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A Comprehensive Guide to Everything Transformers

As a newcomer to the fandom, I found many fandom knowledge and terms to be quite confusing and at times contradictory, so I decided to make a guide to essentially everything TF related, meta and in-universe. I will try my best to get the basics of “everything” but this is a fandom that spans dozens of pieces of media and four decades, longer than I’ve been alive. I will probably miss a fair bit and might get some things wrong, so feel free to reblog with relevant editions.

This is intended to be a basic guide, so only the most bare bones of info will be provided. Meant to be a reference, not the sole point of understanding.

First, the in-universe stuff. I will simply provide a list of terms and definitions I find to be useful. Keep in mind that the majority of this, or all of it, in some sections, are just fan made terms that have little to no canonical merit. They are fun to use, but don’t feel pressured to do so.

Note that I won’t cover the NSFW stuff as I don’t read or write it. With that said I would first like to get out of the way the CANONICAL Cybertronian biology.

Cybertronians reproduce asexually, via the Allspark. This is why both factions try so hard to recover it in many continuities. Because of this, they are all biologically the same, but present their gender in different ways. Some are male and others are female and in Earthsprk recently we finally got our first canon non binary TF character.

This is not to say you can’t write the robots doing it, but do note that in canon they do not.

BODY PARTS (the majority of this is fandom head canon):

Helm - head

Pede - feet

Optics - eyes

Chassis - chest (chest plates refer to the actual armor on top of it)

Servo - hand

Energon line/fuel line - vein

Spark - This one is difficult, because it’s their literal physical heart and their metaphorical soul. For the sake of physical terms though it’s a heart.

Spark chamber - The chamber within the chest where the spark is kept safe.

Audials - Ears

Vocalizer - voice box

Frame - body in general

Processor - Brain/mind

Dentae - teeth

Glossa - tongue

Energon (in terms of the body) - blood

Lubricant/coolant/trans fluid - non-blood bodily fluids

HUD - An internal screen where files are stored that can also display warnings like low fuel

Fuel tank - Digestive system/stomach

Anything with “plates” in it (I.e wrist plate or back plate) - the armor over a certain area

Armor/plating - the tough outer shell of a Cybertronian, made of metal. The part we see

Protoform - the definition of this varies wildly from continuity to continuity but I consider it to be the softer more fragile part of a Cybertronian under their armor

Transformation cog/t-cog - the organ that allows Cybertronians to transform, including their integrated tools and weaponry. Can be disabled or removed

Recharge - sleep

Stasis - a more long term state of rest, akin to hibernation or a coma. Can be induced medically in states of emergency or for long distance travel

Alt mode/vehicle mode - What a Cybertronian turns into. Usually a vehicle but can also be something else.

Minicon - A very small Cybertronian. May deploy off of a bigger one, such as Soundwave and his cassettes

Flight frame - the body of a Cybertronian who turns into something that flies

Seeker - a very particular type of flight frame that turns into a jet. Usually generalized as “any flight frame that looks like Starscream”

Grounder - usually an insulting term used by flight frames to describe ground based vehicle modes

Combiner/gestalt - Multiple Cybertronians who transform and combine to form a very big one

Titans/cityformers - very large Cybertronians who turn into something masisve

Sparkling - a very young Cybertronian

Modesty panel/interface panel - the panel between the legs (this is the most NSFW ill get here)

GENERAL

Cybertron: The home world of all Cybertronians. However, Cybertronians also inhabit other planets like Velocitron, or, during the war, Earth

Primus: Not only is he the Cybertronian equivalent of a creator god, but he is quite literally Cybertron (that is his alt mode). The embodiment of good. Produces normal energon.

Unicron: The embodiment of evil. Sometimes he transforms into Earth itself. Sometimes a planet eating monster. Produces dark energon. Sometimes Primus’s brother

Energon: The fuel source all Cybertronians require to survive. In its raw form it is a blue crystal that can be processed into liquid cubes (in some continuities it may be other colors). Cybertron is rich with it and it also powers most Cybertronian technology, such as ground bridges and ships. It can also be found naturally in other planets like Earth.

Synthetic energon: Artificially created energon

Dark energon: A purple form of energon from Unicron. Had the power to corrupt and tie those who consume it to Unicron himself

Datapad: a computer or tablet.

Berth/recharge slab: Bed

Berthroom/habsuite: Bedroom

Brig: Prison/holding cells, usually on a ship

Stasis pod: An escape pod or other small ship component meant to induce stasis artificially for long distance or long term travel

Stasis cuffs: Cuffs that restrict movement and the ability to transform or used integrated weaponry

Mechanimals/mechafauna: Cybertron’s native wild life that is also made of metal and has some transforming abilities

Allspark: What creates new Cybertronians and where all Cybertronian sparks and souls go when they die. Sometimes a physical object.

Vector Sigma: A super computer at Cybertron’s core that has immmense capabilities

Prime: a position of extreme power and leadership chosen and bestowed by the Matrix of Leadership toward those it deems worthy

Matrix of Leadership: Resides in the chest of the current Prime. Chooses those it deems worthy. Can be passed on. It’s power can be of great use, such as to aide in combatting Unicron

Functionism: the belief that one’s alt mode at birth determines their worth and their place in society. Led to the creation of the Decepticon movement in some continuities

Senate: Cybertron’s pre-war government that was extremely corrupt

Iacon: The former capital and seat of the Senate. Sometimes the Autobot base of operations. Optimus is from here

Kaon: a more rough and rugged city where the Decepticon movement began. Megatron is from here

Pits of Kaon: Megatron likes to reference this a lot. Essentially the gladiatorial arenas

Sea of Rust: a very dangerous sector of wilderness on Cybertron

The Ark: primary autobot ship

The Nemesis: primary Decepticon ship

I am almost certainly forgetting a ton so please reblog with your additions!

Second , the meta stuff. AKA how the fuck am I supposed to get into the media itself? First of all, it’s important to establish that there’s no wrong way to enjoy Transformers. Some people only watch one or two shows, or just the movies, or just the comics, or just like the toys themselves. It’s such a diverse and large fandom and there’s no way to do it wrong.

I can’t possibly list every piece of TF media but here I will put a few that are often discussed within the fandom and have high degrees of popularity. Most of the shows are now free on YouTube on the official Transformers channel. By no means do you have to watch ALL of these, but I will put asterisks on the ones I feel are relevant or the fandom seems to like the most.

COMICS

From what I understand, having never read any TF comics before, multiple publishing companies have done multiple runs of TF.

*The IDW comics are the most popular, in particular their first run that lasted over a decade and is referred to as IDW Generation One. Due to IDW losing their license, however, the physical books are exceedingly hard to obtain. IDW is notable in particular for its representation of LGBTQ relationships. The Marvel comics run is also notable and I believe somewhat popular. The iconic Shockwave cover comes from here.

*Skybound is the currently running comics issue.

SHOWS

There are much more than are listed, but here are some notable ones. People like or dislike for different reasons, so this meant to be a starting point for new fans to decide what to watch.

*Transformers: Prime

*Unicron Trilogy (three shows with one season each meant to be watched back to back as one interconnected story)

*Transformers: Animated

*Beast Wars and its sequel, Beast Machines

*The Transformers (now commonly referred to as Generation One, or G1) - the first ever TF series

Transformers: Cyberverse

*Transformers: Earthspark - the only currently running transformers show

Robots in Disguise (2001)

Robots in Disguise (2015) - there are two shows with the same name so the year they began is used to distinguish. The majority of the fandom seems to dislike RID15

MOVIES

The Michael Bay movies are somewhat controversial in the fandom, seeing as some characterization and design was not faithful, and the movies are generally not very strong plot wise anyways. That’s just brushing the surface, but I won’t get into that.

The Michael Bay directed live actions movies are (in chronological order): Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction, and The Last Knight. The first three are generally considered the best of the bunch but in my opinion they are all worth a watch.

The reboot live action movies, intended as prequels to the Bay movies, but also seemingly occupying their own universe are: Bumblebee, Rise of the Beasts. Bumblebee is a solo movie following, you guessed it, Bumblebee, while ROTB is a more classic ensemble movie.

Transformers One: An animated prequel released this year that occupies its own universe.

Predacons Rising: It’s up to you if you actually consider this a movie, but it’s meant as a direct conclusion to TFP, and should be watched after its third season. Budget cuts meant that TFP’s third season was not done as well as it could have been and this provides a good conclusion.

Transformers (1986): Meant to be watched as part of G1, between seasons 2 and 3z

At the time of writing, Hasbro has killed funding to the movies and a lack of interest in TF movies means that sequels to any of these are highly unlikely.

THE TOYS

Transformers began as toys, and it remains a center of the franchise. Some people like to collect the toys too, but as it stands many are very, very expensive.

There are two main lines aimed at adult collectors:

Generations: A toy line starting in 2018 that amassed figures of forty years of TF history from all different shows and continuities. These are for show and comic characters.

Studio Series: A toy line that features movie characters, as seen in the movie. This includes the Bay Movies, the reboot movies, the 86 movie, and TF One. It will also include any further future movies.

There are also toys that are sold as not part of either of these lines, usually to promote whatever film or show is in progress or upcoming. These tend to be inferior quality wise and aimed at little kids.

Generations follows a rough layout for price and size, which is usually stated prominently in the package. Over time, the prices of all of these will go up so I will instead state the size, although this can be somewhat inconsistent as well. Studio Series has no size classings as far as I am aware.

Core class: Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Deluxe class: 5-6 inches.

Voyager class (most collectors aim for figures in this range): 6-8 inches.

Leader/commander class (only some characters will have those): 9-10 inches I believe though I could be wrong.

Titan class (reserved for massive characters like Metroplex): very, very large, as in will not fit on your display shelf.

BASIC TOY TERMS

-Articulation: How well a figure can move and pose. Articulation points are the joints at which things can be moved and adjusted.

Mold: The basic body type and structure that will often be reused on multiple characters. For example, the Tetrajet Seeker mold.

Gimmick: A small, fun addition to the figure that might range from fun to annoying depending on what it is. Usually, “gimmicky” is a bad term

Kibble: Robot parts that stick out in vehicle mode or vehicle parts that stick out in robot mode (usually the latter). These can add personality to the appearance of character and sometimes be quintessential to who they are, but in cases of bad engineering, will just be ugly and annoying.

Mainline: A toy that comes directly from Hasbro, as part of the Generations or Studio Series toy line.

Third party: A figure made by a company other than Hasbro, usually to improve upon an existing figure or character, to make a figure for a character who doesn’t yet have one or doesn’t yet have a good one for one iteration of them or in general, or just to do it better than Hasbro did. Companies officially licensed by Hasbro to create products, such as Blokess, are usually not considered third party.

KO/Knock-off: While third party figures are unique in design, KOs are illicit copies and reproductions of existing mainline figures. They may do it better or worse than Hasbro themself, and their selling point is usually a lower price.

Note: Some KOs and third parties are in fact much better than mainlines, or just more affordable in general. Many collectors buy a mix of third party, KO, and mainline.

Upgrade kit: A set of pieces, such as additional weaponry meant to elevate a figure beyond its original design and accessories.

Accessories: What the figure comes with in the box. This mostly constitutes weapons.

Re-issue: Figures that Hasbro re-releases and makes more of after demand has overcome supply following the toys original run.

Scalpers: People who buy the figure at its cheapest and sell it for horrifically high prices once supply has run out. Model/model kit: A gundam or bionicle style kit that you must put together yourself. Blondes and yolopark notably make these. Most are non-transforming.

Non-transforming: Exactly what it sounds like. Transtormers toys that don’t transform. Often, they are third party and make up for it with more show/movie accuracy or some kind of upgrade, such as more articulation.

Custom/custom figure: A figure that has been modified in some way to better suit the preferences of the person who customized it or paid for it to be customized. This can range from a simple repaint of an existing figure to creating your own figure that no one’s made before.

Some general collecting tips:

-Figure out what exactly you want to collect. Some people like to complete casts, or only collect a certain character, or something like that.

-Amazon often sells both mainline and third party/KOs

-Watch reviews of any figure you plan to buy, especially if it’s expensive

-Ebay often has the same figures at half the price, just slightly more used

-Check the distribution at your local department stores. In the US these include Target and Walmart. While the selection is usually a bit pathetic, you might strike gold sometime.

Thank you for reading!

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