Transformers: Age of the Primes toyline discussion 10/27 Update: First look at Megatronus the Fallen

GodSentinelOmega

The Omega Knight Returns!
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
This is the ultimate guide Prima I was thinking of.

Really hope they give him this Star Saber as well.
IMG_1445.png
 

GodSentinelOmega

The Omega Knight Returns!
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
I was pretty sure that design was used in the ultimate guidebook. But I don’t have the book to check . Where’s it from then?

EDIT: Transformers Vault? Huh. You know, i could’ve sworn it was in the ultimate guide too. But I guess I’ve muddled those two things up.
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
This is the ultimate guide Prima I was thinking of.

Really hope they give him this Star Saber as well.View attachment 24163
I actually wonder if “Prime artifacts“ isn’t going to be the “gimmick” for the line. I don’t see Hasbro making Solus or Micronus “part bots” like the Armorizors, et al, but I can see each Prime figure coming with some sort of special artifact/weapon. Even considering the question assembly of the Prima leak, I can see two obvious connection points on his arms (for Micronus/minicon power ups?) and jointed hands (all the better to hold a Matrix? Or Matrices?)

My guess is that Micronus be able to connect to ports (and maybe extra weapons?) and Solus will come with a big Hammer.
 

Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
I was pretty sure that design was used in the ultimate guidebook. But I don’t have the book to check . Where’s it from then?

EDIT: Transformers Vault? Huh. You know, i could’ve sworn it was in the ultimate guide too. But I guess I’ve muddled those two things up.
The Ultimate Guide came out in 2004, covering the history of the brand from G1 to Energon.

Aligned didn't start until 2010.
 

Badgertron

Active member
Citizen
If we're still talking alternate movie stuff, how about the Insecticons (& 1 of the clones) are instead upgraded into the Deluxe insecticons?
 

Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
If we're still talking alternate movie stuff, how about the Insecticons (& 1 of the clones) are instead upgraded into the Deluxe insecticons?
Sorry, those toys couldn't be featured in the cartoon or its movie due to their molds being owned by Bandai, since the cartoon was also airing Japan and that would have given free advertisement to one of Takara's main rivals. Same reason we never got Roadbuster and Whirl onscreen, and why Jetfire had to be so drastically redesigned and renamed "Skyfire".
 

Princess Viola

Dumbass Asexual
Citizen
ngl responding to someone's post about a random alternate TFTM idea they have to go 'umm no they couldn't do that because those were bandai toys' is the type of insufferable nerd jive that makes me wanna shove you into a locker dude
 

Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
ngl responding to someone's post about a random alternate TFTM idea they have to go 'umm no they couldn't do that because those were bandai toys' is the type of insufferable nerd jive that makes me wanna shove you into a locker dude
Man, I wish I had the slimness to be stuffed into a locker. Good luck getting my girth to fit into anything. 😅
 
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Badgertron

Active member
Citizen
I mean, yeah, in the real world they couldn't, but I thought we were talking about *story implications* on plot and character changes, within the confines of the movie itself. There have been lots of wild & interesting suggestions in the thread already.
 

Badgertron

Active member
Citizen
Okay, here's something a bit more pulled back: What if Autobot City had transformed (partially or wholly) into Metroplex for the movie, leading to the Metroplex toy to be released in orange instead of the gray we ended up getting?
 

Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
In all honesty, we were brainstorming ideas for how TFTM could have let Optimus live (preferably while also allowing Hot Rod to still become Rodimus and take over as the new leader), since Deviations was brought up as an example of how not to do that.
 

Exatron

Kaiser Dragon
Citizen
Idk about Digital Doom, but this sounds right up my alley. I'll gladly pass on anything that smacks of Deviations' disastrous "my four year old self's revenge! And also Hot Rod stinks" fix fic to instead explore more Toxitron Collection level preproduction concept wackiness. There's so much nebulous weirdness (admittedly I've not really spent the time to look it up) in things like the tech spec bios (where we now have City Commanders, which conjures up a funny image of Mayor Galvatron) and a bunch of the Japanese artwork.
Now all I can think of is imagining a debate between Mayor Pete and Mayor Galvatron. :ROFLMAO:

Hot take.
Deviations making Hot Rod the butt of every joke is not unique in IDW comics.

MtMtE/Lost Light are beloved (justifiably) but let's take a look at Main IDW Timeline Hot Rod/Rodimus.
  • Swindle called him "Rodimus" because it rhymed with "Nominus" and "Optimus" and Hot Rod bought it and adopted it to feel important despite Swindle clearly playing him.
  • He thinks he's on a holy quest that will bring glory to his people even though it's a running joke about how little progress the Lost Light crew actually makes towards that goal.
  • He admits he's a "chancer," and that only Optimus is worthy of being a Prime.
  • He loses command of his own ship by having to share the Captaincy with a legacy 1984 character.
  • He hands out badges of his face like medals, and it's a running gag how he'll do it for the smallest things.
  • Willingly pushes Chromedome back into an addictive and destructive habit to further his own goals- and gets punched out by Chromedome's husband for it. A bot half his size.
  • Flies around in a spaceship modelled after his own head while yelling "TIL ALL ARE ONE!"

Both Brandon Easton and James Roberts took the piss out of Hot Rod/Rodimus. Roberts was just infinitely more clever about it, and so doesn't get pushback on it.
I think the big difference is that there was a lot of love for the character in Roberts's take. Rodimus was the butt of a lot of jokes, but virtually every character in Roberts's books were the butt of a lot of jokes. That was just part of the fun of them. Meanwhile, Rodimus also got a lot of opportunities to shine, where he really did show some great leadership skills and lift his team.

Meanwhile, Deviations was just an enormous Hot Rod hatefest. The whole book felt like Easton crapping on a character he wished had never existed. And he does so in a totally nonsensical way. It's not just that he hates Hot Rod. Now, in a story that's supposed to be just like the movie except making one change, everyone else hates Hot Rod too for no apparent reason, even when they're friendly with him in the movie. The whole thing just comes across as incredibly hateful, mean, and extremely un-fun. Basically, the exact opposite of MtMtE/LL.
 

LBD "Nytetrayn"

Broke the Matrix
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
Nah, that's Zedd Prime, Zed Prime would be this guy: View attachment 24153

I thought this was Zedd Prime?

1731150091553.jpeg


Thing is I kinda love it? Like maybe not the circumstances per se but I like the idea of Rodimus being a deadpan snarker. Helps set him apart from Optimus while strangely feeling true to form?

Oh, make no mistake, I love his snark, as noted before. I just feel like maybe that one instance was a little much.

My favourite take on Optimus isn't the movie trailer quote machine Aligned turned him into but rather the well meaning genuinely good guy from Sunbow G1 who also cracks dad jokes and tells Blaster to turn down his damn music.

I like both, but more as a matter of time and place. But yeah, I love that version of OP.

Both Brandon Easton and James Roberts took the piss out of Hot Rod/Rodimus. Roberts was just infinitely more clever about it, and so doesn't get pushback on it.

And more fun about it!

I associate that song more with Rodimus (or rather, with the Matrix itself) than with Optimus because of that scene, despite it first playing for Optimus earlier in the movie, because it played when the Matrix lit up in the hands of its chosen bearer.

I always just saw it as "The Prime theme".

No, not that one. I just mean a general theme for guys who are Primes.

Okay, here's something a bit more pulled back: What if Autobot City had transformed (partially or wholly) into Metroplex for the movie, leading to the Metroplex toy to be released in orange instead of the gray we ended up getting?

I've been begging for that repaint for... a really long time.


It looks so good...

And would make great camouflage for guys like my Rodimus Prime and G2 Universe Jazz to hide and lie in wait to ambush invading Decepticons. Never see 'em coming.

I think the big difference is that there was a lot of love for the character in Roberts's take. Rodimus was the butt of a lot of jokes, but virtually every character in Roberts's books were the butt of a lot of jokes. That was just part of the fun of them. Meanwhile, Rodimus also got a lot of opportunities to shine, where he really did show some great leadership skills and lift his team.

Yeah, exactly! Lost Light was practically a comedy with over-the-top characters, or versions of characters. But it had its serious moments, too.
 

LordGigaIce

Another babka?
Citizen
If the goal is "Optimus doesn't die but Hot Rod still becomes Rodimus" then I think that's what season 3 should be for.

I'm quite partial to the idea of the Powered Convoy armour being used as a life support system for Optimus (sorry Ultra Magnus), so let's go with that.

Have Optimus in the armour leading the Autobots in season 3. As the season goes on, build up that the armour has drawbacks.
Optimus keeps pushing himself because he knows Galvatron is both stronger and more unpredictable than Megatron ever was, and the armour's internal power sources keep failing. Maybe do something where they give out in the middle of a crucial fight and Optimus nearly dies.

Meanwhile as this is happening you take Hot Rod, firmly in place as the kid appeal character of the post-movie status quo, and slowly build him up as someone who would make a good leader.

At some point Optimus doesn't feel he can lead the Autobots anymore and hands the Matrix to... let's say Springer... who holds it for a spell until a multi-part finale with a huge threat leads to Hot Rod getting the Matrix only to reveal it's chosen him! He becomes Rodimus Prime, and Optimus steps down as Autobot leader, seeing Rodimus as the leader who can lead the next generation of Autobots.

All of this would mean Hot Rod only gets to be Rodimus Prime at the end of season 3, but since this is hypothetical land all of this tells a good enough story that kids stay watching in large enough numbers that the show continues with a proper season four with Rodimus Prime as the leader, with Optimus taking the old Alpha Trion role of older mentor.
 

Badgertron

Active member
Citizen
If the goal is "Optimus doesn't die but Hot Rod still becomes Rodimus" then I think that's what season 3 should be for.

I'm quite partial to the idea of the Powered Convoy armour being used as a life support system for Optimus (sorry Ultra Magnus), so let's go with that.

Have Optimus in the armour leading the Autobots in season 3. As the season goes on, build up that the armour has drawbacks.
Optimus keeps pushing himself because he knows Galvatron is both stronger and more unpredictable than Megatron ever was, and the armour's internal power sources keep failing. Maybe do something where they give out in the middle of a crucial fight and Optimus nearly dies.

Meanwhile as this is happening you take Hot Rod, firmly in place as the kid appeal character of the post-movie status quo, and slowly build him up as someone who would make a good leader.

At some point Optimus doesn't feel he can lead the Autobots anymore and hands the Matrix to... let's say Springer... who holds it for a spell until a multi-part finale with a huge threat leads to Hot Rod getting the Matrix only to reveal it's chosen him! He becomes Rodimus Prime, and Optimus steps down as Autobot leader, seeing Rodimus as the leader who can lead the next generation of Autobots.

All of this would mean Hot Rod only gets to be Rodimus Prime at the end of season 3, but since this is hypothetical land all of this tells a good enough story that kids stay watching in large enough numbers that the show continues with a proper season four with Rodimus Prime as the leader, with Optimus taking the old Alpha Trion role of older mentor.

This just makes me want to write a fanfic where the matrix went to Sky Lynx (another 1986 toy!) now. It would be glorious!
 

lastmaximal

Administrator
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
Lot of fun ideas to mull over in here so far.

The whole "Magnus armor as life support" thing makes me think of a scenario where Optimus is written off as "dead" and the next arc debuts new leader Ultra Magnus, who is not shown to transform until much later and then not frequently. He's later revealed to be an amnesiac Optimus on life support in the armor, sharing mental space with the original Ultra Magnus whose spark is trapped in the armor itself. (Alternatively, the armor later gets upgraded into Apex Bomber when Optimus gets a Powermaster form.)

Or some time travel/past meeting future situations where the movie characters don't progress into their future forms the way we know. Megatron takes the cons on a tear through Autobot City, just as Ultra Magnus is walking Optimus through this first of many human-Autobot project sites. But just then, a wormhole opens up and three Decepticons appear that no one recognizes -- and the leader among them, Galvatron, goes straight for Megatron.

Or some of the Autobots get catapulted into the future and are stunned to discover the denizens of this future time actually look up to a competent and heroic (but still flashy) Rodimus Prime, which throws them for a loop as they've only met goofy young Hot Rod. He sheepishly admits he just renamed himself after Optimus Prime and it stuck somehow, and by the time he realized it was kind of a weird name everyone had kind of grown to like it.
 
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Cybersnark

Well-known member
Citizen
That's kind-of what's happened in my (by now somewhat convoluted) fanverse:

Rodimus Prime received the Matrix, whiffed it, then handed the reigns back to Optimus when he came back. Hot Rod is left with the sense that he's not worthy, and could never be as great a leader as Optimus.

Decades pass, and the Quintessons summon and brainwash (and eventually lose control of) the Rodimus Prime from another timeline --one where Optimus never returned, and Rodimus matured into the confident, competent leader he was always capable of being.

Rodimus and Hot Rod coexisted for a while (before Rodimus pulled an Optimus and sacrificed himself), in the process making Hot Rod reconsider his own fitness, and start developing into a real leader, eventually becoming Rodimus Prime on his own.
 


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