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The Transformers UK Compendium Volume 1

2026-05-14T22:35:03Z

WinningYellow: noting the inclusion of the rest of Ancient Relics

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers Compendium]]''
|next=The Transformers UK Compendium Volume 2
|image=TF UK Compendium 1.jpg
|caption=Why does Cyclonus look like Scourge just ripped a nasty fart?
|title=''The Transformers UK Compendium Volume 1''
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[February 25]], [[2026]]
|writers=[[Steve Parkhouse]], [[Simon Furman]], [[James Hill]], [[Mike Collins]], [[Barry Kitson]], [[Ian Mennell]], [[Wilf Prigmore]], [[Jamie Delano]], [[Ian Rimmer]]
|pencils=[[John Ridgway]], Mike Collins, [[John Stokes]], Barry Kitson, [[Will Simpson]], [[Geoff Senior]], [[David Hine|Dave Hine]], [[Jeff Anderson]], [[Ron Smith]], [[Martin Griffiths]], [[Dan Reed]], [[Stephen Baskerville]]
|inks=John Ridgway, Mike Collins, Jeff Anderson, John Stokes, Barry Kitson, [[Mark Farmer]], Will Simpson, Geoff Senior, [[Marc Griffiths]], [[Tim Perkins]], [[Andrew Leary]], Ron Smith, Dan Reed, Stephen Baskerville, [[Dave Harwood]], [[Dave Elliott]]
|colors=[[Josie Firmin]], [[Gina Hart]], [[John-Paul Bove]], [[Steve Whitaker]], [[Stuart Place]], [[John Burns]], Jeff Anderson, [[T.M. Cooks]], [[Tony Jozwiak]], [[Steve White]], [[Euan Peters]], [[Nick Abadzis]]
|letters=[[Richard Starkings]], [[John Aldrich]], [[Annie Halfacree]], [[Mike Scott]], [[Robin Riggs]]
|editors=[[Sheila Cranna]], Ian Rimmer
|collection editor=[[Sean Mackiewicz]]
|collection designer=[[Andres Juarez]]
|consultants=[[Jim Wilson]], [[Stuart Vivian]], [[Jonathan Chan]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
|pagecount=1064
|price=$64.99 USD
|ISBN=ISBN 1534330593 / ISBN 978-1534330597
}}

'''''The Transformers UK Compendium Volume 1''''', published by [[Skybound Entertainment]] in February [[2026]], is the first in a two-volume series intended to reprint the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original ''Transformers'' series]] from [[Marvel Comics]] published exclusively in the United Kingdom.

==Contents==
* [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' UK]] [[Man of Iron (issue)|#9]]–[[Raiders of the Last Ark|21]], [[Decepticon Dam-Busters!|#29]]–[[The Wrath of Grimlock!|32]], [[Christmas Breaker!|#41]]–[[Dinobot Hunt!|50]], [[Robot Buster!|#59]]–[[Second Generation!|65]], [[In the National Interest|#74]]–[[Target: 2006|88]], [[The Gift|#93]], [[Prey!|#96]]–[[Resurrection!|104]], [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|#113]]–[[Fire on High!|120]], [[Ancient Relics!|#125]] (as well as [[Action Force (comic)| '' Action Force '']] #24–27), [[Worlds Apart!|#131]]–[[Ladies' Night (issue)|138]], and [[Stargazing|#145]]. Whew!
* Stories from [[Transformers Annual|''The Transformers'' UK Annuals]] [[Transformers Annual 1985|1985]], [[Transformers Annual 1986|1986]], and [[Transformers Annual 1987|1987]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Compendium}}
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 comic compilations]]
[[Category:Skybound titles]]

The Transformers UK Compendium Volume 1

2026-05-14T22:07:59Z

WinningYellow: confirmed my copy has The Gift in it

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers Compendium]]''
|next=The Transformers UK Compendium Volume 2
|image=TF UK Compendium 1.jpg
|caption=Why does Cyclonus look like Scourge just ripped a nasty fart?
|title=''The Transformers UK Compendium Volume 1''
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[February 25]], [[2026]]
|writers=[[Steve Parkhouse]], [[Simon Furman]], [[James Hill]], [[Mike Collins]], [[Barry Kitson]], [[Ian Mennell]], [[Wilf Prigmore]], [[Jamie Delano]], [[Ian Rimmer]]
|pencils=[[John Ridgway]], Mike Collins, [[John Stokes]], Barry Kitson, [[Will Simpson]], [[Geoff Senior]], [[David Hine|Dave Hine]], [[Jeff Anderson]], [[Ron Smith]], [[Martin Griffiths]], [[Dan Reed]], [[Stephen Baskerville]]
|inks=John Ridgway, Mike Collins, Jeff Anderson, John Stokes, Barry Kitson, [[Mark Farmer]], Will Simpson, Geoff Senior, [[Marc Griffiths]], [[Tim Perkins]], [[Andrew Leary]], Ron Smith, Dan Reed, Stephen Baskerville, [[Dave Harwood]], [[Dave Elliott]]
|colors=[[Josie Firmin]], [[Gina Hart]], [[John-Paul Bove]], [[Steve Whitaker]], [[Stuart Place]], [[John Burns]], Jeff Anderson, [[T.M. Cooks]], [[Tony Jozwiak]], [[Steve White]], [[Euan Peters]], [[Nick Abadzis]]
|letters=[[Richard Starkings]], [[John Aldrich]], [[Annie Halfacree]], [[Mike Scott]], [[Robin Riggs]]
|editors=[[Sheila Cranna]], Ian Rimmer
|collection editor=[[Sean Mackiewicz]]
|collection designer=[[Andres Juarez]]
|consultants=[[Jim Wilson]], [[Stuart Vivian]], [[Jonathan Chan]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
|pagecount=1064
|price=$64.99 USD
|ISBN=ISBN 1534330593 / ISBN 978-1534330597
}}

'''''The Transformers UK Compendium Volume 1''''', published by [[Skybound Entertainment]] in February [[2026]], is the first in a two-volume series intended to reprint the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original ''Transformers'' series]] from [[Marvel Comics]] published exclusively in the United Kingdom.

==Contents==
* [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' UK]] [[Man of Iron (issue)|#9]]–[[Raiders of the Last Ark|21]], [[Decepticon Dam-Busters!|#29]]–[[The Wrath of Grimlock!|32]], [[Christmas Breaker!|#41]]–[[Dinobot Hunt!|50]], [[Robot Buster!|#59]]–[[Second Generation!|65]], [[In the National Interest|#74]]–[[Target: 2006|88]], [[The Gift|#93]], [[Prey!|#96]]–[[Resurrection!|104]], [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|#113]]–[[Fire on High!|120]], [[Ancient Relics!|#125]], [[Worlds Apart!|#131]]–[[Ladies' Night (issue)|138]], and [[Stargazing|#145]]. Whew!
* Stories from [[Transformers Annual|''The Transformers'' UK Annuals]] [[Transformers Annual 1985|1985]], [[Transformers Annual 1986|1986]], and [[Transformers Annual 1987|1987]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Compendium}}
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 comic compilations]]
[[Category:Skybound titles]]

The Transformers Compendium Volume 1

2026-03-04T20:12:07Z

WinningYellow:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers Compendium]]''
|next=The Transformers Compendium Volume 2
|image=TF Compendium 1.jpg
|title=''The Transformers Compendium Volume 1''
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[May 28]], [[2025]]
|writer=[[Bill Mantlo]], [[Ralph Macchio]], [[Jim Salicrup]], [[Bob Budiansky]], [[Len Kaminski]], [[Steve Parkhouse]]
|pencils=[[Frank Springer]], [[Alan Kupperberg]], [[William Johnson]], [[Mike Manley]], [[Ricardo Villamonte]], [[Herb Trimpe]], [[Don Perlin]], [[Graham Nolan]], [[Eliot Brown|Eliot R. Brown]], [[John Ridgway]], [[Mike Collins]], [[José Delbo]]
|inks=[[Kim DeMulder]], [[Mike Esposito]], [[Ian Akin]], [[Brian Garvey]], Alan Kupperberg, [[Kyle Baker]], [[Brad Joyce]], [[Tom Palmer]], [[Al Gordon]], [[Keith Williams]], [[Tom Morgan]], Eliot R. Brown, [[Vince Colletta]], [[Brett Breeding]], [[Jim Fern]], John Ridgway, Mike Collins, [[Dave Hunt]], [[Danny Bulanadi]], [[Don Hudson]], [[Dave Elliott]]
|colors=[[Nelson Yomtov|Nel Yomtov]], [[Gina Hart]]
|letters=[[Michael Higgins]], [[Rick Parker]], [[Janice Chiang]], [[John Workman]], [[Diana Albers]], [[Bill Oakley]], [[Jack Morelli]], [[Pat Brosseau]], [[Kurt Hathaway]]
|editor=[[Bob Budiansky]], [[Christopher J. Priest|Christopher Priest]], [[Michael Carlin|Mike Carlin]], [[Don Daley]], [[Sheila Cranna]]
|collection editor=[[Sean Mackiewicz]]
|collection designer=[[Andres Juarez]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
|pagecount=1208
|price=$64.99 USD
|ISBN=ISBN 1534373675 / ISBN 978-1534373679
}}

'''''The Transformers Compendium Volume 1''''', published by [[Skybound Entertainment]] in May [[2025]], is the first in a two-volume series intended to reprint the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|original ''Transformers'' series]] from [[Marvel Comics]].

A hardcover version of the book, under the alternate title '''''The Transformers Complete US Edition Compendium 1''''', was produced as part of Skybound's crowdfunded hardcover compendium line and released in December 2025.

==Contents==
* ''[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|The Transformers]]'' [[The Transformers (issue)|#1]]–[[Toy Soldiers!|37]]
* ''[[The Transformers: Headmasters]]'' [[Ring of Hate!|#1]]–[[Brothers in Armor!!|4]]
* ''The Transformers'' [[Trial by Fire!|#38]]–[[Ca$h and Car-nage!|46]]

==Covers==
* '''Trade paperback (standard cover):''' Autobots with Seekers overhead, by [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] & [[Mike Spicer]].
* '''Trade paperback (direct market exclusive):''' ''The Transformers'' #1 cover art, by [[Bill Sienkiewicz]].
* '''Trade paperback (DCBS exclusive):''' Decepticon version of ''The Transformers'' #1 cover art, by [[Christian Ward]].
* '''Trade paperback (GameStop exclusive):''' ''The Transformers'' [[The New Order|#5]] cover art, by [[Mark Bright]].
* '''Hardcover:''' Megatron, from ''[[The Transformers Universe (Marvel)|The Transformers Universe]]'' #2 cover art by [[Herb Trimpe]], [[Ian Akin]] & [[Brian Garvey]].
<gallery>
File:TF Compendium 1.jpg
File:TF Compendium 1 DM Cover.jpg
File:TF Compendium 1 DCBS Cover.jpg
File:TF Compendium 1 GameStop Cover.jpg
File:TF Complete US Compendium 1.jpg
</gallery>

[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 comic compilations]]

Little Victories

2025-12-18T21:40:18Z

WinningYellow:

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=22
|prev=More than Meets the Eye issue 21
|next=Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2
|seriesissue2=''[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron Prelude]]''
|prev2=Soundwaves (issue)
|next2=Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1
|image=MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg
|title="Little Victories" A film by Rewind of Lower Petrohex
|caption=What a guy!
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 9]], [[2013]] (iBooks) [[October 16]], [[2013]] (print)
|coverdate=October 2013
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[James Raiz]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline|Current era (2013)]]
}}
'''Rewind's recordings become a movie that charts the crew's adventures, including an intrusion into another robotic civil war, the mystery of Rung's alternate mode, and a visit from one of the greatest Autobots around!'''

==Synopsis==
In a series of brief talking-head segments, the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' introduce themselves to the audience as a set of title cards appear between soundbytes: "Little Victories: A film by [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] of [[Lower Petrohex]]". After everyone has given their names, Rewind turns his camera around to introduce his film, created at [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, through a combination of his perpetual recordings of the goings-on on the ship and footage from the many security cameras installed on the vessel by [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]. To begin the movie proper, we see Rodimus requesting its filming, followed by a candid clip of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] expressing some concern at potentially looking ridiculous as a result of questionable editing decisions. Rodimus gives him permission to censor the finished product if necessary, and blacked-out sections of the film prove he wasn't shy about it.

While lounging around in the ship's [[oil]] reservoir, Rewind, [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]], and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] talk about the cool [[alternate mode]]s of their teammates, and the conversation turns to the mystery of what [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] turns into. Swerve wagers a hundred [[Shanix]] to the first person to figure it out, and starts trying by "accidentally" clonking him on the head in hopes of automatically triggering a transformation. Talking-head clips of Tailgate and Swerve reflecting on their wager turn to talk of hobbies, a topic that Rewind gets [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] to weigh in on; the theoretician lists "meeting new people", and recalls an encounter on [[Hedonia]]...

[[File:Littlevictories-happynow.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6|One day, [[army-building]] went too far.]]
The film shifts to Hedonia, some time beforehand, and shows Skids and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] meeting the [[Ammonite]]s, a race of mechanical beings engaged in a civil war with their enemies the [[Terradore]]s. Whirl disparages their conflict in comparison with the Transformers' own, but it soon becomes apparent that the Ammonites trump the Cybertronians at every turn: their war has lasted ''sixteen'' million years rather than four, they have ten-changing "Decabots" instead of just [[Six Changer]]s, and while the Transformers are still trying to master [[Combiner]] technology, the Ammonites are ''all'' interchangeable combiners, and prove it by separating into their diminutive component 'bots. The two 'bots are enjoying a drink with their new rivals when a patron alerts the barman to the arrival of a huge Terradorian cruiser. As the Ammonites panic, Whirl strides outside and, with Skids looking on, quickly and easily murders the Terradore leader [[Imperius Drax]], smugly informing his new "friends" that ''that'' is how it's done.

[[File:LittleVictories-Thunderclash.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"I'm sorry Mellie, I don't fraternize with the staff."]]
Another talking-head segment follows, as Rewind asks each crew-member if they are "happy", to a variety of positive, confused, suspicious and veiled answers. A short scene of Tailgate trying and failing to trick Rung into transforming with an "alt-mode party" comes next, after which the movie shows Rodimus arriving in the ''Lost Light'' communication suite wearing a makeshift "[[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]" helmet made from a bucket for a theme night as [[Swerve's]]. [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] informs him that they have received a message from [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], captain of the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'', who is quickly proven by another series of soundbytes from the crew to be one of the most popular, awesome, super-cool and handsome Autobots in the whole entire universe. Rodimus, however, is not a fan, and an extremely passive-aggressive exchange of pleasantries follows as Thunderclash comes aboard with his first officer [[Paddox]]. Rodimus tries to show off his crew, but Thunderclash knows them all well: he actually gets a ''hug'' from Ultra Magnus when he compliments his writings on "the relationship between typograpy and military justice", he impresses [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] by respecting [[Spectralism|his religion]] with an appropriate greeting, and he turns out to be old friends from medical school with [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]]. Rodimus ''just about'' holds himself together through all of this, but explodes when Thunderclash reveals that ''he'' is on a quest for the [[Knights of Cybertron]] too! He angrily demands to know what Thunderclash wants, and the film cuts away to segments from Ratchet and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that explain that the ''Vis Vitalis'' is actually a huge, wireless life support machine that keeps the gravely-wounded Thunderclash alive, and that he has come to the ''Lost Light'' hoping for a ship-to-ship jumpstart to replenish his vessel's failing power supply.

[[File:Paddox little victories.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Stealing Cyclonus' lines? How fiendish!]]
A little later, Thunderclash walks [[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]] through how to use the [[quantum generator|quantum engines]] to accomplish the power-transfer, but just before the process is activated, Paddox suddenly pulls a gun on Thunderclash, revealing himself to be an Ammonite deep-cover agent! The Ammonites, it turns out, are actually the ''bad guys'' in their war, and following Whirl's assassination of the Terradores' leader, all Ammonites have been recalled for a big push back against the extreme tactics of his successor—tactics that potentially include allying with the mysterious "[[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Dark Cyclops]]". "Paddox" intends to take the Autobots' quantum engines for the Ammonite war effort, but is abruptly taken out in the most unusual way possible: Swerve sneaks up and clobbers him over the head with... Rung in alternate mode. The film cuts away briefly for Rung to explain that even ''he'' doesn't know what his odd, cylindrical alternate mode is—he was classified as an "ornament" by the [[Functionist Council]]—then cuts back to Thunderclash thanking Rodimus for his efforts, and Rodimus quietly whispering to Rewind that he has begun to regret the candid nature of the movie...

[[File:MTMTE22 Rung's alternate mode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|In Search Of: What I Am.]]
''On [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], the [[Circle of Light]] boo the movie, which Skids is playing as part of a recruitment drive, hoping to get some of the Circle to join the ''Lost Light''. The Circle mock the movie and the entire ship's crew, accusing them all of being crazies and shirkers who never make any progress in their quest, and all leave, with some thinking of signing up with Thunderclash. Behind Skids, on the screen, the movie continues to roll on...''

A final talking-head segment sees Rewind ask each of the crewmembers what they hope is next for them. Some see the end in sight and some think the journey itself and the friends they've made are what it's all about, but Tailgate sums it up best when he says: "Who knows?" For the final scene of the movie, Rewind calls all his friends together for a group shot in Swerve's, not caring who stands where as along as everyone is together.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] (1)
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
* [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (3)
* [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (4)
* [[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] (6)
* [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (7)
* [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (9)
* [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] (10)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* [[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]] (11)
* [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (12)
* [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] (13)
* [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (14)
* [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] (15)
* [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]] (19)
* [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (20)
* [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (21)
{{!}}}
|c4=
* [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (5)
* [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]] (8)
* Assorted [[Ammonite]]s (16)
* [[16444/9]] (17)
* [[Mondo]] (18)
* [[Paddox]] (22)
* Multiple [[Circle of Light]] members (23)
}}

==Quotes==
"It's '''Whirl''', spelled: ''ker-klick! '''Choom!'''" 
:—'''Whirl''', on his own name

"So you think you're better at war than us? How long were you fighting?" 
"Four million years. You?" 
"Sixteen." 
"Sixteen years." 
"Sixteen million." 
<big>"'''Sixteen million years?!'''</big> Six-'''teen'''? That's ridiculous. That's a ridiculous number."
:—'''16444/9''' and '''Skids'''

"I once went toe-to-toe with a '''six-changer'''. Jet! Beast! Tank! Gun! '''And something else I can't remember!'''"
:—'''Whirl'''

''(Rodimus enters the communications room with a bucket on his head.)'' 
"I thought you didn't like hats." 
"'''Theme Night''' at Swerve's: 'People You'd Like to Punch.' I was a lone '''Megatron''' in a sea of '''Whirls'''."
:—'''Blaster''' and '''Rodimus'''

"What's the '''problem?''' Everyone on board the ''Lost Light'' is '''cracked in the head!'''" 
"Yeah, '''dysfunctional''' isn't the word! There isn't a '''normal''' 'bot among you!" 
"And that wouldn't be so bad if you actually '''made progress'''—but as far as I can make out, all you do is '''argue''', crack jokes, and get '''sidetracked''' doing pointless, silly things that only you find amusing!"
:—Various members of the '''Circle of Light''' get a bit meta on the comic. Er, the movie.

"In the future, I'd like to see a world without guns. Ha! No. Joking."
:—'''Brainstorm'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* The fact that Rewind was making a documentary about life on the ''Lost Light'' was revealed in [[Under Cold Blue Stars|issue #15]], in which [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] noted he was about to attend a screening of the rough cut. Obviously, this comic ''is'' that rough cut, since Rewind wasn't around to make any changes after that story was over.
* The scenes in the documentary take place over a wide span of time. The earliest takes place during issue #1, while the latest—consisting predominantly of Thunderclash's visit to the ship and a substantial number of the talking-head interview scenes—must occur in-between issues [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|#13]] (in which the crew visited Hedonia) and [[Remembrance Day|#14]]. The one present day scene, taking place outside the documentary, occurs between scenes in the [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|previous issue]], after Tyrest's defeat but before the ''Lost Light'' departs Luna-1.
* Ultra Magnus notes that he has received the [[Novic Medal for Outstanding Valor|Novic Medal]], presumably named in reference to the legendary Nova Prime (Tailgate, still lying about his history, claims to have earned ''seven''). It was previously mentioned in [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]]'s bio in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''.
* Rewind asks Magnus if he's received the [[Rodimus Star]], an accolade that hasn't appeared in the main ''More than Meets the Eye'' series itself, but which was introduced in ''[[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]]''.
* A number of moments from this issue were hinted at or even seen in previous issues, which took place later chronologically.
** Two of the panels in Rewind's farewell montage in issue [[The Gloaming|#16]] have their source in the events depicted this issue: Perceptor running out of his smoking lab (page 2, panel 5), from which dialogue was lifted directly, and Rung counting his model collection (page 5, panel 7). Back in #16, the scene of the former had camera read-out text when none of the others did. Now we know why.
** In issue [[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|#19]], Tyrest brings up Ultra Magnus hugging someone.
** In issue #21, Magnus talks about Rodimus's immature reaction to a "Thunder--."
* Swerve claims to have been playing hand-grenade tag with [[Waverider]], a pastime for which the latter was put in the brig just prior to issue #13.
* The Raging Prism was mentioned back in #13, where some of the characters talked about visiting its "Temple" on Hedonia. It makes sense, then, that a Hedonian resident would make reference to it.
* One of the Ammonites exclaims, "By the Great Shattering." According to the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|Annual]], something called the Shattering caused the formation of the Galactic Council. And since we learn this issue that the Council formed in response to the Ammonite-Terradore war... Ta-da, it all adds up!
* The six-changer Whirl is referring is clearly [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]]. He lists Sixshot's alternate modes, excluding the armored car mode that's never seen used in the IDW continuity.
* When asked if he's happy, Brainstorm rather ominously replies "''Soon. Not yet. Soon.''" This would be expanded on in [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|issue #38]].
* For the first time, we have in-story acknowledgment that Tailgate and Rung are from the same era, confirming that the former's reference to Rungian analysis in issue #1 was no error.
* Tailgate's altmode appears for the first time, indicating that his t-cog had not yet succumbed to [[cybercrosis]]. Interestingly, it is a Cybertronic version of his original toy (including T-tops!), rather than his upcoming ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' release.
* Upon seeing Rodimus's "Megatron" costume (a bucket on his head), Blaster remarks on his captain's dislike for hats, which was introduced in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 annual]].
* Tailgate's statement that he wants to hate Thunderclash is a reference to his tendency to resent 'bots of greatness, previously seen in his attitudes toward Dominus Ambus and pre-insanity Tyrest.
* Back in issue #16, Chromedome pointed out a constellation he and Rewind had dubbed the "Vis Vitalis". Given that this term refers to something decidedly non-physical (see real-life references, below), we can probably assume that the stars made a picture of Thunderclash's ship.
* Continuing the running joke of people getting his name wrong, Rung's old ID card spells his name R-O-N-G.
* Chromedome finally learns to make the sound "pfft", having struggled to do so for ''four million years'' across issues [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|#9]] and [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|#11]].

===Transformers references===
* The Rung toy Swerve is trying to figure out on this issue's B cover comes with a set of [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]-style [[instructions]]. It has articulated eyebrows and a "listening mode"!
* Swerve tries to make Rung reflexively transform by striking his [[neural cluster]], a weak spot on Transformers mentioned in the Marvel UK story "[[Fire on High!]]".
* The Ammonites and Terradores are designated "Evil" and "Heroic", just like the "Heroic Autobots" and "Evil Decepticons" in classic Transformers marketing.
* Rodimus wearing a bucket as Megatron is a reference to Megatron's in- and out of-universe nickname "Buckethead".

===Real-life references===
* The title of this issue appears in white Windsor typeface on a plain black background, in homage to the [http://fontsinuse.com/uses/2147/woody-allen-film-titles-1977-2012 title cards] of many {{w|Woody Allen}} films. It also uses Allen's trademark quotation marks.
* The panels "censored" by Ultra Magnus, meanwhile, use a font for their captions based on that used in the TV series ''{{w|Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development}}'', of which James Roberts is an avowed fan.
* The "Vis Vitalis" is a classical alchemical principle that proposes the existence of "life force" possessed by living creatures.
* On page 8, an insectoid alien calls the bartender "Mondo", a reference to {{w|mondo film}}s. Roberts thought we wouldn't get it, but we did!
* Probably hardly worth mentioning by this point, but one of the cameras is numbered [[113 (disambiguation)|113]].

===Trivia===
* Because this issue was written to be packed in with the ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class [[Skids (G1)#Generations|Autobot Skids]] toy, it had to be written ''well'' in advance, before even #16 was penned, hence its standalone, not-too-continuity-heavy nature.
* The digital version of this issue was inadvertently released a week early through iBooks. It wasn't taken down, but nobody really noticed until a few days before its print release.
* This issue is labelled as a "[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron]]" prelude, and has a redesigned inside front cover to go along with this branding.
* This issue's visiting guest Autobot has his named spelled "Thunder Clash" on the cover, as it was on his original toy, but as "Thunderclash" in the story itself, as pretty much every [[Thunderclash (disambiguation)|other use of the name]] is.
* According to Roberts's annotated script, an earlier concept for this issue would have visited the ''Vis Vitalis'', where it would have been revealed that the entire crew was perfect and every ''Lost Light'' crew member would have had a direct and idealized counterpart.
* No "Meet the Crew" feature is included this issue, but then, the first two pages of the story cover that all pretty well themselves!
* A [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sjk4t3 deleted scene] from this issue featured Ratchet pulling a prank on Drift by claiming that [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]'s hands were haunted, punching people of their own accord. The scene was later [http://dcjosh.tumblr.com/post/107665292031/its-done-the-mtmte-22-deleted-scene-in-all-its illustrated] by [[Josh Burcham]].

===Edits===
* The version of this comic available with the ''Generations'' Deluxe Class Autobot Skids toy is identified as "The Transformers: Skids" on the inside cover, rather than "''The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye'' #22".
* In addition, there are several differences between the original release of this issue (which remained unchanged for the trade paperback reprint except for one change noted under "errors") and the version packaged with Deluxe Skids:
** On page 1, several minor alterations to the dialogue, such as the removal of quotation marks around Skids's name, changing Rewind's line in panel 7 from "What is it, '''nerves'''?" (emphasis on "nerves") to "What is it? Nerves?" and merging Chromedome's lines "--calls me Chromedome." and "Even you." into a single speech bubble.
** On page 3, the first panel has the location and date "Cybertron, 18 months ago" added.
** On page 6, [[16444/9]]'s "accursed [[Terradore]]s" gets changed to "hated Terradores", and inexplicably, "take your pick" gets changed to "... what he said." Furthermore, Whirl's list of "vehicles, machinery, and weapons" loses the second comma.
** On page 18, Swerve's line "Wait. Look over there..." isn't immediately followed by Rung saying "We have to do something." Rather, Rung explicitly completes Swerve's ellipsis with "... is that Thunderclash with a gun to his head?"
** Brainstorm's dialogue on page 21 is completely altered, from "In the future, I'd like to see a world without guns. Ha! No. Joking." to "The future? No. No. No. You're looking in the wrong direction." [[The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|Issue 35]] provides an explanation for this initially rather odd-seeming line.
** Also on page 21, Rewind's dialogue is changed from "Group shot, everyone! Group shot! Everyone over here! Come on, chop chop! You too, Cyclonus... I don't care where everyone stands..." to "Group shot, group shot! Come on, come on! Everyone over here! And you, Cyclonus... I don't care where people stand..."

===Errors===
* Rewind is consistently drawn without the little red light on the side of his head.
* First Aid is drawn with two separate, bug-like optics instead of his conventional visor.
* Skids' "Take your pick" in the conversation with the Ammonites is missing punctuation.
* What little can be seen of Trailcutter's vehicle mode is noticeably off-model on page 11, resembling his traditional Earth pickup truck mode far more than it ought to.
* On page 17, panel 5, "actually" is misspelled "actaually"; this remained uncorrected in the TPB and the version packaged with the ''Generations'' Deluxe Class Autobot Skids figure.
* Back in issue 13, as the Autobots were departing Hedonia, Whirl remarked that they hadn't killed anybody, which this issue proves to be incorrect. The error was caught well in advance of the publication of this issue (since it was written so far ahead of time), and the offending line was removed from the trade paperback reprinting of issue #13.
* Tailgate's alt mode has an Autobrand, despite his never having undergone a true initiation.
* In one of the little "censored" panels, Ultra Magnus is referred to as the Duly ''Elected'' Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, instead of the usual Duly ''Appointed''.

===Crew manifest===
* No updates!

===Soundtrack===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB2TEElBU64 "End Credits"] by {{w|Jesse Hartman|Laptop}}<ref>{{citesocial|quote=MTMTE #22 (9th Oct) is a Dark Cybertron tie-in AND a coda to Season One. This happy-sad song fits the mood perfectly: http://t.co/eh35lxlMJV|link=https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/384812407022833664|name=James Roberts|site=Twitter|year=2013|month=09|day=30|(defunct=)}}</ref>
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3eM2R1aCKQ "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous"] by {{w|Frank Turner}}<ref>{{citesocial|quote=The other song for MTMTE #22, which in keeping with the issue aims to sum up the series (thus far) as a whole. http://t.co/9c1fNHoCbB|link=https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/384816775415611392|name=James Roberts|site=Twitter|year=2013|month=09|day=30|(defunct=)}}</ref>
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YMYC0pS4Ws "Goodnight Kiss"] by {{w|Black Box Recorder}}<ref>{{citesocial|quote=End of an era? MTMTE #22 is the last issue with the full Season 1 cast. This is the song to see them on their way http://t.co/T3jcMMmoUE|link=https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/389505792807677952|name=James Roberts|site=Twitter|year=2013|month=10|day=13|(defunct=)}}</ref>

===Foreign localization===
'''Japanese'''
* ''Title:'' "'''Sasayakana Shōri'''" (ささやかな勝利, "Little Victories")

'''Swedish'''
* ''Title:'' "'''De små sakerna'''" ("The Little Things")
* Rung's name on his ID card is spelled correctly, missing the original gag.
* The [[Pious Pools]] have been given their third and final Swedish name, "Gudsfruktiga dammarna," translating out to the same as the English name, although the word "Gudfruktig" is misspelled.

===Covers (4)===
* '''Cover A:''' Rung holds a datapad bearing Thunder Clash's image, signed by the 'bot himself, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
* '''Cover B:''' Swerve tries to puzzle out the transformation of a Rung toy, by [[Nick Roche]] and Josh Burcham.
* '''Cover RI:''' Skids, by [[Phil Jimenez]] and [[Romulo Fajardo Jr.]]
* '''Hasbro exclusive cover:''' Cropped-in version of cover RI, exclusively available with ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class [[Skids (G1)#Generations|Autobot Skids]].

<gallery>
File:MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg|The totally modest Thunderclash.
File:MTMTE22 cvrB.jpg|Swerve feels [[fandom|our]] pain.
File:MTMTE22 cvrRI.jpg|Guess which cover comes with the Skids toy?
File:MTMTE22 cvrHAS.jpg|And the winner is...
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* [[Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|''The Transformers: Dark Cybertron'' #1]]
* ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|#23]]
* ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|#23]]
* ''Robots in Disguise'' [[Soundwaves (issue)|#22]]
* ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Destiny, Part Five|#95]]
* IDW ''Samurai Jack'' comic
* ''[[My Little Pony]]'' Annual 2013
* ''[[Star Trek]]: Khan'' (back cover)

===Reprints===
* '''''The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 5''''' ([[November 13]], [[2013]]) ISBN 1613778023 / ISBN 978-1613778029 
** Collects ''More than Meets the Eye'' issues #17–22.
** Bonus material includes art from most covers, and the prose story "[[The Sound of Breaking Glass]]".
** Trade paperback format.

* '''''Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Box Set''''' ([[December 2]], [[2015]]) ISBN 1631404741 / ISBN 978-1631404740
** Collects ''More Than Meets the Eye'' volumes 1–5.
** Bonus material unknown at this time.

* '''''[[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 5]]''''' ([[February 22]], [[2017]]) ISBN 1631408445 / ISBN 978-1631408441
** Collects ''[[The Transformers: Primacy|Primacy]]'' issues [[Primacy issue 1|#1]]–[[Primacy issue 4|4]], ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' issues [[Homecoming (IDW)|#19]]–[[Three Monologues|20]] & [[Shockpoint|#21]]–[[Soundwaves (issue)|22]], and ''More than Meets the Eye'' issues #17–21, #22 & "[[The Sound of Breaking Glass]]".
** Hardcover format.

* '''''Transformers: Krig och hågkomst''''' ([[July]], [[2021]])
** Collects ''More than Meets the Eye'' issues #14–22, a special illustrated version of "[[The Sound of Breaking Glass]]", and ''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Spotlight]]: [[Omega's Conundrum|Orion Pax]]''.
** Swedish reprint. Hardcover format.

<gallery>
File:MTMTE vol5.jpg|'''''More Than Meets the Eye Volume 5''''' – cover art by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
File:MTMTE boxset.jpg|'''''More Than Meets the Eye Box Set''''' – cover art by [[Marcelo Matere]]
File:IDWCollectionP2V5.jpg|'''''The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume 5''''' – cover art by Marcelo Matere and [[Tom B. Long]]
File:MTMTE SWE 03.jpg|'''''Krig och hågkomst''''' – cover art by Alex Milne and [[Josh Perez]].
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/comics-16/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eyes-22-full-preview-178599/ Preview]
* [http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15275&p=353870#p353870 James Roberts reflects on the creative process of this issue on the IDW forums]
[[Category:Dark Cybertron issues]]

Magnus Armor

2025-12-16T21:49:39Z

WinningYellow:

[[File:MTMTE19 magnus armor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Tyrest plays with his [[Construct-Bots]] set.]]
Following the death of the admired [[Autobot]] warrior [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] in the early days of the [[Great War (G1)|war]], Chief Justice [[Solomus|Tyrest]] designed the '''Magnus Armor''' to keep his legend alive. It is an integrated suit of armor worn by a series of [[Autobot]]s, each [[Point One Percenter|load bearers]] with [[spark]]s that allow their bodies to handle extensive physical augmentation, secretly chosen by Tyrest to take on the role of Ultra Magnus and serve as the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the [[Tyrest Accord]].

{{quote|I'm not '''like''' other Cybertronians. And I'm not just '''worthy''' of the badge—the badge '''makes me''' what I '''am!'''|[[Convoy (G1)|Convoy]] gives [[Vekktral]] the business|[[Shining Armor issue 5|''Shining Armor'' #5]]}}

{{magnusarmor nav}}

==Fiction==
===2005 IDW continuity===
It is unknown exactly when and how the original Ultra Magnus died, but Tyrest instituted the Magnus Armor program very shortly after the passing of the original. The armor was equipped with a "recall switch"; when one Ultra Magnus died, the suit would detect the passing of its wearer and autonomously pilot itself back to Tyrest, who would then begin the process of finding a new Point One Percenter worthy of donning the armor. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} This initiative was top secret—only a handful of Autobots within [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s inner circle were aware of the specifics. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}} {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}}

To the rank-and-file, however, it seemed as though Ultra Magnus was capable of shrugging off even the most life-threatening wounds and returning to duty unscathed, giving rise to his reputation as "the immortal lawman." {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} At some point, a conspiracy theory that Ultra Magnus was "just a little guy in armor" arose, but it wasn't widely believed. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}}

Some two hundred years ago, the armor had been passed to the hotheaded Autobot [[Convoy (G1)|Convoy]] after its previous owner [[Minimus Ambus]] had been wounded in the line of duty. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}} While battling the [[Dire Wraith]] [[Vekktral]] on [[Xetaxxis]], Magnus was possessed by the villainous alien, and the Magnus Armor was transformed into a horrific bio-mechanical monstrosity. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 4|Shining Armor #4}} Vekkral had failed to account for ''Convoy,'' however, and the little Autobot was able to defeat the alien by forcing the armor's chest compartment open, allowing [[Rom]] to kill Convoy and end the threat. Subsequently, [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] used the Magnus Armor's recall function to return to the [[Autobot fleet]].

Minimus Ambus returned to active duty as Ultra Magnus and remained the sole bearer of the armor for the remainder of the war. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}} At some point, the armor was infected by a swarm of dormant [[Nanocon]]s, which activated after Magnus had joined the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]''. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

An increasingly unhinged Tyrest, disappointed with Minimus Ambus's inability to cope with peacetime and intending to retire the role in favor of the fanatical [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]], eventually stripped him of the armor. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Following Tyrest's defeat, Minimus retrieved the armor and back aboard the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] helped him put it back on. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}}

On a quantum duplicate of the ''Lost Light'', its version of Minimus Ambus was torn from the Magnus Armor by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] after the recall trigger had been severed, with [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] later hiding within the armor's remains by the crew of the "other" ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} Upon learning the truth about Ultra Magnus, [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] began pushing for Minimus to do away with the armor entirely and live as his own bot. {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}

[[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] later defeated Ultra Magnus by using [[Disaggregator gun|a weapon designed to separate the Magnus Armor from Ambus's body]]. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} Though initially humiliated by the crew learning of his secret, Minimus slowly became more and more comfortable with spending time outside of the armor, splitting his time between Ultra Magnus and Minimus Ambus. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

A [[protoform]] made of [[Scraplet]]s briefly took over the armor when it was set loose inside Magnus' quarters, resulting in 'Magnus' trying to give [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] a big, warm hug, among other things. The protoform was soon extricated and the armor returned to its original wearer. {{storylink|Silent Light}} Minimus then spent some time fumigating it. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

[[File:LL24 Magnus Explodes.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Russian Nesting Robot]]
The Magnus Armor was damaged in an explosion after the crew of the ''Lost Light'' staged a mutiny against Rodimus and his supporters and abandoned them on the [[Necroworld]]. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} It was eventually superseded by Brainstorm's "[[Maximus Ambus]]" armor, a massively upscaled version of the original suit designed to push Minimus's load-bearing capabilities to the limit. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} The original armor was recovered at some point afterwards and continued to be used by Minimus. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}} After returning from the [[Functionist Universe]], Minimus's confusion regarding [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]'s morality caused the armor's neural interface to lock him out until [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]] used reverse-psychology to get him back to normal, returning the armor to full functionality. {{storylink|After Megatron (A Dissolution Epilogue)|After Megatron}}

When the crew undertook a mission to destroy the [[Functionist Council]] via overloading [[Vector Sigma]] via twelve [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrices of Leadership]], Magnus was caught unawares in the back by a [[Functionary]] with a rocket launcher. The missile blew the armor to pieces, and Minimus was forcibly ejected out of both his layers of armor and fell unconscious. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|A Spark Among Embers}}

When escorting Megatron back to the sentencing chamber to have his fate decided, Magnus briefly took his friend aside and revealed that he would be destroying the armor, much to the approval of the former Decepticon. {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}

===Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
The Magnus Armor was a weapon created at the [[Magna Arsenal]], a facility on Cybertron dedicated to arming and strengthening [[Autobot|civilian robots]]. Only certain Transformers, known as the "[[Lineage of Magnus]]", were capable of using the armor.

One wearer of the armor was [[Primal Vanguard]] leader [[Delta Magnus]]. After Delta fell in battle, Autobot leaders assigned other warriors to wear the armor to continue the illusion that he was still alive. After the sixth wearer of the armor died and the original armor was lost, Delta Magnus's buggy drone partner [[Delta Magnus#Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Powerdrive]] was selected as the seventh and built into what remained of it as a single, integrated robot. {{storylink|Delta Magnus#Masterpiece|''Masterpiece'' Delta Magnus bio}}

==Toys==
{{main|Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Combiner Wars}}
[[File:CombinerWarsUltraMagnus.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (Leader Class, 2015)
**''Accessories:'' Two guns, [[Minimus Ambus]] figure

:''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' Ultra Magnus is a Leader Class mold with a robot mode based off [[Nick Roche]]'s design for the character in [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]''. He includes a small [[Minimus Ambus]] figure designed to fit inside a chest-mounted cockpit. Artist [[Andrew Griffith]] also worked with Hasbro on Minimus's toy design and "cockpit" within the Magnus Armor.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Awesome that they finally showed the Leader Ultra Magnus. Have they shown Ambus' cockpit yet? That's the part I got to work on.|name=Andrew Griffith|site=Twitter|link=https://twitter.com/glovestudios/status/566696096794034176|year=2015|month=04|day=14}} {{citesocial|quote=Oh yeah I forgot I worked on the design of Minimus too lol. (In plastic form.)|link=https://twitter.com/glovestudios/status/566697537730408449|name=Andrew Griffith|site=Twitter|year=2015|month=04|day=14}}</ref>

:The mold was also heavily retooled into ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' [[Optimus_Prime_(G1)/Generations_toys#Titans_Return|Powermaster Optimus Prime]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2015/Autobot/CWUltraMagnus/ultramagnus.htm More information on Ultra Magnus at TFU.info]
{{CWUltraMagnusMold}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
* The Magnus Armor is a nod to the original [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys|Ultra Magnus toy]] where its [[trailer]] combined with the white Optimus-like cab to form a "super robot".
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s outer form was also shown to be a suit of armor in [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s "[[Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation]]", though there, the inner robot resembled his original toy and represented the same character.
* In [[Megatron Origin issue 3|''Megatron Origin'' #3]] a similar white robot was seen alongside an [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]]-like bot at [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]]'s funeral, suggesting that something like the Magnus Armor may have existed in the [[2005 IDW continuity]] before the original Ultra Magnus's death; the same series also saw [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] power himself up with the [[Apex Armor (G1)|Apex Armor]].

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Magnus Armor''' (マグナスアーマー ''Magunasu Āmā'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
*[[Ultra Armor]]

[[Category:Armors]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) technology]]
[[Category:Mechanical suits]]

Void Rivals issue 2

2024-05-19T16:11:41Z

WinningYellow:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Void Rivals]]'' #2
|prev=Void Rivals issue 1
|next=Void Rivals issue 3
|prev2=
|image=VoidRivals02A Cover.jpg
|caption=Looks like the Void Rivals are learning about teamwork.
|title=
|publisher=[[Image Comics]] [[Skybound Entertainment]]
|date=[[July 19]], [[2023]]
|coverdate=July 2023
|written by=[[Robert Kirkman]]
|art by=[[Lorenzo De Felici]]
|colors by=[[Matheus Lopes]]
|letters by=[[Rus Wooton]]
|editor=[[Sean Mackiewicz]]
|continuity=[[Energon Universe]]
|chronology=
}}

'''Having discovered the truth, Darak and Solila are more determined than ever to return to the Sacred Ring. But what awaits them on their journey?'''

==Synopsis==
''Director [[Elander]] briefs [[Darak]] on his next assignment: a comet is approaching the [[Sacred Ring]], composed of four thousand tons of ice to add to the [[Agorrian]] reserves, especially since the [[Zertonian]]s are currently having to ration [[water]]. Their meeting is interrupted by the arrival of Darak's father, Minister [[Dulin]]. Dulin gives his son a cold warning that if his mission is unsuccessful, he should not return to the Ring. Darak climbs into his [[Jump Jet]] and prepares for takeoff, ordering his [[Handroid]] to revive him once they are beyond the Ring's event horizon.''

''As the ship emerges into space, Darak experiences a vision and voice telling how the Sacred Ring came to be: when their sun began to collapse, two warring planets came together and, over the course of thousands of years, built the Ring to contain the resulting [[black hole]], the people of each planet living on one half. Unfortunately, over the centuries, their tenuous peace broke down and the conflict between the Agorrians and Zertonians resumed, escalating as resources became more scarce and each side forgot their shared origins. However, the two sides will have to reunite soon. [[Goliant]] is coming.''

[[Solila]] believes the voice Darak heard was that of [[Zerta]], though he assures her Agorrians don't share the Zertonian's superstitious beliefs. Recognizing that their peoples' war is built on lies, Solila resolves to work with Darak to get off the planetoid, return to the Sacred Ring, and discover the truth. The pair begin to salvage what remains from their initial patchwork ship. They work tirelessly over the next twenty days constructing a crude, makeshift shuttle. Darak thanks Solila; she breaks down. She's spent her entire life training to kill Agorrians. Now, she's not only failed her mission to recover the comet but is trying to save the life of her enemy. Darak comforts her by assuring her that they're likely to die long before they ever reach the Sacred Ring. Amused, the pair climb into the shuttle and take off. Solila activates her transponder, hoping to get a signal out to either side as they venture into the depths of space.

Days pass. Handroid tells the pair that, at their current speed, they should reach the Sacred Ring in 12.4 years. Solila detects an [[Rockeroid|asteroid]] moving towards them. Darak takes evasive action, but the asteroid begins to follow them. Robotic arms emerge from the asteroid and grab the shuttle, pulling it inside. Darak and Solila exit their shuttle with weapons drawn, finding themselves in some kind of spaceship. Solila marvels at the ingenuity of melding a spacecraft with an asteroid, a compliment appreciated by their captor — [[Skuxxoid]]!

{{--}}

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks. 
{{Featuredcharacters
|h4=[[Agorrian]]s|c4=
* [[Darak]] (1)
* ''[[Elander]]'' (3)
* ''[[Dulin]]'' (4)

|h5=[[Zertonian]]s|c5=
* [[Solila]] (5)

|h6=Others||c6=
* [[Handroid]] (2)
* [[Skuxxoid]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==
"Darak, in a matter of moments, you will launch as the greatest Agorrian pilot in history. '''That''' is the '''only''' thing that has spared you from my '''wrath'''. Return with the same sterling reputation... or '''do not return at all.'''"
:—'''Dulin''', going for a Father of the Year award.

"I was kidding about us starving, by the way. We'll suffocate '''long''' before that."
:—'''Darak'''{{'}}s words of reassurance.

'''Solila:''' "How much charge does your blaster have?" 
'''Darak:''' "Maybe they're not hostile? Let's start with 'Hello' or 'Have you any food?'" 
'''Handroid:''' "I think I'm with the Zertonian on this one."

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Darak's vision gives us our first glimpse into the history of the Sacred Ring and how the war between the Agorrians and Zertonians began.

===Transformers references===
* The [[Skuxxoid]]s and their [[Rockeroid]] ships first appeared in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode, "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1]]".

===Errors===
* In the penultimate panel of the penultimate page, "ingenious" is misspelled "ingenius."
* On the final page, "possess" is misspelled "posses."

===Other trivia===
* Darak and Solila's vessels are identified for the first time in this issue: Darak's [[Jump Jet]] and Solila's [[Star Wing]].

===Covers (9)===
* '''Cover A:''' Darak works on his ship, by [[Lorenzo De Felici]].
* '''Cover B:''' Darak and Solila sit pouting, by [[Nick Robles]].
* '''Cover C (1:10 Copy Incentive):''' Darak and Solila grapple, by [[Mindy Lee]].
* '''Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive):''' Darak emerges from his wreckage, by [[Karen S. Darboe]].
* '''Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive):''' Darak, by [[Tula Lotay]].
* '''Second Printing Variant Cover:''' Skuxxoid, by [[Jason Howard]].
* '''Third Printing Variant Cover:''' Skuxxoid and his captives, by [[Flaviano]].
* '''Fourth Printing Variant Cover:''' by [[Elizabeth Torque]] and [[Patricio Delpeche]].
* '''Fifth Printing Variant Cover:''' by [[Jahnoy Lindsay]].

<gallery>
File:VoidRivals02A Cover.jpg|
File:VoidRivals02B Cover.jpg|
File:VoidRivals02C Cover.jpg|
File:VoidRivals02D Cover.jpg|
File:VoidRivals02E Cover.jpg|
File:VoidRivals02A 2ndPtg Cover.jpg|
File:VoidRivals02 3rdPtg Cover.jpg|
File:VoidRivals02 4rdPtg Cover.jpg|
File:Void Rivals 2 5th Ptg Cover.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* ''Kroma'', by Lorenzo de Felici
* ''Clementine: Book Two''
* ''Dark Ride''
* ''Arcade Kings''
* ''I Hate This Place''
* ''Everyday Hero Machine Boy''
* ''Ultramega''
* The [[Energon Universe]] continues in ''Void Rivals'' #3

===Reprints===
* '''''Void Rivals Volume 1: More Than Meets The Eye''''' ([[February 21]], [[2024]]) ISBN 153439818X / ISBN 978-1534398184 
** Collects issues #1–6.
** Trade paperback format.

<gallery>
File:Void Rivals V1.jpg|'''''Volume 1: More Than Meets The Eye''''' – cover art by [[Lorenzo De Felici]]
</gallery>

==External links==

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Void Rivals issues]]

Jazz (G1)/toys

2024-04-04T21:41:21Z

WinningYellow:

{{suite}}
[[File:G1 packagingart Jazz.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Don't be racist. Be like the panda. They're black, white, and Asian.]]
'''[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]''' has appeared as many toys. All of them cool.

==Toys==
===''The Transformers''===
{{anchor|Generation 1}}
[[File:G1 Jazz toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|At least he doesn't like music as much as [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster.]]]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Jazz''' (Autobot Car, [[1984]] / [[1985]])}}</ul>
:*''Takara ID number'': '''06'''
:*''Accessories'': "[[Photon rifle]]", missile launcher, 3 missiles
{{toydesigner|[[Kōjin Ōno]] (TakaraTomy)}}

: Originally a pre-''Transformers'' ''[[Diaclone]]'' Porsche 935 Turbo, ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|The Transformers]]'' Jazz was part of the original assortment of Autobots released in 1984. He transforms into a Martini Racing Porsche 935/76, specifically the Martini-sponsored 935 which won the first circuit of the {{w|1976 World Championship for Makes}}, the Mugello Circuit. Like other Autobots who sported similar "sponsor" decals, however, Jazz's stickers deliberately misspell his sponsor as "Martinii". In [[robot mode]], he is armed with a silver [[photon rifle]] and a shoulder-mounted, spring-loaded rocket launcher that can fire three silver missiles. Like all his 1984 brethren, Jazz gained a heat-activated [[rubsign]] in 1985, added to the right-hand side of his hood.

: The packaging for the [[Milton Bradley]] release of Jazz in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain sported an additional "Porsche" remark after his name. The significance of this is still unknown at this point.

: In an undocumented feature, unpegging the hands from the shoulders in vehicle mode gives the figure working steering.

: This mold was also used to make (the originally Japanese-exclusive) [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Stepper]], later renamed Ricochet for Hasbro's reissue.

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-jazz/84/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Jazz at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/Jazz/jazz.htm More information on Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{G1JazzMold}}

{{-}}{{anchor|CookieCrisp}}
[[File:G1-toy Jazz CookieCrisp.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|HOT RALSTON]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Jazz''' (Autobot Car, 1985)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': "Photon rifle", missile launcher, 3 missiles

: In 1985, Jazz was also made available as a giveaway [[exclusive]] through a [[Cookie Crisp]] cereal contest. This edition of the figure features modified [[sticker]]s that lack all "Martinii" and "Porsche" detailing: the factory-applied door stickers (which were simply placed directly on top of the normal door stickers!) and the customer-applied stickers on the windscreen, spoiler top and sides. He came with his normal [[instructions]] and a copy of his box-back bio (minus the "[[Tech Spec]]" part) as a glossy-paper mini-card, printed in black and white.

: Per the contest rules, as many as 25,000 of these figures may have been given away.

{{-}}{{anchor|Pretender}}
[[File:Pretender Jazz toy.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|In a just world, Jazz's Pretender shell would look like Richard Roundtree.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Jazz''' (Classic Pretender, [[1989]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories:'' 2-piece [[Pretender]] shell, helmet, "laser", rifle

: Released in the sixth year of the line, [[Classic Pretender]] Jazz is a highly simplified version of his original toy, still transforming into a Porsche 935 Turbo. He is armed with a black gun (named only a "laser" in his instructions, but identified as a "[[photon rifle]]" in his [[Tech Spec]]s), which can mount on his roof in vehicle mode.

: Jazz's two-piece Pretender shell resembles a human in a blue and white armored space suit with a removable helmet. The shell is armed with a large black rifle (given the dramatic identifier of a "semi-automatic [[ion pulse gun]]", according to his Tech Specs), and when Jazz is stored inside, it can also hold the smaller robot's photon rifle, thanks to the weapon's multi-width peg.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Autobot/Jazz/jazz.htm More information on Classic Pretender Jazz at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|G1Legend}}
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Jazz''' (Legend, 1989)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': "Laser"

: Available [[exclusive]]ly at American [[Kmart]] stores, the [[Legends (G1)|Legends]] version of Jazz is simply the inner robot of the Classic Pretender toy without the shell or its accessories, leaving him only a small handgun... however, it happens to be ''[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#G1Legend|Bumblebee]]'s'' [[laser pistol]]. (Legends Bumblebee has Pretender Jazz's gun.)

: The Legends toys were the first store-exclusive ''Transformers'' toys in Hasbro's markets, and on top of that were the ''only'' ones for a long, long time.

{{-}}{{anchor|HeroSet}}
[[File:G1toy japanese legends giftset.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1d1|'''Hero Set''' (Multi-pack, 1989)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': "Laser"

: In Japan, Legends Jazz was only available in a boxed "Hero Set" with the Legends versions of [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Hero Set|Bumblebee]], [[Grimlock (G1)/toys#HeroSet|Grimlock]] and [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Heroset|Starscream]]. There is a frequent error in this set where the factory-applied sticker on the car hood is applied upside down. Aside from that (potential) difference, the toy is otherwise identical to the Hasbro release.

: In Italy, [[GiG]] released their own version of the Hero Set, named "Set Commandos", instead of the Classic Pretender versions of the toys. Here, Jazz was named "Folgore", originally the Italian name of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]. The "Set Commandos" toys were identical to the Japanese "Hero Set" versions, including the two sticker variations.

{{-}}{{anchor|ActionMaster}}
[[File:G1-toy Jazz AM.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Now he can shred the streets on his board.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Jazz w/ Turbo Board''' ([[Action Master]], [[1990]])}}</ul>
:*''Italian name'': '''Bionic'''
:*''Accessories'': "[[Electromagnetizer gun]]", "Turbo Board"

: Part of the first assortment of individually-carded [[Action Master]] figures in the toyline's seventh and final year (in the US at least), Jazz in a non-transforming 3¾-inch action figure, with a sculpt was based upon his cartoon model, but with some of the toy details added in. His construction is broadly similar to that used by the ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' figures of the time, having a swivel neck, shoulders and knees, plus ball-jointed hips attached via a steel rod internally secured by a rubber "o-ring". His hands have standard 3 mm holes which allow him to hold any other accessory in the Action Master line, plus his feet have holes in the bottom to secure him to larger vehicles. On top of that, the hole in his back is compatible with [[5 mm post]]s.

: He comes with the [[Turbo Board]] mini-vehicle, a rocket-powered skateboard he can ride thanks to the aforemenetioned foot-holes. The board also converts into a colossal cannon he can carry, which can also be augmented by adding Jazz's "electromagnetizer gun".

: There are reportedly several minor variations of this figure, all regarding the color of his headlights. Some have them unpainted, while others are light blue or greenish-blue.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1990/Autobot/Jazz/jazz.htm More information on Action Master Jazz at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|90sClassic}}
[[File:G1toy classic heroes jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Classic Jazz''' (1990)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': "Photon rifle", missile launcher, 3 missiles

: Jazz was reissued in Europe and Australia in 1990 as part of the ''[[Classics (Europe)|Classics]]'' line. This version is ''mostly'' identical to the original toy, but it uses the Cookie Crisp edition's factory-applied door stickers that lack the "Martinii" logos. The customer-applied stickers are the same as the original release, and thus did include the "Martinii Porsche" decals for the windshield and rear spoiler.
{{G1JazzMold}}
{{-}}

===''Generation 2''===
[[File:G2 Jazz.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a2|'''Jazz''' (Autobot Car, [[1993]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories:'' Photon rifle, missile launcher, 2 missiles

:''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' Jazz is a slight [[retool]] and (literal) [[repaint]] of the original toy. The chrome feet have been narrowed, omitting two tabs. His face (apparently degraded from [[mold]] usage) now has a strange unintentional smirk. His roof has been retooled with a small hole to accommodate his new bright green, spring-loaded missile launcher. All of his "Martinii" stickers have been replaced with various new stickers depicting his name and the number "1" laid over a rainbow-colored musical note.

:This mold became the basis for future reissues of Jazz, minus the roof hole retooling but retaining his smirk.

:The missile launcher was not created for the ''Generation 2'' line, but came from the [http://www.yojoe.com/action/91/snowserpent2.shtml Snow Serpent] from the ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' toyline. The same launcher was used in the ''Generation 2'' re-releases of [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys|Sideswipe]] and [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1993/Autobot/Jazz/jazz.htm More information on Generation 2 Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{G1JazzMold}}

{{-}}{{anchor|LaserCycle}}
[[File:LaserCycleJazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|He's ready to [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-images/tech-specs/Generation-2-Tech-Specs/1995-Transformers-Tech-Specs/Jazz__1995_.jpg.html smash Decepticons like he jams on his guitar!] Uh, assuming he has an Autobot guitar somewhere. They [[Rock Bot (G1)|didn't actually make those]].]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a2|'''Jazz''' (Laser Cycle, <strike>[[1995]]</strike>)}}</ul>

:A [[redeco]] of the [[Laser Cycle]] [[Road Rocket (G2)#Toys|Road Rocket]] was planned as Jazz, but like many other planned late-1995 ''Generation 2'' redecos, ultimately never saw release. Interestingly, many of these — including Jazz and fellow Laser Cycle redeco [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#LaserCycle|Soundwave]] — ''were'' solicited in various store catalogues, such as the Sears Wish Book. Some packaged samples of this toy do exist, but there are estimated to be less than a dozen in existence. Jazz would have transformed from a white, yellow, and green Yamaha GTS1000 motorcycle, with an LED-lit arm-mounted buzzsaw that formed part of his rear wheel assembly in cycle mode.

:This mold was later [[retool]]ed to make the ''[[Microman]]: [[Microman#Micro Millennium (1998-2000)|LED Powers]]'' toys [[Microman#MachSpeeder|Mach Speeder]] and [[Microman#HyperSpeeder|Hyper Speeder]]; the retooled mold was then used to make [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|2001 ''Robots in Disguise'']] [[Sideways (RID)#Toys|Sideways]] and ''[[Robotmasters (franchise)|Robotmasters]]'' [[Road Rocket (G2)#Robotmasters|Road Rocket]].
{{canceledtoy}}

{{-}}{{anchor|G2DiacloneUnreleased}}
[[File:G2JazzLegacyArt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.33|Spicy Dorito Jazz (''Concept/packaging art shown in lieu of any physical model'')]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a2|'''Jazz'''? (<strike>1995</strike>?)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories:'' Presumably rifle, missile launcher, 2 missiles

: Packaging art for an orange redeco of the original Jazz toy has surfaced, and was eventually published in the [[2014]] hardcover book ''[[Legacy: The Art of Transformers Packaging]]''. Said art revealed it would have had some kind of abstract sunshine decals on the vehicle mode doors.

: Though documentation is (currently) sparse, it seems most likely that this was a concept for 1995 product, as multiple other similar pieces of art have surfaced for similar concepts, and the assortment numbers on those indicate mid-1995 toys. However, it's also likely that these toys were killed very early in the development of 1995 product, as Hasbro was trying to shift the line ''away'' from looking too much like the old line by that point. It could theoretically have been intended as a new character, as some other [[Blackout (G2)|discovered ''Generation 2'' concepts]] were, but [[:File:G2MirageVaultArt.jpg|the art]] for a probable-wavemate [[Mirage (G1)/toys#G2DiacloneUnreleased|Mirage]] with a similar garish deco is still labeled as "Mirage", so... most likely Jazz again. Unlike some of the concepts in this art batch, no physical prototype of this Jazz has ever surfaced.

: This deco would, decades later, get used for the [[Transformers: Legacy|''Legacy: Evolution'']] [[Walmart]]-[[exclusive]] ''[[Transformers: Legacy#Walmart|Toxitron Collection]]'' "[[#Legacy|"G2 Universe Jazz]]" toy. In fact, when spotlighting that figure behind the scenes [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp6c5EbMA_V/ on Instagram], designer [[Mark Maher]] would show the ''Legacy'' book page of orange Jazz's G2 art.
{{G1JazzMold}}
{{canceledtoy}}
{{--}}

===''The Transformers Collection''===
[[File:G1toy tfc jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
*'''Meister''' (Transformers Collection, [[July 20]], [[2002]])
**''ID number:'' '''1'''
**''Accessories:'' photon rifle, missile launcher, 3 missiles
:Jazz was the first entry in Takara's ''[[The Transformers Collection]]'' series of reissues, featuring collectible "book-box" packaging. The figure uses the retooled version of the Jazz mold used in ''Generation 2'', with narrower feet, though the peg-hole in his roof has been removed. Continued degradation of the mold in the intervening years led to further problems with the toy: in addition to the overall looseness of its joints, the toy's face is further deteriorated from the ''Generation 2'' use of the mold, now displaying a gape-mouthed smirk (see inset in picture), and its roof and rear windows no longer align perfectly.

:In addition to these unfortunate, unintentional changes from the original, some intentional changes were made to the figure's stickers. The original toy's "Martinii" sponsor decals on his hood and door are modified to instead display his Japanese name, "Meister", while the "Martinii Porsche" decal across the top of his windshield now reads "Agent Meister".

:A second production run of this figure replaced the original toolings for the weapons with the modified versions that came with Hasbro's ''Commemorative Series'' reissue (see [[#Commemorative Series|below]]).
{{G1JazzMold}}
{{--}}

===''Collector's Edition''===
{{anchor|Gold}}
[[File:Ehobby Meister.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Bling bling~!!!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Meister Gold Version''' (Cyebrtron, 2002)}}</ul>
:*''ID number'': '''06'''
:*''Accessories'': photon rifle, missile launcher, 3 missiles

: A ''[[The Transformers: Collector's Edition|Collector's Edition]]'' [[e-HOBBY]] [[exclusive]], this version of the original Jazz toy is almost entirely covered in vacuum-metalized gold. Fingerprints and chipping, ahoy! This toy's coloration re-creates the "Gold Porsche" [[Lucky Draw figure|Lucky Draw]] figure available in limited numbers during the pre''Transformers'' Takara ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline. That said, the original e-HOBBY listing noted its resemblance to the [[electrum]]-coated characters in the episode "[[The Golden Lagoon (episode)|The Golden Lagoon]]"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020705205134/http://e-hobby.sputniknext.com:81/index9_1277.html e-HOBBY listing:] "This item really reminds you of the episode 'Secret of the Golden Lagoon'."</ref> (despite Jazz appearing only briefly in that episode, with no speaking lines).

: Unfortunately, it uses the degraded mold of the ''Transformers Collection'' figure.

: This toy was only available in a set with the "Anime Version" redeco of [[Bluestreak (G1)/toys#Collector's Edition|Bluestreak]], shipping in July of 2002. Both figures came in the generic red Autobot packaging shared by nearly all e-HOBBY Autobot figures.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Cybertron/Jazz/jazz.htm More information on Meister Gold Version at TFU.info]''
{{G1JazzMold}}
{{-}}

===''Commemorative Series''===
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Commemorative Series III, [[2003]])
**''Accessories:'' photon rifle, missile launcher, 3 missiles
:Hasbro's own reissue of the 1984 Jazz as part of the ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Generation One Commemorative Series]]'', now named "Autobot Jazz" for [[trademark]] reasons, is based on Takara's ''Transformers Collection'' version, retaining the ugly smirk and the "Agent Meister" stickers. The alignment problem with the roof and the rear windows has been fixed.

:The weapons have been heavily [[retool]]ed [[for safety reasons]]: The chrome finish is missing, the missiles have been elongated and can only be inserted one way, the nub on the back of the launcher has also been elongated, the launcher barrel can come off the mount, and the trigger has been altered as well.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Autobot/AutobotJazz/jazz.htm More information on Commemorative Series Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{G1JazzMold}}
{{--}}

===''Universe'' (2003)===
[[File:TFU03-toy Jazz.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|Well, he still can't see his toes, so that part's accurate...]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Jazz''' (Spy Changer, [[2004]]-[[2005]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Rifle

:''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Spychanger|Spy Changer]] Jazz is a redeco of [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|2001 ''Robots in Disguise'']] [[Spychanger]] [[Side Burn (RID)#Spychanger|Side Burn]], transforming into a 1:64-scale [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes|Dodge Viper]] with Jazz's classic white Martini Racing colour scheme and livery, via [[sticker]]s. Like all [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]] molds, he features high-speed axles and can roll very well across smooth surfaces, but lacks the weight to propel him quickly. His rifle is stored between his legs, acting as a tailpipe in vehicle mode.

: This toy was originally exclusively available at [[KB Toys]] stores in 2004, in generic ''Transformers'' packaging with no additional sub-line header. The same toy was later re-released in packaging in 2005, now available from discount chains such as Dollar General and Family Dollar. Jazz was one of three figures released again as part of a second wave of the ''Universe''-branded line-up, with several alterations to the packaging such as a different [[cross-sell]] on the back, a different "Hasbro" logo, and even a different ''function'' (wave 1 Jazz is a "special operations expert", whereas wave 2 Jazz is a "special ops agent").

: This mold was originally intended for release in ''Generation 2'' as an [[Black Viper Go-Bot|unspecified character]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Autobot/SpyJazz/jazz.htm More information on Universe Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Smallest Transforming Transformers''===
[[File:WSTF Meister.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Tiny Jazz]]
*'''Meister''' (2004)
:''[[Smallest Transforming Transformers]]'' Jazz is a tiny replica of the original Jazz toy. His wheels do not roll, and he has a simplified [[Transformation (toys)|transformation scheme]] with considerably more restricted articulation.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/SmallestJazz/jazz.htm More information on Smallest Transforming Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Alternators''===
{{anchor|Alternators/Binaltech}}
[[File:Alternators Meister.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Zoom zoom zoom! Ya! zoomzoomzoom.]]
*'''Meister''' Mazda RX-8 (Alternator, 2004/[[2006]])
**''Alternators ID number:'' '''7'''
**''Binaltech ID number:'' '''BT-08'''
**''Accessories:'' muffler-blaster
{{toydesigner|[[Mark McCall]] (Hasbro), [[Hironori Kobayashi]] (TakaraTomy)|[[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist, rerelease)}}

:For the ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' line, "Meister" (the Hasbro release uses the Japanese-market name as well for a change) was given a new [[alternate mode]], namely a highly accurate, [[licensed vehicle alternate modes|licensed]] 1:24 [[scale]] white [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes|Mazda RX-8]]. He features an opening hood with engine, opening "suicide" doors and an opening trunk, as well as a detailed interior with seats and a dashboard complete with steering wheel. His front wheels feature a working "steering" mechanism (which is not connected to the steering wheel, though), and all four wheels are equipped with [[rubber tires]]. In robot mode, Meister is sculpted to resemble both the original Generation 1 Jazz toy and the G1 [[character model|cartoon model]]. He is armed with a rifle that transforms from his muffler; the peg used to attach the muffler in vehicle mode actually plugs into the holes on his forearms near the elbow joints, allowing the blaster to be attached there.

:Takara's ''Binaltech'' version of this sculpt differs from Hasbro's ''Alternators'' version by having his car shell partially constructed of [[die-cast]] metal, as well as having all the car body parts (including those made out of plastic) covered in paint and the side mirrors [[vacuum metallizing|vacuum metalized]], while the steering wheel is made of hard plastic. By contrast, the ''Alternators'' version has the car shell made entirely out of plastic (in standard white compared to the ''Binaltech'' version's slightly more creamy shade), the side mirrors are unpainted, and the steering wheel is made of a rubber-y plastic. Furthermore, there are some tooling differences as well: Like [[Bluestreak (G1)/toys#Alternators/Binaltech|Streak/Silverstreak]] before, the ''Binaltech'' version's steering wheel is placed on the right side of the dashboard (like on a Japanese car), whereas it's located on the left side on the ''Alternators'' version (like on an American car). In addition, the ''Binaltech'' version's "steering" mechanism uses a magnet assembly to connect the steering axle to the front wheels (which are attached to the robot mode shoulders), whereas the ''Alternators'' version uses a plastic insertion point. The ''Binaltech'' version also comes with a large Autobot [[insignia]] sticker that can be applied to a real car.

:This toy was redecoed into the simultaneously available "Velocity Red Mica Edition" (see below), and later retooled into a Mazdaspeed RX-8 as [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Alternators/Binaltech|Shockblast/Laserwave]], the [[Autorooper]], and later as Argent Meister (see below).

::*[[Source:Transformers Binaltech bios#8|Archive of ''Binaltech'' Meister's bio and tech specs]]
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Autobot/AltMeister/meister.htm More information on Alternators Jazz at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|ZoomZoom}}
[[File:BT-toy ZoomZoom.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
*'''Meister Velocity Red Mica Edition''' (Binaltech, 2004)
**''ID number:'' '''BT-08'''
**''Accessories:'' Muffler-blaster

: Simultaneous with his standard release, ''Binaltech'' Meister was also available in a red variant in its own unique packaging. The two figures shipped in cases together in an equal ratio. All of the regular version's white parts, both plastic and metal, are replaced with red, while the panels on the upper hips that are painted teal on the "white" version are painted silver. This version also includes the Autobot car sticker.

: This toy was released concurrently with the "standard" white version of the figure, shipping in the same case, in an equal ratio. This figure's packaging is identical to the standard version (including images of the regular white toy on the back), save for a photograph on the front, and a label identifying it as the "Velocity Red Mica Edition".

: Velocity Red Meister was [[repurposing|repurposed]] as the separate character [[Zoom-Zoom]] by the official ''Binaltech'' fiction.

::*[[Source:Transformers Binaltech bios#8|Archive of ''Binaltech'' Meister's bio and tech specs]]
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/Zoom-Zoom/zoom-zoom.htm More information on Velocity Red Meister/Zoom-Zoom at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Mayuko}}
[[File:BinaltechMayukoIwasaMeister.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Jazz, or Vaporwave?]]
*'''MEISTER feat. MAZDA RX-8 ~'''MAYUKO IWASA''' Edition~''' (Binaltech, 2004)
**''ID number:'' '''BT-08'''
**''Accessories:'' Muffler-blaster
{{toydesigner|[[Mayuko Iwasa]] (deco artist)}}

:A one-of-a-kind pastel blue, pink, yellow, and indigo redeco of the Binaltech Meister toy, ~MAYUKO IWASA Edition~ Meister was designed and autographed by Japanese "{{w|gravure idol}}" [[Mayuko Iwasa]]. Yahoo!Japan Auctions listed the figure for auction starting [[September 19]]th 2004, with the auction ending on [[September 26]].<ref name="auction1">[http://web.archive.org/web/20040926033130/http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k7991073 Original auction] for "Mayuko Iwasa" Meister at Yahoo! Japan auctions, archived version.</ref> However, they relisted the figure on [[October 8]]th 2004 (seemingly due to an issue arising between the original buyer and the charity, going by its feedback<ref name="auctionfeed">[http://rating5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/show/rating?userID=npo_actas_charity&u=npo_actas_charity&filter=&extra=&role=&apg=2 feedback rating Feedback] for original auction of "Mayuko Iwasa" Meister at Yahoo! Japan auctions, archived version.</ref>), and the auction finally finished on [[October 15]], 2004.<ref name="auction2">[http://web.archive.org/web/20041012014838/http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k8718622 Re-listing] for "Mayuko Iwasa" Meister at Yahoo! Japan auctions, archived version.</ref> The winner of the auction also received a signed photograph of Iwasa.

:All proceeds of the sale went to the Asian Children Orphaned by Traffic Accidents Support Association (ACTAS).<ref name="auctionnews">[http://tformers.com/transformers-bt-08-meister-mayuko-iwasa-edition-auction/3555/news.html TFormers news story] about the auction for "Mayuko Iwasa" Meister.</ref> In contrast to the placard in its public appearance at the "Binaltech BT-08 Meister / Mazda RX-8 Launch Event", the auction gave the designation of the toy as the "Original Coloring Transformer Binaltech BT-08 Meister feat. Mazda RX-8" (オリジナルカラーリングトランスフォーマー　バイナルテック　ＢＴ－０８　マイスターｆｅａｔ．マツダ　ＲＸ－８).

:To date, ~MAYUKO IWASA Edition~ Meister has never been seen in robot mode.

::*''[http://snakas.web.fc2.com/event/0409coredo.htm More images of ~MAYUKO IWASA~ Edition Meister at Autobase Aichi]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Argent}}
[[File:Binaltech ArgentMeister.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|What's crackin'?]]
*'''Argent Meister''' (Binaltech, [[2008]])
**''ID number:'' '''BT-20'''
**''Accessories:'' muffler-blaster
:One of the first releases of the short-lived (and final) revival of the ''Binaltech'' line, this version of Meister utilizes the "Mazdaspeed Version II" retooled RX-8 body introduced with [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Alternators/Binaltech|Shockblast/Laserwave]], but using the original Meister head and left hand, rather than Shockblast's arm cannon. It is touted as a "Movie Version", somewhat resembling the look of the [[Movie (franchise)|live-action movie]] [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], due to its silver paint job. The name is a pun on his Japanese function, "Agent Meister", and the Latin-derived word "argent" for "silver".

:Argent Meister was only released in Japan, with no direct ''Alternators'' counterpart.
::*[[Source:Transformers Binaltech bios#20|Archive of ''Binaltech'' Argent Meister's bio and tech specs]]
{{--}}

===''Encore''===
*'''Meister''' (Encore, Japan 2008)
**''ID number:'' '''08'''
**''Accessories:'' photon rifle, missile launcher, 3 missiles
:Another Takara reissue of the original 1984/1985 Jazz/Meister toy, following the success of the [[Transformers (film)|2007 Movie]].

:For the most part, the tooling is identical to the second production run of the 2002 ''Transformers Collection'' release, with the modified weapon from Hasbro's ''Commemorative Series'' release. The face uses the fixed mouth originally made for the ''Transformers Collection''/''Commemorative Series'' [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Stepper/Ricochet]] reissue from 2004. The feet are still the narrowed ''Generation 2'' version.

:Other changes unique to this version include the replacement of many stickers (such as the Autobot [[insignia]] on the hood/chest and the "Meister" decals on the doors) with tampographed versions, retooled shoulder mounted flame thrower aligned 90 degree from the axis but unlike the previous iterations, is quite difficult to maintain mounted, and a [[show-accuracy|cartoon-accurate]] painted blue visor.
{{G1JazzMold}}
{{--}}

===''Universe'' (2008)===
{{anchor|uni2008}}[[File:Universe2008 LegendsG1Jazz.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Slightly less tiny Jazz.]]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Legends Class, 2008)
{{toydesigner|[[Bill Rawley]] (Hasbro)}}

:Legends Class ''Universe'' Jazz, like the Legends Class ''Universe'' [[Hound (G1)/toys|Hound]], emulates Jazz's original toy rather than a modern vehicle re-imagination. Due to the budgetry limitation of Legends Class toys, he features an altered transformation sequence and a limited number of [[paint operation]]s, which leave several car windows unpainted.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/LegendsUniJazz/jazz.htm More information on Universe 2008 Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Transformers'' (2010)===
[[File:TF2010 deluxe SpecialOpsJazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|A Solstice with the 1984 robot mode and the 1989 rifle? Just gimme a skateboard and some nunchucks and I am the OMEGA JAZZ!]]
*'''Special Ops Jazz''' (Deluxe, [[2010]]/[[2011]])
**''Accessories:'' "Blaster," two speakers
{{toydesigner|[[Tomoya Miyake]] (TakaraTomy)|[[Andrew Scribner]] (deco artist)}}
:Part of the fifth wave of [[Transformers (2010 toyline)#RTS|2010 ''Transformers'']] Deluxe class toys, Special Ops Jazz transforms from robot into a "street rally" white sports car that looks like Jazz's original Porsche front-end wearing [[Jazz (Movie)|Pontiac Solstice]] headlights for a hat. Jazz has deployable speakers in both robot and vehicle mode,<ref>http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2010-hasbro-designers-panel-170066/</ref> and his rifle is an update of his [[Classic Pretender]] weapon. The speakers can also combine with his rifle via clips to form a super rifle, or they can be used on any other clip-compatible ''Transformers'' toy. A theme noticed in a few of the updated G1 Transformers is the backwards compatibility with the original character's weapons. Jazz is able to wield his G1 toy's shoulder rocket launcher on his neck though sadly both his original toy's photon rifle and his Pretender figure's weapon are incompatible with the toy. As part of the first wave of the ''Reveal the Shield'' promotion, he sports a [[rubsign]].

:This mold was later redecoed into ''[[Transformers United|United]]'' [[Ricochet (Headmasters)#United 2|Stepper]], ''Timelines''/''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (toyline)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Longarm (SG)|Longarm]] and [[Stepper (SG)|Stepper]], and the mold's alternate head was used to make [[Treadshot (SG)|Treadshot]]. It was also retooled to make ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' [[Wheelie (G1)#Generations|Wheelie]] and ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' [[Kick-Off (G1)#Timelines|Kick-Over]], and was ''intended'' to be retooled into ''Generations'' [[Nightbeat (G1)#Generations|Nightbeat]], who ended up as a retool of an [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Deluxe|entirely different sculpt]] instead.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Autobot/Jazz/jazz.htm More information on Reveal the Shield Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{2010JazzMold}}
{{--}}

===''United''===
[[File:Unitedtoy-AutobotJazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|People are willing to pay more money for their Jazz to be whiter. ... wait, that doesn't sound right...]]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' ([[January 29]], 2011)
**''ID number:'' '''UN-12'''
**''Accessories:'' "Handgun", two speakers
:Part of the second wave of ''[[Transformers United|United]]'' toys, this redeco of Deluxe Class Special Ops Jazz is cast in brighter non-metallic glossy white plastic, uses darker blue and red paints, and has a painted grill, feet, shins, stomach, rear windows, taillights, and wheel rims. He also has an Autobot logo on the hood and no rubsign. Unlike the earlier variants of Special Ops Jazz, ''United'' Jazz's forearms are molded in white plastic. The toy's packaging names his combined speaker-gun a "[[sonic cannon]] mode".
{{2010JazzMold}}
{{--}}

===''Chronicle''===
[[File:EZCollectionChronicleMeisterToy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Meister''' (EZ Collection, 2011)
:''[[Transformers Chronicle (toyline)|Chronicle]]'' EZ Collection Meister is... a redeco ([[repaint]]?) of ''Universe'' [[Legends Class (2005)|Legends Class]] Jazz. His visor is silver and features a slightly different Autobot sigil from the Hasbro release. Like other ''Chronicle'' Legends toys, he is sold in a blindpacked box.
{{--}}

===''Kre-O''===
[[File:KreO toy Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Mama says "[[Spock]] you Out".]]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (2011)
**''Set number'': '''31146'''
**''Pieces'': '''122'''
**''Kreons'': Jazz, Race Driver
**''Accessories'': pistol
:The ''[[Kre-O]]'' Jazz set is based primarily on Generation 1 Jazz in deco, with a head sculpt heavily based on ''Reveal the Shield'' [[#Transformers (2010)|Special Ops Jazz]]'s head, but with [[Live-action film series|Movie]] [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]]'s silver coloration. He transforms into a generic sports car that doesn't really look like either of Jazz's alternate modes, with opening doors and a flip-up roof. Sadly, neither of these features is actually useful for inserting a driver (the gap left by opening the roof is too small, and the sides are blocked by unfortunately-placed horizontal bars), but at least the thought was there.

:The included Jazz Kreon is based directly on his ''Generation 1'' self, with his characteristic coloration and deco, and "door wings." He also comes with a generic light gray gun used by some of the other Kreons that can resemble Jazz's [[photon rifle]] if you squint hard enough. The "Race Driver" Kreon wears a red and light gray racing suit and helmet, and also has a light gray baseball cap so he doesn't have to wear his helmet all the time. How thoughtful!

:This set shows signs of having been slightly redesigned late in production. Included among the pieces is a red seat which is not used in either mode; there is an obvious place where it "belongs" in the middle of the car's cabin, but it cannot actually fit there due to other parts interfering. (Interestingly enough, [[LEGO|a certain other company's]] equivalent piece ''will'' fit, thanks to its slightly different design.) Similarly, there is a black sticker with "vent" detailing which the builder is never instructed to apply anywhere, though according to stock photography, it is intended for Jazz's abdomen/pelvis section. Later releases of the set didn't include the seat, but still retained the unused sticker.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Autobot/Kre-OJazz/jazz.htm More information on Kre-O Jazz at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|UltimateVehiclePack}}
[[File:KreO-Toy UltimateVehiclePack.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Ultimate Vehicle Pack''' ([[2012]])
**''Set number'': '''A4583'''
**''Pieces'': '''279'''
**''Kreons'': Bluestreak, Sideswipe
:This [[Red Bucket|bucket]] contains unchanged versions of the Jazz (sans Kreons), [[Bumblebee (Kre-O)#74pc|Bumblebee]] and [[Optimus Prime (Kre-O)#90pc|Optimus Prime]] sets, as well as the [[Bluestreak (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Bluestreak]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Sideswipe]] Kreons.

{{-}}{{anchor|FigurePack}}
*'''Kreon Figure Pack''' ([[2013]])
**''Set number'': '''A4642'''
**''Kreons'': Bumblebee, Jazz, Mirage, Red Alert, Skywarp
**''Accessories'': small pistol
:A boxed set of five Kreons, with [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Bumblebee]], [[Red Alert (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Red Alert]], [[Mirage (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Mirage]], Jazz, and a fifth "mystery" Kreon (actually [[Skywarp (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Skywarp]]). These toys are all identical to their prior releases.

{{-}}{{anchor|Custom}}
[[File:kre-o_jazz_custom_kreon.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|As close to the Movieverse Kreon Jazz as we're ever going to get.]]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Custom Kreon, [[2014]])
**''Set number'': '''A7318'''
**''Pieces'': '''43'''
**''Accessories'': rack, twin cannons, sword, blaster, rifle, baton
:Part of the second wave of custom Kreons, Jazz comes with a buildable rack to store his customizable parts. His torso, arms, waist and legs have a metal-flake sheen, plus his [[tampograph]]s are more detailed than the ones on his original figure. His "normal" helmet and pistol (originally a [[Klingon]] disruptor from ''Kre-O [[Star Trek]]'') are chromed, plus he comes with transparent legs, torso and helmet. He also has a pair of extra arms (originally from the ''Kre-O Battleship'' aliens), a buildable backpack, buildable rifle, baton, sword, and the [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Wheeljack]] mini-wing backpack.

:Though widely solicited, this wave of Custom Kreons ultimately never saw release outside of Chinese-market distribution circles and [[Hasbro Toy Shop]].

{{-}}{{anchor|SDCC2014}}
[[File:SDCC2014_KreonClassof1984_Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|right]]
*'''Kreon Class of 1984''' (Kreon figure set, 2014)
**''Set number'': '''B0090'''
**''Voted'': Most Rad
**''Accessories'': [[Andorian]] blaster
:This version of Jazz has a ''different'' set of toy-based [[tampograph]]s, giving him a more detailed face. His weapon comes from the ''Kre-O [[Star Trek]]'' line.

:He was only available in a [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2014 [[exclusive]] pack of 30 Kreons dubbed the "[[Kreon Class of 1984]]". Remaining stock was to be sold at [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] online, only there ''was'' no remaining stock after the show.

{{-}}{{anchor|Army}}
*'''Army Jazz''' (Kreon Warrior, <s>2015</s>)
**''Collection'': '''4'''
**''Accessories'': Gatling gun, display stand

: Part of the canceled fourth assortment of Kreon Warriors, Army Jazz has the Autobot done up as if he transformed into an old World-War-era automobile, though he keeps his "4" in the chest.

: The Collection 4 Kreon Warriors were never released anywhere, but a complete (presumably unbagged) set eventually was found in China in 2023.

{{canceledtoy}}

{{-}}{{anchor|Ninja}}
*'''Ninja Jazz''' (Kreon Warrior, <s>2015</s>)
**''Collection'': '''4'''
**''Accessories'': 2 bladed nunchaku, display stand

: Part of the canceled fourth assortment of Kreon Warriors, Ninja Jazz is a Kreon that re-envisions the Autobot warrior in ornate ninja armor, complete with hood. He also has a pair of ninja stars attached to his legs. He carries two nunchaku, which each have a half-moon blade attached to one end.

: The Collection 4 Kreon Warriors were never released anywhere, but a complete (presumably unbagged) set eventually was found in China in 2023.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===''Generations''===
{{anchor|UltimateGiftSet}}
[[File:Generationstoy-G2Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|We've gotten new toys of all the kinds of Jazz except the elusive "Utah" variant.]]
*'''Ultimate Gift Set''' (2012)
**''Accessories:'' blaster, two speakers
{{toydesigner|[[Andrew Franks]], [[Sam Smith]]<ref>https://youtu.be/jVenhxXrQVs</ref> (Hasbro)}}

:This release of Jazz comes in a colorful deco in the festive spirit of the ''Generation 2'' [[#Generation 2|release]] of the original Jazz toy. He comes packed with Deluxe Class [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#Generations|Combat Hero Optimus Prime]], as well as unchanged releases of ''Generations'' Legends Class [[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#UltimateGiftSet|Thundercracker]] and [[Motormaster (G1)#UltimateGiftSet|Motorbreath]].

:His back-of-the-[[Packaging|box]] [[stock photography]] depicts his blaster as white, yet the final product casts it in black plastic.

:The Ultimate Gift Set was exclusive to online retailers in the United States, but was available at general retail in Asia.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/GenUGSJazz/jazz.htm More information on Ultimate Gift Set Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{2010JazzMold}}
{{-}}

{{anchor|Fall of Cybertron}}
[[File:Generationstoy-Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|''(Hasbro Version Pictured)'']]
[[File:TF-Generations-JP-TG-02-Jazz.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|''(TakaraTomy Version Pictured)'']]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Deluxe Class, 2012)
**''Series / Number:'' '''01 / #002'''
**''Accessories:'' blaster pistol
{{note|The Aligned [[Jazz (WFC)#Toys|Jazz]] toy was [[repurposing|repurposed]] as Generation 1 Jazz in multiple continuities.}}
:Part of the first wave of [[2012]] ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#FOC|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' "Autobot Jazz" transforms into a Cybertronian racer. His blaster pistol has a [[C joint|3 mm hole]] running through it, and can mount via [[5 mm post]] onto his roof, forearms/rear vehicle side, and hands.

:In robot mode, he features a case of [[Kibble#"Faux-parts"|faux parts]]: The centers of his feet are fake wheels (attached to the legs via [[Ratchet (mechanism)|ratchet joints]]) that are hidden in the rear section of his vehicle mode, while his real vehicle mode wheels end up on his forearms and on the sides of his chest (partially obscured by panels).

:A [[Variant#Colors and deco|running change variant]] of Jazz exists in the fourth wave, wherein his white plastic is darker and his translucent visor is cast in light blue instead of the previous extremely dark blue, allowing the light piping to work properly. The [[TakaraTomy]] release features an extensive paint job, with his white plastic being coated in grayish off-white paint, along with numerous additional details.

:This toy was redecoed/retooled into ''Fall of Cybertron'' [[Sideswipe (WFC)#Toys|Sideswipe]].

:Unsurprisingly, the ''Fall of Cybertron'' Jazz toy was used for several Generation 1-based stories. The TakaraTomy deco [[Jazz (G1)#Cloud|appeared]] in the ''[[Transformers: All Spark]]'' manga series. This toy also serves as a rough stand-in for Jazz's appearance in "Season 1" of [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' comic series.<ref>[[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] was redesigned by [[Andrew Griffith]] in [[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|''Robots in Disguise'' #1]] based on [[:File:WFC Jazz.jpg|the game render]] from ''War for Cybertron'' and ''Fall of Cybertron''. Your mileage may vary on how fitting the toy is.</ref>

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/GenJazz/jazz.htm More information on ''War for Cybertron'' Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Bot Shots''===
[[File:Bot Shots Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Jazz''' (Bot Shot, 2012)
**''Series'': '''1'''
**''Number'': '''B014'''
***''Fist strength'': '''555'''
***''Blaster strength'': '''370'''
***''Sword strength'': '''695'''
:Jazz is part of the fourth wave of ''[[Bot Shots (toyline)|Bot Shots]]'', transforming from a blue and white sports car with "4" decals into a [[super deformed]] robot when his front bumper is pressed. His head is heavily based on [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]'s head. This mold was also used for [[Drag Strip (G1)|Bot Shots Dragstrip]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/BSJazz/jazz.htm More information on Jazz at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|SuperBot}}
[[File:BotShots 3pack Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Cindersaur / Optimus Prime / Jazz''' (Multi-pack, 2013)
**''Series'': '''2'''
**''Number'': '''Super Bot 008'''
***''Fist strength'': '''849'''
***''Blaster strength'': '''?'''
***''Sword strength'': '''262'''
:Part of the second wave of three-packs in Series 2, Super Bot Jazz is a redeco of the original Bot Shots Jazz mold in translucent white with blue wheels.

:The second wave of Series 2 three-packs didn't reach mass retail in the United States, only showing up in discount stores like Ross.
{{--}}

===''BeCool''===
[[File:BeCool GreenSportsCar.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Acid Jazz?]]
*'''Green Sports Car (Autobot Jazz)''' (2013)
**''ID number'': '''B15'''
:''[[Bot Shots (toyline)#BeCool|BeCool]]'' "Green Sports Car" is a bright green redeco of ''Bot Shots'' Jazz with orange wheels, retaining the same blue stripes and "4" [[paint operation]]s. Instead of game stats, his chest stickers display images of his vehicle mode, a car's dashboard and a racing track.
{{--}}

===''Q-Transformers''===
[[File:QTransformers Meister.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|'''DÉJÀ VU!''' He's running in the 90s!]]
*'''Autobot Meister''' ([[February 21]], [[2015]])
**''ID number:'' '''QT-11'''
:''[[Q-Transformers]]'' Meister transforms from a [[super deformed]] Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 to a cute little robot. He comes with a code for unlocking Jazz as a playable character in the ''[[Q-Transformers: Mystery of Convoy Returns (mobile game)|Q-Transformers: Mystery of Convoy Returns]]'' game.
{{--}}

===''Power of the Primes''===
[[File:PowerOfThePrimestoy-Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Still a Martini, still a Porsche, all the more chill.]]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Deluxe Class, [[2017]])
**''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''PP-07'''
**''TakaraTomy release date'': '''[[May 25]], [[2018]]'''
**''Accessories'': blaster, Prime Armor/combiner hand, Prime Master gap filler/gun
{{toydesigner|[[John Warden]] (Hasbro)}}
:Transforming into a Le Mans-like racing car [[Porsche#Porsche 962|subtly inspired by a Porsche 962]], the ''[[Power of the Primes (toyline)|Power of the Primes]]'' version of Jazz is a mostly new mold that reuses the wheels and combiner peg of ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' [[Drag Strip (G1)#Generations|Dragstrip]]. Jazz can form a limb for any ''Combiner Wars''-style Combiner (or become one of [[Godbomber#Legends|''Legends'' Godbomber]]'s legs). Fans wanting to open this figure should take note that almost all of the roof, hood, and front grill of the figure is simply translucent plastic painted over, so be careful to avoid scratching or chipping these areas. Worse still, some fans have reported that this translucent plastic does not age well; it has a nasty tendency to crack after a few transformations. Again, ''be careful.''

:Like all other ''Power of the Primes'' Deluxe Class figures, he comes with Prime Armor with a place for a [[Prime Master#Toys|Prime Master]] (and by extension, a [[Titan Master#Toys|Titan Master]], [[Enigma of Combination#Generations|Enigma]], or [[Matrix of Leadership/toys#Power of the Primes|Matrix core]]) that can transform into a hand for a Combiner. He also comes with a piece that can fill the gap in the Prime Armor or be held as a gun. Also like the other Deluxe Class figures, the instructions explaining how exactly the armor connects are extremely vague. To connect the armor, the grill portion of Jazz's chest has two indents that fit the tabs on the "thumbs" when inserted at a slight angle. While this matches up to both the instructions and the packaging art, it should be noted that the connection is rather loose. Curiously, Jazz's engineering includes wrist swivels, but the panels molded underneath his forearms render them largely worthless. On another note, his Prime Armor was redecoed for [[Moonracer (G1)#Generations|Moonracer]], [[Firestar (G1)#Generations|Novastar]], [[Punch (G1)#Power of the Primes|Punch-Counterpunch]], and ''[[War for Cybertron: Siege|Siege]]'' [[Greenlight#Generations|Greenlight]].

:While not necessarily part of a certain combiner team, his packaging and [[TakaraTomy]] stock photos depict him as part of [[Elita-Infin1te]] while his instructions show him combined with [[Grimlock (G1)/toys#Power of the Primes|Grimlock]] and the rest of ''Power of the Primes'' Deluxe Class figures in Wave 1.

:Curiously, the roof and upper section of his hood both sport the iconic Martini racing stripes that were also present on the original Generation 1 figure. [[Copyright|Hopefully, nothing will go wrong.]]

:In November of 2017, ''Power of the Primes'' Jazz became the center of a minor controversy when it was discovered that the figure's deco included the acronym "[[President of the United States|MAGA]]" in tiny [[Cybertronix]] text underneath Jazz's Autobot insignia ({{w|Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|which, for those of you who have been living under a rock since 2016...}}). When reached for questioning, Hasbro responded that they had not sanctioned the political message and would address the issue with the vendor (corporate language for "freelance artist") responsible.<ref>[https://io9.gizmodo.com/uh-is-this-transformers-toy-a-trump-supporter-1820555691 Uh, Is This Transformers Toy a Trump Supporter?]</ref> A re-release of Jazz as part of wave 3 of the ''Power of the Primes'' Deluxe Class featured a [[variant#Running changes|running change]] that saw the "MAGA" text removed, leaving a blank black space. The variant's date stamp is '''80671'''. While official stock photos of the TakaraTomy release of the figure featured the "MAGA" acronym in Cybertronix, the final toy when released featured the edited tampograph of the Hasbro running change version with a blank black section in its stead.

:The figure was redecoed into ''[[Generations Selects (toyline)|Generations Selects]]'' [[Ricochet (Headmasters)#Generations|Ricochet]].
{{--}}

===''Studio Series''===
[[File:TF-Studio-Series-86-01-Deluxe-Autobot-Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|''Hollywoooooood! Hollywood swingin'!'']]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Jazz''' (Deluxe Class, [[2020]])}}</ul>
:*''Movie'': '''''The Transformers: The Movie'''''
:*''Hasbro ID number'': '''86-01'''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''SS-59'''
:*''TakaraTomy release date'': [[April 20]], [[2021]]
:*''Accessories'': photon rifle, "[[Moonbase One]] Destruction" backdrop
{{toydesigner|[[Evan Brooks]] (Hasbro), [[Ittoku Kuwazu]] (TakaraTomy)| [[Michael DiTullo]] (concept artist)<ref>Evan Brooks's [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb-_mqBuIp_/ Instagram post]</ref>, [[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist)}}

:Released to commemorate the 35th anniversary of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', ''[[Studio Series]]'' Jazz is based on his appearance in the original Generation 1 cartoon. Jazz features the number "14" on his side, a combination of the racing numbers on [[#Toys|his original]] and [[#Generation 2|''Generation 2'' toys]] according to designer [[John Warden]], with the intent to "keep it fresh in the alternate universe of [[War for Cybertron Trilogy (franchise)|War For Cybertron]]" and ensure customizers could choose which number they preferred.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Hi All! We mixed up the numbers of G2 (1) and G1 (4) to keep it fresh in the alternate universe of War For Cybertron. That way customisers could choose which number they preferred. Jazz has always been a favorite of mine, glad people are excited by this figure.|link=https://twitter.com/wardenfive/status/1317412380750585856|name=John Warden|site=Twitter|year=2020|month=10|day=17|(defunct=)}}</ref> Coincidentally, it is also the release number of his ''Diaclone'' toy.

:Jazz comes packaged with his back kibble unfolded, although his instructions address how to fold it up for robot mode properly. His roof assembly is made of painted translucent plastic—including ''the hinge that holds it to the chassis''—so caution is advised when transforming him. Unfortunately, the two pins used to attach the car roof to the body and rear half have been observed to cause the part itself to inevitably over time develop vertical stress fractures at both ends, regardless of whether or not the figure is transformed even once or if anything is inserted into the 5mm peg hole on top.

:The [[unpaintable plastic]] parts, such as the thighs, front wheel wells, and the skeletal joints that hold most of his torso together, are prone to a form of [[photodegradation]]. Strangely—similar to [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|''Earthrise'' Wheeljack]]—the white paint used on the translucent parts ''also'' discolors to a yellowish tinge. This yellowing paint phenomenon is something that had not been observed on ''Transformers'' toys before the ''[[War for Cybertron Trilogy (franchise)|War for Cybertron Trilogy]]''-era of toys, suggesting a different manner of paint mix has been used.

:As with other ''Studio Series'' toys, the interior of the package forms a diorama display for the figure. In that case, it shows Jazz's computer terminal and observation window from [[Moonbase One]].

:This figure was retooled with a new head into ''[[War for Cybertron: Kingdom]]'' [[Jackpot (G1)#War for Cybertron: Kingdom|Jackpot]], and retooled more extensively into ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' [[Knock Out (Prime)#Legacy|Prime Universe Knock-Out]].
{{--}}

===''Masterpiece''===
{{anchor|MP57}}
[[File:Transformers-Masterpiece-MP-57-Skyfire.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Shh... let him enjoy this small victory.]]
*'''Skyfire''' ([[2023]])
**''ID number'': '''MP-57'''
{{toydesigner|[[Kōjin Ōno]] (TakaraTomy)|[[Yuki Ohshima]] (concept artist)}}
:Included with the massive [[Jetfire (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|''Masterpiece'' Skyfire]] is an articulated, [[show-accuracy|cartoon-accurate]] figurine of "Meister", made to scale with Skyfire's jet mode. Funnily enough, after 20 years of the ''Masterpiece'' line this is its first depiction of Jazz/Meister at all.
{{--}}

===''Buzzworthy Bumblebee''===
[[File:Buzzworthy-Bumblebee-Origin-Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Origin Autobot Jazz''' (Deluxe Class, [[2023]])}}</ul>
:*''Series'': ''[[Transformers: Legacy#Evolution|Legacy Evolution]]''
:*''Accessories'': Blaster, grappling hook, grappling hook base
{{toydesigner|[[Mark Maher]] (Hasbro), [[Yūya Ōnishi]] (TakaraTomy)}}<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Mark worked on this with Yuyu-San, has clear canopy and G1 styled weapon.|link=https://twitter.com/TFU_INFO/status/1622711935820087302|name=TFU.info|site=Twitter|year=2023|month=02|day=06}}</ref>

: Part of the cross-franchise ''[[Buzzworthy Bumblebee]]'' subline, "Origin Autobot Jazz" transforms from cartoon-accurate robot to <s>handheld vacuum cleaner</s> his Cybertronian vehicle mode seen in the opening scenes of "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" and back, similar to the earlier [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#BuzzworthyOrigin|Origin Bumblebee]] toy. He transforms in 20 steps and includes both his blaster and a two part grappling hook attachment for either arm, attaching to a 5 mm port revealed when his hands are tucked away. The grapple stores underneath the vehicle mode via a 5 mm port hidden under Jazz's chest while the blaster more conventionally plugs on top. The toy's "[[Evo-Fusion]]" gimmick involves combining the blaster and grapple by plugging either just the hook or the hook on its base onto the end of Jazz's gun via a 3 mm connection. His alt mode features two dedicated 5 mm [[Fire Blast effect]] compatible ports on the back which, while technically housed in his feet, are entirely separate from the 5 mm ports also in his feet.

: Like other ''Buzzworthy Bumblebee'' toys, Jazz is exclusive to Target stores in the United States. Due to the open-windowed packaging, it is not uncommon for the paint on his chest to be scratched or chipped while still unopened. Also, the hinge that connects Jazz's vehicle roof to the rest of the backpack may cause the translucent blue plastic to crack, especially on the knurled side of the pin.

: Origins Jazz was officially revealed during a ''Transformers'' team roundtable with fans on [[February 6]], 2023.

:*''[https://www.instagram.com/p/CogRwHUMFP5/ Mark Maher's designer commentary on Origin Autobot Jazz]''
{{-}}

===''Legacy''===
[[File:Legacy-toy Jazz Toxitron.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb||No, that weapon configuration is not official, but it ''works''.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a2|'''G2 Universe Autobot Jazz''' (Deluxe Class, [[2023]])}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Blaster, rocket launcher, rocket, totally-not-a-hologram gun

: ''[[Transformers: Legacy#Evolution|Legacy: Evolution]] [[Transformers: Legacy#Walmart_2|Toxitron Collection]]'' "G2 Universe Autobot Jazz" is a redeco of his ''[[Studio Series]]'' toy, based on ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' concept art for a [[#G2DiacloneUnreleased|bright orange-and-red Jazz]] that never saw release.

: In addition to his standard blaster, Jazz also includes a pair of new 5 mm compatible weapons, originally designed for a ''[[Buzzworthy Bumblebee]]'' [[Hound (G1)/toys#Buzzworthy Bumblebee|Hound]] toy that had not been released or even officially acknowledged by the time Jazz had been revealed. Though not shown in the instructions, numerous stock images show him using both of these accessories to simulate the original 1984 toy's over-the-shoulder missile launcher (as seen at right), since the concept art for this deco was just painted-over art of the normal ''Generation 2'' art which also featured that accessory the actual ''Generation 2'' Jazz did not have. Due to the base mold's dearth of 5 mm holes, there's no way to mount all of these accessories in car mode in a not-ridiculous fashion, but, well, "ridiculous" is obviously not out of the question here.

: The ''Toxitron Collection'' was exclusive to [[Walmart]] in the US, with [[Hasbro Pulse]] receiving limited quantities of the figure. This toy was one of three figures put up for preorder on Walmart.com and Pulse on [[March 13]] 2023, with them shipping in mid-July, about the time when the rest of the assortment went up for order on Pulse (but not Walmart.com, grumble grumble).

{{-}}{{anchor|LegacyLC}}
[[File:TF-Legacy-G2-Laser-Cycle.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Quick! Someone get [[Benni Latham]] on the phone!]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a2|'''G2 Universe Laser Cycle''' (Deluxe Class, 2023)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': 2 [[Energon]] blades, front tire/Energon blaster

: A surprise—and surprising—entry in the ''Toxitron Collection'', "G2 Universe Laser Cycle" is a [[redeco]] of ''Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection'' [[Road Rocket (G2)#Legacy|G2 Universe Road Rocket]], a new-head retool of the mainline [[Arcee (WFC)#Legacy|''Legacy'' Prime Universe Arcee]] toy, transforming into a '90s-style sportbike motorcycle. The toy's deco is based on the unreleased ''Generation 2'' [[#LaserCycle|Jazz Laser Cycle]]. That said, probably to avoid confusion with the G2 Universe Jazz toy above, it doesn't sport the Jazz name.

: The blaster weapon formed by splitting the front tire can also be plugged into a 5 mm port on the back, allowing the figure to better resemble the original Laser Cycle Jazz figure with its distinctive shoulder wheels. Unfortunately, unlike the original figure, there is no buzzsaw weapon, instead coming with two clear-plastic blades that form a circular disc. The back of the head is molded in translucent blue plastic to allow for [[light-piping]].

: This toy also turned out to be far less in demand than the rest of the ''Toxitron Collection''; while this whole capsule had spotty and erratic distribution at best, in places where it ''did'' show up in decent numbers, multiple Laser Cycles [[shelfwarmer|hanging on pegs]] was frequently the only evidence the Deluxes had been there at all.

: The original version of this mold was redecoed into ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#Shattered Glass Collection|Shattered Glass Collection]]'' [[Flamewar (SG)#Toys|Decepticon Flamewar]], and further retooled into ''Legacy: Evolution'' [[Elita One (G1)#WarDawn|Cybertronian Erial]].
{{LegacyArceeMold}}
{{-}}

===''Generations Selects''===
[[File:TF_Gen_Selects_Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|''I feel good!'' ''I knew that I would, now!'']]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobots Stand United''' (Multi-pack, 2024)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Blaster
{{toydesigner|[[Matthew Cohen]] (photography)<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Here's my photos of the Transformers Generations Selects Legacy United Autobots Stand United 5-Pack. Up for pre order right not on Hasbro Pulse! I've been getting my hands on more and more transformers now. Hoping to keep it going and b|link=https://www.instagram.com/p/C33FPq-Ol91/|site=Instagram|name=Matthew Cohen|year=2024|month=2|day=27}}</ref>}}

: Released as part of the ''[[Generations Selects (toyline)|Generations Selects]]'' "Autobots Stand United" five-pack, "Autobot Jazz" is a redeco of the ''Studio Series 86'' Jazz above, in a more extensive and cartoon-accurate deco. He now features painted hubcaps, striping on the rear wheel wells, plus the blue center-stripe extends up to his flip-up collar area in robot mode. His silver paint is now a more matte light gray, and his transparent plastics have been replaced with opaque white, with the windshield and windows painted in a very cartoony light blue. Despite this, he still retains the 14 numbering on his vehicle mode sides rather than the cartoon design's 4.

: This set also included similarly-more-cartoon-based versions of [[Hound (G1)/toys#Generations Selects|Hound]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys#Generations Selects|Sunstreaker]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)/toys#Generations Selects|Trailbreaker]], and [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#Generations Selects|Wheeljack]].

:Listings for the "Autobots Stand United 5-pack" began leaking in January 2024. It was officially revealed on [[February 27]], and went up for pre-order the same day for a purported July 2024 release, but CMD Store released it in March.
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Stamp Bot===
*'''Jazz''' (Stamp Bot, 1984)
:Made by HG Toys, Stamp Bot Jazz is a small, non-poseable figurine of Jazz based on his toy with a rubber stamp on the base, and a cap with a felt "floor" that was soaked in ink. The stamp made an image of Jazz's sports car mode.

===''Transformers Milk Caramel''===
[[File:TFCaramel jazz.jpg|thumb|Nobody calls me yellow.]]
*'''Meister''' (1985)
:A soft rubber figurine—known in Japan as a ''keshigomu''— of Jazz was released as part of the second wave of [[Kabaya]]'s ''[[Transformers Milk Caramel]]'' [[candy toy]] range. He came packaged with chocolate-covered caramel candies, and was available in red, blue, and yellow.
{{--}}

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

*'''Jazz''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''13'''
:The figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, Jazz was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]], and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Jazz/jazz.htm More information on Decoy Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Super Collection Figure''===
[[File:SCF Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Jazz and his brother Heavy Metal.]]
*'''Meister''' (2002)
**''Act'': '''8'''
**''Accessories'': stand
:Released in the eighth "Act" of ''[[Heroes of Cybertron (toyline)|Super Collection Figure]]'', Meister is a PVC figurine based on the cartoon rendition of Jazz. He came in both full-color and pewter-painted versions, both packed one per case.

:The pewter version of the figure has a potential problem with connector peg breakage, due to said pegs often getting a layer of pewter paint before being forced into a socket, leading to sticking and tearing. Care should be used when moving or removing the arms; shaving down the socket interior with a thin hobby knife is usually sufficient to fix the issue.

:The color versions of Jazz came packaged with the waist of the Act's "build-a-figure" [[Scorponok (G1)#Super Collection Figure|Scorponok]]. This part too could be in either full-color or pewter, packed at a ratio of six color parts to four pewters.
{{--}}

===''Heroes of Cybertron''===
[[File:HOC Jazz.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (2003)
:Released in the fourth wave of ''[[Heroes of Cybertron (toyline)|Heroes of Cybertron]]'' Jazz is a redeco of the ''SCF'' Meister figure. He is cast in blue plastic almost completely painted over, leaving the visor and the back of the head unpainted to take advantage of a [[light-piping]] gimmick. His backpack-windshield is also unpainted, which is a cute touch.

:He has a large number of other paint differences from Meister, including a more cartoon-accurate light blue waist deco, red stripes on his rear wheels rather than blue, a much darker gray face, a more complex stripe on his backpack... and for some reason, his boots are light gray all over, including the vehicle-mode wheel hubs, rather than white. Oops.

:Like all ''Heroes of Cybertron'' releases, he came on an individual cardback, with a character bio card. He also included the left leg to the wave's [[Fortress Maximus (G1)#Heroes of Cybertron|Fortress Maximus]] "build-a-figure".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Autobot/HoCJazz/jazz.htm More information on ''Heroes of Cybertron'' Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''MyClone''===
[[File:MYCLONE MISTER AS5-4.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Mister''' (MyClone, [[2003]])
**''ID number'': '''MTF013'''
**''Accessories'': stand
{{toydesigner|[[Kazutami Yasuhiko]] (TakaraTomy)}}

:A "[[super deformed]]" mini-figure of Jazz was created as part of the second wave of [[MyClone]] Transformers in Japan. These toys could be disassembled and their parts mixed-and-matched thanks to a generic base body.
{{--}}

===''Generation 1 Figure-Collection''===
[[File:Bottlecap jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
*'''Meister''' (2003)
**''ID number:'' '''C-3'''
**''Accessories:'' Display base
:At only one inch in height, this Jazz "bottlecap" figurine (so named because its display base is the size of a bottlecap) was one of fourteen blindpacked figures available in Kabaya's Transformers [[Generation 1 Figure-Collection]]. The figure was rendered in a "retro" black and white color scheme, and came with a leaflet, personalized with cartoon screen captures.
::*''[http://snakas.web.fc2.com/misc_item/kabaya_bottle.htm More information on the Generation 1 collection at Autobase Aichi]''
{{--}}

===Hard Hero===
[[File:HardHero Jazz bust.JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|Shares the same fate as his movie counterpart.]]
*'''Jazz''' (2004)
:Jazz is number 12 in [[Hard Hero]]'s series of cold-cast porcelain ''Transformers'' busts, measuring six inches in height and sculpted holding his photon rifle in his right hand. Jazz was limited to 2500 pieces worldwide, with an additional 100 being specially signed by sculptor [[Jason Ray]].
{{--}}

===''Titanium Series''===
[[File:Titanium RM Jazz.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Won't you take me to Funkytown?]]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Robot Masters, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Muffler-blaster, Autobot display stand
:Titanium Jazz is a small, 3" non-transformable die-cast metal figurine based upon his ''Alternators'' design, but with a little bit of his "traditional" deco thrown into the mix. He has articulation in his waist, shoulders, and head.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/TitJazz/jazz.htm More information on ''Titanium Series'' Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===First 4 Figures===
*'''Soundwave vs Jazz''' (<s>2006</s> unreleased)
{{toydesigner|[[Little IroN]] (concept artist), [["Mad" Alterton]] (sculptor)}}

:Intended for release in the ''Transformers Battlefield'' line by model company [[First 4 Figures]], this was to be 13-inch-ish tall diorama depicting [[Soundwave (G1)/merchandise#First 4 Figures|Soundwave]] fighting against Jazz. According to a look at the digital sculpt afforded to the toy news press at New York [[Toy Fair]] in 2006, the set featured Soundwave holding Jazz above his head, about to throw him down onto the trashed form of [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] at his feet.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070806062058/http://toyfair06.asmzine.com/first4figures/report.html "First4Figures Limited Transformers Statues and Busts Info!"] at ASMzine.com (archived)</ref>

:As a ''Battlefield'' release, this model would have featured a detailed base designed to interlock with others in the same range to create a massive battle diorama. Unfortunately, a general discontinuation of First 4 Figures' ''Transformers''-related output meant only the first model, "[[Optimus Prime (G1)/merchandise#First 4 Figures|Optimus Prime]] vs [[Megatron (G1)/merchandise#First 4 Figures|Megatron]]", was released.

:All models in the ''Battlefield'' line were advertised as being sculpted by [["Mad" Alterton]], with a corresponding set of art posters by [[Little IroN]], implying he had produced the concept art for each release. The set was likely intended to be limited to 1,850 pieces worldwide, given that the certificate of authenticity for the first set allowed buyers to reserve the same numbered release on their next purchase in the series.

{{canceledtoy}}

===''Attacktix''===
[[File:Jazz-atx.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|#1 Super Guy!]]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Booster, <s>2007</s>)
:Jazz was one of many Generation 1 characters slated to appear in ''[[Attacktix]]''. A presumed wave-3 Booster, this piece was ultimately never released, but was shown at the ''Star Wars Celebration IV'' convention.

{{canceledattacktix}}
{{--}}

===''Robot Heroes''===
[[File:Robotheroesjazzthundercracker.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Do the Hustle!]]
*'''Autobot Jazz & Thundercracker''' (Two-pack, 2007)
:''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' Jazz is an adorable, [[super deformed]] figurine of Jazz, with limited articulation in his arms, but no head movement. He came packaged with [[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#Robot Heroes|Thundercracker]].

:This figurine was later [[redeco]]ed into [[Ricochet (Headmasters)#Robot Heroes|Ricochet]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Autobot/RHG1Jazz/jazz.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Jazz at TFU.info]''

{{anchor|RHBlindpack}}
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Single-pack, 2008)
:In some countries outside of North America, Jazz was released individually in a blindpack with no notable changes.
{{--}}

===Sota Toys===
*'''Transformers Chess Set''' (<s>2007</s>)
:Two identical Jazz pieces were to be the Autobot-side Rooks on a [[Chess#Sota Toys|chess set]] based on Generation 1, but the set apparently never saw release.
{{canceledtoy}}

===Boss Coffee===
*'''Meister''' (2008)
:A non-transforming PVC figure of Jazz was released as part of a promotion by [[Boss Coffee]]. The small figure was randomly included with single cans of the company's "Rainbow Mountain Blend" coffee, contained in a plastic capsule affixed to the top of can which then became a display base for the figurine once removed. Jazz features articulation at the shoulders and waist, and came with a small catalog leaflet that could be folded up and attached to the lid/base to form a diorama background for added display value.

===''Transformers - Mini Bust''===
[[File:Jazz statue.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|One cold cast cat.]]
*'''Jazz''' (Diamond Select, 2008)
:Jazz was released by [[Diamond Select Toys]] in 2008 and exclusive to online retailer Big Bad Toy Store. He was sculpted by [[Mark Wong]] of [[Art Asylum]] and limited to 1000 pieces. The bust features both his photon rifle and shoulder-mounted rocket launcher, which, along with the car door pieces, are attached magnetically and are optional for display.
{{--}}

===''Mighty Muggs''===
[[File:MightyMuggs Jazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
*'''Jazz''' (2009)
**''Accessories:'' Photon rifle, doors
:Part of the third wave of [[Mighty Muggs]], Jazz is a [[super deformed]], non-transformable PVC figure with articulated arms and head. He is made largely using the standard Mighty Muggs body mold, with the exception of the head, which uses the same "horn" mold as [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]]. Jazz comes with a super-deformed photon rifle and a pair of car doors that attach to his back.

:Jazz and his wavemate [[Shockwave (G1)/toys|Shockwave]] were initially reported to be canceled, but were eventually released as exclusives at Diamond Distributors and [[Toys"R"Us]] stores.
{{--}}

===''The Loyal Subjects''===
*'''Jazz''' (2013)
{{charstubtoys}}
{{anchor|The Loyal Subjects Illest}}
*'''Illest Jazz''' (2013)
{{charstubtoys}}
{{anchor|The Loyal Subjects Gold}}
*'''Gold Jazz''' (2013)
{{charstubtoys}}
{{--}}

===''Tiny Titans''===
[[File:TinyTitans Jazz G1.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Tiny Titans, 2015)
**''Series'': '''2'''
**''Number'': '''12/12'''
:Part of the second assortment of ''[[Tiny Titans]]'' [[blindpacking|blindpacks]], this version of Jazz is a very small, soft-plastic figure of him in robot mode.

:He includes a collectible card that renders him in the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|2015 ''Robots in Disguise'']] styling. The card includes a scan-badge for the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]], which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.

:This wave saw fairly minimal release at "big box" retailers, but unlike other waves, was ''not'' picked up by drug stores and the like later, making them particularly hard to find.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2015/Autobot/TTJazz/jazz.htm More information on ''Tiny Titans'' Jazz at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Q-Transformers''===
[[File:QTransformers Gacha Meister.jpg|thumb|]]
*'''Meister''' (2016)
:A non-transforming figure of Jazz based on his appearance in the ''[[Q-Transformers: Mystery of Convoy Returns (cartoon)|Q-Transformers: Mystery of Convoy Returns]]'' cartoon was available as part of the ''Q-Transformers'' {{w|gashapon|capsule toy}} lineup.
{{--}}

===''Transformers Figure Collection''===
[[File:TF-Transformers-Figure-Collection-Jazz-Decoy.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Meister''' (01-2016)
:Standing 42mm tall, ''Transformers Figure Collection'' Meister is a non-poseable soft-rubber figure greatly based on a [[Decoy]] figure.
{{--}}

===Bitfig===
[[File:Bitfig-Part-1.jpg|thumb|]]
*'''Meister''' (12-2016)
:Part of the first wave of Transformers Bitfig capsule toys.

:Meister's design is inspired by his appearance in the G1 cartoon, and is articulated at the neck and shoulders.

:Bitfig toys were packaged in capsules color coded to the toy they contained. Jazz's capsule was yellow.
{{--}}

===Imaginarium Art===
[[File:ImaginariumJazz.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hard rock.]]
*'''Jazz''' (2018)
:[[Imaginarium Art]]'s "Legacy of Cybertron" Jazz statue stands 16 inches tall. Owners have the option of exchanging his left fist with the grappling hook he used in "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]". The statue's base can be connected to those of the other statues in the "Legacy of Cybertron" series in order to form a larger battle scene. Only 500 of this item were produced, exclusive to [[BigBadToyStore]].
{{--}}

===''Transformers Trading Card Game''===
[[File:W1AutobotJazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Autobot Jazz, Special Ops''' (2018)
**'''Wave 1'''
**''Rarity: '''''UT'''
**''Card Number: '''''T04/T40'''
**''Stars: ''6
:'''Autobot Jazz, Special Ops''' is one of forty double-sided character cards available in Wave 1 of the ''[[Transformers Trading Card Game]]''.

:The artwork on the card is reused from the ''[[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends]]'' mobile card game.
{{--}}

===''Keshi Surprise''===
*'''Autobots''' (2018)
:The ''[[Keshi Surprise]]'' series by [[Super7]] consisted of 1.75" soft rubber figures in a style deliberately resembling the 1980s [[Decoy]]s. These blindpacked figures were sold individually or in cases depicting only their faction. Jazz was available in red, yellow, blue, and purple, and included a foil trading card / sticker.

===''ReAction''===
[[File:ReAction_Jazz.jpg|right|upright=1.67|thumb|]]

*'''Jazz''' (2020)
**''Accessories'': blaster
:Released in the first wave of [[Super7]]'s line of multi-property 3.75-inch "retro" action figures, ''[[Super7#ReAction|ReAction]]'' Jazz is a non-converting 3 3/4-inch action figure based on his appearance in the original cartoon, with 5 points of articulation (swivel neck, shoulders, hips) and holes in his feet for use with some variety of stand. He comes with a blaster which can only be held in his right hand.

:As with all releases in the ''ReAction'' toyline, Jazz comes packaged on a small cardback that emulates the nostalgic packaging style of [[Kenner]]'s ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' action figures from the late 1970s to early '80s.

:This mold was also used to make [[Ricochet (Headmasters)#ReAction|Stepper]].
{{--}}

===Jada Toys===
====''Metals Die Cast / Hollywood Rides''====
*'''Jazz''' (Scale 1/24 Die Cast Vehicle, <s>2019</s>)
**''Accessories'': collectible coin
:Announced by [[Jada Toys]] in 2019, ''Hollywood Rides'' Jazz was planned to be a 1/24 scaled non-transforming die-cast car with rubber tires based on his original Martini Racing Porsche alternate mode and possibly featuring opening doors, front hood and back trunk. Similar to the ''Robot Powered Machines'', the car would have featured a sculpted robot mode underneath. However, the product remains unreleased and is most likely cancelled by now.

:Jazz would have come with a collectible coin with his face engraved on it.
{{canceledtoy}}

{{-}}{{anchor|Canceled1-32}}
*'''Jazz''' (Scale 1/32 Die Cast Vehicle, <s>2019</s>)
:A 1/32 scaled version of Jazz was also announced, but remains equally unreleased.
{{canceledtoy}}

====''Nano Hollywood Rides''====
*'''Jazz / Sideswipe / Jetfire''' (1.65" Die Cast Vehicle 3-pack, <s>2020</s>)
:''[[Jada Toys|Nano Hollywood Rides]]'' Jazz was going to be a small non-transforming die-cast car measuring approximately 1.65 inches long.

:He was planned to be part of a 3-pack alongside [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Nano Hollywood Rides|Sideswipe]] and [[Jetfire (G1)/toys#Jada Toys|Jetfire]], but the pack got replaced and by 2022 Jazz got replaced by [[Hot Rod (G1)/merchandise#Nano Hollywood Rides|Hot Rod]]. As of 2023, however, it's unclear if the pack will ever get to see an official release in any form.
{{canceledtoy}}

====''Nano Metalfigs''====
[[File:JadaNanoMetalfigsG1-18pack.jpg|upright=1.44|thumb]]
*'''Transformers Series 1 18-pack''' (4cm Die Cast Figure Multipack, 2022)
:Jada finally managed to released a Jazz in their ''Nano Metalfigs'' line. This Jazz is an incredibly small die-cast figurine molded holding his blaster. He has a little base attached to his feet for balancing reasons.

:He comes in an impressive multipack with [[Jada Toys#Nano Metalfigs|seventeen other figurines]].
{{--}}

===Hallmark Keepsake Ornament===
[[File:Jazz-Keepsake-Ornament.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Transformers Jazz Ornament''' (2020)
:Part of the Keepsake Ornament line, the "Transformers Jazz Ornament" is a plastic ornament "crafted" by Orville Wilson. He is not poseable but comes with his blaster molded into his right hand. The name "Agent Meister" can be found in multiple places on the ornament.
{{--}}

===Eaglemoss===
[[File:EaglemossChess Jazz.jpg|upright=0.66|thumb]]
*'''Transformers Gen-1 Chess Set''' (<s>2021</s>)
:In the planned [[Chess#Eaglemoss|Transformers Chess Set]] by [[Eaglemoss]], a relatively large and very well detailed statue of Jazz was slated to be one of the Pawn pieces on the Autobot side.

:A Kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary funds for this project was launched, but failed to meet its goal by September 24, 2021 and the whole thing was canceled.
{{canceledtoy}}
{{--}}

===''Pop!''===
[[File:Funko Pop Jazz G1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*'''Jazz''' (2021)
**''ID number:'' '''25'''
:Released as part of the ''Pop! Retro Toys'' segment, [[Funko Pop!|Funko]]'s ''Pop!'' Jazz is a super deformed vinyl figure based on his original Generation 1 toy.

{{-}}{{anchor|Digital Pop!}}
*'''Jazz''' ([[Funko Pop!#Digital Pop! NFTs|Digital ''Pop!'']], 2022)
**''Rarity:''
***''Monochrome:'' '''Common'''
***''Static:'' '''Common'''
***''Glowing:'' '''Uncommon'''
***''Chrome:'' '''Uncommon'''
***''Original'': '''Epic'''
:{{W|Non-fungible token|NFT}}s depicting Jazz in the Funko style.
<center><gallery heights=200>
File:TRANSFORMERS_COMMON_JAZZ_MONOCHROME.gif
File:TRANSFORMERS_COMMON_JAZZ_STATIC.gif
File:TRANSFORMERS_UNCOMMON_JAZZ_GLOW.gif
File:TRANSFORMERS_UNCOMMON_JAZZ_REDCHROME.gif
File:TRANSFORMERS_EPIC_JAZZ_ORIGINAL.gif
</gallery></center>
{{--}}

===''Transformers Character Card''===
[[File:Transformers Character Card Jazz and Banzai-Tron.jpg|upright=1|thumb]]
*'''Meister and Banzai-Tron Set''' ([[April 14]], [[2022]])
**''ID number:'' '''19 & 20'''

:Released as part of the third wave of the [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive ''[[Transformers Character Card]]'' series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of "Meister" in his [[Action Master]] body and [[Banzai-Tron (G1)|Banzai-Tron]] along with [[bio|character profiles]] and [[Tech Spec|tech specs]].
::*''[[Source:Transformers Character Card#19|Translation of Jazz's Transformers Character Card]]''
{{--}}

===''Minimates''===
*'''Autobot Jazz''' (Series 3, 2022)
**''Accessories'': rifle, stand
:Part of the third wave of Transformers [[Minimates]] from Diamond Select, this Jazz is a 2-inch-tall figurine featuring metallic paint, 12-14 points of articulation, and accessories and body parts interchangeable with other Minimates. Due to their small size, all 4 figures in each series are sold in the same blister card.

===Flame Toys===
*'''Jazz''' (2023)
**''Accessories'': rifle, alternate hands, alternate face, backpack, back skirt, door kibble, flight stand
:At [[Wonderfest 2022]], [[Flame Toys]] revealed Jazz as an addition to their ''Kuro Kara Kuri'' line of ultra-high-detail articulated action figures. Jazz has [[LED]] features in both his headlights and his visor, activated by the buttons on the rear left and rear right parts of his chest. His included weapon can be either held in his hand as a rifle or mounted backwards on his included backpack accessory to serve as his rocket launcher. He includes a pair of car door accessories that can be mounted on either his forearms or the aforementioned backpack. He has 4 sets of hands that he can use: two closed fists, two posed for holding his weapon, and two pairs of open hands. He also includes a removable back skirt item resembling his rear kibble. He ''also'' comes with an alternate angry face, which can be swapped out by removing his forehead and slotting it in where the previous face was. Finally, he has an adjustable flight stand. It's recommended to remove the back skirt in order to have the clearance to plug Jazz onto said stand.

==Notes==
[[File:PorscheMiniSubaru.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*The first toy planned for the ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' line was Jazz as a Porsche 986. A prototype was made, but Porsche refused to grant Hasbro and Takara the license, stating that "Transformers are not worthy [of] carrying the Porsche trademark. They are war machines, and the toyline in no way represents the lifestyle and ideas which Porsche represents."<ref>[http://www.tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24622 Former Porsche employee Addl recounting an informal inquiry with Porsche's licensing department at TF Archive]</ref> As a consequence, the toy ultimately never went into production. Photos of the prototype were depicted in the Japanese book ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide]]'', and Hasbro later also displayed the prototype during the [[BotCon 2007]] Hasbro Tour.
*The ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' Mazda RX-8 (which ultimately ended up as Meister) was originally intended to be named "[[Camshaft (G1)|Camshaft]]", according to various early store listings and a premature reply from Hasbro's customer service. This would also fit with the early idea of making the ''Alternators'' toys "direct updates" of their characters' G1 predecessors. A prototype was leaked to the public in early 2004 sporting the same basic colors as the later ''Alternators'' "Autobot Camshaft" toy (the Acura RSX), although it's uncertain whether the prototype colors for the RX-8 were supposed to be indicative of the proposed colors for Camshaft (since the Acura redeco was originally intended as a G1 Bluestreak [[homage]] before being renamed into "Autobot Camshaft"). The reason why the RX-8 Alternator was ultimately not named "Camshaft" was apparently because the real-life Mazda RX-8 car doesn't ''have'' a camshaft. The irony is staggering, as Camshaft's original toy was an RX-7, which ALSO lacks a camshaft.
*There have been at least two different reasons stated why the Hasbro toy was named "Meister" rather than "Autobot Jazz": For one, Hasbro was still hoping that Porsche would have a change of mind and grant them the license after all, as Chevrolet had done; also, Aaron Archer has been quoted stating that he thought a third toy named "Autobot someone" following "[[Hound (G1)/toys|Autobot Hound]]" and "[[Tracks (G1)/toys|Autobot Tracks]]" would have been somewhat "redundant".
*By coincidence or by design, the 2006 ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Transformers: Cybertron]]'' [[Ransack (Cybertron)#GTS|Ransack GTS]] toy, with a Velocitronian motorcycle alt-mode, employs a deco loosely similar to that of the canceled 1995 [[#LaserCycle|Laser Cycle incarnation of Jazz]].

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

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Attacktix]]
[[Category:Bitfig]]
[[Category:Bot Shots Autobots]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:E-HOBBY exclusives]]
[[Category:Encore]]
[[Category:Generation 1 combiners]]
[[Category:Generation 1 toy Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Kmart exclusives]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legacy Autobots]]
[[Category:MyClone]]
[[Category:Power of the Primes Autobots]]
[[Category:Pretenders]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Repurposed toys]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Studio Series Autobots]]
[[Category:Spychangers]]
[[Category:Target exclusives]]
[[Category:Titanium Series]]
[[Category:Toys"R"Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers Character Card]]
[[Category:United Autobots]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]

Ratchet (G1)/toys

2024-02-05T05:49:40Z

WinningYellow:

{{suite}}

[[File:G1 boxart Ratchet.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Thankfully, this look didn't last long.]]

'''Ratchet''' is the quintessential [[Autobot]] ambulance.

{{TOCclear}}

==Toys==
===''The Transformers''===
{{anchor|Generation 1}}
[[File:Ratchettoyg1.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Why's everything so dark in here?]]
* '''Ratchet''' (Autobot Car, [[1984]]/[[1986]])
**''Accessories'': "Static Laser Gun", gun connector, 3 missiles

:''[[The Transformers (toyline)|The Transformers]]'' Ratchet was originally a Onebox Ambulance Type toy from [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Diaclone]]'' line before [[Hasbro]] brought ''Transformers'' to North America. The toy transforms from a Nissan Cherry Vanette SGL Coach ambulance to a robot and [[Onebox component|gun-station]]. A [[variant]] of the toy includes red crosses on the top and sides of the vehicle. Ratchet and his [[retool]]/[[redeco]] buddy [[Ironhide (G1)/toys|Ironhide]], like all Diaclones, were designed to be piloted mecha, which is why he has a seat instead of a head. The Transformers version applied a face [[sticker]] to the back of the seat in lieu of a real sculpted noggin.

:In 1986, he was made available as a mail-away item (as he was no longer shipping to retail shelves) in multiple offers, including the [[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction (G1)|Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]] flier packed with most boxed ''Transformers'' toys. He cost $8 and two [[Robot Point]]s.

:In Japan, Ratchet was originally only available as a [[S.T.A.R.S.]] mail-away, costing 1700 yen and 4 robot points.

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-ratchet/191/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Ratchet at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/Ratchet/ratchet.htm More information on Ratchet at TFU.info]''
{{G1IronhideRatchetMold}}
{{--}}

===''Collector's Edition''===
*'''Ratchet''' ([[2001]])
**''ID number'': '''99'''
**''Accessories'': "Static Laser Gun", gun connector, 3 missiles

:In 2001, Ratchet was reissued in Japan as part of the [[The Transformers: Collector's Edition|Collector's Edition]] series. It was [[exclusive]]ly available through [[e-HOBBY]], paired with Ironhide. As with his packmate, this version of the mold is the first to use metal pins for the shoulder connection rather than screws (something that all future reissues of this mold would adopt). This release also adds a rubsign above the vehicle mode windshield.
{{G1IronhideRatchetMold}}
{{--}}

===''Timelines''===
[[File:Timelinestoy-RatchetDiE.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb|Maybe photographing him against a white backdrop wasn't such a great idea.]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet & Flareup''' (BotCon 2005 Souvenir two-pack)
**''Accessories'': Lightbar/blaster

:One of two "souvenir" packages [[exclusive]] to [[BotCon 2005]], Ratchet is a retooling of the ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' Autobot [[Tow-Line (Energon)#Toys|Tow-Line]] with a new head, transforming into a large utility van. In robot mode, his lower vehicle portion becomes a [[Onebox component|mobile battle/repair platform]]. Ratchet can fold his legs back and up over his shoulders (wow!) and re-attach to this platform for a "battle mode". In this, ahem, ''position'', Ratchet can also form the top half of a two-robot "Powerlinx combiner" with any ''Energon'' Deluxe Autobot, and any of them can also use his platform for their own combination.

:The mold's standard "receiver dish" weapon was not produced; instead, he came with a new "light bar" that pegged onto his roof in much the same manner.

:He could only be purchased in an at-show "souvenir" two-pack along with [[Flareup (G1)#Toys|Flareup]]. This mold was also used to make [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Timelines|Ironhide]] for the same convention.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Autobot/BCRatchet/ratchet.htm More information on BotCon Ratchet at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Encore''===
[[File:Encoretoy-Ratchetwithhead.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.85|This looks... better?]]
* '''Ratchet''' ([[December]] [[2007]])
**''ID number'': '''06'''
**''Accessories'': "Static Laser Gun", gun connector, 3 missiles

:In mid-December 2007, Ratchet was reissued again as part of TakaraTomy's ''[[Transformers Encore|Encore]]'' line. This particular version came with an illustration on one box flap depicting Ratchet's cartoon-design head and chest windshield. By punching out the image along the perforated edges, folding it just so and tucking it in behind the toy's windshield, one could give the toy a "real" head, just like in the TV series, instead of using the ''Diaclone''-original windshield face sticker. Sort of. This version of the toy was retooled to add a pair of "clips" to the mobile platform's gun-base, designed to keep Ratchet more securely attached when riding it. However, these clips are right where a pair of decals normally go.
{{G1IronhideRatchetMold}}

{{-}}{{anchor|EmergencyGreen}}
[[File:Encoreratchetemergencygreen.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|To the Mystery Machine, gang!]]
*'''Ratchet Emergency Green''' ([[April]] [[2008]])
**''ID number'': '''06'''
**''Accessories'': "Static Laser Gun", gun connector, 3 missiles

:A redeco of his Encore reissue which [[homage]]s [[Ratchet (Movie)|the live-action movie Ratchet]], Ratchet Emergency Green (ラチェットエマージェンシーグリーン) is a Japanese mail-away exclusive available with a purchase of the book ''[[Transformers Visualworks]]''. After the book release on December 4, 2007, purchasers could mail in a ticket from the book and purchase either one (5200yen) or two (10,000 yen) of the item. Ratchet shipped to customers in April 2008. He comes in the same packaging as the regular Encore release, including packaging images, instructions, and the same white-headed cardboard torso punch-out.

:He's totally awesome.

:This toy inspired the separate character [[Oil Slick (G1)|Oil Slick]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Cybertron/EmergencyGreenRatchet/ratchet.htm More information on Emergency Green Ratchet at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!''===
[[File:Henkeitoy-Ratchet.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|Surprise, I'm colored like the cartoon!]]
*'''Ratchet''' ([[February 26]], [[2009]])
**''ID number'': '''C-14'''
**''Accessories:'' Converting Cannon

:A [[redeco]] and [[retool]] of the [[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|2008 ''Universe'']] [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Ironhide toy]], ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' Ratchet transforms into an "emergency" SUV. He has a red Japanese-style emergency lightbar, is cast in bright white plastic, and has a deco resembling Ratchet's appearance in the original cartoon series, down to his dark gray head crest. Like all ''Henkei'' toys, he features [[Vacuum metallizing|vacuum metalized]] plastic, specifically his headlights and taillights, as well as his "Converting Cannon" weapon. Unlike his ''Universe'' counterpart, the [[license plate]] is blank. The lightbar was also used for ''Henkei! Henkei!'' [[Red Alert (G1)#Henkei! Henkei!|Alert]].

:Like Ironhide, ''Henkei! Henkei!'' Ratchet also carried a couple of flaws from the base mode; Due to a combination of three places on the figure having too much plastic, Ratchet's head assembly does not have the clearance to properly look up. However, with some heavy tinkering, the head can be raised to a more level, straight position [http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transtopia-fix-universe-20-ironhides-low-self-esteem/14298/].
{{UniverseIronhideMold}}
{{--}}

===''Universe'' (2008)===
[[File:Ratchet25toy.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|No, not ''[[Ratchet (Universe)|that]]'' Universe Ratchet.]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Series:'' Generation 1 Series
**''Accessories:'' Medical Dispenser/Combat Blade
{{toydesigner|[[Alex Androski]] (deco artist)}}

:Like ''Henkei'' Ratchet, ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' Ratchet is a redeco and retooling of the ''Universe'' Ironhide toy, and transforms into an "emergency" SUV, cast in pearlescent white plastic with a rather generic "Ratchet" deco. He sports the American-style emergency lightbar previously used for ''Universe'' [[Prowl (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Prowl]] (and later used again for ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' [[Red Alert (G1)/toys#Generations|Red Alert]]) cast in translucent blue plastic (as opposed to ''Henkei! Henkei!'' Ratchet's differently sculpted red Japanese-style emergency lightbar).

:While similar in execution, there are a great many changes from Henkei Ratchet to Universe Ratchet. The red paint detailing on Universe Ratchet is different than that of Henkei Ratchet in color and layout. The Henkei version's stripes resemble those of his original toy, while the Universe version more resembles his ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|counterpart]]. Henkei Ratchet uses chrome paint on his weapon and both sets of lights while the Universe version leaves them unpainted. Gray paint covers Henkei Ratchet's gun barrel and silver on his upper chest (behind the chest window), these parts remain unpainted on Universe Ratchet. The paint used for the windows of Universe Ratchet is a light blue while Henkei Ratchet uses a deeper metallic blue paint. Universe Ratchet has black forearms and upper thighs, while the Japanese version uses a pure white (different from the white used throughout the rest of the figure). Universe Ratchet has a yellow [[license plate]] (which reads [[The Pri¢e of Life!|H3L PU2]]) and red head crest, while Henkei Ratchet has a blank gray plate and gray head crest. Universe Ratchet features a blue blade on his weapon, while Henkei Ratchet features a red blade. Universe Ratchet also features a lighter red plastic than the Henkei version.

:Like ''Universe'' Ironhide, the blue paint used for his opaque windows matches ''really'', '''''really''''' badly with his translucent blue plastic windows. Also, several of his parts are cast in [[unpaintable plastic|unpaintable]] red plastic, causing Ratchet to have a rather conspicuous red patch on his otherwise-white roof.

:This mold was also retooled into [[BotCon 2012]] [[Soundwave (SG)#Timelines|Sir Soundwave]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/TFURatchet/ratchet.htm More information on Universe Ratchet at TFU.info]''
{{UniverseIronhideMold}}
{{--}}

===''Kre-O''===
[[File:Kre-O Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"I LOVE MOI BRICK!"]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (2011)
**''Set number'': '''30662'''
**''Pieces'': '''197'''
**''Kreons'': Ratchet, [[Medic (Kre-O)|Medic]]
**''Accessories'': Pistol

:Part of the first [[wave]] of ''[[Kre-O]]'' figures, Ratchet can be built in either G1-inspired robot mode or an ambulance (with decals inspired by his [[Ratchet (Animated)|''Animated'' incarnation]]). He comes with two [[Kreon]]s to drive the ambulance, one of himself and one of a human medic.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Autobot/Kre-ORatchet/ratchet.htm More information on Ratchet at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|SDCC2014}}
[[File:KreO-Toy RatchetC84.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|right]]
*'''Kreon Class of 1984''' (Kreon figure set, 2014)
**''Set number'': '''B0090'''
**''Voted'': Class Fixer
**''Accessories'': [[Andorian]] blaster, syringe

: This version of Ratchet, part of the [[Kreon Class of 1984]], has much more detailed toy-based [[tampograph]]s than his prior version, though he keeps the cartoony head, of course. Oddly, he also has a [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Wheeljack]]-style wing-pack, despite neither the toy or cartoon version of Ratchet having wings. But hey, who can complain about extra parts in a customizing-heavy play pattern, huh?

:He was only available in a [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2014 [[exclusive]] pack of 30 Kreons dubbed the "Kreon Class of 1984". Remaining stock was to be sold at [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] online, only there ''was'' no remaining stock after the show.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/SDCCKre-ORatchet/ratchet.htm More information on Class of 1984 Ratchet at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|BattleChangers}}
*'''Autobot Ratchet Vs. Soundwave''' (Battle Changer 2-pack, 2015)
**''Set number'': '''B1507'''
**''Accessories'': Cobra Commander pistol

:Battle Changer Ratchet uses a modified Kreon torso and pelvis, that is then built up with bricks to form a larger robot that can transform into an ambulance mode ''without'' needing to be disassembled and reassembled. He seems to be equal parts based on the original Ratchet and [[Ratchet (WFC)|''Prime'' Ratchet]].

: Also, by this time, the "Ratchet" helmet had been [[retool]]ed to widen the opening for the face, so the crest no longer completely obscured a Kreon's eyes.

: Ratchet was only available in a "Vs." pack with [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#BattleChanger|Soundwave]], who ''also'' came with [[Frenzy (G1)/toys#BattleChangersRatchetVSSoundwave|Frenzy]], [[Rumble (G1)/toys#BattleChangers|Rumble]], [[Laserbeak (G1)/toys#BattleChangers|Laserbeak]] and [[Ravage (G1)/toys#BattleChangers|Ravage]].
{{--}}

===''Prime''===
[[File:PrimeRID-RatchetDeluxe.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|How did I get here?]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Deluxe Class, 2012)
**''Series / Number'': '''1 / 006'''
**''TakaraTomy release date:'' '''[[March 31]], 2012'''
**''TakaraTomy ID number:'' '''AM-04'''
**''Accessories:'' Dual Battle Blades (Hasbro only), "R.A." Arms Micron (TakaraTomy only)

{{note|[[Ratchet (WFC)|''Prime'' Ratchet]] was repurposed as Generation 1 Ratchet in ''[[The X-Files: Conspiracy: The Transformers]]''.}}

: Part of the second wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Robots in Disguise (2012)|Prime: Robots in Disguise]]'' Deluxe Class toys, this larger-scale version of Ratchet has a "dramatic head reveal" [[gimmick]], with his robot-mode head being spring-loaded to pop up once his "backpack" is pulled down. He features [[5 mm post|5 mm peg-holes]] for his hands, a pair on his front bumpers/shins, and a pair on his vehicle roof.

:He comes with a pair of battle blades that can mount/be held via 5 mm post, and his hands can be swung down at the wrist to give the appearance of the blades sprouting out of his wrists, as seen in the cartoon. The blades can mount into the peg-holes on his front bumper, creating a battle mode, and the blades can store on tabs underneath his vehicle.

:His [[instructions]] depict an alternate head apparently intended for an as-yet-unreleased Gears. The sculpt was used as the basis for ''Prime'' [[Swerve (Prime)|Swerve]].

: The Japanese release of Ratchet, part of the very first assortment of [[TakaraTomy]] ''Prime'' toys, omits an incredible number of [[paint operation]]s, replacing them with customer-applied foil [[sticker]]s. (On the other hand, this ''does'' give him his "lifeline" decoration missing from the [[Hasbro]] version.) As part of the "[[Arms Micron]]" gimmick, six 5mm peg-hole attachment points have been glued onto him (as opposed to having existing parts specifically [[retool]]ed to include them like many other toys in the line) on his vehicle-mode roof, doors, and side-panels, which respectively end up on his legs, forearms, and shoulders. The Hasbro version's twin blades have been replaced by the Arms Micron, [[R.A.#Toys|R.A.]], who transforms into a considerably larger version of one of the blades, and can still work as a "wrist-mounted" weapon.

: Ratchet was redecoed into [[Transformers (2014 toyline)|2014 ''Transformers'']] [[First Aid (G1)#Transformers (2014)|Protectobot First Aid]] and retooled into [[BotCon 2014]] [[Cannonball (G1)#Timelines|Cannonball]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/Ratchet/ratchet.htm More information on ''Robots in Disguise'' Ratchet at TFU.info]''
::*''[http://higekumatoytoy.blog60.fc2.com/blog-entry-1464.html Arms Micron Ratchet at Alfes's blog]''
{{--}}

===''Bot Shots''===
[[File:Bot Shots S1 B006 Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"It was either [[Paint operation|painted]] [[Sensors#Optical sensors|optic]]s, or red gloves. These ''super-snazzy'' red gloves..."]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (2012)
**''Series'': '''1'''
**''Number'': '''B006'''
***''Fist strength'': '''720'''
***''Blaster strength'': '''290'''
***''Sword strength'': '''630'''

:Part of the second wave of ''[[Bot Shots (toyline)|Bot Shots]]'' Series 1 single-packs, "Autobot Ratchet" is a teeny little emergency-response SUV with [[Autotransformation|a spring-loaded automatic transformation]] to robot mode triggered when his front bumper is pressed. He has a "spinner" in his chest that shows his three attack types and power levels. His robot body and elements of his vehicle mode are based on the [[Ratchet (Movie)|live-action movie Ratchet]], though his colors and head are based on the [[Ratchet (G1)|original Ratchet]].

:This mold would also have been used to make the unreleased ''Bot Shots'' [[First Aid (G1)#Bot Shots|Protectobot First Aid]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/BSRatchet/ratchet.htm More information on Autobot Ratchet at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''BeCool''===
[[File:BotShots_BeCool_AmbulanceRatchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
*'''Ambulance (Ratchet)''' (2012)
**''ID number'': '''B02'''

:''[[Bot Shots (toyline)#BeCool|BeCool]]'' "Ambulance" is a slight [[repaint]] of Ratchet's ''Bot Shots'' toy, featuring silver paint on his grill. Instead of game stats, his chest stickers display images of a syringe, a lightbar and a stethoscope.

{{-}}{{anchor|HighwayPatrol}}
[[File:BeCool HighwayPatrolCar.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
*'''Highway Patrol Car (Patrol Ratchet)''' (2013)
**''ID number'': '''B13'''

:"Highway Patrol Car" is a yellow [[redeco]] of the Ratchet toy with identical paint details, including the ''BeCool''-only grill. His stickers now depict a traffic cone, a street sign and a picture of his vehicle mode racing to the rescue.

{{-}}{{anchor|RescueBase}}
[[File:BotShots_BeCool_RescueCarBaseRatchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|[[Knock Out (Prime)|Someone]]'s going to envy my toys.]]
*'''Rescue Car and Rescue Base (Rescue Ratchet)''' (2013)
**''ID number'': '''BS02'''

:"Rescue Car" is a redeco of the Ratchet toy in red with white and silver paint details. He comes with the Rescue Base, a red redeco of the [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Bot Shots|Ironhide Launcher]], which can attach to him as a trailer or open up into a base with a spring-loaded vehicle launching ramp. It also has a pair of articulated buzzsaw-arms and comes with a sticker sheet for decorating it as you please.
{{--}}

===''Q-Transformers''===
[[File:QTransformers Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Oops! Zat was not medicine.]]
*'''Ratchet''' ([[March 19]], 2016)
**''ID number:'' '''QTF-09'''

:''[[Q-Transformers]]'' Ratchet is a retool of [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|Ironhide]] which transforms from a licensed [[super deformed]] Toyota HiAce with a lightbar to a cute little robot.
{{--}}

===''Generations''===
*'''Autobot Warriors''' (Multi-pack, 2014)
:''Accessories:'' Gun/front spoiler
:''Universe'' Ratchet was re-released in a three-pack with ''Generations'' [[Kup (G1)/toys#Generations|Sergeant Kup]] and ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Perceptor (G1)/toys#Transformers (2010)|Perceptor]], available from Hasbro Asia and [[TakaraTomy Mall]]. All three Autobots feature new metallic paint decoes. Ratchet, in particular, features considerably more red in his vehicle mode compared to both his ''Universe'' and ''Henkei! Henkei!'' versions. He retains the latter's Japanese-style emergency lightbar.
{{UniverseIronhideMold}}
{{--}}

===''Masterpiece''===
[[File:MP-30 Ratchet.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|He can hold a rifle, dual wield pistols, use a back-mounted missile launcher, heck, he can even fire weapons in vehicle mode! Oh, and yes, he's occasionally been known to brandish medical tools from time to time.]]
* '''Ratchet''' ([[April 23]], [[2016]])
**''ID number:'' '''MP-30'''
**''Accessories:'' Missile launcher, missile, static laser gun, 2 laser pistols, x-ray blaster, repair beam emitter, repair beam effect, 2 cyber spanners, magno-wrench, laser scalpel, arc-welder, repair bay, 2 faces, cardstock EKG image
: Transforming from a licensed Nissan Cherry Vanette SGL Coach ambulance to a robot, ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' Ratchet is a retool of ''Masterpiece'' [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|Ironhide]], with a new head, skirt armor, and lightbar.

:Ratchet shares several accessories with Ironhide: a pair of generic Autobot pistols (prominently dual-wielded by Ratchet in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''), a static laser gun and missile launcher based on those included with his original toy (though, unlike Ironhide, not used by Ratchet in the cartoon), and an extra face. He also comes with multiple new accessories, mostly various kinds of medical tools he used in the show, including a "repair beam emitter" that plugs into his forearm (used occasionally throughout the series, but first seen in "[[Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion]]") complete with an attachable beam light effect, an "arc-welder" that replaces his hand (Ratchet used a tool like this regularly in the series, but this accessory is specifically based on the detailed one seen in "[[Dinobot Island, Part 2]]"), a pair of "cyber spanners" (used in "[[Attack of the Autobots (episode)|Attack of the Autobots]]"), a "magno-wrench" (from "[[The Autobot Run]]"), a hand-held laser scalpel (also from "The Autobot Run") and an "x-ray blaster" (from "[[Microbots]]"). Similar to how Ironhide included a cardstock image of dinosaur bones, Ratchet includes a cardstock image of an {{w|Electrocardiography|EKG}} reading that fits behind his windscreen.

:Ratchet has two options for his red cross stickers–placed on his shoulders, and the sides and top of his vehicle mode–both of which sidestep the [[trademark]] issues involving the [[Red Cross]] organization: one set places an Autobot insignia over the center of the cross, whilst the other adds a red square into each corner of the cross. You didn't hear it from us, but you can totally cut the squares off the latter set to give Ratchet his original plain crosses.

:If purchased from a seller supplied by Hasbro Asia, Ratchet includes a [[collector coin]] mounted in a card which resembles the front of his van mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2016/Autobot/MPRatchet/ratchet.htm More information on ''Masterpiece'' Ratchet at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

===''Combiner Wars''===
{{anchor|BotCon2016}}
[[File:BotCon2016toy-Ratchetunpainted.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|Nel Yomtov Crowd Scene Version]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Deluxe Class, Botcon 2016 Customization Class)
**''Accessories'': Combiner hand/foot, axe

:Exclusive to [[BotCon 2016]]'s customization class, ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' Ratchet is a redeco of Deluxe Class [[First Aid (G1)#Generations|First Aid]] with a previously-unused pretooled head. Like all ''Combiner Wars'' Deluxe toys, he can become an arm or a leg for any compatible Voyager-class figure (including ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' figures) or into one of [[Godbomber#Legends|''Legends'' Godbomber]]'s legs. His G2 bio invites you to use him as a member of the ''Combiner Wars'' G2 [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] that doesn't exist, or as a member of [[Modulus]] who ''possibly'' exists.

:Class participants were given four deco options for the Ratchet head ([[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel G1]], [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon G1]], [[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|G2]], and [[Ratchet (SG)#Generations|''Shattered Glass'' Ratchet]]), and a fifth deco option for the automatically-included-in-the-sprues First Aid head as [[Medix (G1)#Generations|Medix]]. Four sticker sheets were available (with the two G1 decoes sharing a sheet), and class participants were given the G1 sheet and one other of their choice. Additionally, three stickers could be used on Ratchet's combiner peg, allowing you to recreate the sticker face of his original toy.

:Class participants who finished creating their toy in-class were given an exclusive [[Enigma of Combination]] accessory that can be either held by Ratchet/Medix or fit into [[Ultra Prime]] or [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]]'s chest. Unpainted/unstickered versions of Ratchet with the Ratchet head were offered for sale during registration and at the convention, whilst the G1 sticker sheet was later offered for sale at the online club store, bundled with either a set of autograph cards or a pair of sunglasses.

:In 2017, the unpainted Ratchet was [https://www.toyarama.com/store/2016-botcon-exclusive-assembled-class-figure-unpainted-1-pc-p1573.php sold at the Club's site in ''very'' limited quantities].
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
[[File:BotCon2016toy-RatchetMarvel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|In The Final Analysis He's Expendable Version]]
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
[[File:BotCon2016toy-RatchetSunbow.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Papa Smurf Version]]
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
[[File:BotCon2016toy-RatchetG2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|One Metamorphin' Dudicus Version]]
{{!}}}

{{CWOffroadMold}}
{{--}}

===''Unite Warriors''===
[[File:TF-Unite-Warriors-UW-EX-Ratchet.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Aren't you glad you didn't go to Botcon now?]]
*'''Lynxmaster''' (giftset, [[October 29]], [[2016]])
**''ID number:'' '''UW-EX'''
**''Accessories'': Clamp weapon, double-barreled gun/fist/foot
:Released as part of the [[Sky Reign#Unite Warriors 2|Lynxmaster]] box set, Ratchet is a redeco of his [[#Combiner Wars|BotCon 2016 customization class figure]], making it the very first Japan-only release of the retool itself. Even though the set includes two versions of the axe weapon of the [[Offroad (CW)#Toys|Offroad]] sculpt, one of them is assigned to [[Trailbreaker (G1)/toys#Unite Warriors|Trailbreaker]] (another retool of Offroad), and the other to [[Hound (G1)/toys#Unite Warriors|Hound]], while Ratchet's official weapon is instead the clamp weapon that was originally included with [[Rook (CW)#Generations|Rook]] and other figures reusing his version of the sculpt.
{{CWOffroadMold}}
{{--}}

===''War for Cybertron: Siege''===
[[File:TF-Generations-WFC-S-Deluxe-Ratchet.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Heard you were depressed you didn't get the BotCon 2016 toy."]]
*'''Ratchet''' (Deluxe Class, [[2019]])
**''Hasbro ID number:'' '''WFC-S34'''
**''TakaraTomy ID number:'' '''SG-EX'''
**''TakaraTomy release date:'' '''[[January 20]], [[2021]]'''
**''Hidden message code'': '''ARCWELDER'''
**''Accessories:'' "RT-15" laser cannon/robotic arm, "RT-5 Magno-Wrench", "RT-5 Laser Scalpel"

:''[[War for Cybertron: Siege|Siege]]'' Ratchet is an extensive [[retool]]ing of [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Siege|Ironhide]], featuring a new head, grill, shoulders, and weapons that transforms from robot to Cybertronian van and back. Despite the mold being a retool of Ironhide, the mechanical engravings featured across the parts' surface have been largely changed, leaving very few parts from the original figure unchanged. His instructions also include a third "repair mode" vaguely evoking the original toy's [[Onebox component#Toys|medical sled]]. He features multiple [[5 mm post]]-holes and 3mm hardpoints; the latter are to accommodate "Fire Blast" effects pieces from the [[Battle Master]]s assortment, which can be used to simulate blaster fire or explosions. Despite being classified as a Deluxe Class figure, Ratchet is actually a full head taller than the other Deluxe figures of the same line.

:Instead of the "W-35 LR Doomblast Forge Launchers" from his mold-mates, he features a set of all-new [[C.O.M.B.A.T. System]] accessories. The main one is a multi-jointed laser cannon/robotic arm, which forms the "RT-15 Protraction Magno Hoist" when combined with his "Magno-Wrench" (for use in repair bay mode), or the "RT-15 Protraction Laser Launcher" when combined with his "Laser Scalpel" pistol (attached to his back in robot mode).

:In an undocumented and possibly unintended feature, all of Ratchet’s accessories can be stored in a hollow compartment formed from his attached shins underneath his arms in vehicle mode, and the pistol and wrench can fit one each in either shin compartment in robot mode. This feature is retained by all iterations of this mold, should you choose to repurpose these accessories with any of those other figures.

:Due to the layout of his mold, Ratchet sports peculiar white wheels in his vehicle mode. Individual reports indicate he does not share Ironhide's leg panel problem, though some figures are reported to have warped molding in their ankle joints instead.

:Ratchet was a [[Walgreens]] exclusive in the U.S. (appropriate given it's a drug store), an EB Games exclusive in Canada, and a [[Toys"R"Us]] exclusive in Hong Kong and Malaysia. In Japan, it was released as a [[TakaraTomy Mall]] exclusive.
{{WFCSiegeIronhideMold}}
{{--}}

===''Authentics''===
[[File:TF-Authentics-Bravo-Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Bravo, 2020)

:Released in the third wave of the "Bravo" assortment, [[Transformers Authentics|''Authentics'']] Ratchet is a roughly Scout-sized mold that transforms from a robot into an ambulance and back. Due to his simple transformation steps, most of his ambulance kibble hangs on his entire body, making him a [[shellformer]] of sorts. His shoulder kibble leaves him with clearance issues during posing, and unlike most Bravo class figures, he lacks knee articulation. The ambulance mode is strikingly similar to the ''Cyberverse'' Spark Armor Ratchet, but the transformation schemes are both unique.
{{--}}

===''Generations Selects''===
[[File:TF-Generations-Selects-SG-Ratchet.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Shattered Glass Ratchet & Optimus Prime''' (2-pack, 2020)
**''ID number:'' '''WFC-GS17'''
**''Accessories:'' Pistol, roof/shield, lightbar

{{note|This toy was [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as an [[Angolmois Energy|Angolmois]]-corrupted form of [[Ratchet (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Generations Selects Special Comic|Generation 1 Ratchet]] in ''[[Generations Selects Special Comic]]''.}}
:''[[Generations Selects (toyline)|Generations Selects]]'' "[[Ratchet (SG)#War for Cybertron Trilogy|Shattered Glass Ratchet]]" is a redeco of ''[[War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Earthrise]]'' [[Ratchet (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Paradron Medics Ratchet]] (see below), itself a retool of ''Earthrise'' [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Ironhide]], featuring a BotCon-inspired color scheme with the delicious purple Autobot insignia.

:Ratchet is only available in a two-pack with [[Optimus Prime (SG)#Generations Selects|Shattered Glass Optimus Prime]], sold through multiple online retailers.
{{WFCSiegeIronhideMold}}
{{--}}

===''War for Cybertron: Earthrise''===
[[File:TF-Generations-WFC-Galactic-Odyssey-Collection-Paradron-Medics-Ratchet.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|If ''Generations Selects'' got really creative, they'd retool him into the "headless toy-accurate" variant.]]
*'''Paradron Medics''' (Galactic Odyssey Collection, [[2020]])
**''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''ER EX-20'''
**''TakaraTomy release date'': [[March 27]], [[2021]]
**''Accessories:'' Pistol, roof/shield, lightbar
{{toydesigner|[[AJ Piejko-Brown]] (packaging)}}

:Bundled with fellow medic [[Lifeline (G1)#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Lifeline]] as Encounter 1 of the ''[[War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Earthrise]]'' "Galactic Odyssey Collection", Ratchet is a retool of ''Earthrise'' [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Ironhide]], itself a heavy retool of ''Siege'' Ironhide, featuring a reuse of ''Earthrise'' [[Prowl (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|Prowl]]'s lightbar and a new head. ''Earthrise'' Ratchet is a faithful (deco aside) representation of Ratchet's appearance in the cartoon, transforming into an unlicensed Nissan-esque van. His roof piece converts to a shield or (non-firing) rocket launcher for his robot mode, and he has a small pistol that can be stored away underneath the roof/shield in either mode. His shield and pistol are also shown in his instructions to be able to combine together into some sort of hovercraft. As with ''Earthrise'' Ironhide, Ratchet has feet sticking out of his alt mode's rear. Like the rest of the "Galactic Odyssey Collection", he lacks an ''Earthrise'' ID number, and comes in a ''[[Generations Selects (toyline)|Selects]]''-style box with a planet card featuring key details about [[Paradron]]. The roof/shield piece is the only part of the figure that has an Autobot symbol on it, leaving him completely devoid of any such symbols in robot mode.

:CG render and initially-released photos of Ratchet showcase his thighs and hip joints being cast in gray plastic, but the final release features them molded in white plastic.

:This two-pack was exclusive to [[Amazon (website)|Amazon]] in the United States but was available at general retail in Hasbro's Asian markets such as Hong Kong.
{{WFCSiegeIronhideMold}}
{{-}}

===''Studio Series''===
[[File:Studio-Series-Core-Class-TFTM-Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|[[:File:Huge_Ironhide_and_Small_Ratchet.jpg|Totally accurate scale]].]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Core Class, [[2022]])}}</ul>
:*''Movie'': '''''The Transformers: The Movie'''''
:*''TakaraTomy ID number'': '''SS-99'''
:*''Accessories'': 2 blasters
{{toydesigner|[[Evan Brooks]] (Hasbro)|[[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist)}}

:Part of the third wave of ''[[Studio Series]]'' Core Class figures, Autobot Ratchet transforms from a robot to an ambulance van in 15 steps and comes with two blasters which can either be held or stored on the sides of his ambulance mode. There is also ample space to store the guns inside the rear of the van. Ratchet features cartoon-inaccurate "Autobot sign of life" shoulder decals (due to the Red Cross symbol being a heavily enforced [[trademark]]) and his ambulance wiper blades aren't painted. Despite the Core Class lacking the backdrops included with all other ''Studio Series'' [[size class]]es, the outside and insert of Ratchet's packaging is decorated with artwork depicting the interior of the Autobot shuttle raided by the Decepticons in the film.

:While handling the vehicle mode, be careful not to press down the upper and lower rear panels; doing so would likely disconnect its tabbing.

:Unfortunately, Ratchet's unpaintable parts are prone to ''slight'' photodegradation.

:This figure was officially revealed by UK retailer In Demand Toys before any announcement by Hasbro. This mold was retooled into [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#SS Core|Ironhide]].
{{-}}{{anchor|SSVoyager}}

[[File:TF-Studio-Series-86-23-Voyager-Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Aren't you glad this isn't a Walgreens exclusive?]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Voyager Class, [[2023]])}}</ul>
:*''Movie'': '''''The Transformers: The Movie'''''
:*''Hasbro ID number'': '''86-23'''
:*''Accessories'': 2 laser pistols, 2 lightbar halves, "Decepticon Shuttle Ambush" backdrop

:''[[Studio Series]]'' Ratchet is an inevitable retool of [[Ironhide_(G1)/toys#Studio_Series|the same line's Voyager Class Ironhide]], with a new head, new crotch, and a lightbar. Though he is a similar size to his Earthrise toy, the advanced transformation engineering means he doesn't have feet sticking out of the back of the vehicle mode and requires no [[Partformer|partsforming]]. Like his moldmate Ironhide, Ratchet's signature stripe on the sides of his vehicle mode is as molded detail, though unpainted. His shoulders use cartoon-inaccurate "Autobot sign of life" shoulder decals for the same reasons as the above Core class.

:Ratchet comes with dual laser pistols, which can be stored on his back, on the back of his legs, on top of his van mode, or under it as exhaust pipes. His light bar consists of two pieces that use the same connection ports and can also be stored on his back, although they do not secure very well.

:Like [[Jazz (G1)/toys#Studio Series|''Studio Series'' {{'}}86 Jazz]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Earthrise|''Earthrise'' Wheeljack]], Ratchet's white paint used on the translucent parts discolor in a slight yellowish tinge. This phenomenon is something that had not been observed on ''Transformers'' toys before the ''[[War for Cybertron Trilogy (franchise)|War for Cybertron Trilogy]]'' era, suggesting that a different form of paint has been used.

{{--}}

==Merchandise==
{{anchor|TakaraDecoy}}
[[File:G1-toy DecoyRatchet.jpg|thumb|Ratchet cosplaying as Ironhide, or Ironhide cosplaying as Ratchet? You, the viewer, decide!]]
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (Decoy multi-pack, 1985)

:In Japan, a red rubber mini-figure of Ratchet was available in part of a [[Decoy|massive multi-pack of similar mini-figurines]]. The number etched into his back is the sum total of his [[Tech Spec]] ratings, as these figurines were used as game pieces for a variety of ''Transformers'' board games in which this number had some meaning to how the game was played or something.

{{anchor|HasbroDecoy}}
*'''Ratchet''' (Decoy, 1987)
**''Decoy number'': '''6'''

:The [[Hasbro]] [[Decoy]] release of the Ratchet game piece is almost identical to the Japanese version, except the number on his back is a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]], and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Ratchet/ratchet.htm More information on Decoy Ratchet at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Super Collection Figure''===
[[File:SCF Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Super-action pose doctor!]]
*'''Ratchet''' (2002)
**''Act'': '''6'''
**''Accessories'': Stand

:A three-inch tall [[plastic|PVC]] figurine of Ratchet was available in "Act 6" of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Heroes of Cybertron|Super Collection Figure]]'' line, a slight [[retool]]ing of the [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Super Collection Figure|Ironhide]] figurine (despite the fact that their two [[character model]]s have quite a few differences all over) with a new head, left hand and right-wrist-mounted welding tool he uses on several occasions in the cartoon. Like all the figures in the wave, it was available as both a standard full color figure and a metallic silver "pewter" version, one of each of which was available in a standard case of twelve [[blindpacking|blindpacked]] figures.

:The pewter version of the figure has a potential problem with connector peg breakage, due to said pegs often getting a layer of pewter paint before being forced into a socket, leading to sticking and tearing. Care should be used when moving or removing the arms; shaving down the socket interior with a thin hobby knife is usually sufficient to fix the issue.

: In eight out of ten cases, the pewter version of Ratchet came packaged with the left leg of the wave's [[Grand Maximus#Super Collection Figure|Grand Maximus]] collectible "build-a-figure". This part could be either full-color or pewter, packed at a ratio of six color to two pewter.

: This Act was seemingly in shorter supply than the others before and since, and is not terribly common on the secondary market.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Cybertron/PewterRatchet/ratchet.htm More information on SCF Ratchet (Pewter Version) on TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Heroes of Cybertron''===
[[File:HOC Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (2003)

:Ratchet's ''Super Collection Figure'' PVC was released the following year by Hasbro as part of their ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' line. Part of the fifth and final wave of ''Heroes of Cybertron'', Ratchet was, unlike the Japanese figure, sold on an individual blister card and came packaged with the right leg of the [[Metroplex (G1)#Heores of Cybertron|Metroplex]] "build-a-figure".

: Like all the figures in the series, Ratchet was given an attempt at a [[light-piping]] gimmick by being cast entirely in translucent blue plastic then painted everywhere except on his eyes and the back of his head.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Autobot/HoCRatchet/ratchet.htm More information on ''Heroes of Cybertron'' Ratchet at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Transformers Mini-Bust===
[[File:Ratchet-DiamondSelectstatue.jpg|upright=1.45|thumb|Your choice of head! His choice of medical tools.]]
*'''Ratchet''' (2009)

:Released by [[Diamond Select Toys]] in 2009, Ratchet was sculpted by [[Mark Wong]] of [[Art Asylum]] and limited to 1000 pieces. The bust continues the tradition of giving all Ratchet merchandise (but not toys) the {{w|International Committee of the Red Cross|red cross}} insignia on their shoulders to better match the Animation model. Ratchet's Bio credits him and Wheeljack with creating the [[Dinobot (G1)#Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Dinobots]]; effectively making him the cartoon version but he comes packaged with two heads for do-it-yourself retconning. Comic accurate red helmet with white chevron, or the cartoon accurate white helmet with grey chevron. Fans of the Universe 2.0 version (white helmet, red chevron) will have to buy some red paint when they pick their bust up. Three tools are also included with the Bust. One slightly resembling the [[power booster rod]], the other a Cybertronian version of an {{w|otoscope}} and the third is some sort of medical gear shaft. They are not sculpted on nor do they possess a magnet and are simply lodged in his hands for display.
{{-}}

===''Thrilling 30''===
*'''Ratchet''' (Collectible Figurine, 2014)
**''Series / Number:'' '''1 / #3'''
**''Accessories:'' Collector's base
:A super-deformed Ratchet was released among the blindpacked [[Thrilling 30#Collectible Figurines|''Thrilling 30'' Collectible Figurines]] by [[Goldie Marketing]]. He comes with a base to help him stand, a collector's card that doubles as a puzzle piece, and a checklist.

*'''Collectible Figurines''' (5-pack, 2014)
**''Series:'' '''1'''
**''Accessories:'' 5 collector's bases
:The same Ratchet figurine was also available in a 5-pack alongside [[Optimus Prime (G1)/merchandise#Thrilling 30|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)/merchandise#Thrilling 30|Megatron]], [[Starscream (G1)/merchandise#Thrilling 30|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (G1)/merchandise#Thrilling 30|Soundwave]].
{{-}}

===''Tiny Titans''===
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Tiny Titans, 2015)
**''Series'': '''2'''
**''Number: '''10/12'''

: Part of the second assortment of ''[[Tiny Titans]]'' [[blindpacking|blindpacks]], this version of Ratchet is a very small, soft-plastic figure of him in robot mode.

: He includes a collectible card that renders him in the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|2015 ''Robots in Disguise'']] styling. The card includes a scan-badge for the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]], which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.

: This wave saw fairly minimal release at "big box" retailers, but unlike other waves, was ''not'' picked up by drug stores and the like later, making them particularly hard to find.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2015/Autobot/TTRatchet/ratchet.htm More information on ''Tiny Titans'' Ratchet at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Mighty Muggs''===
[[File:MightyMuggs 2018 Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.44|It's not that hard to make his helmet red.]]
*'''Ratchet''' (2019)
**''ID number:'' '''08'''

: Very subtly based on his [[evergreen]] design, Ratchet is part of the second wave of the 2018 [[Mighty Muggs]] relaunch. Surgically applying pressure onto his very white cranium will adversely affect his expression. He has three faces: party time, bar fight, and one too many drinks.
{{-}}

===''Transformers Trading Card Game''===
[[File:W3SpecialistRatchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Specialist Ratchet, Engineering-Rescue & Repair''' (2019)
**'''Wave 3: War for Cybertron: Siege I'''
**''Rarity: '''''UT'''
**''Card Number: '''''T48/T48'''
**''Stars: ''8

:Specialist Ratchet, Engineering-Rescue & Repair is one of forty-eight double-sided character cards available in Wave 3 of the ''[[Transformers Trading Card Game]]'', War for Cybertron: Siege I.

:The card's art reuses line-art from the ''[[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends]]'' mobile game. The artwork is recolored seemingly to match the aesthetic of the ''[[War for Cybertron: Siege|Siege]]'' toyline's packaging art.
{{-}}

===Eaglemoss===
* '''Transformers Gen-1 Chess Set''' (<s>2021</s>)
:In the planned [[Chess#Eaglemoss|Transformers Chess Set]] by [[Eaglemoss]], a relatively large and very well detailed statue of Ratchet was slated to be one of the Rook pieces on the Autobot side.

:A Kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary funds for this project was launched, but failed to meet its goal by September 24, 2021 and the whole thing was canceled.
{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===''Magic: The Gathering''===
[[File:MTG-Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Ratchet, Field Medic / Ratchet, Rescue Racer''' (2022)
**''ID number:'' '''002/015'''
**''Set code:'' '''BOT'''
**''Color identity:'' '''White'''
**''Casting cost:'' '''{2}{W}''' (front), '''{1}{W}''' (back)

:"Ratchet, Field Medic" is part of the 2022 ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' ''[[wikia:mtg:Universes Beyond|Universes Beyond]]'' ''[[wikia:mtg:Transformers|Transformers]]'' card set, found in Set Booster and Collector Booster packs of ''Magic''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> ''[[wikia:mtg:The Brothers' War|The Brothers' War]]'' set. It can be reversed to become "Ratchet, Rescue Racer", representing Ratchet in vehicle mode.
:A variant of this card was available solely in Collector Booster packs, depicting [[Ratchet (SG)#Magic: The Gathering|''Shattered Glass'' Ratchet]].

{{--}}

==Notes==
*In later years, toys sporting the name "Ratchet" require an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Ratchet'''".
*Ratchet's original toy is part of a matrix of cross-referencing [[redeco]]es:
**In 2008, the original 1984 Ratchet mold got a green redeco as "Ratchet Emergency Green" in obvious reference to [[Ratchet (Movie)|his movie counterpart]].
**Meanwhile, the movie counterpart's toys got a red and white "Rescue Ratchet" redeco... based on the original colors of the 1984 toy.
**Elsewhere, [[Ratchet (Animated)|''Animated'' Ratchet]] includes elements from both characters, including Generation 1 Ratchet's chevron crest and coloration. (''Animated'' Ratchet later got a movie-based "Rescue Ratchet" redeco, to boot.)
**The Decepticon character [[Oil Slick (G1)|Oil Slick]] combines elements of "Ratchet Emergency Green" and Aligned Ratchet's [[Ratchet (WFC)/toys#Go.21|''Go!'' toy]].

[[Category:Amazon exclusives]]
[[Category:Bot Shots Autobots]]
[[Category:BotCon exclusives]]
[[Category:Customization class toys]]
[[Category:Combiner Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:e-HOBBY exclusives]]
[[Category:Encore]]
[[Category:Mail order exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 toy Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Masterpiece]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:TakaraTomy Mall exclusives]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Repurposed toys]]
[[Category:Studio Series Autobots]]
[[Category:Unite Warriors Autobots]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]
[[Category:Walgreens exclusives]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Earthrise Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron: Siege Autobots]]

Transtech

2024-01-13T06:39:59Z

WinningYellow:

{{disambig3|Transtech}}

'''''Transtech''''' was originally planned as the follow-up to the [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|''Beast Machines'' franchise]]. It would have begun in summer 2001, but was instead replaced by ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' while [[Hasbro]] geared up for ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]''.

In 2008, the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] used the ''Transtech'' designs as inspiration for the ''[[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]]'' universe.

==Toys==
[[Image:TransScream.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Nightscream would have been spared a lot of hate had he looked like this in BM.]]
As the next step in Hasbro's internal direction, from organic beasts, through [[Transmetal]]s, through the beastlike [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s, ''Transtech'' would have featured characters that transformed into futuristic vehicles with loose animalistic design cues in their features or coloration. Cheetor was a dragster with a cheetah-like paint job, for instance, and Optimus Prime was a truck with a front end resembling an ape's face. Robot modes were also fairly experimental (Cheetor had large hoop "wheels" for shoulders and feet, for instance), often departing significantly from previous designs for the characters. The line-wide [[gimmick]] was for some of the toys to contain [[Light-emitting diode|electronic lights]], with clear plastic allowing for [[light-piping]] through the toy's body.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=[...] They worked with Takara to the point where I know they made a Cheetor and a Starscream model, and they both lit up. So the underwriting feature that I remember was something they would have built into the show, which is some sort of inner power, or inner Energon glow, right? That's what the toy would have given you.|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7lsj0OyKTI?t=739s|name=Aaron Archer|site=''The Toy Armada''|title=The REAL ORIGIN of Transformers Transtech|year=2023|month=01|day=09}}</ref>

The concept art for the line was produced by [[Draxhall Jump]], and first publicly shown at [[BotCon 2002]] (apparently without Hasbro's permission, as they were pulled from the booth halfway through the show), before subsequently being made available online.

Online retailer [[BigBadToyStore]] posted a preliminary retailer list of early 2001 ''Transformers'' product in December 2000.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20001206140100/http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/news.asp Retailer listing at BigBadToyStore] (archived)</ref> In addition to revealing several unproduced and delayed ''Beast Machines'' toys, the listing indicated the intent of releasing ''Transtech'' in the summer of 2001, launching with four Deluxe Class toys (Shockwave, Starscream, Cheetor and Silverbolt) alongside two unspecified Mega Class figures and two Ultra Class figures (the traditional Optimus and Megatron). A second wave consisting of a Deluxe Rattrap and another unnamed Deluxe was due shortly after this initial wave.

[[Image:TransCharge.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Depth Charge replaces "[[Double Pretender|Bandito Spider]]" as coolest unmade TF ever.]]
The line would have included Maximals carried over from ''Beast Machines'':

*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]
*[[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]]
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]

A returning ''Beast Wars'' character:

*[[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]

Returning Generation 1 characters:

*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]

[[Image:Starscream-transtech.jpg|right|150px|thumb|So close, yet so far away...]]
[[File:TranstechMegatron-StyleBoard.jpg|thumb|150px|Man, TransTech Megatron would be pure evil. He's stolen Gundam's Neue Ziel for a body!]]
And at least one new character:

*[[Immorticon (TransTech)|Immorticon]]

Design sketches for a [[Megatron (disambiguation)|Megatron]] and a [[Scavenger (disambiguation)|Scavenger]] of uncertain identity also exist.

The toyline got to the early [[Prototype|hardcopy prototype]] stage, with the known prototypes including Cheetor, Starscream, and Optimus Prime. The line was canned before any [[mold]]s were made for mass-production.

When Draxhall Jump made their design sketches for ''Transtech'' available, they also included a number of designs from other lines (such as ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]''), but put them all under the ''Transtech'' header for their web page, causing a bit of confusion. This artwork included a work-up sketch of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] as a souped-up blue boom-box, which is often mistaken to be a member of the ''Transtech'' line.

{{canceledtoy}}

==Fiction==
Had production for ''Transtech'' gone ahead, the designs likely would have been passed to [[Mainframe Entertainment]] (as with previous shows) to be developed into an animated series,<ref>{{citesocial|quote=All of this would have been developed in Kenner, Hasbro, in Cincinnati, so that when it went to Mainframe it was ''delivered'' to Mainframe. So this stuff would have been all still held mostly internally, so that management approved of everything, Takara costing was what's going to be figured out, and then it would have been transitioned to—assuming—Mainframe, to then know exactly what they were dealing with, maybe have actual scans of models, things like that. Unlike a normal animation partnership where they would be involved earlier in story and character design, certainly when we worked with Mainframe, Hasbro, Kenner led the character design. All that is to say there's not really a ''Transtech'' story bible or first script or pilot idea; there's very loose story content out there on ''Transtech'' because Mainframe really wasn't connected yet, this was all done internally with Takara at the Kenner office in Cincinnati. [...] My impression was that it likely would have continued with [Mainframe] or that was just the plan, sometimes that's how these things go, but I gotta admit I wasn't the lead on this or directly involved, so there could be a level of detail there I'm just unaware of. But I'm pretty sure it was being developed for that that same process that we had been using for ''Beast Wars'' through ''Beast Machines''.|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7lsj0OyKTI?t=360s|name=Aaron Archer|site=''The Toy Armada''|title=The REAL ORIGIN of Transformers Transtech|year=2023|month=01|day=09}}</ref> and presumably the storyline would have picked up on [[technorganic]] [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] following the events of ''Beast Machines''. Story editor [[Bob Skir]] had never heard of ''Transtech'' until 2013.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DaZTNszyGU Moonbase 2 interview with Bob Skir], 1:33:20 to 1:33:44</ref>

==Cancellation==
In a 2021 interview, designer [[Aaron Archer]] said ''Transtech''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s was cancelled because ''Beast Machines'' was performing worse than ''Beast Wars'', which Hasbro felt was due to the darker story and how stylised the beast and vehicle modes looked. Hasbro was undergoing a changing of the guard, with [[Brian Goldner]] coming in as CEO and wanting to focus more heavily on Hasbro's own brands over licensed ones, with a more "back to basics" approach.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=For a long time, it had been sequential, so there was ''Beast Wars'', and then ''Beast Machines'' came along—that wasn't performing as well, it was a little more... odd vehicle forms, or even beast forms. ''Beast Wars'' was great, you could tell what things were, even when they were hybrid or Fuzors, you could kind of tell what they were. If you look at ''Beast Machines'', it's kind of like 'a truck thing' or 'a flying thing' or- so that alienated a certain amount of audience, so sales were going down. It got a little dark in the storyline at that same time. They were developing ''Transtech'', but that was very short-lived. [...] That would have been the successor but because it was going down this dark road of ''Beast Machines'' and that wasn't working, obviously the sequel to that wasn't going to happen. So that was also a transition time of leadership, and Brian Goldner came on, and he kind of wanted to reinvest in Hasbro's brands [...] versus always relying on the big licenses [...] so why not develop our in-house things a little stronger with a little more directness? So that doomed ''Beast Machines'' and ''Transtech'' because that whole plan wanted to get back to basics, then. And that's really where this story starts: how do we get back to basics? And what were basics to us then [...] was getting back to vehicles that looked like vehicles [...] and get back to a more traditional Autobot/Decepticon type of storyline.|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNgWvNmMJfE&t=323s|name=Aaron Archer|site=''The Toy Armada''|title=Transformers Armada Part 1 Behind The Scenes!|year=2021|month=12|day=14}}</ref> At the time Hasbro was in severe financial distress: staff layoffs, big debts, and falling revenues for various reasons—most notably overestimating the continuing sales of Pokémon cards—so a change in approach was sorely needed.<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/2000/12/06/news/hasbro/ CNN: "Hasbro warns on 4Q", 2000/12/06]</ref><ref>[https://www.fitchratings.com/research/corporate-finance/fitch-lowers-hasbro-sr-debt-revises-outlook-to-negative-07-12-2000 Fitch Ratings: "Fitch Lowers Hasbro's Sr Debt; Revises Outlook To Negative", 2000/12/07]</ref>

The cancellation of ''Transtech'' led to the Japanese ''Car Robots'' cartoon and toyline [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|being imported]] as a stopgap measure while Hasbro and Takara began to work together to jointly create and launch the ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' line.

==Notes==
* ''Armada'' designer Aaron Archer wasn't keen on the ''Transtech'' designs from a toymaker perspective, and has repeatedly refuted rumors that they formed the basis of any ''Armada'' toys; similarities in the likes of [[Megatron (Armada)|''Armada'' Megatron]] and [[Scavenger (Armada)|''Armada'' Scavenger]] are only superficial.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=As I said at Bot-con NOTHING FROM TRANSTECH WAS USED IN ARMADA. I personally dont like that stuff very much for toys. I designed Megatron from scratch I looked at the Gen 2 megatron for some insperation but not TT. Most of Armada hasnt even been released, please look forward to that first and then what will come after.|name=Aaron Archer|site=TFW2005|year=circa 2002}}</ref>
* Meanwhile, the creative staff of ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' evidently had a higher opinion of the concepts; they stated at [[BotCon 2008]] that ''Animated'' [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]]'s design is partially inspired by ''Transtech'' Cheetor, most notably with the hubless wheels for heels.
* In [[2005]], Draxhall Jump went on to do design work for {{w|Toy Biz}}'s ''Marvel Megamorphs'' transforming superhero toyline. There's some natural stylistic similarity to ''Transtech'' in the designs, with fans drawing comparisons between [[Hulk]] and Immorticon, and between [[Iron Man]] and Starscream—but it must be stressed that there's nothing in the way of direct reference in the visuals of the toys themselves.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://tfarchive.com/fandom/transtech/?dgallery=browse Transtech concept art gallery from TFarchive.com]
*[http://www.tf.to2k.co.uk/images.html Transtech concept art and prototype from Transformers Omniverse]

===Behindthetoys.com concept material (archived links)===
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160322032226/http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7202 Transtech Megatron Style Study Board]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928214231/http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7205 Transtech Megatron Destroyer Tank Concept drawings]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160621152625/http://behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7209 Transtech Optimus Prime Style Study Board]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312094814/http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7210 Transtech Silverbolt Control Drawing]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160322032245/http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7195 Transtech Cheetor Prototype]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012053341/http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7198 Transtech Starscream Prototype]

[[Category:Things that don't exist]]
[[Category:Toys]]
[[Category:TransTech]]
[[Category:Transtech (2001)]]

Secrets & Lies issue 1

2023-06-18T17:18:26Z

WinningYellow:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers '84: Secrets & Lies]]'' #1
|prev=Transformers '84 issue 0
|next=Secrets & Lies issue 2
|caption=
|image=TF84 1 cvrB.jpg
|title=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[July 15]], 2020
|coverdate=July 2020
|written by=[[Simon Furman]]
|art by=[[Guido Guidi]]
|colors by=[[John-Paul Bove]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]], [[Tom Waltz]] and [[Riley Farmer]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
|chronology=
}}
'''The launch of the''' '''''Nemesis''''' '''hides a secret power struggle in the Decepticon ranks—one with far-reaching consequences for Grimlock and the Dynobots.'''

==Synopsis==
''[[Punch (G1)|Counterpunch]] continues his story...''

[[File:Decepticons purge secrets and lies 1.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6]]
On a war-stricken [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the [[Decepticon]] advance threatens to overrun the [[Autobot]] line. But the Decepticons aren't as unified as the Autobots think: [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]'s growing vendetta against the upstart [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] has resulted in him diverting resources and manpower away from [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]'s "[[Project Dreadnought]]", which aims to rebuild Cybertron itself into a planet-sized warship, and towards the ongoing war effort. Counterpunch enters Shockwave's project hub as [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] grimly contemplates Megatron's increasingly erratic behavior, and wonders if it'd be possible to refocus his mind on his original goal of galactic conquest. His friend [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] sardonically dismisses this possibility, but Counterpunch cuts the debate short by telling an irritated Shockwave that Megatron needs him immediately at the Decepticon [[Presidium (facility)|Presidium]].

At the Presidium, Megatron has gathered his top confidants as he plans his next attack on [[Stanix]], a move he hopes will push Prime's forces towards [[Kalis]]. But although [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] points out that their forces are over-committed and stretched thin, Megatron ignores his advice to redevelop their [[energon]] manufacturing capabilities instead—if they don't have the energon they need, then they need to take more by force. Shockwave impassively watches from the sidelines, unaware that Counterpunch is observing him...

When a massive explosion shakes Cybertron some time later, the effect it has proves disastrous: already shaken loose from its orbit by the Autobot-Decepticon conflict, the latest detonation diverts its trajectory and sends it hurtling towards the dangerous [[Stellae Cimeterium]]. At an emergency Presidium meeting, Skyfire informs Megatron that the explosion was likely the result of a stray missile hitting a fuel storage tank. Shockwave points out that a fully operational [[Planetary engine|planetary turbine]] array ''could'' correct their course, but Megatron declines: better first gauge Prime's response, then decide upon an appropriate course of action. Shockwave returns to his project hub, where he finds an accusing Ratbat with some suspicions of his own. The flier points out that the mystery explosion ''conveniently'' took place near one of the half-completed turbines, suggesting that Shockwave deliberately test-fired a turbine to force Megatron's hand. Shockwave refuses to play Ratbat's game, and the cassette-bot takes his leave—but warns Shockwave that although he has no real evidence of the double-cross, he's sure to find some.

[[The Transformers (issue)|Learning of Optimus Prime's plan to clear a path through an oncoming asteroid belt]], Megatron commissions the starship ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', to ambush the Autobot's own [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]. But while Megatron and his high-ranking Decepticons board the ship, Shockwave orders Skyfire, the vessel's architect, to stay behind as part of a contingency plan and finish what they started. Though Ratbat can't openly move against Shockwave, and can't prove his suspicions to Megatron, the sneaky fuel auditor devises a scheme to expose Shockwave's treachery—by giving the necessary information to Counterpunch, their deep-cover agent within the Autobots, he ensures that the intel finds its way to [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]]. With the Ark launch pending and Prime preoccupied, Prowl informs Punch that they'll take care of this one quietly, and dispatches [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] to investigate. But with the turbines located deep in Decepticon territory, he'll need an escort, comprising the heaviest-hitting Autobots around: the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobot]]s!

Behind enemy lines, the six Autobots trek through the ruins to find the turbines, but [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] has little patience for Perceptor's technical know-how. Indeed, he questions just how important they could be if they haven't encountered any resistance... unaware that he's tripped a silent proximity alarm that immediately alerts Shockwave, who promptly dispatches Skyfire to deal with the intruders. As Shockwave transforms and blasts off, Megatron, overseeing the boarding of the ''Nemesis'', fumes at the scientist's absence, and dispatches [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]], [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], and [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] to find him.

[[File:Dynobots traumatize secrets and lies.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8]]
At the smoldering rim of the turbine, the five Dynobots observe the landscape while Perceptor collects some samples for analysis. Grimlock can't shake his unease, however, and wonders where the Decepticons might be... but gets the answer to his question when Skyfire strafes their position! While [[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] takes to the skies, [[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]], [[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]], and [[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]] launch a surface-to-air barrage that Skyfire easily outmaneuvers. Skyfire assume he's got the upper hand as he makes another run on their position... but didn't wager on Grimlock, who charges forward, contemptuously cleaves the Decepticon's wing off, and sends him hurtling to the ground in a fiery wreck. The battle seems won... but as Perceptor peeks out of his hiding place while the Dynobots exchange congratulations, Shockwave arrives and easily annihilates Grimlock and the other Dynobots in a single devastating blast!

Perceptor watches as Shockwave kneels by Skyfire's remains, seemingly in mourning.. only to extract the flier's [[brain module]] and promise that, someday, his subordinate will live again. His movements draw Shockwave's attention, but before the Decepticon can blow his hiding place the three Seekers arrive and inform Shockwave that Megatron has ordered him to board the ''Nemesis''. His machinations in shambles, Shockwave grudgingly obliges and takes off with the fliers... but the experience has taught the cold, logical Decepticon that the ''real'' threat to the dream of a [[Decepticon Empire]] is ''not'' the Autobots—it is ''Megatron''. Shockwave keeps his cards close to his chest as he boards the ship and humbly accepts Megatron's furious admonishments, already hatching a new plan to ensure that only ''one'' of them will return to Cybertron.

Meanwhile, at the former battle site, a team of Autobots recover the badly injured Dynobots, as the Ark prepares for its own fateful launch...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Punch (G1)|Punch/Counterpunch]] (1)
*[[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] (23)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (24)
*[[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Divebomb/Swoop]] (25)
*[[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]] (26)
*[[Slag (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Slag]] (27)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] (28)
*[[Snarl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Snarl]] (29)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]] (33)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Cliffjumper]] (34)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (35)
*[[Outback (G1)|Outback]] (36)
*[[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (37)

|c2=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Chop Shop (G1)|Chop Shop]] (2)
*[[Barrage (Insecticon)|Barrage]] (3)
*[[Ransack (G1)|Ransack]] (4)
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (5)
*[[Octane]] (6)
*[[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] (7)
*[[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] (8)
*[[Venom (G1)|Venom]] (9)
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (10)
*[[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] (11)
*[[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] (12)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] (13)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] (14)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Thundercracker]] (15)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (16)
*[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] (17)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] (18)
*[[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] (19)
*[[Snaptrap (G1)|Snaptrap]] (20)
*[[Skywarp (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Skywarp]] (21)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (22)
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (30)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (31)
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] (32)
{{!}}}
|c3=
}}

==Quotes==
"With Cybertron unshackled from its orbit, these '''turbines''' would have taken us to other worlds, other advanced civilizations... with technology and resources we could assimilate. The '''rationalization'''... of a chaotic universe."
:— '''Skyfire''' on Project Dreadnought

"Accident... or '''design?''' I wonder." 
"Ratbat. Perhaps you don't know me as well as you think, otherwise... you'd '''know''' I abhor spontaneity. Next time... schedule an appointment."
:—'''Ratbat''' and '''Shockwave'''

"Let me get this straight. The 'Cons '''want''' us to know this... but it's intel you'd intended to bring us anyway?" 
"It's complicated." 
"Tell me about it."
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Punch'''

"Big." 
"Deep." 
"Am I relieved I brought you boys along for a second opinion."
:—'''The Dynobots''' do not help '''Perceptor'''

"Alas, poor Skyfire. Your '''mind'''... is a terrible thing to waste. Soon, old friend, you shall rise again. I will '''see''' to it."
:—'''Shockwave'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*This issue weaves in and around the Cybertron flashbacks from [[Transformers '84 issue 0|last year's issue #0]], and, by extension, the first few pages of [[The Transformers (issue)|the first issue of the Marvel US comic]]. Notably, Megatron is shown here planning the attack on [[Stanix]] which he spearheaded in issue #0, and the comic reveals that Shockwave ''deliberately'' sent Cybertron towards [[Stellae Cimeterium]] as part of a larger ploy to force Megatron's hand. While Punch narrated the last issue, Counterpunch narrates this one, likely due to the comic's Decepticon-centric plot.
*[[The Transformers (issue)|The very first installment]] of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|the original comic]] had Megatron pontificate about turning Cybertron into a mighty "cosmic dreadnought" to conquer the universe—a plot thread that never actually resurfaced the US run, although the UK-exclusive story "[[Meltdown!]]" revealed that Megatron had commissioned a set of [[planetary engine]]s in [[Kalis]] at some point before the launch of the ''Nemesis'', which we return to here. This issue takes a stab at addressing the discrepancy by explaining that Megatron ''began'' the war with the intention of galactic subjugation, until his mounting obsession with Optimus Prime led him down an emotional, less rational path.
*This issue features Shockwave and Ratbat at loggerheads over Shockwave's subterfuge, suggesting an origin point for Ratbat's distaste for Shockwave and his wasteful fuel consumption that will mark Ratbat's tenure as a Decepticon leader on Earth.
*The [[Presidium (facility)|Presidium]] previously appeared as a government building in Furman's ''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' series. Notably, this slightly deviates from Marvel US #1, where Megatron and his forces operated out of "[[Castle Decepticon]]". Perhaps one is an alternate name for the other?
*[[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] appears as a Decepticon scientist on Cybertron; when Grimlock defeats him in battle, Shockwave plucks his [[brain module]] from his lifeless body and promises that he'll one day "rise again". The implication seems to be that, after Shockwave gets his hands on the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] in ''The Transformers'' [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|#10]], he will use this brain module to recreate Skyfire on Earth as "Jetfire", explaining why Jetfire occasionally referenced details of Cybertronian life. In the author's commentary, Furman compares this to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] using the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'s [[mind bank]] to resurrect five Autobots from preexisting engrams in [[Rock and Roll-Out!|Marvel US #14]], and suggests that Shockwave might have had access to similar technology.
*Speaking of, [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] (featuring a yellow paint job based on either his European Generation 1 toy or his American [[Hook (G1)#Generation 2|''Generation 2'' toy]]) makes an appearance as one of the scientists on Project Dreadnought. He and the other five [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s were also brought to life by Shockwave in Marvel US #10, so perhaps a similar fate will befall him and his teammates?
*Megatron notes that the ''Nemesis'' will launch in one "[[Units of time|orn]]," a unit of time based on Cybertron's lunar day that previously appeared in [[Yesterday's Heroes!|Marvel #US #60]].
*A few characters mistakenly call [[Swoop (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Swoop]] "Divebomb", and at one point Grimlock sarcastically addresses him by "whatever you're calling yourself these days". Evidently, this story must not take place long after the events of "[[What's in a Name?]]" where Swoop, then Divebomb, lost an aerial battle to a [[Divebomb (G1)|Decepticon]] who stole his original name.
*The three Decepticon "[[Conehead]]s"—[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]—are shown boarding the ''Nemesis'', when, as per [[The Smelting Pool!|Marvel US #17]], they explicitly ''didn't'' travel to Earth with Megatron, and served under [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] during his reign over Cybertron. Furman advises us to "watch this space"...
*Counterpunch compares Project Dreadnought to a [[warworld]], [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s preferred mode of transit during the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' comics; although while that was just one spaceship, Counterpunch describes them in the plural, evoking the ''many'' warworlds used by the [[Decepticon fleet]] over in the [[2005 IDW continuity]].
*As originally presented in [[The Last Stand|Marvel US #4]], the Dinobots were just five random 'bots who happened to receive dinosaur alternate modes, but a later [[retcon]] in [[A Savage Circle|Marvel US #78]] established that they were already a tight-knit team back on Cybertron. Here, the five "Dynobots" (see "Transformers references" for more on that) are badly injured in the fight; as the next issue will show, their offline bodies will be loaded into the Ark before it launches from Cybertron, and reactivated to fight Shockwave, as per Marvel US #4. This take on events also explains why Grimlock and company didn't take an active role in the asteroid-clearing mission or the battle between the Ark and ''Nemesis'' that precipitated their arrival on Earth.

===Transformers references===
*This issue takes some inspiration from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Sunbow animated series]] in its decision to depict Skyfire and [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] as scientists and coworkers, a backstory established for the pair in the ''The Transformers'' episode "[[Fire in the Sky]]."
*Counterpunch still turns into an all-blue version of one of the "[[Watchdog (G1)|watchdog]]" Decepticons from the episode "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3]]", as seen in the [[Transformers '84 issue 0|previous issue]].
*[[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]], a lesser-known Decepticon scientist, cameos as one of the scientists working on Project Dreadnought.
*Grimlock and the other members of his pre-Earth team go by the "Dynobots", a neologism that originally appeared in [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|Dark Ages]]'' miniseries and reappeared in the [[2005 IDW continuity]].
*Slag's battlecry, "Dynobots-traumatize!" evokes the [[Maximal]] and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[activation code]]s—"maximize" and "terrorize", respectively—in the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]].

===Real-world references===
*In the author's commentary, Furman notes that his instructions to artist [[Guido Guidi]] were to model Slag's Cybertronian [[alternate mode]] on a {{W|Nimr}} armored jeep, Sludge's on a {{w|IDF Caterpillar D9|D9R military bulldozer}}, and Snarl's on a {{w|BMD-1|BMD-1}} amphibious vehicle—although the final art buries any direct inspiration beneath a layer of sci-fi Cybertronian detail and various dinosaurian embellishments.
*"Alas, poor Skyfire," muses Shockwave as he eulogizes his fallen friend, evoking the famous monologue from ''{{w|Hamlet}}''.
*While extracting Skyfire's mind from his corpse, Shockwave remarks, "your mind is a terrible thing to waste," a riff on the motto of the {{w|UNCF}}, "a mind is a terrible thing to waste." This reference isn't specifically called out in Furman's commentary, but it ''has'' become a very common phrase, the origin of which most people aren't aware.

===Errors===
*On page 20, "Warworld" is erroneously spelled with a hyphen.

===Other trivia===
*Backmatter for this issue includes a writer's commentary, where miniseries author [[Simon Furman]] explains some of the more obscure references or writing choices while also teasing upcoming issues.
*Originally solicited for release on April 29th, the miniseries was deliberately pushed back to July as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

===Covers (9)===
*'''Cover A:''' Starscream and Skyfire, by [[Guido Guidi]]
*'''Cover B:''' Ratbat, Shockwave, and Skyfire overlook the Ark and ''Nemesis'' launching from Cybertron, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover A:''' Optimus Prime and Megatron, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover B:''' Dinobots on the rampage, by [[Geoff Senior]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Gem City Comic Con exclusive cover A:''' wrap-around cover with Optimus Prime, by [[Stuart Sayger]]
*'''Gem City Comic Con exclusive cover B:''' wrap-around cover Soundwave and Megatron, by Stuart Sayger
*'''East Side Comics exclusive cover A:''' Optimus Prime, by [[John Giang]]
*'''East Side Comics exclusive cover B:''' Megatron, by John Giang
*'''San Diego Comic-Con exclusive:''' Package art of Optimus Prime's original toy

<gallery>
File:TF84 1 cvrA.jpg
File:TF84 1 cvrB.jpg
File:TF84 1 cvrRI A.jpg
File:TF84 1 cvrRI B.jpg
File:TF84 1 cvrRE1.jpg
File:TF84 1 cvrRE2.jpg
File:TF84 1 cvrRE3.jpg
File:TF84 1 cvrRE4.jpg
File:TF84 1 cvrRE5.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' annual 2020
*IDW digital comics
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==External links==
*[https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/07/comic-book-preview-transformers-84-secrets-and-lies-1/ Preview]

[[Category:Transformers '84 issues]]

Last Stand (Unicron)

2023-06-14T22:59:31Z

WinningYellow:

{{disambig3|Last Stand}}
{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers: Unicron]]'' #1
|prev=Our Darkest
|next=Stranger Eons
|prev2=Unstopped and Unstoppable
|image=TFUnicron1_cvrA.jpg
|title="Last Stand"
|caption="It'll kill you." "Only if I die." "Yes... that's what killing you means."
|date=[[July 11]], [[2018]] [[September 12]], 2018 (second printing)
|coverdate=Early July, 2018
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Sebastian Cheng]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[David Mariotte]]
|continuity=[[2005 IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[2005 IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''As the Transformers defend Caminus against Unicron, Optimus Prime ventures into the planet-eater.'''

==Synopsis==
From [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian legend, it has come: [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]], the opposite of [[Primus]], banished in the primordial past by the Transformers' creator-god, but foretold to return, whereupon the [[The Arisen]], last of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], would be there to destroy it. That time is now. Unicron has returned, and it has destroyed nine of Cybertron's thirteen colonies—[[LV-117]], [[Prion (planet)|Prion]], [[Gorlam Prime]], [[Velocitron]], [[Elonia]], [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Eukaris]], [[Arduria]], [[Tsiehshi]], and [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]]—consuming the planets and adding their mass to its own body. Having been on the back foot and unable to stop Unicron thus far, this time, the Transformers are not caught by surprise; by tracking the movements of the [[Maximal]]s—the army of beast Transformers who previously followed [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]], but who now, for reasons unknown, serve Unicron—they have been able to deduce Unicron's next target is the colony of [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], and rally to its defense in advance of the monster planet's arrival. With [[Rom]] the [[Space Knight]] at their side, the united forces of Cybertron strike back!

As battle erupts in the skies over Caminus, down on the planet's surface, [[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] and [[Stormclash]] work feverishly to get the [[Space bridge|Space Bridge]] operational, in order to evacuate the populace to Cybertron. The [[Mistress of Flame]] calls for her people to have faith, but [[Pyra Magna]] is well past believing in higher powers and Primes.

In the midst of the space battle, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] observes as the Maximals' ship, [[Nemesis (BW)|Nemesis]], sets down on Unicron's surface. This moment has been prepared for; [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] zooms into action, piloting his small, one-man ship on a collision course with Nemesis, then bailing out just before it strikes the giant eyeball-ship dead center. [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] grabs 'Bee, and the pair join Prime in heading down, through the fresh hole that has just been punched in Nemesis, into the interior of Unicron.

Attempts to talk the Maximals down and convince them they are being led astray having failed, [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] now fights alongside Rom. Fearing that they will not make it out alive, Soundwave suggests the Space Knight return to Cybertron, that he may survive to aid his people; but Rom refuses to abandon his allies. Alas, the threat is too large to combat on every front; Rom can do nothing but watch as [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] comes to the aid of [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] and [[Sparkstalker]], only for a [[Rampage (BW)|huge, clawed Maximal]] to slaughter him. Moments later, Unicron comes within range of Caminus and releases a beam of energy from its maw that begins the consumption of the planet. Skyburst and Stormclash successfully activate the Space Bridge and the evacuation begins, with [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] coordinating from Cybertron and the Mistress continuing to assure everyone that their faith will see them through...

Within Unicron, Arcee tracks a path towards the evil planet's center. A piece of debris Prime recognizes from LV-117, first of the colonies consumed, tells the group they are close... and soon, they have arrived at the chaotic core of Unicron, a mad blend of every world it has eaten, rocks and trees, waterfalls, machines, cities, even bits of [[Titan (group)|Titans]], organic and technological, all somehow blended together, all still "alive" in some form, as part of Unicron. Amidst it all, the trio are shocked to find the ruined form of an [[Guardian robot|Omega Sentinel]], one of the ancient defenders of Cybertron, which seems to suggest that there is truth to the legends that claim Cybertron and Unicron have clashed before. Before they can investigate any further, the group is attacked by Unicron's "[[Unicron's antibodies|immune system]]"—hideous, twisted, composite creatures made up of all the things it has absorbed! Unable to match the monsters' might and ferocity, Prime is wounded, and Bumblebee contacts Soundwave to teleport them back to the ''[[Ark-Zero]]''.

Concurrently, the Maximals succeed in breaking through the Transformers' resistance, and start flooding down to the surface of Caminus, perfectly happy to die with the planet if it means they can kill the Camiens before they can finish evacuating. Pyra Magna stands ready to bar the Maximals' way, poised to give up her life for her people, but the Mistress of Flame orders her to stand down, and takes up the task herself. As the Maximals descend, the Mistress incinerates one after another with beams of fire shot from her chest... but their numbers are too great, and soon, with a sad smile on her lips, the Mistress is overwhelmed. But her sacrifice is not in vain; all of the Camiens are successfully bridged to Cybertron, even as Unicron feasts on their world.

Back on Cybertron, [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]], responding to a summons from the incarcerated Shockwave, has just blasted his way into his former comrade's jail cell and knocked out the guard, [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]. The pair watch as the Camiens and the Cybertronian fleet start arriving, and Shockwave explains his reason for calling on Starscream. Unicron will be coming to Cybertron next, but through Shockwave's millennia-long machinations, Cybertron has been ''poisoned''. Consuming it will kill Unicron, leaving the rest of the universe open to conquest by a new Decepticon empire Shockwave and Starscream can build together. But Starscream isn't interested in Shockwave's vision of the future; ''he'' has other plans...

Disembarking the ''Ark-Zero'', the wounded Optimus regretfully tells Windblade that he found no answers within Unicron. Prime solemnly states that Cybertron and the orbiting Titan colony of [[Vigilem|Carcer]] are now all that stand between Unicron and Earth... but Bumblebee, counting on fingers, realizes that only accounts for ''twelve'' colonies. Before the mystery of the unknown thirteenth colony can be discussed, Starscream's voice cuts in. Wearing his Decepticon insignia again for the first time in years, and waving a huge 'Con flag, Starscream addresses the Camiens, welcoming them all to Cybertron and declaring that ''he'' is here to save Cybertron and all their lives. Suffice to say, Optimus Prime is not happy...!

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in visions. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] (3)
* [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] (9)
* [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] (11)
* [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (12)
* [[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]] (13)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] (14)
* [[Pyra Magna]] (16)
* [[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]] (23)
* [[Javelin]] (24)
* [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (26)
* [[Aileron]] (27)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
* [[Stormclash]] (29)
* [[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (30)
* [[Dust Up]] (37)
* [[Roadmaster]] (38)
* [[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]] (39)
* [[Rust Dust]] (40)
* [[Jumpstream]] (41)
* [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (42)
* [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] (45)
{{!}}}

|c2=
* [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] (7)
* [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]] (10)
* [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] (15)
* [[Sparkstalker]] (33)
* [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]] (43)
* [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] (44)

|h3=[[Maximal]]s
|c3=
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] (16)
* [[Saberback]] (17)
* [[Killer Punch]] (18)
* [[Megatron (BW)|Beast Megatron]] (19)
* [[Sea Clamp]] (20)
* [[Buzzclaw (BW)|Buzzclaw]] (21)
* "Transmetal 2 Megatron" (22)
* [[Guiledart]] (25)
* [[Wolfang (Predacon)|Wolfang]] (31)
* [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (34)
* [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (36)

|c4=
* [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] (1)
* ''[[Primus]]'' (2)
* [[Prion (Titan)|Prion]] (4)
* [[Ardurian roc]]s (5)
* [[Nemesis (BW)|Nemesis]] (6)
* [[Rom]] (8)
* [[Mistress of Flame]] (28)
* [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] (32)
* [[Guardian robot|Omega Sentinel]] corpse (35)
* [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] (46)
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] (47)
* [[Vigilem|Carcer]] (48)
}}

==Quotes==
"Our '''true selves''' are forged in the pressure of '''action'''... 'heroes' are just the ones who get '''noticed.'''"
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

"Stop whining. Nobody's sick of you being back—yet."
:—'''Arcee''' rescues '''Bumblebee'''

"'''Sparkstalker'''—who was that?" 
"His name was '''Dirge.''' Once, we were '''Decepticons'''... but he died a '''Cybertronian.'''"
:—'''Lightbright''' and '''Sparkstalker''' eulogize Dirge

"Arcee... there's '''no one''' I'd rather follow into a '''malevolent planet''' bent on '''universal destruction.'''" 
"You really know how to '''flatter''' a 'bot."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Arcee'''

"I'll hold them off, Aileron. Tell Optimus... tell him this is all '''his''' fault.."
:—Oh, '''Pyra Magna'''...

"Things '''will''' get better, my children... but '''first''', I fear... first things will become '''much worse.'''"
:—The '''Mistress of Flame'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s final words

"In the eyes of all but the most '''deluded''' Cybertronians, the gods are '''dead.''' The '''Matrix of Leadership''' is gone; the Primes revealed to be '''false idols.''' '''Faith itself''' is a fiction I invented."
:—'''Shockwave'''

"I, '''Starscream''' the First, the '''Chosen One'''... have returned to '''light''' your '''darkest hour.''' The Autobots may have failed you... but I know '''exactly''' how to save Cybertron." 
"Over my dead body."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* ''Transformers: Unicron'' spins directly out of the events of "[[The Falling]]," the seven-part story told in ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|#15]]-[[The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|21]], with the gap between that story and this issue being bridged by [[Unstopped and Unstoppable|''Optimus Prime'' #22]] (which itself occurs concurrently with the prologue issue, [[Our Darkest|''Unicron'' #0]]). Though ''Optimus Prime'' #22 was always intended to be released and read after ''Unicron'' #1 had already come out, some particularly bad delays in June and July led to ''Optimus Prime'' #21 also being held back until a week after ''Unicron'' #1 was out. The story manages to not spoil much of ''Optimus Prime'' #21, save for the fact that Shockwave was defeated and captured, that the Matrix "is gone," and that his Maximals have joined with Unicron.
* For the last seven years, IDW stories have made occasional reference to "Primus's opposite," an oblique way of referring to Unicron without ever saying his name. As this issue begins, Optimus Prime is now directly correlating this "opposite" with Unicron; it is not clear if Unicron has always been known by name in Cybertronian legend, or if Prime is doing this purely based on Windblade's conclusion in ''Optimus Prime'' #22 that the name "Unicron" (which she had not heard before, and was provided to her by the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]]) refers to the "uncreator" of legend.
* The panel of Velocitron's destruction shows their capital city [[Delta]] flung about.
* At least two ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]''-model ships appear among the Maximal forces, following on from one being used by Maximals at [[Regalis V]] in [[The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|''Optimus Prime'' #14]].
* During his opening narration, Optimus Prime mentions Cybertron's core being "corrupted by malignant energies," referring to the poisoning of the planet's [[energon]] by the Talisman in ''[[First Strike]]''. Shockwave gloats later in this issue that this is all by his design, to make Cybertron a "poisoned chalice" for Unicron; indeed, the Talisman was revealed to be an instrument of [[Onyx Prime]]'s in [[The Iron Klaw|''Revolutionaries'' #4]], and Onyx Prime was revealed to be Shockwave in [[The Falling, Chapter 3: The Ground|''Optimus Prime'' #17]].
* Javelin—a member of the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]''' crew—makes her first appearance since [[The Frail Gaze|''More than Meets the Eye'' #42]], with the ship itself visible in the double-page spread of the battle above Caminus.
* Soundwave's impassioned speech to the attacking Maximals, where he attempts to convince them to change sides, is reminiscent of his (successful) attempt to persuade the [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s to do the same, back in ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'' [[New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|#5]].
* Dirge is once more in his design from ''[[Rom vs. Transformers: Shining Armor|Rom vs. Transformers]]''. Alex Milne clarified on Twitter that he thought for the scenario at hand Dirge would change back to an old wartime chassis intended for intense space combat.<ref>[https://twitter.com/markerguru/status/1015423804661641216 Tweet by Alex Milne (@markerguru), 2018/07/06]</ref> By extension, Acid Storm is also featured in this design.
* The piece of LV-117 rubble that Prime's team discovers within Unicron is the mysterious [[Quintesson]] mural originally seen when the planet was first introduced way, way back in ''[[Spotlight: Wheelie]]''. It's still never been expounded on...
* Bumblebee notes he's only ever met one Omega Sentinel, referring to [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. Omega is noted to be "accounted for" on Cybertron, reminding us that he's still alive, despite having been offline for years after injuries sustained in [[The End of the Beginning of the World|''Robots in Disguise'' #11]].
* The final page of Starscream arriving with a Decepticon flag isn't a direct mirror of the final page of [[Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|''The Transformers'' vol. 2 #49]], when Optimus Prime arrived on Earth with an Autobot flag, but it feels like it's evoking it either way.
* Starscream is once again wearing his Decepticon insignias, which he removed all the way back in [[Heavy Is the Head|''Robots in Disguise'' #16]]. The story of how he rejoined his once and former faction is told in [[The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|''Optimus Prime'' #21]].

===Transformers references===
* [[Alex Milne]]'s rendition of Primus on page 1 is largely based on his standard IDW appearance, as designed by [[Guido Guidi]] for [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the 2012 ''More than Meets the Eye'' annual]], but rather than the glowing yellow he has been depicted in up to now, he is coloured in the reds and blues of [[:File:WarWithinPrimus.jpg|the Primus design]] created in the early 2000s by [[Don Figueroa]], seen in ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]''. Milne has also added a glowing circle to his chest, a mark of the Figueroa design also reflected in the character's [[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|''Transformers: Cybertron'']] incarnation.
* On the same page, Unicron is drawn based on his classic Generation 1 [[character model]], as seen in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', with bit of the ol' Milne zazzing-up.
* Optimus Prime has outfitted himself with twin-barreled shoulder cannons reminiscent of those from his Generation 1 [[Powermaster]] [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#PMOP|body]].
* The skies are alive with Maximals! Though many appear to be generic, numerous recognizable characters from ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' and its Japanese sequels appear among Unicron's hordes, some who are taking their first bow in IDW's pages, and others who have appeared in preceding issues of ''[[Optimus Prime (comic)|Optimus Prime]]'', like [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. Stressing that these really are just crowdfiller goons, ''two'' Megatrons actually appear simultaneously—one in his original ''Tyrannosaurus'' body, and the other in his [[Transmetal 2]] dragon form.

===Errors===
* Confirming an implied error from issue #0, Gorlam Prime is seen being eaten by Unicron, when there was no planet left to eat, due to it collapsing into a portal to the [[Dead Universe]] in [[Homecoming (IDW)|''Robots in Disguise'' #19]].
* On page 2, panel 9, Devisiun is misspelled "Divisiun". This is corrected in the trade paperback collection. However, Tsiehshi misspelled as "Tsehshi" in panel 8 went unaltered.
* Bumblebee's observation that one of the thirteen colony worlds is "missing" explicitly counts Carcer as one of the known twelve colonies, despite the fact that it's ''not a planet'', and as such, cannot be the site of one of the Regenesis ores, which were established in the last issue to have grown on the same worlds as the colonies. While the logical assumption is that there's some Regenesis world out there with a connection to [[Liege Maximo]], no such planet (which Unicron would most definitely have already tried to consume, if it existed) has been identified, and it certainly seems like we're meant to take Bee's list of the colonies/ore worlds as accurate.

===Deathlist===
* [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]; bisected by Rampage
* [[Mistress of Flame]]; overwhelmed by Maximals then consumed by Unicron along with Caminus
* Countless souls from [[LV-117]], [[Prion (planet)|Prion]], [[Gorlam Prime]], [[Velocitron]], [[Elonia]], [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Eukaris]], [[Arduria]], [[Tsiehshi]], and [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]]; consumed by Unicron
* Scads of Maximals; killed by Cybertron's forces
{{--}}

===Other trivia===
* In the upper right corner of page 4, dinosaur Megatron is fighting a generic pink Camien, who utilizes a design Alex Milne originally conceived for but did not use in [[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|''More than Meets the Eye'']].<ref>[https://twitter.com/markerguru/status/1017095694199345152 Tweet by Alex Milne (@markerguru), 2018/07/11]</ref>
* This issue also includes a four-page ''ROM'' back-up strip, "[[Ad Infinitum]]", by that book's creative team. Bumblebee appears, but mostly stands silently behind the Space Knight as he convinces his fellow Knights to remain in the fight against Unicron.
* Other backmatter includes the first installment in a series of interviews with creators from IDW's past. This issue, it's [[Simon Furman]] and [[E. J. Su]], the creative team who launched the IDW universe back in 2005 with ''[[The Transformers: Infiltration]]''.

===Covers (9)===
* '''Cover A:''' Our heroes, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Sebastian Cheng]]
* '''Cover B:''' The ladies of the [[Hasbro Universe]]—Windblade, Arcee, Pyra Magna, Aileron, [[Livia]], and [[Phenolo-Phi]]—by [[James Raiz]] and [[David García Cruz]]; connects to Raiz's other covers for the series to form [[:File:Unicron-Bcovers-JamesRaiz.jpg|a larger image]]
* '''Retailer incentive Cover A:''' Optimus Prime carries the weight of Unicron on his shoulders, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Thomas Deer]]
* '''Retailer incentive Cover B:''' Optimus Prime by [[Francesco Francavilla]]; connects to Francavilla's other covers for the series to form a larger image
* '''Retailer incentive Cover C:''' Homage to [[Bill Sienkiewicz]]'s cover to [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s [[The Transformers (issue)|''The Transformers'' #1]], by [[Sara Pitre-Durocher]]

<gallery>
File:TFUnicron1_cvrA.jpg
File:TFUnicron1_cvrB.jpg
File:TFUnicron1_cvrRIA.jpg
File:TFUnicron1_cvrRIB.jpg
File:TFUnicron1_cvrRIC.jpg
</gallery>

* '''Stadium Comics exclusive cover:''' Our heroes in a recreation of the poster for ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]; available only from Ontario retailer Stadium Comics
* '''San Diego Comic Con exclusive cover:''' Unicron, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Sebastian Cheng]]; available only from IDW Publishing at San Diego Comic Con 2018
* '''Diamond retailer exclusive cover:''' black and white lineart version of Milne's SDCC cover
* '''Second printing:''' Cover A art with only the foreground characters colored.

<gallery>
File:TFUnicron1_stadiumcvr.jpg
File:TFUnicron1_SDCCcvr.jpg
File:TFUnicron1_diamondcvr.jpg
File:TFUnicron1_cvrReissue.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* [[Stranger Eons|''Transformers: Unicron'' #2]]
* ''[[Transformers: Unicron]]''
* [[The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|''Optimus Prime'' #21]]
* [[Crucible (Part 3): Farsickness|''Lost Light'' #21]]
* ''Unicron'' checklist (amended from issue #0)

===Reprints===
Other than [[Transformers: Unicron#Collections|reprints of the full series]]
* N/A

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2018/07/preview-of-transformers-unicron-1/ Preview]

[[Category:Unicron issues]]

Dawn of the Predacus

2023-06-08T00:05:45Z

WinningYellow:

{{nav-CombinerWars}}

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[BotCon]] comic
|prev=Cybertron's Most Wanted
|next=
|seriesissue2=''[[Combiner Wars (franchise)|Combiner Wars]]''
|prev2=
|next2=The Hot Rod
|title="Dawn of the Predacus"
|image=DawnOfThePredacus-cvr.jpg
|caption= I've got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret, or make me frown...
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 7]], [[2016]] ([[BotCon 2016]]) 
|writers=[[John-Paul Bove]]
|art=[[Corin Howell]]
|colors=John-Paul Bove
|color assists=[[Ed Pirrie]]
|letters=[[Chris Mowry]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|price=
|continuity=[[Beast Wars timeline (IDW)|IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity]]. ''Supposedly''.
|chronology=Circa [[2035]]
}}

'''At [[BotCon 2016|the end]] of [[Fun Publications|an era]], a [http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Dawn_of_the_Predacus&oldid=1085435 huge] [http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Dawn_of_the_Predacus&oldid=1085554 fight] ends in [[The Transformers (franchise)|disaster]] for many of [[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|our heroes]]...'''

==Synopsis==
In the final days of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] watch [[Blades (G1)|Blades]]' live feed of the last major battle, a massive hole in place of the city that was once there. Prowl, horrified by the images he receives, asks Blades if he has a status update on [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. The news isn't good: Prime is dead once more. The dour Autobots are silent for a moment, and Prowl confirms to Blades he's received his report.

Elsewhere, in a secret base, three high-ranking Decepticons—[[Cicadacon]], [[Sea Clamp]], and [[Ram Horn]]—have been experimenting with [[transmatter]], a material that fluctuates between reality, derived from the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. Having successfully evolved themselves with it in conjunction with the reformatting technology they've found in their secret base, the three have begun trying to evolve other Decepticons. Cicadacon breaks up an argument over between his fellow generals, reminding them that their "host" reacts negatively to anger. Their conversation is cut short anyway, when [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] arrives with news: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is dead! The generals, nonplussed at their "beloved" leader's death, check in with the young Decepticon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], the namesake of Galvatron's [[Megatron (G1)|former self]]. Megatron is eager to take the advantage with Prime dead, but the generals order him to stand down, with more pressing concerns ahead. Megatron ends the transmissions...and tells his troops to fight until there are no more Autobots. The generals return to their experiment, and [[Retrax|one Decepticon]] has been successfully reformatted! The generals explain to their new brother their plan: using transmatter, they will restore the Cybertronian race to their truest form, long lost over the successive generations of Transformers. The process, however, will not work on the dead, and they'll need both Autobots and Decepticons for their plan to be successful. Not trusting Megatron, the generals send Tarantulas to make sure a ceasefire comes to pass.

At [[Nova Plenum]], the highest ranking Autobots confer. With Prime dead, Prowl is the highest ranking Autobot...but he feels unworthy to lead. Instead, he proposes the Autobots form a [[Primal Council]], each of them leading the Autobots together. Silverbolt and Ironhide debate on what to do now; Silverbolt feels that they need time to recover, but Ironhide feels like going after the Decepticons now that they're down. Prowl suggests a compromise; with Galvatron dead, the Decepticons will be directionless, and so, he suggests that each Decepticon unit be reached out to for a chance to stand down. The others agree, but note that they'll need to send out updates to everyone. Silverbolt informs them that he's contacted most of them, but still hasn't reached [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who was leading Unit-3. Just then, an Autobot enters, informing them that Perceptor and the other members of Unit-3 are dead; now, he ''is'' [[Under-3|Unit-3]]. Unit-3 demands to hunt down the Decepticons, but Prowl has already made up his mind; he has sent [[Tigatron]] out with Unit-2, hoping that Tigatron's respectability will aid in a ceasefire. Ironhide strikes up a conversation with the angry Autobot, impressed by his bearings, and asks Unit-3 if he wants to take Perceptor's place in their contingency plan. Prowl and Perceptor go over Unit-3's report, noting that Perceptor detected readings of [[unspace|transwarp]] energy, which they suspect is linked to the Decepticons. Silverbolt consoles Prowl, distraught over all the death, assuring him that they will finish what the others started. They send the exploration ship, the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', to investigate the strange readings. The ship's captain, [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], explains that they've been chosen, although one of his [[Rattrap (BW)|crew members]], pessimistic as ever, figures they've only been sent because there was no one else available.

At [[Omega Spaceport]], [[Scorponok (BW)|one]] of Megatron's soldiers alerts him to the approaching Autobot, but Megatron simply tells him to let them come. Tigatron, leading Unit-2, lets the Decepticons know of the Autobots offer of peace, putting an end to the war. But Megatron has already made up his mind—and his holding base falls apart as the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]] combiner, [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]], emerges, along with Megatron's other Decepticons! Predaking quickly tears through many of the Autobot; Tigatron takes on Megatron, believing him a fool for continuing the madness, Meanwhile, the flying Autobot [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] takes on [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], though the latter, unlucky as always, is accidentally crushed underneath Predaking's foot. Megatron pontificates, believing that even if Cybertron is razed, the Transformers will rebuild it to be better—and do so to other worlds as well. Predaking interrupts his speech when he grabs Tigatron, however, and, knowing that he cannot allow the Autobots to rally behind a new leader, heads off with his troops, telling Predaking to finish off the Autobots. Airazor saves Tigatron from Predaking's grasp, but, knowing that the Decepticons are headed for the Primal Council, tells Tigatron to go help the others. Tigatron is reluctant at first, but Airazor insists, knowing that he is important to the contingency plan. Tigatron promises her that he will see her again and heads off, Airazor watching sadly as he goes.

Out in space, the ''Axalon'' nears closer to the source of the transwarp signals. Unfortunately, the signals are coming not from Cybertron...but from the disembodied head of [[Unicron]]! The generals realized their secret base has been located, but are unconcerned; Unicron is too drained of [[energon]] to react, and the transmatter bomb is prepped to go off in 20 cycles. Cicadacon, pleased that everything is going to plan, quotes a passage from the [[Covenant of Primus]], declaring that the last generation will become the first. Back on the ''Axalon'', the ship's [[Rhinox (BW)|science officer]] detects a build up of energy similar to stealth devices, unsure of its source. The energy suddenly shoots up, and the science officer deduces that whoever is inside is evacuating Unicron's head. Primal, realizing what's about to happen, orders the ship's shields up, as the transmatter bomb explodes, destroying Unicron's head. Tarantulas declares their plan ruined, as the shields of the ''Axalon'' have altered the trajectory of the bomb's fallout, preventing it from reaching most of Cybertron. Cicadacon simply states that it'll only take a bit longer than they had planned for. And Predaking, with Airazor grasped in his hands, watches as the transmatter falls to Cybertron...

In Nova Plenum, Megatron and his soldiers break through the Primal Council's tower. Megatron lets his name be heard...but he is confronted by an unafraid [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], who has faced the "real" Megatron, and roughs up the Decepticon. Megatron quickly regains his bearings, however, and knocks the Autobot back. He, Silverbolt, Prowl, and Unit-3 are quickly surrounded by the Decepticons...but the Autobots reveal they've planned for this! As Tigatron arrives, the five activate their contingency plan—and combine into [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]]! Knocking Megatron back, the Decepticon orders his troops to hold Magnaboss off until Predaking can arrive. Meanwhile, Predaking watches as both Autobots and Decepticons are affected by the transmatter bomb, including Airazor, becoming [[protoform|featureless liquid-metal robots]]. As the generals arrive, Predaking inquires them into what's happening to them. Cicadacon simply explains that they're heading towards "greatness", evolving into "protoforms." Predaking is confused, and Cicadacon merges with his fellow generals, Tarantulas, and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] into a combiner of their own, [[Predacus]]! Predacus apologizes to Predaking, wanting him to be remade too...but all good peacetimes need a martyr, and so Predacus knocks Predaking back, stabbing and killing him.

The bombs begin to reach Nova Plenum, causing much distress amongst both sides. As Magnaboss finds Airazor, Tarantulas rushes to Megatron. Tarantulas lies to his leader, claiming that the transmatter was part of a "doomsday device" created by Galvatron in the event of his death, and that when Predaking learned of this, the shameful combiner took his own life. Megatron doesn't believe Tarantulas, however, and pushes forward to take out the Autobots while he still can. Tarantulas radios Ravage that Megatron hasn't fallen for the bait, and so, Ravage snipes Megatron with a stun blast. Cicadacon steps forth, addressing the Autobots, declaring that the Decepticons have surrendered.

In the following days, the Autobot and Decepticon leaders meet together to discuss peace, signing a [[Pax Cybertronia|peace treaty]] to declare an armistice. Prowl declares that the Autobots and Decepticons are no more, those being the names of warriors. The Autobots become Maximals, while the Decepticons, using the example of Predaking, become the Predacons. Though they are not yet one race, in time, they will forge forth a new path as Cybertronians. Optimus Primal takes up guardianship of the transmatter victims on the ''Axalon'', promising to do what they can for them. Many come to visit their fallen friends; a heartbroken Tigatron watches over Airazor, a grim Prowl over [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], and a young, respectful [[Dinobot (BW)|Predacon]] over [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. Those who have worked hard for peace on either side, like Ravage and Tarantulas, are given amnesty, while those who have prolonged the war, like Megatron, will be imprisoned and downgraded. Elsewhere, on [[Predacon Command Outpost One]], the generals, now the [[Tripredacus Council]], look over their continued experiments into weaponizing protoform technology. As he listens to his scientists' reports, Cicadacon smiles, looking over their plans for new [[Transwarp cruiser|ships]] and [[Magmatron|warriors]], preparing to make all one...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Autobot]]s / [[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (1)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (3)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (4)
*[[Tigatron]] (13)
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (14)
*[[Lio Convoy]] (15)
*[[Big Convoy]] (16)
*[[Under-3|Unit-3]] (17)
*"[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]" (18)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (19)
*"[[Lio Junior]]" (20)
*"[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]" (21)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (23)
*[[Bigmos]] (28)
*[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] (29)
*[[Razorbeast]] (30)
*[[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]] (38)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (40)
*[[Air Hammer (BW)|Air Hammer]] (44)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|White Propionica]]<ref>The [[BotCon 2016]] script reading, "[[The Hot Rod]]" established this name as Blackarachnia's pre-Earth name in this continuity.</ref> (45)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (46)

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s / [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s|c2=
*[[Cicadacon]] (5)
*[[Sea Clamp]] (6)
*Decepticon experiments (7/8)
*[[Ram Horn]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Retrax]] (12)
*"[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]" (22)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (24)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (25)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (26)
*[[Terradive (G1)|Terradive]] (27)
*[[Buzz Saw (BW)|Buzz Saw]] (31)
*[[Drill Bit (BW)|Drill Bit]] (33)
*[[Manta Ray (BW)|Manta Ray]] (34)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (35)
*[[Beetle]] (36)
*[[Snapper]] (37)
*[[Predacus]] (39)
*[[Insecticon (BW)|Insecticon]] (41)
*[[Scarem]] (42)
*[[Dirge (BW)|Dirge]] (43)
*"[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]" (47)
*[[Magmatron]] (blueprints) (48)

|h3=Others|c3=
*[[Unicron]]'s head (32)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Blades''': —ime is dead. I rekkkkrr— —Optimus Prime is dead. 
'''Silverbolt''': No... 
'''Ironhide''': RAGH! ''(punches wall)'' 
'''Blades''':—zzt—Do you copy? Kkkkkrt— 
'''Prowl''': Yes...we copy...
:—The Autobots react to Optimus Prime's death.

'''Tarantulas''': Generals! Galvatron is dead! 
'''Ram Horn''': Oh... How awful. 
'''Cicadacon''': Mmm.
:—The Decepticons react to Galvatron's death.

"He was a smart old son of a glitch, wasn't he? 
"That he was." 
"And he had quite the mouth on him, right?" 
"That he did."
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Silverbolt''' eulogize '''Perceptor'''

"Our world is deeply scarred. Its surface runs '''black''' with the blood of our fallen brothers. It need not continue. No more need perish, no more need be lost."
:—'''Tigatron'''

'''Terrorsaur''': You're mine! 
'''Waspinator''': Wing-lady not stop Waspinator! 
'''Airazor''': Firstly, I belong to no one. Secondly, talking in the third person is not a healthy thing. You should look into doing something about that. Third— 
'''Waspinator''': Eep. ''(gets stepped on by Predaking)'' 
'''Airazor''': —Never mind.
:—Thus began Waspinator's memorable career.

"You're right, of course, it ''is'' the end. The end of your insipid red badges and your pointless nobility. The old ways! So what if our cities fall down? We will build '''better''' ones. We will go to other worlds and we will build over theirs. Accept your fate. Before the end of this day, your line, your entire pathetic race will be—" 
''(Predaking grabs Tigatron.)'' 
"ARRRGH!" 
"—I... I wasn't finished and I do ''so'' enjoy a speech... Never mind."
:—'''Megatron's''' speech to '''Tigatron''' is interrupted.

"... I '''fought''' Megatron. He '''killed''' me. And I '''came back'''. What makes you think you can frighten me, you cheap, third-rate '''knock-off?!'''"
:—'''Ironhide''' threatens '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
* Characters mentioned but not seen include: [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], and the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]].

===Continuity notes===
* Bove notes this story takes place some time after "[[The Rebirth]]", the three part finale of the original Sunbow ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' cartoon, with Optimus Prime and Galvatron in command of the Decepticons, respectively. Notably, Fortress Maximus is mentioned as one of the many fallen Autobots.
* Optimus Prime was claimed to fallen in the "final battle" between Autobots and Decepticons in the ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' episode, "[[Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search]]".
* Prowl, Ironhide, and Silverbolt begin here their transformation to their Maximal selves, with them being shown to be in charge of the Maximals in both ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]'' and the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'', the latter of which explicitly retconned the ''Beast Wars'' toys who formed Magnaboss into being the same characters as their ''Generation 1'' namesakes.
* Unicron's head is shown orbiting Cybertron, having fallen into the planet's orbit after his destruction in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' However, see "continuity errors" below.
* Part of the transmatter evolution process uses the reformatting technology of Unicron, seen most prominently in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
* The idea of Optimus Primal and Megatron having both served in a "Great War" has been mentioned a few times before. ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'' declared Megatron to have served as a Predacon Commander at the end of "the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]", while both his and Primal's [[BotCon 2006]] toy bios and profiles in the retail edition of "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]", as well as Megatron's ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' profile, mentioned they were each veterans of the "last [[Great War (BW)|Great War]]" fought between the Maximals and Predacons after the end of the Autobot/Decepticon Great War (mentioned only in ''Beast Wars'' tie-in media written by or with input from [[Ben Yee]]), with Megatron's profiles noting that he was both a field commander and a general. However, see "Continuity errors" below.
* Big Convoy and Lio Convoy are shown as members of the Primal Council—both ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]'' depicted them as high-ranking members of the Maximals, as well as being members of the cross-faction [[Committee for State Affairs]].
* In the cartoon, Galvatron's former existence as Megatron is one of the reasons they decided to retrieve him after being exiled to [[Chaar]], as seen in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1]]".
* Silverbolt notes that there has been rumors of experimentation with transwarp technology since before he came online. Megatron's message on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], seen in "[[The Agenda (Part 2)]]", had the Decepticon leader note that the technology was beginning to be developed. This was shortly after he and the other Decepticons awoke from stasis; Silverbolt was created not too long after, being infused with life by [[Vector Sigma]] in "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2]]".
* Primal, Rhinox, Rattrap, Dinobot, and Waspinator are all depicted in their [[BotCon 2006]] toy bodies.
* Megatron is seen reading the Covenant of Primus, from which he gained his name, as seen in the two-part finale of ''Beast Wars'', "Nemesis". Later in the issue, Cicadacon quotes a passage from it.
* Predaking here serves as the inspiration for the Predacon faction, something established by both "Dawn of Future's Past" and [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]]'s [[BotCon 2009]] toy bio. However, see "continuity errors" below.
* Multiple ships based on Ravage's [[transwarp cruiser]] from "The Agenda" are seen in this issue, along with the Predacon Command Outpost One from the first part. However, see "continuity errors" below.
* Ram Horn claims to have come from the [[Pit (BW)|Pit]], the Cybertronian version of Hell first mentioned in ''Beast Wars'', and a facility that the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' declared to be where Predacon protoforms are both created and joined with sparks. It's mentioned a few other times in the issue.
* Ironhide mentions how he was once killed by the original Megatron, only to come back; his death was seen in ''The Transformers: The Movie''. Later, Prowl mentions Megatron's surprise attack on the [[Autobot shuttle]] he and Ironhide were on, and Magnaboss paraphrases Megatron's line to a dying Ironhide: "such heroic nonsense."
* Among the victims of transmatter is Grimlock, presumably to set up the Dinobot's appearances in ''The Gathering'' and ''The Ascending''.
* Dinobot is seen standing over Grimlock's stasis pod, implying that he got the idea for his Beast Wars name from the Autobot subgroup. This made even more apparent in the accompanying BotCon 2016 script reading "[[The Hot Rod]]", in which the yet-not named as such Dinobot was presented as an admirer of Grimlock. {{w|Geoff Johns}} literalism at its finest, folks.
* A blueprint for the design of Magmatron is seen on Cicadacon's datapad; the Predacon served the Tripredacus Council before eventually betraying them in ''The Gathering''. However, see "errors" below.

===Transformers references===
* Part of the transmatter process includes energy from the Swarm, the entity that served as the main antagonist for the last few issues of the Marvel ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' comic. Sea Clamp's comments seem to imply that they're using it for it's life-giving powers, which it gained after it had consumed Optimus Prime and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], having gained the life it lacked, in the [[A Rage in Heaven!|final issue]] of the series. This connection seems inspired by Larry DiTillio's desire to make the [[Vok]] an evolved form of the Swarm, who would have gave Cybertron protoforming technology. However, see "continuity errors" below. Later in the issue, Cicadacon swears by it.
* The first Decepticon successfully reformatted with transmatter is the ''Beast Wars'' Predacon pillbug Retrax.
* The Primal Council is named for the [[Convoy Council]], the Maximal military authority seen in the ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' cartoon—since Optimus Primal himself was renamed "Convoy" for Japanese markets.
* Big Convoy questions Prowl's plan, calling it a "few bah weeps short of a ninni bong," referencing the [[universal greeting]] from ''The Transformers: The Movie''.
* Unit-3's name, replacing the moniker of "Under-3", is derived from Tigatron's codename from "Dawn of Future's Past", Unit-2. In fact, Tigatron's unit of Autobots is called "Unit-2".
* Big Convoy's unit is sent to the [[Rust Sea]] Peninsula; the Rust Sea was first mentioned in the letters page for the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comic, and has since then gone on to appear in many continuities.
* Unit-3 calls the Decepticons "Unicron's spawn," the same invective leveled at Tarantulas by Megatron in ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Nemesis Part 1]]".
* The fourth ''Axalon'' crew member, originally drawn as [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], appears to have been redrawn and colored as young ''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers#Beast Wars II|Beast Wars II]]'' Maximal [[Lio Junior]], though it's most likely not meant to be him. Either him or another in his colors shows up at the end of the issue.
* Primal tells "Rattrap" to "shut his trap", a call-forward to the name that he will eventually take while also being a variation on the oft-slung "Shut up, Rattrap" catchphrase used whenever Rattrap was being obnoxious in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.
* Among the Decepticons generic seen in this issue are those based on or colored as the ''[[Transformers (2010 toyline)|Hunt for the Decepticons]]'' live-action movie continuity character [[Terradive (TF 2010)|Terradive]], the [[BotCon 1996]] exclusive ''Generation 2'' Decepticon [[Nightracer (G2)|Nightracer]] (specifically in the colors her creator [[Raksha]] wanted her to be in), the ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], the ''Generation 2'' release of [[Firecon]] [[Sparkstalker]], and ''Machine Wars'' [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]].
* On the opposite side, various generics on the Autobot side are colored as: ''Generation 2'' [[Laser Rod]] [[Volt]], ''Generation 2'' [[Color Changer]] [[Jetstorm (G2)|Jetstorm]], the ''Generation 2'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] version of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], European and Australasia-exclusive [[Action Master]] [[Rumbler (G1)|Rumbler]], the black-and-red version of Lio Junior from the ''Beast Wars II'' toyline included with a jigsaw puzzle, the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]] [[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]], and [[R-Blade]].
* Aside from them, others bearing the color schemes (and hence, presumably ''are'' those characters) of ''Beast Wars'' Buzz Saw, Razorbeast Drill Bit, Manta Ray, Beetle, Snapper, Insecticon, Scarem, and Air Hammer, and ''Beast Wars II'' Bigmos and Dirge. Also, somewhat randomly, the Autobot Action Master Mainframe is seen both as part of Unit-2 and during the signing of the peace treaty.
* Ram Horn mentions "astro-seconds" and "quartrexes" in an attempt to annoy Sea Clamp, units of time mentioned in the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon episodes, in "[[Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]", respectively.
*Cicadacon lays down the Decepticon sigil when surrendering, similar to how Optimus Prime surrendered to [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in issue [[Surrender!|#74]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic, by laying down the Autobot symbol.

===Real-life references===
*Ironhide refers to the Predacon Megatron as a "[[Knockoff|knock-off]]," toys made by other companies that are obvious copies of real ''Transformers'' toys.

===Continuity errors===
*To put it ''very'' mildly, this story was quite controversial within the fandom—aside from the admittedly subjective "''Beast Wars'' isn't supposed to be all about Generation 1" complaints, the story in general actively contradicts major pieces of lore from the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon. Some of these issues have their origins in plot points that author John-Paul Bove had in mind but either didn't have time for or didn't realize were unclear, which he has gone on to clarify [http://wordmongerer.tumblr.com/post/142758963250/this-past-weekend-my-first-transformers-story on his] [http://wordmongerer.tumblr.com/post/143819209495/greetings-now-i-am-not-the-most-online-person Tumblr]. However, many of his clarifications, based on his own [[authorial intent]], cause even further confusion. The story draws upon four major sources: the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon, the BotCon 2006 "Dawn of Future's Past" comic, and the various IDW Publishing ''Beast Wars'' comics. For organization's sake, we have divided each continuity error by which story they contradict, along with a section for other general errors below.

====''Beast Wars'' cartoon errors====
* In the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon itself, the Autobots and Decepticons were treated as "Arthurian"-style figures, having long descended into legend by the time of the cartoon. This story chooses to brazenly ignore that, depicting a good majority of the ''Beast Wars'' cast as having existed at the end of the Great War. Some materials have done this before—the aforementioned ''Transformers: The Ultimate Guide'' placing Megatron at the end of the Great War, as well as Optimus Primal and Megatron's [[BotCon 2006]] toy bios, their "Dawn of Future's Past" retail edition profiles, and Megatron's ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' profile, all declaring the two to be veterans of the Maximal/Predacon "Great War"—but all of these cases were already at odds with the cartoon long before this story's release (see [[Great War (BW)#Contentious continuity|here]] for more), so it's only more egregious that this story would choose to feature even more of the ''Beast Wars'' cast as coexisting with their "ancient ancestors".
* A particularly bad example of this story featuring ''Beast Wars'' characters during the age of the Autobots and Decepticons can be found with the Tripredacus Council: in "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]", Ram Horn recounts how their "Decepticon ancestors" were defeated in battle, but this story decides to depict them as the ones who have surrendered. Bove claims that he ignored this line in favor of one from "[[Other Victories]]", where Tarantulas revealed that he and the Tripredacus Council were unconnected to either Autobot or Decepticon, and there's some vague lip service paid to this, with Sea Clamp noting that as far as the other Decepticons know, the generals are "as Decepticon as they are." However, even then, it's clear that Ram Horn and the others weren't literally meant to be the ones who surrendered to the Autobots. Even more baffling is Bove's choice to retcon Cicadacon and Sea Clamp (via their toy bios, and admittedly only implied) into being reformatted versions of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]; the latter particularly stands out, as it would have meant that Tarantulas would have been fine with killing one of his masters by blowing up the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' in "[[Master Blaster]]".
* Megatron is depicted as high-ranking enough to lead large forces of Decepticons and take command after Galvatron's defeat—but in the cartoon itself, he was originally a lowly gangster and troublemaker. Bove notes that he didn't intend for this...but even then, the fact that the Tripredacus Council considers him a threat to peace is questionable, when in the cartoon they considered him a minor annoyance to their plans until they detected the [[transwarp wavefront]] in "The Agenda (Part 1)", only then sending Ravage after him. Megatron even referred to the Autobots and Decepticons as "archaic energon-guzzlers" in "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]"—but here, he is one himself! And that's without even bringing up how his toy, obviously based on his [[Transmetal 2]] form, is used to depict a pre-''Beast Wars'' Megatron (for [[to sell toys|toy-selling purposes]], of course, but still).
* The idea of protoforming being a new technology had previously been suggested in the Japanese guidebook ''[[Beast Wars Universe]],'' which held it as a new development in the Pax Cybertronia era. This was based on [[authorial intent|notes]] from show runners [[Larry DiTillio]] and [[Bob Forward]]. However, those were "behind the scenes" notes that [[pseudocanon|had not made it into any published stories before]], and were alongside other conceptual notes that were rendered impossible by later storyline developments. Even if that concept is to be canonized by "Dawn," the depiction of protoforming as a specifically Decepticon superweapon that caused pre-existing Transformers to turn into protoforms, and the depiction of [[stasis pod]]s as life support systems are...dubious decisions, at best. Admittedly, the cartoon itself did cause some confusion as to whether or not the Maximal protoforms were newly brought online; the events of "[[The Spark]]" treated Airazor as part of a "newborn" metaphor, while both Tigatron's debut in "[[Fallen Comrades]]" and [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]'s debut in "[[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)]]" mentioned that they had been damaged in the crash, with "lost memories"; many interpreted this line as them having had ''identities'' beforehand, rather than just having their innate sense of self having been lost. This, along with Rampage having existed before being turned back into a protoform as seen in "[[Bad Spark]]" has caused many authors to ignore the "newborn" idea of protoforms in favor of them existing beforehand. Still, the decision to make Tigatron and Airazor as prominent Autobots at the end of the war, with Tigatron serving as one of the Autobot/Maximal leaders on the Primal Council feels contradictory, at the very least. See more below in "Dawn of Future's Past errors" for more on the specifics of Tigatron and Airazor, and "IDW Beast Wars" errors for more on the protoforms in general.
* The cartoon established that the majority of the characters renamed themselves upon arriving on Earth—the only ones whose names remained the same (aside from Ravage, obviously) were Optimus Primal, Megatron, Tarantulas, and [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]. The comic tries to continue that idea—Rhinox, Scorponok, and Rattrap are never referred to by name, but Terrorsaur is referred to by his name in his toy bio, and strangely, Waspinator refers to himself by his Earth name despite not having a toy made for this convention. And again, Tigatron and Airazor are shown to have their Earth names despite not apparently remembering anything else about their old lives.
* The ''Axalon'' is shown here to be an Autobot ship, scaled to their massive size. As seen in the cartoon, it was scaled to the Maximals—and when Primal was mutated by the power of Optimus Prime's spark into his "Optimal Optimus" form, he was shown to tower over the ship's bridge. It's ''possible'' that the ''Axalon'' could have been retrofitted since then to be smaller—but nothing in the cartoon suggests that. Additionally, Optimus Primal, while privy to some secrets like the experiments on [[Rampage (BW)|Protoform X]], was ultimately a lower-ranking Maximal, the captain of an exploration crew. The comic tries to pay some lip service to this idea, having Primal and his crew being sent because they're the only ship available...but he's shown to have enough authority to take the transmatter bomb victims into his care.
* Both Rhinox and Rattrap are depicted as crew members on the ''Axalon'' long before the start of the cartoon. With Rhinox, this isn't so unbelievable; Primal treats him as an old friend, and he's privy to secrets such as Protoform X being on board the ''Axalon''. However, the opening episodes of ''Beast Wars'' made it clear that Rattrap had only recently start serving under Primal's command at the beginning of the cartoon, consistently questioning Primal's decisions ("First day on the job or what?", "You sure you're cut out for this 'commander' gig?"), only warming up to him as time goes on. The story additionally suggests that Rattrap gave Optimus Primal his name, which, aside from the aforementioned issues with Rattrap's time on the ''Axalon'', is an utterly baffling idea. Even more baffling is that [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] was at one point obviously drawn as a member of the ''Axalon'' crew, but thankfully, he was changed into a random generic.
* Ships based on the [[transwarp cruiser]] used by Ravage in "The Agenda" can be seen in Unicron's head and on Cicadacon's datapad, but Sea Clamp called the ship "experimental", implying it was only recently developed.
* In the cartoon, Ravage's service as a Predacon under the Tripredacus Council is little more than a rumor, only know by certain Maximals like Optimus Primal. While he's not seen by anyone in this story besides the Tripredacus Council and Predaking, the fact that he's publicly granted amnesty for his actions seems to contradict that.
* In the cartoon, Tarantulas was slipped into Megatron's gang of criminals to keep tabs on him for the Tripredacus Council. Here, he's shown to do the same while Megatron was a high-ranking Decepticon, and apparently is trusted by Megatron. While this isn't contradictory per se, it's yet another odd decision.
* Finally, Inferno is shown among those affected by the transmatter bomb explosion, implying that he would become the protoform that was reprogrammed into the Predacon [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], a laughably stupid idea. Bove has claimed that he didn't explicitly show it to leave it up to interpretation, but still, it's very obvious what he was implying.

====Sunbow ''The Transformers'' errors====
* Of note, the original ''Beast Wars'' cartoon was written to be in a vague, unspecified ''Generation 1'' continuity, drawing on both elements of the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon and the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics. However, as with the majority of post-cartoon ''Beast Wars'' stories, the comic opts to make it a continuation of the cartoon, with elements that couldn't have happened in a comic based continuity being incorporated (Unicron's head orbiting Cybertron, Ironhide and Prowl's death at the hands of Megatron, Megatron's transformation into Galvatron). However, this doesn't prevent from continuity errors arising from the cartoon, some of which are the results of kind-of sort-of trying to include elements of Marvel continuity that simply just don't work with the cartoon.
* Unicron's head is shown to be orbiting Cybertron, as it famously was at the end of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' after his destruction. However, in the subsequent third season of the cartoon, Unicron's head was blasted out of orbit in "[[Ghost in the Machine (G1)|Ghost in the Machine]]", and was last seen floating in empty space in "[[Call of the Primitives]]".
* Cicadacon claims that the earliest generations of Cybertronians were forged from the "primordial metals" of Cybertron, similar to the origin given to the Transformer race by [[Simon Furman]] in both the Marvel US and UK ''The Transformers'' comics, and the ''Generation 2'' comic that served as a sequel to the former. However, this just straight up isn't true for cartoon continuity; the "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]" mini-series that served as the premier for the third season of the cartoon revealed that the Cybertronians were mechanically manufactured by the [[Quintesson]]s, who used Cybertron as a factory world.
* Similarly, the Swarm connection is hard to reconcile with the cartoon continuity. In the ''Generation 2'' comics, the Swarm was the result of continued using of the "budding" method of [[Reproduction|creating]] new Transformers, which obviously doesn't exist in the cartoon continuity. Additionally, the Swarm's recreation by Optimus Prime by using the Matrix couldn't have happened in this version, with the Matrix having been drained eradicating the [[Hate Plague]] in "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2]]". Again, the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon incorporated several Marvel continuity concepts, and any encounter with the Swarm almost certainly wouldn't have happened the same way it did in the comic, but the use of it with the rest of the comic being almost entirely Sunbow cartoon-based is certainly strange at the very least.

===="Dawn of Future's Past" errors====
* This story follows on with the retcon that Tigatron and Airazor existed ''before'' the events of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon. However, in that story, Tigatron was a Maximal beat cop, only known as "Unit-2" and not having enough clearance to know about the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], while Airazor was the pilot of the ship ''[[Chromia 10]]'', who didn't know each other prior to meeting in "Dawn of Future's Past". What's especially strange is the decision to have Airazor one of those affected by the transmatter bomb-meaning at some point she was cured and released from the ''Axalon'', only to have her spark transported into a blank protoform after her ship was heavily damaged saving the ''Axalon'' from [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]].
* The original Predacons being the source for the ''Beast Wars'' faction comes from "Dawn of Future's Past" and [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]]'s subsequent [[BotCon 2009]] toy bio card. However, them being the source of the name is about the ''only'' thing this story shares with those two sources. In Razorclaw's profile, it claimed that at the end of the war, Razorclaw rose to power after most of the Decepticons were destroyed, forming the Predacons, and nearly leading them to victory, only to be assassinated by the Tripredacus Council as part of their machinations. Here, the Predacons are killed before the Predacon faction is created, and are just random Decepticons whose deaths are used by the Tripredacus Council as propaganda, killed while they were combined. Additionally, [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] was shown to still be alive in "Dawn of Future's Past", aiding Megatron's theft of the Golden Disk with his agents, [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]. The bio of Laserbeak even stated that Divebomb was the one who gave both them ''and'' Ravage their new Predacon forms, with Ravage only later defecting to the Tripredacus Council's side.

====IDW Publishing ''Beast Wars'' errors====
* In general, the only major continuity errors that pop up are those that contradict the events given in the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'', and given that the guidebook also contradicted both the cartoon ''and'' ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]'', it's not ''quite'' as egregious as some of the other errors. Still:
* Galvatron is depicted here as having fallen in his final battle with Optimus Prime. However, the glossary published in the trade version of the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' claimed that Galvatron's fate was unknown, the subject of legend and conjecture.
* Something that does contradict ''The Gathering'' and ''The Ascending'' is the depiction of many of the Predacons from that series—reprogrammed from Maximal protoforms—are seen active as Decepticons on Cybertron, along with a few of the Maximals from said series, including Retrax, Buzz Saw, Manta Ray, Snapper, Insecticon, Scarem, and Air Hammer. It falls under the same error with protoforms mentioned above, but in what are definitely errors are the depiction of Retrax as the first successful experiment of the generals (he was depicted as a Maximal protoform reprogrammed by Magmatron's Predacons) and the depiction of both Snapper and Scarem as Decepticons (Snapper's profile in the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' depicted him as a former Maximal who joined the crew of the ''Axalon'', before being reprogrammed on Earth into a Predacon, while Scarem's profile noted that his Predacon reprogramming was imperfect, shades of his Maximal self still showing through).
* In keeping with the above notes about Megatron, issue [[The Gathering issue 1|#1]] of ''The Gathering'' had Lio Convoy explicitly describe Megatron as little more than a "loose cannon," not worth worrying about... but here, Lio Convoy is one of the Autobot commanders around when Megatron nearly pushes the Decepticons to defeat the Autobots!
* The peace treaty that the Autobots and Decepticons sign to formally end the Great War in this story is strongly intimated to be none other than the [[Pax Cybertronia]], first mentioned in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon episode "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]". While never explicitly elaborated on in the cartoon, the logical intent behind this treaty was that it was what officially brought an end to the age-old Autobot/Decepticon war, a notion that this story appears to agree with. However, with this story also being part of the IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics, that poses a problem with how the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' instead shifted the timeframe of the Pax Cybertronia's ratification to be much later than the Autobot Decepticon war.
** Throughout the ''Sourcebook''{{'}}s various profiles and Glossary entries are bits and pieces of the roughly 300-year history between the age of the Autobots and Decepticons and the age of the Maximals and Predacons. The [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] between the Autobots and Decepticons was followed by the "[[Great Upgrade]]" that brought about the Maximals and Predacons, only for ''another'' [[Great War (BW)|Great War]] to break out between those two faction (and said war ended with events akin to those of ''Beast Wars II''). It was the end of ''this'' Great War that led to the signing of the Pax Cybertronia by the Maximal and Predacon leaders. Yet, the peace treaty depicted in this story predates the "Great Upgrade" and is signed by the remaining Autobot and Decepticon leaders.
** Furthermore, the ''Sourcebook'' profile for [[Magmatron]] stated that he tried to ruin the Pax Cybertronia in its infancy (by inciting events akin to ''Beast Wars Neo''), meaning he obviously existed ''before'' the signing. But in this story, Cicadacon is seen working on designs for the ''creation'' of Magmatron, meaning he won't be born until ''after'' the treaty has already been signed.
:However, there ''is'' still some wiggle room for the ''Sourcebook''{{'}}s version of history to play out in this story's future, since the treaty signed here is never actually ''explicitly'' referred to as the "Pax Cybertronia". Ignoring the [[authorial intent|author's external commentary on the matter]] would allow for at least some of this to be smoothed over, with the treaty in this story being a different armistice and the actual Pax Cybertronia coming later.
* The Glossary's entry for the ''Axalon'' noted that the ship was built after the Pax Cybertronia as part of a Maximal-led space exploration initiative, while in this story it's shown as an existing Autobot ship already in service at the end of the Great War.
* Magnaboss's profile in the ''Sourcebook'' claimed he was developed in response to the Tripredacus Council's own combined form, [[Tripredacus]]. However, Magnaboss is here shown to be created as part of an end-of-the-war contingency, with his components apparently being unaware of Predacus.

===Art and technical errors===
* Sea Clamp and Ram Horn's names are consistently spelt as "Seaclamp" and "Ramhorn."
* Prowl, Ironhide, and Silverbolt have their combiner modes (and in Ironhide's case, his vehicle mode) of their ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' toys, but their robots modes are depicted as mostly being modified versions of their classic character models, with Prowl having his hood chest and Ironhide his windshield chest.

===Other trivia===
*We're going to remind you now that the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon did not establish a definitive in-universe history for itself, merely making it highly plausible that events closely resembling (but not precisely matching) the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon]] and/or the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic]] happened offscreen. While "Dawn of the Predacus" is likewise light on details about the precise details of the Great War, the author notes that this story takes place thirty years after ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'',<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Next week find out what happened after G1 and before Beast Wars @BotCon... #transformers #G1 #beastwars [Image with text reading: ''30 years after the [[Battle of Autobot City|Battle for Autobot City]] / 300 years before the Beast Wars / There was the dawn of Predacus]''|link=https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/716433907621736448|name=John-Paul Bove|site=Twitter|year=2016|month=04|day=03}}</ref> pushing it closer towards the ever-popular "Generation 1 cartoon as background" route that most other ''Beast Wars'' tie-ins have utilized. Other interviews and statements from Bove note that, in his mind, the events of "[[The Rebirth]]" also happened, furthering the idea that it was meant to take place in the cartoon continuity.
*This book was produced by [[IDW Publishing]] instead of [[Fun Publications]]. As such, it was promoted as being in continuity with IDW's other ''Beast Wars'' books as well as Fun Publications' "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]"<ref>{{citesocial|quote=[...] There was no sensible way in which this back story could be placed in the one shot, and ultimately it seemed unnecessary because the fact that she is brought back in some way is explicit in DoFP. [...]|link=http://wordmongerer.tumblr.com/post/142758963250/this-past-weekend-my-first-transformers-story|name=John-Paul Bove|site=Tumblr|year=2016|month=04|day=13}}</ref>—although it doesn't slot in perfectly into that chronology either (see "[[#"Dawn of Future's Past" errors|'Dawn of Future's Past' errors]]" above).
* Several background characters were initially going to be pre-existing characters, only for the author to change his mind about including them. Among these was [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], whose appearance on the ''Axalon'' was deliberately modified because it was decided he wouldn't be part of the crew quite yet.
* Before it was given to IDW, [[Jim Sorenson]] was asked to write a pitch for this as a ''[[Beast Wars: Uprising]]'' story. He briefly mentioned "the ghost of [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] ([[Prowl (TM2)|Prowl II]] maybe)" working to create [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]] as a [[Builder of Cybertron|Builder]] weapon. In the end, the Tripredacus Council would have to stop its rampage by forming Predacus.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=VERY early on in the process, I was asked to pitch an idea for what Dawn of the Predacus would have looked like in the BWU universe. It would have been a story where the ghost of Prowl (Prowl II maybe) was acting from beyond the grave to put together a Builder threat, the Magnaboss. In the end, the Tri-Predacus Council itself would have had to intervene to stop the rampage. You can still see the toys solicited as such: https://www.toyarama.com/store/2016-botcon-beast-wars-uprising-dawn-of-the-predacus-five-figure-combiner-wars-boxed-convention-set-non-attending-1-pc-p1414.php In the end, though, FP opted to outsource the comic to IDW, so that story got shelved.|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218015723/https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/133737-beast-wars-uprising-ama/?p=3360055#entry3360055|name=Jim Sorenson|site=The Allspark forums|title=Beast Wars Uprising: AMA|year=2016|month=10|day=15}}</ref> Sorenson and [[Jesse Wittenrich]] later added more detail: that Magnaboss was created after the Tripredacus Council and [[Predacon Secret Police]] had started investigating combiners, and the plot would have also had Megatron creating the beast mode upgrade (a plot later done in the prose fiction). Prowl had left behind a "[[Prowl (TM2)|Prowl 2.0]]" backup copy with a plan for a last-ditch weapon and when Tigatron, Airazor, and Tarantulas try to stop it, Tigatron just becomes part of the Magna-beast. "Predacus rises to (more-or-less) heroically battle Magnaboss to the death." The ending would have Megatron's beasties (who'd have just saved Airazor) taking advantage of the power vacuum created after the combiners died trashing the Predacus and [[Maximal Command Security Force]] armies, with Tarantulas and his combiner knowledge now working for Megs...<ref>{{citesocial|link=https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/140167-ama-bish-jesse-jim/?p=3516260|name=Jesse Wittenrich|site=The Allspark forums|title=AMA: Bish, Jesse, & Jim|defunct=y}}</ref><ref>{{citesocial|link=https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/140167-ama-bish-jesse-jim/?p=3516969|name=Jim Sorenson|site=The Allspark forums|title=AMA: Bish, Jesse, & Jim|defunct=y}}</ref>
**Sorenson warned us too that ''all of this'' (and anything else demanded) would have to fit into 22 pages "and FP or Hasbro might have said no. So, don't romanticize it too much."<ref>{{citesocial|link=https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/140167-ama-bish-jesse-jim/?p=3517483|name=Jim Sorenson|site=The Allspark forums|title=AMA: Bish, Jesse, & Jim|defunct=y}}</ref>
*An early plan was to have Optimus on the Primal Council as Head of Science but that was dropped as "making him too prominent".
*This was originally planned as a miniseries. Cut bits would include:
**An explicit [[canonizing|canonization]] of the fan theory that [[Pretender]] and [[Micromaster]] tech had been the starting point for the Beasties (half of this longstanding theory appeared in 2013 in ''[[Beast Wars Shattered Glass]]'').
**The Golden Age, as established in "[[The Rebirth, Part 3]]", had indeed happened with just pockets of Decepticon rebellion but Galvatron blew it all up. It would've been more clearly established that there were many fighters who weren't in either main faction but were allied to them (Bove comparing this to how, in the [[World War II|Second World War]], there were multiple countries, groups, and sympathizers attached to the Allies and Axis).
**There would have been material on "the status of a number of Autobots before DotP and the some of the Cold War events after to properly begin to fill in some of the picture of a post-war world."
*This story treats "Transmatter" as something the readers are already supposed to be familiar with, but this was the first time the term had ever been used in ''Transformers'' fiction.

===Covers===
*'''BotCon Edition Primus Cover :''' [[Tigatron]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], and [[Under-3|Unit-3]] are attacked by [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] as he cycles through his six modes, by [[Robby Musso]] and [[Jesse Wittenrich]].
*'''BotCon Edition General Admission Cover :''' The heads of the [[Tripredacus Council]] along with [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] loom over [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], [[Tigatron]] and [[Under-3|Unit-3]], by [[Sara Pitre-Durocher]].
<gallery>
File:DawnOfThePredacus-PrimusCover.jpg
File: DawnOfThePredacus-cvr.jpg
</gallery>

===Reprints===
* '''''[[Transformers 100-Page Giant: Power of the Predacons]]''''' ([[February 19]], [[2020]])
:*Collection includes "[[Spotlight: Jazz]]", "Dawn of the Predacus", ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering]]'' [[The Gathering issue 1|issue 1]], "[[What's in a Name?]]", and "[[Grudge Match!]]"
<gallery>
File:100-Page-Power-Predacons.jpg|'''''Power of the Predacons'''''; cover art by [[Don Figueroa]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars (2006) issues]]

Dawn of the Predacus

2023-06-08T00:03:55Z

WinningYellow:

{{nav-CombinerWars}}

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[BotCon]] comic
|prev=Cybertron's Most Wanted
|next=
|seriesissue2=''[[Combiner Wars (franchise)|Combiner Wars]]''
|prev2=
|next2=The Hot Rod
|title="Dawn of the Predacus"
|image=DawnOfThePredacus-cvr.jpg
|caption= I've got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret, or make me frown...
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 7]], [[2016]] ([[BotCon 2016]]) 
|writers=[[John-Paul Bove]]
|art=[[Corin Howell]]
|colors=John-Paul Bove
|color assists=[[Ed Pirrie]]
|letters=[[Chris Mowry]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|price=
|continuity=[[Beast Wars timeline (IDW)|IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity]]. ''Supposedly''.
|chronology=Circa [[2035]]
}}

'''At [[BotCon 2016|the end]] of [[Fun Publications|an era]], a [http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Dawn_of_the_Predacus&oldid=1085435 huge] [http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Dawn_of_the_Predacus&oldid=1085554 fight] ends in [[The Transformers (franchise)|disaster]] for many of [[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|our heroes]]...'''

==Synopsis==
In the final days of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] watch [[Blades (G1)|Blades]]' live feed of the last major battle, a massive hole in place of the city that was once there. Prowl, horrified by the images he receives, asks Blades if he has a status update on [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. The news isn't good: Prime is dead once more. The dour Autobots are silent for a moment, and Prowl confirms to Blades he's received his report.

Elsewhere, in a secret base, three high-ranking Decepticons—[[Cicadacon]], [[Sea Clamp]], and [[Ram Horn]]—have been experimenting with [[transmatter]], a material that fluctuates between reality, derived from the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. Having successfully evolved themselves with it in conjunction with the reformatting technology they've found in their secret base, the three have begun trying to evolve other Decepticons. Cicadacon breaks up an argument over between his fellow generals, reminding them that their "host" reacts negatively to anger. Their conversation is cut short anyway, when [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] arrives with news: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is dead! The generals, nonplussed at their "beloved" leader's death, check in with the young Decepticon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], the namesake of Galvatron's [[Megatron (G1)|former self]]. Megatron is eager to take the advantage with Prime dead, but the generals order him to stand down, with more pressing concerns ahead. Megatron ends the transmissions...and tells his troops to fight until there are no more Autobots. The generals return to their experiment, and [[Retrax|one Decepticon]] has been successfully reformatted! The generals explain to their new brother their plan: using transmatter, they will restore the Cybertronian race to their truest form, long lost over the successive generations of Transformers. The process, however, will not work on the dead, and they'll need both Autobots and Decepticons for their plan to be successful. Not trusting Megatron, the generals send Tarantulas to make sure a ceasefire comes to pass.

At [[Nova Plenum]], the highest ranking Autobots confer. With Prime dead, Prowl is the highest ranking Autobot...but he feels unworthy to lead. Instead, he proposes the Autobots form a [[Primal Council]], each of them leading the Autobots together. Silverbolt and Ironhide debate on what to do now; Silverbolt feels that they need time to recover, but Ironhide feels like going after the Decepticons now that they're down. Prowl suggests a compromise; with Galvatron dead, the Decepticons will be directionless, and so, he suggests that each Decepticon unit be reached out to for a chance to stand down. The others agree, but note that they'll need to send out updates to everyone. Silverbolt informs them that he's contacted most of them, but still hasn't reached [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who was leading Unit-3. Just then, an Autobot enters, informing them that Perceptor and the other members of Unit-3 are dead; now, he ''is'' [[Under-3|Unit-3]]. Unit-3 demands to hunt down the Decepticons, but Prowl has already made up his mind; he has sent [[Tigatron]] out with Unit-2, hoping that Tigatron's respectability will aid in a ceasefire. Ironhide strikes up a conversation with the angry Autobot, impressed by his bearings, and asks Unit-3 if he wants to take Perceptor's place in their contingency plan. Prowl and Perceptor go over Unit-3's report, noting that Perceptor detected readings of [[unspace|transwarp]] energy, which they suspect is linked to the Decepticons. Silverbolt consoles Prowl, distraught over all the death, assuring him that they will finish what the others started. They send the exploration ship, the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', to investigate the strange readings. The ship's captain, [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], explains that they've been chosen, although one of his [[Rattrap (BW)|crew members]], pessimistic as ever, figures they've only been sent because there was no one else available.

At [[Omega Spaceport]], [[Scorponok (BW)|one]] of Megatron's soldiers alerts him to the approaching Autobot, but Megatron simply tells him to let them come. Tigatron, leading Unit-2, lets the Decepticons know of the Autobots offer of peace, putting an end to the war. But Megatron has already made up his mind—and his holding base falls apart as the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]] combiner, [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]], emerges, along with Megatron's other Decepticons! Predaking quickly tears through many of the Autobot; Tigatron takes on Megatron, believing him a fool for continuing the madness, Meanwhile, the flying Autobot [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] takes on [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], though the latter, unlucky as always, is accidentally crushed underneath Predaking's foot. Megatron pontificates, believing that even if Cybertron is razed, the Transformers will rebuild it to be better—and do so to other worlds as well. Predaking interrupts his speech when he grabs Tigatron, however, and, knowing that he cannot allow the Autobots to rally behind a new leader, heads off with his troops, telling Predaking to finish off the Autobots. Airazor saves Tigatron from Predaking's grasp, but, knowing that the Decepticons are headed for the Primal Council, tells Tigatron to go help the others. Tigatron is reluctant at first, but Airazor insists, knowing that he is important to the contingency plan. Tigatron promises her that he will see her again and heads off, Airazor watching sadly as he goes.

Out in space, the ''Axalon'' nears closer to the source of the transwarp signals. Unfortunately, the signals are coming not from Cybertron...but from the disembodied head of [[Unicron]]! The generals realized their secret base has been located, but are unconcerned; Unicron is too drained of [[energon]] to react, and the transmatter bomb is prepped to go off in 20 cycles. Cicadacon, pleased that everything is going to plan, quotes a passage from the [[Covenant of Primus]], declaring that the last generation will become the first. Back on the ''Axalon'', the ship's [[Rhinox (BW)|science officer]] detects a build up of energy similar to stealth devices, unsure of its source. The energy suddenly shoots up, and the science officer deduces that whoever is inside is evacuating Unicron's head. Primal, realizing what's about to happen, orders the ship's shields up, as the transmatter bomb explodes, destroying Unicron's head. Tarantulas declares their plan ruined, as the shields of the ''Axalon'' have altered the trajectory of the bomb's fallout, preventing it from reaching most of Cybertron. Cicadacon simply states that it'll only take a bit longer than they had planned for. And Predaking, with Airazor grasped in his hands, watches as the transmatter falls to Cybertron...

In Nova Plenum, Megatron and his soldiers break through the Primal Council's tower. Megatron lets his name be heard...but he is confronted by an unafraid [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], who has faced the "real" Megatron, and roughs up the Decepticon. Megatron quickly regains his bearings, however, and knocks the Autobot back. He, Silverbolt, Prowl, and Unit-3 are quickly surrounded by the Decepticons...but the Autobots reveal they've planned for this! As Tigatron arrives, the five activate their contingency plan—and combine into [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]]! Knocking Megatron back, the Decepticon orders his troops to hold Magnaboss off until Predaking can arrive. Meanwhile, Predaking watches as both Autobots and Decepticons are affected by the transmatter bomb, including Airazor, becoming [[protoform|featureless liquid-metal robots]]. As the generals arrive, Predaking inquires them into what's happening to them. Cicadacon simply explains that they're heading towards "greatness", evolving into "protoforms." Predaking is confused, and Cicadacon merges with his fellow generals, Tarantulas, and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] into a combiner of their own, [[Predacus]]! Predacus apologizes to Predaking, wanting him to be remade too...but all good peacetimes need a martyr, and so Predacus knocks Predaking back, stabbing and killing him.

The bombs begin to reach Nova Plenum, causing much distress amongst both sides. As Magnaboss finds Airazor, Tarantulas rushes to Megatron. Tarantulas lies to his leader, claiming that the transmatter was part of a "doomsday device" created by Galvatron in the event of his death, and that when Predaking learned of this, the shameful combiner took his own life. Megatron doesn't believe Tarantulas, however, and pushes forward to take out the Autobots while he still can. Tarantulas radios Ravage that Megatron hasn't fallen for the bait, and so, Ravage snipes Megatron with a stun blast. Cicadacon steps forth, addressing the Autobots, declaring that the Decepticons have surrendered.

In the following days, the Autobot and Decepticon leaders meet together to discuss peace, signing a [[Pax Cybertronia|peace treaty]] to declare an armistice. Prowl declares that the Autobots and Decepticons are no more, those being the names of warriors. The Autobots become Maximals, while the Decepticons, using the example of Predaking, become the Predacons. Though they are not yet one race, in time, they will forge forth a new path as Cybertronians. Optimus Primal takes up guardianship of the transmatter victims on the ''Axalon'', promising to do what they can for them. Many come to visit their fallen friends; a heartbroken Tigatron watches over Airazor, a grim Prowl over [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], and a young, respectful [[Dinobot (BW)|Predacon]] over [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. Those who have worked hard for peace on either side, like Ravage and Tarantulas, are given amnesty, while those who have prolonged the war, like Megatron, will be imprisoned and downgraded. Elsewhere, on [[Predacon Command Outpost One]], the generals, now the [[Tripredacus Council]], look over their continued experiments into weaponizing protoform technology. As he listens to his scientists' reports, Cicadacon smiles, looking over their plans for new [[Transwarp cruiser|ships]] and [[Magmatron|warriors]], preparing to make all one...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Autobot]]s / [[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (1)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (3)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (4)
*[[Tigatron]] (13)
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (14)
*[[Lio Convoy]] (15)
*[[Big Convoy]] (16)
*[[Under-3|Unit-3]] (17)
*"[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]" (18)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (19)
*"[[Lio Junior]]" (20)
*"[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]" (21)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (23)
*[[Bigmos]] (28)
*[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] (29)
*[[Razorbeast]] (30)
*[[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]] (38)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (40)
*[[Air Hammer (BW)|Air Hammer]] (44)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|White Propionica]]<ref>The [[BotCon 2016]] script reading, "[[The Hot Rod]]" established this name as Blackarachnia's pre-Earth name in this continuity.</ref> (45)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (46)

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s / [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s|c2=
*[[Cicadacon]] (5)
*[[Sea Clamp]] (6)
*Decepticon experiments (7/8)
*[[Ram Horn]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Retrax]] (12)
*"[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]" (22)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (24)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (25)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (26)
*[[Terradive (G1)|Terradive]] (27)
*[[Buzz Saw (BW)|Buzz Saw]] (31)
*[[Drill Bit (BW)|Drill Bit]] (33)
*[[Manta Ray (BW)|Manta Ray]] (34)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (35)
*[[Beetle]] (36)
*[[Snapper]] (37)
*[[Predacus]] (39)
*[[Insecticon (BW)|Insecticon]] (41)
*[[Scarem]] (42)
*[[Dirge (BW)|Dirge]] (43)
*"[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]" (47)
*[[Magmatron]] (blueprints) (48)

|h3=Others|c3=
*[[Unicron]]'s head (32)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Blades''': —ime is dead. I rekkkkrr— —Optimus Prime is dead. 
'''Silverbolt''': No... 
'''Ironhide''': RAGH! ''(punches wall)'' 
'''Blades''':—zzt—Do you copy? Kkkkkrt— 
'''Prowl''': Yes...we copy...
:—The Autobots react to Optimus Prime's death.

'''Tarantulas''': Generals! Galvatron is dead! 
'''Ram Horn''': Oh... How awful. 
'''Cicadacon''': Mmm.
:—The Decepticons react to Galvatron's death.

"He was a smart old son of a glitch, wasn't he? 
"That he was." 
"And he had quite the mouth on him, right?" 
"That he did."
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Silverbolt''' eulogize '''Perceptor'''

"Our world is deeply scarred. Its surface runs '''black''' with the blood of our fallen brothers. It need not continue. No more need perish, no more need be lost."
:—'''Tigatron'''

'''Terrorsaur''': You're mine! 
'''Waspinator''': Wing-lady not stop Waspinator! 
'''Airazor''': Firstly, I belong to no one. Secondly, talking in the third person is not a healthy thing. You should look into doing something about that. Third— 
'''Waspinator''': Eep. ''(gets stepped on by Predaking)'' 
'''Airazor''': —Never mind.
:—Thus began Waspinator's memorable career.

"You're right, of course, it ''is'' the end. The end of your insipid red badges and your pointless nobility. The old ways! So what if our cities fall down? We will build '''better''' ones. We will go to other worlds and we will build over theirs. Accept your fate. Before the end of this day, your line, your entire pathetic race will be—" 
''(Predaking grabs Tigatron.)'' 
"ARRRGH!" 
"—I... I wasn't finished and I do ''so'' enjoy a speech... Never mind."
:—'''Megatron's''' speech to '''Tigatron''' is interrupted.

"... I '''fought''' Megatron. He '''killed''' me. And I '''came back'''. What makes you think you can frighten me, you cheap, third-rate '''knock-off?!'''"
:—'''Ironhide''' threatens '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
* Characters mentioned but not seen include: [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], and the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]].

===Continuity notes===
* Bove notes this story takes place some time after "[[The Rebirth]]", the three part finale of the original Sunbow ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' cartoon, with Optimus Prime and Galvatron in command of the Decepticons, respectively. Notably, Fortress Maximus is mentioned as one of the many fallen Autobots.
* Optimus Prime was claimed to fallen in the "final battle" between Autobots and Decepticons in the ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' episode, "[[Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search]]".
* Prowl, Ironhide, and Silverbolt begin here their transformation to their Maximal selves, with them being shown to be in charge of the Maximals in both ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]'' and the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'', the latter of which explicitly retconned the ''Beast Wars'' toys who formed Magnaboss into being the same characters as their ''Generation 1'' namesakes.
* Unicron's head is shown orbiting Cybertron, having fallen into the planet's orbit after his destruction in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' However, see "continuity errors" below.
* Part of the transmatter evolution process uses the reformatting technology of Unicron, seen most prominently in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
* The idea of Optimus Primal and Megatron having both served in a "Great War" has been mentioned a few times before. ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'' declared Megatron to have served as a Predacon Commander at the end of "the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]", while both his and Primal's [[BotCon 2006]] toy bios and profiles in the retail edition of "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]", as well as Megatron's ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' profile, mentioned they were each veterans of the "last [[Great War (BW)|Great War]]" fought between the Maximals and Predacons after the end of the Autobot/Decepticon Great War (mentioned only in ''Beast Wars'' tie-in media written by or with input from [[Ben Yee]]), with Megatron's profiles noting that he was both a field commander and a general. However, see "Continuity errors" below.
* Big Convoy and Lio Convoy are shown as members of the Primal Council—both ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]'' depicted them as high-ranking members of the Maximals, as well as being members of the cross-faction [[Committee for State Affairs]].
* In the cartoon, Galvatron's former existence as Megatron is one of the reasons they decided to retrieve him after being exiled to [[Chaar]], as seen in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1]]".
* Silverbolt notes that there has been rumors of experimentation with transwarp technology since before he came online. Megatron's message on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], seen in "[[The Agenda (Part 2)]]", had the Decepticon leader note that the technology was beginning to be developed. This was shortly after he and the other Decepticons awoke from stasis; Silverbolt was created not too long after, being infused with life by [[Vector Sigma]] in "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2]]".
* Primal, Rhinox, Rattrap, Dinobot, and Waspinator are all depicted in their [[BotCon 2006]] toy bodies.
* Megatron is seen reading the Covenant of Primus, from which he gained his name, as seen in the two-part finale of ''Beast Wars'', "Nemesis". Later in the issue, Cicadacon quotes a passage from it.
* Predaking here serves as the inspiration for the Predacon faction, something established by both "Dawn of Future's Past" and [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]]'s [[BotCon 2009]] toy bio. However, see "continuity errors" below.
* Multiple ships based on Ravage's [[transwarp cruiser]] from "The Agenda" are seen in this issue, along with the Predacon Command Outpost One from the first part. However, see "continuity errors" below.
* Ram Horn claims to have come from the [[Pit (BW)|Pit]], the Cybertronian version of Hell first mentioned in ''Beast Wars'', and a facility that the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' declared to be where Predacon protoforms are both created and joined with sparks. It's mentioned a few other times in the issue.
* Ironhide mentions how he was once killed by the original Megatron, only to come back; his death was seen in ''The Transformers: The Movie''. Later, Prowl mentions Megatron's surprise attack on the [[Autobot shuttle]] he and Ironhide were on, and Magnaboss paraphrases Megatron's line to a dying Ironhide: "such heroic nonsense."
* Among the victims of transmatter is Grimlock, presumably to set up the Dinobot's appearances in ''The Gathering'' and ''The Ascending''.
* Dinobot is seen standing over Grimlock's stasis pod, implying that he got the idea for his Beast Wars name from the Autobot subgroup. This made even more apparent in the accompanying BotCon 2016 script reading "[[The Hot Rod]]", in which the yet-not named as such Dinobot was presented as an admirer of Grimlock. {{w|Geoff Johns}} literalism at its finest, folks.
* A blueprint for the design of Magmatron is seen on Cicadacon's datapad; the Predacon served the Tripredacus Council before eventually betraying them in ''The Gathering''. However, see "errors" below.

===Transformers references===
* Part of the transmatter process includes energy from the Swarm, the entity that served as the main antagonist for the last few issues of the Marvel ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' comic. Sea Clamp's comments seem to imply that they're using it for it's life-giving powers, which it gained after it had consumed Optimus Prime and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], having gained the life it lacked, in the [[A Rage in Heaven!|final issue]] of the series. This connection seems inspired by Larry DiTillio's desire to make the [[Vok]] an evolved form of the Swarm, who would have gave Cybertron protoforming technology. However, see "continuity errors" below. Later in the issue, Cicadacon swears by it.
* The first Decepticon successfully reformatted with transmatter is the ''Beast Wars'' Predacon pillbug Retrax.
* The Primal Council is named for the [[Convoy Council]], the Maximal military authority seen in the ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' cartoon—since Optimus Primal himself was renamed "Convoy" for Japanese markets.
* Big Convoy questions Prowl's plan, calling it a "few bah weeps short of a ninni bong," referencing the [[universal greeting]] from ''The Transformers: The Movie''.
* Unit-3's name, replacing the moniker of "Under-3", is derived from Tigatron's codename from "Dawn of Future's Past", Unit-2. In fact, Tigatron's unit of Autobots is called "Unit-2".
* Big Convoy's unit is sent to the [[Rust Sea]] Peninsula; the Rust Sea was first mentioned in the letters page for the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comic, and has since then gone on to appear in many continuities.
* Unit-3 calls the Decepticon's "Unicron's spawn," the same invective leveled at Tarantulas by Megatron in ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Nemesis Part 1]]".
* The fourth ''Axalon'' crew member, originally drawn as [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], appears to have been redrawn and colored as young ''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers#Beast Wars II|Beast Wars II]]'' Maximal [[Lio Junior]], though it's most likely not meant to be him. Either him or another in his colors shows up at the end of the issue.
* Primal tells "Rattrap" to "shut his trap", a call-forward to the name that he will eventually take while also being a variation on the oft-slung "Shut up, Rattrap" catchphrase used whenever Rattrap was being obnoxious in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.
* Among the Decepticons generic seen in this issue are those based on or colored as the ''[[Transformers (2010 toyline)|Hunt for the Decepticons]]'' live-action movie continuity character [[Terradive (TF 2010)|Terradive]], the [[BotCon 1996]] exclusive ''Generation 2'' Decepticon [[Nightracer (G2)|Nightracer]] (specifically in the colors her creator [[Raksha]] wanted her to be in), the ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], the ''Generation 2'' release of [[Firecon]] [[Sparkstalker]], and ''Machine Wars'' [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]].
* On the opposite side, various generics on the Autobot side are colored as: ''Generation 2'' [[Laser Rod]] [[Volt]], ''Generation 2'' [[Color Changer]] [[Jetstorm (G2)|Jetstorm]], the ''Generation 2'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] version of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], European and Australasia-exclusive [[Action Master]] [[Rumbler (G1)|Rumbler]], the black-and-red version of Lio Junior from the ''Beast Wars II'' toyline included with a jigsaw puzzle, the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]] [[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]], and [[R-Blade]].
* Aside from them, others bearing the color schemes (and hence, presumably ''are'' those characters) of ''Beast Wars'' Buzz Saw, Razorbeast Drill Bit, Manta Ray, Beetle, Snapper, Insecticon, Scarem, and Air Hammer, and ''Beast Wars II'' Bigmos and Dirge. Also, somewhat randomly, the Autobot Action Master Mainframe is seen both as part of Unit-2 and during the signing of the peace treaty.
* Ram Horn mentions "astro-seconds" and "quartrexes" in an attempt to annoy Sea Clamp, units of time mentioned in the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon episodes, in "[[Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]", respectively.
*Cicadacon lays down the Decepticon sigil when surrendering, similar to how Optimus Prime surrendered to [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in issue [[Surrender!|#74]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic, by laying down the Autobot symbol.

===Real-life references===
*Ironhide refers to the Predacon Megatron as a "[[Knockoff|knock-off]]," toys made by other companies that are obvious copies of real ''Transformers'' toys.

===Continuity errors===
*To put it ''very'' mildly, this story was quite controversial within the fandom—aside from the admittedly subjective "''Beast Wars'' isn't supposed to be all about Generation 1" complaints, the story in general actively contradicts major pieces of lore from the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon. Some of these issues have their origins in plot points that author John-Paul Bove had in mind but either didn't have time for or didn't realize were unclear, which he has gone on to clarify [http://wordmongerer.tumblr.com/post/142758963250/this-past-weekend-my-first-transformers-story on his] [http://wordmongerer.tumblr.com/post/143819209495/greetings-now-i-am-not-the-most-online-person Tumblr]. However, many of his clarifications, based on his own [[authorial intent]], cause even further confusion. The story draws upon four major sources: the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon, the BotCon 2006 "Dawn of Future's Past" comic, and the various IDW Publishing ''Beast Wars'' comics. For organization's sake, we have divided each continuity error by which story they contradict, along with a section for other general errors below.

====''Beast Wars'' cartoon errors====
* In the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon itself, the Autobots and Decepticons were treated as "Arthurian"-style figures, having long descended into legend by the time of the cartoon. This story chooses to brazenly ignore that, depicting a good majority of the ''Beast Wars'' cast as having existed at the end of the Great War. Some materials have done this before—the aforementioned ''Transformers: The Ultimate Guide'' placing Megatron at the end of the Great War, as well as Optimus Primal and Megatron's [[BotCon 2006]] toy bios, their "Dawn of Future's Past" retail edition profiles, and Megatron's ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' profile, all declaring the two to be veterans of the Maximal/Predacon "Great War"—but all of these cases were already at odds with the cartoon long before this story's release (see [[Great War (BW)#Contentious continuity|here]] for more), so it's only more egregious that this story would choose to feature even more of the ''Beast Wars'' cast as coexisting with their "ancient ancestors".
* A particularly bad example of this story featuring ''Beast Wars'' characters during the age of the Autobots and Decepticons can be found with the Tripredacus Council: in "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]", Ram Horn recounts how their "Decepticon ancestors" were defeated in battle, but this story decides to depict them as the ones who have surrendered. Bove claims that he ignored this line in favor of one from "[[Other Victories]]", where Tarantulas revealed that he and the Tripredacus Council were unconnected to either Autobot or Decepticon, and there's some vague lip service paid to this, with Sea Clamp noting that as far as the other Decepticons know, the generals are "as Decepticon as they are." However, even then, it's clear that Ram Horn and the others weren't literally meant to be the ones who surrendered to the Autobots. Even more baffling is Bove's choice to retcon Cicadacon and Sea Clamp (via their toy bios, and admittedly only implied) into being reformatted versions of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]; the latter particularly stands out, as it would have meant that Tarantulas would have been fine with killing one of his masters by blowing up the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' in "[[Master Blaster]]".
* Megatron is depicted as high-ranking enough to lead large forces of Decepticons and take command after Galvatron's defeat—but in the cartoon itself, he was originally a lowly gangster and troublemaker. Bove notes that he didn't intend for this...but even then, the fact that the Tripredacus Council considers him a threat to peace is questionable, when in the cartoon they considered him a minor annoyance to their plans until they detected the [[transwarp wavefront]] in "The Agenda (Part 1)", only then sending Ravage after him. Megatron even referred to the Autobots and Decepticons as "archaic energon-guzzlers" in "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]"—but here, he is one himself! And that's without even bringing up how his toy, obviously based on his [[Transmetal 2]] form, is used to depict a pre-''Beast Wars'' Megatron (for [[to sell toys|toy-selling purposes]], of course, but still).
* The idea of protoforming being a new technology had previously been suggested in the Japanese guidebook ''[[Beast Wars Universe]],'' which held it as a new development in the Pax Cybertronia era. This was based on [[authorial intent|notes]] from show runners [[Larry DiTillio]] and [[Bob Forward]]. However, those were "behind the scenes" notes that [[pseudocanon|had not made it into any published stories before]], and were alongside other conceptual notes that were rendered impossible by later storyline developments. Even if that concept is to be canonized by "Dawn," the depiction of protoforming as a specifically Decepticon superweapon that caused pre-existing Transformers to turn into protoforms, and the depiction of [[stasis pod]]s as life support systems are...dubious decisions, at best. Admittedly, the cartoon itself did cause some confusion as to whether or not the Maximal protoforms were newly brought online; the events of "[[The Spark]]" treated Airazor as part of a "newborn" metaphor, while both Tigatron's debut in "[[Fallen Comrades]]" and [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]'s debut in "[[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)]]" mentioned that they had been damaged in the crash, with "lost memories"; many interpreted this line as them having had ''identities'' beforehand, rather than just having their innate sense of self having been lost. This, along with Rampage having existed before being turned back into a protoform as seen in "[[Bad Spark]]" has caused many authors to ignore the "newborn" idea of protoforms in favor of them existing beforehand. Still, the decision to make Tigatron and Airazor as prominent Autobots at the end of the war, with Tigatron serving as one of the Autobot/Maximal leaders on the Primal Council feels contradictory, at the very least. See more below in "Dawn of Future's Past errors" for more on the specifics of Tigatron and Airazor, and "IDW Beast Wars" errors for more on the protoforms in general.
* The cartoon established that the majority of the characters renamed themselves upon arriving on Earth—the only ones whose names remained the same (aside from Ravage, obviously) were Optimus Primal, Megatron, Tarantulas, and [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]. The comic tries to continue that idea—Rhinox, Scorponok, and Rattrap are never referred to by name, but Terrorsaur is referred to by his name in his toy bio, and strangely, Waspinator refers to himself by his Earth name despite not having a toy made for this convention. And again, Tigatron and Airazor are shown to have their Earth names despite not apparently remembering anything else about their old lives.
* The ''Axalon'' is shown here to be an Autobot ship, scaled to their massive size. As seen in the cartoon, it was scaled to the Maximals—and when Primal was mutated by the power of Optimus Prime's spark into his "Optimal Optimus" form, he was shown to tower over the ship's bridge. It's ''possible'' that the ''Axalon'' could have been retrofitted since then to be smaller—but nothing in the cartoon suggests that. Additionally, Optimus Primal, while privy to some secrets like the experiments on [[Rampage (BW)|Protoform X]], was ultimately a lower-ranking Maximal, the captain of an exploration crew. The comic tries to pay some lip service to this idea, having Primal and his crew being sent because they're the only ship available...but he's shown to have enough authority to take the transmatter bomb victims into his care.
* Both Rhinox and Rattrap are depicted as crew members on the ''Axalon'' long before the start of the cartoon. With Rhinox, this isn't so unbelievable; Primal treats him as an old friend, and he's privy to secrets such as Protoform X being on board the ''Axalon''. However, the opening episodes of ''Beast Wars'' made it clear that Rattrap had only recently start serving under Primal's command at the beginning of the cartoon, consistently questioning Primal's decisions ("First day on the job or what?", "You sure you're cut out for this 'commander' gig?"), only warming up to him as time goes on. The story additionally suggests that Rattrap gave Optimus Primal his name, which, aside from the aforementioned issues with Rattrap's time on the ''Axalon'', is an utterly baffling idea. Even more baffling is that [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] was at one point obviously drawn as a member of the ''Axalon'' crew, but thankfully, he was changed into a random generic.
* Ships based on the [[transwarp cruiser]] used by Ravage in "The Agenda" can be seen in Unicron's head and on Cicadacon's datapad, but Sea Clamp called the ship "experimental", implying it was only recently developed.
* In the cartoon, Ravage's service as a Predacon under the Tripredacus Council is little more than a rumor, only know by certain Maximals like Optimus Primal. While he's not seen by anyone in this story besides the Tripredacus Council and Predaking, the fact that he's publicly granted amnesty for his actions seems to contradict that.
* In the cartoon, Tarantulas was slipped into Megatron's gang of criminals to keep tabs on him for the Tripredacus Council. Here, he's shown to do the same while Megatron was a high-ranking Decepticon, and apparently is trusted by Megatron. While this isn't contradictory per se, it's yet another odd decision.
* Finally, Inferno is shown among those affected by the transmatter bomb explosion, implying that he would become the protoform that was reprogrammed into the Predacon [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], a laughably stupid idea. Bove has claimed that he didn't explicitly show it to leave it up to interpretation, but still, it's very obvious what he was implying.

====Sunbow ''The Transformers'' errors====
* Of note, the original ''Beast Wars'' cartoon was written to be in a vague, unspecified ''Generation 1'' continuity, drawing on both elements of the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon and the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics. However, as with the majority of post-cartoon ''Beast Wars'' stories, the comic opts to make it a continuation of the cartoon, with elements that couldn't have happened in a comic based continuity being incorporated (Unicron's head orbiting Cybertron, Ironhide and Prowl's death at the hands of Megatron, Megatron's transformation into Galvatron). However, this doesn't prevent from continuity errors arising from the cartoon, some of which are the results of kind-of sort-of trying to include elements of Marvel continuity that simply just don't work with the cartoon.
* Unicron's head is shown to be orbiting Cybertron, as it famously was at the end of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' after his destruction. However, in the subsequent third season of the cartoon, Unicron's head was blasted out of orbit in "[[Ghost in the Machine (G1)|Ghost in the Machine]]", and was last seen floating in empty space in "[[Call of the Primitives]]".
* Cicadacon claims that the earliest generations of Cybertronians were forged from the "primordial metals" of Cybertron, similar to the origin given to the Transformer race by [[Simon Furman]] in both the Marvel US and UK ''The Transformers'' comics, and the ''Generation 2'' comic that served as a sequel to the former. However, this just straight up isn't true for cartoon continuity; the "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]" mini-series that served as the premier for the third season of the cartoon revealed that the Cybertronians were mechanically manufactured by the [[Quintesson]]s, who used Cybertron as a factory world.
* Similarly, the Swarm connection is hard to reconcile with the cartoon continuity. In the ''Generation 2'' comics, the Swarm was the result of continued using of the "budding" method of [[Reproduction|creating]] new Transformers, which obviously doesn't exist in the cartoon continuity. Additionally, the Swarm's recreation by Optimus Prime by using the Matrix couldn't have happened in this version, with the Matrix having been drained eradicating the [[Hate Plague]] in "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2]]". Again, the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon incorporated several Marvel continuity concepts, and any encounter with the Swarm almost certainly wouldn't have happened the same way it did in the comic, but the use of it with the rest of the comic being almost entirely Sunbow cartoon-based is certainly strange at the very least.

===="Dawn of Future's Past" errors====
* This story follows on with the retcon that Tigatron and Airazor existed ''before'' the events of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon. However, in that story, Tigatron was a Maximal beat cop, only known as "Unit-2" and not having enough clearance to know about the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], while Airazor was the pilot of the ship ''[[Chromia 10]]'', who didn't know each other prior to meeting in "Dawn of Future's Past". What's especially strange is the decision to have Airazor one of those affected by the transmatter bomb-meaning at some point she was cured and released from the ''Axalon'', only to have her spark transported into a blank protoform after her ship was heavily damaged saving the ''Axalon'' from [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]].
* The original Predacons being the source for the ''Beast Wars'' faction comes from "Dawn of Future's Past" and [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]]'s subsequent [[BotCon 2009]] toy bio card. However, them being the source of the name is about the ''only'' thing this story shares with those two sources. In Razorclaw's profile, it claimed that at the end of the war, Razorclaw rose to power after most of the Decepticons were destroyed, forming the Predacons, and nearly leading them to victory, only to be assassinated by the Tripredacus Council as part of their machinations. Here, the Predacons are killed before the Predacon faction is created, and are just random Decepticons whose deaths are used by the Tripredacus Council as propaganda, killed while they were combined. Additionally, [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] was shown to still be alive in "Dawn of Future's Past", aiding Megatron's theft of the Golden Disk with his agents, [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]. The bio of Laserbeak even stated that Divebomb was the one who gave both them ''and'' Ravage their new Predacon forms, with Ravage only later defecting to the Tripredacus Council's side.

====IDW Publishing ''Beast Wars'' errors====
* In general, the only major continuity errors that pop up are those that contradict the events given in the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'', and given that the guidebook also contradicted both the cartoon ''and'' ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]'', it's not ''quite'' as egregious as some of the other errors. Still:
* Galvatron is depicted here as having fallen in his final battle with Optimus Prime. However, the glossary published in the trade version of the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' claimed that Galvatron's fate was unknown, the subject of legend and conjecture.
* Something that does contradict ''The Gathering'' and ''The Ascending'' is the depiction of many of the Predacons from that series—reprogrammed from Maximal protoforms—are seen active as Decepticons on Cybertron, along with a few of the Maximals from said series, including Retrax, Buzz Saw, Manta Ray, Snapper, Insecticon, Scarem, and Air Hammer. It falls under the same error with protoforms mentioned above, but in what are definitely errors are the depiction of Retrax as the first successful experiment of the generals (he was depicted as a Maximal protoform reprogrammed by Magmatron's Predacons) and the depiction of both Snapper and Scarem as Decepticons (Snapper's profile in the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' depicted him as a former Maximal who joined the crew of the ''Axalon'', before being reprogrammed on Earth into a Predacon, while Scarem's profile noted that his Predacon reprogramming was imperfect, shades of his Maximal self still showing through).
* In keeping with the above notes about Megatron, issue [[The Gathering issue 1|#1]] of ''The Gathering'' had Lio Convoy explicitly describe Megatron as little more than a "loose cannon," not worth worrying about... but here, Lio Convoy is one of the Autobot commanders around when Megatron nearly pushes the Decepticons to defeat the Autobots!
* The peace treaty that the Autobots and Decepticons sign to formally end the Great War in this story is strongly intimated to be none other than the [[Pax Cybertronia]], first mentioned in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon episode "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]". While never explicitly elaborated on in the cartoon, the logical intent behind this treaty was that it was what officially brought an end to the age-old Autobot/Decepticon war, a notion that this story appears to agree with. However, with this story also being part of the IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics, that poses a problem with how the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' instead shifted the timeframe of the Pax Cybertronia's ratification to be much later than the Autobot Decepticon war.
** Throughout the ''Sourcebook''{{'}}s various profiles and Glossary entries are bits and pieces of the roughly 300-year history between the age of the Autobots and Decepticons and the age of the Maximals and Predacons. The [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] between the Autobots and Decepticons was followed by the "[[Great Upgrade]]" that brought about the Maximals and Predacons, only for ''another'' [[Great War (BW)|Great War]] to break out between those two faction (and said war ended with events akin to those of ''Beast Wars II''). It was the end of ''this'' Great War that led to the signing of the Pax Cybertronia by the Maximal and Predacon leaders. Yet, the peace treaty depicted in this story predates the "Great Upgrade" and is signed by the remaining Autobot and Decepticon leaders.
** Furthermore, the ''Sourcebook'' profile for [[Magmatron]] stated that he tried to ruin the Pax Cybertronia in its infancy (by inciting events akin to ''Beast Wars Neo''), meaning he obviously existed ''before'' the signing. But in this story, Cicadacon is seen working on designs for the ''creation'' of Magmatron, meaning he won't be born until ''after'' the treaty has already been signed.
:However, there ''is'' still some wiggle room for the ''Sourcebook''{{'}}s version of history to play out in this story's future, since the treaty signed here is never actually ''explicitly'' referred to as the "Pax Cybertronia". Ignoring the [[authorial intent|author's external commentary on the matter]] would allow for at least some of this to be smoothed over, with the treaty in this story being a different armistice and the actual Pax Cybertronia coming later.
* The Glossary's entry for the ''Axalon'' noted that the ship was built after the Pax Cybertronia as part of a Maximal-led space exploration initiative, while in this story it's shown as an existing Autobot ship already in service at the end of the Great War.
* Magnaboss's profile in the ''Sourcebook'' claimed he was developed in response to the Tripredacus Council's own combined form, [[Tripredacus]]. However, Magnaboss is here shown to be created as part of an end-of-the-war contingency, with his components apparently being unaware of Predacus.

===Art and technical errors===
* Sea Clamp and Ram Horn's names are consistently spelt as "Seaclamp" and "Ramhorn."
* Prowl, Ironhide, and Silverbolt have their combiner modes (and in Ironhide's case, his vehicle mode) of their ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' toys, but their robots modes are depicted as mostly being modified versions of their classic character models, with Prowl having his hood chest and Ironhide his windshield chest.

===Other trivia===
*We're going to remind you now that the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon did not establish a definitive in-universe history for itself, merely making it highly plausible that events closely resembling (but not precisely matching) the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon]] and/or the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic]] happened offscreen. While "Dawn of the Predacus" is likewise light on details about the precise details of the Great War, the author notes that this story takes place thirty years after ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'',<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Next week find out what happened after G1 and before Beast Wars @BotCon... #transformers #G1 #beastwars [Image with text reading: ''30 years after the [[Battle of Autobot City|Battle for Autobot City]] / 300 years before the Beast Wars / There was the dawn of Predacus]''|link=https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/716433907621736448|name=John-Paul Bove|site=Twitter|year=2016|month=04|day=03}}</ref> pushing it closer towards the ever-popular "Generation 1 cartoon as background" route that most other ''Beast Wars'' tie-ins have utilized. Other interviews and statements from Bove note that, in his mind, the events of "[[The Rebirth]]" also happened, furthering the idea that it was meant to take place in the cartoon continuity.
*This book was produced by [[IDW Publishing]] instead of [[Fun Publications]]. As such, it was promoted as being in continuity with IDW's other ''Beast Wars'' books as well as Fun Publications' "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]"<ref>{{citesocial|quote=[...] There was no sensible way in which this back story could be placed in the one shot, and ultimately it seemed unnecessary because the fact that she is brought back in some way is explicit in DoFP. [...]|link=http://wordmongerer.tumblr.com/post/142758963250/this-past-weekend-my-first-transformers-story|name=John-Paul Bove|site=Tumblr|year=2016|month=04|day=13}}</ref>—although it doesn't slot in perfectly into that chronology either (see "[[#"Dawn of Future's Past" errors|'Dawn of Future's Past' errors]]" above).
* Several background characters were initially going to be pre-existing characters, only for the author to change his mind about including them. Among these was [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], whose appearance on the ''Axalon'' was deliberately modified because it was decided he wouldn't be part of the crew quite yet.
* Before it was given to IDW, [[Jim Sorenson]] was asked to write a pitch for this as a ''[[Beast Wars: Uprising]]'' story. He briefly mentioned "the ghost of [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] ([[Prowl (TM2)|Prowl II]] maybe)" working to create [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]] as a [[Builder of Cybertron|Builder]] weapon. In the end, the Tripredacus Council would have to stop its rampage by forming Predacus.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=VERY early on in the process, I was asked to pitch an idea for what Dawn of the Predacus would have looked like in the BWU universe. It would have been a story where the ghost of Prowl (Prowl II maybe) was acting from beyond the grave to put together a Builder threat, the Magnaboss. In the end, the Tri-Predacus Council itself would have had to intervene to stop the rampage. You can still see the toys solicited as such: https://www.toyarama.com/store/2016-botcon-beast-wars-uprising-dawn-of-the-predacus-five-figure-combiner-wars-boxed-convention-set-non-attending-1-pc-p1414.php In the end, though, FP opted to outsource the comic to IDW, so that story got shelved.|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218015723/https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/133737-beast-wars-uprising-ama/?p=3360055#entry3360055|name=Jim Sorenson|site=The Allspark forums|title=Beast Wars Uprising: AMA|year=2016|month=10|day=15}}</ref> Sorenson and [[Jesse Wittenrich]] later added more detail: that Magnaboss was created after the Tripredacus Council and [[Predacon Secret Police]] had started investigating combiners, and the plot would have also had Megatron creating the beast mode upgrade (a plot later done in the prose fiction). Prowl had left behind a "[[Prowl (TM2)|Prowl 2.0]]" backup copy with a plan for a last-ditch weapon and when Tigatron, Airazor, and Tarantulas try to stop it, Tigatron just becomes part of the Magna-beast. "Predacus rises to (more-or-less) heroically battle Magnaboss to the death." The ending would have Megatron's beasties (who'd have just saved Airazor) taking advantage of the power vacuum created after the combiners died trashing the Predacus and [[Maximal Command Security Force]] armies, with Tarantulas and his combiner knowledge now working for Megs...<ref>{{citesocial|link=https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/140167-ama-bish-jesse-jim/?p=3516260|name=Jesse Wittenrich|site=The Allspark forums|title=AMA: Bish, Jesse, & Jim|defunct=y}}</ref><ref>{{citesocial|link=https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/140167-ama-bish-jesse-jim/?p=3516969|name=Jim Sorenson|site=The Allspark forums|title=AMA: Bish, Jesse, & Jim|defunct=y}}</ref>
**Sorenson warned us too that ''all of this'' (and anything else demanded) would have to fit into 22 pages "and FP or Hasbro might have said no. So, don't romanticize it too much."<ref>{{citesocial|link=https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/140167-ama-bish-jesse-jim/?p=3517483|name=Jim Sorenson|site=The Allspark forums|title=AMA: Bish, Jesse, & Jim|defunct=y}}</ref>
*An early plan was to have Optimus on the Primal Council as Head of Science but that was dropped as "making him too prominent".
*This was originally planned as a miniseries. Cut bits would include:
**An explicit [[canonizing|canonization]] of the fan theory that [[Pretender]] and [[Micromaster]] tech had been the starting point for the Beasties (half of this longstanding theory appeared in 2013 in ''[[Beast Wars Shattered Glass]]'').
**The Golden Age, as established in "[[The Rebirth, Part 3]]", had indeed happened with just pockets of Decepticon rebellion but Galvatron blew it all up. It would've been more clearly established that there were many fighters who weren't in either main faction but were allied to them (Bove comparing this to how, in the [[World War II|Second World War]], there were multiple countries, groups, and sympathizers attached to the Allies and Axis).
**There would have been material on "the status of a number of Autobots before DotP and the some of the Cold War events after to properly begin to fill in some of the picture of a post-war world."
*This story treats "Transmatter" as something the readers are already supposed to be familiar with, but this was the first time the term had ever been used in ''Transformers'' fiction.

===Covers===
*'''BotCon Edition Primus Cover :''' [[Tigatron]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], and [[Under-3|Unit-3]] are attacked by [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] as he cycles through his six modes, by [[Robby Musso]] and [[Jesse Wittenrich]].
*'''BotCon Edition General Admission Cover :''' The heads of the [[Tripredacus Council]] along with [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] loom over [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], [[Tigatron]] and [[Under-3|Unit-3]], by [[Sara Pitre-Durocher]].
<gallery>
File:DawnOfThePredacus-PrimusCover.jpg
File: DawnOfThePredacus-cvr.jpg
</gallery>

===Reprints===
* '''''[[Transformers 100-Page Giant: Power of the Predacons]]''''' ([[February 19]], [[2020]])
:*Collection includes "[[Spotlight: Jazz]]", "Dawn of the Predacus", ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering]]'' [[The Gathering issue 1|issue 1]], "[[What's in a Name?]]", and "[[Grudge Match!]]"
<gallery>
File:100-Page-Power-Predacons.jpg|'''''Power of the Predacons'''''; cover art by [[Don Figueroa]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars (2006) issues]]

Spy Games

2023-06-06T03:41:27Z

WinningYellow:

'''''Spy Games''''' was a planned five issue miniseries by [[IDW Publishing]] that was submitted by [[Nick Roche]] following his earlier ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of The Wreckers]]''. While ultimately unpublished, several elements of it were used in Roche's later title ''[[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers|Sins of The Wreckers]]''.

[[File:SpyGames-ConceptArt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|right]]

While the series pitch was approved by the then current editor [[Andy Schmidt]], and was originally intended to run alongside the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009 ongoing series]], it was not published before Schmidt stepped down from his position in [[2011]]. The following editor [[John Barber]], also attempted to publish the title, during the start of IDW's [[2005 IDW continuity|Phase Two]]. Due to this several characters who would have headlined had little presence in the first two years of IDW's [[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|main]] [[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|titles]]. But in time the series was eventually abandoned.<ref>Sins of The Wreckers TPB, page 124, Original Sin</ref>

The only public details available are several pieces of concept art, and an excerpt of the pitch, both of which were included in the trade collection of Sins of The Wreckers.

The plot centred on a squad of "superpowered" [[Autobots]], consisting of [[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]], [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]], [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]], who would be led by the non-powered but experienced Special Ops soldier [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]]. Also involved would be the teams sponsor [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] and the traumatised [[Wreckers|Wrecker]] leader [[Springer (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Springer]]. Magnus would have founded the team to investigate the threat posed by what appeared to be a rogue group of Decepticons, with access to various types of advanced stealth technology. These include cloaking devices, and the ability to [[Chimeracon|disguise themselves as organic creatures]].

The [[Decepticon]] group's primary figures include [[Banzai-Tron (G1)|Banzai-Tron]] (having abandoned his position of head of the Decepticon Secret Services) and [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]. Their overall goal was to covertly remove all [[Ore-13]] from [[Earth]], to render the planet tactically worthless. Their plans also involved "dimensional pathways" and the [[Noisemaze (dimension)|Noisemaze]]. The Autobot group would have come into conflict with them during the course of their investigations.

[[Verity Carlo]] and [[Stakeout (G1)|Stakeout]] would also have appeared. A sequence described in the pitch sees them fighting off the "Bio-Con" [[Polar Claw]]. While they do mange to defeat the Decepticon, his body dematerialises before it can be analysed.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:IDW (2005) comic series]]
[[Category:Things that don't exist]]
[[Category:Unproduced scripts]]