Transmetals

Transmetals are a subgroup of "Beast Wars" in the fictional Transformers Universe, featuring toys with mechanical animal modes and techno-organic robot modes. The subline was released in conjunction with "Beast Wars"' second and third seasons, for the price points of 10, 15, 20 and 35 USD.

Transmetals

Transmetal technology is an adaptation accidentally discovered by the Beast Wars era Transformers. During a transwarp explosion which claimed the life of Optimus Primal, a "quantum surge" was created which had several repercussions for the Beast Wars. Rattrap, Cheetor, the resurrected Optimus Primal, Tarantulas, and Megatron were all changed by the wave into the first generation of Transmetals. Rampage and Depth Charge also became subjected to this, and several expanded universe Transformers also underwent the process.

The transmetal technology allows the Transformers to withstand and actually absorb raw energon radiation and exist in a non-beast mode in these environments without issue. In addition, transmetals can utilize a "vehicle" mode, such as wheeled (Rattrap, Tarantulas and Rampage) or flight (Megatron, Cheetor, Optimus Primal and Depth Charge). Although not explicitly stated in the cartoons or comics, it's hinted at in the toy line's tech specs that the quantum surge's transmetalization process essentially turned the Transformers 'inside out', making their alternate modes the one that is largely mechanical, instead of the other way around as normal. This can be born out by the fact that some Transmetals have organic elements in their robot mode despite having none visible in beast mode (Cheetor and Primal most prominently). Another added benefit was that the transmetal Transformers would become essentially invisible to Vok sensors - something Megatron used to his advantage when he tried to claim one of their ships.

Also of note was the fact that that in the animated series, several of the Maximals and Predacons weren't changed into transmetals by the quantum surge, although they did have transmetal toys. While their lack of transmetalized forms in the cartoon was explained for a few characters (specifically, Rhinox, Dinobot and Waspinator, who were in CR chambers recuperating from damage and Scorponok and Terrorsaur, who fell into a lava pool, presumably dying during their transmetallizations), the others weren't (Blackarachnia, Airazor, Inferno and Tigatron); however as these characters were all introduced as being 'born' from stasis pods who had landed on Earth prior to the wave, it is assumed by fans that this lent them protection from the wave. Also, although Scorponok is shown being affected by the transmetal wave, he does not receive a transmetal action figure despiting Terrorsaur who had a Transmetal action figure released, not including a premium offered by McDonald's in Happy Meals the following summer.

In the first part of the episode "Other Visits", after the Maximals and Predacons were hit by an energon wave, the Transformers were knocked out, and in the second part, the regular ones were knocked offline due to energon buildup, while the transmetals, Silverbolt and Quickstrike were unaffected by the wave. This could mean one of two things: either Silverbolt and Quickstrike are partially transmetals (not completely as they feature organic elements in their beast modes as well as their robot modes), or the Fuzors (the whole faction) are partially transmetal.

Transmetal II

Later, through experimentation with a Vok device, Megatron was able to create transmetal II Transformers, stronger than the original transmetals. The first transmetal IIs were a clone Megatron created of Dinobot, and Cheetor, who was accidentally exposed to the machine while fighting with the Dinobot clone. They were later joined by Blackarachnia, who sought the extra power she would gain by such a transformation. Whereas transmetals mostly have their organic elements confined to their robot modes, transmetal II technology blurs the lines between which mode has the technological and which has the organic, making them a bizarre technorganic hybrid, though far less refined than the process used in Beast Machines. They are noticeably stronger than the original transmetals and have been seen on several occasions to be able to heal themselves using their spark energy, although most do not have "vehicle" modes. Depth Charge's analysis of the Transmetal Driver indicates that it enhances transmetal attributes beyond their own limits.

Although their toys packaging were marketed as transmetal IIs, Tigerhawk and Megatron's new dragon form were not the same as other transmetal IIs in the television series; they did not use the Vok's Transmetal Driver to obtain their enhanced transmetal forms like the other transmetal II characters in the series. Tigerhawk became a transmetal II because of direct contact with the Vok. Megatron on the other hand received his body in the same way as Optimal Optimus—by taking a second spark into his body.

In IDW Publishing's mini-series "Beast Wars: The Gathering" some of the protoforms discovered had been turned into transmetal IIs because of interference from the quantum wave responsible for the original transmetals, implying that the Transmetal Driver is not the only way of obtaining a transmetal II body. According to the bios that came with some of the toys many more transmetal IIs were created by Megatron's cloning experiments - although no such origins appeared for these characters in the comics.

Dreamwave Productions

In the Dreamwave "More Than Meets the Eye" guidebook series, the term transmetal was expanded to include any Transformer with a metallic animal-themed alternate mode - for example the Dinobot leader Grimlock turned into a transmetal Tyrannosaurus.

Transformers: Cybertron

Somewhat in-keeping with the Dreamwave Productions interpretation of the term, the tech spec for , leader of the Jungle Planet, (who turned into a robotic dragon) notes that he has a "transmetal claw." It should be noted that it does not actually call Scourge a transmetal, although Scourge himself closely resembles the techno-organic appearance of the transmetals.

IDW Publishing

In the IDW Beast Wars comics more protoforms emerge from stasis pods - some normal, some transmetal or transmetal II, some Fuzors and some mutants (Transformers with no robot mode, instead transforming from one beast mode to another). It is assumed damage to them from the quantum wave and their crashing to Earth caused these variations.

List of Transmetalized Character from the animated series

*Maximals
**Cheetor
**Depth Charge (no "normal" version)
**Optimus Primal
**Rattrap
**Blackarachnia

*Predacons
**Megatron
**Rampage (no "normal" version)
**Tarantulas

List of Transmetal II Toys - sans later repaints and remolds

*Maximals
**Cybershark
**Blackarachnia
**Cheetor
**Nightglider
**Optimus Minor
**Prowl
**Sonar
**Stinkbomb
**Tigerhawk
**Ramulus

*Predacons
**Dinobot Clone
**Scourge
**Iguanus
**Scarem
**Spittor

Trivia

*Visually Scavenger resembles a transmetal Inferno. The prototype was even called transmetal Inferno and many fans still refer to the figure as Inferno. He was released as metals Inferno in Japan.