Go-Bot (G2)

The name or term "GoBots" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see GoBots (disambiguation).

The Go-Bots are a subgroup from the Generation 2 portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

The Go-Bots (aka Gobots) are a cross-factional subgroup of land-based Transformers whose alternate modes are finely tuned for maximum speed. Several Transformers have had their forms altered to gain these benefits even at the cost of reducing their advantages in other areas; for example, Ironhide traded in his famed armor plating, and Bumblebee has become easier to track (but harder to hit) by the Decepticons. The Go-Bots include:											Guess which one is the girl. We'll give you a minute.
Autobots: Blowout Bumblebee Double Clutch Firecracker Gearhead Greasepit High Beam Ironhide Mirage Motormouth Optimus Prime Sideswipe		Decepticons: Megatron Crash Test Frenzy Nightracer Rumble Soundwave		Jhiaxus's clones: Bumblebee Frenzy Ironhide Mirage Nightracer Sideswipe Soundwave

Toys

Generation 2

Firecracker

High Beam

• Known designers: Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)

• Go-Bots (1995) - Wave 1
  • Blowout - Porsche 959
  • Double Clutch - Lola T94 Indy car
  • Firecracker - Lamborghini Diablo
  • clear Gearhead - Ford Thunderbird
  • High Beam - concept car
  • clear Motormouth - Ford F150

• Go-Bots (1995) - Wave 2
  • Megatron - redecoed Blowout
  • Double Clutch - same as before
  • Optimus Prime - redecoed Firecracker
  • Gearhead
  • High Beam - same as before
  • Motormouth

• Go-Bots (1995) - Wave 3
  • Frenzy - redecoed Blowout
  • Mirage - redecoed Double Clutch
  • Sideswipe - redecoed Firecracker
  • Soundwave - redecoed Gearhead
  • Bumblebee - redecoed High Beam
  • Ironhide - redecoed Motormouth

Released in 1995, the Generation 2 Go-Bots are small 1:64-scale Transformers cars, the same size as "Matchbox" and "Hot Wheels" brand cars. In fact, Go-Bots were developed to be used with tracks and playsets from those brands, sharing the same smooth-rolling axle/wheel construction that lets the toys be quickly zipped along smooth surfaces.

During Generation 2, three different sets of Go-Bots were released. The initial set consisted of 6 original molds, each representing a new character. The second set was largely the same, replacing all of the transparent plastics with opaques of the same colors. Firecracker and Blowout were replaced by Optimus Prime and Megatron in this set; Gearhead and Motormouth got to keep their original identities; Double Clutch and High Beam never had any transparent plastics to begin with.

As was the case for most of late Generation 2, the complete set of six were completely redecoed and made into new versions of returning Generation 1 characters.

For BotCon 1995, an exclusive redeco of High Beam was released as Nightracer. All six molds were later re-used as the Spychangers for the 2001 Robots in Disguise line; they were redecorated several times and re-released even more times for that toyline and for the 2003 Universe line.

Unreleased

We don't even exist among stuff that doesn't exist.

The unreleased Greasepit toy.

A second set of six new molds were developed for late Generation 2. Though all six were complete down to the paint jobs and were close to release, the Generation 2 line was ended before they could be finalized. One of them appears to be a new form for the Generation 1 Decepticon Rumble, as the toy has the word "Rumble" printed on either side of its front bumper, while the Jeep has telling 19HOUND960 tampographs on either door. Three more were given the designations "GTP Racer", "911 Police Car", and "Black Viper" in the BotCon 1996 "Toys For Tots" charity auction listings, along with the lesser seen purple Mercedes Benz SL 500 sport coupé. They have no known names or character associations, though the GTP Racer was made into the character Crash Test by Fun Publications.

Of particular note is the vendor samples of all six exhibit a nasty design flaw. The hood joint is squared off on one side and the opposite side on the robot body, likely with the intent that the hood would securely "snap" into place. Unfortunately, this actually ends up putting far too much stress on the plastic, cracking the hood joint in one or more places.

Four of the six molds would later finally see retail release in the Robots in Disguise line as the second wave Spychangers Daytonus, Prowl 2, Side Burn, and Side Swipe, then later as Generation 1 characters for the 2003 Universe line. These releases also corrected the above noted design flaw as well as having some other minor tweaks. The Jeep and Mercedes Benz molds were "lost" somewhere between 1995 and 2001; their future release remains unlikely. At BotCon 2002, Hasbro employee Andrew Frankel said that even with the then-recent release of the other four "lost" molds, there had never been searches for the molds for the final two at that point in time. This is an odd explanation, however, as these six toys are clearly gang-molded like the first six were, and neither of the missing two toys seem to have a unique color. It's possible those parts of the molds were damaged. We'll probably never know.

An early prototype of a Go-Bot "Road Rig" has surfaced, with a proposed redeco of Gearhead as Greasepit. All information suggests this toy never made it past the hand-made, hand-painted state.

Notes

• Even more than the Cyberjets, it's not clear what truly distinguishes a Go-Bot from a more ordinary automotive Transformer, and even their appearance in fiction didn't really clear it up.
• The Go-Bots had the preliminary name of Superfast Wheels.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Go-Bot (ゴーボット Gōbotto)
• German: Gobot
• Spanish: Gobot (Spain)
• Portuguese: Gobot (Portugal)
• French: Turbo-Transfo
• Italian: Tecnobot

External links

• Go-Bots at TFU.info
• TFW2005 forum thread discussing samples of the six unreleased Go-Bots