Spychanger
From Transformers Wiki
Spychangers(alsoSpy Changers) are a special kind ofTransformerthat are slightly smaller in size than the average 'bot, and thus transform into smaller-than-normal cars and trucks. Though most have been members of theAutobots,the oddDecepticonSpychanger has also been known to exist.
Spychangers specialize in stealth missions of covert espionage and special operations. Some have even been known to display a number of extraordinary abilities, which enable them to turn invisible, phase through solid objects, and even drive along almost any surface at any angle. Those that possess these abilities have at times even been consideredninjas.
In certain cases, normal-sized Autobots and Decepticons can become Spychangers through a downsizing process that physically reconstructs their superstructures to the smaller Spychanger scale.
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Fiction
Robots in Disguisecartoon continuity
2001Robots in Disguisecartoon
The Spychangers were a team of six special ops experts. They aidedOptimus PrimeonEarthin his battle againstMegatron.Although they were highly intelligent, unfortunately, they weren't very strong in a head-on fight. (The comic relief trio ofGas Skunk,Slapper,andDark Screamgave them trouble.)
When thePredaconsstole a plutonium energy generator,T-AIcalled in the Spychangers.Hot Shot,Crosswise,andR.E.V.responded first, pursuing the Predacons onto the beach, where they were joined by the other three Spychangers,Mirage,Ironhide,andW.A.R.S..The Predacons eventually escaped with a fake generator which the Spychangers had swapped for the real one.Spychangers to the Rescue
After Optimus was captured and tortured by Megatron, the Spychangers joined theAutobot Brothersin rescuing their leader and seeing off the Predacons.Sideburn's Obsession
Later, the team tried to protect a ruby from Predacon theft, and Mirage's failure to take a shot resulted in the Predacons escaping. When Mirage pretended to defect and led the Spychangers toMegatron'sMega-Laser Cannon,the team destroyed the weapon using theGlobal Space Bridge.Mirage's Betrayal
The Spychangers also took part in theInternational Grand Prixin an attempt to findSkid-Zand were blinded by Megatron a short time into the race.Skid Z's ChoiceOn another occasion, the Spychangers were called back to base to watch footage of various battles, but had to wrap up a fight with the Predacons first.Hope for the Future
The Spychangers accompaniedOptimus PrimetoMontrose Island,where Predacon activity was causing the volcano there to become violent. They attempted to keepScourgeandSky-Bytebusy while Optimus went to use his blizzard storm on the volcano. When the volcano was ruptured and lava threatened the nearby resort, the Spychangers used theirInferno Blastformation to divert its path.Volcano
Sent to stop the Decepticons from findingFortress Maximus,the Spychangers jumped out in front of the foe and were soundly trounced byArmorhideandRollbar.Fortress Maximus
The Spychangers took part in the ambush of the Decepticons after the Autobot base was discovered.Surprise Attack!After Galvatron's defeat, they celebrated by racing with Skid-Z.The Final Battle
Spychangers:
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
e-HOBBY toy bios
The trans-dimensionalGoBotsused their unique transporter and bio-mechanical technologies to help produce the newest generation of Transformers. The Spychangers were among them.
Super Spychangers Lottery
WithGod Magnushaving departed Earth aboardBrave Maximus,the Autobots were unable to call upon his power when a new menace suddenly arose to challenge them. A plan was put into motion to upgrade the Spychangers withSpark Engines,granting them Super Modes.The Secret of the Birth of the Super Spychangers
Ask Vector Prime
According to a tale heard byVector Prime,the Spychangers were the only Autobots left on Earth whenChainsawled theMutantsthere. Utterly outclassed, the Spark Engines were created thanks to ProfessorHaruma Gō's new substance,go-brillium.They notched up many solo victories but had to relearn the importance of teamwork to finally win: under Super Art Fire's newly improved leadership, they mastered the partial invisibility upgrade Super X-Car had been tinkering with and used it to defeat the Mutants.
With the go-brillium used up, they were regular Spychangers again.Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/01
Legends
WhenScourge's forces attackedNeo Brave Maximus,the Super Spychangers counterattacked, but the damage they inflicted upon the Commando's ship caused it to crash into Maximus.LGEX Scourge Prologue
Spychangers:
- Art Fire(Leader)
- Counter Arrow
- Eagle Killer
- Ox
- Wars
- X-Car
Spychanger continuity
InViron 1103.12 Gamma,Optimus Primeand her troops had to downsize with Spychanger technology afterSky-Bytepoisoned Earth's energon supply.Scourgewas the only Predacon/Decepticon who also downsized, but she alone was no match for the 13 Spychangers active on Earth.Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/18
Autobot Spychangers:
Decepticon Spychanger:
Ask Vector Prime
InPrimax 085.0 Eta,Optimus Primeand five of his AutobotsJazz,Wheeljack,Silverstreak,Prowl,andHoistbecameSpy Changers,hoping to achieve their mission with stealth and diplomacy when they needed to travel toGargent 087.0 Kappadue toa planetin that universe threatening to overwrite the existence of theirCybertron.They were able to achieve their mission with the help of theGuardians.In a later encounter with the Guardians,Trailbreakerbecame a Spy Changer as well.Ask Vector Prime, 30/9/2015As didRed Alert.Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/05/02
InQuadwal 1215.15 Epsilon,these escapades were told in aFun Publicationsconvention comic called "Brain Problem Solution".Ask Vector Prime, 21/12/2015
Spy Changers:
Toys
Car Robots
TheCar Robotstoyline featured six small 1:64-scale cars with axles designed in the style ofMatchboxandHot Wheelscars. They had simple transformations with articulation limited to rotator joints at the shoulders, and each came with handgun weapons. These six toys were originally sold as theGo-Botsin1995as part of theGeneration 2toyline. For their release in the2000Car Robotsline, they wereredecoedand given the new team name of "Spychangers". Each one also had heat-sensitive black paint apps that revealed their Autobot symbols when warmed up, similar torubsigns.
Spychangers(March 2000)
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Late in theCar Robotstoyline's life at mass retail, Japanese retailerJUSCOofferedexclusive"Original Spychanger" redecos of the six toys ascampaign itemsgiven away asblind-packeddirect-mail premiums to members of JUSCO's "Peppy Kids Republic" ( nguyên khí キッズ nước cộng hoà Genki Kidzu Kyōwakoku), a sort of subsidiary/offshoot for selling baby goods and children's clothing. These redecos were givenwildcolor schemes in translucent plastic.
| JUSCO-exclusive "Original Spychangers"(August 2000) |  |
Robots in Disguise(2001)
For the2001Robots in Disguisetoyline, the six Spychangers were slightly redecoed from their originalCar Robotsrelease, replacing the heat-sensitive paint apps withtampographedAutobot symbols, which would become the standard for all later releases of the Spychangers. Each was sold at mass retail in three two-packs in the line's Basic Class assortment. During this time, the Spychanger toys were never actually referred to as such byHasbro,with only thecartoonusing the "Spychanger" name.
| Basic Class Wave 1(July 2001) |  |
As theRobots in Disguiseline continued, the Spychanger roster was greatly expanded. A second wave of Basic Class two-packs featured four new molds originally created forGeneration 2but never saw release until this point. This group is notable for being able to store their hand weapons while in vehicle mode, and for two of them (Side BurnandProwl) representing Spychanger versions oflargerfigures.
| Basic Class Wave 2(September 2001) |  |
After the Basic Class's third wave of DecepticonCommandos(redecoed fromGeneration 1Combaticonmolds), a fourth wave introduced the third and final group of Spychanger-styled molds, this time created completely from scratch. Being the only brand-new molds created specifically for the HasbroRobots in Disguiseline (presumably intended for direct interactive play with the plannedRobots in DisguiseFortress Maximustoy before its delayed release was canceled), all four were based on existing characters from the series who had larger toys, but only two (X-BrawnandScourge) were fully designed in the Spychanger style and scale. The other two (Optimus PrimeandUltra Magnus) were considerably larger than the typical Spychanger toys, but were still racetrack-compatible, leading many to consider them Spychangers as well (Hasbro was still not using the name at this time). Of further note is that these four molds lacked any handheld weapon accessories, and Scourge remains the onlyDecepticonSpychanger toy ever made.
| Basic Class Wave 4(January 2002) |  |
OnceRobots in Disguisehad ended its run at mass retail, the line carried on with store exclusives that coexisted with its successor line,Transformers: Armada.Among these exclusives were a2002assortment of Spychangers released atKB ToysandTargetstores. For the first time, the original six Spychangers were released by Hasbro individually instead of in two-packs, and werefinallyreferred to by the group's name on the packaging, albeit spelled as two words: "Spy Changers".These six kept their originalRobots in Disguisepaint applications but replaced the figures' opaque plastic with translucent plastic.
| KB Toys/Target-exclusive Spy Changers(August 2002) |  |
In2003,a second assortment of individually-packaged "Spy Changers" were released at KB Toys. The original six were redecoedagain,but this time in another round of wacky translucent color schemes, like how the JUSCO "Original Spychangers" were. They were also sold onArmada-styled cardbacks but retained theRobots in Disguisebrand logo.
| KB Toys-exclusive Spy Changers(June 2003) |  |
Also in 2003, an assortment of eight Spychangers were released asTiny Tinscollectibles. These eight were unchanged from their originalRobots in Disguisemass retail releases and, for the first time, offered more than just the original six, adding Prowl 2 and Side Swipe to the mix. Also like the original releases, the packaging lacked any use of the names "Spychanger" or "Spy Changer".
| Robots in DisguiseTiny Tins(July 2003) |  |
Super Spychanger Lottery
Three years after theCar Robotsline had run its course, the original six Spychangers were given onemoreredecoed release, asSuper Modeversions of themselves in theSuper Spychanger Lotteryline, sold mainly at convenience stores. This time, twelve figures were included in this release, with each of the six receiving a second clear-colored "chase figure".Much like the previousRobots in Disguisereleases, each figure had its heat-sensitive paint apps replaced with tampographed Autobot symbols.
| Super Spychangers(March 2003) |  Super Counter Arrow (Clear Version) |
Universe(2003)
The 2003Universetoyline saw further releases of the existing Spychanger molds. In2004,Walmartreleased two two-packs containing redecos of theRobots in DisguiseBasic class Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus toys, each packaged with a Spychanger given aGeneration 1-inspiredcolor scheme. Of note is that these two-packs each used the single-word "Spychanger" name for the first time ever, but only for the two smaller figures, implying that the Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus toys weren't Spychangers after all (but see "Notes" below).
Walmart-exclusive Basic class two-packs(February 2004)
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Also in 2004, KB Toys releasedanotherassortment of "Spy Changers" (using the two-word spelling again, but see "Notes" below), this time using six molds from theRobots in DisguiseBasic class's second and fourth waves (instead of reusing the original six Wave 1 molds for the umpteenth time). These six were all colored as classic Generation 1 Autobot characters and released onArmada: The Unicron Battles-styled cardbacks with a unique "Transformers"logo that lacked any kind of subtitle. A year later, all six were rereleased at dollar store chains, albeit repackaged inUniverse-styled cardbacks with the properUniverselogo.
| KB Toys/dollar store-exclusive Spy Changers Wave 1(February 2004, February 2005) |  |
In2006,Universereleased a second wave of the dollar store-exclusive Spy Changers. This wave consisted of rereleases of Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Autobot Jazz from the previous wave, plus repackaged and rebranded rereleases of the 2003 KB Toys-exclusiveRobots in DisguiseSpy ChangersW.A.R.S.,Ironhide,andMirage,now representing Generation 1 characters like the others.
Dollar store-exclusive Spy Changers Wave 2(August 2006)
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Transformers(2007)
A redeco ofRobots in DisguiseSpychangerScourgeasMovieOptimus Primewas released in Japan as a preorder exclusive for theTransformersDVD or HD-DVD. Page 52 ofTransformers Generations 2009 Volume 2gives this toy the name of "Optimus Prime Figure" (オプティマスプライム・フィギア).
- Optimus Prime Figure(2007)
Notes
- The Japanese names of theCar RobotsSpychangers are spelled with the first six kana in the Japanese syllabary—a(ア,Art Fire),i(イ,Eagle Killer),u(ウ,Wars),e(エ,X-Car),o(オ,Ox), andka(カ,Counter Arrow).
- The spelling for the name of this subgroup varies:
- Though the name originates with the JapaneseCar Robotsversion or the series, an official English spelling was not provided, as the name was only rendered as スパイチェンジャー ( "Spychanger" ) in katakana on the toys' packaging and in the title of the cartoon episode "Ninja Robo! Enter the Spychangers".
- When Hasbro ported the Series to the United States asRobots in Disguise,the toys were sold as two-packs under the "Basic" price point, with no reference to their subgroup on packaging.
- "Spychanger" was used during the cartoon's run, such as in theproduction bible[1]and the title of the dubbed version of the aforementioned cartoon episode, "Spychangers to the Rescue".
- Several months after the cartoon's final episode had aired on US television, Hasbro released redecos of the original six figures as exclusives toKB ToysandTargetstores, with the name "Spy Changers" printed on the toys' packaging, spelled as two words. The same spelling was subsequently also used for a second set of KB Toys-exclusive redecos, a set of G1-colored redecos of the sixRobots in DisguiseBasic Class Wave 2 and 4 two-packed figures, as well as therebrandedre-releases of those "G1" Spychangers inUniversepackaging.
- Conversely, a KB Toys catalog for theArmadatoyline featured several KB Toys exclusiveRobots in Disguisefigures, as well as the "G1" Spychangers, with the latter being given their own header (as if they were a separate faction alongside "Autobots", "Decepticons", "Mini-Con Teams" and "Unicron" ) that spelled "Spychangers" as a single word.
- Likewise, the twoWalmartexclusive redeco two-packs from theUniverseline spelled the subgroup's name as one word again.
- 2004'sTransformers: The Ultimate Guidemade consistent use of the single-word "Spychanger" spelling in its section covering theRobots in Disguisetoyline.
- That same year, theOTFCC 2004Voice Actor Dramafeatured the four Walmart-exclusiveUniverseBasic class toy characters. While the word "Spychanger" was not used in the script reading itself, certain copies of the script included an outline for a never-released "Transformers: Universe#½ "issue; in said outline, the single-word" Spychanger "spelling was used twice.
- And finally,Maximum Entertainment's DVD releases of theRobots in Disguisecartoon in theUnited Kingdomfeatured character profiles as bonus content; said profiles likewise used the single-word "Spychanger" spelling.
- However, in2015,theAsk Vector PrimeFacebook column would default to using the two-word "Spy Changer" spelling, but which was largely due to the fact that this very wiki article had originally used that spelling; Ask Vector Prime was simply using what this wiki was using at the time.
- Overall, it would appear that the spelling "Spy Changer" as two words was more of an afterthought on behalf of Hasbro.
- Similarly, the road to the Basic class Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus toys being officially considered Spychangers has been a rocky one:
- In their originalRobots in Disguiserelease, no reference to their being Spychangers was ever given on the packaging, but (as stated above) this was also the case for every Spychanger toy. The two were also significantly larger than the other Spychanger toys, and were each sold individually, rather than in two-packs like all the other Spychanger toys were. But because they were tiny versions of much larger toys (just like their wave-mates, the Spychanger versions of X-Brawn and Scourge) and had comparable wheels and axel widths, many fans considered these two toys to be Sypchangers despite their larger size.
- When the two were redecoed in theUniverseline, while the name "Spychanger" finally saw use on their packaging, the wording of "Optimus Prime with Prowl Spychanger" and "Ultra Magnus with Ironhide Spychanger" on their packaging seemed to imply thatonlythe smaller figures were actually considered Spychangers, not Optimus or Magnus.
- In theRobots in Disguisepages ofTransformers: The Ultimate Guide,the Basic classUltra Magnustoy was given its own section separate from the Spychanger section, and was only labeled as a "basic" and never a "Spychanger", further suggesting that the Ultra Magnus (and Optimus Prime) Basic class toys weren't actually Spychangers.
- It wouldn't been until theOTFCC 2004Voice Actor Dramathat the two would finally be first officially declared as Spychangers. As stated before, the word "Spychanger" wasn't used in the script reading itself, butwasused in the outline for the unreleased "Transformers: Universe#½ "issue found in certain copies of the script. In the section of the outline that lists the voice cast for the script reading, Optimus was identified as"Spychanger OPTIMUS PRIME",and later in the outline, all four were referred to by the text as" Spychanger-style reinforcements ".
- Years later, Ask Vector Prime would flesh out the backstory of the fourUniverseSpychangers from the 2004 script reading, and not only continued to treat Optimus and Magnus as Spychangers, but even retroactively declaredSpychanger Optimus(and Scourge) to be female, in honor of the fact that Optimus was voiced byMichelle Irbyin the 2004 script reading.
Foreign names
- Japanese:Spychanger(スパイチェンジャーSupaichenjā)
- Korean:Spychanger(스파이체인져Seupaicheinjyeo)
