The Energon Pub

Nemesis Primal wrote:I'm surprised that neither "Robot" nor "combiner component" made the list.

I'm sure nobody needs to be told why combiners are appealing, but the "robot" thing needs a little explanation...

By "robot" I don't just mean "turns into a robot". I mean "A robot who turns into a DIFFERENT robot". Counterpunch and Longarm are, arguably, alt modes of Punch and Shockwave, respectively. They don't just turn into something else. They turn into someONE else.

Turning into someone else IS awesome.

Turning into a leg, however, isn't.

Poor Headstrong.

Prime Riblet wrote:This was a great time reading this list. Kinda sad that it is finished, actually.

Thank you. Me too! I was hoping to maybe write up some more honourable mentions but becoming a member of the news crew is keeping me pretty busy. I'd still be delighted if others would keep this thread alive by waxing lyrical about their own favourites.

ok, new thread Diem -- worst Alt modes of all time. Let's see it

vectorA3 wrote:ok, new thread Diem -- worst Alt modes of all time. Let's see it

Given how defensive some people (me) can be, that sounds like a recipe for name-calling and hair-pulling.

Diem wrote:

vectorA3 wrote:ok, new thread Diem -- worst Alt modes of all time. Let's see it

Given how defensive some people (me) can be, that sounds like a recipe for name-calling and hair-pulling.

Yep, hand-bags at dawn.

This thread has been the best read i've had in a loong time, great work Diem - looking forward to your next opus.

Jetfire73 wrote:

Diem wrote:

vectorA3 wrote:ok, new thread Diem -- worst Alt modes of all time. Let's see it

Given how defensive some people (me) can be, that sounds like a recipe for name-calling and hair-pulling.

Yep, hand-bags at dawn.

This thread has been the best read i've had in a loong time, great work Diem - looking forward to your next opus.

I'd support a "Worst Alt. Mode List". Doesn't have to be 26, or even 10.

Wonder if a Microscope would make it on the list? Honestly, considering Transformers have been shown having microscopic vision in multiple continuities, having that as your primary alt. is redundant. Add that to being completely immobile and nigh useless in battle(Carnage in C-Minor not-withstanding), and you've got yourself a pretty bad alt. mode.

Duke of Luns wrote:

Jetfire73 wrote:

Diem wrote:

vectorA3 wrote:ok, new thread Diem -- worst Alt modes of all time. Let's see it

Given how defensive some people (me) can be, that sounds like a recipe for name-calling and hair-pulling.

Yep, hand-bags at dawn.

This thread has been the best read i've had in a loong time, great work Diem - looking forward to your next opus.

I'd support a "Worst Alt. Mode List". Doesn't have to be 26, or even 10.

Wonder if a Microscope would make it on the list? Honestly, considering Transformers have been shown having microscopic vision in multiple continuities, having that as your primary alt. is redundant. Add that to being completely immobile and nigh useless in battle(Carnage in C-Minor not-withstanding), and you've got yourself a pretty bad alt. mode.

I think turning into an appendage(hand/head/foot) might be a little worse. I'm going to try to sit down and type up at least a top ten most ridiculous alt modes list. Just have to take care of a couple of jobs first. When I do get it started i'll post a link to it here.

Hey!! I like Perceptor! Don't knock microscopes!!! What gave u the idea that you could bash certain alt modes!?!?!?

I've done my research and the Classics Jetfire mold resembles a heavily modified F-14 Tomcat.

F-14 Tomcat.

Classics Jetfire.

Notable differences are: Jetfire's nosecone isn't rounded, Jetfire has guns on the side of the cockpit, Jetfire's cockpit is shaped differently, and Jetfire's jet thrusters are rectangular while the F-14's are rounded off. Not to mention the fact that there is a lot of robot bulk underneath Jetfire's jet mode.

I hope that this has helped in the argument of Jetfire being a "Cybertronian" aircraft.

I just wonder one thing...why do CYBERTRONIAN vehicles have a cockpit? What's going to sit in there?

zenosaurus_x wrote:I just wonder one thing...why do CYBERTRONIAN vehicles have a cockpit? What's going to sit in there?

That is a brilliant point...one that I have actually wondered about myself. Why SHOULD they? THe only possibility would be that occassionally smaller bots would sit inside: Rumble or Frenzy in pre-cassette days. Or maybe minicons? WHo knows...but it is a valid question indeed.

that Classics JF resembles 75% F-14 and about 25% F-111.

About the cockpit thing, remember, it's a disguise!!! All alt modes are!!

First-Aid wrote:

zenosaurus_x wrote:I just wonder one thing...why do CYBERTRONIAN vehicles have a cockpit? What's going to sit in there?

That is a brilliant point...one that I have actually wondered about myself. Why SHOULD they? THe only possibility would be that occassionally smaller bots would sit inside: Rumble or Frenzy in pre-cassette days. Or maybe minicons? WHo knows...but it is a valid question indeed.

The Dreamworks Micromasters series had a whole thing about this. But then again, it's probably best to pretend Dreamworks never happened...

Sabrblade wrote:

Diem wrote:The Dreamworks Micromasters series had a whole thing about this. But then again, it's probably best to pretend Dreamworks never happened...

But without Dreamworks, we wouldn't have the hilarious Shrek movies.

Shrek is disgusting

Sabrblade wrote:

Diem wrote:The Dreamworks Micromasters series had a whole thing about this. But then again, it's probably best to pretend Dreamworks never happened...

But without Dreamworks, we wouldn't have the hilarious Shrek movies.

Let's pretend that it's not past my bedtime and I didn't say Dreamworks when I meant Dreamwave. Godammit.

vectorA3 wrote:that Classics JF resembles 75% F-14 and about 25% F-111.

About the cockpit thing, remember, it's a disguise!!! All alt modes are!!

But it's their own planet, there, wouldn't it be transportation instead of disguises?
I guess the smaller TransFormers was a valid point though...

@Diem:I was wondering what you meant with DreamWorks

It may be a disguise, but on Cybertron they really weren't. They were just their bodies in a different mode, so before they arrived on Earth and Nebulos, there really was no reason to have cockpits.

zenosaurus_x wrote:

vectorA3 wrote:that Classics JF resembles 75% F-14 and about 25% F-111.

About the cockpit thing, remember, it's a disguise!!! All alt modes are!!

But it's their own planet, there, wouldn't it be transportation instead of disguises?
I guess the smaller TransFormers was a valid point though...

@Diem:I was wondering what you meant with DreamWorks

Transportation & disguise. Even the Cybertronian mode Skywarp & TC had 'cockpit' areas. Is G1 this lost on people?!?!? What is going on? Autobots transformed mainly for disguise -esp. in wartime I thought

vectorA3 wrote:

zenosaurus_x wrote:

vectorA3 wrote:that Classics JF resembles 75% F-14 and about 25% F-111.

About the cockpit thing, remember, it's a disguise!!! All alt modes are!!

But it's their own planet, there, wouldn't it be transportation instead of disguises?
I guess the smaller TransFormers was a valid point though...

@Diem:I was wondering what you meant with DreamWorks

Transportation & disguise. Even the Cybertronian mode Skywarp & TC had 'cockpit' areas. Is G1 this lost on people?!?!? What is going on? Autobots transformed mainly for disguise -esp. in wartime I thought

The only trouble is that most G1-formers were depicted as having same size bot modes as alt modes. So in order for, say, Cybertronian Skywarp's pyramid fighter mode to be good disguise there'd have to be other innocuous jets on Cybertron the same size as Skywarp...with tiny little cockpits.

One possible explanation (if you follow cartoon canon) is that the Quintessons left a bunch of vehicles that they could pilot on Cybertron. Then when they retreated and the Transformers learned how to transform they took the form of these vehicles and then slowly over time the cockpits became smaller and more vestigal.

Another possible explanation is that it's only a kids' cartoon.

Diem wrote:Another possible explanation is that it's only a kids' cartoon.

Agreed. When someone said "come up with what an alien plane would look like" I don't think the animators were thinking that people would be debating the validity of a cockpit on an alien craft, 25 years later.

Sabrblade wrote:There was a thread awhile back that suspected that the cockpits and windshields were the TF's means of seeing when in altmode.

This idea is supported by a G1 episode in which the Seekers were "blinded" by smoke covering their cockpits, causing them to panic and crash.

which episode?? That sounds pretty funny actually.

I'd love it if someday the Cybertronian modes from More than Meets the Eye pt.1 were released. I asked H about that at Botcon, but I got the usual "we'll think about it" answer.

Sabrblade wrote:

vectorA3 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:There was a thread awhile back that suspected that the cockpits and windshields were the TF's means of seeing when in altmode.

This idea is supported by a G1 episode in which the Seekers were "blinded" by smoke covering their cockpits, causing them to panic and crash.

which episode?? That sounds pretty funny actually.

I think it was "Auto Berserk".

I think it also happened in the ep that saw the creation of ths Stunticons and Aerialbots..

thanks guys. Now it's coming back to me. That'd be The Key to Me..i mean Vector Sigma pt.1 or 2.