so towards the end of G1, namely zone and there after in the manga. Optimus Prime(as star convoy) as well as many other TF had a micromaster partner, Hot Rod. ... who ... was now a micromaster ...

what was the signifigance of this?

in TF:Armada the minicons boosted the "bulks" body. but that wasnt the case back then. i cant seem to kind anything that really explains it.

thanks for awareness!

 

I like to think it was meant to show how big Star Convoy was, and that Rodimus was meant to be still roughly the same size.

Another possible explanation is that Hot Rod, as the only other Autobot leader to hold the matrix, seemed the best parter for Prime.


Back then it was just kind of a gimmick, and the interaction between the base modes of the few big transformers that were being made and the micromasters that were the brand focus was the reason for the "partnering", though it had a pedigree already in the "_____masters", where yeah, the partnering was meant to enhance the abilities of the "bulk" in some way.

 

The only significance to me was the partners had more autonomy than their predecessors, Full-Tilt, Scamper, Slammer and their like. And the larger bots could also exist separately, without missing their head or brain like others before them.

 

I guess it was just cool that the Micromasters could sorta interact with them in their alt modes. They were basically Micromaster bases with robot modes. This system gets carried over to the Brave series for the most part.

 

cool.

it makes me wonder how many of the later G1 stuff was used in the more recient series.
the minicons in armada as i stated in the above
Multiforce and Super Link

it just seemed a bit odd to me. i have a micromaster partner that plays around on me in base mode and then pilots me in my alt mode, then when in robot mode, he disappears.