Partformer

Transforms from a rectangle with a nose to a rectangle with arms and a head and back!

A partformer (also part-former or partsformer or parts-former, also sometimes Lego-former) is a fandom term for a Transformers toy that transforms by removing pieces of one form, then reattaching them to assemble the other form. This term is often used derisively, as the parts can often be lost in between modes (especially when they don't have anywhere to go in one mode or another), and the concept itself is seen as "cheating" with the puzzle aspect of a Transformer when any kibble can simply be removed and stuck back on anywhere.

By and large, more modern engineering technology has removed this style of transformation from the line. However, it is still fairly commonplace to have figures with alt-mode parts that detach to become hand-held weapons and accessories. The Beast Era in particular used this practice as a way to avoid kibble, usually by repurposing beast mode tails as clubs or whips. Figures with parts that are removed to become accessories are usually not considered partformers, with the distinction being due to how integral the part is to the robot mode. Having to pop off a gun is normal, having to pop off the arms is not. That said, the accusation is still sometimes levied in cases where significant portions of the altmode need to be disconnected to form these accessories, or where the "accessory" is essentially just a large chunk of altmode trying to pass itself off as a weapon.

Some customisers will also use partforming to achieve a better robot mode, by moving the kibble to different parts of the body or removing it entirely. And some will even go so far as to use magnets and other unique methods to replace the bulkier transforming kibble with cleaner, more screen-accurate non-transforming kibble, or go in reverse to remove integral parts of the robot mode (such as heads and limbs) to form the vehicle mode because those parts weren't originally from the base toy. Fanmade "upgrade sets" also involve adding or swapping out parts of the toy that can't easily integrate with the original engineering, so partforming is often needed in these cases.

Partforming also happens more frequently with toys that are designed to function as Super Mode upgrades for other characters, as the process of turning into power armor or guns usually forces them to break apart anyway, as is commonplace in the Unicron Trilogy and War for Cybertron Trilogy.

Notable examples

Individual figures

Wonder no more why you see little yellow clips running for ten dollars on eBay.

• Generation 1 Omega Supreme is probably the prime example of a "partformer", since all of his robot mode limbs and backpack are formed from pieces separate from his central tank body.
• All Generation 1 Seeker molds required the jet mode's landing gear and weapons to be removed before transformation. The weapons would be reattached in a different place and the robot's fists (which simply sat around in jet mode) added to complete the robot form. The landing gear had no official place to go in robot mode, but could be stored in the cockpit. The instructions also ask to remove the wings and tailfins and attach them in a different arrangement.
• Aside from the Seekers, G1 Optimus Prime is probably the most famous of the G1 partformers, thanks to his removable fists. Popping open his chest and shoving the fists in the Diaclone-era driver's seat is an extremely common solution. His retool Ultra Magnus adds in the larger robot fists, the chestplate, the head, and the crotchpiece. Cleverly, the Smallest Transforming Transformers downscale of G1 Convoy works around this through the inclusion of sculpted fists, though this does come at the cost of having a much fuller midriff.
• Along with Prime and Magnus, Generation 1 Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, Hoist, Inferno and Grapple also have removeable fists, but unlike Prime and Magnus, this is because their fists can be swapped with missiles.
• Generation 1 Scamper requires the blasters mounted on top of the car mode to be detached from the vehicle and reattached to the robot mode as arms.
• Generation 1 Powermaster Optimus Prime's super mode head must be removed and has nowhere to go in any other mode, bar perhaps being shoved inside his trailer. This is thought to be a relic from an earlier phase in the toy's design, when it was planned to be a Headmaster.
• Generation 1 Gunrunner is probably one of the most significant cases, as pretty much his entire jet mode (the cockpit, the engines, the wings, the weapons, the main visible body) is removed for his transformation in a single large chunk that forms his Pretender shell's turret. Gunrunner himself essentially turns into a block that plugs into the bottom of the jet, which has caused a lot of jokes that he turns into landing gear.
• The Japanese Generation 1 toylines' Godbomber disassembles almost entirely for his "transformation", owing to him basically being a pile of armor parts with a robot mode.
• Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus's trailer must be removed, separately transformed into his legs, then reattached to the figure.
• Robots in Disguise Hightower's crane cab, which includes his head, must be removed during transformation, then reconnected on his back in robot mode.
• Crossovers Darth Vader to Star Destroyer requires large chunks of his Star Destroyer mode to be removed and reattached while forming a Republic Attack Cruiser: particularly odd, given how similar the two modes are (obviously, we are aware that within Star Wars lore they are both models of Star Destroyers). The entire front third of his Star Destroyer mode must also be detached as two large shells to turn him into either mech mode. The instructions say to reattach them as a "shield" for the Anakin mode or shoulder spires for the Vader mode… at least, that's what they say, as they're far more likely to pop right out again.
• Earthrise Deluxe Class Cliffjumper's transformation requires detaching the back end of his car mode and plugging it to the robot mode's back via flip-out peg (though it can double as a “shield”).
• Collaborative H.I.S.S. Tank Megatron's back plating must be removed for transformation into robot mode, where it can be used as a "shield". The turret can also optionally be removed during either transformation.
• Legacy Breakdown's spoiler must be removed for transformation into robot mode, where it can either be held as a boomerang-like weapon or combined with his gun to form an "axe".

Toylines and subseries

• The vast majority of Generation 1 Headmaster figures cannot be transformed with their head pilots in place. This would later carry on into the Titan Masters, the CHUG equivalent of the Headmasters.
• Perhaps unsurprisingly, this applies to most LEGO-esque construction block toylines that have featured Transformers:
  • Built to Rule!, Hasbro's first foray into a construction system, featured characters with a very basic humanoid skeleton that is vaguely transformable (as in, it can fold the limbs into a slightly more compact position, and that's about it). Both vehicle and robot modes are built around this, resulting in significant disassembly and reassembly.
  • Nanoblock 's Choro-Q renditions of Convoy and Bumblebee require the complete disassembly of one mode to build the other (though notably, other larger Diablock Transformers sets managed to avoid this with some clever engineering).
  • Kre-O predominantly features sets that require complete disassembly to be transformed, with the only official exception being the small tail-end Battle Changers subseries that actually featured traditionally transformable characters. Some of the Micro-Changers can also be converted with only minor amounts of partsforming, though even that usually takes some modifications.
  • When teaming up with The LEGO Group themselves to create the 10302 Optimus Prime Icons set, its creator, Joe Kyde, made the decision to have the set transform entirely without the need of disassembly. One thing that wasn't taken into account, however, was the front bumper/crotch-guard piece, which is meant to look different in both modes. In order to achieve this, a piece with a bumper-detailed sticker was included to swap out with an identical piece with a crotch-guard-detailed sticker for the respective modes. This is entirely optional partforming, however, as it doesn't affect the rest of the transformation and solely serves as an aesthetical choice.
• Most transforming Kabaya offerings (particularly Transformers Gum) partform, due to being designed to mimic much more complex toys. The 2011 Kabaya Starscream, for instance, requires near-complete disassembly to match the Classics mold it's based on. One of the few exceptions to this is the 2012 Fortress Maximus toy, which features no partforming in its main transformation (apart from the Headmaster gimmick), due to being both an unusually large kit and based on a rather old toy.
• The War for Cybertron: Siege Weaponizers all partform to varying degrees due to their gimmick of dissassembling into a set of weapons. The same applies to the Modulators from the sequel line War for Cybertron: Earthrise, whose parts can either serve as connective ramps for other toys' base modes using the A.I.R. Lock System or be attached to other toys in the same way as the Weaponizers from Siege. War for Cybertron: Kingdom carries on the play pattern with the Fossilizers.
  • Many standard figures of the Earthrise line also make use of partsforming to better achieve toon-accuracy without compromising build, and have the option to use the parts as shields or weapons.

Examples in fiction

• Given the way his toy is designed, Omega Supreme is depicted in most Generation 1 fiction (that uses his original toy design) to partform.
• In Firestar's Generation 1 cartoon appearance, she is shown to separate her lower legs at the knee for transformation into her Cybertronian pick up truck mode; her torso forms the cab, and her legs form the bed.

See also

• Kibble, especially the original definition of the term.