User:Locoman/Sandbox/Reformatting
Reformatting methods
Physical reconstruction
Like any machine, a Transformer can be taken apart and put back together again, good as new. In many Transformers stories, taking on a new body is as simple as rebuilding a Transformer into the desired configuration. These modifications might be purely cosmetic in nature; on the other hand, a drastic full-body rebuild might alter a Transformer's size, shape, alternate mode, or weaponry, or reconfigure them into a shape capable of accepting a specific upgrade like a Pretender shell.
This kind of full-body rebuild was particularly prevalent in the Marvel's Transformers comic and its sequels. Because Marvel's universe predated the concept of sparks and a more supernatural take on Transformer death and the afterlife, a full-body rebuild was the de facto method of resurrecting "deceased" characters. Rebuilding was also prevalent in IDW's first Transformers continuity, in which taking on a new form or alternate mode usually--but not always--required an extensive mechanical refit. In many cases, a character might simply take on a new form between appearances: for instance, Optimus Prime appears with an entirely new appearance in Armada, Energon, and Cybertron; it is a reasonable inferrence that these are the result of "offscreen" upgrades of some kind.
While most Cybertronian medics can carry out a rebuild of this scale using conventional tools and some basic engineering know-how, some amoral scientists have attempted to reformat other Cybertronians by directly altering their genetic material. Tampering with a Transformer's CNA can have drastic, immediate effects on a Cybertronian's appearance, alternate mode, and mental state--in some cases, it is possible to splice the Transformer genome with alien DNA to create Transformers with powerful beast modes and other unusual abilities.
