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 of 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.
• While the Revenge of the Fallen toyline's Mindwipe and Skystalker are intended to join together in vehicle mode, fans have created various ways to combine their robot modes.
• 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.
• The Combiner Wars incarnations of Hot Spot and Onslaught can be placed in "base modes" that homage those of their G1 counterparts.
• The War for Cybertron Trilogy's introduction of the Weaponizer, Modulator, and Fossilizer subgroups—Transformers which can split up into weaponry—allowed for far greater variety in the options of fan modes available. Notable fan modes in the War for Cybertron Trilogy toyline including combining multiple Siege Sixguns into a ridable unicorn, a three-headed dragon formed from multiple Kingdom Paleotrexes, and combining Earthrise Fasttrack and multiple Airwaves into a trailer for Optimus.