A journey through the JP Gen1 cartoon.

[griffin]

She does play out the 'scared little girl' stereotype to begin with, but she does indeed get into the thick of the action and even takes on the enemy... unlike Arcee in Headmasters, which I don't think fought anyone or fired a shot throughout the whole series.

[Hursticon]

She does play out the 'scared little girl' stereotype to begin with, but she does indeed get into the thick of the action and even takes on the enemy... unlike Arcee in Headmasters, which I don't think fought anyone or fired a shot throughout the whole series.

Nope, she certainly didn't - Glad to hear that this trend hasn't continued into Masterforce though because women/females are just as capable, if not more so, of inflicting damage.

[GoktimusPrime]

At least the US comic had the sense of making them just one part of the cast and story, not the majority like in Masterforce. And even then, the nebulons were not often on their own, so weren't the central plot or point of the comic... not to mention, they were just an add-on to the Transformer, not the actual 'Transformer'.

Well it depends... Fortress Maximus and Scorponok seemed to be quite like Transtectors in the US G1 cartoon - both operated by Spike and Zarak respectively but without any apparent independent will/sentience from Fort Max or Scorpie. Even Cerebros seemed to lose apparent will/sentience when Spike became his head. In the G1 comics Cerebros was pretty much a mindless drone, built by Galen to allow him (and later Spike) to bond with Fort Max's larger Mk II body. As G1 progressed, it seemed (at least to me) that that independent wills of some of the Headmasters became more docile, allowing the wills of their bonded partners to become dominant. For instance, after arriving on Earth Zarak became increasingly dominant as the mind of Scorponok -- in fact, when faced with his imminent doom Scorponok's courage faltered because Zarak realised that as a man of flesh and blood, if he died in this battle it would be terminal for him... then he kinda spoke about "What would Scorponok do?", and then inspired by this took courage. But there was no apparent input from Scorponok himself, unlike say with the relationship between Fort Max and Spike. It could be argued that Zarak and Scorponok's minds merged into one. The minds of Optimus Prime and Hi-Q also merged; hence Action Master Optimus Prime's (and presumably G2 Optimus Prime's) mind is actually an amalgam of Optimus Prime and Hi-Q. In "Guess Who The Mecannibals Are Having For Dinner?" and "Recipe For Disaster!", the Decepticon Powermasters Darkwing and Dreadwind were basically portrayed as vehicles for Hi-Test and Throttle, with Sky Lynx discovering their secret and saying something like Hi-Test and Throttle being the Decepticons Darkwing and Dreadwind. There was no interaction between those Decepticons and their Nebulan partners as if they had separate sentience -- if you looked at those stories independent of the rest of G1, and you didn't know any better, you might think that Dreadwing was pretty much a piloted mecha like a Transtector.

Also keep in mind that the Transtectors are actually sentient Transformers in their own right, it's just that their sentience is dormant throughout most of the series until the end when they awaken and become independent of their human/Godmaster counterparts -- hence when you see God Ginrai and Minerva in Transformers Victory, they are _only_ Cybertronian robots and NOT binary bonded to their former human partners (thus when God Ginrai is slain and later rebuilt as Victory Leo, it's the robot who's rebuilt -- the human named Ginrai remained on Earth and was never involved in the events of Victory)

She does play out the 'scared little girl' stereotype to begin with, but she does indeed get into the thick of the action and even takes on the enemy... unlike Arcee in Headmasters, which I don't think fought anyone or fired a shot throughout the whole series.

Yeah, I quite like the Minerva character.

Nope, she certainly didn't - Glad to hear that this trend hasn't continued into Masterforce though because women/females are just as capable, if not more so, of inflicting damage.

Hell hath no fury...

[griffin]

Ep 7 - Panic! Protect the Wild Animals!

Animals in Africa are being herded into stampedes by the Decepticons, who believe that the humans will kill every single animal to stop it, which would cause an imbalance in nature and the foodchain. The plan backfires when the Autobots get involved, with the help of a park ranger.

The more I watch this series, the less it feels like Transformers. Robot content is like a cameo to the story.
In one scene the Decepticons appear in robot mode, only to just disappear without even doing anything.

Just like a previous episode about interfering with 'human energy', this one requires humans to kill every animal to destroy themselves. That may be true, but a stampede concept isn't going to lead to total annihilation of all animals.
But I feel that the plot wasn't the important element of this episode - it was more a character building episode with the Autobot Headmasters.

How weird was it to have the Autobots hiring a transport plane to carry the 3 humans and their Transtectors. I would have thought it would be easier (and cheaper) to just have the 3 kids fly to Africa with the Pretenders. (I'm pretty sure Autobots fly in this series, like they did in Headmasters)

The Decepticon Pretenders have such contempt for their human allies, but I guess the power of the Transtectors keeps them loyal.

[GoktimusPrime]

The Decepticon Pretenders have such contempt for their human allies, but I guess the power of the Transtectors keeps them loyal.

For now.

***Massive Spoilers***

The Decepticon's ultimate objective is to herald in humanity's ultimate form of evolution -- the Godmaster. When this evolution is complete, the Godmasters lose their organic aspects and become completely mechanical beings. Much like the inhabitants of Gorlam Prime (although the onset is triggered by Devil Z's power rather than an incubation/chrysalis stage). Hydra and Buster volunteer to undergo this change and thus they become entirely mechanical beings -- they look just like their Godmaster armour suits, only that the suits are now their body (i.e. there's no longer flesh and blood on the inside, just circuitry etc.).

Cancer is the first of the Decepticon humans to become morally conflicted when he forms a rapport with Minerva. Eventually the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors do leave the Decepticons - but then they lose their Transtectors which become self-sentient Transformers themselves (and thus no longer need their former human partners anymore). Giga and Mega helped Ginrai to fight against Devil Z, as they felt honour-bound and owed him a life-debt. For their treachery Devil Z forcibly separated them from Overlord, granting Overlord sentience and killing Giga and Mega in the process.

[Skullcruncher]

For now.

***Massive Spoilers***

Goodness this is a lot deeper than the G1 Cartoon.

Enjoying the reviews - and the spoilers!

[griffin]

Ep 8 - The Super Warriors: The Godmaster Brothers

Introduction of the Powermasters, called Godmasters in Japan. The Decepticon Pretenders and Headmasters are summoned to a secret island base, that has been perfecting the 'Godmaster' process. Now that it is completed, the Pretenders are called in to be shown what real power is, by destroying Human fighter jets and kids hang-gliding. Fortunately/coincidentally, the Autobot Headmasters were in the Hang-gliding competition with their Transtectors close by.


I was really looking forward to this episode, to see how the Powermaster process is explained in the Cartoon universe. (I only know the Comic Universe explanation). We get a vague/confusing explanation of the process, and of Buster and Hydra, but I didn't pick up that they were supposed to be no longer organic. And we get to see their combination gimmick - Darkwings... just not sure if they mentioned their individual names though.

Was pretty disappointed that in a 20 minute *Transformers* cartoon, it took about 15 minutes before we even get to see a robot. Can't the Pretenders walk around without their shells a bit more often? It's not like they need to hide now that the whole world knows about them. Robotech was more interesting, with their similarly 'robot' cameos.

In all the pictures I'd seen and in the cartoon intro, I thought Buster (the pink haired one) was female, and never realised it was a guy until reading the title and synopsis of this episode. The face and body just looked so feminine, 'he' even walks graceful like a female, and I knew there was a few females throughout this series. Maybe it was intended to be a female at first, but changed later.

Mega and Giga are a strange pair (of humans?), who just appear, but seem to invoke fear and loyalty in the real Decepticons (the Pretenders). They are the creators of the Powermaster process, and act like a king and queen. (those who collect JP Gen1 toys will recognise their names, and the toy they belong to, but I won't spoil it until it is introduced).

When the focus shifts to the new Godmaster gimmick, the Autobot Headmasters and Pretenders are able to easily overpower their opponents within seconds, instead of padding out an episode with several minutes of conflict when they were the focus.

[GoktimusPrime]

As far as Masterforce is concerned, the human characters ARE Transformers. You may personally only count robots as Transformers, but that's not what the premise of this series is. To continue denying this would be like watching Beast Wars and insisting that they're not Transformers because they don't transform into vehicles. For the purposes of the Masterforce story, they have encompassed binary-bonded humans as being Transformers too.

We get a vague/confusing explanation of the process, and of Buster and Hydra, but I didn't pick up that they were supposed to be no longer organic.

They're still fully organic at this stage. It's until toward the end of the series that they become robots (hence why I put the warning "MASSIVE Spoilers" ).

Can't the Pretenders walk around without their shells a bit more often?

They need to cover their shame.

In all the pictures I'd seen and in the cartoon intro, I thought Buster (the pink haired one) was female, and never realised it was a guy until reading the title and synopsis of this episode. The face and body just looked so feminine, 'he' even walks graceful like a female, and I knew there was a few females throughout this series. Maybe it was intended to be a female at first, but changed later.

Nah, it's called Bishounen. Fan-girls love it. Don't worry, there's no yaoi in Masterforce. Heh. I thought Buster was a girl too when I first saw her. Him.

[griffin]

As far as Masterforce is concerned, the human characters ARE Transformers. You may personally only count robots as Transformers, but that's not what the premise of this series is. To continue denying this would be like watching Beast Wars and insisting that they're not Transformers because they don't transform into vehicles. For the purposes of the Masterforce story, they have encompassed binary-bonded humans as being Transformers too.

Transformers are, and have always been, 'borne of Cybertron' as Autobots and Decepticons (and Maximals & Predacons in BW), as in given life through Cybertronian means, not through Human or alien bonding. Humans using robot bodies may have joined the Autobot & Decepticon causes, but they weren't born as Autobots & Decepticons. Same with the Godmasters - they don't appear to be of the Transformers Race, as they seem to be some other type of lifeform/race that is effectively gatecrashing the Autobot/Decepticon war.
So far the only pure (Cybertronian) Transformers in this series are the Pretenders and Seacons. And we don't get to see much of either now.


Ep 9 - A Fierce Battle!! The Autobots Are in Trouble

Under the new leadership of Giga and Mega, the Decepticons start to renew their conquest of earth by attacking an energy facility. The Decepticon Pretenders resent being forced to make way for the new recruits. Despite being outmatched, the Autobots still manage to fight off the Decepticons.


Seems that the Godmasters have a lot of special powers, and should be able to easily defeat the Autobots, but still don't manage it.
And one of those special powers appears to be regeneration when they get damaged.

It doesn't surprise me to have the Decepticon Pretenders, the real Decepticons, not liking being treated as inferior to all these people and humans now joining the Decepticons. After all, those three are real sentient robots from the race of Decepticons... all the rest are merely Decepticon wannabees.


Ep 10 - A Hero Is Chosen - His Name Is Ginrai

Buster and Hydra are sent out by Giga and Mega to search for other Godmasters, but Diver finds one first. Or at least, finds a human who has already bonded with one, but doesn't know it until he touches his two bracelets together.


So after a couple episodes with Godmasters, we're kinda told what they really are. It seems that Giga and Mega are some sort of strange lifeform, and their offspring have disappeared around the Earth. And they have the ability to inhabit vehicles (or become them), waiting for a compatible human to then bond with, through special bracelets. Which coincidentally are similar to the Headmaster Bracelets that the off-world Autobots created. Plus, for some reason the offspring don't know who or what they are, so will align themselves to Autobots if they end up bonding with someone who is against the Decepticons.
What this means, the Godmaster Transtectors are actually alive, and the purpose of the human partner is only to combine the 3 energies that the Decepticons mentioned earlier in the series.

The regenerating of the truck bumper wasn't shown, and the damage was even significant enough to be something others would have noticed regenerating. So I don't see how the Decepticons would have heard about a 'rumour of a regenerating truck' within hours of it happening.

It'll be interesting to see if they try to explain why a Decepticon offspring looks so much like Convoy (Optimus Prime). The explanation given so far doesn't say why it would choose that particular truck and robot form.

[griffin]

Ep 11 - Ginrai: God On of Rage!!

The Autobots are trying to convince Ginrai to join with them permanently, while the Decepticons try to destroy him and his Transtector for siding with the enemy.


Ginrai doesn't know the activation word for the bracelets, but some how activated them in the last episode just by touching them together.

Hydra is destroying red trucks with a giant truck of his own, instead of just destroying them with his Jet like Buster does.

Giga is off playing golf, and destroys a passing plane with a special golfball. Actually, we see a lot of human death in this episode to traumatise the kiddies.


Ep 12 - A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva

Suddenly finding another 3 sets of Godmaster bracelets in his truck, Ginrai is called to Japan to negotiate directly with Hawk to join the Autobots. On the way, they cross paths with the Decepticon Headmasters and capture Cancer (the youngest one who uses 'Squeezeplay'). Ginrai and Hawk interrogate Cancer to find out more about the Godmasters, while Minerva tries to attend to his injuries.



Either the translations of the subtitles aren't accurate, or we have a new version of the Godmaster concept from a couple episodes ago. This time there are 7 individual lifeforms (not 2 parents and offspring), who have entered Transtectors and are 'finding' humans to bond with. Mega and Giga are apparently not humans (because they refer to Humans as if they weren't), so the Godmaster entities aren't just bonding with Humans.

They also mention that there are only 7 Godmaster entities, but that doesn't add up as we have Mega and Giga claiming one between them (which we haven't seen revealed yet), Buster and Hydra have one each (their 2 Jets), Ginrai has one (the truck), plus 3 more Autobot Godmasters (3 cars), and the Spy Clouder (Doubledealer). That should make 8, but there might be an explanation later as to why it is only considered 7.

Minerva nursing Cancer has him seeing her differently now - not just as an enemy out of principle.

And Mega hugging Cancer when he returned, like she is a loving Mother. Actually, Giga and Mega tried to act like the caring parents of their Godmaster children a few episodes back (when they were telling the first version of the story), which is not very Decepticon like at all. Decepticon philosophy has always been that everything is an asset to be used and discarded without attachment when no longer needed.

We also get a very brief cameo of a single 'pure bred' Decepticon with Blood (Bombburst) on screen for a few seconds... Everyone else in this episode were humans and the human-operated robots.