My transformers died when my Dad threw them away while I was away at college... :tfevil

I hope that's not true. Why would he let you have them all that time and then though them away with out asking 1st.

Unfortunately, it is true. I didn't have a huge collection (25-35 or so) but I loved them and had taken very good care of them (as well as any little kid takes care of a toy). Worst part of them is he didn't ask and that he didn't do it to make room for anything special...he just deemed them dumb toys I would never use again. :tfsad

Judging by the comics, it requires massize damage to actually kill a tf. Gears survived a thousand foot drop or whatever it was. The dinobots etc were kept alive after being stamped on by Underbase Screamer. Heck, Flame even managed to reanimate hundreds of 'zombie' tfs, some of which seemed to retain their own minds (Impactor).

 

And when they actually died, it was through complete body destruction (see-Unicron attacking Cybertron, Gen2 cons blowing Autobots appart, smelting etc).

 

Those sustaining damage can be repaired, but it takes great skill and a lot of high tech.

 

In the cartoons, they seem less sturdy (at least in the movie) but we all know why that was.

Well, I suppose it would depend upon what continuity you're talking about. (marvel comic, DW comic, movie/cartoon) But generally, I would say that a transformer "dies' or ceases to function under the following criteria:

 

1) their exostructure (body) can no longer sustain their spark in this plane of existence. because ther is no longer the sufficient energy being fed to it by the exostructure's systems, it cannot exist in this plane.

 

2) their spark itself is removed/ destroyed. it can be reimplanted (as per beast wars/machines), but that exostructure is now an empty husk.

 

3) critical damage to the spark itself, which deprives it of the energy that keeps it viable and stable in this realm of existence. To do such damage to a spark means that the transformer responsible isn't merely trying to kill the victim, but completely erasde him/ her from all existence.

 

A "laser core" is generally supposed as another name for a spark chamber. I would say that this is correct, only it's like calling an engine a "motor". I believe laser core is a term referring to the entire system that is the heart of a transformer, including those immediate systems that keep the spark viable and in this plane of existence.

 

That is about the best answer I can discern for you. Should anyone else have more definative info, please correct me on this if I am wrong.

WraithVerge is pretty much dead on with what is now commonly accepted in this retconned G1/BW/BM Continuity. I prefer this, because it gives TF's more to being alive than just machines who "think" they are alive.

 

However back in the old Marvel comics, a TF could die by simply taking too much damage and their systems (memory, personality data) not being backed up, so all that data was lost. I however, do not like this take, cause I don't like thinking of TF's as nothing more than machines with programming to "think" they are alive.

You clog their exhaust pipe with a banana or potatoe.

 

They die from fume back ups.

Lasercoar=Spark

Generaly The Spark needs to be destroyed, That can be done by taking it out of the body, using up all the energon in the body, cutting/shooting it, or eating it :tfevil

So a spark needs a body to stay alive then. Can it survive without a body but is maybe in stasis lock?

yes, at least certain ones can, like starscream's spark. (beast wars)

In "Optimal Situation" they stated that Primes spark couldn't survive with out a living body also.

like i said, at least certain ones can.

from what i can gather.. Starscream's spark was a mutant one (much like the tm2s from bw) this would explain how starscream still existed in ghost form as he was a spark without a body and how rampage's spark was indestructable as he was an experiment to create a spark with the same properties as starscream's (this disencludes self destruction or direct piercing by raw energon.)

 

in my view the spark is the tf's brain unit, if the spark gets damaged or altered the tf changes his attitude or dies.

I wonder if there is some reason why some Transformers have their sparks externally located. Obviously, Energon Transformers can protect their sparks using Energon Stars, but why do the Transmetal 2's and BMs have external sparks - isn't this just a massive vulnerability?

 

Also, as per BW it's possible to alter the allegiance of a spark by chipping it to the desired faction. Presumably, some sparks have a basic 'polarity' to either Con or Bot.

the tm2's sparks weren't external, but they were close to the surface, the reason for this was that the spark was able to heal the body itself

Right, but what about the Energon TFs? There just aren't enough Energon Stars to go round!

 

Presumably the Powerlinx TFs at least have some sort of protection through combining, but this doesn't explain why the Decepticons have such obvious crystals.

myself i'm not familier with the e-continuity. but it is better than having the spark located on the back, (one shot from behind and you are a gonner)

Nobody sied that the Energon Port was there Spark, Buildron's is in his chest, but the Port is in the Shovel