Rise of the Constructicons
Bulkhead befriends a pair of construction vehicles brought to life by AllSpark energy. But the Decepticons have their scanners set on the duo for their latest construction project.
Summary
The Autobots once again must aid in the restoration of the increasingly disaster-prone city of Detroit. Though there is oddly a fair amount of balking from a space bridge repair crew, Optimus Prime reminds them that a fair amount of the destruction is indeed their fault. These musings are cut short by Bumblebee spotting the other party to Detroit's deterioration, the Decepticons. Blitzwing and Lugnut are scurrying by in a most undignified manner, carrying construction supplies for Megatron. A combined effort by Bumblebee and Ratchet manages to knock the two Decepticons skidplate-over-processing unit, but they still manage to flee with a much smaller portion of the supplies. The Autobots are prevented from giving chase by the cracking of a bridge support, which they then repair.At the end of the day, the Autobots are ready to head home. Bulkhead tells Optimus Prime he'll catch up, to mask the fact that he's accidentally adhered his feet to the ground with cement.
Meanwhile across town, two construction vehicles are seen with AllSpark fragments embedded in them. The two fragments activate, and the machines gain sentience. After a brief debate over naming, they discover their new ability to turn into giant robots. This does not faze them in the slightest, and soon they chase off after a highly attractive sports car.
Bulkhead's attempts at mixing more cement prove explosive, knocking him out and nearly getting him skewered by iron girders. Thankfully the newly minted Constructibots spot this, and save his skidplate. They then help the lumbering Autobot to do the job right and then take him off to a tanker for an oil break.
Stats
- Written by: Stan Berkowitz
- Directed by: Ben Jones, Irineo Maramba, & Shunji Oga
- Original airdate: May 17, 2008
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Quotes
Hothead Blitzwing: I WILL POUND THEM INTO SHEETMETAL!
[changes into Random Blitzwing and finds a plate of sheetmetal]
Random Blitwing: OHHH! Oh wait! We've already got some!
- —Ah, good ol' Blitzwing.
[Scrapper bangs his shovel into Mixmaster]
Mixmaster: Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing, shovel-head!
Scrapper: Who you calling "shovel-head", cement-breath?!
Mixmaster: My name ain't "cement-breath", okay? It's...it's...uh...
Scrapper: Your little name tag says "Mixmaster".
Mixmaster: Nah, that's too long. Just call me "Mix".
Scrapper: All right, you got it, Mix. And you can call me...
[Sees a sign that says "scrap"]
Scrapper: Scrap.
Mixmaster: All right, that's too short. How 'bout "Scrapper"?
Scrapper: I like it.
- —The Constructicons come to life and name themselves. They had an easier time than Wreck-Gar.
"Where did Bulkhead find these two?"
"I've got a feeling it wasn't charm school".
- —Colour Prowl and Ratchet unimpressed.
"Hey, those don't grow back overnight!"
- —Sari gets her pigtails - and nearly her head - sliced off by Bulkhead with the frisbee in the factory. Bet they're back by the next episode...
[Blitzwing and Lugnut are pushing heavy supplies up a hill]
Icy Blitzwing: Ever notice that whenever there is heavy work to be done, Megatron is suddenly not around?
Lugnut: Bite your speech synthesizer! Megatron will take us to new heights of glory!
[Blitzwing is nearly crushed under the supplies he is carrying when Mixmaster saves him]
Mixmaster: You okay, buddy?
Hothead Blitzwing: Do I look okay to you?!
Random Blitzwing: Or do these wing struts make me look fat?
- —Blitzwing focuses on the important stuff.
[Lugnut charges his "powerpunch" and sneaks up behind the Constructicons]
Megatron: "Wait."
[Lugnut loses his balance and stumbles into the mine, causing his punch to back fire on him]
Lugnut: "I'm OK."
- —Ah, good old Lugnut.
Mixmaster: "You tricked us! Decepticons are the scum of the universe"
Megatron: "Whaaat? Who told you that?"
Scrapper: "Our friend, Bulkhead."
Megatron: "And you believed him?"
Mixmaster: "Sure, he's our friend."
Megatron: "And did your friend tell you how his Autobot kind have oppressed us? Driven us from our rightful home? Oh, they may come across as complete imbeciles, but Autobots are cunning, ruthless, unforgiving."
Mixmaster: "Uh, this is too confusing for me."
Megatron: "Then why don't I explain everything over a few barrels of oil?"
Mixmaster and Scrapper: [faces light up] "Oil?!"
- —Seduction of the stupid.
Bulkhead: But I thought we were friends.
Mixmaster: We are, Bulky, That's why we ain't gonna hurt you, as long as you hand over any bits you got of the...er...what did he call it again?
Scrapper: Uh, SparkAll? No, AllSpark, AllSpark.
Optimus: Over my offline body!
Mixmaster: All right, you know what? I have had enough of this dip stick in the mud!
[Mixmaster shoves Prime aside]
Bumblebee: Hey! He's our dip stick!
Ratchet: And nobody pushes him around!
- —The Autobots defend the honor of their Prime...and fail miserably.
Other notes
Continuity errors
- When the Constructicons are brought to life, they show no knowledge of Autobots, Decepticons, or of Transformers as a whole, yet they knew what and how to construct a space bridge without no prior knowledge aside from the schematics Megatron shows them.
Animation errors
- While Blitzwing is pushing the heavy load of construction equipment from a side profile, the animation is missing a line that separates his inner thigh from his crotch.
- As Megatron explains the Autobots 'cunning' to Mixmaster and Scrapper, the white outline around his insignia is not complete (either that or it's part of a shadow).
- When Ratchet tells Bumblebee to "vamoose" (around 1:30), Bumblebee has a red Decepticon insignia
- After the Constructicons flee, the road Bulkhead smashed up is in perfect condition.
Transformers references
- Megatron corrupting the Constructicons may also be a nod to Generation 1, where he did the same thing in "The Secret of Omega Supreme". Except, instead of using the Robo-Smasher, he got them robo-smashed...
- The two surveyors on top of the bridge are decked out in blue jeans, white shirts, tan jackets and yellow hard hats and boots, just like a disproportionate amount of humans from the Generation 1 cartoon.
- A construction crane which appears in a few scenes early in the episode is colored in the traditional Constructicon green-and-purple. Purple and green excavation vehicles were previously seen in "Nature Calls", and yet the Animated Constructicons themselves are yellow and grey, which might be a homage to the Generation 2 Constructicon toys.
- Scapper and Mixmaster hit on a little red sportscar. Sound familiar?
Real-world references
- The Constructicons often hit on cars (which could be the equivalent for them to female 'bots...or something), just like real cartoon construction workers with passing women.
- The Constructicons beep as they back up.
- The whole plot seems to be pretty thoroughly cribbed from every after-school special on the dangers of peer pressure ever.
Miscellaneous trivia
- This episode first aired in Dubai, around two weeks before its English-language broadcast premiere in Canada.
- It seems that in animated-verse yellow eyes are the neutral position. Good to know if there is a Switzerland on Cybertron.
- The Constructicons first start off as Constructobots, a portmanteau of construction and Autobot, but later Megatron gives them a new name, formed from construction and Decepticon instead.
- Megatron looks like a connaisseur in oil. Unlike his grand-oncle and his energon problem.
- Even assuming the Constructicons don't drink anything off-screen, they still consume what looks like half their weight in oil over the course of the episode. Where does it go?
- On second thought, don't think about it.
