think of it this way. cybertron was once a barren iron ore asteroid. the big fight between primus and unicron happens with primus losing his physical body when his lifeforce is merged with the asteroid on a sub moleculer level. he makes his planetary body into cybertron which is quite literrally a living mechanical world whose metallic nature is comprised of various grades of cybertronion metal. all of which contains a genetic link to primus's original body. any shell body created from this metal and given life draws on that genetic potential . with the shell body and spark being born from primus's planetary form and the transformers spark being born from the allspark which is itself the lifeforce of primus.

 

as for the matrix and vector sigma they are merely ways to access the allspark

 

i believe vector sigma is to some degree the intelligence of their creator.

What about CYBERTRON'S more ...organic properties? I have a feeling that at one time CYBERTRON was not too far from what EARTH is billions of years ago. I don't believe that they were built by the QUINTS only because there was need of having a cockpit of some kind with seats that were able to support HUMANS in the beginning of the G-1 cartoon. I wondered if some kind of humanoid was responsable for the birth of the modern CUBERTRONIAN and the metals and nanites that would become a part of their lives and society.

The Quints are Merchents, they built the TFs to sell not for themselves, and as we have scene in Season 3 most of the alians were Humanoid.

Come to think about it...while in another thread...weren't there prehistoric animal fossils and plantlife on CYBERTRON al-la BEASTMACHINES?

I keep telling you guys - Die cast metal and plastic. :D

"AAAHH! This makes me think! Thinking hurts head! Thinking bad!"

Unfortunately, in my job, I deal with people whose thought process follows that pattern very closely....

I go with the idea that most Fanfic writers use, with an energon-oil mix serving as their blood. The spark serves as their heart/soul, their internal computers=brain, and their skin is nano tech/ cybertronium. I think there skin also has some Wolverine type properties with the ability of auto repairs.

season 1 of G1 series, when the seekers all got shot up in a fight with the Autobots. They raid an Air Force base and you see things like Starscream removing his wing, taking a wing from an F-15

 

Don't forget though that in G1 season two Dinobot Island Part 2 when Megatron hit Prime with his fusion cannon, Ironhide asked him if he was ok and he responded "I'm ok. Repair systems already compensating for damage".

isn't it better to simply accept that they are what they are?

i never really felt the need to know how should they work(live).

or, at least i never had the urge to find it out as a child back in the 80's so i just learned to love them without asking why and how.