The Energon Pub

I've been reading around and saw some posts with regards to "Automorph Technology", and i'm curious:

What are your opinions on this and it's impact on TFs in general - boon or bane?

Do you guys ever think that the movie line could have done away with it, or was it necessary?

thanks and happy posting.

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It has no effect in my opinion. We have seen it in the past with other figures.

As much as I liked the Automorph on '08 Bumblebee and Leader Prime, I'd say bane. It's gimmicky and hard to successfully pull off. On the off chance that it was successfully pulled off, the figure would've been better off having increased poseability or a more complicated transformation sequence which the automorph took the place of.

I think Automorph is an excuse for Hasbro to push their engineers for more work and effort. Otherwise these engineers will be really free. The movie line could have done away with it and the engineers will be happier.

Mind you, I dont't really know how some of the automorphs work. I couldn't have worked them out myself. But then again, I am a mechanical idiot.( Though I am a mechanical engineerig student)

Most of them are unnecessary, but I'll admit, a lot of them are cool.

I don't have a ton of the toys though, so I can't say if the majority them are a bane, but I can tell you that they planned the automorph for Wreckage pretty poorly. If there's more toys out there like that one, then yeah, I'd say only leave it in if it doesn't hinder your experience with the figure, i.e. Ironhide and Voyager Prime's feet.

automorph is pretty simple really. You move one piece, which in turn either turns connected gears, releases springs or simply pushes other parts into place. It works ok, but it isnt necessary. The only one I dont like is on blackout. I get the feeling when that spring breaks, his head is not going to stay in place.

Toyotus Superion wrote:automorph is pretty simple really. You move one piece, which in turn either turns connected gears, releases springs or simply pushes other parts into place. It works ok, but it isnt necessary. The only one I dont like is on blackout. I get the feeling when that spring breaks, his head is not going to stay in place.

I agree. Some of the automorphs only make the toys less durable. But it is funny Hasbro call them "Technology" it is as if their scientists have invented something new.
In fact, it is not.

I would say do away with automorph and at the same time make their prices lower. They are not worth their inflated values. (for us living ouside US)

they would just keep the price the same without automorph. they had no gimmics witrh classics but thyey were no cheaper than cybertron or movie dx's. if anything the movie dx's are generally cheaper here in the uk.

back on topic: i like automorph it really gives the figuresup to the next level. like 77 bumblebees leg automorph as it gives it a mechanicle action, plus it gives us cool leg details

I would like to see how they going to use automorph to help the figures to move in action packed poses instead of in transformation only.
Eg, push a button, and 08 BB aim his gun forward and open his legs wider.

ironhide00 wrote:I would like to see how they going to use automorph to help the figures to move in action packed poses instead of in transformation only.
Eg, push a button, and 08 BB aim his gun forward and open his legs wider.

Oh dear god I hope i never see anything like that! As a long time star wars collector, the toys just got worse when they did things like that.

The Automorph features were alright... wasn't really necessary... but it'll pass off

I don't like automorph. The Armada/Energon/Cybertron gimmicks were much more fun. Automorph has stuffed up my Voyager Ironhide's legs. The only ones I like them on is Leader Prime. The rest aren't good at all.

I hope they come up with a better gimmick when the new line of toys comes out.

for some of the figures that i have. it is good, such as bumblebee and star scream. but it may have reduce some points of articulation because of the needs to put gears and spring in the figures body. i like the foot of the leader prime but i don't like the head and chest automorph. it make the figure more fragile. if the automorph get's broken then it would be troublesome. i dont like the automorph that use spring as the main tools. we know springs can not last forever.

but some of the best automorph that i like are those in the Fast Action Battlers. they are great. especially starscream and ratchet. i still wonder how they do that.

Boonalicious.

I love 'em.

All I can comment on is the few tfs I have with automorph on em:

Leader Prime: Pretty good all round.
Ratchet: none existent.
'78 Bumbles: Terrible (read: it broke).
Wreckage: OK, but I suspect he would have better off without.
Brawl: Pretty good.
Proto SS: Simple but effective.
Blackout: Terrible.
The handheld game real gear: Good in theory, poor in application.

In all honesty, the best example of Automorph is actully FAB Brawl, it's simple, effective, and virtully unbreakable.

All in all though, most of the Automorph features are at best unnessercery and at worst a bloody hinderence.

The automorph is a real hindrance, a lot of times, the notch that is supposed to keep prime's trigger locked just doesn't stay so prime will happily start doing the only thing for which the batteries are included.. pop up and "ptjew ptjew ptjew"

they should've left it in the "crazy idea inbox"

Bane. Can't stand the idea. I prefer to transform them myself and not to have them transform for me.

neliz wrote:The automorph is a real hindrance, a lot of times, the notch that is supposed to keep prime's trigger locked just doesn't stay so prime will happily start doing the only thing for which the batteries are included.. pop up and "ptjew ptjew ptjew"

they should've left it in the "crazy idea inbox"

Thats rather unlikly, in robot mode the automorph is where it wants to be, so wont accidently activate, and in truck mode, the hood and the back of the cab stop it being able to activate.

Also, mine has no problems with the catch. Ipersonally think its a niftly little feature the hear poping up (I took the batteries out, so no noises). The foot automorph isnt as reliable but a nice little touch too.

EDIT: for those that didnt know, the actual automorph dosnt use batteries, just the sounds/lights.

I'm of a mind to go on a 50 to 50 ratio as far as Boon and Bane go...It's certainly helpful and kinda cool to see that extra steps are done for you. But on the other hand it can cause major issues if the design and automorph are done incorrectly, as we saw with the first run 70s bumblebee Camaro..I guess it's kind of a Hit or miss thing.. sometimes the transformation suffers and designs suffer from incorporating the mechanics to allow the automorph Technology to work..

overall.. I'd say bane.. but for practicality reasons, it's a 50/50 split..

Redimus wrote:Thats rather unlikly, in robot mode the automorph is where it wants to be, so wont accidently activate, and in truck mode, the hood and the back of the cab stop it being able to activate.

During transformation, you have to push the notchdown (the one that activates automorph (wtf, is that about btw? it's transforming right, not MORPHing?) and latch the "safety" lock to keep the automorph thingy in place.. it just pops a lot during transformation.

neliz wrote:

Redimus wrote:Thats rather unlikly, in robot mode the automorph is where it wants to be, so wont accidently activate, and in truck mode, the hood and the back of the cab stop it being able to activate.

During transformation, you have to push the notchdown (the one that activates automorph (wtf, is that about btw? it's transforming right, not MORPHing?) and latch the "safety" lock to keep the automorph thingy in place.. it just pops a lot during transformation.

Ahh I get you. I think you've just been unlucky, mine only unlatches if you conciously mean to. Also, take the batteries out, the sound effects are (as usual) more of an anoyance than any automoph could ever be.

Redimus wrote:the sound effects are (as usual) more of an anoyance than any automoph could ever be.

but I love the *HONK*HONK*

neliz wrote:

Redimus wrote:the sound effects are (as usual) more of an anoyance than any automoph could ever be.

but I love the *HONK*HONK*

Its not something Ive tested, but I have a feeling that one of the batteries poweres the automorph lights n sounds, the other poweres the honk honk. Might be worth a look into.

Redimus wrote:Its not something Ive tested, but I have a feeling that one of the batteries poweres the automorph lights n sounds, the other poweres the honk honk. Might be worth a look into.

will do..

neliz wrote:

Redimus wrote:the sound effects are (as usual) more of an anoyance than any automoph could ever be.

but I love the *HONK*HONK*

i hear ya. it kinda grew on me too.

the one thing that i have noticed, and it has become a general consensus among fans, is that the automorph technology, while helping speed up complicated transformations, becomes more of a bane when in robot mode as it really hinders poseability of the figure.

another thing that frustrates most is that when it breaks down, you're basically left with a "dead" figure, as you cannot transform the toy anymore...well, unless you know how to open the TF and mess around with all the springs and gears inside.

it would be horrible to have spent $40 on leader prime only to have his chest lever constantly pop up, preventing you from transforming him properly into alt mode, or what if - you messed up his radiators, preventing you from ever forming his feet...