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Yesterday I was thinking of some of the modes/combinations/features that some Transformer figures have, and noticed that there are more than a few that never made it into animation! Here's a starting list, and please correct me if I am mistaken, because I did not research this in depth. Also, one or two appearances I'm counting as rarely used:

Of trailers, bases, and base modes
Sometimes base modes of Transformers were rare to see.

-The center bot of Scramble Combiners were never seen in their base mode in G1, even though it was official, and in the instructions. The only exception is Scattershot and his cannon mode, which is seen several times.

-The Scramble Combiners never combine with Metroplex. It is possible for the limbs to attach to Metroplex's arms/legs, and for all the parts to integrate with the base mode(even the Decepticons!).

-God Ginrai and Overlord both had a base mode. However, each were only seen on one, maybe two occasions, so if you didn't have the figure, it was easy to forget they had that ability!

-Star Saber's(G1) base mode was never seen.

-Scorponk's Fast Track, Fort Max's Cog, and Trypticon's Full-tilt/Brunt mini-figures/buddies were never seen in the animation. Fast Track did appear in Masterforce, but it was the Black Zarak one. Metroplex's Sixgun appeared twice, but got very little screen time.

-Ratchet/Ironhide's little gun platform/medical table is only seen a couple times.

-Despite being in nearly every episode, Prime's trailer rarely opens up, and Roller is only seen a couple times.

-Rodimus Prime's trailer is never seen opening up and revealing the dual laser cannons inside.

Weapons?
Sometimes Transformers didn't pull out some of their extra weapons

-Hot Rod is never seen with his double pistols. He always uses his exhaust lasers.

-Armada Optimus Prime doesn't use his smokestack gun(it does look a bit puny though).

-Cheetor's other gun is only seen a couple times.

-Menasaur is only seen brandishing his sword once.

-Devastator never has his head cannon.

-With the exception of Grimlock and Snarl, the Dinobots don't use thier swords. Also, Snarl is never seen with his rifle, and the Dinobots rarely, if ever, use their missle launchers.

-Prowl and Jazz aren't seen with their missle launchers.

-Hoist and Trailbreaker are never seen with their "missle hand", and always uses the laser cannon hand.

-Optimus Primal never uses his War Flail.

-Rhinox never uses his sword.

-Beast Wars Megatron never uses his hip guns.

-G1 Megatron never uses his gun attachements to form a tri-pod cannon.

It's called "Transformers"
Oddly enough, some Transformers never transformed!

-The Seacons never appeared in their robot modes in Masterforce. Similarly, neither did the Firecons.

-The Dinoforce(Victory) never transformed into beast mode.

-To my knowlegde, Insecticon and Cruelock(Energon) never transform into robot mode.

-Overload(Armada) never transforms, nor does his mini-con Rollout ever appear!

-Perceptor never transforms into his tank mode.

-Galvatron is only seen in his pistol mode during Marvel UK's "Target: 2006". He is never seen in this mode during the animated series.

Gimmicks left to the imagination
Sometimes they didn't use this gimmick for one reason or another.

-The Brainmaster gimmick is never shown outside of the stock footage transformation.

-The Multiforce(Victory) could swap positions, with one body forming the torso, and the other the legs. Well, with the exception of one episode(Mack and Tack switched), and maybe Wing Waver, they always have a standard combination. Wing Waver was also the only ones to appear in robot mode outside of the combination.

-Ultra Magnus never transforms into his robot cab mode.

-The Mutant Head concept in Beast Wars is never mentioned. Only Waspinator and Tarantulas use thier Mutant heads as seen on the figures, but can't switch to thier "normal" head.

-Armada Wheeljack never uses his "Mini-con Powerlink" mode.

Well, that's just a short list of my observations. Please feel free to add more items, categories, and inform me if I'm mistaken about any of these claims.

Menasor used his sword on "Five Faces Of Darkness Part 1". He attacked Devastator with it while they and the rest of the Decepticons were fighting each other for energon on the planet Chaar.

Duke of Luns wrote: Metroplex's Sixgun were never seen in the animation.

Season 3 'theif in the night' is the only episode he was in!

I may be wrong, but I've never seen anyone using G1 Optimus' trailer as a command post. BTW, in MTMTE Pt.3, after it opens up and fires on Megatron, it appears that "Megacrumb" destroys it completely. A perfect example of it operating to instructions is in Attack Of The Autobots when 'evil' Optimus splits into his three components. The trailer opens and the mechanic/artillery robot elevates to attack the 'cured' Autobots.

On a final note: Where did Hauler come from, and where did he go? In reference to MTMTE Pt.1. Maybe an early idea for Grapple? Then Grapple first appears in Season 2: The Master Builder.

Corsitron

ThunderThruster wrote:

Duke of Luns wrote: Metroplex's Sixgun were never seen in the animation.

Season 3 'theif in the night' is the only episode he was in!

He apeared in Five Faces of Darkness and Ghost in the Mashine.

Jea and G1 Prime barly used his Trailer.

I never really considered Prime's trailer. I mean, it was always there, but your right, never actually utilized. I'll go add that to the list, and change a few other things.

Feel free to add other concepts rarely/never utilized, as I do not have every figure.

Question: Bulkhead's little sentry bot thing that attached to his underside, did it ever get used for anything in the Energon series?

Did Shockblast ever appear in his tank mode?

how about the retracting hand gimmick, which saw only a little air time after MTMTE!?

Duke of Luns wrote:Did Shockblast ever appear in his tank mode?

Not sure. But your mention of underused tank modes reminded me of perceptors never used tank mode. That's right, he had three modes. robot, microscope, tank.

ThunderThruster wrote:how about the retracting hand gimmick, which saw only a little air time after MTMTE!?

The Axe and the Flail??
It was never used because it was a parody/rip-off!

Nico wrote:

ThunderThruster wrote:how about the retracting hand gimmick, which saw only a little air time after MTMTE!?

The Axe and the Flail??
It was never used because it was a parody/rip-off!

there were than that, such as Jazz and his towline, soundwave with an energy sensor, perceptor and thundercraker had missles!

ThunderThruster wrote:

Nico wrote:

ThunderThruster wrote:how about the retracting hand gimmick, which saw only a little air time after MTMTE!?

The Axe and the Flail??
It was never used because it was a parody/rip-off!

there were than that, such as Jazz and his towline, soundwave with an energy sensor, perceptor and thundercraker had missles!

What's that a rip-off of?

And I wouldn't really consider the retracting hand stuff, cause that was a cartoon plot device, and wasn't applicable to the figures, with some exceptions.

Hmm, I don't remember the Mini-cons getting much play. Ramjet and Windsheer were absent if I remember right(but I never saw every episode), and Dead End didn't appear at all.

I forgot about Perceptor, so I'll add it.

Duke of Luns wrote:Hmm, I don't remember the Mini-cons getting much play. Ramjet and Windsheer were absent if I remember right(but I never saw every episode), and Dead End didn't appear at all.

Dead End did, but only as hoardes of little drones inside Unicron that never transformed into robot mode.

And as for Shockblast, you have to consider that his alt mode was the satellite thing, and Sixshots alt mode was the tank, but both figures happen to have both modes, Luckily they were consistent with that.

Jazz and Prowl didn't have their missiles because the animators or Hasbro (I forget which) wanted them and Bluestreak to be instantly recognisable. So Prowl lost his missiles, Jazz lost his missiles and doors, and Bluestreak kept everything. Still didn't stop miscolourings between Bluestreak and Prowl though.

Magnus was never intended to be a seperate white prime in armour in the toon. That's why he never transformed like that.

Cheetor's alt gun was only used when he was seen shooting alongside Tigatron, again, to help differentiate the two. Tigatron would always use the original.

Hot Rod's pistol was seen. It's the gun he whips out in Rebirth just before the Targetmaster proccess begins, though it is red here.

Rodimus's trailer usually just transformed up into his back.

Duke of Luns wrote:It's called "Transformers"
Oddly enough, some Transformers never transformed!

I noticed that too. I found it odd.

Those posers!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Armada Wheeljack ever used the missiles inside the "gull-wing doors" in the cartoon. Instead, he'd grab one and it would be a short straight laser gun. Almost like a high powered tazer gun. I'll have to check his episodes again.

Also, Armada Jetfire never abused Comettor by using him as a landing gear in the cartoon, like he does with the toy.

I'm willing to guess that Perceptor lost the tank mode for the cartoon because he's not an official triple-changer. (Well, that, and having a giant laser cannon is already a little odd for a scientist, IMHO.) Although, weirdly, he does manage to "transform and roll out" in "Child's Play". A mobile microscope?

Jeysie wrote:I'm willing to guess that Perceptor lost the tank mode for the cartoon because he's not an official triple-changer. (Well, that, and having a giant laser cannon is already a little odd for a scientist, IMHO.) Although, weirdly, he does manage to "transform and roll out" in "Child's Play". A mobile microscope?

he was rolling along quite happily in microscope mode at the start of Golden Lagoon.

perceptor_mc wrote:he was rolling along quite happily in microscope mode at the start of Golden Lagoon.

Actually, it was Seaspray and Warpath that roll along in "The Golden Lagoon". Beachcomber, Perceptor, and Powerglide all walk.

I think "Child's Play" is the only episode where Perceptor manages to move in his altmode. (Heck, even in the movie, when the Junkions attack, everyone transforms and drives off... except Perceptor, who just turns around and runs. It's kind of darkly funny.)

Drat! I thought I knew that episode backwards!You are right.

I swear in the movie they always legged it first then worried about team mates after! (ship leaving with out arcee, transforming Autobot City knowing full well there are autobots outside the gates etc)

Jeysie wrote:

perceptor_mc wrote:he was rolling along quite happily in microscope mode at the start of Golden Lagoon.

Actually, it was Seaspray and Warpath that roll along in "The Golden Lagoon". Beachcomber, Perceptor, and Powerglide all walk.

I think "Child's Play" is the only episode where Perceptor manages to move in his altmode. (Heck, even in the movie, when the Junkions attack, everyone transforms and drives off... except Perceptor, who just turns around and runs. It's kind of darkly funny.)

perceptor_mc wrote:I swear in the movie they always legged it first then worried about team mates after! (ship leaving with out arcee, transforming Autobot City knowing full well there are autobots outside the gates etc)

You might be on to something there. In fact, during the second siege of Autobot City, when Galvatron attacks, don't they also completely forget about Blaster as well as leaving Arcee outside the shuttle?

Leonardo wrote:

perceptor_mc wrote:I swear in the movie they always legged it first then worried about team mates after! (ship leaving with out arcee, transforming Autobot City knowing full well there are autobots outside the gates etc)

You might be on to something there. In fact, during the second siege of Autobot City, when Galvatron attacks, don't they also completely forget about Blaster as well as leaving Arcee outside the shuttle?

I'd forgot about blaster!

BUT they were under the leadership of Ultra Magnus at that point. I was never a fan of his *choke*cough* leadership style.

Beast Wars

Optimus Primal never uses his War Flail.

Rhinox never uses his sword.

To my knowledge, Megatron never uses his hip guns.


G1

Megatron never uses his combined cannon, either in back-mounted or tripod-mounted form. I don't think he ever uses his sword either, outside of the WWi Comic.

AFAIK, Galvatron never uses his pistol transformation.

The BW cast hardly ever switched between using normal robot heads and mutant heads. They either had one or the other.

Ok, here's an interesting point:

Note: if you have the 20th anniv. edition dvd, you'll already know this, if not...

In the Japanese episode that never made it to the US, Scramble City, it is shown that even hit by laser fire from a TF the size of Ultra Magnus, a gestalt may lose an arm or leg, but the rest will remain together. More times than not, in the US series, every time someone shot at a gestalt, even a mini car, the whole team went to pieces (now there's a design flaw of a 5 member gestalt). Devastator hardly ever went to pieces unless he was severely weak as in Five Faces of Darkness on the planet Char. Also, in Scramble City, it is shown that an arm or leg of a Decepticon gestalt could attach to an Autobot gestalt, therefore causing severe harm to the Autobot team. Case in point, Menasor battling Superion in the episode.

Here's another "cut & run" example from the animated movie:

When Galvatron is persuing the Autobots in space, and Kup and Hot Rod's shuttle gets shot down over Quintessa, Springer tells Magnus that "Kup and Hot Rod just bought it!" Magnus responds, "I can't deal with that right now!"

Geez, Louise! Thanks a-@#$%&*-lot Springer and Magnus...
You two are off my Christmas list this year! LOL!

They were really a cup of sunshine, weren't they? LOL!