Transformers questions by newbies, and not-so-newbies

[GoktimusPrime]

Okay, I found the twins in DOTM.

The scene where the Xanthium takes off with the exiled Autobots - we see a Decepticon jet shoot down the Xanthium. I've always assumed it was Starscream... TFwiki says it's Starscream. But 5FDP pointed out to me that this robot mode has blue bits on him! Does that make him Thundercracker?? Aside from the blue, we only see this Transformers speak in Cybertronian, thus we never hear Starscream's voice (granted he only sounds like that when he speaks English -- his Cybertronian voice sounds generic). But then... he has alien tatts like Starscream. And later in the film when we see Starscream, he doesn't have any blue bits on his robot form.

So... does this mean that the Decepticon who shot down the Xanthium was Thundercracker (or maybe some other blue Decepticon... Dirge?), or was it Starscream who decided to go Smurfy when he shot down the Xanthium... maybe "Deep Space Starscream"? (sure beats Hasbro's Baby Blue) The jet mode looks completely like Starscream... the blue is only visible on his cheeks and I think a few other parts of the body - but it's subtle. The rest of the robot is still principally gray like Starscream. But Starscream is completely devoid of these blue highlights later in the film.

Here's some pics for comparison:
http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/b/b1/Starscreaminorbit.jpg <--BLUE CHEEKS!
http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/a/a8/DO...rscreamSaw.jpg <--no blue!

Maybe Evil Betty from Kung Pow's up to his old tricks again and changing Starscream's colours... "Your face is blue!"

[LordCyrusOmega]

I can't really see it Gok. There are differences but I can't make a proper desicion until I see the film again. If it is Thundercracker I'll need to pick him up. Same as the twins.
When do they appear?

[GoktimusPrime]

When the Autobots roll into NEST HQ. I thought I saw them again briefly when the exiled Autobots were boarding the Xanthium, but it might have been Ratchet and Mirage (it was a far background shot).

Also... 5FDP and I had a bit of a debate over one piece of dialogue - which I've now solved after watching the movie with subtitles on (heh ). When Ratchet is leading a group toward one of the bridges, what does he say?
A) Target that bridge
B) Lower that bridge
C) Aim for that bridge
D) Mortar that bridge

Tell Eddie to lock an answer in, then click and drag to reveal the correct answer below!

Answer: D

(looks like we were both wrong, 5FDP )

[LordCyrusOmega]

When the Autobots roll into NEST HQ. I thought I saw them again briefly when the exiled Autobots were boarding the Xanthium, but it might have been Ratchet and Mirage (it was a far background shot).

Just rewatched DOTM and I didn't see the twins. However you must have a sharp eye as I went on TFwiki and they were briefly in that scene you described. The picture it had shows Mudflap at the back of the convoy.

I think it was Starscream and not Thundercracker you were talking about earlier as Starscream does seem to have some blue below his cheek 'bones'. It may have been more pronounced due to lighting or because it was night.

[Skullcruncher]

Do any of the generations books have pages on decoys and TF Jr's?

I'm struggling to find good info particulary on peach decoy sets and well nearly anything to do with TF JR's - the tfwiki has some but its not enough, plances like tfw even have limited info in their resources section!

[GoktimusPrime]

Just rewatched DOTM and I didn't see the twins. However you must have a sharp eye as I went on TFwiki and they were briefly in that scene you described. The picture it had shows Mudflap at the back of the convoy.

Not as sharp as others... people like Lord_Zed noticed it on their first viewing in the cinema -- I saw it twice in cinemas and once at liegeprime's place and failed to notice them (and the last two times I was trying to find them). Didn't notice it until my fourth or fifth viewing on DVD! :/ Yeah... blink and you'd miss 'em.

I think it was Starscream and not Thundercracker you were talking about earlier as Starscream does seem to have some blue below his cheek 'bones'. It may have been more pronounced due to lighting or because it was night.

It's not just the cheeks but parts of the chest and stuff too... 5FDP first pointed this out to me when we were watching it at liegeprime's place. We freeze-framed it and everyone was like, "Wwhhoooaaa..."

Do any of the generations books have pages on decoys and TF Jr's?

I'm struggling to find good info particulary on peach decoy sets and well nearly anything to do with TF JR's - the tfwiki has some but its not enough, plances like tfw even have limited info in their resources section!

Alas my Generations book was lost. But IIRC there wasn't much comprehensive info on either.

This site has lots of stuff on Transformers Junior. I'll LYK if I find anything comprehensive on Decoys.

[Skullcruncher]

Alas my Generations book was lost. But IIRC there wasn't much comprehensive info on either.

This site has lots of stuff on Transformers Junior. I'll LYK if I find anything comprehensive on Decoys.

Thanks Goktimus - yeah that site is probably the best I have come across.

[tinyJazz]

I think it was Starscream and not Thundercracker you were talking about earlier as Starscream does seem to have some blue below his cheek 'bones'. It may have been more pronounced due to lighting or because it was night.

This.

It's not just the cheeks but parts of the chest and stuff too... 5FDP first pointed this out to me when we were watching it at liegeprime's place. We freeze-framed it and everyone was like, "Wwhhoooaaa..."

It's just lighting on the model. One likely explaination could be coloured shadows ie. Yellow light = blue shadows, orange light = purple shadows, and apparently green light = red shadows. It's colour theory.

Also it could possibly be blue bounce light. If you hold a blue ball next to a white piece of paper and you should see blue reflected on the paper (it's probably best to try this with natural light.)

If you have the animated almanac, either 1 or 2 I forget, there's a lighting chart for bumblebee's model, I'm pretty sure there's a nightlit one, now it may not be blue, but it's certainly a cold colour (I'm going off memory here because I don't know where my copy is)
Obviously it's different for 2D but the same theory applies to lighting 3D models.

Honestly, I think the cheeks look blue in the second pic anyway.

[Bartrim]

This.



It's just lighting on the model. One likely explaination could be coloured shadows ie. Yellow light = blue shadows, orange light = purple shadows, and apparently green light = red shadows. It's colour theory.

Also it could possibly be blue bounce light. If you hold a blue ball next to a white piece of paper and you should see blue reflected on the paper (it's probably best to try this with natural light.)

If you have the animated almanac, either 1 or 2 I forget, there's a lighting chart for bumblebee's model, I'm pretty sure there's a nightlit one, now it may not be blue, but it's certainly a cold colour (I'm going off memory here because I don't know where my copy is)
Obviously it's different for 2D but the same theory applies to lighting 3D models.

Honestly, I think the cheeks look blue in the second pic anyway.

Come on now tinyjazz there is no place for your common sense here in a Transformers discussion

[tinyJazz]

Come on now tinyjazz there is no place for your common sense here in a Transformers discussion

Oh, uh sorry! I mean, Thundercracker isn't enough of a tool to get tribal tattoos on his face, it's definitely Starscream, bro.