Making Sense of Generation One: Part 6

In 1987, the final new episodes of the original Generation One Transformers aired in the United States. Although a fifth season aired, these episodes were only repackaged episodes from the first four seasons. It appeared that the adventures of the Autobots and Decepticons would only take place in the comic books for the rest of their run in the 1980's. However, in Japan, the animated adventures of the robots in disguise continued. In 1987, Takara (the Japanese company who owned the Transformers brand in Japan) chose not to import the three part series finale, The Rebirth, from the United States. Instead, Takara commissioned the production of an additional season to properly tie off the stories of the classic characters. This series was the 35 episode Transformers: The Headmasters.

Transformers: The Headmasters began its broadcast run exclusively in Japan in 1987. The series completely ignored the events of The Rebirth, and it picked up one year after The Return of Optimus Prime Part Two. Cybertron is at peace after the truce between the Decepticons and Autobots. However, Galvatron returns to Cybertron and launches a full scale assault with the new recruits to his army, the Headmasters (Wierdwolf, Skullcruncher, and Mindwipe). Galvatron sought to control the powerful super computer Vector Sigma which was deep within Cybertron. Meanwhile on Earth, the powerful new Decepticon warrior Sixshot leads the Triple-Changers and Constructicons against Autobot City. The Autobots are eventually saved from defeat when a force of Autobot Headmasters arrive on Cybertron aboard the powerful Battleship Maximus. Optimus Prime then ventured into Cybertron led by the spirit of Alpha Trion to locate Vector Sigma and protect it from the Decepticons. At the same time, Hot Rod and the Headmasters were searching for the Matrix (which Optimus had placed in a secret location on Earth to recharge after Optimus had released its energy). Eventually, Hot Rod found the Matrix and returned to Cybertron. Hot Rod became Rodimus Prime again and along side Optimus Prime and Cerebros, they battled Galvatron and the Deceticon Headmasters within the Vector Sigma chamber. Optimus Prime then sacrificed his life to protect Vector Sigma from Glavatron. From there, the story continued.

Although The Headmasters is the least favorite of the exclusive Japanese series, it is still an awesome series to watch and it felt like a more fitting finale for the classic characters we all know. Highlights of the 35 episode series included: the death of Optimus Prime, the return of Rodimus Prime, the deaths and rebirths of Soundwave and Blaster, the rise of Fortress Maximus and Skorponok as the new faction commanders, the destruction of Cybertron, the death of Galvatron, the creation of the Target Masters, and the final battle between both forces on Earth in which the Autobots drove the Decepticons from Earth at last. That sure is a lot of stuff for one series. Transformers: The Headmasters also told a different origin for the Headmasters and Target Masters. In the Japanese continuity, there are no Nebulans or humans bonded to Transformers. Instead, human sized Transformers build powerful Transformer sized bodies called Transtectors which they could combine with. In the case of the Target Masters, the human sized Transformers were fused to the hands of several Autobots and Decepticons during an explosion in space while they were in gun mode. From there, the "guns" could detach and transform into human sized robots.

If you felt the original U.S. series was tied off too quickly, this show definitely assisted in giving the classic characters a proper finale. It is rumored that the first 13 episodes of the series were created from aborted scripts for the U.S. fourth season. From there, the series shifted the focus onto the new characters. After the conclusion of this series, you would think that the war was finally over. However, the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons is a war without end.

Batman: Under The Red Hood

If you have read my blog for a while, you probably know that on rare occasions I'll post something non-Transformer related. This is one of those times. This weekend I saw (in my opinion) the best Batman film since the The Dark Knight. On July 27th, Warner Bros. Animation in association with DC Comics released Batman: Under The Red Hood on DVD and Blue Ray. It is an animated feature, but don't let that fool you. Like the previously released Batman: Gotham Knight, this is one film that pains me to see in the kids and family section. This is not one for the kiddos so I hope the parents mind the PG-13 rating.

The story combines elements from the Batman story arcs A Death in the Family and Under the Hood. The film opens with the Joker brutally murdering Jason Todd (the second Robin). Five years later, a mysterious new figure going by the name The Red Hood appears in Gotham City. The Red Hood is compared to Batman, however The Red Hood lacks the moral code of the Dark Knight, and he isn't afraid to kill. Batman and Nightwing (the original Robin) are now in pursuit of The Red Hood who seems to have ties to Batman's past. Also, the Joker gets caught in the middle and complicates the situation even more. For those of you who either haven't read the comics or seen the film, I'll leave it at this.

The film is produced by Bruce Timm, but it is not a continuation of the 1990's Batman: The Animated Series. This film is a stand alone story. The animation is amazing and the dark design really fits the characters, setting, and story well. Also, the new voices of Batman and the Joker are stunning. It is so hard to fill the shoes of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, but the new guys do so good of a job, you won't be disappointed. Also, the voice of The Red Hood and all of the other characters in the film are well cast. If you need a film to tide you over until 2011's conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman saga, this is the film to get. Like I said in the beginning, this is NOT a family movie. Please be mindful and don't trust the stores listing it as a family friendly film.

Making Sense of Generation One: Part 5

The original Transformers animated series is considered to be one of the best cartoons from 1980's. One of the saddest moments from that decade of great cartoons was when the series ceased its broadcast run in 1989. Season three of the series was definitely a difficult transition for many fans due to the change in setting, style, and characters. Due to the decline in success for the animated series after the failure of the 1986 film in theaters and the lackluster reception to the third season, Hasbro decided that season four would be the final season of new episodes. However, this season would consist of only three episodes. This mini-series was called The Rebirth.

Season four writer David Wise reported in 2004 that season four was supposed to consist of a five part mini-series to introduce the new Headmasters and Targetmasters and tie up the series. Hasbro then made a last minute decision to cram the story into three parts. David Wise did a great job with compensating considering the huge amount characters he had to work in. In three 22 minute episodes, David Wise introduced the Headmasters, Targetmasters, their origin, Sixshot, Nebulos, the Nebulon race, the evil Hive, Skorponok, Fortress Maximus, Punch/Counterpunch, the Autobot and Decepticon Clones, and the Horrorcons. Wise also crafted the story to see the restoration of Cybertron. That is a lot of story to cram into 90 minutes, but again, Wise did a great job introducing all of these concepts and giving the show a proper series finale in the U.S. The show again featured a new opening intro, however it retained the season three song but featured new animation from the commercials.

In 1988, Hasbro commissioned one final season of the Transformers. Hasbro created a stop motion animated Powermaster Optimus Prime to host a sort of "best of" collection of episodes which ran from 1988 to early 1989 on the weekends. This Optimus Prime would tell classic adventures of the Transformers to a young boy named Tommy Kennedy, and the two would interact verbally during the episodes. The episodes came mainly from the third and fourth seasons with the three part series premiere episode More Than Meets the Eye brought in at the beginning of the season's run. The show also featured the first ever televised broadcast of Transformers: The Movie, but it was broken down into five parts with the music video for Stan Bush's The Touch shown at the end of part five.

When the show finished its run, no new Transformers episodes aired in the United States until Transformers: Beast Wars in 1995. In 1993, Hasbro did re-air classic Generation One episodes under the Generation 2 banner for two seasons. However, no original episodes were produced. Many fans in the United States at the time the "fifth" season of the original cartoon ended believed the adventures of Generation One had ended. However, while the U.S. series was wrapping up in 1987, the animated series continued in Japan. In fact, three additional seasons aired as well as one additional series pilot from 1987 to 1990.

Blaster

This spotlight is on Blaster, the Autobot counterpart to the popular Decepticon Soundwave! Similar to Soundwave, Blaster transformed into a stereo cassette player. Blaster definitely felt like an Autobot with his bright red, yellow, and gray color scheme. His transformation was pretty simple. You simply unfold the speakers to form the legs, flip out the arms, slide out the fists and elbows, and flip up the head. In the beginning, Blaster wasn't marketed with cassette forces of his own like Soundwave. Blaster eventually had some cassette warriors released during year three of the original Transformers toy line. The first four cassettes included two robots (Rewind and Eject) and two animals (Steeljaw, the lion, and Ramhorn, the rhino). Blaster was a great figure and a great addition to the Autobot forces.

The only problem with Blaster was his scale. The figure transformed into a decent size radio, but his robot mode ended up being massive. In Blaster's original toy commercial, two children had Optimus Prime and Blaster figures battling Soundwave, and Blaster was double the size of Prime. However, in the animated series, they are the same height. Go figure. If you want to get your hands on Blaster, Hasbro recently reissued the figure with some of his cassettes as part of this year's Comic-Con.

Making Sense of Generation One: Part 4

The aftermath of Transformers: The Movie left a lot of fans wondering what was coming next for the robots in disguise. In the span of 90 minutes of animation, a huge percentage of everyone's favorite characters had been killed off or reformatted into new characters. Also, the setting shifted to twenty years in the future. If there was ever a time that people didn't know what was next, this was the time. In September of 1986, season three of the animated series began. What fans discovered is this season was more than meets the eye.

Season three began with a five part mini-series called Five Faces of Darkness. This series took place one year after the events of the film (2006) with Rodimus Prime in command of the Autobots and Galvatron still missing from the Unicron War. The Decepticons have been forced off of Cybertron and Earth and have taken refuge on the burned out planet of Charr. The mini-series also explained the origin of both Cybertron and the Transformers themselves revealing the mysterious five faced Quintessons were their creators. With the conclusion of the mini-series, the Autobots now had to face not only the insane Galvatron and the Decepticons, but also the evil Quintessons intent on reclaiming Cybertron and destroying both the Autobots and Decepticons.

The third season was a season of highs and lows. The first half of the season was animated by a new animation company called AKOM. Their work was pretty poor with AKOM only producing a few quality episodes (Dark Awakening for example). Other episodes like Carnage in C-Minor were some of the worst episodes ever animated in the series with errors and inconsistencies every few seconds. Toei Animation took back the duties of animating the show close to halfway through the season which meant there was a huge step up in animation quality. The season's writing however was among the best right from the beginning with only a few episodes that were just bad (Surprise Party anyone?). The previously mentioned Dark Awakening along with Ghost in the Machine, The Ultimate Weapon, The Burden Hardest to Bear, and The Return of Optimus Prime (Parts 1 & 2) were incredible episodes to watch. There was also a greater continuity between episodes which was a welcome revision, and head writer Flint Dille made an effort to make the show more mature in its story lines.

Overall, season three was a great season. The largest problem for fans with the season was the complete overhaul of the show. All of the familiar faces were missing (barring cameos from Bumblebee, Starscream, the Airealbots, and memories of Megatron), and fans were still bothered by the death of Optimus Prime (even though Hasbro restored Optimus Prime to life in the season finale). The human characters were also different with Spike being all grown up with his son Daniel as the new teenaged character for the fans to connect with. Also, the futuristic style and the new focus on adventures on different planets was a shift as well. It was a season of a many changes, and some fans found it hard to embrace these changes. Although the 1986 toys were amazing and selling very well, this year began the decline in the popularity of the Generation One franchise in the United States.

European Classics Octane

Here is another one of the "Classics" figures released in 1991 overseas in Europe. This is a rerelease of the classic Generation One Triple-Changer Octane. The toy was originally released in 1986. I have never owned Octane, so I won't be able to go into detail about his transformation. However, as a figure he is pretty solid. He transforms from tanker truck to jumbo jet to robot. As one of the first original molds from Hasbro (especially a triple-changer), the designers did the best job they could with available design technology. The truck mode looks great with a nice chromed trailer, and the jet mode looks awesome with the chromed wings. The robot mode is pretty good, but I think it could have been better. There are large indents in the front of both of his legs due to the transformation, and his arms don't have much (not that any G1 figure did) articulation. Overall, Octane is worth picking up if you have the chance, especially if it is the rare European Classics version. However, I would definitely recommend Blitzwing or Astrotrain before Octane.

Octane played a small role in the third season of the animated series. He was seen in multiple episodes as a background character, but Octane got starring roles in the episodes Thief in the Night and Starscream's Ghost. Thief in the Night saw Octane try to take control of the Decepticons by stealing Trypticon and learning how to create Super-Energon. In Starscream's Ghost, it was hard to tell if the writers mixed up Octane with Blitzwing (Blitzwing was expelled from the Decepticons in Five Faces of Darkness: Part Five), but it would be safe to assume that Octane was also on the run after stealing Trypticon. In this episode, Octane enters into a partnership with ghost of the traitorous Starscream.

Slapdash

Here is another one of my favorite figures from the Generation One era of the Transformers. Slapdash was one of the Autobot Powermasters. The gimmick behind the Powermasters was they each had an engine which could transform into a robot (or a binary bonded Nebulan depending on which continuity you follow). Slapdash had a really unique transformation that would be a little too complicated to discuss here. His upper body was simple, but the front of the car actually flipped and rotated around the body to form the legs. Overall, next to Powermaster Optimus Prime and Overlord, Slapdash is my favorite Powermaster. His color scheme was awesome, and the figure's design was excellent. My only complaint is he is another one of the characters who felt the sting in the United States from the animated series going off the air in 1987. Slapdash (a 1988 figure) did appear in animated form briefly in the commercials, and he did play a small role in the Marvel comics. If you really wanted to see Slapdash in action, check out the Japanese exclusive series Transformers: Super-God Masterforce where he was known as Road King. If you have been keeping up with my Making Sense of Generation One series, don't worry. We'll be talking about Super-God Masterforce soon.

Making Sense of Generation One: Part 3

By 1986, the Transformers franchise had gone beyond being a simple success to becoming a worldwide phenomenon. The toys were selling with like crazy, the Marvel comic book series was a smash, and kids were tuning in every weekday to check out the animated adventures of the robots in disguise. It was inevitable that the Transformers would eventually hit the big screen. In the summer of 1986, Transformers: The Movie hit movie theaters every where (except Japan).

Production on the movie began around the beginning of season two's production. For this reason, many of the season two characters featured in the film didn't have speaking roles as they hadn't had their characters established yet. Toei Animation returned to animate the film, and their work proved to be some of the best on screen animation ever produced at that time. The animation was far superior to the animated series with highly detailed visuals and very few animation errors. Also, Vince DiCola (who had arranged the soundtrack for Rocky IV) was brought on board to create the film's iconic 80's rock soundtrack. Flint Dille took the helm as the head writer of the film, and Nelson Shin directed. Jay Bacal of Hasbro said in a 2006 interview that "what we were going for was to bring in the older audience". Hasbro's thinking was that the original fans were growing older, and so it was time to make the story more appealing to the older audiences and the college aged crowd. Hasbro also used the film to introduce a new era of heroes and villains and subsequently wipe out the characters that had forged the franchise.

The film was set in the then future world of 2005 (twenty years after the events of season two which took place in 1985). It told the story of a powerful planetoid called Unicron which could devour other worlds. After destroying a planet called Lithone, Unicron made his way towards Cybertron. Meanwhile the Decepticons (who have taken control of Cybertron) are planning to make a final strike against the Autobots by destroying Autobot City on Earth. Megatron and his forces capture an Autobot shuttle and kill its crew (Brawn, Prowl, Ironhide, and Ratchet) and they infiltrate the city on Earth. At this point, Autobot City is guarded by a new group of Autobots (Ultra Magnus, Hot Rod, Kup, Arcee, Blurr, and Springer) who along with Autobots of the past attempt to repel the Decepticons. Optimus Prime eventually arrives and in an absolutely epic battle defeats both the Decepticons and Megatron, but he is mortally wounded. The Decepticons retreat back to Cybertron. On Earth, Optimus Prime dies and passes the Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus. In route to Cybertron, Starscream betrays Megatron and jettisons Megatron into deep space. Megatron is discovered by Unicron and is reformed into Galvatron. Several of his soldiers who were cast into space with him are also reformatted into Cyclonus, Scourge, and the Sweeps. Galvatron returns to Cybertron, kills Starscream, and retakes control of the Decepticons. All of this took place in the first 35 minutes of the movie. Talk about epic change!

Even though most fans have seen the film by now, I'll be nice with this post and not spoil the rest of the film. In the final hour of movie, a lot of amazing things occur including the introduction of the Junkions and Quintessons; the Unicron War (Unicron transforms from planet mode to a gigantic robot to attack Cybertron); and the rise of the new Autobot leader, Rodimus Prime. The film was definitely a much darker film than anyone in the summer of 1986 expected. The film was rated PG at the time, but in today's world, it easily would have been rated PG-13 (in 1986, there was no PG-13 rating). The film was brutally violent with many of the franchise's key characters being killed off on screen to make way for the next round of characters (toys). There was also two swear words dropped in for good measure which Jay Bacal said was done intentionally to make sure the film got a PG rating. It has been reported that one child locked himself in his room for two weeks after seeing Optimus Prime die on screen. The public and critical outcry to the film was pretty negative due to the film's violent nature and its borrowing of several Star Wars elements. However, the film has earned its status today of being a "cult" classic, and in 2006 it earned the honor of being released once again but in a sort of "ultimate" edition by Sony BMG with the two-disc Transformers: The Movie: 20th Anniversary Special Edition.

The film is hailed by fans and most people as the most recognizable and important story in the history of the franchise. The negative outcry mainly arose from the drastically different nature of the film compared to the animated series. In the animated series, the wounded Transformers would always be repaired or ride off into the sunset to fight another day. This film brought the conflict into a sort of reality never touched on by the show in such a strong fashion. The Cybertronian wars were filled with "real" violence and not every character was going to make it out alive. Also, the events of the film are what has enabled it to become the classic film that it has. Flint Dille said in another 2006 interview "I never would have thought I would be sitting here twenty years later talking about the Transformers movie." Optimus Prime's on screen death, as well as the first appearance of the Matrix and Unicron are now staples in the Transformers mythology. Hasbro at the time had no idea how iconic the characters had become, and it was this lack of knowledge that hurt the series going into the third season. If you have never seen the 1986 movie, it really is the highlight of the original Transformers franchise. The movie would end up being a part of the animated series canon and would bridge the gap between seasons two and three.

Making Sense of Generation One: Part 2

Today is a really lazy Saturday, so why not post another part of this series. With the success of the first season of Transformers, Hasbro commissioned a second season to be produced. The series moved to weekdays and began its broadcast run in September of 1985. The second season contained a titanic 49 episodes in order to bring Transformers up to the required 65 episodes to make it into syndication.

The second season featured improved animation, a larger cast, a new intro, and a new theme song. Thirteen of the episodes focused on the original cast from season one. After which, there were many new Autobots and Decepticons who joined the show. In a really weird move, these characters just seemed to appear out of no where with no explanation of how they arrived. All of the season one characters acted as if these new Transformers had always been at their side. The broadcast order of the episodes helped with the transition, but if you were to watch the episodes in chronological order, it was a bit of a shock. The second season also dropped the sequencing of the first season episodes. Up until the final thirteen episodes, you could pick up and watch the episodes in any order. The style was redone in order to make sure every character/ toy had a spotlight episode. The final thirteen episodes had more continuity but it wasn't always concrete. These episodes featured the origins of the Airealbots, Stunticons, and Combaticons. The Protectobots pulled a "season 2" and just magically appeared in the final two episodes of the season.

Season two was the high note of the Transformers animated series. The episodes from this season are among the most remembered by long time fans. The highlights of this season included the introduction of the combiner teams and triple-changers, the first appearance of Alpha Trion, the introduction of Carly (Spike's future wife), and a first look into the crafting of Transformers mythology. The season also saw a maturing of the themes and stories as the stories became darker and certain characters (Megatron and Starscream in particular) became more intense. Some of the best episodes of season two included The God Gambit, Starscream's Brigade, The Key To Vector Sigma (Parts 1 & 2), Day of the Machines, and Traitor.

The two low points about this season were definitely the lack of a proper season finale and Hasbro's focus on Transformers as a "toy" show. B.O.T. is one of the worst episodes in terms of story telling in the series, and it was no way to properly end the season. In Japan, an OVA called Scramble City did appropriately tie off the season with the introduction of Ultra Magnus, Metroplex, and Trypticon. However, the OVA was meant to be a filler for the Japanese audience to bridge the gap between seasons two and three since they wouldn't get Transformers: The Movie until 1990. Hasbro's focus of Transformers being a "toy" show became far more evident in this season due to all of the spotlight episodes. The series is still one of the best cartoons ever produced, but it really did start to feel like an advertisement rather a series of great stories at times.

Making Sense of Generation One: Part 1

Inspired by a recent comment from a friend about there being six seasons of the original Transformers, I thought I'd start a new series to make sense of the original Transformers animated series from the 1980's. In this series, I will discuss each season of the U.S. series and then the show's jump to Japan to wrap up the story. Let's start first with season one in 1984.

In the beginning, Hasbro contracted Sunbow (who had done the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series) and the Japanese animation company Toei Animation to produce a three part mini-series which told the origin of how the Transformers came to Earth and how the Autobots got connected with the humans. The mini-series in conjunction with the new four issue Marvel comic book proved to be a huge success, and Hasbro commissioned the both mediums to continue their series past their end points. Transformers launched its first season in September of 1984 with the original three part mini-series added in as its premiere now dubbed "More Than Meets the Eye". In addition to the mini-series, the season consisted of 13 original episodes which aired on Saturday/ Sunday mornings across the U.S.

The design of the first season was more consistent with how current Transformers cartoons operate in that the episodes could stand alone, but they were really designed to be watched in order. Although there was no overlying story arc for the season, events from one episode usually carried into the next. Highlights of the season involved the introduction of both the Autobots and Decepticons; the introduction of the main human characters Spike, Sparkplug, and Chip Chase; the first appearances of Skyfire, the Dinobots, the Insecticons, and the Constructicons; and also the brief appearance of the evil human scientist Dr. Archevil. The season also contained fan favorite episodes S.O.S. Dinobots, The Ultimate Doom (Parts 1, 2, & 3), and Heavy Metal War. The episodes from this season are among the most remembered although there were some inconsistencies at times as the core mechanics of the characters were still being developed. The season also contained the now iconic theme song of the Transformers.

The Transformers franchise proved so popular that Japan ended their Diaclone and Microman toy lines (which are the lines Hasbro imported, combined, and rebranded as the Transformers) to import the Transformers. The first season of the animated series would air in Japan as Fight! Super Robot Life Form Transformers!

Cindersaur

I have long made fun of these (and the Gobots). This is one of three of the most ridiculously designed Transformers of all time. This is Cindersaur of the 1988 Firecons. The gimmick with each Firecon is that they could shoot sparks from their chests. This wouldn't be allowed nowadays due to child safety laws. His alternate mode is basically an overweight, barely mobile dragon. To transform him, all you have to do is pull back the arms and pull out the head. That's it. The robot mode looks just plain bad. There are not many G1 figures that I can't stand, but I really wish Hasbro hadn't wasted anyone's time with these. The Sparkabots were great figures, and they could easily outmaneuver and outlast these poor Decepticons.

Transformers Artwork #18

It's been a while since my last artwork posting. This pic comes from the European exclusive era of Generation One. This image was used on the back of the boxes of the toys and featured the formerly Japanese exclusive Overlord and Brain Masters. Let's just say I am very jealous of the Europeans from 1991 as they got so many amazing figures that we here in the United States have never seen. If you have read my past entries, you guys know that Overlord is one of my all time favorite Transformers. The Brain Master cars pictured here consisted of vehicles with robots who entered the larger robot's chest and they transform into their faces. The three cars could also combine to form the powerful Autobot Road Caesar! Just like the European exclusive Earth Force (repaints of the Transformers: Victory Liokaiser combiners), the three cars didn't come with the parts to combine for their European release.

Horri-bull

This fan really has a soft spot for not only Transformers: Generation 2, but also the 1987 and 1988 years of the Generation One era. This figure is one of my favorites from when I was a kid. This is the Decepticon Headmaster Horri-bull! The gimmick behind the Headmasters was simple. The pilot of the vehicle or trainer of the beast could transform into the head of the robot. Horri-bull was part of the second wave of Headmaster Decepticons released in 1988 (the first wave was part of the 1987 line). The bull transformed into the body while the trainer became his head. To transform the body, you remove the tail (becomes the gun), flip back the rear portion to form the legs, flip out the hands on the front legs to form the arms, and flip back the bull's head. Then you would take the trainer and fold him in half to transform him into head mode, and the you plug the head into the body.

This figure was another Generation One brick with his only articulation being in his shoulders and his knees. However, all Generation One toys have a certain charm that plays with the imagination of the kid in all of us, and unless they are the Firecons, it is impossible to not enjoy the classics of Generation One (someday I'll review a Firecon, and you'll know why they were so bad). The chest piece could also open to reveal a power meter for the robot's tech specs. With all Headmasters, their heads could be swapped and the specs would change for the body.

Due to Horri-bull being released in 1988, he faced the same problem as all toys in the United States from 1988 onward. Horri-bull only appeared briefly in the comics, and he had no appearance at all in the animated series. Horri-bull never even appeared in animated form in the commercials. Horri-bull did appear in the Japanese exclusive animated series Transformers: Super-God Masterforce which detailed the adventures of the Powermasters, Headmasters, and Pretenders.

Swerve

Here is a spotlight on one of the Mini-bots from the Generation One era of the Transformers. I figured it has been a while since I have said anything about the Mini-bots, so let's get another one on the ol' blog. Swerve was released in 1986 as part of the third year of the Transformers toy line. He is remold and slight retool of the year one Autobot Gears. Swerve transforms exactly the same as Gears. You simply flip the legs back and pull out and flip up the arms, that's it. The retooling is obvious in robot mode as Swerve has a new face. Also, the paint apps are different with the red and blues of Gears being replaced with red and whites. Swerve was a cool little Mini-bot, but he had only one appearance in season three of the animated series. Swerve first appeared in Five Faces of Darkness: Part Five as the Autobots tried to protect the Ark from Trypticon. Swerve got stomped into the ground by Trypticon. Since it was the animated series in the 1980's in the United States, it is safe to assume Swerve survived.

Dirge

This is another spotlight on a Generation One version of an upcoming Transformers: Generations figure. This is another one of the Seekers, Dirge. Dirge is another remold/ retooling of the original Starscream mold from year one of the original Transformers toy line. Like Thrust, the figure had a new set of wings crafted for him. Also, as seen in the animated series, when transforming Dirge, it is common to leave his nosecone on the top of his head as seen in the cartoon. The Seekers are simply classic toys, and I am excited to see that fans of Generation One will finally be able to complete their Classics Seeker set. The only figure left to be released is Thundercracker.

Transformers: War For Cybertron

According to most gaming websites and magazines, it looks like Transformers: War For Cybertron is the best Transformers game to be released since Transformers: Armada, and this title surpasses Armada in every way. So far, I think the best review is a 9.6 out of 10 from ign.com who called the game "outstanding". The game is a third person shooter telling the story of the beginning of the war on Cybertron before the Transformers came to Earth. The title is also based in the Generation One universe (about time). This means the gamer is playing as Cybertronian versions of classic characters like Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, Starscream, and more! Also, a huge number of Generation One characters make cameos in the game including Omega Supreme and Trypitcon as bosses. While I am sad a PS2 port will not be developed, I would rather play the original game than the port they released for Wii (Cybertron Adventures, which would most likely be the version released on PS2) which has received terrible reviews. If you have a capable PC, a Playstation 3, or an Xbox 360, what are you waiting for? Go pick up the best Transformers game ever released!

One Year Anniversary!

Even though you may be looking at the side bar and seeing this blog started in October, it really started in July of 2009 as the Teletran 3 Transformers Fan Blog. In August, I shut the blog down with no intention of continuing it. However, I relaunched it in October of 2009 as Rodimus Convoy's Transformers Fan Blog with all new posts and info. Although its not really a big deal (especially since nobody really knows this blog exists ;) ), it's exciting that this has been going for a year. Thanks to anyone who does read this blog, and thank you Hasbro for continuing to keep the Transformers franchise alive! Here's to the start of the another year, and happy Fourth of July!

Action Master Starscream

This spotlight is for the Generation One Action Master Starscream. This figure was released in 1990 at the end of the original Transformers toy line. The toy featured the legendary Decepticon reborn as an Action Master (stronger, faster, more alive, but not able to transform). The color scheme for Starscream was based heavily on his previously released Pretender form. The figure itself resembled Starscream in his design. It was strange however to see that is wings were no located on his back, but rather they were shrunk down and attached to his arms. Other than that, the figure looked really good.

Starscream came with the Turbo Jet vehicle. The jet wasn't anything special. Starscream basically sat on the jet like a motorcycle, and it sort of resembled Ramjet in terms of design (not in color scheme). The battle station mode was really goofy looking as the rear of the jet flipped to the top to reveal some missile launchers and the rest of the jet transformed into what looked like ... who knows. At least Wheeljack and Sprocket's vehicles actually looked like something else. Action Master Prowl's motorcycle had the same issue as the Turbo Jet. It was like Hasbro thought they had to make the alternate mode look like something, so let's make it do this and call it that. Didn't work for me, but this is a great piece for collectors. Personally, I would just get the figure.

Limited Edition Piranacon

This is one more awesome piece of news from BotCon 2010. Apparently, the Seacons will be getting rereleased in stores at long last! All six Seacons in their original colors will be released as part of the Transformers: Generations toy line in a box similar to that of the U.S. releases of Transformers: Masterpiece Skywarp. This is great news for collectors who missed out on the opportunity last year to get their hands on the Transformers Collectors' Club exclusive.

The Seacons have been rumored for release to retail since the days of the original Transformers: Universe line. The figures unfortunately never saw release. Hasbro did finally decide to release the figures as an exclusive to their Transformers Collector's Club with new colors and a new box. Now, the Seacons will return, and hopefully be easier and cheaper to get.

Thrust

In honor of all of the new Transformers: Generations figures being previewed at BotCon this year, I thought I would post some images from the original versions of these characters (except Blurr, I posted on him a long time ago). This image is of the original Generation One version of Thrust! He was a remold of the popular Starscream mold from the first year of the Transformers toy line. With the year two Seekers, Hasbro decided to retool the wings on Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust. The transformation of the figure is exactly the same as the year one Seekers (Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker), however the animated series and Marvel Comics encouraged kids to not fold back the nosecones officially creating the cone-heads. Their box art showed the figures with a normal head, but everyone remembers these characters as having their nosecones as part of their heads. It is hard for me to pick a favorite Seeker from year two, but Thrust is pretty close. I am really looking forward to his pending release as part of the 2010 Transformers: Generations toy line.

More Awesome Generations Figures!

The images in this post are pulled from seibertron.com. Hasbro is really pulling out all of the stops with the new Transformers: Generations toy line. There are so many great figures on the way, I think if I were still an avid collector, I would be broke. I really only collect the legends figures, but there are a lot of great ones coming out like G1 Megatron, G1 Optimus Prime, G1 Prowl, and G1 Starscream. For the deluxe class figures, Jazz, Soundwave (WFC), Megatron (WFC), Thunderwing, Tracks, and more are on the way. It is going to be a great year if you are a fan of Transformers: Generation One!

Generation 2 Breakdown

Since I may be out of pocket for a couple of days, here is one more post in honor of BotCon 2010. This is the original Transformers: Generation 2 Breakdown! This figure was released in 1994 as an exclusive figure at the first BotCon. The toy is a direct remold and repaint of the original Generation One Breakdown. As such, his transformation is exactly the same in that you pull back on the rear of the car, unfold the legs, flip the hood back, and flip up the arms to form the robot mode. Great, but definitely hard to get, toy!

The story behind this toy is really unique. Originally, Hasbro planned on rereleasing the Stunticons and Protectobots in the Transformers: Generation 2 toy line. An extremely limited number of figures actually made it to the packaging stage. However, with the line fading away, Hasbro cancelled the figures. The only one to ever see release was Breakdown when he was released as a BotCon 94 exclusive.

Transformers: Generation 2 BotCon Box Set

BotCon 2010 is underway, and here is an image of the BotCon 2010, Transformers: Generation 2 Redux box set. The set features multiple remolds crafted and painted into classic Generation 2 characters. The only names changed were Pyro (now known as Spark) and Streetwise (now known as Streetstar). The set also includes a recreation of the European exclusive figure Clench (repainted with new head from Onslaught figure), an appearance from the Robots in Disguise figure Sky-Byte, and the Stunticon Breakdown (a repaint and retooling of the Sunstreaker mold) in his Generation 2 colors.

There are also plenty of other Generation 2 exclusive toys at BotCon 2010. Other Classics figures got the repaint treatment (my personal favorite being Rapido). Also, it seems that the Transformers Collector's Club exclusive Punch/ Counterpunch figure is also available at the convention. All this to say, there are a lot of great toys at BotCon 2010. Happy hunting!

New Generations Toys!

I recently saw this post from seibertron.com. Apparently, Hasbro has some great figures in line for the upcoming Transformers: Generations line (which is basically Transformers: Classics 3.0). The highly anticipated Dirge will join the line as well as Red Alert, and Blurr (who will be a retool of Drift, but still looks awesome!). Other figures will include Megatron and Soundwave from the new video game Transformers: War for Cybertron who will join Optimus Prime and Bumblebee who will be released in wave one. Classics is the only current Transformers toy line that I can stay excited about, and I am really looking forward to the next round.

Transformers Artwork #17

This piece is actually the cover of the last Transformers: Spotlight issue to date, Spotlight: Metroplex. This image features the titanic Autobot in robot mode with the Throttlebots battling the powerful six-changer Sixshot. Metroplex was a great character in the Generation One universe. He transformed from city mode, to battle station, to a giant robot.

Unreleased Generation 2 Legends

Transformers: Generation 2 was a great toy line that helped bring the Transformers brand back into the hearts and imaginations of kids and adults in the early 1990's after Hasbro canceled the original toy line. However, nostalgia would only take the line so far, and it was cancelled after a three year run. Several toys were unreleased due to the ending of the line. Among the casualties were the Generation 2 versions of the Stunticons and Protectobots. Both combiner teams were set to be rereleased for the toy line, however with Hasbro shifting the Transformers brand to Kenner (their boys' toys division) and their focus on creating the Beast Wars toy line, the two teams were canceled after an extremely limited production run. The ten figures were all finished with their paint applications and their cards (I assuming the leaders were boxed, but I have never seen a boxed sample) intact for the sample stage. Over the last four years, the few carded "limb" figures were sold on e-Bay for crazy high prices. Good luck finding any of these figures. It took over 15 years for any samples to surface. The only figure of the ten to see any type of public release was Breakdown who was released in limited quantities at the very first BotCon in 1994.

Double Punch

This is one of the European exclusive figures from the Generation One toy line. Released in 1991, Double Punch is one of the Action Master Elite figures. The Action Masters were part of a sub-line near the end of the original Transformers toy line which consisted action figure versions of classic and original Transformers characters. These toys were unable to transform into an alternate mode, however the four Elite figures had a limited ability to transform.

Double Punch transformed from a robot to a scorpion. His design is heavily influenced by the Japanese exclusive figure Black Zarak. The robot mode looks virtually spot on, however the colors for the figure features teals and blues rather than gold. Transforming this figure is really simple. From robot mode (I know, this is reversing how I normally do this), you flip up the arms, flip down the scorpion legs, fold the legs over the back, and flip out the guns. It's a pretty good looking mode, and it was neat to see an Action Master that could transform. I still say it would have been great to get these toys (and all of the European exclusives for that matter) in the United States. Why Hasbro, why?

Raiden

Here is a gem from the 1987 series Transformers: The Headmasters. This is the gift set for the Trainbots. These figures were Japanese exclusives and unfortunately never saw the light of day in the United States. These six figures each transformed into train cars, and they could connect in their vehicle modes to form a full train. The figures could then combine to form the super robot Raiden.

One interesting note about these toys is that each figure is the same size as the six individual Constructicons. This is because the Trainbots were originally part of the Diaclone toy line which preceded the Transformers line. Like the Constructicons, the molds for the Trainbots were incorporated into the Transformers toy line and became regular characters. They never appeared in toy form or in animated form outside of Japan. The six Trainbots were regular characters in the animated series Transformers: The Headmasters which many fans consider to be the lost fourth season of the original Generation One series.

We Now Return...

With this post, I wanted to officially state I will be returning to my blog. I have updated the look to it, and I hope you guys enjoy it. I plan on doing some additional posting over the next few days. Thank you all again for your patience, and God bless!

Rodimus Convoy

Hiatus

Hey fellow Trans-Fans. For the time being, I will be taking a brief break from the blog. I have a lot of big things coming up which will demand more of my attention. I will not be shutting down the blog this time (as with Teletran 3, my previous blog). That blog I shut down with no intention of doing any further writing. With this blog, I do plan to come back really soon. I will leave this site up for references and for fun reads from any fans on the web who happen to stumble across it. Again, I do plan on posting new entries within another month or two. Until then, I will close with what the image says..."The Transformers will return after these messages."

Rodimus Prime vs. Rodimus Prime?

I saw a recent post on a forum on seibertron.com that made me think of this. It is amazing how much the Generation One Rodimus Prime gets a bad wrap because of his incarnation in season three of the original series. The fact he replaced Optimus Prime didn't help much either.

In the movie, Optimus Prime was killed off after a heroic final battle against Megatron. Eventually, the young Autobot known as Hot Rod would reclaim the stolen Matrix from Galvatron, unleash its power to destroy Unicron, and he would become the new Autobot commander Rodimus Prime. In the movie, he was portrayed as a strong and courageous new leader. There were still traces of him in the third season, but fans tend to remember more of the character's weaknesses. Rodimus Prime was insecure in his leadership and even walked out on the Autobots at one point. He was also more impulsive as he leaped into action first and thought about the consequences later.

However, I feel the style through which the character was written was a great move on the part of Flint Dille as this part of Rodimus needed to be seen in order to flesh the character out. I feel that the struggles seen during the third season only helped to make Rodimus Prime more real in that he had to learn how hold the mantle of leadership. Optimus Prime was once a young robot too formerly known as Orion Pax. On screen, we saw his youthful innocence once after he was betrayed by Megatron, and he was fatally wounded and rebuilt into Optimus Prime by Alpha Trion. That mistake was all fans saw. We never got to see the other mistakes he made or the path he took to become a strong leader. Rodimus Prime only held the Matrix for a little over a year before Optimus Prime returned. It would realistically be ridiculous to think that a young character would mature to the level of Optimus so quickly. I think the writing style added a lot to the character, and had he remained the leader a while longer we may have seen more of the hero of Unicron War.

Masterpiece Optimus Prime

In 2004, one of the best versions of Optimus Prime hit the store shelves in the United States and in Japan. That figure was Masterpiece Optimus Prime. The figure was designed to look like his animated counterpart and transform into a vehicle that looked also like its animated version. The robot mode was highly articulated (right down to the fingers), and it was made almost entirely of dye cast metal. There were plastic parts such as Prime's hydraulics and the rubber tires however. The figure also featured the Autobot Matrix of Leadership which could glow when opened. It sat inside of Optimus Prime's chest behind the wind sheild and in a hidden compartment (like in the 1986 film). I could spend a lot of time talking about this figure, but I won't. If you have the $80.00 to pick him up on eBay, I would highly recommend it. Outside of the original figure and the Powermaster Optimus Prime, this is the version of the figure to get.

Transformers Artwork #16

In honor of the recent post on the Cybertronian form of Transformers: Animated Megatron, here is one of the images of the character from the series. The cool thing about this form of Megatron is he truly looks like he is an evil character. From the pointed shoulders to his fusion cannon to his evil gaze just says that the Autobots are in deep trouble. This form of the character was a mix between the original Generation One character and the 2007 movie version. Eventually when Megatron was rebuilt on Earth, his new body heavily resembled his body from the Japanese exclusive manga Battlestars: The Return of Convoy which was released in 1991. That form was a heavily upgraded version of his original animated form.

Megatron (Animated, Deluxe)

Although the Transformers: Animated toy line suffered from some design flaws, there were some great figures which came from the line. One of which was a really slick deluxe Megatron which came in a 2-pack with Optimus Prime and a DVD of the first episode of Transformers: Animated. This figure transformed from a robot into a Cybertronian fighter...or something to that degree. While the vehicle mode is one of the strangest modes in the entire Transformers franchise, the robot mode was awesome. Megatron had an anime style with all parts (yes...I am talking about the fusion cannon here) in proportion. The voyager version in my opinion looked poor for not following this idea. The battle damage marks weren't really needed, but they can be removed with rubbing alcohol. Overall, this Megatron was a great toy to pick up and display on your collector's shelf. Check e-Bay or your local comic book/ collector's store to find one.

Robot Masters Starscream

Here is another one of those gems from Japan. There was a brief toy line over seas called Transformers: Robot Masters. This line featured smaller transformable action figure versions of Optimus Prime, Beast Megatron, Star Saber, and the figure in this spotlight, Starscream. This figure was unique because before the Classics line, this was the first Starscream figure to look and feel like the animated version of the character. Although he did feature some skinny arms, Starscream more closely resembled his animated form than any other toy did. He even came with a cool accessory which clipped on to his chest to recreate the missile launchers he had in the Generation One episode Fire on the Mountain. This mold would eventually be repainted as Thundercracker and Skywarp. If you have the opportunity to get this figure, he is worth a look.

Overlord

This is one of my favorite Transformers, this is the Decepticon Overlord, mint in box! It would be awesome if I could actually get my hands one. This is the European release of this once Japanese exclusive figure. He was released in Japan as part of Transformers: Super-God Masterforce as a God-Master (Power Masters in the U.S./ the use of god in Japanese is a term for power). Overlord transformed from a powerful battle station into a jet and a tank. He also came with two partners (Giga and Mega) who could transform into engines to unlock the toy's ability to transform. One combined with the tank to split into two parts and the other combined with jet to unlock the thrusters to form the arms of the torso. You then combined the vehicles to form Overlord! Also, if you plugged the two engines into the Overlord mode, you could unlock extra guns built into the robot. It is a real shame that this figure never saw a release of any kind in the U.S. He truly was one of the best Decepticons ever made for Generation One. I will probably do a full spotlight on him at a later date.

Arise, Pretenders! (but only in Japan)

One of the great tragedies of the cancellation of the animated series in the United States was that fans never had a true opportunity to see the 1988 characters in animated form outside of commercials. Super-God Masterforce in Japan rectified this. One really unique sub-group of Transformers were the Pretenders. They were Autobots and Decepticons with the ability to not only transform into vehicles, but they had outer organic shells to disguise their inner robots. Talk about robots in disguise! In the series, the Pretenders took on shells and could displace their mass to change size. Although only the Autobot Pretenders did this, I assume the Decepticon Pretenders could do the same thing. The Pretenders played a large role in the series until the appearance of the God-Masters (Power Masters). After that, they were still active, but took more of a backseat (excluding Metal Hawk).

In the U.S., the Pretenders did appear in the comics, but the concept was kind of ridiculous as the shells made the Autobots look like 4o foot tall humans, and somehow they managed to blend in to society. The cool part was that they could separate from their shells, and then they could remote control their shells to fight beside their robot modes.

Blurr

Here is everyones favorite fast talking Autobot. Voiced by the legendary Micro Machine man John Moschitta, Blurr was an interesting addition to the main line up in the third season of the original cartoon. His toy had a really interesting design, and was based on his animation models. His vehicle mode was that of a futuristic hover car. His color scheme was made up of primarily different shades of blue and grey. To transform him, you simply remove the front portion of the car (becomes a shield), flip out his legs, fold back the rear of the car, flip his head up, fold back the front side panels to form his arms, and presto! You have a unique figure. His legs were made of dye cast metal pieces, and the rest of his body was made of sturdy plastic. Although he did have a very slender robot mode, Blurr was a great addition to the Autobot forces in 1986. His figure would be rereleased in 1987 as a Target Master.

25 Years of Bumblebee

Similar to legendary characters like Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream, Bumblebee has shown up in the various incarnations of the Transformers in many different forms. Since debuting in 1984, Bumblebee has been a mini-bot, a Pretender, Legend, Action Master, Titanium, Classic, Hero of Cybertron, a movie star, a key chain, and even another character entirely as Goldbug after he got blown away and rebuilt by G.I. Joe (or Superion and rebuilt by a Quintesson depending on if you went for the Marvel Comics or the cartoon). He is a classic character, and I hope we continue to see more toys of every fan's favorite espionage agent.

Transformers #69

After the horrible artwork in issue #68, it was excellent to see that artist Andy Wildman returned for the next issue. In Eye of the Storm, Simon Furman continues to build up steam as the threat of Unicron grows closer. After two issues, the story returns to Optimus Prime and the Ark as they travel through deep space. Most of the Autobots have taken the time following the defeat of Thunderwing to rest and recharge. However, Grimlock has become extremely restless. Waverider finds Grimlock destroying a room aboard the Ark, and learns that Grimlock is heavily focused on reviving his fallen Dinobots.

The story cuts to Optimus Prime as he begins to experience great pain from the Powermaster process. After he recomposes himself, he meets with Nightbeat who explains that Ratchet may have survived the explosion which destroyed Megatron's fortress on Cybertron. Nightbeat's theory is that perhaps Ratchet was blown into the trans-dimensional portal by the explosion, and that he could be trapped in unspace as evidenced by the fact that search teams never found Ratchet or Megatron's remains. Nightbeat suggests that they send a probe into unspace to try and locate Ratchet, to which Optimus Prime agrees.

Elsewhere in space, Unicron is congratulating Hook, Line, and Sinker for brining him Galvatron. Galvatron is not pleased with Unicron as he had been plucked from his own time where he was the master of Earth. Unicron says that he needs for Galvatron to disrupt any chances Cybertron has to prepare for Unicron's arrival to which Galvatron vows to serve Unicron no more. After some persuasion, Galvatron agrees to help Unicron, but he secretly vows to make Unicron pay for taking him from his reality. Back on Earth, Mindwipe and Triggerhappy leave the Decepticon forces after Skorponok lost Starscream. As they flee, they soon find Starscream. At first they are afraid of him (Starscream did try to destroy all of the Transformers in issue #50), but Starscream says they have a common goal to get rid of Skorponok. After Ravage (who hasn't been seen since his battle with Skids farther back than Starscream's attempt to destroy the Transformers) and Shockwave join them, Shockwave makes it clear that he intends to dethrone Skorponok. Starscream then says they are declaring war.

Back at the Ark, Grimlock steals the bodies of his Dinobots from the stasis pods and also steals a shuttle to take them to Hydrus 4. Optimus Prime announces to his crew that once they arrive on Earth, the Autobots will be surrendering to the Decepticons in order to reunite the Cybertronian race. Nightbeat reports that he has found something in unspace. He pulls the probe back, but what he has found horrifies all who were in view. They have indeed found Ratchet, but his body is fused with Megatron!

This was a great bridge issue in my opinion. Simon Furman has always shown himself to be a great story teller, and after the destruction of the Matrix, he is showing just how grave the situation is for the Cybertronian race. On the one hand, we have the Autobots on verge of a drastic move to stop Unicron, they are also about to face a horrifying creature, and Grimlock has gone awry. On another hand, the Decepticons have splintered into two factions and a civil war is about to erupt in their ranks. If you have a third hand, Unicron is preparing for his assault against Cybertron, and Galvatron is planning his own liberation. There is a lot going on here, and Furman did a great job with the pacing and story telling. Also, a return to an established artist really helped.

European Constructicons

This is one of the oddities of the Generation One Transformers toy line. After the line ended in the United States and Europe continued to receive their own exclusive figures, they rereleased the six Constructicons. They were in their new paint schemes (which would be the colors for their Generation 2 debut in 1992 in the U.S.), but what was strange was that they came with none of the parts to form Devastator. In addition, each card had a generic looking robot that looked like Scrapper, but no individual character art (although they did have a shot of the entire team, but the large image was generic). Also, none of the figures had individual names. They were all labeled Decepticon. This sort of reminds of the European exclusive Earth Defense Force which were four remolds/ recolors of four out of the six Decepticon Breast Force members from Japan. They could combine to form their super robot form, but without the remaining members, the robot had no arms or head. You have to love random items.

Transformers Artwork #15

This is toy artwork from the Japanese Generation One toy line. Here is one of the few Decepticons released for Transformers: Zone. This is Metrotitan, a repaint of the Autobot known as Metroplex. In Transformers: Zone, there were nine Decepticon Demon Generals (not including Metrotitan) who served Violenjiger. However, those generals were never released (or rereleased rather as the generals were Devastator, Menasor, Bruticus, Abominus, Trypticon, Overlord, King Poseidon, Predaking, and Black Zarak) as stand alone figures. Only Metrotitan and the Micro Master Race Track Patrol were released as figures to fill out the Decepticon ranks for the line. I'd say even with the massive Metrotitan, the Decepticon forces in toy form were heavily outnumbered against the likes of Dai Atlas, Sonic Bomber, Road Fire, and all of the Autobot Micro Masters.

Generation 2 Returns!

If you read my 100th blog post, you will know that I have a soft spot for Transformers: Generation 2. You can also imagine that I was a happy camper to hear that theme of this year's BotCon will be Transformers: Generation 2! What this means is that the figures for the convention's exclusives will all be homages to the original characters from the Generation 2 years. Right now, only one has been announced, but get ready for more of the crazy neon color schemes. It's going to be a great convention.

Thanks for the Memories HBK

I know, I know. This post will have nothing to do at all with Transformers. However, out of respect for one of my favorite atheletes since my childhood, I had to do this post today. I haven't actively watched wrestling since probably 2004, but I got hooked in January of 2010 when I learned of the return of Bret Hart to the WWE and possibly a final match against Vince McMahon. At the same time, I learned of another story which was going on. As the wrestling world knows by now, last night at Wrestlemania XXVI, The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels wrestled the final match of his career against The Undertaker. From all reports, their rematch from Wrestlemania XXV seems to have been as good as their match of the year from 2009. The stipulation was that it was Undertaker's undefeated Wrestlemania streak versus the twenty-six year career of Shawn Michaels. The only way to win the match was by pin fall or submission. The Undertaker pinned Michaels, extended his streak to 18-0, and ended the career of HBK.

I first started watching Shawn when he tagged with Marty Janetty as part of the Rockers back in the late 1980's. At the time, I saw Shawn Michaels as a Rocker, not a future hall of famer. Like many kids of the day, I enjoyed his matches but I was a huge fan of the immortal Hulk Hogan. Around 1991, I stopped caring altogether for wrestling. In 1998, a friend of mine told me about WCW, and that Hogan and Randy Savage were still wrestling as part of a group called nWo. I tuned into WCW Monday Nitro every week to check it out, and I was hooked. However, over time my enthusiasm dissipated. I got bored with seeing Hogan in the main event every night, the botched return of the Ultimate Warrior left a lot to be desired, and the infamous Finger-poke of Doom really annoyed me. In May 1999, I tuned into Monday Night Raw to give the ol' WWF a try for the first time in about eight years. I saw Shawn Michaels as the commisioner out causing trouble and having a good time. There was definitely something different about this former Rocker.

I learned that he had been a former WWF champion and was actually one of the most decorated champions in the history of the organization. I started renting old tapes of pay-per-views and getting old Wrestlemania videos, and it didn't take long to realize I was watching the wrong wrestler (Hogan) all along. HBK was different as he had untouchable in-ring ability, great mic skills, and was a great entertainer. I must have watched his 60-minute Iron Man match with Bret Hart from Wrestlemania XII several times over. It was unbelievable to me to actually see what real wrestling was all about. In retrospect, Hulk Hogan had a few moves and a strong in-ring presence. He was the super hero, but not a true professional wrestler. HBK and Bret Hart were the guys leading the charge in the 1990's, but HBK was in a league of his own.

Sadly, I learned that Shawn had suffered a career ending back injury at the 1998 Royal Rumble when he was back dropped out of the ring on to a wooden casket (casket match with the Undertaker), and he herniated several discs in his spine and crushed one completely. He was forced into retirement following his Wrestlemania XIV WWF Championship match against Stone Cold Steve Austin. Months after the match, he had a spinal fusion surgery. I thought that I would never have the chance to see HBK in a match. However, after learning about the outlandish antics in his DX days, I wasn't sure if I really wanted to. I wanted to watch wrestling, not smut.

After seeing the results of his drug problems, an ended career when he was at the top of his game, marrying his second wife, and having a young son, Shawn finally realized that something in his life was not right. After an incident where he was pilled up and forgot memories of spending time with his son, he swore off alcohol and drugs. His wife Rebecca had also gotten him involved with church, where Shawn realized that he needed Jesus Christ and the undeserved gift of the sovereign Lord's grace for the forgiveness of sins. Michaels accepted Christ and became a Christian. Unlike a lot celebrities who have claimed to find Christ, Shawn Hickenbottom (Shawn Michaels' real name) seemed to be one who really got it. His life, his attitude, his devotion, it was all different. Long time fans could see Christ in his life. He made an unexpected return to the WWE (formerly WWF) in 2002 as part of the new nWo. When that angle folded, he entered into program with real life best friend Triple H. This was the start of an unexpected in ring return after a four year absence. HBK returned at Summerslam 2002 in a classic Non-sanctioned Street Fight with Triple H. HBK then returned at the 2002 Survivor Series to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Michaels competed on a limited basis until his classic match with Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania XIX. After that, Michaels finally returned full time to professional wrestling.

Since 2002, Shawn Michaels has competed in some of the best matches the WWE has ever seen (most at Wrestlemania). The second half of his career was arguably as good, if not better, than the first. Shawn had matured as a man and as a performer to a level which many wrestlers never achieve. Although I am saddened to see Shawn Michaels hang up the boots for good and I will be a fan who will always want to see just one more match, I am thankful for having so many great memories of Shawn throughout my life time. His final match against one of the all time greats in the Undertaker was a great way to end his career. You also have to respect the man for knowing when his time had come. Many wrestlers like Hogan and Flair are still going when they should have called it quits eight years ago. HBK went out while he was still at the top of his game. In this fan's mind, there is only one showstopper, one icon, and one main event in professional wrestling. He will always be The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. Thanks HBK for 26 years of wrestling memories.

Career Highlights:

-5 time Tag Team Champion

-3 time Intercontinental Champion

-1 time European Champion

-2 time winner of the Royal Rumble

-first ever Grand Slam Champion

-4 time World Champion

-10 time winner of Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Match of the Year award (this covers all promotions world wide)