TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS on GENERATION 2

[@TFfangeek]

The greatest legacy of the Transformers Generation 2 franchise is that its name gave the original Transformers series its new permanent title: Transformers Generation 1!

[@gagelindell271]

Lmfao! Sooooo true!!!! Gen 2 were a joke compared to the best ever.

[@JohnPaulSheets]

Gen 1 snobbery abounds. Beast Wars single-handedly saved Transformers, so as great as Gen 1 truly is, there’s plenty of other great bot content lol

[@gagelindell271]

@@JohnPaulSheets Nobody cares who saved what. Gen 1 still by far the best ever made. Beast War snobbery abounds…

[@TFfangeek]

@@JohnPaulSheets I agree. I was introduced to the Transformers with Armada, one of the greatest Transformers series ever made! Armada also has the best music.

[@kasam0308]

@@TFfangeekMy first Transformers show was Transformers Prime. And that show won an Emmy for best animated show… and there’s a good reason. It had an all star cast, and they got Brian Tyler to composed the music.

[@ChaosOverlordZ]

Id argue Megatron being a tank is the longest lasting element of G2

[@TheGundamsword]

I prefer it over his ridiculous gun mode.

[@ChaosOverlordZ]

@@TheGundamsword it makes more sense that the leader of decepticons turns into something that can fire itself and dosnt need to be helmed by often his most treasonous subordonate.

[@Queen_Miku]

@@ChaosOverlordZ that just breaks the idea of the decepticons They're supposed to be dysfunctional and idiotic so the leader transforming into a pistol that's held by his treacherous minion really sells the point better than the tank

[@NurniyazKazaliyev]

@@Queen_Mikuwell, when the other soldiers are able to turn into jets, tanks and other vehicles, their leader being a small gun seems kind of ridiculous

[@Queen_Miku]

@@NurniyazKazaliyev it does a pretty good job at showing how dysfunctional the decepticons really are though lol

[@prismstar438]

Also probably not one of the major ones, but this is the first series that has Megatron's alternative mode be a tank, which is now considered to be the character's main alternative mode throughout most modern TF media. EDIT: Off-topic, but I find it kinda hilarious one of the Autorollers was going to be named "Dirtbag".

[@Doriburu8380]

I'd prefer Megatron better as a tank over a gun anyway, it suits him better.

[@nathanielhernandez3584]

I mean it makes sense A tank is like a large gun that moves

[@Doriburu8380]

@@nathanielhernandez3584 And he fires more powerful shots in tank mode even though he uses the same cannon in robot mode.

[@originaluddite]

I like it overall as a concept, but that green colouration is poxy. The later one with the air-powered gimmick has better colours.

[@aztn19]

@@originaludditei completely agree with you, but I weirdly feel that the better colored variants don’t feel like Megatron. Sure the original coloring looks ridiculous and cartoonish, but then again so are the Transformers

[@gerryandersonisbest]

I like how you always give a positive spin on things in this series. It's all too easy for people to be really harsh on eras like G2 for their failures or mistakes, but this series always does such a great job of spotlighting their positive contributions to the overall TF franchise. That's true fanboy love right there, and I totally respect that! 👍

[@reyonXIII]

History is contextual like that, and this shows that G2 is no different.

[@senortailer5102]

They sealed the tank megatron idea.

[@aliastheabnormal]

Shame, since G2 is what introduced to Transformers at the very beginning. Since i was too young when the original series came out.

[@TheZamaron]

G2 doesn't really stand out too much. It's sadly rememberd as the overly edgy continuation of the comics for G1, wierd neon recolors of existing toys, and overshadowed by pretty much everything else in Transformers. But yah we did get some cool things like Jhiaxus and his G2 Cybertronian Imperials, a cool GI Joe crossover for the comics, Laying groundwork for some cool lore additions, and giving us toys with ball and socket joints, laying the groundwork for standard articulation most toys would have going forward like famously Beast Wars. So G2 is kind of a mixed bag of good and bad. But as with any Transformers series, I don't think it's terrible, none of Transformers is completly terrible, that's the strength of the brand, lek the characters who fill it's universes, Transformers can stand the test of time by reinventing it's self time and time again, so even if some things are bad, always the potential for the next itteration to be better or give us things we never saw before, new stories, characters, lore, and new interesting variations of Transformers characters we know and love.

[@williamthompson5504]

I've always wanted to know what the hell Machine Wars was about. We didn't get any fiction when they came out.

[@PrincessMatrix]

I love that G2's biggest contribution to the franchise was only incidental. "If this line is called Generation 2, then obviously the first one must be Generation 1" lol

[@DeamonChocobo]

I was very young when G2 happened but, between the colors and the packaging, I have some early toy store memories of G2. Now whenever I see the crazy G2 color schemes and especially the G2 insignias my brain gets happy.

[@PredaConvoy]

I got into TF on the ground floor, but those late G1/G2 colours always make me happy too! I am so glad we are getting new versions of some of them! Good times!

[@TechWizard28]

G2 feels like a fevor dream with Mighty Morphin

[@muhammadhabibieamiro3639]

G2 is probably one of the most unique part of transformer history

[@Mecharnie_Dobbs]

With other unique things to come: The Pretenders, the Powermasters.

[@muhammadhabibieamiro3639]

@@Mecharnie_Dobbs true

[@helicopterodecombate8475]

​@@Mecharnie_Dobbsthere are from g1

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

Lots of Neon, lots of X-tremeness… Lots of disappointment. However, we celebrate it's legacy! It's flamboyant colors. Characters turnt fan favorites. (Jhiaxus, Maximo, Leadfoot, IronFist, etc.) Some other 3rd thing...

[@joshoshea3194]

The best thing about G2 is it gave G1 an even extra sheen of class and distinction. As in "where the hell are G1 and what have you done with them!?"

[@Gatherway]

It may not have been a rip-roaring success, but I owe my Transformers fandom entirely to Generation 2. It was one of the very first television shows to consume my attention as a young lad. The phrase "THROUGH THE MAGIC OF THE CYBERNET SPACE-CUBE" has been burned into my memory for 30 years, among others.

[@edr3158]

Is it just me or does The Cybernet Space Cube look like the All Spark cube from Michael Bay's 1st Transformers movie?

[@fazzolarijames]

Same here, I watched the VHS every day for a long time

[@TMF979Resurge]

​@@edr3158probably where they got the idea outside of Energon cubes and The Matrix of Leadership, considering it was The Matrix in the original draft

[@DarthPrime52]

That "This is NOT your daddy’s Autobot" on the comic has always been eyebrow raising. Bruh it’s only been like three or four years since the last one.

[@BradleyJC]

😂

[@automan224]

It’s a reference to the 1980s Oldsmobile ad campaign “this isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile” A campaign that was meant to help the struggling brand but ended up hurting it

[@mikhaelgribkov4117]

@@automan224 which makes G two use of it quite comedic.

[@manjackson2772]

​@@mikhaelgribkov4117Simon Furman had no real faith in G2 lasting, to be fair

[@Rako_the_Awesome]

@@manjackson2772He was basically told that if it didn’t sell then it would be canceled. He thought immediately “Gee, axe us why don’t you?”

[@MSipher]

This was when I became a TF *fan*. I was the exact target demographic for the original, but it wasn't a line I could afford much of. Come G2, I was legally an adult, had disposable income, had just found the nascent online TF fandom, and the toys were legitimately more posable than nearly every other action figure on the market. I loved that it expanded the universe while still remembering the past. I loved its technical innovations that have defined TFs to this day. And thus it will always be possibly my personal favorite era of the franchise.

[@anthonybird546]

Yeah I definitely regret being dismissive of especially the later line with the articulated figures they had coming out

[@False_Convoy]

The articulation was no joke, the cyber jets are some of my favorite transformer toys of all time. They are so good. I have most releases of the laser prime mold too. They are so ahead of their time it’s crazy.

[@Brickerbrack]

@@False_Convoy The Cyberjets could frankly be released now, no alterations, and still pretty much stand up to modern standards...

[@False_Convoy]

@@Brickerbrack they definitely could, I started collecting them a few years ago because of how impressed I was with them. They look good with legends/core guys, I like imagining them as huge ass jet soldiers like how skyfire just towers over the Autobots.

[@Brickerbrack]

@@False_Convoy Yeah, as I've said elsewhere, I have them with the likes of my Cyberverse Commander class (Prime Skyquake and Dreadwing, for instance) and Legends Seekers (Thrilling 30 Starscream etc)... They fit in just great!

[@Stewart118Tyler]

Every time I think I know the 'backstory' of a particular aspect of the Transformers... Chris comes along and TOTALLY blows that delusion outta the water!! This really was an education. Some stuff I knew but, like 70% of it, I've never even heard of. Just an amazing episode. The amount of info you drop is just staggering. I never knew G2 had so many subgroups. I can't thank you enough for this one. You NEVER disappoint.

[@midle1998]

G2 always felt like the Dragon Ball GT of Transformers. There's something about it that has alot of untapped potential that we might never see again outside of the Marvel comics of that continuity which honestly went pretty hard. I wouldn't be surprised if that comic inspired the Bayverse in some ways.

[@JeremiahEcks777]

G2 is very personal for me for these reasons. G2 was at the time underwhelming, but it was G2 that got me into the TMUK Transformers fan group, and it was being part of that community which seeded my fandom permanently. If not for G2, I might have lost interest in Transformers like I did Thundercats or TMNT. Additionally, it was directly being part of that fan group that led to me becoming a Christian, leaving home for pastures new and having all the adventures following - I found a friend community that I'm still part of today, they are like family to me and I have since lived a very genuinely happy life because of all of the above. Without exaggeration, none of those things would have happened how they did if I hadn't joined TMUK, and that only happened because of G2 (since it was the UK comic that introduced me to TMUK - I didn't know it was a thing before that). On that level, I'll forever be grateful for G2 for being the trigger point for everything I've had since, and have lived a long and happy life because of those things. It's funny how one set of plastic toys can spiral someone's life in such a dramatic way! I think in retrospect the comic was better than what Furman came up with when he did Regeneration One (G2 has better scripting and story events - RG1 had better artwork IMO). Arguably, if we didn't have G2, we wouldn't have Beast Wars and if we didn't have Beast Wars leading through to RiD and Armada, we wouldn't have all of the later content that brought Transformers back right at the right time of a retro wave, and the franchise could have been forgotten as a relic of the 80's like Challenge of the Gobots, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors or M.A.S.K. It probably would have had a brief resurgence here and there like Thundercats, but ultimately, I think G2 kept the toyline around on life support long enough for future events to keep it going. I don't think it has aged well, and wasn't exactly life of the party back in 1994-1996, but it was crucial for us to still be talking about Transformers today, and some of the innovations it made - as well as some awesome designs and toys - are worthy of being fondly remembered. Laser Rod Optimus Prime and G2 Megatron are just two of them, and some of the recoloured Special Teams may be an eyesore, but they are fun to look at!

[@mattr75]

My favorite Transformers toy of all time is RID Scourge, a repaint of G2 Laser Optimus Prime. That figure still holds up to this day

[@animeking1357]

I bought the legacy Scourge figure a while back. He's great. RID's Scourge is one of my favorite transformers characters.

[@darrenheideman2546]

Generation 2 is what introduced me to Transformers. It's nice to see it getting renewed interest and some respect.

[@tf2godz]

I find it quite extremely fascinating that the transformers we know today are an amalgamation of the work of Japanese, American, and British creators. I can't think of another franchise that had its creation connected to three countries.

[@Mecharnie_Dobbs]

Doctor Snuggles was a British/Dutch co-production, animated in Japan and America.

[@Mecharnie_Dobbs]

Ulysses 31 is a French/Japanese co-produced update, under the Roman name, for a Greek legend.

[@originaluddite]

A lot of productions for kids are international collaborations because they tend not to get the same funding as adult programs and so need to pool resources. Transformers however is on a completely different level.

[@AresHoax_9]

The V-2 rockets

[@thestripedmenace]

Don't forget the toys imported from South Korean lines like Omega Supreme and Skylynx and the massive success in China the brand has enjoyed since 2007!

[@kalidgongora6981]

Don't mess with G2 fans, it's just me and I don't like to fight

[@chrisschurke4151]

A lot of G2 characters were pretty cool. I wonder what would have happened if it had an actual original cartoon to promote it.

[@alphabros5226]

Just from a surface level perspective, perhaps part of Gen 2's relative success would've been amplified if it had a cartoon on a equivalent level to Gen 1 to promote the toys.

[@shoogles_]

6:59 This artist seems interesting, I wonder if there's an ongoing podcast where we can learn more about him and his work

[@GM_LEONG]

So many childhood memories were re-awakened because of this video. Thank you Chris!

[@jcngokai-76]

for better or for worse😅😅😅

[@tombrand236]

I remember seeing these originally on the shelves at Woolworths and thinking what are THESE??! Possibly one of the greatest memories I have. Man I loved being a kid in the 90s

[@JustAnotherGamer-no3.94m]

For me, G2 is pretty significant. I watched the transition from G1, collected the comics, even had a bunch of the toys. But it didn't really hit home for me until years later, where the Internet gave me the Japanese G2 comics, showing the conclusion to the very, very long Transformers canon continuity. It was a very special treat.

[@slipshodaverage844]

COBRA rebuilding Megatron as a tank has stuck with me for decades, along with "Fort Max gets the axe!"

[@windsweeper8002]

I was in college when G2 came out so felt I was too old to buy toys. I did pick up all 5 issues of the short lived Fleetway comic. Having loved the G1 UK comic, seeing Simon Furman was again writing the comic and Bludgeon being Decepticon leader was proof this actually followed on from the G1 comic that I'd grown up on so I had to read it. Be almost another decade before Dreamwave got me collecting and I finally got to read the complete G2 US run thanks to the Titan reprints. In 2005, an ex bought me a collection of 30+ G2 figures for my birthday. It's been great recently seeing the cancelled repaints being restored with the new Seekers Cloudcover and Sandstorm. Great video as always.

[@Tigerblade11238]

Hot Take: I actually liked the swap of Megatron from a gun (that needed to be held by another Decepticon) to a tank or any other self sufficient vehicle capable of delivering destruction. Yes, 1980s Megatron is iconic, but I think this was a positive change overall (minus the color scheme)

[@TurnpikePaladin]

That Jazz, Sideswipe, and Inferno wave was straight fire! I had em all and remember playing with Sideswipe at my grandma's house.

[@Skullgrin140]

G2 was definitely a more "wild" point for Transformers that I really don't think alot of people were particularly ready for, but it definitely managed to get things warmed up for what would come next in the 90's. However the best things out of it were undoubtedly the comic, combined with all of it's "EXTREME" 90's testosterone that was cancelled way too soon just as it was building up to something really good and the toys that when you overlook some of the G1 recolours, there were plenty of figures with unique gimmicks & molds that stand out. As always Chris, great episode.

[@almightyfredder]

It's sad that the generation 2 comic was almost expected to fail, since the main evil character, Jhiaxus, was named sarcastically as a reminder, sounding like: Gee-ax-us

[@Riku006]

G2 was actually the era of Transformers that I started watching in. While I never saw all of them, most of the tv episodes I saw were the re-edited G2 ones. Going back, I’d be like “Hey. Where’s the CGI transitions and the cool 3D intro?” I also had a couple of toys from this era too. For the longest time, we had the Space Case and Hooligan figures, yet we forgot their names and referred to them as Starscream and Tigertron respectively.

[@EmeralBookwise]

G2 will always hold a special place in my heart. It came out while I was in junior high and my mother was both giving me the freedom to ride around town on my bicycle and was also paying me to babysit my younger sister. So I tended to go by the local Wal-Mart nearly every day to check for new releases, and collected most of the G2 line. Maybe it was released too soon to be properly nostalgic for most, but for me it was the perfect time and my first chance to own many of larger figures I had wanted as a younger kid.

[@jamiemeansjamesmusic]

I saw a youtuber talk about the scrapped Legacy netflix show. It was going to be a sequel to Kingdom and was actually going to feature Jhiaxus as the main villain. It was going to be a multiverse story and was going to actually feature Armada Optimus Prime too. I think that's cool they were going to feature a G2 character as the main villain. Sucks it was scrapped though.

[@JadeMythriil]

I really like G2 Megatron's design. I do hope Hasbro releases a G2 Version of Megatron in the near future and not just a repaint.

[@JeremiahEcks777]

Just not in neon green and purple? The Archforce colours would be far more palatable. Or a rerelease in G1 colours? Could even do a rerelease in Galvatron colours and call it Galvatron G2?

[@JadeMythriil]

@@JeremiahEcks777 Maybe they could even expand to Beast Wars 2 and give us Megastorm.

[@JeremiahEcks777]

@@JadeMythriil Maybe but Megastorm is G2 Megatron colours, and those colours hurt the eyes nowadays.

[@maybetoby]

Generation 2 was my first introduction to Transformers. I was very confused by the out-of-order episodes. One day it was Optimus and Megatron, the next day it was Rodimus and Galvatron. It wasn't until the animated movies release on DVD did I understand what had happened lol

[@AlexReynard]

That is such a great point about G2 causing G1 to be named G1. It's *so* obvious, but not something I'd ever thought about.

[@SuchSavings]

6:57 "Yeah, the inset poster, as you say, is another Nigel Kitching piece. A-a-a lovely piece of Optimus & Megatron Goin' at it Optimus & Megatron Goin' at it Oooooh Goin' at it Isn't it great? Aw it's great. Big Chunky Optimus & Megatron Goin' at it Ooooooh Plump Optimus & Megatron Oh I love it! Optimus & Megatron Goin' at it Aw, yeah yeah yeah Goin' at it Optimus & Megatron Goin' at it Aw, yeah yeah yeah Goin' at it"

[@MrMarnel]

As a European kid in the 90s, these are the toys and commercials I'm actually most familiar with. Nostalgia galore in this video.

[@forthenight3265]

Thanks for this bday gift. Always wondered what G2 was when I was a kid...then came the "Great Imanadultnow Schism" then I found your channel a couple years back, reinvigorated those days watching reruns with the autobots (specifically sunstreaker) driving across a lake with skis from the old cartoon from the 80s

[@mariaisabelg4701]

I think it's interesting that despite trying to be grittier and darker, it gave us some of the most interesting and colorful color schemes and patterns that weren't seen in the g1 run. Say what you want but I think some of them are genuinely cool like Megatron's camo and Sideswipe new colors.

[@travisogden8501]

I was worried this one wasn't going to be good, yet you did it. The info, the pics and vids, I learned new things, and why g2 is so cool and important. Thank you!

[@jpdunphy1]

Because of my age and my connection to the original series (Christmas 1984 was pretty magical for 5-year-old me), I always think of Generation 2 as the “new” one. Then I remember it was first released over 30 years ago. Oof. Many fans far more hardcore than I ever was weren’t even alive yet. Brains and nostalgia are funny things. Thanks, Chris, for another solid trip down memory lane.

[@alwaysabiggafish3305]

G2 is that awkward teenage phase where you make mistakes but still get to figure out who you are.

[@ComicGuy74]

I had stopped collecting toys by the time G2 hit and hadn't had a great idea of the line. It's fascinating to learn new stuff about this franchise. Thanks for the insightful video, Chris!

[@Less_Than_Tactical]

This is exactly where I came into Transformers! Great to see the stuff that occupied me for years. Thank you for the refreshing memories.

[@ghidotheone]

“An entire sublime dedicated to cancelled G2 recolors” is such an insane statement that I can’t even fathom the figures being real as I hold them in my hands.

[@yellowpete79]

Don't worry, Hasbro have ensured distribution of these toys will be rubbish. They're also shortpacking some. Just like Velocitron Cosmos, alot of fans will miss out. Thanks again Hasbro!

[@infinition]

Born in '85, I grew up in the 90s. I had a lot of G1 toys as a kid, but my G2 comics were precious to me. As an adult, the new Legacy Jhiaxus figure was a fantastic surprise, and when I was deciding on a Masterpiece Bumblebee to purchase, I sprang for the golden G2 variant. G2 had it's flaws, but it also holds a special place in this Transformers fan's heart.

[@mikeprevite8902]

The G2 comic is still the only "true" continuation of Marvel continuity for me and is by far Furman's best ending to a continuity, even with the cliffhanger.

[@khronokraze]

I didn't even know there was a g2 till recently. I grew up and owned many g1s of the 80s.. but, by the time g2 came out circa mid-90s, I had fallen out of toy buying and collecting for a number of years.. starting college, my focua was totally elsewhere. I'm sure this may be a fond trip down memory lane for some. Me?.. it is I'll always seem like a poor rehash of old stuff and g1 will be forever the best for me. Thanks for the g2 story and insight, though.

[@LiliaArmoury]

i feel that megatron is better as a tank than as a gun, means he doesn't need someone else to operate him

[@originaluddite]

All hail Galvatron...

[@isaiahkayode6526]

That’s what I’ve been saying since day 1 Megatron should be powerful and what better way to show how powerful you are then a Tank.

[@Cyborcat]

Weird, I could have sworn I only saw the 5-part pilot re-edited for G2. I don't think I knew they did so much of the series. I do think this was around the time that the Sci-Fi channel started showing G1 early in the morning, and I got up early every morning so I could record every episode. First time I was re-introduced to G1 (I was in high school) and I haven't stopped loving it since.

[@Jimboliah3985]

Obviously in honor of the G2 toyline and the 1990s as a whole, we have to comment with an obligatory and extremely bodacious *DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!!!*

[@TEENFORMER]

Probably one of the best THE BASICS videos we've seen in a while, it was very informative, and I learned some things I haven't heard before today!

[@KamenRiderSeiryuXV0]

Both G2 toys of Megatron was used to called Reverse Megatron a tank into transform from Reverse Convoy, while Missile Truck Laser Optimus become Transformers Car Robots of Black Convoy or in American version so called Scourge. I had these toys collection in my college times. Transformers G2 manga was interesting.

[@prfctcellrulz]

G2 was my initial introduction into Transformers so it holds a special place in my heart. I even remember my VERY FIRST figure was G2 Bumblebee from Kay-Bee at my local mall back in New Jersey!

[@omega-rattrap]

My introduction to Transformers! I still remember the Christmas morning when I got my first three TF figures. They were the G2 Minibots Hubcap, Beachcomber, and Seaspray. 😁

[@LPS_HD]

Really nice episode of The Basics once more, especially since I really did not know much about G2 at all before, only having heard it get name dropped here and there. Keep up the great work! Also, could you myb do a Basics episode on the multiverse some time? I feel like this would be an interesting concept to explore, especially since it used to play quite a big role in TF lore, as far as I’m aware.

[@ahmadstewasamlrt2202]

Your Transformers content is amazing.🎉❤

[@Jed1_1792]

And that ain't capping

[@johnrhogan2908]

I had all versions of Optimus, and I loved the Laser Sword Optimus. I also recorded every episode of Gen2 as they aired. Hats off to you, Chris, for this episode of The Basics. and thanks to the person that requested this.

[@jamesianhutchison1165]

Only thing from G2 that I really appreciated was Megatron becoming a tank. It fit so perfectly that you end up thinking that he should have always been a tank. The pistol was madness. 😅

[@mrsamaritan6881]

Regular Decepticon minions become tanks, so it never made sense that Megatron did too. The WFC videos games got it right when they made Megatron a tank destroyer, it fit so perfectly that you end up thinking that he should have always been a tank destroyer.

[@orinanime]

​​@@mrsamaritan6881War For Cybertron? What's a "tank destroyer"?

[@Robocopnik]

@@orinanime en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_destroyer

[@orinanime]

@@Robocopnik it's just another type of tank specifically designed to take out other tanks. It's an anti-tank tank.

[@Brickerbrack]

@@orinanime So what's the inevitable anti-tank-tank tank? 😜

[@tylertichoc7330]

In life I have come to this one conclusion many times. That change is it's only constant and is for better and worse inevitable. What matters is how we choose to adapt to these changes as more often then not we are never truly ever ready for what comes next. But the experiences we gain through these changes not only make us stronger but hold the potential to transform us into something far greater then we could ever imagine. And they are what make entire generations to be. Those are words that I choose to live by. And despite that they sound like something Optimus Prime has said, that quote is all originally me. 😅

[@TheAnimationStationTAS]

The saddest thing about G2 is how many characters have been trapped there; hopefully Hasbrp will give some more of the original G2 transformers some more love outside of mainly just G2 redecos for classic characters.

[@thisithis]

I remember Generation 2 1992 when Batman: The Animated Series came out. And then Exosquad came out in 1993 by Universal Animation Studios with the toy line by Playmates. The Exosquad toy line was just killing Generation 2 until Universal decided to kill Exosquad in 1993, leaving Playmates with a temporary toy licensing that would go away soon. So Playmates came out with more toys, board games, and a Sega Genesis video game ending in 1996. The License is now back at universal studios. But yeah Batman and Exosquad were the first two nails, but Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was the last nail in its coffin.

[@bronco5591]

I'd kill for a modern figures of the cyber jets. I always thought they were so cool.

[@Brickerbrack]

They still _are;_I still have them active in my collection, mixed in with things like my Legends Seekers...

[@jermaineivey4699]

Tremendous work, excellent detail. I had naturally veered away from transformers towards the end of the original G1 run (particularly after action masters), and G2 kinda passed me by so it's great to have this kind of summary.

[@the_real_Kurt_Yarish]

I played with several knock-off copies from this toyline as a kid, bought from our local Family Dollar. Specifically, the Cyberjets and Lasercycles. They unfortunately did not come with their associated gimicks, if I recall correctly.

[@Nediablo]

1:53 - even the advert forgot to slide Megatron's arms forward at the shoulders 😂

[@ThayneGill]

Ahh…..generation 2 definitely a product of it’s time, some of the toys I do like, the rotor force, the color changers, and the cyber-jets are some of my favorites, though I didn’t know that the accelerators or the sky-scorchers were released here. I wish the stuff from Britain was released here though.

[@Dekrewteg]

Gen 2 was a time to b alive man..thunderclash, rapido , the spark bots. Just memories 😊

[@ultra_marcus]

I remember seeing G2 stuff on the shelves, sadly my interests had shifted to music and video games and I never bought any - big regret.

[@onyxwolfreaper21]

1:48 I actually have a fake version of this toy back when I was a kid, still have to this day but it got significantly loose over time

[@jayvbspdx]

I remember when they repackaged the original G1 series as "Generation 2" I just couldn't watch any more. I completely missed the comic line, much to future me’s dismay.

[@AntonioFGagliardiLugo]

This is one of your best videos ever. Loved how you tied and highlighted all the relevance from the dark and forgotten G2 series. ❤❤🎉🎉

[@littledutch7549]

I remember going into stores to see the 'new' G2 figures, eager to buy what I missed during G1, only to find out they all had wonky colours... As a 12 year old kid, I hated blue Grimlock and yellow Constructions and purple Ramjet... It was for me the last time I'd even go looking for Transformers figures in stores. 😢

[@beLIEve77]

This is the most detailed about G2 that I ever come across. Always thought it's just a re-release of G1 with Prime telling stories to Kennedy

[@ChrisMcFeely]

Oh, no, that's "season 5" of the original cartoon, which aired in 1988. Same basic idea, though, repackaging existing episodes with new framing sequences!

[@TheBerk01]

I remember renting a few of the g2 episodes on VHS one lazy weekend. That CGI screen transition was definitely memorable. Mostly because it made it completely unwatchable.

[@amosg86]

I was too young and missed out the heyday of G1. I only got into Transformers through G2, thus beginning a 30 year commitment to the franchise. G2 was definitely my generation and I have allthe love for it despite its contemporary reputation.

[@DanTheManCalter]

The G2 Cyber Jets were my absolute favorite transformers growing up. I played with them for years until they literally fell apart beyond repair. I've currently got Hooligan and Jetfire replaced and on my desk

[@Brickerbrack]

Mine are still intact, and I still play with 'em! 😁 _touches wood_

[@jasonturtle3075]

I honestly love that G2 gave Megatron the lasting change of him having a Tank Alt-mode, a Tank just feels a lot more badass and intimidating then his gun mode

[@garethspotfur1]

The general impression I got from G2 was EXTREME! And NEON! So very 90s.

[@jasonschneider7224]

Very balanced and interesting take on G2 - an era simultaneously embarrassing and under-rated and knotted with all the contradictory feelings that go with it. Some of the color schemes were terrible, some glowed in a way that stuck in your memory for years and you realized later on were actually amazing. Suddenly after a decade these brick bots had real articulation, unique transformations started creeping in, and an almost relentless deluge of gimmicks hit the store shelve. All this uniqueness, unfortunately, was buried behind an initial wave uninspired sameness - re-colored re-releases that just made a lot of us go "how is this generation two when it's just the same guys with different shirts?". I guess in many ways, this is the awkward teenage years of the brand - the kind of embarrassing, uncertain period of experimentation that strangely hints at the future. We got the ball jointed articulation, water weapons, spring changers, and experimental transformations in Beast Wars, and though divisive, that was when it really became "not your father's transformers". I love trukk - but damn, munkky was a banger! The new show, evolving toy design, and even the very 90's sense of extreme cyber-gore and organic gross out elements all are the logical outgrowth of what we saw in G2 put into the new frame it needed at the time. G2 was an interesting and necessary fail - one that provided the roots for a new path for transformers, and some hidden gems that it's a pleasure to rediscover decades later.

[@LIGHTBL0X]

Mom wake up Chris Mcfeely made a new tf video!

[@ScrapKing73]

Megatron’s alt-mode being a tank was another major addition to subsequent TF media, brought on by Generation 2.

[@XenoJehuty84]

As a kid from 1984 who was sad when the original line seemingly 'died' (as we kids precieve time going MUCH slower than it actually was), only for the line to seemingly come back from the dead just a few years later. I was elated, and hold a fondness for G2, especially as it let me grab some of the Gen1 toys I missed out originally, even if they were recolored (and not always flatteringly so).

[@sebastianshades4]

I remember being a kid and watching rerun episodes of the original Transformers series in the early 90s, and then looking for the toys in stores but they were long gone, until my father surprised me with G2 Sideswipe and G2 Jazz. I remember thinking that the colors didn't match what they looked like in the cartoon but I didn't care, I finally had my first Transformers. So even though I grew up with the G1 cartoon but the G2 toys are what got me into collecting Transformers. G2 will always have a special place in my heart.

[@ElGuachitoReviews]

I just picked up a g2 sideswipe from my local Walmart, and it's a really cool design

[@KingGuns-b5r]

Great upload man I remember those actually had a few all mysteriously vanished like all my WWF WCW action figures

[@Katarn84]

My original Optimus was the G2 with the black trailer. It was thrown in the bin in the great toy purge my father committed when I was 14. But I managed to find another original Italian copy on ebay some years ago, so he’s back on the shelf.

[@Benscollectables]

Never knew about the Gi Joe cross over but it would explain my desire to get the likes of anything garish from the 90s Joes, the Super Sonic Fighters, Air Commandos, Eco-Warriors, Mega Marines and even Star Brigade to go with my g2 Tfs

[@thatguywiththetripod8577]

One thing I love about these retrospectives is that you get the see the engineering evolution of the figures. Going from basic swivels to full on articulated figures with transformations equally complex is one of my favorite things about this franchise. Also, the G2 color schemes, while incredibly dated, have reached the point where they are so bad, they're good for me,

[@troylandzerep8045]

Gen2: We cant use a gun as Megatron's alternate mode due to gun violence Also Gen2: Lets turn him into a military tank..

[@Brickerbrack]

If you see a kid driving a real Abrams down the street, you've got bigger problems.

[@RingoLoadagain]

Man that tank Megatron WAS my Megatron! I was obsessed with that figure, and I was way too young to get a gun megatron. I also had that G1 reissue of the original Optimus Prime with the crazy trailer that said OPTIMUS PRIME in huge letters!

[@aderose]

2:35…..is it just me or those that G2 cube look like the Allspark cube from from the 07 TF movie?? 🤔

[@drewo.127]

Transformers G2 is perhaps my personal favorite generation after G1 because it’s such a pivotal moment in the franchise, that both revisits the classics and tries to embrace the new generation with weird and wacky upgrades and stuff! I personally have a fan made G2 inspired Transformers universe set in the mid 90s that follows the Autobot Hubcap and his misadventures on earth! And I love that G2 is getting some love in the Legacy toy line!!! G1 and G2 are some of my personal favorite eras, but as a 90s/2000s kid, G2 and onward hold a very uniquely special place in my heart!

[@Jayce_Alexander]

Thank you so much for this loving retrospective, Chris. I know G2 gets a lot of hate, but to me this is pretty much the part of the Transformers franchise I'm most genuinely nostalgic for. I was a massive fan of Transformers G1, but too young to really experience it. I experienced it mainly through my older brother's G1 toys, some Marvel comics, and a couple of old VHS tapes my mom had recorded off TV back in the 80s when Transformers was aired on the UK Sky Channel. 8 year old me was ecstatic to just have Transformers on toy store shelves again, and G2 was how I experienced most G1 episodes for the first time. I remember going to the local toy store with my mom after school and buying Dreadwind, the first time I'd bought anything with my own allowance. I remember getting Laser Optimus Prime and G2 Megatron for Christmas in (I think) 1995, and it was pretty much the best Christmas of my childhood. G2 Laser Optimus Prime is still one of my favorite Transformers figures of all time. I'd love a masterpiece version of that. (And yes, I know Fanshobby has kinda released one, but it hasn't been available in my area :/)

[@benjaminfeld6388]

Transformers generation 2 actually helped introduce me to the Transformers franchise when I was a kid.

[@chrisclack4258]

i am A January one aka new year day baby of 1987 so beast wars was my first transformers experience

[@Goofballacus]

Beast Wars and Beast Machines - G3 Unicorn trilogy - G4 Animated and Bayverse - G5 Alignedy continuity - G6 Cyberverse snd Bumblebee movie - G7 Earthspark and rotb - G8 Cant wait for G9!

[@gpla-ster9032]

9:29 Now there's one Basic that wasn't offline by a cosmically powered Starscream.

[@robacdc1977]

G2 has long been the coolest part of Transformers for me. The Uber-edgy artwork for the comics still speaks to me on a (pun-intended) primal level.

[@stephencastro4723]

It was actually G2 that protected me from the trauma of Optimus Prime's death in Transformers the Movie. Back when i was a kid, i watched Season 3 of Transformers G1 first. That made me wonder what happened to Optimus Prime when he appeared as a zombie and was later revived. Then i saw Transformers G2 which chronicles the adventures of Optimus Prime and Megatron. So when i watched the movie, that only answered my questions.

[@johnsoehnlen4781]

The same thing happened to me as well.

[@SixshotRevan]

G2 was my starting point with Transformers, alongside my older brother's G1 hand-me-downs. I may still prefer G1 overall, but I can't help but love the G2 characters and colors. I still have my G2 Electro, which I now treat like a Fabergé egg so the GPS won't turn it to dust.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

The Yellow Constructicons were bigger than the originals and very welcome for that.