Quote Originally Posted by Tetsuwan Convoy View Post
I must admit I did feel a bit the same about that time too. With Transformers coming out with so many space and cybertonian modes, I think they lost the "Robots in disguise" thing that made them special. As a kid I always loved looking at cars and thinking, "Wow, that could be Bumblebee in there, but I can't tell."
Why do the Transformers transform at all if not for means of stealth or transport? Arguably they're still in disguise on Cybertron, if looked at from the perspective of the opposing faction, who'd be familiar with Cybertronian vehicles. Just from your puny fleshling perspective it can't be a disguise if you never knew what it was being disguised as!

Quote Originally Posted by FatalityPitt View Post
I think the types of Transformers that don't need the Titanmaster gimmick are those that become realistic vehicles, and the ones that DO need the gimmick are the ones that become less realistic-looking vehicles. For example, if we look at Universe/Henkei Prowl, he doesn't need a Titanmaster/driver and cockpit, because I can see he obviously becomes a police car (there's the wheels, doors, light-bar, etc). On the other hand, if we take Titans Return Blurr (which is basically G1 Blurr), most people unfamiliar with the character/design would wonder "What is that?? It can't be an automobile, there's no wheels!" But when the cockpit opens and they can see the driver, then it becomes apparent that it's meant to be a futuristic hovercar. A similar case with other characters like Kup, Scourge and Topspin. Without the cockpits and pilots/drivers, it's more difficult to think of their alt-modes as modes of transport. Without the cockpits and pilots, they're just weird shapes with wheels and/or wings attached to them.
So they probably put cockpits in pre-masters Cybertron modes initially as an attempt to convince the audience they were actual vehicles and not just flying shapes. But they don't really need cockpits do they? Hardly seems necessary when there were no humans to pilot them (to begin with). I guess you have the possibility of humanoid aliens or non-transforming robots/drones piloting them. But probably, Headmasters came about from a need to reconcile why the Cybertron modes had cockpits to begin with (and cause they's cool ). From that point of view i can agree that Cybertron modes benefit most from having a Headmaster and in the case of toys, functional, scaled cockpit for them.