Homage

Everybody knows where this art comes from.

In fan terminology, an homage is a toy (or other depiction, such as the image at right) which is intentionally designed to resemble an earlier (usually Generation 1) toy/character/work, but which represents a separate entity. Noted examples of homages include Energon Downshift (based on Generation 1 Wheeljack) and Energon Shockblast (based on Generation 1 Shockwave).

Sometimes, homages are given different names from their predecessors if the rights to the name are lost via trademark murkiness, or if the name has already been applied to a non-homage toy within the same series.

Conversely, in order to protect trademarked names, Hasbro and Takara continue to use the same names over and over again, often on very different toys or very different characters within the official fiction. Since use of the term "homage" within the fandom is almost exclusively in reference to visual similarities, these name reuses alone are not considered homages.

Notably, Takara has given homages a new twist with "Ratchet Emergency Green", a redeco of the original Diaclone-based Ratchet toy in the color scheme of the live-action movie Ratchet, and "Ironhide Protect Black", a dual homage to the color scheme of both the toy's Diaclone incarnation and the character's live-action movie incarnation.

Examples

Internal homages

Toys

The following is an extremely non-exhaustive list of toys that visually reference older characters. Because characters that share a name are often given homage decoes, this list focuses on toys that do not also share a name. Generally speaking, only one example is given for any particular toyline. For information on other toys, see the relevant character page.

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  Scavenger homages the Constructicons.
• Wheeljack's head sculpt homages Sideswipe (?).
  Wheeljack's head sculpt homages Sideswipe (?).
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  Inferno's deco homages Red Alert.
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  Downshift's design homages Wheeljack.
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  Brakedown GTS homages Kup.
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  Cybertron Smokescreen is actually a double homage: While his deco is (obviously) based on Generation 1 Smokescreen, his robot mode, especially the colors of the helmet, is based on Action Master Rad.
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  The Japanese exclusive Chromia White Version homages the Super-God Masterforce character Minerva.
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  Fracture homages the GoBots character Crasher.
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  Backtrack would have homaged the GoBots character Night Ranger.
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  Reverb homages Inferno.
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  You might think Nightbeat homages the Generation 1 character of the same name, but he's actually decoed to look like Packrat.
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  Starscream's color scheme homages Jetfire.
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  Thundercracker's neon color scheme is a homage to his G1 self's European Action Master toy.
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  Ultra Magnus was redecoed as an homage to Roadbuster.
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  Breacher's overall design and colour scheme are based on the ATV Micromaster base. He was even listed as Groundshaker, the ATV's driver, at one point.
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  Darksteel homages Quickstrike.
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  Over-Run homages Drag Strip.
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  Dead End homages his fellow Stunticon Wildrider.
• Hyperspeed Wheeljack homages the pre-Transformers Diaclone toy that would later inspire Exhaust.
  Hyperspeed Wheeljack homages the pre-Transformers Diaclone toy that would later inspire Exhaust.
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  Megatron was retooled as an homage to the Sharkticons.
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  Daburu homages the Beastformer White Leo, right down to the eye patch.
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  Magna Convoy homages Diaclone Powered Convoy...
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  ...and so does Delta Magnus.
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  Berserker homages Crankcase.
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  Ultra Magnus's vehicle mode homages Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus.

Comic book and other artwork

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  The beginning...
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  ...not really the end (despite the title)...
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  ...the end...
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  ...another beginning...
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  ...Oh come on.
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  ...and (almost) the end...again.
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  It's at least in scale now.
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  How to introdump and mean it.
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  How to homage and mean it.
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  Guest appearance...
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  ...and fully-fledged crossover.
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  Iconic...
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  ...subtle...
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  ...derivative...
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  ...grammatically challenged.
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  Classic...
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  ...celebratory...
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  ...commemorative...
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  ...rather random...
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  ...faithful...
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  ...par for the course...
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  ...borderline parodic.
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  Just like old times.
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  Disposing of an old toy...
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  ...working out the kinks for a new one.
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  Open, dammit, open!
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  Oops, broke it.
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  Eye of the Storm...
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  ...Eye of the Club?
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  Alas, poor Bludgeon...
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  ...really?
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  An iconic battle...
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  ...and a massive callback, many years later.
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  The ending of said iconic battle...
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  ...and the callback's ending.
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  Sometimes homages tell a lot about a character...
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  ...while other times, they're just done for the sake of it.
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  Journey's end mirroring its beginning.
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  Borrowing from the same inspiration as the "Alas, por Bludgeon" cover...
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  ...while this one specifically references many elements otherwise unique to the previous image.
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  Choked!
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  Choking!
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  Choked again!
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  Choking again!
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  They're the best at what they do...
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  ... but what they do isn't very nice.
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  The original...
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  ...the reaction...
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  ...and the imitation.
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  Now stand aside, worthy adversary.
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  'Tis but a scratch.
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  This is slightly obscure.
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  This is even more obscure...
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  ...but hailing from the same country probably helps.
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  This one is more subtle...
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  ...you really need to put them side by side to see it.
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  This is also extremely obscure...
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  ...and to be perfectly honest, a French flag would have made a little bit more sense.
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  I have a very strict gun control policy:
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  if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it.

Homages to external properties

Not every reference in Transformers fiction is an homage to an older series or character; Transformers fiction references external brands as well. Such references often take the form of comic covers or interior panels that bear an intentional visual similarity to classic or well-known comics or films, though this is by no means a hard and fast rule. Below are some notable examples:

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  Marvel UK started with an homage right with its second issue, homaging the cover of EC Comics's Weird Science #16.
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  When there's something strange in... southern Peru...? Susan Hoffman's assistants look a lot like The Real Ghostbusters.
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  One of the few instances where the "external property" element (in this case Marvel's 25th Anniversary frame) actually appears on a Transformers cover itself.
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  A direct homage to the Transformers cover…
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  …whereas this one specifically homages the cover of Marvel's Thor #373, which also featured the 25th Anniversary frame.
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  The cover of Transformers: The Wreckers No. 1, in which the various character poses are meant to evoke the cover of Marvel Comics' Giant-Size X-Men #1.
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  The cover of Dreamwave's Armada #18 homages the cover of Marvel's Uncanny X-Men #135 by John Byrne, which itself homages the cover of X-Men #56 by Neal Adams.
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  The New Dimension Comics exclusive cover of Infiltration #1, which homages the cover of Marvel's Fantastic Four #1. Fantastic Formers?
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  The cover of The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye #1, homaging DC's Justice League #1, in which everyone is grumpy because Rodimus pushed them out of the way and hogged the group shot.
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  You really thought they stopped there?
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  Hey, DC themselves homaged and parodied the hell out of this one too ([1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]), so why not?
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  It's Over! Finished!
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  It never ends.
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  See?
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  Told ya!
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  Okay, maybe it does after all.
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  The Apocalypse Comics exclusive cover of IDW's All Hail Megatron #1, in which Megatron royally pisses off the Joker by imitating him.
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  When you gaze at the sky, When you look to the stars, As they shut down the night, You know the story ain't over.
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  The Apocalypse Comics exclusive cover of IDW's All Hail Megatron #12, in which Megatron gives up being a... superhero?
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  The New York Comic-Con exclusive cover of IDW's The Transformers #12, in which Sideswipe throws the most awkward punch ever, and First Aid pets invisible dogs.
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  Not actually the Prime Syndicate of Seibertron.
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  He lives in the negative space.
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  That one time Rob Liefeld doesn't blatantly swipe someone else's art, but instead does a straightforward homage with the original artist credited...and it's himself.
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  Not really the Official Handbook of the Hasbro Universe.
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  Still, at least they actually got John Byrne himself to do it.
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  Still running...
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  ...more running...
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  ...and it's a wrap.

Real life

Sometimes it's not a fictional scene that's being homaged, but a photo or event from real life, or from real life iconography.

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  Homaging the iconic World War II photo "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima".
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  Homaging the iconic Uncle Sam "I want you for U.S. Army" World War II recruitment poster.
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  Homaging a poster from Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
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  Homaging the music video of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by the English rock band Queen (though the original version of this pose was the cover of their second album, Queen II, photographed by Mick Rock).
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  Homaging the cover of the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie.
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  Homaging the cover of the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles.
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  Homaging the cover of the single "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden.
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  Homaging the cover of the album The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.
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  Homaging the cover of the album Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf.