon after, as the first of what would come to be several installments in their ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' line. In addition to coming with a cardboard trailer that the buyer could assemble to "complete" Prime's truck mode, Takara's release differed from Hasbro's by featuring longer smokestacks (kept short on the Hasbro version [[for safety reasons]], but incorrectly shown to be long in the stock photography shown at right), and lacking the black scorch-marked "battle damage" paint applications Hasbro included on the figure's shoulders, wrists and abdomen.

:This mold was redecoed by Takara into a golden Lucky Draw figure and later released in its original coloration with a trailer as a "Perfect Edition" (see below for both), while Hasbro would later redeco it into their ''[[Classics (2006)|Classics]]''-branded "[[#Classics|DVD Edition]]". The mold was also used to make ''Masterpiece'' [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys|Ultra Magnus]] and "[[Eldedroid|Convoy Black Version]]", representing one of many drones built in Prime's image, rather than Prime himself.

:In ''[[Transformers History Collection]]'', a [[Blindpacking|blind-packed]] Transformers trading figure line, Takara released an add-on hand for ''Masterpiece'' Convoy as a [[Chase figure]]. The hand holds a [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] figure and clips on to the end of Optimus Prime's arm, making the arm slightly longer than normal.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Autobot/20thPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

[[Image:Gold masterpiece prime.jpg|right|thumb|300px|We salute the brave soul who transformed this thing in order to photograph it.]]
* '''Convoy''' (Lucky Draw figure, 2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster, Autobot Matrix of Leadership, gun-mode Megatron, Megatron's scope, stock and silencer, energon-axe, cardboard trailer

:Offered as part of a Lucky Draw campaign in August 2004, this extremely rare version of ''Masterpiece'' Convoy is almost entirely vacuum-metalized gold, lacking any other painted detail or stickers. The parts which are not viable are molded in a flat golden plastic; the only exceptions are its rubber tires, the core of the Matrix and the energon-axe, which remain black, blue and orange, respectively. Whether or not the figure was intended to evoke Optimus Prime's [[:Image:Goldenlagoon_prime_perceptor.jpg|entirely-golden appearance]] in the cartoon episode "[[The Golden Lagoon]]", when he was coated with [[electrum]], is unknown; given that entirely chroming a figure gold is a fairly standard deco for Lucky Draw figures, it may just be happy coincidence more than anything else.

:The figure comes packaged in the standard ''Masterpiece'' Convoy box, with the only telltale sign of its fabled contents being the replacement of the traditionally silver foil lettering on the box with gold. It's not clear how many were made, but it is thought to be no more than 10 or 20.

::*''[http://www.goldoptimusprime.com/ More information on gold ''Masterpiece'' Convoy at GoldOptimusPrime.com]''

{{-}}

[[Image:MP04Convoy2.jpg|right|thumb|300px|You just paid $170 for a big box on wheels.]]
* '''Convoy Perfect Edition''' (2006, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-4'''
**''Accessories:'' Trailer/Combat Deck, ion Blaster, Autobot Matrix of Leadership, gun-mode Megatron, Megatron's scope, stock and silencer, energon-axe, cardboard trailer

: For this re-release of ''Masterpiece'' Convoy, Takara submitted to the biggest desire fans had for the figure and produced a full-size, fully transforming plastic and die-cast metal trailer. The trailer opens up into Convoy's Combat Deck, with storage for its accessories and a functional repair drone, though Roller is conspicuous by its absence. Like the original Combat Deck, the drone can extend through holes in the roof and front of the closer trailer, and the interior has enough room to accommodate one ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' figure in vehicle mode. Some reports suggest that the paint on this figure's chest chips more easily than past editions.

: This version of Convoy, and Hasbro's 20th Anniversary DVD version of the toy depicts [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] on its communicators rather than Bumblebee and Starscream.

: Continuating the trend begun by their previous release of ''Masterpiece'' Ultra Magnus in 2005, Hasbro [[Australia]] released Convoy Perfect Edition as a Target Australia [[exclusive]] in 2008. Takara themselves then made the figure available for a second time in October 2009.

{{-}}

[[Image:MP4Sconvoysleepmode.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Remember that scene from the movie that made you cry and traumatised you as a kid? Well now you can display me doing just that!]]
* '''Convoy Sleep Mode''' (2010)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-4S'''
**''Accessories:'' Trailer/Combat Deck, ion Blaster, Autobot Matrix of Leadership, gun-mode Megatron, Megatron's scope, stock and silencer, energon-axe

: Released by TakaraTomy as part of a 2010 promotion honoring the "future era" of the original cartoon (which was set in 2010 in Japanese continuity, you see!), this exceptionally morbid re-release of the ''Masterpiece'' Convoy figure recolors the Autobot leader in blacks and greys, representing ''his dead body'' from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''—but don't worry, kids, it's actually a "sleep mode", according to the figure's name! Limited to 2010 pieces in Japan (see what they did there?), it comes with all its customary accessories, including the Perfect Edition trailer, redecoed where appropriate: the trailer itself has become translucent, its energon-axe is now transparent grey, and Megatron, in another movie homage, is rendered in translucent purple, evoking the scene depicting his transformation into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The figure was also released in other parts of Asia as a limited edition of 2010 as well, combined with the Japanese edition for 4020 total. The Japanese version denotes "Serial Number in Japan: ####/2010" on its bio card with the number out of 2010, while the Asian version denotes "C1 - ####/2010" with the number out of 2010 on its bio card.

: This version of Convoy depicts [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] on its communicators.

{{-}}
[[Image:MPtoy_last_shot_convoy.jpg|thumb|300px|]]
* '''Convoy Last Production''' (2011)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-1L'''
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster, Autobot Matrix of Leadership, gun-mode Megatron, Megatron's scope, stock and silencer, energon-axe, sound stage

:"Convoy Last Production" was the final re-use of the ''Masterpiece'' toy mold before it was at last retired after numerous re-releases and redecos. The figure is essentially identical to the original Japanese MP-1 release, aside from a slightly brighter red, and the addition of the words "LAST SHOT" in Transformers typeface molded into the small of Convoy's back, hidden beneath its headlight-flaps in robot mode. Lacking the trailer of MP-4, the figure instead comes with a redecoed version of the electronic base included with Hasbro's "[[#20thDVD|DVD Edition]]" of the figure from five years prior, which now features a collection of sixteen soundbytes of Convoy delivering famous lines from the Japanese version of the Generation 1 cartoon, recited by the character's original Japanese voice actor [[Tesshō Genda]]. The base was promoted as containing a hint as to the identity of the next ''Masterpiece'' toy; as it would turn out, this was a new version of Convoy himself (see below), foreshadowed by a sound clip on the base which played only intermittently, and which had Convoy announce that he would "soon be reborn".
{{-}}

* '''Convoy''' (2011)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-10'''
:MP-10 Convoy is an entirely new tooling of Generation 1 Optimus Prime. Convoy is now smaller, making him more in-scale with other recent ''Masterpiece'' toys such as Rodimus, and comes with a trailer and various accessories. While the front of the vehicle mode's cab is more accurate to the Freightliner FL86, the back half, which is as usual made out of Convoy's legs, is much larger and robot-leggier in proportion. (So much that they sculpt a ladder on there.)

:Many of the small features and electronics of the original ''Masterpiece'' mold are left out. Instead, this Convoy features better overall cartoon accuracy (chest interior, head, etc.), corrected robot mode proportions, improved articulation, and now its gun can collapse and store inside a compartment on its back. In addition to Convoy's trailer, which can transform into Combat Deck, it also comes with both Roller and a small [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] figurine. Spike can fit inside the cab in vehicle mode or ride in Roller's seat.

:Also, hey, a Matrix.
{{-}}

==Robot Masters==
[[Image:RMConvoy_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|My vehicle mode is dangerous and unroadworthy!]]
* '''G1 Convoy''' (2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-01'''
**''Accessories:'' "Convoy Gun", missile launcher, missile, energon-axe, 4 fists (2 left, 2 right)

: ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' "G1 Convoy" (as he is amusingly referred to even in fiction) visibly takes its cue from ''20th Anniversary'' Optimus Prime, featuring a similar sculpt, but sharing few to none of the larger toy's other attributes, least of all anything that could be described as a successful transformation.

:G1 Convoy comes with two sets of fists, each pair featuring differently-shaped fist holes: one pair with square holes to hold the figure's "Convoy Gun" (as his ion blaster is called), and the other with round holes to hold the spring-loaded translucent blue missile launcher (a generic accessory also available with ''Robot Masters'' [[Megatron (BW)/toys|Beast Megatron]] and [[Optimus Primal/toys|Beast Convoy]]). The fists are swapped out by simply popping them out of the wrist-hinge that holds them in place; the figure also includes an energon-axe that can be inserted into the wrist instead of a fist.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/Convoy/convoy.htm More information on G1 Convoy at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
[[Image:RM_DVDConvoy_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I'm shiny!]]
* '''G1 Convoy + DVD''' (2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-10'''
**''Accessories:'' "Convoy Gun", missile launcher, missile, energon-axe, 4 fists (2 left, 2 right)

: This special edition release of G1 Convoy is decked out in metallic paint, with an extra Autobot insignia tampographed onto his right shoulder, and a black Convoy Gun. The figure comes packed with a DVD containing the first episode of the ''Robot Masters'' cartoon, "[[Fight! The Group of the Strongest Commanders!]]".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/DVDConvoy/convoy.htm More information on G1 Convoy + DVD at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
[[Image:Rmblackconvoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I'm blacky!]]
* '''G1 Convoy Limited Black Version''' (2005)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-01'''
**''Accessories:'' "Convoy Gun", missile launcher, missile, energon-axe, 4 fists (2 left, 2 right), Calamity Defenser

: Available only via mail-order through ''Dengeki Hobby'' magazine, the "Limited Black Version" of G1 Convoy is just that: a straight [[black repaint]] of the G1 Convoy toy. He comes with all his original accessories, appropriately redecoed (including a silver version of his axe), as well as a gold-chromed version of the "Calamity Defenser" [[Solitarium]] weapon that came with [[Psycho-Orb]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/HHG1Convoy/convoy.htm More information on G1 Convoy Limited Black Version at TFU.info]''
{{-}}[[Image:Crayola_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The third one is totally ''Shattered Glass'' Prime!]]
* '''G1 Convoy''' (Lucky Draw figure, 2005)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-01'''
**''Accessories:'' "Convoy Gun", missile launcher, missile, energon-axe, 4 fists (2 left, 2 right)

:When ''Robot Masters'' G1 Convoy was turned into a Lucky Draw figure, the color scheme into which he was redecoed was chosen through a children's coloring contest held in the pages of the December 2004 issue of ''[[TV Magazine]]''. The winning entry was a... ''startling'' mixture of blue, orange and two shades of green, earning the toy the [[fandom|fan]]-appointed nickname of "Crayola Convoy". As with all Lucky Draws, it is extremely rare, with only ten units produced.

::*''[http://www.luckydrawtransformers.com/toy/gallery/review/transformers+robot+masters+-+lucky+draw+custom+colour+g1+convoy/1594/transformers+robot+masters+-+lucky+draw+custom+colour+g1+convoy.html More information on "Crayola Convoy" at LuckyDrawTransformers.com]''
{{-}}

==Universe (2003)==
[[Image:SpychangerG1Prime.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Why won't they repaint my full-size toy in these colours?!?]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (Spy Changer, 2004)

: ''Universe'' Optimus Prime is a [[redeco]] of the ''Robots in Disguise'' [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]]'s [[Spy Changer]] toy. He replaces most of the black plastic with predominantly red and blue, with silver for detailing, with an overall deco making him resemble the original Optimus Prime. Like most Spychangers, he features high speed axles and can roll very well across smooth surfaces, but lacks the weight to propel him quickly.

: Originally a KB Toys exclusive, the first release of this toy (and the others in the assortment) did not have any sub-line designation at all, but later releases for other chains, most notably "budget" chains like Family Dollar, marked them as ''Universe'' product.

:This mold would later be redecoed into a Spy Changer version of the live-action movie [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Autobot/SpyPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Universe Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Hybrid Style==
*'''Convoy''' (2006)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''T.H.S.-02'''[[Image:THS02Convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Expensive and tiny.]]
**''Accessories:'' Trailer/Combat Deck, Roller, ion blaster, gas pump, energon-axe, Autobot Matrix of Leadership, rocket pack, 8 fists (4 left, 4 right), Autobot insignia stand

: ''Hybrid Style'' Optimus Prime is an ''insanely'' detailed and complex transforming toy, created under the supervision of famed mecha designer [[Shōji Kawamori]]. Standing only three and three-quarter inches tall in robot mode, the figure is partially constructed from die-cast metal and features one of the most complex transformation sequences ever seen on a ''Transformers'' figure of its size. Alas, the small size of the figure also works against it, as it required several design concessions that resulted in (if we're being nice about it) an unimpressive cab mode.

:Prime is loaded with a ridiculous number of features and accessories. The robot itself is highly poseable, and both the smokestacks on Prime's shoulders and the fuel tanks on his legs can be rotated forward to act as guns, even featuring sculpted detail to this effect. As ever, he comes with a trailer that opens up into his crazy-detailed Combat Deck, featuring more action features than ever before. In trailer mode alone, it features a flip-down support stand so it can stand alone, a spring-loaded pop-out ramp instead of a fold-down one, and when the trailer is split for transformation, the traditional support legs underneath automatically swing out into place. The trailer houses most of Prime's accessories, including his ion blaster (with a moveable ammo clip to allow for multiple poses) and energon-axe, as well as his classic gas pump accessory, now with a poseable wire instead of a rubber hose. Two fold-out compartments provide storage space for six of Prime's interchangeable fists, while the other two remain attached the robot: two clenched, two open, a pointing right fist, a tilted left fist (for holding the ion blaster's ammo clip), and two fists with slots to grip the miniscule Matrix of Leadership that fits in a tiny chamber in Prime's chest. The Combat Deck's artillery robot features two flip-out handles that Prime can grip as if aiming the drone's guns, and Roller is also included, with three different 3mm ports to hold Prime's gun and gas pump. Lastly, Prime comes with a rocket pack like those used by the Autobots in such Generation 1 cartoon episodes as "[[Dinobot Island, Part 1|Dinobot Island]]", and a stand shaped like the Autobot insignia that allows him to be displayed in mid-air, as if in flight. The rocket pack also has 3mm ports for Prime's weapons, and stores on the front of the trailer in vehicle mode.

:Purchase of a ''Hybrid Style'' Optimus Prime at a Japanese [[Toys"R"Us]] store allowed the buyer the option of also purchasing the exclusive ''[[Smallest Transforming Transformers]]'' [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Smallest Transforming Transformers|Hot Rod]] toy.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Cybertron/HybridConvoy/convoy.htm More information on Hybrid Style Convoy on TFU.info]''
{{-}}
*'''Convoy Black Version''' (2006)[[Image:THS-02B_G2Convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Yanigerlicious!]]
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''T.H.S.-02B'''
**''Accessories:'' Trailer/Combat Deck, Roller, ion blaster, gas pump, energon-axe, Autobot Matrix of Leadership, rocket pack, 8 fists (4 left, 4 right), Autobot insignia stand, 2 missile launchers, 2 heads

:Available exclusively through e-Hobby, this black and teal repaint of ''Hybrid Style'' Convoy features the traditional "[[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|Nemesis Prime]]" color scheme, but represents a version of Optimus Prime himself. In addition to all the original accessories, the toys also includes several more deliciously metatextual goodies, themed around the ''Generation 2'' toy and comics: two new large guns patterned after the new weapons wielded by the ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime toy, and two additional (blue) Prime heads that can be swapped with the figure's regular noggin, sculpted explicitly in the style of [[Generation 2 (Marvel comic)|''Generation 2'' comic]] artist [[Derek Yaniger]]. One head is pristine, the other decorated to match the battle damage seen on the cover of the [[War Without End!|first ''Generation 2'' issue]].

:As the more franchise-savvy TransFans may realise, these extra parts, plus the black trailer of Convoy Black Version, can all be used to modify the original, red ''Hybrid Style'' Optimus Prime into a comic-accurate ''Generation 2'' version, complete with a black trailer, trailer-mounted guns and your choice of Yaniger-style heads.

:This figure came in a unique box, packaged with a [[Hybrid Style Convoy Black Version|mini-comic]], both illustrated by [[Hidetsugu Yoshioka]].
{{-}}

==Alternators==
[[Image:Alternators_OptimusPrime.jpg|right|300px|thumb|I don't come with a creepy girl...]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (2006)
**''Alternator ID number:'' '''21'''
**''Accessories:'' Engine/gun
: ''[[Alternators]]'' Optimus Prime transforms into an accurate 1:24 scale Dodge Ram SRT-10. The vehicle mode features rubber tires, functional steering, opening hood, tail gate and doors with a detailed cabin interior. Several of the details of his robot mode body are based on the sculpt of the 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime figure, but the head itself shares more similarities with the Powermaster mold. He is armed with a small pistol which transforms into his vehicle-mode engine.

:This figure was originally conceived by Hasbro to be another character (exactly who is unknown), rather than Optimus Prime, but Takara insisted that the toy be made into Optimus to help it sell well in their markets, as the vehicle mode was no particular draw, given its scarcity in Japan. Reportedly, the figure cost twice as much as other Alternators to construct, so Hasbro had to bow to this demand so Takara would help fund it. Ironically, Takara eventually wound up soliciting the figure ''not'' as Prime, but as his ''[[Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' lookalike, [[Ginrai]] (perhaps connected to the Powermasteresque headsculpt), before its Japanese release was cancelled and moved over into the ''[[Kiss Players (toyline)|Kiss Players]]'' toyline (see below).

: It took two further years, but this figure was eventually released as part of the Japanese counterpart to the ''Alternators'' line (''Binaltech'') in 2008. [[:Image:Convoy_BT.jpg|''Binaltech'' Prime]] features some additional paint details, like his silver pelvis, additional patterns on his shoulders, and red paint on his engine-gun, and like all ''Binaltech'' figures, he also includes die-cast metal pieces.

:This mold was also used to create ''Alternators'' [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]]

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Alternators/Binaltech Convoy at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
==Kiss Players==
[[Image:Kiss_Convoy_toy.jpg|right|thumb|300px|...And yet, I do!]]
* '''Convoy X Melissa''' (2006)
**''Accessories:'' Engine/gun, "[[Surfblade]]" surfboard/sword weapon, [[Marissa Faireborn]] figurine with stand and 2 pairs of arms and legs

: ''[[Kiss Players (toyline)|Kiss Players]]'' Convoy is a redeco of ''Alternators'' Optimus Prime. While the figures may appear similar at first glance, given that ''Kiss Players'' Prime is still red, blue and black, there are many subtle differences, not least of all the replacement of the ''Alternators'' figure's bare, flat red plastic with a deep metallic red paint. Several of his body parts are cast in different colors of plastic (for example, his shins, formerly black, are now blue, while his formerly-blue hands are now black), and he features more intricate paint applications on his shoulders, and especially his pelvis, which is decorated to look like Prime's traditional bumper.

:In addition to the small engine-pistol of his ''Alternators'' figure, Prime comes with the "Surfblade", a pink surfboard that can be reconfigured into either two small knives or a large double-bladed sword. As with all the ''Kiss Players'' figures, Prime also comes with a [[plastic|PVC]] figurine of a cute girl: in this case, Marissa Faireborn, who can perch upon his shoulder or sit in his driver's seat, and comes with two pairs of interchangeable arms and legs. Additionally, the set includes a CD featuring the first five episodes of the [[Kiss Players (radio drama)|''Kiss Players'' radio drama]], as well as the exclusive bonus audio adventure, "[[Kiss_Players_(radio_drama)#CD_collections_and_special_episodes|Someday, Under the Sun]]."

:This set was originally intended to be released under the ''[[Alternators|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' line, as "Black Convoy meets Marissa", but this release was cancelled before it was officially even announced.

{{-}}

==Titanium Series==
[[Image:TitaniumHeroes_WWPrime.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Well he ''is'' a car... in a car ''crash''.]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (6" Cybertron Heroes, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster, display stand

: Based on Optimus Prime's [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] form as seen in the [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] comic book "[[The War Within]]", this version of Prime tranforms into Cybertronian truck. The figure was personally designed by comic artist [[Don Figueroa]], who created the original comic design in the first place, and his signature is left on the figure in the most literal way: the word "DON" can be seen sculpted into the barrel of his silver ion blaster.

:As a ''Titainum'' figure, Prime is made in large part from die-cast metal, but like so many of the other toys in the ''Titainum'' line, his plastic joints have trouble supporting his heavy metal weight. He comes with the generic display stand shared by all of the 6" "Cybertron Heroes", with a unique removable nameplate.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/TitTWW6OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Titanium Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}[[Image:Titanium_war_within_2pack.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Now we just need a [[Sherman Dam |dam]]....]]
* '''War Within Optimus Prime vs. War Within Megatron''' (two-pack, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster

:This [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] ''Titanium'' two-pack includes the previously-released ''War Within'' Optimus Prime figure along with the ''War Within'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#Titanium|Megatron]] Megatron figure and an exclusive [[variant]] cover of ''[[The War Within]]'' [[The War Within issue 5|issue 5]].

:As the mass retail release of the last waves of the ''Titanium'' "Cybertron Heroes" figures was delayed for several months, the two-pack version of Megatron was at least initially more widely available than the individually packaged one.

:Despite being mentioned in the joint [[instructions]] leaflet for the set, neither figure includes their display base.

:There appears to be a variant of this two-pack: One version has the Optimus Prime figure more or less identical to its individual release, whereas the other one drops the additional black paint weathering, making him much cleaner-looking.

{{-}}

==Classics (2006)==
[[Image:ClassicsPrime_Voyager.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Rub my symbol, Marissa. Oops, wrong toyline.]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (Voyager, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Smokestacks/laser cannon, wind vane/ion blaster

: ''Classics'' Optimus Prime is an all-new modern Optimus Prime design based upon the original Optimus Prime, as is the intention for the ''Classics'' toyline. He transforms into a modern cab-over style truck of made up model, dominated by a large wind vane on his roof. As with most ''Classics'' toys, he features a heat-sensitive [[rubsign]].

:In robot mode, his wind vane transforms into a large ion blaster, and his smokestacks transform into a smaller laser cannon. Additionally, both weapons can combine together to form a double-barrelled over-shoulder weapon.

:Unfortunately, it also had a tendency for the yellow paint to flake off his forearms.

:This mold was slightly redecoed to make Prime's ''[[Henkei! Henkei! (franchise)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' [[#Henkei! Henkei!|counterpart]]. It was also used to create ''Classics'' [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys|Ultra Magnus]], [[BotCon 2008]] "[[Shattered Glass (toyline)|Shattered Glass]]" [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] and the San Diego ComicCon 2008 exclusive [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/ClassicsOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Classics Voyager Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|UltimateBattle}}
[[Image:ClassicsPrime_Vs.jpg|right|thumb|300px|They did me right, [[#20th_Anniversary.2FMasterpiece|once]].]]
* '''The Ultimate Battle''' (Multi-pack, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle

: This ''Classics'' Optimus Prime is a smaller, deluxe-class with a noticeable physical resemblance to Takara's ''[[#Robot Masters|Robot Masters]]'' Prime figure, and a transformation that is about as successful. The figure is armed with a tommy gun-shaped laser rifle that transforms into a turret-like configuration and mounts on the rear of his truck mode, and features a spinning "power punch" action that sees the whole upper half of his torso spin when a button on his back is pressed. Pressing the button "unlocks" the spinning mechanism; pull ''hard'' on the button, and you can lock the torso back into place.

:In the United States, Prime was only available in a special two-pack with a similarly unique ''Classics'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron toy]], and the specially-produced "[[Optimus Prime vs Megatron: The Ultimate Battle|The Ultimate Battle]]" DVD (which is, inappropriately enough, entirely about the [[Unicron Trilogy]]). In Mexico and some European countries, however, the two figures were available individually.

:This figure was later made available as part of the "Leader for the Ages" two-pack released under the [[#Transformers (2007)|live-action movie line]], then redecoed slightly to create the 2008 [[#Universe (2008)|''Universe'']] "Special Edition" Optimus Prime.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/ClassicsDVDOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Classics Deluxe Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|20thDVD}}
[[Image:DVD_20thPrime.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Discounted at a Walmart near you.]]
* '''Optimus Prime''' (20th Anniversary DVD Edition, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster, Autobot Matrix of Leader, gun-mode Megatron, Megatron's scope, stock and silencer, energon-axe, display stand

: Produced to coincide with the 20th anniversary of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' and its release on DVD by [[Sony]], this edition of Prime is a redeco of his [[#20th Anniversary|20th Anniversary]] figure. It replaces the original's metallic paint with flatter colors and does away with any and all vacuum-metalized plastic, as well as altering several other small details across the body, like the color of the lights on his feet and chest.

:Prime comes with all the accessories of his previous release, although his ever-changing ion blaster is now somewhat confusingly cast in blue plastic. He features one major additional accessory: an electronic display base sculpted with the image of the Matrix and the Autobot insignia. Pressing the insignia's crest triggers a series of electronic soundbytes, mostly quotes from the movie recited not by original actor [[Peter Cullen]], but by Hasbro's in-house actor, [[Ron Hayden]]: "Autobots, transform and roll out!", "I want you to make a special run to Autobot City," "Megatron must be stopped!", "All we need is a little energon, and a lot of luck," and two samples of the classic transformation sound effect, one ascending, one descending.

:The display stand itself was later redecoed as a mail-in prize for TakaraTomy's ''Transformers 2010'' promotion, intended to be used with ''[[Masterpiece]]'' [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Convoy]], and again when it was packaged with the "Last Production" run of the Masterpiece Optimus Prime toy.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/20thDVDOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on DVD Edition Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|PepsiPrime2007}}
[[Image:PepsiOptimusPrime.JPG|thumb|300px|Subservience to Corporate America is the duty of all servile beings.]]
*'''Pepsi Optimus Prime''' (Autobot, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Left & right fists, ion blaster, trailer

:Inspired by the [[#Generation 1|1985 promotional version]] of Optimus Prime that featured Pepsi stickers on his trailer, this outlandish incarnation of Prime is a slightly altered version of Takara's 2005 [[Pepsi Convoy]] figure (which represented a different character to Prime). The figure was only sold by [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] at various conventions, and given away as a promotional prize by Pepsi, via their [[Mountain Dew]] brand.

:A redeco of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime cab robot sporting an egregious number of Pepsi-themed paint masks and details, Pepsi Prime's differences from Pepsi Convoy are minimal: he features the shortened smokestacks previously seen on the [[#Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]] release of the mold, the blue pattern on his decals are different (matching the American Pepsi can/bottle look at the time rather than the one used in Japan), and also has a different layout for the Pepsi logo on his right shoulder. Like Pepsi Convoy, he comes with an entirely new trailer unit, specially designed to carry either a single 500ml-size soft drink bottle, three 350ml cans, or 12 bottle caps (bottle cap figurines being a common and popular collectible item in Japan). In a first for the Prime mold, the figure's fists store in holes on the underside of the trailer while he is in vehicle mode. His ion blaster (which also stores under the trailer) is the first Hasbro reissue to feature the original, thick-barrel sculpt, which was reinstated to the mold by the ''[[#Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' release of Prime a few years prior.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Autobot/PepsiPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Pepsi Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Sports Label==

[[Image:NikemusPrime.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Comfortable ''yet stylish'' jogging is the right of all fashionable beings.]]
*'''Convoy featuring Nike Free 7.0''' (2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''01'''
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster

:Surely one of the strangest examples of licensed ''Transformers'' products, ''Sports Label'' Convoy transforms into a ''shoe''. Something of a [[shellformer]], this baffling incarnation of Prime is colored primarily white and red in his alt mode of a realistic-looking (if notably undersized) Nike Free 7.0 sneaker, complete with gratuitously long real fabric shoelaces. In robot mode, he is made instantly recognizable by his incorporation of some additional blue and silver in predictable areas, and a traditionally Prime-styled head. Less traditionally, and somewhat perversely, Prime's feet are sculpted in the likeness of his own sneaker mode, making it seem like he's wearing himself!

:His gun splits into two halves and stores inside his [[kibble]] in shoe mode; in an undocumented features, it has two handle pegs on opposite sides, so that it can be held either at its far end or halfway along its length. The gun halves can also be plugged together in two different ways.

:This figure was, in fact, the ''only'' mold in the ''Sports Label'' line. It was redecoed into the "Marine Free" version of Prime himself (see below), and given a new head to create ''Sports Label'' [[Megatron (G1)/toys#Sports Label|Megatron]]''

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Cybertron/SLConvoy/convoy.htm More information on Sport Label Convoy at TFU.info]''
{{-}}[[Image:Sportslabel_convoy_marine_version.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Convoy featuring Nike Free 7.0 Marine Version'''
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''01'''
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster
:A redeco of the first ''Sports Label'' Convoy, this figure transforms into a white, navy and grey sneaker. Promotional images for the figure depicted its robot mode as white and aqua-blue, but the finished product was visibly darker, produced in shades of off-white and dark teal robot mode. In either coloration, it sure as heck ''looks'' like it should be [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], but for whatever reason... it ain't.
{{-}}
==Encore==
[[Image:Encore_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Convoy''' (2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''01'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller (grey), 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump

:A new series of reissues means a new release of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime figure, and Takara's ''[[Encore]]'' series proved no different. This edition of the figure featured no extra accessories, but it did include the original, thick-barrelled version of Prime's rifle, as reinstated to the mold by the ''[[#Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' version of the toy a few years prior. The blue plastic is lighter than the standard blue used on most versions of this mold, but not as light as the Generation 2 or 25th Anniverary releases.
{{-}}

==Music Label==

* '''Convoy {{m-}}playing iPod speaker{{m-}}''' (2007)
**''Accessories:'' Trailer/iPod dock, 2 fists (left and right), ion blaster
[[Image:MusicLabel-toy iPodConvoy.JPG|thumb|300px|You just paid 140 bucks for a new headsculpt, didn't you? I bet you don't even ''own'' an iPod...]]
: Hot on the heels of their lisencing deals with Pepsi and Nike, TakaraTomy got themselves a slice of Apple™ pie and released Convoy {{m-}}playing iPod speaker{{m-}} as part of their small, musically-themed ''[[Music Label]]'' line. This version of Prime is an all-white redeco of the original Generation 1 cab robot, which (much like the "Marine Version" of Prime from the ''[[#Sports Label|Sports Label]]'' line) makes it seem like he ought to be Ultra Magnus. The figure is actually even derived from the retool of the mold created for the original Ultra Magnus figure, as distinguished by the elongated hubcap pegs on the front wheels. Like Pepsi Prime before it, the figure's fists now store in peg holes on the under side of its trailer. The toy lacks any of the original Prime's stickers (even the silver stripe on his chest is now a [[paint operation]]) and includes the original thick-barrelled version of Prime's blaster. The toy features a brand new headsculpt based on the [[#20th Anniversary|20th Anniversary]] Prime figure, given additional poseability not previously seen on the figure by being mounted on a [[ball joint]].

:This, of course, is all secondary to the main draw of the figure: it pulls an all-white trailer, which transforms into a working iPod speaker dock by rotating a substantial wedge of its full length 90 degrees . The dock features three working buttons; power, volume up and volume down, as well as an Autobot sigil indicator light. Included is a wall-plugging (Japanese) A/C adaptor with a long lead that plugs into the reverse of the trailer. Although American importers shouldn't have too much trouble, those living in parts of the world using higher strength A/C current outlets should be warned NOT to simply plug the A/C adaptor in with only a socket adapter, as this will overload the device and fry it completely. Buying the appropriate kind of universal A/C adaptor with advice from an electronics specialty shop is recommended.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Cybertron/MLConvoy/convoy.htm More information on Music Label Convoy at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
[[Image:Musiclabelprimewithdock.jpg|thumb|right|300px|I'm gonna call you Peanut.]]
* '''Optimus Prime {{m-}}speakers for iPod{{m-}}''' (2008)
**''Accessories:'' Trailer/iPod dock, 2 fists (left and right), ion blaster
:Designated "Optimus Prime" rather than the traditional Japanese "Convoy", this figure is a redeco of the previous ''Music Label'' Convoy figure into the character's traditional red, blue and silver color scheme. Unlike previous re-issues of the mold, iPod Optimus Prime's sports a paint application similar to KissPlayers Convoy. Having it's ABS/PVC parts painted over with a thin layer of his iconic red,white(silver if you will) and blue motif(with the exception of his iPod docking trailer. This includes his trailer, though the effect is somewhat marred by the large, visible gap on one side. When reconfigured into dock mode, the interior surfaces surrounding the speakers are decorated with black-on-silver techno-patterns as well as three "Optimus Prime" logos. The recessed space also features a stylised, almost [[Frank Miller]]esque, high-contrast portrait of Prime's face, although this is largely covered when an iPod is inserted. The figure comes in identical packaging to the original ''Music Label'' Convoy, save for the addition of a sticker illustrating the different color of its contents.
{{-}}[[Image:ExileTransformersSpeakers.jpg|thumb|300px|The right of all sentient beings is... um... what am I promoting now? Wait, a [[wikipedia:Exile_(Japanese_band)|Japanese pop band]]? Are you kidding me? I need a new agent.]]
*'''EXILE x TRANSFORMERS {{m-}}speakers for iPod{{m-}}''' (2008)
**''Accessories:'' Trailer/iPod dock, 2 fists (left and right), ion blaster

:Exclusive to [http://www.ldhshop.jp/ LDH Shop], this redeco of the ''Music Label'' Convoy toy is utterly ridiculous and was created as a promotion for the Japanese pop band [[wikipedia:Exile_(Japanese_band)|EXILE]]. While Convoy himself has EXILE written on his right forearm, his trailer sports the "Love Dream Happiness" tagline of LDH Inc.[http://www.ldh.co.jp/shopping/index.html], as well as the "EXILE Perfect Year 2008" logo of the "EXILE Perfect Year 2008 Ultimate Best Box" boxset, which was released some months after he was.

:Categorically, it was at this point we learned that neither Takara nor Optimus Prime possess shame.
{{-}}

==Transformers (2007)==
[[Image:Movie LeaderfortheAges 2pack.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The more things change, the more they, uh, get bigger guns.]]
* '''Leader for the Ages''' (Wal*Mart exclusive two-pack, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle

: This Wal*Mart-[[Exclusive|exclusive]] two-pack pairs the deluxe-size ''[[#Classics|Classics]]'' Optimus Prime figure with [[Movie (franchise)|live-action movie]] line's ''[[Fast Action Battlers]]'' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Power Hook Optimus Prime]] toy. Both toys are identical to their original releases, and together represent the Optimus Primes of the oldest and newest generations (at the time) of ''Transformers'', respectively. The movie Prime is designated "2007 Optimus Prime", while the ''Classics'' figure is dubbed "1984 Optimus Prime" (referring not, of course, to the toy, which was produced in 2006, but to the character).
{{-}}

==Diablock==
*'''Diablock Convoy''' (2007)
**''ID number:'' '''01''' ('''Mecha Builder Vol.03''')[[Image:DiablockPrime.jpg|right|thumb|300px| We have the technology. We can ''rebuild him''. Except, uh.. for his face.]]
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster

:Rounding out a bumper year of Japanese-[[exclusive]] Generation 1 Optimus Primes, the Takara-licensed Kawada brand ''Diablock'' Convoy is a fully transformable Lego-style block building figure similar in premise to the earlier American ''[[Built to Rule]]'' sets. The ''Diablock'' figure, however, easily outstrips the ''Built to Rule'' sets by both being an accurate representation of the toy on which it is based, and being able to transform between modes ''without'' having to be partially disassembled and put back together first.

:Forming a roughly 11-inch figure when fully assembled, ''Diablock'' Convoy is highly articulated, save for his head, which is only able to move up and down. Said head is also by far the most stylised aspect of the figure, with no real attempt to approximate Prime's face or mouthplate, instead featuring only a reversed block that gives the odd impression of a cycloptic eye. It is possibly intended to actually represent his forehead grill, as a yellow block inside his head construction remains barely-visible through a slit in his face, possibly intended to represent the classic toy's yellow eyes.

:The figure's transformation scheme is based on the original G1 figure, the only differences being that the fists are not removed but become the headlights, and instead of flipping backwards inside the chest, ''Diablock'' Convoy's noggin flips forwards with the aid of opening chest windows. A "laser rifle" in the shape of his ion cannon can be built from black bricks, and stickers bearing the Autobot [[Insignia|faction symbol]] can be placed on his shoulders, although this is not recommended as it is designed to permanently stick to multiple tiles which dislodge easily and may damage the sticker.

==Henkei! Henkei!==
[[Image:Henkei_convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Convoy''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''C-01'''
**''Accessories:'' Smokestacks/Prime Gun, wind vane/ion blaster

:''Henkei! Henkei! Transformers'' Convoy is a redeco of ''[[#Classics|Classics]]'' Optimus Prime. He features a significantly altered colour scheme, generally to make the toy more closely resemble his appearance in the ''Generation 1'' cartoon and the original toyline. His truck mode features less silver paint striping, but compensates by vacuum-metalizing the entire grill/fender area silver chrome. In robot mode all of his previously grey plastic is replaced with red plastic, with a majority of it being painted silver, chromed, or painted gunmetal gray. He features a different shade of red, blue, and clear blue plastic than the Classics version. Since ''Henkei!'' toys do not feature a heat-sensitive rubsign, ''Henkei'' Convoy has two Autobot sigils tampographed onto his shoulders.
{{-}}
[[Image:Henkei clear convoy.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Convoy Clear Version''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' Smokestacks/Prime Gun, wind vane/ion blaster

:This redeco of ''Henkei'' Convoy is cast almost entirely in translucent colored plastic. Also known by the nickname "Crystal Convoy" among fans, it was first released as an exclusive for the Japanese convention Tokyo Toy Fair 2008, limited to 1000 pieces at the event, but was later made available through [[e-Hobby]]. It was sold in a monochrome-blue version of ''Henkei'' Convoy's regular packaging.

::*''[http://tfkenkon.com/collection/act491/index.php More information on Convoy Clear Version at TFkenkon.com]
{{-}}
[[Image:Lucky draw gold henkei prime.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Convoy''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' Smokestacks/Prime Gun, wind vane/ion blaster

:Chromed entirely in gold like many other [[Lucky Draw figure]]s before it, this version of Prime was available only through a TV Magazine mail-in promotion held in December 2008, and was limited to only five units, making it one of the rarest officially available Transformers toys in the world.

::*''[http://www.luckydrawtransformers.com/toy/gallery/review/gold+convoy/2079/gold+convoy.html More information on Gold Convoy at LuckyDrawTransformers.com]''
{{-}}

==Universe (2008)==
===Generation 1 Series===
[[Image:Universetoy 25th anniversary optimus prime.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (2008)
**''Accessories:'' Laser Blaster, 2 fists (left & right), trailer/Combat Deck, Roller, 4 rockets, hose, nozzle, fuel pump, sound effects module, comic, DVD

:Sold at the rather exorbitant price of $75, this re-release of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime toy is actually one of the most visually different from the other "straight" reissues of the mold, despite Hasbro's assurance that this is the toy you had as a kid. Positively ''anemic'' in comparison with the original toy, this Prime's red parts are visibly paler than usual, while his blue parts are much lighter. This shade of blue extends to both Roller (a lighter blue than his traditional dark shade, yet darker than the lightest the figure has been in its history) and the internal workings of his Combat Deck, which is itself a much flatter shade of light grey, compared to its normal dark, swirled metallic silver color. In addition, the toy features the now-customary shortened smokestacks, and the elongated missiles seen on the [[#Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]] release. While all reissues of the Prime mold since 2003 have used the original thick-barreled mold for his ion blaster, this version includes the slender sculpt instead.

:As a 25th anniversary set, Prime includes several new pack-in bonuses: a reprint of the [[The Transformers (issue)|first issue]] of the original [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|comic book]], a DVD containing all three parts of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|animated series]] pilot [[More than Meets the Eye (episode)|"More than Meets the Eye"]], and three desktop wallpapers, and a battery-powered Autobot symbol that plays transforming sound effects, part of the first version of the ''Transformers'' [[theme song]], and three voice clips performed by Peter Cullen: "I am Optimus Prime!", "Autobot, transform and roll out!" and "Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost."

:The international release was repackaged in a thinner rectangular box. It contained all the original accessories from the American release, but not the DVD. In addition, there are some reports that the Autobot symbol could be worn out or damaged during the time of purchase. In Australia, it was initially a Myer exclusive, but later found its way to Toys R US and finally (at roughly 70% off the initial $100 price tag) K-Mart and Target.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/25thOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on 25th Anniversary Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
[[Image:Uni2008-toy_SEOptimusPrime.jpg|right|300px|thumb|]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (Deluxe Class: Special Edition, 2008)
**''ID Number:'' '''SE-01'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle

:"Special Edition" Optimus Prime is a redeco of the ''Classics'' multi-pack toy, featuring some minor detail changes. He came in special "book box" style packaging with black-and-white boxart, and was only available at retail in Australian and Asian markets. North American customers could later buy him via [[Hasbro Toy Shop]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/HTSOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Special Edition Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Titanium Series===
[[Image:Titanium-toy_Target_OptimusPrime.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Yawn.]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (6" Cybertron Heroes, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Ion blaster, display stand

: A [[Target]]-exclusive [[redeco]] of War Within Optimus Prime in [[Transformers (2007)|live-action film]]-inspired colors. The bio on the back of the packaging only fills up half of the allotted space, as if the [[Forest Lee|writer]] were tired of describing Optimus Primes.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/TitOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Target-exclusive Titanium Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Alternity==
*'''Convoy Ultimate Silver''' (2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''A-01'''[[Image:AlternityConvoy VibrantRed.jpg|300px|thumb|It's like G2 Go-bots all over again...but cooler!]]

:''Alternity'' Convoy transforms into a 1:32 scale Nissan GT-R, featuring die-cast metal parts and an opening hood, trunk and doors. This complex figure stands at 6.5" tall, and is armed with a pair of blasters on each arm. In the hyper-dimensional world of the oft-confusing ''Alternity'' fiction, this figure specifically represents the Optimus Prime of [[universal stream]] [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Binaltech|Primax 903.0 Beta]].

:''Alternity'' Convoy was simultaneously available in both this silver coloration, and a deco based on his traditional appearance termed "Vibrant Red" (see below). The figure was later redecoed to create "Convoy Super Black", representing not Optimus Prime, but ''[[Universe (2003 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[Nemesis Prime (Universe 2003)|Nemesis Prime]], and ''Alternity'' [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Alternity|Ultra Magnus]].

:All three versions have a minor design oversight where the rear Nissan badge collides with another part during transformation, often causing the clear plastic socket directly below to crack.

*'''Convoy Vibrant Red''' (2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''A-01'''

:"Vibrant Red" ''Alternity'' Convoy is a redeco of the "Ultimate Silver" figure in the much more traditional red and blue Prime color scheme, representing the Optimus Prime of universal stream [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Alternity|Primax 109.0 Beta]]. The figure was available simultaneously with the Ultimate Silver version, sharing the same packaging and pack-in materials, save for the color of the illustration on the front of the box, and a sticker that identified the figure within.
{{-}}

==Transformers (2010)==
[[Image:TF2010_Deluxe_G2OptimusPrime.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Fandom|We]] see a red truck, and we want it [[Black repaint|painted]] [[Scourge (RID)|black]].]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (Deluxe Class, 2011)
**''Accessories:'' Sword

: Part of the sixth wave of the [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|2010 ''Transformers'' toyline]], this Optimus Prime is an all-new Deluxe class mold based on the original ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' Laser Optimus Prime toy ([[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#LaserOptimusPrime|see above]]). Transforming into a racing truck, he has some influences from the [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|live-action movie Optimus Prime]], including the more defined flames on his hood, athletic robot mode proportions and a more aggressive-looking translucent orange sword that can be held with both hands for maximum extreme chopitude. Optimus Prime features extensive use of translucent plastic in his arms, head and upper torso for a [[light-piping]] effect. Like the Legends toy, it's part of "[[Reveal the Shield]]" and features a [[rubsign]]. Optimus also has a (non-detachable) matrix gimmick in robot mode formed by a relief pattern on the inside of the cab's side windows. This is visible through the windshield/chest in robot mode.

: The original Hasbro [[stock photography|stock photos]] depict him as having red [[paint operation]]s on his kneecaps and the sunken ridges around his blue abs that the final product lacks. The photos on the cardback show him with a red Autobot symbol on his truck door and blue plastic instead of grey for the piece just in front of his rear tires. Also, the back photo depicts his side windows as being the same translucent orange as the front ones, when in reality they are a garish solid orange.

:Multiple reports suggest that the toy suffers from a [[design flaw]], inferior plastic quality or both: His hands have a tendency to show stress marks on the inside after putting his sword handle into the hand only a few times. Thus far, there have been no reports of the hands actually ''breaking'', however.

{{-}}{{anchor|2010Legend}}
[[Image:TF2010-toy_Legends_Optimus_Prime.jpg|thumb|right|300px| YOU'LL NEVER GUESS HIS TRUE ALLEGIANCE!]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (Legends Class, 2011)

:[[Legends Class]] Optimus Prime is based on his original Generation 1 appearance, with a simplified transformation resulting in a fairly thick and compact truck bed. He is part of "[[Reveal the Shield]]", a subline that outfits all its toys with [[rubsign]]s.

{{-}}

==United==
[[Image:Unitedtoy_cybertron_mode_prime.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Optimus Prime Cybertron Mode''' (Deluxe, [[December 25|12-25]]-[[2010]])
**''Japanese ID number'': '''UN-01'''
**''Accessories'': "Assault rifle"

: The first toy in TakaraTomy's ''[[United (toyline)|United]]'' toyline is a [[redeco]] of the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron|War for Cybertron]]'' [[Optimus Prime (Prime)#Generations|Optimus Prime]], transforming into a Cybertronic "armored truck". As has been TakaraTomy's wont of late, he now sports a metallic red paint job, with brighter pink paint applications and cooler grey parts, and features several additional paint details to those present on the Hasbro figure in the form of black chest windows and pink lines on his face mask. His rifle transforms as well, folding and plugging into the roof of the vehicle mode. The rifle can also peg into his forearms, and, in its compact configuration, can attach to his shoulders via peg holes on the backs of his front tires or stored behind his back in robot mode.

: This mold was also used to make ''United'' [[Darkside Optimus Prime (United)|Darkside Optimus Prime]].
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{{-}}{{anchor|UnitedEarth}}
[[Image:Unitedtoy_g1prime.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Optimus Prime''' (Deluxe, 12-25-2010)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''UN-06'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle

:The second Optimus Prime toy in TakaraTomy's ''United'' toyline is another redeco of the ''Classics'' multi-pack toy, this time featuring an extensive metallic paint job among other plastic color changes.
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{{-}}{{anchor|UnitedG2}}
[[Image:Unitedtoy laser prime.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''Laser Optimus Prime''' (Deluxe, [[March 26|3-26]]-[[2011]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''UN-22'''
**''Accessories:'' "Laser Rod" sword

:The third ''United'' Optimus Prime toy is a redeco and slight retool of the deluxe Prime figure from Hasbro's 2010 ''Transformers'' toyline, itself an homage to Prime's ''Generation 2'' "Laser" form. The toy features translucent blue plastic as opposed to Hasbro's orange, red paint is used on the biceps instead of blue paint, extra red paint applications on the knees like the original's sticker detail, and more broken-up red apps on the shoulders. Silver detailing was added to the cab mode on the grill, the bumper, and near the doors. The blue plastic in cab mode is now black plastic to make the figure more accurate to the ''Generation 2'' original. The gray plastic is changed from the Hasbro version to more closely match the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#G2reissue|2006 Reissue of Laser Optimus Prime]]. A retool was made to the peg on the inside of his right shoulder, to make it shorter and wider than the Hasbro version — allowing it to move freely without hitting the torso, unlike the Hasbro release. Black paint was applied to the cab mode to mimic the fade from red to black on the original Laser Optimus, but still includes a flame deco like the Hasbro version, only in a different design. It lacks the roof-mounted rubsign of the Hasbro version, instead including an Autobot insignia on the cab door — disappointingly, a Generation 1 insignia, rather than a ''Generation 2'' one!
{{-}}

==Chronicle==
[[Image:Chronicle ehobby primes.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
*'''G1 Optimus Prime & Movie Optimus Prime''' (multi-pack, 2011)
**''ID number:'' '''CH01'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Ion blaster|Laser rifle]], trailer

:This e-Hobby reissue of the original Generation 1 Optimus Prime figure comes in a two-pack with the deluxe ''[[Dark of the Moon (franchise)|Dark of the Moon]]'' Optimus Prime figure. Prime's original trailer is not included with the set; instead, it comes with a new deluxe-scaled trailer based on the one towed by Prime in ''Dark of the Moon'' not available with any other figure. The trailer is compatible with both figures, and sports [[5mm post]]-holes that will hold (among many other things) G1 Prime's laser rifle and the [[MechTech]] weapon Movie Prime is armed with.

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[image:PrototypeTHB.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Not so Optimus Prime.]]

*The first prototype for Battle Convoy, the ''[[Diaclone]]'' originator of Optimus Prime, was vastly different from the final version, complete with an entirely different transformation and a car carrying trailer. The head lacked the faceplate.

*The toy that would ultimately end up as the original Optimus Prime toy was originally released in August [[1983]] as No.17 Battle Convoy from Takara's Diaclone Car Robo toyline in Japan. In [[1984]], [[Joustra]] released their own version (still with ''Diaclone'' sticker on the trailer) as part of their Diaclone line in Europe, either simply called ''Truck'' (according to the pack-in catalog) or ''Diaclone'' (in the pack-in comic). It's possible that [[GiG]] also released a version called ''Camion Convoy'' as part of their ''[[Trasformer]]'' line in Italy, but to this day no packaged sample has surfaced.
{{-}}
===The many releases of Optimus Prime===
[[Image:SeveralG1Convoy.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Too much Prime on my hands.]]
Over the years, the [[#G1v1|original Optimus Prime]] has been repackaged and reissued multiple times:

*In the USA and Canada, limited edition promotional versions were available sporting Pepsi stickers;

*In addition to the standard Japanese 01 Convoy release, Takara also released the toy as part of the [[#VSX|VSX Convoy vs. Megatron]] two-pack in [[1985]];

*Takara released a variant sporting clear blue windows and as part of the "[[#goodbye|Good Bye Convoy]]" set (packaged with [[Red Alert (G1)#Toys|Alert/Red Alert]] and [[Mirage (G1)#Toys|Ligier/Mirage]]) in [[1986]];

*French company Ceji Revell released a version with red feet in the UK in 1984;

*Milton Bradley (MB) released the toy in Europe in late 1985, following [[trademark]] issues;

*Hasbro re-released the toy in Europe in 1986, including another red feeted variant;

*[[GiG]] released the toy as ''Commander'' as part of their ''Transformers'' line in Italy in 1985, including an all-plastic variant in 1986;

*Hasbro reissued the original toy as part of their European [[Classics (Europe)|Classic]] line of reissues in [[1991]];

*Hasbro released a [[#Generation_2|redecoed version with additional accessories]] as part of their [[Generation 2 (toyline)|''Generation 2'' line]] in [[1993]];

*Takara reissued the original toy in its original 1985 Japanese packaging in [[2000]], with an all-black recolor being available from assorted Japanese conventions and another variant with gold instead of silver parts, stickers, and paint as a [[Lucky Draw figure|lucky draw]] prize;

*Takara reissued the toy again as ''New Year Special'' version in January 2002, sporting clear blue windows (similar to Good Bye Convoy) and featuring additional accessories such as a Matrix necklace and a [[Show-accuracy|show accurate]] recolor of the Action Master Optimus Prime figure;

*Hasbro reissued the toy in the USA and the UK as part of their ''[[Commemorative Series]]'' line of reissues in [[2002]], sporting shortened down smokestacks [[for safety reasons]];

*Takara reissued the toy once again in [[2003]], as part of their ''[[Transformers Collection]]'' line of reissues, numbered 00 and featuring additional accessories such as an energon axe;

*Takara released a recolored version featuring a new trailer in December [[2005]], called ''[[Pepsi Convoy]]''.

*Hasbro released their own version of Pepsi Convoy, named "[[#PepsiPrime|Pepsi Optimus Prime]]", as a [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] exclusive in [[2007]], featuring the familiar [[For safety reasons|safety]]-shortened smokestacks of the Commemorative Series reissue.

*In August 2007 TakaraTomy yet again did a rerelease similar to the 2000 Convoy rerelease, this time as part of the "[[Encore|Transformers Encore]]" line. This version has a new rifle with a longer handle so Optimus can finally hold it straight.

*TakaraTomy released [http://seibertron.com/advertisement.php?id=8 "Convoy iPod Docking Bay with Speakers"] in September 2007. It is an iPod speaker/dock in the shape of a truck, featuring an all-white version of Convoy with a new head sculpt reminiscent of Masterpiece Convoy as the cab, and a trailer housing a pair of speakers and a docking point for an iPod.

*In March [[2008]], TakaraTomy released a G1-colored version of the iPod Convoy set.

* Hasbro released the ''25th Anniversary'' gift set edition detailed above in 2008, as part of the 2008 ''Universe'' line, once again with [[For safety reasons|shortened smokestacks]].

===Powermaster Optimus Prime design history===

[[Powermaster]] Optimus Prime, being the grand toy rebirth of Optimus Prime post-movie, apparently received a lot of thought during the design process. Prime went through an inordinate number of design changes from concept to final with at least three very major revisions:

[[image:EarlyPMPrime1.jpg|220px|right|thumb|Overcompensating.]]

*The earliest version, as shown in the first patent application for the toy, was to have the Prime cab be a triplechanger, turning from truck cab to jet or robot<ref>[http://v3.espacenet.com/origdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=JP63132686&F=0&QPN=JP63132686 Patent #JP63-132686]</ref>. The nosecone of the jet and robot legs were released by the Powermaster lock in the same fashion as the legs in the final version. Optimus would have had winged arms in non-super robot mode. The super robot mode's head was also integrated into the trailer's hitch... and lacked a faceplate.

[[image:EarlyPMPrime2.jpg|100px|right|thumb|Blockhead.]]
*The second known version <ref>''[[Transformers Generations]]'', p22, p106</ref> ditched the triplechanging gimmick on the cab and simplified things a good bit. This Powermaster Prime has several distinct characteristics only seen in the second design, such as the wider "block head" and two faux smokestacks on top of either shoulder as opposed to one. Also, in a rather odd twist, this design features a black head and fists for both super and regular modes rather than the traditional blue. It also had yellow eyes in either mode a la the original Optimus Prime.

*The third version <ref>''[[Transformers Generations]]'', p106</ref> would quite possibly have been the most gimmick loaded Transformer in the history of the line, simultaneously being a Powermaster, [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]], and [[Triple Changer]]. The Headmaster also would have been a Triple Changer, turning into a sort of armored four-wheeled rover (Roller II?) and robot as well as a rather silly looking Optimus Prime head with four vertically aligned wheels jutting off the sides. It seems that when the extra Headmaster gimmick was scrapped, the super mode head remained separate rather than being reintegrated into the trailer hitch such as on the earliest design. Notably, the body of this design is extremely close to the final design.

*A fourth version is shown in the 1987-88 Transformers product catalog that has several minor differences from both Powermaster Prime and [[Ginrai|God Ginrai]], such as having God Ginrai's sliding fists but in red, a completely different trailer hitch assembly partially based on the third design, an offset Autobot symbol in base mode, extended feet also based on third design, far more detailed super mode outer leg panels, completely different front bumper, and the first instance of single faux shoulder smokestacks rather than two. It is still unknown as to why Powermaster Prime has completely different arms from God Ginrai or all earlier concept versions.

Powermaster Prime's animation model as used in the commercials and as a character guide for the Marvel comics is a composite of the second and third designs. The body of the model is actually a straight tracing of the concept lineart for the third version (including its different rifles and twin faux shoulder stacks), with a slightly simplified drawing of the second version's head drawn on top.

===Miscellaneous Primes===
[[Image:PMHeroTrace.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Stealing purses across the ages.]]
* The pose used for ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[#HeroOptimusPrime|Hero Optimus Prime]]'s [[package art]] is rather blatantly swiped from [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]] [[Powermaster]] [[#PMOP|Optimus Prime's]] package art.
* On a similar note, ''[[Machine Wars]]'' [[#Machine Wars|Optimus Prime]]'s package art is merely edited from '''Generation 2'' [[#LaserOptimusPrime|Laser Optimus Prime]]'s card art, keeping it mostly intact save for the removal of shoulder kibble and the addition of a non-windowed chestplate.
[[Image:Optimus prime nokia 6820.JPG|thumb|right|125px|Wait...I'm sure this is from Finland. But why did [[Seymour Simmons|Simmons]] say...]]
*The Masterpiece Optimus Prime toy was featured in a print ad for [[Wikipedia:Nokia 68xx series#Nokia 6820|Nokia 6820]] phones.{{fact|year?}} He is posed bent over to look at the phone and scratching his head. Pleasantly, ''most'' of the pose pictured is perfectly possible with an un-[[Customizing|kitbash]]ed, un-Photoshopped version of the toy. (The real toy can't bend forward at the waist like that, alas.)

==External links==
* [http://www.toybin.org/search.php?q=1984+Autobot+Optimus+Prime ToyBin Optimus Prime Toy gallery]
* [http://www18.big.or.jp/~m-kaz/nanan/images/kaku/586.html Revoltech Optimus Prime and Megatron Gallery]

== Footnotes ==
<references />

[[Category: Action Masters]]
[[Category: Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category: Alternity Autobots]]
[[Category: Classics Autobots]]
[[Category: Combiners]]
[[Category: Contest prizes]]
[[Category: Convention exclusives]]
[[Category: E-Hobby]]
[[Category: Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category: Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category: Go-Bots]]
[[Category: Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category: Kiss Players Autobots]]
[[Category: Machine Wars Autobots]]
[[Category: Mail order exclusives]]
[[Category: Masterpiece]]
[[Category: Music Label]]
[[Category: Powermasters]]
[[Category: Return of Convoy Autobots]]
[[Category: Robot Masters Autobots]]
[[Category: Titanium Series]]
[[Category: Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category: Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category: Universe (2008)]]
[[Category: United Autobots]]

Shortpacking

2011-06-14T02:26:09Z

Might Gaine: /* Examples */

A toy is said to be '''shortpacked''' when it is shipped in significantly lower numbers than the rest of its release [[Wave|wave]].

A toy that is shortpacked is typically harder to find than other toys from the same assortment, since there are fewer of it produced. This rarity also makes it attractive to [[Toy scalping|scalpers]]. If a shortpacked toy is also a highly desirable one to fans and/or collectors (for instance, if it represents a popular character who is rarely produced as a toy), then it can become ''extremely'' difficult to obtain.

Sometimes, toys which are shortpacked in one wave are released in greater numbers in a later wave, which really tends to piss off the collectors who bought from the scalpers and delight those who didn't.

While inspiring similar feelings for many fans, shortpacking should not be confused with [[Chase figure|chase figures]] which are aimed exclusively at collectors and generally are intentionally much rarer. (A shortpacked toy may be 2 per [[Case|case]], while a chase figure may appear as seldom as 1 per every 2 cases.)

==Examples==
* ''[[Generation 1 (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] shipped one figure per every two cases.
* ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] and [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] each got 3 figures per case, but [[X-Brawn]] had only two.
* ''[[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Acid Storm]] shipped 1 per case of 8 in Wave 2, while the other new toy in the assortment, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], was shipped 2 per. In the Wave 3 case assortment, this dynamic was reversed.
* ''[[Dark of the Moon (toyline)|DOTM]]'' [[Skids (ROTF)|Human Alliance Skids]] was shipped 1 per case of 4 in Wave 1, with [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|Bumblebee]] filling out the remaining 3 figures.

[[Category:Toys]]

Prowl (RID)

2011-03-07T11:46:56Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{picsneeded|Toys.}}
{{disambig3|Prowl}}
:''Prowl is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:RIDProwlanime.jpg|right|225px|thumb|A complete and total wankus.]]
'''Prowl''' lives life "by the book," and wants to make sure everyone else does too. He's proud to be a police officer and works to maintain discipline both among humans and his fellow Autobots. Prowl usually speaks in a clipped firm manner as he informs all around him of what they have recently done wrong. His strict reliance on the rulebook often hinders him from thinking creatively, and he can also be so impressed by seeing someone else stick firmly to procedure that he won't analyze whether they're actually being helpful.

==Fiction==
===''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Wankus]] (English), [[Takayuki Kondō]] (Japanese), [[Luigi Ferraro]] (Italian)

[[Image:Explosive Situation Prowl.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"...wait, Wankus?!"]]
When contacted by [[T-AI]] and informed that [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] was attacking [[New York City|New York]], the first thing Prowl did was fetch his younger brother [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]], who was chasing red sports cars as usual. Joining [[X-Brawn]], they used the [[Global Space Bridge]] to reach New York, where they engaged the [[Predacon (RID)|Predacons]] in combat. Prowl proved particularly effective against [[Gas Skunk]], but the battle ultimately ended with Megatron abducting [[Koji Onishi|Koji]]'s father, [[Kenneth Onishi|Doctor Onishi]]. {{storylink|Battle Protocol!}}

The [[Autobot Brothers]] were later assigned to intercept the Predacons, who were prowling [[Metro City]] and stealing batteries from cars. Prowl again interrupted Side Burn's red sports car hunt to point out that he was supposed to be patrolling. The pair soon spotted [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] attacking the very sports car Side Burn had just been chasing and Prowl ended up rescuing [[Kelly (RID)|the driver]] after the car was destroyed. Once X-Brawn retrieved the explosive device which Sky-Byte had been after, Prowl told him to take it to the top of the tallest structure in the city. {{storylink|An Explosive Situation}}

Assigned to protect the [[Linear RFG]] bullet train, the Autobot Brothers found themselves tangling with the Predacons who were trying to blow up a rail bridge on the train's path. Ultimately they were unable to save the bridge, but the train was saved by [[Team Bullet Train]]. {{storylink|Bullet Train to the Rescue}} Together with [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]], the brothers protected the [[Plutonium Energy Generator]] from the Predacons. They escorted the generator as it was transported across the city the next day, with Prowl becoming increasingly exasperated by Side Burn's endless complaining. They were brought to a halt by a traffic jam engineered by [[Slapper (RID)|Slapper]]. Fortunately the [[Spy Changer|Spy Changers]] were able to lend a hand and the Autobot Brothers got to sit back and watch the Predacons' defeat. {{storylink|Spychangers to the Rescue}}

[[Image:Hunt for Black Pyramid Prowl vehicle.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I can't tell if I'm going fast or just in front of anime streaks!]]
On another mission, Optimus joined the Autobot Brothers at the end of the Global Space Bridge, which was terminated some distance short of a ship under attack by Predacons. Prowl used his jet boosters in vehicle mode in order to try to jump out to the stricken vessel, but fell somewhat short and spent most of the battle reaching the target location. Once there he gave the repaired ship the final nudge to return it to an even keel. {{storylink|The Hunt for Black Pyramid}}

When Megatron and the Predacon trio attacked Metro City, T-AI discovered that X-Brawn and Prowl were both busy out hunting for Side Burn, who was exploring some ruins with Koji. The pair eventually reached the ruins and were in time to stop Sky-Byte making off with a box, which turned out to contain Doctor Onishi's microchip. This held much valuable information and would help the Autobots greatly in the struggle to follow. {{storylink|The Secret of the Ruins}}

[[Image:Sideburn's Obsession Prowl disguise.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Robots in disguise!]]
After having to stop Side Burn from chasing red sports cars (...again), Prowl became concerned when his brother disappeared. As it turned out, Side Burn had been captured by the Predacons. Optimus, despite the remaining two brothers' protests that it was an obvious trap, went in and was captured as well. X-Brawn and Prowl heavily disguised their vehicle modes in order to creep close enough to get the drop on the Predacons, allowing them to rescue their comrades. At the beginning of the resulting battle, Prowl used his "Jet Boosters" attack... and threw his only weapon at Megatron. That was pretty much all he did for the whole fight. {{storylink|Sideburn's Obsession}}

The brothers were assigned to protect "[[Grandpa]]", an aging steam train. In the end Team Bullet Train did most of the work protecting Grandpa, but Prowl and X-Brawn were busy stopping Side Burn from chasing red sports cars anyhow. {{storylink|Secret Weapon: D-5}} Prowl unsuccessfully attempted to catch [[Skid-Z (RID)|Skid-Z]], a recently arrived Autobot, during the [[Europa 400]]. Skid-Z had scanned a racing car and become possessed by the urge to compete in races. All three brothers volunteered to enter the [[International Grand Prix]], which it was believed Skid-Z would compete in—Prowl enjoyed the scenery, but not the difficult driving conditions. He, Optimus and the other two brothers found themselves holding up a huge rock dropped onto them by Megatron. Fortunately Skid-Z himself turned up and destroyed the rock, allowing them to chase Megatron off. {{storylink|Skid Z's Choice}}

[[Image:Tow-Line Goes Haywire Prowl towline.jpg|right|200px|thumb|And thus the student became the master.]]
Another new arrival, [[Tow-Line (RID)|Tow-Line]] was also in the law enforcement business, so Prowl took him under his wing. Unfortunately Tow-Line was over-zealous with his towing and caused Prowl no end of headaches with his antics. Finally Prowl spotted Tow-Line towing [[Rapid Run (RID)|Rapid Run]] and realised something was seriously wrong. He lured Tow-Line by parking in the middle of an intersection, and he and Optimus found that the Autobot had been tampered with by the Predacons. After some repairs, Tow-Line led them to the three hijacked Autobots and they chased off the Predacons. Later on, as Prowl enjoyed being washed by Koji, he was suddenly towed away by Tow-Line for illegal parking... {{storylink|Tow-Line Goes Haywire}}

When the Predacons became convinced that the "[[Cave of the Dragon]]" harboured a powerful Transformer, X-Brawn and Prowl guarded it. All three brothers employed their acting skills to try to make the Predacons think that the disguises Optimus and Team Bullet Train were wearing were a giant transforming robot, and got fired on by [[Railspike (RID)|Railspike]] for their trouble. {{storylink|The Ultimate Robot Warrior}} Called in to the Autobot Base, Prowl and the rest of the Autobots watched footage of their old adventures and speculated on where the Predacon base might be located. {{storylink|Hope for the Future}}

[[Image:Commandos Prowl.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"You're jaywalking, citizen."]]
Optimus and the Autobot brothers went to [[Castle Peak]] to investigate what turned out to be a crashed Autobot spacecraft. Unfortunately they were unable to prevent Megatron stealing the six protoforms inside and taking them to a [[McKinley Army Base|nearby military base]] where the protoforms were reformatted into [[Decepticon]] warriors. {{storylink|The Decepticons}} Sent to [[Sherman Dam]] to investigate X-Brawn's disappearance, Prowl and Side Burn encountered the Decepticons and were both tossed into the lake behind the dam, at the bottom of which they were reunited with X-Brawn. The trio were freed when the Decepticons blew a hole in the dam and, in the ensuing fight, they aided [[Rail Racer (RID)|Rail Racer]] in fighting off [[Ruination (RID)|Ruination]]. {{storylink|Commandos}}

After the Decepticon [[Movor]] was shot into space, he tracked Prowl in an attempt to locate the hidden Autobot base. Unfortunately Prowl was busy chasing a criminal along with a bunch of identical police cars, and Movor lost track of which one was the Autobot. After returning to base, Prowl was briefed on what was happening, and the Autobots used Side Burn, who Movor was presently tracking, to lead the Decepticons into a trap. {{storylink|Attack from Outer Space}}

[[Image:The Test Side Burn Prowl.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Yep, forgot to shave this morning...]]
[[Mega-Octane]] met with Optimus claiming that the Decepticons had rediscovered their Autobot sides. Although the Autobot brothers were sceptical, they babysat the Decepticons who were forced to do all manner of menial tasks. The brother finally admitted that perhaps the six Decepticons were honest after all. Of course, it wasn't long before the plot was revealed and the brothers were alerted to a brawl between Optimus, [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] and Ruination. {{storylink|The Test (episode)|The Test}}

The three brothers were called to a power plant where they chased off Sky-Byte and the Predacons. Later X-Brawn was told by Sky-Byte that the Decepticons were going to raid the [[Bayshore power plant]]. The brothers rushed there, only to be told by T-AI that the Decepticons had actually attacked the [[Crestline power plant]] instead. They proceeded to the correct plant to find the Decepticons had already been seen off by Rail Racer. {{storylink|The Fish Test}}

Sent to a diamond mine, the three brothers were brought up short by an incomplete space bridge, and were introduced to the [[Build Team]]. Keen to prove themselves in battle, the Build Team took over the mission at the mine. {{storylink|Wedge's Short Fuse}} Using the Global Space Bridge some time later, Prowl found himself landing up in wet concrete and had to ask for assistance getting out. He was able to rendezvous with the other Autobots in the [[Arctic]], where they watched [[Landfill (RID)|Landfill]] fight off Megatron. {{storylink|Landfill (episode)|Landfill}}

After being duped out of stolen oil by the Build Team, the Decepticons began attacking construction equipment. The Autobots attempted to stop them without involving the Build Team, but had little success. A final attempt to confront the Decepticons had the three Autobot Brothers turn up in the middle of nowhere—the Build Team had sabotaged the space bridge so they could confront the Decepticons themselves. {{storylink|A Test of Metal}}

[[Image:Ultra Magnus Prowl.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Dead or alive, you're coming with me.]]
While attempting to stop the Decepticons raiding an oil refinery, the three brothers were interrupted by a [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|mysterious Autobot car carrier]], who insulted them as the Decepticons escaped. Later they encountered the Autobot again and this time he scrambled their circuits and deposited them in a junk yard. Once they'd recovered, Optimus called them back to base for a systems check. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus (episode)|Ultra Magnus}} Optimus confronted the Autobot named Ultra Magnus himself and was soon overpowered. The Autobot Brothers rescued him from the battlefield and took him to an island to recuperate. A short time later, Optimus was attacked by the Decepticons, and the brothers found the portal at the end of the space bridge had been blocked by Sky-Byte. They eventually broke through only to witness Optimus and Ultra Magnus combining into [[Omega Prime]] for the first time. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus: Forced Fusion!}}

[[Image:Two Faces Prowl powerup.jpg|right|200px|thumb|BURNING JUSTICE!]]
Tracking Ultra Magnus, the Autobot Brothers spied him talking with Sky-Byte and assumed he was betraying them. The trio soon found themselves captured by the Predacons and were promptly freed by Magnus, who informed them he was pretending to defect in order to gain information. Returning to help Optimus against the Predacons, the three brothers found themselves being beaten on by Megatron. All three of them received a sudden power boost which was somehow channelled through Magnus, powering them up and enabling them to fight off the Predacons, with a little help from Omega Prime. {{storylink|The Two Faces of Ultra Magnus}} Prowl and Side Burn went out looking for Ultra Magnus and soon found him. Tailing the Autobot, they saw him talking with Scourge and confronted him, only for him to flee and leave them to fight Scourge and Ruination. Although the two brothers powered up for battle, they began to experience an odd energy drain and had to be rescued by Optimus and X-Brawn. {{storylink|Power to Burn!}}

[[Image:Koji Gets His Wish Prowl koji.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Hey look, a Pokémon!!]]
The Autobot Brothers were sent to guard the subway below Metro City as the Build Team was searching for some mysterious ruins. The trio were confronted by the Decepticons, come to find the same ruins, and left them to the tender mercies of Team Bullet Train. Wandering further, they encountered Ultra Magnus and Side Burn was distracted by a hallucination of red sports cars, leading the group to the ruins themselves. {{storylink|Fortress Maximus (episode)|Fortress Maximus}} To their surprise the ruins turned out to be [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Fortress Maximus]], whom the Autobots set about concealing in Metro City. While patrolling to ensure the operation wasn't uncovered, the Autobot Brothers stumbled on Sky-Byte talking to Koji and confronted the shark. Koji discovered that the pod Sky-Byte had been carrying contained his abducted father and interrupted the fight to tell the Autobots that Sky-Byte had rescued his dad. The three brothers apologised to Sky-Byte, who realised his huge blunder and fled in panic. {{storylink|Koji Gets His Wish}}

Doctor Onishi and T-AI quickly worked out a way to locate the remaining [[O-Part|O-Parts]] needed and the Autobot Brothers and the Build Team had a competition to find the most of the artefacts. {{storylink|A Friendly Contest}} Back in the Autobot base, T-AI merged with the O-Parts. She soon sent Optimus and the Autobot brothers, with Koji tagging along, to a remote part of the [[Sahara|Sahara Desert]] in search of the [[Orb of Sigma]]. The foursome located the Orb under the desert and fought Megatron and the Decepticons for possession of it, eventually returning it to base with their prize. {{storylink|Peril from the Past}}

With information extracted from the Orb, the brothers and Build Team visited a temple from which they extracted [[Cerebros (RID)|Cerebros]], the control robot for Fortress Maximus. They were confronted on exiting the temple by the Decepticons and Predacons who stole Cerebros. The Autobots were forced to go on the defensive against the Decepticons and guard Maximus' hiding place. Scourge managed to activate Maximus anyway, and the giant was only stopped by the intervention of Koji Onishi. {{storylink|Maximus Emerges}}

[[Image:Mistaken Identity Scourge Prowl.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Never ending fight, between black and white...]]
Scourge attempted to control Maximus in the desert by magnifying the human portion of his bio-signature. Again Optimus and the Autobot Brothers rushed there. While Side Burn looked after Koji and his dad, X-Brawn and Prowl charged Ruination, who swiftly defeated them. Maximus was subsequently halted by the arrival of the Build Team and Team Bullet Train with a thousand children. {{storylink|The Human Element}} Having thwarted one attempt by Scourge and Mega-Octane to kidnap Koji, the brothers were assigned to guard him. Koji wasn't keen on being guarded and swapped clothing with his friend [[Karl]], leading to Karl being kidnapped by the Decepticons in another attempt to control Maximus. Optimus and the Autobot Brothers were able to rescue Karl and retrieve Cerebros into the bargain. {{storylink|Mistaken Identity}}

[[Image:Galvatron's Revenge Prowl.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Prowl fights the urge to start chasing his brother.]]
When the Decepticons located and attacked Autobot headquarters, the Autobots led them into a trap and engaged them in a fierce battle. The arrival of Galvatron's ''[[Megastar]]'' turned the tide in the Decepticons' favour, until the Autobots were able to activate Fortress Maximus and destroy the battle station. {{storylink|Surprise Attack!}} Galvatron, however, was not through and began to drain energy from Fortress Maximus. The brothers attempted to shoot him down without success. After Galvatron managed to use [[cyber-bat]]s to control Earth's children, Omega Prime called a retreat, but the Autobots were followed into the Global Space Bridge by the Decepticons. Galvatron saw this as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, and flooded the tunnel with molten lava. The Autobots, with the help of some urging from Koji, were able to escape the lava and confront Galvatron once more. {{storylink|Galvatron's Revenge}} The Autobots soon found themselves on the losing end of the battle, and shielded Optimus long enough for their leader to find Ultra Magnus and form Omega Prime. During the final confrontation between Galvatron and Prime, the rest of the Autobots were all held paralysed but provided Prime with moral support.

After Galvatron's defeat, Prowl resumed his duties stopping Side Burn from chasing red sports cars. {{storylink|The Final Battle (RID)|The Final Battle}}
{{-}}

===Ultra Magnus...to the Rescue?===
[[Image:DWSummerspecial RID Autobrothers Megs.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Worst panel ever? Probably.]]
When [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] and [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] led an attack on [[Arizona]] to drain the energy out of a vague and nondescript building in the middle of the desert, [[T-AI]] tried to call upon the Autobot brothers to help, but Prowl, [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] and [[X-Brawn]] were busy tangling with [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] in [[Oregon]].

Megatron eventually fled the battle, and Prowl arrived to help Optimus, only to find the conflict resolved. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus...to the Rescue?}}
{{-}}

===''Cybertron'' comic===
[[Image:Optimusprimaluniverseend.jpg|right|thumb|300px|This is not a dignified withdrawal procedure!]]
Eventually, both [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] and Prowl ended up fighting in the [[Universe (2003 franchise)|Universe]] conflict, where [[Omega Prime]] had already joined [[Optimus Primal]]'s [[Children of Primus]] against the [[Minions of Unicron]]. In the final battle against [[Unicron]], the Chaos Bringer began to dissolve below them just as the Children of Primus' victory was achieved. To save themselves, Primal led his troops (presumably) back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] through a transwarp portal. Side Burn and Prowl were personally thrown by Omega Prime through the portal. However, some Children of Primus, like Omega Prime, did not return to their intended destination, but an alternate timestream. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Car Robots/Robots in Disguise===
[[Image:RID Prowl Toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Boob Patrol.]]
*'''Prowl''' (Deluxe, 2000/2001)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-003'''
**''Accessories'': Left & right thrusters, 2 "flame" missiles

: ''Robots in Disguise'' Prowl transforms into a Lamborghini Diablo police highway pursuit vehicle. As with the original [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], he is painted in Japanese police ministry colors. He also has rubber tires over silver vacuum-metalized wheels; RID being one of the last Transformers lines with both of these things.

: In robot mode, Prowl is armed with two pressure-launch missile launchers with two flame-shaped projectiles. These launchers are mounted upon his right arm in robot mode, but can also be mounted on his sirens, to form a sort of jetpack. In vehicle mode, they can be mounted on two pegs located on his spoiler.

: Early versions of Mach Alert (the [[Takara]] release) used an almost completely transparent colorless plastic for its windows and flame missiles, with semi-transparent paint on the flames. Later releases used a darker clear-plastic with brighter, more opaque flame-paint. This version was used by [[Hasbro]] for their release, but made the additional change of adding an Autobot [[faction symbol]] to his hood.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2001/Autobot/Prowl/prowl.htm More information on Prowl at TFU.info]''


*'''Prowl''' (Deluxe, 2000/2001)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-025'''
**''Accessories'': Left & right thrusters, 2 "flame" missiles

: Prowl got a US-police-inspired [[redeco]] as a "[[super mode]]". Now with extensive blue [[Spontaneous recoloration|paint]] across his body and blue-and-red lights on his lightbar (and in his shoulders), Prowl also features English "POLICE" text instead of Japanese, with "MACH ALERT" underneath. The toy retains all of its gimmicks from the first version.

: The Hasbro and Takara versions are nigh-identical, except that the Hasbro version yet again adds an Autobot symbol to the hood. While this version of the toy was simply called "Prowl" again with no modifier to denote his new "super mode" coloration, in Japan he was called "Super Mach Alert".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Autobot/SuperProwl/prowl.htm More information on Super Prowl at TFU.info]''


*'''Super Car Robo 3-Brother Set (Clear Version)''' (Multi-pack, 2000)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-025S''' (Prowl only)
**''Accessories'': Left & right thrusters, 2 "flame" missiles

: Prowl and his brothers [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] and [[X-Brawn]] were cast in mostly colorless-clear plastics (some of the [[unpaintable plastic]] "structural" bits remained opaque), given much of their normal super-mode deco (Prowl lost his car-mode blue), and sold in an [[exclusive]] three-pack. The set was first available at the Toys Land Osaka toy show on September 24th, then again at Super Festival on October 9th, both times for 6000 yen. The set was limited to 1500 pieces total between the two shows.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Cybertron/ClearMachAlert/machalert.htm More information on Clear Prowl at TFU.info]''



[[Image:Prowl2 RID toy.jpg|right|180px|thumb|I am no one. And everyone.]]
*'''Side Swipe & Prowl 2''' (Basic 2-pack, 2001)
**''Accessories'': Rifle

: Originally an unreleased ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] mold, Prowl transforms into a police car based on the 1995 Chevrolet Caprice Interceptor (although some details are closer in similarity to the same year's Chevrolet Impala). He has through-axle construction to allow for super-fast rolling in car mode, and is compatible with many "Hot Wheels" and "Matchbox" racetracks. Like his fellow "new"-mold teammates, his rifle stores under his car mode. He was available in a two-pack with [[Side Swipe (RID)|Side Swipe]]. This set was unique to the Hasbro line, and was never available in Japan.

: This mold was used to make the ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' version of [[Prowl (G1)|Generation 1 Prowl]] ''and'' the ''Universe''-original [[Prowl (Spychanger)|Prowl]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2001/Autobot/Prowl2/prowl2.htm More information on Prowl 2 at TFU.info]''



*'''Prowl 2''' (Tiny Tins, 2001)
**''Accessories'': Rifle, carrying tin

: Prowl 2 was one of several ''Robots in Disguise'' toys to be sold as an individual in a [[Tiny Tins]] release, with a pocket-sized carrying case. The actual toy is unchanged from the two-pack version.

{{-}}

===Universe (2003)===
*'''Prowl''' (Deluxe, 2004)
**''Accessories'': Left & right thrusters, 2 "flame" missiles, CD

: The original Prowl toy was [[Repaint|repainted]] as one of a half-dozen Wal-Mart ''[[Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' exclusives put out in 2004. The robot mode is almost completely identical to the original deco. The vehicle mode uses the same base colors and black "Japanese police" lower deco, but all the police markings have been removed. Instead, his doors are adorned with stylized dragon [[Tampograph|tampographs]], his hood has a ''massive'' Autobot symbol, a large "1 0 5" crosses the top of his windshield, and random red boxes dot his spoiler and lower portion of the doors. Wow.

: He also came with an ''[[Universe CD-ROM|interactive CD-ROM!!!]]'' with all sorts of content.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Autobot/TFUProwl/prowl.htm More information on ''Universe'' Prowl at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
* Given that the original Prowl toy's [[bio]] talks about his "new spark engine" and the enhanced attributes it gave him, while the bio of his super mode toy merely describes his personality and abilities, it seems that the two were accidentally swapped at some point in production. The same thing happened to Side Burn.

* Based on Prowl's law enforcement activities in car form, he appears to have official standing in the Metro City police (or at least his car mode does). This is especially notable in "[[Attack from Outer Space]]", where he joins a police chase, announces his callsign as "unit 3", and calls in a request for further back up.

* Prowl's strict, by-the-rulebook persona is in amusing contrast with his English voice actor [[Wankus]]'s um... profession. Ahem. Well, he doesn't do anything ''illegal'', but some folks probably want it to be.

* The "[[Prowl 2]]" toy is wrapped up in some headache-inducing character ambiguity that has some excessively convoluted thing to do with an offhanded shout-out in the ''[[Alternators|Binaltech]]'' story, ''Car Robots'' being [[Retcon|retroactively]] brought into the Japanese Generation 1 uber-timeline, and probably the ''[[Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'' too, and the non-''Car-Robots'' Spy Changers' lack of Hasbro bios.

* The Korean release of Prowl has "POLICE" in English instead of Japanese on the car doors.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Mach Alert''' (マッハアラート ''Mahha Arāto'')

[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise Autobots]]
[[Category:Tiny Tins]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

Ruination (RID)

2011-03-07T02:21:02Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon|unicron}}
{{disambig2|the [[combiner]] from [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]|the Decepticon from ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''|Ruination (ROTF)}}
:''Ruination is a [[Decepticon]] [[Combiner]] from the [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Ruination.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Ow, my thumb clipped into my shoulder!]]
'''Ruination''' is the [[combiner|combined]] form of the [[Commando|Commandos]], the Decepticons' military squad. While the minds and bodies of all five Commandos come together to make him, [[Armorhide (RID)|Armorhide]], [[Movor]], [[Rollbar (RID)|Rollbar]] and [[Ro-Tor (RID)|Ro-Tor]] cede all control to their leader [[Mega-Octane]] to make Ruination a more coordinated, intelligent and deadly warrior, whose only interest is in fighting. Ruination is so fierce that even [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] is wary around him.

On an unrelated note, Ruination is powered by coffee milk.<ref>Barudigus's bio card.</ref>

==Fiction==
===''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bob Papenbrook]] (English), [[Holly Kaneko]] (Japanese)

The Decepticon Commandos were in the process of sabotaging [[Sherman Dam]], when they were interrupted by the Autobots. Quickly subduing them, they were further interrupted by [[Team Bullet Train]], who, being faced with the superior firepower of the Decepticons, combined to form [[Rail Racer (RID)|Rail Racer]]. Anticipating this turn of events, [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] ordered his unit to merge into Ruination.

The shock of their ability to combine, combined with Ruination's firepower and strength, had Rail Racer on the defense until the [[Autobot Brothers]] distracted Ruination with laser fire and less than snappy one-liners. Rail Racer used this opportunity to defeat Ruination, forcing the Decepticons into a tactical retreat. {{storylink|Commandos}}

Ruination attempted to fight the [[Spy Changer|Spy Changers]] on [[Montrose Island]] and was promptly tipped over. He quickly recovered and blew a chunk out of the side of the volcano, causing lava to flood out. He was subsequently restrained by [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] while the Spy Changers dealt with the lava. {{storylink|Volcano}}

[[Image:The Test Scourgeruination.jpg|right|200px|thumb|There's someone I'd like you to meet. His name is Depth Perception.]]
As part of a ruse to make the Autobots believe they'd defected, the Commandos formed Ruination to fight Sky-Byte. However the game was blown by Scourge, and Ruination was forced to retreat under fire from an outraged Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Test (episode)|The Test}}

In an attempt to stop Optimus Prime delivering the [[O-Part|O-Parts]] to Sky-Byte, Ruination and Scourge confronted the Autobot en-route. Optimus kicked Ruination into the air and blew him to pieces with one shot from his blaze blaster. How the mighty have fallen. {{storylink|Sky-Byte Saves the Day}}

During an attempted energy heist, Ruination fought with Rail Racer a second time. Unfortunately the fight was used as a diversion by the [[Build Team]] to steal back the Commandos' hard-worn energy, a fact they didn't discover until after the Autobots retreated. The Commandos goaded the Build Team into facing them in person and easily gained the upper hand, even after both teams merged into their respective combiner modes. [[Landfill (RID)|Landfill]] frantically dug a tunnel into the ground to escape but Ruination followed him in and slammed him against a wall. The impact caused the tunnel to begin filling with oil. Ruination pleaded with Landfill to refrain from firing but Landfill fired anyway. The explosion blew Ruination into his component parts which crashed blazing into the sea. {{storylink|A Test of Metal}}

[[Image:Forced Fusion Omegaruination.jpg|left|200px|thumb|And that settled the matter of children.]]
Scourge and the Commandos confronted [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Ultra Magnus]] who was newly arrived on Earth. The act of the Commandos combining merely amused Magnus and he promptly blew Ruination into bits. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus (episode)|Ultra Magnus}} Their second battle, facing Magnus and the energy-depleted Optimus on an island, went little better. After igniting the island's oil deposits, Ruination was witness to the first merging of [[Omega Prime]] and soon retreated under the Autobot's awesome firepower. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus: Forced Fusion!}}

Ultra Magnus refused Scourge's offer to join the Decepticons, leading Scourge and Ruination to fight [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] and [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]], whom Magnus had abandoned to their own devices. The brothers were no match for the Decepticons, even when [[X-Brawn]] joined in. The arrival of Optimus Prime, however, turned the tide of the fight when he swiftly defeated Ruination. {{storylink|Power to Burn!}}

When Fortress Maximus was finally found in a cavern beneath Metro City, the Commandos combined into Ruination to wrest control of the location from the Autobots, but was soon repelled by the power of Maximus' defences. {{storylink|Fortress Maximus (episode)|Fortress Maximus}} Scourge made another attempt to access Maximus, while Ruination kept Rail Racer busy. The two combiners had a prolonged battle in the middle of the city until Scourge called a retreat. {{storylink|Koji Gets His Wish}}

[[Image:Maximus Emerges Ruination.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Doggy mode!]]
After the loss of Megatron and the obtaining of [[Cerebros (RID)|Cerebros]], the Decepticons located the place where the Autobots had concealed Maximus. An attack was launched, with Scourge and Ruination facing the majority of the Autobot forces. Despite being outnumbered, the battle went reasonably well, especially after the arrival of a resurrected Megatron in a new form, now calling himself Galvatron. Once Maximus was activated, he proved impossible to control—for the Decepticons at least. After Koji stopped Maximus, the Autobots fired on Ruination and the combiner retreated with Megatron. {{storylink|Maximus Emerges}}

Ruination later held off the Autobots in the desert long enough for Scourge to take control of Fortress Maximus. The battle went well until the arrival of Team Bullet Train and the Build Team with a large number of children who commanded Maximus to stop. Defeated once more, Ruination fled with Scourge. {{storylink|The Human Element}}

[[Image:Surprise Attack Ruination.jpg|left|200px|thumb|His guns have guns on them.]]
Following the revelation of Scourge's betrayal, Galvatron reprogrammed the Commandos and, by extension, Ruination to obey his will. Ruination subsequently joined the attack on the Autobot base, which Sky-Byte had located. When their firepower drew out Optimus Prime, the Commandos separated to pursue the Autobot leader and found themselves led into a trap. They combined again to fight the Autobots. {{storylink|Surprise Attack!}} Despite the loss of the ''[[Megastar]]'', the Decepticons gained the upper hand and the Autobots were forced to retreat into their space bridge. Galvatron blew the entrance to the space bridge open, allowing Ruination and Scourge to enter the tunnel in pursuit. Their leader saw it as a chance to get rid of two birds with one stone and ruptured the tunnel wall to flood it with lava. {{storylink|Galvatron's Revenge}} Ruination and Scourge, like the Autobots, survived the lava but still retained their loyalty to Galvatron. They again faced the Autobots in battle and were overcome by superior firepower, eliminating them from the rest of the battle.

The Commandos were later taken to the [[asteroid prison colony]] by Fortress Maximus. {{storylink|The Final Battle (RID)|The Final Battle}}

===Universe===
Ruination was sent by [[Unicron]] along with [[Reptilion]], [[Sunstorm (Universe)|Sunstorm]] and [[Perceptor (Universe)|Perceptor]] to stop a team aiming to help victims who Unicron had transported from other dimensions. Ruination's group was successfully fought off by the Autobot and Maximal forces. {{storylink|OTFCC 2004 Live-Action Script Reading|OTFCC 2004 Live-Action Script Reading}}

==Toys==
===Robots in Disguise===
[[Image:CR Valdigus toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Hey, where'd my gun go?"]]
*'''Barudigus''' (Multi-pack, 2000)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-011'''

: Barudigus/Ruination is a [[redeco]] and slight [[Retool|retooling]] of the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] molds from [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]. The five components that form the giant robot—[[Mega-Octane]], [[Rollbar (RID)|Rollbar]], [[Armorhide (RID)|Armorhide]], [[Movor]] and [[Ro-Tor (RID)|Ro-Tor]]—were available both as individual releases, or in a five-robot multi-pack. However, the multi-pack version came only with the bio card for the combined form, available nowhere else, and had none of the individual cards.

: For the normal [[Hasbro]] ''Robots in Disguise'' line, Ruination could only be assembled by buying the individual robots, most of which have deco differences from the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] versions. Most strikingly, Takara's Barudigus (pictured) has golden combiner [[kibble]] while Hasbro's Ruination has them colored gray.

: The main retooling to Ruination involved him now being able to assemble two super-weapons using the smaller weapons from Mega-Octane and the other members of the team. He also has a back now owing to be able to store his ramp on his backpack. It's spiffy. Though not actually a retool, this mold also has Armorhide facing the opposite direction in combined mode.

: This mold was also used to make [[Battle Gaia]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2001/Decepticon/Ruination/ruination.htm More info on Ruination at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
*'''Ruination''' (Multi-pack, 2003)

: A Wal-Mart [[exclusive]] set of five robots, the Ruination molds were further redecoed into an "urban camouflage" scheme, primarily shades of gray and stony-blue.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Decepticon/Ruination/ruination.htm More info on Wal-Mart Ruination at TFU.info]''

===Universe===
* '''Ruination''' (Multi-pack, 2004)

: The Urban Camo version of the Ruination molds were further redecoed in desert camouflage colors, again sold only as a Wal-Mart exclusive gift-set. This set's combiner [[kibble]] is in generally the same colors as the original Takara version of the team.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Decepticon/Ruination/ruination.htm More info on ''Universe'' Ruination at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
[[Image:RID dcons.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Swindle: Hey! We actually look like our toys right now. Anybody wanna buy our old bodies?]]
* ''Robots In Disguise'' has been the only time that the original Combaticon molds have appeared onscreen using animation models that look very close to their toy bodies. (''[[Operation Combination (franchise)|Operation Combination]]'' is close, but the toys in question are always shown in combined mode, never as individuals. Plus, well, that was never animated.) In the original Generation 1 television series, the animation models of the individual Combaticons, as well as [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], were quite different from the actual toys.
* Ruination has two distinct configurations.
** Right arm: Movor, left arm: Ro-Tor, right leg: Rollbar, left leg: Armorhide. In ''Car Robots'', this was known as his "Aerial Mission" mode.
** Right arm: Armorhide, left arm: Rollbar, right leg, Ro-Tor, left leg: Movor. In ''Car Robots'', this was known as his "Ground Mission" mode.
* His original Japanese name, "Barudigus" (バルディガス ''Barudigasu''), likely derives from "Bruticus" (ブルーティカス ''Burūtikasu''). The two names have similar pronunciation in Japanese.
* The awesomeness of Ruination's name is second only to [[Sinnertwin (G1)|Sinnertwin]].
* The Japanese release and the US release have subtle molding differences, such as the gaps being filled in on Mega Octane's cannons in the US release.
* Although the Korean release used the Japanese color scheme, it was made with the tweaked mold used for the US version.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Barudigus''' (バルディガス ''Barudigasu'')

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Combined forms]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise Decepticons]]
[[Category:Universe Decepticons]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

User talk:Repowers

2011-01-17T00:16:37Z

Might Gaine: /* Flagging */ new section

==Commercials==
Hey, had a few questions/thoughts regarding the [[Commercial]] page and wanted to see what you thought about them.

1. The narrator for most of the RID commercials sounds like Neil Kaplan. Would you agree? I think we could email him about that through his website, but would an unpublished e-mail be good enough for confirmation?

2. Along the same vein, I'm really starting to think Even Keel is none other than David Kaye. Again, do you think it's him? We could probably get someone to ask him at BotCon this year (I'd do it myself but I'm not able to attend).

3. Found some interesting info here: http://www.kwcc.com/house/credits/lead.html
But I'm not sure just how to integrate it into the wiki, or if there's enough there to justify it.

4. Thinking about the non-network cartoon promos, what would constitute enough evidence to show it was a nationally used promo. Would clips of the same promo on two different stations be sufficient, or do we need more?

5. Came up with one more, regarding the Energon Optimus/Scorponok commercial. The static, "Each sold separately", shot of the toys doesn't just have the two featured toys. It also has Energon Unicron! I can't find any reference to a longer version of this commercial anywhere online. Is it possible a longer version of such a recent commercial could completely escape the fandom's notice? Or was it left on the cutting room floor and the end shot is all that made it to air?

6. On the subject of movie trailers, I'm not finding any evidence to support what you have listed for #2 and #3. #2 appears to be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbF4mv891Nk which is a fan-made trailer. As for #3, I can't find any example of it. The description seems to be the same as that of "Hidden". What were you basing those entries on? On a related note, the menu on disc 2 of the DVD special edition as well as the file name for the same content on the HD-DVD version refers to the teaser trailer as Teaser Trailer #1. So I think that's why the first full length trailer is listed as #2. What #3 is or was, I've no idea.

--[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 22:19, 4 May 2009 (EDT)

:Sorry I haven't addressed any of these... just haven't had time. I don't know much about the post-G1 commercials, only what I've been able to dig up online, and it's been a long time since I put some of this together. I'll try and put in some time on this next week. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 12:17, 31 May 2009 (EDT)

::Not a problem. I'm sorry about going overkill with my messages. The lack of response for so long gave me the impression you didn't know the list was here. I'll be more patient in the future.

::As for the list, take all the time you need. I'd prefer the movie trailer entry to be looked at first, if possible. I have one minor addition in that I found a third Dinobot commercial: http://www.retrostatic.com/videos/p803_sectionid/999999/p803_js_on/1/p803_fileid/483
::I'm wondering if this one ever made it to air? Some of the aesthetics are so different from other G1 commercials that it seems like a test version or something. --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 23:28, 31 May 2009 (EDT)

:::Looks like you were right about the two 2007 movie "trailers". I think those are all pretty well sorted out now... unless somebody wants to start a list of Japanese ads, which would open a huge can of worms since it would mean going back to G1 as well. (that'd probably need to be a separate page.)
:::I don't have enough grasp on Neil Kaplan or David Kaye's "natural" voices to figure out if they were narrating those ads, though I'll have a listen when I have time. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 11:20, 4 June 2009 (EDT)

::::Ok, cool. Since you've been going through the 2007 Movie tv spots I thought you might want to see this list: http://www.themoviebox.net/movies/2007/STUVWXYZ/Transformers/trailer.php Several of the spots you have listed appear to have actual "names" (not just according to the list but Michael Bay's MySpace account and other seemingly official sources) instead of being the "Nickelodeon spot version A". I believe there's even some that aren't currently listed.
::::Funny you should mention the Japanese ads, as I had thought about that myself. But given the can of worms as you said, plus the need for translation help, I don't know if I'd try tackling it anytime soon.
::::On a almost unrelated note, why did you remove the Micromasters commercial entry? I don't think it was redundant and I did find a video of it (Just hadn't gotten around to updating the Wiki): http://www.retrostatic.com/videos/p803_sectionid/13/p803_fileid/675/p803_js_on/1 --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 22:49, 4 June 2009 (EDT)
:::::That's the same one listed as "Micromaster Patrols", far as I can tell. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 00:20, 5 June 2009 (EDT)
:::::Holy crap, that movie spot list is AMAZING. I'm not sure what to do with all those clips... I guess they should go in their own section? Or are they even worth full entries? Dunno. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 00:57, 5 June 2009 (EDT)
::::::Ah, you are correct about the Micromaster commercials. Nice catch sir.
::::::I think for the clips we should have a section saying something to the effect of "Preview clips of the movie were released to various TV shows and websites" followed by a list of the clips with brief descriptions. They're really just single scenes shown as is, so the only things to note about them are the when and where of the release and what scene. It probably goes without saying that only clips that were released as part of Paramount's/Hasbro's promotional strategy (or through a rogue Bay) should be included. I don't particularly trust that list in regards to the descriptions of the clips. Looking through the list, I found at least one of those is actually just the final trailer. Could be other issues where the site or TV show they link to isn't where the clip originated. The other sections look like they're accurate, but I would double check the clip descriptions to be safe. --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 19:05, 7 June 2009 (EDT)

I was going through [[Commercial]] again and had two sets of questions. First, I noticed that someone named the narrator for [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sxMlvn3Dsw Autobot Cars plus Thrust and Dirge] as You're Gonna Get It. That edit was lost to the Bookworm crash, so I'm hoping you might know where that name came from. Related to that, I think that narrator is the same as the one used for [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df5GGZ3we68 Mini-Spies] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbcwV818LuA Omega Supreme]. Do you agree?

The second set of questions is about the "Original cartoons on VHS". Is this referring to the promos that were on the tapes themselves or a spot that actually aired on TV? If it's the latter, should we add an entry for the former? --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 00:14, 17 September 2009 (EDT)

:<nowiki>*</nowiki>Nudge* Just wanted to see if you had an answer to the VHS question above. The other is just for personal curiosity so you could forget that altogether. Also want to point out my musings at [[Talk:Commercial#International Spots]] --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 02:23, 22 November 2009 (EST)
::IIRC the "cartoons on VHS" was a TV spot I found somewhere at some point. The promos on the tapes themselves is definitely worth a mention.
::I didn't add the name for the Autobot Cars spot... no idea where it came from. It's been so long since Iworked on this stuff that I don't remember much of it anymore.
::International spots? Go for it! I'd say a whole separate section at the bottom of the commercials page, rather than appending them to each franchise section. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 02:39, 22 November 2009 (EST)
:::<facepalms> I just plugged "Transformers VHS" into YouTube and the VHS TV spot was the second video listed [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ_VcOThVZM]. And I have the RetroJunk link in my list of TF ad links. I have no clue why I didn't write it up when I found it or how I completely forgot I found it. Sorry for bugging you about that. Regarding the international, I'm compiling a simple list of any non-Japanese spots so I can see how much volume there is. The combined total is 29 currently. Enough for an 'international' subpage I would think. --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 02:41, 23 November 2009 (EST)

==Rob's Big To-Do List!==
An ever-changing list of stuff that needs taking care of. I'll get to it eventually, but if anyone else wants to pitch in, go for it!

===Season 2 eps===
* Probably by [[Toei]]:
** The Immobilizer
** Autobot Spike
** Traitor
** Atlantis, Arise!
** Enter the Nightbird
** Day of the Machines
** The Insecticon Syndrome
** Dinobot Island 1 & 2
** The Master Builders
** Auto-Berserk
** Microbots

* By the other studio:
** Attack of the Autobots
** A Prime Problem

===Fun things!===
* [[Scorponok (G1)]] - comic pics

===Six teams - main pics?===
* Sixbuilder:
**[[Digger]] the excavator.
**[[Gran Arm]] the front-end loader.
**[[Iron Lift]] the crane.
**[[Mixing]] the cement mixer.
**[[Treader]] the dump truck.

* Sixturbo:
**[[Circuit (OC)|Circuit]] the F-1 race car.
**[[Neo-Wheel]] the Lamborghini.
**[[Sireen]] the ambulance.

* Sixtrain:
**[[Convertor (OC)|Convertor]]
**[[San D-Go]]
**[[Windy]]

* Sixwing:
** [[Chain Gun]] the AH-64 Apache helicopter.
** [[Falcon (OC)|Falcon]] the F-16 Falcon jet.
** [[Flanker]] the Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker" jet.
** [[Missile Run]] the B-1B Lancer bomber plane.
** [[Raker]] the Space Shuttle.
** [[Supersonic]] the Super-Sonic Transport plane.

===Subgroup pages===
Needs work:
* [[Micromaster]] - images and fiction (DW:MM, SL:Nightbeat, SL:Hardhead), subgroup pages

As done as I can make them:

* [[Auto Roller]] - needs pics and better writeup than I can provide.
* [[Stormtrooper (G1)]] - needs pics and toy writeup.
* [[Predator]] - needs pics and toy writeup
* [[Spy Changer]] - needs writeup for redecos

Mostly done:

* [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]
* [[Transmetal 2]]
* [[Transmetal]]
* [[Junkion (species)]] - pic
* [[Dinobot (G1)]]
* [[Omnicon]]
* [[Predacon (G1)]]
* [[Terrorcon (Energon)]]
* [[Duocon]]
* [[Horrorcon]]
* [[Insecticon (G1)]]
* [[Triple Changer]] - **STILL NEEDS FICTION WRITEUP**
* [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]]
* [[Laser Cycle]]
* [[Cyberjet]]
* [[Fuzor]]
* [[Rotor Force]]
* [[Powermaster]]
* [[Pretender]]

===Additions===

* Production info for Armada, Energon, Cybertron, Robots in Disguise.
* Pack-in flyer - cleanup? Split? additions? Find "Can One Boy, Alone..." and do page.
* Find a better front image for toy - something with a lot of toys from different franchises. Find a BotCon and/or eBay shot for the Secondary Market section. Find more prototype/test shot photos.
* Packaging needs a ton of work and lots of images. Keep an eye out for MISB toy photos.
* Coloring books - new pages, template box

===Cleanup===

* Universe (comic) issues are still a mess. They should all look like this page when all's said and done.
** Overview page looks awful.
** Most issue pages look awful.
* UK Annual text stories -- which ones fit with the mainline comic?
** Trigger-Happy - has Megatron and Scoop on Earth, so, no.
** The Quest! - one of those recap-the-storyline ones.
** The Return of the Transformers
** To a Power Unknown
** Headmasters retelling trio
** Plague of the Insecticons!
** Hunted!
** Missing in Action
** The Mission

Toyline pages: Most of these are just straight lists of toys. They need overview writeups: what common elements did the toys have, standard gimmicks, packaging notes, sub-lines, items of special note, reception by fans and general public, images of some sample toys.

* Movie (toyline) -- main line has writeup & images. Many sublines have nothing. Add cross-sells.
* Beast Machines (toyline) - needs images/cross-sells.
* Robots in Disguise (toyline) - needs images/cross-sells.
* Beast Wars (toyline) - cleanup, more pics/cross-sells
* Universe (toyline) - Needs more write-up, and images. Purple Silverbolt would be ideal. Or catalog.

Standard format:

* Armada (Panini comic)

==Questions to ask of official-type people==

* Furman:
** Was "Tales of Earth" designed to work around Yanniger's slow production pace?
** What was the Transformer life sign "in two parts" in US #74?
* Budiansky: was the US #5-12 written with the possibility of the series ending at #12 in mind?
* Hasbro team: can you talk a bit about "play patterns" and how they affect toy design? (word this so it doesn't sound so dumb)
* G1 crew: Were there any intentional efforts to reduce the use of certain toys in one particular media if they were heavily used in other media? Skids, for example, hardly shows up in the cartoon at all, but gets heavy promotion in the Marvel Comics. Shockwave also plays a much diminished role in the cartoon compared to his comics role.

==Comic series organization project==

MARVEL GENERATION ONE
Marvel Comics - publisher page. Short overview of the series, and links to:

Generation 1 (Marvel Comics) - Series overview page. Covers the US series and the UK series. Needs more images -- UK comic covers in particular.
Generation 2 (Marvel Comics) - Series overview page.
G.I. Joe and the Transformers
Headmasters (comic)
Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)

Marvel_Comics_continuity - page about the continuity. Still need to link more stuff back to this page.
http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Marvel_US_issues - not so critical now that everything's got nav boxes.

DREAMWAVE GENERATION ONE
Dreamwave - publisher. Lists issues but is mostly about the company.
Dreamwave timeline
Dreamwave continuity

IDW GENERATION ONE
IDW Publishing - publisher page. Intro to rebooted continuity and list of issues ordered by date of publication.
IDW timeline
IDW continuity

DEVIL'S DUE
Devil's Due - publisher page. Short history, list of miniseries.
Devil's Due timeline - No timeline page at present.
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers continuity - Continuity overview page. Also lists the four miniseries. They should all link back to it.

G1 CARTOON
Generation 1 (cartoon)
Generation 1 cartoon timeline
Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)
Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)/src
No continuity page at present.

BEAST ERA CARTOONS
Beast Era - short overview page, links to main franchise pages.
Beast Wars (cartoon)
Beast Machines (cartoon)
Beast Era timeline - page doesn't exist yet.
No continuity page at present.
==Something to help your Energon recaps==

I recommend referring to NTFA for the japanese episode names and airdates of both series:

* Superlink names and airdates
* Energon names and airdates

I've added the info into the pages you've already done, so to simply follow what's already been written I recommend placing the Japanese SL airdate before the US Energon airdate in the Stats section, given that SL aired first and Energon suffered horrible gaps in episodes aired ;) --FFN 15:54, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Very late, but I just wanted to say how useful this info has been. -- Repowers 05:07, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

==Were you looking for this the other day?==

http://www.emopanda.com/tmp/Energon%20-%2017%20-%20Return%20of%20Demolisher.avi

Yeah, somebody found it for me, somewhere or other. I haven't gotten around to it yet; I've had to slow down on the Energon in general to preserve my brain cells. Thanks! -- Repowers 21:17, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, I think that was me, and I linked you to the wrong episode marked as Return of Demolisher on Veoh. -Derik 22:04, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

==Sorry==

Sorry for overreacting. Thanks for fixing my userpage, much appreciated.--Detour 05:02, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
==Avast all-powerful Admin!==

Go port the contents of the MediaWiki:Recentchangestext talk page over to the page itself. I wants me logs back! -Derik 06:18, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure how to do this thing you speak of. You want me to move this page to this page? -- Repowers 06:27, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

So is it easier for an admin to clear out the contents of a category than to just go item-by-item? (I'm a bit unclear on how this works.) -Derik 08:10, 22 September 2008 (EDT)

If there's a way to delete multiple items, it's not showing up on my screen, and I did just spend a few minutes looking around for it. I'm just going one-by-one down the list. -- Repowers 08:11, 22 September 2008 (EDT)

The category list, or the file list? (I'm trying to figure out if there's any point to me flagging these images with a speedy deletion 'cat.) -Derik 08:19, 22 September 2008 (EDT)

Category list. I didn't know there was a file list. Maybe I need to look harder. (I have a bad habit of never going to the Special Pages list.) -- Repowers 08:22, 22 September 2008 (EDT)

Interrobang pointed it out, except you can't just delete blind, because a certain part of the way down it switches into real files. Is it any more convenient to have 'em in a category than this? -Derik 08:34, 22 September 2008 (EDT)

Arg, no, there's no mass-delete function there either. I dunno if Suki or Walky might have such an option, but I do not. Unfortunate, 'cause there's a ton of these things, and the click-click-click-back button method of deleting them is slow and painful. -- Repowers 08:38, 22 September 2008 (EDT)

Given my choices I'd just have Deceptitran do it direct-- (he's already got all the problem files scaped to his database) but he doesn't have deletion privileges. :p -Derik 08:52, 22 September 2008 (EDT)

==Sorry for that..==

Was not looking at where I was posting. Sorry again. --KyleMD03 19:01, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
==Thanks for the Transmutate finishing summary==

Thanks for finishing Transmutate. But now I'm curious...not all the episode headers are standardized or link to the next/previous ones. Should we fix that? Speedball 01:23, 25 September 2008 (EDT)

Yeah, i don't know what's up with that. Some kind of new template that they were fooling around with. -- Repowers 01:40, 25 September 2008 (EDT)

==That Nightbeat GO! box==

Those white edges are pretty raw and ugly there. I put up a PSD template [1] here for all to use, much cleaner. Give it a retry. --M Sipher 10:13, 26 September 2008 (EDT)
==Micromaster base articles, especially the Gas station==

You are the wind beneath my wings. --FFN 13:24, 26 September 2008 (EDT)

You have any idea how goddamn freezin' cold it is here in your shadow?! -- Repowers 14:49, 26 September 2008 (EDT)

Too bad. Take it up with Bette Midler. --FFN 16:10, 26 September 2008 (EDT)

==Golden One's pupil==

Identified in the dialogue script as "Old Man"; the Red Wizard in his form, meanwhile, is identified as "Monk". Kinda funny when you consider they identify the Red Wizard's PET with a name... --Monzo 13:46, 29 September 2008 (EDT)

Does the script actually call the winged thing "sweet pet", like a name and not just an abstract term of 'affection'? -- Repowers 14:34, 29 September 2008 (EDT)

==Can I get you anything?==

Cold flannel? Chicken soup? Stomach pump? You must be a physical and mental wreck after that horrifying effort. Summarizing the whole of Energon should be the dictionary definition of taking one (or fifty-one) for the team. - Chris McFeely 21:09, 1 November 2008 (EDT)

You can find someone to take on Armada in its entirety, thereby ensuring that any lingering notions I might have of taking it on myself are well and truly squashed. Oy! -- Repowers 21:20, 1 November 2008 (EDT)

==A heads up==

Particularly unobservant people on TFW2005.com are discussing creating articles on TFW Funnies or whatever the hell they are on this wiki. So yeah, just a heads up in case anybody decides it would be a good idea to create articles on TF webcomics and fan fiction. --FFN 13:57, 17 December 2008 (EST)
==Flyer scans==

Hey Rob, I've added some flyer pages and brought a bunch of others up to speed, so I hope your friggin' happy. One that I don't have, though, is "The battle is far from over!", and I was wondering if you can make more scans of it. I'd like to see... well, basically all of it, but I'm thinking the front, folded up (to match the others) and the S.T.A.R.S. recruitment blurb in particular. Basically, whatever content is different from Reinforcements from Cybertron!, since I think this would be the very first mention of S.T.A.R.S., and I'd like to know exactly how it was initially presented. Thanks! - Jackpot 22:47, 28 December 2008 (EST)

Well it's about damn time!! :P I'll try and scan that one this evening and post it up somewhere. -- Repowers 14:28, 29 December 2008 (EST)

* Outside fold
* Inside fold

Go nuts! -- Repowers 00:13, 30 December 2008 (EST)

Nuts gone! Thank you muchly, sir. - Jackpot 04:27, 30 December 2008 (EST)

==US/UK navboxes==

From this earlier revision of your talk page: "Looks like the proper way to do it, but seeing Headmasters chopped up like that hurts my head."

Yeah, the slicing and dicing of headmasters was kind of a headache for me too, but looking through the issues and usch, it seems that this crazy wrongheaded order is the best way to do it. I'll stop futzing with the nav link chains on my UK re-formatting efforts. -- G1MarvelBlaster 08:58, 30 December 2008 (EST)

It's definitely screwy, but then, so was the original publication format. I console myself by remembering that if someone wants to thumb through the full sequence of Headmasters issues, there's the US nav links right above the UK ones. -- Repowers 14:25, 30 December 2008 (EST)

Heaven forfend we should have an alternate set "reading order" links when publication order doesn't measure up. No, that would be just silly. What kind of drunken fool would propose such a thing when the navbox template was being developed? "If we have a reading order function it'll save a lot of angst and headaches over peopel who want the forward-and-back publication order links to represent a reading order." Utter poppycock! -Derik 18:16, 6 January 2009 (EST)

*wonders if this is a good time to mention that, while going through and reformatting lots and lots of comic pages, she has thought about how awesome it would be to set up reading order lists for the various series and have the infoboxes automatically call them somehow instead of futzing with manual prev/next links*
I even know a way to possibly auto-prev and next comic series that are "Name issue #" thanks to something I had to cook up for my own personal wiki... --Jeysie 18:47, 6 January 2009 (EST)

==CamelCase variants==

The search function doesn't care how many capital letters you put in your search term, it'll take you to "BotCon", even if the "Botcon" page does not exist. —Interrobang 18:09, 6 January 2009 (EST)

Fer real? I've had lots of case-based search problems in the past, thought that was with multiple search terms. -- Repowers 18:12, 6 January 2009 (EST)

Yeah. "CRACK", "crack", "CrAcK", and "cRaCk" all take you to "Crack" if you enter them into the search box. —Interrobang 18:21, 6 January 2009 (EST)

...And it turns out this doesn't work on articles with CamelCase titles. Urgh. —Interrobang 18:24, 6 January 2009 (EST)

==Er...?==

Not that I think they're needed, but is there a reason you're deleting all the redirects Siph and Monzo created over the past few days? It's just kind of weird seeing their creation clogging up the recent changes, and now they're all deleted again.--RosicrucianTalk 16:42, 17 January 2009 (EST)

cur) (last) 18:22, 2 July 2006 M Sipher (Talk | block) (24 bytes) (Shortround (UT) moved to Shortround)
2006 is "the last couple of days"? -- Repowers 16:48, 17 January 2009 (EST)

Maybe I'm misjudging. Was all the recent activity on those marking them for deletion, then?--RosicrucianTalk 16:51, 17 January 2009 (EST)

Yeah. We stopped using (UT) ages ago (almost none of them are linked from anything -- I've been checking and fixing as needed.) I'm kinda shocked that there are this many still hanging around. -- Repowers 16:52, 17 January 2009 (EST)

I could also be going crazy, because I can't find the edits in question. Of course, that's likely because you've just deleted them :P--RosicrucianTalk 17:01, 17 January 2009 (EST)

I think you're confusing Monzo and Sipher labelling them for deletion as them creating the redirects. Since they put the delete template below the redirect code, the edit summaries automatically come up as "Redirected to X". —Interrobang 17:04, 17 January 2009 (EST)

Ah, so THAT is why some of them automatically redirected and others didn't. Innnnnteresting.
And yeah, last night in IRC Siph is all "Monz why don't you just nuke that (UT) junk" and Monz is all like "OMG DUDE LOL I'm totally not an admin." -- Repowers 17:07, 17 January 2009 (EST)

==Quote purging?==

Just out of curiousity, what's with all the quote deletions on the Animated episode pages? I don't really see any reason to delete them. It seems to be a shame, really. --Nightshade83 15:41, 28 January 2009 (EST)

It's come up many times that these sections are longer than they need to be. Most of the ones I'm cutting aren't particularly noteworthy or interesting or good or even comprehensible out of context. If anything, I'm being extremely lenient in what I cut. -- Repowers 15:44, 28 January 2009 (EST)

The quote sections are growing out-of-control . . . pruning them is a valuable service, IMO. --Jimsorenson 15:45, 28 January 2009 (EST)

Ah okay. I was just wondering, that's all. --Nightshade83 15:49, 28 January 2009 (EST)

Also -- a lot of these aren't really even quotes in a functional sense. They're transcriptions of entire scenes (which, like the first quote on Megatron Rising I, may be fun or memorable scenes, but not feature especially noteworthy dialog), or descriptions of action which happen to have some words in the middle of them, or attempts to transcribe a moment of particularly memorable voice acting, or totally mundane quotes that are only there because someone thought of a cute commentary to put after it (or worse still, a really-stretching OMG G1 cross-reference.) But that's not what a quote is really supposed to be. A quote should be memorable or clever or character-defining even out of context, even without scene descriptions, even if a person's never seen the episode. It should be relatively short and succinct, require minimal description, and not rely on prior knowledge to make sense. -- Repowers 16:01, 28 January 2009 (EST)

==Categories in Preview mode==

They're still there. You just have to scroll waaaaay down to see 'em.--RosicrucianTalk 20:03, 3 February 2009 (EST)
==Other Books

* Bunch here

* More here

I'd never even heard of some these before, like the Decepticon Camp one. --Monzo 00:35, 12 February 2009 (EST)

EDIT: Actually, this looks like this is the full gallery for that first page. Oops. --Monzo 00:38, 12 February 2009 (EST)

Aw man, just when I thought I was starting to get a grip on all this stuff. I both love and hate you for this. :D -- Repowers 00:39, 12 February 2009 (EST)

==Rob's Big To-Do List!==
An ever-changing list of stuff that needs taking care of. I'll get to it eventually, but if anyone else wants to pitch in, go for it!

'''General cleanup:'''
* Production info for ''[[Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'', ''[[Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'', ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'', ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]''.
* [[Pack-in flyer]] - cleanup? Split? additions?
* Find a better front image for [[toy]].
* [[Universe (2003 comic)]] issues are still a mess. They should all look like [[G.I._Joe_vs._the_Transformers_II_issue_2|this page]] when all's said and done.
** Overview page looks awful.
** Most issue pages look awful.
** The caption "The universe is very large place." has not been used. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.
* UK Annual text stories -- which ones fit with the mainline comic?
** [[Trigger-Happy!]] - has Megatron and Scoop on Earth, so, no.
** [[The Quest!]] - one of those recap-the-storyline ones.
** [[The Return of the Transformers]]
** [[To a Power Unknown!]]
** Headmasters retelling trio
** [[Plague of the Insecticons!]]
** [[Hunted!]]
** [[Missing in Action]]
** [[The Mission]]

* UK Future Autobot stories -- cross-link somehow?
** [[Ark Duty]]
** [[Prime's Rib!]]
** [[Ark Duty]]
** [[Target: 2006]]
** Death's Head / Legacy of Unicron / Space Pirates
** [[Time Wars]]
** Dystopic future saga
** [[Aspects of Evil!]]
** [[Peace]]

'''Toyline pages:''' Most of these are just straight lists of toys. They need overview writeups: what common elements did the toys have, standard gimmicks, packaging notes, sub-lines, items of special note, reception by fans and general public, images of some sample toys.
* [[Generation 1 (toyline)]] -- Just about perfect.
* [[Generation 2 (toyline)]] -- needs re-writing, and images.
* [[Movie (toyline)]] -- main line has writeup & images. Many sublines have nothing. Add cross-sells.
* [[Beast Machines (toyline)]] - needs images/cross-sells.
* [[Robots in Disguise (toyline)]] - needs images/cross-sells.
* [[Cybertron (toyline)]] - cleanup, images.
* [[Beast Wars (toyline)]] - cleanup.
* [[Machine Wars]] - needs a few images.
* [[Universe (2003 toyline)]] - Needs more write-up, and images. Purple Silverbolt would be ideal. Or catalog.

'''Standard format:'''
* [[Armada (Panini comic)]]

==Comic series organization project==
MARVEL GENERATION ONE
 [[Marvel Comics]] - publisher page. Short overview of the series, and links to:
::[[Generation 1 (Marvel Comics)]] - Series overview page. Covers the US series and the UK series. Needs more images -- UK comic covers in particular.
::[[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)]] - Series overview page.
::[[G.I. Joe and the Transformers]]
::[[Headmasters (comic)]]
::[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)]]
 [[Marvel_Comics_continuity]] - page about the continuity. Still need to link more stuff back to this page.
 http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Marvel_US_issues - not so critical now that everything's got nav boxes.

DREAMWAVE GENERATION ONE
 [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] - publisher. Lists issues but is mostly about the company.
 [[Dreamwave timeline]]
 [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity]]

IDW GENERATION ONE
 [[IDW Publishing]] - publisher page. Intro to rebooted continuity and list of issues ordered by date of publication.
 [[IDW timeline]]
 [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]

DEVIL'S DUE
 [[Devil's Due Press]] - publisher page. Short history, list of miniseries.
 [[Devil's Due timeline]] - No timeline page at present.
 [[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers continuity]] - Continuity overview page. Also lists the four miniseries. They should all link back to it.

G1 CARTOON
 [[Generation 1 (cartoon)]]
 [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline]]
 [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)]]
 [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)/src]]
 No continuity page at present.

BEAST ERA CARTOONS
 [[Beast Era]] - short overview page, links to main franchise pages.
 [[Beast Wars (cartoon)]]
 [[Beast Machines (cartoon)]]
 [[Beast Era timeline]] - page doesn't exist yet.
 No continuity page at present.



==Testing Comics nav template for mini-series==

'''''The Transformers: Infiltration''''' is the first in a line of miniseries by [[IDW Publishing]] set in a "re-boot" of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] continuity, bringing the presence on [[Earth]] of the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s into the present day and placing the "robots in disguise" concept firmly in the forefront of its narrative. Infiltration is set in the same time period as ''[[Stormbringer (comics)|The Transformers: Stormbringer]]'' and both are followed by ''[[Escalation (IDW)|The Transformers: Escalation]]''.

{{comicnav | IDW continuity | Infiltration | seriesname=IDW continuity | prev= | next=Escalation (IDW)}}

{|style="margin:0 auto;padding:0 auto" align=center id=toc
!align=center bgcolor=#6699CC|'''''Infiltration'' issues:'''
|-align=center
|| [[Infiltration issue 0|#0]] | [[Infiltration issue 1|#1]] | [[Infiltration issue 2|#2]] | [[Infiltration issue 3|#3]] | [[Infiltration issue 4|#4]] | [[Infiltration issue 5|#5]] | [[Infiltration issue 6|#6]]
|}
{{-}}

...man, that doesn't really work, does it. What comes next -- ''Stormbringer''? ''Escalation''? One of the ''Spotlight''s?
:IDW's timeline is epochal, with each successive era marked by it's G1 miniseries. There may be other events that take place between the minis-- even (in the case of Stormbringer) major events but the G1 minis are the 'core' of the brand. We need a markup that recognizes this. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 11:08, 1 November 2007 (UTC)
::Yeah, that makes sense... so long as they all also link back to a continuity page so the complete picture is available as well. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 15:01, 1 November 2007 (UTC)
:::I know I'm really late, but the IDW TPBs are numbered. Volume 1 is Infiltration, 2 is Stormbringer, and 3 is Escalation. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 18:47, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
::::Ah, handy! Will adjust accordingly. I kinda gave up on the mini-series nav box idea anyway -- it seems a bit like overkill. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 19:12, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

==Images==
Hi, as the self-appointed pics guy (as I probably upload the most pics here), I'd suggest that you use Photoshop to edit out the backgrounds of the MTMTE scans you upload, so we're left with a nice, white background that matches the default colour of the wiki.

I'd also advise you to use copyright tags when uploading images such as:

<nowiki>{{hastak}}</nowiki> for Hasbro/Takara-owned images such as stock toy photos or screencaps.

<nowiki>{{comicinterior}}</nowiki> for comic page scans (which apply for the MTMTE series).

<nowiki>{{comiccover}}</nowiki> for comic covers.

<nowiki>{{fairuse}}</nowiki> for general pictures relating to Transformers but not exactly owned by Hasbro, or its a legal grey area. This can be used when you upload toy photos that you didn't take yourself.

A tip for recognising artists - [[Don Figueroa]] is VERY prolific in the MTMTE series, and you can tell which works are his by by their big hands with vents on the back of them, which are his trademark. Another trademark of his is cyclindrical piping on the edges of limbs, particularly the thighs. Also, most artists tended to be assigned all the art for a particular subgroup or team.

If in doubt, use <nowiki>{{artist?}}</nowiki> and it will be added to the category of art by undetermined artists.

Finally, I would advise caution in using so many pictures from a single source, as it would be hard to argue fair use. -[[User:FFN|FFN]] 19:12, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

:Thanks for the tips. I may not have time to follow up on 'em all today but I will soon. Ish.

:The toy photos, FYI, are all my own. Isn't there some "I hereby release into public domain blah blah blah" template for that sort of thing? -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 19:29, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

::I don't believe we do, at least to my knowledge. You can just say something like 'Photos by [[User:Repowers]], released to the public domain.'

::I've started adding tags to the pictures you've uploaded, but I'll leave the toy pics alone now. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 19:39, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

===Slog===
Can you scan a picture of Slog's MTMTE robot mode? I prefer to use some kind of uncluttered 'profile' pic if possible for the main article picture, and comic panels for the fiction section (since there isn't anything there in the Marvel section anyway). Assumign the scan of is good quality, I suggest using the magic wand tool in photoshop to cut out the background, leaving a nice, white crisp background behind the character.

I'm going to request the deletion of the beast mode picture because we can't fit it anywhere in the article, and we should only have one picture up at the start.

Formatting tip - when you don't want images to jut into other article sections or mess up the formatting, use <nowiki>{{-}}</nowiki> instead of a bunch of return key strokes :D --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 04:53, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

==US/UK Navboxes==
Following is the sequence that should be used for the remaining UK stories as their pages are created. See also:
[http://transformers.wikia.com/index.php?title=User_talk:Repowers&oldid=128717 older list] rationalizing the order of pages already created.

232-235: King Con, Small War, Prime's Rib, Deathbringer

236-239 Wrestling, Way/Savage/Survival

240-242 Back from Dead, Out to Lunch, RAge, Assault

243-245 Resurrection Gambit, Mind Games, Two MEgs, Underworld

246-248 All the Familiar, Demons, Dawn of Darkness, Fallen Star

249-251 Skin Deep, Whose LIfeforce, Greatest Gift, The Void.

252-255 Yesterday's Heroes, Edge of Impact, Shadow of Evil, White Fire

256-261 Perchance, Primal Scream, Starting Over

262-264 Bird of Prey, Two STeps BAck, Break away, Desert Island risks

282-285 Kings of the Wild Frontier, Shut Up, Maneuvers, Assassins, External Forces

286-289 Deadly Obsession ,Lesser Evil, Frontline, INside Story, End of the Road

==Older Discussion==
I'm bringing this up to you since you seem to be the main person integrating them. It seems unelegant, but at the same time the simplest solution. Could their simply be two navboxes on each (relevant) issue page? One for the US comic, and one for the UK?

It looks like the shared stories are summarized under their US issue numbers, using [[Deadly Obsession]] as a single example. It wouldn't be much to edit these pages to make their UK numberings a bit more prominent; a navbox would actually take care of that fine.

It would also require some minor edits to link seperate second-story-only pages to the stories which they share books with. Just something like "UK issue #254 also contained [[White Fire]]." I think that could be fit into the UK navbox, or worked in with the initial information block containing the reprint notice is.--[[User:Sntint|Sntint]] 02:36, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
:If possible, putting it in a single navbox would be best allowing for as many listings as needed for the various reprints, as well as a "printed with" below the next and previous links. I don't think anything has been reprinted more than three times in a comic series. --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 02:57, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
::Oh lordy lordy, the whole thing's such a headache I don't wanna think about it just now. But you're right, we do need to address it sooner or later, somehow. Someone who knows something about setting up nav boxes should probably decide how it's best done, though.
::There aren't any UK issues with *two* original stories in them, right? -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 06:16, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
:::I dunno about the Titan comics, but there was only one Marvel UK comic with more than two TF stories period (issue 232, which had a US story, the end of a UK reprint and the start of a new UK story. I've thought it over, and figured it would be best for one navbox per series instead od one with every comic series the story was printed in. That way, there would only be at most two sets of "next" and "previous" links, which could be done by adding some optional parameters to the current template.
The one problem is how to deal with stories printed in the same issue. Few of the B&W UK strips are multi parters, so some US reprints have three or four UK backup strips. Not to mention the ''Transformers Magazine'' of the current Titan comics. --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 17:06, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
:Got it made up. The real beauty is no change need to be made for issues not reprinted in the same series.

{{User:FortMax/Template:Comicnav | Generation 1 (Marvel Comics) | Issues #s 13 - 17 | seriesname=Marvel UK | prev=Man of Iron! | next=Raiders of the Last Ark | issuenumber2=Issue #s 308 - 317 | prev2=In the National Interest | next2=The Big Shutdown! }}

{{User:FortMax/Template:Comicnav | Generation 1 (Marvel Comics) | Issues #s 13 - 17 | seriesname=Marvel UK | prev=Man of Iron! | next=Raiders of the Last Ark }}

--[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 18:24, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

::Hrm. I'm not sure why we even need to worry about the reprinted stories -- they're just straight reprints of previous stories, right? The chain of links should just run straight through the set of stories once, in the order it was published. Why not just skip the reprints? If we want to record the info, it should just go as a note as on the story's page. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 21:03, 17 November 2007 (UTC)

:::I was thinking the same thing. The main Marvel Comic page lists everything as issue numbers, but the actual individual pages are made for stories, not issues. So we take Story X. In the UK, Story X is followed by Story Y. In the US, Story Y wasn't printed and story X is followed by Story W. A UK Navbox would, from X's page, link "Y" as "Next->", and the US would link W as "Next->".

:::Now, I'm not very familiar with the original printing format, so this may be all hypothetical. Given what I just pointed out about the organization of the pages... standalone backup strips can either be "pooled", set aside, and then inserted into the "navbox stream" after the main story they backed up. Or, they can (more simply) share story pages with their appropriate main story. My first solution would allow for shorter, more concise story pages, the second would better preserve the issue sequence of the "<-prev/next->" links.

:::I feel like I might not be communicating my ideas properly, so please tell me if I need to clarify! --[[User:Sntint|Sntint]] 21:39, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
::::I think I gotcha. It looks like we've already got a precedent, with (for example) "[[Perchance to Dream]]" having its own page. I don't know what else was in those 6 issues, but presumably it was something that's already covered in the US issues.
::::I suppose someone could come into the list link for, say, UK #259, looking for "[[Perchance to Dream]]", only to find "[[Primal Scream (issue)|Primal Scream]]". ("Perchance" ran #255-260; on our list, it's linked from #255-258.) But anyone with that specific a knowledge of the UK stories will probably be able to figure it out... especially if there's a handy nav box to lead them to the previous and next story.
::::The contents of each UK issue could maybe be summarized along with the "also printed in..." note for the UK, though that's maybe getting a bit unwieldy. Not having a big list of what's in which issue hurts. Does such a thing exist on the net anywhere? -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 21:58, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
:::::If one isn't found by late tonight I'll take a stab at compiling one. I didn't find much on a (very brief) Google search for "transformers uk issue list". The best possible chance I can think of for finding one would... be on Iggy's old links page, and I wasn't able to pull that up on Internet Archive immediately. Like I said, though I'll have more time later tonight. --[[User:Sntint|Sntint]] 22:19, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
::::::Heck, come to think of it? We should just have that list as a wiki page. Then the story pages can just be story pages, instead of trying to describe what parts of what are in which issue (ie, Perchance is spread across 6 issues. Are we gonna have 6 notes on the Perchance page? "#255 had Part 1 of Perchance and the second part of blah blah whichever story". Sounds messy and to be avoided.) Not sure how the issues would link back to it... maybe from the Marvel G1 page. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 22:47, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
Got your list [http://tfarchive.com/comics/marvel/index.php?s=storylist here] --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 00:05, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

==To-do-list==
Oh, I thought the to-do list was for yourself. You know, like a list of New Years Resolutions. ...you're not one of THOSE people, are you? --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 02:56, 20 November 2007 (UTC)
:It is, mostly, yeah. But if anybody wants to pitch in, that'd be nice too. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 03:41, 20 November 2007 (UTC), one of THOSE people.

== Good job ==

Hey nice edits man. You fix grammar too. Also I like the way you always edit things because what you did was impressive.([[User:76.195.186.73|76.195.186.73]] 00:12, 4 December 2007 (UTC))

You're doing a heckuva job, Powersy. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 20:33, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

I just went to fix the 1992 Annual entry after realising my mistake, and you've already done it! Quick work. --[[User:Specimen-17|Specimen-17]] 20:18, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

== Carnivac ==
The deletion of your paragraph wasn't intentional. This is the third time this has happened to me, twice today alone. I initiate an edit, go through all the text carefully to check for spelling, punctuation, etc., and by the time I'm done, someone else has already made another edit. However, when I submit my edit, I get no "out of date version" warning; it's simply processed as normal. As noted on [[User_talk:Apcog|my Talk page]] in a discussion with [[User:M Sipher|Sipher]], the wiki response was very sluggish for me this afternoon, which may or may not have had anything to do with it.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 00:20, 10 December 2007 (UTC)
:Ah, okay, fair enough. Sorry if I seemed like I was jumping down your throat. :] -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 03:11, 10 December 2007 (UTC)
::No need to apologize; you weren't harsh at all. I'm annoyed with the situation, not the people bringing it to my attention.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 06:33, 10 December 2007 (UTC)

== Package art ==

[http://www.botchthecrab.com/gallery.asp?gallery=7 This'll help] with the back-of-package art info! - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 20:53, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

==Template names==
Hey, Rob -- you might be done creating nav templates now anyway, but just in case you are planning to do more: I recommend using all lowercase letters in the name of any template you create. It looks like there was already a mixture of cases in the nav templates when you started making yours, but, if template names are always all-lowercase, that just makes it easier to remember. Like all wiki pages with initial capital letters, something like [[Template:Nav-armada]] can be called with <nowiki>{{nav-armada}}</nowiki>, ignoring the initial capital. But if there's a capital letter in the middle somewhere, you ''have'' to match it or the link doesn't work. I'll put it on my todo list to go through all the templates and remove extraneous capital letters... But for future reference, please stick to lowercase. :) --[[User:Steve-o|Steve-o]] 05:19, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
:If it comes up again, I'll stick to lower case. I was just following what seemed to be the precedent, but what you say about linking makes a lot of sense. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 06:43, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

==Screencaps==
You've got some fantastic screencaps from the G1 cartoon on your blog. Any chance we could use some for episode/character pages? -- Repowers 19:23, 11 January 2008 (UTC)
:Why, thanks. The site is a little obsession of mine. I'd post more pictures on this wiki, but I haven't had the time. Do have some specific ones in mind you want? --[[User:Suzyprime|Suzyprime]] 19:37, 11 January 2008 (UTC)
::None in particular at the moment -- I was just skimming. Some of the group shots would be good for the main G1 cartoon page. Other than that, every episode page ought to have a couple of screencaps; likewise for character pages. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 19:54, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

== Protoform Toys ==

Awww...after all I went through to be sure the parallel versions were all accurate, too. Oh well, at least one of my captions survived, and the individual toy pages are fixed.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 15:47, 7 February 2008 (UTC)
:My sole purpose in life is to torment you thus! BWAAHAHAHA.
:Seriously... I almost purged the whole section before realizing it is a good idea to at least have some mention of toy incarnations. But IMO it's asking for trouble to have the same info repeated in two places like that. They'll inevitably drift apart. Anyways, what with this whole "World Wide Web" thing, we can just link from one location to the other and save ourselves the trouble! -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 16:03, 7 February 2008 (UTC)
::Ehn, I wasn't objecting to the deletion on principle or anything, just expressing disappointment that I'd expended some effort for nothing. As noted, the fixes still exist on Prime and Starscream's toy pages, so it's not like ''all'' the work was for naught.
::I kinda miss my revised Starscream caption, but I'll live.--[[User:Apcog|Apcog]] 16:34, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

==Show bible==
... came "much, much later"? What, exactly, the ''hell''? --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 19:32, 14 February 2008 (UTC)
:Who on ATT in 1994 had read the show bible? NOBODY, that's who! It was not a consideration until years later. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 19:37, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

== "error" in Prime spotlight ==

''Bristleback asks a question ("Which is?"), and Birdbrain starts to answer it ("SMASH our way in..."). However, in the following panel, Bristleback is shown finishing Birdbrain's sentence ("...and kill WHOEVER and WHATEVER we find inside!")''

: Not an error, here's why... In the panel before, one of them (not pictured) says "It it him?" [referring to Omega]. Then someone says "Only one way to find out." Then, as above, Bristleback says "Which is?" [referring to how they would find out]. Birdbrain says "Smash our way in" and Bristleback finishes the sentence, "...and kill WHOEVER and WHATEVER we find inside!" In other words, Birdbrain started to answer the question and Bristleback decided to add his 2 cents in.
:I really don't think it's an error, it makes sense to me. --[[User:MistaTee|MistaTee]] 17:49, 22 February 2008 (UTC)
::So Bristleback doesn't know what they're going to do, and asks, and after three words from Birdbrain he suddenly answers his own question? Given IDW's propensity for screwing up their speech balloons, combined with the obscurity of the individual Pretender Monsters, I think it's an honest error. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 18:13, 22 February 2008 (UTC)
:::No biggie. However, they didn't correct it in the TPB. --[[User:MistaTee|MistaTee]] 22:53, 22 February 2008 (UTC)
::::Y'know, I was thinking that'd be a good litmus test, actually. In light of that, I'm gonna re-write the note in a more neutral tone. I still think it ''could'' be an error, again owing to the obscurity of the characters, but the lack of a correction makes it a less solid case than I thought it was. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 01:40, 24 February 2008 (UTC)
:::::seems fair. cheers! --[[User:MistaTee|MistaTee]] 04:37, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

==Boxart copyright==
If the boxart belongs to either Hasbro or Takara (as boxart generally does), then we normally use the <nowiki>{{hastak}}</nowiki> tag, since it mentions the fair use provision of United States copyright law. But I guess the fair use tag is fine, too :) --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 02:53, 26 February 2008 (UTC)
:Ah, thanks for the heads-up. I wasn't aware of the difference. Will adjust accordingly! -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 02:57, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

==Something to help your Energon recaps==
I recommend referring to NTFA for the japanese episode names and airdates of both series: 
*[http://www.ntfa.net/ntfa/japan/SLeplist.php Superlink names and airdates]
*[http://www.ntfa.net/ntfa/energon/eplist.php Energon names and airdates]

I've added the info into the pages you've already done, so to simply follow what's already been written I recommend placing the Japanese SL airdate before the US Energon airdate in the Stats section, given that SL aired first and Energon suffered horrible gaps in episodes aired ;) --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 15:54, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

:Very late, but I just wanted to say how useful this info has been. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 05:07, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

== How does a plot NOT conclude successfully? ==

I of course feel that the platonic ideal of a plot not concluding successfully in any meaningful fashion whatsoever, a comic that just leaves you scratching your head and wondering why they even roused Rob Ruffolo out of whatever alcoholic haze he was in prior to drawing it, would have to be [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] [[Micromasters]].--[[User:Rosicrucian|Rosicrucian]][[User Talk:Rosicrucian|Talk]] 23:17, 4 April 2008 (UTC)
:Hahahahaha. I was thinking nearly the same thing even as I wrote it. XD -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 23:19, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

=="Worthless piece of stupid trivia?"==
Buddy, I've seen a ''lot'' of "worthless pieces of stupid trivia" on here, of the irrelevant, personal canon, and/or just plain inaccurate kind. A while back, I had a huge debate with some editors on here over a trivia post I made on Blackarachnia's article stating how her telekinesis ''may'' have originated from her mind link with Tarantulas, with them saying that was wrong and had no basis in fact when it was "obvious" that she got it from the Transmetal driver, an opinion that was just as much speculation as they claimed the mind-link thing was. The editors here are mostly idiotic hypocrites that like to toss out anything that doesn't fit into their own "personal canon" as invalid for this wiki. I know for a fact that quite a few RiD fans joke about Scourge having Kelly's DNA in him makes him a transgender (as I said in Scourge's article's discussion, Ben Yee's TF forum made quite a few cracks about that), so it's valid. [[User:64.13.101.210|64.13.101.210]] 00:28, 9 April 2008 (UTC)
:It is valid to discuss Scourge having Kelly as part of his biosignature, since he actually does according to the show. Notice the great contrast between that and, say, Blackarachnia's telekinesis being caused by Tarantulas, which is something you just made up. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] 00:52, 9 April 2008 (UTC)
:You're not listening to me. Go do something useful. This isn't it. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 02:16, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

== Hosehead ==

Your caption fu is mighty. [[User:JW|JW]] 19:49, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

== Selling toys Sandbox ==

Good work. A few comments/suggestions, mainly on bits imported:

''The Hasbro-induced need to show all the toys can also cause stories to suddenly focus on a new character, sometimes dropping ongoing plot threads about older ones. Examples include:
* ''The comic issue [[Pretender to the Throne!]]''

This isn't clear for anyone unfamiliar with the comic and even if one is it's not really clear how this one jars too much, particularly as it does pick up on Goldbug and Fort Max getting new bodies and leads into the next battle with Ratbat's Decepticons. I'd say the disjointed narrative problems the comic story had in 1988 are more down to having two Autobot factions and two Decepticon factions all running around on or in orbit around Earth, requiring each to take a back seat from time to time (and the UK comic makes it worse by throwing in a third earthbound Decepticon faction, the Autobots on Cybertron, the Transformers in the future and various mavericks) and the need to tie up loose ends (and cartoon adaptations) than the requirement to sell toys.

* ''Mainframe planned to use [[Wolfang (Maximal)|Wolfang]] in ''Beast Wars'', but [[Tigatron]] appeared instead because he had an upcoming toy (and to save money as his cgi model was only a slight tweak of Cheetor's).''

That didn't really involve dumping any old characters. Scorponok taking a backseat to Inferno might be a better example but it's been a while since I've seen the first season of Beast Wars to be sure if that was the case.

* ''In the Marvel comics, the simultaneous introduction of the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] and [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], and the introduction of the Pretenders, saw a lot of rigamarole involved in explaining why both the Autobots and the Decepticons had new members with identical gimmicks at the same time.''

True in the UK comic but I can't recall any talk at all in the US one about Megatron explicitly copying the Aerialbots' combining ability for the Stunticons. The Head, Target and Power masters may be better examples.

''Power levels''

If you need a comic example, Omega Supreme annihilates six Decepticons in his first appearance over just a few pages (and would have got two more if they hadn't flown away). But in a later issue he's shown losing the return battle with just Buzz Saw!

* ''Megatron is turned into Galvatron three times - at the end of each series, he's turned back into Megatron but with a different body. This is due to Hasbro wanting to keep the [[trademark]]s "Megatron" and "Galvatron" as well as to sell more toys.''

Which era does this refer to?

* ''Numerous characters are killed in the Marvel UK comics saga [[Time Wars]]. The Grim Reaper seemed to spare either popular characters (Megatron and Shockwave) or newer characters ([[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]], [[Catilla]], [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], and the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], for example.)''

Erm the Terrorcons in Time Wars were from the future and there were enough problems with future characters dying in the present day already. And their contemporary versions ''were'' killed off in the Underbase Saga.

Otherwise the piece looks a good rewrite/slim down so far.

[[User:Timrollpickering|Timrollpickering]] 19:36, 25 May 2008 (UTC)
:Thanks for the feedback. Some of that's just stuff that I didn't quite finish writing out as well, or didn't give additional context after pulling it from its original fiction section. Ironically, I think the page is actually a little bit ''longer'' than the pre-revision version. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 23:41, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

== Were you looking for this the other day? ==

http://www.emopanda.com/tmp/Energon%20-%2017%20-%20Return%20of%20Demolisher.avi
:Yeah, somebody found it for me, somewhere or other. I haven't gotten around to it yet; I've had to slow down on the Energon in general to preserve my brain cells. Thanks! -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 21:17, 27 May 2008 (UTC)
::Yeah, I think that was me, and I linked you to the wrong episode marked as Return of Demolisher on Veoh. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 22:04, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

== MediaWiki Stuff That Exists and How to Find It ==

[[Special:AllMessages]]

...not the most user-friendly organized list out there, to be sure, but it is a full list. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 15:03, 7 May 2009 (EDT)

== Magazine ==

According to my issue, the 3H club magazine was called "The Official Transformers Collectors' Club Magazine". The "the" is on the front outside cover but is not capitalized in the notes on the inside cover. --[[User:Bluestreak7|Bluestreak7]] 14:05, 24 May 2009 (EDT)

== Micromaster catalogues? ==

Hey Rob, seeing as wot you're uploading pics of the two teams that this question relates to - do you happen to have the instructions/catalogs for the MC reissues of the Train Team and the Turbo Team? Cause those are the only two that we need a picture from to complete the [[Micromaster Collection]] page's story section, all illustrated-like. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 10:59, 30 May 2009 (EDT)
:See if any of these are what you need: [http://www.builtstlouis.net/journal4/sixteams/ Core dump of my MM reissue scans] -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 13:16, 30 May 2009 (EDT)

== Amory's Page ==

Mrr. Sorry about that, I usually am instead writing out issue/episode synopses that use the present tense, and didn't even realize this time that I'd goofed. 
On that note, the likely reason it read similarly to the Cheap Shots synopsis is because I wrote that too, and you picked up on my writing style. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 13:25, 15 June 2009 (EDT)
:Ah, gotcha. No problem - stuff happens! -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 13:26, 15 June 2009 (EDT)

== It should be noted that... ==

... Rob hates it when others tell him to take note things. Seriously. He will kill you. Probably to death. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 02:26, 16 June 2009 (EDT)

==Micromaster Squad prices==

For what it's worth, there's a list of G1 prices here: [http://web.archive.org/web/20021205162625/www.geocities.com/pdpool/1990.html] I can't really speak to the validity of the list, however.--[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 10:51, 24 June 2009 (EDT)
:Interesting... I'm little leery of it, though. I remember the Battle Patrol costing me $5 at ToysRUs, and subsequently thinking to myself, wow, each of these little guys is only $1.25! It seems unlikely that the Patrol price jumped to $7 in just one year. I wonder where they got those numbers? -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 11:08, 24 June 2009 (EDT)

::Heh, you'd probably be less confused had I linked you to the main page for that list like I'd intended. Sorry about that. On the [http://web.archive.org/web/20021205063120/www.geocities.com/pdpool/prices.html main page] it mentions that the prices were verified from catalogs and price tags. Catalog pricing could explain the why it seems high. --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 02:09, 25 June 2009 (EDT)

== Jazz vs Frenzy ==

Optimus instructed Jazz to take on Frenzy two times in [[Ghosts of Yesterday]], leading Jazz to complain that he always fights the little ones. He only fought him once, though, but knocked him out cold in a matter of minutes. So they have encountered each other, just outside of the films and comics. -- [[User:SFH|SFH]] 17:02, 14 July 2009 (EDT)

== Bad version purging ==

By going to [[Special:Undelete/Nemesis_(SG)]], you could have selectively restored the history (i.e., including Blackout & McFeely, but not you-know-who). Just FTR - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] 16:18, 25 August 2009 (EDT)

== You, sir, are a god. ==

I've read your near-total revision of the [[Death]] page, and it is GLORIOUS, sir. I'm deeply regretful that you don't receive some kinda recognition or payment for all the work you've done -- you've made a list of horrible slaughter and toy-based genocide fun and interesting to read, for which: KUDOS.

So, um, I can only hope that one day they name a toy after you. You deserve it.

== That's me! ==
Excuse me for the beginning on the very top, but your page is so great… Well, I'll try to consider your advices in my mind. Thank you. But tell me why there were no signs to illustrations in "Armada" almost at all till I began to add them? And now everybody tries to take part in name-giving… Excuse my poor English.--[[User:He-l-en1959|He-l-en1959]] 11:01, 29 November 2009 (EST)
::* Thank you VERY MUCH!!!--[[User:He-l-en1959|He-l-en1959]] 12:26, 29 November 2009 (EST)

== And who's the god that Beohort calls upon? ==

[[Tyrwas]]! --[[User:Abates|abates]] 01:25, 22 December 2009 (EST)

== Alex Karras prime time spot ==

It seems the owner of Scratchbomb has seen fit to bestow upon Transfans a holiday gift. In his latest batch of commercials uploaded to YouTube, he has included the [http://scratchbomb.com/2009/12/holiday-triumphs-more-adtacular-halloween-1985.html Alex Karras prime time spot]. I was mucho excited as I had figured we'd probably never find a recording of it. I'm posting it on your talk page first, in case you'd like to be the one to write it up proper. --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 23:47, 23 December 2009 (EST)
:Last call on writing this spot up. I'll do it next week unless you call dibs. --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 23:34, 15 June 2010 (EDT)
::Heh, naw, go ahead. If it's a privilege, you've totally earned it by this point. Most of my energies are directed toward cartoon bloopers these days, anyway. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 23:41, 15 June 2010 (EDT)
:::Ok, cool. I wasn't thinking privilege so much as I was thinking you might want to finish what you started. On a related note, I found the audio for the Pretenders comic commercial on Bigbot. I wish Renaud would've credited the provider so I knew who to ask about possibly getting the video. --[[User:Tigerpaw28|Tigerpaw28]] 23:58, 15 June 2010 (EDT)

== Thanx for blocking the account ==

Thanks. If that "Fuck DEtour" account worked, it was clearly a personal attack at DETOUR. [[Special:Contributions/86.147.177.207|86.147.177.207]] 07:56, 19 December 2010 (EST)

== Flagging ==

Good to know! :P [[User:Might Gaine|Might Gaine]] 19:16, 16 January 2011 (EST)

Star Saber (G1)

2011-01-16T03:29:43Z

Might Gaine: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Star Saber}}
{{featured}}

:''Star Saber is an [[Autobot]] [[Brainmaster]] from the [[Victory (franchise)|Victory]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:G1 Star Saber art variant.jpg|right|325px|thumb|Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs!]]
Famed throughout the length and breadth of the cosmos as the greatest swordsman in the universe, the heroic '''Star Saber''' has ascended from humble beginnings to the lofty position of [[Supreme Commander]] of the [[Autobot]]s and head of the interplanetary [[Galactic Defense Force]]. Protector of the weak, defender of the defenceless and lover of life in all its forms, Star Saber's heart [[Burning justice|burns]] with an unending passion for justice and peace unequalled by any other, which drives him to quash evil wherever he finds it, with a cry of "Let's say go!"<ref>"Let's say go" is presumably a Japanese language pun, as it is written as with the English word, "Let's", and the Japanese word "seigō" (整合), meaning "coordinate" or "integrate" (as seen in print in "[[Shine! The Five Stars of Victory]]"). As such, it's hard to preserve the pun in translation, so the official DVD releases of the series by [[Metrodome]] and [[Madman Entertainment]] didn't bother, rendering the phrase simply as "Let's say go".</ref> This idealism is perhaps best evidenced in his adoption of the orphaned human child, [[Jean Minakaze]], as his own son, for whom he cares deeply.

Star Saber is a member of the powerful sub-group known as the [[Brainmaster]]s, who possess incredible courage, strength, skill and intelligence. Star Saber exemplifies courage in particular: his smallest robot form is the '''Brain of Courage''' (勇気のブレイン ''Yūki no Brain''), which connects to a [[Transtector]] to become the robot known as '''Saber'''. In either robot or jet mode, Saber connects to the mobile battle platform named the [[V-Star]] with a cry of "Battle Up!" to become Star Saber. Furthermore, in either mode, Star Saber is capable of linking up with his team-mate [[Victory Leo]] to become '''Victory Saber'''. In this form, Star Saber's speed and power are greatly enhanced, but at times, Victory Leo's savage personality can override his calm and collected nature.

:''Russian name:'' '''Istrebitel''' (Истребитель, "Fighter", as in aircraft)

==Fiction==
===Cartoon continuity===

====''Super-God Masterforce cartoon====
When [[Shūta Gō|Shūta]] asked [[Grand]] if he could meet the new [[Supreme Commander]], Grand obliged by showing him clips of Star Saber. {{storylink|Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets!}}

====''Victory'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Hideyuki Tanaka]] (Japan)

[[Image:Starsaber deathsaurus first battle.jpg|left|215px|thumb|I know that dragon guy is around here somewhere.]]
As a child, Star Saber was a paragon of good behaviour. He was never greedy, so he never had to sneak food, and he never once wet the bed and got scolded for it. He was, however, still a fun-loving kid, who would zoom around on a skateboard while wearing his bedsheet as a cape.<ref>This description of Star Saber's childhood comes from the lyrics of ''Victory''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s closing theme tune, "[[Cybertron Banzai]]". While the very notion of Transformers having a childhood that they actually physically grow out of is rather bizarre, resulting in the temptation to not consider the song "canon", the ''[[Victory (manga)|Victory]]'' manga ''also'' depicts Star Saber as a child, in an actual, in-story flashback. So if it can happen in the comics, there's really no reason to think that it can't also have been the case in the cartoon.</ref>

Around 500,000 years ago, when Star Saber was a commander in the Autobot army, the powerful [[Decepticon]] warrior [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] threatened the galaxy with his colossal [[Planet-Destroying Fortress]]. Star Saber led a garrison of Autobots in an assault against the fortress, and battled Deathsaurus personally while his troops planted gravity boosters on the fortress's surface. The boosters de-energized the fortress and trapped it in a gravity cell at the heart of the [[Dark Nebula]], forever earning Star Saber the enmity of Deathsaurus. {{storylink|Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress}}

[[Image:Starsaber and jean.jpg|right|215px|thumb|That's where I saw the leprechaun. He told me to burn things.]]
Several years before 2025, Star Saber was appointed Supreme Commander of the Autobots, and consulted his friend, [[Ginrai|God Ginrai]], on whether or not he should take the job. {{storylink|Ginrai Dies!!}} Star Saber accepted the role, and by extension, became head of the [[Galactic Peace Alliance]]'s Galactic Defense Force, dedicated to protecting planets all throughout the galaxy from the renewed threat of the Decepticons under the command of Deathsaurus, who had succeeded in his quest to become [[Emperor of Destruction]]. {{storylink|The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber}} In one of these attacks, a [[human]] spacecraft was destroyed by the [[Dinoforce]], killing all on board, save for a baby that had been placed in an escape pod. Star Saber recovered the child, [[Jean Minakaze]], and adopted him as his own son. {{storylink|Attack! Leozack}}

[[Image:Starsaber vehiclemode.jpg|left|215px|thumb|Spike Spiegel's weekend ride.]]
In 2025, Deathsaurus's attacks on Earth's sector of space intensified, leading Star Saber to make preparations to leave the Autobots' base on [[Victory (planet)|Planet V]] and personally take command of the defense force unit stationed in Earth's sector. After saving the small frontier community of [[Iron Town]] from a pair of [[Decepticon desperadoes]], Star Saber returned to base to a report of an attack by the Dinoforce on the [[Lunar Base (Victory)|Lunar Base]] on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]] and immediately headed to the scene. As he drew close to the moon, Deathsaurus appeared to bar his way, and the two old foes battled while [[Blacker]], [[Braver]] and [[Laster]] clashed with the Dinoforce. Star Saber broke the fight off when Jean alerted him to the worsening battle on the moon's surface, and he proceeded to dispatch the Dinoforce with ease before Deathsaurus caught up to him and their battle continued. Battling his way through Deathsaurus's [[Breast Animal]]s, Star Saber emerged victorious, and the Decepticons fled. {{storylink|The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber}} The Autobots proceeded to transport the human staff of the damaged Lunar Base back to Earth aboard their [[Shuttle Base]], but when they came under attack from the Dinoforce again, Star Saber split himself into Saber and the V-Star to defeat their combined robot form of [[Dinoking]]. {{storylink|Sneak Attack! Dinoking}}

[[Image:Saber and vstar.jpg|right|215px|thumb|Anakin built it in a junk yard in a desert.]]
Operating out of the Shuttle Base, Star Saber's Autobots took Earth as a second home of sorts, and staged all their operations from there. Star Saber enrolled Jean at school, flying him there personally for his first day and giving the [[Headmistress Mabel|headmistress]] quite a shock. Unfortunately for everyone, Star Saber's presence at the school attracted the attention of the Decepticon [[Breastforce]]r [[Leozack]], who put the student body in mortal danger when he attacked. Star Saber separated from the V-Star and had Jean use it to carry the students to safety while he tackled Leozack and the Dinoforce. When the students were safe, Saber recombined with the V-Star, and defeated Leozack and Dinoking with the aid of [[Road Caesar]]. {{storylink|Attack! Leozack}}

[[Image:Starsaber vs dinoking.jpg|left|215px|thumb|And now we know what killed the dinosaurs.]]
Star Saber later battled Dinoking again at an energy plant, this time with the aid of [[Landcross (Victory)|Landcross]], {{storylink|Unite!! Multiforce}} then went up against Leozack once more at the Ocean Exhibition amusement park, {{storylink|Move Out! Rescue Team}} before battling both opponents yet again at a uranium mine. {{storylink|Infiltration... The Uranium Mine}} Later, when Blacker and the [[Multiforce]] investigated a Decepticon energy base in the Amazon jungle, Star Saber became concerned when he was unable to contact them, and sped to their aid, helping them to dispatch the villains. {{storylink|Explosion!! The Energy Base}}

[[Image:Starsaber vs breastanimals.jpg|right|215px|thumb|This is why you don't get out of the car in a safari park.]]
When the Breastforce began draining electrical energy from a major American subway system, Star Saber proved too large to venture into the tunnels to investigate, and had to divide into Saber and the V-Star to proceed. Investigating the power distribution centre, Saber was confronted by Deathsaurus, and in the cramped quarters of the building, proved to be no match for the villain's nimble Breast Animals. Directing the V-Star to crash into Deathsaurus, Saber forced the Decepticon to block the craft, thereby leaving his unprotected chest open for attack and allowing Saber to impale him with his sword. Thus wounded, Deathsaurus fled, leaving Saber victorious once more. {{storylink|Big City - Underground Terror}}

[[Image:Saber robotmode.jpg|left|215px|thumb|Behold! Galva—wait, no.]]
When Leozack called in his newest Breastforce recruit [[Hellbat]], Star Saber went up against the pair several times, joining the other Autobots in battling through Hellbat's hypnotic waves, {{storylink|The New Warrior - Hellbat}} and splitting into Saber and the V-Star to take on the two at once when they stole energy from a Nevada spaceport. {{storylink|Attack the Shuttle Base!!}} Star Saber later joined with the Brainmasters in saving [[Marine City]] from the threat of a neutron bomb, giving Blacker the V-Star so he could search for the bomb while he battled Leozack as Saber. {{storylink|Tanker Hijack Operation}} Later, while Star Saber was busy leading the Autobots in an attack against Leozack and most of the Breastforce, Hellbat kidnapped Jean and [[Holi]]. Jean proved resourceful enough to escape his cell and contact Star Saber, who came to his rescue, defeating Dinoking by collapsing a mountain on him. {{storylink|Rescue Jean!!}} Not long after, Star Saber and the Multiforce thwarted a Decepticon hydroelectric power-gathering scheme. {{storylink|Mach and Tackle}}

The strange disappearance of several spaceships while passing through the asteroid belt led Star Saber to investigate, disguising himself as an ordinary spacecraft with a large exoskeleton. Venturing into the asteroid belt, Star Saber discovered that the vanishing ships were the work of the Decepticons when the villains caught him in a tractor beam. Luckily, he avoided detection long enough to summon the other Autobots to his location, and bested the Breastforce single-handed in the ensuing battle. {{storylink|A Fierce Battle!! The Asteroid}}

[[Image:Starsaber vs liokaiser.jpg|right|215px|thumb|Do I hear a banjo?]]
When the occupied God Ginrai was unable to respond to an attack by Hellbat and [[Black Shadow|two]] [[Blue Bacchus|mercenaries]] in his employ on the planet [[Micro]], Star Saber was forced to travel to the planet to investigate. With the aid of [[Greatshot]], Star Saber defeated the villains, but had pushed his strength to its limit to wrench an overloading power plant from its moorings with his bare hands and fly it into space to prevent the devastation its explosion would have caused. {{storylink|Planet Micro - The Mysterious Warrior|Planet Micro - The Mysterious Warrior}} Soon after, the Breastforce attacked the [[Planet Micro Satellite Penitentiary]] in an attempt to free their comrade [[Gaihawk]], and despite fighting hard, Star Saber was unable to prevent the Decepticons' escape. {{storylink|Rescue! Gaihawk}} With all six of their members now together, the Breastforce were able to combine into the terrifying [[Liokaiser]], who was actually able to hand Star Saber his first real defeat. Indeed, Star Saber would have died at Liokaiser's hands had God Ginrai not arrived in time to rescue him. {{storylink|Unite! Liokaiser}}

[[Image:Starsaber living metal destroying cannon.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Not a Buster!]]
Star Saber stared death in the face once again on the return trip to Earth when he was attacked by Deathsaurus and confronted by the emperor's deadly [[Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon]]. Although Deathsaurus actually pulled the trigger on what would have been a fatal blast, it was simple luck for Star Saber that Deathsaurus had already used up too much of his personal energy supply, leaving the cannon unable to fire. {{storylink|Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress}} Once back on Earth, Star Saber steeled himself for another confrontation with Liokaiser, and found himself having to soothe the fears of Jean, who was having nightmares of his father's demise. When Liokaiser struck again at the [[Schaeffer Energy]] production plant, Star Saber held his own in the fight, but a definitive outcome was not to be had, since Deathsaurus ordered a retreat when the plant's energy was successfully stolen. {{storylink|Battle Up of Wrath!!}} Another battle between Star Saber and Liokaiser soon followed, this time at the South Pole, where Star Saber was again defeated by the combiner, and would have met his end had Deathsaurus not interrupted and attempted to claim the honor for himself. This momentary distraction allowed Star Saber to turn the tables and defeat Deathsaurus while an insulted Liokaiser did nothing but watch his leader lose. {{storylink|Fight to the Death!! Antarctic Battle}}

[[Image:Victory30 victorysaber.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Stand up to the Victory!]]
When a battle with Deathsaurus in the desert left Star Saber and Blacker wounded, {{storylink|Crisis! Ambush in the Desert}} the Decepticons capitalized upon the Autobots' lack of manpower by stepping up their attacks, until Star Saber was left with no option but to enter battle despite his injuries. Confronted by Deathsaurus and Liokaiser in a subterranean cave in Asia, Star Saber was once again saved from the brink of death by God Ginrai, who took the shot meant for his friend. {{storylink|A Deadly Battle}} Fatally wounded with no hope of repair, Ginrai insisted that Star Saber allow him to be deactivated and rebuilt using a power-up design the commander had created. Star Saber was revolted at the notion of using his friend's body in such a way, but Ginrai would not relent, {{storylink|Ginrai Dies!!}} and was reconstructed by [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Minerva]] as [[Victory Leo]]. {{storylink|Fight!! Victory Leo}} Star Saber then had the scientists implant a combination circuit in his head, which would allow him to merge with Victory Leo. {{storylink|Awaken! Victory Leo}} The duo successfully accomplished this combination for the first time when Deathsaurus was bombarding the Earth with missiles from space; together, they became Victory Saber, outraced Deathsaurus's missiles, destroyed his launcher and defeated him in battle. {{storylink|The Tide is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification}}

[[Image:Victory31 dinoforcespared.jpg|left|215px|thumb|Remember kids, don't walk away from your problems.]]
Star Saber was in space seeing Perceptor off when the Dinoforce attacked Jean's school, leaving the boy to defend his friends as best he could in his mech, the [[Illumina II]], before Star Saber was able to come to his aid. After defeating Dinoking, however, Star Saber was surprised to have the battered Dinoforce troops clutch at his legs and throw themselves in his path in an attempt to save their leader, [[Gōryū]]. Touched by this genuine display of camaraderie, Star Saber sheathed his sword and told Gōryū to be sure to heal properly for their next battle. {{storylink|Jean - Defend the Campus!!}}

While Star Saber was attending a Galactic Peace Alliance conference, Leozack attempted to exploit the Autobots' trust of their leader by donning an exoskeleton in his likeness and posing as him in order to obtain information on his combination with Victory Leo. As it happened, only Victory Leo smelled a rat, and in time, the real Star Saber returned to combine with his partner and expose the phoney to the other Autobots. {{storylink|A Mystery?! The Deception of the Base Bombs}} Later, Jean used the Illumina II to help save Star Saber from the Decepticons' latest threat, the metal-eating [[Dorya]] insects. {{storylink|The Death-Bringing Space Insects!!}}

[[Image:Victory37 finalblow.jpg|right|215px|thumb|"Swords! My only weakness...for now."]]
A month later, after no further Decepticon attacks, Star Saber and the Autobots were suddenly forced to go into action when the Decepticons raised [[Atlantis]] off the coast of [[Portugal]]. Disasters caused by the tidal waves the raising of the continent had created kept the Autobots occupied with relief efforts, allowing the Decepticons to steal enough of Atlantis's energy to finally re-power Deathsaurus's fortress. {{storylink|The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves}} Greatshot and the Brainmasters headed out to serve as the first line of defence against the fortress, while Star Saber and Victory Leo found themselves delayed by the Dinoforce, who had—unbeknownst even to themselves—been abandoned on Earth by Deathsaurus. As Victory Saber and Dinoking battled, the fortress began bombarding the Earth with meteor bombs, one of which struck Dinoking and ended the battle. Victory Saber proceeded to head into space to confront the fortress, but was blasted by its weapons and crashed on its surface, unconscious. {{storylink|The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress!}}

[[Image:Victory37 saberfireguts.jpg|left|215px|thumb|Oh crap, Hate Plague!]]
Victory Saber did not regain consciousness until the fortress was nearly upon the Earth, and immediately renewed his attack on the massive weapon, leading Deathsaurus to dispatch Liokaiser to keep Victory Saber busy. Just as the two combatants engaged each other, Jean arrived on the scene in the Illumina II, having been giving information on the fortress's weak spot by Goryū, who had realized that Deathsaurus had abandoned him and his troops. Star Saber separated from Victory Leo, leaving his partner to deal with Liokaiser while he covered his son's entrance into the fortress. Within the fortress, Star Saber faced off against Deathsaurus for their final brutal battle, eventually besting his eternal foe just as Jean succeeded in destroying the fortress's weapon power core. Deathsaurus refused to accept defeat, and sealed Star Saber in the fortress, setting it on collision course with Earth, but with help from Victory Leo, Star Saber escaped. The pair then merged into Victory Saber and, burning with flaming energy, tore the fortress apart from within, causing it to explode in a cosmic firestorm before it collided with Earth. Although the pair initially seemed as through they were destroyed in the conflagration, both Star Saber and Victory Leo emerged from its ashes, just as victorious as their name. {{storylink|Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification}}

{{-}}

====''Kiss Players''====
At the instruction of the [[Sparkbot]]s, [[Shaoshao Li]] travelled forward in time from 2007 to witness Star Saber's final attack against Deathsaurus's fortress in 2025. She kissed the Autobot leader to obtain a fragment of what she believed was the [[AllSpark]] within him (but which was, in actuality, a splinter of Unicron's fractured [[Angolmois|lifeforce]]). {{storylink|Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #44}}

====''Zone'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Hideyuki Tanaka]] (Japan)

[[Image:Victorysaber feminia destruction.jpg|right|215px|thumb|Alright, who ordered the barbecued Victory Saber extra fresh?]]
Some time after the defeat of Deathsaurus, the supernatural entity known as [[Violen Jiger]] took control of the Decepticon forces and amassed an army of [[Nine Great Demon Generals]] from Decepticon history. When these generals attacked the planet [[Feminia]], Star Saber and Victory Leo merged into Victory Saber and headed for the planet with [[Galaxy Shuttle]] and the [[Rescue Patrol Team]] to do what they could for the inhabitants. Victory Saber saved a native boy named [[Cain]] from falling into a pit of lava as the ground beneath his feet collapsed, and got him to the Galaxy Shuttle in time to evacuate, but he was unable to get to safety himself, and was caught in the planet's explosion and feared dead by his troops.

Two-and-a-half months later, Victory Saber's body was discovered floating in space, badly damaged but alive, by the Autobot [[Powered Master]]s [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and [[Sonic Bomber]]. They brought him to planet [[Micro|Zone]] for medical treatment, before heading on to Earth to defeat the Demon Generals that were in the process of attacking the planet. Impressed by Dai Atlas's skill in battle, Star Saber held a ceremony to appoint Dai Atlas the new Supreme Commander of the Autobots. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}
{{-}}

====''Robot Masters''====
Some time after Dai Atlas's eventual defeat of Violen Jiger, Star Saber and Victory Leo set about tracking down the Decepticon criminal, [[Gigant Bomb]]. In the course of the pursuit, all three warriors travelled through the mysterious dimensional fissure known as the [[Blasty Zone]] and were cast through space and time, to arrive on Earth in 2004. Star Saber and Victory Leo aligned themselves with [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and various other Autobots from throughout space and time to prevent the Decepticons from acquiring the power of [[Solitarium]], and eventually returned to their home time when the task was done.

{{note| ''Robot Masters'' is explicitly placed in the Japanese cartoon continuity, after ''Zone'', by [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|Takara's 2007 Transformers timeline]]. However, none of the three pieces of actual ''Robot Masters'' fiction tells the story of the line in its entirety, and each of them relate certain events in notably different ways. Precisely ''which'' of the three—covered individually below—should be considered the [[canon]] one for the cartoon timeline is unknown.}}

=====Pack-in comic=====
[[Image:Starsaber robotmasters minicomic.jpg|left|220px|thumb|"Hey Primal, does Prime's chest look pointier than usual to you?"]]
A Solitarium-empowered Gigant Bomb, now partnered with the Decepticon [[Smokesniper]], had Optimus Prime, [[Optimus Primal]], [[Bound Rogue]] and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] on the ropes, until Star Saber and Victory Leo suddenly appeared on the battlefield and vowed to rip their bodies apart. The pair merged into Victory Saber and destroyed their Solitarium with a single strike, causing the two Decepticons to immediately flee the scene. Star Saber then properly introduced himself to Prime and Primal, declaring it an honor to meet them, and that together, they would surely defeat [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. {{storylink|The Victory Warriors Enter!!}}
{{-}}
=====Online comic=====
[[Image:Victorysaber robotmasters online comic.jpg|right|180px|thumb|]]
Star Saber battled Smokesniper one-on-one and defeated his opponent, only to be attacked from behind and disarmed by Gigant Bomb. Gigant Bomber and Smokesniper combined into Gigant Sniper and opened fire on Star Saber, {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|Go! Star Saber}} but Victory Leo soon came to his aid, and the pair fused into Victory Saber for round two of the duel. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|Robot Masters online comic #6}}

[[Image:Starsaber vs lioconvoy rm.jpg|left|180px|thumb|"Let us fight kung fu-style! Ho! Ha! Ho!"]]
When [[Lio Convoy]] arrived through the Blasty Zone, Megatron directed him to attack Star Saber and Victory Leo, who once again combined to fight back. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters}} Luckily, Optimus Prime arrived to break up the fight and make the combatants realize they belonged to the same side, and together, Star Saber, Victory Leo, Prime, Primal and Lio Convoy sent the Decepticons packing. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|Gathering, 4 Great Supreme Commanders}}

When an injured robot named "[[Reverse Convoy]]" appeared on Earth, Star Saber and the Autobots brought him to their base for medical aid. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|Strategic Meeting: The Mysterious New Warrior}} Their trusting natures proved to be their downfall, however, when this so-called Convoy turned out to be the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in a new guise. He captured Prime, Primal and Mirage, and shot down Star Saber when he attempted to rescue them, but was bested by the sudden entrance of Lio Convoy. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|Revive, Dark Emperor of Destruction}}

Victory Saber later joined Prime, Primal and Lio Convoy in battling both Megatrons, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]. Unsurprisingly, they claimed victory once again. {{storylink|Robot Masters (online comic)|And}}
{{-}}
=====Cartoon=====
[[Image:Victorysaber robotmasters cartoon.jpg|right|180px|thumb|]]
While investigating a mysterious explosion, Star Saber came under attack from Starscream, who scored two missile hits on the future-born Autobot. Unable to hit Starscream with his own guns, Star Saber summoned Victory Leo, and the pair combined into Victory Saber to take the fight up close and personal. It took the arrival of Optimus Prime for the Decepticon Air Commander to be defeated, but at that point, Megatron, Gigant Bomb and Smokesniper arrived. Victory Saber kept Gigant Bomb and Smokesniper busy while Prime defeated Megatron with aid from the newly-arrived Optimus Primal. After Megatron was defeated, the three commanders agreed to continue the fight against the new Decepticons/Predacons and protect Earth's Solitarium. {{storylink|Fight! The Group of the Strongest Commanders!}}

Later, when the Decepticons attacked [[New York City]], Star Saber was a bit late to the game, arriving merged with Victory Leo to attack Gigant Bomb and Smokesniper. The pair promptly disengaged, only to be shot by new arrival Reverse Convoy, who revealed that he was, in fact, the original Megatron in disguise. Prime and Primal were able to defeat the two Megatrons with the aid of newcomer Lio Convoy, after which Star Saber and Victory Leo linked up in jet mode to carry Prime to the next battle. {{storylink|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters (episode)|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters}}
{{-}}

===Comic continuity===
====''Victory'' comic====
[[Image:MangaYoungDeathyStarSaber.jpg|left|220px|thumb|]]
Star Saber and Deathsaurus's rivalry began when they were children 500,000 years ago, and argued all the time. {{storylink|The Star of Friendship, Jean and Star Saber!}} That rivalry came to a true head in 2025, when Deathsaurus began attacking the Earth in pursuit of the energy required to keep his gigantic "Space Stronghold" powered up. {{storylink|Heroic! The Victory War}} In response to Deathsaurus's first attack, Star Saber led the Multiforce to Earth, and made short work of Deathsaurus by cleaving his shoulder with his Saber Blade. As the Decepticon emperor retreated, Star Saber made a vow to protect the beauty of Earth's nature for all mankind. {{storylink|Magnificent! Our Friend, Star Saber!}}

[[Image:Super saber meteor spin.jpg|right|180px|thumb|]]
Earth's nature proved to be the very next thing that Deathsaurus attacked, when he started a forest fire and defeated Landcross. Star Saber and Road Caesar came to their friend's aid, but were unprepared for the new strength Deathsaurus had drawn from the energy of the fire. Luckily, Deathsaurus was distracted when his own cyborg-human son, [[Solon Kitakaze (Victory)|Solon]], arrived with Jean in a deadly hold, and Star Saber exploited the opening to flatten Deathsaurus with a "Super Saber Meteor Spin". {{storylink|Great Turn-Around! Star Saber}}

After Jean alerted him to an attack on an Earth city by the Decepticon Leozack, Star Saber came speeding to the rescue, only to be knocked from the sky by the villain's electromagnetic nunchaku. Unfortunately for Leozack, he had forgotten to bring his Breast Animal into battle with him that day, allowing Star Saber to puncture his unprotected torso with his sword and send him fleeing. {{storylink|Leozack Rumbles Violently!}} The rest of the Breastforce didn't do much better in a later battle against Star Saber, and neither did inept Dinoforcer [[Kakuryū]], who was hurled over a cliff by a "Saber Vacuum Tornado Pacifier" from the Autobot commander. As he dangled on the cliff's edge, however, Kakuryū was shocked when Star Saber pulled him to safety, displaying once more the compassion and love of life that made him worthy of the role of Supreme Commander. {{storylink|Warrior of Love, Star Saber!}}

[[Image:Starsaber and jean manga.jpg|left|180px|thumb|]]
When Deathsaurus kidnapped Jean and took him to the Decepticons' ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'' out in space, an enraged Star Saber gave chase and came tearing through the ship's hull. Deathsaurus didn't take Jean's rejection well, but couldn't stand up to Star Saber's shattering "Planetary Impulse Sword Death-Strike" attack. {{storylink|Watch Out, Jean! Hurry, Star Saber!}} Although the reunion between Star Saber and Jean was a happy one, tempers soon flared between the two of them when they pursued the Decepticon to [[Energy Planet X]], only to lose their trail and start blaming each other. When they were attacked by the lurking Liokaiser, Star Saber disengaged from the V-Star, and allowed Jean to take control of it, transforming it into battle station mode and opening fire on Liokaiser. Saber delivered the final blow that drove the villains into retreat, and the two heroes apologized to each other, realizing that if they couldn't work together, they'd wind up like the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Star of Friendship, Jean and Star Saber!}}

[[Image:Victorysaber manga.jpg|right|180px|thumb|]]
Attacked by Deathsaurus, Dinoking and Liokaiser all at once, Star Saber was defeated and would have met his end if not for the sudden appearance of the new, feral Autobot, Victory Leo. Star Saber found he could combine with the newcomer, and together, they became Victory Saber and defeated the Decepticons with their "Flash Victory" attack. {{storylink|The Strongest Partners, the Combination of Victory!}} Deathsaurus tried to create a counter-force for this powerful new combination, creating a mech for Solon with which he could combine to become "King Zaras", but when Solon lost focus during a battle on the planet [[Guard]], Victory Saber destroyed his mech with a "Victory Boomberang" attack. {{storylink|Mighty! Victory Saber}} Later, with the power of the Autobot boy-team, the [[Victories]], increasing their own energy, Victory Saber and Road Caesar combined their powers into the "Victory Caliber" attack, which grievously wounded Deathsaurus and Liokaiser in one shot. {{storylink|Shine! The Five Stars of Victory}}

[[Image:Starsaber deathsaurus truce.jpg|left|180px|thumb|]]
After this definitive battle, Deathsaurus withdrew his forces to the Space Stronghold and began bombarding Earth with meteorites. Star Saber engaged Deathsaurus in a battle in space while the rest of his troops entered the massive fortress, but the treacherous Leozack had been planning for this moment, and turned the power of the fortress's main cannon on Deathsaurus himself. Deathsaurus survived the blast and crippled the fortress with his own weapons, allowing Star Saber to come crashing through the control room window and unleash his Planetary Impulse Sword on Leozack. Leozack begged Star Saber not to destroy the fortress, at which point the injured Deathsaurus chose to reveal the true reason for his energy-gathering attacks on Earth to the Autobots: the fortress was, in fact, home to the Decepticon civilians, and they required the energy to keep the fortress functional for them to live in. Star Saber realized that it was time to set aside their warring ways and follow the example set by Jean and Solon. With a handshake between the two leaders, the war came to an end, bring peace to everyone—the truest victory of all! {{storylink|Heroic! The Victory War}}
{{-}}

====''Zone'' comic and story pages====
[[Image:Starsaber vs trypticon zone.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
Some time after the end of the Victory war, a new energy source known as [[Energon Z]] was developed on planet Micro. Knowing that the Decepticons—who had since fallen under the command of the supernatural being Violen Jiger—would want the energy for their own nefarious purposes, Star Saber ordered the fortification of Micro into a defense base that could properly protect its precious new innovation. Employing a process developed by the [[Super Car Patrol Team]], the Autobot space pioneers known as the Powered Masters rebuilt Micro as the planet "Zone". {{storylink|Zone (story page)|Zone story page #1}}

[[Image:Starsaber and daiatlas manga.jpg|left|180px|thumb|]]
As the "Nine Great Demon Generals" that Violen Jiger had assembled began attacking planets throughout the galaxy, Star Saber issued commands from his base on Planet V, directing the [[Micromaster]]s of Zone to respond to the threats. {{storylink|Zone (story page)|Zone story page #2}} When [[King Poseidon]] and [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] attacked the planet [[Wall]], however, he and Victory Leo were forced to take action as Victory Saber, only to be ambushed b the two Decepticons, who tried to drag them beneath the watery surface of the planet. Luckily for them, a combined attack from [[Missile Bull]], [[Erector]], [[Overload (G1)|Overload]] and [[Skywave]] saw the villains off. {{storylink|Zone (story page)|Zone story page #3}}

When the Demon Generals destroyed the planet Feminia, Star Saber was caught in the planet's eruption and feared dead by his troops. A month later, however, he was found floating in space by Powered Masters Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber, who brought him back to Zone for medical attention. After Dai Atlas's successful defeat of the Demon Generals on Earth, Star Saber decided to pass the mantle of Supreme Commander on to the Powered Master. {{storylink|Zone (manga)|Zone}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers PD Type'' comic===
[[Image:PDType-Star Saber tuna.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
While facing Liokaiser, Star Saber combined with Victory Leo to form Victory Saber! Victory Saber attempted to give a speech, only to be constantly interrupted by an odd growling noise, and he finally had to tell Victory Leo's lion head to keep the noise down. {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##2 "He's Here! Victory Saber!!"|He's Here! Victory Saber!!}} Star Saber prepared to finish Deathsaurus off once and for all, only for the Decepticon leader to bring out Liokaiser. Star Saber attempted unsuccessfully to distract Liokaiser with some tuna, before resorting to hiding and trying to contact Victory Leo. {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##5 "Don't Lose! Star Saber!!"|Don't Lose! Star Saber!!}}

Star Saber nominated [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] as his secondary defense while he battled Deathsaurus. The fight raged on for ages, but Star Saber finally triumphed, and Deathsaurus fell to the ground where he was nommed on by Grimlock. {{storylink|Transformer PD Type##8 "Me Strongest! Me Grimlock!"|Me Strongest! Me Grimlock!}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Victory===
[[Image:G1 Saber toy.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Tall.]]
*'''Star Saber''' (Large Brainmaster, 1989)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-324'''
**''Accessories'': "Brain of Courage" Brainmaster figure, "V-Star" ship/body, nosecone/shield/sword hilt, "Saber Blade", "Saber Laser"

:Star Saber transforms into a large red, blue and white Cybertronic spacecraft with numerous features and modes.

:The forward section of the spacecraft, "Saber", can detach from the larger spacecraft body (known by itself as the V-Star) to form a smaller red fighter jet, the cockpit of which houses the small Brainmaster figure, the "Brain of Courage". When Saber transforms into robot mode, the Brain of Courage is placed within his chest; when the chest is closed, the figure rises up to become Saber's face. The jet nosecone mounts on Saber's shoulder as a shield, and he can wield the "Saber Laser" rifle.

[[Image:G1 StarSaber toy.jpg|left|225px|thumb|Grande.]]
:In grand Autobot leader tradition, the V-Star ship transforms into a battle station which Saber can man, and then into a larger body with which Saber can combine, forming "Star Saber". Saber slots into the empty chest area of the V-Star body, with his normal robot head forming Star Saber's ordinary, unmasked head, which is the appearance he commonly employs in fiction when he is not in battle. His battle helmet, featuring an Optimus-Prime-style mouthplate, is connected to the V-Star, and can swing up to fit over Saber's head.

:In Star Saber mode, Saber's nosecone/shield becomes a sword hilt. The die-cast metal "Saber Blade" of the sword stores in a slot in Star Saber's back, and is drawn by inserting the hilt into the slot and withdrawing it, an action which brings the blade with it, and which is regularly used to dramatic effect in the ''Victory'' animated series. He can also wield the Saber Laser.

:Star Saber can further combine with Victory Leo to form Victory Saber in both vehicle and super robot modes. (see below).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Cybertron/StarSaber/starsaber.htm More information on Star Saber at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

[[Image:G1 VictorySaber toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Venti.]]
*'''Victory Saber''' (Multi-pack, 1989)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-328'''
**''Accessories'': "Brain of Courage" Brainmaster figure, "V-Star" ship/body, nosecone/shield/sword hilt, "Saber Blade", "Saber Laser", "V-Lock Cannon", two "V-Lock Rifles", three missiles

: The Victory Saber gift set is a two-pack of Star Saber and Victory Leo. In Victory Saber vehicle mode, Victory Leo "transforms" into a large yellow block with wings, and connects into the rear between Star Saber's engines/legs, forming a huge-ass space ship.

:For Victory Saber robot mode, Victory Leo splits up into multiple parts, with most of Leo's body becoming "platform shoes" for Star Saber and the rest of him forming a giant backpack/weapons system from hell. As Victory Saber, the Star Saber robot is armed with his sword and Victory Leo's giant missile-firing "V-Lock Cannon".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Cybertron/VictorySaber/victorysaber.htm More information on Victory Saber at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
===Transform Jr===
[[Image:Starsaber junior.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Short. (You have to ask for it at the counter.)]]
*'''Star Saber''' (1989)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-324'''
**''Accessories:'' "Saber Laser", red wings, blue tailfins, cardboard nosecone

:''[[Transform Jr]]'' Star Saber is an immensely simplified version of the larger figure—and that's no exaggeration. His Brainmaster gimmick and the V-Star's base mode are eliminated, and there is virtually no element of actual transformation left in the figure. Saber's jet-mode wings are a separate piece that is removed, as are the V-Star's tailfins, and to combine the pair, rather than fold up Saber's legs, you simply pull them off and plug them into his chest. None of that, however, compares to the fact that Saber's jet nosecone is now a piece of folded-up cardboard, lacking its other functions as a shield or sword hilt.

*'''Star Saber DX Set''' (1989)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-324'''
**''Accessories:'' "Saber Laser", red wings, blue tailfins, cardboard nosecone, roleplay "camcorder", 20 silver pellets, cardboard target

:This "Deluxe set" includes the ''Transform Jr'' Star Saber figure and a roleplay camcorder toy, which shoots silver pellets. The set (shown in-box in the top-right of the image above) comes with a stand-up cardboard target decorated with Star Saber's [[package art]], so you can practise your accuracy.
{{-}}
[[Image:Starsaberdiskpistol.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Free trade.]]
*'''Star Saber Enban Pistol''' (1989)
**''Accessories:'' 12 bullet disks
{{-}}

===Robot Masters===
[[Image:RobotMasters StarSaber toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Travel size!]]
*'''Star Saber''' (2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-15'''
**''Accessories'': "Saber Blade", "Thermal Shot" rifle, nosecone/shield/sword hilt

:A smaller, simplified version of the Star Saber toy, the ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' version of the figure eliminates the base mode and Saber's Brainmaster component. Aside from this, however, he is virtually identical to the original Star Saber figure in transformation and weaponry, including his ability to combine with the ''Robot Masters'' version of Victory Leo to form Victory Saber, and as a small compensation for losing two of his gimmicks, the figure has also been redesigned with more show-accurate proportions & is generally nicer to look at.

::*[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/StarSaber/starsaber.htm ''More information on ''Robot Masters'' Star Saber at TFU.info'']
{{-}}


[[Image:RobotMasters VictorySaber toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Economy size!]]
*'''Victory Saber''' (2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-17'''
**''Accessories'': "Saber Blade", "Thermal Shot" rifle, nosecone/shield/sword hilt, "V-Lock Cannon", two "V-Lock Rifles", "Super Motorized Rifle"

:Star Saber was also available in a two-pack with the ''Robot Masters'' version of Victory Leo, with whom he could still combine to form Victory Saber in both jet and robot modes. The two figures in this pack are differentiated from their standard release by the additional of a metallic paint job.

::*[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/VictorySaberRM17/victorysaber.htm ''More information on ''Robot Masters'' Victory Saber at TFU.info'']
{{-}}

[[Image:Ehobby black rm starsaber.jpg|right|200px|thumb|And, sticking to the coffee analogy, some people just take it black.]]
*'''Victory Saber''' (eHobby exclusive, 2005)
**''Accessories'': "Saber Blade", "Thermal Shot" rifle, nosecone/shield/sword hilt, "V-Lock Cannon", two "V-Lock Rifles", "Super Motorized Rifle"

:An "evil recolor" of the Victory Saber two-pack complete with Decepticon symbols, this black, purple, teal and bronze redeco represents the two heroes in "optical camouflage" paint jobs for use on an undercover mission to investigate Decepticon dealings in the Middle East black market. It was available only through Takara's [[e-Hobby]] online store.

::*[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Destron/VictorySaber/victorysaber.htm ''More information on black ''Robot Masters'' Star Saber at TFU.info'']
{{-}}

==Merchandise==

===Transformers Gum===

[[Image:Tfgum starsaber.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]

*'''Star Saber''' (1989)
**''Accessories:'' V-Star ship/body, Saber Blade, Saber Laser

:Part of the eleventh wave of [[Kabaya]]'s ''[[Transformers Gum]]'' series of [[candy toy]]s, this Star Saber figure is a snap-together model kit cast in blue, red and white plastic. Although lacking in any paint applications, the figure feature stickers for detail, and retains most of the accessories and features of the actual Star Saber toy, including the V-Star's base mode and the deploying faceplate for Star Saber mode. He does not, however, feature the Brainmaster gimmick for the smaller Saber robot, and while it ''is'' capable of combining with the Victory Leo kit that was later released in the line's thirteenth wave, it could only do so in jet mode, not robot mode. The kit comes with a stick of something claimed to be gum.
{{-}}
[[Image:Tfgum_victorysaber.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]

*'''Victory Saber''' (1989)
**''Accessories:'' V-Lock Cannon

:A double-pack of Star Saber and Victory Leo was released in the thirteenth and final wave of the ''Transformers Gum'' series, cast in red, white and black plastic. Much simplified from the larger toys, the pair can combine to form Victory Leo in both vehicle and robot modes. Star Saber alone can transform into both robot and vehicle forms, while Victory Leo features only his lion mode.
{{-}}

===Parody Deformed===
*'''Victory Saber''' (1990)

[[Image:Starsaber pd models.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Chibi (''obviously!)]]
:A small white and red, non-transforming [[super deformed]] model kit of Victory Saber was available as part of Kabaya's "[[Parody Deformed]]" line of candy toys. The second figure in the series, he came with a "[[Transformer PD Type]]" comic about himself, "He's Here! Victory Saber!!", and more of that alleged "gum".

*'''Star Saber''' (1990)

:A Parody Deformed version of Star Saber alone was later made available in the next wave of the line. As the fifth figure of the series, he came with the "Transformer PD Type" comic "Don't Lose! Star Saber!!" and something accused of being chocolate.
{{-}}

===Super Collection Figure===
*'''Star Saber''' (2002)

[[Image:Starsaber scfs.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A three-for-one deal]]
:A [[Plastic|PVC]] of Star Saber was released in the seventh ''Victory''-centric wave of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s "[[Super Collection Figure]]" line. Like all figures in the wave, he was available in both full color and metallic silver "pewter" versions.
:Additionally, the figure could be "transformed" into Victory Saber by attaching a collection of six additional parts, one of each of which were included with the pewter versions of the six figures in the line in the tradition of "Build-A-Figures" from waves past. The pewter Star Saber himself came packaged with Victory Saber's V-Lock Rifles; his backpack came with Road Caesar, his wings came with Deathsaurus, his rifle came with Perceptor, his left boot came with Liokaiser and his right boot came with Wheeljack. Like the figures themselves, the parts came in both standard full-color (at a rate of 8 out of 10 cases) and rare pewter (only 2 out of every 10 cases) variations, making two versions of Victory Saber to complete.

*'''Victory Saber''' (2002)

:The seventh wave of the ''Super Collection Figure'' line also included a complete Victory Saber figure, entirely in metallic golden in color, which was only available as a rare "chase" figure at a rate of 1 in 10 ten cases.

===Mega Super Collection Figure===
[[Image:G1 MegaSCF StarSaber.jpg|right|150px|thumb|pequeño]]
*'''Star Saber''' (2002)
**''Accessories'': "Saber Blade", 2 left hands, 2 right hands, 2 heads

:''Mega Super Collection Figure'' Star Saber is a five inch tall posable PVC action figure. He comes replete with a collection of additional body parts, including two "open" hands and two "closed" hands, the later being used to grip onto his Saber Blade sword. He also includes two heads: his unmasked "Saber" head, and his masked "Star Saber" visage. Although he cannot transform, Star Saber can combine with the simultaneously-released Victory Leo ''Mega SCF'' figure to form Victory Saber.
{{-}}
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robot Heroes Victory Saber Dessaras.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Mini.]]
*'''Victory Saber''' / '''Dessaras''' (unreleased)

A surprise entry in the ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' series, this [[super deformed]] figurine depicts Star Saber combined with Victory Leo as Victory Saber, packaged with an equally adorable Deathsaurus, sporting another new name variant. Originally discovered amongst [[Wal-Mart]] store computer listings in mid-2008, the ill-fated Victory Saber and Deathy failed to materialize before the ''Robot Heroes'' line was canceled.
{{canceledtoy}}

==Notes==
* The longterm relationship between Star Saber and Deathsaurus since childhood is [[Optimus Prime (RID)|not the]] [[Megatron (RID)|only one]] in the [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'' brand]].

* Star Saber's Brainmaster figure has for years been (and continues to be) incorrectly referred to by fans with the names "Yuki" and "Yukio", mistakenly derived from the Japanese word meaning "courage" (勇気 ''yūki''). In truth, like all Brainmaster units, it does not have a proper name, but is known simply by the title used in this article, the "Brain of Courage".

*Star Saber's alt mode, a red and blue fighter jet that combines with a white add-on, is similar to and possibly based on ''Mobile Suit Gundam'''s Core Booster.

*During Star Saber's transformation [[stock footage]], there is a moment where he has a face before he performs his "Brain Set".

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Japanese-original characters]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Robot Masters Autobots]]
[[Category:Victory Autobots]]
[[Category:Zone Autobots]]

Unicron Perishes

2011-01-15T21:08:48Z

Might Gaine: Brave Saga is a video game. Brave Series is the toy/TV series.

{{episode|
|series=Energon
|series2=Transformers: Super Link
|ep=38
|ep2=39
|prev=Optimus Supreme
|next=Ambition
|title="Unicron Perishes"
|japanese=ユニクロン消滅
|romaji=Unicron Shōmetsu
|translation=Unicron Extinguished
|image=E38_titlecard.jpg
|caption=See, we're not going to ''kill'' him, just destroy him a bit.
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Shōji Tonoike]]
|director=[[Mitsuru Kawasaki]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.|Actas]], [[Studio A-CAT]] (3D)
|airdate=[[October 1|1 October]] [[2004]] (Japanese) [[November 17]], 2004 (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}

'''Giant-sized Unicron faces off with giant-sized Optimus Supreme. The crowd goes wild.'''

==Synopsis==
A recap covers recent events, including the arrival of [[Primus]]'s power, the [[spontaneous recoloration|recoloring]] of the [[Autobot]]s, and [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus]] [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Supreme]]'s rescaling to planetary size.

A vast disk of [[energon (Energon)|energon]] light erupts behind Optimus. It's energon, as [[Misha Miramond|Misha]] explains, which will help protect Optimus and the Autobots. It also allows the two giants to walk around space as if it were a flat planet. The powered-up Autobots attack to back up Prime.

[[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] is about to blast the Autobots, but [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] stops him, pointing out the uneven odds. Starscream tells Scorponok that [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] no longer needs them, as his dreams of uniting with [[Unicron]] have come to fruition. Within, Megatron remains infected by Unicron; his [[Decepticon]] followers are bound up somewhere within him.

[[Image:Energon-Optimus-Supreme-Faces-Unicron.jpg|230px|thumb|left|I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light. He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon and he's gotta be larger than life.]]

Optimus Supreme and Unicron continue slugging it out. Unicron blasts him with his chest energies, causing him to fall. Within, the real Megatron gloats; his Unicron face tells Unicron not to interfere. During the course of the battle, the imprisoned Decepticons are freed.

The Autobots continue attacking; Prime revives and channels new energies through himself.

On the ''[[Miranda II]]'', [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]], [[Inferno (Energon)|Roadblock]], and [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] have left sick bay, determined to help. Rodimus reminds [[Kicker Jones|Kicker]] that he himself wanted to revive Unicron not long ago. [[Signal Flare (Energon)|Signal Flare]] comes looking for his missing patients, who ask for [[energon star]]s to heal themselves.

A stray shot from Unicron burns three planets, reminding Kicker of their promise to defend the surviving planets. They prepare to use the [[energon grid]]; the [[Earth]] [[Cybertron City (city)|cities]] launch their [[energon tower (building)|energon tower]]s into space. Unicron briefly overpowers Optimus; tentacles are involved.

[[Image:Energon-Autobot-Redecos.jpg|230px|thumb|right|Attack of the redecos.]]

Unable to overcome Optimus Supreme, Unicron begins randomly targeting planets instead. Optimus engages Unicron at close range; they begin firing at point-blank range. The energon towers arrive and begin powering up; Optimus urges Kicker to defend the planets, insisting he can finish Unicron himself. As the grid builds toward its full power, Optimus insists that he must stay, to make sure Unicron doesn't escape.

Optimus gives a final speech to his team, and reaches his maximum power. He fires on Unicron. Lots of energy flies around. Optimus Supreme unleashes a final blast, blowing Unicron to smithereens.

The surviving Decepticons despair. The gigantic Optimus Supreme seems to vaporize, and Kicker hurries to track his coordinates.

And somewhere, [[Alpha Quintesson|Alpha Q]] rejoices that his planets were defended... but despairs that the sun is gone.

And somewhere else, Megatron has survived... as has the mind of Unicron within him.

And somewhere else again, green energy balls coalesce into a sphere.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (1)
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (2)
* [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (3)
* [[Cliffjumper (Energon)|Cliffjumper]] (4)
* [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (5)
* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] (6) (as Optimus Supreme)
* [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] (7) (as Optimus Supreme)
* [[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]] (12)
* [[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]] (13)
* [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] (16)
* [[Roadblock (Energon)|Roadblock]] (17)
* [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (18)
* [[Signal Flare (Energon)|Signal Flare]] (23)
* [[Strongarm (Energon)|Strongarm]] (24)
* [[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] (25)
|c2=
* [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] (14)
* [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] (15)
* [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] (19)
* [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] (20)
* [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] (21)
* [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (22)
|c3=
* [[Kicker Jones]] (9)
* [[Misha Miramond]] (10)
|c4=
* [[Unicron]] (8)
* [[Primus]] (11) (voice only)
* [[Alpha Quintesson|Alpha Q]] (26) (voice only)

}}

==Quotes==

"Unngh!... Am I alive? Oh. Yes... I survived. I made it." 
"And so did I. Hahahahahaha..."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Unicron'''.

==Notes==
===Lost in translation===
Shockingly little, perhaps due to the heavily visual nature of this episode not requiring a lot of explanation for what is going on.

*In ''Super Link'', Misha explains the spreading disk as "Primus's light". In the dub, she just says "it looks like energon" with no indication as to where it came from.

* The dub omits Starscream explaining to Scorponok that Megatron has been taken over by Unicron.

* A second shot of the first 3 planets disintegrating is missing from the dub, which instead features a random flash of yellow light.

*As the Energon Towers are being moved and Omnicons scurry to and fro, Strongarm calls for everyone's help. In ''Super Link'', he was actually telling them to head to another city.

*When Unicron destroys his second round of planets, in ''Super Link'', the characters simply cry about how Alpha Q raised them. In ''Energon'', Misha speculates that he's targeting them because he has figured out they're trying to protect them.

*In ''Super Link'', when Optimus seizes Unicron and gets blasted point-blank, Hot Shot cries out “What are you doing!” and Jetfire joins him by pointing out to Optimus that he's not likely to survive the manoeuvre. In ''Energon'', this gets warped into Hot Shot asking not what he's ''doing'', but “What's happening?”, leading to Jetfire actually answering the question with the complete nonsense-response that the two combatants have become fused together.

*The atypical “my heart is strong” foofiness of ''Super Link'' is toned down for ''Energon'', in which Prime merely talks about how protecting peace has been his life's mission, which he can only accomplish with the help of his troops. Compare this with ''Super Link'', where he claims he will use the power of his “strong heart” to destroy Unicron, and that it is not just his power, but the power of all he feels for, and the power of all who feel for him, and blah blah BLARGH...

* In ''Super Link'', as Optimus's Final Speech concludes, Kicker continues yelling at him to get out of there, escape, get away, etc. The dub changes this to a peppy "You can do it! Go Optimus Prime! Rah rah rah!" in clear defiance of the animation, which shows an angry/shocked Kicker. Jetfire and Prime himself get similar changes.

*Almost unbelievably, the ''Energon'' dub actually ''retains'' the use of the ''Super Link'' opening and closing theme tunes as background music for the first and final stages of Prime and Unicron's fight respectively, albeit in an instrumental form, sans lyrics.

===Pain count===
* "Uh?": 4
* Stock footage: 1
* "It's time to": 1
* We're a team: 1

===Animation and technical errors===
* Up to this point, ''Energon'' has tried to animate Unicron as though he were truly a planet-sized being. It goes out the window with this episode, however; Optimus and Unicron throw down as if they were normal-sized guys... on top of a... cloud... that they can... walk on. Uhm.
* Since Unicron took over Megatron's body, the cartoon has used a patchwork of green patterns on Megatron's face and body to represent his Unicron-controlled self. They seem to be a bit mixed up in this episode, however, as (in both dub and original) the Unicron-face tells Unicron to stay out of the way.

===Continuity errors===
* The exact nature of the giant cloudy surface that Unicron and Optimus are standing on is never made clear, but its existence sure is convenient for the animators.

===Trivia===
* A large part of this episode involves energy flying around in space doing things for no clear reason. Chalk it up to ''the amazing power of energon!!''

* The pose Optimus strikes as Unicron explodes is reminiscent of the poses that most of the main characters throughout the [[Brave (franchise)|Brave Series]] struck after their final attack as their enemies exploded.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Transformer: Super Link'' — Volume 010 ([[Interchannel]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]])

[[Category:Energon episodes]]

Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)

2011-01-15T20:58:57Z

Might Gaine: Added links to Autolauncher and Autojetter

{{nav-G2}}

'''''Transformers: Generation 2''''' was the first Transformers toy revamp, relaunching the line in 1993, two years after the last of the original ''Transformers'' figures were off the shelves in the United States. It began with recolored versions of Generation 1 toys, but soon consisted entirely of new molds made for the line.

''Generation 2'' saw more-or-less simultaneous release in the US and [[Generation 2 (European toyline)|European markets]], but Japan would not start the line (or even have any ''Transformers'' product at all on shelves, for that matter) until 1995.

==Overview==
[[Image:G2Prime toy.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Optimus Prime's first G2 toy, essentially a re-release of the original toy but with a new [[soundbox]] and weapons.]]
Initially, the line featured re-releases of several [[The Transformers (toyline)|"Generation 1" toys]] with new accessories and tweaked decos, alongside several molds that had been recently released as part of the European-market line (many of which would be ''re''-released in Europe under the ''Generation 2'' banner.)

Because of this early product, and particularly because of the radically redecorated [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] and [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]], ''Generation 2'' is sometimes inaccurately and unfairly remembered by fans as consisting ''solely'' of garishly recolored Generation 1 toys. As the line continued, however, numerous new molds and play features were introduced. Among them were:

* [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]] - ''Hot Wheels''-styled figures with simpler transformations and "precision" wheels
* [[Rotor Force]] - featured firing plastic rotor weapons
* [[Laser Rod]]s and [[Laser Cycle]]s - featured light-up LED weaponry
* [[Cyberjet]]s - realistic fighter planes with complex transformations.

These last groups also featured unprecedented articulation.

[[Image:G2Megatron toy.jpg|right|180px|thumb|G2 Megatron, one of the line's more famous molds.]]
Multiple new versions of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] were also released: though Optimus' original toy saw re-release with tweaked deco and new accessories, Megatron received the first all-new mold of the line early on as a colossal tank, as making him a handgun no longer seemed feasible. Both characters would receive multiple toys over the course of the line, in the form of both new molds and redecoes of previous characters' toys. Late in the line's run, [[Hasbro]] would use the same general tactic, applying numerous Generation 1 characters to toy redecoes in the hopes of stirring up nostalgic interest.

Later toys included a pop-up bio card, referred to on the packaging as a "[[Real Action Pop-Ups 3-D Transformer Trading Card]]!"

==Decline and cancelation==
[[Image:G2-toy_MantaRay.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Manta Ray, one of the awesome awesome awesome [[Rotor Force]] toys, which, if we haven't mentioned it yet, are awesome.]]

The series debuted to lackluster sales, despite featuring fan-favorites like the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]. Some fans blamed [[Neon|color selections]], but it seems ''far'' more likely that it was simply a case of bad timing combined with too much product "your older brother has in the attic". Kids still weren't into robots that turned into cars at the time, it seems, and the "older nostalgic" market (which can rarely sustain a major toy brand at nationwide retail even today) was downright microscopic at the time. Being up against the then-new ''[[Saban Entertainment|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'', the still-popular ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' brand and the ever-growing popularity of home video game consoles certainly didn't help. The toyline also was not supported by a new cartoon, relying instead on [[Generation 2 (cartoon)|repackaged G1 episodes]].

[[Image:G2 Jolt toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Jolt, one of the super-posable [[Laser Rod]] toys.]]
''Generation 2'' was ended after about two and a half years, with several new products trapped in development limbo. A handful saw release in the [[Generation 2 (European toyline)|European market]] (namely the [[Power Master]]s), but most of those canceled new molds stayed unreleased for years. As Hasbro had recently acquired [[Kenner]], and the ''Transformers'' franchise facing extinction, the decision was made to shift the boys'-toy production to Kenner and take ''Transformers'' in a different direction to hopefully revitalize the seemingly-tired concept... ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''.
{{-}}

==1993==
===[[Autobot]]s===
[[Image:G1G2 Skram toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Skram, a re-used late-Generation 1 mold from Europe.]]
[[Image:G2Bumblebee Minicar toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bumblebee]]
[[Image:G2 Gobots toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Gobots]]
'''Leader'''
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]]

'''Cars'''
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]
*[[Jazz (G1)/toys|Jazz]]
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]

'''[[Color Changer]]s'''
*[[Drench (G2)|Drench]]
*[[Gobots (G2)|Gobots]]

'''[[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]'''
*[[Grimlock (G1)/toys|Grimlock]]
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]

'''[[Mini Vehicle|Mini-Cars]]'''
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]]
*[[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]]
*[[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]]

'''Small Cars''' (sometimes known as [[Axelerator]]s)
*[[Rapido]]
*[[Skram (G1)|Skram]]
*[[Turbofire]]
*[[Windbreaker]]
{{-}}

===[[Decepticon]]s===
[[Image:G2 Ramjet toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ramjet]]
[[Image:G2Devastator toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Devastator]]
'''Leader'''
*[[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron]]

'''[[Color Changer]]s'''
*[[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]]
*[[Jetstorm (G2)|Jetstorm]]

'''[[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]'''
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]]
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]]
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]]
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]]
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]]
''Combine to form [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]''

'''[[Seeker (body-type)|Jets]]'''
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
*[[Starscream (G1)/toys|Starscream]]

'''[[Skyscorcher]]s''' (also known as the "Skirmish Patrol"){{fact}}
*[[Afterburner (G2)|Afterburner]]
*[[Eagle Eye (G2)|Eagle Eye]]
*[[Terradive (G1)|Terradive]]
*[[Windrazor (G2)|Windrazor]]
{{-}}

==1994==
===Autobots===
[[Image:G2superion toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Superion]]
'''[[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]]'''
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]]
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]]
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]
*[[Slingshot]]
''Combine to form [[Superion (G1)|Superion]].''

'''Heroes'''
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]]

'''[[Laser Rod]]s'''
*[[Electro]]
*[[Volt]]

'''[[Rotor Force]]'''
*[[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]]
*[[Manta Ray (G2)|Manta Ray]]
{{-}}

===Decepticons===
[[Image:G2bruticus.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bruticus, after a run-in with [[Professor Princess]] perhaps?]]
'''[[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]'''
*[[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]]
*[[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]]
*[[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]
*[[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]]
*[[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]]
''Combine to form [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]''

'''Heroes'''
*[[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron]]

'''[[Laser Rod]]s'''
*[[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]
*[[Sizzle (G2)|Sizzle]]

'''[[Rotor Force]]'''
*[[Powerdive]]
*[[Ransack (G2)|Ransack]]

'''Others'''
*[[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] with [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]]

'''Exclusives'''
*[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]]
{{-}}

==1995==
===Autobots===
[[Image:G2-toy Firecracker.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Firecracker]]
[[Image:G2RoadRocket-toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Road Rocket]]

'''Leader'''
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Laser Optimus Prime]]

'''[[Cyberjet]]s'''
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]]
*[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]
*[[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]]

'''[[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]]'''
*[[Blowout]]
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]]
*[[Double Clutch (G2)|Double Clutch]]
*[[Firecracker]]
*[[Gearhead]]
*[[High Beam]]
*[[Ironhide (G1)/toys|Ironhide]]
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
*[[Motormouth]]
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]]
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]

'''[[Laser Cycle]]'''
*[[Road Rocket (G2)|Road Rocket]]
{{-}}

===Decepticons===
[[Image:HooliganG2-toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Hooligan]]
'''[[Auto Roller]]s'''
*[[Dirtbag]]
*[[Roadblock (G2)|Roadblock]]

'''[[Cyberjet]]s'''
*[[Hooligan (G2)|Hooligan]]
*[[Skyjack]]
*[[Space Case]]

'''[[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]]'''
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]
*[[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]]

'''[[Laser Cycle]]'''
*[[Road Pig (G2)|Road Pig]]

'''[[Exclusive]]s'''
* [[Nightracer]]

{{note|For toys not released in the United States market but in other markets, see ''[[Generation 2 (European toyline)]].}}

==Unreleased==
'''Advanced Tactical Bomber (A.T.B.)'''
*[[:Image:G2toy_ATB_megs_and_screamer.jpg|A.T.B. Megatron with Starscream]]

'''Auto Rollers'''
*[[:Image:Un autorollers.jpg|General Optimus Prime]]
*[[:Image:Un autorollers.jpg|Sgt. Hound]]
*[[:Image:G2Autolauncher.jpg|Unknown APC]] (later became [[Autolauncher]])
*[[:Image:G2AutoJetter.jpg|Unknown jet]] (later became [[Autojetter]])

'''Combat Heroes'''
*[[:Image:CombatHeroMegatron.jpg|Combat Hero Megatron]]
*[[:Image:CombatHeroPrime.jpg|Combat Hero Optimus Prime]]

'''Go-Bots'''
*[[Greasepit (G2)|Greasepit]] and the [[Go-Bots Racing Rig]]
*"Vinny's Pro Stock" (evidently [[Rumble (G1)#Generation_2_2|Rumble]], later became [[Side Swipe (RID)|Side Swipe]])
[[Image:G2GoBotsUnmadeJeepAndCar.jpg|thumb|300px|And then Skywarp rigged the car wash to spray paint instead! It was ''hi''-larious.]]
*"[[:Image:G2Go-BotGTPRacer.jpg|GTP Racer]]" (later became [[Daytonus]])
*"911 Police Car" (later became [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]]/[[Prowl 2]])
*"Black Viper" (later became [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]])<ref>Designations for four unreleased Go-Bots from the [[BotCon 1996]] "Toys For Tots" charity auction listings. Note that "Vinny's Pro Stock" is an inaccurate reading of the sponsor logos on "Rumble" {{m-}} they actually read "Vinny's Pizza" and "Jerry's Motors", with "Pro Stock" underneath each respective logo.</ref>

{{note|An additional two unmade Go-Bots {{m-}} a Jeep and an unidentified car {{m-}} are known to exist, and made it to what may have been the test-shot stage. However, painted samples have never surfaced, and whether the molds got far enough along for actual production is unknown.}}

'''Laser Cycles'''
*[[:Image:LaserCycleJazz.jpg|Jazz]]
*[[:Image:LaserCycleSoundwave.jpg|Soundwave]]

[[Image:G2 Menasor and G2 Defensor.jpg|thumb|300px|Rare. Rare like a mooing steak.]]

'''Stunticons'''
*S1 Motormaster
*S2 Dead End
*S4 Drag Strip
*S5 Wildrider

'''Protectobots'''
*P1 Hot Spot
*P2 First Aid
*P3 Groove
*P4 Streetwise
*P5 Blades

==Innovations and lasting effects==
* ''Generation 2'' was the first line to sport a uniform, gimmick-spanning sub-title in addition to the main "Transformers" name. (Although the "Generation 2" moniker would be dropped for the tail end of the line, mostly affecting toys that would never be released on the US market)
* Though some earlier toys used them, the [[Cyberjet]]s were the first toys to introduce [[ball joint]]s on a wider scale. By the following toyline, ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'', ball joints had become a regular feature of Transformers [[toy]]s.
*The new molds created for ''Generation 2'' also dropped [[sticker]]s in favor of [[paint operation]]s and [[tampograph]]y for deco details.

==Notes==
*Artwork or packaging mock-ups for various toys seemingly intended for release in the ''Generation 2'' toyline have surfaced over the years. Among them:
**[[:Image:G2SludgeBoxart.jpg|Sludge]], [[:Image:Swoop iconic.jpg|Swoop]], and another version of [[:Image:G2GrimlockArtwork.jpg|Grimlock]].
**Recolored card art of [[Power Master]] Ironhide, in yellow and blue, attached to packaging mock-ups bearing the names [[Belzone]], [[Light Speed]], and [[Pothole]].
* A ''Generation 2'' exists within the fictional [[Unicron Trilogy]] universe, as a ''toyline''! According to the online [[Cyber Key Codes|Cyber Key Code]] bio for the [[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]] Decepticon, [[Shortround]], he is an avid toy collector whose prize pieces are [[Generation 2 Defensor and Menasor]]. However, it is not specified whether or not these items are actually ''Transformers'' toys like their real world counterparts.

* The [[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]] toyline includes two toys marked as "Generation 2 series", [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and [[Skyjack|Skyfall]].

* The theme for [[BotCon 2010]] is 'Transformers - Generation 2: Redux'. The convention exclusive figures include the formerly European exclusive G2 Transformer [[Pyro]] (under the name Spark), which is a redeco of the 2008 Universe version of Inferno (itself based on G2 Inferno).

* ''Generation 2'' shares some engineering with Takara's other transforming robot toy series from around the same time, the [[Brave (franchise)|Brave Series]]. That line also featured in some instances [[Light-piping|light-piped heads]], [[ball joint|ball joints]], Gatling-style missile launchers, and spinning rotor projectiles.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Earth culture]]
[[Category:Generation 2| Generation 2 (toyline)]]
[[Category:Toys]]

Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)

2011-01-15T20:56:00Z

Might Gaine: Added connection to Brave

{{nav-G2}}

'''''Transformers: Generation 2''''' was the first Transformers toy revamp, relaunching the line in 1993, two years after the last of the original ''Transformers'' figures were off the shelves in the United States. It began with recolored versions of Generation 1 toys, but soon consisted entirely of new molds made for the line.

''Generation 2'' saw more-or-less simultaneous release in the US and [[Generation 2 (European toyline)|European markets]], but Japan would not start the line (or even have any ''Transformers'' product at all on shelves, for that matter) until 1995.

==Overview==
[[Image:G2Prime toy.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Optimus Prime's first G2 toy, essentially a re-release of the original toy but with a new [[soundbox]] and weapons.]]
Initially, the line featured re-releases of several [[The Transformers (toyline)|"Generation 1" toys]] with new accessories and tweaked decos, alongside several molds that had been recently released as part of the European-market line (many of which would be ''re''-released in Europe under the ''Generation 2'' banner.)

Because of this early product, and particularly because of the radically redecorated [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] and [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]], ''Generation 2'' is sometimes inaccurately and unfairly remembered by fans as consisting ''solely'' of garishly recolored Generation 1 toys. As the line continued, however, numerous new molds and play features were introduced. Among them were:

* [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]] - ''Hot Wheels''-styled figures with simpler transformations and "precision" wheels
* [[Rotor Force]] - featured firing plastic rotor weapons
* [[Laser Rod]]s and [[Laser Cycle]]s - featured light-up LED weaponry
* [[Cyberjet]]s - realistic fighter planes with complex transformations.

These last groups also featured unprecedented articulation.

[[Image:G2Megatron toy.jpg|right|180px|thumb|G2 Megatron, one of the line's more famous molds.]]
Multiple new versions of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] were also released: though Optimus' original toy saw re-release with tweaked deco and new accessories, Megatron received the first all-new mold of the line early on as a colossal tank, as making him a handgun no longer seemed feasible. Both characters would receive multiple toys over the course of the line, in the form of both new molds and redecoes of previous characters' toys. Late in the line's run, [[Hasbro]] would use the same general tactic, applying numerous Generation 1 characters to toy redecoes in the hopes of stirring up nostalgic interest.

Later toys included a pop-up bio card, referred to on the packaging as a "[[Real Action Pop-Ups 3-D Transformer Trading Card]]!"

==Decline and cancelation==
[[Image:G2-toy_MantaRay.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Manta Ray, one of the awesome awesome awesome [[Rotor Force]] toys, which, if we haven't mentioned it yet, are awesome.]]

The series debuted to lackluster sales, despite featuring fan-favorites like the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]. Some fans blamed [[Neon|color selections]], but it seems ''far'' more likely that it was simply a case of bad timing combined with too much product "your older brother has in the attic". Kids still weren't into robots that turned into cars at the time, it seems, and the "older nostalgic" market (which can rarely sustain a major toy brand at nationwide retail even today) was downright microscopic at the time. Being up against the then-new ''[[Saban Entertainment|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'', the still-popular ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' brand and the ever-growing popularity of home video game consoles certainly didn't help. The toyline also was not supported by a new cartoon, relying instead on [[Generation 2 (cartoon)|repackaged G1 episodes]].

[[Image:G2 Jolt toy.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Jolt, one of the super-posable [[Laser Rod]] toys.]]
''Generation 2'' was ended after about two and a half years, with several new products trapped in development limbo. A handful saw release in the [[Generation 2 (European toyline)|European market]] (namely the [[Power Master]]s), but most of those canceled new molds stayed unreleased for years. As Hasbro had recently acquired [[Kenner]], and the ''Transformers'' franchise facing extinction, the decision was made to shift the boys'-toy production to Kenner and take ''Transformers'' in a different direction to hopefully revitalize the seemingly-tired concept... ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''.
{{-}}

==1993==
===[[Autobot]]s===
[[Image:G1G2 Skram toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Skram, a re-used late-Generation 1 mold from Europe.]]
[[Image:G2Bumblebee Minicar toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bumblebee]]
[[Image:G2 Gobots toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Gobots]]
'''Leader'''
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]]

'''Cars'''
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]
*[[Jazz (G1)/toys|Jazz]]
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]

'''[[Color Changer]]s'''
*[[Drench (G2)|Drench]]
*[[Gobots (G2)|Gobots]]

'''[[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]'''
*[[Grimlock (G1)/toys|Grimlock]]
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]

'''[[Mini Vehicle|Mini-Cars]]'''
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]]
*[[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]]
*[[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]]

'''Small Cars''' (sometimes known as [[Axelerator]]s)
*[[Rapido]]
*[[Skram (G1)|Skram]]
*[[Turbofire]]
*[[Windbreaker]]
{{-}}

===[[Decepticon]]s===
[[Image:G2 Ramjet toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ramjet]]
[[Image:G2Devastator toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Devastator]]
'''Leader'''
*[[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron]]

'''[[Color Changer]]s'''
*[[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]]
*[[Jetstorm (G2)|Jetstorm]]

'''[[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]'''
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]]
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]]
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]]
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]]
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]]
''Combine to form [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]''

'''[[Seeker (body-type)|Jets]]'''
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
*[[Starscream (G1)/toys|Starscream]]

'''[[Skyscorcher]]s''' (also known as the "Skirmish Patrol"){{fact}}
*[[Afterburner (G2)|Afterburner]]
*[[Eagle Eye (G2)|Eagle Eye]]
*[[Terradive (G1)|Terradive]]
*[[Windrazor (G2)|Windrazor]]
{{-}}

==1994==
===Autobots===
[[Image:G2superion toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Superion]]
'''[[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]]'''
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]]
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]]
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]]
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]]
*[[Slingshot]]
''Combine to form [[Superion (G1)|Superion]].''

'''Heroes'''
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]]

'''[[Laser Rod]]s'''
*[[Electro]]
*[[Volt]]

'''[[Rotor Force]]'''
*[[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]]
*[[Manta Ray (G2)|Manta Ray]]
{{-}}

===Decepticons===
[[Image:G2bruticus.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bruticus, after a run-in with [[Professor Princess]] perhaps?]]
'''[[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]'''
*[[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]]
*[[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]]
*[[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]
*[[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]]
*[[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]]
''Combine to form [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]''

'''Heroes'''
*[[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron]]

'''[[Laser Rod]]s'''
*[[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]
*[[Sizzle (G2)|Sizzle]]

'''[[Rotor Force]]'''
*[[Powerdive]]
*[[Ransack (G2)|Ransack]]

'''Others'''
*[[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] with [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]]

'''Exclusives'''
*[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]]
{{-}}

==1995==
===Autobots===
[[Image:G2-toy Firecracker.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Firecracker]]
[[Image:G2RoadRocket-toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Road Rocket]]

'''Leader'''
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Laser Optimus Prime]]

'''[[Cyberjet]]s'''
*[[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]]
*[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]
*[[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]]

'''[[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]]'''
*[[Blowout]]
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]]
*[[Double Clutch (G2)|Double Clutch]]
*[[Firecracker]]
*[[Gearhead]]
*[[High Beam]]
*[[Ironhide (G1)/toys|Ironhide]]
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
*[[Motormouth]]
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]]
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]

'''[[Laser Cycle]]'''
*[[Road Rocket (G2)|Road Rocket]]
{{-}}

===Decepticons===
[[Image:HooliganG2-toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Hooligan]]
'''[[Auto Roller]]s'''
*[[Dirtbag]]
*[[Roadblock (G2)|Roadblock]]

'''[[Cyberjet]]s'''
*[[Hooligan (G2)|Hooligan]]
*[[Skyjack]]
*[[Space Case]]

'''[[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]]'''
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]
*[[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]]

'''[[Laser Cycle]]'''
*[[Road Pig (G2)|Road Pig]]

'''[[Exclusive]]s'''
* [[Nightracer]]

{{note|For toys not released in the United States market but in other markets, see ''[[Generation 2 (European toyline)]].}}

==Unreleased==
'''Advanced Tactical Bomber (A.T.B.)'''
*[[:Image:G2toy_ATB_megs_and_screamer.jpg|A.T.B. Megatron with Starscream]]

'''Auto Rollers'''
*[[:Image:Un autorollers.jpg|General Optimus Prime]]
*[[:Image:Un autorollers.jpg|Sgt. Hound]]
*[[:Image:G2Autolauncher.jpg|Unknown APC]] (later became Autolauncher)
*[[:Image:G2AutoJetter.jpg|Unknown jet]] (later became Autojetter)

'''Combat Heroes'''
*[[:Image:CombatHeroMegatron.jpg|Combat Hero Megatron]]
*[[:Image:CombatHeroPrime.jpg|Combat Hero Optimus Prime]]

'''Go-Bots'''
*[[Greasepit (G2)|Greasepit]] and the [[Go-Bots Racing Rig]]
*"Vinny's Pro Stock" (evidently [[Rumble (G1)#Generation_2_2|Rumble]], later became [[Side Swipe (RID)|Side Swipe]])
[[Image:G2GoBotsUnmadeJeepAndCar.jpg|thumb|300px|And then Skywarp rigged the car wash to spray paint instead! It was ''hi''-larious.]]
*"[[:Image:G2Go-BotGTPRacer.jpg|GTP Racer]]" (later became [[Daytonus]])
*"911 Police Car" (later became [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]]/[[Prowl 2]])
*"Black Viper" (later became [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]])<ref>Designations for four unreleased Go-Bots from the [[BotCon 1996]] "Toys For Tots" charity auction listings. Note that "Vinny's Pro Stock" is an inaccurate reading of the sponsor logos on "Rumble" {{m-}} they actually read "Vinny's Pizza" and "Jerry's Motors", with "Pro Stock" underneath each respective logo.</ref>

{{note|An additional two unmade Go-Bots {{m-}} a Jeep and an unidentified car {{m-}} are known to exist, and made it to what may have been the test-shot stage. However, painted samples have never surfaced, and whether the molds got far enough along for actual production is unknown.}}

'''Laser Cycles'''
*[[:Image:LaserCycleJazz.jpg|Jazz]]
*[[:Image:LaserCycleSoundwave.jpg|Soundwave]]

[[Image:G2 Menasor and G2 Defensor.jpg|thumb|300px|Rare. Rare like a mooing steak.]]

'''Stunticons'''
*S1 Motormaster
*S2 Dead End
*S4 Drag Strip
*S5 Wildrider

'''Protectobots'''
*P1 Hot Spot
*P2 First Aid
*P3 Groove
*P4 Streetwise
*P5 Blades

==Innovations and lasting effects==
* ''Generation 2'' was the first line to sport a uniform, gimmick-spanning sub-title in addition to the main "Transformers" name. (Although the "Generation 2" moniker would be dropped for the tail end of the line, mostly affecting toys that would never be released on the US market)
* Though some earlier toys used them, the [[Cyberjet]]s were the first toys to introduce [[ball joint]]s on a wider scale. By the following toyline, ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'', ball joints had become a regular feature of Transformers [[toy]]s.
*The new molds created for ''Generation 2'' also dropped [[sticker]]s in favor of [[paint operation]]s and [[tampograph]]y for deco details.

==Notes==
*Artwork or packaging mock-ups for various toys seemingly intended for release in the ''Generation 2'' toyline have surfaced over the years. Among them:
**[[:Image:G2SludgeBoxart.jpg|Sludge]], [[:Image:Swoop iconic.jpg|Swoop]], and another version of [[:Image:G2GrimlockArtwork.jpg|Grimlock]].
**Recolored card art of [[Power Master]] Ironhide, in yellow and blue, attached to packaging mock-ups bearing the names [[Belzone]], [[Light Speed]], and [[Pothole]].
* A ''Generation 2'' exists within the fictional [[Unicron Trilogy]] universe, as a ''toyline''! According to the online [[Cyber Key Codes|Cyber Key Code]] bio for the [[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]] Decepticon, [[Shortround]], he is an avid toy collector whose prize pieces are [[Generation 2 Defensor and Menasor]]. However, it is not specified whether or not these items are actually ''Transformers'' toys like their real world counterparts.

* The [[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]] toyline includes two toys marked as "Generation 2 series", [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and [[Skyjack|Skyfall]].

* The theme for [[BotCon 2010]] is 'Transformers - Generation 2: Redux'. The convention exclusive figures include the formerly European exclusive G2 Transformer [[Pyro]] (under the name Spark), which is a redeco of the 2008 Universe version of Inferno (itself based on G2 Inferno).

* ''Generation 2'' shares some engineering with Takara's other transforming robot toy series from around the same time, the [[Brave (franchise)|Brave Series]]. That line also featured in some instances [[Light-piping|light-piped heads]], [[ball joint|ball joints]], Gatling-style missile launchers, and spinning rotor projectiles.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Earth culture]]
[[Category:Generation 2| Generation 2 (toyline)]]
[[Category:Toys]]

Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)

2011-01-15T20:49:12Z

Might Gaine: Inaccurate statement about Japanese TFs not ending--Has been corrected

{{nav-G2}}

'''''Transformers: Generation 2''''' was the first of many rebirths for the [[Transformers brand]]. Although the original ''Transformers'' franchise had never stopped producing toys in Europe, the North American line had completely disappeared for nearly two years when ''Generation 2'' launched in 1993. The Japanese Transformers line also disappeared for two years before ''Generation 2'' was launched there in 1995.

The ''Generation 2'' [[franchise]] featured the following primary components:

* [[Generation 2 (toyline)|A toyline]]
* [[Generation 2 (European toyline)|A European toyline]]
* [[Generation 2 (cartoon)|A cartoon series]]
* [[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|A US comic book series]]
* [[Generation 2 (Fleetway comic)|A short-lived UK comic]]
* One [[Official Transformers Generation 2 Annual|UK Annual]].
* Some [[Honey Bear Books|coloring books]]

Although the ''Generation 2'' cartoon was merely a set of repackaged [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episodes (featuring the flashy, computer-animated [[Cybernet Space Cube]]), the ''Generation 2'' comic book was a direct continuation of the story from the [[List of Generation 1 comics|G1 comic]] which had ended at issue 80.

''Generation 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s toy [[commercial]]s are noted for an early use of CGI animation (including depictions of some characters who had very few fictional appearances anywhere else.) A subset of the commercials is also noted for ''hilariously'' bad rap music.

The Japanese version of ''Generation 2'' followed the animated continuity rather than the comic book continuity. The Japanese ''G-2'' storyline was told through a combination of:

* [[G-2 (story page)|A series of story pages]].
* [[G-2 (pack-in comic)|A manga series]] packaged with the instruction manuals.
* A manga special, "[[The New Battle!!]]", published in [[Comic Bom Bom]].

''Generation 2'' ended in 1995 in all markets due to lagging sales. While [[Takara]] continued to release their other main transforming robot toy line, the ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave Series]]'', [[Hasbro]] shuffled its boys-toy lines over to the recently-acquired [[Kenner]] offices, and gave them the task of re-inventing ''Transformers'' with something fresh and new... ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''.

In [[2010]] the Generation 2 line would be re-imagined as [[Generation 2: Redux]] by [[Fun Publications]] for that year's [[BotCon]].

[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Generation 2| ]]

Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)

2011-01-15T20:44:41Z

Might Gaine: "flagging" sales? :P

{{nav-G2}}

'''''Transformers: Generation 2''''' was the first of many rebirths for the [[Transformers brand]]. Although the original ''Transformers'' franchise had never stopped producing toys in Japan or Europe, the North American line had completely disappeared for nearly two years when ''Generation 2'' launched in 1993.

The ''Generation 2'' [[franchise]] featured the following primary components:

* [[Generation 2 (toyline)|A toyline]]
* [[Generation 2 (European toyline)|A European toyline]]
* [[Generation 2 (cartoon)|A cartoon series]]
* [[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|A US comic book series]]
* [[Generation 2 (Fleetway comic)|A short-lived UK comic]]
* One [[Official Transformers Generation 2 Annual|UK Annual]].
* Some [[Honey Bear Books|coloring books]]

Although the ''Generation 2'' cartoon was merely a set of repackaged [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episodes (featuring the flashy, computer-animated [[Cybernet Space Cube]]), the ''Generation 2'' comic book was a direct continuation of the story from the [[List of Generation 1 comics|G1 comic]] which had ended at issue 80.

''Generation 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s toy [[commercial]]s are noted for an early use of CGI animation (including depictions of some characters who had very few fictional appearances anywhere else.) A subset of the commercials is also noted for ''hilariously'' bad rap music.

The Japanese version of ''Generation 2'' followed the animated continuity rather than the comic book continuity. The Japanese ''G-2'' storyline was told through a combination of:

* [[G-2 (story page)|A series of story pages]].
* [[G-2 (pack-in comic)|A manga series]] packaged with the instruction manuals.
* A manga special, "[[The New Battle!!]]", published in [[Comic Bom Bom]].

''Generation 2'' ended in 1995 in all markets due to lagging sales. While [[Takara]] continued to release their other main transforming robot toy line, the ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave Series]]'', [[Hasbro]] shuffled its boys-toy lines over to the recently-acquired [[Kenner]] offices, and gave them the task of re-inventing ''Transformers'' with something fresh and new... ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''.

In [[2010]] the Generation 2 line would be re-imagined as [[Generation 2: Redux]] by [[Fun Publications]] for that year's [[BotCon]].

[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Generation 2| ]]

Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)

2011-01-15T20:43:24Z

Might Gaine: Brave was concurrent with G2, not after. Also, "Brave Saga" is a video game. "Brave Series" is the series.

{{nav-G2}}

'''''Transformers: Generation 2''''' was the first of many rebirths for the [[Transformers brand]]. Although the original ''Transformers'' franchise had never stopped producing toys in Japan or Europe, the North American line had completely disappeared for nearly two years when ''Generation 2'' launched in 1993.

The ''Generation 2'' [[franchise]] featured the following primary components:

* [[Generation 2 (toyline)|A toyline]]
* [[Generation 2 (European toyline)|A European toyline]]
* [[Generation 2 (cartoon)|A cartoon series]]
* [[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|A US comic book series]]
* [[Generation 2 (Fleetway comic)|A short-lived UK comic]]
* One [[Official Transformers Generation 2 Annual|UK Annual]].
* Some [[Honey Bear Books|coloring books]]

Although the ''Generation 2'' cartoon was merely a set of repackaged [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episodes (featuring the flashy, computer-animated [[Cybernet Space Cube]]), the ''Generation 2'' comic book was a direct continuation of the story from the [[List of Generation 1 comics|G1 comic]] which had ended at issue 80.

''Generation 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s toy [[commercial]]s are noted for an early use of CGI animation (including depictions of some characters who had very few fictional appearances anywhere else.) A subset of the commercials is also noted for ''hilariously'' bad rap music.

The Japanese version of ''Generation 2'' followed the animated continuity rather than the comic book continuity. The Japanese ''G-2'' storyline was told through a combination of:

* [[G-2 (story page)|A series of story pages]].
* [[G-2 (pack-in comic)|A manga series]] packaged with the instruction manuals.
* A manga special, "[[The New Battle!!]]", published in [[Comic Bom Bom]].

''Generation 2'' ended in 1995 in all markets, with flagging sales and waning interest in Transformers on the whole. While [[Takara]] continued to release their other main transforming robot toy line, the ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave Series]]'', [[Hasbro]] shuffled its boys-toy lines over to the recently-acquired [[Kenner]] offices, and gave them the task of re-inventing ''Transformers'' with something fresh and new... ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''.

In [[2010]] the Generation 2 line would be re-imagined as [[Generation 2: Redux]] by [[Fun Publications]] for that year's [[BotCon]].

[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Generation 2| ]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T22:14:54Z

Might Gaine: /* Recent knockoffs */

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers. More recently, high end counterfeits have been harder to find on Ebay and can only be found on sites like ioffer or kotoys.com.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have become notable over the years for one reason or another:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - One of the most prominent knockoff companies from the mid-2000's, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line was the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes 47 different G1 Transformers, filling in many of the gaps left by the official reissues. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they briefly produced a couple realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs ([[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality. They are the knockoff company responsible for the infamous fake Metroplex Encore Reissues, which deceived major online Transformers stores.<src>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/199973-what-heck-encore-12-metroplex-i-got-tfsource-fake.html</src>

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots in the late 1990's, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

* Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

* iGear produces down-sized and remolded knockoffs of Masterpiece Transformers toys.

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level. China is currently the main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out (arguably) as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. Happy Well has also shifted its focus from knockoffs to original Transforming robots in their Roadbots, X-Bot and V-Create lines.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime). A second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, briefly produced high end G1 knockoffs as well.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same. It's also a further infringement on Hasbro's intellectual property rights, since these fakes infringe not only the copyrights on the toys, but also the trademarks on the packaging.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

One notable release was a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], which came out several weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

The most recent twist in the knockoff toys saga are companies creating high quality knockoffs of recent toys aimed at collectors. These include the "KOLD" knockoffs, sold through kotoys.com, which attempt to imitate [[Lucky Draw]] and other rare Transformers. Also, there have been high quality knockoffs of Henkei Starscream and the seekers (including Sunstorm, who has yet to get an official Classics-verse release), as well as Henkei/Classics Mirage in several of his rarer color schemes.

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T22:14:36Z

Might Gaine: /* Recent knockoffs */

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers. More recently, high end counterfeits have been harder to find on Ebay and can only be found on sites like ioffer or kotoys.com.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have become notable over the years for one reason or another:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - One of the most prominent knockoff companies from the mid-2000's, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line was the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes 47 different G1 Transformers, filling in many of the gaps left by the official reissues. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they briefly produced a couple realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs ([[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality. They are the knockoff company responsible for the infamous fake Metroplex Encore Reissues, which deceived major online Transformers stores.<src>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/199973-what-heck-encore-12-metroplex-i-got-tfsource-fake.html</src>

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots in the late 1990's, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

* Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

* iGear produces down-sized and remolded knockoffs of Masterpiece Transformers toys.

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level. China is currently the main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out (arguably) as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. Happy Well has also shifted its focus from knockoffs to original Transforming robots in their Roadbots, X-Bot and V-Create lines.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime). A second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, briefly produced high end G1 knockoffs as well.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same. It's also a further infringement on Hasbro's intellectual property rights, since these fakes infringe not only the copyrights on the toys, but also the trademarks on the packaging.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

One notable release was a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], which came out several weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

The most recent twist in the knockoff toys saga are companies creating high quality knockoffs of recent toys aimed at collectors. These include the "KOLD" knockoffs, sold through kotoys.com, which attempt to imitate [[Lucky Draw]] and other rare Transformers. Also, there have been high quality knockoffs of Henkei Starscream and the seekers (including Sunstorm, who has yet to get an official Classics-verse release), as well as Mirage in several of his rarer color schemes.

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T22:14:17Z

Might Gaine: /* Recent knockoffs */

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers. More recently, high end counterfeits have been harder to find on Ebay and can only be found on sites like ioffer or kotoys.com.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have become notable over the years for one reason or another:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - One of the most prominent knockoff companies from the mid-2000's, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line was the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes 47 different G1 Transformers, filling in many of the gaps left by the official reissues. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they briefly produced a couple realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs ([[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality. They are the knockoff company responsible for the infamous fake Metroplex Encore Reissues, which deceived major online Transformers stores.<src>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/199973-what-heck-encore-12-metroplex-i-got-tfsource-fake.html</src>

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots in the late 1990's, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

* Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

* iGear produces down-sized and remolded knockoffs of Masterpiece Transformers toys.

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level. China is currently the main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out (arguably) as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. Happy Well has also shifted its focus from knockoffs to original Transforming robots in their Roadbots, X-Bot and V-Create lines.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime). A second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, briefly produced high end G1 knockoffs as well.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same. It's also a further infringement on Hasbro's intellectual property rights, since these fakes infringe not only the copyrights on the toys, but also the trademarks on the packaging.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

One notable release was a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], which came out several weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

The most recent twist in the knockoff toys saga are companies creating high quality knockoffs of recent toys aimed at collectors. These include the "KOLD" knockoffs, sold through kotoys.com, which attempt to imitate [[Lucky Draw]] and other rare Transformers. Also, there have been high quality knockoffs of Classics Starscream and the seekers (including Sunstorm, who has yet to get an official Classics-verse release), as well as Mirage in several of his rarer color schemes.

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T22:13:31Z

Might Gaine: /* Recent knockoffs and the movie effect */

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers. More recently, high end counterfeits have been harder to find on Ebay and can only be found on sites like ioffer or kotoys.com.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have become notable over the years for one reason or another:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - One of the most prominent knockoff companies from the mid-2000's, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line was the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes 47 different G1 Transformers, filling in many of the gaps left by the official reissues. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they briefly produced a couple realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs ([[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality. They are the knockoff company responsible for the infamous fake Metroplex Encore Reissues, which deceived major online Transformers stores.<src>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/199973-what-heck-encore-12-metroplex-i-got-tfsource-fake.html</src>

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots in the late 1990's, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

* Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

* iGear produces down-sized and remolded knockoffs of Masterpiece Transformers toys.

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level. China is currently the main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out (arguably) as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. Happy Well has also shifted its focus from knockoffs to original Transforming robots in their Roadbots, X-Bot and V-Create lines.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime). A second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, briefly produced high end G1 knockoffs as well.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same. It's also a further infringement on Hasbro's intellectual property rights, since these fakes infringe not only the copyrights on the toys, but also the trademarks on the packaging.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

One notable release was a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], which came out several weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

The most recent twist in the knockoff toys saga are companies creating high quality knockoffs of recent toys aimed at collectors. These include the "KOLD" knockoffs, sold through kotoys.com, which attempt to imitate [[Lucky Draw]] and other rare Transformers. Also, there have been high quality knockoffs of Starscream and the seekers (including Sunstorm, who has yet to get an official Classics-verse release), as well as Mirage in several of his rarer color schemes.

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T22:06:59Z

Might Gaine: /* High quality Generation 1 counterfeits */

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers. More recently, high end counterfeits have been harder to find on Ebay and can only be found on sites like ioffer or kotoys.com.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have become notable over the years for one reason or another:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - One of the most prominent knockoff companies from the mid-2000's, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line was the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes 47 different G1 Transformers, filling in many of the gaps left by the official reissues. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they briefly produced a couple realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs ([[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality. They are the knockoff company responsible for the infamous fake Metroplex Encore Reissues, which deceived major online Transformers stores.<src>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/199973-what-heck-encore-12-metroplex-i-got-tfsource-fake.html</src>

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots in the late 1990's, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

* Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

* iGear produces down-sized and remolded knockoffs of Masterpiece Transformers toys.

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level. China is currently the main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out (arguably) as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. Happy Well has also shifted its focus from knockoffs to original Transforming robots in their Roadbots, X-Bot and V-Create lines.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime). A second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, briefly produced high end G1 knockoffs as well.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same. It's also a further infringement on Hasbro's intellectual property rights, since these fakes infringe not only the copyrights on the toys, but also the trademarks on the packaging.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs and the movie effect==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

A knockoff company recently released a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], a couple weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T22:04:21Z

Might Gaine: Revised Happy Well sentence

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers. More recently, high end counterfeits have been harder to find on Ebay and can only be found on sites like ioffer or kotoys.com.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have become notable over the years for one reason or another:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - One of the most prominent knockoff companies from the mid-2000's, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line was the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes 47 different G1 Transformers, filling in many of the gaps left by the official reissues. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they briefly produced a couple realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs ([[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality. They are the knockoff company responsible for the infamous fake Metroplex Encore Reissues, which deceived major online Transformers stores.<src>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/199973-what-heck-encore-12-metroplex-i-got-tfsource-fake.html</src>

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots in the late 1990's, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

* Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

* iGear produces down-sized and remolded knockoffs of Masterpiece Transformers toys.

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level. China is currently the main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out (arguably) as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. Happy Well has also shifted its focus from knockoffs to original Transforming robots in their Roadbots, X-Bot and V-Create lines.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime).

Recently a second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, has begun producing high quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits as well, starting with Metroplex and Metrotitan. Fans of the knockoffs have complained that the box quality on these two releases is not as high as Zhong Jin's knockoffs and the color of the plastic is off. On the other hand, these knockoffs are much cheaper than the Zhong Jin counterfeits, and priced on par with Takaratomy reissues.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs and the movie effect==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

A knockoff company recently released a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], a couple weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T21:56:16Z

Might Gaine: /* Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs */

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers. More recently, high end counterfeits have been harder to find on Ebay and can only be found on sites like ioffer or kotoys.com.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have become notable over the years for one reason or another:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - One of the most prominent knockoff companies from the mid-2000's, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line was the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes 47 different G1 Transformers, filling in many of the gaps left by the official reissues. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they briefly produced a couple realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs ([[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality. They are the knockoff company responsible for the infamous fake Metroplex Encore Reissues, which deceived major online Transformers stores.<src>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/199973-what-heck-encore-12-metroplex-i-got-tfsource-fake.html</src>

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots in the late 1990's, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

* Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

* iGear produces down-sized and remolded knockoffs of Masterpiece Transformers toys.

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level. China is currently the main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. It is possible that Happy Well might also follow this lead, given their success with the original Roadbots figures and subsequent shift away from their bootleg roots.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime).

Recently a second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, has begun producing high quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits as well, starting with Metroplex and Metrotitan. Fans of the knockoffs have complained that the box quality on these two releases is not as high as Zhong Jin's knockoffs and the color of the plastic is off. On the other hand, these knockoffs are much cheaper than the Zhong Jin counterfeits, and priced on par with Takaratomy reissues.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs and the movie effect==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

A knockoff company recently released a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], a couple weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T21:52:50Z

Might Gaine: /* Knockoff companies */

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers. More recently, high end counterfeits have been harder to find on Ebay and can only be found on sites like ioffer or kotoys.com.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have become notable over the years for one reason or another:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - One of the most prominent knockoff companies from the mid-2000's, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line was the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes 47 different G1 Transformers, filling in many of the gaps left by the official reissues. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they briefly produced a couple realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs ([[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality. They are the knockoff company responsible for the infamous fake Metroplex Encore Reissues, which deceived major online Transformers stores.<src>http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/199973-what-heck-encore-12-metroplex-i-got-tfsource-fake.html</src>

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots in the late 1990's, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

* Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

* iGear produces down-sized and remolded knockoffs of Masterpiece Transformers toys.

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. It is possible that Happy Well might also follow this lead, given their success with the original Roadbots figures and subsequent shift away from their bootleg roots.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime).

Recently a second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, has begun producing high quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits as well, starting with Metroplex and Metrotitan. Fans of the knockoffs have complained that the box quality on these two releases is not as high as Zhong Jin's knockoffs and the color of the plastic is off. On the other hand, these knockoffs are much cheaper than the Zhong Jin counterfeits, and priced on par with Takaratomy reissues.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs and the movie effect==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

A knockoff company recently released a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], a couple weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T21:19:35Z

Might Gaine: /* Availability of knockoffs */

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers. More recently, high end counterfeits have been harder to find on Ebay and can only be found on sites like ioffer or kotoys.com.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have earned reputations via their rather distinctive ways of altering the original product:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - Currently the most well known knockoff company, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line is the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], many [[Mini Vehicle|Minibots]], several Decepticon cassette 2-packs, almost all the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]],several Autobot cars, Devastator, and [[Gnaw]]. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they recently began producing realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. So far, they have created knockoffs of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], both of which come in a Metroplex box. They both can be distinguished from the originals because of slightly different plastic colors. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality.

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

*Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

*G3 Toys

*iGear

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. It is possible that Happy Well might also follow this lead, given their success with the original Roadbots figures and subsequent shift away from their bootleg roots.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime).

Recently a second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, has begun producing high quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits as well, starting with Metroplex and Metrotitan. Fans of the knockoffs have complained that the box quality on these two releases is not as high as Zhong Jin's knockoffs and the color of the plastic is off. On the other hand, these knockoffs are much cheaper than the Zhong Jin counterfeits, and priced on par with Takaratomy reissues.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs and the movie effect==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

A knockoff company recently released a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], a couple weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]

Knockoff

2011-01-08T21:18:01Z

Might Gaine: Present --> Past Tense and Added Source

[[Image:Bootleg.jpg|right|273px|thumb|Super Combination Robot B/O 17-in-1. One just sold for $350 on Ebay. Feel free to throw up in your mouth a little.]]
A '''knockoff''' is a product similar or identical to a product of one company, but made by another without the authorization of the original maker. In the ''Transformers'' fandom, the term is commonly abbreviated '''KO'''. The term '''bootleg''' is also sometimes used as a synonym.

==What's a knockoff?==
Not all transforming robots from makers other than [[Hasbro]], [[TakaraTomy]], [[Bandai]], or other major toy makers are knockoffs, but those toys which wholly or partly duplicate pre-existing designs are well-qualified for the term. The term is also applied by fans, however, to some robots whose design was entirely original with the manufacturer, if said manufacturer is commonly associated with knockoffs, or if this maker's products are often sold in company with knockoffs.

Whether an original design, modified, or slavishly copied, knockoffs are often cheaper than the products of major toymakers. However, the quality of knockoffs is often poorer than that of the originals, including bad plastic quality, bad sticker application, and bad paint applications. Odd colors, excess chrome, resizings, and modifications are common. The world of knockoffs is a strange land of gigantic chromed swords, Gundam/[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]] card art, and wacky packaging translations.

==Legal analysis of knockoffs==
Despite myths to the contrary, most ''Transformers'' knockoffs are illegal. In HASBRO BRADLEY, INC. v. SPARKLE TOYS, INC., 780 F.2d 189 (2nd Cir. 1985), the Second Circuit granted an injunction on Sparkle Toys' Jumpstarter knockoffs, where Hasbro showed a likelihood of success for infringement of their copyright in the Jumpstarters toys.<ref>[http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/780_F2d_189.htm]</ref> For those not law literate, this basically means that (A) Hasbro held a valid copyright in the Jumpstarters, and (B) Hasbro had a strong enough case that this would have gone to a jury, which would ultimately decide whether there was infringement.

Although Hasbro and Takara's design patents on ''Transformers'' toys expire after 14 years from issuance, their copyright in ''Transformers'' toys lasts for 95 years from publication, i.e., sale to the public. Thus, while the design patents on some ''Transformers'' toys have expired, the copyright protection on all ''Transformers'' toys is still in effect. For useful articles, such as a reconfigurable toy, copyright protects only those expressive elements that are separable from the function. While a transformation is probably not protectable because it is functional, the overall look of the robot or alternate mode is protectable. Thus, while a heavily remolded knockoff that only retains the transformation of the original toy may avoid infringement, a toy that is only resized or is only painted in different colors would infringe Hasbro and Takara's copyright regardless of the slight modification.

==Availability of knockoffs==
Knockoffs were a real problem in the mid-1980's. As the majority of the line came from [[Diaclone]] and [[Micro Change]] toys that had been released in Japan a year or two earlier, Hong Kong bootleggers had plenty of time to copy the molds. Because of this, there were bootlegs on the shelf at the same time as their legitimate Hasbro counterparts. Some bootlegs even preceded their Transformers counterparts like [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]]. To combat this, the [[rubsign]] was developed, made with a patented technology that was difficult (at that time) to forge. There was also an accompanying TV ad campaign is which Optimus Prime and Megatron stress brand loyalty by stating, "We are the only ones that have the right to wear [ [[Autobot]] & [[Decepticon]] symbols ]."

Through most of the 1990s, knockoffs were relatively difficult to find in the West. Many fans had luck finding them at flea markets, hole-in-the-wall non-chain toy stores, or discount stores like [[wikipedia: Big! Lots|Big Lots]]. Some knockoff transforming robot toys did show up in chain toy stores, such as the Convert-A-Bots [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and Tek Toys ''Voltron'' I—both widely available at Toys R Us—but they were few and far between.

In the 2000s, knockoffs became more accessible. The Kidi Toys gestalt knockoffs were widely available at Family Dollar and [[Kay Bee]] Toy Liquidator stores, and saturated [[eBay]]. Happy Well knockoffs took up shelf space next to Transformers Armada toys at [[Wal-Mart]]. And of course, the realistic counterfeit G1 toys were also widely available on eBay from any number of different sellers.

==Hasbro's intervention (or lack thereof)==
To date, Hasbro apparently has taken few actions against knockoff manufacturers. Only a couple of cases exist from the 1980s in which Hasbro shut down a ''Transformers'' knockoff operation, and no such cases exist from the 1990s onward. Hasbro's ''Transformers'' design director [[Aaron Archer]] was once quoted as making a comment at [[BotCon]] implying that Hasbro was unconcerned with knockoffs.{{fact}} Strangely, Hasbro recently contacted small online toy store AgesThreeAndUp and told them to take down their knockoff listings. At [[BotCon 2008]], [[Greg Lombardo]] read an official Hasbro policy discouraging fans from purchasing knockoffs--even in the main dealer room just a few yards away--and vaguely threatening future legal action against their producers. In May 2008, eBay began taking down auctions for knockoff Transformers (the high end counterfeits in particular), but it's unclear whether this was Hasbro's doing or not.<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/knockoff-transformers-auctions-being-pulled-from-ebay-165004/</ref>

==Knockoff companies==
Certain knockoff companies have earned reputations via their rather distinctive ways of altering the original product:

* Four Star - Known during the 1980s for taking any number of ''[[Diaclone]]''-descendant [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] molds and making massive [[Retool|retools]] of them, usually changing 75% of the mold or more. They are especially known for "Mr. Hardhat", a [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] bootleg that is made up of six entirely changed [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] that combine in an entirely different way. The fully combined form uses [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s head.

* Tek Toys - A North American company that appeared in the early to mid-1990s and did business almost exclusively through Toys "R" Us. They pioneered the combination card/windowless box design used by many, many bootlegs to this day. Tek Toys also used a distinctively plain graphics style on their packaging, eschewing the usual random ''Gundam'' and ''Generation 1'' graphics for new airbrushed art or, surprising for a knockoff company, CGI models, almost always against a plain white background. Tek Toys also worked in extremes, either having recolored copies of existing figures or all new original figures that may or may not have been procured from smaller Asian companies (often times Leader Shine). In a bold move, Tek Toys had their office address printed on later boxes. Their new box graphics are still recycled by other knockoff companies to this day.

[[Image:JBootleg.jpg|right|180px|thumb|On your knees, Jumpstarters! Kneel before your living GOD!]]
* Leader Shine (AKA Champion Crown) - Known during the 1990s for bootlegging the living hell out of the [[Jumpstarter]] molds, producing clones, minor retools, major retools, and almost unrecognizable retools. They also produce "original" toys whose transformation schemes are derived from either ''Transformers'', the ''Brave'' series, or ''Power Rangers''. They still release new and varied Jumpstarters to this day. Leader Shine is also responsible for the very ''[[Godzilla]]''-themed knockoff of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that reappears every few years. They also have an amusing habit of putting "Pat. P." (Patent Pending) on almost all of their packages in spite of whether their product is a direct copy or completely changed. It is not known how many, if any, patents Leader Shine actually holds.

* Happy Well - Currently the most well known knockoff company, Happy Well was bold enough to strike a contract with Wal*Mart, CVS Pharmacies, and Walgreen's, making them possibly the first company to have a knockoff "name brand", namely the "Galaxy Defender" series. Happy Well uses relatively high-quality materials, and most of their products are boxed. Some even come with sticker sheets and [[die-cast]] parts. Their "Roadbots" line is the only direct competitor to the ''[[Alternators]]'' line of licensed scale transforming cars.

* Zhong Jin, aka Playcenter<ref>Zhong Jin/Playcenter was first identified as the manufacturer of the knockoffs in September 2007, when fans noticed pictures of most of the current counterfeit G1 knockoffs on their [http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/playcenter.html Alibaba supplier website], including then-upcoming counterfeits like Warpath. Apparently aware of this, Zhong Jin took down images of all their counterfeit Transformers from the website in October or November.</ref> - The first and primary manufacturer of the high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. Zhong Jin has been making their counterfeit Transformers since 2005, starting with Beachcomber, but in 2007 began greatly increasing their range of counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs, which now includes [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], many [[Mini Vehicle|Minibots]], several Decepticon cassette 2-packs, almost all the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]],several Autobot cars, Devastator, and [[Gnaw]]. They have also done many plastic/paint variants of their knockoffs, including many clear plastic versions.

* Kidi Toys<ref>[http://www.toysghost.cn Kidi Toys' web site]</ref> - Perhaps best known as the manufacturer of the many low-quality ''Generation 1'' gestalt gift sets. Following Zhong Jin's lead, they recently began producing realistic counterfeit ''Generation 1'' knockoffs. So far, they have created knockoffs of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], both of which come in a Metroplex box. They both can be distinguished from the originals because of slightly different plastic colors. Among their other notable knockoffs are [[Alternator]] figures with new or copied paint schemes of reasonable quality.

* Citi Toys - Based in Thailand, the same company that was producing toys for McDonald's Happy Meals was also producing knockoffs of transforming robots, albeit mostly ''Brave'' and ''Power Rangers''. After news leaked out that they used child labor, new knockoffs with their "CT" logo stopped appearing, which suggests that the child labor scandal caused them to shut down.

*Agglo is a Hong Kong based company that has produced numerous Transformers knockoffs over the years. Their products have ranged from knockoffs of ''Generation 1'' figures, to ''Beast Wars'' and Japanese Beast Wars characters and even ''Robot Masters'' and ''Generation 2'' Cyberjets. They are notable for giving their lines '''insane''' names, one of their Beast Wars KO lines has been dubbed "Space Warriors Transformable Beast Tech Fighter".

*G3 Toys

*iGear

==Countries that produce or once produced knockoffs==
Most knockoffs originate outside of North America and Europe. Although most knockoff-producing countries have joined the Berne Convention and have thus obligated themselves to protect the copyrights of other countries, lax enforcement has allowed manufacturers in many foreign countries, such as China, to continue to produce knockoffs. However, manufacturers in other countries like South Korea, which was once a huge source of knockoff ''Transformers'', have in the last decade made efforts to legitimize themselves by buying the rights to produce official Korean versions of the toys they had long been copying.

[[Image:SENDTHEBOOKS.jpg|right|180px|thumb|SEND THE BOOKS!]]
* [[China]] -- The main source of the world's Transformers knockoffs and notorious for their use of gigantic blister cards. Although they are typically low quality, such as the combiner gift sets produced by Kidi Toys, it is also the home of Playcenter, the high quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toy manufacturer. China has signed the Berne Convention obligating them to protect foreign copyrights, and has enacted legislation to do so, but their enforcement remains at a pitifully weak level.

* [[South Korea]] -- Was once a hotbed of Transformers knockoff activity. It was not uncommon in South Korea for there to even be [[Phoenix King|animated series]] that incorporated multiple knocked-off properties, such as [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] fighting a Gundam or any other number of famous characters. Hilariously, "Gundam" was so embedded in the South Korean public psyche as a synonym for "giant robot" via these different bootleg outlets that the ''Gundam'' property owner Sunrise's attempts to trademark the word were entirely rejected by the courts<ref>[http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938 http://www.comipress.com/article/2006/10/28/938] Gundam and Giant Robots in South Korea</ref>. Some Korean knockoff manufacturers took great liberties with Transformers molds, such as significantly increasing their size[http://www.pleasesavemerobots.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/skorbydestrong.html], and/or retooling their alt modes to resemble completely different vehicles.[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=17850203&uid=5138952] South Korea is known for such knockoffs as oversized Combaticons, Overlord with Starsaber's face, multiple Power Master Optimus cab knockoffs, and the white Oversized ''Generation 2'' Optimus Prime (the legitimacy of which has been debated). Since the mid-/late-1990s, South Korea has begun enforcing foreign copyrights and is no longer a major source of knockoff Transformers toys.

* Taiwan -- Known for knockoffs with a lot of English text on them and higher quality than Chinese knockoffs. Many Taiwanese knockoffs found their way into Italy in the 1980s and 1990s and can often be spotted on Italian eBay. Gig, the official ''Transformers'' licensee in Italy, even imported a Taiwanese knockoff [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Like South Korea, Taiwan is no longer a major source of knockoffs.

==Transitional companies==
[[Image:AlphaBaseRobot.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Oh, hi. I cost more than a [[Mint in sealed box|MISB]] ''G1'' Overlord. Want to touch me?]]
[[Image:TrendmastersMasterbotix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|AND I'LL FORM THE HE—oh, wait.]]
Although remarkably rare, some knockoff companies eventually venture into legitimate toy design territory. One such example is Trendmasters, which started out as a knockoff manufacturer before eventually legally securing the [[wikipedia:Voltron|''Voltron'']] license. It is possible that Happy Well might also follow this lead, given their success with the original Roadbots figures and subsequent shift away from their bootleg roots.

Another such company was Korean knockoff manufacturer Academy. Academy is known for releasing the Overlord knockoff with Star Saber's head as well as the huge, up-sized ''Gundam'' Cloth MK-II. In the world of plastic scale models, they were also known for producing low-quality knockoffs of Japanese manufacturer Tamiya's kits with copied box art. Academy has since gone legit, legally acquiring such licenses as ''Gundam'', ''Naruto'', ''Tom and Jerry'', and ''Zoids''.<ref>[http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html http://www.academy.co.kr/character/index.html]</ref>

==High quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits==
Starting around 2005, high quality ''Generation 1'' knockoffs began to appear on eBay. Originating from a company called Zhong Jin in China, both the packaging and toy of the knockoffs look nearly identical to the original. Unlike normal knockoffs, these sell for remarkably high prices. Since 2005, many counterfeit ''Generation 1'' products have surfaced from Zhong Jin, including Optimus Prime, Minibots, Cassettes, Autobot cars, Devastator, Dinobots, and Gnaw. Zhong Jin also has produced many color and plastic variants of their knockoffs, such as translucent versions, which were never previously released (and some of which that were, like Jafcon Black Optimus Prime).

Recently a second knockoff company, Kidi Toys, has begun producing high quality ''Generation 1'' counterfeits as well, starting with Metroplex and Metrotitan. Fans of the knockoffs have complained that the box quality on these two releases is not as high as Zhong Jin's knockoffs and the color of the plastic is off. On the other hand, these knockoffs are much cheaper than the Zhong Jin counterfeits, and priced on par with Takaratomy reissues.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys remain extremely controversial because they are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. This situation raises concerns about unscrupulous dealers selling bootlegs as genuine articles and scrupulous ones unknowingly doing the same.

Counterfeit ''Generation 1'' parts, stickers, and boxes have appeared from Zhong Jin as well, including many that have not had a corresponding whole knockoff released, including [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] boxes and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] sticker sheets.

The counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys are often confused with the legitimate [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|Hasbro-made re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]]. (See below.)

==Myths about knockoffs==
Over the years, there have been a lot of widespread myths about knockoffs. Perhaps the most preposterous myth is that knockoffs are legal. See the Legal Analysis section above for why this theory is incorrect. Although few proponents of this theory exist, those that do claim vigorously that the presence of knockoffs on Family Dollar or Wal-Mart's shelves means that those products must be legitimate. The flaw in the reasoning here is that it assumes big chain stores would never do anything ignorantly or illegally, which is certainly [http://www.google.com/search?q=walmart+lawsuit not the case].

One long-held myth among fans (due to a general lack of information), is that the ''Generation 1'' ''Transformers'' with Chinese stickers in the corner are high-quality counterfeits. After all, they look just like the original ''Generation 1'' releases, but with some very small differences and oftentimes slightly inferior plastic quality. Recently, though, it's come out that these were, in fact, [[Generation 1 (Chinese toyline)|re-releases for the Chinese market produced from 1989 through 1995]], not unlike their Chinese ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' counterparts from around the same period. Ironically, high-quality counterfeit ''Generation 1'' toys from China would eventually come out, but it wouldn't be until 2005, a decade later.

==Recent knockoffs and the movie effect==
Since the release of the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], a flood of bootlegged figures has entered the market, with some movie line figure knockoffs appearing within a month of the official product's debut. The figures range from high-quality clones to ''very'' low-quality copies and strange variations, such as random Generation 1 figures being redone in movie paint decos (usually [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s flame scheme or [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] yellow with black stripes).

[[Image:TFA Prime KO.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Hey I'm not the KO, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|He]] is!]]

A knockoff company recently released a knockoff of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' Voyager Earth-mode [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], a couple weeks ''before'' the release of the original! The reason this occurred is that Hasbro shelved their already-manufactured ''Animated'' toys for several months in order to extend selling their popular movie line. Thus, finished ''Animated'' toys were able to leak out of factories and into hands of bootleggers long before they were to finally be released.

With the release of the 2009 [[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie line]] various knockoff toys have also emerged. These include oversized versions of the new Scout class molds, redecos of new Deluxe molds and molds from other lines redecoed to more closely resemble new characters (for instance the ''Animated'' Deluxe [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] mold repainted to look like [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], complete with door detailing).

==External links==
*[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/17 HighEndTFs' ID Guide for high quality counterfeit Generation 1 Transformers]

*[http://www.actionfigurechecklist.com/Images/Album/index.php?v=list&i=0&p=Transformers_KnockOff_KO Action Figure Checklist's Transformer Knock-Off Photo Album]

*[http://www.reocities.com/TelevisionCity/3230/tfother.html All Things Transformers - Other Transforming Toys]

*[http://www.mykooltoyz.com/bootleg-tf.html BOOTLEG TRANSFORMERS]

*[http://cybertronphils.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toyreview&action=print&thread=4183 Bootleg Center]

*[http://www22.pos.to/~butto/ttot.html Butto's Other Transforming Toys (Japanese)]

*[http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~m-akao/GALLERY/fakehp.html Fake Toy Gallery (Japanese)]

*[http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=6&uid=5138952 Hatch's Bootleg Transformers]

*[http://www.reocities.com/kidk0rrupt/frames/bootlegs.htm Kid K0rrupt's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/mmkos/index.html Rob's Pile of Transformers: Micromaster Knockoffs]

*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/ TFArchive.com's Bootleg Gallery]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/191817-knock-off-transformers-thread.html TFW2005 Ongoing Knock-Off Transformers Thread]

*[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Knockoffs/Genertaion1KnockOffs.html Toyarchive.com's Gallery of Generation 1 Knockoffs]

*[http://zobovor.20megsfree.com/knockoffs_archive.html Zobovor's Knockoff Toys Archive (text)]

*[http://www.reocities.com/scrambledcity/skorbia/index.html SKORBIA-Crazysteve's South Korean Bootleg Information Archive]

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Toys]]