The Energon Pub

by **Lastjustice** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:32 am

I'm 31, and hated both replacement leaders. I loved the 86 film back as a kid....loved to hate it that is. But there's several threads about my dislike of most new characters over the original ones. (for more of my 86 commentary just see here.... viewtopic.php?f=27&t=49426&start=0 )

I'm fine with Galvatron being a complete different guy(which he originally was supposed to be or they tried keep his origin a secret till the film came out.), I just dislike the idea of changing Megatron's name simply as a reason to upgrade him. He can be amped up without changing his name. Optimus Prime has undergone several power up modes without changing his name. I don't see why Megatron can't do the same.

by **primezimm** » Sat Nov 06, 2010 9:59 pm

36 and I liked the 86' movie. To be fair, I did'nt see the movie until a friend still happened to have it from the local video store (whoa the late fees) during the time the Beast Wars were airing. Loved the vehicle mode of Hotrod and Rodimus. Wasn't fond of the magical transformation or whiner-mus prime attitude of the series.

I would envision an opening that covers the leaving of Cybertron and crash on earth. Then modern day events that start to unfold where we learn Decepticons have been manipulating world powers, and Autobots start to come out of hiding or discovered trying to stop their actions. This would be how the human protagonist would learn of them.

I would want various makes and models of vehicles and ordinance, with choices reflecting what the characters we grew up with were. Old cars, classic cars, muscle cars, sports cars. How come we've never seen a rusty stationwagon. Perfect mode, no one would suspect. I would consider mixing up the Seekers plane types. Eventually have combiners, that would combine in a manner fitting their modes. Menasor from vehicles into a kneeling position for example. Have to have a helicopter.

I wasn't fond of the overly complicated almost insect-like designs of the bay-formers. It was different and still cool, yet seemed like to much. And, for a need for large robots, without mass shifting, I think they went too far. Between Blackout and Prime, there was plenty of time to waste them while they were transforming. I would simplify it a little, with more realistic size. I understand the issue with mass shifting, But, if realism is the issue, how do you explain away cell phones developing weapons and explosive ordinance, Marbles that transform then combine into a thin sheet of a creature to steal a fragment. I would like the robots to resemble the G1 design a little more.

I like the idea of Heralds like Galvatron. I like the idea of having Fort Max. I would like to see a discovering of transformers in stasis from prehistory, dinobots and insecticons. The main story would have to focus on a small contingent of characters, but if it took off, there could always be "origins" movies. Most of all, I want to see Prime drive up pulling a tanker trailer, transform and grab his trailer in mid transformation, releasing it into a large Decepticon, and blasting it at the point of impact.

by **Sizzle** » Sun Nov 07, 2010 4:59 am

Bring in the Dinobots! If the Decepticons can have animal-based altmodes like a scorpion and a panther, why can't the Dinobots?

Have them trashed the Autobots at first, with Grimlock easily defeated Ironhide and then fight to a standstill with Optimus. And then they will join the Autobots for the final battle.

by **Jaw Crusher** » Sun Nov 07, 2010 9:35 am

Sizzle wrote:Bring in the Dinobots! If the Decepticons can have animal-based altmodes like a scorpion and a panther, why can't the Dinobots?

Eh, Movie Scorponok was more a scorpion than Movie Ravage was a panther, but I digress.

I suppose one could always use the sort of 'theme-park escapee' bit that Animated did - and, according to the books, Alice in ROTF - to justify the Dinobots' alt-modes. Although personally, I would probably give the Dinobots techno-organic modes that would enable them to actually physically resemble real dinosaurs, skin and all, akin to how IDW started them out in "Spotlight: Shockwave". The same I'd probably do with the Insecticons too, only have them be large insects like Movie Scorponok (written off by the humans early on as apparent mutations caused by the giant alien robots, before the beasties reveal their true nature).

As it were, I wouldn't bring in the Dinobots until the sequel, and even then they would NOT be friends with the Autobots; they might become tolerant of them (at least more so than they would the Decepticons) and fight alongside them, but in the end they still won't join them because they don't necessarily believe in what the Autobots are fighting for, especially these little bipedal fleshbags crawling all over this miserable rock.

News Credits: 37 · by **SlyTF1** » Sun Nov 07, 2010 8:02 pm

I really would like to see a TF movie done like this:

Transformers are fighting on Cybertron, the Autobots are rushing to destroy Megatron who has set his base in a building. They reash him, and Oprimus fights him. Optimus wins and orders Megatron to leave. We ater find out that Megatron killed their father and Optimus was the only person who could carry the responsibility of Prime. He takes the role and banishes all Decepticons from Cybertron. They leave in search of a new world to call home. They hear stories that The Fallen was burried somewhere on a planet called Earth, so they travel there in search of him. Earth's magnetic field scrambles their ship's systems and they crash into a volcano that erupts a few hundred years after. Then a few hundred years after that, the volcano became inactive and humans built a base around it. The Decepticon ship had been hidden behind colcanic rocks, before some miners dug into it. Of course there had to be a human character, so the main one is working for the organization built around the volcano, they make weapons, but they have been using the Decepticon ship the whole time.

No one knows about it, but eventually the main character does, and acidentally activates Megatron. Megatron lets out a blast that he thinks killed him, bt it actually gave him the "sight" he can read Cybertronian, and understand what the Decepticons are saying. Optimus recieves a message by Megatron on Cybertron and comes to earth in search for him. The Autobots come to earth, team up with the human, they discover secrets about past civilizations and corrupt experiments have a connection to the US government, and that there are a group of people who are actually Cybertronian/human hybrids and the US government plans of engaging in a nuclear war with another country. (Doesnt matter which one.) So, the Autobots destroy the Decepticons, but still face the threat of a nuclear war, leaving room for the sequel, where the Decepticons team up with the opposing country to destroy America, because they are the country that kept him prisonor. And they still seach for The Fallen.

by **Red 50** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:51 pm

Jaw Crusher wrote:I guess in terms of which robots I'd use, I'd try to change up the rosters outside of Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and possibly Starscream (since Hasbro would be likely to demand that THEY be in it) with robots who haven't had any screen time if any in recent years, while still capitalizing on some of the basic archetypes that Hasbro's been pushing with the newer shows (these actually repurposed from another idea I had for a new TF cartoon recently):

AUTOBOTS
Optimus
Bumblebee
Wheeljack (the wiseacre medic in place of Ratchet)
Roadbuster (the big brawny type in place of Movie Ironhide and Animated Bulkhead)
Smokescreen (the cool street machine in place of Movie Jazz and Animated Prowl)
And two more:
Mirage (the shadowy character who probably can't be trusted)
Hound (the lovable-grump military type)

DECEPTICONS
Megatron
Starscream
Astrotrain (the flying Megatron loyalist in place of Movie Blackout and Animated Lugnut)
Motormaster (the scary-badass-on-wheels in place of Movie Barricade and Animated Lockdown)
For that matter, the REST of the Stunticons, too (mostly to beef up the Decepticons ranks, as underlings of Motormaster and to pave the way for Menasor if necessary)
Ramjet (the slightly-addled engine of destruction in place of Movie Bonecrusher and Animated Blitzwing)
For that matter, the REST of the Coneheads, too (again to beef up the Decepticon ranks, all as underlings of Starscream - possibly with a lift from Animated in that they might be clones of him who each embody various aspects of his personality)
Kickback (the sneaky insect 'bot in place of Movie Scorponok and Animated Waspinator)
For that matter, the REST of the Insecticons, too (again to beef up the Decepticons ranks, but mostly wandering rogues in the same manner as the Animated Dinobots)
Runamuck (the mouth in place of Movie Frenzy and Animated Swindle)
For that matter, Runabout, too (you guessed it, to beef up the 'Con ranks...but also to whet Hasbro's appetite for crankin' out them repaints)

I suppose this might put Cullen and Welker out of the picture, although I'd probably be tempted to have Cullen voice Roadbuster as a cross between Eyeore and John Wayne.

I admit the number of Decepticons I have here seems insane, but then for me at least that's why it would be important to shift the primary focus back onto the robots - Megatron and Starscream aside, we would at least gather in the course of the story that the rest of the Stunticons hate Motormaster, Runamuck is more proactive and Runabout more laid back in the destruction they cause, and the Insecticons have the same contempt for the rest of the Decepticons that the Decepticons have for them - and the more these basic personality conflicts would make their way into the script, all the better. It would also be necessary to have this many Decepticons in view of the fact that, as I pointed out before, this essentially would be a Transformers version of "The Seven Samurai", where it WAS just seven guys against an entire band of cutthroats (this is also where having the final battle take place in a rainstorm comes in); and dividing the 'Cons up into subgroups - Stunticons, Coneheads, Battlechargers, Insections, etc. - would make them narratively easier to manage. And the big plus, whoever isn't seen to die in the first movie could always have the way paved for them to come back for more in a sequel. It also helps Hasbro pad the accompanying toy line out for an extra year or so by squeezing in new molds with the obligatory repaints of the 'main' TF characters.

There's one visible problem with the character pick: The Con's outnumber The 'Bots on way to big advantage.

by **Jaw Crusher** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 5:16 pm

Red 50 wrote:
Jaw Crusher wrote:I guess in terms of which robots I'd use, I'd try to change up the rosters outside of Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and possibly Starscream (since Hasbro would be likely to demand that THEY be in it) with robots who haven't had any screen time if any in recent years, while still capitalizing on some of the basic archetypes that Hasbro's been pushing with the newer shows (these actually repurposed from another idea I had for a new TF cartoon recently):

AUTOBOTS
Optimus
Bumblebee
Wheeljack (the wiseacre medic in place of Ratchet)
Roadbuster (the big brawny type in place of Movie Ironhide and Animated Bulkhead)
Smokescreen (the cool street machine in place of Movie Jazz and Animated Prowl)
And two more:
Mirage (the shadowy character who probably can't be trusted)
Hound (the lovable-grump military type)

DECEPTICONS
Megatron
Starscream
Astrotrain (the flying Megatron loyalist in place of Movie Blackout and Animated Lugnut)
Motormaster (the scary-badass-on-wheels in place of Movie Barricade and Animated Lockdown)
For that matter, the REST of the Stunticons, too (mostly to beef up the Decepticons ranks, as underlings of Motormaster and to pave the way for Menasor if necessary)
Ramjet (the slightly-addled engine of destruction in place of Movie Bonecrusher and Animated Blitzwing)
For that matter, the REST of the Coneheads, too (again to beef up the Decepticon ranks, all as underlings of Starscream - possibly with a lift from Animated in that they might be clones of him who each embody various aspects of his personality)
Kickback (the sneaky insect 'bot in place of Movie Scorponok and Animated Waspinator)
For that matter, the REST of the Insecticons, too (again to beef up the Decepticons ranks, but mostly wandering rogues in the same manner as the Animated Dinobots)
Runamuck (the mouth in place of Movie Frenzy and Animated Swindle)
For that matter, Runabout, too (you guessed it, to beef up the 'Con ranks...but also to whet Hasbro's appetite for crankin' out them repaints)

I suppose this might put Cullen and Welker out of the picture, although I'd probably be tempted to have Cullen voice Roadbuster as a cross between Eyeore and John Wayne.

I admit the number of Decepticons I have here seems insane, but then for me at least that's why it would be important to shift the primary focus back onto the robots - Megatron and Starscream aside, we would at least gather in the course of the story that the rest of the Stunticons hate Motormaster, Runamuck is more proactive and Runabout more laid back in the destruction they cause, and the Insecticons have the same contempt for the rest of the Decepticons that the Decepticons have for them - and the more these basic personality conflicts would make their way into the script, all the better. It would also be necessary to have this many Decepticons in view of the fact that, as I pointed out before, this essentially would be a Transformers version of "The Seven Samurai", where it WAS just seven guys against an entire band of cutthroats (this is also where having the final battle take place in a rainstorm comes in); and dividing the 'Cons up into subgroups - Stunticons, Coneheads, Battlechargers, Insections, etc. - would make them narratively easier to manage. And the big plus, whoever isn't seen to die in the first movie could always have the way paved for them to come back for more in a sequel. It also helps Hasbro pad the accompanying toy line out for an extra year or so by squeezing in new molds with the obligatory repaints of the 'main' TF characters.

There's one visible problem with the character pick: The Con's outnumber The 'Bots on way to big advantage.

That's part of the point. Just like in "The Seven Samurai", the Autobots know they're in for a battle they have almost no hope of winning directly, so they're going to have to use their brains and start figuring out ways to whittle down the Decepticon ranks as the story goes on, like setting traps, etc.. This is also the reason why I primarily stuck to land-bound Decepticons like the Stunticons and Battlechargers - the final battle would come down to the Decepticon's aerial advantage, and to pare even that down we'd lose a few Autobots. This may also be why I went with more militaristically-oriented Autobots like Hound and Roadbuster, and those with distinct diversionary and stealth capabilities like Smokescreen and Mirage.