Transformers: Alternators

"Alternators" redirects here. For the generator that produces alternating electric current, see Alternator.

Transformers: Alternators (トランスフォーマー バイナルテック Toransufāmā Bainarutekku, Transformers: Binaltech) is a toyline of the Transformers series produced by Hasbro in North America, Europe and Takara in Japan, the primary selling point of which is the use of 1:24 scale, accurate real-world vehicle modes officially licensed from car manufacturers. Because of their model car appearances, they are into scale with model cars such as Maisto and Bburago.[1] Typically for each vehicle there are two toys to go with it to match the base model and the sport model.

Fiction

The Binaltech story was told through chapters accompanying the Binaltech toy releases, either in the booklet provided, or later, on the boxes themselves. There has been no official storyline for Alternators on any Hasbro material, though the American Mazda website cited the Binaltech storyline and the Nemesis Prime exclusive had a story featuring Dr. Arkeville.

While no fiction was written for the Binaltech Asterisk line, character profiles were provided with each of the three figures. These profiles do not specifically place them in the Binaltech universe, however they are also not incompatible with the story outlined in the main Binaltech line.

The Kiss Players fiction was told through a series of radio plays in Japan, the recordings of which were included on CDs accompanying the toys. The Kiss Players saga takes place in a continuity separate from Binaltech, as it depends on the events of the original animated feature, in which Optimus Prime dies, Unicron reformats Megatron into Galvatron, and both are eventually defeated by Rodimus Prime.

Binaltech Story

In the year 2003, prior to the events depicted in The Transformers: The Movie, a pathogen is released by one of the Decepticons which destroys the Cybertronian bodies of the Autobots based on Earth. In order to save their lives, not just from destruction by the disease but by attack from the Decepticons in their vulnerable state, the Autobots team up with car manufacturers from Earth, including Subaru, Mazda, Chrysler, and Ford to construct new bodies from Earth materials, which would be immune to the disease. This initiative is the Binaltech Project.

The initiative is successful, and several Autobots are returned to duty, allowing them to fend off assaults by the Decepticons. However, the Decepticons take advantage of the developments of the Project, and several of them manage to obtain Binaltech bodies of their own. The Autobots launch an investigation, however it is determined that none of the Autobots' allies are to blame - the Decepticons' skill at deception and brain-washing is what allowed them to get their hands on Binaltech technology.

Among the Decepticons given Binaltech bodies is Ravage. This is not the 2003-era cassette Ravage, but a Ravage from the future, who had traveled back into the distant past to the Beast Wars, was deactivated on pre-historic Earth and unearthed by archaeologists. With knowledge of the events beyond the year 2003, Ravage is able to enact several plans which alter Transformers history, including preventing the Battle of Autobot City (and therefore the death of Optimus Prime and the reformatting of Megatron into Galvatron), and trapping the bulk of the Decepticon army in a temporal rift to protect them from Unicron who would soon be appearing, thereby dooming the Autobots to fight him unassisted, and providing the opportunity for the Decepticons to be released and easily defeat whoever was left standing.[2]

The Autobots become aware of Ravage's tampering,[3][4] and attempt to undo the damage.[5] Their attempts are unsuccessful and trigger the crumbling of reality itself, but a "Protector" from the future unexpectedly arrives, stabilizes the multiverse, and splinters the altered timeline of the Binaltech saga into its own universe, parallel to the restored timeline in the original universe. The Protector explains that the Binaltech universe, although originally a corruption of the timeline, must be allowed to continue as it will lead to an evolution of the Transformers species, and eventually to "the great Alternity".[6]

When Unicron arrives, the Autobots prevail, but per Ravage's plan, the Decepticons are released from the rift to conquer the battle-weary Autobots. In order to put an end to all Transformer fighting across the universe, the Autobots resort to activating an ancient device to freeze all Transformers across the universe, but it has the unexpected effect of only freezing the non-Binaltech Transformers. Since Binaltech Autobots outnumber Binaltech Decepticons, the Autobots once again triumph.[7]

As the Autobots adjust to life in Binaltech bodies, experiments with Binaltech technology lead to a showdown between Optimus Prime and an evil twin[8] in which the Protector's spark merges with Prime's to ensure his victory over the doppelganger, and to the discovery of an element called "Alternium" which, unbeknownst to the Autobots, will be key to the prophesied "Alternity".[9]

Kiss Players

When Galvatron was defeated by Rodimus Prime and tossed out through Unicron's eye, instead of crashing on Thrull, as seen in the original events, he crashed on Earth, decimating Tokyo. Out of guilt, Rodimus Prime stepped down as leader, passing the Matrix to Ultra Magnus.

As a result of this incident, even Autobots were no longer welcome on Earth, and the EDC (Earth Defence Command) took on the duties of ensuring all Transformers were kept away. This was accomplished by creating Earth's own transforming robot force, the Autorooper,[10] from Mazda RX-8 vehicles.

Galvatron's crash on Earth also had the unexpected effect of distributing Unicron-infected cells from his body across Tokyo, which resulted in the rise of a new type of menace, the Legion - creatures created by these Galvatron cells invading Earthen objects and animals. But it was found that these cells could also be utilized on humans and the Autorooper squads, to create a more powerful force to fight the Legion - the Kiss Players. A kiss between the Autorooper robot and its human partner would cause the two to fuse, with the Autorooper becoming several magnitudes more powerful and deadly than it originally had been. The process did have one particular limitation - after a certain amount of time, the human would be automatically disgorged from the Autorooper, even if the battle was still ongoing. Atari Hitotonari was a notable Kiss Player whose fusion with her Autorooper resulted in unmatched power levels.

This ability to fuse human and Transformer would eventually spread to Optimus Prime, whose lifeless body was in the custody of the EDC and who was resurrected and reformatted into a Dodge Ram truck by a kiss given by the human Marissa Faireborn, and to Hot Rod, who was in seclusion on Earth trying to make amends for the destruction which resulted from his fight with Galvatron, when he reformatted into a Ford GT car by a kiss from a human named Shaoshao Li, a former EDC Autorooper operator.

In spite of the EDC's anti-Transformer policy which saw them being hunted down by the EDC, Optimus Prime and Hot Rod, along with their human partners, helped battle the Legion on numerous occasions. But this was not a happy co-operation, as the two Autobots fought each other on several occasions. This was partly due to the fact that Hot Rod was convinced that the reformatted Optimus Prime was an imposter. Hot Rod had, afterall, witnessed Optimus' death in the aftermath of the Battle of Autobot City, and as Rodimus Prime, had briefly replaced Optimus as the new Autobot commander.

Eventually, a secret plot by the EDC went awry, resulting in all the dispersed Galvatron cells and Legion being gathered back together to reform Galvatron's body. The removal of these cells eliminated the unique powers of the Kiss Players and undid the reformatting undergone by both Optimus Prime and Hot Rod, including undoing Optimus's resurrection. Galvatron was ejected into space, to ultimately crash on Thrull, and the original timeline seen in the animated movie was effectively restored.

Features

Because the Transformers Alternators are model car designed like appearances, the doors open to reveal seats and the trunk opens up if you want to put something in there. The engine hood can open to reveal the engine which becomes a weapon when you transform the vehicle mode and a steering mechanism.

List of Alternators

  1. Smokescreen - Subaru Impreza WRC (#8 only)
  2. Side Swipe - Dodge Viper
  3. Autobot Hound - Jeep Wrangler
  4. Silverstreak - Subaru Impreza WRX
  5. Autobot Tracks - Chevrolet Corvette C5 Z06
  6. Dead End - Dodge Viper
  7. Meister (aka Autobot Jazz) - Mazda RX-8
  8. Swindle - Jeep Wrangler
  9. Grimlock - Ford Mustang GT
  10. Windcharger - Honda S2000
  11. Battle Ravage - Chevrolet Corvette C5 Convertible
  12. Shockblast - Mazda RX-8
  13. Wheeljack - Ford Mustang GT
  14. Decepticharge - Honda S2000
  15. Swerve - Chevrolet Corvette C5 Z06
  16. Prowl - Acura RSX
  17. Autobot Skids - Scion xB
  18. Sunstreaker - Dodge Viper
  19. Rollbar - Jeep Wrangler
  20. Ricochet - Subaru Impreza WRX
  21. Optimus Prime - Dodge Ram SRT-10
  22. Mirage - Ford GT
  23. Autobot Camshaft - Acura RSX
  24. Nemesis Prime - Dodge Ram SRT-10 (SDCC 2006/Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive) (Labeled No. 24 on the box)
  25. Decepticon Rumble - Honda Civic Si (Labeled No. 24 on the box) (Wal-Mart exclusive)
  26. Ravage - Jaguar XK (Wal-Mart exclusive)
  27. Rodimus - Ford GT (SDCC 2007/Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive) (Labeled Rodimus Prime on the instruction sheet)

List of Binaltech

Binaltech figures are the Japanese version of Alternators. Unlike Alternators, the Binaltech line features fully painted car bodies and die-cast metal parts.

  1. BT-01 Smokescreen - Subaru Impreza WRC 2003 (#7 & #8)
  2. BT-02 Lambor - Dodge Viper SRT-10
  3. BT-03 Streak - Subaru Impreza WRX
  4. BT-04 Hound - Jeep Wrangler
  5. BT-05 Dead End - Dodge Viper Competition Coupe
  6. BT-06 Tracks - Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (Millennium Yellow & LeMans Blue Metallic)
  7. BT-07 Smokescreen GT - Subaru Impreza WRC 2004 (#1 & #2)
  8. BT-08 Meister - Mazda RX-8 (Crystal White Pearl & Velocity Red Mica)
  9. BT-09 Swindle - Jeep Wrangler custom
  10. BT-10 Grimlock - Ford Mustang GT
  11. BT-11 Ravage - Chevrolet Corvette
  12. BT-12 Overdrive - Honda S2000
  13. BT-13 Laserwave - Mazda RX-8 Mazdaspeed Version II
  14. BT-14 Wheeljack - Mustang GT Street Tuning
  15. BT-15 Prowl - Honda Integra Type-R (Patrol Type & Vivid Blue Pearl)
  16. BT-16 Skids - Toyota bB
  17. BT-17 Black Convoy - Dodge Ram SRT-10 (Wonderfest 2007/e-Hobby exclusive)
  18. BT-18 Rijie Electro-Disruptor Mode - Ford GT (e-Hobby exclusive) (also spelled "Electro-Disrupter")
  19. BT-19 Bluestreak - Subaru Impreza WRX (Blue)
  20. BT-20 Argent Meister - Mazda RX-8 Mazdaspeed Version II (Silver 2007 Live Action Movie colors)
  21. BT-21 Arcee - Honda S2000
  22. BT-22 Convoy - Red Dodge Ram SRT-10

Binaltech Asterisk

  1. BTA-1 Alert meets Ai Kuruma - Subaru Impreza WRX Prefecture Police Type & Policewoman
  2. BTA-2 Sunstreaker meets Junko Shirakami - Dodge Viper GTS & Race Queen
  3. BTA-3 Broadblast meets Lumina Hoshi - Toyota bB TV Interview Vehicle & Scene News Reporter

Kiss Players

Kiss Players figures are not officially part of the Binaltech line; there is no mention of Binaltech on any Kiss Players product packaging or enclosed materials, and as previously mentioned, the fiction takes place in a different continuity which is incompatible with the Binaltech timeline. Nevertheless, since the Kiss Players vehicles utilize the plastic Alternators molds, they are frequently grouped together.

  1. Convoy x Melissa - Dodge Ram SRT-10
  2. Hot Rodimus x Syao Syao - Ford GT
  3. Autorooper x Atari - Mazda RX-8 Patrol Car

Kiss Players Figure Collection

This line varies from the Kiss Players as the vehicles are done in a miniature scale while the PVC girls have been scaled up

  1. Atari Hitotonari x Autorooper - Mazda RX-8 Patrol Car Micron

Contrary to Plans

The Alternators and Binaltech lines haven't always worked out as originally planned.

Hasbro Alternators #21 Optimus Prime vehicle mode

Footnotes

  1. "Want to know where to get your regular Transformers fix? Here's how" - The Malaysia Star, November 9, 2004
  2. "BT-11 chapter translation at Fan2Fan". Fantofan.jp. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  3. "BT-12 chapter translation at Fan2Fan". Fantofan.jp. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  4. "BT-14 chapter translation at Fan2Fan". Fantofan.jp. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  5. "BT-16 chapter translation at Fan2Fan". Fantofan.jp. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  6. "BT-17 chapter translation at Fan2Fan". Fantofan.jp. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  7. "BT-18 chapter translation at TFArchive". Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  8. "BT-22 chapter translation at The Allspark Forums". Allspark.com. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  9. "BT-21 chapter translation at The Allspark Forums". Allspark.com. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  10. "Autorooper X Atari product box artwork". Seibertron.com. 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  11. "The Transformers Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide". Tfkenkon.com. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  12. "The Transformers Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide". Tfkenkon.com. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  13. "The Transformers Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide". Tfkenkon.com. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  14. "The Transformers Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide". Tfkenkon.com. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  15. Doug Dlin relaying a response from Hirofimi Ichikawa regarding the fate of the Honda S2000 redeco, posted at the usenet group alt.toys.transformers.
  16. "Honda S2000 redeco Arcee". September 2013.

External links

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