Hey Team! Today, we’re going to talk about unique takes on alt modes throughout the history of transformers. As you know, the traditional transformer has two modes, generally a vehicle or a beast mode and a robot mode. There are also some interesting toys that have a robot mode and two vehicle modes! These, as you hard core fans probably know, are known as triple changers. There are also some toys that combine to form a large robot, known as combiners, which will be discussed in another post. These are two of the most common alternative alt mode concepts (alt mode refers to the non robot mode of a transformer, but as we will see the concept is not actually as cut and dry as that!).
But once you start digging into the history of the brand, you find all sorts of interesting takes on the concept of an alternate mode! So many so, that they start forming a sort of sample space of vehicle or alternate and main modes! Something can have one main mode and one vehicle mode, or one main mode and two vehicle modes, or one vehicle mode and two main or robot modes! You’ll see what I mean more clearly in a minute. Regardless, this post exists as an homage to all of these alternative conceptions!
Transformers with One Robot and One Vehicle mode or Beast mode:
- This is the default for transformers toys, and represents the vast, vast majority of toys in the history of the brand.
Transformers with One Robot mode and Two Vehicle modes:
- These toys are known as triple changers, and are the second most common conception, though hardly plentiful.
Transformers with Two Robot modes and One Vehicle mode:
Punch/Counterpunch in his various incarnations is more or less the sole occupant of this category.
- G1 Punch/Counterpunch
- Timelines Punch/Counterpunch (Classics Sideswipe mold)
- POTP Punch/Counterpunch
- Technically the Cybertron Gigantions too, but they are very halfhearted: Their legs just get a little shorter.
Transformers with Two Robot modes and Two Vehicle modes:
- Animated Shockwave (The second vehicle mode is weak, but there are dedicated parts and it is official, plus it’s fun, so it’s on the list).
- Generations Selects Super Megatron
Transformers with One Robot, One Beast, and Two Vehicle Modes
- Beast Wars Optimal Optimus
Transformers with One Robot mode and Two Simultaneous Vehicle modes:
This means that the robot splits into two vehicles, rather than being able to change into either one vehicle or another.
- G1 Overlord (Also has a base mode)
- G1 Battletrap
- G1 Flywheels
- G1/Siege Cog
- TR Blackshadow/Overlord Mold (Also has a base mode)
- Siege Skytread (Flywheels)
- Energon Omega Supreme Mold
Interestingly, POTP Battletrap doesn’t quite go here; his two vehicles were given independent robot modes for that release, making him a combiner, technically.
Cog is a little odd, since he was only included with Fortress Maximus, but he does have two separate vehicle modes. The siege toy also has one “combined” alternate mode, but he can replicate his original toy.
Transformers where Two Robots share the same Vehicle mode:
This is more or less the inverse of the above concept; A vehicle mode splits into two separate robots.
- ROTF Mudflap and Skids
- Star Wars Transformers Han Solo and Chewbacca
- TLK Leader class Dragonstorm
- The G1 Micromaster Combiner teams (not listing all because there are a billion.)
The fellows below this point have vehicle modes the toy can assume on it’s own, but they can also combine their vehicle modes to make a super vehicle. This section sorta depends on how you count. For example, The ROTF Mindwipe and Skystalker molds are designed to peg together, but it is clearly just Skystalker sitting on top of Mindwipe, so I didn’t count it. Do the Movie Blackout and Scorponok molds count because of their significant interaction? What about the 2001 RID Trainbots and their ability to link up in train mode? The world may never know, and since it’s arbitrary and I don’t feel like pissing away the time, we’re just going to say that these guys definitely count and if you have anyone else you want to count, hey, throw them here too. (Ironically, the combined ship mode of Dreadwind and Darkwing is called Dreadwing)
- G1 Dreadwind and Darkwing molds
- G2 Dreadwing and Smokescreen molds
Transformers with a Beast mode instead of a Robot Mode:
These transformers don’t have a humanoid robot mode; instead, the most common variation turns into a robotic animal instead! It is interesting to note that a lot of these guys, especially the cassettes, don’t have anything that is recognizable as a vehicle mode. It is this sort of thing that makes the usage of the term robot and vehicle modes on a universal level somewhat inaccurate. For example, G1 Ravage and Laserbeak have neither vehicle nor robot modes!
- All the G1 Cassette molds except the Eject/Rewind mold and the Frenzy/Rumble mold (Raindance and Grandslam are sorta special and we will discuss them later), and come to it all non humanoid guys with a cassette mode going forward too (like the WFC Data Disks).
- Alternators Ravage (2nd mold)
- DOTM Laserbeak
- Armada Laserbeak
- CW Skylynx (G1 is a little different)
- G1 Toraizer
- G1 Shuffler
- G1 Lione
Some of the RID 2015 figures blur this line a little as well, given that the beast aesthetic is so strong in some of the deceptions. Examples include the RID 2015 Underbite toys, the Crazybolt mold, and the Springload molds.
Transformers that have 2 modes traditionally considered “alternate”:
These guys are a little more complex; they don’t have traditional robot modes. Instead, both of their modes are things that would be considered alternate, rather than primary. Although beast modes can be considered ‘primary’, the fiction associated with some of these figures make it clear that this is not the case for either mode. With regards to the other figures, they have vehicle modes and cassette modes, neither of which I think would be considered primary, although the fictional argument does not pertain to them.
- G1 Raindance
- G1 Grandslam
- BW Icebird
- BW Razor Claw
- BW Poison Bite
- BW Soundwave
- BM Noble Savage (The toy is called Beast Changer)
Transformers where 3 robots have a shared alt mode:
Much like the two robots, one shared alt mode concept, but with three robots instead of two.
- G1 Reflector (Spectro, Spyglass and Viewfinder)
- CW Reflector (Sorta. It’s 3 retooled Shockwaves, which have their own alt mode, and there is no official configuration that uses all three, but the idea was that the fans would figure out the traditional camera configuration, and they have come up with enough impressive ones that I feel it should be mentioned. Plus, this category exists for Reflector, so let’s put both.)
- Siege Refraktor
It’s all Reflector!
Hasbro also put out a horrifying T-rex abomination with three little human figures that combine to form a big T-rex. It’s the worst thing. I like to pretend it didn’t happen. It technically goes here, but it’s an animorphs toy, and we’re going to use that excuse to have nothing to do with it, or any of the other parts of the animorphs line!
Transformers with One robot mode and Three alternate modes:
This category is sort of the opposite of Reflector, like Overlord and ROTF Mudflap and Skids are opposites.
- BW Neo Magmatron (Also has a mode that combines the three dinosaurs it turns into, but it always seemed secondary to me.)
- Armada Tidalwave; (Tidalwave can convert between his robot mode and a big vehicle mode without splitting up, but he can also split into three little boats. So, like Magmatron, he’s got three separate modes and a big hybrid one, though Magmatron can’t transform without splitting up so it’s a bit different.)
Honorable Mentions
These guys are definitely unusual, but don’t fit into the above categories for one reason or another.
– Transmetal Waspinator, G1 Doubledealer, G1 Apeface and G1 Snapdragon: These triple changers have a proper vehicle mode, a robot mode, and a proper albeit G1 styled beast mode! They are the only exactly triple changers I know that properly do that. (Get out of here with your transmetal twos you crazy people.)
– BW Optimal Optimus Mold: This is one of two molds I know of (the other being the aforementioned Animated Shockwave mold) which has exactly 4 proper molds (outside of combiner limbs, a discussion for another time), even though, like with shockwave, a couple are pretty bullshitty. It’s not included with shockwave because one is a beast mode.
-G1 and TR Quickswitch, G1 and TR Sixshot mold:
These guys are some of the robots with the most modes of any toys in the brand (depending on how much shit you are willing to take from the entire Quickswitch mold and Sixshot’s gun mode, and how you count 2001 RID Megs). Six transformations on one toy is damn impressive, especially in G1, and deserves a shout out.
– 2001 RID Megatron mold, with the retooled tabs (Hasbro and Galvatron releases): This, if you are willing to accept the official narrative, which I am, has the most alternate modes of any toy in the history of the brand. Ten official alternate modes, and one made up by the designer (See the tf Wiki page for the character, in the notes section). The original use of the mold actually only has 6, but the designers fiddled with the toy and added 4 more, and retooled it slightly so it could hold the elephant mold. (Again, all credit to the tf Wiki for info).
– Movie Scorponok mold: This mold is notable because while it has both a beast mode and a robot mode, the beast mode could actually be considered the primary one; the robot mode is clearly a made up afterthought not inherent to the movie design, and the associated fiction largely depicts a preference for the beast mode; his toy bio on the back of his card says “Unlike most of his fellow robots, he prefers his alternate mode” , which I guess means it’s secondary, but it’s also almost literally the only one he’s ever depicted in. There is some interesting stuff about him turning into part of Blackout in the movie in his notes section on the wiki, further bizarrifying the issue. An interesting bot, regardless!
-ROTF Ravage: This toy is notable for not actually having an alternate mode. But in all seriousness though. There is an official alt mode, but it’s literally just him curled up. I think it has two dedicated parts, and I’m not sure he even needs any special articulation to achieve it. Bad transformer, but very interesting in the context of our discussion!
– G1 Omega Supreme: He splits into a tank and a rocket, but he also splits into a track/ base for the tank, which kinda disqualifies him from Overlord’s category, and the opposite of Reflector’s, which would be one robot into three vehicles/beasts.
– G1 Sixgun, G1 Slammer, and G1 Brunt: These little guys came with Trypticon and Metroplex. Brunt is formed from 5 pieces of Trypticon, 3 towers and 2 turret pieces. Sixgun is all of Metroplex’s guns and a couple tower pieces run together, and Slammer is a tower and a gun. Do each of the tower pieces and each of the guns count as a separate alternate mode a la Overlord? It’s a bit of a stretch to my mind, especially for the tower pieces, but they’re certainly all very unique to say the least. Moreover, Slammer and Brunt don’t actually have independent robot modes; they could be organized with the “2 alternate mode” guys.
-G1 Sky Lynx; G1 Sky Lynx is a very odd toy. He turns into a Space shuttle, and can have a block of some sort on the bottom of it. In his ‘main’ robot mode (According to the cartoon, I think the comic does something different and maybe makes him a triple changer?), the Shuttle turns into a kinda dinosaur thing with a long neck, and the block grows legs, making for a four legged kinda dinosaur thing. HOWEVER! The block and the shuttle can separate. The shuttle can then turn into sort of a bird dinosaur thing with chicken legs, on its own, and the block turns into a very, very blocky lynx thing. It is cool as hell. So he sort of has a combined alternate mode, but with himself, and then two separate robot modes, one of which pretty much has its own vehicle mode, and then a third combined robot mode, sorta, not really in the traditional sense, especially because both toys are considered part of the same character. Anyway, it’s a cluster, and the relationship has never been figured out and never will. I think the thing it’s closest to is Animated Jetfire and Jetstorm, who have independent robot modes and independent vehicle modes, but also combined robot modes and vehicle modes.
– ROTF Supreme Class Devastator
This toy is formed of 6, count’m 6, separate vehicles that do not have individual robot modes. It’s basically the extension of the Overlord/ducon concept to the umpteenth dimension. I seriously doubt we’ll ever fill in the rest of the sample space this theoretically creates. That is to say, we’ll never get six robots that all combine to form 1 vehicle without independent robot modes, let alone 4 or 5. Similarly, we’ll never get 4 and 5 vehicles combining to create a robot. I didn’t include this toy in the first draft of this essay, because candidly I don’t like it very much, but from a theoretical standpoint it’s neat!
So, that’s alt modes! I hope you had as much fun as I did. If I forgot anyone, or there’s anyone you think deserves a special mention, shoot me a message thing. Also, if you can think of any transformers who have exactly 5 modes who are not part of the Landcross combiner team, please let me know, I can’t think of any.
See you guys around!
Transformers Aesthetics 