Much Ado About Pretenders

[Verno]

The armor would combine into a partsforming robo companion? Like B-Mogs?

I'm not sure what 'B-Mogs' is, but I'm going to say yes.

[SMHFConvoy]

B-mogs

[Verno]

B-mogs

Ah. Then most definitely yes. That is indeed what I had in mind.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

So, essentially a Beast wars character with a Tm accessory then?

Pardon me for saying, but isn't that just a rehash of Beast Wars? With extra bits?

[Verno]

So, essentially a Beast wars character with a Tm accessory then?

Pardon me for saying, but isn't that just a rehash of Beast Wars? With extra bits?

Catilla, Carnivac, Chainclaw and Snarler aren't Beast Wars characters. They do have organic outer shells however.

[GoktimusPrime]

Catilla, Carnivac, Chainclaw and Snarler aren't Beast Wars characters. They do have organic outer shells however.

^True. Those are all Middle G1 characters.

[Demonac]

I always thought of Pretenders as being part of the evolution of transforrmers.
At first TF's can only transform into mechanical beasts, with no organic material.
Pretender technology allows them to hide inside a non transforming organic 'shell'.
BW is the final step, integrating the organic mode into the transformation.

What you seem to be describing Verno, are Pretender era characters using BW era transformations (with targetmasters).

[Zommael]

I always thought of Pretenders as being part of the evolution of transforrmers.
At first TF's can only transform into mechanical beasts, with no organic material.
Pretender technology allows them to hide inside a non transforming organic 'shell'.
BW is the final step, integrating the organic mode into the transformation.

What you seem to be describing Verno, are Pretender era characters using BW era transformations (with targetmasters).

I agree. You have mostly mechanical modes in early G1, followed by the introduction of the Dinobots. You then have further development of mechanical beasts throughout G1, seeming to evolve from the Dinobots as opposed to Soundwave's cassettes, which transform into beast-like robots rather than having a beast alt mode. Then the Headmasters actually integrate organics as well as the Decepticon types having sophisticated beast modes. Pretenders are the final evolutionary step before true Beasts, which then evolve into the techno-organics at the end of Beast Machines.

[GoktimusPrime]

I always thought of Pretenders as being part of the evolution of transforrmers.
At first TF's can only transform into mechanical beasts, with no organic material.
Pretender technology allows them to hide inside a non transforming organic 'shell'.
BW is the final step, integrating the organic mode into the transformation.

That's actually a fairly accurate description of how the Transformers evolved as toys. Initially they only produced Transformers with mechanical bestial modes (e.g. Dinobots, bestial cassette robots, Predacons etc.). Hasbro later actually wanted to create Transformers that could transform into humans. Takara felt that they wouldn't be able to achieve this, and thus pitched a counter-proposal into creating vehicular Transformers that could fit inside human shells, and somewhere along the line it was decided that only Autobots would be humans and the Decepticons would be monsters. Deck then humans out in Warhammer/Starcraft-esque space marine armour, and presto - Pretendaaah!

And of course, Transformers engineering had progressed significantly enough during the mid to late G2 years that HasTak saw that they were finally able to create proper bestial-moded Transformers, Beast Wars was born and set a whole new standard for Transformers ever since.

[Verno]

What you seem to be describing Verno, are Pretender era characters using BW era transformations (with targetmasters).

That sums it up perfectly, yeah.