TF Name Changes/Issues

[Vain]

Hey hey mates,

I've been wondering for awhile aobut all the odd name changes and issues within the transformers universe.

Right off the bat, I understand the whole copyright issue for the figures,so that's fine.

But as I was re-watching the g1 series, I noticed that for the entire first season, Jetfire was indeed called Jetifre, while in season 2, the few short apperences he appears in, he's called skyfire.

Now I'm also aware of the Rumble and Frenzy issue, Rumble is indeed the blue one as depicted in the show and Frenzy the red, although the names get mixed up in all other forms of media and merch right?

I've yet been able to actually call Bluestreak..silverstreak, don't know if this one was a copyright thing or what. ( I know he's never really been blue but...yeh)

Now I'm not wondering who's who and who actually called what, but I'm more curious as to why this happens?

Did the producer just randomly decide that Jetfire should be called skyfire? and so on and so forth or is it a quality control issue from back in the day?


P.S I haven't read too many of the comics but the name changes for the figures, do they apply to the comics? No right?

Thanks and feel free to discuss!

[Bruticus82]

Frenzy/Rumble Issue: The toys, and most other media, make rumble the red one. The original g1 cartoon was one of the few types of media where rumble was the blue one (the others being Devil's Due Comics, War for Cybertron, and Diamond Select busts, in everything else he's pretty much red). Personally, the cartoon is most "canonical" for me, so I always think of Rumble as the blue one, but I know the cartoon is in the minority here, so I don't try and convince other people to my side.

Blustreak/Silverstreak(or just "Streak" in Japan): Bluestreak is the G1 name for the toy, and the character. His Diaclone toy was blue, but he has always been silver in the transformers universe, no blue TF variant exists, the blue is only diaclone. When Hasbro reissued him in 2004, they used the name Silverstreak, as Bluestreak had copyright issues. They've used the name Silverstreak ever since.

I'm going to have to look into Jetfire/Skyfire.

Edit, I love tfwiki. They have a detailed discussion of the Jetfire/Skyfire thing, but it basically seems like for legal reasons they took Jetfire (a character based on the Macross Valkyrie Toy), and turned him into Skyfire so that Takara would be able to show the episodes in Japan at some point down the road without getting sued. This is why he looks nothing like his toy.

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Skyfire_%28G1...2Skyfire.22.3F

[Protoman]

The character of Skyfire was never called Jetfire in the cartoon, EVER.

The Frenzy Rumble thing is actually a mix up by Hasbro and Marvel, which does not end with just Frenzy and Rumble, it also dipped into a mix up with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker (Their tech specs and thus character personality and ideas were swapped by mistake, Sunstreaker had the rocket pack) and a big one, Starscream and Skywarp (original the red and blue and blue and red jets would be the goons aka Starscream and Thundercracker, while the dark sinister purple jet would be the traitor, it's even pointed out in his tech spec, but alas, a mix up with Marvel and Sunbow and we have what we have today)

If you wish for any more information, please refer to the private message box label "Ask Protoman any damn shit"

[Vain]

So it's indeed a quality control issue on hasbro's part then right?

They seem to have messued up alot back in the day, did that happen alot? 'Cause from what I remember the other older cartoons never had such issues.

[Bruticus82]

Originally Posted by Vain

So it's indeed a quality control issue on hasbro's part then right?

They seem to have messued up alot back in the day, did that happen alot? 'Cause from what I remember the other older cartoons never had such issues.

Well, one non-name mistake is Swoop's colouring in the g1 cartoon. You notice he has a blue chest, which is only present in his diaclone version. He's an odd case because it's not like they used his diaclone colours in one or two episodes and realized their error, no, they used them the whole time.

I guess you could lay the blame at hasbro for not checking every piece of media that went out there to ensure it was consistent, but they were primarily creating the cartoon as a commercial for their toys, so I don't think consistency was their main objective.

I don't recall other cartoons having as many quality control issues, but then again I haven't really re-watched any.

How's GI Joe held up anyone? Is it as error filled as transformers?

[chans formers]

there is actually a "blue" variant of bluestreak,recently released within the last few years.
it's a e-hobby thing.(along the same line as the red tracks,brown/tan hound,green ratchet,green skids)

[Bruticus82]

Originally Posted by chans formers

there is actually a "blue" variant of bluestreak,recently released within the last few years.
it's a e-hobby thing.(along the same line as the red tracks,brown/tan hound,green ratchet,green skids)

I read that the e-hobby bluestreak used the black/silver variant diaclone deco that inspired his cartoon colours?

[chans formers]

^ i just snapped some quick pics of the one i have.
it is actually blue on the car sides,but i'm not sure about bot mode because i haven't cracked him open since i got him.

[Shepp]

For me, Rumble is and always will be blue. The Sunbow G1 cartoon etched that into my brain at the tender age of 2 with its high concentration of photons and electrons emitted from a cathode ray tube.

On the other hand, I'm open to the idea that Frenzy and Rumble often swap colours just to mess with the other Decepticons and keep things interesting. Either that, or the Decepticons really don't care which is which and use their names interchangeably.

[Goji_tron]

I would like to note how the name Shockblast was used in Transformers Energon instead of giving the name Shockwave due to trademark issues.

I also wonder about something else. In the comics of Transformers: Nefarious series, Buzzsaw is coloured red where he should be coloured yellow. I wonder if it has something do to with the trademark issues?