Tech Spec: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:43, 5 September 2011

This article is about the character-rating system. For information about character write-ups, see Bio{{#switch:{{#sub:Bio|-1}}

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"Tech Specs" =/= "bio". Clip and save *that,* jack.

Tech Specs, short for "technical specifications", are the character-ratings that many Transformers have received on their packaging or on Hasbro.com, ranking qualities like "Strength" and "Intelligence" and "Skill" on a scale of 1-10. These have also been called Technical Data or Vehicle Data.

While technically the character bios included on most toys are separate from the Tech Specs—and are sometimes called out as such on the packaging itself—the graphic design traditionally merged them into a single box/card (which you are encouraged to "clip and save!"), along with a reduced version of the character's package art. Thus, "tech specs" has become, in casual use, a shorthand term for the entire bio/art/Tech-Specs combination.

The current lineup of stats is:

Strength
Intelligence
Speed
Endurance
Rank
Courage
Fireblast (formerly Firepower, which meant something)
Skill

The Micromaster teams replaced "Rank" and "Firepower" with:

Teamwork
Cooperation

The Revenge of the Fallen RPMs line features a reduced list of "Vehicle Data" stats presented in much the same manner:

Max Speed
Horsepower
Ramming Power
Armor

While these stats often correspond at least loosely to the described abilities of the characters, parity between characters is virtually nonexistent. Optimus Prime, for instance, has traditionally maxed out most or all of his stats, despite the existence of much stronger, faster, fireblastier characters. The only category with anything really close to a sense of scale between characters is "Rank," where faction leaders tend to be 10s, group leaders tend to be 9s and 8s, and most others are below that. There are of course many exceptions, but at least there's a solid trend.

History

Generation 1

The original style, with decoder overlaid.

Tech Specs were present right from the start. With the very first Transformers also came a packaging gimmick: Kids were instructed to "use the special decoder inside to decipher your Tech Specs." A fuchsia criss-cross pattern obscured the blue line that indicated the various ratings, so overlaying a piece of clear red plastic made the blue line much easier to see. This design was used for a five years, then was replaced with a bar-graph design that required no decoder to read. The description was also changed from just "Tech Specs" to "Bio and Tech Specs". Generation 1 ended two years later, but in all the Transformers revivals and re-envisionings since then, the decoder gimmick has not yet made a comeback.

In addition to the packaging, Tech Specs were once briefly seen on the toys themselves: The Headmaster figures contained abbreviated Tech Specs bar-graphs inside their chests. When the head was plugged into the body, bars would emerge on the graph.

The Micromasters got two stats all their own. Awww... it's like they're real toys.

After the cartoon was canceled and the comic entered the Furman years, many new toys were made whose corresponding characters never appeared in the fiction. But, with an extremely small number of exceptions, Hasbro continued writing bios and Tech Specs for every toy, and this was the only source of "life" for dozens—perhaps even hundreds—of characters. While some European toys were released with virtually no character information (not even names), even this was a small hiccup in the larger trend.

The Micromaster patrols were notable for being the first variation in stat categories, replacing "Rank" and "Firepower" with "Teamwork" and "Cooperation". The difference between Teamwork and Cooperation isn't quite clear.

Generation 2

What? It was the '90s. You had to be there.

The early Generation 2 packages kept all the same information as the Generation 1 toys before them but reorganized it, placing the portrait and bio sections above the stats so that the whole thing resembled a trading card (see image at top of page).

Some later Generation 2 toys took this further: While a figure's packaging had the bio and Tech Specs printed on it like usual, it would also contain a separate pack-in card that not only featured the bio and Tech Specs again, but could also be folded into a free-standing pop-up image of the character.

In Europe, Generation 2 packaging was crammed with multilingual text, so the bios were shorter, and in many cases there were no Tech Spec ratings at all.

Beast Wars / Machine Wars

Put it in your spokes, and your bike will go EEK EEK EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK.

The tech spec designs on Beast Wars packaging kept the "trading card" dimensions established in Generation 2, but the internal elements were rearranged. For the first time, the stats were represented numerically rather than via a chart, which allowed them to be run vertically alongside a much-enlarged space for the portrait. Earlier cards also included a space displaying the toy's hidden weapons.

The short-lived Machine Wars line, running concurrently with Beast Wars, used the same design.

Beast Machines

The dotted line is pretty much a formality at this point.

Beast Machines altered the tech spec format once again, most obviously by replacing the illustrated portrait that had been included since Generation 1 with a photo of the actual toy. More subtly, it took the first steps toward disintegrating the picture/bio/Tech-Specs unit: While a clip-and-save rectangle still framed the design, the elements within were more loosely structured and less consistently arranged. The lack of a standardized size, shape, or backing made them seem less like distinct collectible cards and more like... well, just bits of the box you might want to keep.

Where previously there had always been a description of the card by the "Clip and Save" note, Beast Machines omitted it. With it went the term "Tech Specs", which would never be seen on packaging again.

Robots in Disguise

It was Robots in Disguise that marked the first real break in tradition, brought on by a move to trilingual packaging. Toys on the smallest packaging cards, such as the Spy Changers, literally did not have room for character information. Most Deluxe-sized and larger packaging still retained bios, Tech Specs, and "art," but the bios were graphically separated from the "clip-and-save" box that contained the rest. In at least one case, creative use of space put the Tech Specs box at a 90-degree angle to the rest of the layout, including the bios (see image at right). And in another, there was no bio at all.

Later on, individually-carded Kay-Bee and Target exclusive versions of the six show-character Spychangers were released with bios and Tech Specs, since the exclusive packaging was English-only. However, this didn't last; the final Robots in Disguise exclusives had Armada-style trilingual packaging with no character info except for names and allegiances. All told, a little less than half of RID releases lacked bios and Tech Specs, which meant more than a third of the characters.

Unicron Trilogy / Universe

Armada continued the departure from tradition, eliminating all character information from the packaging beyond names, allegiances, and a few trilingual "blurbs" noting the vehicle modes and conspicuous weapons or gimmicks. The toys came with sticker cards that had their pictures and names on them, but no further information. This was also true for the Universe line, which started halfway through Armada's run. The Japanese release, Micron Legend, continued the use of stats on the more traditional trading card for Super-con and larger sized toys.

Some bios and Tech Specs did appear, but only on the Hasbro website, only for the main Armada characters, and only on a somewhat haphazard schedule. The fandom response ran from neutral to negative; certainly no one was happy about the dwindling output, especially since the supplementary character info had had the most impact on characters who had no other fiction.

But by the time of Energon, the in-package stickers had become trading cards, and in response to the fandom, each had Tech Specs on the back. However, the casual use of the term had muddied the issue: In granting the request for "tech specs," Hasbro hadn't realized that the most important part was the bio, not the actual Tech Spec ratings. So some more time passed before packs of trading cards with bios were released. And, of course, bios continued appearing on the Hasbro site for Energon and Universe characters, though not every character in those series got in before the practice was discontinued. Meanwhile, two new specifics were added: "N/A," which was used for Starscream's rank and courage and Kicker's Fireblast, and "?" which was Starscream's Strength rating, and the rating for every statistic for Unicron and Dreadwing.

It was with Cybertron that bios and Tech Specs (now called "Technical Data") finally returned to the packaging, with even more information (sometimes further bio info, sometimes toy-trivia) hosted online and accessed via Cyber Key Codes. The Technical Data also introduced "unknown" in lieu of some numerical ratings, such as for Galvatron's stats.

Transformers Animated

Though Animated toys have on-package bios, they are mostly free-form, with call-out section for "Galactic Powers and Abilities" listing three vaguely technical facts or trivia items in a bullet-point style. However, BotCon 2011 featured two lithographs, each with 26 bios done up as early G1 style Tech Specs.

Other

The Alternators line never got more than names, allegiances, and mottoes; but the Titanium, Classics, and live-action film lines have all continued the old tradition. Animated never had the stats on the packaging, but had the rest, including three special facts about each character. Hasbro TFCC made up for this by printing Generation 1-style tech specs for upcoming characters in their magazine, starting with 10 in issue 24, and 2 in each of the next 6 issues.