# Autobots And Flight **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2003, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421 "2003-03-31T11:50:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/21 "2003-04-03T17:11:46Z")
I am uber-cool then since I have the movie on my computer. I kinda figured they made the planet look small so they could show the cool details n stuff, not because they actually wanted it to be tiny. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/22 "2003-04-03T17:21:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pcarney \* > **Which came first with that show- the cartoon or the toys?** The toys. Hasbro bought the American distribution rights to a line of Japanese toys made by Takara. Being marketing geniuses, they realized that the robot toys would sell much better if they had a backstory. So they made up the back story with the help of Marvel Comics (who were also helping out with the G.I. Joe toys). The comic book debuted about the same time as the toy line in early 1984, with the TV show coming along in the fall. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/23 "2003-04-03T18:19:58Z")
i got the DVD and the soundtrack on CD. I like the theme, the Touch, and Dare! Plus Weird Al is the coolest musician that ever lived! ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/24 "2003-04-03T20:53:41Z")
I’m geeky enough to have the [_entire_ movie soundtrack](http://www.botcon.com/1997/cdlist97.html) on CD. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/25 "2003-04-04T00:03:37Z")
Wow, the original series was pretty darn good for being cobbled together after the fact. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/26 "2003-04-04T00:47:57Z")
I’m assuming RJung also has heard of Tony Bacala? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/27 "2003-04-04T01:01:01Z")
I always hated how Rumble and Frenzy changed colors, or were both the same color in different scenes. Isn’t someone going to say Bah Weep Granah Weep Ni Ni Bong? ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/28 "2003-04-04T04:45:29Z")
Or how about, “I’ll give you petro rabbits.” ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/29 "2003-04-04T05:32:16Z")
Hot Rod: They’re closing on us! Kup: Yep, like the Shrikebats of Dramedan. Hot Rod: How’d you beat them? Kup: I’m trying to remember, there were an awful lot of casualties that day. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/30 "2003-04-04T07:44:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sock Munkey \* > \*\*It’s amazing that the current TF series are such pieces of suck that they make the plotlines of Beast Wars look good. \*\* What? Beast Wars was an amazing series! The writing was superb, IMHO. The ep. where Dinobot dies was amazing. The plot was actually very thought out, with a story arc that spaned the entire series. Of course, part of that was mererly an attempt to be able to make more toys (the Transmetals line) but hey, at least they gave a cool reason. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/31 "2003-04-04T08:13:50Z")
Beast Wars got good in the episode where Starscream showed up, then went on to become one of the best cartoons ever. before that they stank. Beast machines had one of the best pilots i’ve seen, then went downhill. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/32 "2003-04-04T15:27:42Z")
Ok, I admit that a lot of them were good I was just trying to make a point. “Code of hero” was one of the better episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/33 "2003-04-04T16:00:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tars Tarkas \* > \*\*Hot Rod: They’re closing on us! > Kup: Yep, like the Shrikebats of Dramedan. > Hot Rod: How’d you beat them? > Kup: I’m trying to remember, there were an awful lot of casualties that day. \*\* Kup: Oh yeah! We ingrated polarities. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/34 "2003-04-04T18:01:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Isn’t someone going to say > > Bah Weep Granah Weep Ni Ni Bong? \*\* For a translation, go here- [http://www.supermegatopia.com/tmbgr/gallery/hotrod.htm](http://www.supermegatopia.com/tmbgr/gallery/hotrod.htm) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/35 "2003-04-04T20:56:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tars Tarkas \* > I’m assuming RJung also has heard of Tony Bacala? But of course. 🙂 **rjung** has also gotten up on stage before seven hundred bath-deprived Transformers fans and made tacky jokes about old cartoons for hours on end. 😉 He’s also got this obsession with lists of Transformers toys and other such trivia. > [@](#): > > Kup: Oh yeah! We ingrated polarities. _Inverted_ polarities! INVERTED! (Trivia like that 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/36 "2003-04-04T21:07:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fiddlesticks \* > \*\*The toys. Hasbro bought the American distribution rights to a line of Japanese toys made by Takara. Being marketing geniuses, they realized that the robot toys would sell much better if they had a backstory. So they made up the back story with the help of Marvel Comics (who were also helping out with the G.I. Joe toys). > > The comic book debuted about the same time as the toy line in early 1984, with the TV show coming along in the fall. \*\* Nah, [it was created by a couple of aging hippie comic book artists in Los Angeles](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=1713817#post1713817). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/37 "2003-04-05T03:08:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\*A screw-up. > > It wasn’t certain that there would even be a full series at one point. The first 3 or 4 episodes are a pilot, as usual. > > So continuity wasn’t too important.\*\* Which explains why, in the pilot miniseries (official title: “More Than Meets the Eye”), both Megatron and Optimus Prime had light-saber-like weapons they could use when their hand retracted. Megatron had a purple Light Morningstar/Flail, and Prime had a yellow Light Axe. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/38 "2003-04-05T23:25:09Z")
The “hand retract” gadgets aren’t really an oops since the transformers could have devices like that installed or removed depending on mission requirements. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421/39 "2003-04-05T23:29:41Z")
Every time you see something like that, a cyber-wizard did it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autobots-and-flight/165421.md?page=1)