The Splendiferous Alt.Toys.Transformers FAQ Part One: Questions and Answers I written by Steve Stonebraker srstoneb@cc.owu.edu bc872@freenet.carleton.ca http://www.owu.edu/~srstoneb/ revised and edited by tengu@mindspring.com Version 5.0 Updated: 3/23/98 == Introduction ======================= This is the FAQ file for the alt.toys.transformers newsgroup. A FAQ is a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Different FAQ's are used for different purposes -- some aren't even organized by 'questions', but are straight information. This FAQ has a few main goals: A) to provide quick answers to various questions which come up frequently on the newsgroup. This makes things easier for the person asking the question, as well as less annoying to people reading the newsgroup. B) to serve as a useful reference for all TransFans. There are questions in this FAQ which have not been frequently asked on the newsgroup, and probably some which have never been asked, but they are questions that may be on people's minds regardless, or questions which, although you might not have thought of them, you are glad to know the answer to. C) to simply be entertaining to read. If there is something discussed in the FAQ which you have a question about, or have some new ideas to contribute, by all means do post a message about it or send email to me. This is merely a reference guide, and is not supposed to give the impression of having the last word on any issue. The FAQ represents, for the most part, the collected opinions of the people who post to ATT. Consequently, even though the FAQ is not God, if you disagree with or disobey it, the people whose opinions it reflects might not be happy with you. Additional posts on some topics are likely to be met with cries of "Read the FAQ!", and in some cases much worse. :) Also, if there is something which you would like to see included in the FAQ which I have passed over, send me email about it and best bet is that your suggestion will be in the next version. Revisions of this FAQ are irregular, meaning that I normally revise when I have enough new info to make it worth the effort and have the time to make the changes. Lastly, if I have included your email or web address, and it is incorrect or changes, _please_ be sure to alert me to this so I don't continue to list an out of date address. == Changes From Previous Version ====== - lots of outdated information in-dated :) - checked\updated almost every URL, e-mail address and various 'Net sundry - FAQ Parts Three and Four (Indexes) removed in favor of CTLP - "Special Thanks" truncated in the interests of document size - "ATT Strife" section added - Information on the Brawn Argument(TM) added - Additional info added to the BW Section (Transmetals, Fuzors, etc.) - updated info on where to purchase the TF:TM on video - new info regarding Stan Bush and Vince DiCola - BotCon '98 info added - Question about the blue Bluestreak added == FAQ Availability =================== As Steve Stonebraker's "stand in," I will attempt to maintain the level of quality that Steve has put into this document over the eons. :) While Steve's on hiatus, I will be compiling a mailing list for updates to the FAQ; to be included on this updates list e-mail tengu@mindspring.com with the Subject "FAQ Mailing List." Please feel free to send me comments about further additions to the FAQ, or notify me if you have contact information which you would like changed. Parts One and Two of the Transformers FAQ are posted every other Monday to alt.toys.transformers. The newest version will also always be available through the means listed below. The FAQ may be freely distributed in its unaltered form. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/1985/faq/faq.html http://cc.owu.edu/~srstoneb/tf/index.html == FAQ Structure ======================== The TF FAQ is presented in two segments. Parts One and Two make up the main body of the FAQ and are of nearly equal length. Resources referenced in the FAQ are given with their appropriate links; the previously-included FAQ Indexes have been omitted to ease the document's upkeep. The current recommended Index site for the ATT FAQ is Renaud T. Lefebvre's "Complete Transformers Listing Page." Due to Renaud's fine record of painstakingly compiling and maintaining links to nearly every TF site on the 'Net, FAQ Parts Three and Four have been removed in favor of the CTLP. The "Complete Transformers Listing Page" can be found at this URL: http://pages.infinit.net/renaud/CTLP.html == Contents =========================== I. General questions relating to the newsgroups 1. Why don't you guys go and get a life? 2. What are appropriate topics for posts in ATT and ATTM? 3. Are their any guidelines for ATT posts? 4. What's the range of ages for people in this group? 5. Is it okay to post binaries to this group? 6. Where do I go to buy, sell, or trade TF toys? 7. Are there any guidelines for marketplace posts? 8. I can't read ATT.marketplace. What should I do? 9. I have some TFs but I don't know their names... can anyone help me? 10. What is "ATT Strife?" How can it be avoided? II. Things ATTers might mention 1. What is FIRRIB / FIBRIR ? 2. What's a TF MUSH? 3. What's the TF Purity Test? 4. What's the TransFan code some people are using? 5. What should I not ask about on ATT? 6. What's this whole "Brawn" thing about? III. Getting info and stuff 1. Are there any TF WWW or ftp sites? 2. Where can I get a list of all the TFs that were made? 3. Where can I get a list of all the TF tech specs? 4. Where can I get a list of all the TF fan fiction? 5. Where can I get a list of all the TF cartoon episodes? 6. Where can I get a list of TF quotes? 7. How about a TF encyclopedia or something? IV. General TF questions 1. When did the TFs first come out? 2. Are there any TF conventions? 3. Are there any TF clubs? 4. What's happening with the current TF line? V. TF related products 1. Are there any TF video games? 2. Is there a TF role-playing game? 3. What were those TF trading cards like? 4. What TF books are available? VI. Continuity issues 1. Why doesn't anything agree with anything else? 2. What's the basic origin from the comics? 3. What's the basic origin from the TV show? 4. So where did Unicron come from in the cartoon? 5. Which origin for the Constructicons is right? VII. General TF story questions 1. Does Cybertron have an atmosphere? 2. How big is Cybertron? 3. What's up with the female TFs? 4. But WHY do they have them at all? 5. How do TFs reproduce? 6. How did the Great War start? 7. Why do they transform? Why not just be big robots? 8. Where does Prime's trailer go when he transforms? 9. Are they immortal? 10. Is there a full Transformers history anywhere? VIII. Beast Wars 1. Why Beast Wars? 2. Why did they change Prime and Megs? 3. Are the toys actually any good? 4. What's a Transmetal? What's a Fuzor? 5. What's the story behind the TV show? 6. Is it true that the show's writers read the newsgroup? 7. What's the setting for Beast Wars? 8. Are the Beast Warriors actually stranded on Earth? And what's the deal with this Golden Disk? 9. What *is* the name of the Predacon ship? 10. Are the BW aliens actually the Quintessons? 11. What are "protoforms?" 12. Is there going to be a BW comic book? 13. What BW stuff can I get for my computer? IX. Toys 1. What were the TFs based on? 2. What's the deal with red/yellow Bumblebee/Cliffjumper? 3. Why is Jetfire just like a Robotech Veritech fighter? 4. Was there a Skyfire toy? 5. I've got these weird tiny TFs. What are they? 6. What are those switches on the back of the Jumpstarters' heads for? 7. How many combiners did they make in the original TF line? 8. How many tapes did they make? 9. Did they ever make a Unicron toy? 10. Why have all the TF toys since [pick a time] sucked? 11. What's with Go-Bot Transformers? 12. What are the G2 Powermasters? 13. Was there ever a blue Bluestreak toy? X. Cartoon 1. What's the deal with Rumble and Frenzy? Which is which? 2. Can Autobots fly or not? 3. Why'd they call Jetfire "Skyfire" and draw him different? 4. How'd they do Soundwave's voice? 5. Where can I find episodes of the show on tape? 6. What was "Five Faces of Darkness" about? 7. People have mentioned "Call of the Primitives". What was that episode about? 8. What happened in "Dark Awakening" and "The Return of Optimus Prime"? 9. What was "Rebirth"? 10. Is there a list of the voice actors from the show? XI. Comics 1. Who published it, and when was it in production? 2. Who wrote the comic? 3. Who drew it? 4. The whole story arc with Unicron was different in the comic, so where did Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge come from in it? And where was Rodimus Prime? 5. What about issue 43, "The Big Broadcast of 2006"? 6. Wasn't Spiderman in one issue? Does that mean the TFs are in the normal Marvel Universe with the X-Men? 7. What about G.I. Joe? 8. I never got to read the G2 comics... what happened in them? 9. Where can I buy old TF comics? XII. TF:The Movie 1. What happened in it? 2. Why weren't more characters featured? 3. Where was Snarl? 4. Why did the Insecticons keep showing up and dying? 5. Why would Astrotrain need to "jettison some weight" in space? 6. Who became Cyclonus, and why were there two of him? 7. Why'd they kill everyone? 8. Who did the voices? 9. What was the universal greeting they used? 10. Didn't they swear in it? 11. What changes were made between the theatrical and video releases? 12. Is there an uncut copy of the movie, which even has material that was never seen in theaters? 13. Where can I get the movie on tape? 14. Where can I get the movie on laserdisc? 15. Where can I get the movie soundtrack? 16. What else is there to know about Stan Bush and Vince DiCola? XIII. TFs outside the United States 1. Where else have TFs appeared? 2. What were the Japan-only toys like? 3. What other toys were never released in the US? 4. What were the Japanese TF cartoons like? 5. Wow! How can I get copies of the anime? 6. What's Transformers: Hero? 7. What's different between the American and British comics? XIV. Miscellaneous Questions 1. What were those Cybertronian units of time? 2. Unicron vs. the Death Star: who would win? 3. How do you write out the transforming sound? 4. Which TFs died in the movie/comic/tv show? 5. What movie was it that had those TF cartoons in it? XV. Closing Comments and Information Fanzines and clubs A note on translations Behavior pointers: for people new to the net, or new to ATT for established ATT regulars XVI. Silly Random Questions XVII. Revision History and Plans for the Future XVIII. About the Author XIX. Terms and Abbreviations XX. Legalese and Special Thanks == I. General Questions Relating to the Newsgroups 1. Why don't you guys go and get a life? Contrary to appearances, many, and indeed most, of the regular posters to alt.toys.transformers DO lead healthy and (somewhat) full lives. It is true that we are holding on to our childhoods, but that's something that most people would consider to be a good thing. :) When it comes down to it, the main reason that most of us read and post to alt.toys.transformers is that we simply think transforming robots are a pretty cool idea. There's nothing wrong with adults liking toys. :P Most TransFans also find a great deal of enjoyment in the background story and mythos associated with TFs. There are so many interesting and well-developed characters in the Transformer universe that many people find it impossible not to get caught up in the legend. Many ATT readers also read related newsgroups (such as rec.games. mecha, and rec.arts.anime), and you may also want to check out a few of those groups if you have not already done so. 2. What are appropriate topics for posts in ATT and ATTM? Basically, anything related to Transformers in any way is appropriate on ATT _except_ for sales, trades, and auctions. ATTM, ideally, should contain nothing but sales, trades, and auctions. Sometimes marketplace posts will prompt discussions -- if this occurs, please alter the subject line of the thread to reflect that it is now a discussion (something like [TALK] will do). Discussions are not forbidden in ATTM, but they do really belong in ATT. If a marketplace discussion goes on beyond a few posts (and does not relate directly to a sale), please move it to ATT by crossposting. This keeps both newsgroups neat and tidy, and tidiness was the point behind creating ATTM in the first place. Most of the ambiguous topics are okay in either group, although there is still a best place to post. Examples that are preferred on ATT are requests for toy identification (since it's not a sale yet, even if you intend to sell later) and announcements of new toys hitting store shelves (ie: "Columbus area Wal-Mart gets BW Inferno!"). Warnings about dubious sellers and requests for seller references are more relevant on ATTM, where you are more likely to reach people who have dealt, or might deal, with the individual in question. Posting one of these half-and- half topics should not cause trouble, though, if you put it in the "wrong" place. Perhaps to most *inappropriate* thing to post on ATT is any personal issues you may with another member of the NG, or with the group in general. This will only lead to further ATT strife, something I'm sure most ATTers could gladly do without. (see I, 11.) 3. Are there any guidelines for ATT posts? They are about the same as on any "typical" newsgroup. Follow basic nettiquette and you will be okay. Read "How to win friends and influence ATT", posted regularly by H. Jameel al Khafiz (spectre@dhp. com) for pointers on this sort of thing. Don't spread rumors unless you *clearly* state that they are only rumors, and if possible, tell where you heard the rumor. Make sure the article subject is appropriate and informative. If you are posting a followup in a thread, *please* change the subject of the thread if the topic has changed. For example: "Cybertron tastes like chicken? (was: Unicron's motivation)". To go further into article subjects: it is even more helpful to include a "category" of sorts at the beginning of the subject line. Something like [TALK], [KITBASH], [INFO], or [NEWS]. The most important thing is to keep the subject both brief and useful. If you are asking a question, make sure you indicate this. IMPORTANT NOTE: Use of the qualifier "[OFF TOPIC]" is generally frowned upon. If you *know* you're about to post something that doesn't belong in the newsgroup, just *don't*. Recently, mislabled posts have become an increasing problem on ATT. More than a few times, Spoilers have been posted without appropriate notification in the post's subject line, or with any "Spoiler Space" included in the post. (see I, 11.) Aside from this, long-running threads have often had the tendency of retaining their original subject lines, even if the topic under discussion has changed several times. Paying special attention to how your posts are labeled will help out your fellow ATTers, and will reflect more favorably on you. In short, a good habit to get into might be giving subject tags to *all* of your posts- it will certainly have a positive effect on the organization of the NG. 4. What's the range of ages for people in this group? In July '96 Joseph Neo did a statistical analisys of the TransFan ages on ATT. His results fell into a typical bell curve with a mean of 20, ranging from 11 to 34. Generally, it's the people who were the right age to appreciate Transformers when they were really popular, from around 1984 to 89 or 90. However, there are outliers on both sides, and the range will continue to grow (mostly on the younger end) because of Beast Wars's popularity. This question is *almost* on the "don't ask" list, but unless we continue to get people asking about it with a fair regularity, even though it's in the FAQ, I'll leave it off. 5. Is it okay to post binaries on this group? Well, it's not really forbidden, but doing so is frowned upon. A "binary" is a post consisting of many many lines of garbage characters which, when properly decoded, becomes a file of some sort: usually a picture or sound, but sometimes other things as well. There are specific areas which were created for binary posts (the alt.binaries.* hierarchy, go figure) in order to keep them out of normal newsgroups. This is to save computing resources for sites which don't wish to carry cumbersome binaries. Many people who use commercial internet providers have to pay, one way or another, for the Usenet posts they read, even if it's as simple as having to download message packets for reading offline. Binary posts are _very_ long and take a lot of phone time, which can mean bigger long distance bills. The main concern, though, is that if a newsgroup gets a lot of binary posts, some net service providers might stop offering the group altogether due to all the disk space a group full of binaries uses up. Because of their size a lot of people don't have access to the alt. binaries.* groups themselves, since providers don't want to use all that space to store them. For these reasons, if you have a file you'd like to post, it is better to just upload it to an FTP site or send it to a WWW page maintainer and post a message stating that you have done so. However, if you prefer to post a file to Usenet, you can find an appropriate group under the binaries hierarchy (alt.binaries.pictures. cartoons, for example) to put it in and post a short note to ATT informing us that we can find it there. 6. Where do I go to buy, sell, or trade TF toys? Preferably, all Transformers sales and trades should occur in ATT's branch group, alt.toys.transformers.marketplace. After a large, somewhat messy debate over the possibility of a marketplace the newgroup message was sent and ATTM came into being in late December, 1996. [If your site does not carry ATTM, read question 8.] For instructions regarding ATTM posting decorum, please read the next question as well. An important point about auctions: if you are making bids, _please_ be sure you send your bid over email to the person holding the auction. Do _NOT_ post bids to the newsgroup. It annoys other readers and probably won't get your bid recognized by the auctioneer either. If you are looking to buy, whether you want a specific toy or are just in a general buying mood, the easiest thing to do is look through the current auctions and For Sale posts. If no one is selling what you're looking for there are a few options: Toy shows, and of course BotCon, are good places to look for old TFs. Many of the Transformers you'll find at toy shows and conventions will be in their box, possibly unopened, and also highly priced. They're good places to find toys, though, and you can even get TFs that were never released in the US at conventions. (Not familiar with any of the non-US toys? Check out section XII.) A frequent goldmine for TransFans are flea markets, and sometimes even garage sales. Often at flea markets there will be tables piled with random toys, and with a little searching you can find Transformers. Their condition will vary of course, but you'll be able to buy them cheap. Even if you're lucky enough to come across some foreign TFs (which has happened -- once a lucky TransFan found three pieces LioCeasar at a flea market) the dealer will likely have no idea what they're worth. The important thing to remember at a flea market is to never let on how much you want something, even a complete Fortress Maximus. :) Act cool and slightly disinterested to get the best price. 7. Are there any guidelines for marketplace posts? TF sales on the net are traditionally done in an auction format, but you may certainly sell at a set price if you prefer. Make sure the subject heading of your post is appropriate: auctions should have the word "auction" in them, for sale and want to buy posts should say FS and WTB, respectively. FT and WTT mean "for trade" and "want to trade". The type of post should be placed at the beginning of the subject line, either in brackets (eg. [AUCTION]) or followed by a colon (eg. WTB:). To conduct an auction, make a list of what TFs you want to sell, give some clue as to their condition, whether they are originals or G2, etc., etc.: anything that your buyers might want to know. You can always find a current auction message and sort of follow its format if you're totally clueless. In an effort to make the auctions and sales held a little more consistent, Burt Ward (beavis@cris.com) has written up some guidelines for determining the conditions of TFs. This way people can know more specifically what they're getting without worrying what the seller's definition of "fair condition" is. This guide is highly recommended. To get a copy, email Burt or check out his WWW page: http://www.wvinter.net/~beavis/tf/text/tfauct21.faq (Burt is also currently working on a "prototype" version of an ATTM FAQ.) Remember, don't post auction bids! Email them to the auctioneer! 8. I can't read ATT.marketplace. What should I do? If you are unable to access ATTM, the best thing you can do is write to your news or system administrator and request that it be added locally. Unless your admins are irresponsible they will most likely do this for you after only one request. However, you may need to nag occasionally to get some admins off their butts. Depending on how your newsreader works, you might even be able to post to newsgroups that you cannot read. If you are able, please do post to ATTM even if you can't read it. Alternatively, you can read and post to ATTM by visiting DejaNews at http://www.dejanews.com . DN is a newsgroup archive site that allows free reading and posting via the world wide web. Simply explore their site to figure out how it all works. 9. I've got some TFs but I don't know their names... can anyone help me? Certainly. Many of the regular ATT posters (and I'm sure a lot of the lurkers) can identify your TFs without even having to look them up. Simply make a post with the subject "ID this/these TF" or something similar, and you should get emails or follow-up posts about it before too long. Even if the toys aren't _real_ TFs, be they ripoffs like Shackwave, or just a similar toy like GoBots or MASK, or whatever, go ahead and ask; just make sure you say that they aren't (or might not be) Transformers so people know what to think about. 10. What is "ATT Strife?" How can it be avoided? "ATT Strife" is just a general phrase to describe what some have called the "downfall of ATT" or the general lack of mutual respect that many individuals have noted on the group. It seems almost obvious that this type of question *shouldn't* have to appear in the FAQ, but prevailing suggestions have warranted its inclusion. To be blunt, many longtime *and* newbie ATTers have noted that ATT has become an especially unpleasant forum in recent months. The factors behind this impression are not entirely clear, and as such there is no one solution to the problem. However, there are a few obvious problems ATT has recently exhibited which the following recommendations address. As far as flamewars and personal insults go: It is highly recommended that *any* individual who seeks to use ATT as a forum to voice personal issues about other NG participants refrain from doing so. Basically, this means take personal issues to e-mail. The majority of ATTers simply do *not* care if person A offended person B's delicate sensibilities, or if group X has a problem with group Y. Keep in mind that every ATT post you make can potentially be seen by hundreds or thousands of people around the world. Not even a marginal percentage of these people will see any relevance in one ATTer's dislike for another. Before you post something about someone else, try and make sure it belongs on the group. Off-Topic discussions: If you are arguing or discussing a topic with someone, and that topic has little or nothing to do with Transformers, REMOVE IT FROM THE GROUP. If a discussion you are involved in has veered off-topic, and your best attempts to bring it back on-topic have failed, either REMOVE IT FROM THE GROUP or IGNORE IT. ATT can survive as an effective forum only if its subject matter is given *nothing* less than the highest priority. This does *not* mean that it is wrong to be punchy on occasion (heck, that's natural), or that it is reprehensible to make the odd off-topic reference for the sake of good humor. However, each ATTer should make it his or her own personal responsibility to use the Newsgroup responsibly, and to set an example by doing so. Each of us is the cause, and each of us is the solution. ATT is a *shared* resource, forged both by our combined enthusiasm and a respect for our fellow TransFan. Leaving the Group: If you have decided to stop reading the Newsgroup, ne'er to return, please do not feel the need to post an emotional tirade about your reasons for doing so. Most assuredly, many fellow ATTers may be sad to see you go, and may miss your insight into the group's discussions. However, ATT is not so formal an environment that "Hellos" and "Goodbyes" are necessary. If you will no longer be subscribing to ATT, simply stop reading and/or posting. This shows a respect for the integrity of the forum, as well as a respect for the time and attention of your fellow ATTers. (Also, it will keep you from getting egg on your face if you decide to return after all. :) Of course, if you'll be unavailable for a period of time and are involved in a project/deal/discussion with other ATTers, there's nothing wrong with posting an "I'll be out of the country" notice. :) On posting Spoilers responsibly: A "Spoiler" can be loosely defined as any bit of information that might reveal plot points in a work of fiction, if that information is not yet public knowledge. Essentially, posting a spoiler about a TV show might reveal aspects of the plot that most people aren't aware of yet. As far as what is a spoiler and what isn't a spoiler, use your common sense. Mentioning what planet the Beast Wars story takes place on may not be a spoiler, as it's been common knowledge for a while now. However, if a major character dies in this week's BW episode, it's likely that more than a few ATTers might not know yet, so discussion of the matter will likely involve Spoilers. As such, it's a good idea to appropriately label your post if you think you may be discussing a Spoiler. Using the Subject tag "[Spoilers:]" will help ATT readers identify what they are reading, so that they can avoid your post if they wish to remain surprised. Also, make use of "Spoiler Space," and include a good twenty-or-so carriage returns (blank lines) before the text of your post. This is an important point, as some newsreaders will automatically open and display the first new article retrieved. In such cases, Spoiler Space will help hide the text of your post from accidental reading. Use of Spoiler Space and the [Spoiler:] tag will allow you to post discussions about exciting new stories, without exposing plot points to other TransFans who are unaware of them. Again, use your common sense as far as spoilers are concerned; depending on the medium involved, a spoiler might take a week or two (or more) to become common knowledge. == II. Things ATTers Might Mention === 1. What is FIRRIB / FIBRIR? FIRRIB is an acronym for "Frenzy Is Red Rumble Is Blue". It's a topic that has historically caused quite a stir on ATT Please do not mention this topic. It's more trouble than it's worth, and no good will come of its discussion. FIRRIB/FIBRIR is a matter of dispute because of inconsistent coloring between the toys and the cartoon show. If you go by the toys, Rumble is red and black, while Frenzy is two shades of blue. On the TV show, however, Rumble was purplish and blue, and Frenzy, who was almost never featured, was red and black. To make things even more confusing, sometimes they were both shown as blue, or both as red. The comic book, near the beginning, often had inconsistent coloring as well, and in fact both Frenzy and Rumble sometimes looked sort of blackish. Also, the G2 Go-Bot version of Frenzy is actually purple, perhaps in an effort to solve the red/blue controversy... ;) What it really comes down to is whether you consider the show or the toys to be canon. For most people this depends on which they saw first. One thing you will learn about TFs, though, is that there really is no pure canon. 2. What's a TF MUSH? A MUSH is an online game which many people can play at once. The letters stand for "Multi-User Shared Hallucination." MUSHes are very similar to MUDs, in that people connect to it and control characters which interact with other players and the environment. However, while the focus on MUDs is generally on fighting, MUSHes tend to be much more plot-oriented and focus on role-playing. By that turn, *Transformers* MUSHes allow you to "assume the role" of a particular Transformers character, allowing you to act as that character would throughout a series of events. For an index of TF MUSHes, along with a list of their corresponding contacts, visit The Transformers MUSH List: http://www.tly.mudservices.com/mushlist.html 3. What's the TF Purity Test? After reading through several "You know you're obsessed with TFs when..." posts, Diana Calder (az529@freenet.carleton.ca) put together a fan purity test in the style of the Animaniacs newsgroup's purity test which was in the style of the normal purity test. Basically, it's a long list of questions, some of which are quite silly, and you count your number of "yes" answers to get your score. You can pick it up off of Iggy Drougge's web page, at: http://www.canit.se/~optimus/tf/purity.txt 4. What's the TransFan code some people are using? Originally created for us by Lizard (lizard@dnai.com), TransFan code goes along the lines of Geek Code, which you may or may not be familiar with. This isn't a way to encrypt messages, but a string of letters and other characters to put in your .sig (or elsewhere) which summarize your TransFan info. For example, the letter G is followed by a series of pluses, the number of which express your "General love of TFs". There are other letters for MUSHing, fanfic, toy collection size, etc. H. Jameel al Khafiz (spectre@dhp.com) has created a TransFan code web page at this URL: http://www.dhp.com/~spectre/Tformers/tfcode.html 5. What should I not ask about on ATT? There are a few main topics (Threads That Would Not Die, TTWND) that are good to avoid. These are questions, statements, etc., that have been discussed so thoroughly, or are so incredibly pointless, that even one post about them is a waste of bandwidth. Please respect other people's wishes and do not bring these up unless you are _confident_ that you have a completely new and fascinating idea to contribute. If you feel that this FAQ is not informative enough on any "forbidden" topic, please email me (tengu@mindspring.com) and explain what is lacking. I will improve that part of the FAQ to spare ATT from watching a TTWND remerge. 1) Unicron vs. ________. See XIV, 2. 2) FIRRIB / FIBRIR. See II, 1. 3) Scenes cut from the movie. See X, 10-12. 4) Brawn is Dead/Brawn is Alive. See II, 6. 6. What's this whole "Brawn" thing about? In short, it's about the longest series of threads you'll ever see on ATT, aside from "Decepticons/Autobots are Good/Evil." There's a long-running argument among ATTer TransFans regarding whether or not the Autobot character "Brawn" was killed in Transformers: The Movie. Some fans feel that his death is a given (he was shot by a gun-mode Megatron), while some others feel that Brawn's proven toughness would've ensured his survival. The argument has gone both ways several times, but it most often ends up in flamewars and bouts of mutual disdain. For the good of ATT, it's most likely not a great thing to bring up. == III. Getting Info and Stuff ======== 1. Are there any TF WWW or ftp sites? Yes! There are _tons_ of Transformers sites on the net. The number of TF WWW sites alone is enormous and still growing. It's difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with every new TF site that appears. In an effort to streamline the FAQ and more effectively direct readers toward online TF resources, it's recommended you take a look at the "Complete TF Listing Page;" http://pages.infinit.net/renaud/CTLP.html The "CTLP" is the most expansive TF Index site on the 'Net, organized alphabetically and updated on a frequent basis. You should be able to find the information you're looking for there (be it FTP, WWW, etc.), or at least find information on the information you're looking for. ;-) In an effort to bring together some of the TF Web pages out there, Phil "SkyJammer" Zeman has created a Transformers WebRing. The main page for the ring is www.geocities.com/Area51/1070/tfring.html . 2. Where can I get a list of all the TFs that were made? Where can I get specific TF toy information? There is an extremely comprehensive toy list undergoing constant evolution by Robert Jung (rjung@netcom.com). It lists all toys from the US, Europe, and Japan, along with years they were released and short descriptions. Andrew FrankeL (sideswipe@earthlink.net) has managed to piece together a checklist of sorts of the Japanese serial numbers of all the TFs (that is, the C-XXX and D-XXX ID's from the Japanese toy boxes). The list is available at Steve Stonebraker's page: http://cc.owu.edu/~srstoneb/tf/index.html You might also want to look at M Sipher's (msipher@aol.com) "That Big Transformers Variations List", which enumerates the many toy variations which have been released. (Only *toy* variations, not packaging vars.) "The Ark Archives" has a wide array of catalogue and TF toy images available; the goal of this site is provide a picture of every Transformers toy, merchandise artifact, advertisement, and prototype made. The URL for this site is: http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/pratchett/169/index.html "The Transformers Collector" is also a good source of information regarding Transformers toys. The site maintains an image archive of specific TF toy items as well as other "collectible" TF merchandise. The URL for the site is: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/6215/ 3. Where can I get a list of all the TF tech specs? David "Hex" Tashjian is the keeper of the "Official Unofficial Transformers Tech Spec Listing". It's pretty exhaustive, and is available at Hex's web site: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Peaks/6798/tfs-idx.htm Also, Lewis Brooks (BROOKS_L@rhea.bentley.edu) wrote a tech spec viewing program called Tech Spec 2000. It can be found at: http://users.aol.com/autobot999/tf/techspec.htm Jon and Karl Hartman have archive of tech specs images, which can be found at: http://www.noblecan.org/~jhartman/tf/tsarchive/tsarchive.html 4. Where can I get a list of all the TF fan fiction? Currently, Suzanne M. Ferree is responsible for maintaining the fanfic list. This list is available from her WWW page, http://www.cyberspace.org/~suz/beta.html , or by sending her email at the addresses listed below. The list is rather large, as a lot of TF fanfic has been written. Suzanne asks (and this is important!) that when you post fanfic, if you want it to get on her list, that you include the word "fanfic" in your post subject. Like, "[FANFIC]Unicron vs. the Death Star". That makes it easier for her, and for other readers as well. Suzanne's e-mail addresses are: winter/spring: sferree@s-cwis.unomaha.edu summer: suz@.cyberspace.org If you are interested in reading any of the fanfic, a *large* library of titles is available at http://www.home.aone.net.au/charl/charl.htm , "Charl's Transformers Fanfic Page." 5. Where can I get a list of all the TF cartoon episodes? Aaron Marsh (abm4111@cs.rit.edu) has compiled a US TF episode guide, sorted by approximate airdates. The list includes a brief summary for each episode. An HTML version of this guide is avalable at: http://www.cs.rit.edu/~abm4111/tfepgd.html A TEXT version of this guide is available at: http://www.cs.rit.edu/~abm4111/tfepgd.txt Marek Kozubal (progrmer@max.tiac.net) has a fairly complete list on his WWW page: http://staff.feldberg.brandeis.edu/~progrmer/transformers/ This list has all titles, and additional information (writers, etc.) for certain episodes. 6. Where can I get a list of TF quotes? Naomi Novik (shalott@brown.edu) compiled a list of favorite TF quotes a while ago, but didn't have the time to keep it up to date. More recently Robert Powers (repowers@artsci.wustl.edu) took the initiative and reorganized the list himself. The list is available from Burt Ward's WWW page: http://www.wvinter.net/~beavis/tf/vault.html M Sipher (msipher@ibm.net) has compiled an impressive list of quotes from the Beast Wars show, which can be obtained here: http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/tf/BW-Quotes.html 7. How about a TF encyclopedia or something? Such a project is currently being undertaken by Stanley Lui (sslui@csclub.uwaterloo.ca). Stan has basic information on nearly all of the articles now, but is still looking for details on most topics. Major articles in the encyclopedia are on specific characters, events, and places from all TF fiction continuities. Although it focuses on the American comic and cartoons, there are articles based on the UK Comic and Japanese cartoons as well. For each item listed there will eventually be a general info section, and then a history for each continuity. For example, the article on Optimus Prime will start with "Op is the leader of the Autobots, blah blah blah" and then have subsections with his life story from each continuity. The TF Ency is provided mainly as a reference tool for people who need background information for FanFic writing, and for other TF fans who are just trying to remember the name of a place or what a certain gun did. The TF Encyclopedia is located at: http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~sslui/tf-ency.html On a similar note, here are a few other general Transformers reference materials: Aaron Marsh (abm4111@vaxb.isc.rit.edu) has a painstakingly compiled list of *every* TF appearance in the American comics, and it is a vailable at: http://www.cs.rit.edu/~abm4111/comchar.txt Sarai Feria has done the same for the American cartoons. The appearances are organized by character, and list every issue / episode in which each character appeared. The list is available at: http://www.canit.se/~optimus/tf/character.txt == IV. General TF Questions =========== 1. When did the TFs first come out? The very first appearance of the Transformers was an animated TV commercial for the Marvel comic book. This first aired in the spring of 1984. The first issue of the comic itself was dated as September 1984. However, at the time of this writing Marvel is dating their comics about 2 months ahead of when they hit the shelves, so it's likely that issue one was actually released in July '84. The first batch of toys were released in spring '84, and the original three episodes of the show aired several months later. The cartoon then went weekly (on Sunday mornings in most places) a little before Christmas of 1984, and then daily in 1985. 2. Are there any TF conventions? Since 1994 there has been an annual BotCon (the name is derived from the words AutoBOT and DeceptiCON, placing the obligatory "con" at the end of the name) held every summer. The first BotCon was run by Jon and Karl Hartman in Ft. Wayne IN. The Hartmans own the copyright to the name "BotCon", and have final approval over who will run it each year. In 1995, Raksha organized the second BotCon in Dayton OH, and BotCon '96 was run by Men-In-Black Collectibles in Chicago. BotCon '97 was run by 3H Enterprises (The Hartman's/Glen Hallit's company) in Rochester, NY on July 18-20, 1997. BotCon traditions include dealer tables for toys, comics, fanzines and art, showings of US and Japanese cartoons and the movie, panel discussions about things like TF fanfic, toy repair lessons, art, trivia contests, and a limited-edition TF figure available only to people at the convention. In other words, BotCon is great. :) BotCon '98 promises to be exciting as well! Aside from a whole bunch of TF voice actors, writers from the Beast Wars television show and the writer of "Transformers: The Movie" will be present. Also scheduled to appear are TF comic craftsmen Simon Furman and Andrew Wildman, as well as Vince DiCola, composer of TF:TM's popular score. Information about BotCon '98 is available from the BotCon homepage, at: http://www.noblecan.org/~jhartman/tf/botcon98/botcon98.html (The show will take place in Ahaheim, CA from June 19-21, 1998.) The Men-In-Black, the organizers of BotCon '96, also have a more toy-oriented show in the works for the Fall of 1998. Continuing with the "Transcon" theme developed in 1997, "Transcon III" is sceduled to take place in September, 1998. More information can be obtained from: http://htonline.htonline.com/Men_in_Black/transc.html 3. Are there any TF clubs? There are a few major TF clubs that are still active today. Information on some of these clubs is listed below. (Note: If you have a TF club you would like to have listed in the FAQ, please feel free to contact me. :) Transmasters (International): ----------------------------- Tony Buchanan Tony Klepack Andy Dornan 1215 S Andrews Rd 9637 76th Ave. 9 Cuckoo Lane Yorktown IN 47396 Edmonton Alberta Stubbington Fareham, Hants USA TGC OK4 Canada PO14 3PJ England TransMasters Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/8034/ transmasters@geocities.com. TransMasters UK: http://www.geocities.com/~tmuk/ webmaster: Graham Thomson. Representative: Andy Dornan. The Survivors: -------------- Liane Elliot (Survivors Leader) electra@masterpiece.com The Alliance: Transformer Fan Club : ------------------------------------ http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4260/alliance.html TCDOC1@aol.com Transformers Fans of The World (TFFW): -------------------------------------- http://www.tffw.com rumble@1starnet.com In addition, there are many continuing TF fanzines and fan-made comic books besides the ones published directly by these clubs. For a little more info on them, please read section XV. 4. What's happening with the current TF line? As should be rather easy to see, the main force of TF toys is now the "Beast Wars" line. The two warring factions are the Maximals (good guys) and the Predacons (bad guys). Both sides transform from robots into animal and "animal inspired" alternate modes. An excellent computer animated BW television show is aired two times a week, a video game is out for the Sony Playstation, and the toys are a consistent top-seller in the action figure market. According to Tomart's Action Figure Digest (March, 1998), Beast Wars is the number six action figure line in the US based on Unit Figure Sales. Plans for BW's future include an expansion of the current "Transmetals" and "Fuzors" sub-lines, and a slew of Japanese-release Beast Wars toys designed by Takara. Please see section VIII for detailed Beast Wars information. For those interested in contacting Hasbro or Kenner, their phone number is 1-800-255-5516, and their WWW address is http://www.hasbrotoys.com == V. TF related products ============= 1. Are there any TF video games? Oh, yes. There are a few official games, and a lot of fan-made ones. Although there have not been any official Transformers video games made for a long time, a BW game for the Sony Playstation has finally been released. The gameplay is similar in style to games like "MDK" and "Tomb Raider," and basically involves running your chosen BW character around and shooting at stuff. The game features nearly all of the major characters from the first season of the BW series, and most playable characters can transform into their beast modes at your command! :) The game was scheduled to be released for the IBM PC, but as of March '98 the game is still "vaporware." More information on the BW game can be found at its official site: http://www.beastwars.com Some time ago there was a TF game made for the Japanese FamiCom (their equivalent of our original Nintendo Entertainment System). The player controlled Ultra Magnus and had to take out droves of Decepticon jets and tanks in a Metroid-ish platform game manner. To go further back than that: There were 2 different games released for the Commodore 64. The original, merely called "The Transformers", was a basic platform game. According to various sources, however, your mission is to find 4 energon cubes which are scattered throughout the level and bring them back to your home base. When you get the energon cubes back to your base, they turn into parts of an Autobot symbol, and the object is to complete that symbol. There are several different Autobots available to control, and they all have cool transformation animations. Also, all the Autobots fly... (See X 2.) The second game was called "The Battle for Cybertron" and, like some of the TF books (V, 4) had an ambiguous setting, as both Hot Rod _and_ Rodimus Prime were available to control. Your mission in this game was to prevent the Decepticons from taking over various places on Earth, and to stop them from building their ultimate weapon. There was a map screen with about 15 different places on it, and you could send about 8 different Autobots to any of them, depending on where the Decepticons were attacking (they tended to go to the same locations every time the game was played, though, and some areas were never used at all). Once your Autobot was there, the game switched to a first-person view, and you had to move a crosshair to shoot at the nearly endless Decep jets that flew onto the screen. You could be hit by their missiles, and if you got hit too much your screen would "crack up" and you'd have to bring another bot in. There was also a nearly impossible part where you had to stop a tyrannosaur from stepping on the space shuttle. For people interested in playing the above Commodore 64 games, both of them, as well as C64 emulators for most platforms to play them, are available on the Web. Fabian Borges' Page, at http://tuanix.simplenet.com/rodimus/c-64/ , has the original "More Than Meets the Eye" game incuded in a downloadable games pak. His page also features a few links for downloading C64 emulators. Iggy Drougge's WWW page has the second C64 TF game available for download, at: http://www.canit.se:8000/~optimus/tfpics/Transformers.lha (make sure to save the file with its .lha extension intact). To download Frodo, a popular C64 emulator (which may allow you to run C64 software on your platform of choice), visit The Official Frodo Homepage at: http://www.uni-mainz.de/~bauec002/FRMain.html Also, Andrew Southam has completed some Transformers themed .WAD files for Doom and Doom 2. He has a sound patch for both games (mainly digitized movie sounds) and a graphics patch that changes some of the enemies, and the player graphic in multiplayer games. He's working on making these more complete. The patches are available on the web at: http://www.bee.net/Optimus There are also a few TF Quake pages available, offering TF Mod and Skin files for Quake: http://www.cs.buffalo.edu/~trs2/TFQuake/TFQuake.html http://www.bee.net/optimus/tfquake.htm http://members.aol.com/joshbot/tfquake.html 2. Is there a TF role-playing game? In a manner of speaking, yes. There are extensions to existing rpg's that make Transformers workable characters. Dave Van Domelen has written a robot-oriented role-playing system called RoboMACs which can be easily applied to Transformers. His email address is "dvandom@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu" , and he should be able to help you out with RoboMACs info. :) Mark Chase (mchase@cdc.net) has written a Mekton Z+ supplement to cover the Transformers which provides a conversion section telling you how to change tech specs directly to Mekton stats. This game is more stat- based than RoboMACs. Information about this can be obtained from Mark's web page, http://www.meta-earth.com/mearth.html 3. What were those TF trading cards like? At the time of the TF's big popularity, Milton Bradley released a set of Transformers Action Cards. There were 8 cards and a sticker in each pack. Overall there were 192 cards and 24 stickers. Some cards featured the tech specs and profiles of TFs on the text side and the picture from that toy's box on the other, and the other cards had stills from the 1st season of TF cartoons with text describing the action. There were also two checklists, cards 96 and 192. There were slight variations on many of the cards. Most of these variations were differently colored backgrounds on the profile cards, although there were also some flipped and miscolored cartoon cards. Posting a message on ATTM to the effect that you'd like to sell, trade, or buy cards will probably get you a response or two. 4. What TF books are available? There are indeed a great many Transformers books out there; but if they were all listed in the FAQ it would be quite a few pages longer than it is now. :) Raksha's TF Artifact List has an extensive number of TF books listed in it (as well as many other TF items). The TF Artifact List is available from Rob Jung's TF page, at: http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/tf/TF-artifacts.txt == VI. Continuity Issues ============== 1. Why doesn't anything agree with anything else? As many readers will be aware, there are serious story discrepancies between the TF cartoon and comic book, and sometimes even between the cartoon and itself (and more rarely, the comic and itself). Many fans enjoy finding ways to explain the discrepancies within the cartoon to make everything still fit together, and for the most part they are successful. The important thing to remember when comparing the comic book and cartoon series is that they have very little to do with each other, except for having mostly the same characters and a few similar themes. (Transforming robots from Cybertron are one example. ;) The current Beast Wars series seems to derive some of its source material from the comics (mentions of Primus, etc.), but also has clear links to the cartoon series (Starscream's appearance). At this stage in the show's evolution, it appears that BW's story editors are picking and choosing from the existing TF continuities, focusing on what best benefits the current story. While it has been rumored that the show's writers are leaning toward the comic, the BW story up until now has been noncommittal as far as previous TF continuities go. Beast Wars' continuity is basically a whole new ball of wax. 2. What's the basic origin from the comics? Way way back at the beginning of time, there was a god of chaos called Unicron. He had an insatiable hunger, and a hatred of all of existence. As there was no power in the universe to oppose him, he managed to consume everything that was, except for one tiny microscopic dot. This dot exploded (a la Big Bang) into the universe we know today. Unicron was enraged and immediately began to eat again, but this time another god named Primus fought him. Their powers were of equal measure, so they fought for ages, with neither gaining the upper hand, but as they fought they wreaked havoc on the universe around them. Primus saw this, and in a desperate attempt to trick Unicron, he plunged himself into a metallic asteroid. Thinking that Primus was indeed up to something, Unicron also dove into a metallic asteroid so that Primus would not have an advantage. However, Unicron soon discovered that he was trapped in his asteroid, as Primus was also trapped within his. As the millennia passed, Primus realized that he could alter the shape of his prison, and so began to form his asteroid into a planet, and the planet into a race of beings which he hoped would one day be able to stand against Unicron, should he ever escape from his asteroid. These beings were the Transformers. The Creation Matrix which allows Transformers to make more of their kind contains a bit of the essence of Primus' spirit. Primus and Unicron possessed a mental link, so Primus knew that Unicron had also learned to shape his prison. While Primus had created an army to fight for him, Unicron had turned his entire asteroid into a new body, a giant replica of his old form. He could change his shape from this to one which more resembled the original asteroid as well. So that Unicron would be unable to find him and his children until enough time had passed that they would be able to fight against Unicron, Primus fell into a deep sleep, basically severing the mental link. Thus the Transformers were created on their planet Cybertron, with almost no memory of their origin other than myth. 3. What's the basic origin from the TV show? Millions of years ago, the Quintessons were the heads of a huge galactic corporation. They built the planet of Cybertron as a huge factory in which to build robotic slaves. There were two basic models: household and entertainment robots ("consumer goods"), and warrior / gladiator robots ("military hardware"). Whenever one of their slaves began to show signs of true intelligence, the Quintessons had them immediately smelted down to be used as raw materials for the next line of robots. Eventually, however, more and more of the robots began to gain sentience, and they started a revolt against the Quintessons which culminated in the Quints fleeing Cybertron for their lives, and the Transformers taking control of the planet. It was sometime after this that the first hostilities arose between Autobot and Deception. 4. So where did Unicron come from in the cartoon? Unicron's origin was not discussed in the TF Movie, although that was when he first appeared. His origin was not revealed until the post- movie ep, "Call of the Primitives". In the cartoon storyline, Unicron was built by an alien named Primacron. He built Unicron to destroy worlds and leave the universe as a blank slate for his use. Unfortunately, Unicron revolted against his control and started to eat various planets for his own amusement. In the TV show, there was no special bond between Unicron and the Matrix of Leadership as there was between the comic Unicron and the Creation Matrix. The Matrix of Leadership just happened to be the most powerful object in the universe, the only thing which could stop him, and he knew it. That is why he wanted it destroyed. It is also interesting to note that, according to the Transformers Universe comics (which were essentially reprints of Marvel's original character "bible"), the Quintessons were the *minions* of Unicron. Their job was essentially to hunt down those who escaped Unicron's wrath, and then summarily execute them. Truthfully speaking, it is unclear how closely this notion can be integrated into either the comic *or* cartoon continuity. However, it's an intriguing sidenote which leads to some interesting possibilities when resolving the cartoon with the comics. 5. Which origin for the Constructicons is right? This is the ultimate example of the cartoon's tendency toward continuity flubs. Through the course of the American cartoon, the Constructicons are featured in three contradictory origin plots. Their first appearance was in "Heavy Metal Wars". In this episode, Megatron says something to the effect of "they were worth the effort it took to build them here in these caves". This implies that they were built on Earth by the Decepticons. In "The Secret of 0Omega Supreme" Omega relates a story to Optimus Prime concerning his old life on Cybertron as a Guardian Robot. He had at one point been friends with the Constructicons, but when Megatron released a device called the Robo-Smasher, it caught them and made them become evil. They then destroyed Crystal City, which Omega was sworn to protect, and he became their sworn enemy. This implies that they were on Cybertron long ago, and Megatron turned them into Decepticons. While Rodimus Prime journeys through the Matrix in "Five Faces of Darkness", one of the flashbacks he sees is the moment of Megatron's "birth". He is seen being put together by the Constructicons. This implies that they were on Cybertron long, LONG ago, and built Megatron themselves. There have been attempts to reconcile this huge mess, but they were not very convincing. While it *is* possible that the Constructicons existed far back in Cybertron's past and switched sides a few times, it's easier to just call it a mistake and move on. :) == VII. General TF Story Questions ==== 1. Does Cybertron have an atmosphere? Undoubtedly. It is obvious that there is an atmosphere there after Spike travels to Cybertron and breathes without a space suit, but some people maintain that it did not have an atmosphere until the TV episode "The Ultimate Doom". In that episode (actually a three-part story) Megatron drew Cybertron into orbit around the Earth. They claim that at that time it picked up some of Earth's atmosphere. However, there is more evidence to show that it has always had its own air. Although it might have been some mixture of gasses unbreathable by humans before TUD, there is little doubt that an atmosphere of some sort existed: Firstly, there is apparently sound on Cybertron, and you can't have sound without a medium. Secondly, even in the first episode of the show, the Decepticon "triangle" jets were clearly shaped aerodynamically, which implies an atmosphere. Thirdly, according to the TV origin of the TFs, Cybertron was originally a factory planet run by the Quintessons, who are (more or less) organic. Therefore, Cybertron must have had an atmosphere or the Quints would not have been able to survive there. Fourth (fourthly?), oxygen is needed for any combustion which might have taken place on any planet. Although it could be argued that the Autobots ran on energon until coming to Earth (when they had to resort to using our primitive fossil fuels), jet engines for the 'con seekers and rockets for spaceships would need oxygen to operate. 2. How big is Cybertron? Again, this is a matter of continuity choice: Issue #1 of the TF comic stated that Cybertron is "Saturn-sized". Of course, a Saturn-sized planet made of metal rather than hydrogen would have an incredible gravitational pull, and would in fact be *many* orders of magnitude past the limits for becoming a black hole. Thankfully, the TF mythos already provides us with an explanation for why it is not: Cybertron is not solid. Its interior is a honeycomb of corridors and chambers. And this makes sense -- most asteroids, in our solar system at least, are much smaller than the Earth. Unless Primus was doing the ol' subspace jig, he couldn't avoid making Cybertron largely porous when expanding its radius to Jovian standards. In the cartoon continuity, Cyberton's size is never clearly dictated, although "The Ultimate Doom" provides a good basis for estimate. Judging from the visuals in TUD, a story-arc in which Cybertron is placed into Earth orbit, the consensus is that Cybertron is about the size of our moon. Cartoon Cybertron also contains a good amount of empty space, although probably not as much as Comic Cybertron. 3. What's up with the female TFs? In the episode "The Search for Alpha Trion", a band of female Autobots was featured on Cybertron. In that episode, Prime and several other Autobots went to Cybertron to save the females from Shockwave, who had captured the female leader, Elita-1. Elita was an obvious love interest for Optimus Prime. The other female Autobots also seemed to be paired up with their respective "guys". Also in this episode, Elita is almost killed, but Alpha Trion informs Prime that he alone possesses the correct energy interface to save her, and so Prime "interfaces" with Elita and transfers energy though a cable which oddly goes from the area of his lower torso to the area of hers. ;) When Alpha informs Prime that only his power module will properly interface with hers, Prime is shocked, stating that "only my creator could know that". The other episode that had Elita-1 was called "War Dawn", in which the Aerialbots go back in time to the golden age of Cybertron and meet a robot named Orion Pax. At the end of the episode, Alpha Trion turns Pax into Optimus Prime, and turns Pax's girlfriend-bot into Elita-1. There was also an episode entitled "Enter the Nightbird" in which a human scientist invented a ninja-like robot with clear female curves to it, named Nightbird. This robot had no personality, although it was rather dangerous. Megatron captured and took control of Nightbird, but in the end she was recaptured by the Autobots and deactivated. In TF:The Movie, and in the post-movie eps, there was another female Autobot named Arcee. She was pink, had a tiny waist, and transformed into a futuristic convertible. In the movie, she seemed to be interested (mutually) in Hot Rod, but in all the post-movie eps, she and Springer were an obvious item. There was also a female in "Forever is a Long Time Coming" named Beta, a mint-green colored copy of Arcee in "Fight of Flee", and a companion-bot for Wreck-Gar in "The Big Broadcast of 2006". Arcee was featured in the UK comics, although she was built specifically for the purpose of improving relations between TFs and humans and did not represent the existence of either male or female TFs on Cybertron. In addition, the Japanese HeadMaster Minerva was characterized as a female both in the Masterforce cartoon _and_ in her toy incarnation (this toy was released with a sex change under the name of Nightbeat in the US). Also, one of the two engines for the GodMaster Overlord was female, and possibly a Japanese MicroMaster as well. The first female TF toy released in the United States was Nightracer, the BotCon '95 exclusive toy. Nightracer's tech spec card was written by the Con's organizer, Raksha. With the coming of Beast Wars, however, we now have "official" female TFs -- the first was the Predacon Blackarachnia, followed by the Maximal Airazor. Originally, there was some debate over how to spell the name "Elita-1." With the release of the Takara-sponsored Elita-1 resin-cast model kit, this issue seems to have been "semi-officially" resolved. The kit itself is indentified as "Elita-1," and the accompanying box art corroborates this. Basically, the "Elita-1" name is now official, seeing as Takara "signed off" on the model kit's release. 4. But WHY do they have them at all? Personally, I think it's a little bit silly to force genders upon robots. I do like the female TFs as characters, and I admit that to be socially responsible, it is important for Hasbro / Marvel / Sunbow to introduce females. Technically, however, I still think it's silly. :) All of the non-obviously-female TFs were quite clearly modeled after males, and I feel that this makes a certain amount of sense. Since the TFs are all fighting a war, it follows that they would be built big and strong. When we look at them we see big, wide frames, and broad shoulders: characteristics which we identify as "male". To me, TFs don't really have gender at all. We simply identify them as male because to us they look more like males than females. When following the cartoon continuity, it's helpful to remember that the Quintessons were selling Transformers as consumer products throughout the galaxy. As any good marketer knows, it helps to adapt what you're selling to the needs and desires of the buying public. Assuming that the Quints were selling to humanoid, sexually dimorphic beings, it's possible that the first female Transformers were designed for a specific "target market." In essence, the Transformers themselves may not be "sexed" per se, but they may have had gender roles *applied* to them as part of a business scheme. :) On the Beast Wars series, the characters Blackarachnia and Airazor seem to be keeping with the established "female TFs" trends. Blackarachnia has been specifically referred to as "female," and Airazor shared an obvious more-than-friends relationship with Tigatron. 5. How do TFs reproduce? There has been a lot of discussion on this question. There are several different answers provided by "official" sources, and there is also a lot of speculation by fans. In the original comic book series, Transformers could only reproduce by building new TF bodies and infusing them with life via the Creation Matrix. In the Generation 2 comics, an alternative method of "budding" was introduced which is explained in detail in XI, 8. In the cartoon, on the other hand, it sometimes seemed enough to simply build new robots. The Dinobots, Technobots, and Trypticon are examples of this. When Starscream built the Combaticons in "Starscream's Brigade", he actually only built bodies and downloaded the personalities of Cybertronian criminals which were on file somewhere into those bodies. However, when the Aerialbots were created they had to be given life by Vector Sigma, a supercomputer at the heart of Cybertron. A more complete list of TF reproduction methods has been compiled by "Playground Psychotic" (tenorguitr@psnw.com). It's available at: http://www.canit.se/~optimus/tf/reproduction.txt 6. How did the Great War start? This depends on which story you are following. In the comics, the war began simply and realistically because some of the Transformers were power hungry and hostile. They formed a group called the Decepticons, and began to make strikes against Cybertron's cities in order to take it over. Transformers who opposed this formed another band called the Autobots and fought against the Decepticons. This idea is explored in more detail in a UK annual text story called "State Games". In the cartoon, the war began soon after the Quintessons were driven from the planet. The warrior robots were in general more hostile, and wanted to control the planet. They began to call themselves Decepticons. The household robots, who called themselves Autobots, tried to resist this takeover. 7. Why do they transform? Why not just be big robots? Following the comic book timeline, Primus incorporated the ability to transform in his children to mimic the shape-changing method which Unicron used. On the TV show there are a few slightly conflicting answers given. In MTMTE Spike asked Trailbreaker about transformation and gets the following answer: "Disguise! Besides, it sure beats walking." Another answer, put forth during FFoD, is that transforming was a technological innovation which the Autobots "discovered" as a secret weapon to use against the Decepticons, who had superior firepower. It's that "robots in disguise" thing. This advantage was quickly turned against them, however, when the Decepticons also began to use this technology. Of course, in this same episode when the very first Autobots were shown, even before they knew how to transform they had wheels on their shoulders... :) 8. Where does Prime's trailer go when he transforms? Although it wasn't ever explained in the TV show, the generally accepted (or invented, rather) theory among TransFans is that each Transformer has their own "compartment" in subspace. The TF can teleport anything to or from subspace at will for storage purposes. Each Transformer is "frequency locked" to a certain pocket of subspace, so there isn't any possibility of a transformer stealing weapons that were placed into subspace by another transformer. Subspace storage is the "official" explanation used on the TF MUSHes. Subspace can also be applied to size changes which accompany the mode changes of several Transformers, such as Soundwave and Megatron. The mass which they lose when shrinking can be stored in subspace, and drawn out again upon transformation. Although Megatron can clearly choose between a normal and giant size when in gun mode, we never see Soundwave as a 12 foot tall tape deck, or either of them as a one foot robot. Options of size in various modes therefore seem predetermined, probably at their time of creation (or in some TF's cases, the time of their redesign at the hands of the Ark). Also, a Transformer has never been shown walking around in any in-between size, so it would seem that the mass transfer with subspace is all or nothing. The subspace theory seems to be consistent with the cartoon, and is even supported by a scene in "Demon's Swamp", when Kickback's gun suddenly materializes in his hand in plain sight for no apparent reason, as well as one of the post-movie commercial bumpers in which Blurr transforms and his weapon appears in his hand. In the UK comic story "Dinobot Hunt", Jazz opens a hidden compartment in his hip from which he removes a small version of his gun that grows to its full size for use. In this case, although the gun is stored in the real world, there is still a size change to contend with, and the subspace theory can explain it. Of course, sometimes in the UK comic Prime's trailer didn't go away. It was often treated as a separate unit which had its own things to do while Prime was busy walking around and acting noble. Again, the "subspace" theory is not the end-all-be-all of explanations, but it is generally accepted by a great number of TransFans. 9. Are they immortal? Barring injuries or being killed in battle, there is no reason to believe that, with proper maintenance, a Transformer could not live indefinitely. So, in short, they pretty much are. To confuse matters a bit, there was an issue of the UK comic which showed a Rodimus Prime from the future who appeared aged; he was frail, bearded, and generally geezer-like. According to later issues, however, Rodimus appeared this way due to the polluting effects of Unicron's essence within the matrix, and not because of being old. 10. Is there a full Transformers history anywhere? There is a Transformers Chronology file which was written by Jeremy Pace, and is available at the WWW at the address below. This chronology follows the TV show's Quint theory, so you may or may not like it. :) http://www4.ncsu.edu/eos/users/j/jhpace1/WWW/Files/Transformer_Chronology == VIII. Beast Wars =================== 1. Why Beast Wars? When HasKen realized that the G2 line was going nowhere, and that they'd handled it poorly, the new TF team at Kenner decided that they wanted to get as far away from G2 as possible, and go in an entirely new direction to try to get people interested. Thus the Beast Wars line was born. Unlike G1 and G2, all the BW toys are being designed by Americans at Kenner's HQ in Ohio. All of the G1 toys were old Japanese designs, and even with G2, Takara was probably responsible for the planning of the new molds. BW, and purportedly part of MW, are being designed by Kenner with posability and playability as their top concern. (For more on Machine Wars, see IV, 4.) Takara is still producing the TFs, but no longer designs those released in America. Most ATTers have found that after getting past the initial shock, they can appreciate Beast Wars as a good line. Of course, not everyone has warmed up to BW. Some ATTers say that, although they can appreciate BWs as nice toys, they can't accept them as TFs because they just don't "feel" like TFs to them. There are also vocal critics of BW who consider it an insult to the TF mythos and fandom. Whatever your initial opinion may be, allow yourself to give BW a chance. Buy a toy or two, watch the show, and then decide to support it or not. :) For more BW information, definitely visit Ben Yee's BW homepage: http://acweb.com/ben/bw/ There you can find the BW FAQ and "In Defense of Beast Wars", as well as other BW info and several BW links. 2. Why did they change Prime and Megs? They didn't. Optimus Primal is not Optimus Prime, and BW Megatron is not Megatron. This has been explicitly stated by Kenner, and is rather obvious from their characterization. As with the G2 line, when the names "Optimus Prime" and "Megatron" were used over and over again, Kenner's marketing department has attached the names to BW toys to draw attention and make the figures sell better. Plotwise, the idea is that Optimus Primal and BW Megatron have changed their names to such as a way of honoring OP and Megs, heroes from their past. Furthermore, Primal and BW Megs are not neccesarily even the leaders of their factions. Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward, story editors for Beast Wars, have clarified that Primal is merely a ship's captain on an exploration mission- and that Megatron is basically a Predacon criminal on the run. It has yet to be established what links the Predacons and Maximals have to the Autobots and Decepticons, but one thing is certain: Maximal does not equal Autobot, and Predacon does not equal Decepticon, period. 3. Are the toys actually any good? Good lord, yes! The BW toys are actually better than most G1 Transformers. Their posability exceeds that of even the late Generation 2 toys like the Cyberjets and Laser Rod OP. They have neat robot modes, detailed beast modes, cool shooting weapons, and no loose parts. Although some BW robot modes suffer from "animal on my back" syndrome, most of them have relatively nice transforms, and the designs are often innovative. Besides, "car on my back" was just as common for the G1 TFs, and most of them were practically statues; an average of maybe 2-4 swivel points compared to BW's _minimum_ of 8, with at least 4 being those super ball-and-socket joints. :) BW toys are divided into four groups based on their size and price. The smallest figures (Drill Bit, Airhammer, Quickstrike) are called Regulars. The next size up, which includes characters like Cheetor, Retrax, and Tarantulus, is the Deluxe line. Both Regulars and Deluxes are packaged on cards. The next group, the Megas (Transmetal Optimus Primal, Transquito, etc), are packaged in boxes, as are the fourth and largest set, Ultras. The only Ultras currently in general release are ape Optimus Primal, t-rex Megatron, Tripredacus, and Magnaboss. Future BW releases in 1998 include additional toys for all price points. 4. What's a Transmetal? What's a Fuzor? Transmetals and Fuzors are the first two "sub-lines" to stem from the Beast Wars toy line. It seems as if the "normal" Beast Wars line has come to a close, and all Beast Wars toys released in 1998 will be identified under the name "Transmetal" or "Fuzor." This may be bad news if you're partial to "straight" Beast Wars animals, or good news if you're into the more "roboticized" animal forms. Fuzors, in short, are Beast Warriors with "hybrid" beast forms. Rather than having a beast form derivative of one animal, Fuzors' beast modes are combinations of two animals, "fused" into one. Some of the Fuzors released to date are "Skyshadow," a dragonfly combined with a lizard; "Silverbolt," a wolf combined with an eagle; and "Quickstrike," a cobra combined with a scorpion. The explanation for Fuzors in the BW show has to do with stasis pod malfunctions, which caused certain protoform TFs to be programmed with scrambled DNA-scan data. (see VIII, 10) Transmetals, on the other hand, are "Beast Wars turned inside out." Rather than having mechanical parts in their robot modes alone, Transmetals have robotic animal modes, with "hidden hide" animal parts displayed in robot mode (ie: Cheetor has spots in robot mode, but not in beast mode). Transmetal toys sport nifty vac-metallized paint jobs, and each Transmetal has the benefit of an additional (third) vehicle mode. On the BW show, Transmetals were created due to the explosion of an alien device, which bombarded the BW planet with Quantum radiation. Certain characters were exposed to this bombardment, causing them to become Transmetals. *How* exactly this process occurred was not clearly explained, aside from Airazor's comment that the Transmetals' superstructures had been "mutated." 5. What's the story behind the TV show? In the US, Beast Wars normally airs two days a week (Friday and Sunday) on Fox, WB, or UPN, but isn't necessarily limited to those networks. In '98, you might expect Beast Wars to be showing up on your local WB station, as the network is expanding and has added purchase Beast Wars for WB syndication. Additionally, Claster, the company which distributes the show, has made plans to have the show run *five* days a week next season. In Canada, the program airs on YTV and is called "Beasties" due to a legal difficulty with the word "war" appearing in a children's program / toy name. BW is a fully-rendered, computer animated program crafted by Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. and produced by Alliance Communications. Mainframe also makes ReBoot, and is currently developing a CGI series based on the War Planets toy line. The level of quality displayed in Beast Wars has risen consistently over its first two seasons; animation effects have become more complex and the show's camera direction is far beyond what it was initially. The show's evolving technical merits, coupled with a fine stable of writers and very talented voice actors, have combined to make Beast Wars a breakaway hit (It's currently number one in the US for its target age group, 6-11 yrs). Alliance Communications and Mainframe Entertainment each has their own official homepage. The URLs are, respectively: http://www.alliance.ca/ http://www.mainframe.bc.ca/BEAST/index.html 6. Is it true that the show's writers read the newsgroup? Yes. At least, two of them do. Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio read ATT at least occasionally, and sometimes even post. They have both been extremely cooperative with fans. Between the two of them is the writing credit for nearly all of the first season episodes. Both of them welcome correspondence from fans, but please, do keep it nice. For example, don't send mail complaining about BW as a disgrace to the TF name. Also, keep in mind that as *writers*, they have no control over things like when the program is shown in your area, how frequently new episodes or repeats are broadcast, or if the camera movements in a fight are too jerky. Also, for legal reasons, DO NOT SEND STORY IDEAS to either of them. The addresses Bob and Larry have given are secondary ones which they don't necessarily check all the time. For understandable reasons, they are keeping their primary email addresses private. It may take a while to get a response from them, so don't think they're blowing you off if you don't hear back quickly. Mr. DiTillio has been making posts to the NG to answer questions, as well as responding by e-mail. If you have a question, make a post with the subject "LARRYBW", and if he sees it, he will read it. Bob Forward: beastbob1@aol.com Larry DiTillio: ditillio@aol.com Transformers Productions 1045 Howe Street, Suite 710 Vancouver, Canada, B.C. V6Z2A9 7. What's the setting for Beast Wars? BW is set some 300 years in the future, after the end of the G1 cartoon. In the first episode, the main characters are involved in a starship chase, with Optimus Primal and the Maximals chasing after Megatron and the Predacons. Both ships involved in the chase end up traveling through a transwarp gateway, sending them through both space and time. The Maximals and Predacons end up crash landing on an Earth-like, unknown planet, and are forced to cope with survival and an extreme over-abundance of pure energon. To shield themselves from the planet's harmful energon radiation, both factions assume "beast" transforms, which protect their robotic insides from damage. The TV setting is inconsistent with the initial toys' tech specs, several of which mention humans as if the Beast Wars were going on around us in the present. 8. Are the Beast Warriors actually stranded on Earth? And what's the deal with this Golden Disk? It has recently been established that the Beast Warriors are indeed stranded on Earth, and that the golden disk Megatron stole has some sort of relevance to his ultimate goals. Two different "golden disks" have been recovered on the show, the one which was stolen by the Predacons and one which was recovered, planetside, by Inferno. Common consensus seems to be that at least one of these disks came from the Earth-based Voyager probes, while the other appears to be alien in origin (and features alien symbols). MaLin Huffman has written a good synopsis on the golden disks and their significance, which can be found on his BW page: http://members.aol.com/unicron2k5/disc.html 9. What *is* the name of the Predacon ship? Although it's been firmly established that the name of the Maximals' ship is the "Axalon," the name of the Predacon ship has yet to be clearly stated. Many fans have taken to calling the ship "The Darkside" after Terrorsaur's comment "Welcome to the Darkside" from the episode "Equal Measures." Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward haven't explicitly stated whether or not the ship has a name, but most folks just assume the name "Darkside" is cool enough for now. :) 10. Are the BW aliens actually the Quintessons? Although it may sound like a really cool idea, the mysterious Beast Wars aliens are *not* the Quintessons. This is verified by the writers of the show, who note that the BW aliens are of a group not yet seen in the TF mythos. 11. What are "protoforms?" According to the show's creators, "protoforms" are basically the raw materials needed to create a new Transformer (think nanotech). Each protoform is endowed with a "Spark" (essentially that TF's soul), programmed with basic knowledge of Cybertronian culture and society. It should be noted that each "Spark" is unique unto itself, and is the basic template for its host's personality. The Axalon was outfitted with a large cargo of protoforms when it left Cybertron. These protoforms were initially intended to be dropped off on unexplored worlds, where they would then be adapted to the environment by the "stasis pods" which delivered them. As the Axalon completed its expedition, these explorers could be retrieved and taken back to Cybertron. Unfortunately, the Axalon's original exploration mission was cut short when it was called to chase after Megatron. The Axalon's contingent of protoforms was jettisoned into orbit as the ship crashed, kept safe by the stasis pods which carried them. As events have progressed on the Beast Wars show, stasis pods have fallen from orbit to be recovered by both the Maximals and the Predacons. 12. Is there going to be a BW comic book? Well, there have been Beast Wars comics, but not in the sense of any normal, consistently released ones. The first Beast Wars comic was released with the Optimus Primal/Megatron two-pack, and was mostly a haphazard, poorly written piece of work meant to flesh out the (then- unspecified) details of BW's backstory. At BotCon '97, the convention-exclusive toys were packaged with a BW comic written by Simon Furman with art by Andrew Wildman. While this wasn't the same as having a monthly BW book, it was nice to see a comic made by two of the gentlemen who worked on the original Transformers book. For information about purchasing the BotCon '97 comic, visit: http://www.noblecan.org/~jhartman/tf/botcon97/merch.html 13. What BW stuff can I get for my computer? A few Beast Wars desktop themes are available for Windows95; they can be downloaded from: http://www.casba.com/95Themes/categc.htm There are quite a few Beast Wars pages out there with sounds, images, and video clips of the show. Again, the "Complete Transformers Listing Page" is a good place to start: http://pages.infinit.net/renaud/CTLP.html == IX. Toys =========================== 1. What were the TFs based on? All of the original Transformers were re-released and often recolored versions of older Japanese toys. This is the reason behind the double copyright date on most early TF toys; they were originally copyrighted when first released in Japan, and then again in the US when Hasbro released them. Most of the toys came from one of two lines produced by Takara: Microman and Diaclone. The Minibots and the cassettes were part of the New Microman line, which had the distinction of needing few or no accessories (no missile launchers to lose, no guns to misplace). NM was a sequel to the original Microman line which was imported to the US under the name "Micronauts". The Gun-Robo line which Megatron is from was a subset of NM. Each Microman mold came in a wide array of colors, which partially explains the proliferation of red Bumblebees and yellow Cliffjumpers. On most of the minicars you can easily locate a "M" in the plastic which represented the brand name in Japan. The Diaclone series contained toys which we now recognize as the Autobot cars and Decepticon jets. The Diaclone story was one of humans piloting mecha to fight against evil alien invaders. The toys came with little human figures with magnetic feet which were interchangeable among all the Diaclone toys. This is the reason behind the mysterious "seats" found on so many TFs (including the Insecticons and Dinobots). Optimus Prime was also a Diaclone toy. The generic Diaclone semi truck was called Convoy, and several different trailers were available, including the box container (for OP) and the car-carrier (Ultra Magnus). Some of the other toys came from companies other than Takara. For example, the Deluxe Insecticons were originally Bandai designs. Also made by Bandai was the Jetfire toy, originally a Macross design, and Roadbuster and Whirl which were from a Japanese mecha show called "Armored Trooper Dorvack". With a few exceptions (such as Jetfire), all of the toy robots purchased by Hasbro for their Transformers line were without a well-established background story, cartoon, or comic book. (Diaclone, for example, did have a story to it, but there was no real 'mythos' associated with them.) Working together with some of the people at Takara, Hasbro and Marvel developed a backstory for the Transformers involving two factions of warring robots. John Romita, of Spiderman fame, headed a team of artists who took the toys designs and altered them drastically for portrayal on television. He is responsible for the more human-looking Ironhide and Ratchet that we've become accustomed to, as well as putting actual faces on all the robots rather than visors and faceplates. 2. What's the deal with red/yellow Bumblebee/Cliffjumper? They were both originally from the Microman toyline. In that line, the toys all came in a range of colors, including the ones we know as Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. When Hasbro bought the rights to the toys, they bought some backstock which included both colors. About 1 in every 20 Bumblebee toys sold during the first year was red (and, presumably, the same goes for the yellow CJ). They are, as one would expect, more valuable than the "correct" versions. At BotCon '96, the dealers were trying to sell red BBees for anywhere between $20 and $120. Aside from Bumblebee and Cliffjumper, there was another similar minibot named "Hubcap" who was released at the same time as the other minibot recolors (eg. Outback, Swerve, Tailgate,...). He was, or at least was supposed to be, yellow. There was another, fourth, TF in this "family" which was sometimes mistakenly packaged as both Bumblebee and Cliffjumper in both colors. Without any real name, this toy is usually referred to as Bumblejumper, or just Bumper. Bumper is much more "boxy" looking than the other three. This is just one example of the many variations on TF toys. Another well-known variation is the metal feet / plastic feet Hot Rod. For a list of all variations, try out M Sipher's (msipher@ibm.net) "That Big Transformers Variations List". Sipher's list details toy variations from G1 straight through to the most current TF toys, and even includes imformation on Go-Bots and Battle Beasts. The list is posted with some regularity on ATT, and is also available from: http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/tf/TF-variations.txt 3. Why is Jetfire just like a Robotech Veritech fighter? Technically, it's a Macross Valkyrie, as the Robotech show was a derivative of three separate Anime series: Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. Hasbro felt that the Autobots were too short on air power, and their search for a cool airplane toy came up with Bandai's Valkyrie. To leave a lot of legal technicalities out, Hasbro and Harmony Gold (who released Robotech in America), as well as a few other companies (like FASA, the makers of BATTletech) bought the rights to use that "shape" of robot, and Jetfire was born. There has been some debate on exactly what model of Valkyrie Jetfire is. His body and head match the VF-1S, although there was no VF-1S with Jetfire's coloring in the series. There was a special edition release of Valkyrie toys to accompany "Macross: The Movie", in which Hikaru (Rick Hunter) flew a white VF-1S with red and black trim. Although the colors are Jetfire's, their placement is reversed -- that is, black where Jetfire has red, and red where he has black. The Super Armor for movie edition Valkyries was red but their eye strips were green. Also, Fokker's "skull special" Valkyrie was a VF-1S with black and yellow paint. Change the yellow to red, and paint the nosecone, and you have Jetfire. So, although there are a few close cousins, there was never a Valkyrie that looked /just/ like Jetfire in Macross. Since he was based on a Macross toy, some Jetfires have a small Macross symbol (a circle with a double-winged thingy inside) on one wing along the red stripe. Some toys have this symbol painted on, some have it as a sticker, and some do not have it at all. 4. Was there a Skyfire toy? Despite the occasional rumors that may pop up, neither Hasbro nor Takara ever made a Skyfire figure. However, at BotCon '95 there were several origami TFs on display designed and created by Hirofumi Omichi, which included both Skyfire and Arcee, and they both transformed. These toys weren't *completely* made out of paper -- Omichi used a real Jetfire to build his Skyfire around, and Arcee used parts from several toys, including a Gundam robot. For Skyfire he even made a box, complete with artwork on the front. Also, at BC 96 a Skyfire ActionMaster was entered into the art contest, created by George Hubert Jr. 5. I've got these weird tiny TFs. What are they? Unless they're Micromasters, which you could hopefully identify, you've got either Minispies or Decoys. Both were limited-time offers, and were packaged with other TFs. Minispies came first, and were about an inch long. They were the first TFs to have the black rub symbols on them, the point here being that since they were spies, you had to check which side they were really on. Later the rub symbols were put on all TFs to show that they were "real" Transformers and not rip-off ones. Transformer decoys were made later, and were nothing but small rubber statues of various TFs in their robot modes. The Autobot decoys were red, and the Decepticon ones were purple (although there were a few red 'Con decoys, which are worth about 2.5 times more than normal ones). To see Dave Van Domelan's wonderful painted decoys, visit his WWW page: http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~dvandom/decoys.html 6. What are those switches on the back of the Jumpstarters' heads for? This switch was actually mentioned in the Jumpstarter instruction books, but as many people never read the instructions, the switch has caused a lot of confusion for some people. For those of you who don't know about Jumpstarters, they were two Autobots with a very simplistic transformation (their legs fold up and they turn into something that's supposed to look like a tank / spaceship kind of thing). However, the cool thing about them is that they had pull-back motors inside them, and when you let them go they would roll for a few feet, and then their spring-loaded legs would suddenly flip back to their robot mode position, and the momentum of this flip would cause the TF to jump off the ground and land standing up in robot mode. The switch in question is a small triangular piece of plastic on the back of their heads (marked with an A and a B) that could be shifted slightly from side to side. The purpose of the switch is to act as a counterweight during the jumping part of their transformation. If your Jumpstarter always falls over to one side when he tries to transform, then you can move the switch over a bit and he'll suddenly grow out of his awkward adolescence and land on his feet every time. As a bonus for those of you that wonder: Yes, the pictures on the tech spec cards for the Jumpstarters were usually messed up. Topspin is the pontoon boat, and Twin Twist is the drill tank. End of story. 7. How many combiners did they make in the original TF line? The combiner or gestalt Transformers were among the most popular of the toys. The first combiner was Devastator. Also, Devastator and Predaking, and Monstructor were the only ones made up of characters who were all approximately the same size. For all the others, the main body of the gestalt (who was also always the team leader) was significantly larger than the other team members. Predaking was made up of only 5 animals, but because that team was so well designed they were all the same size. One of the reasons for this is that, excluding the two I've just mentioned, all of the G1 gestalt teams were part of a Japanese set called "Scramble City". The point of the Scramble City toys is that any group of robots from any teams can be put together. Every "limb" piece works equally well as an arm or a leg for any of the "body" robots. For information about the origins (according to the TV show timeline) of some of the combiner teams, contact Dairenn Lombard (piero@cyberverse. com). He has a fairly long write up of the Combaticons' origin prepared, and is interested in getting the origins of the other teams as well. Also, many readers may be totally unfamiliar with the Monster Pretenders (the American version of the 'con DinoForce from TF: Victory). If you want to see who they were, they were featured in issue 67 of the US comic (see XI, 5). There were also a large number of other combiner teams which were released in Japan but not in the US. See XIII, 2 for a little more info on them. Here is a list of the gestalts, in the approximate order that they were released in the US (note: the word "Piranha" is misspelled in the name "Piranacon"): Devastator - 6 Constructicons - Hook, Long Haul, Bonecrusher, Scavenger, Mixmaster, Scrapper Superion - 5 Aerialbots - Silverbolt, Slingshot, Air Raid, Skydive, Fireflight - Stunticon counterpart Menasor - 5 Stunticons - Motormaster, Dragstrip, Dead End, Breakdown, Wildrider - Aerialbot counterpart Defensor - 5 Protectobots - Hot Spot, First Aid, Groove, Blades, Streetwise - Combaticon counterpart Bruticus - 5 Combaticons - Onslaught, Blast Off, Swindle, Brawl, Vortex - Protectobot counterpart Predaking - 5 Predacons - Razorclaw, Rampage, Tantrum, Divebomb, Headstrong - extremely cool Computron - 5 Technobots - Scattershot, Strafe, Lightspeed, Nosecone, Afterburner - Terrorcon counterpart Abominus - 5 Terrorcons - Hun-Gurr, Sinnertwin, Blot, Cutthroat, Rippersnapper - Technobot counterpart Piranacon - 6 Seacons - Snaptrap, Seawing, Overbite, Nautilator, Tentakil, Skalor - after making 4 limbs, Piranacon uses the last TF as his gun Monstructor - 6 Monster Pretenders - Birdbrain, Bristleback, Icepick, Scowl, Slog, Wildfly - about the height of Hot Rod and very chunky 8. How many tapes did they make? Overall, there were six Autobot tapes and ten Decepticon ones released in the US. A list of them follows, deceps first: Buzzsaw - gold condor, came w / Soundwave Laserbeak - red condor Ratbat - purplish bat Ravage - black panther Slugfest - green stegosaurus Overkill - grey / silver tyrannosaur Beastbox - pinkish ape, combines to form Squalkbox Squalktalk - green condor, combines to form Squalkbox Frenzy - blue robot (red in cartoon :P ) Rumble - red robot (blue in cartoon) Grandslam - red tank, combines to form Slamdance Raindance - blue plane, combines to form Slamdance Steeljaw - yellow lion Ramhorn - rust-colored rhino Eject - blue robot Rewind - black robot 9. Did they ever make a Unicron toy? Although there was never a released Unicron toy, Takara did make two prototypes for consideration. The first prototype was small, and when Hasbro USA saw it they did not like it, so Takara made a larger prototype which is a little shorter than Fortress Maximus. The big Unicron also had some sort of a recording of Orson Welles so that it could say 10 phrases in his voice. One of the larger Unicron prototypes, from the personal collection of Hasbro Marketing executive Vinnie D'Alleva, was on display at BotCon '96. The consensus was that it was a pretty ugly toy, and probably wouldn't have had any play value at all. The voice chip was not functioning at the convention (it may have simply needed batteries). The toy's colors are bland (although apparently this is common for prototypes, and doesn't have a lot to do with the colors of the final toy), his legs are spindly, his body is completely spherical, and his arms are poorly shaped (they become the planet's ring in robot mode -- ack). Also, one of the toy's arms was hanging halfway off of the body, due to the fact that it popped off during shipping and the convention organizers were explicitly told not to move it. Add all of these factors together, and you had a big, ungainly lump that looked very little like a "Universal Dominator." (The toy actually resembles Orson Welles a bit more than Unicron... ;) To see a few pictures of the unproduced Unicron Prototypes, visit the "Ark Archives," at: http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/pratchett/169/index.html 10. Why have all the TF toys since [pick a time] sucked? It isn't universally agreed upon, but most people tend to think that the TFs decreased in quality in the last few years of G1 production, and never (until Beast Wars) came out of the slump. Some people feel that Hasbro switched to making TFs out of cheap plastic rather than good plastic and metal. Another opinion is that the *Master themes got out of control. Every new toy had to have some new gimmick; it wasn't enough to make cars that turned into robots anymore. Part of the TF charm was that they LOOKED like toy cars or toy planes or a real tape player, but also turned into robots. Later toys no longer looked like real things. They had to be futuristic cars, or cars that had people who turned into their head or their gun or their engine. The ActionMasters also took a lot of flak, but like most TFs, deserve to be defended. Yes, they are Transformers that don't transform, and yes, that is a bit of a paradox. But on the other hand, they actually are pretty nice action figures that added a new dimension to the TF universe. When G2 came around, most of the re-releases were made with bad plastic in ugly colors, but there were a lot of good new toys as well (particularly the Cyberjets and Laser Optimus Prime). One of yhe biggest problems with G2 was the tech spec cards; basically all of the personality write-ups and mottos were awful. TF personalities and characterization have always been a strong point of the line, and then they started making characters with mottos like "Want to race?" It was sad, so in response a lot of ATTers took to rewriting G2 tech specs to make them bearable for fanfic purposes. Unfortunately, this syndrome seems to have continued with the Beast Wars line, which also suffers from some pretty atrocious tech specs. For those who are curious, the reason G2 Megatron is a tank rather than a Walther P-38 pistol is probably that it's no longer PC (or maybe even legal) to sell realistic looking toy guns. The same defenses can be given for Beast Wars. See IV 4 and VIII. 11. What's with Go-Bot Transformers? One of the early G2 Autobots belonging to the water-squirting group was suspiciously named "Gobots". This name is quite ironic, because during the TF's first run, their major competitors were Tonka's GoBots. After Gobots was released, one of the next major Autobot groups was announced, and they were called: Go-Bots. These TFs are the size of Matchbox cars so that you can use them on Matchbox / Hot Wheels tracks. Kendrick (kendrick@io.com) managed to clear up some of the commotion on this matter, however. Apparently Hasbro had bought out Tonka since the last time they went head-to-head with the transforming robots idea, and in a slightly unnecessary effort to prevent other companies from reviving GoBots as a competing line, Hasbro intentionally used the name in the TF line to assert their ownership of the concept. To prevent confusion on the newsgroup, Tonka GoBots are usually referred to specifically as Tonka GoBots, but also get called various derogatory names. 12. What are the G2 Powermasters? In the European G2 line there was a group of four TF's called Powermasters. These had _nothing_ to do with G1 PowerMasters. They had pullback motors in them, sort of like the Throttlebots. Their packaging listed Hasbro's US headquarters, rather than the UK HQ which most foreign-only toys mentioned, so it seems that they were originally intended to be released in the US, but never quite made it. 13. Was there ever a blue Bluestreak toy? Many TransFans state that they can vividly remember either owning a blue Bluestreak toy or seeing one first-hand many years ago. While there are pictures of a blue Bluestreak toy in original G1 catalogues, it is generally accepted that these were photos of the Diacron version of the toy, released by Takara. To this day, no one has been able to publicly verify the existence of a blue Bluestreak toy in its original package. If you come upon a blue Bluestreak toy in your travels, it may simply be a Diacron toy. The question of whether or not any blue Takara Bluestreaks were ever released in G1 TF packaging currently remains unanswered. Burt Ward has written a FAQlet on this question, which can be found at: http://www.wvinter.net/~beavis/tf/text/bsnew.use Alt.Toys.Transformers FAQ, Copyright 1998, Steve Stonebraker/Tengu. (Full legal information is located at the end of Part Two.)