(thing) by mblase Mon Feb 02 2004 at 20:10:36

October 2003: After Transformers Armada has run its course for about two years, Hasbro and Takara decided it was time to create a whole new line of Transformers with a (sort of) whole new gimmick.

Enter Transformers Energon (called Transformers Superlink in Japan), which is set in the Armada universe long after its story has concluded. Armada's Mini-Cons are still around, but de-emphasized--the characters are no longer searching for Mini-Cons to boost their power, but Energon, that wonderfully ambiguous source of power for all Transformers ever since the mid-eighties. Fortunately, Energon--like the Mini-Cons--is to be found on Earth in magnificent quantities, so the Decepticons and Autobots get to head there and continue their mutual battle for supremacy among us lowly humans.

The Toys

Only a few Energon Transformers come with Mini-Cons, and those are all repaints of Armada Transformers. The new gimmick is translucent Energon weapons for both vehicle and robot modes, "Hyper Power" modes with pop-up weapons for Decepticons, and "Powerlinx" modes where two Autobots can combine into one. There are five Powerlinx varieties:

  • Silver - Deluxe-sized Autobots where two combine top-and-bottom into a single robot
  • Gold - Mega-sized Autobots, otherwise the same as Silver
  • Blue - One Mega-sized and four Basic-sized Transformers combine into a single robot
  • Red - Ultra-sized Autobots which combine with their own large accessory in either vehicle or robot mode
  • Black - combines with Optimus Prime only

While each Silver and Gold Powerlinx Autobot is advertised with a specific partner, in practice any Silver or Gold Autobot can Powerlinx with any of the others.

There are special subgroups of Transformers as well: "Terrorcons" are beast-mode Decepticon drones controlled by Unicron, while "Omnicons" are small Autobots designed for non-combat work.

  • Basic - vehicle weapons combine into larger weapons for robot mode

    • Terrorcon Insecticon (yellow/green rhinoceros beetle)
    • Decepticon Demolishor (green armed dump truck)
    • Omnicon Arcee (red/white motorcycle)

    • Omnicon Offshoot (green/tan/blue laser tank) , recolored Signal Flare
    • Terrorcon Command Ravage (black/blue jaguar) , recolored Battle Ravage
    • Omnicon Energon Strongarm (light blue/grey/orange repaint of Strongarm)
    • Terrorcon Doom-Lock (light blue/brown repaint of Cruellock)

    • Autobot Treadshot (black/light blue super jet) - Blue Powerlinx - forms Superion Maximus
    • Autobot Sky Shadow (red/grey/black super jet) - Blue Powerlinx - forms Superion Maximus
    • Autobot Terradive (blue/white repaint of Sky Shadow) - Blue Powerlinx - forms Superion Maximus
    • Autobot Windrazor (red/grey repaint of Treadshot) - Blue Powerlinx - forms Superion Maximus


    • Decepticon Stormcloud (orange/gold helicopter) - Blue Powerlinx - forms Bruticus Maximus
    • Decepticon Blight (light green/black tank) - Blue Powerlinx - forms Bruticus Maximus
    • Decepticon Blackout (purple/black repaint of Stormcloud) - Blue Powerlinx - forms Bruticus Maximus
    • Decepticon Kickback (green/grey repaint of Blight) - Blue Powerlinx - forms Bruticus Maximus
  • Deluxe - two Autobots combine using the "Spark of Combination" into one of two larger "Powerlinx" robots, each one named after whichever robot forms the head and arms
    • Autobot Inferno (red/grey fire truck) - Silver Powerlinx
    • Autobot Hot Shot (yellow/black sports car) - Silver Powerlinx
    • Decepticon Starscream (grey/red jet)

    • Autobot Prowl (blue/white police racecar) - Silver Powerlinx
    • Autobot Rodimus (red/orange truck cab) - Silver Powerlinx
    • Decepticon Snowcat (white/light blue arctic truck)


    • Autobot Energon Hot Shot (white/red recolored Hot Shot) - Silver Powerlinx
    • Terrorcon Sharkticon (grey/gold/purple shark)
    • Decepticon Slugslinger (blue/black twin-cockpit fighter jet)


    • Autobot Roadblock (brown/yellow/grey crane) - Silver Powerlinx - slight remold of Inferno
    • Decepticon Barricade (grey/blue missile truck) - Blue Powerlinx - forms Bruticus Maximus
    • Decepticon Energon Starscream (white/red repaint of Starscream)
    • Autobot Energon Kicker (white/blue human) with Highwire (grey dirt bike) - non-transforming action figure Kicker can ride on Highwire in bike mode
  • Mega - larger than Deluxe, featuring the same "Spark of Combination" Powerlinx modes
    • Autobot Ironhide (blue/tan SUV) - Gold Powerlinx
    • Autobot Jetfire (white/maroon space shuttle) - Gold Powerlinx


    • Autobot Energon Ironhide (olive green/blue repaint of Ironhide) - Gold Powerlinx
    • Autobot Beachcomber (white/blue repaint of Cliffjumper) - Gold Powerlinx
    • Autobot Prowl (grey repaint of Prowl) and Autobot Checkpoint (white/black repaint of Rodimus) - Silver Powerlinx

    • Autobot Grimlock (grey/yellow/red tyrannosaurus rex) and Autobot Swoop (grey/dark grey/blue pteranodon) - Silver Powerlinx - combine to form Mega Dinobot
    • Autobot Overcast (white/black repaint of Jetfire) - Gold Powerlinx
  • Ultra - featuring electronic lights and sounds

    • Decepticon Shockblast (purple/grey tank or weapons satellite) - designed to resemble G1 Shockwave in robot mode

    • Decepticon Mirage (orange/grey armored speedboat)
    • Autobot Bulkhead (green/grey helicopter) - Red Powerlinx

    • Autobot Landquake (white/light blue/grey repaint of Landmine) - Red Powerlinx
    • Decepticon Dreadwing (grey/purple repaint of Mirage)

    • Decepticon Sixshot (yellow/red repaint of Shockblast)
    • Autobot Quickstrike (red/grey/white repaint of Bulkhead) - Red Powerlinx

    • Alpha Quintesson (green/yellow/grey robot) - non-transforming action figure
  • Super - larger than Ultra, featuring additional combination transformations
    • Autobot Optimus Prime (truck/robot) - Black Powerlinx - (robot mode combines with four smaller vehicles carried in his trailer (the "Prime Force": non-transforming vehicles simply named Fire, Copter, Digger, and Submarine) to create Powerlinx Optimus Prime

    • Decepticon Megatron (white/blue/black jet) - robot mode is designed to resemble Generation One Galvatron

    • Autobot Wing Saber (red/blue/white "flying wing" jet) - Black Powerlinx - combines with Optimus Prime in two possible ways to create "Fight and Flight" Optimus Prime
    • Decepticon Galvatron (purple/grey/black repaint of Megatron)
  • Supreme - the biggest of the big
    • Autobot Omega Supreme (yellow/orange construction crane and blue/black carrier) - Black Powerlinx - combines with Optimus Prime

    • Autobot Omega Sentinel (white/blue/black/red repaint of Omega Supreme) - Black Powerlinx

The Cartoon

At the end of the "Unicron Battles" in Armada, Unicron himself was defeated but not destroyed, Megatron disappeared with him, and the Autobots were (naturally) victorious and once again in complete control of their home planet of Cybertron. Ten years later, we find the Decepticons are working alongside the Autobots in an unwelcome truce until Unicron sends an army of "Terrorcons"--beast/robot Transformers with Decepticon insignia--to Earth to harvest Energon.

Like Armada before it, Energon is being cross-marketed as a Cartoon Network series and a similar but separate comic book by Dreamwave Studios. Where Armada was animated in a jerky, low-budget-looking manga style, Energon uses better-quality animation for the humans and backgrounds, while the Transformers themselves are animated using cel-shaded computer-generated 3-D modelling. The result isn't perfect, and the animation lacks "lifelikeness" in many cases, but it's certainly an improvement.

  1. Cybertron City - originally aired Jan 31, 2003
  2. Energon Stars - Feb 07, 2004
  3. Scorponok - Feb 14, 2004
  4. Megatron's Sword - Feb 21, 2004
  5. The New Cybertron City - Feb 28, 2004
  6. Megatron Resurrected - Mar 06, 2004
  7. Megatron Raid - Mar 13, 2004
  8. Starscream The Mysterious Mercenary - Apr 09, 2004
  9. Battle Of The Asteroid Belt - Apr 09, 2004
  10. Energon Tower - Apr 09, 2004
  11. The Legend Of Rodimus - Apr 09, 2004
  12. Crisis In Jungle City - Jun 29, 2004
  13. Kicker Beware - Jun 30, 2004

  14. Energon Grid - Jul 01, 2004
  15. Rodimus: Friend Or Foe - Jul 02, 2004
  16. Go For Unicron - Jul 03, 2004
  17. The Return Of Demolisher - Jul 03, 2004
  18. A Tale Of Two Heroes - Jul 03, 2004
  19. Battle Stations - Jul 03, 2004
  20. Alpha Q: Identity - Jul 03, 2004
  21. Laser Wave: Rampage - Jul 03, 2004
  22. Survival Instincts - Sep 04, 2004
  23. Each One Fights... - Sep 04, 2004
  24. Unicron Unleashed - Sep 04, 2004
  25. Open Fire! - Sep 04, 2004
  26. Ripped Up Space - Sep 04, 2004

  27. Team Optimus Prime - Sep 04, 2004
  28. Protection - Nov 01, 2004
  29. Imprisoned Inferno - Nov 02, 2004
  30. Jungle Planet - Nov 03, 2004
  31. Bulkhead - Nov 04, 2004
  32. Farewell Inferno - Nov 05, 2004
  33. Scorponok's Scars - unaired
  34. Crash Course - Nov 08, 2004
  35. Omega Supreme - Nov 09, 2004
  36. A Heroic Battle - Nov 10, 2004
  37. The Power - Nov 11, 2004
  38. Optimus Supreme - Nov 25, 2004
  39. Unicron Perishes - Nov 25, 2004

  40. Ambition - Jan 19, 2005
  41. Wishes - Jan 20, 2005
  42. Galvatron! - Jan 21, 2005
I like it!

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.