Mode attachment
A Transformer with mode attachment has become particularly attached to their alternate mode, and will resist upgrading or reformatting to a new one, even when circumstances may merit it.<ref>Glossary of terms in Dreamwave's More than Meets the Eye #8</ref>
Mode fidelity is a stronger form of mode attachment and refers to those cases where a Transformer resists any changes to their body, right down to their eyebrows.<ref>Signal to Noise</ref>
Fiction
[edit]Generation 1
[edit]Tracks prefers his sleek Earth car form to his original robot form. Tracks's toy bio
Beast Wars II cartoon
[edit]The Seacons considered their mechabeast modes their default modes and the times they utilized their robot modes for anything other than an in-between to form God Neptune were rare. Halfshell consistently used his robot mode only during negotiations with someone from outside his crew, like Megastorm, Megastorm's Reckoning Starscream, Face the Setting Sun and Lio Convoy. The Final Battle Another time, Scylla used her robot mode to run after Tasmania Kid on land because her mechasquid mode was too clumsy for that kind of movement. Megastorm's Reckoning
Marvel The Transformers comics
[edit]Ratchet rebuilt Goldbug back into Bumblebee because ol' Doc always preferred his original form. His, uh, original Earth form, anyway. Skin Deep
2005 IDW continuity
[edit]Kup resisted upgrades and never bothered to keep his systems up to the current technology level. This might explain why he still transforms into a weird piece of crap truck thing. Spotlight: Kup
After receiving a new, tougher body in preparation for an important mission, Orion Pax revealed a desire to go back to his original body later. Omega's Conundrum He followed through on that desire. The Transformers: Stormbringer (He was also upset when his upgrade caused him to lose his faceplate.)
Rung admitted to himself in a quiet moment that he suffered from mode fidelity, remaining how he had always looked down to the last detail, even as all his comrades had changed and often grown as big as their systems would allow. Signal to Noise
2019 IDW continuity
[edit]Leviathan considered her giant harvester mode her primary form and refused to convert into robot mode unless the situation was absolutely life-or-death. Tremors