Gen1 Optimus/Convoy trailer/repair-bay origin?

[griffin]

I was commenting on this at another site, and figured I'd ask it here to see if anyone here has an insight into this puzzle.

The Generation One Optimus/Convoy comes with a robot, Roller and a Trailer/combat-deck.

In some versions over the years, and possibly only with JP versions, the trailer/combat-deck has been given a third mode - a repair bay... in which it stands up on its end when opened, and the Optimus robot can be placed up against it for repairs or maintenance.

The Hybrid Convoy has it, Gen1 MP-4 has it, Gen1 MP-10 has it, and even the recent JP DotM Voyager Optimus with trailer (not yet released by Hasbro) had this stand-up feature... so what exactly is it homaging for it to be an included feature? (an image of the original Convoy/Optimus in his repair bay, for reference)

The tfwiki (linked above) didn't make any mention of its origin, like if it was a carried over Diaclone feature (to repair their non-sentient robots) or if it was a plot device in one of the various JP-exclusive comics.

Any thoughts or suggestions on the origin or point of it... or even, why they keep homaging it if it never existed in Transformers?

[GoktimusPrime]

It originated from Diaclone.

http://diaclone.net/orid/dia052/index.html <---scroll down to the 5th image
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn-YSnJrcO4 <--- see 0:11
It's known as the "Maintenance Base" ('seibi-kichi' 整備基地) mode.

[UltraMarginal]

Wow, how many releses of this mold in various paint/sticker schemes has there been over the years!

various diaclone, various g1, g2, re-issues... repaints into Magnus, music label.
That is standing the test of time.

[Cat]

Yep, from Diaclone, and was a big part of the pre-production art for the eventual product (as seen in TF:Generations).

Transformers = where no concept ever dies.

[liegeprime]

wow, lookit all those Diaclone Convoys! One concept though that hasnt been too much explored is indeed the use of the combat deck/repair bay in much of the TF lore... it just "vanishes" most of the time.... I mean even in vehicle mode the repair drone can come out from that small hole in the trailer and basically prime has a missle launcher attack feature while in vehicle mode, but it never got any screentime for that. Only time it got used in battle it got immediately wiped out with a missle attack and that time as well when Prime was "possessed" due to the evil chip in their re energizing chamber, but even then the battle station mode was , meh. Shame really, considering all three components are Optimus Prime yet only the cab (prime) portion is the sturdiest. Rollershould have at least a weapon of some sort ( IDW did put a laser cannon on him in Escalation(?))

[GoktimusPrime]

One concept though that hasnt been too much explored is indeed the use of the combat deck/repair bay in much of the TF lore... it just "vanishes" most of the time.... I mean even in vehicle mode the repair drone can come out from that small hole in the trailer and basically prime has a missle launcher attack feature while in vehicle mode, but it never got any screentime for that.

We did see that feature being used in Generation 2 IIRC.

Only time it got used in battle it got immediately wiped out with a missle attack and that time as well when Prime was "possessed" due to the evil chip in their re energizing chamber, but even then the battle station mode was , meh.

Combat Deck also appeared in More Than Meets The Eye Part 3 when Optimus Prime ordered it to fire at Megatron, but then Megatron blew it to pieces (which should have sent Prime into shock - but in the cartoon he felt nothing). Combat Deck also appeared in Fire In The Sky where Prime used it to take out the Decepticon Jets, and in The Search for Alpha Trion where we see Combat Deck's "Da Clamps!" arm pull Elita One inside the trailer.

Shame really, considering all three components are Optimus Prime yet only the cab (prime) portion is the sturdiest.

That's because the cab/robot is the most important component - Optimus Prime can still survive if the other two components are destroyed, but the other two components cannot survive without Optimus Prime.

Rollershould have at least a weapon of some sort ( IDW did put a laser cannon on him in Escalation(?))

Roller had a weapon in the G1 comics and some books, such as in Plague of the Insecticons!. Of course, the toy itself can hold Optimus Prime's rifle instead of where the connector/hose thing usually goes. But when I was a kid I would disconnect the hose and nozzle and pretend the connector was a gun. That's also how Roller was portrayed in Megatron's Fight For Power. For some reason, Manny Galan made Roller look like a tank in G2 (Total War).

But yeah, as far as the comics was concerned he seemed to be used as a scout/drone with no apparent offensive capability. Still, he's a much cooler drone than Clutch (toywise).

[griffin]

As I had guessed, it is something from Diaclone, but not something ever used in Transformers... So, what's the point of continually homaging it in Transformers then? The repeated battle-axe "homage" to those couple minutes in the first cartoon story is annoying enough, but repeatedly homaging something that wasn't even in the cartoon (or anything) feels wrong. Because it feels like they are homaging someone else's toyline instead of Transformers.

[Cat]

As I had guessed, it is something from Diaclone, but not something ever used in Transformers... So, what's the point of continually homaging it in Transformers then? The repeated battle-axe "homage" to those couple minutes in the first cartoon story is annoying enough, but repeatedly homaging something that wasn't even in the cartoon (or anything) feels wrong. Because it feels like they are homaging someone else's toyline instead of Transformers.

I would imagine that's because it's been mostly homaged by TakTom based stuff, and that sort of thing is a popular feature in Japanese mech shows/models/toys (For instance, there's insanely detailed repair bays/docks/launchers for Gundam kits, Neon Genesis etc).

The general launching from a bay/dock/repair bay thing is also really common in most mecha anime.

So I'd put it down to it being a drawcard for the Japanese market, more than us westerners.

*Actually, even in the Visualworks mook, I remember quite a few pieces with various characters in repair bays, like Devastator etc. Not something we'd really see done artwise here.

[GoktimusPrime]

I guess it's like Jetfire's Gerwalk/Guardian mode... never an official mode for the Transformer version of the toy, but it was a mode for the pre-Transformer and popular with fans (to the point where people try to make their own Gerwalks out of all other kinds of Transformers! Wasn't there a thread dedicated to this? (or was that on another board??))

[5FDP]

I guess it's like Jetfire's Gerwalk/Guardian mode... never an official mode for the Transformer version of the toy, but it was a mode for the pre-Transformer and popular with fans (to the point where people try to make their own Gerwalks out of all other kinds of Transformers! Wasn't there a thread dedicated to this? (or was that on another board??))

Wrong