Fan mode

Supertoilet.

A fan mode is an unofficial mode of transformation which adds to the playability of a figure. Fan modes vary from slight changes to drastic reconfigurations of the original transformation scheme; some can also improve the looks a figure in one respect or another.

Room for fan mode creativity generally depends on the articulation, transformation, and other design considerations of a toy. For instance, due to the autotransformation gimmick, Flipchangers have a limited amount of potential fan modes, while main-line Movie toys have many possibilities. Additionally, some fan modes may involve partially disassembling and reassembling a figure in a different configuration.

Miscellaneous examples

• Shortround has one of the more infamous fan modes: the toy can be turned into a fair approximation of a toilet. This was so popular that fans even invented a toilet mode for Titans Return Seaspray as well.
• Titans Return Sixshot has numerous fan modes including a base, a boat, and a city, among others.
• Fans also created ways to combine the Universe Darkwing and Timelines Dreadwind figures in a homage to their G1 counterparts even though the molds were not originally designed to.
  • See also this combination between the movie line's Mindwipe and Skystalker; the figures are indeed intended to join together in vehicle mode, but any combination in robot mode is purely fan creativity.
• Titans Return Broadside's legs can be left partially untransformed in aircraft mode to avoid creating a large block on top of the jet, improving what is otherwise considered one of the weakest vehicle modes in the line; the leg fins can also be detached and pointed in the opposite direction. Note that this results in a less stable product as there are no tabs or locks designed for any alternate configurations.
• Also from Titans Return: any of the three Brainstorm figures can hold the vehicle nosecone with the guns pointed up when angled correctly, as shown here.
• Combiner Wars-style gestalts with customized limb arrangements can arguably be considered fan modes. Base modes for Hot Spot and Onslaught that homage their G1 counterparts are a much more solid example.