Transmetal

Rattrap admires his grasping forepaws while Cheetor flexes his pecs.

A Transmetal is a Transformer whose superstructure has been mutated by the quantum surge during the Beast Wars.

The most obvious effect is a mode-based inversion of organic and mechanical composition: A Transmetal's beast mode is mostly mechanical, and their robot mode bears many organic elements, such as Cheetor's furry chest. Transmetallization sometimes also produces a third "mobility" mode, which is essentially the beast mode with some vehicular additions. Examples include Rattrap as a wheeled rat, Optimus Primal as a sky-surfing gorilla, Tarantulas as a motorcycle-spider hybrid, Cheetor as a flying cheetah, and Megatron as a VTOL-enhanced Rollerblader.

One more subtle effect of Transmetallization is immunity to certain Vok weaponry that would debilitate a normal Transformer. Tarantulas hypothesized that this is because Transmetals are closer to being Vok themselves. Additionally, being a Transmetal seems to provide a temporary resistance to the full effects of Megatron's virus, but at the cost of losing one's Transmetallization.

Later in the Beast Wars, a more advanced "Transmetal 2" mutation would appear.

Fiction

Beast Wars cartoon continuity

Beast Wars cartoon

Brass munky.

The Transmetals were created as a result of Transformers being bathed in a quantum surge after the destruction of the Vok Planet Buster. Aftermath All the Beast Warriors who were not "born" from a protoform on Earth or shielded in a CR chamber were altered. Why Earth-born Transformers were unaffected by the surge's effects are a mystery, especially considering that protoforms still in stasis pods were affected to various degrees.

Yep, he's a Transmetal too. That's what happens when time itself gets messed with.

The Transmetallized individuals were Megatron, Tarantulas, Rattrap, and Cheetor. Scorponok and Terrorsaur were in the middle of their mutation when they fell into lava pits seeping into the Predacon base and perished. Rampage was Transmetallized in his stasis pod. Bad Spark When Optimus Primal's spark was transplanted into a fresh new protoform, the resulting form was Transmetal as well. Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2) Other protoforms in evidence included Transmutate, who was judged "partially Transmetal", Transmutate and the Fuzors Silverbolt and Quickstrike, who displayed the Transmetal quality of immunity to the Metal Hunter's weapon. Other Visits (Part 2) Even a fair bit of time after the surge, Depth Charge was turned into a full Transmetal as he approached Earth in his ship. Deep Metal

Most Transmetals had additional weapons and seemingly enhanced power levels. They were immune to some Vok weapons and did not show up on Vok scanners—Tarantulas took the view that the quantum surge's effects meant they were "one with [the Vok] now".

Transmetals were possibly immune to the effects of energon radiation. The evidence is scant, since most of the energon deposits on Earth's surface had been destroyed or converted to stable energon cubes by the Planet Buster cannon. However, the Transmetallized Tarantulas was once seen standing beneath an energon cache, completely unaffected. Tangled Web Then not long afterwards, the non-Transmetal Inferno suffered energon overload while in a cave containing energon crystals. The Agenda (Part 2)

2006 IDW Beast Wars continuity

Scavenger was a Transmetal, despite only existing as a protoform beforehand. The Gathering #2

Beast Machines cartoon

Maximals are going green! (Your mileage may vary)

When the Maximals encountered Megatron's virus, the Transmetals among them had a strange reaction: Rather than becoming instantly paralyzed, as apparently happened to the majority of Cybertronians exposed, they simply lost their Transmetallization. Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Rattrap, and Blackarachnia reverted to their pre-Transmetal beast modes (or, in Primal's case, the form he would have had if he hadn't been "born" a Transmetal). The Reformatting They were able to stay mobile, though glitching and amnesic, while Rhinox and Silverbolt immediately succumbed to paralysis. It seems that whatever Transmetal properties had protected Silverbolt from the Metal Hunter couldn't save him from the virus. Revelations Part II: Descent

Beast Wars Metals manga

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Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

During a battle at Autobot Headquarters, Megatron took a blow from Optimus Prime so powerful it damaged his internal stability regulators. This allowed Megatron to access a cache of quantum surge energy that had been stored in his body for millions of years. The energy transformed him into a nigh-invulnerable Transmetal. Destron Leader Megatron Black Ver. He subsequently left the Autobots to take revenge on the treacherous Slugslinger, promising to show them his newfound power soon enough. Slugslinger's Ambition

Universe

Hailing from Primax 399.19 Kappa, Ask Vector Prime, 27/07/2015 Reptilion transformed into a Transmetal iguana. Hasbro.com Reptilion bio

Ask Vector Prime

In Aurex 1104.30-JH Zeta, the Transmetals and Fuzors were created by the explosion of the Super Energon carried aboard Tarantulas's makeshift ship. Ask Vector Prime, 13/08/2015

Games

Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)

Due to Megatron's temporal manipulations, Waspinator and Airazor gained new Transmetal forms from the quantum surge, as did the now-surviving Terrorsaur. Beast Wars Transmetals

Toys

Beast Wars

The initial run of "main line" Transmetals consisted of new toys for existing characters featured in the successful cartoon (budget constraints would mean not all the Transmetal toys would appear in the show.) Later, the subline included two new characters, Depth Charge and Rampage.

The defining characteristics of the Transmetal line are the chrome-like finish featured on much of the toys' surfaces, and semi-vehicular "third modes". Aesthetically, the toys are smoothly contoured, with more organic features revealed in robot mode.

The mentioned chrome finishes are prone to being tarnished or flaking off, in some cases not long after the toy has been opened. There is seemingly no pattern to what causes this decay or its rate of severity, although it seems more prominent in some figures (such as Transmetal Rattrap) than others. Due to this, it is somewhat difficult to find Transmetal figures with perfectly intact chromed parts.

Scorponok, Blackarachnia, and Dinobot, though also not Transmetal in the show, were given their own Transmetal toys as Happy Meal pack-ins from McDonald's.

Claw Jaw and Spittor were redecoed and sold as Transmetals in European markets with a VHS tape, though they lacked the third mode and vacuum metallizing.

Transmetals (1998–2001)

Basic Class Claw Jaw Spittor		Deluxe Class Airazor Cheetor Rattrap Rhinox		Tarantulas Terrorsaur Waspinator		Mega Class Megatron Optimus Primal Scavenger				Megatron
Ultra Class Depth Charge Rampage		Super Class Optimal Optimus

Exclusives

McDonald's Blackarachnia Dinobot Scorponok

Walmart Rattrap

BotCon 2000 Shokaract

BotCon 2001 Tigatron

Walmart Rattrap

Transmetals 2 (1999)

A series of special "Transmetals Classics" redecos of several Transmetal Deluxes were slipped into the next year's "Transmetal 2" themed assortment to "celebrate" the cartoon's move from syndication to the popular Fox Kids programming block. Initial Hasbro solicitations gave the toys "power up"-style descriptors explaining the new colors, but these did not make it to their final packaging.

Transmetals Classics Airazor Cheetor Rattrap

Rhinox Tarantulas Waspinator

"Fox Kids" Waspinator

Beast Wars Metals (Takara)

Takara's "Beast Wars Metals" incarnation of the Transmetals subline featured a handful of region exclusive Transmetal toys.

Deluxe Class Metals Jaguar Metals Rattle (Puzzle)

Mega Class Metals Inferno

Metals Jaguar

Beast Machines

(Only referred to as Transmetals in Botcon marketing material.)

Exclusives

BotCon 2000 Apelinq

Apelinq

Notes

Monkey see, monkey shoot

• Initial Transmetal toys were not designed with guns, only melee weapons, contrary to the requirements of the animated series (kinda the opposite of the situation with Bludgeon and co.'s toys vs. their comic book depictions). As a result, Mainframe Entertainment was forced to come up with creative solutions to give these characters ranged weapons without diminishing their toy accuracy. Thus, Tarantulas's handheld buzzsaw functioned like a gun and the green markings on his shoulders were depicted as missile ports, Megatron's pincer/whip/flail/"whiplash cutlass" thing (read: he's holding his damn tail) gained the ability to stiffen and fire like a cannon (tee hee), as well as his dinosaur arm kibble moving forward to function as shoulder guns, and Cheetor's hideous hands were capable of firing energy blasts, usually when placed together and thus temporarily making the halves of his beast-mode head whole, with the zaps emanating from its mouth (a pose impossible to achieve with the figure without unhinging the shoulders from the sides.) In "Other Visits (Part 2)", however, he fires only one hand.

Even more elaborate was the functional reconceptualization of Optimus Primal's toy, whose hoverboard thruster/mace launcher was used as a laser pistol. Not content with this rather puny-looking firearm, some clever cove at Mainframe noticed that his shoulder-pad and mace-stowing bracket thing could be flipped over his head (a function of his transformation) and improperly positioned in such a way that the long handles of his dual maces pointed outwards like gun barrels and, with the shoulder-pads positioned over his outstretched fists like trigger-guards, the whole device was re-imagined as something resembling two machine guns mounted on a steadicam harness.

The only exception to these exotic re-imaginings was Rattrap, who used his tail/whip/spear as intended but also retained his pre-Transmetal gun (albeit with a redeco to suit his new color scheme), despite the fact that the toy did not.

As an odd point of comparison, the later Transmetal Optimal Optimus was packaged with a rifle, which he never used in the show. Presumably someone decided that his large chest cannons were enough (although they also made them retractable, unlike the toy).

• According to Ben Yee, the Transmetals were originally conceived of by Beast Wars writers as "absorbing" energon radiation and then needing to discharge that energy later, typically as weapon energy.^[1] However, the only time this was hinted at in the series was during "Bad Spark", when Cheetor "farts" a little energon cloud.
• When asked about the possibility of new Transmetal-style toys in the future, designer Evan Brooks remarked that metallic paint would probably be used instead of chrome.^[2]

Foreign names

• Japanese: Transmetals (トランスメタルス Toransumetarusu)
• French: Transmetal (France, cartoon dub), Transmétaux (Canada)
• Mandarin: Jīnshǔ Biàntǐ (金属变体, "Metal Variant")
• Spanish: Transmetales (Latin America)

References