TFtember: Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4

"Five Faces of Darkness, part 4", the Transformers, September 18, 1986

Last cartoon of the year and we get a shake up. The Decepticons, the ones lead by Galvatron, arrive on Goo and attach his disyoal follows. The Quintessions manage to talk him down but as that is going on, Rodimus takes a trip inside the Matrix and we learn the orgins of the Transformers!

It seems the Quinessions built them, with the Autobots coming from their consumer good line and the Decepticons coming from their military hardware

The Constructicons haven't been idle either. On Earth they unleash their latest creation: Trypticon!

Rodimus comes out of his dream walking with a warning-they have to get to Cybertron!

On Earth, the Decepticons are gearing up for an invasion. Can the Autobots stop them?

TFtember: Transformers#70

    "The Price of Life" the Transformers#70 (September 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andy Wildman (pencils), Stephan Baskerville (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Rob Tokar (editor)

Last comic of the year and woof. The shocker from last issue? Megatron and Ratchet are alive! Fused into one horrible screaming amalgamation of metal but alive. 

Naturally the issue is, what to do? Separating them is impossible. They can keep Ratchet alive but that goes for Megatron too, so what now?

Grimlock is searching for a way to make himself stronger but we'll get into that later. 

Honestly this is a highlight of the series both in terms of body horror and the questions it raises. What is Optimus going to do?

Tftember: Scavenger

Scavenger  

The last toy review of the year and let's give him a hand. Seriously, he's Devestator's right hand. 

The toy is rather decent, going from robot to excavator from the Diaclone line. Scavanger got reissued a few times, once in a giftset and the others were redecoed into a yellow robot. 

The file card paints him in a dim light. He thinks he's fairly useless and is constantly digging up things to try and prove his worth. 

The comics had him as one of the first Decepticons born on Earth and that was about the full extent of his character. He showed up alongside the rest of the Constructicons and mostly played a roll with them. He did survive to the end of the Marvel book, so that's something.

Don Messick voiced him. That doesn't clear up the utter Gordian knot that is the Constructicons origins in the show and at this point I think I'll skip trying to explain. He was mostly there and that's about all I can say about him. Individually he did very little but he was part of a larger crew so there's that. 

TFtember: Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3

 "Five Faces of Darkness , Part 3", the Transformers, September 17, 1986

Picking up from the last episode, the Autobots manage to escape the exploding Quintessa, but their ship is damaged. Floating freely in space, they resolve to relax and enjoy the ride. 

Galvatron is trying to assert his leadership over the Decepticons but it growing clearer that his mind is gone. 

The Quintessons, meanwhile, are most put out to learn that Rodimus Prime lives. Perhaps an alliance with the Decepticons? They make an offer the energy starved 'cons can't refuse although Blitzwing is the sole holdout. When Galvatron finally returns, he is not happy. He is not happy at ALL.

The Autobots finally crash land on the alien world of Goo. Yes, it is as disguisting as it sounds. Things should be looking up finally when the Decepticons attack...

TFtember: Transformers#69

      "Eye of the Storm" the Transformers#69 (August 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Andy Wildman (pencils), Harry Candelario & Bob Lewis (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Don Daley (editor)

Things are rushing to a climax. Grimlocks wants to lead again. Optimus Prime fears the only way to defeat Unicron is to work with the Decepticons. Nightbeat, meanwhile, is assigned to find Ratchet. 

On the Decepticon side, Galvatron is brought to the present day and made to work for Unicron. There's even greater dissention among the ranks, as some Decepticons do NOT handle Scopinok welcoming back Starscream, for reasons that should be painfully obvious. 

I won't spoil the final page, but damn. 

TFtember: Roadbuster

Roadbuster 

Odd one this one time, as this wasn't a Diaclone or Takara toy. No, Roadbuster started life as Mugen Calibur, part of Special Armored Battalion Dorvack line. Made by Takatoku Toys, the company went bust before being absorbed by Bandai in 1984. 

The toy is rather neat, larger than the average Transformers toy and way more detailed. The file card would be the most characterization he'd get for years. According to the card, he's brave, fearless and loves nothing than blasting Decepticons. Outside of combat, he's quiet and bores easily. 

The comics were pretty nonexistent, at least here in the states. He did show up in the UK series and more recent stuff. The most consistent element is his being a member/leader of the Wreckers, an elite squad of Autobot warriors. He's at least been in comics in some form. To date he's never been animated. 

Disappointing, because he seems like cool character. Lot of potential to play off of other characters. 

TFtember: Five Faces of Darkness, part 2

"Five Faces of Darkness, part 2", the Transformers, September 16, 1986

When we last left our heroes, Rodimus Prime and Grimlock were discovered by the energy starved Decepticons. Springer and Arcee arrive in the nick of time but Rodimus seems to be gravely injured. 

Remember the Autobots who were kidnapped? Turns out it was the Quintessons (introduced in the film, floating heads obsessed with kangaroo courts)! Rodimus figures this out when the Matrix tells him. 

Galvatron is found but he's gone crazy. Ultra Magnus, Kup, and Spike are sentenced to death and dumped in a robotic shark infested pool. The Aerialbots manage to rescue them, but the Quintessons are sore losers so they set about blowing up their own planet...

Moving right along, but if you failed to catch the movie you'd be really lost here. 

TFtember: Transformers#68

     "The Human Factor!" the Transformers#68 (July 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Dwayne Turner (art), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Rick Parker (letters), and Don Daley (editor)

Remember RAAT? Yeah, they're gone. GB Blackrock, however, points out there are still some killer robots on the loose. Maybe someone should so something?

Enter Thunderpunch and Rapture! Two (mutants? metahumans? the text is a bit vague) people with powers. They're both jerks but they agree to work with Blackrock for the moment.

Their first mission? Find the mysterious Mister X, who destroyed Decepticon Air Strike Patrol singlehandedly. This gets him on Blackrock's radar, as well as Starscream and Circuit Breaker (remember her?).

A three way fight breaks out, each side trying to recruit Mister X, now calling himself Dynamo. Starscream tries to cheat, naturally, but he is exposed, with Dynamo and Circuit Breaker throwing in with Blackrock.

Starscream manages to survive, however, but who's looming over him but Shockwave!

Different direction, that's for sure. The humans, later dubbed the Neo-Knights seemed posed to be the spinoff characters and is handled with all the subtility of a brick.   

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TFtember: Red Alert

Red Alert 

The security chief of the Autobots. Odd aside, Red Alert was released in the first wave of toys everywhere except the US. The toy was yet another reuse of the Sideswipe mold, that mold being a New Countach LP500S Police Car. Only in this case, Red Alert is a fire chief's car (which just makes him stand out even more); the file card has him as overly cautious and capable of picking up anything even the seemingly minor details. 

The American comics was sparse, with his only appearance in the Transformers/GI Joe crossover. He had a bit more face time in the UK books. 

The cartoon version fared a bit better. Voiced by Michael Chain (in an almost Richard Nixon like voice), Red Alert did get one episode to himself where his paranoia almost ended him (Auto Berserk) but after that he was regulated to the background. He was scripted to die in the movie but he managed to escape death. He did manage to do one of the few PSA's the Transformers did before the concept was abandoned. 

Interesting character; his paranoia was the biggest thing about him and yes, that defined his character pretty much forever. 

TFtember: Five Faces of Darkness, part 1

"Five Faces of Darkness, part 1", the Transformers, September 15, 1986

 It is now 2005. Unicorn is defeated and his head orbits Cybertron as its' new moon. The Decepticons have formerly lost the Great War and now eek out a living as raiders. Cyclonus realizes something needs to change, but what?

Elsewhere, Rodimus Prime is now overseeing the first Galactic Olympics. During the ceremonies, Ultra Magnus, Kup, and Spike are kidnapped! Acree and Springer take off in pursuit. On Earth, Blaster and Outback head to the nation Carmobya, finding Decepticons Dirge and Ramjet, despite the president assuring them he would never harbor crimianls. 

Cyclonus, meanwhile, has tracked down Galvatron and starts the process of reviving him. Rodimus and Grimlock track the Decepticons back their base as Galvatron starts to rise, but who could be behind the kidnappings?

Bit to unpack with this one. Season three and have an almost entirely new cast. The 'Carmbobya' bit would be enough to make Casey Kasem quit. Can't say as I blame him.  

I get wanting to make Galvatron's return a big deal but honestly the whole thing is a bit muddled and the animation errors are getting bad enough for even me to notice. 

TFtember: Transformers#67

    "Rhythms of Darkness!" the Transformers#67 (June 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Jose Delbo (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Jim Massara (letters), and Don Daley (editor)

It's 2009 and the Deceptions rule the Earth. America has fallen and the European Crisis Coalition is planning on nuking the continent, all in a last ditch effort to kill Galvatron. Spike and the few remaining Autobots has their own plans. Can they seize the Decepticon power base?

Bit of a shock reading this after the last issue, eh? The ending does faintly reek of a desu ex machina but I admit it is something I didn't see coming. 

TFtember: Ramjet

Ramjet 

Back to the Decepticon jets, and a conehead to boot. Ramjet started out as a Diaclone Jet Robo Acrobat Type, based on the F-15 Eagle. Like the other jets, pretty simple transformation although you can alter his head to make it more show accurate. 

The file card has a rather personality, in that he takes his name very literally. Yup, nothing he loves more than crashing into other jets or planes. He doesn't even do it to complete the mission. Nope, the skies are his castle and he likes to live alone. 

The comic didn't come across as well developed. He was a Lord Straxus supporter but threw in with Megatron. That was about it as he usually was regulated to background fights. He survived the end of the series, so there's that. 

The cartoon was almost as bad. Voiced by Jack Angel, Ramjet was mostly a background guy but he did seemingly die in the movie, but he got over it. 

TFtember: Transformers: The Movie (1986)

 Transformers: The Movie (1986) dir. Nelson Shin, Sunbow Productions/Marvel Productions/Toei Animation

So, while the series went into reruns, August saw the debut of the Movie. My Little Pony: The Movie was a bust, would this be different?

TFtember: Transformers#66

   "All Fall Down" the Transformers#66 (May 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Geoff Senior (art), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Jim Massara (letters), and Don Daley (editor)

So Unicron is on the move, eating planets and unleashing heralds. Hook, Line, and Sinker (no relation to the Constructicons); Thunderwing meanwhile has been using the Creation of Matrix (mostly as a club). 

Everything is building up as the fight continues. Is Thunderwing controlling the Matrix or is it controlling him? The Matrix Quest is finally over but it is a bit underwhelming. The Autobots fail and barely do anything, Optimus gives a speech. Pretty boilerplate stuff. 

TFtember: Powerglide

Powerglide 

Always a personal favorite of mine. 

Only one toy in the Generation 1 line but it's a beaut. Robot to an A-10 Thunderbolt II, better known as the Warthog and boy, the articulation was crazy good for the time and the line. 

He was also the first Autobot that could fly, ignoring the mail in ones. The file card shows him as somewhat arrogant, sometimes getting into more trouble than he can handle. 

The comic didn't really do the character justice. He was introduced as part of Blaster's rebel cell. His next big part was being decoration for RAAT's wall as he was disassembled. He stayed loyal to Blaster even when Grimlock took over the Autobots...and then he got blown up for real. 

Voiced by Michael Chain, Powerglide was portrayed as your typical hotshot pilot. He did get an entire episode to himself, "the Girl who Loved Powerglide" which raises a BUNCH of questions that frankly I'm not sure I'm certified to answer. The rest of the time he tended to stay in the background. He apparently got killed but got better, so there's that. 

TFtember: B.O.T.

"B.O.T.", the Transformers, January 9, 1986 

I know the phrase 'Worst Episode EVER' gets tossed around quite a bit, but here it might be fully justified. 

The Combaticons and Defensor duke it out because, that's why. Bruticus ends up in pieces, save for Swindle. Being the big hearted guy he is, takes them off to be repaired, except he actually sells key parts of them to 'El Presidente' becuase, that's why.

Megatron is working on yet another big laser thing. 

Oh, and two creepy highschoolers mess with their science teacher's laser. For punishment, he forces them to work with his star pupil, although I thought he was supposed to be punishing them? Inspired by the Protectorbots they decide to build a robot. Using the same junkyard Swindle dumped the parts he couldn't sell they end up creating B.O.T.

Swindle, by the way, has a bomb in his head and he only has fifteen hours below it goes off. So he'd better get Bruticus back on line, right?

Yeah, this one is rough. This has been called not only the worse episodes of G1 but possibly the worst episode of the entire franchise. Weird to think that THIS could have been the episode to end things on, eh?

Tftember: Transformers#65

  "Dark Creation" the Transformers#65 (April 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Geoff Senior (art), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Jim Massara (letters), and Don Daley (editor)

We've had noir, westerns, and Moby Dick. Why not an Alien knockoff too?

We learn the history of the Matrix and not all of it is good, as while it has known the feelings known as 'goodness' it is rather curious about the ones known as 'evil'. 

The Autobots and Decepticons end up in the ruins of a planet when the Matrixspawn (as it's been dubbed) lurks and boy is it hungry!

Shockwave is also alive, but we'll get to him later. 

As the unholy beast attacks every side, who will finally come back with the power?

Bit of a twist at the end but honestly just a rather run of the mill Alien knockoff. 

Tftember: Perceptor

Perceptor 

An odd one this time. Instead of a car or plane, we have a microscope (also a kind of tank/mobile lab if change him the other way). It was a real working microscope too, although nothing serious. The file card had him as your classic absent minded professor but devoted to finding ways for the Autobots to adapt to Earth. 

The comic was very different. He was leader of an Autobot faction, although Blaster tended to take most of the attention. When he finally lands on Earth, he ends up getting his head cut off and mounted on a wall. He did get killed off before the end but Optimus Prime made sure to mourn him. 

Voiced by Paul Eiding, he was closer to the file card in the cartoon, being the Autobot's top science guy. Unlike Wheeljack, his projects didn't go wild and try to team up with the Decepticons. His mind did end up in a robot geisha for a bit and that was the last time we'd see him. 

A decent character, filled a niche. Made Wheeljack irrelevant but some could argue that was a feature and not a bug.  

TFtember: Masquerade

"Masquerade" the Transformers, December 16, 1985

Interesting idea. The Stunticons are tasked by Megatron to steal various items. The Autobots manage to stop all the robberies, but how can they figure out Megatron's plan?

Simple-they will disguise themselves as the Stunticons and take their place! The plan works pretty well for a bit, but when the real McCoys break free, what will the Decepticons do with two Menasors?

Like I said, interesting. Actual robots in disguise as other robots. Rather surprised this never came up again. I'm also surprised they never did any toy repaints. Reissue Dead End and call him Jazz or vice versa.

TFtember: Transformers#64

    "Deadly Obsession" the Transformers#64 (March 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Jose Delbo (pencils), Al Williamson & Dan Reed (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Jim Massara (letters), and Don Daley (editor)

Well, we had noir and a western. Why not Moby Dick?

Mostly told in flashback, a group of Pretenders end up on the planet Pequod, as the spotting of the massive creature known as the Klud would suggest the hand of the Matrx. Pity that rogue Autobot Longtooth is obsessed with killing it as it took his leg.

So the Autobots and the Decepticons find themselves at a rather odd standoff. Decepticon Thunderwing wants to spare the creature, mostly due the thing might lead them to the Matrix, whereas the Autobots focus on trying to stop Longtooth. 

Not bad and heck, who saw a Herman Melville reference in Transformers?

TFtember: Omega Supreme

Omega Supreme

Certainly the biggest toy we've looked at so far. 

As far as toys go, only two in Generation One. The first is the best known and certainly the best. Omega Supreme was unique in that he didn't go from a car or a plane, no, Omega was a BASE, complete with motorized tank, rocket and track for the tank. He could also walk on his own. Not a lot of movable parts but the actions from robot to base aren't crazy complicated. Not crazy possible but given the time period I suppose that couldn't be helped. 

The second toy was part of the Action Masters, but it was never released in America. Also called 'Omega Spreem' for some reason but the transforming action seemed design to make the thing fragile as hell so good luck find one in even halfway decent condition. 

The file card has him as the last line of defense. Grim, serious, and almost unstoppable. 

The comic had him being built on Earth. For the most part he matched his file card, even he got knocked down by Buzzsaw. He was later killed by Starscream and his corpse later taken over by the Decepticon Sports Car Patrol. He was later shut down as the series ended. 

The cartoon, where he was voiced by Jack Angel, didn't leave him with much to do. In the show, he was shown as the leader of the Guardian robots and fond of Crystal City until it was destroyed by the newly brainwashed Constructicons. He chased them across the galaxies for centuries until he found them on Earth although that it rarely brought up.

He also exploded a lot. He survived the movie and made smaller cameos until "Grimlock's New Brain"

TFtember: The Revenge of Bruticus

"The Revenge of Bruticus" the Transformers, January 8, 1986

Following up from the previous episode, Starscream is not happy at his being banished and remembers he can fly, so he does. Tragically he forgot that two members of the Combaticons can also fly. Blast Off flies off, the asteroid in tow to Cybertron. 

While the Autobots and the Decepticons duke it out again, and Spike gets an astronomy lesson from Perceptor (which I'm sure won't have any bearing on the plot), the Combaticons take out Shockwave and come up with a nifty idea to get ride of their foes. Why not use the Space Bridge to transport the Earth into the Sun?

Starscream runs into Shockwave and the two team up to save their world, but Starscream got to Starscream and he blasts Shockwave and issue an ultimatium to Megatron-surrender leadership of the Decepticons to him or burn!

Can the Autobots and Decepticons put aside their differences long enough to save themselves?

Decent, although I'm curious why this couldn't have been a two parter but eh. Good introduction to a new toy set. 

TFtember: Transformers#63

   "Kings of the Wild Frontier" the Transformers#63 (February 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Jose Delbo (pencils), Dave Hunt (inks), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Jim Massara (letters), and Don Daley (editor)

The Western issue

The hunt for the Creation Matrix is still going on; this time out we focus on the Triggerbots as they search the desert planet Cheyne. The Autobots aren't there for a few panels when they spot some riders trying to run down a child. Dogfight, living up to his name, charges in the fray and chases the riders off. 

The boy, Hud, is grateful and takes the 'bots back to his parent's farm. It seems they were run off by greedy land speculators as the 'bots seem to be more concerned about helping about on the farm. Pretty soon they've even forgot their names.

Decepticon Thunderwing arrives and even tries fighting Dogfight but seems the bot in his amnesic state a far crueler fate than anything he could devise. Dogfight manages to free himself of this mental fog, but can he resuce his friends in time?

Good subversion of Western cliches and settings. I'm not sure if I've ever seen 'poor ranchers are actually vampires' bit done before. 

TFtember: Natron

Natron

Odd one here. We look at the Autobot racer. Yeah, this and Freezon came with the Transformers Electric Racing Set. Pretty much the same toy; it pops into a robot when racing. Simple transforming action but the idea is neat. They race around the track and that's about it. 

No file card, comic, or cartoon appearances so yup, pretty flat guy. 

TFtember: Starscream's Brigade

"Starscream's Brigade" the Transformers, January 7, 1986

The origin of Bruticus

Starscream finally makes his play to lead the Decepticons, i.e. he shoots Megatron in the back and declares himself leader. Megatron no sells this and finally wises up, banishing Starscream from the Decepticon ranks.

This annoys the Air Commander to no end and he ends up being dumped on the island of Guadalcanal. This is relevant as back in 1943 there was a battle, with several vehicles being dumped there in the battle's aftermath. Seeing the potential, Starscream steals some personality components and pops them in the vehicles. Pity those components were some of the worse Decepticons around, but Starscream has a plan. Seems he left out the energy absorbers, so unless the new recruits want to starve to death they had better look sharp and obey his orders. The Combaticons, as they are dubbed, agree (for now at least).

From there, they shill the new figures before everything resets. 

Not awful, even if the animation is wonky in several bits. The Combaticons won't get any real personality here (although Swindle gets some moments later on) aside from angry. Even as a toy shilling episode it's a bit weak. 

TFtember: Transformers#62

  "Bird of Prey!" the Transformers#62 (January 1990) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Geoff Senior (art), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Jim Massara (letters), and Don Daley (editor)

Skipping the whole 'awakened our ancient god' thing to focus on Nightbeat. 

Autobot teams have been assembled and sent across the galaxy. Their mission? Hunt down the Creation Matrix, possibly the only thing capable of stopping Unicron. 

Nightbeat and his team up in a wretched hive of scum and villainy, a fact that overjoys Nightbeat, as his main characteristic is he a cop. What better story for a cop than a film noir?

Hitting the town, they get dragged into a detective story when a dying alien passes a statue to a confused Siren (Nightbeat's partner on this case). Siren and Hosehead want to continue the mission but Nightbeat thinks the statue plays a part. Miss Fatale introduces herself. She couldn't help but eavesdrop. If the Autobots are willing to do a short hike, what they seek might at the top of a nearby mountain. All she wants in exchange is a statue of a bird. It was stolen from her and she is ever so anxious to get it back. 

Nightbeat smells a rat. Can this dame be trusted?

Decent yarn. Maltese Falcon + Transformers? Not the first two things I would combine but a good effort. 

TFtember: Mixmaster

Mixmaster

Moving into the proper toys, we have the left leg of Devestator. Mixmaster began life as a Diaclone Construction Vehicle, going from robot to cement mixer. The transformation is fairly simple but making him the left leg is a neat feature. 

For the file card, his main job is materials fabrication, using everything from unliving rock to living robot to make base components, a living chemistry lab on wheels.

Yeah, yeah, insert Breaking Bad memes here.   

In the Marvel comics, he didn't do a whole lot on his own. As a Constructicon, he was part of the first Decepticons to made on Earth. He mostly stayed with them in the issues they were focused on, but he did make it to the last issue.

The cartoon is a mixed bag. Voiced by Frank Welker, he and his teammates are bogged down with multiple origins that contradict each other. Aside from that, he doesn't really have any individual moments to shine. He appears in quite a few episodes and even is shown mixing things, but he never takes the lead.  

TFtember: Cosmic Rust

 "Cosmic Rust", the Transformers, December 26, 1985

Ending 1985 with an odd one. 

Megatron and few other Decepticons are in deep space when they stumble upon a planet with a giant Autobot symbol. Landing, they discover a warning in ancient Autobot, telling them to leave or never return to Cybertron and also a giant laser cannon. Megatron blows the warning off, thinking they have just found the perfect weapon to destroy the Autobots, and best of all it's from their own side!

An asteroid flies after them after they leave. When Megatron blasts it, a small fragment hits his shoulder...

Back on Earth, Perceptor is being awarded for his latest invention, a solution that destroys rust and preserves whatever is coated with it. He only has enough to preserve the Statue of Liberty at the moment.

Megatron, however, is need of that stuff or Perceptor at the moment as his entire body is slowly being eaten by rust-cosmic rust!

Perceptor is kidnapped and he makes a most unusual discovery. The ancient weapon that Megatron found and is using with some frequency is making his rust worse. Can the Autobots save Perceptor? Can they stop the menace of cosmic rust?

Not bad, even if the science is utterly wonky. That asteroid that infects Megatron? It had to go through Astrotrain first, yet he's never shown being infected. 

TFtember: Transformers#61

 "The Primal Scream" the Transformers#61 (Mid-December 1989) with credits to Simon Furman (script), Geoff Senior (art), Nelson Yomtov (colors), Jim Massara (letters), and Don Daley (editor)

So we met Primus this issue. 

Yeah, when Bludgeon sabotaged the Autobot's ship they ended up crashing into the center of Cybertron, where they encounter an ancient Transformer who states he is the Keeper, i.e. keeping the head of Primus. Who is Primus?

God, more or less. Grimlock is less than impressed so the Keeper spins a yarn. To wit, ages ago Primus and Unicron were locked in a deadly stalemate. They end up trapped, locked into the forms of two metal planets. Unicron manages to shape his prison to his will and moves about the cosmos in search of his old enemy. Primus, by comparison sleeps and avoids detection. He also managed to create a smaller race of robots in his image mostly to find Unicron. 

Before we can get into any more theology, the Decepticon Mayhem Squad attacks and kills the Keeper. 

Scorpionok, on the other hand, is not having a good day either. His decision to bring Starscream back into the fold is NOT popular and the troops are growing restless. Scorpionok argues that by having the Air Commander in their ranks he can keep a better eye on him which fails to produce anything other than sullen rage. 

The fight between the Autobots and the Mayhem Squad ends with the Autobots winning, albeit with Primus getting shot and screaming. Bumblebee tries to assure Grimlock that no one could possibly have heard the ancient god screaming...

Well, this is a bit different. I wasn't sure we needed an in-depth look at the theology of a toyline of robots that turn into things but we got it. Interesting mythology, I'll give them. 

TFtember: Mini-cars

Mini-cars 

Bringing this back to close out 2024 and we open with certainly an odd choice. 

The toys were randomly inserted with the new line of mini vehicles and the rerelease of the previous mini vehicles from series one. At random you could have a pick of one of four cars; a jeep, a dune buggy, a sport car (based on a Toyota concept car), and a Porsche with colors of blue, white, or yellow. 

The trick is the rubsign. Is it an Autobot? A Decepticon? You'll have to buy the figure to know! Not bad, kind of simple but the idea is cute. 

No file cards and as far as the comic and cartoon go, they did show up in the Dreamwave series for a bit and they pop up in a commercial.

Minispies, basically. Tiny robots that are designed to sneak into or around places without the other side seeing them. Which doesn't really make them all that distinict from the regular Transformers but I disgress.