The Energon Pub

G1 Megatron's gun mode. Being held by some one else, then shooting stuff out of you...need I say more?

Chaoslock wrote:#1: A painfully realistically depicted tanuki?

We have a winner!

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Heinrad#Toys

Wow, writing my second entry, I figured I'd take a quick check at the thread... everybody's just going to town on this one. Loving some of the ideas and responses!

Well, a few people managed to guess this one right off the bat, I'll need to be sneakier with my hints in the future.

#4: Handheld Weaponry
Turning into a weapon is kinda cool. Turning into a weapon that someone else needs to hold, aim, and fire... not so much...
It's especially laughable when you are the most powerful Decepticon of them all.


If I could just reach over and pull my trigger...

Megatron, for all his badassery, really didn't think his alt-mode through very well. "I know! I'll mass shift into something so incredibly tiny that one of my subordinates has to hold me! After all, what possible cause could I have to distrust any of my warriors?"


How about that guy?


Okay, this one's not so bad.

Sometimes, however, Megatron made extremely poor choices in who got to use him, as seen in "Autobot Spike" when the mentally unstable Spike Witwicky in a freakish mishmash of spare Autobot parts used Megatron to fire on the Decepticons.


Were he Galvatron at the time, he would care considerably less about doing this. Though alternately if he were Galvatron he probably would have just killed Spike and been done with it.

But Megatron is not alone, no no no...

Season 4/The Headmasters decided to make an entire sub group of characters who had partners that turned into their guns. Silly Targetmasters... Luckily enough for them, there was some binary bonding going on, so pretty much they were always together.

I'd bring up Shockwave's brief but humiliating experience with Bruticus, but for the most part Shocky could fly and fire himself.

Moving along, however, we reach Armada. Specifically the Mini-Con weapons. Nine poor saps that have robot modes, vehicle modes, and combined weapon modes.

The Star Saber

Useless on it's own, or surrounded by it's repaints!

Adding to the humiliation of being a weapon designed for use by others, is that in this case, it's a melee weapon. Meaning that these poor Mini-Cons are being used to hack, slash, stab and beat down opponents. Still not as bad as the next one...


The Skyboom Shield. Specifically designed to take incoming fire, punches, sword strikes, bread, apples, very small rocks, ducks... you name it.


At least the Requiem blaster was only used to shoot at things.


A show of hands for who wants to see the next entry?

To be fair, the gunformers CAN wield themselves...it's just more convenient to let someone else hold them. In Transformers Tatakai Megatron can float around in gun mode and in The Rebirth the Decepticon Headmasters hover in the air when they turn on Galvatron.

The BW raccoon clock dude with huge testicles.

You missed Browning, who was in scale with humans making him the littlest Decepticon. Which is pretty sad.

Galvatron had a gun mode. As I recall the ONLY place it was used was in a Marvel comic and it was wielded by a human, of all people. For a second, to surprise Megatron. While it was never really used, it was also never shown firing itself either.

FYI: in the comics Megatron was damaged and was wielded by a human to enhanse his criminal career.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:FYI: in the comics Megatron was damaged and was wielded by a human to enhanse his criminal career.

Show respect to Joey Slick.

He is more than "a human". The man had the balls to stand up to Megatron without a weapon and earned his respect.

Pascal wrote:The BW raccoon clock dude with huge testicles.

Heinrad's a tanuki, not a raccoon.

GuyIncognito wrote:Consider this scenario, though: You are a large robotic warrior from the planet Cybertron, you've traveled across the galaxy to wage war on another group of large robotic intergalactic warrior, and your alt mode can only attack by grunting, scratching, and nipping at peoples' feet and hands. I'd say that's pretty degrading.

Tell that to Ravage.

--B-- wrote:I wouldn't call a rabbit a degrading alt mode, I have two "house" rabbits (they are litter trained and hop around the house like cats) and the one is a vicious little bitch that attacks people, grunting and swiping at their feet if you piss her off. If I don't keep her claws short she would scratch the crap outta ya.

I also have a scar on my left hand where our male bit me a few years ago when I was breaking up a fight. Those teeth are sharp and way bigger they they look!

Cute fluffy bunnies my ass!

I have scars running the length of my wrist from my rabbit's feet. It looks like a (proper) suicide attempt. Of course, going to a dance class with fresh wrist slashes was pretty embarrassing!

Diem wrote:

Pascal wrote:The BW raccoon clock dude with huge testicles.

Heinrad's a tanuki, not a raccoon.

Who gives a **** honestly.

Pascal wrote:

Diem wrote:

Pascal wrote:The BW raccoon clock dude with huge testicles.

Heinrad's a tanuki, not a raccoon.

Who gives a **** honestly.

Me.

It's an easy mistake to make and it isn't helped by people frequently translating Tanuki as "Racoon dog" but they are very different animals. The reason why the distinction is important is that the Heinrad figure and character draws strongly from mythology and cultural traits surrounding tanuki that raccoons don't share.

I'd also just like to state that Tanukis are awesome, Tanukis with clocks in their bellies are more awesome, and therefore Heinrad will not be making the list. Because he is awesome.

Diem wrote:

Pascal wrote:

Diem wrote:

Pascal wrote:The BW raccoon clock dude with huge testicles.

Heinrad's a tanuki, not a raccoon.

Who gives a **** honestly.

Me.

It's an easy mistake to make and it isn't helped by people frequently translating Tanuki as "Racoon dog" but they are very different animals. The reason why the distinction is important is that the Heinrad figure and character draws strongly from mythology and cultural traits surrounding tanuki that raccoons don't share.

In many ways it's like the difference between, say, a lion and a manticore. Or a horse and a unicorn. Roughly similar overall bodyshape, but one is a wholly supernatural critter.

By the same token, it's a hoot to watch Pom Poko and picture one of them with a clock on its belly...

Valandar wrote:

Diem wrote:

Pascal wrote:

Diem wrote:

Pascal wrote:The BW raccoon clock dude with huge testicles.

Heinrad's a tanuki, not a raccoon.

Who gives a **** honestly.

Me.

It's an easy mistake to make and it isn't helped by people frequently translating Tanuki as "Racoon dog" but they are very different animals. The reason why the distinction is important is that the Heinrad figure and character draws strongly from mythology and cultural traits surrounding tanuki that raccoons don't share.

In many ways it's like the difference between, say, a lion and a manticore. Or a horse and a unicorn. Roughly similar overall bodyshape, but one is a wholly supernatural critter.

By the same token, it's a hoot to watch Pom Poko and picture one of them with a clock on its belly...

Tanuki are real animals...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Raccoon_Dog

Diem wrote:

Pascal wrote:The BW raccoon clock dude with huge testicles.

Heinrad's a tanuki, not a raccoon.

Yeah! can't you see the difference?!?!?!

Let's face it... it was coming sooner or later...

does anybody besides RID Megatron/Galvy have a hand for an alt mode?

I would think turning into a head wouldn't be that great either, especially without a body to attach to. I'm looking at you, Megabolt Megatron.

adamassc wrote:I would think turning into a head wouldn't be that great either, especially without a body to attach to. I'm looking at you, Megabolt Megatron.

It may be just a rumor, but I heard Megabolt can be attached to Fortress Maximus

Samsonator wrote:I'd bring up Shockwave's brief but humiliating experience with Bruticus, but for the most part Shocky could fly and fire himself.

Shocky is actually the only gun former that is able to wield himself, you know actually was holding his alternate gun form in his hand while in robot form. (albeit in a bit of cartoon animation failure)

Chaoslock wrote:

adamassc wrote:I would think turning into a head wouldn't be that great either, especially without a body to attach to. I'm looking at you, Megabolt Megatron.

It may be just a rumor, but I heard Megabolt can be attached to Fortress Maximus

It's not a rumor, it's true. He doesn't truly attach, but he fits. All you'd need to do is remove the spider legs.

Any alt-mode that's mobile, IMHO, is not 'degrading'.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:Any alt-mode that's mobile, IMHO, is not 'degrading'.

I mostly agree with this statement. I'd specify by saying that anything that moves under it's own power is not degrading. Leaving weapons that need to be wielded, and things that need to be launched totally in the clear!
#3 kicking off very soon!

Diem wrote:

Valandar wrote:

Diem wrote:

Pascal wrote:

Diem wrote:

Pascal wrote:The BW raccoon clock dude with huge testicles.

Heinrad's a tanuki, not a raccoon.

Who gives a **** honestly.

Me.

It's an easy mistake to make and it isn't helped by people frequently translating Tanuki as "Racoon dog" but they are very different animals. The reason why the distinction is important is that the Heinrad figure and character draws strongly from mythology and cultural traits surrounding tanuki that raccoons don't share.

In many ways it's like the difference between, say, a lion and a manticore. Or a horse and a unicorn. Roughly similar overall bodyshape, but one is a wholly supernatural critter.

By the same token, it's a hoot to watch Pom Poko and picture one of them with a clock on its belly...

Tanuki are real animals...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Raccoon_Dog

Yes, but Heinlad turns into the version that drinks saki and has supernatural abilities, not the version that actually roams this Earth. The clock on his belly kinda advertises that.

I don't think Heinrad's alt form is degrading..........it looks awesome btw.......Soundwave's lamp post, now that's ugly! IIRC in Microbots I remember Megs hating his "ugly" earth mode after a round of energon mead.