MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Devcon (G1)

2025-01-01T23:42:14Z

TFMultiverse.com: /* Notes */ Michael Charles Hill confirmed the origin of “Devcon” instead of DEFCON at TFCON 2024 in Baltimore.

{{factions|autobot|wreckers|knight}}
{{disambig3|Devcon}}
:''Devcon is an [[Autobot]] from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[File:Devconbodiesprofile.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|It's turkey ''and'' jerky!]]
'''Devcon''' is a self-proclaimed bounty hunter, one of the successful few during the years of the Great War. Harboring an intense hatred of [[Decepticon]]s, he spent his time fiercely hunting those who were too dangerous for the other [[Autobot]]s to consider. Who he works for or who he would even collect money from for his "finds" is unknown.

It's possible for Devcon to survive for extended periods without refueling due to his incredibly efficient internal systems. This is often what allows him to outlast the efforts of his prey. The origin of his legendary tracking skills are unknown; much of his past is a mystery. In his original body, he has an arm-mounted plasma blaster and a head-mounted laser cannon. His space cruiser mode is capable of long range interstellar flight.<ref name="profile">Devcon's profile in [[Betrayal|''Wreckers'' #2 (revised)]]</ref>

He ''used'' to be friendly, courteous, and jovial, but his post-Great War career as an [[Imperial Peace Marshal]] apparently made him a bitter cynic.

{{quote|He used to call himself a 'bounty hunter', and I never once saw him get paid for his work.|[[Apelinq (BM)|Apelinq]]|[[Betrayal|Devcon's profile]]}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[John Stephenson]] (English), [[Hirotaka Suzuoki]] (Japanese)|[[Liu Qin]] (Chinese), [[João Francisco Turelli]] (Brazilian Portuguese), [[Éric Legrand]] (European French)}}
{{twoimages|File:Devcon-Body01.jpg|File:Gambler Devcon vehicle.jpg|w1=100|w2=244}}

Devcon left his home planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] [[MYA|millions of years ago]], "during the Great War". He was a nice guy, dedicated to his job, but lonely.

In [[1985]], Devcon tracked [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] to the gambling asteroid [[Monacus]]. When the [[Decepticon]]s unknowingly evaded him, he headed to a bar and ended up laying the smack down to a pair of thugs who were picking on [[Slizardo]], the henchman of a local mob boss. In doing so, he caught the attention of fellow Autobot [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] and the alien gambler [[Bosch]], who were down on their luck following a bad bet. Devcon was pleased by the presence of another Autobot, and sat down to drink with the pair. Devcon's life story was interrupted by Slizardo trying to pledge his eternal loyalty to him.

After helping Smokescreen and the other Autobots on Monacus (and declining an offer to join the Autobots on [[Earth]]), Devcon flew off into space with Slizardo in tow as his new sidekick. {{storylink|The Gambler}}

====''Wings Universe''====
{{Wingsnote}}
[[File:HtF-Devconwithmask.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|Alas, poor [[Steve (Vehicon)|Steve]]! I knew him, [[Ginrai (robot)|Ginrai]].]]

During a "Decepticon uprising" in the early 21st century C.E., Devcon was an Autobot bounty hunter who took down all the members of [[Axer (G1)|Axor]]'s group except for Axor. This caused the Decepticon to develop a paranoid need to be ready for anything, even when he joined the renowned pirate group known as the [[Star Seeker]]s. {{storylink|Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur}}

[[Primal Prime]] removed Devcon from the [[Wreckers]] for his failure to follow orders. To Prime's chagrin, [[Ginrai (robot)|Ginrai]] snatched up Devcon soon after and put him back to work for the [[Cybertronian Knight]]s, using the same tactics Primal Prime found abhorrent.

While hunting for [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]], Devcon and [[Apelinq (BM)|Apelinq]] tracked her handiwork to a safehouse for delegates from the [[Twin Star]] Continuum.

When the Knights were reluctantly called in for a mandatory meditation session and lecture from [[Cheetor (BW)|Alpha Trizer]], Devcon said he heard that the Wreckers would not take the mission. He further quipped to [[Flareup (G1)|Flare-Up]] that 'bots had been bored into [[stasis lock]] by such sessions, but Apelinq deemed that rumor to be an exaggeration. {{storylink|Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur|Apelinq's personal logs}}

Devcon later tracked Flamewar to the [[Galadria Space Bridge Outpost]] in the [[Delta Prysmos Sector]]. The mercenary happened across the Star Seekers, pirates led by [[Cannonball (G1)|Cannonball]] who had just time-traveled to the "present". They intended to use the space bridge nexus to access [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'s head, and use it as a massive energon siphon to drain Cybertron dry. As Flamewar joined the pirates, Devcon posed as one of the [[Dread Pirate Crew]] to mingle as they passed through the Space Bridge to Unicron. He signaled Ginrai and the Knights for backup, but was found out by the voracious [[Shokaract|Hunter]] and [[Olin Zarak]]. Still, reinforcements arrived and the Knights teamed up to defeat and apprehend Flamewar and the pirates. {{storylink|Hoist the Flag}}
{{--}}

====Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
=====''Legacy VS500 Collection Special Comic''=====
Devcon was a spectator for the second week of the [[Speedia 500]] on [[Velocitron]]. {{storylink|Velocitron Speedia 500 Part 3}}

=====''Legends'' comic=====
In 2039, Devcon reconnected with Smokescreen. The former Autobot had suffered a breakdown and turned against his comrades. Devcon told Smokescreen and his new partner [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] that it was possible to compromise in the name of peace. With Devcon's support, Smokescreen and Dreadwing agreed to make an effort to find peace with other Cybertronians. {{storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"}}
{{--}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Devconjerkhole.jpg|thumb|Used to be Charlton Heston, now he's Lobo.]]
Devcon was a jerk who ditched that Slizardo loser out an airlock first chance he got. At the end of the Great War, Devcon retired from his seemingly payless bounty hunter gig and signed on as one of the Maximals' [[Imperial Peace Marshal]]s.<ref name="profile"/>

Hundreds of [[stellar cycle]]s later, Devcon was critically damaged during the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] takeover of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and forced to transfer his [[Spark]] into one of [[Mirage (BM)|Mirage]]'s "[[chase-model drone]]s". {{storylink|Betrayal}} In need of a ride, he later snuck aboard an [[Autobot shuttle]] the [[Wreckers]] had stolen to leave Vehicon-controlled Cybertron. After attacking and defeating [[Packrat]], [[Sonar (BW)|Sonar]], and [[Mol]] for no reason, he was confronted by the rest of the Wreckers when they were alerted to his presence. {{storylink|Departure}} [[Fractyl]] and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] were also quickly dispatched before [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] could calm him down.

Devcon proceeded to sow dissent amongst the already-fractured Wreckers with his abrasive, snarky personality. After landing on [[Akalo|Archa Nine]] and failing to keep the [[Divine Light]] out of the hands of the traitorous [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], the Wreckers gladly built Devcon back into his original body so he could go away. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

[[File:Disclosure CSSB-16 Devcon & co.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Assholes finish first, losers!]]

Having sworn vengeance against Cyclonus, Devcon, knowing he needed help, sought for someone willing to assist him at [[Spaceport CSSB-16]]. Though not enough in a hurry to skip on [[Devcon's galpal|some]] [[Oil|enjoyment]], he swiftly got the [[Dinobot (BM)|Dinobots]] to join forces with him. {{storylink|Disclosure}} He was left unimpressed by the condition of T-Wreck's ship. {{storylink|The Wreckers: Finale Part 1}}

{{note|In the unpublished portion of "[[The Wreckers: Finale Part 1]]", Devcon and the Dinobots returned to Cybertron just in time to stand against the invasion of the [[Quintesson]]s, whom [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]] and Cyclonus had partnered with. Hearing the Wreckers had a beeline on the villains, Devcon met up with them deep below Cybertron and did battle with Cyclonus. He was present when [[Primal Prime]] and [[Apelinq (BM)|Apelinq]] fused into the [[Primus]]-powered [[Sentinel Maximus]] to oppose the equally empowered Cryotek.}}

As Sentinel Maximus and Cryotek began their epic battle, Devcon and the Wreckers were left to deal with Cyclonus, Cryotek's pet [[Deployer (BM)|Deployer]] [[Chro]], a borrowed swarm of [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s, and a legion of drones created by the Divine Light. Typical Wrecker odds. Even their vaunted tenacity started to slip, however, as more and more heroes fell in battle or just [[Cauldron|vanished mysteriously]]. With the drones destroyed and Rodimus occupying Cyclonus, Devcon and the newly arrived [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] were the only ones left standing against the mutated Deployer. A stray shot left Devcon stunned and helpless, and he would have been destroyed by Chro if not for the well-timed arrival of [[Tigatron]] and Arcee with reinforcements. The Wreckers arrived in time for the final conflict between Sentinel Maximus and Cryotek, but were unable to stop their leader from sacrificing himself to carry Cryotek through a portal into the featureless void, opened by their treacherous ally, the Quintesson [[Al-badur]]. With Rodimus dead and Maximus gone, it was a pyrrhic victory at best.

After the invasion was quelled, Devcon planned to take off for deep space again. As security chief of Cybertron, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] offered him a position with planetary defense, but the bounty hunter declined. Devcon finally admitted that he had at least given Slizardo a space suit and survival kit before dumping him out that airlock, and that maybe he'd seek the little guy out to restart their partnership after all. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

Devcon was a [[Child of Primus]].<ref name="profile"/>

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:Devcon empty.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Invisible derelict.]]
Devcon was sitting against a pipe near an entrance to the [[Old Slave Trails]] on a [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]-controlled Cybertron. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

===''Kre-O'' online manga===
[[File:KreO-webcomic-4-Devcon.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.25]]
Devcon had himself a hearty laugh when [[Megatron (Kre-O)|Megatron]] attempted to replicate [[Optimus Prime (Kre-O)|Optimus Prime]]'s new clear-torso'd power-up via a see-through negligee. {{Storylink|Wheeljack's Bizarre Invention! Optimus Power Up!?}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
At some point during the war, Devcon became a binary bonded [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] with his partner, [[Slizardo]]. Continuing his role as a bounty hunter and peacekeeping agent, Devcon accepted a mission to hunt down the Cybertronian space pirates known as the [[Star Seeker]]s after the [[Armistice]] and [[Great Push]] severely limited Cybertron's [[Allowed Zone]] in space. Teamed with another Headmaster pair, Devcon and his partners defeated the Star Seekers and brought them back to Cybertron for trial. {{storylink|Safe Spaces|Star Dasher's profile}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===''Expanded Universe''===
[[File:DevconCatalog.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Somehow even snarkier than this wiki.]]
<ul class=iconlist>{{bp-a1|'''Devcon''' (<s>2002</s>)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories:'' Two missiles
:At [[BotCon 2001]], a hand-painted [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] [[Mirage (BM)#Toys|Mirage]], representing Devcon as seen in the ''Wreckers'' comics, was one of several future exclusives that attendees could vote to have produced for [[BotCon 2002]]. He evidently lost the vote, as the ultra-sized [[Jetstorm (BM)#BMUltra|Jetstorm]] as G1 [[Cyclonus (G1)/toys#Universe (2003)|Cyclonus]] was produced the following year. The mock-up was put on display along with many other unmade Wreckers toys in the BotCon 2002 art room.
::*''[http://www.transformertoys.co.uk/resources/review/universe/devcon/3799 Image gallery of the hand-painted sample of the Botcon figure, purchased from Jon Hartman by Transformers at the Moon]''
{{canceledtoy}}
{{--}}

===''Universe'' (2003)===
[[File:Devconslugslinger.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|]]
<ul class=iconlist>{{bp-a1|'''Devcon''' (<s>2005</s>)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories:'' Missile
:Among the submitted proposals for [[3H Productions|3H]]'s OTFCC 2005 exclusives was ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Slugslinger (Energon)#Toys|Slugslinger]] (with a new head) as ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' Devcon. Whether it actually would have been produced had 3H kept the convention license is unknown.
{{canceledtoy}}
{{--}}

===''Timelines''===
[[File:BotCon2014-Devcon.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|Fun Pub tempts fate.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-multi|'''Pirates vs Knights''' (BotCon 2014 box set)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': 2 handguns

: [[Exclusive]] to [[BotCon 2014]], ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' "Knight Devcon" is a [[retool]] of ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' [[Scourge (G1)/toys#Generations|Scourge]], and transforms into a jet loosely based on the {{w|Boeing X-48}} blended wing body concept aircraft. He comes with two weapons that are both held via [[5 mm post|5mm post]], and can combine via [[C joint]]. These weapons can store inside each of his cape halves/aircraft wings. The weapon with the clip can also attach to the 3mm bar of his head-mounted laser. You can get the weapon to peg into the screwhole on his elbow to approximate the cartoon model's arm-mounted cannon, but it's a really really tight and shallow fit. Like many, many aircraft-based Transformers, Devcon possesses landing gear in his [[alternate mode]]. There is a pair of flaps near the middle of his underside that can unfold to display six wheels, and underneath his [[robot mode]] head is a seventh landing gear wheel that can be flipped out.

: Devcon's new headsculpt is very similar to, but different from, the Devcon-esque "pretooled" alternate head that ultimately was used for the [[Sweep (G1)#Generations|''Platinum Edition'' "Decepticon Sweep"]]. Fun Publications was not made aware that the Devcon head existed, thus the redundant retooling.

: He was only available in a box set with fellow knight [[Ginrai (robot)#Timelines|Ginrai]] and the pirates [[Cannonball (G1)#Timelines|Cannonball]], [[Ferak#Timelines|Ferak]], [[Tornado#Timelines|Tornado]], [[Scorponok (G1)#Timelines|Scorponok]], and [[Olin Zarak]].

:This toy was also [[redeco]]ed with the mold's alternate head into [[TakaraTomy]] ''Generations'' [[Ratbat (G1)#Generations|Ratbat]] and ''Timelines'' [[Serpentor#Timelines|Serpent O.R.]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/BCDevcon/devcon.htm More information on Devcon at TFU.info]''
{{GenerationsScourgeMold}}
{{--}}

===''Legacy''===
[[File:LegacyEvolutiontoy-Devcon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Back to the Cold War.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Devcon''' (Deluxe, 2023)}}</ul>
:*''TakaraTomy name'': '''Autobot Defcon''' (オートボットデフコン)
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''TL-44'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': [[2023]] [[October 28]]
:*''Accessories'': Blaster, 2 Thrusters
:*''Known designers'': [[Mark Maher]] (Hasbro), [[Ittoku Kuwazu]] and [[Shogo Hasui]] (TakaraTomy)<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/CqoV3QvvZAS/ Design notes] on ''Legacy'' Devcon from [[Hasbro]] designer [[Mark Maher]] on Instagram</ref>

: Released in the sixth wave of ''[[Transformers: Legacy| Legacy]]'' Deluxes, ''Legacy: Evolution'' "Autobot Devcon" is a ''heavy'' retooling of the ''[[Studio Series]]'' [[Blurr (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Blurr]] mold into an animation-accurate version of the character, turning into a Cybertronian aircraft in 13 steps. His [[Evo-Fusion]] technology is his two detachable thrusters, which can be attached to his handheld blaster to form a "laser cannon". They can also be worn on his back as a [[jet pack]], or otherwise rest on the back of his calves. Devcon ''can'' be transformed with his thrusters on his legs, though it can result in them facing upwards.

:Designer Mark Maher wanted to include [[Slizardo]] with this figure, but unfortunately could not fit it into the budget.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qv8dh66d48&t=1152 Transformers Fanstream] on [[Hasbro Pulse]]'s Youtube channel, [[April 4]], 2023</ref>

:Despite what the stock renders depict, the 5mm hands are left unpainted in the actual product.

:Devcon's shipping wave barely hit brick-and-mortar stores at all, and many online retailers did not get Devcon in their orders from Hasbro, instead receiving solid cases of the individual characters Tarantulas, Axlegrease, and Beachcomber. Devcon remained scarce months after, leading to rumors that the toy may have been pulled out of the wave in mid-distribution, possibly related to the concurrent preorder cancellations of the [[Nacelle (G1)#Legacy|Nacelle]] Amazon exclusive. Perhaps Devcon truly ''is'' cursed after all!

::*''[https://www.instagram.com/p/CqoV3QvvZAS/ Designer commentary on ''Legacy'' Devcon from Mark Maher on Instagram]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
*Devcon's name is a play on the word "{{w|DEFCON}}", an acronym related to military alertness. Devcon’s creator, franchise writer [[Michael Charles Hill]], originally used the word DEFCON as the character’s name, but changed it due to series writing restrictions on “nuclear” terms related to [[Cold War (history)|Cold War]] tensions at the time. To preserve his intent, Hill instead used a soundalike word.{{Fact}}
*Michael Charles Hill created Devcon in his first writing job for the franchise, unaware that non-toy featured characters were uncommon in the series. Since there was no bounty hunter character in the ''Transformers'' cartoon and the script for "The Gambler" called for one, Hill simply created his own. He would later regret not bringing Devcon back in more episodes, since the possibility never occurred to him at the time.{{Fact}}
*Devcon's inclusion in the ''Wreckers'' comic was due to writer [[Rob Gerbracht]] being a big fan of the character. A serialized web series written in the style of Gerbracht's [[Apelinq's War Journals]] was planned to describe the fall of the Peace Marshals and Devcon's escape from torture at the hands of [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]]. These were among many ideas that went unrealized as [[3H Productions]] inched closer to its eventual demise. Devcon's deep-seated anger and hatred of [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], oddly alluded to throughout "[[Betrayal]]", subsequently went unexplained beyond a general distrust for Decepticons.
*Like all non-toy robot Kreons in the ''Kre-O'' comics, Devcon is made from existing ''Kre-O'' parts. He actually eschews a helmet-piece like the others, so a standard small pistol can be plugged into the hole on the top of a Kreon head-piece. Neat, huh?
*The Headmaster ''Beast Wars: Uprising'' incarnation of Devcon was never visually depicted, but a possible look for him and Slizardo can be seen in editor [[Jesse Wittenrich]]'s mockup.<ref>[https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/new-images-of-concepts-and-customized-figures-from-fun-pub-at-petes-robot-convention-2017/39073/ Concepts and Customized Figures from Fun Pub at Pete's Robot Convention 2017] [http://snakas.blog95.fc2.com/blog-entry-7358.html Unused Headmaster Devcon with Slizardo mock up concept(archived)] {{Citesocial|quote=I had a couple people ask me if I thought Legacy Devcon being a(n extensive) retool of Blurr was an homage to the unrealized Fun Pub Devcon that I had painted the mock up for. That would be cool. But I think it's just a coincidence since it works so well.|link=https://twitter.com/JesseWittenrich/status/1643777716041154560|name=Jesse Wittenrich|site=Twitter|day=05|month=04|year=2023}}</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Defcon''' (デフコン ''Defukon'')
*''French:'' '''Devcan'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Devcon''' (Taiwan, 戴夫康 ''Dài Fū Kāng''), '''Díwúshuāng''' (China, 敌无双, "Peerless")
*''Russian:'' '''Piston''' (Пистон)

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Machines Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising Autobots]]
[[Category:BotCon exclusives]]
[[Category:Bounty hunters]]
[[Category:Children of Primus]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon Autobots]]
[[Category:Knights]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legacy Autobots]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]

The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

2024-04-05T12:08:01Z

TFMultiverse.com: /* Real-world references */

{{episode|
|series=G1toon
|series2=2010
|ep=95
|ep2=32
|prev2=The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1
|next2=Four Warriors Come out of the Sky
|image=ReturnOptimusPrime2 Matrix open.JPG
|caption=Hmm, this looks familiar...
|title="The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2"
|season=3
|season ep=30
|production code=700-116
|airdate=[[February 25]], 1987
|teleplay by=[[Michael Charles Hill]]
|story by=[[Cherie Wilkerson]] and [[Marv Wolfman]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Toei Animation|Toei]], [[Studio Look]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEr_OK8xD1c
|videosite=YouTube
}}
'''Optimus and a handful of Autobots make a desperate bid to recover the Matrix, in the hopes that a cure for the Hate Plague can be found.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Primeandjessicamorgan.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Chip Chase, is that you?]]
Within [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] has been fully restored to life by [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] and [[Klementia|a Quintesson survivor]] of the rampant [[Hate Plague]] that's infecting the universe. Prime demands to know what has happened during his time on the [[Transformer afterlife|other side]]. Sky Lynx recaps the events that had conspired to bring him back, including [[Jessica Morgan]]'s valiant play to save him from total destruction, the discovery of the Hate Plague spores, and the trap laid out by [[Mark Morgan|Jessica's father]] and her partner [[Gregory Swofford]] to infect the [[Autobot]]s with the spores in revenge, which ultimately spiraled out of control. It was thought by [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus]], before his infection, that Prime would know what it would take to stop the plague. Prime asks who is available, and learns of the Autobots injured battling [[Superion (G1)|Superion]].

The survivors are brought back to Autobot City, where the [[Quintesson]] manages to reactivate them, completely rebuilding [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] into Goldbug. When Goldbug asks what the plan is, Prime admits that he doesn't have a plan. Without the accumulated wisdom within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] (which now resides in Rodimus), he doesn't have a clue as to where to start. That is, until Jessica comes forward with the experimental alloy that she, her father, and Gregory had worked on, which proved strong enough to block the spores. Theoretically, coating Optimus with this alloy would protect himself from the spores' infection and allow him to get close enough to Rodimus to extract the Matrix from him. However, all remaining alloy samples were stolen by the Decepticons. The Autobots decide to retrieve the metal.

[[File:ReturnOptimusPrime2 crazycons.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Cyclonus and Scourge each spent 2,000 XP to create the Level 7 Flame Barrier spell. Unfortunately, Galvatron has Protection from Fire with Permanency effect.]]
Meanwhile, on [[Chaar]], [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] is pinned down by his own mutinously diseased soldiers, unable to fight back against their maddening ferocity... until Optimus and his team arrive to save the day, convincing Galvatron that it would be in his best interest to join in an alliance with them. As is his way, however, the Decepticon leader is suspicious of Optimus's motives, especially when he learns they need the alloy he stole, but cannot get a reason for it out of them. He agrees to join in and leads Optimus and his gang down a series of boobytrapped tunnels, their numbers dwindling from the tunnel's natural hazards and the infected Decepticon mob behind them, until only Optimus, Galvatron, Sky Lynx, and Jessica arrive at the alloy's hiding place. Unfortunately, Jessie accidentally lets slip their plan to coat Optimus with the metal after confirming there would be enough of it to do the job, prompting Galvatron to turn on Optimus in hopes of using the process on himself, but he is soon subdued by Sky Lynx. Under coercion, Galvatron loads the alloy onto Prime's trailer but doesn't notice that an infected [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] has managed to sneak in, infecting Jessica in the process. Jessica, in turn, infects Galvatron, forcing Sky Lynx and Optimus to flee back to Earth.

[[File:ReturnOptimusPrime2 Primes duel.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|So I guess Rodimus is a bottom... to Ultra Magnus?]]
Once on Earth, Optimus is coated with the alloy, and sets out to find Rodimus. He finds him taking down infected Transformers with reckless glee, and attempts to reason with him, which fails. Unwilling to hurt his successor, Prime lures Rodimus to a nearby auto shop, attempting to peacefully subdue and talk Rodimus into helping him, but the Hate Plague is overriding any effort to do so, forcing Optimus to knock Rodimus out and take the Matrix back by force.

Back at Autobot City, Optimus dives into the Matrix to question the elders of the past in reverse chronological order (of their history) to try and find out any information on the spores. The spirit of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] warns him that if he travels too far, he risks becoming lost within the Matrix itself. During Prime's journey, the Quintesson that revived him notices a troop of infected Transformers attempting to get in, and manages to temporarily shut them out, giving Optimus the time he needs to finally find his answer. He learns that, in a period of pre-Cybertronian history, the Plague ''has'' visited the planet before, but was contained and sealed inside the star Jessica and Gregory found it in using sheer wisdom, though even back then, no one had the wisdom to destroy the spores, and now that it has spread so much throughout the galaxy, it's doubtful that anyone has the wisdom to even contain them again. Optimus then realizes that a source of raw wisdom may be available to destroy the infection once and for all: the accumulated wisdom within the Matrix of Leadership.

The infected Transformers finally break into the base, and corner the Quintesson, who begs them to stop. Galvatron grabs a metal pole, intending to impale Prime. However, Prime's chest opens to reveal a glowing Matrix, surprising the Transformers. Asking it to "light our [[darkest hour]]", Optimus Prime releases the energy of the Matrix of Leadership, which spreads across the world and across the universe, and totally eradicates the Plague.

Some while later, in Autobot City, a remorseful Gregory and Jessica's father offer deep apologies to the Autobots, while Galvatron, in a rare moment of calm, shakes his old enemy's hand, proclaiming that Prime has earned his respect and that "there will be no war today." Rodimus (now once more Hot Rod, without the Matrix within him) notes that the Matrix is now empty, its wisdom supposedly lost in order to stop the plague. Optimus, however, disagrees; they have all become a little wiser, now, and although the Matrix is indeed empty of wisdom, it is up to them from then on to fill it again with their knowledge and experience. Optimus, once again the Autobot leader, orders his troops to "Transform and [[roll out]]".

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] (2)
*[[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]] (6)
*[[Chase (G1)|Chase]] (7)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (8)
*[[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] (10)
*[[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]] (11)
*[[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] (12)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee/Goldbug]] (13)
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] (14)
*[[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] (15)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime/Hot Rod]] (26)
*[[Searchlight (G1)|Searchlight]] (27)
*[[Freeway (G1)|Freeway]] (28)
*[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] (29)
*[[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] (31)
*[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] (32)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (33)
|c2=
*[[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (16)
*[[Scourge (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Scourge]] (17)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] (18)
*[[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]] (19)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (20)
*[[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (21)
*[[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] (22)
*[[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] (23)
*[[Headstrong (G1)|Headstrong]] (24)
*[[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]] (25)
|c3=
*[[Jessica Morgan]] (4)
*[[Gregory Swofford]] (5)
*[[Mark Morgan]] (34)
|c4=
*[[Klementia|Quintesson judge]] (3)
*[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]] (9)
*[[It]] (30)
}}

==Quotes==
"We need a plan! Okay, Optimus, what's the plan?" 
"I... have no plan."
:—'''Goldbug''' and '''Optimus Prime''', the latter of whom is not exactly inspiring confidence

"[[Roll out|Autobots, transform and roll out]]!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''', getting back into the swing of things.

"Fools, I am your leader! ... It's no use. You're all crazed!"
:—'''Galvatron''' fighting his infected and insane troops. The irony fairy just had a coronary.

"Have I no friends left?!" 
"Well, well, what have we here?" 
"Looks like something the cat dragged in."
:—'''Galvatron''' is no longer so impressive to '''Cyclonus''' and '''Predaking'''

[[File:ReturnOptimusPrime2 Prime Galvatron.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|"Come on, Optimus, why can't we be friends?"
 "When we first met, you shot me and my girlfriend. You make a bad first impression."]]

[[File:Roop2 prime vs prime.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"NO ONE is innocent!" ...especially not after this series of screencaps.]]

"Come on, Optimus, tell me! Why do you want this metal? How will it be used? Why is it so precious?" 
"I've explained it to you." 
"You told me it was important, but you didn't tell me why!" 
"That's because I know you too well, Galvatron."
:—'''Galvatron''' and '''Optimus Prime''' resuming their same old song and dance

"I don't need you anymore, Optimus. So much for your resurrection!"
:—'''Galvatron''', same song, different tune

"I don't want to hurt you, Rodimus!" 
"Don't worry, Optimus, you won't! HAHAHAHAH!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Rodimus Prime''' throw down.

"No more games, Rodimus! Innocent lives are at stake!" 
"''No one'' is innocent!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Rodimus Prime''' throw down some more... right before Optimus clocks him.

"Now, light our darkest hour!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''', proving that destiny and Chosen Ones mean nothing when pitted against letters from angry kids and parents.

"There will be no war today, Optimus Prime. You have earned Galvatron's respect."
:—'''Galvatron''', totally sane for the first time since... ever

"The wisdom of the ages! It's lost!" 
"No, not lost. We're all a little wiser now." 
"But the Matrix is empty!" 
"It's up to all of us to fill it again—with the wisdom we accumulate from this moment on. Autobots, transform and roll out!"
:—'''Hot Rod''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

==Season 5==
{{note|When this episode was rebroadcast in [[The Transformers (cartoon)#Season 5|the fifth season]] of ''The Transformers'', it contained new bookending segments with original story material.}}
[[File:GetThatMicrophoneOuttaMyFace.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4]]
[[Tommy Kennedy|Tommy]] meets with [[Powermaster]] [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] ("The greatest fighter in the galaxy") in the barren wasteland to continue their interview for the [[Autobot City News]]. Optimus takes exception to being called a "fighter", as he doesn't agree that fighting is always the solution. In fact, in order to cure the galaxy of the [[Hate Plague]], he had to find a solution ''other'' than fighting...

With the tale concluded, Optimus asks Tommy if he'd like to help him refuel [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]]. Tommy is psyched to participate in such a "privilege" and signs off his report. He then clings to Prime's head as they blast off into space.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Production information===
* Final script: 24th November 1986

===Continuity notes===
[[File:It wireframe.gif|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"Excuse me sir! Do you have Prince Albert in a can? You do?? Well, you better let the poor guy out! WUHAH! WUHAH!
WUHAH!"]]
*Prime says of Galvatron: "That's because I know you too well..." As this is the first time Optimus has really met Galvatron (apart from a brief firefight while being a half-alive quasi-zombie in "[[Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening]]"), it seems that he's able to recognize his [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|old foe]], despite the change in name and appearance. Optimus likely learned of Galvatron's identity while Galvatron briefly possessed the Matrix in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]".
*Furthering the sense that the Throttlebots were thrown into this two-parter at the last minute, the only dialogue they receive comes in this episode: a collection of generic barely-on-screen shouts delivered by [[Frank Welker]] ("Smash Rodimus!") and [[Jack Angel]] ("After him!") that aren't attributed to any individual members of the group. Dedicated performers would later be cast to play the individual Throttlebots in "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]".
*Optimus's journey through the Matrix gives us a look at some of its early bearers. It almost goes without saying that these robots don't resemble any of the ones we saw back in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]". Moving backwards in time, they include:
**A broad-faced 'bot with prominent cheekguards
**A slimmer, decrepit-looking 'bot in similar colors - the ancient rhyming Autobot from "[[Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust]]".
**A heavily-bearded 'bot - the original "military hardware" (pre-'''Decepticon'''!) design from "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]".
**A wireframe-style entity referred to in the script as "[[It]]", bearing a strong resemblance to a Quintesson Judge's Death head. A version of this design appeared previously in Rodimus Prime's dream sequence in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2]]".
*Upon entering the Matrix of Leadership, the first Autobot that Optimus Prime encounters is Rodimus Prime; then he converses with Alpha Trion. The latter's appearance there is somewhat puzzling, as it was [[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2|previously established]] (and [[The Rebirth, Part 2|later reiterated]]) that he had merged with Vector Sigma. Alpha Trion's presence makes even ''less'' sense considering that it was clearly stated in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]" that he had never taken the Matrix for himself, thus eliminating the possibility that a "backup copy" of himself had somehow been "uploaded" into it. A variety of later fiction would, indirectly, offer explanations centering around the connection between the [[Transformer afterlife|Allspark]], the Matrix, Vector Sigma and Primus. In Alpha Trion's case he's in the afterlife, which one can communicate with through both the Matrix and Vector Sigma. Rodimus's presence is more murky, but can be accounted for by the notion of the Matrix as a gateway to the Allspark.
*Optimus using the Matrix to cure the Hate Plague bears more than a passing resemblance to when Rodimus Prime used the Matrix to destroy [[Unicron]] in [[The Transformers: The Movie|''The Movie'']]. They've even got "[[The Touch]]" playing in the background.
*In Japanese continuity, the events of [[The Great Transformer War issue 3|issue 3]] of ''[[The Great Transformer War]]'' take place shortly after this episode, helping to bridge the gap between it and "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]", the first episode of ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]''.

===Real-world references===
*''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' sound effects:
**A mix of [[TIE Fighter]] and [[X-wing Fighter|X-Wing]] engines as Sky Lynx rescues the Quintesson during the recap.
**The sound of the darting [[Wikia:Starwars:Marksman-H training remote|Marksman-H training remote]] can briefly be heard as Prime's chest pops open to unleash the Matrix's power.

===Animation and technical errors===
[[File:Goldbugtroop1.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.85|Goldbug Prime.]]
*The chair Optimus was sitting on is missing at the beginning of the episode.
*Optimus's fog lights are entirely red, even at the bulbs, which should be yellow or white.
*The recap animation shows Prime's body being pulled out of his ship with several cables. While this idea makes perfect sense, no cables were used during the actual event last episode.
*As Sky Lynx recaps last episode's events, the animation shows the exploding detonator/asteroid/planet/whatever-else-the-script-has-retconned-it-into-being... while he describes the ''star'' going nova. Granted, it's repeating the same goof as the previous ep.
*When the small group of Autobots is restored, Steeljaw's paws are over the side of the table in one shot and beside him in the next shot.
*In his first full body shot, Goldbug's head is drawn off-model, with pointier horns, smaller eyes and a much simpler mouthplate that looks more like Optimus Prime's than Goldbug's zigzag-shaped plate.
*As he speaks with the group, the closeups of Optimus's face from the side have the panel on the left side of his head in gray instead of blue. The long shots don't show his mouth plate moving as he speaks.
*During Blurr's "let's go!" rambling, the Quintesson wobbles around a bit.
*After Kup suggests the Autobots steal the metal back, Steeljaw (who's very close to the camera) is Rampage colored like Steeljaw.
*When Optimus Prime kneels down to talk to Jessica Morgan, Goldbug's feet (in the background) are colored gray instead of gold, even though his shins are still gold.
[[File:Roop kup and prime.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]
*When the small group of Autobots is restored, Optimus suddenly has his rifle back, though he wasn't holding it in the previous shots.
*As the group "rolls out," Kup is shown driving backward (unless he turns around after the scene transition...).
*The red squares are missing from the tops of Galvatron's shoulders in several shots. His chin is gray in some and dark gray in others as well.
*The Autobots on Charr transform to robot mode with the descending-pitch transformation noise, rather than the ascending-pitch version that usually goes with car-to-robot transformations.
*Optimus's rifle has the basic Autobot gun sound effect rather than its usual sound effect.

*As Optimus drives through the cave, his trailer is missing its Autobot symbol.
*Just before he transforms inside the cave, Optimus' bumper and grille are red instead of gray.

*In the distant shot of the Autobots, just before the [[Chaarantula|spider]] approaches them, Blaster appears to have Blast Off's colors.
*Some shots show the crest on Optimus's helmet framed in gray, while others (such as during his "know you too well" line) have it framed in blue.
*A close-up of Jessica reacting to the spider's approach shows her without her exo-suit, which she is shown wearing immediately before and after.
*Blaster's forehead is red instead of white in the following shot.
*As the energy leeches drop on Optimus, his fog lights are long cylinders rather than short triangles.
*Just before getting infected, Blaster has no lines on his switch plate.
*"We have to get out of here!" - Optimus's faceplate is misaligned with his helmet.
*When Galvatron shoots the top of the cave the second time, some of the rocks stay in mid-air.
*When they enter the Decepticon lab, Galvatron is taller than Optimus. In most other shots, he's shorter than Optimus.
*As Jessica discovers the alloy in the lab, Optimus is missing the Autobot symbol on his shoulder.
*After she makes the discovery, a shot shows the sides of Optimus' midsection in white instead of red.
*When Galvatron is threatening Optimus after they find the heat-resistant metal, Galvatron's cannon has a trigger on it.
*When escaping after Galvatron is infected, Optimus and his cab are colored entirely white (as if already coated in the resistant metal!)
*Searchlight and Chase fire their first few laser shots at Rodimus without any sound effects. Their first shots are purple, but in the next shot they're firing orange lasers.
*During the subsequent fighting, nobody gets the right sound effect; the Throttlebots and Rodimus all use a non-standard laser sound.
*When he first meets Optimus, Rodimus is missing his Autobot symbol.
*The subsequent shots show Rodimus as semi-transparent.
*As Rodimus drives out of the junkyard a few moments later, he floats above the ground.
[[File:Hate Plague Rodimus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|right|]]
*Rodimus's gun fires yellow shots at times and purple shots in others. And what happened to his rifle?
*As Optimus grapples with Rodimus, Rodimus's Autobot logo disappears in a few frames.
*The inside of Rodimus' mouth is gray as he delivers the "no one is innocent!" line.
[[File:ReturnOptimusPrime2 Alpha Trion miscolored.jpg‎|thumb|upright=1.4|Trust the Gorton's fisherbot!]]
*The close-up of Optimus aboard the newly-infected Sky Lynx shows a standard non-infected coloration behind him.
*The ceiling of the junkyard plant has beams framing the glass, yet the beams disappear when Sky Lynx crashes through them.
*Sky Lynx ''also'' disappears after crashing through the glass.
*As Optimus struggles with Rodimus the second time, Optimus's Autobot logo is framed in white in some shots, black in others.
*When Optimus takes the Matrix from Rodimus, the "glow" from the Matrix lags behind the Matrix itself when he raises it up. Rodimus's chest cavity is also a huge chasm, rather than the usual Matrix-sized compartment.
*In the next shot, Rodimus is laying there with his chest suddenly closed again.
*When Optimus is talking to Alpha Trion, Alpha Trion is miscolored. He's grey, slate blue and orange when shown from the front, and entirely orange when shown from the side. He should be grey, dark red and dark blue. It seems the colorists confused him with the Custodiobot from "[[Surprise Party]]".
*When Headstrong and Tantrum get smushed by the doors, they cry out in generic, distinctly non-Predacon voices.
*When Optimus activates the Matrix, its handles disappear. They're back again in the next shot.
*Jessica's facial appearance in this episode is different than it was in Part 1.
*"The wisdom of the ages... lost." - Hot Rod has a Decepticon symbol on his chest.
*In the same shot, Optimus Prime's thigh is miscolored.
*"But the Matrix is empty!" - Hot Rod has the extra lines on his face that accompany his incarnation as Rodimus.
*As Optimus is explaining that the Matrix must be refilled with the future wisdom, he is colored as if he still has the heat-resistant metal on him.
*In the same shot, Hot Rod looks bigger than Optimus even though he should be much smaller (especially now that he's not Rodimus anymore).
*In the last shot of the episode, Optimus is missing his smoke stacks, the front of his cab has the gray stripes but the sides do not, and his trailer is again missing its Autobot logo; meanwhile, Blurr clips into Kup and his front end disappears from the frame.

===Continuity errors===
*Optimus's last line in Part 1 was "This time, no force in the universe can stop me." His first line here is "''Now'', no force in the universe ''will'' stop me."
*Sky Lynx is in two parts at the beginning. He was the full walking bird at the end of the last episode.
*After Sky Lynx's recap, Optimus is seen getting up from a table and walking over to where he was a minute earlier. There was no table behind him in previous shots, and no reason for him to lay down for a moment.
*So....how ''exactly'' does Sky Lynx know every single detail of what happened in the previous episode? He wasn't even there when half of those recapped events took place!
*Given that the Autobots are in a rush to save the galaxy, why did the Quintessons take the time to retool Bumblebee into Goldbug?
*How did Kup know that Rodimus had been contaminated? He was deactivated by Superion before that happened, and wasn't around for Sky Lynx's recap.
* Wouldn’t the Autobots and Decepticons have to worry about Trypticon getting infected?
*The alloy is heat-resistant to the point of surviving a supernova in the [[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1|previous episode]]. Yet it now can be melted down to coat Optimus Prime with it.
*A machine is used to coat Optimus Prime with this superheated alloy. What was ''it'' made out of, and why wasn't that material used?
*And did anyone manage to explain how heat resistance works against spores? What exactly do the writers think {{w|spore}}s are?
*Appearing/disappearing Autobots:
**The Transformers wounded by [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] (and listed by Sky Lynx) included Steeljaw and Wheelie. At the Autobot lab, Wheelie is replaced by Blaster.
**Steeljaw is revived at the Autobot City lab, but not seen afterwards.
*Continuing the confusion started by the combiners last episode, the infected Decepticons work ''together'' to fight Galvatron and the others, instead of attacking each other.
*Worse, when outnumbered by the Autobots, Cyclonus orders the other Decepticons to retreat, and they follow his command.
*Sky Lynx doesn't help during the spider attack, even though he ''can'' fly.
*Where's the trailer go?
**Optimus is coated in the alloy in robot mode. How does his trailer get coated?
**For that matter, where's the trailer been hanging out for the past couple of years since Optimus died, and how did he get back together with it? It just kinda rolls in as usual when he first transforms.
*Goldbug, Kup and Blaster get infected without being touched; in fact they don't even try to avoid it. Sky Lynx was right next to them but doesn't get infected. Huh?
[[File:Rodimus Matrix Chamber FFOD DA TROOP.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|One toy, four variants.]]
*Sky Lynx suddenly grows a pair of hands to pick up Galvatron's [[particle cannon]] with. Even if they're supposed to be his bird mode legs (which they appear to be based on), what is he standing on?
*Shouldn't Jessica's full-body exo-suit protect her from direct contact and infection?
*After Jessica Morgan and Galvatron got infected, Optimus and Sky Lynx speed off. Jessica makes a jump for Sky Lynx and briefly clings onto his tail before losing her grip, yet Sky Lynx ''still'' doesn't get infected.
*How do the support beams in the junkyard plant hold Optimus and Rodimus' weight?
*Rodimus's Matrix chamber opens via a pair of rectangular swing-out doors much like Optimus' chamber. In "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4," the door opened in the middle of the flame on his chest. In "Dark Awakening", it hinged across the left side of the flame, and the whole design opened to reveal the chamber.
*When Optimus puts the Matrix into his chest, he puts it in ''lengthwise''. Surely his months of deactivation haven't made him forget how the thing sat in his chest for ''millions of years''?
*The infected transformers work ''together'' to find Optimus Prime, instead of attacking each other.
*"It" tells Prime that "a wise man was able to contain the spores, but...no one had the wisdom to [destroy them]." The implication seems to be that a smart dude figured out a way to control the spores. Yet Prime - and the plot - proceed to interpret this as meaning that "wisdom" is like some kind of laser beam spore-cleaning agent - just point it at the spores and pull the trigger!
*In the movie, the Matrix took up the top half of Optimus' chest compartment and was behind a flip-up panel. Here, it fills in the whole (now hollow) cavity with no panel or other electronics to be seen.
*How exactly did Jessica get off [[Chaar]]?
[[File:Swafford&morganG1.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"Take our hands! Please!" "Make it your faces and we'll talk."]]
*And what are she and Gregory Swofford doing in [[Moscow]] by the time they're cured of the Hate Plague? It's not just a case of an accidentally recycled background from the previous shot (which did depict actual Russians being cured of the Hate Plague)—even though both shots feature onion domes reminiscent of Saint Basil's Cathedral, they're definitely different background paintings. So... what gives?
*How did they get the alloy ''off'' Optimus Prime? And why would they want to, if it's so resilient? (Unless... they just painted over the alloy?)
*The timing of the last scene is odd. It's long enough after the cure is unleashed for Optimus to have the metal removed or painted over, and for Kup, Hot Rod, Ultra Magnus, and the three humans to arrive at Autobot City. Yet Galvatron is still hanging around, and both he and Hot Rod speak as though the previous scene's events just happened.
**Interestingly, Galvatron is consistently portrayed without his cannon in this scene.
*Does anyone else think that Dr. Swofford and Morgan get off waaaaay too easy at the end of the episode? They ''willingly'' unleash the hate plague that causes widespread devastation (and probably death) across not just the world but the entire galaxy, just to spite the Autobots, and they get off by just saying "sorry"? (Then again, we don't actually ''see'' Optimus shaking their hands. Burn!)

===Trivia===
[[File:DialogueScriptTROOPOrionPax.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|So this is odd.]]
*Following the average-for-[[Toei Animation]] Part 1, this episode's artwork quality is among the series' best, with loads of detailed shading, the same pink-glowing-smoke-explosions seen in ''Transformers: The Movie'', and characters generally on-model and well-drawn.
*The portion of "The Touch" that plays includes the line about "Hell breaking loose," an unusually strong word for an American '80s TV cartoon. Guess the censors were looking elsewhere that day. (Amusing timing as a bamboozled Galvatron says "What is this?", seemingly in reaction to the song replacing the show's usual background music!)
*The [[Sunbow Productions]] cast list entry for this episode lists Orion Pax as appearing. A flashback to Optimus Prime's early days that was removed for time constraints, you might think? No. According to the [[dialogue script]] for the episode, Orion Pax was originally going to be the one to ask Prime why he had returned to the Matrix! Presumably someone on staff caught the error early enough, as Pax's line in the final cut went to Alpha Trion. (The dialogue script also misspells "Trion" as "Tion", for that matter.)
*[[Jack Angel]] takes over as the voice for Cyclonus following the death of [[Roger C. Carmel]].
*This is the final episode of the original American G1 cartoon to be animated by Toei; the remaining episodes would be animated by [[AKOM]]. Toei would later return to animate all the Japanese-exclusive G1 sequel series.
*Prime's appearance in the alloy coat gives him a strong resemblance to Ultra Magnus's unused unarmored form.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title (European French broadcast and DVD release):'' "'''Le retour d'Optimus Prime, partie 2'''" ("The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2")
:*''Title (Canadian French broadcast):'' "'''Le retour d'Optimus, partie 2'''" ("The Return of Optimus, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' '''Die Rückkehr von Optimus Prime, Teil 2''' ("The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?

'''Italian'''
:*''Title (first dub):'' "'''Il ritorno di Commander, Parte 2'''" ("The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?
::*Optimus's line: «I must travel into the Matrix» is not dubbed, so you can see him moving his mouthplate without saying anything.
:*''Title (second dub):'' "'''Il ritorno di Optimus Prime, Parte 2'''" ("The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' コンボイの復活パート2 (''Convoy no Fukkatsu Part 2'', "The Resurrection of Convoy Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 25]], [[1987]]
::*The Japanese version of this episode has an alternate ending. After Optimus Prime and the Autobots ride off into the sunset and "The Touch" ends, the music changes to "[[Transformer 2010|TRANSFORMER 2010]]" by [[Shō Hirose]] and the scene shifts to a montage of all the major characters from the series.
::*This montage replaces the "[[Secret Files of Teletraan II]]" segment focusing on [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] used in the US broadcast. The Ultra Magnus "Secret Files" segment was never used in the Japanese broadcast of the series.
::*Following this episode, Japanese cartoon continuity diverges from the Western continuity. Rather than lead into "[[The Rebirth]]" three-parter, Japanese continuity instead continues in their domestically produced series, ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|Transformers: The Headmasters]]''.

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Qíngtiānzhù Fùhuó (Xià)'''" (擎天柱复活(下),"Optimus Prime Resurrects, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 1987 — ''The Transformers'' — The Return of Optimus Prime ([[Family Home Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 1987 — ''Transformers'' — Die Rückkehr von Optimus Prime (Zweiter Teil) ([[Polyband]]) — German audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1988 — ''Transformers'' — The Return of Optimus Prime: Optimus Prime the Ultimate Robot ([[Tempo Video]]) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1989 — ''Transformers'' — Headmasters / The Return of Optimus Prime (Tempo Video) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 1991 — ''Transformers'' — Headmasters / The Return of Optimus Prime / Cosmic Rust (Tempo Video) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2000 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Volume 7: The Return of Optimus Prime ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]])
;{{w|LaserDisc}}
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1999 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers: 2010'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 3 Part 2 & Season 4 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Season 3 and Season 4 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 5: Series 3.2 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2005 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 23 ([[Déclic Images]]) — European French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2005 — ''Transformers'' — Le Retour d'Optimus Prime ([[UFG Junior]]) — European French audio only. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season's Three & Four {{sic}} (Metrodome) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2010 — ''The Transformers'' — Seasons Three & Four: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2011 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Original Series (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''The Transformers'' — Seasons Three & Four: 30th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2014 — ''Transformers'' — The Classic Animated Series (Metrodome)

==External links==
*[https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gwsuGqt1c_-0NWqiEB4ufvzbVZHatnrK Episode script, finalised 24th November 1986, missing pages 12-18]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}
[[Category:The Transformers episodes]]

BotCon

2024-01-04T14:44:33Z

TFMultiverse.com: /* Proposed/unreleased exclusives */ No version of Rodimus Primal ever made it to Wreckers story discussions.

[[File:BotCon2008-FridayFloor.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|That sign down front is good advice. Especially for your bank account.]]
'''BotCon''' was Transformers Nerd Mecca.

It was the annual [[convention]] for Transformers fans and collectors. The convention was held, in one form or another, annually starting in [[1994]]. Locations changed from year to year. Though originally "unofficial" (wink wink), it became the officially-official Transformers convention in 2002, openly and fully endorsed and licensed by [[Hasbro]]. For a short period of time after this, it was known simply as the '''Official Transformers Collectors' Convention'''.

In [[2016]], Hasbro removed the license from then-showrunners [[Fun Publications]], making [[BotCon 2016]] the final "BotCon" show. [[HasCon 2017]] acted as a convention for all of Hasbro's brands, ''Transformers'' included.

On February 3, 2020, [[Karl Hartman]] posted that BotCon would return in 2021,<ref>[https://www.allspark.com/2020/02/its-official-botcon-is-back/ News article from The Allspark, 3 February 2020]</ref> though no longer as a Hasbro-sponsored event. It was then delayed again due to the COVID-19 pandemic<ref>[https://www.allspark.com/2021/02/botcon-has-updated-information-about-scheduling-and-other-news/ Reschedule announcement from Allspark, 22nd Feb 2021]</ref> and eventually scheduled for late August 2022 amidst an ongoing fandom backlash over management. Since its return, it is run by an all-new team of organizers from [https://www.agabyss.com/ Agabyss.com].

The name "BotCon" comes from both "ro'''bot''' '''con'''vention", and the names "[[Autobot|Auto'''bot''']]" and "[[Decepticon|Decepti'''con''']]".

==Individual conventions==
For details of each convention, click on the appropriate link below.
{{chapters|align=left|title=BotCons:|content=
<div class="list-header">1990s:</div>
*[[BotCon 1994|1994]]
*[[BotCon 1995|1995]]
*[[BotCon 1996|1996]]
*[[BotCon Japan 1997|Japan 1997]]
*[[BotCon 1997|1997]]
*[[BotCon 1998|1998]]
*[[BotCon Japan 1998|Japan 1998]]
*[[BotCon Europe 1999|Europe 1999]]
*[[BotCon 1999|1999]]

 <div class="list-header">2000s:</div>
*[[BotCon 2000|2000]]
*[[BotCon Japan 2000|Japan 2000]]
*[[BotCon 2001|2001]]
*[[BotCon 2002|2002]]
*[[BotCon Europe 2002|Europe 2002]]
*[[OTFCC 2003]]
*[[OTFCC 2004]]
*[[BotCon 2005|2005]]
*[[BotCon 2006|2006]]
*[[BotCon 2007|2007]]
*[[BotCon 2008|2008]]
*[[BotCon 2009|2009]]

 <div class="list-header">2010s:</div>
*[[BotCon 2010|2010]]
*[[BotCon 2011|2011]]
*[[BotCon 2012|2012]]
*[[BotCon 2013|2013]]
*[[BotCon 2014|2014]]
*[[BotCon 2015|2015]]
*[[BotCon 2016|2016]]

}}

==BotCon history==
[[File:BotCon94Program.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|BotCon: Slightly less old than the photocopier.]]
The [[BotCon 1994|first BotCon]] was held in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1994. Organized by brothers [[Jon Hartman|Jon]] and [[Karl Hartman]], the convention had 180 attendees. [[BotCon 1995]] was organized by [[Raksha]], a prominent figure in the fan community, and 1996 by [[Men in Black|Men in Black Productions]], headed up by [[Dennis Barger]]. During this time, the show primarily took up a single space at the convention center, with the dealer room and panel space in the same area. Botcon 1996 added a small art room just outside the main hall, and had a one-night video event in another small space. Guests were minimal, being mostly only that year's [[Hasbro]] representatives.

In 1997, the Hartmans took the BotCon name back (since they owned it and only licensed it out to the previous organizers) and brought fellow fan [[Glen Hallit]] into the fold, forming [[3H Productions|3H Enterprises]] (based upon the first letter of all three organizers' last names). In response to the lukewarm-at-best reception to 1996's show, 3H's [[BotCon 1997]] would pile on the improvements and additions, quickly establishing multiple features that have since come to be expected as standard at any BotCon (see below).

(One other thing that happened with BotCon 1997 is that the [[Wu-Tang Clan]] were performing in an arena next door, and their fans got rowdy and caused the hotel to be evacuated!)

Each year's show would get bigger and bigger, taking up multiple rooms throughout the weekend. During this era, the BotCon name was also licensed out for several conventions outside of the United States. It was repeatedly stated by the organizers that BotCon was a labor of love, because they sure weren't making any money off it. In fact, it was several years into the life of 3H before they were able to say the convention was "in the black".

[[File:OTFCC logo.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|THIS... is the wave of the future! What's that? Really? We now return you to your regularly scheduled convention.]]

At [[BotCon 2002]], it was announced that 3H had secured the officially-official Transformers convention license (they'd been "unofficially" endorsed by Hasbro for years prior, but this was kind of the "putting a ring on it" moment), as well as licenses to produce comic books and start a fan club. However, the Hartmans were pressured by Hallit out of planning or running the convention, leaving Glen Hallit as the sole organizer. As a result, the BotCon name, which was owned by the Hartmans, ceased to exist for a time, as 3H's convention was called "The Official Transformers Collectors' Convention," or OTFCC for short.

In 2004, BotCon made a comeback as an [[unofficial conventions|unofficial convention]], which was held in Pasadena, California. The history of the BotCon franchise up to that point was covered in great detail in the ''[[Unofficial guidebooks|BotCon Legends]]'' magazine. At the end of 2004, 3H lost all its ''Transformers'' licenses, which were soon picked up by [[Fun Publications]], owned by [[Brian Savage]]. The Hartman brothers accepted places in an advisory board for the new convention, along with other prominent fans [[Ben Yee|Benson Yee]] and [[Rik Alvarez]], and the convention became "BotCon" once again.

BotCon attendance grew steadily over the years, with dramatic increases with the advent of the [[live-action film series]] in particular. Though Fun Publications generally did not release attendance numbers, there are casual estimations that between pre-registrants and walk-ins, attendance is somewhere around the 3000~4000 mark for the last few years. ([[BotCon 2009]] in Pasadena is particularly noted for having a ''massive'' number of walk-in attendees, with the line easily stretching around the block even on late Sunday.)

In February 2012, people who'd renewed their fan club membership or bought items from BotCon's store found their credit cards had been compromised. FunPub refunded people and assured them "all of your transactions are in a secure socket with the strongest encryption available to any site on the web".<ref>[https://tformers.com/transformers-fun-publications-releases-statement-regarding/17152/news.html TFormers.com: "Fun Publications Releases Statement Regarding Increase In Fraud Associated with Credit Cards Tied to Club Purchases"], 9th Feb 2012</ref> This turned out to be a porkie: over time it would come out that they had quite terrible website security and the credit card info was allegedly kept in an unencrypted text file (eeeek!!).

BotCon 2014 was their big anniversary special, with fiction and toys harking back to the Omega Point, Wreckers, and Universe stories, and returning BotCon-created characters like Flamewar.

In 2016, Hasbro announced that it was not continuing the licensing of BotCon through Fun Publications after BotCon 2016, as well as discontinuing the Collectors' Club rights at the end of that year. [[HasCon 2017]], a multi-Hasbro-brand show seemingly aimed more at families and younger children, was announced later, and naturally ''Transformers'' was a major feature. However, a planned [[HasCon 2019]] event was ultimately cancelled.

In January 2020, it was announced that BotCon would be returning the following year under new management, though the event is no longer sponsored by Hasbro. In February 2021, however, it was announced that it'd be returning in 2022 instead (due to that ongoing "pandemic" thing). In spring of 2021, various fans would ask questions about who the new management was (many unhappy if [[Pete Sinclair]] was involved) and Botcon and its team would ''not'' respond well, with some fans being harassed.

{{quote|There are other, better, SAFER conventions for Transformers fans to attend.|[[Greg Sepelak]] regarding the return of the current BotCon}}

{{-}}

==BotCon basics==
BotCon featured exhibitions of loads of Transformers merchandise and toys all on tables for sale. These are commonly traded among fans and sell for extortionate amounts on eBay. Other stuff included cosplaying, art contests, and signatures from numerous voice actors.<ref>http://www.botconarchives.com/BotCon2016/Louisville%202016.pdf</ref>
{{stub}}

{{-}}

==Special guests==
Over the years, BotCon featured many individuals who have worked to bring the Transformers multiverse to life, including voice actors, animation staff, comic creators, and design team members from both [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy]]. Guests usually had a question-and-answer panel (or two), and were most often openly available for autographs and general talking throughout the show. Fun Publications also set autograph table schedules for most of its guests.

''See also:''
*[[:Category:Convention guests]]

==Exclusive toys and merchandise==
[[File:G2-toy Breakdown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|1994 exclusive: Hasbro's leftovers.]]

One of BotCon's most popular features was the sale of [[exclusive]] toys to the guests. Although the toys were always unique, financial costs prohibit the creation of entirely new molds. As such, the toys were [[redeco]]s of previously used toys, but given new identities, occasionally switching allegiances and even gender. From 2003 on, various toys have had [[retool|new toolings]] added to them, most typically new heads. After the convention, exclusive toys often became valuable collector's items in the community, particularly among fans who missed the convention. However as time went on (and the sheer amount of available ''Transformers'' product on the market exploded) this was less and less assured, and in fact by the end of BotCon's run, many exclusives from the entire history of the show had their secondary market values shrink considerably.

BotCon 1994 featured a single toy, ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Breakdown (G1)#Generation 2 2|Breakdown]], which was originally developed for retail but canceled. 1995 saw the first toy ''specifically'' made for the convention, [[Nightracer (G2)|Nightracer]]. 1996 had the first (and thankfully ''only'') dealer-exclusive toy, which was just the regular exclusive [[Onyx Primal]] with gold lettering stamped on his back and a new box.

3H then upped the ante in 1997 with two toys sold in a single set. The following year had two toys again, but this time sold individually. Over the next decade the number of toys per year grew steadily, ''coincidentally enough'' (wink) as the franchise's retail presence did. In [[OTFCC 2003|2003]], the convention offered the first (and only) "hotel exclusive", [[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys#Universe (2003)|Sunstreaker]], which attendees could get by getting a room in the official block at the convention hotel. In [[BotCon 2005|2005]] with the changeover to Fun Publications, the number of toys made for the show took a massive jump from 2004's four exclusives to a whopping ''ten'' (if you don't count "[[army-building]]" duplicates sold in multi-packs); a main "box set" of toys, an "attendance freebie" available only to those directly attending the convention, and multiple additional souvenir sets. Fun Publications had used this model for exclusives for their official ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' convention since 2002.

[[File:BC-toy G2Redux-Boxset.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|2010 exclusive: Big box set including a loving homage to Hasbro's leftovers. (Keep in mind, this is only ''half'' of the toys available that year.)]]

The identity and design of the toys were originally kept a close secret until the opening of the convention, although in the later years of the convention the organizers often chose to reveal one or more of the exclusives ahead of time, due to repeated problems with stolen prototypes being sold on eBay, plus the need to hype the convention as awareness of Transformers grew. Fun Publications revealed the identities of the box set toys months before the show, over the course of several weeks, while keeping its freebie and souvenirs a secret until the first day of the convention (though factory thieves tend to get their hands on production samples and reveal them anyway).

Through most of the 3H run, the toys were —for the most part— available in an "a la carte" method, with the attendee choosing which toys they wanted with their registration... even though the toys were held a secret up until the convention proper, for a while, at least. By OTFCC, 3H began revealing exclusives beforehand in order to push attendance numbers. These toys were available ''only'' to attendees; people who couldn't make it were more or less relegated to having an attending friend pick up extras, or dealing with [[eBay]]. [[BotCon Europe 2002]]'s [[Rook (Universe)|Rook]] would be the first convention toy made available to non-attendees, partially due to the sheer demand for him outside Europe, and partially because 3H had to order ''so many'' just to get the toy made that they were drowning in them. A few other toys would follow suit for the same "overproduced" reason.

The switchover to Fun Publications' model of a big box set that could not be broken up initially [[Ruined FOREVER|caused some contention in the fandom]]. However, they also offered the box set to non-attendees right out of the gate. In addition, the set also came in "bagged" form, with just the figures, accessories and bio cards, as an add-on to a boxed set. The attendance freebie and souvenirs were for attendees only... up until the end of the convention. Any souvenirs unsold by the con's end were put on the Club store for members to purchase. The attendance freebie, however, remained not-for-sale (though Fun Publications has used them as prizes for online contests).

[[File:BotCon2010-customclassSideswipe.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.]]

Starting in [[BotCon 2004|2004]], a toy customizing instructional class was added to the BotCon schedule, and the first attempt to create a unique toy/character from this event was in [[BotCon 2005|2005]]. Since then, the customization class exclusive was the rarest of each year's exclusive toys, limited to roughly 50 pieces. Most of these customization class exclusives were unpainted samples of production toys, which participants assembled themselves and apply a suggested paint job. In [[BotCon 2010|2010]], ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Timelines|Sideswipe]] was the first customization class exclusive with entirely new plastic colors not found in previous releases of the mold, creating an instant "holy grail". For [[BotCon 2013|2013]], in response to the fandom's ever-growing demand for Things They Can't Have, the toy was also offered as an add-on to normal attendees, unpainted but fully assembled (as Hasbro is not super-keen to let unassembled Transformers out there willy-nilly).

Over the years, a wide variety of non-toy merchandise was made available as well. Almost every year featured an exclusive T-shirt, and in the last few years of the show, posters and prints became more common. The Fun Publications box sets each featured an exclusive pin, plus the first 100 attending pre-registrants got ''another'' special pin. Quite a few other more esoteric pieces were made, including wristwatches, lollipops(!), pitchers and glass sets, accessory kits, and more.

''See also:''
*[[:Category:Convention exclusives]]
*[[:Category:Customization class toys]]

{{-}}
===Proposed/unreleased exclusives===
A number of toys were planned over the years but never produced, for various reasons. Note that some of these entries are essentially jokes from the organizers' brainstorming sessions, which they then later mentioned to other fans:

[[File:OTFCC05-Megatronunused.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Show me "What we can [[BotCon 2016|finally]] [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Combiner Wars|stop asking]] [[Fun Publications]] about for $1000," Alex.]]

*The exclusive for [[BotCon 1994]] could have been the [[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|''Generation 2'']] version of [[Blades (G1)|Blades]], before they decided to go with [[Breakdown (G1)#Generation 2|Breakdown]].
*Lickme, a redeco of [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]] as a Poison Arrow Frog. Function: Psychological Warfare. Mentioned at the BotCon '99 Organizers Panel.
*[[Jai-Alai]], a black redeco of [[Manterror]]. Function: Ninja. Mentioned at the BotCon '99 Organizers Panel.
*[[Cataclysm (BW)|Cataclysm]], a green and purple redeco of Transmetal [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]]. This character actually appeared in the convention storyline and was thought to be the lower priced exclusive in 2000 until Apelinq was revealed instead. It is unclear whether Cataclysm was ever truly intended to be released.
*[[Rodimus Primal]], mentioned at the organizer's panel at [[BotCon 2000]], this would have been a ''Beast Wars'' version of Rodimus Prime made from the Optimal Optimus mold. Plans were nixed very early on as [[Primal Prime#Beast Machines|Primal Prime]] was going into its limited production run and Hasbro didn't give licensees the leeway they now enjoy.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JI1J_MYay4&t=6200s "BotCon 2000 Highlights (Raw)"] timestamp 1:43:20 
'''Guest''': "And also, I was curious, which toys you were offered to do as exclusives this time? 
'''Jon Hartman''': "Optimal Optimus was one of them. We backed out because they were doing it themselves." 
'''Glen Hallit''': "Right. We had him redone as Rodimus Primal. Yellow fins, red, orange, it’s a direct one-to-one match. It would have worked, too. It would have worked, but they pulled it."</ref>
*Blue Balls Attack Team, from an anecdote shared by Karl Hartman on the now defunct BotCon: Beyond message board, a planning session for BotCon had run much later than anticipated and an exhausted Hartman proposed a pair of blue repaints of ''Beast Wars'' [[Retrax]]. Obviously not a serious proposal.
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)/toys#Other attempts|Trailbreaker]], redeco of the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[X-Brawn#Toys|X-Brawn]] mold as a convention exclusive in 2003.
*[[Defensor (OTFCC)|Hot Spot]], a blue redeco of [[Optimus Prime (RID)#Toys|''Robots in Disguise'' Optimus Prime]] as a new Autobot leader modelled after the Generation 1 character. The toy would have featured a new headsculpt for the robot's larger "[[Defensor (OTFCC)#Toys|Defensor]]" mode. This toy was originally solicited for OTFCC 2004, then pushed back for OTFCC 2005. When the license was removed from 3H Productions, this figure was cancelled.
*For [[OTFCC 2004]], the [[Rail Racer (RID)#Toys|Rail Racer]] trains were offered to [[3H Productions]] as a possible set of [[exclusive]]s. Due to a suggestion from [[Graham Weaver]], [[Steamhammer (RID)|one of them]] was planned to be named after the original [[Steamhammer (G1)|Steamhammer]], as it was a train-y kind of name. Another of the three trains would be [[Astrotrain (RID)|Astrotrain]] and the third was never decided on, though [[Loco (RID)|"Loco" or "Cowcatcher"]] was favored, and the combined mode would have been named "[[Dominus Trannis]]", named similarly to the original [[Trannis]]. [[Hasbro]] changed their minds on the molds' availability, but they later used the "[[Steamhammer (Energon)|Steamhammer]]" name themselves, as they did similarly with "[[Vector Prime]]".
*Several toys were proposed for the 2005 Official Transformers Collectors' Convention. Due to 3H's loss of the ''Transformers'' license these plans never came to fruition. All of the known toys from this proposal were to have new headsculpts and some were to have new accessories.
**[[Megatron (BW)/toys#Combiner Wars|Megatron]], a red redeco of [[Megatron (RID)#Toys|''Robots in Disguise'' Megatron]] as an upgraded (and resurrected) ''Beast Wars'' Megatron. (The concept eventually reached fruition as a [[BotCon 2016]] exclusive!)
**[[Devcon (G1)#Universe (2003)|Devcon]], a blue redeco of [[Slugslinger (Energon)#Toys|''Energon'' Slugslinger]] as the Generation 1 character.
**[[Brawn (G1)/toys#Universe (2003)|Brawn]], a green redeco of [[Strongarm (Energon)#Toys|''Energon'' Strongarm]] as the Generation 1 character. This toy would have featured new snap on Energon gauntlets.
**[[Roadbuster (G1)#Universe (2003)|Roadbuster]], an orange and green redeco of ''Energon'' Strongarm as the Generation 1 character. This toy would have featured a new Energon rifle.
*[[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], originally conceived as the ''Cybertron Defense'' Hot Shot redeco for 2007. He was dropped in favor of [[Springer (G1)/toys#Timelines|Springer]], who fit the mold and the story/theme better.
*The developers of BotCon were given a slight chance of using [[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]] in 2007, so they proposed a 4-pack boxset which would have consisted of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (from [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#Alternators/Binaltech|Wheeljack]]), [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (from [[Mirage (G1)/toys#Alternators|Mirage]]), [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (from [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Alternators/Binaltech|Optimus Prime]]), and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] (from what, they couldn't remember at the time, but likely the [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Alternators|Rodimus mold]]).
*The 2011 boxset underwent a few revisions before they settled on [[Team Stunticon|''Animated'' Stunticons]].
**First was [[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|''Shattered Glass'']] [[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|''Beast Wars'']].
**Then it was going to be [[Transformers: Classics|''Classics'']] [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]].
**Then it was going to be assorted [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|''Animated'']] characters.
***The boxset would have featured [[Sideswipe (Animated)|Sideswipe]] and [[Jackpot (Animated)|Jackpot]] (both of which were released), [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] (from Voyager [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]) while the other two figures were unknowns that would have been a cream-colored [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], and...something else.
***The figures available at the show would have been [[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]], (from [[Bumblebee (Animated)#Voyager Class|Hydrodive Bumblebee]]), [[Toxitron (Animated)|Toxitron]] (from [[Optimus Prime (Animated)/toys#Voyager Class|Wingblade Optimus Prime]]), [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] (from Jazz), [[Kup (Animated)|Kup]] (from [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Cybertron Mode Optimus Prime]]), [[Sideswipe (Animated)|Sideswipe]] (from [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus]] and utilizing the colors of [[Sideswipe (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Sideswipe]]/[[Wheeljack (Armada)|''Armada'' Wheeljack]]), [[Tigatron]] (also from Rodimus), [[Shokaract]] (from [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]]), [[Springer (Animated)|Springer]] (from [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]]), and a three-pack consisting of [[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]], [[Antagony (Animated)|Antagony]], and [[Nightracer (G2)|Nightracer]] (all sharing the [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] mold).
****Other suggested ''Animated'' figures include [[Hubcap (Animated)|Hubcap]] from [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] and [[Strika (Animated)|Strika]] from [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Voyager Bulkhead]].
*A redeco of [[Mindwipe (ROTF)#Revenge of the Fallen|''Revenge of the Fallen'' Mindwipe]] into [[Mega]]bolt was considered as a counterpart to [[BotCon 2012]]'s [[Overlord (G1)#Timelines|Gigatron]].
*As part of the [[Machine Wars: Transformers|''Machine Wars'']] theme for [[BotCon 2013]], [[Prowl (G1)|''Machine Wars'' Prowl]] (from [[Transformers: Classics|''Classics'']] [[Mirage (G1)/toys#Classics|Mirage]]) and [[Hubcap (MW)|''Machine Wars'' Hubcap]] (from [[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|''Generations'']] [[Kup (G1)/toys#Generations|Sergeant Kup]]) were considered.
*A number of figures were considered for [[BotCon 2014]] that did not end up occurring, including:
**[[Ransack (G1)|Ransack]], a redeco of [[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|''Generations'']] [[Kickback (FOC)#Generations|Kickback]] as the G1 character and would have been a pirate. Two [[Arms Micron]]s would have been included as well.
**[[Cannonball (G1)|Cannonball]], a redeco of [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|''Prime'']] [[Wheeljack (Prime)#Toys|Wheeljack]], likely an idea before they settled on the [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|''Prime'']] [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] mold for the final figure.
**[[Megabolt]], a redeco of [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|''Prime'']] [[Skyquake (Prime)#Toys|Skyquake]] and would have also been a pirate, though it's probably a good thing he wasn't released as the mold was used [[Megaplex#Timelines|the previous year]].
**[[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]], a redeco of [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|''Prime'']] [[Rumble (WFC)#Toys|Rumble]] as the G1 character.
*At one point, a boxset of the Turbomasters was considered. It would have included [[Scorch (G1)|Scorch]], [[Boss (G1)|Boss]], [[Hurricane]], [[Flash (G1)|Flash]], and [[Thunder Clash]]; all of whom would have been made from [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|''Transformers: Prime'']] figures. Specifically, [[Ironhide (WFC)#Deluxe|Ironhide]], [[Wheeljack (Prime)#Robots in Disguise|Wheeljack]], [[Smokescreen (Prime)#Beast Hunters|Smokescreen]], [[Bumblebee (WFC)/toys#Prime: Robots in Disguise|Bumblebee]], and [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)#Robots in Disguise|Ultra Magnus]], respectively.
*The [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)|2008 ''Universe'']] [[Silverbolt (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Silverbolt]] mold was rather popular for possible exclusives, having been planned to be made into [[Skyquake (G1)|Skyquake]]/[[Scrash (G1)|Scrash]] and [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]]/[[King Atlas]].
*The [[Lockdown (ROTF)#Revenge of the Fallen|''Revenge of the Fallen'' Lockdown]] mold was suggested as "Marlboro", a modern update of the Diaclone [[Exhaust|"Marlboor Wheeljack"]]. Additionally, the mold's [[Axor#Toys|Axor]] retool was suggested for a [[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|''Shattered Glass'']] [[Stranglehold]], complete with a mustache.
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell/Hardshell]], a redeco of [[Straxus (G1)|''Generations'' Straxus]] as the original character.
*"[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking BW style]]", a non-combiner redeco from the [[Transmetal 2]] [[Tigerhawk#Toys|Tigerhawk]].
*[[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]] and [[Pinpointer (G1)|Pinpointer]] were planned to be made from [[Kup (G1)/toys#Generations|''Generations'' Sergeant Kup]] and ''Universe'' [[Nightstick (G1)#Universe (2008)|Nightstick]].
*Proposals for [[Bruton]] were made from both [[Bulkhead (Prime)/toys#First Edition|''Prime: First Edition'' Bulkhead]] and [[Grimlock (WFC)#Generations|''Generations: Fall of Cybertron'' Grimlock]], but neither would happen due to the character's obscurity.
*"Femme Fatale [[Cy-Kill (GoBots)|CyKill]]" {{sic}}, redecoed from one of the [[Arcee (WFC)#Prime|''Prime'' Arcee]] Deluxe molds, was sadly never produced.
*Twilight Sparkle Prime, based on the ''[[My Little Pony]]'' character [[Twilight Sparkle]], a redeco of [[Battle Unicorn#Toys|Battle Unicorn]].
*Rodimouse, a [[Rattrap (BW)/toys#TM1|Transmetal Rattrap]] redecoed as a ''Beast Wars'' version of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]. (Whether serious or not, it would have paired well with [[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys|Optimus Primal]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Timelines|Ultra Mammoth]]).
*When asked at [[BotCon 2016]] what exclusive he regretted not being able to do, [[Pete Sinclair]] stated that he wanted to make a [[Rodimus (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Rodimus (Prime)]] from [[Springer (G1)/toys#Thrilling 30|''Generations'' Springer]].
*Sinclair also wanted a retool of [[Starscream (Armada)/toys#Generations|''Generations'' Armada Starscream]] into [[Jetstorm (BM)|''Beast Machines'' Jetstorm]], which had been proposed for BotCon 2016 before the convention's theme was changed.

====BotCon 2017====
Though Fun Publications lost the ''Transformers'' convention license after BotCon 2016, an [[Action Master]]-themed, ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]''-based "Action on [[Hydrus Four]]" boxset was proposed for the potential 2017 BotCon that never came to be; the unreleased toys were concepts revealed through painted mock-ups at [[Unofficial conventions|RoboCon]] in 2017. The proposed set used as models:
*[[Skyfall (G1)|Skyfall]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Highbrow (G1)#Generations|Highbrow]] with Titan Master from [[Apeface#Generations|Apeface]]
*[[Sprocket (G1)|Sprocket]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Triggerhappy (G1)#Generations|Triggerhappy]] with Titan Master from ''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf's Headmaster]] and [[Attack Cruiser]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Brawn (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Brawn]]'s vehicle accessory
*"Action Master" [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#AM|Optimus Prime]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#Titans Return|Optimus Prime]] with Titan Master from [[Infinitus#Generations|Infinitus]], Titan Master [[Rad (G1)|Rad]] from [[Diac]], and [[Lionizer (G1)|Lionizer]] from [[Lione#Generations|Sawback]]'s beast accessory
*[[Gutcruncher (G1)|Gutcruncher]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Blitzwing (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Blitzwing]] with Titan Master from [[Doomshot#Generations|Doomshot]]/[[Hazard#Generations|Hazard]] but with a newly-tooled face, and with "[[Stratotronic Jet|Scout Tank]]" from ''Titans Return'' [[Horri-Bull#Generations|Terri-Bull]]'s vehicle accessory
*"Action Master" [[Megatron (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Megatron]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Sixshot (G1)#Generations|Sixshot]] with Titan Master from [[Nucleon (TR)#Generations|Nucleon]] and Titan Master [[Devastator (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Devastator]] from [[Repugnus (G1)#Generations|Repugnus]]
Other proposed exclusives for 2017 included:
*[[Dion (G1)|Dion]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Kup (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Sergeant Kup]] with Titan Master from [[Haywire (Targetmaster)#Titans Return|Hyperfire]] as the attendee freebie
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys#Armada|Hot Shot]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Chromedome (G1)#Generations|Chromedome]] with Titan Master [[Alexis Thi Dang]] from [[Stylor#Generations|Stylor]] and [[Jolt (Armada)|Jolt]] from ''Generations'' [[Blaze Master#Generations|Blazemaster]]. Hot Shot would have had a newly-tooled face on the Alexis Titan Master (the mock up just used the ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' Hot Shot's face as a placeholder).
*[[Onyx Primal]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Mindwipe (G1)#Generations|Mindwipe]] with "Nightwatch" from Infinitus
*[[Doubledealer#Generation 1|Doubledealer]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Hardhead (G1)#Generations|Hardhead]] with two Titan Masters: [[Knok]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Nightbeat (G1)#Titans Return|Nightbeat]] and [[Skar (G1)|Skar]] from Sawback with newly-tooled bat wings, legs, and a new face.
*''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' [[Megatron (Armada)/toys#Energon|Megatron]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Black Shadow (G1)#Titans Return|Sky Shadow]] with Titan Master [[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]] from [[Swoop (G1)#Generations|Ptero]] with the face of [[Ominus#Toys|Ominus]]
*[[Rosanna (KP)|Rosanna]] and [[Flip Sides (G1)|Flip Sides]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Rewind (G1)#Generations|Rewind]], and [[Enemy (G1)|Decepticon Enemy]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Rumble (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Rumble]], as the troop builder set
*A six-pack of [[Pretender]]-based [[Titan Master]]s, including [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] from [[Gort#Generations|Xort]], [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] from [[Firebolt (G1)#Generations|Firedrive]], [[Crossblades (G1)|Crossblades]] from Diac, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] from [[Squeezeplay (G1)#Generations|Crashbash]], [[Vroom (G1)|Vroom]] from [[Grax#Generations|Grax]], and [[Metalhawk (G1)|Metalhawk]] from [[Revolver#Generations|Revolver]]
*[[Rumbler (G1)|Rumbler]] from the box set's Sprocket with "B² Attack Team" (har har, yes, they went there), two flail weapons from [[B.H.#Prime|B.H.]], as the customization class figure
On top of that, "RoboCon" showed off backup plans for alternative exclusive options:
*''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' [[Jetfire (Armada)#Armada|Jetfire]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Sentinel Prime (G1)#Generations|Sentinel Prime]] with Titan Master [[Comettor (Armada)|Comettor]] from [[Apeface#Generations|Apeface]]
*[[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Brainstorm (G1)#Titans Return|Brainstorm]] with Titan Master [[Slizardo]] from [[Haywire (Targetmaster)#Titans Return|Hyperfire]]
*[[Turbo Master]] from ''Titans Return'' [[Highbrow (G1)#Generations|Highbrow]] with Titan Master [[Take-Off]] from [[Blowpipe (G1)#Generations|Blowpipe]]
And the remaining Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover human figures, which would have been shared [[Transformers Collectors' Club|Collectors' Club]] exclusives, were shown:
*"[[Only Human]]" versions of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], and [[Victor Drath]] made from retooled ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' toys

Phew!

==Exclusive fiction==
[[File:Beastwarscriticalmass.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|It all starts here.]]
Fiction did not really play into the first few years of BotCon. While attendees of [[BotCon 1995]] did get an exclusive fanzine, it was just that; a magazine full of fan-written stories and fan-drawn art, none of which was approved by Hasbro.

When 3H took the convention back for [[BotCon 1997|1997]], one of the many ways they set out to make the show a real mother of a blowout was by adding an [[Ground Zero|exclusive comic story]] to accompany the toys, penned by "the" Transformers scribe [[Simon Furman]], with art by Marvel comics artist [[Andrew Wildman]]. The hugely positive response to this story (even though it was a stand-alone tale that was irreconcilable with the then-running [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] that it used as a setting<ref>3H members indicated that the story of how the various non-show characters from later storylines arrived on ancient Earth and why they weren't seen in the show would be later told, but this never happened.</ref>) cemented the need for fiction to bring the exclusive toy characters to life, though it would take some time to settle on a format. [[BotCon 1998|1998]] started the multi-year "[[Reaching the Omega Point]]" story, which was kicked off with a [[Visitations|tongue-in-cheek live script reading]], followed up by a series of text stories released online, and ultimately ended in [[BotCon 2000|2000]] with a full-color comic that assembled the prior text stories before jumping into the final battle.

[[File:Timelines v2n3ce.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|2008 also marked an increased influx of robo-[[facial hair]].]]

From then on, each convention had at least one new comic book featuring its exclusive toy characters in action, with a few pieces of ancillary fiction told in other formats. However, in short order there were ''three'' different stories running concurrently across two different books (with a few pieces of online prose and a live script reading in 2004), and the problems from prior years with having stories that were told in installments with nearly year-long gaps between them were amplified to a ridiculous degree. With Hasbro pulling the license from 3H after [[BotCon 2004|2004's convention]], all three storylines were left uncompleted. The next convention license-holder, [[Fun Publications]], would later go on to provide conclusions to two of them in their [[Transformers Collectors' Club|online fan club subscription]], but the final story, "[[Primeval Dawn]]", remains open-ended to this day.

When Fun Publications took control of BotCon, the use of a yearly comic continued under the "[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Timelines]]" banner, but with a very important change. Instead of following a single multi-year-spanning story arc, each issue is meant to stand on its own as a single story with a conclusive ending (even if it's part of an ongoing arc told elsewhere), typically set in a different universe every year. Starting in 2006, each year's comic is made available through Diamond at comic shops a few months after the convention. Some shows would also feature live script readings, plus [[BotCon 2007]] would reveal [[Theft of the Golden Disk|a CGI-animated short film]] serving as a prequel to [[Dawn of Future's Past|the prior year's story]].

Some of the BotCon storylines have been later continued through the Collectors' Club web site and magazine, primarily in the form of prose stories.

''See also:''
*[[:Category:3H issues]]
*[[:Category:Timelines issues]]
{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.botconarchives.com More detail on past events]
*[http://www.transformersclub.com/ Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club]
*[http://www.camphortree.net/tf/faq/fandom/conventions.php Convention info from the Transformers FAQ]

[[Category:Conventions]]
[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Fun Publications]]

Command Performances!

2023-03-28T23:18:29Z

TFMultiverse.com: /* Continuity notes */ Passive voice removed

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #19
|prev=The Bridge to Nowhere!
|next=Showdown!
|title="Command Performances!"
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #70–71
|prev2=The Bridge to Nowhere!
|next2=Showdown!
|image=MarvelUS-19.jpg
|caption=Asses: handed to Decepticons.
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=April [[1986]]
|coverdate=August 1986
|writer=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|penciler=[[Don Perlin]]
|inkers=[[Ian Akin]] and [[Brian Garvey]]
|colorist=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]]
|letterer=[[Janice Chiang]]
|editor=[[Michael Carlin]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
}}
'''Omega Supreme defends the Ark while the Autobots invade the Decepticons' base.'''

==Synopsis==
Outside the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] presents to the [[Autobot]]s their newest member: the titanic [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], constructed by [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] and brought to life by the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]]. Omega is to serve as protector of the Ark, and with his construction, the [[Autobot]]s are free to mount a raid on the [[Wyoming base|Decepticons' coal mine base]]. The purpose of the mission is not combat, however, but to stay only long enough to lure out [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], in order to scan him and duplicate the technology used to create [[Combiner|combining robots]]. Long denied the chance for action, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] refuse to take part in a mission in which they cannot fight their enemies, and, convinced of Optimus Prime's worthlessness as a leader, [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and his men secede from the Autobot ranks, marching off into the [[Oregon]] wilderness to seek their own path.

Meanwhile, at the coal mine, the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]—recently found and brought back into the fold by Shockwave—complete the installation of armed fortifications to turn the encampment into a proper base of operations. Co-leaders [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] continue to bicker, with Shockwave mocking the perceived pointlessness of Megatron's exploitation of [[Donny Finkleberg]]'s "Robot-Master" hoax, until Megatron departs with [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], [[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]], [[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] to greet the Decepticons from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] who are expected to be arriving shortly via the [[space bridge]].

[[File:Omega comics.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.75]]
The Autobots roll out for the Decepticon base, deploying their stealth measures as they pass through the streets of Wyoming to ensure they draw no unwarranted attention. [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], however, is distracted by the wonders of the human world around him, from the music on his radio to the sights on the streets, and accidentally clips irate motorist [[Jake Dalrymple]]'s expensive Lamborghini. Under orders from Prime not to stop, Skids is forced to drive on, leading the furious Jake and his put-upon girlfriend [[Frannie]] to pursue him and the rest of the Autobots as they head on towards the Decepticon base. Entry to the mine remains barricaded by the military, but the Autobots simply run the barricade and initiate their attack; Jake and Frannie, on the other hand, are brought to a halt by the armed soldiers.

Concurrently, Megatron's team discovers that a [[Cybertron Seven|group of Autobots]] have crossed the bridge instead of Decepticons. He is about to lead an attack on the newcomers when [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] radios him to alert him to the Autobot attack on their base. Presuming the Ark must be undermanned, Megatron tries to take advantage of the situation by attacking the Autobots' spaceship, but of course, he has not reckoned with Omega Supreme; the giant Autobot soundly defeats his squad, and only Megatron and Laserbeak escape with their lives, as the rest of the Decepticons are offlined and have their bodies taken into Autobot custody.

[[File:CommandPerformances autobots vs devastator.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75]]
Back the Decepticon base, Donny Finkleberg decides to attempt an escape when Shockwave orders the Constructicons to merge into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Spying from nearby, [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] scans Devastator as he forms, and the Autobots, having gained the information they were looking for, withdraw. As the heroes pull out, however, Dalrymple spot Skids and jumps into his path, trying to flag him down so he can explain his story to the soldiers. Skids swerves, leaving him wide open for a [[proton missile]] fired by [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]], who has pursued Finkleberg out of the mine. Skids tumbles down the rock face, and Optimus Prime is forced to watch him fall, knowing that if the Autobots stop to help him, they endanger the success of their important mission.

Presently, the battered Megatron returns, met with accusations of gross incompetence from Shockwave. Reasoning that the Autobots' strange attack-and-retreat tactic masked an ulterior motive, Megatron offers a counterpoint: while he may have unwittingly walked into a trap at the Ark, Shockwave sat and did nothing while a trap sprang up around him! After a moment of pained deliberation, Shockwave accepts that Megatron's argument is sound, and Shockwave cedes command of the Decepticons back to him.

The Autobots return to the Ark, enthusiastic over their victory... all save Optimus Prime, who cannot celebrate in the face of the presumed loss of Skids's life. But back in Wyoming, music is still playing on the radio within Skids's wrecked form...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] (1)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] (5)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (6)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] (7)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] (8)
*[[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]] (9)
*[[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] (10)
*[[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]] (11)
*[[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]] (12)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (13)
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (14)
*[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] (15)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (16)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (34)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (35)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (36)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (37)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (38)
*[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (39)
*[[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] (40)
}}
|c2=
{{collist|2|
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] (17)
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (18)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (19)
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (20)
*[[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] (21)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (22)
*[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] (24)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] (25)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]] (26)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]] (27)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (28)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (29)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (30)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (31)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (41)
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]] (42)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (43)
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (44)
}}
|c3=
*[[Donny Finkleberg]] (23)
*[[Jake Dalrymple]] (32)
*[[Frannie]] (33)
}}

==Quotes==
"Should I try again to persuade him?" 
"No. Megatron is our commander. He has made his decision and must live by it... or, perhaps, '''die''' by it."
:—'''Soundwave''' and '''Shockwave'''

"'''''Prepare to meet your manufacturer, Decepticons!"''''' 
"Wh-who are you?!" 
"'''''I am the guardian of the gates... the junction of your destruction... the laser lighting the way to your doom... the planner of your obsolescence... the furnace that fires your demise... I am the number you cannot compute, Decepticon."'''''
:—'''Omega Supreme''' introduces himself to '''Megatron'''
[[File:Laserbeakdeterminescommand.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75]]

"I will now allow you a few moments to beg for your life before I execute you for gross incompetence." 
"'''Beg?''' It is '''you''' who should beg '''me''', Shockwave -- for my '''forgiveness!''' If I am to be faulted for running into a trap, consider this -- you sat here and watched as a trap '''sprang up around you!'''"
:—'''Shockwave''' vs. '''Megatron''' in a war of words

"As for the Decepticons lost today, they mean '''nothing!''' They can be '''replaced!'''"
:—'''Megatron''' sure knows how to inspire loyalty
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
[[File:CommandPerformances introducing omega.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|The entire active roster of Autobots attends the unveiling of Omega Supreme; despite being functional when last seen, Bluestreak and Mirage have disappeared.]]
*Omega Supreme’s construction is revealed to have been the "project" Optimus Prime asked Grapple to undertake in [[Rock and Roll-Out!|issue #14]], though the footnote in this issue pointing that out oddly acts as if we should have known this already.
*Having both been shown by issue #14 to have remained active following the events of [[Prime Time!|issue #12]] which offlined so many of their fellow 1984 characters, Mirage and Bluestreak disappear from the series with this issue without explanation. Optimus Prime's dialog seems to indicate that all the available Autobots would be participating in the attack, but they are nowhere to be seen; further, Ratchet says he has ''over'' a dozen Autobots in the repair bay, when previously, he had only the even dozen that were injured in issue #12. Either the pair have been injured in a battle we didn't see, or they've retroactively been placed on the injured list.
*The Dinobots reappear for the first time since their introduction in [[Warrior School!|issue #8]]. Their disappearance into off-panel limbo is papered over here by some dialogue from Grimlock, which sees him note that Optimus has prohibited them from joining the other Autobots in battle because their alternate modes would make them "stand out among humans."
*This issue sees Rumble, Frenzy, and the Constructicons rejoin the Decepticon forces, having previously been missing during the period of Decepticon instability that has seen the faction scattered across the last half-dozen or so issues. Shockwave specifically notes he had to "find and bring back" the Constructicons; Rumble and Frenzy's absence is not remarked upon.
*The Autobots deploy the "stealth" modifications previously seen in issue #14, hiding their [[insignia]] and deploying their [[facsimile construct]] drivers. Skids misses the order to do so because he's distracted listening to music, a fondness for which he picked up in the same issue.

===Transformers references===
*Having spoken perfectly normally in his previous appearance, Grimlock starts adopting the caveman-like speech patterns of his [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|counterpart]] in this issue. It's a mild beginning, amounting to only a few dropped definite and indefinite articles that are inconspicuous enough you might not even notice them; he's not gone full "Me Grimlock!" yet.

===Artwork and technical errors===
*Skids is missing the red stripe on the side of his vehicle mode throughout this issue. It is intermittently colored blue like the rest of his body, or left uncolored white.
*The cover colors Skywarp and Rumble as grey instead of their usual blue-black; Skywarp has blue trim instead of purple. Rumble and Frenzy both have yellow weapons, and Frenzy has yellow eyes. Starscream has red tailfins with blue decals, instead of blue fins with red stripes.
*Page 1: A dodgy color separation job makes Grapple's gun-hand appear greenish instead of blue-black.
*Page 2, panel 6: The side of Skids's helmet ridge is left partially uncolored white.
*Page 3:
**Panel 3: Grimlock's eyes are left uncolored white (like the rest of the Dinobots) instead of their normal red.
**Panel 4: Skids's gun is colored red (as if it were his fist) instead of pale blue/white.
[[File:CommandPerformances-JakeDalrymple.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
*Page 6, panel 1: The Autobots are shown driving ''six abreast'' down the streets of a Wyoming town. Smokescreen has a yellow panel on his hood that shouldn't be there.
*Page 7, panel 3: Jake's car is drawn as a Lamborghini Countach (also [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#Lamborghini Countach|popular with many Transformers]]), but the doors are hinged like normal car doors (right). On a real Countach they should open vertically, scissor-style.
*Page 9, panel 2: In mid-transform, Tracks's trunk is colored red instead of blue.
*Page 10, panel 3: Blaster is colored like Optimus Prime.
*Page 11, panel 6: Skids's upper legs are colored the same blue as his lower legs (though in this panel, they're a faded purple to indicate he's in the distance).
*Page 12:
**Panel 2: Skids's upper legs are the same blue as his lower legs again.
**Panel 3: Skids's face is blue, and his gun is red again.
**Panel 7: Devastator's chest shield is colored green instead of purple.
*Page 13:
**Panel 1: Devastator's Decepticon insignia is Autobot-red.
**Panel 4: Now Devastator's insignia is uncolored white! Also, Smokescreen's head is colored pale blue/grey instead of its regular blue, as if it was part of his shoulder guns.
**Panel 5: Smokescreen's head is still miscolored, and now his fist is red instead of blue.
[[File:OmegaSupremeintro.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|Megatron's carefully laid plans come to fruition.]]
*Page 14:
**Panel 2: Skids's upper legs are blue again, and his torso is solid red.
**Panel 5: Soundwave's visor is colored pale purple like the rest of his helmet instead of its usual yellow.
*Page 15, panel 5: The fronts of Megatron's legs, as well as his feet, are colored blue-black instead of white.
*Page 16:
**Panels 3-4: Omega Supreme has gained some grey panels on the front of his torso that should be red. Also, despite the fact that his face was colored in its correct red back on page 2, in both these panels and for the rest of the issue, it's colored grey like the rest of his helmet and body (see right)
**Panel 4: Megatron's blue-black has become a dark purple, and his whole torso is also that color instead of white (again, see right) His feet also still miscolored.
*Page 17:
**Panels 2 & 4: Starscream and Thundercracker are indistinguishable when they are destroyed by Omega Supreme, both colored blue-black.
**Panel 5: Laserbeak is colored as Buzzsaw when Omega Supreme wings him.
**Panel 6: Megatron's blue-black is back to its correct shade, but his torso is still wrongly colored in that color. His feet are ''still'' miscolored.
*Page 18, panels 3 & 6: Omega Supreme's right arm is colored entirely yellow; only his claw and upper arm should be this color, while his forearm should be grey.
*Page 19, panel 2: Omega Supreme's helmet is red instead of grey.
*Page 20, panel 3: Laserbeak is incredibly fat as he perches on Shockwave's arm.
*Page 21, panel 2: Laserbeak's beak is red instead of pale blue.
*Page 22, panel 2: Jetfire's face is red instead of white.

===UK printing===
'''Issue #70:'''
*'''Published:''' [[July 12|12th July]], 1986 [[File:MarvelUS19vsUK70DinobotDialogueChange.jpg|thumb|upright=2|Once again, US Grimlock has clearly demonstrated how unfit he is to lead the Dinobots.]]
*'''Cover date:''' [[July 19|19th July]], 1986
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''[[Robo-Capers]]'', ''[[Back-up strips#Hercules|Hercules]]'' ("What Fools These Immortals Be!" Part 1), and ''Matt and the Cat''; ''Hercules'' debuts this issue
*'''[[Fact File|Fact File Interface]]:''' [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]
*'''Free Gift:''' [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] collector card for the [[Second Generation!#Back-up material|Special Teams Special Collection Wallchart]]
*Due to the fact that the Dinobots have been active in multiple UK-exclusive stories since their last appearance in US material, Grimlock's complaint that the team never sees any action doesn't fit with UK continuity. Hence, his dialogue is altered for the UK reprint to become solely about their dissatisfaction with Optimus Prime's leadership (see right). Additionally, rather than leave the Autobot forces outright, Grimlock merely orders the Dinobots to return to the Ark to "do some thinking," setting up the events of the next UK-exclusive story in [[In the National Interest|issues #74-77]]. All this new dialogue for Grimlock is written with "normal" speech, in-keeping with all his other UK appearances, instead of the cartoon-caveman dialect that the US stories begin using with this issue.
*Similarly, while the Constructicons have not been seen in US material since [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|US issue #10]], UK-exclusive stories have shown them to be part of Shockwave's camp for some time. Consequently, Shockwave's claim that he "found and brought back" the Constructicons is edited for the UK reprint so that he is complimenting their work on the base, rather than his boasting about his own accomplishment (again, see right).

'''Issue #71:'''
*'''Published:''' [[July 19|19th July]], 1986
*'''Cover date:''' [[July 26|26th July]], 1986
*'''Back-up strips:''' ''Robo-Capers'', ''Hercules'' ("What Fools These Immortals Be!" Part 2), and ''Matt and the Cat''
*'''Fact File Interface:''' [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]

===Bot Roster===
*Autobots: 10 members of Optimus Prime's forces confirmed active after Omega Supreme comes online; Skids missing in action; 5 rogue Dinobots; 7 wayward arrivals from Cybertron; Bluestreak and Mirage disappear, implied to have joined the 12 offline in repair bay. (37 total)
*Decepticons: 11 active; Skywarp, Thundercracker, Starscream, Rumble, Frenzy, and Buzzsaw taken offline by Omega Supreme and stored in the Ark. (17 total)

===Courtesy of my...===
*Omega Supreme's tank takes out Skywarp with a [[laser cannon]].
*Megatron once again namechecks his [[fusion cannon]].
*Ravage takes out Skids with a low-energy [[proton missile]].

===Covers (3)===
*'''US issue #19:''' Omega Supreme kicking Decepti-ass, by [[Herb Trimpe]].
*'''UK issue #70:''' Autobots attacking, by [[John Stokes]].
*'''UK issue #71:''' reuse of art from US cover.

<gallery>
File:MarvelUS-19.jpg|'''US issue #19''' - The Decepticons look on in horror as Omega Supreme shoots Some Guy.
File:UK70Cover.jpg|'''UK issue #70''' - The cover lets you know that in this issue, Autobots fight Decepticons.
File:MarvelUK-071.jpg|'''UK issue #71''' - Oh yes. Ha ha. I see what you did there...
</gallery>

===Reprints===
<gallery>
File:Transformers Digest 10-cover.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Comics Magazine issue 10|''The Transformers Comics Magazine'' #10]]''' (Marvel US, 1988)
File:Tf commag 06.JPG|'''[[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 6|''Transformers Comic-Magazin'' #6]]''' (Condor Verlag, 1989)
File:Titan-ShowdownSC.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Showdown]]'' paperback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Titan-ShowdownHC.jpg|'''''[[Transformers: Showdown]]'' hardback''' (Titan Books, 2003)
File:Classic Transformers Vol2.jpg|'''[[Classic Transformers Volume 2|''Classic Transformers'' Volume 2]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2008)
File:TFClassicsVol2.jpg|'''[[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 2|''The Transformers Classics'', Vol. 2]]''' (IDW Publishing, 2012)
File:DefinitiveG1Collection v5.jpg|'''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|''The Definitive G1 Collection, Vol. 5: The Smelting Pool'']]''' (Hachette Partworks, Ltd., 2019)
</gallery>

====IDW ''Transformers Classics'' edits====
For ''[[The Transformers Classics]]'' series of trade paperbacks, IDW Publishing "remastered" the coloring of the series with varying degrees of success. These changes were sometimes to fix errors, but often to alter characters' color schemes to make them resemble their toy and/or cartoon selves, and were rarely applied with consistency. IDW's recolored version was also used for Hachette's ''[[Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection|Definitive G1 Collection]]''.
[[File:CommandPerformance idw omega recoloring.jpg|upright=1.25|thumb|"Remastering" makes Omega's shadows ''lighter'' than the rest of his body, among other weird changes.]]
[[File:CommandPerformances blastimus prime.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Don't rise, Blastimus Prime.]]
*As is standard for this series, Soundwave is "corrected" from his purple Marvel color scheme to toy-and-cartoon accurate blue.
*Throughout the issue, in another great example of the inconsistency of the "reconstruction," the dark grey used to shade areas of Omega Supreme's pale grey body is "remastered" into a pale purple, standing out as ''lighter'' against his body instead of darker (see right).
*On the cover, Skywarp's blue trim is changed to purple. Starscream's right rear tailfin has become colored pale blue like the rest of him while his left one remains the same red it was before, and his Decepticon insignias have lost their purple color and also become pale blue.
*Page 1:
**Optimus Prime's [[mouthplate]] has become miscolored the same pale yellow as the background.
**Grapple's greenish gun hand becomes "corrected" to solid orange instead of blue-black.
*Page 2
**Panel 1: The "nose" of Omega's Autobot insignia is now uncolored. The blue-black of his tank treads has become the same pale purple that's been subbed in for dark grey, and the fully dark-grey front of his tank mode has now become half grey, half pale purple (again, see right). Worse, the once sharp inks for Optimus Prime, Grapple and Ratchet standing in the background (which are still block colored blue) have sorely eroded.
**Panel 6: Skid's helmet ridge is fully colored.
*Page 3:
**Panel 3: Swoop's white hi-lights are removed, giving him grey eyes and teeth.
**Panel 4: The right side of Skids's pelvis has become white like his upper leg, instead of blue.
**Panel 5: Skids is block-colored purple in this panel, but the "remaster" erase the purple area under his neck, giving him the impression of being a head floating behind Optimus Prime.
*Page 5, panel 7: Some slightly iffy color separation on the original printing that saw yellow ink bleeding out of Starscream's red parts is blown way out of proportion here, giving him full-on yellow stripes and highlights.
*Page 9, panel 2: The yellow details on Optimus Prime's pelvis are erased.
*Page 10, panel 3: Blaster's colors are corrected (right).
*Page 12:
**Panel 1: Optimus's yellow pelvis details are gone again.
**Panel 5: The screentones used to shade Mixmaster and Long Haul as they combine are erased; Long Haul is just colored a slightly darker shade of green instead.
*Page 13: Rather than correct Devastator's red insignia, the uncolored one from panel 4 is now colored red to match it. ''Siiigh.''
*Page 14: There's a large empty spot on Ravage's cheek that's not part of the original lineart. Evidently this is another issue that was remastered from a damaged copy where the lineart had been partially erased; in filling-in that empty spot blue-black like the rest of Ravage, the reprint also incorrectly colors in his white eye the same color.
*Page 15, panel 6: Having apparently used scans from a smudged copy as the basis for the remaster again, the "B" in "[[Durabyllium]]" became an "S", thus making the name of the metal in this version "Dura'''s'''yllium".
*Page 20: In perhaps the perfect example of the frustrating inconsistency of the remastering on this series, observe how Megatron's blue-black shifts from solid blue on page 18 to a more greenish hue on this page. He was the same color throughout the original, and this page is more reflective of those colors. Also, the shading on Shockwave's thighs becomes a muddy brown-purple.
{{--}}

===Advertisements===
[[File:MarvelUK new 1986 cars and planes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25]]

====US====
*[[M&M's]] (inside cover)
*Free headphone radio from Nabisco Confections - between pages 4 & 5
*Bonkers! chewy candy - between pages 5 & 6
*Marvel Comics' ''{{w|New Universe|The New Universe}}'' - between pages 7 & 8
*''Thundercats'' on VHS / Marvel Super Mart - between pages 8 & 9
*East Coast Comics - between pages 16 & 17 and between pages 17 & 18
*Various comic shops, and typical ads from the era - between pages 19 & 20
*Bullpen Bulletins - between pages 20 & 21
*Subscribe to Marvel Comics at only 65¢ per copy!
*[[Letters page|Transmissions]]
*''[[M.A.S.K.|MASK]]'' (inside back cover)
*Yamaha DX100 Synthesizer (back cover)

====UK====
*Both issues:
**1986 Marvel Summer Specials (including [[Transformers Collected Comics|''Collected Comics'' #4]])
**[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] toys (right)

[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]

Tarn (Cyberverse)

2023-02-08T05:41:46Z

TFMultiverse.com: /* Cyberverse cartoon */ Edit for readability

{{faction|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Tarn}}
:''Tarn is a [[Decepticon]] [[Decepticon supersoldier|supersoldier]] from the [[Transformers: Cyberverse (franchise)|Cyberverse]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Cyberverse-S4E2-The-Perfect-Decepticon-Tarn.jpg|thumb|350px|I hope they are watching. They'll see... they'll see... and they'll know... and they'll say... "why, he wouldn't even harm a fly..."]]

Part of the supposed [[Decepticon supersoldier|perfect Decepticon race]], '''Tarn''' was once simply a nameless drone, but no longer. With a mind of his own, his missing arm and battered state belies his sheer strength, though it pales in comparison to his deceptiveness. Living up to the symbol he wears on his face, Tarn deceives those around to accomplish his one goal: to surpass [[Megatron X (Cyberverse)|Megatron]] by finishing what he started. Much like the great leader he replaced, he fancies theatrics in front of a large audience to prove his capabilities and that of his army. If he did not believe other Decepticons would follow in his peace-destroying footsteps, Tarn would have been, and maybe still is, the perfect Decepticon.

{{bigquote|I have not betrayed. I have ''deceived''. Have you forgotten, Optimus... that I am a ''Decepticon?''|Tarn, "[[The Perfect Decepticon]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Marc Thompson]] (English)}}

In another universe, [[Megatron X (Cyberverse)|Megatron]] used the power of Vector Sigma to create a race of [[Decepticon supersoldier]]s. One of these soldiers evolved beyond his programming and named himself Tarn. He had, at some point, killed his universe's [[Soundwave (Cyberverse)|Soundwave]].

Following Megatron's demise, the supersoldiers began fighting each other for leadership. Tarn was attacked by two other clones and escaped to another universe that Megatron had previously attempted to conquer, with the other supersoldiers in pursuit. Despite the Autobots and Decepticons restraining his pursuers, Tarn shot them with his cannon, claiming they posed a threat to everyone. After attempts to stop the fighting between the supersoldiers proved fruitless, Tarn offered a solution in the form of the [[Cortex Helm]].

Tarn accompanied a small group of Autobots and Decepticons to find [[Thunderhowl (Cyberverse)|Thunderhowl]], who led them to [[Onyx Prime]]'s invisible floating island. Upon reaching the Cortex Helm’s chamber, Tarn stole the helm and reprogrammed the Decepticon supersoldiers to obey him. He then gave the other Decepticons an opportunity to join him.

Tarn brought Optimus Prime to an arena to fight his minions while rekindling the civil war between the factions. He sent wave upon wave of his soldiers to fight Prime until he was overwhelmed by superior numbers. Tarn intended to execute Optimus until Prime was saved by a group of Autobots. Tarn then ordered the Decepticons to attack, but they refused, sparking a battle between the combined Cybertronian factions and the invaders.

Tarn took the fight to Optimus himself while beaming in more forces. Having captured everyone, he gloated and again attempted to execute Prime. Hot Rod attempted to steal the Helm, but was beaten by Tarn. Soundwave arrived with Laserbeak and stole the Helm for himself. Tarn soon retrieved it, but Soundwave responded with a huge sound blast, killing Tarn while sacrificing himself. {{storylink|The Perfect Decepticon}}

==Notes==
*Tarn and the Decepticon supersoldiers are modeled after the original [[Tarn (G1)|Tarn]], the fanatic [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] loyalist and leader of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] in the [[2005 IDW continuity|2005-2018 comics]] from [[IDW Publishing]].

[[Category:Cartoon-only Transformers]]
[[Category:Cyberverse Decepticons]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]

Torkuli

2022-12-21T20:05:52Z

TFMultiverse.com: /* The Transformers cartoon */ Minor edit for accuracy with the main article for “Webworld.” The episode makes no mention to “arts and crafts” or “Primal scream therapy.”

[[File:Torkuli.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Doctor ZAIUS, Doctor ZAIUS... Doctor ZAIUS, Doctor ZAIUS..."]]
The ape-like '''Torkuli''' are the dominant species of the planet [[Torkulon]]. They are renowned throughout the galaxy as experts in psychiatric therapy; they have devoted their entire culture and all known activities on their world to the treatment and care of damaged or deranged minds. Torkuli are extremely intelligent, with advanced technology that can surpass even that of the [[Transformer]]s. Their professorial demeanor and soft, monotonous voices can make them seem gentle at first. However, [[Quintesson|those who have studied Torkulon long enough]] have realized it is not an outpatient facility, and once the doctors have decided on a prescription, no matter how radical, there is no room for second opinions. After all, it is for the patient's own good.

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Paul Eiding]] (Head Torkuli), [[Stan Jones]], [[Victor Caroli]] (English)}}
As [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s behavior grew more erratic and self-destructive, the Quintessons tricked [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] into having him committed on Torkulon. At the time of first contact with Transformers, Torkuli therapists were already treating a wide variety of species. Some patients had advanced to the levels of creative workshops and interactive therapy sessions; others had to be caged in solitary confinement. Galvatron was processed like any other. Unconcerned by his raving threats and firepower, the Torkuli immobilized Galvatron and diagnosed the cause of his psychosis: embrittlement of his logic circuits resulting from a "[[Thrull|plasma accident]]".

[[File:GalvatronWebworld.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Universal healthcare.]] Torkuli doctors attempted to treat Galvatron through multiple means, including word association, “psychomotor reintegration,” and “exo-drama” therapies. When Galvatron only responded with defiance and violence, eventually developing a tolerance to their inhibitor rays, the psychiatric staff had no choice but to authorize a more radical invasive procedure. They summoned the [[Alya]] to perform one of their "Maximal Interventions": having the giant bugs consume Galvatron's damaged thought circuitry altogether, weaving it into the mass of Torkulon's living circuit webs and leaving the [[Decepticon]] leader effectively lobotomized. With their superior technology, the Torkuli were able to keep Cyclonus and the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]]s at bay while the procedure began, but Galvatron's madness was so acute that it overwhelmed the entire planetary network, driving it insane and allowing him to escape. Now victims of Galvatron's brutal revenge, the Torkuli were left prone and helpless in the smoldering wreckage of their shattered world, the targets of very unwelcome attention from their former "patients". {{storylink|Webworld}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
A Torkuli was present on [[Hedonia]] around the time the ''[[Lost Light]]'' crew stopped by. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} He was a rare survivor of his race: a haunted Megatron would refer to the Torkuli as a race he was responsible for wiping out. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Galvatron was brought to the Torkuli planet for treatment, however the Torkuli was unable to help him, and were forced to flee when he began destroying their planet. {{storylink|Web World}}

[[Category:Alien species]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon species]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) species]]
[[Category:Scientists]]

Torkuli

2022-12-21T20:01:56Z

TFMultiverse.com: Undo revision 1658329 by TFMultiverse.com (talk)

[[File:Torkuli.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Doctor ZAIUS, Doctor ZAIUS... Doctor ZAIUS, Doctor ZAIUS..."]]
The ape-like '''Torkuli''' are the dominant species of the planet [[Torkulon]]. They are renowned throughout the galaxy as experts in psychiatric therapy; they have devoted their entire culture and all known activities on their world to the treatment and care of damaged or deranged minds. Torkuli are extremely intelligent, with advanced technology that can surpass even that of the [[Transformer]]s. Their professorial demeanor and soft, monotonous voices can make them seem gentle at first. However, [[Quintesson|those who have studied Torkulon long enough]] have realized it is not an outpatient facility, and once the doctors have decided on a prescription, no matter how radical, there is no room for second opinions. After all, it is for the patient's own good.

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Paul Eiding]] (Head Torkuli), [[Stan Jones]], [[Victor Caroli]] (English)}}
As [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s behavior grew more erratic and self-destructive, the Quintessons tricked [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] into having him committed on Torkulon. At the time of first contact with Transformers, Torkuli therapists were already treating a wide variety of species. Some patients had advanced to the levels of creative workshops and interactive therapy sessions; others had to be caged in solitary confinement. Galvatron was processed like any other. Unconcerned by his raving threats and firepower, the Torkuli immobilized Galvatron and diagnosed the cause of his psychosis: embrittlement of his logic circuits resulting from a "[[Thrull|plasma accident]]".

[[File:GalvatronWebworld.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Universal healthcare.]]
Torkuli doctors attempted to treat Galvatron through multiple means, including word association, arts and crafts, and primal scream therapies. When Galvatron only responded with defiance and violence, and developed a tolerance to their tranquilizer beam, the psychiatric staff had no choice but to authorize a more radical invasive procedure. They summoned the [[Alya]] to perform one of their "Maximal Interventions": having the giant bugs consume Galvatron's damaged thought circuitry altogether, weaving it into the mass of Torkulon's living circuit webs and leaving the [[Decepticon]] leader effectively lobotomized. With their superior technology, the Torkuli were able to keep Cyclonus and the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]]s at bay while the procedure began, but Galvatron's madness was so acute that it overwhelmed the entire planetary network, driving it insane and allowing him to escape. Now victims of Galvatron's brutal revenge, the Torkuli were left prone and helpless in the smoldering wreckage of their shattered world, the targets of very unwelcome attention from their former "patients". {{storylink|Webworld}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
A Torkuli was present on [[Hedonia]] around the time the ''[[Lost Light]]'' crew stopped by. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} He was a rare survivor of his race: a haunted Megatron would refer to the Torkuli as a race he was responsible for wiping out. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Galvatron was brought to the Torkuli planet for treatment, however the Torkuli was unable to help him, and were forced to flee when he began destroying their planet. {{storylink|Web World}}

[[Category:Alien species]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon species]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) species]]
[[Category:Scientists]]

Torkuli

2022-12-21T20:01:10Z

TFMultiverse.com: /* The Transformers cartoon */ Minor change for accuracy. “Webworldl has no reference to “arts and crafts” or rimal scream therapy”

[[File:Torkuli.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Doctor ZAIUS, Doctor ZAIUS... Doctor ZAIUS, Doctor ZAIUS..."]]
The ape-like '''Torkuli''' are the dominant species of the planet [[Torkulon]]. They are renowned throughout the galaxy as experts in psychiatric therapy; they have devoted their entire culture and all known activities on their world to the treatment and care of damaged or deranged minds. Torkuli are extremely intelligent, with advanced technology that can surpass even that of the [[Transformer]]s. Their professorial demeanor and soft, monotonous voices can make them seem gentle at first. However, [[Quintesson|those who have studied Torkulon long enough]] have realized it is not an outpatient facility, and once the doctors have decided on a prescription, no matter how radical, there is no room for second opinions. After all, it is for the patient's own good.

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Paul Eiding]] (Head Torkuli), [[Stan Jones]], [[Victor Caroli]] (English)}}
As [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s behavior grew more erratic and self-destructive, the Quintessons tricked [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] into having him committed on Torkulon. At the time of first contact with Transformers, Torkuli therapists were already treating a wide variety of species. Some patients had advanced to the levels of creative workshops and interactive therapy sessions; others had to be caged in solitary confinement. Galvatron was processed like any other. Unconcerned by his raving threats and firepower, the Torkuli immobilized Galvatron and diagnosed the cause of his psychosis: embrittlement of his logic circuits resulting from a "[[Thrull|plasma accident]]".

[[File:GalvatronWebworld.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Universal healthcare.]]
Torkuli doctors attempted to treat Galvatron through multiple means, including word association, “psychomotor reintegration,” and “exo-drama” therapies. When Galvatron only responded with defiance and violence, eventually developing a tolerance to their inhibitor rays, the psychiatric staff had no choice but to authorize a more radical invasive procedure. They summoned the [[Alya]] to perform one of their "Maximal Interventions": having the giant bugs consume Galvatron's damaged thought circuitry altogether, weaving it into the mass of Torkulon's living circuit webs and leaving the [[Decepticon]] leader effectively lobotomized. With their superior technology, the Torkuli were able to keep Cyclonus and the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]]s at bay while the procedure began, but Galvatron's madness was so acute that it overwhelmed the entire planetary network, driving it insane and allowing him to escape. Now victims of Galvatron's brutal revenge, the Torkuli were left prone and helpless in the smoldering wreckage of their shattered world, the targets of very unwelcome attention from their former "patients". {{storylink|Webworld}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
A Torkuli was present on [[Hedonia]] around the time the ''[[Lost Light]]'' crew stopped by. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} He was a rare survivor of his race: a haunted Megatron would refer to the Torkuli as a race he was responsible for wiping out. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Galvatron was brought to the Torkuli planet for treatment, however the Torkuli was unable to help him, and were forced to flee when he began destroying their planet. {{storylink|Web World}}

[[Category:Alien species]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon species]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) species]]
[[Category:Scientists]]

Prototype

2022-12-11T02:37:50Z

TFMultiverse.com: /* Legalities */ Removed reference to “sketchy legal situation” and made minor edits for readability.

[[Image:BC2007TestShots.jpg|right|190px|thumb|A multitude of <s>chewed caramels</s> test shots and samples. Click on image for more information.]]
A '''prototype''' is a sample version of a manufactured object produced for internal use in the manufacturing process, before the official mass production run starts. Various sorts of prototypes exist, both for the toys themselves and for the packaging. Sometimes prototypes of [[Toy|''Transformers'' toys]] end up in the possession of fans and collectors, but not always through entirely legal means.

__TOC__
{{-}}
==Toy prototypes==
[[File:TF Hero Rhinox Hot Rod resin.jpg|right|190px|thumb|Mecha Anime Transformers?]]
*'''Mock-ups''' are rough models used to prove a design (not unlike fan-made kitbashes or "scratch-builts"), and may be significantly different from the finished product. They usually don't transform yet; instead, individual mock-ups are made for each mode. Sometimes mock-ups reuse parts from existing ''Transformers'' toys. At least during ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'', mock-ups could even be carved out of ''wood'', although this was reportedly reserved for comparably simple toys with easy shapes; more complex toys would have mock-ups made out of clay or wax.<ref name="toyarchiverollbar">[http://www.toyarchive.com/Transformers/Prototypes/ThrottleRollbarWoodProto.html Wood pattern sculpt of ''Generation 1'' Throttlebot Rollbar at Super Toy Archive]</ref>
[[Image:PorscheMiniSubaru.jpg|right|190px|thumb|Hardcopies for unreleased Alternators Jazz (Porsche 986) and miniature Smokescreen (Subaru Impreza). Good luck finding THESE.]]
*'''Hardcopies''' (also called '''gray models''') are hand-sculpted pre-production casts which are usually made out of resin (hence they're also occasionally referred to as '''resins''') and are used as the basis from which the injection [[mold]]s for the actual toys are cast. As a result, hardcopies often have much sharper detail than the final products. Hand-painted hardcopies are also used for the [[stock photography|promotional photos]] depicted on the toys' packaging, which is why those photos sometimes look different from the actual products.
**For [[retool]]s, hardcopies are only made for new and retooled parts, while the unchanged parts are often taken from a production sample of the non-retooled version of the toy. This usually results in a rather mismatched look for the assembled prototype. In some cases, retools are planned right from the start, and the new parts are either [[gang-molding|gang-molded]] on the same sprue as the parts they replace, or all the parts with alternate versions are on the same sprue(s), and all the alternate versions are on their own sprue(s) as well.
[[Image:SmokescreenGTProto.jpg|right|190px|thumb|Retool prototype, not a knockoff.]]
*'''Test shots''', also referred to as '''engineering pilots''' or '''first shots''', are test runs of the injection molds to spot sculpting errors, test the plastic tolerances, test [[articulation]], etc. [[For safety reasons|Safety testing]] is also done with test shots, which sometimes results in the injection molds being retooled or the [[Unpaintable plastic|plastic type used for certain parts being changed]] in order to accommodate the changes demanded by the legal department. They are often cast in a single color of plastic, or in seemingly random colors that look nothing like the final products. Some are completely or partly made of clear (but not necessarily uncolored) plastic, which helps the designers observe the functioning of hidden parts. Test shots do not sport any factory-applied [[paint operation|paint operation]]s.
**In the case of retools, the unchanged parts can again be (but aren't necessarily) taken from a production sample of the non-retooled version of the toy. This may also result in a mismatched look depending on the plastic colors used for the new parts.
*'''Pre-production samples''', also referred to as '''final engineering pilots''' (and sometimes also as "test shots" among fans), are very similar to the final products. They are usually cast in the correct plastic colors for the individual parts (although sometimes the plastic colors or shades can still be changed very late in the production process, sometimes even after the production run for the toy has already started, thus resulting in a [[variant|running change variant]] of the official production version) and feature factory-applied paint operations. Their purpose is to provide an idea of what the final toy will look like and receive final approval from the company (or possible licensors). They are also used as display exhibits at toy shows such as Toy Fair or [[BotCon]]. In instances where the samples don't sport factory-applied paint operations yet, they are hand-painted. Because pre-production samples are very similar to the final product, they are often stamped with "not for sale" markings or feature deliberately wrong paint operations or [[tampograph]]s (e.g., wrong, upside-down or incorrectly colored faction symbols) in order to prevent confusion with the final products.
[[Image:Universe2008 G1Cyclonus.jpg|right|190px|thumb|An official [[stock photography|promo image]] of Universe Cyclonus, using a sample with non-final plastic colors.]]
:*[[Redeco]]s released within a short time following the previous use of the mold often start at the pre-production sample stage, since all the tooling and safety-testing has already been done. For older molds, Hasbro and Takara must ensure the mold is still usable and the toy still conforms to the latest toy safety standards. This especially applies to [[Generation 1 reissues|reissues]] (which sometimes require retooling for safety reasons).
*'''Production samples''' are the final stage before the actual production run starts, and are virtually indistinguishable from the final products in most cases. They are packaged in sample packaging (see below), and people with [[Ben Yee|good contacts to Hasbro]] sometimes receive production samples for review purposes.
{{-}}

==Packaging prototypes==
[[Image:LeaderBrawlFurby.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Not so tough without a head, are you?]]
*'''Mock-up packaging''' is often made of a random piece of cardboard (sometimes any packaging from another line that happens to be available in Hasbro's offices at the moment) with a clear plastic tray and window (or, in the case of carded toys, a blister bubble). Its primary purpose is to get an idea of the intended shape of the packaging. The toy included in the mock-up packaging can be anything from a totally random toy from another line to a mock-up to a test shot or a pre-production sample.
*'''Proof packaging''' does not contain any toys, but merely serves to get an idea of the final packaging design. '''Proof cards''' for carded toys can range from being only printed on one side, lacking rounded edges and punch holes, to being virtually indistinguishable from the cardback for a production toy, only lacking a glued-on blister bubble. Sometimes the proof packaging can still feature differences from the final production versions, such as spelling or name errors, different graphics, logos or text fonts, or slightly different layouts for the various elements such as graphics, logos or text.
*'''Sample packaging''' is very close to the final product, and again can contain anything ranging from toys from different lines to test shots to pre-production samples.
{{-}}

==Legalities==
[[Image:AlternatorsSwindleSample.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Yeah, the body is stolen. I didn't have the time to repaint those pesky Autobot logos yet.]]
For various legal reasons, toy companies won't officially sell prototypes or any other kind of pre-production toys on the market. Since one of the ''purposes'' of test shots ''is'' safety-testing, they are technically not safety-tested yet, hence officially selling them could be a legal minefield. The designers and engineers at Hasbro and Takara are allowed to keep one or two pieces for their private collection, and sometimes it's possible for fans with contacts to (former) Hasbro employees to acquire test shots or pre-production samples of toys from older lines through legal means. Hardcopies, on the other hand, are a lot harder to come by, one of the reasons for this being their generally lower production numbers (only about ten hardcopies for a toy are made, whereas the number of test shots and samples easily reaches three-digit numbers). Stores will also sometimes receive samples (usually of the production variety) as a "preview". Furthermore, Hasbro will sometimes give out production samples to [[Ben Yee|individuals]] for review purposes. Even though this isn't Hasbro's intention, those individuals are legally allowed to resell their samples on the aftermarket.

Officially, the vast number of test shots and pre-production samples (except those given out for "preview" or review purposes) are supposed to be dumped or destroyed once they have fulfilled their purpose (safety testing, approval from the company etc.). However, since most toy companies have been having their toys manufactured in China for almost two decades by now, and the factories aren't even directly ''owned'' by the toy companies themselves in most cases, it's hard for them to retain full control over the final fate of those pre-production items. As a result, factory employees who have realized that the toys they are helping manufacture aren't only bought by kids and their parents, but also by adult collectors, have started to make a habit out of smuggling various kinds of pre-production items (starting at the test shot stage) out of the factory and selling them to dealers who often specifically specialize in pre-production toys.

In the case of the ''Transformers'' toylines, this phenomenon started in the mid-1990s during the run of the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' toyline. A young [[Daniel Ross]] (aka Mouth04) was one of the first people who regularly made photos of production samples available to a growing ''Transformers'' online fandom, provided by an eBay seller going by the alias "SPQQKY".<ref>[http://www.reocities.com/Area51/Dungeon/4980/SPQQKY.html Mouth04's old "SPQQKY Files" website]</ref> Daniel later stated that it had never occurred to him that what SPQQKY was involved in was illegal in any way whatsoever until he provided packaging photos of the [[BotCon 2001]] exclusive [[Tigatron]] toy, which at that time was still officially unrevealed. Initially, collecting pre-production toys had been a niche "market" reserved for people with established contacts to Chinese dealers. With the emergence of online auction sites such as [[eBay]] or the Chinese counterpart Taobao, however, it has become a lot easier for people to buy pre-production toys from (usually Chinese) sellers, hence making it more of a "mainstream" activity. That still doesn't mean that it's legal, however.

Toy companies usually refrain from explicitly referring to pre-production items sold on auction sites as "stolen", instead using rather vague phrases such as "obtained through unauthorized means"<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/default.cfm?page=News/Item&newsid=CFE67147-D56F-E112-44D68FC54DF506D4 Old Hasbro website news addressing the issue of "prototypes" being auctioned online]</ref> For a brief time in 2003, Hasbro had maintained a strict policy explicitly demanding that fan sites must not post any "unsolicited materials", specifically photos of toys that had not been officially announced yet. However, they never provided specific guidelines they had promised (allegedly, this was because their legal team had come to the conclusion that they had no legal stand in this matter<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/883c2bc7a05d3bc9 alt.toys.transformers post by Bainreese about Hasbro's "prototype policy"]</ref>), and by the end of the year, fan sites had completely stopped following that policy, supposedly with no legal repercussions whatsoever. In an interview<ref>[http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=5044 TFormers.com interview with Aaron Archer]</ref>, [[Aaron Archer]] stated that it could never be said with full certainty whether pre-production toys sold on auction sites had indeed been stolen, and other than having the auction taken down, there was not much Hasbro could do legally. Possible reasons for this are Hasbro's third party relationship with Chinese manufacturing plants and Chinese industry’s frequent disregard for international legal norms. A conspiracy theory among some fans even suggests that Hasbro ''deliberately'' "leak" test shots in order to evaluate the audience's reactions.

[[Brian Savage]] took a more direct approach when multiples of the [[BotCon 2008]] exclusive toys were being sold on eBay before the convention, asking eBay to take down the auctions and sending e-mails to the sellers asking them to return the stolen toys (explicitly referred to as such) to him.

[[Image:FABBarricadeTestShot.jpg|right|130px|thumb|"That only means he's not meant to be sold in STORES."]]
In order to make pre-production toys (mostly test shots and pre-production samples) less "attractive" to buyers, Hasbro have tried out all kinds of different methods, from the aforementioned "Not for sale" markings (which used to be etched in, but are now simply stamped on) to off-color [[paint operation]]s to deliberately "damaging" the toys (often achieved by slapping ugly splotches of red paint all over the face). However, to some collectors, those efforts have the ''opposite'' effect, making them even ''more'' attractive in their eyes due to their apparent uniqueness. Possibly the most effective method employed by Hasbro thus far was individually serial-numbering the test shots with a screwdriver. Those markings would then help Hasbro in tracking down the source of the leak and cracking down on it.

As a matter of fact, the amount of premature test shot leaks has been reduced tremendously in the past few years. (The relocation of Hasbro's manufacturing plants for a lot of their toys from China to Vietnam might also be a factor here.) Pre-production and production samples that are nearly indistinguishable from the final products still occasionally show up, but prototypes that look clearly unfinished have become a rare occurrence by this point. And in most cases, the toys that leak out have already been officially announced by Hasbro.

Perhaps the most bizarre variety of ''Transformers'' prototypes that have surfaced thus far date from 2002, variants of the early ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' reissues cast almost entirely in clear plastic. Because the origin of these toys has never been explained in full capacity, fan theories ranged from genuine test shots to bootlegs to unauthorized "lunchtime" runs of the molds done by the same people that smuggled them out of the factory. The latter theory caused some fans to refer to those toys as "lunchtime specials". [[Rik Alvarez|Some people]] insist that those toys are fully legit (but not necessarily legally acquired) prototypes created by Hasbro and Takara to serve as "reference pieces".

==Footnotes==
<references/>

[[Category:Toys]]

Twin Twist (G1)

2022-09-24T16:11:16Z

TFMultiverse.com: /* Notes */ I think "Split-Change" is a better English interpretation. "Bakuten" is a novel compound but "Blast-Flip" seems a little off. "Attack" already connotes violence, so "baku" lands closer to "split apart" and "ten" is closer to "change."

{{factions|autobot|wreckers}}
{{disambig3|Twin Twist}}
:''Twin Twist is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[File:G1-TwinTwist-boxart.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|He has killer thighs. Literally.]]

'''Twin Twist''' will sink his drills into anything, tearing it to shreds at the smallest excuse. He loves violence and fighting as much as your average [[Decepticon]], full of fury and the desire to show off just how much destruction he's capable of doing. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] sometimes worries about his uncontrollable nature, but no one can argue that he isn't an effective warrior. It's probably not much of a surprise that he fits right in with the [[Wrecker]]s.

As a [[Jumpstarter]], Twin Twist and his [[relatives|brother]] [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] can transform between modes in a fraction of an instant (.4 of a second), significantly faster than most Transformers. He is sometimes partnered with the [[Titan Master]] [[Flameout]].

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Target2006 TwinTwistbeatsFang .jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Let's see you GRIT THOSE TEETH!!!]]
''Twin Twist was a member of the Wreckers, and trained diligently with the other Wreckers in preparation for [[Operation: Volcano]]. When the operation's linchpin, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]], was required elsewhere, Twin Twist agreed with the others to drop the mission and redirect their efforts. However, after Twin Twist protected [[Tusks|the weak]] in a bar brawl at [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's]], it was he who helped change everyone's mind by renewed their fighting spirit. Twin Twist and the others returned to training for Operation Volcano.''

''Twin Twist grieved with the other Wreckers when their leader, [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]], died saving the life of [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron]] as Operation: Volcano ended horribly.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}}

''After both [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] wound up teleported back to Cybertron, Megatron set about spreading false rumors that a Decepticon spy, disguised as Optimus, had been set loose to infiltrate the Autobots' ranks. Twin Twist helped capture what he believed to be the imposter alongside the rest of the Wreckers.'' {{storylink|...The Harder They Die!}} ''The Wreckers readied to gun down their captive, only for the execution to be interrupted by [[Outback (G1)|Outback]]. Though the little guy wasn't able to convince the others that Prime was the real thing, he used a [[gas particle bomb]] to create the distraction necessary for the Autobot leader to escape his [[energy restraints]] and vamoose.'' {{storylink|Under Fire!}} {{storylink|Distant Thunder!}} ''Prime's name was eventually cleared, and he begun rallying the Autobot forces on Cybertron, leading them on raids to plunder Decepticon resources. Twin Twist participated in several of these raids, leading up to one which would serve as a distraction, allowing Prime and Ultra Magnus to sneak up on Megatron and take on the Decepticon leader.'' {{storylink|Resurrection!}}

[[File:Twintwistspacehikers.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|He wasn't even supposed to be here today!]]
Twin Twist somehow wound up within the newly space-borne Ark alongside the Autobots under [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]]'s leadership, and was one of several Autobots who attended the trial of [[Spacehikers|four human children]] who were charged with aiding [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] in a mutinous plot. {{storylink|Spacehikers!}}

''After Impactor's death, Wreckers rookie [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] took his place. Some time later, Twin Twist stood with the Wreckers in the new [[Autobase]] in [[Kalis]] when a nuclear reactor exploded and hordes of [[zombie]] Transformers began pouring out of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s lower levels. Twin Twist was captured and imprisoned with the other Wreckers and Emirate Xaaron in [[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]]'s underground base.'' {{storylink|Legion of the Lost!}} ''Twin Twist and the rest of the Wreckers managed to break out of their cell as well, reacquired their weapons, and once more took up the fight against the zombies patrolling Flame's headquarters. They then bumped into a returning Springer, now accompanied by Ultra Magnus, [[Fizzle]], [[Sizzle (G1)|Sizzle]], and [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]]. Unfortunately, any further progress towards Flame's inner sanctum was blocked off by a massive blast door. Though their weapons proved completely ineffective against it, the Autobots managed to get through when [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] arrived, repaying a favor that fellow Decepticon [[Flywheels]] owed Ultra Magnus. Unfortunately, they came to confront Flame too late; his machines had already destabilized, and the countdown to Cybertron's destruction had already begun. While Springer, Ultra Magnus, and Xaaron dealt with Flame, the rest of the group cut through the remnants of madbot's zombie army, and headed back to the surface. There, Twin Twist learned that a zombified [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] had forfeited his (un)life in order to prevent the whole planet from blowing up. He joined the others in remembering Impactor's two heroic deaths.'' {{storylink|Meltdown!}}

[[File:WreckingHavoc-yourfoe.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.8]]
''Soon, the [[time travel]]ling Galvatron who wandered Earth had attracted the attention of the Wreckers. After Twin Twist helped his fellow Wreckers memorize the stats of their foe, they warped themselves down to Earth to face him... and right into the middle of a heavily populated Earth city. Though Springer worried that this had totally compromised their mission, as they didn't want to inflict any casualties on the innocent humans, the Wreckers nonetheless threw themselves at Galvatron. Twin Twist and his [[Jumpstarter]] partner Topspin focused their efforts on Galvatron's equally time-tossed [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] brethren, [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]. Eventually, to stave off further collateral damage, Springer lured the two Decepticon cronies out of town, leaving the rest of his crew with the opportunity to gang-up on Galvatron. However, they were unwilling to leave Springer to the Decepticons' mercies, and instead pursued him, allowing Galvatron to escape them. The Wreckers' mission ended as a total failure, and they returned to Cybertron to plan anew.'' {{storylink|Wrecking Havoc}}

[[File:TimeWars-frakamm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|If Twin Twist were linked to Topspin the way they are in IDW, Galvatron would be totally killing four Autobots at once.]]
''However, this only delayed the inevitable. Galvatron's presence in the present day had started to unravel the space-time continuum. Twin Twist and the rest of the Wreckers reluctantly teamed up with the Decepticons' counterpart organization, the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]], to counter Galvatron.''

''Quickly, Galvatron began depleting the Wreckers' ranks. Though [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] died inflicting a horrible head wound on Galvatron, this only made the Decepticon angry. With renewed fury, Galvatron tore through the Wreckers. He defeated [[Rack'n'Ruin (G1)|Rack'n'Ruin]] and Twin Twist simultaneously, killing the latter by tearing off his head.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}}

=====Transformers Annual 1985=====
{{note|Due to being published early in the franchise, this story is out of continuity with the above.}}
When [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] detected Decepticon activity in the Amazon, the pair brought Topspin and Twin Twist along to investigate. Prowl was hesitant throughout the mission, and suggested the group turn back upon encountering a roadblock. Twin Twist wouldn't hear it however, as he and Topspin were eager for some action. He easily forced his way through the roadblock with his drills, and the group picked up a trail left behind by [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] afterwards.

The Autobots trekked for days until they came upon the Decepticons' hideout. There, the enemy was excavating crystals which could bring new Decepticons to life. Prowl suggested that the Autobots hold their position and contact the Ark for reinforcements, prompting a debate within the group. While the others were distracted by their argument, Bumblebee took it upon himself to push on alone, only to be caught in [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] and [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]'s cross-hairs. Prowl and the Jumpstarters were forced into action, but found themselves paralyzed with fear partway into their descent; [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] had also been posted as a guard, and was using his fear-inducing engines on the Autobots. Prowl managed to neutralize this newest threat, and the Jumpstarters resumed their rescue attempt. Together, they blasted Starscream out of the sky and sent him crashing into Megatron's mining operation, destroying it utterly. Thrust retaliated by burying the Autobots in an avalanche, and by the time Twin Twist clawed his way out, the Decepticons had already fled. {{storylink|Hunted!}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[File:Rodimus technobots wreckers peace.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6]]
In the year [[2510]], Twin Twist witnessed the end of the old war and the start of a new one. With the last Decepticon destroyed, the Autobots began arguing among themselves as to whether Springer or Ultra Magnus should be [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]]'s chosen successor. A scuffle broke out and casualties happened on both sides, leading to a new Autobot Civil War between the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] and the Wreckers, with Rodimus sitting in the middle of the war zone, emotionally crushed by the renewed conflict. {{storylink|Peace}}
{{-}}

====''Transformers '84''====
[[File:Wreckers secrets and lies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
When [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] and [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] walked in on [[Punch (G1)|Punch]] informing [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] that he needed a "wrecking crew" to deal with [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] restarting [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]'s "[[Project Dreadnought]]", they recruited Twin Twist, [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]], and [[Rack'n'Ruin (G1)|Rack'n'Ruin]] to form a new unit called the "[[Wrecker]]s". {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 3|Secrets & Lies #3}}

[[File:Topspin twin twist secrets and lies.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0]]
Arriving at the nerve centre of Project Dreadnought, the newly formed Wreckers assumed their designated holding positions until their fearless leader Impactor could think of an appropriate signal; upon a surprise attack by [[Abominus (G1)|Abominus]] he spontaneously ordered them to "wreck and rule" and Twin Twist began tunnelling towards the control centre, followed by Topspin. While their fellow Wreckers battled the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] above, the Jumpstarters held off a squad of [[generic]] Decepticons while laying enough explosives to destroy the base for good. When the job was done, Twin Twist gave Impactor the signal to pull out and the Wreckers withdrew from their first mission victorious. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 4|Secrets & Lies #4}}
{{-}}

===Decepticon Poison===
{{notemultipath}}
[[File:Twintwist-gunslinger.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
In one possible scenario, Twin Twist was amongst the troops that Optimus brought to the Decepticons’ poison lab, in order to foil the Decepticons’ plan of poisoning the humans’ nearby water supply.

If the Autobots decided to launch a full-frontal assault, as suggested by [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], Twin Twist was one of the Autobots Optimus called forth to gun down the laboratory. The laboratory then caved in on itself, signalling an Autobot victory. {{storylink|Decepticon Poison}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:DarkAges2 JumpstartersattackDevastator.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
During the "Dark Ages" of the Cybertronian civil war, a time in which both Megatron and Optimus were thought dead, both the Autobots and Decepticons splintered into several smaller factions. Twin Twist joined [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]'s Wreckers, who came to frequent blows against [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]'s [[Ultracon]]s. During one of their missions, they battled [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] in order to keep the [[Tagan Heights]] out of their enemy's control. Twin Twist tried to topple the combiner by drilling into his left foot. Amazingly, the strategy did not work. {{storylink|Escalation}} [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] joined the fight, but the resulting clash between the two combiners was so brutal that Twin Twist and the other Wreckers were forced to retreat to avoid becoming collateral damage. When the ground-bound Wreckers became boxed-in as the area was collapsing around them, Twin Twist used his drills to dig an underground escape route. {{storylink|Devastation (issue)|Devastation}}

After the creation of the Micromasters in fuel-starved times, Twin Twist came to work for a unified Autobot faction once more. He was guarding Autobot HQ when [[Countdown (G1)|Countdown]] and [[Groundshaker (G1)|Groundshaker]] returned from an interplanetary mission. His fellow guard, Topspin, asked the little 'bots where Optimus Prime was, only for the new arrivals to inform them that they had failed to locate the lost Autobot leader. {{storylink|Destined for Nothing}} Later, due to the machinations of the Decepticon-allied Micromaster [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]], the Autobots and Decepticons were tricked into an all-out brawl, despite resources being at an all-time low for both sides. Twin Twist was battered in the conflict that came about, but the Autobots were spared total defeat when a cross-faction group of Micromasters revealed the scheme that had brought the fight about. The Autobots and Decepticons abandoned the battlefield in response, allowing the war to prolong itself further. {{storylink|Victims of the Revolution}}

[[File:WarandPeace2 Jumpstartersgripe.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]
In the present, Twin Twist and his compatriot, [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]], served as guards under [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s regime. Neither of them were all too please with Cybertron's current government, though they did their best to keep silent about it, knowing that Shockwave had eyes and ears everywhere. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}} Being elite soldiers, they also were members of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s shock team. When [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] was released to wreak havoc on [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], Twin Twist tried to attack his left foot. This time, it actually worked and toppled the giant. He survived the battle and uncovered evidence of Decepticon treachery in Menasor's rampage. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}} Soon after, a full Autobot uprising was underway, and Twin Twist helped in the final push that toppled Shockwave's regime. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

Twin Twist and Topspin continued to serve with Magnus on Cybertron after Shockwave's rule was overthrown, and attended a meeting where the Autobots' forces were divided up to better defend the planet against future threats. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

===''The Beast Within''===
Twin Twist participated in a savage battle against the Decepticons, though he did not fare too well, being on the receiving end of a beat-down courtesy of Soundwave. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}
{{-}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
:*''First Appearance:'' [[Stormbringer issue 2|Transformers: Stormbringer #2]]

[[File:Stormbringer2 ScoopTwintwist.jpg|upright=1.1|left|thumb]]
The Jumpstarters have a [[branched spark]]: a rare condition that means the two of them can share each other's pain and feelings, and sometimes perceive each other's circumstances. Twin Twist was the first to get involved in the Wreckers. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 3|Last Stand of the Wreckers #3}}

Teamed with [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]], Twin Twist was working on drilling out a storm tunnel for Springer on [[Varas Centralus]] when they got the call from Optimus Prime to return to Cybertron to investigate the possible return of [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] and rescue [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]]'s expedition team. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2|Stormbringer #2}} After [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] saved [[Afterburner (G1)|Afterburner]] and [[Nosecone (G1)|Nosecone]] from a squad of [[Centurion droid|Centurion drones]], Twin Twist's drills were invaluable for tunneling into the hidden base of [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3|Stormbringer #3}}

[[File:Stormbringer4 TwinTwist TOOMPH.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|Pain is a good teacher, but will Twin Twist learn?]]
Proving that obsessions exceed universal boundaries, Twin Twist continued his bizarre obsession with left feet by trying to drill the toes off the revenant Thunderwing. This time, he got kicked and stomped on for his trouble. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4|Stormbringer #4}}

When the Wreckers were again called upon to battle Thunderwing on [[Corata-Vaz]], Twin Twist was there, trying alongside his comrades to get past the massive [[Pretender]] to a [[Nega-Core]] it was guarding; a device essential for bringing forth the [[Expansion]]. One wonders why he didn't just tunnel underneath to get past Thunderwing... {{storylink|Spotlight: Hardhead}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}

When Jetfire managed to remotely override Thunderwing's predetermined directives for a brief time, the Wreckers got by and found the Nega-Core. Twin Twist and Topspin then began attempting to decommission it, ultimately prepping it for transport through a [[space bridge]] portal. Once Autobot teams on different planets had reached the other Nega-Cores, Topspin carefully explained to everyone the process by which to properly unlatch and move them. Jetfire lost control of Thunderwing by this point and it turned back to resume attacking the Wreckers, but they managed to survive. {{storylink|Spotlight: Sideswipe}}

Sometime later, the Wreckers apparently had a battle with [[Turmoil]] and his crew of Decepticons that went badly. Twin Twist's fellow Jumpstarter Topspin and five other Autobots were taken prisoner aboard Turmoil's cruiser. Led by [[Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Kup]], Twin Twist and the remaining Wreckers made a successful rescue attempt, thanks in part to their new recruit [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Drift}} With Kup back in the field, however, he recruited Springer and several of the Wreckers for his personal strike team.

[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers1-Jumpstarters 'explain'.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb]]
Over two years later, the Wreckers were reformed and were taking on new recruits; Twin Twist and Topspin were still part of the team. While meeting the new guys, they saw [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]] briefly fall unconscious. Twin Twist was going to have Perceptor fetched to check the guy out, but Ironfist claimed he was fine... while [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]] revealed that Ironfist was the secret identity of "Fisitron", the [[fandom|historian]] behind the ''[[Wreckers: Declassified]]'' datalogs. Twin Twist was stunned, and then amused to find his official file was top secret and that Ironfist ''really'' wanted to know what was in it. While Topspin claimed they were just two normal guys ''really'', Twin Twist gave a friendly warning for "Fisitron" to do "no more prying". {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Last Stand of the Wreckers #1}}

Before the assault on [[Garrus-9]], Twin Twist briefly talked with Topspin about the vicarious perception they were experiencing, but decided not to let it distract them. During the assault he was placed in [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]'s pod, and manned the pod's gun until he was knocked over by an enemy blast. Rather than falling to his death, he was saved by [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|Last Stand of the Wreckers #2}}

[[File:Image-LastStandoftheWreckers3-Twin Twist and Stalker.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|DENTAL PLAN! [[Verity Carlo|Verity]] needs [[Master-Brace|Masterbraces]]! DENTAL PLAN! Verity needs Masterbraces! DENTAL PLAN!]]
Upon planetfall, Twin Twist's group was followed by a group of Decepticons. The Wreckers responded with lethal force while Springer took a look at Twin Twist's wound. Needing to get to the cell block apparently below them, he painfully transformed into his drill mode— which was felt elsewhere by Topspin. He drilled directly into a large room and was again saved from his fall, this time by Springer. He reached a computer terminal and realized they had accidentally triggered a defense mechanism and were going to be vaporized. They tried to escape but were zapped by a high concentration of energy. Twin Twist came to in the presence of [[Stalker (G1)|Stalker]], who asked him to open wide as he brought a scalpel toward Twin Twist's head. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 3|Last Stand of the Wreckers #3}}

[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers4- JumpstartersEnd.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
Stalker tortured Twin Twist in earnest, ravaging his face and eventually causing the Wrecker to pass out from the pain. Stalker left the Autobots alone briefly so he could go fetch the [[endoscopic claw]], another torture device. Twin Twist woke up just in time to hear the bound Springer and Impactor arguing. Stalker returned with the horrific-looking instrument and resumed his torture of Twin Twist, despite the Autobot's desperate pleas. In the [[Aequitas]] chamber, Twin Twist's anguish was experienced by Topspin through vicarious perception. Rather than let his brother suffer any further, Topspin offered his spark up to bypass Aequitas' suicide lock. The two Jumpstarters died simultaneously, their shared last words being "Wreck and Rule!" {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4|Last Stand of the Wreckers #4}}

After the liberation of G-9, Twin Twist's remains, as well as that of the other fallen Wreckers, were transported to [[Earth]] along with the survivors. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}} They were later interred in the Zone of Remembrance at ''[[Debris]]'', the Wreckers' headquarters. {{storylink|Zero Point}}
{{--}}

===''Legends'' comic===
Twin Twist was a [[Powered Master]] and space pioneer with the ability bestow the properties of a drill upon any weapon he wielded. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 65|Bonus Edition Vol. 65}} In the late 1980s, they entered the scene to protect the [[Transform Super Cog]] from falling into [[Decepticon]] hands, and they managed to defeat the [[Battlecharger]]s who were attempting to steal it from within the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''. When the Jumpstarters joined the battle outside, they attacked who they thought was [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], but it turned out to be the decoy, [[Megaplex]], and they were left open to attacks from [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] and [[Enemy (G1)|Enemy]], but [[Nightstalker (G1)|Nightstalker]] was able to protect them from Enemy's finishing blow. That didn't stop them from losing the Super Cog to [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]], but the other Autobots were able to end his threat. {{Storylink|Slugslinger's Ambition}}

Twin Twist loved to drill holes and often ended up damaging the Autobot base, much to the chagrin of the other Autobots. He was supported in his mischief by Topspin, {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter#G1 Warrior Twin Twist|G1 Warrior Twin Twist}} who would only put his foot down when Twin Twist wanted to drill holes in ''him''. {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter#G1 Warrior Topspin|G1 Warrior Topspin}} [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] tried putting his obsession to good use by having him dig pitfall traps for the Decepticons, but he dug so many that the Autobots themselves fell in them. {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter#Operation: Destroy the Decepticons|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}} The problem was "solved" when Prime appointed both him and Topspin leader of the Jumpstarters, leaving Twin Twist too busy arguing with his brother to have time for drilling. {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter#The Commander's Good Idea|The Commander's Good Idea}} In [[2004]], the Jumpstarters were recruited by [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] into his new Wreckers unit. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 7|Bonus Edition Vol. 7}} {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter#LG-07 Jetfire Sequel|LG-07 Jetfire Sequel}} The team was charged with cleaning up around [[Mount St. Hilary]], which Twin Twist contributing by digging holes for garbage disposal. {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter#G1 Wreckers Birth Story|G1 Wreckers Birth Story}} During this time, he and Topspin learned that their fellow Wreckers [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] had come from a peaceful dimension known as the [[Legends World]] and hoped to help found such a place themselves someday. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 66|Bonus Edition Vol. 66}}

Decades later in the [[2030]]s, the Jumpstarters were approached by [[Katsu Don]] and asked for their help in creating a dimension called Legends, causing them to realize their friends were from the future. Concluding that they had to accept or else their friends would never be born, they stole the [[Zodiac]] from fellow Powered Master [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]] and used it to create the Legends World, leaving it in the care of the [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 66|Bonus Edition Vol. 66}} Twin Twist was later present when his teammates raised concern about Springer's's increasing girth. {{Storylink|LG19 Sprung Prologue}} Following a trip to the Legends World, their commander returned in a new body which Twin Twist immediately wanted to drill holes in. {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter#LG19 Springer Sequel|LG19 Springer Sequel}} Upon learning that the Zamojin were attempting to destroy their creation through [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], they explained the circumstances to the other Wreckers before traveling there to stop Katsu Don. {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter#LG65 Twin Twist Prologue|LG65 Twin Twist Prologue}} Twin Twist was swiftly decapitated by Windblade but survived by retrieving the Zodiac and using its power to turn his head into a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] and his body into a Drill Base. Using the base's drills to generate electromagnetic waves, he successfully retrieved [[Spoilsport]] from Windblade and blasted her, freeing [[Peacemaker]] as well. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 65|Bonus Edition Vol. 65}} Expressing their determination to defend the world they created, Twin Twist and Topspin then combined into their [[Attack Powered]] form and decisively defeated both Windblade and Katsu Don. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 66|Bonus Edition Vol. 66}}

When [[Majin Zarak]] was released on the Legends World, the Jumpstarters worked with many other parties to defeat him. Twin Twist's Drill Base mode, linked to his Powered Engine, was used to funnel power into [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'s ultra-drill, a device for transporting between dimensions. It was hoped that the ultra-drill could remove Majin Zarak to a safe pocket dimension without destroying (due to a time paradox involving his presence in this time period). Together, the defenders of the Legends World used their combined firepower to force Majin Zarak through the breach. However, the Targetmaster partners were also modified by [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] and [[Devil Z]] into plasma energy bombs which threatened to destroy the Legends World. Unable to disarm the Targetmasters without killing them, Mayor Megatron ordered the population evacuated through portals created by Twin Twist's Drill Base. The Jumpstarters theorized it might still be possible to one day recreate the Legends World if it were destroyed, with the help of their Powered Master leader, [[Dai Atlas (G1)|Dai Atlas]]. {{storylink|Targetmaster Chapter Finale: Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two}}

Getting aid from the Powered Masters would not be easy, however. Back in 2038 of the OG World, the Jumpstarters discovered the Powered Masters had been possessed by the malevolent entity [[Violengiguar]]. Although Dai Atlas, [[Sonic Bomber]], and [[Roadfire]] still lived on in new Headmaster bodies, their Powered Engines remained in their original forms. Having stolen the [[Zodiac]], Vion (in the body of Dai Atlas) attempted to use its power. Luckily, Topspin and Twin Twist were able to combine with the real Dai Atlas, allowing him access to ''their'' Powered Engines to counter Vion's efforts and temporarily deplete the Zodiac's power. {{storylink|The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 2}}

The battle progressed to the [[Zone Base]] on Planet [[Micro]], where Violengiguar and his master [[Dark Nova]] intended to steal energon to recharge the Zodiac. Dark Nova forcibly merged with Mayor Megatron to recreate the powerful [[Dark Nova|Star Giant]] colossus. Roadfire focused on reclaiming the Powered Engines from the Powered Masters' original bodies, and rallied Topspin and Twin Twist to do it. Topspin and Roadfire merged into Wing Powered while Twin Twist and Dai Atlas formed Drill Powered. Their combined firepower destroyed Lenger and Iguarn in the bodies of Sonic Bomber and Road Fire. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX 2 Roadfire Chapter|Roadfire Chapter}}

As Vion was destroyed as well and the last Powered Engine recovered, however, the Jumpstarters received surprising resistance from the other Powered Masters. Dai Atlas's hatred of Megatron was such that he not only had no compunctions about striking down Star Giant (with the innocently possessed Megatron inside), but he would also refuse to restore the Legends World if Megatron was the one who wished it. Having seen the benevolent Mayor Megatron and the peaceful Legends World, Topspin and Twin Twist tried to convince the Powered Masters otherwise, but to no avail. When they tried to prevent Dai Atlas from killing Star Giant, he mercilessly cut off their heads and forcibly incorporated their Powered Engines and [[Transtector]]s into the [[Ultra Powered]] combination. Only as he prepared for his final strike did Dai Atlas realize Star Giant wasn't fighting back. Megatron held Star Giant at bay inside the creature, and accepted his death while imploring Dai Atlas to recreate the Legends World as his final wish. Dai Atlas killed Star Giant and begrudgingly agreed to help the Jumpstarters restore the Legends World afterwards. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX 3 Dai Atlas Chapter|Dai Atlas Chapter}}

Together, the five Powered Masters used their Zone Base modes, the Zodiac, and many other energy sources and ingredients to spark the resurrection of the Legends World, allowing the inhabitants to return to New Akihibara City and their homes. {{storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Twin Twist was a member of the fearless Wreckers squad which liberated Garrus-9 from the grip of [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]] and the [[Air Strike Patrol]], though they destroyed most of the facility in the process. {{storylink|The Wreckers}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
Given Topspin and Twin Twist's absence from Earth, [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] recruited [[Nosecone (G1)|Nosecone]] to be the Wreckers' new resident driller.
{{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars|Nosecone arrival}}
{{chargamestub|{{storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars}}}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===''The Transformers''===
{{anchor|Generation 1}}
[[File:TwinTwistG1Toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|My God, I can raise my arms]]
*'''Twin Twist''' (Jumpstarter, [[1985]])
**''Accessories'': "Semi Automatic Cannon-Rifle"

:Twin Twist transforms into a Cybertronic twin-drill tank via a very simple, one-step process. His [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] features a pull-back motor which propels him forward; after a short distance, a latch on his body releases his spring-loaded legs, and the weight and momentum flips Twin Twist up onto his [[robot mode]] feet. A small lever on the back of his head adjusts the timing of when his head hits the floor, and thus his kickoff angle, hopefully making this [[gimmick]] work better.

:The [[Mexico|Mexican]] version of Twin Twist featured a running change in that early models had their faces painted red instead of silver; these toys were also sold on the [[Europe]]an market.

:This mold was [[redeco]]ed to make [[Salt-Man Z]] and [[Robot-Man Z]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/TwinTwist/twintwist.htm More information on Twin Twist at TFU.info]''
{{G1TwinTwistMold}}
{{-}}

===''Titans Return''===
[[File:TF-Titans-Return-Twin-Twist.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Let's Twist again. Like we did thirty-two summers ago.]]
*'''Flameout & Twin Twist''' (Deluxe Class, [[2017]])
**''Accessories'': [[Flameout#Generations|Flameout]] Titan Master, blasters
{{toydesigner|[[John Warden]] (Hasbro)}}

:''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' Twin Twist is a heavy retool of [[Topspin (G1)#Generations|Topspin]], featuring a new faceplate, shoulders, feet, and backpack with treads replacing the wings.

:Twin Twist sports a great deal more paint than his brother. Unfortunately the paint applied to the hips can cause tolerance issues when transforming him, requiring more force to fold the legs up into their vehicle mode configuration.

:He was also retooled into ''Legends'' [[Roadfire#Legends|Roadfire]].
{{-}}

===''Legends''===
[[File:TF-Legends-Twintwist-with-Spoil.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Check it out, [[Topspin (G1)#Legends|bro!]] I found this Targetmaster lying around!]]
*'''Targetmaster Twin Twist''' (Deluxe Class, [[2018]]-[[March 24|03-24]])
**''ID number'': '''LG65'''
**''Accessories'': Headmaster, [[Spoilsport#Legends|Spoil]] Targetmaster

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' "Targetmaster Twin Twist" is a redeco of ''Titans Return'' Twin Twist. The torso is a vibrant blue, rather than his mold-mate's turquoise. He is packaged with [[Spoilsport#Legends|Spoil]]. The new pairing is presumably due to a contemporary [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] mold not being available for use.
{{-}}

===''Legacy''===
[[File:Legacy-Wreck-N-Rule-Twin-Twist.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|We did it, we topped [[DK-2 Guard|"DK-2."]]]]
*'''Diaclone Universe Twin Twist''' (Deluxe Class, [[2022]])
**''Accessories'': Headmaster, left & right combinable blasters
{{toydesigner|[[Mark Maher]] and [[Evan Brooks]] (Hasbro)}}

: Released in the ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' ''[[Transformers: Legacy#Store exclusives|Wreck N' Rule Collection]]'', this version of "Diaclone Universe Twin Twist" is a redeco of the ''Titans Return'' toy in a ''[[Diaclone]]''-inspired color scheme (duh). He comes with the same accessories as his ''Titans Return'' release, though sadly his "Headmaster" module redecoed from [[Flameout]] is unnamed. According to designer [[Mark Maher]], Twin Twist's ''Diaclone'' colors are specifically inspired by his appearance in the [[1985]] [[Package art#Back of the box art|back of the box art]] (see Notes below).<ref name="Diaclone">{{Instagram|This is obviously inspired by the diaclone release but it was featured on one of the early package artwork battle scenes. I always wanted Twintwist to rock the heroic blue and red pallet.|https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdju3RoMZA4/|Mark Maher|2022|05|15}}</ref>

: All of the packs in the ''Wreck N' Rule Collection'' contain a piece of a buildable cardboard Wrecker hammer; Twin Twist comes with the hammer's handle. The inner boxes are also designed to be stacked together to form a display mural.

: In the United States, Twin Twist was exclusively released in the [[Amazon (website)|Amazon]] ''Wreck N' Rule Collection'', with Twin Twist being the fifth and final reveal on [[May 13]], 2022. Despite being slated for a [[November]] release, Twin Twist (along with [[Bulkhead (Prime)#WreckNRule|Bulkhead]] and [[Springer (G1)/toys#Legacy|Springer]]) began shipping out in mid [[July]] 2022, ahead of the two two-packs that had been revealed before him.

{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===''Transformers Trading Card Game''===
[[File:W5TwinTwist.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Twin Twist, Demolitions''' ([[2020]])
**'''Wave 5: Titan Masters Attack'''
**''Rarity: '''''UT'''
**''Card Number: '''''T41/T46'''
**''Stars: ''9

:Twin Twist, Demolitions is one of forty-six double sided character cards released as part of Wave 5 of the [[Transformers Trading Card Game]], Titans Masters Attack. As a character with a body mode, Twin Twist begins the game with a Titan Master attached in head mode. Once Twin Twist is KO'd, said Titan Master is deployed.

:The card's artwork is based on the ''Titans Return'' Twin Twist toy, with the body mode artwork being reused from the toy's packaging art (minus the Flameout Titan Master). The card features original Alt Mode artwork, with lines by [[Dan Khanna]].

:This card's set was originally scheduled for an April 2020 release, however due to the global COVID-19 pandemic the release was pushed back to May 29, 2020.
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:DiacloneTwinTwist.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
[[File:1985MuralTwinTwist.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
* The Jumpstarters were originally ''[[Diaclone]]'' "Baku-ten Attack Robo" (爆転アタックロボ, "Split-Change Attack Robot") toys. The "Drill Tank Type" (ドリルタンクタイプ) that would become Twin Twist was available in two different color schemes: both had dark blue limbs, but one had a red torso while the other had a gray torso.
** Twin Twist appears in his red and blue ''Diaclone'' colors in the 1985 Hasbro packaging mural.
** This coloration would be picked up thirty years later for Twin Twist's appearance in the ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' toyline.<ref name="Diaclone"/>
* The portraits of Topspin and Twin Twist on their [[bio]] cutouts were originally reversed, causing some children a bit of confusion. This was eventually fixed.
* [[Character model]]s were created for both [[:File:TopspinCharDesign.jpg|Topspin]] and [[:File:TwinTwistCharacterSheet.jpg|Twin Twist]] back in the '80s, but they were never used in animation, not even in a [[commercial]].
* Twin Twist has been found in a piece of [[Pretender]] [[:File:TwinTwistPretenderConcept.jpg|concept art]], likely being used as a pitch for the Pretender toy concept of simplistic Transformers in humanoid shells. His shell closely resembles that of [[Waverider]] though there are noticeable differences between Waverider's box art and the Twin Twist test art.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Twin Twist''' (ツインツイスト ''Tsuin Tsuisto'')
*''French:'' '''Double Torsion''' (Canada)
{{--}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.diaclone.net/orid/diabaku/index.html Baku-ten Attack Robos at Diaclone.net (Japanese language site)]

[[Category:Demolitions specialists]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Headmasters]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Autobots]]
[[Category:Legacy Autobots]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]