The Energon Pub

[Chimera245]

So I recently got Voyager Grimlock, and inside his box was a blue cardstock background featuring all the symbols of the Prime Masters that the toyline revolves around. I noticed that each of the symbols had Cybertronian script next to them, and sure enough, I went to the Transformers Wiki, and translated the script into english, and all the words were names of the thirteen Primes. Or twelve of them anyway...

Given the rather... fluid roster of the Thirteen, depending on which story you're in, I was excited to actually have a definitive list of them for this toyline. Then I realized that the list matches exactly the list of the Thirteen in the Aligned continuity. (Transformers Prime, War for Cybertron, Covenant of Primus, etc.)

Or twelve of them, anyway. And if you've read the Covenant of Primus, you'll know that the missing one from the list in the Voyager boxes is...

Optimus...

So, is the missing Prime in PotP the same guy, as bad as that would be? Is there any word one way of the other?

Does this imply some sort of connection to the Aligned universe?

And what of the actual figures? They don't look anything like the characters they represent. Alpha Trion is not a white and yellow guy with no mustache. I think I remember reading somewhere that these figures "inherited the sparks of the original Thirteen" or some such thing. Does this mean they're reincarnations of the original Thirteen? Does this mean ALL of the original Thirteen (or at least the first twelve of them) are canonically dead now in this storyline? Including guys like Alpha Trion and Vector Prime, who are still around in most stories?

Or does this just mean that they inherited their power, like some sort of direct descendants, or that the Thirteen (or twelve) somehow passed their power on, similar to the Matrix of Leadership? (Which they, in turn can temporarily pass on, Mini-con style according to the toyline gimmick. The fact that the Prime Masters can fit into the Matrix on Leader class toys would line up with this.)

Also, are there actually going to be thirteen (or twelve) of them? On the Wiki, it stops at Wave 3. (Megatronus, Quintus Prime, and Solus Prime) Will there be another wave or two after that? It doesn't seem like any Prime Masters are being packaged in with bigger toys... This only brings the total of Prime masters up to 8. (9 depending on who you're counting...)

Also x2, does anyone else have trouble getting them out of their Pretender shell "Decoy Armor"? I've got Micronus, and it's hard to actually find a good way to grab or pry him out once he's in...

[Emerje]

So I recently got Voyager Grimlock, and inside his box was a blue cardstock background featuring all the symbols of the Prime Masters that the toyline revolves around. I noticed that each of the symbols had Cybertronian script next to them, and sure enough, I went to the Transformers Wiki, and translated the script into english, and all the words were names of the thirteen Primes. Or twelve of them anyway...

Given the rather... fluid roster of the Thirteen, depending on which story you're in, I was excited to actually have a definitive list of them for this toyline. Then I realized that the list matches exactly the list of the Thirteen in the Aligned continuity. (Transformers Prime, War for Cybertron, Covenant of Primus, etc.)

Or twelve of them, anyway. And if you've read the Covenant of Primus, you'll know that the missing one from the list in the Voyager boxes is...

Optimus...

So, is the missing Prime in PotP the same guy, as bad as that would be? Is there any word one way of the other?

+2, maybe.

Does this imply some sort of connection to the Aligned universe?

If you believe in multiversal singularities then all of the universes are already connected by the Primes.

And what of the actual figures? They don't look anything like the characters they represent. Alpha Trion is not a white and yellow guy with no mustache. I think I remember reading somewhere that these figures "inherited the sparks of the original Thirteen" or some such thing. Does this mean they're reincarnations of the original Thirteen? Does this mean ALL of the original Thirteen (or at least the first twelve of them) are canonically dead now in this storyline? Including guys like Alpha Trion and Vector Prime, who are still around in most stories?

Or does this just mean that they inherited their power, like some sort of direct descendants, or that the Thirteen (or twelve) somehow passed their power on, similar to the Matrix of Leadership? (Which they, in turn can temporarily pass on, Mini-con style according to the toyline gimmick. The fact that the Prime Masters can fit into the Matrix on Leader class toys would line up with this.)

My understanding is that they're vessels that contain the sparks of the Primes, though we haven't gotten a full explanation on exactly what they are. What they aren't is the Primes themselves, they just have the "Power of the Primes". The bots themselves are mostly based on the inner bots of the Pretenders they're based on.

Also, are there actually going to be thirteen (or twelve) of them? On the Wiki, it stops at Wave 3. (Megatronus, Quintus Prime, and Solus Prime) Will there be another wave or two after that? It doesn't seem like any Prime Masters are being packaged in with bigger toys... This only brings the total of Prime masters up to 8. (9 depending on who you're counting...)

They can't list stuff that Hasbro hasn't officially announced or hasn't been leaked (they usually don't post leaks anyway). There's plenty of solid evidence that the line is going to keep going until probably mid-2019 for six waves like the two previous lines.

Also x2, does anyone else have trouble getting them out of their Pretender shell "Decoy Armor"? I've got Micronus, and it's hard to actually find a good way to grab or pry him out once he's in...

Nope, mine just pop right out by prying on the head or feet.

Emerje

[zodconvoy]

12 + Optimus, Rodimus, and Primal make 15. Just sayin'.

[Acesmcgee]

To back up Emerje, at least were the prime masters are concerned, all I really get from anything I've read is that they are inheritors of the sparks. Not the actual primes themselves. The gist is, if I am understanding it correctly, the decoy armor hides the power or signature of their inherited sparks and is why they wear them.

[Emerje]

>:oP 12 + Optimus, Rodimus, and Primal make 15. Just sayin'.

Rodimus Unicronus also has a Matrix like the other Primes and we'll probably have at least one or two more Leaders with a Matrix in wave 4 and 5 making 17 so it's unlikely anyone other than Optimus is being represented in those 15. I still say the last two represent Primus and Unicron.

Emerje

[Chimera245]

Another question. What exactly is Micronus's "Power Swap" power supposed to represent?

'Swapping powers' is kinda the whole gimmick, right? Like the Vector Prime powered Pretender can transform, stick into the Prime Armor on Grimlock, and now Grimlock can travel through time.

So what does "Power Swap" do? If you swap the powers of two other primes, would the main figure need enough Prime Armor ports to attach all involved simultaneously, making Micronus useless on Deluxe figures that only have one? Is there a point to copying a power that's already attached?

Is he the "Kirby/Blue Mage" of the PotP line? Can he just shoot a power-stealing laser at Vector Prime, and take his Time Travel Power, then grant it to a bigger robot Via Prime Armor?

Has Hasbro even actually defined this power in any meaningful capacity yet?

[Acesmcgee]

Chimera, I figure they mean powers like Skywarps teleport ability/power or Mirage and his invisibility.
*edited* Sorry about the name screw-up, my phone apparantly doesn't like your name Chimera.

[Chimera245]

Found an interesting page on TFwiki I hadn't seen before.

Apparently, whenever you buy a larger figure, the card packaged in with it, is randomly selected from one of twelve possible cards representing the figure you just bought combined with one of the twelve Prime Master powers. This page lists all figure/Prime Master combinations found so far, and through that, you can deduce the Prime Master's granted power.

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Prime_Master/Combinations