Autotransforming
An autotransformer is a toy which can undergo a partial or full transformation without external influence or control. Certain classes of Transformers toys are defined largely by their autotransforming mechanisms. These include the following:
- the Jumpstarters,
- the Battlechargers,
- the Autorollers,
- the Flipchangers,and
- the Deployers
Many toys in other series include a partial or complete autotransformation. For example, Armada Optimus Prime's Container is designed to autotransform when it receives an infrared signal from the manually-transformable cab.
In fiction
Transformers fiction has sometimes presented characters whose toys autotransform as having the ability to transform unusually quickly. For example, the Battlechargers were said to transform "more quickly than the human eye could follow".
Fan reactions
Autotransformation is frequently reviled in online discussions, perhaps because it takes away from the mechanical-puzzle aspect of the toy, or perhaps because it is a disgusting gimmick and gimmicks are for babies.
History of the term
The earliest instance of the use of "auto-transform" in the Google groups archives is from July of 1996 [1]. Other message boards of the day have, unfortunately, turned into bit-smoke and blown away in the cold, cold winds, making thorough research difficult. Judging by the nonstandardized form of the term in 1996, it was probably fairly new, and was quickly adopted, but lost its hyphen.
