Transformer Fan Interview – Chris Bishop

June 27, 2024 Big Angry Trev 1 Comment

It’s time for another Transformer Fan Interview, and once again this one comes from overseas, the good ol’ US of A. Chris has some of the most brilliant looking Transformers displays I have ever seen, and he’s sharing photos of it as well sharing the history of his hobby with us today.

Name and/or nicknames:

Chris Bishop. I used to go by makoaspire as a customizer, but not so much anymore.

Family?

Married man, nearly 20 years this go round. Two teenage daughters.

Career?

I own and operate my own full service sign company. I do the little stuff – like banners and such, and the big stuff – like shopping center monuments. As well as all the stuff in between. Having the equipment and the background I do from the sign business has helped incalculably in creating the collection display space that I have now.

Website/Fan-pages?

Well I basically live on Facebook, so all of my content is there. You can see my customs work, which includes exhaustive photos of my collection as well at: https://www.facebook.com/LNOWcustoms.

I’m going to be starting up a side venture selling my background prints and creating dio pieces for anyone who wants them. I’m sluggish on the start, but hope to get that running soon.

How would you rate yourself on a C scale, C10 being MISB Mint perfection, to the lowest C1 ‘junker not worth it even for parts’?

I’m a 50 year old man. I’ve got more dents and dings in my packaging than I care to admit, but you see, the inside’s gone to pot as well. I’m not a total loss though, so I’ll give myself a C5+

Fan/Collector since (year)?

September 17, 1984. The day the G1 cartoon premiered in the US. A week earlier, a kid in my class had the first TF toy I had ever seen, a Buzzsaw cassette. Up until that point Star Wars was the top dog in my toy arsenal. Then I see this thing, that’s TWO things. And one was a robot bird! I was intrigued. Then he told me a cartoon was coming out for these toys and it was gonna start the following week. I was hooked.

Transformers Allegiance, if you had one?

Decepticon. I have a tattoo of the symbol on my shoulder, a badge on the front of my truck, Devastator adorns my shop’s garage door.

I’m not all good. I’ve done some untoward stuff in my life. I love dark humor. The darker the better. I cannot suffer fools easily or at least without making my disdain known. I complain a lot, but I love cats, am exceedingly helpful and don’t want to cause any unnecessary pain.

Your Techspec motto if you had one?

Be nice, until it’s time to not be nice.

What existing, official Transformers character best describes you?

Blitzwing. Has leadership goals, has a few sides to him, can avoid a hit when necessary, has his own mind, but is ultimately loyal and honorable in the end.

Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself?

I’m a Skywarp fan and hate long car trips so, teleportation would be great.

Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?

Difficult to see. Always in motion, is the future. Just as you have with your Transformatorium, I have spent an inordinate amount of time and effort, as well as money and other intangibles to create the setup I have, so I’m definitely “pot committed” to use a poker term. AFTER I die, well, that’s my survivor’s problem. But I have all the boxes in the attic for them to pack everything into to sell.

Do people outside of the hobby know you collect TFs (like at work/school)?

Yes. Several do, but I am of a generation where being a nerd was not something that you ever wanted to be labeled. So I still find myself low key ashamed to be into this sort of thing, especially at my age. I don’t broadcast it beyond the “community”. However, you make allowances for always loving what you grew up with and I love these things.

Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends?

I would say in retrospect, that I was spoiled with toys as a child. I was a good kid, definitely not a Veruca Salt, but I had a lot of stuff. I was the first kid, first grandchild, so a lot of gifts at birthdays and holidays. Not the rest of the year. We were lower middle working class, but somehow my family provided plenty. Though there was always that one figure, or playset, or whatever, that I didn’t have or wanted, but didn’t get.

What does your partner think of your hobby?

She supports me, whatever. She’s not into the hobby by any means. But she appreciates the effort and the artistry that I bring to it, because for me, it’s not just about the collecting, it’s about creating things and marrying the two.

Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions, Special Events?

I’ve been to many local cons, as well as a few TFCons. Next up is TFCON Baltimore in November.

Favourite series/era/year, and why?

Geee-Wunnnnn! Because it was the right time, I was the right age, it was made for me, crafted to manipulate me into loving these characters, watching their cartoon exploits, reading their comics (and shrugging off the differing from the cartoon storylines). And ultimately BUYING (or being gifted or stealing) the toys.

I know it wasn’t the best written thing. I cringe at AKOM episodes, or laugh at all the animation errors. But it was FOR me…at the time. And generationally as a whole, Xers and Early Millenials are so entangled in their own pop culture nostalgia. Moreso than any previous or subsequent generation. Perfect storm, man.

Collect any comics?

None beyond the original TF ones, but I’ve read everything that’s come down the pike about the G1 characters. Dreamwave, IDW, Image.

Favourite Comic issue/story, and why?

I realize that when it comes to the original G1 comics continuity we have Marvel US and UK titles. As an American, I’m always talking about the US title. The comic stories didn’t really move me in any particular way, but Issue #9 with Circuit Breaker stands out, as well as the cover for issue #5. And of course the abomination in issue 70.

Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why?

Don’t have a favorite, but I have ones that I don’t really like. Most of those are in Season 3 or by AKOM studios. Lol.

Favourite Character, and why?

If you could combine Shockwave, Skywarp and Motormaster into one badass hombre, then that’s my guy!

Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?

Huffer or Gears. He can help me work and complain all day with me.

Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, 2000s etc):

Including items not on display I’d estimate in the 300-400 range.

Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector?

I have done both. But mainly out and displayed. The current Mainline/Studio Series 86 bots all remain MISB and packed away in the attic.

How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit?

Including the lumber, supplies, lighting, toys and all the display redos since the Ikea Detolf days of 2014 – roughly $25 – $30K

Any rare/expensive figures in your collection?

I have a few exclusives. The most recent pickup was the Yolopark Clear Purple Megatron.

What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have?

I stay away from non-figure purchases. I used to heavily collect Star Wars stuff in my 20s. Had a display space similar to what I have for the TFs without all the dios and backgrounds, though. I bought EVERY. THING. Star Wars branded and it had to stay MISB. Of course I had ALL of the figures and playsets. But then I started buying scented markers, collectors plates, store displays, Bags of chips and Pepsi products, bookmarks. It became untenable. It swallowed my time and was a small, but contributing factor to the disintegration of my first marriage.

First Transformers toy?

G1 Trailbreaker was the first one I unwrapped that Xmas.

One toy you most want?

I don’t have a grail. I’ve bought everything I want…so far.

The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)?

It’s quite literally the entire centerpiece of my display. In 2020 during the pandemic time off I built a Legends scale G1 cartoon centerpiece display unit for the space. It is comprised of 4 sides, each with 3-4 shelves that have dios of G1 cartoon scenes populated with legends figures. I intentionally built it with differing composition angles that force you to keep looking and moving around the unit. I feel it’s the finest work I will ever do. And I already did it… So I’m done, I guess. Lol.

Side 1: The Ark & Sherman Dam

Side 2: The Oil Rig and the Decepticon Underwater Base

Side 3: The 86 Movie

Side 4: Cybertron, the Space Bridge and Season 4

Favourite toy in your early years of collecting?

Soundwave was always a banger to have on hand.

Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion?

Dino-Riders. Shout out to my buddy Gort. Lol. But I assume you meant worst TF toy. I personally dislike the pretenders, especially the mega super pretenders or whatever they called them. I was out of TFs by that point, trying to catch the ladies.

Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them?

All of the G1 toys, really. Even then I held the toys up and compared them to the toon, and found them lacking. Don’t get me wrong, I loved they toys then, but I was keenly aware they didn’t match the characters on the show. I mean Where TF are Ironhide & Ratchet’s heads?? It started me on the road to customization. Not knowing any different I would regularly repaint my figures with house paints or even one time I glued lego bits to Blaster to make him combine with the Throttlebots.

Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertible Transformers toys?

A gimmick is only cool if it doesn’t take anything away from the figure. I couldn’t care less about opening doors and hoods, or steering wheels on car robots. When you start making sacrifices to include a gimmick, that’s when the toy IS the gimmick and not the character. As far as non-converting – that’s a case by case basis, but I don’t prefer it unless it is a definitive representation of the character. I’m slavish to G1 toon accuracy if you haven’t come to that conclusion yet. However you still have to straddle the line sometimes when it comes to Devastator.

Which single TFs toy should every fan own?

A Prime. For better or worse, he’s the sigil of the franchise.

Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present?

I can’t imagine that being a possible scenario in my life. LOL. My TF collecting friends already have everything.

Do you collect other toys?

Minimally. I have small collections or single shelves of various 80’s pop-culture properties. Back to The Future, They Live, Aliens, Ghostbusters, Jaws (70s) Flash Gordon and others.

I also have 3 shelves of Indiana Jones. Artifacts from the films and the recent 6” figure line. I had to make custom figures of several of the characters that Hasbro left out. All the shelves have some sort of backgrounds or dioramas. I can’t help myself 😉

How did you find out about www.bigangrytrev.com?

I’ve seen your Transformatorium photos in the groups before, and just watched your video. It’s a massively, impressive collection you’ve amassed. Now it’s got it’s own orbit with people sending you stuff all the time to add to it. But to also be able to share it with your kids is golden, and best of all. I’m sure you’re supremely proud of it all, and you SHOULD be!

Thanks for requesting the interview. I’m quite proud of what I’ve done and like to show it off. I guess it’s the equivalent to gearheads and their rides and car shows or burning donuts. Except our collections can’t go anywhere to show off, we just get to post cool pics.

Additional photos

Thank you so much to Chris for sharing his AMAZING Transformer displays with us! If there is anything else you’d like to know about Chris and his hobby, pop it in the comments section below!

Ask Trev!, Tales of the Trev

Ask Trev: Your first album and first concert?

June 19, 2024 Big Angry Trev 3 Comments

This question comes from fellow radio DJ and old Uni mate from Victoria – Lifon:

First album you bought and first concert you went to?

Well lets examine these sequentially, as my first concert was actually before my first album. And neither story is going to make me look particularly cool – prepare to have your illusions about what Young DJ Trev was like shattered! I’m sure Lifon, who is the exact same age as me (to the very day!) is going to be shaking his head at what his contemporary was up to. But cut me some slack – it was the 90’s!

First concert

Considering my favourite genres are Alternative Rock, Speed Metal and J-Pop, you might expect something like a mixture of Rammstien and Baby Metal. But nope. I’ve seen lots of great Aussie performers live over the years, including Jon Butler Trio, Silverchair, Powderfinger, Josh Pyke and so on, and a few really good international acts as well, including the king of satirical songs – Weird Al Yankovic.

‘A Day on the Green’ music festival 2008

But my first concert? We are talking back in 1992 at the tender age of 14, and that was Girlfriend.

Remember Girlfriend? No? That’s ok, nobody else does either.

It was an Aussie girlband with 5 members, with soft-hitting pop songs aimed at a young teen audience.

Not really my music even back then, but I lived in Bendigo in country Victoria and not a lot of big bands visited the town back then, let alone bands that held gigs for under 18’s.

So off with my mate Matt we went, dropped off at the Bendigo Basketball Stadium by our mothers. Even at the age of 14 we were probably amongst the older ones there, and probably some of the few males.

But hey, it was a live music show that wasn’t country and our parent’s weren’t attending with us – we were so totally there dude!

It was… an ok time. At 14 I was too shy still to try and pick up any girls. In fact the only girls I talked to that night kept accusing me of pushing against them when we were all at the front of stage watching the band. Didn’t matter how many times I explained I wasn’t pushing them, it was the 50 other people pushing me in that direction, I got hate stares all evening.

Come to think of it, one of those girls years later turned out to be the best friend of my first girlfriend. She didn’t like me any better then either.

But what was super exciting, besides for a young teen boy in a country town getting to see hot leggy girls from the city dance on stage, was that Girlfriend was shooting crowd shots for their upcoming video ‘Bad Attitude’.

And yes, in the music video you can see the arms of a gangly teen – with one of those big thick ugly watches on his wrist, one where the all the rubber loops were busted so the all the spare band stuck out at a 90 degree angle – clapping along with the music.

Yes thats my hand. Know how I know its my hand? Because back then I taped the clip off Video Hits onto a VHS and watched it back 50 times until I spotted my arms – so there!

So no it wasn’t a particularly cool band, I didn’t pick up any girls, and I was both dropped off and picked up by my mother – but that was my very first concert.

First Album I bought

I suppose my actual first several albums were all compilation albums from the early/mid ninties, but they don’t really count as my first proper album purchased because of a specific artist or band. And the tale of that may be as embarrassing as Girlfriend being my first concert. Not so much the album iteself but the circumstances.

Ya gotta remember, in High School in Bendigo I worked at a fruit shop for less than minimum wage (like $4 an hour). At Uni in Melbourne, besides the odd job doing Extra work in movies and on TV shows, I didn’t have a job at all as I was studying full time. Thus I never had much money to buy music. What money for frivolities I did have in High School used to go on comedy CD’s & video games, and when at Uni going to nightclubs, as well as hitting pubs where I would often watch mate’s bands perform. Having buddies in bands was the best! Why spend $30 on a CD when for a couple of beers your mate’s whole band would come round your party and play! Outside of live music I mainly listened to Triple J and sometimes Fox.fm, and use my Boom Box to record songs off the radio onto audio cassettes to listen to later.

State of the art technology – this one even transforms!

Can this get any more 90’s? It sure can!

So the first album I bought because of a specific artist? We are talking 1996 here and it was Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill.

Channel my heartbreak Alanis -give voice to my inner dispair my Canadian diva!

Why in the name of all that is musically holy did I choose that one as my first album to buy? Especially given I was aware of so much other great music around? Well let me tell you.

Remember I mentioned a girlfriend before, my first ever one whose best friend didn’t like me? Well, I had driven 200km back from Melbourne to Bendigo to see her for her birthday and attend her birthday party. It was at that party, in front of all her friends, that she not only dumped me but announced she had been cheating on me for weeks and had only kept dating me so she could get birthday presents off both my mother and I before we split up. Thus was the lack of shame inherent in a 19yo Bendagonian girl. Strangely after all that and decades of no contact she friend requested me on Social Media a while back (which I politely ignored) – people on the net are weird eh!

I was beyond heartbroken and drove back to Melbourne and promptly locked myself in my room to sob. However I did venture out on occasion to buy food and also buy Jagged Little Pill.

Why that album? Because half the songs on that album were from the perspective of the recently dumped and they, like me, were bitter as hell – Alanis knew my pain she did!

My poor housemate. He must have heard that Canadian songstress belting out ‘You oughta know’ through his wall for 14 hours a day for a week straight. But I was there to (somehow psychically) remind my ex of the mess she left when she went away. It was not fair to deny me the cross I bared when she went away – she, she, she oughta know!

To be fair to Ms Morissette, the album did the trick. I engaged in a full week of heartbreak and bitterness and loss and lamentations of ‘I’ll never love anyone else ever again!’ Then after that week I went out, let my friend Maddy shave my head, got an earring, started growing a goatee and within a fortnight was shagging someone else. No months of self-pitying torment – indulge the pain hard and fast and then move on – that’s the ticket!

From a cowlick and cleanshaven to a buzz cut and goatee within a few weeks. The camo gear is a bit worrying though…

Isn’t it funny how fickle 18yo’s are, a girl can be the love of your life, but as soon as she dumps you and another girl offers to **** your **** and ****** on your **** and **** whipped cream ****** **** French maids outfit **** *** ******** trapeze **** ***** trained gerbil ******* *** then you say ‘Well that’s those sheets ruined, might as well bin them’, then that previous ‘eternal love’ seems to have evaporated – isn’t it ironic, don’t ya think?

I’ve got draws and draws full of awesome albums now I bought over the decades before everything went digital, but yes – Alanis was my first. Now if you’ll excuse me I got places to be, cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket and the other’s hailing a taxi cab.

Thank you for your questions Lifon.

Don’t forget, if you want to hear how Big DJ Trev’s music tastes have improved over the decades, tune into The Big DJ Trev Show on Krr.fm 6 to 9pm Thursdays AEST, and tune into Lifon’s Show The Wave on Main.fm 6.30 to 8pm Saturdays.

I’ve shared my first album and concert with all of you, how about you share your first album and concert in the comments section below!

Ask Trev!, Transformatorium

Ask Trev: Different reactions to The Transformatorium

June 18, 2024 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

This question comes from Adam in Melbourne:

“What’s the strangest reaction you’ve had when people see The Transformatorium?”

(Or as Adam put it: ‘the nerd shed’)

Well that’s a toughie, I’ve had at least a few hundred visitors to the shed since I first got it set up nearly 4 years ago. Some people travel hours to specifically tour the shed and sometimes fathers contact me, wanting to bring their sons for their birthdays. Conversely, sometimes it’s an unsuspecting tradesman visiting our farm, such as a mechanic or labourer, getting dragged in with a ‘Hey, you want to see something cool?’ line from yours truly. Usually I do the lighting start up sequence, where shelf after shelf gets lit from the bottom up, ending with ignition of the ceiling light. There is usually a lot of ‘Oh wow!’s followed by that moment of stunned amazement as people try to visually process what they are seeing, being completely enveloped by Transformers on every wall and even the ceiling.

Their subsequent reactions tend to be based on who they are and why they are seeing it.

People that know about The Transformatorium

**Jason**, **Trent** and **Dallas** – all travelled 3 hours to come hang out in the shed.

Reactions from people who have specifically come to see the Transformatorium, or at least are aware of its existence before visiting our place on other business are pretty standard:

Those coming to see the shed tend to go very quiet after their initial excitement, wandering around getting lost in the thousands of toys surrounding them. They methodically work their way through shelf after shelf, seeing if they can spot any figures from their childhood.

Those who were aware of the sheds existence, but didn’t come specifically to see it, show bemusement a lot of the time. This is often the mothers of the friends of my children, who are dropping their kids off for a playdate or party, and have been taken in for a look. They seem impressed but also have a ‘why would anyone do this?’ look upon their faces.

People that don’t know about the shed

Lachlan came to clean an underground water tank – ended up getting a full tour he wasn’t expecting!

It’s the people that aren’t even aware that The Transformatorium exists (how that can be I do not know – the level of ignorance in society can be shocking sometimes!) are ones that give the most varied reactions, though the first reaction is always surprise as no one expects to see such a thing on a farm in the middle of nowhere. In fact only last week my daughters new singing teacher (a very talented young woman who has appeared on The Big DJ Trev Show before) saw the shed for the first time, as did her mother later when she came to pick her daughter up.

The mother was extremely impressed and spent a long time looking around the shed. In fact when her two other younger daughters were asking to leave after nearly half an hour she said ‘No, I haven’t finished looking yet’.

However when the singing teacher took a look, her reaction was almost accusatory. ‘How much did all this cost?’ I believe were her exact words. In that scenario I was the one that was bemused.

People online

Most people on the internet are very complimentary when they first see a photo. I’ve received all kinds of compliments, and sometimes comments such as ‘I want come live there’ or ‘will you adopt me?’.

Some people say it looks like a store which I’ve always found a bit odd, though I take it as a compliment as to how they are displayed. Other people react with questions, often about dusting but sometimes other things such as how many Transformers I have or the dimensions of the shed.

The Transformatorium – most popular FAQ’s

The Visitor Book

We used to have a carpet cleaning company come out once a year that was run by a husband and wife. When I showed the husband the shed he swore a lot (in a good way), looked about, then went and got his wife from inside our main farmhouse ‘Ya gotta f*cken look at this!” I believe were his exact words to her. It was actually his suggestion for me to get a visitors book. Let’s have a look at just some of the reactions people have recorded in it over the years:

“Wow, that’s a BIG collection. Dayam” Brendan – 15/11/2020

“Wow! Just wow, and I want to play with them” – Ronnie – 19/12/2020

“All I can say is WOW!! Just completely blown away” – Brett, 24/01/2021

“Coolest thing I’ve ever seen” – Patrick, 07/08/2021

“It’s bloody awesome” – Shane & Jodie, 19/01/2022

“Mind Blowing!! Keep it growing” – Michelle, 06/08/2022

“Wow wow wow!!! I can’t actually believe how incredible it is. Fabulous Job Trev” – Diane, 11/12/2022

“Amazing – ‘More than meets the eye’” – Pieter from Able Media Productions, 13/01/2023

“I loved listening to you talk about your collection. May it grow even bigger!” Ben from Mudgee Guardian, 19/05/2023

“Amazing, childhood dream come true” – Matt, Chester & Ashlee, 06/08/2023

“Incredible!! You da bomb Trev!” – Lisa & Scott, 03/02/2024

“Mind instantly blown, it took me back to my childhood. Amazing” – Michael & Wyatt, 24/04/2024

“WOWSERS! Oh my HAT!” – Petrina, 12/06/2024

The Strangest Reaction Ever

The strangest reaction I ever got, ever, would have to be from one of the operators of Dry Creek Farm, an awesome company that uses goats in order to clean out noxious weeds like blackberries in an environmentally sustainable way in the best traditions of permaculture. His reaction was – nothing.

Complete indifference. Could have been saying to him ‘Hey, look at this brick that looks exactly like those 27,000 other bricks over there, isn’t it great?!’ Didn’t like it, didn’t dislike it, just didn’t care.

I’ve encountered wonder, awe, shock, confusion, bemusement, amazement & joy. I’ve had people visibly impressed, dumbstruck, stunned and surprised. But never, before or since, have I had someone look inside the shed and have the same expression one would have looking at a piece of grass – just complete disinterest. Even people that aren’t into Transformers are either impressed with the scale of the collection they are seeing, or at least kinda curious in how it came about since its not something you see every day. But nope, not this time.

So Adam, the strangest reaction the nerd shed ever got was no reaction at all.

Cheers for your question.

Random Rants, Transformatorium

Who became Cyclonus? Skywarp, Bombshell or an Insecticon Clone?

June 3, 2024 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

There are certain debates that run in fandoms, sometimes for decades.

Star Wars: Why didn’t Anakin’s rich princess girlfriend ever buy Anakin’s mother out of slavery for him, and why when he was a powerful Jedi did he wait so long to go back for her?

Star Trek: How was it Kirk could spend decades surviving every danger in the galaxy, even getting into a fight with God, yet was killed by a rickety bridge on some backwards planet?

Harry Potter: If Voldermort had no nose, how did he smell?

In the 1986 film The Transformers: The Movie, amongst numerous other animation errors, there was at one point two of Cyclonus. One seeming to be reformatted from Bombshell, the other from Skywarp. The second Cyclonus (sometimes called ‘Armada’) quickly disappeared.

So fans have been arguing for decades – Who became Cyclonus? Bombshell or Skywarp?

Well truth be told, there is no real answer. In the original script, just like how Scourge (reformatted from Thundercracker) had a slew of identical looking bots to him called The Sweeps, so the script called for there to be multiple bots that looked like Cyclonus.

Toys Review – Studio Series Hot Rod & Scourge

This idea was dropped from the script, but not before the animation had been produced and included, which resulted in there being two of Cyclonus on screen.

So no, there is no official answer. It’s an animation error, plain and simple.

So perhaps the question should be. Which bot does it make more sense for to be turned into Cyclonus – Bombshell or Skywarp?

Some fans argue vehemently that it should be Bombshell as he was the closer one to screen during the reformatting. Bombshell was most prominent, so therefore it should be Bombshell. There have also been a few pieces of ancillary media, such as the Transformers Universe comic and a 2003 video game that state Bombshell became Cyclonus.

But at this risk of irritating these fans, and thus reigniting a geek-war which has never truly died, I argue that it should be Skywarp. In fact, I argue that Bombshell should not even be considered as it makes more sense for it to have been an Insecticon Clone. Let’s look at why.

Vehicle Symmetry

Thundercracker, the blue jet, was reformatted into Scourge, a blue Cybertronian flying craft. Therefore it makes sense for Skywarp, the black jet with purple accents, to be reformatted into Cyclonus, a purple Cybertronian flying craft.

Toy placement

In the 1985 catalog there were 6 Decepticon jets, Starscream, Dirge, Ramjet, Thrust, Skywarp and Thundercracker. In the 1986 catalog, Skywarp and Thundercracker were replaced with Cyclonus and Scourge.

Loyalty

Skywarp was never shown to betray Megatron, whereas the Insecticons were famous for it. Cyclonus is intensely loyal to Galvatron, showing none of the disloyalty the Insecticons did.

DVD Releases

In several DVD releases of the movie, in special features it states that Skywarp becomes Cyclonus.

Japanese Continuity

Unlike with many western audiences, the Japanese take on the continuity has always been relatively free of debate. Indeed in the story Macrocosmic Seekers Cyclonus regresses and rediscovers the teleportation ability he once possessed as Skywarp. The bio for the latest Masterpiece Skywarp also states that he eventually becomes Cyclonus.

Replication

The Insecticons Clones have been shown to replicate. The Sweeps are also assumed to replicate, since no matter how many get destroyed (only 3 were initially created by Unicron in the movie) there always seems to be more. In the episode ‘Call of the Primitives’ one is heard to say ‘Sweeps 6 & 7 coming in for a strike’. Skywarp had a teleportation ability, not a cloning ability, so it makes no sense for him to have become a Sweep.

Sweeps & Insecticlones – you never run out of either.

InsectiClones, not InsectiCons.

The Insecticons were still in S3 of the cartoon

To muddy the waters even more, in my opinion, it makes much more sense for it to have been Insecticon Clones rather than the original trio. This is based on the Insecticons showing up further in the movie at later stages, as well as season 3 of the cartoon. Since Insecticon clones have never been shown to exist without in some way being connected to their projinators, it makes sense that it was Clones, not the Insecticons themselves that were reformatted. This again ties into the idea that this is why the Sweeps can replicate. From a sales standpoint, the Insecticons were still being sold in 1986, whereas Thundercracker and Skywarp had been discontinued, so it makes sense for the characters to have not been killed off before thier toys were.

Now I am aware that there are counterarguments to much of what I have cited, such as S3 of the cartoon is infamous for its animation errors. Kickback was shown getting gravely injured by Kup, so it only makes sense for him to have been thrown out of Astrotrain etc. Skywarp was way off in the background, so he is the one that became ‘Armada’. I’m sure a dedicated fan with some spare time could pick holes in much of what I have said. Like mentioned earlier, remember – there is no real answer, the whole debate is based on an animation error in a 38 year old movie designed to sell toys!

But Cyclonus becoming Skywarp? That makes the most sense to me 😉

Cyclonus: “Wait, some of you still think I was created from that little bug guy?!”

Do you agree, or are you adamant that it was Bombshell that became Cyclonus? State your theory in the comments section below!

Transformers Collection – Generation One Decepticons

Big Angry Trev!

Monthly Archives: June 2024

Transformer Fan Interview – Chris Bishop

Ask Trev: Your first album and first concert?

Ask Trev: Different reactions to The Transformatorium

Who became Cyclonus? Skywarp, Bombshell or an Insecticon Clone?

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