Engineer Hoist | The Original Autobot Wrecker

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 30

What you love about MTMTE. What keeps you coming back for more?

You mean besides giant alien transforming robots? Ok. How about the humor, drama, great art and most especially, the easter eggs/subtle hints of things to come.

In issue #1, we got our fist clue. It wasn’t hidden. In fact, it was the last half of the last page. The list of don’ts.

What was that last one again?

Then there was the whole “Nineteen Eighty-Four” mantra of the giant yellow robots that we find out later (much later) are actually Legislators, sent by Chief Justice Tyrest to apprehend Skids. We first meet Skids and the Legislators in issue #2.

He has no idea that he is holding that gun.

Then we get another clue, dug up by Tailgate, in issue #5 that, perhaps, “Nineteen Eighty-Four” might refer to Section 19, Subsection 80, Paragraph 4 of the Tyrest Accord that is an unimportant section that Ultra Magnus glossed over, which is a HUGE indication of just how unimportant it is if Ultra Magnus skipped it.

I think Tailgate is on to something here.

Then, it wasn’t until issue #20 that we finally find out that that Tailgate’s instinct was correct and that Skids was, in fact guilty of violating Tyrest Accord section 19 (80) 4.

Now we know what thoughts sound like – PHUT!

That is 18 issues between the set up and the payoff. A time period of over a year! It’s things like this – the subtle clues and hints that you don’t even realize are important at the time that makes one pay attention to every little detail because you never know what is going to be important in a year and a half and what isn’t. This also make re-reading the series so much more satisfying because one can pick on these things during the second third or twentieth time reading the series.

It is truly a great series, arguably the best Transformers fiction ever, and I hope it continues for a long, long time.

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 29

One thing you wish would happen, regardless of how unrealistic it might be

I want to see an epic titan battle. Wait. We got that.

Metroplex is my kinda town!

I want to see Optimus Prime being awesome! Oh, got that too.

The one true Prime.

I want to see some fembots! What? They’re already here?

My, what a big wrench you have!

OK, fine. How about Megatron as an Autobot? No way that’s going to happen! You’re kidding me. It’s really going to happen?

Is this Shattered Glass? C’mon!

Fine. I want to see what is in Brainstorm’s briefcase. Oh, and I want to see if he’s going to put the point-one-percenter spark that he took from Luna 1 in it.

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 28

A Voice That You Associate With A Character

From this crowd (and of those who have speaking lines) the only ones that I usually read with a particular voice are Cyclonus, Perceptor, Ultra Magnus and Ratchet – their G1 voices. I also ALWAYS read Optimus Prime with Peter Cullen’s voice.

There are other that I would read in their G1 voice because it was so distinctive but they either haven’t had speaking roles yet (like Cosmos, Powerglide and Inferno) or aren’t in this comic, yet (like Megatron, Starscream and Ironhide).

Amazingly, I don’t read Hoist as having an English accent like he was portrayed in G1 even though that made him so unique. It might also have a bit to do with the fact that he hasn’t had a lot of scenes and his Spotlight was too fast-paced and action-packed for me to think of any particular voice inflection.

The gang’s all here!

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 27

A Song You Associate With The Series

I had to put a lot of thought into this one because I never really had any songs associated with MTMTE. I decided to go with Dare by Stan Bush from Transformers: The Movie. Once I did, I found a lyric video on YouTube and when I read the lyrics, I could not believe how perfect a song that it is. Go ahead and watch the video, I’ll wait.

Awesome, right? This is exactly what Rodimus and the crew of the Lost Light are doing. Their dreams of a renewed and reborn Cybertron were shattered after the events of Chaos. Instead of a new Golden Age, Cybertron was a ruined, primordial shell of what the bots once knew. Nothing, save for a lone city, remained intact.

They chose to ignore Prowl and Bumblebee who would try to keep their spirits down and chose to leave their past behind and set out to find that place where dreams survive.

Rodimus literally held the future (the Matrix) in his hand as they set off. Now, largely through their efforts, Cybertron will be coming out of the darkness (Dark Cybertron), stumbling into the light.

Thanks to those who dared, Cybertron appears to be headed for a bright new future. One in which Autobots, Decepticons and those that remain unaffiliated can share in the majesty of a new Golden Age.

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 26

A description or sketch for a human version of one of the characters

You know, I never really thought about this until I saw this day’s topic. Well, there was Cybertronian Homesick Blues, where the bots take on Super Intuitive holomatter Avatars which essentially answers this question for a few.

One of Brainstorms few non-weapon projects.

I thought the characterization was right on – Rewind has the video camera, Skids’ ID card is blank (like his memory), Rung and Swerve are unmistakable, Tailgate is a baby (since he has been offline nearly the entire 6 million years of his life) and Whirl has an eyepatch (so he only has a single useful eye) and guns. Bonus points for the eyepatch on Whirl’s Autobot badge!

I didn’t include Ultra Magnus here since his avatar was simply a representation of Verity Carlo and not of his personality. But you know, it would be interesting to see whether it would end up representing the Ultra Magnus we know and love or Minimus Ambus – the guy in the suit.

Finally, we were treated to Ratchet’s avatar back when he was on Delphi, albeit a corrupted version.

It’s actually pretty accurate since Ratchet was corroding at the time.

Of course, this is far from a new concept. We can go all the way back to the original G1 comics for the first look at holomatter avatars. Here’s a shot of mine from Transformers Issue #14:

After all these years, I still do.

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 25

Favorite Action/Fight Scene

The titan battle in Dark Cybertron!

Ultra Magnus and the others helped Metroplex get back to Cybertron after using his thumb to find him corroding away underwater on an unknown world. He immediately began fighting against Shockwave’s undead Necrotitan, as if he knew that he needed to be there to protect Cybertron.

It’s a tale of two cities.

Unfortunately, Metroplex was still weak from all those years away from Cybertron and the Necrotitan quickly gained the upper hand.

I believe in you Metroplex!

Megatron realized that Metroplex was trying desperately to get to the Lost Light because he knew that his thumb was there. Megatron, with the assistance of his new best friend, Bumblebee, used his internal space bridge to transport Metroplex’s thumb right into his waiting hand.

How Metroplex got his thumb back.

This was all the ancient Autobot titan needed to turn the tables and stop not only the Necrotitan, but also the disease that he was spreading throughout the cybertronians in Iacon.

Metroplex is my kinda town!

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 24

The Character That First Stood Out To You

Swerve!

I was familiar with most of the characters on the Lost Light, but Swerve was a new one to me. After reading some older issues, I realized that he was around, but as not much more than a background guy. Now, he’s one of the main guys.

He stood out immediately because he was the comic relief from the very first issue.

Swerve, the Questbot.

Every time he has shown up from then on, it is there has been some comedy involved, whether he is cracking a joke or is the butt of one. Either way, it puts a smile on my face.

I have seen a few other blogs that got this far and Swerve seems to be a popular guy for this Day 24 and it’s pretty obvious why:

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 23

Favorite Fandom Output

Without a doubt, it’s the art. Here are few of the many, many examples of fan art that I have enjoyed, mostly found on tumblr. Click the pictures below for links to the original art.

Windblade has been popular lately.

Love me some Fort Max!

Nautica had fan art within hours of making her debut.

I’m a big fan of Cyclonus and Tailgate, but mostly Cyclonus.

Skids and Getaway, purveyors of thought warfare!

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 22

This gallery contains 10 photos.

This entry is part 22 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

The Cutest Character Bob the Insecticon

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 21

A Tragic Character

Empurata is a terrible crime that was used all too often by the old Senate. This is but one of many things which brought about the Great War. It was used as a way to publicly shame anyone that disagreed with the Senate by removing their heads and hands and replacing them with the cyclops, claw hands look. Whirl is one such victim.

Whirl had, and still has, a flight-capable alt-mode. During the time of the Senate and the Functionists, this meant that his lot in life was to use that flight capability to the greater benefit of all of Cybertron. It is unclear what his exact flight duties were in the Aerial Corps, but it is known that he was one of the lucky ones to change to a job that was not related to his alt-mode. His chosen profession was a chronosmith – a watchmaker.

I hope he didn’t make Tailgate’s malfunctioning Chronometer.

When he had nothing left to lose, the Senate took his identity by removing his head and hands in an effort to persuade him to join their cause. As he has said, it is very convincing. Before too long, Whirl was working a Senate enforcer and was sent to deliver a message to a certain miner from Tarn who had been wrongly arrested for a barfight that he had not participated in, but was simply at the bar. It would be known years later that this “message” had turned the miner from a peaceful, freedom-fighter who preferred to use words to bring about change into the tyrant that we all know as Megatron, founder and leader of the Decepticons.

As the war loomed near, Whirl’s former commander, Orion Pax, now Optimus Prime, invited Whirl to join the Autobot cause. He did, but he has never been able to release the anger that Empurata and the actions of the Senate has poisoned him with.

He’s only happy when he’s mad!

He behaves irrationally and violently in nearly every circumstance and shows very little regard for the well being or feelings of others. Truly, Whirl’s actions are more befitting those of a Decepticon than an Autobot, but in war, it can be difficult to determine exactly who the “good guys” really are.

At the end of the day, when Whirl is alone and does not feel the need to maintain his tough-guy image with absurd levels of bravado, he is left alone with his thoughts and his one true longing.