Cartoon Car Toons!

Every time I reminisce about the classic Transformers’ first generation animated series, it definitely brings out the little boy in me. I can still recall those wonder years when I often beg for a Transformers action figure from my mom… but she never did bother to get me one. Instead, she bought me a kiddy sneaker with the Transformers logo on it - sad but funny!

Anyway, speaking of awesome action figures, aside from Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Jazz, and the rest of the lot, one of my favorite characters is Wheeljack. His vehicle alternate mode is a dazzling Lancia Stratos Turbo model with its astounding body styling and wheels.

Wheeljack is the Autobots’ intelligent resident inventor and gadget geek. He frequently invents machines and other equipments when situation requires him to do so. Despite the fact that his breakthroughs and inventions were infamous for setting his face on fire while he was still working on them, Wheeljack remains optimistic and eager to do what’s necessary for the team.

The Transformers animated series began with only some significant characters like Optimus Prime and Megatron. The story started out with an exceptional plot that motivated viewers of all ages to keep track with the TV series. After the first successful years of the Transformers, the story has become more multifaceted with several characters coming out in the story. New breed of robots and other characters, particularly Autobots and Decepticons, surfaced into the expanding story of the Transformers. Several of these characters brought more action and excitement to the story that made Transformers a legend!

During those wonder years that I’ve been watching too much cartoons and fuel tanks were totally out of my head, one of my favorite characters from the Transformers Next Generation is Scattorshot.

Scattorshot is the Autobots’ chief technical specialist. Scattorshot used up most of his time in the base analyzing monitors. He is also famous for being fairly jumpy and hesitant of himself despite the fact that he can perform his tasks with accuracy. He was fixed and modified by the Omega Lock and become a part of the Cybertron Defense Team after being smashed by Decepticon’s leader Megatron.

One of the famous characteristics of Scattorshot is his Southern accent. Scattershot changed into a half-track missile launcher vehicle with Cyber Key Power grenades before he was reformatted.

The second generation Transformers has expanded with several new and astonishing characters added to the broad fictional storyline of the Transformers’ history. Various characters like the Dinobots made the story more interesting and even more fun to watch. One of the second generation characters that brought energy and significance to the plot was Hot Rod.

According to my source, Hot Rod made his first appearance in The Transformers: The Movie, where he was dubbed by Judd Nelson. One of the greatest features of Hot Rod is his vehicle alternate, which is a dazzling futuristic red sports car with dazzling flames decorated on its doors and hood.

Hot Rod has showcased the ability to fire out lasers from his forearms as well as comprising a pull back saw blade. Hot Rod has a childlike attitude, and plays the role of an older brother figure to Daniel Witwicky, son of Autobot ally Spike Witwicky.

Hot Rod has a type of teacher-student relationship with the expert Autobot, Kup. The flamed red sports car had close frinds as well. He made friends with Springer and Arcee.

Can’t get enough of the Transformers? Here’s one character from the Autobots that is definitely entertaining to watch. Kids, ladies and gentlemen of all ages… here’s Jazz!

Jazz is the very cool, very stylish, very competent and aggressively-knowledgeable member of the Autobots in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara and Hasbro. His original vehicle mode is a Martini Porsche 935 Turbo racing car. Jazz is self-confident, calm, and completely composed. He was assigned as the head of Special Operations along with his personal committed troop of agents. He frequently gives the most treacherous assignments to himself. Why? He’s just really the coolest head for the toughest tasks.

Jazz’s coolness expands to any environment he finds himself in, no matter how peculiar or astonishing. Jazz naturally tunes in to the local traditions, understanding and improvising, and making innovative command decisions, making him an essential right-hand bot to Optimus Prime.

Here are more details about Jazz from Wikipedia.com:

Jazz stayed as one of the more popular and well-remembered characters from the original series. Because of problems with trade-marking the name Jazz, some latest releases of Jazz were called Autobot Jazz.

Jazz was among the Autobots who followed Optimus Prime on his mission on board the Ark. They were attacked by Megatron’s ship, the Nemesis, and crash landed on Earth, where all on board were preserved in emergency stasis. Four million years later, in 1984, a volcanic eruption awakened the Ark’s computer, Teletran-I, and it revamped all on board. It reformatted Jazz in the form of an Earth race car.

In the episode “The God Gambit” Cosmos collected data in space on a potential new power source, but was attacked by Astrotrain, Thrust and Starscream. Crashing on the Saturn’s moon Titan, the local priests worshiped the Decepticons as “Sky Gods”, but rebels were able to reactivate Cosmos and call for aid from the Autobots. Optimus Prime sent Omega Supreme along with Perceptor and Jazz. Astrotrain set himself up as the chief god of the moon and forced the natives to gather energy crystals. The trip to Titan sapped Omega of most of his energy, but Perceptor and Jazz were able to collect sufficient crystals to reactivate Omega and defeat the three Decepticons. Making sure not to let the Autobots get the crystals, Astrotrain had set up a chain reaction which later destroyed them. The Autobots helped the natives to escape the explosion and helped them settle in another area of the moon.

I remember during my childhood years when the Transformers animated series was launched on television. It was the most exciting animated stories ever told aside from He-Man, Spiderman and Friends and the Ninja Turtles! I think it was the start of a new remarkable era for animation because of its storyline, characters and settings! Wow! The Transformers were the future during those times and even nowadays, the popularity of this animated flick has vastly expanded so much so that it cater to different generations of anime-enthusiasts!

One of the original characters that I admire so much is the one and only wise leader of the Autobots - Optimus Prime! I still can recall the action figures that my parents gave me when I was a kid! He was an awesome character! His alternate vehicle was a Freightliner COE Dual-Axle Semi Truck with Trailer that definitely suits his quality as a very powerful and smart leader! He was once known as Orion Pax when he was just a small robot. He was then crowned with the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and later known to be the great and fierce Optimus Prime!

As leader of the Autobots, he has devoted himself to a chaotic life of preventing the Decepticons wherever they attacked and he wishes to have unity and peace between the robots of Cybertron. He is accompanied by a trailer in vehicle mode, which can become a weapon platform. He was also accompanied by Roller, a small unspeaking Autobot which is sent on reconnaissance missions.

According to Wikipedia.com, the original Optimus Prime transforms into a cab over a semi truck. The truck’s cab transforms into the robot mode of Prime himself, with enormous power and armed with a laser rifle. Contained within his chest is the mystic amulet known as the Autobot Matrix of Leadership (or Creation Matrix), carried by all Autobot leaders and passed down through the ages. The truck’s trailer disconnects and transforms into the Combat Deck - a mobile battle-station/command headquarters with an “Auto-Launcher” robot armed with assorted artillery and beam weapons. It can also serve as a radio antenna for battlefield communications between the Autobots. The Combat Deck can launch Prime’s third component, Roller, a mobile scout buggy that can easily slip behind enemy lines. When Roller is present somewhere, it is as if Prime is there himself. Injury to one component is felt by each of the others, and while Prime could survive the destruction of either, despite the slight degree of autonomy they possess, the Combat Deck and Roller would not be able to survive without him.

Well, that’s just a few of the facts about Optimus Prime. But one thing’s for sure - he is one cool character that gives power to the Transformers! Transform and Roll Out! I’m outta here!

Ratchet is the chief medic of the Autobots in the Transformers television series, comic series and the film based on the popular toy line manufactured by Takara and Hasbro. His vehicle alternate mode is an ambulance. Ratchet is well-considered by Transformers fanatics of the original comic series in which he played the most important role, even though the character has not been characterized in the contemporary Transformers Universe.

The toy that was to become the Autobot Ratchet was originally introduced as a component of the Japanese Diaclone series. He was later released in 1984 by Hasbro in the U.S. Ironhide, the weaponry and war tactic specialist has a similar mold as Ratchet.

Ratchet would transform into an ambulance (a cargo van type) and was colored white with red stripes and emergency lights. Ratchet had two robot modes, though only one was typically seen in the comic run and the television cartoon. On the other hand, the Ratchet toy transformed into the second form. Ratchet was one of the original and the longest-living of all Transformers in the Marvel Transformers comic series. He was a fan favorite most of the time! In his first role, he was a healer however he remained as a tough and reliable soldier. His courage and loyalty are demonstrated time and time again.

Ratchet is the Autobot medic and therefore he seldom was ever seen in battle. He usually spent time at the Autobot base with Wheeljack crafting and fixing other Autobots. The two of them were recognized for creating the Dinobots in an attempt to strengthen their ranks against the evil Decepticons. In the Transformers: The Movie, Ratchet’s alternate vehicle was a search and rescue HUMMER (H2).

If there could be voting of the best cartoons featuring cars, I would say, my hands down choice would the Transformers.

Growing up in the early 80s, the Transformers became a staple weekend viewing for me. Who could resist the temptation of seeing “hot” cars transforming into robots? For a four year old, that was heavenly, watching the Autobots defeating the hated Decepticons.

My early years were filled with memories of Optimus Prime and Megatron slugging it out on top of a dam, Shockwave with his “spy” tapes, and Starscream plotting every time to  topple Megatron but getting foiled again and again.

Bumblebee was the gentlest Autobot, Ironhide was the stoic second in command, Wheeljack the nerd, Mirage the trickster. I could go and on.

Anyway, I could say that the Transformers bug has bitten me, hard. After all these years, every time I  see one, I go back to being the four year old  kid again.