Robots in Disguise (2001) Appreciation Thread

Sabrblade

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Eventually the copyright on the cartoon will expire and it will pass into the public domain, so the problem will sort itself.
Or the rights simply revert all the way back to the original Japanese production companies, which I guess would be NAS, Studio Gallop, and... TV Tokyo?

Unless they instead revert to TakaraTomy (which could be the best case scenario).
 

LBD "Nytetrayn"

Broke the Matrix
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Given that Hasbro and Disney are licensing partners anyway (Marvel, Star Wars, Disney Princesses, maybe more?), you'd think they could work out some arrangement. Doesn't even have to be monetary.
 

The Predaking

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I always liked Transformers growing up. I never really grew out of them, but since we didn't have G2 or Machine Wars around where I was, I just didn't see any for years. Then when I was in high school, I went to the Walmart near my Hardee's that I was working at and found the Beast Wars Figures, and loved them! Then Beast Machines came out, and I hated the toyline, and just kind of dropped out for a while. Then when I was on a grocery run at the super center next to my college, I saw RID Ultra Magnus. I was hooked again! I started watching the cartoon series, and loved it too! Omega Prime is still one of my favorite TFs to this day! Scourge and Ruination brought me back to the good old days of Tfs, and I loved them for it!

I only regret that I never got that Korean Fort Max that came out in the line.
 

The Predaking

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You needed the instructions to figure out Omega Prime, didn't you?
Maybe now, but back then I didn't. He has been in Omega Prime mode for at least 16 Years now.

Today, I pulled out RID Megatron, and he still looks awesome as a display piece.
 

Sabrblade

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'Twas probably from back before they had decided to make the Cybertrons as Autobots again, with the Cybertrons still being Maximals at that point. We could have had fully vehicle-based Maximals for the first time ever.

The first toy catalog even described the early premise for the series as "Car Robots versus Beast Wars"
 
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Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
From artist Don Figueroa:


FTJ61gSUsAAyCZo.jpg


MEGATRON MEGABOLT AND CRYOTEK?!!!!!!!

I presume that the one up top is Galvatron rather than Megatron since he had already become Galvatron by the time Omega Prime had acquired the Matrix Blade.
 

Glitch

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Rob Ruffolo did the RiD comic in the Summer Special it was squeezed between James Raiz drawn Energon story and Don Figuera's drawn Beast Wars tale, the only other ones he did was that confusing Micromasters miniseries and Spotlight Sixshot.
 

G.B.Blackrock

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I presume that the one up top is Galvatron rather than Megatron since he had already become Galvatron by the time Omega Prime had acquired the Matrix Blade.
Since the story was pretty much over by the time Omega Prime acquired the Matrix Blade, I'm not sure how much we can assume. This may have had to have been a different "RiD" continuity from the cartoon.
 

Sabrblade

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Since the story was pretty much over by the time Omega Prime acquired the Matrix Blade, I'm not sure how much we can assume. This may have had to have been a different "RiD" continuity from the cartoon.
Well, the summer special story certainly pretended like it was the cartoon's world, set around the time of the Ultra Magnus mini-arc when he's still mostly rude to Optimus.
 

G.B.Blackrock

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Well, the summer special story certainly pretended like it was the cartoon's world, set around the time of the Ultra Magnus mini-arc when he's still mostly rude to Optimus.
Understood, but that comic didn't try to wedge the Matrix Blade into the mix.

I mean, sure, we could always posit that Omega Prime could have conjured up the Matrix Blade at an earlier time, then put it back into subspace for later. But once we've done that, we no longer have to assume that Megatron is Galvatron by now.
 

Sabrblade

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Understood, but that comic didn't try to wedge the Matrix Blade into the mix.

I mean, sure, we could always posit that Omega Prime could have conjured up the Matrix Blade at an earlier time, then put it back into subspace for later. But once we've done that, we no longer have to assume that Megatron is Galvatron by now.
My impression is that the comic series would have been a sort of "Season 2" to the cartoon, continuing it after the finale, much like how the Beast Wars comic series "Shell Game" would have been "Season 4" to that show before it was canned.
 

Powered Convoy

Randy
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Was this the inspiration for Indy Heat's deco? Seems too coincidental.

Note Skid-Z had quite a bit of color changes so don't use that version as reference.
 

Sabrblade

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A few thoughts crossed my mind about a few things on the Hasbro side of RID.

It's no secret that Hasbro imported Car Robots over as RID to serve as a filler series while Armada was being readied for release in mid-2002. As such, it also served as a transitionary series to better the switch from the Beast Era to Armada by reintroducing Autobots and Decepticons to the brand. While the change from Maximals to Autobots was instantaneous, the switch from Predacons to Decepticons was gradual, with the line beginning with Predacons before introducing the Decepticons later. And as the line continued beyond the Car Robots offerings into Hasbro's expanded line, more and more Decepticons dominated the line as the primary villain faction, with only two new Predacon toys (Bruticus and Cryotek) being released in the line.

Though, something that doesn't get a lot of talk about this is a small subtlety that the dub made in conjunction with the toyline's Predacon-Decepticon shift. In addition to the obvious part of the dub renaming the Combatrons of Car Robots as "Decepticons", the dub also made a similar change to Megatron. When he was reborn as Galvatron, the dub had him declare his upgrade to be his "rebirth as a Decepticon". He also stopped using "Terrorize" altogether and replaced it with "Transform" like the Decepticons used. Likewise, Galvatron's toy was marketed by Hasbro as a Decepticon instead of a Predacon, despite the toy still having a Predacon Spark Crystal.

What I'm getting to in all of this is that Galvatron declaring himself a Decepticon in the show could potentially provide an in-universe explanation for all the new Decepticon characters introduced by the Hasbro toyline. Galvatron changing his affiliation from Predacon to Decepticon could be seen as foreshadowing for the coming of more Decepticons at a point set after the cartoon's end (supposing he eventually escaped his imprisonment, that is). The dub did also mention Vehicon Drones at least once, and two of the new Decepticon toys were redecos of Vehicon toys (Obsidian and Jhiaxus), so those two maybe could have been RID Vehicons given Sparks and identities of their own,* who then joined Galvatron's growing Decepticon faction. The rest with Earth vehicle modes (Wind Sheer, Skyfire, Dreadwind, Smokejumper, and Bludgeon [but not Axer since he's a dimension-hopped G1 Decepticon]) could have been either Autobot defectors or just other Predacons who willingly changed their forms from animalian to vehicular.

Then, the Destructicons could be a subgroup of what was previously itself a subgroup. In fact, if Scourge somehow got back his independence, the Destructicons could be seen as his own faction splintered off from Galvatron's Decepticons, making the two rival groups.


* -- The Autobots Storm Jet, Nightcruz, Mirage GT, and Scavenger could have likewise been Vehicon Drones given Sparks and identities.
 


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