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In this topic, I would like to discuss an old 1980s series that has been retroactively tied with the Transformers franchise, thanks to the AllSpark Almanac II book. This series is called Robotix.

Robotix was a series that was similar in concept to the Transformers, but still very different in its own right. Its toyline consisted of motorized construction sets akin to those of Erector or K'Nex, in which its products were treated drastically different from how the show would later portray them (the toyline featured them as mostly high-tech space vehicles/machines, whereas the show had them seem more like actual robots).

As for the show itself, I'll let the familiar narration of Victor Caroli from the opening do the talking:

To survive a cosmic storm that devastates their planet, the Protectons and Terrakors are forced to transfer their essences into the huge powerful bodies of Robotix!

And once again, the ancient hostilities between the valiant Protectons and the evil Terrakors erupt into violence, each side made stronger by an organic Interface with human beings!

This conflict takes place on the alien planet of Skalorr, where the Protectons fight to stop the Terrakors from acquiring the power of the highly coveted Compu-Core, the central intelligence of their planet (kinda like how Vector Sigma is to Cybertron) and using it to achieve their goal of galactic conquest.

After a team of human space explorers crash-land on the planet, they are able to form a connection with each Robotix through a process called Interface. This grants each Robotix the ability to assume new forms and configurations, offering them new weapons and abilities.

But what makes this interesting is that the humans not only Interface with the Protectons, but with the Terrakors as well. Meaning that humans are fighting on both sides of the conflict against each other.

These are the names of each character in the series:


Protectons

• Argus (leader)
• Bront
• Jerrok
• Narra
• Boltar
• Kontor (briefly)

Terrakors

• Nemesis (leader)
• Tyrannix
• Goon
• Steggor
• Venturax
• Terragor (briefly)

Humans
Protecton-aligned

• Exeter Galaxon (leader, partner of Argus)
• Tauron (partner of Bront)
• Spiro (partner of Jerrok)
• Steff (partner of Narra)
• Flexor (partner of Boltar)
• Zarru

Terrakor-aligned

• Kanawk (partner of Nemesis)
• Gaxon (partner of Tyrannix)
• Lupus (partner of Goon)
• Nommo (partner of Steggor)
• Traxis (partner of Venturak)

Many of the characters' voice should sound familiar, as many of them were also voice actors in the Generation 1 Transformers cartoon, including Michael Bell, Arthur Burghardt, Corey Burton, Victor Caroli, Peter Cullen, Neil Ross, and Frank Welker.


Each episode is only six minutes long and act like a sinlge movie. They all can be viewed on YouTube via the following links.

1. Battle of the Titans
2. Paradise Lost
3. Traitor In Our Midst
4. A Spy is Born
5. Crash Landing
6. Firestorm at the Oasis
7. Captured
8. The Lost Cities
9. Bront Stands Accused
10. The Factory of Death
11. Zarru Takes the Plunge
12. Attack of the Rock Creatures
13. All for One
14. Battle for Zanadon
15. The Final Attack


Who else here remembers or knows of this series?

I remembered it from my childhood, and about a year ago I managed to accidentally bump into an auction of a VHS casette of it. The casette I think contains a cut-together version of the series into a "movie". Still, I love it, as well as the other 80s cartoons - anyone remember Dino Riders?

Sabrblade wrote:In this topic, I would like to discuss an old 1980s series that has been retroactively tied with the Transformers franchise, thanks to the AllSpark Almanac II book. This series is called Robotix.

Robotix was a series that was similar in concept to the Transformers, but still very different in its own right. Its toyline consisted of motorized construction sets akin to those of Erector or K'Nex, in which its products were treated drastically different from how the show would later portray them (the toyline featured them as mostly high-tech space vehicles/machines, whereas the show had them seem more like actual robots).

As for the show itself, I'll let the familiar narration of Victor Caroli from the opening do the talking:

To survive a cosmic storm that devastates their planet, the Protectons and Terrakors are forced to transfer their essences into the huge powerful bodies of Robotix!

And once again, the ancient hostilities between the valiant Protectons and the evil Terrakors erupt into violence, each side made stronger by an organic Interface with human beings!

This conflict takes place on the alien planet of Skalorr, where the Protectons fight to stop the Terrakors from acquiring the power of the highly coveted Compu-Core, the central intelligence of their planet (kinda like how Vector Sigma is to Cybertron) and using it to achieve their goal of galactic conquest.

After a team of human space explorers crash-land on the planet, they are able to form a connection with each Robotix through a process called Interface. This grants each Robotix the ability to assume new forms and configurations, offering them new weapons and abilities.

But what makes this interesting is that the humans not only Interface with the Protectons, but with the Terrakors as well. Meaning that humans are fighting on both sides of the conflict against each other.

These are the names of each character in the series:


Protectons

• Argus (leader)
• Bront
• Jerrok
• Narra
• Boltar
• Kontor (briefly)

Terrakors

• Nemesis (leader)
• Tyrannix
• Goon
• Steggor
• Venturax
• Terragor (briefly)

Humans
Protecton-aligned

• Exeter Galaxon (leader, partner of Argus)
• Tauron (partner of Bront)
• Spiro (partner of Jerrok)
• Steff (partner of Narra)
• Flexor (partner of Boltar)
• Zarru

Terrakor-aligned

• Kanawk (partner of Nemesis)
• Gaxon (partner of Tyrannix)
• Lupus (partner of Goon)
• Nommo (partner of Steggor)
• Traxis (partner of Venturak)

Many of the characters' voice should sound familiar, as many of them were also voice actors in the Generation 1 Transformers cartoon, including Michael Bell, Arthur Burghardt, Corey Burton, Victor Caroli, Peter Cullen, Neil Ross, and Frank Welker.


Each episode is only six minutes long and act like a sinlge movie. They all can be viewed on YouTube via the following links.

1. Battle of the Titans
2. Paradise Lost
3. Traitor In Our Midst
4. A Spy is Born
5. Crash Landing
6. Firestorm at the Oasis
7. Captured
8. The Lost Cities
9. Bront Stands Accused
10. The Factory of Death
11. Zarru Takes the Plunge
12. Attack of the Rock Creatures
13. All for One
14. Battle for Zanadon
15. The Final Attack


Who else here remembers or knows of this series?

I do, and IIRC I talked about it a few times in the past.

I seen those videos and used to have the "movie" (which was the episodes cut together) taped from the TV station that showed it, there were a LOT of Transformers commercials in it) but my dad accidentally taped over it.

I'm not sure but could the human/Robotix "interface" (I think that was the name for it) concept MIGHT have been a forerunner to binary bonding process for the Headmasters, Targetmasters, and Powermasters concepts in The Transformers.

I would easily consider Robotix a spin-off of the Transformers set in the same universe, (the humans could have been shot down by Decepticons and/or Quintessons) but just in a different part of it.
I don't see the need to make it an official (BTW is The Allspark Almanac II approved by Hasbro?) Transformers series.

Cyberstrike wrote:I would easily consider Robotix a spin-off of the Transformers set in the same universe, (the humans could have been shot down by Decepticons and/or Quintessons) but just in a different part of it.

Actually, it resides in its own Universal Cluster called Xobitor. The cartoon in particular is located in Xobitor 1085.06 Alpha.

Skalorr is the Cybertron of the Robotix world (somehow), and Compu-Core is its Vector Sigma node.

There was also a one-issue comic adaptation of the first three episodes, which is given the designation of Xobitor 286.0 Gamma.

Cyberstrike wrote:I don't see the need to make it an (un)official (BTW is The Allspark Almanac approved by Hasbro?)Transformers series and the same with The Challenge of the Go-Bots.

Yes. It's official.

Sabrblade wrote:

Cyberstrike wrote:I would easily consider Robotix a spin-off of the Transformers set in the same universe, (the humans could have been shot down by Decepticons and/or Quintessons) but just in a different part of it.

Actually, it resides in its own Universal Cluster called Xobitor. The cartoon in particular is located in Xobitor 1085.06 Alpha.

So? Does that automatically set it in a different universe? Just because Cybertron's Universal Cluster wasn't given doesn't mean it doesn't exists in the same universe.

Skalorr is the Cybertron of the Robotix world (somehow), and Compu-Core is its Vector Sigma node.[/i]

It's the name of their respective homeworlds. Compu-Core as a Vector Sigma node? What is Vector Sigma now an inter-dimensional version of the Internet?

There was also a one-issue comic adaptation of the first three episodes, which is given the designation of Xobitor 286.0 Gamma.

Look I've never read, seen, or even knew about this comic until now, so I'm not going to debate it.

It was a great toy series even if they all looked less like there shoe that Ironhide/Ratchet.

Had a Tyrannix & a Venturax set.

Cyberstrike wrote:So? Does that automatically set it in a different universe? Just because Cybertron's Universal Cluster wasn't given doesn't mean it doesn't exists in the same universe.

Um, every universe has a Cybertron. Skalorr is Robotix's Cybertron.

And, yes. With Robotix being set in the Xobitor universal Cluster, it is not in the same continuity as other series. G1/Beast Era is Primax, RiD is Viron, the Unicron Trilogy is Aurex, the live action movies are Tyran, Animated is Malgus, TransTech is Nexus, the Playskool Go-Bots line is Yayayarst, the Tonka GoBots line is Gargent, and the real world that you/me/all Internet users reside in is Quadwal.

Cyberstrike wrote:It's the name of their respective homeworlds. Compu-Core as a Vector Sigma node? What is Vector Sigma now an inter-dimensional version of the Internet?

There are several Vector Sigma nodes placed all across the multiverse.

We've seen or know of a few, like the one in the G1 cartoon, the Dreamwave G1 comics, the RiD cartoon (not seen, but directly referred to by Optimus), the Animated cartoon (mentioned by Master Yoketron in the AllSpark Almanac II book), the Exodus novel, and the IDW comics. There's also the Shattered Glass version of Vector Sigma there called "Omega Terminus".

Collectively, all of these physical nodes make up the multiversal network known as the "Vector Sigma Gestalt".

Cyberstrike wrote:Look I've never read, seen, or even knew about this comic until now, so I'm not going to debate it.

Me neither. I'm just repeating what both the Almanac II book and Chris McFeely (who annotated both Almanac books) said. Also Wikipedia.

The toy line still exists, it just took the original concept even further, which was teaching robotics to children so it's more like LEGO Mindstorms. Also the show wasn't too bad, however I find it hilarious that Frank Welker voiced the good guy leader while Peter Cullen did the voice for the bad guy leader.

Dead Metal wrote:Also the show wasn't too bad, however I find it hilarious that Frank Welker voiced the good guy leader while Peter Cullen did the voice for the bad guy leader.

But Argus was voiced by Arthur Burghardt, not Frank Welker.

However, Welker did voice Tyrannix, the "Starscream" of the Terrakors. Now that is funny.

Sabrblade wrote:

Cyberstrike wrote:So? Does that automatically set it in a different universe? Just because Cybertron's Universal Cluster wasn't given doesn't mean it doesn't exists in the same universe.

Um, every universe has a Cybertron. Skalorr is Robotix's Cybertron.

And, yes. With Robotix being set in the Xobitor universal Cluster, it is not in the same continuity as other series. G1/Beast Era is Primax, RiD is Viron, the Unicron Trilogy is Aurex, the live action movies are Tyran, Animated is Malgus, TransTech is Nexus, the Playskool Go-Bots line is Yayayarst, the Tonka GoBots line is Gargent, and the real world that you/me/all Internet users reside in is Quadwal.

Uhg multiverses.

Cyberstrike wrote:It's the name of their respective homeworlds. Compu-Core as a Vector Sigma node? What is Vector Sigma now an inter-dimensional version of the Internet?

There are several Vector Sigma nodes placed all across the multiverse.

We've seen or know of a few, like the one in the G1 cartoon, the Dreamwave G1 comics, the RiD cartoon (not seen, but directly referred to by Optimus), the Animated cartoon (mentioned by Master Yoketron in the AllSpark Almanac II book), the Exous novel, and the IDW comics. There's also the Shattered Glass version of Vector Sigma there called "Omega Terminus".

Collectively, all of these physical nodes make up the multiversal network known as the "Vector Sigma Gestalt".[/quote]


Just what the Transformers needed a multiverse gestalt.