Transformer clothing

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One way that non-Transformer species seem to have influenced Cybertronian culture is the relatively rare occurrence of Transformers wearing clothing.

Capes

Optimus and Megatron: Slaves to Fashion

From time to time, some high-ranked Cybertronians tend to wear capes. Presumably, they are a symbol of office, as only generals, commanders, and other such leaders have been seen sporting them. Exactly what material these capes are made from is unknown, but one presumes that Earth-style fabrics are likely extremely rare on Cybertron (which could make the capes even more special, considering).

• Generation 1 Optimus Prime and Generation 1 Megatron wore capes while serving as the leaders of the Cybertron Alliance. Prime's was purple (the Decepticon color), while Megatron's was red (the Autobot color). Whether this was a symbol of high office or just a desire to look pretty is unknown.
• Generation 1 Starscream wore a cape, large shoulder pads, and a crown at his coronation as Decepticon leader. The crown alone survived Galvatron's blast, only to be crushed under his feet.
• The Nine Great Demon Generals mostly wore capes (except Trypticon, who wore a Batman-like cowl) in the Zone story pages.
• The members of the Convoy Council wear capes, too.
• Armada Scavenger wore a large, body-obscuring cloak when he first arrived on Earth.
• Tidal Wave, or at least a computer simulation's version of him, wore a cloak to conceal his identity before a battle.Distribution
• Great Convoy is a cape. Seriously.
• Megatron's appearance in Dark of the Moon included a hooded cloak to cover up the injuries he suffered at Optimus Prime's hand in Revenge of the Fallen.
• Grimlock dons a cape for his superhero costume when he gets superspeed.
• The Mistress of Flame wears a long flowing orange cape.
• Thunderhowl wears a knightly metal cape.

Trenchcoats

You better accept the terms, or...

Quite a few characters have been depicted wearing trenchcoats, mostly when involved in detective work or similarly secretive activity.

• Generation 1 Nightbeat is often seen wearing a trenchcoat and fedora, due to their connection with detective fiction. He pulls it off pretty well, actually.
• The Micromaster Air Strike Patrol wore trenchcoats and fedoras while trying to pass as human professional wrestlers. Interestingly enough, these coats somehow obscured large physical protrusions on their bodies (jet intakes, wings, etc.). The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!
• Kre-O Spinister, Galvatron, and Scorponok wore a trenchcoat and a huge fake head as a disguise when trying to rob the Autobot City Bank. Quest for Energon, Part 1
• Crosshairs's kibble unfolds into a western duster/trenchcoat. Age of Extinction
• Thundercracker sported his own detective trenchcoat in the intro of his self-written, ahem, Christmas classic. His shoulder intakes were still visible. His dog had her own matching fedora. The Thirteenth Day of Christmas

Ponchos

¿Como estás?

• The Matrix Flame priest wears poncho-style robes.
• The Jointron brothers have been shown wearing ponchos and sombreros, as well as using mariachi-style guitars and maracas.
• Transformers Animated Lockdown wore a "Space Poncho" when he showed up on the remains of the Nemesis in reference to the Man With No Name from the spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars. A Fistful of Energon
• Soundwave wore a "poncho" when he met Senator Ratbat, when he still lived on the streets. Soundwaves
• Wildwheel wore one. Wild Wild Wheel

Pretenders

No, really, thanks. I got to go now.

• Most of the Pretender toys have clothing molded onto their Pretender shells. Naturally, it's only pretend clothing, being part of the Transformers' shells (which themselves might be considered a form of clothing).
• In the TV commercial for the Pretenders, the human Pretenders can take off these clothes and reveal the muscle of the outer shells.
• In Super-God Masterforce, human Pretenders wear clothes in their everyday lives as normal humans.
• Cloudburst also wears normal clothing in Marvel Comics continuity. Recipe for Disaster!
• In Revenge of the Fallen, the Pretender Alice conceals her lady-bits with clothing. When she transforms into her robot mode, her clothes appear to fold away in the same manner as her simulated skin. She did however show the ability to alter the appearance of her clothing.

Headwear

A cap-like helmet

• Megatron and Sunstreaker wore battle masks during gladiatorial combat. State Games
• Starscream wore a crown during his coronation in The Transformers: The Movie.
• The Acolytes of Unicron wear masks resembling Unicron's face.
• Colada wears his father's hat in Beast Wars Neo manga.
• In the Dreamwave Generation One continuity, Bumblebee wore a removable face-mask that resembled the face of his original toy. The War Within #6 He was later shown to have integrated a similar mask into his head proper. Skyfire Brawn was also shown to wear a removable face-mask that resembled his toy's face. Night of the Combaticons
• During the Dark Ages, Jetfire sported a face-mask resembling his original toy, which was later upgraded into a fully removable helmet that he wore along with detachable armor. Skyfire In 2005 IDW continuity, he would also wear a helmet (based on that of his Classics toy) during the events of Stormbringer.
• In "Dawn of Future's Past", Rattrap is seen wearing a removable cap-like helmet.
• Cybertron Starscream wore a crown very much like G1 Starscream's after stealing power from Primus to grow to giant size.

This didn't happen. This didn't happen. This didn't happen... D-did this happen?

He Grimlock, he king.

• Animated Bulkhead wore a beret while indulging in his artistic tendencies. He was probably trying to be like human artists though.
• Animated Bulkhead also wore a pair of glasses, and Bumblebee wore a tutor's cap while the two were discussing Sari's origins. They were trying to substitute as teachers for her in an attempt to cheer her up, telling her that she could still learn subjects while out of school.The Return of the Headmaster
• Back in the dim and distant past on Cybertron, it was revealed that Megatron's "bucket-head" is in fact a helmet, presumably a hangover from his mining days. After his first kill in the deathmatches at the Forge, Megatron removed his helmet to reveal a crest of hair-like panels underneath, while the crowd cheered him on. Megatron Origin #2
• Later, Orion Pax was seen (in a cameo) at Bumper's funeral having removed his head/helmet as a mark of respect, along with his unnamed albino twin. Megatron Origin #3
• Sentinel's helmet was smacked off by the guy whom he joined up with. Dark of the Moon
• Post-zombification, Ratbat sported an eye-patch. Loose Ends, Part 2
• Hound wears a helmet-like hat. When running out of ammunition, he resorts to using it as a weapon. Age of Extinction
• Rung wears a pair of detachable glasses. More than Meets the Eye
• Once again, in his Christmas kid's book, Thundercracker wore a black kung-fu bandana for his climactic fistfight against Jolly Old St. Nick. Later, when he made amends, he wore a Santa hat while giving away toys in Santa's sleigh. The Thirteenth Day of Christmas
• While preparing to meet his online friend "CONS4EVA" in person on Earth, Grumpybox tried on a helmet like Megatron's, but decided that it was probably "too much". Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!
• Bulldog has a head shaped like an officer's cap. The Last Knight
• Wildwheel has a cowboy hat, in both the toyline and Cyberverse cartoon.
• Scorponok wore a "COACH" baseball cap while supervising training for his fellow Predacons. Maximals Strike Back, Part 1

Cosplay

Robot dancing!?

Sometimes, people on Earth wear clothing to look like various Transformers. Sometimes this is hot, sometimes this is sad.

• The BotBots Coffeemus Prime, Scribzilla, and Captain Cartridge are all into cosplay, dressing up whenever they attend a convention.
• The Lost Bots LARPed as their characters while playing Obscure Darkness 3: Rise of the Spells of the Necro Realm, 4.5 Edition. Live and Let LARP

Others

Hey, cover up! There are children watching!

Me Grimlock say it fun to learn! (Because knowledge is power!)

• In an early plan to trap the Decepticons, the Autobots had to run around in lab coats. It was very silly. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3
• Brawn made a seemingly metaphorical reference to footwear called proton boots.
• The magic of Christmas once made Optimus Prime dress up in a festive outfit. Obviously, the big guy is a little too open to suggestion. The same holds true for Grimlock, it seems.
• Grimlock is a king of fashion, at times wearing a crown, a bandana, an apron, a top hat and cane and... err...
• In Japan, Rumble and Frenzy once dressed in garb modeled after the hooded outfits worn by the Ku Klux Klan. While Westerners would find this to be in very, very poor taste, the Japanese have been known to be somewhat ignorant about the negative cultural impact the Klan represent. Villains with outfits modeled after the Klan have appeared in many Japanese children's shows, including the Japanese version of Gigantor. From their perspective, the Klan outfits just "look cool". Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 7
• The Convoy Council wear robes. They have their reasons, and they do not concern you.
• The exostructures of the members of Council of Ancients resemble robes. They also have their reasons.
• In Beast Wars II manga issue "Realize the Forbidden Love!", both Maximals and Seacons wear suits on Bighorn and Scylla's wedding. Instead of normal wedding suit or dress, Bighorn and Scylla wear Hikoboshi and Orihime's clothes respectively.
• In his Unicron-created dream world, Armada Megatron wore a crimson sash around his shoulders. He was apparently the ruler of all Cybertron in his dream, so it was probably ceremonial.
• The Space Mini-Con Team and Sureshock have disguised themselves as humans using large, heavy jackets, coats, baseball caps, hats, sunglasses, and other items of clothing to try to blend in with other people in robot mode.

And yet, somehow not as ludicrous as the other Time Cop.

• Heinrad wears his Ruler of Time and Space agent's uniform. Return to Zero
• Six-Speed's curiosity about human clothing led him to examine the closets of his human friends Bud and Coby. However, his attempt to dress like a human basically amounted to putting random articles of clothing on his limbs, looking more ridiculous than clothing-wearing Transformers normally do. Which is kinda amazing.
• Transformers Animated Bumblebee wore a robe before his wrestling match with Colossus Rhodes, likely more to keep with human tradition than actual need. Total Meltdown
• Drift wore a full set of clothes that completely concealed his robot-ness. Spotlight: Drift
• The doctor, along with his European accent wears what appear to be glasses. They seem to be the lenses for his microscope mode. Revenge of the Fallen
• Kre-O Megatron wore a big fluffy blue robe and slippers on Christmas morning. A Gift For Megatron Also a robe while training. Megatron's Revenge
• Hound wears numerous bandoliers across his arms and chest. Age of Extinction
• Arcee was wearing a police uniform in the beginning of Thundercracker's... Thundercrackiest (for lack a better word) Christmas children's book. The Thirteenth Day of Christmas
• Quickswitch wore a cloak while waiting for an informant at Maccadam's Old Oil House. Out to Lunch!

Toys

• SCF Starscream (2002)

This highly articulated, non-transforming version of Starscream, part of the Japan-exclusive Super Collection Figures series, comes with removable shoulder pads and cloak. He also has a choice of normal head or a head with a crown.

• Cybertron Starscream (Supreme, 2005)

Supreme Starscream, a colossally upscaled version of the Cybertron line's Voyager-class Starscream toy, comes with a Decepticon "Crown of Leadership" obviously based on the one worn by the original Starscream in the 1986 movie.

• Star Wars Transformers Darth Vader/Death Star (2007)

The sole Supreme-class figure of the Star Wars Transformers toyline, this gigantic Darth Vader mech includes an actual cloth cape that can attach to the back of the figure in robot mode in order to more closely resemble Vader in the Star Wars movies.

• Masterpiece Grimlock (2009)
  • Japanese ID number: MP-8

Masterpiece Grimlock comes with an intelligence transfer helmet accessory, based upon the device Grimlock used to transfer his super-intelligence into Computron in "Grimlock's New Brain". He also comes with an apron and serving tray, to simulate the time he served drinks to alien diplomats in "Madman's Paradise". He was originally going to come with a crown commonly featured in the Marvel Comics as well, but that accessory was omitted.

• King Grimlock (2009)
  • Japanese ID number: MP-8X

King Grimlock is Takara's special edition of Masterpiece Grimlock decoed to resemble his Marvel Comics appearances. As such, he comes with the crown that was omitted from the regular edition, but none of the other clothing accessories.

• Masterpiece Grimlock (2010)

Hasbro's Toys"R"Us exclusive release of Masterpiece Grimlock came with the same accessories (including the crown) as King Grimlock, but uses a more cartoon inspired deco.

• Dark of the Moon Megatron (Voyager, 2011)

The Voyager Class mold of DotM Megatron includes a rubbery cowl and cape to hide his injuries. They become a tarp for his truck mode.

• Masterpiece Coronation Starscream (2012)
  • Japanese ID number: MP-11

A retool of the original Masterpiece Starscream, comes with a set of cape, shoulderpads and crown to recreate the coronation scene from the '86 movie (as the name suggests).

• Masterpiece Sunstorm (2012)
  • Japanese ID number: MP-11S

A redeco of the Starscream above, comes with the same coronation set. It's actually the only redeco of that mold keeping it.

• Combiner Wars Starscream (2015)

A redeco/retool of the the Leader Class Jetfire figure, this Starscream comes with a crown accessory.

• Power of the Primes Starscream (2017)

This Starscream comes with a molded crown on his Combiner head.

• Collaborative Draculus (2021)

An extensive retool of Titans Return Mindwipe, Draculus includes a soft-goods cape that can be attached to a peg on the back of his cowl.

• Studio Series 86 Coronation Starscream (2022)

A slight redeco/retool of the Earthrise Voyager figure. Like the original Masterpiece figure, Starscream again comes with his crown, cape, and shoulderpads. He also now has a second set of null-rays to accommodate the latter accessories.

Merchandise

• Starscream (2002)

Originally a chase figure in Japan, this remold of the regular figure includes a cape, newly molded limbs, and a head with the crown as seen in the movie.

• Coronation Starscream (Diamond Select, 2008)

Released by Diamond Select Toys in 2008, Coronation Starscream was an exclusive to on-line retailer Action Figure Xpress. He was sculpted by Mark Wong of Art Asylum and limited to 600 pieces. It features Starscream decked out in the royal crown, cape, and big honkin' shoulder pads he wore (albeit briefly) in The Transformers: The Movie.

See also

• Christmas - Some Transformers will dress up for the holiday.
• Humanization

External links

• "Transformers that aren't nude" at Obscure Transformers