Transmetal 2

Pose for the camera!

A Transmetal 2 (alternately Transmetal II; plural Transmetals 2) is a Transformer who has been mutated to a more advanced degree than the Transmetals during the Beast Wars. Where Transmetals are marked by a mode-based inversion of biological and mechanical elements, Transmetals 2 have had those elements blended in equal parts between both modes, the result being an asymmetrical, patchwork jumble that is frequently rather monstrous.

Some Transmetals 2 exhibit a degree of "supernatural" power, such as rapid healing or telekinesis. Additionally, being a Transmetal 2 seems to provide a temporary resistance to the full effects of Megatron's virus, but at the cost of losing one's Transmetallization.

Fiction

Toy bios

Transmetals 2 were the result of Megatron's cloning experiments, a hyper-aggressive breed of warriors with advanced strength and speed but also more savage impulses. Some were Predacons and some were Maximals, but all struggled to control their own violent tendencies.<ref>Transmetal 2 packaging blurb</ref>

Beast Wars cartoon

This lasted five episodes. Then Megatron got his new invention all over it.

Only Cheetor, Dinobot II, and Blackarachnia were explicitly described as Transmetals 2. Each of them was altered by an enigmatic piece of Vok technology known as the "Transmetal driver", which appeared in Megatron's possession without explanation. Despite lacking the vehicle modes of the previous Transmetals, Transmetal-2-ness was generally viewed as an enviable upgrade. Cheetor, Blackarachnia and Dinobot II all displayed some degree of "supernatural" powers, the use of which was signified by conspicuous glows in their sparks and/or eyes: Cheetor showed vague visionary tendencies Go with the Flow (which, admittedly, had happened before), enhanced healing abilities, and telekinesis; Feral Scream Part 2 Blackarachnia demonstrated telekinesis; Master Blaster and Dinobot II showed enhanced healing (although this could also be attributed to him sharing a piece of Rampage's nigh-immortal spark). Proving Grounds

File:Megs tm2.JPG

"Optimal Megatron" didn't roll off the tongue.

Despite there being no overt involvement of the Transmetal Driver in the fiction, Megatron's dragon-form and Tigerhawk were sold as a Transmetal 2 toys. While Tigerhawk definitely had extraordinary powers, this could be explained as the result of his unique origin as the "ultimate weapon" of the Vok; Megatron's only enhanced powers seemed to be an ability to breathe fire and ice, which might have been inherent in his mode of choice and were not shown to be involved with any supernatural glowing spark powers. Cryotek's 3H bio<ref>Cryotek's 3H bio</ref> described Megatron and Cryotek as Transmetals II. But "Optimal Optimus", who was upgraded in the same fashion (one body holding two sparks), was sold as a vanilla Transmetal.

Beast Machines cartoon

Well, that was fun.

When the Maximals returned to Cybertron and encountered Megatron's virus, both the Transmetals and Transmetals 2 among them had a strange reaction. Rather than become instantly paralyzed, as apparently happened to the majority of Cybertronians exposed, they simply lost their Transmetallization. Primal, Cheetor, Rattrap, and Blackarachnia reverted to their pre-Transmetal beast modes. The Reformatting They were able to stay mobile, though glitching and amnesic, while Rhinox and Silverbolt immediately succumbed to paralysis. Revelations Part II: Descent

When the escaped Maximals recovered via reformatting and fought their way to Megatron's citadel, they found him still a Transmetal 2, though he fervently sought to rid himself of his organic elements. He was concealed within a bulky control suit, but in moments of rage he would fall out of it and transform seemingly uncontrollably into dragon mode. Master of the House This body was eventually obliterated in a doomsday storm, End of the Line but its biological and mechanical elements were somehow made manifest in Savage/Noble and the Grand Mal. Prometheus Unbound

Universe: Featuring the Wreckers

Ravage was reborn in a Transmetal 2 body. Primeval Dawn Part 1

Iguanus, Primeval Dawn Part 1 Spittor, and Sonar Primeval Dawn Part 2 were obtained by Tarantulas from stasis pods left behind and were Transmetals 2.

Ain't No Rat

Optimus Minor was a Transmetal 2. Ain't No Rat How is unknown.

IDW Beast Wars comics

Ramulus, Optimus Minor, The Gathering issue 1 Scourge, Stinkbomb, Prowl, Night Glider, Sonar, The Gathering issue 2 and Scarem The Gathering issue 4 were Transmetals 2, despite only existing as protoforms beforehand. Ravage was reborn into a Transmetal 2 body. The Gathering issue 3 Why they are Transmetals 2 is not known.

Toys

Transmetals 2 (1999)

Optimus Minor

• Basic
  • Night Glider
  • Optimus Minor
  • Scarem
  • Sonar
  • Spittor
  • Stinkbomb

File:TripredacusAgent toy.jpg

Tripredacus Agent

• Deluxe
  • Cheetor
  • Dinobot
  • Iguanus
  • Jawbreaker
  • Prowl
  • Ramulus
  • Tripredacus Agent (Walmart Exclusive, 2001)
  • Scourge

File:BWdragonmegs toy.jpg

Transmetal 2 Megatron

• Mega
  • Blackarachnia
  • Cybershark

• Ultra
  • Megatron
  • Tigerhawk

Assymetry the line!

The Transmetals 2 were sold at multiple price points as the dominant subline of Beast Wars in 1999. Like their predecessors the Transmetals, they feature vacuum metallizing as a dominant aesthetic feature, but their designs are more irregular and patchwork, featuring skeletal elements and lacking the smooth contours of the Transmetals.

Unlike the Transmetals, most Transmetals 2 did not have a third mode. Only the largest Transmetal 2 toys, Tigerhawk and Megatron, were designed to have more than two modes, but Megatron's was never featured in the cartoon and Tigerhawk's was dropped entirely even from the toy. Neither vehicle mode was especially well-implemented.

Early on in the release of Transmetal 2 toys, the packaging used a Roman numeral "II", but a running change in the packaging was made to the Arabic number "2", which is generally considered the "correct" spelling of the term.

Notes

• The packaging blurb that described the Transmetals 2 as "infused with ultra-aggressive tendencies that they must struggle to control" was reinforced in more than one toy bio, including Megatron's. Beyond Cheetor's first proper transformation in "Feral Scream", this was never in evidence in the Beast Wars cartoon, but it may have been a factor in Beast Machines: As mentioned above, Megatron displayed the strange tendency to convert to dragon mode (apparently against his own will) when enraged.
• Several Transmetal 2 characters, including Optimus Minor, Sonar, Scarem and Tigerhawk, appear to have an oddball ability to acquire more limbs in their robot modes by shifting around a few parts. Though this might not normally be noteworthy, as several characters from the beast era have animal limbs going all over the place due to complex transformation schemes, there is evidence that this was a conscious decision from the designers: Scarem, Sonar and Tigerhawk are all portrayed as having their extra limbs deployed in their packaging art, and Optimus Minor's multiple limbs having nothing to do with his transformation. In any case however, this feature was never portrayed in fiction for any of these characters.

References

<references />