We all know that standard a combiner is made up of 4 limb component robots and a core body robot and the minds of all team members are merged to create that combiners personality right? My question is what exactly do you get if random team members choose to combine? Doesn't matter if its just a mixture of robots from one side or if the combiner is a mixture of autobots and decepticons. Does each combination create whats essentially a completely new character or do you wind up with something that at its core is Superion Bruticus whoever but with new personality traits? I'm just wondering cos I look on tf wiki and see characters named stuff abominaticus denfemputron and in the bios on the combiner wars boxes its says how characters like galvatron can hypnotise autobots into combining with them implying the core robot maintains complete control and the limb bots just go dormant. This has been bugging me for a while now
I don't think it's really ever been explored in TF fiction outside of one instance in the Scramble City Japanese episode where one of the Stunticons combines with 4/5 of Superion...from what I remember it was still Superion but having a rogue element in the combined form caused him pain.
Yeah I figured as much. Personally I like to think each combination were the combiner is like the core and one limb of one team and the other three are from random decepticon/autobot teams creates this totally new character. or if its a character were the core and two to three members are from the same team you get superion but with like more ruthless and cruel decepticon instincts and ideals(assuming the new components are decepticons of course).
It would be interesting to map out what personalities you could get with a particular set of individuals. But the personalities of the individuals dont always impact the gestalt: Scattershot, Strafe and Afterburner personalities seem to have no effect whatsoever on Computron.
Most of the gestalt have their own personality made by willing combiners (the stunticon in Scramble city only did it to annoy Superion and stop him from being complete but I don't think they would have been able to fully combine) but I think Galvatron is somehow special for a reason and have control over any he would 'force' while Optimus is also special since he seems to be the core and the gestalt keeping his own personality (while Galvatron have to use Cyclonus to become Galvatronus). Combiner wars is now really making all of this confusing since it indeed allows any to combine together. I guess the core would have more control over who it form, so with Motormaster and others it would probably still remain Menasor. But as you, LockdownTF, said, it would probably get some influence from whoever else forms it. Maybe for some it wouldn't even work and they wouldn't be able to form a combiner, mostly if they are unwilling and not hypnotized.
WHo's to say combiner components are interchangeable? Beyond the toys and that one moment on Scramble City, combiners are never shown mixed up. Indeed, aside from animation flubs, they're typically shown in their standards positions. Kind of makes sense from an in-fiction perspective. Why build in the ability in all the limb bots to be A) Ne both arms and legs and B) Be able to combine with six plus other larger transformers, all of varying design. Why would First Aid ever be able to Motor Master as leg?
I don't know the answer but I do know that in order for a combiner to be stable, all the transformers making up the combiner must be in some form of common ground. Otherwise it affects the united mind of the combiner because by that point there's too many thoughts bouncing around. It's mainly why Superion doesn't talk since he easily gets too overwhelmed by the combined thoughts of the Aerialbots and is only able to find common ground with their desire to defeat the Decepticons. Another example is Menasor in a deleted scene for the episode Masquerade who actually gets mad because the transformers making up his components were constantly talking and it was confusing him.
Idw has recently given us a good look into combiner psychology. When a team is combined, their minds meld together. Creating a new mind with the experience and intelligence of its components. Weaker willed individuals are often overpowered or give in willingly. The longer/more often a combiner is combined the more "permanent" this melding becomes. Case in point: Devastator and Monstructor. They have spent so much time in their combined forms that the component minds have bled into each other and upon separation have lost most of their individuality, basically becoming miniuature devastators/monstructors. This was especially prominant with Prowl during his time as part of the big green D. His abilities as a tactician were comprimised. His plans often devolving to "Prowl smash" And we may be seeing a similar effect on Optimus. Ever since combiner Wars and forming Optimus Maximus, Optimus has been acting more like Prowl, and Prowl has been acting with more of Optimus' conscience
It'd make more sense if it was just the team leader like Motormaster in control with the limbs unconscious and under his control. As for Devestator, Hook would be in control. Never liked that sycophant Scrapper.
