Commercial/Generation 2

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Advertisements for Generation 2 were totally hip to what the hep cats were digging. First they started with a more theatrical, orchestrated version of the original theme song. But that background-music-singing jive was totally bogus, so it was replaced by the "rap music" that all the kids listen to these days. Cel animation was so five minutes ago; these commercials used graphical images made with a hi-tek com-pu-tor. (To be fair, the CGI quality rapidly improved as Generation 2 's run continued, with some of the later ones being modestly impressive for their time.)

1993

Yes. Yes you are.

LISTEN TO THE CRUSTY RECORDING OF DOOM

• Generation 2 comic book [1]

Animation: Prime drives down a road and transforms; Ramjet swoops down and transforms to robot mode, then runs and fires. Prime and Ramjet shoot each other and grapple; Prime sends Ramjet flying. There are TWO moons in the sky (Prophetic!).

Narration: Victor Caroli.

Going ballistic to destroy the Autobots and conquer mankind, Ramjet IS an eevil Decepticon!

• Optimus Prime [2]

Animation: Highway/vs. Ramjet, recycled from the Generation 2 comics commercial.

Narration: Victor Caroli.

"Uhmmm Mmptms Prmmm!"

• Optimus Prime [3] - Edited down from the previous commercial.

• Color Changers [4]

Animation: Deluge (Decepticon) drives down a race track; Drench pops up in robot mode to attack him; Deluge transforms and fires back.

Narration: Victor Caroli.

Blast 'em with hot water to create disturbing imagery find out whose side they're on!

• Color Changers [5] - Edited down from the previous commercial.

• Megatron [6]

Animation: Prime drives and transforms, but something targets his head with a computer readout. Megatron rolls up, transforms and fires, tackling Prime.

Toy segment: Megatron completely trashes a poor Optimus Prime toy, knocking him down a hill, rolling over him in tank mode, etc.

Narration: Victor Caroli, basically saying that Prime sucks and Megatron can kick his ass.

Listen to the voice of DOOM! "Megatronattack." [sic]

• Megatron [7] - Edited down from the previous commercial.

• Jets and cars (Starscream, Ramjet, Inferno, Jazz, Sideswipe) [8]

Animation: Starscream and Ramjet fly over rocky desert; Ramjet transforms and lands. Jazz drives through a roller coaster city highway and transforms.

Narration: Victor Caroli.

Inferno's water cannon is rainin' pain!

• Jets and cars [9] - Edited from the previous commercial.

• Constructicons / Dinobots [10]

Animation: The Constructicons drive at the camera, scraping and tearing up the ground, Bonecrusher transforms into a very off-model robot mode and smashes an electrical box. Devastator smashes the ground, but the three Dinobots emerge from a fissure and attack. Dino-mode Grimlock grabs Devastator by the leg and throws him aside.

Narration: Victor Caroli.

They'll blast those Decepticons into extinction!

• Dinobots [11] - Edited from the previous commercial.
• Constructicons [12] - Edited from the previous commercial.

1994

• Aerialbots / Combaticons [13]

Animation: Five jets soar over a live-action neighborhood; Silverbolt transforms and lands before a hyper-excited kid. "Jet formation!" "Jet transformation!" Superion and Bruticus slug it out in the kid's neighborhood; Superion moves the kid to "safety" five feet away. "That was brutal!" "No, that's BRUTICUS!"

Narration: Victor Caroli. (Each sold separately.)

Notes: Silverbolt (G1) and Superion share the same voice from Garry Chalk.

Sample lyrics: The Combaticons are WARRING / Onslaught is ROARING / He is one metamorphing DUDICUS / They all combine / and kick Superion's behind / as the big bad battling BRUTICUS!

• Rotor Force / Laser Rods [14]

Animation: At a race track, a live-action kid watches some of the Laser Rods race; Sizzle transforms and punches a pole aside. A moment later, Leadfoot also transforms, and fires a rotor blade.

Narration: Victor Caroli. (Each sold separately.)

Notes: Sizzle has a speaking part. Leadfoot's "Cause I'm a transformin' rotor!" [sic] is voiced by Garry Chalk.

Sample lyrics: Flying all around / On the air and on the ground / Transformer rotors are SPINNIN'! / They can change before your eyes / into rotor-shooting guys / When they get into a battle they be WINNIN'!

Holy crap, did Sizzle kill that kid?

• Combat Heroes [15]

Animation: A live-action kid whines about a "battle tank" driving down his suburban street; it changes into Megatron. Fortunately, Prime is parked right behind the kid, and transforms to fight Megatron. "Battle THIS!" A moment later, the kid cheers for truck-mode Prime, only to have another truck transform into Prime — "Uh, over here."

Narration: Victor Caroli. (Each sold separately.)

Notes: Includes Peter Cullen voicing Optimus Prime.

Sample lyrics: It's heavy metal crunchin' time / as Optimus Prime / goes toe-to-toe with Combat Megatron / Prime is one tough dude / underneath his hood / he's a transformin' missile firin' phenomenon!

• Combat Heroes [16] - An edited, but still 30 seconds in length, version of the previous commercial. The CGI intro is shortened and only the narrator, Victor Caroli is heard talking. Caroli continues on with his spiel, replacing the rap. The ending CGI segment has the shot of the first Prime truck cut out, going straight to the kid turning around to see Prime transform and exclaim "Born to transform!".

• Dreadwing and Smokescreen [17]

Animation: A kid runs down a city street, fleeing Dreadwing, who strafes the street before transforming to tank mode while Smokescreen flies overhead. On a downtown street, the kid cries for help as Dreadwing and Smokescreen transform to robot mode in front of him ("No one can save you... from mustache-twirling triple-changing Dreadwing!") Electro and Sizzle (yes, Sizzle the Decepticon) drive up and transform, fighting the pair, but in the end they get picked up and smashed into each other by their foes.

Narration: Victor Caroli.

Notes: Dreadwing speaks twice in this commercial.

Sample lyrics: DreadWING / is punishING / his Gatling gun is ILLIN'!

"Autobots! HALP!" [sic]

• Dreadwing [18] - Edited down from the previous commercial, with the rap removed. Dreadwing speaks the line "Born to transform." The evil Dreadwing is a triple changer!

• Cyberjets [19]

Animation:

Narration: Victor Caroli.

Notes: This commercial is a 15-second version, typically the length of an edited version. To date, no full 30-second version has surfaced online, which is a shame, because it would probably have a rap song.