Do they have access to older CG character models? I wonder if they can recycle some from the previous CG series such as Beas Wars and Beast Machines; updating and reusing them for the current series.

 

you my friend get my vote for awesome post of the day 

doesn't have to be a steam engine, how about (something similar to) the armored locomotive from Goldeneye.. you want to talk about stinkin mean looking!!

 

I would say that's probably highly unlikely...For a lot of reasons.

 

That's just completely pointless.

 

True, but then they wouldn’t be dragons, as they’re a mythical creature created of our world=P

There’s always those that saying let them eat cake, too.

You ask for a mature take on Transformers that makes sense—you get it—and now you want to throw dinosaurs, dragons and fuzors into the mix? Seriously?

…who has time to hang around studying up on stories/legends during a civil war, which divided one’s people, destroyed one’s world and continued elsewhere? Maybe more sleep is necessary 

 

Myths have to come from somewhere.

What is so immature about dinosaurs, dragons, and fuzors?

He was talking about our stories and legends.

 

i dont see it happening no real need for dinosaurs

 

So you’re saying our myths are…alien?

I didn’t say they were.

In this version of Transformers, both the Decepticons and Autobots are doing there best to blend in they’re so good at it that only a small few have even seen them, and even the Decepticons have managed to staff off everyone’s radar for three years.

Neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons have the energy, firepower or numbers to take on humanity should we want them off our world, which doesn’t sound unlikely given the fear that’s bound to come from an alien invasion or their war, which happens to be continuing here.

It’s bad enough that they drive around unmanned or occasionally walk around as big iron giants, but at least they have the means to blind in, so much so people don’t even do double takes. Parading around as metallic extinct and/or mythical creatures just goes against what they are doing, staying under the radar.

I know what he was talking about. You think they had time to research such things (or stories) while battling it out off-/on-world for centuries (which would have happened before we existed)? 

 

No, I'm saying it's a science fiction show and not everything has to play out realistically.

You implied it.

The Decepticons not so much. Even so, we've already come up with a plausible explanation for fantastical alt-modes.

Did you watch the show? Megatron nearly succeeded in taking over Earth.

They have holographic drivers.

And anyway, so a few people in a desert town will see some bizarre creatures. They'll get called whack jobs and that'll be the end of it. Nobody seemed to notice the giant Decepticon ship.

That research was given as an explanation in the first live action movie for their understanding of Earth culture and languages.

 

this is what I get for not paying attention to the thread for a few hours, a whole mess of stuff I have to try to sift through, and I will have to skim, so if I repeat something, you have my apologies.

Such a downer , open your mind!!  ... in any given time of war there are always those who do not participate in front line combat, those who in the darkest hour of their civilization will try to hold onto the culture of their species, even to their last breath. What is the point of winning a war if you have nothing left of who you are to return to?

That being said, the answer to your overarching question is very simple.... in theory. A Bot or group of Bots who are stranded here after the big fight on earth, either in stasis or awake. Said cybertronian awakens or emerges at any given time in history and studies the events occurring around them. Perceptor and Beachcomber are fine examples. This is however complicated by the vagaries of the time frames they have given us so far.

A fact that also needs to be taken into consideration is such characters would not be main line cast members, characters with one or two shot appearances who took the fantastical altmodes in the first place in hopes of being left alone or toying with the locals, who fade back into their little worlds when no longer needed is more than appropriate given the circumstances.

Any temporary characters with mythical altmodes (henceforth referred to as elders) could also help unlock bits of story or teach the main cast new abilities.

For example an elder who resides in an oriental area could teach an autobot a new form of martial arts, ala Metalikato. An elder who awoke or appeared in the feudal ages of Europe could teach them better armoring techniques after spending years studying how to adapt field plate to a cybertronain body (and as we have seen, the franchise of Transformers has no problem using extra amrors). Either of those eras could also train a bot to take melee weaponry to the next level. An elder who studied texts such as the art of war for one could train new combat techniques.. an elder who resided in a jungle area trains in guerrilla warfare.

The decepticon elder has a myriad of possibilities as well, hampered by fact the Con's ranks are almost totally made up of temporary members, however the before mentioned mythical almodes could really come into play here..
The Autobots find out about a location of a part they need to repair something for example is deep underground, there we have our labyrinth with our slightly deranged elder minotaur bot whom they have to get around. (having a little trouble thinking of the best circumstances for these guys, but I am sure others would have a cornucopia of ideas)


These are just a few examples of creative twists that could be thrown in to give depth to a story the key is as with any media all in the presentation. 

While presented as a short unpolished idea burst some of these may sound like "ZOMG that's too crazy or weird  blah blah blah"!! But as said before, given polish and proper context, little side stories of this nature can do alot to stretch the life of a series and extend the relevancy of a character who may have fallen out of favor with the audience. Bumblebee for an example..
We all know in a Transformers series when someone gets a new and interesting upgrade or ability it gives a pop to that character for a given time, but this is not to be overused either as it becomes forced and transparent.

All this expounding aside it should not have even needed to be explained in the first place the contributing participants of the previous conversation were engaging in what we call brainstorming for our personal enjoyment. 

 

Just because it’s science fiction that doesn’t mean rules don’t apply. The story works because the writers have built a believable world and characters.

I implied no such thing. This is what I said: You ask for a mature take on Transformers that makes sense—you get it—and now you want to throw dinosaurs, dragons and fuzors into the mix? Seriously? Dinosaurs in a story that takes place during present day doesn’t make sense. A car blends in with cars people use for transportation. A dinosaur…not so much.

We must be watching different shows ‘cause I could have sworn the Decepticons Starscream sent after Arcee were in fact cars. Guess what Starscream transforms into? Yup, a military fighter jet.

I’m sorry, but did this 5-part mini series start off with the Decepticons taking over cities? No. They were were finding and collecting Energon. They were hiding in their ship for Three years.

Megatron left Earth looking for his army.

The prior to Megatron’s return, the means to take over the world didn’t exist for the Decepticons.

Which only Arcee used, and there were a few times when she drove around without her driver…Stacy, was it?

But you’re forgetting the fact that those that did blend in didn’t want to be found, hence the reason for Optimus having the children brought to him for debriefing.

You speak as though the Decepticon ship came down into a city. The ship, when it did appear just above the surface, did so when no humans, homes or cities were around.

I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was talking about the Cybertronians. Fighting a civil war that started on their world and continued elsewhere; and it continues still. With an intense firefight going around and your brothers in arms dropping all around you, how do find the time to research about some places history or legends?

And what do the live-action movies have to do with Transformers: Prime?

That’s the picture I got when Prime told their tale to the children.

All of Cybertron was at war. The entire planet was ablaze, fallen Cybertronians everywhere. Anyway sifting through the Hall of Records, looking a good book to read was huge piece of slag.

You’re speaking of a time we know little about. We don’t know when the current Cybertronians landed on Earth but we do know they were here three years before the story starts; however, we do know that they took on forms to blend into the environment, both Autobots and Decepticons.

Even the Cybertronian dead that appeared in episodes 3 and 4 had lots of metallic parts which had no animal parts whatsoever.

If there were such characters, why would they need to be dinosaurs? Doesn’t matter where they are on the planet, it would still be hard to blend in.

Why would they need to be mythical? You could achieve the same thing with things of this time and world…

Why would an elder from Asia need to be their to learn martial arts? People the world over developed fighting techniques, but putting that aside, why wouldn’t we assume that centries of wars didn’t teach Cybertronians how to improve their own fighting skills? Optimus, Megatron, Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee are clearly fighters.

So, now medieval armor and techniques is more advance than a group of aliens who’s science is light years beyond our own understanding?

Again, I must ask why.

Of the Decepticons we’ve seen, those who didn’t appear before humans kept their alien modes, so it’s a safe bet the rest did the same.

True, but in current stories these upgrades have been things of this time and place.

I know I’m going to regret asking this question, but here it goes: are dinosaurs even cool anymore? I work around a lot of children and not one of them is interested in dinosaurs. They’re interested in robots, cars, trains, boats houses zoo animals and varied cartoon characters. If Dinosaurs aren’t popular today, why would Hasbro make them?

 

Oy vey...

No, that's exactly what science fiction means. If rules applied, then it would be science fact. You're thinking of story telling and good story tellers can make anything believable in any setting. Just because you cannot envision something does not mean it isn't plausible.

Tossing in the word "mature" as the preferable notion does exactly that. You're implying that wanting dinosaurs and fantastical creatures is somehow immature because it doesn't suit this "mature" take.

And I suppose Megatron's alt-mode is some top secret military jet?

And after the show started they weren't hiding so much.

What's your point? Megatron still nearly took over the world.

We've only seen Arcee use it, but it stands to reason the others have them too.

And you're assuming that they're always going to be in hiding, or that all of the characters will be anyway. Also, you're forgetting that the bulk of the show so far has taken place in a desert where the giant robot fights and Decepticon warship haven't been noticed. Yet you seem adamant that a dragon is going to ruin the hide and go seek game for everyone.

That was the point. If nobody is around to notice a giant Decepticon warship, then how is a dinosaur or a dragon going to be any different?

In the first movie they used the world wide web to learn what they could about Earth. They literally explained why they could speak English and know slang in one simple exchange.

And you just pointed out earlier in your post that they had three years of non-activity. That seems like plenty of time.

It's called an example and Prime borrows elements from the movies.

 

Rules do apply. Their world is believable because of the rules the writers have given it.

No, I am not. If anything, I’m imply that it won’t make any sense given the fact that what we’ve seen thus far is Transformers blending in.

BINGO! Has he made himself known to the human populous? He, like the Decepticon ship, is off their radar. Though, I don’t doubt he’ll get one at some point, as a new alt-mode means another sold toy.

Did they walk around shopping malls filled with people in their actual forms? And what about the Decepticon’s ship?

What’s my point? My point is this: neither the Autobots (though they never would) nor the Decepticons had the means to take our planet.

We know from the story, that the Decepticons hid for three years, and what were they doing during that time? Yup, collecting Energon and building an army to do just that.

Yet, Cliffjumper with his non-tinted windows drove without one in the opening scene; he even brags about getting away from the police while still within their sites. Bumblebee drove in from town with Raf sitting in the BACK SEAT of the car and with him in the passenger seat, Bulkead, too, drove around with Miko sitting in the passenger seat.

No, I’m not forgetting. I was pointing this out to you. The Decepticons and the Autobots for that matter were staying out of site because they didn’t want to be seen by humans. Even the Autobots had a single government liaison.

Yes, as the Transformers, when going to town, blend in. Arcee didn’t walk the streets looking for Jack. Even the Decepticons looking for Arcee drove into town in car modes. Starscream even changed into an military jet when fleeing the Energon mines. Both alien factions blended into their environment to keep what Starscream even called the “element of surprise.”

You’re still avoiding the obvious, which is the Transformers don’t want to reveal themselves. Where is a dinosaur/dragon going to hide? How are they going to hide? Why are they dragon’s again?

What does the movie have to do with this story? It’s pretty clear they are different. Besides, in this version, the Autobots have been in talks with the US government for at least three years, so it stands to reason they know quite a bit about our planet and politics…which is probably why they are still hiding. Agent Fowler, speaking on his superiors behalf, has already shown that the government doesn’t like it when they have to cover for their alien visitors.

To point out another interesting fact, we don’t know what happened prior to that. We do, however, know that Megatron was with the Decepticons, and when Mr. Conqueror is around wars a happenin’. Megatron even jokes about Ratchet convalescing in some scrap yard during their three-year period of silence.

Prime borrows a lot from everything transformers, yet it is its own show and continuity.

 

And what would those rules be?

That may have been your intention, but that's not what you said.

Bingo? Um, what? Did you forget your own point you made earlier about the Decepticons having Earth modes?

Soundwave killed people to get the antennae. They were out in open streets.

I'm not sure why you brought up the Decepticon ship, as it's very presence on the show is a giant hole in the argument you're trying to make.

Megatron had an army that occupied an ENTIRE PLANET on it's way to Earth. How is that NOT a means of taking over our planet?

What does that have to do with point?

They don't always use the holographic drivers. Even Arcee doesn't always use hers.

Again, you're assuming that they're always going to be hiding. As the story progresses they could come out of hiding.

Look, the presence of the Decepticon warship pokes a huge hole in your argument. If nobody notices that thing flying around that desert, then it stands to reason that the writers can figure out a way to hide a dinosaur that isn't even a quarter of it's size.

And Starscream transformed because he just tossed a bomb into an energon mine and wanted to GTFO. He wasn't trying to hide or blend in.

The show takes place in a desert where a giant warship has been successfully hiding from sight. I think they can manage to hide a dinosaur.

And they're dinosaurs/dragons because they came to Earth before technology was developed.

Oh for god's sake. It was an example. E-X-A-M-P-L-E

ex·am·ple   
1. one of a number of things, or a part of something, taken to show the character of the whole: This painting is an example of his early work.
2. a pattern or model, as of something to be imitated or avoided: to set a good example.
3. an instance serving for illustration; specimen: The case histories gave carefully detailed examples of this disease.
4. an instance illustrating a rule or method, as a mathematical problem proposed for solution.
5. an instance, esp. of punishment, serving as a warning to others: Public executions were meant to be examples to the populace.
6. a precedent; parallel case: an action without example.

...What does that have to do with anything?

See above for the definitions of example.

 

Sounds great,all takara/hasbro needs to do is get a hold of the web diver Gradion master mold. mass produce it,color it grey & slap a grimlock name on it's box/instructions.

 

Bob Oric like the Dino's so I there is hope.

 

See my previous posts. However, if you followed the show and bought the writers’ story, than you’ve seen those rules.

How many times did I talk about the Transformers “blending” in my previous posts?

Cars drive on roads, jets fly in the sky, so if Megatron were to fly around space, which he did, he may need to be a space worthy ship.

The radio telescope dishes shown to be in Texas were not out in the open, meaning in front of society, but a great big open field with a facility that controlled the many dishes. You’re right probably right though, Soundwave most likely killed everyone there—thus keeping his existence secret—and went about his business.

By the way, doesn’t Soundwave transform into the USAF’s Predator?

By staying out of site?

Megatron’s ultimate weapon, his army was the undead Cybertronians he re-animated with Dark Energon and they didn’t make it to Earth.

That they didn’t have the means for war, which…they didn’t.

…which is exactly what I said up above. Still she does try to blend in.

Yes, they could, but they are hiding. This is why they have alternate modes; otherwise they’d walk the street, strutting their stuff.

There’s no hole. No one was around, save for the three kids and Agent Fowler. And the ship hid in a ravine. Starscream does fly his ship over cities. He believes in the element of surprise.

So he was a Cybertronian jet?

Believe what you want, it’s clear you’re going to anyway. Dinosaurs still won’t blend in with the environment.

So Dragons and Dinosaurs walked the Earth while Cybertronians battled it out? Surely there would have been no reason to hide from giant lizards unable to defend themselves from big metal feet and lasers. Dinosaurs were not united and were in all likelihood way beneath their notice if they even lived then.

Do you not just use the movie to support your statement?

That they fought to no end.

See previous posts for answers to questions you’re still asking me.

 

I hope they show up. But I'm hoping more for Beast Wars Dinobot. And if Grimlock and his team does show up, I'm hoping for smart Dinobots. Not the dumb ones. I like animated, but I was really disappointed with their depiction of the Dinobots. They got tricked and got their butts kicked time and time again. When compared with other animals during their time, dinosaurs were some of the smartest creatures around. This was true especially for the predators. Just because there were a few such as sauroposeidon that didn't measure up doesn't mean dinosaurs weren't as a whole, smart for their time.

I think if dinosaurs had survived the cataclysmic event that killed them off, they might have developed intelligence surpassing that of most mammals today.

 

I hope not until after we get some more car autobots. Wheeljack, Prowl, Jazz, Sunstreaker, Tracks, Ultra Magnus, & Trailbreaker all would bring more to the current lineup more than a dinosaur.

 

Am I the only one who's Dinobot'd out? Do we really need them in EVERY TF series? The Dinbots are overrated thugs at best... A goon squad... I'd love for them to bring in the Stunticons and Aerialbots... Both teams jive with the "we're here undercover" theme... Not giant inbred robot dinosaurs...