Abbreviations

OMG WTF RTS G1 BB NOT MOSC!!

Sometimes Transformers fans use abbreviations to refer to certain Transformers series, toy lines, episodes, characters, or other elements without having to type out long terms every time. Or sometimes even short terms too.

Also included are some definitions which are not exclusive to Transformers, but may turn up in conversations about Transformers, especially online.

You're welcome.

#

3H

• 3H Productions / Jon Hartman, Karl Hartman, and Glen Hallit

3P

• third party or "third party"

5L

• Five languages

A specific "worldwide" standard of multilingual packaging for Hasbro's Transformers toys that was introduced in late 2019 and features texts in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

A

A3

• Alpha Trion

AEC / A/E/C

• Armada, Energon, and Cybertron

AFA

• Action Figure Authority

AHM

• All Hail Megatron

A.I.R./A.I.R.Lock

• Adaptable Interconnection Retrofitter Lock

A.K.

• Alex Kurtzman, at least according to SectorSeven.org

Alt

• Alternate mode, or "alt mode" for short
• Alternators

AM

• Action Master
• Alex Milne
• Arms Micron
• Automorph

ANN

• Axiom Nexus News

AOE

• Age of Extinction

AOTP

• Age of the Primes

Arm

• Transformers: Armada

ASIN

• Amazon Standard Identification Number

An inventory numbering system used by Amazon.

AST / ASST

• assortment

AT

• Alpha Trion
• Astrotrain

AT-AT

• All Terrain Armored Transport

ATT

• alt.toys.transformers

AVP

• Ask Vector Prime

B

BAF

• Build a Figure

B.A.T.

• Battle Android Trooper

BB

• BB
• Bumblebee
• Battle Blade(s)

A prefix for toys of the live action movie Optimus Prime and Bumblebee characters, effectively making the Bumblebee one "BBBB".

• BotBots
• Buzzworthy Bumblebee

BBM

• Bumblebee movie

BBTS

• BigBadToyStore

BH

• Beast Hunters
• B.H.

BM

• Beast Machines
• Beta Maxx or Beta Maxx
• Brainmaster
• Battle Masters or Battle Master

BOGO / BOGOF

• Buy One Get One / Buy One Get One Free

A common sales practice to sell two items for the price of one.

B.O.T.

• Biotronic Operational Telecommunicator

BS

• Bot Shots

BT

• Binaltech

BTA

• Binaltech Asterisk

BTR

• Built to Rule!

BUTT

• Bi-directional Unified Transit Terminal

BW

• Beast Wars

BWII / BW2

• Beast Wars II

BWN / BWNeo

• Beast Wars Neo

BWR

• Beast Wars Returns
• Beast Wars Reborn

BWSG

• Beast Wars Shattered Glass

BWTF

• Ben's World of Transformers, a popular Transformers fansite owned by Ben Yee

C

CBC

• Cybertronian Broadcasting Company

CBR

• Comic Book Resources, a comic book news website that regularly features news and previews for Transformers comics
• CBR (a portmanteau of "comic book" and "RAR"), a file extension used for digitalized comic books, either pirated (boo! hiss!) or downloaded from a legitimate site like Comixology

CD

• Cybertron Defense

CHOP

• Combat Hero Optimus Prime

CHUG / CHUGGERTS / CHUGGUR / other variations

• Classics, Henkei, Universe, Generations, Gentei, Exclusives, United, Reveal the Shield, Legends

(A number of toylines which overlap in terms of when they were available and what sculpts they used; essentially, they're all either direct successors to, different-market-counterparts of or supplements of one another. The term is most often used to describe modernized toys of characters from the Generation 1 continuity family, and is sometimes used to describe toys repurposed as characters from said continuity, official or otherwise.)

CJ

• Cliffjumper

Shattered Glass Sideswipe once referred to Cliffjumper as "CJ"

C.L.U.T.C.H.

• Cybertronian Linked Ultra Tactical Combat Helper

CNA

• Cyber/Nano Algorithms and/or Cybernucleic Acid

the fundamental genetic material of the Transformer species in some continuities

COH

• Code of Hero

C.O.M.B.A.T.

• Cybertronian Omnifunctional Modular Battlefield Assault Tech

COP

• Transformers: The Covenant of Primus
• Covenant of Primus
• Covenant of Primes

C.P.L.

• Carbombian Protection League

CR

• Car Robots
• CR chamber (Creation/Restoration, Cryonic Regeneration, Cryogenic Regeneration, or Cryogenic Restoration chamber)

CS

• Commemorative Series

CV

• Cyberverse or Cyberverse

CW

• Combiner Wars

Cyb

• Cybertron

D

DA

• Dark Awakening

DC

• DC Comics
• Decepticharge

DD / DDP

• Devil's Due Press

D.J.D.

• Decepticon Justice Division

DLC

• Downloadable content

(additional content for video games that often requires an additional payment)

DM

• Delta Magnus
• Don Murphy

D.N.G.S. / Dingus

• Dynamic Nuclear Generation System

D.O.L.T.S.

• Deuterium Orbital Laser Tracing System

DOTM

• Dark of the Moon
• Day of the Machines

DP

• Dreamwave Productions

DPCI

• Department Class Item

An inventory numbering system used by Target. Frequently misspelled "DCPI".

DW

• Darkwing (no, not the Duck)
• Dreadwind
• Dreadwing
• Dreamwave
• DreamWorks

E

EAN

• European Article Number

A type of barcode used on Hasbro's Transformers toy packaging available in Europe in place of the UPC barcode used for other regions. Became a worldwide standard for most new toylines by late 2019.

EDC

• Earth Defense Command

En

• Energon

ER

• Earthrise

ERTD

• Extra-Terrestrial Response Division (No, we don't understand how that works, either.)

ES

• EarthSpark

EU

• Energon Universe

EW

• Earth Wars
• Entertainment Weekly, a news magazine that sometimes covers Transformers topics

EX

• Exclusive

Mostly used as part of Japanese ID numbers.

Ex-RID

• The Transformers

(IDW comic series, formerly titled "Robots in Disguise" prior to issue 35)

EZ / EZC

• EZ Collection

F

FAB

• Fast Action Battlers

FARTS

• Fully Automated Rapid Transit System

F.H.E.

• Family Home Entertainment

FE

• First Edition

(See Transformers Prime: First Edition and Age of Extinction First Edition Optimus Prime)

FFoD

• "Five Faces of Darkness"

FIBRIR

• "Frenzy is Blue Rumble is Red"

FIRRIB

• "Frenzy is Red Rumble is Blue"

FM

• Fortress Maximus

FoC / FOC

• Fall of Cybertron

Fort Max

• Fortress Maximus

F.O.S.S.I.L.

• Fossilized Osteo-Skeletal Shield Integration Loadout Technology

FP

• Forbidden Planet, a UK-based retail chain that sells Transformers toys
• Fun Publications

Fun Pub

• Fun Publications

FSRLTF

• Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

G

G1

• Generation 1
• GEEWUN

G2

• Generation 2

G4

• The excessively short-lived cable channel that aired "Action Blast!"

GB

• G.B. Blackrock
• GoBots
• GoBox (see Category:GB images for examples)
• Great Britain

GDO

• Global Development Organization

Gen

• Generations

GF

• Galaxy Force

GFC

• An abbreviation for God Fire Convoy, the Japanese name for Omega Prime

GM

• General Motors

GPS

• Gold Plastic Syndrome

GT

• Genetronic Translink System or GT System

(Mirage GT and Smokescreen GT use the GT System)

• Gran Turismo

GTS

• a suffix used for the three Cybertron toys Brakedown GTS, Override GTS and Ransack GTS

No meaning for this acronym has ever been officially provided, though none of them appear to have any relationship with the Genetronic Translink System.

H

I can has bro?

HA

• Human Alliance

Hasbro

• Hassenfeld Brothers

(Though "Hasbro" is now an established company name by itself, it was originally an abbreviation.)

HBS

• Hybrid Style

(used in early solicitations, later changed to "THS")

HC

• Hardcover, a bound book or (more commonly for the Transformers franchise) collection of comic books, as opposed to a trade paperback or softcover

HFG

• Hand Foot Gun, also HandFootGun or Hand/Foot/Gun

(multi-purpose accessory included with every Combiner Wars Deluxe Class figure)

HFTD / HftD

• Hunt for the Decepticons

HM

• Headmaster
• Hero Mashers

HMW

• Heavy Metal War

HOC / HoC

• Heroes of Cybertron

HOF / HoF

• Hall of Fame

H.O.P.E.

• Help Optimus Prime Escape

HOS

• Hearts of Steel

HP

• Hasbro Pulse

HR

• Hot Rod
• hour (approximately 7 breems)

HTS

• Hasbro Toy Shop

(HTS.com, on the other hand, is an existing website completely unrelated to Hasbro, Transformers or toys in general, therefore using this abbreviation in combination with the .com top level domain is discouraged to avoid confusion. Just be glad it's safe for work.)

I

IDW

• IDW Publishing / the 2005 IDW continuity

Officially, the abbreviation stands for "Idea and Design Works, LLC".

IDW2

• 2019 IDW continuity

Named as such for being the second "main" IDW continuity.

I.I.I. / Triple-I

• Intelligence and Information Institute

INSIRT

• Intelligence and Notable Surreptitious Information Recovery Team

J

JAN

• Japanese Article Number

A type of barcode used on TakaraTomy's Transformers toy packaging available in Japan in place of the UPC or EAN barcodes used for Hasbro's releases.

JG1

• Japanese Generation 1

JRX

• the Japanese name for Rail Racer (RID) is an abbreviation for "Japan[ese] Rail Express"

K

KB

• KB Toys

(Originally an abbreviation for "Kaufman Brothers", previously also spelled "Kay-Bee".)

• Kickback
• kitbash

KO

• Knockoff
• knock out, but oddly not Knockout

KP

• Kiss Players

KSI

• Kinetic Solutions Incorporated

L

LAM

• Live-action movie

LAMB

• Live-action movie boards

LL

• the Lost Light or the comic book series named after it

LMDC

• Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon

LoC / LOC

• Legends of Cybertron

LP

• Linkin Park

LSOTW

• Last Stand of the Wreckers

M

M2C

• Micro-Constructicon

M.A.A.B.

• Mobile Anti-Assault Battlesuit

M.A.R.B.

• Mobile Autobot Repair Bay

M.A.R.S.

• Military Armaments Research Syndicate

M.A.S.K.

• Mobile Armored Strike Kommand

MB

• Michael Bay

Sometimes used as a shorthand for the live-action film series.

• Milton Bradley

MC

• Mini-Con
• Mini-Constructicon

The Mini-Constructicons referred to one another as "Emcee". Spotlight: Ramjet

MD

• Legends of the Microns

Meg / Megs

• Megatron

MF

• Masterforce

MIB

• Mint In Box / Bag / Bubble
• Men in Black

MISB

• Mint In Sealed Box / Bag / Bubble

ML

• Music Label

MM

• Motormaster

M.M.M. / Triple M

• Militant Monoform Movement

MOC

• Mint On Card

MOSC

• Mint On Sealed Card

MP

• Masterpiece
• military police

MPM

• Masterpiece Movie Series

MSRP

• manufacturer's suggested retail price

MTMTE

• More than Meets the Eye

MV

• Movie

A placeholder for anything relating to the live-action film series in lack of the respective films' final titles; for example, the fifth installment in the series, The Last Knight, is "MV5".

MW

• Machine Wars

N

Take the plunge.

NAIL

• Non-Aligned Indigenous Life-form

NBE

• Non-Biological Extraterrestrial / Non-Biological Entity

NEST

• Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty, although other meanings of this acronym also exist; see NEST#Notes.

NP

• Nemesis Prime

NPC

• non-player character / non-playable character

NRFP

• "never removed from package", sometimes used in lieu of MIB/MISP/MOC

NuRID

• New Robots in Disguise, i.e. the second Robots in Disguise franchise

O

OAV

• original animated video

OC

• Operation Combination
• original character

(in fan fiction and role-playing, refers to a non-canon character)

OMAM

• Of Masters and Mayhem

OP

• O.P.
• Optimus Primal
• Optimus Prime
• original poster

(refers to someone who posts a message/image which starts a conversation/thread online)

OP/ED

• the OPening and EnDing theme songs of a TV show

OpOp

• Optimal Optimus

OSKO

• Oversized knockoff

OVA

• original video animation

P

PARD

• Purnel's Auto-Reverse Defence

PC / P.C.

• Peter Cullen
• player character or playable character
• Powered Convoy (see also Delta Magnus)

PCC

• Power Core Combiner

PCP / P/CP

• Punch-Counterpunch

PD

• Parody Deformed (or super deformed)

PE

• Platinum Edition
• Premier Edition
• Perfect Effect, a "third party" company

PF

• Premium Finish

PG

• Powerglide
• Parental Guidance Suggested
• PlatinumGames

PG-13

• Parents Strongly Cautioned some content may be inappropriate for children under 13

PDF

• Personal Document Format Most often abbriviated PDF
• Planet-Destroying Fortress

PM

• Powermaster

PMOP

• Powermaster Optimus Prime

POTP / PotP

• Power of the Primes

PR

• package refresh

(a previously released toy released again in different packaging, with little to no changes to the toy itself. The new version is often released as part of a new subline imprint, or the new packaging might be rebranded as part of a different toyline. Also sometimes called "repack" by fans, which is not at all confusing.)

• Power Rangers
• Predacons Rising
• public relations

PRID

• Transformers Prime: Robots in Disguise

PS

• PlayStation
• Premium Series

PVP

• Player versus player
• PrimeVsPrime

(a somewhat controversial toy reviewer on YouTube who is accused of buying and reviewing stolen samples from the factory.)

Q

QC

• quality control

R

RA

• R.A.
• Red Alert

Not to be confused with RATT.

R.A.A.T.

• Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team

RB

• Rescue Bots
• Roadbuster

RC

• Arcee
• radio-controlled or remote-controlled

R.E.D.

• Robot Enhanced Design

R.E.V.

• Race Exertion Vehicle

RG1

• Regeneration One

RGR

• Real Gear Robot

RH

• Robot Heroes

RIBFIR

• "Rumble is Blue Frenzy is Red"

RiD / RID

• Robots in Disguise

RIRFIB

• "Rumble is Red Frenzy is Blue"

R.J.

• Ramjet

The Mini-Constructicons referred to Ramjet as "R.J.". Spotlight: Ramjet

RM

• Robot Master

R.O.

• Roberto Orci, at least according to SectorSeven.org

ROC

• Return of Convoy

ROTB

• Rise of the Beasts

ROTDS

• Rise of the Dark Spark

ROTF

• Revenge of the Fallen

RP

• rating pending
• Rodimus Prime
• role play, role-playing, or role-playing game

RPG

• rocket-propelled grenade
• role-playing game

RPM

• Revolutions per minute, commonly abbreviated RPM
• Robot Powered Machines, almost certainly named to share the initials of the aforementioned

RRP

• recommended retail price

RS

• RadioShack

RTS

• Reveal the Shield

S

What's the other stuff mean? Who cares?

S7

• Sector Seven

SASF

• Special Air Service Forces

SC

• Softcover (see: TPB)

SCF

• Super Collection Figures

SD

• super deformed

SF

• science fantasy
• science fiction
• Simon Furman
• Stealth Force

SG

• Shattered Glass

SGBW

• Beast Wars Shattered Glass

S.H.A.R.C.

• Submersible High-speed Attack and Reconnaissance Craft

SKU

• Stock keeping unit

An inventory numbering system used by several stores, with each store/chain using its own SKU system.

SL

• Super Link

S.N.A.K.E.

• System: Neutralizer - Armed Kloaking Equipment

SOTW

• Sins of the Wreckers

SRP

• suggested retail price

SS

• Sector Seven
• Select Series

An early working name for what would ultimate just be named "Selects".

• Sideswipe / Side Swipe
• Silverstreak
• Sixshot or Six Shot
• Smokescreen
• Speed Stars
• Star Saber
• Starscream
• Steven Spielberg, at least according to SectorSeven.org
• Studio Series
• Sunstorm
• Sunstreaker

SS86

• Studio Series figures representing characters from the animated 1986 film The Transformers: The Movie

ST

• Star Trek

S.T.A.R.S.

• Secret Transformer Autobot Rescue Squad

S.T.O.P.

• Seek and Terminate Optimus Prime

SUV

• Society of Ultimate Villainy
• sport utility vehicle

SW

• Shockwave
• Sideways
• Sixwing
• Skywarp
• Soundwave
• Star Wars

SWTF

• Star Wars Transformers or Star Wars/Transformers

T

T30

• Thrilling 30

TAAO

• 'Til All Are One, especially the comic book series named after it

T-AI

• Tactical Artificial Intelligence

TB

• Trailbreaker

TC

• Thundercracker
• Trailcutter

TCC / TFCC

• Transformers Collectors' Club

T.E.C.H.

• Transformers Electronic Combat Hardware

TF or TFs

• Transformer(s)

TF07

• Transformers (2007 film)

TFA

• Transformers Animated
• Transformers: Armada
• TFA does not refer to the Transformers/Avengers crossover.

TFC

• Transformers Collection
• Transformers: Cybertron

TFE

• Transformers: Energon

TFP

• Transformers: Prime

TFTM

• The Transformers: The Movie

TFU

• any/all Transformers Universe(s)
• TFU.info, a reference website for Hasbro/TakaraTomy Transformers toys and Tonka Gobots

TFW

• Transformers World 2005, a popular Transformers fansite owned by Alex Weiner
• But not TFWiki.Net.

THS

• (Transformers) Hybrid Style

Tit

• Titanium Series

Usage of this abbreviation was heavily frowned upon during the line's run, for obvious reasons.

TL

• Timelines

TLK

• The Last Knight

TM

• Targetmaster
• Titan Master
• Telemocha
• Trademark
• Transmetal
• Turbomaster / Turbo Master

TM2

• Transmetal 2

TMNT

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

TMUK

• Transmasters UK

TPB

• Trade paperback - collected volume of comics into a book format, usually containing between 4 and 6 issues, also sometimes called a "softcover", as opposed to a bound hardcover

TR

• The Rebirth
• Titans Return

TRA

• Transformers

Found on Hasbro shipping boxes and on store shelf tags, also often used in (early) retailer and distributor listings

TRoOP

• The Return of Optimus Prime
• But not Trent Troop.

TRU

• Toys"R"Us

TT

• TakaraTomy

TWW

• The War Within

U

UM

• Ultra Magnus

UPC

• Universal Product Code

A type of barcode used on Hasbro's Transformers toy packaging available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

UT

• Unicron Trilogy

UW

• Unite Warriors

V

V.E.N.O.M.

• Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem

VL

• Victory Leo

VS

• Vector Sigma
• versus (sometimes abbreviated v. or vs. or vs)
• Victory Saber

V.V.H.

• Variable voltage harness

W

W.A.R.S.

• Wicked Attack Recon Sportscar

(Or "Woeste Aanval Rally Sportwagen" if you live in the Netherlands)

WB

• Warner Bros.

WC

• Windcharger

WfC / WFC

• War for Cybertron

WFC:E / WFCE

• War for Cybertron: Earthrise

WFC:K / WFCK

• War for Cybertron: Kingdom

WFC:S / WFCS

• War for Cybertron: Siege

WFC:T / WFCT

• War for Cybertron Trilogy

WJ

• Wheeljack

WM

• Walmart
• War Machine

WoH

• Wings of Honor

WST / WSTF

• Smallest Transforming Transformers, erroneously called "World's Smallest Transformers" or "WSTFs" by fans

WV

• wave

Found on Hasbro shipping boxes, also often used in distributor listings

WW

• War Within

WWI

• War Within
• World War I

WWII

• World War II

WWIII

• World War III

See also

• Help:Franchise identifiers