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Can't believe I forgot "for safety reasons".
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[[Image:Armada airmilitaryteam toys.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The [[Air Military Team]] from ''[[Armada]]''. The gimmicks: [[Mini-Con|micro-size]], ability to "[[powerlinx]]" with larger toys, triple-changing, being awesome.]]
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{| cellpading="5" cellspacing="3" width="100%"
| [[Image:G1 movie primal.png|350px|Optimus^3]]
| valign="top" | <p align="center" style="font-size:125%;">Welcome to '''{{SITENAME}}''',<br> the fan-maintained database of [[Transformers]] knowledge that [[Help:Introduction|anyone can edit]]!</p>
<p align="center" style="font-size:90%">We are currently working on '''[http://www.wikia.com/wikistats/EN/TablesWikiaTRANSFORMERS.htm {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}]''' articles.<br>
See our [[Help:Contents|help page]] to find out how you can contribute!</p>
|}


'''Toys''' are the core of the [[Transformers brand]], its reason for being.  Most of the fiction exists to showcase, spotlight, promote, and in general [[to sell toys]].  Merchandise and other "artifacts" also generally exist in support of the toylines.
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''Transformers'' toys are generally created and marketed as part of a particular "[[franchise]]" (ie ''[[Beast Wars]]'', ''[[Armada]]'', the retroactively-named [[Generation 1]] etc.), a whole merchandising family with associated characters and fiction; however, this article deals with the physical toys themselves, separate from their representation as fictional characters.
<span style="font-size:1.4em">'''Looking for information about ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]''?  Start here!'''</span>


<span style="font-size:1.2em">[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Toyline]] - [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Cartoon]] - [[Transformers Animated (books)|Books]] - [[Transformers Animated (comic)|Comics]] </span>


==Design==
[[Image:Concept-ArmadaMegatron.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Where the hell do you KEEP that enormous cannon, [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]]?]]


Most Transformers are designed as a joint venture between [[Hasbro]] in America, and [[TakaraTomy]] (previously Takara) in Japan.  Hasbro typically provides concepts and artistic direction, while Takara(Tomy) handles the engineering tasks of turning the designs into working physical objects.
<span style="font-size:1.2em">'''NOTICE:''' The recent airing of all remaining episodes of ''Transformers Animated'' in Dubai has, naturally, led to a lot of spoilers being posted online. We here at Teletraan I are attempting to ensure that these spoilers are not included in our articles until such time as the episodes actually air in English, in English-speaking countries, in order to ensure the reports are as accurate as possible and prevent the spread of misinformation. However, on occasion editors unfamiliar with this policy add the information, requiring us to revert their changes. As these alterations show up on our "Recent Changes" page, you may wish to avoid this page unless absolutely necessary.</span>


Nearly all ''Transformers'' toys have a minimum of two forms, most commonly a robot form and an [[alternate mode]].  This means that even a fairly simple Transformer is much more complex than the typical action figure.  Multiple alternate modes, articulation, and complex transformations can multiply this many times over.
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Because of their world-wide marketing, Transformers must be designed to meet many widely varying safety laws. This often results in certain limitations, and even changes being made when toys are sold in the highly-litigious United States of America compared to their Japanese releases.
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|- valign="top"
''Related articles:''
| align="left" width="33%" valign="top" style="border: 1px solid #aaaaaa; color: #000; background-color: #f0f0ff; vertical-align: top; padding: .4em .9em .9em" | <h3>''' Top-level categories '''</h3>
* [[Hasbro]]
<p style="font-size:90%">Organized hierarchically. (Note that there are overlaps -- you can reach "Autobots" through either the top-level factions category or through characters, for example.)</p>
* [[Takara]]
* [[:Category:Characters|Characters]]
* [[For safety reasons]]
* [[:Category:Factions|Factions]]
* [[Transformation]]
* [[:Category:Toys|Toys]]
* [[Alternate mode]]
* [[:Category:Franchises|Franchises]]
* [[Scale]]
* [[:Category:Locations|Locations]]
* [[Kibble]]
* [[:Category:Stories|Stories]]
* [[Shellformer]]
* [[:Category:Media|Media]]
* [[Partformer]]
* [[:Category:Fandom|Fandom]]
* [[:Category:Creators|Creators]]
* [[:Category:Merchandise|Merchandise]]
* [[:Category:External properties|External properties]]
* [[:Category:Lists|Lists]]
<p style="font-size:90%">For all categories, see the [[Special:Categories|complete category list]].</p>
| align="left" width="33%" valign="top" style="border: 1px solid #aaaaaa; color: #000; background-color: #fff1f1; vertical-align: top; padding: .4em .9em .9em" | <h3>''' By series '''</h3>
* ''[[Generation 1]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Generation 1 (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Generation 1 (cartoon)|cartoon]]/[[Generation 1 (comic)|comic]])</span>
* ''[[Generation 2]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Generation 2 (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|cartoon]]/[[Generation 2 (Marvel comic)|comic]])</span>
* ''[[Beast Wars]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Beast Wars (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|cartoon]]/[[Beast Wars (comic)|comic]])</span>
* ''[[Beast Machines]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Beast Machines (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|cartoon]])</span>
* ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|cartoon]])</span>
* ''[[Armada]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Armada (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Armada (cartoon)|cartoon]]/[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|comic]])</span>
* ''[[Energon (franchise)|Energon]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Energon (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Energon (cartoon)|cartoon]]/[[Energon (comic)|comic]])</span>
* ''[[Universe (franchise)|Universe]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Universe (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Universe (comic)|comic]])</span>
* ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Cybertron (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Cybertron (cartoon)|cartoon]]/[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (comic)|comic]])</span>
* ''[[Classics]]''
* ''[[movie (franchise)|Transformers (2007)]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[movie (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Transformers (2007)|film]]/[[movie (comics)|comics]])</span>
* ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' <span style="font-size:90%">([[Transformers Animated (toyline)|toyline]]/[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|cartoon]]/[[Transformers Animated (comic)|comics]])</span>
<h3>'''By [[Continuities|continuity]]'''</h3>
* [[Generation 1]]/[[Beast Era]]
* [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]
* [[Unicron Trilogy]]
* [[Universe (franchise)|Universe]]
* [[movie (franchise)|Movie (2007)]]
* [[Transformers Animated]]
| align="left" width="33%" style="border: 1px solid #aaaaaa; color: #000; background-color: #FBF9E7; vertical-align: top; padding: .4em .9em .9em" | <h3>'''Starting points for editing'''</h3>
*[[Help:Contents|Help contents]] - Please go here first! The central hub of all "help" related pages, with information about this Wiki's style and standards, as well as instructions on how to actually edit pages.
Once you're familiar with the rules, here are some ways you can help out:
*[[Special:Lonelypages|Orphaned Pages]] - A list of pages that aren't linked to by any other page.  Relevant pages should link back to them.
*[[:Category:Stub|List of stubs]] - pages that are missing information.
**[[:Category:Episode Stubs|Episode Stubs]]
**[[:Category:Comic Issue Stubs|Comic Issue Stubs]]
**[[:Category:Character stubs|Character stubs]]
*Add copyright tags to [[Special:imagelist|images]] missing them.
*Add an image to an article that [[:Category:Articles in need of images|needs one]].
*Help [[:Category:Images by undetermined artists|identify the artists]] on images.
*Add more complete descriptions on image pages.
*Add storylinks to character fiction pages.
*[[Special:Wantedpages|Wanted Pages]] - A list of the pages that most need creation.
|}


{|width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="5"
| align="left" valign="top" style="border: 1px solid #aaaaaa; color: #000; background-color: #f9f9f9; vertical-align: top; padding: .4em .9em .9em" | <h3>[[Image:Featured.png|50px|Vector Sigma!]]''' Featured article '''</h3>
{{Featured article}}
| width="33%" valign="top" style="border: 1px solid #aaaaaa; color: #000; background-color: #f9f9f9; vertical-align: top; padding: .4em .9em .9em" | <h3>'''Beast Wars Cartoon Improvement Drive or Project Wiki or Operation: Make Pages Not Suck or whatever'''</h3>
I don't know what goes here!  But the improvement drive may be found  [[Transformers Wiki:WikiProject Beasties cartoon|here]].
|}{{w:youngtv}}


==Design Elements==
<!--other languages -->
[[Image:Brawlmovie concept.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Gone are the days when the  instructions said "flip out rear of vehicle to form legs; pull out arms."]]
[[da:]]
 
[[es:]]
Transformer toys contain a "vocabulary" of working parts -- joint types, and standardized design items that reappear across many figures.  The vast majority are humanoid in their robot mode, and thus require a head, (at least) two arms, two legs and a torso.
[[fi:]]
 
[[hu:Kezdőlap]]
The complexity of Transformers toys has grown over time, making several leaps forward during the course of ''[[Generation 2]]'' and ''Beast Wars'', then again during the recent Movie line.  ''Beast Wars'' in particular featured a number of toys with extremely complicated transformations, and a maximum number of ball joints, providing a huge range of articulation.  Other toy lines would revisit these levels of complexity, particularly ''[[Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Alternators]]''.
[[id:Halaman Utama]]
 
[[zh-tw:]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>
''Related articles:''
* [[Articulation]] (see also: ''[[Brick]]'')
* [[Ratchet (mechanism)]]
* [[Slide joint]]
* [[Swivel joint]]
* [[Ball joint]]
* [[Peg]]
* [[Hardpoint]]
 
==Materials==
[[Image:BTTracks toy.jpg||right|thumb|200px|[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] from the ''[[Alternators]]''/''Binaltech'' line.  The Japanese version uses die-cast metal for added heft, while the American iteration is all-plastic for added being-able-to-stand-up.]]
 
The vast majority of the toys are made of plastic, held together with metal screws and pins, along with the occasional adhesive.  Die-cast, used as an accessory material from 1984-1986, has all but been abandoned due to its excessive shipping weight and design limitations.  The plastics used in Transformer construction have generally increased in flexibility and durability over the years, allowing toys to survive child-inflicted trauma that would have destroyed early Generation 1 toys.
 
''Related articles:''
* [[Plastic]]
* [[Die-cast]]
* [[Rubber tires]]
 
 
==Production/Manufacturing==
[[Image:Hotshotprotosuperjaam.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Prototype [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] ''really'' likes [[JaAm]]!!]]
 
Though the toys are designed in America and Japan through a collaborative process between Takara and Hasbro, most are manufactured in places like China.
 
The production process is complex and expensive.  Before mass production can begin, a hard-copy prototype must be created.  Steel-cut molds can then be made; this is by far the most costly part of the process.  Once the molds are cut, one or more test shots are typically created, usually in random colors.  If the molds are ready, mass production commences. 
 
The expense of cutting molds is the reason that retools and recolors are such a common phenomena in ''Transformers''.
{{-}}
''Related articles:''
* [[Prototype]] (includes test shots)
* [[Mold]]
* [[Gang-molding]]
* [[Retool]]
* [[Sprue]]
* [[Running change]]
 
 
==Common Gimmicks==
[[Image:G1Rollbar toy.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Not much articulation, but man can he [[Throttlebot|scoot across your kitchen floor]].]]
 
As if Transformers weren't complicated enough, Hasbro has seen fit to constantly revitalize and enhance the line with numerous special features, commonly referred to in the fandom as ''gimmicks''.  These may range from things as simple as a common decorative theme (such as vacuum metalizing on the [[Transmetal]] toys), to complex mechanisms that drive the entire design of a toy.  Gimmicks have been a part of ''Transformers'' from Day 1, and continue to provide the line with diversity and interest today.
 
''Main article: [[Gimmicks]]''
===Static Gimmicks===
* [[Sticker]]
* [[Rubsign]]
* [[Spark crystal]]
* [[Light-piping]]
* [[Energon star]]s
 
===Active Gimmicks===
* [[Missile]]
* [[Pull-back motor]]
* [[Autotransform]]
* [[Sparking gimmick]]
* [[Soundbox]]
* [[Combiner]]
* [[Mini-Con]]
* [[Cyber Planet Key (toys)]]
* [[Automorph]]
 
 
==Decoration==
[[Image:Sentmaxtoy.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Botcon-exclusive [[Sentinel Maximus]], a toy heavily slathered in paint applications.]]
 
Most Transformers are cast in a limited number of plastic colors.  To help bring them to life, paint, tampographs, and stickers are commonly used to bring them to life.
 
Stickers were common in the days of Generation 1, but have mostly dropped out of use as aesthetic tastes change and more complex paint operations become feasible.  Today, faction symbols are typically applied via tampograph, with most other details called out by paint applications.
 
''Related articles:''
* [[Paint application]]
* [[Paint mask]]
* [[Vacuum metalizing]]
* [[Unpaintable plastic]]
* [[Tampograph]]
* [[Redeco]]
* [[Repaint]] (see also: ''[[Black repaint]]'')
 
 
==Problems==
[[Image:Pretendermonsters-toys-shellrot.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Split open and [[Pretender Monster#Toys|melt]].]]
 
Transformer toys are, to put it bluntly, not meant to last forever.  They are marketed to a fleeting and transitory age group, with the notion that if they last a few years, their work is done.  Thus collectors who have retained Generation 1 toys for many years can find some unexpected surprises as their toys age.  Among these are plastic discoloration, deterioration of rubber tires (and rubber [[Pretender Monster|Pretender shells]]), and deterioration of sub-par plastics that can cause a toy to physically disintegrate.
 
''Related articles:''
* [[Photodegradation]]
* [[Gold Plastic Syndrome]]
 
 
==Marketing==
[[Image:BW-MegaPromo.jpg|thumb|right|200px|In the market-driven rush to production, sometimes the wires get a little crossed.  This package cross-sell presents other toys in the line... in color schemes that were never produced.  ''Oops!'']]
 
However awesome the toys themselves may be, they tend to sell better when they represent fictional characters.  The marketing engine that promotes the toys is organized into [[franchise]]s, each encompassing a range of related toys and a storyline built around them.  A full-blown, flagship franchise typically features an animated cartoon, and often a comic book series as well.  These fictional portrayals may be a source of considerable income for Hasbro/TakaraTomy as well, but ultimately they exist [[to sell toys]].
 
The toy packaging also commonly supports the marketing effort, with [[bio|biographies]] and [[package art]] of the characters being sold, as well as cross-sell ads promoting other toys currently available.  Inside the packaging, catalogs and [[pack-in flyer]]s further market other toys.
 
''Related articles:''
* [[To sell toys]]
* [[Franchise]]
* [[Rebranding]]
* [[Subline imprint]]
* [[Tech spec]]
* [[Bio]]
* [[Package art]]
* [[Catalog]]
* [[Cross-sell]]
* [[Pack-in flyer]]
* [[Trademark]]
* [[Blindpacked]]
* [[Shelfwarmer]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Revision as of 00:13, 22 May 2008

Optimus^3

Welcome to MediaWiki,
the fan-maintained database of Transformers knowledge that anyone can edit!

We are currently working on 32,676 articles.
See our help page to find out how you can contribute!

Looking for information about Transformers Animated? Start here!

Toyline - Cartoon - Books - Comics


NOTICE: The recent airing of all remaining episodes of Transformers Animated in Dubai has, naturally, led to a lot of spoilers being posted online. We here at Teletraan I are attempting to ensure that these spoilers are not included in our articles until such time as the episodes actually air in English, in English-speaking countries, in order to ensure the reports are as accurate as possible and prevent the spread of misinformation. However, on occasion editors unfamiliar with this policy add the information, requiring us to revert their changes. As these alterations show up on our "Recent Changes" page, you may wish to avoid this page unless absolutely necessary.

Top-level categories

Organized hierarchically. (Note that there are overlaps -- you can reach "Autobots" through either the top-level factions category or through characters, for example.)

For all categories, see the complete category list.

By series

By continuity

Starting points for editing

  • Help contents - Please go here first! The central hub of all "help" related pages, with information about this Wiki's style and standards, as well as instructions on how to actually edit pages.

Once you're familiar with the rules, here are some ways you can help out:

Vector Sigma! Featured article

Gregarious would be a good word to describe Swerve. So would outgoing, enthusiastic, upbeat, joyfully irreverent, flippant, sarcastic, wise ass, troll, or "total pain in the aft", depending on which side of his weapons-grade mouth you happen to fall on and how long you've been listening to him use it. Swerve has a sense of fun and even whimsy that stands out from your run of the mill Autobots fairly dramatically, but this constant running commentary stems at least partially from Swerve's low self-esteem, a coping mechanism that helps to cover up some of his own insecurities. The little fellow may get on their nerves... he'll probably get on their nerves... but it'll always be with a smile, a laugh, and an epic level quip, making him a good bartender.

He is, however, also a menace to everyone within range of a gun in his hand—including himself—given his legendarily bad aim, as well as to anyone driving nearby because he's so easily distracted by just about anything that catches his attention. Despite this, he's quite intelligent and skilled as a metallurgist, analysing the properties of a material with unique sensors in his hands. When he gets caught up in a problem, he becomes almost laser-like in focus and intensity, going on quest after quest, both major and minor. Unfortunately, this generally leaves him just as distracted from any other tasks at hand and just as accident-prone as ever. He's almost always in need of some repairs, major or minor, because of it.

Now if only Prime could get him to not get easily distracted when receiving his orders too...

“ People don't like me—they just laugh at my jokes. There's a difference. ”

—Swerve, "Cybertronian Homesick Blues"

Continued...


Beast Wars Cartoon Improvement Drive or Project Wiki or Operation: Make Pages Not Suck or whatever

I don't know what goes here! But the improvement drive may be found here.

{{w:youngtv}}

da: es: fi: hu:Kezdőlap id:Halaman Utama

zh-tw:

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