Things you never realised about Transformers (toys etc)

[Firestorm]

I just realised that there's a Cybertronian martial art called "Tekkaido," which in Japanese means "Way of Withdrawal" (撤回道). So do they beat their opponents by running away? Works for Sir Robin the Brave I suppose. This name seems to be coined from Anglophone canon, not Japanese canon. And my guess is that they wanted to make it sound like "Taekwondo," but then they used more Japanese sounding phonology and uh... yeah. Way of Buggering Off!

G1 Cartoon Megatron must be a black belt in Tekkaido. "DECEPTICONS, RETREAT!"

As amusing as “the way of fleeing like a coward” sounds. I had assumed that the “Tekkai” in Tekkaido was meant to be read with the same kanji as the Tekkai technique in the anime One Piece 鉄塊 which I believe means Iron Body (and would thus be read as 鉄塊道) quite fitting for a race of mechanical beings.

[GoktimusPrime]

Sounds more plausible. Although unless an official source provides the Kanji then it's impossible to definitely rule out what the actual meaning is supposed to be.

This sometimes happens in canonical material from Japan too where names are only ever officially written in Katakana. One example is the character "Akira" from Transformers Zone. Phonetically "Akira" can be a boy or girl's name, the difference lies in which Kanji is used (similar to say Tony vs Toni etc.). Since the name is only ever written in Katakana, it's impossible to tell if Akira is meant to be a boy or girl. And the Akira character is incredibly androgynous in TF Zone!

The Japanese fandom may not have FIRRIB but one endless fan debate that does exist there is whether or not Akira is male or female.

[DELTAprime]

Speaking of Japanese stuff. I just found out that Takara and Takara Tomy have developed a bunch of video games over the years (most non Transformers related) dating back as far as 1987 when they made Transformers: Headmasters for the Famicom Disk System (Not to be confused with the cartridge based Famicom AKA the NES).

[BigTransformerTrev]

My son noticed (quite impressively I thought considering how tiny it is and is the same orange colour as the shoulder) that the RID Blind Bags version of Unicron has a Decepticon symbol on his right shoulder. I've had one of these figures 10 times longer than him and I never noticed!

Anyone know if this is the only Unicron that has - on the toy, not the packaging - been identified as a Decepticon? I've got quite a few Unicrons now but as far as I can remember none have a Con symbol on them.

[UltraMarginal]

I'm not sure, if I remember I'll check my unicron when I get home tonight. There have definitely been cases in the past of non-aligned characters being given a decepticon or autobot insignia on the toy. Animated Lockdown is an example I believe.

[philby]

I thought I read somewhere that you can move the windscreen wipers on MP-10. I just had a go on mine and they don't budge...I certainly wasn't going to force it though...

[DELTAprime]

I thought I read somewhere that you can move the windscreen wipers on MP-10. I just had a go on mine and they don't budge...I certainly wasn't going to force it though...

I've never heard that one.

[griffin]

I never realised that the fan-vote combiner Victorion, has some Easter egg nods to the original series cartoon episode "Cosmic Rust", with each toy having Cybertronian writing on it that adds up to the entire warning rhyme spoken in that episode, and part of the combined sword is sculpted to homage the Lightning Bug that Megatron found and used.

[GoktimusPrime]

G1 Gnaw
G1 Wreck Gar
G1 Unicron (never produced but prototypes had a Decepticon rub sign)
G1 Sixshot (Japan - does LG50 Sixshot have any Decepticon logos?)
Cybertron Unicron
ROTF The Fallen*
RtS Wreck Gar
AoE Lockdowns
AoE Steeljaw
RiD Megatronus*
Titans Return/LG Gnaw

*Subjective -- the Fallen was initially not a Decepticon. In some continuities he's never a Decepticon, but in the Bayverse he influences Megatron to create the Decepticon faction and in the Aligned universe he claimed to be the first Decepticon but there's no canonical evidence to back this claim.

Speaking of Japanese stuff. I just found out that Takara and Takara Tomy have developed a bunch of video games over the years (most non Transformers related) dating back as far as 1987 when they made Transformers: Headmasters for the Famicom Disk System (Not to be confused with the cartridge based Famicom AKA the NES).

They made Mystery of Convoy in 1986, although that was cartridge game.
The Famicom Disk System isn't a stand-alone console on its own, it's a add-on disk drive that attaches to your Famicom console.

I used to own both an NES and Famicom back in the day.
I didn't own the Disk System but I knew other kids who did.

[DELTAprime]

Errrr....

I think I got my Famicom Disk mixed up with my Twin Famicom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Famicom

God I'm finding it hard keeping facts straight in my head these days.

But Convoy No Nazo was published by Takara, not Developed by them. Headmasters was the first developed. Huge difference between being a developer and a publisher.

Also what are you talking about Six Shot not being a Decepticon? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtLpwtwqaak