It might be that this particular issue has been discussed before on this forum, but I am reminded through the introduction of new characters for the Transformers Universe game, what´s up with the noselessness?

It was introduced through the Bay movies, and spilled over into the main (Aligned) continuity through Prime, in which universe Transformers Universe is set. I would like to be excited about all the new characters coming up there, but all I can think is "where are their noses?" To me, this aspect of the movieverse-esthetic is downright bewildering, all it amounts to in my eyes is making the supposedly anthropomorphic Transformers distinctly monkey-like...

What are your thoughts on this? Like it, hate it, or just don´t care? Share your thoughts!

 

Most of the movie bots have pretty defined noses, like Ironhide and you can clearly see it on Optimus and Sentinel. Just saying.

The more common noseless bots actually started with Animated, with parts of their helmets giving the illusion of having noses instead of actually having them. I'm sure there have been other continuities with some noseless bots too, though (can't be bothered to check around).

Honestly? I don't care if they have noses or not. They're robots and don't even really need noses. Heck their faces could be designed to be completely inhuman for all I care. That's actually one thing I like about the movie continuity--it's willingness to make the robots look inhuman. Nose, no nose, doesn't matter. They're not really important parts to robots.

 

I was pretty creeped out of the lack of noses in Prime.

 

I think it looks good. I don't know why some people think they just HAVE to have noses or it's stupid. They are Alien robots. Alien lifeforms. They are allowed to look different. I don't mind when they have noses either. Or one eye or a more robot face or no mouth. It's good to have variety. I don't see the issue with them not having noses. Hell, to me it actually made the point stand out better that they WERE Alien lifeforms and weren't "human" or from earth.

 

I´m not sure I agree about the moviebots, the ones you mentioned at best have a ridge in their faces running between their eyes, but not something I would define as actual noses as something hinting at it. In this case I actually prefer the Prime designs where noses are lacking altogher.

About the movies making robots look "inhuman", how do you account for beards (Sentinel), canes (Jetfire), trenchcoats (Crosshairs) and cigars (Hound)? Or what about racial stereotyping of afroamericans and Jamaicans?

Seriously, I sometimes wonder if Bay and his designer team are having a good laugh over all the goofy stuff they manage to pull off without having their movies being classified as (bad) comedy...

 

So...we're perfectly fine with Transformers who don't have FACES, like Shockwave and Whirl, but if they have a face it had better have all the features one would expect?

Yeah, I know that in fandoms in general there's gonna be someone who complains about everything. I know that no matter what happens there's no way to please everybody. I also know that if I don't like something I can always just ignore it.

Noseless faces, getting back on topic before I ramble some more, don't bother me as long as they're consistent with the aesthetic of the particular incarnation.

 

Don't worry Movie Prime will take all the faces so everyone will be equal.

 

I don't like Transformers with faces PERIOD! Eyes are ok but I don't like noses or mouths. These are alien robots, I don't want them to look human at all. The best looking Transformers are the ones like Whirl & Shockwave. The original Wheeljack, Jetfire, Bumblebee & Omega Supreme toys were fucking incredible looking until the cartoon ruined them all.

 

It is not necessarily the same people who like facelessness but dislike noselessness, right? The reason I am fine with Shockwave and Whirl´s faces is the empurata concept from IDWerse. Btw, I so hope we someday get "Senator Shockwave" and "Watchmaker Whirl" as deluxe figures in the "Generations" line...

I have ignored both Prime as a whole and the movie toys so far, I´m a G1/WFC/MTMTE guy. I however enjoy the Bay movies themselves in all their silliness   Also, I´m genuinely interested in why so many fans obviously are fine with noseless Transformers...

Ramble on!  

LOL, I guess Optimus´s hunger for faces is why all the TF:s in Movieverse, including Prime himself, already miss their noses  

This is an interesting opinion, indeed... There can´t be many other TF/toy characters whose designs you are happy with, in other words? As for me, I find even the movie Transformers so anthropomorphic that I think noses would not ruin the idea of them being extraterrestrial, especially not when they have beards and walking sticks...

I think it makes sense that Transformers are anthropomorphic from a storytelling point of view; it is important in order to make us the fandom identify with the characters more easily. Would Optimus Prime, Megatron and Bumblebee be so beloved if they all looked like this?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ViCKiemehsE/USPzVGLqZuI/AAAAAAAAANw/-CTKUl7Fg2s/s1600/daleks.jpg

On the other hand, I hear this guy is pretty popular  

http://blogs.greenville.edu/instructionaltechnology/files/2013/06/R2D2-robot.jpg

Also, if we are to justify anthropomorphic Transformers story-wise, I discuss my favorite reason for it in an older thread I started:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...st-interesting-origin-story-transformers.html

 

I'm for noses.

 

I prefer them more similar to humans. Like japanese robots. But not so human like in Animated.

I don't even know how some people can be Transformers fans, if they expect them to look totally alien. That's weird.

 

Faces without noses make them look weird

 

Prime faces looked so bad without Noses.

Yes you can argue "If Transformers were real they would need noses" But I really don't care for what they need or don't need if they were real, they aren't real and so that shouldn't even be a factor when it comes to designing.

 

I can see noses on all most all of their faces.

As for the no noses. I don't mind it, I mean why do giant robots need to smell anyway? I couldn't imagine megatron going I smell energon pancakes!

 

If they have a human-like face then I will pick noses every time.

 

Doesn't matter to me. I like Transformers with and without noses

 

Upon further inspection, I see that Optimus indeed has the elements of a nose in place, they are just flattened and blend in with other facial features so they become indistinct. Sentinel has a nose with nostrils, it´s just very flat with no real tip. Ironhide looks like a walrus, minus tusks, whiskers... and a nose. (Bumblebee in the background looks like a rotating wheel can opener)
Hound indeed has a proper nose. He also has beard and a cigar substitute. Jetfire has nostrils, he also has a Santa beard and whiskers. Or some crazy sideburns   Among them, only (the concept art of) Hound sports a standard-shaped human nose IMO. Regardless, the flatness of these noses and/or the lack of noses in Animated has carried over to the main continuity (Aligned) which is what has got me worried...

I could imagine him sniffing a fuel leak. Or corrosive gas. Or smoke...

 

Doesn't matter much to me, shape-shifting alien robots and all that.

 

I'm a noses & mouth plate fan boy.

 

Having said that I still love the design of Breakdown's face from Prime.