MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Shortpacking

2026-04-14T18:53:01Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /No clue why that whole sentence is in italics...changing it so that only "Generations: Fall of Cybertron" is in italics/

A toy is said to be '''shortpacked''' when it is shipped in lower numbers than the rest of its release [[wave]] - such as a toy that shipped at one per [[case]] while others had multiples in the same case.

There can be several reasons behind shortpacking, with certain characters, colors, or genders being produced in smaller numbers due to sales predictions. Sometimes shortpacking is only noticeable when an item first hits, as further shipments or repacking into later assortments may help to meet the demand. Similarly, toys that are shortpacked in some markets (such as the [[United States of America|United States]]) may be far more abundant in others.

And sometimes they're just plain hard to ''ever'' find, and stay that way, with a degree of rarity that makes them more attractive to [[Toy scalping|scalpers]].

While inspiring similar feelings for many fans, shortpacking should not be confused with [[chase figure]]s: the latter are often aimed exclusively at collectors and are intentionally very rare, though to date that phenomenon has mostly been reserved for [[TakaraTomy]] product.

==Examples==
* [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]] [[Skids (G1)#Generation 1 2|Skids]] shipped one figure per every two cases.
* Generation 1 [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] [[Scourge (G1)#Targetmaster|Scourge]] was packed one in a case of twelve. His casemate [[Cyclonus (G1)/toys#Targetmaster|Cyclonus]] was two, the others three per case.
* [[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|''Universe'' (2008)]] [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]] shipped one per case of eight in Wave 2, while the other new toy in the assortment, [[Galvatron (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Galvatron]], was shipped two per case. Wave 2 revision 1 (which shipped at the same time) had one each of Galvatron and Acid Storm, as did waves 3 and 3 revision 1 which shipped later that year.
* ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' [[Human Alliance]] [[Skids (ROTF)#Human Alliance 2|Skids]] was shipped one per case of four in Wave 1, with [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Human Alliance 3|Bumblebee]] filling out the remaining three figures. At the very same time, however, a case shipped with two of each of the two characters, meaning it may not have been a problem at stores in some markets.
* Infamously, ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#First Edition (2011)|Prime: First Edition]]'' [[Starscream (WFC)#Prime: First Edition|Starscream]] and [[Arcee (WFC)#FirstEdition|Arcee]] were shortpacked at two per case each. Again, this normally wouldn't be considered rare if it weren't for the fact that there were four [[Bumblebee (WFC)/toys#FirstEdition|Bumblebees]] per case, meaning the little yellow guy took up ''half of the goddamn case''.
* ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' [[Wheelie (G1)#Generations|Wheelie]], himself an Asian market and [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]], was packed at one per case of eight in the original Asian retail release. [[Springer (G1)#Generations|Springer]] and [[Swerve (G1)#Generations|Swerve]] were evenly packed at two figures each, while [[Cliffjumper (G1)/toys#Generations|Cliffjumper]] was packed at three. This was remedied when they were re-released in Asia and released in the US at an even ratio of two each per case.
* ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#FOC|Generations: Fall of Cybertron]]'' [[Kickback (FOC)|Kickback]] and [[Fireflight (FOC)|Air Raid]] were packed at one each per case in wave 3, whereas the others ([[Starscream (WFC)#Generations|Starscream]], [[Sideswipe (WFC)|Sideswipe]], and [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)#Generations|Ultra Magnus]]) were packed at two each per case.
* ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime:]] [[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Beast Hunters (2013)|Beast Hunters]]'' [[Starscream (WFC)#BHDeluxe|Starscream]] and [[Ripclaw]] were packed at one each per case in wave 2, whereas the [[Autobot]] toys ([[Bumblebee (WFC)/toys#BHDeluxe|Bumblebee]], [[Bulkhead (Prime)#Beast Hunters|Bulkhead]], and [[Smokescreen (Prime)#Beast Hunters|Smokescreen]]) were packed at two each per case.
* ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' ''Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection'' [[Cosmos (G1)#Legacy|Cosmos]] and [[Clampdown_(G1)#Legacy|Clampdown]] were packed at one per case each, where as [[Road_Rocket_(G2)#Legacy|Road Rocket]], [[Burn Out (Diaclone)#Legacy|Burn Out]], and [[Blurr_(G1)/toys#Legacy|Blurr]] were packed at two per case. It also didn't help that this entire subline was Walmart exclusive, making it even harder to get a Cosmos.
* The fourth wave of ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age Of The Primes]]'' Deluxes had Beast Wars show cast member [[Quickstrike (BW)#Age of the Primes|Quickstrike]] and ''first-new-toy-in-39-years'' [[Sureshot (G1)#Age of the Primes|Sureshot]] shortpacked at one per case, while [[Blast Off (G1)#Age of the Primes|Blast Off]], [[Quintus Prime#Age of the Primes|Quintus Prime]], and original redeco character [[Jalopy]] were packed at two per case.
[[Category:Toys]]

User:TheActualRealCosmos

2026-01-06T19:32:50Z

TheActualRealCosmos:

{{disambig3|Cosmos}}
:''This user is almost certainly '''not''' [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''.''
[[File:Optimus_prime_pintrest_meme.jpg|right|thumb|450px|HOW AM I HERE?! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! WHAT YEAR IS IT?!]]

This user is definitely, 100% the real and actual Cosmos from the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon! Of course it's not a human sitting behind her computer, silly!...and she definitely did not learn how to make this page by staring really hard at the code for [[User:ItsWalky|one of the admins']] user page... 

Apologies if I make a mistake somewhere on this website, I'm not quite entirely used to this format yet. Tell me if I make a mistake and I will gladly correct it (unless I believe it wasn't a mistake, in which case we can talk). I edit whatever I see fit, which are usually random pages I happened across while reading.

I own a lot of Transformers boxes.

=='''Things I Love'''==
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|My son]]
*[[Bumblebee (film)|A film I think about often]]
*[[Defensor (G1)|This guy]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)|This other guy]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|This other other guy]]
*[[Blaster (G1)|This other other other guy]]
*The most [[Optimus Prime (G1)|basic choice]] known to man

== '''Things I'm Mad About''' ==
* [[Goldbug (disambiguation)|Son-but-not-my-son]]
* [[Bumblebee (G1) #Energon Universe|Hasbro killed my son]]
* [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|'''You.''']]
* [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|A movie]] that should have been much better than it was

== '''Things I'm Probably Doing''' ==

* Reading [[Fan fiction|fanfiction]]
* Writing fanfiction
* Drawing Fanart
* Eating Soup

=='''Sandbox Pages'''==
[[User:TheActualRealCosmos/Sandbox]]

=='''To-Do List of Pages I'm Finding Images For'''==
* [[My Chemical Romance]]
* [[Benna K'atsema]]
* [[Shah K'atsema]]
* [[Dion (AB)|Any]] [[Full-Tilt (AB)|of]] [[Guardian (AB)|these]] [[Pipes (AB)|hard to]] [[Rewind (AB)|find]] [[Wheelie (AB)|little guys]]

=='''Things You Can Email Me For'''==
* Pictures of boxes

==Notes==
<references/>

User:TheActualRealCosmos

2026-01-06T19:31:45Z

TheActualRealCosmos: adding to my to-do list

Talk:Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)

2026-01-06T18:22:27Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /* Are we gonna update the character pages with the newer characters from the war pass? */ /answering questions/

== comic ==

Should the comic live on this page as well? --[[User:MistaTee|MistaTee]] ([[User talk:MistaTee|talk]]) 17:47, 29 August 2014 (EDT)
:We'll be wanting separate (game), (comic) and (toyline) articles, I imagine. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 18:07, 29 August 2014 (EDT)

==Cartoon==
Where would we note that episodes of the G1 cartoon are available on the original Angry Birds app, using the Rhino DVD masters? - [[User:BT383|BT383]] ([[User talk:BT383|talk]]) 01:35, 5 September 2014 (EDT)
:That could probably go in the notes section here. Is this a recent thing, then, to promote ABTF? [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 07:16, 5 September 2014 (EDT)
::Should it be mentioned on the G1 series page and the individual episode pages as well? --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 12:37, 5 September 2014 (EDT)
:::Indupitably. - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] ([[User talk:SanityOrMadness|talk]]) 12:46, 5 September 2014 (EDT)

==Soft release==
It's officially out in some countries. Can we add information based on that? --[[User:MissRatbat|MissRatbat]] ([[User talk:MissRatbat|talk]]) 19:55, 26 September 2014 (EDT)

==Character changes==
Yeah, we need to change all the character names and their pages. In-game, they're the AB characters "as" the TFs. Terence is playing Heatwave, King Pig is playing Bludgeon, Megatron, etc. {{unsigned|M Sipher}}
:Yeah, I was wondering myself if that might be necessary. Though it does feel a bit weird for the characters with multiple Transformer identities, since the game treats each one as a separate individual... [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 02:52, 4 November 2014 (EST)
::It might also be worth considering (Re: article names) that everyone refers to themselves as "[character name] Bird/Pig" in the upcoming comic... [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 02:59, 4 November 2014 (EST)
:::They're still explicitly the AB characters who take on traits of the TF characters in the comic. And the game is the core of this whole thing. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 07:01, 4 November 2014 (EST)
::::How do we treat the 'duplicate' characters, though? For instance, the game has a cutscene where Heatwave and Sentinel Prime, both of whom are Terence, appear alongside each other. Surely if they're separate individuals they'd need separate articles? [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 07:22, 4 November 2014 (EST)
:::::Over-fucking-complicating things. Just list both characters the AB plays on the same page. Sometimes there are more than one of an AB at a time, just as sometimes there are more than one of a TF (Omnicons, for example), also evidenced by your ability to have two of the same AB-as-TF-character active simultaneously. (Two Heatwaves is not a terribly effective pairing.) --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 08:25, 4 November 2014 (EST)

== Astrotrain (AB) ==

Astrotrain is named in some notifications that I receive from the game on my Android, like ''"Astrotrain is refueled, let's go!"'' or whatever. So, if it confirms that the transport for the characters is indeed called Astrotrain, doesn't he deserves an article?--[[User:Fritz|Fritz]] ([[User talk:Fritz|talk]]) 15:54, 15 November 2014 (EST)

== "Rovio doesn't do cloud saves" ==

The iOS version does save to the Game Center as of a few upgrades ago (I think the one before Arcee/Airachnid), but the player has to be signed in to it to use it. I don't know about Android versions. [[User:Magaroja|Magaroja]] ([[User talk:Magaroja|talk]]) 17:41, 16 July 2015 (EDT)

== Materials ==

The paragraph description ("The Silo's maximum level was 15, but a fall 2017 update increased the storage capacity to 25. ") and the table contradict each other. Was the maximum raised another time to 35 and the paragraph just not updated? Or is 35 a typo? --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 08:21, 24 January 2018 (EST)

== Are we gonna update the character pages with the newer characters from the war pass? ==

There’s a bunch of new characters ever since the general scorponok and scout CliffJumper thing. now we have a new set of characters, Neon Characters which are basically the same as Energon characters they just look cooler

That sounds prudent to do, do you have pictures of them? And make sure to sign your messages. [[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] ([[User talk:TheActualRealCosmos|talk]]) 13:22, 6 January 2026 (EST)

== Are we ever gonna update the thing about the silos cuz it’s all new materials now ==

along with a new bunch of characters they also changed the silos so no more decepticogs or whatever now we have crystals n stuff

Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)

2026-01-06T18:17:42Z

TheActualRealCosmos: accidentally saved my last edit, still working on aformentioned edits

{{Nav-ABTF}}
{{videogame
|title=''Angry Birds Transformers''
|image=Angry birds transformers.jpg
|caption=It's happening.
|developer=[[Rovio]] & [[Exient]]
|publisher=Rovio Entertainment
|date=[[October 15]], 2014 (iOS) [[October 30]], 2014 (Android)
|platforms=Apple iOS 10+ (iPad, iPhone) Android
|ratings=
}}
'''''Angry Birds Transformers''''' is a mobile app for both iPhone and Android platforms developed by Exient and published by [[Rovio]] in 2014. It is a themed version of the publisher's mega-popular mobile game ''{{w|Angry Birds}}''.

As of RIGHT NOW, no really, '''RIGHT NOW''', it is still live and still updating with new competitions and characters. Wow.

{{note|This game has changed its rules many times for various sub-games and systems over the course of its run. In March 2020, the game underwent a fairly substantial update that changed a '''lot''' of these systems; we're currently working on a fairly extensive overhaul to both account for these expansive changes and still accurately show how the game ran for over ten years. '''EDITORIAL NOTE''': The changes are centered on taking player progression and grinding that to a complete tortured crawl.}}

==Synopsis==
The "[[AllSpark#Angry Birds Transformers comic|EggSpark]]" has landed on [[Piggy Island]], transforming its dueling inhabitants and giving them bodies and powers based on the Transformers: the birds of the [[Flock]] become [[Autobird]]s and the [[Bad Piggies]] the [[Deceptihog]]s. The two sides briefly continue their struggle with these new powers until they are both threatened by another transformed group, the [[Eggbot (AB)|Eggbot]]s, who seek to transform all of Piggy Island into metal, backed by countless robotized [[Minion Pig]]s.

Most of the Autobirds and all of the Deceptihogs are captured leaving only [[Red (AB)|Red]] (who has the powers of [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]]) free. The leader of the Flock (you know him well) heads out to free the Autobirds ''and'' Deceptihogs, for only by joining forces can they restore Piggy Island to normal!

==Gameplay==
The game is a bit of a deviation from the normal ''Angry Birds'' formula, but the core goal remains the same: toppling block towers to pop the Bad Piggies on them. And, this being a "freemium" game, there's lots and lots of other things to do and sub-systems to keep you busy.

===Basic gameplay===
Once you select an available stage from the map of Piggie Island, your character runs along the foreground at a set speed, as block towers scroll by in the background. By tapping the screen, your character takes aim and fires their weapon. You can also hold-and-drag to fire in a spread (if the character's weapon isn't a single-shot blast), or press the "Auto" button to let the computer do the targeting for you (though it isn't very efficient). Each character has a different weapon which determines how you tackle a level; some must take out key blocks to cause a domino effect, some are better at hitting enemies directly, and some are just obliteration machines taking out anything even ''near'' the target.

Common block types include:
:*'''Ice Blocks''': Very weak, easily shattered (1 Coin)
:*'''Wood Blocks''': Fairly sturdy but not hard to break (2 Coins)
:*'''Stone Blocks''': Very durable, better for pushing than breaking (3 Coins)
:*'''TNT Blocks''': Easily-broken crates that explode with a considerable radius, sending blocks flying. In Challenge Events (see below) these can have other side effects.
:*'''Coin Blocks''': Golden blocks that spit out Coins with every hit. Pretty dang sturdy and come in different sizes but if you destroy them, you earn a lot of Coins (50~250 Coins).

Each stage is also littered with cyberformed scenery with blinky lights; blasting these releases an [[Energon cube]]. If the character is accompanied by an [[Energonicon]], the cube is used to fuel its special power, activated by tapping the icon. A fully upgraded Energonicon cannot make use of more than three cubes, so timely tapping to spend the energy before obtaining more is key. Energonicons can be upgraded to hold up to three cubes; these are all spent at once, but more cubes generally means the Energonicon's effects/attacks remain active longer.

The goal is to make it to the end of the stage, weathering or avoiding attacks from armed Piggies and other enemies and obstacles. You can transform to vehicle mode to avoid falling [[Monolith]]s or evade enemy fire, but bear in mind the longer you stay in vehicle mode, the more likely enemies will adjust their fire to hit you. (Thankfully Monoliths will always miss.) The more destruction you cause on the way, the more Coins you get to buy upgrades and explore new areas, and the more Pigs you pop, the more Pig points you earn to shorten Mission times (see below).

If you lose all your life in a level, the character is picked up by [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]. You can then spend some [[Gem]]s to immediately put them back into the fight (rarely worth it), or let the timer run out and quit the level. If you quit, you will not earn Piggie points for the level, but you do keep some of the Coins you collected. Health does not restore between levels normally, so if a character is low you must take action to repair them. You can spend Coins to do so, but this takes them out of the game for a while in real-time, even when the game is off. You can repair a bot instantly by spending Gems (also rarely worth it), or you can skip all that and immediately restore them to full health by watching an ad (up to 30 seconds long) or scanning their transformable figure (if they have one) with a [[Telepod]]. There are a few other methods of healing, but most of the time you're going to want to go with an ad watch.

New stages and map areas are opened up by unlocking and leveling up characters, your Rank being the sum total of all your available characters' levels. Every 5 or 10 Rank settings lets you clear the clouds away from a new area of Piggy Island, with a new bot to unlock to boot. After a point new areas need to be unlocked by special means: the Caves can only be unlocked by using 10000 Plasma earned in Challenge Events, Daily Quests, Daily Rewards, and Crates. The Jungle (which contains the "Challenge Run" competition) needs a certain number of Gems to unlock; a "Just the Jungle" package for 2,000 gems, and a "Jungle + Challenge Run + Devastator" bundle for 3,150.

Cleared stages will slowly accumulate Coins over real-time, maxing out after about four hours, with the maximum amount increasing with every character Squad you complete (again, see below). Tapping on the Coins on the map adds them to your bank. However, roaming Eggbots will re-cyberform cleared stages, which removes their Coin bonuses. You can see which stages they are working on, how long the cyberforming process will take, and even interrupt their work (at the cost of Gems), giving you the chance to pelt an Eggbot in-level for extra Coins. Cyberforming, too, goes on in real-time. Once a stage is re-cyberformed, it can be played again. There are also randomly-spawning treasure chests on the map; tap them to earn various amounts of Gems, aka "premium currency", with the highest amount being at least 12. But, most of the time, the amount lies between 1 and 5, because yeah; “premium currency."

In the "2.0" update in March 2020, stages would now last for a limited time, setting a timer to complete the stage before automatically clearing it. The game says the timer is 24 hours, but stages have shown timers way before 24 hours.

===Character Choices===
Every stage has a pre-set character you control, based on who you've rescued so far. Every character has a different style of attack, movement speed, and armor rating. Working out the strengths and weaknesses of each character is key to high scores, and in some cases simple survival.

New characters can be added to your roster in a few different ways. In-game, a set of "starter" characters are held captive in ice blocks on the map, one per area, and you must "spend" a specific number of popped Piggies to break them out. You then have to play a short level with that character, and if they make it to the end, they're yours to keep. If not, they are re-frozen, but thankfully you can try again without having to spend all those hard-earned Piggy points again. There are also many, ''many'' other characters who can be unlocked via Space Bridge Missions (see below) or Challenge Events (also see below).

Out-of-game, you can spend actual-factual money on the [[Angry Birds Transformers (toyline)|tie-in toys]]. By placing one of the figures on a [[Telepod]] and placing ''that'' on your device's camera lens, the game reads the QR code on the figure and inserts it into the game for a limited amount of time (currently 24 hours). While the characters unlocked this way are only available temporarily until unlocked via normal gameplay, there is no limit on how often you can scan the figure, plus any upgrade progress is saved. You can also use this method to power-up already-unlocked characters (once every 24 hours) or instantly repair them (no limits on how many times you can do this).

;Improving characters
Every character can be upgraded multiple times (nominal maximum level for characters is 15, but they can be upgraded further than that in select Challenge Events) by spending Coins and Materials, which (of course) takes them out of play for a while. Each upgrade is pre-set, increasing attack strength, armor strength, or vehicle mode duration. At certain levels, their Energon capacity is increased, and these levels vary from character to character. You can spend much-rarer Gems to make the upgrade happen instantly; the closer the upgrades are to complete, the fewer Gems you need to spend. Upgrading characters is ''vital'' as the levels get harder and harder, not to mention in the phone version you can only unlock new areas with an overall player level, which is raised by upgrading your characters. This isn't the case in the tablet version where you can spend Gold Coins to unlock new areas. You can only have one character undergoing an upgrade at a time.

Characters can also be upgraded inside Astrotrain by customizing them with Accessories. These extra items cost a vast amount of Coins and Crystals, and not only alter the characters' appearance, but can boost stats or imbue special abilities to weapons. One Accessory can be placed on a character's head, face, chest, arms and back each. Some Challenge Events have special exclusive Accessories you can't buy regularly. Accessories can also be levelled up by spending further Coins and Crystals, improving their buffs or even adding a secondary stat buff. With enough time and money, you can turn a simple +5% Defense item into a +50% or higher buff. Formerly, upgrading accessories was only possible through winning the accessory again through events. As most Accessories are character-specific, see each character's page for more detailed information.

;Call-in Buddies
[[File:Angry-Birds-Transformers-Call-in-buddy-Energon-Bumblebee-Chuck.jpg|thumb|New characters are frequently "previewed" as call-in buddies before they're properly available.]]
In regular levels, you get the option to have a second character on standby, who you can call in and have the computer control for a brief period. They enter the stage in slow motion with a massive shockwave that does damage to most everything within the blast radius, obliterating Ice Blocks and missiles but only damaging tougher targets. These characters will warp out after a few seconds, then you must wait for their meter to re-charge before calling them back in. However, there's a limit to when you are able to call in a partner; once you see [[Astrotrain (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Astrotrain]] fly overhead, your partner's no longer available. On the other hand, the stage is close to over! But if your partner is ''already'' out when you hit that checkpoint, then they will stay active until the very end of the level, nice for really piling on the destruction.

You get to choose one of three partners before you start the stage, and if you don't like those character choices, you can change them by spending some Gems. Partners are either randomly selected (which can let you see characters you haven't unlocked yet), or pulled from the character rosters of your friends if you've connected to the game via Facebook, Google+, iTunes, or whatever other social network connections you have, with a timer of 5–15 seconds based on the Transformer's level. You can also watch an ''ad'' to lock the times to 15 seconds. If you called on them in the level, you can "thank" them afterwards. Using one of your friends' character gives them a nominal reward (either a Gem or 25 Coins), while not thanking them simply tells the other player that while you're grateful for the firepower assist, you don't think they deserve any actual compensation. You jerk. When you don't have friends or don't believe in social media, you get random users to help. If people use your characters and you're not friends with them via social networking, you don't get any rewards if they thank you.
{{-}}

====Featured characters====
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Autobird]]s
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Red (AB)|Red]] as:
**[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]
**[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]
**Energon Optimus Prime
**Ultimate Optimus Prime
**[[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]]
**Epic Optimus
**[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]]
**General Optimus Prime
**[[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]]
**Major Ultra Magnus
**Captain Nemesis Prime
**General Optimus Prime Neon
**Neon Ultra Magnus

*[[Chuck (AB)|Chuck]] as:
**[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
**High-Octane Bumblebee
**[[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]]
**Energon Bumblebee
**[[Rodimus Unicronus|Nemesis Hot Rod]]
**[[Bumblebee (G1)|Classic Bumblebee]]
**[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]
**[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]
**Private Cliffjumper
**Neon Bumblebee
**Neon Hot Rod

*[[Terence (AB)|Terence]] as:
**[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]]
**[[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]
**[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
**[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
**[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]
**Specialist Ratchet
**Special Officer Hound
**Security Officer Ironhide
**Neon Ratchet
**Neon Hound
**Neon Ironhide
*[[Bubbles]] as:
**[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]
**[[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]]
**[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]
**[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]
**[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]
**[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
**[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
**Private Sideswipe
**Private Mirage
**Private Red Alert
**Neon Sideswipe
**Neon Sunstreaker
**Neon Private Mirage
**Neon Blaster

{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}

*[[Hal]] as:
**[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grey Slam Grimlock]]
**Energon Grimlock
**[[Grimlock (G1)|Goldbite Grimlock]]
**[[Volcanicus (POTP)|Volcanicus]]

*[[Stella (AB)|Stella]] as:
**[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]
**[[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]]
**[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]]
**[[Firestar (G1)|Novastar]]
**[[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]]
**[[Greenlight]]
**Sergeant Chromia
**Sergeant Greenlight
**Scout Arcee
**Sharpshooter Moonracer
**Neon Chromia
**Neon Arcee

*The [[Blues]] as:
**[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]
**[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]
**[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]
**[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]
**Major Prowl
**Neon Prowl
**Neon Bluestreak

*[[Silver (AB)|Silver]] as:
**[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]]
**Energon Windblade
**[[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]

*[[Bomb (AB)|Bomb]] as:
**[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]
**[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
**[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]]
**[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]
**[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]
**Sergeant Omega Supreme
**Engineer Wheeljack
**Neon Wheeljack
**Neon Warpath

*[[Matilda]] as:
**[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]]
**Energon Nautica
**[[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]]

*[[Mighty Eagle]] as:
**[[Alpha Trion]]
**[[Superion (G1)|Superion]]
**[[Kup (G1)|Kup]]
**Captain Alpha Trion

*[[Zeta (AB)|Zeta]] as:
**[[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]]

{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
;Accessories
*[[Blaster (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Blaster]]
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Buzzsaw]]
*[[Daniel (AB)|Daniel]]
*[[Dazzlestrike]]
*[[Dion (AB)|Dion]]
*[[Eject (AB)|Eject]]
*[[Guardian (AB)|Guardian]]
*[[Hi-Q#Angry Birds Transformers|HiQ]]{{sic}}
*[[Huffer (AB)|Huffer]]
*[[Metroplex (AB)|Metroplex]]
*[[Pipes (AB)|Pipes]]
*[[Ramhorn (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Ramhorn]]
*[[Rewind (AB)|Rewind]]
*[[Rosanna (AB)|Rosanna]]
*[[Steeljaw (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Steeljaw]]
*[[Stranglehold#Angry Birds Transformers|Stranglehold]]
*[[Stripes#Angry Birds Transformers|Stripes]]
*[[Sundor#Angry Birds Transformers|Sundor]]
*[[Wheelie (AB)|Wheelie]]

{{!}}}
|h2=[[Deceptihog]]s
|c2=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[King Pig]] as:
**[[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]]
**[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]
**[[Megatron (Movie)|Ultimate Megatron]]
**[[Megatron (G1)|Dark Megatron]]
**[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]
**Energon Shockwave
**Energon Megatron
**Lord Megatron
**Major Shockwave
**Scout Brawl
**Lord Megatron Neon
**Neon Shockwave
**Neon Bludgeon
**Neon Brawl

*[[Chef Pig]] as:
**[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]
**Energon Soundwave
**[[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]]
**[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]]
**Major Soundwave
**Neon Soundwave
**Neon Soundblaster

*[[Moustache Pig]] as:
**[[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]]
**Energon Lockdown
**[[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]]
**[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]
**Sergeant Barricade
**Neon Barricade

*[[Corporal Pig]] as:
**[[Megatron (Movie)#Age of Extinction film|Galvatron]]
**Energon Galvatron
**[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]
**[[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]
**[[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]]
**[[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]
**General Scorponok
**Neon Scorponok
**Neon Galvatron

{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}

*[[Minion Pig]] as:
**[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
**Energon Starscream
**[[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]]
**[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]
**[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
**[[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]]
**[[Strikebot|Strikebot bomber]]
**[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]
**[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]
**[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]
**[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
**[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]
**Captain Starscream
**[[Ion Storm]]
**Sergeant Thundercracker
**[[Nova Storm (G1)|Nova Storm]]
**Sergeant Devastator
**Special Officer Skywarp
**Seeker Acid Storm
**Seeker Novastorm
**Seeker Ramjet
**Neon Starscream
**Neon Thundercracker
**Neon Skywarp
**Neon Seeker Novastorm
**Neon Ramjet
**Neon Acid Storm

*[[Hal]] as:
**[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]
**Neon Trypticon

*[[Zeta (AB)|Zeta]] as:
**[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]]
**Sergeant Nightbird

*[[Red (AB)|Red]] as:
**Captain Nemesis Prime

*[[Stella (AB)|Stella]] as:
**[[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]]
**Sergeant Flamewar
**Neon Flamewar

*[[Bomb (AB)|Bomb]] as:
**[[Drift (G1)|Private Deadlock]]

*[[Astrotrain (AB)|Astrotrain]]
*[[Professor Pig]]

{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}

;Accessories
*[[Baro#Angry Birds Transformers|Baro]]
*[[Beastbox (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Beastbox]]
*[[Brunt (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Brunt]]
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Buzzsaw]]
*[[Frenzy (AB)|Frenzy]]
*[[Full-Tilt (AB)|Full-Tilt]]
*[[Kremzeek]]
*[[Laserbeak (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Laserbeak]]
*[[Megatron (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Megatron]]
*[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]
*[[Nightstick (G1)|Nightstick]]
*[[Ratbat (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Ratbat]]
*[[Ravage (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Ravage]]
*[[Reflector (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Reflector]]
*[[Rumble (AB)|Rumble]]
*[[Sentinel (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Sentinel]]
*[[Shrapnel (AB)|Shrapnel]]
*[[Squawktalk (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Squawktalk]]
*[[Wingthing (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Wingthing]]

{{!}}}
|h3=Eggbot Army
|c3=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
*[[Eggbot (AB)|Eggbots]]
*[[Minion Pig#As the Eggbot Army|Minion Pigs]]
*[[Walking Mortar Tower]]s
*[[Missile silo]]s
*[[Boss Pig]]
*[[Unicron Pig]]
*[[Boss Pig#Boss Bat Pig|Boss Bat Pig]]
*[[Monolith]]
{{!}}}
|nonumbering=true
}}
:
{{anchor|Squads}}
;Squads
Completing character Squads is the key to bigger earnings, in many different ways. The more Squads you have filled out, the higher the max number of Coins unoccupied map spaces can accrue. Also, any character from a completed Squad earns a 50% Coins bonus once they finish a level. Luckily, any Squads you complete will ''stay'' checked as complete even if new characters are later added to them, so you don't have to worry about losing bonuses with game updates.

During many Challenge Events (see below), you can earn bonuses to your Event scores by using a character from the suggested Squad. For a while the chosen Squad changed every four hours with (mostly) randomized percentages, but currently stays set at a single squad for the duration of the Event, with a x4 score multiplier ''if'' the character has been "Promoted". (If this sounds like it's kind of complicated, well, it ''is'' kind of complicated.)

{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Rescue Bots
*Optimus Prime
*Bumblebee
*Heatwave
*Ratchet
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Instruments of Destruction
*Soundwave
*Soundblaster
*Blaster
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Target<nowiki>:</nowiki> 2006
*Ultra Magnus
*Galvatron
*Jazz
*Hound
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Pure Warriors
*Lockdown
*Energon Lockdown
*Brawl
*Ironhide
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Seekers
*Energon Starscream
*Thundercracker
*Skywarp
*Starscream
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Energon Fueled
*Energon Grimlock
*Energon Soundwave
*Energon Galvatron
*Energon Optimus Prime
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Variant Versions
*Ultimate Megatron
*Ultimate Optimus Prime
*Goldbite Grimlock
*High Octane Bumblebee
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Leaders
*Bludgeon
*Sentinel Prime
*Grey Slam Grimlock
*Dark Megatron
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Valkyries
*Arcee
*Airachnid
*Windblade
*Chromia
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Brothers in Armor
*Prowl
*Bluestreak
*Smokescreen
*Beachcomber
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Iconic Transformers
*Nemesis Prime
*Epic Optimus
*Energon Bumblebee
*Classic Bumblebee
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Hotrods
*Rodimus
*Dead End
*Ricochet
*Drift
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Cybertronians
*Shockwave
*Acid Storm
*Sunstorm
*Trypticon
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Wreckers
*Wheeljack
*Ultra Magnus
*Rodimus
*Moonracer
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Enslavers
*Scorponok
*Barricade
*Motormaster
*Nemesis Hot Rod
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Speedsters
*Sideswipe
*Red Alert
*Sunstreaker
*Mirage
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Energized
*Energon Windblade
*Energon Shockwave
*Energon Nautica
*Energon Megatron
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Femme Fatale
*Nautica
*Elita One
*Strongarm
*Novastar
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;VIP
*Alpha Trion
*Kup
*Cyclonus
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Specialists
*Breakdown
*Blurr
*Cliffjumper
*Nightbird
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Support
*Grapple
*Drag Strip
*Greenlight
*Warpath
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Combiners
*Devastator
*Superion
*Menasor
*Optimus Maximus
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Noughties
*Slipstream
*Flamewar
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Command
*General Optimus Prime
*Lord Megatron
*Major Ultra Magnus
*Major Shockwave
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Reinforcements
*Cosmos
*Ion Storm
*Nova Storm
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Coneheads
*Dirge
*Ramjet
*Thrust
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Gestalt
*Volcanicus
*Omega Supreme
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Officers
*Specialist Ratchet
*Captain Starscream
*Officer Prowl
*Officer Soundwave
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Operations
*Sergeant Chromia
*Sergeant Thundercracker
*Private Sideswipe
*Sergeant Barricade
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Ground Force
*Sergeant Greenlight
*Sergeant Flamewar
*Private Deadlock
*Private Mirage
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Sawbones Squad
*Private Red Alert
*Special Officer Hound
*Special Officer Skywarp
*Seeker Acid Storm
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Specialist Raiders
*Captain Nemesis Prime
*Sergeant Omega Supreme
*Sergeant Devastator
*Scout Arcee
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Hardboiled Warriors
*Sharpshooter Moonracer
*General Scorponok
*Private Cliffjumper
*Scout Brawl
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Misfits Squad
*Captain Alpha Trion
*Seeker Novastorm
*Security Officer Ironhide
*Sergeant Nightbird
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Raging Squad
*Engineer Wheeljack
*Seeker Ramjet
*General Optimus Prime Neon
*Lord Megatron Neon
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Weekend Warriors
*Neon Ratchet
*Neon Starscream
*Neon Ultra Magnus
*Neon Shockwave
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Cobalt Crew
*Neon Prowl
*Neon Soundwave
*Neon Thundercracker
*Neon Chromia
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Hotshots
*Neon Barricade
*Neon Sideswipe
*Neon Bludgeon
*Neon Hound
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Steel Strike Force
*Neon Arcee
*Neon Scorponok
*Neon Bumblebee
*Neon Soundblaster
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Raiders Of The Last Ark
*Neon Sunstreaker
*Neon Skywarp
*Neon Private Mirage
*Neon Seeker Novastorm
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Peacekeepers
*Neon Ironhide
*Neon Brawl
*Neon Wheeljack
*Neon Ramjet
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Titan Vanguard
*Neon Blaster
*Neon Galvatron
*Neon Warpath
*Neon Trypticon
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Spark Legion
*Neon Bluestreak
*Neon Flamewar
*Neon Hot Rod
*Neon Acid Storm
|}

===Crystals===
Crystals are items used to to upgrade your characters, create [[Energonicon]]s, and buy and upgrade Accessories. Crystals are earned by completing map stages, won from Missions, rewarded from Daily Quests, or found in Crates. The amount of Crystals you can store is dictated by the level of the Silo; the Silo can be upgraded using Coins and Crystals, which not only lets you store larger numbers and higher levels of Crystals, but increases the number and rarity of Crystals rewarded upon stage completion. Any Crystals won that exceed the Silo's capacity are converted to Coins.

Crystals come in five grades, and the quality of Crystal dictates what it can be used for: Accessories must be bought/upgraded with Crystals matching their color code, for example.
<center>
{|class="wikitable" border="4" style="width:65%" align="center"
|-
! scope="col" width="25%" | '''Crystal Grade'''
! scope="col" width="25%" | '''Color'''
! scope="col" width="25%" | '''Silo Maximum Capacity'''
! scope="col" width="25%" | '''Coin Value'''
|-
|Common
|White
|100
|200
|-
|Uncommon
|Blue
|80
|600
|-
|Rare
|Green
|60
|1,800
|-
|Epic
|Purple
|40
|4,800
|-
|Legendary
|Gold
|20
|15,000
|-
|}
</center>

Crystals can also be made in Professor Pig's lab by combining three lower-grade Crystals and a sum of Coins to make one higher-grade Crystal, with the Coin cost increasing dramatically for higher grades. As this game pours on the Common Crystals and is super-stingy with Epics and Legendaries, you are likely going to have to do this to advance past a certain point at anything faster than a snail's pace. Also, you cannot craft with legendary crystals as of now.

;Materials
[[File:ABTF-screen MaterialSilo.jpg|thumb|300px]]
Prior to the March/April 2020 mega-update (aka the first five-plus years of the game's life), upgrades were handled with "Materials". The general principle is the same as Crystals, only these were ''only'' for upgrading characters and the Silo. Also, Materials could not be reliably merged to make higher-grade ones; you could toss them into Professor Pig's machine for a ''chance'' to get higher-grade Materials, but it was a roulette spin that could result in Coins or Gems as well, depending on the Materials dumped in.
<center>
{|class="wikitable" border="5" style="width:65%" align="center"
|-
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Material Level'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Autobird Material'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Deceptihog Material'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Silo Maximum Capacity'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Coin Value'''
|-
|Level 1
|[[Birdium]]
|[[Pig Iron]]
|<s>15</s> 35
|60
|-
|Level 2
|[[Autocog]]
|[[Deceptigear]]
|<s>15</s> 35
| 60
|-
|Level 3
|[[Anger Chip]]
|[[Badness Processor]]
|<s>12</s> 22
| 150
|-
|Level 4
|[[Super Rareium]]
|Super Rareium
|<s>5</s> 15
| 600
|-
|}
</center>

{{-}}

===Space Bridge Missions===
In addition to the stages, there are [[space bridge|Space Bridge]] Missions that your characters can complete in order to earn Crystals, Gems, or even new characters (Arcee, Airachnid, Prowl, and Bluestreak) from lower-difficulty missions. There are three Space Bridge difficulties —Easy, Medium, and Hard— progressively unlocked by clearing more of the map of clouds. Each Space Bridge also has three Missions to choose from when open, with three different time requirements: the longer the Mission (up to 48 hours!), the better the potential prizes.

Missions are played by selecting characters from your available roster: they are then unable to be played in most other modes until the Mission timer runs out. (For some reason, this does not apply to Jenga.) You can cut the Mission short by spending Gems, but this is rarely ever worth it given the payout potential. The Easy Bridge lets you send two characters at first, and the other two only one character each, but you can permanently unlock more slots in each one through Gem spending for a maximum of three characters at each level. Whether or not this is worth it hinges heavily on how long you plan to play the game; unlocking slots is a bit expensive, but can pay off in the long run.

Every Mission has a "type" icon: a light bulb (intelligence), a magnifying glass (investigation), or a missile (firepower), which helps the player determine which character would be most suited for completing it. The higher the level your character is at, the higher they'll score in the Mission. Once you have your character(s) selected, you are able to use popped Pigs as "reinforcements" to reduce the Mission timer up to half its original runtime (which can easily cost a couple thousand Pig points, but those are really easy to amass).

When the Mission is completed, the result screen bar fills up, earning you a key for every "level", up to five total (you always automatically get one key regardless of performance). You also get the option to watch an ad to earn one additional key. These keys are used to unlock the five prize boxes presented to you. Pick blindly and pray! If you don't have enough keys to unlock all five prizes, you can spend Gems (because of course you can) to collect the remaining presents (10 each for Easy, 20 for Medium, and 30 for Hard), but this is really ''only'' worth it for unlocking new characters. Even 10 Gems for a handful of common Crystals is a joke. Two level-15 characters can win all five Easy prizes most of the time without an ad watch, and two 15s can usually get five Mediums with an ad. Two 15s at Hard can usually get four with an ad watch.

Given how many characters you can amass, this is a pretty simple way to gather Crystals (and Coins if your Silo is full) and Gems (though this prize is a lot less common than before the 2020 Crystal-based update) over time with minimal effort. It's a good idea to max-level some of the "lesser" characters who aren't so great at mass destruction and dedicate them to Space Bridge Missions.

{{-}}

===Challenge Events===
[[File:ABTF-screen ChallengeEvent.jpg|left|300px|thumb]]
Starting in late 2015, the game introduced Challenge Events, five-to-ten-day-long themed events with the lure of prizes including unique unlockable characters and Accessories. While sparse at first, by mid-2016 events were popping up ''really'' frequently. Now, Challenge Events run six days every week, starting Friday and ending Wednesday at 00:00 UTC, with Thursday a respite and token-spending time.

Each day of an Event, the player is pit against 19 randomly-selected others at the same level (across the whole player base!) in a race to tally the most points within 24 hours by destroying as much stuff as possible in separate event stages, with key targets being worth more points than normal; most items only cough up 1 point when destroyed, but daily targets can be worth 5 points (common blocks) 15 points (enemies, special objects) or 75 points (Walking Mortar Towers). Entering a Challenge stage takes one "battery" of energy from the Challenge selection; the player starts with four, and spent batteries will recharge after an hour, one at a time. ''Of course'' you can spend Gems to speed up the process and instantly go back to four full batteries, but that cost increases every time: the first recharge costs 10 Gems, the next 20, then 40, 60, 80, then up to 100 for each recharge. Thankfully, that charge resets to the lowest amount each new day of the event.

In the earliest events, players could only take a single already-unlocked character and an [[Energonicon]] into the event with them. Eventually this changed, and depending on the event, you might be able to choose from your entire roster of unlocked characters, only certain members you've unlocked that match the event theme, or even "trial" characters you don't have yet who you can permanently unlock for the first time through the event you're playing there and now. Sometimes you can choose two characters and swap back and forth between the two (with a delay in recall time, of course). In all events, choosing characters from specific Teams will add a multiplier bonus to your final score (currently x4), though given the potential dangers, one must take care to decide if the bonus is worth it if the bonus-giving characters aren't well-suited to taking out the target of choice for the day. You can further boost your score by "promoting" characters, giving them an extra 5% bonus to your score per "rank" at the end of a run. To do this, you must spend "Sparks" which are earned and won in a variety of ways. Naturally, the higher the rank, the more Sparks you need.

Challenges are rewarded with Tokens, earned by reaching certain accumulated score milestones (milestones and prize amounts now vary from day to day), and according to your rank at the end of the 24-hour period (from 100 to 1000). These Tokens carry over from prior days' challenges up until the end of the event, and are spent on prizes including new characters, instant level-ups and Accessories for select characters, Crates, Sparks, and Coins. Accessories are often less costly to obtain in Challenges than via normal purchase. There is a 24-Hour Token exchange period after each event ends, so some can spend the tokens they may have won from the final day's competition, and any ''new'' Tokens awarded through other means during the exchange period. If there's something you want that you're shy of Token-wise, you can make up the cost with Gems, at a conversion rate of 2 Tokens per Gem.

Tokens cannot be carried over between different Challenge Events, and will be lost if not spent. Representatives from [[Rovio]]/[[Exient]] once raised the possibility of doing so, but nothing ever came of it.

:''For a rundown of the history of Challenge Events, see [[Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)/Challenge Events]].''
{{-}}

===Achievements===
Of course this game has Achievements. Why wouldn't it? These one-time milestones reward you with Gems for the various tasks presented. Many of these Achievements have different levels indicated by stars, meaning multiple prizes can be earned with increasing amounts of doing the thing. Over the course of normal play you should hit most of them without really trying, like traveling so much distance or doing X amount of damage. But some require extra effort... and a few so much effort that it's questionable if it's even worth trying.
{{-}}

===Daily Quests===
[[File:ABTF-screen DailyQuest.jpg|thumb|300px]]
Starting in September 2016, the game added Daily Quests, which are like the normal Achievements, but on a much smaller scale. Every 24 hours (starting at midnight via the clock on the player's device), eleven Quests are opened up (up from eight originally, more were added to account for some things the player may not have unlocked yet), each earning a prize for completion.

Quests can range from simple stuff like destroying enough of a certain type of block or popping enough Pigs, creating items at the Lab, doing other daily tasks, and etc, to more difficult feats like pulling off slow-mo [[Monolith]] dodges or blocking Missiles, and even esoteric stuff like thanking enough buddies after normal levels (or not thanking them at all!). The prizes can be Pig points, Coins, Gems, Crystals, and even Tokens. The eleventh Quest, always at the top of the board, with a four-part prize, is earned only by completing eight other Quests within the 24 hours.

Over the course of the game, many quests were dropped completely, and others made to appear less frequently. Currently, these Daily Quests are always in the mix:

* Complete 8 other quests
* Visit the Piglab and craft something
* Open 5 Crates
* Start a Spark Run
* Start a Challenge Run
* Play Jenga Mode

{{-}}

===Daily Reward===
[[File:Angry-Birds-Daily-Reward-Cave-Locked.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:Angry-Birds-Daily-Reward-After-Cave-Unlocked.jpg|thumb]]
Every 24 hours, you can collect a Daily Prize. A screen usually pops up to present you with the reward upon starting the game, but if for some reason it doesn't appear, it is also accessible through the menu in the lower left-hand corner. In order to get the larger prizes, you need to log into the game every day: missing days will reset the weekly timer back to the first day.

You have the option to watch an ad to double your Daily Prize, but this is good only once a week. Best to save it for the seventh-day prize of 10 Gems, turning it into 20.
{{-}}

===Jenga stage===
Down at the beach, there's the Jenga stage, shaped like the large [[Hal|Grimlock Bird]] Jenga toy that you could buy in stores. This mini-game remains locked behind a $15 paywall. Previously, it could be unlocked using a code found in any of the ''Angry Birds Transformers Jenga'' toys, but this option was removed in a later update.

Once open, this stage is a fair bit different from regular gameplay. First you pick a Driver and a Gunner from a fixed set of characters (unaffected by who you have unlocked, away on Missions, or upgrading). The Driver then travels along a path, gathering free-floating Coins and smashing through block towers. There are holes in the path, so sometimes you need to hit the turbo button for a burst of speed to carry you over. The turbo boost will drain quickly, so overuse can leave you dry when the big jump comes up. The goal is to gather as many coins and clear out as many blocks as possible and make it to the end for a higher score. Falling into a pit doesn't end the level, it just ends the Driver's turn and makes the Gunner's turn that little bit more difficult. This part of the game earns you no points.

The Gunner then runs through a different path further out, and their job is to clear out as many blocks from inside the giant Grimlock Bird frame with their firepower. Naturally, this is easier if the Driver has cleared out the block towers that stood between the Gunner path and the frame. The more blocks that are destroyed or at least knocked completely out of the frame, the higher your score.

So why do this? Your Jenga scores accumulate over the course of 24 hours, and reaching 300 points nets you a prize. Often this is just a sum of Coins, no big whoop and not really worth it. But it's worth checking back every day, because the prize changes every 24 hours, and sometimes it's a cache of 10 Gems. Spending five minutes to get 10 Gems isn't bad, given how stingy the game can be with giving away the premium currency. Also, what happens in Jenga mode counts towards your Daily Quests: every block you smash or Pig you pop, and every time you finish the "event" counts. It can be a very quick way to knock out a couple of Quests at no cost other than a few minutes' time.

{{note|Bumblebee seems to be the best choice for the Driver, while Bludgeon works best as the Gunner thanks to his wide multi-shot cannon.. at first. Energon Starscream or Lockdown with explosive rounds can ''really'' clean up. The available characters in Jenga mode have changed over the course of the game, eliminating certain characters whose weapons are designed for easy mass block destruction without augmentation.}}
{{-}}

===Spark Run===
[[File:ABTFScreen-Sparkrun.jpg|thumb|250px]]
Introduced March 2017, the Spark Run lets you earn Sparks (''only'' Sparks; you don't earn any Pigs or Coins in this mode) by destroying everything you can in a special extra-long stage that goes through five random areas, with transitions through caves. You select three characters, and should your first 'bot go down, the next one you selected takes his place. You can also use a random character specially power-boosted for the Spark Run... but you're better off prioritizing your promoted characters. Promoted characters can be used to increase the final score, which you'll need as eventually there's simply not enough stuff to destroy in a run to achieve the scores needed for a full reward. Earn enough spark and the next difficulty level will be unlocked, each level adding 10 additional Sparks to the initial prize of 100, increasing your score goals, and increasing the offensive power of enemies. The Spark Run can be played once a day, but can be reactivated for 100 Gems (regardless of how little time is left until the normal reset). If all of your bots go down, well, don't worry. You get to keep all the Spark you earned on the run. However the run ends, you can watch an add to earn an extra 10% of your Spark rewards.

Gold blocks give the most amount of spark points, so be sure to destroy all of them!

Watch out for Pigs with special buffs: some deal painfully more damage, others regenerate health, some are shielded and immune to un-augmented small arms fire, some are lightning-fast, and some have massively buffed health!

There have been a number of improvements to the Spark Run over multiple updates, including raising difficulty level caps, and adding two permanently-unlockable character slots, at 1000 and 2500 Gems each (the usefulness of these unlocks is... ''questionable'' if you're not spending real money on Gems, as gathering 1000 can take some time even with dedicated daily play).

In a June 2020 update, Spark Run was given a drastic change. This update caused a downgrade of only one free character slot instead of three, and Coins or Pigs now have to be paid in order to start Spark Runs. Usually one week it’s pigs, the next it’s coins, and the amount increases with higher difficulties. Instead of five score goals with equal amounts of Sparks, you now have one score goal, and failure to reach this goal would result in no Sparks being awarded. Spark Runs are now either shorter or longer than previous, with higher difficulties awarding more Sparks, and level one offering 10 Sparks. The option to reactivate was no longer available, instead showing a locked symbol for some reason, and a Challenge Event's bonus squad would also have a 4x multiplier.

{{-}}

===Crates===
In a September 2017 update, Crates were introduced which give various prizes, which fall under five rarities. Steel Crates give common, uncommon, or rare prizes that can be purchased for 15000 coins each; ''finally'' something to spend the coins you've stockpiled in the millions on. Opening ten at a time for 150,000 Coins gives a guaranteed Rare prize. Gold Crates can give rare, epic, or legendary prizes, as well as special seasonal accessories, and can be purchased for 200 Gems each. Yeah, a bit of a grind. Opening ten at a time costs a whopping 1800 Gems (-10%) off and gives a guaranteed epic prize, and a really rare chance of a new character. You also get 10 gold crates for free when starting a new save and the chance of a really rare character. Yowza.

Crates can also be purchased in Challenge Events for Tokens, and follow the same rules there.

Crates are also rewards in the War Pass and Prime Pass, with Steel Crates being additional rewards for going past level 50.

You used to be able to get one free Steel Crate every day with the possibility of unlocking a few Steel and/or Gold Crates, but a March 2020 update erased that and replaced it for random ads to get one for free after going off the tab, usually 2 times a day.

{{-}}

===Shockwave's Spire===
This feature introduced in December 2017 was quite a gamble! Shockwave's Spire was essentially the same as ''Angry Birds 2''{{'}}s Tower of Fortune. There were several floors that each have four cards from which you pick one and get various prizes: most floors have sums of Coins, Gems, Sparks and Tokens behind each card. Every five floors, the prizes were all Accessories. The higher you went, the larger the sums, the better the prizes and higher the rarity, all the way to Legendary-class prizes at floor 90.

The gamble came from the ever-present one-in-four chance of getting a Pig card (excluding on Accessory floors), which stops you cold and takes all your accumulated prizes. You can reverse this and keep going with two options: watching an ad, or paying some Gems. The Gem cost would naturally increase significantly each time you made a gambling blunder, starting with 10 and nigh doubling every time. The ad option, on the other hand, can only be used once. It was always a good idea to play up until the first Pig card, watch the ad, pick a different card from the same floor, then stop for the day. It was a good way to ''really'' level up some of the lower-tier accessories, especially ones that boost defense.

Once you exited, Shockwave's Spire wouldn't be available to play again (not even Gem skips!) until the next day. Visiting the Spire was always one of the Daily Quests, rewarding you with a mere 2 Gems, but it was an easy one to tick off to finish the "Complete 8 other Quests" Quest.

In the big "2.0" update, Shockwave's Spire could be visited for one last time on March 26 before having a timer that ran until April 1, 2020 at 00:00 UTC. Once that timer ran out, you could seemingly visit the Spire again, only for the head to blow off of the tower, the rubble now holding the place for the War Pass.
{{-}}

===Challenge Run===
Introduced in August 2019, Challenge Run is a week-long competition running Monday to Sunday, requiring at least one member of the "Combiners" or “Gestalt” team to participate. It is unlocked alongside the jungle area which costs a whopping 2500 gems for the jungle and challenge run (or just jungle if you don’t have a combiner) or 3500 gems for jungle, challenge run and Devastator if you don’t have him. Each day, you pick one of your Combiners to send on an infinite chain of levels, with the goal of destroying as much stuff as possible before your health is worn down by the ever-increasingly-deadly enemies, trying for the biggest score you can get, with said score being multiplied by the character's Rank just as in competitions and Spark Runs. Points are awarded for both destruction caused and distance covered. "Safe Zones" between each level give you the chance to regain some lost life. However, the difficulty level spikes ''hard'' after the first level, with quick-aiming,
hard-hitting enemies being liberally sprinkled on the ground as you go, and even a Level 15 bot will be hard pressed to clear even three areas. You get three "batteries" per day (similar to the weekly competitions), and can recharge them for Gems: 10 for the first recharge, and double the sum every subsequent one.

At the end of the first six days, the top 10 players in your block of 20 are advanced to the next League: there are seven leagues in all. Your actual placement in the first six days doesn't really matter outside of being in that top 50%, though the closer you are to 10th place, the more likely you are to get bumped towards the end of the day. On Sunday, your placement within the League dictates the quality of prizes you win. Every player is granted ten random prizes at the end of Sunday's run, and the higher your ranking, the better the prize quality.

The Challenge Run is also one of the Daily Quests after unlocked.
{{-}}

===War Pass===
Introduced in April 2020, the War Pass and Prime Pass were the game's way of having seasons (like any other free game on the market these days), having players choose to ally themselves with either the Autobirds or Deceptihogs at the beginning of the season, with Autobirds giving %10 Attack and Deceptihogs giving %10 Defence. The War Pass is free, and offers various rewards, including Coins, Pigs, Gems, Spark, Crates, Crystals and Tokens. The Prime Pass is a whopping $19.99 per season, offers more of the aforementioned rewards, ''and'' exclusive Characters and Accessories. In order to progress with either pass, you need to pop lots of Pigs, and you unfortunately cannot contribute your already popped Pigs to the pass. Both Passes have 50 tiers, with the Prime Pass offering more rewards than the War Pass. To view your progress on the season, you can either visit the rubble of Shockwave's Spire or look at your level badge, where a smaller number under your level tells you what tier you have.

==Ads and upsells==
[[File:ABTF-screen BuyGems.jpg|thumb|300px|Keep in mind the average, decent Accessory costs are roughly 400 Gems. Better ones 800~1000 or so.]]
It's a free game, so how does Rovio make its money? By copious amounts of ads (largely for other games) and by enticing you to spend real currency on in-game currency.

The ads, as in most free to play mobile games, give the player various bonuses depending on when they are watched. After completing any stage, you are given the option to watch a short video ad; doing so doubles your end-of-stage Pig & Coin rewards. Similarly, when opening a Daily Reward, you can watch an ad to double the reward, and upon completing a Space Bridge Mission, you can watch an ad to obtain an extra key. When choosing a partner for a stage, you will also get a prompt to watch an ad; doing so gives your partner a one-stage stat boost and ups the amount of time they can stay in-play. However, you can only watch so many ads within a set amount of time, forcing players to choose what bonuses they go for wisely. You can also watch an ad to repair a character instantly; there does not appear to be any limit to this.

Spending real monies allows you to buy large numbers of Gems, which are used to buy Accessories, speed up character upgrades and repairs, interrupt the Eggbot terraforming to make a stage playable sooner, and about a billion other small things all over the game. Gem packages range from 150 for $4.49 US to 5200 for '''''$99.99''''' which what the hell who even spends that much money on these things?! Considering that mere ''accessories'' can run up to 1000 Gems, with most of the "buddy character" ones in the 850 range? Yeesh. From time to time there will be "sales" which either cut the prices down a bit or give you more Gems in each package, but come on. You can also use real money to buy characters you've not unlocked yet, but man is it so not worth it.

Depending on who you ask, according to many reviewers, if you had to do a wipe or ever lose your files for some reason, you can lose all your progress. People have gotten their characters leveled up to the max, which costs hundreds of thousands of gold coins or thousands of gems (read: lots and lots of grinding or real monies) only for it to be all for naught. But now that's not much of a problem since you can cloud save your progress with the Game Center on IOS or a Facebook account on Android.
{{-}}

===References===
This game is loaded with tiny jokes and references to Transformers lore.

* The character designs pull from a broad mix of generations. While (obviously) [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]] gets the most representation, there are also elements from the [[Live-action film series|live-action movies]], ''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (franchise)|Rescue Bots]]'' and ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]''. Each character also has a number of wearable accessories, many of which are based on wider ''Transformers'' lore. (See individual character pages for the rundown on each.)
*Upgrading a character results in a description of what has changed, which occasionally references obscure titbits of lore. For instance, upgrading Red variants to Level 3 has it refer to [[Transmetal]].
*The initial loading screen has numerous nods to more specific (and occasionally obscure) bits of Transformers lore:
{{collist|3|
:*"[[Mechanical Difficulties!|Crowning Grimlock]]"
:*"Rhyming with [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]"
:*"[[Target: 2006|Targeting 2006]]"
:*"Seeing if we've got [[The Touch]]"
:*"[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2|Dueling on dams]]"
:*"Rebuilding [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]]"
:*"[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|Hailing Megatron]]"
:*"Pouring water on [[scraplet]]s"
:*"Practicing [[Metallikato]]"
:*"Crashing the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]"
:*"Rebooting [[Teletraan (disambiguation)|Teletraan 1]]"
:*"Spying on [[Soundwave (disambiguation)|Soundwave]]"
:*"Unlocking Lockdown"
:*"Having a taste of our own electro-medicine"
:*"[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1|Satisfying logic circuits]]"
:*"[[Atlantis, Arise!|Enjoying hospitality]] of [[Sub-Atlantica]]"
:*"[[Day of the Machines|Detecting a rat named Megatron]]"
:*"[[Return of the Dino Bot|Thanking the Eggspark for hot, brown water]]"
:*"Trying out [[Jet judo|Jet Judo]]"
:*"De-stinging the Stinger"
:*"Transforming Jazz. Fiddly!"
}}
* The music for the game was composed by [[Vince DiCola]] (with [[Kenny Meriedeth]]), who did the score for ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
* Pig City events have [[:File:AB Soundwave Lambpost.jpg|familiar-looking lampposts]] and purple Cybertronian shuttles strewn all over the level that can be easily destroyed.
* The (removed) building for friend activity resembles [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]'s city mode. But it returned in a different location as the new Sparkrun mode.
* Most of the accesories to the characters are based on different characters, items, and tools from different continuties.

==Notes==
* [[FIRRIB|Frenzy is red, Rumble is blue.]]
* This is the third ''Angry Birds'' crossover game, the first being with the ''{{w|Rio (2011 film)|Rio}}'' films and the second being with the undisputed king of cross-promotion, ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]''.
* This is also the second 3D ''Angry Birds'' title, with prior games using 2D graphics save the racing game ''Angry Birds Go!'' (also developed by Exient, which also got a [[Hasbro]] toyline).
* You can alter a device's time to make the upgrades, Missions and other timed aspects go faster, although if you go too far or revert to current time, you'll get an error message about "Time travel detected! Your characters have suffered" and you'll be slapped on the wrist by getting them downgraded in relation to how far away from real time you were. So maybe don't do that.

== External links ==
* [http://www.cnet.com/news/angry-birds-transformers-takes-wing-as-new-app-and-toys/ Angry Birds Transformers takes wing as new app and toys]
* [http://transformers.angrybirds.com/ Official Website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angry Birds}}
[[Category:Generation 1 video games]]
[[Category:Mobile games]]

Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)

2026-01-06T18:11:49Z

TheActualRealCosmos: shifting around sections to make sense and cutting down unnecessary banter as well as spellchecking

{{Nav-ABTF}}
{{videogame
|title=''Angry Birds Transformers''
|image=Angry birds transformers.jpg
|caption=It's happening.
|developer=[[Rovio]] & [[Exient]]
|publisher=Rovio Entertainment
|date=[[October 15]], 2014 (iOS) [[October 30]], 2014 (Android)
|platforms=Apple iOS 10+ (iPad, iPhone) Android
|ratings=
}}
'''''Angry Birds Transformers''''' is a mobile app for both iPhone and Android platforms developed by Exient and published by [[Rovio]] in 2014. It is a themed version of the publisher's mega-popular mobile game ''{{w|Angry Birds}}''.

As of RIGHT NOW, no really, '''RIGHT NOW''', it is still live and still updating with new competitions and characters. Wow.

{{note|This game has changed its rules many times for various sub-games and systems over the course of its run. In March 2020, the game underwent a fairly substantial update that changed a '''lot''' of these systems; we're currently working on a fairly extensive overhaul to both account for these expansive changes and still accurately show how the game ran for over ten years. '''EDITORIAL NOTE''': The changes are centered on taking player progression and grinding that to a complete tortured crawl.}}

==Synopsis==
The "[[AllSpark#Angry Birds Transformers comic|EggSpark]]" has landed on [[Piggy Island]], transforming its dueling inhabitants and giving them bodies and powers based on the Transformers: the birds of the [[Flock]] become [[Autobird]]s and the [[Bad Piggies]] the [[Deceptihog]]s. The two sides briefly continue their struggle with these new powers until they are both threatened by another transformed group, the [[Eggbot (AB)|Eggbot]]s, who seek to transform all of Piggy Island into metal, backed by countless robotized [[Minion Pig]]s.

Most of the Autobirds and all of the Deceptihogs are captured leaving only [[Red (AB)|Red]] (who has the powers of [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]]) free. The leader of the Flock (you know him well) heads out to free the Autobirds ''and'' Deceptihogs, for only by joining forces can they restore Piggy Island to normal!

==Gameplay==
The game is a bit of a deviation from the normal ''Angry Birds'' formula, but the core goal remains the same: toppling block towers to pop the Bad Piggies on them. And, this being a "freemium" game, there's lots and lots of other things to do and sub-systems to keep you busy.

===Basic gameplay===
Once you select an available stage from the map of Piggie Island, your character runs along the foreground at a set speed, as block towers scroll by in the background. By tapping the screen, your character takes aim and fires their weapon. You can also hold-and-drag to fire in a spread (if the character's weapon isn't a single-shot blast), or press the "Auto" button to let the computer do the targeting for you (though it isn't very efficient). Each character has a different weapon which determines how you tackle a level; some must take out key blocks to cause a domino effect, some are better at hitting enemies directly, and some are just obliteration machines taking out anything even ''near'' the target.

Common block types include:
:*'''Ice Blocks''': Very weak, easily shattered (1 Coin)
:*'''Wood Blocks''': Fairly sturdy but not hard to break (2 Coins)
:*'''Stone Blocks''': Very durable, better for pushing than breaking (3 Coins)
:*'''TNT Blocks''': Easily-broken crates that explode with a considerable radius, sending blocks flying. In Challenge Events (see below) these can have other side effects.
:*'''Coin Blocks''': Golden blocks that spit out Coins with every hit. Pretty dang sturdy and come in different sizes but if you destroy them, you earn a lot of Coins (50~250 Coins).

Each stage is also littered with cyberformed scenery with blinky lights; blasting these releases an [[Energon cube]]. If the character is accompanied by an [[Energonicon]], the cube is used to fuel its special power, activated by tapping the icon. A fully upgraded Energonicon cannot make use of more than three cubes, so timely tapping to spend the energy before obtaining more is key. Energonicons can be upgraded to hold up to three cubes; these are all spent at once, but more cubes generally means the Energonicon's effects/attacks remain active longer.

The goal is to make it to the end of the stage, weathering or avoiding attacks from armed Piggies and other enemies and obstacles. You can transform to vehicle mode to avoid falling [[Monolith]]s or evade enemy fire, but bear in mind the longer you stay in vehicle mode, the more likely enemies will adjust their fire to hit you. (Thankfully Monoliths will always miss.) The more destruction you cause on the way, the more Coins you get to buy upgrades and explore new areas, and the more Pigs you pop, the more Pig points you earn to shorten Mission times (see below).

If you lose all your life in a level, the character is picked up by [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]. You can then spend some [[Gem]]s to immediately put them back into the fight (rarely worth it), or let the timer run out and quit the level. If you quit, you will not earn Piggie points for the level, but you do keep some of the Coins you collected. Health does not restore between levels normally, so if a character is low you must take action to repair them. You can spend Coins to do so, but this takes them out of the game for a while in real-time, even when the game is off. You can repair a bot instantly by spending Gems (also rarely worth it), or you can skip all that and immediately restore them to full health by watching an ad (up to 30 seconds long) or scanning their transformable figure (if they have one) with a [[Telepod]]. There are a few other methods of healing, but most of the time you're going to want to go with an ad watch.

New stages and map areas are opened up by unlocking and leveling up characters, your Rank being the sum total of all your available characters' levels. Every 5 or 10 Rank settings lets you clear the clouds away from a new area of Piggy Island, with a new bot to unlock to boot. After a point new areas need to be unlocked by special means: the Caves can only be unlocked by using 10000 Plasma earned in Challenge Events, Daily Quests, Daily Rewards, and Crates. The Jungle (which contains the "Challenge Run" competition) needs a certain number of Gems to unlock; a "Just the Jungle" package for 2,000 gems, and a "Jungle + Challenge Run + Devastator" bundle for 3,150.

Cleared stages will slowly accumulate Coins over real-time, maxing out after about four hours, with the maximum amount increasing with every character Squad you complete (again, see below). Tapping on the Coins on the map adds them to your bank. However, roaming Eggbots will re-cyberform cleared stages, which removes their Coin bonuses. You can see which stages they are working on, how long the cyberforming process will take, and even interrupt their work (at the cost of Gems), giving you the chance to pelt an Eggbot in-level for extra Coins. Cyberforming, too, goes on in real-time. Once a stage is re-cyberformed, it can be played again. There are also randomly-spawning treasure chests on the map; tap them to earn various amounts of Gems, aka "premium currency", with the highest amount being at least 12. But, most of the time, the amount lies between 1 and 5, because yeah; “premium currency."

In the "2.0" update in March 2020, stages would now last for a limited time, setting a timer to complete the stage before automatically clearing it. The game says the timer is 24 hours, but stages have shown timers way before 24 hours.

===Character Choices===
Every stage has a pre-set character you control, based on who you've rescued so far. Every character has a different style of attack, movement speed, and armor rating. Working out the strengths and weaknesses of each character is key to high scores, and in some cases simple survival.

New characters can be added to your roster in a few different ways. In-game, a set of "starter" characters are held captive in ice blocks on the map, one per area, and you must "spend" a specific number of popped Piggies to break them out. You then have to play a short level with that character, and if they make it to the end, they're yours to keep. If not, they are re-frozen, but thankfully you can try again without having to spend all those hard-earned Piggy points again. There are also many, ''many'' other characters who can be unlocked via Space Bridge Missions (see below) or Challenge Events (also see below).

Out-of-game, you can spend actual-factual money on the [[Angry Birds Transformers (toyline)|tie-in toys]]. By placing one of the figures on a [[Telepod]] and placing ''that'' on your device's camera lens, the game reads the QR code on the figure and inserts it into the game for a limited amount of time (currently 24 hours). While the characters unlocked this way are only available temporarily until unlocked via normal gameplay, there is no limit on how often you can scan the figure, plus any upgrade progress is saved. You can also use this method to power-up already-unlocked characters (once every 24 hours) or instantly repair them (no limits on how many times you can do this).

;Improving characters
Every character can be upgraded multiple times (nominal maximum level for characters is 15, but they can be upgraded further than that in select Challenge Events) by spending Coins and Materials, which (of course) takes them out of play for a while. Each upgrade is pre-set, increasing attack strength, armor strength, or vehicle mode duration. At certain levels, their Energon capacity is increased, and these levels vary from character to character. You can spend much-rarer Gems to make the upgrade happen instantly; the closer the upgrades are to complete, the fewer Gems you need to spend. Upgrading characters is ''vital'' as the levels get harder and harder, not to mention in the phone version you can only unlock new areas with an overall player level, which is raised by upgrading your characters. This isn't the case in the tablet version where you can spend Gold Coins to unlock new areas. You can only have one character undergoing an upgrade at a time.

Characters can also be upgraded inside Astrotrain by customizing them with Accessories. These extra items cost a vast amount of Coins and Crystals, and not only alter the characters' appearance, but can boost stats or imbue special abilities to weapons. One Accessory can be placed on a character's head, face, chest, arms and back each. Some Challenge Events have special exclusive Accessories you can't buy regularly. Accessories can also be levelled up by spending further Coins and Crystals, improving their buffs or even adding a secondary stat buff. With enough time and money, you can turn a simple +5% Defense item into a +50% or higher buff. Formerly, upgrading accessories was only possible through winning the accessory again through events. As most Accessories are character-specific, see each character's page for more detailed information.

;Call-in Buddies
[[File:Angry-Birds-Transformers-Call-in-buddy-Energon-Bumblebee-Chuck.jpg|thumb|New characters are frequently "previewed" as call-in buddies before they're properly available.]]
In regular levels, you get the option to have a second character on standby, who you can call in and have the computer control for a brief period. They enter the stage in slow motion with a massive shockwave that does damage to most everything within the blast radius, obliterating Ice Blocks and missiles but only damaging tougher targets. These characters will warp out after a few seconds, then you must wait for their meter to re-charge before calling them back in. However, there's a limit to when you are able to call in a partner; once you see [[Astrotrain (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Astrotrain]] fly overhead, your partner's no longer available. On the other hand, the stage is close to over! But if your partner is ''already'' out when you hit that checkpoint, then they will stay active until the very end of the level, nice for really piling on the destruction.

You get to choose one of three partners before you start the stage, and if you don't like those character choices, you can change them by spending some Gems. Partners are either randomly selected (which can let you see characters you haven't unlocked yet), or pulled from the character rosters of your friends if you've connected to the game via Facebook, Google+, iTunes, or whatever other social network connections you have, with a timer of 5–15 seconds based on the Transformer's level. You can also watch an ''ad'' to lock the times to 15 seconds. If you called on them in the level, you can "thank" them afterwards. Using one of your friends' character gives them a nominal reward (either a Gem or 25 Coins), while not thanking them simply tells the other player that while you're grateful for the firepower assist, you don't think they deserve any actual compensation. You jerk. When you don't have friends or don't believe in social media, you get random users to help. If people use your characters and you're not friends with them via social networking, you don't get any rewards if they thank you.
{{-}}

====Featured characters====
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Autobird]]s
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Red (AB)|Red]] as:
**[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]
**[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]
**Energon Optimus Prime
**Ultimate Optimus Prime
**[[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]]
**Epic Optimus
**[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]]
**General Optimus Prime
**[[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]]
**Major Ultra Magnus
**Captain Nemesis Prime
**General Optimus Prime Neon
**Neon Ultra Magnus

*[[Chuck (AB)|Chuck]] as:
**[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]
**High-Octane Bumblebee
**[[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]]
**Energon Bumblebee
**[[Rodimus Unicronus|Nemesis Hot Rod]]
**[[Bumblebee (G1)|Classic Bumblebee]]
**[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]
**[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]]
**Private Cliffjumper
**Neon Bumblebee
**Neon Hot Rod

*[[Terence (AB)|Terence]] as:
**[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]]
**[[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]]
**[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
**[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
**[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]
**Specialist Ratchet
**Special Officer Hound
**Security Officer Ironhide
**Neon Ratchet
**Neon Hound
**Neon Ironhide
*[[Bubbles]] as:
**[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]
**[[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]]
**[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]
**[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]
**[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]
**[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
**[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
**Private Sideswipe
**Private Mirage
**Private Red Alert
**Neon Sideswipe
**Neon Sunstreaker
**Neon Private Mirage
**Neon Blaster

{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}

*[[Hal]] as:
**[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grey Slam Grimlock]]
**Energon Grimlock
**[[Grimlock (G1)|Goldbite Grimlock]]
**[[Volcanicus (POTP)|Volcanicus]]

*[[Stella (AB)|Stella]] as:
**[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]]
**[[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]]
**[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]]
**[[Firestar (G1)|Novastar]]
**[[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]]
**[[Greenlight]]
**Sergeant Chromia
**Sergeant Greenlight
**Scout Arcee
**Sharpshooter Moonracer
**Neon Chromia
**Neon Arcee

*The [[Blues]] as:
**[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]
**[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]
**[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]
**[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]
**Major Prowl
**Neon Prowl
**Neon Bluestreak

*[[Silver (AB)|Silver]] as:
**[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]]
**Energon Windblade
**[[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]

*[[Bomb (AB)|Bomb]] as:
**[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]
**[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
**[[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]]
**[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]
**[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]
**Sergeant Omega Supreme
**Engineer Wheeljack
**Neon Wheeljack
**Neon Warpath

*[[Matilda]] as:
**[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]]
**Energon Nautica
**[[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]]

*[[Mighty Eagle]] as:
**[[Alpha Trion]]
**[[Superion (G1)|Superion]]
**[[Kup (G1)|Kup]]
**Captain Alpha Trion

*[[Zeta (AB)|Zeta]] as:
**[[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]]

{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
;Accessories
*[[Blaster (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Blaster]]
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Buzzsaw]]
*[[Daniel (AB)|Daniel]]
*[[Dazzlestrike]]
*[[Dion (AB)|Dion]]
*[[Eject (AB)|Eject]]
*[[Guardian (AB)|Guardian]]
*[[Hi-Q#Angry Birds Transformers|HiQ]]{{sic}}
*[[Huffer (AB)|Huffer]]
*[[Metroplex (AB)|Metroplex]]
*[[Pipes (AB)|Pipes]]
*[[Ramhorn (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Ramhorn]]
*[[Rewind (AB)|Rewind]]
*[[Rosanna (AB)|Rosanna]]
*[[Steeljaw (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Steeljaw]]
*[[Stranglehold#Angry Birds Transformers|Stranglehold]]
*[[Stripes#Angry Birds Transformers|Stripes]]
*[[Sundor#Angry Birds Transformers|Sundor]]
*[[Wheelie (AB)|Wheelie]]

{{!}}}
|h2=[[Deceptihog]]s
|c2=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[King Pig]] as:
**[[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]]
**[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]
**[[Megatron (Movie)|Ultimate Megatron]]
**[[Megatron (G1)|Dark Megatron]]
**[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]
**Energon Shockwave
**Energon Megatron
**Lord Megatron
**Major Shockwave
**Scout Brawl
**Lord Megatron Neon
**Neon Shockwave
**Neon Bludgeon
**Neon Brawl

*[[Chef Pig]] as:
**[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]
**Energon Soundwave
**[[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster]]
**[[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]]
**Major Soundwave
**Neon Soundwave
**Neon Soundblaster

*[[Moustache Pig]] as:
**[[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]]
**Energon Lockdown
**[[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]]
**[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]
**Sergeant Barricade
**Neon Barricade

*[[Corporal Pig]] as:
**[[Megatron (Movie)#Age of Extinction film|Galvatron]]
**Energon Galvatron
**[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]
**[[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]
**[[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]]
**[[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]
**General Scorponok
**Neon Scorponok
**Neon Galvatron

{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}

*[[Minion Pig]] as:
**[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
**Energon Starscream
**[[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]]
**[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]
**[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
**[[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]]
**[[Strikebot|Strikebot bomber]]
**[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]
**[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]
**[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]
**[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
**[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]
**Captain Starscream
**[[Ion Storm]]
**Sergeant Thundercracker
**[[Nova Storm (G1)|Nova Storm]]
**Sergeant Devastator
**Special Officer Skywarp
**Seeker Acid Storm
**Seeker Novastorm
**Seeker Ramjet
**Neon Starscream
**Neon Thundercracker
**Neon Skywarp
**Neon Seeker Novastorm
**Neon Ramjet
**Neon Acid Storm

*[[Hal]] as:
**[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]
**Neon Trypticon

*[[Zeta (AB)|Zeta]] as:
**[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]]
**Sergeant Nightbird

*[[Red (AB)|Red]] as:
**Captain Nemesis Prime

*[[Stella (AB)|Stella]] as:
**[[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]]
**Sergeant Flamewar
**Neon Flamewar

*[[Bomb (AB)|Bomb]] as:
**[[Drift (G1)|Private Deadlock]]

*[[Astrotrain (AB)|Astrotrain]]
*[[Professor Pig]]

{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}

;Accessories
*[[Baro#Angry Birds Transformers|Baro]]
*[[Beastbox (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Beastbox]]
*[[Brunt (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Brunt]]
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Buzzsaw]]
*[[Frenzy (AB)|Frenzy]]
*[[Full-Tilt (AB)|Full-Tilt]]
*[[Kremzeek]]
*[[Laserbeak (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Laserbeak]]
*[[Megatron (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Megatron]]
*[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]
*[[Nightstick (G1)|Nightstick]]
*[[Ratbat (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Ratbat]]
*[[Ravage (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Ravage]]
*[[Reflector (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Reflector]]
*[[Rumble (AB)|Rumble]]
*[[Sentinel (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Sentinel]]
*[[Shrapnel (AB)|Shrapnel]]
*[[Squawktalk (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Squawktalk]]
*[[Wingthing (G1)#Angry Birds Transformers|Wingthing]]

{{!}}}
|h3=Eggbot Army
|c3=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
*[[Eggbot (AB)|Eggbots]]
*[[Minion Pig#As the Eggbot Army|Minion Pigs]]
*[[Walking Mortar Tower]]s
*[[Missile silo]]s
*[[Boss Pig]]
*[[Unicron Pig]]
*[[Boss Pig#Boss Bat Pig|Boss Bat Pig]]
*[[Monolith]]
{{!}}}
|nonumbering=true
}}
:
{{anchor|Squads}}
;Squads
Completing character Squads is the key to bigger earnings, in many different ways. The more Squads you have filled out, the higher the max number of Coins unoccupied map spaces can accrue. Also, any character from a completed Squad earns a 50% Coins bonus once they finish a level. Luckily, any Squads you complete will ''stay'' checked as complete even if new characters are later added to them, so you don't have to worry about losing bonuses with game updates.

During many Challenge Events (see below), you can earn bonuses to your Event scores by using a character from the suggested Squad. For a while the chosen Squad changed every four hours with (mostly) randomized percentages, but currently stays set at a single squad for the duration of the Event, with a x4 score multiplier ''if'' the character has been "Promoted". (If this sounds like it's kind of complicated, well, it ''is'' kind of complicated.)

{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Rescue Bots
*Optimus Prime
*Bumblebee
*Heatwave
*Ratchet
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Instruments of Destruction
*Soundwave
*Soundblaster
*Blaster
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Target<nowiki>:</nowiki> 2006
*Ultra Magnus
*Galvatron
*Jazz
*Hound
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Pure Warriors
*Lockdown
*Energon Lockdown
*Brawl
*Ironhide
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Seekers
*Energon Starscream
*Thundercracker
*Skywarp
*Starscream
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Energon Fueled
*Energon Grimlock
*Energon Soundwave
*Energon Galvatron
*Energon Optimus Prime
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Variant Versions
*Ultimate Megatron
*Ultimate Optimus Prime
*Goldbite Grimlock
*High Octane Bumblebee
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Leaders
*Bludgeon
*Sentinel Prime
*Grey Slam Grimlock
*Dark Megatron
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Valkyries
*Arcee
*Airachnid
*Windblade
*Chromia
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Brothers in Armor
*Prowl
*Bluestreak
*Smokescreen
*Beachcomber
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Iconic Transformers
*Nemesis Prime
*Epic Optimus
*Energon Bumblebee
*Classic Bumblebee
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Hotrods
*Rodimus
*Dead End
*Ricochet
*Drift
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Cybertronians
*Shockwave
*Acid Storm
*Sunstorm
*Trypticon
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Wreckers
*Wheeljack
*Ultra Magnus
*Rodimus
*Moonracer
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Enslavers
*Scorponok
*Barricade
*Motormaster
*Nemesis Hot Rod
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Speedsters
*Sideswipe
*Red Alert
*Sunstreaker
*Mirage
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Energized
*Energon Windblade
*Energon Shockwave
*Energon Nautica
*Energon Megatron
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Femme Fatale
*Nautica
*Elita One
*Strongarm
*Novastar
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;VIP
*Alpha Trion
*Kup
*Cyclonus
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Specialists
*Breakdown
*Blurr
*Cliffjumper
*Nightbird
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Support
*Grapple
*Drag Strip
*Greenlight
*Warpath
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Combiners
*Devastator
*Superion
*Menasor
*Optimus Maximus
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Noughties
*Slipstream
*Flamewar
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Command
*General Optimus Prime
*Lord Megatron
*Major Ultra Magnus
*Major Shockwave
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Reinforcements
*Cosmos
*Ion Storm
*Nova Storm
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Coneheads
*Dirge
*Ramjet
*Thrust
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Gestalt
*Volcanicus
*Omega Supreme
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Officers
*Specialist Ratchet
*Captain Starscream
*Officer Prowl
*Officer Soundwave
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Operations
*Sergeant Chromia
*Sergeant Thundercracker
*Private Sideswipe
*Sergeant Barricade
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Ground Force
*Sergeant Greenlight
*Sergeant Flamewar
*Private Deadlock
*Private Mirage
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Sawbones Squad
*Private Red Alert
*Special Officer Hound
*Special Officer Skywarp
*Seeker Acid Storm
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Specialist Raiders
*Captain Nemesis Prime
*Sergeant Omega Supreme
*Sergeant Devastator
*Scout Arcee
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Hardboiled Warriors
*Sharpshooter Moonracer
*General Scorponok
*Private Cliffjumper
*Scout Brawl
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Misfits Squad
*Captain Alpha Trion
*Seeker Novastorm
*Security Officer Ironhide
*Sergeant Nightbird
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Raging Squad
*Engineer Wheeljack
*Seeker Ramjet
*General Optimus Prime Neon
*Lord Megatron Neon
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Weekend Warriors
*Neon Ratchet
*Neon Starscream
*Neon Ultra Magnus
*Neon Shockwave
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Cobalt Crew
*Neon Prowl
*Neon Soundwave
*Neon Thundercracker
*Neon Chromia
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;The Hotshots
*Neon Barricade
*Neon Sideswipe
*Neon Bludgeon
*Neon Hound
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Steel Strike Force
*Neon Arcee
*Neon Scorponok
*Neon Bumblebee
*Neon Soundblaster
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Raiders Of The Last Ark
*Neon Sunstreaker
*Neon Skywarp
*Neon Private Mirage
*Neon Seeker Novastorm
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Peacekeepers
*Neon Ironhide
*Neon Brawl
*Neon Wheeljack
*Neon Ramjet
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Titan Vanguard
*Neon Blaster
*Neon Galvatron
*Neon Warpath
*Neon Trypticon
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
;Spark Legion
*Neon Bluestreak
*Neon Flamewar
*Neon Hot Rod
*Neon Acid Storm
|}

===Crystals===
Crystals are items used to to upgrade your characters, create [[Energonicon]]s, and buy and upgrade Accessories. Crystals are earned by completing map stages, won from Missions, rewarded from Daily Quests, or found in Crates. The amount of Crystals you can store is dictated by the level of the Silo; the Silo can be upgraded using Coins and Crystals, which not only lets you store larger numbers and higher levels of Crystals, but increases the number and rarity of Crystals rewarded upon stage completion. Any Crystals won that exceed the Silo's capacity are converted to Coins.

Crystals come in five grades, and the quality of Crystal dictates what it can be used for: Accessories must be bought/upgraded with Crystals matching their color code, for example.
<center>
{|class="wikitable" border="4" style="width:65%" align="center"
|-
! scope="col" width="25%" | '''Crystal Grade'''
! scope="col" width="25%" | '''Color'''
! scope="col" width="25%" | '''Silo Maximum Capacity'''
! scope="col" width="25%" | '''Coin Value'''
|-
|Common
|White
|100
|200
|-
|Uncommon
|Blue
|80
|600
|-
|Rare
|Green
|60
|1,800
|-
|Epic
|Purple
|40
|4,800
|-
|Legendary
|Gold
|20
|15,000
|-
|}
</center>

Crystals can also be made in Professor Pig's lab by combining three lower-grade Crystals and a sum of Coins to make one higher-grade Crystal, with the Coin cost increasing dramatically for higher grades. As this game pours on the Common Crystals and is super-stingy with Epics and Legendaries, you are likely going to have to do this to advance past a certain point at anything faster than a snail's pace. Also, you cannot craft with legendary crystals as of now.

;Materials
[[File:ABTF-screen MaterialSilo.jpg|thumb|300px]]
Prior to the March/April 2020 mega-update (aka the first five-plus years of the game's life), upgrades were handled with "Materials". The general principle is the same as Crystals, only these were ''only'' for upgrading characters and the Silo. Also, Materials could not be reliably merged to make higher-grade ones; you could toss them into Professor Pig's machine for a ''chance'' to get higher-grade Materials, but it was a roulette spin that could result in Coins or Gems as well, depending on the Materials dumped in.
<center>
{|class="wikitable" border="5" style="width:65%" align="center"
|-
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Material Level'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Autobird Material'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Deceptihog Material'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Silo Maximum Capacity'''
! scope="col" width="20%" | '''Coin Value'''
|-
|Level 1
|[[Birdium]]
|[[Pig Iron]]
|<s>15</s> 35
|60
|-
|Level 2
|[[Autocog]]
|[[Deceptigear]]
|<s>15</s> 35
| 60
|-
|Level 3
|[[Anger Chip]]
|[[Badness Processor]]
|<s>12</s> 22
| 150
|-
|Level 4
|[[Super Rareium]]
|Super Rareium
|<s>5</s> 15
| 600
|-
|}
</center>

{{-}}

===Space Bridge Missions===
In addition to the stages, there are [[space bridge|Space Bridge]] Missions that your characters can complete in order to earn Crystals, Gems, or even new characters (Arcee, Airachnid, Prowl, and Bluestreak) from lower-difficulty missions. There are three Space Bridge difficulties —Easy, Medium, and Hard— progressively unlocked by clearing more of the map of clouds. Each Space Bridge also has three Missions to choose from when open, with three different time requirements: the longer the Mission (up to 48 hours!), the better the potential prizes.

Missions are played by selecting characters from your available roster: they are then unable to be played in most other modes until the Mission timer runs out. (For some reason, this does not apply to Jenga.) You can cut the Mission short by spending Gems, but this is rarely ever worth it given the payout potential. The Easy Bridge lets you send two characters at first, and the other two only one character each, but you can permanently unlock more slots in each one through Gem spending for a maximum of three characters at each level. Whether or not this is worth it hinges heavily on how long you plan to play the game; unlocking slots is a bit expensive, but can pay off in the long run.

Every Mission has a "type" icon: a light bulb (intelligence), a magnifying glass (investigation), or a missile (firepower), which helps the player determine which character would be most suited for completing it. The higher the level your character is at, the higher they'll score in the Mission. Once you have your character(s) selected, you are able to use popped Pigs as "reinforcements" to reduce the Mission timer up to half its original runtime (which can easily cost a couple thousand Pig points, but those are really easy to amass).

When the Mission is completed, the result screen bar fills up, earning you a key for every "level", up to five total (you always automatically get one key regardless of performance). You also get the option to watch an ad to earn one additional key. These keys are used to unlock the five prize boxes presented to you. Pick blindly and pray! If you don't have enough keys to unlock all five prizes, you can spend Gems (because of course you can) to collect the remaining presents (10 each for Easy, 20 for Medium, and 30 for Hard), but this is really ''only'' worth it for unlocking new characters. Even 10 Gems for a handful of common Crystals is a joke. Two level-15 characters can win all five Easy prizes most of the time without an ad watch, and two 15s can usually get five Mediums with an ad. Two 15s at Hard can usually get four with an ad watch.

Given how many characters you can amass, this is a pretty simple way to gather Crystals (and Coins if your Silo is full) and Gems (though this prize is a lot less common than before the 2020 Crystal-based update) over time with minimal effort. It's a good idea to max-level some of the "lesser" characters who aren't so great at mass destruction and dedicate them to Space Bridge Missions.

{{-}}

===Challenge Events===
[[File:ABTF-screen ChallengeEvent.jpg|left|300px|thumb]]
Starting in late 2015, the game introduced Challenge Events, five-to-ten-day-long themed events with the lure of prizes including unique unlockable characters and Accessories. While sparse at first, by mid-2016 events were popping up ''really'' frequently. Now, Challenge Events run six days every week, starting Friday and ending Wednesday at 00:00 UTC, with Thursday a respite and token-spending time.

Each day of an Event, the player is pit against 19 randomly-selected others at the same level (across the whole player base!) in a race to tally the most points within 24 hours by destroying as much stuff as possible in separate event stages, with key targets being worth more points than normal; most items only cough up 1 point when destroyed, but daily targets can be worth 5 points (common blocks) 15 points (enemies, special objects) or 75 points (Walking Mortar Towers). Entering a Challenge stage takes one "battery" of energy from the Challenge selection; the player starts with four, and spent batteries will recharge after an hour, one at a time. ''Of course'' you can spend Gems to speed up the process and instantly go back to four full batteries, but that cost increases every time: the first recharge costs 10 Gems, the next 20, then 40, 60, 80, then up to 100 for each recharge. Thankfully, that charge resets to the lowest amount each new day of the event.

In the earliest events, players could only take a single already-unlocked character and an [[Energonicon]] into the event with them. Eventually this changed, and depending on the event, you might be able to choose from your entire roster of unlocked characters, only certain members you've unlocked that match the event theme, or even "trial" characters you don't have yet who you can permanently unlock for the first time through the event you're playing there and now. Sometimes you can choose two characters and swap back and forth between the two (with a delay in recall time, of course). In all events, choosing characters from specific Teams will add a multiplier bonus to your final score (currently x4), though given the potential dangers, one must take care to decide if the bonus is worth it if the bonus-giving characters aren't well-suited to taking out the target of choice for the day. You can further boost your score by "promoting" characters, giving them an extra 5% bonus to your score per "rank" at the end of a run. To do this, you must spend "Sparks" which are earned and won in a variety of ways. Naturally, the higher the rank, the more Sparks you need.

Challenges are rewarded with Tokens, earned by reaching certain accumulated score milestones (milestones and prize amounts now vary from day to day), and according to your rank at the end of the 24-hour period (from 100 to 1000). These Tokens carry over from prior days' challenges up until the end of the event, and are spent on prizes including new characters, instant level-ups and Accessories for select characters, Crates, Sparks, and Coins. Accessories are often less costly to obtain in Challenges than via normal purchase. There is a 24-Hour Token exchange period after each event ends, so some can spend the tokens they may have won from the final day's competition, and any ''new'' Tokens awarded through other means during the exchange period. If there's something you want that you're shy of Token-wise, you can make up the cost with Gems, at a conversion rate of 2 Tokens per Gem.

Tokens cannot be carried over between different Challenge Events, and will be lost if not spent. Representatives from [[Rovio]]/[[Exient]] once raised the possibility of doing so, but nothing ever came of it.

:''For a rundown of the history of Challenge Events, see [[Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)/Challenge Events]].''
{{-}}

===Achievements===
Of course this game has Achievements. Why wouldn't it? These one-time milestones reward you with Gems for the various tasks presented. Many of these Achievements have different levels indicated by stars, meaning multiple prizes can be earned with increasing amounts of doing the thing. Over the course of normal play you should hit most of them without really trying, like traveling so much distance or doing X amount of damage. But some require extra effort... and a few so much effort that it's questionable if it's even worth trying.
{{-}}

===Daily Quests===
[[File:ABTF-screen DailyQuest.jpg|thumb|300px]]
Starting in September 2016, the game added Daily Quests, which are like the normal Achievements, but on a much smaller scale. Every 24 hours (starting at midnight via the clock on the player's device), eleven Quests are opened up (up from eight originally, more were added to account for some things the player may not have unlocked yet), each earning a prize for completion.

Quests can range from simple stuff like destroying enough of a certain type of block or popping enough Pigs, creating items at the Lab, doing other daily tasks, and etc, to more difficult feats like pulling off slow-mo [[Monolith]] dodges or blocking Missiles, and even esoteric stuff like thanking enough buddies after normal levels (or not thanking them at all!). The prizes can be Pig points, Coins, Gems, Crystals, and even Tokens. The eleventh Quest, always at the top of the board, with a four-part prize, is earned only by completing eight other Quests within the 24 hours.

Over the course of the game, many quests were dropped completely, and others made to appear less frequently. Currently, these Daily Quests are always in the mix:

* Complete 8 other quests
* Visit the Piglab and craft something
* Open 5 Crates
* Start a Spark Run
* Start a Challenge Run
* Play Jenga Mode

{{-}}

===Daily Reward===
[[File:Angry-Birds-Daily-Reward-Cave-Locked.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:Angry-Birds-Daily-Reward-After-Cave-Unlocked.jpg|thumb]]
Every 24 hours, you can collect a Daily Prize. A screen usually pops up to present you with the reward upon starting the game, but if for some reason it doesn't appear, it is also accessible through the menu in the lower left-hand corner. In order to get the larger prizes, you need to log into the game every day: missing days will reset the weekly timer back to the first day.

You have the option to watch an ad to double your Daily Prize, but this is good only once a week. Best to save it for the seventh-day prize of 10 Gems, turning it into 20.
{{-}}

===Jenga stage===
Down at the beach, there's the Jenga stage, shaped like the large [[Hal|Grimlock Bird]] Jenga toy that you could buy in stores. This mini-game remains locked behind a $15 paywall. Previously, it could be unlocked using a code found in any of the ''Angry Birds Transformers Jenga'' toys, but this option was removed in a later update.

Once open, this stage is a fair bit different from regular gameplay. First you pick a Driver and a Gunner from a fixed set of characters (unaffected by who you have unlocked, away on Missions, or upgrading). The Driver then travels along a path, gathering free-floating Coins and smashing through block towers. There are holes in the path, so sometimes you need to hit the turbo button for a burst of speed to carry you over. The turbo boost will drain quickly, so overuse can leave you dry when the big jump comes up. The goal is to gather as many coins and clear out as many blocks as possible and make it to the end for a higher score. Falling into a pit doesn't end the level, it just ends the Driver's turn and makes the Gunner's turn that little bit more difficult. (This part of the game earns you no points, by the way.)

The Gunner then runs through a different path further out, and their job is to clear out as many blocks from inside the giant Grimlock Bird frame with their firepower. Naturally, this is easier if the Driver has cleared out the block towers that stood between the Gunner path and the frame. The more blocks that are destroyed or at least knocked completely out of the frame, the higher your score.

So why do this? Your Jenga scores accumulate over the course of 24 hours, and reaching 300 points nets you a prize. Often this is just a sum of Coins, no big whoop and not really worth it. But it's worth checking back every day, because the prize changes every 24 hours, and sometimes it's a cache of 10 Gems. Spending five minutes to get 10 Gems isn't bad, given how stingy the game can be with giving away the premium currency. Also, what happens in Jenga mode counts towards your Daily Quests: every block you smash or Pig you pop, and every time you finish the "event" counts. It can be a very quick way to knock out a couple of Quests at no cost other than a few minutes' time.

{{note|Bumblebee seems to be the best choice for the Driver, while Bludgeon works best as the Gunner thanks to his wide multi-shot cannon.. at first. Energon Starscream or Lockdown with explosive rounds can ''really'' clean up. The available characters in Jenga mode have changed over the course of the game, eliminating certain characters whose weapons are designed for easy mass block destruction without augmentation.}}
{{-}}

===Spark Run===
[[File:ABTFScreen-Sparkrun.jpg|thumb|250px]]
Introduced March 2017, the Spark Run lets you earn Sparks (''only'' Sparks; you don't earn any Pigs or Coins in this mode) by destroying everything you can in a special extra-long stage that goes through five random areas, with transitions through caves. You select three characters, and should your first 'bot go down, the next one you selected takes his place. You can also use a random character specially power-boosted for the Spark Run... but you're better off prioritizing your promoted characters. Promoted characters can be used to increase the final score, which you'll need as eventually there's simply not enough stuff to destroy in a run to achieve the scores needed for a full reward. Earn enough spark and the next difficulty level will be unlocked, each level adding 10 additional Sparks to the initial prize of 100, increasing your score goals, and increasing the offensive power of enemies. The Spark Run can be played once a day, but can be reactivated for 100 Gems (regardless of how little time is left until the normal reset). If all of your bots go down, well, don't worry. You get to keep all the Spark you earned on the run. However the run ends, you can watch an add to earn an extra 10% of your Spark rewards.

Gold blocks give the most amount of spark points, so be sure to destroy all of them!

Watch out for Pigs with special buffs: some deal painfully more damage, others regenerate health, some are shielded and immune to un-augmented small arms fire, some are lightning-fast, and some have massively buffed health!

There have been a number of improvements to the Spark Run over multiple updates, including raising difficulty level caps, and adding two permanently-unlockable character slots, at 1000 and 2500 Gems each (the usefulness of these unlocks is... ''questionable'' if you're not spending real money on Gems, as gathering 1000 can take some time even with dedicated daily play).

In a June 2020 update, Spark Run was given a drastic change. This update caused a downgrade of only one free character slot instead of three, and Coins or Pigs now have to be paid in order to start Spark Runs. Usually one week it’s pigs, the next it’s coins, and the amount increases with higher difficulties. Instead of five score goals with equal amounts of Sparks, you now have one score goal, and failure to reach this goal would result in no Sparks being awarded. Spark Runs are now either shorter or longer than previous, with higher difficulties awarding more Sparks, and level one offering 10 Sparks. The option to reactivate was no longer available, instead showing a locked symbol for some reason, and a Challenge Event's bonus squad would also have a 4x multiplier.

{{-}}

===Crates===
In a September 2017 update, Crates were introduced which give various prizes, which fall under five rarities. Steel Crates give common, uncommon, or rare prizes that can be purchased for 15000 coins each; ''finally'' something to spend the coins you've stockpiled in the millions on. Opening ten at a time for 150,000 Coins gives a guaranteed Rare prize. Gold Crates can give rare, epic, or legendary prizes, as well as special seasonal accessories, and can be purchased for 200 Gems each. Yeah, a bit of a grind. Opening ten at a time costs a whopping 1800 Gems (-10%) off and gives a guaranteed epic prize. And a really rare chance of a new character. You also get 10 gold crates for free when starting a new save and the chance of a really rare character. Yowza.

Crates can also be purchased in Challenge Events for Tokens, and follow the same rules there.

Crates are also rewards in the War Pass and Prime Pass, with Steel Crates being additional rewards for going past level 50.

You used to be able to get one free Steel Crate every day with the possibility of unlocking a few Steel and/or Gold Crates, but a March 2020 update erased that and replaced it for random ads to get one for free after going off the tab. Usually 2 times a day.

{{-}}

===Shockwave's Spire===
This feature introduced in December 2017 was quite a gamble! Shockwave's Spire was essentially the same as ''Angry Birds 2''{{'}}s Tower of Fortune. There were several floors that each have four cards from which you pick one and get various prizes: most floors have sums of Coins, Gems, Sparks and Tokens behind each card. Every five floors, the prizes were all Accessories. The higher you went, the larger the sums, the better the prizes and higher the rarity, all the way to Legendary-class prizes at floor 90.

The gamble came from the ever-present one-in-four chance of getting a Pig card (excluding on Accessory floors), which stops you cold and takes all your accumulated prizes. You can reverse this and keep going with two options: watching an ad, or paying some Gems. The Gem cost would naturally increase significantly each time you made a gambling blunder, starting with 10 and nigh doubling every time. The ad option, on the other hand, can only be used once. It was always a good idea to play up until the first Pig card, watch the ad, pick a different card from the same floor, then stop for the day. It was a good way to ''really'' level up some of the lower-tier accessories, especially ones that boost defense.

Once you exited, Shockwave's Spire wouldn't be available to play again (not even Gem skips!) until the next day. Visiting the Spire was always one of the Daily Quests, rewarding you with a mere 2 Gems, but it was an easy one to tick off to finish the "Complete 8 other Quests" Quest.

In the big "2.0" update, Shockwave's Spire could be visited for one last time on March 26 before having a timer that ran until April 1, 2020 at 00:00 UTC. Once that timer ran out, you could seemingly visit the Spire again, only for the head to blow off of the tower, the rubble now holding the place for the War Pass.
{{-}}

===Challenge Run===
Introduced in August 2019, Challenge Run is a week-long competition running Monday to Sunday, requiring at least one member of the "Combiners" or “Gestalt” team to participate. It is unlocked alongside the jungle area which costs a whopping 2500 gems for the jungle and challenge run (or just jungle if you don’t have a combiner) or 3500 gems for jungle, challenge run and Devastator if you don’t have him. Each day, you pick one of your Combiners to send on an infinite chain of levels, with the goal of destroying as much stuff as possible before your health is worn down by the ever-increasingly-deadly enemies, trying for the biggest score you can get, with said score being multiplied by the character's Rank just as in competitions and Spark Runs. Points are awarded for both destruction caused and distance covered. "Safe Zones" between each level give you the chance to regain some lost life. However, the difficulty level spikes ''hard'' after the first level, with quick-aiming,
hard-hitting enemies being liberally sprinkled on the ground as you go, and even a Level 15 bot will be hard pressed to clear even three areas. You get three "batteries" per day (similar to the weekly competitions), and can recharge them for Gems: 10 for the first recharge, and double the sum every subsequent one.

At the end of the first six days, the top 10 players in your block of 20 are advanced to the next League: there are seven leagues in all. Your actual placement in the first six days doesn't really matter outside of being in that top 50%, though the closer you are to 10th place, the more likely you are to get bumped towards the end of the day. On Sunday, your placement within the League dictates the quality of prizes you win. Every player is granted ten random prizes at the end of Sunday's run, and the higher your ranking, the better the prize quality.

The Challenge Run is also one of the Daily Quests after unlocked.
{{-}}

===War Pass===
Introduced in April 2020, the War Pass and Prime Pass were the game's way of having seasons (like any other free game on the market these days), having players choose to ally themselves with either the Autobirds or Deceptihogs at the beginning of the season, with Autobirds giving %10 Attack and Deceptihogs giving %10 Defence. The War Pass is free, and offers various rewards, including Coins, Pigs, Gems, Spark, Crates, Crystals and Tokens. The Prime Pass is a whopping $19.99 per season, offers more of the aforementioned rewards, ''and'' exclusive Characters and Accessories. In order to progress with either pass, you need to pop lots of Pigs, and you unfortunately cannot contribute your already popped Pigs to the pass. Both Passes have 50 tiers, with the Prime Pass offering more rewards than the War Pass. To view your progress on the season, you can either visit the rubble of Shockwave's Spire or look at your level badge, where a smaller number under your level tells you what tier you have.

==Ads and upsells==
[[File:ABTF-screen BuyGems.jpg|thumb|300px|Keep in mind the average, decent Accessory costs are roughly 400 Gems. Better ones 800~1000 or so.]]
It's a free game, so how does Rovio make its money? By copious amounts of ads (largely for other games) and by enticing you to spend real currency on in-game currency.

The ads, as in most free to play mobile games, give the player various bonuses depending on when they are watched. After completing any stage, you are given the option to watch a short video ad; doing so doubles your end-of-stage Pig & Coin rewards. Similarly, when opening a Daily Reward, you can watch an ad to double the reward, and upon completing a Space Bridge Mission, you can watch an ad to obtain an extra key. When choosing a partner for a stage, you will also get a prompt to watch an ad; doing so gives your partner a one-stage stat boost and ups the amount of time they can stay in-play. However, you can only watch so many ads within a set amount of time, forcing players to choose what bonuses they go for wisely. You can also watch an ad to repair a character instantly; there does not appear to be any limit to this.

Spending real monies allows you to buy large numbers of Gems, which are used to buy Accessories, speed up character upgrades and repairs, interrupt the Eggbot terraforming to make a stage playable sooner, and about a billion other small things all over the game. Gem packages range from 150 for $4.49 US to 5200 for '''''$99.99''''' which what the hell who even spends that much money on these things?! And considering that mere ''accessories'', can run up to 1000 Gems, with most of the "buddy character" ones in the 850 range? Yeesh. From time to time there will be "sales" which either cut the prices down a bit or give you more Gems in each package, but come on. You can also use real money to buy characters you've not unlocked yet, but man is it so not worth it.

Depending on who you ask, according to many reviewers, if you had to do a wipe or ever lose your files for some reason, you can lose all your progress. People have gotten their characters leveled up to the max, which costs hundreds of thousands of gold coins or thousands of gems (read: lots and lots of grinding or real monies) only for it to be all for naught. But now that's not much of a problem since you can cloud save your progress with the Game Center on IOS or a Facebook account on Android.
{{-}}

===References===
This game is loaded with tiny jokes and references to Transformers lore.

* The character designs pull from a broad mix of generations. While (obviously) [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]] gets the most representation, there are also elements from the [[Live-action film series|live-action movies]], ''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (franchise)|Rescue Bots]]'' and ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]''. Each character also has a number of wearable accessories, many of which are based on wider ''Transformers'' lore. (See individual character pages for the rundown on each.)
*Upgrading a character results in a description of what has changed, which occasionally references obscure titbits of lore. For instance, upgrading Red variants to Level 3 has it refer to [[Transmetal]].
*The initial loading screen has numerous nods to more specific (and occasionally obscure) bits of Transformers lore:
{{collist|3|
:*"[[Mechanical Difficulties!|Crowning Grimlock]]"
:*"Rhyming with [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]"
:*"[[Target: 2006|Targeting 2006]]"
:*"Seeing if we've got [[The Touch]]"
:*"[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2|Dueling on dams]]"
:*"Rebuilding [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]]"
:*"[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|Hailing Megatron]]"
:*"Pouring water on [[scraplet]]s"
:*"Practicing [[Metallikato]]"
:*"Crashing the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]"
:*"Rebooting [[Teletraan (disambiguation)|Teletraan 1]]"
:*"Spying on [[Soundwave (disambiguation)|Soundwave]]"
:*"Unlocking Lockdown"
:*"Having a taste of our own electro-medicine"
:*"[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1|Satisfying logic circuits]]"
:*"[[Atlantis, Arise!|Enjoying hospitality]] of [[Sub-Atlantica]]"
:*"[[Day of the Machines|Detecting a rat named Megatron]]"
:*"[[Return of the Dino Bot|Thanking the Eggspark for hot, brown water]]"
:*"Trying out [[Jet judo|Jet Judo]]"
:*"De-stinging the Stinger"
:*"Transforming Jazz. Fiddly!"
}}
* The music for the game was composed by [[Vince DiCola]] (with [[Kenny Meriedeth]]), who did the score for ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
* Pig City events have [[:File:AB Soundwave Lambpost.jpg|familiar-looking lampposts]] and purple Cybertronian shuttles strewn all over the level that can be easily destroyed.
* The (removed) building for friend activity resembles [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]'s city mode. But it returned in a different location as the new Sparkrun mode.
* Most of the accesories to the characters are based on different characters, items, and tools from different continuties.

==Notes==
* [[FIRRIB|Frenzy is red, Rumble is blue.]]
* This is the third ''Angry Birds'' crossover game, the first being with the ''{{w|Rio (2011 film)|Rio}}'' films and the second being with the undisputed king of cross-promotion, ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]''.
* This is also the second 3D ''Angry Birds'' title, with prior games using 2D graphics save the racing game ''Angry Birds Go!'' (also developed by Exient, which also got a [[Hasbro]] toyline).
* You can alter a device's time to make the upgrades, Missions and other timed aspects go faster, although if you go too far or revert to current time, you'll get an error message about "Time travel detected! Your characters have suffered" and you'll be slapped on the wrist by getting them downgraded in relation to how far away from real time you were. So maybe don't do that.

== External links ==
* [http://www.cnet.com/news/angry-birds-transformers-takes-wing-as-new-app-and-toys/ Angry Birds Transformers takes wing as new app and toys]
* [http://transformers.angrybirds.com/ Official Website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angry Birds}}
[[Category:Generation 1 video games]]
[[Category:Mobile games]]

User:TheActualRealCosmos

2026-01-06T17:43:01Z

TheActualRealCosmos: editing my own page

{{disambig3|Cosmos}}
:''This user is almost certainly '''not''' [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''.''
[[File:Optimus_prime_pintrest_meme.jpg|right|thumb|450px|HOW AM I HERE?! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! WHAT YEAR IS IT?!]]

This user is definitely, 100% the real and actual Cosmos from the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon! Of course it's not a human sitting behind her computer, silly!...and she definitely did not learn how to make this page by staring really hard at the code for [[User:ItsWalky|one of the admins']] user page... 

Apologies if I make a mistake somewhere on this website, I'm not quite entirely used to this format yet. Tell me if I make a mistake and I will gladly correct it (unless I believe it wasn't a mistake, in which case we can talk). I edit whatever I see fit, which are usually random pages I happened across while reading.

I own a lot of Transformers boxes.

=='''Things I Love'''==
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|My son]]
*[[Bumblebee (film)|A film I think about often]]
*[[Defensor (G1)|This guy]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)|This other guy]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|This other other guy]]
*[[Blaster (G1)|This other other other guy]]
*The most [[Optimus Prime (G1)|basic choice]] known to man

== '''Things I'm Mad About''' ==
* [[Goldbug (disambiguation)|Son-but-not-my-son]]
* [[Bumblebee (G1) #Energon Universe|Hasbro killed my son]]
* [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|'''You.''']]
* [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|A movie]] that should have been much better than it was

== '''Things I'm Probably Doing''' ==

* Reading [[Fan fiction|fanfiction]]
* Writing fanfiction
* Drawing Fanart
* Eating Soup

=='''Sandbox Pages'''==
[[User:TheActualRealCosmos/Sandbox]]

=='''Pages I'm Finding Images For'''==
*

=='''Things You Can Email Me For'''==
* Pictures of boxes

==Notes==
<references/>

User:TheActualRealCosmos/Sandbox

2025-12-08T22:21:15Z

TheActualRealCosmos: Creating a theoretical page for Primal Beads

== Primal Beads ==
'''Primal Beads''' are an item sometimes worn by those who believe in [[Primus|Primus]].
{{quote|Nice '''Primal Beads,''' by the way. Use to have a pair myself—and a Matrix in my cheek.|[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] commenting on [[Froid|Froid's]] choice of religious wear, [[Speak, Memory: Part 1]]}}

==Fiction==
===2005 IDW continuity===
[[Froid|Froid]] owned a pair of Primal Beads that he wore around his neck. It was later revealed that these weren't Primal Beads at all, however, and were actually his crazed [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgent]] patient [[Sunder (G1)|Sunder's]] eyes that Froid had previously removed. Once his eyes were back in their sockets, Sunder used his remote mnemosurgery skills to force his way into [[Skids (G1)|Skids']] memories.{{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}}
{{!stub}}

[[!Category:IDW (2005)]][[!Category:IDW (2005) Transformer culture]][[!Category:Brainwashing technology]]

User:TheActualRealCosmos

2025-12-08T21:19:00Z

TheActualRealCosmos:

{{disambig3|Cosmos}}
:''This user is almost certainly '''not''' [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''.''
[[File:Optimus_prime_pintrest_meme.jpg|right|thumb|450px|HOW AM I HERE?! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! WHAT YEAR IS IT?!]]

This user is definitely, 100% the real and actual Cosmos from the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon! Of course it's not a human sitting behind her computer, silly!...and she definitely did not learn how to make this page by staring really hard at the code for [[User:ItsWalky|one of the admins']] user page... 

Apologies if I make a mistake somewhere on this website, I'm not quite entirely used to this format yet. Tell me if I make a mistake and I will gladly correct it (unless I believe it wasn't a mistake, in which case we can talk). I edit whatever I see fit, which are usually random pages I happened across while reading.

I own a lot of Transformers boxes.

=='''Things I Love'''==
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|My son]]
*[[Bumblebee (film)|A film I think about often]]
*[[Defensor (G1)|This guy]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)|This other guy]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|This other other guy]]
*[[Blaster (G1)|This other other other guy]]
*The most [[Optimus Prime (G1)|basic choice]] known to man

== '''Things I'm Mad About''' ==
* [[Goldbug (disambiguation)|Son-but-not-my-son]]
* [[Bumblebee (G1) #Energon Universe|Hasbro killed my son]]
* [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|'''You.''']]
* [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|A movie]] that should have been much better than it was

== '''Things I'm Probably Doing''' ==

* Reading [[Fan fiction|fanfiction]]
* Writing fanfiction
* Drawing Fanart
* Eating Soup

=='''Things You Can Email Me For'''==
* Pictures of boxes

=='''Sandbox Pages'''==
[[User:TheActualRealCosmos/Sandbox]]
==Notes==
<references/>

User:TheActualRealCosmos/Sandbox

2025-12-08T21:17:10Z

TheActualRealCosmos: Personal Sandbox

== Primal Beads ==

Sunder (G1)

2025-12-08T21:00:21Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /* 2005 IDW continuity */ linking the first mention of "mnemosurgeon" to "mnemosurgery"

{{disambig3|Sunder}}
{{Factions|autobot|adaptus}}
:''Sunder is an [[Autobot]] from the [[2005 IDW continuity|2005 IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Sunder WHERE WERE WE.jpg|thumb|right|300px|In the mood for some nightmare fuel? He's just around the corner!]]

[[Mnemosurgery]] is no easy job; some 'bots are not cut out for the task of browsing through memories of patients and analyzing them. Such is the case with '''Sunder'''. A former practitioner of the field, nowadays he's more well known for having embarked on numerous murders.

==Fiction==
===2005 IDW continuity===
Sunder used to be a world-class [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]]. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} Like many with his skills, Sunder suffered for his profession, which he considered akin to "walking with death," unable to stop despite knowing that the "fatal injection" was getting closer and closer. {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} Eventually, he went insane and embarked on a killing spree, and became known as the '''Tetrahex Ripper'''. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} He was arrested thanks to information provided by his spark brother [[Sceptre]], whom the police found thanks to a profile composed by noted psychopathologist [[Froid]]. Froid became fascinated with Sunder's case and tagged along on the prison transport taking the brothers to [[Garrus 6]]. But nobody could have foreseen what happened next. While imprisoned, Sunder had evolved his skills to the next level, developing the ability to perform "remote mnemosurgery", able to probe a 'bot's mind without physical contact. It was with this ability that he effected his and Sceptre's escape, using it to make the guards forget to lock the doors. Sunder took Froid hostage and fled aboard Sceptre in his spaceship alternate mode, but a barrage of fire crippled Sceptre, resulting in a crash that ended his life. Sunder and Froid survived and forged an unusual partnership: in return for Sunder allowing Froid to study him and his skills, Froid would help Sunder cope with Sceptre's death and provide him with fresh victims. Sunder developed a "taste" for the memories of his victims, "feasting" on their darkest secrets. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}}

[[File:MTMTE48 Sunder face.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Kids might not have slept when they saw this face.]]
Sceptre's body was repaired and used by Froid and Sunder as a ship, with a cell in which Froid kept his "patient". By now ''thoroughly'' off his rocker, Sunder smeared the words "[[Mortilus]]" and "the death bringer" over and over in various dialects across his cell walls. To better control his appetite, Froid convinced Sunder that he needed to ''see'' his patients before he could feed on them, then removed his eyes to prevent him from doing so, wearing them around his neck disguised as a pair of [[Primal Beads]]. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} For a time, the pair settled on [[Scarvix]], where Sunder's remote viewing powers allowed Froid to learn his patients' memories without them knowing, earning him a reputation as ''the'' most effective (and rich and famous!) therapist on the planet. {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

Seeking new victims for Sunder, Froid came to the ''[[Lost Light]]'' in order to obtain patient notes from his old rival [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], but when Rung refused, Froid sought to feed him to Sunder instead. Sunder was denied from feasting upon the psychiatrist thanks to the intervention of [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], but Froid was able to return his eyes, {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} then released him, believing it the "least worst option" now the Ripper knew there was all sorts of food out there. Sunder displayed a new power, mentally forcing Transformers to transform after making them forget ''how'' and thus making them turn themselves inside out. He started with the guards [[Fervor]] and [[Kindle]] and then moved into the rest of the ship, which went under lockdown. Numerous others fell, including [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]]. Karma caught up with Froid as Sunder feasted on his sin and turned him inside-out, after which [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] and [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] engaged the monster. Rattled to the point that he ceased affecting the creepy voice and overwrought speech pattern he normally employed, Sunder retreated to the ship's hangar and transformed his brother's huge body into robot mode, which he piloted as battle armor. He took down Thunderclash but Rung, using remote-controlled gun-wielding drone ships, distracted him long enough for [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] to land the final blow by dropping the [[Rodpod]] on him. {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

[[File:FillingInTheBlanks SunderRateofExchange.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.6|C'mon bro, be my murder-pimp.]]
When [[Getaway]] took over the ship, he released Sunder from prison in the hope of using his powers to control the crew: trapping [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] in a memory loop and making everyone think the turfed-out Autobots had left willingly. Sunder agreed in exchange for the disembodied [[Brain module|life cords]] of ''twenty five'' people so he could feast on their memories, and while Getaway almost balked at the price, Sunder's old pal Froid helped swing him around, and thus the Ripper got to eat two dozen potential troublemakers. As a result, everyone was duly mind-altered. {{storylink|The Plotters' Club (Part 2): Filling in the Blanks|Filling in the Blanks}}

When Getaway needed the crew's memories altered again, Sunder asked for five life cords and then upped it to ten when Getaway refused. They were interrupted mid-haggle by [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], who triumphantly announced that they had reached Cyberutopia. {{storylink|The Plotters' Club (Part 3): Journey's End|Journey's End}}

The happy atmosphere was not to last however, as it was soon revealed that the fabled promised land was nothing more than an elaborate illusion created by the artificial moon of [[Mederi]]. The ''Lost Light'' then came under attack from a group of [[Worldsweeper]]s in the employ of the [[Adaptus|Grand Architect]], with Getaway managing to bargain with the being. While most of the crew were turned into [[Sparkeater (creature)|sparkeaters]] as a sign of loyalty, {{storylink|Crucible (Part 2): Lūstrāre|Lūstrāre}} Froid and Sunder found themselves properly recruited, being transferred to the flagship. After capturing [[Team Rodimus (G1)|Team Rodimus]], [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] ordered Sunder to hack into the Architect's mind and discover who he really was and his true goals. Though Sunder managed a quick scan, the Architect resisted, forcing him out and stripping the mnemosurgeon of his powers in the process. Along with Froid, Sunder was placed in Team Rodimus's cell, where they compared notes on the Architect and his plan before the [[God Gun]] punched open a hole between universes. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 3): Farsickness|Farsickness}}

[[File:LL 23 Omega Guardians Triple Kill.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|]]
When [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] flew through, followed by an alternate version of the [[Functionist Council]], the Architect's forces attacked. In the confusion, Megatron freed most of the group from the cell, Sunder being brought aboard the ''[[Last Light (ship)|Last Light]]'' to learn of the Council's plans. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 4): The Return of the King|The Return of the King}} When the rest of the group freed themselves, everyone boarded the ''Lost Light'' to brainstorm ideas, eventually hitting on the plan of using twelve duplicate Matrices of Leadership to overload [[Vector Sigma]] and erase the Functionists. At this idea, the enraged [[Omega Guardian]]s spoke via the [[Epistemus|Magnificence]] and unleashed a powerful bolt of energy that tore through Sunder, Froid, and [[Nine-of-Twelve]], killing all three on the spot. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
*His ''nom du meurtrier'', "the Tetrahex Ripper", is a nod to {{w|Peter Sutcliffe}}'s press name of "the Yorkshire Ripper".
*In "Speak, Memory", most of his word balloons are creepily black with white text. This is revealed at the end to be a [[Mortilus]] impression done to scare people and he has to concentrate on doing it.
*James Roberts stated on Twitter that Sunder had a jet alt-mode with which he could combine with Sceptre, but the alt-mode had become useless due to self-mutilation. Roberts also commented that Sunder sounds like {{w|John Hurt}} when not doing his [[Mortilus]] impression.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Hello! Sunder turned into a jet which combined with his spark-brother. He mutilated himself to the point where his alt mode was useless.|link=https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/894825394079240192|name=James Roberts|site=Twitter|year=2017|month=08|day=08|(defunct=)}}</ref>
*By contrast, [[Hayato Sakamoto]] created a full-body sketch of Sunder as having a lunar rover alt-mode, with the robot head forming a satellite dish.<ref>[http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/bc16ajp.html BotCon 2016 "Transformathematics" panel report by griffin]</ref>


==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Comic-only Transformers]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Autobots]]
[[Category:Mnemosurgeons]]

User talk:TheActualRealCosmos

2025-12-08T17:07:03Z

TheActualRealCosmos: editing my own talk page

{{welcome}}
Message me about boxes here

User:TheActualRealCosmos

2025-12-05T05:59:06Z

TheActualRealCosmos: Uploading a new image and finally fixing the rest of my user page. sorry for what might be an overflow of edits

{{disambig3|Cosmos}}
:''This user is almost certainly '''not''' [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''.''
[[File:Optimus_prime_pintrest_meme.jpg|right|thumb|450px|HOW AM I HERE?! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! WHAT YEAR IS IT?!]]

This user is definitely, 100% the real and actual Cosmos from the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon! Of course it's not a human sitting behind her computer, silly!...and she definitely did not learn how to make this page by staring really hard at the code for [[User:ItsWalky|one of the admins']] user page... 

Apologies if I make a mistake somewhere on this website, I'm not quite entirely used to this format yet. Tell me if I make a mistake and I will gladly correct it (unless I believe it wasn't a mistake, in which case we can talk). I edit whatever I see fit, which are usually random pages I happened across while reading.

I own a lot of Transformers boxes.

=='''Things I Love'''==
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|My son]]
*[[Bumblebee (film)|A film I think about often]]
*[[Defensor (G1)|This guy]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)|This other guy]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|This other other guy]]
*[[Blaster (G1)|This other other other guy]]
*The most [[Optimus Prime (G1)|basic choice]] known to man

== '''Things I'm Mad About''' ==
* [[Goldbug (disambiguation)|Son-but-not-my-son]]
* [[Bumblebee (G1) #Energon Universe|Hasbro killed my son]]
* [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|'''You.''']]
* [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|A movie]] that should have been much better than it was

== '''Things I'm Probably Doing''' ==

* Reading [[Fan fiction|fanfiction]]
* Writing fanfiction
* Drawing Fanart
* Eating Soup

=='''Things You Can Email Me For'''==
* Pictures of boxes
==Notes==
<references/>

File:Optimus prime pintrest meme.jpg

2025-12-05T05:50:36Z

TheActualRealCosmos: {{userpic|user=TheActualRealCosmos}}

{{userpic|user=[[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]]}}

User:TheActualRealCosmos

2025-12-05T04:18:56Z

TheActualRealCosmos: Changing around profile

{{disambig3|Cosmos}}
:''This user is almost certainly '''not''' [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''.''
[[File:NowAndOnEarth-sameasiteverwas.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|This poor boy.]]

This user is definitely, 100% the real and actual Cosmos from the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon! Of course it's not a human sitting behind her computer, silly!...and definitely did not learn how to make this page by staring really hard at the code for [[User:ItsWalky|one of the admins']] user page... 

Apologies if I make a mistake somewhere on this website, I'm not quite entirely used to this format yet. Tell me if I make a mistake and I will gladly correct it (unless I believe it wasn't a mistake, in which case we can talk). I edit whatever I see fit, which are usually random pages I happened across while reading.

I own a lot of Transformers boxes.

=='''Things I Love'''==
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|My son]]
*[[Bumblebee (film)|A film I think about often]]
*[[Defensor (G1)|This guy]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)|This other guy]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|This other other guy]]
*[[Blaster (G1)|This other other other guy]]
*The most [[Optimus Prime (G1)|basic choice]] known to man

== '''Things I'm Mad About''' ==
* [[Goldbug (disambiguation)|Son-but-not-my-son]]
* [[Bumblebee (G1) #Energon Universe|Hasbro killed my son]]
* [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|'''You.''']]
* [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|A movie]] that should have been much better than it was

== '''Things I'm Probably Doing''' ==

* Reading [[Fan fiction|fanfiction]]
* Writing fanfiction
* Drawing Fanart
* Eating Soup

=='''Things You Can Email Me For'''==
* Pictures of boxes
==Notes==
<references/>

Personal canon

2025-12-04T19:59:03Z

TheActualRealCosmos: When a personal canon stems into a whole universe, it is usually called an AU, for Alternate Universe.

{{disambig2|fans' homebrewed storylines|Generation 1 Decepticon leader Megatron's personal '''cannon'''|Fusion cannon}}
{{disambig2|fans' head canon|the Generation 1 Autobot with cannons for a head|Headcannon}}

[[File:Lockdown gun face.gif|thumb|right|upright=1.67|No, not this sort of head cannon.]]
A '''personal canon''', also known as a '''headcanon''' (or a more limited '''personal continuity'''), is one fan's interpretation of the ''Transformers'' mythos. This can range from picking and choosing stories and characters that they favor and assembling them as they like, to discarding one or two distasteful properties from an otherwise accepted continuity. A personal canon can also be various events from different universes brought together into one single storyline (e.g. G1 and the Unicron Trilogy in the same universe).

This is often used in [[fan fiction]], where an author will use an established continuity ''up until a certain point,'' from which they would start telling their own stories. Motivations for these stories can range from a desire to [[retcon]] another story that the author dislikes, or to curiously pursue a 'what if' continuity based on a key event happening in some different way. These are typically referred to as "AUs", an acronym for Alternate Universe.

On a more simple level, personal canon can refer to an individual fan's overall preference for certain interpretations of the ''Transformers'' mythos over multiple continuities, such as saying "[[Quintesson]]s are cool, as long as they didn't create the Transformers", or the acceptance/assumption of the popular retcon that Transformers have [[spark]]s in all timelines.

When fans make it to the big leagues and become official creators on the franchise, they may end up [[canonizing]] their own personal theories.

==Common examples of personal canon==
*Accepting some seasons of a continuous show or some shows in a sequence of shows, but not others. Examples: only accepting the first two seasons of the Generation 1 animated series, but not the subsequent ones. Or only counting ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'', but not ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''.
*Having one's fan-favorite characters survive their depicted deaths. Examples: saying that Brawn survived ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' or [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] survived Marvel's ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' comics.
*Renaming unnamed characters after ones who fulfill similar roles in another continuity.
*Disregarding one animated-series origin of the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] for another (or concocting a way for them to work together somehow).
*Merging elements of the comic and cartoon adaptations of a continuity, such as [[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Dreamwave's ''Armada'' comic]] and the [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|''Armada'' anime]].
*Regarding Decepticons being descended from the [[Liege Maximo]] or [[Quintesson]] military hardware (and thus being ''intrinsically'' evil) as antithetical to the concept of [[Cybertronian Civil Wars|the Civil War]] being political and that wartime factions were chosen through the exercise of free will.
*Accepting everything in every known ''Transformers'' continuity as having happened as a single jumbled entity, ignoring the inconsistencies as "gray areas" that one mustn't be concerned with.
*Considering one's own (or somebody else's) [[fan fiction]] as a part of continuity.
*Incorporating [[authorial intent]] and other [[pseudocanon]]ical sources into one's interpretation of a story.
*Taking one's favored pairing as canon... And waging flame wars on anyone who disagrees.
And so on. There are, of course, infinite possibilities.

[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Continuities| *]]

User:TheActualRealCosmos

2025-12-04T19:47:58Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /* Things I'm Probably Doing */

{{disambig3|Cosmos}}
:''This user is almost certainly '''not''' [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''.''
[[File:NowAndOnEarth-sameasiteverwas.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|This poor boy.]]

This user is definitely, 100% the real and actual Cosmos from the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon! Of course it's not a human sitting behind her computer, silly!...and definitely did not learn how to make this page by staring really hard at the code for [[User:ItsWalky|one of the admins']] user page... 

Apologies if I make a mistake somewhere on this website, I'm not quite entirely used to this format yet. Tell me if I make a mistake and I will gladly correct it (unless I believe it wasn't a mistake, in which case we can talk)

=='''Things I Love'''==
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|My son]]
*[[Bumblebee (film)|A film I think about often]]
*[[Defensor (G1)|This guy]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)|This other guy]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|This other other guy]]
*[[Blaster (G1)|This other other other guy]]
*The most [[Optimus Prime (G1)|basic choice]] known to man

== '''Things I'm Mad About''' ==
* [[Goldbug (disambiguation)|Son-but-not-my-son]]
* [[Bumblebee (G1) #Energon Universe|Hasbro killed my son]]
* [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|'''You.''']]
* [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|A movie]] that should have been much better than it was

== '''Things I'm Probably Doing''' ==

* Reading [[Fan fiction|fanfiction]]
* Writing fanfiction
* Drawing Fanart
* Eating Soup

=='''Things You Can Email Me For'''==
*
==Notes==
<references/>

Talk:Package art

2025-12-04T19:40:08Z

TheActualRealCosmos: Missing Bumblebee Package Art

==G1 Skywarp==
I’ve been comparing the original 3 seekers box art, and Skywarp seems to be the odd man out. His art looks like a mix of reused and new art, the torso is blantantly edited from Thundercracker, just with Skywarp a stickers edited on and his clenched fist is identical to Starscreams but it’s tilited slightly. His legs and the rest of the art seem to be original to Skywarp, but it’s pretty weird none the less. If anyone else picks up on this, tell me your thoughts, because this should definitely be In Skywarps toy section trivia. Sincerely, [[User:YourBestPal|YourBestPal]] ([[User talk:YourBestPal|talk]]) 14:50, 5 August 2018 (EDT)
:The trick is, Thundercracker and Starscream's package art is reused from the Diaclone toyline, where their blue and grey colour schemes originated. Skywarp's black-and-purple is an original colour scheme created for the Transformers toyline, so Skywarp had new package art created to go along with his toy, which was created using the other two jets' as reference. The parts you mention are very similar but if you overlay them you can see, they're not literally the same art re-edited, they are new drawings. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] ([[User talk:Chris McFeely|talk]]) 14:10, 23 August 2018 (EDT)

==G2 Box/Card Art Mostly Traced From G1?==

I ran across the Powermaster Prime/G2 Hero art trace and it's obvious, but I'm starting to think that maybe most of if not all of the new figure card art was traced from G1 stuff. Am I crazy?

Case in point (comparing G2 instruction lineart to box art here this time):
*[http://www.botchthecrab.com/archive/autobot/1987/crosshairs.jpg Crosshairs] -> [http://tfwiki.net/~fortmax/instructions/G2/turbofire_instruct.jpg Turbofire] (They match up near perfectly when overlaid in Photoshop, including the weird left leg)
*[http://www.botchthecrab.com/archive/decepticon/1985/blitzwing.jpg Blitzwing] -> [http://tfwiki.net/~fortmax/instructions/G2/rapido_instruct.jpg Rapido] (Upper body, left leg, and left arm match up in overlay; pay attention to left hand on Rapido- thumb looks so odd because it's obscured on Blitzwing by sword hand guard)
*[http://www.botchthecrab.com/archive/decepticon/1984/skywarp.jpg Skywarp] -> [http://tfwiki.net/~fortmax/instructions/G2/eagleeye_instruct.jpg Eagle Eye] (Again, upper body, legs, left hand. I'm guessing the character's right side got changed to account for placement on the card by the clamshell bubble)

Those are the first few I glanced at in the last few minutes. You can kind of tell what year G1 box art the character seems to have been copied from judging by the proportions and the pose. The awkward poses are 1984-86, the more dynamic but sort of "squatty" poses are from 1987 onwards.
--[[User:MCRG Again|MCRG Again]] 16:16, 23 February 2010 (EST)

Is it me or does G2 Deluge’s packaging arts pose look like a combination of mirage’s(almost completely) and g1 Optimus prime(left arm)? [[User:YourBestPal|YourBestPal]] ([[User talk:YourBestPal|talk]]) 14:43, 5 August 2018 (EDT)
== Beast Machines ==

I think... I ''theeeeenk''... that the only instances of CGI models being used on the packaging were for the Mega toys, and they didn't actually appear on the FRONT of the boxes (Cheetor might've still been there?), but on the BACK, in the vicinity of the bio-card. I know this was definitely the case with Tankor... - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 00:32, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

==Optimus Prime==
I won't argue too hard against replacing a run-of-the-mill Ordinary Joe example with the Shining Icon -- Prime's art was my first thought when I was starting this page -- but I ''really'' don't want to see this article become burdened with a ton of Optimus Prime images. Better to stick with a wide variety of characters. Also, I really liked the Rollbar art because it so aptly illustrates the exaggeration inherent in most G1 art; it'd be nice to find a home for it on this page somewhere. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 07:05, 27 December 2007 (UTC)
:I wanted to use G1 Prime's art because it's the most well known and one of the best 1984 art. Supercon Armada Prime's art is there because it's the only neutral white background packaging art from Armada that I know of on this wiki (the other being Powerlinx Optimus Prime). As for exaggeration, I'd say that's mostly for the first half of G1. During the Masters era and there after, the standard of packaging art was quite high. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 07:28, 27 December 2007 (UTC)
::Eh. Thunderwing there has about 50 joints, none of which exist on his toys. (Still not as extreme as the Throttlebots, though. At least his toy HAS joints. And feet.) -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 07:35, 27 December 2007 (UTC)
:::Oh, you mean the art making the character (and thus the toy) look like they have natural joints and articulation that allows the cool posing that toys today can't even dream of doing? --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 07:55, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

==The movie's "computer-rendered" headshots==
Do we really know those are CGI? They could very easily be paintings. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 18:01, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
:I was about to say. I'm pretty sure they're paintings. I'm sure the movie bots' headshots use CGI renders as a BASE, but do we really think they made CGI models of allllllll the non-movie bots' noggins? I severely doubt it. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 18:09, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
:Yeah, that was just me making an ass-umption, working from memory and without looking too carefully. I'll readily defer to your more artistically-experienced judgment. On close inspection they pretty obviously aren't the movie models. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 18:12, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

==Links from Botch's Site; Question about mirroring==
Hey hey, it's Botch. I wanted to mention that I put up a link to this page from the homepage of my [http://www.botchthecrab.com/archive Box Art Archive]. In truth, I was hoping there was some way that I could mirror an edited version of the contents of this page via a feed of some sort, but I haven't found any information or utility for that yet. My hope was
* Allow people to read the history of TF box/character art without leaving my site
* Advertise this Wiki and encourage people to visit and contribute.
So if anyone has any opinions on all of this, feel free to shout them at me. -- [[User:Botch the Crab|Botch the Crab]] 02:47, 9 March 2008 (UTC)
:I don't think wikia sites have any kind of feed, but I'm not the expert. It's open source, so there's nothing to stop you from reproducing the content on your page in some form or other, but that wouldn't have live updating, of course. Regardless, the link is appreciated! -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 03:49, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

==Richard Marcej==
This fellow's page shows instruction sheet line art, not package art paintings. I'm gonna guess that he was copying the paintings, rather than vice versa. Anybody got facts to the contrary? -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 03:49, 9 March 2008 (UTC)
:Marcej did the line art upon which both the final box art and instruction sheet art were based. The instruction sheet renderings all appear to be simplified versions of Marcej's renderings, and the box art looks like final painted versions (with all the detail). I compared several of the character's instruction sheet art and box art against Marcej's art and what I said above seems universally the case.
:As far as 'facts' (beyond what he presents on his site), Marcej even put out a [http://www.baboonbooks.com/merchandise/merchandise.html small book of illustrations] from his time as a Hasbro package designer. Honestly, based on the line art he's presented, I see no reason to doubt his word that he was at least the penciller/inker for all the box art I credited to him.
:There was an interview with him on Seibertron.com that is currently down, but I have asked them to restore it. It's [http://www.seibertron.com/people/interviews/view.php?interview_id=18 here], working or otherwise. -- [[User:Botch the Crab|Botch the Crab]] 02:12, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

==Back of the box changes==
Does anyone have any information on the small fixes implemented on some of the art for the back of the boxes? I remember reading about running changes made. For example, removing one of the Hot Rods from a battle scene and recoloring Springer green when he was once brown. I thought Botch's site had a page on it but I can't seem to find it now [[User:Riddlerj|Riddlerj]] 13:40, 2 March 2010 (EST)

== Another artist name ==

Apparently we will soon know what [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/487778-john-good-g1-boxart-artists-appear-roll-out-roll-call.html John Good] drew.--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] 21:12, 10 November 2011 (EST)

== DotM & RotF box art artist ==
Looks like the culprit is [http://www.indigostudios.com/work-2/ Indigo Studios] out of Atlanta. Note for later...--[[User:MCRG|MCRG]] 18:13, 9 January 2012 (EST)

== Mark Watts ==

Hi! This is Botch of the [http://www.botchthecrab.com/archive|Transformers Box Art Archive]. I recently received an email from Mark Watts in which he asserts that he did the box art for the 1984 minibots as well as Shockwave and Jetfire. I believe him! I'm going to update his page and this one as well. I know I only have his word, but he was very specific in itemizing the 1984 minibots, as well as Jetfire and Shockwave, the latter of which he posts on his site: http://www.classiccreationsc.com/toy-illustration.html.

P.S. I wanted to use my original Botch the Crab account, but couldn't gain access, so I created a new Botch one. I know, it sucks.--[[User:Botch|Botch]] 14:00, 16 June 2012 (EDT)

== G1 Missing Art ==

There's a few characters that are either in low quality or just cannot be found. Examples of this would be almost all of the European exclusive characters as well as a few odd spots like [[Banzai-Tron (G1)]] & [[Skyfall (G1)]]. I know I'm late to this but just couldn't find an answer anywhere as to why this is the case. [[User:Doggus Fightus|Doggus Fightus]] ([[User talk:Doggus Fightus|talk]]) 17:25, 29 January 2021 (EST)Doggus Fightus

== Missing Bumblebee Package Art ==
I am almost certain that I have physical boxes of the Bumblebee toyline. If someone could help me with getting pictures of them edited for their package art to look...well, presentable, I would be very grateful. Leave a message on my discussion page if you're willing to help! [[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] ([[User talk:TheActualRealCosmos|talk]]) 14:40, 4 December 2025 (EST)

Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2025-12-04T19:28:02Z

TheActualRealCosmos: Fortress Maximus is only mentioned once on this page and not linked

{{factions|autobot}}
{{suite}}
[[File:SpotlightUltraMagnus-HisWayOrTheHardWay.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"Aww, betcha say that to all the treaty-breaking weapons dealers."]]
Even in war, there are laws. '''Ultra Magnus''', Duly Appointed Enforcer of the [[Tyrest Accord]], is the burly blue line that enforces those laws. Whether Autobot or Decepticon, break them and you can do things his way... or the hard way.

He's so popular that people just love to cosplay as him!

{{quote|But is it enough to make me "bend"? In my book, one compromise leads to another... and '''''another'''''... and pretty soon... you've '''''crossed''''' the line you're supposed to be holding.|Ultra Magnus|''[[Spotlight: Ultra Magnus]]''}}

{{first|[[Escalation issue 1|''Escalation'' #1]] (Minimus Ambus, as Ultra Magnus)}}
::[[Parasites|''Autocracy'' #2]] (the original Ultra Magnus)
::[[The Gloaming|''More than Meets the Eye'' #16]] (Datum, as Ultra Magnus)
::[[Shining Armor issue 1|''Shining Armor'' #1]] (Convoy, as Ultra Magnus)

==Fiction==
===The original Magnus===
[[File:Parasites-OrionPaxUltraMagnusSparring.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Foreshadowing!]]
The legend of Ultra Magnus began with the first 'bot to bear the name: a stern, no-nonsense Autobot who, during the early years of the war, fought alongside [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]], [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and the legendary [[Delta Magnus]] to contain the Decepticons. {{storylink|Parasites}} {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} When Orion sided with [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] to overthrow [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]]'s corrupt government, Magnus and his security forces stood with them, {{storylink|Overthrown}} but when Zeta was deposed, Megatron betrayed Orion and took over the planet, sending Magnus, [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] into hiding. They were captured when their safehouse was raided by the Decepticons, {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} but were soon liberated by [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] and met back up with Orion, who had been transformed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] and awoken the dormant [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]. {{storylink|Rise}} Alongside the entire Autobot army, Ultra Magnus then marched on the [[Citadel (building)|Citadel]] to fight Megatron for the control of Cybertron. {{storylink|Broadcast}} After the Decepticons had been chased out of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], Magnus aided Optimus Prime in inspecting the remains of Zeta Prime's cache of outlawed weaponry. {{storylink|Endgame}}

Shortly after Optimus Prime's rise to leadership, Ultra Magnus was part of a unit sent to defend the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]] from [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s Decepticons. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} During the Autobots' attempts at stopping a rampaging [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], Magnus was responsible for bringing out the strongest weapons in the Autobot arsenal {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}} and subsequently fought at Prime's side during the battle with the beast in [[Harmonex]]. {{storylink|Annihilation}} Following the defeat of Trypticon at the hands of Megatron and [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]], Ultra Magnus saw the calm as a chance to arrest Megatron, but was discouraged from doing so when the rest of the Decepticon army arrived. {{storylink|Belly of the Beast (issue)|Belly of the Beast}} He went on to oversee the process of cleansing Grimlock's systems of Trypticon's corrupted energon, {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} and witness the epic battle between Trypticon and Metroplex. {{storylink|Primacy issue 3|Primacy #3}} Once Trypticon's attack turned out to be the first phase of a Decepticon invasion, Ultra Magnus stood with the other Autobots in defense of Iacon. {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}

===The immortal lawman===
[[File:MTMTE19 magnus armor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"I've never seen anything so awesome in the entire galaxy...Alright, give me the bomb."]]
But all beings have a fixed lifespan, and Ultra Magnus was no different. When he passed away (under unrevealed circumstances), the legend he left in his wake inspired Chief Justice [[Solomus|Tyrest]] to ensure that he lived on. Circulating a rumor that Magnus had merely faked his death, Tyrest fashioned a suit of [[Magnus Armor|armor]] cast in Magnus's image and bestowed it upon a succession of other 'bots—the first being '''[[Suture (G1)|Suture]]''', with later successors including '''[[Datum]]''', '''[[Ramp]]''' and '''[[Blockus]]'''—who took on Magnus's name and reputation, and served Tyrest as a Duly Appointed Enforcer of the [[Tyrest Accord]], upholding the [[Code of Interplanetary Conflict]], a treaty between Autobots, Decepticons and other alien races. Each wearer was a "loadbearer", a kind of [[Point One Percenter]] possessing a [[spark]] with an animating force strong enough to integrate the Magnus armor. Upon the passing of each wearer, a trigger in the armor would return it to Tyrest wherever he was in the galaxy, so that it could be passed on to his next chosen enforcer. The Cybertronian public only ever believed that there was a solitary Ultra Magnus who flouted death at every turn; {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} the "freak recoveries" he made only enhanced Magnus's reputation, and he would later be cited by [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] as an example of a larger sized bot whose Spark could recover from the kind of damage suffered by [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]]. {{storylink|Before & After}}

[[File:MTMTE16 magnus on simanzi.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|You know Magnus, you don't need this much firepower just to fix a leak in your basement.]]
As such, it becomes hard to know exactly which Magnus was involved in which of his recorded appearances, such as his battle against [[Black Shadow (G1)|Black Shadow]] as part of the [[113th Battalion]]. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} One bearer of the Magnus Armor perished on [[Simanzi]], 1st Cycle 3718, when he was caught offguard by a [[Cybernought|Cybernaught]] while heading toward the [[Crucible]] with [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]]. Later, during the 2nd Cycle, another Magnus fell when he took a direct hit from the [[K-Class]] Decepticon [[Torque (G1)|Torque]] while giving orders during a battle on [[Clemency]] over the [[Nightmare Engine]]. In the 3rd Cycle, the statistician Datum was wearing the Magnus Armor and took part in the [[Battle for Hell's Point]], during which he blocked the exhaust vent of [[Hell's Point|the ship in question]] with his body, trusting that the [[Warriors Elite]] wouldn't risk destroying it by blasting him off without Megatron's permission. Unfortunately, he hadn't realized Megatron was right there, hiding in plain sight in his new gun alternate mode, which [[Heretech]] used to blast him. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} Legend held that the smirk Magnus had given the warriors when he thought he had them beaten was the only time he ever smiled in his life. {{Storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} One Magnus would fall victim to the Spark affliction known as a [[zero point]], {{storylink|Zero Point}} and another to the [[Fast-Folding Sun]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}}

One of the Ultra Magnuses had Wheelie work under him, who supplied him with reserve ammunition. Unfortunately, due to Wheelie's small size, Magnus had a tendency to overlook the little bot. {{storylink|Spotlight: Wheelie}}

Only a few Autobots ever knew the truth of Magnus's identity; by the time of the 19th century, they included Optimus Prime, [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]], {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}} [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]], {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} and [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]], the latter only aware because people tended to tell him their secrets. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}} However, the secret did leak in the form of a conspiracy theory claiming that Ultra Magnus was "just a little guy in armor", though it wasn't widely believed. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}}

[[File:MTMTE18 minimus ambus.jpg|thumb|And then Takara saw this and were all like, "Oh, hmmm. We need to do a [[Alpha Trion/toys#Legends|redeco]], don't we?"]]
After burning through several other load bearers, '''[[Minimus Ambus]]''', spark brother to the noted Autobot philanthropist [[Dominus Ambus]], took up the mantle of Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Minimus found his overachieving brother difficult to get along with, but loved him all the same; he was off-planet when Dominus mysteriously disappeared, but the connection the brothers shared led Minimus to believe his brother had died. His physical resemblance to Dominus (including the shared "facial insignia" moustache of the [[House of Ambus]]) pained Minimus, so when Tyrest chose him to be the next Ultra Magnus—to become a different person—Minimus was happy to take on the role. He aspired to be the kind of no-nonsense lawman the original had been. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

Renowned for his stalwart personality and his commitment to the job, Minimus became the longest serving wearer of the Magnus Armor. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} As Magnus, Minimus had many adventures in his duties as enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, including the arrests of both a Decepticon peddling miniaturization technology who infected him with [[Nanocon]]s, {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}} and wannabe [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] [[Blip]]. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} When [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s renegade "patient" [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] cut a swathe of destruction across the galaxy, Magnus hunted her down, using a combination of holographic trickery and shock grenades to subdue her so she could be sent to the [[Garrus-9]] penitentiary. {{storylink|Spotlight: Arcee}}

In his leisure time, Minimus began writing ''[[Terms of Peace]]'', a book that detailed every law for every conceivable scenario and would ensure everlasting peace and prosperity if followed. He ran into trouble, however, when he failed to find a politically correct way of phrasing "punishable by death" as the penalty for breaking many of the rules. {{storylink|Sardines}}

===Xetaxxis and back===
[[File:ShiningArmor2-spacewalk.jpg|thumb||left|upright=1.4]]

Some three hundred years ago, Minimus Ambus was gravely wounded and opted to take a sabbatical from his duties. In his place, Tyrest appointed '''[[Convoy (G1)|Convoy]]''' as the next Point One Percenter to don the armor. Convoy brought his own unique spin on Ultra Magnus to the table: eschewing his predecessor's stern, measured approach, Convoy was hotheaded, triggerhappy, and prejudiced against organics. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}}

In the mid-19th century, Ultra Magnus and his crew of [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] and [[Sky Blast (G1)|Sky Blast]] were patrolling the [[Zugzwang Cluster]] when they came across a pair of Decepticons assaulting a [[Galactic Council]] shuttle. They quickly overwhelmed their foes and, at Magnus' urging, investigated the wreckage to ensure that nobody had survived. The two found that the Decepticons had been trying to destroy the Council ship to cover up their tracks; smelling a conspiracy, Magnus hacked into the shuttle's security and discovered the Council had been bound for the backwater planet of [[Xetaxxis]]. The Autobots followed, and eventually caught up with them over the [[Solstar Order]] space station ''[[Orchid Crossing]]''; leaving Sky Blast to watch the ship, {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}} the pair made a dramatic entrance by blasting their way in through a wall. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 1|Shining Armor #1}}

[[File:ShiningArmor2-wereintrouble.jpg|thumb||right|upright=1.4]]

The two Autobots were immediately attacked by four [[Space Knight]]s; misreading the situation, Magnus mistook the Cybertronian orphan [[Stardrive]] for a Decepticon operative and opened fire on Starscream and the Knights as the chaotic battle began tearing the space station apart. Sky Blast joined the fight, but was jumped by one of the Decepticon's [[Dire Wraith]] allies and subsequently mutated into an out-of-control monster.

Deciding the battle was lost, Magnus hacked into the space station's systems and disabled everything, sending ''Orchid Crossing'' plummeting into Xetaxxis in the hopes that atmospheric reentry would burn the hybrid up with them. Stardrive - hoping to rescue the Cybertronians - used her starfighter configuration to rescue them, and all three Transformers plummeted onto the icy surface of the planet. Quickly recovering form his ordeal, Magnus placed her under arrest for violating the [[Tyrest Accord]]s; Stardrive agreed to go with Magnus under the condition that they find her Space Knight comrades. Irked at the idea of helping organics, Magnus didn't get far into his argument before Rom, [[Livia]], and [[Sata]] arrived and shot him. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

[[File:ShiningArmor4-MagnusVsWraiths.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Recovering from the blast, the two Autobots engaged the Space Knights in a brief shootout as he shielded Stardrive from [[Neutralizer]] fire. Stardrive managed to break up the fighting and properly introduced herself to the two feuding factions. Rom was left confused by talk of the Decepticons, prompting Ultra Magnus to explain the nature of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] and the factionalized state of the Cybertronian species. When Stardrive revealed the existence of her energon synthesizer, the Autobots and Knights agreed to a temporary teamup and rolled out to find the synthesizer before the Decepticons could. The ground-bound Autobots and Sata were delayed when Bumblebee stopped to help the native [[Xetaxxan|Xetaxxians]] cope with the extreme cold, a violation of the Tyrest Accord which earned the ire of Ultra Magnus. It didn't take long before the "Xetaxxians" revealed themselves as Dire Wraith imposters as [[Astrotrain (G1)/toys|Astrotrain]] and [[Vekktral]] attacked. Magnus ordered his two comrades to join the others while he stayed behind to hold off the horde. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 3|Shining Armor #3}}

[[File:ShiningArmor4-UltraMonster.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Guzzlord_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Guzzlord], is that you?]]
Using the superheated rock as an improvised weapon, Magnus fought wave after wave of Wraiths, shrugging off their blows before he began to tire. After dispatching a hundred of the aliens, an exhausted Magnus was slowly worn down by their onslaught and pinned to the ground as Vekktral approached, boasting that he now understood how to properly control Cybertronian biology. Possessed by Vekktral, the Wraith-Magnus regrouped with the Decepticons and, using his new knowledge, immediately turned on Starscream and the other Decepticons. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 4|Shining Armor #4}}

Decepticons, Autobots, and Space Knights formed a strange alliance against Vekktral and his body-snatching forces, Vekktral losing an arm from their combined attack. Within his mind, Magnus continued to struggle against Vekktral before Convoy realized that the Wraith had made a crucial oversight; unaware of the nature of the [[Magnus Armor]], Vekktral had failed to account for the inner robot. Convoy was thus able to stop Vekktral by forcing Ultra Magnus's chest open, giving Rom opening he needed to end the threat by allowing Rom to shoot him.

Following the sterilization of Xetaxxis, Bumblebee used the armor's recall switch to return to the Autobot fleet and inform Optimus Prime about Convoy's passing. Optimus Prime briefly eulogizied Convoy as he laid the fallen Autobot to rest; after a century of recuperation, Minimus Ambus returned to active duty and donned the repaired armor to become Ultra Magnus once more. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}}

===The hunt for Scorponok===
[[File:SpotlightUltraMagnus shoots Scorpie.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb]]
Tracking down Decepticon wheeler-dealer [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] on the planet [[Zull]], Magnus was convinced to let the criminal go in exchange for information on the current whereabouts of an even greater offender: [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], against whom Magnus bore a personal grudge. Magnus followed Swindle's lead to the planet [[Nebulos]], and although he disrupted Scorponok's operations, the Decepticon was able to escape. {{storylink|Spotlight: Ultra Magnus}} The cycle repeated years later when Magnus caught up to Swindle again, arresting him for yet another violation, only to wind up once again letting him go in return for a fresh lead on Scorponok's new location. {{storylink|Escalation issue 1|Escalation #1}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Optimus Prime}}

While en route to help deal with the fallout of a [[Spotlight: Arcee|break-in at Garrus-9]], Magnus changed course in response to a distress call from [[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]]'s crew, who were under attack by [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]]. After Magnus drove Cyclonus off, he teamed with Hound's crew to track him to [[Corata-Vaz]] and stage an ambush, only to be beaten back when he unleashed [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] on them. {{storylink|Spotlight: Cyclonus}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Hardhead}} After obtaining further intel on the plot being orchestrated by Cyclonus and his fellow [[Dead Universe]] Transformers, {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}} Magnus co-ordinated a simultaneous strike against their various [[Nega-Core]] installations. {{storylink|Spotlight: Sideswipe}}

[[File:MaxDinos5 Grimlock Magnus.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66|It's now my job to jail all the interesting guys.]]
Sometime after the foiling of the Dead Universe [[Expansion]], Ultra Magnus received a signal from a battered Hot Rod, requesting some backup for [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]], who was in the process of confronting Scorponok on Earth. Determined to put an end to his old quarry once and for all, Magnus headed for Earth. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 1|Maximum Dinobots #1}} {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 4|Maximum Dinobots #4}} Scorponok had already been defeated by the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobots]] by the time Magnus arrived, though he made it in time to stop them from killing him, intent on seeing Scorponok punished by the law. After stripping Scorponok's [[Machination]] facility of Cybertronian tech and providing Optimus Prime with a report on the events, Magnus departed for Garrus-9 with Scorponok, [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] and Grimlock, who had surrendered to Magnus in exchange for his rescinding the warrants on the other Dynobots. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

===Taking charge===
[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers1-trysomethinghilarious.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Ultra Magnus uses sarcasm quotes to remind you he doesn't find ''anything'' hilarious.]]
Magnus was soon to discover that he had picked up a stowaway when he left Earth: human runaway [[Verity Carlo]]. Surprisingly, Magnus warmed to Verity in his own way and allowed her to stay with him; she, in return, affectionately dubbed him "Uncle Magnus". After about four years of adventuring together, Magnus and Verity were called upon by Prowl to transport the Autobot commando squad known as the [[Wreckers]] to Garrus-9, which had been overrun by Decepticons during a [[Surge (event)|galaxy-wide uprising]] a few years before. En route, the group picked up former Wreckers leader and Garrus-9 escapee [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]], {{Storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Last Stand of the Wreckers #1}} who Magnus encouraged the recalcitrant [[Springer (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Springer]] to take on the mission with them. Magnus proceeded to brief the Wreckers and sent them on their way, but refrained from participating in the mission himself, both to turn a blind eye to the Wreckers' often-brutal methods, and because Prowl had requested his presence back on Earth to investigate the murder of Ironhide. {{Storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|Last Stand of the Wreckers #2}} The mission was a disaster at best, with many Wreckers dying at the hands of [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]]; Magnus would go on to carry great guilt over his non-participation. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}} Further, on the return trip, Magnus discovered that Verity had also left him, having stolen away with the Wreckers on their mission; {{storylink|In Word and Deed}} despite appearances, he would dearly miss her. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}}

[[File:SeasonsInFlight-RodimusMagnus.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]
Arriving on Earth, {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 1: "New Arrivals, Old Encounters"|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} Magnus discovered the Autobots in disarray, Ironhide's death having caused Optimus Prime to surrender to human agency [[Skywatch]], leaving Bumblebee in charge. Magnus called for the Autobots' full cooperation, but after performing an autopsy of Ironhide's body and learning that the 'bot who had led the mission on which he died, Hot Rod, had broken away from Bumblebee's group, he elected to search Hot Rod out for questioning. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 2: "A Rude Awakening"|A Rude Awakening}} Discovering that Hot Rod—now calling himself "Rodimus Prime"—had begun to construct a rocket to leave Earth, and had allied himself with Decepticons in order to do so, including Magnus's old stoolie Swindle, Magnus attempted to arrest Rodimus under charges of treason. Prowl stood up for Rodimus, and, unable to arrest ''everyone'', the furious Magnus returned to Bumblebee's cave. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 3: "Seasons in Flight"|Seasons in Flight}} In short order, he forcibly recruited a team of Autobots to arrest Rodimus and his followers, but when they returned to Rodimus's launch site, they were confronted by Swindle's secret weapon: the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticon]] [[combiner]] [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], who was ordered to kill Magnus first. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 4: "Enemies of the System"|Enemies of the System}} Magnus fared poorly in the battle, but was saved from death at Menasor's hands by Optimus Prime, who had brokered an alliance with Skywatch. Repaired after the battle, Magnus was furious to find Swindle had slipped through his fingers again, and took out his frustrations on Rodimus. When Bumblebee tried to defuse the situation, Magnus attempted to cite his greater authority of his legal jurisdiction, but was put in his place when the younger Autobot pointed out that on Earth, ''he'' was in charge. However, as this was going on, Rodimus took off in Ultra Magnus' shuttle, leaving him stuck on Earth with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 5: "Earthworks"|Earthworks}}

Temporarily provided with a ship by Skywatch, {{storylink|International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads"|The Land Ironclads}} Magnus recovered the surviving Wreckers from Garrus-9, and delivered the fruit of their mission to Prowl: a [[data slug]] containing complete records of Autobot war crimes from the [[Aequitas]] computer. Knowing that it would be disastrous if the data got out, Magnus maintained his plausible deniability and left it in Prowl's hands. {{Storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}

[[File:IDW16 magnus under fire.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.95|Eastbound and Down.]]
Some time later, when Bumblebee was the victim of an attempted assassination, Magnus lost patience with [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]'s raging and threatened to have him restrained. He was interrupted by the news that the plane carrying Optimus Prime's team back from [[North Korea]] had been blown out of the sky, but before he and [[Kyle Pennington|Pennington]] could get any real information about the attack, the Decepticons launched an attack on the base. Ultra Magnus was incapacitated by [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]'s sonic powers, allowing the Decepticons to free their captive comrades and escape. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 1: The Demolished Man|The Demolished Man}} In the aftermath of the attack, Magnus took command and relocated everyone to [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'s location, but not before leaving Brawn with a mission to find and recruit the aid of the disenfranchised Decepticon [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]]. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} On the way to Omega, the Autobots were attacked by humans who didn't want them on their planet, and Pennington had to talk Ultra Magnus out of retaliating. Unfortunately, things got worse when Megatron himself showed up and easily dispatched Ultra Magnus and his troops. Assuming that he was out to destroy the Autobots as usual, Magnus tried to distract Megatron from killing the Skywatch soldiers, but the Decepticon made it clear that the humans were just as important targets for his revenge. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} The injured Magnus was held hostage by Megatron and [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] and used as leverage to get Optimus Prime to meet with them. This meeting ended with Megatron retreating with a [[stasis lock]]ed Soundwave, and Ultra Magnus was brought to safety. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}} As he awaited repairs, Magnus told Prime that he had managed to place a tracking chip on Soundwave, allowing the Autobots to find Megatron's hideout. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}}

Six weeks later, Ultra Magnus watched as Rodimus returned to Earth with the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and several lost Autobots in tow. He brought news that Galvatron had built an army and taken control of Cybertron, prompting Optimus Prime to lead his Autobots back to their home planet. On Bumblebee's orders, Ultra Magnus remained on Earth with him, Prowl and a few others to investigate charges brought against [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Spike Witwicky]] for the supposed murder of [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]]. {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix|Orphans of the Helix}} He still participated in talks of what would be done with Megatron, who had surrendered himself and been taken into space with Prime's Autobots. When [[Xaaron]] explained that they needed a neutral third party to judge the Decepticon leader for his crimes, Magnus suggested [[Solomus|Chief Justice Tyrest]], and opined that they should aim for a death sentence. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}}

[[File:IDW29 magnus arrests swindle.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.95|"Don't worry, Swindle. I kept your room the way you left it."]]
Magnus chewed out Prowl and [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] after the latter had broken protocol and transformed into [[robot mode]] during a mission to spy on Witwicky. Prowl brought up his suspicions of anti-Transformer pundit [[Ben Simpson]] and of a deeper Decepticon conspiracy, but Magnus ordered him to stick to the case at hand. {{storylink|Police Action: Part 1|Police Action #1}} The Autobots then brought in [[Sandra (G1)|Sandra]], a former Skywatch agent who abandoned Spike's unit once it started breaking too many rules. Ultra Magnus commended her for sticking to military protocol before questioning her on Spike's past. {{storylink|Police Action Part 2: Only Forward|Only Forward}} Around this time, Ultra Magnus was on hand to witness Bumblebee bring all five Stunticons into custody to everyone's surprise. {{storylink|The Question}} Then, after learning the whereabouts of Ben Simpson from Sandra, Bumblebee and Magnus agreed to circumvent the slow human legal system and rolled out with Skywatch to confront Simpson, discovering him to be a [[facsimile construct]] controlled by none other than Swindle. The Decepticon tried to escape again, but Ultra Magnus dismembered him and dragged him back to base, where he admitted under interrogation that he had been supplying Spike Witwicky and Skywatch with Cybertronian technology from the start. This revelation caused the Autobots to sever their ties with Skywatch. {{storylink|Police Action Part 3: A Second Chance at Eden|A Second Chance at Eden}}

===The problem with peace===
[[File:LiarsAtoD1-MagnusVision.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Risk of criminal activity: None. Practically perfect in every way.]]
The Autobots on Earth returned to Cybertron once Optimus Prime's team had defeated Galvatron, the [[D-Void]], and the Decepticons. Feeling that the Autobots were no longer wanted on post-war Cybertron, Ultra Magnus decided to accompany Rodimus and [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] on their quest to find the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} He joined the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' as Rodimus's second-in-command, but soon started to become increasingly petty about minor infractions and had many, ''many'' reservations about those who had signed up for the quest. Magnus's troubles on the ''Lost Light'' started when an accident at launch caused the ship to [[Quantum generator|quantum jump]] to a random point in space. {{Storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} A ruptured hull led to a portion of the crew being sucked out into space, so Rodimus and Ultra Magnus set the ''Lost Light'' down on a nearby planet and went out searching for them. {{Storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} The ship was soon repaired and took off again, only for a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] to be discovered on board, reminding Ultra Magnus of Blip. Magnus heavily disapproved of Rodimus using [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] as bait to lure the creature in to be killed, and told Rodimus that he had to call him out on that because nobody else would, but Rodimus brushed off the lecture, stating that ''he'' was in charge now. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}

As time went on, Magnus became increasingly anal about ''everything'', especially minor, pointless things like dirt {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}, Autobrands at angles, lighting problems, and so on—an inability to cope with peacetime had led to a full-blown nervous breakdown for Magnus that saw him try to append as much weight to the everyday rules of life as he had to the rules of war. {{storylink|Parasites}} {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} He made life hell for just about everyone of the ship with his obsessive-compulsive tendencies and relentless attempts to enforce petty, pointless standards of conduct that the entire crew did their best to defy, Rodimus most of all, who simply started ignoring his many, many memos. He started to question why he'd joined the quest and tried to leave several times, but Rodimus would keep talking him into staying. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}}

[[File:IDW MtMtE5 MagnusTailgateAttentionDirt.jpg|Cleanitallitmustbecleaned...|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]
Discovering that the naive [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]], who had been offline for the duration of the war, wanted to be a Decepticon Magnus reported him to Rodimus. A history lesson courtesy of Rewind quickly disabused Tailgate of this notion, and he decided to be an Autobot instead {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} so Magnus began educating him in the [[Autobot Code]]—a long tortuous process that saw Magnus pore over the unabridged version and go over it in [[Semicolon|excruciating detail]]. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}

After attending a ceremony honoring [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]], [[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] and [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]], Ultra Magnus was among the crew members temporarily frozen in place by one of Brainstorm's backfiring weapons. {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}} Learning of the [[Swerve's|bar]] that [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] had set up, he promptly arrested the big-mouthed 'bot, and sent him to join Rewind replacing rivets on the ship's hull. When [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] took Rung and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] hostage, Magnus listened in on his threats. {{storylink|Interiors}}

[[File:MtMtEAnn2012-Magnus smile.jpg|If looks could kill.|thumb|left|upright=1.67]]
The infestation of Nanocons, long thought eradicated, became active within Ultra Magnus, so a team of hardy Autobots were miniaturized and implanted inside him to try to fight the creatures. The Nanocons eventually ended up at Magnus's mouth pistons, and he was forced to destroy them by smiling—not without great effort, as those mechanisms had become rusted with disuse. Though he was greatly embarrassed by it and the crew consequently mocked him for it, Rodimus assured him that it meant they were beginning to accept him. When the ''Lost Light'' encountered the [[Galactic Council]] ship ''[[The Benign Intervention]]'', Magnus was able to use his bureaucratic skills to talk [[K'gard|Captain K'gard]] into allowing a delegation of Autobots to visit Crystal City. He himself was beamed aboard the Council ship, where K'gard told him that he was trusted by the Council and tried unsuccessfully to talk him into joining them—he even smiled at the idea the other Autobots might influence him to be less strict in his outlook. When the Council ship came under apparent attack from the surface, Magnus was beamed back aboard the ''Lost Light'' before K'gard began the process of destroying the Autobot ship with an incineration shell. Fortunately the ship had a last-minute save, courtesy of a freed [[Titan (group)|Titan]]. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:MTMTE12 magnus in action.jpg|right|Okay, Rewind. Together, we're gonna punch these guys so hard, words describing the impact are gonna spontaneously materialize out of thin air.|thumb]]
Following a reconnaissance mission to [[Temptoria]], {{storylink|Before & After}} Magnus returned to the ''Lost Light'' to find Cyclonus had been blamed for an attack on [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], and was forced to restrain Cyclonus after Drift's attempted interrogation turned violent. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} When it turned out Red Alert's decapitation was self-inflicted, Magnus suggested putting him into cold storage, something Rodimus reluctantly agreed with. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} This matter dealt with, the Autobots were able to follow up on Magnus's information from Temptoria, which pointed to the missing [[Circle of Light]] possibly being held there by Decepticons. Magnus joined a task force of Autobots in an attack on the Decepticon base on the planet, his prowess in the subsequent battle particularly impressing Tailgate. Though they liberated Temptoria's capital, they failed to find the Circle of Light. {{storylink|Before & After}}

[[File:MtMtE13-VerityMagnus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Fire exits. Important stuff.]]
Having been ordered by Rodimus to go on shore leave to Hedonia, Magnus joined Swerve's social group and debuted his holomatter avatar: a copy of Verity. Slipped a [[Nucleon (substance)|nucleon]] mickey by Whirl, Magnus fell unconscious, awakening just long enough to break down in front of Swerve, admitting that he hated the quest, was upset that nobody liked him, and believed everything had gone wrong when he'd accepted Tyrest's offer. Passing out once more, his unconscious body was hauled out into the street by Swerve and friends, where they jumped up and down on him until he reflexively transformed, allowing them to drive him back to the shuttle. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Afterwards, he tried to socialise with Rung and even tried jokes, to toe-curlingly embarrassing failure. Despite that, they got on quite well. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

Magnus was among those interviewed for Rewind's documentary about life on the ship, "Little Victories". He used his authority to censor the parts that made him look silly. Magnus later joined Rodimus and Drift in welcoming [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] to the ''Lost Light''. Rodimus tried to use Ultra Magnus to impress Thunderclash, pointing out how the Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord was his first officer. Thunderclash ignored Rodimus' petty oneupsmanship and instead complimented Ultra Magnus on an article he had written about military typography, eagerly wanting to discuss its finer points. Thunderclash quickly apologized for coming on too strong, but Magnus responded to the praise by giving Thunderclash a spontaneous hug. {{storylink|Little Victories}}
{{--}}

===Identity revealed===
[[File:MTMTE15 overlord stabs magnus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|left]]
Unbeknownst to Magnus, the captive Overlord was being held in a secret cell on the ''Lost Light''. When he was accidentally allowed to escape, Magnus was the first one to charge against the loose Decepticon, still carrying the guilt after the Garrus-9 fiasco. He managed to briefly beat Overlord into submission until the Decepticon stabbed him through the spark with Drift's [[Great Sword]]. While the rest of the crew dealt with dispatching Overlord, [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] tended to Magnus's injuries, only to discover that he would be unable to prevent the collapse of his spark. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}} The comatose Magnus was given only ten days to live, but before his end could come, within the Magnus Armor, Ambus reflexively tripped the recall switch. Under its own power, the armor levitated from the med-slab, carrying Ambus within it, appropriating a shuttle that would take him to Tyrest, who currently dwelt on Cybertron's lost moon, [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]]. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} The switch normally functioned as a teleporter, but Ambus deliberately chose to activate the manual recall, which he knew would allow the ''Lost Light'' to follow him, in hopes that Tyrest would properly discipline Rodimus for the reckless leadership that Magnus had been unable to curb. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

[[File:Ambus Unveiled.jpg|thumb||right|Do not remove from packaging!]]
Upon arrival, Magnus's body was recovered by Tyrest and taken to [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], who was able to use Tyrest's collection of bleeding-edge tech to save his life. While the doctor worked, however, Tyrest reviewed Magnus's journals, and was appalled to see how he had become reduced to an officious, bureaucratic ''joke''. He angrily deactivated the Magnus Armor, stripping Minimus Ambus of the role he had played for years and made his very life. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Presently, when Rodimus and a contingent of ''Lost Light''ers arrived on Luna 1 as Magnus had expected, they were promptly captured by Tyrest's forces. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} Learning from Tyrest that they were to be put to death for harboring a criminal—amnesiac crewmember [[Skids (G1)|Skids]]—Ambus requested that he be placed in a cell alongside them. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} He pretended to be an energon trader in order to get them to tell him about their recent escapades, hoping to prove to Tyrest that they, like he, had no knowledge of Skids's criminal past. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}} {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} That went wrong when Rung was able to recognize the personal tics of Magnus in Ambus, and he forced Ambus to come clean about his identity and explain his life story to Rodimus and the others. Rodimus's story also had its share of surprises for Ambus, as he learned that Tyrest was working with the Decepticon [[Titan Hunter]]s and had amassed a graveyard of [[Titan (group)|Titan]] remains. Determined to find out what was going on, and why the ''Lost Light''ers were being charged with "crimes against creation", he confronted Tyrest for answers. The revelations were shocking: Tyrest believed that all Transformers "constructed cold" were abominations and he intended to exterminate them all with a [[universal killswitch]]. Ambus refused to allow him to go through with his plans, so Tyrest initiated the newest amendment to his accord—pre-emptive execution—and had one of his [[Legislator]] robots crush Ambus's head. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}}

[[File:Minimus ambus rodimus this calamitous life.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|left|You're nothing but a dirty carbuncle, festering in the corner!]]
Soon after, Rodimus and the others escaped their cell and burst into Tyrest's control room. Tyrest warned them against interfering, gesturing at Ambus's fallen body as an example of what happened to those who opposed him. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} Fortunately, the Magnus Armor was not the only load that Ambus was capable of carrying: the head that was crushed by the Legislator belonged to ''another'' layer of augmentation around his irreducible core. After Tyrest activated the killswitch, Minimus awoke and punched his way clear of his intermediate body's remains and, grabbing one of the Legislators' guns, shot Tyrest in the back. Along with [[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]], he devised a way to use Rodimus's half of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] to reverse the effects of Tyrest's killswitch, though at great risk to Rodimus's own life. Before it was put into operation Rodimus and Ambus took the opportunity to clear the air between them, with Minimus revealing that he didn't consider Rodimus a fit captain and Rodimus revealing that he had done far worse, but promising to make amends. Though their plan was successful and Rodimus survived, they were quickly overrun with Legislators and Ambus had to take up his gun once again to fight them off before [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] managed to use everything Magnus had taught him about the Autobot Code to re-write Tyrest's laws and shut them all down. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

In the aftermath of the battle, Ambus retrieved his outer shell and reintegrated with it. Later in the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s medbay, [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] helped him put the Magnus Armor back on, revealing that he had known about it all along, right back to the original Ultra Magnus, but since he had known Minimus the longest he considered him to be the ''true'' Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} With his armor reattached, Magnus met with Rodimus to take stock of recent events, then, upon learning that Cyclonus and had saved Tailgate's life, formally welcomed the ancient Transformer on board. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

===Seeing justice done===
[[File:RID23 captain magnus.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.85]]
After the ''Lost Light'' rescued Orion Pax from the destruction of the planet [[Gorlam Prime]], Magnus accompanied him and Rodimus on a tour of the ship, {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} and later joined them for a drink in Swerve's to discuss the current state of affairs. Having learned that a portal to the Dead Universe had appeared on Cybertron, Rodimus and Pax ventured through the portal that had consumed Gorlam Prime to investigate the mystery from the other side, while Magnus was left in charge of the ''Lost Light'' and given orders to track down Jhiaxus, who Prime suspected was responsible. {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Before long, however, the ''Lost Light'' found itself pushed off-course by Metroplex's thumb, which they had previously recovered. After conferring with the crew, Magnus made the decision to follow the thumb's pull and go in search of Metroplex. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}}

Locking on to the thumb's signal and quantum-jumping to the ocean world of [[Hydrophena]], the ship was attacked by [[Ammonite]]s. Magnus's group took to the sea in the [[Rodpod]] and soon found Metroplex, {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}} only to discover that the giant's brain module was missing. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} While searching Metroplex's interior, they learned that Shockwave was the architect of their recent misfortunes, and encountered the [[Caminus (planet)|Camiens]] [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] and [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]]. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} Their companion [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] was able to fill the group in on Metroplex's status, and Magnus had the idea to jumpstart Metroplex with the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> quantum engines. This successfully allowed Metroplex to quantum jump back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} From Metroplex, Ultra Magnus and the others had a front row seat as the giant defeated the [[Quintessa (IDW)|Necrotitan]] that had been battering [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

[[File:MTMTE27 magnus vs prowl.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]
In the aftermath, Ultra Magnus tried to learn more from Metroplex about the Knights of Cybertron, but could glean nothing. Receiving word of a fight between Chromedome and Prowl, he left to break the scuffle up; Prowl took offense at his intrusion, prompting Magnus to offer some choice words for the police 'bot regarding his underhanded tactics and how they harmed people. A fight seemed like it might break out between the two, until the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], who had become fond of Prowl, stepped in, and Magnus left Prowl with his new "friends". {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} As an army of seventy billion Ammonites descended upon Cybertron, Magnus joined a team led by Bumblebee to confront Shockwave in his [[Crystal City]] headquarters, though Magnus became sidetracked fighting [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] with Skids and Brainstorm while the others went on. Bludgeon was about to stab him through the chest when Optimus Prime's team suddenly emerged through a wormhole inside Brainstorm and saved him. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} Prime, Magnus and Megatron confronted Shockwave, but Magnus was blasted by Shockwave and taken out of the fight early. He was fortunately intact enough to escape after Shockwave's time drive collapsed into a black hole. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

As a direct outcome of Shockwave's defeat, Megatron decided to lay down his arms and become an Autobot. When the public of Cybertron demanded that the ex-Decepticon be placed on trial, Optimus appointed Ultra Magnus as the defense, a position he accepted, albeit not without a brief hesitation. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}}

[[File:MTMTE30 magnus hammer.jpg|right|thumb|upright=2.1|[[Diedrich Bader|HAMMER OF JUSTICE!!!]]]]

Following testimony from Starscream—which Magnus had to interrupt to object to the former air commander's grandstanding—Megatron asked Magnus to change his plea to not guilty. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} After Magnus resignedly read Megatron's statement to the crowd, however, a group of Decepticons attacked the proceedings, and Magnus grabbed a giant hammer from one of the arena's statues to beat them back. Subsequently, during a recess, Megatron explained that this change of plea was a ploy to evoke an ancient legal loophole that permitted him to be tried not by his peers, but by the Knights of Cybertron. To that end, Optimus Prime assigned him co-captaincy of the ''Lost Light'' alongside Rodimus, and Ultra Magnus rejoined the ship's crew as it left Cybertron to resume its quest. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

===A change in perspective===
[[File:MTMTE29 magnus objects.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Some time into the journey, the ''Lost Light'' encountered an object in space which turned out to be a coffin. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Magnus objected to Megatron's decision to bring it on board, but was relieved that he was at least willing to follow proper quarantine protocols. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} Following the discovery that the coffin contained a dead second Rodimus and that the ''Lost Light'' was disappearing piece by piece, the crew were forced to abandon ship, with Magnus and Rodimus escaping in the ''[[Leading Light]]''. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} As crew members began disappearing as well, Magnus used his holomatter avatar to communicate with Megatron on the Rodpod, only to disappear mid-conversation. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} The remaining crew discovered that these disappearances were the result of their coming into proximity with a quantum duplicate of the ''Lost Light'', created in the original quantum jump launch accident, which was "overwriting" theirs. Investigating the wreckage of the duplicate, the small group of survivors discovered that the entire duplicate crew, including Ultra Magnus, had been slaughtered by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} Fortunately, they were soon able to shut down the duplicate ship's quantum engines, causing it to disappear and the other ship and crew to reappear. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

[[File:MTMTE35 disaggregator gun.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.8|[[Bob Budiansky#Budianskyisms|Have some armor removal, courtesy of my disaggregator gun!]]]]
As everyone gathered in Swerve's to celebrate their survival, Brainstorm—revealed to be an undercover Decepticon—made his move, triggering a poison he had laced the bar's drinks with that incapacitated the whole crew. Only Magnus, as a teetotaler, remained to confront him, but Brainstorm had prepared for that eventuality and blasted Magnus with a [[disaggregator gun]], which ripped the armor off Minimus. By the time he pulled himself together, Brainstorm had escaped via his [[Time case|time-machine briefcase]]; Megatron found the whole situation so ridiculous that he lost his temper, but Magnus reassured him that having a mental breakdown on the ''Lost Light'' was perfectly normal. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} Believing that Brainstorm intended to alter history by killing Orion Pax, Rodimus took a team back in time after him; Magnus remained in the present, though he questioned Rodimus's wisdom in taking Whirl along on the mission. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} Things did not go well; when Megatron vanished from Magnus's internal database, they realized that they had made a mistake, and that it was the Decepticon leader himself, not Orion Pax, who was Brainstorm's target. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} Megatron took this as well as could be expected, forcing Magnus to physically restrain him as he tried to force Perceptor to send him back in time to save himself. After Megatron was calmed down, Magnus tried to lighten the mood by comparing [[Rodimus Star]]s; he won his for "Neatest Handwriting". Ultimately, the time-travellers were able to keep history from being altered, and when they returned to their present, Magnus joined the rest of the crew in Swerve's for celebrations. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

[[File:MTMTE40 minimus and ten.jpg|thumb|upright=1.65|left]]
The [[Lost Light Internal Legal Affairs Committee]] was subsequently convened to decide upon Brainstorm's fate, overseen by Rodimus, Magnus, and [[Xaaron]], where it was decided that since Brainstorm was not actually a Decepticon, but had only been using them for their resources to accomplish what he thought would be to the betterment of history, he would not be kicked off the ship. Following the verdict, Magnus visited Megatron in his quarters, suspecting he had stolen a datapad that had vanished from Magnus's quarters, but found nothing. Called in to see Ratchet for a checkup, Magnus admitted to the medic that his irritation stemmed from the fact he was feeling "enfeebled"; now that everyone on the ship knew he was really Minimus Ambus, he believed they no longer respected him, and he had even found a little figurine of Minimus outside his door that he felt sure had been left there to mock him. Ratchet soon discovered, however, that it was just the opposite: the figurine had been sculpted by Swerve's bouncer [[Ten]], who thought Magnus was the bee's knees and had taken his missing datapad, leaving the figurine as a trade. Discovering the that datapad contained ''poetry'' that Magnus had been trying to write, Ratchet wrote a message for him on it advising him to be more open, and told Ten to deliver it. Encouraged by Ratchet's words, Magnus accepted Ten as a friend, and removed his armor to get a drink with him at Swerve's as Minimus Ambus. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

When the ''Lost Light'' crew attended a pre-wake for Thunderclash, Minimus Ambus attended sans armor, and studied the supposed map to [[Cyberutopia]] that Thunderclash had carved into a wall. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} Unfortunately, his lack of armor left him defenseless when the crew were attacked by the [[personality tick]]s that had brought Thunderclash to the brink of death, but the combined charisma of Rodimus and Megatron proved enough to "overdose" the psychic monsters. A little later, back in his armor on the ''Lost Light'', Magnus informed [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] that [[Skater]], [[Flex]], and [[Borer]] had solved the mystery of the ticks before him and were much more humble in doing it. {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} Shortly thereafter, the ''Lost Light'' was contacted by Optimus Prime on Cybertron, inviting them to return to their homeworld in order to be present for the historic first contact with the colony world of [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]]. Unwilling to pause their quest again, they agreed to send an ambassador on their behalf; Magnus tried to tell Prime about recent events, but Rodimus cut him off. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}}

[[File:MTMTE44 a lot of banter.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.75|And then they kissed.]]
When Swerve's mind retreated to [[Swearth|holomatter duplicate of Earth]], Magnus (along with the rest of the crew) sent a holomatter avatar to help search for the minibot's mind, in the process recreating ''[[Community]]'' with Chromedome and Rewind. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}} Later, as Swerve was recuperating, Magnus, having had enough of Rodimus's dirty office, took it upon himself to clean it up, but in the process he discovered that the doodles Rodimus had carved into his desk were a map to Cyberutopia. Another revelation followed hot on the heels of this one; Swerve's condition had been caused by an infection resulting from a message bullet lodged in his shoulder by the Autobot spy [[Dominus Ambus|Agent 113]]. Magnus and Megatron examined the contents of the bullet together, which contained coordinates pointing the way to the home base of the supposedly-mythical "[[Mortilus|Necrobot]]". Magnus objected to exploring this tangent rather than following the Cyberutopia map, but was overruled by Megatron. Consequently, Magnus shed his armor and took Rewind aside; the little archivist was a former [[Conjunx Endura]] of his missing spark brother Dominus, and Minimus cautioned him against being too hopeful that they would find evidence that Dominus still lived. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

After an altercation involving Cyclonus and Tailgate, which ended with the latter hospitalized, Rodimus had Chromedome use his mnemosurgery abilities to discover just what had happened, revealing Getaway had been conspiring to get Megatron killed or arrested, at the cost of Tailgate's life. So Ultra Magnus went to arrest him, at which point Getaway's co-conspirator Atomizer took offense and tried attacking him, for all the good that did. Shortly thereafter, noted psychiatrist [[Froid]] arrived on board, in a ship containing the infamous murderer Sunder. For some reason this made Ultra Magnus incredibly unwelcoming toward Froid. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} And that was before Sunder got free and started make people tear themselves inside out, Rodimus included. Fortunately, everything turned out fine thanks to Tailgate. In the aftermath, Ultra Magnus helped Megatron make witty comments at his recovered co-captain. {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

[[File:SilentLight MagnusArmorAlive.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|left]]
Around late December of that year, Rodimus took off for three days to go surfing on comets, much to Minimus and Megatron's shared exasperation. By the time he returned, the ship had started moving close to Mauler territory, and in order to protect the crew they had to hide their spark energy signatures in Biometric Envelopment Devices, while Brainstorm's cloaking device hid the ship. Rodimus returned just in time to find Megatron helping Minimus put the last finishing touches on the device.

A short while later, as he crooned merrily to himself, Minimus found Swerve, Nautica and Whirl looking stiff and humorless outside his office, rather than in their B.E.Ds. Before he could finish lecturing them, he got a call from Rewind, who was finding the concept of "one bot to a B.E.D." difficult to grasp. Then, as he entered his office Minimus was set upon by his own armor, which had apparently come to life. Before he could react, Minimus was knocked unconscious by a stray wrench. {{storylink|Silent Light}} Of course, the armor had just been taken over by a swarm of scraplets, and in the aftermath Minimus spent several days fumigating it, just to be sure, distracting him from being concerned about Perceptor's experiments with space-time fissures in ''Swerve's'', though he did join the crew in a toast to surprises. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}
{{--}}

===Lost in time and space===
[[File:HowBrightTheirFrailDeeds-rollout.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66]]
Some weeks after Sunder's rampage, Magnus was part of the Autobot force that heroically defended the people of [[Miliarium]], fighting alongside Thunderclash. Later, on board the Lost Light, Minimus was present for Megatron's lecture on the Knights of Cybertron, and what the crew had learnt about them. As Mimimus praised for the discipline and focus he was bringing, Megatron started having spasms. When Mimimus tried approaching him, Megatron lashed out. Later, Velocity noted that if Megatron hadn't been taking Fool's Energon, the blow would've likely killed Minimus.

That night, at thirty-one oh-seven hours, several members of the crew were subject to a psychological assault. Rodimus, ever the beacon of rationality, suggested tracking it to its source, distracting Magnus from his concerns with a grammatical slip. Magnus then joined the expedition, which wound up with the Rodpod inside a planet, which soon turned out to be the Necrobot's. Before the crew could dwell on that one, they were attacked. As they fled toward the Necrobot's compound, the Rodpod was shot down and destroyed, Magnus losing an arm in his effort to shield Swerve from the destruction.

Once inside, the bad news just kept on coming. It turned out the crew had been lured to the planet thanks to Getaway, and his fellow conspirators. As in, the rest of the crew, who had gotten fed up with Megatron being in charge, and Rodimus's leadership. So they arranged for them to be stranded there, with no means of getting off the planet and no means of contacting the Lost Light, their punishment for daring to side with the enemy. And just to round off the bad news, the D.J.D. were there too. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} The Autobots were given until sundown before the enemy would storm them, in a bit of psychological warfare, but Magnus and the others learned that the Necrobot's teleportation chamber was still active and they could escape. Problem was, that would mean abandoning dozens of slumbering organics in stasis pods that the Necrobot had been keeping. Magnus, along with the others, decided to stay and ensure the organics wouldn't be murdered after Megatron gave a rousing speech. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}}

[[File:mtmte50 minimus funeral request.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left]]
A surprise appearance by Ratchet and Drift, taking the DJD's [[turbofox]] "Pet" as a hostage, gave them a titchy edge, undone by Megatron being near-killed by [[Tarn (G1)|Tarn]] when trying to negotiate. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}} The crew began to fortify the place while Magnus, in Ambus form, was measured for a new suit of armour by Brainstorm. The ''biggest possible'' suit Brainstorm could fit on his loadbearing self! MiniMagnus was clear they were all going to die and that was the be all end all (and he had a [http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poems/poets/mccraearticle.htm poem about poppies] to read out for it), and told Nightbeat that to get him to ''stop talking'' about this unimportant hollow bit of the Necroworld; just to keep him quiet, he told Nightbeat he could go investigate as long as it wasn't alone. Mid-measurement, Rewind arranged it so the crew could broadcast into space how they wanted their corpses to be disposed of.
{{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} Minimus Ambus, blaming himself for having fun instead of stopping all of this, requested to be buried in his armour at the Luna-1 hot spot. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

[[File:AtCloseOfDay-MaximusAmbus.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.8|He's bigger, faster, and stronger too. He's the first member of the ''Lost Light'' crew.]]
While berating Rewind for searching the Necrobot's files, Minimus casually mentioned that his brother Dominus had also been a loadbearer, something Rewind hadn't known. This upset Rewind and he wanted to know what Dominus really looked like... and Minimus showed him Dominus' turbofox form, unaware that the "Pet" they'd captured was ''his brother, lobotimised and "domesticated"'', and left unaware when Rewind killed Dominus to prevent Chromedome's own death while fixing the man. He was still blissfully unaware when he arrived in his new '''MAXIMUS AMBUS''' armour, courtesy of Brainstorm; armour he remarked was "tasty". In the end, after Rodimus thanked everyone for travelling with him, Magnus and his friends charged the Decepticon guns, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} but not before everyone received a power boost from Skids. Ambus was one of the most ferocious opponents to face the Decepticons, knocking the daylights out of [[Helex (G1)|Helex]] during the battle's opening stages. Soon, however, the power boost wore off and the Autobots were surrounded. Megatron joined the battle and covered the crew's retreat back into the fortress. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} After Megatron emerged victorious and the DJD were defeated, Minimus was present with the old command trio of him, Rodimus, and Drift at the Momument to the [[Disappeared]], as Rewind explained how several missing 'bots were rescued by the Necrobot, and Rewind paid a last tribute to his deceased brother. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

The ''Lost Light'' crew were now joined by dozens of disoriented Cybertronians yanked from across time and space, and so Ultra Magnus took it upon himself to bring the new arrivals up to speed with the help of an extremely long slideshow. His audiovisual presentation did little to impress new arrival [[Anode]]. Minimus Ambus subsequently shed his outer armor to travel back to Cybertron with Rodimus and a small crew of other Autobots to pick up a new ship, using a jury-rigged [[Teleport chamber|teleporter]]. They discovered, however, that their entire world had been shunted into an [[Functionist Universe|alternate reality]] thanks to a rogue Galactic Council [[geobomb]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

[[File:Anomie-arrested.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.9]]
The entire group was arrested by [[Twelve-of-Twelve]], believing them to be rogue members of the [[Anti-Vocationist League]], and paraded through the streets in a public spectacle; when Rodimus looked to Minimus for consolation, the tiny Autobot only succeeded in making Rodimus feel worse about their predicament. That's when the real AVL showed up to free the captives, but their prowess left something to be desired and resulted in Megatron taking command of the battle. In the aftermath, [[Clicker]] offered to take the group back to [[Kalis|Adaptica]], their base of operations.{{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}} The group met up with rogue [[Functionist Council]] member [[Nine-of-Twelve]], from whom they learned more about the history of the Functionist Universe. Their history lesson was overshadowed when [[Six-of-Twelve]] announced "Revelation Day" and unveiled Rung's supposed alternate mode: a gigantic mining tank that left Minimus suspicious. Before the Autobots could coordinate their next move, they were interrupted by the sudden return of [[Moonbase Two|Luna Two]], thought lost after a string of wars against the greater galaxy. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

The moon, as it turned out, had been weaponized into a gigantic [[harvester unit]] and began laying siege to the city, dragging buildings and their occupants into the air to be stripped down and processed. Having learned of a way to return to their own universe, Rodimus and Megatron butted heads as they argued about whether to save this Cybertron or flee back to their home reality, forcing Minimus to step in. Ultimately, Minimus stayed behind in Adaptica with Megatron while Rodimus's crew went off to rescue Rung, helping to coordinate the evacuation as Cybertronians fled the city. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 4: Bad Moon Rising|Bad Moon Rising}} {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

With time running out, Minimus relayed an urgent communique from Brainstorm back on the dimensionally-displaced Necroworld, warning the Autobots that they had less than twenty minutes before it would be impossible for them to return home. With Rung laying down his life to fight the moon, the Autobots hatched a new plan where they would teleport the entire moon away from Cybertron, saving the planet and allowing them to return home. Clicker led the group to a [[matter transporter]], which turned out to be a dud, and then to a second device, which worked. Frustrated that Megatron and Terminus had yet to return, Minimus warned Rodimus that they couldn't let the ex-Decepticon "get away"... which provoked Rodimus into leaving the two behind. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 6: This Machine Kills Fascists|This Machine Kills Fascists}}

[[File:AfterMegatron MagnusBetrayed.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.9|''You forfeit all rights to my heart!'' ''You forfeit the place in our bed!'' ''You sleep in your office instead'' ''With only the memories'' ''Of when you were mine…'']]
In the wake of their adventure, Minimus donned his old, repaired Magnus Armor once again, only to discover that it wasn't working properly. Unbeknownst to the tiny Autobot, this hardware failure was a result of his internal cognitive dissonance after letting Megatron escape, unable to reconcile the murderous Decepticon with the odd friendship he had formed with the ex-Decepticon leader. Realizing that he was uncharacteristically late for an inspection, Minimus Ambus headed off to check up on [[Skip (IDW)|Skip]]'s makeshift starship form. Once more ensconced in his malfunctioning armor, Ultra Magnus sadly mused on Rodimus's leadership versus Megatron's own stint as captain. Rodimus admitted that he had come to accept Megatron's change of heart... which prompted Ultra Magnus to snap at Rodimus, decrying his captain's judgement and denouncing Megatron as an abuser and manipulator. This tirade snapped Ultra Magnus's armor back to normal, and he promptly stomped off to conduct a proper inspection before takeoff. {{storylink|After Megatron (A Dissolution Epilogue)|After Megatron}}

Three weeks after the mutiny and the adventure in the Functionist Universe, the funerary broadcast reached Cybertron and Earth. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

At some unspecified point after this, a message reached Ultra Magnus and Whirl via the holographic [[Shimmer]]—Springer, sending out a message to those he trusted, asking them to destroy the legacy of the Wreckers and make a better future. {{storylink|Transformers: Requiem of the Wreckers|Requiem of the Wreckers}}

===Road's End===
[[File:Sardines TermsofPeace.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.7]]
Aboard Skip's cramped alternate mode, Magnus attempted to continue his work on ''Terms of Peace'' only to be suddenly magnetized to Anode as part of an increasingly ridiculous prank war between her and Swerve. While [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] managed to pull her conjunx off Magnus, this only led to all the tensions erupting, a situation made even worse by Ratchet succumbing to [[aggressive depigmentation]], despite being alive, and turning intangible, all while the mass-displacement began to wear off. {{storylink|Sardines}}

Salvation came at the hands of an unusually lucid [[Ten]] who told everyone that they needed to get to a [[Mederi]] facility via the [[Warren]]. Though the crew managed to access the cosmic structure, Skip's mass-displacement finally gave out and everyone was forced to "abandon Skip", their bodies being ravaged by the effects of super-compressed space. They'd managed to come within spitting distance of the original Mederi however, now in the year [[2018]], and fell into its gravity well. The moon's systems repaired them and, based off Cyclonus's powerful desire to reach the [[Transformer afterlife|Afterspark]] and reunite with Tailgate, presented itself as the [[Clavis Aurea]]n interpretation of the realm. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (1): Metastasis|Metastasis}} {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}

Magnus awoke on a mortuary slab to a deserted landscape being contacted by Rodimus who asked him to meet him under the giant [[Matrix of Leadership]] and name the planet. Unable to do the latter (given the sheer amount of planets in the galaxy), he met with the group under the artifact. When the more religious among them decided that they were in the next life, the [[ghost]]s of Trailcutter and Pipes arrived to confirm the belief. After Rodimus had a brief mental breakdown, he angrily demanded an audience with Primus before being blasted by divine lighting. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (1): Metastasis|Metastasis}}

[[File:TheGodWar MagnusQuestions.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right]]
As Magnus examined the scorch mark where Rodimus had once stood, he was approached by [[Dominus Ambus]]'s spectre who declared his pride for his younger brother and apologized for the distance between them. Finally at peace, Magnus began to ascend into the full Afterspark... only to be snatched away by the Guiding Hand to serve as legal counsel in their plea for resurrection. While Magnus quickly established that the Hand ''could'' revive them, doing so would bar them from the second life when they inevitably perished again. Ultimately, it was [[Adaptus]] who decided that, since Rodimus' main objective was his crew's happiness, they had no need to be revived and sent them back to limbo. Satisfied, Magnus drove off to speak with Dominus again. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (2): The God War|The God War}}

[[File:YouAreHere MagnusRodimusFastball.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|He's great at combo maneuvers...]]
Rightly suspecting that Rodimus wouldn't leave well enough alone, Magnus turned back and caught up with him as he, Drift, and Ratchet were fighting a group of [[Omega Guardian]]s, though a batch notably weaker than those on [[Ki-Aleta]]. After Magnus performed a [[Fastball Special]] with Rodimus, Ratchet turned his attention to the cylinder of "trapped light", the seeming power source of the afterlife, while Whirl called Magnus to relay his suspicions that everyone else was going to be murdered. Ratchet then shattered the cylinder causing the afterspark to fade away and revealing Mederi to them. As Magnus told Whirl to inform the others, and to never call him "chunky" ever again, Rodimus deduced that Mederi was [[Cyberutopia]], the Knights having contracted [[atrophosia]] and come here for treatment. With the quest wrapped up, and joined by the Decepticon [[Scavengers (G1)|Scavengers]], the group prepared to leave Mederi and head back to Cybertron before the crew of the ''Lost Light'' arrived, now mutated into [[Sparkeater (creature)|sparkeaters]]. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}

[[File:ADanceBeforeDying CrankcaseUsedByMagnus.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|right|-even ''unwilling'' combo maneuvers.]]
After a failed attempt to reason with the infected, the group retreated before [[Wipe-Out's ship]] arrived, dropping Grimlock into battle, who began hacking apart the sparkeaters. Using [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] as a makeshift gun, Magnus reined in Grimlock before [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] caught Rodimus up on [[Getaway]]'s depravity. When the ''Lost Light'' was sighted, Magnus boarded the Q-Ship, and ordered Crankcase to dock in Shuttle Bay Four. No sooner had the ship landed did Getaway blow the ceiling above them, flooding the bay with the contents of the [[oil]] reservoir, including the [[Scraplet]]s. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 1): A Dance Before Dying|A Dance Before Dying}}

As Magnus lectured on the biology of the Scraplet [[combiner]], Grimlock cleaved it in twain only for it to quickly reform into a serpentine form before they lunged at Whirl. Rather than devour the Wrecker however, the predators gently brushed up against him. Recognizing that the Luna 1 Scraplets he'd domesticated on [[Christmas]] Eve were part of the swarm, Whirl broke them free of the flooded bay and set off to aid Rodimus. No sooner had the ship been retaken did a massive tear in the Warren open above the moon. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 2): Lūstrāre|Lūstrāre}} The ''Lost Light'' was quickly brought down to Mederi's surface, and the crew loaded aboard, but it was soon found that, despite Magnus' monstrously intimidating glare, the gravity of the rift was too much for the ship's engines, dragging them to the [[Benzene Cluster]]. When they arrived, they were taken captive by the forces of the [[Adaptus|Grand Architect]]. When [[Froid]] and [[Sunder (G1)|Sunder]] reunited with the group, they informed them of what little they knew about the Architect and his plans for the [[God Gun]]. As the weapon began drilling into the void between universes, a war fleet emerged from the portal with [[Last Light (ship)|a duplicate]] ''Lost Light'' flying point. Its captain then called Magnus and Rodimus, revealing himself to be Megatron. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 3): Farsickness|Farsickness}}

[[File:TheReturnOfTheKing MagnusMegatronReunite.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.8]]
Though the Autobot duo thought Megatron was invading the universe once more, that theory was soon disproven when the [[Functionist Universe]]'s Cybertron itself appeared, now cast in the likeness of Primus and controlled by the [[Functionist Council]]. After he'd shaken off the [[Functionary]] ships, Megatron flew to the [[Worldsweeper]] and caused a hull breach to free his friends. While the Architect managed to seal the hull breach, Magnus was brought aboard the ''Last Light'' where Megatron brought them up to speed on the Council's plans. When the [[Epistemus|Magnificence]] opined that they destroy "Primus", Megatron overruled it on the basis that "Primus" was inhabited. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 4): The Return of the King|The Return of the King}}

[[File:LL24 Magnus Explodes.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5]]
Once Rodimus' group had freed themselves, and brought news that ''Rung'' was the ''real'' Primus, everyone met on the ''Lost Light'' to compare notes. It was decided that Rung would manufacture twelve duplicates of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] and their energy would be unleashed on every one of Functionist Cybertron's [[hot spot (phenomenon)|hot spots]] to overload [[Vector Sigma]]. At this, the Omega Guardians, speaking from the [[Higher Realms]] via the Magnificence, flew into an unholy rage and demanded that the false "Primus" be destroyed so that they could return. That problem was quickly handled however by [[Nickel]] crushing the Magnificence. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}} Magnus was given a Matrix and he and Whirl were sent to the hot spot at [[Mesmerica]], quickly being surrounded by Functionist soldiers. Magnus was unable to open the Matrix and distracted as he was, was hit by a Functionary's missile, knocking him out of both layers of his armor. With Minimus Ambus now unconscious, Whirl managed to open the Matrix and ultimately, the Functionists were defeated. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|A Spark Among Embers}}

[[File:LL25 MagnusToast.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left]]
As the crew took stock, [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] arrived to inspect "New Cybertron" before declaring that, since the [[Knights of Cybertron]] didn't exist, Megatron would once again have to stand trial, this time with the [[Galactic Council]] presiding. Over Rodimus's protests, Megatron agreed to go quietly but was nonetheless allowed to join the ''Lost Light'' for one last "victory lap" cruise. As the crew prepared to quantum jump home, the science team proposed the risky gamble of recreating the malfunctioning launch, thereby quantum duplicating themselves before then shunting the duplicates into a parallel universe to ensure that the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s adventures would never truly end. When the time to jump came, the crew simply wound up back on Cybertron.

As they all settled into ''Swerve's'' for a last drink, Magnus recited his favorite poem, Afterlight, which Megatron revealed to have written under a pseudonym. Adding that it was Impactor's favorite too, Megatron lamented that he'd wasted his life. Not wanting to leave it at that, Magnus gave a toast to all the friendships and bonds they'd forged... before construction cranes killed the moment and began disassembling the ship.

[[File:LL25 MagnusMegatronFarewell.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|Now kiss.]]
When Megatron was tried again, Magnus again acted as his defense orator. As the jury debated between infinite imprisonment and outright execution, Magnus allowed Rodimus and Megatron to have one last discussion, with Megatron revealing he'd always held onto his [[Rodimus Star]], before they were called back to the sentencing chamber. On their way, Minimus revealed he was going to follow Megatron's advice and destroy the [[Magnus Armor]].

Following through on his words, Minimus Ambus dedicated his life to helping bring the [[Lunarian]]s, the generation born on Luna 1's hot spot, to term, never quite getting around to finishing ''Terms of Peace''. Years later, when Ratchet had passed, Minimus had overseen the rearing of half the new generation.

And far away, in some distant corner of the multiverse, the duplicate ''Lost Light'' materialized, ready to set sail for an infinity of new adventures. {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}
{{--}}

==Prevenge==
{{voiceactor|[[Jack Angel]] (English)}}
Ultra Magnus was lecturing Tailgate on the Autobot Code when he was suddenly transported away from the ''Lost Light'' through a trans-dimensional portal. He found himself in a metal corridor, accompanied by a reverse-polarity [[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]]. The recordicon's speech mannerisms soon began to annoy Ultra Magnus, but "thankfully," auto-cannons popped out from the corridor, giving Ultra Magnus something to blast. The two of them made their way through the labyrinth they found themselves in, eventually meeting with six other abductees from different universes: [[Blades (RB)|Blades]], [[Sonar (BW)|Sonar]], [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]], [[Ironhide (RID)|Ironhide]], [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]], and [[Sureshock (Armada)|Sureshock]]. Despite Sureshock's protests, Ultra Magnus established himself as being in charge, stating that it was his business to be the ranking officer in any given situation.

A menacing voice then made itself heard, saying that it was responsible for bringing everyone together inside its death trap. After rather embarrassingly unleashing a sick and rusted [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]] against the group, the voice commanded the lot to fight one another to the death. The group (for the most part) refused, and forced the [[Skuxxoid]] to reveal himself as the architect behind the whole plot. The villain was disposed of in short order, leaving the abductees to devise a way to get themselves back home. Sonar suggested that since the place they were in was governed inherently ridiculous laws, an equally ridiculous solution was called for. Ultra Magnus went along with the idea, despite it going against everything he held dear in life. The group settled on all laughing together, as characters in a cheesy cartoon are prone to do when an episode comes to an end. Surprisingly enough, this worked, and Ultra Magnus found himself on the Lost Light once more. Shaken by his adventure, he made Tailgate promise to never speak of what had just happened, and dismissed him from his lessons for the day. {{storylink|Prevenge}}

==Notes==
*Magnus here is very different to the previous G1 takes. [[Simon Furman]] stated this was out of his 2005-2006 desire to be different and not repeat things; rather than be uncertain of his role as he was in [[Marvel Comics]], this character would be utterly certain and unwavering.<ref>[http://insidepulse.com/2006/08/04/50140/ Comics Nexus: "Caught in the Nexus: Simon Furman"]</ref>
*Furman spent some time teasing an Ultra Magnus/[[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] fight in homage to the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel UK]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''Transformers'' comic]], but had abandoned it by the time he wrote ''Revelation''.<ref>[http://simonfurman.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/its-qa-time-again/ IT’S Q&A TIME AGAIN! | simon furman] ''
''20. You previously mentioned that we’d see Ultra Magnus vs Galvatron. Is this still going to happen?
SF) This was where my plans for Revelation/Expansion really did change, and not just because of the shift in format. Originally, I really wanted to have an Ultra Magnus/Galvatron smackdown in the tradition of the one from Target: 2006, but once I'd arranged all the players in Revelation I realised it just wasn’t going to work.</ref>
*Ultra Magnus was one of the characters whom both [[James Roberts]] and [[John Barber]] wanted for their respective books.<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=309188#309188 James Roberts:] As for the divvying up, we both started off with two or three characters that had been dictated – actually, that’s the wrong word – by IDW editorial, then came up with a core cast wish list. There were only a few clashes. I would have liked Prowl and Wheeljack and I think John would have liked Magnus and Ratchet. We compromised.</ref>
*Optimus Prime's unnamed Senator friend wandered around the "[[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Shadowplay]]" 3-parter in not only a Magnus-style design, but in Ultra Magnus' colours. This was deliberate, making us believe that this was going to be the origin of Ultra Magnus rather than the origin of [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]].<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-comics-discussion/716601-transformers-more-than-meets-eye-11-discussion-spoilers-29.html#post8649838 Forum post by Alex Milne]</ref>
[[File:Ultra Magnus alt-Alex Milne-MtMtE.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*James Roberts had carefully seeded some clues of Ultra Magnus's true identities in issues of ''More Than Meets The Eye'':
**In "[[Interiors]]", Skids mentions that Magnus used to do wisecracks.
**In the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 annual]], he prescriptively describes himself using the third person. Twice.
**Magnus refers to Tyrest giving him everything he wanted in "[[Cybertronian Homesick Blues]]".
**The fatal damage done to Magnus in "[[Under Cold Blue Stars]]", the damage First Aid says can't be fixed? It's exactly the same type of damage First Aid says Magnus survived once before in "[[Before & After]]".
**Flashbacks in "[[The Gloaming]]" showed Ultra Magnus dirty, with a crooked badge, and wise-cracking, all things his present self could never do, and each flashback ended with damage that Magnus would be really lucky to survive.
*Tragically, Ultra Magnus is the best hugger on the ''Lost Light''.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Until I contradict myself: yes.|link=https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/799406382181220353|name=James Roberts|site=Twitter|year=2016|month=11|day=18|(defunct=)}}</ref>
*The idea of the lineage of loadbearers is a reinvention of the original idea of the Magnus armor, used in the G1 toy and Dreamwave, where Magnus was a single normal-size robot who wore armor.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:IDW (2005) Autobots]]
[[Category:Law enforcement]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Point One Percenters]]

Toy scalping

2025-12-02T22:19:44Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /* External links */

[[File:Jazzscalper.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"I'm just trying to help out a few fellow fans!"]]
'''Scalping''', in the context of toy collecting, refers to the practice of deliberately buying multiples of the same (usually "rare" or "popular", oftentimes both) toy with the intention of creating an artificial scarcity. Subsequently, the ''scalper'' will sell the toys again (usually on [[eBay]]), for a price much higher than the original store price, knowing that the high demand, coupled with the rarity of the toy (which is at least in part due to the scalping), will result in buyers being desperate enough to pay the prices the scalper asks for. In essence, scalpers are scum.

== Origin of the term ==
The term "scalping" in its original sense refers to the practice of removing the scalp of a human being, usually a defeated enemy, to claim it as a trophy. Later, the term would also be adopted to refer to a {{w|Scalping (trading)|practice of market manipulation}} in the context of trading in securities and commodities, not completely unlike what ''toy'' scalpers do. "Scalping" is also sometimes used to describe the practice of {{w|ticket resale|ticket reselling}}, which is very much like toy scalping.

== How scalpers work ==
Being a scalper means having a good advance feeling for which toys will become popular and ship in [[Shortpacking|low enough numbers]] to make scalping actually a profitable business. Nothing is more annoying for a scalper than buying several dozen ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' [[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys#Alternators|Sunstreaker]] toys and then finding out that Hasbro just sent another huge shipment of the same toy to stores. Obviously, it's hard to sell a toy for $50 on eBay when the same toy is [[Shelfwarmer|warming shelves]] at [[Walmart]] stores that offer it for $20.

Many scalpers actually arrange their daily time schedules around their scalping activities. They know when a truck will arrive bringing in new stuff, and then take all the "hot" toys straight out of the case. As a result, many of those toys never even end up on the store shelf (or the peg) to begin with, hence making it outright impossible for normal customers to "compete" with the scalpers (e.g. purchasing the desired toys at the store). Some scalpers are actually store employees themselves, which helps their cause even more.

== Scalping in other countries ==
Scalping toys is not limited to North America, apparently. Reports from Far Eastern Asia, where toy collecting is also a popular hobby in many countries, seem to suggest that the problem might actually be even ''worse'' there than it is in the USA. On the other hand, there is no substantial evidence that indicates that systematic scalping is a common practice in Europe beyond a few individuals. Some countries' legal restrictions for "private" selling of unopened goods in large quantities might be responsible to some degree.

Some particularly tech-savvy scalpers employ bots (programs run often in large numbers for the purpose of doing one specific action over and over again) to buy up online supplies of popular toys before actual people have a chance to get to them.

== External links ==
*[http://www.alteredstatesmag.com/mar2000/columns/dvd_scalping.shtml Essay about the problems of toy scalping at Altered Stages Magazine]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20100110094743/http://www.articulateddiscussion.com/post/Scalped!-Interview-with-the-Enemy.aspx Interview with two toy scalpers at Articulated Discussion]
*<s>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=89528 First hand account of an encounter with highly organized scalpers]</s> (This now leads to a page that no longer exists)

[[Category:Fan terminology]]
[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Toys]]

Talk:Toy scalping

2025-12-02T22:16:10Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /* Broken Link */

Is it considered scalping if a kitbasher buys mutiple voyager fallens to make "leader" sized fallens to sell on ebay?[[User:TOM|TOM]] 14:55, 8 July 2010 (EDT)
:No, that's something else.--[[User:Jimsorenson|Jimsorenson]] 14:59, 8 July 2010 (EDT)

== Is toy scalping real? ==

Proposed addition:

There's some question about whether toy scalping is a real problem, or just a perceived one. The four largest American toy retailers (Toys R Us, Walmart, Target, and Kmart) have approximately 6000 stores between them in the US (not counting the many other places Transformers are sold). To produce an artificial national scarcity of a popular toy would therefore require a large and coordinated organization. No such organization is known to exist. Since scalping is not specifically illegal (or likely to attract police attention even where it's a gray area), said organization wouldn't have any need for strict secrecy, and therefore the simplest explanation for why it's not known to exist, is because it doesn't. While there are certainly scalpers producing ''local'' shortages, any ''widespread'' scarcity of a popular toy is probably because the toy is ''popular.''
[[User:JW|JW]] 16:05, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:I'm not sure why you feel this is a needed addition. I don't see any indication in the article that scalpers are organized. That said, your statements are probably true. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 17:12, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:: The article currently says that scalpers intend to drive the eBay prices of items up by producing scarcity. That would require a ''nationwide'' (if not international) scarcity, not just local. They'd have to be organized. [[User:JW|JW]] 20:12, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:::I took that to mean that they would drive the price of their own auctions up because people in their area would be forced to order the item online. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 20:56, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
::::The thing is that scalping usually happens with toys that are "rare" to begin with, and thus only released at a fraction of those 6000 stores nationwide.--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] 19:09, 8 June 2011 (EDT)

== Broken Link ==
I've noticed that one of external links ([https://www.allspark.com/home/forums/index.php?showtopic=89528 this one]) now leads to a page that no longer exists. Is there any reason for this link to continue to be here? --[[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] 17:24, 21 August 2025 (EST)

:I've just left a message next to the link saying it no longer works, it would be appreciated if someone could tell me if this is okay [[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] 17:09, 2 December 2025 (EST)

Talk:Toy scalping

2025-12-02T22:11:09Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /* Broken Link */

Is it considered scalping if a kitbasher buys mutiple voyager fallens to make "leader" sized fallens to sell on ebay?[[User:TOM|TOM]] 14:55, 8 July 2010 (EDT)
:No, that's something else.--[[User:Jimsorenson|Jimsorenson]] 14:59, 8 July 2010 (EDT)

== Is toy scalping real? ==

Proposed addition:

There's some question about whether toy scalping is a real problem, or just a perceived one. The four largest American toy retailers (Toys R Us, Walmart, Target, and Kmart) have approximately 6000 stores between them in the US (not counting the many other places Transformers are sold). To produce an artificial national scarcity of a popular toy would therefore require a large and coordinated organization. No such organization is known to exist. Since scalping is not specifically illegal (or likely to attract police attention even where it's a gray area), said organization wouldn't have any need for strict secrecy, and therefore the simplest explanation for why it's not known to exist, is because it doesn't. While there are certainly scalpers producing ''local'' shortages, any ''widespread'' scarcity of a popular toy is probably because the toy is ''popular.''
[[User:JW|JW]] 16:05, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:I'm not sure why you feel this is a needed addition. I don't see any indication in the article that scalpers are organized. That said, your statements are probably true. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 17:12, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:: The article currently says that scalpers intend to drive the eBay prices of items up by producing scarcity. That would require a ''nationwide'' (if not international) scarcity, not just local. They'd have to be organized. [[User:JW|JW]] 20:12, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:::I took that to mean that they would drive the price of their own auctions up because people in their area would be forced to order the item online. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 20:56, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
::::The thing is that scalping usually happens with toys that are "rare" to begin with, and thus only released at a fraction of those 6000 stores nationwide.--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] 19:09, 8 June 2011 (EDT)

== Broken Link ==
I've noticed that one of external links ([https://www.allspark.com/home/forums/index.php?showtopic=89528 this one]) now leads to a page that no longer exists. Is there any reason for this link to continue to be here? --[[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] 3:24, 21 August 2025 (MST)

:I've just left a message next to the link saying it no longer works, it would be appreciated if someone could tell me if this is okay [[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] 17:09, 2 December 2025 (EST)

Talk:Toy scalping

2025-12-02T22:10:40Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /* Broken Link */

Is it considered scalping if a kitbasher buys mutiple voyager fallens to make "leader" sized fallens to sell on ebay?[[User:TOM|TOM]] 14:55, 8 July 2010 (EDT)
:No, that's something else.--[[User:Jimsorenson|Jimsorenson]] 14:59, 8 July 2010 (EDT)

== Is toy scalping real? ==

Proposed addition:

There's some question about whether toy scalping is a real problem, or just a perceived one. The four largest American toy retailers (Toys R Us, Walmart, Target, and Kmart) have approximately 6000 stores between them in the US (not counting the many other places Transformers are sold). To produce an artificial national scarcity of a popular toy would therefore require a large and coordinated organization. No such organization is known to exist. Since scalping is not specifically illegal (or likely to attract police attention even where it's a gray area), said organization wouldn't have any need for strict secrecy, and therefore the simplest explanation for why it's not known to exist, is because it doesn't. While there are certainly scalpers producing ''local'' shortages, any ''widespread'' scarcity of a popular toy is probably because the toy is ''popular.''
[[User:JW|JW]] 16:05, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:I'm not sure why you feel this is a needed addition. I don't see any indication in the article that scalpers are organized. That said, your statements are probably true. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 17:12, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:: The article currently says that scalpers intend to drive the eBay prices of items up by producing scarcity. That would require a ''nationwide'' (if not international) scarcity, not just local. They'd have to be organized. [[User:JW|JW]] 20:12, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:::I took that to mean that they would drive the price of their own auctions up because people in their area would be forced to order the item online. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 20:56, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
::::The thing is that scalping usually happens with toys that are "rare" to begin with, and thus only released at a fraction of those 6000 stores nationwide.--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] 19:09, 8 June 2011 (EDT)

== Broken Link ==
I've noticed that one of external links ([https://www.allspark.com/home/forums/index.php?showtopic=89528 this one]) now leads to a page that no longer exists. Is there any reason for this link to continue to be here? --[[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] 3:24, 21 August 2025 (MST)

:I've just left a message next to the link saying it no longer works, it would be appreciated if someone could tell me if this is okay[[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] 17:09, 2 December 2025 (EST) 5:09, 2 December 2025 (EDT)

Talk:Toy scalping

2025-12-02T22:09:41Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /* Broken Link */

Is it considered scalping if a kitbasher buys mutiple voyager fallens to make "leader" sized fallens to sell on ebay?[[User:TOM|TOM]] 14:55, 8 July 2010 (EDT)
:No, that's something else.--[[User:Jimsorenson|Jimsorenson]] 14:59, 8 July 2010 (EDT)

== Is toy scalping real? ==

Proposed addition:

There's some question about whether toy scalping is a real problem, or just a perceived one. The four largest American toy retailers (Toys R Us, Walmart, Target, and Kmart) have approximately 6000 stores between them in the US (not counting the many other places Transformers are sold). To produce an artificial national scarcity of a popular toy would therefore require a large and coordinated organization. No such organization is known to exist. Since scalping is not specifically illegal (or likely to attract police attention even where it's a gray area), said organization wouldn't have any need for strict secrecy, and therefore the simplest explanation for why it's not known to exist, is because it doesn't. While there are certainly scalpers producing ''local'' shortages, any ''widespread'' scarcity of a popular toy is probably because the toy is ''popular.''
[[User:JW|JW]] 16:05, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:I'm not sure why you feel this is a needed addition. I don't see any indication in the article that scalpers are organized. That said, your statements are probably true. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 17:12, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:: The article currently says that scalpers intend to drive the eBay prices of items up by producing scarcity. That would require a ''nationwide'' (if not international) scarcity, not just local. They'd have to be organized. [[User:JW|JW]] 20:12, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
:::I took that to mean that they would drive the price of their own auctions up because people in their area would be forced to order the item online. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 20:56, 13 October 2010 (EDT)
::::The thing is that scalping usually happens with toys that are "rare" to begin with, and thus only released at a fraction of those 6000 stores nationwide.--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] 19:09, 8 June 2011 (EDT)

== Broken Link ==
I've noticed that one of external links ([https://www.allspark.com/home/forums/index.php?showtopic=89528 this one]) now leads to a page that no longer exists. Is there any reason for this link to continue to be here? --[[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] 3:24, 21 August 2025 (MST)

:I've just left a message next to the link saying it no longer works, it would be appreciated if someone could tell me if this is okay[[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] ([[User talk:TheActualRealCosmos|talk]]) 17:09, 2 December 2025 (EST)[[User:TheActualRealCosmos|TheActualRealCosmos]] 5:09, 2 December 2025 (EDT)

Toy scalping

2025-12-02T22:06:47Z

TheActualRealCosmos: /* External links */ The third link on the page no longer works and has been marked as such

[[File:Jazzscalper.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"I'm just trying to help out a few fellow fans!"]]
'''Scalping''', in the context of toy collecting, refers to the practice of deliberately buying multiples of the same (usually "rare" or "popular", oftentimes both) toy with the intention of creating an artificial scarcity. Subsequently, the ''scalper'' will sell the toys again (usually on [[eBay]]), for a price much higher than the original store price, knowing that the high demand, coupled with the rarity of the toy (which is at least in part due to the scalping), will result in buyers being desperate enough to pay the prices the scalper asks for. In essence, scalpers are scum.

== Origin of the term ==
The term "scalping" in its original sense refers to the practice of removing the scalp of a human being, usually a defeated enemy, to claim it as a trophy. Later, the term would also be adopted to refer to a {{w|Scalping (trading)|practice of market manipulation}} in the context of trading in securities and commodities, not completely unlike what ''toy'' scalpers do. "Scalping" is also sometimes used to describe the practice of {{w|ticket resale|ticket reselling}}, which is very much like toy scalping.

== How scalpers work ==
Being a scalper means having a good advance feeling for which toys will become popular and ship in [[Shortpacking|low enough numbers]] to make scalping actually a profitable business. Nothing is more annoying for a scalper than buying several dozen ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' [[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys#Alternators|Sunstreaker]] toys and then finding out that Hasbro just sent another huge shipment of the same toy to stores. Obviously, it's hard to sell a toy for $50 on eBay when the same toy is [[Shelfwarmer|warming shelves]] at [[Walmart]] stores that offer it for $20.

Many scalpers actually arrange their daily time schedules around their scalping activities. They know when a truck will arrive bringing in new stuff, and then take all the "hot" toys straight out of the case. As a result, many of those toys never even end up on the store shelf (or the peg) to begin with, hence making it outright impossible for normal customers to "compete" with the scalpers (e.g. purchasing the desired toys at the store). Some scalpers are actually store employees themselves, which helps their cause even more.

== Scalping in other countries ==
Scalping toys is not limited to North America, apparently. Reports from Far Eastern Asia, where toy collecting is also a popular hobby in many countries, seem to suggest that the problem might actually be even ''worse'' there than it is in the USA. On the other hand, there is no substantial evidence that indicates that systematic scalping is a common practice in Europe beyond a few individuals. Some countries' legal restrictions for "private" selling of unopened goods in large quantities might be responsible to some degree.

Some particularly tech-savvy scalpers employ bots (programs run often in large numbers for the purpose of doing one specific action over and over again) to buy up online supplies of popular toys before actual people have a chance to get to them.

== External links ==
*[http://www.alteredstatesmag.com/mar2000/columns/dvd_scalping.shtml Essay about the problems of toy scalping at Altered Stages Magazine]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20100110094743/http://www.articulateddiscussion.com/post/Scalped!-Interview-with-the-Enemy.aspx Interview with two toy scalpers at Articulated Discussion]
*[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=89528 First hand account of an encounter with highly organized scalpers] (This now leads to a page that no longer exists)

[[Category:Fan terminology]]
[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Toys]]

User:TheActualRealCosmos

2025-10-09T19:59:22Z

TheActualRealCosmos:

{{disambig3|Cosmos}}
:''This user is almost certainly '''not''' [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''.''
[[File:NowAndOnEarth-sameasiteverwas.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|This poor boy.]]

This user is definitely, 100% the real and actual Cosmos from the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon! Of course it's not a human sitting behind her computer, silly!...and definitely did not learn how to make this page by staring really hard at the code for [[User:ItsWalky|one of the admins']] user page... 

Apologies if I make a mistake somewhere on this website, I'm not quite entirely used to this format yet. Tell me if I make a mistake and I will gladly correct it (unless I believe it wasn't a mistake, in which case we can talk)

=='''Things I Love'''==
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|My son]]
*[[Bumblebee (film)|A film I think about often]]
*[[Defensor (G1)|This guy]]
*[[Soundwave (G1)|This other guy]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|This other other guy]]
*[[Blaster (G1)|This other other other guy]]
*The most [[Optimus Prime (G1)|basic choice]] known to man

== '''Things I'm Mad About''' ==
* [[Goldbug (disambiguation)|Son-but-not-my-son]]
* [[Bumblebee (G1) #Energon Universe|Hasbro killed my son]]
* [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|'''You.''']]
* [[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|A movie]] that should have been much better than it was

== '''Things I'm Probably Doing''' ==

* Reading fanfiction
* Writing fanfiction
* Drawing Fanart
* Eating Soup

=='''Things You Can Email Me For'''==
*
==Notes==
<references/>

2025-08-21T19:07:23Z

TheActualRealCosmos: Created page with "This user is definitely, 100% the real and actual Cosmos from the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon! Of course it's not a human sitting behind her computer, silly! ...Probabl..."