Transformation (toys)

"Flip out rear of vehicle" is stretched out into like 4 different steps here.

The most fundamental and defining gimmick of most Transformer toys is, unsurprisingly, transformation. Nearly every toy marketed as a Transformer can change from one form to another thanks to the brilliance of Hasbro and TakaraTomy's engineers and designers.

Types of Transformation

Beast Transformation

From a time when "rotate lower torso" was involved transformation.

Because many beasts have four limbs, and most Transformer robots have four limbs, beast-to-robot transformations are sometimes not more complicated than "stand up and switch heads". For most incarnations of Cheetor, for example, the beast rear legs are the robot legs, and the beast front legs are the robot arms. (His original and transmetal toys are exceptions, but the rear legs still form the legs.) The original Beast Machines Optimus Primal toy swapped arms and legs when transforming, and the original Beast Wars toy for the character did even less - his legs rotated around to form his robot legs, while the same arms were used virtually unchanged. Several beast Transformers turn beast rear legs into robot arms, produce robot legs from inside their torsos, and turn their beast front legs into kibble.

Attempts to use a similar transformation schemes for aerial beastformers have generally produced problems, as birds have two limbs which are realistically too small to serve as either set of robot limbs, and wings which need to be quite large in proportion to the body. Attempts have varied from using the wings as legs, using the wings as very decorative kibble, using a specifically posed bird that can hide the robot limbs, and trying to pretend that a wadded-up robot is a bird if you snap on wings. The approaches have met with varying success, but that hasn't stopped anyone from trying.

Symmetrical Transformation

Since most altmodes (vehicles, beasts) are symmetrical, and the default robot mode is shaped more-or-less like a (symmetrical) human, the toy transformation can also usually be described as symmetrical. Anything that was on the left side of the robot ends up on the left side of the altmode, and anything done to the left side during the transformation is also done to the right side. If any parts swap sides, it's because of a full 180-degree rotation (such as the waist-swivel common in beast-to-robot transformations), with the result retaining symmetry. Minor differences in tooling between the left and right side don't necessarily make the transformation asymmetrical. (E.g., if one arm has a weapon attached, or a spring-loaded attack function.)

Asymmetrical Transformation

Asymmetrical transformation is much less common than symmetrical transformation. Examples are Beast Machines Buzz Saw (where the beast tail becomes one robot arm, and two of his six beast legs become the other robot arm), Energon Omega Supreme (where the two halves of his body are entirely different toys), and Transmetal 2 Beast Wars Megatron (where the dragon's head becomes one robot arm, and the other emerges from inside his dragon body, while his dragon arms end up as kibble). Several other Megatron toys are also asymmetrical, including the original.

Other terms

Because "Transformers" is a registered trademark, Hasbro systematically avoids using the word "transform" as a verb when referring to the toys in recent years. Instead, the term "convert" is used: For example, toys that don't transform have the note "Figure does not convert" on the packaging. Apparently, Hasbro employees are trained to automatically use the word in any official conversation, such as interviews and panel discussions.

Meanwhile, toy instructions often use the simpler term "change", as in "change to robot".

Transformers toys often have a difficulty rating for the transformation on the packaging, ranging from Easy (1), to Expert (3 or 5).

See Also

• Transformation (in fiction)