COUNTDOWN: Just 5 more essential bits of random Transformers trivia!

One thing Transformers fans are never shy of is a random fact or trivia tidbit to share.

Perhaps it’s no surprise given the four-decade span of the franchise, but there’s simply an incredible amount of minutiae to pick up from over the years; some of it fascinating and crucial and other bits entirely arbitrary or throwaway, but all of it thoroughly enjoyable.

We’ve looked at such trivia before, but now we’re back with five more essential bits of random robots in disguise knowledge, presented in no particular order or theme!

#5: The classic Marvel UK Transformers comic avoided a continuity error in the most unusual manner possible

The Transformers (Marvel UK) #181, Artwork credit: Sullivan / White

Considering the very nature of the Marvel UK Transformers comic, which supplemented the reprinted US original material with its own homegrown fare, all interwoven as though existing in one seamless expanded storyline, it’s incredible how few genuine continuity errors occurred throughout its run. That’s especially true considering the American version was written without any particular knowledge of or consideration for what the UK book had going on at any specific point and that the British team often had precious little prior warning of what their overseas counterparts would be conjuring up on the horizon, leading to a sense that the tracks were often being laid directly in front of the runaway train. True, contradictions did happen, and whilst some of the solutions employed may smack of papering over the cracks a little (two Megatrons is a good example!), it’s a testament to the creative forces behind the scenes that everything hung together as well as it did.

One particularly perilous moment came when the powers-that-be on the US book suddenly decided to pivot away from their typical setting of then-present-day Earth in favour of a more space-faring future-set adventure for #43, throwing previously unused characters such as Ultra Magnus, the Junkions and the Quintessons into the mix for the first time. This turn of events caused havoc for the UK team, given they had extensively used these names and established their own continuity for this time period into the bargain, all of which the incoming US material now majorly contradicted. However, their obligation to reprint it led to the ingenious (and very cheeky) solution of book-ending the issue with several UK original pages that explained away the events of the US comic as simply the absurd ramblings of an under-duress Wreck Gar, even pointing out the various flubs in the process! Fortunately for the UK team, this new approach for the American title was a one-and-done thing after #44 returned to the status quo, meaning their gamble paid off and the overall continuity remained unblemished. Mostly.

#4: Revenge of the Fallen Devastator set a new Guinness World Record

Say what you will about the live-action Transformers films (and boy, will we!), but there’s little denying they’re technical marvels in more ways than one. True, the combined onslaught of so much Bayhem may be akin to an outright assault on the senses during the final product. Yet it’s still incredible to consider the vast achievements of the crew involved in bringing the robots in disguise to life, including everything from the sound engineers to the animators and more. That’s best evidenced by 2009’s Revenge of the Fallen, which doubtless won’t win any awards for coherent storytelling but still boasts a hugely impressive display when it comes to the visuals on offer from Industrial Light & Magic, especially the walking monstrosity of Devastator! The character was so complicated to render that, to this day, it remains the single most intricate computer-generated model seen on screen, as verified by Guinness World Records. The robot is made from 52,632 pieces, 11,716,127 polygons, and 6,467 textures, taking up 32 gigabytes of computer space. To put that into context, it’s over five times as complicated as Optimus Prime and includes ten times more pieces than your average car! Stories of the computers catching fire due to being overworked have been perpetuated since, and even if that seems a little far-fetched, this was still a laudable accomplishment for ILM.

#3: Most modern versions of the 1980s Transformers cartoon contain more errors than the original broadcast

I quite often have to explain to folks that the rushed production schedule for hand drawn animation resulted in errors and that some were fixed in time for broadcast. While Shout Factory had these corrections on their DVDs, Rhino, Tubi, and YouTube do not. #Transformers pic.twitter.com/G4XBlqtxlT

— Rodimus Primal (@rodimusprimal) November 13, 2021

Even though it remains one of the major building blocks on which a now forty-year franchise stands, most fans would acknowledge that the original 1980s Transformers cartoon had its fair share of errors. Sure, it contains many much-beloved storylines and retains a true nostalgic charm for those who experienced it in their youth, but even a cursory evaluation will likely throw up a few obvious blunders! That said, the degree to which the series is riddled with such slip-ups depends on the version you’re watching, especially as most modern editions contain a huge number of additional blunders versus what we actually witnessed on screens back in the day! You see, when Rhino Entertainment came to remastering the show for DVD release in the early 2000s, it became clear that the original masters used to broadcast the show had degraded and were no longer fit for purpose. Thus, Rhino turned to the pre-broadcast masters instead, which meant a much better picture quality but a huge trade-off in that they also did not contain many of the last-minute corrections applied during the busy production schedule of the series at the time. It means that robots are often the wrong colour (particularly egregious in the case of the Seekers!) or are simply floating in mid-air, scenes do not pan as they should or may even present the action partially out of frame, and sometimes the focus is on the wrong character entirely whilst someone else is speaking. To understand these differences in practice, compare the season 1 adventure, Heavy Metal War, here.

The remastered efforts were largely corrected for the subsequent Shout! Factory DVD release, although it’s worth noting that some of the incongruous errors remain). Unfortunately, though, it’s the Rhino versions which have gone on to become prevalent on streaming sites such as YouTube and Tubi, meaning that for many fans, it’s now the accepted reality the classic cartoon was way more riddled with overt mistakes than in fact it often was.

#2: Battle Beasts are part of Transformers continuity

Image credit: Transformerland

Hey, remember Battle Beasts? No? Well, if you grew up at a certain point (and are now old, obvs), then you probably have a core memory of these small anthropomorphised figures locked away at the very least, especially as they were positively tons of fun! Released by Hasbro in Western markets from 1987 onwards, the whole concept was that the armoured animal toys sported a central rub sign (sound familiar?), revealing their hidden power of fire, water or wood. When battling one another, fire would beat wood, water would beat fire, and wood would rather inexplicably beat water!

However, despite no storyline or marketing tie-ins to Transformers as far as Hasbro was concerned, the series was initially conceived by Takara as very much a robots-in-disguise spin-off, even going under the brand name of Transformers: BeastFormers (although they swiftly dropped that first part).

Moreover, the Battle Beasts Beastformers even appeared in Transformers animation, dominating the fifth episode of the Japanese Headmasters cartoon. Titled Rebellion on Planet Beast, the story portrays the good Beastformers reaching out to the Autobots for help overthrowing the Decepticons, who have been invading their home planet after siding with the evil natives. It’s a fun little adventure and a real curiosity for anyone who fondly remembers the Hasbro toy line from the ’80s, not least because it puts a new spin on things!

#1: Transformers Animated season 4 would have swung into the 2007 movie hype in a big way

Of all the many “what ifs” over the last forty years, few are lodged quite as firmly in fans’ minds as the proposed fourth season of Transformers Animated. Quickly establishing itself as a solid slice of stylised robot action on its debut, the series inspired legions of diehard supporters over its run for obvious reasons. With compelling characters, beautiful animation, engaging humour and intriguing plotlines, the Animated was typically seen as a cut above, even objectively standing apart from the more straightforwardly toy sale-focused fare the franchise is commonly known for. Yet sadly, it was all cut quite abruptly short in 2009 when Hasbro, keen to establish a new show on their homegrown network over which they could exert more creative control, unexpectedly pulled the plug. It was a shock considering how far down the road of production the mooted fourth season was, with new toys even underway alongside it.

Of all the many elements planned for inclusion, one thing is clear about the direction the continued storyline would have headed, as Hasbro had already mandated that the show should now swing much closer in style to the live-action 2007 movie than before. This meant initial plans for season four had been reworked, and the main cast roster and character designs were to undergo a sizeable overhaul. Most notably, Bulkhead was out, remaining on Cybertron whilst the focus continued to be Earth (another Hasbro edict to foster similarity to the film), and with Prowl having already died at the end of the third season, that conveniently left two spots on the crew open for Jazz and Ironhide to step up to leading role status. With all five Autobots now lining up against their big-screen counterparts, they would then be given a makeover to hint in that direction, too: Ratchet was now to be green; Optimus would now be sporting flames (although with other elements of his design being inspired by Japan’s Star Convoy); Bumblebee was to adopt the additional stripes of his movie guise; and Ironhide would gain a new Sentinel Prime-esque body in black.

Ultimately, none of these changes came to pass as Animated was summarily (and sadly) cancelled in its prime, leaving us to forever speculate about what might have been.

So that’s our list!

TTFN