...

Something I think they should have brought out more (read: "at all") in G1 is the fact that all of this weaponry and so on would have come at a price. That is to say, every robot has a certain energon capacity, and all of these things like thrusters and guns and what not would draw upon energon in order to function. So a TF would have to "budget" his energon allocations. For instance, you couldn't just be this walking one-robot army of destruction without needing significant energon reserves. (quick example: the difference in fuel consumption between a jet and an automobile.) There would have to be trade-offs somewhere.

So, to answer your question: I imagine the answer would be "yes," provided that 1) you have someone who can hook you up (i.e. a Ratchet / Wheeljack kind of 'bot), and 2) that you can handle the extra power drain caused by your new BFG of choice.

Personally, I would have liked to see more of an emphasis on this necessary "specialization" in Transformers. For instance, Starscream is super fast but doesn't have a lot of firepower, Bumblebee is smaller and can't handle a lot of extra doodads, Omega Supreme is slow as crap because of his huge energon expenditures, etc. I dunno, I just think it would have been a nice little addition.

How exactly did Bumblebee become Goldbug?

The Quintesson who rebuilt him was out of Bumblebee parts...?

(Toy version: Bumblebee looks at himself in the mirror and decides that he's just not enough of a mini-brick.)

You also have to look at their personalities and functions.
For example:
couldnt any soldier become a black op? Navy Seal? or James Bond?
couldnt any martial artist become a Chuck Norris, Jet Li or Pei Mei?
Theoretically - yeah
But they dont.

Along those lines - although Rachet could feasibly build himself a fusion cannon he would have as much use for it as a human surgeon has for a howitzer

Also although any body might install jet boosters - but not all people or tranformers have the reflexes/agility/hand eye coordination to become a pilot...

Also on a side note what about compatibility issues. For example Ironhide might be running a Windows 98 operating system using parralell ports, while Optimus is on Windows NT with USB
The maximals are very advance and are Linix and firewired
While kup is still running DOS on a an old Apple 2e with dot matrix printing

Hunter
"Im not the kinda wheel you fall asleep at"

That sort of makes sense (the "different versions" thing), but sort of not. If the resources are there, why not just build a robot a new body that isn't all old and nasty? But I think you still have a good point, particularly with the Maximals / Predacons.

One thing I would have liked to see more of in G1 is a sense that the crew of the Ark weren't just a bunch of soldiers like the Decepticons -- they were Autobots who had taken up arms out of necessity, but their true skills lay in other areas. (At least this would have explained how the Autobots outnumbered the Decepticons two to one and remained in a stalemate. )

How did they alwys win though

DESEPTICONS RETREAT!!!

I thought that it was clear that the autobots were not "warriors" perse
however what gets lost is overall characterization - regardless of Auto or Decep, warrior, or civillian
all the characterizations eventually became watered down one-notes:
I talk in rhymes
me talk pretty some day
i am a Jazz man
Iamreallyreallyfast

etc.... well thats the G1 cartoon
i am not sure about how comic eventually played that

Hunter
"dont go into that barn! I said dont go into that barn. Now dont say i didnt warn ya!
but dont go into that barn"

I just see it like an rpg. You have certain points for specialzation...or the chasis can only handle so much stress (like in Fans and the Furrious when the car started to fall apart mid race). That's why megs could only handle the 'con total powers for so long.

if you guys recall they did do the energy thing with omega supreme
remember that episode where he was trapped on the cliff about to fall cause he didn't have the energy to fly or transform into omega supreme.
and if you recal also in the episode where megatron challenged optimus prime to a duel and he had all the decepticon powers in his body. whats to say the autobots can't do that.

the energy consuption thing was one of my reasons why i think the autobots could not fly. Their energon was rationed and they used it for the most vital of systems that needed to be operational at any given time

also when it comes to changing personalities you have to remember the autobots were civilians and they weren't made for fighting they volunteered and did what they had to do, while on the other hand the decepticons were military and they had the fight will within them and they choose to change in order to get what they want they adapted more easily to a rough environment and situation that called for their brethren to be sacraficed or destroyed so that the strong would persavere

I always thought it was based on this:

1.) Individuality -- Every Cybertronian, Autobot, or Decepticon wants to be more than just a robot. It's part of being a "who" instead of a "thing". So certain 'bots/'cons have certain abilities. Also according to G1 the Power-Chip Rectifier gives them there individual abilities based on how it's programmed and used. Each Rectifier is set to work for each individual robot.

2.) Physical Limitations -- A TF can only have so much attached and added to himself as his framework will allow. And just building a new body may not be an option.

3.) Specializations -- Most TF's had a hand-based weapon or tool. Ratchet had several different hand-conversion tools and Sideswipe's hands could convert into piledrivers. This is a specialization meant only for each of them. I doubt Ratchet could have held up to the force exerted by those piledrivers. This is simply to aid each of them in their functions, but it also can be an individualistic ideal as well.

4.) Supply and Resources -- If you have the resources and fuel you can get more abilities and such. Those with greater energy supply/less fuel consumption can have more abilities as they see fit. Each TF had their own fuel consumption rate, which limits their abilities.

5.) Programming and Skill -- Certain weapons, abilities, and mechanics can only be used by certain people. Not everyone has the innate skill to do every job or labor every work. TF's who also want to be as individual as possible are the same way. Unless they are given a special program to aid them, they aren't as well-trained at certain things, nor are they innately skilled at many things.


Those are the 5 things I always viewed that the TF's followed. Mainly it has to do with Individuality and Specializations. For everyone wants to be effective at what they do and they also want to be more than a simple robot.

Shockwave actually did have two hands in the first TF episode ever, it can then be assumed that further down the line in the 4 million year period that he did augment himself with a gun rather than a hand.

Why can't bots augment themselves? If it means requiring more energon... who cares? Omega Supreme, Metroplex, and Fortress Maximus don't seem to worry too much about their needs. Why couldn't Bumblebee get a Megatron body? For that matter... why couldn't Starscream? I remember an episode of BM where Rattrap wants a better body, gets one from Megatron, and it's a friggin' 4-story super-powered battle suit! Why can't a bot just build one of those and attach his head to it? Not his function or personality? It wouldn't be any different than someone changing their hair color or buying a new suit. These are mechanical beings with replaceable parts, like a car - not fragile, organic beings.

I always thought that he lost it to the Fembots

and in responce to LoneDrifter yes you can Pimp out anycar, but not everybody has the Resources to, at thae point in time Ratrap got that mech from Megatron, MEgatron rulled all of Cybertron, and only had to supply energon to a couple Leagiens of Drones. He had almoast all the resources he could wan't, he could convert his Junker car into a Pimpmobile