I always thought of it as a futuristic Earth alt. mode, since the movie was set in the future.

my vote goes to cybertron mode. oh btw you need a poll going now!

 

and what about Ultra Magnus, he's well, half. he had op's cab and a cybertronian trailer. I dont see car carriers on the road today with giant rocket launchers very often......but that would be a sight indeed.

 

also, HR was never in the war within series, so there has been no change in his form since energon.

Here's what I think about why UM has the alt-mode that he has.  We can assume this from the movie.  Everyone on Earth is well aware of the existence of the Transformers and now it's more of, "Robots Don't Need to be in Too Much of a Disguse."  How could they hide Autobot City anyway? 

 

Now, I know that people love DW's retcon and can't let go of Diaclone or a Japanese release of the white cab alone.  However, as a character, in the movie and on the tv show, Ultra Magnus is what you see.  He's not a white Optimus Prime that's wearing armor.

 

 

Also, I wouldn't rule out Hot Rod being a Cybertronian alt-mode, especially using the "wheel" arguement.  Kup has wheels, but I have never thought of him as being a futuristic Earth pick-up or El Camino (that's the ugly '70s car that has a pick-up truck bed).  I see Kup as having his Cybertronian alt-mode.  And, let's not forget Wheelie.  Though some might like to forget him, he also has wheels and is most certainly not a futuristic Earth alt-mode.

For me Hot Rod, Rodimus Prime, Blurr, Kup, Wheelie and others are cybertronian cars.

I always figured Cybertronian, especially for Kup and Blurr.  Blurr hovers, so he's obviously pretty advanced beyond what we see of Earth vehicles in the series.  And Kup, well, if Kup set himself up with an Earthly Alt mode he sure let himself go pretty quick (look at all the corrosion and paint damage he has in the movie; far more than any of the other TFs who didn't die)....  Besides I think there's one thing that's been overlooked.  In MTMTE the TFs get their Earthly Alt modes thanks to Teletran-1, NOT because they go running around choosing.  If it was that easy to make new Alt modes I'd think they'd do it all the time.  And certainly, guys like Bumblebee would want to upgrade as soon as possible (even though I love VWs his Alt mode sucks large).  Plus it would be a good tactic for both sides, to keep changing their disguises.  The fact they don't do this is, of course, due to the crappy writing, but setting that aside I'd have to say they just can't.  If they could they'd do it all the time.  Especially a guy like Hot Rod--I could see him, or Tracks, or Sunstreaker changing Alt modes like teenage girls shop for clothes at the mall, just for vanity's sake.  Even Prime could change all the time just for convenience, so he's not lugging all that semi-sized mass around all the time, and then we get Alt Prime in pickup mode. 

ok wheelie brings in a good argument until you remember he might not be cybertonian, he was find there he might not have been made there, he could be a simliar alien race like the junkions, as far as hr goes i think he's a futuristic alt mode, i think he came to earth as the young punk he was and saw some other young punk driving a car really fast just like he liked and had it scanned for his mode, i bet his name isn't even hot rod, i bet it really is rodimus, and because of his actions (just like all young people) they nicknamed him hot rod because of his personality, kup could be an earth mode to he looks like a beat up nissan nails concept car/truck/whatever now springer and arcee are def cybertronian, but didn't some say along time ago somewhere that shockwave gave all the movie bots there alt modes  :tfhuh

Remember the Head Master's before they became head masters? Where did those modes come from eh? They had wheels did they not?!

 

Oh snap! This should keep the argument going for a few more posts amirite?

Remember the Head Master's before they became head masters? Where did those modes come from eh? They had wheels did they not?!

 

Oh snap! This should keep the argument going for a few more posts amirite?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I always asumed that the Transecter's alt modes were designed after Planet Master's vehicles.

OKAY

 

If the Transformers had in fact been living on Earth for the past twenty years, interacting with human society the whole time, sharing their technology with us, and so on... you tell *me* what the difference is between "futuristic" and "Cybertronian".

OKAY

 

If the Transformers had in fact been living on Earth for the past twenty years, interacting with human society the whole time, sharing their technology with us, and so on... you tell *me* what the difference is between "futuristic" and "Cybertronian".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

VOICE OF REASON'D